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bookgeekgrrl · 4 months

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My media this week (24-30 Dec 2023)

*delighted* this show went straight to full musical episode in only the second season. amazing.

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 Hither, Page (Page & Summers #1) (Cat Sebastian, author; Joel Leslie, narrator) - reread; christmas-set post WW2 cozy mystery (vibes are basically 'agatha christie but queer')

🥰 The Missing Page (Page & Summers #2) (Cat Sebastian, author; Joel Leslie, narrator) - reread; the further adventures of Leo & James

😍 We Could Be So Good (Cat Sebastian, author; Joel Leslie, narrator) - reread; this was one of my fave books of the year tbh; loved the setting and the characters and the vibe

😍 Bells Are Ringing (A We Could Be So Good Holiday epilogue) (Cat Sebastian) - so grateful that Cat S gifts us a holiday epilogue every year!

🥰 The Things We Hide (ThePirateStorm) - 109K, stucky no powers omegaverse/accidental mpreg with fantastic amounts of pining and a great cast of fully realized supporting characters; I fucked up my sleep schedule to finish reading this and had zero regrets.

🥰 I'd Swing With You for the Fences (nontoxic) - 86K, Schitt's Creek AU with MLB player Patrick and David (who's still mostly canon David) - very warm and sweet and absolutely DELIGHTFUL

🥰 Third Eye (Felicia Day, author; full voice cast) - comedy fantasy audio drama about Laurel, who 15 yrs ago was the Chosen One and who…failed. Now her life is sad but she gets a 2nd chance when a terrible teen (who may also be the Chosen One) cannonballs into her life. Had a lot of fun listening to this, great voice cast featuring FD, Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, London Hughes

💖💖 +186K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

[PODFIC] A Nativity of Oranges (Tanouska) - MCU: stucky, 9K - great podfic, reread, great Stucky holiday fic

How The Elf-King Stole Khuzmus (DeHeerKonijn, PointlesslyPoetic) - LOTR: 1.3K - a The Hobbit/Dr. Seuss mashup, very clever, great art

[Podfic of] Spaceships & Laserswords (blackglass, klb, luvtheheaven (VioletEmerald), reena_jenkins, Shmaylor, silverandblue, wordsaremyfaith) - Star Wars: finnpoe, 4K - great podfic of a short but hilarious & very sweet fic - modern AU where weirdo hermit Luke joins the (college-age) 'kids' D&D game & volunteers his sister to DM

[Podfic] Mission Impossible (quietnight) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 20K - hilarious shrunkyclunks fic, great podfic version of it

flow through (rainbow_nerds) - Stranger Things: steddie, 6K - a gift for me! I requested @rainbow-nerdss continue in the universe created by sharp temporary walls and it was everything I could have wanted!!!! 💜

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2023

The Legendary Rick Perry and the Art of Dimension 20

D20: Fantasy High: Sophomore Year - s4, e21-22

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - s1, e7-10; s2, e1-10

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road (2023 special #4)

Midsomer Murders - s24, e1-2

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ Hit Parade - Second-Chance Hits Edition

Vibe Check - 2023, Don’t Let The Door Hit You…

Ologies with Alie Ward - Alieology (YOUR HOST): an Ask-Me-Anything Goofy Hang

It's Been a Minute - Why grief sometimes looks like a hyphy party

One Year - The Making of One Year: 1990

⭐ Code Switch - The Fallout of a Callout

Hit Parade - The Posthumous Hits Edition, Live from Seattle

Pop Culture Happy Hour - 2024 Pop Culture Predictions

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Fun Christmas Oldies

my Dolly Parton Christmas playlist

Swingin' Christmas

Presenting Lindsey Stirling

Power Ballads Forever

#sunday reading recap #bookgeekgrrl's reading habits #bookgeekgrrl's soundtracks #i just decided to sink into cat sebastian's warm '(almost) no plot only vibes' stuff for this holiday season #i am having zero regrets #dropout tv #dimension 20 #star trek: strange new worlds #midsomer murders #christmas music #lindsey stirling #hit parade podcast #vibe check podcast #npr's code switch podcast #npr's pop culture happy hour podcast #one year podcast #it's been a minute podcast #ologies podcast

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kelofmindelan · 5 months

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tagged by @full---ofstarlight and @maryxoliver for this “people you’d like to know better” tag game! ty for the tag :3c

Three Ships:

Jason Grace and Nico di Angelo from the Heroes of Olympus: This is one of those ships that just itches the right part of my brain. Jason Grace is one of my favorite characters ever, and his quest to try and balance his need to be a leader and a protector with his desire to be allowed to be an individual is so interesting to contrast with Nico who by this point is so firmly himself. But Nico has been hurt a lot and assumes he will never be trusted, even as Jason is trying to insist that he is someone who matters to their group and is trusted. So Nico decides to test him - in a dangerous moment, holding something the rest of the group thinks is poison, Nico holds the glass to Jason and says 'How much do you trust me?" And Jason looks him dead in the eye and drinks it no hesitation. Because his own life matters less than showing Nico is worthy of trust. They are sun and shadow, sky and earth, storm and death, they are the golden boy and the outcast. It's a delicious ship and it feeds me.

Fanfic rec: Dungeons and Jason by betsib

Taran and Eilonwy of Llyr from The Chronicles of Prydain: They are everything to me. They are the blueprint. You have friends to lovers, you have battle couple, you have princess and the farm boy, you have two people who genuinely want to find ways to improve themselves in order to be more worthy of the other person while also finding ways to grow together. They argue constantly, but there is so much love under it that is there from the very beginning because both of them are trying to navigate having to learn how to communicate with someone else. They are my ship that I have created a thousand aus for and will test any new au I discover for how well I can fit them into it because if they don't fit I probably don't like it that much.

Fanfic rec: I wrote two oneshots but also anything by Saeriellyn is incredible

Pacifica Northwest and Dipper Pines from Gravity Falls: My friends tease me about loving a sad rich girl and they aren't wrong, so I felt kind of targeted by Pacifica's arc in season 2 of Gravity Falls because it made her so exactly my type. Particularly in the way we start to see her grow out of it. She and Dipper have each seen each other at their worst which means they don't have to worry about the shields anymore and can push each other into growing and unpacking their own traumas and bad habits. But also we start to get all these hints that she can actually relate to him at his nerdiest once she has permission to do so, and I love that he can find someone who can operate at his level while she finds someone who gives her permission to be so much less than perfect and thus actually real.

Fanfic rec: The Worst Neighbor Ever by Proseandsongs

Last Film:

The Hobbit (1977): I found this streaming and was absoltuely delighted to watch it this morning. I have so many fond memories of this movie and it did not disappoint. The animation is wild, Bilbo spends the whole movie throwing massive shade, Gollum looks like an absolute nightmare, and it's a musical the way it should be.

Currently Watching:

My roommate and I are about to finish up Mentopolis on Dimension 20 and I'm losing my mind a little bit over how this season is going. I can't wait to see how it resolves!

My writing shows at the moment are The Great British Bake Off Holiday Specials, The Christmas Cookie Challenge, and my annual rewatch of Midsomer Murders.

Currently Reading:

Nothing really because most of my books are still in boxes and I haven't had the spoons to start unpacking them while I still have that hole in my wall. I'm dipping in and out of this Rick Riordan Presents collection called The Cursed Carnival, but it's my current work book.

Currently Consuming:

I have a bunch of leftover pumpkin pie and I just had a huge slice of that along with some tea called 'Cold Comfort'.

Currently Craving:

A yule log. One of those fancy chocolate swirled sponges with cream in the middle and fancy decorations that is actually made well and that I don't have to attempt to bake myself.

Or a whole bunch of different fancy eclairs. I want to try all the eclairs.

(Yes. I am watching baking shows I want all the things.)

tagging: @aidanchaser @stolenmelody @starrattlerofprydain @bookwyrm-of-the-emerald-star @givemonetatry

#tagged things #actually me

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crimepope · 3 months

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List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers💖

aaaaahhh, tank you tank you i havent done an ask game in yonks

apologies for the overt sincerity, you've caught me at a tender moment haha

Choosing an LP from my shelf, sliding it from its sleeve and blowing the dust off it. Opening my record player, setting the needle playing and twiddling with the pitch dial to get it just right. My record player has terrible sound quality but theres something about the experience of it all that makes me feel very calm.

Talking my friends through things I think when I'm reading a paper, just the silly bits or things I thought were inadvertently funny and barraging them with screenshots. I don't really know if anyone else enjoys it haha but I don't think I'd have nearly as much fun doing research otherwise.

When I need a hankie out and about and I have one of my silk handkerchiefs on me! Theres a bit in Cranford where the narrator talks about little ideosyncracies or silly little economies people are unproportionally attached to, like re-using scraps of paper from letters they get. I get like that with napkins and wipes, since I really hate the feeling of my fingers being greasy or sticky if I'm not prepared for it! So I'm always proud as punch whenever I have a napkin when it's needed, or a lemony fresh wipe (I steal em from my local burrito place) on hand in my coat pocket.

A new knitting project that's a little challenging to me! I try not to work or play games after about 10pm where I can possibly avoid it to keep my sleep regular, so I like something to knit over a midsomer murder or a poirot, and to keep for when I'm on the bus. Getting to a point where I can do something proficiently that I used to find really challenging is a great feeling- and I've still got a lot to learn!

Watching bizarro films with my little sister! Recently she has been coming to visit me at my uni, and we spend our evenings together watching films that she chooses. She's a bit of a film buff and has very eclectic tastes so they're often a little out of my comfort zone but I always have a great time!!!! Recent hilights of her film picks would be 'Noroi: The Curse' (scared the absolute pants off me), Serial Mom (its a John Waters film and just. so much fun) and Psycho Beach Party (with Charles Busch in one of his classic drag roles- if you're looking for a romp that's also very queer give it a try). At the moment we're watching Top Boy but every few episodes I have to watch something more chilled because its very intense...

Well there's five things for you! Thank you for sending this round @cap-sweet-and-salty-sadness! It's important to think of the good stuff in life ;)

#personal #long post #ask game #crimepope

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auxiliarydetective · 2 years

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Why you should watch "Die Rosenheim-Cops"

As described in English even though the show is German because I want to reach all of my mutuals. Language shall not be a barrier. Also, I feel like I can convey this stuff better in English. If you like stuff like Midsomer Murders, this is for you. I started making this post during summer break but never got to finish it. Well, now I finally did.

The Formula

The structure of the story is mostly the same for every episode. Someone finds a body, we switch to the office where the call is taken, the inspectors are informed and at least one always arrives late. Then the forensics expert gives some basic info and interrogations start. Usually, there's a more comedic or lighthearted B-plot to the main murder plot. Sometimes, it's more relevant and focused on, sometimes it's just there to make everything feel less stiff and repetitive. Then, both plots work towards conclusion, the murder plot with lots of zigzags and twists and turns as more and more is uncovered. Each episode ends with the culprit being found and a final fun banter freezeframe.

The Characters

Aka the main reason for watching the show, all pictures are from s08e15

Korbinian Hofer

One of the core three that have been with the show from the very beginning

Has a farm that he works at on top of investigating

Bickers with his sister a lot

Sassy

The more serious one, but just because he's more experienced

Doesn't take shit from anyone

Pretty stereotypical Bavarian, think Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes but smart

Aroace vibes

Older brother of the entire homicide squad

Sven Hansen

This isn't actually from the episode but I found this picture and thought it captured his essence well

One of my favourites

Originally from Hamburg

Regularly struggles with the Bavarian dialect and culture

The good-looking gentleman bastard

Did I mention good-looking? He wears a suit 99% of the time and has an expensive taste. Sadly doesn't have a bloody suit moment yet though. He's the Sanji/Face/Hogan/Hugenay of the show

Second-oldest brother

Loves to go sailing (and apparently becomes a bit feral when competing in races)

Sir, you’re bi

Best friends with the owner of the fancy bar/restaurant in town and regular customer there. Like, can he even make breakfast for himself?

Ladies' man

Gets really, really sassy, snarky and passive-aggressive if you annoy him

Miriam Stockl

Sassy secretary

Secretly the inofficial boss of the homicide squad because if she refuses to do her job, everything comes to a stop

Absolutely LOVES gossip

In charge of the coffee machine and cookie jar. Also has tea and even hot chocolate

Sucks up juicy details and drama like a sponge and then redistributes it, usually wildly over-interpreting it

Really kind if you don’t annoy her

The Bob Andrews of the show, does 90% of the research

Big sister of the squad

Girlboss

Michael "Michi" Mohr

Golden Retriever vibes

Literally so wholesome

Always all over the vibes

Smart but also really dumb

Huge dork

Always doing his best

Gets super excited if he finds out some important info and has the inspectors basically beg for him to reveal it to him

Stockl's gossip buddy

Little brother of the group

Definitely not straight

Peter Shaw of the show, as in points listed above and the occasional "den schnapp ich mir!" Has a slightly higher success rate though

Gert Achtziger

The de-facto boss of the entire station and all its departments

Dad of the squad, as in he has to put up with their nonsense but also switches between scolding them and pretending to scold them like a metronome, tolerating or sometimes even supporting the nonsense

Serious but can also be goofy

Constantly stressing about either his boss or the music academy

Sometimes also investigates because he misses it

Friends with Hofer's sister

Marie Hofer

Korbinian's sister

Really nice, generous

Bickers with her brother

Hardworking both on the farm and in local politics

Becomes part of the city council, responsible for the music academy

Besties with Stockl

Ties to the city's high society, regularly has important information for the case

Girlboss

Patrizia Ortmann

Honestly a bit of a bitch. Or a lot.

In charge of the finances and absolutely done with everyone's nonsense

Hates Hansen but they also have a romance storyline??? I remember I shipped them the first time watching the show, but now I'm just... no??? She has to get her attitude checked first

Literally so petty, but get her on your side and whoever you're up against has already lost

Queen of Sass

Probably has the most braincells out of the cast

Has to do most of the paperwork, including Hansen's "business expenses" which... I can’t imagine how frustrating that has to be

Ingnaz "Jo" Kaspar

Owner of the local fancy restaurant/bar called Times Square

Honestly kind of pathetic

Always manages to somehow get in trouble

Involved with most big events in or around the city because he's doing the catering, providing the drinks, helping out as a waiter...

Shit goes down in Times Square. Whether it's drama or interrogations or just Jo overhearing important stuff or having the main subject sit in his restaurant, there's always something going on

Can't keep a girlfriend for more than 10 days and falls in love in a heartbeat

Knows every customer by name, the girls usually by first name

The Scenery

The whole show plays in the city of Rosenheim and its surroundings. So, if you like older buildings, mountains, lakes, you'll like the aesthetic too

There's just one issue:

The show is in German only. I haven't found a source for English subtitles yet either. BUT if you understand German, I'd definitely recommend you watch it. Additionally, if you don't and you ask me nicely, I might even be able to dig up my old hyperfixation energy and write subtitles/a translated script for one of my favourite episodes. Or one of the best-rated ones. The show is on IMDb after all, so you could browse and see which one you like. Third of all, I might also translate my fanfic to English, who knows.

Anyways, self-ad over, essay over, have a great day!

#rosenheim cops

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ladystoneboobs · 7 months

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8 TV shows to get to know me better

i was tagged by @isitcasualnow. here goes.

friday night lights-i'd just always like more people to watch this to grow the fanbase, which was small enough when it was still airing. so that every season until the last two we had good reason to think it was cancelled until a last minute turnaround. a teen drama set apart bc it was anchored by two parents and that actually worked. one of the last great network tv dramas, even accounting for a weird turn in the end of s1-early s2. as a lifelong tx resident (tho not in a small town thank god) a lot of it does ring true to me, and the little things that don't used to drive me crazy. disclaimer that i have no interest in nonfictional usamerican football and every game i attended was a purely social occasion, esp since our hs team sucked.

yellowjackets-the only currently running show i am willing to hunt down unofficial ways to watch each ep right after it comes out. that's a recommendation for you when roku has made me lazy and spoiled about wanting to watch stuff on an actual tv screen. it's girls going wild lord of the flies-style and milfs doing crime, something for everyone.

the simpsons-esp the golden years in like s1-10. i still watch this pretty much every day through the beauty of syndication.

jeopardy!-another show my family has watched every day for decades. you should still be able to find some of the old alex trebek ep on youtube.

er-if fnl was one of the final new great network tv dramas, er was one of the last running with 15 seasons. i dipped sometime after s10 but came back near the end. i used to sneak out from my room to watch this show in the living room with my mom as a little kid. the first two seasons of er and the fnl boxset are the only tv i've bought on dvd. which should tell you something tho it's all kinda unusable now.

degrassi: tng-esp the original classes of '06 and '07. a cringe interest i am old enough to admit to now, having been involved in the fandom ironically back then on multiple forums where we both discussed and made fun of the show. i'm sure it still has plenty of unintentional entertainment value, and its precursors, djhs and dhs are what we have to thank for bh90210 and every usamerican teen drama that came after.

it's always sunny in philadelphia-curse the fx/hulu deal for making this harder to find elsewhere. i still remember when it was on netflix.

derry girls-only 3 seasons as uk show that's not downton abbey or midsomer murders or the like, but i've the entire run on netflix multiple times now

#isitcasualnow #there are so many other past fandoms i dnw to return to #and/or cannot in good conscience reccomend to others #which is how i interpreted the prompt #(i dont have disney+ either but i dont count finding ways to watch sw shows bc #theres not the same urgency for me as w yj fridays in s2)

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inkofamethyst · 2 years

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June 2, 2022

I’ve never been a True Crime Girly but Midsomer Murders is about to be as close as I get.

Watched The Secrets of Dumbledore with my dad and tbh it’s probably the least enjoyable exciting Wizarding World movie I’ve seen :/ I just feel like it lacked oomf. I mean there were some interesting plot points and a little bit of character development (this is the film that made me realize that Dumbledore in the HP series wasn’t just senile; he’s always been that stupid (my dad says it’s because he follows his heart which like okay sure but do you call it “following your heart” when you drop off a kid at an abusive household and never check in on his wellbeing (like I hear the argument of “but it made Harry humble!!!1!” but also consider that you can bestow humility upon a child by raising them correctly (I know it served the plot, I know, I know, but since good plots/conflicts are character-driven, then we can conclude that it was Dumbledore’s definitive characterization to be a Man with a Plan which He Never Considers Twice))), as if he never considered that he and Grindelwald might grow apart in ideology as they age, you know, since people apparently never ever grow or change as they learn (I’m using stupid somewhat flippantly btw)) I guess, but otherwise it was just kind of okay. Seems like they’ve got another one of these movies coming. I don’t know if anyone’s asking for more of them tbh (I suppose it’s because we keep watching them), but I’m also not really engaging with fandom very much these days. I thought the two plot summaries at the top of the movie were very silly but I was ever so grateful for them.

Also doing the sleeves alone took like a full sewing period I officially hate long sleeves and don’t intend to do them again in the near future. Then when I attempted to make a simple petticoat, it turned out to be too small (it was from some old polyester bedsheets so it wasn’t much of a waste, but still) around my hips. Luckily I only worked on the upper bit and none of the ruffly frills, and I may go in and try to fix the pattern again but oh I don’t know :/

My mom still thinks I may be depressed (sleeping a lot, fatigue, lack of motivation, minimal enjoyment in things I used to enjoy). She doesn’t think I’ve been myself since I’ve returned home. I’m beginning to think she may be right, I just can’t really imagine why, exactly. That’s what makes me particularly upset: I can’t identify a reason so I can’t determine a time when the feelings (or, perhaps, a lack thereof) will subside, nor can I figure out a way to fix it myself. I wonder if it’s burnout.

I feel full up to the brim of “I don’t knows.”

Today I’m thankful that our internet overlords listen to every word we say (and write) because YouTube just suggested to me a channel which has all of the Midsomer Murders episode for free. YouTube ads can be annoying, but significantly less annoying than the 2:30 unskippable ad breaks in the other service I was using (the youtube episodes honestly only have one or two quick ads through the whole thing which, honestly, is even better than Absolute History), so I’ll take the improvement.

Also I found a new place in Sky today :) Went diving for gems!

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mutalieju · 4 years

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what’s up how is quarantine been treating you?

i became aware that psychic powers are canon to midsomer murders

#we have been watching lot of midsomer murders #8th series ep 'second sight' is WILD #spoilers it ends with chief inspector barnaby breaking into a churh in a thunderstorm #to stop the babtism of a #PSYCHIC BABY

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dreamylyfe-x · 2 years

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Thank you to @gallavictorious who I am so happy to hear from! I've tagged in this. And I've had a weird day, so here goes.

Name: Riss.

Century of your birth: The mid-to-late 20th Century.

Go-to coffee order: Starbucks, it's a vanilla cream cold brew. Very basic. But if I'm in a place that's more specialty I will usually order something like a flat white.

Do you have a pet? Not anymore.

Do you have a personal motto? Not especially. Though when arguing with my mother I do tend to repeatedly say "of course it can get worse!"

Last vacation: It's been a while since I've been anywhere that wasn't a family home. I did go to a cottage last summer.

Next vacation: Unknown at this time. It might be next year when I have a wedding to attend in Mexico.

Dream vacation: Right before the shutdown friends and I were discussing going to Scandinavia... I'd also really love to go to Greece. It was an important place to my now-deceased stepfather.

A short-term goal: I'm mid-reno. So that's a big one.

A lifetime goal: To achieve a good mix of stability, adventure and hanging out with the people I love.

Last show you watched: I've been watching Midsomer Murders because my mother has started it and I watched a bunch awhile ago... it's such a weird show. Some of the stories are downright deranged.

Next on your to watch list: Our Flag Means Death. <-Same, Kee. Same.

Last thing you read: Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes. Which made me cry and I have a lot of congestion right now, so that's very nearly like killing me.

Something you're excited to read: Ugh, I think I'm going to fall down a Marian Keyes pit because I used to read her a lot and now I realize she published about six books that I didn't notice. But also, I DO have Chuck Klosterman's The Nineties to pick back up and it IS interesting. I do not really mind Chuck Klosterman, even when I think he's extremely wrong. He's usually interesting.

Funniest thing on the internet today: I'm gonna make this one count -- today I put in an online grocery order because I'm symptomatic for COVID and I ran out of Kleenex. So entirely to get Kleenex without spreading disease, I ordered groceries. And when they showed up everything I ordered was there, along with two marinated pork loin (one maple mustard, one Korean BBQ) and a 10 lbs hickory smoked, spiral cut ham.

I called the store to let them know I had remarkable quantity of unrequested pork products and they informed me that if they delivered it by accident, it's now my problem. And then we both started to laugh pretty hard, because like... it's just such a big ham and I clearly had no idea what to do with it. So the funniest thing on the internet for me today is that grocery order and the fact that I now have a ham significantly larger than my head shoved into my fridge, and have to wildly google "uses for leftover spiral-cut ham."

Something your struggling with right now: I have an excess of ham. I live alone. It's bigger than my head. And I'm symptomatic so I can't even have people over to eat this freaking ham with me!

Something hopeful: I will not starve alone in my apartment for as long as it takes for me to conquer this ham. I will find a ham strategy and I will execute it.

#tag game

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squarecarousel · 3 years

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Interview with Elizabeth Beals

Here we are at the end, our final interview! Fittingly, we're capping it off with Elizabeth Beals, the other long standing member who has stuck around since Square Carousel's very beginning. While Elizabeth's signature style has remained instantly recognizable from Challenge 1 through Challenge 143 and counting, her skills have undoubtedly blossomed over the past decade. Today, we're catching up with our resident long haul Square Carousel member, admin, and comics professional, Elizabeth Beals!

Emma Frost

Q: Even though your art style is beautifully consistent, your work still stays fresh with each new challenge. What are the biggest aesthetic changes you notice in your work when you compare your most recent pieces to your graduation portfolio?

A: I haven’t looked at my graduation portfolio in a hot minute, it’s pretty wild seeing how far I have come. I’ve gotten better at compositions/ I’ve leaned into cooler, more saturated palettes/ have a better use of textures/ and I also don’t force myself to create a full bleed illustration if it’s not completely necessary to get the story across.

Elizabeth’s workspace

Q: Has your art making process changed at all during your post college years?

A: Oh yeah, definitely!

In college I would thumbnail/ flesh out the comp at scale with normal mechanical pencil/ ink with a 005 micron/ erase the under drawing/ scan in the piece/ clean up in Photoshop/ then color until completion.

Whereas I now thumbnail/ scan in the one I like/ format and print it out at a larger scale (in light blue)/ go back over the print with a blue pencil to refine details/ ‘ink’ it with a extra fine mechanical pencil/ scan it back in/ clean up in photoshop/ and then color until completion.

And if we want to do an even deeper dive we can look at the ‘Color until Completion’ portion.

In college I would create a top layer, which was always the scan/line art set to multiply, and then I would place the coloring layers beneath it. I was just getting into textures and color holds so they were pretty crude but it was nice that I was still fussing with them.

I currently use the same process as a base but I’ve also started painting on top of the line art (like, A LOT), using overlays, adjustments, effects, and more.

Glitter Hearts

Q: What's been your favorite professional project to work on?

A: Mmmmm, I think this one’s a tie for me, the first one would be my cover run on Star Trek: TNG - Terra Incognita. It was my first cover run and the writers/ editors I got to work with were a complete and total dream. They whipped up some pretty fun concepts and I really got to stretch my art muscles for it. Plus the Ice cream I designed for issue one got worked into the story, so having a cannon ice cream design is pretty dang neat. The second would be my first OGN, Virtually Yours, with writer Jeremy Holt! It’s been a project that we’ve had waiting in the wings since 2015 and got to revamp for ComiXology Originals in 2020. It was the largest project I’ve ever worked on and it was such a tough/ joyous/ and complete learning experience for me. I was glad to have an amazing team of people to work with and you should deff check it out if you haven’t already ;D  [Link to Virtually Yours on Comixology]

Virtually Yours cover

Q: Any non-art hobbies?

A: Baking / Cooking/ Trying out new recipes! *Chef’s Kiss* Just chilling outside in general/ soaking up some sun ( as a former So. Cal girl I miss the high/ dry heat.) Binge watching trash T.V.

Q: Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate?

A: I love all three dearly but coffee wins, hands down.

Q: What's a career goal you have for the next decade?

A: Pretty broad but I would love to get to a place where I become less dependent on private/ personal commissions and focus more on Comic Covers and Pin-up work.

She Hulk

Q: Do you have a favorite superhero? A: Short answer, no.  However, I can provide a short list of some of my faves: Jubilee, Storm, Rogue, Spider-Man, Anya Corazon (Spider-Girl), Spider-Gwen, Mystique, and I’m gunna end it there before I just keep rambling.

Q: What's one thing you wish more people knew about you or your work?

A: One fun thing about me/ my work is that my love of drawing hair came from wanting to create Cammy White (Street Fighter) fan art. With braids as long as her’s you gotta take your time and learn to draw them right! XD

Q: While working, do you prefer to watch tv, movies, listen to music, or sit in silence? Any recommendations for background media?

A: Definitely a TV series or movie, preferably something I’ve already seen (less potential to distract me). I always end up falling back on older shows like Murder She Wrote or Midsomer Murders, basically anything with a long syndication. When I was working on Virtually Yours though I would have HBO’s Gentleman Jack on. It’s a newer series with only one season but it served as a good timer/ work schedule for me.

Star Trek TNG: Terra Incognita (issue 6)

Q: If you could choose one character from the Star Trek universe to befriend, who would it be and why? A: To avoid getting too crazy, I think I’m gunna limit myself to TNG (plus I have the most knowledge of that series) and go with Guinan. She’s wise beyond her years (if you could believe that), funny, empathetic, resourceful, and makes a mean drink! And not to break the 4th wall or anything, but it’s freakin’ Whoopi Goldberg!!! ;D

Elizabeth herself

Q: Excellent choice! Anything else you would like the readers to know?

A: Just that y’all are fantastic and we appreciate all the love and support you’ve shown us over that last 10 years! Thanks for letting us go out on a high note!

P.S. Stay safe. Stay healthy. And get vaccinated <3

You heard her folks! Thanks so much to Elizabeth for sharing her answers, and to you, dear readers, for getting to know us all at the Square Carousel Collective these past years. Check out Elizabeth’s website, and follow her on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram for fresh art as soon as it drops!

#interview #Elizabeth beals #square Carousel #comics #comics artist #cover artist #illustrators on tumblr #virtually yours #star trek terra incognita

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anoseforrottenapples · 3 years

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//After having spent several days (and counting) carefully working my way through “Death and Dreams” (Series 6, episode 2) for icon purposes, I have re-enforced a conclusion I had when I first watched this episode. I’ve seen it claimed several times that the reason Troy and Barnaby were chiller toward each other in that episode was because Barnaby knew Troy and Cully had kissed each other. However, as far as I can tell, there’s no point in the episode where the Kiss is actually discussed….ever….with anyone. Barnaby knows Troy and Cully were together when they found the second body and he might have his suspicions but, as far as I can tell, the Kiss is something Troy and Cully keep between themselves. Rather, the reason they’re having communication issues is that Troy seriously disapproves of how overly affectionate Barnaby is being toward Doctor Moore and….frankly…I don’t blame him for the most part. Sure, he’s a little jealous that Barnaby is relying on Moore and not discussing the case as much with him as usual….but there are more serious issues at play. Firstly, if anything goes wrong in the Barnaby family dynamic (like Barnaby having an affair); Troy is in the perfect place to get caught smack in the middle between his boss and his boss’s family. That is a place no sane person wants to find themselves in. Now I know a lot of fans got insulted at the very idea that Troy would think his boss might have an affair but…look at their track record in Midsomer. Every episode has at least ONE couple having affairs—sometimes one spouse is stepping out and sometimes both of them are—so Troy would not be a stranger to the idea. He would also have to be a fool to think he or his boss would be immune to the same foibles and temptations of human life. Secondly, Barnaby’s reliance on Dr. Moore is keeping his vision somewhat clouded about the case, especially as the episode starts showing that Moore’s grasp on the community around her is not as….accurate as it could be? I mean….she missed the fact that two of the murder victims were actively creeping on the younger women in town (a fact that ultimately made them easy to murder) and she missed the MAJOR spoiler-y red flags really close to home. Finally, I really get a strong impression that Troy’s had some bitter personal experience in this area. This is kind of supported by his annoyed reactions in other episodes when dealing with affairs, particularly guys laughing off the fact that they’re stepping out on their wives with a little ‘wink-wink, nudge-nudge We’re all guys here’ attitude. I headcanon that Troy’s dad left the family when Troy was seven and married a woman he met through his job. Hence, Troy’s expectations that Joyce and Cully must have been worried when Barnaby spent several days working closely with Doctor Moore on an earlier case and his confusion/sarcastic amusement when Cully just goes “Why should we have been? It was a working relationship”. I also think that both of Troy’s parents were too stubborn to leave Causton so Troy grew up with his mom while living in a town where he regularly ran into his father and his stepmother when he was just going out and about. Even though his dad died when Troy was 13 and his step-mom and half-sister moved to London afterwards, the experience was understandably rough on him and his mother. Troy is not interested in having to see Joyce and Cully end up in a similar situation just because his boss treads too close to the fire and ends up crossing some lines he really should not.

#Muse: Gavin Troy #Gavin Troy #Midsomer Murders #I think about this stuff way too much when I'm working on icons #and been sorting out the last bits of Troy's backstory XD

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morethanaprincess-a · 3 years

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PEOPLE I’D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER!

( alias / name ) : Rae. It’s mostly what I’ve picked to go by in the RPC, though not many of my offline friends call me this.

( birthday ) : August 22nd.

( zodiac sign ) : I’m a Leo/Virgo cusp and I live up to it in most aspects (fortunately or unfortunately). I can be a little dramatic and I have to look good if I’m leaving the house (and most of the time, at home as well!). I’m also terribly impatient. Furthermore, I tend to be rather loyal, a perfectionist, and single-minded with tasks.

( height ) : 5′8″. Average to tall, I suppose? I was -just- tall enough to do some plus-size modeling for a year post-university when the job market had tanked. But otherwise too short for most work. I did personal training and makeup artistry for awhile instead before getting into my current field.

( hobbies ) : Writing (RP, blogs, occasionally fiction), reading (mostly fiction), cosplay, fashion, beauty and skincare, weightlifting, binge watching TV and movies, and on occasion, baking.

( favourite colour ) : Sapphire blue has been my favorite for years. I also love pastels of all types (pink, blue, purple, green especially), navy blue, emerald green, and blue-based reds. I tend to avoid orange, yellow, and brown, at least in terms of clothes and makeup.

( favourite books ) : This is a cruel question to ask someone who majored in English Lit, honestly. My favorites range from classics often read in English class to Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians.

( last film or show watched ) : Midsomer Murders and Inspector Lewis, back-to-back. Mystery Mondays! I’m also on my fourth rewatch of Bridgerton and my 12th rewatch of Downton Abbey. I need to catch up on Men in Kilts, too. For movies, I just rewatched Diaboliques after like 6 years or so and it still holds up (If you’re a fan of thrillers and Alfred Hitchcock, don’t miss this French film!). Bless HBO Max for having a curated section of choices from Turner Classic Movies (when I’ve got a moment, I’m going to rewatch And God Created Woman again. I’m weak for Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, and Catherine Deneuve).

( inspiration for muse ) : I go into this a lot on most Mundays, but I do pull a lot from TV, books, and films. I don’t talk about the book side of this as much, so I’d give shoutouts to The Royal We, Katherine McGee’s American Royals series, and The Royal Runaway for giving me plenty of plot ideas for this blog.

( story behind url ) : Very simple: it’s how Sonia wishes to be seen.

Tagged by: stolen affectionately from @electricea !

Tagging: You, if you’d like to do this.

#more-than-a-princess memes #(One last Munday contribution!)

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chaos-monkeyy · 3 years

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State of Chaos

Hi folks! Been awhile since I did this (and I meant to do it yesterday, whoops.. *pretends it’s still Wednesday* 😅).

So as usual, I’ve wound up working on a lot of random stuff instead of getting all the languishing WIPs done 😂 But I have wrapped up a few things! Also, it’s almost November and I have something I’ve picked to try doing for NaNoWriMo… It’s already making me nervous because 1,667 words a day is rather a lot AND my idea has way more plot than I usually write (still porn too though, fear not). Anyway, I have no idea how well it’s gonna go but I can at least give it a shot! So if it actually goes well, I’m unlikely to be posting as much fic for the next little while.

Oh! There are a couple new fandoms in the mix now too. Namely, the Thrawn Ascendancy novel as well as Stargate Atlantis, thanks to an exceptionally fun rewatch with Leif and DD 😁 I’m just horribly fixated lately on John Sheppard and his should-be-illegal pants… and now Ronon is there too, I may not survive 🤤 Backstory, I adore stargate SG1 and Atlantis, grew up watching it, but this is the first time I’m watching any of it since learning about fandom sooo… I’m having fun lol

(p.s. In case anyone was wondering, my little dumbass cat successfully learned how to use her fancy feeder. It’s adorable watching her nose it open, and Unauthorized Greedy Pet is extremely put out any time he tries to go steal her food now 😆)

Assassin’s Creed

Diletto

Shelved for now— not abandoned, just haven’t been feeling the het smut lately.

The skills of Assassins

I’ve gotten a bit stuck on chapter 4 of the Ezio/Mario fic for some reason, but I did make some progress on it! So that fic update is still coming, just… slowly.

Other

I started some Shaun/Desmond AC3 cavern sex but got stuck and haven’t finished it 🙈 Also vague outlines written out for potential sequels to both Not Here (Desmond wetting himself in the Animus) and Demands and Desires (AC3 HaythCon filth). And I have been poking at the Witcher crossover fic too!

Posted

Demands and Desires - HaythCon smut; contains incest and ManipulativeAsshole!Haytham. Explicit.

Ache - Drabble smut about Ezio jerkin’ it; 100 words for my 100th fic 🎉. Explicit.

Midsomer Murders

MM x Wallace and Gromit crossover

I’ve been thinking about this one recently, I’m gonna try and get access to s14 and 15 of Midsomer and maybe start working at it again! It’s the most long-running WIP I have… Actual Story is HARD 😭🥺

Star Wars

The self-indulgent Chiss-human orgy fic

It’s very close to being done! I’m hoping to get it finished up with Jewell before too much longer 😊😏

[Title redacted]

Still working on this filth fest with Rev. It’ll be done some day, we just have too much we want to put into it where is the brain-to-fic machine already dammit 😭

Other

Someday I intend to get that part 3 of the Pinned (Thranto) and the Stripped (Thrawn/Thrass) series written. I also have a plan for another Thrakif fic, too damn many plans to continue the Inappropriate Places pissfic series, and a delicious kinky little Thranto prompt still in my askbox here that I am definitely going to fill sooner or later 😏

Posted

A Moment in Private - Thrakif smut; Cadet Thrawn getting off while fantasizing about General Ba’kif. Explicit.

A rare thing - Thrawn/Ziara fluff and cuddles ficlet. Teen and up.

Breathless - Thrakif breathplay; prompt fill with lots of desk sex and light Dom/sub. Explicit.

(Come) Ride With Me - Thrawn/Eli/Thrass smut. I finally finished the chisscest-y Biker AU!! Explicit.

Discoveries - Part 1 of Eli peeing in inappropriate places and Thrawn getting turned on by it (well, so does Eli). Explicit.

Zombie / what’s in your head - A rare angst-tacular Thranto fic. MCD and heavy subject matter. Mature.

Stargate Atlantis

Nothing specific in progress; it’ll be whatever I get inspired to write as I keep watching through the show! My personal rule for these is that I can write whatever grabs my interest so long as I don’t take too long working on it 🙈

Posted

Of rituals and birthday presents - Sheppard / Keras implied-smut. Light-hearted stuff featuring aural voyeurism and a very flustered Rodney McKay. Teen and up.

The smart thing - dark!Sheppard / Kolya, includes fear-wetting and noncon facefucking. Mind the tags. Explicit.

The Witcher

I don’t have much Witcher fic on the burner at the moment. Kinda waiting for s2 at this point, really, and someday I’ll play TW3 and probably get some more inspiration from there! I have been picking at the Witcher x AC Gerezkier (Geralt/Ezio/Jaskier) crossover with Levs, though! I’m slowly getting more comfortable with the smut-to-story balance as we work out where it’s going 😁. Other than that, I have a few things still kicking around my ideas list that I might pick up at some point when brain decides it wants to randomly start something new instead of working on WIPs.

Posted

Flagrant Indecency - I did manage to get the final chapter of this finished and posted for the Finish Your Fic deadline! 🥳💦. Explicit.

Don’t Stop - Geraskier somnomo prompt fill. Juiced-up Geralt, somnophilia, and watersports; some consent issues. Explicit.

#star wars #stargate atlantis #assassin's creed #the witcher #midsomer murders #multifandom #long post #chaos babbles #state of chaos #chaosfic #wip wednesday #in spirit anyway #aka updates no one asked for #thrawn ascendancy

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moonlightpirate · 4 years

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Alright heres chapter 2! This one is a bit of a background to Elizabeth! @bluesfortheredj @thishumanisntsure @ihaveacrush @aureatemoonshine @frogs-and-cats https://starrynight5678.tumblr.com/post/627183333864079361/okay-heres-the-actual-full-first-chapter

Chapter Two

Charlie and Kate made their way towards the Barnaby’s front door, they could hear what sounded like arguing coming from inside the house. Charlie glanced at Kate before knocking on the door. “It’s open come in guys!” Sarah yelled. Charlie held the door open for Kate as they walked into the house. “Hey guys how are you doing?” Sarah entered the room quickly as if stopping them from entering the kitchen. While Kate and Sarah began making idle chatter, Charlie was curious what John could be arguing about that Sarah didn’t want them to hear. Casually, he leaned against the wall in an attempt to hear the argument, “Seriously how do you not find it suspicious?” the female huffed. “How is it suspicious? It was just some old woman who knew who you were!” John replied clearly annoyed. Charlie was unable to hear the woman's reply, only John's response, “That's enough company is here, maybe we can discuss this more tomorrow.”. John appeared at the doorway with an obviously fake smile, “Nelson, Kate! Welcome, dinners almost ready!”. Sarah stepped to the side to let the pair in. The woman who was sitting at the table, was leaning back with her arms across her chest looking irritated, and seemed to not notice the newcomers, until John cleared his throat. Elizabeth rolled her eyes, and looked up at John and company putting on a broad smile. “Hello! My name is Elizabeth, and you are?” she exclaimed getting up out of her chair, and looking directly at Charlie. “I’m Charlie, but Barnaby usually just calls me Nelson.” “I’m Kate! I work at the station with these two, in the forensics department. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Kate smiled at her, extending her hand towards Elizabeth. Sarah walked into the kitchen holding Betty, who had just woken up from her nap. All attention was now focused on the baby. After a bit of everyone swooning over Betty, they all settled in to eat dinner. Elizabeth remained grateful that no one was asking questions about her, as she was still uncertain about her interaction at the police station. She was enjoying listening to Charlie talk. The group were talking about their current case, with everyone giving thoughts and opinions on who the murderer could be, well minus Elizabeth who was lost in her own thoughts. After dinner everyone moved to the living room, and as no one noticed Elizabeth hadn’t joined them, she decided to go out to the garden to think. She wandered out, and headed towards the nearest bench letting her thoughts consume her. ‘Who was that lady? She didn’t look like any teacher I’ve had, or look familiar at all. Dad said no one here should know who I am, minus the Barnaby’s. No one should know who I am here, so how did she?! Perhaps, I should call my father, but he probably wouldn’t believe me either, or tell me I was overreacting like Uncle did. But she mentioned how much I’ve grown, and how much I look like my father! Maybe Mum would believe me, she would be able to convince Uncle and father if she did. But then I’m sure her and dad would want me to come home and I don’t want that…..” “What are you doing out here by yourself?” the male voice cut through the night, bringing her back to reality. Surprised Elizabeth glanced around to see who was talking to her. Her eyes fell on Charlie as he sat down on the seat adjacent to her. “Well? Why are you out here by yourself?” Charlie chuckled upon seeing her confusion at him appearing so suddenly. “Just a lot on my mind.” Elizabeth replied blushing slightly. “Well want to talk about it?" He probed gently, "If not maybe you could tell me about yourself. I felt bad that no one spoke to you during dinner, and I have to admit I’m curious as to how you know Barnaby.” Charlie smiled watching her blush slightly and push her hair back behind her ear before looking at him. “He’s related to my grandfather mainly, he’s my mother's second cousin though.” “ Wait, who is your grandfather? Don’t tell me it's the Tom Barnaby?” Nelson asked excitedly. “Yeah, Tom Barnaby is my grandfather. My dad worked with him for years, that's how he met mum.”

“I’ve heard so much about his cases, it would have been awesome to have had the chance to work with him! Wait….which DS of Tom's is your father?” Charlie asked, his face lit up with a mixture of curiosity and excitement. “Doubt you’ve heard of him, it's been years since dad has worked in Midsomer, but Gavin Troy. He prides himself on being one of the youngest Detective Sergeants of his time, mum said he wasn’t always the brightest though.” Elizabeth chuckled, remembering her mother and grandfather's stories about her father. Charlie’s face lit up in shock, “Wow related to Gavin Troy and Tom Barnaby! Now I’m starting to wonder if I should be worried about my job.” he chuckled. Elizabeth laughed and rolled her eyes, “No, I’m taking a break. I didn’t have the best luck with my internship, I’m just looking to relax and recollect myself.” “Wait, what happened? Well, if you don’t mind telling me that is.” he asked earnestly. Elizabeth sighed, no she didn’t really want to talk about it, but there was something about Charlie that made her feel she could open up to him. “So after college I had gotten a well sought after internship for the London police department. The DS was supposed to let me trail after him, learn from him, and eventually have me do a case without his help. But the DCI would not have it, he would only let me do interviews, that was it. I wasn’t allowed to give my input involving cases, nor was I allowed to do anything but stand there when they caught the murderers.” “Wow, that's terrible.” Charlie gasped. “Oh it gets worse." She said with a sardonic laugh. "So, the last case I was a part of, I was the only person who could have stopped the murderer from escaping. Well just before I could grab him the DCI grabbed me, and let him escape. The worst of it was he set up a trap in the area he ran to, leaving the police who pursued him to be brutally murdered. The DCI did nothing but stand there, holding me back. I’ve never been so angry or upset in my life, just standing there listening to all those people dying. It was horrific.” Elizabeth looked away as her anger rose at the memory. Charlie leaned forward and put a comforting hand on her leg. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m glad you left though, so you can heal. Is that what you and Barnaby were talking about earlier?” Elizabeth looked at him even more uncertain if she should tell him that particular thing or not. “Ummm...no...not exactly….it’s silly though you don’t need to worry.” Elizabeth stammered. “I am going to worry, it sounded serious! I’m assuming that's why you came out here by yourself. Cmon, you can tell me.” Charlie retorted with concern on his face. “Okay." She took a deep breath before continuing, "When I was at the station earlier there was an old woman who recognized me. The problem is, I didn’t recognize her. She knew my name, said I looked like my father, and then walked away from me. Dad said no one here should know who I am, outside of the Barnaby’s. Uncle thinks it's nothing to worry about, but I beg to differ.” Elizabeth sighed staring at the ground. “Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing a strange woman right before I ran into you. I meant to mention it to Barnaby but I forgot. That does sound odd, and I think you should be careful.” Charlie responded. “I want to call my dad and tell him, but I worry he will say the same as John, and not believe me. Sarah told me to just stay here and babysit Betty, but c'mon my mum grew up here and dad solved tons of mysteries in these towns, I can’t just sit here!” Elizabeth exclaimed. After a moment of silence, Charlie looked at her, “Well I guess the best advice I have is think like a detective. I mean you grew up with two detectives, and went to school to become one. Think of what would help us to find you, should something go wrong.” “Charlie? Are you ready to leave?” Kate interrupted, sticking her head out the door. Charlie nodded, “Good to meet you Elizabeth hope to see you soon!” he stood from the bench, and began walking to the door. “Yeah great to meet you as well!”

Kate smiled as she turned to follow Charlie. Elizabeth sat in silence for a moment before John walked outside. “I’m guessing you told Nelson didn’t you?” “Yes I did, and he believed me!” Elizabeth huffed. “Elizabeth, this is an old woman we are talking about! You just got here and no one knows you, so no one can possibly have a grudge against you! You don’t need to worry, it’s not like anyone is going to murder or kidnap you!” John retorted before storming back in the house. Elizabeth sat in the cool darkness of the garden for a bit longer, before she decided to return to the house, and go to bed.

#Midsomer murders fic #Midsomer murders #Charlie Nelson #John Barnaby

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worryinglyinnocent · 4 years

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Dead Man Walking (6/?)

Summary: Prime Ministers don’t normally wake up in morgues after they’ve been murdered, but that’s exactly what Robert Sutherland has just done. Right in front of Lacey’s nose. With limited resources and not knowing who to trust, Sutherland and Lacey must work together to get to the bottom of the attempted assassination.

Based loosely on this dream I had.

Rated: T, eventually E.

Note: This is meant to be ‘darkly humorous and amusing mystery’ rather than ‘gripping political thriller’…

[One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five] [AO3]

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Dead Man Walking

Six

“So, I’ve got two questions.”

Considering what they were about to undertake, Carrie would have forgiven Ursula for having many more than two questions. Carrie herself had several questions, most of them coming back to the ultimate question, one to which she did not know the answer: why had she drunk so much elderflower wine tonight?

“Fire away.”

“How are you going to get in once we get there, and do you even know what you’re looking for once you get inside?”

Carrie pondered these questions for a moment. They were certainly very good questions, and shamefully enough, they were not among the questions that Carrie had been asking herself.

“Actually, I’ve thought of a third.” Ursula glanced over at her passenger. “Are you completely, absolutely insane?”

“Darling, you have to be a little bit mad to work in the civil service, it’s the only way that any of us are able to survive all of the politicians.” She paused. It was true that she had launched into this plan without much of, well, a plan, but one thing that years of working with Sutherland and everyone else in government had taught Carrie was that she was very good at thinking on her feet. It made her proud to remember just how many seemingly inevitable catastrophes had been avoided at the last minute due to her quick intervention.

Failed assassinations had never yet featured on the list, but it seemed like as good a thing as any to add to her repertoire.

“Right.” Ursula was silent for a long time as they drove through the countryside, the dawn beginning to break over them. “And about the other two questions?”

“Well, considering how hushed up Spencer is trying to keep everything at the moment, I should imagine that I’ll be able to get in on sheer audacity alone. I’m the PM’s Chief of Staff, they’re not going to stop me without good reason, even if Spencer told me to go home.”

“Right.” Ursula was still clearly unconvinced. “And what are you looking for when you get there? I highly doubt that the culprit will have left a lot of evidence lying around. This isn’t Midsomer Murders.”

“Maybe not, but I’ve played enough games of Cluedo in my time, and you can’t deny that this is a large and ominous country house.”

They were nearing the Chequers drive now, the house just visible in the distance, and Ursula nodded.

“Yep, very large and ominous, I’ll definitely give you that. I thought we’d established that he was poisoned, not hit with any lead piping.”

Carrie sighed theatrically. “Do you have to spoil my analogies? I’m doing the best I can here.”

For the first time since they had first met her on their journey to the hospital, Ursula really laughed. It was a genuine laugh of amusement, nothing sarcastic or malicious in it, and Carrie smiled.

“OK, I’ll trust your judgement,” she said eventually. “Now, do I just drive straight up, or should I park around the corner, or what? And please don’t suggest speeding through the barrier, I don’t think that the insurance would like me for that.”

The security checkpoint was coming up, stereotypical red and white barrier across the road.

“You might as well drive on up.” Carrie squinted through the windscreen, trying to see who was on duty in the security booth, but it was impossible. “There’s no point in trying to sneak in if there’s no need to.” She rummaged in her bag for her ID as Ursula inched the car closer and closer to the barrier.

Steve was on duty in the booth, and Carrie thought that she might be in with a chance. She’d spent enough time at Chequers that she knew all of the security staff probably better than they wanted her to, and Steve was one who could be considered a friend in a time of need. She hoped.

Steve looked at her ID, at her, back at her ID, and then at his watch.

“It’s five o’clock in the morning,” he said.

Carrie raised an eyebrow. “You don’t say.”

Steve looked at her in disbelief. “What could possibly be so important that it can’t wait until later?”

Carrie was about to say something along the lines of the Prime Minister being dead, but she stopped herself just in time. “When did you come on shift, Steve?”

“Two o’clock.”

“And has Spencer spoken to you at all about certain events that transpired last night in this very building?”

Steve shook his head as he handed her ID back to her, and Carrie gave a theatrical sigh.

“Well, I’m sure that what you don’t know can’t hurt you, but there’s certainly a lot that we’re going to have to catch you up on at some point. Suffice it to say, I have some urgent business to attend to.”

“Do you want me to phone up to the house and let them know you’re coming?”

“No, no,” Carrie said, hoping that she didn’t sound too hasty. “They’re expecting me. I’m sure it won’t take long, but you know how they all are.”

No elaboration was needed. Steve did indeed know how the Civil Service were, having worked alongside them for enough years to be able to take all the red tape in his stride.

The barrier lifted up and Ursula proceeded up the driveway towards the house.

“I can’t believe that worked,” she said.

“Oh, I can.” Carrie grinned. “Spencer likes to play his cards close to his chest. He always has, it’s one of the many things about him that really, really infuriates Robert.”

“Right…” They fell silent again until they were parking up in front of the house, whereupon Ursula spoke again.

“You know, I’ve never really known what this place looked like until now. I’ve always known vaguely that Chequers was a place and the Prime Minister lived there sometimes, but I’m not sure what I was expecting. So, this is what my hard-earned taxes go towards.”

“Yep, mine too.” Carrie patted her new friend’s arm. “Now, you just wait here, and I’ll go and see what I can find.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right on your own?” Considering how sceptical Ursula had been for the entirety of the night so far, Carrie was quite touched by her concern. “I mean, you’re already hungover if not still drunk.”

Carrie was not quite as touched by that remark, and she hopped out of the car. “I’ll be fine, darling. I always land on my feet.” This statement was not helped by her losing her balance as she tried to shut the car door, and she caught Ursula’s raised eyebrow. “I’m fine!”

She stood outside the house for a long time, pondering the best way in. On the one hand, just going up and knocking on the front door probably wouldn’t get her very far, because the people inside the house would be aware of everything that had happened overnight, and Spencer had likely instructed them not to let her in. On the other hand, given the vast amounts of CCTV around the place, sneaking in through a window was not going to be a valid idea either.

Still, nothing chanced, nothing gained. She could always think up a new plan later. Carrie strode up to the front door and knocked sharply. Not that she really needed to knock, they would have seen her coming. Announcing her presence loudly might not have been the best option, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve yet. Namely, the fact that Robert was indeed still alive and kicking, and not in the hospital morgue where he was supposed to be. This would have thrown Spencer off balance, and hopefully, he would be so busy trying to perform damage limitation that she would be able to work around him.

Sure enough, a few moments later the door opened, and Carrie stepped inside to find herself face to face with a bleary-eyed security guard.

“Good morning, Charlie.”

Charlie looked her up and down and then up at the clock on the wall. “You’re here early. Spencer said that you’d gone to stay with your mother after…” The sentence trailed off.

“Yes, yes.” Carrie waved Charlie’s statement away. “I forgot some things, darling. You know, with everything going on, my head was all over the place.” She caught the guard’s slightly incredulous look. “Well, more all over the place than it already was. If you just let me through like a sweetheart, I’ll be in and out in two minutes.”

Well, that wasn’t likely, considering that she still didn’t really know what she was looking for in terms of evidence, but no-one else needed to know that.

Charlie was definitely in two minds about the whole thing. Whilst the internal security team were definitely aware of what had happened, Carrie wasn’t sure how much Spencer would have told them about the events that had occurred after the Prime Minister had been taken away, and whether or not he would have instructed them to keep her out of the building after he had sent her home.

Finally, Charlie stood back and let her through. “All right. But be quick. Spencer’s in a real mood tonight. I mean, it’s a huge shock, I can understand that, but he’s being even more of an arsehole about it than usual.”

Carrie air-kissed both of Charlie’s cheeks before practically dancing through the metal detector. “Darling, you’re a treasure.”

She was in, and no real subterfuge had been needed. Now all she needed to do was find her evidence whilst hopefully avoiding Spencer.

The first port of call was Robert’s office. The open doorway was sealed off with strips of police tape, and it took a bit of wriggling to ease her way inside. For a brief moment she wondered if she should have worn gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, but then she remembered that she was in here so often that all her prints would be all over everything anyway.

The coffee cup that Robert had drunk from, and that had most likely poisoned him, was conspicuously absent. Spencer had obviously taken away that particular shred of evidence. There wasn’t likely to be anything else in the room. Carrie leaned back against the desk with a sigh, finally accepting that she had not thought this through properly.

It was as she was looking at everything on the desk that inspiration struck. It would be a tricky idea to pull off, but if it worked, it was the best shot that she had.

She needed Spencer’s phone. He never went anywhere without it and if there was going to be anything incriminating anywhere in Chequers, then it would be there. The downside to this, of course, was that he never went anywhere without it, so getting her hands on it would be difficult.

She straightened up and squeezed out of the doorway again, creeping down the corridors on bare feet towards the office that Spencer used on the rare occasions that he came down from London. She could hear him talking as she got closer, and it made her smile to hear that he seemed rather flustered.

Carrie inched closer, trying to get the gist of what was being said. Maybe this conversation would be enough in itself and she wouldn’t need his phone after all. She grabbed her own, setting it to record, and she pressed herself up against the wall.

“Yes, I know that bodies don’t get out of morgues without assistance!” Spencer was saying. “No, I don’t know where he’s gone! I can understand kidnapping a living Prime Minister but kidnapping a dead one is just ridiculous!”

There was a long pause; Carrie couldn’t make out the voice on the other end, but they didn’t sound impressed. She wondered who on earth he could be talking to, her heart beating painfully in her mouth. Since beginning to suspect Spencer, she’d always had the horrible sinking feeling that he wasn’t working alone. Although he was certainly scheming - he wouldn’t have risen to his current lofty position had he not been - she didn’t think that he was intelligent enough to think up an assassination plot all on his own. Especially not one that used a niche poison that simulated natural death like Robert’s had been.

Robert had his enemies, all politicians did, and being Prime Minister meant that he had more than most. Carrie shook her head, not wanting to get into that train of thought. She worked with all the cabinet on a daily basis and whilst she knew that there were power struggles and more than one person with their eyes on Robert’s job, she didn’t think that any of them would stretch to murder.

She hoped none of them would stretch to murder.

“Yes, I’m sure!” She could hear the exasperation in Spencer’s voice and pressed a hand over her mouth to stop her from giggling and betraying her position. Oh, this frustration really couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. “Look, he’s dead, he can’t exactly have gone far. Yes, I’m sure he’s dead!”

Carrie began to creep away. She’d heard more than enough, and Charlie might be coming to look for her at any moment. She was almost at the end of the corridor when she heard Spencer’s door open, and she jumped through the nearest doorway to avoid detection, ending up in the small cloakroom where visitors could freshen up before meeting the Prime Minister. There was some kind of commotion going on at the front of the house, and her stomach churned, hoping that Ursula was still ok in the taxi.

Spencer marched down the corridor, right past Carrie’s hiding place none the wiser, and began barking orders. Carrie peeped out, waiting until the coast was clear before scuttling back towards the front door and Charlie.

The guard seemed rather relieved to see her; the front door was open and from outside, Carrie could see Ursula being herded back towards the car by one of the other guards.

“Is everything all right?” Carrie asked.

Charlie nodded. “She was trying to get in to look for you, muttering something about being left stranded without you paying the fare. Did you get what you were looking for?”

“Oh, yes. It was a very successful trip, thank you, Charlie.”

Carrie waltzed out of the door towards Ursula, whose expression turned into one of relief as they walked quickly towards the car.

“Don’t worry, I’m here. Your fare will be paid in full as soon as we get back to my mother’s.”

“I, erm, I wasn’t actually worried about the fare.” Ursula looked up from fastening her seatbelt, her face a little sheepish. “I was more worried about you. I thought a distraction might help and it was the only thing I could think of.”

Carrie could only nod, stunned. “Well, it certainly worked, thank you.”

“Glad to be of service. Did you get it? Well, I don’t exactly know what ‘it’ is supposed to be. Did you get something?”

Carrie waved her phone. “I did indeed.”

“Great.” Ursula seemed genuinely happy to hear of the successful plot, and the trip back to the de Ville residence was made in uncharacteristic quiet. Carrie kept glancing sideways at Ursula as she drove, still gobsmacked that Ursula had been worried about her and had tried to help in her not necessarily legal endeavours, especially after everything else that had happened during the night.

She was definitely beginning to see her new friend in an entirely different light.

#rumbelle fic #sutheracey #sea devil #Cruella De Vil #Ursula #Fic: Dead Man Walking

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quipxotic · 4 years

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Rules: tag nine people who you want to know better/catch up with and then answer those questions. I was tagged by @sanguinarysanguinity. Since I never tag people, feel free to answer these questions if you feel inspired to do so.

Last song: I’ve been listening the soundtrack to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order by Stephen Barton & Gordy Haab quite a lot, particularly when I’m doing things that require concentration. I’ve been especially short on that quality since March, so I’m using a trick from my grad school days (i.e. headphones and loud music) to try to limit distractions. If you want a taste of the Fallen Order soundtrack, try “Memories of Days Past,” which is what I’m listening to while writing this post.

Other songs in heavy rotation right now:

“Feed Me” - Fulton Lee

“Every Single Time” - Katie Schecter

“Love It” - Ashleigh Ball

“Automatic” - Houses & Dawn Golden

“Keep the Faith (Strings Version)” - Overcoats

“After All (I Must Be Wrong)” - Son Little

“Whatcha Say” - Wargirl

“Chaos” - Miki Kiki

“Summer Rise” - Hansom Eli & Mikey J. Blige

“Gion” - Uki

“decide to be happy” - MisterWives

“Forever Nevermore” - Sea Wolf

“Balenciaga” - New West

“September” - Ayoni

“Trust” - Gracie and Rachel

“Upside Down” - Mondo Cozmo

Last movie: I had to think about this a bit, because I honestly couldn’t remember at first. I’ve watched very few movies over the last few months, but I did watch Midnight Run with my family when I visited them recently. Let’s just say the movie wasn’t my choice. To me the most enjoyable part of the film was the music by Danny Elfman. For a sample of that try “Walsh Gets the Duke” or “Main Titles (Midnight Run).”

Currently reading: I’m working my way through the second volume of the Star Wars: Darth Vader comics. I’m only really interested in the series because the Imperial Inquisitors are in it and any little details I can learn about them are helpful for fic purposed. That said, the art is fantastic and some of the stories are pretty decent. I’m still in the midst of listening to the audio drama version of The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, although I’ve kind of stalled on that for the last month or so (see above about my lack of focus lately). I’m listening to a couple of Big Finish audios including: “Short Trips: Out of the Deep” (a First Doctor and Steven story which I wrote some drabbles for), “Torchwood: Save Our Souls,” “Short Trips: These Stolen Hours” (Sixth Doctor and Charley Pollard), “Out of Time 1″ (Tenth Doctor and Fourth Doctor), “Short Trips: Downward Spiral” (Fifth Doctor and Nyssa), “Short Trips: Regeneration Impossible” (Eleventh Doctor and Twelfth Doctor), and “Poison of the Daleks” (a Third Doctor and UNIT story).

Currently watching: I just finished Midsomer Murders. Man, were the early seasons rough, which is why I did a lot of skipping around on those, but from Season 9 on I marathoned every episode. It’s something that I can have playing in the background while I work because it’s interesting but it’s not too interesting, if you take my meaning. I’m also watching Gardener’s World because I’ve spent a lot of time gardening during quarantine and it’s just so very relaxing. Another show I’ve had on in the background while I’ve worked is All Aboard! It’s not only a good de-stressing option, but it also helps to alleviate the twitchiness from being mostly confined to my house for going on seven months. I’ve also watched a bit of American football and Premiere League soccer for my sports fix.

Currently craving: I’m both craving and dreading the end of election season - craving for a whole host of reasons while dreading the possible outcomes. As bad as things are now, we’ve already proven there’s always the chance we can make them even worse. That said, we can also make them better and I’m really hoping we do.

Also, I’m craving Halloween. Give me all the scary, campy movies please.

#quipxotic stuff #sanguinarysanguinity #lists

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