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anotheronechicagobog · 4 years

Text

The Crackship Sails to Molly’s

Sylvie Brett x Jay Halstead

written by @anotheronechicagobog

Warnings: swearing, implied smut, Daswon sibling bashing, background manstead

A/N: Please comment :)

Jay was on the floor, in pain. The area around his socket was throbbing in pain, and his lower back was definitely going to have a bruise. He didn’t have time to react before Antonio was back and punching him in the face again. “Oh my god, Antonio stop it!”

He wasn’t fighting it, he just didn’t have it in him to try and stop the man he called his friend, though Jay supposed they wouldn’t be friends much longer.

Antonio had managed to get in a few more punches before he was hauled off of Jay by Voight and half of the members of 51. Jay exhaled and went to close his eyes, but was interrupted by her entering his line of vision.

Sylvie.

Her mouth was moving, and Jay could vaguely hear her speaking over the shouting men and women. “Sylvie? Are you okay?”

“Me- What? Jay, I’m not the one who just got mauled by Antonio.”

“So you’re okay?”

“Alright get up, I’m taking you to med now. No arguments.”

“Okay.”

“Oh pickles, you’re actually agreeing to go to the hospital, something must be really wrong with you.”

“As long as you’re okay.” His voice was so hoarse he almost didn’t recognize it. Sylvie sighed as he looked at her dazedly while she buckled him up in her car. “I’m okay, I promise. I just have to make sure that you’re okay too.”

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SIX MONTHS AGO

It had been months since Erin left, and months since Sylvie had to dump Antonio because of his ex-wife. Jay and Sylvie ended up at a table together, neither one was feeling particularly happy at the moment and didn’t want to be around their romantically successful friends. So they sat together, nursed their drinks, and talked about Harry Potter. They’d bumbled around in discussion for a while, not having a whole lot in common, before finding out they were both Harry Potter fans. Will, the rest of the intelligence unit, and 51 weren’t big fans of the book series, sure they’d seen the movies but that was about it. They both found it relaxing to just talk about something that wasn’t about their important work or love.

They started to spend more and more time together. It started because Sylvie mentioned how she hadn’t grown up in Chicago and was so busy she never got to see the sights, so Jay took it as a challenge and started showing her his favourite parts of the city. Restaurants, theatres, parks, museums, galleries, all of it. He even took her to a restaurant in Canaryville where everyone who worked there had known him his whole life. Sylvie was enthusiastically told stories from Jay’s childhood. Hiding behind curtains buck naked, exposing everyone on the street to his six-year-old butt while he and Will shook in giggles. Block-wide water gun fights. Years of ding dong ditch. Sylvie was in stitches before she even got her food.

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THREE MONTHS AGO

There was a fire. A bad one. And after receiving a patient on a gurney, something in the basement exploded, Sylvie and the patient were thrown several metres away. No one else had been injured, but Sylvie wouldn’t wake up, was bleeding profusely out of a cut on her head, and she had shrapnel in her back. It didn’t look good.

“Alright everyone, gear up. 51 just responded to a fire at a suspected meth lab, it was confirmed five minutes ago by an explosion. A paramedic, Sylvie Brett, was critically injured and is currently fighting for her- Halstead? Halstead where do you think you’re going? Halstead get back here!” At the words ‘Sylvie Brett’ Jay’s blood ran cold. At ‘critically injured’ he went into autopilot. Just stood up and left. Didn’t even grab his jacket. He ignored his boss’s enraged screams. He just got in his truck and drove to Med.

He ignored the odd looks he got from those at 51. He ignored his coworkers and boss when they came by to talk to their witnesses/ask him what the actual fuck was going on. He ignored his brother and sister-in-law when they asked him why he was there. He just stayed sitting in the uncomfortable chair for hours, watching nurses and patients flitter between the doors to the ED. It had been six hours when Platt came by to yell at him too only to be interrupted by Dr. Rhodes. “Sylvie is awake and stable, I expect her to make a full recovery. We can only allow one visitor at a time, and she has been asking for Jay since she woke up, she’s pretty frantic, so you’ll have to come quick.” He stood up and almost ran past Rhodes into her room, ignoring the confused looks from everyone at firehouse 51 and Trudy Platt.

“Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay, Jay-”

“I’m here Syl, I am right here.” She sobbed as he wrapped her hands in his. “I am right here, and it’ll take an army to get me to move. Or you, but that’s basically the same thing if someone denies you chocolate.” The laugh that briefly interrupted her sobs made his day, releasing the tension he’d been holding all day. Jay sagged in relief, and just held one of her hands as he used the other to gently hug her, hold her as she cried, sobbed, hiccuped and, whimpered from the physical pain expressing her emotions was causing her. “I thought I- w- was goi-i-ing to-o die-e.”

“I know,” he choked, “I thought you were going to die too.”

Jay had refused to leave the hospital until Sylvie ordered him to. “At least shower and change, ooh, get something to eat too.”

“You just want me to bring you mac and cheese don’t you?”

“You know me so well.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in an hour, don’t watch ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ without me.”

“You will take at least three hours to come back here.”

“Sylvie-”

“You have been sitting and worrying for the past three days, take some time for yourself. Don’t make me get Maggie involved.”

“Okay, fine, I will be back in three hours. Can you still wait to watch ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ with me?”

“Duh.”

“Okay, see you later.” He kissed her on the side of her forehead that wasn’t bandaged, and left, starting an alarm on his phone for three hours. He would be back on the dot.

The second he got to the lobby, however, he was met with all of firehouse 51 and the 21st district standing up, expecting news from him. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have orders to shower and change from Syl. Apparently I smell.” Trying to use his charm to get out of a situation he didn’t feel like explaining. But, he knew everyone glaring at him well enough to know that they needed some kind of answer. “Sylvie has become a very important friend to me, that day was one of the worst I’ve had in a long time.” Fewer glares, more confusion, and a free Jay Halstead.

He returned to his favourite person on the planet exactly three hours later with two containers filled to the brim with homemade macaroni and cheese, his laptop, and a box set of the Harry Potter books. “You, are an absolute angel, Jay Halstead.”

“No more than you, Sylvie Brett. Here is your food.”

“Oh, it’s still warm. Okay, time for bridal drama and lots of carbs!”

Sylvie was still in the hospital with Jay at her side as much as possible for another week. When she was given the all-clear to leave, no one seemed satisfied with the answer that Jay was taking her home. “Gabby I’ll be fine! Jay is one of my best friends, okay? He’s gonna drive me home, insist he stay longer than he needs to, before eventually leaving me with Otis and Cruz.”

“Okay, seriously, when exactly did you become friends with Jay Halstead? And are you sure that’s all you are?”

“Three months ago, and yes, I am sure that we’re friends. I am gonna hang up now, because I really do not appreciate the third degree.”

“Oh, come on Sylvie, I’m just looking out for you and Antonio, I just want to make sure Jay’s not moving in on you guys.”

“Gabby, there is no me and Antonio. And there hasn’t been for a while. He was great, Eva and Diego were great, it was fun, but he in no way protected or prepared me for Laura. He kept from me how erratic and impulsive and rude her behaviour was. He told me that she knew about me and was fine with cause she’d dating a few guys since the divorce. But it turned out a lot of that wasn’t true. He lied to me, leaving me to fend for myself when she came barreling in on a warpath, and then yelled at me for reacting in a scared and shocked way. He was actually the one who suggested we break up. Whether he likes it or not, she is still a significant part of his and his children’s lives, as well as a significant hindrance. And please, don’t act like we’re getting back together. I loved him, but I’m done with him.” And she slammed her finger on the touch screen much harder than she needed to. “Gabby again?”

“Yes, I love her, and I know she means well, but she doesn’t know everything.”

“And she has a lot of audacity trying to tell you she does. It’ll be okay, I think that everyone is just really stressed out and confused. I think that if we just tell everyone that we bonded over Harry Potter they’ll understand and leave us alone pretty quick.”

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ONE MONTH AGO

Intelligence had set up a meet with a coke dealer to arrest him and get some intel. The buy wasn’t until 1 am and they didn’t have to start gathering equipment and double-checking everything for another three hours, so everyone was just going to eat and try to relax until then. But then Jay’s phone rang. Luna appeared on his screen with a picture of Sylvie staring at a tank of baby jellyfish with complete and utter fascination. “Hey Syl-”

“I need your help.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I know you’re working tonight, but- oh I probably shouldn’t have called-”

“Sylvie, what’s wrong?”

“The blind date I’m on right now? I- he was fine at first but I’m scared. There are red flags everywhere and I’m afraid I’ll end up in a ditch.”

“Marco’s Bistro, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll be there in ten minutes, you’re hiding in the bathroom, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good, stay there until I get there.”

“Of course.”

He nodded at Voight and ignored a livid Antonio. When he got to the restaurant, he told the hostess he was here to rescue his friend from a dangerous date and she didn’t even blink. “She’s still in the bathroom but you might wanna deal with her date after, he’s getting agitated.”

“Green dress shirt by the painting of the heron?”

“Yup.”

“Got it, thanks.”

“Hey,” he knocked on the door, “Sylvie I’m here.”

She exited and before he could even make eye contact with her she wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug, despite her shaking body. “I am so scared. He picked me up, saying that I couldn’t refuse him, he knows where I live.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

Jay watched her until he could see her in safe his truck before he approached the man, and he knew that Sylvie had every right to be worried. Sharp eyes, nasty temper, tan line on his ring finger, and he looked one second away from just grabbing the next person and caving in their skull. “Excuse me-”

“And just who the fuck are you pal? I’m here on a date so leave before I kick your ass.” Jay pulled his badge out from underneath the collar of his shirt and sat down across from him. “Give me your driver’s licence, please.” The douche (as Jay would call him for the rest of his life) handed it over pretty damn quick, he waved the waitress over. “This man is going to need his bill immediately, please.” She nodded quickly and darted off, then Jay pulled out his phone. “Hey Burgess, I need you to run a name for me. Arthur Garrett. Two t’s. Okay, thanks. Can you send down a couple of officers for me?” He waited until the bill was paid and backup arrived before speaking again. “Mr. Garrett, stand up and turn around. You are under arrest for failure to pay child support and failure to attend court. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.” After the handoff, he saw his least favourite thing in the entire world. Sylvie crying.

“He had an arrest warrant out, he’s being taken to detainment now. I’m sorry this happened to you Syl, you don’t deserve it.”

“I just feel so stupid.”

“Well don’t, you weren’t even the one who set up the date. Can I ask you a favour though? Let me do a check on everyone you go on a date with, please. I’ll worry a lot less.”

“After tonight? You have a deal.”

“Oh thank God, I was worried I’d have to try and convince you.” He leaned over the console to kiss her cheek, he looked into her expressive eyes and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears. Neither of them realized how close their faces were until Jay went to speak and their lips brushed together, in a feather-light touch. “We, uh, we were going to order a bunch of pizzas for dinner. It doesn’t look like you got to eat, would you like to join us?”

“That sounds great.”

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THREE WEEKS AGO

Sylvie had gone back to Fowlerton to spend the holidays with her parents and brother, and Jay stayed in Chicago to celebrate with his brother’s family. Will was in the kitchen with Helen, he and a very pregnant Natalie were watching the looney tunes version of ‘A Christmas Carol’ in the living room with Owen. It wasn’t until Jay thought, about ten minutes into the movie, that Sylvie would love to watch this and he’d have to add this to their movie marathon lost for when she got back that he realized just how much he missed her. Her demeanour, her personality, the way she made him feel warm and fuzzy without much effort. And then he had another, much more startling realization. “I’m in love with Sylvie.” Beside him, Natalie snorted and Helen called from the kitchen “congrats on being literally the last person to know.”

“What? How did my brother’s mother-in-law-in-law know before I did?”

“She follows you on Facebook, remember? Basically everything you post is Sylvie, about Sylvie, or Sylvie related. And vice versa, I see the way she looks at you, she’s into you too.”

“It’s only been a few months, how am I in this deep?” Jay completely ignored his brother’s observation, he could barely register his feelings, he didn’t want to get his hopes up about hers.

“Take it from me, Jay, when the right person shows up it doesn’t matter how long you’ve known them or had a bond with them. If it feels good, go with it. It will only cause you pain to move away from it.”

“I don’t know if either of us are ready for that. The timings just not right.”

Nat covered Owen’s ears, “timing is a bitch.” She released a confused Owen who immediately zoned out looking at the tv again with a kiss on his tiny head, “if you don’t think that you’re ready, that’s fine. But don’t put anything down for timing or the universe, they’ll just mess you up.”

“Yeah... I’ll think about it.”

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ONE WEEK AGO

Sylvie had been all set to go camping with Gabby and Stella, she’d been so excited and Jay had spent the last three days with her helping her pack and hanging on to her every word. Watching flit around in a flurry of excitement for a girls week. He was sitting on her bed rolling up her light blue sleeping bag with white polka dots when she got a call from Gabby and her face fell. Lines and bumps moved their way on to her face which was carefree and bright only seconds ago. “Okay, Gabby. I hope you and Matt and Stella and Kelly have fun.”

“She cancelled the trip? Or cancelled you out of the trip?”

”She decided to make it couples only. She also took the opportunity to tell me that Antonio’s single again.”

“You know what? You are not going to be sad. Because you have a week off of work, and so do I because we worked too much OT the past two months. Let’s go to Universal studios, I hear they expanded Harry Potter world.”

She smiled again. Bright and beaming and in a way that was just so, so her. “I’ll look at flights.”

Thanks to a bunch of last-minute deals, coupons, and first responder discounts they were on a plane bound for Florida in three hours. And when they got there, they went into prep mode for the next day, making sure that everything was ready to get up and go to the park, and they were so busy that neither of them noticed that there was only one bed until they were both drifting off to sleep, centimetres apart.

Waking up entangled in each other hadn’t been as awkward as either of them thought it would be. It was nice, warm. And it only got better as the week went on. They spent three days at Universal Studios, three at Universal Island Adventure, and one at Disney. Taking as much time as they could at each place. They went on every ride they could, multiple times, enjoyed all the themed food, took far more pictures than they had ever taken in their entire lives, and waited until the last day to buy any souvenirs because of how expensive everything was. They even held hands every day, Jay’s reasoning was so that Sylvie wouldn’t get separated from him but because of the time of year the population of the park was sparse compared to what it could have been. Sylvie knew this, knew that she didn’t have to hold his hand, but she wanted to. Badly. She didn’t care if it was only for while they were in Florida, she could pretend while they were there that they were more than friends. Because once they went home, she had to pretend that she didn’t love him with all her heart. But honestly, they had the time of their lives. Fun, food, and unresolved romantic tension. What could be better? It was their last day in Florida, their rental car was already loaded up with their stuff and after the fireworks display at Disney they were headed back to Chicago.

Sylvie’s hair was mussed from the long day, and while she looked tired, she couldn’t take her eyes off of the display. And Jay couldn’t take his eyes off Sylvie. The multi-coloured lights were reflected in her eyes and the wind was blowing her hair gently. Sylvie could feel him staring at her and when she turned to ask him was what wrong, she stopped, her words dying in her throat. Jay’s entire soul was playing through his eyes. It was as if there was a tether connecting the two of them. Neither of them could turn away or blink. And Jay just went for it. He leaned down and kissed her with all the emotion his body possessed. The kiss making Sylvie feel weak in her knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck in part to stabilize himself, and in part to pull him closer. They’d missed the rest of the display just holding each other, but neither of them could bring themselves to care.

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PRESENT DAY

Dr. Choi had been assigned to Jay. He raised an eyebrow at Sylvie seated on the bed beside him but made no comment, paying heed to the words of wisdom Maggie had just bestowed upon him, “she’s the only reason he’ll behave and accept treatment.”

“Alright, while I’m happy you’re not here with a bullet wound detective Halstead, coming back after a fight wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said ‘avoid lead’.”

“And deprive you of my charming personality?”

“Yeah, yeah. Now follow my finger, let’s hope you don’t have a concussion.”

It had only taken about twenty minutes to determine that Jay, miraculously, didn’t have a concussion or any broken bones. Just a lot of swelling and bruises. “Thanks, Choi.”

“No problem, while you are discharged and free to go, you can’t travel yourself, I’m actually you can see with how swollen the areas around your eyes are.”

“That’s no problem, I’ll drive him home.”

“Alright, good. Remember Jay, desk duty for a week.”

“Ugh, I’m already bored.”

“I’m sure you are, now let’s go. I want to leave before a Dawson comes barreling in here, cause I might start swinging punches too.”

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The next week Jay avoided Antonio, not intentionally though. After hearing what happened Voight decided to keep Halstead in the basement as much as possible for his desk duty. While it was boring and agitating not being in the field, Sylvie made sure to send him as many hilarious snapchats as possible, many of which consisted of her hiding in ridiculous places to avoid Gabby. The photo that had offended the Dawsons so greatly sat framed on his temporary desk. Apparently, the people behind them at the fireworks display their last day there thought they were so cute that they took a couple of pics during and after their kiss, but the new couple had left before they could be asked for contact info for the pictures. Luckily, they’d overheard them before the fireworks display talking about how while they were sad to go back to Chicago that night, the fire and police departments desperately needed them to keep their partners in line. It had been an amusing joke to Sylvie and Jay, but a way to post the photos for the people behind them. The Dawsons were already pissed that Jay was ‘moving in on Antonio’s girl’, but when they saw the photos on Facebook, with that mother posting the, admittedly gorgeous, pictures with the tags for CPD and CFD, looking for them so that the ‘adorable couple’ could have pictures from their first kiss, they were both livid. Gabby unleashing all of her fury, most of which was for unrelated things, on Sylvie at Molly’s, while Antonio just started punching.

It all came to a head when Jay was picking up Sylvie from her shift after he had finally been cleared to drive and go back to work. “Hey, you.”

“Hello, gorgeous.” Their quick peck was stopped by Gabby darting in between them and physically pushing them apart.”How can the two of you do this to Antonio? He still loves you Sylvie, even after all this, how can you-”

“Okay, you know what Gabby? You need to shut the fuck up.”

“Brett-”

“Uh-uh. I am talking now. Antonio screwed up. He lost his chance with me. So not only do you need to stop trying to meddle in my love life, but you need to stop feeling entitled to it. You have no say in who I do or do not date. End of discussion. No, ifs, ands, or buts. I am honestly at my wit’s end with you. I don’t even consider you a friend anymore because of how poorly you’ve been treating me.”

“Bu-”

“And don’t pull any more of that ‘but you dated my brother’ crap. I only did so at your encouragement. And I seriously regret dating him because of how much trouble you two are causing for me now because I choose to have a life and not let the end of my relationship with Antonio be the end of me. You need to leave me alone. I’ve already reported you to HR. I had no other choice after you locked me in the ambo for hours today without my phone or radio and wouldn’t let me out unless I got back with your brother. Goodbye Dawson. I’ll see you next shift.”

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THREE MONTHS LATER

Sylvie and Gabby were finally back on speaking terms, but took them a while to get there. Natalie and Hailey had become her best friends. They both understood how awful it was for someone to feel entitled to your love life, and how much gossipy coworkers who were closer than peas in a pod knew how to affect you more than anyone else. 51 had originally been avoiding taking sides, something that Sylvie was grateful for, and she made sure they knew she’d never ask them to choose. Everything, barring their relationships with Antonio and Gabby, went back to normal. Stella was asking for details about Jay, Cruz, Otis, Hermann, and Boden cornered him at Molly’s one night and threatened him, Upton told Sylvie plainly that she wasn’t allowed to hurt Jay, and the two made each other their emergency contacts. Jay also made stops by the firehouse with doughnuts from the place just around the corner from the 21st district. Sylvie, a secretly amazing cook, also dropped by the station with homemade food for the unit and Trudy on long nights.

Molly’s, in a bid to get more customers, started having trivia nights. Sylvie and Jay were practically vibrating in excitement because the trivia night that night was for Harry Potter.

“What did Draco steal from Neville during flying lessons in the first movie?”

“A remembrall!”

“What was the name of Hermione’s cat?”

“Crookshanks!”

“What was the device Hermione used to go back in time during the third movie?”

“A time turner!”

“Okay, and the winning pair is... Sylvie Brett and Jay Halstead! And can I just say that even though I work at 51 and not at the 21st district, I feel like I should have known that detective I-am-a-badass-army-ranger-and-can-kill-you-twelve-different-ways-with-a-pencil-eraser Halstead was such a nerd!” There was a roar of laughter from everyone including Jay. “Laugh all you want, being a nerd is how I got my amazing girlfriend.”

“Damn right it is.” A celebratory kiss was met with cheers from the tipsy group. “Alright, alright, stop making out with my honourary sister and come get your gift card to the aquarium.”

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EIGHT MONTHS LATER

Jay was trying to be sensitive to Antonio, really, he was. He put his photos of Sylvie in his locker, not on his desk, he took calls from her in another room. He didn’t talk about her with anyone from the unit. Sylvie was like an entity of golden light, anyone would be a fool to mistreat her or let her go, and Jay knew that both of the Dawson siblings were beating themselves up over their mistakes. But now Jay was pissed. Did he really think that Jay was so stupid he wouldn’t spot him at the table three rows down from them? That he wouldn’t make sure to take a closer look at the man sitting alone in a restaurant designed for dates, wearing all black, with a baseball cap and shades? And that was seriously the worst disguise, too. He could see numerous other couples and the staff take notice of him and they all looked concerned. Hell, even Sylvie noticed him the second he walked in! So they had decided in a little bit of revenge. They normally wouldn’t display PDA above hand-holding or a quick kiss, but tonight they’d made an exception. They were going all out, even choosing to sit on the same side so not only did Antonio have a clear view of both of them, but Jay would lean down and nibble on Sylvie’s neck, Sylvie would lean close to his ear and whisper in his ear, far, far too much physical contact. Oh, and kisses with tongue, can’t forget those when trying to make someone immensely uncomfortable.

They kept it up all throughout dinner and dessert. At some point in between appetizers and receiving the dessert menu, the PDA stopped being an act. They started riling each other up, enjoying what they were doing to each other. They finished dessert incredibly aroused, and paid the bill as quickly as possible. Jay was vaguely aware of Antonio following them but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

They made it to Jay’s apartment in record time and started ripping off each other’s clothes the second the door was locked. Jay lofted Sylvie up and carried her into his bedroom with Sylvie distracting him, kissing and biting his neck. Once they made it there everything happened slow and steamy, with Sylvie screaming Jay’s name multiple times, Jay purring and growling in her ear. They were vaguely aware of someone pounding on the apartment door, whoever it was (Antonio) had been doing so since Jay and Sylvie locked the door. But they didn’t care. They only focused on each other. They let him knock.

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*Brring, brring*

“Mhm, Halstead.”

“Halstead, we caught a case in Humble Park. Meet Upton there.”

“Sure thing Voight.” He hung up and stared at Sylvie for a moment, taking in her soft skin, mussed hair, and even breathing. He kissed her forehead and closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. “I love you, Sylvie Brett.”

“Mmm, I love you more, Jay Halstead.”

“Did I wake you?”

“Your phone did. You want me to make you some breakfast while you get in the shower?”

“That would be great.” He kissed her, revelling in the feeling of his naked body against hers first thing in the morning.

Jay walked onto the scene with a spring in his step, homemade breakfast in his stomach, and a reusable take-out cup filled with amazing coffee. “You’re looking happy Halstead. How’s Sylvie?”

“She’s great. She made these egg muffins, they’re really good, she sent a few in a container for you if you want them.”

“I absolutely want them. Sylvie is so sweet.”

“She really is.”

“You are so smitten.”

“I am, I uh, I’m actually thinking about proposing.”

“Oh my god, that’s huge!”

“Do you think she’d say yes?”

“Oh, she definitely would.”

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Nat yet, but would you come with me to help pick out a ring?”

“You got it.”

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Jay was beyond nervous, but he was ready. He was ready for Sylvie to be his fiance, then his wife, then the mother of his children. Sylvie was just getting dressed and then they were heading to the park for an Irish festival, which would end in green fireworks. “Hey!” Sylvie jumped out from their bedroom in a deep green knee-length dress. “What do you think?”

“You look absolutely gorgeous. Seriously, I have absolutely no idea how I got lucky enough to date you.”

Later, just before the fireworks were about to begin, after they’d spent the whole day dancing and eating, Jay led Sylvie to a spot on a hill that two officers had been guarding for him, courtesy of Trudy. “This is an amazing spot, Jay. What did you have to bribe Trudy with to keep it?”

“Permission to take pictures and a speech if you say yes.”

“Yes to what- oh my god.”

“Sylvie Brett. You are the light of my life, I have never been this happy before and it’s all because of you. I love you so much and I want you to be my everything for the rest of our lives. So please, Sylvie, will you marry me?”

“Yes, of course, YES!” Jay slid the ring Natalie and Hailey had help him choose onto her finger, then he jumped up, wrapped her in his arms and twirled her in the air. He stopped, still holding her, Sylvie caressed his face lovingly before leaning down and kissing the love of her life. Completely ignoring the fireworks behind them, and the camera shutters in front of them. They were getting their happy ending, and they were going to love every second of it.

#One Chicago #Chicago Fire #Chicago PD #chicago med #jay halstead #sylvie brett #jay halstead x sylvie brett #gabby dawson #antonio dawson #antonio dawson x sylvie brett #brettonio #hailey upton #Natalie Manning #will halstead #will halstead x natalie manning #manstead #brettstead #brettstead fic

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thorinthehottotty · 4 years

Text

Imagine fighting with Thorin at Kíli and Tauriel's wedding and it leads to him finally getting to confess...

Really long and I don't know how to do the hyperlink thing to make it short...

Warnings: Angst, NSFW, no editing, rushed ending but I might make a part two!

Length... Too long.

"Elvish weddings are nothing like this," Tauriel admits, eyes large but the smile evident on her face. Your friend all too happy to be here, dwarvishly married to her prince. The sap currently being paraided in the middle of the hall, a beaming smile on his young face.

"No? What are they like? No dancing?"

"Oh, there is dancing, but not so lively." Smiling, you both watch as everyone celebrates the groom.

"What about human weddings?" You glance over to see the King Under the Mountain with the whispers of a smile on his face. He stands behind you both.

"Nothing compares to the liveliness of the dwarves, your highness." Despite the pain of seeing him now, smiling upon you like nothing had changed, you relaxed at his smile. A rare and beautiful occurance.

You bite your lip and turn from him, fighting the tightness of your voice. Balin had mislead you enough in regards of your feelings with the king. From the very beginning he stole your heart. You were just a common human woman, not a dwarven nobel. The old damn dwarf lead you to believe you had a chance to win the king's affections all along the trip, and oh, did you try.

Ever since Beorn's home when Thorin snapped at you about acting like a silly little girl with a crush destracting him, you felt a growing bitterness. You accepted his feelings (or lack there of) and stepped back, much to the displeasure of the company. The rejection stung, but you would move on.

Yes, you thought, there was always Bard.

You flinch at the thought. He was caring and sweet and he had told you that you were beautiful tonight. A slight flirtation to his smile when he'd said it.

"There is no need for formalities between us, Y/N." The rumble of his voice loses the sound of his smile. You don't spare him a glance, feeling just the slightest twinge of guilt as you answer coldly.

"I'd prefer the formalities, your highness." You tell him, tilting your chin up. In the corner of your eye, you see Tauriel blink in surprise.

You didn't start out as cold. No, at first you were still very sweet. You understood and respected that he had his own feelings. You put aside your hurt at his tactless rejection to put the quest first. And once you were in laketown, he was anxious and happy you'd all made it so far.

The butting of heads began there, when his hard-headed self exposed them all. Of course he was protective of you when Alfrid and the Master seemed to eye you with interest, but he wasn't the only one. The whole company always had your back. And he was awfully sour when he walked in on you and Bard talking of his children. It was just him telling funny stories of them. Then he proceeded to make an ass out of himself (essentially grumbling about how you couldn't put yourself past your silly crushes).

You'd snapped at him their, causing a bigger rift.

Then came that awful dragon sickness. (You didn't even want to think of the awful things he'd done in his madness).

He'd managed to break himself out of the damn madness just in time to nearly kill himself during the massive battle. If it hadn't been for you blowing in from nowhere to drive a blade into Azog's side. It was a last ditch effort for an archer, such as yourself. But with a broken bow, you were left with only the blade on your hip. You'd gained a new scar, where you'd effectively been run through with his blade. It was low, jutting just inside your hip, knicking the bone.

The king, with a mighty roar, decapitated the pale orc and un-shishkabobed you to drape you dramatically on the ice.

"You fucking idiot," you muttered before losing consiousness. When you woke you were banadaged and warned it may have impacted your ability to birth children but it didn't matter, not when Thorin wasn't in the room. Not when he apologized for accusing you of getting cozy with Bard. Bitterness swelled in you, the more you both eased into life in Erebor.

You just couldn't stop yourself from being bitter when he hovered like his own guilty concious. Child bearing was a big deal for dwarves, and he'd rendered you without at a young age for a woman. It was getting to the point that his sappy looks just enraged you. Two years in Erebor. Two and a half since he rejected you, yet he followed you like a lost puppy.

Perhaps it was just because it reminded you that you were still in love with him.

"Thank you for hosting us for this event, your majesty." Tauriel tried to ease the tenseness filling the air.

"My pleasure, Tauriel. You look lovely." He offered and she beamed. Your hand tightened on the goblet when you heard the last part. She did. That wasn't the issue with it.

"Thank you," she smiled warmly at him.

"I believe it is time for your first dance with your husband. May I escort you?" She graces him and he leads her away. Someone else slips into the seat next to you.

You don't bother to look. "That sour face is going to ruin all my hard work." You glance over at Princess Dís, her face stern. She arches an eyebrow as you sigh.

"Sorry. I know you worked hard on it." She had slaved for several hours, making you stunning. She really was an expert when it came to hair. She had put up so many intricate braids, you'd never felt more beautiful until Thorin stalked right past you with barely a glance. Even after these years, you still desperately craved his approval. But you supposed it was better this way.

"I even picked out your dress! Perfect for dancing with anyone who wants to ask."

"No one wants to ask a barren human girl to dance." You reply, gazing down at the table cloth.

"Is that what this is about?" She hums softly, leaning closer. You meet her tender gaze. "Not every dwarrow or man wants that." You don't stop the scoff exiting your lips and you raise the wine to your lips.

"Why'd you put me in his colors?" You demand, but can't muster the same bitterness as before. She didn't know about your feelings (and Thorin's lack of them) since you'd fobidden any of the company from speaking of them. The navy dress had gold stitching and was wasted by your foul mood.

"You'd be good for him, if you could push past the bitterness you hold for him." It makes your face crumble in anger. You hold your tongue, not wanting to snap at her for not understanding.

"Forgive me, Princess. I must excuse myself from this coversation." You say tensely, pushing away from table. Good timing, too, Thorin is making his way over, again. His eyes fall over your figure. You glower.

"He's a bit trying, but he's not a bad dwarf." She offers.

"No. He's great." You hiss, standing. "But I don't want his pity love." You snap, moving toward the food. Maybe some of Bombur's sweets would help soften you.

"Y/N, would you like company?" You grit your teeth, meeting his eye with a furious expression.

"No thank you, your majesty." The dress flows behind you as you move away from the siblings, feeling the bitterness swell in you, stemming from somewhere cold.

Midmouthful of chocolate you feel a presence behind you. Turning, you find King Bard smiling warmly at you. "Good evening, Lady Y/N."

"Bard," you hum when you swallow. "Where are your kids?" You ask.

"Looking for more sweetrolls it would seem. It's been a beautiful ceremony." He offers you a gentle smile. "I'm about to step to the balacony, care to join me?" You hesitantly glance at his extended elbow.

"That... Sounds delightful you," you respond. Eyes catching the glare Thorin is throwing your way. You make your way despite the sinking in your gut. You're not doing anything wrong.

The cool winter air feels nice on your heated skin. It's calm for a long time, no words exchanged as you both gaze down on the land below the mountain. "Can I ask you something, Bard?"

A wave of emotion fills you, heartbreak always fresh. The tears are spilling down your cheeks by the time he looks at you. Concern fills his face.

"Go ahead."

"Does heartbreak ever get easier?" You ask him, voice cracking. "I'm trying to move on, but I can't."

His face crumbles into understanding. He gently places a hand on your shoulder. "Thorin, yes?" You drop your head into your hands in defeat. "I just... I don't understand why you're so cold to him now. I could see how much you loved him when I met you. He obviously cares for you."

"He feels guilty. He thinks he's torn my whole life away from me. I don't want his pity. I wanted his love, even just a bit of it." You sink down onto the bench by the wall. "Now... now I just wish I could move on so he can be free of the new guilt I've given him." Bard is quiet, even when he turns his back to the wall and leans. You miss the way he straightens quickly.

"Well, at least I know why you've been avoiding me so." You jerk up, on your feet as Thorin approaches. You glower at him.

"Eavesdropping? Really?" You gasp.

"King Bard, if you would give us a moment, I do believe your son is asking for you." Bard nods politely before slipping back inside. You try to follow but Thorin cuts you off.

"Pardon," you hiss through your teeth.

"My pity love?" He demands back, stepping closer. You're stunned by his seething. "I stole away your livelihood, I took-"

"You stole nothing from me, you prick!" You snarl back, stepping back and nearly trip onto the bench when he follow you. "You didn't force me to take that blade! It didn't used to bother me. What do I care if I don't push out babies!"

"But it bothers you now!"

"Yes, because you never stop looking at me like my life is over!" You cry loudly, shoving on his chest. "There is more to me then my ability to bare and raise children!"

He grasps your face tightly in his hands, not caring that they're wet with tears and and probably makeup. "There is so much more to you than that," he agrees, much softer now, and his eyes soften too.

"I fought hard!"

"You did."

"I gave you your space when you asked for it! When you made if very clear how you felt!"

"And moved onto Bard," he growls.

"What do you expect me to do when the one I love tells me to leave him be and not distract him with my silly girl crush? What? Did you want me throw myself at you harder!?" You nearly sob.

"I wanted you to wait!" He bellows, still holding onto you. You stiffen in his hands, him softening again when he see the shocked expression you hold. "I wanted you to wait for me," he repeats, much softer this time.

"You should have told me," you croak, pushing on his chest weakly. "You should have told me back a Beorn's. I would have respected that. I would have left it for the time being."

"I should have, yes." He tilted his forehead to yours. "And I have been trying endlessly to get you alone. Balin told me to give you time, but I couldn't and the longer I waited the more you pulled away."

"Because you look at me like I'm broken! I can't do this anymore!"

"Stay with me." He rumbles. You let out a sob. "Stay with me." You tremble against him, tears flowing steadily and you shake your head.

"I've tried to leave. So many times I've tried. I can't. I can't. I love you too much." You cry at him, gripping his dress robes tightly in your hands. "Let me go, dammit."

"No. No, never again." He snarls. "I want you by my side forever. You are my one." You collapse against him, holding him tightly. "Y/N, please forgive me for my foolishness." You just clutch him tighter to yourself and he jerks you against him aswell. "Marry me." He begs.

"No." You respond, dragging away to glare at him. He sighs, exasperated.

"If you love me as I do you, then why will you not marry me?" He demands, face turning red and veins popping out, his tell tale sign that he was incredibly frustrated.

"That's the first time you've said you loved me and you ruined it." You sigh, deflating completely. He softens, seeming to understand a bit.

"I'm being to brash, I see." He cups your face, tilting it back and stroking your cheeks to dry them. "Y/N, I love you. Until the day I die, I will. I will say it a thousand times over if it means you will marry me." He leans his mouth down, kissing you for the first time. It's sweet and gentle, soothing your flared nerves. You sink against him.

"Thst's a good place to start." You say. He frown, confused. "Say it to me a thousand times over. Don't think you won't have to put in the work for it." He blinks in surprise, then groans in annoyance.

"You jest."

"No, I mean it. I chased your kingly ass from Bag End to Erebor. You can at least have the decency to court me!" You tell him sternly. Normally, you were sweet and agreeable. "King or no, I will not marry you if you don't give me good reason to." You declare. His lips part in shock, and then he smiles, a big, beautiful smile that has the sun catching his eyes the most beautiful blue you've ever seen.

"I can give you plenty reason." Then, in a very frustrated manner he sighs and peaks at your head. "As long as you take that damn braid out. It's been the bane of my existance tonight." You gape, reaching for your hair.

"What's wrong with the braid? Dís did it." You squeak. He frowns.

"Do you not know what it means?" You dumbly shake your head. Despite living with dwarves for three years, you still hadn't quite caught on. An irate glare settles on his face. "This particular braid indicates that you are actively seeking a life partner." You're eyes widen in shock when he reaches up to gently brush a hand over it. "This one thst wraps around it, that one indicates you are feeling particularly... Famished." He offers.

"Famished?" You repeat, confused. He gives you stern look, trying to tell you something. Oh! Hungry for more than what lined the banquet tables. You gape at him, horrified. "I'm going to kill her!" You quickly dive a hand toward your hair struggling with the clasp.

How dare she! You trusted her with your hair and she went and told everyone you were feeling spring fever! For the love of the gods, you couldn't have any peace in this place.

"I take it she decided the dress too." He murmured grimmly. I froze where I was, eyeing him with anxiety.

"Oh, no. What's the hidden meaning behind the dress?" You ask, closing your eyes tightly.

"Well those are the King's colors to begin with, and while they suit you wonderfully, it's a very bold pairing with your hair. You look incredibly enticing tonight. Like a gift for the King." You flush deeply. You might as well have a sign taped to you that says 'I'm here to fuck the King'.

"I bet your sister's feeling proud of herself," you grumble.

"Probably, but I when she arrived, she was surprised to find how smitten I was with you. I would speak of you for hours." He informs you. It makes you gulp. Gently, he takes your hands, kissing you again sweetly. "Come back and actually enjoy the wedding, please."

"Yeah! You've been moping about for ages!" Kíli's voice cuts through. You both peer over at him, shocked to see practically the whole company peering in eagerly. "So? Did you say yes?" He demands.

Thorin glowers at him, but you just ease a hand over his chest from beside him, a soothing gesture he'd long since missed. "Kíli."

"No need to be shy among us. Did you say yes lass? Are you going to be our queen?" Bofur urges eagerly.

"No, I turned him down." Jaws drop in shock. "He'll have to work for it." You lean back in, delivering kiss to his fuzzy cheek. His gaze softens on you and you smile at your friends.

The rest of the night is easier. Loud music, plenty of drinking and dancing lead to you being exhausted... And a bit mischievous with the King.

The two of you had slipped to his chambers so he could pull out that braid and instead braid his own courting braid. It was intimate and gentle kisses where exchanged. The air heavy with unspoken energy hanging between us. And then it happened, one moment you were getting ready to leave for the night.

"You don't have to," he whispered against your lips, holding you in his arms tightly.

"I do, my king," you reply, smiling at his lengthening beard on his chin. He'd been growing it out, free of all shame, it seemed. "Propriety dictates-"

"Fuck propriety," he rumbles. "How dare you speak that word when you're in such a dress." You laugh when he leans you against the door.

"Blame your sister." You purr, kissing his lips fully. Neither want to pull away, too caught up in the feel of each other.

"Then leave now, or I'll keep you in here. You'll never be allowed to leave." He snarled into your mouth. You laugh and shake your head.

"Don't get me wrong, I want to, Thorin. I want to stay so bad it hurts. But we shouldn-Eek!" He had enough and gone was your dress, ripped in half easily down the middle. If it was a tradition dwarvish dress, that would be difficult. But it was a light fabric Dís had tailored for elvish design, something to compliment Tauriel's heritage.

"I warned you." He rumbled and then there was the chain reaction. The world blurred as you tore at each others clothes until you were being rocked against the walls, gasping for breath and moaning loud enough for anyone walking by to hear. I was not dissappointed, to say the least.

(I'm debating making a part 2 but its late and I've got work in 8 hours.)

#thorin imagine #thorin durin #thorin thursday #thorin fanfiction #thorin #kili imagine #kili #the hobbit kili #fili and kili #kiliel #the company #bard #king bard #post botfa #barren

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prongsisabadger · 3 years

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The Wolf Pack Chapter 11

When we arrived, the masters had been surrounded and were about to be executed. The clones started firing on the droid army the second the doors opened. I positioned myself at the very front of them so I could act as a shield from the incoming enemy fire. Several masters boarded the ship, and within a few minutes we had taken everyone off the arena and were heading to the frontlines. Master Plo had boarded another, I could feel his presence, he was okay.

"Clone, what's the status?" Asked Master Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"Master, the troops are engaging the enemy as we spe-"

"I was not talking to you, Padawan. Let the adults speak." He berated before turning to the clone commander once again.

One of the troopers behind me, put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. You are a part of the 104th now. I put my own hand on top of his. I was okay, it took more than a sneer from a cranky old man to get me down.

"Your men will come with me, I will lead them into the battlefield and we will press the offensive. You, Padawan," he said turning to me. "Will bring up the rear where you will be in no one's way."

"As you wish, Master."

Once again, the blast doors opened and we stepped into the battlefield. Our squadron formed up behind Master Mundi and on we went. The enemy was heavily armed and our going was not as fast as Master Ki-Adi must have expected, so he kept yelling for us to push forward. And then, the first trooper fell. I rushed to check on his vitals. He was still alive, but needed medical attention.

"Padawan, leave that clone and keep your position!" I heard Master mundi yell.

Underneath me the clone groaned, I knew what I had to do. I turned my lightsaber ona and stood over him, shielding him from enemy fire. Behind me, another squadron was making their way toward us. I only had to hold on a little longer.

"PADAW-"

"Captain," I spoke up over the noise of blasterfire. "Have the medic in your squadron take this man to the medical triage. He needs immediate assistance."

"Yes, Commander. Right away!"

When I was sure they had him, I tightened the grip on my saber and rushed ahead to my squadron. I made it to their position in no time and prevented two droids from sneaking behind them. Master Ki-Adi's formation was making the clones take more fire than they should and were quickly beginning to crumble under the pressure.

"Master Mundi we need to change the formation, the troops cannot take fire this heavy!" I said as I moved in front of a trooper to deflect a blast.

"You dare question me after disobeying my orders?" He yelled over the sound of blasters going on.

"Defeating the enemy means nothing if we lose half our forces, Master" I pressed.

"Fine, take half the squadron and do as you please, we will see if you are as confident after you fail."

I didn't even bother talking back, I got what I wanted. I took half a dozen clones and took cover on a ditch to regroup.

"Okay, listen here troopers, we are changing things up. You will make a diamond formation with me on point. I will act as a shield. We will press the offensive."I paused to look at them. "You two will take the right flank and you two the left. The two of you will bring up the rear and provide support for any fallen troopers we find in our way."

They were all listening to me attentively and I couldn't help feeling like I needed to reassure them.

"We are a Pack now, gentlemen. Let's act like one and hunt the enemy down."

"A Pack, huh, I like that, Commander. Let's show those clankers who's the predator here."

And on my signal, we went on our way. I managed to draw the enemy fire and lessen the burden on the team. We gained a lot of terrain as we advanced, moving swiftly and efficiently through the ranks of droids. Cutting down dozens upon dozens of them. Every Fallen trooper we came upon was protected until a medic could get him to the medical triage. We were so engrossed in the battle, so concentrated on fighting, on surviving that we made it right to the frontlines.

"Kriari!" I heard someone yell.

The moment I lost my concentration, I took a shot to my left bicep.

"Commander!" CT- 3636 said before shooting the droid that had managed to injure me.

"I'm fine Commander, don't break formation." I answered before regaining my position.

Thankfully, blaster fire cauterized wounds on it's own, so there was no fear of blood loss. It was very painful though, and the pain slowed me down considerably. It seemed like we would be overwhelmed by enemy fire when another squadron appeared to our right and took the enemy out.

"Kriari, Child. What are you doing here on your own?" Master Plo asked as his troops surrounded our team and let us catch a breath.

"Master Ki-Adi's squadron was suffering heavy losses and I suggested we break it up into two teams to reduce casualties." I said as Master Plo's medic ripped my sleeve and started treating the wound in my arm.

"I see, and how did that go for you?" He asked, looking at my team who was now having some water and reloading their blasters.

"We were doing fine until you distracted me, Master." I smiled at him.

"Is that so? What does your team have to say about that?" He asked, directing the question to the clone commander.

"Unconventional but effective, General. Commander Foreas' strategy allowed us to make much better time and suffer no losses. We also managed to get medical help for some troopers that had been left behind." He reported.

"I see. Well, reinforcements have arrived. Now, have your team escort my Padawan to the medical triage-"

"But master-"

"Kriari, this is an order. You've had enough action for today." He sighed when I looked down, trying to hide the tears that were forming. "The war has just begun, young one. I know your intentions are good, but you are hurt, and a liability to your team. I will take over from here. Trust that I will finish what you started." He said patting my head softly.

"Commander, have two men escort her, the rest of you will press the attack with me." He commanded.

"Sir, yes, sir." He turned to the clones that had been on my left during the entire attack. "You heard the general. Protect the commander and get her to safety."

"Yes, Sir." They both answered before turning to me. "Let's go, Commander, we'll get you back in one piece, you'll see."

And get me back they did. They never left my side, not even when the medic in the triage declared he was done stitching me up. They took their helmets off and started chatting animatedly, but they never let go of their blasters.

"Do you guys have names?" I asked finally. "I don't mean your CT numbers," I added quickly. "I heard in Kamino some of you gave each other names."

They looked at one another and then at me.

"Yeah, we do," said the one to my right. "My name is Boost, that's Art."

I smiled and took a sip from my cantine. Geonosis was very dry and very hot.

"Boost and Art. I like them. Is there a story behind them?" I asked curiously.

They both chuckled and nodded at the thought.

"Yeah, Boost here was always asking his squad to 'boost him up' during the citadel training simulations. And I have the bad habit of wanting to draw or paint on every plain surface I see."

I chuckled at how silly the reasons were. But it did occur to me that no matter how small the reason, they really didn't need an excuse for wanting a name. It was kind of sad if I really thought about it. The struggle of standing out in an army that looks exactly like you.

"I like them a lot. It's a pleasure to meet you both."

#TWP #clone wars fan fiction #star wars the clone wars #commander wolffe #plo koon #ahsoka tano #obi-wan kenobi #captain rex #padawan!oc

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complicatedchelsea · 4 years

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Once Upon A Time

(Dean Winchester x reader)

A/N: Hello everyone! Here is another Dean for you! This is different from what I have ever written. Remember to also check me out on Wattpad! Enjoy!

Once Upon A Time,

There was this girl named Y/n. She was the prettiest and fairest girl I would ever know. Her life was so much like a fairytale, I was surprised she wasn't living in one.

She had the softest hair, brightest eyes, and the most dazzling smile. She was so beautiful that she reminded me of a princess.

Too bad I wasn't her prince.

She wasn't just a princess, she was a warrior too. Saving people that needed saving, killing monsters that only existed in fairy tales.

Being the hero, saving the day. That is what she did. That was her power. Being able to be so dangerous, yet so sweet at the same.

But all fairytales must come to an end, right?

I met Y/n in fairytale style. Some could even argue that everything we did was like a fairytale.

Too bad she won't.

We met at a dance, more of a masquerade ball. Sam and I were hunting witches and by her luck, she was on the same hunt.

Sam and I had tried to blend in, wearing our nicest suits and plain black masks, but she could smell a hunter from a mile off.

That's one thing I loved about her.

She walked right over to us, a walk of confidence. Her hair was curled loosely and a few pieces were pushed back from her face. She had a beautiful blue dress on, it stopping at her knees. The skirt of the dress was slightly poofy, and the top of her dress was strapless.

No women could have looked more beautiful.

I hadn't even seen her face, but I could tell. She had a white and gray mask on, designed with blue flowers and lines.

She was gorgeous. Hands down.

It also seemed like she knew that.

I looked away once she got closer to us, not wanting to scare her off. She stopped about three feet away from us.

"Nice evening, isn't it boys? Doesn't this party look amazing?"

'Not as amazing as you', I wanted to say to her.

She turned back to us, a small smirk on her face. "I think it's getting kinda loud in here. Do you boys want to accompany me outside?"

We nodded our heads and followed her as she stepped out to the back deck. Only about two people were outside, so we didn't have to worry about people overhearing.

She picked a flower from the plant beside her, and twirled it around her fingers. "You boys almost got caught."

Sam looked confused and before he could open his mouth, she answered his question.

"The witches were starting to think you two were hunters. If I wouldn't have got to you, they would have."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"I have my ways," she said and turned to wink at me. I swear in that moment, my heart stopped. "Plus, I could see the outline of a gun in your pocket."

I let out a soft chuckle, and Sam just looked confused. "Do you know what's...", Sam started to ask.

"I do," she answered in her angelic voice. "I'm Y/f/n Y/l/n by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you boys."

Y/n, what a beautiful name. The name only a princess would have, a princess that would have the beauty to match the name.

"You know us?" I asked, the first time I spoke to her. The first words she ever heard me say, and sadly the last too.

"Of course I know you. You're the Winchesters, and you've made quite a name for yourselves. It's nice to put a name to the faces." She said with a smile.

I smiled back at her, her smile was so perfect. She was perfect. The way she held herself, the way she talked, the way she smiled. I was smitten right from the start.

And I think she knew that.

"Well are we going to stand out here all night or are we going to kill these bitches?"

The hunt ended well enough, three dead witches and a cut for Y/n that I stitched up later that night. Luckily, she was staying in the same motel, so it was easy to stay in contact with her.

After the hunt we had ditched our fancy clothes and changed into something more comfortable and went to the diner across the street. We talked for hours and in the first time in a while, I felt truly happy.

Before we parted ways, I slipped her my number and promised her to stay and touch, but all she was wink and climb into her mustang and drove away.

It wasn't until months later that we saw her again, this time it was on a ghost hunt. Of course she showed up earlier then we did and already had all the information, but she persuaded us to stick around in case she made a mistake.

To me, Y/n never made mistakes. She was perfect. The only mistake she ever made was falling in love with me.

That hunt actually finished without a hitch. Y/n had gotten all the information correct, and the hunt finished before dawn. We were all in high spirits and got a drink to celebrate.

I don't remember much of that night, but I do remember the sound of her laugh, the blush in her cheeks, and how beautiful she looked when she slept.

I was a gentleman that night, never taking advantage of something so innocent. And when she woke and I explained why she was in my bed, she kissed me.

She kissed me and I had kissed her back. The image of her that morning was seared into my brain. Messy hair, my t-shirt looking baggy on her smaller frame, and the way her checks turned pink when we pulled back.

It wasn't long after that night that she started hunting with us. We agreed to try being frienda, but soon I felt a connection with her so strong that I couldn't bare to be away from her.

When I finally confessed this to her, she told me she had the same feeling. She said a prince couldn't survive without his princess.

She then started hunting with us and we soon became an amazing team. She got right in with Sam and I, and even through all the troubles of the years, she never left our side.

I loved her since I first saw her, and she told she had felt it too. She called us a fairytale, I told her that not all fairytales end happily, but she was determined that our ending would be great.

Oh how I wish she was right. I would give anything for her to be right.

A few years later we got married. It was a small ceremony and an even smaller reception. She was the one that wanted to go to town hall, I pushed the idea of a wedding. She wore a beautiful dress, and in that moment she had never looked more beautiful.

No matter how many times she told me, I never felt like I was her prince. She was too perfect, but she never doubted me.

That was her downfall.

We had been married several years when it had happened.

It should have been a simple hunt, a simple witch hunt, like the one we met on.

It was one last hunt before we went on a break. We were going to take off to concentrate on us.

It went to fast, I was in a different room and I didn't hear her scream until it was too late.

I rushed her to the hospital, but it was too late. No kiss could save her, no magical tears, no love could bring her back. She was gone.

I cried that day. Cried until I was numb. She was my princess, and I was the prince that failed her. I didnt deserve to be her prince. I wasn't strong enough, brave enough. She wouldn't be able to live the life she wanted.

But I couldn't give up, she wouldn't want that. I couldn't do that to her or us.

I had a reason to live, a reason to smile, a reason to look back on the memories, a reason to give up hunting.

I did it all because of our daughter. Which was a spitting image of her.

And this is what I tell our daughter each night before she goes to sleep. I fill her head with the stories of her mother, who was a princess that not only saved me, but the whole kingdom.

One day I will be reunited with Y/n. But for now, I have a new princess to look after.

The End.

#dean winchester #dean winchester x reader #supernatural x reader #supernatural imagine #sam winchester #angst #spn fanfiction

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

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Globe, January 4

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Ghislaine Maxwell buying her way out of prison

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Gavin Rossdale playing tennis with his pup Chewy, Brooke Burke holding holiday balls topless, James Franco takes his cellphone into the sea

Page 3: Leighton Meester surfing in Malibu, Robbie Williams, Lisa Rinna wearing two masks

Page 4: Angelina Jolie is bracing for major humiliation after being dragged into Johnny Depp’s latest legal showdown with ex-wife Amber Heard -- Angie’s run-ins with Johnny who she starred with in 2010′s The Tourist are coming under intense scrutiny as Depp gears for a second court battle with Amber -- Angie and Johnny were so coy about their white-hot connection at the time even though their romance was an open secret but they got lucky because nobody had the smoking gun to prove it but now it’ll all come out in the open -- at the time Johnny was still dating Vanessa Paradis while Angie was five years into her doomed love-in with Brad Pitt -- there’s talk bisexual Amber was kind of obsessed with Angie so Angie is central to the plotline whether she likes it or not

Page 5: The Bachelor host Chris Harrison is worried he’ll follow Dancing with the Stars host Tom Bergeron out the door -- both these shows have been on TV forever and the world has changed around them and to keep up with Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo movement changes are being discussed and that’s left Chris fearing he’ll be the next Tom Bergeron and replaced by a woman of color

Page 6: Aging divas Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton are caught in a bitter country catfight and long-dead Patsy Cline is the excuse -- although there’s been little love lost between the Nashville icons for nearly 50 years their simmering feud exploded weeks ago when Dolly apparently took some veiled public shots at Loretta’s BFF Patsy who was horribly disfigured in a car wreck two years before dying in a 1963 plane crash -- in an interview Dolly recalled standing in the wings of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry at age 13 and watching Patsy perform and she remembered thinking about how awful it was that she got her pretty face scarred up like that -- Loretta was fit to be tied over the comments Dolly made about her old pal and thinks Dolly should stop running her mouth about Nashville legends like Patsy and Johnny Cash -- Dolly’s heard about Loretta’s complaints through the grapevine and brushes them off as quarantine boredom mixed with old age

Page 8: Blake Shelton’s going bonkers after fiancee Gwen Stefani told him she wants to skip the mega-million star-studded wedding shindig he’s been planning and elope -- Blake is all bent out of shape over Gwen’s latest switcheroo which calls for them to get hitched on the sly at a Mexican resort and she’s got him so mixed up he can’t think straight because for the longest time she wanted the Hollywood-style wedding with all the bells and whistles and was very particular about details but now she’s telling him to ditch those plans which have already cost them a small fortune and book a trip somewhere exotic so they can just just get it over with -- Gwen wants to elope so they can hitched at the Riviera Maya resort in Cancun where they could swap vows on the beach witnessed by her three sons and Blake has no choice but to give in to Gwen and he’s saying he’s fine with it as long as she’s sure this time

Page 9: Hollywood horndog John Mayer is back sniffing around old flame Jennifer Aniston after his mom gave him a shove -- John and Jen had a steamy fling for about a year before he dropped her in 2009 and now John’s mom Margaret Meyer is scolding him for letting Jen go and John’s mom is always on him about settling down and she feels that at 43 he should be married and she recently had a heart-to-heart talk with him and told him she thought Jennifer was the most down-to-earth of all his exes and because John considers his mom one of the smartest people he knows he decided to reach out to Jen and he’s always admired Jen and thought of her as a classy lady and now he’s reaching out to her again in hopes of getting her to agree to see him again once things leave lockdown

* FKA Twigs has socked actor Shia LaBeouf with a bombshell lawsuit claiming he subjected her to relentless physical, emotional and mental abuse and gave her an STD and she also accuses him of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress -- although Shia says she’s lying Twigs insists Shia once choked her in the middle of the night and kept a loaded firearm by the bed leaving her terrified to get up at night for fear he’d think she was an intruder and shoot her -- she claims during an incident around Valentine’s Day 2019 Shia threatened to crash his speeding car unless she professed her love for him so when he pulled into a gas station she got out of the car but he threw her against the car while screaming in her face then forced her back into the car -- Shia also had rules about how often Twigs had to kiss and touch him -- Shia has been arrested several times on now-dismissed charges including assault and disorderly conduct

Page 10: John Lennon didn’t have to die -- that’s law enforcement experts’ explosive analysis after reviewing newly discovered evidence about the Beatles legend’s December 8, 1980 murder in NYC -- an odd series of coincidences and simple decisions put Lennon and his killer Mark David Chapman in the same place at the same time -- a review of the details concludes Lennon’s death was a strange result of flukes including his penchant for running around without protection and a missed appointment with his photographer and without these quirks of fate John would still be alive and recording hit songs

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Pink flashes her bandaged thumb after getting stitches in Santa Monica (picture), Amanda Seyfried confesses she made a terrible decision for turning down the role of a lifetime as Chris Pratt’s love interest in Guardians of the Galaxy and now she’s watching from the sidelines as the director’s second choice Zoe Saldana skyrockets in the money-making Marvel franchise, Katherine Heigl will star in the upcoming limited biopic series Woodhull about Victoria Woodhull the first woman to run for president in 1872, Big Brother alum Zach Rance has come out as bisexual after admitting a sizzling same-sex romance with his former reality show housemate Frankie Grande who is the real-life older brother of pop star Ariana Grande

Page 13: Jaime King slurps down a meal on the streets on L.A. (picture), Jax Taylor mowing the lawn (picture), Guns N’ Roses axman Slash loads up on supplies at an L.A. grocery (picture), former teen heartthrob Chad Michael Murray admits his inflated young ego got the best of him and now he looks at photos of himself and thinks what a dweeb

Page 14: Julia Roberts is headed for the small screen headlining the limited TV series The Last Thing He Told Me where she’ll form an unexpected relationship with her teenage stepdaughter while searching for the truth about her husband’s mysterious disappearance, Emma Stone is also heading for the flat-screen in the comedy series The Curse alongside Nathan Fielder about a couple starring on an HGTV-style show who are trying to conceive a child amid an alleged curse, Nicolas Cage is hosting a new series called The History of Swear Words in which he’ll delve into the origins and pop culture usage and science and cultural impact of profanely shocking expletives

* Fashion Police -- Peyton List 8/10, Sofia Carson 9/10, Vanessa Hudgens 2/10, Neve Campbell 1/10, Chelsea Handler 4/10

Page 16: Cover Story -- Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s $30M jail break -- terrified and tortured Ghislaine risks family fortune to buy her freedom -- the accused sex predator and her fat cat inner circle are set to plunk down an obscene $30 million to buy her way out of federal prison in what outraged investigators fear is a brazen plot to cheat justice

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About Mayim Bialik

* Lizzo is admitting she’s having negative thoughts and is hating her 300-pound body but adds she knows she beautiful

* The Spice Girls were likely liquored up on cut-rate champagne when they made their first album according to Emma Bunton a.k.a. Baby Spice who says she and her bandmates swilled the cheapest sparkling wine in the studio

Page 20: True Crime -- a chilling message left by the elusive Zodiac Killer has finally been cracked by a team of code breakers after 51 years -- a hodgepodge of numbers, symbols and letters called the 340 cipher was sent to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1969 and lawmen believed it contained key clues to the serial killer’s identity but the truth is even more chilling -- according to the experts the message says I hope you are having lots of fun in trying to catch me, I am not afraid of the gas chamber because it will send me to paradise all the sooner because I now have enough slaves to work for me

Page 21: Caitlyn Jenner is terrified after learning her skin cancer has returned a second time -- she was diagnosed with basal cell skin cancer a few years ago and had an entire layer of skin removed from her nose -- since then she’s been slathering on sunscreen but a new red spot on the right side of her nose popped up along with some crusty areas on her scalp but the nose patch was not cancer but hypertrophic keratosis or scaly damage from sun exposure -- however the dozen spots on the top of her head was squamous cell carcinoma which is a skin cancer that’s known to be aggressive so her doctor burned off the offending spots -- her doctor recommended she replace her 1960 Austin-Healey convertible but the chances of Caitlyn selling her prized ride are slim

Page 23: Your 2021 Horoscope -- love, luck, health, wealth, happiness -- plus surprising celebrity predictions -- Elton John, Valerie Bertinelli, Johnny Depp, Jessica Simpson, Matthew Perry, Cameron Diaz, Will Smith, Katy Perry, Howie Mandel, Savannah Guthrie, Justin Timberlake, Carrie Underwood

Page 30: Larry King has reached a deal with estranged wife Shawn but she’s royally peeved about the payoff -- Larry has agreed to pay her a lump sum of $20,000 plus $33,000 a month in spousal support which lasts until at least their next scheduled hearing in April but Shawn claims the 33Gs only covers a third of her monthly nut which includes $25,000 for rent on her home, $12,000 on clothes, $3500 on groceries and $4500 for hair and nails and pet care and gym

Page 31: Kim Kardashian is reading husband Kanye West the riot act over his junk food benders that are sabotaging her healthy eating program and it’s led to more than a few arguments with no peace in sight -- he’s telling her to chill and let him live by his own terms but she can’t do that because it’s driving her crazy -- what really ticks Kim off is his junk food has totally taken over her section of fresh cut veggies, fruits and water and she wants him to get his own storage in a different part of the house where she won’t have to see it or hold her nose

* Kardashian momager Kris Jenner’s faux reality TV home is on the market for nearly $8 million even though she never lived there -- the L.A. estate was used for exterior shots of the image-conscious family’s compound on Keeping Up with the Kardashians but it was all for show -- dubbed the Iredell Estate the house also appears in True Blood and Chelsea Lately

Page 33: Health Report

Page 34: Wrestling Ring Kings: Where Are They Now? Sable, Bret Hart

Page 35: Lex Luger, Steve Austin, Ric Flair

Page 36: The Undertaker, Tito Santana, Diamond Dallas Page

Page 37: Kane, Kurt Angle, Sunny, Mick Foley

Page 39: Despite an astounding 30 No. 1 country music hits legendary singer Charley Pride took a haunting regret to his grave that he never made it as major league baseball star -- Charley had so much success but he died tormented his baseball career short-circuited -- Charley was singing and playing guitar by the time he was 14 but his real goal was to pitch for the New York Yankees -- Charley signed with a Yankees farm team as a flame-throwing phenom at 17 but in his rookie season he threw out his arm and was just never the same -- after he struck out in baseball he put his full energy into singing but faced an uphill battle -- Charley was the Jackie Robinson of country music and he endured a lot of racism

Page 40: Kelsey Grammer admits he often breaks down and blubbers like a baby and it makes him feel better and he cries when he’s upset or sad or scared and it provides him a lot of relief and he believes years of tragedy in his life taught him to cry as a healing mechanism and now he sheds tears whenever he has sad feeling bottled up inside him

* A moneybags James Bond fan coughed up a whopping $256,000 for the handgun 007 Sean Connery toted in the first spy epic Dr. No -- the disabled Walther PP semi-automatic was supposed to bring in no more than $200,000 but the unidentified American buyer who claims to have seen every Bond epic went even higher

Page 44: Straight Talk -- Miley Cyrus is now blabbing about why she broke up with husband Liam Hemsworth after years of togetherness and just nine months of marriage and it sounds like a case of the pot calling the kettle black

Page 45: Furious Queen Elizabeth has booted Princess Eugenie and her husband out of Prince Harry’s Frogmore Cottage home in a bit to foil Meghan Markle’s plan to completely cut him off from England and the royal family -- pregnant Eugenie and her booze-seller husband Jack Brooksbank were ordered to quit the cottage and move back to Kensington Palace just six weeks after Harry and Meghan secretly leased them the home meaning Harry and Meghan are still on the financial hook for Frogmore which was a gift from the queen and they will have to underwrite the cost of keeping up the property and it also ensures Harry has a home in Britain if he ever wants to come back -- by moving Eugenie and Jack out the queen has made sure Harry still has a place to hang his hat if he decides to come back to leave his American wife

Page 47: Bizarre But True

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theshadowbastard · 4 years

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The Top 8 Frankenstein Movies

8. Victor Frankenstein (2015)

This movie got a pasting from critics upon release, but I couldn’t care less, because I had a ball watching this. Mainly designed as a showcase for the stars Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy, the result isn’t exactly highbrow cinema but if you’re looking for a fun trip filled with hammy acting, overwrought (and overwritten) dialogue, and some pretty neat special effects, you could do a lot worse.

7. Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Of the 7 movies made by Universal Studios featuring the Frankenstein monster between 1931 and 1948, only the first three are really worth your time, and of those the third film, Son of Frankenstein, is easily the weakest, but it’s not without its strengths, mostly in the form of the performances of Basil Rathbone as the titular sire and especially Bela Lugosi as the malignant Ygor. The infamous star of Dracula is all but unrecognizable under a brilliant makeup design, and gives a magical performance that’s about as far removed from Dracula as anything he ever did. The big downside of Son is the monster himself, who is barely in the film and spends most of it lying motionless on a table. Boris Karloff turned 50 while shooting, and decided to never play the creature he made famous again after this flawed but fun film.

6. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

As the title implies, this is a (fairly) faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley’s original novel, and while a lot of the subtext of the story is lost beneath the weight of director and star Kenneth Branaugh’s ego and abs, the movie has a captivating quality and is gorgeously shot, and Robert DeNiro turns in a surprisingly nuanced and emotional performance as Victor’s patchwork creation. It’s a little oversexed and too self-consciously operatic at times, but it’s still one of the better stabs at bringing the actual text to the screen, even with the ridiculous electric eels.

5. Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)

Hammer studios made a bunch of Frankenstein movies throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s, and while none of them ever quite managed to capture the spirit of their first, they came up with some clever ideas, and none more so than the bizarre, inspirational, ingenious and insane Frankenstein Created Woman, a film that dares to ask the question “So you figured out how to bring the dead back to life--what next?” The answers this film explores are chilling, awe-inspiring, horrific and at times borderline blasphemous in their implications. And while it’s not a perfect film (two minds/souls in the same body gets kind of confusing), it’s compelling ideas and strong performances more than compensate.

4. Young Frankenstein (1974)

Mel Brooks’ loving tribute to the Universal Frankenstein films might be in it for the laughs (”SAID-A-GIVE?!”), but at it’s heart is a keen understanding of the themes of the Frankenstein story and why they’ve worked so well for so long. The cast is perfect, with each character instantly hilarious and iconic, from Marty Feldman’s endlessly-quotable Igor to Gene Wilder’s over-the-top Frederick Fronkonsteen to Cloris Leechman’s masterclass in comedic timing as Frau Blucher, but the real standout is Peter Boyle as the monster, who is quite possibly second only to Boris Karloff as the most effective Frankenstein monster we’ve ever seen.

3. Frankenstein (1931)

It was not the first Frankenstein movie (there were a couple of silent shorts), but it was the first that mattered; the one that change the whole game. Crackling electrical lab equipment, thunderstorms, grave robbing, grisly murders, blasphemous implications and truly inspired performances--audiences of the time had never seen anything like this, and the movie was a box office sensation that led to a whole slew of horror and gothic-themed movies in the early 1930s. James Whale’s direction is clever, creative and just unusual enough to make the movie still a lot of fun to watch today. Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein is superb, giving us a nuanced and relatable Frankenstein that gets to speak what is arguably the most famous line in horror movie history (”IT’S ALIVE!”). The sets and cinematography are stunning, cementing the “Hollywood Gothic” style that would dominate horror cinema for the next three decades, and the special effects were striking for their time. But standing above it all was Boris Karloff’s shocking, heartbreaking, horrifying, unparalleled performance as the Monster. Overnight the heretofore little-known actor became a star and, with the help of a once-in-a-generation makeup job from the legendary Jack Pierce, set in stone the image of the Frankenstein monster that would stick in the public consciousness for all time.

2. Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Legend has it that Universal Studios sent a letter to the heads of Hammer Films that essentially said, “If you do ANYTHING that even remotely resembles our Frankenstein movie, we’ll see you Brits in court.” But Hammer had entirely different ambitions, choosing to ditch the look, style, and structure of the Universal movies entirely in favor of something much darker, more disturbing, and infinitely more violent. While the classic Frankenstein movies of the 30s and 40s focused on the misadventures of the monster, Hammer chose to focus on the titular mad doctor. This might have seemed like strange choice at the time, considering the rather bland parade of various Dr. Frankensteins we’d seen in the Universal films, but actor writer Jimmy Sangster, director Terrence Fischer, and especially actor Peter Cushing went for something completely different. Cushing’s Victor Frankenstein is nothing less than a vile, contemptible bastard, remorselessly murdering people for spare parts for his pathetic monster; a monster who is killed and brought back to life several times over, and used by the villainous doctor as a tool to dispatch his enemies and those who threaten his work. This film took the conventions of the Frankenstein story audiences were then used to and knifed them in the face, and the result was a spectacular success with people lining up around the block to see this new level of ghoulish and bloody horror. Throw out everything you think you know about the Frankenstein story and give this one a spin, if you’ve got the stomach for it.

1. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Seriously, what else was it gonna be? Let’s be honest here--horror sequels are usually crap. Quickly churned out to make an even quicker buck, they’re rarely worth the film they’re shot on and very few are anywhere near as good as the original. However, the only one that actually might be better that the original is the simply unique Bride of Frankenstein. Whole books have been written about this movie, and to be honest there’s simply too much to talk about. The themes of blasphemy. The homosexual overtones. The Faustian narrative about death and damnation. The incredible performance of Ernest Thesiger as Doctor Pretorious. The monster’s dialogue (”Friend...good!”) The design of the titular Bride that kicked off a fashion craze. Franz Waxman’s angelic soundtrack. Any one of these topics is worth an essay all by themselves, but for me what really makes Bride a masterpiece is simply its heart. No other film has explored the tragedy of the Frankenstein story as effectively as this, and no other film gets its moral message through as clearly: it’s the simpler things in life, like love and friendship that are truly important, and while the pursuit of knowledge may be a worth endeavor, those who pursue it to whatever evil and horrifying end are far more monstrous than any stitched-together being they shock into life.

#frankenstein #movies #horror #halloween #boris karloff #peter cushing

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medea10 · 5 years

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Medea’s Top 10 Worst Anime Parents

#pokemon #Bakemonogatari #hayate the combat butler #code geass #happy sugar life #toradora #elfen lied #Higurashi no Naku Koro ni #angels of death #Mirai nikki

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onceland · 6 years

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Once Upon a Time stars Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas talk the end of an era

Josh Dallas stands in front of a massive war room table, his Prince Charming rallying the troops in a last-ditch effort to prevent a great evil from stealing their happy endings. A combination of old guard and new from Once Upon a Time’s seven-season run sits before him.

“A new generation has joined the fight,” Dallas says in his most Charming tenor, nodding in the direction of Alice (Rose Reynolds), Robin (Tiera Skovbye), Henry (Andrew J. West), and Ella (Dania Ramirez). “Enemies have become friends,” he continues, looking to Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Zelena (Rebecca Mader). Charming concludes by addressing the presence of Wish Realm Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) as a new friend who feels like an old one. Once Upon a Time is days away from completing production on the final episode of the series, but everyone has gathered for his and real-life wife Ginnifer Goodwin’s final day on set.

The moment is charged as Charming reveals they’ve uncovered final villain Wish Realm Rumplestiltskin’s (Robert Carlyle) ultimate plan. Goodwin’s Snow White signals the Black Knights to bring in a stack of personalized storybooks — but so does Charming. They’re both trying to have their characters take the lead. When Dallas also does the signal during their third take of the scene, Goodwin can’t help but break character, ribbing her husband: “You can’t not do that, can you?” Mader cuts in with a laugh: “That’s called marriage.”

While OUAT has depicted Snow and Charming’s epic love story since the show’s launch in 2011, fans also got to watch their portrayers fall in love. The duo, who began dating while filming the show, got married in April 2014. They welcomed their first child a month later and their second in June 2016. Though Goodwin and Dallas left the show at the end of season 6, the two will return for the upcoming series finale, which airs over two weeks starting this Friday and concluding May 18. EW hit the set on the couple’s final day of filming to talk about the show’s legacy. [Editor’s note: The interviews took place separately, but were stitched together.]

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: As you head into your final day of production, how are you feeling right now? GINNIFER GOODWIN: Oh my gosh, I’m a mess. Leaving a show was a really tough decision, but one that we spent years making. … It involved a lot of discussing child rearing with our showrunners, because we really wanted to be spending more time with the kids. We really needed to start Ollie in school — we had gotten him into a school in Los Angeles. But anyways, we had decided that that was what was best for our family. Though a difficult decision, it was one that we were very confident about. We left celebrating. I realized in coming back and having had the show decide to tell its final story in this final episode, that I had always counted on this show as being here — I always counted on my being able to return, sort of like when we all go off to college, we know that home is still home. Now knowing that home is being obliterated, as it were, that the sets will be torn down, I’ve been really overly emotional. I have been crying for the past 24 hours. It doesn’t help that the scenes, of which we are part, are classic Once Upon a Time scenes. They’re inspiring. The word “hope” is batted around an awful lot, so it is very nostalgic feeling. I’m definitely mourning the loss. I wish that it could just go on forever and that we always knew that it would be here when we’re homesick.

JOSH DALLAS: It feels surreal to be back, but also wonderful. I’m so grateful that I was part of the fabric of Once Upon a Time, a show that seemed to touch a chord in so many people and had a fan base that is so passionate, so smart, so vocal, and so willing to go along on the ride with us. It will always be a great thrill in my life that I was part of Once Upon a Time, and I got to play this character, and hopefully show a different side of this character to people, and show you things that you didn’t know about him. And hopefully, the show inspired. It’s a show about hope and it’s a show about how it’s your actions that define who you are. You’re not either all good or all bad. It’s about your choices that make your character. Saying goodbye to it is bittersweet, but I’m so grateful.

Ginnifer, what does it mean to you to have had a strong female character like Snow White brought into a new era? GOODWIN: It’s amazing that, honestly, these guys wrote a truly female-driven show. I mean, they began years before we joined the fray in 2011. It was instrumental then in my choosing to take part. I was coming off of a female-heavy show [Big Love]. I was coming off of a show that was written in which the roles for women were very strong, but to come on to a show that was female-driven, and by the way written by men, was important to me. The way that women were depicted in this show, it was brave of the men to write them so bravely. It’s wild to me, also in the current climate, in talking about television, that it hasn’t been highlighted that Once Upon A Time has always done this. [Showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis] both come from very strong relationships with very strong women. Those have been definitely celebrated on screen in their writing.

Can you talk about the oddity of playing Jennifer Morrison’s mother for years when you’re basically the same age? GOODWIN: Yeah, I know. There’s always sort of this safety net of, “We are fairy-tale characters, and therefore we are ageless.” Colin’s character, Hook, is supposed to be — I don’t remember how old — hundreds of years? Rumple is hundreds and hundreds of years. In that way, in justifying it in character, it’s always sort of made sense that we could be so similar in look and in spirit. As an actor, we’ve only really felt old in realizing that this next generation that we’re representing today really did graduate from college like a minute ago, like they really could be our children. That’s what’s made us feel old.

And Josh, what has it meant to you to play Prince Charming? DALLAS: It’s meant everything to me. It changed my life as well as other people’s lives, our fans’ lives. It’s meant everything to me. It did change my life and helped create my family, my own family at home. Like I said, I’m just forever grateful to be part of it.

What do you think it was about Once Upon a Time that made it last this long? GOODWIN: The show is so optimistic, while being really realistic. These characters were all extraordinary, but we can see ourselves in them. I think that the part of us that wants to escape, can. We can disappear into their stories. I feel like everyone can find not just one, but probably several characters that they relate to, and whom they would want to be. But at the same time, these characters are really flawed and messy. I think that their feelings are so universal. Yeah, it’s that relatability. I love extraordinary stories that are full of really relatable characters. Who knew that fairy-tale characters could be relatable in any way?

What do you think Once Upon a Time’s legacy will be? DALLAS: I think it will be a show that preached hope. I think that’s the legacy.

GOODWIN: Oh my gosh. Well, I like to think that it was the first of its kind. At the time that we made the pilot, no one was doing anything like this. And I feel like it even pre-empted the swashbuckling princesses on the big screen. It was so new. And I hope that it’s remembered as being groundbreaking. And I hope, as we’re discussing, that it’s remembered as being representative of the strongest kinds of complex and beautiful women. And I hope that there is enough love for the show that we do reunion specials along the way.

What was the most poignant fan interaction you’ve had because of this show? DALLAS: There really has been so many. I’ve been so humbled and grateful that there have been so many. Many people coming up saying how Once got them through a rough time or how it inspired them to love better, to hate better, to do everything better, and to know that they’re not alone. I’ve heard that from several different people. Those are always memorable.

GOODWIN: I feel like, more than it being about anything that’s been said, having fans not just come to Comic-Con, but show up in Vancouver on location dressed as our characters, has been truly amazing to me. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the fact that people relate to it to that extent I find to be powerful. The show’s been fun, and it has been meaningful to me because of what I’ve gotten from the scripts, and also because of the relationships that I have formed on set. The fact is that my entire real life has blossomed because of this show. Early on, to see that the show meant that much, that people went to that extent in representing the characters, made me really take what we’re doing here more seriously. And then, I could not respect more that the creators also took that seriously and really have listened to the fans over the years, and really have written the show for the fans. I don’t think I’ve ever been part of something where there was that kind of focus. I mean, there’s always been a need, obviously, to draw in viewers. And I don’t mean monetarily, I mean just in general what we do, we want people to need us. We need to be needed. But to have a show that’s written on or of the public, I find to be really special.

Do you have any regrets about leaving the show when you did? DALLAS: No. None at all, none at all. It’s always worked out. It’s worked out the way that I hoped it would. I’m forever grateful for our time on it, and when we left, it was time. It was time for us to go.

How would you describe the finale and how it compares to past OUAT season enders? DALLAS: The series finale compared to all the other finales is special because it is the last one, and it’s emotional like true Once Upon a Time style, but it’s also satisfying because it again comes full circle and ties everything together. I think it will leave our viewers and our fans so happy that they invested their time and their hearts into watching our show.

GOODWIN: I will say that, for the Evil Queen, there is a definitive change in this episode in what she really reveals she has learned, what she has taken to heart. I find it to be so powerful that I cried. That’s part of why I cried all through yesterday.

What brings Snow and Charming back into the fold? DALLAS: They get a message that Henry is in a tight situation and needs some help, so they do what any great grandparents would do that know how to use a sword and a bow and arrow, and they come to help out. They come to help out and rally the troops.

GOODWIN: I will say that I don’t really know what they’ve been up to. I mean, they’ve been in retirement. I think there have been a lot of lazy Sundays. What we do see is longer Snow hair. We don’t really know what has happened to them, but we know that they have gotten the message that they are needed, and they have answered the call.

How do you feel about the ending for your characters and how it comes full circle to the beginning of the series? GOODWIN: The pitch for the whole show was, “What would a world look like in which the Evil Queen got her happy ending?” And we feel that we’ve finally figured out what that would look like. Josh and I talked in the few minutes we were still awake after yesterday, we talked and talked about what an honor it was to be part of her happy ending. It was beyond satisfying. It was emotional, it was thrilling. It was dreamy. It’s where we always hoped it would go, but it has taken the Evil Queen … like her journey has been so dramatic. That circle has been so dramatic and she’s gone so far, she’s grown so much, that to see the fruits of the writers’ labors was really satisfying. I can’t imagine the fans won’t gobble it up.

DALLAS: It was really emotional, actually. The story began with Snow and the Evil Queen and Charming. We’re ending it with Snow, the Evil Queen, and Charming. The idea that Regina gets her happy ending is really emotional, that it’s finally come full circle, [it shows that] you just gotta keep at it and you have to keep believing.

GOODWIN: I love that the ending is open-ended. I feel that even our coming back just exemplifies the fact that nothing is ever over. Despite my devastation that we are ending the show in general, I do feel like we’re leaving it in a way that we could do those specials we discussed, that we could come back in five years, in 10 years, and revisit this. I fantasize about a special miniseries we could do — streaming, I don’t know. I think the revisitation is appropriate. This is the epitome of a Once Upon a Time episode, this is an old-school, nostalgic Once Upon a Time episode.

Can you talk about the importance of sending a message that anyone can get a happy ending? DALLAS: I think it’s so important to send that message, particularly in this day and age when we have so much negative-seeming in the world, and to know that you do have a second chance, that you can have redemption, is super-powerful. I think if you go through life and you don’t believe you can do that, it’s pretty bleak. I feel like Once Upon a Time can shine a little bit of lightness in the dark.

GOODWIN: I just know it to be true. I am dead-certain that Snow White is right, that hope is the magical ingredient in the potion. That is, everyone can find love, everyone can find happiness. Dreams are achievable. And the hope speech in the pilot, Mary Margaret’s hope speech, was what sealed the deal for me in the first place.

What are you doing to take away from this experience? DALLAS: Total gratitude.

Do you have a different affinity for fairy-tale characters after your experiences on OUAT? GOODWIN: My fairy-tale affinity/Disneyphilia is probably a bit stronger. It was part of the appeal in the first place because I love that whole world, these whole worlds. But yeah, I would say that it definitely hasn’t burned me out, it’s definitely fed the addiction.

If you could open up a new chapter of Once Upon a Time 10 years later, what would you want it to be about? GOODWIN: Yes! Well, we’ve been joking about the line Charming has today about the new generation that’s joined the fray, and we do have an opportunity, because of our agelessness — though it has made us feel very old today, that line. I’d like to think that we would be able to because all of the realms represent generation after generation after generation of magically infused beings. Yeah, just keep introducing more. I mean, I would love to have Snow White come back and fight alongside her great-great-granddaughter.

DALLAS: I hope there’s more adventures. I hope there’s just more adventures and these characters still keep trying to figure life out. I think that never ends for anybody, not just these characters, just anybody. You’re always trying to figure it out. I hope they still are pushing forward and they’re still growing and they’re still going on adventures.

You both have pilots in contention for the fall — Josh on NBC’s Manifest and Ginnifer on ABC’s Steps. GOODWIN: Yes, I cannot leave the Disney company, obviously. I did a play after we wrapped last year, after Once Upon a Time wrapped. And then my husband and I both took the fall off, and the winter, and we both just shot pilots, and mine is again with ABC. This one shoots in Los Angeles, which was the vital thing for us as a family in terms of keeping our kids in school, and why we left the show last year in the first place. So yes, ABC found for me yet again a magical life on another ABC show.

Once Upon a Time’s series finale will air over two weeks, kicking off this Friday at 8 p.m. ET and concluding Friday, May 18, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

#ouat #ouat spoilers #7x22 spoilers #ginnifer goodwin #josh dallas #s7 spoilers

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softboywriting · 6 years

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Heal Me // Doctor!Shawn (A Soulmate AU) Part 6

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Waking up in the ER with Shawn standing next to you, arms crossed, staring intently at your vitals monitor was not what you hoped to wake up to. You hoped to somehow wake up back at home with Shawn and have this all be over with. But it wasn’t over. Not quite yet. “Shawn?” you ask sleepily, reaching for his shirt.

“Hey,” he grins big, hand going to yours and squeezing. “How’re you feeling? Any pain?”

“I feel better than I did,” you chuckle. “How’d everything go? Do I get to keep my leg?”

Shawn laughs and shakes his head at you. “You’re going to be fine. Matt drained the infection and you’re on heavy antibiotics via the IV right now. You’ve got a couple more stitches to add to that pretty little leg.”

“Can I go home soon?”

“Yeah. We’re going to stop by a 24 hour pharmacy today and pick up your new antibiotics as soon as you finish this IV drip and get woken up. The nurse will be in to check vitals and get some discharge paperwork ready. I talked Matt into letting you go home. He’s going to cover my shifts tomorrow and Friday so I can stay home with you and keep an eye on your leg.”

You thread your fingers with Shawn's and he leans down and kisses your joined hands. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer from the other day.”

Shawn looks confused, tilts his head to the side and asks, “What offer? I don’t remember offering anything.”

“You said your place could be mine too if I wanted. Remember, laying in the guest room, the day that I missed my doctor appointment?” You pick at the blanket over your lap nervously. What if he hadn’t meant it? He did play it off as a spur of the moment thing. What if you looked like a desperate fool right now? “Do you remember?”

“Are you serious?” Shawn asks, voice low and you aren't sure if he sounds angry or unsure or something else all together. “You want to move in with me?”

“If the offer is still on the table, yeah. Will you have me?”

Shawn grins so big you think his face might actually split. Any worry you had is gone. “Yes, the offer is still on table. Of course I’ll have you.” He leans down, hand cupping your jaw as he kisses you softly. “I’d like to have you as long as you’ll stay.”

“And if I never move out?”

Shawn smiles against your lips, eyes locked with yours as he says, “I guess I’d have to make you my wife then.”

It’s a week after you’re home from the hospital with Shawn that you are digging through your purse for the business card to the physical therapist Matt recommended to you and you see your bracelets and earrings in a little bag from the hospital. You open it and dump out a couple silver bangles and your little cherry earrings. A sick feeling washes over you. Something was missing. Something so important you can’t believe you didn’t look for it before now. Your grandma’s ring on a chain that you wore around your neck almost every day before the accident. It was gone.

You dump your purse out on the bed and pull every pocket inside out. “No, no, no...” You can feel tears pricking the corners of your eyes. That ring was all you had of hers, it was the ring you wanted to wear as your own wedding band one day. It was the representation of her and your grandfather’s marriage, their amazing bond as soulmates. It gave you hope and made you dream of having an amazing life like they did. “Please god, no.” You grab your plastic take home bag that had your ripped up jeans in it from the accident. You dump it on the bed and find only some change comes out of your pockets. No ring on a chain.

“Hey, babe, do you know where-” Shawn pauses and looks at the mess on the bed. “What’s going on? Did you lose something?”

You take in a deep shaky breath and nod, jaw clenched. “My grandma’s ring was on a necklace when I got into the accident. It was around my neck, but I flipped so much...I-I don’t know. It could have fallen off. It’s not here.” You’re sobbing by the end of your explanation and Shawn comes over, kneeling beside you on the bed bed, dressed in his scrubs for work. “It was her wedding ring. It’s all I have. I don’t know what to do.”

“I’m sure it’s in the car. We’ll call up the place that hauled your car out and we can go check it out.” Shawn rubs your back and you tremble. He pulls your head against his chest and kisses the top of it. “I promise I’ll get it back for you.”

“You can’t promise that. It could be in that ditch I ended up in. It would be buried in several inches of snow now or someone could have found it and kept it. Probably fucking pawned it.” You laugh deprecatingly. “Some asshole probably got a couple hundred bucks for it and here I am with nothing left of my grandmother.”

“Stop it,” Shawn says softly into your hair. “It’s still in your car. I promise. I’ll check after work.”

You wrap your arms around him and grip his back. “Thank you.”

He mumbles into your hair, “I’d give you the world. You ought to know that by now.”

Shawn comes home late every day for the next four days. You don’t know where he goes after work and you don’t want to seem nosy so you don’t ask. You assume he checked your car one of the days, but since he hadn’t given you the ring, he obviously hadn’t found it. He comes in at around 6pm one night, two hours after his shift ended, and you’re sitting on the couch relaxing when he comes up behind and stands there. You look back, head against the cushion and he leans down and kisses you upside down. “How’s the leg?” he asks and he sounds tired.

“It’s good. There are a few stitches working their way out. I promise I didn’t pull at them.”

He smiles and kisses you again. “Good girl.” He looks around the living room and then back down at you. “I see you’ve been busy today.” He gestures to the slew of christmas decorations around the living room, on the coffee table, on the mantle over the electric fireplace. They were from the totes that he and a couple of friends brought over from your apartment the other day. “Been getting cozy in my house have you?” he grins.

“I think you called it our house as you hauled in totes with Andrew and Geoff. Sounds better doesn’t it?” You reach up and tug a his black scrub shirt. “Get changed. I wanted to talk about some stuff.”

“Alright, as long as I can pick dinner.” He leans down for one more kiss and you agree to his terms.

Shawn orders chinese take out and the two of you get settled on the couch while you wait for it to arrive. He lays with his legs across the seat cushions and has you lay between his legs, head on his chest as he reclines against the arm of the couch. “So what did you want to talk about?” he asks, petting your hair back out of his face.

“You mentioned your parents being your inspiration for wanting to be a good soulmate. I was curious about that story.”

“Oh,” he says in a soft voice. “I don’t know if now is the best time. It’s not a great story and it’ll lead to more questions.”

“I promise I won’t ask too many questions.”

Shawn sighs heavily and says, “Alright.” He grabs your hands and kisses your head a few times before he’s ready to talk. It was clearly stressful. “My parents married young, like 19 or 20. My mom says she fell in love with him at first sight. My dad? Well, it turns out my dad couldn’t keep his fucking hands off any pretty girl with a short skirt.” Shawn makes a disgusted sound. “He didn’t love my mother, he loved pretending to love her so she would sleep with him. They got married because my mom got pregnant with me. He said it wasn’t his, said she was sleeping around but she wasn’t. He left her before I was even born.”

You bring Shawn’s hands up and kiss his knuckles tenderly. “So you were afraid to be your father?”

“Yes. I’ve always been afraid of one day hurting my soulmate and having them or myself end up like my mom. She suffered. Can you imagine, being so happy and being in love and then having it all ripped away from you because you got pregnant?” Shawn holds your hands tighter. “I was afraid of ending up like my mom, depressed, upset, barely making it day to day. She said it didn’t bother her. That I made her happier than he ever could have, but I knew she was hurting. Soulmates fall apart when they’re not together.”

“Would you feel the same if you hadn’t fallen in love with your soulmate? Like, would you still feel like you were making me suffer if I was just your friend?”

Shawn looks down at you and raises his eyebrows, “You think I’ve fallen in love with you?”

“Haven’t you?” you ask with a shy smile.

“I have. I didn’t think it was so obvious.”

You laugh and he removes his hands from yours to tickle your sides. You squeal in laughter, hands swatting at his. “You’re so obvious! See through!” you howl in laughter and he stops abruptly to hugs you tight against him. “I heard you too, at the hospital when i was being taken to the operating room by Matt. I heard you say ‘I love her’.”

“I do love you. I fought it for days after you came home with me. I thought, this is too fast, this is not real love it’s just adoration, excitement. I tried so hard to deny it but when I thought of losing you at the hospital, even though rationally the worst thing we would of had to do was amputate your leg...I almost thought I’d rather die.”

“I think I fell in love with you when you walked into my ER recovery room area.”

Shawn grins and lets out a bubbly laugh. “So when you first saw me?”

“Yeah,” you laugh and shake your head. “How cheesy is that?”

“Very cheesy.” Shawn kisses your neck and lays his hand over your heart. “But I like cheesy.”

You put your hand over Shawn's and grip it, fingers between his. “You don’t have to worry about being your dad. You’re already ten times the better man than he ever was or is. You know what it is to hurt and so you’d never hurt me. I know it.”

“I would never ever hurt you. I promise I’d rather die than see you with a broken heart.”

A smile spreads across your face and you can’t help but make a little giddy excited noise. “I love you, Shawn.” It feels so amazing, so relieving to say it. To finally admit it to him and yourself.

“I love you too,” he says and the two of you giggle together as the doorbell rings signalling your take out delivery had arrived.

#shawn mendes fluff #Shawn Mendes Imagine #shawn mendes writing #shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes thirst #my fic #heal me

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thebibliomancer · 3 years

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Tides of the Dark Crystal liveblog pt 13

Tides of the Dark Crystal by J.M. Lee because convince Ethri not to abandon plot, goooo!

Last times in book: Amri and co are on a quest to unite all the Gelfling clans against the Skeksis and it is not going great so far? Maudra Ethri has decided that the Sifa are going to ditch and sail to a new continent guided by Captain skekSa, multi-talented voluntary exile from the Castle of the Crystal. Ethri tries to ditch early but Amri and co catch up to her and Onica convinces her to read the flames and see what they have to say.

Chapter 13

A very convincing flame-reading, a new objective, some frustration

So now its time to throw some herbs in a fire and read the flames to see what the Sifa should do. Every other sign in the world says sailing across the ocean is a bad idea. skekSa says ‘its fiiiiiiiiiine.’ What will the flames say?

Onica took her own bundle from within her cloak. She and Tae followed Ethri, and soon three blue-gray trails of smoke cut like pathways into the sky. Onica led them in the ritual, raising her hands over her head and drawing mystic symbols in the air with the smoke of the smoldering herbs. Triangles and spheres, spirals and many other shapes. Amri saw the signs of the moons and the suns, the sigils of the wind and fire, earth and rain. Ethri and Tae mirrored Onica, the maudra’s motions reserved at first but warming with every passing moment.

“Deatea. Deratea. Kidakida. Arugaru. We open our souls to the fire. We open our minds to the wind. We open our hearts to the water. We open our hands to the earth.”

The bundles of herbs are thrown into the fire and there’s a blast of heat that blows away the smoke just leaving clear flames.

Within moments, the hearth beat again. The hearth of the ship, the heart of the Sifa.

Nice play on words!

Everyone around the fire breathes in the scent of the herbs and hold hands. It sounds like a pretty cool moment.

Onica’s voice rose from the quiet, one with the crackling fire. She did not speak words. The song from her throat was wordless, harmonious. Amri opened one eye to see her, head tilted back, crimson hair alight with the red of the fire. Her song changed, as if she herself were transformed - one moment a Sifa, Gelfing as the rest of them - the next, a different being, made of dreams.

She bowed her head to face the fire, eyes open, seeing all and nothing. All were silent.

“A hero stands before the hearth fire of the Gelfling. But not alone. From the darkness that surrounds him comes... Wind. Lightning. Light. Earth, Shadow, Water... Fire.”

Onica’s brows crinkled in pain, a tear escaping. Her voice was transparent, rippling, not her own. Amri listened, rapt. Saw Ethri and Tae, Naia and Kylan doing the same, every breath hanging on the Far-Dreamer’s words.

“Great trials face us. Pain and loneliness, I see... Seven maudra. Seven of seven. Bearing the fires. Wind, Lightning, Light. Earth, Shadow, Water, Fire. In this way, the Seven become One. By Gelfling hand, or else by...”

Not even going to finish the rhyme? Man, Thra prophecies love the or else by none thing, huh?

And the seven Gelfling clans have elemental associations, apparently. Grottan for Shadow seems obvious. As does Sifa for Water. Or are they Wind with the Drenchen being Water? Are the Vapra Wind or Light? I’m pretty sure the Stonewood are Fire despite their name evoking Earth so much. And what about the Dousan? Are they Lightning?

Some of the clans feel like they’d overlap several elements but this is symbolic, not wholly accurate.

My guess is Drenchen Water, Spriton Earth, Stonewood Fire, Grottan Shadow, Vapra Light, Sifa Wind, and Dousan Lightning.

The Gelfling at the hearth fire also see a vision of the Sifa hearth struggling to push back the darkness until Gelfling come with torches and increase the hearth’s flame.

With an obvious meaning.

“My Sifa,” [Ethri] said. “My heart breaks with grief that I nearly let you down. Forgive me... I will stay, if you will stay by my side. So that we may stay by the side of the others who stand against the darkness. For Thra.”

Tae lifted her hand to the sky, Ethri’s fingers entwined in hers.

“For Thra,” she said.

All at once, the hands of the Sifa rose like wildfire.

A pillar of flame exploded from the hearth, sparks showering in a rainbow of colors. The fire burned in every color under the three suns, the whistling and howling of the air as it fed the flames resonating with a familiar, bone-deep song.

Kylan’s firca joins this song all on its own and dream-etches the Story Thus Far of Ethri, the Omerya, and skekSa’s ship into the deck.

The pyrotechnics end and Ethri has the Omerya return to the docks.

To Amri, Ethri finally looks like her two halves have been united. The youthful person that she is and the proud and valiant maudra leading her clan.

Also, look at that, two made one symbolism. It recurs.

Maudra Ethri tells Team Naia that when the time to rise up comes, the Sifa will be ready and asks where they’ll go next. That’s still up in the air.

And Naia reassures, kinda, Ethri that despite her fears of being the first to stand up, that the Vapra fire is already lit by All-Maudra Mayrin. And that neither were the first to stand up.

“You know, Maudra Argot of the Grottan was actually the first to hear our story and believe. And because of it, they were struck down. They lost their home. They’ve been in the dark and cold, alone. Waiting to know the other clans are out there.. and now, you are part of their hope. Your fires will guide them... You are not alone, and now, neither are they.”

As Team Naia leaves the Omerya, Amri realizes that somewhere under the waves there’s a skekSa who will soon realize that the Sifa have changed their travel plans. And he wonders if she’s going to be very angry or whether it won’t matter to her one way or another.

I suspect that he’s very glad that he isn’t the one who has to deal with that fallout!

The group goes to say goodbye to Onica, assuming she’ll stay in Cera-Na.

“I must go with Naia,” [Tavra] said. “But I will not forget our promise --”

Onica interrupted her with a sweet laugh. “Don’t be daft, my Silverling. You think I would let you go to light the seven fires of resistance without me?”

Awwwww (girl)frens!

Annnnd thennnn. Someone steals Tavra. Just bumps into the group and swipes her right from Kylan.

Geez, this was a feel good moment of the Sifa deciding to stay and Onica becoming a permanent party member and some random pickpocket ruins it!

“Why would someone steal Tavra?” Naia asked.

“I don’t know! She’s tiny, and shiny? You know, we never did figure out where Tae’s stolen jewelry went!”

Dang, I can’t believe I forgot that too!

The narration made a point that it was A Thing Occurring and then the explanation for Tae’s poisoning didn’t explain what happened to Tae’s jewelry.

I briefly wondered if maybe skekSa swiped it out of magpie kleptomania and that’s how the gang would turn the Sifa against her but that didn’t make much sense for skekSa’s character really. And then things got resolved with Ethri REALLY fast so it just slipped from my mind.

Team Naia plus Onica minus Tavra chase the thief off the beach and into the tropical brush between the beach and mountains.

Amri catches up to the thief first because of his great climbing prowess and tackles the hooded thief.

They rolled to the ground and wrestled until Amri came out on top, yanking back the hood. Beneath was the tattooed face of a Dousan boy. His face was pale and sand colored on the left, fading into a deep, glittering indigo on the right.

The Dousan bonks Amri with a rock but Naia catches him.

They get the jar full o’ Tavra and she reveals that the thief has Tae’s jewelry too, which ties up that mystery.

Naia stepped back, now that she had Tavra.

“So, what? You’ve just been sneaking about Cera-Na filling your pockets. What do you have to say for yourself?”

He shrugged. “It was worth it?”

Pffft

Naia is less amused by him than I am and drags him off to turn him over to Maudra Ethri.

So the Dousan changes gears, and introduces himself as Periss and says that he overheard the stuff about the seven fires of resistance and has seen the dream-stitched pink petals.

So he figures that they’re going around trying to unite the clans. And that they arrived on a sea ship that sails in the sea with sails. So Periss has a question.

“So... how are you planning on reaching the Dousan clan in the Crystal Sea? Without a, you know. A sandship, and a Dousan to sail it.”

Amri hated the smug tinkle in Periss’s eyes.

What a character, this Periss!

He’s a lot more of a shit than Rek’yr.

Tavra concedes that the little shit has a point. You can’t cross the Crystal Sea without a sandship and even if you did, out of Naia-esque stubbornness, finding the Dousan would be a hell of a challenge because they’re nomadic.

Amri looked up at the Claw Mountains that rose south of Cera-Na’s sandy shore. He had never seen the Crystal Sea in person, of course, but he’d seen maps and drawings. On the other side of the Claw Mountains spilled a vast desert of golden and white sand. The desert sprawled southeast, stopping only when its waves of sand lapped the border of the Dark Wood. Between the Claw Mountains and the Dark Wood, it was a world of light and constantly changing terrain. Desert creatures roamed the dunes. It was somewhere out there, navigating the constant storms, that the Dousan Gelfling had made their home.

“I think Tavra may be right,” Amri said.

Periss’s hands had drifted from the air to his belt, his expression of surrender transforming into a pompous smile.

What a little shit!

So now that they’re not going to turn him over to Maudra Ethri because they need him and now that he’s feeling smug about it, he presses the advantage and brings up the question of payment.

“We’re not paying you,” Naia retorted. “Your reward for helping us is knowing you took part in saving the Gelfling race.”

“I’m afraid good feelings don’t make my heart as full as a pocket of pretties. So, show me what you have to give, and I will tell you if you’ve come up short.”

Wow!

Takes guts to charge to help save the world but y’know, if they save the world then he has the payment. If they don’t save the world then it doesn’t make a difference whether he charged or not. Its win-win, of a sort.

Periss winds up taking Naia’s sweet metal dagger and Kylan’s bone firca as payment. Also, Onica has to read his fortune. For those three things, he’ll be their guide and transport as long as it takes to find Maudra Seethi and the Dousan.

Doesn’t seem fair. The firca is an irreplaceable magic item and the knife has sentimental value. Buuuuut they do need to visit the Dousan. They’re the only ones that haven’t been touched on yet.

The Dousan gestured with a broad smile.

“Congratulations, my friends. You’ve just bought yourselves a one-way trip into the desert of death.”

#dark crystal #the dark crystal #liveblog #Tides of the Dark Crystal #Amri #Naia #Kylan #Tavra #Onica #Maudra Ethri #Periss

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minaminokyoko · 6 years

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Deadpool 2: A Spoilertastic Review

One thing I've noticed over the years is that there's nothing like it when someone busts their ass to make a movie happen, defying all odds, and pours their sweat, blood, tears (and in Deadpool's case, probably other fluids we don't want to know about) into a film, and it turns out to reward them spectacularly. Deadpool was one of those movies. They fought for years to get that movie made after the disgraceful ruination of the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and they did him justice beyond words. It was magnificently done. It damn near beat Jesus, for fuck's sake. Actual Jesus.

And that's why I think that I don't like the sequel as much.

I've seen this happen many times: a sleeper hit or an unexpected smash hit blockbuster exceeds all expectations and then puts out a sequel. Well, unfortunately, sometimes success can ruin your party. Success, accolades, and the second highest grossing Rated R film of all time had an influence on how Deadpool 2 turned out, if you ask me. When you're not starving for it, then it means that sometimes punchlines don't land as hard, writing is not as tight, and scenes aren't as memorable. When you're already fat and happy, sometimes your motivation to make the best thing ever is just servicable at best.

I think Deadpool 2 is an enjoyable movie, but I think it didn't want it as badly as the first movie did because it was already fat, happy, and satisfied from the first film. Thus, I think they didn't try as hard to make it the best movie possible. It's still a good movie, but it can't compete with the first film by any stretch, and I'll explain why. Naturally, spoiler alert.

Overall Grade: B-/C+

Pros:

-Deadpool himself is still funny, even if the change in tone puts a damper on a lot of the enjoyment.

-Domino shines like a freaking diamond. I already like Zazie Beetz from what I saw of her in FX's show Atlanta, so I was jazzed when they announced her for the role. She still blew my expectations out of the water. I had never seen her do a physical role before, and she absolutely sold me. I'd love to see her in sequels and I sure as hell would watch a spin off of her with other female heroes should the Deadpool franchise get to borrow some X-Men in what I pray will someday be a collaborative effort between Fox and Marvel Studios. She's fantastic. She's the black girl magic the world needs to know about, and I'm so happy studios are coming around realizing black women are a massive untapped source of awesome in superhero films. For the longest time, Storm was all we had and she was weaksauce due to poor writing, but we've slowly been seeing more inclusion with the women of Black Panther and Valkyrie from Ragnarok and now Domino. Keep 'em coming, superhero movies. Black women deserve to conquer the genre and usher in other women of color alongside them.

-The X-Men pulling the door shut gag was top notch. Kudos. Even though it raises some seriously weird questions timeline-wise, I howled. That was brilliantly addressed, especially since it's so painfully obvious in the first movie that Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead were all Fox's stingy ass wanted to spare for poor Mr. Pool.

-Dupinder is still fucking adorable and precious and I'm glad he got his moment of glory.

-The Juggernaut getting a second shot was absolutely fantastic. I was trying to guess who it would be and then I saw that helmet and I might as well have done a fucking T-Rex roar in my seat the theater. Juggernaut was done right. He was everything I dreamt he would be ever since that disappointing appearance in X-Men 3. Don't get me wrong--Vinnie Jones had the right attitude, but making him just regular size guy defeats the whole purpose of why he's so unstoppable and terrifying. He literally ripped Deadpool in half. That was awesome, as was his grudge match with Colossus. I loved them going toe to toe with each other. It was staged extremely well. Aside from Domino, Juggernaut vs. Colossus was by far my favorite part of the film.

-Minor point, but I loved Deadpool's reaction to Yukio. He seemed genuinely charmed by her and vice versa and it was fucking adorable.

-The second post credits scene is exactly as good as the hype made it out to be. Oh God. Deadpool shooting Barakapool several times was just...I mean, it was the cherry on top of the sundae. It was so satisfying, as was the joke about shooting himself before he could star in Green Lantern. I love that Ryan Reynolds was so self aware that he severely fucked up his career from pretty much 2011 until 2016 when he finally got Deadpool made. He knew this movie was the only way he'd ever get himself out of that ditch in his career and I think it was a worthy redemption for sure. I also am so relieved they undid Vanessa's death, because that's the second biggest con I have for this movie as you'll see below.

-The Logan reference had me in stitches. It was so wrong, but so damn funny.

-The "blink and you'll miss it" Brad Pitt cameo. Fuck, that was amazing and surprising, thank you.

-The other "blink and you'll miss it" Alan Tudyk cameo. Holy shit, does Disney really like this man. I am so happy to see Wash getting some really great roles over the years. He's doing great.

Cons:

-Stuffing Vanessa in the Fridge. Alright, so technically I shouldn't put this in here because Deadpool fixes it in the end credits, but it pisses me off that they even attempted this stupid fucking trope. I am tired of dead girlfriends and dead wives used for Mangst. Fucking. Stop. It. Women are just as valid as men as characters. Stop killing them just to make the hero turn Super Saiyan. It's possible to still motivate the male motherfuckers without killing the girl and putting them on a revenge spree or depression spiral. It's lazy writing and all of Hollywood needs to move on from this tired ass trope. Vanessa was extremely charming, funny, and likable in the first Deadpool movie and Morena Baccarin is and has always been so wonderful to enjoy on screen in her dramatic and comedic work. I am so pissed off they Fridged her to only be in five minutes of the fucking movie. They shouldn't have even bothered putting her in the damned credits because she was only there for such a short period. If she didn't have time to film the movie, fine, just find another excuse that she's not there. Morena deserved better, dammit.

-Changing the tone of the film franchise from a screwball comedy to an action "movie" with jokes in it. This is the biggest reason I didn't like this movie as much as the first Deadpool movie. The first Deadpool movie is arguably a parody of superhero films. It takes most of the tropes and pokes fun at them in a really great way, but it also still manages to be a legit, streamlined revenge love story. It strikes the exact tone we'd all been craving ever since we heard the Deadpool movie would be greenlit. So why the fuck is the sequel written like an X-Men movie, but with more jokes? I hate the serious tone. I hate Wade moping over Vanessa, I hate the whole "family" bullshit that is spoken with a straightface somehow despite being almost as unearned as that hideous one in Suicide Squad, I hate Cable moping over his dead family, and I hate the "you're not my friend" bullshit between Wade and the incredibly annoying fat kid whose name I refuse to learn because he irritated me so much. Why did they play it all straightfaced? Why was I expected to see a "real story" in a Deadpool movie? The entire reason I like this franchise and haven't seen an X-Men film (not counting Logan) in years is because the X-Men franchise has completely played itself out. It's substandard acting, substandard writing, it doesn't adapt the comics the way it should, and it's just repetitive. All the movies since First Class are the same. The prequel babies are finally going to just end the charade with Dark Phoenix and I think most of the world is relieved because they have nothing creative or new to offer any longer. Deadpool 2 reeks of that same kind of lame writing and execution. There was no reason to switch the format. I pray to God they go back to formula in X-Force or Deadpool 3. I hate this change with a passion.

-The fat kid is annoying as hell. There, I said it. Fight me if you must. He had no sense of self preservation and the movie didn't go into enough detail to make me care about him in spite of how teeth-grindingly stupid and obnoxious he was. He was written like a twelve year old boy writing fanfiction about himself and Deadpool becoming best buds and fighting crime together. No. No, stop that right now. I don't want any part of it. I get the "he's just a kid" thing but the kid is an asshole and even if he's somehow justified, he's a pain in the ass to watch from start to finish. I also think the kid needs some acting lessons, but that's not entirely his fault. I think he probably just wasn't directed all that well, so I can let that slide, but I did notice it during the film.

-I don't care about Cable. Cable and Deadpool are righteous as fuck in the comics. In this movie? No. This is why I was against Josh Brolin being cast. He has no chemistry with Ryan Reynolds. I get that Cable is the Straight Man to Deadpool's Kooky Man, but they don't gel together at all. I never sensed any bonding even though they are setting it up for franchise reasons. He's just not interesting and he plays the role as blandly as he does all his boring ass biopics and other bland roles. Brolin worked much better as Thanos than he did Cable. Thanos had weight and was threatening and even though his reasoning was utter bullshit, at least he was convicted. Brolin's Cable just felt like some stock stoic character thrown in there as the minor antagonist. I still would have much preferred Liam Neeson or Ron Perlman, and yes, I understand both of them are getting up there in years, but we've seen older actors still kick ass and be in shape, so I think they could have done it if they were offered the part. Brolin is still one of the most drab actors I've ever seen and he just doesn't pull the role off, imo.

-The bait and switch with the X-Force team. This is a minor note for me, as I don't have a background with these characters so it's more for people who know these characters elsewhere and were expecting an awesome team up movie but that's not what they got. Are the gruesome deaths kind of funny? Yeah, sure, but it's kind of rude to advertise them that way and they're not in the movie. I just frown on it. It's not a dealbreaker. It was just disappointing in the same way that the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 was disappointing. I expected more and I got a farce instead.

-I don't know if it's for legal reasons, but it drives me crazy that we still didn't get a Wolverine cameo from Hugh Jackman. I mean, we finally got Deadpool--the real one--and I just want him and Ryan to share the screen again because even though Origins was trash, they were magical together.

-Deadpool's last "death" went on way too long. I was checking my watch. They really should have pulled the trigger on that gag. It was exhausting and not very funny to begin with.

-Negasonic Teenage Warhead getting reduced to an extra pissed me off. She was so great in the first movie and she doesn't get to do anything here and it irks the hell out of me.

-Aside from The Juggernaut vs. Colossus, the fight scenes weren't nearly as creative, cinematic, or memorable as the first film. I've already forgotten everything except the JvC fight and the convoy rescue scene. That's a bummer for me.

-The movie just isn't as funny as the first film. It's not the same kind of tight writing with excellent punchlines and ridiculous phrases that made me remember them. It's been a few days and I don't recall any insults or lines that stuck with me. I'll likely be seeing it again for Memorial Day weekend, but I still don't expect I'll remember much from it.

-Nitpick: God, I still want to push T.J. Miller off a bridge. He is not funny and never has been.

-Nitpick: WHY HAS NO ONE MADE A FIREFLY JOKE ABOUT MORENA BACCARIN AFTER TWO FUCKING DEADPOOL MOVIES?! COME ON. DEADPOOL IS ALL ABOUT NERD REFERENCES. GODDAMMIT MENTION FIREFLY YOU FUCKS. (But to be fair, this could also be because Fox is the reason we only got one season and so maybe they were forbidden from doing it. Still. That pisses me the hell off. Especially since Ryan Reynolds and Nathan Fillion (1) have both played the Green Lantern and (2) were on a sitcom with each other for years. Inexcusable.)

I'm sorry it sounds like I'm shitting on the movie. Really, it's enjoyable. I just think that maybe the first movie set the bar so high I can't help but feel frustrated by the sequel not trying as hard. Based on the online reactions, I'm on my own so...take that as you will, friends. Kyo out.

#Deadpool #Deadpool 2 #Wade Wilson #Cable and Deadpool #movie review #film review #Ryan Reynolds #Morena Baccarin #Josh Brolin #Zazie Beetz #spoiler alert #spoilers

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worldwalker-us · 3 years

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SURVIVING THE INTERNATIONAL WAR ZONE Security Lessons Learned and Stories From Police and Military Peacekeeping Forces Robert R. Rail

Chapter 8 ETERNAL HATE The Little Boy and his Stick It was a wonderful day, even if I was thousands of miles away from home, and in the troubled Balkans. Being of American Scottish decent I was always kidding my colleagues that the best weather for me was cool, overcast, and with the constant chance of rain. I would always tell them that there are no rainbows without rain. Good “Scottish” weather in the Balkans I was in a great mood. I was off duty, at the end of my day of teaching induction training to a room full of international police officers for the United Nations and all had gone well. My ride had dropped me off just off from the main road and I didn’t have far to walk to my

accommodation. The two types of roads we had to travel on in the Balkans were either broken asphalt with pot holes, or narrow dirt roads with holes that were filled in with anything that could be gathered and dumped into them. The standing joke about the dirt roads was that they were made of either dry mud, wet mud, or frozen mud. It always seemed so strange to see the local women sweeping the dirt road in front of their homes as I walked by, but this is what they did every day of the week. I could never understand how you can sweep dirt away from dirt. Are they sweeping and cleaning the street down to a layer of cleaner dirt? I never knew if it was just an effort of futility, or an outlet for frustration on their part, trying to keep a bit of sane routine in their shattered world. As I walked by a house about a half a kilometer from my accommodation my attention was drawn to a small boy that looked like he was taken right off a picture on a tourist post card. He couldn’t have been more than five or six years old. Beneath a wild tangle of dark brown hair, two big, wide open, happy brown eyes looked directly into my eyes. A little voice came out of this post card child and he said, “Dobra Don” (good day). And I responded by saying “Dobra Don” back to him. After our exchange of the customary greetings the little boy returned to his task at hand. He was carving on a stick that was about as long as he was tall. His little face was very serious as he went about his task. He was very busy carving a point on the end of the stick. From the amount of wood shavings I could see all over the boy and the ground he had been working on this for quite some time. A nearby woman walked over to where I was standing to watch the little boy carve. She greeted me by saying, “Hello American Police”, in a polite but cold tone of voice. Her attitude was more clearly understood than what she said. It was very obvious what she really wanted to say was, “What do you want American? I don’t want you here!” Her eyes didn’t look at me – they looked through me. She was tired. Not just tired from the day of labor she had

done but from the life she was resigned to living in such a forsaken place. I very respectfully asked the lady to ask the boy what kind fish he was going to spear when he used his stick at the nearby stream. The lady just looked at me with a very slight sinister smile. I asked again, and added, please ask the child. She reached out and gently touched the head of the child and asked him my question. He stopped sharpening the stick and looked up at me with a look that was tragically determined far beyond his years. He answered with an answer that was too long for a child of his age to make. After a pause, he returned to sharpening his stick with a new strength and focus in his little body. I looked at the woman, waiting for the answer to my question. I could see her body signs change in front of me. She stood up straight and proud and actually smiled. There was great resolve and pride in what she was about to say to me. She said the little boy told her he was making a very sharp killing stick so he could avenge the death of his uncles and father, over and over again for the rest of his life, and kill as many as he could for his God and family. Like a farmer casts out seeds on the fertile soil of his land, so too here in the Balkans the seeds of hate have been cast out on the fertile and impressionable minds of the children. It has been this way in the past and it will be this way in the future. I have heard it said far too many times by the locals that the flames of the Balkans can only be extinguished by the shedding of blood. But it’s that very same blood that waters the seeds of hate as they are planted in the hearts and minds of the children that walks these intolerable dirt roads.

Chapter 9 ETERNAL HOPE The Scarf Being a patrol officer in a war zone is not like anything you could ever imagine. The only thing you could count on is when you were supposed to start your patrol and where you thought you were going to be patrolling. Past those ideas the options were wide open to every heartrending, ludicrous, dreadful, and forbidding thing that could possibly happen. The shift I preferred working was six at night to six in the morning. I liked working in the darkness. It was kind of relaxing for me to hide in the night and no one else wanted to patrol in the shadows. My partners would say they hated not being able to see the enemy but I thought the enemy couldn’t see me either. I never used my lights and liked to park up on high ground with my engine off, not making a sound, just waiting for whoever or whatever to make their first mistake in the darkness. After each night’s “tour of duty” my shift would meet with the next shift and go on the road to brief them on what had happened that night and any problems we thought they may encounter on their tour of duty and how to handle those possible incidents. It was important to suggest these ideas with the local police because we were not just working with them, we were training them. These officers didn’t have an easy lot in life. They walked to their assigned patrol station in this small village regardless of the distance. They ate their meal before their tour of duty and usually didn’t eat again until they walked back to their homes. They rarely enjoyed the luxury of a ride to work or bringing something with them to eat on patrol. Most of the international officers attributed the local officers’ slim physique to fitness and not to being in a state of borderline starvation most of the time, a circumstance they endured without complaint.

This Police Station was one of the best in the area. One of the Kosovo police officers I would see every morning was a tall, slender, young man that was always wearing a clean and pressed uniform with polished shoes and a matching uniform scarf around his neck. He was there every day without fail. I don’t think I ever saw him take a day off. My attention was first drawn to his eyes. They seemed to possess an unusual, wisdom like quality. I’m at a loss to completely explain or describe the look in his eyes. His eyes were clearly relaxed but yet alert and intent on every detail around him. His eyes appeared to reveal an understanding of the world around him to a level far exceeding his youthful years. Through his jokes on me and mine on him we developed a very strong big brother/ little brother relationship between us. On one particularly hot day I asked my young friend if he was going to be wearing his scarf with the collar buttoned up on such a hot day, or be like me and patrol with an open collar. He stood close to me and put his hand on my shoulder and said very quietly that he could

never be like anyone else and asked me if he could talk to me away from the others. We stepped outside and I watched in a state of controlled shock as he unbuttoned his collar and carefully removed the scarf from around his neck. From just under his left ear to just past the midway point across his throat, going under his chin was an indescribable scar. I could see it was an old scar from a wound that must have literally opened up the entire side of his neck. I could also see without even looking close the jagged crisscross of crudely gouged-in stitch marks that closed this wound and brought the two sides of this horrendous slash together. My young colleague began to tell me that several years earlier he had been with other youths of his village when they saw some soldiers they hated passing down the main street of their village. As they chased the soldiers, throwing rocks at their vehicles he made the mistake of running too close to one of the vehicles. To the horror of the villagers who were standing along the roadside, one of the soldiers reached out from his vehicle, grabbed the boy by his hair, pulled him up onto the side of the vehicle, stabbed a bayonet into his neck, and then ripped it across his throat. The soldier thought the boy was finished so he just let the body fall to the ground. He fell on to the road and then rolled into the ditch. Some of the local women grabbed him out of the drainage ditch. Without hesitation and literally out of nowhere, more women came and pinned him down while others crudely stitched his neck closed. The locally distilled alcohol drink was poured on the raw wound and then it was covered with mud and wrapped as tight as they could wrap it. He told me that according to the old women of the village; the real battle began when the fever came. He was told that “every hour and every day that passed brought him closer to his loved ones and further from the hands of God”. Each old women of the village took credit for his survival because they all had their own secret healing broth that they took turns feeding to him. As he slowly started to cover his neck with his scarf he told me something that truly amazed me. He

said that every day when he gets up and looks in his mirror and sees the scar that could have resulted in his death he pledges to his God that he will not be like the man who tried to take his life. He will always remember that all people are to be treated fairly whether they are part of the enemies of the past or not. He said that the scar will remind him as a police officer to be just and fair to everyone for the rest of the life God has given to him as a gift.

#https://www.crcpress.com/Surviving-the-International-War-Zone-Security-Lessons-Learned-and-Stories/Rail/p/book/9781138374348

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wp-yahoo-style-1042-yahoopa-blog · 5 years

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Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles has worn the same shirt since 2009 — here's why

Nick Foles is Lululemon’s first-ever NFL ambassador. (Photo: Lululemon)

Everyone is buzzing about former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles and his $88 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars — but that’s not the only gig he landed this week. The Super Bowl MVP started the week with other major news.

“Anyone else feel the tension in the air or is that just me?” he tweeted on Monday. “This isn’t that news. But it’s big news,” he continued before announcing his new role as elite ambassador for Lululemon. “Like me, they’re all about community, mindfulness and #thesweatlife… Stay tuned for that other announcement.”

“Foles represents the type of athlete lululemon seeks to align with – a high performing athlete, family man, entrepreneur and yogi,” said the brand in a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle. Foles is the first-ever NFL player to ink a deal with Lululemon, but he’s been a longtime fan of the brand. In an Instagram Q&A session following the news, the Super Bowl MVP admits he still wears a Lululemon shirt he bought 10 years ago.

“My purple Metal Vent Tech long sleeve with neon stitch was my first ever lululemon purchase that I got in college back in 2009,” he wrote. “I love it and still wear it today. But ABC Pants are my every day favorite.” Lululemon joked on Instagram that, “he’ll have a whole lot more Metal Vent Techs coming his way.”

Nick Foles does a Q&A on Lululemon Men’s Instagram Stories. (Photo: Instagram)

Wearing the same shirt for ten years might sound crazy to some, the Lululemon Metal Vent Tech Long Sleeve ($78) is one of the brand’s most popular men’s tops.

“I have several long sleeve Lululemon shirts; however, this is the best one ever made,” writes a fan of this Foles favorite. “It is warm when needs to be warm and cool when needs to be cool and the material is awesome. I highly recommend this shirt!”

Related: March Madness means mad TV deals from Samsung, Sony, Vizio and more

Another reviewer notes its versatility and fit: “This is a great shirt for running errands, lounging, and for warmth at the beginning of yoga practice. I love the length, and the relaxed fit isn’t too snug.”

“Most comfortable shirt I’ve ever owned,” writes a happy customer. “I have had this shirt for three weeks now, and it is the most worn shirt I have. The anti-stink definitely works too because I haven’t washed it since buying it because I do not want to go a day without wearing it. Awesome shirt.”

Lululemon Metal Vent Tech Long Sleeve in Black/White. (Photo: Lululemon)

Foles’ ‘every day favorite,’ the ABC Pants ($128) are a classic-fit pair of casual four-way stretch bottoms made with sweat-wicking fabric.

“I got my first pair and loved them so much I ordered a second pair a couple of hours later. Just as comfortable as sweats but they are dress pants!!!!,” writes a fan.

One happy customer notes, “They’re dressy enough for important business meetings but casual enough to wear to on weekends. Plus they’re machine washable!”

Another reviewer ditched jeans in favor of the Nick Foles-approved pants. “I barely ever wear jeans anymore. These pants are honestly the most comfortable pants I have ever worn. I now own 5 pairs and will continue to add to my collection.”

Lululemon ABC Pants. (Photo: Lululemon)

“I’m not sure I’ll travel in anything but ABC. These pants are life-changing, and I now need them in all colors,” says another.

The editors at Yahoo Lifestyle are committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. At times, we may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.

Read More from Yahoo Lifestyle:

‘The answer to my prayers’: The sneakers reviewers say are the most comfortable ever

This is one of Amazon’s bestselling backpacks, and it’s only $17. Here’s why travelers love it.

The best-selling leggings on Amazon are only $11: ‘They fit the same, if not better’ than LulaRoe

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo’s newsletter.

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#sports #yahoo shopping #_author:Adrianna Barrionuevo #health #football #_lmsid:a0Vd000000AE7lXEAT #nick foles #eagles #lululemon #_revsp:wp.yahoo.style.us #philadelphia #nfl #workout #men #wellness #style #_uuid:0eb150c1-5286-3cf3-bd34-fb04ebb4c76a #shopping

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poipoi1912 · 7 years

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Looking In

Fandoms: Lucifer, Law & Order: SVU (crossover)

Characters: Lucifer Morningstar, Sonny Carisi.

Pairings: Deckerstar, Barisi.

Summary: In which Lucifer Morningstar meets another leggy blond detective, and parallels are inevitably drawn. Except Sonny ends up being more like Dr. Linda.

(4K. Angst and humor and happy endings. Written by request, though it's quite different than the playful prompt might suggest. It does start off as a seduction, but it ends as a conversation between friends. It would help to be familiar with both shows, but it's not absolutely vital. You can click the links above for visual references.)

~ ~ ~

Lucifer meets Sonny at Lux.

He’s making the rounds, trying to be a gracious host, and he’s scanning the club to find the evening’s entertainment, when he notices a fresh-faced and well-dressed man he’s never seen before.

The man, Sonny, as Lucifer later learns, he’s drinking alone on the edge of the bar. Men and women keep approaching him, gorgeous men and women, most of whom Lucifer’s already had the pleasure of bedding, but they’re all turned away with a polite smile.

Lucifer smirks.

This might be a fun challenge.

Not that it’ll be particularly challenging. There aren’t many people who can resist him.

Just the one.

Lucifer asks Manbun to prepare two of whatever Sonny’s having, and then he makes his way to the other side of the bar, smiling as he sets down the drinks and introduces himself.

His smile appears to have little effect.

Sonny smiles back, but it’s another polite smile, just like the ones he’s been using all night to get rid of unwanted suitors, and Lucifer is baffled.

The devil usually has impeccable gaydar, but he still has to allow for the possibility Sonny could be straight.

In an attempt to determine that with absolute certainty, Lucifer starts a casual conversation. He decides to go with fashion, since Sonny’s outfit is clearly tailor-made. Lucifer always appreciates a perfectly fitted suit, not to mention a nice vest, and he says as much, and it doesn’t take long for Sonny to warm up to him and start talking.

Sonny mentions ‘Caprizio,’ who’s some sort of tailor on Staten Island somewhere, and Lucifer tries to suppress a grimace. The devil does not venture out to the East Coast, and if he did, he sure as hell wouldn’t visit Staten Island. He’s been to hell once already.

Still, Lucifer smiles and says he can offer some recommendations, he can suggest some local tailors, here on the West Coast, if Sonny’s in the market for another outfit.

Turns out, he’s not.

Sonny’s only in L.A. for a week, apparently. On vacation. Visiting old college friends. This is his last night.

Lucifer thinks that sounds promising.

That ticking clock, that internal countdown, that fear the fun is about to end, it’s fueled several of his sexual escapades.

That’s why Lucifer always tries to get Lux in all the Los Angeles travel guides.

Tourists are fun.

Sonny looks fun.

Lucifer smiles, as suggestively as humanly possible and then some, but Sonny’s smile remains polite.

Friendly.

Straight, then.

Lucifer laments the waste of ten minutes, ten minutes he could have spent with one of the Brittanys, but he decides to make one final attempt, before he throws in the towel.

Lucifer takes a step closer, and he invites Sonny to feel the vest he’s wearing. To feel the expensive material, the delicate stitching, the intricate craftsmanship.

Sonny winces, for some reason, as soon as his eyes fall on Lucifer’s pocket square. He looks sad, all of a sudden, and Lucifer is about to step away, because he has no time for ‘sad,’ when Sonny’s hand reaches out to touch.

Hesitantly.

Lucifer smirks.

And then he stops smirking, and then he gets tired of waiting for Sonny’s hand to stop moving in slow motion, so he makes things easier by taking another step, even closer. Sonny’s hand makes contact with his chest, abruptly, fingers landing on Lucifer’s nipple.

By ‘accident.’

Lucifer doesn’t let that drop, of course.

He doesn’t let anything drop. Lucifer squeezes in as many puns as he can, as much innuendo, casually mentioning his manly whatnots, and the fact his berries are ripe and ready to be harvested, while Sonny starts rubbing at his abs.

In a decidedly non-straight manner.

Not a waste of time, after all.

Lucifer preens as Sonny keeps laughing here and there, looking more and more comfortable with each pun.

It’s endearing, how silly pick-up lines seem to make Sonny feel at ease. Lucifer isn’t used to that. Most of the time, he doesn’t even need to use pick-up lines. And when he does, he’s used to getting scoffs and eyerolls.

Every time.

Every time he offers to show Chloe… to show someone ‘the original Stairway to Heaven’. Which is a perfectly decent line, if you ask Lucifer.

Just to prove a point, Lucifer uses that same line on Sonny.

Sonny doesn’t roll his eyes.

Sonny smiles, instead, as he looks up at Lucifer with his head tilted back and his lips slightly parted.

It’s clear he’s not used to being the short one. Sonny is a tall man, but Lucifer has at least a couple of inches on him, and that has to be new. It’s fun to watch, as Sonny tries to lean in, to lean upwards, as though he can make himself taller just by craning his neck.

Lucifer leans in, too. To get a closer look at those full, pink lips, and get some ideas for later.

Sonny notices the blatant staring, but he doesn’t move away. He just moves his hand lower, and starts mindlessly caressing the flapping ends of Lucifer’s jacket.

“In case you’re wondering, the devil does, indeed, wear Prada,” Lucifer says, and Sonny snorts.

“Right. The devil. So what’s your real name, ‘Lucifer’?”

Sonny has a pleasantly familiar look on his face.

An inquisitive look.

Like he’s trying to suss Lucifer out, like he’s not buying this ‘devil’ business at all, and he’s only playing along to get to the truth.

Lucifer tries not to let that ruin the mood.

“I don’t lie, Sonny. My name is Lucifer Morningstar.”

Sonny hums.

“I wanted to become a priest, when I was a kid.”

Lucifer’s mood takes a nosedive.

This was a bad idea from the start. Thinking about Frank is the last thing he needs right now, and he’s three seconds away from ditching this ‘Sonny’ guy and finding someone else who won’t make him think of pain.

Until he sees Sonny’s expression.

He sees a challenge.

A smirk.

He realizes that Sonny is trying to get a rise out of him. Gage his reaction.

This is a test.

Lucifer is almost impressed, and he knows exactly how to respond.

“It’s too bad you changed your mind. I’ve always wanted to bed a man of the cloth.”

Sonny chokes on his drink, and some liquid spills out of his lips, shiny and wet, and Lucifer’s mood comes back with a vengeance.

By the time Sonny wipes at his mouth with long fingers, Lucifer has a laundry list of ideas.

For later.

Or sooner.

Lucifer decides to cut to the chase and ask Sonny what he truly desires.

“Barba.”

That’s all Sonny says, eyes wide, like he wasn’t expecting to say it.

Lucifer is intrigued by the one-word answer, so he asks for details.

“Who is this Barba you talk of?”

Sonny hesitates for a second, but Lucifer leans in, even closer, and he raises an eyebrow, and he mutters an encouraging, “Come on, Sonny, you can tell me,” and that’s all it takes.

“He’s a guy I work with. He’s an Assistant District Attorney, in Manhattan. I’m a detective.”

Lucifer is the one who winces this time, though he hopes he looks a little less sad than Sonny did, earlier.

Of all the people at Lux, of all the models and the actors and the athletes, Lucifer picked a leggy blond detective who wants to know who he really is.

Figures.

Still, he wants to hear more about Sonny’s desires.

“Alright. I didn’t ask you for his resume, but alright. You work with him, and you want to have him. Brilliant. How, exactly, do you picture that? What do you desire? Be very specific.”

Sonny gapes, as if he’s trying to decide what to talk about first, which fantasy to describe, hopefully in explicit detail, so that Lucifer can recreate it lat-

“I want him to love me back.”

Bloody hell.

Sonny blinks, several times, like he’s trying to understand why he’s pouring his heart out to an extraordinarily handsome stranger, and Lucifer takes a deep breath.

This is not what he signed up for.

Lucifer should be looking for another partner already, because he doesn’t do lovelorn fools, and yet here he is.

There’s something about this Sonny. Lucifer wants to hear more, so he nods to urge Sonny along.

“I, uh. I’ve always had feelings for him. Since we first met. And that was the problem. I came on too strong, and I think I blew it. I kept chasin’ after him like a puppy. Makin’ dumb jokes, to get him to laugh. Tryin’ to act like we had a lot in common, when we really didn’t. Tryin’ to work cases with him, just to get him alone. Tryin’ to get him to like me. Just… tryin’ too hard. All the time.”

Oh.

That sounds disturbingly familiar.

Lucifer must know the rest of this story.

“And? Does he not like you now?”

Sonny shakes his head.

“He… Well, things are better now. Now that I reined myself in. Now that he knows me a little better. We’re friendly, now. Friends, even. So… I guess he likes me.

“Sometimes he’ll say something, or he’ll look at me, and I’ll think maybe there’s still hope. But, most of the time, I think he’s always gonna think of me as that annoying guy who wouldn’t shut up.”

Lucifer is beginning to realize the magnitude of his mistake.

Introspection is not his friend. That’s why he has Dr. Linda, to look inside him for him. Lucifer doesn’t particularly want to see what’s there.

But his casual hook-ups, they’re supposed to be fun. Lucifer is not supposed to identify with them. He’s not supposed to question his own actions. His life, so far. That’s never a good idea. It always leads t-

“So there you have it. Barba’s a guy who’s way out of my league. It’s probably never gonna happen, between us. And I guess I’m okay with that. What would he even want with me? I’m not… He’s different. Special, you know?”

Lucifer does know, unfortunately.

“This Barba of yours, is he kind? And generous? And selfless? Is he fundamentally good, and you feel you couldn’t possibly measure up? You feel you’re not worth it?”

Sonny lets out a surprised laugh.

“Uh, no. He’s actually kind of an asshole. Huge ego.”

Lucifer is confused.

Sonny seems perfectly nice, and it’s clear he has excellent taste, because he keeps licking his lips and staring, eyes drawn to Lucifer’s chest, to the undone buttons, like he wants to undo the rest of them, too.

Lucifer doesn’t understand why Sonny would ever waste his time with someone like this Barb-

“But yeah. I definitely don’t measure up. Barba’s too smart, he’s too classy, too passionate, too strong, and… He is good. I like to think I’m good, too, but it’s not the same. I’m just a guy from Staten Island. He can do better.”

This, this sounds painfully familiar.

Excruciatingly.

Chloe can do better, too. She may pretend that Lucifer isn’t beneath her, to spare his feelings, but Lucifer knows the truth. Lucifer knows she can do better, and she deserves better, she deserves someone better, and that’s not who he is.

He’s not better, or even good.

He’s not bad. He’s not worse.

Lucifer is a monster, and Chloe doesn’t know.

Maybe she’ll never know.

Sonny doesn’t know either, but that weighs considerably lighter on Lucifer’s conscience.

This is about fun. Lucifer is about to give Sonny the best night of his life, and they’ll never see each other again, and it will mean nothing.

What Lucifer has with Chloe, it holds meaning.

It’s not about fun.

Chloe isn’t about fun.

Chloe is about love.

And love isn’t fun, at least not in Lucifer’s experience, not that he’s ever experienced it before, not that he’s ever admitted that before, and how’s that for introspection?

Love.

Dr. Linda will have her work cut out for her, in their next session, and she’ll have a big fat ‘I told you so’ for Lucifer, and it’ll all be Sonny’s fault.

Lucifer thinks Sonny should be punished, for even uttering the word love in his presence so casually.

Lucifer has a paddle that should do the trick.

He’ll ask Sonny, of course, when they get upstairs. Lucifer is a very considerate lover, and he can’t quite decide if Sonny would rather the paddle or the riding crop.

The very thought of that perks Lucifer right up, so he puts an arm around Sonny’s neck, trying to sidle closer. He’s hoping to use his other hand to cop a feel of Sonny’s rear end, just to see what he’ll be working with later.

Sonny stays still. He doesn’t immediately cozy up to Lucifer, he doesn’t seem to relish in Lucifer’s embrace, not like most people do.

Sonny isn’t even looking up at Lucifer anymore, he no longer seems entranced by Lucifer’s chest hair, he no longer seems interested in fondling Lucifer’s suit.

He’s looking down, into his drink. He’s obviously dwelling on this Barba, on the missed opportunities, perhaps, on the unfulfilled potential.

On what is lost.

Lucifer thinks Sonny is used to another type of punishment, one which doesn’t involve the use of pleasurable implements.

Sonny is used to punishing himself.

Alright.

That’s it.

This will be the first and last time Lucifer ever feels anything for one of his gentlemen callers. This empathy, this hashtag relatable sensation, this sense of understanding, it can’t be good for him.

It’s nauseating.

Love feels like mild nausea.

Lucifer doesn’t know if that’s normal. Maybe he can ask Sonny, or Dr. Linda.

Not having Chloe, not deserving Chloe, the knowledge of it is nauseating, and what’s even more nauseating is that Lucifer is talking to a very attractive young man and all he can seem to do is pine after his detective.

“Listen, detectiv… Sonny, I don’t know much about this Barba person, but I do know that he’d be lucky to have you. If you’re good enough for the devil, darling, I assure you you’re good enough for him. Tell me this. I’m much better looking than he is. Right?”

Sonny loses that morose expression, finally, and he smirks a cocky smirk that makes him look ten times sexier. Lucifer remembers why he picked Sonny in the first place, out of everyone else in this club.

“Well… Yeah. You are. Truth be told, you’re better lookin’ than most people.”

Lucifer smirks back.

“Right. Of course I am. Thank you. And I’ll have you know that I have very high standards. Or… well, medium-high standards. But you definitely fit the bill. You should be proud.”

Sonny laughs, and his shoulders shake under Lucifer’s arm, and it feels wrong, somehow. Not like canoodling with a lover. More like comforting an old mate.

Lucifer soldiers on.

“Now, what do you say? I promise you, after a night with me, you won’t even remember this Barba.”

That was the wrong thing to say.

Lucifer knows that.

Lucifer knows it, because he could spend a million nights with others, he has spent months and months with others, every night, and every morning, and some afternoons, too, but he’s never forgotten Chloe. He could never forget her.

He doesn’t want to.

Love.

Sonny isn’t laughing anymore.

In fact, Lucifer is surprised to find him standing about a foot away. He somehow managed to slither out of Lucifer’s arms, probably while Lucifer was too busy dwelling on Chl-

“Your person. Your… guy?”

Lucifer smiles. It appears he is more transparent than he thought.

“It’s a lady, I’m afraid.”

Sonny smiles.

“Okay. So, your girl, the girl who’s selfless, and kind, and too good for you, you ever tell her how you feel?”

Bloody hell.

If Lucifer wanted therapy, he’d talk to his actual therapist. Not an eerily insightful stranger. Dr. Linda would never…

Actually, she’d probably ask him this exact same question. Maybe with a little less compassion. With a little more honesty, the kind that’s earned with friendship. Dr. Linda would ask him why he keeps chickening out, time and time again, why h-

“Did you ever ask her? Sure, she’s gotta be pretty special, if she’s got a guy like you second-guessin’ himself, but forget about what you think. Maybe she thinks you’re good enough. Maybe she has, like, medium-low standards. You never know.”

Lucifer appreciates both the joke and the pragmatism.

Chloe would need to have medium-low standards to even consider him, if not flat-out low, and that’s the problem. She deserves better.

“I have, actually. I asked her on a date. And I never bothered to show up.”

Sonny pauses for several moments, and Lucifer braces himself for another Dr. Linda-esque bit of wisdom, becaus-

“Because you want her to love you back.”

Lucifer was expecting something more overtly scathing, about him being a coward, perhaps, but this still scathes just fine.

“I suppose.”

That’s an understatement.

There’s nothing Lucifer wants more.

He doesn’t want a simple date. A dinner and a shag. Lucifer wants Chloe to love him back, except he’d have to confess his own feelings first, his own love, and that’s about number five on the list of things he really needs to confess, and what’s the point?

She doesn’t know.

She doesn’t believe him.

Lucifer sighs.

This night is going a lot worse than he ever anticipated, but maybe he can still get something out of it.

Some advice.

“Have you ever told your ‘person,’ Sonny? You’re easy on the eyes, and easy to talk to, and you wear the hell out of those trousers, pun intended. What have you got to lose?”

A lot, going by Sonny’s smile.

“I can’t afford to tell him. Not now. He’s, uh… He’s been receiving death threats, and I’m supposed to protect him. I can’t risk that. I can’t have him requesting another officer for his protective detail. I gotta be there, to make sure he’s safe.”

Right.

Lucifer knows that feeling, and the threats definitely complicate things, except…

“So why are you in Los Angeles? Have you left him behind? Unprotected?”

Sonny smiles again, and it still looks like he’s being punished.

“No. I’d never... Barba’s on vacation too. St. Barths. He wanted to ‘get away from it all’. That’s what he said. He’s with some friends of his from Harvard, the types who own yachts and rent out entire resorts, you know? One of ‘em is a New York Senator, so Barba has protection from the Secret Service while he’s there.”

Ooh.

Fancy.

Lucifer thinks he would like to meet this Barba.

“Well, well, well. He sounds like a man who knows how to enjoy himself. All the more reason you should ask him. I’m sure he wouldn’t kick you out of bed.”

Sonny laughs this time.

“You say that ‘cause you don’t know him. He would totally kick me out of bed. Literally.”

Barba is feisty, too, it seems. Sonny’s attitude makes more sense now.

Lucifer knows exactly what it’s like to want someone who’s f-

Sonny’s phone beeps, and he scrambles to get it out of his pocket.

Suspiciously.

“What’s the rush, Sonny? Could this be your Barba, calling?”

Sonny doesn’t seem to think so.

“Nah. It’s just the Special Agent in Charge. I asked her to send me daily updates on Barba’s status.”

Lucifer pouts.

“Aw. How thoughtful. Updates, as in surreptitiously taken pictures of Barba in a bathing suit? Or…”

Sonny rolls his eyes, and that feels pleasantly familiar, too.

“Or. Let me just check the text, and I’ll… Uh.”

Sonny is frowning.

Intensely.

“What’s wrong, Sonny? Is your Barba alright?”

Sonny is gaping.

“Yeah. He, uh. He texted me.”

Lucifer feels something resembling excitement, which is strange, considering none of this involves him personally.

“Well? What did he say?”

Sonny is still gaping, so Lucifer grabs the phone out of his hand.

‘Did you seriously ask a Secret Service Agent to give you updates on how my vacation is going, Carisi?

‘You could have asked me. It’s boring. And sandy. I miss Manhattan. I miss the Met. I miss my office. I may even miss you, driving me home every night.

‘That’s how boring it is, here. I’ll be back in two days. I’ll expect a full report on your L.A. misadventures.’

Lucifer smiles.

Barba sounds fun.

And feisty, as predicted.

Sonny still looks flabbergasted.

“I didn’t tell him I’d be in L.A.”

Lucifer watches all the expressions rapidly changing on Sonny’s face, and he thinks maybe love can be fun, too, sometimes.

“Well, obviously he asked after you. He wanted to know what you’d be doing, while he was gone. There’s hope for you yet, detect… Sonny.”

Sonny looks like he might actually believe that.

Like he’ll ask.

“But! Just on the off-chance your Barba is an idiot, here, take a selfie with me. Come closer. If he plays hard to get, you can produce pictorial evidence of your ‘misadventures.’ You can tell him you hooked up with the owner of the hottest club in Los Angeles. See how he likes it.”

Sonny snorts, but he does get his phone back from Lucifer.

Sonny does move closer, eagerly, fitting under Lucifer’s arm just right. He presses his face against Lucifer’s, cheek soft against Lucifer’s stubble, and Lucifer almost laments the fact this will be the most physical contact they’ll have tonight.

Almost.

Sonny snaps a picture, and Lucifer checks it to make sure he looks amazing, which he always does, but it doesn’t hurt to be diligent.

They look nice together, actually.

Still, Lucifer hopes Sonny won’t have to use the picture. He hopes Barba won’t be an idiot. Lucifer hopes Sonny can stop punishing himself, and take the leap, and then maybe Lucifer can try, too, mayb-

“Want me to send you the pic? So you can show it to your girl? Brag about how you had a good time with one of New York’s finest?”

Lucifer chuckles.

“No. That wouldn’t exactly help my case.”

Sonny grins.

“Ask her, Lucifer. Maybe it’ll work out. Talk to her. I mean, why would she say no? For bein’ the devil, and all, you’re a pretty nice guy.”

Lucifer is nothing of the sort.

Lucifer is the devil.

The devil isn’t nic-

“The devil is an angel. You know that, right? A fallen angel, sure, but same difference. Angels who fall, they can also rise.”

Lucifer has the sudden urge to ask if Sonny has any sisters. If, perhaps, one of them happens to be a blonde therapist by the name of Dr. Linda Martin, currently practicing in the greater Los Angeles area.

Sonny is smiling again, and it’s that same polite smile from before, except a little warmer, and Lucifer suspects he somehow managed to get friendzoned.

Or maybe he just made a friend.

It’s hard to tell the difference.

“My lady, Chloe. She’s a police detective. Like you. I help her. We work together, like you and your Barba. We solve crimes.”

Sonny narrows his eyes.

“The devil solves crimes in Los Angeles?”

Lucifer shrugs.

“As good a place as any.”

Sonny can’t seem to argue with that.

“You should try New York City, sometime.”

Lucifer thinks that might be a good idea, after all.

Maybe he could visit the East Coast, and meet this Barba.

Maybe he could ask what Barba truly desires, as a favor to Sonny. Lucifer has a feeling Sonny would find that answer very helpful. Not to mention, Sonny would owe him, which can never hurt. What if Chloe ever wants a contact with the NYPD? Some help, for a case? Lucifer could provide that for h-

“Ask her.”

Lucifer hums.

He can’t ask Chloe about her desires.

He doesn’t affect her.

Then again, maybe that’s why he should ask her.

Maybe be can’t compel her to tell the truth, but that doesn’t mean she won’t be honest, anyway.

Out of her own free will.

Maybe Lucifer will ask Chloe.

Maybe he’ll tell her the truth, first.

Maybe he’ll tell her he’s the devil, he’s a monster, he fell, but she makes him feel like he can rise again.

Then, he’ll ask her.

Now, as the night winds down, there’s something Lucifer wants to ask Sonny.

“Just for the record, would you say you’d rather be spanked with a paddle, or would you prefer a riding crop?”

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lefilmdujour · 4 years

Text

Another 500th movie celebration

My Tumblr just reached the 1000 movies mark, so I figured it’s time I write something about my last 2 and a half years of movie viewings and recommend 50 more movies out of the ones I’ve seen since the last 500th movie celebration.

Times have been strange in the last couple of years, and my movie habits have reflected it. There have been times when watching films was all I would do, but there have also been moments of complete disconnection from the medium. I went from watching several movies every day to spending months avoiding anything to do with sitting through a movie.

Part of it had to do with the space I share with my demons, but mostly there has been a change of pace. My laptop died, it took me months to get another one only to also die on me. On the other hand, an enormous chunk of my viewings have been in cinemas or squats, which is a very positive change but led me to watch more recent films in detriment of classics or ancient underappreciated gems. I also got my first TV in over a decade this month, and my very first Netflix account last week, so I may be exploring streaming a bit more, although so far I am not finding the experience at all satisfying. All pointless excuses since I went through 500+ movies in a little over two years, which is not bad at all.

It was hard to pick only 50 movies this time, and the list would have probably looked a little different if I did it tomorrow. Regardless, here are 50 movies I recommend, and why. Random order, all deserving of love and attention.

Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff) - This movie is unfairly ignored in the best comic book adaptation lists out there on the internet. The opening scene is memorable, the soundtrack is a lesson in early Blues, and the characters are quirky and well written.

Hate (Mathieu Kassovitz) - An absolute classic about the class system in France and its tendency to end up in riots. Beautiful shot and highly quotable. Saw it a few times, the last of them with a live score from Asian Dub Foundation. One of the greats.

Audition (Takashi Miike) - Whenever I’m asked about my favorite horror movie, I tend to fall back on this one. Audition is very slow, starting out soft but with an underlying tension that builds until the absolutely gut-wrenching finale that makes us question our own sanity. Brilliant subversion of the “hear, don’t see” rule, just the though of some of the sounds used in the most graphic scenes still send shivers down my spine.

Kedi (Ceyda Torun) - A Turkish documentary about street cats, what’s there not to like?

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Park Chan-wook) - The third in the loosely-connected Vengeance trilogy by Park Chan-wook, and my favorite of the bunch, especially the Fade to Black and White edition, in which the movie very gradually loses color as the violence grows. A visual masterpiece.

Paterson (Jim Jarmusch) - The poetry of routine. Adam Driver is one hell of an actor.

Love Me If You Dare (Yann Samuell) - Two people that obviously love each other but are not mature enough to follow it through. Frustrating. Beautiful. Made me sob.

The Exterminating Angel (Luis Buñuel) - I am realizing that a good part of this list deals with frustration. A group of people finds themselves unable to leave a party for no apparent reason. Buñuel is a genious in surrealism, I have yet to watch most of his Mexican period.

The Mutants (Teresa Villaverde) - Kids on the run from themselves. Strong visuals, very moving interactions at times. A hard but very rewarding watch. Teresa Villaverde’s entire filmography also gets a seal of approval.

Bad Education (Pedro Almodóvar) - A movie about sexuality and problematic relationships, taken to unbelievable extremes.

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu) - The adventures of Mr. Lazarescu as he struggles to find help for the sudden pain he feels and ends up being passed on from hospital to hospital. Felt very real. Sold as a comedy, but I found it terrifying.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lanthimos) - A classic greek tragedy brought to the modern age. My favorite Lanthimos film, ranking slightly below Dogtooth. The deadpan acting and the unnerving sound serves as wonderful misdirection.

It’s Such a Beautiful Day (Don Hertzfeldt) - Three shorts stitched together to create a confusing, philosophical, absurd, funny and deep masterpiece. The animation skills of Don Hertzfeldt needs more recognition.

Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu) - A movie so good it didn’t even had an English name. Three tales of love, violence and loss, all linked by a dog.

Endless Poetry (Alejandro Jodorowsky) - Jodorowsky’s romanticized auto-biography, played by his own sons.Bohemian and poetic.

The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer) - Show this movie to someone who refuses to watch silent movies. The acting is so impactful and emotional, and the use of close ups was highly unusual for the time. A 90-plus years old masterpiece.

Everything is Illuminated (Liev Schreiber) - Sunflowers.

Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan) - I have a soft spot for war movies, as to remind myself how brutal people can be to their fellow man and how meaningless the concept of nations truly is. This movie in particular achieves greatness due to its usage of sound, the best I’ve heard in recent memory.

Vagabond (Agnès Varda) - Be careful of what you wish for yourself, you may end up frozen and miserable in a ditch (spoilers for literally the first few seconds of the film).

Stroszek (Werner Herzog) - I know Herzog mostly through his documentaries. His voice brings me the feeling of a deranged grandpa sharing stories of a reality tainted by dementia. I have yet to explore his fiction work in-depth, and this has been my starting point. Stroszek is bleak and desperate but humor still shines through it at times. Ian Curtis allegedly hung himself after watching it. Not sure if this story is real, but it once more feeds into the Herzog myth.

HyperNormalization (Adam Curtis) - Put together through found footage and newscasts, HyperNormalization is an unforgiving study on how we got to where we currently are. Fake becomes real. Trust is an abandoned concept. “They've undermined our confidence in the news that we are reading/And they make us fight each other with our faces buried deep inside our phones”, as AJJ sings in Normalization Blues. Which you should also check out.

Chicken with Plums (Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud) - A man decides to die, so he goes to bed and waits. An apparent simple plot that uncovers a world of beauty and poetry, as life passes slowly through the man’s eyes.

The Florida Project (Sam Baker) - William Dafoe was born to play the role of a motel manager. He is so natural in his role that I think he would actually be great in that job. The rest of the movie is great too, but his performance is the highlight for me.

Lucky (John Carroll Lynch) - Speaking of great performances, Lucky is Harry Dean Stanton’s final movie and a great send off. IMDB describes it best: “The spiritual journey of a ninety-year-old atheist.“

Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders) - More Harry Dean Stanton. The desert plays a more than decorative role in this wonderful movie, representing the emptiness that comes from estrangement. A story about reunion and all that can come from it.

On Chesil Beach (Dominic Cooke) - I sometimes cry in movies, but this one shook me to the core. A play on expectations and reactions and their devastating impact on relationships. We all fuck up sometimes. Try not to fuck up like these characters did, not on that level, you will never be able to make up for it.

The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson) - An absolute classic. A movie about the concept of family.

No Country for Old Men (Coen Brothers) - Murder mysteries and bad haircuts.

Dawson City: Frozen Time (Bill Morrison) - I highly recommend this documentary for anyone who professes their love for cinema. The story of how hundreds of lost silent movies were preserved though sheer luck and human stupidity. Seeing these damaged frames coming back to life is truly magical.

Mandy (Panos Cosmatos) - Some films turn into cult experiences through the years, some selected few are already born that way. Mandy is a psychedelic freak-out and Nicholas Cage fits like a glove in its weirdness. If you didn’t catch it while in cinemas, you’re already missing out on the full experience. Mandy is filled with film grain, which adds to the hallucinogenic experience with its continuous movement, a feature that does not translate when transferred to a digital medium.

City of God (Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund) - A masterpiece of Brazilian cinema, very meaningful and relatable if you grew up in a similar environment. One of the most quotable films in my memory, something that gets lost in translation if you don’t speak Portuguese. My Tumblr is mostly pictures because I “só sei lê só as figura”.

Loro (Paolo Sorrentino) - On the topic of languages, I watched this Italian movie with Dutch subtitles, by mistake. It is actually an interesting exercise, watching something without fully grasping every word and letting your mind patch the pieces together to make a coherent narrative. Impressive cinematography, amazing script. I learned a lot about corruption, not everyone has a price. I also learned I can speak Italian now.

Roma (Alfonso Cuarón) - Beautiful shot, every frame of it can be turned into a picture. Roma is about the meaning of family, seen from the eyes of someone who will never be part of it. A lot of people considered this movie boring and pointless. These people probably have maids at home.

Bad Times at the El Royale (Drew Goddard) - Engaging heist movie, well developed characters, amazing soundtrack.

Melancholia (Lars von Trier) - The World is coming to an end and the date and time has been announced. How would you react to these news? Would it matter?

Climax (Gaspar Noé) - A very scary experience, equal parts trippy and evil like all Gaspar Noé’s movies. A dark ballet that that shocks and confuses the senses. Dante’s Inferno.

Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold) - A strong story about ambitions, neglect and survival. Katie Jarvis is very realistic in her performance, a little too much judging by her history after the movie.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Ana Lily Amirpour) - An Iranian feminist movie about vampirism and records. Watched it with live score from The Black Heart Rebellion for extra cool points.

Another Day of Life (Raul de la Fuente & Damian Nenow) - Based on Ryszard Kapuściński‘s autobiography, Another Day of Life consists of rotoscopic animation sprinkled with interviews. A look at the Cold War in the African continent, and an important watch for everyone, especially Portuguese and Angolan nationals.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino) - Rich in dialogues and paced very slowly until the insane climax, this is probably the best Tarantino film after Pulp Fiction. Filled to the brim with cinematic references, it’s a delight to all film nerds. Looking forward for an Bud Spencer/Terrence Hill film adaption with Leonardo Dicaprio and Brad Pitt after this.

The Beach Bum (Harmony Korine) - Google’s top voted tags: Boring. Mindless. Cringe-Worthy. Forgettable. Slow. Illogical. Looks like this movie didn’t resonate well with the audiences, but then again Harmony Korine’s stuff is not for the masses. I personally think this is one of his best movies, a true exercise on nihilism. The main character is lovable and detestable in equal parts, and every action is pointless. Such is life, the only meaning it has is attributed by yourself.

The Mirror (Andrei Tarkovsky) - A man reflects on his life. Memories tend to get fuzzy, conflicting and confusing. More like a poem than a narrative. A dreamy masterpiece.

The Spirit of the Beehive (Víctor Erice) - The most charming child of this list, she couldn’t memorize the names of the characters she interacted with so they were changed to the names of the actual actors. The innocence of childhood in dark times.

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Roy Andersson) - A series of absurd vignettes connected by a pair of novelty items salesmen and their struggle to bring a smile to a grey World. Slow, but humorous and delightful. An unconventional and memorable ride.

Man Bites Dog (Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel & Benoît Poelvoorde) - Fake documentary about a serial killer. Heavy, gruesome and hard to watch, despite the false sense of humor in some scenes.A glimpse at the darkness of human nature.

Tangerine (Sean Baker) - Shot with cell phones. A story about love, gender and friendship. Funny, sad, touching.

The Guilty (Gustav Möller) - Focused on a shift of an emergency dispatcher, the camera focuses only on his face and phone interactions with the callers.A very effective thriller, its setting leads us to create our own narratives just to subvert them at the most unexpected times.

Cold War (Paweł Pawlikowski) - Loosely inspired in Pawlikowski’s parents, Cold War is a beautiful love story set against impossible odds. Powerful and heartbreaking.

Parasite (Bong Joon-ho) - Poor family scams rich family. Rich family takes advantage of poor family. Everybody feeds off of everyone. Drama/Comedy/Thriller/Horror/Romance about control, delivered in a masterclass on cinematic rhythm. Best film of its year for me.

The Straight Story (David Lynch) - More than the fact that this movie is radically different than the remaining Lynch work, The Straight Story is a wonderful exercise in pacing and storytelling. Mr. Straight’s stories allow us to fill in the blanks with our imagination, and their impact in him is also felt in us. An underappreciated gem in its apparent simplicity.

Thank you very much for reading.

#yay me #Movie Recommendation

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