#it's an interesting set of traits. I think she takes after Maxwell in the way that anybody with magical powers in this world goes a tiny bit | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

phoenixfox56 · 3 years

Text

The Beaumont Family Secret

Rating - Mature

Summary - Riley and Savannah discover a common theme in house Beaumont.

Pairing - Maxwell x MC, Bertrand x Savannah

Word Count - 1,374

Note - Sorry, not sorry. I had fun with this one.

Riley and Savannah sat by a wall at one end of the kitchen. Pulling over a couple of chairs once the Beaumont brothers started to disagree and bicker about what to have for dinner. Savannah sat with Bartie cradled in her arms fast asleep as she slowly rocked and bounced. Riley pulled Chance onto her lap when he came over to whine at her feet. She scratched his head between his ears and rubbed down his back. Continuing to pet him as he stilled on her lap.

Riley looked over to Savannah, looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms, then over to Bertrand who was standing on one side of an island. Bertrand’s arm was across his chest holding up his other that currently has been pinching the bridge of his nose as he becomes more frustrated with his younger brother. Maxwell stood opposite the island, hands flat on the counter surface as he leaned his weight on it, trying to convince his big brother that more is always better.

Riley returned her gaze back to her sister-in-law. “Can I ask you something?”

Savannah swung her head to face her not daring to stop her rocking motion. “Of course.”

Riley took a moment before continuing. “What attracts you to Bertrand?”

Savannah’s eyebrows shot up, clearly surprised by the question. Before she can answer Riley quickly continues.

“I’ve just been kinda curious. I mean he IS quite a bit older than you. Plus, he can be pretty stuffy and really emotionally closed off. I know sometimes he isn’t but MOST of the time, yeah.” Riley rushed the words out in a strange panicky way. Savannah’s surprise turned to amusement as Riley word vomited at her.

“Well, let me think. Given his upbringing he can be quite polite, charming even. It was difficult not to swoon a little when he spoke, especially when he made speeches. He can be exceptionally smooth with his words. Mix that with his dashing good looks. His posture is so confident. Plus, I mean, sexy eyebrows.” She winks. “And now he is such a wonderful father. It just ties it together.”

“Actually, what ties it together has to be what you left out.” Riley adds.

“What do you mean?” She stares confusingly back.

“Just, you know … “Riley leans over and whispers her next question. “What’s he like in bed?”

“Oh!” Savannah’s cheeks redden. She takes a moment to compose herself. “I didn’t know you were THAT curious, Riley.” She says playfully.

“Come on now, it’s just a bit of fun. There HAS to be a good reason someone as wonderful as you are, is with mister grumpy over there. What really piqued my interest was the fact you slept with him once, only once! And fell in love with him. Even after everything stupid he did! You still couldn’t resist. Now spill the beans missy. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“Okay, okay, I give.” She went quiet for a few moments as she gathered her thoughts on how to say it. With a deep breath she continued. “So … well, Bertrand is rather on the large side.” She said slowly and carefully.

Riley’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “No! Seriously? Like which way?”

“Um, I think the length is pretty average like seventeen or so centimeters. But his width! I don’t think I have a measurement for that one but …”

“But he’s girthy?” Riley finishes for her.

“Yes! It was rather shocking.”

“Okay, listen. I have to tell you something.” Riley glanced back over the brothers making sure they were still in their own bubble across the kitchen. Riley leaned closer to Savannah to stay quiet. “Maxwell is the same way.”

Savannah’s face dropped as Riley’s did moments ago. “No!”

“Yes! It was a pleasant surprise.” Riley nodded her head and covered her mouth to stifle the laughter threatening to break free.

“Oh my god! That’s crazy!” Savannah was trying her best to keep her voice down but was having a difficult time.

“Do you think it is a family trait?” Riley considered out loud. Savannah shrugged. “I mean, I know Barthelemy is an asshole, but it had to come from somewhere.” Riley continued.

“Now that is something I don’t want to know.” Grossed out by the thought of her horrible, denounced father-in-law.

“I get that, but I’m still curious.”

“Even so who would even be able to tell you? Not like their mother is around.”

“No. But I believe there is one person I can probably get to tell me. She is a major gossip and closer to the older generation.” Riley was determined at this point. She was going to find out and she knew who to call. She grabbed Savannah’s arm. “Come with me.”

“Okay, hold on.” She stood up and walked over to the eldest Beaumont handing the sleeping form over into his arms. “Take him a moment, please. We will be right back.”

Without waiting for him to answer she turned on her heel and swiftly made her way to the door leading out of the kitchen. Riley stood as Savannah moved to leave the room setting the little corgi back on the floor, who wiggled his way over to Maxwell. They quickly moved out of the kitchen and down the hall, finding a small quiet sitting area. Closing the door behind them they both drop down onto the plush couch. Riley pulled her phone out and quickly found the number she was after. Hitting the call button, she put it on speaker and waited. It rang five too many times before they heard the woman on the other end.

“Adelaide speaking.”

“Adelaide, this is Duchess Riley I’m here with Duchess Savannah. I apologize for bothering you, but I have a morbid curiosity on a subject matter and am hoping you can shed some light on the matter?” Riley was confident that Adelaide knew the answer and decided not to beat around the bush.

“Well, I am certainly curious. Please go ahead.”

“I need to confirm a suspicion I have over something deeply personal involving Barthelemy Beaumont. Would you be able to help?”

“Give me a moment.” It went quiet but they could just make out Adelaide telling someone to leave. Presumably some staff so she can be alone. “Alright girls, make it quick.”

“I just need you to confirm if below the belt, Barthelemy was an average length but quite girthy?” She spoke cautiously.

It was silent for a few more moments before they heard a puff of air. “It has been quite some time. But I will admit, it is difficult to forget that. Your description is accurate. Is that all you need from me?” She seemed eager to leave the conversation.

“Yes, it is. Thank you for your help. Have a wonderful night.”

“You as well dear.” With that they hung up. Riley hopped up swinging her legs under her body before landing back onto the couch facing Savannah.

“I knew it! It IS a family trait! Oh my God, Savannah! We know the family secret that THEY don’t even know!” Riley’s hands covered her mouth, stifling her laughter once again.

“Yes, but I will definitely go to my grave not telling anyone I know anything like that about Barthelemy.” Savannah shivered in mock horror.

“So true. I’m totally with you there. We’ll tell no one, anything. It will be our secret cause we are Beaumont’s now, so it counts.” Riley giggled. She stood up and stretched. “Hey, you want pizza?” She held out her hands to Savannah.

“Oh God Yes!” She moaned accepting the helping hands that lifted her to her feet.

They walked back down the hall, arms linked, giggling the whole way back to the kitchen where they found Maxwell laying on his back on the counter. Legs dangling over the edge, arms sprawled above his head, and Bartie sitting on his chest awake and alert. While, Bertrand clearly exasperated, arms circled around his head that is resting on the edge of the counter. His body bent over in defeat. The girls stood in the doorway, they looked at each other and smirked, ready to clear the whole situation up and move on with the night.

14 notes · View notes

mischiefandi · 4 years

Text

Don’t Mention It - Drake Walker

A/N: I wrote this a long time ago and I posted it on my Choices blog and I literally forgot lmao so here it is! I edited most of it and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, though it’s not my best work. I’m excited to start writing for Drake as well as for Peter and Stiles again! I’m back babyyy

Side-note, this is set during Chapter 15 Book 1 of The Royal Romance, the office scene. I totally changed the dialogue (sorry if that bugs you) but this is how I would have wanted it to go down lmao

Warnings: swearing and mentions of sex

Word Count: 2,5K

Pairing: Drake Walker x Bellamy Jones/Y/N/MC

“What are you doing?” Bellamy asked as she entered the dark office of the Beaumont estate.

Drake whirled around and his eyes widened a little at the sight of her, his tongue darting out to wet his lower lip.

“There's something strange going on here and I'm gonna find out what it is.”

Bellamy nodded slowly as she bit her lip, but the quiet pause was quickly interrupted by her voice filled with resolve.

“I’ll help you.”

Drake raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head. There was no way he was going to let her get involved in this, whatever “this” was.

“Why would you do that?” he inquired, confused as to why she had even followed him into the room in the first place.

“Drake, we don’t have a lot of time before Bertrand finds us and makes us go back to cleaning. Do you want to spend that time questioning me or do you want to keep looking? she asked. Her question was met with a simple grunt and she nodded before closing the door behind her.

She didn’t bother to maintain eye contact with Drake, instead choosing to turn around and start searching the room for potential clues. After all, both she and Drake felt that something was going on in the Beaumont family, and Bellamy had a feeling it had something to do with Maxwell in particular.

Drake turned around as well, too afraid of meeting her gaze. His hands quivered slightly as he reached for a dark blue leather book and flipped through the pages swiftly, dust escaping the confines of the yellowish paper.

“They’ve got a lot of books. Most of them seem pretty old, like no one’s read them in decades.” Bellamy caressed a series of books on the shelf in front of her, treading slowly towards the desk in the center of the room.

“Check if there's a stray piece of paper in one of them or a letter or something,” said Drake, not bothering to participate in light-hearted conversation, and she interrupted her sleuthing, taking a breath.

“Yes, sir,” she muttered, annoyed at his gruff orders.

Letting her eyes wander up and down the chestnut shelves, Bellamy’s gaze settled on a dark brown leather book. Golden letters were written down the edge of the large book, spelling the word “Atlas” but what caught her attention was the ink-covered envelope sticking out from between the silver colored pages.

“Drake, I think I found something!” she exclaimed, reaching for the Atlas.

“What is it?” he asked, walking over to her. He kept a short distance away from her, peering over her shoulder to see what she had found.

Bellamy ignored his cold stance and took out the envelope, examining it. She couldn’t help but think back at Maxwell and Bertrand’s previous hushed conversation concerning money, and pinching the paper with her gentle fingers, she could’ve sworn she could feel something thick inside the envelope. The reason behind the tension between the Beaumont brothers perhaps?

“Here, let me see?” Drake held out his hand and Bellamy gave him the envelope, their fingers grazing sending a wave of electricity down her spine. Drake cleared his throat and she looked over at him, noticing his cheeks filling with red.

Drake ripped the envelope open and gasped as his eyes fell upon the brightly colored Cordonian bills. There was quite a lot of money in there, enough to make any Cordonian commoner live without having to work at all for at least one peaceful year.

“Woah...”

“What the hell?” muttered Drake, a cool and composed expression slowly returning on his face.

“Do you think Maxwell knows this is here?”

Drake nodded, his eyes still focused on the money. He was deep in thought.

“Oh, I’m sure he does. Bertrand isn’t the kind of noble who’d just leave this amount of money lying around.”

Bellamy frowned and looked up at Drake, confusion protruding from her grey eyes.

“What are you saying?” she asked, curious as to what he was making of this.

“I’m not sure, but I bet you Maxwell doesn’t want his brother to know this is here.”

Drake slid the bills back into the envelope and sniffed.

“Whoever left this here, we don’t know what this money is for, we don’t even know who it belongs to. Let’s keep looking around,” he said, looking away.

Walking over to the desk, Drake started searching the drawers, flipping through the files in the cabinet below the wooden surface. Bellamy however stayed where she was standing, staring at the man ruffling through the private affairs of the Beaumont brothers. She was hesitant, unsure as to whether or not she should speak up.

Finally, she chose to break the silence.

“We need to talk.”

“What about?” asked Drake, not bothering to look up. This made Bellamy’s blood boil a little but she gulped down her anger deciding against aggression.

“We need to talk about us,” she said, her voice firm. Drake slowly looked up at her and for a second she thought she had caught a glimpse of sadness in his chocolaty eyes.

“There is no “us”. There can't be. You're here for Liam, remember?”

“Is that the only thing stopping you?” Bellamy asked, feeling her pulse quicken.

Drake didn’t answer, instead choosing to turn his back to her and start examining the painting hanging from the wall behind the desk.

“Fine, there's no “us”. Let's talk about last night instead,” Bellamy retorted. His passivity was slowly irritating her more and more with every passing second. Did he really have such little regard for her feelings?

At the sound of her voice, Drake lowered his head and stared at the floor, his hands balling up as though preventing him from hanging onto something for support. And boy did he need it. His legs were trembling beneath his weight right then.

“You're killing me, Jones.”

“Good because I think it's about time I have the upper hand here,” she said, setting her hands on her hips. “I’m tired of you pushing me away.”

“Jones-“

She cut him off, getting angrier by the second. She could practically hear her pulse throbbing inside of her head.

“-you fought with Tariq, you said things-“

“-yeah, I said things. I had just had whiskey, I was tired and confused.” This time he cut her off, his voice raised and Bellamy felt herself shrink. Did he mean that?

“What about when you were about to leave, Drake? Tell me I was the only one who wanted more than just an embrace,” she breathed, her cheeks flushed with anger and her forehead puckered.

“Liam’s my best friend. I can’t betray him by falling for his girl,” he said, voice hoarse as he walked around the desk towards her. He stopped just inches from her and they stared into each other’s eyes, Drake’s were weary, Bellamy’s were wide with shock.

“You're falling for me?” she whispered in disbelief.

Drake couldn’t believe he had just said that.

Ever since she had shown up in his life, he had found her interesting beyond compare, resourceful, funny, intelligent, capable of standing up for herself, and beautiful. So beautiful. He got lost in her grey eyes more often than he was willing to admit. Her scent made him feel woozy and light, her presence intoxicating.

But that was the problem. Liam loved her for those traits as well. And not only was he a soon-to-be king, he was also his best friend. He could never do that to the man who had listened to him complain about fancy food and fancy people for years, the man who had offered him protection and kindness when his father had died, the man who had always been there for him through thick and thin.

He couldn’t do that to his brother.

Thus, even something as innocent as looking her in the eye felt like pure betrayal, but oh, how beautiful her eyes were. How tempting she was.

“I-um, I don’t know,” he mumbled, at loss for words.

“What?” asked Bellamy, irritated.

“I don’t know!” he exclaimed.

Y/N took a step back, hurt by his sudden outburst. The expression etched on her face made Drake’s heart wince a little, and he stepped forward, bringing himself closer to the goddess before him.

“I don’t know,” he repeated, this time gentler, “but I do know that you confuse me, Jones, I don’t know what to do when I’m around you, I can’t sleep. I can’t focus on anything. When you’re there, across the room from me, it takes everything I’ve got not to rush over to you and kiss you. And I do- want to kiss you.”

His hands were shaking. Why was he telling her all of this? Drake prayed for his usual black veil of guilt to cover his mouth and stop him from saying more but to his dismay, the veil didn’t come.

“But then you look at me and smile and I suddenly hate myself all over again, because I can’t betray my friend, I can’t do that to him-“

“-what about what I want?” asked Bellamy, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“Of course, I care about what you want. But there’s no way that you want me,” he said, his voice finally giving out under the weight of his heavy heart.

“I do. I want you,” she whined, bringing herself closer to him.

“We shouldn't…”

“Drake.”

Bellamy was so close to him now that she could feel his rapid heartbeat trapped inside of his ribcage and a small pearl ran down her flushed cheek in response, making Drake grimace, knowing full well he was the reason behind her tears.

“Jones, we can't…” he muttered and she shook her head, lust clouding over her eyes, never breaking eye contact with him

He took in a sharp breath as her lips touched his own, the exquisite sensation of her skin gliding over his making him crumble into her embrace. She hummed against his mouth as he deepened the kiss, pushing her against a wall but pulling her closer to him by the hips, his breathing ragged and uncontrollable.

Bellamy slipped her hands through his hair, tugging lightly as he bit her lower lip and slipped his tongue inside of her greedy mouth. She accepted the intrusion with pleasure, the taste of him too delicious to stop the forbidden kiss.

Their lips danced together in a rushed and hungry waltz, the feeling of completeness finally reaching their minds as they held each other tightly. A perfect fit.

But Drake didn’t stop there. His lips trailed down her face and reached her neck where he started leaving small bite marks on the delicate skin. She hissed slightly but went back to moaning when he sucked the pain away. He felt his pants get tighter when he heard her whisper his name, her head thrown back as he attacked her collarbone with passionate kisses.

“Drake-,”

He shut her up by plunging in for another breathtaking kiss. His hands slowly reached for her back and felt the smooth material of her black dress. Bellamy nodded when she felt him stop and he took that as a yes, zipping the dress down with an unparalleled gentleness. He slid his large hands down the back of her dress and grasped her ass, feeling the firm flesh with his trembling fingers. He was terribly nervous, he had dreamed of this moment for months, of feeling her delicious body pressed against his with need and want.

Bellamy could practically feel her heart beat out of her chest and she planted soft kisses down Drake’s neck as he fumbled with her bra clasp when all of sudden, he froze. She looked up at him, confused. But then, she heard it too.

Footsteps coming from down the hall, and they were getting closer.

Her eyes widened with horror and they leapt out of each other’s arms. Drake struggled to straighten his shirt and fix his tousled hair whilst Bellamy attempted to zip her dress back up, roughly pulling it up with extreme force and clumsiness. Only, this dress was brand new and wasn’t used to such violence and sure enough…

“Crap! No, shit, shit , sh-” she hissed, desperately trying to get the small zipper up but in vain. It was stuck.

Before Drake could come over and help her fix it, the door flew open, revealing an angry and impatient Bertrand. His tie looked just fine but he brought his hands up to his neck in order to flatten it down.

‘Always trying to look prim and proper’ thought Bellamy, forgetting her wardrobe malfunction for a millisecond.

“What are you two doing in here? Must I remind you that we have an entire estate to decorate and prepare for tomorrow night?” he asked, exasperated by the guilty looks on the pair’s faces.

“We were just looking for-”

“-something to read!”

“Right, a book,” agreed Drake, his voice thick with uncertainty.

“Ah, you've seen our collection!”

Just the mention of his prized possessions made Bertrand’s entire demeanor change and he walked over to the shelves behind Bellamy. She immediately leapt away from him, keeping her back away from his stern eyes. Drake glanced at her and she inhaled shakily.

“Bertrand, I think you should have this,” she said, suddenly remembering the envelope full of cash they had found earlier. She handed it to him and Drake nodded at her.

“What's this?” inquired the duke, peeking inside.

“We don't know, we found it under one of the books,” answered Drake.

Bertrand suddenly gasped at the sight of the money. He started stammering but after counting the bills, a resolved expression replaced his previously shocked one.

“That's a lot of money, in fact, it looks very much like the amount of money missing from the Beaumont account. Thank you for handing me this, I admire your integrity. You have my deepest thanks,” he said.

“No problem.”

Before Bellamy could say another word, Bertrand rushed out of the room, holding on to the envelope full of cash as though someone were going to steal it from him right there in the corridor.

“We still have work to do. After all, the estate won't clean itself!” he called out.

Bellamy sighed, releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Had Bertrand caught them, they would have had bigger problems than party preparations. She looked over at Drake but held up her hand when she saw him walk out of the office as well.

“Wait, Drake!” she cried and he whirled around.

“What?”

“The zipper, it's stuck. Could you-?”

He nodded and walked back towards her. Placing his hands on her hips, he made her face the opposite wall. She drew in a sharp breath at his sudden forcefulness. His fingers delicately pushed her soft silky hair over her right shoulder and she trembled slightly in anticipation. Slightly grazing her skin, Drake carefully fiddled with the stubborn zipper, and finally, managed to pull it up completely.

“Thanks,” she said when suddenly, the feeling of soft lips lightly kiss the back of her neck made her heart stop mid-beat. A wave of warmth and shivers overcame her body and she closed her eyes in order to fully appreciate the feeling of his mouth against her once more. But the moment passed all too fast.

“Don't mention it,” he murmured against her skin.

And he left the room, closing the door behind him.

A/N: I finally decided to merge my Choices blog with my main blog, I'm sorry if u guys don’t like all the choices posts, but I will be tagging everything so u can always blacklist. thank you for understanding <3

@masterofbluff @stixnstripesworld @duskholland

if you would like to be added to my taglist(s), feel free to fill in this form

#drake walker #choices #pixelberry #pb #the royal romance #choices app #drake walker fanfiction #drake walker fanfic #drake walker one-shot #maxwell beaumont #liam of cordonia #trr #v writes

35 notes · View notes

aurification · 4 years

Photo

I can be a handful, but that's why you have two hands.

basics —

FACECLAIM: Peter Gadiot FULL NAME: Michael Jon Carter NICKNAMES: Mikey ALIAS: Booster Gold BIRTHDATE: December 29th, 2442 BIRTHPLACE: Gotham City AGE: 35 HEIGHT: 6’5” HAIR COLOR: Blond EYE COLOR: Blue FAMILY: Jon Carter (father), Ellen Carter (mother, deceased), Michelle Carter (twin sister), Rip Hunter (son), Rani Carter (adopted daughter), Daniel Carter (21st century ancestor), Rose Levin (21st century ancestor), Skeets (robotic sidekick) AFFILIATIONS: Justice League, Time Masters OCCUPATION: Model / Socialite MBTI: ESFP SEXUALITY: Bisexual MARITAL STATUS: Divorced → Michael was married to an older woman named Gladys who was his sugar mama. Their marriage didn’t last long before he asked for a divorce. IDENTITY STATUS: Public RELIGIOUS BELIEFS: Atheist

powers / abilities —

LEGION FLIGHT RING: provides him with the ability of flight.

POWER SUIT: uses an advanced microcircuitry-powered all-purpose combat suit that allows him a wide range of options to use in combat.

ENHANCED DURABILITY: the suit is extremely durable and very lightweight. It’s able to withstand bullets without losing its integrity but getting shot will still hurt.

SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH: the microcircuitry woven into the mesh affords him a high measure of super-strength, enough to easily shift twenty tons - and a great deal more if he exerts himself.

FORCE FIELD GENERATION: the suit is capable of generating a force-field that was powerful enough to take a direct punch from doomsday and leave him intact.

TIME TRAVEL CIRCUITRY: time-travel circuitry is built into his suit, enabling him to travel through the time stream, both into the past and the future. the suit has also been been upgraded by rip hunter to enable michael to traverse chronal anomalies without any adverse effects.

GAUNTLETS: able to provide powerful energy blasts via blasters in the suit’s gauntlets. at the highest setting they can plow through two feet of concrete. they also allow him to create an absorbing field which acts similar to a tractor beam, in which he can grab hold of objects and move them about or hurdle them at foes.

VISOR DEVICES: his visor is outfitted with sensory amplification devices for auditory and visual. also has an hud for targeting and indentifying threats.

ENHANCED VISION: the visor can scan along the electromagnetic spectrum, provide infrared, ultraviolet, and x-ray vision.

ENHANCED HEARING: amplified to super human levels allowing him to hear sounds and frequencies no other human can hear.

HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT.

ATHLETICISM.

headcanons —

Four years ago back in his universe, Michael rescued a Daxamite child from the planet Daxam while Darkseid was invading it. Her parents were killed, and unfortunately witnessed the traumatic event. He took her back to Earth since she didn’t have any friends or family left after what Darkseid did done to her planet. The child quickly became attached to Michael, that much was obvious — even carrying around a teddy bear dressed up as him around the house. Michael adopted her shortly after, her new name now Rani Carter. She’s thirteen years old now in the present and has grown comfortable enough to call him dad. Now since she’s a Daxamite, that means she has powers similar to Kryptonians under a yellow sun. This surely keeps everything interesting for Booster.

Michael isn’t from this universe but is actually from an alternate timeline. Everything is the same for the most part except for one thing. His Ted Kord is dead because of what Maxwell Lord had done. It has been seven years since losing his best friend. This spiraled into him getting sole ownership of Kord Industries and taking on Jaime Reyes as a mentoree to respect his best friend’s wishes. How he ended up here will be explained in his biography at the end of this!

Normally Booster would always be clean-shaven but has grown a beard in recent years after falling into a deep depression. His daughter has never seen him without it. He does make sure to trim it when necessary but hasn’t thought about getting rid of the beard since this is just part of his look now.

personality traits —

- RECKLESS. Michael has a tendency to think with his heart sometimes and act on his own personal interests. He doesn’t care about being respected, being the greatest hero you’ve never heard of for a reason so this impacts his decisions in being impulsive or putting himself in a dangerous position.

- ECCENTRIC. Some might think of his sense of humor to be rather strange. He tends to laugh at the wrong times and not say the right thing when it’s important to be serious. He always thinks this makes him unique but it might be annoying instead to others.

+ AMIABLE. He’s always friendly and upbeat unless given a reason not to be. This has been harder since his his best friend died and Rip told him there was no way to go back and save him. He’s starting to slowly become his old self again with each day though. You wouldn’t know that meeting him since he keeps the lighthearted attitude when talking to a friend or a stranger. He’s an optimist despite the tragedy filling his past.

+ CONFIDENT. He’s charismatic and has confidence in his abilities. This isn’t only just applied to what he does as Booster Gold but also with his modeling career also. The charisma is applied to conversations too, no matter how stupid his ideas might be there’s no hesitation in throwing them out there to someone.

biography for the last seven years —

When the ban started here in this universe, Michael had still been in his own attending a funeral. His best friend was gone and this made him fall into a deep depression. They had two memorial services — one for the businessman everyone knew Ted to be and another for the hero he was. Booster ended up being the last person to arrive at the service and didn’t know what to say when it was his turn to speak in front of the rest of the Justice League. He didn’t believe in anything ever getting better after that but it was with the support of his sister that there was a glimmer of hope. It was hard, really hard. The hardest thing he ever did to not go back and try rewriting history.

His life has been busy since, putting most of his efforts toward either helping the rest of the Justice League or keeping history intact. It does him good having something to do, keeping his mind occupied on how empty the world seemed. It wasn’t until four years ago after adopting Rani that Michael started to experience what it felt to be happy again.

Now bringing it all to the present, a few weeks ago Michael was helping some other heroes fight a creature terrorizing New York. His daughter was a teenager now and recently was gifted one of Michelle’s old Goldstar uniforms for sentimental reasons. Rani wants to be her father’s sidekick but Michael couldn’t lost anyone else. He’s always firm with saying no. She appeared at the scene begging to help but just as they were bickering the creature bursted through a nearby building. Skeets informed them that it was coming right for them. Michael did the only thing any father would do — whatever it takes to protect his family.

He used his time travel technology in his suit to take them away from the destruction coming for them. He meant to only hop a few minutes into the future but something went wrong and they crash landed in a different universe. The not-so-glamorous landing busted the device so there’s no way of getting home but at least Rani and Skeets were okay. This was all he cared about at the end of the day. Maybe it could be possible to build a life here until figuring out a way to fix his suit but seems unlikely right now. Michael realized the Booster Gold of this universe hasn’t been around for a while but has a history of being a model too just like him. He uses this as an easy way to get some work while they’re here.

#starcintro #ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ʜᴇʀᴏ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴏғ. [ MUSE ]#depression tw #death tw

4 notes · View notes

profitinaecho · 4 years

Text

Pre1900s

August, 1845

Elizabeth Ortecho drew her shoulders back, drawing herself into perfect posture while looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her new yellow dress was the color of jonquils and set off her tan skin and black hair perfectly. The cut did almost scandalous things to her figure. If she were an actual lady, she would regret that more than she did. Women are supposed to be chaste and submissive. Elizabeth naturally was none of those things but all of her training up until this point prepared her to fake it. She scowled at her reflection and pinched her cheeks for some color.

The carriage had arrived to take her to the house party at the Duchess Ann Evans’ home. Before her family had lost their fortune to her father’s illness, Elizabeth had been close with the Duchess’ children. But that was then and she needed to find a viable husband to save her family from ruin now. Her childhood friend, Maxwell Evans, would be there all grown up. It would be nice to see him but she couldn’t allow him to distract her from her mission. She remembered the reason she was dressed like this and it wasn’t to mingle with Maxwell. Her only goal was to seduce Doctor Valenti.

————————————-

Maxwell Evans took a last look in the mirror. He didn’t care much about his appearance normally but the type of people downstairs definitely cared. He wore a Savile Row evening suit, neatly combed hair, and a fresh shave. He would be sure to use the cultured accent that had been drummed into him at an early age. He would need it to impress future business contacts and hopefully find a viable candidate to marry. His parents had made him promise to cozy up to Maria, the daughter of an Earl, in hopes of combining their companies with marriage.

Coming down the stairs, Maxwell saw Lord DeLuca and his daughter waiting in the drawing room for dinner. Maria was in a powder blue dress made of the finest materials by her family’s tailor. A few other gentlemen were also loitering, waiting on the rest of the ladies to appear. Many of them were discussing business in the House of Lords and things that had happened at Oxford. It drove Maxwell nearly insane with boredom. Bowing slightly as he approached the Deluca’s, Maxwell put on his most charming grin. “Lord DeLuca, I trust the rum industry is treating you well? I have been following your growth for some time.”

“Oh? My uh, business agent sees to the company details.” Lord DeLuca shifted uncomfortably.

“I see.” It was exactly as Maxwell had feared. Lord DeLuca knew nothing about his own company. Maxwell had learned the alcohol industry from the ground up and built his company based on the findings. Any business interactions would not go forward, but Maria was beautiful and his key to combining their companies so he looked forward to getting to know her better. She was the key to this deal going forward. Maria smiled shyly at him through her lashes. He smiled back at her and felt relieved. This would be easier than he expected. Behind her, a lady in a yellow dress and black curls entered and he realized it was his childhood friend, Elizabeth. Bowing slightly to announce his departure, Max said “My old neighbor has entered and I must go say hello.”

“But I will have a chance to speak with you after dinner, won’t I?” Maria pouted.

“Of course.” Maxwell promised. This was going much better than he expected if she was already interested. Maxwell strode across the room to Elizabeth. “Look at you, all cleaned up. You look lovely.” He teased her.

Elizabeth forced herself not to stick her tongue out at him. “I could say the same about you.”

“I’m so glad you came. These people are a terrible bore.” He admitted quietly.

His mother announced that dinner was ready and the old friends parted- Maxwell to sit next to the Delucas and Elizabeth to sit next to Dr. Kyle Valenti.

————————————-

Elizabeth had zoned out by the soup course and was willing herself not to doze off when she heard the men talking about going on a shooting party after dinner. Before she could stop herself, she found herself asking “May I shoot too?”

Every head at the table pivoted towards her and she realized her mistake. Dr. Valenti’s eyes shot up towards his dark hairline. “You hunt?”

Placing her hands delicately on her lap, Elizabeth nonchalantly replied, “Oh, I try.” Further down the table, Maxwell smirked. He knew better. After all, he had been the one to teach her to shoot.

“I’m sure you’re quite good.” Dr. Valenti complimented her.

“I’m a dreadful shot but it sounds fun.” Elizabeth forced herself to smile at him more intimately and flirtatious than she actually felt. “Perhaps you could show me how?”

“It would be my pleasure.” Kyle answered her. His eyes held a flicker of interest. If she could manage to mind her manners and act like a lady, her family might be saved after all. She found Kyle attractive and boring, but he was kind and there were worse things he could be. Feeling cheered at the progress she was making, she looked down the table at Maxwell. She could tell he was judging her for the exchange and she felt the urge to send him a vulgar gesture. Despite once being her very best friend, Maxwell only brought out her worst traits now. With the doctor, she did her best to behave and be everything society expected her to be. Not that it was a comparison or competition, because Maxwell was her past and she was going to do everything to ensure Kyle was her future.

————————————-

The conversation with the other ladies in the parlor was tedious at best while she waited for the men to join them. She found herself desperately talking about the weather with Lady Isobel. When the gentleman joined them, she exhaled with relief until she saw that Lord Wyatt Long was approaching her.

“My dear Lady Elizabeth, I was so saddened to be sitting so far away from you at dinner.” Lord Long leaned in too close to her and she willed herself not to retreat. She couldn't control the look of disgust on her face though.

“Oh?” Elizabeth told herself not to roll her eyes and went to move around him but he caught her wrist.

“We should remedy that by having a conversation now.” Lord Long wasn’t letting go of her wrist and was starting to scare her.

Maxwell left a protesting Maria across the room to rescue Elizabeth. “Actually, she promised to have a conversation with me.” Maxwell had found it amusing watching Elizabeth try to escape Lord Long until he could tell she was distressed. Maxwell had probably ruined his chances with Maria based upon the disgust on her face but Elizabeth had needed help. Taking her hand from Lord Long’s Maxwell placed it in the crook of his elbow, pivoted and sat with her across the room. “You have picked up a determined admirer.” He teased her.

“I keep discouraging him but he won’t go away.” Elizabeth huffed. In the haze of the gaslights, he could think of a million reasons a man would be infatuated with Elizabeth. He’d barely been able to keep his eyes off her smooth tan skin and sparkling dark eyes all though dinner. “Thank you for the rescue. Now if you’ll excuse…” Elizabeth stood up, her yellow skirts rustling.

“Where are you going?” Maxwell had the strangest flutter in his stomach. He didn’t know what to make of it.

“To speak to Dr. Valenti.” She craned her neck looking for Kyle. That feeling in Max’s gut intensified and he belatedly realized it was jealousy.

Max found himself chuckling. “Why?”

“Look, I know he isn’t the most exciting man in the room but he’s not bad to look at. And he could take care of me and my family. My father is sick. He’s an honorable, skilled man.”

Max had to admit she was making sense in a detached logical way. But the Elizabeth he knew was passionate and bold. It made him sad to think of her spending her life that way. “It seems like a decent match on paper but why do you think he would want to marry you?”

Elizabeth gasped in outrage and leaned forward. It did amazing things to her breasts in that dress and distracted Max. “I could ask the same thing about Lady Maria. Why would the daughter of an Earl want to be with you?” They were staring each other down when it was announced that it was time to form the hunting party.

Before his eyes, Elizabeth took a deep breath and transformed into a perfect lady. She smiled a sweet innocent smile and her dark eyes lost their spark of mischief. She batted her long black eyelashes and every inch of her posture softened. “I bet I can make Dr. Valenti mine before you manage with Lady Maria.” Elizabeth’s voice had become quiet and husky. It had the type of suggestive rumble that made a man want things. Her expression was pleasant and blank and it startled Maxwell to see her acting so unlike herself. Before Maxwell could tell her that he wasn’t sure he wanted Lady Maria after all, she lifted her skirts and flounced over to Dr. Valenti, glaring at Maxwell over his shoulder. Elizabeth was put on a flawless performance and anyone that hadn’t known her since childhood would be under her spell.

————————————-

Elizabeth found herself alone in a sea of tweed with no one but Maxwell for company. Assuming she ever spoke to him again. Elizabeth closed her gun with a snap and plastered on her brightest smile. “Good afternoon, Dr. Valenti.”

It bothered Maxwell that the doctor received her sunniest greeting while so far, all he had gotten was a scowl from her.

“Are you ready for the hunt today?” Kyle asked Elizabeth.

“I’m actually a bit nervous. This gun is just so big.” Max snorted and Elizabeth lifted her skirt to move closer to Dr. Valenti, deliberately stomping Max’s foot on her way under her skirt so no one else would know.

“Hand me your weapon and I’ll make sure it is properly loaded.” Kyle held out his hand and she demurely handed him the rifle.

A while later, a flock of partridge took flight from the shrubbery and Elizabeth tracked it with her gun. She followed its arc with her eyes then with a curse, yanked the gun up and shot wide. Maxwell raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing.

“Cheer up, Miss Ortecho! Just a little practice and I’m sure you’ll bag something.” Called Kyle from her other side. “You have a good steady hand.”

“They fly so fast, don’t they?” She blinked up at him innocently.

“They do. Just have some patience and you’ll hit one.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” She sighed sweetly and reloaded her weapon.

“You’re such a liar.” Maxwell teased her when Dr. Valenti had walked a ways away from them. “You had those birds in your sight. You missed on purpose.”

“You must be seeing things.”

“To be honest, I’m quite positive you could outshoot every man on this property.”

“No man wants to be outshot by a woman.” Elizabeth argued.

“You were better than me at everything when we were children. I don’t know why you pretend to be something you aren’t.”

“You were much smaller then. You could take me in a heartbeat now.” His eyes darkened and Elizabeth flushed when she realized what she said. Clearing her throat, she explained, “Most men get cranky when something threatens their masculinity.”

“What will you do if you marry him? You can’t hide your skills from him forever.”

“I suppose I will have to be a dutiful wife and not embarrass my husband by outshooting him.” Before Max could reply that he disagreed, she lifted her yellow skirts and headed towards Dr. Valenti. “Dr. Valent! I thought you could give me a few pointers on my aim.”

“Of course, Miss. Ortecho. Now raise your gun” Kyle was all smiles as he settled her gun against her shoulder. He adjusted her hands on the weapon and smiled warmly. “Try it like that.”

“Thank you so much. It feels better already.” Elizabeth smiled warmly at him over her shoulder and Max saw it then- the moment Dr. Valenti started to fall and it tore him up inside.

Whispering quietly to Elizabeth as they followed the hunting party, Maxwell asked, “Are you going to stop pretending you can’t hit the broadside of a barn? It’s very tedious watching you pretend to be someone else.”

Up ahead, the hounds barked as they flushed out a flock of pheasants from the brush. Glancing away from Max, Elizabeth raised her gun, aimed and fired two shots in quick succession. Two birds fell from the sky with a squawk. The rest of the men turned to stare at her in astonishment. She shrugged daintily, “Would you look at that! Wasn’t that lucky?”

Max rolled his eyes. “Come find me when you get tired of this farce. I much prefer the real you.”

#alteraroswell2020 #rnmevents #rnm echo #roswell nm #ficlets? ficlets?#rnm fic

11 notes · View notes

always-la-belle-epoque · 5 years

Note

hi what is mash and why do you love it so much because i need to know if i need to love it too thanks

Hello, anon! It took a bit because I wanted to put time into my answers, so here you are!

What Is M*A*S*H:

M*A*S*H is a tv show about doctors/nurses stationed at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) unit on the frontlines of the Korean War. The show focuses on the medical staff as they desperately try to save the lives of young soldiers. Many of the doctors are draftees and they are faced with trying to cope with the horror of a war they want no part of and that is the absolute antithesis to their professional calling. They fight against death every day, struggle against military bureaucracy, and try to keep their sanity. Often that deep stress is released in humor, practical jokes, and wildly unmilitary antics, but the true costs and realities of war are never treated lightly. I’ve never seen another show that can make me laugh so hard and then turn on a dime to make me cry just as deeply a second later. The show is a beautiful examination of human nature, heart, found family, loss, helplessness, despair, exhaustion, humanity, and hope,.

M*A*S*H ran for 11 years, from 1972-1983 and the finale, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, is still the most-watched television broadcast in history (the NYC sewer nearly faced collapse because people would all flush the toilet at the same time during commercials, and the streets were totally empty of cars as over half the country, 150+ mil people, watched the finale live together all at the same time. Can you imagine?!). Plus, it’s been in continuous syndication for 45 years which is impressive. M*A*S*H is for all generations, it resonates far beyond the era in which it was made, or which it was made about.

Why Do I Love M*A*S*H So Much (in general):

I don’t think there is another show out there in the history of the world that has written such narratively wonderful, deeply moving character arcs. I don’t know if there’s another show out there where the characters grow so much from their relationships with one another. Or a show that depicts masculinity in such a healthy, tender way. It is normal on M*A*S*H for male characters to: Cry. Hug. Tuck each other in. Hold hands. Perform emotional labor. Actively listen. Dance together. Sleep with teddy bears (and not have it be a joke). Admit they were wrong. Change and grow from being wrong. Etc, etc.

And while Major Margaret Houlihan is the only female lead, her character arc is the most beautiful of any character I have ever watched or read. The show doesn’t start out particularly feminist, but it definitely ends that way (both male and female characters evolve here and it’s wonderful). And if more tv shows had characters half as complex as Margaret Houlihan, tv would be a whole lot more interesting, and women would be a whole lot farther along toward equality, imo.

Why Do I Love M*A*S*H So Much (the personal):

I was 15 or 16 when I started watching M*A*S*H. I was going through a very dark time in my home life. But my Mom would usually have M*A*S*H on while making dinner or just after. It was their weird time of day where it seemed like a truce between us. Sometimes I’d even sit all 5’8 of my gangly teenage body on her lap and we’d just watch like that with her arms around me (which given that things were darkly terrible the rest of the time it was like being a small kid again in a way I really needed). We’d talk about the characters. We’d talk about the stories. We both loved Margaret Houlihan (it’s interesting that Margaret has the most valuable traits I learned from my Mom - things I like most about her and am grateful she taught me despite all the bad stuff).

Soon I was racing home after school and jamming in a blank VHS so that I could record each ep. I’d cross reference between tv guide and IMDB to try to see if any eps that I hadn’t seen yet would be on so I could record them for my collection. I made an elaborate cataloging system because they weren’t shown in order! And some eps were shown only rarely!! (I’m only 28, it amazes me that this was how things were not that long ago lol).

Anyway, the DVD box set came out and I saved up alllllll my $ for it. Thank goodness, because then I got sick and for a few years the M*A*S*H characters were the most consistent and truest friends I had. The show is deeply personal for me. I can watch it over, and over, and over. It makes me laugh, and weep, and cheer. It’s like having friends. Like having family.

Should You Love M*A*S*H too?

I want you to love M*A*S*H. I want everyone to love M*A*S*H! And M*A*S*H holds up. It’s still radically progressive. It’s still - in this time where North Korea is a frequent headline, where we have a government we do not trust, in a world where we have been at war since 2001 - deeply relevant.

Here’s the thing though: it was made in the 70s, about events in the 1950s, and this is 2019 tumblr-land. You’ve all read the roasts about lack of critical thinking skills on this website and ability to contextualize, and those posts are unfortunately not wrong. And the world has changed - and changed for even better than what was, at the time, truly radical! Even terms that were the liberal, pc term in the 70s have changed now and are not liberal or pc anymore which for the 2019 watcher might raise eyebrows. But the show is extremely pointed about calling out racism, homophobia, sexism, military fetishism, colonization, etc. I think maybe the only other show I can think of that goes so hard at dogged and relentless political call outs would be One Day at a Time. So I feel protective of M*A*S*H because in 50 years maybe we will look back at ODaaT and say yikes about certain things, though that feels crazy to say now.

If you do want to watch, here’s my advice (pull down your pants and slide on the ice (sorry, omg M*A*S*H jokeee)):

Do not start with S1. Start with S4, or S5 even. For one thing, there are some cast changes at the start of S4 so you get intro-ed to everyone again in “Welcome to Korea pt 1 & 2” and “Change of Command.” It’s a really good starting point to see a lot of characters on the brink of change. Don’t get me wrong, I still really love S1-3 but the characters haven’t grown yet. I love going back because I know them so well, but if you’re just meeting them, I recommend getting to know them in the middle of their journey, watch them evolve, and then go back and see where they started. And I think Col. Potter/BJ really elevated the tone of the show.

Because M*A*S*H is an older tv show, most people who love M*A*S*H never watched the show in order because we could only watched it in syndication! And you don’t really need to watch in order! In fact, CBS had the final call for episode order so sometimes even the air order is different than the writing, filming, intended order. Also, because they had 11 years of content over a 3 years of war, the show itself isn’t chronological. Due to probability (there are just more Potter/BJ eps) I saw more S4+ eps when I was first watching the show so again that’s my newbie preference. Now that it’s on Hulu (and remastered OMG) it might be tempting to watch in order, but really do recommend skipping around or at least starting later in for sure. You’ll learn context as you go (recs below). Then once you get the characters and their arcs it’s suuuuper fascinating to watch in order.

Fight me: Is everyone bisexual on this show??! Yes, yes they are. This is where I go full 2019 tumblr-brain, lol, but looking back I think it’s one of the reasons I loved it before I understood myself. It’s gentle, tender, pretty wavy. Alan Alda’s Hawkeye Pierce is, like, arguably canonically bi, like I even wonder if he was intentionally written/played that way on the dl. It’s pretty blatant?? And don’t even get me started on Margaret Houlihan. Godddddddd.

On that note, and maybe you will fall over, but Margaret and Hawkeye are my actual, #1, forever OTP. Which is weird for you, dear readers, I’m sure, as I run a v strict wlw blog and I’m very proud about that. But broken people who heal and change and grow because of the other is my tea, jam, and bread (”crackers and jam! too bad!” ;) ), and so far the writing of other characters and relationships hasn’t a hope of even coming into the range of depth these characters have (obvs not just wlw ships, all other mlw ships are The Worst as well, we’re all doomed, why does tv suck). But anyway, I would take them over any ship any day of the week goombye (but also….shipping Margaret is kinda like….not the point of Margaret Houlihan).

It’s worth noting that M*A*S*H has a character named Maxwell Klinger who wears a dress to try to get out of the army via a Section 8 (previously known as a “psycho”) discharge (remember lgbtq was still classified as a mental illness, smh). Obviously, this is potentially triggering. And, obviously, not okay in today’s world. To me the show does call out that it is the policies/laws/politics that are crazy, not Klinger. I think there are still some fairly modern ideas in his portrayal in that anyone who treats him like he is crazy, or is disrespectful, is very pointedly shown to be bigoted/an antagonist. Klinger is excellent at his job, brave, loyal, true, and that’s all anyone who is a protagonist cares about (and I do think they try to show to the extend they could during the time it aired that even if Klinger were not doing it for a discharge, they would respond the same way). Fwif, imo, Klinger isn’t played as a one note joke for wearing dresses, in fact, to an extent, he does wear them utterly sincerely. He loves, deeply loves, clothes and fashion because loving something gives him something to live for. It becomes his passion, not a gag. The gag is that Klinger will do anything to get out of the war through any available loophole he hears about (having an imaginary pet camel, eating 10 sausages in a single day, eating a jeep, trying to get into West Point aka join the military to get out of the military), etc. His comrades in arms treat him very sincerely and are very protective. Early on, a jeep comes in with wounded and Radar pulls Klinger away from the blood, “careful, you’ll get your dress dirty” in the most serious, sweet way. Col Potter is always very serious and sincere about telling Klinger when one of his dresses is a fav, and Klinger positively glows. When Klinger has to trade his dress collection to local women in exchange for shelter for the wounded during a bug out, Col. Potter, regular army in his 3rd war, tells Klinger (who is in tears) that it’s the finest act of bravery he has ever seen (and he means it). When Margaret desperately wants to look pretty and Klinger pulls out one of his best frocks and helps her dress in it - Margaret who grew up in combat boots wanting a crew cut - it’s pretty emotional (and I bawl when he gives her the wedding dress, goddd). As for Klinger himself, he’s one of my favorite characters. He has the biggest heart and I love him (and yes, I might feel differently if I had a different life experience than I do - that is why I’m flagging this as something that might not be for everyone, or might be trigger - because history already is triggering, and not everyone might be as moved by him as I am).

If you’re a 30 Rock fan you will know the star Alan Alda as Milton Greeen, Jack Donaghy’s father, and if you love Beauty and the Beast you will know that the actor who voiced Cogsworth is a major (lol pun) character in S6-11! But that’s all crazy to me because they are always M*A*S*H, first and forever, and always in my mind! I can’t believe they’re all in their 80s now, or that so many of them have passed. :( They are truly my whole heart, my family, my home.

If you do want to watch, recommend you start with the following eps (omg this list is long but it feels so short):

Welcome to Korea pt 1 + 2 (s4)

Change of Command (s4)

Aid Station (s3)

Death Takes a Holiday (s9)

Carry on, Hawkeye (s2)

Bug Out pt 1 + 2 (s5)

Dear Sigmund (s5)

Period of Adjustment (s8) *my first ep ever :,)

The Bus (s4)

Sometimes You Hear the Bullet (s1)

Tuttle (s1)

Crisis (s2)

O.R. (s3)

5 O'Clock Charlie (s2)

The Nurses (s5)

The Interview (s4)

Movie Tonight (s5)

Abyssinia, Henry (s3)

Hepatitis (s5)

Your Hit Parade (s6)

Peace on Us (s7)

Eye for a Tooth (s7)

Old Soldiers (s8)

Life Time (s8)

Stars and Stripes (s8)

Hey, Look Me Over (s11)

There’s a million more things I could say about the show. I feel like I haven’t summarized it justly. If anyone wants to chime in with why they love M*A*S*H, what your fav ep is, etc, please do :)

101 notes · View notes

lizzybeth1986 · 5 years

Text

Quick Thoughts on TRH Book 1 Chapter 9

• So in some ways this chapter is a refreshing change from the Walker Ranch, for the other...it does seem a little shoehorned-in and last minute to me. And...if the only chapter where Hana gets substantial content is one that sounds kinda last minute - that's usually not a good sign.

• Here is what you can block if you don't want to see this on your dash: #trh quick thoughts, #trh qts, #trh qt reblogs, #long post.

• TW: Discussions on controlling parenting, brief mention of infertility, rambles about my visits to my therapist and what I learned there - also connected to controlling parenting.

• Screenshot Credits:

Hana: The Abhirio YouTube channel and @youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal

Drake: The BizzysChoices YouTube channel

Maxwell: @itsbrindleybinch and @ladatheimpaler

Liam: @callmetippytumbles and me.

• I was happy to see Olivia but could the writers just...not make Hana sound so confused, to make Olivia's route look more appealing? Olivia may be more at home with some of these tactics but if Hana did as much research as her eloquent monologue on the Auvernese Hot Stones suggests she did, she wouldn't just be standing there going "me scared". I know logically Olivia's option needs to be the one having an edge, but there are ways you can work around that better.

• Title: Ladies' Night

Alternative Title: This is How Hana Does Her Research:

And This is How Isabella Does Her Research:

• "Just us girls", Isabella says. I'm going to get a headache from the number of times she says that while trying out new torture techniques on me.

• Liam warns the MC that this might be a test, Hana offers to come with the MC, and whoever her LI is, seems reluctant to send her off (though I have yet to see the Maxwell version of this, since in his friend route he seems encouraging of it once Hana steps up to be with us).

• Let's be honest, Hana is coming because she knows that more often than not her advice has been the only thing that had saved our asses. She KNOWS.

• Hana is also the genius who found the loophole in that message.

• DRAKE is the one suggesting Olivia as backup for our trip (I see a pattern here. Drake is the only one who recognized Olivia when she pranked him, now Drake is the first one recommending her name for this trip. What gives?).

• So I've played this chapter both with Olivia's diamond option, and without. Her duchy takes pride in its warriors and in shows of military strength, so she is more than used to their rhetoric. There is also an interesting juxtaposition given between fire (Auvernal) and ice (Lythikos), as one can see in the hot stones scene. The chapter is clearly set up in the expectation that you will buy this scene.

• Hana is fascinated by the architecture and modern glam of the place, but it is Olivia who hints that Auvernal may be facing financial difficulties, wondering what may be "hiding behind the glitter and polish".

• We finally meet Queen Isabella, and for a royal who wants to prove that they can do diplomacy as well as they can do blustering shows of machoism (like her husband), she seems to be failing big time.

• For all the "research" Isabella seems to have been doing on the ladies in the court, all she knows about Hana is that she has a penchant for horseriding, had a failed engagement, and wasn't chosen by Liam.

• What? Practically everyone has seen how well Hana performs at court. In my playthrough, her fighting skills both at the boutique before the wedding, and her role in defeating Anton, have become legendary. She became a Guardian of the Realm. If you're married to the MC she is a freaking duchess and I'm pretty sure the woman who married her would know deep down that Hana deserved that title more. Hana is a freaking fashion icon (as you can tell by what Ana says at her engagement photoshoot and when little Valerie from Lythikos tells her in Chapter 3). Like...like...this stuff is common knowledge. Isabella doesn't HAVE any other excuse besides "I suck so bad at reading up that my term paper would end in a single paragraph and be marked 'F'. Same goes for my pathetic excuse of a research team."

• Also why is Hana the only person getting dragged for not getting chosen? Even Madeleine and Olivia don't face this as much, and one of them was dumped twice by two Princes!

•

(Top three screenshots are mine, the second row is from @callmetippytumbles playthrough, and the third is from @youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal Hana playthrough).

The first choice calmly has the MC list Hana's best qualities, while the other two clearly call out Isabella on her clear lack of respect for Hana, who is a guest in her home that she should have researched about properly. The last option not only speaks of her best traits but also of her being the MC's wife (and by extension, a prominent duchess).

• Isabella and her pathetic excuse for an "apology". "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that would be such a sore subject". That's a non-apology, a "sorry you're so thin-skinned" apology. She isn't even admitting she's clearly wrong and hasn't done her homework. She's still saying that Hana is merely all of the things she mentioned - just snidely placing the blame on them for being so sensitive instead. Like...fuck you Isabella.

•

I think Olivia should remember that she's lucky Hana "happens to be the forgiving sort" too, because that's how she got away with saying exactly the same thing last book. I like Olivia, but...hypocrisy much?

• LMAO @ Isabella when she says Olivia that she recognizes her because "might recognizes might", and Olivia is like "funny. I don't recognize you". THIS TEA IS SCALDING.

• "There's more to Auvernal than Bradshaw's blustering", she says...after she's left a less-than-favourable impression two minutes into our conversation. Even Theresa Sutton from D&D Book 1 would do this better than you did, and there was literally no filter between her mouth and her brain.

• Isabella presents an over-the-top, flashy silver gown for the MC to wear, stating that wearing a dress from an Auvernese designer, in a modern Auvernese style, would signal to people the beginning of their "alliance" (jumping the gun there a bit, aren't you, Isabella?)

• Gaww at the LI reactions!

(Screenshots: Drake's from BizzysChoices' Youtube channel, Maxwell's from @ladatheimpaler, and Hana's from Abhirio's YouTube channel)

• Olivia's best moment in the chapter comes when she has to complete the saying "when all you have is a hammer" ("smite them with the hammer!" Olivia offers enthusiastically). They're talking about Bradshaw, who Isabella's telling us would rather strong-arm people into doing his bidding. Babe you're not exactly very different in that respect 🙄

• Isabella lays two major tests to us - one is to have us give her military troops (who greet the guests with a parade) an impromptu rousing speech, and the second is to withstand the punishing heat of the famed Auvernese Hot Stones massage treatment. Of course, she hides her plans behind her "all shared between friends!" demeanor.

• What Olivia does throughout is draw upon her knowledge of warrior mentality, to explain what Isabella has in store for you. This meeting isn't just a message sent to the MC to remind her who she is dealing with - it's a way for Isabella to gauge whether the MC really will count as an ally in terms that they are familiar with. Remember - Auvernal who is perhaps in not as great a financial state as they lead us to believe - perhaps needs Cordonia more than Cordonia needs them - so in their eyes the alliance is falling through anyway, but Isabella is also going to figure out who she is dealing with.

Which is why Olivia - who lives and thrives in a similar type of community - is able to capture the pulse of what Isabella is doing to them.

(First four screenshots are from a playthrough where I chose Olivia's diamond option, and second from a playthrough where I didn't)

Hana's own mentality differs to a large extent from this. She is competitive, she has the ability to put up a good fight and defeat an opponent (esp one who underestimates her)...but her larger attitude doesn't exactly favour war. In a lot of ways both she and Liam operate on similar mindsets - yes war is necessary, yes when the situation calls for it we can put up a good fight...but at the end of the day both of their belief systems lie in a King Fabian outlook of "safety is important but a society thrives when there is space for art and culture to thrive".

In some of Olivia and Hana's exchanges you can see that Hana is the more artistic and whimsical of the two - which is why her ace move at the end involves both introducing Isabella into an aspect of their own culture, and on wine, which Hana is more than fairly familiar with. Her interests lie elsewhere and so she may not be able to get into their heads and suss out their motives as well as Olivia can, but I'm pretty sure if she's researched so much that she knows about their Hot Stone spa treatment, she would have at least a more generalized knowledge of this than the screenshots suggest.

• We're now at a plaza where Isabella has arranged for the Auvernese military troops to do a parade for the Cordonian guests. It's both a way of convincing the MC to pick them, and it's a veiled threat if she doesn't.

• My failplay of the speech brought up this gem:

Poor Hana, having to cheer for us even when we fail. She's the real MVP!

• So basically getting the speech right is simple, whatever is rabble-rousing and reminds the troops that the Cordonians also admire strength and valour and bravery, works for them. If you fail in this task, then Isabella takes over and rouses the troops on her own before dismissing them.

• Isabella FINALLY admitting that Hana's a skilled diplomat and does amazing research. LMAO bitch she even knows what your favourite fucking vintage is and all you know about her is her failed engagement? Admit it Izzy, you're a failure.

• The next is the traditional Auvernese Hot Stone spa treatment, which Hana tells us is tied to the geography of this country. There is a fair bit of natural volcanic activity in Auvernal itself (no wonder they're a people that operate in metaphors of heat and fire!) and the hot stones used in this therapeutic massage treatment come out from that. (they're most likely referring to basalt stones, which are used in hot stone therapy in a lot of different cultures. And it's true, the heat and the medicinal nature of heated basalt stones are supposed to relax muscles, help with pain management, stimulate the circulatory system, among other things. In Ayurveda, the treatment is called Shila Abhyanga and is done with circular stones of different sizes).

• There is nothing therapeutic about this trip, though, sadly. Very often this kind of treatment is used at particular spots on the body (most of the time I've seen these stones placed along the length of the back). It's not "grab someone's forearm and burn it with a stone". Isabella's attempt is clearly to expose us to pain and see how much of it we can take.

• Some of the MC's "stronger" responses are 🔥 🔥 🔥 lol, like "I've read Twitter takes hotter than this".

•

The MC and Olivia has come far enough in their relationship - either as friends or as people who grudgingly respect each other - that Olivia will stand up for her even when she shows weakness.

• Interestingly, if you do succeed in this "test", the narrative describes Isabella's face as lighting up with a "small smile...and she eyes you as if seeing you in a new light" (the fail option shows her looking smug). Which...given her behaviour in the wine scene, I think requires closer inspection!

• One of my favourite lines this chapter is when Olivia tells Isabella that she can endure hotter stones but chooses not to, because "Lythikos warriors prefer ice in their veins". I can of like the juxtaposition of geographies used in their language - Auvernal seems to have volcanic activity, so heat features more in their language, Lythikos is situated close to the Alps, so snow, ice and winter are their signs of endurance. Basically both communities operate based on the logic that endurance to pain is what heightens your strength. "If you can breathe you can stand, if you can stand you can fight".

• Hana struggles with the hot stones, in a scene that reminds me of Book 1 where she struggled with her first bite of a Cordonian apple. Hana tends to be quite open when she has a strong reaction to something, and is often not able to hide it even if she wants to. Which honestly I find quite refreshing about her.

• Isabella in a fail play can be a real asshole, making snide remarks and then flipping the blame onto the people who react to what she says. When she insults Hana and the MC reacts, she doesn't bother to admit she is wrong - instead flips the blame on them so that it seems more like they're the sensitive ones. If you don't succeed in the hot stones test, and Hana and Olivia respond to her jabs, she tells them "there's no need to get defensive. It's all in good humour, of course", and makes them seem like the thin-skinned ones. Honestly it's that part of her attitude that is a problem, rather than the actual snide remarks. That she will create a negative situation then act like you were the cause.

• Now apparently it's time for petit fours (and I'm a little sore they only describe the vanilla buttercream coz I would have totally loved to see descriptions of those Auvernese sweets in detail!) and casual chatting. Olivia cautions us to figure out what the catch is, and Isabella is mildly impressed by the MC's directness, but she tells us about her intentions (to make the alliance official - including the parts where our child must be promised to one of their twins) either way.

• Isabella eventually softens as the conversations go ahead, confiding in the group that before the twins were born, conceiving was difficult for her. The MC has the opportunity to share a secret of her own (either homesickness, or feeling pressured into becoming a parent, or tiring of the politics and the pretence). Hana - married or otherwise - isn't allowed to say much here, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

• Olivia distracts Isabella at some point with barbed compliments post this confession session, allowing Hana and the MC to plan their next move. Most of this day has gone into Isabella testing us, seeing if we measure up, her games. Hana now gives us an opportunity to turn the tables on her.

• This is where Hana has a clear advantage. Just as warrior communities, battle strategy and defence is Olivia's forte - culture, cuisine and the arts are clearly Hana's. She knows about the Hot Stones on a cultural and geographic level even though the mentality escapes her, she has even read up on Isabella's preference for wine and has observed her closely enough to understand Isabella's competitiveness, and suggest a tactic that could help us gain an edge over her.

• The scene begins with Hana charming Isabella into showing them her wine cellar and suggesting a drinking game. In a callback to the Madeleine drinking game scene in Book 3, Hana mentions Cordonia's Most (which was what they played with Madeleine), but zeroes in on "Two Truths and a Lie instead". Here is what you see from each of the women:

MC:

Two Truths -

Being in love with Liam even when he was engaged to Madeleine/Coming to Cordonia for Liam then falling for her LI.

Second truth is dialogue dependent (never regretted coming to Cordonia/fended off her kidnappers with her own hands/impressed by Isabella (no)

Lie -

Never been blackmailed. Isabella however believes this one is true and loses.

Olivia:

Two truths -

Greatest fear is failure to be perfect

Counted every exit before entering the cellar

Wanted to kill the MC when they first met (Isabella assumed this to be a lie)

Lie -

Came to Auvernal unarmed because she trusts Isabella (she clearly didn't do her research with Olivia either).

Hana:

Two truths -

Greatest fear is failure to be perfect (Isabella assumes this to be the lie).

Always envied the MC

Lie -

Dyed her hair pink as a teen.

Isabella has two rounds of this. This is what the first round is like:

Two truths 1.0 -

Never wanted children

Married Bradshaw for money

Lie 1.0 -

Dismissed a servant for over-steeping her tea (what did you do then, kill him? 😱)

Two Truths and a Lie 2.0

Now, we don't know for sure which one is the lie, since that game is never completed (I suspect it's the one about being born into the royal family?) but we do know now that Bradshaw never actually has seen or done combat firsthand, even though he can strategize and order troops and he's won several medals for "combat". This is the state secret that the scene promises, which will give us an advantage in the future chapters.

• Thoughts I had while reading this scene:

- The one from the MC about fighting her kidnappers is very much a callback to TCaTF. A major development for Kenna's character in Book 1 is to prove she is different from her ancestors - that she will fight alongside her people, not make them fight for her. The turning point of her story in Book 1 is when she tells Gabriel - her guard and guardian - that that instead of depending on him, she will fight the leader of the mercenaries herself.

- Also, LMAO @ Isabella believing our guards defeated Anton for us. Izzy my courtiers and I literally used scissors and shoes and clipboards to defeat assassins in a boutique. Mara and Bastien could never.

- As I mentioned before, the drinking game tradition is a callback to Madeleine's scene. But with less of forcing Hana to butter up to the woman who abused her for our convenience, and more space for her to actually talk.

- I'm going to take notes of those exits, thanks Olivia.

- There is a whole bunch you learn about Isabella here and there are hints that she feels stifled in this environment. Her first choices for the game revolve around truths about her married life: the fact that it was a political alliance and that she never actually wanted children (which adds another layer to the pain she speaks about when speaking of the struggle she had to conceive, because then it comes from a place of immense pressure and probably means that she felt extremely isolated and alone at the time). When Hana talks about how conflicted she is, it's Isabella who offers her ways to release that fury and energy (screaming, breaking glasses). Interestingly, she speaks of these things as what she does when she "feels the walls closing in".

- One thing to notice as well, is Isabella's reaction after she has realized she's spilled out the truth about Bradshaw's military merits. She shrewedly notes what our intentions must have been, and calls us out on them, but there is little to no anger involved in the moment. She only notes that "Cordonia gets more and more interesting", and while the game does not continue, Isabella does seem eerily calm in the aftermath. I don't have any concrete ideas yet what it must all mean, but there are a few ways it could go. She could either be pushing back in her own way against Bradshaw and the Auvernese royalty, or have another card up her sleeve that she knows we don't have a clue about yet.

- Hana gets to elaborate on her 'truths and lies' if the MC asks: she speaks about her envy for the MC emerging from the fact that the MC is confident, bold and questions her self-worth a lot less than Hana has learned to. The other two are tied to the aftermath of the controlling parenting she has grown up with. With the pink hair option, she speaks of her parents as if they are still there, still can control her choices, as if she cannot remove herself from the fear that she will disappoint them even if they are physically away from her.

Hana: Are you kidding? My parents will kill me!

MC: I think you're a little beyond their reach by now.

There's a lot said there in so little.

My favourite, though, is the one on 'perfection'.

I love the idea of perfection as being something to be frustrated by rather than something to aspire to. Hana speaks of this striving for perfection starting out as something she did to 'earn' Lorelai's love, and how that became something she kept doing over and over until it became her default - leading to the point where she can no longer be imperfect even though she has the opportunity and the support system (even if it's really not that great of a support system). And with a lot of kids who survive that kind of controlling, emotionally abusive parenting - that's normal. I guess I could simply sum it up as: You can take Hana out of Lorelai's home, but it won't be that easy to take Lorelai out of Hana.

I'll come back to this later, because there's some things I'd love to expand on with regards to this.

- Which Olivia opening up is promised if she is around, she doesn't really do that. Most of the stuff she says in this scene is pretty much standard for what she's shown so far. But I'm alright with that, because let's be honest the times when Hana is given even a scrap of space over Olivia, are rare. The writers will be only too happy to give her other opportunities.

- At the end of the scene, you get to address what Hana said earlier, while you are cleaning up the cellar. You either tell her you'd love to see an imperfect Hana (which is the lighter option, where they think of crazy things she can mess up, like burning toast, putting cutlery in reverse order, or playing every note on the piano wrong. Silly stuff. I know it's meant to be a joke...and maybe that's the root to why she doesn't get to actually be imperfect and affected and stuff. Because even in a scene about imperfections, it still feels like the writers won't take her actual conflicts and issues very seriously, and will not leave her the space to actually be a mess about things that would weigh down anyone).

The second option is more serious, and I really like it. The MC speaks about finding it harder to forgive Lorelai for everything Hana has gone through. Hana is still uncomfortable with the idea of resenting her mother, even though she's at the stage where she knows how wrong Lorelai is. She reasons it by speaking about how everything good came from Lorelai the same way everything bad came from the same mother. I'll be getting back to this bit soon as well.

- There is a tiny romantic scene following this if you're married to Hana, mostly kissing.

• Now that our work in Auvernal is over, it's time to get back to the ranch. BECAUSE MAXWELL BEAUMONT IS STRESS-DANCING AND THAT IS NEVER A GOOD SIGN.

(Screenshots: Drake's from BizzysChoices YouTube channel, Maxwell's from @itsbrindleybinch and Hana's from Abhirio YouTube channel)

- Alright so in Liam and Drake's playthroughs they talk to the MC directly. Maxwell's too, and he is panicking and speaking in capslock. In Hana's, Maxwell is still the one the MC is talking to, since he is the one in charge of this one thing.

- I love how Drake thinks Maxwell "stress dancing" means things must be better now but Liam knows it's a bad sign 😅

- BBBB. Maxwell could've just simplified things for himself and called it B-Quadrupled or B^4 or something. Be like Karan Johar, who saw three Ks and one G in his film title (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham)...and said "yeah. Let's call this K3G".

• So now I'm guessing the aim for the next chapter is to keep it a secret until the time Bertrand is expected to be at his party. Or something. Idk.

• We're going...from deep conversations and political maneuverings...to this. Okay. Okay 😐

• General Thoughts:

- Okay...so the thing Hana says about perfection and wanting to please her mother. Phew. That dialogue hit me. Pretty hard.

(Please don't take anything I say right here as hard scientific fact, I am merely saying this as a client to a therapist who learned something from her, and am applying something I've learned into this sequence solely because it speaks to me on a personal level)

I've been going to a new therapist this year. A very accomplished hypnotherapist, fantastic in her field. We've been doing a mixture of talk therapy and hypnotherapy because I have a LOT of issues and they're all tangled together and it's all a big mess at this point.

One of the things we talked about was how centered my entire concept of "worth" was around smartness. Intelligence. Intelligence the way my parents perceived it, the way I saw it in school. At some point I said something...something related to smartness and worth and how you couldn't be anything if you weren't smart idk...and she stopped. Stopped and said, "that sounds like a parent tape" (wish I remembered what my exact words were).

Now, this conversation happened around a month ago, and I'm no professional in this field, so I'm paraphrasing what she explained, but she did talk about how some things get embedded in your subconscious as "tapes" or "files", and how at some points they become essential beliefs. It could be a simple moment that was nonetheless important to the child, that crystallized into a life truth for them, even into adulthood. And that would go for things that you picked up or learned from your parents as well. Learned behaviours and mindsets...that you grow up to believe as fact - and to remove yourself from them would be to remove yourself from everything you have ever believed to be true. It would be a destruction of a belief system, and building yourself back from out of that rubble would be scary.

- I wound up seeing Hana's inability to turn off "Perfect Hana" through that lens. I feel like she grew up with that "parent tape": I must be perfect to be considered worthy. I must be perfect to be loved. The only way I can gain my mother's love is by being her perfect daughter. And part of why she can't switch it off is because it became an entire belief system, the foundation on which her parents build this personality she has. If that is destroyed, the Parent Tape must be saying, then what will be left of her?

- This may explain why she continues to explain, justify, make excuses for Lorelai. Lorelai is a HUGE part of her life. Was a HUGE influence on who she was and what she became. Even when she is going in a direction completely opposite to what Lorelai initially intended, Hana does it by overcompensating, by stressing over whether she is being controlling merely for planning the perfect wedding, by worrying about what kind of parent she will be to her own child. While she acknowledges freely that her mother was wrong and pushes back when she is able to, she is not really at the stage where she can fully accept the sheer levels of damage Lorelai (and by enabling and encouraging this type of parenting, Xinghai) has wrecked on her self.

- In a lot of ways, Hana is still that child. The one who craved her mother's love. The one who grew up constantly questioning her own worth. And learning to validate that child and give her a peaceful ending is going to be a long, arduous, painful process.

- You can bet I have been thinking about this more than Hana's own writers have. By now I just know it.

- There was a part of me that CHEERED when I saw the MC (finally!) stand up for Hana. There's a part of me that...honestly...just shrugged and said "too little too late".

- I'm tired at this point. Really, really sick and tired of how people in the books are allowed to underestimate Hana and talk shit about her, and how little space the narrative gives to letting her either push back against that, or to allowing us to stand up for her. This chapter is one of the rare times that happened without the focus being on how wonderful the MC is. And I mean very rare.

- Married to Hana or not, the MC is the woman who let Madeleine get away with her bullying. Who didn't bother to look out for Hana, and continuously used her. Who didn't bother to find out how Hana was in NY after Hana had fought with her own father and left his house for her. Who (optionally) allowed Olivia to get away with talking shit about her, and who didn't ask Hana if she was comfortable before including her in a conversation with her bully. Who (optionally) can cry about not getting pregnant soon enough (today of course, that role was filled up by Isabella)

- Also isn't it ironic how Isabella, the same woman who speaks about not being perfect and allowing yourself the space to let out your emotions...is the same woman who chooses to talk ONLY about Hana's failures? Who sounds A LOT like Hana's own mother? So while those words about imperfection are true, the person speaking them is a truckload of trash.

- When it comes to a foreigner insulting Hana, then somehow it becomes magically appropriate for the MC and Olivia to pretend to be offended. But at home? In their own court? Hana rarely gets that kind of support. And she rarely gets the chance to push back either. An Olivia can call her a failure and claim "Hana hasn't so much as touched the ladder while I'm at the very top", and all Hana is allowed to do is glower in fury and then it's conveniently forgotten. By the MC.

Like sure it's nice that the MC gets to treat Hana with respect this time around, and pay her some attention. But where was this protectiveness when Hana needed it the most?

I'd have liked a moment like this earlier, or if the narrative actually was fair in terms of their treatment of Hana. But her issues, her feelings, her pain, has always been on the backseat. I'm not going to be grateful for scraps like these.

- That's the other thing. This chapter...feels a little last-minute. Not only is the gown in this chapter a very, very recent one (an anon pointed out it was added only a week or two ago), the chapter itself is all over the place. Isabella claims to want to show the group that there is more to Auvernal than Bradshaw's blustering...but in essence what she's showing us is pretty much the same thing. She is still issuing us veiled threats, and strong-arming us into becoming allies. Her tactics are still scare tactics and they are not as subtle as she or the writers believe they are.

- Even in this chapter where another person is allowed to feel pain over her years of not conceiving, Hana is hardly given space. Think about that for a second.

To me...if this chapter was a recent addition - that means the only chapter where Hana actually gets a tiny amount of space to herself...is a last minute choice. And that's not a good thing. In fact it reminds me of Book 2, where Hana was given an AWFUL scene in Chapter 8 (the fashion show scene, which focused more on Penelope than on Hana) and no appearances in the chapter after, and then given two good scenes (patisserie scene and library scene). Those two good scenes...came before they virtually ignored Hana and her background to focus on literally anyone else (after which Hana was not even seen in NY). Just because Hana gets a decent scene (a scene that isn't even hers, actually, a lot of it is about Isabella) once in 9 (NINE) chapters, doesn't mean that she's going to get good development from now on. For all you know this could be a carrot conveniently dangled to keep people satisfied for another 5-6 chapters of the same ol' focus on the male LIs instead.

- Wonder what Olivia is upto and what Liam might know.

- Also wonder why we didn't get a lot of info on Eleanor in her own home.

- Also for a country that is the maternal home of Cordonia's king, there's precious little shown about their interactions with him. In fact there's very little space Liam gets to actually operate as a King - either in this series or the previous one.

- This week, I will not be doing my usual QT for Book 1. There's an essay I've been itching to do, about Kiara and Penelope, and I'm going to devote my weekend to diving into that! Would anyone like to be tagged??

- Anyway! Until the next chapter, guys.

#the royal heir #trh quick thoughts #trh qts #long post #hana lee #olivia nevrakis #controlling parenting tw #infertility tw

61 notes · View notes

the-whiskeywife · 6 years

Text

Don’t Mention It (Drake x Bellamy Jones)

A/N: Welp I did it. My very first Choices fanfic ever! Obviously, I had to do one about Drake because I’ve finally finished TRR and I’m devastated omg. I’m gonna tag few people who might like reading this? if I tagged you and you have no intention of reading this, no problem, sorry for tagging you against your wishes lolol, I won’t again. That being said I really hope the people who stumble upon this enjoy reading, don’t hesitate to tell me what you guys thought! (constructive criticism always appreciated too)

Side-note, this is set during Chapter 15 of Book 1, the office scene. I totally changed the dialogue (sorry if that bugs you) but this is how I would have wanted it to go down lmao

Word Count: 2,4 words (pretty short)

Warnings: swearing and mentions of sex

Pairing: Drake Walker x Bellamy Jones (my TRR mc)

“What are you doing?” asked Bellamy as she entered the classy office of the Beaumont estate.

Drake whirled around and his eyes widened a little at the sight of her, his tongue darting out to wet his lower lip.

“There's something strangs going on here and I'm gonna find out what it is.”

Bellamy nodded slowly, biting her lip, then a resolved expression clouded over her face and she spoke up again.

“I’ll help you.”

Drake raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

“Why would you do that?” he inquired, confused as to why she had even followed him into the room in the first place.

“Drake, we don’t have a lot of time before Bertrand finds us and makes us go back to cleaning. I suggest we start looking,” she said, dodging his question.

She didn’t bother to maintain eye contact with him, instead choosing to turn around and start searching the room for potential clues. After all, both she and Drake felt that something was going on in the Beaumont family, and Bellamy had a feeling it had something to do with Maxwell in particular.

Drake turned around as well, too nervous to react to her statement. His hands quivered slightly as he reached for a dark blue leather book and flipped through the pages swiftly, dust escaping the confines of the yellowish paper.

“They’ve got a lot of books. And most of them seem pretty old. Like no one’s read them in decades.” Bellamy caressed a series of books on the shelf in front of her, treading slowly towards the desk in the center of the room.

“Check if there's a stray piece of paper in one of them or a letter or something,” ordered Drake and she stopped walking, taking a breath.

“Yessir,” she muttered, annoyed.

Letting her eyes wander up and down the chestnut shelves, Bellamy’s gaze set on a dark brown book. The letters A T L A S were written down the edge of the large book but what caught her attention was the ink-covered envelope sticking out from between the silver colored pages.

“Drake, I think I found something!” she exclaimed, reaching for the Atlas.

“What is it?” he asked, walking over to her.

Bellamy took out the envelope and examined it. She couldn’t help but think back at Maxwell and Bertrand’s previous hushed conversation concerning money and pinching the paper with her gentle fingers, she could’ve sworn she could feel something thick inside the envelope. The reason behind the tension between the Beaumont brothers perhaps?

“Here, let me see?” Drake held out his hand and Bellamy gave him the envelope, their fingers grazing each other’s sending a wave of electricity down her spine. Drake cleared his throat and she looked over at him, noticing the blush forming on his cheeks.

“Woah...”

“What the hell?” muttered Drake, a cool and composed expression returning on his face.

“Do you think Maxwell knows this is here?”

Drake nodded, his eyes still focused on the money. He was deep in thought.

“Oh, I’m sure he does. Bertrand isn’t the kind of noble who’d leave this amount of money lying around.”

Bellamy frowned and looked up at Drake, confusion protruding from her grey eyes.

“What are you saying?” she asked, curious as to what he was making of this.

“I don’t know. But I bet you Maxwell doesn’t want his brother to know this is here.”

Drake slid the bills back into the envelope and sniffed.

“Whoever left this here, we don’t know what this money is for and we’re not even sure who it belongs to. Let’s keep looking around,” he said, looking away.

Finally, she spoke up.

“We need to talk.”

“What about?” asked Drake, not bothering to look up. This made Bellamy’s blood boil a little but she gulped down her anger deciding against aggression.

“We need to talk about us,” she said, her voice firm. Drake slowly looked up at her and for a second she thought she could see sadness in his chocolaty eyes.

“There is no “us”. There can't be. You're here for Liam, remember?”

“Is that the only thing stopping us?” Bellamy quickly asked, feeling her pulse quicken.

Drake didn’t answer, instead choosing to turn his back to her and start examining the painting hanging from the wall behind the desk.

“Fine, there's no “us”. Let's talk about last night instead,” Bellamy grumbled. His passivity was slowly making her feel more and more annoyed, did he not care for her at all?

At the sound of her voice, Drake lowered his head and stared at the floor, his hands balling up as though preventing him from hanging onto something for support. And boy did he need it for his legs were trembling beneath his weight right then.

“You're killing me, Jones.”

“Good because I think it's about time I have the upper hand here,” she said, setting her hands on her hips. “I’m tired of you pushing me away.”

“Jones-“

She cut him off, getting angrier by the second. She could practically hear her pulse throbbing inside of her head.

“-you fought with Tariq, you said things-“

“-yeah, I said things. I had just had whiskey, I was tired and confused.” This time he cut her off, his voice raised and Bellamy felt herself shrink.

“What about when you were about to leave, Drake? Tell me I was the only one who wanted more than just an embrace,” she breathed, her cheeks flushed with anger and her forehead puckered.

“You're falling for me?” she whispered in disbelief.

Drake couldn’t believe he had just said that.

Ever since she had shown up in his life, he had found her interesting beyond compare, resourceful, funny, intelligent, capable of standing up for herself, and beautiful. So beautiful. He got lost in her eyes more often than he was willing to admit. Her scent made him feel woozy and light, her presence was intoxicating.

He couldn’t do that to his brother.

Thus, even something as innocent as looking her in the eye felt like pure betrayal, but oh, how beautiful her eyes were. How tempting she was.

“I-um, I don’t know,” he mumbled, at loss for words.

“What?” asked Bellamy, irritated.

“I don’t know!” he exclaimed and she took a step back which made him regret his sudden outburst.

His hands were shaking. Why was he telling her all of this? Drake prayed for the black veil of guilt he had gotten used to to cover his mouth and stop him from spilling more mad words but it didn’t come.

“But then you look at me and smile and I suddenly hate myself all over again, because I can’t betray my friend, I can’t do that to him-“

“-what about what I want?” asked Bellamy, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“Of course, I care about what you want. But there’s no way that you want me,” he said, his voice finally giving out under the weight on his heavy heart.

“I do. I want you,” she whined, bringing herself closer to him.

“We shouldn't…”

“Drake.”

Bellamy was so close to him now that she could feel his rapid heartbeat trapped inside of his ribcage. And she was in fact crying. A small pearl running down her flushed cheek made Drake grimace, knowing full well he was the reason behind her tears.

“Jones, we can't…” he muttered and she shook her head, lust clouding over the eyes that weren’t leaving his.

Their lips danced together in a rushed and hungry waltz, the feeling of completeness finally reaching their minds as they held each other tightly. A perfect fit.

“Drake-,”

Footsteps coming from down the hall, and they were getting closer.

Her eyes widened with horror and they leapt out of each other’s arms, Drake to straighten his shirt and fix his tousled hair, Bellamy to zip her dress back up, roughly pulling it up with extreme force and clumsiness. Only, this dress was brand new and wasn’t used to such violence and...

“Crap! No, shit, shit , sh-” she hissed, desperately trying to get the small zipper up but in vain, it was stuck.

‘Always trying to look prim and proper’ thought Bellamy, forgetting her wardrobe malfunction for a millisecond.

“What are you two doing in here? Must I remind you that we have an entire estate to decorate and prepare for tomorrow night?” he asked, exasperated by the guilty looks on the pair’s faces.

“We were just looking for-”

“-something to read!”

“Right, a book,” agreed Drake, his voice thick with anxiousness.

“Ah, you've seen our collection!”

Just the mention of his precious possessions made Bertrand’s entire demeanour change and he walked over to the shelves behind Bellamy. She immediately leapt away from him, keeping her back away from his stern eyes. Drake glanced at her and she inhaled shakily.

“Bertrand, I think you should have this,” she said, suddenly remembering the envelope full of cash they had found earlier. She handed it to him and Drake nodded at her.

“What's this?” inquired the duke, peeking inside.

“We don't know, we found it under one of the books,” answered Drake.

Bertrand suddenly gasped at the sight of the money. He started stammering but after counting the bills, a resolved expression replaced his previously shocked one.

“That's a lot of money, in fact, it looks very much like the amount of money missing from the Beaumont account. Thank you for handing me this, I admire your integrity,” he said.

“No problem.”

Before Bellamy could say another word, Bertrand rushed out of the room, holding on to the envelope full of cash as though someone were going to steal it from him right there in the corridor.

“We still have work to do. After all, the house won't clean itself!” he called out.

Bellamy sighed, relieved that they were in the clear. Had Bertrand caught them, they would have had bigger problems than party preparations. She looked over at Drake but held up her hand when she realised he was about to walk out of the office as well.

“Wait, Drake!” she cried and he whirled around.

“What?”

“The zipper, it's stuck. Could you?”

He nodded and walked back towards her. Placing his hands on her hips, he made her face the opposite wall. His fingers delicately pushed her soft silky hair over her right shoulder and she trembled slightly in anticipation. Slightly grazing her skin, Drake carefully fiddled with the stubborn zipper, and finally managed to pull it up completely.

“Thanks,” she said before feeling his soft lips lightly kiss the back of her neck. A wave of warmth and shivers overcame her body and she closed her eyes in order to fully appreciate the feeling of his mouth against her once more.

“Don't mention it.”

And he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Tagging (not permanently): @drakewalkerwhipped @walkerismychoice @walkerisbae @likethetailofacomet

if you would like to be added to my Drake tag list, just shoot me an ask!

#choices #choices fanfiction #drake walker #drake walker fanfiction #drake walker fanfic #drake walker fiction #pixelberry fanfiction #pb fanfiction #trr fanfiction #trr fanfic #the royal romance #choices: the royal romance #the royal romance fanfiction #v writes #trr #drake x mc #bertrand beaumont #beaumont

43 notes · View notes

catsdaydreams · 6 years

Text

Repercussion

Okay, so its been forever since I’ve touched this story, needing to step away from everything for some self care, but its back, and so am I, ish. I cant promise to be super active because my life is in transition right now, but I can promise that even if it takes me a while I would NEVER leave a story on here without conclusion. So keep faith.

When the Crown Calls (Maxwell x mc x Liam)

Rating: M

@decisso @mfackenthal @ladynonsense My tags literally just quit after this. RIP.

Catch up Here.

No seriously, its been a long time, catch up lol.

CHECK OUT THIS AWESOME MOOD BOARD @boneandfur MADE! <3 THANK YOUU

I let out a small exhausted laugh. “Perhaps we should get dressed this time before Bertrand finds us.” I said, flipping over onto my back and letting Maxwell collapse onto my chest. “I think I’m good right here.” He said, resting on my bare breasts. “I love you.” He murmured again, pressing a kiss to my sternum. “I love you too.” I said content.

Liam watched Kendra leave the palace shortly after he left her suite. A pang of hurt ached across his chest, branching out like a poisonous vine drenched in jealousy. Liam had his suspicions about Max and Kendra for some time, constantly brushing them off as him being paranoid. However now he knew for sure that he was in a competition for her heart. Liam had dispensed two royal guards to tail Kendra from a distance at all times after the poisoning attempt at the ball.

Liam had spent months while Kendra was comatose following every shred of evidence he could. However there simply wasn’t much to find. The only people that even knew that they would be out there alone had been Bastien, and Liam knew that Bastien was fiercely loyal to the royal family. However, Liam didn’t miss the way Bastien avoided looking directly into Kendra’s eyes that morning. He didn’t miss the way Bastien shuffled uncomfortably when Liam hand picked the guards for Kendra's detail.

In his heart, Liam couldn’t ignore the suspicion coiling in the pit of his stomach. Once the car carrying Kendra off the palace grounds disappeared from view, he turned and proceeded to his study, where he summoned Drake. Liam was leaning against his mahogany desk, staring at the ground when the door clicked open. “I thought you put an end to these meetings once you fell madly in love with Kendra.” Drake said dryly, closing the door behind him. Liam ignored the pointed edge his comment held, “I need someone I can trust, because I don’t think I can trust Bastien any longer.”

The two men’s eyes met, and Drake noticed the cracks behind the pools of blue staring back at him. “Ah, so you found out about Beaumont and Hernandez.” Liam rolled his eyes, “Can we discuss something other than my current romance situation? There is a security issue at court, I know that you have been training to become the next head of security. You may have to take that title a little sooner than we thought, I need you to be able to focus on the security of myself and the royal family. If you cant put your own feelings aside long enough to keep your charges safe, I may need to reconsider your future position.” Liam snapped.

He knew it wasn’t fair to take his frustrations out on Drake, who had his own hurt and frustration to deal with. However lately any private conversations between the two seemed to always circle back around to the same subject. Drakes game of snarky remarks had grown very old to Liam, who had learned from a young age to put his own feelings aside for the sake of the crown. Drakes posture stiffened, and guilt flashed across his face momentarily before he bowed his head lightly to Liam. “Of course, I apologize. What is it that you needed to talk to me about.”

Liam’s voice softened, “Leo abdicated, this was never our plan. We will always have the cabin.” Drake swallowed the emotions bubbling inside of him at Liam’s words, the small reprieve in his usual callousness towards Drake since the night that they had ended their stolen moments. Drake swallowed and composed himself, as Liam continued. “I think that Bastien may have tried to poison me. I don’t know why, or how, or at who’s discretion. But he attempted to assassinate the King. I have no choice but to promote you to the head of security and arrest him for treason, but before I do, I want to talk to him privately.”

Drake took this information in, listening to Liam’s plan. He gulped down the fear in the back of his throat, a small voice whispering in the back of his mind like a heartbeat, you’re not ready, you’re not ready. Once he had committed Liam’s plan to memory, he gave his oldest friend a firm handshake, and set out to put the pieces of their mouse trap into place.

Liam never leaves the study, lost in thought and waiting for Drake to text him that everything has been set up. He remembers a time before Leo abdicated, when the two of them would steal away to Drakes fathers cabin in the woods, forgetting the rest of the world and its trouble. Even if for just a short time. He even remembers how they continued once his brother abdicated and Liam was lined up for the throne. Swearing to each other in the early mornings that no wife would come between the two of them. Things changed when Kendra stepped into their lives, unbeknownst to her she was like a walking hurricane, leaving a path of destruction in everyone’s romantic affairs.

Maxwell inevitably became the first to fall, the two of them spending two years alone at Ramsford. Maxwell teaching her all the ways of the court and how to act as a lady. He gave her a few pointers, but he never needed to teach her how to enthrall the crown prince, who’s interest had been peaked at the bar in New York. Drake and Liam came second. Both boys taking an immediate interest in the new girl at court. The girl who somehow managed to have a foot in both of their worlds, one with Liam where she understood class and how to play the game and the other with Drake, drowning whiskey and poking fun at the stiff traditions. A lady, but still a commoner. Hana too, having her own short time period where she idolized the new American. Kendra was independent, and blunt, two very american traits that Hana had never had the confidence to posses. Kendra taught her that confidence, and Hana became infatuated with her because of it.

Liam remembered the last night that he spent tangled in Drake’s sheets. The way the two of them shared no words, and loved for the last time. Liam tried not to notice the tears staining Drakes pillow, his own heart crumbling in response as he got dressed to leave. Drake knew that his heart had ultimately been stolen, and that their time as lovers had come to an end. Liam confirming as much the next day, as he confessed his love for Kendra.

The notification on his phone went off and he braced for Bastien's entry, the tan skinned man striding into the office right on cue, a few moments later. “Your majesty. You wanted to speak with me?” He said bowing his head to Liam. Liam straightened his shoulders looked Bastien in the eye, leaving no more than two feet between the two of them. “Yes. I need to know why you tried to poison me.” Liam said, having no energy left to be coy with him. If Bastien had attempted to poison the king, he showed no sign of it.

“What ever do you mean, my king?” Bastien said eyes never leaving Liam’s. Liam faltered momentarily, he wondered for a moment if he had made the wrong assumption. He shook the thought from his mind, even if he had been wrong, he had to keep pressing. “Bastien, you are the only person that knew Kendra and I were going out there. My real question is how you managed to fumble the dosage. Or was that on purpose to send a message that the crown was vulnerable?” Liam questioned. Bastien didn’t waiver, “Your majesty, I think you need some rest. You have become paranoid.”

Liam pinched the nose of his bridge, Bastien was seemingly unaffected. He was too calm, Liam realized. He wasn’t even upset with the kings accusations. It was in this moment Liam knew that his most loyal guard was to blame, without a doubt. “The waitstaff saw you tamper with the glass, Bastien.” A bluff, but an effective one none the less. Bastien shuffled, almost unnoticeable, and the two men stared at one another in a long silence before Bastien finally broke it. “Your majesty, I beg of you to let the subject go.” He said softly, knowing in his heart of hearts that the game the three of them had been playing was unraveling quickly. It would only take Liam moments to realize that there was only one person who could order something like that of Bastien.

“So who compromised your integrity.”Liam asked, his blue eyes piercing Bastien’s. “Was it the Son’s of Earth? Did you simply tire of the royal family? Who were you sending a message for? You are smart enough to poison me fully if you attempted to, so the dosage couldn’t have been a mistake.” Bastien frowned, Liam hadn’t connected the dots yet. “I wasn’t compromised I was following orders.” The Kings orders to be exact, orders Bastien couldn’t refuse. Liam’s gaze hardened, his sick dying father would have no reason to poison him, he concluded that Bastien had to be lying to cover his tracks. Liam sighed heavily when Drake knocked on the door softly before rushing in, catching both men off guard. “I apologize for the interruption your majesty, but Lady Kendra has gone missing.”

Liam, having watched Kendra drive off knowing she was headed to Ramsford, ignored the intrusion. “You cant honestly expect me to believe the the King father wanted me poisoned.” He stated, watching Bastien’s body language intensely. Bastien sighed, “I do as my King commands, as it is absolute. He is the only person to be able to order me to do such things. King father told me to slip you just enough to make you faint, however he wouldn’t tell me anything more as far as motives go.” Bastien relented. He hadn’t wanted any part of this, but the Kings order is absolute and he had no choice. Liam was his King now, and his word was just as absolute as his fathers before him.

Liam’s jaw clenched at Bastien’s accusation. The idea that his father would do such a thing made no sense to him, what reason would his father have to poison him half way? Liam’s mind began to spin and turn with the possibilities. “Drake, have Bastien arrested until I can further decide what to do with him and the information he has brought me.” He said distractedly, trying to piece together a motive for Bastien’s actions. Two more royal guards came and escorted Bastien out, and Liam noticed that Drake didn’t leave with them. He looked to the brown haired man expectantly, “And Kendra?” Drake asked gauging the Kings response. Liam shook his head, “She isn’t missing. She’s simply gone to Ramsford to talk to Maxwell. I saw her off this morning.”

Drake stood uncomfortably in the presence of his childhood friend and lover, knowing exactly how well he would take this news. “No, Liam. Someone grabbed her at the train station. The small team of guard you attached to her was able to stop the attempted kidnappers, but they can’t find Lady Kendra anywhere. Local authorities are looking for her as well.”

Tensions were high at the palace as the four friends tried endlessly to reach either Max or Kendra, none successful. Liam hadn’t stopped pacing since Drake had broken the news to him. Olivia, Hana, and Drake eyed him nervously as they monitored their phones and the news, desperate for any information. “Some one really has it out for that girl.” Olivia said callously, earning her a side glare from Drake. She rolled her eyes, “honestly, its a miracle shes survived this long. We’re all thinking it, I’m just the only one saying it.” Hana walked over to Liam and put a hand on his shoulder, stopping his pacing. “She’s going to be okay. Her phone is probably on silent, or dead.” She said, trying to ease the mans fear.

Hana’s phone rang loudly from the table, and all four of their eyes landed on it. “Its Kendra!” Drake exclaimed, reaching out for the phone. Liam was faster, answering it in the blink of an eye. “Kendra?” Liam said, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He just needed to know that she was okay, his mind still reeling from his earlier encounter. “Λυπάμαι, δεν είμαι φίλος σου. αυτό το τηλέφωνο ήταν στο δάσος;” A confused voice answered him. Liam’s shoulders sank, responding to the man on the other side of the line asking him to turn the phone over to the police. The man quickly agreed and hung up.

“Was that her? I don’t understand greek, what did you say?” Hana questioned, as soon as the words left her mouth she noticed her friends expressions and knew that it couldn’t have been Kendra. “A citizen found her phone in the forest. He dialed the last number to call her and reached us.” Liam said, and she patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Maxwell’s 80′s themed ringtone woke both of us out of the deep post coital slumber we had both been in. Max reached for the phone that had somehow been shoved into the couch cushions and answered the call. “Yellow.” He said chipperly, I couldn’t make out the words coming through the phone call as I got up and picked up my clothes from around the living room, but judging by Max’s side of it, I could only assume Liam and the others had heard about the kidnapping attempt. Max glanced at me before transitioning into greek to argue with the person on the other end of the line. I debated on if I was going to take a shower or not before we headed back to the palace. I had already been gone longer than I intended and I knew that it would be safest at the palace rather than in Ramsford. Maxwell looked troubled as he hung up the phone.

“I imagine that was the rest of the gang on the phone.” I said, feeling more at ease as Max wrapped his arms around me. “Yeah, they are livid that we didn’t call sooner. I explained that you were upset and wanted to rest, and we didn’t think to check the phone.” I leaned into his warm chest, breathing deeply. It seemed our moment of reprieve was over, and it was back to the never ending insanity of the Cordonian court. Almost as if reading my mind Maxwell brushed a piece of my hair out of my face as he pressed a kiss to my nose. “You know we don’t have to go back. You are entitled to a break, and can stay here as long as you want. We don’t have to go back to the court, even though Liam wants you too.” I sighed, it really was time for our reprieve to end. I had to tell Maxwell the reason I had come to Ramsford in the first place.

Maxwell looked at me, his emerald eyes shining and my heart broke a little. How could I tell this man that no matter how I felt about him, it wasn’t enough? That I intended to clear my name and marry Liam anyway? “I have to go back, Maxwell.” I watched the light dim in his eyes. Pain cracked behind them as the unspoken words clung to the air. “You chose him.” Max said, sliding his mask back into place. I looked down towards my feet, unsure of how to answer him.

#choices #wtcc #when the crown calls #maxwell x mc #trr #trr3 #au #fanfiction #liam x mc

24 notes · View notes

thedeaditeslayer · 6 years

Photo

Dana DeLorenzo set for new beginning as 'Ash vs. Evil Dead' comes to an end.

While the news broke last week that the horror comedy "Ash vs. Evil Dead" is coming to an end after its third season on STARZ, it also marked a new beginning for the series' breakout star, Dana DeLorenzo. Not only has DeLorenzo's turn as Deadite slayer Kelly Maxwell earned her respect and loyalty from fans of the series, it, in a serendipitous bit of timing, has also brought her the prestigious Artemis Action Next Wave award from the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival.

And with that, the next wave of DeLorenzo's career begins when she accepts the honor Thursday night in Los Angeles.

"I am ecstatic and incredibly humbled to be an Artemis Women in Action honoree," DeLorenzo said. "The timing of the awards gala -- days before the series finale of 'Ash Vs Evil Dead' -- is a staggering example of synchronicity; the most wonderful bookend to the most insane and glorious time of my life thus far. Receiving a Women in Action award is a real tribute to the character Kelly Maxwell, as well as all the unsung heroes involved in bringing her to life."

In a phone conversation from LA just a couple days before STARZ's announcement about the fate of the show, DeLorenzo was aware of the possibility that "Ash vs. Evil Dead" could come to an end this season. Was she mentally preparing herself for the possible news of cancellation? Yes, but truth be told, she had been mentally preparing herself since the first season, as there were never any guarantees with the series.

"I think everyone involved in making this show mentally prepared that every season could be our last," DeLorenzo said. "There's a lot of competition out there, more so than ever. And in this era of television the longevity of any show is especially unpredictable. So, I think we all treated every episode -- and every season -- as our last, but in the best way. I can only speak for myself, but whenever an episode or scene was a particularly epic -- like the colon fight (in season two) -- it was hard to imagine how it could ever be matched, let alone topped. But I think we pushed ourselves to a new level every season; and I believe that's a result of treating each one as if it's the last."

On top of that, DeLorenzo also knew from day one that pretty much every character apart from Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) was vulnerable and could be killed off the series.

"It was all made very clear to us before we started shooting when we were told, 'Just so you guys know, you won't know ahead of time if your character is going to die. You're going to have to find out with everybody else. None of you are safe,'" DeLorenzo recalled. "So, that was understood. Still, it caught you off-guard when people like Jill Marie Jones' character (Detective Amanda Fisher) were killed off (in season one). It was still shocking."

The interesting thing is, while Kelly was killed off by the villain-turned-ally-turned-villain Ruby Knowby (Lucy Lawless) in episode six this season (but her soul and life form, at least for the time being -- or perhaps forever -- lives on in a parallel universe known as “The Rift”), she was still very much a part "Ash vs. Evil Dead." Whether she was playing Kelly in life or in the afterlife, the series gave DeLorenzo the best experience she's had as an actor to date.

"It has been such an epic milestone in my life -- from the fans to the role to all I've learned -- everything about it," DeLorenzo said. "This was my first series regular role that continued beyond the pilot as a green-lit series. So, even if 'Ash vs. Evil Dead' would have lasted one season, it would have held a special place for me. This show is such a part of me and a part of my heart, whether it leads to many more things or not."

Always one to give credit to behind-the-scenes people on the show, DeLorenzo is sincerely grateful to the writers for finding a way to keep Kelly around for the duration of the series.

"I've been lucky enough to have lasted this long as Kelly, and even when I'm dead to still be playing her or other characters … if this is all where it ends, what I can say personally is, 'Man, what a wild, groovylicious, bloody, insane f---in' ride it has been.' I am so honored, lucky and grateful to be tied to this franchise for the rest of my life. It will never get old to me. It will always be a great love of my life."

Unbridled passion

A native of Youngstown, Ohio, DeLorenzo first attended college and worked in Chicago before she headed out to Los Angeles seeking a career on-screen. Her first speaking role on TV was as "Girl #2" on the hit CBS sitcom "2 Broke Girls" in 2011. Other opportunities followed, including a recurring skit where she played Beth the CBS executive on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson"; while other promising chances to be on shows like Fox's "The Mindy Project" slipped through her grasps.

"That experience and others like it would be best described with this analogy: I was jockey on my horse, prepared and ready to run the Kentucky Derby -- but when the race started my gate wouldn't open. So, I never got to run the race," DeLorenzo said, humbly. "In other cases, I got out of the gate but fell off my horse; or my horse ran in the other direction. Sure, it broke my spirit for a while -- but it never broke my back. I always got back on the proverbial horse, no matter what. I hope that doesn't sound too trite, because it's the truth. It's an idiom for a reason! Always get back on the horse. I'm grateful I did, because I eventually got to run the race … and finally made it all the way to the finish line."

The silver lining for viewers is, as difficult as missed opportunities have been for DeLorenzo, those heartbreaks also helped build character. Because of her misfortunes she became resilient and never lost sight of her integrity; traits, that combined with her passion for life and her work, have served her well as she found her way to what has been the ride of a lifetime on "Ash vs. Evil Dead."

Initially billed in what could have become the thankless role as a foil for Campbell's chainsaw-wielding, boomstick-slinging, Shemp's Beer-chugging antihero Ash Williams in "Ash vs. Evil Dead," DeLorenzo quickly defined the role of Kelly as somebody much more than a "sidekick." Getting into just as many blood-and-guts-soaked mishaps as the show's namesake, it didn't take long for DeLorenzo to become a fan favorite that has rivaled the popularity of Campbell himself. That's a monumental feat, considering Campbell is the actor who made the role of Ash legendary in director Sam Raimi's cult classic "Evil Dead" film trilogy.

The amazing part of fandom, as DeLorenzo has discovered, is that the adoration fans have for Kelly Maxwell and "Ash vs. Evil Dead" isn't limited to U.S. borders. True, DeLorenzo has fans following her on her social media channels from all over the world, but she for the first time felt the true reach of the show meeting people from all over Europe when attended the horror-themed convention Weekend of Hell in Dortmund, Germany. Joining cast mates Campbell and Ray Santiago (who plays Ash and Kelly's fellow Deadite hunter, Pablo) at the convention earlier this month, DeLorenzo immediately found out that there was just as much an affinity for Kelly's F-bomb-laced dialogue in Europe as there is stateside.

"When I would sign photos, they kept saying -- even though they couldn't speak much English and I unfortunately couldn't speak German, I learned a few things – they would say, 'Kelly, write f--k evil!'”

Weekend of Hell was definitely an eye-opener for DeLorenzo. She got to meet people who've been entertained by Kelly in places she never could have imagined.

"Germany was one of the greatest experiences of my life," DeLorenzo said. "Going overseas, it was very apparent that, even in spite of the language barrier that the love was there. People were waiting two hours to talk, to say 'hi' and to get an autograph. I kept getting into trouble because I kept wanting to talk with everybody for five minutes. I was like, 'You waited two hours? I want to give you enough time!'"

Despite the awakening, don't think for a second that DeLorenzo has forgotten her U.S. fan base.

"I just get overwhelmed meeting people in the States -- it is such a symbiotic relationship -- some people say this is just fan service, but this is all very new to me and I'm just so happy to be doing what I love, that anything else on top of it is gravy and icing and cherries, and all the wonderful things in life. Donuts? Can we put donuts on top because I love donuts? So, even in America alone, if I meet a fan, I'm the one freaking them out by the end of the interaction, because I am so passionate and intense."

Just Dana

Whether you've met DeLorenzo at a convention or merely exchanged a tweet, it's easy to see that she's just Dana, not Kelly (although she admits slipping into character time and again at conventions), and that she's completely genuine and humbled over the fortunate position she's found herself in life. And while it's nice knowing that her work to fans in person and online have inspired people, that's not why she does it. If anything, DeLorenzo she's the one who is inspired, and her overtures to fans are a reflection of her gratitude.

"People have said to me, 'You're so normal and humble.' That's just because of the kind of parents I've had. My parents have kept me very grounded my whole life," DeLorenzo said. "Also, I've had to work very hard my whole life. Not only have I had to work hard and persevere, but I have been through the wringer and that makes you appreciate anything you get that's positive.

"So, for me, it's not about being on TV, but just the fact that I have a steady job that I can go to, day in and day out, getting up every day to do what I love," she added. "It's the only thing I've worked for and wanted my entire life, so the transition from dream to reality is the greatest reward."

Relating a story of how her parents have kept her level-headed, DeLorenzo noted, "An acquaintance said to them once the show was on the air, 'Oh, my goodness, your daughter is on billboards and she has fans and people are dressing up like her.' Then they said something along the lines of, 'Do you realize that she's a name?' and my mom just looked at her and said so matter-of-factly, 'No. She's just Dana.' It's funny because to everybody else things look different. But at the end of the day, if you get a promotion at an office job, you got a promotion, but you're still you. Your situation has changed, but you are still you."

Anchors aweigh

There's been a theme enveloping the character of Kelly Maxwell since the very beginning of "Ash vs. Evil Dead," in that her character has been anchored, so to speak, in the Ernest Hemingway literary classic "The Old Man and the Sea." It began to take shape when Ash, Kelly and Pablo made their fateful trip to Kelly's parents' house in episode two of season one. In a pivotal exchange, Ash tries to coax the Deadite out of Kelly, and Kelly's mother, (Mimi Rogers) said she was a teacher and her favorite book was "The Old Man and the Sea."

From there, sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed that in addition to Kelly's favorite color being purple, the wardrobe or jewelry that costume designer Barbara Darragh conceived for DeLorenzo in every episode, in one way or another, incorporates an anchor.

Fast-forward to episode six this season, when the "The Old Man and the Sea" motif comes full-circle. Kelly decides to confront Ruby alone to destroy evil, even though she's aware that the odds of survival are not in her favor.

"There's a famous quote from that book that I think perfectly applies to Kelly's final moments in episode six, which is, 'A man can be destroyed, but not defeated,' which really just gives me chills every time that I think of it," DeLorenzo said. "It's so important to me to draw the parallel because I love how it ties into Kelly's journey. She went into battle because she, No. 1, took advantage of an opportunity that evil would never see coming; and No. 2, she thought since Ash and Pablo were off doing their own things, 'If I go into this right now while evil's not expecting it, I could potentially end this battle once and for all and no one has to die.'”

Third, and most importantly, DeLorenzo said, the motivating factor behind Kelly's actions in the episode is how evil destroyed her family. Kelly could have moved on after evil was seemingly vanquished at the end of season two or chosen to not get back into the fight when it reemerges to begin season three, but that is not her purpose.

"We all know that Kelly is out for revenge, but she's also at the start of season three a warrior without a war. She needs to stay in the fight against evil," DeLorenzo said. "She also needs to follow her heart to forge her path, which is what mortal Ruby encouraged her to do in season two. What I've learned from playing Kelly it that it's OK to be afraid, but the strength comes from having the courage to go for it in spite of that fear. You can assess the risks, but if the reward excites your spirit, you've got to go for it every time -- and when you do, you've already won."

While fans will have to wait until this Sunday to find out whether Kelly's soul will remain adrift for all eternity in “The Rift,” they will be happy to know this: No matter the outcome of the character, DeLorenzo will push off from "Ash vs. Evil Dead," hands firmly gripped on the ship's wheel (or horse's reigns, per her earlier analogy), charting her own course. It's a course that began with a casting director named Julie Ashton, who cast DeLorenzo in her first LA pilot out of Chicago and later her first television speaking role on "2 Broke Girls"; and whose keen sensibilities prompted her to eventually cast the actor in her first guest-starring role on NBC's smash hit "Will & Grace" in February. It's also a course that reunited her with the first person she met in Los Angeles, Ross Marquand (who, ironically went on to battle evil himself in "The Walking Dead") for his 2015 comedy series "Impress Me"; and it's a course that led her to a tender independent movie, 2017’s "The Mad Ones."

Sure, in between those sunny beaches were rough waters, and DeLorenzo knows she'll encounter them again. But risking those waters is how she fatefully arrived at "Ash vs. Evil Dead." As for what's next, it's not a matter of if, but when DeLorenzo finds her way back.

#Dana DeLorenzo

13 notes · View notes

golddaggers · 7 years

Text

Sparks Fly

Reader x Klaus Mikaelson

(NOT MY GIF)

*Requested

Imagine: In 1919, while looking for ripper Stefan, who went missing nearly a year ago, you have a very pleasant meeting with one the oldest vampires in existence: Klaus Mikaelson.

Warnings: slight smut, bad words and, oh, well, it’s a vampire imagine, there’s gotta be a little blood. haha

N/A - Not quite as you requested, but I hope you like the same way, anon. :) Also, you guys could read this while listening to Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift. I heard it repeatedly when I was writing this one.

Word Count: 2,9k+

Dear Damon,

I am aware of the promise I made to send you a letter every month, so you know that I’m alive, but things have been a bit messy lately. Moving from one place to another has not given me much time to write. Actually, my only true focus is finding our brother and getting him back to his old self. Perhaps I’ll be able to do that here in New Orleans, which, by the way, is a wonderful city. You should be here to see the night lights and cheerful dances.

Oh, shucks! That reminds me I have got to meet up with my friend Lexi in twenty minutes at this famous pub. Apparently, the Original family is here, oh yes, the family who created all other vampires, and goes there every evening, she thought it would be a cool way to blow off some steam while we don’t find Stefan.

She might have a solid point, I guess.

Well, I will not extend myself, because I have to leave, however, don’t worry about me, everything is fine and I got the feeling this it. So, soon enough, we’ll be joining you in Paris.

I miss like crazy those cold winter days!

Anyway, kisses and hugs to you from your loving sister.

Love you,

Y/N.

You dropped the beautiful pen on the table and sighed, thinking that what you were telling him was more than enough. Sure Damon would be pleased to hear you were still alive, because, in his mind, chasing emotionless Stefan was a dead end job. Not that he was entirely wrong, but you were never the kind of girl who would leave someone behind, especially if that someone was your own flesh and blood.

“Y/N Salvatore!” A voice cut through the silence of your house. “I can’t believe you’re not ready yet.”

“Hey, Lexi!” You smiled and stood up, moving smoothly towards the majestic mahogany wooden wardrobe. “I completely forgot we were supposed to go out tonight! That’s why I’m not-”

“Don’t make excuses!”

“I promise you I am not.” This time an angry huff slipped, as you divert your eyes to the well-hung dresses, not being sure which one you were going to pick.

The blonde, who had her arms crossed tightly against her chest while leaning into the wall next to your bedroom’s door, rolled her eyes at you and caved in, like she always did, coming closer to help you get dressed. Lexi always had a good eye for fashion, which made anyone look absurdly fabulous once they had been advised by her.

A short while later, after your friend decided what was suitable for the place, you stared yourself in the mirror, feeling ready to steal any man’s heart because the baby pink gown you had on highlighted your every curve, also giving an insinuating gleam to your once innocent traits. Absolutely perfect to a girls night out.

“Uh, pumpkin, we should go.” Lexi called me out, once she realised how late it was. “It’s awfully late.”

“Oh, I’m sure it doesn’t really matter.” Your reply was gentle, as you worked on your Y/H/C wild curls. “But if it means that much to you, we can go now. And maybe we’ll even find Stefan there or at least a lead on his whereabouts.”

“Oh no.” A gentle snort escaped as she shook her head. “We’re shutting off the ‘get my baby brother back’ thing for a night.”

“That’s what I came here to do, Lexi.”

“Oh shut up about it!” Now her index finger was pointed sharply on your face. “Now listen to me: I know you love him and that he is very important to you. But not everything is about Stefan. Or Damon. You are your own person, so live a bit and enjoy the pleasures of life.”

Somehow, you were not able to shout out a rude response. Instead, after a couple of minutes, you exhaled tiredly and nodded, agreeing that she was right. Lexi squeezed the bare skin of your shoulder and you glanced up at her, finding her so sweet and comforting brown eyes.

“Can we please have some fun now?”

“Sure, blondie.”

“Now that’s the Y/N I know.”

You two share a quick, confidant laugh and leave the cosy pension room, going to your natural habitat: the darkness.

You tapped your feet nervously on the floor, tugging at the thin tissue of your dress and looking from side to side. Normally you wouldn’t feel like this whenever you had to be alone, which, by the way, you were because your so-called best friend decided she needed to dance with a random guy for so random reason. Still, there was something about this place that made you uneasy, although you could not quite place it just yet.

The martini glass you ordered was lying lazily on the table, but, long ago, you realised that alcohol was not what you were craving. Matter fact, you did not even want that, it was only to keep the appearances. One thing did manage to capture your attention, though. A tall, dark guy who gave you the eye all night long. Heck, he smelt delicious.

It’s settled then, you thought, licking your lips and smiling at him. A shy wave followed your previous actions. That was clearly an invitation for him to come closer and he took your lure, walking towards you rather fast.

“Good evening, Ms…?”

“Salvatore. But you can call me Y/N.”

“That is a lovely name” The guy whispers, taking your hand and kissing its back while glancing at you with lustful eyes. “I’m Thomas Maxwell.”

Leaning in, you stared deep into his eyes, it was time to make sure poor Tom wouldn’t let out a peep about what was going to go down next. The compulsion was easy since your diet consisted of human blood entirely. That was so because, unlike your baby brother, you had amazing control of your thirst and only killed if it was strictly necessary.

“Well, Mr Maxwell, what do you say we go outside to catch some fresh air? I’m feeling a bit claustrophobic here.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” The man stutters, offering you his arm which you accepts gladly. “I am sorry if I’m crossing some lines, but I just have to say you look beautiful tonight.”

“So kind of you to say that!”

You couldn’t blame him for being completely numb under the effect of your presence. Although human’s inner self-preservation instinct should repel the vampire allure, it did the exact opposite, pushing them straight to their deaths.

The air outside was cold, bringing a set of shivers to startle you, making Thomas sympathetically wrap his coat around your shoulders. You smiled shyly, watching as he bit his bottom lip, heart pounding so fast against his ribcage you thought he would have a heart attack.

“So, Ms Salvatore, what brings you to New Orleans?” Thomas blurts out, one of his thumbs nervously circling the back of his other hand. At his bluntness, you look away, not wanting to think about Stefan right now. “Oh, I am deeply sorry… I just figured you were new and-”

Two of your delicate fingers were placed softly against his lips, shutting him off completely. Then one chuckle slips, you just couldn’t help yourself. It was amusing how they all acted under your overwhelming presence. You have always been told that, even by other vampires. That your scent was so intoxicating they had trouble knowing how to contain themselves.

“We don’t have to talk about this,” It was barely a whisper, your hands slowly descending to his neck, making it all so sensual. “do we?”

“No.” His lips quivered in anticipation. “C-Can I… Ugh…”

Watching him meticulously, you raised a brown and clamped your lower lip between your teeth. They all seemed so alike, always stuttering and looking naive… It was what made the hunt so interesting: seeing how far they would resist to the trap’s temptation.

“Oh, Mr Maxwell…” Your voice low, a finger pulling him closer and closer to be caged against a bricked wall. “Do you wish for one of my kisses?”

“I do.”

Another taunting grin surfaces as you slip one sharp nail against the soft flesh of his neck. The carotid was pumping heavily, the adrenaline stench driving you insane. Way too good for you waste any other moment to finally taste it.

Thomas Maxwell didn’t scream when you climbed his body, hooking your legs around his waist as your teeth ferociously tore his throat apart, blood gushing across your face as you drank it down, moaning to the sweet taste of it. Feeding made you high, your body warming up as your desires were slowly fulfilled. He weakened beneath you, both of you falling down as he had no strength to keep the position.

“Hmm, I can’t tell what looks hotter, sweetheart, you or the fine drink you’re having.” A pleased tone coming from a man’s voice snapped you out of the frenzy the blood got you into. “I suppose I have to savour your lips first to make my choice.”

Regardless of Thomas’ fading hands still grazing your sensitive skin, your bodies still very much close to one another, it was not quite this proximity that made your body, especially not the middle of your legs, warm up like that, throbbing unconsciously. You bit your tongue to prevent a groan, standing up, your dress crooked and your face possibly covered in blood.

“May I know who are you?”

“Oh sweetheart, I am slightly disappointed you haven’t heard about me yet.” He brought your hand to his plump, pink lips, the roughness of his stubble scraping the skin. “I am Klaus Mikaelson.”

A sudden change of your demeanour makes him laugh, he’s aware you know about his fame, what he’s done and what he is. Your mind, on the other hand, is running, unable to focus, unable to convince you that the oldest vampire in existence, the most dangerous one too, was actually flirting with you. And also, no matter how crazy it sounds, you thought about how you’d never doubt Lexi’s word: Klaus Mikaelson was the most handsome man you had ever laid your eyes on.

“Y/N Salvatore.”

“Hmm, are you related somehow to a vampire named Stefan?” Klaus quizzes, one of his eyebrows quirking.

“Yes, that’s my brother’s name. Do you know him?” You ask gently, your eyes glued to him in childish excitement. “I have been looking for him.”

“Yes, sweetheart, I do him. We have become quite good friends.” The thickness in his accent makes you shudder, your lips in a grim line to refrain a pant. Your mind betrays you by thinking about his tone mellowish, calling out for you as you go down your him, tasting him. Your heat throbs to the thought. “But I have no wishes to talk about him. Not when a beauty such as yourself is standing in front of me.”

“What do you want from me?” There’s a slight falter in your voice, which doesn’t go unnoticed by him, who inches closer to you. “I don’t have anything-”

“You see, sweetheart, I am curious about you.” Now there was only a fair share of steps between you, his hands close enough to toy around with the drapes on your dress. A shiver crawls down your spine. “You have a scent, one that has gotten me here. Like a puppy who needs to be taken care of. You reek of it. And I needed to take a closer look at it.”

The nudge of his nose on your jawline got you throwing your head back, exposing your neck further to him, his lips licking off the drops of dry blood from your neck. You can’t hold back the soft ah that leaves your lips stubbornly. It was insane. You had never done such thing, never allowed your guard down to a stranger, still, you couldn’t help it. Not when he was near you, his presence making your stomach twist, your insides achy and claiming for him.

“K-Klaus, what are we doing?” It goes off with a broken whimper, his large hand nearing your ass. “This is insane, we don’t even know each other.”

“Does it matter, dear?” Klaus replies hoarsely.

A gush of heat washes your figure as he presses himself into you, the growing bulge inside his pants rubbing lightly your centre. Your hands fly to the nape of his neck, tugging at the blond hair there, you have to refrain your craving to run your nails down, dipping into his loose shirt, feeling what the warmness of his skin is like.

“No.” The lowest of whispers, but Klaus smiles. “It doesn’t, really.”

“Come with me, then.”

His hands now squeeze your back, pulling you up to wound your legs around his waist. Klaus has you pinned against the wall, his scent intoxicating you, like green leaves and petrichor. Your gut screamed for you to say yes, to surrender to him, feel the size of him inside of you. It certainly wouldn’t come into the occasion you had met him only a few minutes ago.

“Klaus! I have been looking for you.” A known voice startled you, a voice you’d recognise anywhere and had been yearning to hear it for quite a while. “Rebekah wants to talk to you-Y/N? What are you doing here?”

The sting of betrayal hurts as you pull away from Klaus, glaring at your baby brother with sad eyes. He looks cold and distant like he hasn’t missed you for a second. Like he hasn’t thought about you. The one who cared for him, who defended him from their father. It wasn’t fair what Stefan was doing.

“Oh brother, in this scenario, I’m the one asking the questions.”

“What for? I have told you, and Damon, countless times that I don’t want your help.” Stefan rolls his eyes, in a mocking attitude. “I’m fine.”

“Oh, but you don’t fool me.” Anger was boiling within your veins, mixing with your blood and making you growl. Oh, how you wanted to smack the hell out of that boy. “If there’s anybody who knows you, that’s me, now-”

“Honey, I’m going to be straight with you, okay? I don’t care, I don’t flip back on and I want you to stop trying.”

“You really don’t know me, do you?”

Stefan shrugs off, diverting his attention to the man still standing beside you, annoying flickering on his fair eyes. “Rebekah wants to talk you. Find her. Now I have to go, there’s a girl who’s waiting for me.”

"Stefan!”

Yet, before you were able to follow him and kick his ass for acting like that, Klaus grips you by your wrist, forbidding you to do so, which made you even madder. For a split second, you wonder if Klaus’ true intentions were to spoil the first time you saw your brother after almost a year and crush your expectations on ever turning on his humanity switch. Anger bubbles throughout your figure and you roughly free yourself from his grasp.

“That’s why you came here?” Your voice is higher than it should be. “To mess up my plans?”

“Mind your tone, sweetheart.” Klaus snarled. “Don’t forget who I am.”

“Answer me!” With hands splayed across his chest, you narrow your eyes, still angrily shouting. “Come on!”

“No.” Klaus finally answers. “I didn’t even know you were his sister until you told me. And I’m honestly not interested in more family drama, I have my own to cover that.”

Of course, you knew it wasn’t his fault. How could it be? Truthfully, you wanted to find somebody else to place your failure but yourself. It was on you that your brother was like that. Once you admit that to yourself, feeling defeated, you allow the welled up tears to streak down, staining your cheeks. You were weak. So weak that you couldn’t even stand up, falling to your knees.

Klaus sighed, kneeling in front of you and raising your chin, exposing you to a deep blue-eyed stare, it was like facing a wide, rebellious ocean. Your breathing was still uneven and it only grew worse when he, carefully, stroke your cheeks, wiping the stupid teardrops that kept streaming down your face like someone had turned the faucet in your eyes on.

“I am sorry I look so pathetic…” It was a sincere apology, Klaus was an unknown person who didn’t need to be in the middle of this. “You can leave me here if you want, I’ll be fine.”

"I don’t normally do this, dear, but I like you, so I’ll open an exception.”

“Excuse me?”

He wraps your waist with his arms and helps you to stand back on your feet, a little exhausted. Almost as if someone injected vervain directly on your neck, pumping it continuously to your heart.

“I’m going to take you on a date.” A gorgeous smile curved his lips, enlightening his entire face. “I almost made you my own, it’s only fair. And it’ll help to forget all that drama.”

"One night with the mighty Mikaelson?” You look up, scratching your neck and pretending you were thinking about it still. “What the heck, I don’t have anything to lose, anyway.”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure you will come back for more.”

“Drop the smug act.”

“Quit being a cry baby.”

As both of you laughed, walking away from that dark alley, you thought you had never met someone as intense as Klaus Mikaelson. It was definitely going to be an unforgettable night and, fuck, Lexi should set her ears ready to hear every single detail because you were sure it was going to be wild. And, if your luck twists a little, very much naughty as well.

2K notes · View notes

lottiesnotebook · 6 years

Note

Hey there, it's me, 'Kaleidoscope' (she/her btw)! I've struck again, haha. I read yours and Ada's Hogwarts au and its some good stuff *45,642,356 thumbs up*. I really love how neurodiverse this fic was. It made me so super happy that Maxwell was autistic-- especially since you stated so IN FIC and gave her autistic traits-- and Hera had social anxiety. Not to mention trans!Jacobi and well duh the general queerness of it all. I really loved all the pranks that Eiffel got into (ask 1 oops)

like with the mistletoe– now that was hilarious. I think it’s pretty important that you both acknowledged Lovelace having PTSD from such a traumatic experience, and that it still really affects her. I enjoyed the scene where she realizes she has to think of a new memory for a Patronus, b/c yes, things have changed. I love the whole Maxwell and Jacobi interaction in church, what with the whole different-from-the-rest-solidarity and bro/sis thing. (ask 2, i swear there won’t be too many sorry)

I also really liked the thought you put into their dance outfits. Again, I just really loved Maxwell and how she was portrayed. I was wondering though– in SESD, Kepler/Jacobi is an abusive relationship, so why isn’t it in this one? On that topic, I do like the way Jacobi and Eiffel are still friends after splitting up. Nice job, both of you! Also, sorry if this is weird or annoying, or if I should ask on Ada’s Tumblr instead. Have a nice day or night! -‘tcha girl 'Kaleidoscope’(a pseudonym btw)

Oh wait I forgot to asked why the Hogwarts thing is unfinished? It’s fine that it isn’t, I like it either way just wondering tho. Also cute selfie from like two days ago! (Fuck is that a creepy thing to say? Sorry) –'Kaleidoscope’

Well, if it isn’t my favourite commenter of mystery! *waves*

OK I’m sticking this under a cut because I have So Much to say.

(Including: IM me, if you’re not too shy, I have so much Behind The Scenes stuff to say about writing these. XD)

Yep, everyone in everything we write is autistic and queer because if we don’t represent us, who will? We did get sensitivity readers in on trans!Jacobi because we’re not trans, but we are trying to represent the characters fairly, because diversity (and neurodiversity) is very important to us.

We had So Much Fun with Eiffel’s pranks and honestly they were the reason we started this fic. We had almost as much fun with the Wonder Twins being their adorable, grumpy selves. We didn’t actually start out with the intention of giving Lovelace PTSD from the Forest, but it sort of happened organically, so I hope we got it right. The new Patronus scene was kind of a favourite to write because I don’t think we’d ever written a scene with just Lovelace and Jacobi before? And it turns out they have a pretty interesting dynamic.

I cannot take any credit for the dance outfits, that was all my fantastic cowriter @captainlovelxce (she makes the moodboards, I make the playlists, it’s a very fulfilling partnership), but they are fantastic, right?

As for the Kepcobi thing - without the power differential, the rank hierarchy, and the age difference, their dynamic is pretty different already? In SESD it was pretty heavily skewed to it’s worst possible potential, so here we tried out something a little fluffier. Though I have to admit it was reeeeeeeeeeeeeally difficult writing a version of Kepler who wasn’t The Worst. Plus when we started this we weren’t set in our places as the Jacoffel Girls just yet, so we were kind of trying something new. (Though I write a MUCH better Eiffel than I do Kepler)

This AU’s unfinished atm because it kind of got… out of hand? We might still finish it at some point, but we’ve got a lot of stories (including some original fiction) that we’re switching between atm.

Your messages are neither weird nor annoying, they are absolutely delightful and they make me smile So Much, you have no idea. Ada would probably love them just as much, but I’d be quite happy to keep them for myself, lol.

I always love hearing from you and at some point hope to unravel the mystery behind your delightfully kind messages.

For now, though, I’ve written you a novel, so I’ll leave it here!

This is Lottie, signing off x

(PS: That’s actually the first compliment on one of my selfies I’ve received on Tumblr so *blush* it’s very appreciated)

#kaleidoscope #who is this beautiful person and where will they strike next??#seriously i love you who are you???

1 note · View note

aurtalk · 7 years

Photo

Imagine your dreams becoming reality!!!

The time has come and I am now a graduate of Full Sail University gaining my Master of Science in Entertainment Business. Although the road was not easy and I went through trials & tribulations to get here I’m thankful for all those bumps in the road because they made me strong.

Mastery:

I had a goal of enrolling in school and learning how to master my craft. With the course I did just that. I was able to enroll at Full Sail and learn how to master my niche. Public relations is what I do and I do it well. I received an A for this course.

You have to know what it is that you are actually good at before you go about starting a business or putting yourself out there to the public. I never really thought about that until this course. I know that me helping people help themselves is a wonderful thing.

Executive Leadership:

I wanted to learn how to be a great leader. Although I thought that I was a good leader, I knew I could become better. This course taught me that there are different leader styles. In order to be a great leader you have to know when to use each style and why. Staying positive, influencing others, positive changes, problem solving, having priorities, having integrity, fixing my attitude, having a vision, love for people, and being self disciplined are all traits of the Maxwell leadership style and I have them all so the Maxwell leadership style is my style for now and the future. I received an At for this course.

I set out to find mentorship because a leader needs a mentor. I found that in a pastor at a young adult ministry. This person tells me when I am right and wrong and you need a person like that on your team. I have used my leadership to mentor young boys and girls and help them get through tough situations. I have also used my new way of thinking leadership skills with my clients and I must say we’ve been successful thus far.

Project and Team Management:

I have always found it hard for others to be in control of something I put my heart into. It’s not that I don’t trust others, I just felt like it’ll get done right if I do it myself. The time came for me to bite the bullet. I set out to go network in another city. This course taught me that the word team is important. I allowed the team to handle business while I was away. I received an At for this course.

I booked a flight and went to Las Vegas. It was my first time flying so I was terrified. The trip turned out to be a success. I met so many different people there. There was opportunity for a show as well. I have had the chance to work with a graphic designer that I met when I was there and the partnership is still going.

Business Storytelling & Brand Development:

I needed to figure out how to brand myself and business separately. It is hard to do but once you figure out who you are and how you want to be preceived by your fans it gets easy. This course taught me how to build a brand. Everything you do has a purpose. I received an At for this course.

When you think of a logo, you just don’t want anything. You want something that stands out. I thought I had everything all together but it wasn’t until this course that I changed my business logo and I happy I did. I have learned to tell a story with my visions.

Entertainment Business Finance:

I was looking for a business team. Since I had started the company it had only ben my husband and I. When you have to do all the work yourself it becomes overwhelming. I decided I needed to put together a team. I set out to interview different people but they just didn't fit. I received an At for this course.

My business is built around family. I asked myself why can't I keep it that way. I reached out to a few close family members and close friends and they came on board. Each person that I picked worked out in the best interest for the company because either they were in school for the position I wanted them to have, already had a degree, or had known knowledge about it. My team and myself were able to start creating the perfect business regiment for success.

Digital Marketing:

I wanted to use the internet more to market my clients and Tee-shirts. I had been always using word of mouth, posters, emails, and texts. I needed to make them known to the world. I set out to introduce my Tee-shirt line the world by having my artist showcase them as models. I received a Bt in this course.

This turned out to be a success. I had my web team to create an account for any social site that the company did not already have. They also created a webpage that included a lot of things regarding the business and the artists. Since creating all of this my artist have gained so many followers and the company has as well. There has been mention by a few known artist such as Juvenile, so I think we are on the right track.

Negotiation and Deal-Making:

This course taught me how to get the best deal and seal it. I had been struggling back and forth with a wholesale company about pricing. There was also the subject of one of my artist performing at a local event for a club that had a 21 and older policy. I did not take no for an answer and this is where this coarse came in to play because I used my BATNA to get what I want and make everyone happy and come out good. I received a Bt for this course.

I was able to get my artist the performance and the deal included they leave right after the show was over. Since then they still perform at the club and we keep the same agreement in place. I was able to get a deal with the wholesale company as well. I got the shirts for $1.74 versus them wanting to charge me $3.29. I will continue to use them until my shirts go nationwide.

Product and Artist Management:

This course helped me to sell and manage my products. I created a mock product in this course and because my classmate and I done so well I took what we did and used it for my business. It is very hard to do things in the industry without help from investors and doing it out of your own pocket. I received an A for this course.

My team and I started doing local events, talent shows, birthday parties, and selling singles on Cd’s to raise money for a small 25 city tour we were putting together. A local group got wind of this and donated half of what was needed for the expenses. Some of the places the tour consisted of was Michigan, Iowa, Chicago, Wisconsin, Indiana, and St, Louis just to name a few. We were able to sell our tee-shirt to fans as well.

Advanced Law Entertainment:

I needed to find out how to take the necessary steps to make my business legal. I had been using a bank account with my social security number for the longest with the company name attached as a business. This course helped me to decide to go from a LLC to a S. Corp. company. I received an At for this course.

I used the worksheet that I received in a homework assignment and mailed in my company information. This course also helped me to send in for my artist work to make it theirs. I learned how to copyright things as well and since then I’ve been doing well and feel confident about securing my artist sounds and music lyrics.

Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution:

This course has helped me so much. This course introduced me to the company CD Baby. It has been hard trying to distribute the music on our own and that is without publishing and rights. I learned about all the rights and royalties that can be paid out that we were missing out on. I received an At for this course.

I have since registered with CD Baby but it will only be temporary. The company has had some major views with using the 3rd party company. I learned how to use the PRO and being a member of BMI has helped my clients to gain the monetary values that they are owed from their work. This course has taught me how to start my own publishing company and that is in the making.

Business Plan Development:

This course has taught me and gave me the confidence to come with any type of business plan that I want. I got an A in this course and I feel my work will show in the real world about what I can accomplish. I set out to create a 5 year business plan but the assignment for the course requires us to do a 3 year business plan and I’m glad. The reason is because I believe after my 3 years my plans will change because I be ready to add other ventures in the mix. I received an A for this course.

I created some good financial reports as well as revenue streams. Some of those revenue streams are already generating income. I got great feedback from my course director and was told my plan was good enough to show to a real investor. I had the pleasure of showing my business plan to my mentor and he showed it to his friend which is manager of a bank and she absolutely loved it. I was given her card and she said when I am ready to do potential business to give her a call.

Business Plan:

This last course was a bit rough for me or so I thought. The course director gave me a lot of great feedback and input on things I could implement in my plan. I took everything he said and used it to get a good grade which was an A for the final assignment. I must say there are things that I will work on. I did mess up the financial a bit. I have to learn how to name my assignments different in order to use the one with the correct information. I am confident I will receive an A in this course.

I learned how to write a business plan and pitch to present to potential investors. I have had the chance to pitch my work to a local sponsor and they loved it and want to be apart of what I am doing and help out in any way. I am certain that once I get the errors on the financials fixed I will be ready for meetings with investors. I set out to find a home for my business and I have. I will be moving to Charlotte, North Carolina in a few months with job offers and potential office space in a great location.

Conclusion:

Over the past 12 months I had goals lined up that I had to set up in the first course. I can confidently say that with each course I was able to do what I set out to do. I have learned and took in so much from these courses and have accomplished so much as well. I am excited for my journey and can’t wait to take my career to new heights. I can now say that I am confident with taking all I’ve learned and previous knowledge and open up a business and run it successfully. I feel confident about walking in a room full of investors and know without a shadow of doubt that I will be partners with one if not more.

I have successfully completed the Master of Science in Entertainment Business

Tanisha Johnson

1/28/2017

#aurteamwinning

0 notes

storytellerauthor · 7 years

Text

Friday in Review: How Alex Danvers Went From Strong Indepedent Character to Walking Cliche

So big Warning here and now: If you aren't caught up on Supergirl this post contains spoilers, it's most just one big spoiler actually. If you don't mind spoilers than read right on ahead. Ok, so this topic may be controversial and my opinion may not be the "popular" opinion but it's been on my mind a lot lately. Yesterday inspiration struck at 10:00 because my brain is weird and I got to thinking and came up with a great Friday in Review topic and name for this post.

It's all about Supergirl's very own big sis: Alex Danvers. I loved her in season 1. She was strong and independent and outspoken. She was fiercely loyal and a great role model, not to mention even greater big sister. I guess I could resonate with her overprotectiveness toward Kara since I'm the big sister of four younger brothers and have felt that protectiveness and need to help them many times myself. She and Kara's sisterly relationship was beautiful and something to be admired and still is. It's grown and changed for the better over season 1 and now into season 2. But while all of those traits are part of the reason why Alex is a dynamic character there was one thing that set her apart from most other heroines. She didn't have a love interest. Trust me I love my love interests and my romance (to tell the truth to me a show or book or movie is no good without a little romance) but Alex was one of the exceptions. Probably because there was a lot of love interest-y stuff going on with other characters. The whole no romance looked good on Alex and suited her. She was just so busy helping Kara and her friends, busy saving the world! Not to mention she already felt like a complete character to me. She had dynamic relationships already. With her sister. With her parents. With friends. With Hank Henshaw. To me her life already seemed pretty complete. Even when she came face to face with the handsome and charming and sometimes morally gray Maxwell Lord she didn't let up. Yeah there were those scenes that had some tension between the two of them. There was even that one episode where they went on a "date" (I use date loosely because if I remember correctly Alex was distracting him so Kara could break into his building). Anyways, by the end of season 1 you feel like you have a pretty good idea on who Alex Danvers is. Sure, I could see a love interest subplot somewhere in the future but by the end of season 1 and beginning of season 2 she seemed like a pretty complete, pretty well-rounded character. There's always room for improvement but she already seemed pretty improved to me from a writer standpoint. And this is where my opinion and view comes from. As a writer. As a writer analyzing plot and character. So Alex Danvers was a strong, independent, world saving heroine (not to mention the big sister of Supergirl herself!). And then she meets the cop Maggie and thing's spiral out of control fast. The whole Alex coming out thing and "finding herself" thing came out of nowhere! It shocked me because that was so un-Alex. It felt so out of character that Alex would compromise herself for someone else. In season 1 I got the impression Alex was fixed in her ways. She was... strong... she didn't compromise and she didn't change herself for anyone because she liked herself the way she was. And then Maggie comes along. They have lot in common. Their both in law enforcement and they both have saved the world in different ways and levels. Both of them are married to their careers. Both are hardworking, independent, strong female characters. In season 1 Alex didn't have a lot of friends. Real friends. Close friends like Kara did so when she met Maggie I was happy for her. Happy that she met a friend, someone to talk and relate to. But then the relationship took an unexpected turn. I was exasperated when I found out Maggie was gay. It was so cliché! The one other strong, independent, uncompromising, world-saving female character in the show and she's gay? Kind of like almost every other TV show female character with those exact same traits in every other TV show made in the past few years. So cliché. But I shrugged it off. Ok fine, whatever, let her be in there. Alex can still have a friend to confide in. But then Alex goes and changes! She compromises who she knew herself to be, her identity to come out as being gay! She changed for another woman. This wasn't even for true love people. This was for some friendly, girly feelings that turns strong, emotionally deep, amazing character Alex into a giggly, girly heap of lovey dovey gooiness! I don't even recognize her anymore! She's become a completely different person! If you saw the latest episode titled Supergirl Lives then you know what I'm talking about. She's acting like a teenage girl who's never had a crush before. So unlike the Alex I got to know in season 1 that I'm beginning to dislike her more and more as season 2 goes on. Every show nowadays as the gay character or the gay couple. So much so that it's become a cliché! List the TV shows and even books and movies you watch and read in your mind and pick out the gay couple or person. From a writer point of view over doing a character stereotype (like what is happening now with gay characters and couples) is called a cliché. So the writers of Supergirl have reduced the strongest female character besides Kara herself into a walking, talking cliché! There's even the stereotypical drama to go along with this sudden, unexpected and cliché change in Alex. The whole Character A (Alex snaps at Character B (Maggie) because she's worried about The Most Important Thing (Kara). Character B says "fine, fine, whatever. I'll see you later," in a very cold tone, obviously miffed. Character A takes care of business, finds Most Important Thing and regrets snapping at Character B. Character A goes to Character B now that Most Important Thing is found and safe and apologizes. Character B accepts apology and happily ever after. But now add Alex practically begging Maggie to stay with her in the whole apology scene and that's what happened. Tell me that isn't cliché from a non-opionated, writerly point of view. This is just my own observation and I may be completely wrong but the whole Maggie/Alex relationship has felt extremely odd and manipulative. When she talks to Alex Maggie sounds... almost superior. Like she knows better than Alex and knows what's best for Alex. In the latest episode when Alex came to apologize for snapping at her Maggie shook her head and said I don't know if this is going to work. The way Maggie and Alex has created this relationship is completely one sided and that would be Maggie's side. The writer's wrote their relationship in a very strange, slightly creepy and holly manipulative way. I don't like how it feels like Maggie has almost manipulated and brainwashed Alex into thinking she's gay because frankly that's how this whole transition feels. Maybe that's not what the writer's wanted but that's how it looks on the screen. There isn't any specific thing or opinion or whatever I'm trying to convey in this post, except for my annoyance and frustration that TV show writers keep turning some of my favorite characters into characters I don't even recognize. Making them do things so out of character all in the name of political correctness. What happened to just being a writer and keeping political agendas out of it? I can't wait a single TV show or movie without having political agendas shoved down my throat. I mean seriously, over the last few years I feel like I'm being brainwashed the way they go out of their way -- even making characters do illogical and completely out of character things -- to get a gay or gay couple in a show! It's just sad that some of my favorite female characters that I would like as a role model have been changed so completely just to fit political correctness and the "popular opinion" such as Alex from Supergirl, Clarke from The 100 and Mulan from Once Upon A Time. Yes some of these storylines from a writer point of view were done well or at least decently. Clarke and Mulan's whole coming out scenes to the audience were... they were done a lot more smoothly. I may not agree with it at all but at least the writer's did it half way decently. Clarke's whole thing was a little... disconcerting and out of character but the writers did ease you into it at least a little bit. Mulan... the writer's did OK with. But Alex? It felt shaky and forced and not at all well done. What do I want to see for Alex's character in the rest of season 2? I want to see her go back to her core characteristics and I want to see Alex's character Arc to be more evolved than just the new cliché of "girl meets girl. girl changes for girl and they 'fall in love'" stereotype. Her character deserves more than to be a cliché. Thanks for listening to my rambling! Hope you all have a great weekend and let me know what you think of what I have to say in the comments!

0 notes