#do you ever think about how duncan thinks of himself as his servant (which he is)

[beheworthy]

DUNE (2021) dir. Denis Villeneuve

#dune #duneedit #dune 2021 #paul atreides #timothée chamalet #duncan idaho #jason momoa #filmedit #scifiedit #moviegifs #fyeahmovies #cinemapix #tchalametedit #jasonmomoaedit #jmomoaedit #dailyfilmactors #userbrittany #do you ever think about how duncan thinks of himself as his servant (which he is) #but paul always treats him as an equal #also look at how much he touches him

[felassan]

Extended thoughts on the Dark Fortress preview pages [spoilers at link]

(Would I be an MJ if I did not do this? This post is under a cut due to spoilers.)

I like the preview pages a lot, I’m excited for release - roll on March 31. There’s a lot packed into just these limited pages, so I’m looking forwards to seeing the issue and its contents in their entirety. 

A flashback to the Battle of Ostagar all those years ago is the last thing I was expecting when coming to this comic and it hit me with a one-two of feelings and nostalgia. Up there just off-screen, the Hero of Ferelden and Alistair have just lit the beacon in the Tower of Ishal. In these panels, the rain, the lighting, the atmosphere - it’s surreal (not in a bad way) seeing these fateful events again, back where it all kinda began really, and that page does a good job of replicating that cutscene and the heavy feel of it in a different medium. It’s a nice touch seeing surprise/unsureness and even conflict on some of the soldiers’ faces as Loghain gives the order to retreat. A couple of them even seen disconcerted as they walk away (looking at one another in askance). I like this take on Ser Cauthrien, and I wonder if Aaron ever encountered Aveline, Wynne, Carver or non-mage Hawke at Ostagar before the battle...?

Loghain’s words “He must do what his honor compels him to do” almost feel like a bit of metacommentary, i.e. on Loghain’s character in addition to obviously being about Ser Aaron.

In-universe before now, there have been varying accounts of Ser Aaron’s experience at Ostagar. Did he miss the fight, did he kill two ogres, etc. Now we see the truth of the matter is exactly as he told Vaea, which speaks of the trust and close relationship between the two. I’m not going to lie, the “I am coming my king” and subsequent panels make me cry on this re-read. Aaron reaching out for Cailan in his sleep with his other fist clenched, jerking awake from a nightmare in a cold sweat.. Aaron is so brave, he was the sole or one of the few soldiers in Loghain’s company to make this kind of stand (and you can see that there was a moment when he did turn to leave and considered it before turning back), and these panels convey the extent of the trauma that he experienced on the field of battle that day. I’m positive that in panel 2 here, it’s the exact moment when he sees Cailan die. It also hurts to think that not far from there, Duncan is seeing the same thing. They’ve done a good job integrating the new characters’ pasts with previous canon events with things like these. It’s like, expanding on things, but without anything conflicting.

When Aaron reaches for his alcohol skin I’m pretty sure his hand is shaking. Vaea is so tender and understanding/supportive at this part and it’s a really poignant and soft moment for them.. Aaron’s nightmares are a regular occurrence it seems. I love her and their relationship so much.. keeping watch over him while he sleeps a bit away from the others and the fire. ;; Also Autumn’s ears here, she’s lying down but still listening to what’s going on with and between her people. ;;

Brief pause here: I always appreciate getting a good sense where different events are taking place in the additional media. Also we now have in-universe confirmation that in the timeline we’ve now reached 9:45, as opposed to only external word-of-god. Do you guys ever think about your Wardens and how it’s been 15 years for them?

Aaron is like a father to Vaea 😭

Fenris has two daggers now in addition to his twohanded sword. The better for ending Danarius’ bloodline my dear 🔪

Have they tweaked Fenris’ hairstyle a bit, compared to Blue Wraith? Possibly also his skintone and eyebrows, compared to Blue Wraith? (I find this kind of thing hard to tell. If I’m incorrect here please feel free to correct me.) He looks good in this preview.

Poor Francesca. Tessa is really kind at this part and it’s nice to see more moments like these between female characters (women supporting one another). It reminds me of the moment in a previous issue where Vaea hugs Francesca on the ground. Tessa makes a great point here that true strength isn’t necessarily being stoic and unemotional, it’s standing up for what you believe in and for the greater good, even at great personal cost. It’s not 'not crying' and hiding your sadness. That’s a nice message, and again, Fran has really grown on me.

I also think it speaks well of Fenris and his character development after all these years in-universe that he was looking for a way to help Aaron, then immediately thought to go speak to Francesca when she was upset to see if he could help her in turn.

hhh brooding silent Marius staring broodily and silently into the flames and not responding to Fenris’ attempt at making conversation tho, the gentle lampshading..  That’s so true to his character. These might be my favorite panels in the whole preview. Fenris’ dry wit and facial expressions, the general composition, Fenris peacing out like “ok bye ig” lmao. You also get the sense that Fenris is reeling a bit and feeling abandoned since Hawke and co split up. After trying to do something to help both Aaron and Fran above, he then tries to make conversation with Marius. He’s trying to lighten the mood but also to connect after being alone for some time. He has missed having a group around him, and I suspect this group with its varying troubles and issues reminds him a lot of Hawke and co. That both the humor aspect and this characterization comes through in these 3 panels is pretty brilliant.

We reach the titular dark fortress! If ever there was a fortress for a bad guy, huh? x) The narrow exposed causeway being the only approach is a smart line of defense, strategically. Also, the realization that this is where Fenris lived while he was a slave of Danarius’ :| It’s a horrible-looking place and will be full of bad memories for him.

If this is how stormy the Nocen Sea gets in places - well, it reminds me of the lore that in Thedas naval exploration beyond the known map has been historically limited by different factors like pirates, Qunari dreadnoughts, stormy seas and sea creatures etc.

Characters speaking their native languages in places is always a nice touch. Now we’ve heard “By the Maker!” in Orlesian.

Aspects of the style and architecture of the Tevinter buildings in this preview, like the window shapes and the red lights and stuff, echo or remind me of what we’ve seen of Minrathous in the most recent trailer and some of the recent pieces of concept art for the next game. Neat.

We have our name and identity for the mage on the cover! Tractus Danarius, bastard son of Danarius. Danarius fucked around huh. “Tractus” has a Latin root, fittingly for a Tevinter name. Its different meanings are quite interesting: being dragged, extracted, plundered, an anthem sung in some masses, an elongated area or abnormal passage... I wonder if one of them will come into play somehow, the name possibly having been chosen for a reason? I also wonder how young Tractus is relative to Fenris, and if their paths have ever crossed in the past.

Tractus makes his entrance with two elven slaves or servants in tow. Like on the cover, his eyes are red. The head of his staff is a red sphere, also. Can we assume a connection to red lyrium, then, given these factors and the villains’ interest in using red lyrium to power the sarcophagus? I would guess that as normal magic was required to make it work with blue lyrium, the thing required to make it work with red lyrium is blood magic? A blood magic ritual. My guess is that the thing Tractus shows Marquette and Nenealeus is probably a chained up dragon or similar, which they plan to sacrifice and use the blood/power derived from that to fuel the magic/ritual. This is considering blood as a theme in this setting, blood as a source of power mechanically and the dragon-like beast on one of the covers which has clearly at one point been shackled and collared. (Here’s some previous speculation about Dark Fortress based on the covers.)

Although Tractus’ relative youth and inexperience compared to Nenealeus comes across in these pages, I get the feeling that Nenealeus will regret talking down in this manner to Tractus later in the comic.

It seems Tractus paints his nails dark. His commitment to aesthetic I give 5/5 stars

Remember the fall of Ventus/Qarinus to the Antaam invasion in TN? The Antaam must be progressing through Tevinter if people fear that Neromenian may soon fall also.

I appreciate that everyone’s horse is different! It’s a nice touch. A lot of the time in media groups of people ride identical horses like they’re clones or automatons as opposed to actual creatures.

Tractus’ smile when he’s asking if they’re going to wait for Qintara to arrive is slightly manic, lol, he’s giving off “Are we there yet?” car journey energy here. The doorway in this panel - is that a portcullis-style door? It seems like it has spikes at the bottom which would sink into the floor, and that there’s some kind of mechanism running along the floor towards it. Presumably to contain the [dragon?]?

I forgot Nenealeus has a sword - I guess then he knows magic artforms similar to those of a Knight-Enchanter or Arcane Warrior. Also here, Marquette echoes the Executor in TN, with the sentiment that Qintara fell with Ventus. Nenealeus is then referencing Gaius, the impersonator Qintara, right? That’s interesting; Gaius’ true master was Fen’Harel, on whose behalf he accessed important information about the world. This means then [?] that some of the time when Gaius believed himself to be working on behalf of Fen’Harel, he was really being manipulated by Nenealeus. Poor Gaius, at different points Fen’Harel and Nenealeus were pulling his strings. Does Nenealeus’ manipulation refer to Gaius trading it away to House Danarius for information?

Marquette references the red lyrium idol, and suddenly my Dragon Age 4 ears are pricking the way Autumn’s do. x) He mentions that it makes weapons, referencing I assume Meredith’s lyrium sword, Certainty and the ritual blade that pops out from the base of the idol during The Dread Wolf Take You. I wonder when the events of this comic take place in relation to the stories related at the spy meeting in TDWTY? Is this before or after the events of the Mortalitasi’s tale? At any rate, Marquette voices something we’ve been obsessing over: what else can and does the idol do specifically, beyond just making weapons and being Ominous and Powerful? Because whatever it is, it’s key to Solas’ ongoing plans, and Solas obviously knows.

So it seems that the villains’ plan is to use the red lyrium idol’s sword part with the sarcophagus, red lyrium, a ritual and [the thing Tractus shows them in that panel - the dragon?] in order to transform Shirallas into, essentially, a Red Wraith, a Red Lyrium Fenris. And then to arm him, under Nenealeus’ control, with the sword.

Does Shirallas still have his vallaslin - is it just the lighting and the angle in that panel? Also, that panel with Shirallas and Nenealeus looks so ominous and foreboding 😭 .. (and reminds me somehow of Fenris and Danarius when Fenris was still his slave and bodyguard) Shirallas, we really are in it now 😭 This is a really cool panel btw, like the composition, the lighting, the dramatic-ness. 

Nenealeus is motivated by a desire to route the Antaam from Tevinter (like the mage in the Mortalitasi’s tale in TDWTY) and reconquer lost lands in order to restore the glory of the Imperium (which reminds me in a way of of Aurelian Titus, who also wanted to restore the Imperium to greatness). Classically Tevinter here.

“Danarius the Lesser” is a sick burn. I’d guess Tractus’ life thus far, as a bastard, has had themes and struggles with inferiority and consequent lack of power but desire for it (being disrespected, but craving respect, being connected to a certain world but not really part of it, in fact rejected by it). Venatori connection confirmed. That the Venatori had to be convinced to accept someone as a Danarius - implications for the role of the Venatori remnants and their role in Tevinter and things in general going forwards? Lightning flashes overhead as Tractus and Nenealeus have this face-off in that panel, emphasizing the tension between the two. I wonder what the magic in the fortress and in the courtyard can do? It’d have been no mean feat to escape from this place as a slave, it seems, especially bearing in mind there’s only one proper way out, that causeway (passage not included). Tractus’ staff-head lights up when he’s making a threat (uh-oh), and then wow! Shirallas moves so quickly, in the blink of an eye suddenly appearing out of nowhere and startling the guard-mage onlookers. He’s fast and formidable.

I wonder about Tractus. Is he a “half blood” because he’s a bastard and his mother wasn’t an Altus, or even wasn’t a mage, or because he’s a bastard and his mother was an elf? Or both?

Will we see a face-off between perrepataes (Marius and Shirallas)? Will Marius face-off against his former master, Nenealeus? Perhaps a showdown between the Blue Wraith and the “Red Wraith” is on the cards?

Back to our team in the tavern! There’s a looot of great character content packed into these pages, which is really cool. Each brief character interaction conveys a lot, and in general this sequence is just well-executed imo. How troubled and tired Aaron looks at the bar (my heart.. it hurts); Fran worrying for Aaron; Vaea knowing that she can’t pressure him too much because that’s just not how it works when it comes to folks who struggle with issues like these; Vaea asking after Fran’s wellbeing; Fran struggling to come to terms with what happened to her father; Fenris watching the door waiting for news (he’s so vigilant isn’t he? safety, an escape-route..); Marius Broods Harder; Vaea’s [relative] pacifism being highlighted; Vaea engaging Marius looking for reassurance; and the choice of having Marius break his silence now is meaningful and impactful in that it shows what happens when one becomes ‘numb’ to the constant murderizing of people, so to speak. Fenris then rightfully points out that becoming numb to killing and violence isn’t really a good thing and is worse, really, than being ‘soft’ or uncomfortable with it. I wonder if he’s speaking from experience here, given the hundreds of people Hawke and co kill their way through during the Kirkwall years, for example. Then Vaea’s concern for Aaron and his state of mind, and Fenris’ uncanny insight into that, of a man he’s only recently met.

Tessa looks so cute when she comes in the door! I love Vaea’s lil “:D” face when she sees her, and I wonder what the tavern food on the table is.

Those two panels, when Fenris talks about Hawke and Leandra, are the biggest emotional gut-punch in the preview pages 😭 omg.. I’m not strong enough for this.. bls... bruh... This is then compounded by (hitting me when I’m down!!) the look of sheer... fear, fury, alarm, upset, shock - that appears on Fenris’ face as soon as he hears “I found Danarius”. Seriously, look at his eyes here. He (understandably) still has a trauma-response associated with the name/man.

Bless Tessa. 

I have to say, it’s very Metal of Fenris that not only did he kill Danarius in DA2 (in those universes), but he has also been going around Tevinter since then killing all of Danarius’ [adult] heirs, and that his response to learning there’s still one remaining is to grab his sword and go to march off with the aim of ending the bloodline a second time. Very metal

I love the final panels in the preview as well! Vaea’s sense/smarts and how she wasn’t afraid to tell Fenris no, Autumn’s giant ears, how Autumn also moves with Vaea to step in front of Fenris to stop him (SHE! HELPED!!!), Autumn’s Happy Face and furiously wagging tail and agreement with Aaron, and Proud Dad Aaron rising from his slump to praise Vaea with the most Proudest Daddest expression that you ever did see...  ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )

#dragon age #bioware #dark fortress spoilers #dark fortress spoiler #spoilers #spoiler #fenris #video games #dragon age: dark fortress spoilers #dragon age: dark fortress spoiler #alistair theirin #fav warden #solas #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #feels #long post #longpost #the Fenaissance

[jax332]

☁ : Describe how they would spend a stormy, overcast/rainy day. (for Jax)

Oh how the weather can change.

The sun had shone brightly over the rooftops of Shirogane when the day had begun. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and our minty Miqo'te had decided to do some gardening and left the work within the lodge to his trusted servants. "Can't attract customers without an approachable front yard, can we?" He said to himself, almost in a whisper for fear someone would think him mad. Fortunately for him, his father, whom he inherited the lodge from, had fashioned a garden patch next to a chocobo stable, so obtaining manure was never difficult.

As the cat had started planting the seeds for the weeks worth of vegetables, he noticed a large, almost black cloud rolling in from the higher parts of the island. It was still a ways away, and he figured if it would rain, he wouldn't have to bother watering the plants, which gave him more time to prioritize closing up the hot spring and hatching down anything not rooted in place. To his surprise, the wind had began to pick up, and it tipped over the message board beside Asmoth, a male miqo'te in who was Jax's retainer. There was a pause as they looked at each other. Dazkaar, another of Jax's retainers, already knew that he had to start the process of battening down for Jax so that the lodge wasn't behind in supplies, as this storm was going to most likely set back any ships still away from port.

Asmoth nodded as he calmed the chocobos within the stable and managed the many things that were being taken by the winds. Jax's only focus was to plant his seeds and get back inside. Looking back at the sky, the overcasted shadow began loosing lightning bokts, which made Jax wonder whether this was natural or something caused by a Voidsent. Nevertheless, it would have to wait until the others woke up. The garden had finally been set, the seeds sown within the earth, and our precious Miqo'te was ready to take his retainers inside.

There was an awkward silence as the main hall's doors closed, almost reminiscent of a grand hall echo. The fireplace crackled, startling the three men who walked in. To their surpirse, J'kehy had been up late making sure the fireplace hadn't gone unattended. It was no surprise he went unnoticed for so long, being a rogue for most of his life. "Th' others are still asleep." The Sun Seeker muttered. "I heard th' thunder an' woke from a nightmare. It's midday, and yet there's little t' no visibility o' th' sun at this moment. The skywatchers didn't send any news o' this storm, and it worries me that there's something more t' it."

Jax nodded his head as he slowly stepped over to Kehy and sat next to him. "My friend, our worries are the same. And yet, our only concern at the moment should be sheltering those in need from the storm. It's what Dad would've done." The tone of Jax's voice softening towards the end of his statement.

"Aye, I supposw yer right. Worryin' is only good for worryin', nothin' more." As the two sat together, Jax moved his tail to rest between himself and J'kehy on the couch. "You think it's gonna pass quickly? Or do we have a bit of time?" The Keeper leaned forward, as to hasten the response of the other. "'Tis a storm, Jax. Ye know I spent time as a pirate, an' ye know how much I've talked about me time with th' crew an' th' many storms we've faced. I say that with how dark th' cloud is, and how fast she came upon us, given th' size of the clouds in comparison to th' size o' th' island, I say she'll last ten hours, if not the whole day." Kehy had moved his tail to lay upon Jax's as to show a synchronicity of the idea brewing within themselves.

"You wanna look at memes together and just manage our responisbilities as they arise?" The offer not being exactly what the other wanted, but being equally as enchanting. "Aye, that'd be splendid." A word which neither of them knew J'kehy could even use, and yet neither of them surprised by what the rain could bring. An hour rolled by, and the other members of the lodge began to awaken and start their routines, but Jax and Kehy still rested on the couch, occasionally laughing together and scrolling through their tomephones.

Rasho offered to help prepare the bar as Duncan turned to studying the tomes in the basement as a way to contribute to his knowledge of the weather patterns of the locale. Still, after another few hours, Jax and Kehy rested on the couch as the thunder roared and the fire cracked and the rain poured. Positions changed, and yet their inention of tension remaining the same, until it happened. Kehy sat up and looked Jax in the eyes intently, the other not knowing what was going to happen, but letting his heart lead his actions. Ever so elegantly, Jax rose to meet Kehy's face and planted a kiss on his friend's lips.

"What was that?" Our minty keeper asked passionately. J'kehy gazed back into his friend's eyes and spoke softly. "Love, Jax. Thay was love." The keeper smiled and pulled the other to lay with him, laughing and cuddling the newfound romance between two unlikely partners, eventually designing to take J'kehy back to his room. Though the storm had raged on outside, rest assured the storm within was louder. Flowers had bloomed this day, and those flowers were beautiful.

@sola-ffxiv

Thank you so much for the ask! I decided to take a creative approach to this and give maybe one or two things my boys would actually do while it rained. Normally Jax tends to the responsibility of cooking and preparing, but his servants and friends had his back this time, which was one of the most important times to have his back. ❤

[bffhreprise]

Entry 275

 :There goes our day.: pouted Mai as we watched a messenger enter the room through my eyes.

 “This is outrageous!” exclaimed Lady Pendreigh, letting her displeasure show.

 The messenger instantly went from being a picture of dignity to a terrified child, desperately clinging to what he held.  We couldn’t blame him.  Those who knew of our Lady’s reputation without knowing her couldn’t realize that she was still in perfect control, despite venting a little.  Of course, the house could be incinerated, and she’d still only be venting a little.  The heat pouring off her wasn’t good for the computers.  We hoped she was protecting them.  Doing so ourselves at the moment might be one annoyance too much.

 As James took the letter and lifted the man to his feet, Lady Pendreigh started expounding upon what she would like to do with the one responsible for this affront against her.  Ever calm, James took the messenger out.

 Lady Pendreigh still hadn’t finished her speech when he returned, so she rounded on him, saying, “You know what this means, don’t you?”

 “I’m being challenged again?” he questioned dryly.

 Sighing and shaking her head, she said, “James, he’s trying to make us miss the wedding!  When I find out who this upstart is…”  Her fist clenched and fire erupted around it until she visibly calmed herself.

 “Wouldn’t Adelmar delay things if you asked?” suggested James.

 “Of course not!” she snapped, looking slightly apologetic just after she spoke.

 “I thought he was invited.” continued James.

 “Yes, but he was never actually going to attend.  Ai and Mai don’t warrant his attention.  He’s not likely to even attend Duncan’s wedding whenever that will happen.”

 James glanced at us, so we shrugged.

 “Duncan’s getting married?” he questioned.

 “He must eventually.” she explained.  “He wouldn’t be allowed to let his line end.”

 “But Ai and Mai…” he started, motioning to us.

 “They wouldn’t be allowed to inherit his position.  Izumi would see about having another child before she let that happen.” she retorted.

  :Okaasama is such a stickler for keeping the ruling line ‘pure’ of outside influence.: stated Mai.

 :Yet she still sold us out.  I wonder what she was promised.  She wouldn’t tell just anyone about our link.:

 :We have a powerful enemy meddling with Lady Pendreigh’s affairs.: agreed Mai.

 “Time to go, boss-man, sir!” exclaimed Aaliyah.

 My sister and I glanced at one another.  Neither of us had noticed her enter the room.

 “Go!?  Where could you be taking him now?  You, of course, realize what he’s holding.” accused Lady Pendreigh.

 “A letter of challenge from one Hyun-woo Imugi.  The boss-man needs a weapon, so we’re going to go pick one up.” replied the tiny assassin.

 :How could she know who the message is from?: I questioned.

 :How does she know a tenth of the things she does?  Her information network must be incredible.  There’s always the possibility that this Hyun-woo attempted to hire her: suggested Mai.

 Our thoughts became distracted as we noticed the shocked expression on Lady Pendreigh’s face.  We weren’t surprised that she knew the name, but who could he be to warrant such surprise?  Our great family constantly bickered.

 “You didn’t work it out yet?” prodded Aaliyah.  “Who else would have that kind of pull throughout Asia?”

 “But he’s never even shown interest of anything outside his country.  He’s practically retired.  I never thought… Well, his age…” whispered Lady Pendreigh before pursing her lips in a thoughtful expression.

 “Doesn’t look it, does he!?” exclaimed Aaliyah with a grin.  Aside to James, she whispered “He’s forty-six.”

 I felt that my sister suddenly looked slightly more pale.  Of course, I did as well through her eyes.  Someone from our family aging slowly usually meant their generation had close ties to a Slayer, possibly even a descendent.  Typically, a descendent such as our Lady would take on a quiet, background role in the family after two or three decades, so as not to interfere with the current head.  Directly interfering with the affairs of the current generation was practically unheard of.

 Taking the letter from James and handing it to Lady Pendreigh, Aaliyah said, “You can hold onto this.  We’ll be back soon!”

 Lady Pendreigh nodded.

,,,^._.^,,,

  “Father…” whispered my son before falling to the ground.

 My heart was wrenched inside of me.  No man should be forced to kill his own son, but here I had.  Who was approaching me now without the slightest regard for my position or grief?  I quelled the impulse to lash out.

 “You there.  Think not that you can hide from me.” I warned.  I pulled the sword from my stomach and tossed it back to my fallen child, but the transformation was coming.  I fell to my knee, unable to remain standing with this new battle waging inside me.  How many had died today, following my treacherous son?

 The boy who approached was very tall, handsome, and completely foreign in dress.  His clothes were obviously made with incredible skill, but that style was unknown to me, which shouldn’t be possible.  Even now—with my inner battle—the minds of thousands were within sight and none knew this man or his dress.

 “What manner of dress do you wear?  You are no servant of my son, Amr?” I questioned, surprised at the boy’s calm demeanor as he studied me.  How many wars had he fought to look upon so many fallen with only a passing sorrow?

 “No, I am not.” he replied, his Welsh sounding as a well-bred native.

 I believed him.  There was no sign deceit on his face, and though he moved as one trained to fight, his stance wasn’t the least aggressive.  Who was he?  What was he?  He obviously wasn’t human, not with such flawless skin.  “Will you fetch my sword from my son’s chest?  No spell can touch that blade.”  I trusted Caledfwlch to judge this man’s character.

 The man looked at the sword residing within my son and grimaced ever so slightly.  Did he know of this blade’s power, or did he truly find such a task distasteful?  Perhaps he was merely disinclined to follow the order of another.   “I see the hesitation within you, but know that my son wanted to usurp the throne for himself.  I could not ask his elder brother to face him, not when his greed was my own folly.  Please, grant me this wish.” I urged, knowing I might have to stop resisting the change to kill this new threat should the sword prove him a snake.

 A chill shot through me as I saw the brilliance of my sword in this other man’s hand.  Caledfwlch wouldn’t even release a glimmer of its light for an average man.  The truly just might make the blade glow to the eye.  For me, the sword blazed into a light most could not look upon.  In the hand of this man, the chimaeras’ fire washed the blade in light to rival the sun, a light that washed as an aura around the man’s body as well.  He looked as an angel of destruction, here to make known its terrible will.

 “Who are you, stranger?” I asked, ashamed at the unsteadiness of my tone.

 “James.” he replied, handing over my sword as if Caledfwlch were a trinket.

 “Are you here to take the throne before my son?” I asked, fear giving my voice an edge.

 “No.  Definitely not.”

 Sword in hand, I felt no deceit from him, though I felt Caledfwlch’s longing for him.  Who was this man?  Forcing myself to speak, I said, “But you are worthy, despite standing while a king kneels.”  Was this man a danger?  If so, could I actually save my world from him?

 The man knelt and said, “Sorry, your majesty.”

 “Perhaps a gift then, your majesty, to protect this traveler on the road.” came a voice I knew well.

 Standing there, clothed in her gown of stardust, was the Lady of the Lake, creator of Caledfwlch.  Despite her guise as a woman of incomparable beauty, I knew she was a creature  of unmatched power.

 “My lady…” I started, my voice shaking in those two words.  I took an iron grip on my emotions and asked “Have you come to reclaim Caledfwlch?”

 “No, Arthur.  I merely want to see this young man protected, and know you to have weapons enough.” she replied, seeming to float more than walk over to me.  She knelt at my side and crooned to the sword.

 Not daring to argue with her, I took the dagger from my waist and handed it to the strange man, saying, “Here then, lad.  Carnwennan has served me well.  May it serve you now.”  When he had the dagger in hand, I told him “Leave me now.  I feel the change coming and know not how long I can suppress it.”

 “Kyduan searches even now.” whispered the Lady.  “If you can last a minute more, you will see him again before you leave us.”

 My face took on a smile that was surely a pale comparison of the Lady’s, but I had hope of seeing my firstborn before the change forced me to leave this world.  Still smiling, I watched as the Lady guided the man away.  Whoever he was, he had a great destiny ahead or she would not be with him.

,,,^._.^,,,

 “You weren’t gone long.  Aaliyah give you something she had lying around the condo?” questioned Lady Pendreigh when James returned minutes after he had left.  “A dagger?”

 Our eyes locked on what he carried, trying to discern its worth.

 “James, where was that hidden?’ questioned Lady Pendreigh with obvious excitement.

 “I can’t say where I got it.”

 “But… do you know what that is!?” she asked excitedly.

 “Carnwennan, which once belonged to a man called Arthur.”

 Our eyes bulged.

 “King Arthur.  The King Arthur.  That dagger has been lost since his death!”

 James didn’t react to the information, save for a slight sadness in his eyes.  Did he love the tale or feel pained at having another secret?  James was very strange in many ways.  We wondered if he had the slightest clue of the power in that small blade.  If not, he’d find out soon enough.

#Best Friend For Hire Reprise #Best #Friend #For #Hire #Reprise #Jovial Times #Jovial #Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story

[crackspinewornpages]

Macbeth -William Shakespeare

A1S1

On a heath there’s a storm and three witches plan to meet Macbeth.

A1S2

In a camp near Forres, King Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain and Lennox meet a dying captain who was killed by the rebel, Macdonwald who was then killed by Macbeth. After his report Duncan has him carried off as Ross enters with the news the traitor Cawdor has been defeated and repelled and after celebrating Duncan orders Cawdor to be executed and to give is title to Macbeth. “What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won.”p.979

A1S3

Back on the heath the witches meet and talk about their day and prepare for Macbeth’s arrival. Macbeth and Banquo arrive and see the witches, Banquo wonders if they’re even human as they are on earth but don’t look like they belong on it. The witches hail Macbeth, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” “All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter.”p.980 Macbeth is confused and intrigued but they turn their attention to Banquo, “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none!”p.980 (wonder what they could mean by that) Then they disappear and Macbeth and Banquo discuss the strange encounter when Ross and Angus enter to tell Macbeth he was just named Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is focused on the prophecy coming true but Banquo is concerned, “and often times, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths,”p.980 Macbeth ignores him thinking of how he will one day be king if he will have to commit ill acts (gets power and is immediately corrupted) and tells Banquo they’ll talk later.

A1S4

In the palace Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain and Lennox talk of Cawdor’s execution and Malcolm says he died nobly and Duncan thinks of how he trusted him. (certainly history won’t repeat itself) Macbeth, Banquo, Ross and Angus enter and Duncan thanks them for their heroism, how can he repay them. “The service and the loyalty I owe in doing it, pays itself.”p.981 Macbeth says his duties are to him and his children. Duncan announces he plans to make Malcolm his heir and Macbeth say he must inform his wife and to himself says thinks of how to make himself king. (can there by a comedy skit where A says this and character B: ‘what was that?’ A: ‘nothing’ C: ‘you just said you were planning to kill me’ A: ‘no no I didn’t’ B: ‘dude we are standing three feet from you’) “Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires;”p.982 Duncan then plans to visit Macbeth.

A1S5

In Macbeth’s castle Lady Macbeth reads a letter that proclaims Macbeth as the new Thane of Cawdor and his meeting with the witches. She wants her husband to fulfill it but believes he’s too soft to be ambitious. “Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear, “p.982 A messenger enters to tell her her husband and the king are coming and she proclaims, “Unsex me here, and fill me from crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty;”p.982 (I won’t have my vagina stop me) So she can do what needs to be done. Macbeth arrives and informs her Duncan plans to leave tomorrow she tells him to beguile Duncan as he won’t see tomorrow and leave it all to her.

A1S6

Before the castle Duncan arrives and Lady Macbeth welcomes him saying it is a duty to the king. (which king Duncan or Macbeth discuss it in your English class)

A1S7

Servants prepare as Macbeth worries about what is to be done, “if the assassination could trommel up the consequence and catch with his surcease secure; that but this blow might be the by-all and the end-all here, “p.983 Duncan trusts him and is virtuous he is his kinsmen, “I have no spur to pick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition,”p.983 Lady Macbeth enters telling him Duncan is asking for him and says he looks horrible, is he afraid, he would do it if he were a man, she’d kill a baby if she had to. (woah lady) “But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail.”p.984 Do it while he is sleeping and Macbeth hopes she wont ever have girls (yeah if they’re going to be like her) but he agrees to the plan to frame the chamberlains.

A2S1

Banquo and his son Fleance are in the castle’s court, Fleance says it’s midnight but Banquo wants to stay up. Macbeth surprise them, Banquo tells him the king is sleeping and he just had a dream of the witches, Macbeth lies that he doesn’t think of them and they’ll talk later. Alone Macbeth has a vision of a dagger and wonders if it’s real, “Or art thou but a dagger of the mind,”p.985 (that Star Trek episode where a doctor is brainwashing mental patients into placid zombies) He sees blood on it then decides it’s just nerves, he hears a bell and says he’ll go through with it. “I go, and it is done; the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knoll that summons thee to heaven or to hell.”p.985

A2S2

Lady Macbeth claims the alcohol made her bold when she hears Macbeth cry out fears the chamberlains woke and wonders how he couldn’t do it. Macbeth then comes to her confirming he went through with it as his hands are covered in blood and that the chamberlains did wake but went back to sleep after saying their prayers. “But wherefore could I not pronounce ‘Amen? I had most need of blessing, and ‘Amen’ stuck in my throat.”p.985 (like you did something very unholy) Then he thought he heard a voice through the whole house echoing sleep no more. “Glamis hath murder’d sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more!”p.986 Lady Macbeth first tells him not to worry but then get angry when he forgot to frame the chamberlains and refuses to go back so she takes the dagger and does it. (fuck this I’ll do it myself) Macbeth wonders frightened, “will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hands?”p.986 Lady Macbeth returns, blood on her hands too and has Macbeth come to their chambers to wash.

A2S3

A porter hears knocking and grumbles about the noise, it’s Macduff and Lennox and Macduff is irritated the porter took so long to let them in. Macbeth enters and Macduff wants to see the king Macbeth says he’s still sleeping. Lennox describe the storm last night nothing like he’s ever seen (this is a sign something is wrong) as Macduff comes back screaming about the horror and has them both go to the king’s chambers. Macduff sounds the alarm, “Awake! Awake! Ring the alarm-bell. Murder and treason!”p.897 Lady Macbeth wakes and demands to know what is going on but Macduff won’t speak of murder to a woman. (hahaha if only you knew) Macbeth and Lennox come back with news that the king is dead and Malcolm and Donalbain are informed as they arrive and the chamberlains appear to have done it and are also dead. Macbeth claims to have done that as he was furious Macduff is suspicious (wait if you just found out he was killed when we got here how did-) but Lady Macbeth distracts them by fainting. Banquo will fight this treason, they agree with him and alone Malcolm and Donalbain discuss how they don’t feel safe, “where we are, there’s daggers in men’s smiles:”p.988 They’ll split to England and Ireland. (in no way could this be seen as suspicious)

A2S4

Outside the castle Ross and an old man discuss the strange happenings (not that happening) last Tuesday an owl killed a hawk and Duncan’s well trained horses turned wild, “broke their stalls, flung out, contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would make war with mankind.” “’Tis said they ate each other.”p.988 (see sign as the king was ordained by god going against that order throws nature out of wack) Macduff emerges and says Macbeth killed those responsible for the king’s death and will be crowned. Ross doesn’t like it, “’Gainst nature still! Thriftless ambition that will ravin up thine own life’s means!”p.988 Macduff says Malcolm and Donalbain fled and are now suspicious as they go home the old man adds, “Gods’ benison go with you; and with this that would make good of bad, and friends of foes!”

A3S1

In Forres, Banquo reflects on the prophecy fulfilling, if Macbeth becomes king what about the second part. (how you won’t be king but you sons will like you’ll be a great man or something and your sons will rise to kingship) Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Lennox and Ross enter to invite him to a celebratory feast, Banquo will come and says he plans to ride that afternoon. Macbeth says they should discuss Malcolm and Donalbain who fled and could be plotting against them and asks if Fleance is with him, yes, and they all leave, Macbeth with his attendant who informs him men are waiting for him at  the gate. Alone Macbeth gives a speech that Banquo was once his friend but now fears him and his sons, (ok you have no sons so it is possible you will name Banquo’s kids as your heirs a prophecy is all about interpretation I mean look at what happened to Voldemort) the attendant comes back with the murderers and Macbeth reminds them of their previous conversation of what a bad guy Banquo is. They are angry enough to kill him and Macbeth says he is also his enemy and for them to leave no traces as they kill him and his son too. “Banquo, thy souls flight, if it find heaven, must find out to-night.”p.990

A3S2

In the castle Lady Macbeth is in despair and has her husband sent for, “’tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.”p.990 When Macbeth enters she tells him not to be disconcerted, “what is done is done.”p.990 Macbeth says he is afflicted with dreams and that their business isn’t complete with Banquo and Fleance, but already carried out plans and tells her to play innocent during the feast. (so she has a pang of conscious but Macbeth tasted blood and won’t quail at spilling more)

A3S3

On the road the murderers ambush Banquo and Fleance. “O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge.”p.991 As Fleance escapes (you two had one job) the murderers decided to report it to Macbeth.

A3S4

Everyone is seated at the banquet when one of the murderers has Macbeth talk to him, that he killed Banquo but Fleance escaped, Macbeth was pleased at first then angry his throne isn’t secure. As Macbeth rejoins the banquet Banquo’s ghost appears (Banquo…banquet see what you did there) in Macbeth’s seat Macbeth says the table is full but to everyone else the seat is empty. The others wonder what is wrong with him but Lady Macbeth says he does this all the time and to ignore him. Lady Macbeth tells him to act like a man and snap out of it, Macbeth tells them to look but the ghost disappears. Macbeth starts to recover and apologies when Banquo reapers and shocks him and disappears again as Macbeth has a fit and Lady Macbeth makes excuses for him and sends the guests away. “It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood:”p.993 He tells his wife Macduff plans to stay away and he will consult the weird sisters tomorrow to see what is plotting against him. “I am in blood stepp’d in so far, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.”p.993 (well generally it’s best to stop murdering)

A3S5

On the heath the witches meet and Hecate (goddess of witchcraft) scolds them for meddling with Macbeth and she will take over and they will charm him into a false sense of security. (there’s a whole debate if Macbeth is a victim of fate or not I can’t tell you I never saw that Gargoyles episode)

A3S6

In the palace Lennox is discussing matters with a lord, Fleance was blamed for his fathers murder like Malcolm and Donalbain for Duncan. After the feast he suspects Macbeth and the lord says Macduff is in England to join Malcolm, “by the help of these-with him above to ratify the work-we may again give our tables meat, sleep in our nights, free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives.”p.994 (so being ruled under Macbeth sucks) Macbeth prepares for war and Lennox hopes Macduff will return soon.

A4S1

In a cave a cauldron boils and the three witches chant a spell Hecate compliments their work and there is a  knock one witch remarks, “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”p.995 Macbeth enters demanding to know the truth of their prophecies (and also what are they doing with the cauldron W: …dinner) and they summon apparitions to answer. An armored head, “Beware Macduff; beware the Thane of Fife.”p.995 A bloody child, “Be bloody bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.”p.995 A crowned child holding a tree branch, “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.”p.995 (no man born of woman can harm him and when a forest travels across a hill remember what I said about interpretation) Macbeth is happy at this impossibility, then asks if Banquo will rule then Banquo’s ghost with eight children following, Macbeth demands to know the meaning of it but the witches vanish. Lennox says he saw nothing but when Macbeth hears Macduff is in England he resolves to end it, “give to the edge of the sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.”p.996 (it’s going to be a very long summer)

A4S2

In Macduff’s castle, Lady Macduff feels betrayed by her husband leaving them, but Ross insists to trust her husband, he knows best before he leaves them. Lady Macduff worries how they will live with Macduff dead but her son insists he isn’t. A messenger comes saying that they are in danger they have to leave, Lady Macduff they are innocent. “But I remember now I am in this earthly world, where, to do harm is often laudable, to do good sometime accounted dangerous folly;”p.997 (side eyes current events) Then they are sieged and killed.

A4S3

In England’s palace Malcolm and Macduff talk, Malcolm doesn’t trust him since he left his family and could be working with Macbeth. “angels are bright still, though the brightest fell;”p.998 (see Paradise Lost) to see if he’s trust worthy Malcolm lists his vices. “in whom I know all the particulars of vice so grafted, that, wen they shall be open’d, black Macbeth will seem as pure as snow,”p.998 (so you slaughtered countless people) Malcolm says he sleeps with any woman, is greedy and prone to violence and doesn’t care for kingly behaviors. Macduff says he’s not fit to even live, “Thy royal father was a most sainted king; the queen that bore thee, oft’ner upon her knees than on her feet dies every day she liv’d.”p.999 Malcolm reveals he made it all up he is a godly man, “I am yet unknown to woman, never was forsworn, scarcely have coveted wat was mine own; at no time broke my faith,”p.999 (he’s a virgin I was the only one in my class to catch that) He embraces Macduff and a doctor comes to say a crew of wretched souls come for the king to cure evil.

Ross enters having come from Scotland to inform that Macduff’s family is well when he left them. But he urges Malcolm to return he says he will with ten thousand men and Ross breaks down. He confesses to Macduff his family was murdered and everyone in the castle. Malcolm tries to comfort him, “Be comforted: let’s make us medicine of our great revenge, to cure this deadly grief.”p.1000 Macduff is distraught and Malcolm tells him to turn it to anger and Macduff swears vengeance.

A5S1

In the castle a doctor and a woman are discussing Lady Macbeth’s condition of sleepwalking. Lady Macbeth then enters sleepwalking washing her hands, (this play is said to be cursed in one production during this scene the actress accidentally walked off the stage) “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”-“yet who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him?”p.1001 the doctor declares this is beyond his practice, “unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles; infected minds to their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets;”p.1001 (translated your subconscious is bringing out your guilt) He tells to woman to watch her. (and we’ll see how well that turns out)

A5S2

Near Dunsinane, Lennox, Angus and others meet to discuss Malcom’s army, they will meet them near Birnam wood. Angus wonders how he feels, “now does he feel his title hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe upon a dwarfish theif.”p.1001 They march.

A5S3

In the Dunsinane castle Macbeth is talking to the doctor, he isn’t afraid since he heard the prophecy. (you ever hear of a self-fulfilling prophecy Voldemort can tell you all about it) A servant tells him there are a thousand soldiers and Macbeth says he doesn’t have friends in his age but curses. The doctor informs him his wife is worse Macbeth tell him to fix her, “cure her of that: const thou not minister to a mind diseas’d, “-“cleanse the stuff’d bosom of that perilous that which weighs upon the heart?” “Therein the patient must minister to himself.” p.1002 (my teacher saw this as Shakespeare being advanced in saying there can be medicine for sick minds as psychology wasn’t invented yet)

A5S4

Near Birnam Wood, Malcolm, Macduff and others plan, Malcolm gives orders, “Let every soldier hew him down a bough and bear’t before him: thereby we shall we shadow the numbers of our host,”p.1003 (so the wood of Birnam is travelling across a hill) Malcolm hopes for the advantage and they march onward. (well they’re not Ents but I guess they’ll get the job done)

A5S5

In the castle Macbeth orders banners hung for the siege then hears a woman scream. Seyton informs him that Lady Macbeth is dead and Macbeth soliloquys in shock, “Life’s but a shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”p.1003 (1: thank you Simpsons for having this be the first piece of Shakespeare I memorized 2: a haunting way to say what we do in life can amount to nothing our lives are short and meaningless 3: Q recited it best no argument) A messenger informs him Birnam Wood is moving, Macbeth recalls the prophecy and declares he’ll die fighting.

A5S6

Before the castle Malcolm and his army advance, “Make all our trumpets speak; give the mull breath, those clamorous harbingers of blood and death.”p.1004

A5S7

On another part of the plain, Macbeth is arrogant because no man born of woman is impossible, Young Siward (who is this) calls him a tyrant they fight and he is slain. Macduff enters the fray haunted by his family and will fight Macbeth, “Let me find him, fortune! And more I beg not,”p.1004 As Malcolm and Old Siward enter the castle, Macbeth and Macduff finally encounter each other. “Of all men else I have avoided thee but get thee back, my soul is too much chang’d with blood of thine already.”p.1004 (you killed his whole family one more is pretty moot at this point) Macbeth claims he won’t die to man born of woman but, “Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d.”p.1004 (cesarean section technically not born of a woman in the traditional sense) Macbeth is suddenly fearful for his life the prophecy came true but he will still fight.

Macbeth’s forces retreat Malcolm, Old Siward and Ross stand before the recaptured castle. Old Siward is informed of his son’s death and Siward calls him God’s soldier, a fair death. Better news, Macduff carries Macbeth’s head and proclaims Malcolm king of Scotland who then makes the Thanes Earls. In time friends who fled will come home, he invites those around him to watch him be crowned at Scone. (yay happy ending except for all that were murdered)

#macbeth #william Shakespeare #books #book summaries #play #tragedy

[witchyangels]

Day One: Where We Stand Vigilant

Alistair Appreciation week is upon us!! Aaahhh!!!!  Here’s day one! I had a lot of fun writing Alistair’s interactions with a couple of wardens that never see the light of day. They even get mentioned in my main fanfic (found here if you want to look, also stars my Tabris character that is mentioned in this little ficlet (is that what it’s called? I have no idea))

SFW, mentions character deaths. Be prepared for Alistair tears :’(  Note: Tiberius and Bastian are my own creations <3 

Enjoy! :D 

Alistair looked up at the ruins around him in slight awe. So this was Ostagar? He could feel the darkspawn in the corner of his mind and he wondered once more if he would ever get used to the feeling.

Duncan wasn't due back from retrieving the newest recruit until at least two more weeks. He had heard that the person Duncan was hoping to recruit was an elf from the Alienage in Denerim. Some of the other wardens had started a bet on what the new recruit would be.

A warrior? A rogue? Definitely not a mage, not one outside of the circle.

Jokes had been made that the recruit would be a woman, to finally add some 'femininity' to the male only wardens. Alistair joked a long, saying 'if she's pretty then we'd have men lining up to join the  Wardens of Ferelden.'

A few scoffed, but the ones Alistair found himself closer to, started teasing him.

“Watch out, Alistair's going to make the poor thing swoon so hard that he'll have to carry her to battle!” Bastian stated, making Alistair shake his head.

Tiberius let out a laugh. “Oh no, this woman will be making Alistair be the one to swoon! Bet she'll finally make him a man,” he said as he smirked into his goblet.

Alistair felt himself heat up to the tip of his ears. “I- I--”

The older man slapped his back, making Alistair wince slightly. “If I had known you were into elves I would have taken you to The Pearl in Denerim when we were there last!”

Alistair hastily drank from his own cup. Me and my big mouth... he thought as he tried to calm down and come up with a comeback. “...Could you even afford those women, Tiberius? The way you gamble, you never have even a copper to your name.”

“Oh-hoho! Junior's got you there, Tib,” Bastian said with a laugh.

Tiberius lifted his nose in mock offense. “I won back my money with my last hand--”

“Yeah, only because you cheated that time.”

Tiberius winced. “Keep it down, will ya?”

Alistair let out his own laugh. “What? Afraid Caius will overhear?” he teased as he felt relieved that the attention was no longer on him.

A raven arrived a few days later with a letter from Duncan. When the word spread that the elf recruit was a woman, money exchanged hands.

“Looks like you got your wish, Junior,” Bastian said to Alistair.

“I- I didn't--”

“Just don't get too close to her in the beginning, all right?” Tiberius said, turning serious. “We don't know how she will take to the Joining...”

“I...” Alistair let out a sigh before nodding. “Right, got it... did the letter say her name?”

“At-rena Tabree, or something,” Tiberius said as he tried to recall. “It's an elven name, and I always say those wrong.”

Alistair frowned a little as he thought about it. “...I'll just ask her when I meet her, I suppose.”

“Right, you don't want to get it wrong, elves take great offense to that,” Bastian added.

“When have you been around an elf that wasn't a servant?”

Bastian placed his hand on the taller man's shoulder. “There are still things about my life before the Wardens that even you don't know about, Tib.”

-

Alistair stepped out of the tent, his face still red from the brief moment he had with Atrina. Maker, if we had just moved an inch closer... Quickly he shook his head, trying to drive the thoughts back. She's just really pretty and amazing in battle... that's no reason to be thinking of kissing her all of a sudden.

He didn't linger in front of the tent and headed straight for the soldiers' camp, eager to tell his comrades that the newest recruit survived the Joining. A chuckle left him as he thought about how many of the men would be excited that Atrina made it.

Though, a few of them might get a little too excited. Bastian would flirt the first chance he got and Tiberius would be trying to get her into playing Wicked Grace with him... After the battle I'll warn her about them.

“Yo, Junior, welcome back,” Bastian greeted as he slung an arm over Alistair's shoulder. “Any news? Duncan hasn't sent word.”

Alistair winced slightly at the added weigh. “Well... one survived.”

Bastian's face fell a little. “Maker, watch over their souls...”

Alistair nodded in agreement. “Yes... though, only reason one of them died was because he was refusing to even take the Joining...” His expression turned hard when he thought of Ser Jory. Atrina had been right, he only wanted glory after all... He liked to think he sort of understood the fear of not seeing a wife or child again, but from what he heard, the man had practically begged to join the Wardens.

A scoff left Bastian. “Of all the... Which one? Was it the pickpocket?”

Alistair shook his head. “No, the knight.”

“Shit... should've known...”

Tiberius soon joined them. “So the pickpocket lived then?”

“Actually, he willingly took the Joining, but died quickly.”

Tiberius looked surprised. “Wait... you mean elf girl?”

“Atrina lives, yes,” Alistair answered quickly to say her name.

Bastian's face broke into a grin. “Well then... looks like we have a new sister in the fold. Where is she?” he asked as he looked around while finally taking his arm off of Alistair.

“Duncan called her to a meeting with the king and the teryn, I have no idea why though,” he replied. “But, Maker, you should have seen her out there,” he said, thinking back to when they had been in the Wilds. “She took charge like you wouldn't believe. Put those sods in their place when they gave her issues.”

Tiberius and Bastian exchanged looks before both giving knowing smirks. “Oh really?” Bastian asked. “You sound real impressed with her.”

“Well, yes, I-- why are you looking at me like that?”

Tiberius clapped his hand hard against the younger warden's back. “Seems Junior is smitten!”

Alistair looked dumbstruck. “What? Nono-noo! She's just-- I mean, s-she's going to be a great addition to the Wardens, is all I'm saying!” he said with an uneasy chuckle in his voice.

They didn't look convinced. “At least tell us she's pretty,” Bastian persisted.

Alistair blushed and averted his eyes from them. “Um, well...”

Tiberius let out a laugh. “You really are into elven women!”

Bastian rubbed his chin. “I am more curious to meet her...”

“Oh, no, Bastian, she's Alistair's--”

“She doesn't belong to anyone,” Alistair stated loudly, causing the teasing talks to stop. “Atrina deserves respect, not to be talked about as--”

“Whoa, whoa, take it easy, Junior,” Bastian said, holding his hands up in surrender. “We respect her, she's our sister in arms. Surviving the Joining automatically grants her our respect.”

“Then stop talking about her as if she's some... some thing at the market.”

Tiberius looked at him curiously before smiling. “I look forward to meeting her after the battle then,” he said as he clapped his hand down on Alistair's shoulder. “Tell us more about her.”

“Yes, but more of her skills and personality.” Bastian grinned. “Is she a warrior or a rogue?”

Alistair relaxed before he started to talk about Atrina more. Explained how she fought, how she put Jory in his place when he talked ill of having to fight darkspawn. He even told them about how she went out of her way to make sure the man locked up had gotten a last meal.

“Hmm.. compassionate and strong willed,” Bastian rubbed his chin in thought. “It's almost surprising to hear of such a woman having to join the Wardens.”

“She executed the Arl of Denerim's son... that might bring trouble when we get back to Denerim, however.”

“It was either that or abandon the women...” Alistair reminded.

Tiberius nodded. “A lot of us have done worse for less...” he mumbled before looking back at Alistair. “Do you think she'd be up for a round of Wicked Grace?” he asked with a grin.

“Oh, I'm sure she will be-- and she will steal every copper from you,” he said with a laugh.

“At least I won't fall for her fluttering lashes like I'm sure you will, Bastian” he said bitterly as Bastian laughed.

“'Tis true! I have a weakness for beautiful women, after all.”

“Um, pardon me, sers.” The three turned to see an elf messenger standing before them. “Are any of you the Grey Warden, Alistair?”

Alistair blinked. “Um, yes, that would be me.”

The elf bowed. “Warden-Commander Duncan asked to see you back at the Grey Warden tent in the  royal encampment.”

The three wardens looked at one another before Bastian held his hand out to Alistair. “We'll see you on the battlefield, Junior.”

Alistair smiled before grasping the older man's arm. “Count on it.”

“May the Maker watch over us all tonight,” Tiberius said as he and Alistair grasped arms next.

Alistair left the encampment with the thought he would be rejoining them for the battle.

-

Alistair stared up at the ceiling of the hut. In his mind he kept playing the events of Ostagar over and over again. Of Morrigan and her mother explaining what happened at Ostagar, and how it all went south. Of how Loghain retreated after the beacon had been lit, leaving Cailan, Duncan, and the rest of the soldiers and Grey Wardens at the mercy of the darkspawn.

Sitting up, he felt his blood boil, before he winced slightly from his fast movements. Morrigan's mother had healed most of his wounds, but she had informed him that the rest needed to heal naturally. It would only take a day or two, she said.

It had just been merely a day but, to Alistair, it felt like he had been sitting in that hut for months. Looking to the bed, he stood from his pallet on the floor next to the frame. He had been the one with the least amount of injuries and, the moment he saw that Atrina was there, he settled himself on the floor next to the bed where she slept.

Even though he had been reassured that she would awaken, Alistair felt petrified by the thought of her never opening her eyes again. Other than himself she was the only warden that survived the attack. If she died, then...

He shook the thoughts from his mind before looking down at Atrina. The blanket was tucked up to her chin, keeping her warm.

He knew what laid under the blanket though. Bandages covered a good portion of her torso from where the darkspawn arrows had hit her. The images of seeing her fall when the darkspawn ambushed them in the tower rushed to the forefront of his mind.

Alistair fought off all that tried to touch her, earning a few wounds himself. The soldier and the Circle mage that had been with them were killed off quickly. Once the darkspawn in the top of the tower had been dealt with, Alistair had collapsed beside Atrina...

Her face being the last he had seen before he let the darkness take him.

A small whimper suddenly reached his ears, bringing him out of his thoughts. Looking down, he saw Atrina's face twist in up in fear as she slept. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Alistair smoothed out her hair, unsure of what else to do. He never comforted anyone while they had a bad dream. He could only remember the advice that Duncan, Tiberius, and Bastian had given him after he had his first nightmares.

Alistair closed his eyes as his face twisted at the pain that racked through his heart when he thought of his comrades, his friends...

The only ones who ever looked at him as an equal and not the bastard son of a king.

Now, they were dead...

He wanted to cry, he wanted to grab his sword and slash through Loghain Mac Tir with all he had...

But most of all, he wanted Atrina to live.

The Blight was still happening, he had to remember that, but he couldn't do it alone.

“Please...” he whispered as he looked down at Atrina, to see her looking peaceful once more. “Don't leave me...” He leaned forward and placed his forehead next to the pillow where she rested. Tears stung his eyes as he prayed to the Andraste, to the Maker... to whomever would listen.

Don't let her die... please...

Alistair turned his eyes to Atrina before feeling exhaustion hit once more.

#alistair appreciation week #day 1 #Alistair #sfw #dragon age #dragon age origins #Warden Alistair

[withthebreezesblown]

Is it terrible I also want to give the deathroot prompt to your Alistair? *grin*

Between the Shadow and the Soul

(or read it on AO3)

His head throbs. When he bites back a curse that nearly spills out his lips at Darren–no, he doesn’t want a Maker-fucking-forsaken nightcap–he doesn’t know if it’s the headache, frustration at the constant off-kilter rhythm thrumming through him, or the actual monster waiting to come climbing out of his blood and into his brain that nearly makes him snap. Darren is, after all, Alistair’s favorite–he still isn’t comfortable with the word, “servant.” On better days he calls the man an employee paid to enact the artifice that he is simply his King’s very helpful friend–and on very good days the fact that this is nearer to the truth than any genuine friendship between them only makes him feel vaguely disgusted with himself.

Today is not a good day.

Even when he finally finds himself slipping between mercifully cool sheets and attended by only his mabaris, his head continues to pound. He doesn’t think he’ll sleep at all, which is perhaps why it’s such a surprise when he comes to in total darkness. Despite the lack of light, he knows instantly where he is, never mind that he’s been surrounded by the stirrings of the Taint everywhere he goes for months now. It’s different in the Deep Roads. He’d know the feel of this foul place anywhere.

In the distance he catches the faintest flickering. When he checks himself over as he stands, he’s surprised to find Duncan’s sword belted to him. He knows it by touch, knows the moment his fingers drag over the hilt that it isn’t the one that once belonged to Maric that he usually wears at Eamon’s insistence. Who in any kingdom in Thedas would bother dropping him in the Deep Roads but leave him armed? And with a sword runed to weaken darkspawn at that? Fist tight around the hilt of the sword, he creeps toward the distant light.

The closer he gets the more noises he catches. Soft thuds and fleshy squelching sounds. The tearing and grinding sounds of jaws rending something. He’s nearly to the corner the light is trickling around when he hears the sound that makes his feet and heart stop and then scramble to rush on. A moan, or maybe a whimper. Guttural and terrible and hers.

When he rounds the corner, his eyes are searching for her immediately. They keep searching, long after a part of him realizes exactly where she is, while another part refuses.

Because he promised her.

He promised her wouldn’t let them do this. He held her in his arms while she puked until she could only dry heave and swore he’d be there to keep this from happening.

And so he ignores for as long as he can the single strand of limp red hair trailing from an otherwise bald, scabbed head across clammy, bruised skin, under her arm and around until it’s lost in the folds that her lower body has swollen into. She’s eating what appears to be one of her own recent offspring, no less hideous than an adult hurlock, and somehow the idea that darkspawn are the only creatures who aren’t cute even as helpless babies makes him want to giggle. A strip of rotted flesh is hanging from between her teeth when her gaze falls on him and her head tilts to the side.

She finishes eating, just watching him as the terrible song crescendos in his head. Every motion becomes slow and deliberate, and… he is mesmerized by it. By the long fingers, blackened at the nailless tips, that she sucks on suggestively when she finishes.

“…Alistair. I’ve been waiting for you. You said you would come… you promised.”

Guilt collides with confusion as his head throbs in rhythm with the music so strongly that he cannot think straight. All he can say is, “I know.”

“But you’ve come to me now, haven’t you?”

He takes an involuntary step forward when her hand trails over her ribcage where one of the bones juts out at an odd angle, a sharp, broken point visible under the skin. Her skin. He’s thought about her skin a hundred thousand times since he last touched it, and this isn’t right, there’s something wrong, it isn’t supposed to be like this, but the music is singing a chorus of, “yes, yes yes,” or is that his mouth? He doesn’t know. He doesn’t know anything anymore except how long he has wanted her, and now she is here. He can’t think what could possibly be wrong when she is right here, beckoning him forward toward her bare breasts. Yes, yes, yes.

“It’s all we ever wanted, isn’t it? We’ll remake the world. You and me. We’ll remake everything. You and me and our beautiful babies.”

Yes, yes, yes.

His hand brushes absently against his sword, and when it does, the world flickers. For an instant, the song quiets. And he remembers exactly what is wrong.

She wouldn’t want to live like this. She would never forgive him for letting her become this if she had her mind about her. He can’t have her. He can’t ever have her now, because this isn’t her, this putrid, festering mess that even without the song that turns everything inside out and upside down he still can’t help seeing the beauty in. He can’t have her, but he can help her. His fingers wrap around the hilt of Duncan’s sword with purpose this time.

After, he collapses onto the floor, sobbing. Nothing has been right between them since that Blighted fucking Landsmeet, but this…

And the song is still there, singing to him with her voice even though she’ll never speak to him again. Why fight it now? What’s there left to fight for?

He rolls onto his back staring up into the cavern’s roof and lets his breathing synchronize. When he closes his eyes and breathes with it, it isn’t terrible any more. It’s beautiful. Beautiful like her. He feels, for the first time in so long, entirely at peace when he opens his eyes and begins to lick her blood from his fingers.

He jolts awake in his bed, fingers wrenching from his mouth, knees colliding with one of the mabaris pressed up against him as he throws himself forward to retch over the edge of the bed. All he can think, louder than the song that won’t stop, for now at least, is, Where are you? I’m waiting for you. No matter how loud it gets. I promised and I’m waiting. Maker, please, don’t say you’ve gone without me.

#celeritassagittae #breezes drivel #dragon age fanfiction #don't blame me #she made me do it #okay okay it was pretty fun #apparently i am an evil breeze

[thefoolsloop]

Wife, children, servants, all that could be found: SNM Shanghai, show no. 4

**(Spoilers for Sexy Witch loop - not for 1:1s, but for new content. This is good stuff, so don’t read until you’ve followed Sexy. I’m mentioning it now because it’s so intense and also because I’d be interested in other people’s reactions to the new material.

Spoilers also for Duncan loop, but not any 1:1s - which I didn’t get. I don’t even know if he does one. There’s one thing in the loop which is so special I won’t even hint what it is.)**

The pain has cleared by my second show of the day and, fortified by a tube of Pringles, I enter the McKinnon a second time.

My initial intention is to have another easy-going show but, on the way in, I immediately realise that because of the cast rotation this will be my last chance - perhaps ever in my life - to see Miranda’s Sexy Witch. Although I'm conscious that I’ve hogged her for much of my time in the show so far, I'm also conscious that I haven’t yet danced with her nor had the walkout. So, casting aside my reservations, I enable Selfish Mode and go straight for the ballroom on arrival.

She's not there. Bald (Fania) and Boy (Olly - by many people’s reckoning the best witch trio this show has ever seen) are there, going through their pre-party motions, but Sexy’s missing. I look around; surely she should be here? I mean, she does start top of the show here, right? I’ve seen this enough times by now to know the three witches are together, briefly teasing each other, then creating a circle and enchanting the ballroom floor before the guests arrive.

I keep looking round anxiously. I’m eager not to miss Miranda’s last Sexy, but I’m also concerned for her wellbeing - is she OK? Ages seem to pass (it was probably only a minute or so), then there’s a flash of green in the corner of my eye. Thank God, here she is, apparently unharmed. (I never do find out what the problem was, but luckily it doesn’t matter.)

The party begins, the guests streaming in from all corners - hooray, here’s Sam at last! - and as the music starts I’m reminded of just how much I adore this scene. In the McKittrick it’s almost the only moment of pure joy, where music, dance and atmosphere are upbeat and heart-lifting (and, yes, I’m aware of the undercurrents running through everything, but at least they’re not laid over with a brush); here in the McKinnon things are more balanced, but the good associations I have with it have been carried over from New York. Everyone is smiling, the dancing is ‘proper’ dancing, not the seriously impressive gymnastics or interpretative movement we see elsewhere. It’s such an uplifting sequence and you get to see it three times a show. I never quite got into the Hoedown in TDM, but I begin to understand why people fell in love with it. I feel the same about the ballroom party in SNM. It’s so wonderful I actually feel quite moved.

The party ends and the guests peel off with their followers. I attach myself to Miranda, but so does a Chinese woman in a white cardigan. She seems to know the loop as well as I do, and we’re unwilling companions throughout. At 1:1 time I hang back, since I’ve had the experience (I don’t see if cardigan woman gets it) and I keep my distance until the rave (except for the medicine shop dance, where there’s so much space for everyone to have a good view). While the lights are flashing I hang around in the corridor, then hurry in as soon as it stops and position myself deliberately for what’s to come (see below).

I’ve waxed lyrical about Miranda’s bar dance before and seeing it for a second time I’m reminded just what’s so incredible about it. Not only is her dancing extreme and breath-taking, but in those moments she seems the very incarnation of something other-worldly, something from the spirit world. While the little touches she’s added to it no longer have the element of surprise, this leaves me free to absorb the magnificence of the whole piece. Both powerful and vulnerable, Sexy in those moments becomes tortured and crazed, caught up in her own private bacchanal. And for whose benefit? We do not know.

Miranda lands in a crumpled heap, then scoots along the floor until she’s right at my feet. Dazed, she stretches out her hand to me and I help her up. Our eye contact lasts only a moment, but that’s long enough for an understanding to be shared. I knew you’d land there, my eyes say. Thank you, hers say, fleetingly. But Sexy is in no condition for niceties just now. Hecate approaches, caresses her. Is it a blessing or a curse? Is she congratulating her on a good job done with Macbeth, or is she reminding Sexy that she owns her? Or both? Or something else?

We’re in the high street now, where I get the same interaction I had at my first show. Again, I’ve hung back a little, but Miranda seems determined to treat me. Oh, well, far be it from me to be rude. I get a kiss for my trouble.

Almost all this time, the white cardigan has been at my side, clinging to Miranda like a leech. It’s hard to say whether she is just keen on the loop or whether she’s gunning for an interaction (if this were New York or London, I’d have no hesitation in guessing the latter, but as I said before they do things differently here).

(’Macduff’s Wife and Children Slain’ from Charles and Mary Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare, 1901)

**BIG SPOILER FOR THE LOOP APPROACHING - NOT AN INTERACTION OF ANY KIND, BUT SERIOUSLY I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON HERE**

Things progress to a scene I missed first time round (I think I was following the Bride). We follow her to the Macduffs’ rooms. Now we’re in the children’s bedroom. There is blood all over the bed. Sexy seems confused, anguished. She pokes at the bedclothes as if unable to work out what’s happened. She picks up a teddy bear and holds it out to us, but doesn’t say a word. Something has struck her on a deep emotional level. The death of children, yes - but why? Why her? What’s been done to Sexy’s storyline to connect it so strongly to Lady Macduff? She’s not celebrating here, as I would have expected, with Hecate’s destruction widening its net. And all this time, she’s being watched (as I discovered at my first show).

I’m genuinely at a loss to explain this scene, and would love to hear theories.

Sexy runs to Duncan’s suite, starts cleaning off the blood from the rave. She seems troubled now, something nagging at her thoughts. She grabs a damp cloth, hands it to me. “Get it off! Get it off!” she hisses, desperately. I dab uselessly at her forehead, her shoulders. She snatches it from me, gives me a massive kiss on the mask as a reward. Then she turns to the mirror and tidies herself up, so she’s presentable for Macbeth at the top of the loop.

**SPOILER ENDS**

Top of the loop, ‘Witches 1′, where the trio meet Macbeth for the first (second) time. At this point, the woman in the white cardigan turns, leans over to me, and says something in Chinese. What could it be? I shake my head, trying to indicate that I don’t understand. Is she asking how come I get all the interactions? Is she pointing out that I’ve trodden on her a few times and not apologised? Is she asking the time? I can’t do anything more to help her, so I turn away. She shouldn’t be talking anyway, I tell myself.

The loop continues round to just before the party. I briefly forget where to stand, and have to run around to where the curtain is, but Miranda takes me in her arms as if there were no one else in the room. We dance, and I recall my dance with Leslie, bird-light in my grasp, so wispy I feared to crush her. Miranda is different - solid, strong, indestructible. No one without substance could do the bar dance like that. I feel on much more equal terms with her; yet it still feels odd being in the man’s position but unable to lead. She gives me another kiss for my pains. I wouldn’t exactly call this painful.

The party commences again, and once again I feel a much bigger emotional response than ever before. So much joy, the music so wonderful, everyone smiling, the dancing perfect, the interaction between the characters fascinating. In fact, I don’t remember an ensemble scene in TDM which had so many layers, no, not even the Hoedown. It’s such a pleasure to watch, I feel a pricking sensation in my eyes. Can this really be described as a moving scene?

(Sam’s good-natured and sympathetic Duncan; photo from sleepnomore.cn)

Anyway, my attention is soon fixed on Sam, one of the reasons I flew all this way. I’ve seen him in only one production since TDM, and then all too briefly. Here he is, again rewarded with a principal role, as Duncan. But where I had expected a Duncan who radiates the commanding presence of Leland Stanford, Sam (like Fania) confounds preconceptions. While his Duncan is indeed a significant presence in the scene, Sam plays him as a pleasant, almost avuncular figure, not a patriarch. This is a Duncan looking forward to retirement - not because he is too old to manage the job, but because he has achieved everything he wants to. Perhaps he wants to enjoy spending time with the ladies, as his attention on Lady Macbeth suggests.

**(SMALL SPOILERS FOR DUNCAN LOOP, BUT NOT THE BEST BIT)**

As the party ends, Sam climbs the stairs, singing to himself. Is he drunk, or is something else going on? In his chamber, he feels unwell, stumbles. As he collapses on the bed, he goes into a Stanford-style seizure, of the sort Sam has practised frequently. But this time there’s no desperate grabbing of white masks, no: “Record! Be the camera!” Instead, we watch powerless as Macbeth comes and finishes him off. When Banquo, Malcolm and Macduff appear the tone changes from sinister to humane, compassionate and tender - particularly with the splendidly sincere combination of Omar and Ben in two of the parts.

Duncan is carried to the cemetery in a sombre procession, and left there. In New York he’d lie there for about ten minutes, while all but the most dogged (or tired) followers drift away. But not Sam. He does something so unexpected, so wonderful and so Sam that I simply can’t report it; it has to be experienced. (Fred’s Duncan does it too, but in a way that is less Sam. You’d know what I mean if you saw it.)

After this, I lose him for a little while, but manage to pick him up after the reset in time for the shaving scene. In the hands of Ben and Sam, this plays out with a strong emotional undercurrent, expressed only through gesture and expression. Malcolm, the dutiful (perhaps over-dutiful) son, wanting to please his father yet also unwittingly terrifying him; Duncan, the cautious father, increasingly unnerved by the razor until he can stand it no longer. Seeing Sam play vulnerable after his dominant Stanford is quite a novelty: yet he pulls it off with immense character and sympathy. One feels that this Duncan-Malcolm pairing have a real bond with each other.

**(SPOILERS END)**

Back to the ballroom - the last time I will see Miranda, Fania, Olly, Sam, Omar and Ben in these roles. Tears form in my eyes, not just because it’s the last time but because this scene is just so goddamn wonderful. What a privilege to watch these master performers do it; what a joy to be able to say I know them; what a pleasure just to get to watch this at all. And so perfectly done.

As in previous shows, I find myself drifting from loop to loop until eventually I find myself back in the rep bar. This time I’m near the door, so I’m seeing Miranda’s bar dance from the side, where it inevitably lacks the impact gained from seeing it front-on. No matter; her dedication and skill still shine through. I stick with her as best I can until the banquet. I’ve ticked almost all the boxes with her, but there’s still the walkout. I feel selfish for hogging all the interactions as if they were rightfully mine. But I also feel that my effort in flying the best part of 6,000 miles to see the show gives me a certain head start in claiming them.

As I enter the ballroom, a crowd has already gathered. This isn’t going to be easy. I stand opposite Miranda’s position while she mounts the stage. I’m probably three or four rows back at this point, too far for her reach. Then I remind myself that there’s less social prohibition in this country against slipping through to the front of a crowd. So, without shoving anyone, I glide my shoulders between people and end up just behind the front row.

The banquet unfolds its slow progress; I’ve seen it so many times I can pretty much detect the cues in the drone, anticipate the point at which the frozen tableau will start moving again. As Macbeth proceeds to climb onto the table, the other characters move away. Miranda comes round to the front of the platform. She will need a hand to get down. She reaches out in my direction, and between us we virtually slap away what seems like a dozen hands until she grasps mine. She positions herself in front of me and, arms outstretched, pushes everyone back until they’re at a distance where Macbeth’s feet won't decapitate them. Andrea is on the table now, his face a mass of blood, his face contorted in horror. BANG! A cry, both from Andrea and from the audience. The creaks echo round the chamber. “That certain night...”

Miranda’s hands have been gripping my shoulders. Now they release, and I turn towards her. She’s already slipped her hand into mine. We walk through the rooms, accomplices, partners, friends. Now and again we exchange a knowing look, she with an ambiguous smile on her face, me doing all the work with my eyes. Into the Manderley, where I receive yet another kiss. I’m never washing again.

After the show, I say hello to Sam in the bar. On seeing me, he glows with surprise and delight. You came all this way? But of course, Sam. Not long afterwards I find myself outside on the terrace of the cafe, where the cast have gathered to celebrate Garth Johnson’s birthday. I renew old acquaintances, make new ones. At last I get to talk to Miranda offstage, and it’s like the eighteen months since I last met her never happened. I meet so many new people, gather a mass of autographs in my TDM photo book (yes, I heaved it into my suitcase and took it all the way to China). There is no finer thing than creative people coming together to make something wonderful - except, perhaps, being accepted into the company of those people as if you were one of them. I’ll remember that evening for the rest of my life.

#Punchdrunk #Sleep No More #snm shanghai #miranda mac letten #sam booth #sexy witch #duncan

[snicketsleuth]

Hello, Sleuth! How are you? In Chapter 13 of the Slippery Slope, after the Women With Hair But No Beard shouts “We’ll fight fire with fire!”, Count Olaf mutters something to himself. What could he have possibly been muttering?

Hello again, @detectivefernald! The Sleuth is busy as ever but happy as can be.

“You get the sugar bowl from those bratty orphans,Olaf,” ordered the woman with hair but no beard, “and we’ll all meet up at the last safe place!”“With these eagles at our disposal,” thesinister man said in his hoarse voice, “we can finally catch up to that self-sustaining hot air mobile home and destroythose volunteers!”The Baudelaires gasped, and shared an astonished lookwith Quigley. The villain was surely talking about the device that Hector had built at the Village of FowlDevotees, in which Duncan and Isadora had escaped.“We’ll fight fire with fire!” the woman withhair but no beard cried in triumph, and the eagles carried her away. Count Olaf muttered something to himself andthen turned and began creeping toward the Baudelaires. “I only need one of you to learnwhere the sugar bowl is,” he said, his eyes shining brightly, “and to get my hands on the fortune. Butwhich one should it be?”“That’s a difficult decision,” Esmé said.“On one hand, it’s been enjoyable having an infant servant. But it would be a lot of fun to smash Klaus’s glassesand watch him bump into things.”[The Slippery Slope, Chapter Thirteen]

Given the context, I think whatever he’s muttering is related to the mission he was just given by his bosses: getting the sugar bowl. He’s probably just thinking aloud about whatever he’s going to do next and whether he would need a submarine. The reason he’s speaking in a low voice is because Quigley and the Baudelaires are still around and could escape with the information.

It’s also possible that he’s actually complaining about his two bosses. They left him with only Esmé and Carmelita (Fernald was also captured for no discernable reason) at his disposal to do the hardest part of the job. The Man With Beard But No Hair and the Woman With Hair But No Beard have taken the eagles to party in Lorien, and he’s stuck on the top of Mount Doom (wait, wrong book). Esme is far more loyal to them and obsessed with the sugar bowl than he is, so he’s keeping these thoughts to himself for the time being.

#0419 #ask #Lemony Snicket #ASoUE #a series of unfortunate events #count olaf #woman with hair but nor beard #man with beard but no hair #Carmelita Spats #esme squalor #the lord of the rings #Quigley Quagmire #violet baudelaire #klaus baudelaire #Sunny Baudelaire #Fernald

[courtneytincher]

Boris Johnson Is Lazy and Will Be a Terrible Prime Minister, Say His Ex Colleagues

TOLGA AKMENNot many people throughout history would be able to say that they’ve been told to “fuck off and die” by a British prime minister. But now, with Boris Johnson victorious in Tuesday's leadership contest, journalist Sam Leith has gained entry to that illustrious club.Leith, then literary editor at The Daily Telegraph, commissioned and published a review of a Johnson biography that ridiculed the future prime minister as looking like he wore “a urine-coloured fright wig” and named his children. A “very cross” Johnson then sent an email to Leith that, the writer recalled, said something along the lines of: “I can’t believe you had anything to do with commissioning or publishing this but if you did you can fuck off and die.”“I wrote back saying that I’d commissioned it in good faith and, as was usual, once a review’s commissioned we publish without fear or favour,” Leith explained to The Daily Beast. The journalist then signed off the email with: “Yours fucking off and dying.”The anecdote—sure to make Leith a star attraction at dinner parties for at least the length of Johnson’s tenure—is just one example of Johnson’s erratic behavior. He’s prone to poorly considered outbursts, usually presented with a memorable turn of phrase, but also possesses the personal charm to end up back in the good graces of people he offends.“I had a very gracious apology by return of email saying, basically: ‘Sorry: I blew my top and shouldn’t have,’” said Leith. “I thought it was kind of a reckless email for a sitting MP to send a working journalist and it was a flash of the well-attested temper, but I bear no grudge at all about it and (whatever my thoughts on his suitability as PM) we’ve generally got on well personally, so it was more like a temper tantrum than a giant falling-out.”Johnson won the Conservative leadership election overwhelmingly. The results announced Tuesday morning showed that he won 66.4 percent compared to rival Jeremy Hunt's 33.6 percent. In a short speech following the announcement, Johnson admitted some will “question the wisdom” of the decision to make him prime minister.Johnson’s premiership is not going to be boring, and not only because of the hellish ghost train that could come with his commitment to extracting Britain from the European Union, even if he fails to strike a new deal, by the October 31st deadline. Johnson has been one of the most controversial public figures in Britain for decades now—a once-amusing oddity who has become less and less funny as he’s inexplicably become more and more powerful.Boris Johnson Blanks Trump Meeting on Day of Extraordinary Snubs for the PresidentJohnson first became known in the British establishment as a journalist who was renowned for ludicrous exaggeration and fired for fabrication. Having failed at that, he was forced to lower himself to becoming a Conservative member of Parliament, where he thrilled a public tired of boringly competent politicians with his disheveled turns on television game shows. His celebrity rose to the point where he was elected London mayor before going on to lead the pro-Brexit campaign in the 2016 referendum—a choice widely believed to have been borne out of a love of publicity and power rather than any deep-seated beliefs. Following a brief and utterly disastrous stint as foreign secretary, somehow he’s stumbled into the most powerful office in the land.The Daily Beast spoke to people who have worked with him over his colorful career. They largely split into two camps: those who think he’s one of the most arrogant, lazy, and unpleasant men who they’ve ever encountered; and those who he appears to have inspired great loyalty from who genuinely believe his strong personality is what’s needed to see Britain through Brexit and reunite the Conservative party and the public.Ben Rooney, one of Johnson’s former colleagues at The Daily Telegraph, is very much in the former camp. Rooney’s description of Johnson is typical, saying he is a “convivial, amusing, self-deprecating” man, but one who has enormous flaws that make him appear to be an absolutely terrible candidate to be prime minister of a country which, despite its best efforts in recent years, remains one of the world’s most powerful countries.“My overwhelming impression of Boris was a clever person pretending to be stupid, unlike most people who are stupid people pretending to be clever,” said Rooney. “Getting him to do work that he didn’t want to do was difficult. He was absolutely uninterested in detail, so you had to check his copy carefully as it would be full of minor mistakes. The big-picture stuff he would get correct, but the detail was often sketchy at best. Names and dates would be wrong. You got the impression that he was simply remembering it, rather than researching.”Rooney stressed that his experience of Johnson was “a long time ago… and we all change,” but his description seems to be a near-exact match for much more recent experiences, and in jobs where Johnson’s lack of care for details resulted in worse problems than a stray name or date here or there. One current British government minister who worked with Johnson when he was foreign secretary told The Daily Beast that so disinterested was Johnson in detail that his civil servants eventually lost their patience with him and decided to subject him to a secret test.“His civil servants prepared comprehensive briefing packs which were rarely used,” said the minister. “They began to insert odd material in the latter chapters to see if he ever raised any queries or concerns, but they remained untroubled by BoJo.”Asked to describe what it was like to attend meetings with Johnson, the minister said Britain’s new PM is “like a character from a PG Wodehouse novel, possessed of extraordinary charm and humor, and with a big brain unfortunately not always plugged in.”Theresa May Has Finally Been Forced Out: ‘She Fucked Up, Then Fucked Off’Johnson’s time in the Foreign Office is now mainly remembered for the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British woman imprisoned in Iran over accusations of spying. Johnson said publicly she had been “teaching people journalism” in Iran, but her family maintained she was visiting relatives. Iranian officials seized on Johnson’s slip-up as evidence that she had engaged in “propaganda against the regime,” harming her chances of release. The most recent reports on her well-being say that she had been chained to a bed for days while being detained on a psychiatric ward.The case was cited in the first resignation of Johnson’s tenure on Monday, a day before he was announced as the new Conservative leader. Sir Alan Duncan, a colleague of Johnson’s in the Foreign Office, quit in protest of his impending premiership, adding in his resignation letter that he was “deeply upset that some fruitful discussions I had initiated about the possible release of Nazanin Ratcliffe were brought to such an abrupt halt.” He’s previously vowed to end Johnson’s career, and more resignations are expected after Johnson is officially prime minister.But perhaps Johnson’s most brutal evisceration came from his former Daily Telegraph boss Max Hastings, who wrote: “For many of us, his elevation will signal Britain’s abandonment of any claim to be a serious country. It can be claimed that few people realized what a poor prime minister Theresa May would prove until they saw her in Downing Street. With Boris, however, what you see now is almost assuredly what we shall get from him as ruler of Britain.”Time and again, Johnson’s former colleagues paint him as a man who has the capacity to understand anything but decides not to out of lack of interest. However, Johnson isn’t despised by all of his former colleagues. The most successful part of his CV is his time as London mayor, when he was a relatively popular figure who was praised for his part in delivering the London 2012 Olympic Games. Although exactly what his involvement was—other than famously getting stuck dangling on a zip-line fluttering two Union Jacks—has been questioned.His deputy mayor between 2012 and 2015, Victoria Borwick, told The Daily Beast that she didn’t recognize the ream of descriptions of her former boss as being inactive or liable to temper tantrums. She said he had a “light-touch” management style and was happy to let people and departments get on with their jobs if they were doing well, but would be intensely involved if he thought he wasn’t getting what he was promised or something was going badly wrong. She predicted that’s how he’ll manage his government from Downing Street.“Boris didn’t have a temper at people, but at something not happening,” said the former deputy. “To raise your voice is fine but he wouldn’t be throwing and cussing and screaming at everybody. I’ve worked in offices over my life where people had to creep around in terror, it wasn’t like that at all. Absolutely not. Something would happen, someone would need to be spoken to, and he’d want to know what we were going to do about it to make it right.”Borwick also disputed that Johnson is a lazy leader, saying: “I never found that if he needed to know the detail he didn’t make sure he knew it. He gets up at 6 o’clock in the morning, he reads his briefs, he reads his papers. He doesn’t cut corners.”It has to be said that’s far from the experience of everyone from Johnson’s London mayoral office. Another of Johnson’s deputy mayors, Roger Evans, said he “very quickly learned to brief [Johnson] in less than five minutes, adding that “any longer was wasted time.” Another one of Johnson’s appointments while mayor, Brian Coleman, said he spent “half my meetings as his Fire Chairman telling him what I had told him at the last meeting.”It’s obvious that Johnson can be personally charming and inspire loyalty from his teams but, based on the accounts of multiple former colleagues, that side of him is frequently drowned out by the part of his personality that is frustrating and carelessly offensive. For example, when he began reciting a colonial-era Rudyard Kipling poem on a trip to the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar, which evoked the nostalgia of a retired serviceman looking back on his colonial service in the country. The recital was so embarrassing that the U.K. ambassador to Myanmar, Andrew Patrick, was forced to stop him and deal with the subsequent diplomatic fallout.Failing Anti-Brexit Parties Fight Each Other Instead of Defeating BrexitOver his career, Johnson has also caused needless offense writing about “tank-topped bum boys,” African people with “watermelon smiles,” “piccaninnies,” and when he compared Muslim women who wear burqas to “letter boxes” and bank robbers, and predicted that the introduction of gay marriage would eventually lead to three men entering marital union with a dog. Whenever he’s asked about these comments, he tends to say they were taken out of context rather than apologize.This man with such obvious gaping character flaws is who Conservative party members have now decided to risk everything on by promoting him to prime minister as the country hurtles toward some of the most critical decisions it’s made in decades.“It’s a phenomenal job starting in an incredibly difficult position,” said Johnson ally Borwick. “I think it’s going to be very, very difficult. The next 100 days—until October 31—is going to require all of Boris’s little gray cells, or large gray cells, and he’s going to need to put a team around him who can not only deliver Brexit but reunite the party and the country.”With Britain deeply divided, it does need someone to bring it together and wrench it out of Brexit paralysis. If that was entirely down to personal charm and wit, then Johnson would surely be the ideal candidate for the job. But whether he has the attention span to deal with the immense complexities of Brexit is a question keeping many, even those close to him, up at night.Over the coming months, the prime minister has to find consensus, solve problems, and earn support. Telling people to fuck off and die is no longer an option.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

TOLGA AKMENNot many people throughout history would be able to say that they’ve been told to “fuck off and die” by a British prime minister. But now, with Boris Johnson victorious in Tuesday's leadership contest, journalist Sam Leith has gained entry to that illustrious club.Leith, then literary editor at The Daily Telegraph, commissioned and published a review of a Johnson biography that ridiculed the future prime minister as looking like he wore “a urine-coloured fright wig” and named his children. A “very cross” Johnson then sent an email to Leith that, the writer recalled, said something along the lines of: “I can’t believe you had anything to do with commissioning or publishing this but if you did you can fuck off and die.”“I wrote back saying that I’d commissioned it in good faith and, as was usual, once a review’s commissioned we publish without fear or favour,” Leith explained to The Daily Beast. The journalist then signed off the email with: “Yours fucking off and dying.”The anecdote—sure to make Leith a star attraction at dinner parties for at least the length of Johnson’s tenure—is just one example of Johnson’s erratic behavior. He’s prone to poorly considered outbursts, usually presented with a memorable turn of phrase, but also possesses the personal charm to end up back in the good graces of people he offends.“I had a very gracious apology by return of email saying, basically: ‘Sorry: I blew my top and shouldn’t have,’” said Leith. “I thought it was kind of a reckless email for a sitting MP to send a working journalist and it was a flash of the well-attested temper, but I bear no grudge at all about it and (whatever my thoughts on his suitability as PM) we’ve generally got on well personally, so it was more like a temper tantrum than a giant falling-out.”Johnson won the Conservative leadership election overwhelmingly. The results announced Tuesday morning showed that he won 66.4 percent compared to rival Jeremy Hunt's 33.6 percent. In a short speech following the announcement, Johnson admitted some will “question the wisdom” of the decision to make him prime minister.Johnson’s premiership is not going to be boring, and not only because of the hellish ghost train that could come with his commitment to extracting Britain from the European Union, even if he fails to strike a new deal, by the October 31st deadline. Johnson has been one of the most controversial public figures in Britain for decades now—a once-amusing oddity who has become less and less funny as he’s inexplicably become more and more powerful.Boris Johnson Blanks Trump Meeting on Day of Extraordinary Snubs for the PresidentJohnson first became known in the British establishment as a journalist who was renowned for ludicrous exaggeration and fired for fabrication. Having failed at that, he was forced to lower himself to becoming a Conservative member of Parliament, where he thrilled a public tired of boringly competent politicians with his disheveled turns on television game shows. His celebrity rose to the point where he was elected London mayor before going on to lead the pro-Brexit campaign in the 2016 referendum—a choice widely believed to have been borne out of a love of publicity and power rather than any deep-seated beliefs. Following a brief and utterly disastrous stint as foreign secretary, somehow he’s stumbled into the most powerful office in the land.The Daily Beast spoke to people who have worked with him over his colorful career. They largely split into two camps: those who think he’s one of the most arrogant, lazy, and unpleasant men who they’ve ever encountered; and those who he appears to have inspired great loyalty from who genuinely believe his strong personality is what’s needed to see Britain through Brexit and reunite the Conservative party and the public.Ben Rooney, one of Johnson’s former colleagues at The Daily Telegraph, is very much in the former camp. Rooney’s description of Johnson is typical, saying he is a “convivial, amusing, self-deprecating” man, but one who has enormous flaws that make him appear to be an absolutely terrible candidate to be prime minister of a country which, despite its best efforts in recent years, remains one of the world’s most powerful countries.“My overwhelming impression of Boris was a clever person pretending to be stupid, unlike most people who are stupid people pretending to be clever,” said Rooney. “Getting him to do work that he didn’t want to do was difficult. He was absolutely uninterested in detail, so you had to check his copy carefully as it would be full of minor mistakes. The big-picture stuff he would get correct, but the detail was often sketchy at best. Names and dates would be wrong. You got the impression that he was simply remembering it, rather than researching.”Rooney stressed that his experience of Johnson was “a long time ago… and we all change,” but his description seems to be a near-exact match for much more recent experiences, and in jobs where Johnson’s lack of care for details resulted in worse problems than a stray name or date here or there. One current British government minister who worked with Johnson when he was foreign secretary told The Daily Beast that so disinterested was Johnson in detail that his civil servants eventually lost their patience with him and decided to subject him to a secret test.“His civil servants prepared comprehensive briefing packs which were rarely used,” said the minister. “They began to insert odd material in the latter chapters to see if he ever raised any queries or concerns, but they remained untroubled by BoJo.”Asked to describe what it was like to attend meetings with Johnson, the minister said Britain’s new PM is “like a character from a PG Wodehouse novel, possessed of extraordinary charm and humor, and with a big brain unfortunately not always plugged in.”Theresa May Has Finally Been Forced Out: ‘She Fucked Up, Then Fucked Off’Johnson’s time in the Foreign Office is now mainly remembered for the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British woman imprisoned in Iran over accusations of spying. Johnson said publicly she had been “teaching people journalism” in Iran, but her family maintained she was visiting relatives. Iranian officials seized on Johnson’s slip-up as evidence that she had engaged in “propaganda against the regime,” harming her chances of release. The most recent reports on her well-being say that she had been chained to a bed for days while being detained on a psychiatric ward.The case was cited in the first resignation of Johnson’s tenure on Monday, a day before he was announced as the new Conservative leader. Sir Alan Duncan, a colleague of Johnson’s in the Foreign Office, quit in protest of his impending premiership, adding in his resignation letter that he was “deeply upset that some fruitful discussions I had initiated about the possible release of Nazanin Ratcliffe were brought to such an abrupt halt.” He’s previously vowed to end Johnson’s career, and more resignations are expected after Johnson is officially prime minister.But perhaps Johnson’s most brutal evisceration came from his former Daily Telegraph boss Max Hastings, who wrote: “For many of us, his elevation will signal Britain’s abandonment of any claim to be a serious country. It can be claimed that few people realized what a poor prime minister Theresa May would prove until they saw her in Downing Street. With Boris, however, what you see now is almost assuredly what we shall get from him as ruler of Britain.”Time and again, Johnson’s former colleagues paint him as a man who has the capacity to understand anything but decides not to out of lack of interest. However, Johnson isn’t despised by all of his former colleagues. The most successful part of his CV is his time as London mayor, when he was a relatively popular figure who was praised for his part in delivering the London 2012 Olympic Games. Although exactly what his involvement was—other than famously getting stuck dangling on a zip-line fluttering two Union Jacks—has been questioned.His deputy mayor between 2012 and 2015, Victoria Borwick, told The Daily Beast that she didn’t recognize the ream of descriptions of her former boss as being inactive or liable to temper tantrums. She said he had a “light-touch” management style and was happy to let people and departments get on with their jobs if they were doing well, but would be intensely involved if he thought he wasn’t getting what he was promised or something was going badly wrong. She predicted that’s how he’ll manage his government from Downing Street.“Boris didn’t have a temper at people, but at something not happening,” said the former deputy. “To raise your voice is fine but he wouldn’t be throwing and cussing and screaming at everybody. I’ve worked in offices over my life where people had to creep around in terror, it wasn’t like that at all. Absolutely not. Something would happen, someone would need to be spoken to, and he’d want to know what we were going to do about it to make it right.”Borwick also disputed that Johnson is a lazy leader, saying: “I never found that if he needed to know the detail he didn’t make sure he knew it. He gets up at 6 o’clock in the morning, he reads his briefs, he reads his papers. He doesn’t cut corners.”It has to be said that’s far from the experience of everyone from Johnson’s London mayoral office. Another of Johnson’s deputy mayors, Roger Evans, said he “very quickly learned to brief [Johnson] in less than five minutes, adding that “any longer was wasted time.” Another one of Johnson’s appointments while mayor, Brian Coleman, said he spent “half my meetings as his Fire Chairman telling him what I had told him at the last meeting.”It’s obvious that Johnson can be personally charming and inspire loyalty from his teams but, based on the accounts of multiple former colleagues, that side of him is frequently drowned out by the part of his personality that is frustrating and carelessly offensive. For example, when he began reciting a colonial-era Rudyard Kipling poem on a trip to the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar, which evoked the nostalgia of a retired serviceman looking back on his colonial service in the country. The recital was so embarrassing that the U.K. ambassador to Myanmar, Andrew Patrick, was forced to stop him and deal with the subsequent diplomatic fallout.Failing Anti-Brexit Parties Fight Each Other Instead of Defeating BrexitOver his career, Johnson has also caused needless offense writing about “tank-topped bum boys,” African people with “watermelon smiles,” “piccaninnies,” and when he compared Muslim women who wear burqas to “letter boxes” and bank robbers, and predicted that the introduction of gay marriage would eventually lead to three men entering marital union with a dog. Whenever he’s asked about these comments, he tends to say they were taken out of context rather than apologize.This man with such obvious gaping character flaws is who Conservative party members have now decided to risk everything on by promoting him to prime minister as the country hurtles toward some of the most critical decisions it’s made in decades.“It’s a phenomenal job starting in an incredibly difficult position,” said Johnson ally Borwick. “I think it’s going to be very, very difficult. The next 100 days—until October 31—is going to require all of Boris’s little gray cells, or large gray cells, and he’s going to need to put a team around him who can not only deliver Brexit but reunite the party and the country.”With Britain deeply divided, it does need someone to bring it together and wrench it out of Brexit paralysis. If that was entirely down to personal charm and wit, then Johnson would surely be the ideal candidate for the job. But whether he has the attention span to deal with the immense complexities of Brexit is a question keeping many, even those close to him, up at night.Over the coming months, the prime minister has to find consensus, solve problems, and earn support. Telling people to fuck off and die is no longer an option.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

July 23, 2019 at 12:12PM via IFTTT

#Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

[windndy]

Fuck it I’m doing more fanfic

The Delios family certainly knew how to throw a party.

Most Pillarian weddings, Duncan surmised, were probably much less lavish than this entire affair. The venue, what Ariel referred to as the family’s “summer home”, was a mansion big enough for his entire tribe to fit comfortably in, tents and animals included. Entire teams of servants had spent most of the week decorating the place with garlands of lillies and sunflowers, and white satin curtains on which were stitched pearls and crystals with threads of gold. An army of cooks had been drafted to create the celebration’s feast. Flocks of birds were stuffed and roasted. Mountains of fresh fruit had been imported from the south and prepared into exquisite edible sculptures. No less than twenty different types of wines and spirits were ready to be poured for the guests.

It was all a bit much, to say the least, but Duncan wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity.

Besides, it was a good excuse to get to know the rest of the family. Duncan wasn’t very close to his step-brothers, and Ariel spoke of his siblings with so much affection and admiration that he couldn’t help but feel curious about them. Well... at least those who hadn’t tried to have the sorcerer assassinated.

“You will love my sister Aurore. Everyone does.” Ariel told him just as they’d arrived. “She is the kindest, most beautiful person in the world.” He’d winked then, before adding: “Try not to fall in love with her, she’s getting married after all.”

Aurore Delios had met them at the gates with a genuine gentle smile. She was his older half-sister, a tall blonde human woman who had the same golden eyes and radiated the same confidence and nobility. She’d taken a great interest in the band of adventurers who’d stuck by “her favourite little brother”, and avidly listened to Duncan’s retelling of their journey, although she occasionally had to excuse herself to help with the preparations.

As delightful as she was, though, Duncan couldn’t completely agree with the way Ariel had described her.

They ended up alone in the kitchen at the end of an exhausting day. Aurore waved him over and pulled up a chair. Even in an apron and work clothes, her long golden hair tied up in an utilitarian ponytail, the noblewoman was a lovely sight. “Not too lost, are we, Umbrian? I wish we had more time to treat our esteemed guests.”

“Everything is more than enough, lady Aurore.” Duncan replied with a polite nod. “Your family has always been generous to me.”

Aurore poured a small cup of a bronze-colored liquor, which she handed to him. “Still, I wish we could spend more time talking.” She put her hand over his and leaned closer, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “You are a fascinating man, master Duncan.”

The druid looked down. Aurore’s hands were darker than his, her skin incredibly soft and unusually warm... but not warm enough, he thought to himself as he moved away, raising an eyebrow. “Is this a test, lady?”

Aurore’s eyes briefly lit up. “In a way, I suppose.” She winked at him and sipped from her own cup, her posture suddenly much more relaxed. “I would very much like us to be friends, master Duncan. It’s refreshing to meet someone who will not get infatuated with me.” She bade him goodnight.

He began to understand the very next day, when he noticed Aurore’s admirers. At any given moment, she would be surrounded by them, most of them young men who followed her every move and avidly drank her every word. Once or twice, he caught his own companion Harminar stare at her and sigh longingly. Even the paladin Nestorios seemed to be taking a liking to her. As the date of the wedding approached, more and more of these admirers would show up, and he’d hear them lamenting the fact that she would be forever “taken” from them much too soon.

Aurore sought him out again in the evening once her throngs of lovesick followers went back home, always eager to hear more about his adventures. There were no more moves to touch him - casual physical contact was more Ariel’s thing - but her smile was infectious.

On the morning of the wedding, Duncan was searching for Ariel when he ran into her again, this time in her full regalia. Aurore looked like a queen in gold-embroidered white satin, lighting up the room by her mere presence. “Well now, master Duncan,” she cocked her head and smirked. “have you fallen in love with me yet?”

He laughed and shook his head. “I am a man, and not a blind one, lady Aurore, and maybe I would have despaired after you had things been different.”

“Am I not now the most beautiful person you have ever met?”

Before Duncan could answer, Ariel burst into the room.

He thought he’d seen Ariel dressed up fancy before, but the sorcerer had outdone himself this time. His form-hugging crimson gown accented his half-elven figure like a second skin. He had seed pearls and gold beads threaded into his carefully-styled red curls, lips painted blood red and eyes lined in khôl and glitter.

As soon as he spotted Duncan, Ariel skipped to him and twirled. “What do you think? Too much?”

It took him a moment to find his words again, not the least because Ariel pressed up against his chest and he was so very warm. “I’d say just enough.”

With a chuckle, the sorcerer pulled away. “Thank you for the imput. Mother asked me to greet some guests, but we will see each other later.” And just like that, he skipped away.

Duncan realised after a stunned minute that Aurore was studying him curiously. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. The noblewoman sighed. “Surpassed by my own brother, then.” She laughed. “I knew it would happen one day, but on the day of my wedding?”

“I don’t intend to let him be adored by packs of lovesick poets, if it helps.”

[melindarowens]

'Bama bombshell

With Daniel Strauss and Maggie Severns

ALABAMA BOMBSHELL — “Woman says Roy Moore initiated sexual encounter when she was 14, he was 32,” by the Washington Post’s Stephanie McCrummen, Beth Reinhard and Alice Crites: “Leigh Corfman says she was 14 years old when an older man approached her outside a courtroom in Etowah County, Ala. She was sitting on a wooden bench with her mother, they both recall, when the man introduced himself as Roy Moore. … Alone with Corfman, Moore chatted with her and asked for her phone number, she says. Days later, she says, he picked her up around the corner from her house in Gadsden, drove her about 30 minutes to his home in the woods, told her how pretty she was and kissed her. On a second visit, she says, he took off her shirt and pants and removed his clothes. He touched her over her bra and underpants, she says, and guided her hand to touch him over his underwear. … Aside from Corfman, three other women interviewed by The Washington Post in recent weeks say Moore pursued them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18 and he was in his early 30s, episodes they say they found flattering at the time, but troubling as they got older. None of the three women say that Moore forced them into any sort of relationship or sexual contact.” Full story.

Story Continued Below

— “Republicans might be stuck with Roy Moore,” by Daniel Strauss, Elana Schor and Kevin Robillard: “GOP leaders desperately want Roy Moore off the ballot. But they have neither the legal nor the political leverage to force the defiant ex-judge out of the race. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a host of other Republican senators called on Moore to drop out of the race Thursday if there were truth to the accounts of four women who told The Washington Post that Moore pursued relationships with them while they were teens and he was in his 30s. The news sent Republican operatives scrambling to parse the dusty sections of Alabama state law that deal with replacing candidates on the ballot. … ‘Judge Roy Moore has endured the most outlandish attacks on any candidate in the modern political arena, but this story in today’s Washington Post alleging sexual impropriety takes the cake,’ Moore campaign chairman Bill Armistead said in a statement. ‘National liberal organizations know their chosen candidate Doug Jones is in a death spiral, and this is their last ditch Hail Mary.’ Though Republicans have begun looking into options to replace Moore, Alabama law requires the candidate roster on the ballot to be set 74 days before an election. If Moore does withdraw, however, any votes cast for him would not count. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and other Republicans have suggested that GOP Sen. Luther Strange, the appointed senator who lost to Moore in the special primary, could put himself forward as a write-in candidate.” Full story.

— What Luther Strange told the Associated Press when asked if he would reenter the race: “Well, that’s getting the cart ahead of the horse. But I will have something to say about that. Let me do some more research.”

— What White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the press pool: “Like most Americans the president believes we cannot allow a mere allegation, in this case one from many years ago, to destroy a person’s life. However, the president also believes that if these allegations are true, Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside.”

— What Democrats are thinking: Neither the DSCC nor Jones’ campaign rushed to put out a statement, and Jones’ eventual statement was brief: “Roy Moore needs to answer these serious charges.” If Strange or another Republican mounts a write-in campaign, it gives Jones a better chance of winning with a vote total in the 40 percent range. But don’t expect any rash excitement about their chances in such a deep-red state.

— What McConnell world is thinking: If we let Steve Bannon control our primaries, we’re going to keep ending up with scandal-ridden candidates. Even if Moore survives this, candidates in more competitive states won’t.

— What Bannon world is thinking: A few weeks ago, McConnell’s people were saying Bannon had nothing to do with Moore’s win. Moore is strongly denying the accusations, and like President Donald Trump, will probably survive this.

— “Moore fundraises off of report alleging relationships with teenagers,” by Campaign Pro’s Daniel Strauss: “A defiant Moore, who faced calls from fellow Republicans to end his Senate campaign Thursday, cast the story as a political conspiracy against him and called the story ‘lies,’ asking ‘God-fearing conservatives’ to help him carry on. ‘The Obama-Clinton Machine’s liberal media lapdogs just launched the most vicious and nasty round of attacks against me I’ve EVER faced,’ Moore wrote in the fundraising email. ‘I won’t to get into the details of their filthy and sleazy attacks.’” Full story.

— Democratic senators launch money blitz for Jones: Some of the best online fundraisers among Senate Democrats sent out fundraising e-mails for Doug Jones last night, including Connecticut’s Chris Murphy, California’s Kamala Harris, New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand and Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren. Gillibrand’s e-mail was the only one to directly reference the allegations in the Washington Post story. “If you’ve followed the Senate special election in Alabama at all, you know Roy Moore is unfit for office – and recent allegations that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl are utterly disgusting,” Gillibrand writes.

— The pols with ties to Moore: Moore had garnered increasing support from Washington Republicans in recent months. Dozens of Republicans including six GOP senators — Steve Daines, Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Cory Gardner — endorsed Moore prior to Thursday’s bombshell story. Paul and Lee recently hosted a fundraiser for Moore, and he formed a joint fundraising committee with the NRSC and the RNC. Moore has received campaign donations from Rep. Andy Harris ($2,000), Rep. Jeff Duncan ($1,000) and Rep. Thomas Massie ($1,000) — as well as former Rep. Todd Akin ($2,700), who still has a leadership PAC.

HOW VIRGINIA HAPPENED — “How Gillespie’s MS-13 play backfired in Virginia,” by Campaign Pro’s Kevin Robillard: “The ads from Republican Ed Gillespie’s campaign would define and drive conversation about the Virginia governor’s race — and not in the way Gillespie wanted. The race ended in a resounding win for [Democrat Ralph] Northam on Tuesday night, driven by high turnout from the so-called Obama coalition of white college-educated voters, minorities and young people. The ads would betray Gillespie’s repeated warnings about the GOP’s need to reach out to Hispanic voters. And, according to Democrats, they would create a backlash that helped drown him. ‘Gillespie’s MS-13 ads, his race-baiting with the statues, his very strong anti-immigrant rhetoric completely backfired,’ said Matt Barreto, the managing partner of Democratic polling firm Latino Decisions. ‘Voters recognized that Gillespie heavily racialized this campaign.’ All the while, Northam’s campaign would rely on the lieutenant governor’s authenticity to rebut the attacks. National Democrats fretted about the energy backing Northam’s campaign, and commentators slammed his television ads as boring. But the campaign stuck to its message, seeing little movement in the polls. They planned for a worst-case scenario of low Democratic turnout, but ultimately knocked on more doors than Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the state had a year earlier and won by an unexpected 9-point margin. ‘Reporters wanted us to say something new, but we didn’t because we knew what voters needed to hear about Northam,’ Brad Komar, Northam’s campaign manager, said in an interview. ‘I think folks interpreted discipline as boring. Discipline is effective.’” Full story.

— “One big takeaway from Virginia? Authenticity is essential,” by Jesse Ferguson in The Hill: “If there’s one thing Virginia voters learned about Ralph Northam before they propelled him to a decisive victory Tuesday night, it’s who he is. Northam isn’t flashy. He’s a doctor and a veteran; a public servant focused on taking care of kids. They knew who he was.” Full story.

Days until the 2018 election: 361.

Thanks for joining us! You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns.

THE MONEY CHASE — “Perry to headline Texas event for pro-Trump outside group,” by Campaign Pro’s Maggie Severns: “Energy Secretary Rick Perry will attend an event in Texas next week put on by America First Policies, the pro-Trump political nonprofit, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. The invitation, which was sent to a Republican donor, says that Perry will headline a ‘roundtable discussion’ in Houston on Monday afternoon. Details of the event’s location will only available to those who RSVP shortly before the event, the invitation said. Perry’s trip to Texas comes at an auspicious moment for America First Policies and its affiliated super PAC, America First Action. The organization is working to lock in support from donors and establish itself as a center of gravity for pro-Trump activity with close ties to the Trump administration. … Perry has deep ties to both the energy industry and donors in Texas, which helped power his two presidential runs. But Perry will not be in Houston asking for funds, said Texas businessman Roy Bailey, who is deeply involved in America First Policies. ‘It’s a nice opportunity for people to understand what’s going on at the Energy Department,’ Bailey said.” Full story.

— Stewart fundraiser promises jacuzzi: An invitation to a “MAGA-evening fundraiser” for Virginia Senate candidate Corey Stewart’s campaign next week promises “hors d’oeuvres, 3-hour open bar and DJ” and notes: “This will be a business casual event with a casual atmosphere.There is an outdoor Jacuzzi. We recommend attendees bring swimsuits.” Tickets are $100 a head. View the invite.

THE DAILY MENENDEZ — “Dismissed Menendez juror: ‘I don’t think he did anything wrong,’” by Matt Friedman in Newark: “A juror who was excused Thursday afternoon from U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s federal corruption trial said that if she had stayed on, she would have found Menendez ‘not guilty on every charge.’ Evelyn Arroyo-Maultsby also said other jurors’ feelings about the case are mixed and she believes the result may be a hung jury. Arroyo-Maultsby made the comments to a few reporters outside the federal courthouse in Newark, moments after leaving the trial to begin a previously-scheduled vacation in the Bahamas.” Full story.

THE ‘I’ WORD — “Steyer to drop another $10M on Trump impeachment ads,” by POLITICO’s Gabriel DeBenedetti: “Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer said Thursday that he’s adding $10 million to his national television ad campaign calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Speaking on a conference call outlining the public support for his effort, Steyer also said he would fund two new ads in addition to the one that’s been backed by an existing $10 million buy. More than 1.9 million Americans have now signed his weeks-old petition to impeach Trump, Steyer said on the call.” Full story.

— “Democratic congressional candidate from Miami calls for impeaching Trump,” by the Miami Herald’s Patricia Mazzei: “Miami congressional candidate Mary Barzee Flores called for President Donald Trump’s impeachment Wednesday. … Barzee Flores cited at least six reasons for Congress to impeach the president, including firing former FBI Director James Comey and hiring Michael Flynn — who has since been fired — as national security adviser despite having ties to Russia.” Full story.

GAFFE CITY — “Dem candidate: It ‘shouldn’t take brain cancer’ for John McCain to show courage,” by the Washington Examiner’s Al Weaver: “‘I’ve been tweeting on occasion about saluting Bob Corker and John McCain and Jeff Flake – men who have shown a little bit of courage speaking truth to their own party,’ said Dean Phillips, who is running for a House seat in Minnesota. ‘But it shouldn’t take brain cancer and the retirement from the Senate to do so.’ Phillips is running against Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., in the state’s 3rd Congressional District. … Phillips later apologized to McCain.” Full story.

RETIREMENT WATCH — “Goodlatte to retire after 2018,” by Campaign Pro’s Elena Schneider: “Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the term-limited chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, said on Thursday that he will not seek reelection in 2018. … In the last week, three Texas congressman — Jeb Hensarling, Ted Poe and Lamar Smith — also left safely conservative seats behind. Hensarling and Smith were also term-limited as committee chairmen. As recently as July, Goodlatte’s staff sought to squash rumors that the 65-year-old congressman planned to retire. Goodlatte’s decision opens a Republican-leaning seat, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, which backed President Donald Trump by a 24-point margin.” Full story.

PRIMARY CONCERNS — “Gabby Giffords’ anti-gun violence group backs Abrams in Georgia governor race,” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein: “Both Abrams and her Democratic opponent, former state Rep. Stacey Evans, have called for stiff new gun restrictions, marking something of a sea change for Democratic candidates for governor in Georgia. … But one vote might have helped Abrams secure the backing of Courage to Fight Gun Violence, the Giffords group once known as Americans for Responsible Solutions. A measure passed to little fanfare in 2012 prohibited the destruction of firearms by local law enforcement during criminal investigations, and required cities and counties to auction off the guns they collected within six months. Abrams voted against Senate Bill 350, Evans backed it.” Full story.

2018 WATCH — “Democrat Pappas announces candidacy for 1st District US House seat,” by WMUR’s John DiStaso and Adam Sexton: “Stressing the importance of constituent service and a commitment to helping to break the gridlock in Washington, Chris Pappas of Manchester announced his candidacy for the open 1st District U.S. House seat Thursday morning. Speaking exclusively to WMUR at the Puritan Backroom, a popular restaurant that has been under the ownership of his family for 100 years, the three-term Democratic executive councilor said that he arrived at the final decision after speaking with Granite Staters throughout the district.” Full story.

AROUND THE MAP — Quick takes from across the country:

SENATE

Indiana: Iraq War veteran Martin Del Rio may challenge Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly in the primary, The Journal-Gazette reports.

Wisconsin: “GOP Senate hopeful Kevin Nicholson supported Rosie O’Donnell’s gun control views,” Fox6 reports.

HOUSE

CO-06: Trump-backing Republican Roger Edwards will challenge Rep. Mike Coffman in the GOP primary, the Denver Post reports.

NC-02: A Democrat challenging Republican Rep. George Holding said a DCCC attack on Holding was “tasteless and insensitive,” the News and Observer reports.

VA-10: “After Virginia blowout, Comstock’s road to reelection grows steeper,” the Washington Post reports.

GOVERNOR

Michigan: State Sen. Patrick Colbeck, a Republican candidate, said he was supposed to speak at an event featuring former White House chief of staff Steve Bannon but was pulled at the last minute, according to The Detroit News’ Jonathan Oosting.

South Carolina: All three GOP candidates for governor plan to attend former White House strategist Steve Bannon’s speech at The Citadel, The Post and Courier reports.

CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Take the Bible. Zachariah and Elizabeth for instance. Zachariah was extremely old to marry Elizabeth and they became the parents of John the Baptist. Also take Joseph and Mary. Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter.They became parents of Jesus.” — Alabama Auditor Jim Ziegler to the Washington Examiner.

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source https://capitalisthq.com/bama-bombshell/ from CapitalistHQ http://capitalisthq.blogspot.com/2017/11/bama-bombshell.html

[everettwilkinson]

'Bama bombshell

With Daniel Strauss and Maggie Severns

ALABAMA BOMBSHELL — “Woman says Roy Moore initiated sexual encounter when she was 14, he was 32,” by the Washington Post’s Stephanie McCrummen, Beth Reinhard and Alice Crites: “Leigh Corfman says she was 14 years old when an older man approached her outside a courtroom in Etowah County, Ala. She was sitting on a wooden bench with her mother, they both recall, when the man introduced himself as Roy Moore. … Alone with Corfman, Moore chatted with her and asked for her phone number, she says. Days later, she says, he picked her up around the corner from her house in Gadsden, drove her about 30 minutes to his home in the woods, told her how pretty she was and kissed her. On a second visit, she says, he took off her shirt and pants and removed his clothes. He touched her over her bra and underpants, she says, and guided her hand to touch him over his underwear. … Aside from Corfman, three other women interviewed by The Washington Post in recent weeks say Moore pursued them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18 and he was in his early 30s, episodes they say they found flattering at the time, but troubling as they got older. None of the three women say that Moore forced them into any sort of relationship or sexual contact.” Full story.

Story Continued Below

— “Republicans might be stuck with Roy Moore,” by Daniel Strauss, Elana Schor and Kevin Robillard: “GOP leaders desperately want Roy Moore off the ballot. But they have neither the legal nor the political leverage to force the defiant ex-judge out of the race. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a host of other Republican senators called on Moore to drop out of the race Thursday if there were truth to the accounts of four women who told The Washington Post that Moore pursued relationships with them while they were teens and he was in his 30s. The news sent Republican operatives scrambling to parse the dusty sections of Alabama state law that deal with replacing candidates on the ballot. … ‘Judge Roy Moore has endured the most outlandish attacks on any candidate in the modern political arena, but this story in today’s Washington Post alleging sexual impropriety takes the cake,’ Moore campaign chairman Bill Armistead said in a statement. ‘National liberal organizations know their chosen candidate Doug Jones is in a death spiral, and this is their last ditch Hail Mary.’ Though Republicans have begun looking into options to replace Moore, Alabama law requires the candidate roster on the ballot to be set 74 days before an election. If Moore does withdraw, however, any votes cast for him would not count. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and other Republicans have suggested that GOP Sen. Luther Strange, the appointed senator who lost to Moore in the special primary, could put himself forward as a write-in candidate.” Full story.

— What Luther Strange told the Associated Press when asked if he would reenter the race: “Well, that’s getting the cart ahead of the horse. But I will have something to say about that. Let me do some more research.”

— What White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the press pool: “Like most Americans the president believes we cannot allow a mere allegation, in this case one from many years ago, to destroy a person’s life. However, the president also believes that if these allegations are true, Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside.”

— What Democrats are thinking: Neither the DSCC nor Jones’ campaign rushed to put out a statement, and Jones’ eventual statement was brief: “Roy Moore needs to answer these serious charges.” If Strange or another Republican mounts a write-in campaign, it gives Jones a better chance of winning with a vote total in the 40 percent range. But don’t expect any rash excitement about their chances in such a deep-red state.

— What McConnell world is thinking: If we let Steve Bannon control our primaries, we’re going to keep ending up with scandal-ridden candidates. Even if Moore survives this, candidates in more competitive states won’t.

— What Bannon world is thinking: A few weeks ago, McConnell’s people were saying Bannon had nothing to do with Moore’s win. Moore is strongly denying the accusations, and like President Donald Trump, will probably survive this.

— “Moore fundraises off of report alleging relationships with teenagers,” by Campaign Pro’s Daniel Strauss: “A defiant Moore, who faced calls from fellow Republicans to end his Senate campaign Thursday, cast the story as a political conspiracy against him and called the story ‘lies,’ asking ‘God-fearing conservatives’ to help him carry on. ‘The Obama-Clinton Machine’s liberal media lapdogs just launched the most vicious and nasty round of attacks against me I’ve EVER faced,’ Moore wrote in the fundraising email. ‘I won’t to get into the details of their filthy and sleazy attacks.’” Full story.

— Democratic senators launch money blitz for Jones: Some of the best online fundraisers among Senate Democrats sent out fundraising e-mails for Doug Jones last night, including Connecticut’s Chris Murphy, California’s Kamala Harris, New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand and Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren. Gillibrand’s e-mail was the only one to directly reference the allegations in the Washington Post story. “If you’ve followed the Senate special election in Alabama at all, you know Roy Moore is unfit for office – and recent allegations that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl are utterly disgusting,” Gillibrand writes.

— The pols with ties to Moore: Moore had garnered increasing support from Washington Republicans in recent months. Dozens of Republicans including six GOP senators — Steve Daines, Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Cory Gardner — endorsed Moore prior to Thursday’s bombshell story. Paul and Lee recently hosted a fundraiser for Moore, and he formed a joint fundraising committee with the NRSC and the RNC. Moore has received campaign donations from Rep. Andy Harris ($2,000), Rep. Jeff Duncan ($1,000) and Rep. Thomas Massie ($1,000) — as well as former Rep. Todd Akin ($2,700), who still has a leadership PAC.

HOW VIRGINIA HAPPENED — “How Gillespie’s MS-13 play backfired in Virginia,” by Campaign Pro’s Kevin Robillard: “The ads from Republican Ed Gillespie’s campaign would define and drive conversation about the Virginia governor’s race — and not in the way Gillespie wanted. The race ended in a resounding win for [Democrat Ralph] Northam on Tuesday night, driven by high turnout from the so-called Obama coalition of white college-educated voters, minorities and young people. The ads would betray Gillespie’s repeated warnings about the GOP’s need to reach out to Hispanic voters. And, according to Democrats, they would create a backlash that helped drown him. ‘Gillespie’s MS-13 ads, his race-baiting with the statues, his very strong anti-immigrant rhetoric completely backfired,’ said Matt Barreto, the managing partner of Democratic polling firm Latino Decisions. ‘Voters recognized that Gillespie heavily racialized this campaign.’ All the while, Northam’s campaign would rely on the lieutenant governor’s authenticity to rebut the attacks. National Democrats fretted about the energy backing Northam’s campaign, and commentators slammed his television ads as boring. But the campaign stuck to its message, seeing little movement in the polls. They planned for a worst-case scenario of low Democratic turnout, but ultimately knocked on more doors than Hillary Clinton’s campaign in the state had a year earlier and won by an unexpected 9-point margin. ‘Reporters wanted us to say something new, but we didn’t because we knew what voters needed to hear about Northam,’ Brad Komar, Northam’s campaign manager, said in an interview. ‘I think folks interpreted discipline as boring. Discipline is effective.’” Full story.

— “One big takeaway from Virginia? Authenticity is essential,” by Jesse Ferguson in The Hill: “If there’s one thing Virginia voters learned about Ralph Northam before they propelled him to a decisive victory Tuesday night, it’s who he is. Northam isn’t flashy. He’s a doctor and a veteran; a public servant focused on taking care of kids. They knew who he was.” Full story.

Days until the 2018 election: 361.

Thanks for joining us! You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected].

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns.

THE MONEY CHASE — “Perry to headline Texas event for pro-Trump outside group,” by Campaign Pro’s Maggie Severns: “Energy Secretary Rick Perry will attend an event in Texas next week put on by America First Policies, the pro-Trump political nonprofit, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. The invitation, which was sent to a Republican donor, says that Perry will headline a ‘roundtable discussion’ in Houston on Monday afternoon. Details of the event’s location will only available to those who RSVP shortly before the event, the invitation said. Perry’s trip to Texas comes at an auspicious moment for America First Policies and its affiliated super PAC, America First Action. The organization is working to lock in support from donors and establish itself as a center of gravity for pro-Trump activity with close ties to the Trump administration. … Perry has deep ties to both the energy industry and donors in Texas, which helped power his two presidential runs. But Perry will not be in Houston asking for funds, said Texas businessman Roy Bailey, who is deeply involved in America First Policies. ‘It’s a nice opportunity for people to understand what’s going on at the Energy Department,’ Bailey said.” Full story.

— Stewart fundraiser promises jacuzzi: An invitation to a “MAGA-evening fundraiser” for Virginia Senate candidate Corey Stewart’s campaign next week promises “hors d’oeuvres, 3-hour open bar and DJ” and notes: “This will be a business casual event with a casual atmosphere.There is an outdoor Jacuzzi. We recommend attendees bring swimsuits.” Tickets are $100 a head. View the invite.

THE DAILY MENENDEZ — “Dismissed Menendez juror: ‘I don’t think he did anything wrong,’” by Matt Friedman in Newark: “A juror who was excused Thursday afternoon from U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s federal corruption trial said that if she had stayed on, she would have found Menendez ‘not guilty on every charge.’ Evelyn Arroyo-Maultsby also said other jurors’ feelings about the case are mixed and she believes the result may be a hung jury. Arroyo-Maultsby made the comments to a few reporters outside the federal courthouse in Newark, moments after leaving the trial to begin a previously-scheduled vacation in the Bahamas.” Full story.

THE ‘I’ WORD — “Steyer to drop another $10M on Trump impeachment ads,” by POLITICO’s Gabriel DeBenedetti: “Democratic billionaire Tom Steyer said Thursday that he’s adding $10 million to his national television ad campaign calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Speaking on a conference call outlining the public support for his effort, Steyer also said he would fund two new ads in addition to the one that’s been backed by an existing $10 million buy. More than 1.9 million Americans have now signed his weeks-old petition to impeach Trump, Steyer said on the call.” Full story.

— “Democratic congressional candidate from Miami calls for impeaching Trump,” by the Miami Herald’s Patricia Mazzei: “Miami congressional candidate Mary Barzee Flores called for President Donald Trump’s impeachment Wednesday. … Barzee Flores cited at least six reasons for Congress to impeach the president, including firing former FBI Director James Comey and hiring Michael Flynn — who has since been fired — as national security adviser despite having ties to Russia.” Full story.

GAFFE CITY — “Dem candidate: It ‘shouldn’t take brain cancer’ for John McCain to show courage,” by the Washington Examiner’s Al Weaver: “‘I’ve been tweeting on occasion about saluting Bob Corker and John McCain and Jeff Flake – men who have shown a little bit of courage speaking truth to their own party,’ said Dean Phillips, who is running for a House seat in Minnesota. ‘But it shouldn’t take brain cancer and the retirement from the Senate to do so.’ Phillips is running against Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., in the state’s 3rd Congressional District. … Phillips later apologized to McCain.” Full story.

RETIREMENT WATCH — “Goodlatte to retire after 2018,” by Campaign Pro’s Elena Schneider: “Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the term-limited chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, said on Thursday that he will not seek reelection in 2018. … In the last week, three Texas congressman — Jeb Hensarling, Ted Poe and Lamar Smith — also left safely conservative seats behind. Hensarling and Smith were also term-limited as committee chairmen. As recently as July, Goodlatte’s staff sought to squash rumors that the 65-year-old congressman planned to retire. Goodlatte’s decision opens a Republican-leaning seat, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, which backed President Donald Trump by a 24-point margin.” Full story.

PRIMARY CONCERNS — “Gabby Giffords’ anti-gun violence group backs Abrams in Georgia governor race,” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Greg Bluestein: “Both Abrams and her Democratic opponent, former state Rep. Stacey Evans, have called for stiff new gun restrictions, marking something of a sea change for Democratic candidates for governor in Georgia. … But one vote might have helped Abrams secure the backing of Courage to Fight Gun Violence, the Giffords group once known as Americans for Responsible Solutions. A measure passed to little fanfare in 2012 prohibited the destruction of firearms by local law enforcement during criminal investigations, and required cities and counties to auction off the guns they collected within six months. Abrams voted against Senate Bill 350, Evans backed it.” Full story.

2018 WATCH — “Democrat Pappas announces candidacy for 1st District US House seat,” by WMUR’s John DiStaso and Adam Sexton: “Stressing the importance of constituent service and a commitment to helping to break the gridlock in Washington, Chris Pappas of Manchester announced his candidacy for the open 1st District U.S. House seat Thursday morning. Speaking exclusively to WMUR at the Puritan Backroom, a popular restaurant that has been under the ownership of his family for 100 years, the three-term Democratic executive councilor said that he arrived at the final decision after speaking with Granite Staters throughout the district.” Full story.

AROUND THE MAP — Quick takes from across the country:

SENATE

Indiana: Iraq War veteran Martin Del Rio may challenge Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly in the primary, The Journal-Gazette reports.

Wisconsin: “GOP Senate hopeful Kevin Nicholson supported Rosie O’Donnell’s gun control views,” Fox6 reports.

HOUSE

CO-06: Trump-backing Republican Roger Edwards will challenge Rep. Mike Coffman in the GOP primary, the Denver Post reports.

NC-02: A Democrat challenging Republican Rep. George Holding said a DCCC attack on Holding was “tasteless and insensitive,” the News and Observer reports.

VA-10: “After Virginia blowout, Comstock’s road to reelection grows steeper,” the Washington Post reports.

GOVERNOR

Michigan: State Sen. Patrick Colbeck, a Republican candidate, said he was supposed to speak at an event featuring former White House chief of staff Steve Bannon but was pulled at the last minute, according to The Detroit News’ Jonathan Oosting.

South Carolina: All three GOP candidates for governor plan to attend former White House strategist Steve Bannon’s speech at The Citadel, The Post and Courier reports.

CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Take the Bible. Zachariah and Elizabeth for instance. Zachariah was extremely old to marry Elizabeth and they became the parents of John the Baptist. Also take Joseph and Mary. Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter.They became parents of Jesus.” — Alabama Auditor Jim Ziegler to the Washington Examiner.

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from CapitalistHQ.com https://capitalisthq.com/bama-bombshell/

#TrumpNews #CapitalistHQ.com

[janehmcavoy]

You need to believe in magic, you need to believe that horrible things will happen if you kill a saintly figure, a king. You need to believe that Macbeth will fall. And you need to believe Shakespeare’s language, that when he says horses will eat each other, they will. Sometimes people go, “Oh, it’s Shakespeare, when he says horses are eating each other, what does he actually mean?” Well, he means ****ing horses eating each other. It’s a world where people believe in magic and believe that omens in the sky and the guts of birds can tell you things that are happening. And it’s a dark world where there are less people. It isn’t just some cool sci-fi dystopia with shiny walls. Violence is normal; hands-on, tearing-people’s-bodies-open violence. **** me, Shakespeare is really violent, incredibly violent. I don’t know how you could do “Macbeth” without being incredibly violent. Macbeth is going to hell. He’s not only a liar, he’s a murderer and he’s thinking: I need to keep lying so that I don’t get caught. So it’s not just about Macbeth’s ambition, it’s him thinking: I can’t get caught! Not just because he wants to get away with it because he’s a baddy, but because if he’s caught then he’ll have to confront the mirror everybody will hold up to him. He’ll need to look at himself and go, “I’m a murderer”. He believes, “If I can just end it all, if I can just get rid of Duncan, it’ll be cool and we can get on with our lives.” But then he kills Duncan and, “****! That doesn’t happen and I should have known that because I know what it is to kill somebody. I know that things don’t work like that. So, right, I just need to move Banquo away because once he’s gone I don’t need to look at myself any more. Because Banquo knows me, understands me, and in him I can see myself. I can’t escape myself – because when I look in his eyes I see what a cunt I am. So I need to get rid of him and we’re going to be fine.” But when Banquo’s gone, then it’s: “Macduff! Every time I look at Macduff I ****ing know that he knows…” It’s not just about Macbeth’s ambition. It’s about trying to unburden yourself of guilt by killing another human. And it’s domestic in some ways. I don’t mean we all sit down and have a cup of tea and talk about killing Duncan. But this is a play about two people who are married and who had a kid who died. People think Lady Macbeth is a baddy who convinces him to do bad things against his better nature but it’s not true. He comes back from a war in which he’s committed crimes against humanity. He has done incredibly bad things and he comes back to the castle and says to his wife: “I’m a good guy, what do you mean you want me to kill Duncan, it’s bollocks!” Because he’s just unmade hundreds of men. He has become his own god. He has stopped nature. He has stopped life, and not just like a little bit, just sticking his knife in somebody’s heart, or whatever: with his own hands he’s ripped people open and he’s got inside them and he has taken people’s heads off and he has stuck them up for everybody to see. So Macbeth knows what it is to kill: he’s killed hundreds of times. But when he goes in to kill Duncan, he hears voices. Not voices in his head: this is 1044, this is magic, the ****ing occult. This is Satan saying “You’re ****ing mine now”. He hears this voice saying “You will never sleep again. You will never ever sleep again you have murdered sleep, you have killed sleep”. And he goes “Holy shit!” and is understandably freaked out by that. When he come out his wife goes, “Why have you still got the knives? You’re meant to leave them in the ****ing room so that when everybody finds Duncan’s dead body they will say it was his own people, his own guards, his own servants that did it! You’ve got to go and put them back.” And Macbeth says, “I’m not putting them back, I’m ****ing terrified!” She goes, “Right, I’ll go and do it, then.” She goes back in, she stabs Duncan to get blood on the knives and then puts them on the body. Anyway, next day comes along and Macduff finds Duncan’s body and says to Macbeth, “Go in and see, it’s ****ing horrible!” And I have a look and I see what my wife has done. I stabbed him in the heart, I killed him. But she’s ripped him open. And it’s like these gashed stabs, as they are described; it’s not a bullet to the head. This is a world in which to kill somebody is a tactile thing. It’s as tactile as making love. Because you have to get inside somebody and what happens when you put a knife in somebody enough times? Do you stop? Or do you [makes a stabbing action] keep going like that? When you really get into unmaking nature, let’s see what’s inside you! That’s why it was so important to me not to go, “Right: Macduff and Macbeth square up at the end with a couple of machine guns.” It’s got to be about the fact that I am physically unmaking God’s work. It’s not a classic goody who’s gone bad. It’s not as simple as that. But he’s still a protagonist at the beginning. He is still somebody you can identify with and sympathise with, but there comes a point in the play where he ****ing does something so horrific and so bad that you go, “Oh my God, I don’t think I can stay with you any more I don’t think I understand you any more, I don’t think I can be with you any more.” I can’t help but laugh and I’m horrified by this, but I can’t help laughing. I feel horrible, not because I’m laughing: I feel horrible inside, I feel horror-stricken, but I can’t help but laugh in the scene where I’m killing the kid. Not when I’m acting it, but around it, I get really giggly. And it’s not because I want to do it, it’s not because I’m into killing kids, it’s not because I’m into killing at all! And it’s not because I’m so excited by the theatrical prospect of it, it’s not even that, it’s just that I think that my nervous reaction to it is to laugh and I can’t help but laugh. Macbeth does something so terrible [the killing of Lady Macduff and her child] that even if we do still understand and empathise, even if we are still able to connect, we look at him and feel, “You’ve got to stop! You’ve got to be ended!” And Macduff comes on: here’s the guy who needs to do it, because he’s been so wronged and we have such empathy for him and therefore rest of the play just seems to go immovably to the end. It’s inevitable and it’s weirdly cathartic that Macbeth is ended. I’m talking shit, but do you know what I mean?

one of Macbeth’s fan

#macbeth #shakespeare #opera #books and libraries #dark #bookstagram #theatre #james mcavoy #literature #play

[bestfriendforhire]

Entry 276

 “This is outrageous!” exclaimed Alma.

 I could feel her magic raging inside her.  The poor messenger was cowering from her, holding the glowing envelope to his chest.  I walked over to him, took the letter, and walked him to the door of Alma’s wing where Mila stood waiting.  Alma was still ranting when I returned.  We had only arrived home earlier this morning.

 Whirling toward me, Alma demanded “You know what this means, don’t you?”

 “I’m being challenged again?” I replied.

 She sighed, shook her head, and said, “James, he’s trying to make us miss the wedding!  When I find out who this upstart is…”  She clenched her fist, which became surrounded in fire, until she forced herself to relax some.

 The heat radiating from her was very noticeable.  I was beginning to think I should get her outside.

 “Wouldn’t Adelmar delay things if you asked?” I suggested.

 “Of course not!” she snapped.

 “I thought he was invited.” I replied.

 “Yes, but he was never actually going to attend.  Ai and Mai don’t warrant his attention.  He’s not likely to even attend Duncan’s wedding whenever that will happen.” she retorted.

 “Duncan’s getting married?” I asked.

 “He must eventually.  He wouldn’t be allowed to let his line end.” she muttered.

 “But Ai and Mai…” I started, glancing over at them.

 “They wouldn’t be allowed to inherit his position.  Izumi would see about having another child before she let that happen.” she insisted.

 I really didn’t understand her family.  Ai and Mai were very capable, and I was under the impression that Duncan would be hard pressed to defeat them on any level.  Their connection was extraordinary.

 “Time to go, boss-man, sir!” exclaimed Aaliyah.

 “Go!?  Where could you be taking him now?  You, of course, realize what he’s holding.” stated Alma.

 “A letter of challenge from one Hyun-woo Imugi.  The boss-man needs a weapon, so we’re going to go pick one up.” replied Aaliyah as she held up her arms as if she wanted carried.

 Alma looked speechless.

 “You didn’t work it out yet?” asked Aaliyah.  “Who else would have that kind of pull throughout Asia?”

 “But he’s never even shown interest of anything outside his country.  He’s practically retired.  I never thought… Well, his age…” muttered Alma before pursing her lips.  She looked to be considering the idea thoroughly.

 “Doesn’t look it, does he!?” exclaimed Aaliyah with a grin.  “He’s forty-six.” she whispered to me.

 I could see why Alma would be surprised.  The man was old enough to be her father.  Aaliyah took the letter from my hand and held it out to Alma.

 “You can hold onto this.  We’ll be back soon!” she exclaimed.

 Alma took the letter and nodded.  I glanced back to see her taking a seat and staring at the letter as I walked toward the door.  The twins looked concerned.

 “Mother, we’ll need to teach the master Korean.” suggested Mila as I stepped out.

 “Sure!  We’re also going to work on some old Welsh!” exclaimed Aaliyah.

 They did precisely that without even leaving the hall.  Time had obviously been frozen again.  The sun’s position didn’t change.  I could tell from the reflection visible across the floor at several points.

 “We’ll see you in a bit!” exclaimed Aaliyah.

 I didn’t move, but I wasn’t where I had been.  There were mutilated, armored bodies ahead in a large, devastated clearing and two men in armor at the center, frozen in the act of killing one another.  Trees were hewn or even uprooted.  The ground looked scorched in numerous areas.

 “This tale has been nearly stricken from record, but remnants became new tales of their own.” explained Aaliyah.

 Things sprang back into motion.

 “Father…” muttered the shorter man before stumbling back and falling to the ground.

 “You there.  Think not that you can hide from me.” called the other, still standing with a sword through his gut.  The crown on his armor gleamed brightly, untouched by the blood sprayed around it.

 As I stepped closer, the man pulled the sword out, tossing it at his fallen son.  Then he fell to one knee.  A spell was then cast creating the sound of a very loud horn.

 “What manner of dress do you wear?  You are no servant of my son, Amr?” he demanded.

 “No, I am not.” I told him.

 “Will you fetch my sword from my son’s chest?  No spell can touch that blade.” he claimed.

 I had never pulled a sword from anyone, nor had I ever held a desire to do so.

 The man lifted the visor of his helmet and said, “I see the hesitation within you, but know that my son wanted to usurp the throne for himself.  I couldn’t ask his elder brother to face him, not when his greed was my own folly.  Please, grant me this wish.”

 He spoke the truth, but I still hesitated a moment more.  Perhaps this was the weapon Aaliyah had spoken of retrieving, but what a gruesome way to acquire it.  When I pulled the sword from Amr, the blade illuminated in a bright, white light.  The two chimeras on the hilt breathed a white fire.  I nearly dropped the thing in surprise.

 “Who are you, stranger?” asked the man.

 “James.” I replied, carefully handing the sword to him.

 “Are you here to take the throne before my son?” he demanded.

 “No.  Definitely not.” I replied.

 He stared at me hard for a moment before nodding and saying, “But you are worthy, despite standing while a king kneels.”

 Not wanting to offend him, I knelt beside him.  “Sorry, your majesty.”

 “Perhaps a gift then, your majesty, to protect this traveler on the road.” suggested Aaliyah.

 I did a double take.  She had taken a form similar to what she used as Trix now, perhaps a bit older, but she was wearing a shimmering gown that shined more brightly than polished silver.

 “My lady… Have you come to reclaim Caledfwlch?” asked the man.

 “No, Arthur.  I merely want to see this young man protected, and know you to have weapons enough.” she told him.  Then she knelt beside him and whispered to the sword, too quiet for me to catch what she said.

 Only one king named Arthur came to mind, and he was pure myth.  Who was this man?

 “Here then, lad.  Carnwennan has served me well.  May it serve you now.” stated Arthur as he took the dagger from his waist and handed it to me.  “Leave me now.  I feel the change coming and know not how long I can suppress it.” he commanded, sounding strained.

 “Kyduan searches even now.  If you can last a minute more, you will see him again before you leave us.” stated Aaliyah.

 The man smiled and nodded.  Aaliyah took my hand and guided me away.

 We walked just out of sight, and I found us emerging from the forest in my yard.

 “Aaliyah, was that the King Arthur from myth?” I asked.

 “No, that was the King Arthur from history.” she told me with a wink, now looking like her normal self.

 “That sword…” I started.

 “Really seemed to like you, didn’t it!?” she exclaimed.  “Don’t forget Carnwennan when you go to meet the challenge.  Alpy is going to love seeing your new friend.”

 “Not coming along?” I asked.

 “I’m supposed to be helping daddy clean.” she sighed before disappearing.

 I shrugged and walked toward the house, thinking about what I had just seen.  Wasn’t Arthur killed by Mordred in the myths?  Could he have had two sons?  Wait.  Mordred was the son Arthur had with his half-sister, wasn’t he?  I might read some of those myths again.  Caledfwlch was something else.

 “So are you though, aren’t you.” I told Carnwennan.

 The dagger’s white grip shined and felt warm in my hand.  The metal gleamed brightly with no sign of use.  When pulled from its elaborately engraved sheath, the blade seemed to glow with a soft, white light.

 “Welcome home, master.  I missed you greatly.” stated Mila as she curtsied.

 I rolled my eyes and said, “I wasn’t even gone very long, was I?”

 “Oh, master, every moment without you is an eternity.” she teased, following me as I walked toward Alma’s wing.

 When I arrived, the door opened before I could knock.

 “You weren’t gone long.  Aaliyah give you something she had lying around the condo?” asked Alma.  “A dagger?  Knowing what you’re going up against, she merely gave you a dagger!?”

 She looked up from the letter, still unopened.  The twins watched me curiously from their seats.

 “James, where was that hidden?” she asked.

 “I can’t say where I got it.” I replied.

 “But… do you know what that is!?” she demanded.

 “Carnwennan, which once belonged to a man called Arthur.” I told her.

 “King Arthur.  The King Arthur.  That dagger has been lost since his death!” she insisted.  Well, I had a very good idea what happened to it, but I couldn’t tell her that Arthur handed me the dagger just a moment ago in the distant past.  I sighed, knowing I shouldn’t ask her of Caledfwlch either, since she might start making guesses at that point.  However, I was happy to hear that the dagger actually had a rich history of its own.  Alma had a great deal of stories to tell, and I was more than happy to listen.

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