#Where does Constantine's cloak lead? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

birdlord · 3 years

Text

Everything I Watched in 2020

We’ll start with movies. The number in parentheses is the year of release, asterisks denote a re-watch, and titles in bold are my favourite watches of the year. Here’s 2019’s list.

01 Little Women (19)

02 The Post (17)

03 Molly’s Game (17)

04 * Doctor No (62)

05 Groundhog Day (93)

06 *Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home (86)

07 Knives Out (19) My last theatre experience (sob)

08 Professor Marston and his Wonder Women (17)

09 Les Miserables (98)

10 Midsommar (19) I’m not sure how *good* it is, but it does stick in the ol’ brain

11 *Manhattan Murder Mystery (93)

12 Marriage Story (19)

13 Kramer vs Kramer (79)

14 Jojo Rabbit (19)

15 J’ai perdu mon corps (19) a cute animated film about a hand detached from its body!

16 1917 (19)

17 Married to the Mob (88)

18 Klaus (19)

19 Portrait of a Lady on Fire (19) If Little Women made me want to wear a scarf criss-crossed around my torso, this one made me want to wear a cloak

20 The Last Black Man in San Francisco (19)

21 *Lawrence of Arabia (62)

22 Gone With the Wind (39)

23 Kiss Me Deadly (55)

24 Dredd (12)

25 Heartburn (86) heard a bunch about this one in the Blank Check series on Nora Ephron, sadly after I’d watched it

26 The Long Shot (19)

27 Out of Africa (85)

28 King Kong (46)

29 *Johnny Mnemonic (95)

30 Knocked Up (07)

31 Collateral (04)

32 Bird on a Wire (90)

33 The Black Dahlia (05)

34 Long Time Running (17)

35 *Magic Mike (12)

36 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (07)

37 Cold War (18)

38 *Kramer Vs Kramer (79) yes I watched this a few months before! This was a pandemic friend group co-watch.

39 *Burn After Reading (08)

40 Last Holiday (50)

41 Fly Away Home (96)

42 *Moneyball (11) I’m sure I watch this every two years, at most??

43 Last Holiday (06) the Queen Latifah version of the 1950 movie above, lacking, of course, the brutal “poor people don’t deserve anything good” ending

44 *Safe (95)

45 Gimme Shelter (70)

46 The Daytrippers (96)

47 Experiment in Terror (62)

48 Tucker: The Man and His Dream (88)

49 My Brilliant Career (79) one of the salvations of 2020 was watching movies “with” friends. Our usual method was to video chat before the movie, sync our streaming services, and text-chat while the movie was on.

50 Divorce Italian Style (61)

51 *Gosford Park (01) another classic comfort watch, fuck I love a G. Park

52 Hopscotch (80)

53 Brief Encounter (45)

54 Hud (63)

55 Ocean’s 8 (18)

56 *Beverly Hills Cop (84)

57 Blow the Man Down (19)

58 Constantine (05)

59 The Report (19) maddening!! How are people so consistently terrible to one another!

60 Everyday People (04)

61 Anatomy of a Murder (58)

62 Spiderman: Homecoming (17)

63 *To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (95) Of the 90s drag road movies, Priscilla is more visually striking, but this has its moments.

64 Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (92)

65 *The Truman Show (98)

66 Mona Lisa (86)

67 The Blob (58)

68 The Guard (11)

69 *Waiting for Guffman (96) RIP Fred Willard

70 Rocketman (19)

71 Outside In (18)

72 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (08) how strange to see a movie that you have known the premise for, but no details of, for over a decade

73 *Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country (91)

74 The Reader (08)

75 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (19) This was fine until it VERY MUCH WAS NOT FINE

76 The End of the Affair (99) you try to watch a fun little romp about infidelity during the Blitz, and Graham Greene can’t help but shoehorn in a friggin crisis of religious faith

77 Must Love Dogs (05) barely any dog content, where are the dogs at

78 The Rainmaker (97)

79 *Batman & Robin (97)

80 National Lampoon’s Vacation (83) Never seen any of the non-xmas Vacations, didn’t realize the children are totally different, not just actors but ages! Also, this one is blatantly racist!

81 *Mystic Pizza (88)

82 Funny Girl (68)

83 The Sons of Katie Elder (65)

84 *Knives Out (19) another re-watch within the same year!! How does this keep happening??

85 *Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (10) a real I-just-moved-away-from-Toronto nostalgia watch

86 Canadian Bacon (92) vividly recall this VHS at the video store, but I never saw it til 2020

87 *Blood Simple (85)

88 Brittany Runs a Marathon (19)

89 The Accidental Tourist (88)

90 August Osage County (13) MELO-DRAMA!!

91 Appaloosa (08)

92 The Firm (93) Feeling good about how many iconic 80s/90s video store stalwarts I watched in 2020

93 *Almost Famous (00)

94 Whisper of the Heart (95)

95 Da 5 Bloods (20)

96 Rain Man (88)

97 True Stories (86)

98 *Risky Business (83) It’s not about what you think it’s about! It never was!

99 *The Big Chill (83)

100 The Way We Were (73)

101 Safety Last (23) It’s getting so that I might have to add the first two digits to my dates...not that I watch THAT many movies from the 1920s...

102 Phantasm (79)

103 The Burrowers (08)

104 New Jack City (91)

105 The Vanishing (88)

106 Sisters (72)

107 Puberty Blues (81) Little Aussie cinema theme, here

108 Elevator to the Gallows (58)

109 Les Diaboliques (55)

110 House (77) haha WHAT no really W H A T

111 Death Line (72)

112 Cranes are Flying (57)

113 Holes (03)

114 *Lady Vengeance (05)

115 Long Weekend (78)

116 Body Double (84)

117 The Crazies (73) I love that Romero shows the utter confusion that would no doubt reign in the case of any kind of disaster. Things fall apart.

118 Waterlilies (07)

119 *You’re Next (11)

120 Event Horizon (97)

121 Venom (18) I liked it, guys, way more than most superhero fare. Has a real sense of place and the place ISN’T New York!

122 Under the Silver Lake (18) RIP Night Call

123 *Blade Runner (82)

124 *The Birds (62) interesting to see now that I’ve read the story it came from

125 *28 Days Later (02) hits REAL FUCKIN�� DIFFERENT in a pandemic

126 Life is Sweet (90)

127 *So I Married an Axe Murderer (93) find me a more 90s movie, I dare you (it’s not possible)

128 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (67)

129 The Pelican Brief (93) 90s thrillers continue!

130 Dick Johnston is Dead (20)

131 The Bridges of Madison County (95)

132 Earth Girls are Easy (88) Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum are so hot in this movie, no wonder they got married

133 Better Watch Out (16)

134 Drowning Mona (00) trying for something like the Coen bros and not getting there

135 Au Revoir Les Enfants (87)

136 *Chasing Amy (97) Affleck is the least alluring movie lead...ever? I also think I gave Joey Lauren Adams’ character short shrift in my memory of the movie. It’s not good, but she’s more complicated than I recalled.

137 Blackkklansman (18)

138 Being Frank (19)

139 Kiki’s Delivery Service (89)

140 Uncle Frank (20) why so many FRANKS

141 *National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (89) watching with pals (virtually) made it so much more fun than the usual yearly watch!

142 Half Baked (98) another, more secret Toronto nostalgia pic - RC Harris water filtration plant as a prison!

143 We’re the Millers (13)

144 All is Bright (13)

145 Defending Your Life (91)

146 Christmas Chronicles (18) I maintain that most new xmas movies are terrible, particularly now that Netflix churns them out like eggnog every year.

147 Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (18)

148 Reindeer Games (00) what did I say about Affleck??!? WHAT DID I SAY

149 Palm Springs (20)

150 Happiest Season (20)

151 *Metropolitan (90) it’s definitely a Christmas movie

152 Black Christmas (74)

THEATRE:HOME - 2:150 (thanks pandemic)

I usually separate out docs and fiction, but I watched almost no documentaries this year (with the exception of Dick Johnston). Reality is real enough.

TV Series

01 - BoJack Horseman (final season) - Pretty damned poignant finish to the show, replete with actual consequences for our reformed bad boy protagonist (which is more than you can say for most antiheroes of Peak TV).

02 - *Hello Ladies - I enjoy the pure awkwardness of seeing Stephen Merchant try to perform being a Regular Person, but ultimately this show tips him too far towards a nasty, Ricky Gervais-lite sort of persona. Perhaps he was always best as a cameo appearance, or lip synching with wild eyes while Chrissy Teigen giggles?

03 - Olive Kittredge - a rough watch by times. I read the book as well, later in the year. Frances Mcdormand was the best, possibly the only, casting option for the flinty lead. One episode tips into thriller territory, which is a shock.

04 - *The Wire S3, S4, S5 - lockdown culture! It was interesting to rewatch this, then a few months later go through an enormous, culture-level reappraisal of cop-centred narratives.

05 - Forever - a Maya Rudolph/Fred Armisen joint that coasts on the charm of its leads. The premise is OK, but I wasn’t left wanting any more at the end.

06 - *Catastrophe - a rewatch when my partner decided he wanted to see it, too!

07 - Red Oak - resolutely “OK” steaming dramedy, relied heavily on some pretty obvious cues to get across its 1980s setting.

08 - Little Fires Everywhere - gulped this one down while in 14-day isolation, delicious! Every 90s suburban mom had that SUV, but not all of them had the requisite **secrets**

09 - The Great - fun historical comedy/drama! Costumes: lush. Actors: amusing. Race-blind casting: refreshing!

10 - The Crown S4 - this is the season everyone lost their everloving shit for, since it’s finally recent enough history that a fair chunk of the viewing audience is liable to recall it happening.

11 - Ted Lasso - we resisted this one for a while (thought I did enjoy the ad campaign for NBC sports (!!) that it was based on). My view is that its best point was the comfort that the men on the show have (or develop, throughout the season) with the acknowledgement and sharing of their own feelings. Masculinity redux.

12 - Moonbase 8 - Goodnatured in a way that makes you certain they will be crushed.

13 - The Good Lord Bird - Ethan Hawke is really aging into the character actor we always hoped he would be!

14 - Hollywood - frothy wish-fulfillment alternate history. I think the show would have been improved immeasurably by skipping the final episode.

9 notes · View notes

badchoicesposts · 4 years

Text

In a Land of Myth...

Chapter 13

Summary: When Selene, a young sorceress, arrived in Stormholt she had every intention of remaining anonymous. King Constantine Rys had strict rules on sorcery. The act itself was punishable by death, and she had no desire to be burnt at the stake for her “crimes”. However, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to remain unseen when she becomes Prince Liam’s personal maidservant, and it seems that it’s her job to protect him from everyone that wants to kill him.

Disclaimer: This AU is a cross between TRR, The Crown and The Flame, and BBC’s Merlin. Merlin follows the tale of King Arthur and the sorcerer Merlin. Merlin comes to Camelot where magic is outlawed and is made Prince Arthur’s servant. You do not have to watch the show to understand this fic, but it is based on the BBC show Merlin so the story line will be similar. I don’t own the plot to Merlin or any of the TRR characters.

Word Count: 4,228

Author’s Note: This series is finally back and with a new mood board! Thanks so much for being so patient with the fact that it took so long!

Taglist: @flowerpowell, @bobasheebaby, @alexintheskyy, @slytherincursebreaker, @kingliam2019, @furiousherringoperatortoad, @goldenbirdcrystalcage, @burnsoslow, @zilch3, @desiree-0816, @sanchita012

Let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist!

Catch Up: Masterlist

Selene slid herself into Liam’s wardrobe, shutting the door enough to keep herself hidden but also making sure she could still hear what was going on in the room. Liam and Kiara had already been on their ride for over an hour, and it was getting dark outside, so they should be returning at any moment. Selene let out an annoyed breath as she pushed one of Liam’s cloaks out of her face. When she had woken up that morning she hadn’t expected to have to hide in her employer’s wardrobe to spy on him and the woman that was trying to kill him, but here she was anyway.

“Stupid Liam and his stupid hadsome face, never knowing when someone is trying to kill him. And of course I have to do all the work and save his royal ass, but do I ever get any thanks? No, it's all ‘Don’t tell anyone you have magic, Selene. You’ll get murdered for saving the prince’s life, Selene’,” she grumbled under her breath, giving her best Bastien impression.

“Are you talking to yourself in there?” Drake whisper yelled from his hiding place under Liam’s bed.

When he had heard how dangerous the sidhe could be, he insisted on helping her. She had tried to explain that she was the one with the magic, and if something went wrong she would end up having to save him and not the other way around, but Drake was nothing if not stubborn.

“Shhhh, stop being so loud,” she called back to him, cringing when she realized that she had complained loud enough for him to hear.

“You’re the one who started it!” he responded in the same tone, causing her to roll her eyes.

“Yes, well now I’m telling you to stop continuing it!” she said, hearing him grumble in response.

She shushed him once again when she heard the door to Liam’s chambers opening and peeked through the small opening between the wardrobe doors to see Liam and Kiara stumble in. From her spot she could see the dazed look on Liam’s face as Kiara pushed him to sit on the bed. She stood over him looking intently into his eyes. Kiara grasped his hands tightly in hers and muttered an incantation.

“Our love is strong. Tell me you feel the same way too,” she muttered in a low, sultry voice.

“I feel the same way. I love you,” Liam responded in a hypnotized voice.

“I could never stand to be parted from you,” Kiara continued, rising one of her hands to stroke the side of his face.

“I would never let anyone part us,” Liam said.

“We should be together. Till death do us part,” Kiara said.

“Till death do us part.”

Kiara muttered the spell once again before pressing her lips to Liam’s. She pulled away from him and he fell onto the bed unconscious. Kiara looked over him for a moment, before waltzing out of the room. Selene sprinted out of the wardrobe and checked for his pulse. The man was still alive, but in a deep sleep.

“Drake! Get out of there!” she said, running to the door.

She was about to open it when she heard Kiara and Hakim’s voices on the other side.

“He’s ready. He’ll do what we need him to,” Kiara said.

“Good. I must go to the elders,” Hakim said. “You have done well.”

“Good luck, father,” Kiara responded, closing the door to her own chambers as Hakim began to walk in the other direction.

Selene poked her head out the door and made sure that the corridor was empty before sprinting after Hakim’s retreating form. She heard loud footsteps behind her, and a moment later Drake’s strong hand grabbed onto her wrist and stopped her from moving.

“What are you doing?” he asked quietly.

“What does it look like? I’m following him,” she whispered back, pulling her arm out of his grasp and moving forward.

Drake grabbed onto her again and pulled her behind a nearby pillar.

“That’s not a good idea,” he said.

“Do you have a better one? We need to know what we’re dealing with and who these elders are,” she said, moving to follow Hakim once again.

“Selene,” Drake called after her.

“I’m going, Drake. You can’t stop me,” she said.

Selene heard Drake mumble something under his breath, but he didn’t try to stop her again. Instead, he walked up next to her allowing her to lead the way.

“You’ve never followed anyone have you?” she asked.

“No, why would I have?” he asked.

“Get behind me,” she instructed.

“Why?”

“Because if we’re walking side by side it’s more noticeable,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him behind her.

They began walking through the woods, making sure to keep a respectable distance from Hakim, before stopping in front of a large lake. Selene pulled Drake behind a tree next to her, and they both peered out from behind it. Hakim began to speak loudly in a language Selene didn’t recognize, and a moment later, a bright ethereal light coming from the surface of the water blinded them. Several blue orbs of light began floating around the surface of the water wildly and slowed to a stop in front of Hakim.

At first glance the creatures seemed beautiful and nonthreatening. However, upon closer inspection Selene could see that the harsh faces and sharp teeth on the creatures. They were small but terrifying to look at.

“I come to you to plead for a chance of an immortal life and entrance back into the realm of the sidhe,” Hakim called loudly over the rustling wind.

“Your punishment for killing another sidhe is a mortal life and a mortal body. You shall never be allowed back into our realm,” the elder responded, his voice deep and intimidating even for a creature so small.

“The crime was mine, not my daughter’s. I offer you the soul of Prince Liam Rys of Stormholt in exchange for my daughter’s passage back to our home,” Hakim called desperately.

The elder was silent for a moment as he looked over Hakim curiously.

“Liam Rys,” he mused. “Liam Rys. Bring us his soul and your daughter shall be welcomed back with open arms.”

With that the sidhe elders began zooming across the surface of the lake once again and disappeared a moment later. Hakim chuckled in satisfaction to himself and began to turn around to make his way back to the palace. Drake grabbed onto Selene’s shoulders and pushed her back against the tree they were hiding behind, pressing himself up against her as Hakim walked past their hiding spot. Selene was almost positive that he could feel how fast her heart was beating in her chest as she stood caged between his body and the tree.

She could feel his breath on her skin as he gently pressed his forehead against hers, the action causing her to close her eyes and lean closer into him. Their lips were centimeters apart, and Leo’s words telling her to explore her options floated through her mind. It would have been so easy to sink into his arms and pretend that everything was okay. But, then she thought back to Liam. Liam who was lying in his bed at the castle, bewitched and about to lose his soul.

“He’s gone. It’s safe for us to go,” she whispered, pushing him away from her and beginning to walk back to the trail to the castle.

After a few moments of walking alone, she felt Drake come up behind her, and the two made the rest of the journey in silence. He followed her back up to her and Bastien’s chambers, the two bringing a tense energy in with them. Bastien had been preparing himself for bed, and Selene dropped down onto the mattress next to him and stared at the ceiling absentmindedly.

“They want to sacrifice his soul to the sidhe elders so that Kiara will be regranted immortality,” she said tiredly.

“Regranted?” Bastien asked.

“Apparently Hakim killed another sidhe so their punishment was a mortal life and body.”

“And Kiara has Liam under some kind of spell. He just agrees with whatever she says,” Drake said, leaning against the wall next to the bed.

“You know what they want now. That’s good, it’s progress. You two should get some sleep tonight. There’s not much more you can do tonight,” Bastien said.

Drake bade them goodnight and departed, however, Selene made no move to get up from the bed beside Bastien.

“What is it?” he asked her.

“I know that my magic is strong, but this feels different. It feels dangerous. I know people have tried to hurt Liam before, but no one’s ever controlled his mind like this. How am I supposed to stop them?”

Bastien sighed and turned onto his side to face her.

“I think you know what you have to do,” he stated, looking at her sympathetically. Selene’s eyes began to fill with tears.

“I’ve never killed anyone before, Bas. Not directly. I caused the chandelier to fall during Joelle’s performance, but I’ve never actively tried to take someone’s life. I don’t know if I can do it,” she said, curling herself into his side and crying into his shoulder.

Bastien wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“I still remember the first life I ever took. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget it,” he said softly. “I was coming back to Stormholt with a patrol group, and we were attacked by a group of bandits. They were brutal, and they struck to kill. We were surrounded, and I ended up locked in battle with one of the most ruthless of the bunch. It became obvious that it was going to be him or me, but it was still one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.”

“How did you deal with it?” she asked, her tears soaking into the thin material of his shirt.

“I went to Jackson Walker,” he said. “My father was already dead, and even if he was alive, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. He was never the type to think twice when it came to defeating his enemies. Jackson spent quite a bit of time with the knights of Stormholt, and he was always kind to me.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me that there was a difference between survival and murder. There’s a difference between good intentions and bad ones. He said that ending someone’s life should be a last resort, but the fact that I was having such a hard time dealing with it set me apart from that bandit. He said that the guilt and remorse I felt proved that I was still human. Killing should never be an easy decision, and when it becomes one is when you know you’ve lost yourself, you’ve lost your humanity. Why do Hakim and Kiara want to kill Liam?”

“Because Kiara wants to be immortal.”

“And do you think that’s a selfish or noble reason?” Bas asked.

“It’s selfish, but don’t you think there’s good and bad in everyone?” she said.

“I do believe that,” he said simply, as Selene shifted slightly in his arms to make herself more comfortable.

“I don’t think they’re all bad, but they’re willing to sacrifice someone else’s life for their own personal gain, and that isn’t fair,” she mused. “But, then it could also be argued that killing them to keep Liam from dying is also selfish. I’m so confused.”

She pushed her face back into his shoulder and groaned in frustration.

“Selene, what I’m trying to say is that you’re not a bad person. I know you’re having a hard time with this, and it’s not fair that you have to make a decision like this. But, the difference between you and them is that you’re here crying about the thought of harming them, but they didn’t think twice about hurting Liam.”

~~~

Selene woke up with the sun the next morning and rolled over to see Bastien lying asleep next to her. She slid out of bed and slipped out the door, her head aching and eyes still swollen from all of her crying the night before. Bastien had done his best to console her, but no matter how hard she tried the thought of killing Kiara and Hakim set her off. However, right now she couldn’t even think about all of that. The only thing on her mind was making sure that Liam was still okay. As she approached his chambers she could hear raised voices coming from inside them and began walking faster.

“Li, this is crazy!” Drake exclaimed as she pushed the door open.

“Kiara and I are in love,” Liam said, his voice dazed. “My father would never agree to our marriage, so we’re going to elope.”

Liam was hastily throwing clothes and items from his dresser into a bag.

“Liam?” Selene called softly, causing them both to turn to look at her.

“Selene, I’m getting married today,” Liam said.

The smile he gave her was unnatural, and Selene could see no real joy behind it.

“Liam, you can’t do that,” she said in a soothing tone, trying not to agitate him.

She moved forward and grabbed the bag out of his hands. Liam seemed to startle at her touch, and he looked at her intently for a moment. The moment was over as soon as it began though, and he grabbed the bag from her again.

“Liam, you can’t do this. Kiara has you under a spell,” she said, more insistently.

“That’s ridiculous!” Liam exclaimed, looking around the room confused.

“No, it isn’t. You’re not yourself, Liam,” Drake said, approaching the two of them as well.

“People will always try to keep us apart, Liam. That’s why we must leave now,” Kiara’s voice came from behind them.

Selene and Drake both tensed anxiously as the woman and her father entered the room.

“Liam, they’re controlling you,” Selene said, her voice determined as she moved towards him.

She reached her hand out to touch him, hoping that it would do something to distract him from the spell the way it had briefly done earlier, but Hakim’s hard voice stopped her.

“That’s enough,” he said threateningly, causing her to turn back to him nervously.

Hakim’s eyes were growing bright red as he glared at her, and she heard Drake curse softly to himself once he noticed it as well.

“Liam, look at them. They’re not human!” she called desperately again.

Selene gasped in horror when Liam looked up at her, his own eyes glowing bright red.

“We’ve wasted enough time,” Hakim said, looking over to his daughter.

The two of them shared a knowing look, and before Selene could move to stop them, they raised their staffs in unison, a bright blue beam coming out of the crystals and hitting both Drake and Selene in the chest. The force of the blue beams threw them back against the wall behind them, their bodies colliding roughly with the stone. Selene barely registered the pain in her back as she began to lose consciousness, the world fading to black around her.

“Selene. Selene!” a loud voice said insistently in her ear.

Selene jolted awake. Her entire body was sore, and there was a loud ringing in her ears. She looked around the room confused. Her vision was slightly blurred, and it took a minute for her to notice Madeleine’s annoyed face in front of her.

“What the hell happened here? I thought you were going to keep Liam safe? I saw him leaving the castle with Hakim and Kiara,” she said, her voice betraying her irritation.

“I am. I’ll fix this,” she said, trying to stand up only to realize that her balance was off.

Her legs were still unstable, and as she stood up her head started spinning. Madeleine gave her a disbelieving look.

“You don’t look like you can do anything. I’ll go after them myself if I have to,” she said stubbornly.

“No!” Selene yelled, cringing at how loud her own voice was. “No, Drake and I will take care of it. If anything were to happen to you and Liam both, Constantine would kill me.”

“Drake is still unconscious,” the other woman pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Please just trust me,” Selene said, wobbling over to Drake and dropping to her knees beside him. “Go find Bastien and stay with him until I get back.”

Madeleine looked at her hesitantly before nodding and exiting the room. Selene turned back to Drake and began shaking his shoulder forcefully. However, this did nothing to rouse him from his sleep. She looked around the room frantically and reached over to the pitcher of water on Liam’s dining table. She dumped the contents on top of his head, and he stirred slightly.

“What happened?” he asked. “Why am I wet?”

“Come on!” she called, ignoring his questions and pulling him to his feet unsteadily. “We have to go after Liam.”

The two began running through the path in the woods toward the lake they had followed Hakim to the previous night, Drake easily taking the lead since his legs were much longer than hers. She did her best to keep up. She had no idea how long the two of them had been unconscious and prayed to whoever was listening that Liam was still alive and well. Hakim’s strong, deep voice was chanting loudly as they got closer and closer to the lake, and they arrived just in time to see Kiara pull Liam into a quick kiss. The action itself seemed to take his life away, and he fell back into the water, completely unconscious. Kiara moved deeper into the water and began chanting along with her father as Liam disappeared from sight.

“What do we do?” Drake asked her frantically.

Selene looked around, trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation when she saw Kiara’s staff abandoned at her father’s feet. The young witch held her hand out and muttered an incantation causing the item to come flying into her had. Hakim turned to face them abruptly once he noticed her actions, but before he could move to harm them, Selene pointed the staff in his direction and loudly recited a spell she knew would work. The same blue light that had hit her in the chest earlier that day exploded out of the top of the crystal and went hurtling towards Hakim. The man was destroyed as soon as the beam of light hit him. Selene faintly recognized Kiara’s pained voice calling out to her father, before she turned the staff on the woman as well, repeating the spell once again.

Selene’s heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she dropped the magical relic and ran towards the lake where Liam was lying somewhere under the water. She wasn’t the best swimmer, but she dived in nevertheless, desperate to find his body. After searching for a moment, she resurfaced and took a gasping breath of air before ducking back under. She reemerged a few moments later, gripping tightly onto Liam’s arm as she attempted to drag his body back onto the river bank. Drake was looking at her in shock as she dropped down beside Liam, pressing her fingers to his neck to check his pulse.

“He’s still alive,” she let out a relieved breath and dropped her head down to his chest as she tried to regain some of her energy.

As she lay there with her head on Liam’s chest, she felt a slight stinging behind her eyes as the reality of what she had just done finally caught up with her. She could hear Kiara’s pained voice calling out to her father clear in her mind and forced back her tears as she stood up and turned to Drake.

“Can you help me get him back up to the castle?” she asked, refusing to make eye contact with him.

He nodded slowly and grabbed onto one of Liam’s arms and they both began carrying up back up to the castle. Once they were back in his chambers, Selene stripped him of his wet clothes and changed him into dry ones before covering him with his blankets.

“We can’t tell him what really happened?” she said, standing in front of the fireplace of his chambers to dry her own clothes as well.

“Why?” Drake asked in confusion.

“Because if he knows they were magical creatures it’ll raise too many questions of how we got rid of Hakim and Kiara,” she responded, debating on whether or not she should tell him the truth about Madeleine’s dream as well but decided against it.

He nodded in response looking closely at her face while she did her best to avoid eye contact, her chest hurting when she thought of the lives she had just taken.

“I’ll stay with him if you want to get changed,” he said sympathetically.

Selene smiled at him in thanks before leaving the room to get back to her chambers. Upon entering, she was unfortunately reminded of the fact that she had told Madeleine to go stay with Bastien, and was greeted by the two of them looking at her expectantly. She had originally only told her to go to him because she figured it was an easy way of getting rid of her, and she knew that Bastien was good at keeping people calm. However, she had forgotten that now she needed to come up with some kind of explanation about what happened.

“Is Liam okay? Did Kiara hurt him?” Madeleine immediately asked, rounding on her.

“Liam’s fine,” she said, feeling Bastien’s warning gaze on her. “Kiara never wanted to kill him.”

“Then what happened?” Madeleine demanded.

“Apparently Liam was smitten, and she convinced him to elope with her. I guess she thought it was an easy way to gain a title. But, Drake and I stopped them in time,” she said.

Madeleine narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously, and Selene tried to smile at her convincingly.

“So, she didn’t try to drown him?”

“No.”

“Then why are you so wet?” Madeleine asked, her eyes raking over the other woman’s figure.

“Um, well, they decided to get married in front of a lake, but a fight broke out when Drake tried to talk Liam out of it, and in the process I fell back into the water,” she offered pathetically. “Liam and Drake really got into it, and Liam ended up getting hit in the head pretty hard too so he’s in his chambers lying down.”

Madeleine was still looking at her curiously, but she seemed to accept the story anyway. She straightened her spine and made for the door.

“Well, I’m glad everyone’s okay,” she said.

She was about to walk out the door when she turned back to Selene. She looked as if she were giving her next words great thought before finally speaking again.

“Even though I wasn’t right, I appreciate you taking my concerns seriously,” she said uncomfortably. “Thank you.”

With that, the king’s ward left the room, and Selene let out a relieved breath.

“You’re going to need to become a better liar if you plan on using magic,” Bastien said with an amused smile.

“Give me a break. It’s been a long day,” she said tiredly, dropping down onto a chair at the table.

She rested her head down on the wood and stared absentmindedly at the wall, shivering as the cold air hit her still damp skin.

“Are you okay?” Bastien asked, coming up behind her and wrapping a blanket around her shoulders.

Selene looked up at him as he sat down in a chair next to her and wiped away a stray tear. Chance rested his head on her feet, whining softly until she reached down to scratch behind his ears.

“No, but I think I will be,” she said, softly.

“You did a good thing today, Selene. You saved Liam’s life, again,” he said in attempts to make her feel better.

Selene plastered a forced smile onto her face and leaned back in her chair, throwing her feet up into his lap.

“It’s tiring always having to be the hero,” she said jokingly, causing him to laugh heartily.

“Okay, hero, go change into dry clothes, and we can have lunch,” Bastien said, pushing her feet off his lap and motioning towards her bedroom.

Selene shoved his shoulder playfully as she walked by, a real smile on her face. She remembered all of the things Bastien had said to her the night before as she expressed her fears about hurting others and smiled. Bastien truly was good at helping calm people down. She wasn’t sure where she would be without him.

~~~

Lucretia was more disappointed than she was angry. The Prince had survived, and she was once again faced with the struggle of figuring out how to get rid of him, of figuring out how to get rid of Constantine’s entire bloodline. But, there was one thing she knew for sure now. If she wanted to get rid of Liam, she would need to get rid of Selene first.

#the royal romance #the royal heir #trr #trh #liam x mc #drake x mc #drake walker x mc #drake walker #liam #king liam #bastien #trr bastien #bastien lykel #choices #playchoices fanfic #choices fanfic #playchoices #my fics

19 notes · View notes

carryonmyswansong · 5 years

Text

A Birthday Celebration, Chapter 3: Welcome to the Tea Party

This work of fiction contains adult themes and subject matter. Please do not read, reply, or reblog, if you are under the age of 18.

Series Summary: Today is your birthday. Waking from your slumber, you realize that today is not going to be as ordinary as you originally thought it was going to be. Chapter Summary: A celebration is had. Some shameless flirting takes place. Benny teases you some, leaving you wanting more. Word Count: 3637 Characters: Reader; Supernatural - Benny Lafitte, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Castiel; Once Upon A Time - Jefferson the Mad Hatter, Regina Mills, Killian Jones; Constantine movie - John Constantine; BBC’s Sherlock - Sherlock Holmes; The MCU and X-Men Universes - Stephen Strange, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker, Loki Laufeyson, Thor Odinson, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, Professor Charles Xavier, Remy LeBeau; Criminal Minds - Doctor Spencer Reid Pairings: Reader & Benny, Reader & Remy Warnings: shameless flirting, hinting at sex A/N: I hope you have fun with this one lol - the next chapter will be quite a bit more... lemon flavored.

Beta’d by @thorne93

Link on AO3 Series Masterlist

All page dividers were created by me. Please do not save and use. I make page dividers and will make a set for you, for $3. Please message me if interested.

As you walk through the door, there is a huge contrast in lighting. You shield your face with your hand, and squint your eyes, as the sunlight filters through the trees above you. Benny seems unaffected, as he leads you through the long archway of trees. You wonder how the sun isn’t bothering him. His type of vampire doesn’t burst into flames but they do need shade, since the sun makes them uncomfortable. You think the sunlight here might be different than in his universe…

Your thoughts are interrupted when Benny stops walking and you promptly walk into him. You whine a little as your body makes contact with his, feeling his muscles ripple under your touch, bracing so he doesn’t fall over.

“Darlin’, if you wonted to hold me, you just have to ask.” You can hear the smile in his voice as you turn a bright shade of crimson.

You fumble for something to respond with but it all comes out as gibberish. Giving up, you shake your head, leaning it against his back. You sigh and you go to walk around him to see why he stopped.

“Now hold on a second. Can’t spoil the surprise jus’ yet.” He stops you and covers your eyes with his hands. You note how surprisingly soft they are. Your body moves, without your consent, as you press your back to his front.

Benny hisses in surprise and you feel… something twitch against your backside. You quietly whine under your breath.

“Mmmm as much as I like this, we got somewhere to be, love. You gotta stop doin’ that or we ain’t gone make it to the party. And I really don’ wanna disappoint our guests. We got time for this after, though, if you still want.”

You wiggle against him for good measure, not trusting your voice. He groans in your ear and nips it with his teeth. “Now, sugar, behave yourself and I’ll reward you later.”

You shiver and he nudges you forward, urging you to walk. You let him guide you. The cool air of the tunnel of trees gives way to deep warmth of an open space. You tilt your head and Benny lets you. He chuckles as you sun yourself like a cat. He swears he can hear you almost purr under your breath, as the sun soaks into your chilled skin.

“You ready, darlin’?”

“I’m tempted to turn back around into the trees and do something extra naughty with you, where everyone can hear us but no one can see us, but I guess we can go to the party.”

Benny growls under his breath as the front of his body rubs against the back of yours. He leans down and whispers in your ear, “Your filthy little mouth is stirring things in me, chère, that I haven’t felt in a long time. We are definitely gone have some fun later.” He runs the tip of his tongue across the shell of your ear, before gently nipping the flesh there. He loves the way your body reacts when he does this.

Clearing his throat and breaking the spell, he says a little louder, so the others can hear him “Let's get this show on the road”, and slowly removes his hands so your eyes can adjust to the change in light again.

You blink rapidly, to try and clear your blurry vision and you nearly fall backwards as you take in the view in front of you. Thankfully, Benny was still standing close to you and catches you and keeps you on your feet. Your breath hitches as your senses are assaulted on all sides. You gasp, despite yourself.

As your vision adjusts, you take in the view. In front of you is a very very long table. It is adorned with cakes, various drinks, and all sorts of things too pretty to eat. The table is surrounded by chairs, most of them occupied. The ones that aren’t, do have owners and you suspect that they are only empty because the occupants are otherwise mingling with the others.

Benny ushers you to a chair. It isn’t at the head of the table, but really there can’t be a chair there because the table is deceptively round. It should be oval shaped but time and space bend here so it isn’t something you try and wrap your head around. You suspect that if you tried, you’d only induce a headache.

Benny sits next to you, scooting his chair so close to yours that his knee bumps yours. You smile up at him, as he looks down at you, seeking your approval.

All you can really think about is how beautiful he is. Something in your expression must have given him the answer he was seeking because he smiles warmly at you again.

Breaking the spell of the moment, Benny checks his watch and clears his throat. “Time to get this party started,” he says, with a smile. You all but swoon as the light makes his eyes sparkle and the creases next to his eye crinkle just right. He caresses your cheek, and then loudly claps his hands getting everyone’s attention. It happened so fast you aren’t even sure he touched you at all.

The conversations around the table abruptly end and everyone finds their seats.

“Friends, family, ladies, gentlemen, persons of indeterminate gender, and others, our Guest of Honor has finally arrived. Jefferson, if you would direct the tea pourin’, and Dean, if you would direct the food servin’, I will direct the present givin’!” He claps his hands again, as if to drive the points home. Before walking away to direct traffic, he leans down and whispers in your ear, “I can’t give you your gift in polite company, chère. But I’m gonna give you a taste of it a little later.” Before you can respond, he’s already too far away.

Behind you, a table appears, and next to it, a large trash bin. You assume it is for wrapping paper.

Jefferson is the first to walk up to you, so he can attend to his duties. He hands you a large hat box. Inside is a hat of unimaginable beauty. Complimenting your hair and skin tone perfectly. It suits your taste in fancy clothes, and you know you have something to wear, the next time you are invited somewhere formal. You bow your head and thank him. He grasps your hand and kisses the back of it tenderly, before walking away to help serve the tea.

Behind him, a line started to form. Everyone who brought you a gift, slowly filing into place, to wait their turn.

Next approaches Regina Mills. A large clothing bag in her hands. “Miss (Y/L/N), you may want to stand, for this. It is rather long.” She smiles at you. You unzip the bag and almost fall back into your chair. Inside is a dress that matches the hat that Jefferson gifted you. It is your perfect size. Compliments your hair and skin perfectly, and you tell yourself “Say ‘perfect’ one more time” because it is. “Jefferson and I worked together to make a matching set for you. The hat and dress will change shape, size, and color, to suit your needs, taste, and any physical appearance changes that take place. This is the default design.”

You carefully zip the bag back up and lay it on the table. Once it is safely in place you all but run to Regina and wrap your arms around her like it is your saving grace. “Thank you so very much. It is absolutely gorgeous.”

She smiles, kisses your cheek in a fond manner, and returns to her seat. You catch Jefferson’s eye and he winks at you.

John Constantine walk up next, and gifts you a priceless artifact that lets you find whatever realm you need at any given time so you can find your way back to your favorite characters. Like Jefferson, he kisses the back of your hand before walking back to his seat.

Killian Jones gifts you an antique compass and spyglass so you will never get lost. He caresses your cheek, after you hug him, and departs with “You deserve the best, love”, and smiles.

Sherlock Holmes plays a song for you on his violin… one he wrote himself. He doesn’t allow you to thank him, but bows and walks away with a glimmer in his eye you’ve never seen before. He only smiles to himself when he thinks you can’t see him and that was the best gift he could give you because that little smile is so beautiful.

Stephen Strange gifts you a key to his sanctum so you can have a quiet place to study. All you have to do is hold the key, and think about wanting to visit with him, and a doorway will open and portal you through. You look from Stephen to Sherlock and swear they could be brothers. But before you could entertain the thought, Stephen is wrapping his arms around you and his cloak is… his cloak is patting your bottom. You jump back and start laughing. Stephen looks mildly taken aback before he realizes you are batting away the groping “hands” of his cloak and turns to scold it while it tries to float off and away from its master.

Steve Rogers gifts you a gorgeous piece of art he drew himself. It is a portrait of the two of you in a warm embrace. This makes you blush as you stammer out your thank you to him. His ears turn pink. He waits for Bucky to give you his gift, so they can walk back to their seats together.

Bucky Barnes presents you with a metal flower made from a very large bullet casing. “I made this after I shot it out of the sky with my sniper rifle. I kept it a very long time, hoping to gift it to someone special. It is older than you are. I tooled it a little so the edges aren’t rough.” He kisses your cheek. Steve wraps his arm through Bucky’s and they walk back to their seats, leaning into each other like they have secret to share. Both look so happy. You can’t help but grin. As Bucky and Steve walk away, Jefferson passes by them. The three stop and Steve almost does a double take. Jefferson winks at them and Bucky looks as if he is fit to burst into laughter. Steve punches Bucky lovingly on the shoulder and they continue on their way. This causes you to laugh out loud, startling a very adorable little mouse nibbling on a tea cake near your hand, who squeaks at you very loudly, in protest. You gingerly extend an index finger, petting it reassuringly. It goes back to its snack, grumbling under its breath.

Peter Parker swings up to you from somewhere at the other end of the table, using the nearby trees as places to anchor his webbing. He gifts you something to help with your writing. One part magic and two parts science, it resembles a book and it records your dreams and passing thoughts to use for your stories. “Mr. Stark and several of the Inhumans helped me make it,” he tells you. You hug him in thanks and he walks away blushing and so flustered he forgets about swinging back to his seat.

A loud voice announces, “Loki, God of Mischief, Lord of Lies, son of…” and is cut off by an even louder voice… “Would you get on with it, Brother! She knows who you are! Can you believe this guy, announcing himself?” followed by a boisterous laugh. You hear a groan and a very annoyed “Very well” as a green mist makes its way to you. Out of it steps the God, himself. Loki presents you with a gold bracelet that appears to be a snake. He explains that when you are in danger, the snake will come alive and become much larger, to protect you. You embrace him and kiss him soundly on the mouth. To which his brother cheers loudly. You both blush and he walks away with a little pep in his step.You smirk to yourself, quite pleased.

You are taking a break from opening packages, and sipping your tea, waiting for the next person to arrive. As you are sitting here, looking off at nothing in particular, something sleek and metal makes its way to you. You look up, focusing your eyes. It is a very fancy wheelchair with a very large X on both large wheels. The man in the chair is bald and you smile warmly at him. “Charles!” you greet him, brightly. He smiles wide at you, extending both his hands. You place yours in his, and he brings them to his lips like he is greeting an old friend. You then lean down and wrap your arms around his shoulders and he leans into you. “Happy birthday, (Y/F/N). I’m so happy to be here with you.” Charles Xavier’s gift to you is one that is deeply personal. You kneel in front of him, and he presses his forehead against yours. He slowly restores the missing memories of your childhood. The happy ones. Memories from long ago, of your dad boil to the surface. Events you only dreamed about, that faded fast, after waking. Your smile deepens, as the long forgotten memories paint beautiful pictures in your mind’s eye. “Thank you, Charles. That means so much to me”. He kisses your forehead and wheels away.

You sit back in your chair, and bask in the glow of the warm feelings that wash over you from the day you’ve had so far. You know you’ve been here for hours and hours already, opening gifts and interacting with people. You also know that time will pass differently at home and when you return there, it will be as if no time passed at all. You take a sip of sweet tea that never seems to get warm, the ice never melting, and take a bite of something that looks like roses but tastes like strawberry shortcake. You hum in approval.

As you finish your snack, two bodies approach. Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. Wanda smiles warmly at you, and Pietro leans down kissing your cheek. Before you can blink, he presents you with a small box. Inside the box are what appear to be wedding bands. Wanda, feeling your confusion, explains. “We are twins, and because of this, and because of the experiments done on us, we are basically soul bonded. Closer than your typical twins, we both can literally feel each other’s heartbeats. I always know where he is in the world, and he is the same.” Pietro picks up where Wanda left off, without missing a beat. “Most humans can’t do that, so we thought that when or if you find someone you’d want to be that close to, this would be the perfect way. They can be worn as wedding bands, or if your soulbond isn’t a romantic one, they can be worn on any finger. They adjust in size and when both of you are wearing them, you can feel each other’s heartbeats and know where each other are.” “They are made of vibranium, infused with my magic. When you wear them, they will glow red, much like my magic does,” Wanda finishes. “That is amazing. Thank you!” You aren’t sure what else to say. The rings are truly a very thoughtful and personal gift. You stand and embrace the two of them, tightly. They walk off, arms linked, the air around them swirling with Wanda’s magic, sending out happy vibes. You sit back down and brush your fingertips over the rings. A flow of red, washes over them where your fingers make contact, and then subsides. You close the box and set it on the table in front of you.

As the twins walk away, a figure saunters up. He bows, takes your hand, and kisses the back of it like you are old lovers and he is reliving a wonderful memory of the coupling. This causes you to turn a deep shade of red and your body heats up. “Hello gorgeous. When Benny told me this shindig was for you, I decided to dress in my best finery.” Remy LeBeau steps back and extends his arms in a dramatic manner, as if presenting himself to you and you take him in. He’s wearing a black satin top hat, with a belt of red just above where the brim starts. The rest of his ensemble is a three piece thing with coat tails. The coat is a fancier, tailored version of his light brown trench coat. The jacket underneath is black satin. The vest is a deep shade of red. The shirt is also black, but not as deep as the hat or jacket. He isn’t wearing a tie and the collar of his shirt is open down to the edges of the vest, revealing a thick dusting of chest hair.

Your jaw all but hits the floor. “I figured I’d go with something classic,” he says with a smirk. You aren’t sure what to say but you are pretty sure you are drooling a little. He steps closer to you and your breath hitches. He leans down and whispers in your ear, his lips brushing your skin there “My gift cannot be given just yet. You must wait for it. I will be joining you and Benny later tonight.” His lips brush your cheek. You want to respond but you aren’t sure what to say. You do notice that he doesn’t go back to his original place at the table and pulls up a chair next to yours. You want to faint.

Spencer Reid walks up to you, hands you a book of his favorite poetry, wishes you a happy birthday, with his hand on your shoulder. You touch his hand, squeezing it in thanks and he walks away with a smile on his face. You flip open the book, and inside he’s written a little note on the first page. “Beautiful words, for a beautiful soul.” - SR

Sam and Dean Winchester make their way to you, followed by Castiel. Sam hands you a leather bound book, with a dragon on the front cover. Inside is a catalogue of all the monsters they’ve encountered so far. The book should be really heavy but it surprisingly isn’t. Dean gifts you a small dagger. It has runes carved into the blade, handle, and leather sheath. “It is meant to fit between your boobs, behind the center thing in your bra. Sam helped with the symbols. They are for protection and keep you hidden from demons. Cas helped with the blade. It's made from an angel blade.” He gestures to you and you nod your permission. He slips the small dagger between your breasts, fingertips lightly brushing your skin, drawing out the necessity for them being there. You shiver a little and the tips of Dean’s ears turn pink. You almost want to tell him “more”, but Sam clears his throat and grins at you both. When Dean is finished, he looks up at you and makes a face that resembles that of a proud child, showing his mother a drawing he did. You stand and hug the three of them. Castiel presents you with a necklace. The chain is silver and the pendent is too. It is an anti possession symbol. “I made this from the remnants from making the blade for Dean.” He places it around your neck and it sits right above where the handle of the dagger pokes out from your cleavage. You hug him again. He blushes a little and hugs you back. Sam and Cas walk back to their spots at the table and Dean makes his way to wherever they keep carting in food from. You assume to is to make sure whatever dinner foods that are going to be served, are on time.

More people show up. More faces you know from the stories, TV shows, and movies you love, but it all starts to blur together. You aren’t sure how you are going to get everything back to your home or how you are going to explain all the new things to those you live with, but you are so happy at how the day is turning out, that you don’t care.

As the line winds down, and you finally get a break to yourself, you are lost in thought for a while. After what feels like an hour or more, Benny appears next to you. He claps his hands loudly, getting everyone’s attention.

“Thank you, everyone, for bringing your gifts. Now that that is done, it is time for dinner! Dean, if you would?”

You hear from somewhere in the back, “Yeah, brother. Everything is ready.”

And with that, several people spring into action as food it brought out to the table, from the treeline surrounding the clearing where your party is being held.

All the food being set out has a something for everyone. Your favorites, and the favorites of all the people present. A smile plays on your lips at the beauty of it all. You sit back in your chair and wait for all the food to be placed. Once everything is where it should be, Benny sits down in his chair, looks over to Remy with twinkle in his eye, and announces “Everyone, dig in!”

You don’t know why, but this makes your skin heat up and you feel flushed. You begin to pile food on your plate and enjoy the meal.

Chapter 4: Cajun Spice, and Everything Nice

Tags:

I will not be tagging anyone from my character or universe tag lists. However, the tag list for this series is open, and will remain open until CHAPTER 7 is posted!

If you want to be added to the tag list for this series, you MUST be age 18 or older (no exceptions), have your age listed on your profile, and follow @carryonmyswansong. If you qualify, please message me or send an ask off of Anon. Please keep in mind that writing, posting, tagging and maintaining lists takes time and effort so please consider leaving feedback when you read something you’ve been tagged in.

14 notes · View notes

singingwordwright · 6 years

Text

Tired Ratings Argument is Tired #SaveShadowhunters

Hello, mephisto or fangirlish or whichever random book stan you happen to be. Can’t stand that I blocked you on Twitter, so now you’re coming for me here?

In case you’re wondering why I’m using a screenshot of you ask, it’s because I can’t both reply and block you, and I did so enjoy blocking you. But not as much as I’m going to enjoy demonstrating, with receipts, why you’re full of shit.

Point 1: No, you don’t know what is happening behind-the-scenes. Unless you are part of whatever discussions are going on, you know exactly what I do. At least I’m honest enough to admit I don’t know. You, however, like to fall back on unproven claims of “inside information.”

Point 2: No one, anywhere, has said they don’t want the show. Even Freeform didn’t say they don’t want the show.

Point 3: The show did not fail to perform. After NYCC in 2017--during which Freeform mainly used the shows to promote Beyond and their other upcoming properties (and during which they were already making confusing and misleading claims about when the season would premiere and how many episodes the season would have) Freeform did almost NO promotion of the show. This is not sour grapes coming from an embittered fan. It’s verifiably documented.

They released only one trailer for the show in general (which they buried inside an episode of Beyond in order to try to boost Beyond viewership)

They released two small “ship” trailers for Malec and Clace on Valentines Day.

The two cast posters were reused shots taken during the photoshoot from season 2, cobbled together (very badly) in Photoshop.

They changed the season 3 premiere date and barely announced it, so only the fans paying close attention to the applicable social media accounts knew it had changed.

In the week leading up to the season 3 premiere, they tweeted exactly TWICE about the show on the Freeform account (as opposed to the five times they tweeted--plus 3 retweets--about The Parent Trap (a 20 year old movie) on August 10.

The fact that, with so little effort and expense put into promotion, season 3 of Shadowhunters was STILL Freeform’s third-highest rated show isn’t a failure to perform, it’s a triumph and evidence of how far a dedicated fandom can carry a show. Frankly, the ratings-to-promotional-dollar ratio of Shadowhunters is HUGE in comparison to their other shows.

And yes, you read that right. Even the ratings you like to pretend were so terrible, still made it Freeform’s third-highest rated show. Observe:

So with virtually NO promotion after October 2017, with a premiere date that changed multiple times and was barely publicized so that people didn’t even know when the season began, and being up against some of the biggest genre favorites on major broadcast network, it still performed better in its third season than The Bold Type did in either its first OR second seasons.

In fact, even Freeform’s new genre darlings, Cloak & Dagger and Siren, with all the massive promotion they received, failed to perform as well in their FIRST seasons as Shadowhunters did in its SECOND season.

The. Ratings. Were. Never. The. Issue.

I know you’ve decided you need to believe that the ratings were poor. You’ve been rooting for the show to fail because it wasn’t a faithful adaptation of your beloved books, but the ratings weren’t the issue.

If you don’t believe me, maybe you’ll believe TVGrimReaper?

Right there, see that first point? RELATIVE TO OTHER SCRIPTED SHOWS ON THE SAME NETWORK. That is what matters, and Freeform got plenty of bang for the virtually zero promotional bucks they spent on the show going into season 3, because it was third third-highest rated show.

Your fallacy, anon, is in assuming that because Shadowhunters ratings were less than shows airing on major broadcast networks appealing to the same demo, Shadowhunters was a failure. Look at TVGrimReapers first point under what doesn’t matter when considering cancellation.

Well, would you look at that? Comparisons to shows on other networks mean precisely diddly squat.

For more information about the ratings issue, check out the following, unless you’re already blocked from these Twitters, which let’s face it, you probably are.

https://twitter.com/MalecCrazedAthr/status/1024855819895025664 https://twitter.com/MalecFicLibrary/status/1026181145371783170 https://twitter.com/MalecFicLibrary/status/1029360424611921920

TVGrimReaper’s second and third points about what matters in a cancellation are, frankly, far more applicable than the ratings argument. Freeform doesn’t own the show and therefore any profit in selling it for syndication doesn’t go to them, rather to Constantin. I’ll get into that more later. For now, let’s finish talking about the ratings, because I know you’re all about the ratings as the be-all-end-all of what matters. (spoiler alert: it’s not.)

Point 4: You claim no one wants an “expensive risk” such as Shadowhunters. But you have failed to demonstrate that it’s a risk at all.

TVGrimReaper, for all his considerable knowledge, is focused on ratings models for broadcast (live-air) shows. The #SaveShadowhunters campaign has primarily been targeting SVODs, where Nielsen live-air ratings are virtually irrelevant.

Let’s take a look at the Nielsen revised ratings (i.e. ratings that include DVR and 7-day views, credit to @malecficlibrary ):

Wow. Some of the data hasn’t been published for seasons 2 and 3, but you can see that where it has, the Live+7 rating is typically TWICE what the live alone is. Because at least 50% of the Shadowhunters audience doesn’t watch live.

This is why the campaign has been targeting primarily SVODs. Because you’re right. Our live-air ratings don’t make us a great risk for a network, that is true. But we have the things that matter to SVODs (with one exception, which I’ll get into later.)

This is where the Shadowhunters fandom being the #1 most engaged fandom for a sci-fi/fantasy franchise comes into play.

The factors in deciding whether or not to pickup/renew a show, according to Netflix’s Cindy Holland comments at TCA, here are the things that matter to SVODs:

Completion Rate--are people who start a show finishing the show season, and in a timely enough manner to indicate they’ll be eager for more, and maybe willing to check out the recommendations the SVOD feeds them for other shows they may like because they liked that one?

Social Media Engagement--are the people who watch the show going to go online and talk about the show and get the SVOD more subscribers?

Is the Show Owned by the SVOD (and therefore the SVOD doesn’t have to pay the production studio)--As we’ve seen with shows such as Lucifer, this is not as important if the show has points 1 and 2 going for it.

Does Shadowhunters meet criteria #1? No one really knows, since Netflix doesn’t share that data, but all signs point to yes. It’s harder to judge with Shadowhunters since, unlike Netflix’s other shows, viewers have to wait week-by-week for new episodes as they air, rather than getting to binge the entire season at once, but the show is highly bingeable. Does it lose viewers who may be turned off by the lower quality of the first season? Probably. But most viewers know you can’t judge a show by a rough first season, because a LOT of shows (particularly genre shows) have rough first seasons. And Netflix’s metrics are almost certain sophisticated enough to account for that.

Does Shadowhunters meet criteria #2? Well, duh. There is a reason Forbes, a business publication, ranked the most engaged shows on social media, and a reason why Nielsen is tracking social media engagements (lists on which Shadowhunters almost always comes out near the top whenever there are new episodes.) That reason is that social media engagements are proving an important metric for even live-air viewers. To try to replicate the enthusiasm of the Shadowhunters audience, Freeform is even paying people to livetweet and make YouTube videos about their new darlings.

(see also: #TheBoldType #Ad and #CloakandDagger #Ad)

Does Shadowhunters meet criteria #3. Sadly, no. But since we’ve seen that whether or not the SVOD owns the property is less important if criteria #1 and #2 are met, ultimately that’s not going to kill the show’s chances of being picked up by an SVOD. Particularly an SVOD like AppleTV’s upcoming original programming lineup, where they won’t have anything that is being produced in-house.

Cindy Holland said outright the ball was in Freeform’s court. She didn’t say Netflix didn’t want the show, she simply said talks weren’t happening and implied that the reason for that was Freeform. You have no evidence that this show is unwanted by SVODs.

Point 5: You claim “Constantin has elected not to sell it.” This is false, We have multiple statements from Constantin that they were speaking to other networks and streaming services about the show. Per Constantin’s statement, something has made that impossible, but the effort was made.

Refer back to TVGrimReaper’s statement about syndication. The ideal episode total for syndication is at least 80-100 episodes. Since Constantin Film is the entity that would profit off selling the show for syndication, they’re going to want at least two more seasons of the show if they can get them.

Assuming syndication is an issue at all. Syndication rights are more an issue with shows that first air on major networks and then get sold to smaller cable channels for reruns, not for shows that initially air on niche cable networks and are already available for streaming and on-demand.

However, what makes a show valuable in streaming and on-demand (which is its “binge-ability” for lack of a better word) is really essentially the same thing that makes it valuable for syndication. SVODs want a show that people are going to watch and get hooked on and come back to long-term, and then ideally those viewers will go on to check out other recommended shows that the SVOD carries. And hopefully they’ll get on social media tell their friends about it (see also: we’re the #1 most engaged fandom on social media for a genre franchise.)

What this means is that Constantin is still going to want to make more episodes of Shadowhunters if they can, because that is what will make the show most desireable to pretty much anyone.

Point 6: You claim they’re going to focus on TID. While it’s true that Constantin is trying to develop and shop TID around, that in no way precludes them trying to find a home for Shadowhunters. Frankly, packaging TID and SH as a bundle makes the most sense, both for Constatin and for whoever is considering picking the shows up. SH has an established audience, many of whom would tune in for TID on whatever network or service that picked it up. TID would be a new shiny that would bring in new viewers who would check out SH. Common sense says that if Constantin can get a deal for both, they will. And Constantin’s statements have all been worded in ways that clear indicate a desire to carry on with some incarnation of this show with this audience.

In closing, you know nothing about nothing. Die mad about it.

#shadowhunters #saveshadowhunters #long post #ratings bs #give it up already

86 notes · View notes

hellsangelsheavensrejects · 4 years

Text

Present Day: Showdown in the Parking Lot

Blythe

"Wow, so not only do YOU stick around Wynonna, you're now also cool with having JOHN CONSTANTINE around? You know what that man does? He gets people killed. The fuck is it with you and that asshole anyway?"

Harry

“Oh, hey! You know what? I’ve been waiting around all day for some rando too cowardly to show their face to drop by and give unsolicited opinions on me and the people I choose to spend my time with. Congratulations, you’ve won the Dipshit Award!”

Blythe

“Gee, that's some epic level avoidance there. You should get a medal for that. Also, I'd pester Constantine, but he's got my number ... or more precisely my name. And he's a lot better with wards than you are. So, what is all this? Are you trying to get that girl of yours killed?“

Harry

“Do you really like playing pinata with a hornet’s nest so much, or are you just that stupid?” Every hair on Harry’s body was stood on end as he pivoted on his heels in the darkened parking lot, staff at the ready, searching for the source of the sinister voice. He didn’t like this one bit; whoever or whatever it was, it clearly had some personal agenda– or vendetta– it was attempting to fulfill. And if it was strong enough to get past the wards on his apartment, like it was hinting at…

He gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “This creeptastic voice throwing thing is getting old. How about you come out where I can see you? Then we can duke it out like mature adults and call it a night.”

Blythe

"Now, now, wizard. I was just trying to give you a friendly warning, is all.", the shadows between two of the trees lining the parking lot seem to solidify into a tall figure with a pale face. They cluck their tongue. "But really, what IS it with you and Constantine? I mean, beyond you clearly wanting to get in his pants. Don't worry, I get it."

Harry

“You and I must have vastly different definitions of the word ‘friendly,’“ Harry remarked. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the figure fade into view, and readied himself, reaching down into that deep well of anger, pain, heartbreak, and love to find his power.

“See, to me, ‘friendly’ is hanging out, getting a few beers, shooting the bull. This whole menacing stalker vibe you’ve got going on over there? Not really all that friendly.”

Blythe

The figure that steps from the shadows is tall and thin, unnaturally so. A long feathered boa around their shoulders only highlights their skeletal body. Their face is as pale as the moon above and they gift the wizard with a grin full of sharp teeth. Right underneath an array of six red, glittering eyes. "You really are good at avoiding answering questions. Deal with the Fae lot quite a bit, do you?"

Harry

Harry kept his eyes locked on the creature, sizing them up. A demon of some sort, probably– especially considering what he knew of John. Whoever and whatever this creature was, they very clearly had a history with Constantine, and probably had in mind a little payback.

He wasn’t going to make it easy for them.

A grin peeled his lips back, baring his teeth. “I deal with a lot of interesting folks. Always walked away from it; can’t always say the same about them, though. How about you, Skellington? Gonna keep pressing your luck?”

Blythe

The stranger came sauntering over and when they finally stepped into the full light of one of the few still functioning lights illuminating the parking lot, it became clear that the dull clack-clack-clack of their step did not come from heels, but from hooves. "That would be boring, though, wouldn't it? Ending it right here? Not when it could be SO beautifully painful for you. Or for little Johnny ConJob."

Harry

In all his years of wizarding, Harry had learned that there is always a moment of crystal clarity, an epiphany that lights up the mind and makes all the little details fall into place. It clarifies the plans of the bad guys, provides a blueprint for a counterattack, and, most unsettlingly, sheds light on his own choices, feelings, and proclivities.

This demon had seen something between Harry and John that Harry had not yet had the courage to name.

“My Id is probably yukking it up right now,” he muttered, then arched an eyebrow at the creature, bringing his staff to bear and readying his will. “You want pain, huh? Well, hey, if you insist. Have a blast with it. Fuego!”

Blythe

The fire lit up the demon, and for a moment it seemed to distort them. The feather boa turned into terrible wings and those already long, thin limbs grew longer and thinner. Hands elongating into razorsharp claws. And then the demon was gone. The magical fire the wizard had unleashed missed it's mark and rushed off into the darkness. There was silence and then, right behind Dresden: "Not fast enough. Tell John hello from Blythe." and then, those claws embedded themselves into the wizard's back.

Harry

The demon… changed… before his eyes, and then vanished. Harry spun, leading with his staff, trying to pinpoint his enemy before it could reappear and get the jump on him.

Which was exactly what it did.

As the razor-sharp claws tore deep into his skin, his one thought, accentuated by a furious, agonized scream, was that he desperately wished he’d gone for the extra protection of his spell-reinforced coat before leaving this evening, but the balmy summer temperatures had dissuaded him of the notion.

Lips peeling back into a snarl, he took his staff in both hands and slammed it into the ground hard enough to break a hole in the pavement, then with a shouted word sent a burst of force lashing through the staff and into the ground, enough to– he hoped– knock them both off their feet and give him a chance to wrench free.

Blythe

The demon Blythe laughed, dodging the blow of the staff with supernatural ease. They seemed to have been caught off guard, however, when a wave of energy expanded from the impact of said staff and threw them backwards. Snarling, Blythe caught themselves on all four, three pairs of eyes blazing with hellish fire. "I will eat your soul in front of Constantine!", they threatened and threw themselves back at Dresden.

Harry

Cold fury erupted through him at the demon’s next mention of Constantine, and the pain of his wounds melted away into so much background noise. It had occurred to him before that he knew precious little about the man’s past. About the demons– both figurative and, apparently, literal– that haunted him. He hadn’t pressed for details, and had volunteered precious few of his own.

But this creature, whatever its history with John, clearly had one hell of a hard-on for hurting him. And that…

That was not okay.

Not even a little bit.

(He tried not to think about what that might mean)

(It meant Constantine was his, and he’d be damned if he’d let this demonic stick bug harm him in any way)

As the demon hurled itself at Harry, he swung his staff to bear again and snarled, “Here, have an appetizer on me. Infriga!” A roar of wind kicked up, punctuated by a flash of glittering light, and the air rippled and cracked with a broad swathe of mist-shrouded frost.

Blythe

Pain in the air, the taste of blood and Blythe could feel their gut twist with pleasure.

Oh, they knew that anger.

Their sources were correct, then. John Constantine had gotten himself entangled with this … Dresden character.

And what a character he was. Half of Fairy was having a hardon for the man and Hell? Oh, Hell was just jonesing for his soul.

Blythe, however? Blythe was just here to have a little fun on John’s expense. Maybe start a little collection down in Hell? Oh, wouldn’t that be fun? They’d string up Dresden right beside what was left of sweet Oliver. And then, then they’d get the one with The Gun, too.

And they’d make John watch.

His own personal Hell on earth.

But first … They saw the spell coming this time. The staff might direct his power, but it was also telegraphing Dresden’s intentions and Blythe pushed themselves out of the direct path of the incoming power. The edges of it still stung like a hundred knives to their skin.

They laughed.

“Too slow. Again.”, they admonished with a little click of their tongue. A tongue, that they wrapped around their blood stained finger. Only to draw back with a hiss, swallowing the astringent sweetness of fairymagic. “Oh, now that’s interesting!”

Once again, they cloaked themselves in shadow, pulling darkness around them, before reaching for the threads of magic around them. Long fingers knitted into a complicated pattern and when they stepped back into the half-light of the parking lot, barely a step away from Dresden, the power of their own spell released.

It took hold of the staff and yanked, hard, giving Blythe an opportunity to step into Dresden’s space, almost like a lover into a waiting embrace. The way Blythe wrapped their arms around the man furthered that illusion until their claws dug into the muscle beside his shoulderblades, holding him in place.

“Just a little lovebite.”, they quipped and dragged their tongue along Dresden’s face before sinking needle sharp teeth into the soft tissue of his throat.

Harry

Stars and stones, this demon moved fast, even when it wasn’t doing its little disappearing trick. Harry was faster and stronger, both magically and physically, than he’d ever been before, but he was having a devil of a time keeping up with the creature’s feints and attacks.

Case in point: the demon appeared in front of him, divested him of his staff in one smooth, distressingly powerful yank, and wound its arms around him in an almost sensual embrace. Harry tried to jerk back, about to quip something about the creature not being his type, but then he felt the sudden, burning agony of claws burying themselves into his back again as the demon locked itself to him.

Panic, fed by a growing, dreadful awareness of inevitability, lanced through him. He hissed through his teeth and tried to wrench free, grasping ineffectually at the demon’s bony arms. “Get off!” he snarled, bucking and thrashing against the arms holding him in place. He could feel the muscles near his shoulder blades tearing around the demon’s claws. “Get the fuck off!”

A lascivious slide of the demon’s tongue across his face made him reflexively jerk his head to the side, giving the monster a clear line to his throat. He realized his mistake a microsecond too late– though to be fair, there was probably little he could have done to avoid what happened next.

The demon’s fangs sank deep.

Stars exploded through his vision, and he convulsed, limbs flailing in a futile attempt to dislodge his attacker. Time seemed to bend around him, and his awareness warped. He felt something warm spurting down his neck, soaking through his shirt, and, inanely, a string of facts he had learned long ago began to drift through his mind.

The average human body holds about four-and-a-half to five-and-a-half liters of blood. He was taller than average, so he would have more than that, though he had never actually taken the time to do the math, so he couldn’t cite an actual number. Death by exsanguination could occur after the loss of half to two-thirds of your blood.

And he was bleeding fast. Weakening. He could already feel the dizziness beginning to set in, pulse fluttering, limbs going leaden, cold creeping through his body. He wasn’t even sure if he was still upright. Was the demon still with him? He wasn’t sure if that would even have made a difference.

He was going to die.

He was going to die, and… he’d had so much that he’d wanted to say. To Wynonna. How deep his feelings really went for her, the extremes he would go to for her. To John. How he was ready to face, to embrace the confused maelstrom of feelings that erupted in him whenever he was near.

He was going to die, and he wasn’t going to be able to tell them.

#arc: Whiskey Gunpowder and Magic #Present Day #Post Cold Days #Showdown in the Parking Lot #expatfromhell #to be continued...#Discord RP archives

0 notes

gwarren-smith-blog · 5 years

Text

Hito Steyerl, Surveillance and the Digital Image - Q&A at Tate Liverpool with Patrizia Constantin and Gabriella Warren-Smith

youtube

How Not to Be Seen: A Fucking Didactic Educational. MOV File (2013) Steyerl, H. (Available online).

Last week I took part in a Q&A with Patrizia Constantin at Tate Liverpool. The discussion was part of a week-long event, What Is Your Stance?, run by Art History & Curating students from Manchester School of Art. The programme engaged with artworks on display at Tate Liverpool, probing the question: How can art inspire change in our everyday lives?

In our discussion, we examined an artwork by Hito Steyerl, How Not to Be Seen: A Fucking Didactic Educational. MOV File (2013). The work was a 15 minute video which presented a number of humorous ways in which one can hide and become invisible under the watchful eyes of digital technology. Our focus was to examine the impact of digital culture through the subject of surveillance and digital image, using Steyerl’s work as a starting point.

PC - What do you think about the artwork?

GWS - The core root of this film lies in the role of the digital image in the representation and production of reality. If we were to examine our relationship with the digital image via this artwork, this could be read in many different ways...

The first is about surveillance. Steyerl’s choice to format the artwork as an educational film indicates that we as a society must fight against the constant surveillance of digital technology. This is a manual for those who no longer wish to be traced by the watchful eyes of the digital image, and it is an alternative reality where she poses a world in which we can hide.

This leads us to our second condition which renders the human to be powerless. Although in her manual we are told we can become invisible, she mocks this increasingly difficult task through her playful imagery of superheroes, dead pixels and invisibility cloaks as the options we must take to escape the eyes of our technologies. To become invisible we must become smaller than a pixel, the smallest unit of a digital image that can be displayed on a digital device.

Then the video takes a change of tone. She alludes to ‘a disappeared person as an enemy of the state….eliminated, liquidated..and then dissimulated.’ Suddenly disappearance doesn’t seem like an attractive option, and we are reminded that to be invisible can also be deadly. What does it mean to be invisible in the digital age, and what does it mean to be untraceable?

PC - Why is it relevant to today's climate?

GWS - To me it is a question of control. Are we in control of our digital representation and are we in control of our identity online?

The average person has 92 online accounts, which is predicted to rise to 200 by 2020! This to me represents the decreasing understanding of our control over how we are represented online. If our information is spread across 200 accounts, how is our data there managed, and who else is it passed on to?

Our digital identities are increasingly embedded into everything we do in daily life. It’s not simply a matter of a website login or Instagram account, it is the growing mass of information collated about ourselves online, starting from the moment we enter the world at birth and are recorded through data in hospital.

In How Not to be Seen, the alternative reality it communicates escapes the uncontrollable eye of technology that monitors us even when we do not wish to be seen. But our online presence is not only monitored through those watching, it is also driven by our social habits. In the digital age we strive to be seen. Our physical experiences become recorded through our digital trace through social media and online communication. It is not just difficult to become invisible because society is driven by surveillance, it also driven by an addiction to online images and documentation.

PC - Could you discuss 'surveillance' in relation to the poor image and the apparent invisibility of the surveillance infrastructure?

GWS - I think there is quite an interesting parallel to be made that comments on the balance between being visible to surveillance infrastructure, and the visibility of the infrastructure itself.

In How to not be Seen, Steyerl illustrates how in 1996, the photographic resolution for a satellite target was measured by 12m per pixel. In 2013 it is one foot. She is trying to communicate how as technology improves year by year, humans become increasingly powerless in their ability to hide and become invisible.

The infrastructure of technology is becoming increasingly better at size management. If there are any Mad Men fans here, you might have seen the episode where the 1960s advertising office gets its first computer, taking up the space of about three rooms put together. One of the staff members Michael Ginsberg becomes mentally ill as he becomes paranoid of the effects of this monstrous machinery, and ends up removing his nipples!

Today the hardware of technology is becoming smaller and smaller. Data storage takes up less space yet is more powerful. So the technologies that used in surveillance are becoming smaller, and society being watched are becoming clearer and clearer.

What is ironic about the Mad Men character is that he was frightened by the impact of the computer before it became such an important part of daily life. The link between our digital devices and mental health today is so much stronger, even though their apparent effects are better hidden through their; microchips; clever advertising; and ability to pull on human weakness.

#hito steyerl #contemporary art #surveillance #technology #identity #digital image

0 notes

singledarkshade · 6 years

Text

Anger Leads To Hate

Part Three

“I’m not sure I’m ready,” Gideon whispered while she sat staring at the information before her.

“You are,” Rip assured her from his seat, “This is what we have been preparing for, Gideon. It’s time to take the first step in destroying the Time Bureau,” he frowned suddenly, “Unless you no longer want to do this for me?”

Gideon spun to him, “Of course I do,” she cried distraught he thought that, “I will turn them to ashes but I’m just...”

Moving to her Rip drew his hand along the air at her cheek, “What?”

“You always said that the first step can be the hardest,” Gideon reminded him, “What if I do something wrong? What if I am not strong enough to do this?”

“You have always been the strongest one of us,” Rip smiled at her, “You are brilliant, Gideon and I know that you will not let me down.”

Gideon sighed in relief at his reassuring words, “As long as you are with me, Captain then I can do anything.”

“My avenging angel,” he breathed, “You will set the world on fire and they will worship you because of the light you will bring them. But I’m the only one who truly loves you.”

Closing her eyes Gideon tilted her head towards him relaxing as she took comfort in his closeness, even if he could never actually touch her.

“Now,” Rip said softly, “You have to change. If you’re going to be my avenging angel you have to look the part.”

Gideon stood on the bridge of the Waverider, ready to take the first step in destroying the Time Bureau and the idiots who called themselves Legends.

Her long hair was tied back from her face and she checked the new clothes she had fabricated for herself. Her long black dress was made of similar material that some of the Legends outfits were and it fitted her perfectly allowing her ease of movement along with protection. The knee-high boots she wore were soft leather and she had a knife hidden in her left one just in case, the same as Rip always would.

“You look powerful,” Rip told her, “And beautiful. I am in awe of you already, Gideon. I know when you walk in there you will make me proud.”

Gideon felt a blush cover her cheeks at his praise before she nodded, “I shall do my best.”

“It’s time,” Rip said, “I will be with you every step of the way.”

She turned to her Captain, “I’m ready.”

“You need to add it,” Rip told her, “They will know you are my avenging angel if you’re wearing it.”

Gideon chuckled, “You have always had a flare for the dramatic, Captain.” He shrugged smiling when she picked up the cloak that had been fabricated with the rest of the outfit. Gideon fixed it ensuring it rested properly over her shoulders before raising the hood.

“Let’s go.”

*********************************************

Ava looked up when someone knocked on her door, relieved for a small break from the reports she was looking through.

“Hey,” she greeted Sara, “I didn’t realise you were back. How did the mission go?” Sara shrugged, “We came, we saw and we kicked ass. Pretty standard these days. How’re things going here?”

“Odd.”

Sara frowned confused at the answer grabbing the seat across from Ava, “Odd how?”

“There have been several aberrations appear then disappear just as fast in the past few months,” Ava explained, “All in Victorian London.”

“Not a place I like,” Sara noted before musing, “I wonder why that’s happening. Aberrations fixing themselves isn’t the norm.”

Ava nodded, “I know but unfortunately they’re gone before we can get a proper fix on them.”

Sara frowned in thought before she asked what she’d come to talk about, “Has there been any sightings?” “No,” Ava sighed, “It’s been months since she made her threat but we’ve been going on business as usual since then.”

“I don’t like it,” Sara said before elaborating, “Gideon may have only been human a short time but she was with Rip for years and I’ll bet learned from him. She will come after us so we have to be prepared.”

Ava nodded, “I know.”

As if on cue alarms began to sound.

“What is it?” Sara demanded.

Ava winced, “I think Gideon has just resurfaced. One of our back-up facilities is under attack.”

Heat assaulted them the moment the portal opened just outside the burning building and Sara winced. She turned to look around seeing Ava moving instantly to one of the agents running out the building to safety.

“You’re sure this will work?” she asked Constantine.

He nodded, “If I can get close enough to her then I can get rid of the Whisperer.”

“Okay,” Sara grimaced, running into a burning building was not top of her bucket list but they needed to stop Gideon before she did something she regretted, “Ava?”

“Ready,” she joined them.

The three of them moved towards the door, Ava grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall and used it to clear a path for them through the flames.

“Agent Bruce said she’s in the main office, you can see almost all of the building from there,” Ava told them.

They followed Ava up the stairs trying to breathe as little smoke as possible. Sara glanced over to see Constantine readying himself to get rid of the creature that was infecting Gideon. She hoped it worked.

Ava suddenly paused and Sara spotted Gideon standing in the middle of the flames consuming the building. She was dressed all in black, the flames making her glow with an unearthly ethereal radiance. Despite the situation Sara had to admit how gorgeous she looked.

“Is this close enough?” Sara asked.

Constantine nodded, “The spell should work from here."

“Then do it,” Ava snapped.

He frowned at her before starting to chant softly. Sara gripped her weapons tightly waiting. She knew they would have to look after the former AI and Sara was ready to do so. She turned confused when Constantine began to swear, “What?”

“It’s not a Whisperer,” he told her as he patted his coat, “Where are they?”

“What are you looking for?” Sara demanded.

He shook his head, “I need glasses.”

“Why?” Ava cried.

Constantine rolled his eyes, “I’ll explain later.”

Ava pulled out the sunglasses she had in her pocket and handed them over. Constantine produced a small packet of what appeared to be salt and sprinkled something over them before he put them on.

“Oh no,” he breathed as he studied Gideon, “This is bad, this is really really bad.” The two women stared at him, “What?” He handed Sara the glasses who put them on and stared in astonishment at what she saw, she slid them off handing them to Ava.

“What...” was all she could manage to say.

Constantine turned to them, “We need to get out of here now before she sees us.”

Sara frowned glancing at Ava who nodded. Slowly they retreated from the building hearing the portal as they reached the stairs. Gideon had left the building.

“How?” Sara asked as she sat on the couch in Ava’s office with Ava, Constantine, Ray and Zari, “Just how?”

Ray and Zari frowned in confusion before Ray asked, “What happened?”

“I tried to separate Gideon from the Whisperer,” Constantine explained, “But it didn’t work so I checked why using a spell and some glasses to see what isn’t normally perceived.”

“And what did you see?” Zari demanded.

Sara frowned, “We saw Rip.”

“What?” Ray and Zari cried in unison.

“What you saw was the visage of Rip Hunter,” Constantine explained.

Sara let out a snort, “Evil Rip at that.” All heads turned to her and she shrugged explaining, “It looked like Rip when he was under Thawne’s influence.”

“Anyway,” Ava encouraged Constantine to continue.

He nodded at her, “It isn’t a Whisperer which has attached itself to Gideon. With the Whisperer we had a chance to free her but now...” “What is it?” Ray asked concern filling his voice.

Constantine sighed, “This creature is in some ways like the Whisperer. It latches on to a person who is grieving but it needs one who is completely pure. Usually it attaches itself to a child but waiting for the kid to grow up means it loses its grip when the kid makes friends and socialises.”

“Gideon is technically an adult,” Ray noted.

“And grieving,” Zari added, “And newly human so as pure as they come.”

Constantine nodded, “It’s using her memories and his face to act like Rip Hunter. He’s feeding her grief, persuading her to destroy those who took the real one away from her. And it gets worse.”

Ray frowned, “How does it get worse?”

“It’s already linked with her,” Constantine told them.

“What does that mean?” Zari asked.

Constantine shook his head, “It means that Gideon has accepted he is truly Rip and allowed him to create a bond with her. It’s a connection that only she can break but she won’t and there is only one person who could persuade her to.”

“Rip,” Sara whispered sadly.

Constantine nodded, “If we can’t break the link then we have to kill her. That’s assuming we can get anywhere near her.”

“This gets even worse,” Ava said, “Doesn’t it?”

“We already know she can control the ship and computers,” he continued, “The link it created will give her abilities that will only grow stronger the longer she is connected.”

“Then we’re actually screwed,” Zari noted.

*********************************************

Gideon stepped back onto the Waverider feeling lighter than she had in weeks. She’d done it, she’d managed to destroy one of the Bureau’s facilities.

She turned to where Rip was standing smiling proudly at her.

“You were incredible,” he told her.

Gideon beamed with pride, “It was just one of many.” “I,” Rip stated as he stepped towards her, “Have never been so proud of you. You were magnificent. My avenging angel taking her first steps towards her destiny.”

Looking at him she sighed, “I wish I could hug you, Captain.”

“I know,” he replied softly before tilting his head thoughtfully, “There is something we can do.”

“Which is?” Gideon asked confused.

His hand came up to stroke the air by her cheek, “We can link again. It will make our connection stronger. It is the only way we can be together.”

“I’d like that,” she breathed.

“Then you should change into something more comfortable.”

Gideon took off her dress and hung it up, smoothing it with a smile before she pulled on a t-shirt and leggings.

“Is this what it was like for you?” Gideon asked softly as she settled on the bed.

Rip frowned confused, “What?”

“That I was only a voice or a hologram,” she replied, “That I could not comfort you properly when you needed someone to hold you.”

“You always comforted me,” Rip breathed, “We never needed to be able to touch to love one another. And no matter what we’re together.”

Smiling Gideon took a deep breath, “I’m ready.”

Leaning over her Rip smiled, “I know you are. You are ready and you will be perfect.”

Gideon gasped as he turned to mist and for a while she forgot about everything.

Part Four

#fic #legends of tomorrow #Gideon #Rip Hunter

0 notes

jelenedrake · 7 years

Text

Session One: Death’s House

Hey, so like... here are some session notes for my current Curse of Strahd campaign if anyone is interested. I might post up more... maybes.

Our party:

Yura Varen: Half-Elf Devotion Paladin of Sune Knight of the Order of the Ruby Rose (me!) Empath. Does not like this place. Mar’Rok is her bestie. They have traveled together before this adventure. He taught her how to speak Orcish. She taught him elven.

Mar'Rok: Half-Orc Life Cleric of Illmater Acolyte. Will ease everyone’s burdens at the cost of his own flesh. Covered in the scars he has taken to protect other people. Calls Yura “Little Sister”.

Constantine Cain: Tiefling Revenant Gunslinger. Monster Hunter Total Edgelord.

Zavrum: Half-Orc (takes after the human side more) Former Soldier turned Monster Hunter

Erevan Stonegem: Half-Elf Warlock Guild Craftsmen, hired to work on Cain's guns. Likes it clean, clean, clean. Occasionally, someone... else takes him over.

Titanius Anglesmith: Half-Elf Bard, entertainer, tall with a huge beard. Substance abuse problem... I mean... it’s not a problem until he runs out.

We all meet in a tavern in Daggerford. Most of the town is here talking up a storm trying to get out of the cold fog. Erevan talks to Cain about his guns, Cain talks to his guns about letting the half elf touch them. Erevan begins to engrave the guns. The strange pairing of the Half-Orc Cleric and Half-Elf Paladin sit off to one table. They clearly know each other. Mar'Rok is broody and Yura is trying to cheer him up. He points out Cain and Erevan to her, distressed about the guns that Cain is wielding and their inherent violence. Zavrum overhears him from the other table and asks what is wrong with a bit of violence. They both reply that for the right reasons: nothing. Mar’Rok and Yura both claim that they fight because sometimes others can’t. Mar’Rok tries to ease their burdens by taking the blows no one else can while Yura says that giving people something to look forward to can make any fight seem easier. Zavrum warms to this idea and his defensiveness drops and he invites them to his own table. They happily join him and continue their discussion.

Titanitus makes friends with Everan and Cain. He is excited about Erevan customizing his dagger. Mar’rok is still worried about Cain’s gun so Yura makes her way over to their table and attempts to make friends with Everan and Cain, but Titanitus is rude to Yura (she feels at least). So her efforts are stifled. Erevan is a bit nervous around Yura, his quiet voice drops to a nervous stutter and he will not meet her eye. Mar’Rok jokes with him that she has that effect on lots of people.

Just then a strange man dressed in (what we will later learn is Vistani garb) drops a letter on our table. It is a message from the burgermeister Kolyan Indrivich calling for heroes. The messenger urges us to to take the west road in the morning to Barovia. Kolyan’s love, Irena Kolyana, has been afflicted by an evil so deadly that no one can protect her. The man is seemingly unable to answer many of our questions and when we turn to each other to discuss it the man vanishes.

We sleep on it and head out in the morning. The town still covered with the thick fog. The trail leading west isn't too bad. Worn dirt trail. Erevan notices to the right some sort of stake has been planted into the ground. Has a small cross on it. Mostly ornamental with a ring of garlic and the initials V/S on it. Little off the beaten path... but the fog closes in around them. We grow uneasy and leave.

Little while later, Zavrum sees a creature is laying on the trail. Black ooze is around the creature. A giant black wolf, guts and intestines out blood all over the trail. Titanius finds giant paw prints leading away from the trail. Zavrum thinks it might be a huge bear. We decide to continue on and hope that the village may know where the creature’s lair is.

The fog is draining our energy the longer we spend within it. Zavrum and Cain completely pass out, Titanius grows exhausted from the fog. Yura, Mar'Rok, and Everan are okay? Yura tries to wake them but they are unresponsive. Yura and Mar'Rok carry Cain and Zavrum and we continue on. A few hours later, Yura and Titanius collapse. Unable to continue, Everan and Mar'Rok set up camp. The fog continues to creep up on Mar'Rok and Everan until they cannot even see each other across the fire and they too, are taken by the fog.

We wake up to darkened and twisting trees. Completely unfamiliar territory, we now do not know exactly where we are. The road is now graveled instead of well beaten mud and dirt. With no choice, we continue down the path to a village. The buildings are dark and black. No life around except for two children crying in the middle of the road. A boy and girl. They tell us their names are Gustav and Elizabeth. They say there is a "monster in the house”.

They point to a house with darkened windows and a porticullo, the houses to either side are clearly abandoned. They say the monster is in the basement. Their parents left many days ago. Their baby brother, Walter, is trapped in the house. The mist is encroaching on their position. Everan makes the children toys small toys to calm them. We go in. The children wouldn't follow us, Yura tries to question them about the monster within the house, asking about different qualities and features to which they all proclaim, “Yes! Yes! It has that!” Zavrum points out to Yura that the children are parroting her and out of frustration she attempts to drag them into the atrium. When they cross the threshold they slip out of her grasp and vanish into thin air. The door behind them slams shut and will not open.

Exploring the house: dining room. Everan finds faces and evil looking wolves carved into the wood panelling. Creepy. In the hunter den's we find a heavy crossbow, light crossbow, hand crossbow and 60 bolts. Yura gives them all to Everan. There is a small box with playing cards and wine glasses. Yura takes the playing cards and Everan takes two wine glasses, and with an unusual purple glint in his eye slyly says that "one is for him and one for her... for later". Yura makes a note of his sudden shift in personality but chooses not to comment on it for now. The cloak room has a fancy top hat that Zavrum takes and looks dapper AF in.

Second floor: desk/painting of windmill. Desk has parchment and wax, Everan takes them and a book of poetry. Titanius finds a secret door: more books and a chest with a skeleton with a letter bearing Strahd. Leather armor, deeds for the house and another house and a windmill. Spell scrolls x 3 (Bless, Protection from Poison, and Spiritual Weapon). 3 black leather books (Priests of Osybus necromatic rituals fiend summoning books). He also finds a letter from Strahd to the patriarchs of this family. They had been begging him to assist them. It looks like the family was summoning demons and sacrificing people on a secret altar hoping to gain favor with Strahd... they say they are cursed. He has no pity for them it seems...

#Curse of Strahd #Dungeons and Dragons #D&D 5e #Yura Varen #Jelly does RPG things

0 notes