#lesley may

[controversial-blorbo-bracket]

Controversial Character Tournament Round 1: Lesley May from Rivers of London

#poll #round 1 #1 submission #lesley may #rivers of london

[caleliope]

I was trying to flesh out my understanding of the characters in Rivers of London before I write them, and honestly I think part of the difference between Peter and Nightingale that I find most interesting is the tension between their types of curiosity. Like, I sometimes get the impression that Peter thinks Nightingale doesn't care to learn more about magic, but that's not really true. Peter fixates on learning why magic works -- he's always looking for the science behind it, developing theories and trying to find the limits. He's trying to suss out what the rules are. And I think it's true that Nightingale doesn't really care about that. But I also think that Nightingale is invested in the how of magic. He focuses on the practical side of things. Nightingale isn't really the type to have much use for all the theoretical stuff. It's kinda like the difference between a theoretical physicist and a mechanic or inventor, right? They're looking at the same stuff and taking interest in different parts.

Which brings me to Lesley. If Peter's a theoretical physicist and Nightingale is a mechanic, Lesley is a car collector. She uses magic to get her where she wants to go and she desperately wants to have magic but isn't really curious about it. Actually Lesley's lack of curiosity is kind of her defining trait from the get-go: she doesn't wander at all. She does her job by the book without even considering the deeper implications, her regard for others tends to end at what they can do for her, and she doesn't see value in fleshing out her worldview. And that becomes a much bigger problem as soon as she tries to engage with a community that doesn't actively try to fit itself into a good-vs-evil binary, because she can't be bothered to weigh that kind of thing for herself.

#lela's thoughts #rivers of london #peter grant #thomas nightingale #ben aaronovitch #lesley may #any fiction about the police is gonna require some consideration of the differences between legality morality and ethics #but thats a different post

[doctorhimbeere]

You know what I just thought about .Why did Lesley McBackstabbing hated Nightingale so much he had no apparent involvement in the shit that happened to her he was just their , not very helpful true but still ....was it because he is a symbol for the trauma or because he wouldn't/couldn’t fix her or was it simply that he chose Peter even when she proved to be better at magic (in her view) and Policeing .Peter was and always will be his favourite and she wasn't used to that beeing only number 2 for the first time in her life .

#rivers of london #thomas nightingale #peter grant #lesley may #thank you for coming to my tedtalk

[jaybeefoxy]

Here's my two cents/two penny worth on the potential casting of Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London (if it ever reaches the tv). If you'd rather not know, then please don't read the rest of this post. However...I can't decide...

Thanks to @corainne for advice as to how to do an under-the-cut on my phone!

Thomas Nightingale -

Either the lovely dry-witted Mark Gatiss, or the equally lovely David Tennant. I think either would do it justice, but my bet is Mr Gatiss would carry off the old fashioned gentlemanly values, although I think Mr Tennant looks closer to the description.

Although, and here's another thought, Mark might play Dr Walid quite well, described as a spry, gingery man in his 50s, as long as Mark can manage a Scottish accent. He took the name on converting to Islam when in Medical School, so Mark might fit the bill quite well.

I think Alfred Enoch would carry Peter Grant's cheeky humour well.

And Sofia Boutella would make a deliciously creepy Molly.

Jenna Coleman would make an excellent Lesley May. She's got the ability to be both snarkily ambitious or treacherously dangerous.

I can never decide whether it is a good idea to film a series like this, as we all have our own ideas about what the characters look like, but if it does come to pass, I think I'll still be eager to see it.

#rivers of london #rivers of london fan casting #thomas nightingale #mark gatiss #david tennant #alfred enoch #jenna coleman #sofia boutella #molly rivers of london #lesley may #peter grant

[doctors-star]

heir and a spare

Nightingale in Herefordshire.

Two sets of nearly-identical, wide eyes stare up at him in frightened expectation. To his left, and two steps behind him, where he had ruthlessly propelled her, he can feel Victoria Lacey’s cloying panic leeching into the atmosphere. One of the children – Nicky, he thinks, the fae-born raised in Rushpool – is shivering now that the heatwave of the day has passed. Peter’s mac is rolled up somewhere in the boot of the Jag, down at the bottom of the hill where he can hardly just pop back for it, but he equally fears to give her his own suit jacket, in case it should be taken as the staking of a claim.

it’s nightingale’s no good very bad week in herefordshire! hurrah! i’ve given him any number of children and a small meltdown. aren’t i kind.

#rivers of london #thomas nightingale #lesley may #peter grant #poor nightingale i've given him More Responsibilities #this is your captain speaking #relentless self-promotion

[girddlepatchilles]

One thing I love about the Rivers of London books is that in any other book series, Lesley would undoubtedly be the main character.

But because we've inhabited Peter's perspective throughout the whole series... we get to see that view the demi-monde as entirely separate and undeserving of humanity is completely wrong. Not to mention that Peter's modus operandi always seems to be either "learn as much as I can about the thing" or "help as many people as I can", which is a stark contrast to Lesley's straight forwardness. In one of the books, Nightingale mentions that Peter thinks much more like the wizards of old... but he's going to be a much kinder wizard I think.

Lesley on the other hand... well we know nothing of her true motives, save that she thinks the people of the demi-monde are dangerous and that she's dealing with shady characters. I'm certain we're going to end the series with Lesley as the "Big Bad", but it would kind of be nice to see her get some kind of redemption.

#rivers of london #lesley may #peter grant

[birdylion]

(Spoilers for the Rivers of London series ahead, for those of my followers who haven't read them yet)

At the end of Lies Sleeping, when Peter and Chorley wake up from ghost-historical-London, Lesley's first words to Chorley are that Punch isn't dead.

Is there any other explanation than that she can (at the very least) feel his presence?

I don't want to diminish her responsibility for her actions, they are still very much her own. This one sentence still implies to me that she can feel Punch, perhaps hear him. After all, even Peter heard him from time to time, and he didn't have Punch in his head in the way she did. So I imagine that Lesley heard him even louder. In book 1 there's evidence that the opinions Punch voices (in the tube, e.g.) are taken from the brains of the disgruntled and dissatisfied people of London, and that he brings them closer to the brink of voicing them. He took the stuff that was already there and enhanced it. It's established in the text by now that Lesley has always held opinions like the ones she voices in The Hanging Tree & Lies Sleeping, and you can see the hints in 1-4 if you pay attention. She willfully went in that direction.

But also, if Punch didn't stop being in her head all this time? That makes it so much easier to give in to these opinions, to give them more weight than perhaps they'd have had otherwise.

Then again, Peter only started hearing Punch after Skygarden. If Lesley did too, that would make the whole thing extra tragic: RoL happened, then she tried going the straight route, was dissatisfied with how that didn't help her, turned to Chorley ... and shortly after this moment of decision, she starts hearing Punch again. Having Punch in your head and Chorley as your boss outside of it must be a hell of an echo chamber. In that light, her ever growing radicalisation (or, her voicing these thoughts) isn't a surprise at all.

She still did all these things by herself - but realising the implications of that one scene just added a whole new dimension of horror to it.

(Unless there's another explanation why she instantly knew that Punch wasn't dead - if you have one, I'd be happy to hear it!)

#rivers of london #lies sleeping #lesley may #birdypersonal

[multitudeofmuses]

RIVERS OF LONDON SERIES by Ben Aaronovitch

~~ FANCAST ~~

Lesley May |

"

Lesley May was a promising police constable who trained with Peter during their two year probationary period. Her position in the Metropolitan police was short-lived due to the events of the Rivers of London. She later joined the The Folly as an apprentice practitioner under Thomas Nightingale, but this was also short-lived.

"

Lesley is described as having attractive face, short and blonde. She is initially described as "impossibly perky", even in a stab vest.  Lesley is highly focused and frequently described as having a great aptitude for police work. However, she has a bit of a cynical streak regarding the possibility of there ever actually being law and order

SUGGESTED CASTING:

HERMIONE CORFIELD ( 29 years old ) JODIE COMER ( 30 years old ) GEORGINA CAMPBELL ( 31 years old ) JESSIE MEI LI ( 27 years old ) ELLA-RAE KIRBY-SMITH ( 25 years old ) OLIVIA COOKE ( 29 years old )

#lesley may #rivers of london #ben aaronovitch #fantasy #hermione corfield #jodie comer #georgina campbell #jessie mei li #ella-rae kirby-smith #ella-rae smith #ella rae smith #olivia cooke #actress #british actress #fc #fancast #rp #rpg

[datsderbunnyblog]

This scene 🥺

#molly #thomas nightingale #lesley may #broken homes #ben aaronovitch

[songofthenightingale19]

Do you think Aaronovitch will stick with bird names for his practitioners? If he does, what do you expect Abigail's nickname to be? I've always liked the idea of her as the Wren, but I don't really know that much about bird symbolism. (On that note, I'd love if Lesley would become the Cuckoo in future books, it just fits with her theme of betraying her best friend as well as her first teacher)

#rivers of london #RoL #abigail #peter grant #lesley may

[controversial-blorbo-bracket]

Controversial Character Tournament Round 2: Lesley May from Rivers Of London vs Lime from Witch's Heart

(remember that these characters are fictional and your fellow tumblr users are real. i will block you if you harass others in the notes, please consider sending your unhinged harassment to my inbox instead)

Propaganda under the cut, may contain spoilers:

Lesley May:

LOVE: - "I just think that if you get possessed by an ancient spirit who literally crunches up all the bones in your face, and your mentor who was supposed to protect you says "yeah, we probably COULD fix it, but we won't because of Magic Rules" then you should be allowed to betray them and go dark side to Get Revenge. As a treat."

Lime:

BOTH: - "one of the most traumatized characters i have seen in media that notably stuck with me. obsessed with her character work but god is she awful. her entire motive for doing what she does in the story is to make others suffer as much as she did and also she literally doesn't know what love is bc she never experienced it or even saw what it was supposed to be like (heads up that the wh artist doesn't like their art edited so if you want to use her get some fanart with permission 👍)"

#poll #round 2 #1 submission #Lesley may #lime #lime witch’s heart #witch’s heart #rivers of london

[tudorblogger]

'Whispers Under Ground' by Ben Aaronovitch

‘Whispers Under Ground’ by Ben Aaronovitch

Genre: Adult Fiction – Fantasy Published: 2012 Format: Paperback Rating: ★★★★ I really think that this should be a 4.5-star review, because it was so close to being perfect like ‘Rivers of London’. The only reason I thought this one wasn’t as good was because there was less emphasis on the magical training and more on the policing procedures, which could have been better balanced I thought. I…

View On WordPress

#ben aaronovitch #Book #Book Review #Crime #Fiction #grant #lesley may #London #magic #Magic Realism #magical #Murder #Murder Mystery #Mystery #nightingale #Novel #peter grant #police #Review #rivers of london #thomas nightingale #underground

[sillysadduck]

I love this picture and I love Lesley's actress <3

She looks like she's saying her puppet husband asked for no pickles

#don't hug me i'm scared #dhmis #lesley dhmis #roy dhmis #roy gribbleston #1920 dhmis #I may draw this pic when I have time

[doctors-star]

Before the beginning and pov!!

“You can’t be enjoying this,” Nightingale says, huddled up in his good wool coat with the collar turned up against the wind. He’s too well-brought up to hunch his shoulders up to his ears, but only just. The drizzle and sideways wind has backcombed his hair out of its usual pin-neatness and into a wayward tangle of curls, which he doesn’t seem to have noticed. Lesley hopes he never will.

In reply, Peter whoops and kicks a great spray of surf into the air, and then turns away squawking when the wind blows it straight back onto him. It is an absolutely miserable day - everything, sky, sea, and Southend all, is entirely grey and wet and cold, for all that it’s mid-August. The only colour is the bright pink and green of their pac-a-macs and the distant neon of the arcade. Lesley has muddy sand up to her knees and she can’t feel her feet, numbed by standing in the sea, but she is, in fact, enjoying herself.

“How d’you know if we’re enjoying it,” Lesley says, “you’re not doing it.”

“You won’t know unless you try,” Peter recites dutifully; Nightingale looks unimpressed, and then recoils back as Peter kicks a wave at him.

“That relates to Molly’s cooking,” Nightingale corrects, “and not to getting hypothermia in the North Sea. Besides - I was taken on holidays when I was your age, and can remember the sensation.”

“Tastes change over time,” Peter points out.

“Between the ages of nine and thirteen, yes,” Nightingale says. “Between twenty and a hundred and ten, no.”

“You don’t know that, actually,” Peter says. “You’re actually the only person who could find out, too - what if your tastes are on a loop, and every hundred years they reset? You might be back to stuff you liked when you were ten, or-”

“The only way to stop him is to get in,” Lesley says, as Nightingale stands on the beach and looks increasingly tired and baffled.

“That’s very much what I feared,” he says dryly. But before Peter can object, Nightingale sighs and leans down to unlace his shoes. “Surely,” he says, “in all the weeks of the summer holiday there must be some better weather we could have waited for.”

“Not so far,” Lesley says, pulling wet hair off her face and tucking it back inside her hood. “And next weekend is the bank holiday, so it’ll only be worse.”

“Doubtless,” Nightingale says with little enthusiasm, tucking his socks into his shoes and rolling up his trousers. “But I refuse to queue for the Science Museum again, so - angels and ministers of-!”

Lesley and Peter nearly fall over laughing. Nightingale glowers at them, standing on pale, boney tip-toes in the surf, and trying generally to look like he hadn’t nearly shrieked at the water temperature. He is not very successful.

“It’s bloody freezing,” he says rather sternly, as if this mitigating factor might make them stop laughing. Unfortunately, every time she and Peter make eye contact they fall about giggling again, no matter what Nightingale says. “This is awful.”

“Yeah, it is,” Lesley manages through a mouthful of laughter. “God, it’s so cold.”

Nightingale settles into the surf, wincing as it washes against his ankles. “What happened to proper summers?” he opines, trying to tuck his arms around himself without wiping his sandy shoes on his coat.

“What, were they better when you were a kid?” Peter says, stomping about and splashing Lesley; she kicks some water at him in return.

“No, they were worse; I’m wishing for a return to the good old days of last year,” Nightingale says. He dabbles a foot in the surf, watching the white horses rush towards his shins, and then eyes Peter and Lesley. “May we go for fish and chips now? I’ve experienced…this,” he says, glancing around at the wall of grey water and sea fog. “Haven’t you had enough?”

“We’re having a beach day!” Peter protests, wind cracking against his mac as he puts his arms up as if in triumphant celebration. “We’re at the seaside!”

“Yes - a traditional British outing which consistently involves hiding in a café, and then in the arcade, and anywhere else that the rain is not,” Nightingale says.

“Ooh,” Lesley says, trudging through the water towards Nightingale and the shore. “Have you got any change? Can we do the penny falls?”

Nightingale looks gently, fondly amused at her. “Anything,” he says, “if it’s indoors and dry, and you never ask me to paddle in this weather again.”

Peter nods sharply. “Done,” he says, splashing towards dry land. “It’s freezing out here.”

Nightingale looks like he can’t decide whether to object or count his blessings - he settles for rolling his eyes discreetly and making a hasty exit while he can. Lesley splashes off after him, jogging to catch up, and then tucks her wet hand into his coat pocket to warm up. He looks down enquiringly and she beams back. “This is a proper summer holiday,” she tells him.

Nightingale, a little bedraggled with rain and rosy cheeked with cold, smiles wryly back. “Yes,” he says, “I suppose it rather is.”

#two for one! we're back to lesley pov #this is in fact several years before the beginning of the wip but it makes an appearance therein #this is absolutely a proper summer holiday #rivers of london #lesley may #thomas nightingale #peter grant #this is your captain speaking #and apologising for the delay

[everysongineverykey]

taking the lines "journeys made and lessons learned, you may feel like you're alone, but no matter how much the wheel turns... the journey always ends up back at home" and "batteries can be replaced, but some things stay the same... no matter how much we twist and turn, we're still dancing in chains" and placing them on the Dhmis Lines That Strike A Chord Inside Me So Deep The Vibrations Echo In My Bones shelf in my brain next to "it's out of my hands, i'm only a clock! don't worry, i'm sure you'll be fine... but eventually, everyone runs out of time"

#don't hug me i'm scared #CIRCULAR. NARRATIVES. CYCLE. OF TORMENT. STORIES. THAT. WILL. NOT. LET. GO. #YOU MAY FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ALONE!! BUT NO MATTER HOW MUCH THE WHEEL TURNS! THE JOURNEY! ALWAYS! ENDS UP! BACK AT HOME!!! #anyways lesley dhmis my beloved. i support womens wrongs💙 #dhmis

[ozu-teapot]

The Moon Over the Alley | Joseph Despins | 1976

#Joseph Despins #The Moon Over The Alley #1976 #Lesley Roach #Erna May #Gilbert Sling #Sean Caffrey #Vari Sylvester #Roy Martin #Judy Garrett #Chrisse Trigge #Dolores Clasby #Basil Clarke