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carewyncromwell · 10 months

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"I don't really need this in my life... Why don't we forget about it? (Go and take your soul...) (Go and take your soul...)

Thing is -- (Thing is -- ) Time was -- (Time was --) Part of me used to love you: Part of me still does... This light here -- Some become strangers..."

~"Some Become Strangers" by Stevie Nicks

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Carewyn's dress inspiration // the other main song I listened to while drawing this

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So I thoroughly blame @dat-silvers-girl for this...but while talking with her about my recent Evan Bach post, I mentioned that since Evan and the remainder of his family is in Westminster, just south of London, and Carewyn ends up settling in London to work for the Ministry of Magic, there would be a very good chance that the two could cross paths, even unknowingly.

When Evan was taking the Tube to work one day as usual, though, he did cross paths with Carewyn -- and on his end, at least, it was very knowingly. What first caught his attention was the teenage boy in his train car talking to someone on his other side.

"Ms. Cromwell? You okay?"

It was the name "Cromwell" that caught Evan's attention. He'd heard it more than once before, of course -- it was a relatively common surname -- but it still made him start every time, since it was Lane's maiden name. And according to that frankly kind of meddlesome witch Donna, Evan knew that his children had gone back to using that surname too, rather than his. When he looked up this time, though, he was confronted with the sight of the teenage boy standing on the train talking to a well-dressed young woman with ginger-red hair, sitting down a short ways away and holding her forehead in her hand.

"Mm...yes," she said lowly, after a moment. She forced a small ruby red smile as she looked up at him. "I just haven't...been in such tight proximity with so many people, in a while. It's...louder, than I remember it."

Evan blanched when he took note of the woman's eyes -- a bit sunken-in, but almond-shaped, and bright blue. However shadowed, they were Lane's.

Evan very quickly turned away, his heart racing. God, why -- why here, why her? Why his daughter? Why here, on his daily commute, right now...?

Was Lane here too? Jacob? God, the thought of seeing either of them almost made Evan feel more nauseous. Seeing Lane after so many years was a prospect that daunted Evan, but seeing his son was almost more terrifying. Jacob had always had a temper, and he'd so strangely latched onto his sister even as a baby that Evan thought it'd be likely he'd have to physically defend himself, if Jacob caught sight of him...that is, if Lane wasn't there to diffuse things. Lane had always been the one to try to calm things down...

Despite himself, Evan scanned the train car, searching for his ex-wife. When he didn't see her or Jacob, he felt the faintest flicker of disappointment, and then a wave of overwhelming relief. Not only did he hate the thought of his estranged family causing a scene...but he didn't think how much more strain his heart could've taken, seeing Lane again after so long...

"Do you not take the Tube much?" asked the teenage boy from behind Evan.

"Well, no. As you know, there are many other ways to get around. But well, considering where we're going, I figured those methods wouldn't be as ideal."

"You can Apparate with other people too, right?" said the boy mischievously. "That sounds fun."

"Mind what you say in public, Erik," said Carewyn, before adding something a bit quieter under her breath. Evan just barely picked out the word "Muggle."

Evan's lips came together tightly. So this boy was like Carewyn and Jacob, then? He was part of that...freak world of theirs too? To think that such a promising young boy would be molded in their image rather than live a normal life, same as Jacob was...

A thought occurred to Evan that made him straighten up sharply. Was this boy -- ?!

When Evan looked at the boy called Erik, though, he found he didn't resemble Carewyn much at all. Plus he looked to be 13 or 14, at least...Carewyn couldn't be his mother: she would've had to have been a mere child herself when he was born, if she had been. And Erik had called her "Ms. Cromwell" -- he couldn't be related to her by blood. If he was her son, he'd have called her "Mother," and if he was her sibling through another marriage (this thought made Evan's stomach squirm), he would've just called her by her name. And yet the way Carewyn spoke to him...it wasn't just platonic, there was something almost maternal there...

Was this boy her stepson, perhaps? Evan wondered. Had Winnie married an older man -- someone already married? She was a young adult now, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that she'd be married...she was probably the same age Evan was, when he married Lane. But to marry someone who had a son this old already... Evan couldn't help but frown disapprovingly, imagining his daughter marrying a man a good twenty years her senior.

"Anyway...thanks for this, Ms. Cromwell," said Erik. "Coming with me to the cinema and all."

"Well, I could hardly just drop you off and leave you there," Carewyn said with a wry smile.

"I told you you could."

"You can tell me whatever you want: it doesn't mean I'll agree with it. And besides...this clearly means a lot to you. I want to be there with you for it."

The way Carewyn spoke to Erik startled Evan yet again. It certainly didn't sound like how he expected a mother to speak to her son -- Lane certainly had never sounded so casual with Jacob, and she was always much more coddling of him than Evan himself was. It was almost sibling-esque, the way they interacted -- and yet Carewyn's sentiment still came across as so...maternal, for lack of a better word. So fond and proud...

Evan turned around, just in time to see Erik's snarky expression seemed to visibly soften.

"...Thanks, Ms. Cromwell."

The boy with the curly blond hair then seemed to sober slightly.

"...Ms. Cromwell...I wanted to say I'm sorry. For what I said the other day."

Carewyn blinked, startled.

"To that biddy in Diagon Alley," Erik prompted. "You know, the one who called you my mum."

Carewyn seemed to immediately understand, and her face grew much more gentle. "Erik..."

"I shouldn't have made such a big deal about it," Erik muttered, his eyes awkwardly drifting over to his and Carewyn's reflections in the window. "I mean, yeah, she was stupid to think it, when you're not even that much older than me and we don't look a thing alike -- but well, you do kind of act like my -- like a mum sometimes -- and you were with me while I was getting my school supplies, so it was only logical for her to think it. And well...I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful...you know, for everything..."

"Erik," Carewyn cut him off very firmly. She brought a hand up and took hold of his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "That is the last thing I would think."

She paused. Despite himself, Evan couldn't help but listen that bit more intently, even while trying to not draw attention to himself.

"...After what happened to your mother...I understand you being upset about what that woman said," Carewyn said softly. "Of course I don't think it was right for you to have sworn at her...but I know your anger came out of trauma and pain, not anything vindictive or cruel. And the last thing I'd ever want to do is replace your mother...or your father. I know I never could, even if I wanted to."

Her eyes fell on her own hand on Erik's shoulder rather than staying locked on his.

"...I don't want to be your mother, Erik. I'm very happy just being your guardian, for however long you need me. That's all I sought from the court, and that's all I want to be."

"Guardian." Then Carewyn had adopted this boy, as his legal guardian? Evan tried to envision raising Jacob on his own in his mid-twenties without Lane, and the mental image was intimidating. Being raised by his great-uncle more than his own parents, Evan would've been utterly clueless in being a single parent -- even Lane he always assumed did a better job of it than he ever would have...

Erik's face had lost nearly all of its edge by this point -- if anything, his expression betrayed something much warmer.

"You really are smashing, Ms. Cromwell," he said. "I hope you know that."

His smile then grew a bit more devilish again.

"...So...since you're not mad about what I said...does this mean you'll give me some more of those special lessons you promised me?"

Carewyn gave a loud huff. "Those 'special lessons' are supposed to be to help you defend yourself -- they're not a reward to be taken away when I'm unhappy with you. But I could very well withhold some of the rather nice Christmas presents I've set aside, if you don't learn to clean up your language."

Erik gave a loud, cackling laugh that prompted Carewyn to smile a bit more wryly herself as she got up.

"Well, come on, then -- here's our stop."

Her sparkly starred heels clapped against the floor as she crossed to the closest door. Evan watched his daughter go, wrapping her arm around her ward as the two climbed off the train and into the crowd of the underground station. Then, silently shifting his gaze out the opposite window, Evan watched the wall fly past him as the train picked up steam and sped off toward the next stop.

Because Carewyn had been focused so tightly on Erik and his mind, so as to quiet the thoughts of all the other people on the train she could've picked up, she'd had no idea that she'd been sitting mere feet away from her father. Even if she had chosen to look anywhere besides Erik, it's likely she still wouldn't have noticed him -- for she had no memory of the man's face and would therefore have likely only seen him as a stranger. Which, sadly enough, he practically was, even while they still lived together...

Carewyn was a stranger to him. Evan knew it, and he'd known it, even when she was small. He'd never "gotten" her, largely because part of him had been afraid to -- failing so badly to connect with Jacob had been so painful that the thought of messing up again, and worse, with Carewyn had made him withdraw from her, hesitant to let her in. But there had been moments, here and there, where he'd deeply regretted not knowing her. Times when she -- strangely enough -- almost seemed more like him than Jacob had been. More respectful of the rules -- more interested in pleasing others. And yet Evan knew he truly hadn't known Carewyn. How could he, when it was so blatantly obvious to Lane that she had magic, same as Jacob? And now it was all the more obvious that Carewyn was nothing like Evan. The way she talked to her adopted son -- her "ward"...it was nothing like how Evan had ever talked to Jacob, let alone her. She sounded gentle, affectionate, playful...

She sounded...happy. Raising Erik in her strange World, on her own...Carewyn was happy.

"Are you okay, mister?"

Evan looked up, startled, to see a little girl with cornrows and a sunhat sitting across from him with her mother, who had looked up from her purse with muted concern. It was only when Evan looked up at the two that he saw himself reflected in the window behind him -- and the tear that had leaked out the side of his right eye down his face.

He quickly swept it off his face with one hand.

"Ahem -- yes, I'm...fine."

Feeling embarrassed, Evan turned his focus back out the window, away from the girl and her mother.

Carewyn was happy. It was a thought that was a wave of grief that drowned Evan's soul, and yet...that wave felt strangely comforting, all the same. He stayed floating in that feeling for the rest of his commute, until he finally reached his destination, at which point he walked to work.

Once he reached his office, Evan closed the door and put on an Elvis record as he got to work. It was something he often did, to help pass the time when the day was slow and his depression made it hard for him to soldier through -- and, unbeknownst to Evan, was also what Carewyn herself did, whenever she had trouble focusing on what she was doing.

"Today I stumbled from my bed With thunder crashing in my head, My pillow still wet from last night's tears... And as I think of giving up, A voice inside my coffee cup Kept crying out, ringing in my ears...

'Don't cry, Daddy... Daddy, please, don't cry... Daddy, you've still got me and little Tommy, And together we'll find a brand new mommy... Daddy, Daddy, please laugh again -- Daddy, ride us on your back again -- Oh, Daddy...please, don't cry...'"

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #my art #carewyn cromwell #erik apollo #evan bach #lane cromwell #jacob cromwell #my writing #yes elvis is evan's favorite musician #it's kind of the one 'rebellion' he's ever allowed himself given how straight-laced and ridiculously conservative he is #it's also where carewyn got her own love of rock music though she doesn't remember it #she used to 'dance' to evan's elvis records #but hey let's be honest hound dog is a friggin' bop can you blame her #jacob was never as much into elvis his tastes are decidedly more bubblegum #his favorite band is ABBA and he also loves barbra streisand olivia newton-john and the osmonds #lane's more of a judy collins type <3 #and she's also friggin' in LOVE with traditional choir music #oh yeah the movie carewyn and erik are going to see?#star wars episode i: the phantom menace #released in the summer of 1999 one year after the end of the Second Wizarding War #(Erik ends up really not liking it but hey he's the ultimate star wars fan so of course he was excited about seeing it)

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moonlightmadnessreviews · 5 years

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It, Chapter 2 (2019)

After almost 2 years, Andy Muschietti’s highly anticipated It Chapter 2 is finally in theaters! I had the chance to see it opening night and I must stress something right up front: I am NOT jealous of the task Muschietti took on. Stephen King’s It has long been regarded one of his most ambitious novels, blending themes of childhood nostalgia, multidimensional beings, fear itself and the hold that your hometown can have over you. As proven by the 1990 miniseries, these can be very difficult concepts to translate from page to screen. So how did Andy and his producer sister Barbara Muschietti do this time around?

It Chapter 2 takes place 27 years after the events of 2017’s It, as Pennywise the Dancing Clown returns to the town of Derry, Maine to hunt children, made all the more tasty when forced to marinate in their own fear. After a quick flashback to the first movie, the film jumps to present day. Just as the death of Georgie kicks off the first movie’s, we set this film rolling with a brutal hate crime against Adrien Mellon, a gay man attending Derry’s Canal Day Festival. Upon further investigation, it’s confirmed by OG Loser Mike Hanlon that Pennywise has returned and phone calls are placed to each member of The Losers Club.

As I said, siblings Andres and Barbara Muschietti had no small feat on their hands. Not only did they need to take us through re-introductions of each member of The Losers Club, now all successful adults (safe for Mike, since he never left Derry) but they then dive back into flashbacks to show us more moments where Pennywise had tormented our protagonists. The adult Losers are rounded out by Jessica Chastain (Bev), James McAvoy (Bill), Jay Ryan (Ben), Bill Hader (Richie), Isaiah Mustafa (Mike), James Ransone (Eddie), and Andy Bean (Stan). Reprising their roles in flashbacks are Sophia Lillis (Bev), Jaeden Martell (Bill), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben), Finn Wolfhard (Richie), Chosen Jacobs (Mike), Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie) and Wyatt Oleff (Stan).

Like Mindhunter earlier this year, It Chapter 2 does an amazing job with its casting. The adult Losers actually pass for grown up counterparts to the younger cast, Ben, Richie and Eddie’s character’s being at the top of my list for the “What Kind of Witchcraft is This?!” award. An honorable mention must go out to Teach Grant and Nicholas Hamilton as adult and young Henry Bowers respectively. I feel Bower’s character was somewhat underutilized, which is sad because both actors gave amazing performances as the Losers’ human bully.

Lastly, we see Bill Skarsgård reprise his role as Pennywise. Skarsgård gave a standout performance in 2017’s It, making the role entirely his own rather than trying to duplicate Tim Curry’s iconic performance in the 1990 miniseries. I was glad to see Pennywise get a little more time to shine during this feeding cycle. We get to see him as an opportunist, hunting down easy prey and we also get to see him as a clever, and ultimately deadly, conniving murderer. Skarsgård’s performance really highlights just how much Pennywise enjoys these feeding cycles, milking each and every minute he’s on screen and giving a portrayal that’s just as goofy as it is menacing. His dialogue this time around seems especially menacing, taking on the tone of an inter-dimensional bully.

As with any adaptation of a Stephen King novel, some key points and characters are left out to allow for breathing room. This gave Muschietti the opportunity to expand on some of the more esoteric aspects of the story, such as the Ritual of Chud, the Losers reverting back to their childhood selves (best exemplified by Bill’s returning stutter) and lastly the origins of Pennywise and the Dead Lights.

The tone of the movie also felt very balanced. It had been stated in many interviews that the Muschietti’s planned to make Chapter 2 much scarier than their first installment, which had me somewhat worried, as I didn’t want them to lose sight of what I felt made the first movie so great! Luckily for audiences, they still managed to effortlessly balance comedy, heartbreaking emotional scenes and amped up terror effortlessly.

Stephen King’s novel frequently jumps back and forth between timelines. Books tend to have an easier time with these jumps, however it has always been much trickier to get the same message across on film. Here is where I feel the movie had the most difficulty. At times, the shift from present day to flashbacks felt a bit jerky, and others felt as though they flowed pretty seamlessly. After a while, the film did feel repetitive and somewhat formulaic in that once one character’s flashback/present day block was done, we knew the next character’s mission was up next. You have to consider the fact that the film makers were working off of a Marvel Cinematic Universe style source material, with 7 main character’s and, at times, two villains to follow. That being said, the movie easily could have fallen apart in less experienced hands and I applaud Muschietti for the way he managed to meld things together as best as he could.

On the other hand, one aspect I found down right distracting was the de-aging effect used on the younger cast. I understand that the cast had grown up in the 2 years or so between filming movies, but I would have rather had the task of suspending my own belief and staying immersed in the movie over being distracted by the digital effects artists trying to make Jeremy Ray Taylor’s cheeks digitally chubby! At times it even made the audio feel as though it was off. There were certainly some wonky green screen shots in the first movie that distracted me in a similar way but I think I actually missed a few lines of dialogue from being thrown off by how strange it looked.

Where the digital effects were used best was in helping Pennywise transform into an array of different creatures. We got to see many different variations on The Eater of Worlds and although I’m a huge advocate for practical effects, I feel the digital effects was definitely necessary for some of the more fun-house-like sequences.

As a fan of both the book and the 1990 miniseries, I feel It Chapter 2 did a great job sticking close to the source material while still being its own adaptation that will surprise fans of King’s book. If you’ve only seen Chapter 1, I think you’ll really love how the story is tied up and would highly suggest you dive deep into the book. First time readers will also have fun realizing what all the shots of turtles in both movies mean! Andy and Barbra Muschietti have once again done a great job tackling one of the most complicated monsters in recent history, without losing sight of the emotional core that makes the story so amazing. Where the movie may struggle structurally, it excels thematically and brings the scares they promised. It Chapter 2 is surprisingly emotional, humorous and will remind you of what it’s like to check under your bed at night!

Rating: 4 Full Moons out of 5 🌕🌕🌕🌕

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batfam-imagines · 6 years

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Paper Hat Awards:

Not sure if you guys have ever done this, but this is something that my old sports teams used to do. We’d make paper hats and write the award names on them. This is the Batfam edition.

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Dick Grayson: Worlds Clingiest Sleeper – If someone is close to him when he falls asleep prepare to be cuddled. Dick is like an octopus and will not let his victim go until he wakes up. He’s been given this award because somehow, he’s managed to cuddle with Bruce and Jason, on two separate occasions of course, and even made them stay the whole night. His cuddling even extends beyond his family. He’ll cuddle his family, friends, just whoever happens to be around. Not even Superman is immune to Dick Grayson’s clinging.

Jason Todd: World’s Angriest Cinnamon Roll – Of course Jason is pissed when he gets this, but that’s until Dick explains why. Jason might kill criminals and even threatens his family at least once a week, but he follows his own moral code. Jason won’t hurt kids, even goes out of his way to make sure the kids on the street have some food, shelter, and protection. He makes sure that the prostitutes in his part of the city know that they can come to him if they need help. And as much as he might claim to hate his brothers he’ll be damned if anyone but him is the one hurting them.

Tim Drake: World’s Sleepiest Vigilante – Tim bursts out laughing when he is gifted this paper hat and continues to drink his coffee while wearing it. This kid can literally fall asleep anywhere, he’s even learned how to sleep with his eyes open. Between his brothers and his friends at Titan Tower there is a competition on who can find Tim in the weirdest sleeping position/spot. So far, the winner is Cassandra, who sent out a picture of Batman holding onto Red Robin’s cape while Red Robin sleeps standing up on Patrol. Batman’s talking to Superman and Red Robin is passed out asleep, would have fallen off the building if not for Batman’s grip on his cape.

Damian Wayne: World’s Grumpiest Animal Lover – Damian hates just about every human on the planet, but he loves every animal he comes across. The youngest Robin has been known to steal animals from other Superheroes, even Catwoman and Superman have fallen victim to Damian’s animal napping. There are very few people that Damian actually enjoys the company of, but he always seems to have some kind of animals near. Bruce has stopped trying to get him to stop bringing animals home because it’s pointless, Damian will bring home whatever animal he feels needs his help and then argue until he is allowed to keep it.

Cassandra Cain: World’s Best Sister – Cassandra might be the deadliest, the most skilled, and have the most training out of all the batkids, but she is also the most sensitive to everyone’s emotions. Her family doesn’t need to use words to express how they feel to her, she can read them like an open book. She isn’t one to make them talk about their problems, she’ll just sit there quietly, offering support to them if they want to talk or just making sure that they aren’t alone. Everyone unanimously votes her as the best sister, Bruce votes her as the best daughter as she’s his only official daughter.

Stephanie Brown: World’s Peppiest Vigilante – Damian’s idea of ‘World’s Worst Batgirl’ is quickly shot down by Dick. Stephanie is one of the few vigilante’s that have managed to keep her sense of humor and her relatively positive outlook on life throughout her crime-fighting career. She and Cassandra are best friends, and their completely different personalities absolutely terrify villains. A happy, smiling blond Batgirl and a menacing dark figure behind her striking fear in the hearts of Gotham’s crazies.

Barbra Gordon: World’s Best Hacker – Babs snorts when she gets this, her eyes flicking over to Tim. Tim just grins and tells her that’s true, no matter how good he gets he’ll never be as good as Barbra. Sometimes now the other’s will catch Barbra wearing her paper hat when she’s studying code down in the cave, or when they visit her and she’s busy being Oracle. Barbra even makes sure to keep the hat on the back of her chair so it’s readily available whenever she needs to hack something. It becomes her lucky ‘Hacking Hat’.

Alfred Pennyworth: World’s Most Amazing Everything – Alfred can, and does, literally do everything. He takes care of the house during the day, he monitors the comms while everyone is on patrol, he patched them up when someone comes back injured, he makes sure everyone is fed, Alfred is the one who keeps everyone alive. If it wasn’t for Alfred the Wayne household would have fallen apart years ago.

Bruce Wayne: World’s Best Batman – Bruce lets out a genuine laugh when Dick has Damian hand the paper hat to his father. Bruce is the original, the one who started this wave of vigilantes, and that makes him the best. He’s the one who trained them to be better than himself, who trained them to become independent. And even though he isn’t the best at expressing it he loves all of his children and pseudo-children.

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