#I HAD TO REMEMBER WHO NICOLE WAS T-T shame on me | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bratshaws · 2 years ago

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through the hourglass 29. brb x oc

a/n: OH BO Y OH BOY

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: fluff, mid angst cause rooster's job is dangerous, this baby will have too many uncles and a u n t s

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @kulicny @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @dhwanishah09 @jesfreedark

Beatrice knew Rooster was sweet, sometimes saccharine…but seeing Rooster taking his role as a father miles away from her was absolutely precious. He tried talking to her more via messages, at least whenever he could, to ask about her health and the baby’s, ask if she was going to take another ultrasound and she could almost see how happy he was when she said she only would do that when he was back so they could see it together.

He told Maverick, who eventually blurted out to everyone. Phoenix cried, Payback cried, Coyote sobbed and Hangman excused himself from the room, but they were all happy. In the same note, Beatrice told her parents…her mother fainted and had to drink sugar water for a few minutes to get back together, then told her siblings - Michael already got the onesies ready for the baby and Marina said that if they needed help with the hospital all they had to do was call Derek and let him know.

That was when she remembered one thing she wanted to talk about with him: the names. Maybe it was better to have them in mind already, especially the one she thought about that week.

Roos (12:22)

Sure thing, babe. Hit me. What do you got?

Bea (12:24)

Well, I was thinking for a while and, if you don’t think it’s a good idea then it’s fine but I was thinking of maybe paying a homage to your parents? Well, I was thinking that if it’s a boy we name him Nicholas but…well if it was a girl, I really like Nicole. It’s also a mix of your parents' names! And a feminine version of your dad’s but,well what do you think?

And what she gets after that is silence, the sound of Jack and Eleanor play fighting in the kitchen - their siblings now living with Leo and Michael - and the tv playing in the background. Maybe that wasn’t a good idea, maybe she should’ve thought more about it…it’s still a sore spot, it’s still fresh for him. Beatrice chews the corner of her lip while looking down at her phone, hoping and fearing on seeing the chat bubble again, mentally preparing herself when he finally did reply.

Roos (12:26)

Are you serious?

Bea (12:26)

Well…yeah. If you don’t want it that’s fine though, Roos.

Roos (12:27)

Did I tell you how much I fucking love you?

Beatrice blinks at his response, but her body relaxes when the tension seeps out.

Bea (12:28)

Oh, well, you did but I don’t mind hearing it often :)

Roos (12:29)

I’m serious Bea,I love you so much…the fact you want my parents to be remembered and you do that every time is…it means a lot to me.

Bea (12:31)

Well…I just know how much they mean to you and I know you miss them a lot. I just thought it’d be a good idea.

Roos (12:32)

It’s a great idea. It’s an amazing idea…thank you babe. I really mean that.

Beatrice’s smile was bright enough to put the sun to shame after that, they both had already decided on a name for the Mini Bradshaw, which was one step out of the way. After talking to Rooster, telling him good night/ good day and that she loved him, Bea turned on her side and shut off her phone.

That is until she noticed another weird account popping up.

Her brows furrowed and then she decided to do something everyone was against, she decided to talk to them. She decided that not only was she annoyed, but she was starting to worry at how many of these are showing up in the past months. So, she didn’t block them, private messaged them a simple question ‘Who are you?’

She honestly didn’t expect a response, but she didn’t expect either to be blocked by the account. Beatrice gasped in offense, narrowing her eyes at it “What the hell?” now she was sure there was an actual person there and she was going to figure out who it was, one way or another. Beatrice, now that she could no longer check the profile, finally turned off the phone and set to her nightstand.

She wasn’t going to worry about this now, especially because there was nothing she could do yet. She knew Carmen couldn’t help her, so she was pretty much on her own investigative work until then, figuring out as she went.

As she felt her body relax and the faint caresses of sleep approaching her, she started to forget about it, she was too tired and all she wanted was to take a very long and relaxed slumber.

Except she couldn’t.

She woke up in the middle of the night, three a.m to be exact, with her eyes snapping open in the dark and her body feeling restless. Beatrice blinks her eyes in the pitch black, rolling to her back to look up to the ceiling and try to see the different textures and shapes the night illusions showed her. The brunette huffed, a mix of annoyance and tiredness, before kicking the covers off and deciding that there was no way she could fall asleep right now.

She didn’t know if it was the anxiety about the accounts or the anxiety about the pregnancy, but she needed to distract herself until she was tired enough. Thank God she didn’t have work the very next day because she’d probably sleep most of it depending how late she got back to bed.

But Beatrice decided that instead of watching TV as she planned to do, she was going to finish the baby room. Not only she thought it was a good idea because as soon as the baby grew she wouldn’t be able to crouch down and kneel too much so better get that out of the way. Plus, she just painted the backgrounds, the main characters still needed working.

She now kept the baby room’s door open a smidge, enough for the air to enter and remove the smell of nothingness from inside. There was the sharp scent of the paint now, but it wasn’t too strong that she’d need to cover her nose, honestly she preferred that over the smell of stale air from before. Beatrice rolls her mid sleeves to her shoulders, knotted the end of her shirt above her shorts so the paint wouldn’t land on it and grabbed her things from the corner of the room.

She decided to leave the bears for last, they were her favorite ones to draw after all, and started on the foxes instead. The sound of the night around their house was broken by the soft rumble of thunder and light drizzle hitting the windows, nothing like what had happened a week ago, it was extremely relaxing. Beatrice looks over to the window where she could see the orange light from the lamp close to their neighbor’s house in the middle of the night, making the mental note that they needed to get blackout curtains when the baby arrived.

But she was going shopping with Rooster, which was already showing to be quite the feature if his reaction to everything was any hint. She smiled while following the lines of the fox’s snout with her brush, the burnt orange color spreading over the surface, giving the lines an actual shape this time, “Well, I hope you like your room.” she whispers to the air, looking down at her stomach and the tiny thing still growing in there, “You can always paint over it when you are older though, I don’t mind. This is just something for you now.”

She spins the brush to paint more of the wall, licking her lips before continuing, “You know, you are going to have so many uncles and aunts. Not only from my side, but if I know the Dagger Squad, which I know them quite well, they might step into the role very quickly…if they didn’t already.” considering their reactions to Bradley telling them about it, she wouldn’t be surprised at all to know that.

Imagining the Dagger Squad all stepping in as the surrogate uncles and aunts because they were Rooster’s family was enough to make her smile widen, “They’ll love you so much, oh! And Shells and Ev and Liz and Carmen and Jenny too…and Penny! And Amelia!Well, Amelia is in college right now, so she might not meet you until a bit later, you know? But they’ll love you.” she pauses for a second, stopping the repetitive painting motions, “They mean a lot to me…and they mean a lot to your dad. You’ll also have Mav, who is just an amazing guy too and, he’s your dad’s godfather/uncle/father figure.”

She giggles, hearing nothing but imagining Maverick picking the Mini Bradshaw up and carrying them like he did Rooster when he was much younger, “...I wish you could’ve met the two inspirations for your name though. I…your dad misses them a lot. And well, from what I’ve heard from them they were really amazing people. Maybe they’ll be with us when you are here, huh? Just like your bisnonna.” she returns to the wall, slanting the brush on the fox’s tail, “She’d love you, God she’d love you so much.”

If she thought about the amount of people who’d love the Mini Bradshaw she’d be there for hours, she was however very glad that Rooster accepted the idea for the baby’s name, which honestly she had a feeling he would’ve liked from the beginning. “Just wait until your daddy gets here.” she smiles, “He loves you before you’ve been even born.”

“Rooster, look,” the younger pilot stops writing down his paperwork to see Maverick coming in with a smile so big it’d probably rip his face in half, “Look, it’s a full set.” ever since Mav found out Beatrice was pregnant that has been his pastime while away from Cali, he really has been looking up baby clothes whenever possible and showing it to Rooster.

Honestly, Rooster didn’t mind, not at all…because he was doing the same thing. Him and his godfather really had the same brain. When his eyes locked on the picture Maverick was showing him, he smiles just like his godfather did, “It’s really cute Mav…but I really want to see Bea first and see the baby and while I do the same as you do, looking up clothes right now, especially toddler age, isn’t really wise.”

Pete hummed, turning the phone back to himself with his lips pursed, “Well, you are right I guess. it’ll be an infant before it grows all the way.” he slides his phone back in his pocket, then drops his gaze to the papers Rooster was signing, “Report from the last missions?”

A sharp inhale, “Yeah.”

“Did you tell Beatrice?”

Another even sharper inhale, “No,” he flips the page so he doesn’t read the words anymore, “Especially now that she’s pregnant,Mav. I can’t put that type of stress on her…I’m fine, everyone is fine, no one got hurt. That’s all that matters.”

The last mission shook him up just a bit, he was used to hiccups, he was used to mistakes but the last one really made him feel unbelievably small. No one expected to hear explosions so soon in the morning, no one scampered away so fast, no one really imagined to see a factory not far from where they currently were flying suddenly blow up in flames. Shrapnel and debris flew over like it was an actual bullet, almost hitting Payback and Fanboy, almost hitting him and Maverick when they all tried to avoid it.

It was terrifying, because it wasn’t expected, it wasn’t planned and no one was imagining that it’d just blow up to smithereens. Apparently there was no foul play, it was abandoned for years, no one saw anything suspicious these past weeks before they arrived so it was a terrifying and dangerous coincidence, thank God.

He had to take a breather once he got back, well everyone did to be honest, and as soon as his heart stopped feeling like it’d blow out of his chest, he messaged Beatrice. And then he found out he’d be a father, which made him wonder if that was just the reward for getting back alive and unharmed. “While I do understand that, Rooster.” Mav begins, grabbing the finished reports from his nephew’s hand, “I think it’s very important that hiding things from Beatrice isn’t the way to go. It’s better if she hears from you than from anyone else.”

“Who else would tell her about it?”

His uncle gives him a look, then jabs his thumb over his shoulder, “I’m sorry, do you not remember who you work with?” he arches his eyebrows for emphasis, “The ones who often bet on you and Beatrice, who babbled out how you were crushing hard on her as well? Those people?”

He was right, but Rooster didn’t want to do that now, “...I will do that once I know it’s safe to.” he begins, “The first trimester is always the most fragile,I read it online.” he answers when his uncle gives him a surprised look, “And I want Bea to have a good and calm pregnancy,Mav. That’s all.”

“I know Rooster.” he reiterates, placing a hand on his nephew’s shoulder, “But it’s Bea and she worried about you because she cares. Just don’t wait too long to tell her, okay? If she finds out from anyone but you…it might not be great.”

“...did my father-”

“Yep.” Mav cuts him off, “Twice. Carole was really,really mad.”

The muscle on Bradley’s jaw pops when he clenches his teeth, not only because of the image of his mother having a very reasonable reaction to his father hiding things from her, but also because he knew that Beatrice would be really upset if he doesn’t share it with her. “I will do that. I promise.”

“Okay,I’ll take these back.” Mav says, waving the reports up, “You enjoy the time off, new dad, before we have to leave again.”

Bradley gives his uncle a thankful smile, pulling out his phone to check on Beatrice’s messages, his chest warming at her suggestion for the names. He hadn’t told Mav yet, he knew if he did his uncle would lose his mind and need a moment, but he would do it so eventually. He was swarming himself with the warmth of the joys of fatherhood.

He wasn’t expecting to get another message from Bea, knowing it was so late at night back in California.

Bea (11:30)

Brad, so I couldn’t sleep and then I decided to distract myself and so I finished the baby’s room.

Roos (11:31)

You finished it? Baby, should you even be doing that?

Bea (11:31)

Yeah!It’s fine! I decided to do it now since I won’t be able to in these coming months…I could send you a picture but honestly I think it’d be better if you see it yourself when you come back :)

Roos (11:32)

I’d love that, gorgeous. Any reason why you lost sleep?

Bea (11:34)

Dunno, maybe I just am…having these pregnancy moments. Sabrina had these as well and Marina had some pregnancy nightmares early on. So, maybe that’s why.

Roos (11:35)

Did you have any nightmares?

Bea (11:36)

Oh no, I didn’t :3 I just woke up randomly and now I am…painting more stuff, just not the room. It’s all safe! I looked it up and the paints I have are okay to use.

Roos (11:38)

Just please go to bed soon, gorgeous. Don’t lose sleep when you need to, okay?

Honestly if he could he’d spend the whole day talking to Beatrice, Heaven knows how much she helped him without even knowing. Besides, now that she was pregnant he just wanted to know everything about it, hell he was going to talk to her as soon as he could even if he was tired as fuck, he wanted to know what to expect when he returned.

And his own research lead to the first trimester being complicated, led to a list of good foods for pregnant women and how there were certain activities that’d be really good for the mom. Was he thankful? Immensely. Because the longer he was away from his wife, the worse it was when he returned, he missed her sure, but he missed everything they’d do together��not only in the less usual sense of the word.

Bea (11:45)

And Jack and Eleanor are okay too, I might get Jolene actually spayed once they are a bit older. Maybe do it to all of them so Jack isn’t a father and Eleanor doesn’t bring more kids into the house.

Roos (11:46)

Well you know I never say no to dogs, gorgeous.

Bea (11:47)

Me too and while the house is pretty spacious we’d have a baby and that’s always something more to think about. Oh! So, I talked to my doctor and she said we can go back to have another ultrasound when you return! She also suggested those pregnancy classes too so we know what to do and such.

Roos (11:48)

Am I going to be able to hear the heartbeat?

Bea (11:48)

:) yes Roos, you are.

Roos (11: 49)

That’s…that’s so cool. Holy shit.

It doesn’t take too long after this last message for Beatrice’s words to come out as mixed up and short, with several typos and that could only mean that the sleep was finally catching up to her. So he told her good night, again, and told her to take care, let him know anything she found important to share. She didn’t reply and he was pretty sure she just fell asleep with the phone in her hand, snuggling his pillow.

God he missed her.

And after what happened, he missed her even more.

But he had a few more weeks left here and he had to make sure he’d come home in one piece for her and for the baby - and the puppies - so he couldn’t get too distracted before he left. He smiles reading her last messages, then sighs deeply, folding his arms on the table and dropping his head on top, giving himself more of a breather after everything that happened.

He was a dad now, his focus should be doubled no matter what. When he lifts his head after a few seconds enjoying the silence, he runs his hand over his face to snap himself back together, “Alright. Just a few more weeks.” he mutters to himself, sliding his phone into his pocket, “Just a few more weeks and I’ll get home to her and the baby, it’ll be all good.”

“Rooster!” he hears Fanboy call him, “Hey, what do you think your baby will be, boy or girl?”

“...are you guys betting on us again?”

“No.” answers Payback whose head pops from behind the door, “We are just curious.”

“Wait,really?”

“Hell no it’s definitely a bet.” Fanboy laughs, rubbing his hands together, “Come on, throw it out here man, let us know your thoughts.”

“I didn’t even see my baby yet.”

“Even better,” Payback adds, “It helps to build up suspense.”

Rooster opened his mouth to speak, to brush them off but he suddenly remembered about the little girl in Palermo and his mouth works quicker than his mouth does, “Girl.” he says suddenly, then blinks in surprise, “I think.”

“Yes!” Payback claps his hands in triumph, “Told ya!”

“They could have twins, we don’t know yet.”

“You could also accept defeat.”

Rooster just watches his friends bicker to one another with a soft laugh, but his brows furrow when he thinks about it a bit more…why does he feel so strongly it’ll be a girl? Maybe the father's instincts were kicking in already. That had to be it.

“Can I join in the bet?”

“No,” both pilots answer and Rooster makes a displeased face, “You can’t do that,” it was Fanboy who spoke this time, “You are the dad, we are the ones who will…enjoy the earnings.”

“But–”

“That’s how it always was, Rooster.” Payback smirks, crossing his arms over his chest, “We’ve been doing this since your crush on Bea, it’s not going to stop. Even if we did allow you to join last time’s bet, it was one thing only and we back on schedule.”

Rooster just narrows his eyes, “You guys will be terrible uncles.” he chuckles and he could see how his friends’ chest puffed up with pride, “Gotta keep my kid away from your bets.”

“Hey,” Payback laughs, “They all gotta start early at some point.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x named reader

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heycarrots · 1 month ago

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Listen, I’ve been there. It’s all a facade.

I’ll add this piece I wrote a decade ago.

Crazy Pants: Confessions of a Former Tom Cruise Fangirl

So…I have a tough confession to make. It's really quite embarrassing and I've swung back so hard on this issue that I'd like to pretend it never happened, but…it did. I have the creepy fan art from grade school to prove it.

I was a Tom Cruise fan.

There…I said it.

My name is Kendra and, until I was old enough to know better, I was in lust with Tom Cruise.

Big time.

I used to sign off my notes passed to girlfriends in class with ILTC. Yup, that's I Love Tom Cruise. Judge away.

I bring this up now because of the awesome wonder of the HBO documentary, 'Going Clear' and how it showcases the giant ball of crazy that has become Cruise's everyday existence. That leaked Scientology promotional video with him rambling on like a sociopath and grinning his terrifying grin brought home the full level of world destroying truth for my childhood memories.

I remember the first moments that the world started to crack for me. When he and Nicole Kidman divorced, I started to understand that perhaps not all was as it seemed. I found myself siding with Nic on this (I could call her Nic because Tom did and since he was my everything, that was my pass).

It was when he fired his publicist and hired his sister (also a Scientologist) that the full flood of insanity started to pour out. I guess Pat Kingsley, after building him into the most bankable and mysterious movie star in the whole history of Hollywood, turned out to be a suppressive person.

Bad move. Within a month he was jumping up and down on Oprah's couch and proclaiming his undying love for Katie Holmes. I was married to my first husband at the time and remember telling him when they announced their engagement that it was all a publicity stunt and that it couldn't possibly be serious because COME ON!

Turns out, their marriage outlasted mine, but when that fortress cracked, BOY did we witness a nightmare! Katie Holmes fleeing to New York and filing in secret to keep Suri out of the evil clutches of the Church of Scientology was everything I feared it would be, just delayed by contractual obligation and the seething, overbearing smile of doom.

When she finally got out, I summed it up this way:

Katie Holmes was not all that unlike myself. She was very open about her Tom Cruise childhood crush and how she always knew she wanted to marry him. Flash forward 26 years (just one year shy of my age at the time) and she was finally getting her wish.

Wish fulfillment is a funny thing. It's not always what you wanted, once you've finally grasped it.

When I was in middle school, the one thing I wanted, more than anything in the world, was a pair of Z Cavaricci pants. For the Millennials and Zoomers out there (I’m a Xennial circa 1979), I'll educate you. These babies were the actual shit. They were high-waisted pants, ballooning at the thighs before tapering at the knees to slim fitting ankles.

They were also, for my lower-middle class family, way too expensive. Who wouldn't want to pay $80 for a pair of pants designed to give you saddle-bags? I begged my mother for them and finally, after tears and pleading and the wearing of sackcloth and ashes, my mom finally came through for me. While out shopping, she managed to find a pair of magnificent white Z Cavaricci pants on the clearance rack for 50% off.

Finally, I could hold my head up high in the cafeteria, strutting with my tray to my table of fellow outcasts in high faux-Italian style!

There was just one problem . . .

No one else was wearing Z Cavariccis. Not a single soul. Suddenly it dawned on me why my beautiful pants had been on the clearance rack.

No one wanted them anymore.

My dreams were dashed and I was devastated. I walked home in shame.

All those years later, when I heard Katie talking about her childhood dreams of snagging Maverick and then witnessing the reality of the situation…the couch jumping, the Body Thetans, the rumored "girlfriend auditions”…what I sadly realized is that poor Katie had just gotten herself a pair of half priced Z Cavariccis.

Oh, girl…I've been there. But Katie and I, we've both come out stronger. She now has a beautiful daughter and a permanent tap on her phone and I realized that Cavariccis were ugly to begin with.

We all have them, is what I'm saying…those silly childhood fantasy worlds which, at some point in growing up, shatter around us. We may look back in horror at our naivete, however we would not be who we have become without them.

- Kendra Spring Klasek

ILTC

as a lesbian my shameful crush is tom cruise. i think it's mostly a competency thing tbh. and i think he'd be a calming presence during a crisis

Tom Cruise? Calming? You think Tom Cruise would be calming? A calming presence? Tom Cruise? Competency? You think Tom Cruise is competent? Tom? Tom Cruise? Calming? During a crisis? Calming? Tom Cruise? A calming? Presence? Tom Cruise? You think during a crisis Tom Cruise would calm you down? Tom? Tom Cruise?

#shameful crush night #tom cruise #scientology #Z Cavaricci #katie holmes #nicole kidman #fanart #fan art #my writing

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arnoldjaime13 · 4 years ago

Text

Blog Tour- BETRAYER by @ANConway With An Excerpt & #Giveaway! @RockstarBkTours

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BETRAYER by Nicole Conway Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: BETRAYER (The Dragonrider Heritage #2)

Author: Nicole Conway

Pub. Date: February 23, 2020

Publisher: Broadfeather Books

Formats: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

The darkest secrets of Murdoc’s violent past may be their last hope.

As pressure mounts to find the Tibran witch, Devana, Thatcher and his companions struggle to regroup after discovering Phillip’s bitter betrayal. Forced into hiding while they await a new plan of attack from Prince Judan's network of spies, tensions rise and threaten to tear their company apart. Murdoc knows every second they linger risks another attack from the vicious Ulfrangar Assassins or Phillip, but Reigh is determined to stay and await new instructions.

With two of his closest friends now locked in a battle of wills, Thatcher is caught in the middle—until a surprise assault by the Ulfrangar drags him into the darkest depths of their brutal order. Faced with a life-and-death race against time, Murdoc is the only one who might be able to save him now. But for Murdoc, taking up an assassin’s blade again to fight the same order that trained him will also mean facing the worst demons of his past.

Can Murdoc finally rise above his bloody past and save his only friend? Or does destiny have a new path in store for an assassin-turned-hero?

About Book 1:

Title: HUNTER (The Dragonrider Heritage #1)

Author: Nicole Conway

Pub. Date: November 24, 2020

Publisher: Broadfeather Books

Formats: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

One boy must earn the trust of a blind dragon and hunt down an elusive sorceress before she can rekindle the war that nearly destroyed their world.

As the Kingdom of Maldobar emerges victorious from the brutal invasion of the Tibran Empire, much of the land is left in utter ruin. With his home destroyed and family gone, 16-year-old Thatcher Renley has no one left to turn to. And when he’s mistaken for a Tibran soldier and banished to a wartime prison camp, Thatcher knows his only hope for freedom lies in appealing to Queen Jenna directly.

But getting out of the prison camp might be the least of his worries— especially after he stumbles across a feral dragon locked in an iron cell.

As far as dragons go, Fornax is a lost cause. The battle that killed his rider also left him blind and too aggressive for any knight to control. But Thatcher can’t deny feeling drawn to the beast. Does he have what it takes to calm Fornax and join the proud ranks of Maldobar’s dragonriders? Only time will tell. And with a bloodthirsty Tibran witch threatening to rekindle the chaos of war, everyone’s time may be running out.

Excerpt

PART ONE

Murdoc

Chapter One

Thatcher Renley was, by far, the biggest idiot I had ever met in my entire life—and that’s saying something, because I’d also met Prince Reigh Farrow. He was in a close second. But at least he had enough common sense to know that this so-called hunt Queen Jenna and Jaevid Broadfeather had sent us on was essentially a glorified suicide mission. We were charging straight into a fight with a largely unknown Tibran witch, armed with only fragments of information about her abilities and location. And if that weren’t enough, there were only three competent fighters among our group—dragons included.

Granted, Reigh could manage decently against common enemies. He’d apparently been trained in combat by the Gray Elves, and their scouts had recently improved in their fighting ability. They must’ve stumbled across someone with an actual brain who was now training their scouts and warriors. Knowing that, Reigh had probably held his own fairly well in Luntharda. But we were a long way from the wild jungle, and sooner or later, that temper of his was going to cost him.

Phoebe was … well. Hmm. Perplexing, I guess. She fluttered around with her mad storm of red curls flying, bubbling like an excited child about the projects she was working on, and radiating a relentless optimism that sort of made me sick to my stomach after a while. Not that she annoyed me, really. It was just strange to be around someone that persistently happy all the time. Happiness wasn’t something I’d had much experience with.

Which brings me back to the biggest moron of them all who, unfortunately, was now both my primary concern and the bane of my existence. Thatcher was astronomically stupid. Honestly, it was staggering he’d survived as long as he had without someone following him around, smacking his hand whenever he was about to try something dangerous. He’d volunteered for this mission without having any combat training of any kind. He was a farrier’s son, for crying out loud, and was essentially the human personification of a dandelion puff. Short, scrawny, wide-eyed, and baby-faced—he didn’t have a prayer of surviving this mess unless someone watched over him constantly.

How, by all the Gods and Fates, I had wound up being that person was still beyond my understanding.

Ugh. Fine, fine. I’d done it by choice, I suppose. Sort of, anyway. I mean, sure, I could have left him there in that alleyway in Thornbend to die along with most of the other peasants and villagers. Maybe that would’ve been kinder in the long run—especially if we were all soaring toward a gruesome death right now. Still, in that moment, with all the world swallowed up in flames and that pitiful kid on the ground at my feet, I’d looked into his eyes as he spoke to me, offering me a different path I’d craved for so long. And I’d realized … no one had ever talked to me that way before. Like I was someone and not something. No one had ever treated me that way. No one had ever looked at me and regarded me like … a person.

So, I’d made a rash and irrevocable decision. A mistake, probably. But then again, I’d been swallowing back hopes of escaping that life—the life of an Ulfrangar assassin—for as long as I could remember. That night in Thornbend had been my first real opportunity. The only catch was, of course, keeping the baby-faced kid who kept calling me “friend” alive, too.

Thatcher treated everyone that way, though. It’s like there was no room in his mind for the possibility that a person really could be evil. Shocking, considering the vacant way he stared at me sometimes—like you could pass a twig through his ear and it would come out the other side and not hit anything in between.

At first, I’d just assumed he was incredibly sheltered or naïve. Maybe he was. But after our experience with Phoebe, finding out that she had been a Tibran, I’d expected him to reject her entirely. Anyone else probably would have. Whether out of shame or fear, she’d kept that information from everyone.

But Thatcher had insisted on helping her. He’d forgiven her without a second thought. He was stupid, yes. But he was also far kinder than anyone could ever deserve.

Least of all me.

He still called me his friend like it was nothing. He laughed and chatted with me as though he genuinely enjoyed my company and wanted me around. He kept chasing after me whenever I tried to put some safe distance between us. Didn’t he get it? Couldn’t he sense it at all? I was not a good person. I never had been. I’d accepted a long time ago that no matter where I went or what I did, the pack—the Ulfrangar—would always own me. They’d carved their mark upon my soul from the very beginning and nothing could erase it. Deep down, I would always be one of them.

Even now, sitting behind Reigh astride his lithe green dragon, the weight of their presence crushed down over my body from every side. They were everywhere and nowhere. They moved in shadow, lived in anonymity, and thrived on the constant stream of the world’s darkest secrets. There was no place I could hide, nowhere I could go that they wouldn’t be able to reach.

The more I thought about it, the harder it was to justify why I’d let Jaevid set me free—even if I knew the answer already. Because of Thatcher, the idiot. No one seemed to know what he’d done to provoke Devana and her new monstrous minion, Phillip. Maybe nothing. And honestly, I didn’t care. It didn’t matter. They wouldn’t put a hand on him if I had anything to say about it. He’d called me a friend—someone who was like a brother to him—and that was enough. It was more than anyone else had ever done for me my entire life.

We cruised, riding the strong winds coming in from the sea along the eastern coastline. The tower of Eastwatch faded behind us, and far below, small villages and towns dotted the hills. Most were a safe distance from the steep cliffs that dropped into the toiling dark ocean—places where wild dragons liked to nest. But the farther we flew to the north, the more the cliffs gave way to rocky beaches. Fishing towns were built right up against the banks amidst the clusters of odd, hexagonal basalt columns and massive trunks of washed-up driftwood from Luntharda’s giant trees.

Dayrise stood just a few miles inland, stretching all the way to the sea where a large port was packed tight with big merchant ships. The vessels cruised in from the open sea, white sails puffed and banners fluttering high as flocks of seagulls chased them in. Most were probably owned by merchants happy to be sailing their trade routes again now that the Tibran war was over.

Not that I’d ever been to Dayrise myself, honestly. The Ulfrangar network spanned far beyond Maldobar’s borders, but the territory I’d been assigned to work was back down on the southern tip of the kingdom. I’d never had any reason to journey this far north.

Too bad it didn’t make me feel the least bit more secure.

A glimmer caught my eye far in the distance off our right side—the tell-tale flash of sunlight over glossy scales. A dragon. He was far off, maybe three miles on our tail, and had been since we left Eastwatch. From so far away, I couldn’t tell much else. Maybe it was just a security escort from the dragonriders keeping an eye on us from afar. Maybe it was a curious wild drake that’d caught wind of the dragoness in our group and was interested in her. I didn’t know.

And when it came to being followed, I hated not knowing.

The sight of those faraway scale flashes and the faint shape of great dark wings flapping put a pang of dread like a cold iron spike in my gut. I looked away and set my teeth against the rush of adrenaline that made my skin tingle and my heart pound like mad. I’d have to mention it to the others eventually. But not yet. I needed more information, first. To be sure this wasn’t some arrangement Jaevid had put in place because, well, he now knew what I was. He had every reason to be concerned and to want to keep a close eye on things.

Or on me, rather.

Reigh started our descent as we neared the city’s outer limits. I had no idea where we were supposed to go or who Jaevid Broadfeather had waiting for us. Hopefully not another noble with an estate we might accidentally burn down. Well, sort of accidentally, anyway. And technically we hadn’t been the one doing the burning, but I digress. Whatever. Burned is burned, I suppose.

Unlike Eastwatch, the city of Dayrise wasn’t one visited by dragonriders on military orders on a regular basis. There was no towering spire meant to house soldiers and mounts looming over the rooftops, and no high city walls topped with battlements. Not that we got any strange looks as our dragons circled outside the city’s outer limits. In fact, there were more than a dozen sizable inns crowded around the main roads leading in and out of the city’s tightly packed streets. Many of them were flanked by massive barns two or three stories tall intended to house dragons.

Reigh chose one closer to the port on the western side of the city and guided his green dragoness into a smooth landing. She cupped her wings and stretched out her hind legs, landing on the grass as elegantly as a swan on a pond.

Thatcher’s much larger orange drake landed next to us, shaking his black-horned head and puffing unhappy snorts through his nose. The dragon curled his long, striped tail around his legs and bristled, small ears turned back as those milky green eyes darted around.

I frowned. Thatcher trusted that beast wholeheartedly. But I’d seen it drag him across the horizon like caught prey once already. Thatcher had been lucky to walk away from that ordeal—luckier than anyone else seemed to want to acknowledge.

“Let’s get Vexi and Fornax settled here and find our contact,” Reigh called back to me as he straightened in the saddle. He pulled off his helmet, nearly slapping me in the face with the end of his long, sweaty braid in the process.

“This is an old city,” I muttered as I studied the road ahead that led into the narrow cobblestone streets. “Places like this tend to be dangerous after dark, and there’s only a few hours of daylight left. We should go quickly.”

He unbuckled and dismounted first, then stood sorting through his saddlebags while I climbed down. “I agree. Which is why I’m leaving you in charge of this.” Reigh took out a small drawstring purse, poured a few gold coins into his palm then tied it shut again and tossed it in my direction. “Our contact is supposed to meet us at the sign for the Crosswall Docks. They’re probably already waiting on us. Think you can find it? Taverns with dragon accommodations are harder to come by here, and we need to keep a low profile—meaning, we stay away from the ones farther into the city. So, I’ll settle up for the dragons here and meet you there.”

The purse jangled when I caught it, as though there were still quite a few coins tucked away inside. “You expect that to take a while? We need to stay together.” It wouldn’t take that long, of course. I knew that as well as he did—meaning he had another motive for wanting a few minutes alone.

“I’ve got some letters to send back to Luntharda. Shouldn’t take me more than an hour,” he replied, bowing his head to hide his face as he crammed the handful of coins into his pocket. Reigh’s emotions ran so close to the surface, it was ridiculously easy to read him even with his face angled away. Judging by the scarlet color his ears were turning, these must have been personal letters. Letters to a girl, most likely. Love letters. Ugh.

He would’ve made a terrible assassin.

“And who is it that I’m supposedly looking for at the docks?” I pocketed the bag of coins and ran a hand through my hair, trying in vain to get it out of my eyes. Months away from my former life had allowed it to grow out longer than it’d ever been before. I’d have to fix that soon.

Reigh’s expression scrunched as though he were trying to think—emphasis on trying. Complex thought didn’t seem to be one of his stronger qualities. “He didn’t say specifically. Just that we’re looking for another Broadfeather. His brother, probably. I can’t recall his first name, but I met him briefly after the war ended.”

“If we go on ahead, how do you intend to find us later?” I arched an eyebrow.

He shrugged. “Looking for someone named Broadfeather at Crosswall Docks? That’s plenty to go on. I’m sure someone can point me in the right direction.”

Fair point. A last name like that was one people generally remembered, after all.

“Did you see all the ships?” a sing-song voice chimed suddenly. Phoebe practically fluttered over to stand beside me, her red curls bobbing around her and her big, blue eyes shimmering with excitement. “Aren’t they beautiful? Can we go see them up close?”

Reigh’s entire demeanor soured as he stood straighter. “Didn’t see enough of them while you were sailing around with the Tibrans, conquering other kingdoms and slaughtering their people?” He growled every word through his teeth as he leered down at her.

She shrank back some, almost like she might duck behind me if he made a move toward her. “O-Oh, um, well, no. I mean, yes, I did have to sail with them. But Lord Argonox didn’t allow me to leave my cell or go up onto the deck during—” She stopped short and went quiet. Her brows drew together as she flicked speedy, nervous glances around everyone. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered at last, as though she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Reigh didn’t respond. Instead, he glowered down at her with his mouth mashed into a tight frown. His light amber eyes flashed with a mixture of wrath and what I could only guess was withheld terror.

I’d seen that look before from my Ulfrangar handler whenever I’d challenged or defied him, as though for the briefest instant he wasn’t sure if he should hold his ground or flee. And while I could sympathize to a degree—after all, Phoebe had apparently been the one in charge of all the magical experimentation for the Tibran Empire—she was about as threatening as a freshly-cut daisy on her own. She probably weighed seventy pounds to his one hundred and fifty or so.

Awkward silence hung in the air until Thatcher drifted over to join us, sporting his usual, blissfully vacant grin. “Are we staying here for the night?” he asked cheerily. “I’ve never stayed at an inn before. I thought Jaevid had arranged for us to stay with someone in the city?”

With a tight sigh, Reigh spun on a heel and gestured for Thatcher to follow him. “He did, but we’ve got to get the dragons settled and I’m betting yours will need extra assistance. So, come with me. Murdoc, you can take her and find our host. We’ll catch up.”

Phoebe didn’t say a word for a long time as she followed along close beside me. Lugging her bag of gear over my shoulder, I tried not to look her way more than necessary. According to Thatcher, I gave the impression that I was glaring whenever I stared at someone for too long. No need to make it worse.

Besides, one glance was all it took. The distant fogginess in her eyes as she stared down at the sidewalk put an uncomfortable tightness in my chest. I should say something, right? That was the normal thing to do. Wasn’t it? Gods and Fates, how was I supposed to know what normal was?

“You should stop apologizing,” I blurted before I could change my mind. My tone came out much harsher than I intended, as usual. Curse it all. I should have kept my mouth shut. Silence was always safer.

Phoebe tripped over an uneven stone. She staggered, and I snapped my free hand out. I seized her arm to hold her steady.

She let out a scream. Not a surprised little yelp—a real, primal, utterly terrified scream. Phoebe went completely stiff in my grasp, blinking up at me with her entire body trembling.

What? Why would she look at me like that—like I was about to do something terrible to her? I’d never raised a hand to her. Was it because she knew I was an Ulfrangar now?

Before I could ask or even say a word, her entire expression suddenly went blank again. Her body relaxed and she glanced around, seeming confused for a moment. “O-Oh! Murdoc! I-I guess you startled me.” She blinked up at me, face flushing almost as red as her hair. The forced, twitchy smile on her lips looked almost painful. “I’m so sor—um, I mean, thank you.”

I slowly let her go. “I … I didn’t mean stop apologizing in general. I meant stop apologizing to Reigh.”

Phoebe swallowed hard. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she fidgeted with the embroidered hem of her long tunic as her mouth scrunched up. “I, um, well, I mean he is right to hate me. I did—”

“I know what you did,” I interrupted as I began walking again. “Most everyone does now, right? But Queen Jenna forgave you. The Court of Crowns absolved you. You’ve apologized to everyone over and over, including Reigh. You’ve made changes to your life to become something better now. No one can ask any more of you than that.”

“But he still hates me, doesn’t he? He’d probably kill me if you and Thatcher weren’t here.” She trotted to catch up and fall in step next to me like before.

“There’s nothing you can do about that. You can’t change your past or erase what you’ve done. And because of that, some people will always hate you. Even if you do everything right from now on, it still won’t matter to them. They will never be able to see you as anything more than what you were,” I tried to explain without biting every bitter word through my teeth. “But that doesn’t mean you should go on groveling for forgiveness. You’ve done your part. Forgiving you is Reigh’s problem now. So let it go.”

She didn’t respond right away. For a few more blocks, she followed along in total silence while we wound our way through the city’s narrow streets toward the sea. Then I felt the pressure of her wide, blue-eyed gaze on me again. It hit me like the glare of the sun, making my skin tingle. “Aren’t you afraid that people won’t forgive you for being an Ulfrangar?”

I paused at a corner before a broad, open square. In the center, a white stone fountain sprayed ribbons of water around the bust of a man in battle armor. He stood tall and proud, his eyes seemingly focused right on me, with a helmet under his arm while his other hand rested on the pommel of the sword belted at his hip. A dragonrider, most likely. But not one I recognized.

“That’s different. I don’t expect them to forgive me, so it would be pointless to ask for it,” I confessed as I held the statue’s frozen gaze. “The people who know what I’ve done could never truly forgive me. Like King Jace. And the ones who don’t understand only offer their forgiveness because they don’t know any better.” I flicked a look down at her. “Like Thatcher.”

Her mouth scrunched into a dissatisfied little frown. “What about Lord Jaevid, then? He knows, doesn’t he?”

I couldn’t keep the irony from my tone. “No. Not really. He’s gotten a small taste of it, so now he’s suspicious. But he doesn’t understand the extent of what I am.”

“Well, I forgive you, Murdoc,” Phoebe announced, a rebellious crease in her brow. “So which am I, then? Someone who understands? Or someone who doesn’t?”

I had to think about that.

The Tibran Empire had paid hefty sums to hire out Ulfrangar assassins and spies throughout the war. Phoebe had probably seen others like me before, if only in passing. She’d certainly seen all of the evil and unbridled cruelty that could come from a man like Argonox. In fact, she had probably witnessed and experienced more of it than even she could remember. But did she really comprehend what I was? What I’d done to survive up to this point?

“Could you forgive Argonox?” I countered. “Or any of the soldiers who were in charge of keeping you obedient? What about the ones who put those marks on your skin?”

Her face slowly drained of color. “B-But you didn’t do tha—”

“I’m no different from them,” I cut her off quickly. “You strip away the emblems and the banners, the flags and the creeds, and you’re left with the same thing. At its roots, evil is evil, and it doesn’t matter what you dress it up in. That’s why deep down, I’ll always be what the Ulfrangar made me. I’ll carry their darkness in me until the day I die.”

“You really think that?” Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. “You truly believe you’re evil like Lord Argonox was?”

I set my jaw and looked away. No matter how I turned the words in my head, none of them sounded right. I couldn’t bring myself to answer. It wouldn’t matter anyway. Clearly, she couldn’t understand. We were nothing alike. Phoebe hadn’t chosen to become a Tibran. She hadn’t chosen to do all of the things Argonox had forced her to do. But there had been moments in my life, a few vile moments steeped in malice and blood, when I had. I could have rebelled then. I could have let the Ulfrangar kill me for my defiance and ended it there. But instead … I’d accepted that fate. Wanted it. Thrived on it.

Sometimes, I’d even enjoyed it.

That was the part of myself King Jace would never trust—the part Reigh, Thatcher, Jaevid, and Phoebe should have been disgusted by. But they didn’t know.

And I had no idea how to tell them.

About Nicole:

Nicole is an award-winning, #1 international bestselling author from North Alabama. With a passion for relatable, authentic characters and exciting, fast-paced plots, Nicole is best known for her series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES. Other published works include THE DRAGONRIDER LEGACY SERIES, SPIRITS OF CHAOS SERIES, MAD MAGIC SAGA, and THE DRAGONRIDER HERITAGE SERIES (Coming Winter 2020).

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sulfurousdreamscapes · 5 years ago

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Twenty minutes before I went to heaven, I was listening to music from the Italian film Discoteca del purgatorio ("Dancing Like Hell", 1968, Colour). Old music YouTube is generally a wholesome place to be, so I scrolled down to read what people thought of it.

Of course they'd be fawning all over how they connected to the film. Of course they'd be mentioning emotional anecdotes (probably made-up) about how the films of Luca Carlozzi impacted their lives. I'd written a few of those myself, back in the day.

Now it's true I've seen many movies in my life. It's kind of a requirement, when you're aspiring to be a filmmaker. Luca Carlozzi, however, was on a different level entirely. His movies were obscure and hard to find, but they spoke to me, not just through their stories and dialogue, but through their sheer imagery, through the camera movement, the blocking, the editing, even the props he used. I mean, I have a replica of the striped shirt worn by Valentino Bergamo in I giovani americani ("Oh, Those Poor Young Americans!", 1969, Colour).

I was thinking of an anecdote to add to this video's comments, but I decided to read what was already there first.

"Who else is here after they heard about Carlozzi? What an absolute legend he was."

29 upvotes. 2 weeks ago.

The music separated from itself like an amoeba and I stopped following its rhythm while I frantically slid my finger across the touchpad and bombarded the keyboard. I misspelled Carlozzi, but sure enough, there it was - mostly on Italian websites and niche film blogs.

I sat there, staring through the laptop screen until it went black. I got up from my seat and walked with the wall for support (just like Zaira Vial in Il coltello chiamato amore ("Blood on the Wedding Dress", 1973, Colour)). With every step I took, I felt my the life I knew get ripped away from my hands, like a newborn baby from its crying mother.

"I can't begin my career until I've met Signore Carlozzi myself," I had told the people who knew me. "Without his blessing, without his personal attention—I will never make films that amount to anything."

I imagined Carlozzi's funeral. I imagined his coffin being lowered (top-down shot, slow zoom out). I could be on a flight to Milan right now, and all I'd get to see is his gravestone. He wouldn't place his hand on me. He wouldn't struggle to pronounce my name. He wouldn't tell me I have a bright future in filmmaking ahead of me.

While my parents snored in their bed, I walked past their room like a zombie and to the little shrine we had in the house. I fell to my knees (it hurt more than I thought it would), and I slapped my hands together in prayer.

"I've never believed in you," I said, my voice low and guttural. "Not once. But this time, you will take me to where you've taken Luca Carlozzi."

The incense smoke wafted into my nostrils, and the dim red light made the shrine look positively sinister. I clenched my eyes shut again. "Please!"

And this time, I heard a voice. I felt like I was being lifted up by two pairs of strong, muscled arms, right from where I had been kneeling. No, that was actually happening. Two burly, bearded men where forcing me to stand, and the camera suddenly zoomed into a close-up on the cigar-smoking, white-suited Saul Fasciano, as he swivelled in his chair and crossed his legs with a grin for years.

"You wanted to meet me, yes? Now you are here, but you will never leave this place." Saul threw his head back and laughed as the music blared in alarm.

"Sorry," I replied, unable to stop smiling. "I wasn't looking to move here."

And just like that, I shifted my weight according to a technique I had learned in Japan, and one of the burly men was flying into the other. The two collapsed into a pile, and Fasciano stood up and golf-clapped. The subtitles under his face were yellow and rough-edged. "What a shame. You could have made a good couple... seeing as I already have Nicole!"

The camera panned to a glimmering curtain, which was suddenly parted to reveal Zaira Vial in a torn, revealing dress, with a tape across her mumbling mouth and palpable fear in her eyes.

"Nicole!" I screamed, even as the white-suited mob boss laughed (no closed captions).

An animated wipe of the screen took me to the streets of Rome, where Valentino Bergamo was leaning against his striped sportscar, his face impassive beneath the sunglasses and hat. "Took you long enough," he said. "Miss Crawford."

I blushed, and I let him hold the fingers of my hand. "Please, Alessio," I said, moving my shoulders for sex appeal. "I told you to call me Faith. Just Faith."

He lifted my fingers to his lips and kissed them so softly, it was like they'd been touched by petals. "Just Faith," he said. "What else do I need?"

Another wipe transition. I stood amidst a row of men, all of us wearing nothing but our underwear. A grey-uniformed German officer (played by an older Eliana Lico) berated us in bad German, whipping one of the American prisoners at random.

I'd even seen this one, and I knew exactly what was going to happen (it was one of Carlozzi's seven pornographic films). It was painful, erotic, and thoroughly skeezy. Nevertheless, it was directed by Carlozzi, which meant that there was a certain genius behind it all.

Just as the most painful (and most erotic) scene was coming on, I heard Carlozzi.

"Cut!" he announced.

Crew members materialised on the scene as Eliana put on a towel and walked off the scene. I stood there, hairy and exposed as Carlozzi walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. He was shorter than me, and he was wearing glasses under his hat.

"You're not doing it the way I want you to do it, Guido," he said. There were no subtitles, but I understood every word he was saying.

"I'm sorry, signore," I said, almost desperate to lower myself in front of his greatness. "I will do exactly as you tell me to. Working with you has been my dream, signore, I can't tell you how much—"

He shook his head and laughed. "You're doing great," he said. "Keep doing what you're doing. Remember, making a good movie is more important than realising your dream."

He patted my shoulder and returned to his chair as we prepared for another take.

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recentanimenews · 6 years ago

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THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH Crashes the Chunin Exams in Episodes 64-70!

Come and come all to THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH! I'm Nicole Mejias, and I'll be your host this week as we make our way through all 220 episodes of the original Naruto. Last week, we covered episodes 57-63, and we continue this week with episodes 64-70.

So the Chunin exam finally comes to a close in an explosive way, as Sasuke and Gaara face off! This was quite the rollercoaster batch of episodes, with the debut of Sasuke's Chidori attack, the hints about Sasuke's true abilities to power up, Gaara's real strength, and then... the exam ends with the attack of Sand on Leaf. It seems like Orochimaru felt Gaara going out of control was the perfect time to hatch his plan, and now everything is in chaos. As we finish up for this batch, we start getting some truly confusing resurrection powers utilized to give us 2 on 1 Hokage fighting action! Seems like things are only going to heat up after this week's batch!

Alright, let's get the ball rolling and on to what the Crunchyroll Features team thought of this week's episodes!

This week's episode sees the Chunin exam come to a somewhat unsatisfying ending as the true plan of the Sand Village unfolds. I remember my first time around that I wanted to see the exam actually complete, but how do you all feel about this sudden interruption?

Joseph: I didn’t mind it at all, it made the story less predictable and kept the pace up rather than transitioning into your usual post-tournament downtime. I really enjoyed the tournament but I can’t say I care who would have won.

Carolyn: I have to agree, I thought it was nice to see a bigger world/threat/issue than just the controlled, one-on-one fights.

Danni: I love a good tournament arc, so it’s a bit of a shame this one only lasted a few matches. That being said, the new developments are pretty cool. I’m looking forward to where it goes from here if a war does indeed break out.

Kevin: It makes for a bit more dramatic turn, since on first viewing it seems like we’re about to go into another short tournament to finish the arc, but then a war starts. In terms of personal feelings, I could go either way. I appreciate the story not following the exact beats that the audience expects, but I also like tournaments, so wanted to see how the fights progressed.

David: Stopping powerlevel defining tournaments early isn’t exactly new—looking at you, Saint Seiya—but in this case the seeds for the attack have been sown as early as the forest arc, so it’s hard to complain. If anything it would be disappointing if nothing had come of that.

Paul: I welcome the swerve. Sure, in part it feels like Kishimoto got bored with the whole tournament fighting arc, but I love the idea that there's a huge, precarious world out there filled with fragile alliances and ninja skullduggery of which the main characters, in their youthful innocence, are only experiencing a tiny taste.

Kara: I don’t think I’d call this ending unsatisfying, really. I mean, everyone got slapped in the face before the Round 3 preliminaries with the fact that the exams are largely politically motivated, and we’ve known the Sand Village was up to something the whole time. I feel like finishing everything out by the book and handing out Chunin diplomas or whatever would be more disappointing after all that setup.

Noelle: Tournament arcs are such a staple that they almost feel expected for the genre—so anything that tosses it up is something that I’d welcome. 1v1 fights are fun, but after a while, I think I’d lose the patience to sit through the whole thing.

Jared: I think this was fine the tournament during the opening round. It’s certainly something that doesn’t blindside you as it’s abundantly clear something’s going to happen, but it’s a neat way to play with your expectations.

Sasuke is back the spotlight this week during his face off against Gaara, and wow, it’s definitely quite the impressive fight! What are your thoughts on Sasuke vs Gaara after all the build up for Gaara and Naruto?

Joseph: I love how unhinged Gaara is, especially after we learned more about him during his backstory last week. It’s kind of dull that Gaara essentially turtles on defense the entire time, but I like the moment where it hints once again at his monstrous transformation. Even though I said I didn’t need to see the tournament fully play out, I would have liked to have seen where this fight went if it were allowed to continue.

Carolyn: I just felt so bad for Rock Lee the whole time. Those were his moves! But Gaara freaking out and losing his mind over a little blood is part of why I liked him so much on first watch. He’s almost uncomfortably weird.

Danni: I dunno, I thought it was pretty underwhelming. It seemed more like a teaser for an approaching REAL battle between them than anything.

Kevin: Sasuke versus Gaara is one of the fights that I remember most from when I watched the show as a kid. Sasuke pulling out new techniques, showing how much more powerful he’s become, all of it stuck in my head. Watching it again… it’s not as good as I thought. They renamed Raikiri to Chidori for no real reason, and Sasuke managed to reach Lee levels of Taijutsu in a month (and also offscreen), when Lee himself is supposed to be a genius at martial arts, and it took him years to get that far.

Nate: They actually get into this—the Raikiri (Lightning Blade) is Kakashi's version of the original technique, Chidori (Thousand Birds).

David: As others mentioned, this is the first real example of classic shonen action powercreep; Gai and Kakashi point out in no uncertain terms that Sasuke has matched Rock Lee’s physical prowess within a month, and Rock himself even admits this. There’s also only one good bit of animation before the whole thing goes wrong. Overall it’s important but kind of disappointing even if you’re a Sasuke fan.

Paul: I don't currently have any opinions on Sasuke vs. Gaara, since that fight it still on-going, but I do wonder where exactly the story is going with that bit about Gaara momentarily transforming into the Tetsuo-blob from the end of Akira.

Kara: This was my semi-regular reminder that Gaara is a walking horror movie. Gotta agree with Carolyn, I feel sorry for Rock Lee watching Sasuke out there using his moves. Nothing against ludicrous power-ups. Just Sasuke taking a level in awesome, while awesome, feels kind of sour when viewed through the lens of Lee’s story. I’m starting to understand why Naruto is so cranky about Sasuke in his periphery constantly.

Noelle: Sasuke was always going to get his power-up, that was inevitable, but it feels kind of… eh. Probably because we didn’t really see Sasuke work to get these power-ups much, so it doesn’t really feel earned that he’d suddenly become more powerful, especially enough to copy Lee. Sure, Sasuke’s the co-protagonist of the series, but it doesn’t feel as much of a thrilling fight from his end. Gaara is now full-blown horror and I love it.

Jared: It was kind of weird since they build this up to be Sasuke being the returning hero to vanquish Gaara, but since he’s been out of the picture since his fightin the prelims, the real build had been more Naruto/Gaara. Probably doesn’t help that there’s no real conclusion here. Sasuke certainly gets his moments of showing he’s truly back and more formidable than ever and Gaara looks even more unhinged, but it certainly didn’t have the same feel that a Naruto/Gaara match would have had.

This is the first time we see the Chidori in action, showing off how much Sasuke really does seem to be ahead of Naruto in terms of skill. How’d you all feel seeing this signature attack for the first time?

Joseph: They do a good job of making it clear how powerful Sasuke has come in such a short period of time. I dig that they made it seem as if he spent the whole time mastering genjutsu before busting out his awesome new move.

Carolyn: Agreed. It gives some justification for his almost rockstar status amongst his classmates. But also goes to show that hard work and determination are key factors.

Danni: It was cool seeing a physical manifestation of chakra just obliterating anything near it, but it still bums me out that Naruto doesn’t get to be the protagonist of his own show.

Kevin: Sasuke running down the wall, ball of lightning in hand, is one of the most iconic moments in anime for me. It stuck in my imagination for years after seeing it for the first time. My only issue with it is that Guy and Kakashi try to explain away the name change, and it doesn’t really make sense why the technique has two names.

Paul: Having never watched Naruto before, and having only ever absorbed bits and pieces of it through cultural osmosis over the years, I'm ashamed to admit that when I kept hearing people say “Chidori”, I assumed that it was the name of a kunoichi. I think the technique is cooler when Kakashi uses it, personally.

Kara: Despite my aforementioned feeling for Lee, I gotta admit the Chidori looked pretty rad. And yeah, I kind of thought Chidori was a person and not a move, but I’m looking forward to seeing it used later.

Noelle: There’s no questioning it, Chidori looks awesome!

Jared: It makes sense he would inherit a devastating attack like that, plus it’s a cool looking attack to boot.

This segment of the show really gets to let Shikamaru shine a bit, with him fighting Temari and also fighting the faceless Sound Ninja. Shikamaru was always a favorite of mine, and I know some of you like him too, so how do you feel after seeing him get some serious action?

Joseph: I love Shikamaru’s attitude, and I appreciate how differently his fight ends up playing out compared to the rest of the tournament. With that in mind, his real highlight is episode 70 in the classic trope of staying behind to give your teammates a chance to escape. The resolution of that scene is fantastic.

Carolyn: I love him! He’s basically a genius mastermind who hates that he’s so capable and it’s great. I agree that his stepping up in the actual battle is where he really shines this time around. My favorite bit would actually have to be his very, very detailed plans for how he expects the rest of his life/future to turn out. The boy has brains and strategy, to say the least.

Danni: He has such a bad attitude, and I love it. It was great finally seeing him thinking five steps ahead of everyone else around him. I hope he eventually figures out some kind of finisher for when he has someone trapped in shadow paralysis.

Kevin: Seeing Shikamaru actually fight is a bit odd. I love seeing him in action, but he is most at home as a tactician. In his first fight, he gave up because he was running low on chakra, and in the second fight he needed his teacher to save him because he ran out of chakra. He is a brilliant strategist, but don’t force him to actually fight people himself.

David: Honestly, I don’t think the show does a great job of convincing me of Shikamaru’s character. We don’t know a whole lot about him before this, which is fine, but then he ‘defeats’ Temari mostly because she forgets a tunnel can also have a shadow in it. Then later Sakura is impressed when he stays behind to stall the enemies because he has never been “this reliable of a character before” as she puts it, but most of what we’ve seen from him has been a subverting of that so far, which doesn’t work when I wasn’t convinced of the original concept in the first place. So overall I’m less impressed than I remember being before.

Paul: I like the cerebral aspects to Shikamaru's fighting style, but I could do without the low-grade sexism of him complaining about how he keeps getting matched up against girls. The women in this universe are clearly as dangerous as the men, and a shuriken will kill you just as dead regardless of the gender of the person who throws it. Get over yourself, Cloud Boy.

Kara: It’s funny because Shikamaru annoyed me so much early on for being Captain Haaa Mendokusaaaai. Not that that’s not a mood. I do appreciate that the show played me (and Shikamaru’s classmates) for a fool with that, though. It never occurred to me that he might consider things boring because he’s already five steps ahead of everyone else. As much as I appreciate his tactics, I do kind of hope he gets his ass handed to him by a kunoichi before long.

Noelle: I really think that Shikamaru’s real time to shine comes later, but here we get a fairly good idea what he’s about. He’s smart, his fighting style is unconventional and that makes him rely more on tactics as opposed to brute strength. That being said, even though he’s up against Temari who is more along the lines of overpowering her opponents, this fight isn’t that bad.

Jared: I was kind of surprised just how much they put him over in these episodes. He certainly has a different style and attitude which is a refreshing change from everyone being rather serious about what they do. Although if he really wants to commit to the tranquilo lifestyle, he needs to be more cool and collected than just bored.

I remember my first time around not really understanding the resurrection jutsu in this show, and I won’t spoil things but it comes up again later. If it’s so easy to bring people back from the dead, why don’t people do it more often? Both the First and Second Hokage seem totally fine until Orochimaru controls them. What are your thoughts on this life and death power that we see here for the first time?

Joseph: I don’t recall how it’s used later in the series, but regardless of what it hints at this is just a cool way to heighten Orochimaru’s showdown against the Third Hokage and make him seem even nastier as a villain.

Carolyn: I don’t remember a lot in advance either, it’s been so long since I last watched the show. That’s why this is so much fun!

Danni: I...don’t really get it. I expected them to be zombies, but they seem totally unaffected. How are they supposed to be a threat when they’re friends with the guy they were summoned to defeat?

Kevin: I’m pretty sure that it’s not used more often because it’s a Forbidden Jutsu, like the Mass Shadow Clone jutsu, it’s just probably forbidden due to ethical issues. Seeing Resurrection for the first time, it doesn’t have as much impact as I would’ve expected. If Orochimaru brought back Zabuza, the audience would have a much stronger personal connection and we could measure a previous antagonist’s power against the Third Hokage’s. Instead, he summoned the First and Second Hokage, who are definitely better choices for Resurrection targets, but there are two problems. First, the audience has no idea who they are initially, so we aren’t as invested in the fight. Second, how did Orochimaru get their bodies? Shouldn’t they be under the tightest security the village can muster?

David: It’s currently confusing and weird and as far as I remember it only gets more confusing and weird.

Paul: I'm still of the opinion that Summoning style Ninjutsu techniques (and by extension, Resurrection techniques) don't actually summon a real, individual person or animal. Instead, I think they involve Chakra taking physical form, and that the resulting manifestation is shaped by the will of the summoner. I don't think that's literally Zombie Hokage 1 and Zombie Hokage 2 we see in Episode 70, but rather it's the idea of these Hokage colored and called into being by Orochimaru's memories, biases, and desires.

Kara: I have so many questions about the resurrection jutsu, mainly regarding the summoned people’s loyalties and the entire ethics of it. Granted, ethics in the world of Naruto are pretty screwy already. But the can of worms the show has opened up just by saying this can be done is big and squirmy and terrible. I hope they go into it more.

Noelle: Not going to lie, still kind of iffy on the Resurrection thing. Half zombies, half mind control, I suppose? I do think that revival is by no means easy, but Orochimaru lives for breaking out taboo jutsu anyway.

Jared: Gonna agree with some of the others and say it’s kind of confusing what’s actually happening. My thoughts were that they were able to come back but couldn’t disobey orders from Orochimaru? Whether it’s actually them or not, I’m not sure and I’d assume this isn’t done more often is because it’s a high level technique or forbidden.

And as always, what were the high and low points of this week’s batch of episodes?

Joseph: Low point: gosh, I actually really liked this section of episodes through and through. I guess, while I didn’t mind the tournament itself ending, the low point was cutting the fight between Gaara and Sasuke short. The high point was Pakkun and his SOFT AND SUPPLE PAWS.

Carolyn: High point is definitely Shikamaru taking charge and running through his already planned out future in his head. I don’t think I had a definite low point this week, but I laughed a lot at Sasuke’s James Bond-like introduction of himself at the exam. Does that count?

Danni: Can’t really think of any standout low points. I think the high point for me was finally getting to see the Third Hokage in action.

Kevin: High - Shikamaru’s thinking stance. Seeing him just take a moment to clear his mind, think of a plan, then start acting actually impacted my so much as a kid that it is seriously something I still do. Clasp my hands together in some kind of fake hand sign to focus my thinking to break out of my current mentality. Low - As simple as the moment is, my lowest point was when Kabuto knocked out Kiba. Sure, Kiba’s out, but Akamaru should still be conscious and making a ton of noise that would alert at least the crowd, meaning that Kabuto wouldn’t be able to cast the genjutsu that starts the war.

David: High point despite everything is Sasuke just bodying Gaara. Extremely satisfying and smooth to watch. Low point is Rock realizing how underpowered he is in the face of Sasuke, not necessarily because of the power level issues there, but just because no one is there to comfort him for it all.

Paul: Although I bagged on him earlier, my high point was Shikamaru pretending to be put to sleep by the hypnosis Genjutsu in order to avoid getting dragged into the bigger conflict, because he's just that much of a lazy ass at heart. My low point was probably the English translations for some of the episode titles. “Hit it or Quit it” and “Late to the Show, but Ready to Go” in particular rub me the wrong way, bruh.

Kara: High point is the existence of Pakkun. I love this good boy and his squishy paw pads. Low point is, again, having to watch Rock Lee watch Sasuke. Which is less a “the show did bad” low point like previous weeks, and more an “I feel sad about this” low point.

Noelle: High point, Sasuke vs Gaara, especially with Gaara freaking out over finally bleeding again. Low point, Rock Lee feeling bad because Sasuke powercreeped him, give Lee a break.

Jared: I really liked the Third Hokage taking off his hat to reveal an even cooler hat. Low point was my boy Rock Lee getting real sad about being overtaken by Sasuke.

How about a little bonus question? Since the Chunin exam ends and is more or less never referenced again, who do you think would have won had it gone to an actual conclusion?

Joseph: Knowing this show, probably Sasuke. Then they’d do the whole thing again later Dragon Ball style so Naruto could win.

Carolyn: It seems almost impossible, from a writing standpoint, that Gaara could win, though he’s so powerful that seems to be the logical choice. It’s too soon for Naruto to take it. So, I think Sasuke is the only real option, here.

Danni: No one. The proctor would try to stop Gaara from killing Sasuke, leading Gaara to kill everyone there rendering the entire exam null.

Kevin: I can’t imagine Shino defeating Temari, since she can blow any flying insects away and can fly to get away from any remaining ground insects, so she would advance to the finals. I could see Sasuke versus Gaara going either way (provided he don’t allow stuff Garaa reveals in the next set or two of episodes), but Naruto wouldn’t be a match for either of them, so whoever won that fight would advance. If Temari fought Gaara, she’d probably forfeit before the match even started. If she fought Sasuke, he could probably overwhelm her with speed alone. So unless shounen tropes intervened in the tournament to give Naruto a way to the finals, I suspect that either Sasuke or Gaara would win, depending on who won in the first round.

David: If Gaara’s powers had been allowed to completely come out—in other words, the tournament not interrupted—then Gaara would have completely obliterated Sasuke. Squashed him. He would be dust. Gaara would not only win but Sasuke would be dead.

Paul: Definitely Sasuke. Not only is he a prodigy, he's also got that whole legacy thing going for him as the last-remaining (non-evil) scion of the Uchiha clan. Whether he actually deserves to win it is another matter...

Kara: If things actually went as power levels and fighting styles seem to dictate they would, Gaara, nearly to the death. Considering how Naruto goes, Sasuke with one last-ditch, low-powered jutsu he learned in the first season.

Noelle: At this point in time, it would probably be either Sasuke or Gaara. Provided that Gaara doesn’t go berserk of course, Gaara would probably outmatch Sasuke. If Sasuke activates the power of plot armor, he’d likely make it to the top. Sorry, Naruto.

Jared: Probably the winner of Sasuke/Gaara, although with how everyone was incredibly drained after their first matches, I wonder if by the finals it’d just become a stamina battle and technique wouldn’t be as much of a factor.

COUNTERS: "I'm gonna be Hokage!" count: 23 Bowls of ramen consumed: 29 bowls, 3 cups Shadow Clones created: 258

And that's everything for this week! Remember that you're always welcome to join us for this rewatch, especially if you haven't watched the original Naruto! Watch Naruto today!

Here's our upcoming schedule:

- Next week, on MARCH 29th, DANIEL DOCKERY returns as the Third Hokage springs into action in EPISODES 71-77! - Then, on APRIL 5TH, CAYLA COATS stops by just in time to introduce us to a mysterious new shinobi in EPISODES 78-84! - And on APRIL 12th, NOELLE OGAWA elaborates further in the antics of the mysterious shinobi in EPISODES 85-91!

Thank you for joining us for the Great Crunchyroll Naruto Rewatch! Have a great weekend, and we'll see you all next time!

Have any thoughts on our thoughts on Episodes 64-70? Let us know in the comments! Don't forget, we're also accepting questions and comments for next week, so don't be shy and feel free to ask away!

----

Nicole is a features and a social video script writer for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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curious-trickster · 6 years ago

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Savage - A Supernatural Imagine

This story was written by the awesome winchesterslittlesister and me. It contains our OC´s Teresa and Nicole. Both of them are 21 years old and are currently hunting with Sam and Dean. Teresa is a brunette young woman with glasses and light skin. Nicole`s hair looks like copper and her light skin is adorned with millions of freckles.

Enjoy!~

The hunt had been a total disaster. While the four of you had managed to kill the monster, a rugaru, you had failed to save the fourteen year old daughter. Nicole once had had a little sister which had faced a painful death around that age and the sight of the unmoving, bloody body that once was a happy teenager awakened the memories again. Teresa had known Nicole´s sister too and knew which nightmares haunted her best friends mind as soon as she looked at her face. After carefully dragging the disturbed red-head out of the house Teresa asked Dean to drive to the nearest bar, because each and everyone of them needed a drink. The ride back to town had been silent. Neither Sam nor Dean wanted to stir up any more bad memories.

At the bar the girls sat down at the counter while the boys sat in the corner to give them a little space. A fact that clearly showed how much the memories were hurting Nicole and Teresa was the amount of alcohol they drank. Instead of their normal one or two drinks they each already had had more than five. But clearly the one having a harder time was Nicole.

The two men watched worriedly as she downed yet another shot. “Is there anything we can do?”, Sam asked the brunette who had just come over to sit down next to him. “Actually I came over to prepare you for the ugly scene that's going to happen later on. I guess that she´s going to be a crying mess-”

“Uhh, not so much I guess”, Dean stated only to point at something behind Teresa who had frowned at him in question. When the young woman turned around to look at the thing Dean had pointed at, she only saw Nicole´s fist connecting with the face of the guy standing next to her.

Nicole´s POV

I tried to drown the pain, the sadness and the self-hate I felt over the gruesome death of my little sister. It didn´t work. If anything it just made it worse. Remembering her death, her screams, the blood I sat there wishing for everything just to end. But my wish wasn´t fulfilled and again everything just got worse.

I felt someone snaking an arm around my waist and pull me against them. “Well, hello there, sweet cheeks. You look kind of lonely-”

“If you don´t get your filthy hands off my body right now, I´m going to smash you to bloody and broken pieces.” I told him dangerously quiet.

I felt him stare at me for a moment before he collected himself and laughed it off saying: “I like dangerous women-” That´s when I socked him in the face.

He staggered backwards with a grunt and hollered:”The bitch punched me!” I saw how a few guys got up and came over to protect their buddy and couldn´t help but give a dangerous grin. A fight, just what I needed right now. I chugged down the last sip of my drink, stood up and got into stance. Those assholes should pray to come out of this alive.

Sam, Dean and Teresa´s POV

The three of them watched as Nicole stood up and faced the men that started to gang up on her. The young woman stood there with a look that would put Lucifer in his most furious moment to shame.

Sam shuddered when he saw the raging emotions in her eyes. Then the fight began. They couldn´t help but watch in awe as their friend fought in a violent and dirty way they never had seen before.

Dean let out a low amazed whistle and mumbled completely awestruck:”I knew she was bad ass but that's a complete new level of savage.” Sam only nodded in agreement and winced when a punch met Nicole´s face. What surprised the two men even more was when the red-head only grinned and wiped the blood from her nose before continuing the fight.

Then Teresa spoke up:”I always knew she could do that... Hey, I can do that too! I got a little advice for you two: Never try to seriously piss us off!” And with a last evil grin at the boys she got up to join her friend in the fight.

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giannasalsbury · 6 years ago

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W H O A R E Y O U?

NAME: Gianna ‘Gigi’ Elizabeth Salsbury

AGE: twenty seven (27)

BIRTHDAY: december 4th, 1991

APPEARANCE: standing at 5′5″, gianna tends to dress in a certain way that would easily resemble that of a preppy rich girl since that’s how she was raised to be. posh british accent to match. her eyes are a dark brown, almost black color. her hair is cut to her shoulders, tends to be curled and is dyed a caramel brown color. because it’s so short she keeps it down or in a small top knot if she wants to keep it from her face.

GLASSES? CONTACTS? none, she’s always had perfect vision.

TATTOOS? gianna has two tattoos and feels like that is more than plenty for her since she’s quite the little baby. she has her daughters first and middle name tattooed on her left calf with a small angel as well as the words ‘she who dwells in murky waters’ in latin on her ribs - a small homage to her siren ancestors and brethren.

SCARS OR BIRTHMARKS? gianna has a scar on her right knee from when she was younger and had not exactly been able to handle the change between having a tail and legs, the end result being tripping over and falling onto some sharp rocks by the waters edge.

HANDICAPS OR DISABILITIES? none.

STYLE OF DRESS: like stated before, gianna has a very preppy rich girl vibe even though she’s a grown woman in her late twenties. she wears a lot of plaid/tweed skirts and her shirts are always fitted to her body but not so much that it’s obnoxious. when she wears dresses they’re very simple with minimalist patterns and she’s almost always wearing a pair of heels - the one exception being when she plays with her daughter in a park or in the house which is when she chooses to wear flat sneakers or TOMS.

STANDARD OF LIVING: upper class.

MANNERISMS & TICKS: when she starts to get worried about someone that she cares about but hasn’t heard from in a while, gianna tends to get a bit frantic and bakes excessively until she gets the news she wants. this often has left her with several dozen cupcakes in her home and nobody to give them to - until she gives them away.

P E R S O N A L I T Y ?

What is your idea of perfect happiness? “Perfect happiness to me is probably moving back to England and getting a small cottage in the country where Nikkie can run free and not have to worry about the bigger things in life. Also a place where I can be free to let my tail out without any sort of scrutiny.”

What is your greatest fear? Gianna hummed softly, head tilting down as she looked at her daughter sat beside her playing with her phone, “Something happening to Nikkie. I know that it isn’t likely but the person that ever lays a hand on my angel will be in for quite the awakening,” she mused darkly, eyes showing rage at the mere thought.

What is your biggest pet peeve or trait you deplore in yourself? “I can be a bit too overprotective of people that I’m close with which isn’t exactly benefiting me. It has been something that has broken friendships for me in the past so it’s a work in progress. But, is it truly wrong to care just a bit too much for others?”

What is your biggest pet peeve or trait you deplore in others? “Nosiness or fakeness. There is no need to ask about others buisness if you have not been approached by the person to have that specific chat. Fakeness is rather self explanatory, I believe.”

Which living person do you most admire? "Mary Berry, one of englands top bakers.”

Which living person do you most despise? "I don’t believe that it would be in my best interest to talk about hating others since hate is too strong of a word,” Gianna mused with a firm nod but the image of her daughters father was very clear in her head despite refusing to answer.

What is your greatest extravagance? She tapped her hands together as she tried to pick one specific thing in her life that she would deem the greatest of all, “I can’t say for certain but I do have some rather expensive jewelry which in itself should be considered extravagant. Even if I don’t wear it.”

What do you consider the most overrated virtue? “Self-discipline. I don’t believe that a person should always follow a specific standard and not give into temptation because temptations are around every corner. Once you start to focus on all of those little details, you lose yourself.”

On what occasion do you lie? Gianna’s face was flat for a moment before a bright smile crossed onto her lips, head shaking slightly, “I don’t. I’m the most honest of persons and haven’t any shame in stating so.”

What is the quality you like most in a significant other? "This is a rather pointless question because a majority of the time, one could wish for so many things and then find that the person you fall for has none of them,” She paused, leaning back in her chair, “But I suppose loyalty would be a heavy quality as well as affectionate because that person would have to deal with not only me but a toddler who deserves all the affection in the world.”

Do you have a catchphrase? Which words or phrases do you most overuse? "That would be a solid ‘no’ to the first question but as for the latter, I likely use the word ‘love’ too much. I tend to call everyone I meet that but that’s mainly if I don’t know their name. Once I do, it’s more so in a caring manner.”

Who or what is the greatest love in your life? The siren smiled as her daughter quickly got to her feet, jumping up and down as she repeatedly said ‘me, me, me!’ because she couldn’t disagree. “She already answered for me.”

When and where were you happiest? Thinking through her life, Gianna remembered a moment from when she was in high school; “I think one of my happiest times was when I was in year twelve. I was in a relationship with this boy who my parents didn’t know about so we’d snuck off to go for a walk in the woods. Oliver had told me that he wanted to show me something special he had done so I was more than curious to see what it was. He was always a cheeky little thing so he had me guessing the entire time until we ended up next to this oak tree right by a stream. He literally made me climb a tree so we could sit on a branch just above the water but on the tree park itself he’d carved ‘Gianna & Oliver’ with a heart around it.” She paused, eyes looking down as she shrugged, “He was killed a few weeks later.”

Which talent would you most like to have? "Oh!” Gianna chimed as she leaned forward in her chair, “I’ve always wanted to know how to do a handstand. I’m not the most flexible person but gymnastics has been a fascination of mine since I was a child.”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? "Not a thing,” she spoke confidently, “I am very proud of who I am and have worked ridiculously hard to get to this point in my life. Changing one part of myself would defeat the purpose of all my hardwork - something which I’d rather not think about.”

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? "I feel like this sounds a bit strange but I think I would want to be a cruise boat. Think about it, I would be able to be surrounded by water - which is already a huge part of my life now - and I’d be able to see the world almost every day until I get sent to a ship yard.”

If you could pick up and go anywhere, where would you most like to live? “Egypt, possibly. I’ve always been fascinated by the Pyramids of Giza and Egyptian mythology so it would be a chance to actually see it first hard. I don’t think I’d be there long but it would be nice for a few weeks at a time.”

What do you value most in your friends? “trustworthiness. It gives me a sense of calm knowing that the people around me are ones that can be trusted with anything i might have on my mind as well as being around my daughter since she needs the best influences possible.”

What historical figure do you most identify with? “I can’t say that I identify with her but I’ve always had a deep amount of respect for the late Princess Diana. She was actually someone that I tried to emulate when I was younger even if it was only for a few years.”

What is your greatest regret? “Before I say this, I can not stress enough how much that Nicole has nothing to do with this. She is the best thing to have happened to me and nothing is ever going to change that,” she stated briefly before looking down the make sure her daughter still had headphones on, “But her father is probably my biggest regret. I never would have expected him to just... leave at the sign of a big life change knowing that I was going through my own issues. I don’t know if I would even do anything if I saw him again but he was a waste of time. He was only good for giving me my baby.”

What is your life’s motto? “Everything's better with a little chocolate”

Would you describe yourself as being an optimist or a pessimist? “I think I’m more of an optimist with slight pessimist tendencies depending on the situation. Some days I could be all for see the bright side of things but others are just not really up to those standards. A very one day at a time kind of situation.”

Introvert or Extrovert? "A mixture of both since it mainly depends on the day.”

How do you hope others will see you? Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she took in a breath, “Well,” she began trying to gather her thoughts, “I hope that they see a very caring woman who is doing her best to provide a good and healthy life for her daughter without any aid from others. Perhaps they see a friend and someone they can come to and talk if they need to be heard. I definitely expect them to see one of the best pastry chefs because if not I would like to see who could possibly be my competition.”

How are you seen by others currently? “I... don’t know?” She murmured, face twisting slightly since there wasn’t a way to truly know how to answer that question aside form asking everyone she knew individually. “Perhaps I’ll make a little box and place it outside my home for anyone who enters so they can leave me a little note saying how they see me. Otherwise, I can’t think of any way I can would know.

How do you see yourself? “I don’t mean to toot my own horn but I see a very dedicated mother who loves her child unconditionally, a talented pastry maker who is definitely not at her full potential where she currently works but lost all chances of having her own buisness years ago, a kind person who wishes to care for others and help them feel comforted and safe. That’s only a few of the things I see in myself. I could go on but the boredom would likely set it once I got past twenty.”

How do you react to praise? “How else? Remarkably! It’s always lovely to hear about people liking something that I’ve made because it genuinely make sense my heart warm and fuzzy. Knowing that I could use my talent to bring a smile onto another’s face is exactly why I wanted to become a pastry chef in the first place. That and my love of all things chocolate.”

How do you react to criticism? “What criticism?” She questioned, far too prideful to even accept the fact that not everyone was going to like her or her desserts, “I’ve never received any in my life.” Lies. She just refused to remember any since they affected her ego too much from overthinking the smallest of details.

Do you often make snap judgements or take time to consider? "Typically, I try to take time to consider but sometimes one can’t avoid making snap judgements since people and situations often times warrant that over the other. If I do happen to do so, I try to go back and see if it’s something that I was right about or not.”

Do you think you lead more with your head or your heart? “Heart. I have no idea what it even means to lead with your head since it’s never been in my nature. Everything I’ve ever done has been because my heart has told me to do it, that it was the right thing.”

When was the last time you cried? "Oh wow,” she declared, fingers tapping against her chin as long nails tried to recall if she’d even cried in the last year. “I think the last time I really cried was when I actually had Nicole. I was overcome with so many emotions - far more intense than any normal human mother can experience - that I cried for hours. I was also scared but that’s a story for another day. If you mean a simple tear, it was when Nicole got sick a few months ago with a simple cold.”

What is your guilty pleasure? "I’m not entirely sure if you mean in general or with food but if we’re talking about the latter, I think that it’s going to be breaking up fresh baked brownies and throwing it into vanilla ice cream followed by melted nutella and sprinkles,” she paused, feeling embarrassment creep onto her face, “It’s not something I do often.”

When was the last time you showered? “What?” Gianna asked, bewilderment and offense laced in her tone as her eyes narrowed.

Are you the type of person who talks in the movie theater? “I actually make it a habit to avoid going to the movies because I unfortunately am this kind of person,” she frowned slightly before perking up, “But in my defense, I only go to the movies with my daughter so I have to talk to her to make sure that she’s actually okay.”

Are you more of an indoor cat or an outdoor bird? “A part of me wants to really say that I love the outdoors since my life is meant to be spent in the water but I also want to say that I am more of an indoor person since sometimes I don’t particularly want to leave my home. So... both, perhaps?”

Are you a fan of Harry Potter and, if so, what would be your Hogwarts house? "Oh my lord,” Gianna groaned with a small pout, “I was actually such a huge fan of Harry Potter before I moved to the states but it seemed to simmer away when people started to show how nasty they could be. But if I do recall correctly, I was certainly a hufflepuff.”

Do you like superheroes and, if so, which character is your favorite? DC or Marvel? Gianna deadpanned, eyebrow raised, “I’m not the most versed in superheroes nor do I ever plan to be. I think the movies are interesting - at best - but the lack of diversity in most of them is just killing the appeal. To me.”

Did you used to play Pokemon? And if so, what be your starter Pokemon? "I actually only found out about what Pokemon was recently when I was searching for things to watch on Netflix. It looks darling but I have no idea what a ‘starter pokemon’ is. I do really love all the water ones, they’re precious!”

Star Wars or Star Trek? Or neither? "My father was a very big star trek fan so I guess I’ll choose that one even though I’ve never seen either of those series since they’re far too long.”

If you were in the Hunger Games, what would be your game plan? Gianna blinked a few times as she slowly tilted her head to one side, “You do realize that I can quite literally sing people into trances and murder them with my nails, correct?” Not that Gianna would ever dream of doing that kind of thing but if push comes to shove, she would. No hesitations.

If the zombie apocalypse happened today, how would you defend yourself? Now was one of those moments where Gianna felt so many regrets, a hand went to her face as she shook her head, “Did you miss what I just said or were you never paying attention to begin with?”

What’s the first thing you do when you’re home alone? A laugh left Gianna’s lips since the concept of being home alone seemed far too foreign for her to handle. “When that miracle of a day happens, I actually tend to worry about how Nikkie is doing or I’ll try to tweak some of my recipes so that they can do better. There’s also those rare occasions where I just sleep or go out to socialize with others.”

What is the most overplayed song you listen to? "What that Drake song? The one that is getting people in trouble because they’re dancing next to a moving car?”

Do you believe in a thing called love? "If it’s with the right person, I don’t see why not?” She stated before continuing, “I don’t, however, believe that love should be a word that people throw out like it’s nothing. Consequences can happen and lead to the unexpected, which is why I advise many to be picky with their standards. Take the time to truly know if it’s worth it.”

Do you believe in love at first sight? “I don’t,” she reported with bluntness draped in her tone, “But I do think that some people are destined to have a connection from the moment that they meet. Either it is meant to carry on to a more romantic plane or stay in a platonic one. In short, I do think that there is someone for everyone. Some are more blind than others, some refuse to accept it, it’s all a long process. Not an instant worth.”

If you could travel to any period in time, future or past, where would it be? “I would truly love to see a world where everyone can live in peace and harmony with each other like a society should. Granted, I would never want to leave but it would be nice to know how it was achieved.”

Have you committed a crime? "I was undeclared for quite some time and I am keeping certain secrets about the status of someone close to me so you could say I have. Though to me? I have done no such thing.”

If you could commit a crime and get away with it, what would it be? "I would never willingly commit a crime unless it was sparked by something. Also, speaking about crime could lead to implications in the future which would be rather trivial. Especially when laws would not work in my favor.”

If you found yourself trapped in an elevator with a group of strangers, what would be the first thing you’d do? “Fucking hell, I hate elevators,” Gianna whined as she visibly looked uncomfortable at the questions, “I would probably be too busy having an anxiety attack to even realize that there were other people there, if I’m frank.”

#shadowprompts #about gianna.#this took 500 yrs djsozns i hate myself

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smokycaramel · 7 years ago

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This fucking episode right here made me want to spit nails, and i will tell you why, because the asshole writers to the show including fox network were intent on shaming Nicole and the character she plays on national television. Having one of her long time friends co-star/ actor(Lance Gross) be the one to deliver this despicable message; There’s no room for supporting players on the Abbie Mills show. This was a personal shot at the fans. I remember right after the finale of season three going on the internet , trying to find any sort of statement or comment made from Lance or Jessica Camacho, and there was nothing. It was as if what happened, didn’t actually happen. i wonder sometimes how he managed to deliver that line. How it made him feel to be put in a position to do it, and how he felt after. How did Nicole feel during that scene. i don’t care if this show is no longer on the air. This show definitely did one thing. It left a lasting imprint on what black women don’t want seeing done to their favorite black female characters, and that is sidekick, or forced off a show because White Becky simply can’t deal with seeing a black woman being seen as not only sexy, but powerful and worthy of love.

I was debating on whether or not to talk about this now or in another post, but i decided why not now. The term ‘WOC’ seemed to be trendy amongst white people back in 2015-2016 in regards to television. Especially after black women grew tired of the blatant misuse and abuse of black female characters on shows like The Vampire Diaries and The Flash. Hollywood loves to hire the biracial actress as the romantic interest rather than use one of a darker complexion. Yet at the same time those who are biracial or half black also get the short end of the stick, because if they’re the token amongst an all white cast,they are then put in a position to prop up other whites characters, and the chances of them even having a love interest on the show becomes irrelevant. I’m beyond tired of white people, white America,taking the reigns and having the audacity to decide and define to me as a black woman what a black woman ought to look like. Sleepy Hollow is a prime example of how white people want a woman of color to look. Biracial is a must. Wavy, spiraled, or straight hair. Light to medium in complexion. A WOMAN OF COLOR. because we asked for, and demanded to see more women of color on television,not realizing we were shooting ourselves in the foot. Hollywood answered with;

HIRE THIS

Don’t have a problem with the actress, but the show’s reason for hiring her was transparent. I liked her as a friend to Abbie, or for those of us who were hoping for her to be Crane and Abbie’s daughter from the future, but the truth is she was to be Abbie’s replacement,and it didn’t take too long to figure that out after the 2015 fall finale.

Below Actress Maya Kazan who is Greek, but i guess she was hired as a woman of color, not to mention a temporary block from keeping the black woman meaning( Nicole) in her place as the so called platonic friend of the man who was head over heels i love with her.

When a show runner/ so called television writer Raven Metzner gushes in an interview just how hot she is, and that he couldn’t wait to see her sexed up and looking hot. This was completely unprofessional. White female fans were clamoring for her to be paired with ichabod instead of Nicole who played the eldest sister/witness, and had hot chemistry with Tom Mison. Smh.

Actress Caroline Ford. I can honestly say i couldn’t remember where i had seen her prior to her temporary role on Sleepy Hollow playing a succubus. It was the tv show Once Upon A Time as Red Riding Hood. I thought she was white. She looks white. Her mother is Trini, Scottish,Chinese and her father, English. But white fans of the show used this as their argument against black women in defending this as a woman of color while treating darker skin actresses like trash. This is who they would rather see as our replacement.

Nikki Reed hired to play Betsy Ross on Sleepy Hollow. Some thought she was Latina due to the fact that she was supposed to play one on the O.C, but she in fact is not. Once again White Hollywood taking someone who has dark European features and having them slide into a different ethnicity they don’t even belong to. This show hired her as a woman of color. Her background is flat out European. Ashkenazi Jewish, German, British Isles,and one eighth Italian.

When the show chose this

When we all saw this bullshit coming. Black women, even some white women saw this coming when they hired Janina Gavankar. Sleepy Hollow thinking once again; Well as long as she looks like she has black in her background or could maybe pass herself off as a black woman. Only she’s not. She is half Dutch and Indian. Nicole’s replacement on the show. Somehow Tom Mison needed her as his love interest. White female fans of the show applauded this. After all the excuses the show gave for not putting the original two leads together, and there were many. He’s married, they’re witnesses, they have an apocalypse to fight. Abbie cares about his marriage. Abbie is all about her career, etc. After killing Katrina off . The show found every way to throw someone white or light Crane’s way.But the idiocy doesn’t just stop there. Black men in Hollywood behind the scenes or in front are also responsible. Her once again;

Janina Gavankar, walking, talking this way because i guess that’s how all of us as black women act and behave. “Oh look cornrows. Well if your’re going to play the part. Black men will have and find every excuse to accept this.

DON’T HIRE WOMEN WHO LOOK LIKE THIS,BECAUSE IT MAKES WHITE TV VIEWERS UNCOMFORTABLE

The fabulously talented and most gorgeous woman on the planet. Nicole Beharie. “Oh white women noticed right away,that’s why they acted and behaved in the way that they did. She’s a head turner. Not to mention she has chemistry with every male actor she’s played with onscreen. Including Mr. David Boreanaz from Bones, when they did the crossover. I remember a white woman taking to social media and commenting on Nicole’s wardrobe on the show. Her comments were this. Is there a reason she has to dress in such fitting clothes. Doesn’t she know how that makes her look, and that is not the way she should carry herself. A white woman was bothered by tight t-shirts, tight jeans, heels and a leather jacket. I guess outfits like that should only be worn on white women. Isn’t it funny how the rules change when we’re dark skinned and gorgeous. Us wearing bathing suits whether one piece or a bikini sets them off. Or going sleeveless like our favorite first lady; Ms. Michelle Obama.

When white women couldn’t stay in their own lane, and understand that slavery is over. Black women don’t owe you an explanation on how we should dress.

White women, white people were up in arms over this.

Played her sister on Still Star Crossed. So of course you know pissed. To be dark skin, and beautiful is to be invisible and ignored by everyone. Yet they have questions as to why we always look so young. “Oh that would be the very complexion you hate.

White women; “Ughhhh why is she just so damn beautiful. “I’m so jealous of her skin. “Of course you are. You like how smooth and polished it is, and you probably wouldn’t mind the skin tone either, but that comes with a cost, and we all know you don’t want that! And then there are the black men who use the excuse that black women don’t wear their natural hair . Yet when they do, they’ll still find another excuse or reason to side step the idea of dating a woman who looks like her.

#colorism

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clonecaptains · 7 years ago

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Hello, yes- I'd like to request a Duncan Halloween fic, because who doesn't love sweetness getting some sweetness!

SWEETNESS GETTING SOME SWEETNESS!! duncan is the sweetest and i’ve got a lot of feelings for him~ hope you enjoy this!

It’s Halloween and Duncan is pacing back and forth behind his couch. There’s a chill in the air outside, but he’s sweating.

Course that could just be because his mom has the heat on high in the house all the time. But that’s not helping his nerves any.

He has his own apartment downstairs, and while he could’ve moved out - especially after what happened with Nicole - he deiced to stay to help his mom out.

Duncan doesn’t mind like he used to. As he’s gotten older he’s more appreciative that It’s his own private space. He has a bedroom, a small kitchen and a couch in the small sitting area.

He’s pacing the floor though because it’s his first time bringing Lacy home.

Duncan has brought home plenty of girls, including Nicole. But it’s been over a year now since his second “breakup” with Nicole. It wasn’t fair to her or his own feelings to keep that relationship going. They ended it mutually and Duncan got back out in the dating world while Nicole worked on her marriage. It was hard on them both, but they agreed, it was time to move on.

That’s when Duncan met Lacy.

A small bakery opened around the corner and Duncan was hired to help build shelves and such for the inside.

Lacy’s family owns the bakery, and she works the register. She, like Duncan, is in her late 20′s. And Duncan fell for her the moment he saw her. He’d walked in and saw her standing with some others and his eye went right to her.

She smiled shyly at him, and he smiled back as he started to get to work.

It was so hard for him to focus on his work because he wanted to talk to this girl.

The job of building the shelves and helping set up only took a few days, and he only managed to talk to her once. But in that one conversation he learned her name, and that she would work at this place once it was up and running. He knew he’d have to come back and talk to her again. She shyly adjusted her glasses on her nose and he KNEW he was in trouble when he thought it was cute.

It didn’t take long before they struck up a friendship, Duncan went into this place just about every morning to grab a pastry or bagel for breakfast. This place was just around the corner from his house, she was an added bonus.

Every day he tried something different. And every day Lacy looked forward to him coming in.

Their casual friendship grew and when Duncan realized he had feelings for her, he acted on them and asked her out.

They’ve been dating for a few weeks now and he wants to bring her to his place.

Duncan was going to take her to a Halloween party, and then they’d come home together to his place to watch some scary movies. Duncan got a phone call that morning from the host of the party, that he had to cancel because he’d gotten sick. So Duncan called Lacy to let her know the change of plans - to just come straight to his place instead.

Now he’s pacing the floor waiting for the doorbell to ring.

Why is he so nervous? It’s not like he’s never brought a girl home before. He’s brought girls home for random one night stands. He’s brought Nicole here dozens and dozens of times.

He hasn’t had a steady girlfriend since Nicole. He wants this to be right. So he’s pacing the floor and he nearly jumps out of his skin when the doorbell rings.

“Trick or treat!”

Oh. It’s just some trick or treaters.

Duncan runs halfway up the stairs yelling, “Ma! Where’s the candy?”

“What?” she calls from upstairs.

“THE CANDY?” he shouts from the stairs with a sigh.

The doorbell rings again and Duncan hears a giggle on the other side of the door. He hears his mom say something about eating the candy, when he goes to open the door. He looks out the window to see the pizza delviery car pull into the driveway.

His hands grab his hair in a flustered panic. No candy for the kids, he’s forgotten he didn’t get out the pizza money, and his new girlfriend should be over here in any minute.

Duncan fumbles to unlock and open the door with one hand and crams his hand in his pocket to get out the money for the pizza.

“I got it,” he hears a voice say, and then he feels a hand on his wrist. He looks up and sees Lacy holding the pizza.

Duncan smiles but looks confused for a tiny second but it dawns on him she was the one who said Trick or Treat.

“I pulled in the driveway at the same time, figured I’d bring the pizza too. It’s my ‘treat.’” She giggles at her own joke.

“You didn’t have to do that! And that was a trick AND a treat.” Duncan hugs her as he takes the pizza from her.

“Do I get any candy?” she teases.

“My mom ate it,” he crinkles his nose and shrugs, “got this for you though,” he smiles and leans in to give her a kiss.

“She ate all of it?” she giggles as the kiss breaks.

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” He rolls his eyes with a laugh and pushes the door open wider to let her inside.

She shrugs off her jacket while Duncan sets the pizza on the counter in the kitchen.

“What’s this?” he asks seeing a plastic bag on top of the pizza box.

“Brought us some goodies from the bakery today.”

Duncan smiles to himself. This woman knows the way to his heart - food.

“So much better than candy,” Duncan’s mouth waters just thinking about eating those pastries.

He gets out the cups and plates as he watches her look around.

“It’s perfect,” she smiles, “it’s so you.”

“Yeah?” he asks with a smile. He gets distracted by her smile and opens the coke bottle too fast and it almost spews. She laughs out loud and he can’t help but smile.

Lacy walks over and grabs off a paper towel to wipe his sticky hands.

“Yes, it’s so you. It’s cozy and homey.”

Lacy blushes as she wipes his big hands clean. She avoids eye contact because she knows he’s got that grin on his face.

He is grinning, but it’s not a cheeky grin. He’s grinning because for the first time in a long time someone is taking care of him, someone that’s not his crazy mom. Lacy doesn’t have to wipe off his sticky fumbling fingers but she does anyway.

She looks up for a brief moment to see color in Duncan’s cheeks too.

“Wanna watch start the movie while I get our plates?” Duncan asks.

“Sure!” she makes her way to the tv and flicks on the dvd player.

Duncan brings the pizza, plates, cups, and the 2 liter bottle and sets them all on the coffee table. Then he goes around and turns off all the lights.

Lacy gets settled on the couch with her pizza, and Duncan hops on the couch next to her.

She smiles because she can tell he’s excited to have company over. She feels like an honored guest.

They eat their pizza as they watch, and when they’re done Duncan wraps his arm around her shoulders. Lacy tucks her feet under her and snuggles closer to Duncan as the movie gets scarier.

"Do you want a blanket?” Duncan ask. He immediately regrets the question because he knows it’s warm in there.

“Actually yes,” she smiles shyly. “And how about we eat some of the goodies I brought?”

Duncan nods excitedly and jumps up to get her a blanket and the goodies. He tosses a bag of popcorn in the microwave and grabs the bag of the pastries off the counter.

He sits back down with the pastries and he hands her the blanket. She cuddles back in his arms while they wait for the microwave to ding. The movie’s paused and Duncan takes that opportunity to kiss Lacy. Slow kisses turn into heavy heated kisses. They don’t even hear the microwave go off.

When they sit back up, both a little breathless, Duncan remembers the popcorn. Lacy blushes and adjusts her glasses.

Duncan brings the bowl of popcorn and they get settled in and start the movie back up. Duncan enjoys all of the pastries and Lacy laughs as he gets handfuls of popcorn between bites.

“Is this your friend Stacy?” Mrs. Carmello’s voice asks suddenly.

Duncan jumps and knocks over the bowl of popcorn. Lacy gasps and clutches Duncan’s arm.

“MA! How long have you been there?” Duncan pauses the movie and turns around to see his mom standing behind the couch watching the movie with them.

“This one is terrible, you can see the ending coming from a mile away,” she continues to ramble.

Lacy giggles but she still hasn’t let go of Duncan’s arm.

“I’m Lacy,” she says and offers her friend hand to Mrs. Carmello to shake.

“Nice to meet you,” she smiles. “Will you be needing more pillows down here Duncan?”

“Ma!” he sighs embarrassed. “Go back upstairs!”

“Alright alright,” she laughs and she gives Lacy a little wink.

Lacy giggles into Duncan’s shoulder, “you mean you don’t want her to watch with us?”

“So she can ask a hundred questions in the first 5 minutes?” Duncan laughs.

“It’s sweet you stay with her.”

“You think so?”

“Of course! No shame in it either. Family’s important.”

Duncan felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

They watched another movie after the first one. And when it ended, Lacy didn’t want to go home.

“I’m not gonna be able to sleep after that!!”

“So stay here,” Duncan offers quickly.

“Ok,” she replies quickly.

They both laugh at how fast they both spoke.

“I don’t have any pajamas,” Lacy thinks aloud.

“You can wear one of my tshirts.”

And she does. They get ready for bed, and she steps into the bathroom to change. He’d given her some t-shirt and she loved how it felt and how it smelled when she put it on.

She hopped into bed with Duncan and he pulled her into his arms. They kissed briefly but stopped when Duncan bumped her glasses.

“Let me,” Duncan smiles and gently takes off her glasses. He folds them and reaches across to set them on her side of the bed.

They lay down and face each other, and Duncan holds Lacy tight as they go to sleep.

He’d been so scared she wouldn’t want to be there let alone stay, and she’d been so scared that she wanted to stay.

Duncan’s arms was the number one place she wanted to be. And holding her was the best feeling ever after all the worry.

#duncan carmello #duncan carmello x oc #my writing #frankcastlesdarkroast #answered #i just so happened to finish this on your birthday!! omg!

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fyeahwynonnaearp · 7 years ago

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What Just Happened?!?: She Ain’t Right (S02E04)

What. W H A T. T H E. F U D G E N U G G E T S. WTF. WTF. WTF. WTF. WTF. WTF. WTF?!? JUST HAPPENED?!?!?

So this is late because that episode killed me and I’ve risen from the dead just in time for tonight’s episode to completely slay me. If the cast is freaking out about it, then what the hell is going to happen?!?

Monster(s) of the Week Potential Big Bad Kind

WomanInBlack!Mercedes Gardner (@DaniKind): It was sad to think Wynonna’s sassy friend died, which was a shame because she was an awesome bitch. But, she’s still here! Stolen face, healthy bacon obsession, and Gardner Family creepy-incesty-vibes and all!

WomanInBlack!Beth Gardner (@meghanheffern): “She’s putting on her face.” It was such an innocuous statement...until it wasn’t.

The Goo™: Likes early morning walks in winter, having fun, and a sucker for shiny things. May or may not have a thing for a certain ‘ginger butch cop’ and might make you kiss your older sister for shits and giggles. A problematic child that has your back if you happen to lose a limb.

Final Thoughts (No Spoilers)

We knew from season one that this show moves fast. They like to dodge,dip,duck,dive,and dodge all of our expectations and theories, but will turn around and give us something that we Earpers joke about and not expect that they will actually do it! This episode was an emotional roller coaster and it wasn’t until I was staring blankly at my TV two hours after it aired that I realized there was no WayHaught...and I was completely okay with it.

The plot of this season is definitely starting to separate itself from the Earp Curse. Some people might hate it and feel that the show is tackling too many things at once and need to focus on killing the Revenants, but I appreciate this. By not focusing on Revenants, this gives justification as to why more seasons are needed (story-wise). Plus, we know there are more than just humans-turned-demons and I like seeing how it develops Wynonna from reluctant hero to actually-wants-to-save-the-day.

The Earp sisters are definitely at the forefront of this episode. In the beginning of the season, I definitely questioned why won’t Waverly just talk to Wynonna about her issues. But then I remembered, Wynonna left Waverly and has been gone for three years before coming back and on-and-off before then. As close and as protective Wynonna is, she did abandon and leave Waverly alone in the past (whether it was by her choice or not). So, it makes sense why Waverly wouldn’t really have heart-to-heart talks with her big sister because in all actuality, how well do they really know each other? Especially since Wynonna might not even know when Waverly’s birthday is.

Read on for spoiler laden rants, freak outs, and (probably) incorrect theories. SO: This is super late because as I was about to post this, my laptop freaked out and shut down. Like, now my Mac HD disk needs repair, had to install OS on my external hard drive, and I needed to do a complete erase/redo of my laptop. Wynonna Earp broke my computer.

10 Things That Happened/I Learned

1. Dolls is a fire-breathing maybe-dragon! (ex?) Deputy Marshall Xavier Dolls from Arizona can breathe fire! This is NOT a drill. Jokes about LizardDemon!Dolls are over. It became real. This is real life.

2. Jeremy Chetri is an adorable gay, even if he can’t start fires with his mind. He has a fanboy!crush on Doc and doesn’t want Dolls to get the wrong impression that he’s straight when Rosita was flirting with him. Because, you know, Dolls helped him do a chin-up one time. So, as of now, The Squad™ is at least half-unicorn: confirmed!Lesbian Officer Nicole Haught, unconfirmed!Bisexual Waverly Earp, confirmed!Gay Jeremy Chetri, and unconfirmed!butwouldn’tbesurprised Bynonna.

3. Ba-Ding! Ba-Ding! And The Mysterious Case of “OMFG! Is That A Hand?! Whose Fucking Hand Is That!?”. Look Ma! No hand!Waverly Earp. It was the moment when wlw everywhere grieved Nicole and Waverly’s young sex life. Even if The Goo™ didn’t do the ultimate winggoo act and regrew Waverly’s hand, I’m sure she and Nicole are super smart enough to not let a little loss of limb to stop them from having the sex. But seriously, there needs to be a follow-up on Waverly’s hand because is it just there...chilling? Will she get that ring back? It looked like a nice ring.

4. The Women In Black and the face-stealing and holy shit! are the Gardner sisters still wiggling and alive?!? When we first see the Women in Black, I admit to not completely think they were a big deal. Like, oh! there are two of them and cool! she doesn’t have a face and ah! it’s the Lady Gaga hand. But now they have a weird Tucker-obsession and plans to give him whatever he desires.

5. Tucker Gardner VS Officer Nicole Haught. It’s official, Nicole is facing Tucker this season. At first, I thought it was awesome that Nicole will now get to be an actual cop. But with Tucker teaming up with the Women in Black, I think I will be screaming “Let her in The Squad™, Wynonna! Talk to Nicole!!” at my TV for the rest of the season.

6. “Miss Four Blankets, Plus A Bonus Blanket”. Just gals being pals. Because Nicole is definitely the bonus blanket. Plus, “Tacos are tasty!” and Girls are like guns, you better run when they’re smoking (Haught)...when they’re smoking hot.

7. What is coming?! And it’s not winter. We know from the season 2 trailer that there is this ‘Legion’ thing and buff firefighters in red robes and Black Plague bird masks, but what is going on with the asshole seal and the asshole who broke it and the asshole that broke out of it?! Well, whatever it is, there are theories that it’s connected to Waverly’s origins. Emily Andras hinted earlier that the pictures from the opening titles are clues.

8. GOONONNA.

9. WynHaught bro-ship sails(?). Wynonna apologized to Nicole, but they’re talking about two different things. Wynonna is apologizing because Gooverly and Nicole knows Waverly might be acting weird because of the whole not an Earp thing. Dolliday bro-ship is alive and well. Yes, they’re into the same crazy chick with a gun, but that won’t stop them from being bros and respecting each other.

10. The Plate. What is up with the fancy commemorative Purgatory plate? It’s clearly important because people died for it and Black Badge wants it and it belonged to an Earp. It always comes back to the Earps, doesn’t it?

#wynonna earp #what just happened #this broke my laptop

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the-domestication-of-the-dog · 8 years ago

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The 7th Annual L.A.O.K. Awards

Had a goal to break 100 new releases this year. Happy to report that I reached my goal--watching The Angry Birds Movie on Netflix in the process--before remembering three separate movies I had forgotten to mark down in the process of writing this post. So since I don’t want my viewing to have been in vain, stay tuned for my intensive shot-by-shot longform essay on The Angry Birds Movie. “Part 1 (of 8): Mise-en-Scène” coming January 9. Now on to the show:

Best Movie American Honey The Fits Indignation Moonlight Silence

Welp, sorry everyone. I’m going to assume that some of you that live in LA have seen some of these, but to everyone else, SNOREFEST! To help jazz these up a bit, I’m going to have this year’s Layokie’s hosted by the promoters of the Kickspit Underground Rock Festival, Under-Underground Records’ own DJ Supersoak and Lil Blaster.

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In case you didn’t notice, it’s that crazy-ass time of year again, the Lay-O-KEEZ! Woot-Woot! This year we got all the best movies: a meandering 3-hour mumblecore saga about a bunch of white trash teens riding around in a van selling magazine subscriptions, and it stars--SHIA LABEOUF WITH A RAT TAIL; an ultra low-budget indie about a quiet girl who wants to be in a dance group--BUT EVERYONE GETS SEIZURES; a Philip Roth adaptation with a 17-minute long scene that’s--JUST DIALOGUE; another low-budget indie about a quiet boy who has trouble breaking out of a very sad home and school environment and has trouble--DEALING WITH HIS SEXUALITY; a slogging, 3-hour religious epic about the struggle to hear God’s voice after sacrificing everything to travel to a foreign land and find a long-lost priest against impossible odds--AND ALSO THERE’S TORTURE.

In all seriousness, I thought this year was filled with small, challenging movies that deserved a wide audience, and if this list serves to even get a couple more views for them, I’d be satisfied. HAHA, HELL YEEAH.

And the Layokie goes to… Silence

Five minutes into this movie, I was in love. Scorsese is easily my favorite director, but that doesn’t mean he gets a pass. I thought Hugo was fairly awful. (Faithful readers will remember that Hugo previously won an “Absent on Purpose” Layokie, and was further remarked upon thusly: “Hugo should have been called, George Melies and the Kid Who Had a Problem but then Solved It After 45 Minutes.”) Silence, on the other hand, was pure, epic filmmaking of a type you hardly see in The Walt Disney Company’s America. Silence was thoughtful, compelling, beautiful, and as religiously moving as The Passion of the Christ (which I mean as a compliment to both films). Of course it’s only in four theaters in the country right now, but I sincerely wish that Bible Belt churches would buy up theaters for this as they have for faith-based schlock like Fireproof and God’s Not Dead. I recognize that non-believers won’t have the same emotional connection watching that I had, and though there’s no way for me to separate those elements out of my appreciation, I’d like to think it holds up otherwise. Silence also has layers of suspense, heartache, and tragedy, an outstanding cast (though one sadly lacking in women), gorgeous direction and cinematography, and minimal noticeably cartoonish effects shots (a growing blight on Scorsese’s oeuvre).

A very close second is The Fits, a movie I’ve been trumpeting the better part of the year, and was fully expecting to remain my favorite. You can watch it now on Amazon Prime, and it’s only 70 minutes long. So just do it! The only problem is that there’s no way it could stand up to the hype I’ve been giving. I just didn’t know any other way to get people to watch it. It actually sucks. It’s awful. Don’t even watch it. Actually, do go ahead and watch it, but just know that it sucks terribly and you’ll probably hate it. But also put it on the biggest screen you have, turn off the lights, and put your phones and computers in the other room. You can survive for 70 minutes.

Honorable Mentions The Lobster Jackie Manchester by the Sea Nocturnal Animals The Witch

Best Director Anna Rose Holmer - The Fits Yorgos Lanthimos - The Lobster Pablo Larraín - Jackie Martin Scorsese - Silence Denis Villeneuve - Arrival

And the Layokie goes to… Martin Scorsese

From a Scorsese fanboy’s perspective, the really interesting thing about his direction in Silence is what he doesn’t do. Not a ton of moving camera, not a ton of cuts, no fancy transitions (although I do seem to remember a couple of jump dissolves). Shutter Island was similarly straightforward in style, but Silence really brings to mind--not surprisingly--The Last Temptation of Christ in invoking an invisible Hollywood style. (In fact, the shot above was pretty much the only one in the whole film to really draw attention to itself.) Without the traditional Scorsese wow moments, it’s easy to see the skill he has in generating tone, creating suspense, and evoking the POV of his characters. One of the things I like doing (I think I got this from someone else) is watching the shot-reverse shots of great directors. Pay attention to one of Silence’s opening scenes, in which three priests have a conversation across a table. The composition and pacing make it easy to see why Scorsese (with Thelma Schoonmaker at his side) is one of the best.

Honorable Mentions Andrea Arnold - American Honey Robert Eggers - The Witch Barry Jenkins - Moonlight James Schamus - Indignation Makoto Shinkai - Your Name. Trey Edward Shults - Krisha Oliver Stone - Snowden

Original Screenplay Andres Duprat - The Distinguished Citizen Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymus Filippou - The Lobster Taylor Sheridan - Hell or High Water Paul Laverty - I, Daniel Blake Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea

Damn is Taylor Sheridan the screenwriter of the hour or what? Last year with Sicario, now Hell or High Water (originally titled Comancheria because obviously no self-respecting screenwriter would name their script after a chunk of an idiom [plenty of screenwriters do do this, they just don’t have any self respect...or they do respect themselves, but they’re shit and they shouldn’t]).

And the Layokie goes to… Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou - The Lobster

The charm of this script is inherently tied to the direction of the film and the deadpan delivery of its actors, but The Lobster is fun, original, and funny, while also tragic and gut wrenching, using the silliest and scariest of premises (not unlike Nathan for You) to point a frighteningly accurate finger at human nature.

Honorable Mentions Andrea Arnold - American Honey Jeremy Saulnier - Green Room Noah Oppenheim - Jackie Jonathan Perera - Miss Sloane Robert Eggers - The Witch

Adapted Screenplay Eric Heisserer - Arrival James Schamus - Indignation Luke Davies - Lion Barry Jenkins - Moonlight Tom Ford - Nocturnal Animals Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese - Silence

And the Layokie goes to… Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese - Silence

Come on now, you didn’t see that coming?

Best Actor Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea Colin Farrell - The Lobster Andrew Garfield - Silence Jake Gyllenhaal - Nocturnal Animals Logan Lerman - Indignation

I know Colin Farrell's job is to say everything completely deadpan, but he just does it so damn well.

And the Layokie goes to… Andrew Garfield

Alright I know this is now the Silence parade. But he really was the best. Go see it. Also his accent sucks in Hacksaw Ridge.

Honorable Mentions Dave Johns - I, Daniel Blake Joseph Gordon Levitt - Snowden

Best Actress Amy Adams - Arrival Natalie Portman - Jackie Taraji P. Henson - Hidden Figures Molly Shannon - Other People Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins

And the Layokie goes to… Molly Shannon

Really a shame that Molly Shannon hasn’t t been getting any props for this performance. This one’s on Netflix, and worth watching just for her.

Best Documentary 13th I Am not Your Negro O.J.: Made in America The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years Weiner

And the Layokie goes to… O.J.: Made in America

There’s not even a question. The only reason this didn’t make it to my list of top films is because it was so obviously made for television. (It’s an 8.5-hour film set up in five parts, aka, five weeknights.) However, it did qualify for consideration, and it is incredible. If you have access to WatchESPN, make time for it. It’s about much more than O.J., but even if it wasn’t, his story alone is fascinating. Whatever you call it, it’s one of the best things you can watch on a screen right now.

Honorable Mentions City of Gold Life, Animated Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World Tickled Under the Gun

Best Supporting Actor John Goodman - 10 Cloverfield Lane Yôsuke Kubozuka (as Kichijiro) - Silence Tracy Letts - Indignation Issei Ogata (as the Inquisitor) - Silence Michael Shannon - Nocturnal Animals

And the Layokie goes to… Issei Ogata

Again, with the Silence! Again, just go see it. Unlike Andrew Garfield you won’t think I’m an idiot for picking this guy.

Honorable Mentions Mahershala Ali - Moonlight (thought this before everyone else started saying it!) Adam Driver - Silence Peter Sarsgaard - Jackie Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Nocturnal Animals

Best Supporting Actress Nicole Kidman - Lion Hayley Squires - I, Daniel Blake Tilda Swinton - Hail, Caesar! Rachel Weisz - The Lobster Rima Te Wiata - Hunt for the Wilderpeople Michelle Williams - Manchester by the Sea

And the Layokie goes to… Nicole Kidman

She’s the bomb. Also go see Lion. It will make you cry. It made me cry, and I don’t cry at anything (except The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which makes me bawl like a baby.)

And now, Ass Dan to present all the good stuff. (RIP Ass Dan 1977-2017)

Don’t Sleep On The Accountant Goat The Legend of Tarzan Miss Sloane Snowden

Movie that Deserves Discussion Lion

Already talked about Lion some. Weeks after seeing it, this one is still an enigma for me. It was incredibly well written, directed, and acted, and it is an amazing story I think everyone should see. It’s truly worth watching. But though it was both visually stunning and emotionally engaging (brought real tears to my eyes--the kind that drip down your face) it’s also branded by a sentimentality that keeps me from wanting to place it into the annals of great cinema. Is this a problem with me, that movies with gushy happy endings can’t be considered great art by their very nature because I’m a cynic? Or does this say something about the inherent struggle we all face as humans and the dishonesty of schmaltz? My gut says the later, but my tear ducts say otherwise! Confused!

The Something Award Paterson

The Nothing Award Sing Street

Worst Movies 1. Nina 2. Independence Day: Resurgence 3. Sausage Party 4. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk 5. Tale of Tales (the half I could sit through anyway) 6. The Brothers Grimsby 7. The BFG 8. The Little Prince 9. Live by Night 10. The Angry Birds Movie

Worst Actress Zoe Saldana - Nina

God, was this movie hard to watch. I would never have sat through it except that it was my job. First, she was wearing black face. You can try to explain to me how it wasn’t offensive because she is also black, but I was personally offended. Her accent was awful. She couldn’t sing anything like Nina Simone (no dig here, who could?). Lastly, the movie was pointless and boring as shit. Okay, I just decided to check to the movie on Rotten Tomatoes and I’ll save you the suspense. 3% fresh. AKA the opposite of fresh. 1 positive review of 39. Let’s guess, Armond White? Just went back and checked again. Nope, it’s someone named Kam Williams from something called Baret News Wire. This “positive” review notes that Saldana herself later admitted “I didn’t think I was right for the part.” Williams goes on to say: “However, I suspect anyone who actually sees the film would find Zoe’s Africanized features to be less of a distraction than her singing. For, while she certainly manages to hold her own, Nina’s fans will undoubtedly be more disappointed by the absence of the haunting strains of The High Priestess of Soul’s distinctive voice than by her impersonator’s performing in blackface.” That’s from the only positive review! Williams then finishes with “Ignore all the blackface haters, singing aside, Zoe Saldana delivers a decent enough Nina Simone impersonation here to make you wonder what all the brouhaha was ever about. Very Good (3 stars).” You know a biopic performance is good when the only person advocating for it labels it an “impersonation.”

Good in Everything Award Adam Driver - Midnight Special, Paterson, Silence

Best Cameo Tie: Nick Kroll and Nick Offerman - Knight of Cups (If I remember correctly, you can see a chunk of Nick Kroll’s nose and the back of Nick Offerman’s head.)

Best Song Humble by Connor4Real aka The Lonely Island - Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

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Actual Best Song The Veil by Peter Gabriel - Snowden

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Other Best Song Shiny by Jemaine Clement - Moana (though Disney didn’t submit it ‘cause they’re dumb)

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Best Animated Feature Your Name.

Fastest Learner Doctor Strange, who goes from woefully inept, to able to defeat any henchman, to able to defeat the antagonist, to able to defeat the over-villain, which is some universal galactic superpower, all in the course of about 12 real-time hours.

Most Guts Going All “Splat!” Hacksaw Ridge

The Tallest Tree and Longest Vine in the Known Universe Award The Legend of Tarzan In the words of Jeb Bush, “Please click.”

The Worst Scene to Watch While Sitting Between Your Mom and Your Aunt and Your Girlfriend The one in Bad Moms when they’re prepping her for her date and talking about cocks and jacking off uncircumcised dicks and licking foreskins and cum and all that stuff.

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I did get up and change seats at this point.

Movie the Critics Hated but I Thought Was Great Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Movies Everyone Loved but I Thought Were Cinematically Incohesive, Lacking Character and Plot, Were Almost Saved by Brilliant Endings, but then Weren’t La La Land Swiss Army Man

Biggest Disappointment Jason Bourne

Scariest Moment In The Red Turtle when the guy decides to escape that well by swimming out through that tight channel. Like dude, you’re going to get stuck and drown in there you psycho. I would die trying to climb out for five days straight before I’d try to swim out through a tunnel.

Number of Movies I Had to Watch Isabelle Huppert Get Raped In 2

Biggest Gaffe Phantom Boy is a wonderful animated feature from France, but which is set in New York. At one point they get on an elevator and go from floor 0 to -3. Uh, do research much? In America, that would be floor 1 to P3. Eye roll emoji!

Least Believable On-screen Couple Jesse Eisenberg and Blake Lively in Cafe Society

Can people stop casting Jesse Eisenberg as debonair playboys? It’s not working.

Edge of My Seat Award Green Room Don’t Breathe Nocturnal Animals Silence

You Can and Should Watch on Netflix 13th Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World Other People

You Can and Should Watch on Amazon Prime Cafe Society Green Room Embrace of the Serpent Eye in the Sky THE FITS! Krisha The Lobster Louder than Bombs The Witch

Best Scenes Captain America: Civil War - The escape from Bucky’s Berlin hotel and the big ol’ fight with all the people (even though Vision just disappeared for huge chunks of the fight because he could obviously just disarm all of his opponents at once without even hurting them). Doctor Strange - You know the one where are the crazy stuff happens The Fits - The climax Hell or High Water - Any time Katy Mixon was on screen Lion - The meeting of the mothers Midnight Special - Escape from the facility Moana - The song Shiny Nocturnal Animals - The entire highway confrontation Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Darth Vader tearing shit up

Absent on Purpose Elle The Founder The Neon Demon War Dogs

Haven’t Seen 20th Century Women Captain Fantastic The Edge of Seventeen Everybody Wants Some!! Fences The Handmaiden Love & Friendship Loving Toni Erdmann

Rest in Peace Anton Yelchin

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kevoreally · 6 years ago

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#BuffyAt20 - S03E05 “Homecoming”

AND HERE WE ARE! I am finally caught up on #BuffyAt20 with this liveblog! Very exciting. Season 3, Episode 5, “Homecoming.”

> It’s weird to see these kids talking about something normal like a dance. Not funny weird. Weird weird.

> Why is Willow talking about this being their “last homecoming” as if they’ve ever been the types to celebrate homecoming? (Didn’t Cordy almost get Bride Of Frankenstein’d at last homecoming or something?)

> Is it homecoming or Homecoming? I’m not going to get it right, that’s for sure.

> I actually don’t think going in Oz’s van is the dumbest idea. It's at The Bronze, not The Plaza.

> Why are they talking about a limo for homecoming anyway?? Is this a thing? I thought that was just Prom. And yet I remember no mention of a limo once we get to the actual Prom.

> Wow, in a rare instance, Cordelia’s tactlessness is actually useful. I mean, she’s not calling out Scott in defense of Buffy so much as from a complete lack of social awareness, but it still proved useful.

> “The judge will accept that as a yes.” Bless Oz forever.

> Okay, Buffy is still a little zoned out, but she’s a fairly decent girlfriend in that first scene.

> Was that Angel dramatic curtain pull really as intense as the music tried to tell us? Probably not.

> I actually loved and still love the “Buffy hiding Angel” arc. I think it makes a lot of sense. I think it could’ve been better executed at times, but I still enjoy it more than, say, XILLOW.

>This smash-cut to the break-up is actually almost laughable. Who wrote this one? … Written AND directed by Greenwalt? Huh.

> This was such a weird three-episode arc, this Scott Hope thing. We literally never see him again after this episode, and he’s only mentioned again I think once in Season 7.

> He barely gives a reason for dumping her! YOU AGREED TO GO TO HOMECOMING WITH HER LAST NIGHT! What a chump. You can do better, B.

> Woof. The Twins. Hello, boys.

> Them watching her is such an interesting note to close the teaser on, because it still yet doesn’t give away any of the SlayerFest stuff, you just think “assassins.”

> No, seriously, every week this theme song gets me.

> THE MAYORRRRRR!!!!!!!

> Also Deputy Mayor Allan. Love him. Was he Deputy Mayor? I suppose I’ll be reminded soon enough.

> The germophobe stuff was such an odd and interesting quirk to add to this villain.

> “Dirt. And germs. And mayonnaise.” This performance, man.

> “You have all my faith.” HA!

> It’s cute that these senior portraits were used in the “official” Sunnydale High Yearbook. (Which I own, of course. (It’s… not great.))

> “Open to all mankind.” There’s that slut-shaming again.

> Xander actually does occasionally show emotional concern for Cordy and it’s… almost nice? But then this is the episode where he starts cheating, so… nvm.

> Eddie’s friend Nicole on #FreshOffTheBoat looked just like Faith and I loved it.

> See, and now here Buffy and Faith are talking about being sexually empowered. Isn’t that so much nicer than slut-shaming?

> UGH, the scene where Buffy’s favorite teacher doesn’t know her. I feel this too hard.

> I find it hard to believe any teacher has not heard of Buffy. THAT NAME ALONE.

> Also hard to believe there’s no make-up dates for senior portraits. And seriously? When Buffy didn’t show up after Cordy said she’d get her, no one else went?? 🤬

> “just because you were Guacamole Queen when you were three” - is that in response to Buffy saying she was Fiesta Queen a moment ago, when Cordelia wasn’t present?

> Yeah, my IG post had me wonder if Buffy should’ve backed off, since this is all Cordy has, but no. This is actually great. I root for Buffy all the way. Go for blood.

> "...and whatever the hell you are, my brother. You got them spiny-looking head things. I ain't never seen that before." "I am Kulak, of the Miquot Clan." "Isn't that nice." Loool.

> “Ladies, gentlemen, spiny-head-looking creatures.” Seriously, Mr. Trick was great.

> OH NO, IT’S HERE. The dreaded Xillow.

> Seriously, can I just blackout during this?

> There’s even a soft pop hit playing in the background. STOP TRYING TO BE #DAWSONSCREEK.

> I’m sorry - eighth grade COTILLION? WHAT? (Meanwhile, I was in seventh grade when this aired.)

> Xander asking Willow how far she and Oz got is only inappropriate because of what comes next. It would’ve been so nice if they could’ve been comfortable opposite-sex friends who could talk about those sorts of things.

> This whole scene is so painfully awkward. Who actually wanted this? STOP DANCING.

> Okay it’s over bye, bye, byeee.

> This whiteboard reminds me of #CabinInTheWoods

> Okay, Buffy. Like. Why do you think anyone is going to laugh at you making fun of Cordy? We all know it’s beneath you.

> “A lot of people came to my welcome home party.” “They were killed by zombies.” “Good point.” HA.

> Okay, you know, Willow and Xander’s guilt pushing them to work harder for Cordy almost makes it worth the moment in THIS episode. But its continuation after this is just dumb.

> Like. At the very least, can’t Willow let Buffy see her database too? Wtf?

> “As Willow goes, so goes my nation” is something I say a lot, except with Nico.

> I straight up thought Buffy was just drinking directly from a bottle of wine just now.

> I like this song during the compaign montage. And hey, it’s Fastball! https://youtu.be/e97XbcKy8ZU

> I liked the Lisa Loeb song from earlier, so I may as well link to that too: https://youtu.be/NDdivQ8n5Ug

> Aww, it was so nice of the promo department to lend Buffy a headshot to use for her campaign posters. 🙄

> Remember last week when Scott’s two oldest friends were both killed, including one by the other? And we were supposed to, like, feel sympathy for him?

> How long is this campaign going on for? Where is Buffy getting the funding for all of this?

> WHY WOULD WILLOW *NOT* HAVE SHOWN BUFFY THE DATABASE? Sigh.

> JONATHAN!!!

> Cordelia only gave Jonathan $6? Even in 1998, that was nothing. At least make it $10!

> Vulcan Death Grip - that’s not the right name, right? I feel like even I know that one.

> “is that any more tacky than your faux ‘I’m shy but deep’ campaign posters?” “...yes.” Ha. And, yes.

> ”How can you think it’s okay to talk to people like this?” SERIOUSLY, BUFFY. I’m finding it hard to understand how liking Cordelia at this point in the series.

> Like right here. Cordelia *purposely* goes to physically push Buffy, assuming the Slayer would never push back. The moment Buffy actually defends herself, Cordelia calls her “sick.” That’s uncanny.

> Okay, “vapid whore” wasn’t great. But. ...Y’know. 🤷🏻‍♂️

> For real, I still keep expecting it to turn out there’s some kind of horny homecoming ghost that’s going to be revealed as the source of this Xillow nonsense. But no. Never.

> “I’m talking about us.” Loooool, of course you are, Willow. Watch out for anvils, everyone…

> “The limo was not cheap, work it out”? What the fuck? 🤭🤣

> Okay, but for real, the setup here of how Cordelia came to be mistaken for Faith? I actually do find that amusing. And it was 1998, so you could still just barely get away with the Germans making that mistake without saying, “Okay, but all that tech and they got it wrong?” It was a magical time.

> Their dresses are gorgeous and timeless, by the way. And the color scheme evokes thoughts of #TRON for me, that orange and almost-teal green.

> Omigod, it’s a TV in the woods, hooked up to a VCR. Maybe it wasn’t such a magical time after all, haha.

> I want a SlayerFest T-shirt.

> I vividly remember “She’s a Slayer, I’m a Homecoming Queen” from the commercials.

> Faith just hanging out at this dance is so cute. There weren’t nearly enough stories with Faith actively involved as a good guy.

> I haven’t ever listened closely to “She Knows” by Four Star Mary, I don’t know how much sense Oz writing it for Willow makes, but believe I’ll be looking into it before I blog it.

> Giles psyching out Willow and Xander is friggin’ adorable. I love that Giles starts to loosen up this season. Is it a response to seeing the change in his returned Slayer? Hmm.

> I love Buffy just lobbing a bear trap at someone.

> I can’t tell if the hunter is cute. I wanna say mostly. I wonder if this was supposed to be Whats-his-name from “Phases”?

> Okay, it’s vindictive, but Faith’s revenge on Scott still makes me giggle. What?? That was a very unceremonious dumping.

> And we never saw Scott again. Who was his date anyway? What became of Scott after this? Other than, y’know. Gay.

> Giles is so on point in this episode. He’s fun and caring and charming. What a wonderful highlight in a lot of mess.

> Omigod, I almost forgot about Cordy’s spatula.

> Hm. This making Cordy realize she loves Xander is… interesting.

> And then her fortifying after Buffy goads her - and being smart enough to recognize that’s what she’s doing. Huh.

> Oh wait, she forgot to mention the telephone, nevermind, she still dumb.

> “No, this is better, for - oh.” Ha, tho.

> Buffy is leaving a voicemail on Giles’s landline. Lol.

> The spiny demon offering to cut off the hunter’s leg is actually kind of a nice gesture. New OTP.

> Wait, Buffy’s voicemail actually went through? Interesting.

> “I spent a year’s allowance on this dress.” And the muffins?

> Loving Buffy’s “pick up a yearbook and prove I went to high school” speech here, tbh. Writing and performance.

> How did this guy not just turn around and stab Cordelia while she was swatting him?

> “Cordelia, the spatula.” Haaa.

> This tech is some real #VRTroopers-looking shit.

> How have I not yet mentioned the Gorch reappearance here? And how much I love it? So fun.

> Wow, Buffy goes down hard when she gets hit with that stand. Damn.

> I do sort of love Cordelia talking Gorch into fleeing. He’s just stupid enough for this to work here.

> “I don’t recall them mentioning corsages” - that’s what tips them off? Sigh.

> “I need some wet toilet paper.” “Yeah! That’ll help.” Okay, lul.

> NOOO, goodbye, hot German twins! RIHotness.

> Seriously, cute plan tho, making them fire on each other. I wonder if their Dad/Handler ever got his money. Also, so like, what happened at school the next day, with this shot-up wall?

> The Mayor immediately offers his hand to Mr. Trick, that’s endearing. He’s a very endearing villain.

> “This is a very important year for me.” “Election year.” “Something like that.” Snerk.

> “The children are our future. We need them. I need them.” Like, does he mean ‘to eat’ here? I don’t think so, actually. He talks in Season 4 about having a children’s museum dedicated to himself.

> HA, SEE, I KNEW IT: “long story,” “got hunted,” “apparently not that long.” And also written by David Greenwalt. Gotta watch those, brother!

> Oh hey Devon!

> This scene does completely make me laugh still, not gonna lie. When he’s switching the crown over the two winners’ heads and our girls just walk off. Classic.

Speaking of classic - next week, a very classic episode, with another character reappearance, “Band Candy!” Looking forward to it. Especially now that I’m finally caught up! :D :D :D

#Buffy #buffy at 20 #buffy the vampire slayer #buffy watch #buffy rewatch #tv blog #live blog #buffy blog #btvs season 3 #Buffy Season 3 #Homecoming

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league-of-light · 7 years ago

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PLAYOFF PICK’EM

The playoff championships are around the corner and I'm more excited than Phil is to give Katie some lingerie so he can see a girl in undies for the first time in person instead of behind a computer screen (This final pick’em of the season is sponsored by rubhub.tv, your international hub to rub one out). It's your two favorite people here, Mr. Naughty and Mr. Nice (which is which? That's a secret I'll never tell, xoxo Gossip Girl), the Sultans of Shadows, the Lords of Light, your cocomissioners of content, Willyboi and Juan Wandisimo here as we give you the final weekly pickem: Christmas Playoff Edition. We’ll start with the consolation playoffs and then work our way to prime time, because I enjoy building suspense.

A note from the editor: I'm not entirely sure these consolation matchups are correct, but handling the Consolation playoffs has been an absolute nightmare so we're just gonna leave it and determine playoff loser by whoever has the fewest points out of the four of you.

Bowers v. Dylan

Seeing Bowers vs Dylan in the fantasy football championship is like seeing Spotify queue up All I Want for Christmas is You. Seeing Bowers vs Dylan in the fantasy football consolation championship is like seeing Spotify queue up All I want for Christmas is You...by Michael Buble. Sure it warms your heart a little, but it's just not the same. Maybe there's some content since Bowers stole Jordan Matthews from Dylan? I don't know people, I'm trying to make this one work but it just makes me sad. And I don't want to be sad this Christmas. If I wanted to be sad for Christmas I'd go on a double date with Phil and Katie to the sex museum and then come home and watch the NFL give Man of the Year to both Marcus Peters and Michael Bennett with Jason while talking to Tom about Net Neutrality with Smiles Feldman as Evan reminds me Arielle is still a member of this league for another 3 days and Everett is not because that's just the kinda thing Evan would do and then have Harnsowl tell me this scene was the best scene in modern television, on par with Shannons feelings on the Minions movie. If I wanted to be sad I'd do those things. But now I've thought about it and so here I am deep in a pit of misery, I need to smile, Dylan please distract me and tell me who wins this matchup.

I know things didn't work out for Bowers this year, but I think he put together a really good team 🙂. He had some tough luck, but we all had fun and enjoyed each other's company, and that's what really matters 🙂. As for this game, I think my team of Jord's probably won't score too much, so I'd go with Bowers, but really, just getting to this point makes us all winners 🙂. Happy Holidays everyone!

Dear God no.

Samantha vs. Andy

These two duked it out all season for that Wildcard spot, only to have Harnsowl swoop in and steal it at the last second. I don't think there's much heart from either team at this point, which is a shame to see especially during this magical time of year. Perhaps tonight they will be visited by the ghosts of fantasy past, present, and future. For Samantha I imagine that would look like Aaron Jones, Travis Kelce, and Todd Gurley (that's right folks, calling it now, next year she drafts Todd Gurley and breaks my heart) and for Andy we're looking at Julio Jones, TY Hilton, and Andrew Luck (rip). Can one of these two find the fight in their heart to give this one last matchup everything they’ve got? I want a matchup that’s more electric than Dyker Heights or whatever that thing in Brooklyn is called, but I fear we’re only gonna get Christmas on the Mountain in this matchup. Can you find it in your heart people? Do it for Tiny Tim. Speaking of Tim, Dylan, who’s gonna win this?

I expect Mas to continue her impressive run. 2nd in Best Platonic Couple, tied 2nd for Chat MVP (a true miscarriage of justice as Phil won the award despite not being in the chat), roots for the 2nd best baseball team in New York, had the 2nd most successful fantasy football team of the Wettdgje household, was the 2nd banker to join the league, works in the 2nd largest profession block in the league (bankers, behind lawyers), and this week, she'll come in 2nd place in this matchup. Andy comes away with the victory.

Arielle v. Nico

"O man woodnt it b so funni if Will has 2 pay Arielle?" Sure, if you enjoy laughing at the fact that Nico got bumped out of the playoffs by Evan, then I guess continue to yuck it up about him potentially missing out on another $50. It's not like the man's home was ravaged by a hurricane a couple months ago, let's instead think about how funny it would be in 6 months when I Venmo Arielle/speak to her for the last time in my life. You're all monsters. Like the monsters Nico has drummed up for us in our spectacular D&D campaign. Because Nico is the best. I hope Santa brings him, Karla, and Nicole (yeah his dog is named Nicole and his name is Nico shut up don't judge him he adopted the dog and she already had a name. That's now twice you were a jerk to Nico in this write up alone. you owe him an apology) nothing but happiness this holiday. This matchup should be a blow out and your hopes for any lols will deflate quicker than Phils Christmas boner when he realizes despite buying the underwear the instagram thot promoted, Katie's instagram fittness (that’s not a typo, she spells it with 2 t’s) ass goals failed to make her booty look anything like Sarah Termini's or whatever that girl with the big donk is named. Dylan, who u got?

This one is for the Loser's Bracket Championship. So whoever wins it is the best loser. We live in a world where Blake Bortles, the biggest loser QB in the world, is destroying NFL teams. Arielle had the worst team in the league this year, and her conduct has been so bad that it's led one commissioner to say, "Ariellle is out" and to angrily rebuke anyone who says otherwise (although I've enjoyed her recent resurgence). It's only natural that she'd find a way to be the best loser in the league and pick up the victory.

Evan v Harnsowl

O wow oooo wee this is it folks, the matchup of the week, the creme of the crop, the one and only RUBHUB MASTURBATION BOWL. A matchup that literally means nothing other than bragging rights, these two undeserving, ungrateful playoff teams deserve to play each other back and forth until the end of time. I award neither of you any points, and may god have mercy on your souls for taking a playoff spot from Nico and losing week 1 of the playoffs. Watching this matchup is gonna feel a lot like watching A Christmas Story Live! on Fox. You don't know who the hell gave this greenlight, or why they did it in the first place, but this is a flaming hot dumpster fee. And not the kind of dumpster fire where it's so fun you can't help but watch, nah this is a smoky smelly dumpster fire that the hobos use to keep themselves warm because they slipped up and became an alcoholic and their ultra Christian families abandoned them so now they all have is the clothes on their back and this dumpster fire to keep them warm this Christmas. In other words, it's just kind of sad. But hey remember this is the rubhub masturbation bowl so log on to rubhub and use coupon codes HonkIfUrHarny or SevenMinutesInHEvan for 15% off your first month (code depends on the winner). Dylan, what do you think?

Hold on, I have no inspiration at all for this one. We might need to send this one to a special guest picker. I've got legit nothing

There you have it folks, you suck.

Phil v. Walsh

I've got to be honest folks this matchup doesn't tickle my pickle in any way/shape/form. Remember when you were a kid in elementary school on December 23rd? Lunchtime comes and you and the squad are talking about how excited you are to get presents, and little Ben Schwartz chimes in about how tonight is the 8th night of Hanukkah which means he's getting something really good cause his parents save the best present for last! There's no malicious intent, no anti-semiticism, but Ben frankly no one gives a damn. When the break ends I'll be more than happy to hear how awesome it was when you spun your magical Hebrew top for golden coins, but when Christmas is around the corner I can't be bothered. Anyway, this matchup feels a lot like that. I guess there's some excitement that Phil might win money for the first time in 5 years, but at the end of the day I don't really care. We now turn to Dylan Feldman live in the NFL Studio, Dylan, who you got?

Well Will, it's gonna be a great one this weekend, right Shannon *laughs for no particular reason*. Congratulations to Primo Content for amking it this far, but it ends today. Walsh has Lamar Miller out of *Warren Sapp off camera "Merry Christmas baby, here's a dildo... what? oh sorry, THE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU*, and he has a great matchup this week against a Steelers team that will have trouble bouncing back after last week's loss. Phil is also relying on Leonard Fournette, but can he stay healthy? This is a guy who quit on his team before their bowl game last year, so we know he's not clutch. Walsh's team has heart, and that's what you need to win in the loser's bracket in the NATIONAL! FANTASY! FOOTBALL league. Back to you Boom.

Will vs. Jason

I wrote this matchup last, and now I know that I ordered it correctly because that handy dandy image I found this morning says to go I, A, O. But you didn’t come here for Grammar Memes, you came here because this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Let’s face it folks, no matter what happens here we’re all winners. If this matchup tells us anything, it’s that irrational love for players is the key ingredient to making the playoffs. I’ve got nothing else to say, so instead I’ll sing you a song. On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me.....

Twelve Nick Foles ducking

Eleven Jimmies ‘gramming

Ten Butkers a-kicking,

Nine Collins dancing,

Eight JuJus a-biking,

Seven Stefons a-digging,

Six Brandins a-cooking,

Five GOUUUUULDEN ROBBIES,

Four calling McCaffs,

Three Jared Goffs,

Two Robert Woods,

And a Todd Gurley for MVP.

That’s it from me folks. Happy Holidays, remember to have your pets spayed or neutered, Phil please use a condom tonight. I’ll pass it off to our expert analyst Dylan. Andylstan, what are we looking at here?

Thanks Boom. This is, of course, one of the toughest picks we've ever had to make, as both of these teams have looked truly dominant at times this year but also have had issues with injuries and seemingly some bad JuJu. To figure out the winner, we've had to develop a new algorithm that we call FORT MINOR, which stands for Final Odds Respective Teams are Memorialized Is Not Overly Rigorous. It is determined by a number of factors, weighted by their importance.

Luck (10%) - Marquise Goodwin was on another team 3 weeks ago, playing uninspired football. Now, he has no dad, no son, and he's putting up fantasy football numbers like he's Julio Jones. Nobody could have guessed Meanwhile, Sean McVay would be this good, and that's been huge for Willl this season. Jason's caught a good break in this category, but Will dominates this one. *Will - 8% Jason - 2%* Skill (20%) - Jason managed to get through the year with largely his original team. One could argue that having a better draft is more skillful. Will, on the other hand, put together a couple of blockbusters to keep his team at the top of the league. He has the slight edge here, thanks to his acquisition of Brandin Cooks (coming off of a very good week) and because of the work he did to win the toughest division in the league. *Will - 11% Jason - 9%* Concentrated Power of Will (15%) - It's in the name. Kudos to Jason, as he did show a ton of grit and determination this year, but there's no way he touches Will in his own category. *Will - 12% Jason - 3%* Pleasure (5%) - I actually think nobody got more joy out of this fantasy football season than Jason. His unbridled enthusiasm for Carson Wentz's breakout year stands apart from the rest of the league. Sure, Will has enjoyed Stefon Diggs, but he has players like that every year. Jason has been able to ride the Wentz Wagon to victory here. *Will - 1% Jason - 4% Pain (50%) - Here's where things get interesting. It comes down to a debate we have constantly in sports. LeBron or Jordan? Clemens or Pedro? Rice or Moss? How do you compare someone with a sustained run of excellence to someone whose peak has never been matched? Will clearly defeated Jason here for the first 13 weeks of the season. You would think that would make him the clear winner. We forget now, but the Dalvin Cook injury was devestating, and Allen "15 TD's" Robinson has unfairly missed out on this great Jaguars season. But they say you could hear Jason heart breaking from halfway around the world when Carson Wentz went down. In the end, that peak is too high to ignore. *Will - 20% Jason - 30%* Reasons to Remember the Name *Will - 52% Jason - 48%* And there you have it folks. FORT MINOR has determined that Will has a 52% chance of winning this week. So, by the slightest of margins, we're predicting that the Blastoise Brigade comes away with the title in a thrilling matchup. Either way, expect a great week of fantasy football. Back to you Boom, and enjoy the holidays everyone!

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survivorindia · 8 years ago

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Whatever Forever- jaiden (Episode 3)

Anyway!!!!!!!! I just got elimed and whew I'm just feeling so many emotions. Maybe I shouldn't have thrown the immunity to save lexi, maybe I should've kept ace over Ashley,maybe I never really had a chance in this game in the first place. Overall? I just feel bad for promising lexi that I'd help keep her in the game and then immediately flopping, and for Kendall, leaving my one tru ally by herself, I hope the swap goes in her favour and that both of them can vote out the rest of the returnee heroes, some revenge is always nice TBH. Ashley, gav and Alex, I really did trust two of you and I was gonna stay loyal so it sucks that y'all flipped so easily, of course the fact that Ashley had an idol probably wasn't the best thing, but we could've figured something out. I hope the three of you get elimed soon or at least prejury bc you know the great dan whatever his last name is said flippers never win and well it's no fun seeing snakes get far either TBH ! And I know y'all won't be reading this til later but good luck newbies I hope y'all truly slay this game bc really some of these returnees I would really rather see get elimed except maybe Kendall and Jordan pines. This has been a fun game for the most part, the challenges were great, the hosts were greater (even David Robb) and I met some good people in my short stay here! Do I have some regrets? Yeah but I wouldn't have wanted to play this game any other way. Keep an eye out for me in the returnee season :~) single digits I'm still coming for ya!

So not much has happened this round. We won, yet again. And my #1 ally out of everyone in this game, my good friend Monte, was sadly voted out. But best believe I'm gonna win this game for him!

What in the heckie is Nicole doing?

What the FUCK? These people need to CHILL out. It's our fault - we made the mistake, the hosts don't have to babysit us every step of the way. Now we gotta own it and win this tiebreaker - honestly, Danny g'luck (I WAS FORCED TO MAKE THIS S/O) to these people, because they are getting on my nerves with their complaining rn.

We keep winning. I love that. But Jordan Pines might wanna blindside me... so to that I say:

Am I exaggerating? A little bit. I think. I don't know. I'm being weird and emotional so idk what the fuck I'm actually thinking... I hope I get voted out next at this point yay

Okay, everyone listening? Two common misconceptions about pegging: If a man likes pegging, he must be gay. If you peg a straight man, he will become gay. Cue Laughter and Eye Roll - Both of these are so ridiculous as to be laughable on so many levels. Gender preference has nothing to do with the sex toys you like to play with...or the area of your body you like your partner to play with. For those of you who have fears around this - please excuse the laughter...though I do find the concept quite humorous. Think of it this way...If a straight man enjoys getting pegged by a woman there is no reason whatsoever to think that all of a sudden he will crave sex with men. Just like if a straight woman enjoys receiving oral sex from a man there is no reason whatsoever to think that she will suddenly want to be a lesbian. See how silly that sounds? (Now if the man is bisexual, just ignore all this and go to the next blog post because he prefers both genders so these points are moot.) A man who wants his ass fucked is gay, you say? Bullshit. (I seem to be in a sassy mood tonight.) Remember, the male ass is the source of an amazing amount of pleasure via the prostate gland. Whether a man experiences that pleasure from his lady's finger(s), his own finger(s), a toy (there are so many), his lady’s strap-on, a butt plug, his partner's finger(s) or his partner's cock makes no difference. All of the above are simply various examples of the pursuit of pleasurable sensations from an ass. Many really nice toys are specifically made for anal pleasure! That should give you a bit of pause. Maybe the people buying these items know something....just like the 150 - 200 million gay men in the world. But wait - I'm probably confusing you... Unexplored Ecstasy - The point here is that anal exploration is about pleasure, not an indicator of gender preference. What I find a shame is that so many straight men will not indulge in that pleasure because of these misconceptions along with the bullshit social stigma attached to it. Maybe it's just me (standing here ready with my strap-on), but that sounds like a lot of pleasure being abstained from...and oh my the word abstinence in any form is not a popular one amongst the pleasure seekers that have found their way to Pegging Paradise! I am certain there are men out there who secretly would love to have their ass teased with...well, a variety of things. These men hesitate to ask for it because they fear their partner's reaction to their request or the reaction of others if they found out. All of this is fed by the original misconceptions as well as a puerile dose of idiotic homophobia. Get over it, people! I know...easier for me to say here in Southern California when some of you might be in conservative strait-laced sex-negative hell somewhere. But hey - we need to start somewhere, right? Are you going to let other people's narrow-minded attitudes affect your pursuit of pleasure in the privacy of your own bedroom (hotel room, board room, etc)? I think not. No Fear - So Ladies, I urge you to get over your own fears that if you fuck your man in the ass with a strap-on dildo the gay fairy will instantly appear and sprinkle him with magic gay dust and you will lose him forever to his own gender. Okay? If you can't let go of that fear, you have no business strapping on a dildo. I mean really...are you going to follow him around after you fuck him and be suspicious of all of his encounters with males? Let it go, ladies. And when you get your man where you want him and you have your way with him...don't kiss and tell. Especially if you live in one of those strait-laced sex-negative hell places I spoke of previously. Instead, treasure the vulnerability your man has shared with you and let him know that come hell or high water or nosy girlfriends, he can trust you to keep that part of your sex life confidential. Pleasure Seeking - Gentlemen, the other part of the formula here is you. If you are clear about which gender you prefer, that's your stable base. Do your best to let go of any homophobic comments you have heard, read or even, heaven forbid, said. Your anus is a part of your body that, when properly stimulated, offers a whole new world of pleasure. Orgasms with anal stimulation are most times much more intense and produce much more cum (that's always fun). Given just that, why wouldn't you want to at least check it out? If you love it, all that means is that you love getting fucked with a strap-on by the woman who makes you hot. There is no "Insta-gay" phenomenon that happens if your lady pegs you. As one man put it: I like breasts with my strap-on, thank you! Pegger/Peggee - Wouldn't it be awesome if people who were into pegging walked around in T-Shirts that said, simply, "Pegger" or "Peggee"? I mean - relatively few people who are not kink-oriented know the sexual meaning of the word so lovingly created by Dan Savage. So the masses of people leading lives of quiet desperation (read: sex-negative) wouldn't have a clue what it meant. And if asked, one could always say with a smile, "Look it up on Wikipedia". Just make sure it's a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile as you say the words and they just might look it up. Presto, you have just spread the word about a luscious, sexy, pleasure-filled act that couples can add to their carnal repertoire. You may have changed their lives forever...in a rather explosive way.

AHAHAHAHAHA @GAVIN

THOSE BOYS WANT TRIBAL TN BECAUSE WE LOST IMMUNITY AND IM SO FUCKING NERVOUS I DONT WANT TO DIE I HAVE SO MANY PLANS IF JORDAN SACRIFICE ME FOR NICOLE OKOKOKOK

So... mission successful. Let's quickly debrief: 1. Ashley trusts me a lot more after I told her details that Alex told me in private. Making Ashley feel like she was on shaky ground further resulted in her letting me know that she has an idol. Whether or not it is true is besides the point... the true crux of the matter is that I have Ashley left in the game with three people she can't trust and me... so that means I ought to be her #1. 2. Alex and I are as tight as ever. Even despite giving Ashley information, I was able to quickly fix that bond. I genuinely like and trust Alex, but I can't let the cloud my judgement. He's very close to Kendall, which scares me, but I have looked to leverage that in our post-tribal call. In my conversations with Alex, I want to make him feel like he is calling the shots while still looking to provide input. Thus far, I think I have done that. With Ashley allegedly having the idol (information that was supposed to be "kept secret" but was totally not "kept secret" xD), I have talked to Alex extensively about the next vote and I've made a deal with him to take out Karen rather than Kendall... while also *hopefully* keeping Ashley's idol in play. My goal here is to come out of this with both Ashley and Alex working independently, but all in all, nonetheless in my best interests. In short, the way this tribe seems to be shaking out is that there is this façade of autonomy and power that Karen and Kendall have. They have this illusion that they call the shots, while it really is Alex and I that hold the cards in this dynamic. Kendall, to get Alex completely on my side... I need to spare you to gain his trust, BUT MARK MY WORDS I'M GOING FOR YOU! *Nothing against you, just your social game is very very strong but annoyingly obvious too ;3* Oh. And Ace got voted out too... I guess.

I never really made an opening confessional, so here I go I guess? I am really... really excited to be back. It's so easy for so many people to say "Oh yeah I've played a ton, people want me back." We see it with a ton of people, and that's not a bad thing. People want to see them back for a big reason. But I never had that. Coming off of Malaysia I was hated and people did not really respect me for who I was and thought that I was some awful person and player. It definitely hit me hard a bit, but at the time I was like, okay that's fine, there's other seasons. Tumblr does a lot. And so I applied. I applied for Sri Lanka with Marie and didn't make it. I applied for Rebels vs Rogues and didn't make it. I applied for Bora Bora and didn't make it. I believe I applied for Generations and wasn't casted, or I didn't believe I was going to have time due to time conflicts. I wasn't contacted for Maldives. I missed the application for Tenochtitlan. I applied for Sicily and didn't make it. I believe I applied for Bangladesh and didn't make it. I wasn't contacted for Arabia (though there may have been apps and I missed it). I wasn't contacted for Myanmar. And I was super excited to finally get this chance to play in Lazio but I missed the acceptance of my application. And going back to all the times I had tried to play or just was kind of ignored it was rough. I kind of thought I was done. And now I'm here playing in India. After over a year on and off of trying to play this game again. And to be honest, I'm hella pumped. Because I've missed out on so many chances to play. I think it says something when even parts of my Malaysia cast aren't even excited to see me on the season. This is kind of my opportunity to prove people wrong. My personality showed even at this Tribal where I literally told Gavin his answer to the Tribal Question was awful and completely wrecked Ace after he wished us a heartfelt goodbye. I want people to know that I am playing as hard as I can. I'm not here to change who I am to impress people. I'm here to show who I am so that I can prove to people that I'm not some worthless player who doesn't deserve to be back; I definitely feel like some people think that is the truth. I'm going to prove people wrong. Count on it.

I know I said I wanted to be a villain but goddamn, this is pretty fucked up. Oh right context because mind reading technology hasn't been invented quite yet. To make a long story short, Karen made an alliance chat with our victim (Ashley) and now it has a name and now it is terrible. Alex brings up voting Karen and that raisin I call a heart was all like "YAAASS QUEEN!" And my brain was tempted by the #bigmove but getting rid of Karen... is truthfully not to my benefit. Sure Karen is manipulative but she seems to trust me. She confides in me with information and she includes me in all her fucked up little schemes. In a sense, I'm the Trish to her Tony. If Trish and Tony were two gay and emotionally stunted children of course. Plus she has the connections to the other side that could get us far into the game and I am confident enough in our friendship that she will stay by my side. Of course, I will remain wary of her but for now I think our relationship is mutually beneficial. Karen needs me for back up in her schemes. I need Karen to get where I want to get. She gives me information. Information I can collect in to a giant web of evidence, so when the day comes when I turn on her, I'll have the evidence via receipts to back me up. Karen never deletes anything, I am planning on using that to my advantage.

So I was reallllyyyyyy close to using my idol tonight, and I totally would have wasted it if I had. Gavin advised me that I would be okay, and so did Alex and Kendall but like something didn't feel right. I had heard that Ace heard my name from Karen and I was like well shit. She had literally just today come to me and told me that we were all good and that she didn't hold the last game we played together against me. Like there are no hard feelings. but due to everything that was happening I kind of doubted that. But tbh I love Gavin and Alex and really hope we can work together for the next few rounds. Or even longer, who knows. I still am unsure about Karen and Kendall, as I don't really know them that well. But hopefully everything works out.

Oh I also definitely told Gavin I have an idol.... idiot move? We shall see.

I am so glad we won immunity. It for sure would have been me or Lexi next if we had gone to tribal. It looks like Johnny and Whitney aren't too upset that I didn't vote with them but I can't take my chances. I had been searching for the idol for a while with no luck so I asked Lexi to help me find it. She found it within a few hours lol. We didn't find the idol but we found the idol grid. It's relieving to know it couldn't have been found right away. This gives me and her time to find it. Hopefully we'll get it before anyone else and we'll be set for the rest of the time on this tribe. I doubt anyone else on our tribe has found the idol page or would suspect that we found it. I'm thinking long term so the game plan would be using the idol on lexi and getting rid of Liam. If we happen to go to a tribal council after that we could try to get Whitney or Johnny to flip to our side. Even if they don't want to we can always force a tie so Lexi and I still have a strong chance of succeeding. We just have to find that idol!

This has been a crazy round. I'm glad the immunity challenge was changed to something that required more skill. The tribe worked very well as a team. There's an obvious divide between us so I'm glad we were able to get some time to bond and unite. As for the results, it was upsetting that the returnee heroes made such a big deal out of not getting theirs in on time. The rules clearly stated it was first to 10 pm. I'm sure we would've accepted defeat if we didn't send it faster than them. It was bad sportsmanship on their part. The tiebreaker was so stressful. I stepped up and I was so afraid of letting the team down. I knew if we went to tribal my only ally left, Lexi, would be voted off. There was a lot of pressure on me and I was honestly so anxious. I felt so victorious beating Kendall by 7 minutes. I hope my tribemates remember this next time we go to tribal and don't vote me out. I feel like I've done a lot for our tribe so I think I'm safe for now. I'm really hoping the tribe swap comes within the next two rounds. We can only win so many immunities and Lexi and I are on the bottom so we really need it asap.

#youdontgetmycrownjustcause

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