#A Fun & Fast Disney Memory Game for Kids

[mass4ubd]

Disney Classic Characters Matching Game by Wonder Forge | For Boys & Girls Age 3 to 5 | A Fun & Fast Disney Memory Game for Kids | Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and more , Blue

What you get – Disney Classic Matching Game comes with 72 tiles and instructions.

Clear instructions – Easy to learn with a clear instruction manual. Learn to play in less than five minutes!

Develops critical skills – this game helps preschoolers practice their focus, memory, and matching skills.

Characters you love – enjoy fun pictures of all your favorite Classic Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Dumbo, The Incredibles, Donald Duck, Goofy, Timon and Pumba, Tinkerbell, Buzz Lightyear and many more!

Great for kids and families – matching not only offers great solo play opportunities for your preschooler, but is also a great game for adults to join in on the fun. It takes just 15 minutes to play, less than 5 minutes to teach, and makes a fantastic Easter gift!

[lover-also-fighter-also]

😶😃😨👍 👎😡🎉🔞❓

For Anitha and Ria

Ask list here

hc + 😶 for a headcanon about a secret they know of / keep

Anitha:

One of my HC's about a secret that Anitha keeps is that though Atlas scorns Disney movies, Anitha once saw her crying at the end of Frozen, when Elsa hugs a frozen Anna. Since then, she has been using that against Atlas when she wants to get something done.

Ria:

Ria does not tell anyone about her cancer history, because she finally feels that people at Berry High like her for what she really is, and not come to her out of pity. The only two people who know about it is Maria and Emma.

hc + 😃 for a happiness-themed headcanon

Anitha:

Ahh...what to say, there are a lot of happiness-related HC's for Anitha. But one of my favorites include one of her and Griffin going to the Jersey Shore and enjoying the broadwalk rides and games, and mind you, Griffin is a sucker for teddy bears (+especially pink ones), and Anitha wins him one big, cute, fluffy one.

Ria:

One of my favorite happiness-themed HC's for Ria is the first time she had fast food. Being sick and all, she wasn't allowed to eat all kinds of food, so when Scott took her out to McDonalds, it was a huge treat for her, and ended up having too much ice-cream that day. Nevertheless, it was a happy memory.

hc + 😨 for a fear-themed headcanon

Anitha:

During the events of TE 2, when Atlas accidentally got hurt because of Anitha's blood magick outburst, she gets scared that she might lose control and hurt someone else and locks herself in her dorm room, refusing to meet anyone until Shreya drags her out and helps her air her emotions out.

Ria:

The thing Ria fears most is abandonment. She is scared of screwing up and driving away a person she loves. So, around the time when Maria was considering moving far away for college, Ria was worried about how it would effect their relationship and tried to stay calm, but her nerves took over and she had a full-bout panic attack. Since then, Maria would encourage her to be more open if she was worried about something.

hc + 👍 for a headcanon about things they like

Anitha:

Anitha is a nature kid. Being outdoors makes her feel that she is more in her element. Some of her favorite activities include playing sports (Thief and soccer are her favorites), going for motorcycle rides, hiking, camping, and stargazing.

Ria:

Ria likes calming and soothing activities that usually does not spike her adrenaline up. Some of them include playing the piano, writing poetry, baking, and curling up with a good book.

hc + 👎 for a headcanon about things they dislike

Anitha:

Physically, Anitha hates being holed up in one place and needs open spaces to think clearly. Emotionally, she dislikes letting others down or others trying to fight her battles.

Ria:

Physically, Ria is not much of a sports person, be it watching it or playing it. Emotionally, she dislikes it when people ghost her without giving a proper explanation because she would think its her fault that it was happening. Additionally, she hates conflicts and is the most conflict-avoidant person.

hc + 😡 for a headcanon about something that makes them angry

Anitha:

While she loves her foster parents, Anitha did feel momentarily angry with them when she found out that they knew that she was an attuned and they tried to keep that part of her life hidden from her. She felt that she missed out on a lot of things that an average attuned would know about and blames the lack of knowledge from her parents as the reason she felt out-of-place.

Ria:

Normally Ria is a calm person, but once she gets ticked off, she finds it very difficult to control her anger. One such incident was when Zoe called Maria a control freak and Ria lashes out and could have broken Zoe's nose if Maria wasn't there, squeezing her hand.

hc + 🎉 for a celebration-themed headcanon

Anitha:

My HC for one of the celebratory events for Anitha was her pre-wedding sangeeth (a fun event where everyone sings songs). I haven't decided much on what happens in the sangeeth, but it was truly a melodious one, considering how the bride and groom are both gifted singers.

Ria:

For Ria's high school graduation, she didn't expect Maria to come due to her heavy college schedule, but then Maria surprises her by coming for the ceremony. Ria's face was a mixture of shock and surprise before she ran over and hugged her, nearly knocking her off her feet. After the ceremony, Maria takes her to the cliffs for a private picnic to celebrate.

hc + ❓ for a headcanon of the receiver's choice

Anitha:

(for a weapon-themed headcanon)

Anitha's favorite weapon would be the the shadow-powered sword that she fought with in the mirror dimension, and the mace of Penderghast that she took from Dean Geoffe's office before battling Raife.

Ria:

(for a hair-themed headcanon)

One HC I have about Ria is her hairstyle. After she started to grow back her hair fully, she was determined not to let it go to waste and insisted on straightening it, curling it until she settled on classic waves, and would streak her hair ends with different hair dyes.

hc + 🔞 for a nsfw-headcanon

P.S Im not really good at nsfw's, so I apologize in advance

Anitha:

Anitha and Griffin are more into rough sex. They both like to do it fast, especially when they are hyped up on so much adrenaline after a victorious match.

Ria:

Ria likes sex going slow and sensual. She wants to savor every last moment of it and enjoy it. She is the little spoon of the relation.

[misguidedlavender]

happy birthday, toontown rewritten.

time to get sappy!

on a warm, sunny day, on august 20th, 2013, i booted up my familys ancient windows vista PC to redeem my 1 month membership card for toontown online. after going to the main website, as id done a thousand times before, there, in small white lettering, on a bold red background, i read the most earth shattering words that could have ever shaken my small teenage self. attention, toons! toontown online will be closing on september 19, 2013. i, along with many other kids and adults, felt our souls be crushed. i ran to toonbook to see if anyone else had seen it already. the heartbreak was palpable. our precious game, our fun little paradise, our home away from home, was going away in just a months time.

i remember playing nearly every day from that point on, doing everything i possibly could, holding hard and fast to what little time i had left before toontown shut down for good. i remember the communitys desperate pleas to disney to not close the game in the form of many change.org petitions. i remember the fiery anger at the original blog post, stating that disney wanted to divert resources towards club penguin (which was quickly edited out, of course). but so it goes, in the normal course of business, the cries of hundreds of thousands of children went ignored.

on the morning of september 19th, 2013, i woke up early to gather in toon valley of toontown central to bid farewell. my goodbye was not even remotely clean or graceful. i was booted out maybe an hour or so before the game officially shuttered at noon. and that was it. no fanfare or final words. there was silence, and there was sadness.

but in the midst of our collective grief, whispers began to spread around toonbook. did you hear? this guy on mmo central forums says hes gonna revive the game. no way, thats not possible, the games dead, obviously. but in a few days time, a proof of concept was revealed. from the cynicism, a different tune emerged. the sound of hope.

toontown wasnt coming back. it was being rewritten.

in the many years ive played this game and been a part of its community, ive made so many precious memories and friends that have become core parts of my soul. it has served as an endless fuel for my creativity and introduced me to so many incredible and colorful people. heck, i married the guy i met through this game. ttr was there throughout my most formative years. even in my darkest moments, i never strayed too far from the trolley. i would be such a vastly different person without ttr. i will never not be grateful for all the opportunities, memories, love, and happiness that ive experienced because of this game.

with all the warmth i can afford, happy 10th birthday toontown rewritten. against all odds, you have survived—no, lived—a full ten years powered only by the love of community who refused to let their home disappear. your persistence in the most unlikely of circumstances is emblematic of why its worth it to keep striving. in the face of despair, what most would see as a stop sign, you saw as a giant green light. you radiate an infectious passion that makes me smile even when i dont want to. you are a happy respite in a world that is difficult, dark, gray, and full of cogs. you taught me that, no matter how old i am, silliness and fun arent something to grow out of, but essential to our existence.

geez, im getting a little misty eyed. i should stop here. thank you for everything ttr. heres to another decade of happiness.

[steviexwagner]

Task #002 - A Few of my Favorite Things

Food and Drink

Favorite fast food restaurant? Wendy’s

Favorite ice cream flavor? Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked

Favorite chocolate candy? Peanut M&Ms

Favorite fruity candy? Starbursts

Favorite kind of sushi? Sashimi

Favorite Asian dish? Chow mien

Favorite Italian dish? Carbonara

Favorite food of all time? Her grandmother’s chicken pot pie

Favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni

Favorite breakfast food? Fried eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, and toast

Favorite fruit? Strawberries and peaches

Favorite vegetables? Green beans

Favorite comfort food? Grilled cheese

Favorite dessert? Strawberry shortcake and peach cobbler

Favorite dish at Thanksgiving? Stuffing

Favorite thing to cook? Anything someone she loves likes

Favorite drink? Peach lemonade

Favorite alcoholic drink? Brachetto D'acqui wine

Favorite flavor coffee? Hazelnut

Television and Movies

Favorite ‘80s movie? Pretty in Pink

Favorite Harry Potter movie? Half-blood Prince

Favorite TV sitcom? Saved by the Bell

Favorite cartoon? Josie & The Pussycats

Favorite scary movie? Jennifer’s Body

Favorite funny movie? She’s the Man

Favorite celebrity? Julia Roberts

Favorite chick flick? Pretty Woman

Favorite Pixar movie? Wall-E

Favorite Disney movie? Sleeping Beauty

Favorite actress over 50? Meryl Streep

Favorite Marvel movie? She hasn’t really seen them

Favorite TV show? Gilmore Girls

Favorite movie? Pretty Woman

Favorite classic movie? Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Music

Favorite band or music artist? Shania Twain

Favorite music genre? Pop-country

Favorite ‘80s song? Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper

Favorite song? Man! I Feel Like a Woman by Shania Twain

Travel and Recreation

Favorite state you’ve visited? Connecticut

Favorite country you want to visit? France

Favorite vacation location? Coastal town, Universal Studios

Favorite way to travel? Driving

Favorite place to go with family? The beach

Favorite vacation you’ve taken? Universal Studios for the twins’s 11th birthday

Favorite fictional place you’d want to visit? Hogwarts

Nature and Animals

Favorite breed of dog? Yellow lab retriever

Favorite season? Summer

Favorite flower? Peony

Favorite animal at the zoo? Giraffes

Favorite thing about a rainy day? How green everything looks (in the spring)

Favorite thing about spring? The flowers

Favorite thing about summer? Kids are out of school

Favorite thing about fall? Leaves changing, pumpkin spice lattes

Favorite thing about winter? Ice skating, hot chocolate, Christmas

Favorite animal? Starfish

Sports

Favorite sport? Soccer (because of the twins)

Favorite extreme sport you’re too scared to do? Cliff diving

Favorite Olympic sport? Ice skating

Favorite winter sport? Ice skating

Favorite sport as a hobby? Swimming

Favorite sports team? New York Giants

Childhood

Favorite nursery rhyme? Hush Little Baby

Favorite childhood memory? Sleepovers with friends, going to Camp Morningstar

Favorite board game? Life

Favorite toy as a child? Sky Dancers

Favorite thing about school? Being with her friends & Johnny

Favorite age? Seventeen

Favorite Christmas present? Spice Girl dolls

Favorite Dr. Seuss book? Green Eggs & Ham

Favorite Halloween costume you’ve worn? Princess Aurora

Favorite superhero? Wonder Woman

Favorite fairy tale? Rapunzel

Favorite game to play outside? Red Rover

Fashion and Beauty

Favorite place to shop? Target

Favorite perfume/cologne? Bare Vanilla from Victoria’s Secret

Favorite hair color? Blonde

Favorite makeup you can’t live without? Toner

Favorite shoes? Heels

Favorite occasion to dress up for? Weddings

Favorite hairstyle? ( x )

Favorite outfit you have? For work ( x ) / For home ( x )

Favorite soap scent? Strawberry & Vanilla Taffy by Native

Favorite article of clothing? Comfy sweaters

Favorite piece of jewelry? Her engagement ring, a necklace the twins gave her

Favorite thing to wear to bed? One of Johnny’s shirts and shorts

Other

Favorite book? A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Favorite video game? The Sims (when she was young)

Favorite holiday? Christmas

Favorite decade? 00s

Favorite candle scent? Sugar cookie

Favorite hobby? Baking, dancing

Favorite way to relax? Watching a movie with the family, girls nights, baking, yoga

Favorite place to meet up with friends? Her house, Patty’s

Favorite color? Powder blue

[orphancookie69]

8/2024: Legoland Trip!

So, my nephew was asking me to take him to Lego Land, he is off of school right now. I looked into it, and honestly it wasn't a bad price and if you did it right-it could be fun for all. So we decided to book it and goooo!

First off, let's talk about general theme park comparisons. When looking into this I considered all my socal options: (note this will be a like comparison to keep things fair)

Criteria: A 2 day park hopper for one adult and one child with a hotel.

Disneyland: Tickets are $730 and Hotel would be $467=$1,197+

Knotts: Tickets are $240 and Hotel would be $324=$564+

Legoland: Tickets are $206 and Hotel is $304=$510+

I know there are other options like Universal Studios, Seaworld, and Six Flags but this is part of why there is so much demand for Cali, so much to do! If you are going to book anywhere, consider purchasing separate-packages are not always better deals. Also consider other costs like food and parking.

I should of maybe done a post about this, but the last time I went to Knotts-they were crowded, long lines for just drinks alone, and playing "Disneyland" like games with fast passes. Wait times on the Knotts app were more for if you had a fast pass, and not all of the rides are worth an hour wait. I used to have a pass for this, and even went during COVID for food festivals and it used to be sooo good.

You will see a post before this about Disneyland too, but last time I went was with my (former) friend as she was a cast member and was going before Disney opened back up (they were closed for COVID) otherwise as a kid, my mom always had a friend who would sign us in and take us. That experience has changed so much too. I asked to go for my birthday, so it was a late birthday gift.

Planning:

So, with the decision finally made-I got into planning mode. Things to consider were:

Gas: to get there and back

Parking

Hotel: Pool, Arcade, and Daily Treasure Hunt

Park Hopper Plans

Food: Dinner could be in hotel or not, breakfast would be buffet at hotel, snacks could be brought into the park.

Budget: already spent money plus other day of spending to consider

The Trip:

The hotel was a nice mix of good quality and nice for both young and old. With the hotel, you got early access to the park. Lines in general were slow but crowds were much smaller than I was used to. You can bring snacks in. The park has good stuff for older and younger kids. Bigger place than you would think.

We did the water park when it opened and the other surprising thing is that was one of the safer places for theme parks. Like I am a bit of a watchful aunt anyways, but after I realized it was a generally safer environment compared to other parks-I let my nephew go off a bit on his own.

The amount of work that went into the park, is actually pretty impressive. I feel like I need decorations made of legos in my house now. Good mix of rides and interactive things to do. If you get a lanyard, you can ask employees (or model citizens) for push pins. If you are lucky, you can find one called "Mr Gold" made of gold.

Hotel is really comfortable, never not anything going on. The elevator turns into a dance party, every time. Room was great-pirate themed. But bed and bathroom was great, with a separated section for kids. There was even a treasure hunt for hotel guests. The prices on some of the legos you could take home too was not that bad.

I was thinking about it as we were all heading back, as much as I am an aunt in my 30's, LEGOLAND turns 25 this year. This was never really on my radar as a young girl, but I loved going to Knotts and Disneyland. I talked to my male friend from middle school, and he remembers this fondly himself. But in person, it was really neutral and with something for all ages. If you have youngers that want to go, its a pretty good time for all involved. Go have fun making core memories!

[deasbanker]

Weekend treat: go to Tokyo Disneyland with my folks, around 60, even in adulthood and say goodbye to Space Mountain prior to its permanent closure!

26/6/2024

Frankly speaking, I have few friends at present. That's why I tend to go out mostly with my folks unbecoming to my age, 25, and went to Tokyo Disneyland with them, which appeared to be a bit unusual in there, but I didn't care about that at all. In fact, I was being caring about more of what I've wanted there than anything else. This is because I hadn't been to the park for 6 or 7 years. During that time, Tokyo Disneyland had changed a lot, such as a new area featuring "Beauty and the Beast" or attractions themed on the Disney film "Big Hero 6", in particular, Baymax the character.

Anyways, I was pleased that it wasn't raining on the day, but it was absolutely boiling throughout the day to the point where my scalp and arms got sunburned and are peeling, although the sky was covered with thick clouds. The temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius even in June. Then, people including my mom couldn't let go of parasols and portable fans outdoors, and I kept hydration in mind especially while waiting in line for a ride.

The moment I entered the park and a certain area, I was surrounded by distinctive, potent sweet scent of popcorn from stalls. From my perspective, that smell is a kind of signature and an intense reminder of Tokyo Disney Resort as well as beautiful memories in there in my childhood. Therefore, I took off my face mask to inhale some aroma and enjoyed it strolling（I don't like to eat popcorn, though）.

The main purpose of this trip was my very last ride for Space Mountain because of its permanent closure from this August. Following that, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, which is going to be replaced by a ride themed on "Wreck-It Ralph". My last ride for each was really satisfying, and I think I hadn't had so much fun through them before. When I was a teenager, I couldn't see any beauties of Space Mountain and was gravitating to more theme/story-oriented attractions like The Haunted Mansion. However, for this time, I finally got the feeling of moving fast and unprecedented centrifugal force while on a roller coaster and took to feeling the wind on my face. It's quite simple, but worth waiting a long time. As for the latter, I got the highest score in my life, 11,000 points（L-3） on its game.

Due to Wednesday, it wasn't that crowded with people in the park, so we got to do around 20 attractions/rides in total in a day. In spite of this hectic schedule, we could set aside time for meals properly and had a chance to meet a lot of characters along the way.

Moreover, I took my parents to Tom Sawyer Island during daylight hours and gave them a tour for the first time. Both of them had never been to the island, seeming excited with every single element in the area; particularly mom made the most of it by trying all the equipment like a kid and exploring a small cave. I was glad to see her enjoying herself and smiling a lot there.

[tiangouaway]

(Some of) My Thoughts on WuWa

I've been following Wuthering Waves' production ever since April 2024, so I've been really excited for it to come out! And now that it's finally here, and I've played up to Act II (I've just met Scar and unlocked bosses), I wanna share my thoughts on it.

GAMEPLAY

I really enjoy it! The biggest things for me are the echoes and Forte Circuits, as I think both are rather unique. Echoes are incredibly versatile and can make interesting builds, especially when you consider the cost mechanic. I'll admit it I didn't understand how FCs worked until I tried the character tutorials, but now that I know their ins and outs, I know how to manage them better. I really like how they're responsible for Intro Skills, another aspect I find unique. It encourages fast-switch team comps, and to bring out characters you wouldn't use that much in combat (like healers).

Not to mention the dodge mechanic! It definitely a learning curve for me since I struggle with dodging, so I get very proud when I successfully dodge a mob's attacks, hearing the sound and seeing my character in slow motion.

STORY

Honestly... it's been pretty meh so far. Of course I have a lot of questions that I know will be answered, but a lot of stuff I've done feels disconnected, and I don't really know where the story is going because of it. The "person with no memory is brought to the land for an unknown reason and must take a journey to find it" plot loses it's spectacle very quickly for me. I just hope the next story segments I play are fun, concise, and give me a better understanding of the plot.

And slightly related, but I really hope a text log is added in the future, and a story archive system overall.

CHARACTERS

Another meh for me, unfortunately. The main three (Yangyang, Chixia, and Baizhi) aren't that exciting to me, and I'm only mildly interested in the other playable characters I've met through the story. Scar is fun though! Kinda like a Disney villain (yes, I made Lion King jokes when he was on screen) mixed with a cryptic magician. Don't really care for his whole "We're not so different, you and I" bullshit he pulled with Rover in Qichi, but I'm excited to see him and his flower lady coworker.

As for the characters I haven't seen in the story, I'm mostly excited for the kids (Lingyang, Encore, and Verina), Danjin, and Yinlin. I'm already farming Lingyang and Danjin's intimacy points through the training simulations! (Though... why are they called that. "Friendship" is find, Kuro.)

DESIGN

The environment and Tacet Discord designs are by far my favorite things about WuWa so far!! Especially the more "modern" areas with destroyed highways and the abandoned cars. Speaking of cars, my favorite TDs are the car ones with the long legs and act like bugs!! (Yes I forgot their names.) And the Autopuppet Scouts! Honestly, any mechanical TD is bound to win my heart. But that's not to say the natural environment is lackluster - everything is so cool to see and explore!

...wish I could say the same for the character designs. I know I sound pretty negative when it comes to the non-gameplay stuff, but a lot of it isn't clicking for me. Basically all the designs feel overdetailed, and while the mainly black/white + an accent color scheme is easy on the eyes, they all become pretty boring to me as a result. Verina is my favorite design for a reason. But I know it's to reflect the the post apocalyptic and dreary atmosphere, so I won't say much.

Aside from Scar and his coworkers. They're so fucking edgy it hurts. I love you 2013 DeviantArt "Red = Evil" faction but your main boy is ugly as fuck.

ENDING NOTES

Trust me, I still have a LOT I wanna say on this, but this post is getting long enough for my liking. I'll just end this off by saying that I'm excited to see where the game goes, and I'm hoping that the lady who gave Rover their resonator power is single.

[tinydestinybear]

Hey if you can.....could you do a headcannon of Harry being a dad to teenagers and maybe he's really affectionate or something like that please?

Thanks!!!!!!

thank you for sending in the request!! feedback is appreciated! <3

w/c: 650 words 

i feel like harry would raise a strong, independent kid. they’d have a good relationship wherein they don’t feel afraid to approach him for anything

museum dates and visits to local concerts, of course. they’d bond so much over art work and music, it just feels like they’re bound to explore that stuff together

he’s the kind of dad to store your family pictures in his wallet. imagine <3

he’s that dad who still loves leaving kisses on their forehead 

i think they’d make a fun, chaotic duo/trio because they’d try out well planned pranks on you which is why i feel they would be the best of friends altogether

oh he loves spoiling them with food from restaurants, will probably sneak in donuts or ice cream for them and when you spot them, the kids are quick to defend him too, “we bought this! on your own!”... yeah, you definitely don’t end up believing that.

when you have a little baby girl, he ends up learning a lot over the years whether it’s about periods or any other changes from you. a little extra but when they’re younger, he enjoyed watching movies/shows with them from disney’s jasmine to barbie’s life in the dream house, he absolutely loved them all

harry with daughters in general would love to bake cupcakes or cakes. like it’d be so much fun and they would be all around, spreading the dough on his face and just a fun day at the styles’ residence. they would definitely be a daddy’s girl and would be lost without him and his guidance. 

harry with sons is a very competitive scenario. video games and what not, rather any activity they all play - it’s a competition.

i don’t see the kids hiding stuff from him, i think he’s a super chill parent who initially used to worry a lot whenever they’d go out for long hours but i think he got more comfortable with it when they kept him in touch of their well being throughout and plus he knows a few rule breaks are allowed because he was a teen once too

at first maybe he’s the kind of dad to intimate his kid’s partner but then eventually it’s all fun. he never forgets to threaten them slightly behind their back <3 might also embarrass his kids by showing their baby photos and telling their most embarrassing stories to their partner 

i feel like if his daughter specifically gets a partner, he’d be so taken aback wondering how she’s grown up this fast and of course if you hear a loud cough near her room when her partner’s home, it’s definitely not harry. jokes apart, he’d definitely support them a 100% if he sees them share those genuine feelings. and he definitely gives a lecture on consensual, safe sex and what he feels like he should have been told when he was a teenager himself. 

i also feel like he’d be the best at giving advice to his son for their relationship and the best tease when he spots his son all blushed up while speaking of his crush, “you’re so in love!’’ he says with a chuckle as he remembers the very first time he was like this with you. maybe he’ll take the chance and go down the memory lane and narrate how you both fell in love gradually and his kid will probably have a smile on his face while listening to his parents’ story. 

naturally, arguments are occasionally happening and it feels too long whenever they have one because by the end of the day, they don’t even remember why they stood by their points so much without trying to understand each other. they’ll probably act upset but it’s never gonna stretch for more than a few hours before either harry or the kid is finding their way back to each other. 

[stark-tony]

underrated irondad and spiderson fic recs part 1

Men's Synch 3m Platform by loudestfandomsoftheworld

summary: or 5 times Peter Parker goes dumpster diving, and one time he does something else... " “You took my nephew dumpster diving?” Ben asked incredulously.

 His wife stood tall with a toddler strapped to her chest, tugging at one end of a couch with all her might. “I did not,” 

“Twash!” Peter yelled."

pairings: none

tags: fluff

warnings: none

do you even remember what the world looks like? by iron_spider

summary: Tony’s heart has been working on overdrive since this whole thing started. Friday has a countdown clock plastered on the heads up display, but it feels like hieroglyphics to him at this point, like some ancient language he could never master.

Because when Peter Parker is missing, things start losing their meaning real quick.

“Should be around here,” Rhodey says on the com. May is still on the other line, listening in, because once a certain amount of time goes by without word from Peter, things move into Extremely Worried Aunt territory. They’re already in Tony Is Panicking territory, and when both of those territories overlap it’s never a good time for anybody.

Time? What the hell is time? His mind is blanking numbers out entirely. Minutes are seconds are hours are years.

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort

warnings: none

Empty Casket by Jen27ny

summary: After the Vulture, Tony should have known better.

He should have listened to Peter.

But he didn’t.

And now, Peter is dead.

pairings: none

tags: angst

warnings: none

Patient #2252 by TheSoulOfAStrawberry

summary:  When a warehouse comes down on Spider-Man’s head and leaves him with a brain injury, Queens social worker Bianca Browne and Dr Grace Li of NY-Presbytarian Hospital find themselves racing the NYPD to uncover Spidey’s identity and get him help before he can be charged with a litany of crimes.

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort

warnings: police brutality

That's why they call me mr. fahrenheit by SparrowFlight246

summary: Peter’s on fire.

He wakes up fast, and before he even gets the chance to feel the pain, the aches, the dizziness, he feels the heat. It’s all encompassing, a raging inferno blooming from within him and burning him up from the inside out, and god, it—

—god, it hurts.

-

Peter gets whammied by a 24-hour superbug, and Tony’s left to keep him alive until tomorrow morning.

It sounds a hell of a lot easier than it ends up being.

pairings: none

tags: angst, hurt/comfort

warnings: none

not like megatron by iron_spider

summary: “Hi! This is Peter Parker, I can’t get to the phone right now, so leave a message and I’ll call you back later! Hopefully not too much later, but don’t get your hopes up!”

Tony knows that message by heart. He’s heard it hundreds of times, in a greyer world, and it sends shivers down his spine as he climbs into the car.

He doesn’t think about that place. That half-world. No way, that’s done, that’s over, that’s history.“Hey, kid, don’t you know it’s bad etiquette to go and disappear on your birthday? Not allowed, really, really bad vibes from the universe. What’s going on with your suit? I wasn’t watching. Nope. Just got an alert. What’s going on? Uh, call me back.” He clears his throat and hangs up like a moron, driving out into the street.

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort, fluff

warnings: none

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater by frostysunflowers

summary:  ''Dying.''

''You’re not dying.''

''Totally am.'

'''God, I hope not, otherwise May will skin me alive.''

or

A weekend visit to the cabin doesn't go according to plan.

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort, humor

warnings: none

an irondad's misguided approach to homesickness by livingtheobsessedlife

summary: Peter mentions it once. Once. That he’s maybe kinda sorta vaguely somewhat homesick. MIT is no Queens, that’s all really. All in all, Pete’s having a great time at college. Really, truly.

The thing is that Tony’s never really taken the whole ‘only mentioning it once’ thing all that well. Not when it comes to Peter at least.

This time is no exception.

pairings: none

tags: fluff

warnings: none

you held your pride like you should have held me by searchingforstars

summary: “I had to take the risk!” Peter snaps. “I saved your life.”

Tony’s stare hardens. “Yeah, and nearly ended your goddamn own. This isn’t a trade-off. It wasn’t your call to make.”

“You would have done the same thing to protect me,” Peter points out. Tony just seethes at the statement.

“I don’t care about what you think I would have done. You are not me. And I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself."

--

or, as the timer ticked down, Peter knew his only option was to take things into his own hands. He just didn’t expect Tony to be mad at him for saving his life.

pairings: none

tags: angst, hurt/comfort

warnings: none

always on duty by parkrstark

summary:  Peter manages to convince Tony to take him to a gala, but when Tony is hurt, he realizes that it's just as dangerous to be Tony Stark as it is to be Iron Man. 

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort, fluff, humor

warnings: none

Out of Left Field by blondsak, seekrest

summary: Even if Tony didn’t end up becoming a big fan of the Mets, Peter knew they’d still have a great time at the game. And the fact that Tony wanted to go with Peter badly enough to make it clear that he should buy a pair of tickets as a birthday gift?

Peter shakes his head fondly.

Maybe for once the month of May was going to work out for him after all.

pairings: spideychelle

tags: fluff, humor

warnings: none

three weeks, two days, seven hours by crowkag

summary: It was a mess. A real mess. Peter had been gone for three weeks, two days, and seven hours, taken right out from under their noses.

And Tony was laying on the floor.

(AKA “you’ll always get there first”, but from Tony’s POV.)

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort, fluff

warnings: 

for as long as i live and as long as i love (i will never not think about you) by searchingforstars

summary: When Tony first started to forget things, Peter thought maybe it was just age. People’s memories fade as they get older, right? Minds get weaker. It’s just natural.

But Tony has arguably the sharpest mind of the 21st century. Peter should have realised that it was never going to be just getting weaker. It was never going to be just age.

No - not when the sharpest mind of the 21st century also happened to come into contact with the deadliest amount of gamma radiation known to man five years ago.

--

or, Tony’s sacrifice is still haunting them five years later. Peter has to come to terms with the fact that Tony’s memory is fading.

pairings: none

tags: angst

warnings: none

a dream is a wish by floweryfran

summary: Tony seems to panic for a moment, shifting his weight foot to foot, before spitting out in one mouthful, “I have a business trip in Florida right before your spring break and I talked to May and she says I can bring you to Disney for the week once it’s done ahhh.” He then breathes, grins plastically, and holds his hands out, like, I’m Tony Stark, hold your applause.

Peter runs the words through his head no less than three times to make sure he had understood them properly. “Disney—you and me—spring break?” he repeats.

Tony nods, hair flopping. “I mean, like, don’t feel obligated to say yes, but I thought it would be fun since May says you’ve never gone and she would’ve been working for your whole break anyway, y’know, at least this way we won’t be worrying about you sitting home alone for hours doing G-d only knows what—building accidental robot armies or something, or, worse, becoming a couch potato and forgetting every bit of knowledge I’ve ever carefully placed in that rat trap you call a brain—”

“Tony,” Peter says, waving his hands to shut Tony up. Something warm sits in the core of his chest, hovering. “Yeah,” he says. “Yeah, yeah, for sure, let’s—Disney. Let’s go. Wow.”

pairings: none

tags: fluff

warnings: none

Of birthday cake and millennium falcons by frostysunflowers

summary: "You still haven’t answered my question," MJ says, taking another sip of her juice.

 "Isn’t it obvious?" Tony replies, scratching at one of the scars on his neck with the end of a screwdriver. "It’s Ben’s birthday."

"And Ben’s birthday warrants a…" MJ waves a hand vaguely, "what the hell is that thing anyway?"

or

Tony has no self control when it comes to birthday parties and his grandson.

pairings: spideychelle

tags: fluff

warnings: none

what i have, i give to you by aatticsaltt

summary:  Tony would give everything to Peter Parker, if he asked for it. When May calls telling Tony she thinks Peter isn't feeling well, he drops everything to go check up on his favorite spider kid.

pairings: pepperony

tags: fluff, hurt/comfort

warnings: none

Smile! by aatticsaltt

summary:  Taking Peter to Disney World was one of Tony's better ideas.

pairings: pepperony

tags: fluff

warnings: none

and when it's hard, i'll place your head into my hands by hopeless_hope

summary: “Tony,” Pepper sing-songs to get his attention. “Your mother hen is showing.”

“What?” he snaps indignantly. “I am not a mother hen. This is just... concern. Of the average kind. Perfectly normal.”

“Of course,” Pepper humors him, and he shoots her a dirty look as he types out a quick text to Peter.

or

It's been five days since Tony's heard from Peter, who's away at college, and Tony is not coping well. (Neither is Peter.)

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort, fluff

warnings: none

Of Wally-Crawly Harnesses and Over-Enthusiastic Hat-Bestowing Capabilities by TheOceanIsMyInkwell

summary: Tony raises a brow at him in triumph, then sniffs and rubs the side of his nose. “Besides, think of it this way. Now you got a bullet-proof neck.”

“Nobody would even shoot a sad-looking orphan bundled like a spring roll in Red Heart yarn,” Peter points out. “That’s just low.”

“Excuse me, young buck, I resent the implication that I would let Red Heart come within an inch of your skin.”

“You’re insufferable,” Peter says flatly. “I hate you.”

“And just for that, I think this calls for those wool socks I was working on,” Tony says brightly.

“No--no, wait--”

“It’s time to learn that your consequences have actions, Parker--”

“Wait, wait, I love your knitting, I think it’s super healthy and fulfilling and honestly the best thing that’s ever happened to you since you retired!” Peter hollers at the man’s figure as it retreats quickly down the hallway. -- After Peter faints into hibernation because he can't thermoregulate, Tony isn't taking anymore chances. Out come the wool skeins and the knitting needles.

pairings: none

tags: fluff, humor

warnings: none

how do you sandwich!? by killerqueenwrites

summary: “Why are you buttering toast before you toast it?

”“I’m not toasting this.”

“Then what are you doing?” Peter demands.

“I’m making a sandwich.”

pairings: none

tags: fluff, humor

warnings: none

What I Can't Live Without by aatticsaltt

summary: Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Heavy lies the heart of the father who has to watch his son bow beneath the weight of the world.

or: When Peter calls Happy needing a ride out of the Netherlands, it's Tony who comes to the rescue.

pairings: none

tags: angst

warnings: none

Tales from Quarantine by just_a_hungry_author

summary: Peter, Morgan, and Tony are all stuck inside during the Coronavirus quarantine. Morgan learns to play Monopoly, Tony struggles to help with 1st grade math, and a prank war ensues.

God, this is the longest two weeks ever.

pairings: none

tags: fluff, humor

warnings: none

if we have each other by ftmpeter

summary: "Do you ever just, like, feel like you’re upside down?"

"You are upside down, Pete."

"Sounds fake."

pairings: none

tags: fluff

warnings: none

What Happens in the Blanket Fort Stays in the Blanket Fort by TheOceanIsMyInkwell

summary: “Well, I was gonna discuss with May some legal particulars about changes to my will that involve you,” Tony drawls, “but looks like I’ll just have to change my plans.”

There’s a beat. And then a yodel: “I’m just a poor boy, I need--”

“If not for this goddamn quarantine, I’d be there in a flash to shut you up myself, Spidey-Tighties.”

“You made these ‘tights’.”

“Funsie-onesie.”

“Mr. Stark.”

“Cooty-footies.”

“Mr. Stark. I’m begging you. What does that even mean.” -- Tony comes over to keep Peter company during the quarantine while the kid waits for May to come home from work at the hospital. Bants are had. Feelings are spilled. And maybe, just maybe, a hug or two is shared.

pairings: none

tags: fluff, humor

warnings: none

On his Shoulders by snarkymuch

summary: “Please, please,” Tony begged, “Keep breathing, kid. Don’t do this to me. You can’t leave me like this.” The morning started like any other for Tony. He kissed Pepper good morning and sipped his coffee. He scanned his emails and chatted with Pepper about the vacation they were always planning but never took. The calm should have been a warning, as the storm always followed.

OR

Peter and Tony get trapped in a building collapse and Peter is gravely injured.

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort

warnings: none

coronapocalypse by peterstank

summary:  “This whole quarantine thing shouldn’t even apply to me.”

“Uh, I beg to differ, it’s very serious,” replies Tony’s voice, slightly muffled like he’s got his phone pressed between his shoulder and chin. “We’re all on lockdown, which means no leaving your place unless it’s for emergencies.”

“And what qualifies as an emergency?”

There’s a pause.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not in your apartment?”

pairings: none

tags: fluff, humor

warnings: none

Little White Lies by snarkymuch

summary:  Peter gets injured and tries to treat it himself, hiding it from Tony, but he can't keep it hidden forever.

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort

warnings: none

Peter Parker and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Semester by just_a_hungry_author

summary: "So tell me, Kid." Tony said, patting the space next to him. "What's been going on?"

"Nothing's been going on." Peter denied, but he sat down anyway.

"Pete, don't bottle your emotions up. Only I'm allowed to do that."

When Peter again didn't smile at his joke, Tony continued. "I know you're stressed, Bud. But tell me why so I can help you."

"It's nothing you can help." Peter mumbled.

"Can I at least try?"

"I've just been having a bad week."

OR: Peter’s been having a rough time at college, Tony tries to jump in and help. 3000 words of pure fluff.

pairings: none

tags: fluff

warnings: none

Windy Webs by silentsaebyeok

summary:  And that was it. He was officially an idiot. Peter didn’t mean to be dramatic, but this was one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen to him, even if there was no one around to witness the fall of the century. -- Peter goes web-slinging in dangerous weather and gets seriously injured. It doesn't help that he has to spend the whole summer living with the consequences.

pairings: none

tags: hurt/comfort

warnings: none

Peter gets the chickenpox by snarkymuch

summary:  Peter and Morgan both catch the chickenpox. Morgan's case is mild, but Peter's is severe. Tony takes care of them both.

pairings:  none

tags: hurt/comfort, fluff

warnings: none

[grigori77]

Summer 2021′s Movies - My Top Ten Favourite Films (Part 1)

The Runners-Up:

20.  LUCA – I’ll admit I really wasn’t sold on Disney/Pixar’s coming-of-age fantasy comedy, which revolves around a pair of young sea monsters living off the coast of the 1950s Italian Riviera, who discover they can assume human form when they dry out and go on land on a quest of discovery.  Thankfully the strong reviews convinced me to give it a chance – this is a frothy and irreverent romp through an exotically nostalgic world filled with Vespas, pasta-eating contests and found families that’s fun for kids of all ages.

19.  FAST & FURIOUS 9 – the high concept action franchise may be bursting under the ever-increasing weight of its own ludicrousness, but it’s still TONS of fun, packed with stunning over-the-top action, colourful globe-trotting and a loveable bunch of misfits we’ve grown incredibly fond of over the past TWENTY YEARS.  This time Dom (the irrepressible Vin Diesel) and the team are up against ruthless hi-tech mercenary Jakob (John Cena), a lethal jack-of-all-trades with a dark connection to the Toretto name.

18.  REMINISCENCE – Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy’s attempt to make it on the big screen looks set to go down as one of the biggest cinematic flops of 2021, which is a shame because the feature-debuting writer-director has crafted a genuinely fascinating speculative sci-fi noir detective thriller.  Set in a darkly dystopian future in which Global Warming has caused the sea levels to rise and society to start breaking down, it tells the story of Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman), a former soldier who ekes out a living using revolutionary tech to help the idle rich relive their fondest memories, until a life-changing mystery from his own past resurfaces, threatening to tear his whole world apart.  Frustratingly, it looks like most audiences are going to bypass this, which is a criminal loss.

17.  FREE GUY – after a seven year hiatus, Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy returns to the big screen in fine form with this deliriously inventive fantastical comedy adventure about Guy (a typically on-fire Ryan Reynolds), an NPC in an anarchic, Grand Theft Auto style MMORPG called Free City who discovers his own sentience after falling in love with Millie (Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer), a player with a hidden agenda that puts them both at odds with the game’s nefarious creator, Antwan (a thoroughly hilarious Taika Waititi).

16.  EVANGELION 3.0 + 1.01: THRICE UPON A TIME – visionary anime creator Hideaki Anno brings his long-running sci-fi saga to a close with this fourth instalment to his wildly ambitious cinematic “Rebuild” of cult TV series Neon Genesis Evangelion. It’s as frothy, melodramatic and bonkers as ever, packed full of weighty themes and crazy ideas, while the animation maintains this series’ ridiculously high levels of quality and the action is as explosive as ever, and Hideaki brings the whole mad mess to a climax that’s as rich, powerful and thoroughly befuddling as the saga deserves.

15.  THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD – Sicario writer Taylor Sheridan returns to the director’s chair (after impressive debut Wind River) with this intense and enthralling suspense thriller adapted by bestselling author Michael Koryta (along with Sheridan and Blood Diamond’s Charles Leavitt) from his own acclaimed novel. Angelina Jolie is (ahem) fiery but fallible as haunted smokejumper Hanna Faber, whose PTSD drives her to protect a desperate boy (Finn Little) who’s being hunted through the wilds of Montana by a pair of relentless assassins (Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult).

14.  CRUELLA – far from the clunky cash-in retcon many were predicting, Disney’s ambitious black comedy crime caper does a thoroughly admirable job in delivering this fascinating and deeply compelling reimagining of the story of rogue fashion designer Cruella de Vil (one of the best performances I’ve ever seen Emma Stone deliver, hands down), the dastardly villainess of 101 Dalmatians. She’s certainly far more complex here, no longer a raging monster, but far from a whitewashed PC apologist, either, much more of a morally grey antihero with a very wicked dark side – then again, with I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie at the helm it’s not really a surprise.  Richly designed and dripping in spectacularly adventurous period detail, this is an divine romp from start to finish.

13.  THE GREEN KNIGHT – the latest feature from writer director David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saits, Pete’s Dragon, The Old Man & the Gun) is as offbeat and unusual as you’d expect from a visionary filmmaker with such a wildly varied CV.  Adapting the fantastical chivalric romance Sir Gawain & the Green Knight, he’s crafted what’s surely destined to be remembered as the year’s STRANGEST film, but it’s a work of aching beauty and introspective imagination that sears itself into the memory and rewards the viewer’s patience despite its leisurely pace.  Dev Patel is unbearably sexy and wonderfully complex as Gawain, while Sean Harris delivers show-stopping support with stately charisma and world-weary integrity as King Arthur.  This film is sure to divide opinions as well as audiences, but I think it’s a bona fide masterpiece that must be seen to be believed.

12.  CANDYMAN – after watching this wildly imaginative and frequently gut-wrenching soft-reboot/sequel to Bernard Rose’s acclaimed adaptation of Clive Barker’s short story The Forbidden, I feel supremely confident about emerging writer-director Nia DaCosta’s coming MCU breakout with The Marvels.  Wisely papering over the clunky previous sequels, this streamlined trailblazing deep dive into the pure horror of the legend of the righteously mad spectral killer haunting the Chicago housing ghetto of Cabrini-Green sees a daring modern artist (Aquaman’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) find his latest project turning into a dangerously self-destructive obsession. Writer-producer Jordan Peele’s fingerprints are all over this, but DaCosta clearly shows signs that she’s going to be a hell of a talent to watch in the future.

11.  THE WITCHER: NIGHTMARE OF THE WOLF – I wouldn’t normally shout about an animated spinoff to a TV series like this, but I was SO INSANELY IMPRESSED with this brilliant prequel to Netflix’ popular fantasy show (which clearly intends to lay some origin story groundwork for the impending second season) that I just can’t help myself. Recounting the backstory of Geralt of Rivia’s own Witcher mentor Vesemir, this beautifully expands on the already compelling universe the series has created, as well as delivering some breath-taking thrills and chills through some of the most exquisite cell animation I’ve ever seen outside of the greats of anime.  A must-see for Witcher fans, then, but one I’d also highly recommend to anyone who likes their animation a bit more grown-up and edgy.

[kinsey3furry300]

A very confused Star Wars Fan desperately tries to justify their belief that “Caravan of Courage” shows the way forward for the franchise. No, really.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved Star Wars. And I mean, all of it. The books, the games, the Lego, the spin-offs: I even enjoy the Holiday Special in a The Room so-bad-you-just-need-to-see-it sort of way.  But particularly the films. But here is when we run into the big problem: I’m just the wrong age. The original trilogy launched before I was born, the prequel trilogy hit cinemas when I was already a teen and while I went and saw them and enjoyed them, I was at that age where I was self-conscious about seeing a “kids” film, and hyper-aware of how silly and cringy those films were in parts. So my indoctrination, my inoculation with the Star Wars bug didn’t happen in the cinema, and it didn’t happen with any of the main franchise works. It happened on home video, on a skiing trip in the French Alps in the early 90’s. I’d have been about 6, and this was the first time I’d ever been abroad other than to see relatives in Ireland.  And I loved it: to this day I love skiing, but more than that, I have very, very fond childhood memories of this trip. This was shortly before I lost my biological mother to cancer, she’d have received her diagnosis just after we got back from the trip. This was when my younger sister stopped being an annoying screaming thing and became and became an actual person I could talk and play and share ideas with, this was before the combination my mothers long illness and my father having just launched his own IT start up meant I didn’t see him or her any more, despite the fact they were in the same house as me. This was this wonderful, nostalgic child-hood bubble when my family was intact, and nothing could ever go wrong. I skied all day with mum and dad, and would come back to the chalet in the evening. It was an English speaking chalet, I met my first real-life American there, and having grown up in the 90’s in the UK nothing was cooler than making friends with an actual American my own age. He had a hulk Hogan action figure with springs in the legs so if you put him on a hard surface and punched his head down, when you let go he’d jump really high in the air. We used to play with it together in the bath, back in that weird 90’s time-bubble when it was possible to convince two sets of parents that this kid you’d just met was you best friend in the world and of course shared bath time was, somehow, normal and appropriate. And fresh from bath time, tired from the day, the parents would give us some hot coco, dump us kids in front of the tv and grab the first shitty low-budget VHS they could find to keep us distracted while they went to the bar. In this particular time, in this particular place, that shitty low budget cartoon was the  complete set of the 1985 Lucasfilm/ABC Ewoks cartoon, plus the two spin off movies, and to this day that cheap, kitschy, kind of bad series has a special warm and cosy place in my heart. I remember being enthralled by the world, in love with the characters, applied by the bad guys and the injustice they caused (to this day I’m still irate about that time Wicket lost his set of beads documenting his progress towards becoming a full warrior and the older Ewoks basically said, tough, you need to re-earn all those merit badges from scratch. This struck me as exactly the sort of bullshit an adult would pull, and pissed me off) and on tenterhooks about what would happen to the characters.

It was also, by a coincidence, the first ever Star Wars media I was exposed to, and the above combination of events probably explains a lot about me.

So I was surprised, the other day, when scrolling Disney+, to find they’d added Caravan of Courage AND Battle for Endor to the roster in my region. Surely Disney wouldn’t want their slick, cool brand associated with this old trash? Surely there could be no place for this in the post-Mandalorian Star Wars cannon? Surely this is a horrible mistake some intern made, right?

Unless…. What if I’ve miss-remembered? What if it’s not just rose-tinted nostalgia goggles, and it’s, in fact, secretly really, really good?

I rushed to my comfy chair, got a blanket, dimmed the lights, made some coco (with rum in it, because why the hell not?) and sat down to re-examine this lost gem.

And wow: it’s every bit as shit as you’d expect.

It has aged exactly as poorly as you’d expect a cheap, mid 80’s direct to video spin-off to age. Caravan of Courage? More like Caravan of Garbage, am I right?

And yet… I still enjoyed every moment.

And it was sitting there, in my pyjamas, watching a cheaply made direct to video cash-grab from just before I was born, seeing it again for the first time in nearly 30 years, and I realised something.

It doesn’t really matter if this film is bad, so long as I enjoy it. And if it doesn’t really mater if this is bad, then I, like many Star Wars fans, wasted a huge amount of time and emotional effort on being butthurt about stuff I didn’t like about the Rise of Skywalker and it’s ilk. Because somewhere, right now, a tired and frustrated parent is putting Disney+ on to keep their kids quiet for two hours. And they won’t think too hard about what they put on, so long as it keeps little Timmy busy for a bit. Somewhere, right now, a kid is watching Rise of Skywalker, and it’s the first Star Wars media they’ve ever seen.

And that’s okay. Because we don’t know what that kids home life is like. We don’t know if it’s good or bad. Maybe it’s great, maybe it’s about to take a dramatic plunge like mine did, and this moment here will be the cosy, warm memory they look back on in 30 years time, and that’s beautiful.  They’re getting introduced to a fun, wonderful fantasy world that could be with them all their lives, through good times and bad, and as fans we should be happy about that.

Star Wars will never, die: it’s too darn profitable, Disney will never let it. And while I hope they learn from their mistakes and make sure every future Star Wars is a timeless gem of story-telling, statistically, if you keep making enough films, some of them will be bad. And while I’d like them all to be great, it’s still okay if they’re bad.

Because nothing can take away my memories of that week in that chalet. Nothing can take-away my memories of when they put the original trilogy on in cinemas for the special edition and I had my jaw hit the floor with how good it was on the big screen, not knowing or caring who shot first. Nothing can take away you memories of the Original Trilogy, the Prequels, or the Clone Wars. Nothing can tarnish the bits of the sequil trilogy that you like, and there are good bits in there.

But wait, what about continuity? What about the sacred, perfect written time-line that used to exist?

Well, what about it? Have you seen any other big, epic fantasy universe before? They’re all a mess. A work of fiction, particularly fantasy, can be extensive, or tightly written, but not both. Harry Potter is only seven books, and the last two feel, tonally, like they’re from an entirely different series. I love them, but the grim-dark kicked in so fast you’ll get whiplash. The Hobbit is a perfect written self-contained novel, and LOTR is *The* big boy high-fantasy trilogy: fast forward 50 years, and Christopher Tolkien is desperately squeezing every last drop of money out of his father’s corpse by finishing and publishing every unfinished note JRR ever wrote right down to his shopping lists. Even Dune goes of the rails with sequels. I can only think of four fantasy works that are both extensive and consistently tightly written, Song of Ice and Fire, Wheel of Time, Malazan: Book of the Fallen and Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. And even then, the prequels and spin-offs mess with the timelines: the Dunk and Egg novella’s change some character’s canonical ages and timelines, Wheel of Time was going slowly off the rails even before the Jordan died, Forge of Darkness made what was a good metaphor for the creation of it’s world into a literal war deep in the past, and Sanderson’s first Novel Elantris got a re-write to bring it more in line with the rest of the shared universe. The MCU, oft held up as the modern example of tightly planned, well thought out ongoing storytelling, is a lie: it was never as pre-planned out as Disney wants us to think; the first Iron Man, apparently, barely had a script, with Downey ad-lib-ing most of his scenes. None of the MCU films are direct sequels to each-other other than Infinity war and Endgame. There are three Iron Man films, and Three Thor films, and none continue an ongoing story line across multiple films, and the Cap films barely continue an arc, but only where Cap’s relationship with Natasha and Bucky is involved.  Much like these, Star War’s cannon is a complete, nightmarish, confusing, tangled, illogical mess. And it has been since 1984, as Caravan of Courage proves. It was never consistent and well planned.

And that’s okay.

I used to care about plot holes. I used to care about which works were cannon in Star Wars lore. I’m over that now. I’m happy to imagine the books, films and games not as a blow-by-blow historical account of a galaxy far far away, but as campfire stories from within this fun, imaginative world that we’re all invited to listen to. Stories that are in-universe myth and folklore, that we can all snuggle up and listen to while drinking highly alcoholic rum and remembering better times, knowing that wherever the future throws at us, no matter how the world goes to hell around us, we’ll still have the memories, and the ability to make our own new stories in the wonderful Star Wars world we all share.

And that’s okay. No, more than that: that’s beautiful.

Also Star Wars is completely unambiguous on the fact we’re allowed to kill fascists no matter how many times they keep coming back with a new logo, so that’s timely I guess.

So, there’s my hot take two-years after everyone else stopped caring about this stuff, as per bloody usual. Tell me why I’m wrong below, and does anyone else have any truly awful spin-off shows that they kind of have a nostalgic soft spot for?

[hetalia-has-a-secretary]

Allies + Canada and Axis + Prussia walking in on their toddler singing Disney songs while wearing a costume that matches that certain Disney movie (like for example Germany walks in on them singing I’ll make a man out of you and the toddler is dressed like Mulan, you decide the song the toddler sings that fits which country and who they’re dressed up as)

QwQ omg my favorite Disney princess is 100% The girl from brave! (I'm kicking myself for forgetting her name...) And you know this prompt is gonna be super cheesy lmao and I'm stretching it across general kid movies!

Dad!Allies and Dad!Axis catching their child dressed up as their favorite Character!

Allies-

America:

He could hear Monster's Inc. playing for about, the fourth time today

The only difference this time was he could hear his kid going "Rawr!" Every five seconds.

The man got curious and just about busted a gut from restraining his laughter.

His kid had Purple colored paper taped all over them. It was hard to tell but they were dressed up as Boo!

This gave him an idea!

Running up to this spare attic he found a purple blanket and an unused mop and some googly eyes.

Walking back to his kid he helped them get on his make shift Boo outfit, and the kid was ELATED about it. No more paper cuts for them!

The best part was when he asked them why they dressed up as Boo, they told him it was because Boo was brave, and wasn't scared of monsters, just like their dad!

Cue their kid getting America a box of tissues while he cried on the floor.

England:

He wasn't a fan of American movies, but his kid was, so what his kid wanted, was what they got.

It... It was Shrek.

At first England kind of disliked the movie, but the more he watched it with his kid, the more he liked art the interpretations of the fairy tale characters.

And this was an extremely special moment for england.

Around the fifth time watching it he saw his kid point to one of the characters and say "That's not what tinker bell looks like!"

England had immediately spit out his tea, and started questioning his kid about it.

This was how he learned that his child had the same ability to see fairytale creatures as he does!

Soon enough he had his kid running around grabbing different blankets and scarfs to try and recreate what she really looked like!

Now he has a child sized Tinkerbell running around, Tinkerbell herself chasing after them playfully.

France:

He has the whole Disney collection from start to finish, and it's terrifying.

His kid is also badly addicted. But especially to Little Mermaid.

The thing is, France has his child completely spoiled, and has a bunch of maids around the place. One of which loves nothing more than sewing together cute outfits for the kid.

It's not that France doesn't have the time, oh no, this was the kids idea, and their idea only.

One day, after a grueling work day, he's in his room, trying to rest. His kid comes in wearing a trench coat.

France is courious as to why, and his mood is immediately lifted as the small child acts out a shortened play of The Little Mermaid, all costumes included.

It was amazing how well they moved with all the clothes they were wearing, and taking them on and off again as quickly as possible.

By the end France had given them a standing ovation, and they both happily napped on his bed due to the amount of physical exhaustion.

You can 100% catch France bragging about his little star to the other countries when he gets the chance!

China:

China's rubbed off on his child with several things.

One of those things is his love for old culture and reminiscing memories.

so surprise! Mulan is 100% a movie in the house... Except his kid has become brutality obsessed with the dragon.

One day China's fancy res shirts goes missing, and he finds it on his child while they were watching Mulan.

Mimicking everything Mushu does.

China has to hold his hand over his mouth as his kid eventually trips over the long shirt and starts saying things like "This is disrespectful to dragons!" And "If this shirt has a cow, it is now dishonored!"

Eventually china, very shyly, dresses up as Mulan while his kid isn't watching.

The kid proceeds to act like they're meeting a princess at Disney, not recognizing their own father.

Russia:

Unlike him, his kid really, REALLY loves the snow.

It's something that he hopes his child grows out of because he's heard them sing 'let it go' about 50 times.

It was very cute at first. Now he wants to beat the CD with his pipe (and then America for gifting them the movie).

But then the SECOND on came out.

Now his child parades around as Elsa, hitting high sqeaky notes, and following around the cat.

Cat is having more fun then the kid to be honest.

Russia was about to try and distract his kid until they asks him to play dress up with them

The sparkle in their eyes made him immediately say yes.

They wanted him to be Christoph, and when he asked them why he just about cried.

"Your cool, funny, nice, and you have the same nose!"

That's it. That broke him, he's trying not to cry

Has never knitted a dress so fast in his life, and has a very similar outfit to Christoph as well, so the two of them are parading around the house with their cat trailing behind them. His own little knitted Olaf costume on!

Canada:

Canada's kid can be rebellious at best, but seeing them dressed up as maleficent almost made him choke.

Is his kid turning into a villain!?

Nope. Turns out they just thought she was really cool, and felt bad that she wasn't invited to the child's birthday, or whatever.

And to be honest, yeah, that's kind of cruel.

Canada had bought the Sleeping Beauty film via America's suggestion, and wasn't dissapointed.

And now it was totally worth it since his kid was going through their "I have one outfit and no matter how many times my horns won't fit through the car door, I refuse to take them off" phase.

He enjoyed watching his kid act out a happier ending dressed as the Disney villain. And even snuck a few pictures of them prancing around and singing.

It brought tears to his eyes knowing that no matter what, his kid can see the good in anyone, and maybe one day that will come in handy!

Axis-

Germany:

I need to make it immediately clear, that Germany and China now officially plan playdates for their Mulan obsessed children.

Except Germany's kid is obsessed with Li Shang, and the "let's get down to business" song.

He's so proud of his kid not being afraid to show their little clumsy moves in order to show people they mean business.

Even if he can't take them seriously when they are this small and cute.

It starts out when they wanted to be a character from Mulan on Halloween, not yet seen the movie, but all that was left was a mock up Li Shang costume.

It was game over.

The kid would sing to his German shepherds as if they were their shoulders and bark dog commands.

Germany is a proud father now.

And the playdates I mentioned earlier? Oh yeah it's twice as cute when you have a tiny red dragon going "I HAVE TINY ARMS I CAN NIT BE MAN!"

Italy:

Beauty and the beast.

Italy's kid adores Bell, and has memorized every line, and dance.

One point gave him a heart attack catching them climbing a latter.

The best part is, Italy kept his chibi outfit from when he lived under Austria's rules. Which was at some point died blue, but now he has a tiny Bell running around more than gleefully.

Italy even joins in with him, and honestly it's the cutest thing.

Surprisingly his kid is really good with singing, and this is their new favorite hobby now.

Italy is also really emotional over the fact his kid wasn't scared of Beast either. His little tike is going to be a brave one, Italy is going to make sure of it!

Japan:

Yeah, Disney movies don't exist in his house, but Studio Ghibli 1000% does.

His kid is obsessed with Ponyo!

One day Japan was really concerned over how quiet his kid was being until he found them in the koi pond, trying to talk to the fishes, and heard him name them Ponyo 1-5.

His heart dank because he wanted to tell them the fish had no clue what they were saying, but at the same time.

Kawaii overload.

Small child talking to the koi, and enjoying the water, and muddy rain puddles? Oh yeah. That's adorable.

Eventually he makes them a fish outfit and it's a good thing it was mostly foam because the first thing his kid did was splash around in the puddles.

Japan filmed it.

He's planning on embarrassing his kid when they turn 16.

It's payback for not letting him watch the movie with them earlier.

Prussia:

Oh no. His kid has become obsessed with Rapunzel.

"how is that an issue?"

Well when your kid developed some of your impulse control issues, you will find them trying to crawl out of a window to escape their unlawful step mother/Prussia.

He was extremely confused about it at first as well. Untill his kid said, something something RAPUNZEL!

Then it clicked, and he was able to laugh about it.

Prussia hasn't seen the movie himself, and when he watches it he thinks Rapunzel is so quirky and super AWESOME! Especially because his kid now has a bunch of yarn on their head.

Not gonna lie, they both dress up as Rapunzel and try and fight each other with the long wigs.

Which is a sight to see first thing in the morning. Just ask Germany.

I know I didn't answer the prompt exactly, but I couldn't resist making some wholesome content! Also-

HER NAME IS MERIDA I JUST REMEMBERED IT LIKE, 3 DAYS AFTER THE FIRST DRAFT! THE CHICK FROM BRAVE IS MERIDA!!!

[imaginesandinserts]

Irreverent Pt. 39 - Dinner Party

Title: Irreverent Pt. 39 - Dinner Party Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader Rating: M Words: 5812

Irreverent Series Masterlist

Clyde was handling another assignment so you were working out of Quantico for the time being. You'd learned really quickly that not everyone had a Penelope Garcia at their disposal and you needed to skill up fast. You'd bribed her with concert tickets and a very handsome Elliot Greenberg as her escort in exchange for teaching you the basics.

Elliot worked for the white collar crime unit in New York after the BAU rejection and had recently made the transition to Quantico for sex crimes. The two of you had kept in touch over the years and he'd hit you up when he'd moved back. He'd broken up with his girlfriend back in New York for the job - which really just told you the girlfriend hadn't mattered all that much. Elliot was smart, good looking, and doing well at work but you knew he also had a nerdy streak that Garcia would appreciate.

It was kind of fun being on the other side of a case and watching Penelope in action. You figured it would be easiest to learn on the job so you'd stayed holed up in her office and the two of you worked together with the team on a case. She taught you how to do some of the less complex stuff and you got to flirt with Hotch anytime he called for an update - it was a win-win really.

When they got back, he'd decided to have everyone be home for a week and do reports and consults to coincide with your schedule. No one was really complaining about a week of no travel.

Aaron had gotten home before you as you'd had a late afternoon meeting with McKinney to update him on your progress. When you walk in, you can smell roasted spices wafting from the kitchen. Aaron had always enjoyed foods from other cuisines but with you he'd really embraced cooking it as well, since you'd lived all over and had curated your own recipes over the years. If your nose wasn't mistaken, he was trying his hand at your Chicken Vindaloo recipe.

You walk into the kitchen to see him wearing an apron and manning the stove while Jack sits at the island doing his homework.

"Hi baby." You greet Jack and place a quick kiss to his head before going over to observe Aaron's handiwork - it smelled pretty good and he already had the rice cooker going as well. Jack mumbled a hello and you could tell something was off. You raise an eyebrow at Aaron who mouths "Soccer" to you, peaking a glance backwards at Jack's head bent over his worksheets.

Aaron and you had decided to sign him up for soccer lessons, figuring it was a good age to get him into team sports and be a little more active in a structured setting. Apparently he wasn't taking it too well, though you couldn't fathom why.

You take a quick taste from the spatula that Aaron had been using to stir and add a little pinch of salt to the pan. He throws you a mock glare. "I was getting to it," he mutters, shooing you away.

You leave him to the cooking and go sit at the island by Jack. Grabbing a tangerine from the fruitbowl, you peel it and break off a piece. "Orange for your thoughts?" you ask Jack.

You can see him hesitate but he still reaches out for the small slice, putting his pencil down. "I don't want to do Soccer," he confesses, reaching for another piece. Aaron's back is turned and he appears to be bustling around the kitchen.

"What part of it do you not want to do?" You pop a piece of tangerine into your own mouth as well.

He seems to consider your question as he chews on another piece. "It seems messy and the other kids seem mean."

You and Aaron had taken Jack by the soccer field a couple of weeks ago and you realize he's referring to the mud covered kids all pushing one another. Jack was a sweet and sensitive kid and you could understand how that was maybe a stressful situation for him. But you also wanted him to give it a shot because it would be good to do some team activities - help him make some more friends and be more active.

"It does seem kind of messy," you agree. "But I don't think the other kids will be mean. You're good at making friends and as long as you're nice to them they'll be nice to you."

He thinks over your response and you know you can seal the deal. "If you don't like it after you give it a fair shot, then we can discuss. Is that okay?" Jack was a reasonable kid and you and Aaron tried to give him choices as much as possible.

"Okay, Y/N." Jack nods, grabbing the last piece of tangerine from your palm.

"You know," you lean in a bit to Jack, lowering your voice, "your family has a special history with soccer fields."

"We do?" He quirks an eyebrow at you and he looks so much like Aaron in that moment. The cheeks are all Haley but the expression is completely Aaron.

"Well, you know how your parents met, of course," you confirm with mock seriousness.

Jack smiles and nods. "Pirate #4"

You laugh, ruffling Jack's hair. Aaron had kept his word to Haley and he did his best to make her a part of Jack's life as much as you could. But you had a feeling this wasn't a story Jack knew yet. Jack had been obsessed with all of the Disney movies lately so you know he'd appreciate a good romance story.

"Yes, your parents met during the play. But your dad was quite the young soccer star when he was in high school." You look and see that Aaron is adding the finishing touches to dinner and undoubtedly listening in. Jack has turned fully to face you, bringing his chair a little bit closer to yours.

"Well, your mom started to go watch him practice and go to his games. After a game where your dad scored the winning goal," you pause as Jack hangs on every word, "they were hanging out on the field and your dad finally plucked up the courage and asked your mom to be his girlfriend."

"That's pretty cool, I guess." He smiles, turning to look at his dad. "But not as cool as Buttercup and Wesley. Can we watch The Princess Bride again after dinner?"

You and Aaron laugh as he nods and tells Jack to go get washed up for dinner. The three of you had already watched The Princess Bride a couple of times and Aaron insisted that Inigo Montoya looked exactly like his old boss, Gideon. He'd pulled up pictures to show you, but you just didn't see it. It was probably the longest argument the two of you had had in recent memory.

As Jack leaves, Aaron turns to look at you, his face identical to Jack's from earlier, eyebrow quirked just the same. You know he's wondering how you knew that story about him and Haley because it sure hadn't been from him.

"Jess and I bonded while you were gone," you explained with a small smile. "He should know your love story."

Aaron nods as you get up to get changed for dinner yourself. He adores that you go above and beyond to make sure that Jack feels connected to Haley. Sometimes, though, he worries that you end up minimizing your role in his and Jack's life in the process.

As far as Aaron was concerned, Jack got to be witness to his favorite love story.

*------------*

With the whole team at home base for the coming week, you and Aaron decided to host the long postponed dinner party that you had initially aimed to have as your relationship reveal party. Between the team jumping the gun on you and then all of the work and cases, it had gotten pushed back indefinitely. However, now seemed like the right time to do it. You'd planned it for the end of the week when both Henry and Jack were invited to a birthday sleepover and all of the adults had the next day off.

Emily, Derek, and Penelope were all bringing dates. Rossi was seeing Strauss but knew better than to invite her to a team thing. You still remembered worming that particular secret out of Aaron. You had known something was up when you'd happened to catch his face when Rossi told him. You'd been too far to actually hear what caused that face, so you'd brought it up later. In his defense, he'd valiantly tried to protect Rossi's secret, but you had your ways. When he'd finally given in and told you, you regretted having tried so hard to get it out of him. Rossi and Strauss. Just the thought of it made you shudder.

However, with that large of a group, you decided to get some outside help, though you'd still make dessert. You'd left for lunch to go meet with the caterer, taking Rossi along with you since he'd actually be helpful. Aaron was in some budget meetings through lunch anyways and you'd grabbed him a salad on the way back. You thanked Rossi for joining you and he took Aaron's food up with him as you turned to see Derek and Emily hanging out by her desk.

"Hey, so what'd Hotch mess up?" Derek asks as he sees you.

You're confused for a second as to what he means but then you catch sight of the large bouquet of flowers on your desk. Your heart stops. You recognize that arrangement - the ostentatious roses arranged artfully. You'd forgotten what day it was. After he missed last year, you'd thought he'd forgotten - that he'd moved past it finally. This was the first time they'd arrived at the office. Usually it was sent to your home so you could deal with it in private.

You approach your desk not bothering to look for a note. Quickly, you pick them up and place the bouquet in your trash can, in the hope that no one else would see them. Both Derek and Emily eye you curiously.

You have to make sure your voice will come out steadily before you speak. "They're not from Aaron."

You hope they'll just go back to their conversation as you sit down in your chair, your mind whirling. You'd have to deal with this situation. Him sending them to work was an obvious escalation and to what end, you couldn't be sure.

From the corner of your eye, you see Derek stand from his spot on Emily's desk. He walks towards you with purpose and before you can stop him, he's reached into the trash can and fished out the note.

"Matthew? He's sending you flowers?" His voice is low and he looks troubled, holding the note in his hands and taking a seat on your desk instead. Seemed like him and Emily had decided he'd deal with it, as she was conspicuously missing, leaving just you and Derek in the bullpen.

You sigh internally. It had been too much to hope that they would've just ignored it. "It's our anniversary," you explain, looking around and making sure there wasn't anyone else around. "He didn't take the break up well. Now he sends flowers every year to torture me - though usually he's tactful enough to send them to the house."

Your revelation does nothing to ease Derek's mind. If anything he looks even more worried now than before. "So he's escalating. Trying to get your attention."

"He's not going to actually do anything," you say, trying to sound reassuring. "I can handle it, Derek." You place a hand on his knee closest to you and look firmly up at him. The last thing you needed was for Derek to be all worried and nosey about the situation. Or worse, for him to tell… "Do not tell Aaron."

He looks at you as though you're stupid and you can tell he's going to argue with you, but you really don't want to bother Aaron with this. Not in the one week you guys have at home together. "I mean it, Derek. He has a thousand other things to worry about. My sociopath ex does not need to be one of them."

Derek frowns and you know he's racing through the thousand cases you guys have done on stalker exes and escalation. Luckily for you, Matthew was too lazy to actually stalk anyone. Unluckily, he still found the time to order you flowers to remind you that he'd once been a very large part of your life. You didn't even like roses. With a glance up to Hotch's office, Derek nods, knowing he won't be able to convince you otherwise right now. He drops the note back into the trash can as Emily returns and you all go back to pretending to work.

It's late afternoon when you hear Hotch calling your name from the upstairs landing. "Y/N, can you come up here please?"

You'd gotten very little done, your mind whirling with what to do about the Matthew situation. You just wanted it to be over. You briefly wonder if Aaron wants to talk about the meeting with the caterers or Jack's schedule for the following week when the two of you will both be away. You enter his office, closing the door behind you.

"Hey, what's going on?" You walk in and take a seat on his couch. The blinds facing the bullpen are closed, but the ones facing outside are open, casting a warm glow around the room. Curiously, he hasn't moved back to his desk and is standing in front of you, with a concerned look on his face.

"When were you going to tell me about the Matthew situation?" he asks, placing his left hand on his hip and looking every bit the part of SSA Aaron Hotchner instead of your boyfriend.

You let out a breath. You couldn't believe Derek had told him, after you'd specifically asked him not to. And now he had that furrowed brow and the concerned face and he has a deadline from Strauss on the new budget. This wasn't what he needed right now and you knew it would distract from everything else.

You grit your teeth and stand up, ignoring his voice, and open the door to his office to scan the bullpen until you catch sight of who you're looking for. "Agent Morgan," you call out, "could you please join us up here?"

Derek looks up at you before he quickly walks upstairs and enters Hotch's office. He goes and stands by Hotch while you close the door once again, undoubtedly knowing what this was about. The two of them made quite the image - frowns marring both of their faces though Aaron's was less pronounced. I knew moisturizing was a good call.

Squaring your shoulders, you cross your arms across your chest, facing the two of them. "Figured it was more efficient to just talk to you both together. Save you the trouble of finding each other afterwards," you say, your tone hinting at how annoyed you were. Not that either one of them had the decency to look ashamed. If anything they looked defiant.

Aaron started to speak but you cut him off.

"You two need to realize that I can handle my own problems. If I say Matthew isn't an issue, trust me. If I say I have it handled, believe me that I do."

"No." You expected that, but not from Derek. Maybe from Aaron, but not from Derek.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, no. Not with our jobs. Not knowing what we do. I'll tell Hotch, I'll tell the whole team. The more people on the lookout the better."

"I -"

"Morgan's right. So, let's figure out what to do."

"There's nothing to do. He sent flowers, not a bomb. Leave it alone. If the worst thing he does is send me flowers once a year - well people have dealt with worse. You're both overreacting."

"You expect us to do nothing? What about when he escalates?"

"He won't!"

"You can't possibly know that." His entire demeanor is stiff and tense and he's aggravated with you for not taking this as seriously as he is.

"I was with him for four years, Aaron. Trust me. I know him. He has nothing to gain from an escalation and everything to lose. He's married, he doesn't exactly want me back. He just hates that I dumped him and once a year he remembers that and gets pissed off and drunk and in his own passive aggressive way, chooses to do this. It's not worth any of us wasting a second more of our time on!"

Derek looks like he'd rather be anywhere but standing in the middle of the two of you at that moment.

Aaron breathes out slowly before he speaks, as though if he takes a moment it'll prevent him from shaking you into seeing it his way. "I still would like for the team to be on alert. Just in case." It would appear he'd decided on the reasonable approach.

You groan, but know that's the best you're about to get. At your nod, Aaron and Derek exchange a look before Derek moves to leave the room.

"Hey," you stop him as his hand touches the doorknob. "Next time I ask you to not tell my crazy, overprotective boyfriend something. Just don't."

He grimly shakes his head at you. "No promises."

You narrow your eyes at him. The two of you will be discussing this later.

Turning away from you, he nods at Hotch before opening the door and closing it behind him.

Aaron sighs before sitting down on the couch next to you. "Why wouldn't you just tell me?" he asks, as though he's afraid of the answer.

You know he's genuinely worried about you and grasping at the implication of you not telling him about this. You reach across the couch cushion and grab his hand, squeezing it. His fingers intertwine with yours instantly.  

"Aaron, if I thought - for even a second- that this was some sort of actual threat, you'd be the first person I'd tell."

Which was the truth. If there was any chance that Matthew was a threat to Aaron or Jack, you'd have told him immediately. As it stood, however, your ex boyfriend was nothing more than a coward who got off on his little annual psychological warfare.

He nods, his mouth a straight line.

You spend a few more minutes in his office reassuring him properly (How convenient that the blinds were already shut), before leaving him to finish up the rest of his work.

*------------*

Derek watches from the bullpen as you exit Hotch's office, not a hair out of place, though he could imagine that hadn't been the case a minute earlier. He sees your eyes dart around furtively before making a quick phone call. You say barely two words before hanging up.

*------------*

Ricky Costello had the self-assured charm of a boy who had never questioned his place in life. He'd grown up scrawny and had to learn how to fight and stand up for himself. As he'd grown older and filled out some, people knew better than to pick on him or anyone he was friends with. He was loyal, headstrong, and the smartest of the family - which is why his father had pulled some strings and gotten him into a good school where he could learn something and be of some use to the family.

You'd met Ricky in your accounting class when he'd tried to partner with you for a project, thinking you'd do all the work for him. He'd had to rethink that strategy when you'd shown up at his dorm room, pretended to be his girlfriend to get rid of his flavor of the week, and then promised to continue ruining his chances with every gullible freshman unless he did his share of the work. Needless to say, the two of you had the best project in the class.

You arrived at the bar he'd texted you the address to. It was in a quiet street just off central downtown and at six in the evening, there were only commuters headed back home. No one paid much attention to you as you quickly looked around before entering.

The place was mostly empty save for an older couple seated at a table in the corner. You see Ricky seated at the bar and you make your way towards him. Feeling someone approach, he turns around, a grin breaking out on his face when he sees you.

"Hi Doll," he stands and wraps you in a hug that lifts you off the ground and elicits a small squeal of surprise.

"Hi Ricky." Your face lights up at the sight of him. It had been a while.

He indicates to the bartender for another round, before guiding you to a small table at the other corner of the bar. He pulls out a chair for you as the bartender sets down two glasses of scotch.

"Cheers," he says, lifting his glass and clinking it with yours. "To seeing old friends."

"Cheers," you smile, taking a sip, your eyes studying him. He looked older, the beginnings of grey could be seen near his temples. His leather jacket hugged him just right and he'd grown out his usual stubble into a full, well-kept beard. His smile was still very much him - a little cocky and every bit as affectionate as you remembered it.

The two of you drink for a while as he catches you up on all the drama your old group had gone through recently - the weddings, the breakups, the kids. It was odd to have missed out on all of it.

"So, tell me, why'd you really call?" he asks, leaning back in his chair, his hand playing with the rim of his glass.

You take a breath, mimicking his posture. "Matthew is planning on running for Congress."

He takes in your pursed lips and the tenseness of your shoulders. "I heard," he says slowly, deliberately. "Been meaning to pay him a visit. Congratulate him."

"Congratulate him for me too."

The quirk of his lips tells you he knows why you're telling him this. There was no love lost between Matthew and Ricky. If they were in the same room they were bound to get into it. You'd done your best to keep them sequestered in different parts of your life - however some events were inevitably meant for larger groups.

He nods with a soft laugh, before indicating to the bartender for a second round, which is delivered promptly.

"You should come back, Y/N. Give up the straight laced thing. The crew, we miss you, doll." His voice is earnest and for a moment you see the hint of the boy who'd confided all his secrets to you during study sessions that had bled into the early morning hours.

You smile, and your voice catches ever so slightly. "I've met someone - and well, he's pretty much as straight laced as they come."

Ricky laughs at that and you know he's just a little surprised. "What's his name?"

"Aaron." His name feels right at home in your mouth.

"Nice Catholic boy?" His face is one of boyish teasing.

"I always did have a thing for those," you joke. And you know, you know Ricky will take that in the friendly manner that it was meant.

The two of you wrap up and Ricky closes out the tab before walking you back to your car. As you're about to pull out of the parking spot, he leans into your window, placing the lightest of kisses to your cheek.

"Tell your boy Aaron, he's the luckiest guy in the world."

*------------*

You hear the front door open and close as Aaron arrives, having dropped Jack off at the birthday party sleepover he was invited. You'd spent the day making sure you'd made enough tiramisu for all the guests while both Jack and Aaron snuck bites of it when your back was turned.

You've just finished dusting off the final pan with cocoa powder, when you feel Aaron's arms circle your waist from behind. You have to slap his hand away as it makes its way into the dessert. Him and Jack had polished off half a pan that morning and at this rate, you'd have none left for the actual guests.

"You can't eat all of the dessert before the guests get here. At this rate, you're pretty much cut off from it entirely. I don't think I can make it again if you and Jack are going to be like this," you scold, turning and poking at his stomach.

He doesn't have the decency to look even a little embarrassed. He just smiles and shrugs, his arms encircling your waist again. "I'll just have to find something else to eat instead, I guess."

His words send a spike of heat and desire through you. The two of you had been making the most of being home at the same time and every night had ended with him between your legs - one way or another.

Shaking your head, you escape his hold and move to clear the island for the caterers. He was relentless, however.

"You expect to wear this and have me keep my hands to myself?" His voice is a deep rumble behind you as his arms cage you against the island countertop and his mouth finds your pulse point. He's referring to the off shoulder dress you'd changed into while he'd been gone, highlighting your collarbone magnificently. It flared out from the waist, making you look like the epitome of the perfect housewife you had once been destined to become.

"I'd hoped you'd at least wait till the end of the night," you retort. His arms are warm and his chest firm behind you and you really didn't have it in you to push him away again. You were pretty helpless against him.

"I always like to get a head start." You can hear the humor in his voice as he pushes you against the counter a little more firmly, his arms coming from around you to clear the space right in front.

"Aaron." His name escapes you with a soft sigh as he plants warm kisses along your neck down to your exposed shoulders. He sweeps your hair to the front, lips traveling down your spine as his hands move underneath your dress, finding the waistband of your underwear and then slipping inside to find you wet, warm, and waiting for him.

He lets out a groan at the feel of you and can't help but grind himself against you. He knows he's working against the clock and is surprised you've let him get this far.

You let out a sharp gasp as his thumb presses against your clit and he inserts two fingers deep within you. He had the art of getting you to come, down to a near science. He quickly pumps his fingers in and out, his thumb rubbing your clit in repeated circles. With his other hand he brings your head around and captures your lips. The press of his lips against yours is a feeling you'll never tire of you.

You come embarrassingly quick, fluttering around his fingers, your back arched and your ass grinding into his hard length behind you. He turns you around, his mouth hot and needy against yours. When you pull away, his eyes are blown wide and there's a sheen of sweat on his forehead from the exertion of keeping himself from simply plowing into you.

You make quick work of his belt buckle and help him work his jeans and underwear down, eager to have him in you. With one eye on the clock behind you, he hoists you up to the countertop, placing you on the edge, and enters you swiftly, eliciting a loud groan from you.

"Fuck, sweetheart. Always so ready for me. Always tight…wet." His voice is rough and low and makes the coil in your stomach tighter and your breath come out harsher. He moves efficiently, his head tucked into the crook of your neck and his arms working to keep you balanced on the edge.

His breath is warm against your neck, and he's panting and leave wet open kisses to any skin available to him. Your fingers dig into his shoulders, holding on for dear life as he thrusts into you. You're close and you know he is too based on how irregular his movement is becoming.

You remove one hand from his shoulder, pulling on his hair to move his head enough to reach his mouth in a lazy kiss. He groans into your mouth as he comes, drawing your orgasm out right after, causing you to tremble against him.

As you come down, you're entirely slumped against his chest and he's moved you to sit more firmly on the island. You know you look nowhere near as presentable as you did fifteen minutes prior, but you're finding it hard to be too upset about it.

Still, you can't help but be a little bratty about it. "I'm going to have to redo my makeup," you whine against him.

Laughing breathlessly, he picks you up to carry you upstairs. It was a wonder he had the strength to do that right after. You could barely stand up when he deposited you outside the shower.

The two of you work quickly to get cleaned up and Aaron is the one to let the caterers in as you redo your hair and makeup. You fish out another dress - one with sleeves and a higher neckline. You couldn't afford to be pulled into the coat closet with people around.

*------------*

An hour and a half later, the party is in full swing. Emily had brought Henry Eastwood - Senator Williams's Chief of Staff. The two of you had run into him while out shopping a few weeks back and having recognized you, had come up to say hello. You had a feeling that had Emily not been with you, he would've entirely ignored some girl his boss had dated for a few weeks a year or so ago. However, you couldn't deny that they made a handsome couple.

Penelope had brought Elliot - the two of them had really hit it off and you were happy to see her smiling and laughing with someone. You'd given in and allowed Rossi to bring Strauss and you were pleasantly surprised to see her being on her best behavior around Aaron. Derek had brought Savannah and they were talking to JJ and Will.

You walked to the kitchen to open up another bottle of wine and refill everyone's glasses. It seemed Savannah had followed you, empty glass in hand. Laughing, you top off her glass with the almost empty bottle in hand, before opening the next one.

"Thanks for having everyone over," she says, taking a drink from her glass.

"Of course. Aaron and I honestly meant to do this ages ago, but work got away from us."

You have a feeling Savannah wants to talk to you about something else, however, so you don't say much more, trying to give her the chance to speak up.

She looks around a little nervously, but seems to make up her mind. "You're different for Derek, you know. Different from Emily and Penelope. He's very protective of you."

"I'm protective of him too," you respond softly. You know what she means however. You and Derek had gone through the worst thing in the world together and only came out the other end because of one other.

"Savannah, you have nothing to worry about," you reassure her, knowing that's what she really needed at the moment. Her and Derek hadn't had much time together lately and you could understand feeling insecure. "Derek loves you and you're good for him. You challenge him and you're the first girl I've seen him be so head over heels for."

She smiles and you know that helped a bit. "Thanks."

The two of you each grab a bottle and head back to the main living room. As you pour more wine into Dave's glass, you catch Aaron's eye and you feel warmth pooling in your stomach, the promise of a good night ahead of you. You walk around the room and top off everyone, making sure there's enough appetizers still out.

Derek offers to help you carry back the empty platters and follows you into the kitchen. "So, I heard something interesting today," he says, placing the platters on the counter.

You hum, as you grab more of the stuffed mushrooms from the warmer and arrange them on the empty platter.

"Cops responded to a call about a break in in New Hampshire, placed by someone's neighbor," he pauses and he knows you're listening. "When they get there, guy living in the house was obviously beat up, but his wife seemed alright. Just a little shaken up. Funny thing is - dude refused to press charges, even though cops could tell that the house had been broken into."

Your posture has gotten incredibly stiff as he spoke. He knows. You don't say anything, simply look at him apprehensively.

"Tell me," he continues, "what's the Italian mob's going rate to put the fear of God in someone?"

You take a breath, before meeting his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't. Probably get the friends and family discount," he trails off, grabbing the platter and walking out of the kitchen.

Crap. He really did know. He knew about Ricky. Which meant he'd probably gotten Penelope involved as well.

Quickly composing yourself, you carry the other platter out, joining him by the appetizer table.

"Derek - "

"Don't worry. Garcia won't say anything."

You look at him, and you know he won't either.

"Thank you."

He nods, popping another mushroom in his mouth and smiling at you. He wouldn't be doubting you again when you said you had something under control.

He wouldn't tell anyone. When Hotch asks him later about the Matthew situation, all he'd say was that it was handled. Hotch would pause, look at him, but then trust Morgan to know that it was really handled.

[sammy-gvf]

morning thoughts

hi and good morning everyone. 

since we are two  days away from TFATWS, I figured I would like to write about how I think Bucky would spend his mornings if you’re still asleep in bed.  

Bucky would be a heavy sleeper with the exception of you rolling around too much, he would toss and turn if you move too much. If you’re still sleeping, he would be careful not to wake you up. TFATWS Bucky is just trying to figure out the world after the blip, so he would most likely get up, get dressed, and head out the door for a little. He is really curious about things that he hasn’t done yet, like try iced coffee with different flavors everyday. Maybe get some fancy breakfast. He walks around thinking about things he did as a kid in the city with Steve and occasionally, will walk by where he grew up. The building may be gone but the memories are still there. Memories of walking home with Steve  from school, playing games in the street and just remembering the ambiance of 1920s/1930s Brooklyn. Everything is so loud in New York now. Eventually when he is done walking around, he will head down to your favorite coffee place, get you your favorite coffee and a bagel. Walking back up to your shared apartment, he unlocks the door and puts your breakfast and coffee out on the table and he would sit on the couch and think about how fast the past 7 years ( I think it would be 7 by now because the 5 from the blip and now the 2 from endgame) have gone. Bucky and Sam are closer than ever and it sucks when he has to leave you home to go do things with Sam. Steve is gone. The only person he had from when he was younger is gone. With Sam taking on the legacy of Captain America, it brings Bucky some comfort knowing that someone is honoring  Steve’s legacy with his shield. He would sit on his phone and read up on historical events that he missed out on while being The Winter Soldier, surprising himself everyday with new things. He would question you about the things you learned in History class as a kid in school. Bucky would also look up movies and would be fascinated by CGI and animation. He would also read a bit. Eventually, he would get up, kiss you on the head and wake you up so the ice in your coffee wont be too melted by the time you get up. 

This was fun to write :-) 

Anyways stream TFATWS on Disney+ on Friday, March 19th 2021.

[queen-of-my-goofball-army]

First official comfort character

For those that know me my comfort characters are all very important to me. Most people that haven’t talked with me extensively though might guess that my first one was Pinky from Pinky And The Brain. That’s where you would also be wrong though! My first comfort character was also my favorite underrated Disney character. I mentioned him briefly in my video with Rob Paulsen, as he is voiced by my hero Corey Burton, my first comfort character was Ludwig Von Drake! 

(A gif of him before I explain so I do not look nuts later.) 

For those of you that are like most people that I have met you might be scratching your heads you might be wondering who in the world is Ludwig Von Drake? If you didn’t grow up with this character, you probably will have no idea who he is. Von Drake is the second uncle of Donald Duck. He is an inventor, multi PHD, quirky and kooky duck that has an Austrian accent. He is usually used as a source of comedy as his machine’s that builds tend to go astray from what he actually wants them to do. (For example, his segment on House Of Mouse, Von Drake’s House Of Genius). I am going to give you an example of my favorite segment of this sketch! (I have said “Ludwig! What was that kooky noise?!” Way too many times in my life but nobody ever gets it.) 

I technically don’t exactly “remember” Von Drake from House Of Mouse. I have only faint memories of laughing at the quirky nature of him and how he would constantly get into trouble with his inventions. If I were to put a label on when Von Drake became a comfort character it was with the series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I would watch the show religiously every morning when I was seven. My favorite character was Von Drake. I loved him so much when I was a kid and this is when my first comfort character was born. 

Von Drake as a character is just so much fun! That’s the one word that I would use to describe him. Writing for him is fun, watching him invent things is fun even if usually they stray from the actual idea that he initially had and as a kid I just loved his voice. I had never heard anything like that when I was growing up. This is where I start to wonder why I was diagnosed as late in the game as I was at 17 because whenever Von Drake came on screen when I was a child it was happy stim time. 

I don’t want to say that I eventually forgot about Von Drake. Because that’s simply not true! I didn’t forget about him and what he meant to me as a child. I just got preoccupied with other characters namely Pinky. I would still remember the song that he sang in House Of Mouse about where all the characters sat in the show.

After my diagnosis I found a renewed vigor to know who voiced my childhood characters. The first one I looked up was Von Drake’s. Imagine to my surprise “HOLY SHIT HIS VOICE ACTOR HAS ASPERGERS TOO!” Suddenly I felt this new love for my favorite member of the Duck family. This newfound love has cultivated into what I lovingly call my “Von Drake Days” where I literally annoy everybody around me because I will not shut about an Austrian duck that nobody knows. Corey’s love and will to stick true to the character that the late Paul Frees created still amazes me. He stays true and yet his Von Drake is so very much his own now. I love listening to both (my only gripe is that Frees’s Von Drake was in better quality. But it’s old so *shrug* what are going to do.) 

My love for Von Drake is something that is really hard for me to explain. Part of it is nostalgia. But most of it is this genuine love and admiration for what Corey can bring to a character. He brings so much life and personality into Von Drake. There’s just so much passion behind the voice and I love that. There’s also the animation. Ward Kimball was his original animator from back in Walt’s time and he was known for his fast and fluid hand motions which made him perfect for Von Drake. 

(Look at this hand animation I LOVE IT SO MUCH it’s so spastic and so Ludwig at the same time.) 

The way that the artists continue to draw him in the quirky style that Kimball started off in is one of my favorite nods to the original artist. Ward Kimball is my favorite of the Nine Old Men because he was the animator for my favorite funky duck man. 

This long post was basically just for me to vent about why I think Von Drake deserves to be more popular. My dream is if my own cartoon gets off the ground that I would love to make a hand drawn show for Ludwig Von Drake. I think that it’s about time that Disney started to give him more screen time and give Corey more work than he actually gets. I think that both Corey and this character have brought me so much joy over the last four years of my life since my “official diagnosis” (I’ve always been aspie). I just love this character so much and he needs more love in the world.  

[thecelestialchapters]

Warcross by Marie Lu

General review:

Rating: 9 hacks

Short review: areyoukiddingmehowisthisbooknotonthetop??? The world-building? The character? The development? The plot? The big idea? Hullo??? Warcross is basically “shut up and take my money” embodied. An amazing character in an amazing world on an amazing journey. From the streets to the TVs in one day. And that’s just the beginning of her problems. Emika Chen, a player, a hunter, a hacker, and the love of my heart. One guy introduced next-gen VR technology and revolutionised the world, Emika messed up the tightest security in the world? Win. A MOBA-like game that is completely based on VR and can be controlled through glasses? Win. A blackhat hacker that wants to ruin everything? Win. Warcross? Win.

In-depth review:

Again, how is this book not a bestselling one? What kind of world do we live in where trash p*rn scripts are bestsellers but not a book that is entirely different from the rest of the fantasy genre? I am yet to meet someone who doesn’t like high-tech shit with world-controlling glasses and advanced AI robots and fancy codes and hackers. And although the world Ms Lu was working with could get quickly overwhelming, I think she did a solid job of keeping it simple. Just some snazzy glasses that connect you to an already operating virtual lobby and you can do everything there. From buying extravagant outfits and pets to playing internationally conducted game tournaments, all included.

And with the goods come the bads, but we have Emika Chen to fix it. Emika and a lot of others but shush. I’ll quickly talk about world-building, again, before moving to the characters. In the very first few chapters, although it’s not directly mentioned, one can make out the effects the new technology has had on the world. There are literal kids hunting criminals for money, while the actual police just gobble up the credit. And it isn’t one bit surprising these days. Even the black market is so open that anyone could access it. Access it and face consequences. And of course the assassinations. Win on clearly writing about the murder of a r*pist BTW.

All in all, the world feels like it's way too dependent on technology from the start, which is a very good setup considering what happens in the end. It's written so intricately that you don't even see it when you're just reading it for fun. Of course, the pace of the book keeps you in. You don't get much time to notice what's happening because you're way too focused on the queen shit Emika's doing.

I didn't go deep into others' reviews about this book because I knew there would be shit about it. Though, I'd like to address one of the reviews I saw. They said that the book was just like any other VR world, hackers and hovering blocks of codes and controlling minds through machines and all that. My counterpoint is: a story about an orphan with powers thrown into the real world and asked to save everything because they are the one; is it a Disney movie, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Spider-Man, or one of the countless other stories that work on the same principle, hmmmmmmmmm? 

Thisbookneedsamovie. Also, I was playing Halo’s main theme music while reading the book and it was just too perfect. Seriously, if you are yet to read the book, give it a try. The Halo theme is also called the “gamer anthem” for a reason after all. And the acknowledgements at the end of the book: “Finally, to all the gamer girls out there. You inspire this.” Thank you.

Characters

Emika Chen:

Look, I don’t do dating stuff, okay? But for Emika…. Emika? More like Emiqueen. Seriously, out of all the characters I have ever read about, she has my heart. Hunted criminals on a skateboard to make money? Queen. Hacked into the biggest tournament with the tightest security like it’s nothing; queen shit. And her backstory of why she is so good at what she does, although might be a bit of a stretch, is still believable. People can have a photographic memory. And hacking into things so fast is unrealistic, yes, but if you start putting IRL logic into fantasy stories, almost all stories will fail. It can take days to hack a simple password if it is strong enough. 

She leaked passwords and cards of people who did wrong to her classmate, how am I supposed to not like her? The only reason the biggest company in her world hired her despite her criminal record is her sheer talent in hacking, need I give more proof? Although her main task was something else, her winning the games was as important. And man did she excel at that, too. Reached the international player standards in a short amount of time all while carrying out her original task.

The part I like the most about her is her character. Smart, vigilant, ingenious, humorous at times, brave, and trusts nobody. IDK if it’s just the books I have read or it’s common among all books, but the protagonists are generally dumbasses when it comes to trusting people. They’ll trust everyone they meet and then cry about it later. That’s why I loved Emika, she knows nobody is completely trustworthy.

Spoiler ahead, skip the paragraph if you don’t want one. I know a lot of people said that Hideo x Emika was too sudden but isn’t that how attraction works??? I am aro so IDK, but like, isn’t romantic attraction seeing someone and wanting to date them? Was I wrong the whole time or are some people just so desperate to hate? Allos, where y'all at? And despite her relationship, her reaction to Hideo’s big plan was pretty damn quick. Just a few seconds and she’s made her mind up that screw her boyfriend.

And, of course, I’ll talk about the symbolisms. This one’s the most obvious one: the Peony tattoo. Peonies are of tremendous importance in Chinese culture. The official emblem of China is a Peony and plays a big role in holidays and religious traditions. It isn’t written in Warcross, but Emika is Chinese-American (if that wasn’t obvious). From what I have found, Emika means “charming” and the Chinese name for Peony translates to “most beautiful.” But, but, but, the Westerners had quite the opposite of that. Greek myths said that nymphs hid their naked bodies in the form of Peonies, which led to the association of Peonies with shamefulness in the Victorian era for some reason. And guess what our charming, the most beautiful hacker had to do? Hide. GG.

And this might be a bit of an over analysation but her aesthetic being rainbow might symbolise her versatility as a hacker and as a person. IRL hackers are of three types: white hats, grey hats, black hats. Emika was both white hat and black hat at different types and at times she was somewhere in the middle at other times. Spectrum? Rainbow? Just me? Okay.

This is probably the longest description of any character I have ever written and I see no problem.

Hideo Tanaka:

He's decent, let's go back to Emi—just kidding. Hideo means "Excellent man" and I see no lies. The dude learned coding at age eleven and invented a VR device at age thirteen. All desi parents would have his photo in their temples if he was real. 

It's usually hard to write about characters that are placed on a huge pedestal from the start and then meet the expectations that one would have from them, and in my humble opinion, Ms Lu did not disappoint. Imeanthere'snodoubtinitshecreatedEmikaChen. Ahem, what was I saying? Ah, yes, Hideo the sugar da—who wrote this script? 

Most of what I have to say about him is spoilers so skippity skip to the next character. Okay, look, I can’t say I saw the twist coming but it didn’t surprise me either. It was well set up and was logical from Hideo’s perspective. And as crazy as it sounds, one person controlling everything might work for a short period of time. It will fail in due time, there’s no confining nature of humans and nature itself. But one person controlling everyone else’s morals and actions does sound…intriguing? Of course, there are a lot of uncertainties and different variables that come into play like morals, temper, nature, mood, mortality, yada yada of the person in control but that is beyond the scope. What Hideo Tanaka, a boy who lost one of his most loved relations, sees is a way to fix it and make sure no one else suffers the way he did.

“Villains” who want to do “good” in a way that others call “bad” always make a good story. Villains that make you stop for a moment and consider if you are on the right side or if there even is a right side. W.

Asher Wing

He’s paralyzed from the waist down and is still the captain of one of the strongest teams in Warcross tournaments, and he’s bloody good at captaining it. Bold, decisive, commanding, friendly, supportive, and also defensive of teammates, all qualities of a good leader. 

Hamilton Jimenez

It’s pretty hard to be noticed when you have the main character as good as Emika but Hammie stood out from the rest. Be it her swiftness, her analysing of people, or her being a champ at chess, she was a full-blown legend. I can just wish to have her ability to see people and tell exactly what they are going to do.

Roshan Ahmadi

Ayo he rich. And powerful. And good. And had a boyfriend. Oh to have a very casual rep in a book. And lovers to enemies (to lovers in Wildcard?). I will never not like this book.

I am not making a list of the things I loved in the book because it will be too damn long. Just trust me on it and read the book already.