#… I have realized that there’s an extra s in the original quote that I missed

[linguistwho]

Here's my take on "The sharpness of the tongue defeats the sharpness of the warrior"

With stylization to resemble how the original is engraved onto the new Sonic.

I also found it interesting how the original is read from the outside in, so I tried one with that technique.

I really like it, honestly, and I might have to try using it for other projects in the future.

[sassycassie-s-writing]

Darker Shadows

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): A Court of Thorns and Roses Series/Azriel

Rating: PG-11/T-

Original Idea: Nothing in particular. Finished the first 4 books. Dunno if I can stand Nesta long enough to read ACOSF, so I wrote this with no information from ACOSF. Have fun.

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) Whaaaaa...? I break my ongoing hiatus for this? Yep. I did. I hope a few more one-shots join this one, but I am making no promises. This one just came to me for about an hour so surprise! Happy August.

^^^^^ 

“Darker Shadows”

Azriel said nothing as he slipped through the door to our apartment, quiet and soft as the shadows surrounding him. I watched from the sitting room adjacent to the foyer. He must have known I was there—the shadows must have informed him—but he didn’t so much as look at me. Just rested his forehead on the door and sighed.

“Long day?” I asked.

He blinked his eyes open and turned. “Incredibly,” he replied.

I patted the sofa next to me, indicating he come sit.

Azriel’s shadows seemed to grow more numerous around him as he crossed to me. I realized why as his leathers thumped to the floor in his wake, leaving him in a light undershirt and undershorts.

No matter how long we lived together, he was always so modest.

Part of me wondered if it was more insecurity than modesty; but I would never invade his privacy that much to ask. He’d tell me when he was comfortable.

He hit the sofa cushion next to me hard. His wings barely missed getting caught behind him. Ever the precise, too. One arm and one wing wrapped over my shoulders. He was warm, even if his underclothes were cold from his sweat. I snuggled into his side. We both stared at the fire for a while.

“Did you eat up at the House?” I asked.

The shadows shrouding him retreated a little, going back to their usual shades. He glanced at me with those sharp hazel eyes before returning his gaze to the fire. “Yes. Rhys and Feyre were hosting a dinner for the Palace governors. A private celebration of rebuilding the city so quickly before the grand, public celebration in three days.”

I snorted. “Bet they loved that,” I said sarcastically. Among the family, it was well-known that Rhys and Feyre both hated formal parties and dinners with a fiery passion.

A glimmer of amusement joined the reflection of the flames in Azriel’s eyes. “Oh, they slipped out an hour in. I heard them in the library… having fun amongst the stacks. I left them to it and didn’t interrupt.”

I couldn’t stop the laughter that burst from my throat, but clamped it down hard to not disturb the neighbors.

Azriel held me tighter. “Would have been more enjoyable if you were there,” he said. His voice was soft, almost as though he didn’t actually want to admit it.

Reaching up, I cupped the side of his face. “Sorry I couldn’t go. I’d have liked to have been there.” I gestured to my wrapped leg. “I just don’t think I could handle a party today. If Rhysand had decided to host it three days from now with the rest of the celebrations, I would have been able to make it.” I made a face. “Sorry I missed it.”

“It’s alright. I understand.”

I reached around his wing to the end table, picking up my glass and handing it to him. He downed the rest and handed it back to me. I chuckled and set the glass on the coffee table instead.

After shuddering at the freezing chill of the water from my glass, Azriel turned to me. “How’s the pain?”

I shrugged. “Better than it was,” I said.

“At least you’re healing quickly.”

“Mmhmm.”

“How did you spend your night?”

I waved a vague hand to the small pile of books on the coffee table. “Just decided to read a little.”

“A little?” Azriel quoted. “You read five novels in four hours.”

“Oh, no. I didn’t finish them all. When I got bored I’d switch between them.”

“None of them holding your attention?”

“Not like they used to. Not since—”

The War with Hybern. Azriel knew. We all broke in some way over the course of it. I hadn’t had the attention span I used to since.

Azriel smiled at me. “Bathe, then bed?”

“Sounds great,” I replied.

He scooped me into his lap and stood up. I yelped at the sensation. My bad leg dangled looser than my good leg. My yelp earned me a twitched smile from my spymaster.

He carried me into the bathing room and sat me on the edge of the tub before turning it on. As it began to warm up and fill, he helped me unwrap my splint and undress. I returned the favor as best I could.

We bathed quickly and then got in our sleep clothes after drying off. After carrying me to bed, Azriel poked the point of my ear. “Goodnight,” he said softly.

I smiled, never able to contain my affection. “Sleep well,” I replied.

He doused the faelights and climbed under the covers.

We snuggled against each other. One of his wings draped over the both of us, keeping us warmer than the covers could. That warmth, his scent… it helped lull me to sleep. I could fall fast asleep on stone if Azriel was beside me.

—

Azriel watched his own scarred hand brush her nightshirt away from the skin of her back, revealing two sharp scars and an elaborate tattoo. Another rare Illyrian/High Fae hybrid, she’d been born with wings. Unlike Rhys, who could summon and desummon his wings at will, hers had been permanent.

Until her High Fae mother ordered her wings removed when she was still a child. Barely more than a toddler.

Azriel hadn’t met her until Rhys disappeared Under the Mountain. She’d been fifty-seven-years-old at the time. He’d seen her in the Rainbow, in one of the pottery studios, on a hot summer day. Her clothing revealed her back. The deep, disgustingly neat scars that made it clear how her wings had been taken from her, and the deep blue-black ink covering most of the exposed skin. She’d told him once she got it to both hide and show off the scars. When he’d asked why, she’d simply replied, “I’m stronger than the people who tried to hurt me.”

She hadn’t told him it was her mother—who’d wanted her to be a normal High Fae—for another decade.

He hadn’t been in love with her at the time. But during those fifty years everyone was stuck in Velaris, they became good friends. Azriel found her company much more peaceful than the other members of the Inner Circle. He loved them all—his family—but there was no harm, or shame, in being around someone who was quiet.

Then, a human girl broke Tamlin’s curse and Amarantha was dead. The High Lords and the members of their courts were released from Under the Mountain. And Rhys came home. And Azriel was both busier and freer than ever to spend time with his new friend.

He’d been so quietly pining for Morrigan for so long that, at first, he hadn’t realized the subject of his affections had changed.

During that final battle, when Prythian’s forces were spread so thin and even every reinforcement that came didn’t seem to make a dent… she’d taken a hit. A bad slash across the lower back.

And Azriel had seen red. His powers had already been mostly used up, his Siphons dim, and his wings badly injured.

But he’d gone to rescue her anyway.

His wings had screamed at him the entire flight back to a healer’s tent and then back to the battle. But during those moments, as she bled in his arms, he knew his feelings had transcended just friendship. “If we get out of this alive,” he’d said, “I’d like to treat you to dinner.”

She’d hummed, her side vibrating against his torso. “Mmm… dinner sounds nice. Afterwards, I can buy dessert.”

“We’ll see,” Azriel had said, smiling.

After they’d both healed and returned to Velaris, they’d done just that.

They’d been together ever since.

Azriel smiled at the memories.

—

“You’re staring,” I said quietly. His staring and touching had woken me.

“You’re incredible,” Azriel replied. “Have I told you that?”

“Today? No. This week? Many times.”

A soft chuckle. “So long as you know it.”

I rolled over so I was facing him. With his wing bent over both of us, I felt like I was in a sheet fort.

His eyes harbored a small glint in the half-light. I stared at him. “What is it?” His question was gentle.

I shrugged, feeling my scars pulling on my skin. “You’re so beautiful.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you,” he said.

“Charmer,” I teased.

That earned me a chuckle. Though his smile dropped after a moment. “Does it bother you?” He asked.

“What?”

“That you can’t fly?”

My humor disappeared. The phantom wings I still felt sometimes shivered in the back of my mind. “Sort of,” I replied. “I’d only barely taught myself how when Mother forced me to get them removed. It’s hard to miss what I didn’t really know. But I remember the wind over my scalp. My entire body fighting desperately to keep me aloft. I loved it. But now… now I get to fly with you and remember what it felt like. It’s not quite the same, but it’s enough for me.”

Azriel kissed my forehead. “Sorry I woke you,” he said.

“It’s okay. Any extra time I get to spend with you is worth it,” I replied with a smile.

[bao3bei4]

i have basically covered the material in this post several times on my twitter. but this is, in my opinion, the only s*xy t*mes with w*ngxian take you need. 

(cw transphobia, transphobic slurs, antiblack racism, mentions of csa and bestiality in fiction)

edit 6/10/21: hi! i’m realizing people are still reading this! this was written in response to aja romano’s vox article on the fic that was published in late february of this year. i had been frustrated with how their article seemed to miss the point in many ways, because they never talked about the substance of the fic. which, i mean, fair. i wouldn’t want to read a 1million word fic either.

but i already had, so i thought i’d write about some things that i believed needed to be part of the conversation. namely, that its author wasn’t a harmless troll, but a person i genuinely disliked who i believed should be deplatformed.

i think virtual1979 is a bad person. 

i think a lot of people mainly know about sexy times the phenomenon more than they do sexy times the fic itself. i have the dubious honor of being one of the few people who has actually read large portions of the million word fic, and that’s why i wanted to write this meanspirited hit piece. 

the fic is down right now and the author’s notes and comments have both been deleted, which is why i cannot provide screenshots. however, these are all quotes i have saved from when the fic was online, and i’m happy to talk with anyone if you feel any of these quotes are mischaracterizations of the fic. 

i also want to be clear this is not a “callout post” and i’m not trying to “cancel” them or whatever. i am just explaining why i don’t like them, why i don’t feel bad they’re being harassed, and why i do not find them sympathetic at all, and perhaps why you should also adopt these stances. 

let’s start with transphobia. 

sexy times with wangxian is transphobic. this much is apparent from the tags. virtual1979 tagged the following: F*tanari, d*ckgirl, Sh*male. they use this language in the chapters that include a character with both a vagina and a penis. 

they refer to this character (wei wuxian) with the pronouns “he-she.” the following excerpt is a fair representation of how this wei wuxian is referred to in the chapters where wei wuxian has a vagina and a penis. 

[Lan Zhan] would never be turned on by a female, and he would actually be turned off by a drag queen - but this… this Wei Ying, it’s Wei Ying, and he-she looks [...]

i know these words are common in porn categories, but they are also slurs. virtual1979 also uses hermaphrodite to refer to this set of anatomy, which is not strictly a slur, but definitely a stigmatizing choice of language. 

they have repeatedly made clear they are not open to criticism. they have also since removed the comment section. making an intersex character for the express purpose of using transmisogynistic language towards them in your million word porn fic isn’t annoying the way their tags are, it’s actively fucked up. 

fanfiction has a transphobia problem, and if we’re talking about sexy times with wangxian in any capacity, we must be clear: sexy times with wangxian is part of that problem too. 

secondly, virtual1979 is also complicit in ao3’s racism problem.

i think the way they write about chinese characters and settings is annoying and racist, but they are a malaysian chinese person, so i do have some sympathy for them. i am committed to having some patience for people who are annoying if they themselves are working through the prejudice they have faced. 

they’ve commented as much: 

Not gonna lie, this fic has been a steep learning curve for me despite my roots being Chinese as well, but I have absolutely zero knowledge in some of these aspects!

and i’m happy on some level they can get in touch with their roots. who among us has not been cringe and diaspora. any criticisms i have of their portrayal of chinese people will stay private and be made to other people of color.

i’m going to be clear here i don’t think the actual comment they made makes them super evil or anything. but this essay IS clearly in response to That Article, which did mention racism in fandom. so.

i think we have all seen the infamous karen comment they made, in which they compared people who criticized their tagging with “Karens,” equating antiblack state violence to... mean comments on ao3? and “SJWs,” which, eye roll. no ageism but you’re 41 why the hell are you complaining about sjws

anyway. i am deeply frustrated by the co-option of the word karen. a stand-in for a particular type of racist violence white women specifically can and do inflict has become fused with that reddit-type mommy issue “can i speak to the manager” internecine white resentment. 

so their trivialization of antiblack racism is another reason i don’t like them. again i KNOW it’s petty to point this out here, but this to me shows that virtual is afflicted with the same kind of fandom brainrot that aja is, where everything comes back to that same sort of self-centered bullshit. 

sorry for that jab. julian told me that aja thought that cql was about callout culture and all i could think was “wow! just like virtual thinking that--” because i also have spent too much time on twitter this week. 

this is just like. part of this ongoing pattern i’ve noticed with virtual, where they’re aware enough of real problems to acknowledge they exist (police violence, accessibility issues caused by their tagging) but are determined to double down on their minor relative persecution as king, shittily drawing parallels between like... real problems and fandom problems. equating the two or allowing the second to take priority over the former is like... par for the course for this type of person! 

third, this is just another clarification on more parallels between ao3 discourse and sexy times that went completely unremarked on by That Article. 

i would rather DIE than get into discourse. but why did they write this sentence: 

Lan Zhan’s rational mind finally broke with a tsunami of pedophilic lusts [...]

by the way that is the start of a 430 word sentence. and yes this fic does contain hundreds of thousands of words of aged down wei wuxian. make of that what you will. 

also why would you make wei wuxian teach baby chickens how to sexually pleasure him. do you hate these characters. what’s going on. i think mxtx should be able to sue virtual for that one. 

there’s a very obvious connection between mainstream ao3 discourse and sexy times that went completely unremarked on in That Article. sexy times contains multitudes and some of those multitudes are bestiality and explicit childfucking. 

this is not unrelated to fannish culture, they are not unfamiliar with fannish norms, blah blah blah. this is just normal fandom. they’re not subverting shit, they’re just a normal fan who unlike 99% of fanfiction writers on twitter, spends more time writing than posting. this has taken their fannish tendencies to cartoonish heights. 

finally, they don’t care about mdzs or wangxian. they’re literally just horny and spiteful that’s it. this isn’t a question of like... “ohh they were a good faith participant in fandom until they went joker mode” and the REAL villain is society/ao3. like no they wanted to write shitty porn, and when they found out they were annoying people, they decided to double down because they could be the main character of the mdzs ao3 tag every time they found a spare hour to write. 

here are some select receipts on that topic:

they do not care about canon: 

MDZS has quite a complicated and expansive plot and history, and enough content that one can choose to tune out certain parts and still get to the end of the story in one piece. Also, because of its source, some fans may not fully realize the nuances, cultural aspects (ooh, cultural appropriation is another triggering topic) or the full breadth and depth of the source material, such as a person like me, who is half-baked in terms of knowing what the canon universe is all about. So I end up playing with characters and settings technically borrowed from the story, and make them do things that would otherwise run counter to the original source material - and that draws quite some flak from those opinionated people I mentioned just now. It's part of what makes the fandom toxic. It's like they're the self-appointed guardians of the source material and they act like they own the rights to question such questionble fanworks, and dare I say, try to take down those that cross certain lines too.

they are just horny: 

After that giddines of extra drunken Lan Wang Ji scenes at the beginning, I'm blessed with Lan Wang Ji (Wang Yibo's, actually) fuzzy nips! Bless Bless Bless, and Amen! muahs the nips on the screen

anyway they did get nuked over wishing covid on people. 

so yeah. i want to be really clear. this is my thesis: i do not feel bad for them. you should not either. i do not like them. you should not either. that’s ALL!!!! 

[aion-rsa]

DuckTales Season 3 Episode 22 Review: The Last Adventure!

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This DUCKTALES review contains spoilers.

From the opening moments of DuckTales’ final episode it feels like the end. Almost everyone is here. There’s an extra care put into the scenes, a knowledge that we are in the last hour of their adventures. A last moment of uncomplicated joy before things get messy. And at the center of it all?

Webby. In the beginning she seemed to be the POV character of DuckTales, the one everything seemed to focus around. Some of that was caused by the original air dates of the episodes accidentally putting all her focus episodes at the start but it was a feeling that never left me. The show was an ensemble piece but there was something about Webby that kept her at the forefront. Something that made go, “if anyone had to lay claim as the main character of DuckTales, it’s her.” Boy, was I right about that!

The finale puts her in the middle of everything and finally pays off the mystery set-up at the top of the season. We finally learn about her past and as its slowly revealed it tugs on Webby’s biggest heartstring. Family. 

Her clones May and June press her with questions about the family. How none of the people she has connections with are related to her by blood. They aren’t her REAL family. Scrooge’s family isn’t hers. Her friends aren’t family. They play on a fear that’s been deeply held within her, that for all the talk of family is what you make it they still aren’t REALLY family.

It calls into question that critical core element of this new DuckTales. One could argue the show has done a LOT to say family is what you make it and this shouldn’t be a problem for Webby but come on, she has two sisters right in front of her. That would mess with her head and make her feel insecure.

This question of family extends out of Webby’s plotline and to all the others, especially Donald and Della. Donald wants to go off on a big trip with Daisy, intentionally leaving the family behind for the first time in who knows how long. This is a major step for him. He gave up his life to help raise Huey, Dewey, and Louie. He’s stuck by them even as they lived at the mansion. The guy deserves some time with the person he cares about without the weight of responsibility he’s carried for so much of his life.

Della though can’t take it. She tries to get him to reconsider. She has excuse after excuse but the real reason comes out, she doesn’t want to lose any more time with him. She was gone for so long why can’t he stay and make up for that lost time? He could, but as much as Donald loves Della he’s finally putting himself first. Of course Della accepts it because she’s Della and she’s great. I’m so happy they did this with Donald, the guy deserves it. Just because Della wants to spend more time with him doesn’t mean he HAS to. He can take time for himself, he can be his own person, he doesn’t have to be defined by the loss of Della anymore. Of course he’ll still see her and the rest of the family, he’s just going off to start his own part of the family. That’s a crucial element of family as well; you don’t always have to be together.

But of course when Webby and Huey get kidnapped Donald is right there to help and so is everyone else. The whole family rallies together, though Beakley is off on her own. Earlier in the episode Beakley revealed to Webby that she retired specifically because of her. That Webby was more important than anything else and, as we later learn, she gave up taking out F.O.W.L. to do it. There’s a running theme of how much you’ll sacrifice for your family here, as Beakley puts it, “when you find your family you’ll give up everything for them.” It’s well threaded throughout the episode, the biggest example of it of course being the giant mission to storm the temple.

It’s here the family comes up against the biggest nemesis of the series, Bradford. Bradford’s whole deal is that he was the first Woodchuck (and a terrible one.) He wants to rid the world of adventure, contain all the chaos it brings. What does all this mean? Why is he doing this? On first watch it’s a little unclear but when you zoom out Bradford wants to keep the world in order, in check. No deviations, nothing unexpected, no challenges, nothing unpredictable. He claims he’s a businessman, not a villain… but of course he’s a villain because a LOT of business people ARE villainous. Wanting to keep the world in check and playing by their rules is how they keep control. How they stay in power.

Adventures threaten that. They give power to those who don’t have it; they allow a wonder and mystery to fill the world. To give people hope, to bond them together. For Scrooge, it helped create his family. So of course Bradford would try to shut that down, he’s better served if people are unhappy and under his thumb as a businessman. Controlling Scrooge’s money was also a great bonus.

Bradford threatens the very heart of the series, adventures. He uses Webby specifically to gain the ability to take Scrooge’s adventures away… but of course he underestimated the family. He thought creating Webby’s clones would tear them apart, that separating everyone into cages would keep them from rising up… but you can’t stop the Duck family and Webby is the heart and soul of that. Even when she learns she was just another clone that doesn’t stop her for long. For anyone else that might have been a bigger blow but when she learns that Beakley saved her when she was a baby? That Beakley gave up everything for her so that someone would love her? That keeps her going.

That and the fact she’s (more or less) Scrooge’s daughter. Yeah she was made by F.O.W.L. but WHATEVER SHE’S REALLY A BLOOD PART OF THE FAMILY! At this point I was taken aback. Why does Webby NEED to have a blood relation to the family? Why can’t she just be a friend who became a part of the family? Isn’t that what DuckTales has been preaching for its entire run, you don’t have to be related by blood to be family and even if you ARE related by blood that doesn’t always mean you’re like family to someone else.

Some might consider this an easy cop out, a way for Webby to get what she always wants… but it’s so much more than that. Okay yes, Webby was sort of made from Scrooge’s DNA but that still doesn’t automatically make her a part of the family. They could easily reject her for not being “real.”  But everyone in the McDuck family loves her and that’s why she’s family, blood or not. Plus, the rest of the episode goes out of its way to show that damn near every good person the team has met is part of the family. So yes, Webby is now confirmed to be related by blood but that doesn’t undercut DuckTales’ message about family. Lena and Violet are part of the family, Gizmoduck, Darkwing Duck, Gosalyn, Launchpad, EVERYONE. As Webby tells May and June,

“Family are the people who stick by you. Fight for you. Blindly invade a sinister villain’s secret strong hold for you. Family would do anything to keep you safe and sacrifice everything to love you no matter who and what you are. Like Scrooge, like my granny, like you two.” That’s family and that’s DuckTales. Scrooge is willing to sacrifice it all, to give up adventuring… but FAMILY is the greatest adventure of all! It’s so powerful it breaks the most powerful magic contract of ALL TIME. BOOM, FAMILY! 

‘The Last Adventure’ was nothing short of an absolute masterpiece, the closest thing to a true 2017 DuckTales movie we’ll ever get. The action was big, damn near every character from the show made it in, and it capped off everything so beautifully. It’s stunning how many references and characters are squeezed in here but it never feels rushed or over bloated. All the references work, whether you know the deep cuts or not. My personal favorite was the revelation that Manny is no intern… he’s actually The Headless Manhorse of the Apocalypse AND HE LIVES AGAIN… voiced by Keith David. It’s such an elaborate Gargoyles reference but even if you don’t know that it’s hilarious to see this new side of Manny.

There’s too many moments to talk about. So many little bits that could deserve full articles on their own. Della using her leg like an axe, B.O.Y.D. being just a head, or Launchpad becoming Gizmoduck! If you’ve been reading all my DuckTales reviews you know how much I’ve loved the character of Lena and just seeing her there at the end as part of the family made me smile and warmed my heart. She went through so much and look where she is now, she has people who love her AND she’s a superhero. 

As the credits rolled and all the characters we’ve all grown to love soared past the screen for the final time, it hit me just how much I’m going to miss DuckTales. I’ve reviewed every single episode of the series and it has been an immense privledge. The level of care and creativity that went into every single aspect of the series did not go unnoticed. The people behind the scenes truly delivered something special, a series that will stand the test of time as not just a worthy entry into the Duck universe or just a Disney cartoon series, but as an absolutely wonderful show all on its own. It was incredibly funny, joyously warm, and knew how to hit you with some major life lessons. Lena’s story arc in particular will always stick with me and works as a gut wrenching portrayal of the effects of abuse. Her story was just an example of DuckTales as its strongest, when it was able to use it stories to hold up a mirror to our own lives and safely let us explore them. While also giving us a lot of laughs.

DuckTales has power; it’ll keep having power. Now that the show’s ended I have no doubt more people will check it out on Disney + and realize how special it was. How great it was. How even if it still had more stories to tell it still gave all it had. 

Thank you for everything, DuckTales. You’ll never be forgotten. 

DuckTales Quotes To Make Your Life Better

-“No, no maniacal laughter! We are not common villains.”

-“Come with me if you want DEW-live.”

-“Yes I was right! …. Oh no, I was right.”

-“I LIVE AGAIN… Again.”

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

-“Please hold all startled utterances of disbelief for the end.”

The post DuckTales Season 3 Episode 22 Review: The Last Adventure! appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[movie-magic]

Loki: Every MCU Easter Egg In Episode 1

Loki has officially begun on Disney+, and Tom Hiddleston comes bearing plenty of Marvel Easter eggs in the premiere episode. Here's what we found.

The premiere episode of Loki is burdened with glorious Marvel Easter eggs, from potential future villain teases to skulking Skrulls. Even before the considerable success enjoyed by WandaVision and Falcon & The Winter Soldier, MCU fans were eagerly anticipating Tom Hiddleston's return as the God of Mischief. Now blessed with his own Disney+ solo series, Loki has all of time and space to bother, and the premiere wastes little time throwing Hiddleston from the Avengers' frying pan into the TVA's fire.

After using the Tesseract to escape The Avengers in Avengers: Endgame, Loki is swiftly picked up by the Time Variance Authority - a seemingly omniscient organization overseeing the entirety of time and space. Evidently not ones to take prisoners, Loki's fate at the TVA looks grim, but Owen Wilson's Major Mobius intervenes, handing the silver-tongued variant a reprieve. In the opening episode, Mobius successfully digs to the root of Loki's dastardly ways, breaking him down to (presumably) build him back up, all with the aim of enlisting Loki's services as an ally to hunt down an especially vicious variant murdering the TVA's Minute Men.

Loki's premiere is predictably heavy with exposition, and relatively limited in scope, mostly taking place within the walls of TVA HQ. Nevertheless, Michael Waldron (creator) and Kate Herron (director) pepper the 50-minute installment with an array of references to the Marvel comics, MCU history callbacks, and hints of the multiverse madness to come. Here's every Easter egg we discovered in Loki's "Glorious Purpose."

The Avengers Intro Sequence:

Loki's introductory scene is somewhat of an Easter egg itself, retelling the famous Tesseract heist from Avengers: Endgame. Much of the footage here derives straight from the 2019 box office behemoth, meaning no other MCU stars filmed additional footage or recorded new dialogue especially for Loki. With that said, a few extra Tom Hiddleston moments are spliced into the existing footage to show events entirely from Loki's point of view. The villain's Steve Rogers "search and rescue" gag is zoomed-in, and there's a closer shot of Loki waving goodbye to Hulk in the elevator, as well as fresh reaction shots during the Stark scuffle in the lobby.

An Iron Man Callback:

After commandeering the Tesseract in New York, Loki finds himself falling from the sky above Mongolia's Gobi Desert, landing unceremoniously in the sand below, and this scene might trigger a sense of déjà vu for longtime MCU fans. In 2008's Iron Man, Tony Stark escapes capture by creating a rudimentary suit of hi-tech armor. Flying to safety, the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist also lands roughly in a remote desert. There's a symbolic correlation in how Iron Man marked the beginning of the MCU, while Loki is now ushering in a whole new chapter, and both begin with their protagonists in matching predicaments. Both characters also crash while evading incarceration, though only Loki immediately finds himself in chains once again.

"Burdened With Glorious Purpose":

As a man who rarely shuts up, Loki has plenty of wry MCU catchphrases, and one of his most famous would be "I am burdened with glorious purpose" from The Avengers. Disney +'s Loki premiere leans heavily into the line's popularity, with Tom Hiddleston repeating the quote on several occasions throughout the episode, the phrase becoming less sinister with every utterance.

The TVA:

The addition of the TVA to MCU canon was confirmed ahead of time via Loki's trailer and, sure enough, the paradoxical pen-pushers play a prominent part in the premiere. Although their motivations and methods are somewhat altered from the source material (as well as their aesthetic, which now sits closer to The Umbrella Academy's Commission), the TVA hails directly from the Marvel comic books. They were introduced by a 1986 issue of Thor that featured several time-hopping agents, one of which picked a random Earthling up for jaywalking.

A Skrull At The TVA:

Given their propensity to shape-shift and assimilate the forms of other races, it's not surprising that a Skrull might be lurking around the TVA's front desk. One of the MCU's green aliens can be spotted in the background as Loki gets marched in, and though it's not clear why the Skrull is present, the distinct lack of guards would suggest they aren't a variant. A timely reminder that Secret Invasion is right around the corner.

The Time Twisters:

As you'd predict, Loki tries running away. With minimum effort, Hunter B-15 (played by Wunmi Mosaku) clicks a device, and Loki is pulled back to where he stood moments earlier, effectively making escape impossible. These time twisters appear to be standard issue at the TVA, and have a vaguely similar counterpart in the Marvel comics called the Retroactive Cannon. Far more lethal than Loki's little clickers, these devices would rewind a person completely until they were unwritten from history. Like The Algorithm in Tenet, but less confusing.

Life Model Decoys:

For someone who spent many, many years unaware he was actually a Frost Giant, Loki probably shouldn't be shocked that some people don't realize they're secretly robots. Heading through the TVA's airport scanner, Loki passes the test with flying colors, though he remains perplexed by the idea someone could be unknowingly cybernetic, Loki's line is a nod to Life Model Decoys, which have appeared in both the Marvel comics, and Agents of SHIELD. These lifelike androids can mimic mankind so perfectly, the LMD itself isn't always certain of the truth.

Secret Wars?:

Whether you've accidentally arrived late for work, or just escaped a group of costumed vigilantes by seizing a glowing blue cube from the beginning of time, being labeled as a variant is confusing stuff. Luckily, the TVA has put together a short animation to fill quantum criminals in on the basics. The helpful Miss Minutes finally provides an explanation of the MCU multiverse, revealing how, long ago, separate timelines fought an inter-dimensional war for supremacy that almost resulted in total annihilation. Since then, the TVA has strictly maintained one single reality - the Sacred Timeline *echoes*. The history lesson bears some similarity to 2015's Secret Wars comic event, in which conflicting universes came together in Battleworld (the setting of the original Secret Wars), and attempts were made to streamline Marvel's sandbox.

The Time-Keepers:

The TVA's infomercial also confirms the organization are led by three Time-Keepers, who oversee the combined reality and dictate the proper flow of history. This big-faced trio were first introduced in the late 1970s, created from the sole remaining survivor of the previous universe's destruction. The mysterious overlords performed much the same function in the comics as they do in Loki, and possessed virtually complete mastery over time.

Kree And Nova's Attack On Titan:

As the animated exposition rumbles on, Miss Minutes (voiced by Tara Strong) uses "starting an uprising" as an example of something the TVA might potentially frown upon. The corresponding image shows two armies clashing, with the blue folk on the left appearing to be Kree, and the force on the right possibly the Nova Corps. Based on the spiky ruins in the background, the battle is taking place on Thanos' home planet of Titan. In Guardians of the Galaxy, Ronan confirmed the Kree and Nova Corps were at war for 1000 years - was the TVA involved somehow?

Nexus Events:

This week's lesson from Miss Minutes explains how stepping off one's designated path can create a "Nexus event," and spiral out of control to spawn countless alternate timelines that trigger another war. This word has cropped up several times in the MCU, first as an internet facility in Oslo (Avengers: Age of Ultron), and then as an antidepressant drug during one of WandaVision's fake commercials. The latter was most likely a reference to the Nexus of All Realities from the Marvel comics, which is essentially a gateway between every possible timeline. The TVA's Nexus events could take their name from the very same source.

The Timeline Diagram:

Throughout Loki's Disney+ debut, the TVA repeatedly use diagrams of a single flowing timeline with branches shooting off to represent unwanted deviations. MCU fans might recognize this from Avengers: Endgame, where the Ancient One drew something extremely similar while explaining the consequences of time travel to Bruce Banner. Perhaps Ms. One has visited the TVA herself once or twice?

Devil In The Church:

MEPHISTO. There, we said it. When Mobius asks a young girl who committed time crimes in 16th century France and the child points to a stained glass window depicting the Devil, Loki knew exactly what it was doing. WandaVision dropped several hints that Marvel's own Satan would appear, all of which proved fruitless, and Loki seems to be heading down the same hellish vein. Alas, there could be a simpler explanation. Mobius claims to be chasing an alternate version of Loki, and it's highly likely the child has mistaken the God of Mischief's famous horned helmet for the demonic horns of Lucifer.

Ravonna Renslayer:

Though her name isn't mentioned in Loki's premiere, Gugu MBatha-Raw's TVA judge is actually Ravonna Renslayer, who made her debut in a 1965 Avengers issue. In the comics, Renslayer is a human from the far future, most often a villainous figure associated with Kang the Conqueror. She certainly isn't a legal official sat behind a desk. One would imagine Marvel Studios has something more interesting in store for Renslayer further down the line.

Explaining Endgame:

During his TVA interrogation, Loki quite rightly points out that it was not he who meddled with the timeline. T'was those pesky Avengers who penetrated the Quantum Realm and disrupted the natural course of events in the aftermath of the Battle of New York; Loki merely picked up the Tesseract that fell at his feet. Unfortunately, this excuse falls on deaf ears, as Gugu MBatha-Raw confirms the Avengers' ambitious time heist was entirely sanctioned by the Time-Keepers. This exchange more or less clears up every single timeline wrinkle in the MCU, including Steve Rogers' reunion with Peggy, and Gamora from the past staying in the present. It's not altering time that irks the TVA; it's altering time in a manner the Time-Keepers haven't permitted.

Loki's "Wooing":

After Owen Wilson saves Loki from being "reset," the pair sit down for a more friendly conversation, but when Loki warns Mobius that cooperation isn't an option, the TVA officer retorts with, "even when you're wooing someone powerful you intend to betray?" Loki has betrayed a fair few people during his time, and Mobius' accusation could easily apply to Odin or Thor. Most likely, however, Mobius is alluding to Thanos here - a powerful figure Loki tried buttering up with intent to usurp him once the universe was brought to its knees.

Josta:

While not strictly a Marvel reference, it's worth noting that Mobius is a big fan of an ice cold Josta. Viewers of a certain age might not recognize this soda brand, but Josta is a genuine Pepsi product that was available in the late 1990s before being discontinued. An early variety of energy drink, there's evidently a few perks to hunting down timeline criminals. In Mobius' case, this includes sugary contraband.

Loki's Greatest Hits:

In a twisted version of It's A Wonderful Life, Mobius tries to change Loki by examining his choices in the past, present and future. Unlike the jaunty 1946 holiday classic, Mobius has access to a handy hi-tech screen which displays Loki's "greatest hits." The footage begins with the God of Mischief's defeat and arrest in 2012's The Avengers - perhaps not an entry Loki himself would've picked for the highlight reel. The screen next switches to Phil Coulson's death (which Loki definitely would pick), before moving on to images of civilian deaths from the Battle of New York, the gala eyeball removal scene, and the dictator speech, all from The Avengers.

D.B. Cooper:

More an Easter egg from real-world history than Marvel lore, Loki reveals the truth about D.B. Cooper - it was Agatha Loki all along! In 1971, an as-yet-identified man boarded a Boeing 727, held the aircraft ransom for $200,000, then parachuted out with the cash. Mobius' dive into Loki's past reveals that, thanks to a lost bet with Thor, the God of Mischief descended from Asgard to pull the plane heist himself as some kind of stunt. From Loki's hairstyle matching the real D.B. Cooper artist's impression to the smattering of bank notes left behind, there's an impressive attention to detail in this scene.

Infinity Stones In The Desk:

The Infinity Stones... Thanos would give his own daughter just for one. Entire worlds brought to their knees by their power. Humans turned into Gods at the merest touch. Gary from the TVA's HR department using one as a paperweight. Threatening Casey with a fishy demise, Loki finally gets his hands back on the Tesseract, only to discover even Infinity Stones are useless within the TVA's jurisdiction. To Loki's immense surprise, Casey's desk draw is chock-full of discarded Infinity Stones, most either of the Time or Reality variety (no surprises there). The scene essentially confirms that the power of these fabled jewels has led to more than a few timeline variant incidents over the years, but perhaps also undermines the once-unstoppable power of the Infinity Stones. Well, the Infinity Saga is over.

A 3rd Millennium Kang Hint?:

In its final scene, the Loki premiere might just be hinting at the future villain of Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania. The MCU will soon introduce Kang the Conqueror, a major comic book baddie played by Jonathan Majors, and "Glorious Purpose" could represent the first step toward his arrival. Called out to 19th century Oklahoma, TVA agents find a piece of technology hailing from the 3rd millennium. Though it might be a coincidence, Kang hails from the 31st century, and is known for using advanced tech in his dominion of the timeline. The mysterious hooded figure is more likely a Loki variant than Kang himself, but since Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania and Loki both deal in temporal themes, it wouldn't be strange for the Kang foundations to be laid on Disney+.

- Screen Rant

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

[mermaidxatxheart]

Bucky the Ninja Hunter {1/?}

Alright you guys. I’m on the struggle bus big time. So, I’ve decided to post this story in (hopefully) three parts, as sort of a beginning, middle, and end. This is for @captain-s-rogers​ and her Psych challenge. I love this show and couldn’t resist the temptation to write for it, especially since I basically speak in psych quotes. My prompt will be the first bold below. I’ve also incorporated other quotes, simply because I couldn’t help myself. Anything I’ve directly taken from the show will be in bold so there’s no confusion. I’ve had fun coming up with this idea and writing this. (To those that have sent me requests, I am still working on them. I’m trying to juggle all my works at once, so just bear with me. I promise I’ll get them out.)

Pairing: No real pairing, just Sam and Bucky being idiotic best friends.

Word Count: 2846

Warnings: swearing, murder, stupidity, ninja movie references (mostly in the future)

Prompt: “How can you just eat when there’s a dead guy lying there?” “What, is that rude? Am I supposed to share?”

Part One

 The office is quiet, no music plays, just the sound of a magazine page turning occasionally. The afternoon light filters in through a big bay window, illuminating two standard desks across from each other. A kitchenette is towards the back, mostly a sink, upper cabinets, counter and a fridge. There’s a lobby space for people waiting, able to be closed off by a door. 

 The big paper ball sails through the air and bounces off the plastic neon orange ring. Bucky scoffs at his best friend’s terrible shot while he, himself, flips through some food magazine. His stomach is rumbling, their take out can’t be delivered fast enough. 

 “Oh, you think you can do better?” Sam taunts. He should know better by now.

 “Of course, I can.” He flips a page about barbecue, trying to ignore his hunger pains. 

 “Put your money where your mouth is.” Sam challenges.

 “No.” Bucky replies, propping his feet up on the corner of his desk. 

 “Because you can’t do it.” 

 “Sam, I could easily make the shot. That’s why I can’t take your money.” Bucky says with a shake of his head.

“Prove it.”

 “Prove it? What are you? Five?” He pushes himself up anyway, determined to show his best friend wrong. He takes the big ball and lines himself up to take the shot. He knows Sam will do something to try and distract him, so he steels his nerves.

 Just as he shoots the ball, Sam drops a thick book on the floor with a loud bang! The ball sails cleanly through the hoop and Bucky doesn’t even flinch.

 “Alright.” Sam changes tactics. “Sudden death. Trivia challenge. Science-” 

 “Philipp Lenard.” Bucky replies confidently.

 “Damn. How do you always do that?” Sam grumbles. 

 “It’s a gift.”

 There’s a knock at the front door and Bucky pumps his fist. “Thank god, I’m starving.” He pulls open the door and accepts the Chinese food. 

 “Finally.” Sam sighs happily. They both dig into their food and Bucky tilts his head, something piquing his interest. 

 “You know, it’s been a while since we’ve worked on a case together.” He says thoughtfully. 

 “Yeah. Wonder when the police are gonna hit rock bottom to need you.” Sam smirks. 

 Bucky reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his confiscated police radio. “How about now?”

 “Does Strange know you have another one of those?”

 “Probably not. Wanna go? This one sounds interesting.”

 “We just got our food.” Sam complains.

 “Dude, they’re in to go containers. We can eat them on the go.” 

 “Just once, Bucky, I wanna be able to sit and eat.” Sam sighs.

 “Next time.” Bucky promises with a lie.

 ***

 The front of the apartment has been cordoned off with police tape, a crowd gathering out front. Two of Bucky’s favorite beat cops are on duty, keeping the crowd from entering: Clint Barton and Scott Lang. 

 “Hey, Bucky.” Clint says, shaking his hand. 

 “Hey, buddy. What’s good? Mind if we go up and offer our help?” He says easily. 

 “I dunno. Strange is in a bad mood.” Scott chimes in.

 “Oh, it’s cool. He won’t even know we were there.” Bucky says, already heading for the door.

 “Well, I guess they could use the extra help.” Scott says with a half shrug.

 “Good man.”

 ***

 Inside the apartment is a mess. Papers strewn about everywhere, books stacked precariously in corners; and that’s just in the entryway. Bucky and Sam edge their way around the mess, Bucky taking note of every little thing he sees. He never knows what’s going to be important later.

 They move through what appears to be a living room, but the only piece of furniture visible is a faded leather couch. Artifacts and knickknacks are covering every visible surface that are plastered with papers. 

 Crime scene unit guys are trying to examine for evidence but there’s so much junk in the way, they’re having a hard time of it. They move into the office where the body is laying on the floor, ready to be moved to the morgue. 

 Ligature marks around his neck, purplish bruises just under his jaw, catch Bucky’s eye. They’re where you would expect a hangman’s noose to land, but there’s red irritation marks below them, covering the man’s throat. 

 Bucky tilts his head, realizing that they form the shape of a hand. He wasn’t hanged, he was strangled. Sam nudges his arm to get him to move out of the way of a crime scene guy and Bucky spots an open planner on the desk. 

 Dates are marked out and planned. Dinner, dentist, several dates blocked out for a trip abroad. He’s just returned the week before. 

 “Can we get out of here? You know how I feel about dead bodies.” Sam mutters.

 “Relax.” Bucky rolls his eyes, taking a bite of his food.

 Sam glares at him. “How can you just eat when there’s a dead guy lying there?” He gestures.

 Bucky looks down, confused. “What, is that rude? Am I supposed to share?” 

 “Oh, what are you two doing here?” A man grumbles loudly behind them. 

 Bucky turns to see the lead homicide detective, Stephen Strange. He breaks into a wide grin at the man who’s scowl gets even bigger. “Detective.” He nods. And then he sees his junior detective behind him. “Y/N, I’ve missed you.” He says cheekily and you roll your eyes at him. One of the officers hands Strange a clipboard with notes on it. 

 Strange reads over the notes as Bucky looks around, seeing little indents in the wall, all the same size, all equally spaced. Strange bumps past him, probably trying to show his dominance, but it’s just rude. So, Bucky doesn’t feel bad about swiping the pages surreptitiously as he passes. Strange doesn’t even notice. 

 The indents are 15cm apart equally, there are 18 sets of them scattered throughout the apartment all exactly the same. That number triggers something in Bucky’s memory, but he’ll have to break into Sam’s apartment later to be sure.

 There’s only a brief mention on the paper about the irritation marks, they don’t put much importance on it. 

 “What have we got, Detective?” Someone asks and Bucky turns to see Chief Tony Stark. 

 “Dead guy is Peter Quill. The apartment is his, Y/N is gonna look into his background when we get back to the station. Looks like a suicide, Chief. You can see the rope burns around his neck, rope was still around the rafter.” Strange says, pointing to the ceiling. He glances down at the clipboard to check the notes only to find them gone. He glances up and yanks them out of Bucky’s hand.

 “I’m sensing that this isn’t a suicide.” Bucky counters. His eyes wander to the artifacts around the room, most are Chinese and Japanese in origin, and most are replicas. The trip he just returned from being to both China and Japan, the marks on the wall. He has an idea.

 “Oh, are you?” Strange asks sarcastically. 

 “Yes.” He turns to Stark. “If I can draw a picture of the killer right now, would that be enough to get us on this case and keep it open?” He asks.

 “Absolutely.” Stark answers.

 “Come on, Chief.” Strange grumbles. 

 Bucky grabs the clipboard out of his hands and starts to draw while Strange argues his suicide angle. Doors locked from the inside, would be impossible to lift such a big guy into the rafters by himself, yada yada yada.

 “Time’s up, Barnes. Whaddaya got?” Stark asks, crossing his arms. 

 “Okay, it’s not pretty, I didn’t have time to work out all the shading, if I had my prismacolor pencils, I could have done a much better job. Sam, you know what I’m talking about.” 

 Sam nods empathetically. 

 “Barnes!” Stark snaps.

 “Our killer is this guy.” He turns the clipboard around to reveal a ninja, only spot of the face visible are the eyes. “This guy right here.” They all look confused and Bucky can’t understand why, everything lines up. “What? Fear not the weapon, but the hand that wields it.”

 Strange chuckles happily as he takes back the clipboard and Stark points to the door for them to leave. Sam is glaring at him as they start to exit the crime scene. 

 “Oh, one more thing.” Bucky starts, turning back around. “He was strangled before being strung up.” He says before dramatically leaving the building. 

 ***

 Sam slams the door behind them and crosses to his desk. Bucky sits down, getting comfortable. 

 “What’s the matter?” Bucky sighs, watching his best friend storm around the office.

 “You almost closed down our agency with that little act of yours, Bucky.” He snaps. 

 Bucky sits up, offended. “Me? You’re the one spending all your extra time at your little side project.”

 Sam raises an eyebrow, hand covering his heart. “You mean my real job? Soon to be my only job?”

 “Sam, don’t be a gooey chocolate chip cookie. I’m gonna be right. Everything lines up. He traveled to Asia, all that art and stuff is Asian. Practically ties him to ninjas already.” Bucky sits back in his chair. “Wait, where are you going?”

 “I have to finish my route. You’re on your own for the rest of the day.” Sam says, grabbing his briefcase and heading for the door.

 “You can’t go now. What if the Chief calls?” Bucky implores. 

 “He won’t. Not after that stunt.” Sam rolls his eyes and then he’s out the door. 

 Bucky waits a solid five minutes, testing to see if his best friend comes back inside. He doesn’t. So, Bucky is on the move. He grabs his lock pick set and mounts his motorcycle, heading for Sam’s apartment. 

 Sam’s apartment is easier to get into than he thought, although Bucky personally believes he should have his own key. Sam doesn’t trust him, but clearly trusts everyone else by leaving a key in a fake rock outside his second floor apartment. 

 He gets inside and starts searching for the box he knows Sam has. He finds it in his study. Why Sam even has a study, Bucky doesn’t know. 

 He pulls off the lid and inside are a dozen different sizes and shapes of throwing stars. He pulls out his tape measure and measures the distances between the points on all the different sizes. One of them matches exactly to the measurement taken from the apartment. 

 Knew it. 

 Now how to tell Strange that? 

 “Barnes, how do you keep getting into my apartment? And why are you here?” Sam sighs from behind him. 

 “Sam, please. A secret key in a rock is far less effective on a second floor balcony. And I needed your throwing stars.”

 Sam scoffs. “They’re called hira shuriken. And they’re not a weapon of ninjas. They’re used by the samurai.”

 “Huh. So Hollywood is wrong. Who would have thought?” Bucky tilts his head and Sam rolls his eyes. 

 “Anyone who’s paid attention. They get most everything wrong.”

 “Okay, mister know it all. Can samurais move like ninjas?”

 “I don’t see why not. They’re both incredibly skilled.” Sam shrugs. 

 “Great. I need to get down to the station.” Bucky takes one last look at the star before turning back to his best friend.

 “And quit breaking into my place.” Sam adds.

 “If you would give me a key, I wouldn’t have to.” 

 ***

 ���Strange, I just got the background report on Quill. It’s pretty interesting, but I don’t think you’re gonna like what it means for us.” You say, leaving a voicemail for your senior detective. “I’ll tell you all the details when I see you next.” You say, hanging up.

 You aren’t interested in making that phone call to tell Bucky he might have been right. There’ll be no living with him after this. Sure, he’s a laugh to have around, and it’s always amusing to watch him get under Strange’s skin. That man is so uptight, it’s always funny to see him riled up. And yeah, sure, Bucky flirts with you, always having this way of making you feel so special. But you aren’t sure you can trust any of it. He’s always such a prankster, everything is a joke to him. So, you take it all with a grain of salt. But he’s not so bad, kind of charming even.

 The door to the bullpen flies open and Bucky comes stumbling in, his eyes unfocused as he waves his arms around so he doesn’t walk into anything. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from walking into several officers, a chair, your desk and swiping all your papers on the floor.

 “Barnes!” You complain.

 “Y/N? Y/N! Thank god!” He calls loudly and you roll your eyes. 

 What was that about him being charming? That’s a lie.

 You start picking up your papers. “What do you want, Bucky?”

 “I’m having a vision! I see something from the crime scene, I need paper!” He reaches out, his eyes rolled up towards the ceiling and before he can do any more damage to your desk, you thrust a notepad and pencil in his hand. 

 He starts scribbling on the paper as you get your file in order again. You debate the merit of tripping him while he can’t see, but that would probably border on cruel. 

 You move your file out of his disastrous reach and he slumps against the column near your desk with an anguished moan. He drops the notepad on your desk and you pick it up, looking at the impressive recreation of a throwing star. 

 “What is this?” You ask, showing him. 

 “I’m seeing them thrown around that apartment. That’s what made those puncture marks in the walls.” He says, pushing himself back up. 

 You feel your pulse rising, getting excited before you slump. “Doesn’t matter.” You hand him back the notepad, sitting back down in your chair. 

 “What do you mean is doesn’t matter? There was someone else in that apartment.” He insists. 

 “So far, it’s been ruled a suicide. We have the murder weapon-the rope he hung himself with.” You shake your head. “We know he traveled to China and Japan a lot. He could have gotten one of those hira shuriken in one of his trips and made those holes himself. There’s no proof that there was anyone else in that apartment.” You shrug. “Sorry, Bucky.”

 He stares at you and you remember why you don’t mind him hanging around so much. He cares about these cases. Maybe he cares mostly about being right, or he just can’t hear the word no, but right now he looks so offended. 

 “What about the handprint on his neck?” He asks.

 “The coroner hasn’t turned in his report yet. We’re still waiting. Ultimately, he’ll make the decision if it’s suicide or homicide.” 

 “Alright. I hate waiting, but I guess I can wait. How long do you think? Like, twenty minutes?”

 “Bucky, it takes almost a day. They have to wait for a tox screen, that takes almost eighteen hours itself.”

 “What? That’s outrageous.” 

 “Just go home. If anything turns up, I’m sure we’ll call you.” You say, patting him on the shoulder. His big broad shoulders slump as he nods. 

 “Sure.” He turns to leave, the wind out of his sails a little. 

 A small part of you wants to believe him. He has a nose for these sorts of things, and he always has such conviction. But you just know that one time you’re gonna let your guard down and believe him and it’s gonna blow up in your face. 

 Better to wait for the facts.

 Bucky

 The industrial lights flicker overhead, the grimy mint green tiles making the dim hallway feel cold and unwelcoming. 

 But then, death is never welcomed. 

 Bucky finds the correct door and pushes it open. The overwhelming, nose burning smell of antiseptic hits him and he wrinkles his nose. The least the medical examiner could do is light some candles, maybe spray some febreeze. 

 “Mr. Barnes. What can I do for you this fine day?” He asks from his office doorway.

 “That body they just brought in today,” Bucky starts. 

 “Ah, the suicide.” He nods and moves over to the coolers, pulling out the right one. 

 “I’m sensing there’s more to it. I don’t think it’s a suicide.”

 “Oh? I’m listening.”

 “I’m feeling a hand around his neck. Would there be any way to see that if there aren’t any marks on the skin?” Bucky asks.

 “Oh absolutely. Hit the lights.” He instructs, turning around to get something from his office. 

 Bucky flips the switch and it gets pitch black in the room. But then a blueish glow is coming from behind him. He turns around as the doc shines the light over the neck of the body. 

 “Oh boy, you’re right.” He looks up at Bucky. “Here, hold this.” He thrusts the light wand into his hands and rushes to get his camera. He snaps several photos while directing Bucky where to angle the light. 

 “Holy shit. I would have missed that.” He mutters, looking up at Bucky. “That’s some gift you have, kid.” He says, clapping Bucky on the arm. 

 “So, it’s officially a murder?” Bucky asks. 

 “Officially a murder.” He agrees.

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[thebookbud]

The Name of the Wind

(The Kingkiller Chronicle Book One)

A BookBud Review

By Patrick Rothfuss

Finished 06/30/2020

Genre: Fantasy 

Basic Plot: In present day, Chronicler finds himself finally face to face with a legend. But in the dusty bar in the middle of nowhere, now going by Kote, he doesn’t seem quite as legendary as Kvothe has come to be known as. Chronicler is determined, however, to get the real story from the man himself. Kote tells the story of the origins of Kvothe, his days in his family’s troupe to his journey through the Arcane University, he is finally ready for the world to know of his true struggles. 

Notable Quote(s):

“You complained, took sensible precautions, and got on with the business of living your life.”

“You don’t really understand the ocean until you are in the midst of it, nothing but ocean on all sides, stretching away endlessly. Only then do you realize how small you are, how powerless.”

“It is far too easy to stay in the familiar ruts we dig for ourselves.”

“‘If you’re going to force yourself on a woman, have the decency to do it in an alleyway. At least that way she’ll feel justified screaming about it.’”

“’Isn’t that the way of the world?” she said. “We want the sweet things, but we need the unpleasant ones.’”

Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Readability: 5/5

Plot Interest: 5/5

Creativity: 4/5

Photo found via Tumblr Post

This is the book I didn’t know I needed. I haven't ventured extremely deep into high/epic fantasy, a little Sanderson here, a couple YA ventures there but boy did I find out what I could be missing with this one. This was read based upon a friend’s recommendation and I have to say, I’m supremely thankful. Kvothe is lovable, the other characters are generally intriguing also. The story itself was highly entertaining and heartfelt throughout most of it. I really don’t have a bad word to say about this entire novel. It was interesting, Rothfuss is genuine in his writing and being a female, I have to say his attention to gender equality and injustices is also highly enticing. It’s rare for me to find a fantasy author I truly adore but because of the overall viewpoints shared in his writing, I have to say I only want more. 

I gave this a full 5 out of 5. On the surface, it’s a really fun underdog story, but the depth in it is what I believe really gives it that extra reach. Kvothe is not in any way perfect, he makes mistakes, takes risks and he’s lucky as all hell because most wouldn’t be able to get away with what he does, but he also has this fire in his personality that plays out so well as you watch his story unfold and gives you a changing perspective as you learn more. It’s a dynamic book overall and highly emotional if you’re willing to gain an attachment, which I couldn’t help but do. It’s littered with contradictions that made it feel realistic and wholesome most of the time but also has a lot of low points that peak the readers interest. I think Rothfuss has a very enticing writing style and I thought this book was very well done. 

View on Goodreads

[lillies-n-lilacs]

never ending survey :: Thalia

rules: Repost, do not reblog. tag 10 blogs!

tagged by: @under-the-blood-moonlight ene

tagging: @thesinsofgreed @unkemptandtired @nhaamas-embrace @gildedandgolden @chammachamma @of-sea-and-forest @lydha-lran @qesh-rae @fox-den-xiv @kiara-nocturne

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Thalia Dalamiq

NICKNAME: Thal, ‘Little Angel’

AGE:  29

BIRTHDAY: 2nd Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon

ETHNIC GROUP: Au Ra/Xaela

NATIONALITY: Othardian

LANGUAGE/S: Common, Xaelic, Braille

SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Heterosexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Heteromantic.

RELATIONSHIP STATUS:  Taken.

HOME TOWN / AREA:  The Azim Steppe

CURRENT HOME:  Firelink Shrine/Secret Morne Estate.

PROFESSION: Magic Researcher, Botanist, dabbles in hunts.

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Short, dark blue and black.

EYES: Yellow ‘limbals’ and a deep orange.

FACE: Heart shaped

LIPS: Smooth, full.

COMPLEXION: Copper.

BLEMISHES: Slight freckling along the tops of the shoulders, tired eyes.

SCARS: Claw scars along either side of her waist, missing scales along the upper right thigh.

TATTOOS: None.

HEIGHT:  5′2″.

WEIGHT: 49kg/109lbs

BUILD: Flat chest, toned abdomen, and arms. Wider hips.

FEATURES: Dark green scales, long nails, similar green to the scales.

ALLERGIES: Dogs

USUAL HAIR STYLE:  ‘I just woke up’ or a braided band of hair, similar to a headband.

USUAL FACE LOOK : Far off/drifting.

USUAL CLOTHING:  Loose clothes, shorts, shirts that can get dirty. Pajamas.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S: Losing her sight once more, being alone, losing Aleister, her friends, being useless.

ASPIRATION/S:  Gaining knowledge to help others, learning more magic.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Kind, patient, knowledgeable, selfless.

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Selfless, curious, trusting, tends to bait people.

TEMPERAMENT:  Sanguine

SOUL TYPE/S:   Scholar

ANIMALS:  A black cat, a fat ol’ puk, and a mammet rat.

VICE HABIT/S: Sacrificing sleep, recklessness.

FAITH: unclear Aleister Morne

GHOSTS?: Yes.

AFTERLIFE?: Yes.

REINCARNATION?:  .. Maybe.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Is unaware/doesn’t care.

EDUCATION LEVEL:  Self taught/home schooled.

FAMILY.

FATHER : Unknown, apparently an asshole.

MOTHERS : Suki Dalamiq

SIBLINGS : None/Unknown.

EXTENDED FAMILY: Aunt - Mari Dalamiq.

NAME MEANING/S: Blossom/Bloom

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: Unknown to her.

FAVORITES.

BOOK: ��Romance, Adventure, Horror

DEITY: unlcear

HOLIDAY:  All.. Of them? She’s never experienced them.

MONTH: February.

SEASON:  Autumn/Winter

PLACE: Garden. Aleister’s arms.

WEATHER: Starry night, clear skies.

SOUND / S: That broken guitar.

SCENT / S:  The sea.

TASTE / S:  Oranges, tea.

FEEL / S:  Scars, plush blankets.

ANIMAL / S:  Raveh, the black chocobo.

NUMBER: 2

COLORS: Blue, black, white, purple.

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Painting, dancing, singing.

BAD AT: Physical combat, drawing, knitting.

TURN ONS: Scars, confidence, being manhandled ( by One person ), dominance, that look of love in his eye, his smile.

TURN OFFS: Anyone else manhandling her, unkempt claws, having to trim said claws, clean your own damn claws Aleister I don’t want to touch your feet.

HOBBIES: Knitting, painting, gardening.

TROPES: The Damsel (In Distress), The Cinnamon Roll.

QUOTES : “You need to focus on yourself” “Really now?” “What have you done now?!”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 :  If you could write your character your way in their own movie,  what would it be called,  what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?          

A1 :  It would be a Thriller/Adventure, styled after her past and how she would have overcome it. It’d be called “Tomorrow”.

Q2 :  What would their soundtrack/score sound like?          

A2 :  Indie, acoustic, except in the thrilling/chilling portions where the score would become more sinister.

Q3 :  Why did you start writing this character?          

A3 : She came in 2013/14, and over the years, she’s morphed into this version. It was a character group based off of a friend’s original AU, but as time grew, so did she.

Q4 :   What first attracted you to this character?          

A4 : The freshness, a chance to write someone sweet.

Q5 :  Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 :  At the moment, she doesn’t have a way to travel like the others. She’s stuck to mundane tasks, but I’m working on it.

Q6 :  What do you have in common with your muse?          

A6 :   I put my biggest fear onto her and didn’t realize it lol. That’s about it though.

Q7 :   How does  your muse feel about  you?          

A7 :   “So ... Why did you make everyone around me die?! Why is my aunt back?! I hate you right now So Much.” *snickers* Without me there would be no you.

Q8 :  What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ?        

A8 :  Everyone. She seems to attract the baddies, hence the damsel in distress.

Q9 :  What gives you inspiration to write your muse ?        

A9 : .. Anything, really. It could be a screenshot, a quote.

Q10 : How long did this take you to complete ?          

A10 : About an hour because I did some quizzes. Had to do one for the tropes. lol

[antagonistchanremade]

One flaw that exists in all my themes, even Evolution, is that videos and particularly large images sometimes roll right off the post, like this.

Man this is ugly.

I don’t think this is a problem in the default theme, so I’m gonna look into seeing why the default theme doesn’t have that problem.

I mean, I’ve generally had a good time when it comes to reverse-engineering the default theme’s post formatting.

Most themes use Tumblr’s pre-2015 post formatting (where, you know, reblogs are shown in a plain pyramid of blockquotes and links), mainly because the basic implementation of posts just automatically applies that particular formatting; the default theme, however, uses the current style of post formatting. After a brief look at the default theme’s code, you quickly discover that it takes a lot of extra code to make posts look like they do on the dash... and that said code can be reworked to make posts look like just about anything.

Like, here’s the Default Implementation of post formatting, as seen on most Tumblr themes including Antag01 and Bliss, as well as the dashboard until 2015:

If you don’t do anything fancy with the coding for the posts, this is what you’ll get. Because deep down, this is how the site actually stores multiple series’ of reblogs.

Then, here’s the Official Implementation of post formatting, as seen on the Default Theme and the dashboard:

(ignore the fact that carnival-phantasm’s URL is green and in a green box, that’s from the Shinigami Eyes extension, not from the post formatting)

I don’t know how this is implemented on the dashboard, but on the Default Theme, you have to add a whole bunch of extra code to the post formatting to make it look like this. It’s honestly kinda scary-looking at first. I would say that it’s a good example of Tumblr’s Spaghetti Code at work... but then again, this was a late addition (remember, they had to very suddenly find a way to implement real formatting to the posts instead of the hack the site had previously been built around with just having pyramids of blockquotes, AND make it so all the OLD posts WOULD ALSO FIT INTO THIS FORMATTING), AND the complexity actually adds a lot of depth to it. When I first decided to try reverse-engineering the Default theme, I just wanted to implement the modern post formatting, which is why my initial reaction to seeing the code was “Oh, ew”; but then, after starting to understand how it worked, I realized that I could actually totally play with this and create my own entirely new post formatting from scratch, which in my opinion is better than the Official Implementation in most ways but also inferior in a few ways (namely, some things that are missing from my formatting). There is code in place to separate different additions to the post from each other, and code in place to retrieve the avatars of different users, and to disable the links leading to inactive blogs. Honestly, again, while my initial reaction to seeing this was negative... it’s probably the only thing Staff has done since all the way back in the Yahoo buyout in 2013 that’s actually impressed me. Reverse-engineering this was fun and gave me a lot of freedom. A lot more freedom than I would have gotten if I’d gotten what I was expecting and hoping for. There are still problems, of course- for instance, it’s utter nesting hell- but overall, it works.

So, finally, here’s my Evolution Implementation, how Evolution does things, featuring the same post as the Official Implementation:

(again, ignore carnival-phantasm’s green URL, that’s still from Shinigami Eyes)

So, part of the really complex coding for the Official Implementation is built around each individual post testing whether or not it’s an original post. Like, each post has a property that determines if it’s an original post, or if you reblogged it from someone. This is so that the post will run different code depending on if it’s original or not; it’s essential for making any non-Default implementation work. So, after I did all my other work, I realized something crucial- because I created my own formatting that didn’t necessarily fit with what people were used to, I should make it slightly more obvious which posts were original or not. So, I added a bit of code that only executes when the post isn’t original that adds that little “(reblogged post)” marker to the top of the post. It’s not too obvious, but it doesn’t need to be; again, it’s only there as a backup plan in case my formatting didn’t make it immediately obvious what was going on in the post.

Also, in my implementation, I decided to give each different player in the post a bit more gravitas. A big box dedicated to telling you who’s saying what. In my opinion, it’s a bit easier to parse posts with multiple replies.

And, actually, let’s take a look at something from Evolution’s preview blog:

There’s a very similar big box for Asks, in particular for the question and the answer. The box is slightly taller, but also doesn’t quite reach the edges of the post the way the URL box does. The avatars are slightly bigger, and are given a bit more room to breathe. So, it’s a bit consistent, but also there’s just enough going on to communicate that this is a separate style of conversation.

AND ALSO, quotes and links:

Again, a similar-yet-different style of big box. I will admit, formatting the links and the quotes themselves has nothing to do with the Implementation. Even with the Default Implementation, you can play a bit with the CSS formatting for links and quotes. But having the Evolution Implementation gave me the freedom to make that formatting consistently match up with how reblogs and asks are indicated.

Also, that quote is reblogged, but because Quote posts are formatted stupidly to begin with, I can’t have it really display the OP without breaking things. Quotes are.... not good. Even in the modern style of post formatting, Quotes still work the same way that they did in the Default Implementation.

Also also, that bottom part- the part that’s like “Five months ago, 4 notes, via”- that’s not part of the Implementation. Like the links and quotes, formatting those is something you gotta do even under the Default Implementation.

And just to give you an idea how complicated the non-Default implementations are, here’s the code for text posts in Antag01 (again, basically the simplest way to code them that most themes use and until 2015 they all used):

This is it. It basically just says, “This is a text post, and the title is a size 3 header that is also a permalink to the post itself.” There’s more code dedicated to formatting the post’s title than there is to formatting the post itself. Literally “{Body}” is the entirety of what’s responsible for that screenshot of the Default Implementation. The Default Implementation is just what Tumblr does on its own.

Meanwhile, here’s the code for text posts in the default theme (aka, the Official Implementation):

And here’s the code for text posts in Evolution:

Evolution’s “IsDeactivated” block is larger than Antag01′s entire “Text” block. There’s literally more code in Evolution dedicated to deciding what to do if someone involved in the post is deactivated than there is code in Antag01 about text posts period.

Anyways, if I do end up starting Antag 04 soon, I’m gonna come up with another style of implementation. As much as I like the Evolution Implementation, I kinda came up with it on the fly when I realized that I could make my own implementation, and it’s not as well thought-out as it could be. There are a couple oversights, and it’s very aesthetically tied to Evolution, and I wanna make a theme where I know from the beginning that a custom Implementation is possible and thus can tie things even closer together.

[crashdevlin]

Marion-9: Friends In Low Places

Marion Masterlist

Author’s Note: Originally posted to ao3 (This is an edited and improved version). This started as an excuse to write some Castiel/OFC loving, but it blossomed into an epic-length fic and even an AU where Marion was with them the whole time.

Summary:  Dean’s not the best brother, Cas isn’t the best boyfriend. Sometimes, dreams are the best escape.

Pairing(s): Castiel/Marion, Lucifer/Marion

Word Count: 3403

Chapter Warnings: feeling devalued, family drama, manipulation

Marion could only see Sam’s back as she came through Bobby’s study, but she could tell just from how he was sitting at the table, that he was the old Sam again. “Hey, Sasquatch!”

Sam scoffed happily and stood, smiling brightly. “Marion! Where’ve you been?” he asked, wrapping her in a hug.

They sat down at the table. “Well, Dean couldn’t live a happy, normal life with Lisa as long as his angel-resurrected twin sister was pulling on his coattails.” Marion gave a small look over her shoulder as Dean walked in and leaned against the door frame. “So, I went off to find my own normal. I got my GED and some college under my belt. I changed my name and got a boyfriend. And a cat!” She sighed. “But I’ve got a bunch of Dean’s memories in my brain, and hunter tendencies got the better of me. After about a year, I got mixed up with putting down a demon that had convinced somebody to hang four nuns. And hunting just seemed more important than a degree.”

“I didn’t know you changed your name.” Dean spoke up from behind her.

“You didn’t ask.” Marion snapped.

Sam’s brow furrowed as he looked from his brother to his sister. “What’d you change your name to?”

Marion looked down, a bit embarrassed. “Well, you guys call me ‘Marion’, of course. It’s my given name. But I changed it to Barbara… Bobbi… Singer.” Sam and Dean snickered. Marion rolled her eyes. “Chuck told me that Bobby was dead. I wanted to honor him. Shut up.”

“No middle name?” Dean asked, walking over to the coffee maker.

“No one likes their middle name. It’s not important.”

“Yeah, but you chose yours. What’d you choose?” Dean pushed.

“Samantha. Barbara Samantha Adama Singer.” Marion lied.

“Bobby, Sam, and Adam. Isn’t that sweet?” Dean rolled his eyes.

“Everybody who died in the Apocalypse. I’d’ve stuck a ‘Cassie’ in there, too, but the name was already pretty long.” Marion quipped.

Dean slammed the coffee pot back onto the burner and walked out with his mug. Sam’s eyes followed him out. “Okay, what the hell?” Sam asked.

Marion took a deep breath. *Don��t poke the wall.* “Dean and I had a disagreement while you were gone. He was… working hard to get you back. But the way he was working toward it… he was working with a demon, and the demon couldn’t bring you back, but Dean wanted to believe. So, he let this demon use him for favors. For months, he did this creature’s bidding.” Marion looked at the table, her lips pursed in anger.

“I told Dean that it didn’t make sense, that he was being used. But if there was a tiny chance of it working… he would do anything for you, Sam. He won’t even listen to me. So… I’m just letting myself get used to… being so unimportant.”

Sam took his sister’s hand, long fingers curling easily around her much smaller ones. “You aren’t unimportant. Dean and I, we’ve depended on each other for so long, we get irrational when the other dies. It’s not an insult-”

“He thought I was dead for a year and he barely flinched, Sammy. He cares less about me than he did Jo and Ellen. Which I get, ‘cause he didn’t get my mind, I got his. None of you know me. But Dean still thinks he gets to act like he does. And I’m not here to be lied to. I’m here because I’m not cut out for normality and I’m tired of hunting alone. Otherwise, I’d be off by myself, like Chuck… strongly suggested.”

“You’re right. We barely know you, me especially. You were with us for less than a month before you got possessed. And then, you left right after Meg left you. But… I know you can quote Shakespeare at the drop of a hat. I know you prefer the Grimm Brothers over Disney. I know you never felt completely comfortable with the Cornwells, which is why it was such a profound experience when Castiel filled you full of grace. I know you hate Zeppelin, even if you won’t admit it to Dean.” Sam smiled, softly. “If I know all that from a few weeks in the middle of Armageddon, don’t you think Dean knows more?”

Marion smiled up at Sam, a bit sad, with a bit of pity in the gesture. “I can list a few thousand things Dean knows about you. Thousands of things about Dad and Bobby. Hundreds of things he knows about Jo Harvelle. Dean probably knows a fraction of that about me.”

“You think you’re Rapunzel. It’s why your hair used to be so long,” Dean said, from behind Marion. “It was the most read volume on your side table at the hospital. When Meg cut your hair, I thought you’d realized you were out of the tower. You take your coffee with 4 sugars and cream, but if someone accidentally brings you a coffee black, you’ll drink it, anyway. You never had a crush before Cas, and that’s why you fell like a schoolgirl.”

Dean leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. “You miss the Cornwells, and that makes you feel guilty. Just like you feel guilty that you sat in a house for twenty-seven years being treated like the next damn Messiah, while we fought monsters and broke our bones. You’re trying to hide that you’re back with Cas, ‘cause even though you’re pissed at me, you don’t want me to be pissed at you and Cas.”

Dean pushed off from the wall, licking his lips before shrugging. “We’re stubborn, so I know you’ll be mad for a while. You’ve got every right. But you love me, and you’re a lot nicer than I am, so when you’re ready to forgive me, I’m willing to… make more of an effort to show you you’re valuable.”

Marion tried to keep her face stern as she looked up at her twin, but her heart was melting. “How did you know?” she whispered.

“That Cas is the reason you want your own room? He’s been leaving more and mentioning his war less. And you’ve been a lot more successful with your hunts lately. I did the math.”

“I’m still mad at you.”

“And I’m still not cool with you dating Cas, but… we’ll get over it.”

Sam looked awkwardly between his older siblings. Marion took a look at Sam, then Dean. “Eventually,” she said, with a nod, before standing and walking out of the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, Dean knows?” Castiel asked.

“Yes, but you don’t have anything to worry about. He’ll get past it.”

“I’m not worried about Dean.”

“I’m not… it’s not a big deal, Castiel. Dean kinda gave his blessing… in his own way.”

Castiel sighed loudly, sending static through the phone. “His blessing is unimportant, Marion… but it is much easier for us to be together when Dean is oblivious.”

“I understand, but… he’s observant.” She shrugged, feeling a bit confused at Castiel’s rough tone. “So, why don’t you come to Bobby’s and we’ll work through it, together?”

“I can’t. I’m only on Earth to retrieve an item. I have to get back to Heaven.”

“Oh,” she said, crestfallen. “Okay, well… I heard Dean and Bobby talking about a case… I’ll just… see if they would want me to go with them. Or I can stick around and watch out for Sam. I’ll find something to do. You just, uh, call me the next time you’re back on Earth with some extra time.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean said, setting his bag on the table next to her. “Someone’s got to stay here with Sammy.”

“Great. I’ll watch him sleep and try not to poke the wall while you’re gone,” Marion growled, before walking out into the study and flopping down on the couch. Twenty minutes later, Bobby walked in, alone. She straightened, trying to look around him. “Where’s Dean?”

“He and Sam took off together. I’m still on the fence about that boy after what he pulled last week, so… I opted to let Dean take him out alone,” Bobby answered, grabbing a bottle from his desk drawer.

Marion shook her head, anger radiating through her. “Of course. I, specifically, ask to go out on a case and Dean takes Sam, instead. I’m sensing a pattern here, Bobby.”

“He didn’t exclude you on purpose, ya know. It happened pretty quick.”

“He never does it on purpose, Bobby. But Mister always said, ‘It doesn’t matter if you meant to, because you didn’t mean not to’. He never considers, Bobby, never thinks of anyone but himself and Sam.” Marion lied down on the couch and closed her eyes. “I’m gonna take a nap… or a coma.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marion arrived in her dreamscape in her basement bedroom at the Cornwells’ home. The familiar scene of grey cinder block walls lined with full bookshelves made her smile. She breathed in deeply, a savory and sweet smell invading her nostrils. “That smells like…”

“Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and homemade yeast rolls. Mmm-mh, good,” Lucifer said, appearing on the stairs.

Marion’s eyes went glossy as she looked up at him. “You set up my favorite meal for me? Why?”

Lucifer smiled as he appeared next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Thought you might need it. I mean, Sam and Dean went off to fight evil without you. Brother Castiel is too busy to have a drink with you. Bobby’s got his mouth to the bottle, just on the thought of being around Sam after what he did. Thought you’d enjoy a calm family moment, even one that’s not real.”

“Luke! Is she sleeping? What is taking so long?” Mister’s voice called from upstairs.

“They think I’m 29 and I go to your church.” Lucifer winked and pushed her toward the stairs.

“There they are! The food’s gonna get cold,” Missus said.

Marion sat down at the square oak table, across from Mister and Missus and smiled as Lucifer took the seat next to her. This dream, it made her happy. It filled her with calm and well-being, just like Castiel had when they first met.

Mister and Missus smiled at them as they spooned food onto the plates. “I never imagined the angels would send you a disciple. I almost thought they’d forgotten about you, Marion. But Jesus was in his thirties when he started ministering,” Missus said.

“I’m not… That’s not what I’m here for, Missus,” Marion dissented. “I’m sure I’m not anything like the Nazerene.”

“Oh, hush. The angels had us save you for a reason. Now, eat your meatloaf,” Mister demanded. “How’s that taste, there, Luke?”

Lucifer smiled. “It tastes perfect. You should have a cooking show, Mrs. Cornwell.”

Marion smiled over at Lucifer. He was so much different in this setting. He didn’t seem like a powerful, almost omnipotent creature who had been intent on turning everyone into rage zombies. He seemed almost normal, and like the only person who actually wanted to be around her. Marion shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth and thanked Lucifer, silently, that he’d gotten the details of Missus’ cooking perfectly. The grin he shot at her told her he’d heard it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Lucifer helped Dream Missus clean the dishes, and as Dream Mister retired to his study, Marion snuck out onto the front porch to sit on the little wooden porch swing. She swung back and forth a bit as she stared out at the semi-familiar lights of Lawrence down below her.

Lucifer appeared next to her on the swing and looked out at the lights. “It’s kinda pretty.”

Marion leaned back. “I know I should wake up. I can feel Bobby staring at me from his desk. I can smell the coffee he brewed to nurse his hangover. It’s morning… out there in the real world. I’ve been out since last evening. I should wake up before Bobby starts checking for vital signs. But this world… this dream you made for me… I know why djinns use dream worlds now. I don’t want to go back there where I’m nothing.”

Marion ran her hand through her hair and breathed deeply. “When I was a teen, living here with those God-fearing people, I pulled away from God, just a little bit. I couldn’t help but question it, why God would let a crazy old couple turn a little girl into a false idol. They were so sure, I would be something big, someone important. I never had any aspirations for myself. Mister and Missus told me I’d never leave, not until God willed it, but even if I had… nothing I could have imagined would have been close to my life now. I’m around wonderful, powerful, special people all the time. My boyfriend is an angel. My only real friend is the Fallen Angel. I hunt demons and monsters with my brothers… when they let me go with them… I never had dreams so wonderful as my real life. So, why don’t I want to wake up?”

“Maybe… you know something is wrong. Maybe you don’t want to think about whether the vibe Castiel has been throwing off is the beginning of the end. You don’t want to question whether his distance has to do with the heartbreak God told you is looming. But…” Lucifer turned to look at her instead of the lights. “… you’ll never know for sure if you stick around here. I mean, I like the company, it’s a bit of a sausage fest in the Cage, and I like that you’ve finally recognized me as your friend, but… you have to wake up, Mare. Your brothers are facing something… different, to say the least. You need to be awake.”

A ringing sound went through the air and Lucifer smirked. “Bobby’s phone. That’s them. They need help.”

Marion sank down into the swing. “I wish I could stay.”

“I know. I’ll throw together something good for you tonight. Something like this, but better. I promise, you’ll love it. Go on. Wake up.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dragons?” Marion asked, incredulously.

“Don’t make sense to me, either, but… Dean says it’s the only thing he and Sam can come up with.”

Marion took a sip of coffee. *Luci did say it was something different.* “So, who would we talk to for dragon lore? I mean, actual dragon lore, not Tolkien or World of Warcraft lore?”

“Oh! Dr. Visyak. Gotta find my address book,” Bobby said, digging through his desk drawer.

“Dr. Visyak. Why does that name sound familiar? Did she write a book?”

Bobby looked up at her as he found the address book he was looking for. “Um, yeah, I think. A textbook on medieval studies. She’s a professor…”

“At San Francisco University. My medieval studies professor down South taught her textbook. She’s brilliant.”

“Yeah. She’s amazing,” Bobby said, pulling his phone out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marion laid down on Bobby’s couch and closed her eyes, excited for whatever Lucifer had planned for her. She appeared in a hotel lobby, with purple and black and gold streamers and balloons hanging from the roof. She could hear pulsing music behind a set of doors to her left. “What’s this?” she asked, a bit awed.

“This is your Prom, Marion. You never got the chance to go. I thought you’d like the opportunity,” Lucifer said, appearing suddenly, leaning against a table with a bunch of pictures on it.

“I don’t think we’re properly dressed, Luci,” she said, turning to him with a smile.

“Oh, silly me. Forgot the most important part.” Marion looked down and she was wearing a sleeveless red ball gown and long white gloves. She looked up and smiled at him, then frowned playfully when she saw him still wearing jeans and the flannel shirt.

“You’re still under dressed, Luke.”

“Oh, I’m not your date. He is,” Lucifer said, nodding toward a figure suddenly in the doorway to the right of her. Marion gasped a little when she saw Castiel in a black and grey suit.

“But… I don’t want to go with him.” She turned back to Lucifer. “As handsome as he looks, and as much as I would enjoy watching him struggle with a corsage… he’s not really here. And if I’m going to be at my Prom, I’d like to be there with someone who isn’t too busy to even show up in my dreams. What do you say, Lucifer? Will you go to Prom with me?”

Lucifer smirked and stood up, finally. He snapped his fingers and she turned to look as Castiel disappeared. When she turned back around to Lucifer, he was wearing a tuxedo. Marion giggled happily. “You look amazing.”

He offered his arm and she took it, walking into the ballroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marion walked outside as the boys returned, semi-victorious, from their dragon hunt. As Dean walked into the house with a bag of gold and shiny trinkets, Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the open trunk. “You okay, bro?” Marion asked.

Sam’s eyes shined with regret as he looked down at her. “I’m so sorry, Marion.”

“What? For leaving me behind? That was Dean’s fault,” she dismissed. “I don’t…”

“No, I’m…” Sam looked toward the door, then back to his sister. “I’m sorry for what I said. I know now that I’m a big part of why you feel so unimportant. I’m so sorry.”

Marion picked up a knife from the trunk and leaned against the bumper, twirling the blade. “Oh. That. Bobby tell you?”

“Cas.”

Marion nodded. “I don’t really hold it against you, Sam. I know that Soulless Sam is different than Normal Sam.” Sam seemed to relax a little, looked a bit grateful until Marion dropped the knife and looked him in his eyes. “But I do know that Soulless Sam was still Sam. And somewhere, in those dark, deep parts of you that your soul hides away, you really do think everything would be better if I’d just stayed dead. If it makes you feel any better, Sammy, I feel the same way.”

“Marion…” The sadness and guilt in Sam’s eyes only barely overshadowed the pity there.

“Sometimes, people should just stay dead, Sam. Don’t feel bad, though. God’s will or not, I’m here to stay. Do me a favor, and don’t dwell on this. We did have a good reason for not telling you the truth.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, your boyfriend’s an asshat. Should’ve asked one of us before he filled Sam in,” Dean said, sitting next to Marion on the couch and offering her an open beer.

Marion took a sip of it, keeping her distaste to herself. “Yeah. I know. I mean, Sam kinda tricked him, but… he’s an angel, he should’ve known better.”

Dean nodded in agreement and took a drink of his beer. “So, we’re gonna head out. I’ve got Sam convinced that he shouldn’t think too much. I think we’re okay to go catch a few cases while Bobby works on this ‘Mother of All’ thing and-”

“You’re not leaving me here, Dean.” Marion interrupted in a tired, but cold whisper.

“What?” Dean asked, a bit surprised at the tone.

Marion lifted her head from staring at the floor. “My boyfriend is too busy fighting to come see me, but he has time to regale my brother with a year and a half of events. I have no friends, no family but you two idiots. I am sick of looking outside and seeing junk cars. I am sick of walking into that kitchen and finding nothing but beer and condiments. I’m sick of pretending like Bobby’s taste in beer doesn’t suck. I’d much rather drink shitty beer in a shitty motel room with my brothers, knowing that I’m on the heels of kicking the shit out of some creature or demon. You can’t leave me here with my thoughts, Dean. They’re getting a bit dark.”

Dean nodded, obviously not wanting to leave his sister in such a dangerous mindset. “Yeah, okay. Might need help with Sammy, anyway.”

She leaned her head on Dean’s shoulder. “I think I know why you used to leave a trail of floozies behind you. So much easier.”

“They weren’t all floozies. Some were just naïve and tipsy,” Dean said, taking a drink, and wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

KITCHEN SINK TAGS @heyitscam99 @wonderlandfandomkingdom @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt @mrs-meghan-winchester @henrymorganme

SUPERNATURAL TAGS @letsby @mrswhozeewhatsis @adoptdontshoppets @spnskinnyballs @deansenwackles

[sol1056]

six anons: wtf were they thinking

Another round-up! I seem to have poked the hornet’s nest when it comes to the EPs --- though in some ways I was just building on the same clues that prompted such awesome meta from @janestrider​ and @ptw30​ --- and now I have a box filling up with asks, all over again.

Behind the cut: newbie writers, EP arrogance, earlier versions of S7, writerly randomness, EPs aren’t writers, and over-confidence. Welp. 

Let’s get this started.

Your words about being fascinated by this trainwreck is me 100%, I'm a newbie writer & I wouldn't dream of being this arrogant and think I can handle writing something like VLD by myself, like, premise and character arcs and characterization and consistency etc. are in my mind at all times and I still would have messed things up, but minor things like that don't even matter to the EPs apparently! VLD Is a giant What Not To Do list. How did they miss the 50 signs saying Danger: Cliff Up Ahead

and a second in the same vein:

Calling the EPs newbie writers is highly inaccurate methinks, newbie writers upon getting the reins ... sit down and write the rest of the story from scratch, trying to make it make sense and not completely ruin the premise and the character arcs. Regardless of success, they WRITE the rest, they don’t assemble random story points others wrote & copy paste things around. EPs aren’t writers.

Well, there’s newbie and there’s newbie-who-doesn’t-realize-it. 

Consider someone who’s ridden the train, every day, for the past ten or so years, always sitting in the first car near the conductor. They’ve been on the train when it’s broken down, when it’s late, when it’s early, when it has to plow through snow. Then someone offers them a supervisory position -- not as a driver, just a supervisor -- and they figure, hey, I’ve watched this enough, I can drive, too. Plus, the EPs had the power to force the real drivers to step aside, which just makes the entire situation even worse.  

In other words, they missed the signs because they didn’t even realize such signs exist. Those things you don’t learn (or even see) when you’re only watching from the outside. 

You, and everyone else replying, are classifying yourself more as the person who’s gotten a job on the train, and you kinda know trains, and you know they can break down, but driving it? Whole ‘nother ball of wax. 

Hold onto that humility. It’ll serve you well as a writer. Even once you reach the point you can confidently handle a complicated storyline, you still want to retain that humility, because it’s one-half of keeping empathy for your readers. 

The irony is, they were so arrogant in their belief they could do better than actual storytellers w/ years of experience (also presumably execs who checked up on them) that they not only loudly (and unprofessionally) complained about specific parts, but also broadcasted that they changed the story, and gave many clues as to where and above all why. 

You have no idea how many times in the past two years my jaw has dropped in complete shock when yet another EP quote has gone by on my dash. I cannot fathom making public that I disagreed with my bosses --- let alone using an interview to re-litigate a case I’d already lost. Well, I could, but only if I didn’t expect to have a job much longer. And that bit about doing “damage control” as a result of exec demands? Jeepers crow, dude. 

(there have been points where all I can say is, ‘wtf do these people have on their bosses to get away with this!?’ photograph negatives for blackmail? sleeping with an exec? I mean, srsly.)

On a more serious note, I’m constantly reminded of the old adage about innkeepers: you want to appear as a swan, gliding peaceful and serene, and never let the guests see that you’re paddling as fast as fuck under the surface. These EPs need a major come-to-jesus about that, because they’ve gone out of their way to splash loudly on a regular basis.

Then again, I don’t think either EP has much (if any) experience with interviews where they’re the main attraction. They seem ignorant of the fact that an interviewer is not your friend; there’s an agenda, and that agenda is to get clicks: something controversial, surprising, that’ll bring the eyeballs. The good interviewers can and will manipulate for their agenda. This is why PR people are usually present (if off-screen), because they’ll know the warning signs and call a halt, set certain questions (or answers) as off-limits. 

Most of the EPs’ interviews, there’s been no sign of PR. Hell, the EPs have admitted in interviews they couldn’t remember what had happened in the season they’re being interviewed about! (wtf srsly wtf) If we got more than we should’ve, that’s also on the EPs for not realizing they were getting played. 

And while I’m at it: an interview is not where you tell the story. Explain what did happen? Sure, though that’s a tacit acknowledgement that the story failed, if it requires your explanation after the fact. But to tell things that are vital to the story but don’t actually happen in the story? No. Just no. 

did we really get an interview where the EPs confirmed there was an original script with Shiro as the Black Paladin? If that's the case then HOLY CRAP. Talk about a missed opportunity.

Yep, I saw the quote but didn’t chase down the source. I think it was one of the interviews shortly after S7 aired. You’d need to ask someone who still reads all those interviews, since I don’t. I only see what goes past on my dash.

Well, missed opportunity but also... we all know (or should know) that the first idea is never what makes it to page or screen. And once the story’s done and the dust has settled, then you can do a track commentary about how the story changed between idea and execution. 

While the story’s in progress? Nope, nope, nope. You smile and say it’s all going according to plan, it’s an awesome season, you hope everyone enjoys it, everyone went the extra mile, etc. You say nothing about the disasters, the late-night sessions, the last-minute changes. If you can’t be a swan, be a cat: yep, we totally meant to do that.

To say what JDS did? I still cannot fathom why anyone would ever say that. There is no fandom on this planet that wouldn’t have some percentage enraged by news they’d been denied the story they’d expected. Hinting at discarded paths will always, always, disappoint someone --- and quite often, a lot more someones than you realize. 

Really, the only reason I can see is sheer contempt. For the audience, for the story, for anyone who’d worked on that previous version. It’s gloating. It’s saying, a lot of people worked on it, but we decided to throw away everything they’d done, and redo it as we wanted. 

Yes, I know that happens. It’s part of the process. But you don’t freaking boast about it, and you don’t plant in everyone’s head that there was something else out there. Especially when that something else was exactly what they’d been waiting for. 

It’s an asshole move, no two ways around it. 

@janestrider's post and yours about the VLD writers and EPs reminded me of a phrase JDS said in one interview after S6 about Cosmo ... "well, I wanted to give Keith a wolf, so I did". ... he doesn't seem to consider the consequences of his actions? That's also how he decided to write the Black Paladins episode ... "I wanted to make it a Winter Soldier type of thing, so I did". It feels like something a very unexperienced professional would do.

There’s no rule against throwing something into a story that you think is cool. I mean, easily 90% of any story out there revolves around something the author thinks is just freaking cool. Considering the hours we’re going to spend writing, revising, writing again, revising again, discussing, thinking, living, breathing, eating, dreaming about the story? It’d better be something we find cool. 

But that said... there’s a difference between making sure the story fires you up, and treating the story like a tossed salad. I’ve seen multiple pull-quotes from LM that affirm their approach was to chase the rule-of-cool. And... that’s not quite so okay, really. 

The Black Paladins episode is probably the best example, and ironic that it’s the only one JDS wrote, ‘cause it’s textbook failure. If you cannot hold the entire story in your head, then you will be blind as to how tossing in this idea or that -- no matter how cool -- may halt, muddy, or even undermine the story’s forward movement. When you can’t even pace a story properly, throwing in extra cool is just going to make the whole thing even more rickety. 

I did a long walk-through on that episode to outline how I’d translate it into a written story, and I’d planned to do a follow-up talking about the emotional aspect. The problem is... once I had a chance to think about the episodes after, there is no emotional context to that fight. Sure, it got a huge budget and attention, and it’s hyped like a big deal. 

But there’s no there, there. 

None of it matters. Keith went through all that for someone who wasn’t even his friend, someone who dies (or whatever) right after and is treated like an empty shell. And the one who rescued him wasn’t even the person he’d fought, but the person he’d thought he was fighting for and with -- who was dead, the whole time. The two episodes that follow basically gut the entire premise --- and all the emotion --- of that fight scene, and render it null. 

And that’s where the rule-of-cool smashes up against the need to hold the shape of the story in your head. You need to see the big picture of how each scene supports the story’s theme. JDS hasn’t the chops to see how what he’d created was promptly undone by what came next. 

Oh, I’m aware there are lots of fans who loved that episode and he sure basked in the accolades, but I can’t ignore that in the end, it means nothing. No one pointed out this will impact another thing downstream, or this later thing undermines what came before, or this breaks a continuous motif, or contradicts a theme. Anything. 

Or maybe someone did, and JDS told them that as the EP, he got the final say. Frankly, from the way he talks in interviews, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if that’s how it went down. 

@lysanatt commented on a post:

This to some degree even explains the over-confidence of EPs that avoiding the BYGs trope did not apply to them because, sure, they could do it better, landing them in the exact trap of doing a classic double BYG.

Call it what it is. It’s not over-confidence. It’s arrogance.

It’s complacency in over-estimating social capital as to what an audience might forgive or overlook. It’s an assumption that job titles or IMDB entries or the nice things people had said on twitter could be protection from being held accountable. It’s certainty that a rigid and uncreative vision of the story can and should override all other concerns, including the larger playing field in which this story is only one of millions. 

It’s a lack of concern for real-world damage. A lack of care for the craft. A lack of understanding that there even is a craft and it’s not learned overnight. A lack of willingness to stop and think about what the story is saying, what it means, what it’s trying to do. 

It’s an inflexible certainty, engendered and enabled by the near-constant attentive interviews and adoring reviews. It’s an inability to hold onto (or listen to) any reality-checks when it comes to hype. It’s falling so hard into enjoying the ego-strokes of constant interview and congratulatory reviewers and forgetting no one is doing anything out of altruistic reasons. Including them. 

In the end, it’s a complete failure of empathy. It’s near-constant trolling of execs and the audience at large, a broken record of obvious contempt. It’s an amoral and frankly callous disregard for the characters, the story, the messages, the themes. 

It’s never seeing the characters as people, and never seeing the audience as people, either. Stories matter because we, as human beings, care about other human beings, real or fictional --- a care the EPs have made clear they cannot, or will not, afford anyone but themselves. 

[bughead-fic-request]

I would like to thank @leaalda for making these amazing banners.

This is an effort to spread the word about all fan fiction writers in our little fandom. If you would like to be featured or nominate a writer, please contact me. Please reblog this post if you can and check out some of @onceuponamirror work!

1. First things first, if someone wanted to read your stories where can they find them.

Ao3! url: onceuponamirror, same as tumblr. i also post on them tumblr at this point. no longer using FF, but it's got old ouat stuff.  

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm Sarah, i work in a creative field (i always vacillate between how much i like talking about my work on my blog, because i like to keep careers and hobbies separate) and i live in the states.

3. What do you never leave home without?

A hairbrush! my hair is wild

4. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

The utterly terrible combination of both

5. If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?

HP universe, obv, as long as i'm not also a muggle in this scenario. i mean. magic. need i say more??

6. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met.

I mean like, what is fame / it's a different barometer for everyone. for me, i met Regina Spektor when i was 16 and that was like touching god for that time of my life but wouldn't be now. More currently, i've met some artists/musicians that meant a lot to me, but like...feel like they might not be considered famous in the sense asked by this question.

7. What are some of your favorite movies/TV?

Parks and Rec and The Office for tv. and for movies: tbh, The Princess Dairies.

also, i was mostly an OUAT blog for the last 5 or so years, though at this point have a love-hate relationship with that show, but all those years still gotta count for something.

8. What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

Right now i'm listening to a lot of Sade, Rhye, and Sylvan Esso but Belle & Sebastian are one of those bands i've listened to my whole life and never gotten sick of, so there's that.

i like a real range of eras though; lot of groovy 70s disco, a lot of 50s dreamy doo-wop, etc. just depends on my mood.

9. Favorite Books?

I read a lot of psychology/sociology books, tbh all about love by Bell Hooks are kind of the greatest thing ever written and I highly recommend it and right now i'm reading a book about cultural relationships with independence in America. i'm into it.

But honestly I need to read more fiction because this stuff can be heavy to read back-to-back all the time. I'm on the lookout for healthy romance fiction, but it's hard to find fun rom-com books that don't feel cheesy and filled with internalized "i'm not like other heroines" misogyny.

I also like a lot of Haruki Murakami's books, but after a while, they all become some morphed story of "The Missing Wife and The Mysterious Talking Animal that leads the character through the seedy underbelly of magical realism"

(if you've read his books, you know what i'm talking about) (but if you haven't: read them!) (Kafka On The Shore and the wind-up bird chronicle are both great!)

10. Favorite Food?

Nectarines!  

11. Biggest pet peeve?

People being presumptuous. drives me bonkers

12. What did you want to be when you were little? What do you want to be now?

I'm one of those really lucky people who is doing exactly what i wanted to do as a little girl as an adult with a career!

13. What are your biggest fears? Do you have any strange fears?

I get freaked out by being near edges of any kind, which is probably just vertigo in disguise. I also don't like swimming out to spaces wherein you can't touch down (if you've read my fic heart rise above, this makes an appearance)

I also hate daddy-long-leg spiders because i used to have nightmares about them poking my eyeballs out with their freaky ass legs

14. When you are on your deathbed what would be the one you’d regret not doing?

As of right now, i'm young, so i'm trying not to look at things with regret already, but rather as things to learn from as i go forward.

Okay… lets talk about your writing!

15. Which is your favorite of the fics you've written for the Bughead fandom?

Well, i've only written 3, and one was a oneshot. The Winged Beast was something that i helped me over a lot of humps I'd been blocked by before, but I think Heart Rise Above has been an experience that has been kind of innumerably personal in terms of my growth as a writer and as an individual.

16. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

Both mc-fics have had their trials and tribulations but reaching 30k words in The Winged Beast kind of made me realize that I could do sustained plot, though for me, that story is a lot more about plot. It was a challenge to tackle the heavy themes that came up. I wanted to get it right, do it justice, but also a lot of those topics are not personal to me, so i was scared to handle it appropriately.

17. How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? Do you people watch? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?

I'm actually really inspired by Hayao Miyazaki as a storyteller, even though he's known for animation. He has this quote that i really love, so i'll just share it:

I told [Hayao] Miyazaki I love the “gratuitous motion” in his films; instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment, or they will sigh, or look in a running stream, or do something extra, not to advance the story but only to give the sense of time and place and who they are.

“We have a word for that in Japanese,” he said. “It’s called ma. Emptiness. It’s there intentionally.”

Is that like the “pillow words” that separate phrases in Japanese poetry?

“I don’t think it’s like the pillow word.” He clapped his hands three or four times.

“The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it’s just busyness, but if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at 80 degrees all the time you just get numb.” (http://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/hayao-miyazaki-interview)

Ma as a concept of breath within scenes is something i really consciously put into my writing. Both as in breaks wherein it's just a quiet, observed action---and as in, literally. My characters are always physically exhaling and sighing and breathing between speaking. like. constantly. probably to a fault.

I also try to explore this through pacing and structure of paragraphs, as well. bricks of text are not fun to read, so i break things up a lot more than i probably should.

I get into my writing inspirations with more detail down a few questions, but: i always set out with thematic structures in mind.

For example, i wanted to write the winged beast because i'm super excited by the upcoming "class divide/civil war" plot for season 2 and wanted to write a canon divergent serpent jug story! i also wanted to address "dark betty" because i thought there was a lot more nuance to the anger inside her, coming from a place of moralistic justice and disillusionment, and not just simplified into some sort of evil alter ego.

I was seeing a lot of romanticization of the Southside serpents too, so it kind of turned into half of an exploration the cycle of gang psychology through classism; empathy but not rosy glasses. the fic kind of devolved into a story about drug epidemics too, at some point. idk. like i said above, heavy themes.

With heart rise above, it was the concept of time; how much we have of it, what we do with it, and how we handle the passage of it/marks left behind but i'll come back to that.

Tangentially to this original question, i think my training/career as an artist has had a pretty interesting impact on the way that i write. i'm a visual learner, and i see things so clearly in my head as moving scenes; as if i'm watching a movie of what i'm writing---but literally the whole picture. the music in the background to highlight the mood, the expressions on their faces as they happen, etc. it's also why i use a ridiculous amount of visual metaphors, i think, because i'm borderline obsessed with atmospheric graphics.

Idk if others do this too though, i haven't talked to a lot of other writers about process. (however if you'd like to, please please @ me, because that's my favorite thing in the world)

18. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

I think a multi-chapter (or, at least, more than 4) fic set in another era, or at least one that's pre-1900. I'd get too obsessed with making it feel relatable and readable but also being accurate to the history and getting all the facts right but also while really not wanting to write any "historically accurate" sexism/racism etc. so it just wouldn't work for me.

19. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

Hmm. i think if i could go back and do it again, i would add in a lot more at the beginning of The Winged Beast and move things a lot more slowly as jug and betty got to know each other.

That story was a lot of me testing the waters and getting back into the swing of writing while also pushing myself to write a multi-chapter fic, which I'd never successfully done before, so i definitely set a low bar in the beginning. I wanted to keep it to like, 12 chapters, so I think I rushed things at the start.

20. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

Disclaimer: this turned into an essay and I'm not even sure I answered the question

I feel like overall my favorite plot point is just thematic structure. I know that's a broad answer to a direct prompt, but I'm gonna take this there anyway because I get pitchy about process. so! i set out to explore a few things in Heart Rise Above. One: the cycle of a person's greatest strength usually also being their greatest flaw.

(Betty as a person who is so giving, that she never gives to herself. Jug as the apt observer, who observes within his own life rather than live it. etc etc)

Two: thematically, I really, really wanted to explore time.

I wanted explore both jug and betty coming to grips with the identities formed by adolescence and whether or not those have had inhibitive impacts---as in, coming to terms with change. insofar as represented physically, as friends all start to head in different directions or make career choices, but also emotionally, as people start making the personal growth decisions for ourselves that force them to often choose themselves over work, family, relationships, etc.

Basically: the reflective transition from childhood to adulthood, and how when we reach our mid-twenties we're kind of forced to think about what has defined the last 20 years of our life vs. how we want to define the next.

(lmao I'm also definitely working through some personal shit, considering i'm turning 25 soon) (like, really working through something)

This is also why I set the story with such a specific time constraint: a very looming 3 weeks that sets the stage for the relationship tension. it makes them both question a lot of what they're feeling and whether or not their emotions are exacerbated by time, or the opposite.

It's also why I heavily have peppered the story with quote-un-quote timeless americana aesthetics (the one the tv show loves playing with: neon signs, vintage cars, etc) (and on my end, also doo-wop music that is equal parts lovely and sad and absolutely meaningless in terms of language) because i really want the story to feel stagnant because of while also ominously shadowed by time.

Also omfg i'm sorry for unloading this actual goddamn thesis on a very simple question. i'm a massive over-thinker and I love to talk about this kind of thing and i haven't had a chance to put these thoughts out in such a direct way so it just exploded outta me. I'm sorry, I know this was annoyingly winded.

21. Favorite character to write?

Probably Veronica. Jughead is fun too, and has the kind of measured angst vs. wry wit that is satisfying to parcel out in sustained character growth, but Veronica has that kind of silver tongued whip that lets me exercise a type of voice i would never otherwise get to.

I mean, who the fuck else would say, "just enough décolletage to make your mail-order love interest swoon" and get away with it?

22. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you've written?

Betty tucks a damp, tousled strand of hair behind her ear. Jughead's eyes follow the movement.

This line was the last sentence of chapter 6 of heart rise above. It was this intensely visual scene in my head that I really wanted to read that way; while saying almost nothing but representing a major shift in their relationship. i'm not sure it sells without the context, but within the chapter I feel like I pulled it off, so I'm proud of it.

23. Best comment/review you’ve ever received?

writing-as-tracey and @village-skeptic always leave me the kindest, most thoughtful reviews that really makes me feel stupid kinds of happy inside. I put a lot of thought into my writing and when the little details I don't want to over-sell but not go unnoticed are picked up on, it means so much.

24. How do you handle bad reviews or comments?

I had a troll once, which is different. I just deleted it all but I think being able to handle constructive criticism is really necessary in all parts of life, so it's important to take those kinds of points in stride and not personally. we always can be better!

25. If you could change anything in any of your stories, what would it be?

kinda answered this in #19

26. What is your favorite story you’ve ever written? Any fandom?

Definitely Heart Rise Above!

27. What are you reading right now? Both fan fiction and general fiction?

Answered for the on-paper books above in #9, but as bughead fics, really loving the work of @lessoleilscouchants, @sylwrites, and @stillscape right now! but there's so much more to get to, I feel like I'm just barely scratching the surface.

28. Do you have an advice for writers that want to get into this fandom but might be scared?

yo idk, i was kinda lurking on Riverdale for months and then i just...started writing for it, without really accepting or realizing that indicated how much i liked the show/bughead. it wasn't until about 30k into The Winged Beast that i was like "ok ok ok I guess i'm here now" and actually started sharing my fics on tumblr too.

Also, I'm honestly not sure if this question was meant to be about entering fandom or entering writing, so i'm just gonna answer it as both i guess.

So, I guess that means my advice is, very ironically, to not think too much about metrics beforehand, and just start doing it, which, I realize, sounds completely at odds for how much i've talked about process and over-thinking.

What i mean is: get passionate about what you want to write, and write it for yourself. I’m encouraged by reviews to an immeasurable degree, but i'm telling these stories because i really want to explore certain themes or certain parts of the characters i love. if you're not doing it because you're excited by it, you just won't have the motivation to get through it, honestly.

So find out what it is you love about Riverdale, or about your ship, or about your fave character. then write that down, and then make a story around that. if your favorite part about jughead is that he pushes people away because he's afraid of getting hurt, write a story about why he is that way. etc

Ask yourself a lot of questions about what or who you like and why you like that. fandom is a really useful looking glass into ourselves and reflecting on what we're interested in or have gone through by way of analyzing what it is that resonates with us. turning that into fic is just a deeper part of that self-exploration. (again---i love psychology)

And comment on other people's stories! that really creates the sense of back-and-forth that builds a community. but i'm still poking my head around the fandom side of Riverdale/bughead and am more or less still living on ole hermit mountain, so there's a long learning curve and an individual way to do it.

[translationandbetrayals]

Animal Crossing had a movie?

Most people can agree that doing chores is boring, but what if you could make them in the virtual world?. The answer is pretty fun, actually. Today I will be talking about the Animal Crossing Movie that was released in 2006 in Japan, but first let talk about the game that started it all!

The game Animal Crossing was first released in 2001 as a Japan-only game called Doubutsu no Mori.

Doubutsu no Mori (Animal forest in english) was originally developed as an RPG for the Nintendo 64DD, but later they decided to rather release it for the Nintendo 64. Since the 64DD had better hardware capabilities than the original 64, a lot of changes had to be done: the RPG elements(such as dungeons and bosses) were scrapped. Although the game’s main features were kept: the relationship with the animals and an environment that progresses in real life time. This last one was one of the most important things of the game, as one day in real life was also one day in Doubutsu no Mori. Many things were time gated, which made coming back every day a really fun and interesting adventure.

The game is about you, a human kid, moving to an Animal Village to live a simple life surrounded by trees and a lot of talking animals. You can collect fruits, bugs, fossils, decorate your home and most importantly, interact with all of the animals, each one of them having a different personality and traits(hence the “Communication Game” label in the box).

The game features a  simple gameplay, it is not focused in any particular goals, as the player can interact with the game in any way they want to. The game most unique feature is that each player experience is different; the Village you live in is randomly generated and the villagers that live in them are chosen randomly from a list. 

A couple of moths after the release of Doubutsu no Mori, the game was ported to the Gamecube as Doubutsu no Mori+, adding some extra features. Most importantly, the game was also released worldwide as Animal Crossing. This version of the game wasn’t just a translation though, instead the team of Nintendo of America had to do a lot of localization work, after all, the original game was full of japanese culture references. For example, the Bell Shrine was replaced for a wishing well, and Hatsumoude for New Years Eve. Some furniture and clothing were also removed or replaced. But it wasn’t just a work of removing, they also included a lot of new events such as Thanksgiving, April Fools and even Spring Cleaning. Later, Animal crossing was ported back to japan as Doubutsu No mori e+, due to the game having a lot of interesting new stuff.

All four iterations of the game

In 2005 a sequel was released for the Nintendo DS, Oideyo Doubutsu no mori, or Animal Crossing: Wild World in America. The game was total a hit. It sold very very well, so Nintendo decided to capitalize on this by making a feature-length film based on the game.

*Side note, I’ll be using both Japanese and English names for the characters like this: Japanese(English), also, Spoilers Ahead

Gekijouban Doubutsu No Mori (The Animal Forest Movie) released in 2006, it’s a very special and weird movie. It doesn’t follow the classical 3 act structure of most western films, so to me it felt a little strange. Many times during the film I was like “Oh, maybe the movie is gonna be about this”, but no, the movie doesn’t do that.

The intro sequence is just like in the game, the -human- protagonist Ai is travelling in a taxi with Kappei(Kapp’n) and talking about her destination: Doubutsu Mura(Animal Village). The film has a lot references to the game, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot. The introduction sequence is just the first of many.

Intro sequence, movie vs game

After Ai arrives at the Animal Village, we begin a very long but charming introduction sequence. We start meeting the characters that we will be seeing throughout the film, each one of which exude a lot of personality from the very first moment we see them. This helps to build a familiar atmosphere to the one in the game. It’s incredible how much they nailed this, because anywhere the movie goes, each detail reminds you of the game; whether it is the gorgeous backgrounds, the awesome music, familiar locations and the way characters act and speak.

Ai visiting Able Sisters, a location in the game too

I think that this rich atmosphere is something that’s both good and bad. Yes, it makes you feel really at home if you are familiar with the game, but it can make you very confused if you are not. For example, one of the other human characters, Yuu, is seen wearing different outfits throughout the film, something that’s a big part of the game and it might not make you question anything at first, but then we see him wearing facial hair, and then a monk ponytail. Also there is an scene where Totakeke(K.K. Slider) is introducing himself in japanese, but then he starts singing like he sings in the game(high pitched nonsensical sounds), and again, if you are not familiar with the game you are gonna be really confused.

Totakeke

Anyway, after a while we are introduced to our main cast, Yuu which is a human kid from another village; and three animals Buuke(Rosie), Sarii(Margie) and Aruberuto(Alfonso). Yuu is a representation of a more advanced player, we can see him doing stuff you do in the game like catching bugs or making villagers fall into holes, wearing different outfits and hunting for treasure.

Ai and Sarii

Out of the three Animal characters the most important is Sarii, she becomes Ai’s first friend, and a lot of the plot is based around the relationship between these two characters. We learn that Sarii has a dream of becoming a fashion designer, because of this she later leaves the Village(another thing that can happen in the game), but without telling Ai, this leaves her with a sad feeling, although this inspires her to pursue her own dream or “cherry pie” as both friends used to refer to their dream or passion. She was very puzzled about what her “cherry pie” was, but out of nowhere a series of bottles with a letter inside start to appear on the chore(this also happens in the game!), the letters have cryptic messages about planting Pine trees so that a miracle could occur during the Winter Festival. Ai realizes that this is her chance so she follows what the letters said. 

Animal Village during the Winter Festival

When the moment finally comes a UFO appears in the sky, with no other than Jonii(Gulliver) inside, he ask the people of the village for help to find the 5 missing pieces of his ship(this event can also happen in the game). The villagers quickly realize that he is not a real alien, but decide to help him anyway. Ai and her friends start searching for the pieces, and when they find the last one they realize that there are 6 parts instead of 5. This extra part wasn’t one of Jonii’s missing pieces, instead they discover that it’s actually a baby UFO that stranded on the village. A series of real UFOs start to appear in the sky, as the little baby UFO starts moving and gets healed of its wound thanks to a ray from what seems to be the mother ship. The UFOs leave, but before they leave a surprise: Ali’s face in the sky.

The villagers are really impressed by this, so much in fact that they decide that the winner of that year Winter Festival should be Ai. After this the movie ends with a final message from Ai,saying that this was the first time that she really felt part of the Animal Village.

  As a fan of animal crossing I can say that it’s a great movie. You can clearly see that there was a lot of effort and care put into making this movie feel as much as the game as possible. They even brought people that work in the original games to help make the movie. 

But the movie also has some flaws. There are many subplots in the movie, like Apollo’s flowers or his relationship with Bianka(Whitney), that go nowhere. They are not addressed after they are set up, and it kinda feels like they just didn’t have enough time to develop these stories properly. Some other subplots, like when they into a cave looking for fossils, feel too short and kinda out of place. I’m not saying that these are not enjoyable moments, but they are not used for anything else. This makes me feel like this shouldn’t have been a movie, if anything it should have been an anime, or maybe a series of OVAs. The little stories would have worked way much better if it was a TV series instead of just one film, where it feels like they crammed as many stories as they could.

But don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel like this ruins the entire movie. Personally, this just leaves me with an empty feeling, like I really crave more movie. Sadly there was never a part 2, even though the movie sold well. And what pisses me off the most, is the fact that the movie was never released worldwide(just like many other anime/movies/games nintendo has done in the past). I discovered the existence of this movie not a long ago. Nintendo aired the film again(Japan only) in March of this year due to the release of Animal Crossing New Horizons, but still no worldwide release :( 

There’s a lot of humor and charm in every scene, and it really makes for enjoyable movie. I’d recommend you to watch it, even more so if you are an Animal Crossing fan.

  I would like to leave with my favourite quote from the movie:

“When you are starving, you become sad. And when you are sad, you become hungry.”

Luis Sobarzo

[mst3kproject]

313: Earth vs the Spider

First we had It Conquered the World, in which It failed to even conquer the town of Beechwood.  Now we have Earth vs the Spider, in which the poor Spider is badly outnumbered even when it, too, is only really menacing one small California town.  It's an incongruous title in other ways as well, but I'll get to that.

High school student Carol Flynn is worried when her father doesn't return from a drive, so she and her rather tactless boyfriend Mike set out to see what's keeping him.  There's no trace of the man, but they do find a huge silk rope across the road, which they follow into a cave, which turns out to be home to a spider the size of a house!  A giant dose of DDT appears to kill it (along with the entire rest of the cave ecosystem), so a teacher has the gigantic corpse taken back to town and stored in the school gym so that scientists from across the country can come and study it. Before that can happen, however, the spider is brought back to life by the Power of Rock N Roll, and soon it's off on the inevitable rampage!

The movie never tells us how they got the huge spider back to town.  Did they just strap it to the top of a truck?  Did they airlift it with a helicopter?  In either case, how did they first get it out of the cave?  Maybe they used whatever it was they did to transport King Kong to New York.

Other than that, it's kind of hard to find anything to say about Earth vs the Spider. It's another bland, by-the-numbers sort of movie that doesn't really have anything to make it stand out from the pack.  It's something to look at for seventy minutes, but it doesn't linger.  The most memorable thing about it is the scene in Lilo and Stitch where it's playing on the televisions in a shop window and Stitch finds it inspiring.

That said, the movie is not necessarily bad.  In fact, there are places where it pays a surprising amount of attention to everyday details that help make the silly story feel more grounded.  For example, Carol's father doesn't seem to have been a very responsible man, but at the same time we can tell he and Carol were very close and she takes great offense whenever anybody else refers to his poor reputation.  Yet in spite of her love for him, she knows she has no grounds to defend him, either, and is eventually forced to admit that his having run off to gamble his paycheque away is a very real possibility.  Her distress over the loss of the bracelet he bought for her would seem like an over-reaction under other circumstances, but understandable due to her grief at his death.

Other character also have nice touches like this.  The fact that Mike keeps putting his foot in his mouth, or that he doesn't have his own car but must borrow one from a friend, make the characters feel more like real teenagers even if the actors don't always look the part.  It's also nice to see that the kids actually have parents who can be supportive, worried, or strict by turns, as the situation demands.  The small town setting makes it plausible that the characters cannot consult with scientists or the military about their spider problem.  The closest thing they have is their high school science teacher.  He's not exactly on the cutting edge of research, so he uses what he's familiar with rather than coming up with some esoteric technobabble solution to the monster.

So the characters are fairly convincingly written (George Worthing Yates also co-wrote Them!, which is easily the best of the 50's giant bug movies), but unfortunately they're less-convincingly played.  I kind of have a thing for June Kenney (Carol), who looked awfully cute in her circle skirts and sailor collars, but she's not a good actress.  She always sounds like she's trying too hard, which makes her the opposite of Eugene Persson (Mike), who sounds like he's barely trying at all.  If they were both at the same end of this scale it might work, but the fact that they're equal opposites just emphasizes how much they both suck.  The Sheriff's skepticism when he first hears about the spider is understandable, but Gene Roth's overacting does neither him nor the movie any favours.

Special effects are a mixed bag.  A composite shot of Mike and Carol running along a ledge doesn't look bad – you can buy that they're actually in Carlsbad Caverns for the purposes of the movie.  A moment later, however, we see a tarantula move through the same image of the cavern, which has now been cut out so that the spider can pass behind the rock formations without an expensive process shot.  This looks terrible, and there's a spot where you can see the edge of the cut-out cardboard.  The dried-out victims that have been drained by the spider are amusingly gruesome, but the skeletons strewn around the cave are obvious plastic.  The huge strands of silk that make up the spider's web look quite nice, all filamentous and springy, but when we see bits of the spider in the same shot as the humans they always look hideously fake.

Come to think of it, where are all those skeletons supposed to have come from?  We don't hear about a rash of car accidents or missing persons along that stretch of road – maybe we should have, since it would give extra foundation to Carol's fears for her father's safety.  There's got to be a dozen or more corpses sitting around in there.  Who were these people?

The spider itself is realized (quote unquote) like all Bert I. Gordon's giant creations are – mostly through superimposed shots of a live tarantula, with a bit of very limited puppetry.  While the latter is, as I've already observed, pretty dreadful, the process shots here are about as good as they ever got in such movies.  Certainly they're a hell of a lot better than the bugs with holes in them of King Dinosaur or The Cyclops.  The angles are matched very well to the background footage, and the spider is never obviously transparent.  As long as it's not expected to interact with its environment or the characters, it's quite acceptable.  It seems that by this point in his giant bug movie career, Gordon had a good handle on what he could and could not get away with, at least as far as superimposition went.

(Incidentally, if you're wondering why you've never heard of a 'bird spider', that's because it's a species found mostly in the rainforests of Columbia and Venezuela.  Bird spiders are golden-brown in colour and about as big as a bread-and-butter plate, make poor pets because of their aggressive temperament, and never come anywhere near the southwestern United States unless a human brings them there.  The furry little spider the movie shows us, supposedly representing a normal-sized bird spider, looks like an ordinary Chilean rose-hair to me. Rose-hairs are half the size of a bird spider (also called a goliath bird-eater... because yes, they do) and not even in the same genus, though both are in the tarantula family.  Spider nerd out.)

Unusually for a Bert I. Gordon movie, Earth vs the Spider never delves into the question of why there's a giant spider running around.  His other movies all give excuses for embiggening things: Glenn Manning's cells were mutated by exposure to the plutonium bomb, the locusts in The Beginning of the End ate irradiated grain, Empire of the Ants blames a toxic spill, and Village of the Giants has the Goo.  None of these are very plausible, but they all make it over the 'just accept it' threshold so we can get to the story beyond.  Earth vs the Spider brings the idea up, but never bothers to do anything with it.  The teacher notes that while the spider may be dead, 'the principle that caused it to grow' is not, and it's important to study this so they won't end up with more giant spiders that could easily overwhelm human civilization.

This idea is somewhat reminiscent of Them!, in which the elder Dr. Medford fears that the ants, which breed faster and build more efficiency, will drive humanity to extinction.  Unlike in Them!, however, the plot point serves only as an excuse for bringing the spider into town so it can wake up and have stuff to wreck.  Nobody ever finds out why it was so big, and at the end the cave is sealed up with explosives while the mystery remains un-solved – it's never even referenced again.  In the other Bert I. Gordon 'giant creature' movies, the beastie's origin is frequently key to its defeat.  In The Amazing Colossal Man the scientists are able to find a cure for Glenn's condition after they realize what effect the plutonium bomb had on his bone marrow.  In Village of the Giants, Genius discovers an antidote to the Goo.  Earth vs the Spider?  Nothing doing.  Why did they even bother to bring it up? It seems like the best approach might have been to just not worry about the origin of the spider and hope the audience wouldn't think of it themselves.

This is the other place where the title seems very strange.  The idea that the spider is a menace to the entire Earth is merely an exaggeration, but the title Earth vs the Spider also seems to imply that the spider itself is from somewhere else, like the interdimensional spiders of The Giant Spider Invasion.  If you're gonna give us a Spider from Nowhere, fine, but don't do that after a title that seems to promise us a Spider from Mars!

I am not watching Giant Spider Invasion next week.  Fifty-foot spiders are something I have to pace myself with or I'll run out of things to say about them.

[havekiddoswilltravel]

Holiday Gift Guide for on the go Families who Already own way too Much Stuff

Not Your Typical Family Holiday Gift Giving Guide

The holiday season is rapidly approaching and as our family prepares for our first Thanksgiving and Christmas in our new home, I’ve been pondering how we will manage the desire to give our kids meaningful gifts, while resisting the urge to fill every square inch of our home with unnecessary clutter. 

This gift guide is not your typical Toys R Us and Black Friday catalog shopping list. **Disclosure: we don’t do Christmas lists at our home, so it’s easy for us to make giving an intentional experience. My hope is to inspire you to use the next two months to instill in your families a love for others and value time spent while creating memories. 

I recognize that grandparents, aunts and uncles are well meaning in their gift giving attempts. They truly want to love of your family with gifts. The best thing that you can do to nurture that desire while still being true to your family values, is to help guide them by suggesting gifts that encourage learning, experiences, cultural or memory making opportunities.

Let’s dive into 2017′s not Your Typical Family Gift Giving Guide!

 Memory Making Gifts

1. The gift of time spent together versus more stuff: 

The options here are endless.

Click on the links below to read about some of our family’s favorite New England day and overnight trips.

Block Island

Boston

I know that Brewster is part of the Cape, but it really deserves it’s own link.

Cape Cod

Rhode Island

Maine

Martha’s Vineyard

White Mountains

Here are some Road Trip options for those looking to keep costs down while checking items off their Bucket List.

2. One of our family’s most memorable gifts, has been the laughter shared at an “The Original Harlem Globetrotters” game. Click here to check if they will be in your area for their upcoming season. We already know that they’re coming to Hartford in February of 2018.

3. Cooking Class: my amazingly talented friend, Celeste Borelli offers personal chef services via her website She Likes to Stir Things Up. Even if you don’t live in CT, I’m sure that you can find someone near you offering Cooking Classes, Meal Preparation and Private Parties. 

4. Book a Horse Drawn Sleigh Ride: Local farms like Wood Acres Farms offer them for couples, families and group.

5. Family Portraits: One of my favorite gifts for grandparents is canvas portraits of our family. Let me explain. We live far from grandparents, great aunts/uncles, aunts/uncles, godparents and extended family and friends and there’s something touching about our parent’s response to receiving a framed or canvas picture of their grandchildren. If you wish to make this gift even more personal, schedule an extended family photo session and include your siblings and their children. This is a gift that will be valued for generations to come. If you’re in CT or have family nearby, I highly recommend  Rebecca Wilhite Photography. Rebecca offers the option of mini sessions, full sessions, gift certificates and full photography services. She also participates in Gively, which is an online service that allows brides and mothers to be to register for photography related gifts rather than more stuff. What? How cool is that!

Click here to book a session or to order a gift certificate.

Limited Time Only! 82% off all premium canvas prints from CanvasOnDemand! Code: UnlimitedAFF offer ends 11/13/2017

I realize that we’re living in a digital age and that times have changed, however allow me to challenge you to at least attempt to schedule a photo session or at least grab your own camera and take pictures of your family until you get the one that best reflects your personalities. Confession time: I absolute detest mail and have actually been chastised by our mail woman for not checking our mailbox often enough. Once December 1st arrives, I rush to the mailbox daily in order to open the cards with pictures and updates from family and friends throughout the world. If time and money permit, please continue sending these cards. It sure beats all the junk mail and bills that we normally get.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Wilhite Photography

I understand that it’s already November and Thanksgiving is a few weeks away. If you’re feeling pressed for time and can’t pull off a family picture session in time for the Holidays, this next suggestion is for you.

Are you ready?

Go online and order a frame of your choice. My favorites are these distressed wood frames which come in a variety of colors. Include a note inside the frame saying: This note will be replaced with a professional picture of you and all your grandchildren on (insert date). This gift will bail you out and buy you some time to schedule that portrait session. 

6. Create unforgettable family memories while taking in a show at The Bushnell Center for Performing Arts.

A Christmas Story

Enjoy this holiday classic together on Friday, November 24 at 7:30pm for this ONE NIGHT ONLY discount offer. For every pair of adult and child tickets purchased, you get 50% off both! For discounted tickets call us at (860) 987-5959 to order with a credit card. Offer expires on Monday, November 20 at 3:00pm.

The Hip Hop Nutcracker

This will be our family’s second year attending The Hip Hop Nutcracker and trust me, you won’t regret watching it. 

Handel’s Messiah

If your family has never heard this masterpiece, you won’t want to miss this opportunity while it’s in CT this December.

Take advantage of this discount code: CHORALEFAN to get 10% off. You can also go to the Bushnell box office and purchase $10 student tickets. 

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Let Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater lift your spirits with dance that reveals our common humanity and our capacity to endure. Engage your emotions when the world’s most popular modern dance company returns with contemporary works that touch on timely topics and the beloved classic Revelations, Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece that fervently explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.

7. Meaningful prints to warm your heart. 

My friend Erin has an Etsy store called Lovely Dwelling Designs. I can’t count the number of prints that Erin has created and personalized for my family throughout the years. She’s been a huge part of my family gift giving and milestone celebrations. Here are a few examples of her work that I have around our house. Check out her Etsy page and enjoy a personalized yet easy gift giving experience. 

Lovely Dwelling Design brings you a collection of Scripture Art Prints packaged into a 2018 Wall Calendar! Pre-orders start TODAY November 20th! BUY NOW:  - Set of THIRTEEN of our exclusive Art Prints. {One for each month, plus bonus artwork on the cover} - Perforated on the top and bottom of each image for easy framing options. - Great idea for gifts this holiday season. - Up to 25% off and FREE SHIPPING when you order November 20- December 1 {Code: FREESHIPING2017; No code needed for quantity discounts} - Did I mention quantity {2-5 calendars} discount and FREE SHIPPING through December 1?

8. Gifts for the parent that quit scrap-booking. When our first daughter was born, I was meticulous about entering her weight, height and every milestone into her baby book. I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that kid 4′s baby book is mostly empty. As our family grew, my strategy around pictures and documentation of their progress had to changed. Gone are my scrap-booking days and I’ve became a photobook maker. Our kids love sitting and browsing through their own personal year in review photobook, as well as books summarizing our family’s many adventures and trips. If you’re new to Shutterfly, you can receive a free 8x8 book by using this link. 

Check out these examples of photobooks that we’ve gifted to our children throughout the years. 

9. Letters to my Daughter.  This keepsake book of twelve prompted letters offers parents a unique way to send love, support, and advice to a daughter of any age. Once filled out, sealed, and postdated, these letters will become a personalized gift that she'll treasure for years to come.

10. Letters to my Son. 

11. Watch The Emoji Movie on family movie night and have breakfast for dinner with using this  Nordic Ware Smiley Face Pancake Pan.

12.  Grandmother's Journal: Memories and Keepsakes for My Grandchild

13.  Grandma Long Distance State Mug with Quote, Personalize, All states available, Countries and Provinces too, 11oz or 15 oz

14.  Primitives By Kathy Kitchen Towel "Grandmas Never Run Out Of Kisses Or Cookies"

15.  Christmas Gift for Grandma Everything is Better in Grandma's Kitchen Funny Aprons 3-piece Cooking Apron Set with Oven Mitt and Pot Holder Funny Apron Red Greek Square

Enjoying Nature Gifts

1. Plan and book an extended family learn to ski trip or have grandparents and family members contribute toward lessons at a local ski mountain. We live in New England and thus embrace winter; maximizing every opportunity to get outdoors. 

Below are links to some of our favorite local ski mountains.

- Ski  Sundown

- Ski Butternut

Ski Butternut also offers Tubing on Friday nights and weekends, for those not yet ready to try skiing or snowboarding. Pack some hot cocoa and snacks for a picture worthy family experience. 

- Mount Snow

Additional Gifts to Inspire you to get outdoors:

2. GoPro Hero5 Black

3. Seaview 180° GoPro Compatible Snorkel Mask- Panoramic Full Face Design. 

4.  Lucky Bums Youth Snowshoes

5. Flexible Flyer 

6.  PlasmaCar

7. Slackline

8. Cruzee Balance Bike:  $10 off $75+ order (cannot be used with any other coupon or discount) Coupon code: CRUZEE10 Offer ends: 12/31/2017 at 11 PM

Ashley Kalosieh, M.A., CCC-SLP Speech and Language Therapy

Unionville, CT

(860) 866-1817

Educational Gifts

1. A subscription to an educational magazine. 33% Off Highlights Magazines Fun for Ages 0-12

2. A Place for Sam 

CT readers can make this gift extra special by coordinating to have Shawn Elizabeth George dedicate the book to your kiddos..

 A Place for Sam is an engaging story about a puzzle piece, Sam, who cannot find her place in the puzzle. Sam wants to change how she was made to fit in somewhere. The captivating character takes us beside her as she searches for her place in the puzzle. A Place for Sam is timeless story that will capture the heart of each child, parent and teacher reading it. Sam's story infuses hope that each piece of the puzzle is made exactly as it needs to be and has value and purpose...just like you!

3. ZooBooks:  These educational magazines and products make great gifts! Your entire family will enjoy a subscription to these educational magazines. I will confess that I keep these in our bathrooms and am amazed by the information that the kids learned from them. 

4. Art In History Hands-On History Kits

Give children the gift of history, art and culture with one of these Art in History Kits.

5.  Little Passports: Give your kids the world! The best kids’ gifts inspire the imagination and keep kids interested and engaged. That’s exactly what you get with LittlePassports monthly subscriptions! They have the perfect gift for all ages. 

**The links in this post are affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Save 15% on ANY subscription! Find the perfect gift for kids of all ages - but hurry, sale ends 11/15! Promo code:  Give15

6. Personalized ornament to commemorate achievement. Two of our kids are Black Belts in Taekwondo and these Martial Arts ornaments are a personalized way to remember the year that they earned their black belt.

7. Tinker Crate Save 30% On Your First Month's Box

DEAL - 30% OFF 1ST MONTH'S BOXPROMO CODE - SHARE30

-  KiwiCo is offering 60% off your first month of any KiwiCo line, and the deal starts EARLY for Have Kiddos Will Travel readers. That's right! Starting tomorrow 11/14/17 (through 11/27) KiwiCo is offering 60% off your first month. Click here to take advantage of this early bird deal.  

8. Give music lessons and/or week of music summer camp at Miller Music. 

-  Miller Music is a professional music studio offering guitar, piano and drum lessons for all ages and levels. We are located in Farmington, CT.

9. Scrabble Deluxe Edition

Unique Gifts for Diverse Families

1. Unique Backpacks for kids of color

2. Modern Menorah

3.  Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

Must haves for globetrotting families

While the intent of my Holiday Gift Guide is to minimize clutter and encourage gifts geared toward memories, the following items are for those family members who insist on you having something to open. At least these gifts will help you pack your bags and prepare for your next adventure.

1. Scratch off Map USA

2. eBags Packing Cube

3. Disney’s Animator Collection Carry-on

4. Portable Mobile Phone Charger

5. Fit Simplify Resistance Bands are a great option for traveling student athletes needing to stretch while traveling. 

6. Citypass New York -  Save 40% or more on New York's 6 best attractions with CityPASS. Shop Now!

7.  Citypass Boston -  Save 45% or more on Boston's 5 best attractions with CityPASS. Shop Now!

8. Trolls Holiday - Movie. Pre order now for under $10.00.

9.  Joby Gorillatorch Flare Adjustable and Flexible Tripod Flashlight

10. The North Face Etip Glove

11. Waboba Ball

12. Passport Covers

13.  L&C Traveler - Mini Cork Globe

14. Ultimate Travel Coloring Book

15. Learn more about your family genetic make-up with 23andMe DNA Test Ancestry Personal Genetic Service

15. I have been patiently waiting for this bag to be released.  eBags TLS Mother Lode Mini 21" Wheeled Duffel

16. Check out this Black Friday deal on the Kindle Fire for Kids

17.  My Bucketlist Journal

18.  Kate Aspen "Let the Journey Begin" Vintage Suitcase Luggage Tag

19.  Kikkerland Travel-Size Laundry Bag, World Map

Gifts for Music Lovers

1. Sonos Home Music System Everything sounds better with Sonos. 

Click here for Free 2nd day shipping at Sonos.com with code FRE2NDYSHP17, valid through 12/31/17.

- Our favorites are the Sonos PLAY:5 and Sonos PLAY:3. These systems allow you to slowly add to sound options to your entire home at your own pace. The Sonos app also allows you to control your music options right from your phone. 

2. Box Drum

3. Toca Bongo Set

4. North Country Wind Bells: these wind bells have a beautiful musical sound reminding me of ocean buoys in Rhode Island. 

Stocking Stuffers 

1.  Star Wars Cookie Cutters for Gingerbread or Sugar Cookies

2. Skyball

3. HICKIES 2.0 Performance One-Size Fits All No Tie Elastic Shoelaces

4.  LifeStraw Personal Water Filter for Hiking, Camping, Travel, and Emergency Preparedness

5. Bacon Candy Cane

6. Coffee Candy Cane

7. Pickle Lip Balm

8. Knock Knock Jokes for Kids

9. The Fart Whistle

10. Mini Sketching Kit

11.  DreamWorks Trolls Holiday Countdown

12. Bacon Strips Bandages

13. Pictionary Card Game

14.  Melissa & Doug Scissor Skills Activity Book With Pair of Child-Safe Scissors

15.  StarPack Premium Christmas Cookie Stamps Set, 6 Stamps including "Homemade"

Family Game Night Favorites

1.  Reverse Charades Board Game - Fun & Hilarious Family Games

2.  Scrabble Deluxe Edition

3.  Reverse Charades Board Game - Sports Edition

4.  Smack it! Card Game

5.  Chess Royal International Set

6.  Ideal Hot Potato Electronic Musical Passing Game

I must confess that I do keep several  Amazon.com Gift Card for Any Amount in a Snowflake Tin - handy for those difficult to give to loved ones. Also, many times teens hit a stage where they are interested in things that should require them to save. 

This gift guide will continue to grow as we get closer to Thanksgiving, so please check back often for more non clutter gift giving ideas.

Coming soon: Holiday Heart Prep... Raising Grateful Children by Focusing on Others During the Season.

This page contains affiliate links. See “Disclaimer” for more information regarding Amazon Affiliates program and my participation.

Have Kiddos Will Travel is a participant in various affiliate programs, an affiliate advertising program is designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to other websites that they are affiliated with.

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[nickireadstfc]

The Raven King, Chapter 11 – WHAT THE FUCK

In which Thanksgiving happens.

Sounds good? No, it doesn’t. But it’s time for Nicki to read The Raven King.

I was not Ready.

I was a sweet, sweet summer child.

WHAT THE SHIT JUST HAPPENED.

I WAS NOT THE FUCK READY.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT’S BEEN FOUR HOURS SINCE READING AND I STILL CAN’T FUCKING D E A L WITH THIS.

Alright. Hold up, hold up.

I will get to the absolute FUCKERY that is this TRAINWRECK OF A CHAPTER in a minute.

But first – shopping.

           Kevin stopped sniping about the road trip when he realized he could get something out of it.

They go to Exites, which is kind of dream candy land for people with Exy boners, to get Neil a few new racquets, just because they can.

To be honest, I skimmed through most of this bit in order to get to the fuckery that was promised to me at Nicky’s house.

TLDR; Kevin is buying Neil heavier racquets in order to fulfil his quest of becoming Surpreme Exy Master. What else is new.

Also, how do you pronounce “Exites”? Exits? Exit-ee-s? Exités? Wtf is this word.

There’s one bit that got my attention, though: A prime fucking Andreil Moment for the books, right there in between the racks of Exy racquets – how fitting, considering the Hot Bod Meets Racquet Incident from when they met.

           “Here’s a real question: how have you survived this long when you’re so violently self-destructive?”

Hooo boy, it’s Real Talk Time.

           He wondered why no one else had caught on, or if people noticed and just didn’t care enough to say it. (…) The focus was on what a danger he was. People talked about his trial and how it saved them from Andrew. No one said what they were doing to save Andrew from himself.

But Neil :’)))))))) noticed :’)))))))) and cares :’)))))))))) ma BOYS

           “When they finally take your medicine away, who are you going to hurt, really?”

           Andrew laughed. “I’m remembering why I don’t like you.”

           “I’m surprised you forgot.”

           “I didn’t,” Andrew said. “I just got distracted for a moment there.”

Mhmm, distracted by what exactly, mon ami.

           Andrew put a hand over Neil’s mouth to shut him up and said, “Liar. But that’s what makes you interesting. It’s also what makes you dangerous. I should know better by now. Maybe I’m not as smart as I thought I was. Should I be disappointed or amused?”

Seriously, all later drama aside, let’s not forget what a fucking Andreil chapter this is. Like. AM I READING THIS SHIT WITH MY OWN TWO EYES.

           The answer was there, right out of reach, close enough Neil could feel it, but too far for him to make sense of. Maybe Andrew felt it too, because even in his drugged haze he knew to shut up. The smile he flashed Neil mocked them both at that near-miss.

For real AM I HALLUCINATING THIS TO GIVE ME SOMETHING NICE TO MAKE UP FOR MY INEVITABLE BREAKDOWN LATER OR???

And then Kevin and Important Exy Business comes in to ruin the moment. Shame.

They get Neil’s racquets, they pay about the price of a nice sports car for them (“If Coach has a problem with the number he can take it up with me, but he should know how expensive I am by now.”, jfc Kevin chill it with the Extra will you), and then they are finally going to the Hemmick’s place.

           From the outside, the house looked perfect. The lawn and vibrant green and neatly trimmed, the cars in the driveway were new and clean, and the house was a pale blue with dark shutters.

Meaning: There are at least three bodies hidden in our basement.

           Andrew gave [the racquet] an experimental twirl, judging the weight of it, then propped it against his shoulder and started for the other cars. (…)

           “He’s got a really shiny car for a minister,” Andrew said. “I’m going to humble it.”

Bahahaha. I actually had to laugh at that. Please do.

Nicky does not agree with me, however, and takes the racquet from him, leaving it in the entrance hall of his parents’ house.

Speaking of: PARENTS.

Nicky’s mum can’t even tell her own nephews apart, which is just honestly a great fucking start.

           “Hello, Maria. How very, very nice to see you again, I’m sure. Very interesting, you letting us back in your house and all. I thought you were going to file a restraining order against me. What happened, did you lose your nerve?”

For some reason, I dislike Andrew’s sass as much as I like Neil’s. His drugged sass, that is – nothing against a good Minyard one-liner. But I still find his mock-cheery, vicious friendliness more uncomfortable and at times even annoying than anything else.

And Nicky’s dad?

About as cool a dude as an uptight bigoted Christian minister can get.

Which is to say - not fucking cool.

           Even across the room Neil could see the tense set to his shoulders (…) Neil hoped that Luther was uncomfortable because he intended to relax old prejudices.

I will bet you literally any amount that he fucking does not.

           “Are you religious?”

           “No,” Neil said. (…)

           “Why not?”

           “I’d rather not get into it,” Neil said. “I don’t want to start a fight.”

           “That’s a first,” Andrew said with a laugh.

I was about so say the same damn thing. Like – Neil “Attitude Problem” Josten, Neil “Attitude Problem” Josten, Neil “Attitude Problem” Josten – doesn’t want to start a fight?

It follows the most awkward meal I’ve encountered in a long time – polite conversation, forced as shit, with pauses in between and exactly no one enjoying themselves.

Then –

           “You’re going back to Germany?” Maria shot her husband a startled look.

           Nicky’s jaw tightened, but he looked his mother in the eye when he said, “Yes. Erik’s career is there. I wouldn’t ask him to leave just for me, and I wouldn’t want him to, anyway. I loved living in Germany. It’s an amazing place. You should visit us sometime.”

Nicky my boy I am so proud of you. I am seriously so proud right in this very moment.

Looking your mom, who has basically kicked you out for being who you are, right in the eye and refusing to be anything other than who you are takes serious, serious guts. <3

           “We cannot condone sin,” Maria said.

           “You don’t have to love the sin,” Nicky said, “but you’re supposed to forgive and love the sinner. Isn’t that what faith is about?”

           “Faith is about following our Lord’s creed,” Luther said.

My eyes are rolling so far back in my skull they actually hurt.

WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE LIKE THIS.

           “We have committed to repairing this family.” (…)

           “Enlighten us,” Andrew said. (…) “If the first step isn’t tolerance, where does a pair of bigots begin in fixing a mess like this?”

           Luther met Andrew’s stare with a calm one of his own. “With reparations for past mistakes. That is why you are here.”

With these cryptic words, Luther and Andrew disappear into the kitchen after dinner for some Fun Talk Times, of which we hear exactly nothing. Then, Luther comes back – Andrew doesn’t.

And when Neil inquires after what’s taking Andrew so long – that is when I start understanding why everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, has warned me about this chapter.

           “In fact, I think it’s promising he has been gone this long. He’ll come back when he’s finished speaking with Drake.”

           Neil’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”

SAME, NEIL.

FUCKING WHAT.

           “This dinner was not originally our idea,” Luther said. “One of Andrew’s former foster brothers came to us for help. They parted on unfriendly terms years ago, and it’s been so long since they last spoke he’s afraid their relationship is irreparably damaged. It made us think of our own familial problems and we were inspired to reach out again.”

This was the moment I started gripping my book so tight I almost ripped it, and did not let go until the chapter was over.

Neil gets his massive racquet, gets Aaron, and gets the fuck up the stairs to find Andrew.

And Andrew he finds.

I’m not quoting anything graphic here because we all fucking know what happens and I don’t wanna make anyone read that again but WHAT THE FUCK.

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCVK

At first I’d just thought they’d had a fight, shared a few punches, and then it HIT ME and I was SCREAMING, I HAVE NOT STOPPED SCREAMING FOR FOUR HOURS NOW WHAT THE F U C K.

And if all that wasn’t enough –

           Neil saw too much blood and too much skin. He knew what he was seeing, knew what this meant, but couldn’t believe it yet. That didn’t stop him from leaping at Drake.

           Aaron was faster.

AARON. FUCKING AARON.

WHAT ARE YOU THE FUCK DOING WHAT HAVE YOU DONE OH MY G O D.

THIS BOOK JUST WENT FROM ‘EDGY AND ANGSTY WITH A DASH OF IMPLIED VIOLENCE’ TO ‘ACTUALLY ILLEGALY VIOLENT AS IN FUCKING M U R D E R’ IN THE SPAN OF THREE PAGES.

WHAT

THE

FUCK

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          Andrew wore only his shirt as he lay facedown on the mattress. He was covered in blood and a hundred shadows that would darken to terrible bruises. He held onto the headboard like he was glued to it, and he was laughing.

Cue the moment my heart fucking broke.

           “Got quiet all of a sudden,” Andrew said, sounding surprised. (…) “Oh, oh, that’s unpleasant. I am not a fan of this at all.” (…) Andrew’s grin was wide and savage as he mocked his own pain.

Andrew. Andrew. ANDREW.

I cannot even put my feelings into words, just – ANDREW.

           The strangled noise Aaron made was his best attempt at Andrew’s name. Andrew, who’d barely acknowledged Aaron’s existence in the entire time Neil had known them, looked immediately to his brother. (…)

           “Andrew,” Aaron said, desperate and frightened. He held onto Andrew like he thought Andrew would disappear if he let go.

AARON. Andrew. Aaron. AARON AND ANDREW.

This is the first time I see them as brothers, not just as two people who happen to look the same. They didn’t even look the same in my head before.

Now they do, and I can picture them clear as day, sitting on a blood-splattered bed, two identical small blonde figures clinging onto each other as if their lives depend on it.

Don’t ask me if I am fucking okay. Don’t.

           Andrew touched Aaron’s temple where he himself was injured as if he expected to find an identical injury there. “Did he touch you?”

HOW IS THAT YOUR MAIN PRIORITY RIGHT NOW.

I have a very, very clear idea of how that is his main priority right now. And I am NOT FCUKING LIKING IT WHAT THE SHITS.

Oh, look – the rest of the family is here.

You know what’s also here?

The fucking pinpoint moment I start going from ‘I guess I like Andrew he has cool moments and he’s an interesting character’ to ‘I LOVE THIS MURDER MANIAC KITTEN MORE THAN MYSELF AND I WANT TO PROTECT HIM ALWAYS’

           “Don’t ask what. You know better. (…) Or do you still think this is a big misunderstanding? Go on, tell me again how I’m too unbalanced to understand normal brotherly love and affection. Tell me this is natural.”

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME.

IS THAT WHAT HAPPENED, PLEASE TELL ME YOU ARE FUCKING KIDDING ME, WHAT THE FUCK.

           “Speaking of misunderstandings, am I remembering this wrong, or didn’t you promise me you would talk to Cass? You told me she wasn’t going to foster any more children after me, but apparently she’s had six more since I left juvie. (…) How many do you think were in her house when Drake was home between deployments?”

NO

NO FUCK NO, IS THIS FOR REAL WHAT!!!!!!!!! THE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!

           “Now you let him into your house,” Andrew said. “You put him under the same roof as your son, as my brother. After everything I did to keep them away from each other?”

This is decidedly NOT GOING INTO A DIRECTION I’M LIKING.

They didn’t know. They didn’t know about all this shit, nobody knew, this has happened so many times before, and nobody knew, and the only person who did know, the only person Andrew opened up to, told him he had misunderstood being raped.

I am going to be fucking sick.

           Andrew peeled his armbands off one at a time and dropped them into Neil’s lap.

           He said something, but Neil didn’t hear him. The pale shade of scarred skin was too familiar and too startling for him not to react.

Sorry to disappoint – I’d love to be all shocked about this, except I’ve seen a billion pieces of fanart with his scars, and I also kinda had the idea myself already.

Not shocked does not mean not emotional, however. ANDREW.

A N D R E W.

The chapter is over. They’re waiting for the police and the ambulance, and the chapter is done, and I had to stuff my arm into my mouth so many times to keep me from screaming.

I have never loved Andrew more than in this very minute. Never. I am now sold on this character.

He could probably bench-press me with his attitude alone and definitely does not need my protection, but I will still protect the absolute everloving fuck out of him.

I need a moment. Or fifty.

Nicki out.