#hes scared getting close to mr benedict will get him hurt

[bi-demon-ium]

just had the most vivid image of a wild west au except milligan is the only actual cowboy. probably number two or miss perumal might also be badass cowboys (gender neutral) but really what im saying is nervous town librarian trying to keep his tiny library afloat mr benedict and strong-n-silent-type gruff cowboy milligan

#nicholas/milligan #idk man #milligan bringing him books #nicholas telling him about them #local orphans forming a little pickpocket ring who end up getting taken in by said librarian #or maybe milligans the SHERIFF #or maybe curtains the corrupt sheriff? or an outlaw who never shows his face? #corrupt sheriff is better but also leaves the reveal to happen early or to not happen at all (ie its not a surprise) #hmmm idk man im just rotating #i like corrupt sheriff curtain vs outlaw with a heart of gold milligan #hes scared getting close to mr benedict will get him hurt #WAIT #mr benedict is secretly the head of the outlaw ring but no one would guess it considering his . everything #very good cover

[newtonsheffield]

Wow Violet is harsh. Um....how do they make up? If they do? Kate and Anthony will end up together and he's going to be her consort one day. How are the family dynamics then?

I think it’s awkward at first. It’s for sure awkward.

Kate understands that Violet was scared for Anthony, she knows that Anthony’s father died a long while ago and she must have been worried that Anthony would pass well. Kate was terrified for him as well. Kate’s also not unaware how their relationship must seem to Anthony’s mother. Especially given she mustn’t have had any prior warning and this was likely one of the worst days of her life. It must seem as though she was stringing Anthony along, and for a moment Kate watched Francesca balk at her mother’s reaction to Kate. Cataloguing it for her own relationship most likely.

“You’re still here.”

Kate froze at the sound of Anthony’s mother’s voice the next morning , Anthony’s decision still weighing heavily on her mind, anxiety already bubbling in her stomach from her father’s visit looming. Kate turned slowly, suddenly wishing she’d taken off Anthony’s sweater. She tried not to look at Edwina who’d arrived recently, sitting on the sofa, watching curiously.

“Yes, Mrs Bridgerton. I’m still here.”

Ben smiled tightly behind her a tray of coffee in his hand, “Your Highness, Good morning.”

“You don’t have to call me that. Kate is… Kate is just fine.”

Ben smiled, shuffling his way into the room and nudging his mother forward with a sigh to make way for his sister, Daphne who smiled politely. Benedict inclined his head at Edwina, shooting to break the tension they could all feel in the room. “Ah, the troublemaker Princess.”

Edwina waved her hand regally, “The great corrupter.”

“Where’s the brave little boy?” Ben gestured to the space in the room left by his bed.

Kate smiled at him a little thankfully, “They’ve just taken him for some scans. He won’t be too long.”

No one spoke for a moment, all of them standing awkwardly. “I had heard the King dragged you away. It was all over the news.”

Kate nearly heard Ben wince beside her, his eyes closing briefly at his mother’s statement. Edwina bristled and Kate cleared her throat before her sister had the chance to open her mouth.

“He only wanted to talk to me.”

“And then you came back here.”

Kate tried not to shrink under the other woman’s gaze, “Then I came back here. My Appa will be back later today as well.”

Violet Bridgerton’s face flickered with surprise, “To use my son as a photo opportunity.”

Kate’s stomach lurched, “No. No. He’s very grateful to Anthony and he only wants to thank him.”

“For nearly dying for you.”

“I don’t think you’re being very fair.” Edwina said sharply at the exact same time as Benedict sighed,

“Mum, we spoke about this.”

Kate swallowed taking a deep breath, “Mrs Bridgerton, I understand that this has probably come as a shock to you; But I do love your son. I… wish he had never gotten hurt and I will live with that for the rest of my life but I’m going to be with him for as long as he wants me to be. I would never ask him to choose between his family and me and i hope you want either. We’d better start getting used to one another.”

The door swung open and an Orderly pushed Anthony through the door in his bed. He gave Kate an apprehensive look as he greeted his Mother, “Hi, Mum.” He kissed her cheek and then his sister’s “Daphy.”

Violet ran her fingers quickly through his hair but her eyes barely left Kate, staring her down as though to test her. Anthony leaned up to kiss Kate softly, “You okay?”

She nodded, though she didn’t feel a bit of it. “Don’t be worried about me. How are you?”

Anthony sighed, “I’m very ready for my morphine drip to be reconnected.”

Kate’s stomach lurched uncomfortably with guilt, “I’m sorry.”

“What ah… kind of drugs are we talking?”

Anthony rolled his eyes, peering around Kate to his brother, “Are you going to steal morphine from a mortally injured man who might never regain use of his arm?”

“If he’s my brother, I’d give it a red hot crack.”

Anthony took a deep breath, “Well, your brother’s about to be the official companion of the crown Princess.”

Kate watched as Violet’s eyes widened in surprise, taking in her son’s statement before she took a deep breath, “Well, your companion and I are going to get to know each other apparently.”

#bodyguard au #kathony #anthony x kate #kate sharma #kate sheffield #anthony bridgerton #molly’s asks and answers

[sophieswundergarten]

I know y'all are probably sick of me going on about Jackson and Jillson. But I was just thinking about their show characterization again.

Jillson is primarily the leader. She doesn't always start their dialogue, but she's the one who directs it. When the two of them are discussing something, she is the one who controls the conversation.

Jackson is more silly. I'm not sure (As has been up for debate) which one is older, but it feels like he's younger. He complains more, overreacts more, and even tends to be more expressive than Jillson.

In situations where Jillson will respond with a clipped sentence and a small smile, Jackson will echo with several extra descriptors and emphasizers. Jillson says "Alright" and Jackson will respond with "Absolutely, definitely".

During the initial tour they take the kids on, Jillson is the one who gives the bulk of the information. Jackson gives little statements that are more subjective, but he allows her to start off almost everything with a short informational speech before he takes his turn.

When they are discussing cleaning the server room, Jackson is the one bringing up complaints about why they have to do it and the way Jillson wants to get it done. Jillson patiently explains why Curtain has them do it, and why her system for cleaning is best. When Curtain tells them to be on the lookout for anyone who might be about to go blank at the compound, Jackson puts his whole body into pointing at someone who he thinks might be rubbing his neck. Jillson is the one who quickly dismisses it, and he listens to her and lets it go.

Jackson lets his face and his posture be constantly in motion. He smiles, nods and tilts his head, shrugs, points, readjusts himself, and gestures much more freely than Jillson, which is interesting because he's much taller than her. He takes up more space physically and emotionally.

Jillson, however, gives basically the same, tight, demure smile every time. She doesn't move as much, and holds her arms close to her sides. All of her movements are practiced and clinical. She moves with an impersonal efficiency, and it doesn't betray much of her personality.

I think it's interesting, because this clearly places her in a sort of "older sibling" position. She looks out for him, whether or not it's intentional, with her explanations and corrections. She doesn't seem to feel like she has the space to be a real person; she views herself as the "responsible one", and she has to stay within those parameters. Jackson is more open with his emotions, and while it doesn't necessarily make him seem naive, it does feel like he has more confidence, maybe because he has Jillson to rely on.

When they tackle Mr. Benedict to the ground and Jillson gets hurt, she immediately catalogues it as her shoulder being dislocated, and while she cries out because it is very painful, she sounds relatively calm. Jackson scrambles to his feet as fast as possible and starts panicking. She attempts to reassure him, but he pulls her up and holds onto her as he goes to look for help.

Jackson is also the one who runs up to Curtain in their final confrontation. He is more impulsive, and gets up to the steps before Curtain stops him and he freezes. (Side Note: He runs like a goofball with his knees really high, but if you look at the scene where he's running next to Jillson, they're going the same speed, despite his legs being a lot longer. I wonder if that style of movement is something he adopted so he wouldn't ever get somewhere ahead of her) And, when he runs back to Jillson, she turns to him like she wants to reach out with her injured arm, but can't.

To me, this says that Jillson has more fear than Jackson. Maybe she went through more things before they met, maybe she got sent to the Waiting Room at some point, maybe Curtain threatened her or accidentally scared her in some way. She doesn't want him to go through what she did, and she tries to keep him in line and calm him when something happens. Jackson, on the other hand, seems to have less weight on him. He is still striving to be the absolute best he can and do well for Curtain, but he doesn't have as clear a picture of what failure means. Also, he relies on Jillson more visibly. He gets scared when she is, or when she gets hurt. Jillson relies on Jackson like someone standing against a wall; more subtle, but still needing him. She wants reassurance and for them to be together, but some part of her can't help but feel that she is the one responsible to make that happen.

I don't really know what to do with this whole analysis, but I was thinking about it a lot, and I wanted to write it up.

#Sorry for my rambles again #I just felt the need to over-analyse silly things one more time before the show goes off Disney #It's not like I'm going to stop #But it is a little easier right now #the mysterious benedict society #mbs #jackson and jillson #jackson mbs #jillson mbs

[starlight-time-machine]

Week in Review

02/04/2024 – 02/10/2024

Sunday

Manga Sunday time. Okay.

Girl Meets Rock good. Surprisingly considered character writing, and the possible aroace rep is fun.

Undead Unluck good.

Dandadan good.

Magilumiere good.

One Piece good.

Cipher Academy… I love this manga so much that it’s hard to sufficiently express the depth of my affection. I love the story, I love the writing, I love the characters, I love the designs, I love the art, I love everything about Cipher Academy. While I’m miserable at it coming to a somewhat untimely end, I’m grateful that I was able to read this masterpiece every week, because sometimes it was truly the only thing that kept me going. Even though its puzzles were truly nigh-impossible to solve, the heartfelt emotional core of the manga shone through clearly in its story and characters. I love Iroha as a protagonist – he may seem weak, and he’s gone through unthinkable things, but he still has the strength to learn and grow and reach for his unreachable ideals while inspiring others along the way. I love Toshusai’s intimidating aura and hardheaded beliefs that hide her pure desire to have friends and call each other cute nicknames. I love Kogoe’s mad scientist schtick and her One Point Lessons and her catchphrase and how even though she tries to come across as a cool and unhinged scientist, she can still be caught off guard and act more like a regular teenage girl. I love Tayutan’s emotionless puppy-dog retainer role and her fierce loyalty to Toshusai and her purposefully holding back all the time so as to not hurt people and her deep loneliness because of that and I love her twilight eyes. I love Yukako’s butch design and how seriously she takes things even if it’s a dance battle. I love Enchan’s moe sleeves and how she can be cute and cool at the same time and while she may seem naïve, the way she saw through to Iroha’s heart and vowed to support him was so amazing. I love Anon’s mysterious and morally ambiguous motivations and wily nature and how she constantly breaks the fourth wall and while seeing her get bullied was fun, it was even more fun to see moments of sincerity from her. I love Yosaimura’s protagonist aura and natural charisma and that one panel where she’s scaring the daylights out of Kogoe and how she’s always looking out for the interests of the group in terms of morale and cooperative harmony. I love Byu’s gun eyebrows and how she likes to hide under tables. I love Cipher Academy. This story and its characters will live on in my heart for a long, long time.

Monday

The new Undead Unluck was fun. When I see those hyper-detailed close ups on eyes, I know I’m in for a decently directed episode. I love how Billy’s plan was partially foiled by him not taking into consideration how Tatiana would still like him enough to attack him when Unjustice’d.

Finally read through the ending of Perilous Journey and I feel genuinely emotionally moved… Stewart has done such an excellent job of giving each kid their moments and subtle conclusions to their character arcs. From Kate mastering the regurgitation trick and her general physical prowess and her choice to step away from the cycle of violence to Constance accepting and utilising her precognition, to Sticky overcoming his shame with strength and resilience, and to Reynie finally believing in Mr. Benedict and realizing that his disillusionment with humankind is a disservice to its inherent goodness…this is so good. But indeed, it’s extremely perilous, and the stakes have been raised significantly since the last book. S.Q. is also a really tragic figure to me…seeing Mr. Benedict manipulate his kind nature was so chilling and sad. I know exactly what he means when he says he’s dealt a blow to the best part of S.Q., and I too hope he recovers instead of delving further into hatred. Overall, what a wonderful adventure book. I only give scores to books on my bookshelf, so this one gets a strong 8/10.

I’ve gotta get through my library books before I return them on Friday so I tried reading The Plentiful Darkness by Heather Kassner, but the writing style felt so uptight and purple prosey that it turned me off right away, so that’s going to be a pass from me.

Next up was Thin Air by Michelle Paver, which I picked up after reading and thoroughly enjoying her other ghost story, Dark Matter. And the similarities between the two are definitely striking – slightly pathetic male protagonists running from the world by traversing the limits of the Earth, forming bonds with dogs, light touches of repressed homoerotic feelings (?? I can’t believe she did this twice LOL I respect her so much for that), etc. While I liked the setting of Dark Matter more and its slowly encroaching dread and isolation (versus Thin Air’s constant threat of physical danger), I do like the setup of the complicated relationship between Thin Air’s protagonist and his brother, and it’s refreshing to get full blown conversations and arguments. The brother relationship is the emotional crux of this novel, and I thought it was genuinely compelling and filled with the realistic contradictions of love and hate between siblings (the part when they were digging the ice caves…when Stephen talked about how no one else remembers the things from their childhood and no one else would call him that nickname again…). But of course, it all led to the expected conclusion…I can’t help but feel that Paver just wrote the same book again lol I mean, it’s still a satisfying arc to watch play out, but it’s just lost a bit of the surprise factor. But I quite like her writing style and how she instilled dread through the vivid and careful descriptions of the mountain and the characters’ surroundings, and the part with the rucksack seemingly slowly inching its way towards Stephen was wonderfully horrible, as was the truth about what happened to Ward. I’m just glad to have read another adult fiction book that I enjoyed. (What I’ve realized is that a lot of contemporary popular fiction is just about characters being introspective or talking to other characters and not doing a whole lot…and what I want is an actual story where things happen and characters go on a journey or adventure…which is difficult to find outside of fantasy or sci-fi. Why can’t they write books about adults going on puzzle solving adventures too…)

Tuesday

I tried reading Press Reset by Jason Schreier, but after the first chapter I realized I wasn’t as interested in video game industry history as I thought I was (especially when I didn’t recognize or care about most of the games being mentioned here). And also it felt like the same old story – big conglomerates screwing over workers just to make their bottom line a little better. It’s especially depressing to read this when we’re only a month into 2024 and there’s already been over 1000 layoffs in the gaming industry and talk of an incoming crash, so I didn’t feel like reading any further.

Wednesday

The last book I have from my library haul is The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch, which is the first of another book series from my childhood. As a kid I loved the meta writing and the “kids solving puzzles and going on an adventure with interesting artifacts” formula, and as an adult I still enjoy it, but I can see the places where the book is somewhat lacking. There’s no real impetus to the kids deciding to head out on this adventure, since what happened to the magician was so vague, but I get the feeling the author just wanted to get the ball rolling so whatever. I like Cassandra and Max-Ernest’s personalities and quirkiness and I like how unique and memorable their respective living situations are (surprise gay grandparents??? I can’t believe I didn’t remember this, or I guess I didn’t clock it as a kid. And Max-Ernest’s half-and-half gimmick is fun).

Thursday

It’s DunMesh Thursday, and today I’ve made 汽水肉 (too lumpy, should’ve added more tapioca starch) and fried hash browns (they fell apart in the oil…should’ve added more flour and made them thicker…). In contrast to my bad cooking, though, the episode was super duper good. This was one of my favourite chapters from the manga, as it featured Chilchuck, my favourite character, trying to get through a conundrum by himself. I loved all the squishy and wiggly animation, I loved the direction, I loved the voice acting (Chilchuck’s voice through the ages, Marcille asking him how old he is, Laios info-dumping about mimics…), god everything was just so perfect and fun and funny.

Finished reading The Name of This Book is Secret and it was just alright. I just feel like there was never any real incentive for the kids to do all these things – like, I didn’t get invested in Cass’s guilt over Benjamin and I don’t buy that Cass and Max-Ernest are such close friends when they’ve only talked to each other for like five scenes. And then it was hard to buy that Cass was a hardcore survivalist when she goes into the Midnight Sun with absolutely zero planning or foresight. The whole adventure arc just felt weird, and I wish the singular puzzle in the Midnight Sun was more naturally integrated (why on earth would this secret passageway built in an evil villain’s lair have a helpful riddle for you to figure out the passcode). And then the kids getting these cool rewards at the end just felt so unearned… I’ll read the rest of the series, but it’s sad that this ended up in the Baccalario camp rather than the Stewart one.

Friday

Drag Race Friday yayyyyyy I’m so tired of Plane Jane because her “arc” feels like it was manufactured in a lab to get screentime and I hate it. The main challenge was fun, though, and it was nice to just see the girls in the workroom chatting with each other for a majority of the episode. Personally I would’ve put Nymphia’s look in the top over Dawn’s, but I’m also fine with her taking a safe placing because I feel like it doesn’t do well to stand out too much at the front end of the competition.

Satuday

After thinking about it for a bit, I think I’m obligated to induct harmoe as a whole into the STM awards because I love literally every single one of their singles and albums and songs. As my friend and I always say, harmoe never misses.

Other than that, it’s Chinese New Year so all I did was lie around and eat snacks.

#week in review #2024

[shadeedee]

Another one about Nate the giant baby 👶

Once Nate was settled in his giant crib, Curtain and Mr Benedict crept out of the room. The baby grunted and rolled on his side. SQ trembled. “Dad, that thing scares the shit out of me,” he said. Curtain huffed. “He is not a thing, SQ. He is a human being. He has feelings,” he said. “So do i,” SQ said, angrily. Curtain fell silent. Mr Benedict sighed. He agreed with his nephew. The next day, Nate was getting his very first haircut. When he was done, Mr Benedict put a mirror in front of him. “You look very handsome!” he said, beaming. At first the baby had no idea what he was looking at and grunted in confusion. Mr Benedict chuckled. “You certainly are a funny boy,” he said. Then, Nate put his small but giant fingers on the mirror and cooed, delightfully. “Yes! It’s you!” Mr Benedict said, chuckling. The baby seemed to like his hair. His head had small little curls on it, with one little strand poking up. He gazed at Mr Benedict and lay his head on him, cooing. “Oh you’re so precious,” he said. It was almost as if he was thanking him for the haircut. Later, Mr Benedict talked with SQ. “He really isn’t harmful. He’s just curious. We all were as babies. I know he’s giant, but he’s very loving. He won’t hurt you, trust me. You’ll get used to him eventually. He’s actually very fond of you,” he said. SQ agreed. “Well, i guess i can try and bond with him,” he said. Mr Benedict smiled. SQ began spending some time with Nate. The baby cooed at him. “Uh, hi,” SQ said. Nate reached out his hand and touched his face. SQ flinched at first but then stood there, allowing Nate to touch him. It felt loving. He smiled, and gently stroked the baby’s head. Nate’s eyes began to close and he rolled on his side, sucking his thumb. SQ put a blanket on him. Nate was sound asleep now. Mr Benedict smiled. Then, Nate let out a giant fart in his sleep. They both gasped. They checked to make sure he hadn’t soiled his diaper. Luckily he hadn’t. They sighed with relief. “Ooh stinky,” Curtain said. Then he smiled. “Did i mention my happiness evolution has spread globally now?” Everything is coming together just as i want,” he said, chuckling. Mr Benedict and SQ rolled their eyes. Nate let out a grunt. “Phew, that smell is rancid,” Mr Benedict said, holding his breath. “How do we stop my dad?” SQ asked. Mr Benedict looked at Nate. “Let’s not worry about that now. Let’s just enjoy this moment,” he said, and they both sat and watched Nate as he slept, smiling as they did.

#ldcurtain #mbs s2 #nicholas benedict #happiness #sq pedalian #babycore

[yunsh-17]

Marry me - BENEDICT BRIDGERTON

London 1817

Y/N incarnated the green eyes her so loved, her knew that this unthinkable adventure had come to an end once he found Benedict in the corridor looking completely distressed. The second Bridgerton was not the best when the subject was to disguise his feelings, mainly because his green orbs were the window to his soul.

— We cannot marry .- the words jumped through the lips of the brunette so the lesser put his hand on his shoulder.  

— I know Mr. Bridgerton.- tears have accumulated in the eyes of the Y/H/C when she took a step back, moving away from what she believed briefly to be her future husband -. Goodbye Benedict.  

He still heard Kate's call when he passed through her with tears jumping her face and a broken heart to be caring.  If you ask how it can be so silly to believe your romance would be right, after all he was someone with a name and that she had to offer you beyond all the love she felt for him?

[...]

Kate crossed the hall with furious steps to find her husband, Benedict and Colin in a heated discussion at the Viscount office.  As soon as she closed the door, with more force than necessary, the brothers turned instantly clapping together, the expression on her face should scare even the devil and those who dare to cross her path.  

— Anthony Bridgerton What the hell did you do? .- Viscountess asked without any curination.  

— AND what makes her think I did something? .- Anthony asked cautiously, without taking his eyes once off his lovely wife, this act seemed more defensive than caring and zeal.

— let's do a chronological analysis of the facts, first I see the lovely Miss Y/L/N crossing the residence to the pros, then I hear Benedict demanding what is his right.- the impeccable posture of the woman seems to intimidate Anthony leaving him tiny, what was a great irony when we thought about the difference in height -. Do you think I'm a stupid who doesn't know her own husband?

Colin loose a low broom in front of the acid words of his brother-in-law.  

— Kate, you better than no one knows how cruel high society is to each other, imagine what they would do to Benedict and Y/N when they discovered this marriage? They would massacre them.  I am trying to prevent the two from getting hurt from this story .- the eldest of the brothers seemed tired of repeating that conversation.  

— you are not my owner, you do not have the right to interfere in our lives .- Benedict finally speaks after Anthony's wife's sudden appearance.  

�� I have yes, I have the full right to intervene when you make stupendous choices .- viscount is the answer.  

— Anthony do you realize how ridiculous is being by preventing your brother from going to attras of his happiness? .- Kate's severe look made the brothers remember Violet Bridgerton, the viscount opens his mouth to refute but is cut off by his wife's speech -. Benedict is more than responsible for making his own choices, Y/N may not have come from a family with a great name or a golden dowry, but what I say to him is that they love each other's heart, this is printed on their faces.  You can't treat your brothers as drinkers, they need to learn to survive in reality, pain is part of growth.  They can rather listen to many of those people without what to do, but they will go through it together and that is what counts in the end.  

Kate gets up and starts to get out of the office, before crossing the door she looks over her shoulder and adds.  

— it is better for you to do what your brother is asking for or will spend the next season sleeping next to the horses.  

As soon as the pleasant viscount was gone, the brothers became incarnate atonites.  

— is she always so energetic? .- Colin questions.  

— are you still sure you want to get married? .- Anthony asks after nodding in positive for Colin.

[...]

It was already midnight when Benedict arrived at the Y/L/N residence, he had done everything possible not to hurt the Y/H/C, but at that moment when she crossed the corridor to find him he thought the best thing to do would be to free the young from future suffering.  A real Cretan.  

His chest weighed as lead when he knocked on the door, it would be a liar if he did not say he was eager to review what, if he wanted to, would be his wife and after some time the mother of his children, only the thought of building a family with her brought a little peace to her restless chest.  

As soon as the door opened, he prepared himself for the apologies he had trained during the way, but it was not necessary since the door attented was not Y/N but his younger sister.  

— What does Bridgerton do here? .- the sour tone amazed Benedict, since the little girl always showed himself in favor of the sister's novel.  

— I came to concern my mistake, please tell me if Y/N is here .- despair in his voice was not theatrical.

The young man looked over the shoulder to then open space, but before Benedict could enter the house he was held by a strong draw.  

— if you hurt her again Mr. Bridgerton, I will cause him to suffer until his fourth generation.- given the warning the little girl let him enter the residence, sweating to some corner.

In a few moments he found his loved one sitting in a chair, a glass of untouched milk was in front of him, it seemed alien to other presences.  

— Y/N? .- the low voice of the brunette seems to have awakened the lesser of its devanees.  

— Mr. Bridgerton?  What do you do here? .- Heaven, he really deserved to be treated in that way, the voice of the Y/H/C was covered with anger.  

— Vim concerned things .- before he could continue he was left alone in the kitchen.

Without wasting time the second Bridgerton ran behind the Y/H/C, gently grabbing his forearm, a furious slap hitting his shoulder soon after.  

— What is your problem?  Why not leave me at once?  Do I see suffering behind you some kind of happiness? .- AND once again that night Benedict was hated to be the cause of the tears that now scroll through the pale face of his beloved.  

— you know Y/N, you know that you would never move a finger if that cost your happiness, But there were things that needed to be resolved before I could make you fully happy.- yet another slap was smitten against the brunette who was forced to hold the two arms of the Y/H/C, despite the fact that she deserved all the fury she had untied about him.  

— AND for this you had to hurt my heart? .- she spit the words on her face -. What was so important to the point that you kick me that way out of your life?  

— our future Y/N, couldn't marry you if you weren't able to keep our livelihoods... I wouldn't be able to make our dream become a nightmare in a flash of eyes.- so he realized it was safe he let his arms loose, his hands now holding his face firmly, his foreheads glued -. I was ensuring that we would have a house and money to thrive in some way, that was only possible after much discussion.

— his... his bastard .- the redhead seemed to have extinguished all his energy earlier.

— is this the best you can do miss? .- the largest hunted.  

Not waving to stay away Benedict closed the distance between his lips, it was a calm kiss and full of nostalgia and apology, he knew she would understand, Y/N always seemed to read her feelings with a gigantic ease, the rough hands sliding through the curved body holding the waist in a squeeze, the young man's arms were wrapped around his neck pulling him down due to the stark difference in height.

They separated themselves only when the need for air was made present, the spiting breasts and the stained faces, both printing smiles of satisfaction.  

— Marry me.- Benedict's thought put in words, words that did not come out of his lips.

The arms of the greatest wound up in the waist of the young red woman standing up from the ground as he turned her into the air, being contemplated with her own melodious laughter.  

— of course, yes .- he answered after placing his bride, now, on the ground. I am yours for any and all ends.

#benedict #bridgerton #benedict bridgerton #reader #benedict x reader #benedict x oc #luke thompson #imagines #imagine

[regency-gardens]

Tethered Hearts- part 3/3- ALTERNATE ENDING

A/N: surprise! two endings! read the original ending (and the much less mainful ending here)

warnings: angst, heartbreak

word count: 1,550 

published: feb. 27. 21

series masterlist

Benedict rode through the night, going over his speech countless times until he was sure he could say it backward. Sleep evaded him despite the carriage being quite comfortable; His nerves and the bumpy dirt roads kept him awake. He eventually forced himself to focus on something other than the disaster of his love life and he took to sketching, as usual. 

Drawing within the last few weeks was nearly impossible for him. He could never focus long enough or he was never pleased with the product. his hands never seemed to corporate. This time he tried to draw something that he thought would make him feel happy, at least for the time being. He started to draw two hands intertwined and imagined it was his and y/n, wearing wedding rings. All this did was remind him of how happy he could have been if he hadn't been so selfish.

The Y/L/N country home was a sight to behold. It overlooked a small lake surrounded by trees that provided a home to countless wildlife. The garden was home to a variety of wildflowers and shrubs with lemon trees dotted about. The front of the home was a beautiful work of masonry with climbing vines reaching up the first story and balconies decorated with even more greenery. Stone steps lead down to the lawn where the gardeners worked tirelessly on the upkeep of the statues and fountains in the middle of a circular cobbled walkway. It was a welcoming, lively home, but the sight of it made Benedict's stomach do backflips. She was so close.

The early morning sun was just beginning to peek above the horizon, illuminating the foggy countryside. The birds were chirping and roosters could be heard faintly in the distance welcoming the new day. A long inhale of the fresh morning air seemed to settle benedict’s nerves just a little. He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and tried to fix his hair as best he could. It was bad enough he was bothering her so early and unannounced, he could at least look presentable. The tired eye bags would make that difficult. 

Meanwhile, in the Y/L/N home, y/n’s maid was just waking up when she heard the faint sound of approaching horses. She peeled back the drawing-room drapes and saw the black Bridgerton carriage quickly approaching.

“Oh my! Miss y/n!”

She ran down the hall and up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. She burst through y/n’s bedroom doors, panting. Yn, having been startled awake, sat up confused. Benedict's letters were still scattered around the bed.

“What on earth? Marta, what’s happened?”

“He’s here! Mr. Bridgerton is here!” y/n’s throat went dry and she immediately sprang from the bed and rushed to the window just in time to see the carriage door come to a stop at the steps. Without a second thought, she ran as fast as she could downstairs, not even taking the time to put on shoes. 

Benedict took a deep breath before reaching for the handle of the carriage. With a final rush of courage, he hopped out. At the same time, y/n appeared through the front doors and stopped at the top of the steps. She was looking down at him and suddenly he forgot everything he wanted to say. She was ethereal. The sight of Her long white nightgown and wild hair was something he had never seen before and he couldn’t get enough. 

There was a silence as they waited for each other to say something. When it became clear she wasn’t going to say anything, Benedict cleared his throat.

“I'm sorry to have bothered you so early in the morning. It couldn’t wait.”

Her expression was unreadable and it further worsened his nerves. 

“I realize you probably don’t want to speak with me ever again. Your ignoring of my letters made that clear enough but I couldn’t give up just yet and I think Eloise would have my head if I didn’t try one last time-”

“I wasn’t ignoring your letters.”

He paused, surprised.

“Until last night I didn’t know they even existed. My father hid them thinking they’d do more harm than good. I stayed up half the night reading them.” Her voice was soft and shaky. He clung to every word.

“Then you know. You know why I'm here. You…” he sighed in exasperation, his throat began to ache from holding back the tears he’d been fighting for so long. His voice was cracking and shaky but he couldn’t stop the words flowing from his heart.

 “You are the blood in my veins and the breath in my lungs; you are my reason for living, for waking up every damn day. I hurt you so badly and I hate myself for it. I will always hate myself for it. I had the most wonderful woman in the world by my side and I threw it away. I am a weak man. I am weak but you make me strong and I am not ashamed to say that I need you. I need you, I need you, I need you and I will never not need you and I will never stop loving you. You owe me nothing. I know that. You have no reason to ever trust me again. I know that. But I’ll be damned if I don’t try-if I don’t get on my knees and beg you for one more chance. I don’t deserve it. you could turn around and leave me forever and I would not blame you. But right here, right now, I need to know- I am begging to know if there is any possible way that you still love me because I cannot spend another moment wondering. So please, my darling, my love, my life… is there any chance that you still love me too?”

They were both crying, thoughts running around their heads at the speed of light. Benedict, during his speech, had taken a few daring steps towards her and now stood at her feet, peering up into her glossy eyes. Slowly, hesitantly, y/n’s warm hand cupped his cheek, and just like that night so long ago, he leaned into its warmth. This was the first he’d ever touched her soft hands and it sent chills down his spine. His own hand reached to hold hers, keeping it from moving. She wiped away his tears with her thumb.

“ I am so ...so sorry.” His words were a mere whisper. 

She was at war with herself. Trusting him again could lead to complete heartbreak once again, but could also lead to some of the happiest days of her life. Maybe a fresh start was what they needed- a second chance. But maybe it was time to set this love free.

“benedict…” his heart raced at the sound of his name on her lips,”

It would seem that I have the grave misfortune of having my heart tethered to yours. No matter how far you throw me, I'll always come back to you. It scares me.”

He frowns, the pit in his stomach growing with his anticipation. She removes her hand from his face, backing away. His heart shatters.

“I will always love you, benedict. But I cannot let you play with my heart again. I cannot risk spending the rest of my life wondering if you still love me. So, I think it best for the both of us, that we end this for good.”

“y/n please… don’t do this.” his voice cracks and she tries to stifle a sob.

“You will find someone else one day, Benedict, and you will love them so much you will forget all about me. All I ask of you is that you allow it to happen. Let me go, and learn from this. That way this pain will not have been in vain.”

“I love you…” he pleads but she shakes her head, unable to look him in the eye. 

“Goodbye.” sobbing, she turns and runs back inside, into the arms of her family who watched it all happen from the window. 

Benedict, with all the strength he could muster, climbs back into his carriage and leaves the Y/L/N estate for the final time. 

The next few months are hard for them. The hardest thing they've ever had to go through. Benedict, especially, has trouble feeling even the slightest bit normal and it takes nearly three months before he can leave his home.

But in the end, y/n was right. Within the next few years, while the pain is still there for both of them, they are finally ready to move on. 

Two years later, y/n meets someone in Italy while traveling with her brother and sister. He reminds her a lot of Benedict, which is probably why it was so easy to fall in love with him. They are married in the fall and happy lives together. Benedict is a bittersweet memory.

Benedict eventually finds himself a wife by the name of Sophie and he loves her with everything he has in him. Not forgetting y/n’s last words to him, he makes sure to never make his old mistakes. 

Though they are not together, they will always love each other. Soulmates meant for another life.

________________________________________________________________

#benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton imagine #benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict x reader #Benedict bridgerton x fem!reader #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton #anthony bridgerton #anthony bridgerton x reader #anthony x reader #bridgerton fanfic #bridgerton fanfiction

[ravenpoefan]

GrandFather’s rise part 1.

—————— This is my first actual fanfic I’ve posted on here. Advice and critique is welcome———-

A man, about in his mid thirties, is driving in the rain, as fast as he possibly could without getting into an accident. He was working at his company later than usual. He had received an emergency call and had left work to get back home. He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, stressed out. He finally arrives at his mansion. He burst through the front doors and ran past the workers, as fast as he could, running upstairs. He walks into his bedroom where a young pregnant woman sat on the floor, crying out in pain.

"Nathaniel! Help!" The woman sobbed.

A couple of maids stood next to her, trying to comfort her and help.

He ran to her and knelt down beside her. He pushed her long raven black hair away from her face and carefully helped her up.

“Don’t worry! I’m here! I’m here!” He reassured her.

"We have the bags packed and the chauffeur is ready when you are, sir." The butler said.

Nathaniel nodded and started helping Madelyn to the door.

A child runs down the stairs, towards them.

“Wait!! Pappy, where are you and mama going?” He cried.

“Your mother needs to go to the hospital, Monty!” Nathaniel explained.

Madelyn looked at her son, tears of pain in her eyes. She gently pressed a hand to his face.

“Don’t worry, my brave boy. I’ll be fine. Go back to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning, alright?” She smiled softly.

“Promise?” He sniffled.

“I promise.” She gave him a kiss on his forehead.

“I love you, Mama.” He hugged her.

“I love you too, Monty.” She smiled.

Monty watched them walk out the door, as the butler escorted him back to his room.

Nathaniel finally got her in the limo and demanded the chauffeur step on it.

Nathaniel: It’s okay, my love. You’ll be alright! We’re almost there! Just breathe. Just breathe.

They made it to the hospital. Nathaniel helped his wife inside.

The receptionist called for some nurses to assist Madelyn.

They laid her on a stretcher and wheeled her to a room.

Nathaniel held her hand, looking at her. He felt bad for her and wished he could take her pain away. He intertwined his fingers with his beloved wife, locking them with hers. All he could do was watch her cry and scream in pain as the contractions grew stronger.

They finally got her situated in the room.

The doctor came in, along with some nurses. He instructed Nathaniel to wait outside.

Nathaniel went to leave but Madelyn grabbed his arm.

“Nathaniel, something’s- something’s Not right. Please don’t leave me! I’m scared.” She sobbed.

"Mads, I promise I will be right outside. Everything will be ok. I promise." Nathaniel says to reassure her.

"Nathaniel... If something happens to me… Please take care of both of our children. Promise me that?” She whimpered.

Nathaniel felt a wave of worry wash over him. He pressed his hand to the side her face, gently wiping her tears away.

“Don’t talk like that. You’ll be ok, I promise. I love you, my heart~” He smiled.

“I love you too." Madelyn let go of his sleeve.

He smiled and kissed her forehead and exited the room. He was thinking about what she said.

Nathaniel paced the floor in the waiting room, as minutes ticked into hours. He saw couples leaving with their newborn children, some of whom had arrived after he was already there. He mumbled to himself, stressing. He was tired and wanted to sleep but couldn’t.

“What’s taking so long?” He groaned.

He became increasingly worried. He looked at the clock. Many hours had passed and he just wanted to know if she was okay.

He continued his brisk pacing, sweat beading his forehead.

A couple of people who were waiting were watching him.

The door finally opened, as a nurse and a doctor stepped out into the waiting room, the doors swinging closed behind them.

Several people in the waiting room stood up.

"... Mr. Uno...?" The nurse sighed looking as if she was bearing bad news.

Nathaniel turned around and walked up to them.

"How is she doing? Is she ok?" Nathaniel says, turning to face them. He walked up to them.

The Nurse sighed. She felt her body tense up. She looked at the doctor.

The Doctor took a deep breath and pulled him aside.

".... Mr. Uno..... .... I- I'm so sorry, but there was a complication…. There was stress during the labor. Something went wrong. The infant miraculously survived. However…. Madelyn… We couldn’t save her.... We did everything we could. I'm sorry." He heaved a sigh of defeat.

Nathaniel gasped and put a hand over his mouth. He shook and as tears streamed down his face. He stared in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he had heard! His wife, his childhood friend, the love of his life, was gone!! This wasn’t real!! There was no way!! It was all a dream! ….Right?

"I-I... I don't understand! I don’t understand!! How could this have happened?!" Nathaniel cried, his voice breaking. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

“There are different ways this could have happened. The amount of pain she felt was too great and her body couldn’t handle it or she could have had health issues. But whichever way, it caused a great amount of stress on Madelyn. I’m sorry. We did everything we could…. But… She didn’t make it. I’m terribly sorry.” The Doctor sighed, feeling guilty for what had happened.

Nathaniel felt his heart shatter. His chest hurt. Like someone had punched him or kicked him. As if, someone had ripped his heart right out of his chest. His hands were trembling. He could have fought to stay by her side. Why? Why didn’t he stay by her side?! Why didn’t he listen to her when she said something was wrong?!

He yelled out in grief and pushed past the doctor and nurse, even if the people in the waiting room were staring at him like he had lost his damn mind. He started running to find Madelyn.

“Security!!!!!” The doctor yelled for them, as the nurse and a couple of waiting room patients helped him up.

“No!! No!! Nooo!! Madelyn?! Madelyn!! Mads?! Where are you?!” Nathaniel sobbed. He ran down the halls, crying out for her.

2 security guards ran down the hall towards him. They tackled him and held him back. They pinned him to the ground, struggling to keep him restrained.

Nathaniel cried out and tried to squirm from under the guards in an attempt to escape from their grasp. He cursed as they pinned him to the ground. His glasses breaking from the scuffle.

“Sir!!! You need to calm down!!!” One of the Security Guard’s ordered him.

Nathaniel sobbed, his face pressed down against the cold tile. He growled and cried out.

They dragged him back to the waiting room and pushed him backwards.

He stumbled and sat in one of the waiting room chairs.

“What am I going to do? What am I going to tell my other son?!” Nathaniel barked. He cried again, his heart hurt.

The doctor and nurse took a step back, noticing his aggression.

“We’ll give you a moment and come back later.” They headed back into the room.

Nathaniel sat there with his head in his hands. He silently cried, tears dripping down his face. All he could think of at that moment was the brat that caused all of this. He felt that it was his child’s fault. Why do kids have to make everything worse? He felt guilty as well. He didn’t stay with her! He couldn’t even begin to imagine how scared she must have been. How she wanted him but he left her there with the doctors.

After about an hour or so, the doctor came out holding a clipboard.

“We really feel that this child would be unsafe under your care and supervision but unfortunately, our rules and regulations prevent us from intervening.” He sighed and glared at him.

He handed the clipboard to him and had him sign some papers and write down a name for the child: Benedict Wigglestein Uno.

The doctor handed him the papers and walked away, giving him a side glare.

The nurse came back.

“Sir? Could you follow me, please?” She spoke softly.

Nathaniel growled and stood up, causing the nurse to flinch. He followed her to the nursery and stood outside of the room in front of the wide window that allowed people to see their newborn children that were in the room, crying and squirming.

There were a couple of other fathers standing aside. They looked proud and excited. They talked about their wives and how they were going to raise a happy family.

One guy must have invited his friend’s because they were congratulating him and calling each other by name.

Nathaniel growled at their conversation. He fought back tears, trying to ignore them. He doesn’t get to have that dream anymore. He wanted to have a family with Madelyn but she’s gone now. He was left angry and grieving.

One of the dads walked up to him.

“Ay. Congratulations! I bet you're proud.” He smiled.

Nathaniel stayed silent for a moment.

“I was… Until I found out my wife had passed away….” He shot him an evil glare and gave a low growl.

The other dads stayed quiet and stared in sympathy.

“I’m sorry. I-I didn’t know.”

Nathaniel growled and glared at him with a deathly stare.

“Get away from me.” His voice hissed.

The man backed away in fear.

Nathaniel watched him walk back to his friends.

#I’ll post part 2 later today #tumblr apparently has a word count limit on mobile :/ #grandfather knd #monty uno knd #benedict uno #benedict uno knd #Nathaniel Allan Uno #tw death #tw: death #angst #my oc madelyn #long post #fanfic #raven Poe writes

[reynie-muldoons]

'The Dance of the Celestial Orb' liveblog!

I have a pastry to munch on while I watch, let's get at it. Book and show spoilers below :)

EDIT: full liveblog has been recovered and posted, this is only partial!! Apologies, my original liveblog didnt save lol

I'm ✨nervous✨ please let our children be okay

0:10 this Sticky arc hurts me so kuch

1:35 this music is BUMPIN

2:22 I just wanna know how she got under there without the dude seeing her

2:47 "all systems go" for the Improvement 😬 yikes 😬😬😬

2:55 she didn't wait even 5 seconds after they left, the door was still closing when she popped up 😂 can you imagine if one of them doubled back right at that moment

3:18 they look like the dudes from that veggietales movie, I think it was Esther- the island of perpetual tickling?? Anyone??? 😂😂😂

4:00 Kate vented.......

4:51 "not a rat" yeah no shit

5:07 if not for the suspense, I would be jamming out lmaooo

6:10 Mr. Benedict is looking at the shoreline, is he about to watch Kate dive in???? Because I mean that's where she's gotta be going

6:20 "memory challenges"? Is Rhonda talking about Milligan's amnesia, or has short term memory been affected as well??

6:29 .....thank you for answering so efficiently 😂

6:42 "I buy it. I completely.... buy it." RHONDA THAT'S NOT HELPFUL AHSKSHDJKD

6:56 can you imagine seeing your friend go down in a sub then hours later seeing the sub float up in fucking PIECES

7:06 KATE! KATE! KATE! KATE!

7:06 please let it be reunion time

7:25 oh hello that's a drop

7:38 *to the tune of Bezos I* come on Katie u can do it pave the way put ur back into it

7:51 she craves that mineral

8:06 Sticky, my child

8:20 oh my gosh they went out and LOOKED FOR HER I care them 😭😭😭

8:23 SHE KNEW HIS DREAM SHE KNEW HIS DREAM TELEPATH TELEPATH TELEPATH

8:34 STICKY STOPPPP

8:40 "jumping to conclusions is a failure of character" wow that really is something Curtain would say

8:52 angry Reynie. He is in rare form

8:54 "and you helped put her there!" OOOOOOOH I SCREAMED

9:03 "I shouldn't have yelled" okay but you kinda should have Sticky needs a wake up call

9:06 "dont apologize. I like this side of you." IS THIS THE START OF REYNIE AND CONSTANCE HAVING THE BEST SIBLING RELATIONSHIP

9:22 "if you really scared about me, you'd want me to be happy instead of standing there telling me who I am" oh Sticky my dude I am NOT digging the manipulation

9:36 Reynie pulling out the BFF card!!! Also Reynie digging in his feet because he knows he's right!!!! That's great setup for his arc as a strategist later

9:48 "I'm telling you, Kate's fine." Narrator: Kate was not, in fact, fine.

10:03 "they'll notice." Sticky has made one (1) good point.

10:11 oh dear god are they fingerprinting this bitch

10:19 all this equipment, has no one walked up to the cliff and looked down???

10:23 HAHAHAHA WAIT THEY HAVEN'T

10:27 "we've been out here all night" that means Kate has been clinging to a cliff by her fingers and toes ALL NIGHT????

11:04 babe I know it's been a long night but maybe wait a second for them to actually leave before you climb back up

11:15 BUCKET NO

11:22 she has to go get it. There's no way someone wouldn't find that shit, it's in plain view

11:37 "WAS"???? WHY ARE WE SAYING WAS????? NO PAST TENSE HERE MILLIGAN'S FINE

11:43 "I only wish we could've known him better" NOOOP NONONO WE'RE NOT DOING THIS

11:47 Rhonda back at it as the voice of reason!!!!!

11:59 "I have never met a more competent swimmer" throwback to the baaAAAYYYY

12:10 MR. BENEDICT'S FACE HAHAHAHA HOLD ON LET ME TAKE A PICTURE OM DYING

12:11 NUMBER TWO, NOT HELPING

12:14 RHONDA'S FACE HAHENDJDKDN

12:33 "we will go rescue him" because of COURSE he would

12:36 Rhonda is his best wingwoman omfg she's so consistent

12:54 MISS PERUMAL??????

12:56 MISS PERUMAL!!!!!!

13:00 SHE KNOWS HE'S RIGHT GAKSHDBDHEKSNND

13:09 "how hard can it be? It's an island!" PFFFFT

13:16 oh SQ baby boy please get out of there

13:25 "I certainly have my own suspicions" he said, looking at SQ why are you looking at SQ like that

13:31 SQ GET OUT OF THERE PLEASE IS2G

13:36 here we fuckin go

13:43 the captions have the f in forest capitalized like it's this special place

13:43 new hc that the Forest is a magical place like pixie hollow

13:57 TWO THINGS: 1. YES stand up for yourself baby!!!! 2. Shepard Quaid? Interesting! I don't think we ever got SQ's full name in the books, I hope TLS made that decision!

14:08 your "father hat"??? Oh my gosh shut the fuck up right there don't even continue

14:16 oh yeah real fuckin cute put on your "steward of this institution hat" and call that a good reason to be a shit person

14:43 "No." GOOD FOR HIMMMM GOOD JOB SQ

15:03 Kate's struggling right by the shore where a certain someone would be returning after a very hard swim, it would be a great time for a meeting wouldn't you think

15:09 KATE THE GREAT

15:11 "THE TRAPESE GODDESS" I WILL REFER TO HER AS NOTHING ELSE

15:26 sorry but that green screen of her falling was kinda funny

15:28 soooooo is someone, a very certain someone, gonna catch her...??????

15:36 YEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

15:43 IS THIS IT????@?@?!?

15:46 awww poor baby girl you can tell how tired she is

15:46 just putting this out there they look so good in frame together

15:46 the actor who plays Milligan is fucking huge in stature so I wasn't sure how that would go but it looks so good

16:00 THE WAY HE'S LOOKING AT HER WITH HIS HAND ON HER SHOULDER I CANT DO THISSSSS

16:20 "keep going." 😭😭😭😭😭

16:23 "you dont understand." Ohhhh I think he does

16:25 "I think I do." What did I tell you, he's got your back babygirl

16:45 I'm so glad she's talking this out, and with Milligan of all people

17:01 it makes so much sense for Kate to feel alone in that situation, and when Kate feels anything less than positive she goes and does something, whatever that something is.

17:05 "So.. I...." "fell off a cliff and nearly died." Thanks for putting things into perspective Milligan

17:05 Milligan is such a good dad stop

17:19 "most of the way" is an understatement LMFAO

17:29 I'm so glad we know the intimate details of Milligan's illustrious swimming abilities 😂 out of all the new things wfrom the show that one wasnt on my radar

WAIT WAIT HOLD UP DID THE REST OF MY LIVEBLOG NOT SAVE

How DARE

#mbs liveblog #the dance of the celestial orb #mbs disney+ #charity's talkies #the mysterious benedict society

[imherongraystairstrash]

Christopher and Gabriel Lightwood

Hey guys! Someone requested I do Christopher and Gabriel, so here it is. I apologize in advance for this length, I didn’t set out for it to be this long... I guess that’s all. Also, I haven’t finished gotten my copy of Chog yet, so it might not be so accurate. Up next: Anna and Christopher (I’m glad you guys love the Lightwood Herondales and much as I do) -Ana

Benedict Lightwood was staring at Gabriel. His eyebrows were furrowed and although Gabriel was taller than he was, Benedict seemed to loom over him. His figure was frightening.

“You have disappointed me, Gabriel.”

Gabriel felt himself shrink into nothingness, meanwhile his father grew and grew and morphed into a worm. Cecily came with her seraph blade. She exchanged blow after blow with Benedict until she lost her footing, and Benedict ripped her into shreds before Gabriel’s eyes. He cried out in pain, for he had lost his strong and beautiful wife. Anna had stepped up, trying to save Cecily, only to have Benedict swat his tail and throw her against a tree, where her lifeless body slumped in the grass. Alex called out to his father, his screaming drowned out by Benedict’s attack. Gabriel was powerless to stop any of it.

“Father, are you alright?” His son’s lavender eyes looked down on him.

“Kit.” He breathed.

Before Kit could answer, a blade pierced his chest, and he fell down to his knees, gasping for air.

Gabriel woke in a cold sweat. He blinked his eyes over and over, trying to stop the gruesome images from replaying in his mind. He looked at Cecily, who had edged closer to him. Cecily was a light sleeper, and he must have woken her up during his nightmare. He planted a kiss on her head and sat up.

“Where are you off to?” Cecily said, her words slurred from sleep.

Gabriel leaned down and planted little kisses on her face.

“I will be right back.” He whispered

“You better.”

Gabriel chuckled and softly kissed Cecy one more time before getting up.

The cold floor sent a shock through him. He walked down the hallways of the London house. Although he knew it was superstitious on his part, he felt an obligation to check on his children, and make sure nothing had happened to them. The first room was Alexander’s. They had made sure to keep him in close proximity, so if he had a nightmare, the trip to their room would not be so far. However, Alex rarely suffered from nightmares. Ironically, it was Gabriel and occasionally Cecily who had the most trouble when it came to sleep. Gabriel had assumed that over the years, the pain and horrors of the past would subside, but that never happened.

He looked into Anna’s room and found his daughter sound asleep. He smiled to himself. How could he have been blessed with such wonderful children? Anna was everything Gabriel had not been in the past. Anna would not have stayed with Benedict as Gabriel had, even after Gideon had begged him to come to the London institute. Anna would not have been afraid as he was.

Gabriel walked down the hall to Kit’s room. The door was closed, but light danced under it. He opened the door to find Kit wide awake, writing something down with crazed determination. Cecily had always said that that expression always reminded her of Gabriel.

The thought of Cecily reminded him of a conversation he had had with her a fortnight ago:

“I love Christopher to death.”

“But?”

“But I wish I could understand him better. I want to understand how he sees the world, how he picks apart and analyzes situations.”

“That seems quite difficult.”

“It is. Especially considering how intelligent he is.”

“That’s our Kit.” Said Cecily with immense pride, “I fear he is more intelligent than I could ever hope to be.”

Gabriel smiled. There was a time when Christopher’s habits of experimenting had frustrated them both. More than anything, they scared them. Very time Gabriel would catch his son with an open flame, or strong chemicals, he couldn’t seem to breathe properly. It took him a while to accept that his little boy, who would throw his arms up to be picked up and rest his small head on Gabriel’s shoulder, was grown. He still remembers when Kit was newly born, and his Uncle Will offered his finger for him to hold. Kit just stared at it in wonder, as though not sure what to do with it.

“He’s going to change the world, this one.” Charlotte had said.

“What makes you say that.” Cecily laughed

“Instead of simply grabbing it, he’s thinking of the best way to approach the situation. That differs him from most children, but definitely not in a bad way.”

...

“You do know, Mr. Lightwood,” the Inquisitor had told Gabriel once, “Basilias is a fine institution for, erm, special Shadowhunters.”

“I am aware.” said Gabriel, not knowing what the Inquisitor was implying he do with this information.

“An you do know, of course, that taking your son there does not make you or Mrs. Lightwood bad parents. The opposite really, you would be doing your son a favor.”

Gabriel widened his eyes in disbelief.

“It will provide you and your wife some much deserved peace.”

Cecily stopped the conversation she was having with the inquisitor’s wife. Gabriel gave the inquisitor a hard stare before saying, loud enough for the entire room to hear:

“My son is not a burden to myself or my family, nor do Mrs. Lightwood and I need “a break” from him. I am horrified you would think my wife and I would be so quick to rid ourselves of him.”

There were many more things he would like to tell the Inquisitor, but he had to stop himself for the sake of his family. To have an enemy with that much power could ruin their lives, despite being close to the Consul herself. Instead, Gabriel turned away from him, grabbed his coat and let him out. He had only walked three step into the snowy pathway before the door opened again and Cecily came rushing out to catch up with him. Every two steps Cecily took was equivalent to one of Gabriel’s, and she tripped on her feet. Gabriel caught her before she could fall on the ground. She looked up at him, smiling.

“The inquisitor’s expression when you left was priceless. He turned as red as a tomato!”

Gabriel looked at her.

Cecy’s smile faded. “What’s wrong, love?”

“I just cannot believe the nerve of him.”

Cecily sighed and held her gloved hand to his face. Her impossibly dark blue eyes looked into his own.

“The world is going to be cruel to our Kit and it will be our job as his parents to support and protect him until he is able to protect himself.”

“I just cannot comprehend why they think him crazed.”

“Because Shadowhunters are afraid of anyone that is different. That is why they shun Tessa and why the academy tried to get rid of Jamie. That’s why they though Henry foolish.”

That was the day that Gabriel realized that it was not open flames he had to protect his son from, but his own kind.

Gabriel opened Kit’s door just a crack and found his son bent over, writing something with intensity. Gabriel crossed the room and stood beside Kit. Then, he thought about how terrifying it must be to be writing something and not know your father is beside you. Benedict had done that so many times, it started to feel like he would do it in purpose, just to make sure Gabriel was still afraid of him. Gabriel quietly took some steps back, and walked back to his side, this time with more noise.

“Kit?”

Christopher looked up at Gabriel, half of his right eye was the color of lavender in the candlelight while left eye a very dark shade of blue.

Christopher was born with his eyes open, observing the world for the day he was born. Gabriel and Cecily were sure the magnificent color would change over time; lighten to match the color of Cecily and Will’s. Sophie had argued otherwise, but everybody else seemed to agree that the color would fade overtime. Gabriel remembered holding Kit and looking down at his son and feeling a rush of emotion, similar to when he held Anna for the first time. He thought about his father.

“I will protect you with my all heart,” he’d said “and I will never abandon you the way my father hurt me.”

Kit looked at his father with fascination as Gabriel began to cry. Gabriel supported his newly born son’s head, his fingers tangling in his small, brown curls, and kissed his forehead.

“Kit, why are you awake?”

“I am writing down an idea I had.”

“Can it not wait for tomorrow?”

Kit looked at him, completely baffled. Then he whispered:

“You can tell your thoughts to come back tomorrow?” His eyes danced. “Could you teach me how?”

“Oh, no Kit, I just meant writing this down tomorrow rather then at three in the morning.”

Christopher ran a hand through his hair.

“Blimey, is it already three in the morning?”

Gabriel smiled. “Yes, and that means it is time to go to bed.”

“Okay.”

“And sleep.”

Kit was silent.

“Father?”

“Yes?”

“It might take a while for me to fall asleep. I am not very good at it.”

“Neither am I, Kit.”

Christopher looked at him. “Do you suppose I inherited an allele for insomnia from you?”

Gabriel blinked, not knowing what his son just asked him.

“I don’t know.”

Christopher looked a little disappointed.

“Do not worry, Papa, I shall find out.” He set off to work.

“Tomorrow, Kit.” Gabriel said as he led his son to his bed. “Promise me you will wait until tomorrow.”

“I promise.”

Gabriel smiled. “Alright then.”

“Papa?”

Gabriel turned around.

“I wish you fast sleep.”

“And I to you Kit.” Gabriel blew out the candle, and when back to bed.

“Took you long enough.” Cecily whispered.

Gabriel planted a kiss on her head and drew her into his arms and then slept sweet dreams of his family, together and happy.

#gabriel lightwood #cecily lightwood #christopher lightwood #cecily herondale #anna lightwood #lightwood #gabriel and christopher #tsc #the last hours fanfic #tlhfanfic #christopher and gabriel #lightwood family #tsc fanfiction

[dongiovannaswife]

Sempiternal; Vampire!Giorno Giovanna x Fem!Reader (Teal and Burgundy sequel)

Side note; Alright babes, last part of Teal and Burgundy. What. A. Ride. I hope you all appreciate this series as much as I enjoyed writing them! ♥ I cried writing this, btw :D Warnings; PTSD.

Feedback is always appreciated. When Mista steps inside the restaurant, one of the ones Passione has control over, with Polnareff on his hand, it doesn’t take him a lot to localize Jotaro Kujo, who sits with his back at the door. “He’s here.” He says, whispering. Even if the people there already knows who he is, he still chooses to be as unnoticed as possible. After all, he’s surrounded by civilians and Giorno —through Fugo, — wouldn’t allow a massacre against the people, even with his condition; he’s been keeping a close eye through informants and Purple Haze’s user. “Alright,” answers Polnareff, “put me on the table. Could you give us privacy?” Mista nods, not really worried nor offended by his request. “Roger that.” Doing as he was told, Mista quickly greets Jotaro and excuses himself signaling the counter and once settled down, he asks for the typical morning coffee, keeping a close eye to Polnareff, but trying not to be invasive. With Mista at the counter, Polnareff speaks. “I’ve been observing him since that happened, and let me tell you something, he’s trying so hard to be like Jonathan, he’s trying so hard to follow what Mr. Joestar said. If anything, he may look like Dio, but he’s fighting against himself to be human.” Jotaro sips his coffee. His eyes are fixed on the table, as if the patterns of the wood are the most interesting thing in the world. For a second, it seems like he’s spacing out, but for the way his brow furrows, Polnareff knows he’s thinking about their friends and slowly looking up, Polnareff doesn’t fail to notice the similarities between Giorno and Jotaro. They aren’t completely like each other in any way, but their eyes are different shades of the same color, perhaps the same; but the difference between those two, there’s a huge gap that the Consigliere knows, will never be closed. “He will never be Jonathan Joestar. Do you expect me to call him Joestar? With what he did?” “He’s not trying to be him. He’s trying to be like him, to follow his example. You can’t blame him, no one can; it’s not like he decided to be born or chose to awake his vampire instincts. In fact, I think you are just trying to avoid him, and for what I know, Giorno developed the same condition as you. He’s avoiding people too. Just like you.” “Did I ask? I don’t want to know about him.” “I can’t force you to keep on touch with him, but at least respect him.” “I thought I was talking to Polnareff, not the counselor of a criminal.” “You tell me, who am I talking to? It seems like the Jotaro I knew isn’t here and I’m dealing with someone else. I’m not asking you to talk to him, this isn’t about him anymore. It’s about you; your reaction back at his office, before all of this started four months ago it’s a red flag. You need help, Jotaro.” “I don’t want to talk about that.” •••

Sapphire moonlight. Endless night. He doesn’t need to sleep or breath anymore. He’s been forcing himself to sleep, even if he’s not tired or in need to rest. His human instincts still make him breathe, even if instinct is supposed to be made to survive. Instinct. The same thing that made him drink from her. The same thing that made him harm the only person who’s loved him in a sincere way in all his life. The same thing that has him relishing in a cup of black coffee, sitting in the corner of the room with the moonlight pooling through the window, bathing part of the office, that now looks clean like nothing happened. The broken wine bottles are out of sight, the shirt she used to stop the bleeding of her arm now in the trash; he’s not a materialist, the things in the trash or out of his office don’t matter, but to think that he made so much damage to her, his treasured (Y/n) makes it feel like he’s the same as Dio Brando. Dio Brando. A name he wants to forget so bad, a name he doesn’t want to think about as his father. The photo resides now on the desk, face down under a copy of “The only woman in the room” by Marie Benedict.

Blinking tears back, Giorno sips his coffee. Sadly, he doesn’t find comfort in the strong, sweet taste of it like he used to do; in fact, it doesn’t even taste. It feels like it’s just a liquid on his mouth, but with no actual flavor. Gulping it down fiercely, the lump on his throat and the anger rising on his chest makes him act without thinking and throwing the cup aside, the sound the porcelain makes while breaking and the liquid staining the carpet resound on his ears. Trembling, the images of (Y/n) trying to get away from him with fear clouding her eyes welcomes him, as if his own brain is making fun of him. Sinking his hands through his messy blond locks ad bringing his knees to his chest, his body shakes with the weight of his emotions acting. Suddenly, a hand combs his hair, the other, soft and warm, kind and humble presses its palm against the back of his own hand. Looking up, (Y/n)’s kinds eyes welcome him. Bloodshot teal eyes, trembling lips and fragile appearance. She never thought she would see Giorno like this, so out of himself; then again, everything has a start and an ending. Nothing lasts forever, and if it does, the complications should be expected. Kneeling between his legs after he unconsciously opened his legs in a more welcoming position, (Y/n) doesn’t stop herself from touching his face, wiping the tears away with the sleeves of her shirt. Once his skin is dry again, she proceeds then to kiss his cheeks, up to his eyes, that close under the soft touch of hers. When she’s placing a kiss on his forehead, Giorno’s arms are locked around her waist and his face against her neck. The sound of her blood running through her jugular calms him, and for a moment, his thirst calms down. “Please, (Y/n), don’t get too close, I’ll only hurt you if you— if you let me this close to you.” He whispers, weak and anxious. Despite his words, he’s still holding her close to him. His voice may ask for her to leave, but his body screams for her to stay. “Giogio.” She whispers, then, taking his face between her hands. Running her thumb through his jaw, noting the sharpness of it mentally. “You won’t hurt me.” The don’s eyes seem to look for something and once he finds it, his trembling fingers touch slightly the scar of his fangs on her neck, his point doesn’t need words. Sometimes, one could speak through actions. “Gio, listen, please.” (Y/n) takes his hand, kissing the tips of his fingers, locking her eyes with his. Mirroring her actions, Giorno stares at her, blinking repeatedly when the lump on his throat makes him start to hear the blood running through her body.

“I forgive you. I did it when the arrow chose me. But I need you to understand, please, that I could forgive you a thousand times, over and over again; but if you don’t forgive yourself, nothing will ever change. You will keep feeling like this, and you may never complete your dream. Where’s the determined Giorno I met when we were teenagers? Where’s the Giorno who never gives up? I know he’s not gone; I know he’s here; in front of me. He’s strong and will get over this.”

Giorno’s lip trembles. “I’m thirsty, (Y/n). I’m so damn thirsty I can’t think straight. I’m scared, I’m so scared to end up like that man. I don’t want to be like him; I want to be a good man. I know I’m a criminal, but I want to use my power for the good things, I want to be like him. I want to be the gentleman Mr. Joestar said he was. I want to love you with all my heart, I want to protect you. I want to be human.”

“Love, you may be a vampire by race, genetics; whatever you want to call it. But in heart,” (Y/N) presses her open palm against his chest, and even if there’s not a beating but the cold feeling of his skin, it’s symbolic for her next statement. “you are human after all.”

Giorno’s arms circle her waist again and burying his face on her chest, his shoulders shake once again. (Y/n) reaches at her side, taking a blanket from the floor she brought with her, using it to cover his naked back. Giorno’s hands take the ends of the fabric, embracing her with the soft, warm sensation of the fabric.

“How will we go through this?” He asks, his voice slightly determined, contrasting to the defeating tone from before.

“We can ask or pay for medical resources, we can work in your confidence and feelings, we can help you with your paperwork— but right now, you need to understand that you are not alone.”

“I know,” he whispers. “I have you.”

“No, you have us all.” Looking up, Giorno finds Fugo, Mista and Polnareff in the doorway. Their expressions kind, heavy with sleep, but what really matters is the way they all seem ready to fight alongside him.

#Teal and Burgundy #vampire!giorno giovanna #giorno giovanna x reader #fem reader #fem s/o #sfw #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken #JJBA Vento Aureo #jjba x reader #guido mista #panacotta fugo #Jean Pierre Polnareff #Jotaro Kujo

[sabine-leo]

A smile to remember

Chapter 24

Author: @sabine-leo

Chapter: 24 /?  

Genre: Fluff, Humor, Romance, Insecurity

Special Guests: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth

Note: You wanted more.. here you go! LOVE YOU ALL for all the love i received!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH 

A week later Tom paced in front of your bathroom door.

“Are you really sure?”

He ruffled his hair and took a moment to look at you but then began to pace again.

“Thomas, love… please you are making me nervous too!”

You had gotten home after work to find Tom waiting for you with a blank expression on his face. Now with every minute passing he got more anxious and nervous.

 “How many minutes more you think?” He asked steadying himself in the doorframe.

“Another 3 maybe... please, go sit down on the bed. You look like you are about to pass out!”

Tom huffed but did as you asked. Smiling you shook your head.

You were nervous too, very much so but you knew that you could face this with Tom by your side.

 At this moment you were starting to get scared that he would have second thoughts.

Laying down the little pen you looked into the mirror. This was you.. you weren´t looking very much different to your normal self. Maybe a bit darker around the eyes, but not so much changed. Hopefully that would do…

“Alright…I´m ready…as ready as can be…” You heard Tom shuffle and looking at you with a smile on a bit more relaxed face now. “I´m so sorry.. I might have overreacted…”

You laughed “You think?” Coming over to Tom you hugged your arms around his waist.

 Tom instantly hugging you back.

“I´m really scared you can´t cope with this side of me…” He said into your hair.

“Don´t be.. I´m not so easily scared…especially regarding things I care about.”

Tom kissed your head and sighed but laughed a little.

“I suppose we can´t let them wait any longer…They are doing us a favour and I might be sorry I asked them later in the evening!”

 You laughed and looked up to your lover.

“I don´t think they would misbehave… that much…” Laughing with you, Tom stroked your cheek.

“You look stunning love…I think I´ll plan how I am going to undress you the whole evening.”

 Tom took your hand in his and kissed your knuckles.

“Alright, let´s get this over with…”

The both of you walked to the car that was waiting for you. Tom had organised it but was a bit taken aback as he saw a Limo waiting instead of a normal car.

The sunroof opened up and 2 heads popped up.

“You make the funniest faces when surprised!”

Said Benedict Cumberbatch and laughed at the other one standing inside the Limo grinning at you. “You look awesome (Y/N)… I might steal another dance tonight!”  Chris Evans beamed at you.

 “I said we wanted to lay low?!  Maybe get seen by one or two Paparazzi or fans...Not invite the whole country to take a picture and watch what we are up to!” Tom sounded a bit bugged. Another head popped up. “Why? Give them an overdose of PDA and you might be of the hock…”

“Chris? What are you doing in Britain?” Chris Hemsworth grinned. “Helping my brother out?” he winked at you and ducked inside the car again. The door flung open.

“Get in, I´m hungry!” Chris yelled. Chris and Bens wife waved at you which left Evans without a date for tonight. For a moment you thought about Mrs Wilson and laughed. Tom watched you.

“What are you thinking about love?” You told Tom and he grinned.

“Next time they pull my leg we will do just that!” He kissed you and looked into your eyes.

“Ready for a Night out with this bunch of idiots and your anxious boyfriend?”  

 You kissed Tom and nodded. Climbing into the car your heartbeat got faster for a moment but Chris wife squeezed your hand. “We´ve all been through that… you will be fine, the men will get you out if you decide it´s too much.” Bens wife smiled at you and nodded. “Were right beside you!”

You smiled and thanked them for their encouragement. Tom squeezed your leg after sitting down.

You had put on a brave face, but inside you were shaking quite a bit. Wanting to be strong and brave for Tom, you tried to shake the feeling and smiled. Tom was it for you, you hadn´t told him yet, but you wanted it to work between the both of you!!

 The limo drove off. The mood in the car was good natured. There were teases thrown Toms way which made him ease up a bit too. “If you want to I can take (Y/N)´s hand when we head in…” Evans grinned.

 “Keep on dreaming Evans…get your own girl!” Tom huffed but smiled. As the Limo came to a stop on a red light at Leicester Square Evans opened the Sunroof and stood up. “Alright, let´s see if I can find one right now!”  Ben followed suit with a deep laugh. “I´ll help you look!”

Tom rolled his eyes at the two of them and shook his head as the first screams were heard.

“Want to remedy your statement. They will misbehave THAT much!”

You laughed and kissed Tom softly.

“Takes the main focus off of us.. always see the positive side!”

 Stopping at Dean Street you reached your final destination. Soho House London. As the car-door opened the flashes started to light up.

“Look down, your eyes aren´t used to so much flashlights yet.”

Bens wife smiled a last encouraging smile before she followed her husband out of the car. Good that you had chosen figure-hugging pants instead of a skirt or dress. It was easier to get out without showing things you´d like to keep private. Chris and his wife followed Ben and his wife. The paparazzi shouting their names. “You next, I´ll go last!” Evans said and tapped Toms shoulder.

 Tom leaned over and kissed you quickly. “Please, don´t run!” You smiled and tried to keep a straight face, not showing the nerves you had to keep in check. Tom climbed out and turned to extend his hand to help you. Laying your hand in his you climbed out of the car with a smile.

Evans chose this moment to pop his head out of the sunroof. “Evening lads!” He yelled to the 5 paparazzi. “What a night!” He hoisted himself up and sat on the roof of the car. Tom laughed a little and held your hand tightly as he led you inside the foyer of Soho house. Evans sliding of the car, closing the door and following you inside.

 “That went well…Now.. where is my Steak?” Evans clapped his hands and high fived the other Chris after that. You needed to blink a few times. “Boy, I have black spots in my eyes. How do you manage Premiers? That were only 5 of them flashing lights left right and centre.” Ben smiled and said

“You get used to it after a while.. but hurts like a bitch sometimes.”

Tom tucked you into an embrace. “Are you ok darling?” He watched you cautiously.

“Yes, I am!” You assured him and kissed him softly. The 7 of you were led to a table and sat down.

It didn´t take long for some people to come over and ask for pictures and autographs. The men all willing and kind for some time. After that your group mostly got left alone. Tom sitting next to you relaxed as he saw you having fun with his friends. His arm was around your back, his fingers playing with a strand of your hair. In a quiet moment were everyone was studying the menu he leaned in and tilted your chin upwards to meet his lips. Kissing you without a care in the world that some people were watching.

 Ben cleared his throat as you both seemed lost in the kiss.

“What do you want to order…besides a room!?”

Everybody laughed and Tom and you both blushed a little.

“Leave them alone…I still remember our first outing. You were a mess Ben!”

His wife Sophie winked at you and smiled.

  The night was full of fun and laughter. Tom and you sharing touches and kisses now and then. After the dinner you all went away from the table to a cosier setting with couches and small tables. You knew that in here you were safe. Outside surely were more Paparazzi waiting and ready to blind you again. But with Tom and those lovely people at your side you felt safe anyhow.

Tags for:

 @theoneanna @shegatsby @wabisabigrl @everything-is-awesomesauce@drakesfiance @spoopyfoxxtropical @yokaimoon @kjjazzy23@confessionsofastrugglingteen  @shinebrightlikeafanbase @snarkalumpf @coniumalces @lisastandford95 @inlovewithfreyamikaelson @heart-shaped-hell @marikochi @xxxeatyourh3artoutxxx

#a smile to remember #tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom hiddleston fanfic #tom fluff #tom hiddleston fluff #benedict cumberbatch #chris evans #chris hemsworth #special guest #Damn Hiddleston #fluff humor #hot hiddleston #reader x tom hiddleston #tom hiddleston x you #hiddelstoners #hiddleston army #thomas william hiddleston #tom hiddleston fun #british actors #british actor rpf

[sophieswundergarten]

Thinking once again about Sticky Washington and how he was set up to fail. Not intentionally, and certainly not by Mr. Benedict or his friends, but by the story itself.

All of the children have a wonderful love of truth, of course, but Sticky's is so closely tied with his knowledge. All of the things he is praised for have to do with his ability to remember things, true things, and it just makes me so sad how the narrative is stacked against him.

Because he's alone!! And he's newly alone. It hits him in a different way than it does the other kids because they've grown used to it. The pain is still present, but it's old and familiar. For Sticky, being on his own is still a new and sharp pain, and it is full of fear.

He wants so desperately to be wanted, to be needed, but he's scared of falling into the same trap of confusing "usefulness" for "worth", because all he has to work with are the hollow definition of what others have cut out and left behind.

And he fights so hard not to give in, so hard.

But it's not enough, and it's not his fault. Sometimes it's easier and simpler to let yourself slip back into the habit of being hurt. Of resigning yourself to the knowledge that you'll never be worth more than what you can give to people, and feeling shame at the knowledge that you don't have much of yourself left.

And I think, in some ways, knowing Mr. Benedict and the others before going to the Institute made it worse.

To have to get out of bed every morning, and look into the eyes of someone offering to be your best friend, just because of who you are, no strings attached; to know that you were sent on this mission with people who care about you, and by people who want you to succeed for more than their own gain; and then to walk straight into the lion's den, straight into an environment that only wants to use and rend and leave you broken, that kind of emotional whiplash would be sickening.

For this portion of the plot, Sticky thinks he's living in a tragedy, because he can't see a way out. Living as someone who has been hurt and led astray by the people who were supposed to protect him and grappling with the fact that there's more to the world than what he had been allowed to see, and that he has to learn to navigate it on his own. Living and trying and making mistakes and hating himself for it and then, finally, having a glimpse of exactly what he wants, what he's been longing for: An opportunity to be loved for himself, just as he is. But it's taken away from him by Curtain and how he falls prey to the Institute's lies, and he feels ashamed and guilty and unworthy, only this time it isn't a game.

He hasn't missed a question that he'll be able to make up for or try again, he's hurt his friends, and without them he isn't strong enough to stand back up.

And, obviously, it gets better and he learns that he is worth more than just what he can give, but, sometimes, I think about how he must have felt in the middle of all that. And I think above all he felt alone.

#Is this something? #It got a bit much my brain kind of spiraled at the end there I'm sorry #I know all the kids felt alone in one way or another #Such is the human condition and especially for these kids #But some days my mind just gets stuck on one character #the mysterious benedict society #mbs #sticky washington

[nellie-elizabeth]

Shadowhunters 3x11 Post-Script

So... I liked the episode a lot, but I felt really mixed feelings about Alec and Jace's Parabatai moment. Sure, it's sweet to see Alec caring for him, but I also felt like maybe Alec's tactic here was a bit harsh. But then I tried to think about everything going on from Alec's perspective, and I wrote a little something to help me process my feelings over this scene. I want to be clear that I don't agree with what Alec said to Jace, and I hope I've made it clear that his anger is misplaced. It's a selfish reaction in the way I've imagined it, but I don't think it's fair to de-legitimize anyone's emotions in such a difficult situation. I hope that even when Clary comes back, the rest of the gang helps Jace, Simon, Magnus, and... well, really, everyone process their pain and deal with their challenges. (Fat chance we'll get to see it play out in the show to a satisfying degree, but I guess that's what fandom is for!)

"By the way, how did that talk with Jace go?" Magnus asked later that night.

Alec sighed, feeling a headache mount up behind his eyes. And he'd been so relaxed just a second ago. "I don't know. I mean, I think I accomplished my goal, anyway."

Magnus was silent for a moment. Alec knew that his boyfriend could recognize that tone in his voice, and he also knew that Magnus was annoyingly good at getting Alec to spill without having to say a word himself.

"I don't think we're in danger of Jace trying to kill himself," Alec said bluntly. That, after all, had to be the top priority. The rest could wait. Pulling Jace out of this dark hole of depression wasn't going to be easy, and the whole thing would be useless if Jace decided he was done living in utter despair and checked out before they could get him help. "But I think I really screwed up that conversation."

"How so?" Magnus prompted gently.

"I... well, I went for the guilt angle. I didn't mean to, I swear. I was going to be all gentle and kind, and then..."

"What?"

"He brushed me off! And then when I pressed him, he told me I should have killed him to save Clary." The words made Alec's blood boil with anger even now, hours later, and he took a couple of deep breaths to cool off before continuing. "So I tried to make him feel like shit about dishonoring Clary's memory, and about wasting the risk and sacrifice we all went through, and when he just kept on staring at me I... I made it about myself. I told him what losing him would do to me. And I could tell that's the one thing that was getting through to him, so maybe I did right, but I just feel... I feel like I'm failing him again."

Alec hadn't been looking at Magnus while speaking. It was always difficult to confront those understanding eyes when he was in the middle of feeling sorry for himself. But, as was generally the case, Magnus knew how to force the issue. He sat up in the bed and shifted around so he was sitting in front of Alec, straddling his legs but sitting far enough away that their faces were a foot apart. "Alec, listen to me. Are you listening?"

"Yeah."

"You're not failing him. Jace is going through unimaginable pain right now. He's not thinking clearly. And if he's not thinking clearly, then neither are you. You're scared for him, and that's alright. The important thing is to let him know you'll be there always - no matter what."

Alec let himself be comforted for a moment, staring into those eyes he loved so much. He lifted his hand and brushed it along the side of Magnus' face, feeling gratified when Magnus leaned in to the touch almost by instinct. "I appreciate the encouragement," he said finally, his words a little croaky. "But the truth is, as much as I'm worried about Jace, as much as he's scaring me right now, I'm also - I'm also angry with him, and I can't..." he looked down, feeling a lump in his throat. "I can't help it, I know it's not fair of me to make all of this about me, but how could he - how could he be thinking about - " he hadn't been aware that he'd started crying until Magnus rose himself up and wrapped his arms around Alec, pressing him close and making comforting shushing noises into his hair.

They sat like that for a while, Magnus wrapped around Alec, Alec's face pressed into Magnus' bare shoulder. Eventually, Alec took a deep breath, then another, letting his body relax into the embrace. He was surprised to find that he wasn't done talking about this, even after the somewhat cathartic crying. Saying it all out loud and being met with only love and understanding was actually helping him. "I try to put myself in his shoes," Alec said. "I can't even imagine it, Magnus, what it would feel like for me if I lost you. I don't even like thinking about it. And that's what Jace is going through. My Parabatai lost the love of his life, and there's nothing I can do to help him."

"And on top of that," Magnus pointed out, a hint of his reasoned tone firming up under the sympathy, "he's dealing with the consequences of hurting people while possessed. I know you've got some idea of what that's like as well."

Alec nodded, dully. "I know. And it sucked. And after what I did to Jocelyn, I felt like giving up. I was miserable, and self-destructive, all of that. And Jace tried to be there for me, and I didn't want to let him at first. I can see what this is like from the other side, and I know he's in pain. But..." Alec wasn't sure if voicing the next part out loud was going to hurt Magnus' feelings. He wasn't sure if saying it would make the situation better or worse. But he'd come this far, and he found that he wanted to voice it, damn the consequences. "Magnus, I would never, never be willing to die, I would never think about killing myself, as long as Jace was still alive."

There's an unspoken second half to that statement, that if Jace was dead, Alec's state of mind might have been quite different. Alec could almost hear Magnus realize this, tense himself to discuss it, and then let it drop away for another time.

Alec continued - "If I died, I know what it would do to Jace, because I felt it myself when Jace died at Lake Lyn. And even if I hadn't felt it personally, I... I know what losing me would do to him, and I love him too much to ever put him through that. The physical pain alone was unbearable, and the rest of it is just... it's too terrible to think about. But he was thinking about it. He was really - he was in such a bad place that he thought about taking his own life, and he wasn't thinking about me at all. Does it make me a monster if I'm angry with him for it?"

Magnus was quiet for so long this time that Alec wondered with a spark of fear if he'd crossed a line, if Magnus was disgusted with him for his selfishness. But finally, slowly, Alec felt Magnus raise his head to press a kiss against Alec's forehead, and his boyfriend's voice came to him, a balm of benediction.

"You love Jace. He knows you love him. And for now, Alexander, that's going to have to be enough to get on with. You'll talk to him again tomorrow. You'll make sure he knows you're here to support him. And when you feel yourself feeling angry at everything that's happened, you'll come home and you'll rant and rave to me, or to Izzy, or whoever you want, and then you'll go back to Jace and you'll do it all over again, until one day things don't seem so bleak."

"You make it sound easy," Alec said, trying to shake off the wobble in his voice.

"On the contrary, It'll be extremely difficult and painful. But I know you, and you're more than up for the task."

Alec wasn't sure if he could believe him, all things considered. He was still berating himself for the way that talk with Jace had gone. Jace had apologized to him for feeling suicidal, and Alec knew the part of him that felt relieved at the apology was in the wrong. He needed to be stronger for his grieving Parabatai, just like he needed to be stronger for Magnus, given what he was going through without his magic. And Magnus' words, whether Alec believed them to be true or not, were a boost to Alec's flagging morale. At this point, he'd take whatever help he could get.

With a sigh, Alec blinked back the last bit of moisture from his eyes and sat up, disengaging from Magnus slightly but keeping their faces close together. Slowly, deliberately, he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against Magnus' lips. He made himself focus only on that sensation, pushing all thoughts of guilt and grief and anger from his mind for a blissful few seconds.

"Enough about that," Alec said as he pulled back. He made himself smile, and was surprised to find it wasn't as difficult as he might have imagined. "You and I are going to hit the gym in the morning."

"Excuse me?" Magnus said, quirking an eyebrow at the abrupt change of subject.

"You heard me. I know you're still processing losing your magic, but it's high time you learn other ways of taking care of yourself."

"And you think you're going to be the one to teach me?"

"Sure. You have a problem with that?"

"I've watched you Shadowhunters train. I'm more a creature of comfort and leisure, you know - decadence is the name of the game when you're a centuries-old society icon. All that sweating and running around punching things is hardly dignified."

"Alright, fair enough," Alec said. "It's your choice - you can train with me, or..." he paused for effect, "I can always hand you off to Izzy."

Magnus' eyes widened in only partially exaggerated horror, and Alec barely rolled out of the way of Magnus' tackle in time. "I'll show you how capable I am of taking care of myself, Mr. Lightwood," Magnus growled, and Alec, letting his own laughter carry the last of the day's stresses away, began his first informal training session with his wonderful boyfriend. He had a feeling the Clave wouldn't approve of these particular tactics, and he didn't care a bit.

#my posts #shadowhunters #malec #jalec #(platonic) #parabatai #jace herondale #alec lightwood #magnus bane

[martinfreemangossip]

A friend just sent me the full Amanda Abbington article for those who wanted to read it (I don’t) and don’t have a subscription.

Amanda Abbington: ‘The split shook me. I had no self-esteem’

The actress talks about finding love after breaking up with Martin Freeman

Back in early 2014, when I last interviewed Amanda Abbington, she was taking a bashing on social media over her role as Dr Watson’s bride in the BBC series Sherlock. What I could not know was that she was about to go through a far worse time with the man who played him, Martin Freeman, her partner and the father of her son and daughter. Two years after that interview, they separated. Today, encased against the winter in a hat with long earflaps that conceals her newly darkened hair, she tells me about the break-up, how it destroyed her self-esteem and threatened her children’s wellbeing but also, crucially, why it didn’t dent her faith in romance.

The online abuse flung at Abbington five years ago came from Sherlock obsessives who wanted Holmes, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and Watson to have eyes only for each other. Obviously, the trolls added nepotism to their charge sheet against her, to which her defence to me was that, after 13 years together, it was about time her association with Freeman got her a gig.

It was all nonsense — she was outstanding as Mary Watson. Her performance took an actress well enough known from ITV’s Mr Selfridge to international fame, a starring role in Netflix’s crime serial Safe and now, on stage, to the part of Anne, a wronged woman already portrayed by Gina McKee and Lia Williams in the first two parts of the French writer Florian Zeller’s acclaimed domestic trilogy. The Son, the sequence’s conclusion, centres on Anne’s clinically depressed teenage son Nicolas, laden with suppressed rage at his parents’ break-up.

Zeller described The Mother and The Father as “dark” or “tragic” farces, but reading The Son it is hard to find the laughs, although Abbington insists that the cast at the Kiln Theatre in northwest London are locating some in rehearsal. “I think it will upset a lot of people. It is melancholic and it is sad,” she says, but adds: “I like going to the theatre sometimes and feeling uncomfortable, and not because the performances are bad, but just because it’s nice to sit there and question stuff and think: ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ ”

Except, of course, to an extent at least, she has gone there. I ask if she was reluctant to be in a play about a divorce. “No, I don’t think so, because with mine and Martin’s break-up we were kind and we made sure that [their children] Joe and Grace came first, and that their needs and their feelings were taken into account more than ours,” she says. “And, actually, we’re all right. We get on and we talk and we’re still in touch. There were flashpoints where it was very accusatory and angry, but generally we’re in an OK place and we are there for our children, which is the important thing.”

She will not go into detail about what derailed them three years ago, but there is no doubt that the 18 months during which Freeman spent up to four months at a stretch in New Zealand filming The Hobbit contributed to it. Freeman, she says, does not have a new partner, but a newspaper did report rumours of friendships that maddened Abbington at their home in Hertfordshire.

“A few things happened during the last couple of years of our relationship that were the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she says. “I thought: ‘We can’t do this anymore. We aren’t happy. It’s time to be strong and say let’s not do this because we’re just not making each other happy. We’re not making the kids happy. The best thing to do is just be happy apart.’ And, actually, I’m much happier now.

“I wasn’t depressed, but I was very low, low for months, and very tearful and it shook my confidence. I still have no self-esteem. None at all.”

Because of that? “Because of the fallout of that.”

She felt rejected? “Yes, and I felt really old and stupid and unattractive, and you can’t recover from that overnight. He hadn’t left me for anyone, but things were happening within the relationship that made me feel like that. You know, I’m getting older. I’m in my forties — all these things help make you feel less of a woman, less feminine, less female.”

She will be 45 this month, but she has always lacked confidence in her looks. “Since I was a little girl. I never, ever think I’m attractive enough or good enough to be, you know, at the party.”

She conceals these feelings from her children, especially from Grace, who is ten and, like her mother at that age, tiny. “I was bullied for being small and insignificant, but she’s like a little powerhouse, whereas my son, who is 13, is heartbreakingly sensitive.”

She regularly checks on how the pair are doing emotionally. “It was a big thing that happened to them and it shook them a lot. Martin and I get on 95 per cent of the time, but if they feel a small imbalance in our little unit they get very scared. They pick up on everything. Because they’re so young and not cynical and much more open, they sense things in people, but we’re very careful. It’s all about being careful.”

Which is the problem with the divorced parents in The Son. They haven’t been careful. “No, they haven’t.”

The husband certainly hasn’t. “No, he hasn’t, and Anne has been very vocal about her anger towards him and [his girlfriend] in front of Nicolas.”

She shared her own anger with four close friends, who were able to provide some perspective. Her parents, who live down the road from her in Potters Bar, remain hugely supportive and look after the children when she is working during the day. Freeman, who lives in north London, takes them at weekends. She has buckets of respect for single mums. Mothers remain children’s first call, she says.

Equally, while she has had to turn down four months’ work filming in Romania, Freeman would not. “From time immemorial that’s been the case. That’s fair enough. I’m the mother and I suppose that’s what people expect. It’s ingrained, but I think it’s a shame because women’s work is equally as important as men’s.”

Did she fear that she would be alone for ever? “No. No. I’m a firm believer in love. I love love. I’ve seen people get really untrusting and cynical and angry when they were hurt, and I was hurt. I was really hurt. It really shook me, but you can’t carry that on into the next part of your life.”

She noticed the Northern Irish actor Jonjo O’Neill when they performed in a gala night at the Royal Court theatre in November 2016 (I noticed the 40-year-old in BBC Two’s The Fall). On the night, she was watching him from the audience with the actresses Jessica Hynes and Lesley Sharp on either side. They said that if she did not ask him out, they would do so for her. “So at the end of the night, after the gala, I went up to him and said: ‘I think we should go for a drink.’ He was: ‘Yeah, OK.’ We were following each other on Twitter and it was really nice, but then I met him and it was like: ‘Oh, you’re lovely. I’ll be brazen.’ ”

He has met her children, but not moved in — not yet at least. If he does, he will share a home with three rescue dogs, an abandoned cat and a tarantula. He will be spared two pet rats, recently deceased. “Proper grey rats. I loved them. They used to sit up and eat cheese.”

It is almost a definition of Abbington’s low self-esteem that she fails to realise how attractive she is. I don’t think she misses how funny she is. We agree she should do more comedy.

I assume that the Sherlock trolls evaporated. “Oh yes. I don’t think they were very happy with the last series. I think it got very complicated. I love Steven Moffat [the co-creator], but I think they started to pander to the fans, involving a lot of fandom stuff. I thought: ‘You should just stick to the stories, because they’re much more interesting.’ ”

Such blasphemy does not stop her from campaigning for a part in Moffat and Mark Gatiss’s next project, Dracula. “I’d be a good vampire,” she says, modesty going to hell. She is so talented and such fun that I’d put money on her getting the job, whatever heresies she risks against Sherlock.

AMANDA ABBINGTON’S PERFECT WEEKEND

Ski holiday or beach break? Beach break

Mindfulness or mindlessness? Mindfulness. Always. Always practising mindfulness

Tiger mum or free-range parent? Free-range. I’m protective, but they need to go off and do their own stuff. I have an app on my phone called Life 360 so I always know where they are

Barry’s Bootcamp or Yin Yoga? I’ve never done yoga, but I do go to the gym a lot

I couldn’t get through the weekend without . . . A roast dinner. My grandmother taught me how to make a really good one

#aa #gossip #martin freeman

[tellemanca]

PENN STATION, THE DAY BEFORE.

DECEMBER 10TH, 2007. One day before JOHN FOUND CLARISSA.

The tired 17– almost 18 – year old girl was curled up on her corner on the bench, head gently tucked under her pack. Tomorrow morning, she told herself, she would get a hot sub to make up for the missing meals for the last two days. She just had to hold out with her limited cash flow.

Telling herself tomorrow had always worked, but it was hard when it was a night like this; cold, quiet… Even the station was unusually deserted. The jacket was tugged tighter around her small frame and her head nuzzled against her bag, pinpointing the exact location of her teddy bear inside the bag and managing to fall asleep easily.

      Young lady, excuse me, I know you’re tired, but I need you to wake up now…. Clarissa, wake up, darling.

Bolting awake, she whimpered as she glanced around her, gaining her bearings. She was still in the station and the only person near her was a neatly dressed man reading a newspaper. Glancing at the large clock, it was half past 3 in the morning.

     Hello, Clarissa.

Terrified, Clari whipped her head around to find no one had spoken, but the man had settled his newspaper into his lap and was looking at her with a warm smile. He looked like he would be the one with the British voice

It’s alright, darling. I’m just like you. Relax your mind, I’m not going to hurt you. The man waved his hand gently and Clarissa shyly returned it.

                                                             How– I don’t understand–

       It’s alright, I can explain. Everything. Are you hungry? There’s a diner a few blocks away that is still open, I will pay if you wish to hear me out. Maybe we can get you a warm bed for the rest of the night, hmm?

Clarissa tensed, a million different scenarios going through her head, most prominently was her experience with men who offered her a bed for the night. They usually thought it was fair exchange over paying her.

      No, darling. You misunderstand me. I don’t wish to hire you for a night. I wish to give you the opportunity to escape this life, and settle yourself into something better… Where you’ll be safe.

Carefully, the man tucked his newspaper into his bag and stood, crossing slowly towards her with his hand extended.

“You are talented, darling. You do not need to fear me, or fear any man ever again. Let me get you some food and we can speak openly, verbally or non-verbally, about what I can do to help you.”  His voice was calming. And though she still had reservations, the mental image of a man in a suit cornering her in the locker-room all those years ago. The man seemed to tense at her thought, his teeth gritting. “You should have never had that happen to you. I apologize for how that man scared you. You were a child and you should have been offered safety. You still are a child… In fact…” He reached into his pocket, pulling his wallet out and offering her the photo of a smiling toothy blonde girl, a few years younger than Clarissa. “You remind me of my own daughter. Her name is Cassandra.” She is like us as well. And very smart. I’m sure you two would get along well.

Clarissa swallowed tightly, trying to do her mind trick and see what he was really up to. His mind resisted at first before it bent, letting her in to see the truth in his words. The small girl, being levitated around a nice house, giggling about being super girl while the man chuckled as he held her up. I swear on my daughter’s life. I will not hurt you, Clarissa.

Backing out of his mind carefully, still unsure of how that trick worked, she glanced back at his hand which was still extended out to her and carefully put hers into it. Noting how dirty her hand was, fingernails with dirt under them and jagged from chewing to stop the hunger pains against a clean and well manicured hand. For a moment, she wondered what it would be like to have nice nails again… To be as well groomed as the man in front of her.

“What’s… What’s your name, sir?” She asked, her voice a little rough from lack of use. It was probably the first sentence she had spoken in a week. “My name is Hugh Bathory. You can call me either, if you’d like.” Helping her stand, his other hand pocketed his wallet before carefully scooping her bag onto his arm, like he knew it contained the last shreds of her life.

      Come along, I think I would like eggs benedict. How about you? Pancakes with sausage?

Clarissa allowed herself a small smile before feeling a very familiar tug to her body as he teleported them out of the station and into a new life.

Mr. Bathory explained everything about her powers as they ate (for 4 am, the pancakes were exceptional, and he didn’t seem to judge her lack of attention when they had arrived, only advising her to eat it slowly while he took a sip of his coffee and asked for a refill of her hot chocolate). He explained that she was a product of evolution, and she was special, even for their species. She was a Tomorrow Person, and she was a telekinetic specialist. Classified as a pusher with fine dexterity.

  (Taking the salt shaker, he uncapped it and poured a pile on the table. “Now, put the salt back, Clarissa. With your powers.” Clari had looked at him, wondering how he knew she could do this– before carefully moving pinches of the salt back into the shaker; a telekinetic hand sweeping the excess into her real hand and carefully funneling back in that excess. Mr. Bathory had laughed, clapping his hands. “Wonderful, Clarissa! You are a true telekinetic specialist!)

And finally, he explained Ultra. The same company that the man in the locker-room had tried to force her to go to. And Mr. Bathory was VERY adamant that the man was in the wrong and that she very much had a choice. She could come to work with him and learn to control her powers, OR she would receive a shot– a tracer, not a remover – that would help him keep an eye on her and she was free to go. “You can stay with us for a week, see what we do, and if you change your mind, I’ll give you the tracer, and you are free to leave.” He had said.

It sounded fair enough. Clarissa thought.

After he paid for their meal, he had teleported (that was the word for it) her to a very nice hotel with two private bedrooms and bathrooms, offering her privacy.

That first real shower… Clarissa had forgotten what her skin had felt and looked like… And forgotten how pretty her hair was. Mr. Bathory had left her a pair of soft cotton pajamas on her bed when she had gotten out. (They are my daughter’s, you are both the same size I believe. Which also brings me to having you see a doctor if you’d like. You need to be looked after until we can bring your weight back up to what it was before you broke out.)

Clarissa almost didn’t believe that she had this huge bed all to herself, or that the PJs were clean and fresh on her skin. She had even found a beautiful brush that she was hesitant to run through her hair, but then did so vigilantly, using the hair dryer to leave her hair falling down her back in soft waves. Warm and clean, she had glanced around the room, still in a state of disbelief.

Quietly, she stepped out into the living room of the suite to see Mr. Bathory typing on a very expensive computer, reading over reports as she approached his side. Looking up, he beamed.

“You already look improved, darling. Why don’t you go to bed and sleep as long as you like. I will be here if you need me.”

Clarissa couldn’t help herself, overcome with emotion and tears pricking the corner of her eyes before she leaned down and wrapped her arms around the older man’s shoulders, hugging him– hugging someone for the first time in YEARS– Thank you.

      You’re welcome, darling. You’re welcome. You deserve to live like a princess. And you will.

Mr. Bathory was true to his word and was there when she woke up after a very long sleep, offering her a cup of tea and an omelette, though it was half past noon. He even had gotten her new clothes… Well, his daughter’s clothes, temporary for now.

That afternoon, he took her to the Ultra building in Battery Park, giving her a guided tour and introducing her to Hillary, a younger girl who had lost her family to a home invasion. Hillary took to Clarissa like a duck to water, the two girls laughing and teasing each other after an hour. It was then she also met Dr. Jedikiah Price, who was a human, but was confident in his ability to train Tomorrow People.

His mind was closed off, but Clarissa didn’t try to pry. Dr. Price seemed hesitant on accepting her into his program, even with the caveat of the one week trial. But he agreed, leading her, Hillary and Mr. Bathory to the dorms, where she was offered a space all for herself with a window of the street. Hillary was in the room next door. Dr. Price explained all of the different things in the room, showing Clarissa how to access the computer built into a desk cabinet, how to call for someone in an emergency and the power suppressor on her door, explaining this was used in case of emergency, or if she teleported in her sleep. The white walls of the dorm were bare, but Hillary ‘whispered’ that they could go poster shopping for her later if she wanted, causing Mr. Bathory to give a twitch of a smile.

Giving her the keycard for her room that would also be attached to her ID, Dr. Price left her to settle in while Mr. Bathory reached into her bag, pulling out her teddy bear– which had been gently cleaned without her knowledge, and placed it gently against the pillow of the bed, setting her bag down in the corner. “Here is where I leave you, darling. You will be safe here. Remember, if you don’t like it here after the week, you will be free to go.” Clarissa launched herself at him, giving him a tight hug which he was quick to return, kissing the top of her head. “You and I will be very good friends, Clarissa. I can feel it in my heart.” Bidding her goodbye, he left the room, Hillary quickly stepping in to show off her dorm room to Clarissa and helping her find a basket of essential shower items, showing her where the clean linens were and where to drop the dirtied ones, and where to go when she needed a little spending money since while they were underage, they weren’t legally paid yet.

The week was hard, but Clarissa immediately loved it. Every morning she had breakfast with Hillary in the meal room, the younger girl keeping prying questions from reaching Clarissa. Then they went to morning training, where their instructor was careful with her, letting her test her limits with minimal pushing.

Clearly impressed by her telekinetic manipulations, he let her sit and watch the rest of the lesson. Telepathy training was rough, but no one was mad at her for not being overly good at it. (“Everyone has a specialty, but everyone also has one they just aren’t as good at as the others. It’s okay.”) Teleportation training was… well, it was fun, the instructor bounced a ball and Clarissa would teleport to try and catch it where it landed. She even liked fight training, and was paired against Hillary since they were they same height. The other girl had more training and more weight on her and was competitive. Something Clarissa had seemed to forgotten. By the end of their match, they were both laughing about how Hillary had thrown Clarissa against the ceiling and Clarissa had decided to stay there, refusing to come down while also poking Hillary with a telekinetic finger.

Dr. Price had a doctor come see her on the second night, leading her down to a lab where she was weighed, measured and had blood samples taken. She was also given a flu shot and a few vaccines not unusual for her age (she was told most colleges required these for their dorming students and they were no different) and was given a few bottles of vitamins to take before breakfast, the doctor telling her with a kind smile that they would be giving her protein soy shakes with her breakfast to help her build muscle and weight. Between training was relaxation time where the young agents could go out into the world or stay in and peruse a small library, or study online classes for college credits. She went out with Hillary, for once experiencing New York, not as a homeless teenage prostitute, but as a young woman. They went and got coffee with a few of the other girls one day, and went to see a movie the other. It was nice. Hillary even told her that when they were of age, they could stay in the dorms, or they could have part of their pay cut to fund an apartment for them in an approved building.

In the end, after experiencing a week of Ultra for herself, Mr. Bathory returned, sitting her down with Dr. Price in his office. Dr. Price shook her hand when she said she’d stay, welcoming her aboard. Mr. Bathory could only smile and embrace her warmly, reminding her that she would be safe, and never want for anything while she was with them.

#v: titans ; ❝ the life we deserve ❞ #v: Ultra ; ❝ salvation❞ #drabble ;