#please imagine the home of the proud and illustrious

[defilerwyrm]

Try this one on for size

Drow have superior darkvision. 

Darkvision works in greyscale.

Rosohna is kept under near-perpetual night.

Imagine, for a moment, that the drow of Rosohna do their interior decorating based on darkvision because they don’t really rely on light sources much.

But then a diurnal species comes to visit, and they bring the lights up, and this is what their place looks like:

...And the diurnal people are too polite to say a fucking word, but they sure are thinking it.

#critical role #drow #please imagine the home of the proud and illustrious #essek thelyss #unironically looking like this #and he keeps it dark so consistently he has no fucking idea #plz how do i fandom #wait how did this happen #5k club #10k club

[anonymous0writer]

The Third Rule II Kiara Carrera

Summary: Kiara is finding it hard to fit in at the Kook Acdemy, but quickly finds solace in the beautiful Sarah Cameron. She finds more than just solace, but when a certain member of the Cameron tribe find out, it scares Kiara away from the people she loves most. Which leads to the third rule of the Pogues pact that begin used.

Author: @anonymous0writer

Word Count: 4,629 (I know, I’m sorry but I’m not sure how I feel about this?? This is probably the longest fic I’ve ever done)

Pairing: Kiara x Sarah, Kiara x Pogues, 

Request: A platonic pogue imagine where kie and rafe have a history. lots of people think they had a past and rafe has a soft spot for her but i think he did something to her/hurt her because of how mad jj was when he called her hot. so i was wondering if u could write an imagine where something bad happens between them during her kook year and then when kie returns to the pogues they find out what happened which sparks the tension between the pogues x rafe?

A/N: I’m sorry it’s 2am and I just finished it and I really want my anon to read this on their trip!! And I’m sorry anon, I just realized my fic isn’t totally based off your request, but I really hope you like it because I’m kinda of proud of it?! Also, Rafe is homophobic towards Kie but I swear it’s only once. Also this blog and myself fully support anyone and would never stand for homophobia. If you do, please get off my blog.

Warnings: Typos probably. Cursing? A homophobic Rafe (we do not agree) and I think that’s it.

Rule Number One: No Pogue on Pogue macking.

Rule Number Two: Never leave a Pogue behind.

Rule Number Three: Pogues= Family. Families love each other no matter what.

Kiara Carrera was a lot of things. Her friends, the group of ragtag boys that somehow roped the girl into their little family, would call her fun. Plain and simple, she fit the word. Fun to be around, fun to hang out with and to cause trouble with. She would weedle free food from her dad and feed them, clean up after them and make sure they kept out of serious trouble. Though Kiara was quite like a mother to the three boys, she was just like them. A surfer through and through, knowing the flick of the waves and the adjustments she needed to make with her board to master them. She also loved the music the boys cared for, and was often called on to DJ their car trips. But most importantly, she would keep up with them.

Kiara matched their energy, and was possibly the only person on the island that could handle them, and all at the same time. She was good with Pope when he talked about his dream job, nodding and keeping pace with the brainiac and able to string together a somewhat intelligent sentence or question to fire back. Kiara was able to keep up with JJ, with his ideas that spun wildly out of control, or the days with his dad. She wasn’t bothered or flustered by his never ending flirts, knowing it was just JJ begin JJ. And she knew John B. Kie could figure out his moods and help him out of the dark places he went to when his father didn’t come back, and she matched his lust for adventure.

To her classmates at the Kook Academy, she was different. Too Pogue to fit in with the pristine halls and designer bags and expensive laptops and gadgets. Sure, Kiara had the money, but that didn’t make her a Kook. Not when all her time was spent on the Cut with the dirty lowlifes nicknamed Pogues. And to Kiara, the money was her parents. If she was asked, she was a Pogue with parents that got money. Which was in part true, her father originally from the south side of the island, which might have sparked Kie’s distinct loyalty to the certain side.

To other Pogues, the other throwaway fish and lowlifes, Kiara Carrera was sun. Bright and cheery, she lit up everything around her. Her straight, easy going smile was infectious, making everyone, no matter what mood give a smile back. She was warm and kind, caring and thoughtful when the Pogues were thought of as rough kids from the wrong side. And her outfits reflected her personality, bright with swirling patterns and stark colors. Her outfits were always envied and her unruly curls were often admired. Kiara was beauty and light in one and often became fast friends with any person who set their feet on Kildare’s sand.

But one thing Kiara Carrera wasn’t, was easy. And no one knew that better than the notorious Rafe Cameron. The Kook was drawn to the newcomer for some reason no one but the universe knew. Not even the boy knew his reasons for attraction to the pogue. It left him utterly confused when he saw the girl in the halls of his gilded house, smiling like there wasn’t a care in the world. But no matter his confusion, his eyes were glued to the girl as she giggled and followed his sister, and his breath left his lungs when she passed him, a soft smile gracing her features as her smell washed over him. The strange girl smelled like coconuts and the sea, which was all the more intoxicating.

Though Kiara Carrera wasn’t easy to win over with his cerulean eyes and his devilish smirk, he didn’t give up. He wanted the challenge of having to work a little harder for a girl. And Rafe Cameron wasn’t one to be refused, and he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

————————

Kie’s first year at the Kook Academy hadn’t been the picturesque landscape of manicured lawns, pretty and popular students and good grades. While the experience wasn’t the best, it wasn’t the worst and Kie knew that. She also knew that the ‘Kook Academy’ was much better than Kildare County High School and her fussing mother made sure she would never forget it. But as the weeks progressed and Kiara felt increasingly lonely at the school, the girl was finding it hard to appreciate the school.

For one, she was missing her boys terribly. Missed when JJ cracked a joke in the back of the class, his comment made the whole room erupt into a fit of laughter as the aggravated teacher tried desperately to calm the students. She missed the way John B.’s smiles eased her worrying about a test or the way he’d fling notes on her desk as Mrs. Higgin’s droned on. Kiara also missed the way Pope would ramble with his answers, eventually getting too flustered and putting his hand down. She missed the way he’d leave books in her locker, the pages littered with little notes and comments about the passages. But perhaps most of all, Kiara missed the way she was with them. The boys were her true home, not even the comfort of her pillows made her feel as safe and loved as she did when she was hanging out with the three. At lunch, they’d rush out of class, meeting at Kiara’s locker as she took out her lunch, handing JJ her apple, and debating with John B. at which item of her lunch he’d steal today. Pope would grab his own lunch as they bickered and the four made their way to the quad, settling in the grass with their bags. JJ leaned back, a fresh blunt plucked from the waistband of his cargo shorts. Pope took out his books as he tried to take notes but failed miserably as he countered John B.’s B.S and returned conversations. It was impossible for the boy to focus around his friends. Kiara would crack a joke and spread out her healthy alternatives to bad foods and snacked quietly on them while her phone belted out Marley into the grass.

————————

She missed the days JJ wouldn’t be seen in class and would interrupt her classes by poking his head in and saying, “Hey, Kie! Emergency meeting.” And with that, the two slipped away to meet with the other half of their group. The four would move off campus to an abandoned parking lot and smoke and drink their worries away.

But no matter how much Kiara missed her boys, they weren’t going to show up. She was stuck, lost in the gilded halls and drowning in a sea of nasty boys and fake girls. Kiara was desperate to escape but couldn’t find a way to get out. Kiara was ready to give up. On the school, the people and, quite frankly on life.

That is, until she met the famous Sarah Cameron. The blonde practically strode through the halls, her loaded boyfriend and the illustrious Scarlet by her side. Her dazzling smile and pretty brown eyes landed on Kiara. And as soon as Kiara returned the pleasantries, the two became fast friends.

And soon enough, Kiara was invited to the massive Cameron residence. Kiara has already gotten the tour of the property and was following her best friend when she ran into Rafe Cameron. The eldest of Ward Cameron and the famous Kook around the island, known for his suspicious resources when it comes to drugs. Kiara knew the rumors, every one did. But she still smiled and walked right on by, giggling as Sarah held her hand and shut her door.

————————

Since their unofficial first meeting, Rafe had been persistent. Flirting shamelessly with the girl constantly in his house and ignoring Sarah’s grumbles and mocks. Kiara has refused his advances and shook her head as a little laugh escaped her throat when Rafe asked her out. She had to give it to him, he didn’t give up.

————————

“Why don’t you want to go out with me?” Rafe asked one day, as the Cameron siblings and Kiara lounged on the deck of the Druthers. Rafe towered over Kiara’s lounge seat, casting a shadow over the girl.

“Rafe, I’m just not into you.”

“Why? Am I just,” He paused, still unwavering from where he stood- much to Kiara’s dislike. “not your type?”

The statement made the girl glance up, the sunglasses perched on her nose sliding down as she looked up at the boy. “I don’t dig blondes, Rafe.”

The elder boy scoffed, but left the conversation as Sarah made her way over, two hard pink lemonades in hand.

“Get lost, loser.” She huffed and Rafe nodded and left. He missed the way his little sister cuddled up against the Pogues side and quietly asked, “You still dig me, right?” The boy also missed Kiara’s immediate reply as she laughed. “Of course I do.” So the Kook walked away, blissfully unaware of what was really unfolding. Kie’s words still rung in his head. But for some reason, he didn’t believe that the only reason the curly haired girl kept turning him down was just because of his hair color.

————————

The next time Rafe asked, he got his real answer. His sister and Kie were getting ready for Midsummer's in the room a couple doors down, their laughter floating through the halls. Rafe listened to the muffled voices of his tongue sister and the girl he’d been strangely pining over for half the school year. They were laughing and Kie’s signature music floated down the hall and into Rafe’s bedroom. Kiara was going as Sarah’s date because she had cheated on her boyfriend again. So the girls decided to couple up.

Sarah leaned forward, the brush coated with soft gold painting swiftly over Kiara’s eyelids. Sarah leaned back and smiled, satisfied with her handiwork. Kie laughed and shoved Sarah’s hip lightly to see herself in the mirror. Sarah grinned and moved so she could continue curling her friend's hair, her hips swaying with the music. Kiara laughed at Sarah’s antics, admiring her in the mirror.

“Beach waves,” Sarah mused, deciding what to do with the front parts of Kie’s hair. “It’d frame your face.” Sarah leaned down, her breath fanning Kie’s ear as the blonde put her hands on Kie’s shoulders. “You’ll look so pretty, baby.”

Kiara beamed at Sarah’s comment, trying to hide her blush. Sarah was a natural flirt, so the fact that she said that wasn’t a surprise, but the pet name made Kie blush. Even in their secret relationship, Sarah hadn’t far breathed a whisper of any affectionate name other than ‘Kie.’ The dark haired girl giggled at her girlfriend and shifted in her seat to crank up the music. Soon the rise and fall of Bob Marley’s voice filling the carefully decorated room. Neither of the girls heard the eldest Cameron shuffle around in his room, his footfalls heavy in the hall as he approached Sarah’s door.

“You could kiss me, you know.” Kie smirked, taunting Sarah with her brows in the mirror. They locked eyes and it was Sarah’s turn to blush, her cheeks already dusted a pink. But she complied, spinning her girlfriend in her chair and pressed a heated kiss to her lips. Kiara hummed and reached up to cup Sarah’s face, not able to hear Rafe as he pushed open the door to his sisters room, a question on his tongue.

“Hey, could you-“ He stopped dead, eyes trained on his sister and the beautiful girl he’d been trying to get, lips locked. “Holy fuck.”

The girls broke apart, eyes wide and mouths popped open in surprise.

“Rafe!” Sarah screamed, rushing forward to push her brother out of her room, hands shoving at his back and slamming- and locking- the door shut.

Rafe stood shell-shocked outside his sister's room, mouth agape. Kiara was kissing his sister. Kiara was gay.

————————

The three; the two Cameron siblings and the pogue that they practically adopted, didn’t talk about the incident for exactly two days until the subject came bubbling to the surface. And in typical Rafe Cameron style, it was raging and messy.

Rafe glared, eyes trained on Kiara as she giggled at something Scarlet said as they leaned against their lockers. Rafe hadn’t seen Kiara since the incident, ignoring her at Midsummer’s and never coming out of his room the rest of the weekend, but now, Monday morning, he was beyond furious and disgusted. Not only did the girl shoot him down so many times, she lied. Of course he wants her type, he wasn’t even the gender she was attracted to. A shiver ran down the boy's spine as he thought about the curly haired beauty liking- kissing- his sister. He hated it.

“Kiara,” He barked, hand gripping her just above the elbow rather harshly, hard enough to bruise. “We need to talk,” He hissed in her ear as he hauled her away from Scarlet and into an empty classroom.

“Rafe!” Kiara huffed, stumbling into the classroom, free of his death grip. She stared at the boy, wondering briefly if he was high. Rafe Cameron was addicted to the powder he snorted at parties, so it wouldn’t surprise Kiara if his eyes were red and he seemed even more violent than usual. But his eyes were normal, and he seemed fine.. just furious. “What the hell are you on?”

“You're gay.” Rafe spit like it was the foulest word on the planet. Kiara’s eyes went wide. She never said the words out loud, and quite frankly, it scared her a little. With Sarah she didn’t have to hide who she was. But with everyone else, her parents- even the Pogues- she had to hide. But with Sarah it was fun, easy. Sarah got it and Kiara couldn’t think of a better person she wanted to be with.

Kiara fumbled with her words, the infinite possible combinations of words and sentences getting clogged in her throat, so she just stood there, gaping at her girlfriend’s brother as he seethed. Rafe glared, brows slanted over his darkened blue eyes. His eyes reminded Kiara of the waters when a hurricane ripped through them, dangerous and fury born.

“You're disgusting. You turned my sister into one!” He spat, making Kie’s heart clench. This was her nightmare. People finding out and their face recoiling in disgust when they heard the words, “I’m gay.” And maybe that was the reason Kiara never uttered them, not even to herself, perhaps fearful her own face would do the same in the mirror.

But no matter Kiara’s inability to defend herself, she defended the only girl who accepted her as her. Even though her gut pinched at the thought that Rafe looked at different sexual orientations as a ‘disease’ which was nowhere near true, it still hurt nonetheless. “It’s not a bad thing, Rafe. And Sarah’s bi!”

Rafe grimaced, and by the way his face warped, Kiara could tell he didn’t have a clue of what it meant. Kiara swallowed, the sudden fear of Rafe’s knowledge crowding her thoughts. What if he told the rest of the student body? What if he told her parents? What if he told the Pogues? The last thought sent a shiver down her spine. Even though she wasn’t officially out, she didn’t care if the student body found out. Not really. Her fears were about her parents, and if they’d react as badly as Rafe had or worse. But the Pogues? If they acted even a bit like Rafe had, her heart would break and Kiara would lose them. And that thought scares her the most.

So she leaves Rafe, ripping out of the classroom to race toward the bathroom, knowing her tears will spill soon. She cries over the bathroom sink, hands gripping the counter as she sobs. The first period bell rings, but the girl doesn’t trust herself enough to clean up and head to class. Instead she sniffles and glances up at the mirror. By now, her thoughts have turned into horrendous scenarios of the Pogues freaking out, convincing her that the boys aren’t going to accept her. So as she makes eye contact with herself in the mirror, Kiara takes a deep breath; if I leave first, it’ll hurt less.

————————

Kiara was wrong. She couldn’t tell, but it hurt probably even more than if the Pogues left her. She hopes, keeping the flame small, that the three troublemakers will come knocking on her door, asking why she ignored and blew them off for the whole week. But they’ve never set a foot inside her house, and now will not be the time they start. So she locks herself in her room, red eyes and Disney movies on an endless loop to try and block out the pain of letting go of not just the Pogues, but Sarah too.

When Sarah found Kie crying in the bathroom in the middle of the passing period, Kiara couldn’t find the words to tell her that her brother was a homophobic piece of shit that scared the living shit out of her. So she shook her head, passed it off as a mean joke someone said and brushed past her, trying to keep her shaking hands under control as she made her way to class.

But that was a week ago, and Kie’s phone had been blowing up with texts and missed calls on Monday, but slowly tapered off by the time Saturday rolled around. Kiara secretly hoped Sarah would just barge into her room, demanding to know what was wrong and would kiss away her worries, but Sarah wasn’t showing up and the number of missed calls from the blonde had started to dwindle.

But even if Sarah wasn’t a knight in shining armor, someone was.

————————

Kiara glanced up, brows furrowing over her dark eyes as the knock on her door sounded again. Her mom had already come by to try and coax her out of her room for lunch, so it couldn’t be her, the older woman quickly finding it best not to bombard her daughter.

“Kie?”

She would recognize that voice from anywhere. Pope. He’d come to save her, and Kiara’s heart soared at the thought. She clumsily made her way off her bed, knocking off some tissues in the process, but made her way to the door, cracking it open to reveal not only Pope, but all three boys. Kiara’s eyes widened as she took in the boys- her boys. She choked on a sob as she widen the crack of the door, letting the boys shuffle into her spacious room.

“Got a nice place here, Kie.” JJ commented, and Kie was thankful for JJ’s jokes even as her heart throbbed at the sound of his voice.

She really did miss them, and she knew seeing her for the first time in a week like this- dressed in dark blue and white checkered sweats and a white crop top with a wave of messy hair to top it off- wasn’t the best thing. All three of them turned to look at her, and Kiara was hit with the sudden need to apologize.

“I’m so sorry,” She croaked.

Popes dark eyes widened at her exclamation, the first real thing she said to them in almost a week. John B. started, unsure of what to say, but JJ reached out, hands wrapping tightly around his best friend.

“Don’t say that ok? You have nothing to be sorry for.” The blonde murmured, a soft kiss pressed to her hair as he held her. Kiara buried her face in his chest, too overcome with emotion to speak so she cried softly. John B moved quickly to add to the hug and soon, all four of them were in a big group hug.

They pulled back, and Pope slipped his hand in Kie’s to reassure her that he was there as John B. spoke to his movements.

“Kie, we’re always here for you. You know that, right?”

The girl nodded, still unable to meet their gaze. But she sniffled, and nodded, hairs falling into her face as they came loose from her behind her ears. They stood in silence, not knowing where to start with all of this. So Kiara said the thing that started it all.

“I’m gay.”

The words hung in the air untouched before all three spoke at once.

A soft, “Kie, that’s perfectly fine.” came from Pope.

JJ nodded, blonde hair falling into his eyes as he murmured, “That makes so much sense.”

“We support you no matter what.” John B. confirmed with a half smile.

Kie stopped, the responses unlike anything they said in the wicked scenarios in her head. Her mouth popped open into a surprised ‘o’. But her face split into a sad smile as she made eye contact with her friends. At the realization that they supported her and loved her for it, a happy sob bubbles up from her throat. Kie’s dark eyes lit up as she threw her arms around the rest of her heart. They hugged her back, John B’s arm thrown around her shoulders as Pope squeezed her hand and JJ hugged her waist.

“I love you guys,” she sniffled, pulling back with the first genuine smile of that week. They grinned back at her.

“We love ya too, Sunshine.” JJ’s familiar dimpled smile warmed her heart as his hand came up to ruffle her hair affectionately. She missed his smiles and his nickname for her. He called her that since the first hour they met, and it stuck ever since. Kie smiled at the surfer and quietly thanked him.

“Did you really think we were gonna cut you out?” John B asked, his honey colored orbs gazing lovingly down at her. Kie leaned into his chest, his arms tugging her close. “You know we could never do that, bubs.” He soothed, restating his chin on top of her wild curls.

Kiara let her eyes wander to the boy yet to speak. Pope stood there, unmoving as Kie smiled at him until he jumped with a realization. “Oh!” He exclaimed and immediately started patting himself down in search of something. Within the confines of his cargo shorts, Pope pulled a tiny book with a worn cover but displayed it with pride, extending it to his friend. “Here, for you.” When Kie sent him a questioning look as she took it, Pope rambled on. “A recent poem book I read. And I.. well I pretended to be JJ when I wrote notes in it.”

Kie’s laugh was sudden and stark, but made Pope grin at her reaction and the other two boys smile at the happy sound. In the beginning, when Pope first gave Kiara a book he read and thought he’d enjoy and she returned it with lightly written notes about passages on it, Pope immediately started the tradition of giving Kiara a new book with his thoughts every month. And as Kie would go through the chapters she’d write her own thoughts and then discuss them with the boy. But once Kie placed the book down in front of him as they hung out at the Chateau, brows furrowed in confusion. “What is this?” She asked, pointing to the notes Pope made in the top corner. Confused as to why she was asking, Pope leaned forward and reread the note, laughing. “Oh, well, I had a thought about JJ reading the book and figured to do the whole book like JJ wrote it.” So it then became an inside joke between the two.

Kie flips the book in her hands, fingertips tracing the outlines of the small cover. She particularly loves the months where Pope gives her poetry books because partly, he gives her a new collection on them each week because she goes through them fast and secondly, because poems are her favorite. She admires the slightly yellow pages and the soft sketch of Pope’s handwriting.

“Thanks Pope. I love it,”

She closes her eyes and feels at rest- almost. She finally got her boys back. Kiara finally got home. Back in the arms of the three boys who hold her heart equally. So she agrees when John B. gestures to the screen displaying the laziest Disney movie she watched- Beauty and the Beast- and suggests a movie marathon. Except JJ somehow got a hold of the remote as they climbed onto her bed and settled in. The surfer quickly changed the theme from Disney Princess to Horror Night. Pope rolls his eyes and John B. cheers as Kie gasps at the choice he made. It’s ‘Silence of the Lambs’, old but still a classic that’s not too scary for Kie and one of her favorites. The four friends curled up and soon they were too invested in the movie to remember why they were even here in the first place. Kie smiled and admired her friends, grinning as JJ caught her eye and winked. She was back home.

But there was one thing left unsolved: Sarah Cameron.

————————

The Cameron residence never seemed so daunting as it did right now, looming above Kiara in its glimmering windows and architectural beauty. Kiara swallowed, knowing no one but the girl she loved was home but still getting anxious when she thought about the boy who lived under this roof.

The doorbell rang twice before the grand doors cracked up as Sarah answered it. Sarah opened the door with a bounce in her step but stopped as she lay eyes on who rang her doorbell. Her throat went dry and her mouth fell open. Kiara admired her girlfriend- unsure of the title they still had- who was dressed in white shorts and a pale blue tank top of Kie’s that had three small hearts in the middle. She was gorgeous.

“Kie?”

“Hi,” Kiara swallowed unsure of how to proceed. “We need to talk.”

Sarah nodded, wordlessly opening the door wider to allow entry to the dark haired girl of her dreams. Sarah had been lost without her girlfriend. Kiara seemed to drop off the face of the earth after Sarah found her in the bathroom. The blonde called countless times, but each ‘Hi! This is Kiara! You know what to do!’ broke her heart a little more. Sarah couldn’t tell you how many times she showed up outside of the Carrera house, hand poised to knock only to have her doubts make her turn back. Sarah was deathly afraid she’d done something to Kiara unknowingly, but after her brother spat in her face about her preference of lovers, she understood exactly what happened. Which is why when Kie stepped into her foyer, she blurted,

“I’m so sorry about my brother,”

Kiara was taken aback by the outburst, but glanced down at her feet quickly before nodding and meeting Sarah’s sadden gaze.

“I’m sorry too. I should’ve told you right away, I just-“ Kiara struggled with the words, shrugging slightly. “I was scared and was so stupid to push you away.”

Sarah took a tentative step forward, aching to touch the breathtaking girl before her. She smiled softly. “I needed you and you pushed me away,” It was true, Sarah struggled about her sexual orientation and how and if she wanted to come out. And she needed Kie there, but the girl had refused to answer. “But I need to know you won’t do that again if I’m going to let you back in.”

Both girls knew that Sarah was gonna accept her back with open arms either way but Kiara nodded, stepping so they were toe to toe.

“I promise I won’t ever do that again.” She whispered, voice a little broken as she pressed her forehead against the blondes.

And with that, Sarah surged forward, lips attaching to a Kie’s in a loving apology from both sides. And within the kiss, Kie found herself truly at peace.

————————

Tag list

All: @jayjaymaebank​ @rudys-pankow​ @maaybanks​ @everydayimfangirling​ @outrbank​ @thelocalpogue​ @lyricalimerence​ @ahhireallydontknow​ @never-ever-too-many-fandoms​ @kylosleftbuttcheek​ @insanitysparkles @mcarignan​ @copper-boom​ @haharudy​ @x-lulu​ @pit-zuh​ @socialwriter​ @alwaysasadaesthetic​ @jjmaybanqs​ @magnuolia @bellaguarneri​ @diverdcwn​ @diverrdown​ @drewswannabegirl​ @drew-starkey​ @mahleeyuh​ @divcrdown @youfookendonut​ @dpaccione​ @starkeymarkey​ @outerbanksbro​ @jjs-housekeeping​ @teenwaywardasgardian​ @traumaflavouredjuulpod @ad-infinitums​

Kiara, Rafe, Sarah & Pogues: @talksoprettyjjx​ @manicmee​ @notaninstagrammodel​ @oxmaddy​ @obx-direction-sos​ @newhopenessie​ @alternativehp​ @obxmxybxnk​ @sarapage89 @emsma11 @fangirlvoice​ @danicarosaline​ @timmyswrld​ @gmwlover100​ @bxbyyyjocelyn​ @teamnick​ @jjmbanks​ @thesurfingsnail @lulubutton34​ @obxsummer​ @katiaw2 @yeehaw87​ @poguecollins​ @jessica-1120 @yxseminx​

#obx #outer banks #outer banks imagine #obx imagine #obx netflix #kiara carrera #kiara outer banks #kiara obx #kiara outerbanks #outerbanks #obx kiara #kiara #kie obx #kie outer banks #kie outerbanks #obx kie #outerbanks kie #kiara x pogues #the pogues #kie x pogues #kiara x sarah #sarah cameron #rafe cameron #john b routledge #jj maybank #pope heyward #obx kooks #pogues vs kooks #request #writing

[pandawritesmanythings]

(A Medieval!AU Loki x Stark!Reader Story)

Chapter Summary: Where our adventure begins...

Word Count: 2,018

Warnings: Angst? Breakups?

Masterlist

A/N: Thank you so much to those who liked the idea and decided this story was worth your time! I hope you enjoy!

-

Loki found himself looking out the window, while the woman on his bed slept soundly. He took a breath of the salty air that belonged to that dark and secretive night. A night of caresses and whispers, always aware that anybody could walk in but fully devoted to each other.

The northern star sparkled brightly against the dark sky and he found himself staring at it. At the millions of stars that he had explored yet still so many, he had out of his reach. He couldn't map further from what he could see. But there was no brighter star than the one that he had left to rest on his bed.

He approached her quietly and sat beside her. A hand petting her hair to wake her.

"Time to go love." He whispered as her eyes fluttered open.

She let out a heavy and sleepy sigh. "Must I?"

"I wish you hadn't. But you must."

"If only this wasn't so complicated..."

"Yes... If only." Loki stared out of the window. He knew this night was the last with his true love. "But despite what happens tomorrow, you must know that it was you. It was always and will always be just you."

They pressed their foreheads together, him trying to transmit his love for her and her trying to suppress the tears. After tonight these secret rendezvous and quiet cuddles would be no more. The dark prince was going to marry someone else, and there was nothing either of them could do.

"Promise me you'll never forget me." She asked him.

"I promise. But you also have to promise that you'll move on."

She kept quiet. Her golden hair was messy and it had fallen off her braid. Despite her disheveled look, she was still the most beautiful creature to Loki. His angel was struggling with her words, but he couldn't blame her. This was for the best, but it didn't mean that it wasn't hard.

Finally, she conceded. "I-I promise..." 

That night they would finally admit their love to each other, but they would have to painfully part before that love could ever be consumed.

-

The day of departure was extremely stressful for you. You paced around your room and Wanda helped you finish going over your luggage.

"Are you sure I have everything? Maybe double-check the list." You nervously paced as you pulled your dress to make it neater for the umpteenth time.

Wanda bit her lip in amusement. "Darling, this is the third time we have gone over about what you are taking and what you aren't. You have to take a breath. Everything will be fine."

You sat in front of your vanity and looked at the bags under your eyes in the mirror.

"Alright. Yes. Everything will be fine." You placed your head in your hands, and even though you tried to convince yourself, you had to admit that you really weren't feeling confident.

"This just needs to work Wanda. It does. I can't afford to slip up."

She kneeled next to you, and understanding look on her face. "I know my dear friend. But it will do you no good to worry like this. Come, you must speak to your brother. If you are nervous I can't begin to imagine how nervous he is."

You nodded and led the way to your little brother's room. After knocking, his brown eyes met yours and he beamed at you before tackling you into a hug. Not very princely like, but you loved him a lot so who cares.

"You came!" He beamed at you.

"Of course I came!" You smiled back. "I wouldn't want to leave without saying goodbye!"

A sad look crossed his face. "Do you really have to go?" He sheepishly asked.

"I know it's not ideal Peter, but it will only be for a little while, with some luck I'll be able to come back here soon." You tried to remain positive but the teen remained with a worried expression etched to his face.

"But you won't come back alone, will you?"

You hesitated. Your parents had been adamant about not letting Peter know many details, but you couldn't lie straight to his face.

"Best case scenario I won't."

"Why does that have to be the best-case scenario?" He grumbled, becoming slightly more annoyed.

"You know full well why Peter." You straightened up. "This is my duty and I'll fulfill it if I have to."

"But what about-"

Your glare and stern look shut him up immediately, especially after noticing a pair of guards walking nearby.

A sigh fell from your lips. "I don't wish to fight you."

"Me neither."

"Then please understand. I just want you to care for Morgan. And don't worry about me. I'm the royal heir. It's my obligation to worry about arranged marriages, not yours."

Both of your foreheads were pressed against each other. Both trying to draw strength from the other and still show your love, because you knew that in public you wouldn't be able to.

"I love you, little brother."

"And I, you."

-

The realm consisted of 9 kingdoms. Towards the ocean, was Asgard. A beautiful and towering kingdom. Rich in resources and culture. It was one of the biggest and most prosperous of the kingdoms.

To it's right was Vanaheim, which was a series of hunting tribes that had their own system of government. It was unusual for the Vanir to leave Vanaheim, and the thick vegetation and merciless fauna rendered it almost impossible to travel through it if not guided by a local.

To Asgard's left was Alfheim. An illustrious monarchy that made its home on the edge of the mountains, and had made itself rich for acquiring the precious gems and stones that decorated their palaces and streets. They lived quietly isolated and had refused for centuries to trade with any of the other kingdoms. But they had accepted to do so thanks to the Yggdrasil Accord.

Deeper into the mountains was Svartalheim. Their kingdom was to be found inside the mountains. Not much was known about them since they had remained isolated from the other kingdoms and despite the Accord, they still mostly kept to themselves.

At the top of the mountains and the subsequent valleys was Jotunheim. This kingdom was hostile. They bred warriors from infancy and were terribly dangerous to the other kingdoms. They were the strongest in the military sense. They had the best strategist and fiercest warriors. It was no surprise that anyone who approached the kingdom uninvited had gone missing and never heard of again.

In the valley below the mountains, there was Nidavelir. A kingdom of artisans and poets. A stark contrast to their Jotun neighbors, they were a complete opposite to them. Being mostly unarmed and interested only in refining their craft and methods of farming, they were the kingdom most defenseless yet with the most resources of the bunch.

Next, there was Niflheim. This was a neutral zone. A zone that was for the rulers of the kingdoms to come together in peace. As a result, the people of the place were pacifists and tried to share their ways with the other realms.

Then there was Hel. It had once been a powerful kingdom. But a raging fire had turned the green and beautiful forest into a barren and ashy wasteland. The people who lived there were ruled by their queen who barely had contact with the other kingdoms. Their system works like any other tribe would.

And finally, right in the middle of all the kingdoms, there was Midgard. The youngest of the kingdoms. This was your home. And this was yours to protect. Once you were old enough to understand your responsibility you took it with honor. Your small but resourceful centric land was everything to you. And you would protect it against the other kingdoms with your life.

"You've been looking at that map for a long time." You heard your father's voice.

He was coming towards you. His confident stride contrasting with the worry lines and sad smirk.

You smiled back at him before you looked back over the map. "Just making a mental list."

"For?"

"Well. If I am to go to Asgard I must make a good case for my visit and arrangement, must I not?" You smirked back at him, hoping it would lighten his mood.

To your delight, he seemed to relax a bit, but it didn't last long before he took a good look at you and smiled sadly.

"You've grown so much, you know?" He cupped your face in his hands and brought you in a hug. "I'm proud of you."

You couldn't cry. You wouldn't allow your self. It wasn't fair to him. He needed you strong. 

"I love you, dad."

"And I love you, my little girl..."

The doors opened and you saw your mother stride in. Her strawberry blonde hair flowed as her cream dress did. She was the image of perfection and grace. Oh, how you wanted to be like her when you grew up.

She called your name softly and embraced you. You felt her love in the soft hug. She looked at you with the same fondness as your dad.

"She's become such a wonderful woman, hasn't she, Tony?"

He nodded in agreement. "Almost as beautiful as her mum."

"Oh, hush you make me blush." You teased.

"You'll be a wonderful queen when the time comes my dear." Your mother nodded towards you, disregarding your last teasing comment.

"Thank you, mother."

"That's why I keep saying that you don't need to go to Asgard!" Your dad tried to sway you once more before you left. "You're absolutely capable of managing Midgard by yourself! Just saying!"

Your mother tried to interject, but you beat her to it. You held your dad's hands and looked earnestly into his eyes.

"I know that, dad. I truly do."

"Then why go?" He basically breathed out, it was painful for everyone, but you knew that for your father it was probably the hardest.

"You know why. There is no other option. At least not one that would want to make an alliance with us. We have the common ground, and benefits to profit of." You lowered your head in slight resignation. "We both know that this was not what we had planned. But I'll do whatever it takes to keep our people and my family safe. Please... You have to trust me."

He looked back at your mom, searching for her to correct you, tell you there was another way, anything. But when he saw the resignation on her tired eyes he knew there was nothing he could do. You were going through with this. Like it or not, you were going to do it.

"I trust you. I just don't trust the Asgardians."

You pulled a section of your skirt where there was a hidden knife and he raised an eyebrow at you. "How many?"

"Three more under the skirt." You flipped a thin razor from your long sleeve dress. "One right here, just in case."

"Attagirl." He smirked back at you.

"Now those are for emergencies, alright dear? We don't want war. Please reconsider taking so many." Your mom tried to interject.

You gasped exaggerating your expressions. "Me, by myself at a strange kingdom and you prefer I go unarmed? Mother, you wound me worse than any Asgardians ever could."

She raised an eyebrow at you, unimpressed. "I'm just saying choose your battles, child. You go to make peace, so avoid inadvertently causing a war between us and Asgard."

The three of you went over the plan and the proposal once more, before they escorted you outside the castle and let you off to the mysterious land than was Asgard. 

As your home and family faded in the distance you saw Peter hugging Morgan to his chest who cried for her big sister. You finally allowed the tears to run. For you, your family, and everything that was about to be taken away from you.

-

TAG LIST (OPEN)

#loki fanfic #loki x reader #loki odinson #Loki Laufeyson #medieval!AU #loki x sigyn #steve x reader

[code404it]

StruggleCode 101: I’m Bad At Introductions

In the illustrious words of AUSTIN POWERS...“Allow myself to introduce...myself.”

I suppose I could tell “my story” but that could get a little wordy and if you have read any of my blogs, I tend to be on the wordy side. 

I’m thinking bullet points with some explanations PRN.(pro re nata)

Let’s see I suppose I can skip to the important stuff like...

I was excited at my kindergarten graduation because of the ‘Precious Moments’ t-shirt I was given and it had “Class of ‘99″ written on it. 

For the longest time (in elementary school) I thought I was going to be a gymnast, thanks to MARY LOU RETTON.

I hated my name because in the 80′s the only people named “JESSICA” were Jessica Tandy, Jessica Lange, & Baby Jessica (look her up).

Perhaps I should move things along. 

In middle school I just knew I was going to be an OB/GYN and you could not tell me otherwise. 

In high school I no longer wanted to be an OB/GYN because I realized it was more involved and delivering babies was only part of the job.

High school was a tough time for me. I had friends and a social life so that was the okay part. My grades were okay. The hard part was when my mother’s abuse went into over drive and in my sophomore year I was removed from my house because my mother tried to kill me. I was too scared to press charges against her, so the police did what I couldn’t do. 

I found myself without much input from my mom when I did move back home so I took charge of the rest of my life and in the FALL of my junior year I enlisted in the UNITED STATES ARMY. I had done so well in my JROTC classes (I put in 4 years) I went in as an E-3 and my MOS (military occupational skill) was a COMBAT MEDIC. 

Gonna speed up some more. 

I ended up getting pregnant at the ripe ol’ age of 19 and I gave birth at the age of 20.

I moved from CALIFORNIA to GEORGIA in my tiny Coral colored Dodge Neon. 

I didn’t know I was pregnant when I made the choice to move. For future reference there are only 1,875 days from my 1st child to my last child. At one point in my life I had 4 children under the age 6. 

Jobs I had in Georgia before landing in tech:

Selling perfume on the street 

Selling Furniture & Mattresses 

Nurse

Gym Membership Sales

Red Cross Blood Donation Appointment Setter

E*Trade 

Comcast 

Self Employed (13 years)

Bartender/Lead Mixologist/Bar Manager/Brand Ambassador/Brand Strategist 

Lyft

Shipt

Software Engineer/Full Stack Dev (currently unemployed)

In all of this time I have been...

Married

Divorced

In 2 long term relationships...well 3.

On a quest to be comfortable with me being Bi-Sexual

Getting along better with my mother. 

Working on my relationship with my father who was homeless and lived in a PORT ‘O POTTY for years after he helped me move from California, which was only a month after he lost the only man he knew as his father. (there’s really so much to unpack there but I won’t.) He ended up hitchhiking from the MOJAVE DESERT to SAN FRANCISCO, got help and has had a roof over his head for the past 3+ years. Incidentally my father also called me one day an told me I had another sister. I thought she was going to be a toddler...she was actually 24! 

Able to purchase a mini van for $2500 after not having a car for 1091 days. Can you imagine that? With 4 kids...sheesh! 

Fortunate to get a NEWER car like a 2013 SUV when the mini van died. It wasn’t without incident either. It was the 1st week of the new school year and also the week that I was to give my daughter her SWEET 16. 

To move my family out of the apartment complex where we had lived for the better part of a decade and into a house.

To see my oldest daughter graduated from High School

 On the receiving end of my oldest son’s diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease. At the time he had lost so much weight. He was 16 years old and weighed 65 pounds. That was with me feeding him every 2 hours. I did my research and took him to the hospital with MY DIAGNOSIS. I knew it was one of two things he either had stomach cancer (for which I was preparing myself for his death) OR it was Crohn’s. His doctor looked at me with such profound confusion but ultimately thanked me for being so dedicated to his well being. She also told me that she had not seen such a severe case before and said that the measures I took prior to bringing him in were incredible.  I am proud to say that he is over 120 pounds and is doing much better. 

It has been a wild ride. 

It’s crazy to see snippets of my life written out.  

I know that life throws so many curve balls and please understand I did not handle a lot of this with grace. 

Deep depressions and life ending thoughts consumed me. 

It was only my kids that kept me from doing the absolute worst. 

They are the reason why I am alive today. 

They are my reasons. 

They are my “why”.

I don’t share my story to create some kind of “success story”. 

I share it because most people will not share their truth for fear of shame. 

If you learn NOTHING else from reading my “series of unfortunate events”...

learn this...

Life is scary and you have to FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANY WAY! 

My life is far from perfect BUT my life is so real...no “air-brush”... no “retouches”...no “edits”.

It’s beautifully messy and that is just the way it should be.

#Code404It #StruggleCode #StruggleCode101 #MomsWhoCode #WomenWhoCode #BlackTechMatters #CodeNewbie

[mochixjimin]

Gaia ch. 1

OT7| BTS

A/N:  You're a very clumsy goddess, and certain people are getting sick of your irresponsibility. 

Immortality. Endless beauty. Intelligence beyond a mortal's capacity to comprehend; all these gifts from the gods that humans would kill for all at your fingertips. Except you haven't fully grasped proper use of them, and now to no fault of your own, you sit in the Courts of Exousia, awaiting the mentors that overlooked your progress as a goddess. These trials were merely held to track the many deeds (and/or failures) of the many entities that walked the illustrious grounds of the most ethereal landscape. Unfortunately, this trial was held for the latter, and you had the harshest judges in this instance. The pre-trial of your so-called "peers" consisted of Min Yoongi, Kim Namjoon, and Jung Hoseok. These three were groomed for leadership of the courts from birth. Although you all were friends for a while, their biases halted as soon as the doors to the judgment room opened. Namjoon had given you your fair share of warnings, merely looking out for you, and trying his best not to have you sent to the real court, where there was no going back from a mistake of any nature. But while accompanied by Taehyung your seemingly harmless deeds always got out of hand. Even though you were a part of a strong friendship, you both had your own strengths that came with serious responsibility not to be taken lightly. Taehyung, the accomplice in your latest troubles, had the gift of manipulating the elements; his calm exterior and chilled demeanor allowed for the safe passages of those out at sea or in harsh conditions. Taehyung also possessed the ability of translation, allowing him to converse with anything that he came in contact with, whether they be human or animal, it helped you out of some very, very unforeseen misunderstandings.

You, however, were in line to be the next successor to the council under Namjoon, so anything you did was examined with a fine tooth comb. Empathy being one of your many gifts from the Gods was the power to absorb one's emotional strengths, weaknesses, and use them to your advantage, but not to say that didn’t come with some serious trouble. It was Jeon Jungkook that caused you to be in hot water this time around, apparently to no fault of your own, but it was the "golden protégée's" word against yours, and anyone can imagine the outcome on that behalf. "____, do you understand why you have been called before us once again?" Hoseok huffed in tangible irritance while opening your file riddled with complaints and warnings. "Yes, Jung-ssi… I asked Taehyung to help me cast snow over a small city in the mortal world…" You trailed off as Yoongi oh so dutifully finished for you as if it were a joke to him, "ah, yes ____-yah, but what you failed to add was that the town hadn't been touched by snow in over 15 mortal years. Their town experienced mass blackouts, and many of the humans began to get ill with no way of getting medicine or food to last them. You're lucky Jungkook-ah was there to reverse the damage you two caused and heal them as fast he could." Every inch of you boiled, growing hot with anger and a visible tinge to your tightly wound body. It was no use. However, another gift you'd fail to gain control of was your emotions and the elements around you; Taehyung tried and tried again to no avail to help you gain composure when dealing with times of trouble. The room began to rise in temperature, your hair turning bright orange to signify the irritance to match the heat of your insides. "Ah, ah, ____-ah, please calm down, it's getting ahem, a bit stuffy in here don’t you think?" Namjoon calmly aired, attempting to quell the sheer combustion that would have occurred if any more cruel words spat in your direction. Slowly, you unclenched your steaming fists, your hair began to settle back into the tight ball of curls that almost covered your eyes, and your eyes went back to the calming color of peace like before. "Aish, yes Namjoon-op- I mean Kim-ssi, but that golden brat did nothing but set me u-" Hoseok curtly interrupted before you could finish your sentence, "How dare you to speak so lowly of your fellow colleague! I should send you to the highest courts where Yeri-ssi would throw the book at you!" "But Jung-ssi! It is his fault! He knew that I would feel bad that the mortal town had not yet seen snow, they were in a drought! How was I to know that he would cast a mini sickness throughout the town once Tae and I finished our job?" "No, ___-ah, your 'job' is to master your gifts successfully, so that Kim-ssi can move on and gain the status of the ultimate gods and mind his time, but you keep messing up, backtracking all progress, and holding him back longer than he needs to be down here" Yoongi strongly added before leaning forward and joining his hands together at the judgement bench. "I-I-I'm sorry Kim-ssi. I will gladly take my punishment now, how long will I be without my gifts and what fine do I face at this time?" You aired, defeated and upset at how profoundly you affected your dear friend on the council. "It's okay ___-ah, I know you mean well, but due to your continuous court hearings we have no choice but to find a new punishment for you until you truly appreciate the gifts bestowed onto you by the highest of the courts." Namjoon, sadly spoke, making your head turn up and eyebrows lift in confusion, "Wait… what do you mean Kim-ssi? W-what are you going to do? Please don't turn me into a constellation for 60 mortal years, Hani-unnie still can't get the asteroids out her hair!" "No no, your punishment will not be that severe… this time, but we are sentencing you to one mortal year on Earth. You will have no powers, your memories of a goddess will be revoked, and to regain your powers, you will have to learn the lesson of appreciation through however the humans make due with their means of living." Hoseok happily interjected, as if this was the best punishment to could think of to make himself proud. "Are you serious?! What about Taehyung and my family! I can't leave without saying goodbye!" "Oh don’t worry _____-ah, Taehyung will be with you, but he will not be allowed to tell you anything about what has occurred thus far in this proceeding or anything before that. You will have no true recollection of him, he will be what the mortals call "a roommate," and he will not have the full range of his powers so there will be no way for him to help you figure out who you are once you arrive on Earth." Yoongi informed you before finishing up his explanation, "once you leave this courtroom, out through those doors, you will be sent to your home on Earth. We decided to allow the location to be where you were when you were mortal in a past life, but the time is not the same, and the people you thought you once knew are long gone. Take heed to our warnings and do as you need to in the human world. If you can pass this, then we will come back and reconsider all of your accidental screw-ups these last few centuries. Any thoughts, last words ____-ah?" "Yeah. Can me and Taehyung have what they call a cat?”

A/N: hope you enjoyed, I have no idea when I'll get to the next part, so enjoy the read and tell me what you think!

#boy group writers net #armiesnet #ot7 #bts scenarios #park jimin #bts v #bangtan scenarios #bts jungkook #bts #ml

[bethelstavern]

The Strange Flower

The rain was heavy outside as it beat against the large glass windows that lined the illustrious hallways of the William’s manor. White flowers were dotted at every window. At the corner, watering one was a young woman with hair as black as the night and eyes as blue as a clear summer’s day. Elaine was the newly hired maid at the William’s manor, being the new maid she was tasked with a simple job of watering the flowers inside the house. It was an easy and repetitive task which she enjoyed for its quiet and simplicity. Unlike the other tasks she had to do that day, it was nice pause to her bustling day.

Today in particular, was a gloomy day as the grey rainclouds covered the skies, but her tasks was the same, watering the white lilies that were dotted around the manor. It was said that the count of the manor did this in honor of his late wife who loved white lilies. The romantic gesture made the task even more enjoyable to Elaine who grew up hearing fairytales from her own father. She would imagine that the count had proposed to her under a willow surrounded by white lilies. And that was why she adored lilies so much because it reminded her of her husband.

Elaine sighed as her imagination took hold until her mother’s voice came to her mind asking when she would get married. She was already twenty-two and would soon be considered a spinster. She sighed a deep and solemn sigh this time. The young maid hadn’t realized she was over watering the lily pot until another maid walked by carrying a handful of candles snapped back her into reality.

“Elaine, quit daydreaming! You’re spilling water unto the floor.” Elaine quickly retreated the watering can away from the flowering pot and curtsied as an apology for getting lost in her thoughts.

“Well, you better clean this up. Everyone else is busy lighting the house with candles. It seems the storm has kicked off the electricity, and won’t be coming back on until the repair man comes at first light.” The older maid, named Sarah sighed, likely because it meant more work on her part.

“How awful.” Elaine simply replied. In truth she hadn’t realized the electricity had suddenly stopped since she was so encapsulated by her work. That and the hallway she was at was nicknamed the Moon Hallway. During the full moon, the moons silver rays would spill in and illuminate the entirety of the hallways. So, most of the time, the lights would be turned off in this section of the manor. Elaine usually carried a candle to light the way anyways so the lights turning off wouldn’t have changed her station much.

“Yes, very awful. Well, once you’re done cleaning the water up. Could you manually open the self-watering system at the south atrium? It’s usually automatic, but with the power going out everything must be one manually. The gardener is busy with the north and west.” Elaine nodded. It seemed the storm was becoming more and more troublesome.

“Good. I’ll leave it to you then.” Sarah began to walk away only to stop as if she forgot something.

“Ah, no need to go inside. It should be locked anyways. Just turn the cap outside the building all the way to the left.” Sarah said before finally disappearing into the dark hallways of the manor.

Elaine finished watering the rest of the lilies as efficiently as she could and cleaned up the mess she made. She didn’t want to mess up again since it was only her first month at the manor. Her last job had her fired because she tripped and spilled hot tea over the lady of the house. Not her proudest moments in life. She was overjoyed when the William’s Manor hired her as the ladies of society had extensive gossip circles that could likely keep her unemployed for a long time. Something she couldn’t stand her mother nagging on about.

The William’s family seemed to love the outdoors as most of the extensive property were lush gardens. It was split into four quadrants all coined by their cardinal directions in which they were located. The east garden was the most illustrious and grand as it was the entrance of the home. It was decorated with large ornamental shrubs of exotic animals, her personal favorite was the elephant which was said to be as large as an actual elephant. The north and west were less grand in appearance, but each having their own unique beauty. The west garden was the largest out of the four as it housed the manor’s garden. It had a large orchard of peaches and a strawberry patch which Elaine loved. The cooks would make strawberry and chocolate crepes for the family and the sweet aroma of the strawberries mixed with chocolate could be smelled throughout the entire house. And when the peach harvest was particularly plentiful, the chefs were allowed to make jams and candied peaches for the staff to take home. The north was the most familiar to Elaine as she spent the most time there. The north was the smallest but it housed the William’s famous rose and lily garden. The garden was known to turn out the sweetest and largest blooms of roses that lasted for weeks after being cut. Elaine was in charge of the flowers so every other day she would go through the garden and cut flowers to arrange for the sitting room where most of the guests were received. It was always a proud moment for her when a guest would comment on her flower arrangement.

Little was known about the south side garden as she never had to any tasks to do on the south side garden. All she knew was it was where the count’s white lilies were grown. Elaine pulled a dark cloak over her uniform to stave off the pounding rain that waited for her outside. She held the hood closely to her neck before finding the willpower to run outside.

The winds were strong and Elaine could barely keep her balance as the wind tried to sweep her one direction. Around her she could see the poor white lilies being beat by the wind. Their tall stems with the beautiful white flowers at the end were being easily snapped and broken by the cruel weather. The path to the atrium was short, but exhausting. Elaine quickly tried to find the cap Sarah had mentioned,  but it was difficult as the rain and wind blurred her vision. The atrium was also covered small white shaped flowers. As she searched, the wind seemed to grow more viscious and thunder cracked in the sky. In the corner of her eye, lightening struck the ground and Elaine could fear the earth quake in pain. It was then she noticed that the atrium door was open. She debated only for a second whether to go inside or not, but she decided to go inside for only a moment to shelter herself from the thunder.  

It seemed to be a different world inside the atrium. It was damp and humid as trees and overgrown vines seemed to cover its entirety. Elaine’s curiosity got the best of her. She noticed a small work table next to the entrance with a lantern next to it. She lit it with the matches she always carried with her. She was worried it would’ve gotten wet, but her cloak seemed to keep her dry. The candle burned a warm fire color scaring away the cold that the rain had brought to Elaine’s body. Elaine wandered around the strange atrium in wonder at the new strange flowers and foliages she’s never seen before. She noticed all the flowers were white. It seemed the count seemed to love white flowers, but what she gathered from the state of the atrium and the dust that collected on the work bench and lattern, no one had been inside or atleast tended to this atrium in a very long time.

At the very center of the atrium was a lone flower. It was a flower she knew well. It was a white lily. It grew tall almost three feet but only a single bloom was left at the very top. It was the biggest bloom she had ever seen, and maybe the most beautiful. It seemed lonely though. Lilies grew in groups and usually two or three bloomed together. It seemed this bloom was it’s very last.

“How sad. You seem to be a very old flower.” Elaine whispered to the flower sadly captivated by it’s beauty. The flickering of the light reflected on its white petals.

“A visitor? How strange.” A soft and elderly voice croaked.

Startled and suddenly afraid someone caught her inside the atrium, Elaine glanced around the atrium shinning the lantern to light the darkness. But everything in the atrium remained still and quiet. It was probably best if she took her leave. The rain didn’t seem to lighten as she could hear it pounding against the glass walls, but she was too afraid after hearing that quiet yet distinct voice. She definitely heard something.

“I don’t think I imagined that voice...” She mumbled as she took one more quick glance at the flower before turning back to leave the strange atrium.

“Oh. A new face, even stranger.” Elaine quickly glanced back at the flower. For some odd reason, she felt as if the voice was coming from the flower. No that can’t be right. Maybe I’m catching a cold from staying out in the rain too long. Elaine convinced herself.

“Please don’t go so soon. I don’t have much company here.” The flower cried. Elaine paused and watched the flower. It seemed to wilt as if it really was crying. She suddenly felt a wave of sadness go over her. The flower did seem lonely. Was she hullicinating all of this? Either way, she decided, it didn’t hurt talking to the poor lily.

“Are you the one speaking to me, little flower?” Elaine bent over to face the flower studying it closely.

“Yes.”

Elaine expected but at the same to she did not expect it. She was too stunned to answer and even if she did her mind was blank not knowing what to say in this strange situation.

“Please help me.” The flower cried again.

“What’s this? Help you?” Elaine snapped out of her shock and curiousity instead took over.

“Yes, once this last bloom falls I will be forever fall into a deep slumber and my soul forever become a lily.” It cried as the petals began to drop even more.

“But are not a flower?” Elaine asked.

“No, I am a prince cursed by the warlock of the Izian family. If the curse is not lifted in a time, I will truly become a simple lily.”

“But how do you lift such a curse?” Elaine asked. She wasn’t not sure if she herself believed all of this, but curses were not unfamiliar to her. The country was rich in magic and people able to wield it. The Earl himself was known to be warlock, most of the rich were. People not blessed with such power, like Elaine, they had simple and less illustrious jobs.

“I do not know. I used to know, but my memory has faded since I’ve been trapped. All I can recall is what I’ve told you so far, but recently I remembered a name that might help. That’s why I was overjoyed to see a knew face. Maybe you can search for this name.”

“I am but a humble maid. I have no power or authority to lift what seems to be such a powerful curse.”

“Yes I did sense no magic in you, but it’s alright. You will just be a messenger.” The flower seemed to have perked up a bit.

“I guess I am atleast capable of that.” Elaine replied.

“Searching my thoughts, I remember a good friend, his name is Sir Carmichael Kinsely. Please if you could find him and tell him of my curse, I believe he will know what to do.”

“He sounds like a knight under the kings guard.” Most knights were given the title sir before their names as a kind of honorary title. “I will try to find him and relay your circumstances to him.”

Elaine slipped away from the atrium. The winds and the rain had died down. Only a few dark clouds remained. The aftermath of the storm left most of the flowers broken and lying on the ground. Elaine picked up a few that didn’t seem to tattered. Calm on the outside, her mind raced as she tried to calm her self by picking up a few of the tattered flowers. Maybe arranging some flowers would calm her racing mind. When she got to the kitchen, the cooks were busy preparing lunch.The smell of potato soup wafted in the air. It helped calm her nervous as she searched for a vase.

“Oh Elaine, there you are.” One of the gardeners, named Jacob, called. He approached her soaking wet from the rain and his feet covered in mud. The head maid and cooks wouldn’t be too happy seeing that. He sat down next to her as he watched her arrange the flowers in a pleasing way. Jacob and Elaine had entered the manor at the same time and grew close since he took charge of the rose garden in the north side. Many times he would just watch arrange the flowers before heading off to do the rest of the work.

Elaine tried to act normal, but her arrangements seemed to be reflecting the choas going on in her mind. Jacob seemed to notice, “are you ali-”

He was cut off by a group of giggling and whispering maids entering the kitchen. One of them was Ellen, a fair haired and fair eyed maid that Elaine was acquainted too. Ellen was the type to speak to anyone as if they were long friends. “Oh Elaine! Haven’t you head the news?”

“What’s that?” Jacob instead responded.

“The Earl’s son is coming back from abroad!” Ellen squealed causing even the chefs to wince.

“I didn’t know the Earl even had a son.” Elaine said only half-interested, her mind was elsewhere. It was instead planning how to find the knight the prince had mentioned. She would have her days off soon and she shouldn’t waste time not knowing how long the prince had before the last bloom would fall.

“Oh ho ho. You’re not the only one Elaine, but that doesn’t matter. It’s that fact that he does. From what I’ve heard he was sent away as a young child to a magic up north because he had great magic potential. Then after graduation he went directly to serve in the King’s army and participated in the Northern border raid along side in place of the Earl. Now he’s coming home and for what? To find a wife!” Ellen cackled.

“Let me guess, you think you have chance at becoming the future lady of the house.” Jacob grumbled upon hearing the gossip was simply ladies ladies gossip.

“Can’t a girl dream, Jacob?” Ellen’s eyes seemed to swoon at the idea of becoming the next lady of the house.

“She’s right, Jacob. Even the strangest things can happen and you don’t even realize it.” Elaine chuckled. She loved a good rags to riches fairytale and Ellen’s enthusiasm seemed to make the situation she just encountered more of an adventure.

“Don’t tell me you’re of the same mindset?” Jacob looked at her with intent.

“Oh no. I prefer a much simpler life. I think I would much prefer retiring in the countryside side than running this whole manor.” Elaine said cheerfully. It was true she loved fairytales, but after this whole ordeal, she rather just live quietly out in the country with a small garden to take care of. Though, her mother would love her marrying an earl’s son. Jacob seemed to relax a bit.

“To each their own!” Ellen said as she grabbed the bowls and plates to set up the table for lunch. “Though you both are curious what the Earl’s son looks like right?”

“I guess.” Jacob said half-interested.

“I heard the older maids say that he looked like the Earl when he was still a boy.” The Ellen said as she placed the a stack of plates and bowls unto a cart along with napkins and the silverware. Elaine had never seen the Earl in person as she never had to serve him directly, but she had seen portraits of the Earl when she placed flowers in the library occasionally. He had dark raven hair similar to Elaine, but striking dark violet eyes. That was all she could remember of the earl as she hadn’t been to the library in quite sometime.

“Ellen! Quit dawdling, the others are waiting for you to set up the table.” One of the older maids hassled her until she disappeared into the dining room.

The kitchen was quiet again except for the bustling of the chefs pouring the soups into fine kitchen wear suited for the earl. Her thoughts went back to the strange flower she had encountered and what he had said. “Jacob,” Jacob had been preoccurpied by the smell of fresh bread leaving the ovens. Steam rose as the baker placed them a rack to cool slightly before serving. Jacob grabbed one to the baker’s dismay, but the baker ignored him. Jacob turned at the mention of his name ripping a piece of bread off before helping himself to the piece. “Does the Izian name sound familiar to you?”

Jacob thought for a second. She shook his head before swallowing the piece of bread. “No, but I haven’t been in this town long so I don’t know most names. The only one I really know is the counts.”

That’s right. Elaine had forgotten Jacob came only recently from a town to the south. She needed to find someone who had more information. Elaine finished arranging the flowers the best she could and not soon after Jacob was called by one of the head gardeners as the storm had left a mess of the gardens.

“Elaine?” Elaine turned to see Sarah again. This time she was carrying a large pile of linens.

“Yes, Miss Sarah.” Elaine answered as Sarah likely could not see her face as the linens were piled past her forehead. “Could you go into town and a few candles. We ran out to set the table for dinner.”

“Yes, Miss Sarah.” Sarah was one of the head maids and was the one to interview Elaine for the position. She liked Sarah and tried to please her when she could.

Heading into town gave Elaine a great excuse to try and find someone name Sir Carmichael. She first stopped by a store to buy some candles. She handed the cashier the coins Sarah had given her. “The storm knocked out your electricity?”

“Yes, sir.” Elaine replied placing the jumble of candles into her basket.

“Hmm. Not the only one. Several people also came in to buy some. It’s inconvenient, but sure brings in some customers than usual for me.” The man chuckled as he placed the coins into the register.

“Excuse me, sir, but do you know where I might inquire where somebody lives? I just have their name, but nothing else.” Elaine explained trying to give as little information as she could.

“Hmm.” The man thought scratching his chin. “Well, have you tried checking the post?”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Thank you, sir.” Elaine thanked the man with a smile and left the shop. She headed for the post office which was only two block away. She went their occasionally send to money to her mother. When she entered it was more hectic than usual. She gathered it was likely from the storm ruining their delivery schedule. Her eyes lead her to the help desk at the corner. There a young man, likely a few years younger than Elaine was sorting through a stack of small papers.

“Hello.” Elaine greeted trying to get his attention. The young man looked up his thin wire rimmed glasses not following his eyes. He pushed them back to the top nose bridged and scanned the young lady. “Yes. How can I help you?” His eyes were grey and he seemed to hold himself older than he appeared.

“Is it possible to inquire the address of a name?” Elaine asked.

“Well it depends on the matter.” He simply stated. Elaine knew it was going to be difficult getting information out of this young man. He seemed smart and gaurded. She had to come up with a believable excuse, quickly.

“Ah yes. I just arrived into town and wanted to pay visit but I seemed to have left his note with his address.” Elaine quickly made up.

The man studied her intently. Elaine was not good at lying. Her father had always said that he could tell because her nose would slightly scrunch.

“Yes, I’m afraid I cannot give that out simply because you want to pay this gentlemen a visit. I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“But-”

“I’m sorry-”

“Now, what’s going on here?” A large man appeared next to Elaine. He reeked of beer and sweat and his stomach seemed to be barely hanging on.

“Hello, sir. I was just informing this lady that she cannot inquire into an address for personal reasons. It’s against policy.” The young man eyed the young lady as if to affirm that he was not going to give her anything.

“Oh, just give the pretty lady the address.” The greasy man eyed her with hungery eyes sending sending shivers down her spine. She would rather not get help from a man like him.

“But sir-” The young man tried to protest.

“Give her the damn address.” He snarled, his white skin suddenly turned red. Then he turned giving Elaine a smile. Elaine wasn’t particularly pretty, so when the man looked at her with those hungry eyes she couldn’t help but feel like the man would sleep with anything that could walk.

“No it’s alright. Thank you, though.”

“No, please my lady I insist.” The man purred.

Elaine obliged unsure how to handle the situation any further.

“His name his Sir Carmichael Kingsley.” The young man hesitated with a worried look in his eyes. It looked at his superior than back to Elaine.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” The brutish man roared. The young man sighed, got up from his post and disappeared to the room in the back likely to cross reference the name, leaving Elaine with the brutish man with hungry eyes.

“Now since I did you a little favor, why don’t you do one for me.” The man stepped closer to Elaine only for Elaine to step one away. This continued until he got annoyed and grabbed her arm. His grip was tight and painful as it pinched her skin.  

“Come on little lady, it won’t take long...” HIs voice was hushed, but his breath almost made Elaine gag in disgust. She was frozen in place.

“Excuse me, but if you could take you hands off of her.” A third voice she didn’t recognize. Elaine opened her eyes and a stood in the middle of them his hands pushing against the brutish man.

“Look here-” The brutish man seemed to recognize something and did not finish. “Oh, I’m so sorry sir. Nothing was happening I was just helping the little lady.”

The man immediately released his grip of her wrist. “Rain! Rain!”

The boys name was Rain? It was a unusual name, but Elaine oddly liked it. The man continued to call the helpers name until the boy rushed in exhausted.

“Quickly give the card to the young lady.”

“But I haven’t copied down the information!” The young man pleaded.

“Give it to her.” The man said in gritted teeth while trying to keep his smile. The young man did as he was told and handed Elaine the slip. The greasy man pushed Elaine of the post before she could even say a word or a word of thanks. It took a short moment for Elaine to process her ordeal. It seemed strange things kept happening to her today.

She glanced at the slip of paper. She know had the address. Now she just had to simply deliver the message to Sir Charmichael and her days would have some normalcy again.

#mine #stories #flower

[thetapelessworld]

Spitfire sprinkles SOUND DUST with second collection of unique, strange, and inspiring instruments

Spitfire sprinkles SOUND DUST with second collection of unique, strange, and inspiring instruments

Spitfire Audio is proud to announce availability of SOUND DUST 2 — the second collection of unique, strange, and inspiring instruments created by the company’s collective favourite British sound designer, composer, and aficionado of all things (that sound) weird and wonderful, Pendle Poucher, the innovative brains behind boutique Brighton-based library company Sound Dust (to which the collection obviously owes its magical ‘musical’ name) — as of November 15…

Like its predecessor — originally released by Spitfire Audio as DUSTBUNDLE back in 2015, SOUND DUST 2 acts as another gateway to a playground of sonic discovery — this time to a diverse selection of five of its innovative creator’s namesake company’s most recent hybrid creations. Collecting unique oddities and eccentricities, richly sampled with Pendle Poucher’s radical recording processes and obsessive attention to detail, these range from hip-hop beats through to broken violas and rare, distorted pianos — all as they have never been heard before. Better still, these are truly expressive, intuitive left-field sounds, supremely designed to spark anyone’s imagination. Indeed, as Pendle Poucher posits, “My approach is not as a proper composer; I make organised noise. For me, the sounds are more important than the notes. I’m always thinking about the timbre and the quality of the sound, then I try to make that into a musical thing.”

The thing is, in creating an interesting Sound Dust library, Pendle Poucher does not limit himself to any one type of sound or instrument; rather the only requirements are that interesting noises are made which with he can create something that has not been heard before. By being based at The Toy Rooms Studio in Brighton, UK — a veritable breeding ground for interesting British sounds since it is a hub of renowned film composers, musicians, and producers, such as Nick Cave, Gomez, Jez Kurtswall, and UNKLE, surrounded by a multitude of rare instruments and equipment, perhaps Pendle Poucher’s obsession with strange sounds is all the more understandable. After all, this innovative individual started out by playing guitar in Rough Trade-signed art-pop band Butterfly Child before working on sound and art installations, including a permanent one for the National Trust at Avebury Manor. Meanwhile, he has also spent 10 years working as sound designer and composer for the award-winning DreamThinkSpeak theatre company, as well as writing and producing scores for the BBC and many other television entities in the UK and beyond. But for Sound Dust, Pendle Poucher mostly works alone as he prefers to see a project through from start to finish, with laser-sharp attention to detail: “The whole Sound Dust thing started by accident,” he reveals. “I bought a beautiful old Dulcitone off eBay; it was kind of knackered and I couldn’t really play it, so I decided to sample it. I then started selling the samples, which, to my surprise, were amazingly popular, and it all grew from there. Had I not started with Dulcitone, Sound Dust wouldn’t be what it is today, which is essentially me indulging in my desire to make funny noises.”

Needless to say, a clandestine, Cold War-style meet between composers Christian Henson and Pendle Poucher beneath London's Hungerford Bridge, resulted in one of the most exciting partnerships Spitfire Audio has forged in its illustrious history... history has shown, then, that the original DUSTBUNDLE — recently re-released as SOUND DUST 1 — has become a staple of Spitfire Audio’s 70-plus sample libraries to date; SOUND DUST 2 is surely set to follow suit, thanks to its integration of the following five hybrid creations — each effectively ‘mini’ magical, sample-based virtual instruments in their own right, fit for sprinkling over anything anyone cares to play with them. The FLUTTER dust module could conceivably be considered a truly 21st Century Mellotron, made using existing Sound Dust instruments with added effects and parameters. It is based on recordings of acoustic instruments — just like a Mellotron, albeit with extra functionality to transport its users to places its tape-based Mellotron counterpart’s could only over dream of! Furthering flexibility, FLUTTER dust module features two interfaces — namely, Looper, offering controls on a per-note basis, and Wavetable, with edited, mangled, morphed, and reversed sounds from Sound Dust favourites (such as Autoharp, Cloud Viola and Cello, Dulcitone, Ghosts Piano, Hammr+ and Rubber Bass, Hogwarts Piano, Orgone, Pendleonium, Plucked Grand Piano, and Ships Piano) providing long and complex, multi-sampled acoustic wavetables that can scan in real time to create beautiful, evolving, and unexpected new sounds. Meanwhile, moving the mod wheel results in instant, live fluttering/glitch/jitter effects; playing the coloured key switches produces realtime gating effects. Either way, clicking the chaos button simply serves up a totally different sound each and every time! That said, moving the playhead position or loop points can construct completely new sounds — from delicate ‘flute-otrons’ to majestic organ-celestes and complex polyrhythmic Philip Glass-esque soundscapes. Seeking to make music that inhabits a sonic ‘other’ space by sounding simultaneously acoustic and electronic? Enter the wonderful world of FLUTTER, a world where creating granular sounds and ghostly versions of real-world timbres clearly comes naturally.

Taking its name, naturally, from the time funnel in Kurt Vonnegut’s terrific time-leaping novel, Sirens of Titan, INFUNDIBULUM is a multi-arp workstation and three-part sequencing machine offering a playground of polyrhythmic possibilities — perfect for creating unusual textures, rhythmic textures like ostinatos and interesting cross-rhythms, and different types of sequencing. Since those three arpeggiators all run at different speeds and lengths, featuring chiming piano sounds for an instant Steve Reich vibe, the radical results can be likened to being in a room full of noise generators; bowed, plucked, or struck things; and exotic vintage synths! INFUNDIBULUM is not intended for authentically replicating any of the included sounds — some have been deeply multi-sampled, after all; instead it celebrates what happens when sampling goes too far! Furthermore, holding any chord results in different notes starting to cycle back on themselves in disjointed yet glorious, hitherto unheard ways. With the an amazing multi-arp added into the magical mix — three sounds repeating through different cycle lengths at different speeds, users are already heading halfway towards an out-of-body experience!

Elsewhere, ODDHOP — powered by modular chaos engine #3, no less; imagine, if you will, a 303 and a 909 drum machine fused together with additional quirky percussion machines — makes for disappearing down a rhythmic rabbit hole easier done than said! Since it is packed with hundreds of original acoustic and electronic sounds arranged into five octaves of one-shot kicks, as well as pre-programmed basses, pianos, and vocal samples, ODDHOP is specifically designed for electronic music production and, as such, compatible with Pendle Poucher’s other piano-based instruments for a wonky, eclectic hip-hop sound. Saying that, things get really exciting when using the new drum and bass sequencing engines, each with 12 tracks of drawable-per-note control over nine parameters and polyrhythmic patterns. Put it this way: users will literally never be sure what they are going to get!

Get this, though: PENDLEONIUM comprises six sampled source instruments, intended to create something entirely new. The instruments themselves — two Danelectro baritone guitars, two Fernandez infinite guitars (with Sustainiac pickups and built-in eBows), and a spring viola (hardwired through a Roland Space Echo, creating an endless pad) — are arranged left to right across the main panel. PENDLEONIUM creates sounds reminiscent of Twin Peaks, Radiohead, and an orchestral haze, seamlessly merging organic and electronic elements. Each instrument comes complete with enhanced editing tools to tweak to suit, with effects like dirt, eq, rotor, and reverb, together with delay send and reverb send, for gnarly, lo-fi treatments. PENDLEONIUM produces seismic shifts and deep, rich tones at lower registers, while in higher registers it can be configured to produce sounds like ripples passing through mercury! SHIPS PIANO is fashioned from a selection of three characterful pianos — namely, a ship’s piano; a ‘school hall’ grand, recorded binaurally in a Hogwarts-style school chapel; and a deviously altered home upright, reversed, fed into high-end reverb, and reversed again for a backwards attack effect. Speaking of effects, users can cunningly combine different aspects of each piano — accessing ADSRs, convolution reverb, high and lowpass filters, and vibrato to create impossible-sounding piano hybrids!

Having said all that, so intuitive is this collection of instruments that as soon as users start moving buttons and faders around, magical things start to happen! Is it any wonder, when Pendle Poucher — Spitfire Audio co-founder Christian Henson’s sampling hero — delights in taking left-field routes, resulting in inspiring new sounds and mind-bending sound design possibilities. SOUND DUST 2 can be purchased and digitally downloaded for a time-limited introductory promo price of £149.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$149.00 USD/ €149.00 EUR (inc. VAT) until November 29, 2018 — rising thereafter to an RRP of £199.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$199.00 USD/€199.00 EUR (inc. VAT) — from here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/sound-dust-vol-2/ For more in-depth information, including some superb-sounding audio demos, please visit the dedicated SOUND DUST 2 webpage here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/sound-dust-vol-2/

Watch Spitfire Audio Director Paul Thomson’s ‘traditional’ video walkthrough of SOUND DUST 2 here: https://youtu.be/u3eTyp5bOUI

Watch Spitfire Audio ‘composer-in-residence’ Oliver Patrice Weder’s ‘In Action’ video for SOUND DUST 2 here: https://youtu.be/JCeZy_Dovrc

Watch Spitfire Audio Director Christian Henson showcasing the delights of SOUND DUST 1 and SOUND DUST 2 here: https://youtu.be/ox09fK1ns6w

Watch Spitfire Audio’s An Introduction to Sound Dust documentary here: https://youtu.be/H8sJtqnrGd0

SOUND DUST 2 needs Native Instruments’ free KONTAKT PLAYER (5.6.8 or higher) — included in the purchase — to run as a fully NKS (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD®) supporting plug-in instrument for Mac (OS X 10.10 or later) or Windows (7, 8, or 10 — latest Service Pack, 32/64-bit), while Spitfire Audio’s free Download Manager application allows anyone to buy now and download anytime.

#news #spitfireaudio #sounddust #kontakt #samplelibraries #musicproducer #musicproduction

[go-mainguyen-blr-blog]

15 Best Movies like The Reader (2008)

THE READER opens in post-war Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair. Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from "The Odyssey," "Huck Finn" and "The Lady with the Little Dog." Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken. Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life - this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna's past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives. THE READER is a story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another.

Here are list of 15 Best Movies like The Reader (2008):

1. Schindler's List (1993)

Oskar Schindler is a vainglorious and greedy German businessman who becomes an unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric German Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler who managed to save about 1100 Jews from being gassed at the Auschwitz concentration camp, it is a testament to the good in all of us.

2. Léon: The Professional (1994)

After her father, mother, older sister and little brother are killed by her father's employers, the 12-year-old daughter of an abject drug dealer is forced to take refuge in the apartment of a professional hitman who at her request teaches her the methods of his job so she can take her revenge on the corrupt DEA agent who ruined her life by killing her beloved brother.

3. Life Is Beautiful (1997)

In 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish book keeper named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman from a nearby city. Guido and his wife have a son and live happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank.

4. The Pianist (2002)

In this adaptation of the autobiography "The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945," Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jewish radio station pianist, sees Warsaw change gradually as World War II begins. Szpilman is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, but is later separated from his family during Operation Reinhard. From this time until the concentration camp prisoners are released, Szpilman hides in various locations among the ruins of Warsaw.

5. Oldboy (2003)

Abducted on a rainy night in 1988, the obnoxious drunk, Oh Dae-Su, much to his surprise, wakes up locked in a windowless and dilapidated hotel room, for an unknown reason. There, his invisible and pitiless captors will feed him, clothe him and sedate him to avoid committing suicide, and as his only companion and a window to the world is the TV in his stark cell, the only thing that helps Oh Dae-Su keep going is his daily journal. But then, unexpectedly, after fifteen long years in captivity, the perplexed prisoner is deliberately released, encouraged to track down his tormentor to finally get his retribution. Nevertheless, who would hate Oh Dae-Su so much he would deny him of a quick and clean death?

6. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

In German-occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the "Basterds", a group of Jewish-American guerrilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl's plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.

7. Come and See (1985)

The feature film directed by Elem Klimov, shot in the genre of military drama. The action takes place on the territory of Belarus in 1943. In the center of the story is a Belarusian boy, who witnesses the horrors of the Nazi punitive action, turning from a cheerful teenager into a gray-haired old man for two days.

8. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

It has been three years since the most important Nazi leaders had already been tried. This trial is about 4 judges who used their offices to conduct Nazi sterilization and cleansing policies. Retired American judge, Dan Haywood has a daunting task ahead of him. The Cold War is heating up and no one wants any more trials as Germany, and Allied governments, want to forget the past. But is that the right thing to do is the question that the tribunal must decide.

9. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

1994. In Rwanda, the classification of the native population into Hutus and Tutsis, arbitrarily done by the colonial Belgians, is now ingrained within Rwandan mentality despite the Rwandan independence. Despite the Belgians having placed the Tutsis in a higher position during the Belgian rule, they have placed the majority Hutus in power after independence. Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu married to a Tutsi, Tatiana Rusesabagina, is the House Manager of the Hotel Des Milles Collines in Kigali. The Milles Collines, owned by Sabena (the national airline of Belgium), is a four-star hotel catering primarily to wealthy white westerners. Paul, who knows how to work the system to run the hotel effectively for its guests and for Sabena, is proud that most of the Caucasians who he meets in this professional capacity treat him with respect. After a specific incident, the relative calm between the Tutsi guerrillas and government-backed Hutu militia takes a turn. Paul's thought that the native population as a whole who are not directly involved in the conflict will be protected as the UN peacekeeping forces and thus the world is watching doesn't happen as the western world largely evacuates from Rwanda and abandons the natives. Such begins what will become a genocide of the Tutsi population. Paul, who is able to get his immediate family to the hotel which is still largely seen as a place of sanctuary, will have to use the considerable skills he has used to run the hotel as well as he has instead to keep himself, his family and any others taking refuge at the hotel alive, whether they be Hutu or Tutsi. Meanwhile, Colonel Oliver, a Canadian heading the UN peacekeeping forces, and Pat Archer with the Red Cross do what they can to assist Paul and to get people to safety first to the hotel then out of the country, while field journalists, like photographer Jack Daglish, try to bring the genocide back into the global media to have the world once again care about what is going on.

10. Her (2013)

Theodore is a lonely man in the final stages of his divorce. When he's not working as a letter writer, his down time is spent playing video games and occasionally hanging out with friends. He decides to purchase the new OS1, which is advertised as the world's first artificially intelligent operating system, "It's not just an operating system, it's a consciousness," the ad states. Theodore quickly finds himself drawn in with Samantha, the voice behind his OS1. As they start spending time together they grow closer and closer and eventually find themselves in love. Having fallen in love with his OS, Theodore finds himself dealing with feelings of both great joy and doubt. As an OS, Samantha has powerful intelligence that she uses to help Theodore in ways others hadn't, but how does she help him deal with his inner conflict of being in love with an OS?

11. The Graduate (1967)

Ben has recently graduated from college, with his parents now expecting great things from him. At his "Homecoming" party, Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father's business partner, has Ben drive her home, which leads to an affair between the two. The affair eventually ends, but comes back to haunt him when he finds himself falling for Elaine, Mrs. Robinson's daughter.

12. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Jews and Orthodox Christians live in the little village of Anatevka in the pre-revolutionary Russia of the Czars. Among the traditions of the Jewish community, the matchmaker arranges the match and the father approves it. The milkman Reb Tevye is a poor man that has been married for twenty-five years with Golde and they have five daughters. When the local matchmaker Yente arranges the match between his older daughter Tzeitel and the old widow butcher Lazar Wolf, Tevye agrees with the wedding. However Tzeitel is in love with the poor tailor Motel Kamzoil and they ask permission to Tevye to get married that he accepts to please his daughter. Then his second daughter Hodel (Michele Marsh) and the revolutionary student Perchik decide to marry each other and Tevye is forced to accept. When Perchik is arrested by the Czar troops and sent to Siberia, Hodel decides to leave her family and homeland and travel to Siberia to be with her beloved Perchik. When his third daughter Chava decides to get married with the Christian Fyedka, Tevye does not accept and considers that Chava has died. Meanwhile the Czar troops evict the Jewish community from Anatevka.

13. Harold and Maude (1971)

Young adult Harold Chasen, solitary and friendless by choice, is obsessed with death, this fascination manifesting itself in he staging his own fake suicides, driving a hearse and attending funerals, even of people he doesn't know, all to the chagrin of his exasperated wealthy mother with who he lives. Mrs. Chasen is determined for Harold to be "normal", including she sending him into therapy to deal with his issues and finding him a girlfriend through a computer dating service. It is at a series of funerals that Harold meets Maude, on the cusp of her eightieth birthday, she who too attends funerals of strangers. Unlike Harold, Maude is obsessed with life - her own life to be more precise - she doing whatever she wants to please herself, damned what others may think or how they may be affected. Since she can't take material possessions with her, she is more interested in experiences, with whatever material possessions she has - often "borrowed" without asking - only to further those experiences. Their friendship is initially based on how the other can further their own priority. But as Maude shows Harold how to truly live, Harold falls in love with her. Their relationship, already limited in time by the sheer math, is curtailed even more as Maude shows him only not how to live well, but die well.

14. Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)

In 1944, upper class boy Julien Quentin and his brother François travel to Catholic boarding school in the countryside after vacations. Julien is a leader and good student and when the new student Jean Bonnet arrives in the school, they have friction in their relationship. However, Julien learns to respect Jean and discovers that he is Jewish and the priests are hiding him from the Nazis. They become best friends and Julien keeps the secret. When the priest Jean discovers that the servant Joseph is stealing supplies from the school to sell in the black market, he fires the youth. Sooner the Gestapo arrives at school to investigate the students and the priests that run and work in the boarding school.

15. The Notebook (2004)

In a nursing home, resident Duke reads a romance story to an old woman who has senile dementia with memory loss. In the late 1930s, wealthy seventeen year-old Allie Hamilton is spending summer vacation in Seabrook. Local worker Noah Calhoun meets Allie at a carnival and they soon fall in love with each other. One day, Noah brings Allie to an ancient house that he dreams of buying and restoring and they attempt to make love but get interrupted by their friend. Allie's parents do not approve of their romance since Noah belongs to another social class, and they move to New York with her. Noah writes 365 letters (A Year) to Allie, but her mother Anne Hamilton does not deliver them to her daughter. Three years later, the United States joins the World War II and Noah and his best friend Fin enlist in the army, and Allie works as an army nurse. She meets injured soldier Lon Hammond in the hospital. After the war, they meet each other again going on dates and then, Lon, who is wealthy and handsome, proposes. Meanwhile Noah buys and restores the old house and many people want to buy it. When Allie accidentally sees the photo of Noah and his house in a newspaper, she feels divided between her first love and her commitment with Lon. Meanwhile Duke stops reading to the old lady since his children are visiting him in the nursing home.

P/S: This list has reference data from https://moviessimilarto.com - a crowsourced movies recommendations engine.

[billydisagrees]

36 Dates and Counting.

Just under three years ago I found myself freshly out of a long term relationship that culminated in a broken engagement. It was new territory for me. I had never imagined myself the marrying type but there I was, ring returned and entirely lost, newly saddled with the nauseating task of “getting back out there”. I wasn’t reckless or  anything, I waited a few months before I felt even remotely prepared to test the waters. I quickly learned that a few months wasn’t going to cut it for me as far as emotional preparedness but more on that later. As I plunged back into a world of meet ups, hook ups, break ups, and chill sesh’s(a real human said that out loud to my face) I decided to try to learn something about these men. I wondered what kind of lengths I’d go to find some compatibility and common ground.

I have made a lot of mistakes and I have done a few things well. In any case, this is not intended as advice for anyone. I am not an authority on dating and I’ve come to believe that no one really is. No one way works for anybody and today, 36 dates and counting, I’m still at square one. I don’t know any more about the kind of man I want or need to make a long term relationship work because my feelings on that topic are still evolving. What I have become more of an expert on is myself. I’m starting to listen to myself and my instincts more as I wade through a sometimes great, always scary and occasionally truly disgusting pool of gentlemen.

I doubt my experience is unique. I hope it isn’t actually. I’d be mortified to find out that this kind of bullshit was specific to me. I’m writing this because I think it’s relatable and weird. Some of it is funny, some sad and all of it true. I had the idea early on in this adventure to write a little bit about each date as I went. Each man will be referred to only by their date number. I’m not doing this to take away any humanity, it’s just a way to hopefully avoid any hurt feelings with facebook sleuthing. Plus, I’d like to continue dating without any guy with internet access thinking his vulnerable moments would be made into public entertainment. It is 36 dates, not 36 men. That’s not any slut shaming shade, I promise. If someone hits 36 dudes in under 3 years I would be nothing but jealous and impressed. I just don’t move at that speed yet, but I’m working on it. Not every date or every guy will be discussed. Just a few I think are noteworthy. Let’s meet our dream team.

#8

The Man who Knew Too Much

My very favorite place to take a date is Le Bistro Montage. It’s under the Morrison Bridge in the industrial district and it is home to about a dozen different ways to eat macaroni and cheese. They have an extensive wine list, cool music and ridiculously flattering lighting. I have only recently noticed those last few things because when I go there I am almost always in it for the mac. If you have not tried it, stop reading this and go do that. Their mac is better than anything I could ever hope to write. This story will be here when you’re full.

Welcome back. I had arranged for #8 to meet me at seven. He and I met on Tinder. We had been trading witty quips and quotes from Arrested Development for about two weeks and it felt good to set up the date. It seemed like the natural next step for us and I have found that isn’t always how the first date feels. Eight dates in though, I was still naive to the idea that I would suffer through dates that seemed simply obligatory.

When he showed up I was stunned by how handsome he was in person. He looked great in pictures and after surgically dissecting his social media platforms I thought I had a pretty good idea of how it would feel to see him in the flesh. Turns out, I undershot it. I was nervous. Sweat immediately tickled my lower back and my perpetually rosy cheeks flushed to sleigh guiding brightness. He hugged me casually. I remember thinking it felt like a hug from someone you hadn’t spoken to in a while and didn’t really miss.

We sat and ordered drinks. I ordered my standard well vodka soda and he asked for a glass of merlot while pronouncing the name in a weird and completely over the top French accent. Not buying it the server politely said “Oh, that one is actually from Spain”. He not having the service industry background I do, didn’t realize that this was the only way for our sweet server to express that he was being a fucking idiot. Without blinking, he responded, “I didn’t ask where it was from, I’d just like you to bring me a glass of it please.”

It was over. At exactly that minute it stopped being a date entirely. It became an exercise in observation and manners. I was curious to see what someone with so little respect for this stranger who was just doing her job would go on to say. How would he act after that embarrassing display of pride? I was also terrified of being rude and leaving all together. I silently decided to finish dinner and make sure that poor girl got a tip to for not stabbing him with his salad fork.

#8 began telling me the illustrious tale of his wild life. He worked in HR for a tech company in Portland and had recently relocated from Minnesota. This is one of the most unglamorous set ups I could imagine but he explained it to me like he’d been roughing it through the wilderness relying on nothing but instinct and a well worn copy of Slaughterhouse Five. He was an amature beat poet, not a self described amature mind you, that is a label I am rightfully assigning but I’m pretty sure he thought of himself as Kerouac resurrected. He was entirely “over” Portland’s art scene though. He’d been in town a handful of months and could already tell that the pacific northwest was just pretending to be heady and forward.

“Oh it’s no better than anywhere else. I think it’s hysterical how proud the locals are of all the ‘progressive entertainment’ here.It’s honestly a joke.”

Honestly was his preface to every other sentence. If I had been playing a drinking game where I took a shot every time he said it I would have been in a blackout before the appetizer showed up.(I can not give you one good reason why I didn’t go that route, hindsight’s 20/20 am I right?)

“I’m just worried that the only place I’ll be happy is New York, or maybe Rome, even.” he sighed wistfully while staring at his Spanish wine with French ambition. I had to look down for what felt like days after he said that to prevent him from seeing the “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!” look that was blazing in my eyes. When I finally returned to his face he was still earnestly committed to what he thought was the most profound thing he’d ever said. He was so lost in the wonder of his own beautiful words that I’m pretty sure I could have taken a shit on his plate without him noticing.

I paid the check shortly after and left an obscene tip for our server with a note that said “I’m so sorry about him. He’s a stranger with whom I will never have sex”. We walked outside and found a beautiful evening in Portland. Before I could make an excuse to hurry home he took my hand and said we couldn’t possibly miss the chance to take a walk on a night like this. He was the last person I wanted to be on a romantic stroll with but the pretty night sky and his very pretty face weakened my resolve. As we started out in a blessing of silence I began to bargain with myself in my head. He was so handsome! It didn’t have to be a relationship, maybe he could just be like a nice one time deal. Maybe he was nervous at dinner and that could explain why after an hour and forty-five minutes he’d asked me just two questions, one of which was “Do you ever see yourself getting serious about your fitness goals?”(I had mentioned no such goals...at all)

All hope that we’d turned a corner was erased when his mouth started up again. I stoically listened and nodded appropriately through another half an hour of his musings on art and film. When I asked about his favorite movie he responded by saying, “Well my favorite film is The Dreamers, by Bertolucci.” Not only did he emphasize the word film like he was adjusting the way a toddler had just said it, he listed the director’s name like he’d authored a book. This is not inherently gross but I promise if you had been there you’d have wanted to push him in front of a bus as much as I did.

In what I can only imagine was a moment of weakness for him he asked what my favorite film was. Without hesitation I said “Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps.” He was confused for a second, then recognition crossed his perfectly symmetrical face and he was just below horrified. It was not my favorite movie but I watched it enough as a kid to reenact a few lines for him. I wanted for a moment to shove his smarm and smug into his own face. He did what I think was his best to act amused and started to mention his early start for the next day.

I thought about not taking the hint and forcing this guy to witness my low brow interests. I pictured his face after hearing how many string cheese wrappers I had in my bathroom wastebasket. Ultimately I decided it was in both our best interests to part ways. He thanked me for dinner and said he’d text me in the morning. I turned to leave when he grabbed my hand and pulled me into a soft and near motionless kiss. I didn’t close my eyes and I watched as he simply laid his lips on mine and basically took a micro nap. I backed away and said, “Okay, Goodbye.”

On the way home I thought I had done a bad job of showing up for myself. This guy was as arrogant and condescending as they come and I had done almost nothing in the way of putting him in his place. I began listing all the things I wished I’d told him in my head when it occurred to me that I was just really disappointed. It was hard to realize that this handsome, educated guy had basically used me as a way to hear his voice for a couple hours. He’d kissed me even though everything about my body language said I wasn’t into it just because he felt like he should be able to. I allowed myself to just be sad that a guy who I was excited about ended up being an asshole. It was the first time I found out firsthand that you can chat with someone for a long time and feel like you have chemistry and a clear picture of them but you really have no concept for how they’re going to treat you in person. Or how they’ll treat your waiter, which I think was more telling about what kind of man he was than anything else.

#36dates gaydating gay single gayfunny