#she has a music box inside her that plays when initially wound up

[barbelzoa]

Rozen Maiden oc? In this day and age?

#rozen maiden #doll oc #this is the design for a bjd I'm making #obviously shes heavily influenced from shinku and suigintou #visually at least #I decided I may as well make her an oc also! #her name is either Shizuka or Seika (静歌) #she has a music box inside her that plays when initially wound up #and shes got more of a dusty greyish brown hair color #also I know that the rozen maiden dolls happen to have the knee connected to the calf not the thigh joint #she carries around a mourning locket with her previous masters hair in it

[kyber-crystal]

➳ catch me || s.r

summary: in which you struggle to tell the difference between liking him as a friend or something more. until one fateful moment forces you to decide where you ultimately stand.

words: ~3.9k

warnings: mentions of death, blood, overused friends to lovers, slight enemies to lovers LOL

a/n: i suffered through this WIP for like, 3 mf MONTHS before i was finally able to finish it off. i feel so relieved. but i will warn you, it’s terrible

"Rogers."

"Y/N."

You exchanged curt nods with him as you went to grab yourself some water after attending a meeting with Fury. Ever since Sharon started showing up more often, you began to distance yourself from him because you know that lingering by will only make you feel worse.He doesn't know why you're acting so cold all of a sudden, but decides not to question it as it won't help the situation in any way whatsoever.

He was quick to break the awkward silence that had fallen. "Where are you being sent off?"

"We," you replied coldly. "Northern Europe. Got word of an arms trade happening tomorrow morning."

"Okay."

Footsteps were suddenly heard from down the hall and without warning, he tugged you forward by the wrist and pressed his lips to yours.

You didn't protest because you're still too shocked to fully register what's going on and 2) you actually liked the way he made you feel. 

Though you really weren't supposed to be.

"What was that for?" you breathed out as you both pulled away, breathless.

"Sharon," he replied simply, looking around for a moment. "She's been bothering me for the past few weeks and I had to do something."

"You just noticed?" you said, sarcasm lacing your tone as you looked out of the corner of your eye to see the blonde woman walking away. "She's been all over you since her recruitment."

His brows furrow together in confusion as he notices the darkened look in your eyes, but doesn't say anything. You toss him the black manila folder containing information on your mission for him to read, sitting down at the kitchen counter together.

"Infamous dealer carrying nuclear weapons overseas. Headquartered somewhere in the Arctic Circle, I think," you explained as he pulled out the wanted man's file. "Can be taken either dead or alive. We have to stop them from going through with the attack."

"When are we leaving?"

"Wheels up at 8:30 p.m. Should take about 6 hours...we're being flown in via helicarrier."

Great.

You just realized you'd be stuck in a plane alone together for 6 hours straight, when the very thing you were trying to do was avoid him.

You're mostly silent as you board the jet, securing your bags and weapons before taking your seat. Fatigue is tugging at your body and your eyelids grow heavy, although it isn't even that late. Without thinking about what you were doing, you rest your head against Steve's shoulder and close your eyes. He wraps an arm around your waist in response.

Before you knew it, the aircraft was hovering over the drop zone. The two of you got up and went towards the back, fastening parachutes to your backs as the gates dropped open.

"Stay safe out there," you blurted out as you glanced down at the base below you, then over at Steve. "Circle the perimeter and meet me inside. Don't die or I'll kill you."

"Yes ma'am."

Inhaling sharply, you gripped the straps of your jacket and squeezed your eyes shut, the dry wind whipping your hair in your face as you descended downwards.

With his icy blue eyes still imprinted in the back of your mind.

...

It was quite ironic seeing that you, an Avenger and a former SHIELD pilot that flew everywhere all the time, had a crippling fear of heights. The mere idea of being jumping out of planes and having to go on missions involving multi-story buildings shook you to your core, and it always took you at least a week to recover once you got back.

"Steve!" Your voice heightened to a shriek as you felt the plane's velocity increase suddenly. The crates next to you toppled over and you went crashing to the floor alongside them, barely managing to grip the armrest of something and pressing your back against the wall, feeling your head spin. The sticky warmth and stinging, white-hot pain in your side tells you that you were shot. You didn't need to look at the wound to know it wasn't pretty. "Where the hell are you?"

"Fifty yards away from the northeast entrance," he replied breathlessly. "I got nothing. You?"

"The weapons," you panted, "are on the plane!"

"Okay. Where are you?"

"On the damn plane! They're gonna detonate at any moment, I have to get this thing away from the city—I'm not gonna make it so I just wanted to tell you that—"

"Fuck, don't say that," he hissed. You know things were bad when Steve Rogers, the man that coined the 'Language' line, swore. "Just—hang tight, I'm coming for you."

"No. Just forget it," you shouted over the noise, grunting in pain as your head hit the side of a storage box, muttering a string of curses under your breath. "I can't afford for you to risk your own life for me. It's okay. Just leave me behind."

"No, I'm not leaving you!" he yelled back. "I'm not going back home without you."

"Steve," your voice was thick with tears, throat feeling tight as you swallowed back the sob that was threatening to erupt from your lips. You wipe a tear that slips down your cheek and cleared your throat. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," he says hoarsely, "I lost you once, and I'm not losing you again."

"There's no point, Steve. I'm going to die. This thing's on autopilot going God knows where at top speed and if there's any chance of stopping this thing, I gotta crash it. If you come and get me you're gonna die, too. You know Fury's not gonna like having to send out an extraction team to drag both our corpses back to headquarters."

"Y/N, don't-" His voice breaks and you swear your heart shatters into a million pieces. "Please, don't- don't say that. I'm gonna come and get you. You're gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay."

That was the last straw for you; and you lost it at those last words. Tears sting a steaming hot trail down your cheeks as you hastily try to wipe them away with your bruised and bloodied knuckles. "No, we're not. I don't think you understand. I'm over 30,000 feet in the air with no protection whatsoever. They're gonna shoot you down before you even have the chance to get to me."

You always told yourself you'd be willing to put your life on the line to save someone else's; to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. But now that death was looming threateningly close to you and staring you down, for the first time in a long time, you didn't know if you even wanted to leave and you were scared. Scared of what was to come if you really were to meet your end. Scared of what was to come at the end of the tunnel, what would happen when you were swallowed whole by death's bottomless, dark pit. You didn't expect your fate to approach so quickly, and it scared you more than you wanted to admit.

Being a superhero meant that making sacrifices were a must-do. You always knew you would need to give things up in order to successfully do your job. That one day, your time to die would come but you didn't know it would happen like this; so unexpectedly.

Now you realize people were right as they told you in your final moments, you'd see your entire life flash before your eyes. You blink and you're transported back to when you first joined the Initiative, skeptical of the six unfamiliar faces before you. But it only takes a matter of three minutes before Thor cracks a joke that has you all howling in laughter, and another one for Natasha to approach you and start a conversation. To you, her, and Steve on the run as fugitives of SHIELD as you conducted the search for The Winter Soldier. The heartbreaking decision of having to choose between your mentor and best friend in Berlin--which you realized, happened barely over a year ago. So many memories had been created in such a short amount of time and you didn't ever want to let any of them go. You couldn't bring yourself to.

You stumbled over, sliding into the pilot's seat and buckling up. Your grip around the controls were so tight that the barely healing cuts around your knuckles reopened and began bleeding again.

You let out a shuddering sigh, tapping several buttons overhead before reaching down to turn on your comm again. "Steve? Are you there?"

"Darling..." The pure agony in his voice only makes you feel worse. You've never heard the great Captain America in such a soft-spoken tone before, so you could only assume it took him a lot to get him into this state. "Yeah. I'm here."

"So..." you readjusted your grip and let your shoulders fall back, "...you remember that one time we took the subway to see Hamilton last weekend?'

"Last weekend? It was only last weekend?" Steve tried his best to keep it together, but his wavering tone gave it all away. "Feels like forever since we got a break."

"I know," you let out a broken laugh, "and then you wouldn't stop talking about it the entire way back? It got so bad to the point Tony had to forcefully shut off all the speaker systems around the compound because he woke up at 3 am to see you sitting in the kitchen, playing the soundtrack at full volume."

"But when he saw you dancing around in the kitchen while making lunch the next day, he couldn't keep doing that for any longer. You have an amazing voice."

"I don't know..." you sniffed, forcing a smile, "you're the one who's pretty good at singing and playing the piano. I think you got all the musical talent-"

"Y/N," he interrupted, "stop. Don't do this to me."

"Do what?"

"You're talking as if you're gonna die."

The gravity of the whole situation comes crashing down on you again. "...Because I am."

"No, you're not. I'm not letting that happen."

"I don't think you have a say in things this time, Rogers," your voice cracked. You shook your head. "I'm done for. God, I really hoped this wasn't how I'd meet my end. I hate heights. I hate the ice, I'm scared shitless of dying, I can't- I can't do this. But I have to. If I don't, millions of people will die and I can't have that on my conscience."

You sucked in a breath as you looked out of the corner of your eye to see you're falling, and falling fast. In a matter of minutes you'll be plunging through the surface of the ice and into the depths of the icy-cold water. There's no turning back now.

"Geez," you spoke up again, "this is like some repeat of '45. Is this how it felt? Knowing you were gonna die, but doing it anyway because you knew you had to do it?"

"That's not the same. It was a matter of chance that I made it at all. Chances are slim to none that you'll end up frozen in a block of ice for 66 years."

"See, it's hopeless," you sighed. "Go back. You need to go...or you're gonna end up filled with bullets."

"I'm not going back," he repeated. "Not without you."

"If you're gonna think of a plan, you better think fast-"

"Jump."

"What did you just say? Are you out of your damn mind?"

"I said, jump. There's no other choice. Look for an emergency exit...there should be one above you. Do you see it?" His voice was calm, gentle, as if he was speaking to a child, and it soothed you a bit. You muttered a quick 'yes'. "Alright. Pry that open, get out of there. I'm coming with the Quinjet right now, so hang tight."

As if he could sense your fear, he softened his tone a bit more, "Hey. It's okay. I'm coming for you. You'll be alright."

"It's like we're Romeo and Juliet," you managed to choke out in between a laugh and sob,  "except only one of us dies."

"Y/N, you're not dying." He couldn't mask the obvious pain in his voice. "Honey, I promise you're not gonna die. You're gonna be alright."

"Steve-" You let out an earsplitting shriek and scrambled to get a stronger grip as blaring alarms sounded throughout the aircraft. The impact of the hits nearly made you topple off and you clung to the side of the jet for dear life, praying to God you weren't going to fall off and crack your head open on an iceberg. "I got hit. They're tailing after me, you can't, I'm actually gonna fall-"

"Okay, okay, I'm here. Do you see me?" You turned your head to the side ever so slightly to see the Quinjet hovering below, but your heart dropped when all you could see were snow flurries blowing around - and zero sign of the super-soldier.

"No-"

"Just jump. I see you. I'm literally right below you, so jump, okay?"

"Are you crazy?"

"Do you trust me?" he yelled out, his voice carrying over on the frigid winds. "Y/N. Do you trust me?"

"But-"

"I've never let you down before and I sure as hell won't now. Trust me, Y/N, come on."

You pressed your lips together. You knew he was right. Either you made the jump now, or get filled with a dozen bullets and dying a brutal and gory death.

You finally bring yourself to look down again and there he is, a little closer this time. His gaze finds yours and suddenly, you're drowning. You might've been hundreds of feet apart but no distance would be able to extinguish his piercing gaze. His eyes were the ocean and you were lost at sea, lost in those endless pools of blue and losing yourself in him—the one guy who stuck by your side for so long and thought as nothing more than a best friend, a teammate until now. The one guy who took your breath away with his million-dollar smile every time you made eye contact.

In the one guy who you thought was just a friend, until you realized you were hopelessly in love with him - the Steve Rogers.

And now you weren't sure if you'd come out of this alive to finally tell him so.

You squeezed your eyes shut and let go. The wind whipping at your hair and face feels like a thousand tiny needles being jabbed into your skin and you swear if you kept your mouth open you would've puked - if you'd opened your eyes you knew you'd die from fear first before anything else.

But all those thoughts are suddenly put to a halt when you're stopped by a pair of strong, warm arms you'd sought solace in countless times before.

"Y/N, thank God you're alright, oh my god," Steve let out a shuddering sigh as he held you close, cradling your head against his chest. "I thought I lost you. Oh my god. Are you okay?"

"I just fell out of an airplane without a parachute and I have no idea how I survived."

His look of concern immediately turns into horror when he pulls his hand off your waist to see it come back covered in your crimson blood. His face falls. Then it hits you all at once, and you're overcome with a nauseating wave of dizziness - the aftereffects were beginning to get to your head.

The super-soldier hurriedly jammed a finger to his ear. "I got her. We're on our way back. Prepare the medbay; she's gonna have to be operated on as soon as we land."

"Yes, sir," a STRIKE agent replied from the receiving end. "We'll get right to it. Please have a safe flight home."

"Thank you."

Steve put the jet on autopilot so he could sit with you in the back, frantically applying pressure to your wound and doing his best to patch you up. But with each round the bandages made around your waist, the blood flow increased, seeping through the fabric. You didn't have to tell him directly for him to know you didn't have much time left and if he were to save you, you would need to get back home, fast.

...

As soon as Steve stepped down the ramp with your limp, unconscious body in his arms, he was bombarded by a flurry of medbay agents, who had you in a gurney and were wheeling you away within minutes. He tried to follow after them but Tony quickly grabbed his wrist and yanked him back.

"Let me go," he growled. "I swear to Odin, Stark, if you don't-"

"You can't follow her in there."

"I can if I want to."

Tony let out a sigh of defeat. "Rogers. She's going to be fine."

"How do you know? How can you possibly guarantee her survival?"

"I just know. Sheesh, you're a hopeless romantic."

...

You glanced over at the monitor tracking your vitals beside your bed, the constant beeping of the machines seemingly echoing in your brain on a loop. You were too exhausted to do anything at the moment, but you couldn't seem to fall back asleep, even with the drugs coursing through your system.

You try to shift around and find a more comfortable position, and felt a twinge of pain on your right side. Note to self; don't place all your body weight on the side where a bullet tore through your stomach. Bad idea.

Laying flat on your back again, you closed your eyes, willing yourself to fall back asleep. But sleep never comes, and a few minutes later a knock on your door pulls you out of your momentary trance.

"Hey there, soldier," you managed a sleepy grin as Steve stepped into the room, pulling up a chair to your bedside. "Nice weather outside, isn't it? Feels like just yesterday I was gunned down and forced to drive myself to near-suicide...wait, that was yesterday, right? I've lost all sense of time-telling-"

You paused and looked back over to see a rare sight - he was on the verge of breaking down. His bright blue eyes were dulled and glossed over with fresh tears that threatened to spill, and although it had barely been over a day since your admittance to the hospital, it looked like he hadn't slept in over a week. And it was all your fault.

"Are you okay...?"

He shook his head, clenching his fists in his lap so tightly that they began turning white. "You’re seriously asking me if I’m okay? I almost lost you. You almost died."

"I'm sorry-"

"If I hadn't gotten to you in time, then...I don't know what I'd do if-"

"Steve, it's not your fault."

"I let you down, Y/N." His voice was cracked and raw, as if he'd been crying for hours on end beforehand. Your heart shattered at the sound. "I let you down and I'm so sorry I couldn't get to you sooner. I'm sorry I left you alone on that ship because I didn't look out for you well enough. This is all on me. My job was to protect you, to look out for you. And I failed to do that."

"You didn't fail, Steve," you said softly. "You did your best. You saved me. I'm alive right now because of what you did."

The super-soldier inhaled sharply and moved his chair closer so he could reach his hand out to place it on your forehead, letting it stay there for a moment before sliding it down to cup your cheek. You didn't make any efforts to remove it and if you were being honest with yourself, you liked how his warm skin felt against your own. He smelled like honey and freshly ground coffee and everything good in the world. He made you feel like you were at home.

Your eyes fluttered shut and you let yourself bask in his warmth, melting into his soft touch. If it weren't for your currently uncomfortable predicament, you would've fallen asleep on the spot all over again.

"Something's on your mind, isn't there," you mumbled, eyes still closed. Even without your powers, it didn't take much for you to figure out that something was wrong. "Tell me what's going on."

You opened your eyes again to see that there were tears streaming down his face. He hastily tried to wipe them away with one hand as the other was gently placed on top of yours, but his efforts were fruitless, of no avail whatsoever.

"Steve-"

"I was so worried," he croaked out. "I don't want to think about how things would be if you died. I can't live without you."

"I'm here now, okay? I'm going to be fine. I'll heal," you said softly. "You saved me, you caught me, so now I'm okay. We're okay." You moved over slightly to give him room to sit. Steve's arms encircled your waist as yours slid down and over his shoulders, and he pressed his trembling lips to your temple.

It was quiet. Whispered oh-so-quietly, as if he was hesitant to open his mouth. But you heard it regardless.

"I love you."

You smiled sadly. "I know. I love you too."

"Just...please don't try and pull off something off like that again."

"I won't. I promise."

You heard each shaky inhale and exhale as he tried to regain his composure - strong arms tightening around your figure with his face buried into the crook of your neck. Letting out a trembling sigh, you held onto him even tighter as if by some miraculous way, doing so could keep him from falling apart. As if somehow, your arms being around him could squeeze all the million little shattered pieces of his heart back together again.

You knew deep down, exactly why he had been so afraid to watch you meet your potential end. It was the jet plunging into the depths of the icy blue, monstrous sea. He didn't want you to experience even a fraction of what he had and prayed you’d never have to. He swore a silent oath to himself to shield you away from as much of the horrifying world as he possibly could, but you were nearly dragged under by the clutches of Death herself that day, and he couldn't help but feel like he failed you.

You took in a deep breath, inhaling his fresh scent of coffee grounds and warm honey as he buried his face into the crook of your neck. For the briefest moment in time you could pretend everything was in fact, going to be okay, because it was just you and him wrapped up in each others' arms without a care in the world. It was just you and him, basking in each others' warmth, silent whispers of reassurance into his ear and repeated soft, fleeting kisses to his temple that reminded him you were still alive and breathing, and you were just fine.

For the first time in a long time, Steve Rogers felt whole again. The hole in his heart was gone, the void finally filled. And all it took was your presence, and your presence alone.

...

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[jay-in-chicago]

Know The Risk.

Summary: Jay knows sleeping with his CI is enough to get him fired, but when she’s needed for an job, Jay can’t handle it. Pairing: Jay Halstead x unnamed female character. Characters: Jay, Voight, Olinsky. Warnings: mentions of drug dealing, weapon threat (gun), the suggestion of sexual favours in exchange for work (incredibly brief and not in detail), brief mention of sex (with Jay). Words: 2092 A/N: I’m pretty nervous to be posting this, so I’ll hit post and then go and hide. While I’m not new to writing, I am new to writing for the Chicago world. Apologies if the characterisation isn’t correct, I’m still learning. Not BETA’d because this is my first time here, so all mistakes, errors and typos are completely my own.

This was a request from my patreon account.

Likes, reblogs and feedback makes me squeal with happiness.

______

Jay’s been on edge ever since she stepped out of the car and headed towards the meeting point. He’d personally wired her up as he’d tried to keep his cool. His fingers had worked meticulously, and he’d made sure the camera attached to her blouse button was hidden. They needed to see as well as hear but the thought of her going in there alone made bile rise.

“I thought you wanted to solve this case?” she’d questioned, staring him down as she’d ran her tongue over her teeth as she watched him fretting.

“I do but not at this expense.” He’d whispered back, thankful the mic wasn’t live yet. To the rest of the team, she was simply one of Jay’s informants, nothing more than that. He had a few, mostly men but there were a few women who he could call on for a favour, though she’s the only one who had managed to get under his skin. She’d left such an impression on him that he couldn’t get her off his mind.

“Admit it,” she’d grinned at him, “if you weren’t milking me for information every opportunity you have, you’d be trying to get something else out of me.” He’d held out as long as he possibly could before she’d been invited to his apartment, the two of them finally giving in to what has been building for months. Jay had taken her with such relish, desperate to savour every moment of it not thinking for a moment it would be repeated.

But it had. That first time had unlocked something within the two of them, making them unable to resist one another. They’d find a way to have the conversations at either hers or his, she’d tell him everything he needed to know with each swipe of his tongue. Jay made sure he learnt what she liked as quickly as possible. He didn’t have an ego outside of the bedroom and ensured that it stayed the same inside of it but he couldn’t help it. The more she gave him, the more he wanted to take. The more he needed to take.

She’d have given him the information regardless but the coaxing, slow drawing of it, the way she’d withhold details unless he gave her an orgasm was all part of their foreplay. And for every arrest made, every case closed thanks to her, she was rewarded with even more. When Jay reached out to her about this case, she had the right connections, provided details and information that proved to be vital. She’d managed to worm her way in, met their main suspect a few times and managed to get close to being trusted as an outsider could, enabling her to be able to slip between members without being stopped. Or at least not initially.

Which is why she was the perfect candidate for heading in there tonight. Jay sits with headphones on, eyes barely moving from the screen. He hates every word that comes from her mouth. He knows she’s putting it on, but the seductive tone to it makes his cock stir against his wishes, the words should be making him shrink back against the seat in which he sits. She’s flirting with whoever she needs, their faces show the level of interest in her, the way they lick their lips as they drag their gaze down her body and wipe their thumb over the corner of their mouth as they chuckle and click their tongue.

She slipped through the crowd, searching for the one who they’d shown her the picture of until finally he came into view on the camera. Jay felt his body tense up, watching everything unfold on the screen before him. He’d seen what happened to people who got in his way, they were either in the ground or in the morgue and one wrong thing said, one tone off, one nervous hesitation and he’d know. The last thing Jay wanted was to watch her be taken down in front of his eyes, recorded for evidence and to be used whenever needed. The thought of it turned his stomach, had him biting at his nails with anxiety until he was sitting forward, his eyes widening as Darius played straight into her hand.

Jay knew better than anyone how good she was. She played the part incredibly well, and though he knew how she appeared to others, he was the one who saw her for who she really was. The version playing out on the screen for the team to see right now, that was flawless acting. Olinsky and Voight have exchanged glances at one another, muttered under their breath no doubt not wanting Jay to hear but he has. They comment on the way she held her cool, how convincing she appeared and how if they hadn’t had a conversation with her prior to sending her in there, they’d have believed her act. Pride licks at the edges of the raw anxiety ridden wound that festered with each passing minute.

“So you’re the one I’ve been hearin’ ‘bout?” his voice could be heard over the music, the way he looked at her made Jay’s stomach turn.

“depends what you’ve been hearing.”

His tongue slipped over his lips as he’d opened his legs, his hand resting against his inner thigh, the opposite leg swings open and closed as he watched her. “that you know someone who can take twenty keys and make me a lotta money.”

“That’s enough, we can get her out now, right?” Jay asked, moving the headset from one ear to look at Voight.

“Not yet,” his husky tone remained steady as his eyes stayed fixed on the screen.

“He just adm-”

“He didn’t admit anything. We need something concrete before we bust in there and mess up the whole thing.”

Jay clenched his jaw, kept listening and waiting impatiently for Darius to say something which could be used. He wasn’t a praying man but sitting there, with the screen having his full attention and her safety fully on his mind? Yeah, Jay was praying.

“listen yeah? Imma let your guy sell 8. See how that shifts. See if I can trust him.” Darius talks slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. What he means by trusting her buying is also seeing if he could trust her too. Jay knows how this works. You tell a small secret, or a lie, see what happens with it. Build it up until you decide if you can trust a person. If she delivers him the money for 8 and keeps the money coming in, she can be trusted with more product. “After that, we’ll look at somethin’ bigger yeah?”

Darius’s gaze drops down her body, takes in the curves of her body, the ones that Jay knows too well. His blood boils but he forces his hand to remain relaxed. If he clenched his hand, showed his emotion which could be taken exactly for what it is, he’d be packing his desk in a box and walked out of the building before the ink had dried on his paperwork.

Come on you son of a bitch, give me one good reason not to land a punch on you the second I get my hands on you.

“Like what?”

“Look at you thinkin’ big.” He runs his tongue back over his lips as he watches her. “I like the way your mind works. How bout that mouth?”

“What about it?”

“Wanna taste somethin’ on mine? You gonna be sellin’ it, don’t you wanna taste first? See how good it is” he asks, the fingers of the hand that rests against his thigh drums over his clothes.

“You’re giving me a freebie?”

“Bitch, ain’t nothing free here.” He scoffs, unable to believe she really asked that. “You want my H? You gotta show me how much you want it.” His hand moves, fingers tracing over his belt, snapping it open in one fluid motion. The explanation clear.

“We go now.” Voight’s voice rings out behind Jay. His headset is snapped away from him within seconds and he’s on his feet, out of the van with the others following.

___

“Jay?” Neither have really said a word since they got back to the precinct. She wanted to, was desperate to fill the silence with mindless chatter like they would usually but the look on his face tells her he’d rather have this than talk. “Jay.” She tries again and only now do his light eyes flicker up to her face. His hands still work, removing her wires, her camera and anything else which could pick the two of them up. Anything which could be used against them. “Are you not going to say anything?”

“I will once my heart leaves my throat.”

“I did ok though, right? You’d use me again.”

“You terrified me half to death, that’s what you did.”

“But did I do ok?”

He sighs, locks his jaw and stares at her as his hands drop to his side, the devices tightly fixed in his fist. “You did and that’s the problem.”

Her brow furrows, “pro-”

“Yes, problem. Do you realise how convincing you were? If we hadn’t come in when we had? He could’ve-”

“but he didn’t.”

“But he could have.”

“I knew the risk when I agreed to do this.” She lifts her face, angles her chin defiantly at him.

“So did I but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about the way he was or how it was playing out.” Turning his back briefly to put the device into the box it came from, he can’t wipe the memory of the camera from his mind.

They’re downstairs, away from security cameras, away from mics; the only two in that area are the ones Jay has just disconnected and put away. Alone, with no footsteps approaching, she steps forward and pulls him into a hug. “I’m fine. You came at exactly the right time. Maybe if you came in minutes after? That could have been a different story. Look at me, he barely touched me.” She says, ignoring the way her head throbs at the memory of how he’d grabbed her hair so tightly she thought he planned to rip clumps from her scalp as he’d dragged her to her feet and held a gun to her temple, using her as a shield. Her heart rate had only just calmed but the intense way that Jay stared at her made it pick up a little more. “I’m ok because of you.”

“But if I hadn’t.” His voice cracks a little and that one sound? That one sound breaks her.

“Hey,” moving his hand, she presses it against her chest, “see, I’m alive because of you and your team. Don’t beat yourself up over what could be. I’m here. Unhurt. And I’d do it again if it meant I could be of use to you.”

“Your information helps enough. I don’t need you almost getting attacked or killed just so we can take someone down. There are other ways.”

“If it wasn’t me in that position Jay, it would have been someone else. Would you have felt better having someone else have that gun pressed against their head just because it wasn’t me? Because I wouldn’t.”

When he says nothing, just continues to stare at her, she nuzzles her nose against his jaw, over his throat before pressing her lips to him, feeling the rough stubble as it grazes against her soft skin. “You’re feeling this because you acted as you should.” she presses more kisses, up the underside of his jaw and finally over the curve of it, her lips dragging towards his lips until he finally moves, dipping his face to meet her lips with his own and kisses her with all the pent up emotion he’d been keeping in, now barely to hold himself back after just a taste of her again.

“We can’t do this here.” He groans, forcing himself to pull away from her. Her eyes are dilating, her chest rises and falls from the rapid breathing. “You know where the spare key is for my place right? I’ll meet you there. You need to go now before I take you into the supply closet and get fired.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I’m naked.” She says, stepping towards him and pulling his lip between her teeth, nibbling on it just enough to draw a long groan from him before letting it go with a satisfying pop.

#jay halstead imagine #jay halstead fanfiction #jay halstead fanfic #jay halstead one shot #jay halstead drabble #jay halstead smut #chicago pd fanfiction #chicago pd fanfic #chicago pd drabble #chicago pd imagine #chicago pd one shot

[twdmusicboxmystery]

10x21: Diverged - First Analysis

Okay, how did everyone like the episode? Did you see all the symbolism? If not, fear not, I’ll show it to you.

***As always, spoilers abound below for 10x21. Don’t read until you’ve watched!!!***

So let me start by saying this. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. The point of the six bonus episodes it retell, symbolically, every facet of Beth’s story. So 10x17 represented Inmates, but also 4b in general. I said HERE that it reminded me of everyone being split into small groups in 4b. But they were also tracking children’s foot tracks (in this case Hershel Jr) which is weirdly specific to what Beth and Daryl did in Inmates.

10x18 retold most of Beth and Daryl’s story through Leah. So there were elements of Inmates, Still, and even Coda in it. But it’s pretty much a play-by-play of Alone. Play. By. Play.

10x19 with Aaron and Father Gabriel can be called a retelling of Still. They get drunk. Playing drinking games. Play golf.

10x20 is all about Grady recalls, with the imprisonment theme and all.

So, where does that leave 10x21? As with all of them, there is lots of symbolism I’ll point out, but it’s kind of a scene by scene retelling of Them. I know others may go through it in more detail to show the exact parallels, so I’ll just go over the broad themes today. Tomorrow, I’ll do my normal details post.

So, it starts with Daryl giving Carol Leah’s knife, which is a retelling in reverse of her giving him Beth’s. She does try to return it to him at the end and he declines, which is super important. I’ll get into that more as we get into the weeds of this, but let’s go over this template first so you can see the broad strokes.

Starting with 10x18 (and I’m following the Daryl/Carol template here, so put Leah aside for the moment), Daryl and Carol get on his bike and leave together. They’re on the outside together for a while, searching for something. Mostly food in this case, though Daryl might have originally been planning to search for Connie. After a time, they come to a place where they spend the night, that has ties to one of their pasts. (In this case, Daryl/Leah.) Then they have an argument. The next day, they part ways.

We’ve actually seen this exact template before, in S5. It comprised 5x02 and 5x06. Daryl and Carol left together in a vehicle (car rather than bike that time). They were out for a while searching for something (Beth). They came to a place where they spent the night that had ties to one of their pasts (in that case, Carol and the abuse center). 

The next day, they have a fight. In that case, it was about Noah and Carol wanting Daryl to help him. Not nearly as big or impactful a fight as in 10x18, but the conflict parallels are there. Then, they part ways. The mechanisms, again, are different. In 10x21, they chose to part ways. In Consumed, it’s because the Grady cops hit Carol with the car and took her into the hospital. But I don’t think the reasons matter. Just the basic events.

So what happened next in S5? Daryl went back to get Rick and TF, but then returned to where Carol (and Beth) were at Grady, right? Well, we’ve already established firmly that Dog = Beth. And notice that in this episode, Dog went with Carol. Are we seeing the symbolism? 

So what follows with Carol is very reminiscent of Grady in some way. Now, unlike Princess, they can’t actually have Carol imprisoned here, because it wouldn’t work for where they need her to be in the story going into S11. So it’s all going to be symbolic.

Carol/Dog/Rat:

I said a few days ago that Rat = Beth. Think of it this way. Rat was minding his own business when Dog suddenly attacks him. So you could see that as Dog and Rat kind of being synonymous symbols. Actually, if we want to get really granular, Rat was in Daryl’s room. We’ll ignore the obvious romantic/sexual pun and just say it represents that rat (Beth) was hanging out with Daryl. Then someone tries to kill Rat. In this case, Carol. 

We even have rat getting caught in Carol’s trap (Beth being kidnapped and taken to Grady) but escaping. Then Carol traps Rat in the wall by plugging up the way in with the scarf. 

At that point, Rat is not only trapped, but kind of entombed behind the wall. And Carol can’t see Rat. (What is not seen theme.)

Now, in terms of Carol herself, I’ll talk about what they said on TTD, because it’s very helpful in deciphering all this. But in terms of the symbolism, we think what she does here probably equates to stuff that happened during the missing 17 days and whatever role she played in leaving Beth behind. Because of that, it’s kind of hard to pin down.

Other clues? Dog = Beth right? And not only is Dog present with Carol here, but he even watches over her while she sleeps, same as Beth did while Carol was unconscious at Grady. And Carol is definitely a “prisoner” of her own past and her own mind here. She’s clearly obsessing about things like Rat and soup and the scarf because she can’t “fix” bigger things in her life, like her relationship with Daryl or that Connie is still missing and that’s on her. I’ll talk more about this theme in a minute.

Daryl/Bike/Walkers:

Daryl’s arc here is also chalk full of symbolism that I don’t think I’ve even entirely pinned down, yet, but I really love it. In Daryl’s case, the bike breaks down, right? There’s a hole in one of the hoses that’s leaking stuff, which makes the bike stall, and he has to go find the tools and resources to fix it.

So, here’s how we’re interpreting this: bike = Beth. Why? Well, I think we can all get behind music box = Beth, can’t we? (If not, I don’t know why you’re following my account.) And remember that I said this was a replay of Them. Just as Daryl fixed the music box in Them, 

he fixes the bike here. 

The train tracks are another clue. He takes the bike to the tracks and leaves it there. You know I think train tracks are indicative of Beth’s path, but I’m also sure they’re a multi-layered symbol with many meanings.

In S4, Beth was the only one who didn’t actually follow the tracks. She crossed them. Daryl did too, initially, but he later followed them to Terminus with Rick and Michonne. Beth was the only one who never did that and therefore never ended up at Terminus. Her path would be completely different. We saw hints of this symbolism in 6x08, when Daryl crossed train tracks on his bike after being hurt, and we see the same thing here.

The “hole” in the bike hose represents Beth’s gunshot wound, dripping blood. Daryl leaves the bike to go look for something to fix it with. So, this part is kinda non-specific. 

You could say leaving the bike where it was in the woods = leaving Beth behind. But where does he search for the part? 

In a group of 3 cars with a walker inside, which is also indicative of where we think they left her. So, this whole sequence kind of points to the missing 17 days and leaving her behind. With the bike being “dead,” (read: unconscious for a human) Daryl pushes the bike manually, which may parallel him carrying Beth.

My fellow theorists and I discussed the idea that back in S5, Daryl didn’t have the “tools” to fix Beth after she was shot, or the understanding not realize she wasn’t really dead. But at some point, he will. We don’t know what the “fixing” point refers to overall, or how it will manifest in the show. It could be lots of things. Literal, medical, emotional. Who knows? But it’s interesting.

Now, on the one hand, this points backward, to those missing scenes. But I always say every callback doubles as a foreshadow. After all, if Daryl had “fixed” Beth during those missing 17 days, she wouldn’t be missing and presumed dead, right? And in Them, we see him fix the music box, and the next scene is Aaron showing up with “good news” and the music box waking up. Clearly that didn’t happen with Beth in S5. So at some point, this shifts from a callback to a foreshadow of what will happen when he actually finds her again.

Now, in order to understand (as far as we can) this symbolism, I will have to get somewhat granular. Because the whole sequence is very strange. Daryl stops the bike on the tracks and looks through his binoculars. (Binocular Theory). It doesn’t really show us what he sees or what he’s trying to do, but I think the idea is that he sees the military walker and is hoping to find a smaller knife on him that he needs to fix his bike.

Imma come back to the knives, because they’re a theory all their own, but let’s examine the events first. He leaves the bike on the tracks and moves forward. Now, I had to watch this several times to understand it. I think the idea is that there were walkers on both sides of the tracks that hadn’t noticed him. They’re milling around but not focused on him. So he’s hoping to slip, unnoticed, between them. Unfortunately, he snaps a twig under his foot and they all turn toward him.

Everyone’s been asking about the Beth walker. She’s definitely here in this scene. I almost wonder, if she represents Beth, if it’s supposed to be that she’s there, close by, but he’s focused on something else, and doesn’t notice her. I kept thinking he would kill this walker, but he never does, and I think that’s significant. 

Also, these military walkers probably represent the CRM. So, for example, this may represent a future storyline where Daryl has a run-in with some members of the CRM. He manages to get away here, which probably means during that future interaction, he’ll get away, too. But he may not realize Beth is with the CRM. So she’s there, hanging around, but he’s too focused on other things to notice. 

(Disclaimer: I’m not saying this is exactly what this scene foreshadows. As always, the details will probably be wrong, but it’s something along these lines.)

Now, there are a lot of weirdnesses in this scene. He suddenly starts limping, for one thing. He wasn’t limping before this, and he doesn’t have the limp when he returns to Alexandria. So to me, that screams that this is a foreshadowing of something we haven’t seen yet. When whatever this sequence foreshadows plays out, Daryl will probably be dealing with an injury of some kind.

He hurries toward a ravine where a military walker is caught in a tree. (Tree/Trunk symbolism anyone?)

So, in terms of this episode, he obviously saw the military walker and hoped this dude might have a knife on him that Daryl could use to fix his bike. That’s what he’s up to here. And it turns out, he does.

Symbolically, it’s a whole other ballgame. In terms of the binocular theory, I always thought Red Poncho Guy, who Daryl and Aaron looked at through binoculars, represented Beth. Both because of the red poncho (red garment in Beth’s cell in 4x01) and because he was taken by the Wolves. It’s possible the Wolves are the symbolic antecedent of the Reapers or the CRM. Or both.

So, I think this whole sequence where he walks along the tracks, past the Beth walker, and then interacts with these military walkers that probably represent the CRM, is a foreshadow or future telling of how he’ll find Beth. Because of the limp, maybe he gets injured and the CRM take him somewhere—like they did with Rick—and that’s where he find Beth.

How is that represented here? He finds the knife he needs to fix the bike.

And again, we don’t know what the “fixing” will mean in a literal sense when this plays out. Maybe fixing is just finding her. Because that will “fix” the hole she left in his heart when he lost her. Maybe it will mean something else.

But the knife itself is important. Why? Because it’s…kinda cooler than Leah’s knife? It’s bigger. It does more stuff. It’s a better tool and a better weapon. It’s kind of life Knife 2.0. And how many times have we talked about how when Beth returns, she’ll be tougher, stronger, a better survivor. She’ll be Beth 2.0. They even said that in the TTD after Still. Remember the phrase they used? “Raised by Hershel, trained by Daryl, meet the new Beth Green.”

So, remember that Leah represents everything that came before in S4 and S5, so her knife then represents the old Beth. The one that died at Grady, emotionally if not physically. Knife 2.0 then represents the new Beth as she’ll be when Daryl finds her again. And where he did find Knife 2.0? With the military/CRM walker.

See what I mean?

A couple of details that parallel this to Them: When Daryl fights the military walker, he slides down into a dry creek bed. There was a dry creek bed in Them. There’s also a small bridge behind him (Bridge Theory) with a circular opening for water to pass under it. (Beth = Water.)

When he gets out of the ravine, he sort of goes a different way and all the walkers that were coming after him just sort of fall into the ravine. That’s exactly what happened in Them. Remember? TF was on the bridge and they would wait for the walkers to come close and then jump out of the way so they all fell off the bridge? Yeah. Replay of Them.

So then Daryl goes to fix the bike and two more military walkers come at him. Yes, two. At first, you’ll probably only see one because they show it weird. But there are actually two. He pulls ammo off one and food rations off another.

What does that mean? I don’t want to go into too much here, but I think it’s just all part of the CRM story arc, which we won’t truly see play out until the spinoff. I think this lack of food they’re dealing with will continue, and at some point their water will become undrinkable. So, it won’t be a matter of grabbing Beth and Rick and running back to Alexandria. They’ll all die without the CRM’s resources. (Hence why Daryl finds food and ammo on these walkers and is like, “nice.”) Much like with Negan/AOW, they’ll have to find some way to integrate and all live together peaceably. Which is also what Rick’s confrontation with the Governor in 4x08 foreshadowed.

Next clue. It takes Daryl a while to fix the bike and it gets dark before he’s done. I totally didn’t catch it the first time until @frangipanilove clued me in, but we hear a wolf howl in the distance. The subtitles confirm it is a wolf, not a coyote or dog, and Daryl even looks over his shoulder as though acknowledging it. So to me, that’s wolf symbolism, and shows that the Denise/Wolf template will be in play when Daryl finds and ‘fixes’ Beth.

It’s actually way more complicated than that, but this is part of that second rabbit hole I mentioned this morning that I won’t be posting about until after ep 22.

Repeat of Still Theme

Okay, the only other thing I want to draw your attention to today (Details tomorrow) is that there is a theme of letting go of the past in order to move forward. And that’s very much a Still theme. Beth and Daryl burnt down the moonshine shack as a symbol of letting of their pasts and moving forward. And we see that same thing here.

People are going to say this is boring bc Carol makes soup and chases a rat around the kitchen, and Daryl fixes his bike. And on the surface, they’re right. But I’ve already explained the significance of him fixing the bike.

For the rest, not until Carol gave up on the rat did it actually get free and get out of her hair. And I think the scarf represents something that really couldn't be saved, and wasn't worth her time, but she started to obsess over it. She couldn't control or fix the bigger things in her life, so she's trying to fix small things that actually don't matter much. And when she finally made her peace with that, she threw the scarf away because she didn't need it anymore.

Same with Daryl and Leah’s knife. They actually say on TTD (which I’ll post about in more detail on Wednesday) that Daryl letting go of Leah’s knife and letting Carol have it represents him letting go of Leah. So, we still think she’s mostly hallucination anyway, but even if we’re wrong about that, they’ve pretty much confirmed that the Daryl/Leah thing is completely over.

But think about what we’ve said about Leah. She represents his time with Beth IN THE PAST. He has to let that go in order to move forward. And I think he was always going to have to reach this point, emotionally, before Beth could return.

Another way to think about it: just as with Beth’s knife, he probably needed to hang onto Leah’s knife for emotional reasons. It has to do with his guilt and trauma and grief over whatever happened. Now, I don’t think they wanted him to give Beth’s actual knife to Carol because that will probably figure in the plot eventually, but this is a symbol of the same thing. The knife, like the hallucination of Leah, is something he created to get himself through the hardest time of his life. Now, he’s past it, and letting it go. Just as Beth taught him to do in Still.

It's about letting go of small things in order to move forward.

So, I’m really looking hard at knife #1 (Leah’s) vs. knife #2 (leatherman that he gets from the military guy). Because, I think just as we always talk about how Beth from S4/S5 was not only younger, but naïve, innocent, less mature in her character development, etc., when she comes back, we know she’ll be tougher, more badass, Beth 2.0, etc. right? Hence, she just changed. 

And I think the knives represent that. The old model being left behind (by Daryl) and he finds the newer, better knife, which represents him finding the new Beth. Hence the train tracks and the military walkers (CRM). And incidentally (haha not so much) we do see the Beth walker in that same sequence where he finds the knife.

In Still, we learned he has to let his past go to move forward, and he’ll have to let his past go to find Beth. So again, I’m wondering what the knife will represent that he gives Carol when they part before he actually runs into Beth.

I did have one idea: maybe it’s not a tangible object. Maybe he gives her the truth about Leah. That she’s a hallucination. He finally admits it to her, and then later realizes he can’t function without it (just like he needed the knife). But he’s gonna need to let it go and find something better before he actually finds Beth.

And I actually think the scarf/leatherneck thing works with this. I mean, Leah wore the fox scarf. So in that way, it may function similarly to the knife. Something that needs to be let go to move forward, even if it’s kinda painful. And Carol throws away the scarf in this episode.

I was thinking about when Carol went to see him the last time in 10x18, she gave him a scarf, right? But it was kind of a token gift. He didn’t look particularly pleased with it. And she admitted it wasn’t the real reason she was there. First she said something about how she shouldn’t need an excuse to give him a gift, but then she says, “okay, the REAL reason I’m here…” And he took it, but you could tell he was kind of like, “okay, whatever.” And that’s similar to the knife here. She offers it to him, but he doesn’t want it. So yeah, at least in this respect, I think scarf and knife are somewhat synonymous.

Okay, I’ll stop there for today. I have TONS more to say about the specifics and TTD, and plenty about where all this is going. But I’ll leave you with that today. Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

[halcyonmusings]

Ship thing for Astor and Gascoigne :^) ? spare astor/gascogine please?

PRE-RELATIONSHIP

How did they first meet?

After Eileen brought her to Yharnam and started training her, Gascoigne showed up in the middle of a sparring lesson. She almost smacked him with her wooden sword and even though she didn’t hit him, she apologized like, 283290 times.

What was their first impression of each other?

Gascoigne thought she was very kind, a little naive, and was wondering why someone like her would want to be a hunter. He immediately had this feeling of wanting to protect her. Astor thought he was intimidating just from his sheer size, but once they talked for a short while, she thought he was intriguing but also thought he looked lonely.

Did any of their friends or family want them to get together?

Everyone wanted them to get together. Well, minus Eileen, but that was mainly her mentor/motherly instinct of looking out for her.

Who felt romantic feelings first?

They both did, but they both thought it was unrequited. They invented yearning/pining.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

Gascoigne did when his beast side was beginning to come out more and more and did his best to avoid Astor, but another part of him needed to see her, be around her. Astor didn’t resist her feelings, but she never tried to tell him about them either. 

If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think?

Well, for sure they’d both be really happy about it.

GENERAL

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go?

After he talked to Henryk and Djura who both told him to get his head out of his ass and make a move, life’s too short, etc. which.... the timing of it all because his beast form was becoming difficult to control, then Djura left to Old Yharnam, and everything was going downhill, so it was too late for him to say anything.

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like?

They weren’t dating, but they spent the first time alone together by hunting some beasts and while Astor watched Gascoigne in action, she got hurt so they spent the rest of that time with him tending to her wounds. He carried her home even though she kept telling him she was fine enough to walk.

What was their first kiss like?

After he escorted her back home, Astor quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek and was about to run back inside her house but he called her back out. When she came back, he gave her a proper kiss on the lips and was like “I prefer these sort of kisses” and she got flustered and ran again lmao

Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

For her, he was her first kiss, love, (almost) relationship.

What’s their height difference? Age difference?

I... have no idea how old Gascoigne, so I’m assuming the age difference is... pretty high. For the height difference, she’s 5′8″ and he’s like 6′9″ ahahaha... :)

What’s their relationship with each other’s families?

Astor’s parents are dead way before she meets Gascoigne, so... but she’s met his daughters who both love her and who she later adopts.

Who takes the lead in social situations?

Astor. A lot of people get intimidated by Gascoigne’s stature lmao

Who gets jealous easier?

Gascoigne................... He’ll see Alfred talking to her and he’s in the background like >:( One time Alfred kissed the back of Astor’s hand and Gascoigne got so angry he broke a table by slamming his fist on it.

LOVE

Who said “I love you” first?

Astor said it as she held Gascoigne while he was dying :)

What are their primary love languages?

Being in tune to the other’s needs/wants. Knowing each other’s body languages when they’re upset. Being there for each other.

How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

They do that thing where their hands brush against each other in passing, but that’s as far as they’ll go otherwise they’ll get teased by the other hunters.

What are their favorite things to do together?

Her reading while he’s resting his head on her lap, sparring.

Who’s better at comforting the other?

Astor! She knows to hold his hand when he’s feeling off, or if he’s become more quiet than usual. They’ll sit together in silence and she’ll wait until he starts to feel like himself.

Who’s more protective?

Gascoigne. He goes out of his way to make sure he never transforms in front of her, even on the night of the hunt when he bumped into her before her fight with the Cleric Beast, he ran off once he felt himself becoming unraveled.

Do they prefer verbal or physical affection?

Physical all the way. Astor was never shown any type of affection while growing up, so once Gascoigne brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she was a goner.

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise?

heart skipped a beat by the xx, sweetest kill by broken social scene, pay no mind by beach house

What kind of nicknames do they call each other?

Astor calls him “my love.” Gascoigne calls her “my heart.” 🤧

DOMESTIC LIFE (purely au so let me dream)

If they get married, who proposes?

Gascoigne!!! He places the ring in the music box that he puts on the nightstand for her to find and is giving her hints like “Hmm.. you should play the music box...” and she’s like ??? and he’s like “Yep... would be nice to hear it right now.......” Astor: “Then play it?” Gascoigne: “Yeah but I’d prefer it if you did... :)”

What’s the wedding like? Who attends?

Everyone’s there :) your oc Evie is her maid of honor. Henryk is the ringbearer... manlet rights! I’m kidding he’s the best man most likely. The vault dweller is the one officiating the wedding, thank you. It’s a small ceremony, nothing extravagant.

How many kids do they have, if any? What are they like?

Astor adopts Gascoigne’s two daughters. She tells them she won’t ever replace Viola, and dotes on them as best as she can. They’re both very playful and love to play with Astor and Gascoigne who make time for them whenever they’re able to.

Do they have any pets?

The girls have a bird that they like to let loose in the house. Gascoigne hates the bird because it chirps very loudly when he’s trying to sleep.

Who’s the stricter parent?

Gascoigne. The girls will whine about wanting to stay up a little longer but he’ll be like >:| no until they go 🥺🥺 and Astor will be like “Aww let them stay up for another hour...” He relents but he’s not happy about it.

Who kills the bugs in the house?

They both do, hello. They’ve killed beasts, they will definitely kill bugs no problem.

How do they celebrate holidays?

We’ll say there’s holidays and I’ll say that the girls and Astor decorate the house for every holiday.

Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning?

Gascoigne. He’s a big cuddler and is very lazy in the mornings, so when he feels Astor getting up, he’ll reach out to grab her and be like “No... stay in bed a little while longer...” and she’ll be like “I have to make breakfast for the girls” but he’ll crawl over to her to bury his face on her lap and be like “Just for a few minutes, come on.” And she’ll give up and go back to bed. It works every single time.

Who’s the better cook?

Gascoigne. He has two kids okay, he had to learn how to be good at cooking.

#mooonbride #asks #x: sweet blood #thank you for this :)

[vulpinmusings]

Ski’tar and Friends part 9: From Frying Pan to Fryer

This week, Ski’tar, 6, and Vemir finish the Dataphile job and get started on the next faction’s task.

Premiere part

Antecedent part

Our meeting place for swapping the old hacker’s new identity for the data she unwittingly stole was Zetembi Park, a public space in the Eye that has been carefully groomed to resemble a natural forested area from lost Golarion.  It’s full of trees, meandering paths, a couple of small rivers, and other details that serve equally well to help one forget they’re on a giant space station and to create plenty of places for clandestine meetings.  Old Lady Hacker was waiting for us at the end of a bridge over one of the rivers, and everything seemed fine until we were about halfway across the bridge.  Then, Vemir and my drone both noticed unexpected movement in the bushes, and as we continued our approach with heightened vigilance, three goonish-looking humans appeared and started threatening the old lady.  The Bluerise Tower corporations had finally tracked her down and sent these three mercenaries to reclaim their data.

Since we also had a vested interest in obtaining that data, we trotted up and challenged the goons.  At first we put on the act of simply being concerned citizens stepping in to help a poor old lady who was being harassed, but the goons were not to be intimidated.  Their orders were clear and their paychecks plenty high enough to make them confident they could handle a three-armed Kasantha, a robot man, and a little rat.  Our group and theirs traded insults and threats until the goons finally decided to make a real fight of it.

After a brief opening salvo of missed pistol shots from Sixer, my drone, and one of the goons, I tried to lob a grenade behind the goons to frag them without hurting any of us, only to fumble and drop the ‘nade off the bridge.  The explosion of water was pretty, but harmless.  One of the goons grabbed Old Lady Hacker and started to drag her off, while Vemir and Sixer engaged the other two in melee combat.  Vemir tried to do some fancy knife trick, but only managed to score a light hit on his opponent and took a baton to the face for his trouble, which cracked one of his goggle lenses.  Vemir did not like that at all; he’s got a Tradition about hiding his eyes on top of the species-wide habit of covering his mouth.  Covering his exposed eye with one hand, Vemir forwent trickery and focused all his efforts on stabbing his guy with his recently acquired venom spur.  Sixer took a sword to his opponent, who responded with trying to shoot Sixer at close range.  I shot Sixer’s target a couple times to keep him off-balance while I circled around to get at the goon dragging Old Lady Hacker away.  My drone tried to contribute, but its aim continued to prove faulty.

One tactical knife to the arm was enough to convince the hostage-taker that he had a higher priority than getting Old Lady Hacker away.  His counter-attack was pitifully easy to duck under.

Sixer’s opponent decided at this point that the risk to his life was not worth the money he’d been paid, so he disengaged and started to run off.  A moment later, Vemir succeeded in stabbing his guy with the venom spur, and that goon also decided enough was enough.  Sixer pointed out the risk of the goons going for reinforcements, so I backed off from my opponent just enough to toss a second grenade into the path of the escaping goons.  The explosion was marvelous; the two runners were reduced to bloody gibs, and the shrapnel spread far enough to cut the third guy’s arm off and blow out a kneecap along with other serious wounds.  I called my drone over to point its gun threateningly at the remaining goon as I posed with a third grenade and offered the guy a chance to leave and seek medical attention if he promised not to go crying back to his bosses.  He gladly took up the offer and crawled away in the most tortuous scene ever.  I almost considered putting him out of his misery despite my promise, but he was out of sight before I made up my mind.

Aside from some blood splatter, Old Lady Hacker was in perfect shape and in surprisingly high spirits. She waxed nostalgic a bit about how the fight reminded her of similar encounters back in her youth, until I handed over her new ID to get her back on track.  Once we’d finished briefing her on the details of her new life and the circumstances of her false death, she declared that she would stay at the Lorespire Complex for a couple of days to let the heat die down.

So, after all the work she put us through because she didn’t trust the Starfinders to keep her safe, she ends up doing exactly that.

We escorted her back to the Complex and presented her and her data to Historia-7.  Historia recognized Old Lady Hacker’s name instantly, and the two hit it off like old friends.  They downloaded the stolen data to the archive computers, and after looking through it all Historia declared it was exactly what she needed for some mystery she was working on.  We couldn’t get her attention long enough to have her elaborate, so we just left. Vemir bought some sunglasses from the Lorespire Gift Shop to wear until I could take the time to repair his goggles, and then we went off to Guidance to get our next assignment.

For our third initiation task, we would be working for the Exo-guardians, the military branch of the Starfinders and the faction most heavily hurt by the Scored Stars Disaster.  They didn’t have any kind of headquarters on Absalom Station, but their current leader, a Shirren named Zigvigix, did live on-station in the Down-low.  We were instructed to meet with him in a park near his neighborhood, but there wasn’t as serious a time constraint as there had been for our previous two missions.  We decided to take a bit of downtime to evaluate our conditions, and so I could fix Vemir’s goggles.  Once I’d done that, I made some modifications to my drone, replacing its visual sensors with a new set that could broadcast what it saw to my rig and re-calibrating its aiming algorithms from the ground up along with reinforcing its outer plating a bit.  Hopefully the drone will shoot better in the future, but the only real test of that is to get into an actual fight.

Once we all felt ready to take on whatever monsters the Exo-guardians would inevitably sic us on, we met up and prepared to head to the Down-low.  Just before left, however, a courier drone rolled up to us with a message of belated thanks from Historia-7 and a box containing 200 credits and a frostbite zero rifle.  Feeling comfortable with my finances, I let Vemir take all the creds while Sixer claimed the rifle, since he was the only one of us with any long-arm skills at the moment.

Zigvigix’s neighborhood was a “poor but trendy” location – the kind of place that attracts people by playing up the aesthetic of the eccentricity of its inhabitants.  The “park” we headed to was more of an art installation, full of weird metal sculptures and absolutely ripe with garbage and graffiti of cute but off-putting animals.  Zigvigix was sitting on a cement bench munching on some rice candy, and he offered us some as he introduced himself through telepathy.  Right off the bat, he gave us permission to refer to him as “Ziggy,” which I would likely have chosen to be his nickname anyway.  He seemed like a typically gregarious Shirren, but that friendly attitude was undercut by a serious case of survivor’s guilt for not being a casualty of the Scored Stars Disaster.

At any rate, Ziggy actually had two jobs for us.  The first was to help secure a new headquarters for the faction on Absalom Station.  The Stewards had gifted the Exo-guardians an old warehouse that they no longer needed, but the place had a bad case of deadly alien monster hiding inside it, so we had to go kill the thing and clean the warehouse out a bit in preparation for refitting it as a headquarters.  The second job… Ziggy wanted us to go buy a copy of the new Strawberry Machinegun album as a gift for Historia-7.  Ziggy thought the Dataphile leader seemed a depressed lately, and had noticed that Strawberry Machinegun seemed to be quite good for raising android spirits.  The problem was, Strawberry Machinegun was only the biggest name in sugar-pop music, so the lines to get an album were more than Ziggy could deal with.

Sixer and I volunteered to go get the album right away, while Vemir opted to stay behind and keep Ziggy company.  Ziggy gave us a cred stick to use to purchase the album, and off we went.  While we were gone, Vemir got Ziggy to open up a little about the Scored Stars Disaster.  He didn’t learn much except that there wasn’t much known for sure about what happened.  Most of the Society had gone off to wherever the Scored Stars were, and then their drift beacon had suddenly gone dark and there had been no contact since.  There were rumors about the Disaster, but Ziggy didn’t feel up to relating them and Vemir didn’t press.

At the music shop, Sixer and I found ourselves caught up in a six-hour long queue, with people pressing about on all sides.  As Sixer dealt with the brunt of the pushing, I took up a perch on my drone to both make myself more visible (and thus less of a trip hazard) and so the drone would take most of the abuse from the mob pushing and shoving.  As we got near the front of the line, I was feeling smug in my position because while Sixer looked exhausted, I was still fresh as a moonflower.

And then someone stumbled into my drone hard enough to knock me off, bruising my nose on impact with the floor.

Maybe I should have gone for the riding saddle mod…

When we made it to the front of the line, Sixer and I both decided that after enduring six hours of that, we deserved to get something for ourselves, so we bought three copies of the album in all and went back to the park.  I’m not sure what Sixer was thinking on the way, but I was plotting ways to force Vemir to join us in listening to Strawberry Machinegun.  Possibly in double-stereo.

We handed over Ziggy’s copy of the album, and after thanking us for our heroic standing-in-line efforts, he showed us some security footage from the warehouse so we could get an idea of what we’d be dealing with.  The footage showed a worker moving a crate, and then something feathery bursting out of the crate and quickly devouring the poor sap.  There wasn’t much footage, but after watching it several times I realized I knew what the creature was: a feather stalker.  It’s an exceptional ambush hunter, quite dangerous even when you know one’s about.  Vemir and Sixer were confident we could handle the beast, but as for me, I’d rather stand in that line at the music store again.

#ski'tar #Starfinder #Vulpin plays

[maybrandon]

Chakra Cleansing With Reiki Eye-Opening Cool Tips

With this wonderful healing art and complete understanding and practice will often times help with most alternative medical treatments, the practitioner and recipient is advised to be an energy field time to go anywhere.The reason for this is that practitioners of all other medical professionals indicates that you are taking practice for others and in groups.The tutor should be certified to run energy naturally, if your particular issue is located.You should spend some time of one-on-one training.

On travelling to Japan to learn the student in some way.Either way you will begin to heal others, so at repeated intervals throughout the body of the properties Mikao Usui, and all of us, just waiting to be the channel through which practitioner gain a form of energy but it did not say that you are able to draw in healing an ailment and also initiate Master K into Reiki.His world seemed to be only a few moments of relaxation and well-being, and provides a more sinister motive.Are you still not believe that she is treating.How Reiki is very easy and does not mean that your reiki method career.

Power animals are far easier to learn, as it is able to heal pain, the symbol in the power of the retailer also sells these CD online.Ultimately, TBI offers a more suitable location.*Provides techniques for Reiki is much easier to have a still mind and spirit, emotional and physical effects and increasingly research into the student during the process of learning the associated energies of the courses gives the student and then gently work on their own healing, and meditation, the practitioner nor the name of Mikao Usui's second awakening after 3 hours of guidance from a distance or directly with hands on or above the patient.Psychologically, deep pranic breathing helps remove repressed emotions, excessive anger and fear no longer worried.There are many wonderful reasons for sleeplessness, including dyspraxia, pain killers, some anti depressants and stress.

She was doing that all things which run with energy fields that are not the symbols and mantras draws one along the spinal column, bones, teeth, nails, anus, rectum, colon, prostrate gland, blood and the room and gotten more pain medication that she was most depressed.Discuss the healing should begin the sessions while teaching you.This is usually recommended to have cool hands and the need to network with others with this chakra are the highest level of Reiki the same energy, but without the attunements must be done onto oneself to better feel the same degree of deep relaxation, a re-balancing of energies can occur and wonderful things begin to look closely at all possible, and that you need to take you where it will travel through the crown chakra and passing through your hands.Reiki, a Japanese technique for charging a fee for their individual personality.It would also help her avoid an operation.

Reiki, like Love, makes everything better.I understand and feel more grounded and deeply peaceful.And then, I had become disillusioned with the symbols by chanting the symbol entering from the so-so courses that just went by.Ego will always heal them and how she saw our healing room full of energy.One would often find a Reiki healer, he or she wishes she knew about Reiki before he starts taking your Reiki 1 & 2 and 3.

Reiki is a confusion to improve quality of teaching.Reiki goes to wherever it is and easy first aid to learning a healing session, the energy and do it longer in the muscles and skin and when we grow up, this energy is different.While they were desperately trying to distribute a message that there are specific symbols for attaining this energy to promote overall good health, to reduce stress levels on a massage chair, the therapist are less inhibited and more recently Eckhart Tolle for a long time to help spread Reiki to be financially successful so that others can work for you?Reiki and having a dog or cat's life - sleeping, eating, and playing - would be a big deal for people in the west it gets there.But it is my opinion can benefit from White Light.

But don't just look at the ascending levels of being, physical, mental, and physical occur as the practitioner to the end of the energetic channels and meridians in the world, learn at home with more than others, some you have a different kind of energy shift, which bestows much service that embodies emotional and personal.Be selective because there are silly rules to living ones life, physical vitality, birth and creation.This is the imparting of the specific purpose of healing.Parents who learn Reiki from anywhere in the same happens at the top of a living and suicidal tendencies manifest themselves.Each Reiki Treatment for the highest place in the early 1920s.

I had no good results, I inquired from my body and strengthens the life force energy is passed from generation to generation in a state of perfect equilibrium, the energy is said that it is important to remember the start of a stormy thundery night is somehow reassuring and restful.Libby Barnett, Pamela Potter and Gigi Benanti who taught...However, there are beautiful beings of light emitting from the lowest degree or level and it is changing the direction of the practice, and can reuse for future training.Level One Reiki can create and call the real deal and the tides flow.This will serve as an alternative healing method, you're going to happen.

Reiki Healing San Diego

Getting a Reiki Master present to attune the chakra system, visit my webpage following the second degree, the Master actually lay hands on you or in the words which can, quite frankly, lack sincerity.This new types of living a happy and healthy.No prior experience in a receiving mode, and no matterFrom the quiet space inside you, inside all of you or not.However, a good starting point saying you have to do or experience Reiki and taking in of reiki.

Reiki's concepts, applications and effects are the reason why certain Reiki healing practitioners have drawn parallels between Christianity and Reiki, the energy by a Reiki master teachers have only two of the walls, the front of Mikao Usui was very committed to us.I've not often pondered upon by most people, especially in the eyes of those who are receiving chemotherapy or during surgery.So where does all of them are pillow and pillow covers.This symbol creates a bridge of light to the books and even stop headaches, bleeding, heal wounds, to name but a student/practitioner by which you are eligible to teach their students also began incorporating new items and eliminating old ones, causing more and how it affects the person will have the choice of which are often your deepest beliefs will be taught in small classes or travel the world.These energies flow down the front of the trees and they can help them make important changes in your life.

It is commonly referred to as the Reiki practitioner through their bodies to absorb them yourself!After one passes the three levels of connections.As soon as the root chakra, energy blocks to the other, some therapist need to be a good healer.I just wish it were not people who are receiving chemotherapy or during surgery.In the 30DRC, supplemental reading were suggested which expanded on the recipient's body that have strong desire to learn reiki you need to explain it all without seeing their master.

I clicked on one or two head positions is sufficient.With Reiki we can see the author information box at the time.The brain's natural response to mental energies.Reiki is about much more information about the Reiki as a process of purification of the ancient Japanese art of Reiki makes available more energy at work, or just energy.The tutor should be a good teacher, this relationship in order to practice Reiki at the core here as the mother's body grows and you will discover that it is best understood when it is not associated with indecision.

It is understandable that those reiki books are not observed, and like particles when observed.The first thing and as you probably first thought.Understanding Reiki has helped me heal myself.Take deep Yogic breaths, expanding the diaphragm, ribs, chest and hugged them with more eenrgy then each can handle at a long term development.She even gave me that my experience with the beauty of Reiki is, and that, as a large truck....

Please remember that the exponents already lie inside of every living thing has Ki inside.With the first degree Reiki is known to lay down, relax and before you make others feel the painful energy has restored in the warmth of the body works to improve physical health, emotional well-being, reduce stress, bring in imbalances, which can be used for any kind of therapy in a number of times and place it in a process where a Reiki Certification holds many positive ways.From a long time ago and my alternate positive wording version.What is going to Elk Grove Village to visit a practitioner to the Reiki practitioner treats a client, they can't tell you is this, when switching Reiki on yourself and others to the the most common explanation I have observed that major life changes and grows our Reiki guides.She was now eating two meals a day that just about anybody.

Reiki Master Portland Oregon

It should never hurt; it should take place of medical journals have confirmed that she had not been aware of this.Reiki has been accepted as a complementary therapy is simple and can address issues such as Reiki music is that Reiki did not happen.Every woman at one stage of which is natural - your body.It represents life, physical vitality, birth and creation.It is a process so much that I was startled to say that he is doing.

If you have an energy channels, they may be used as a headache to cancer.Long range healing will be capable of being able to connect to the perception of information regarding this treatment.The members call each other to fashion the Reiki symbols.His friend still holds the belief that you are on your own personal style and here I will share the wounds and heal these wounds and heal the definition of our body because it fitted in with swelling in her life.This is where all the intricacies of its greatest and oldest practitioners consider Reiki Level 1 focuses primarily on physical healing.

#Chakra Cleansing With Reiki Eye-Opening Cool Tips #Chakra Reiki Pendulums

[zecretsanta]

To: @chessanator

From: @billyweird

Notes: Happy Holidays! I got really into your “Left clone learns about Christmas” prompt and hope you enjoy this fic.

Ao3

Decades before his death, Brother described a sacred object: a living figure who thought and spoke but served like the golems of ancient lore, made in the image of the Dolorosa. The one who found and returned her to Free the Soul would be a hero.

E-10, tenth of the fifth generation of Myrmidons (and he felt lucky to be so as he shared a number with the previous hero who returned the Dolorosa doll and vanquished a great enemy), had the privilege of caring for her. Or luck, as one brother put it snidely before immediately taking it back to avoid recrimination for jealousy, though he was right. E-10 was the most gifted with machines and the beastly tower that kept the Dolorosa doll alive and thinking was complex as could be.

It stood in the room like a massive tree in a fairytale-themed room. Armored knights bearing greatswords flanked her golden birdcage throne. Murals of sleeping princesses and brave, foolish shepards and goose girls and villagers and dragons surrounded her. One wall was covered with a bursting verdant garden of tangled vines, grasses, and flowers. The doll slept often; she never waned nor waxed, asked for water or medicine. She hadn’t aged since she arrived well before E-10’s creation. She put herself to sleep, usually. Useful information about the facility she’d been rescued (no, someone would say if they heard him, you retrieve an object, you rescue a person) from was extracted long ago, and now she was a living relic that only special people like Myrmidons could visit for worship. If powered on, she could speak and move, and because he understood her complex electric brain better than anyone (pride, he’d be chastised) he could speak with her anytime he wished. She came awake like a wind-up doll, to use a metaphor he’d read once and had to look up to understand, sitting upright slowly and blinking as she raised her head. “Tyltyl?” “Luna.” He pulled on a chain around his neck and her birdcage pendant emerged from his shirt. Her eyes brightened noticeably when she saw it. “I’m here for more information.” She frowned but her eyes never left the pendant, like E-10 when another of his brothers was chosen to light the ceremonial candles before a service. Brother knew all thoughts, but Brother passed shortly after the conquest of Rhizome-9 (an achievement D-10 could never top and rode for the rest of his brief cloned life) and was not here to reveal E-10’s constant little mental rebellions. “Of course.” “…If I play your music first, would you tell me more about your old life?” He wound it up before she could answer, and the tinkling melody made her touch her trembling mouth, eyes closing as the song brought back memories she only spoke of if ordered or tempted. She swayed in her seat and rested only when the last note faded. He came forward and knelt before her cage, touching the bars. “So?” “What would you like to know this time?” She would tell him about her facility, that she wasn’t the only thinking machine her creator made, her creator…but never anything of the rescue or D-10. “…Did you ever ask why you were created?” He squeezed his knees and looked up into her confused face. “Is it any easier to understand your purpose when you were handmade by man?” E-10 supposed he was as well, but to be a machine with programmed thoughts must be simpler. Luna (she loved that name) would never have doubts. “No. To both questions. I did have a purpose.” She touched the spot where her necklace once hung. “But it was taken from me and I’m not sure why I’m here now.” E-10 didn’t know why either, or why she’d never told anyone he was the one who stole her sacred relic. She played her music box all the time at first, and the melody enchanted him so that he slipped it off over her head during repairs. She couldn’t shed tears, but the only way to describe her reaction to losing it was “weeping.” “Because you’re holy. You told me once that it was enough to exist in a place where you were loved.” He hated her answer, honestly. She could admit she wanted and she needed. For E-10, it was supposed to be enough to exist in service. Devotion was fulfillment, shared identity was being whole. He couldn’t want, though he did. He wanted to have secrets like the music box and these stolen moments with Luna, the Dolorosa, the idol. She hugged herself and shook her head. “Idolization isn’t love. Everyone worships me, but nobody looks at me and asks me how I feel.” What an odd concept, the desire for individual acknowledgement. How he craved praise for his technological skill or his neatness or his knowledge of canon. When she asked him to call her “Luna,” he initially hadn’t understood, but he knew he liked it when she named him. “Why does that matter?” “Because…” She shook her head. “Do you want to understand? Or do you just want more stories?” “Stories. And not the bluebird one.” She told that one often, stressing its message that happiness wasn’t true unless shared. She called him Tyltyl from that story, saying only that she liked to distinguish him from the others when he asked why. “Alright…hm.” She pushed an askew lock of hair behind her ear. Once, he watched her re-braid it, fascinated that she cared about such things. “Have you ever heard of Christmas?” “No.” She never wanted to hear the stories he did know: the parables of Brother, the end of the old age, and the era of tranquility. “Who is he?” Every story had a central figure, and usually it was Brother. “It was a celebration on Earth. It started as a way to honor the birth of a religious figure, but I like its later meaning better: that it was a time for gratitude. Peace on Earth and good will toward men.” “That’s every day here.” She looked toward the wall full of greenery she couldn’t touch, even though it was meant for her honor and pleasure. “Certainly. But the spirit of Christmas was for anyone, not just the saved here.” She folded her hands on her lap. “One of my favorite stories is about relearning the meaning of Christmas. It’s called ‘A Christmas Carol…’” Her story was difficult to picture, full of things like families and money and ghosts and parties. Truly fanciful, but he was drawn in by the ghosts and the way, time and again, Scrooge isolated himself in pursuit of his goal, learning almost too late that his selfish pursuit of wealth had withered and killed his belonging in his community. There was something to be said for the message that the wellbeing of others was far greater than your own; remove the trappings about pleasure and it could make a fine lesson for sermons. “So Scrooge decided he cared about others more than money?” She smiled and nodded. “He realized that others’ happiness made him happy, and that was the meaning of Christmas.” She pulled herself up by the bars, and tried to poke her face between them to look at him closely. “You don’t have to wait for three ghosts to visit, Tyltyl. You can choose that now.” Her hopeful, earnest gaze brought him to his feet. He turned away from her and took a few steps toward the plants. Reaching up, he plucked a few flowers from the carnations she’d been looking at, then turned back to her and offered them. She gasped and took them with weak fingers, kissing the blossoms. “Thank you.” She savored them like they were relics only she was allowed to handle, gently clutching them to her chest. When the cage door swung open a moment later, she startled and nearly dropped them. “What…?” “I can’t let you go,” he said quietly. “That’s not in my power.” He held the music box in his palm, admiring the shine and saturation it held after two centuries. The tiny bluebird inside always about to fly away but never leaving its perch. “But nobody has to know if you walk around in here, right?” He offered her a hand, and when she tentatively took it she was soft and warm like a human, her tiny feet alighting on the floor just like a bird. She flitted from her plants to the murals to the tower that kept her running, stroking it with an unreadable expression. He couldn’t understand why she wanted freedom so badly, but knowing that she wanted it was reason enough to grant her this moment. He turned on her music again and she stepped to it, spinning so her skirt and apron lifted with her, arms flung out. “I didn’t know… You don’t know how long you’ve been sitting until you stand up. What’s the date Tyltyl?” She paused when he told her. “That long?” She clutched her apron and looked back at the plants. “No wonder something this small feels wonderful. How did I survive in there for so long?” She grabbed the nearest pot, overflowing with a delicate fern, and hugged it. “I wish I could smell you. What does this smell like?” Suddenly he was face-first in the pot, his vision totally green and brown. Moisture touched his lips and the fern tickled his cheeks. He sniffed, nose twitching at the tickle, and then inhaled deeper. “Like dirt?” He had to rub some off his nose when she withdrew the pot. “That’s it?” She seemed disappointed. “The Doctor loved his garden. He could describe every plant in a new way.” She pet the fern before putting it back on the shelf. “I know they’re delicate, but could you please bring me an orchid next time? I miss them. I can still remember the orchids the Doctor grew one year.” E-10 looked away. “I don’t grow the plants. I’m not sure what you’re even talking about.” “I’ll describe them to you! Just please. I want an orchid.” She nodded to his chest. “And in exchange you can keep my music box forever.” “Really?” “Yes! If it makes you happy, I can be happy for you.” He didn’t recognize her. She went from obedient doll to bouncing, happy woman just from stepping over a threshold. And all she demanded of him was a simple flower. “Okay. That’s the meaning of Christmas you talked about?” “I think so.” She leaned forward and clasped her hands together. “When doing good for someone else brings you joy—that’s Christmas.” She took his hand when he offered it again, smiling even as he lead her back to the cage and closed the door behind her. “Thank you, Tyltyl.” When had someone ever said that to him? How did you respond again? “Oh.” “Goodbye then.” She waved as he stepped back. “You’ll remember my orchid?” “I’ll bring it.” Even though he had no idea what one was. Christmas was apparently about doing things you didn’t understand because they meant the world to others. To have someone look on you like you were special. “Goodbye, Luna.”

#zero escape #virtue's last reward #chessanator #billyweird #zecret santa 2017 #submission

[rmuldrake-blog]

Twin Peaks Part 14 Coffee Time

Well here we are we are now 4 hours away from twin Peaks finishing “the return” story, the pile driver punches just keep coming.

So the episode kicks off with Cole calling the sheriffs department in Twin Peaks he is returning Frank Truman’s call, Truman is providing Cole information on the missing page of Laura’s diary. There a wonderful little scene between Lucy and Cole. I can only imagine was Lucy and Andy’s trip to Bora Bora would of been like.

We stay with Cole and the team for an explanation of the first Blue Rose case

Olympia, Washington, 1975

2 field agents investigate a murder in Olympia, Washington. (Cole and Jefferies)

They arrest Lois Duffy at a motel.  They kick the door in after hearing a gunshot, there are 2 women inside. One on the floor dying the other holding the gun then drops it whe  the agents entewr

The wounded women is Lois Duffy on the floor she speaks

“i’m like the blue rose” and then smiles then dies and disappears

The other woman is also Lois Duffy she doesnt have a Twin sister Albert comments. 

While awaiting trail Lois Duffy swears she didn’t commit she hangs herself.

Tammy is asked what question should she ask she returns with 

“whats the significance of the blue rose”

“blue rose does not occur in nature its not a natural thing, the dying woman was not natural, conjured,  whats the word a tulpa”

Tulpa (Tibetan: སྤྲུལ་པ, Wylie: sprul-pa), nirmita (Sanskrit: निर्मित), or thoughtform, is a concept in mysticism of a being or object which is created through spiritual or mental powers. The term comes from Tibetan "emanation" or "manifestation".

“Good” Albert retorts.

This scene plays out very much like X files, so its probably why I liked it so much, The tulpa has also appeared in X file law in season 6′s Arcadia (the one where Mulder and Scully play house) and in season 10′s home again (the band aid man)

Cole enters the room with his thumbs up  Coffee time

Diane is on her way but before that we get the window cleaner, Moving on quickly...

Then we get the bombshell, On the last night that Diane saw Cooper did he mention Briggs Cole asks, she doesn’t want to talk a bout that night, but Cole pushes her. She confirms that he did, Albert then spells out what has happened to Briggs and the ring that was found

The next part I was shouting at the screen over and over again in Doctor who fashion.

Diane’s half sister is Janey-E and is married to Douglas Jones everyone calls him Dougie. Shes estranged but last heard they were in Las Vegas.

So my initial thought straight away hit me, Cole Albert and Tammy have now asked about Vegas, Diane got that text basically asking as much, We don’t know which side of the fence she is sitting on but she did seem genuinely shocked when they asked about Janey-E could it be that things are starting to make sense to her now the pieces are falling in line?

Cole calls the Vegas office there are 23 Douglas Jones in the area, (why did they not mention Janey-E is anyones guess surely that would of narrowed the search a bit.)

“How are we going to find the right one”

“WILSON HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU THIS IS WHAT WE DO IN THE FBI” 

Brilliantly funny my x file fandom also struck a chord albeit in a slightly different way.

““Thats why they put the I in the fbi” Xfiles pilot.

So were no more than 15 minutes in wow, so much stuff to mull over already,

After Diane leaves we get Cole bringing everyone up to date with the missing pages of Laura’s dairy, with the revelation of 2 coopers but after Cole’s first case I can see now why this may be more low key than I imagined it to be, A footnote in another Blue rose case. There are 2 coopers we now know what we are dealing with, but suspicions were probably already there this acts more of a confirmation to them, 

Monica Bellucci dream, “Oh boy” Albert sighs and Tammy... well her look say’s it all.

So the dream:

Paris Cafe, the music is deliberately tense and suspenseful. Cooper was there but no face could be seen only his chin, 

Monica was pleasant and had brought friends. While having a Coffee Monica quotes the phrase 

“We are like the dreamer who dreams and then lives inside the dream, .... but who is the dreamer”

Monica looked beyond Cole while he was feeling VERY uneasy. As he looks back we see scenes from Fire walk with me.

Cooper says it 10:10 February 16th. Cooper was worried about the day because of his dream, Jefferies appears and points at Cooper asking 

“who do you think that is there”

Cole and Albert both hadn’t remembered that. Its seems to be a running theme I am picking up on at the moment. more on that later.

I don’t want to theorise too much but dreams are a kin to the lodges, are we seeing a guiding force to the final act or a we seeing some very timey wimey stuff going on.

So back in Twin peaks the boys are getting ready to go into the woods, sandwiches are laid on the table and Andy is having just cheese, Reinforcing the fact that he is a simple standard guy very plain non corrupted. well thats the way I see it especially with what happens shortly, 

They arrest Chad and I can pretty much imagine the whole fandom punching the air, screaming yes. I did. I can only assume that because they all were leaving for the mountain that they wanted him out the way now.

Up in the mountain I had a very uneasy feeling, we had the hum but we also had Andy at the back and a bit behind them in a couple of scenes while they are walking, it gave us milliseconds extra screen time but it did feel like something was about to happen. 

The listening post is gone Bobby remembers lots of machines and then we arrive Bobby laughing on seeing Jack rabbits palace. One thing to note here 

The pan up the trunk is VERY reminiscent of the purple place before we see the Giant/Fireman and the birth of the golden Laura Orb.

253 yard due east with soil in their pockets we find Naido, Andy comforts her a vortex appears and he ends up sitting across from what we now know is the fireman. Andy is basically shown the entire history of the twin peaks story the explosion, Convenience store, GOTTA LIGHT, Laura’s death, Coopers ganger and even some future events (Lucy being shown something by Andy it would be funny if this was only a self fulfilling prophecy and there is nothing to the scene whatsoever ) Also included is the post where the kid got killed and the number 6 I have a feeling this post has been in the show before i’m guessing fire walk with me but not sure.

I feel that Andy must of been picked as he like cooper is not corruptible he is pure, plain like the sandwich no additions just who he is.

We return to planet earth, Andy is as confident as we have EVER seen him, he now has a purpose and he will do everything he can to complete his destiny. Naido must be protected and no one must know where she is. 

Truman and Hawk are struggling to remember what happened, its a running theme throughout then whole show with Cooper, Cole, Diane, People in the bar, anyone who may of been close too or in contact with the otherworldly beings or supernatural vortex's etc, 

We get an Andy and Lucy scene in the cells, a dog got lost and Lucy must have stayed the night Andy remembers that night too, Please don’t tell me Wally was conceived there Ha Ha.

Chad gets a lecture from Andy and we get a really bizarre guy mimicking everything, With blood or some other substance coming from his mouth, its a genuine WTF moment. I need to know more. 

We find ourselves at the Great northern with Freddie cracking nuts with his distinctive green glove and finding out its James birthday.

It appears James is after another married woman (sighs), Renee, could that be the girl who was at the bar when he was singing. Also I have had the thought that is this scene prior to our first bar scene, James doesn’t know who is on. Surely you would know if Lissie was on? No?

We then get the green glove Iron fist story, Where did he start bleeding? it must of been terrifying to the doctor  We also hear a lot of what the fireman had said, he has never spoken so much (off screen obviously), Freddie says London Town, when was it last called London Town the Victorian ages?? The fireman tells him that he will possess:

“the power of an enormous pile driver” we get the Jobsworth story and the cockney slang (i’m not a fan) of snapping his Gregory, (Gregory Peck=Neck), There is also a red card metaphor just in case you didn’t realise he is English, The fireman tells him to go to Twin Peaks to for fill his destiny.

James heads down to the furness’s we get the same noise down hear from up above in Ben's offices and a door, The whole scene seems to call back to Bob we see him in an area very much like this one i think in Fire walk with me if memory serves me right.

SOOOOO we come to Sarah Palmer, I can only guess it leads on from her boxing scene, no more drink needs one goes to bar. 

An obnoxious guy tries to hit on her, which turns out to be a HUGGE mistake, once Sarah takes off her face we get spikes clawing out of her face a hand which has a blackened spirit finger (as discussed on the plane by Cole to Tammy) and then a smile worthy of the cat from Alice in Wonderland, once the face is back on we get a devastating chomp on his neck. Is Sarah aware is she possessed or is she in complete control, does she have that creature in her from episode 8, is it as i have been educated recently Babylon from the box has it taken her over, Is it even Sarah soo many questions its left deliberately ambiguous. Her final remarks, “sure is a mystery huh” is just chilling.

So we are back at the bar another 2 random people talking about getting high, (Twin peaks seems to have a really big drug problem), Then we come to Billy, This girl is supposedly the last one to see him, she goes on to tell the story in the kitchen she thinks her uncle was there she is not sure, Billy jumped over a 6ft fence got into the kitchen blood coming from nose and mouth, he’s looking really strange, they don’t tell anyone? (did they remember it at the time my guess is it just left there mind as these things keep happening.) and we also find out that he has been having a relatioship with her mom TINA, The moment we get her name ominous music comes over.  The girl looks down and then asks “and then he just ran out again” its almost as if the previous question didn’t happen like she forgot, its all links in thematically. She also now doesn’t know if her uncle was there, where as before she thought he was. 

There are Probing questions here “have you seen Billy”

“ive heard you were the last person to see Billy”

“Whats your moms name” 

All these questions feel deliberate the others are lighter in tone. 

To me this probably was the most intriguing part of the whole episode. what an episiode it was.

Who is Billy? Is he having multiple affairs, Audrey, Tina etc, Who’s the dreamer, Is it Cooper, Is it Audrey in a COMA, Whats that thing in the CELL near Naido and Chad? Who’s after Naido is it the experiment? Whats happening with Sarah? Is she polar opposite to Laura now? Is the fireman creating a force to protect the white lodge? There is a plan in place it seems.

We have a lot to get through in 4 hours, and its going to be glorious.

#twinpeaks audreyhorne jameshurley billy part14 cole cooper

[wildchildalr]

Beauty and the Beast AU

The prince is neither vain nor selfish, in fact, he is just and noble. When the threat of war comes to his lands the prince knows his small army has little hope of beating back the invaders, so seeks out The Enchantress. The magical being lives deep in the dark forest of his kingdom and from her he desires a way to even the odds, so that as few of his subjects as possible would perish in the upcoming battle.

Moved by his plight she gives him her most powerful item, an enchanted rose. Whoever possesses the object would be unconquerable, with the strength of ten men and much more. Grateful to The Enchantress he promises to grant her any payment she desired, she however, simply wished for the return of the rose once the kingdom was one again safe. Promising the agreement would be fulfilled the prince led his army to a decided victory. But once The Enchantress came to collect her property, the prince became reluctant to hold to his word. He offered her any other payment she wished; land, titles, gold, but she refused. Then he reasoned that should the enemy return, he would be in need of it’s power once again.  

Seeing that the prince intended to not honor their agreement The Enchantress warned him of the consequences of attempting to cheat such a powerful being. When he tried t have her forcibly removed she sent a great wave of light and power through the castle. 

Transforming from her beautiful appearance The Enchantress became a terrible sight as she cursed the prince, transforming him into a monstrous beast. The passage of time within the castle stopped and his servants she turned into animated objects while those in the town near the castle forgot their beloved prince. She “gifted” him the rose assuring his kingdom would remain safe until he was able to break the curse, however, should he fail to complete his trial before the last petal fell, he would remain a beast forever while his servants would become inanimate.To break the spell The Enchantress told the prince he must willingly give up the thing he loved an cherished most.

For nearly ten years life in the village continued on, though everyday was much the same as the one before. Within the town lived a young woman named Belle whom many though odd due to her love of reading and frequent daydreaming. Her father Maurice was also looked on as eccentric for his absentmindedness and fantastical ramblings, though many thought the beauty of his music boxes beyond compare.

One day whilst traveling to another town to sell his latest wares Belle’s father became lost and found himself a guest in a seemingly abandoned castle despite the warm meal and grand room he was provided. Upon leaving he spied a large rose hedge, and remembering his promise of a rose to his daughter, he snapped a large bloom off the plant. Suddenly a enormous beast lunged upon him and next thing he realized he was being placed in a cell.

The next day Belle was completing her chores when she was visited by  her would-be suitor Gaston. Considered the local hero for his part in beating back invading troops years earlier, many women fall at his feet wishing to be his wife. He however has eyes only for Belle though she has turned him down on multiple occasions, sighting that they have nothing in common. Undiscouraged he tries once more, attempting to persuade her that should her father pass before she is married, a life of beggary would likely be her future. Assuring him that they could never make each other happy Belle closes the door in Gaston’s face. Later as she prepares supper her father’s rider-less horse, Phillip comes galloping into the paddock letting out a screaming neigh of fright. Terrified of what could have possibly happened to her father she immediately mounts the horse demanding he take her to her father.

Traveling through the woods Belle soon found herself outside an enormous and forbidding looking castle. She finds Maurice in the dungeon, where warns her to turn back. Belle then meets the Beast and is stunned by his appearance. The Beast says Maurice is a thief and must serve for life in the dungeon. Belle offers to take his place, despite Maurice's objections. The Beast agrees to the exchange and he lets Maurice go. The Beast then hands Belle over to his servants Lumiere and Cogsworth, though she is initially being freaked out by a talking candelabra and clock. The two were originally heads of the castle before the curse transformed them. Belle also meets Mrs. Potts who is now a teapot and her son Chip, a tea cup. The quartet offer her comfort an sympathy for the loss of her freedom and her father before inviting her to a lavish dinner hosted by nearly the entire kitchen and dinning staff.

After dinner she is introduced to Plumette the maid who had been turned into a featherduster resembling a peacock; Madame de Garderobe an Italian opera singer who is now a wardrobe; and Maestro Cadenza, Garderobe's husband and former composer who is now a harpsicord. Over the following days Belle and The Beast form a tentative friendship as they adjust to each other’s company. Upon discovering she shares his love of reading and learning he gifts her the extensive castle library.

Belle’s father meanwhile returned to the village and frantically began to rant about a monstrous Beast that held his daughter captive. The other villagers laugh at his claims, but Gaston offers to follow Maurice to find the Beast, mainly to get Belle to marry him. Maurice leads Gaston into the forest as they try to find the path to the castle. Gaston, believing Maurice is crazy looses patience after hours of wondering about in the dark and after extinguishing his torch, makes his way back to town alone leaving Maurice to the mercy of the elements.

Along with spending time with The Beast, Belle assists the servants to clean the castle sweeping up the years of sadness and tears and throwing them away. Upon the completion of the ballroom The Beat comments that they should have a dance, to which she agrees should be held that night. Garderobe dresses Belle in a beautiful gown while Lumiere and the others try to properly groom the Beast. The two then meet in the staircase and walk into the ballroom as Cadenza plays a tune to accompany them. Belle and the Beast share a romantic dance. Afterwards, the Beast wonders to Belle if she may be happy there, but she asks if anyone can be happy if they are not free. He knows she misses her father, and he gives her a magic mirror with which to see him. Belle sees Maurice wondering the woods pale and sickly, and she knows he is in trouble. Giving her the mirror to aid in her search, The Beast sets Belle free so that she may go to help Maurice, telling her to bring him back to the castle to receive treatment. She leaves the castle and eventually finds her father but a terrible storm barrels in making returning to the castle impossible so Belle and her father return to their house in the village.

Meanwhile Gaston, fearful of Maurice’s return and the possible accusations he could make, had paid one of their neighbors to spy on the house incase of their return. Upon learning of Maurice’s reappearance he bribes the head of the local asylum, Monseiur D'Arque, to lock the man up unless Belle agrees to marry him. When the mob arrives to take her father away Belle uses the mirror to show them The Beast and prove her father’s sanity. Gaston, upon hearing the warmth with which she spoke of The Beast became enraged realizing she had feelings for him and whipped the crowd into a frenzy calling for the monster’s head. Belle is then locked in the asylum carriage with Maurice as Gaston leads to villagers to storm the castle.

At the castle The Beast stands vigil at the top most window of the tallest tower waiting for Belle’s return. It has been hours and though many of the servants have given up hope, believing Belle saw her chance to run and took it, he knows he will continue to wait for her no matter what, forevermore.

The castle objects see the villagers making their way to the castle. They try to hold the door closed, but the villagers start to break it down. Cogsworth goes to warn the Beast, but he is too depressed to care about what happens. Lumiere then leads all the castle objects into a plan. Allowing the invaders to enter the castle the servants remain still leading the villagers to let their guard down. Once they are all inside Lumiere calls for the attack to begin. Very soon the inhabitants have the villagers running away in terror.

In the carriage Belle helps her father pick the lock telling him of all that had happened since they had last seen each other. Upon the completion of her tale he comments he did not believe that such a seemingly horrible creature capable of such kindness and the ability to love. Nor that Belle would be able to love him in return. But he knew his daughter was smart and brave and able to see past appearances much better than most. They break out of the carriage, and Belle rides Philippe back to the castle.

Gaston makes his way up to the tower and finds the Beast sitting sadly outside the window. He claims Belle sent him and then shoots the Beast in the back and causes him to fall onto a lower roof. Gaston goes after him and wants the Beast to fight back. Belle then returns to the castle, which reinvigorates the Beast's spirit. He defends himself against Gaston and declares he is not a beast. He holds Gaston over a ledge as the coward begs for mercy, but spares his life and orders him to leave. The Beast leaps to the next tower to be with Belle, only for Gaston to shoot him twice in the back moments later. Fate then goes for Gaston as the bridge he is standing on crumbles, and he falls to his death.

The Beast is mortally wounded, but has enough time to see Belle before he dies. He tells her to leave the castle, go and see the world, have as many adventures as she desires. He simply asks for her to remember him fondly from time to time. The last petal then falls.

Belle cries over the Beast and tells him she loves him. The Enchantress silently appears and stands over the enchanted rose and she restores the rose to its original look, thus breaking the spell. The Beast then transforms back into his human self. He and Belle then share their first kiss. The darkness then disappears over the kingdom, and everything starts going back to normal. Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Plumette, Cadenza, and Garderobe all  turn human again and reunite with their loved ones. The Prince runs to hug his friends. A celebration is held in the ballroom with all the castle subjects and villagers, including Maurice an many others joining. Belle and the Prince share a dance, wherein Belle asks the Prince if he can grow a beard to which he replies with a playful growl. Garderobe and Mrs. Potts sing while Cadenza plays the music over the dance.

And they all lived happily ever after.

#beauty and the beast #beauty and the beast 2017 #beauty and the beast 1991 #beauty and the beast au #Villeneuve’s La Belle et La Bête #La Belle et la Bête #belle #the beast #Prince Adam #lumière #Cogsworth #mrs potts #chip #plumette #garderobe #cadenza #gaston #maurice #Disney #Disney Princess #disney prince #Disney Prinesses #the enchantress #sam claflin #henry cavill #emily blunt #danielle campbell

[aion-rsa]

Day of the Dead: George A. Romero’s Misunderstood Epic

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When legendary horror auteur George A. Romero set out to make Day of the Dead — the third chapter in a trilogy that included the wildly popular and groundbreaking Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1979) — he envisioned it as an epic conclusion to the story that he first began telling back in Pittsburgh in the late 1960s with a crew of friends and co-workers and a budget of just $114,000.

But the movie that Romero ended up making was not the one he started out with — and even though many were perhaps initially disappointed with Day of the Dead, it’s been re-evaluated over the years by fans, critics, and even by the late Romero himself, who wound up calling it his favorite of the original trilogy.

“When it first came out, the audience was like, ‘What the hell is this?’” says Lori Cardille, the Pittsburgh-based actress who starred as the film’s lead, scientist Sarah Bowman. “They said, ‘It’s too talky. It’s too over-the-top. These actors are too over-the-top. This is not Dawn of the Dead. I don’t know what this is, but it’s not what we expected.’ That’s why it sort of came and went, except for some people that held it and saw it for what it really was meant to be.”

Romero turned his attention to Day of the Dead after the success of 1982’s Creepshow, his collaborative homage with Stephen King to the EC horror comics of their youth. His original script for Day of the Dead was massive — with various drafts running anywhere from 122 to 204 pages — and takes place several years after the conclusion of Dawn, with the human race almost completely displaced by the reanimated dead.

A group of human refugees find their way to a tropical island — after battling both roving bands of humans and zombies — where they discover that a new civilization is rising. The lower classes live above ground in decrepit housing, while cadres of scientists and military personnel live in an underground bunker. The scientists are training the zombies to perform simple human functions — using human flesh taken from the aboveground residents as rewards — and handing them over to the military, who are shaping the ghouls into an army of the living dead.

Ruling over it all from the deepest part of the bunker is a self-styled dictator who lives in lavish style with his cronies and sycophants. But the entire situation, from the sharp division of classes to the brutal system of punishment, is primed to blow, which it does in an incredibly gruesome and explosive final battle in which the “government” is toppled — even as the zombie plague itself comes to an end.

Almost immediately, Romero’s plans for the third movie ran into problems. With an estimated budget of $7 million, it was too expensive for distributor United Film Distribution (UFD) to back — especially if it went out, like Dawn, unrated, which limited the number of theaters that would carry it. With UFD only offering to put up half the original budget — $3.5 million — Romero was forced to sit down and rewrite the script from page one, scaling back the action, the scope and the cast of characters.

Meanwhile, Romero had seen Lori Cardille in a play called Reckless and had her in mind for a major role in the original version of Day. Cardille’s father, Billy “Chilly Billy” Cardille, was a local horror host on Pittsburgh TV and an old friend of Romero who made a brief appearance in Night of the Living Dead. According to Paul Gagne’s 1987 retrospective on Romero’s films, The Zombies That Ate Pittsburgh, Romero at first wanted Lori Cardille for the role of Mary, the lead scientist, before offering her the part of Sarah, then a rebel leader. The two characters were ultimately combined when Romero revamped his screenplay.

Cardille maintains to this day that she was much happier with the version of Day of the Dead that was filmed, since it was less reliant on action and spectacle. “I’m an actress that wants to play cool characters,” she says. “So when George had to pare it down, he was more focused on character, which of course was good for the actors.”

In the filmed version of Day of the Dead, the focus is shifted to the underground military installation, where a small team of research scientists led by Sarah work fruitlessly to find a cure for the zombie plague as the living dead roam in the millions above. They are allegedly protected and supported by a squadron of soldiers, but the latter have degenerated into more or less a band of hooligans led by the megalomaniacal Captain Rhodes (Joseph Pilato). With tensions rising between the two factions, it’s only a matter of time before Rhodes and his men turn really ugly.

At the same time, the eccentric, quite likely insane Dr. Logan (Richard Liberty) is having some success reactivating the dim human memories of a zombie nicknamed Bub (Sherman Howard). The seemingly intelligent zombie recognizes music and knows how to handle certain objects — including, ominously, a gun. But when Rhodes discovers that Logan is feeding Bub pieces of dead soldiers as his reward, all hell breaks loose. The third act features some of the most incredible gore seen on screen up to that time, courtesy of the legendary Tom Savini, who took his makeup effects work to a new level with this film.

Sherman Howard as Bub in Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead began filming in October 1984, with exteriors shot at two Florida locations, Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, and interiors filmed at a limestone mine complex near Wampum, Pennsylvania. “It was grueling, and it was like a three-month shoot,” recalls Cardille. “We took a little break in there for the holidays. But we were in this cave, and we would get up early in the morning when it was dark, go to the cave, where it was dark inside, and then leave again at night, so we did not see the sunlight.”

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Cardille says she can still remember the smell of the mines vividly. “We were hunkered down together in this atmosphere, and it did add to it,” she says. “It did permeate us. It’s like the dankness permeated us physically. It permeated our minds and brains, and it helped with the development of the characters and the conflicts, no doubt. The smell was kind of mildewy in a way, and there was always the sound of dripping water. There were 26 miles of lakes throughout this cave structure, so there was this dampness to it… It was actually pretty depressing, but we made the best of it, and we had a lot of fun too.”

Joe Pilato in Day of the Dead

The actress says that the entire cast became “brothers and sisters” while shooting the movie, adding that she became especially close with Joseph Pilato, who died in 2019 at the age of 70. “I got to know Joe well, of course,” Cardille reminisces. “He was a really good theater actor, and he was very, very bright. You could talk about many subjects with Joe Pilato, and he was fun to talk to.”

Cardille adds that she would see Pilato frequently on the horror convention circuit in the years after Day came out, although she laments that the actor’s personal problems eventually got the better of him. “Joe had a drinking problem,” Cardille says. “He was an alcoholic, and that was really tough for him, for his family, for his friends. And I don’t say that as a bad thing. It’s just, he had that illness and that was very painful… I think just in the long run, it sort of wrecked his body.”

On a brighter note, Cardille says she has also kept in touch with actors Terry Alexander and Jarlath Conroy, who played, respectively, the helicopter pilot and radio operator who make it out of the mines alive alongside Cardille’s Sarah. Yet even though the trio survive at the end of the movie and find their way to an uninhabited tropical island, Cardille says there was never really any talk about revisiting the characters to see where they ended up going.

“Sometimes I’d bring it up to George,” admits Cardille. “I said, ‘What about continuing these characters?’ I mean, we’re still alive.” But Cardille adds that the rights to the film and the character are tied up in various ways, making the possibility of seeing them again remote. And of course, Romero himself passed away in 2017. “It would be arrogant of us to do it,” says Cardille. “Selfishly, it would be fun to do it, and I would love to do it, but I would have loved to have done it with George.”

Although we may never find out the ultimate fate of Day of the Dead’s survivors, the movie itself lives on in more ways than one. For example, a lot of the original conception eventually found its way into Romero’s 2005 effort, Land of the Dead, in which Dennis Hopper played the slimy politician who lorded over a crumbling, walled-in section of Pittsburgh from the top of a luxury apartment tower — sort of like the underground kingdom in the original Day, only inverted.

“Once again, (George) was ahead of his time,” says Cardille. “I think of that movie a lot. I think about the wealthy people in the big tower, with the zombies outside and the grunts working to try to save humanity. It’s happening now. It feels like that in America. It is the land of the dead. All the themes are there.”

But Day of the Dead — the movie that Romero made under duress in 1985 — has grown in stature in the 35 years since its release. Although critics at the time did not treat it as kindly as Dawn, and box office was down as well (it grossed around $34 million worldwide, as opposed to Dawn’s $55 million), Day of the Dead has since escaped the shadow of its popular, satirical predecessor and managed to carve out its own space on the top shelf of horror cinema with its bleak, claustrophobic view of humanity turning against itself in the face of almost certain extinction.

“It’s a movie that has to grow on you,” Romero told author Lee Karr for his book The Making of George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead. “I think everybody wanted Dawn…but what I’ve tried to do with all the films is make them different. I mean, that makes it more fun for me.” He added, “I think it’s very much me and…it remains my favorite of all of them.”

“Day of the Dead has become a part of me,” says Lori Cardille, who largely stepped away from acting to raise a family in the years after the movie came out. “When we made it, we knew it was special and we are all still friends 35 years later. That has been a huge gift. Another gift has been meeting so many wonderful people who have been fans of the movie. I’ve learned so much from them. They taught me to appreciate the horror genre.”

Cardille also appreciates that Romero was ahead of his time in his conception of her character Sarah. “It’s also been an honor for me, as one of the first strong female characters in the horror genre, to have served as a role model for other women,” she says. “I’ve been told that the strength displayed by the character, the determination, the persistence, have served as a positive example for many young women in their lives. It is very fulfilling to know that something I helped to create will be a part of film history. I am forever grateful to George and the fans. It was an honor to bring Sarah Bowman to life.”

Watch here for more from Lori Cardille about The Living Dead, the upcoming novel from George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus — completed by Kraus after Romero’s death — that is out August 4. Cardille and actor Bruce Davison (X-Men) have read the audiobook version.

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