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hopeymchope · 6 months ago

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I'm finally playing Another Code Recollection!

I started it a week ago, and I just finished the "Two Memories" section. As a longtime fan of Ashley/CING/Another Code, I have THOUGHTS.

It honestly bothers me more than it should that there's no separation, really, between the first and second game. You don't go back to the title screen. You don't get some credits or anything. You complete the first game's story, and then it just says "Two Memories" "The End" and then the second game's story IMMEDIATELY BEGINS. You go straight from the big climax of one story into the lazy-days opening of another adventure, and it's JARRING. It's not a good idea. They should've had a pause, had you maybe be able to select the second game from a title screen option? Instead it's just all... one game now. And that feels WRONG to me.

It's cool we're all united under calling the device "Another" and calling her Ashley Mizuki Robins now. In the old days, her name was "Robbins" in North America and "Robins" in Europe. The device was "Trace" in America and "Another" in Europe. The original DS game even had two different translations for basically ALL the same dialogue. It was weird how you could play two English translations that conveyed the same info in distinct ways. But now, at last, UNITY! Every region will know her as Ashley Mizuki Robins, and everyone will call the machine her dad worked on the "Another." YAY.

I feel like this puzzle has stuck in the minds of those who played the original FOREVER.

3. Let's face it: None of the puzzles in this remake are remotely as clever as the ones in the original games. The way "Two Memories" made use of the DS' distinct form and "A Journey into Lost Memories" made use of the Wii Remote were SO damn creative, and that was a big part of what made the games have such an impact on the relative few who played them. With "Recollection," we still get the characters and stories we love, but losing that kind of outside-the-box puzzle design kinda DOES suck. These aren't making any particular special use of the Switch's design or innate gimmicks. They're just... regular ol' adventure game puzzles. (Though I'm at least grateful I didn't have to do that damned slide puzzle again... fuck do I hate slide puzzles.)

4. Ashley's outfits are redesigned in both games. And while I think she looks great across the board, I also think they did a much better job of retaining the basic visual design of her "Two Memories" look as compared to how they reminaged her "Journey into Lost Memories" look.

Above: The original Ashley designs from the DS and Wii games. Below: The new ones from the Switch collection.

In both cases, Ashley loses the midriff and the dangling strap/chain thing. No big losses imo; in fact, I think the use of a plaid flannel in her new "R" design invokes '90s grunge fashion in the same way that chain/strap did, so it's a pretty functional swap. Also, her old wrist cuff/band things only appear (recolored) on her new "R" outfit, but I don't think anyone felt emotionally attached to those. Overall, the "Two Memories" outfit keeps the same color scheme/placement while changing over to a hoodie that feels/looks really good. But even with the flannel doing some thematic work for the "R" redesign, they largely went in a totally different direction from the original. Ashley's new outfit looks very... uh, confused? Like, she's wearing some fairly short shorts plus a plaid flannel long-sleeve over another shirt; Is it hot or is it cold, girl? Make up your damn MIND.

5. It's really interesting to see how the story's been rewritten so far. Richard and Bill's first appearances are both handled BETTER in the remake, I think; I think that in the original "Two Memories," Bill was overly standoffish for what he was trying to do, and Ashley was just WAY too skeptical when first meeting Richard. Both these issues are corrected now. There's also a much clearer link between the original and the sequel, and I'm less sure about that decision. The original game was an open-and-shut case to the point that "R" had to work backwards to be like "Oh, but there's ANOTHER layer to the mystery." Now the other layer is plainly present from the jump, but it also kinda makes Ashley look... dumber? Like, she literally sees the name "J.C. Valley" doing MAJOR SKETCHY SHIT at the end of "Two Memories" during one of the most eventful/memorable days of her life, and then her dad goes to work at "J.C. Valley" in the sequel, and somehow she NEVER MAKES THE CONNECTION. (At least she hasn't yet in my game.) I guess that was a pretty overwhelming day? But still...

6. The combination of Ashley's old and new outfits would make excellent alternate appearances for Ashley in Smash Bros. I've been championing getting her in Smash for YEARS. Is she an unlikely candidate? Of course, but many candidates who are just as unlikely (if not MORE) are already in the thing! Being a trophy in Smash Bros. Brawl is NOT ENOUGh. So right now, I'm in the process of altering my mental moveset for her to account for the new things she does in this game. I think we can definitely make her viable. Maybe I'll make a post about how I imagine her moves in the future. :P

#another code #another code recollection #trace memory #another code: two memories #ashley mizuki robins #ashley mizuki robbins #ashley robins #ashley robbins #another code r #another code r: a journey into lost memories #video games #smash bros.

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evievigilant · 2 years ago

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I played Trace Memory and I’m just leaving my thoughts here ‘cause why not lol

I liked how the characters were written. Ashley was a nice protagonist to play as. D was a sweetheart. You don’t see much of anyone else since most people are either a) dead or b) not with you for very long so I can’t really say they had a huge impact on me.

I do like how they touched on the themes of memory and trauma affecting memory. It’s some heavy stuff but it feels easier to deal with especially since it’s done from a more technology/research angle, since Ashley’s parents were researching how to replace/erase memories.

The gameplay was kinda rough at times. There were sections and important items that were very hard to see, so there’s the potential to miss a lot, which would prevent you from progressing. There are also some annoying puzzles, including the ones that require you to go back to a previous spot to retrieve an item even if you had already observed it when you were there before. Oh, and the zoetrope puzzle. Absolutely fuck the zoetrope puzzle. You have to use your stylus to spin the zoetrope very very fast to reveal a film-like sequence of moving pictures. Sounds simple enough but god you have to spin that thing FAST and for a LONG TIME, which means you have to make a ton of quick, dragging strokes with your stylus. And you cannot progress until you see the full thing. And I mean the full thing. Even if the image is cut off by like, a millionth of a centimeter, it will not let you progress. And if you slow your pace even a little bit, the image shrinks back down. This is hard to do on a DS (I’ve seen clips), and seems impossible on a mouse or a trackpad (to the point where I had to stop actually playing and opt for a playthrough because spinning it was more exhausting to me than a game of Wii Tennis. Thankfully this was toward the end of the game so I still played most of it but godddd. Like Hotel Dusk and Last Window had puzzles that seem impossible to do with just a single mouse, but there’s ways around it that are a little frustrating, but not exhausting. The zoetrope puzzle was exhausting, and not enough people have played this to give some tips on how to do this).

This is just a feature of Cing games in general that can go either way. Like Hotel Dusk and Last Window both have puzzles where you have to use your DS in creative ways. And it’s very 50/50. Like ohohoho, you have to use TWO styluses!! Ohohoho you have to CLOSE THE DS LID!! Ohohoho you have to close the DS lid HALFWAY to see a reflection!! While yes, it’s neat they were able to do this, after a while, it gets real tedious. Like sometimes you just want a puzzle. Like when playing any Professor Layton game, I never had to finagle my DS (or thing that is like a DS lol) to just solve a puzzle. They kinda just stood on their own, which I can’t say a lot of puzzles in Trace Memory do (and sometimes even in Hotel Dusk and Last Window, even though I do love those games). And I never WISHED that Professor Layton was more creative with the DS features because, again, the puzzles were good enough on their own! So yeah I know Cing thought they were very cool and clever for these, but I got tired of it after 3 games.

I enjoyed gathering information about the Edwards and I was looking forward to seeing how they related to everything that was going on but.....they kinda didn’t? Like yes Bill is related to them, but D and the family’s story is just so separate from Ashley and her family’s story that by the end of the game I was like....that’s it? We spent SO much time learning about the Edwards and to find out that all Ashley had to do to recover her memories was to find her father and confront Bill kinda made me disappointed. Sure, we needed to get D’s memories back so he could move on, but again, it felt so separate from Ashley’s goal. It would have been cool if they were somehow related to the research, like they were pioneers of it or something, and that’s why that island was chosen to put the research lab in.

Here are some theories I had that turned out to be false:

Definitely thought Richard would be dead by the end of this, or that the DTS would be compromised, especially since Ashley left it in the research lab and her dad was like “nah it’s cool :) everything will be fine :) only you can use the DTS :) I won’t die :).” When I hear shit like that I just think “okay you are gonna be very dead soon” but I was wrong lol

I remember there was this one portrait of Lawrence(?), Henry, and Thomas, and I thought Lawrence looked eerily similar to the boat captain at the beginning of the game. I thought the reveal would be that he would also have had something to do with the Edwards, and when D met him and could be seen by him, I thought he was gonna be revealed to be a ghost as well. No, turns out they didn’t think to do anything with him.

When it was revealed that Jessica knew Sayoko and Bill, I thought the plot twist was going to be that Jessica murdered Sayoko, which is why she kept it under wraps that they knew each other well. I also just didn’t understand the point of Jessica and Bill formerly being together, or why Jessica had to be involved in the research at all, so I thought she’d be the true killer, and that it would be revealed that Bill was trying to help bring her to justice by bringing her to the island. It also would have made Jessica seem a bit more conniving being like “oh Bill kidnapped me, he’s a bad man, don’t trust him.” Oh well. There wasn’t much to Jessica’s character, and I thought something like that would have given her some much needed intrigue, but nothing really happened with her.

Overall it’s a nice game but I wouldn’t recommend playing it unless you have a DS and an old, thrifted copy. Mostly so you can do that zoetrope puzzle and not cry as much. Otherwise, just watch a playthrough. Or, I dunno, go play Hotel Dusk instead.

#i got no one else to talk to about this game so i just wanna write down my thoughts #i realize i'm basically talking to myself here #since i'm not tagging anything #but #tbh i don't recommend this one too hard #so if you wanna spoil yourself knock yourself out #thoughts tag

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aspoonfuloffiction · 3 years ago

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Season 2: The Good, The Great, The Bad, The Ugly

I have finally organized all my feelings beyond “AHHHHHHHH” so here’s what worked and didn’t work in this season for me:

The Good

Lady Danbury and Kate’s relationship- Adjoa and Simone have insane character chemistry. They bounce off each other really well. I loved this mentorship relationship that we got for the two. You get this sense that in 50 years the new Lady Bridgerton will be the same terror of the Ton that Lady Danbury was.

Daphne and Anthony- Seeing the dynamic from last season switched was fun! And while I can never truly warm to Daphne, I loved seeing this relationship that only the two of them share, as the eldest son and daughter, they understand duty in a way their siblings never will. Daphne’s last ditch effort get Anthony to stop the wedding was heartbreaking. When she says we pity you? Ouch💔💔

Portia Featherington- Polly Walker continues to shine. Portia can and will cut someone for her family’s well-being and that is fun for me. I understand Penelope so much more now having seen her mother in action. For all Portia rags on Penelope, Penelope is the daughter most like her mother…but where I struggle sometimes with Penelope I don’t with Portia because she usually goes after white men so basically I support women’s rights, but more importantly I support women’s wrongs.

Eloise and Penelope- I am officially on SS Peneloise. Penelope writes for Eloise, all she wants is Eloise’s approval. If everyone hated LW, so long as Eloise liked it Penelope would be happy. But also they call each other out the issues that I have with both women. I have never been this invested in Penelope books or show but this story of the two of them made me care.

The depiction of Indian culture on the show—my expectations for this were on the floor. I had been anxious about this since there were rumors of a South Asian Kate. And while I had some issues (I will never not cringe at Kathani and there’s an odd homogenization of India in the story) I like how much being Indian is important to Kate and Edwina’s identity. You can’t close your eyes and imagine a white person in the role. Being Indian is important to their characterization. But also its never separates them from the white people on the show. Kate is not unsexy or hypersexualized as an Indian woman. She’s just a woman. Save for the haldi at no point is there anything the Sharmas are removed from the rest of the cast based on their ethnicity.

Penelope as Lady Whistledown- I thought the BTS montage of how Penelope published LW was funny. It was cool to hear Nicola use her own accent. Her working with Mdme Delacroix was really fun to watch. No I did not think it was that detracting from the A plot. One of my favorite smaller scenes was Penelope and Genevieve talking about what to do with Queen Charlotte and Eloise. It was a simple scene just two women sitting but I thought it was an interesting insight into regency era women. Where Eloise is preaching rights of women, you never get the feeling she understands what she’s talking about. These are two women that actually understand their position in the world. They have to present a version of themselves to society that is so different from who they actually are. But they do it because its their way of surviving this mess.

The Bridgerton siblings- This year I loved the more deliberate focus on these crazy kids and they ways they love each other even when they don’t like each other. I highlighted Daphne and Anthony before and if you know me you know I will be talking about that scene but even generally any moment with 2 or more Bridgertons is always special.

The Great

Kate and Anthony- Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley have an insanely magnetic chemistry. I have never known breathing to be this sexy before. But here we are. I think the dialogue for these two is great as well. There’s a couple bridging scenes I would’ve liked to better follow the development of the relationship. But I loved all the changes the writers made to this relationship I think all of them land and actually make show Kate and Anthony better than their book counterparts for me.

Jonathan Bailey’s emotional range- I have joked that while I want Kate and Anthony to just be happy now, I would also really like to see Jonathan get to cry again because the way this man had me diluting my Merlot with tears every time he so much as sniffled? I need compensation… The scene where Violet walks in and Anthony knows Kate’s ok? The man played 15 emotions in 14 seconds. I knew JB was a good actor I was somehow still shocked to learn how good.

Kate Sharma- Simone Ashley is headed for big things and Kate is going to be one of the show’s biggest impacts on pop culture. Kate has nuance she’s not perfect and make some grievous mistakes but at no point is she unsympathetic. She is a whole person without her romantic relationships, and choosing to focus on Kate’s trauma as an eldest Indian daughter instead of her fear of storms was 100000% the right call. Also Kate Sharma is literally about to be the most worn Halloween costume for 20 something Desi women everywhere I can already see it.

Edwina - Holy hell was Charithra a star. Episode 6 when she lays in on Anthony and Kate? So good! Her relationship with QC was surprisingly touching and when she’s able to talk down King George? Edwina really came into her own this season. The fan reaction to Edwina has been disappointing but frankly I don’t care. This Edwina is a far more realistic and nuanced the JQ’s and I would take a million love trianges if it meant Edwina getting to be her own woman instead of a prop in Kate and Anthony’s story.

The Sharmas- I was not expecting to see a realistic portrayal of Desi immigrant families on BRIDGERTON?!? An acknowledgment of the trauma that eldest daughters face, how sisters who love each other can still hurt each other, the way our daughters are socialized to put family first so often they genuinely forget who they are by themselves. I know people dislike some of Sharma family changes from the books-to those people if they are not South Asian I only ask have you considered its not for you?

Ruth Gemmell- Holy hell did she deliver one of the best performances of the season. All of the flashbacks are actually perfect no notes from me (maybe the CGI) and Violet is the star of those flashbacks. From her scream when Edmund dies to “His lordship is a CHILD” (a line I will never forget) give Ruth her credit this season. Holy crap…

Anthony and Gregory- I have seen your asks 😂 I am still trying to figure out how to explain all the reasons I think its my favorite scene of the show. But the amount of people that told me they thought of me at that scene…if this is my brand I’m very happy with it. I also loved Anthony with Hyacinth. I think the decision to spend time with Anthony’s relationship to the siblings he helped raise was so smart. But the Gregory scene gives Anthony closure that I feel as a viewer he’s never had before. This feels like the first time Anthony has ever talked about Edmund in 11 years and smiled. And it had to be with Gregory-who shares the same relationship on paper with Edmund as Anthony but has an entirely different lived experience with the man. It forces Anthony to think about Edmund through Gregory’s eyes. And that change in perspective I think allows Anthony to finally start to heal.

The Bad

Colin and Benedict - while I thought Colin’s story at times had some plot relevancy (it was nice to see Marina again) I genuinely believe every single minute of screen time spent on Benedict was kinda wasted. Which is not a critique on either Luke’s performance…I think they did a lot with not a lot. But I found it very hard to care for either brother when the stakes for their stories were literally nonexistent. I wanted more for both of these characters. But ultimately it felt like these were hamfisted c plots to keep the actors signed on. I know there’s a lot of discussion on who’s next? Colin or Benedict? I genuinely don’t think either is set up the way Anthony was last season to take over the reigns…honestly if any Bridgerton was poised to head up season 3 I think its Eloise.

Mary Sharma- This isn’t actually a knock on what we got because what we got was great its actually a knock on what we didn’t get. Narratively I understand that because Mary doesn’t have all the answers until the dinner party from hell she can’t contribute a lot to the conversation the way Danbury can and as such a lot of Mary’s book responsibilities fall to Danbury. But for the first three episodes I’m not sure Shelly had a more than a page of dialogue. Which feels like a waste of Shelley Conn’s acting and I feel like they could have incorporated her better into the first half of the season if they tried.

Queen Charlotte and Whistledown- While I think all of QC and Edwina’s scenes are perfect and really endeared me to the Queen a character I loathed last season…this arc is soo repetitive and boring. When Lady Danbury was like Your Highness get a new hobby I was right there with her. Maybe she’ll be super busy planning Friedrick and Edwina’s wedding next season…that be nice

The camera work- There were times where I wanted to leap into my screen and force the camera man to stop shaking the camera and zoom out. I get that its an aesthetic choice it shows confusion and anguish but jfc that one flashback where the staff needs answers from Anthony as the new Lord Bridgerton and he is all overwhelmed and unable to grieve. The scene had great writing and acting but god the camera work was distracting.

The Will storyline-honestly there’s nothing about this story I liked. But the fact that I love Will and Alice has its here and not in the ugly. I feel like this story needed Simon and when they didn’t have Simon anymore they weren’t sure what to do with this plot point so they kind of did nothing…which is a shame I love Will and Alice

The Ugly

Cousin Jack- I am on the record saying I like the Featherington plot. Let me clarify- I like the Portia stuff. For a while at the beginning I thought it was building to a second chance love story with Jack and Portia and I was interested. But then Jack just became weird? While I enjoyed Portia reading him for filth I could’ve done without his entire second half arc. Like if I were writing the season I’d have Jack leave skip town half way through to avoid marrying Prudence, and then Portia, refusing to be poor and at the mercy of yet another man hatches up the Ponzi scheme and navigates herself pretending like its Jack at the helm. And then in episode 7/8 have Jack return wanting to reap the benefits and have Portia hang him out to dry. (I fixed the Featherington arc everyone)

Newton-PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!!! This is another Mary situation where its not so much what we did get thats the problem but what we didn’t get? I would say the animal of the season were horses not corgis which feels incorrect for TVWLM and the promotional material for the show. I know why this is-you can write a corgi to do whatever you want but you cant train a corgi to act the way you want but I don’t know I feel like corgis are so quintessentially a part of Kate and Anthony’s story that I felt sad and I’m allowed to feel sad!!!😂

Eloise/Theo- I have never been so bored by two’s people’s romance. Him picking out books for her was cute but I didn’t care. Honestly if we are setting Eloise up with any man let it be the footman that was escorting her everywhere they had more chemistry than Eloise and Theo. I don’t understand the point of this relationship as it all amounted to nothing except maybe to wash any queer readings of Eloise’s character.

Speaking of erasing any queer readings of Eloise…Lets talk about the very heterosexual rebranding of Bridgerton- I have talked a lot about the queer baiting on this show. But this season isn’t queer bait so much as it is seemingly offended by people remotely reading queerness into the story. A new show only male love interest for Eloise, a barely named woman for Benedict to have sex with, and most shockingly just cutting your only confirmed gay character? What is happening? This entire thing just has studio drama written all over it. But for context only 3 major players from S1 aren’t seen again in S2. Simon, Siena, and Henry. Simon for obvious reasons, Siena because it probably would’ve detracted from the story, but why Henry? AND both Simon and Siena are referenced. But this season would prefer you forget Henry existed. Suspicious…

#bridgerton #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma #edwina sharma #benedict bridgerton #colin bridgerton #daphne bridgerton #gregory bridgerton #mary sharma #lady danbury

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rainfrazier · 3 years ago

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finished arc 16!

- the passage of time in wildbow stories is truly off the wall sometimes. a week ago they were in turbo jail in an alternate dimension, and then went directly into the teacher fight. this morning vicky and kenzie had a nice french toast breakfast, went to visit byron in the hospital, the gang had a quick fight with damsel and company, went to deathchester HQ, made a pit stop at rachel’s farm to reenact lord of the flies (i love the kenzie focus in these chapters), and then they all round out the day by hacking into the shard dimension. regular tuesday

- 16.8 was such a fucking good chapter and absolutely devastating. everyone reliving their trigger events IN THE MALL and then they all come tumbling out the doors and rain is just standing there laughing maniacally?? incredible. i felt like wildbow personally reached through the screen to punch me in the face like 10 times in rapid succession. the whole sequence from 16.8 through to the end of the arc is definitely one of my favorite parts of the story so far. the whole deal with rain/the cluster/the dream room has been my favorite aspect of ward, partially because i love rain, but also the dream room is just such a cool tool that wildbow uses very well as a way to explore the characters. i was afraid we wouldn’t see the dream room again after arc 12 but i’m glad it continues to be an important element as we move into the final stages of the story.

also every time we get new info about heartbreaker it makes me more glad that he’s dead.

- you have to admire cradle’s perseverance in continuing to be a Grade A Asshole and an absolute menace to the main characters even as he’s stranded in the middle of nowhere on an parallel earth. round of applause

- idk why i nearly burst into tears specifically during the scene where tristan is leaning over victoria trying to check her pulse and she’s thinking about how he looks like a true superhero and wanting to kiss him. like she’s literally on the brink of death and her mind is just so far out of its normal bounds. reading that whole section reminded me of khepri in a way and it made me really sad. also the kids’ heartfelt little goodbye speeches to each other were just so touching.

- [insert in-depth character analysis of tattletale here]

- cradle getting snagged on the shelving in snag’s space, giving the heartbreaksiders the opportunity to kill him?? huge shoutout to our boy in shard heaven. rest in pieces cradle you were a really cool character but man i hated you so much

- IT’S SHARDSPACE, BABY!!!!

- continuing to be extremely emotional about the vera twins until the end of time. from byron’s perspective, the last thing he remembers is probably getting blown up in teacher’s base and the first thing he sees when he wakes up is his brother, completely separated from him and helping him to his feet?? can you imagine. this is the first time in YEARS where they can finally talk to each other like normal or even just fckin LOOK at each other EYE to EYE even though its with the knowledge that byron’s gonna go back to being comatose as soon as the dream room ends. im not crying you’re crying???

^^^wildbow if i dont get an end-of-ward interlude of vista and byron in the puppy bucket i’m gonna

- damsel: “You’re all of the choices, already. Find the face you want, move toward it, let it move toward you. Pass each other.” (ah, literary themes!!)

- i just love the descriptions of the shards in these chapters and how they reflect their hosts. ashley’s shard looks like a burning ladder (fitting her theme of ascension), tattletale’s is an eyeless, mouthless woman constantly conjuring images in the crystals, victoria’s is a hollow shell of “glass, gold, and glory” with a glow from within

- SHARD FIGHT!!! surely victoria passing herself in the crystal (rad as hell btw) and summoning waste in the shardspace will have no effect on victoria’s connection to her shard or have any impact on the manifestation of her power in any way whatsoever. right

- oh no! defiant is mad no one invited him to the slumber party :((((

- oh the amy interludes. amelia “i don’t need therapy!” lavere: “I’d rather have Victoria back in her inhuman shape than not have her in my life at all.” (<- actual quote from the text!!) literally fuck off and die i hate her so much it makes me want to yell and scream.

what *we* did *together*?? doesn’t count???? the degree to which she refuses to take responsibility or control over anything in her life is just infuriating. the failure to enact positive change because she refuses to see herself as anything other than a victim of circumstance. she is literally an antithesis to every theme of healing (funny that she is a healer whose power doesn’t apply to herself) and active personal growth that has been exhibited by the main characters throughout the entire story. “but i had a crappy childhood and no one supported me and then bonesaw came after me :(” like okay. that is true but that doesn’t give you a free pass to shirk complete responsibility for your own actions as if you never even did them in the first place?? rain was brainwashed into a cult and was forced to commit terrorism! he didn’t have control over that! but imagine if rain was just like “mmm yeah that really sucked for me personally but there’s nothing i can do about it now. clearly there is no way to move forward from this in a healthy or constructive manner. guess i will just be evil instead”. maybe amy should go talk to cradle and they can commiserate together about how it’s Not My Fault Why Does Everyone Hate Me.

AND we learn she touched victoria AGAIN in the shin prison. she messed with her brain and then she put it all back together again and was like “see? i am a Good Person :) i am going to get a good grade in being Hinged, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve” and then proceeds to take a piece of vic’s flayed skin and GRAFT IT TO HER CHEST so that she can carry victoria around wherever she goes?? hello????? i could write a ten page essay about my feelings on amy but it would just be the words “bite chomp kill” written over and over. oh and chris. man, i miss being able to have hope for him. like it’s actually sad to see him go down this path. chris and amy are literally the most horrible fucked up pair of characters to be working together. i hate it here. take me back to victoria POV

#ward #spoilers!!#don’t mind me i am just. foaming at the mouth #okay enough amyposting. we have progressed past the need for amyposting [insert that one image by brocktonbay here]#wardblogging

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intothewickedwood · 3 years ago

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Once Upon A Time In Wonderland Rewatch: 1x01 Down the Rabbit Hole

So my mum and I love this spin off and rewatch at least once every 2 years. If you haven’t given it a try yet, I can’t recommend it enough! It has complex romance, creative ideas, strong friendships, terrifying villains and a solid plot.

One thing though is that some of the creatures scare me so much that I have to watch those parts with my eyes closed lol. It’s kinda thrilling though, not knowing when to close your eyes. It’s like riding a rollercoaster. It’s become part of the fun for my mum and I. But that’s just us. You might not find them remotely frightening.

Okay, here we go y’all! I’ll try to keep my thoughts free of spoilers for future episodes.

Alice’s house exterior is so gorgeous.

Holy bananas, how long has she been gone?!

Edwin is a freaking terrible father. Lock the damn doors! He should have someone watching her at all times if she leaves the house. Get a nanny or something! Don’t just let her continue running off to God knows where! She’s just a kid!

And the White Rabbit should probably know better than to lead her to that extremely dangerous place.

Will!

Emma nearly ran him over lol.

Ashley! Looks like she’s wearing a Granny’s apron. I guess she was a waitress there.

And Leroy! Cool!

So, I believe this is set some point around season 2. I guess it’s the same day the curse was broken, unless someone else was driving Emma’s car.

Holy cow! How’s granny gonna get that giant hole out the floor??

“I’m late! I’m late!”

That rabbit’s got pink eyes. Cool. I had a dwarf hamster with red eyes. Her name was Tango and her sister, Mango, tried to eat her so we had to separate them. Loved them both.

Alice!

I know how most peeps feel about the cgi in this show but it really doesn’t bother me. Sure it would be cooler if it looked more realistic but it’s the compelling story, dynamics and characters that capture me and allow me to easily look beyond that and suspend my disbelief.

This Lydgate guy istg! I wonder if this is before or after Jekyll killed his daughter, Mary. Oh, his name is Arthur and apparently it’s after she died. Maybe that’s why he’s so bitter.

Cyrus! So Charming.

Couldn’t he just walk out that bottle and drink that ‘drink me’ bottle to turn to his original size? Maybe there’s a magic barrier preventing him from leaving like the one keeping Alice Jones in her tower. And he’s be brought right back to it id someone rubbed it.

Poor Rabbit. I love this Alice as well but that’s a big difference between her and Alice Jones. This one’s more selfish but we get to see her character develop so that she becomes less so and I think that’s really cool!

She’s his master? But she didn’t rub the bottle, did she?

Alice: “I don’t wish for anything!” I wonder if she says that because she doesn’t want to accidentally wish for something. Could she even make a wish in the Victorian Realm?

The Land Without Magic doesn’t seem to be the only place without magic. The Victorian England Realm seems not to have any either. Baelfire could have easily ended up in that land but we know he doesn’t.

Oh snap! I somehow missed when he said she and Cyrus apparently travelled from world to world fighting pirates and swimming with mermaids. I guess all Alice’s like to travel. I wonder what realms she and Cyrus went to. Neverland to swim with mermaids and fight pirates?

She totally should have written a book.

Oh, I guess he did walk out of his bottle and drink the ‘drink me’ potion.

Ah gosh, it must be so painful for Alice to say all the things she went through and the love she felt for Cyrus weren’t real.

Betrayed by the sleep talking. My mum sleep talks and my dad sleepwalks. Please let me escape those genetics!

Anastasia!

The fight scenes are so cool!

Oh no!

She doesn’t write her surname, dammit. I want to know her surname so I can more easily distinguish the two Alices in my tags!

Oh snap! He was gonna perform a lobotomy on her. Do they still do that? In Smallville Clark was awake when they tried to do it on him, I wonder if that’s actually a thing because it seems like it would be terrifying and hurt like hell. Oh, it’s seen as inhumane nowadays. Apparently they could be done while awake.

Maybe she wasn’t trying to lie to them. She seems to have convinced herself that Will wasn’t/isn’t real, so maybe she convinced herself everything else wasn’t real either.

“You know as well as I do, Alice, nothing’s impossible in Wonderland.” And that’s why it’s so awesome!

Girl can fight! Love this scene where she fights the asylum staff!

I mean, I’m a pacifist in real life but I do love a good fictional fight scene.

Dr. Lydgate’s face when he sees the White Rabbit talk.

Bouncy marshmallow!

The mallow marsh is such a good, creative idea.

I haven’t had marshmallows since I became a vegetarian 16 years ago. I’ve completely forgotten what they taste like and I am sad I’ll never get to know what’s so good about s’mores.

Damn. Would have loved it if Jefferson was in this show.

The dragonflies are dragons. Love it!

I love the Tulgey Woods scenes in the animated movie. So dark and mysterious.

Will: “I’m gonna die like a bloody s’more.” Lol. I love him.

She’s making s’mores! This show is off the rails and I love it.

Lol. He looks like a snowman.

I’m surprised they managed to get all of that off them. Maybe they ate it off.

Oh wait, the Rabbit was lying?

The Tulgey Woods!

This Jafar has to be the most terrifying villain in all of Ouat. Perhaps because he seems incapable of love.

Were Jafar and the Red Queen a thing? I can never tell.

Jafar flying on the carpet like it’s a surfboard. Whoa, like, ride the waves, dude!

It must be more difficult to climb a tree with just socks on.

The cheshire cat! I’ve always loved the Cheshire cat. Such a mysterious character. I have to say, my favourite version might just be lesbian Cheshire Cat/Caterpillar from the musical, Alice by heart. It’s so good and she’s so gay. I highly recommend.

I love the way he speaks in riddles.

He straight up tried to eat her! And it seemed they used to he friends!

Will to the rescue! No one hurts his little sis!

I just freaking love the Tulgey Woods.

I wish Jefferson would just appear at his house. He made so many hats trying to get back to his daughter. Poor guy.

I wonder how he came upon his original hat and why it had magic it seems he couldn’t replicate.

She found Cyrus’ necklace!

Bless Will, he’s not leaving without her.

#ouat #once upon a time #ouatiw #once upon a time in wonderland #ouat in wonderland #will scarlet #alice in wonderland #ouatiw 1x01 #ouatiw 1x01 down the rabbit hole #1x01 down the rabbit hole #ouatiw rewatch #ouatiw rewatch 2022 #ouat rewatch #ouat rewatch 2019

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maskydoolovesmasseffect · 4 years ago

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Mass Effect Tag

Wellio, I’ve been tagged by @berryshiara. Passing this on to @grummel83

Gunna answer my questions now. Y’all feel free to tell me what you think of these answers.

I’m a fan since: 2008. I was just out of high school and still not over KoTOR. I was fresh in the army and got to talking to some other dude fresh to the army about video games. He asked me if I played Mass Effect. I said no. By the next day I just about totally forgot about him, then he suddenly appeared out of nowhere sat in front of me in the chow hall and pulled a copy of ME1 for Xbox 360 out his pocket like he was a magician doing a magic trick (ACU pockets are huge.)

Anyway turns out that guy was a romance option and I must have picked the right dialogue options. I’m still with him, too.

Favorite game of the series:

Mass Effect 2. It seemed like that’s the one where choices mattered most and you really got to know your squaddies. Also MAJOR gameplay improvements over the first game. And that game gave me the most freedom to do basically whatever I wanted and wasnt afraid to give me consequences for it.

MShep or FShep:

FShep. Nothing against MShep, but for me the real Shep is FShep. Can’t beat Jennifer Hale’s voice.

Earthborn, Colonist, or Spacer:

Colonist. I like having the background of knowing just how dangerous the galaxy can be and how the Alliance can’t be everywhere at once so sometimes you need to manage your best on your own.

Biotics or Tech:

Both.

Paragon or Renegade:

Paragon, mostly. I tried being renegade but some of the actions are just so pointlessly dickish, or even outright unhinged in a way that would make it impossible to believe the Alliance would ever promote Shepard as an officer or even keep her in the Alliance at all, especially in the first game.

That said, there are times where a renegade action is more expedient and practical than a paragon one, like in 2 when you stab a dude in the back to prevent him from repairing an enemy gunship, so even with a paragon playthrough, my Shepard will have no issues taking that opportunity. She’s already seconds away from betraying all those guys anyway.

Paragon in treatment of others, renegade in combat pragmatism.

Favorite Class:

I play as infiltrator and vanguard.

Infiltrator is great for using a sniping and opening loot, and then for going invisible, and if I remember right AI hacking too. That’s cool and I wish there were more genuine opportunities for stealth.

Nowadays I play as Vanguard in my playthroughs mainly just so my Shepard can be canonically biotic for story reasons. From 2 on when looting no longer needs a special skill and I get to charge around the map. I don’t really care much about using biotics (that’s what the squadies are for) but the movement is super useful (when Shepard actually does the thing instead of just standing out in the open soaking up bullets until the ability decides to actually work.)

Favorite Companion:

Garrus. I like to set him up in sniper positions. When he actually STAYS where I put him instead of running straight up to enemies to try to snipe them at point blank, he’s great.

Also his quips in 2 on are pretty entertaining.

Least Favorite Companion:

Garrus, Oh my god. Go back to the sniper position where I put you. Leave tanking to krogan; you do not have the HP for this.

Also Kaidan in ME1. He can not shoot to save his life - literally.

My Squad Selection:

For all ME1 playthroughs after my first one, Ashley and Kaidan, just of their comments and because... well... I only have so much time with them.

Apart from that I mainly just pick my team based on who’s likely to have the most interesting commentary on whatever the mission happens to be, squad balance be damned.

Favorite In-Game Romance:

Garrus X Shepard is my favorite love story. They are just so adorable together and always supportive even when they disagree.

But my cannon romance is Kaidan X Shepard for the drama and angst.

Favorite NPC:

In ME1 there’s this random Turian on Noveria who randomly has like a New York accent and I absolutely adore him. He plays basically no part in the story other than some minor information but he’s just so pleasant to speak to.

“If you need anything, I’ll be here.”

Favorite Antagonist:

Morinth, the Ardat-Yakshi daughter of Samara. Yes, she’s a murderous vampire who will absolutely kill you given the chance... but like, it’s a medical condition. And I really can’t help but feel for ardat-yakshi in general when their only options are to spend their whole lives on the run from justicars out to execute them, or waste their entire 1000 year lifespan imprisoned in a monetary unable to experience the world at all. Yeah, Morinth is evil, but Ardat-Yakshi don’t exactly have a good deal.

Favorite Loyalty Mission:

Grunt’s loyalty mission is the best. I get to help my baby boy, reunite with Wrex, enjoy krogan society being fleshed out, have a kickass battle against a thresher maw, and get a breeding request. It’s nice to have a quest that isn’t about family drama and genuinely gets a happy end.

Favorite Mission:

Despite Citadel DLC requiring everyone to have a deathgrip on an idiot ball, and also basically gloss over some really dark stuff, the whole clone storyline with the whole crew is an absolute ride all the way though, with lots of interesting and unique scenarios, a ton of replay-value, and funny party banter that feels like it came straight out of a Marvel movie.

Favorite DLC:

Again, Citadel DLC. Not only did it come with the story above, it also had all those interactions with past and present crewmates, including a memorial for Thane (finally!), a cool apartment to hang out in, a party, an arcade, and an awesome battle arena. It really added a TON. Also, it’s nice to see Bioware figure out that DLC needs characters - I’m remembering back in the DLC to ME 1 the party never had a single thing to say, no matter what was going on. The fun and wacky Citadel DLC is a far cry from the serious and somewhat dark space opera Mass Effect started as, but as the final DLC capping off the end of the series, it gets to do a silly victory lap (and get the taste of the ending out of our mouths.)

Control, Synthesis, Or Destroy:

No.

Favorite Weapon:

Sniper rifles, whatever I have that’s fast and has high damage output. Also that one pistol that shoots tiny energy grenades. Pew pew.

Yeah I wasn’t really big into the weapons so much. I’m here to get my story on.

Favorite Place:

The presidium on the Citadel. It bothered me a lot when I couldn’t explore it in the second game. I know it would have been terribly impractical, but as the presidium is just a huge ring, it would have been cool to be able to explore the whole thing, going past all the little park areas, shops, monuments and so on until you loop aaaaall the way back around to where you started. Like, how cool would it be if the ring had a running track? Maybe C-sec academy trainees would be spotted jogging together along it in formation. And can you imagine grabbing a coffee (I was going to make up a space-related name for Starbucks but it’s already STARbucks...) and taking a nice stroll along the water before finding a nice bench to alien-watch from? Other locations in the game are like great places to explore and do gameplay stuff, but the presidium seems like a nice place to just be.

Favorite Quote:

"Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer." - Javik.

This is such a fucking raw damn line. It makes me think a lot about Cerberus. When ME3 wasn’t out yet, I thought maybe the plan was Shepard would at some point choose a side, Alliance for paragons and Cerberus for renegades. It would have been so cool to have morality not merely be good vs evil, but idealism vs that ruthless calculus Garrus mentioned. How fucking raw would it be if Cerberus wasn’t just generically evil for no reason and suddenly indoctrinated but really were embodying that ruthless calculus, determined to defeat the reapers at any and all cost. Maybe Cerberus actions’ were more likely to do terrible things for the sake of ultimate victory, doing whatever it took, whereas the Alliance would be less willing to make the terrible choices and ultimately be less likely to succeed.

Now obviously, that’s not what happened, as it would have required Bioware to basically make two entirely separate games. But that line from Javik makes me think of that concept, and a universe where like Dragon Age party members can approve or disapprove of actions not merely as good or evil but along the lines of their personal values. I think Javik would sit at victory at all cost.

Also that one mission in 2 where some random NPC catches Shepard sneaking around and is all like ‘what are you doing here?’ and Shepard is like ‘What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Get out here before it blows!’ and the guy’s freaking out like WTF and she says ‘RUN!’ then laughs to herself as he flees from an imaginary bomb. Shep you troll.

The thing I like the least about the entire franchise:

The misogyny and objectification that crept its way in, epically from the second game on. Really didn’t like those ass-shot camera angles, or female characters being slut-shamed in-universe for the clothes the designers made them wear. Yikes.

But the biggest yikes for me in that regard is actually the reveal in 3 that the prothians guided asari development. That was fine and all, but the part that bothered me was the characters commenting “ooooh, so that’s why asari are so advanced,” as it was ever any kind of mystery before that exact moment. For one thing, asari aren’t really shown as being more advanced than anyone else, apart from having discovered the citadel first, and for second, why wouldn’t asari be advanced? All the way from ME1 it’s established that 1: Asari live for a really long time, and 2: can instant transmit information directly from brain to brain. That means they have long lifetime in which to accumulate knowledge and experience, and also can easily spread and preserve that knowledge without even the need for books. That ALONE should put them ahead. And even with all that, they only barely beat the salarians to discovering the Citadel first. But no one asks for an explanation for why salarians, who live only a few decades and can’t do mental data-transfer, are so advanced. No, only the success of the all-women race needs explaining. It was just one moment but it still bugs me.

Also the general loss of realism after the second game. First game everyone gets armor, including full-face helmets automatically on in environments that need it. After that, people can apparently just wander the battlefield half-naked and even somehow survive in a total vacuum if they just put a plastic cup (that isn’t even connected to anything) over their mouth and nose. In the first game they at least made up some reasonable-sounding science fiction explanation for things, but after that it’s like F-it everything is just space magic now.

Oh, and those repetitive unlocking stuff minigames. I use a mod to just skip those.

#mass effect #tag

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sobriquett · 3 years ago

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Dear Trick or Treat Author

Dear Trick or Treat Author,

[WIP: 23:50 BST 19/09/21]

What a wonderful time of year! (Or is that Yuletime? Nearly there too!)

Hello! I am very easily pleased so please take this as a starting point if you need some ideas but otherwise write what makes you happy! I know horror tropes/genre are in my dislikes but if you want to write a scary trick, you do that, yes please! Just play within the canonical world (werewolves in Milton-Northern, vampires at Thornfield, ghosts at the White House) and I'll be a happy reader (but please still stay aware from my gore-related DNWs!).

My normal ramble about what I enjoy in fic isn't really relevant to a 300+ word exchange but you can find it in past letters, click the letter tag.

That said, things missing from my main signup include these:

Loves: exploration of power imbalances Likes: epistolary

My fandoms are in alphabetical order (ish), so here we go!

1. 16th Century CE RPF

Anne Boleyn Anne of Cleves Catherine of Aragon Catherine Parr Elizabeth I of England Henry VIII of England Margaret Pole Countess of Salisbury Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester Thomas Seymour (1508 – 1549)

I've been on a bit of a Philippa Gregory kick this summer reading the Cousins' War series out of order. I'd love more stories about these figures – with some of them (Henry VIII in particular!) it's pretty easy to lean into the trick side of things, but there's treat potential too. Add more characters if you want; I've been reading histories and historical novels on this period for many, many years so if you drop in Maria de Salinas or Stephen Fisher or Kat Ashley or Thomas Cromwell or anyone I'm up for that, but I am also a laidback reader and this is a low-stress exchange, don't tie yourself in knots over accuracy. (Although I would, and I'd definitely recommend Ruth Goodman's How to be a Tudor if you haven't read it, even if you're not normally a non-fiction reader.)

What if [any utterly disastrous thing] didn't happen, or perhaps was somehow worse? Did Elizabeth and Dudley actually have some happiness in a romance, however brief? How did Anne of Cleves feel to retire as the King's beloved sister? What was Margaret Pole thinking on the morning of her execution? Is Henry VIII haunted by the ghosts of some of those he killed: friends and lovers and family? Did anything actually happen between Elizabeth I and Thomas Seymour (There's historical room for a secret pregnancy in the country…)

2. Downton Abbey

Mary Crawley Edith Crawley Sybil Crawley Matthew Crawley Tom Branson Robert Crawley Cora Crawley Violet Crawley Isobel Crawley Lavinia Swire Anna Bates Evelyn Napier Freda Dudley Ward Marigold Crawley George Crawley Ship: Tom Branson/Sybil Crawley

This is like my TV comfort blanket. I rewatched it this year and I am interested in just about every main character except, oddly, Thomas – who is the favourite fic character of most writers! Give me a missing moment, a look at the future, a glance at the past, a look from the outside – whatever. Any point in, before or after canon is cool with me, except I tend to skim a lot of S4 (ugh, that rape storyline, please don’t use that).

Do ghosts walk the halls of Downton Abbey? What is life like in Ireland for Tom and Sybil? Do any of the characters ever feel a moment of true despair? What if Matthew had died in the war? What does the future hold for these characters? How did Robert, Cora and Violet get on in the 1890s? What was Carson like with Mary/Edith/Sybil as children? Does it parallel his relationship with their children?

3. The Good Place

Eleanor Shellstrop Chidi Anagonye Tahani Al-Jamil Jason Mendoza Michael Janet

This is another show I can watch over and over and over. I think Chidi's my favourite but it's hard to be sure. I can tell you I absolutely sobbed during the S3 finale and I was a wreck for the S4 finale. Tug my heartstrings, make me laugh, make me cry, I don't care! I've studied philosophy and despised it so I'll take or leave what you include on that score, I just love the characters. Please include any or all other characters you'd like, but I definitely ship Eleanor/Chidi over Chidi/Simone! Although I'll take angst in that direction too! I don't know, I feel like a kid in a candy store writing this letter: hyper and having trouble deciding between all the possible wonders!

Existential dread? Moments from their human lives? Moments from the good place? Please tell me more about the time knife. Does Michael return to the good place when he dies? Does he reunite with Janet and/or Tahani?

4. Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre Edward Rochester Adele Varens Ship: Jane Eyre/Edward Rochester

This is my favourite classic novel, I reread it every couple of years, most recently in 2020 for Yuletide. My reading of it changes each time, and I increasingly believe that Rochester is more bad guy than good guy and that Jane Eyre lies as a narrator and is as prejudiced and superior as those she crititcises for the same qualities. But I still love her, and that she says she got a happy ending.

Is Rochester more of a villain? How? How does Adele find school, either the one Rochester sends her to, or the one Jane moves her to? Post-canon happiness? Post-canon unhappiness? A scene from the engagement? A missing moment between the non-wedding and Jane running away? What if the wedding wasn't interrupted? (Full disclosure: I'm writing this too.) Canon divergence for, well, anything? Is Adele separated from Sophie? How does that go, how does she manage?

5. Memoirs of a Geisha

Nitta Sayuri Mameha Nobu Toshikazu Ship: Nitta Sayuri/Nobu Toshikazu Ship: Mameha/Matsunaga Tsuneyoshi | The Baron

6. North and South

Margaret Hale John Thornton Hannah Thornton Bessy Higgins Ship: Margaret Hale/John Thornton

7. Stardew Valley

Female Player Sebastian Shane Harvey Robin Elliott Leah Marlon Ship: Shane/Female Player Ship: Sebastian/Female Player Ship: Lewis/Marnie

Do Sebastian and the farmer go on any more bike rides? How did Lewis and Marnie’s relationship start? Are they ever found out? Why does Lewis want to keep it secret? Why is he such an arsehole to Marnie? Tales of the purple shorts. Tell me more about Harvey’s nerdy hobbies or fear of heights? What happened with Robin and Sebastian’s dad? The horrors of the mines, or the skull cavern? Is Leah frightened by the things that go bump in the night near her home? Is Elliott? Some angst or h/c around a wounded farmer, being found/nursed? Or how about some angst/horror in which... they’re not? Fics about the war with the Gotoro Empire?

8. Star Trek: Voyager

Kathryn Janeway Chakotay Tuvok Kes Seven of Nine Naomi Wildman

I’ve been a J/C shipper since before I knew shipping was a thing (as a kid, I had all the two-parters, S5&6, and Resolutions on video. Pre-internet, how did I even know which episode Resolutions one? Shippy magic instinct, I guess?) So apart from that ship, or canonical relationships, I would prefer genfic please. I also don’t mind the other Voyager characters so they’re welcome to make an appearance, but these are the ones that interest me.

9. The West Wing

CJ Cregg Josh Lyman Sam Seaborn Abbey Bartlet Charlie Young Donna Moss Jed Bartlet Leo McGarry Toby Ziegler Zoey Bartlet

Happy writing!

Sobriquett

#dear author letter #16th century rpf #downton abbey #the good place #jane eyre #memoirs of a geisha #north and south #stardew valley #star trek voyager #the west wing #trick or treat exchange

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hattywatch · 5 years ago

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J. Vesey - You Like Making Me Wait For It

Author’s Note: This was supposed to be done for Valentine’s day but uhhh, about that... So here it is, almost a month late. The premise for this story is that Jimmy is actually a BIG FUCKIN’ SOFTIE and not the sarcastic little shit that I constantly make him out to be. This can be proven by the attached tweet. As always this is fiction, so don’t get carried awayyyy :)

“It’s not a real holiday,” he texts his mom, in regards to her message to him, bright and early, on February 14. He follows it up with a heart emoji and tells her he'll see her tonight though, because she’s his ma and he’s not a complete mutant, but he pulls the blanket over his head and rolls onto his side and tries to fall into the warm feeling of sleep again.

As cool and standoffish as Jimmy tries to come off, everyone who knows him would jump at the chance to tell you that in reality, he’s soft as shit. A quick scroll through his recently played on Spotify would give him right up if he tried to deny it.

His icy indifference to Valentine’s day was never the norm. He used to look forward to it, liked it even, but after years of disappointment the shine has worn off and he's really had enough of it.

_____

His first Valentine’s memory is fond. He put on his best clothes and walked into school, chest puffed out and chin raised proudly, the little red and pink valentines he worked on with his mom tucked away in his backpack, heart-shaped lollipops carefully taped onto each one.

He didn’t understand the point of it until his mom patiently explained to him, “Sometimes we’re so busy everyday that we don’t tell people we love them like we should, so on Valentine’s day we spend the whole day letting everyone know we care about them.” He snaked his little arms around her waist and promised his mom he’d never be too busy to remind her he loves her.

She hugged him back tightly and brushed away a stray tear on her cheek before she opened up the box and had him start listing off the kids names in his class so she could neatly write them on each card. He spends his time taping the lollipops gently to the cards that declare “Have a sweet Valentine’s Day.”

As the class walked around dropping a card into each other’s decorated shoe-boxes, Jimmy couldn’t help but be filled with love for his friends. Tipping over the box afterwards, he was a little glum when he found out Tommy was the sole recipient of a card from Ashley, the pretty blonde with pigtails who sat 3 seats in front of him.

When he walked home from the bus stop with Jess later, they talked about their favorite ones, in particular the heart shaped erasers the teacher gifted each of them. She didn’t get a card from Ashley either. His mom told him not to worry about it and quickly diverted his attention to the pile of valentines with pencils and stickers attached, ooh-ing and ahh-ing as he explained who each one was from.

_____

In highschool Valentine's day is marked (like everything else during those awkward teenage years) by a rush of hormones and snickers.

The week leading up to Valentine's day the cheerleading squad hung signs up all over the halls detailing how to purchase a rose to be delivered to the person of your choosing during classes. All of the proceeds go to a local charity, so each morning the voice over the speaker reminded the student body to buy a rose for a good cause before listing off the lunch of the day and signing off.

Jimmy fills out a few; a pink one for his little cousin a few grades down from him, a yellow one for the librarian who helped him submit his college applications, and an orange one for Jess who just got a rejection letter from Duke and could use some cheering up.

On the 13th he finds himself with $2 extra dollars and some time to kill before Jess is done with extra help and ready to walk home. He goes to the office and fills out a slip for a red rose to be delivered to Molly, a girl he's helped in Chinese class a few times; she's popular and cute. He can't help his heart from quickening when they go over characters that have been giving her a particularly hard time during the spare period they share once a week.

He writes her name clearly in black ink, trying his best to keep his penmanship even and neat.

"There you are!" He jumps, but luckily his pen is off of the paper, having just finished scribing the Y in his name. Jess walks up to him, braids trapped under her backpack straps; it looks uncomfortable. "I've been looking everywhere for you, dude."

He slides the scrap of paper into the slot of the box in front of him. "Sorry, last minute love, you know how it is."

He feels his cheeks get warm at the thought of Jess catching him in the act. She is much more pragmatic when it comes to love. She hasn’t dated at all in high school, laser focused on her grades and soccer. He knows she thinks he’s a sap for caring at all when it’s unlikely anyone will find lifelong love in high school, but he's a romantic, sue him.

"Yeah, I know. You're a sucker for this stupid holiday," she rolls her eyes at him and adjusts her bookbag, swinging the tails of her braids free. He shrugs a shoulder but smiles, because she’s right and he can’t deny it.

“C’mon Romeo, my mom said she’d pick us up out front, it’s freezing today.” He follows her, excited about the prospect of tomorrow. He’s not sure, but he thinks Molly may feel the same way, and there’s no time like the present to find out.

_____

When he quietly places his lunch tray down next to Jess she knows something is off. He usually bounds over to the table, chatty and excited to talk about his morning classes and who said what stupid thing that made the class groan, but he’s downright meloncholy and she can feel it roll off his body in waves.

Jess twirls the stem of her orange rose between her pointer and index fingers, “Thanks Jim. Made my day.” She bops him on the head with the flower. He smiles a little but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Rough day?” He nods and starts picking at the crust of his pizza.

“I didn’t sign my fucking last name.” Jess doesn’t quite understand, so she kicks him under the table to get him to look up from his pizza and make eye contact. She raises her eyebrows in question and he finally continues, “I sent Molly a rose.”

Jess hums for him to keep going, she heard a rumor going around about Molly and James Jordan getting together, but she hadn’t heard anything about Jimmy.

“We study together every week. Chinese. She has a hard time with the-" he waves his hand to clear the subject, "anyway it’s not important. We have a free period together every Tuesday and I help her with it. I thought maybe she noticed.” Jimmy sighs and squishes his water bottle in his hand, “You know I get nervous around her, so I thought maybe she knew. Anyway, I sent her a flower, but I just wrote ‘Jimmy.' No last name. She thought it was Jordan and she walked right up to him in between classes and kissed him. They have a date Saturday night.”

Jess winces, “That blows. I’m sorry, Jim. Maybe it’s not meant to be for a reason. I heard that she…" she pauses because she's never actually heard anything bad about the other girl, but desperately wants to cheer up her friend. "I heard that she… snores?" Jimmy finally rolls his eyes and laughs.

"Oh yeah, cross her off the list. That's a deal breaker." He smiles for the first time in hours and he's sure Molly isn't the one he's been waiting for.

_____

In college his fervor to have a nice Valentine’s day led him to ask out the brunette from his Public Finance class, she said yes and seemed excited, but then text him to cancel 2 days before that she "forgot about a big paper that's due on Monday." His buddy John is in the same class and didn’t say anything about a paper, so Jimmy takes the hint and decides to go home for the weekend, tail between his legs and heart heavy from the rejection

He heads to the laundromat with a veritable sack filled with, what feels like, every piece of clothing he's ever owned, downtrodden and pissed off. He's loading his clothes into the machine when someone jabs him in the side with a boney digit.

"What the hell are you doing, Jim?" Jess beams up at him. She's wearing pink lipstick, but is otherwise dressed in all black, like always.

“Laundry. My mom had too many loads at the house ‘cuz Nolan brought his home too, so I’m just going to do it here quick.” He keeps shoving his clothes in the washer machine.

Jess nods at him, “Cool… cool. So, your mom still does your laundry?” She shoves her hands deep into the front pockets of her jeans and leans back on her heels with a shit eating grin.

Jimmy stops and looks up at her, “Uh, usually. Yeah, why? Can you tell?” He stands up, back sore from being hunched over the front-loading washing machine. She looks up at him and grins wider.

“You’re supposed to separate the colors. Let me help you.” She starts pulling all of his clothes out of the washer and dumping it into her orange pop-up hamper. “Come over here, I’m using this machine.”

“Why are you here,” he attempts gentle conversation since, apparently, he’s domestically useless. Jess opens a machine and starts pulling out all of his light colored clothes, basically pairs and pairs of socks and a few t-shirts here and there.

“My stupid comforter is too big. It takes forever at my house, so I just bring it here instead of drying it 6 times,” she pauses, pinching a lone sock and holding it out in front of her swinging it in his direction before throwing it in the washer, “lucky for you, James.” She helps him sort the other colors and shows him where the detergent goes and lends him some fabric softener that smells nice, she even advises him against washing his suit pants and the one nice sweater he owns, saying that he’d be better off dry cleaning them.

An hour later when their stuff is all folded and packed back up, he’s got no other plans and he hasn’t seen Jess since the summer, so he helps her bring her comforter and sheets to her car and stands there awkwardly trying not to make this weird.

“Jessie,” she turns around, scarf half wound around her neck, death glare pinned on him.

“Did you want me to kill you? Don't call me that,” she swats at him and opens her trunk so he can drop her cottony smelling bedding in it.

“Let me buy you dinner, this was really nice of you to help me.” She smiles and agrees without any cajoling.

“Oh god, yes. I’m starving. Chipotle?” There’s a reason they’ve been friends for so long.

They order and he pays while she fills up their cups and finds an empty booth. When he drops the trays down on the table and slides her the burrito she ordered, he smiles and reaches his hand across the table, “Jessie, will you be my Valentine?”

She rolls her eyes, but it’s warm and laced with affection when she kicks him under the table, “You fucking sap. You’re lucky you bought me food or I’d say no.” She takes a bite and chews, but Jimmy keeps needling.

“So you’re saying the way to your heart is through your stomach.” He nods, “Noted.”

They chat over dinner, discussing college and what people from high school are up to. She’s in an accelerated program at BC and should graduate a year early. He’s reserved, but hoping to get drafted.

It’s not long after they're done, still taking up space in the booth, when his mom calls, “Hey ma.” Jess mouths ‘tell her I said hi!’ and gets up to throw away their garbage and heads to the ladies room.

“Jess said to tell you hi,” it’s barely out of his mouth before he regrets it.

“You’re out with Jess. On Valentine’s day?” Her tone is accusing, but soft. “I always liked her. I didn’t realize you were seeing each other. You don’t tell me anything anymore.” Before she can get too deep in her pity party he stops her.

“It’s not like that. We just ran into each other, we didn’t plan anything” Jimmy scratches at a scuff on the table, wishing he just waited until he got home to have this conversation. The last thing he’d want to do is make Jess uncomfortable with this. His mom prattles on about how she’s always liked Jessica from down the block, but Jimmy mostly tunes it out. It’s not until she’s walking back to the table, smiling softly at him that he rushes his mom off the phone the best he can.

“I’ll tell her you said hi. I’ll be home soon, see you, love you, bye!” He hangs up before she can get a word in.

Jess plops down across from him, “Did you tell her I said hi? I love your mom.” He assures her he did, and stands up, stretching.

“We should get going,” he grabs his keys off of the table, and Jess stands too and follows him out to their cars.

“Thanks, Valentine,” she unexpectedly hugs him around the middle. “I usually hate this fucking day, but you made it pretty bearable.”

He can’t help the laugh that escapes him; she’s such a pessimist. “Yeah, I get that a lot after dates. Bearable.”

His heart stutters when he realizes what he said, his hands get clammy. He feels dumb, hanging up on his mom so she didn’t make Jess feel like tonight was anything that they didn’t intend it to be, and then he sticks his foot straight into his stupid mouth.

Jess doesn’t flinch though and just follows him out the door to their cars. “See ya later, Jim. Don’t be a stranger. Cambridge isn’t that far, yeah?”

He laughs and hugs her goodbye again before getting in his own car and driving home.

When he unlocks the front door his mother is on him like a hawk. “Where’s Jessica? Why didn’t you bring her here? I just love that girl.” He has to remind himself to calm down before he opens his mouth, because she means well and loves him.

“She had some stuff to do, but she said hi,” he grabs a cookie off of a plate cooling on the countertop and prays his mom doesn’t need to go out, lest she catch sight of Jess’ car in her driveway and ruin his lie.

She takes his half eaten cookie from his hand and takes a bite, chewing slowly. “What you’re saying is that I shouldn’t get my hopes up,” before she pins him with a glare only a mother could muster.

“Still single, ma.” He grabs a cookie in each hand and hustles up the stairs to his room before she can pepper him with more questions.

He lies on his bed and flips on his tv, clicking channel to channel until he finds a hockey game that will keep his attention. By the end of the 2nd, the Bruins are up 4-1 over the Leafs and he mutes the intermission report to scroll through twitter uninterrupted.

His timeline is filled with photo after photo of happy couples and gushing declarations of love. He can’t help but sigh and be a little jealous. After watching the rest of the beating Boston lays on Toronto, he shuts the TV off and lies awake, staring at his ceiling. The jealousy has faded, and now he’s just a little sad, slightly disappointed, with a pinch discouraged mixed in.

He’d blame his next action on hopelessly romantic desperation as he opens Twitter back up and drafts his tweet.

Spending another Valentine's day without having found “the one.” Hope she is out there somewhere safe and sound.

Jimmy taps the button to send the tweet and rolls over onto his side before the day catches up to him and he falls into a mostly dreamless sleep.

_____

Valentine’s day as a Ranger finds him alone in the city once more, begrudgingly texting his mother back and pretending this holiday doesn't make him feel like Steven fucking Glansberg.

At least he's back in Boston tonight, starting an away stretch down the eastern seaboard. He has two whole days to spend with his friends and family in his home state before the game against the Bruins and before they leave for Carolina and two more down in Florida.

He takes his parents out for dinner soon after he lands, and then hits up a few friends to go to the bar. They’re all happy to hear from him, but only Tommy can come out, everyone else is busy with their girlfriends. He can’t blame them. He’d rather be courting a pretty girl than third-wheeling with his parents, but he’s not there yet in his life, so a few beers with Tommy will have to do.

They’re chatting through their second round of Guinness and watching the basketball game when his phone vibrates in his pocket. He leaves it, the game is getting good and it’s almost the half. A three-pointer closes it out and Tommy excuses himself for the bathroom, so Jimmy signals the bartender for two more and finally pulls his phone out of his pocket.

Jess: Jimmmmmmmmm

He smiles in spite of himself.

What’s up Jessie?

But then Tommy comes back from the bathroom and he puts the phone back into his pocket, because he’s a good bro and that’s rude.

He almost forgets about it, laughing with Tommy through the rest of the game and catching up with a few kids from the neighborhood that walk into the bar and spot him, but then he takes his phone out to order an Uber and he sees the notifications.

4 unread texts from Jess

He orders the Uber after putting in Tommy's address as the first stop and his parent's home as the second before he swipes back over to his texts.

Jess: I'm at a galrnyinrd day party

Jess: Galrntinrd*

Jess: GALENTINES*******

We were playing text or delete and I didn't want to delete you 😭

She's obviously had a few. Jess was never one for overt emotion. But it's always fun getting it out of her, so he hopes she hasn't sobered up in the hour that's passed since she text him last. He climbs into the Uber after Tommy and types out a careful message to her. Eyes struggling to focus since he had a few beers himself.

Didn't know you cared, Jessie.

He finally looks up and says goodbye to Tommy with a handshake that turns into a hug when the car comes to a stop, before settling back into the backseat for the rest of the ride to his childhood home.

He doesn't get another message from her until the driver stops at the final destination and wishes him a good night. Jimmy leaves a tip when the app pops up asking for a review and sits on his front steps in the cool night air, trying to sober up before he walks inside and wakes the whole house up.

Jess: You're a big dummy.

The message is quickly followed by another.

Jess: When are you coming home next?

Jimmy doesn't know what to say to that, so he stands up next to his house number and snaps a selfie before sending it off to Jess.

Jess: 👀👀👀👀

Jess: I'm walking to you now

He hears her front door slam from 6 houses away in the quiet stillness of the late night. The next thing he hears echoing are her giggles followed by heavy footsteps as she runs over to him.

"I misssssed you." She's a little tipsy still, he can tell by how tightly she wraps her arms around him.

"Missed you too, Jessie," he winds his arms around her too. She buries her face in his chest and he can feel her cold nose through his shirt.

"Let's go hangout in the basement. It's freezing out here," he unlocks the front door with his Patriots key, the same one he's had since middle school; the paint chipping with use over the years.

When they walk through his mom's kitchen, she opens the fridge and grabs two water bottles before following him down the steps to the basement where they'd spent much of their youth watching movies, doing homework, and playing Mario Kart. He feels calm and at home here, sunken into the old couch with her by his side.

"So, Galentine's?" He swipes one of the water bottles from her and takes a sip before switching on the TV to whatever is on TBS, it looks like The Notebook.

"Don't make fun. It's a nice excuse to drink some wine and have a good night with your friends." She sniffs haughtily.

"Yeah, yeah. Any excuse to drink and gossip," he's just picking on her a little. It's what they do.

She swigs her water and looks at him with a little distaste coloring her face. "Stop acting like you and Tom didn't do the same thing earlier; I saw his insta story."

Her eyes open wider as she realizes what she said, and he's a little taken aback. If she saw Tommy's story, that means...

"So you knew I was home?" He presses his knee against hers on the couch.

She looks anywhere but at him, finally focusing her attention to the water bottle in her hand- unscrewing and re-screwing the cap back on.

"I mean..." She rolls her eyes in that careless way she has about her, and he notices her sweater is pink, as are the socks peeking out of the tops of her boots. "Kinda." He feels her move imperceivably closer into his side.

He can't help the smile taking over his face, "You just wanted to spend Valentine's day watching chick flicks with me, you can say it."

"Shut up," she hits him with a pillow, firm across his chest. "Maybe."

It's the closest he's ever gotten to a mushy declaration from her and it warms him up. "You're an ice queen," he wheedles gently, wrapping his arm up and over her shoulders along the back of the couch.

She sighs and leans her head on his shoulder, he's happy to sit here watching Noah hang from the ferris wheel, just like this, but Jess is apparently not.

"Not feeling so icy right now," she whispers, so low he's not sure if he imagined it, but then she's right up in his ear, "Feeling a little warm, actually."

She places her hand flat on his chest and sucks gently on the skin under his ear behind the tendon in his neck and he's feeling a little warm too, as a matter of fact.

"Jess," she doesn't pause at the sound of her name, "Jessie," he pushes, a little more firm, he can't bear to physically remove her because it feels too good, but he's just, not sure she wants this.

"Jimmy," it's mumbled against his neck, and she barely pauses sucking into his skin to pant out his name.

"You don't really…" he stutters, not sure how to go about this. "Are you sure you…" She bites gently at his neck and he can't help the groan that leaves his lips, "Jesus Christ, stop that for one second. I can't think straight when you do that."

He gently pushes her shoulder to give himself room to breathe and collect his thoughts, but when he looks over at her she looks downright chagrined.

"I'll just… go," she starts to stand up and he grabs her wrist and pulls her back down to the couch.

"No you don't." She falls to the couch ungracefully next to him, red in the face and eyes glassy. "What the hell is this about, Jess. You can't just do… that and then leave without a word."

"Don't make me say it." Jess looks down at her hands. Her face gets impossibly redder and Jimmy is sure he's going to like this next part very much.

"Gotta tell me your feelings, Jessie." She refuses to look at his face and he can't stop the grin from forming.

Deciding to put her out of her misery, he nuzzles his nose against her neck, gently exhaling into the sensitive skin there.

"You… I… ugh!" She grasps at the back of his head and tilts her own to give him better access, but he refuses to take the bait until she says it.

"Say it," he whispers, pulling away just enough so his lips don't graze her skin.

He can feel the sigh she releases before she steels her body, spine going straight and takes a deep breath.

"I want nothing more than to watch cheesy chick flicks with you. Both on Valentine's day and every other single day of the year. You're the only person that has ever made this day worthwhile and I…"

He's not sure how the sentence was supposed to end, because he's so proud of her that he can't wait and stops her mid-sentence with a kiss on her mouth.

She doesn't really have much to say after that, and he knows she's not great with feelings, so he's just being merciful.

_____

Mrs. Vesey makes her way down into the basement on February 15th, a basket of laundry propped up against her hip. She screams once, startled by the unexpected lump she finds on the couch in what she thought was an empty basement.

She screams a second time when she realizes who spent the night.

Jimmy could have done without either.

#jimmy vesey fic #jimmy vesey imagine #hockey fic #hockey imagine #buffalo sabres fic #buffalo sabres imagine #nhl fic #nhl imagine #jimmy is soft soft soft #this is the first time I did a third person narrator #help #someone tell me if this is okay?#VALIDATE ME I HAD A ROUGH WEEK

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n0wornever · 4 years ago

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Top 20 of 2020

Thanks for the tag Toriiii!!! 💛 @txrii

rules: list your 5 favorite tv shows, 5 favorite books, 5 favorite films, and 5 favorite songs of 2020 (split into separate posts if too long) - does not have to be made in 2020, just your favorite for your year.

5 Favorite TV Shows

1) Julie and The Phantoms

It’s obvious that this show has owned my year in full. I love these sweet characters and the authenticity of the story being told had me hooked from the beginning. Now, Netflix needs to play nice and give us more ASAP.

2) Normal People

No other show has effected me on such an emotional level like this one did. Normal people created the best mental health narrative I’ve ever seen on the big screen. Although the show wasn’t chaotic or huge on dramatics, the tension and the emotion was real and truly impacted me.

3) The Wilds

This show felt like a whirlwind, but I absolutely devoured every moment of it. The LGBTQ+ rep was impeccable, the storyline was fresh and unique and the powerful female relationships were heavy and real and nuanced.

4) Alexa and Katie

I had a really hard summer, and this show was honestly the best thing that I could have binged in the moment. It was sweet and simple, but a lot of the messages were extremely powerful. Katie and Alexa’s friendship was stunning and beautiful, and all of the characters had their own fun and interesting storylines that made me connect with them. I am upset that we won’t get a college season, but the ending was honestly perfect.

5) Never Have I Ever

I honestly loved this show more than I could ever put words to. Devi’s grief storyline struck such a chord with me, I couldn’t help but bawl my eyes out during the last episode. Devi is a realistic, imperfect main character and I adore her so much. All the characters had their quirks and nuanced storylines too that I loved. I also LOVED the “love triangle” aspect, but mostly because Devi was in charge the whole time.

5 Favorite Books

1) Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon

2) When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

3) Get a Life Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

4) You Say It First by Katie Cotugno

5) The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

5 Top Movies

1) The Half Of It

Cute, queer and real. I love and relate with Ellie Chu so much and her friendship with Paul is such an important narrative to have on the big screen.

2) Portrait of A Lady on Fire

This movie was interesting and intense. I definitely was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

3) The Florida Project

This movie hurt my heart in so many ways, but as someone who grew up in poverty...I don’t think that I’ve ever seen my story told in such an accurate way. The colors and the cinematography were beautiful as well.

4) A Secret Love

This movie/documentary was heartbreakingly important. The love between these two women show the strength of the LGBTQ+ community in the difficult environments that we’ve been given.

5) Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

This movie was confusing and grueling but so gorgeous and cinematic. My heart hurt for the two leads and this storyline really toyed with my brain when it came to thinking about what true love really means.

5 Favorite Songs

1) I Never Wanna Die by Bea Miller

2) Now or Never by The Julie and The Phantoms Cast

3) Space Girl by Frances Forever

4) Cool by Dua Lipa

5) Obvious by Ariana Grande

(Bonus: All of Folklore and Evermore by Taylor Swift, I couldn’t just choose one song from all of them lol)

I tag @dream-a-little-bigger-x, @calamitykaty and @alexpjoyner, along with anyone else who’d like to do this! 💛

#what a year #2020 faves

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kaptainandy · 5 years ago

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My Complete In-depth TLOU 2 Thoughts:

Yeah I know, y’all have already read through countless reviews and thoughts, but I gotta get my thoughts out there. So, continue under the cut for some somewhat coherent, essay-ish style ramblings. There will be a TL;DR at the end because this is going to be long. (Spoilers ahead).

Okay so my overall perception of this game is that it’s average and I’m slightly disappointed. I’m going to start with the things I really liked and enjoyed before I get into what I didn’t like.

The visuals and gameplay were solid and enjoyable with small improvements upon the first game’s already fun and interesting, gameplay. The NPCs felt less like they were following a track in terms of their movements and felt more natural. The dialogue between enemies felt more varied than the first game, and the addition of giving everyone a name made me feel more immersed and the reaction from other characters to their fallen friends felt more believable. I feel that overall, the development of gameplay from the first to the second game felt “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” and I think it worked out because it’s one of the aspects I liked about the first game. The addition of craftable silencers, varied stealth takedowns, ability to go prone, tall grass to hide in, cars to hide under, larger infected (bloaters and shamblers) now being able to destroy weak walls, etc. were fun editions that helped the combat feel less repetitive. And lastly, the areas of combat that included both human enemies and infected, (and later WLF soldiers vs Seraphite soldiers) was really cool and felt more realistic for the world of the Last of Us. It was something I think the first game lacked and it was really interesting to choose who to take down first and let the enemies fight each other.

The level design was also great. I felt it gave the player a lot of options of how they wanted to traverse the area to takedown enemies and look for supplies. Everything felt huge and worth exploring. The player was rewarded appropriately for checking every nook and cranny, and the addition of going prone to fit under small spaces or breaking glass to get into locked buildings was a lot of fun. The first day in Seattle as Ellie was especially enjoyable as you got to explore the city and mark things on your map while engaging in dialogue with Dina. Every building held something new and acted as an opportunity for Dina and Ellie to banter.

The art direction was incredible and I don’t think I’ve seen a more stunning looking game. It felt like a lot of time and care went into the design of each item and every corner of every environment. My favorite environments were definitely the homesteads of the major characters/factions (Jackson, the stadium transformed into a village by the WLF, the Seraphite island, etc.) because it told the player more about what everyday life is like for these characters and how they’re similar and different. Also, the weather, time of day, lighting, and use of space (or lack there of) added tension and changed the tone in scenes and levels appropriately. I felt engaged in each moment. I think the best use of visuals and atmosphere to set tone and really immerse the player was in the lower level of the hospital during the Abby playthrough. It was claustrophobic, damp, dark, ominous, and it always felt like danger and despair were right around the corner. And the massive clicker cluster fight in the small hospital corner was one of my favorite parts in the entire game. What would have felt like a silly and dumb concept if encountered elsewhere, was actually legitimately terrifying and really cool due to the tone set from the scene. Seeing the effects of a ground zero site for infection 25 years later was really cool to see.

The music? A masterpiece. We have to stan Gustavo Santaolalla. What more can I say? He did a great job. If nothing else, give the soundtrack a listen.

The acting was incredible, as to be expected. The emotional moments were really sold and carried by the actors and the music together. Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker, Shannon Woodward, and Laura Bailey I expected to be phenomenal and they were, but I’d like to give a shoutout to the newcomers and more minor actors as well. I felt no one had a bad performance, or even an average one. Every performance felt genuine and made me more connected to the characters.

As for new characters, I felt Yara and Lev were the ones I felt the most for and were the best written. The inclusion of Lev being trans was really cool to see as a trans person, and I felt it was executed well within the story. Lev being exiled from the Seraphites for questioning their ways and attempting to transition while Yara fought to remain by his side and protect him, made them both interesting and likable characters. They had depth to their characters. Despite coming from an environment that seemed ruthless and unforgiving they both acted as voice of reasons and wanted to help others, which was their strength and their weakness in the end, adding to their complexity.

The story had it’s moments. I found myself being impacted more during light and happy moments more so than the traumatic and sad ones. I felt a lot of time was put into showing the love and care between Ellie and Dina, and I found myself smiling like a goober when they were being goofy or together or cuddling. This also ties into the LGBTQ representation, which I personally thought was well done as I briefly touched on with Lev. I understand and respect those who felt there was too much trauma forced upon the LGBTQ characters, and I agree with that when it comes to Ellie because the whole game was essentially torturing her. I’ll at least give Naughty Dog credit for avoiding the “bury your gays” trope when they very easily could’ve done that given the constant death in the world of the Last of Us. Treatment aside, as a gay trans man, the overall presentation of these characters I felt was realistic, respectful, and gave me hope for future LGBTQ representation in triple A titles. I know this is literally doing the bare minimum but we gotta start somewhere.

Now, as for things I disliked about the game, there was a lot and I felt the weight of things I disliked outweighed those that I like since the overall experience depended on them more heavily.

I’ll start with the small things that irked me, that could be somewhat excused and are more a personal preference. For starters, I felt the game was too long. After awhile it got repetitive and having nearly the entire game take place in one city (as opposed to the first game that took place across the country), the scenery got old pretty quickly. I feel like a lot of the traveling could have been cut. For example, instead of showing a cut scene where characters say “we have to get to x” and having to basically travel the entire way, it would’ve worked better had it cut to them being at or close to their destination, thus cutting back on repetitive combat. It didn’t feel super rewarding and it only sometimes resulted in something added to the story. In the end, I felt it should be exempt for a similar reason you don’t need to show a character’s entire traveling in a movie, it’s just unnecessary.

Another minor detail that bothered me was the shamblers. Not as a concept, because I thought they were really fun new enemies and added something to combat, but the fact that they felt thrown in with no explanation. Where did they come from? Are they only in the northeast of the US? What caused them? It’s mentioned briefly by one character (I forget who) that it could be a result of excessive rain, but it was just a guess and not further elaborated on.

The fact that events and characters of the first game that were influential to Ellie and Joel’s character seemed to be inappropriately forgotten about. I understand the game is meant to be enjoyed by people who haven’t played the first game as well as fans of the first one, but it could still be done in a way to cater to both audiences. It would also help people who didn’t play the first one learn and connect more to Ellie and Joel. Why was there no Riley-related dialogue for Ellie upon seeing “The Turning” arcade machine? Hell, Riley was never mentioned at all. Same with Tess. Bill was briefly mentioned, but not by name. Ellie’s mom still remained a mystery, and I don’t recall her being mentioned. Henry and Sam? Also never mentioned. Upon seeing Sam’s robot toy in Ellie’s room (which I thought was a nice touch) I would’ve thought he might’ve been brought up in discussion with Dina about past friends. I get that it could be implied Ellie has discussed her past with Dina and others before the events of the game took place, but you have an audience to think about. Essentially you have to think that if the audience didn’t see it or hear about it, it didn’t happen. I feel the omission of past characters and events was a disservice to the first game and was really disappointing.

This relates to something else I disliked: It felt like too much time was spent on characters solo traveling and being in combat and not enough on story and relationship building. I felt the time spent traveling alone as Ellie or Abby was far greater than traveling with a companion. The dialogue and interactions between Ellie and Joel in the first game was crucial to the story and relationship, and when the characters were apart, it made the player that more eager for them to be reunited. They were only ever apart when one was missing/injured or they were unintentionally separated and it made sense to the story. In terms of missed opportunity, I especially thought Jesse’s character was mishandled and wasted. Just as the player was really beginning to know his past and connect with him, he dies a seemingly (in my opinion) stupid death. Not only that, but there’s almost no mention of him or his death after it happens, and Ellie and Dina seem relatively unaffected. I felt like Dina’s character also could’ve been fleshed out better. She was one of my favorite characters, but the things we knew about her didn’t seem to impact the story or her character that much, especially the loss she’s suffered. Her thoughts about her sister’s death and Jesse’s death are barely touched on, and I just felt like I was left wanting more.

Jesse and Dina could’ve definitely been handled better, but at least I cared about them. I didn’t have those feelings towards anyone in Abby’s story (except Yara and Lev). This relates to the bigger problem with the timeline of events and the and the order they were shown in the game, but I’ll touch on this in a bit. Before beginning to know these characters, the only thing you know is that they were involved in killing Joel, and happy about doing so. Now the challenge was to get the player to like them, which the writers failed abysmally. I couldn’t even remember half of their names when they were brought back up. The most influential of Abby’s friends, aside from Owen, seems to be Manny and the only things we get to know about him is that he’s horny, likes to get drunk, and - much like the writers - tries to force other characters to like each other (i.e. Mel and Abby). He only exists to establish Mel and Abby’s relationship and to save and help Abby when they encounter Tommy trying to snipe them. Mel and Abby (who I will touch on extensively in her own paragraph because yikes) both seemed like miserable people to be around and their relationship seemed catty and to simply revolve around Owen. I’m kinda sick of having women characters’ relationships revolve around the fact that one of them used to date the guy that the other is now currently dating. It’s stupid and I couldn’t give less of a fuck if that’s the biggest roadblock in their relationship. Also Mel calling Abby a piece of shit seemed unwarranted based on what we knew. Like we knew Mel was against the brutality of Joel’s death, but the way she spoke to and of Abby seemed like there was something else that the writers forgot to tell/show the audience. Abby never did anything personal to Mel (that Mel knew of) yet Mel decides to hate her guts and be unreasonable? Nora was kind of okay and seemed like an actual decent person (aside from wanting Joel dead and them making that shitty comment to Ellie) in her relationship with Abby. She was willing to risk getting in trouble to help Abby, but we weren’t given enough time with her to make me give a shit, especially after what she said to Ellie. Owen had potential to be likable; he was charming, funny, a bit of a fuckboy, but nonetheless was optimistic and hopeful. But for some reason the writers decided to throw out any ounce of care we had for him by having him cheat on Mel with Abby in a shitty sex scene.

Now for my thoughts on Abby. My thoughts about her also relate to my thoughts on the order of events, and a few other aspects I haven’t mentioned yet, so forgive me if my thoughts are a bit all over the place. I really really tried to sympathize and like Abby, but holy shit they fucked up every possible opportunity to create some sort of likability. For starters, it boggles my mind that they had her commit the atrocity that was Joel’s death as basically the introduction to her character. Not only that, but just mere minutes beforehand Joel had saved her life and shown her nothing but kindness and she goes on to torture him and continue to do so while his surrogate daughter begs and screams for her to stop. She shows no guilt both in the moment or afterwards. It doesn’t eat her up inside at all. Every time Joel is brought up by Abby and her friends, she wastes no time expressing how elated she is that she not only killed him, but did so in such a gruesome way. You really expect fans to even WANT to like this character after she tortures and kills the only other character (besides Ellie) that fans LOVED. And I’m not upset that Joel died, because I expected he would and there were a million ways it could’ve been done appropriately to both the story and fans. But the way he died and how early he died at the hands of essentially some nobody really rubbed me the wrong way, they essentially threw him away without any honor to the experience we had with him in the first game. So, that’s our introduction to Abby and her friends. Again, the writers had the challenge of trying to make us like her, but it felt like they didn’t even try. Every attempt to make her likable fell flat either due to an action that happened right before or after. Abby’s only expression of sorrow is after the death of her father and Owen. Manny’s death is never mentioned after it happens and she seems to act like it never really happened. There is no remorse when she kills Jesse and Tommy, or anyone for that matter. She and (seemingly most of the WLF) condone and even get off on torturing Seraphites (they’re terrible people but if you’re trying to make me like a character, I don’t think you should have them condone the torturing of anyone). Abby is quick to kill Dina even after learning she’s pregnant, to which she comments, “good” and only stops because Lev is an actual decent human being and gets her to stop. And the writers have the gall to try and compare her to Ellie; trying to be like, “see she and Ellie aren’t so different uwu.” Meanwhile, Ellie is crying each time she hits Nora; she just wants Abby, she didn’t want to have to torture Nora like that. Ellie is traumatized after finding out that Mel is pregnant after killing her. Ellie is constantly shown to be grappling with the consequences and feelings of her actions. She experiences guilt and shame while Abby is shown time and time again to not regret her wrongdoings. The writers really tried to push us to like Abby by having her care for Yara and Lev, but I felt she did it out of selfishness and needing to feel good about herself not because she truly cared for these kids.

Going back to Joel’s death, the gruesomeness wasn’t even warranted based on Abby’s reasoning. Abby’s dad didn’t get murdered in front of her and he was killed because he stood in Joel’s way, holding a scalpel to Ellie. Jerry’s death was quick and painless too. And I know people will be like, “but Abby was also mad because now there’s no cure because of what Joel did!!!” However, she had no problem wanting to kill, or leave Ellie alone despite knowing she was immune. Abby was never on a quest to capture Ellie or talk her into finding the Fireflies with her (which would have made for an interesting storyline actually), she wanted her dead too. Joel’s death was the most tasteless death of a beloved character I think I’ve ever experienced.

Also the order of events was really detrimental to the story and especially Abby’s character. The way that flashbacks were thrown in throughout the story after Joel’s death fell flat and made Joel’s death feel even worse. The Joel and Ellie flashbacks were honestly the highlight of the game because we got to spend time with the only 2 fleshed out and likable characters. Had they been placed at the beginning of the game and also showed more of their relationship after Joel tells Ellie the truth about the Fireflies, I would’ve felt his death would have been more okay (still shitty, but slightly better than what they gave us) because it would feel more unexpected and it would hit better emotionally after these moments we had with Ellie and Joel. Hell, the majority of the game should have been as it was advertised (which is another issue I’m gonna touch on shortly): the rocky relationship between Joel and Ellie after Ellie learns the truth and the two of them going on a revenge quest together, as Joel tried to earn Ellie’s forgiveness. The events presented in the order in the game also made it impossible for anyone to try to like Abby. We learn she commits the biggest atrocity and we know all her friends are going to end up dead, so there’s no emotional impact when we see how they die because we’ve known the whole time they were gonna be killed by Ellie. Both Abby’s character and the story they were trying to tell could’ve have been really great and interesting but it was just so poorly executed.

The story itself seemed so amateur as well. It just boiled down to “revenge and violence are bad uwu” while giving the player no choice but to engage in said violence. They tried to create a gray area between good and evil like they did in the first game, especially with Abby’s story but they ended up doing the opposite. Also the weak use of animals and pregnancy to create emotional impact is just so easy. They couldn’t think of any other way to make us connect to the characters except “hey look they love this animal” or “this is someone who is going to have a baby under these rough circumstances” and it’s just sloppy writing especially because they use both tactics MORE THAN ONCE.

The intersecting stories, themes of “what really is good/evil,” redemption of a thought to be unlikable character, and the death of a beloved character would have been so interesting and emotionally impactful if done right, but it felt like Naughty Dog chose every terrible option and outcome, resulting in the wet fart that we got. It felt sloppy with no honoring of the previous game or characters. We all cared, but apparently the writer’s didn’t. The ending with Ellie essentially being left with what she feared most, being alone, would’ve been way more appropriate had anything prior warranted this consequence. Not only is she alone, but Ellie loses the ability to play guitar, a way in which she remembered and felt connected to Joel. Like she goes through hell, and 99% of her actions are justified, yet she gets punished.

Lastly, I want to touch on the false advertising for the game. Normally, I wouldn’t be upset because movie trailers do it all the time where there will be subtle differences or added scenes that don’t occur in the movie, but this was a whole other level of fuckery. I get trying to mislead people to think something is going to happen only to steer them in a different direction, in fact I think this is really cool and fun when done well. However, this was straight up lying and essentially selling an entirely different game. Not only were these lies perpetuated in trailers and ads, but even in events such as E3. Neil Druckmann constantly harped on the idea that the game was going to be about Ellie and Joel having a falling out after Ellie learns the truth and how they navigate their relationship through their next adventure together. Yet the game was never about that, instead it was just a story about drawing shitty parallels between a beloved character and a new character who was destined to be unlikable from the start.

In the end, I think it’s still worth playing because I’ve seen so many mixed reviews floating around so I feel it’s best to make your own opinion. And if nothing else, it’s a fun experience if you’re just looking at a fun game to play if you don’t really care too much about the series or characters as a whole. Will I return to this game? Not anytime soon likely. But just being the fan that I am of the series I think I’ll try to get most of the achievements eventually, and to experiment with photomode because the visuals are so good. Even with how much of a disservice this game is to the series, I don’t think it ruins it for me. It just makes me love and appreciate the first game even more and I think they could bounce back from this, but they’d need to put in a shit ton of work to earn their core audience back.

TL;DR: As an addition to the Last of Us as a series, the game is a huge disappointment and disservice, but as a standalone game it’s slightly above average. The gameplay, music, and visuals slap but the story, characters, and relationship building (or lack thereof) suck. Naughty Dog lied in a highly scummy way to fans via advertisements and trailers. Fuck Abby. Stan Lev and Yara.

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voltage-vixen · 5 years ago

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Mission Twin-Possible Part I (Request)

Background: This story takes place as a Masquerade Kiss X Kissed by the Baddest Bidder Crossover. The MC from MK will be referred to as Arianna. The MC from KBTBB will be named Ashley. These two characters are twins that had cut ties with each other when Arianna left for college, and Ashley went to work for the Tres Spades. It’s been seven years since the two had last seen or spoken to each other, and their relationship did not end on a good note. Kazuomi has been invited by Eisuke to attend the auctions, and Arianna sees Ashley for the first time in seven years.

“I don’t understand how you enjoy these parties,” Arianna scoffed, “It’s just a bunch of rich people trying to outdo the other rich people in the room. Nobody actually really wants to be there.” Kazuomi was reviewing some documents, he needed to deliver to someone at tonight’s IVC party, when he looked up and saw his girlfriend scowling. “It’s not a matter of enjoying the parties. It’s a matter of making and keeping business contacts. I was invited by an old acquaintance tonight, that wants to discuss a business proposition. I would have been rude if I declined.” He put the papers back into his binder and scooted over until he was next to Arianna. “Besides, something tells me that tonight is going to be an exciting night. Weren’t you saying the other day just how bored you were without having any missions to go on?” She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. “If you say so.” The two rode in silence the rest of the way to the Tres Spades.

“I paged you ten minutes ago. You should have been here five minutes ago.” Eisuke barked as Ashley scurried into the penthouse lounge. “I’m sorry Eisuke. Erika stopped me in the hallway to ask me something about tomorrow’s shift.” He looked her over and was pleased to see she was wearing the pink dress he had picked out for her. “I’m the only one you need to take orders from,” frustrated that he had to wait longer to see her because of some hotel employee, “You don’t look half bad.” Ashley knew Eisuke well enough that if she translated his last statement, he really was excited to see her, and that she looked very nice. She looked around the penthouse lounge for the other bidders, but it was surprisingly empty. “Where are the other guys,” she asked, “I’m not used to it being so quiet in here.” Eisuke stood up and grabbed her hand. “You don’t need to concern yourself with other men besides me. Now let’s go.” The two started down the hall to head towards the party.

“When am I going to meet this associate of yours?” Arianna asked Kazuomi as the two had arrived at the party and were sipping champagne. “Patience my dear Arianna. All good things happen in time.” Arianna loved this man more than anything. She was never bored with him, and he was always keeping her on her toes. “There he is now,” Kazuomi whispered in her ear, “It’s showtime.” Arianna put on her best smile as Kazuomi escorted her over to the over side of the room. “Eisuke, it’s good to see you again,” Kazuomi greeted his acquaintance, “This lovely lady is Arianna.” Politely bowing her head without breaking eye contact with Eisuke, Arianna greeted him. “You must be the secretary Kazuomi fell for.” Eisuke stated as he eyed her over.

Arianna instantly decided she didn’t like him or his attitude. “Well I’m much more than a secretary, but yes I am his girlfriend.” Sensing the tension that was rising, Kazuomi decided to interject and change the subject. “Where is the lovely woman that captured the heart of the once cool billionaire?” Eisuke snapped his attention back to Kazuomi questioning his taste in women but wondering why this woman looked so familiar. “She had to stop by the restroom and should be back any minute.” He glanced around the room and finally saw Ashley in the crowd. Eisuke waved her over. “Here she is now,” he started to introduce her, “This is Ashley.” Ashley started to speak up when she saw Arianna. She could tell Arianna recognized her too and didn’t look thrilled at the prospect of seeing her again either.

“Wait a minute,” Kazuomi muttered as he noticed the two women glaring at each other, “You two look pretty similar.” Eisuke had also picked up on the way the two women were sizing each other up. This was uncharacteristic for Ashley, so he assumed that she had a history with Kazuomi’s woman. “I’m not surprised to see you with someone like him.” Arianna was the first one to speak up. “I could say the same thing to you. And how dare you say that about Eisuke!” Ashely started to raise her voice. Arianna grabbed her arm and started to pull her out to the hallway. “I’m not going anywhere with you!” Ashley exclaimed. “Do you really want to cause a scene at your boyfriend’s party? People are starting to stare.” Arianna hissed at her. It’s not like she was enjoying this either, but she knew the two of them had unresolved business.

They finally made it out to the hallway and Ashley was the first to turn away and cross her arms. “I have nothing to say to you.” Arianna grabbed her and made her turn around so she could face her. “I see you still like to avoid your problems as always.” Ashley hated confrontation more than anything, and she could see Arianna was still as confrontational as always. She honestly couldn’t even remember the one specific incident that caused their rift to begin, but she did know that the two would never see eye-to-eye on anything. Arianna was always so judgmental, that Ashley eventually started avoiding her, and made no effort to keep in touch, once they moved out and went their separate ways. “What are you doing with Eisuke Ichinomiya? Don’t you know the type of stuff he’s involved in? I always knew you were the submissive type, but I didn’t think you would allow yourself to become this obedient.”

Something inside of Ashley had snapped. She had always been afraid to stand up to Arianna, but she had taken it too far by insulting Eisuke. “Stop it! I don’t care what you say about me, but don’t you ever insult Eisuke! You don’t know him, or anything about his business and you have no right to judge him!” Arianna was taken aback by Ashley’s outburst. It looks like her sister had finally grown a spine. Arianna laughed as Ashley stood there shaking with rage. “For a second, I thought you were being held here by him against your will,” Arianna, “I was going to offer to help you escape, but I can see that won’t be necessary.” Feeling a new wave of confidence, Ashley decided to share how she was truly feeling. “You were always so critical of me, and I felt like I was suffocating. I didn’t feel like I could tell you anything, without you criticizing me.”

Arianne felt a rare guilt feeling inside of her. She had never meant to make Ashley feel invalidated. All she wanted for her sister was to become a strong and powerful woman that was able to rely on herself. Perhaps there were different paths to happiness, she thought. “I’m sorry you felt that way about me,” Arianna responded with a cool tone. Ashley knew that was a faux-pology, but she wouldn’t expect anything else from Arianna. She was curious about something though and decided to try her luck and ask about it. “What’s the deal with the guy you were with? Do you actually have feelings for him, or is he just a pawn to you?” Arianna was known for using others to get ahead, so Ashley wouldn’t have been surprised if Kazuomi was just a steppingstone, to a much bigger goal. “He’s someone very important to me,” Arianna, “I do love that man.”

Ashley had never known Arianna to express her feelings like that before. Her relationship must be legitimate for her to openly admit her affection for him. “See Eisuke, I knew they would keep the claws contained.” Kazuomi grinned as he and Eisuke has rejoined the two sisters. “Of course not,” Eisuke, “Ashley would never do something like that.” Ashley walked over to Eisuke and hugged him. “Eisuke, Arianna is my twin sister,” Ashley explained, “We haven’t spoken in a while, so we were just catching up.” Ashley gave Arianna a small smile, and Arianna returned it with a nod. Though their relationship still had a long way to go, there was progress made today. Kazuomi suddenly stepped in, “Arianna and I actually need to be leaving for the night. It was nice to meet you Ashley, and as always it was a pleasure Eisuke.”

Ashley bowed her head, while Eisuke gave a small wave. After all these years, were they really going to leave things the way they were? “Eisuke,” Ashley had started to say when he cut her off, “Go ahead.” She smiled at him and took off running after her sister. When she caught up to them, she saw Arianna whisper something to Kazuomi, and he disappeared into the limo. “What do you want?” Arianna asked in a neutral tone. “I was hoping we could maybe grab a coffee sometime?” Ashley asked. Arianna looked taken aback, but she wasn’t necessarily displeased. “If I have time, I’ll consider it. I’ll contact you.” With those final words, she entered the limo, and Ashley watched it drive away.

Ashley felt someone envelop her in a hug from behind, and she smiled when she realized it was Eisuke. “Are you ok?” he asked. “Yes. Yes I am.” She grabbed his hand and the two headed back to their suite for the night, with Ashley beaming the whole way back. “I told you something exciting would happen, tonight didn’t I?” Arianna leaned her head against Kazuomi’s chest. “I wouldn’t call it exciting, but you could say it was interesting.” Maybe meeting up for the occasion coffee wouldn’t be the end of the world, Arianna thought as Kazuomi stroked her hair and she fell asleep during the rest of the trip home.

To be continued....

Link to Part II: https://voltage-vixen.tumblr.com/post/187458548271/mission-twin-possible-part-ii

#voltage inc #kbtbb #kbtbb eisuke #eisuke ichinomiya #eisuke x mc #masquerade kiss #kazuomi shido #voltage games #voltage fanfic #voltage fandom #masquerade kiss X kissed by the baddest bidder #crossover #love 365 #otome fandom #otome fanfic #voltage otome

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chewie-redbird · 5 years ago

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Country Love : Part 1 “Home Again”

Author : chewie-redbird

Word Count : 2,397

Warnings : none

Summary : Havana ‘H’ West returns to her hometown of Spence’s Bridge, the home she avoided since her mom’s death two years before. Havana comes back for a much needed vacay, her family’s 39th Annual Weekend Business Break. Back to Ruth’s Inn and Bar, which is run by her family’s friends, the Daniels. Back to where she left her heart, back to the one who is her whole world. Back to him, back to Alex Daniels, back to her ex and his family. The family she cut all ties with after her mom and then her breakup with Alex. Havana is nervous as it will be the first time she will see him since he left her in Kamloops.

Characters : all OC characters (Havana ‘H’ West, Alexander ‘Alex’ Daniels, Ashley ‘Ash’ Daniels, Ruth Daniels, Geogre Daniels, Magnolia Bree, Sam Keller, Heath James, Talia Knight, Angel West, Marisa Yamelst, Tom Yamelst, Ray Yamelst, Hannah Yamelst, Faye Roberts, Ethan Garcia & Aaron Hansen)

A/N : Uh this was a dream I had and thought it be a kewl (cool) story and decided to share it, so hope y’all enjoy it!!!

Wow…

I haven’t been home in forever…

I miss it…

As I drive by the familiar Fruit Stand on the side of the highway that soon overlooks the small town. I can see my Grandpa Tom’s place on the other side of the river on the rez. My home where I grew up, where my heart is and where I never ever want to leave again after coming here.

As I drive up to the turn off that leads to the middle of this small town called Spence’s Bridge. Nothing big, just a small town where people pass by as the highway runs along the side. You can see the whole town from the highway, it spread into three parts.

The Yamelst Rez is the rez my family lives on, it’s the first part you see when you come into Spence’s Bridge. Its located on the other side of the Thompson River and its where the Thompson and Nicola rivers connect. My grandpa’s house is visible from the highway, the only blue house in the front line of the rez. Up top is my Aunty Barb and Uncle Cliff’s place, with some family spread in between.

The “downtown” area is just the Baits Motel where a scene was shot there for the movie An Unfinished Life. Some homes, the Log Cabin biker bar and then the main attraction, Ruth’s Inn & Bar. The bridge the town’s known for connects the downtown with the other side. A road before the bridge goes down to the post office that used to be the old school.

On the other side of the bridge towards the south is the other rez, simply the South Rez. Here is the Spence’s Bridge Inn, the Community Hall, a thrift shop run by my Aunty Vera. Further down, is the rez part, home to my Aunty Vera’s house and some other homes. Another little thrift shop is here, also a common playground, the old church and a community place.

Ruth’s Inn & Bar was two buildings, a three story inn consisting of twenty rooms; five of which were the presidential suites on the top floor. The Daniel’s bought the land from the Cook’s Ferry Band a long time ago, like seven generations ago. The band office was here but it moved to where the old post office was that also hosts the baseball field. Ruth’s Inn expanded into where people’s homes were, buying them out about four generations ago. Then the bar was built, becoming a separate building itself out back, with a balcony walkway connecting the two buildings. The driveway was connected to the main road, which it went down and snaked back along the bottom of the hill the road was on. Which then leads to a small parking lot, I pulled up to a spot I claimed for myself when I was a teenager. That was located towards the hill near the highway in the far southeast corner.

I parked my beautiful sparkly black with bright red interior 1963 Mercury Comet Convertible. God, I love this car, my Mom bought me this when she went down to Vancouver before my 16th birthday. I have been taken care of it ever since…. Wow... that was like five years ago. A lot has changed since then, my Mom died of sickness two years ago, and I lost the one person I thought was gonna be there for me forever a month after.

I grab my wine red purse I bought my Mom when she was in the hospital, I’ve claimed as to keep her near me. Even though I have her rings on my necklace I bought off the internet, a replica of The Vampire Diaries necklace Elena had. I also got a gold version too, but the chain broke so I keep it at home among the other jewelry. I grab the red and black suitcases that were my Moms, and wheel them into the lobby.

I look around, memories flying at me as I walk through the beautiful sky blue front doors. I look around drinking in the familiar feeling of being here again, it’s been a while. I barely notice when this person comes up to me asking something,

“What? I’m sorry, I was distracted by looking around. My name is Havana West, I have a reservation” I say reaching my hand out to shake theirs,

“Oh you’re Havana! I’ve heard so much about you already, my name is Magnolia Bree. I started to work here a year ago, when my family moved here. Here are your keys, you have three of the presidential suites booked. Everyone is ablazed with talk of the infamous Havana West returning to Ruth’s” Magnolia tells me, with a kind smile as her shoulder length sunshine wavy blonde hair moves every time she does. Her sapphire blue eyes sparkled even inside the lobby. She's wearing a yellow crop top, a size-to-big black and white plaid shirt open over it with white jean shorts. Complete with simple brown boots, a cute gold star necklace and a beautiful small sapphire ring.

“Um, not to seem rude and all, but can you please not call me Havana, it’s the name my Mom had gavin’ me and it’s just...” I simply say with my eyes glossing over, as it was the first time someone called me that since my Mom herself,

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry! I completely forgot what happened! Please forgive me, I just got so excited to meet you I ended up putting my foot in my mouth” Magnolia apologises while smiling sadly as her shoulders tense up,

“It’s okay. You didn’t know, it’s all good, just call me H” I tell her as she seems to relax again.

I smile back at her, seeing as I turn to start to walk up stairs when I hear Magnolia say,

“Sam! Come get H’s bags for her will ya!” she smiles when someone comes into her view, I’ve known that smile,

I’m about to protest when this tall as hell teenager came running up wearing a white tank top, dark wash jeans and cowboy boots. He is sharing her smile as well and it’s clear there is a connection. He’s dark brown hair long enough to cover his hazel eyes messy and all over like he didn’t care.

“No need, I can take my bags up Sam” I try to tell him,

“No, it’s my job ma’am” Sam says grabbing my suitcases as keep Magnolia’s stare,

“Thanks and don’t call me ma’am, I'm only twenty-one” I say laughing walking up the stairs as I hear him fallow,

“Yes ma’am” he says laughing following me up the stairs.

We make it to the little lobby area right above the lobby, meant for the presidential suites. I walk in the middle looking around, seeing the country feel mixed perfectly with the elite taste of a New Yorker.

“Here” I say turning to Sam handing him a twenty dollar bill,

“Thanks H” Sam says smiling, as he turns to head downstairs,

“Hey Sam, take care of her,” I say to him as he looked confused, then understanding what I meant,

“How? And I will” Sam says as he looks at me,

“The smile, I’ve known that smile,” I say as he returns downstairs, leaving me to look around.

Oh yeah I guess I should explain myself abit, my name is Havana West but everyone calls me H, I never felt like an Ava or Ana. I got my name from Cuba’s capital, cause my Mom loved Dirty Dancing : Havana Nights and was apparently conceived from her late B-Day vacay. I was an only child of Angel West, we were very close, everyone says we were more like sisters than mother and daughter. So it devastated me when she got sick and the horrible moment where I had to pull the plug and let her go. Now before you get judgy on me, just know it was a promise I made to my Mom, she told me if it ever came to the point if she lived on a machine or was let go, to let her go because she didn’t want to live on a machine.

I look at the golden keys, we had rooms 3, 4 and 5 to me and my family. I look at them all, rooms 3 and 4 were okay, but room 5 took my breath away. The room was like a dream come true, it was filled with an amazing red with gold and silver highlights throughout the room.

The room leads to a large queen sized bed, covered in a red silk sheet, with gold-sheer curtains over head. Near the door, was the door that lead to the big bathroom, fit for a queen. It had red and gold marble flooring, the counter was the same. The sink was a deep wine red same with the toilet. The towels were red with gold fleur de lis and silver leaves and vines wrapping around them. I look as the walk-in shower’s tiles were red, with silver speckle and big enough to fit five people. Even came with a seat attached to the wall…..huh…..wonder what stories this shower would say if it could.

I leave the bathroom, walking to the middle of the room, seeing the cherry red-stained-wood dressers next to the bed. They had gold handles with silver fleur de lis on the drawers. I start to unpack as I look around, see the wine red couch in front of a big screen TV attached to the wall. A beautiful gold chandelier was above the room making it look classy and elegant.

There was a double doors that lead to a small balcony, the curtains were sheer deep-red with gold fleur de lis and silver leaves and vines wrapping around them. I opened the door, and walked out, looking around as a breeze sent my shoulder-length dark brown roots and platinum-light blonde hair and the curtains to blow around like in a music video. I smile as memories were coming at me like fans when outside a concert of their favourite singer.

I turn to go back in, deciding on walking around for a bit before letting the family who owns this place know I'm here. I leave my room and head downstairs, seeing Magnolia and Sam flirting back and forth. Ah, to be a teen in love again, I know it wasn’t so long since I have been there. But it feels like eons past since I seen him, or even talked with him. It feels weird to no to talk with him... even being this close to him after what happened.

But I shake my head, he’s not the reason I came home, it was my family’s annual get together. But sadly a lot of them can’t make it due to obligations to the family company, W&Y Industries. So it just be my Grandpa Tom, Aunty Marisa, Uncle Stephan, Grandma Darlene, Uncle Raymond and Aunty Hannah. My little cousins Peyton, Ramsey and baby Julia are being taken cared by my assistant Klare at my Grandpa’s for the night. It’s only a five minute drive from here, so it is not bad, they need a night away.

I left the lobby area, it's really this long hallway from the front doors pointing east, towards the back doors that lead to a walk. It was a balcony/cover walkway, with the balcony/cover that lead to the little lobby upstairs for the presidential suites. The balcony/cover walkway leads to the bar out back, I spent many nights here back in highschool. It was the only bar that let sixteen and over, since the other bar, The Log Cabin, was strictly eighteen and over.

But before I went in, I walked the perimeter, a huge field basically of soft grass fenced off. There were flowers and trees all over, my favourite was the willow trees and roses. Rose bushes were lined along the buildings with lavender planted every now and then. Towards the south, there was my favourite spot, it was a fake-natural pool, with two willow trees on the right and left. It wasn’t huge, but not small either, but it was big enough for thirty people to use it…..don’t ask me how I know.

I went to sit at the edge, took off my brown boots, rolled up my jeans and dipped my feet in the warm water. Ahhhh, I haven’t done this since, basically two years ago, after my Mom died. I have been busy with schooling, attending Thompson Rivers University, a business diploma program, which was hard work. But I may have thrown myself into it after my Mom, making me lose touch with everyone. Even the one I didn’t mean to cut out, the one I wanted to be near me.

After sitting there for a while, listening to Shania Twain, I got up, shook my legs, rolling down my jeans and put on my boots. I walked into the bar, looking around as memories flooded my mind again. The dance floor was basically the whole floor, with red booths along the walls, big corner booths, a small stage a little ways to the left across from the front door. The bar was still the cherry-red-stained wood, the stools a bright red with silver legs. I see the red door down south from the front door, that lead to the kitchen in the back toward the east.

I look over to the right, see the red stairs that lead up to the VIP section up top. There were two big rooms above the kitchen for groups of people, me and my friends used them for celebrations. Upstairs was also a door that lead to the balcony/walkway that lead outside and connected the Inn with the Bar. Along the room with the dance floor, it was lined with red couches facing the dance floor. With some small gold side tables on the ends of the couches so people could place their drinks or food. I just looked around, still the same old black paint, covered in memories from years uses.

I was lost in thought when I heard a loud scream, a loud thud and then this person comes running and almost tackled me to the ground…..

masterlist : @daydreamingfairy @mummybear @bilesbilinskix @mrs-mitch-rapp93 @obrosey-af @hayley-noelle-salvatore19 @seashellrosekitty uh if you want just ask to be added!!

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thequlturecritic · 6 years ago

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QULTURE’S TOP 20 SERIES OF 2018

20. BUSY TONIGHT

You guys! Good energy is, like, totally in right now. And it’s never going away. You may know her from Freaks and Geeks, but I know her from Cougar Town as CC’s fun-loving, super-supportive sidekick. When you watch Busy Phillips on her cheeky, positive-vibes only E! talk show, a sense of “we’re all in this together” and “being kind to one another” is definitely a recipe for demolishing disaster. Remember how major Chelsea’s career became because of what so many probably considered a silly little talk show… well. I’m not a fortune teller or anything, but I could totally see Ms. Phillips taking over the universe. I want to be one of her minions. Cheers to another leading lady of late night!

19. THE VOICE

I’ve always been anti-reality competition shows when it comes to singing, only because I’m a total snob when it comes to what I subject my ears to. My musical tastes are versed and varied, but I still am pretty picky about who I let in to my drums, mostly because I need it to stimulate an eargasm and coincide with my life’s soundtrack. When American Idol launched, I definitely was enamored with Kelly Clarkson’s powerful vocals, but I still kept the close mind that an artist is discovered naturally, not “created” by producers with the backdrop and illusion that AMERICA gets to vote and pick the winner. Ah, who knows, maybe they do… I would just never take the time out to vote. HOWEVER. When I found out Kelly was going to be a judge on The Voice, which is a whole separate animal than Idol, I was shitting my pants with glee, because she really is such a goddamn force of fucking nature. Her spirit is overwhelmingly angelic and I simply love everything about watching her. Last season’s competition was magical, at least for me, perhaps because it was the first time I really got to experience the message and place the show has in the universe. It really is inspiring and lovely to see how much these artists themselves care for the teams they build and the individuals they want to see grow – regardless of whether or not it leads to fame. Alicia Keys and Kelly Clarkson’s dynamic was really something special that inspired me in so many ways.

18. COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE

I love nothing more than a loose format, sans makeup, realistic conversation between famous people. Talk shows rock and all, but there’s something to be said for two people we all know and (often) admire, getting together and doing something that, ya know, regular people do! Like… go out to breakfast. I was never a fan of the Seinfeld sitcom, mostly because when it was popular it was kinda over my head and nothing that interested me. I’d probably be more inclined to watch and enjoy it now because of how much Veep has made me adore Julia-Louis Dreyfus and now much Jerry Seinfeld’s Netflix series about him… getting coffee… with comedians… has made me adore his admiration for vintage cars, honesty in humanity and one of the most important things we all seem to forget sometimes – which is to LAUGH! We live in such politically charged times, and while I get how important it is to talk about the very things we were always brainwashed to believe were impolite to talk about, we also need to be able to make jokes and not be so sensitive about everything. Ya heard?

17. AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL

Oh how I love me some Tyra, but it seems the future is all about Ashley Graham. Yet again – another fucking beautiful superhuman. I am really starting to hate that people even think of someone as “plus size”, but hey, it’s the world we live in. All I see when I look at her is someone with a whole lot of personality, gorgeous features and a personality that you’d be crazy to not gravitate toward. She is living proof that good vibes, energy and kindness (in the fashion industry?! How dare you!) go a long way. Tyra and Co. are doing such a bang-up job sending young women empowering messages about feeling safe in their own skin by infusing all shapes, sizes, colors and archetypes. This cycle was full of hilarious moments and was totally unpredictable. Despite her Trump-loving, Republican ways and complaining about being transformed into a “fire-crotch”, I was rooting for Liberty, Rio and Jeana to compete in the Top 3. That certainly evolved as the season went on, mainly because Jeana’s insecurities were getting the best of her (she had alopecia and they convinced her to be the alien-like, bald beauty – which she looked 10X better as vs. wearing wigs) and Rio had the most off-putting temper tantrum that had me and my bestie Carlee yelling at the the TV, “Who da fuck you think you talkin’ to?!” as if we were speaking for Tyra. Be humble, girls! Beauty ain’t just skin deep. At the end of the day, I loved seeing Kyla take the crown, because her activism, big heart and growth really was something special at the end of the day. Keep up the good work! I want 1000 more cycles.

16. SWEETBITTER

Starz’s adaptation of the best-selling novel by Stephanie Danler is short, but bittersweet. Ella Purnell is a breakout star, headlining the cast of unknowns who are all as equally as fantastic. I think that’s one of my favorite things about it (Caitlin Fitzgerald, in particular, who definitely has that thing) – how naturally gifted the entire cast is. Purnell stars as Tess, an All-American girl from bumfuck who makes her way to New York City to chase the dream, even if she has no idea what it is yet. Any of you who have worked in the service industry as a waiter or waitress will appreciate the authenticity of how intimidating, grueling and chaotic the industry can be… but how much fun it can be once your shift is over.

15. MANIAC

What is Netflix’s limited, vivid, disturbing, funny, emotional rollercoaster about? My brain is exploding from trying to analyze. Typically, in each episode, I get so lost in the perfection that is Emma Stone, I’m completely enthralled by how inspiring it is to watch one of our most exceptional young talents only seem to get better and better. It’s also always a pleasant surprise to see someone like Jonah Hill continue to prove himself as truly versatile. Remember when these two were just getting into stoner cinema and taking over the shelves at Blockbuster, during their Superbad days? Justin Theroux, plus. Sally Field, super-plus. Julia Garner (also of Ozark), a star on the rise! It might make you feel a little crazy while watching, but hey, we all go a little mad sometimes.

14. SHARP OBJECTS

Gillian Flynn’s book to big screen success with Gone Girl made a lot of us anxious to see what would be translated next. Following the trend of mini-series, binge-worthy greatness and big stars coming to the “small” screen, HBO announced Amy Adams would star in Sharp Objects, a dark, sultry murder mystery set in the swampy south that co-stars the amazing Patricia Clarkson – one of my absolute favorite actors. I’ll never forget when I “discovered” her, in Lisa Cholodenko’s High Art, one of my all-time faves. There’s a similar hypnotism with the limited series which also features a deliciously naked Chris Messina, and, of course, the direction of the man I’d say is pretty much cinematic perfection these days – Jean Marc Valee. If you have not yet seen Dallas Buyers Club, and another all-time favorite of mine, Wild, you are missing out. I’m assuming you have watched all of Big Little Lies once or twice, and can’t wait for season two next year. Neither can I. These are the people doing AWESOME awesome things in Hollywood.

13. AMERICAN HORROR STORY: APOCALYPSE

So, I’m always back and forth with AHS. I always love how visually stunning it is, but some seasons either lack substance or are literally just too fucking freaky for me to engage. I can not even set my eyes on Freak Show, thought Cults was too gory and scattered (although fresh off of the Trump presidency was a possible prediction of the future if we don’t all get our shit together) and definitely didn’t even give that Roanoke one a chance. The first two seasons rocked, and Gaga slayed in Hotel, but being that I love witches (Hocus Pocus, Witches of Eastwick) I have to say Coven is my favorite season. I love every Farmiga in life, Precious’ Gaborey Sidibe always makes me laugh and Emma Roberts is a rock star. How gorgeous?! She’s also such a little asshole in the best way. She’s someone I can picture punching me in the face, and I’d invite her to. Apocalypse is the best infusion of boy/girl magic and the ultimate comradery casting wise – as what could make for a perfect finale for the series ties all of Ryan Murphy’s brilliance together. That’s just my opinion – because I think a great series needs to know when to wrap it up, but these days everything is all about milking everything to the last drop, so… idk.

12. THE CONNERS

Roseanne returning was definitely the best of the best in reboot land, until her big mouth got her fired from ABC and launched The Conners, which features the entire cast minus a dead mother. I still respect her as an artist and will always love when TV wasn’t so linked to the Twitterverse, but these days I guess everyone really does have to be super careful about the shit they say – especially when we should know better that racism isn’t cool. It’s such an odd thing, because Roseanne was always so controversial, brave with their material, and was one of the first shows to have an out lesbian comedian/actress and character (the great Sandra Bernhard)… so… idk. That Sarah Gilbert though… she’s somethin’ special.

11. THE GOOD PLACE

Kristen Bell!!!!!!! That’s all. Ok, well, that’s not all… because Ted Danson is equally as amazing. Who wouldn’t love someone married to a dame like Mary Steenburgen?! I’ve been a fan of his since Three Men (and a Little Lady!). The diversity, quick wit, modern spin on the classic sitcom and concept behind this hit NBC series reminds us of why the network is always killing it when it comes to delivering quality, quantity and maintaining its colorful edge. I’m surprised I didn’t get into this show when it premiered, as season 4 approaches and the Globes, and surely the Emmy’s now are getting into recognizing genius when they see it. This show is filled with all the good feels! Maybe Heaven really is a place on Earth.

10. WILL & GRACE

When the reboot of W&G first returned to NBC, I was a bit underwhelmed by some of the writing. It seemed forced and a bit insecure – but it just took a few episodes for them to really get back in the swing of things and season 2 of the return is really on point. Debra Messing is better than ever (congrats on a Globe nomination!), as are Eric, Megan and Sean Hayes – who I’ve always greatly admired because of, what I like to consider his “big break” – the film, Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss. Growing up gay, Will and Grace was a trailblazing, extremely important and relevant show to so many of us because there wasn’t much of that on TV. But I’ll always remember that adorable indie of Sean’s. He should make more movies! I love him in Pieces of April too!

9. I LOVE YOU AMERICA: with SARAH SILVERMAN

Sarah has always been my absolute favorite comedian. Jesus is Magic is probably one of the most brilliant stand-up comedy feature films I’ve ever seen (are there many of those) combining music, comedy, political satire, sexually inappropriate and explicit linguistics… nothing is off limits. From jokes about AIDS, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Holocaust, to her dead grandmother’s rape to pussy jokes about child lesbians she’s related to. On her new Hulu series, Silverman takes a tour of the great country we live in, United States of A, talking to Trump supporters, men and women of all colors, shapes and sizes and makes an honest, unbiased, non-judgmental effort to deliver an intellectual perspective on all things current and heated in the minds of many. I love her condescending approach, ability to keep her cool, remain true to herself and do something important with her career. It’s a humbled and divine dose of reality that I think we all need, as at the end of the day she’s basically trying to unite us and get people to understand that despite our differences, respect and kindness can truly inspire change.

8. POSE

First of all – watch Paris is Burning, if you’ve never seen it.

I remember when I worked for the super cool East-coast indie video chain, TLA Video, it was one of the most popular rentals in our Gay and Lesbian section, as it should be. It’s a classic documentary that captures the heart, sole and strut of African American LGBTQ culture during the AIDS epidemic, when being a queen and going to the balls would begin to define what FIERCE meant for a generation. (Play: Azealia Banks, Fierce). It’s one of RuPaul’s favorite movies and certainly inspiration for Ryan Murphy’s vivid and heartfelt FX series starring Evan Peters, James Van Der Beek, Kate Mara and a wonderful assortment of newcomers including the fetch, fierce, versatile and gorgeous MJ Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson and (MY FAVE) Indya Moore.

7. CAMPING

Ever since 13 Going on 30, I’ve known Jennifer Garner was a unicorn. She has that innate ability to charm, impress and entertain us with charisma and natural comedic talent. When it comes to the American adaptation of the Brit series Camping, developed for HBO (in part with Girls’ master Lena Dunham), the team surely arranged the most perfect blend of talent for both behind and in front of the camera. Garner brings the most complicated and hilarious nuances to her character and proves she is more than capable of leading a most diverse and perfectly perfect blend of talent.

6. OZARK

Janet McTeer!! OMG! This woman is amazing and really the force that makes the sophomore season of the hit Netflix drug smuggling/money laundering/gangsta livin’ series all the more bombastic. Sure, Jason Bateman continues to be awesome in every way, but the women on the latest season (even the creepy old meth lady who wants a baby at 99) really slay and own the show, keeping us on the edges of our seats and beyond impressed with how hard anyone with a vagina is proving that they are taking over the world these days. As if we needed more reasons to be obsessed with Laura Linney – she takes her character to new heights, getting more screen time and really being thrust into a more evolved dynamic – sort of how Robin Wright does on House of Cards. As though the audience was more drawn to the female than the male lead the series was built around. But Janet McTeer?! Holy fuck, Janet McTeer. She’ll make your skin crawl and keep you up at night… binge-watching.

5. THE AFFAIR

Showtime’s scandalous, suspenseful and intricate portrait of love, marriage and infidelity has been one of my must-see series since its debut. The entire cast is pure magic, especially the four leads – Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson. I’m constantly lobbying for Tierney, who continues to blow my mind with everything from those perfect, pouty lips to the way she can make my heart melt with a single tear. Last season, the twists and turns were so unexpected – something so refreshing these days when it comes to storytelling – that none of us could’ve ever seen coming what we now have to go into season five knowing (and grieving with, in my case). This is one of of those shows that stands tall from start to finish, and continues to inspire the way character and perspective is conveyed, as well as how we process it ourselves as an audience. I’ve always been fascinated by the same story being told through different goggles – kind of like in The Rules of Attraction, or Go. I can’t wait to see how this show wraps up, as I am pretty certain we move into the final act, which in itself is always a great quality for a series to know when to wrap it up.

4. HERE & NOW

Alan Ball, oh how I love thee. In the evidence of his brilliance, my affection toward Ball’s beautiful writing and ability to conduct such a beautiful cinematic symphony began with Six Feet Under, as it did most. If ever there were a perfect start to finish series… Rare is the artistic bird who can take such a celebrated drama and weave the social and political issues into a horror series – which is what he did with the addictive True Blood, a show that I would find myself equally hypnotized and aroused by. Ball’s latest gem is yet again a celebration of why we love HBO, his observant mind and heart, and ability to recognize genius when he sees it, in regard to casting. The always wonderful Holly Hunter and Tim Robbins headline a cast of brave, beautiful talents – including the tiny miracle that is the birth-child of Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, Sosie, who is one of my favorite actors/characters in this captivating new drama that celebrates all the feels of our current reality. It’s a mixed blend of understanding the human condition and how people of all walks relate to one another while truggling with matters of the heart and psychological warfare.

3. RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE

For ten seasons now, Queen of Drag, RuPaul Charles has been taking her dynasty and giving it a royal upgrade every season with eye-popping elements that consistently allow this groundbreaking competition series to be one of queer and pop culture’s most celebrated. From the guest judges (Season X premiered with a Farrah Moan-esque Christina Aguilera dolled up for all the queens to gag over, which they did – myself included) to Michelle Visage’s dazzling eyewear collection to the costumes to the casting and the challenges – which get more and more innovative – Rupaul’s Drag Race has become a small empire that has the promise to spinning into so many different types of series and assure celebrity drag careers are a thing of the future, now more than ever. I loved the queens this season, especially my future husband Kameron Michaels (beautiful inside and out, boy or girl) and the well-deserved winner Aquaria. This was the second season in a row for me (I haven’t seen a lot of the previous seasons) where Ru got it absolutely perfect. I’m also a huge fan of Vice’s The Trixie and Katya Show which you should get into as well!

2. THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL

All of the hype surrounding the Golden Globe & Emmy winning Amazon Prime series starring the incomparable Rachel Brosnahan as Mrs. Maisel, is the type of perfection that isn’t all-talk. Everything you’ve heard about this hilarious gem of a binge-worthy comedy is true: the costumes, the production design, the brilliant performances, directing and top-notch writing is on trend with celebrating everything we love about women in the world right now, and the time capsule reminds us of how far everyone has come marching to the beat of optimism and fighting for equality. I’m so happy the great Alex Borstein has been honored and been receiving praise for her work, and rightfully so, as she steals scenes from the great Maisel herself in the latest season. It’s truly one of the best watches out there, so get into it!

1. SCHITT’S CREEK

What started out as a little Canadian sitcom from a then unknown Pop TV, has since become a pop culture phenomenon and one of the small screen’s most celebrated, quoted and adored comedies out there. In Season four, we continue to follow the Rose’s on their journey of personal growth, going from riches to rags in a small bumfuck town where they clearly stick out like a redneck tooth fairy for plenty of good reasons. We already knew Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy were totes brilliant, but every season I grow more and more enamored with how crazy talented Dan Levy & Annie Murphy are. Their nuances, the way the arcs of their characters have evolved… it’s like their learning from two comic legends and its working for them every step of the way. This is truly already an iconic, feel good show that is spreading such messages of love and beauty throughout society. Loves it!

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intothewickedwood · 6 years ago

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Once Upon A Time Rewatch: 1x09 True North

No intro!! Nooooooo! Come back!

Poor Henry! He thought he’d finally made some friends.

The first of like 3 or four characters who are literally just named “the woodcutter” in the EF. Another one is Zelena’s adoptive dad and I’m pretty sure there’s more after that.

This is an interesting twist on Hansel and Gretel. I think the most well-known version has a stepmother (The Evil Queen represents the stepmother here) who makes Hansel and Gretel go to the gingerbread house but I believe in the much older versions it was a story of a poor family who had little food. The father abandoned them, as, I was told, many fathers did in those times in those situations because they could easily start new families. That’s what I learnt at college anyway! I’m sure it wasn’t that easy for all fathers to abandon their families and leave them to starve. Apparently, they later added the stepmother as a villain because they didn’t want the men to look bad in the stories. Apparently, the same thing happened in red-riding hood. The wolf was originally a very cruel man but I’ll talk about that during Ruby’s episode.

He gone. I guess Regina took him? So that she could persuade the children to live with her? Or for another reason, since they hadn’t proven themselves yet?

They didn’t do anything!

Oh, there in her forest! But don’t people go there all the time? Maybe it’s another forest or people aren’t actually allowed there without the Queen’s permission.

Wait? Regina thinks Henry doesn’t eat candy? But he took those chocolate bars down to the mines with him. I guess he’s not allowed them and he was just rebelling that day. I bet Emma buys him candy anyway xD.

I like Regina’s outfit! One of my favourites!

Ooh some more chlorokinesis from Regina! She should have used that ability more often! So useful in the forest!

Being wrapped in branches does not look comfortable. Would not recommend.

I wonder if Regina planned this to get them to go to the gingerbread house.

How come Emma’s superpower didn’t work when she thought the kids were helping out there parents? I guess she did ask if they “were just helping out.” Which technically they were.

Wait? They must have been alone for 28 years??! I guess I’d take that over being pregnant for 28 years like Ashley.

So there mum died a few years ago but no one remembers her. I guess to them 28 years is just a few years.

Emma cares so much about these kids. I think she sees herself in them.

Don’t separate them goddamn it!!

Yummy! I’ll eat the house! But then, ew bugs.

I kinda get why Emma lied about Neal. But, man, I can’t help thinking how it must be painful to hear a parent (biological or adoptive) is dead when they’re actually alive. But I think she was trying to protect him from learning his father was a thief like her maybe.

Damn, I think I’d have to eat that whole house.

Hansel, no! Don’t eat it!

He didn’t listen.

There must be some enchantment on the food that wakes the witch up whenever someone eats it.

Aaaah! What the hell is wrong with this witch?!! Who in the hell eats kids??!

Those bones of children. Season one could get really dark!

Jump out the window!

Oh, I guess not!

What is wrong with you, woman??!!

The card Mr. Gold read off was blank. I wonder how he knew who it belonged to without magic. I guess he really is just that good with names- even cursed names.

This which is creepy as hell.

Well, at least she eats vegetables too.

Gretel’s a genius.

“Gravy or butter! How shall I baste you?!”

What awful things happened in her life for this woman to turn to eating children?! Like what could possibly have brought her to this?!

I just realised MM or Emma fed them gingerbread. Nice detail!

“I would have gone gravy.” Tehehehe! xD

That is one delicious looking apple. Definitely would eat.

But hang on, didn’t Maleficent give Regina the sleeping curse? If that is a special apple then what does it do on its own? But if the apple was originally Regina’s then I guess she could’ve put the sleeping curse in the apple or maybe Maleficent gave her the apple.

Did he abandon them?

Regina seems so happy with the idea of the kids living with her. She must be so lonely. I think she’s always wanted kids/a kid but hasn’t known how to go about it. I guess with Cora for a mother, that makes sense. She wants to give them material things, like Cora gave and wanted to give to her. I think that’s her way of showing love at this point in her life. I like to think she would’ve treated them better than her mother treated her but then there’s the fact that she took their father. And then there’s the thought that in her own way, she’s trying to fill the hole Snow left when she escaped. There’s a lot to her wanting these kids to live with her.

This episode seems to be very much about temptation. Hansel is always tempted but Gretal is never tempted. An interesting contrast!

I love the look of Regina’s banishing magic.

It’s so interesting to me that Regina does not always keep her word. You kinda get use to people keeping there word because of Rumple- even though he does find loopholes. It just shows the differences in the two characters!

They look so sad. Help them!

I wonder what would’ve happened if they had left Storybrooke.

Oh, she did take him from the forest!

Why did she tell them he abandoned them? I’m guessing she wanted them to live with her all along.

Regina is so upset when he says “family always finds one another” because she can’t say that for her own family; Daniel’s gone. She banished her mother for good reason and her father does everything she says.

That compass seems to still have magic in the land without magic.

Emma’s so happy for them!

Look at Mary Margaret so proud of Emma for helping those kids.

I always wonder if at this point Emma suspects Henry’s theory might have some truth to it. I mean, she does look like MM!

I love MM and Emma even playing with the idea that Henry’s story might be true. Actually, I don’t think any of them suspect it is at this point but it’s so cool to see!

And MM being drawn to the blanket! It’s like she was compelled to pick it up. My heart!

Aww. Henry got pumpkin pie!

She was about to tell him the truth!

Wait, should Henry be out so late?

It’s my boy August! Man of mysteries. I remember thinking he was the author of the whole book once we learned he was a writer.

Does he know that she’s the Saviour?

That was a good episode! Now I’m hungry!

#ouat #once upon a time #hansel and gretel #regina mills #the evil queen #ouat rewatch #ouat rewatch 2019

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