#2 of these are inspired by fits i found in a twitter thread

[titaniumions]

necrologist wardrobe check

[jiminsass-istant]

SMERALDO GARDEN MARCHING BAND : NOT JUST A FUN SONG

One thing you can expect before listening to any Jimin song for the first time is that NO TWO SONGS WILL EVER BE THE SAME.

Naturally I had too many questions when I watched the SGMB Track video!

Face was about inner reflection and tragedy, while MUSE is apparently about Jimin's artistic inspiration. Since the entire Muse album is not out yet, I kept wondering how SGMB fit into the 'artistic inspiration' concept. What do we learn about Jimin in SGMB? But most importantly, who is Jimin's muse?

********************************************************************

To answer, let's look at Jimin's intents. I divided them into 2 parts:

"Tell things we/he couldn't before"

A recurring thing we have seen in chapter 2 Jimin is his desire to "tell everything he couldn't before", and this started right from 2022 Festa dinner:

True to his words, he started being more honest and telling us his story in Face. That's how we knew he had already started expressing more truth than he ever had before. Not only that, in the BTS documentary, Jimin even opened up about his depression while dining with JK.

But was that ALL he had to say? NO! Because he says this in Closer Than this which was released in dec 2023 ->

Since CTT is clearly a fan song, he is addressing fans here when he says that he wants to reveal everything to his fans. Going by the bangtan lore, I think we can safely conclude that here 'spring day' for bts refers to the day they are reunited with their fans again (2025), that is - post military. Meaning, Jimin will keep revealing things through his music well after MS is over.

A wonderful army pointed out that the english lyrics of SGMB are not entirely correct. The line "I'll tell you everything now" should actually be "i'll reveal everything on your behalf", which brings us to Jimin's second intent-

2) "The truth untold"

The BTS unit song TTU speaks about how the protagonist is unable to confess their feelings to their love because they consider themselves ugly and unworthy (due to lack of self-love).

In the first teaser for Muse, Jimin found the music sheet for The Truth Untold inside the purple lockers. And then he releases SGMB which is basically the positive (and happy future) version of TTU.

The twitter thread i referred to previously explains this very well and all of you should read it:

Let's now look at some of my personal observations in the MV before i put on my delulu cape.

Jimin's showmanship:

Jimin is basically a host, a presenter, cupid, and the lead of Smeraldo Garden marching band. It's like he entered the Smeraldo garden of thorns and despair along with his band to help the protagonist reveal their true feelings to their loved one. The garden is now lively with all positive elements- dance, kids, butterflies, bubbles, confetti. It showcases Jimin's change in attitude and how he has truly begun to love himself. That's why when Jimin says :

" Ooh, I love you babe I'll come closer to you I love you, babe (Yes, sir) Ooh, I want you, babe I wanna hold your hand I want you, babe"

He's saying this on behalf of the protagonist. That's what Smeraldo Garden Marching Band does- it helps people in despair, helps them to express love.

2) Jimin is NOT homophobic!

People really used the scene of Jimin separating the sapphic couple as him being anti-gay. Let me show you the scenes where Jimin took the flower from a guy. Look at the guy's stance, look at the lyrics. The correct translation for the lyrics in the image is " the truth untold". He is indeed referring to a hidden truth in this particular scene, 'hidden' being the keyword here, which i'm sure the lgbtq+ community is more than familiar with.

To realize the importance of this scene, just go to any reactor and see their face when they see Jimin accepting a flower from a man. They hold their breath only to release it when they see him playing matchmaker to hetero couples. Don't you just love Jimin's brain? lol.

Let's look at the 2nd scene of Jimin giving a flower to another man-

Again, Jimin is bowing down this time, while the adlibs go "just for you". Jimin is not just being a 'wingman' here as some might think- a wingman doesn't 'present' flowers like this. He is subtle and this is him recognizing all sorts of relationships.

3) The sunflowers face the viewer, not Jimin or his band. The sunflowers face the...SUN. I think I am starting to wear the delulu cape here (yes i mean cape and not cap). We all know from Jimin's innumerable moon references that he associates himself with the moon, not the sun. The sun tattoo haver has always been the sun from the sun-and-moon duo. Just like the moon tattoo haver is the moon of the duo.

So this whole time Jimin has been talking to the protagonist of TTU- is it Jungk-

NO NO WAIT! Didn't Jimin just sing -

"Since we're together now"..together as in...

("Yes Sir!")🤷‍♀️

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we clarify last time that being 'together' means 'dating' in Korean, as in most other languages of this world?! Ahem.

Look like someone is getting 'serenaded' as in 'serenade' version of Muse.

*sighs very loudly*

Disclaimer: Just because i made a jikook interpretation of the song doesn't mean i don't recognize and agree with non-shipping interpretations. *sigh*

Anyway, there is another interpretation of SGMB by andy-wm. I really loved the pantomime comparison:

And another by jimin-bangtan:

Trust that if Jikook make 'yes sir' jokes in the travel series, I'm gonna lose it. Just a little bit.

I cannot wait for the rest of the album! These are all love songs. We are getting happy-sappy Jimin you all ! The Jimin who went through so many struggles is finally loving himself and has learnt to be happy with his loved ones.

[frayed-symphony]

Since Twitter might not be a thing for much longer I wanted to move the trivia threads for my picture books to tumblr.

OC lore dump and sketches for my first self-published picture book Hurricane Lane under the cut;

The number one thing I'm worried about is people thinking my book is related to the hurricane of the same name. I wrote this in 2010-2011 which predates it and the title is meant to convey Amelia's life in her suburban town and how she views it more dramatically then it is.

The name was also inspired by this beautiful song by The Hush Sound which I was listening to a lot whilst concepting and really influenced aesthetics (more subdued colour, the inclusion of the piano being an important story point etc).

I started getting interested in children's illustration when I saw the Penguin Design Competition advertised at my uni in 2010. I didn't make the cut but figured I'd go ahead and finish my book anyway because at that point I was invested in my story and wanted to complete it.

The contest called for an ebook with interactive pages so I made Hurricane Lane have seven special pages of  'wonders' Amelia finds throughout her story. Unfortunately with flash player gone the interactions don't play but they're still found online here;

I based Amelia's design on a Mii I had made which was supposed to represent a human Pikachu. You can see the Mii on the bottom left here. I really liked how it looked and she gradually evolved into what she is today.

Initially the dinosaur suit that her brother has was going to be worn by Amelia but I preferred her without it and thus Bailey was born. The dinosaur itself was based on a purple stegosaurus keyring I had when I was younger and loved even though I had no keys at the time.

Here are some more initial outfit designs for Amelia but in the end I went with the one on the right, inspired by Miku Hatsune's 'Out and About' module from Project Diva.

The family's father Rupert was partly based on my own dad (definitely the dress sense) but in 2010 I was also really obsessed with the BBC show Merlin and may have tried to age up Colin Morgan a bit to make this character.

The mother's design was a little based on my own Mother's and a little the title character of the film Amelié (she evolved beyond this quite early so there's not too striking a resemblence). I was also obsessed with the music in that film which inspired this book a lot.

I kept it vague whether she worked at the hospital or was staying there as a patient because at the time I had an idea for an overarching narrative where the families of Hurricane Lane and 256 Postcards Ago meet. This didn't pan out so feel free to have your own interpretation.

Here's some initial concepts of the logo which I was mostly scribbling during my Uni classes.

One more random tidbit is that I based the background of their journey home from the Toad's Turnpike track in Mario Kart 64. I really loved that game and it holds a lot of childhood memories for me so the nostalgia felt fitting. Maybe that's too weird to mention!

Towards the end I was concepting the protagonists of Hurricane Lane and 256 Postcards Ago meeting in a connecting rpgmaker game but sadly that never came to be. I'll talk about it more in my thread for the next book though!

I also made a little soundtrack for my book here

1) Kiara 2) Cornflake Girl 3) Indaco 4) La Valse D'Amelie 5) 春よ、来い (kites) 6) The Heart Asks Pleasure First 7) Lotus (dragon hunters) 8) Nightbook 9) Reverie 10) Hurricane

I listened to these songs a lot while reading and the final track inspired the title.

And final last tidbit- Hurricane Lane takes place in my childhood hometown. It doesn't have too many standout locations but I took photos for background references and anyone who lives there may recognize the small nods to it.

(Almost forgot links to where you can read my book) Amazon paperback; https://amazon.com/dp/1475009097 eBook; https://frayedsymphony.gumroad.com/l/LuNug

Thanks for reading!

[arandomassortmentofbytes]

But "Guys" they cry, "AI doesn't store the images so it's not theft."

"if it were real infringement or theft, it'd be storing the images and reproducing them when you give a prompt, since it doesn't return the original and the original is nowhere to be found, where's the problems?"

Another good argument. Again, one I find myself agreeing with for awhile, fundamentally AI doesn't keep a copy of everything it sees, it's like reading someone's credit card number, remembering it and passing it back to them. You could make the argument that since you never held onto the card after taking it, you never "stole" it.

Unfortunately, this falls short as well.

It is certainly a more reasonable defense but the issue is, the image is still being remembered and referenced when making "new" art. Again, I've linked this before but a previous post describes why an AI referencing a piece of artwork is fundamentally different to how a human might.

The importance here is how AI works versus how humans work. If you tell me "theoretically AI functions the same as a human", you are forgetting that AI, as it stands now, is not equal to a human in any real capacity. This can obviously change with something like Artificial General Intelligence or Artificial Super Intelligence, and in those instances I would actually take a different position, but we are nowhere near that yet.

A quote from Judea Pearl will demonstrate this point, “All the impressive achievements of deep learning amount to just curve fitting.” As Judea argues, and the article explains, AI is not fundamentally intelligent, it just finds patterns. This amounts to essentially saying that whilst the AI does not physically store the images, it does algorithmically store them in a curve fitting function.

In laymen's terms, and in the terms of the post I linked before (the twitter thread), the AI is not capable of original thought as it does not think. Therefore, it must use the images as definitive and exclusive references which *is* the same as just reading a credit card number, remembering it and handing it back. The AI does not exist without those definitive references, just as I can't commit credit card fraud without your exact card details.

If from here you say "but the output is still different from the inputted images", then you are forgetting that if you were to decompose the curve fitting function, into a reverse of itself essentially (more complicated but not impossible), and inputted your AI output images, you would just get the exact initial input data (the original images). This, however, would be completely different for a human. If you were to ask someone where they got inspiration or references for a particular piece of artwork, they could likely tell you a few but they would not be able to tell you all of them. Again, therefore, humans and AI are not the same and another reason why AI does not transform images like humans do to create original artwork.

Moreover, and more of an economical point than computational or legal, automating an industry (during the industrialisation period of history and onwards) has categorically always replaced the original industry. If you say "but artists won't be replaced completely, they'll co-exist, people aren't going to stop being artists or stop creating art", that's true, it's human nature to be creative. However, the problem arises when you consider that people make a living off of making artwork, they go to galleries to appreciate it, they buy lots of it to decorate, etc. Fundamentally, when an industry has 2 or more competing supplies to fulfill demand, the lowest-bidding supply capable of keeping up with demand will always win.

You can think of this like knitting machines replacing human knitters, sure, people still knit, people still sell knitted clothes/accessories but for the majority of the population (and companies), they buy from mass manufacturers like buying clothes from Primark, GAP or any other of the clothing companies. None of these use human labor to make the clothes, they use human labor to run the machines, unless they're using underpaid, undervalued (potentially even children) labor in exploited countries. Those that still knit on places like Etsy are likely to tell you they barely make a profit, have other jobs or just do it for fun. Very few will make good money.

Now replace knitting with artists and machine-made with "AI"-made. I'm sure a lot of artists don't like their art being used without consent but a large number of them are more worried that people will pay a small subscription fee to somewhere like Midjourney for a month's worth of AI artwork instead of commissioning them for a few pieces which will cost more. It is hyperbolic and fear-mongering to say this would kill all human-made artwork but a vast majority of it would be replaced. If you're already saying AI art is transformative, fair-use, worth looking at or even use it occasionally, you are like the cogs in industrialisation, moving people from watermills to steam power.

Personally I don't make art of any kind, however if my livelihood or even just my hobby was mass produced and essentially pushed outside of viable market boundaries, I wouldn't be very happy either, especially when art specifically is one of those things humans are known to do without any given reason, just a desire to create or imagine something else.

It would be cheesy to quote Einstein here but "The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination".

Die hard AI users are like "AI should have Unequivocal Access to the Entirety of the Internet"

And then have the audacity to complain about the plague of pornbots and how they've become more of a problem

Like

No Way? Really? Are you saying they're more Intelligent than they used to be?

Almost..... Artificially...... Intelligent???

That's such a coincidence 😱😱😱

[nanowrimo]

5 Tips for Fast Drafting from a New York Times Bestselling Author

NaNoWriMo is basically an exercise in fast drafting: getting as much of the first draft of the story as you can on the page as quickly as possible. Today, bestselling author J. Elle is here to share some pro tips for fast drafting: My first middle grade novel took me nine days to write. 

The first draft was about 40,000 words or so. And yes, it needed to be revised before it sold to a publisher. But the meat of the story was on the page in just over a week’s time. I’d never drafted anything quite that fast before. Within a single month I’d written an entire novel, revised it a couple times and readied it for sale. A few months later that novel sold at auction and will be on shelves May 2022. 

I still look back on this feat with a bit of shock and awe. To date I’ve sold five novels to major publishers, two young adult, two middle grade and one non fiction and my experience fast drafting has forever altered the way I approach writing. I should mention, fast drafting isn’t for everyone. Writing is such a personal thing and each storyteller has their own process, but in the event getting the first draft out is the biggest hurdle for you, like it is for me, I’m going to share five tips for knocking out that first draft in record time. 

1. Start with a SHORT story pitch.

Pitching a story in a few words is tough. But it’s a worthy effort and the best use of your time before you get any words on the page. Why? Because it helps you hone in on the core of your story and its hook. A good short pitch involves the character, their dilemma, and a hint of the stakes. In October of 2018 I pitched my YA debut novel in a tweet which then blew up. Not many words can fit in a tweet, but by choosing the right set of words, I was able to convey the heart of my story and it really resonated. (From that tweet, I signed with a literary agent and sold my debut novel to a Big 5 publisher in a six-figure-deal.) The biggest favor you can do for yourself is understand the story—its essence, its core—you’re trying to tell before you start drafting. And that’s hard. But the more you play around with creating a short pitch, you’ll begin to see a clear snapshot of what your book is going to be about. That’s your jumping off point. 

2. Expand your pitch into tent pole beats.

From your short pitch, spend some time deciding on what your major beats are. Now, yes this is a bit like outlining. And for you pantsers out there, I empathize with you. I was a pantser and still am in many ways. But I still do this step because this step ultimately saves me time. The beauty of fast drafting is that you know what you need to do when you sit down to type. So a lot of these steps are about doing pre-work so that when you sit down to type you’re not spinning your wheels to figure out what to type. Instead you’ll have a clear goal and you’ll be ready to execute it. Also, note that the goal isn’t to perfect each of these steps, but instead to try to do each step, to the best of your ability, and in a way that makes sense. 

I could write an entire piece on beat sheeting novels (which I love and do for all my books), but for the purposes here, I’ve organized the main things you want to know below in a series of questions. Simply answer each, make a chart if you like that sort of thing, and once you have each question filled out in a way that logically makes sense, move on to the next step. (NOTE: It’s a good idea to get feedback on this step if you have critique partners and fellow writers you trust.)  

Opening Scene - Who is the character before the world changes?

Inciting Incident - What happens that forces them to make a choice, changing their lives forever? What are they choosing between? 

“A” Plot - What is that choice they make? What are they pursuing or working toward? Finding information? Going on a quest? Uncovering the truth behind a murder?

Stakes - What are the stakes of the “A” plot? What’s at risk if they fail to accomplish whatever they’re pursuing? It should be something that personally affects them or someone / something they care about. 

“B” Plot / Character - Who or what is the theme of the story? What character in your story is going to embody that theme and play a key role in helping the main character change?

Midpoint - what happens in the middle of the book to change the character’s direction. Usually it’s some bit of new information or they realize things are not as they seem. 

Stakes Raise - How do the stakes (what’s at risk if they fail) raise after the middle of the book? 

Character Arc - what does your character believe about the world in the beginning of the book that by the book’s end they will no longer believe? (An extension of this question is: what things can happen in this character’s life to facilitate them incrementally learning this big truth? If you don’t know this question right off, that’s okay. But this is a question you want to go back to every now and again, even after you finish the first draft, to ensure your character is actively involved in a plot that is resulting in their change.)

Failure - How will your character fail big? This happens at about the 75% point of the book and it's the final moment of failure, usually, before they pick themselves up off the ground (figuratively or literally) and learn the lesson they’ve needed to learn. There forward they act on their new belief to the end of the book, demonstrating how they’re changed. 

If you’d like a more in depth look at how to beat sheet a novel, I strongly suggest reading Jessica Brody’s Save The Cat Writes A Novel. 

3. Flesh out your beats into a detailed synopsis. 

Now the fun part! This step is the most helpful thing you can do to enable yourself to fast draft. 

Write a mini version of your story, also known as a detailed synopsis. The key to writing synopses is not to worry about the voice, but instead what happens. Try to convey what happens and its impact on the character to show how the story moves from tent pole moment to tent pole moment (per the step above). This takes some trial and error and you may get annoyed with yourself because it’s not as easy as it seems. But, I’ve seen that if you can write a compelling and cohesive synopsis, the draft that you execute will be far stronger and more efficiently executed. 

Definitely get beta feedback on your synopsis from writing friends you trust. It’s worth going over this a few times to get it right. In terms of length, aim for 3-4 pages for a middle grade novel and 5-10 pages for a young adult or adult novel. These are just general guidelines. My latest YA novel required a fifteen page synopsis and I am very glad I did it because it conveys the tone, arc, and plot of the novel and the main plot threads quite well, which allowed me to draft the first 23,000 words of the story in five days. 

4. Summarize each scene. 

(Note: a chapter can have more than one scene.)

Okay, we’re getting really close to writing! Now that you have a mini version of your story, consider how you will break it up into scenes. This doesn't need to be perfect, but spend some time figuring how to stretch your synopsis into a full novel. Give each scene a short summary. Aim for a few sentences, no more than a paragraph, just so you know what needs to happen in that scene (or scenes). Do not skip this step. I repeat, do not skip this step. This step allows you to sit down and execute the scene without figuring out what to write. The “figuring out” part is where a lot of writers slow down. Do that in the summaries so when it’s time to draft you are ready to execute, not sort out details. 

5. Write with a goal in mind.

Plan your writing days. I’m not talking anything extensive here. Just grab your phone calendar or a post-it note and write down which days you want to do which scenes. Then on writing day re-read that summary and execute it. If you’ve done all the pre-work the words will fly from your fingers. Don’t worry about grammar, typos, reading back what you did. Insert fillers such as, “TITLE” or “NAME” for details you haven’t worked out yet. Just get the scene that you’ve summarized out. The goal is to finish the draft. After that is when you make sure it all works together through revisions and fill in the details. Right now the goal is finishing the draft. It literally just needs to exist! 

If you’ve done all five steps, pat yourself on the back because congrats, you’re ready to fast draft! Don’t hesitate to tag me on socials if you try this method out and it works for you. I’d love to hear how it goes!

J.Elle is the New York Times bestselling author of Wings of Ebony. Elle has a Bachelor’s of journalism and an MA in educational administration and human development.  She grew up in Texas, but has lived all over, from coast to coast which she credits as inspiration for her writing. These days the former educator can be found mentoring aspiring authors, binging reality TV, loving on her three littles, or cooking up something true to her Louisiana roots.

Website: WingsOfEbony.com

Twitter: @AuthorJ_Elle

Instagram: @AuthorJ.Elle

TikTok: @authorjelle

[chemicalpink]

JK's Birth time analysis

First and foremost, I’m just doing this to occupy my mind in something else while I go through some stuff, I will continue to use the general consensus of the community for my astrology readings, I’m just doing this for fun, remember that we as fans are in no way entitled to know JK’s exact birth time, these are just fun educated guesses on some alternative that has arisen.

Now, I must say, when I first started the astro part of my bts blog I immediately thought 1 pm for JK’s birth time, I don’t have any factual backup on this one, I’ve talked about it before, I am kind of a human tarot deck lmao things sometimes just come to me. So I started roaming around and I found that JK’s libra rising made sense to me, and it was a general consensus for his readings so I said sure let's go. You know that I endorse and adore having conversations with you guys, my craft isn’t perfect and no one else's is so it is great to hear every opinion to forge our own judgement. I do only present to you information that I can back up, which is why as much as I’d love to I won’t be taking into consideration my own personal hunch on the info I’m about to present you, although you can read it as subtext when it is in italics like this hello this is an inner thought of marinette’s.

SO the big deal: Is JK a libra rising or is JK a sagittarius rising? General consensus says 8:04 am as speculated time of birth, some others say 1-2 pm.

Either way, JK’s sect remains nocturnal so there’s not much to go from there.

When it comes to appearances, I’ll update what I said before.

Libra rising appearance:

Very youthful look that it seems like you don’t even age

Gentle smile

Charming demeanour that makes people obsessed with you

Very symmetrical features

Fit body

Contagious smile

Put together look/ clean look

Dimples

Dark hair and dark eyes

Tall

Oval/Round face

Think Harry Styles, Beyoncé, Niall, Britney Spears

Sagittarius rising appearance:

Bulky thighs

Horse like face

Big forehead

Incredibly tall or more than average tall

Gain weight easily

Not really athletic

Pretty full lips

Think Kim Kardashian, Elvis, Jennifer Lawrence, Paris Hilton

Evidently, other aspects in astrology and genetics can alter these, but it is mostly true.

Now, I am not that well versed in vedic astrology since I stopped studying it due to lack of time BUT the infamous thread that looks into the possibility of JK being a sag rising is pretty elaborate, although it does run more on intuitive processes and symbolism, which are of course, valid, and it really is up to both the analyst and the ones reading the analysis to determine the weight of it. My craft is more oriented towards intersectionality so I don’t like to go by what we are able to see about him as an axis, more like confirmation about it. Idk if it makes sense. I just don't trust seemingly scripted content that much to run my analysis based on it. Everything mentioned about JK Jyestha makes sense when looking at the content presented, and it will make even more sense once we take a look at some other non western astrology systems. Again, I am not well versed in vedic astrology so right off the bat I would fight the conversion system rather than the information presented.

Regarding that thread, some of the keywords used to conclude JK’s Jyestha are as follows:

King, Winning, Ambitious, Passionate, Skillful, Eldest, 1st, Seniority, Expertise, Sensory indulgence, Celebration, Bravery, Heroic, Dragon Slayer, Warrior, Rain, Thunder, Umbrella, Protector, Provider, Scandalous, Impulsive, Bunny, Deer, Earring, Eye.

In western astrology, a general comparison on placements would look something like this.

Sun in 8° 33' Virgo

Moon in 27° 20' Leo

Mercury in 7° 49' Virgo (r)

Venus in 16° 58' Libra

Mars in 11° 7' Scorpio

Jupiter in 14° 15' Aquarius (r)

Saturn in 19° 35' Aries (r)

Uranus in 5° 28' Aquarius (r)

Neptune in 27° 33' Capricorn (r)

Pluto in 2° 55' Sagittarius

North Node in 20° 11' Virgo (r)

Chiron in 29° 45' Libra

Ascendant in 4° 20' Libra

MC in 4° 46' Cancer

1st House starts at 4° Libra

2nd House starts at 1° Scorpio

3rd House starts at 2° Sagittarius

4th House starts at 4° Capricorn

5th House starts at 7° Aquarius

6th House starts at 7° Pisces

7th House starts at 4° Aries

8th House starts at 1° Taurus

9th House starts at 2° Gemini

10th House starts at 4° Cancer

11th House starts at 7° Leo

12th House starts at 7° Virgo

In here, the main aspect I can relate JK to is Cancer MC, MC represents your public self, as well as the success level you might experience. Cancer MC is all about taking care of others, yet it can also point towards a career in arts, especifically singing and writing, it also indicates a strong possibility of psychic abilities which have been widely discussed in JK with his readings and such all while having the main troubles of being an impatient person and sometimes getting self conscious which we have heard him say before when he refers to himself knowing how to do stuff yet he doesn’t think he’s good at any of them, or his letters to himself about having to love himself more.

Another pretty JK thing I’ve noticed is his Virgo Stellium in the 12th House, which shows struggles with identity JK has, once again, being vocal about him growing up within BTS and how that has shaped him and how he has constantly been looking for himself. They often absorb the struggles of people around them. Does anyone else remember him saying he’s okay as long as his hyungs are okay? Also, singing and dancing are very powerful manifestation tools for these people huh maybe that’s why he writes and sings love songs. This aspect also indicates him having the potential to amass a large amount of wealth, some astrologers think about this stellium as an extremely karmic one, which can be translated into the whole JK’s soulmate narrative.

When it comes to his 5th house, it indicates him being a hell of a creative person, especially in a somewhat rebellious sense which I interpret as him getting a sleeve tattoo It also talks about not being traditional in relationships which I believe has come out a few times in his tarot readings.

With Sag rising, his chart would look something like this:

Sun in 8° 45' Virgo

Moon in 29° 46' Leo

Mercury in 7° 37' Virgo (r)

Venus in 17° 12' Libra

Mars in 11° 15' Scorpio

Jupiter in 14° 13' Aquarius (r)

Saturn in 19° 35' Aries (r)

Uranus in 5° 27' Aquarius (r)

Neptune in 27° 33' Capricorn (r)

Pluto in 2° 55' Sagittarius

North Node in 20° 10' Virgo (r)

Chiron in 29° 46' Libra

Ascendant in 5° 28' Sagittarius

MC in 18° 28' Virgo

1st House starts at 5° Sagittarius

2nd House starts at 7° Capricorn

3rd House starts at 12° Aquarius

4th House starts at 18° Pisces

5th House starts at 19° Aries

6th House starts at 14° Taurus

7th House starts at 5° Gemini

8th House starts at 7° Cancer

9th House starts at 12° Leo

10th House starts at 18° Virgo

11th House starts at 19° Libra

12th House starts at 14° Scorpio

In this case, his MC is in Virgo, it mainly indicates a tactful and slow success in someone’s career, these MC Virgo people are often regarded as overly responsible and as people that like to get recognised as people to whom nothing is hard enough for them to call it quits. While they openly seek perfection which ofc JK has always talked about improving himself they often love to do the stuff that others despise to do like countinc, calculating and organising.

Evidently there's no 12th House stellium, he would have a 9th House Leo stellium, which is most of the times noticeable at first glance, the moment these people open their mouths, everything is just extraordinaire, there’s a longing to be loved and to be admired in this aspect. They’re inspirational people to be around which JK is, if I remember the members saying that they get inspired when watching him make efforts. They’re also overly curious about stuff around them big doe eyes anyone?

In this case he would have a 5th House aries, meaning that there’s a need to be physically active and being creative on top of that which I mean does check out. They do tend to be openly superficial people and big-headed when they are in a successful position tho.

So okay, let’s talk native astrology, JK’s Tzolkin is Tz’i-Oc, noted by their need of freedom and less traditional relationships, they work tirelessly and have an innate ability to be successful and accumulate a lot of wealth once again, JK’s position in BTS shows up HE’s in a basic need of having a strong foundation, which he will not like to lead but more take the role of a caregiver that can easily turn into the one receiving care. Here’s the thing, there are a lot of Libra themes in his Day Sign and his Trecana Sign, both of them talking about justice, fairness, helpfulness, as well as him being a nomad which I interpret as having a libra/virgo mix that is really hard to miss Now, this is where it gets funny, His galactic tone is 4, which while it talks about balance and calmness and tranquility libra like it also is represented by a warrior, which is part of the twitter thread as one of the symbolisms to think about sag rising

Last but not least, JK’s bazi, since his contextual situation is leaning more towards it. I did a comparion and it caught my eye the next part:

One of the widely talked about symbols in the sag rising thread is the element of water being consistent with JK, and in his bazi, ¾ Na Yin, the element of water came out, however, they came out when his birth time is 08:04 am.

In his 08:04 bazi, some keywords are:

virtue

star

travel

In his 13:00 bazi, some keywords are:

monetary loss

star of arts

heavenly doctor

So really it all boils down to: we do readings for fun, craft is personal and completely valid in any form as long as we aren’t hurting anyone. We do not know his actual birth time and we actually might never know it, each astrologer is free to work with the birth time they consider the best fitting unless a specific time is given. I myself, see a libra rising fitting, perhaps if we were to trial and error it, some other might come out but honestly, these readings are a hobby and while I dedicate myself to my craft, I certainly don’t have the time that it would require to analyze each placement so I can see for myself which I find the best fitting out of 12 signs. But hey, this was a fun educational opportunity to dive into other practices.

[phoenix-reburned]

The Eagle: An Alternate Take to the AnR Theory

Before I begin this post, I want to preface this by saying that if the AnR ending happens, I will be sad but not disappointed, this is simply a thought I had that I hadn’t seen anyone else propose. I won’t be discussing why people believe that the eagle is Eren, although I know that there’s a lot of symbolism regarding it. This is simply my own thoughts on how Isayama could have a tragic ending that destroys us while also keeping some people alive.

Spoilers under the cut for both the manga and season four of the anime, you’ve been warned. Also long post, sorry.

First of all, if you have not yet watched the Akatsuki no Requiem video, I highly recommend you do that before continuing to read this post. Here’s the video:

For those of you that don’t know, the AnR theory states that the eagle in this video represents Eren and that this video basically spoils the entire ending of AOT. But what if the eagle isn’t actually Eren? What if it’s another character, telling the story of how they ended a war through bloodshed and lost their closest friends on the way? What if the same person telling us this story in the video is the same person who’s been telling us this story the whole time?

I believe that the eagle in this video is actually Armin Arlet, and that this is him recounting how he stopped the rumbling. This mixes in some of the Lebouch (?) theory, but not in the way you think.

Let’s start with something most people overlook about his character: Armin is extremely manipulative when he needs to be. He was able to convince Pixis that Eren wasn’t an enemy, quickly became a strategist that even Erwin trusted, and told Bertholt that someone he cared about deeply was being brutally tortured to save Eren. In his current position in the manga based upon the 137 leaks, he’s been able to take control of some of the titans away from Ymir. Whether or not he’s really done this or this is apart of Ymir’s plan is up for speculation, but for now let’s just assume that he did this of his own accord. He was able to talk Zeke into dying for humanity, a literal nihilist who killed countless people. Armin clearly will get his hands dirty if it benefits his plan, as shown multiple times. He’s not innocent.

Something else that helped me come to this conclusion, although this isn’t necessarily a huge reason I believe it, is that Armin is the one telling us this story. He’s been our narrator since season one. If Isayama wanted to kill him, why not just have Eren be the narrator? If Armin’s dead it makes no sense for him to be able to tell us the story even if you take the paths into consideration, since you can’t interact with anything or anyone in there.

Last thing before I get into the video is that Armin is being treated like a god right now by the titans on Eren in 137. The creator of the trojan horse theory (@/localhangeluvr on twitter), which is another inspiration for my theory, made a thread showing this and the similarities between Armin and the devils in Ymir’s story. This shows that he is going to be extremely important to the ending, whether or not he lives or dies. This thread also discusses the idea of Armin being the eagle, but we came to different conclusions based upon that idea.

Now let’s get into the video. The first thing I want to point out is the appearance of the color blue. We first see this when the eagle cries and dyes the baby eagle(?) blue. Later on, it reappears on the butterflies. The character that is most associated with this color is Armin, through his love of the ocean. His eyes are also blue in the anime, although blue for the ocean fits better since they’re hazel in the manga. The first time we meet Armin, he’s also wearing blue. Maybe this represents him wishing for a simpler time, before the fall of wall Maria?

Another thing, the grave the eagle visits. Look at the symbol on it.

To me, it resembles a snake eating it’s own tail. This makes me think of Eren, someone who ended up becoming what he hated most. First in the form of a titan, then in the form of a mass murderer. This could very well be Eren’s grave that the eagle visits, meaning he could be crying because of the knowledge that he killed the person that was once his best friend.

Next, let’s examine the thing on top of the baby eagle’s head, which also reappears later in the eagle’s library.

This clearly is supposed to be the wings of freedom. If Eren was the eagle, why would he hold onto the wings? At this point, he’s completely abandoned the scouts. Why would he want to keep anything what reminded him of what became his enemy around? These questions disappear if this is actually Armin though, as he would have no reason to renounce the scouts.

Another interesting thing is that the eagle has blue eyes when he has the lizard/frog mask on, but his actual eyes are brown. As I mentioned before, Armin has blue eyes in the anime but hazel in the manga. This could be another subtle hint to the eagle’s identity.

Next, the lack of walls in the sky city, or the fact that this is what it represents. This is when the Lebouch theory comes into play. While I don’t necessarily believe that Eren wants to be stopped, I do believe that if he is killed and the rumbling ends, that this will create peace. A scene all the way back in season one makes me believe this. After Eren agrees to try to seal the wall, he takes a walk with Pixis. To paraphrase what is said, Pixis states that only a world ending event could truly bring humanity together. Well, I do think an attempted mass genocide would be world ending enough to do it. Plus, there’s the fact that if the alliance stops it, that would put Paradis and the eldians back into the world’s good graces. And if one of them gets their hands on the founding, there’s also a possibility that they could completely remove all titans from the world.

The family is another reason a lot of people assume that this is Eren we’re watching because of his and Historia’s possible relationship in the manga, if you believe that Historia’s child is his (which I do, but that’s not super relevant right now). But that’s not necessarily what’s happening here. If someone’s able to reverse the curse of Ymir, then this COULD be Armin and Annie’s family. If Armin and Annie’s feelings for each other wasn’t important, why bring it up right at the end of the story? At this point there’s no reason for Isayama to show us that they like each other UNLESS it plays a role in the prologue. Or, maybe it’s to make Annie’s death sadder if he does kill her, but since she’s still alive I’m sticking with option a. I’m not sure if the cat means anything, however black cats are usually regarded as an omen of death. This could be a reminder that Armin killed Eren.

Another clue is the library.

It’s shown to be very expansive, clearly showing that whoever owns it loves to read. Only one character comes to mind when you think about books.

The lizard family is next.

Notice that it’s a father, mother and child. Maybe Armin will have to end up killing both Historia and her child along with Eren? Or this could just show Armin’s regrets at the deaths he’s caused in general.

In the ruins, we again see the image of a snake eating it’s tail. Possibly representing the damage that Eren caused with the rumbling?

Now the butterflies. Possibly one of the biggest reasons why people believe that Eren is the eagle.

In total, we see 10 butterflies. I believe that this does represent the alliance as they attempt to stop Eren, and shows that about 5 of them will die. I believe that the first death is either represented by Hange or Zeke, depending on how you view it. Maybe Zeke, as he was an outlier to the group until his death. I believe that Levi, Reiner, and Pieck will be the last three deaths. To add to this, the ground shot also only shows five butterflies, meaning that more than likely the rest of the alliance will live.

Right after these deaths, the baby eagle is shown preparing to fight. I believe that this means that these last three deaths will happen in quick succession and drive Armin overboard, causing him to do what Mikasa won’t and kill Eren.

Next, we see both eagles in a field of graves, showing that Armin regrets not being able to save more people. Maybe he even blames himself for their deaths, wishing he had stopped Eren earlier.

While I know that Mikasa is the one to wake Eren up from under the tree, maybe this shows that Armin is the one who says ‘see you later’ before she does?

I believe that this represents Armin realizing that, without Eren’s destruction, they never would have gotten peace. I believe that him dropping the arrow represents him feeling a kind of gratitude towards him, in a weird way?

And then the end of the video just shows us again that, while Eren did ultimately bring about peace, it came at a heavy price.

A few more things to mention:

1. The lyrics DO tie into chapter titles, while I won’t list them here going through the comments of this video will show all of them to you.

2. Armin’s last name literally means eagle.

That’s the end to my theory! Basically, I believe that Armin will kill Eren and that peace will be achieved, however it won’t be a happy ending for anyone involved.

There’s a few things about the video that I can’t necessarily explain, like the eagle’s lost leg. Though maybe, if they do rid the world of titans, if Armin is injured while killing Eren he’ll end up losing it? It’s something I’ll keep an eye out for over these last few chapters. Another thing is the revealed last manga panel. Most people do believe that it’s Eren (for good reason), we never get that confirmation. If this is after another time skip, that could be another character, hell maybe it’s even Armin talking to his and Annie’s child.

That’s it from me though. Let me know what yall think, if you think it’s plausible or tell me that I’m wrong, I don’t care lol. Proofs to either disprove or prove this would be great if yall find any! Thanks for reading my longass post.

[lycorogue]

A Family Tradition: Giving Thanks Tree

Tina Belcher - Image care of “Bob’s Burgers” on Fox

When I was a kid - I can’t even remember how old I first was - my mother would tape a cardboard cutout of a bare tree onto the attic door. Along its trunk were the words “Giving Thanks Tree”. She would then hang up a manila envelope filled with leaves cut out of red, orange, and yellow construction paper. Our goal for the month of November, leading into Thanksgiving? Write just one thing we’re thankful for each day and then hang it up on the cardboard tree so it is full by the end of the month.

As a child I HATED this tradition. It was so hard for me to think of 30 unique things I was grateful for, and usually ended up with generic things like “food” or “a home” or “boys” (I was a bit like Tina there). It wasn’t until college did I truly get the value of taking a few minutes each day to think about a blessing in your life you may have otherwise taken for granted. It was hard for me my freshman year of college to know I couldn’t participate in the family Giving Thanks Tree, so, with a new appreciation for the tradition, I made my own cardboard tree, hung it on my dorm room door, posted a sign explaining the tradition, and put out my own envelope of paper leaves for my floormates to join in. I was a naïve 18yo, but thankfully no one posted joke leaves. I was surprised at how many joined in on my tradition as I filled my tree with gratitudes. (I later brought my leaves home to post on the family tree).

In 2011 I got married and officially moved out of my mother’s home. I have yet to find a good wall or door to hang a big ol’ cardboard tree, so instead I switched to a digital list. This year I had decided to share to more than my personal Facebook page. I tried posting daily on Twitter as a month-long thread, but... well, it didn’t go so well, so I stopped after day 13, I think. I did finish the thread over on Facebook, and I decided to bring the complete list over to Tumblr.

So, for any who are interested, below the break is my list of 30 things I was grateful for this past November; things I hope to remain grateful for well beyond the next year. Always remember to stop to count your blessings. If you really try to find them, you will discover you have more than you might have realized.

1. I am grateful that my friends and family have been (mostly) safe and healthy this year, and that those who did contract COVID-19 were able to recover. ❤ (*proceeds to knock on wood*)

2. I am grateful for the amazing support system I have. I know I am one of the lucky ones, but between my husband, my family, my friends, and even my readers, I have so much positivity lifting me up, and I want to make sure I never take that for granted.

3. I am grateful to have a stable roof over my head. It's a decent size for two people (we just have a LOT of things). It has sturdy walls & a secure roof. We can keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer (not cool enough for Hubby, but nothing outside a meat locker would be). We have an attentive but not intrusive landlady. She repairs anything that needs fixing ASAP, and is a lovely woman we can just pal around with on occasion. Those are things I know a lot of people can't say about their landlords/ladies. We also have welcoming neighbors that are a joy to run into in the parking lot. If we have to be "stuck" somewhere until we can buy our own place, where we are works wonderfully.

4. I am grateful that we are no longer hurting for money. We can splurge on smaller purchases (under $50) without much second thought. We can now pay off ALL of our monthly bills after just the first paychecks of the month. And then the rest of the month is building up funds for the next month's bills and savings. Speaking of, we have a little nest-egg of a couple grand, which is still relatively new for us. I'm also over-paying my student loans and car payment. Not by much, but enough that my bills are a couple months ahead, so... cool. I know that during this year in particular, having any sort of financial security is hard to hold onto, so I want to count our blessings that we're doing alright. *proceeds to knock on wood again*

5. As silly as it seems to say, I am grateful for all of the election memes. It was a super stressful time for most of us, and to have some sort of humor that most of the country could relate to (such as Flash from Zootopia being in charge of counting Nevada's votes) was a great stress reliever and bringer of much-needed smiles. So, thank you, Meme Lords/meme creators for bringing us such fantastic content to help ease that wait and stress.

6. I am grateful to see that my Muse is slowly returning to me, like a groundhog after a long hibernation, poking its head out just enough to acknowledge it's there before scurrying back into its burrow to hide again. It hasn't been much, and only one story was actually written in November, but I have been playing with a handful of plotbunnies. It's nice to be able to de-stress via plot-building and playing with character growth again. 😊 ❤

7. I'm sure you all saw this coming, but I am grateful that T**** lost the election. Not so much that Biden/Harris won, because there's issues there too, but that T**** will be out of the White House. Mostly, I'm grateful because that means so many that I love - and those online personalities that I respect - are going to be in a safer America (and world) as of January 20th. For those who suffered through physical, mental, emotional, financial, and maybe even spiritual hardships over the past 4 years - both Americans and international citizens alike - I am grateful that you get to take a breath and relax (at least, for a little bit) now. I don't know if Biden/Harris will (or can) do anything to actually help heal what caused my loved ones' suffering, but at least they won't be actively adding to it.

8. Getting away from the political, I am grateful that Hubby and I can eat whenever we want (outside of work). We may grumble about what we have available, but that's mostly due to not having the energy to turn ingredients into meals, or we've had the same meal 3x in a row already. Regardless, we CAN eat whenever we are hungry, and I am grateful for that.

9. Keeping with the "things people can take for granted easily" theme, I am grateful for my wardrobe. It may be simple and repetitive, but it is enough to wear something clean each day for anywhere between 7 and 12 days before needing to run to the laundromat. Nothing has holes or ratty edges (unless it's a beloved shirt I refuse to give up). My shoes have good soles to them, and I rarely have sore feet. When my feet DO get repeatedly sore, I have the funds to either fix my shoes via new insoles, or I can simply buy new ones. My coats are warm and, aside from one missing the grip of the zipper (but the zipper itself still works), they are still in good condition. I may not be the most fashionable, and I'm sure I'm not picking the best clothing to fit my body shape, but over-all, I'm protected from the elements, my body is protected, and I am well-kempt.

10. Kept me too long to mention this, but I am grateful that I was able to marry my best friend. There are those out there still looking for companionship. There are those who found it, but, in some cruel twist of fate, lost it. There are those who love their spouse, but may not exactly be friends with them. And yet, here Hubby and I are: two people who would gladly spend every waking moment with each other. I found someone I could chat and cuddle and laugh and cry with every moment of every day. Someone I share interests with, and someone who expands my list of interests. Someone who also expands my view of the world; who makes me wish to be more understanding and accepting, and just... better. I am lucky, and I never want to see a day when I forget that fact.

11. I feel a bit silly with this one, but I am grateful I don't have any major allergies I have to worry about. Specifically, no food allergies. I've seen how difficult it is for people to navigate around food allergies or intense airborne allergies. To have to not think about those sorts of things is such a privilege, and I'm truly grateful for it. I have enough issues with lactose intolerance.

12. Another kinda silly one, but, I'm grateful for @dragnime​ living next door to us. Same was true for when another friend was our neighbor. There's just something about seeing dragnime’s car when I come home (again, same with the other friend and his car) that makes me smile. I don't have to actually socialize with dragnime that day if we're both busy, but to see his car and know he's there should I want to reach out is just a weird sort of comforting. (Man, I really need Hubby and I to win the lottery so we can build our commune already....)

13. I am grateful for publicly announced self-appointed deadlines. Last year I started up my own tradition within the Miraculous Ladybug fandom: Friday 13ths should be Plagg Appreciation Day. Plagg is a character who, I feel, doesn't get nearly enough love or screen time. He's also the kwami of bad luck and destruction, so... Friday 13th seemed fitting. The final bit of writing I had actually finished and posted prior to November was for this fandom holiday back in March, and at the end of that story I told everyone "see you in November!" so I felt silly if I'd let this poor-writing year defeat me. I was determined to have at least THIS story written, and that determination paid off. It ended up taking almost literally my entire day off, but I was able to become inspired enough to write SOMETHING, and it seems to be received well, so... added yay. 😊

14. I am grateful for my relatively easy life. I have been loved and supported my whole life. I never really experienced abuse or prejudice (or even really bullying) personally. I was able to fully experience college without much personal trouble (my student loan debt notwithstanding). Aside from a single 6-month stint right after moving to NY, I have been able to find work easily enough. I haven't had to struggle for food or clothing or housing (stretch budget, yes; struggle, no). I haven't had to live without electricity or clean running water. I've never lost loved ones or valuable items (even sentimentally) through natural disasters. *knock on wood some more* There have been struggles in my life, to be sure, but, on the whole, I've had a happy, safe, supported, and relatively easy life.

15. I'm calling out @chibisunnie​ specifically. I am so SO very grateful for her. I mean, I always am, but this year in particular she's been such a pillar of strength for me. I can't even imagine the stress and panic this year must cause her, and yet she's still always there to comfort ME. (I mean, I hope I comfort her too, but this year in particular I feel it's more her comforting me.) She's been the main one (right behind Hubby) to remind me to be kind to myself this year and that it IS an unusual year; my "failings" in 2020 don't define who I am seeing it's an outlier year.

16. I am grateful that my sister is seeing her true self-worth. She’s worked so hard to improve herself and to find out who she truly is, and it's been fantastic to see her continue to evolve. It's also great to see her find someone who builds her up, so a side bit of gratitude to her boyfriend. And, yes, her perseverance, strength, and determination (as well as her mad crocheting skills) are still things that I greatly admire in her. I'm just so happy and proud and grateful that she seems to be in such a good place. ❤

17. I am grateful that my mom has discovered how capable she truly is. This year has been undeniably hard on small businesses such as hers. It must be such a struggle to keep everything afloat and to stay positive, and yet she is. She's pushing herself to improve her business and marketing. She's dealing with modern technology – basically the bane of her existence – nearly all day long between Zoom meetings to network and learn and grow, to working remotely, to making videos to help promote herself, to reworking her business's website, etc. She's grown so much over the year and I'm so proud of her.

18. Since I mentioned it, I am grateful for video conference programs such as Zoom. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, exhaustion, and my right knee getting worse, I had to stop doing Zumba (I'm hoping to work my way back into the routine again sooner than later). However, before June screwed me over, Zoom was how I was able to keep up with this exercise routine post-shutdown. It's how I've been able to see my family. It's how so many have been able to continue working. It's how YouTubers I enjoy manage to still interact for their videos. It's fantastic that this technology is not only available, but it's also accessible to so many.

19. Speaking of which, I am grateful for the Oxboxtra crew, Dicebreaker, the Theory Family (yes, I’m aware people find MatPat problematic...), SuperCarlinBrothers, OSP, Hello Future Me, and The Warp Zone. In total, that’s nearly a dozen different YouTube channels I routinely watch – focused mostly on OutsideXbox, Outside Xtra, Film Theory, Game Theory, Food Theory, and SuperCarlinBrothers – and these channels have really helped me keep my sanity. The fandoms specifically for OutsideXbox, Outside Xtra, and SuperCarlinBrothers are just so sweet and supportive of even fellow fans. The YouTubers have such big hearts and are so delightfully goofy, it's almost like welcoming friends into my home whenever I watch them. I even started checking out stuff on Luke Westaway's and Ellen Rose's private channels on YouTube because I enjoyed these entertainers so much. So, thank you, YouTubers, for helping me find something that lets me forget what's going on in the world for 2hrs and just have fun. ❤

20. Along those lines, I am grateful for games such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Among Us. Both of those games, and similar ones that were available this year, were great distractions from the chaos of 2020. They have provided fantastic and unique gameplay content for the YouTube channels I follow, which, in turn, provided great video content for me to watch. These types of games were also, and most importantly, great ways for people to stay connected. I've been able to bond and joke around and preoccupy myself with games and gaming streams, and they have certainly been such great lifelines.

21. I am grateful for quiet cuddle moments. Be it in the evening while Hubby and I are watching TV, or while we're actually snuggled in bed watching Disney+ or Netflix, or after hitting snooze in the morning and just wanting to stay cuddled together for another 5 minutes, or even when one of us (*cough*usuallyme*cough*) is feeling super stressed and we just take a couple-minute time-out to just hug, I am grateful for all of them. I know not every couple gets to have these physical contact moments for various reasons, add in my own experience of having an 8-year long-distance relationship, and I try so hard to not take those quiet moments of just simple hugs or hand holds or back scratches for granted.

22. I am grateful for music and the ability to experience it. It motivates me. It inspires me (I have so many stories/chapters written because a song made me think of the plot). It helps with cathartic release. It gets me moving and exercising. It keeps me focused. It allows me to just zone out. Music is just so important in my life and the life of so many more. Bless all the music creators and performers.

23. I am grateful for Anime Night. It's a bit of normalcy in this year of anything but. It's a way to stay connected with a couple of my friends, and the little bits of socializing we do outside of watching has really allowed me to get to know both men more, as well as learn more about the other people really important in their lives.

24. I am grateful for the experience of turning fans into friends (and also being allowed to evolve from fan to friend). One of the best things about fanfiction is the ability to see people interact and react with your work, and to then respond in kind. It's sort of a silver lining to the relatively small number of views and comments on most fanfiction (compared to most professionally published work, that is), since it means you aren't too overwhelmed to truly experience each comment, follow, fave, like, reblog, etc. Through people gushing about my work, and me gushing back at how happy they've made me, I've been able to build up some really sweet friendships. I've also made two new close-acquaintances (we don't interact QUITE enough to be “friends” just yet) from my own gushy reviews and their responses to how great my reviews made them feel. So, to @chibisunnie​, @thetauruspixie​, @livrever​, @tlos21​, @chanceuseladynoire​ and @zenmisery​ (I hope that's all of you), I am so grateful for the bond we've had over fanfiction. Love all of you so much! ❤

25. I am grateful for members of minorities and other marginalized peoples for taking the time and effort to try to educate others; making it easier on us when they are in no way obligated to help us understand at all (it's really on us to put in the effort to try to understand them). This year alone, via personal posts on social media, infographics, comics, people posting reference sheets of hotlinks to research/source materials, etc, I was able to learn so much. I was able to grow and try to overcome my own prejudices, misunderstandings, and misinformation. All because people decided to share their raw experiences or do the research for me. It was something each and every one of them volunteered to do in an effort to help educate, and I am so grateful for the lessons they've taught me.

26. I am grateful that people find me a safe person to talk to. It is one of the few things I want in life; to be a safe haven for friends, family, and even strangers who are hurting. I realize the amount of trust people put in me and the vulnerability they are allowing themselves. It is humbling, to say the least, but also such an amazing feeling. I will try to keep learning and keep growing to keep earning the trust warranted me being this safe haven, but in the meantime, I'll continue to be grateful that people do find me as someone they can be safe with.

27. On the flipside, I am grateful to have friends who allow me to just be who I am. I can be obsessed with a cartoon aimed at 10 year olds (Miraculous Ladybug), and my friends not only don't judge, but they also happily let me know when their young children start to enjoy the show! I can be goofy or forgetful or screw something up, and, again, there's no judgment. They just accept me as I am, and I am blessed.

28. I am grateful for the support my friends and family have (outside of me) in their lives. It does my heart well to know that even if I disappear due to my own mental health issues, that my friends and family still have great support around them. They are all kind people surrounded by more kind people, and I nearly cry whenever I read or hear about my friends getting support they need and the outpouring of support. YOU ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND I LOVE YOU ALL AND EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU DESERVE THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT YOU'VE FOUND. ❤

29. I am grateful for the continued bonding we've had with my sister-in-law this past year. I miss having the post-Zumba walk where we can just talk, but, largely through effort on her part, we've been having some time every Tuesday when she comes over to work after dropping the kids at school. We also had a whole evening with her on Black Friday. She's also texted and called a few times to chat, and we are getting closer and closer each year. Not everyone thinks of their in-laws as family despite what the law says, so I'm grateful that we have always thought of each other as family, and that we continue to bond and grow as siblings.

30. I am grateful for this family tradition. It allows me to really focus on what is important in life, and all the joys and blessings I've experienced. It's especially important during this trash heap of a year. I love that I can find silver linings in my life and appreciate what I have. This tradition is also a reminder to not take things for granted. I am so SO grateful that my mom introduced us to this tradition and forced us to participate as we grew up. It's a lesson that will stay with me, and it's such an important one. Thank you, Mom!

[katyatalks]

Animestyle 2019/12 - MP100 Interview Translation

The December 2019 issue of animestyle contains ~50 pages of interviews, and I was lucky enough to be sent every page to read through. Interviewees include Tachikawa Yuzuru (director) & Kameda Yoshimichi (character designer). Contains a bunch of information regarding characters & topics like season 3, so please enjoy!

[Note that this Tumblr compilation misses out quite a few things from the original Twitter thread. If you’re curious, that thread is here.]

TACHIKAWA YUZURU (Director)

Wanted to go for a darker colour scheme for the characters and settings to fit the more dramatic themes in MP100, but Kameda disagreed, wanting to go for something more colourful

Considers S2 more ‘focused on humanity’ than S1

S1 was made without expectation of S2

When cutting bits of the manga from the anime adaptation, a “the viewer will still understand the point of the scene without these lines” approach was used

Considers S2 as having two parts; the character focused part, and claw arc. The decision was made to squeeze claw arc into 4 episodes as Tachikawa hated the idea of sacrificing content from the earlier part for a half-half split

He's well aware of how loved Reigen is; fans tell him so at mob events all the time

Considers the “who exactly am I” question that many of the characters deal with; finds it most impactful with Reigen, as he simply pretends to have powers, whereas Ritsu Mob Teru etc. actually have them

He holds Reigen arc dear to himself, in particular the “be a good person that’s all” conversation that gets put into the anime more than once

He considers Reigen’s growth one of the core themes of S2, alongside Mob’s own

Episode 8 was not in the original plan - S2 was meant to be 12 episodes much like S1.

The omake in which Tsubomi comes to the office was actually drawn for the purpose of giving the team something to put into ep 8 of the anime - team was struggling to find something from the manga to put in (“S&S team doing something for Mob”) so ONE created it

The reason why all the characters in Mob Psycho are so lovely is likely because ONE is a genuinely lovely person so it’s a reflection thing

In response to Reigen’s rant at Mob in ep 6 that causes their rift, Tachikawa says; “we’ve all had moments in which we know saying anything else would be the worst thing to do but we haven’t been able to stop ourselves”. It’s why the scene leaves an impression

In the manga you don’t get to see Reigen’s face after Mob tells him he’s a good person. They added it into the anime, and Tachikawa states that Kameda had a lot of trouble trying to figure out exactly what expression they should give Reigen

Discusses American highschooler Weilin Zhang (of ~17 years old), who drew up around 1800 frames for the purpose of S2E5

Reigen’s website was designed with the brief of it having to look cheap and shoddy

Considers Mob Psycho 100 as having the message “its okay for you to do the things you’d like to” at heart

Mention of not only Japanese fans but international fans increasing with S2

Describes Serizawa as becoming handsome after his haircut in the final episode of S2

On the topic of animating what’s left of the manga, says he’d like to give it a go

KAMEDA YOSHIMICHI (Character Design)

Slightly more time pressure on S2 than S1, which meant there was a bit of detail lost with the drawings for S2

Describes Shinra as a charming character

Goes on to say that he SUPER loves Shinra and really likes drawing him. Discusses how people tend to love attractive characters in anime and as a results there’s not many chubby characters, so he latched onto Shinra

Found the thoughts & feelings of characters a lot easier to read in S2 compared to S1, which made drawing their expressions easier. The more he worked on mob the more he found he understood the characters

Small discussion of Reigen’s behavioural shift from Ep3,4,5 to 6 & complexity of his character. Makes him hard to understand. But he understood Reigen’s feelings of regret in Ep7

Reigen shirt scene segment in Ep6 intended as fanservice

ONE has described Reigen & Mob’s relationship as being similar to that of the main character and the kid from the film “About A Boy” (Will and Marcus)

Compares Reigen to Sakai Masato’s character from “Legal High” (リーガル・ハイ), in that they both do bad things but aren’t ‘bad’

Regarding the choices they made with character shading (blurry on skin, but sharp-edged on hair & clothing), this was inspired by Disney (Aladdin, specifically). Originally they went for blurry-edge on clothes too but decided against it ultimately

Describes how each mob character is pretty distinct and it’s easy to recognise who is who; ie. if they have bobbed hair + no eyebrows, mob; a standoffish countenance, Ritsu; blond hair, Reigen

Describes how in contrast to the simplistic character designs, the atmosphere they’re surrounded by is complex

Amount of young animators working on mob psycho increased from S1

Final manuscripts for S2 were compiled in 2017

States that when he read the manga, Reigen Arc really touched him and it’s the main reason he decided to work on MP100. he was very upset that S1 ended without reaching Reigen arc, and he’s glad they got to tackle it in S2

He considers the growth that Reigen & Mob go through from S2E3 - E8 a principle part of what mp100 is all about

When asked about parts of the manga that haven’t been animated yet, Kameda says there’s a LOT he’d love to bring to the screen. He wants to finish off the anime as “we’ve gotten this far already”

Regarding a potential S3, Kameda is asked if there's really enough material left in the mp100 manga to fit 12 episodes... he agrees that there's probably not, so they could go for 10 episodes much like Attack on Titan S3 Part 2, or a movie. (This is not the first time Kameda has implied S3 could be a film instead.)

If/when they proceed with animating mp100 is dependent on director Tachikawa's schedule, as it's looking a little busy right now

TSUCHIGAMI ITSUKI (S2E11 storyboard, production)

Lead animators for MP100 tended to be young; mostly in their 20s, 2-3 people in their 30s, no one in their 40s

Never felt like he was in an atmosphere where he was under hellish time pressure to get things done

On being asked his thoughts on mp100 S2 as a whole, Tsuchigami says he enjoyed it but felt like it could've been longer. He was happy w the pace of E1-3, but felt dissatisfied with E4-5. Was happy with E6-8, but then with E9 onwards felt a bit dissatisfied

Felt like the story-related elements had to be cut down in order to fit the length of the season they were given; this is where his dissatisfaction stems from. Regardless, he very much enjoyed S2

OGASAWARA SHIN (Animation director, animator)

The staff working on MP100 were allowed a lot of creative freedom

Animation director for S2E3, and animated for E3 (from Reigen repeatedly pressing the doorbell of the stalker to Reigen saying let's go out for soba) and E11 (around the Justifiable Self-Defence Rush)

Reigen's Justifiable Self-Defence Rush was animated with the intention of giving it a manga-panel-like feel

S2 was completed without any huge blunder happening

UCHIDA NAOTO (Animation director, animator)

Originally did work for S1, but felt like nothing but a hindrance and wanted to crawl into a hole. But the workplace atmosphere was great and everyone was very kind, so it ended up being a good experience

Animation director for S2E4, and was split animation director with Nakamura Hayate for S2E10. Did animation for the opening, E1,4,5,10. E1 animation: around when Emi + pals are with Mob at the embankment. E4: from 'Nakamura's flashy explosion' ((Reigen cut by glass scene?)) to when the espers are being kicked around. E5: when Reigen and Dimple are having their back-and-forth. E10: layout of the awakening lab.

Found season 2 very enjoyable. Being an animation director was excellent. Character design? Godlike. Felt incredibly lucky that he got to take part

NAKAMURA HAYATE (Animation director, animator)

As stated above Uchida & Nakamura worked on S2E10 as animation directors. Uchida covered the first part of the episode, and Nakamura the latter half

Nakamura animated for S2E4 + E10. E4: around when Mob attacks Minori attempting to exorcise Mogami from her, E10: Suzuki + co's entrance, when Mob possessed by Dimple & Shibata exit the building, Telepathy Club scene, and from Mob + Body Improvement Club's parting to the final scene

Felt like he could've done a little better for S2. And on a personal level wishes he got to draw more action scenes

ETC.

We've had confirmation from ONE already that REIGEN is complete with a single volume, but we've got that confirmation again here too with the way the sales description is written

Thanks for reading!

[sandriinehebert]

say hello to my (revamped) little friend :)))))

lea michele has been my idol and source of inspiration ever since i was 11 years-old. i looked up to her and loved her and supported her. i met my two closest friends because of glee and lea. she’s the reason i got into glee, and glee is the reason why i decided to join roleplay years ago. i owe so much to lea. that being said, i do not support, condone or accept her alleged behavior. i knew about her being self-centered and difficult to work with, but i never thought i would log online some night searching for instagram photos for sandrine and find out all of that. i was reading the twitter thread all night long and watching a decade of my life disappear before my eyes. i know my feelings are worth nothing and are completely irrelevant & meaningless compared to the gravity of the situation that brought out all of these allegations. i also want to point out this is not a representation of mine or sandrine’s views on racism, bullying, performance activism or politics.

one of the first things that came to mine was sandrine and this group. i never bragged about being original, so it should come as no surprise that sandrine took a lot of characteristics from lea. her bubbly and lively personality, the tiny but mighty energy, the italian family background, the singing part, the cooking, the love of beauty, everything from her looks to her voice, it screams lea michele when i think about sandrine. changing her faceclaim was not an easy thing to do, because it implies changing this character i cherish with all of my heart. anyway, here’s a list of things that will change about sandrine from now on / things that will stay the same.

changes:

the faceclaim. lea is sephardi jewish (of turkish and greek descent) as well as italian. try and match that, it’s hard. plus, finding someone who is as expressive and joyful as sandrine is difficult too. i decide to use demet özdemir (who’s of turkish, bulgarian and german descent from what i read). compared to lea, i don’t know anything about her whatsoever. i lurked through gif tags and photos and she seems promising. if i don’t feel good using her, i will change to leighton meester and review, once again, the family background. (shoutout to lina for helping me, a true life saver!!!! <3)

alessandra “sandrine” serafina hébert. her last name changes. it is no longer lombardi, but hébert. (pronounced eh-bert in english, or hey-ber in french because the t is silent, i did some genalogy research and the surname hébert was, in some parts of the province, adapted from german so it fits with demet).

her age. sandrine is 30 turning 31 in september instead of 33 going 34.

her parents’ name. i will not redo the whole family post i did ages ago, but they all get a change of name and history. adamo is now only adam, and he’s 33 instead of 35. christian hébert is her father and monica evans is the mother. corinna remains corinna. christian’s father’s last name was actually esmer, but he changed to hébert when he moved in order to try and fit in the community.  the whole italian family storyline goes in the garbage bin, but since, historically speaking, traditional quebecer values are not that different from family, food and making babies, i’m good with that! i am absolutely not familiar with turkish and canadian history & relations so i have a lot of research to do there just to feel comfortable with this. i knew more about italo-québécois from school and from writing a paper about this community, hence why i felt no discomfort using cultural and historical aspects in sandrine’s story. montréal has the second largest turkish community of canada from stats i found, so, still, it’s not completely off either.

her career in ice skating / the reason she quit. sandrine will still be a successful figure skater who was amongst the best of her province, but i’ll twist things up. i won’t have her quit at 18, rather at 20. because (drum roll) i will give her a love interest. she started doing couple figure skating competitions at 17 and fell in love with her partner. they dated for three years, that innocent first relationship kind of love and he broke-up because he felt like he was too young to commit. hence why she still believes no one will ever love her as much as she loves them.

her timeline will go like this: at 20 she quit ice skating and dropped out of university. from 20 to 24 she stayed at home in montréal with her parents. from 24 to 26, she was roommates with adam in boston. and from 26 to now, 30 going 31, she is living on her own, running her salon in devinstone.

what stays the same:

lea’s voice is sandrine’s voice. when i write dialogues (which means 99% of all of my replies bc i can’t write), i hear lea’s voice. sandrine’ voice and singing voice will remain lea’s. that is unfortunately something i can’t let go of. 

she’s still lea’s height even if demet is 5″7.

she still has 2 of lea’s tattoos: the coffee mug and the musical notes.

she’s still a beautician. that does not change one bit! she still loves cooking. she still loves being annoying.

i will not delete any posts from before. i have so many faceclaim posts and instagram photos queued that some might slip away but those, i will delete them if i notice they get posted on accident. my queue has over 40 posts so it glitches and doesn’t always show me what’s in there.

everything else. she’s still the reincarnation of poppy from trolls, anna from frozen and pinkie pie from my little pony. big dumb dumb energy and all!

a faceclaim change should not be that big of a deal. but i’m a big baby who adored a celebrity for so long and i’m learning a hard lesson right now. i will proceed to changing her icon, theme, url, and to send a whole new biography to the main in the next couple of days. the main will also be contacted when they’ll come back to tumblr. since i don’t have discord, i couldn’t contact them sooner. i need time to process everything and to change sandrine’s muse without losing it. thank you for reading all of this and i am truly sorry if me using lea michele as a faceclaim ever offended any of you. i owed all of you an explanation and an apology as to why it takes so much time to change everything (idk who sent me this anon about me having to change my faceclaim but i was aware i had to do so since the moment i read the first tweets so i hope you didn’t worry about that too much). again, i’m sorry. stay safe, ily guys! <3

[paperanddice]

Obsidian Spider Swarm Large swarm of Tiny elementals, unaligned Armor Class 13 (natural armor) Hit Points 65 (10d10 + 10) Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft. Str 4 Dex 14 Con 12 Int 1 Wis 10 Cha 5 Damage Immunities poison Damage Resistances piercing, slashing Damage Vulnerabilities thunder Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, restrained, stunned Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft. passive Perception 10 Languages - Challenge 2 (450 XP) Shredding Legs. A creature that ends its turn in the swarm's space takes 9 (4d4) slashing damage, or 5 (2d4) slashing damage if the swarm has half its hit points or fewer. Spider Climb. The swarm can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny spider. The swarm can regain hit points or gain temporary hit points. The swarm can't make opportunity attacks. Actions Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., all creatures in the swarm's space. Hit: 15 (6d4) piercing damage or 7 (3d4) piercing damage if the swarm has half its hit points or fewer. The target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or begin magically turning to stone and become restrained. It must repeat the saving throw at the end of its nex turn. On a success, the effect ends. On a failure, the creature is petrified for 1 hour, or until freed by the greater restoration spell or other magic.

Minor earth elementals that are often found near the border of the elemental planes of fire and earth, obsidian spiders feed primarily on small gem stones and precious metals. A single obsidian spider is rarely a threat, their fangs and limbs causing small scratches and punctures and their bite rarely doing more than creating a small, hard lump at the surface. In larger numbers however, they can become quite dangerous, thousands of tiny injuries adding together and their magic compounding until it can transform a living creature fully into stone for a short time. 

A single obsidian spider looks like a regular spider crafted from obsidian shards, its legs about 4 inches in diameter. Their legs and fangs are formed of sharp, jagged splinters of stone. 

Unlike many of the monsters I’ve been focusing on creating, obsidian spiders are not a direct conversion from another edition of the game (or another game entirely). Instead, the name came from an assassin attack power in 4th edition discussed by one Brandes Stoddard during a massive thread where he looked at a lot of the more interesting elements of 4e that never made the transition to 5e. Many of the monsters I’ve converted these past months have come from that list, or my own exploration of the books inspired by that list, so if you enjoy the monsters I’ve been creating give Brandes a look on Patreon and Twitter and support his work as well. The original power created a swarm of spiders out of shadow, but I liked the idea of spiders made from stone more and decided to go with that for this rout. Maybe I’ll make a shadow spider swarm in the future that fits more with that attack’s aesthetic.

If there is a monster from an earlier edition of D&D that you want to see converted to 5e, feel free to send me a message. If you like this post, consider following my Patreon to get access to content like this a week ahead of everybody else, plus updates on other projects I’m working on!

[starmin-marmin]

do you think the church will ever change its opinion on same sex marriage? I really hope it will - I love a lot of the things it stands for but the part of the law of chastity saying you can’t be in a homosexual relationship really bothers me

***A QUICK NOTE*** This ask was particularly difficult to answer. I have tried to respond as thoughtfully and sensitively as possible, but please know before reading further that I am in no way entitled to receive revelation for anyone besides myself, and I could very well be wrong. Please keep this in mind before lashing out at me or anyone else.

Hey, Anon ❤️ I’m so sorry this has taken me literal months to respond to. I have made it a constant topic of prayer and fasting, and eventually took it to the temple. This is a difficult question for every member of the Church to consider for at least one reason or another, and I wanted to be sure I treated it with the attention and gravity it demands.

Before we proceed, I have to acknowledge my own privilege. I am a cisgender bisexual woman who is happily married to a wonderful man in the temple. I have been able to pass as straight for a long time with fairly minimal effort, and therefore do not have to face the same kind of turmoil as others who are “more” homosexual or whose gender identity is different than their birth sex. I am not unaware of how relatively easy I’ve had it. So as I answer this, know that I am trying to articulate the best I can and I’m treading as lightly as possible, because I may not be the best person to respond to this question.

I totally agree with your feelings about the law of chastity. It’s a law that seems very simple at face value, but once you consider how it applies to our homosexual homies, transgender folks, nonbinary pals, aromantic buddies, asexual neighbors, infertile friends, and voluntarily childless comrades, things become much more complicated (a great twitter thread on the disorienting logic of the law of chastity can be found here - and yes, I’m familiar with “The Lord’s ways are not your ways,” but I do think it inspires some thought about the way the law of chastity is taught in the Church).

It seems that some of us can not be expected to “have joy,” (2 Nephi 2:25) while at the same time following all of God’s commandments. Sometimes a person faces the impossible choice between following laws that they truly believe God has given but will make them miserable, or breaking those same commandments in order to feel happy. I don’t have any counsel or guidance for friends who find themselves here, except that your relationship with God is personal, and only you can make these kinds of decisions - involving the law of chastity or other commandments.

Now, to the real question - do I think the Church will ever change its opinion on same-sex marriage?

I don’t know.

I hate giving this answer, but as I’ve fasted and prayed and sat in the temple, I didn’t feel a calm wave of affirmation or the deafening stupor of thought. I have no idea if this will change. To be clear, I know that Elder D. Todd Christofferson (who has a gay brother with whom he is very close and therefore shouldn’t be written off as someone who knows absolutely nothing of the challenges and confusion queer members face) held a press conference with KUTV back in 2015 during which he clarified that members were welcome to support gay marriage on social media. Huffpost paraphrased the article, and this excerpt is from the very end:

“Could there be a time when the LDS Church would change its position on gay marriage?

“The apostle was unequivocal.

“Nope, he said.”

(Read the whole Huffpost article here.)

I know this is devastating for many queer members to hear/read from an apostle of God, and I’m sorry. I’m just sharing what my prayer and studies have led me to. It is my honest hope that more will be taught over the pulpit about where queer children of God fit within Christ’s church, but until then we must cling to the faith we have and strengthen one another. Find comfort in the personal revelation you receive, and continue to look for signs of God’s love.

Thank you for your question, Anon. I hope you find what you’re looking for.

AGAIN – this was a difficult question to respond to. If anyone reading this needs a friend, please message me. If you find yourself in an especially dark place, you would probably benefit more from talking to a trained professional. Please use any of the resources listed on the PFLAG website.

[iflamesforminho]

Thread of love & praise from the actors/actresses who worked with Minho in film/drama & fell in love with his totally personality one by one  💕

1. Han Hyo joo (co-star of Minho from Movie InRang/iilang)

she said that Minho was like a vitamin in the filming site (Inrang movie) even the writers who never smiled would smile when they saw him

2. Actress Lee Da (co-star in drama Hwarang)

she is talking about filming with Minho ( Minho played her brother in Hwarang)

3. Actor Kim Min Jae (co-star from drama "because its the first time" )

He said he want to meet Minho again with new project (they worked together in "because its the first time" drama)

4. Actor Do ji han (co-star  in drama hwarang) he played Banryu character

5. actor Lee Yikyung (co-satr  with Minho in drama  "Because its the first time" drama)

Minho gifted big TV to this actor when Yikyung moved to new home ....

6. Actor Ma dong seok   (Co-satr in Movie Derailed )

He said that despite being small budget movie and not to fit with typical idol actor plot , Minho accepted this movie as challenge  when I suggested it

( Minho also said that Madong seok love to bury his head in minho stomach *uwu*)

7. Actress Kim Ji Soo ( Co-star in Hwarang drama)

she played Queen jiso and Minho was playing her bodyguard plus one side love plot from Minho, she was totally impressed with Minho’s acting and nature

8. Actor Kwon Sang Woo (Co-star in Medical Top Team Drama)

He said " Minho looked like a handsome boy from a manga. Polite and educated and like a little brother. "

9. Singer & Actor Alex (Co-star in Medical Top Team Drama)

He siad " Minho likes to do aegyo, treats his friends well but never fails to point out their mistakes when they do something wrong "

10. Actress Oh Yeon Seo (Co-star in Medical Top Team Drama)

She said " Recently I'm working with Minho,The director asked me whether I had saved the world in my previous life Minho is prettier than me. I don't know what to do as a woman" she also said :" he is so polite & kind during filming."

11. Actress Cho Hye jung ( Co-star in Drama“ Because it’s the first time )

she played charater "Oh Garin" Minho’s (Yoon tae oh’s  friend) in  drama

left a comment about him under ig's update of actor Yoo jun hong  who played "Ma Ki Ho" in "Somehow18" with Minho too

"Treat Minho oppa well !! "

12. Actress Kim Go eun (Co-star in Canola  Movie)

she said “Minho is a sincere and hard-working guy. It was my first time working with someone my age we got pretty close,”

13. Actress han ji hye ( Co-star in Minho’s first acting project a mini one ep drama pianist )

Actress han ji hye was so happy when she found out that minho was cast in "pianist 2010" special drama (his first time in acting) The details she mentioned about his acting show how much she was looking forward to him , he even gave her inspiration by his love for his fans

14. Actress Jung Ryeo Won (Co-star in Medical Top Team Drama)

Actress Jung Ryeo Won mentioned Minho as 1of the prominent juniors,  She was impressed with him in TMBG . "He is really pretty & sincere. He recently acted in TMBG, I hope it goes well.'

15. Actress Hajin ( Co-star in Movie Jangsiri 9.15)

she is playing Minho's mother in this movie

talk about him in her latest ig update :" Ya Oh~ Minho ssi whom I like.....Minho ssi who is courteous & upright, good looking & kind,I like even more"

16. Director Kim Ji Woon ( Director of Minho’s Movie InRang)

He praised Choi Minho, saying, “He’s a passionate actor who doesn’t hold back under any circumstances. In this movie, as well, there is one scene in particular that he brought to life perfectly. ”

17. Senior actress Youn Yuh-jung  (Co-star Canola Movie )

She said “ When I first saw him, I felt how can this boy is so pretty !!! he is prettier than most girls even you (pointing at main lead actress...lol)

twitter link for post

[aion-rsa]

Marvel's What If: The Stories We'd Like to See

https://ift.tt/2HjKQlR

The new animated series will show us alternate takes on the Marvel Cinematic Universe's timeline. Here are scenarios for every Marvel movie.

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This Marvel article contains spoilers.

When Disney+ hits, one of the many shows tying into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is What If, set to be on-demand in summer 2021. The show will be animated, albeit using many of the actors from the various MCU movies. Based on the What If comic series, which was created in the '70s, the anthology series has a pretty basic concept: take an important part of Marvel history, zig when the original story zagged, and then write a story out of that.

For instance, the comic had an issue where Spider-Man saw the thief who would eventually kill Uncle Ben run by and figured that stopping him would be good PR. He unknowingly saved Uncle Ben’s life in this scenario, but he didn’t learn any major lesson about power and responsibility. Instead, he became a more self-centered ass whose ego was so out of hand as a media personality that he caused a disgraced J. Jonah Jameson to found the Sinister Six as a revenge ploy.

In the case of the new animated series, the stories will be based on the movies’ continuity. So far, we know that one of them will be about Agent Carter receiving the super-soldier serum treatment instead of Steve Rogers.

That got me thinking about what other stories we can get from the movies. I’ve decided to take every Marvel movie and brainstorm a What If scenario that would work for each. Play along at home! It’s fun!

IRON MAN

What If Tony Stark Died?

The story of the movie ends where it should have begun. Tony Stark and his military entourage are under attack and a bomb goes off near Stark. The shrapnel cuts too close to his heart and there’s nothing that can be done. Obadiah Stane takes over the company. Maybe Pepper, Happy, and/or Rhodey investigate and take him down. Maybe not.

What’s important is that Iron Man can no longer be the focal point of the MCU. Presumably, things are going to get really, really bad. Especially with that time the High Council tried to nuke New York City. Then again, greedy as he is, Stane would be on Earth’s side during that conflict and could probably at least lend some kind of hand.

In a world without Stark, I can’t help but think of what all those villains created BECAUSE of Stark would be like. Imagine Loki conquering Earth and being undone by the likes of Stane, Vanko, Killian, Vulture, and Mysterio. Not Hammer, though. He’d still be a total weasel and would try to betray them at the first attempt.

INCREDIBLE HULK

What If Abomination Joined the Avengers?

A plot thread the MCU movies played with briefly before writing it off in a Blu-ray short was the idea of The Incredible Hulk's Emil Blonsky being roped into joining the Avengers. Obviously, he ended up getting nixed because he kind of went on a big rampage through Harlem, but maybe if things went down differently, he would be found less accountable...at least in the beginning.

Before Bruce Banner gets his treatment from Sterns, he might find out about all the horrible experiments he was working on and that would set off the Hulk. A surviving Sterns would still gladly transform Blonsky, only this time Blonsky would be seen as a hero for putting his body on the line so he can bring down the Hulk. With the military behind him, he’s able to win and keeps his dark side in check enough that he’s able to work with the government and be their personal weapon of mass destruction.

The way I see it, this could go very wrong during the events of Avengers. The team is going to be at each other’s throats as is, but in the original version, they were still good people. When there’s a psychopath in the midst, this can only end badly.

Poor Cap, finding out that this guy is his legacy.

IRON MAN 2

What If Iron Man Wanted to Avenge His Father?

When in doubt, go with the Soviet-controlled alternate reality. Worked for Superman and Valiant Comics. It would certainly work for Iron Man 2. 

In this scenario, Anton Vanko is able to keep his intentions to himself long enough to screw over Howard Stark, bring the arc reactor schematics to the Motherland, and reap the rewards. Ivan lives a life of luxury while Howard Stark becomes a disgraced figure in the American public’s eye, ultimately destroying himself through alcoholism.

This leads to a story where Tony Stark figures out his father's tech in order to wage a war against the Vankos for destroying his family. Add in Justin Hammer as his weasely sidekick and you got a stew going.

THOR

What If Loki Allowed Thor to Be King?

Loki was the first real “villain who was in the right, but went about it the wrong way” of the MCU. At least in the first act. One of the better parts of Thor was that, in the beginning, Thor was a big jerk and Loki was well aware of this. His initial plot was the save Asgard from having to deal with Thor in charge. Said plot gave Thor the character development needed to prove himself worthy while Loki ended up damning himself.

Loki probably could have done himself a better service if he just let it happen. When Thor runs Asgard into the ground, Loki will be there to take over and fix things. Or maybe Thor will just admit that he isn’t fit to lead and hand over the throne. Either way, the big laugh will come from someone telling Loki that if he knew Thor was going to be such a shitty king, why didn’t he do anything about it?

CAPTAIN AMERICA

What If Captain America Survived World War II?

Seems to be one of the easiest ideas. Hell, this was one of the very first issues of the What If comic and even gave us the first iteration of Bucky Barnes as Captain America. So we have Captain America defeat Red Skull in such a way that he doesn’t have to crash the plane and get frozen for a bunch of years at the end of the movie. Instead, Captain America fights through the rest of the war and we don’t have all that awkward finger-pointing that Steve gets for his Endgame epilogue.

read more: The 100 Best Marvel What If Moments

I’d like to see Cap be in the thick of Hydra’s inner-takeover of SHIELD, especially with Bucky still alive and looming in the shadows. Not only am I down for more team-ups between Steve Rogers and Howard Stark, but the idea of Cap being something of an uncle figure to Tony is too great to ignore.

THE AVENGERS

What If Loki Betrayed Thanos?

Recently, Marvel made it an official retcon that, during the events of the first Avengers movie Loki wasn’t 100% himself. Wielding the Mind Stone, he was really being manipulated by Thanos, which is their way of handwaving all the horrible stuff he did so we can more easily get behind him as a protagonist.

This reminds me of Marvel’s Earth X miniseries, which took place in a universe where all the god-type characters were really overly-evolved mutants from another planet who were endlessly powerful but were molded by the beliefs of others. In other words, all the Asgardians are scaling back their power and acting like Asgardians because when they came to Earth, that’s what humans believed them to be. Loki, being all about trickery and mischief, was the one who could see through it all and realized what he truly was.

I want that kind of energy in the Avengers storyline. I want Loki to figure out that he isn’t in full control of his actions. When Thor implores him to join him against the higher power, let Loki piece it together. The image of Loki working with the Avengers against Thanos is a cool one, but the real conflict is figuring out what to do from there. Whether or not he’s on their side, nobody’s going to trust Loki when the plan is presumably, “Let’s use these two Infinity Stones against a guy who has none.”

IRON MAN 3

What If Aldrich Killian Killed Himself?

Iron Man 3 begins with an origin for Aldrich Killian as the third most interesting character to call himself “The Mandarin.” He got to meet Tony Stark briefly at a New Years’ Eve party, Stark lied by offering to meet him on the roof later that night, and it was at midnight that Killian realized that Stark had essentially blown him off. He considered walking off the roof to his death, but was instead inspired to get his shit together and start up a big arms-dealing conspiracy.

Let’s take him out of the picture. There’s no Extremis plot, no drunk actors, no Vice President getting arrested, etc. This also means that Tony doesn’t get grounded. Part of the conclusion of Iron Man 3 is that Tony is able to grow up and move on in a sense.

People often criticize the MCU for ways it's walked back Tony's growth over the years, though. Tony’s attempt to move forward blows up in his face with Ultron, and thanks to his addictive personality, he can’t help but go back to his Iron Man ways and briefly kill his relationship with Pepper. Even in Endgame, he struggles with what kind of man he should be.

Perhaps the lack of Iron Man 3 would hinder his journey in the long run. He doesn’t blow up his armor or get his arc reactor removed. He keeps being as reckless and dedicated as he’s ever been. It costs him his relationships, but does the ends justify the means? How far can a driven Stark go, exactly?

THOR: THE DARK WORLD

What If Jane Foster Discovered Her Worthiness Earlier?

Granted, we don’t know the context of Jane Foster becoming the new Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder, but it’s going to happen in the upcoming movie, it’s happened in the comics, and it even happened in one of the first What If comic issues. Thor: The Dark World is one of the least exciting MCU entries and Natalie Portman peaced out due to how they handled her character, so let’s jump ahead to the Jane-Thor development.

read more: Thor: Love and Thunder - Jane Foster as Thor Explained

Jane’s already in Asgard for the underdeveloped Meet the Parents concept, so the setting is right. Maybe have her wield Mjolnir to save Frigga and see where it goes from there. I don’t know. It’s not like the villains are going to carry this story.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

What If Nick Fury Died?

The threat from Winter Soldier is such a Gordian knot, and thanks in part to Nick Fury’s help, Hydra was defeated in a rather clean way. Take Fury out of the picture. There is no secret resurrection. He’s straight-up dead. Now there’s no finale based on releasing all the SHIELD files to the public and cutting off Hydra’s head.

Captain America and his buddies still defeat Hydra, but it’s messy. Hell, we might even get the Agents of SHIELD crew involved in this one because why not. Alexander Pierce may be killed or at least thwarted, but the story after the fact will be that Captain America is an enemy of the state, creating a variation of his Secret Avengers from Infinity War.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

What If Ronan Destroyed Xandar?

What If was made for this one. Guardians of the Galaxy plays up Ronan’s disdain for Thanos and the possibility of them throwing down. Early on, Nebula warns Ronan that it’s a fight that he cannot win, but is totally on his side when he’s able to wield the Power Stone. It’s promised that once Xandar is wiped out, Ronan is going to go to war with Thanos.

read more: Marvel's What If? Animated Series Coming to Disney+

A full-on villain vs. villain war would be a damn fun episode. Obviously, like an arms race, each side is going to have to try to build themselves up with more Infinity Stones, presumably making it three-on-three by the time the two throw down. Don’t know how the Soul Stone would figure into this, but depending on how close Ronan and Nebula become...PROBABLY not good for Nebula!

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

What If Ultron Wasn’t Corrupted?

More specifically, the question is, “Could it have worked?” The creation of Ultron was Stark’s desperate attempt to protect Earth from a threat that he knew, deep in his heart, was going to come from the skies any day now. Ultron ended up blowing up in his face and caused the Avengers to splinter prior to Thanos’ run for the Stones. Had the plan worked out, Thanos would still need to invade Earth in order to get his hands on the Mind Stone and Time Stone.

As an aside: Thor doesn't know where the Time Stone is, so I figure he'll trust the Mind Stone to remain on Earth under Stark's care because he's already established that he doesn't want to keep two in Asgard.

While the previous entry is more about two villains clashing, this one is about a war between faceless soldiers. Endless dog creatures fighting endless Ultrons or empty Iron Man armors or whatever. Win or lose, this one has the potential to cause more worldwide damage than Thanos’ casual stroll through Wakanda.

ANT-MAN

What If Hank Pym Trusted Hope?

Hank Pym doesn’t choose Scott Lang to be his successor in Ant-Man. Maybe Scott’s still in prison. Or maybe Hope is his first choice after all. Either way, he builds Hope her own Wasp costume for the sake of stopping Darren Cross. She’s hindered by her inferior cat burglar skills but ends up being a bit colder and violent when it comes to ending Cross’ plans.

The real conflict comes in Civil War. Wasp is very much on Captain America’s side, but Tony Stark tries to get through to Hank Pym on the subject. Hank begins to waver, realizing that as much as he’s hated his technology being in the government’s hands, it still might be safer than what Cross had intended. This, in turn, causes Hope to resent her father all over again as the war between heroes commences.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

What If Quicksilver Was Alive?

This is technically more of an Age of Ultron entry, but with a focus on Civil War. Quicksilver is able to save Hawkeye’s life without sacrificing his own. It’s hard figuring out a good switch for Civil War, but including Quicksilver in the mix might be the biggest offset. The shadow of Sokovia would still be looming, but at least he'd be there to help prevent his sister from becoming a black mark on superheroes.

Not only would he help turn the tide in the airport battle, but if Pietro were to be there for the final battle, he’d possibly be able to talk Iron Man down. I mean, Tony Stark is arguably equally or more responsible for the deaths of Pietro and Wanda’s parents than Bucky was for Tony’s parents, but Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are able to move past that. Quicksilver can fix the Avengers before Zemo is able to splinter them.

DOCTOR STRANGE

What If Doctor Strange Used Time Travel to Save Himself?

Stephen Strange takes a look at Dormammu and decides, “Nope!” He’s going to use the Time Stone to prevent the universe from being taken over, but he goes about it in a more reckless way. He rewinds time to the point that he’s able to stop Kaecilius using magic save-states, which he figures takes Dormammu off the board. Deciding that the other magic folks can carry on without him, he then attempts to prevent himself from texting while driving.

Strange continues on with his earlier life, the mega-demon is no longer a threat, and life goes on. Or does it?

Strange was warned that overusing the Time Stone would cause massive repercussions, so things would undoubtedly go very wrong for the Sorcerer Supreme. Bonus points if this relates to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

What If Ego Raised Peter Quill on Earth?

Ego was never going to be anything other than a monster. Charming or not, he killed a whole lot of his own children as part of his plot to kill just about everyone else in the name of finding his purpose. His redeeming quality was that he had some true love for Meredith Quill, but he didn't love her enough to keep himself from being an outright bastard. He was afraid that his love for her would keep him from achieving his goal, so he killed her in a rather cowardly way for someone so powerful.

I want to see a world where Ego saw things through and stayed with Meredith for good. What kind of person would he have become? I imagine he would have grown old, died of natural causes, and his body would have regenerated on his planet self, presumably with second thoughts on what to do with his powers. It's not too different from the Fantastic Four storyline where they turned Galactus human for a time and showed him the beauty of normal life.

But really, I'd like to see what kind of man Peter would become. I can't imagine he'd be drawn to the stars if his mother had lived longer and he wasn't kidnapped, but cosmic adventure is in his blood. Who's to say?

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

What If Spider-Man Joined the Vulture?

Getting so mad at Tony Stark that you turn into a supervillain is so easy that it seems to happen every other day in the MCU. Sometimes the bad guys even have a point! Hell, Captain America disagreed with him on whether or not to allow Iron Man to blow up Steve's best friend and that caused Cap to become an enemy of the state. It makes you realize that Rhodey's ability to put up with Tony's bullshit is the most amazing superpower of them all.

So in this What If? scenario, when Iron Man strips Spider-Man of his upgrades and gives him a time out in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter really loses it. When he's being driven to the homecoming dance, he tells his date's father about how much of a jackass egomaniac Tony is. In this moment of bitching, Toomes sees Peter as less of a threat and more of an opportunity in the form of a kindred spirit. The two end up working together and Vulture succeeds in stealing all that swank hero stuff from Stark's plane.

At first, it's just Peter turning a blind eye to criminal activity out of spite. Just like the OTHER time that happened, it doesn't work out too well for him. Iron Man is able to figure out that Spider-Man had some kind of involvement in the act and uses the Sokovia Accords as reasoning to bring the hammer down on him. Spider-Man escapes, but Vulture dies in the process. There goes another father figure.

Spider-Man decides to prove himself against Iron Man by taking all the stolen tech that Vulture had accumulated and finding worthy people to wield it in the name of starting up an underground, street-level vigilante group.

THOR: RAGNAROK

What If Nebula Killed Thanos?

In Guardians Vol. 2, Nebula is last seen leaving to go slaughter Thanos. We don’t see her until Infinity War, where it’s shown that she failed. Her failure is what helps Thanos realize that Gamora knows where the Soul Stone is and he goes on his rush to get all the Infinity Stones. Let’s just say that Nebula succeeds and kills her adopted father.

Now look to the mid-credits scene from Thor: Ragnarok. Before Thanos' ship arrived, Thor and Loki had an interesting discussion about whether or not Loki can peacefully coexist with Earth’s inhabitants due to the events of Avengers. This possibility would never be explored due to Infinity War suddenly happening.

read more: 20 Uplifting Marvel What If Stories

But without Thanos? We could actually see Thor as a king who isn’t bogged down by PTSD. We can see a Hulk that isn’t at odds with himself. More importantly, we can see how Loki deals with New Asgard. Especially since he happens to have a Tesseract in his possession.

BLACK PANTHER

What If Killmonger Remained King?

Invading Wakanda and succeeding is nigh impossible. You need to have the Infinity Stones or the Phoenix Force to make it happen or else you're going to end up like the Skrulls that one time -- a pile of bodies sent back to space with the message, "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU INVADE WAKANDA," written in blood. This is one of those stories.

Killmonger is an angry hypocrite with no foresight. His plan to arm the underdogs of the world will do nothing but create chaos and untold casualties. It won't take long for Wakanda to become a major target. Rather than throw every superhero at the nation, Iron Man goes alone because he thinks his tech know-how could counter that of Wakanda's. While this is going on, Captain America chooses to go on a one-man mission to take down Killmonger after hearing that Bucky has been killed.

The good news is that Cap and Iron Man are able to work together and even work through their differences. The bad news is that neither survives. After such a failure, Nick Fury sends in as many heavy hitters as possible (deciding to hold off on calling in Captain Marvel), but the results are the same. Killmonger's regime stands tall, even though Wakanda is relatively worse for wear. He does find himself fascinated with the remains of Vision, especially the glowing gem on his head, and keeps his head as a trophy.

The dust has cleared and Killmonger finds himself the king of a global warzone. His victory is shortlived as Thanos and his Black Order arrive for the Stones. Before ending Killmonger's life, Thanos does give him credit for wiping out half of Earth's population before Thanos even had the chance.

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

What If Star-Lord Kept His Anger in Check?

One thing that annoys me is when people cite Peter Quill as the reason why Thanos was able to complete the Infinity Gauntlet. Yes, they were so close to pulling off the Gauntlet, and yes, Star-Lord losing control and punching Thanos in the face screwed that up. I get that.

Here’s the thing: Doctor Strange knew that it would happen and didn’t do anything to prevent it because apparently removing the Gauntlet would have still led to a loss. There was only one possible way things were going to work out and that was everything up to the end of Endgame. Star-Lord’s tantrum made little difference and, it’s possible to say, everyone might have been better off because of it.

What I want to know is why that would have been so bad? How would defeating Thanos in that moment have led to defeat? What kind of possible future did Doctor Strange see?

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

What If Ant-Man Joined the Secret Avengers?

Rather than submit himself to house arrest, Scott Lang sacrifices seeing his daughter in order to hang out with Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon for a few years. This leads to a major juggling act because he’s still going to get that weird vision from Janet, but things will be a million times easier to deal with because he doesn’t have to beat the clock with the Jimmy Woo business and he has his Avengers pals watching his back. Ghost is defeated, Janet is rescued, Hank is grumpy, and Hope has lost her respect for Scott for essentially abandoning Cassie.

Anyway, the most important thing here is that the Avengers no longer think Scott is under house arrest and are able to bring him to Wakanda and people can finally be excited to see that Thanos butt thing happen. Do it, Marvel. Do it, you cowards.

CAPTAIN MARVEL

What If Captain Marvel Killed Ronan?

Being a prequel that deals with the Kree, Captain Marvel features a couple of brief scenes that show Ronan the Accuser as one of the antagonists. As we know, decades later, he and Korath will become rogue soldiers out to exact revenge on the Xandarians. That means that in Captain Marvel, Ronan is protected by plot armor. What If features no such thing, so there’s nothing stopping Carol Danvers from simply blowing up Ronan’s ship instead of intimidating him to escape and fight another day.

As time goes on and Thanos needs villains to do his dirty work, he doesn’t have Ronan on hand. What he does have is the Mind Stone and what Captain Marvel has is a history of being susceptible to mind manipulation. Thanos ends up forcing Captain Marvel into being his enforcer and decides that he doesn’t even need Loki to begin with. Instead, Danvers razes Earth and tears through the Avengers. She also annihilates the Guardians of the Galaxy before they can even get started as a team while securing the Power Stone.

In the aftermath, a surviving Peter Quill is found in an intergalactic bar, drinking through his depression. A man appears before him, claiming to be his father, with the suggestion that maybe learning his true power for the sake of getting revenge on Captain Marvel (among...other things) is Peter’s purpose.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

What Became of Thanos 2014’s Timeline?

As I already mentioned, Endgame is the only possible version of the movie’s events where the good guys win. Any and all tangents end with Thanos’ victory. So let’s move away from that.

Endgame’s time heist created two major alternate timelines. One is the alternate version of Avengers, where Loki escapes with the Tesseract and Hydra thinks Cap is on their side. We’ll be getting a whole Disney+ series on that reality.

The other is what’s left behind from the second Thanos. There’s a universe where Gamora, Thanos, and all of Thanos’ underlings and soldiers (minus Ronan) simply ceased to be. They all went to another timeline and never came back. Does that mean that Ego conquers reality? Does the Collector go forward with his plan to acquire all six Infinity Stones?

And what of Earth? This could go in different directions, considering a deleted concept from Endgame was that Thanos 2014 decided to tear apart his timeline’s Avengers before making the time jump. There’s a lot of potential in that episode.

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

What If Mysterio Was Iron Man’s Protégé?

So Quentin Beck created this world-changing hologram technology, watched his boss use it for the sake of personal therapy, make fun of it, and then call Beck out of line? Hey, Beck really shouldn’t have used the lives of a bunch of innocents to prop up his plan, but he had every right to be pissed at Tony Stark.

If television and movies have taught me anything, it’s that if you angrily insult your boss to his face, you have a 50/50 chance of either getting fired or getting a promotion. We saw the firing timeline, so let’s see what happens when Stark decides to actually listen to Beck. I imagine Beck would solidify his belief in the Sokovia Accords and take Spider-Man’s spot in Civil War. Just think about how anti-climactic that airport battle would be when Iron Man’s side ends up being a bunch of holograms and Bucky gets yoinked away in the confusion.

Beck could conceivably figure out Zemo’s plot through his tactics, but the question is how he would follow up on that. Does he step in Zemo’s way or does he agree and allow the Avengers to implode?

Gavin Jasper writes for Den of Geek and would love to see DC do an animated or live-action version of Elseworlds: Speeding Bullets. Read more of his articles here and follow him on Twitter @Gavin4L

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Gavin Jasper

Aug 22, 2019

What If

Disney+

Marvel Cinematic Universe

from Books https://ift.tt/2My7r22

[sampagnereads]

Hi, lovelies! In July 2019, I’ll be hosting my first ever readathon, which is the DND Readathon, Race Edition! Basically, an edition of this readathon will take place about every two months (they won’t all be one-month long, though), and the main goal is to build up a DND character based on knowledge that can be found in the Fifth Edition Player’s Handbook! If you don’t have access to that, though, this website has a lot of information about DND that can be helpful. For more information on the readathon itself, I recommend following its twitter account right here! And just in case, here’s the thread that explains everything, and to which information will be slowly added throughout the month of June!

Basically, for this readathon, you need to complete all three challenges associated to a race for your character to be part of that race. You can try to complete as many challenges as possible, though, so that you have more options. Plus, if you read at least one book for a race, you’ll have an advantage when it comes to choosing your companions’ races! But, yes! Enough explaining! Let’s talk about my TBR now! I’m going to try to complete four races altogether, which are dragonborn, gnome, half-orc and tiefling! I’ll also be doing my best to read at least one book for all the other races. And so, below the cut, you can find all that I plan on reading for the readathon during the month of July!

DRAGONBORN

INVOLVES DRAGONS.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Shatter the Sky, by Rebecca Kim Wells. To put this summary really simply, it’s about a girl who plans on stealing one of the empire’s dragons to save her girlfriend, and basically, it sounds right up my alley. I was lucky enough to receive an eArc of it through Netgalley, and I honestly cannot wait to get to it. Obviously, there are dragons, or at least one dragon in this story, and so it fits perfectly for this challenge!

RECOMMENDED BY A PARENT/GUARDIAN/MENTOR.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Le Roi de fer, by Maurice Druon. This is called The Iron King in English, and is the first book in Les Rois maudits series (The Accursed Kings). It’s about a line of kings descending from a king who killed templars, and on whose family was placed a curse by one of those templars. It’s historical fiction, very much romanticized, and I’m oh so excited to read it. My mother has been trying to get me to read it for years now, and I’m so excited for us to be able to talk about it together. 

BUDDY-READ.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Girls With Sharp Sticks, by Suzanne Young. This is a book about girls who go to this academy where they’re taught to be docile, obedient, and not have any opinions of their own, until one day they realize there’s more going on than they had originally realized. As for the buddy-read, I’ll be buddy-reading this book with two of my favourite people, aka Sage ( sageshelves ) and Kat ( stardustreviews )! 

DWARF

FOIL ON THE COVER. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Mirage, by Somaiya Daud. This is a moroccan-inspired sci-fi fantasy about a girl who’s forced to become the body double of a princess who’s very much so hated by her subjects. Problem is, the main character starts to get used to life at court. This has foil both on the dusk jacket and underneath it (as I have the Owlcrate exclusive edition), so I think it’s a perfect fit for this challenge!

ELF

UNDER 200 PAGES.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Giant Days, Vol. 5, by John Allison & more. This comic series follows three young women who became fast friends in university, and I’ve been loving it so far. It’s a lot more interesting than the premise leads you to believe, and I cannot wait to get to the fifth volume! It’s only 112 pages, too, so that works perfectly for this challenge!

GNOME

BRIGHT COVER.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Prince Charming, by Rachel Hawkins. This follows an american teenage girl whose older sister is marrying the fictional prince of England, and who has a temperament that could lead her into some trouble, hence why the crown appoints a guy to help her like, chill! I don’t know if everyone would consider this cover to be bright, but I do, so! Yes!

5-STAR PREDICTION. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Captain Marvel, Vol. 3: Alis Volat Propriis, by Kelly Sue DeConnick & David López. This is the last volume in this particular run of Captain Marvel, who’s a superhero who mostly helps out in space. She’s my favourite superhero, and though I have given the first two volumes only four stars, I have a feeling like the third volume will get a higher rating than that!

CALLED UNDERHYPED AND/OR UNDERRATED. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Wild Savage Stars, by Kristina Pérez. This is the sequel to Sweet Black Waves, which is a retelling of Tristan and Iseult told through Branwen’s perspective, who happens to be Iseult’s lady in waiting, cousin and best friend. The first book is my favour of all time, and it is way too underhyped, in my opinion. I was lucky enough to get an arc of the second book, Wild Savage Stars, and so I’ll be reading it in July!

HALF-ELF

ONLY ONE POV. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling. It is definitely at least 99% told from one POV, so it definitely counts. I’ve decided to re-read the Harry Potter books physically this year, and so I’m planning on reading two of them in July! One of which you’ll hear about a bit later on in this list. 

HALF-ORC

THAT ISN’T IN PRISTINE CONDITION. 

For this challenge, I’ll be reading The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi. This is an adult sci-fi novel about three people who are trying to salvage what they can from an empire on the brink of collapse. It comes highly recommended, and I cannot wait to get to it. It fits this challenge due to the fact that there’s a tear in the hardcover; I got it from BookOutlet and so I didn’t fuss about it, which worked out well for me since I can now use it for this challenge!

WITH A MORALLY GREY PROTAGONIST.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Sadie, by Courtney Summers. It’s a book about a girl who sets out on a revenge quest after her younger sister has been killed, and a podcast that talks about her and what happened. I heard a few people describe the main character of this book as morally grey, considering what she’s doing, and so I’ll be counting it for this challenge!

OVER 500 PAGES.

For this challenge, I’m either going to read Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon OR A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin. Both are well over 500 pages long, and I know I’ll go for one of the two for this challenge. I’m currently reading A Game of Thrones, and so I feel like I might want to read the sequel next month, but also, I’m super excited for Priory, so! We’ll see!

HALFLING

WITH A POV THAT DIFFERS FROM YOUR OWN. 

For this challenge, I’m going to be reading Blanca & Roja, by Anna-Marie McLemore. This follows latinx characters, and as I’m not latinx myself, it works perfectly for this challenge! Basically, this book follows two sisters who come from a family where, out of every two girls born to a woman, one will eventually be turned into a swan. Anna-Marie McLemore’s one of my favourite authors of all time, and I can’t believe I haven’t read this yet!

HUMAN

BORROWED AT THE LIBRARY.

This might change depending on whether or not it’s available at the library, but if it is, I’ll be borrowing I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 2: Fluff My Life for this challenge. This is an adult comic that will also work for The Book Junkie Trials, a readathon I’m also reading in July and for which I’ll post a tbr asap!

TIEFLING

BANNED BOOK.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter is one of the most banned series in the world, and so I feel like it will work perfectly for this challenge! I’m not reading the first book in July, though, because I read it just a few months ago. However, I am counting this as the start of my physical re-read of Harry Potter in English! 

FOLLOWS A HUMANOID (BUT NOT FULLY HUMAN) CHARACTER.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading Unnatural, Vol. 1: Awakening, by Mirka Andolfo. I’m not exactly sure what this is about, as I think it’s nice to go into some comics without knowing too much, but I do know that it follows a pig girl, and therefore a humanoid, but not fully human character, which is perfect for this challenge!

RECOMMENDED TO YOU BY SOMEONE YOU TRUST.

For this challenge, I’ll be reading La Reine étranglée (The Strangled Queen in English), by Maurice Druon. This is the second book in Les Rois maudits (The Accursed Kings in English), a series of historical fiction novels that are heavily romanticized. It comes highly recommended from my mother, and as I’m already reading the first book of this series for the readathon, and I’ve heard that I’ll want to continue straight away, I decided to add this book to July’s tbr!

[westallenfun]

A Twisted Christmas Carol, Chapter 2

Author Notes: For the amazing @backtothestart02 from @jade4813. I hope you don’t think I forgot that I owed you one! Merry Christmas to one of my favorite people in fandom. I hope you like it!

Title: A Twisted Christmas Carol

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: Nora wishes she could change the past. Iris longs to embrace every moment of the present. And Barry wonders about a future that yet may be. The Candlemaker shows them the lives they could have - all they have to do is make a wish. But not all wishes should be granted. Loosely inspired by The Christmas Carol.

Chapters: 2/5

Chapter 2 Nora’s Wish

The egregore smiled as he wrapped himself in the thoughts and memories of the mind in which he inhabited. A child of the future, lost in the past, desperately wanting to change history as yet unwritten. It would almost be too easy to lure her into his trap.

He saw what she wanted – the lives she wished her parents could share. Lives without heroism. Without loss. He could give her this. From the darkness in the back of her mind, he whispered. How easy it would be for him to wrap the threads of fate around his finger and tug gently. Change the past, and it would change the present. With nothing but a simple twist of fate, he could unwrite the future.

He would show Nora the life that could have been – that perhaps would have been, if only…

~~~

Iris groaned Linda came bounding through the door. “Hey!” her friend greeted her brightly. “You’re still in bed?”

Groaning, she threw her pillow over her head, trying to block out the rest of the world. “I was out late,” she muttered into its downy softness. “Awards show.”

“Oh, I know,” Linda replied, sounding entirely too smug. “Maybe I should say everybody knows you were at an awards show last night.”

Frowning into the pillowcase, Iris pondered her friend’s words. Actually, it was less her words and more her tone. She seemed entirely too self-satisfied, like she knew something Iris didn’t. Pushing aside the corner of the pillow, she threw her friend a suspicious glare. “What do you mean, everybody knows? Why did you say it like that?”

Flopping back onto the bed, she answered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she proclaimed. When Iris just continued to stare, she threw a wicked grin in her direction. “Unless you mean your interview. People can’t stop talking about it online.”

She froze, casting her mind back to memories of the night before. As was common with awards shows, Iris had faced a bevy of reporters from the moment she arrived at the venue. It had taken almost an hour just to get past the red carpet, as she was stopped every few seconds by paparazzi asking the same questions, time and time again. “What do you mean, the interview? I didn’t say anything interesting last night, did I?”

Lifting her eyebrows, Linda asked, “Didn’t you? If you say so.” Grabbing her phone, she pulled up a video and tilted the screen for Iris to see.

“Is there any actor you’d like to work with?” a reporter asked after getting Iris’s attention on the red carpet.

She laughed, brushing her hair back off her face. “I’d love to do anything with Barry Allen…Oh, God. You’re recording, aren’t you?”

“They really were recording?” Iris yelped, sitting bolt upright in bed. “The light wasn’t on! I hoped they didn’t catch that!”

Linda laughed. “Oh, they caught it, all right. You’re trending on Twitter this morning. People can’t stop talking about how cute you and Barry would be together.”

“I am? They are? Oh, my god.”

“Anyway, your personal humiliation is fun, but it’s not the only reason I’m here. Come on, sleepyhead. Get up. We have work to do.”

Iris groaned, throwing the pillow back over her face. “No. Never. I’m never getting out of bed. I’m too humiliated. Just let me die here.”

Linda snorted. Unperturbed by her friend’s dramatics, she replied, “All right, then I’ll just talk business with your corpse. I think I know which project you should do next.”

Tossing back her pillow again, Iris accepted that she wouldn’t be allowed to die in peace and sat up once more. “You know, you are my best friend. A little sympathy wouldn’t kill you,” she grumbled.

“I’m sympathetic!” At Iris’s skeptical look, she offered sheepishly, “My laughter is…totally…sympathetic!”

Rolling her eyes, Iris grabbed for the script Linda had placed on the mattress next to her. “Uh huh. So what is this project you think I should do?” Seeing the title, she lifted her eyebrows. “Lin, I thought we said I shouldn’t do any more romcoms for a while. I’m on the verge of being typecast as it is!”

Linda nodded, “I know, but you’re going to want to be in this one. You’ll be playing a woman who asks her friend to pretend to be a date at her ex-boyfriend’s wedding. But your character ends up going with his brother instead. And she doesn’t know it, but he’s had a crush on your character for years.”

Wrinkling her nose with a skeptical grimace, Iris started flipping through the script. “I don’t know, Lin. Doesn’t this just sound like every other romantic comedy? What’s so great about it?”

Linda threw her an innocent smile. “Well, did you happen to catch any late night talk shows after the show?” Rolling her eyes, Iris shook her head. “Then you’re going to want to watch this.”

As Iris stared at her, she pulled up a video on her phone and then turned the screen so that Iris could watch. “They taped last week sometime, but it wasn’t aired until last night.” Barry Allen was talking to a talk show host who was known for his boyish charm and the games he played with his guests.

Iris watched as a clip of the two of them playing a variation of Truth or Dare began to play. Linda had skipped through the first minute or so of the game, so Iris didn’t see how Barry ended up with egg in his hair, his pants drenched with water. But she watched as the final round began to play.

“So, you lost the last round. That means it’s time for a Truth Card,” the host – who wasn’t in any better shape than Barry – prompted. “You’re not nervous, are you?” he asked.

Barry laughed. “A little. I know what kinds of questions you’ve asked before.” But he gamely walked up to a giant board with envelopes pinned to it, chose one at random, and handed it to the host.

The host opened the envelope. “There are three questions on this card, and you have five seconds to answer them. First question: Your celebrity crush?”

“Iris West,” he replied, blushing red.

The host’s next words were drowned out by Iris’s gasp, and Linda paused the video. With a huge grin, she rewound a few seconds and hit play again.

“-stion: Your celebrity crush?”

“Iris West.”

“Aw, look. He’s so adorable. He’s blushing when he says your name and everything! Now do you see why everyone is talking about you guys today?” Iris was still staring at the paused screen, unable to believe it. Barry Allen had a crush on her? The way he’d blushed when he’d admitted it, too! She just wanted to bask in this moment.

But Linda continued, “The fact that your slip and this interview aired on the same night? No wonder the Internet is losing it. And not just them. Apparently, the director of this movie already thought the two of you would be perfect for his picture. Last night just sealed the deal for him; he’s determined to capitalize on all this buzz and cast Iris West and Barry Allen opposite each other in their first romantic movie together.”

“I see,” Iris mused, giving the script a considering look. “Well, if he’s that determined to cast me, I’d hate to let him down.”

With a sly smile, Linda remarked, “You know, I thought you might say that.”

A couple of months later, Iris was trying to project an air of confidence as she walked towards the set. This was it; the first day of filming. It was also the day she was going to meet her costar for the first time. A chemistry test had been scheduled for a few weeks before, but problems on another project forced the director and producers to cancel at the last minute. Known for his preference for ad-libbing and changing things on the fly, the director had then decided that he wanted to capture their first scenes together as strangers, hoping it would add something to the shoot. Iris just hoped she actually would have chemistry with Barry and that it would shine through.

Well, that and she hoped he wasn’t a huge jerk. She’d had a little crush on him, herself, ever since she’d seen him in his breakthrough role as the prince in the modern fairytale Glass Slippers. Though she’d die before she admitted as much to him. Still, in her business, she knew it wasn’t unusual to admire someone from afar, only to find out they were an arrogant narcissist behind the scenes. It would break her heart if she found out Barry Allen was the same.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Barry’s assistant, Gretchen, until she was almost upon her. “Hey,” the other woman greeted her warmly. “Um, I was just looking for you. The director wants to do something different this morning. He wants to start with the ad-lib shoot.”

Though Iris hadn’t worked with the director before, he was known for having a very particular style. He liked to shoot each scene two to three times. The first time, he would always shoot the scene word-for-word according to the script. His actors were not allowed to deviate from the page at all. The second take, he would incorporate his own changes to the script – tweaking lines he didn’t think worked the first time, for example. But he would also always do a third take, in which he asked the actors to ad-lib and have fun with it. To play through the scene as they saw fit. He would then choose the take that he liked best for the final cut.

It was unusual that he would choose to do the ad-lib first, but Iris suspected she understood what was behind it. “I take it we’re not supposed to meet before we start?” He had said he wanted to capture the genuineness of their response to each other.

Gretchen nodded. “You got it,” she said with a small chuckle. “But the thing is, Barry has a thought for something he wants to try for the scene. He wanted me to make sure it would be okay with you first, though.” With a shrug, she explained, “He won’t tell me what it is, but he said it pushes the envelope.”

Surprised and intrigued, she shrugged. “Tell him I said to go for it. I’m curious to know what he has in mind.”

An hour later, Barry sucked in a deep breath as the director called places. It was the scene in which Iris’s character was to show up at her friend’s apartment to pick him up for the wedding only to find that he had left town, claiming an emergency. Upon finding that he’d been asked to join her instead, the two were supposed to argue in the living room until, realizing she had no other choice, Iris’s character begrudgingly agreed to let him join her.

For this take, however, Barry had something else in mind. He’d come up with the idea when he remembered that his character was supposed to be in love with her, though she was oblivious to that fact. He was certainly nervous enough to pull it off. But this being their first meeting in real life, he could only hope that he didn’t completely alienate her.

The director called for action, and he hid behind the corner as he heard Iris enter the set. She called out his character’s brother’s name – Travis. After waiting another second, he strolled nonchalantly around the corner onto the set. Though his smile was a little nervous at first, it became more genuine when he saw her for the first time. It transformed into a wide grin when she turned and saw him for the first time.

Oh my god. Iris turned and caught sight of Barry for the first time, and those three words were the last coherent thought she would have for several seconds. Her higher mental function seemed to abandon her completely as soon as she realized three distinct things: First, he was dressed in nothing but a pair of blue jeans, which hung intriguingly low on his hips. Second, his chest was beaded with droplets of water, like he’d just stepped out of the shower. And third, Barry Allen was even more gorgeous in person than he was on screen.

“Hey, beautiful. Good to see you again,” he greeted her with a sexy grin.

His greeting finally kicked her mind back into gear, reminding her that she was a professional, damn it. “Oh, god!” she blurted, trying and failing to tear her eyes away from his chest (seriously, she was dying to know his workout routine – for as lean as he was, he had amazing abs). “What are you doing shirtless? I mean here?” she babbled, wishing she could get a hold of herself. It was a good thing her character was supposed to be surprised and a little discomfited by him, or this would be downright humiliating.

“Travis is my brother, remember? And this is his place…”

“Yes, of course I know that,” she interrupted him. “But where is he? He’s supposed to be my date to this wedding…?”

He shrugged. “He said he had some sort of emergency. Something to do with work. I was in town visiting anyway, so he asked me to take his place.”

She shook her head. “Oh, no. I can’t – you can’t be my date. You’re not…you’re not even dressed.”

Barry laughed and looked down, as though realizing his lack of shirt for the first time. “I do have clothes, you know.”

Remembering that their characters were supposed to be at odds at first, she snapped, “Well, then, can you go put them on?” as she turned to walk away. However, she was so rattled that she’d forgotten the placement of furniture on the set and banged against the island separating the living room from the kitchen.

“Why?” he asked, his voice all innocence. “Does this bother you?”

She snorted and kept her face averted to hide her blush as she darted around the island, trying to put some distance between them. “No, of course not,” she lied. “It’s just that this isn’t going to work, you know. Nobody will believe we’re dating. We’ve argued every time we’ve spent more than five minutes together. We don’t even like each other!”

As she’d known he would, Barry followed. She could feel him behind her, and when he stepped close to her, Iris turned and caught her breath. She was captivated by the flecks of gold in his eyes, and she had to clutch the edge of the island behind her to stop herself from reaching out to see if he felt as good as he looked. With that smile that had captured her heart the first time she’d seen it on screen, he leaned down and murmured, “Well, I hate to tell you this, but beautiful, it’s too late. Travis left hours ago. If you’re determined to take a date to this wedding to show up Billy the Weasel, it’s me or nothing.”

Then, reaching out, he gently captured a lock of hair, sliding it between two fingers. “So how about it? Still want a date to this thing? I can pretend to be desperately in love with you if you can.”

Iris’s eyes fell to his lips, and she felt herself lean almost imperceptibly towards him as she wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Before she could forget herself (and a good fifty pages of script) and give in to temptation, the director yelled cut.

She startled, and Barry jumped away from her, his smile turning sheepish and a little shy. Iris looked to the cameras and crew to find that everyone had stopped what they were doing and were just staring at them. More than one mouth was even agape. “Um…was that okay?” she asked as she straightened, pretending it had all been an act.

The director stared at the two of them, and then a slow smile spread across his face. “Are you kidding? Honey, that was magic.”

“Hey,” he greeted her with a warm smile when she joined him at the craft table between takes. “Listen. About this morning. I hope I didn’t go too far?” He had to force himself to tear his gaze away from her face; it was hard to believe that she could be even more beautiful in person than she was on his screen. It was enough to take his breath away. If he wasn’t careful, he was afraid he’d make a fool of himself.

She grinned up at him, seemingly not noticing his response to her. “No, it was great,” she acknowledged. “But just so you know, I’ll be getting you back for that one of these days.” He laughed and pretended to occupy himself with picking out the perfect muffin as he wracked his brain for something to say. He wanted to keep talking to her, to get to know her better, but she made him feel nervous and tongue-tied.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Iris added some cream and sugar to her cup of coffee. To forestall her walking away, he blurted, “So, um…” But no further words came to mind, so his attempt at conversation faded into nothingness.

But when Iris turned to face him, he could see the blush staining her cheeks. “So, listen. You didn’t – uh – you didn’t see my interview, did you?”

He didn’t have to ask which interview, and he’d only watched it a dozen times or so. But he threw her a sheepish grin. “Not if you didn’t see mine.”

Iris laughed; it was the most beautiful sound in the world. “It’s a deal. Anyway, it’s all so silly, when you think about it. Imagine being nervous about…I mean, it was a joke, right? It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Oh, right,” he agreed a shade too quickly, unsure if she meant his interview or her own. “Definitely.”

But before their conversation could continue, they were called back to set.

The next morning, when Iris came to set, she found Barry there waiting for her. He was holding two cups of coffee, and he held one out to her. “Five am shoots. Gotta love ‘em, right?” he joked as they headed to their places.

Iris groaned as she took a giant swig of her drink. It would take several more minutes for her brain to wake up enough to realize that he’d made it just the way she liked it.

Handsome, sexy, and conscientious of the people around him? Iris really was in trouble.

“So, you’ve got a thing for my daughter, huh?”

Barry spun around to see Iris’s dad in the doorway of his trailer. They had never officially met, but he’d seen the older man on set several times before. “What?” he breathed.

Joe chuckled. “It’s pretty obvious,” he pointed out. “I’ve seen the way you look at her.”

“Well, s-sure,” he stammered. “I mean, we’re acting, right? That’s what we do. We act.”

Throwing him a level look, Iris’s dad pointed out, “Son, nobody is that good of an actor. Not even her.”

“Wait, what? It’s that obvious? I mean, you think I – that she – are you saying she –” Joe just chuckled and shook his head as he walked away.

“All right, places, please! Places!”

Iris and Barry put aside the script pages they had been studying for the next day’s shoot and headed for the set. We’re ad-libbing this one, right?” Barry asked as they fell into step next to each other.

Iris nodded. “Yeah. Actually, I have an idea for what to do this time. You okay with going with me on this one?” It was an early scene in the film. Their characters had just checked in at the bed and breakfast with the rest of the wedding party, and they were awkwardly trying to get used to their pretend relationship. The scene in the script was sweet, a little touching, and a little humorous but Iris felt like there was something missing.

Without a second’s hesitation, Barry nodded. “Absolutely,” he agreed.

They took a moment to establish where they wanted to start the scene, and then they took their places as the cameras began to roll. “All right, so, if we’re going to pretend to be in a relationship, we should get our stories straight. How did we meet?” she asked as they busied themselves by unpacking.

“Why not stick to the truth? I’m your friend’s brother, and we first met a couple years ago when I came into town for a visit. We’ve seen each other a few times since, and recently, we realized there was something more between us.”

She nodded. “I suppose that works. So you asked me out, and –”

He grinned over at her. “Oh, no. You definitely asked me out.”

Pausing in her task, she turned on him with an indignant look. “What? No! Why would I ask you out? If anyone is going to believe we’re together at all, they’ll only believe you asked me out first.” Throwing him a smug smile, she added, “In fact, I made you work for it.”

He snorted, dropping his clothes on the bed and scooting around the side to stand in front of her. “Look at me. You know you can’t get enough of this. You asked me out.”

His grin made it clear he was teasing, but Iris refused to give ground. Smiling up at him sweetly, she shot back, “You asked me out. I finally accepted. Mostly out of pity.”

He laughed and bent down until their faces were only an inch part. “Oh, yeah? Well, I think –”

He was so close; he couldn’t have set up the moment any better if he’d known what she was going to do. “I think we should kiss,” she blurted.

Even though he knew this was all an act – they were filming, after all, Barry still jumped at her suggestion. He took a hasty step backwards, bumping into the bed he’d forgotten was there, and had to recover his balance before he could continue. “Wh-what?” he responded, his shock and confusion genuine. “I mean…now? Here? Now? Why?”

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she cocked her head to the side and tried not to laugh at his reaction. “Because of what just happened. We’re supposed to be in love, after all. How are we going to pull off the charade when the time comes if you act like the thought of kissing me had never crossed your mind before?”

Oh, it had crossed his mind. Several times. But his character wouldn’t tell her that at this part of the story, and he certainly wasn’t going to admit to it, either. Iris seemed to be enjoying letting her character have the upper hand for the moment, because she stepped close to him and slid her hand down the line of buttons on his shirt. “What’s the matter? You’re not going to chicken out on our agreement, are you?”

Before he could second-guess himself, Barry turned and grabbed her around the waist. Iris had put her purse on a small side table in front of the window, but it fell to the ground when he walked her backwards until she bumped up against its edge. Almost belatedly, he remembered not to block the view of the camera as he lifted her easily and rested her on the table’s edge. However, all thoughts of work fled from his mind when he heard her catch her breath as he stepped between her legs and pulled her in close.

“No,” he growled, giving himself over to the assertiveness in his character that he would never dare risk in real life. “But if this is going to be our first kiss, I want to make it memorable. That way, if you’re ever asked about this moment, you’ll have a story that’s worth telling.”

Perched on the table, she was taller than him, so she rested her hand on the cheek that was away from the camera. Then, tilting her head so her hair would form a curtain to frame the moment, Iris bent and pulled him in for a kiss.

Barry lost himself in the moment and the feel of her lips against his. He was so wrapped up in the taste of her kiss that he almost didn’t hear the director yelling cut. At the sound of his voice, however, Iris broke off the kiss, but she didn’t pull away right away. In fact, they didn’t break apart until the director cleared his throat loudly. “Uh, you guys…we’re done with the scene, you know. You don’t have to keep staring at each other like that.”

Before Barry could step back, Iris grinned at him and whispered, “Got you back.”

“Oh my god. I thought this morning’s shoot would never end. I can’t wait to get back into my own clothes. I just want to go home and crash,” Iris moaned, rubbing her neck with one hand. When she saw Barry’s face fall, she dropped her hand and asked, “What? Did you have something else in mind?”

Running a hand through his hair, he suggested, “I thought we could grab a cup of coffee together. Maybe do some Christmas shopping? I haven’t had a chance to go yet, and I thought maybe we could…”

Her exhaustion melting away, Iris straightened. “You know what? That’s a great idea. Give me ten minutes; let me get changed and we can go.”

When she returned several minutes later, Barry was already there, waiting for her. Smiling, she looped her arm in his and headed to the car. “So, Barry Allen. Where to first?” she asked.

“First we get that cup of coffee. I know just the spot,” he said, pulling into traffic.

But things didn’t go as planned. Everywhere they went, they drew attention to themselves. People whispered when they spotted them together at the coffee house. Others openly gawked when they ducked into a store to do some shopping.

“You know, you would think I’d have gotten used to this by now. Never a private moment, huh?” Barry asked wryly.

“It’s all right,” she mused, linking her fingers in his. “Let them stare. At least we’re together.”

“Hey, you two! Come over here! There’s someone I want you to meet!” Filming had just wrapped through the end of the year, and Iris and Barry were attending a Christmas party at the producer’s house. Forcing smiles, they headed towards where the producer was talking to a beautiful blonde in a red dress.

“Iris, Barry. This is Cheryl. I’ve been telling her about your new project. She’s eager to do a piece on the two of you. I think it’ll make good press. Make sure to carve out a few minutes to give her an interview in the new year, okay?”

From the producer of their film, it wasn’t a request. Barry and Iris dutifully nodded and exchanged greetings as he walked away. Before they could make excuses and escape, however, Cheryl fell into step next to them and asked, “So, everyone’s been saying the two of you have incredible chemistry. Where does that come from, do you think?”

They exchanged a glance, bother blushing as they chuckled nervously. “Oh, you know. We just…I guess it comes from just being really good friends. I feel like I’ve known Iris forever,” he offered.

“So what do you –” Cheryl began, but her question was interrupted by a party guest’s shout.

“Hey, guys! Look! You’re standing under mistletoe!” Iris looked up to find they’d wandered under the mistletoe hung in the doorway.

Giving them both a sly smile, Cheryl pointed out, “You know what that means, don’t you? Come on; it’s tradition.”

“Oh, ah…” Barry stammered. “Th-that’s not…I mean, we don’t have to –”

“Don’t be silly,” Iris murmured, throwing her arms around his neck. “It’s Christmas.” Drawing him toward her, she ignored the cheers of the crowd. In fact, she forgot about everyone around them as she drew him in for a kiss, tilting her head back and leaning into the warmth of his body.

When they finally broke apart, she shivered at the caress of his warm breath against her cheek. “Barry, there’s something I should tell you,” she whispered, pulling him aside. “I –” But standing close to him like this, lost in his green eyes and the warmth of his smile, she lost her nerve. “I just…do you ever…I wish we could have met each other sooner. We could have spent our entire lives together.”

He smiled down at her. “You know, we still can.”

~~~

This could be their lives, the voice in her mind promised as Nora watched her parents fall in love all over again. Like something out of a movie. No fear. No pain. No Flash. All you have to do is make a wish, and this can be theirs.

But Nora remembered her mother’s words in the dream – “I wish we could have met each other sooner. We could have spent our entire lives together.” She thought about how her parents’ faces lit up every time they talked about the lives they’d shared together. As hectic, terrifying, and incredible as their life together could be, Nora knew without a doubt they’d never trade it for anything.

Nora wished they never had to face potentially losing each other, but she couldn’t take away the memories of the life they had built together. With only a tiny stab of regret, she responded to the voice whispering in her mind.

No.