#andorra97

[magpie4850]

A certain sidekick has increasingly extended his shadow next to our favourite actor from our favourite Scottish series. He invades SH posts with his claims of being the all knowing, keeper of secrets, innuendos….etc etc..on Facebook, IG, Threads… including comments on Season 8 scenes..like he wants and needs to be heard…aargh

[yankeecountess]

She had just changed into her pajamas and got comfortable on the sofa when a ring at the door to her flat startled her. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see a complete stranger standing before her with slightly dishevelled sandy hair and amazing blue eyes.

"Sorry to bother you on Christmas Eve,", he said in an Irish accent and with a friendly smile. " I'm Tom Branson, the new tenant from the flat under yours. I just moved in today and I wondered if I might use your phone for one short call? You know, there's no electricity in the flat and unfortunately the battery of my mobile is out, too. I really need to call Mr. Crawley..."

"Of course," Sybil said hastily and opened the door so he could step in. "But I'm afraid Mr. Crawley won't be home tonight." She then added, "I'm Sybil Crawley and I'm actually his daughter. So I know he's in Yorkshire for the Holidays, and Mr. Carson, the caretaker, has taken a few days off, too!"

"Oh", Tom said. "I see. Well, then maybe I could ring a friend instead? It's bloody cold in the flat, actually since the radiator isn't working either without electricity. Maybe I can sleep somewhere else."

"Sure", Sybil lead him into her living room. "I really feel awful that you move here into my father's house and have to freeze on Christmas Eve." She grimaced. "Unfortunately I don't know anything about electricity nor would I know whom to ask."

"No problem." Tom smiled. "It's not a big deal. I'll just call a few friends. I'm sure one of them will be at home and happy to give me shelter. It's Christmas after all, isn't it? They're probably looking for some charitable thing to do anyway."

Sybil grinned and handed him her phone. While he did his calls, she went to the kitchen to give him some privacy. After a few minutes Tom appeared at the kitchen door though.

"I think I'll give up", he said, handing her the phone. "It seems everyone is out of town. So I guess I'll just go to the pub around the corner for dinner, but thank you anyway."

"Oh no!", Sybil exclaimed. "I'm so sorry. I feel really bad. It's my father's house after all. You'll be freezing tonight without a radiator!"

Tom chuckled at her distressed face. "Don't worry. I won't freeze. I just dress a little warmer."

"But may I at least offer you something to eat? I actually only was going to have some pasta and a salad which is of course not a real Christmas Dinner, but I feel I have to do something to make it up to you."

Tom looked her for a second with an odd expression. "I'd like that, thank you." He smiled then.

Sybil nodded. "Good, so why don't you sit and warm you up a bit, while I make us something to eat? Would you like something to drink? Wine, Water, Beer maybe?"

"Wine would be nice," he said and she went to get a bottle.

"Is red okay?" she asked. "I actually don't have anything else, because I don't drink white wine."

"It's perfect. I don't drink white wine either."

He took the glass from her and smiled again. Sybil detected that he had a very nice smile. He was very attractive anyway. She wondered if she had ever seen any man with such intense blue eyes. It was nice how they lit up when he was smiling.

Suddenly he noticed that she was staring and blushed deeply. Damn. She turned around quickly and went to the kitchen. Instead of sitting down on the sofa, Tom followed her though, the wine glass in his hand.

"Can I help you somehow? I can't just sit there and wait to be fed."

"You could make the salad if you like", Sybil proposed and showed him where everything he needed was.

Half an hour later they sat opposite each other at her dining table and were chatting like old friends. She had asked him about his work and he told her that he was a journalist and the conversation went easily from there to politics, to her work as a doctor to family and friends, London and Dublin to books and various other topics.

Sybil found it was very easy to converse with him. He was very open and friendly and seemed to take a real interest in everything she said. After their meal, he helped her washing the dishes and they moved to the sofa, still drinking red wine and actually emptying their second bottle.

"So you are Mr. Crawley's daughter?", Tom suddenly asked. "But isn't he a Lord or something?"

"An Earl", she said with a grimace. "But I don't like to mention it, really."

"Does that mean you have a title, too?"

"Only a courtesy one. I'm officially a Lady", Sybil nodded which Tom obviously found very funny, because he started to laugh. Or maybe it was just the wine.

"Lady Sybil", he said and looked at her. "Not bad. I think I like it."

She leaned her head against the cushions of the sofa. "I used to hate it, but I'm over that now. I just go as Ms. Crawley, or better even Dr. Crawley. I think that suits me better."

Tom leaned back, too. "I think I should be going", he said with a sigh. "I won't say I don't regret leaving this nice warm apartment, though." He winked at her, so she knew he didn't mean it.

He stood up and she did the same.

"Well", she said a bit awkward. "I wish you a good night then."

"Thank you so much for dinner," Tom said and smiled that cute smile again that warmed her heart. Or was it the wine? Sybil didn't know, but what she did know was that she was feeling very warm under his gaze.

Out of the blue he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Sleep well", he said.

For a second Sybil froze, just staring in his eyes. Then, suddenly without knowing who moved first, they were kissing deeply.

--from “It Happened One Christmas” by andorra97

25 days of Bransons CHRISTMAS fanfic moments Day 2

What happened to ship and let ship, Grace? Why don’t you just look the other way? You don’t even care about the show any more? How about letting the people who do just have their fun, hm?

[repmet]

You’re free to ship who you want and post all about it on your blog. I’ll post what I want on mine. That post wasn’t tagged with anything that would put it in the Tom, Mary or Downton Abbey tags so only people following me would see it. It may annoy me but I’m not going to put it where anyone following those tags might see. 

I look the other way literally every time I go into the Tom and sometimes Allen tags but sometimes I just need to vent on my own blog.

I know we share a love for Allen and that’s cool but this is something we differ on very much. To be honest, I probably won’t post anything more but I’ll go back and tag that post with ‘da s6′ as I’m trying to do for all DA posts about the current season now (I forget sometimes I know lol) and you’re welcome to block that tag to avoid future venting.

[gothamgirl28]

andorra97 answered to your photo “Ready for my video interview. How do I look?”

You look good! Good luck!

Thanks you.

[repmet]

andorra97

replied to your audio post:

“For yankeecountess, Allen and Magners.”

:

His accent is stronger when he does Irish stuff, isn't it? Or is it just my ears? I noticed it in the Late Late show, too. He sounds more Irish there than when he's interviewed in London.

It is, which makes sense. He lives in England so it’s only natural his accent would shift slightly towards RP after having lived there for years. Most people who move to a different country pick up their way of speaking, whether it’s learning a whole new language or just learning to pronounce your own language differently. The latter can be completely unconscious sometimes.

Going back to Ireland he doesn't need to of course because everyone’s speaking the same as him.

Also, I love accents so I’m rambling more but there’s this really cool study done in the 1960s (and repeated since) that showed people with a strong sense of national (or local as the case may be) identity and who had left to live somewhere else had accents that actually got noticeable stronger when they came home. Like a way of re-establishing their belonging there. This might not be relevant to this but it’s a really cool fact and I wanted to share lol.

[padme-amidarling]

andorra97 answered your question“Does anyone else…. not ship Mary and Tom, not at all. But see it sorta..."

The brother/sister relationship between Mary and Tom is the best thing about the show after Sybil and Matthew died. I love their friendship and I think most viewers do.

madamemarmot answered your question“Does anyone else…. not ship Mary and Tom, not at all. But see it sorta...”

Absolutely. What you all said.

Oh thank goodness! After everything they've gone through, I think they're both so in need of a friend who understands it all, and they've found that in each-other. So glad I'm not imagining this stuff!

[repmet]

Allen and Charlie at the Centrepoint Ultimate Pub Quiz.

[gothamgirl28]

crystabelshalott replied to your photo “Look what I’m seeing today!”

Have fun!

I did! I really liked the film. The acting was so good! I would say the only downside was the historical inaccuracies. I do want to read the book that the film was based on now.

mimijag replied to your photo “Look what I’m seeing today!”

Enjoy!

I did enjoy myself. While the theatre had more people than a first showing usually does, no one sat next to me and no one disrupted the film by talking or using their phones.

scarletcourt replied to your photo “Look what I’m seeing today!”

Let us know what you think!

I liked the film. As I said above, the acting was fantastic and the story was very good. My only issue is that I know (and read this afternoon) about the historical inaccuracies with the film. On one hand, I understand why this was done. On the other hand, I find that history is dramatic enough as it actually occurred that it doesn't need to be altered for the sake of a story.

andorra97 replied to your photo “Look what I’m seeing today!”

Enjoy! I hope you love it as much as I did!

Thanks! I did enjoy the film. It was really good. Outside of The Grand Budapest Hotel, I haven't seen any of the other nominated films, so I can't compare acting or films, but I did like it.

I did cry at the end film. I have to say A++ acting from Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Allen Leech, and Matthew Beard.