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minghellafine · 3 years

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Spiral is now available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and digitally. The Saw spin-off stars Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, and Max Minghella in the lead roles and is directed by Saw II-IV director Darren Lynn Bousman in his return to helming the horror series. While it exists in the Saw universe, it’s very much its own thing and provides a fresh experience.

ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with Spiral star Max Minghella about the film, a possible sequel, his relationship with the Saw franchise, and much more.

Tyler Treese: I really liked Spiral and it’s this great mix of genres as you’ve got the Saw-type horror and the torture scenes, but the first half of the film is very much kind of like a buddy cop movie. Can you speak to that interesting blend of genre that we have?

Max Minghella: I was very excited when I started to realize that that’s the direction the movie was going to go in. I love buddy cop movies. I really miss movies like that. I had been craving it as a movie fan, so I was really relieved by that. And then I thought that the needle thread of the Saw franchise and the identity of that franchise into this other story was so brilliantly handled in very kind of successful, you know what I mean on the page. I can really see how this works and is very much the movie I’d go and see even if I had nothing to do with it.

You couldn’t get a better buddy cop partner than Chris Rock. He just has so much natural charisma. He’s so funny in the first 30 minutes of the film. Can you talk about your chemistry on set and how it was getting to have him as your buddy cop?

Yeah, I mean, it’s an insane privilege and he’s just somebody I love so much in every way. I love him as a actor performer. I loved him as a filmmaker and it was really fun just getting to have meaningful time with somebody you look up to so much and see how they work and pick their brain. I’m sure Chris got very bored of me badgering him with questions all the time, but I had such a good time getting to work with him. We really had fun together.

Before signing onto Spiral, were you a big fan of the Saw franchise, and what was it like coming into such an established series? It just crossed the billion dollar mark. What are the expectations of coming into a series like that?

I think it’s the first franchise thing I’ve done. I love franchises just in general. I love the concept of them. I love how they exist in film culture. I like the challenges of having to keep them alive and what’s about them and it really appeals to me. So that was just exciting, just fundamentally to be a part of a franchise, like you said, and sort of take on that responsibility, I suppose. I also love so much about the DNA of Saw movies, so I love the kind of whodunnit element of them. I love how sort of visceral it is an experience for an audience, especially when you’re watching it. It’s so fun to watch these movies with people. To answer your question about my familiarity with the franchise. I had seen several of them, but the one I’ve always loved, and I think I owned on DVD like way before being involved in this, was Saw II. I love Saw II. I’m a big twist guy, like a big twist fan, and that movie has got a great twist.

Spiral saw the return of Darren Lynn Bousman as the director. How exciting was it to get to work with him? He has helmed so many great Saw films in the past and now he gets to reinvent it here with you and Chris Rock onboard.

Yeah. It was great to have Darren back. He was such a smart choice. To have somebody who was one of the architects of the Saw aesthetic, which is a very specific aesthetic. I don’t think any other movies share this sort of visual technique. So there’s a lovely, I mean, I think the movie is a great blend of the old guard and then the new kids, you know, Chris [Rock] and Sam [Jackson] and Marisol [Nichols], myself, we’re all completely new to the franchise, but then almost everybody else involved has been there for a minute and it’s like a family, you know what I mean? It really does feel very kind of an intimate group of people and very familiar.

You grew up around movies, you’ve gotten to work with so many incredible actors, so I’m sure it’s not super often where you’re like, “Wow, I can’t believe I’m with this guy,” but Samuel L. Jackson. If that’s ever going to happen, it’s probably him. How cool was it getting to work with a legend like him and cross that off your bucket list?

It’s pretty cool and unexpected. This movie was sort of almost always a pinch yourself kind of job, to be honest. There’s very few days on set where I wasn’t like, I can’t believe I’m going to [do this]. Sam Jackson is truly one of the great actors of all time, it’s a pretty ridiculous situation to be in.

One thing I really like about your character is that he has these very valid grievances about police corruption and that’s a true-to-life issue. Spiral spotlights it, but it’s a very real issue and very timely for the society that we’re in. Did having that interesting backstory for the character really help you dive into playing this role?

I love when you have compassion for a villain. I think it’s so much more compelling than when they are impossible to relate to. So that was really important to me that when he said things. It was his own sort of mad logic to him, obviously the way that he goes about practicing his beliefs is completely wrong, but there’s something there sort of relatable I think to what he’s saying. That’s much more interesting always.

We see that in the original series with Jigsaw and Saw always had some social commentary and some interesting morality questions. Can you speak to Spiral also bringing those philosophical elements and how the series has stayed really interesting? It would have been so easy to just be leaning into just the gore element, but instead, you keep that philosophy and having the moral ambiguity.

Like you said, man, it’s so essential to the DNA of these movies. There’s John Kramer and he always had some interesting perspective on things and reasons for doing things. I think it’s essential that that sort of stays in it, even though Spiral is obviously a very different direction. I think for these movies it is its own story and its kind of its own sort of journey in a way, but there are certain things you don’t want to lose and that’s one of them. You want a compelling villain and I think compelling villains aren’t just being idiots with their point of view.

There’s not many people that can say they fought Chris Rock in a fistfight. How fun was that final fight sequence in the film, and you got the punch Chris Rock! How cool is that?

Again, man, it was all so much fun. Everything was so much fun. I just felt like a kid on the playground. It was crazy. I mean all of it’s like the stuff you sort of dream about doing as a kid. I think there’s a line in the movie where, “I started dreaming about this since I was 12 years old,” and I felt that was pretty resonant for me because I really have. I grew up with a Beverly Hills Cop poster above my bed since as long as I’ve been a conscious person. I really like movies like this where the genre movies have real stakes, but have a sense of humor and aren’t pretentious. It’s very specific to what I want to go and see.

Before we get the big reveal of yourself as the villain, we see the villain in a pig mask a lot. Was it actually you wearing the mask in those scenes?

That’s funny, man. You’re the second person to ask me that question. Yes, not always. I mean it depends on what we’re doing. But absolutely. As long as it’s not some big dangerous stunt.

There are some gruesome and really clever traps in Spiral. Did any of those stick out as a particular favorite for you and what was it like getting to see how they’re actually, with the movie magic and all that, how they’re actually concocted?

It’s dope, so cool. It’s really fun. The subway trap is my favorite. I feel it was really brilliant way into the movie, so cinematic, and that set was crazy sort of built that station. That was so cool. I felt like going to Universal’s studio tour thing. That was how I felt.

Saw fans are very passionate. How’s the reception been? You talked about this being your first franchise, how cool was it to enter that fandom?

I’ve got to say, I would be lying to you if I said I wasn’t anxious before the film was released. Obviously I felt a huge amount of responsibility to the fans of these movies and didn’t want them to feel let down by the performance. I’ve been so like grateful and moved by how kind of nice that community is. I mean, nice is maybe a weak word to use, but they’re really supportive. They love these movies. They’ve been really supportive of the movie and supportive of us, the new actors, and I’m very relieved and it means a lot.

With the way the film ends, there’s obviously some unfinished business between yourself and Chris Rock’s character. Would you be interested in returning for a sequel?

For sure, if there was an appetite for us to come back. I think we both love to do another one. But we did this without any expectations of anything beyond. I think it’s a very unusual ending and also very unique and exciting one. I haven’t seen something that sort of ends with such a pronounced cliffhanger. So I’m certainly curious to know what’s gonna happen.

For your other projects, you’ve got Babylon coming up, which has just the most incredible star-studded cast. It even has Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I know. That’s cool, right?

It’s really cool. I believe filming starts on that soon. How thrilled are you to just get to work with so many talented actors on one set?

Yeah, man. Amazing. I’m a huge fan of Damien Chazelle and he’s sort of one of my sort of heroes. So I’m really looking forward to getting to be on set with him and see how he works. All of this is sort of like an education, you’re really just trying to work with people you can learn from and hopefully, we’ll make it better. I can’t think of a group of people to be around that’s more talented.

We spoke about passionate fans earlier. The Handmaid’s Tale has so many passionate watchers and Season 4 had a really shocking ending. What are you looking forward to the most in Season 5?

Season 4 is, by some pretty wide margin, my favorite season we’ve shot. I really loved the season. It’s funny because it’s an ensemble show, and as a result,I don’t know what everyone else is doing. I’m not there on set when everyone else is shooting that stuff. I play a pretty small part in the show, so when it comes out, I get to watch it like an audience member and go along for the ride. I just had such an amazing time watching it this year. I was so proud of everybody in the cast and crew. It was tough circumstances, as you can imagine, shooting during a pandemic and especially Elisabeth Moss just was incredible this year, really just took care of everyone and for it to come out as strong as it was, was really amazing. I never thought I’d be so excited to go into Season 5 of a TV show, but I get more and more excited every year as we get further into it and it just keeps staying so strong. It’s amazing. I can’t believe how lucky I am to be on a show that is that good.

It’s kind of rare to see a show building on its quality over time. Usually it peaks in Season 2 or 3, but like you said, Season 4 is the best one yet. It was very exciting as a fan to see how it’s going to continue.

Thank you. It’s amazing and that people are still watching a show and sticking with us. We are all so conscious. It’s sort of pathetic actually, whenever The Handmaid’s Tale cast talk about anything, we’re just all so conscious of how singular this experience is and how we can’t take it for granted. I think stuff like this comes along very, very rarely, and when you’re lucky enough to be a part of something that you like so much and other people seem to like.

Over the past five years, we’ve seen you find success as a screenwriter and a director as well. Working behind the camera and looking at the scenes from that different perspective, does that help your acting as well?

That’s a good question. I dunno. I don’t know if I can do anything about my acting talents, but it comes from a very simple place, man, because I just love movies so much. Just the fact that I don’t really know about anything else. Like if you asked me about where any country is on a map, I would have no idea, but I’m okay with movies. Like I kind of know movies and, and so I get impatient. I’m a bit of a workaholic and I just want to do whatever I can. So it would be on set. So we get to engage creatively and I can do it a little bit. It’s really different. Well, what I think is interesting about it is often have a day where I have to have a call maybe as a producer and then a call as a writer, then a call as a director, then a call as an actor, and each conversation I’m treated quite differently or my job is so different. Switching those hats is I think quite good and keeps you in check and keeps your feet on the ground and keeps you hungry and all that stuff. So I feel very lucky I get to do different things.

When you were growing up, one of your goals was to be a music video director. Is that something that you still want to wind up doing down the line?

I got to make a movie that I think exorcised a lot of those demons. So I have to be honest, I have less of a burning desire to sort of work in that space because I felt like I got to sort of express that part of me a little bit. That said, I love music videos. It’s one of my favorite mediums. The tricky thing, and I’m sure most people would tell you this, is that music videos have very, very limited budgets. When I was a kid, this was the year of like Francis Lawrence and Hype Williams where people were getting like $4 or $5 million to make these two-minute clips. Now when I’m sent music video stuff, it’s like the budgets are very, very limited. So you really have to be passionate about it because you’re basically going to have to spend money to make it. So to answer your question I would love to do some music videos, but I think there has to be things that I was really, really married to.

In the past decade and some change we’ve seen superhero films become all the rage. Would you be interested in those types of projects and are there any comic characters that appeal to your acting sensibilities?

I kind of like all kinds of movies. I don’t have a genr that I’m not into. Yeah, I’m totally open to that. I think as long as I felt useful ther., I mean, that’s totally how I approach everything. It’s not so much about the glamor of an opportunity so much as whether I think I could actually contribute something. If I can’t, I don’t think it’s helpful for me to do it, then nobody wins. But if there was a show that I felt like, oh, I could do this and maybe not sink the ship then for sure.

#max minghella #spiral #the handmaid's tale #spiral: from the book of saw #babylon #interviews #*

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eddie-redmayne-italian-blog · 3 years

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Eddie Redmayne on ‘Red,’ the Tonys, and Color Blindness

By BlackBook Published: June 3, 2010

At 28, Eddie Redmayne has perfected a look of fresh-faced innocence masking inner commotion. He’s invoked the expression for various roles, as the chilling young murderer Alex Forbes in Like Minds and as a downward-spiraling, matricide-committing homosexual opposite Julianne Moore in Savage Grace. On stage, he’s played the emotionally charged boy whose architect father falls in love with a goat in Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Redmayne keeps a copy of the play with him in his current dressing room at the Golden Theater, where he’s starring in the Tony Award-nominated play Red alongside Alfred Molina. Redmayne, who nabbed one of those noms himself (for Best Performance by a Featured Actor), plays another permutation of the plotting innocent—not a murderer, but no less intense as the fictional assistant to abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko (Molina). We caught up with the actor to discuss the fate of Rothko’s famous murals, his own color blindness, and what he’s wearing to the Tonys.

I saw the play last night and am still recovering. It was intense! How do you do it night after night? Well, last night I had some friends in so I ended up going for some drinks after and I woke up this morning with a slightly filthy hangover. So I punished myself by doing tax receipts.

What drew you to the play? I assume it had something to do with your background studying art in college. Well, the theater in [London’s] Donmar Warehouse where the play started is one of the great gems of theaters in the world, and Michael Grandage, who runs it, is a wonderful man. I’ve seen a lot of his work for many years, and I’ve worked at the Donmar before, but never under him. So when the idea of a two-handed play specifically about art—the idea that the arts matters—came up, it was one of those rare moments where everything that I was interested in and engaged in kind of collided, a wonderful little moment of fate.

The play focuses on the murals Rothko painted for the Seagram building before he changed his mind about giving them up. A few ended up in the Tate Modern. Isn’t the museum naturally lit, which would seem to go against Rothko’s wishes? The story is that once he withdrew the commissions he had—I think it was 35 canvases— all the museums in the world wanted to get their hands them. So obviously, Rothko was very tentative about who he would give them to. And one of the guys was Sir Norman Reed, who was the curator of the Tate, and for ten years Norman Reed would swear to Rothko that they would build or create special rooms specifically for them at the Tate Britain—this was before the Tate Modern existed. The wall color would be as prescribed by Rothko, the lighting would be exactly as he wanted, and eventually Rothko agreed to that. So ten years after the end of the play, the same day that the Seagram murals arrived off the boat in London, Sir Norman Reed got a call that Rothko had been found by his assistant with his wrists slit. So the answer is that some of these murals, which were originally in the Tate Britain, are now in the Tate Modern in a room that is lit properly.

Alfred Molina had source material to draw on as Rothko, but your character Ken is fictitious. Where did you find your inspiration? What’s interesting is subsequent to doing the play in America, I got a letter from a woman called Virginia Foster, who is the widow of a guy called Dan Rice, and he was Rothko’s assistant during the Seagram murals. And whilst the character is not based on him, Virginia sent me this transcript of him talking about working for Rothko. And weirdly, even though I’ve done the play in London and done it here, reading the transcript reinforced some of the character. But I approached it the way I approach any character—I see what’s in the text and flesh it out with references from life. And certainly, I’ve had experiences with elder actors and bosses in the past who I’ve had complex and tricky relationships with.

There’s a scene where Ken is talking to someone on the phone, trying to decide whether to show Rothko his own paintings. Who was he talking to? That’s a very good question. I think it’s his girlfriend, and John Logan (the writer) thinks it’s his boyfriend. It remains a bone of contention between the two of us.

You did your college dissertation on Yves Klein, who was a big advocate of blue. [Laughs] So this is the sequel.

As an art lover, do you have a color preference? The color that Yves Klein does. Wet paint has a luminosity that dies when it dries and it loses the gloss. So Yves created this color scientifically that retains that luminosity. He was a big showman, so he got it copyrighted. The color is called IKB—International Klein Blue. And it sounds all bullshit-y and ridiculous, but when you stand in front of those canvases, the color is sublime and dumbfounding. So that specific color is my favorite color in the world. Are you going to follow this up with a colorblind question?

No, wasn’t planning on it, but if you want to discuss it. No, I talk passionately about that color and then people go “but you’re colorblind.” And I go, “I know. I don’t know what I see but I see it and I like it.”

You must have some confidence because you already have the Olivier award for this role. Are you nervous about the Tonys? Do you know what? It’s amazing how many award ceremonies there are in America. Am I nervous about the Tonys? Genuinely, the nomination was completely beyond anything I’ve ever thought about.

You’re being so diplomatic. I wanted to ask who you consider to be your biggest competition. Frustratingly, one problem with doing plays here is that you don’t get to see anything because your schedule doesn’t allow it. But I’ve met all the guys and I’ve heard extraordinary things about Stephen in Fences and Stephen Kunken in Enron is meant to be wonderful. Do you have your outfit picked out? I do. A couple of years ago I did some work with Christopher Bailey who runs Burberry. I’m a huge fan of his so I’m going to be cut out in British Burberry.

So what’s next? I see there’s something called The Pillars of the Earth? I’m actually really excited about it. It’s a huge epic medieval story that was a book by Ken Follett and it was one of Oprah’s favorite books and was subsequently a massive international bestseller. It’s being aired on the Starz network in July. It’s an 8-hour miniseries and I play this young boy who is mute and has grown up in the forest and who, over eight hours, becomes a master builder. So it’s about apprenticeship and craft and it’s also set in a historical time, with monarchs changing and war. What I’ve seen looks spectacular.

https://blackbookmag.com/archive/eddie-redmayne-on-red-the-tonys-and-color-blindness/

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jjs-kiryu · 3 years

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Katsura Kiryu Character Profile

Last Updated : 04/04/21

Disclaimer : This character is an OC for Jujutsu High Commu and has nothing to do with canon universe of Jujutsu kaisen

BASIC INFORMATION

Name (Romaji) : Katsura Kiryu

Name (Kanji) : 楿妃琉

Academy : Tokyo Jujutsu High

Nationality : Japanese

Date of Birth : 13 September 2005

Gender : Male

Sexuality : Pansexual

Blood type : A

MBTI : INTJ | The Architect

Image color : Turquoise (#2dc6cb)

APPEARANCE

Hair color : White

Eyes color : Turquoise

Height : 167 cm

Weight : 47 cm

Voice actor : Shimazaki Nobunaga

School uniform

Standard Gakuran with Cursed school symbol buttons

Wearing Haori with hoodie over Gakuran

Converse-like shoes

Fingerless black gloves

Accessories

Turquoise necklace with Katsura clan symbol pendant and red tassel, used as personal cursed object

Magatama left earring with red tassel

Kitsune mask, wearing when he wants to hide his face during his expedition only

FAMILY HISTORY

Father : Katsura Kamiyu | 楿神友

Curse user level 1

From Tokyo Jujutsu High

He is skilled at reverse curse technique, which is one of the hardest technique and require lots of practices

He used to work at Jujutsu medic association, now left with an unknown reason

He already divorced to his wife, Hikarin, and only stays in same house as “parent” role only

Lately, he went to expedition way too frequently, for an unknown reason too

At the present, his status is unknown

Mother : Katsura Hikarin | 楿光凜

Former name : Yanagi Hikarin (柳光凜) from Yanagi clan (柳家)

Curse user level 2

From Kyoto Jujutsu High

She met Kamiyu when they went to same expedition

She is Shikigami user

She is the one who directly raising Kiryu up by herself due to her husband absences

Clan history : Katsura clan | 楿家

Relatively new Jujutsu clan, formed during Taisho era by Katsura Seito (楿清人)

The only clan’s cursed object is the clan symbol pendant, now is wearing by Kiryu all the time

Childhood

Kiryu born and raised by his mom in Tokyo

Being only child, Kiryu always played alone by himself back then which made him had communication and social gathering

He was heavily sick during his childhood. Actually, it was the effects from his “self-innate cursed power” which made his body can’t tolerate the curse power well enough due to his lack of controlling

After that, his mom gave him the pendant and taught him how to prepare and practice for his curse user ability

CURSED POWERS

Voltage controller technique

Type of curse user : Innate Jujutsu

Cursed object medium : Katsura clan symbol pendant

A control of human body’s voltage (V)

Kiryu can makes the person’s body gains the high voltage (infinity voltage) with different voltage to the ground level (at 0 voltage)

The result come out as electrocute directly to the target person

The power can be effective as long as the target stays in the different voltage area

Backlash : Kiryu’s body will get numbed and paralyzed if he uses this power too long time. He can’t move his body unless someone has to help of move him out

Due to Kiryu’s personality is he likes to push himself too hard, he usually overuses his power and get heavily paralyzed and faint for days as result

Shikigami technique

Type of curse user : Practiced Jujutsu

Cursed object medium : Katsura clan symbol pendant

The same technique as his mom’s specialize

His Shikigami takes form as large white dog (resembles to Samoyed) which has a name “Salmon”

Salmon can release electricity, using the same method as how Kiryu releases his curse technique

PERSONALITY

Personalities

Cool-looking and very distance during first time of meeting

In reality, he’s super shy baby who is easily frustrated by many things

He didn’t talk with you that much during first meeting, but next time he will speak more and more until you get tired of him

A Tsundere. Period.

Hate close combat

And also hate exercise too. The only sports that he can takes is swimming

He’s good at generic academic subjects. According to this fact and his obsession to science, he tends to not believe the existence of all “Curse spirits and Jujutsu world” in general. However, thanks for his curse technique which is voltage controlling and he being attend to Jujutsu High, later he has no problem with Jujutsu world anymore

He doesn’t like to eat. He is always suffering in silence whenever his friends dragging him to eat stuffs.

When Kiryu is angry, since he’s INTJ so he won’t show off his anger that visible. However, he will never forget and forgive of the person who caused him like that

Likes

Color : Turquoise | Mint | Teal | Navy blue

Deadpan jokes

Boba Matcha milk tea (0% sweetness)

Large breed dogs

Personal schedule

Salmon sashimi

Least sweet mint chocolate

Dislikes

Color : Orange | Yellow | Pink (He actually likes pink in secret)

Pikachu due to his friends love to mock him like that (from his electric power)

Close combat

Sweets in general

Cats

Liar

Every kind of fruits

Cold weather (his tolerance is low)

When he’s sick, he’s super clingy and annoying and requires lots of attention from others so he knows himself like that

Hobbies

Playing with dogs

Drawing, sketch, doodle something

(His friends like to tease him by convince him to “fix” the electrical appliances” -- again, from his electricity controlling power)

Misc

“Kiryu | 妃琉” is the combination of 妃 which means “princess” and 琉 which means part of “Lapis lazuli”

His mom gave him his name. There’s no reason explain yet why his name has one feminine Kanji

“Katsura | 楿” uses different Kanji that usual way of spelling Katsura | 桂

Kiryu body has extremely high (almost infinity) body resistance (R). Thus, it’s also extremely rare to get him electrocuted.

Kiryu can learns melody or musical notes from his ears only. However, he’s not an instrument player.

Since Kiryu is small and is underweight than male standard, combine with the fact his face is in feminine range, he’s usually being the crossdressing target from his friend. (He likes it tho, but as well, as secret)

“I’m tired of you, you piece of cheese.”

#character profile #kiryu katsura jjs #jjs commu #wanart #you gotta know about V = IR #to understand his power XD

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ancientphantom · 4 years

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Okay, team, it’s June and I have so many new things - about half of which are actually new and half of which are just new in the sense that I just discovered them - to share with you that this is going to be a DOUBLE POST. BUCKLE THOSE SEATBELTS.

Fred & Anthony’s Horrible, Hideous Back-to-School Thriller by Esile Arevamirp and Elise Primavera is a children’s book about two best friends who are trying to figure out strange events at their elementary school with the help of the Phantom of the Mop Closet, who appears obviously based on Lon Chaney’s portrayal of the character in the 1925 movie.

The Other Side of Desire: Four Journeys into the Far Realms of Lust and Longing by Daniel Bergner is a collection of short erotic essays focused on fetishes often considered disturbing, with a first story entitled “The Phantom of the Opera” that revolves around foot fetishes. These are technically non-fiction, designed more to talk about real-life subjects in a fictionalized context.

Vigil by Jove Chambers is an erotic romance about a woman trying to have a relationship with a masked vigilante superhero who is also fighting the mysterious Phantom, an evil supervillain. It’s billed as “Fifty Shades meets Batman meets the Phantom”, so that’s just a whole lot.

The Reaping by Shirley Anne Edwards is a fantasy version of the story featuring a small-town girl who falls in love with a local boy only to be kidnapped and spirited away underground by a magical mist that demands she be his bride. The copy describes it as a fusion of the Phantom story, John Fowles’ The Collector, and Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass.

The Loneliest Alpha by T.A. Grey is a modern-day paranormal romance featuring a scarred cowboy alpha werewolf who kidnaps a woman and demands that she live with him for thirty days before he’ll let her go (if she still wants to, of course). Lots of angst about his hideous face is involved, and also, if you’re excited by werewolves, EVERYONE IS WEREWOLVES.

Imagine the Kiss by Laura Haley-McNeil is a modern-day romance novel with a violinist escaping a failed marriage only to meet a masked, disfigured architect who she only interacts with as a soothing voice in the distance.

Night Child by Ann Majors is another modern-day romance, this time featuring a ballet dancer who falls in love with a strange haunting figure, who knows she was kidnapped as a child and needs to be saved with liberal use of Lloyd Webber lyrics in plot descriptions.

Diabolus in Musica by Brent Monahan is the story of a young tenor whose career suddenly takes off when a world-renowned soprano teaches him to become a hit, only to find that when she disappears and is presumed dead, she begins to possess him from beyond the grave, killing his rivals and taking control of his voice. Modern-day and horror-focused.

Touches by Aline Popescu is a collection of gay erotica featuring the story “A Touch of Glamour”, in which the main character goes to New York to see the Lloyd Webber musical but accidentally meets the Phantom’s actor on Grindr and real-life romance ensues.

The Music Box Girl by K.A. Stewart is a steampunk story with a gender-flipped cast, featuring a young man with an angelic voice being tutored by a mysterious musical mastermind woman, and the globe-trotting heiress who remembers him as her childhood love, all set in the Detroit Opera House where the majority of the performers are automatons.

Stay tuned for part II!

#phantom of the opera #the phantom library #new phantom releases #elise primavera #shirley anne edwards #t.a. grey #laura haley-mcneil #ann majors #brent monahan #aline popescu #k.a. stewart #daniel bergner #jove chambers

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arc1t3ct · 1 month

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(𝙱𝚕𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚞𝚙 𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢. 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚝 𝚍𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚕𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝙼𝚒𝚔𝚑𝚊𝚒𝚕.)

(𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚔𝚊𝚢, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚜. 𝙷𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝.)

(Mikhail was fast asleep on the couch, it didn't seem as if he was waking up anytime soon anyways, snoring softly he just slept peacefully, as if nothing happened at all) (Was he dreaming? Was his mind blank when he slept? Who knows.. maybe he was dreaming of a universe where he could fix everything, one where nothing would go wrong. Or maybe he wasn't.)

#hsr rp #hsr #hsr roleplay #hsr oc #the architect talks to the actors mask!#honkai star rail rp #architect gets questioned #honkai star rail

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actorsmask · 2 months

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I'm about to do something but don't worry! The government doesn't want you to know that this is even an option. I'm Qlipoth's favorite and I'm never gonna die.

... 𝚁𝚢𝚘𝚞. 𝙼𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚛, 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛-𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚛, 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘?

#hsr oc #hsr roleplay #hsr #hsr rp #actor’s mask talks to the architect!

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hettiesworld · 4 years

Text

Fic title: Class Fight

Pairing: Kyle x female reader (The Perfect Score)

Summary plot: The reader is annoyed that her best friend Francesca, is going to steal the SAT results. But she gets into the group as her scores get hacked by an unknown person outside of school. She then gets attracted to Kyle, who is attracted to Anna. Will the reader be with Kyle?

Based on the song: Class Fight by Melanie Martinez

Author’s note: This is part of @jtargaryen18’s 30 Days of Chris challenge. This is, in fact, my second entry into this challenge and I just watched The Perfect Score. Also, Kyle is SO adorable in this movie!

Warning(s): Strong language and fluff.

Kyle’s POV:

“Do you even know what SAT stands for?” I proclaimed to Matty during the pep rally.

“Suck ass test?”

I sighed and explained, “Scholastic Aptitude Test. Then they got rid of that altogether. You know what it stands for now?”

“Humph.”

“SAT.”

“What?”

“SAT stands for SAT. That’s it.”

“That’s fucked up.” Matty complained.

----------------------------------

So... Francesca decided to join me and Matty into stealing their SATs with Roy, who is the local stoner in the school. Calls himself the ghost. He thinks any problem can be fixed by smoking marijuana and that any activity is more enjoyable while stoned.

This is what he said when he introduced himself to us. “I'm the ghost, man. I hear things, and I see things. But no one hears or sees me.”

How did he get into this group exactly?

Then, there is Desmond Rhodes. The school’s star basketball player. Apparently, who needs a score of 900 or better to join the basketball team at St John’s University. And then, there is Anna Ross.

Okay, well I might have had a teeny crush on her. Yes, the second-highest ranked student in the school.

But anyways... Anna had bombed a previous SAT and needs a good score to get into Brown University.

-------------------------

So, we are all in Larry, my brother’s bedroom, coming up with a plan. We were all explaining the reasons for cooperating with each other cause we were all arguing, for some reason.

When I entered the room, I saw the most astonishing girl I ever met... There was beauty in a good listener (which is what she was good at). Someone who seeks to make connections and joy and see things from new perspectives. She had safe eyes, perhaps that's the best way to say it. Age can't touch that kind of beauty, it's just there.

Her name was Y/n.

“I'm here cuz the SAT is racist.” Desmond fumed, snapping me out of my train of thought. I like trains.

“Well, that didn't take long, did it?” Matty replied. I rolled my eyes, but Francesca didn’t roll her eyes. Does she like Matty?

“What, you don't think so? Who made the test? Rich white guys. Who scored the highest on the test?” To be honest, I think Desmond is right.

Just then, Roy interrupted Desmond.

“Asian chicks. Middle-class Asian girls who watch less than an hour of television a day. They can't drive, but they can kick the shit out of the SAT.”

Yep. He’s stoned.

“Hey Y/n? Why are you here?” Anna said annoyingly to her. Does Anna not like Y/n? What’s not to love?

“My scores got hacked by an unknown person. Also, I am Francesca’s best friend so I gotta be here.”

“Wait, wait, wait... Your scores got hacked?” Matty gasped.

“Yeah. I got an A in my SATs and then the system got hacked and I got a E minus.”

“Well, are you in then Y/n?” I asked her.

“I guess?” She admitted.

------------------------------------------

On the eve of the exam, Francesca arranged for me and Matty to have a meeting near the top floor, staying after closing. The other four, including Y/n, waited outside and watched the night guard until Francesca, me, and Matty had successfully stolen the answers.

The first part of the plan went well, with Francesca, me, and Matty successfully avoiding security cameras (with masks) and the night guard. However, the answers were located on a computer, and only the technical genius Roy (also the stoner, remember that.) can crack the password; he, Desmond, Anna and Y/n got into the building, and Roy correctly guessed the password after seeing a photograph of the employee.

Still, the answers couldn’t be printed, so we decided to take the test with their combined knowledge and get the answers that way. In the early hours of morning, they are finished and have all the answers written down.

All of a sudden, the night guard came up the stairs, and we tried to escape through the ceiling; however, Francesca was left behind!

“Matty! Y/n! Go! I’ll be fine…”

But to my surprise, Matty bravely sacrifices himself in order to save her. We all escaped, but we each faced a certain confrontation before the exam. Matty was then got bailed out by Francesca.

And they kissed.

Don’t worry. They’re really cute together.

Anyways, Anna finds independence from her parents and Desmond's mother convinces Roy to quit drugs (well, not really).

------------------------------

Before the SAT testing began, we all met in an empty hall.

Roy grabbed the answers and distributed them in the bathroom… to other stoners.

He will never change.

Each person eventually gets their desired test score without the answers: my dream of becoming an architect is still alive by attending Syracuse University. Desmond ended up going to St. John's University, Matty became an actor, Francesca wrote a novel (which is about six kids who conspire to steal the answers to the SAT), and Anna decided to travel to Europe for a while before starting college.

I came up to the school entrance, in my brand new red car. I saw Anna and Y/n talking to each other. I’m guessing they’re friends now?

I beeped my horn to get their attention.

Y/n looked behind her to see me. I leaned against my car. She came over to him.

“Where did you get this car?” She pondered, putting her hands in my hoodie pockets, looking at me in awe.

“My brother got it for me.” I chortled, also putting my hands in my pockets.

Immediately, after those words were said, the rain started to pour. Anna got picked up by her dad. Leaving me and Y/n in the rain together.

I put up an umbrella from my car. Then Y/n came under my umbrella.

Unexpectedly, my hand drifted to her hip. It settled there and pulled her closer. She inhaled sharply. She was against my warm chest. She splayed her hand against my flat chest, intending to push me away, for some reason, but instead she left it there. My breathing quickened as did hers. My head was angled slightly to the side as my lips came closer and closer to hers.

“What are you doing?” Y/n asked me nervously.

“I want to kiss you.” I replied.

And she let me. She was surprised to find her own lips parted. Their breaths mingled. Her heart fluttered inside her chest. At first, it was a delicate butterfly of a kiss.

It was magic, the way her lips connected with mine. Her mouth was so warm, the caress of her lips softer than I could have imagined and I opened my mouth with a low moan. When we broke apart for air, She rested her forehead against mine and gathered some much needed oxygen. My smirk told her everything and she smiled back, sinking into her hold.

I dropped my umbrella.

---------------------

A/n: This is probably bad but here you go!

@optimistic-dinosaur-nacho @averyrogers83 @lostinthoughtsandfeelings @jtargaryen18 @princess-evans-addict @jeremyrennerfanxxxx123 @donutloverxo @pegasusdragontiger @iguessweallcrazyithinktho @captain-a-rogerss @kirstie-evans-writes

#30daysofchris2020 #kyle x reader #the perfect score #chris evans #nbarnes #masterlist

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need-a-new-hobby · 4 years

Text

About Face

Erasmus wrote, what else is the whole life of mortals but a sort of comedy, in which the various actors, disguised by various costumes and masks, walk on and play each one his part, until the manager waves them off the stage?

Prentiss, Morgan and Bishop were the earliest ones there that morning. Morgan had brought in donut holes and Piper took the jammy delicacies, catapulting them successively into his jaw. The 7th one in a row earned a cheer from everyone except Prentiss who had her eye caught by something entering the bullpen between shots. Piper missed her next shot as she focused on the figure drawing up behind Morgan as he ‘grooved‘ in victory. The outline of Frankenstein hovered above Derek’s ear before yelling at the top of his lungs.

“Jesus, Reid.” Derek took a deep breath as Emily and Piper laughed.

“Happy All Hallows Eve folks! To paraphrase from Celtic mythology, tomorrow night all order is suspended, and the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily remooooved!”

“That right there’s why I hate Halloween.”

“Amen,” Piper held out her hand that Derek slapped, laughing at the sheer outrage on Spencer’s face.

“Why?”

“It creeps me out.”

“You’re scared?!” Piper looked at him shocked.

“I didn’t say I was scared, I said it creeps me out.”

“Pipes, why don’t you like Halloween?” Emily switched the conversation, easily catching the voodoo doll Spencer threw to her.

“I just don’t. What creeps you out about Halloween, Derek?”

“I don't know. People wearing masks. I don't like folks in disguises.”

“What?” Reid exclaimed. “That’s the best part about Halloween! You can be anyone you wanna be.”

“Nah, I'm pretty good just being me.”

“Why is it that none of those views surprise me?” Emily scoffed, returning to her stack of paperwork.

“You know what, though? On the flip side, it does provide a pretty good reason to cozy up with a scary flick and a little halloween honey.” Derek clicked his tongue and shot a finger gun at Emily.

“Derek, I think you somehow made Halloween worse. So, thanks.” Piper jammed the last donut hole in her mouth before returning to her desk adjacent to Reid’s.

“Guys, he’s here.” Reid whispered excitedly.

“Who’s here?” Piper asked, smoothing out her hair immediately. She watched an ageing man walk in behind a marching Erin Strauss up to Hotch’s office, glancing at Reid smilingly at the getup. Reid hastily took of the mask as the rest of the team watched the man disappear into Hotch’s office. “Who’s he?”

“The lord and saviour of criminal profiling. David Rossi. Sold millions of books.” Reid answered as he pulled the noose over his head, draping it over Piper. She pulled it off immediately, discarding it on her desk.

“You know that Frankenstein was the doctor, not the green monster, right? Mary Shelley used him as a vessel in which to explain the repercussions of scientific innovation that doesn’t consider moral or ethical practices...” She trailed off from her conversation as Hotch approached them with Rossi.

“Team, meet SSA David Rossi. Dave, this is SSA Emily Prentiss, SSA Derek Morgan.” He paused to let him shake hands with the two agents before letting Piper introduce herself.

“Hi, Dr Piper Bishop, this is Dr Spencer Reid.”

“Good to meet you.”

“Sir, if I could talk to you later about your work with the Scarsdale skinner. Psycho-linguistics is an incredibly dynamic field, and the fact that your profile of his reading habits ultimately led to his capture is something I find so incredibly intrig-”

“Reid, slow down. He’ll be here a while and JJ’s waiting for us.” Piper hid a small smile as she followed Emily, with the boys behind her, Derek playfully slapping Spencer.

They sat in the conference room, going through the case. One woman, brutally murdered and sexually assaulted with missing posters stuck up in her own house and a mask with the word “One” etched on it in blood. As the body flashed onto the screen and Piper flinched, Penelope walking in at the same time. She yelled, pulling her file in front of her face. “Dear god, what is that?”

“Technical analyst, Penelope Garcia, this is SSA David Rossi.”

“Is it gone, JJ?” Penelope quickly greeted the older agent and left apologising profusely. Until she came back in to hand Hotch the file she came in for.

Piper smiled as she listened to Reid’s explanation of the false face mask and Emily’s preliminary identification of the killer as a textbook sadist. Having covered the case, Hotch dismissed them all, telling them to meet at the jet.

^-^

Spencer moped as he perused through the files. Piper threw hers on the table. “Okay, Reid, spill. What’s wrong?” Emily raised an eyebrow in piqued interest.

“Nothing, I just had plans tonight.”

“For Halloween, I presume.”

“Yeah, I had tickets to the original Dracula.”

“If it makes you feel any better, the way Halloween is celebrated today has no historical merit to it.”

“I may regret asking this,” Emily started, “But what do you mean?”

“Well, like Spencer said this morning, All Hallows’ Eve was the last day where spirits could take vengeance on their enemies, so to protect themselves, the people in both colonial America and England would disguise themselves and in France, they’d visit the graves of their lost loved ones with dishes of milk. Similarly, in Italy, some families left a large meal out for ghosts of their passed relatives. And now, it’s known as the day when kids eat too much candy and dress up as anything they want.”

“So you didn’t have plans?”

“Nah, I had to cancel my ticket to Macbeth. They wouldn’t even compensate the ticket.”

“Damn,” Morgan said sardonically and Piper shoved him.

“Children, behave.” Hotch scolded. “Let’s take a look at victimology.” He beckoned at Rossi to join them. JJ stood with her cup of coffee, silently observing her team and their newest member discuss the case.

“So, we know there’s some kind of fixation with the face. He asks ‘Have you seen me?‘ on the fliers and he then removes the face of our victim.” Morgan says, turning to their resident geniuses to fill in the blanks.

“Well, often times throughout literature, faces are often linked with the pretences people pander to in modern society. In fact, an iconic line from TS Eliot is about preparing a face to meet the faces that you meet. In Roman mythology, Janus is the god with two faces, which incidentally has nothing to do with being two-faced. He’s more about the duality between right and wrong, between the future and the past.”

“The point, Bishop?” Morgan huffed.

“Sorry. The point being that betrayal is often linked with faces. Maybe the unsub feels betrayed by this woman.”

“So, we’re looking for a personal link?”

“I’d say so,” Reid agreed. “The mask could be a symbol the unsub attaches to betrayal.”

“Interesting,” Rossi muttered, eyes focused on his notebook.

“Something to add, Dave?” Hotch looked towards his old friend. He simply shook his head and Emily shrugged before delving into Michelle Colucci’s life. She was single, lived alone, no boyfriend and no ex-husband. She was an architect. Friends and co-workers said she was a class workaholic, a loner who rarely went out of the house. So she's extremely low risk.

“The guy was either a stalker or knew her personally.”

“Do we get a list of all the people in her life? Can we rule out a gender?”

“Females are almost never this violent to another female.”

“You clearly haven’t watched the Kardashians.” Piper scoffed at Morgan.

“What’s the Kardashians?” Reid asked quietly.

“You don’t want to know,” Piper muttered back darkly, trauma evident in her eyes. Spencer raises his eyebrows and returns to the case as she got up to make a cup of tea.

^-^

Bishop hated disposal sites. Finding the body of a woman they couldn’t save unsettled her. Gave her a responsibility to make sure she didn’t die in vain. She saw the same pain in Rossi as they trudged through the greenery towards the river. She faintly heard the conversation between Rossi and Reid and she felt her boots squish through the quagmire. “Dr. Reid, do we still keep all the old files in the fourth floor storeroom?”

“I think some are up there. You know, most of our information's on computer now.”

“Right.”

“Have you had a chance to go through our data since you've been back?”

“Not yet.”

“You'll be amazed. The original team-- I mean, you interviewed something like, uh, 45 serial killers, right?”

“Something like.”

“Today we have interviews with over 1,000 offenders. Serial killers, child abductors, sex offenders-- I'll go through it with you sometime if you like, answer any questions--”

“Sounds good.” They came to a halt and stood in the shade over the river. Rossi walked along the side of it, thinking out loud. He reminded Piper of Gideon, but something was different. “Water. Obliterates a body... Destroys evidence. But you weren't in the water that long, were you, Michelle? She had rocks tied to her to weigh her down. She floated to the surface before there was any other damage. Just what was done to her already.”

Back at the precinct, Piper entered the station with a tray of coffee cups, Rossi sat in a corner scribbling in his notebook. Reid flicked through security footage as Hotch and JJ marched back in. “We got anything?” He looked directly at David, who stopped scribbling but revealed nothing else. “Agent Rossi pointed out that since the victims were weighted down, it suggests the unsub didn't want them found. It suggests some sort of connection between them.”

“Maybe he thought he was saving them for himself, or he was trying to spare their dignity. Either way, he feels connected to this woman.” Piper said, handing JJ her hazelnut coffee. An officer from the department approached the lead detective, informing him about the woman waiting to speak with them. They heard Enid White’s voice break over the line as she gave them the address she was hiding out in. Except the room in the motel was empty, save for the dozen missing posters on the desk. Piper held a poster in her gloved hand.

“I can hear your gears clicking from waay over here Pipes. What you got?” Emily asked from the corner of the room.

“The pictures.” Piper murmured, glancing over at Emily before whipping out her cell to call Garcia.

“Your queen awaits her audience.” Piper couldn’t help smiling.

“Well, your Majesty, the pictures on these missing persons posters look kind of grainy and I think he tried to use some photo-editing software. Any magic in those fingers, my most ardent monarch?”

“I shall be with you forthwith.”

“I anticipate your communication with utmost fidelity. Piper out.” She switched off her cell, disposing it in her pocket, then glanced at Emily’s raised eyebrow. “I’ve been reading a lot of Romantic literature this week. Trying to offset Reid’s Halloween spirit.“

“Yeah, why don’t you like Halloween?”

“A woman’s missing Em. You really wanna talk about this?”

“Don’t try to guilt me. How did Halloween hurt you?” Piper swiped her tongue across her lip, checking to see if anyone with even a semblance of professionalism was near.

“Every Halloween, my siblings always wanted to go trick-or-treating. My father never bought us costumes either nor the materials to make them.” She sighed, carding her hand through her hair. “So I’d use the money I earned from my job down at the coffee shop to buy body paint and pirate hats. And my mom would always cover us. One year, Danny left the group and I couldn’t find him. I dropped Lucy home and searched all night. Turned out he stayed back at this kid’s house because he didn’t want to come home. Said he liked Halloween so much because he could be a Cyberman instead of being Daniel Bishop, son of Detective Leo Bishop. Except the night was so cold that he got the flu. My father pinned it all on me for entertaining their petty desires. I blame Halloween because it’s easier to blame the day than myself or my father.” Emily was silent, probably because she wasn’t expecting something so personal.

“I think that’s the beauty of Halloween. The escape from boredom. Maybe Daniel wanted to escape being a detective’s son and just be a kid. And if anything, you helped in that.” Piper gave Emily a grudging smile before leaving the house.

At the precinct, Piper grasped her tea in one hand, tapping her fingers on the table as Morgan started to deliver the profile. “There's a sophistication and patience in what this unsub does that suggests a level of maturity. We believe this puts his age in the mid-30s to 40s range.”

“Michelle Colucci was taken from the primary crime scene and disposed of at the tertiary crime scene 4 days later.” Reid continued. “That means she was held somewhere for at least 3 days. You can't really just hold a victim anywhere for days on end, so he most likely has access to a house of some kind.”

“And he's also fairly tech savvy,” Morgan pointed out. “The fliers were made on a computer. And it's probable that he used a device to intercept Enid White's phone call.”

“Witnesses in Ms White's neighbourhood say they may have seen a white man putting up fliers, but none of them could describe him, even with all the media attention this case has received,” Hotch elaborated.

“Great.” A detective scoffed.

“Actually, what that tells us is that there is absolutely nothing remarkable about this man. He is exceedingly average,” Prentiss communicated. “As you said, Detective Yarbrough, average height, average build.”

“It extends to his professional life as well,” Bishop continued. “He most likely works in a field where he doesn't stand out, doesn't really make a mark.”

“His lack of distinction is part of his psychopathy. We have hundreds of interactions with people every day. Most of those involve someone overlooking someone else,” Reid added.

“Most of us don't pay any attention to being ignored, but to this kind of unsub, each oversight is intentional. Especially when it comes from his object of sexual desire. He begins to obsess over her until she's all he can think about. And the rage builds until he has to attack that person,” Hotch finished.

“So he's pissed off that nobody notices him?” the lead detective asked sardonically.

“Have you seen me?” She recited.

“Wait. That's not about the women?”

“No. The masks are about the women. He cuts off their faces, replacing them with an expressionless white mask, reducing them to a number. He’s transferring the pain of invisibility onto these women. It gives him a sense of power and the power can make him arrogant, but it doesn't make him notable.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” Hotch intervened, “He’ll contact us. Thus far, he’s wanted the police to see him. He isn't going public. Hopefully, by playing on his anger-” Hotch trailed off, glancing at the mask on the news channel. “JJ, how’d they get that?” JJ could sense the anger seeping into his voice.

“Hotch, I swear... I-I contacted all the local PDs and stressed withholding the information about the masks. I don’t know-” Piper heard JJ trail off as Rossi walked in with his notebook, glancing nonchalantly at the screen.

“Oh, I gave it to them.” Piper blinked. Derek stared. Spencer twitched his eyebrows and stared at the floor. Emily refused to make eye-contact as the team heard Hotch about to blow up.

“Dave, can I talk to you a minute?” As they left, Piper let out a breath.

“Hotch is gonna kill him,” Piper murmured to Derek.

“20 bucks he makes Rossi quit.” Piper slapped his outstretched hand.

“You’re on.” She hid her smile gracefully behind her cup of tea as she returned to her perch on the table.

^-^

“Why would you do that?” Hotch gritted his teeth as he asked the senior agent politely.

“It'll make him contact us. He's screaming for it.”

“We aren't prepared.”

“Prepared?”

“We need to set up a trap and trace.”

“Trap and trace? They never stay on the phone long enough for that.”

“Dave, they're a lot faster than they used to be. We also need to prep the detective on what to say to him.”

“He's not gonna want to talk to the detective. He's gonna want to talk to the FBI.”

“We don't step over the local police like that.”

“They called us in.”

“Yes, but if the perception is that we're to embarrass the locals by telling the media that we're gonna fix things, then they'll stop calling us.” Hotch tried to explain.

“Relax, hotch. I've got this.”

“You see, that's the problem, dave. There is no I. We function as a team.”

“I've been doing this before you were out of high school, probably before the rest of your team was in school at all.”

“I know that. Things have changed.”

“The bells and whistles changed. An unsub is still an unsub, and I know how to deal with an unsub.”

“No, Dave, it's not just that.” Their argument was short-lived as JJ interrupted them, telling them that Garcia found something.

As they came back outside, Rossi was confused by Piper’s outstretched hand and Derek’s reluctant $20 bill exchange. There was a lot to learn about this team. In their small space, they gathered around the conference table as Rossi stood staring at their crime board.

“Michelle Colucci recently drew up the plans for a remodel of 3 floors of a company called Techco Communications. It's a high-tech communications company in downtown Dallas.”

“And Enid White?” Derek asked.

“Worked there until 2 months ago.”

“Thanks, sugar plum.” Piper looked up as the detective walked in, alerting them to their unsub on line 2, demanding to speak with the FBI.

Rossi looked at Hotch. Hotch looked at Rossi. Piper stared at the landline, determined not to make eye contact with either. Rossi pressed the phone and introduced himself. As the unsub whispered through the phone to Rossi, Rossi raised his voice higher.

“You won't inspire fear, you'll inspire hatred and ridicule, because the only power someone like you has is a mask, and once that mask is removed, you'll be as insignificant as you've always been-- a loser!”

Piper’s eyes widened and Derek’s eyebrow hovered upwards. Silence followed as the group waited for the response.

“You just signed Enid White’s death warrant.” The line went dead as Hotch and Rossi’s eyes sparred over the last few minutes. Derek slapped the table as he got up from the group and Piper chewed on her bottom lip. Spencer stared at his shoes until Hotch told them to gear up to catch this son of a bitch. A few minutes later, Piper sat uncomfortable next to Rossi in the back of Hotch’s SUV, wishing to God she was with anyone else.

“Lieutenant, I need you to lock the techco building down tight. Nobody in, nobody out. It's vital.” Hotch turned off the radio, slipping it onto the dashboard before turning to Rossi. “Rossi, you really think the unsub's still gonna be there after that call?”

“Of course. He thinks he has all the time in the world.”

“You think they got an image off of the police security camera yet?” Piper asked them, trying to diffuse the situation.

“The security camera doesn't work. I lied about that,” Rossi confessed, causing Piper to mentally throw up her hands and resume her gaze out the window.

“You lied about that?” Hotch exclaimed, eyes still on the road. There was definitely anger in his tone now.

“He doesn't know.”

“Dave, that was incredibly reckless.”

“Hotch, he didn't weigh the body down well.”

“What do you mean?”

“He didn't want Michelle found so quickly. He screwed that up. This kind of guy, when he plans something, if he has the time, if he's in control, he's meticulous. But being on the edge of the river, out in the open, he was not in control. He was in a hurry, and he made a mistake,” Rossi explained in his silky voice.

“That's what you're hoping.”

“Trust me. With an unsub like this, you need to throw him off his game. His hand needs to be forced.”

“I know that, Dave, but the point is, you did it by forcing ours.” Piper crossed and uncrossed her leg, begging to be closer to the building.

Her prayers were soon answered and she rushed towards Derek and the others. The group walked in to the building, Piper’s hand instinctively went near her gun. She relaxed as she felt Spencer standing near her. “Michelle remodelled levels 7, 8 and 9. Morgan, take 7. Prentiss, 8, Reid and Bishop take 9. We’ll be here in the lobby. We're looking for a rank-and-file employee who made a scene in the last 20 minutes or was here and gone.” Prentiss had no luck as did Morgan. Bishop and Reid reported back to Hotch that they found his desk. Reid started rummaging through the desk, looking for any type of clue while Piper connected the laptop to Garcia.

“Spence!” Piper called to him, pointing to Michelle’s poster. She flipped open her cell, reporting him. They rushed downstairs through the elevator, Piper tapping her foot as she stared at the silver doors, pulling her gun out.

Reid mulled over what had happened as he sat next to the young agent in the ambulance. He should have done something. He should have stepped out first, or pulled her back. Instead, Piper lay in the ambulance, a bullet lodged in her shoulder, wincing as she gripped Spencer’s hand. “Jesus, they don’t show this bit in movies.” She tried to breathe, her shirt stained with blood.

“Stop talking.”

“You know better than to tell me that Spence. I’m just glad I wore a dark shirt today. No idea how I’m gonna get the blood out.” She winced harder this time, cursing herself for the whimper she let out. Stop it. The guy holding your hand was tortured. You got shot in the shoulder. Stop your whinging.

“Just relax, please.” Piper felt her eyes closing, the pain unbearable. She tried to chuckle but all that came out was a grimace.

“Try to talk to me like I’m gonna live, Reid. Give me one of those statistics on shoulder gunshot wounds.”

“39,773 persons died from firearm-related injuries in the United States.” She slapped his arm weakly.

“Good statistics, Dr. Reid. Good statistics,” she murmured.

“Out of almost 400 million, Dr. Bishop. Not even 1%.” But her eyes had already closed and Spencer felt his eyes water as he pressed her hand to his lips. He imagined what she would’ve said.

“What happened to the sheer amount of germs that can be exchanged through hands?” She’d joke.

“It’s safer to kiss, remember.” He’d retort.

He watched helplessly as she was rushed into surgery and he raised his cell to his ear. “Yeah, they took her into surgery...Good. Thanks.”

To be continued...

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