#I want to join the Mia Protection Club because where is it

[mx-mongoose]

Oh cool! A fic about an MLM ship I like, lets check it out! ... Oh, it hates women.

[omgkalyppso]

Number 4 for the romance lyric prompt for any variation of the ot4!

4. ‘Cause girls like you run 'round with guys like me 'til sun down.

The lyric is from Girls Like You by Maroon 5 (idk how obvious this is without me saying it), and was added to the playlist specifically for Claude x Hilda though a lot of the lyrics have to be taken at face value because it could be interpret extremely negatively, though not that line, and not my intent. I'll try writing a few words of the stage-production au.

I didn't read over this when I finished.

Here's the first post of the stage-production au: [HERE]

Most of the cast were gone for the day, though the actors who had agreed to go out afterwards had lounged in the audience. Dimitri and Edelgard stood on opposite step ladders, as crewmen held them in place, going over the lines of their final battle with a choreographer and the director.

Dimitri would be atop a large dragon puppet someday, and Edelgard would be in her Hegemon construction, but for now, they were in t-shirts and jeans and trying their best to imagine what the final product might look like.

Hubert and Dedue stood by their sides, and had stopped crouching after the fourth recitation of their lines. By now had been brought chairs to sit upon, from which they each spoke their one line, to be shouted in production, as they supported the song shared by The Rightful King and The Flame Emperor in their epic moment.

From the orchestral pit, the production's vocal coach, Yuri, played an upright piano to guide their tune and tempo.

Hilda sat between Claude and Ferdinand in the audience. Each man whispering along with the song with a bounce of his head while she sunk into her seat, amused, and embarrassed by the prospect of joining them.

It was the most genial cast Hilda had ever worked with, and when Ferdinand, Edelgard, Manuela, Seteth and Lorenz had spoken of not drinking for seven weeks before a show, the bulk of the cast had agreed to go sober for the duration; though when they'd spoken of different dietary restrictions in the week leading up to production, there'd been very little consensus. Regardless, tonight would be the last hurrah for those who drank, as Hilda didn't anyway, and they were waiting to take their friends out for the night.

It was still relatively early as far as nights went, barely seven o'clock, but that was still late enough that people were missing dinner. Hilda could hear the crinkling of a paper bag from behind her, where Mercedes and Dorothea snacked on sweet and sour chicken balls.

After three more runs of the scene, Sweetpea, their stoic mint-haired director, declared, "I think that's it." They did their best to turn to address the rest of their team, in the wings and in the audience. "I'll see most of you in four days when we join Yuri for a, hopefully less chaotic, rendition of The Storm of Myrddin. Great work."

Hilda whistled loudly in support of her castmates, while her friends applauded and hollered. Dimitri bowed to their audience, and Hubert bowed to Edelgard who rolled her eyes and laughed as she exaggerated with one hand thrown skyward as she and Dimitri made their way down their respective stepladders.

"Thank you, Yuri," called Edelgard.

"Yes, thank you, Yuri," Dimitri agreed.

"We'll practice those low notes next time," Yuri answered, before waving up out of the pit to soften his implied criticisms. "You're welcome! We're getting there. There's a lot of range to cover."

Dimitri was still insecure by the time he joined his castmates in the aisles as they marched to the exit, "Did it sound that bad?"

"No," Claude snickered.

"It's Yuri's job to strive for perfection," Dedue observed.

Hilda held her hand in front of her lips for a moment, considering her contribution. Once they were outside, she jut her elbow into Dimitri's stomach so he grunted in surprise, stumbling back into Felix.

"Eugh!"

"Hey, watch it!"

Hilda shrugged. "Just remember that sensation?"

"Don't be mean," Sylvain exaggerated with a whine, giving Dimitri his sweater he'd been holding onto.

"No, I—" Dimitri tried to mimic the same position his mouth had been in, tongue drooping forward in his mouth as he sought the pitch of his exclamation.

"You broke him," Hubert declared, his brow furrowed, at the same time that Claude, Edelgard and Dedue were following Dimitri's example and carrying a deep monotonous tone.

Edelgard even turned it into a line that Yuri had probably been concerned with, that she would sing below The Rightful King's pleas, "So that none will suffer I must forfend—"

Dorothea answered her with The Rightful King's following line, "Living and dead, I will not forget those whom I defend."

"We're not doing that," Felix said, flat.

"Right," Annette agreed, which seemed to surprise him. "Resting voices."

"Resting voices," several people echoed.

.

They followed Dedue to a Duscur place for dinner, and wolfed down their wraps as they waited in line at a club that might be large enough to accommodate their large group.

"You didn't bring your date?" Lorenz asked Felix.

"We're not dating," Felix said, as if on instinct. He thought a moment. "Wasn't this just for cast?"

Lorenz shared a frown with Hilda before he assured Felix, "I doubt anyone would have complained even if you'd brought someone unrelated to the production. We'd have been happy to—"

"Don't listen to him," Claude said, turning from Leonie so he could wrap an arm around Lorenz. "Or I mean, do, because you could have brought anyone you'd wanted, but also don't because Lorenz just chickened out of asking the other make up artist to join us and hoped they'd have tagged along with Mia."

Felix snorted.

"That's not what happened," Lorenz objected.

"Oh, sweetie," Hilda contributed with a pout. "That's exactly what happened."

"We just got to talking, and I got distracted," Lorenz contributed.

"You forgot?" Felix asked, aghast. Hilda brought her hands to her lips, failing to hide her amusement.

"It didn't come up," Lorenz countered.

"That's not better," Claude said, shaking his head. Lorenz shrugged him off and flicked his chest with all four fingers.

"Fat lot of good friends like you are."

.

The second floor of the club was open to the elements, archways acting as windows to the brisk wind of evening, and the bright shine of sunset. The breeze and drinks were welcome, Mercedes, Dorothea and Hilda taking turns sitting with their pitchers, yellow with alcohol and pink without, to protect them just in case.

Hilda found herself distracted throughout the night, watching Claude as he dipped Lorenz, and nearly dropped Dimitri, and joined Dorothea in a samba that she and Annette were soundly better at.

They danced together only twice, the first time early in the evening before the dancers and the night had hit their stride, when there was more laughter and embarrassment in their fun than indulgence. The second time had been later in the evening, when he was flush and tipsy, to a ballad that had them swaying slowly with his hand politely between her shoulders. She'd thought about stepping closer into his space, resting her head on his chest, facing the brunt of his sweat and his cologne, but hesitated — partially because of their working relationship, but mostly because Sylvain and Mercedes had whistled about the way Hubert had held the small of Edelgard's back and she'd stretched back in a smooth, flowing dip.

It was maybe an hour later that Claude found Hilda seated at a table by a south-facing archway, the dim red of the western horizon a memory of the now fallen sun, the deep blue to the east twinkling with a few visible stars over a small lake and parkland.

"You having a good time?" Claude seemed more sober now than earlier, unlike some of their friends, and Hilda smiled softly, glad of his attention.

She nodded and ran her fingers under her eyes. "Just tired. Worked early before practice, and will again tomorrow."

"I'm glad you made it," Claude said sweetly, and Hilda rolled her eyes as she sucked on a straw from a cup that was mostly ice.

"No one would have missed me," she contributed, her gaze darting to where most of their colleagues were gathered, some of their friendships spanning years and others only as long as auditions, but generally they seemed to feel closer to each other than she really felt to them. So far, anyway.

She felt slower at forming these deep friendships that others seemed instinctually born with. She wondered if she'd know any of these people long enough for that to matter.

"I just said I would've," Claude insisted, crossing his arms as he leaned into the table. His hair was wilting around his face, framing thick eyebrows and dark lashes that half-hid his green eyes. He needed to curl them, Hilda thought idly.

She blushed and pushed at the ice in her glass with her straw. "You just owed me a few drinks for improvising with you in your audition."

Claude chuckled and hid his smile in his elbow for a moment. "That was kind of you," he allowed. He looked at her directly, and promised, "But it's not just that."

"No?" she peeped, half teasing, waiting on the joke or the reveal.

"No," he said at a whisper. "Would you want to come over to my place on one of our free nights? I could make you dinner? We could just run lines, or...?"

"Or?"

Claude blushed and they both snickered softly. He shifted back and forth against the table, forcing himself to sit up, running a hand over his chin, clean shaven for his part in their production.

"Or whatever you like."

His smile widened as she considered it, and she wondered if it was because he wasn't facing instinctual rejection or because he could tell that she was interested. When she nodded, his shoulders fell, as if suddenly relaxed. A lot of people had rules about not dating people they worked with, the risk of rejection and the pain of a breakup always had a chance of hurting a production, but she could see the value of taking a few moments of flattery too far. Even if Claude tucked his heart away from something more, even if they only ran lines, she was looking forward to it.

[reidology]

WIP tag: tagged by @thefandomlesbian thank you ily!!!!

this was so funny to me bc i haven’t touched these in... over a month. don’t expect anything soon lol

Runway AU - Penelope get’s the whole team to join an FBI charity event - a fashion competition show! Lot’s of sexy outfits, sexy people, and sexy times. Here’s a preview. Yes I’ve been working on this for months, no it won’t be done soon.

Hamilton AU - They meet at the Winter’s Ball, Aaron saddles up to Spencer standing in the corner reading. They hit it off but Spencer panics and introduces Aaron to Haley, his sister and best friend. Aaron and Spencer’s fondness for each other grows exponentially; if Aaron marries Haley he could keep Spencer in his life. As Aaron climbs the ranks of the government his marriage begins to crumble, and he recognizes his feelings for Spencer. Unfortunately, during this time Spencer had moved to London to pursue an academic career, their longing for each other grows and the letters they exchange get more desperate. Spencer comes back home to visit Aaron, he doesn’t tell Haley. Aaron goes on a ‘business trip’. They stay at the Inn. Mood-board

Dying in a bathtub - Aaron get’s horrible nightmares. It’s nothing new, but now he’s waking up in the bathtub each night. There’s a reason why but Aaron isn’t ready to admit it to himself, much less Spencer. So instead of pressuring him, Spencer begins to put pillows and blankets in the tub before they go to bed, so that Aaron doesn’t get hurt. They end up cuddling in the bathtub fort <3 Preview  Mood-board

God I wish that was me -  After a long case, the team is living it up at a bar. Hotch and Spencer, exhausted and not ones for dirty dancing and alcohol poisoning, stay at the booth and ogle a gay couple being cutesy in a bar. After sighing wistfully they both go ‘God I wish that was me’ and have a whole ‘what did you just say?’ intense eye contact moment. Needless to say they do not go home alone that night :)

Did you hang up? - Just smut. Hotch and Spencer are getting it on in bed, full on rough moaning scratching ‘daddy’ fucking when Spencer’s phone rings super loudly! It’s really annoying and ruining the mood so Spencer reaches to hang up but unbeknownst to him... he accidentally answers it. 

“Did you hang up?”

“Yeah”, Reid's voice hitched on a moan. 

“God I wish you could see yourself like this, you look so pretty with my hand around your throat.”

He nips at his jaw, eliciting a broken moan from the man below him, “you’re so good for me baby boy.”

Basically Hotch says and does anything that could scar Derek for life. Derek can’t look Reid in the eye for weeks. 

Hotch... left? - Spencer is in prison, high out of his mind. He keeps hallucinating Hotch because he needs him to be here right now. He needs Hotch. Even after he comes down, he keeps begging for Hotch to come back, he just wants to see him one more time, just to say goodbye. Luke is there for him, helps him through everything from getting him back to the States to protecting him in prison. Ends in Ralvez.

Sean/Spencer/Aaron - Hotch and Haley separate and he has nowhere to go but his brother’s place. He’s shocked to find out that Spencer and Sean were practically living together. He had known about a hookup and an awkward coffee date, but Spencer and his little brother in a relationship? Doesn’t feel right. Hotch is at his wit’s end, having to endure hearing them fuck almost every night. Loudly. Maybe this is all part of Reid’s cunning plan to make Hotch jealous. Lot’s of credit goes to @xogublerxo for this one

Shipwreck - After Hankel, Spencer is agoraphobic. It affects every moment of his life. Aaron helps him get back on his feet. 

Spencer has always been somewhat of an anxious guy. Overthinking ‘simple’ interactions, having to know each step and each possible outcome of a situation before it happens, fearing meeting new people, fearing being seen. Growing up, he was no stranger to panic attacks, but he learned to manage it in his own way. He didn’t get help, he didn’t really think he needed it anyway, afterall, he takes care of his schizophrenic mother day in and day out, he can take care of himself. Others just see him as odd, standoffish maybe, but that’s just a part of who he is. So, Spencer adapted, learned to navigate a stranger’s ship with his own, homemade sails. They’d been ripped apart and stitched back together more times than he cares to count, but regardless, Spencer managed.

He managed and he improvised his way to the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, where he quickly learned that he could have a purpose. But most importantly, this is where he found what he’d always been looking for, a support system. A team he didn’t feel judged by, who valued his contributions and never put him down for his quirks or his unique mannerisms. The BAU lifted a dark cloud from his head and opened up new horizons, Spencer could finally breathe. Plank by plank, Spencer began to build his own ship. Walking into a police station, surrounded by new people, competitive authority, monsters, and more had never felt so natural. Yes, Spencer still had days where he needed to psych himself up to deliver a profile, to ask a detective about the crime scene, to interrogate a witness, or even just to get up in the morning. But overall, life was looking up. Friends, job, purpose; he was starting to have it all. 

Then Tobias Hankel happened. And Spencer’s ship crashed. 

Therapy - Reid and Hotch meet at a formal FBI function. When Gideon introduces them, their reactions were practically instantaneous, Hotch thought Reid was too young and pretentious, using his genius as his only personality. He wasn’t impressed, so the kid has a good memory? That doesn’t equal skill or intelligence. Spencer’s first thought was alpha male. Also known as competitive and arrogant. Hotchner did not smile once during their conversation and sneered when he turned down a handshake. The way he spoke was curt and dry, he was a hardass. One month later Spencer found himself standing in a bullpen, surrounded by his new coworkers. Looking through the slats of his office window was Aaron Hotchner, livid that Gideon had let this kid join the team. Their interactions are strained, both emanating hatred for the other. Then, they meet each other all over again at group therapy, where they’re forced to learn each other’s darkest secrets. Hate-fucking ensues.

Secret Admirer - Hotch starts getting anonymous letters on his desk. Some are mundane, talking about their day, telling Hotch to drink more water. Some are more desperate ‘you could never see me the way I see you’. Hotch has a pretty good idea of who it is, but he’s scared shitless of what it would mean in he reciprocated.

Secret Admirer 2.0 - Inspired by a Peterick fic I read once. Spencer is broken. He searches for purpose at a bdsm club where he gets blindfolded and displayed for everyone to see. Hotch finds him kneeling in a showroom and can’t resist... He masks his voice and makes Reid keep the blindfold on. It was only meant to be one time, but Spencer needs more and Hotch is weak. Spencer never knows that it’s Hotch and Hotch hopes he never finds out.

I kind of want to see this with roles reversed, but I’ll never write this bc it’s too advanced for me lol.

Quiet Cuddles part ?? - It’s a relaxed rainy evening, Hotch’s head is in Spencer’s lap, arms wrapped around the younger’s midsection, knees bent up and nose pressed to Spencer’s tummy. Lots of head kissing and gently fingers running through unkempt hair.

Night at JJ’s - Spencer spends the night at JJ’s with a huge tub of ice cream and 5 blankets. He confesses about who Ethan really was to him, from high school to college to New Orleans. He cries about Hotch leaving him because of Foyet. Sad and feelings. 

What the BAU does in the shadows - What we do in the shadows but BAU edition. Self-explanatory. Vampires. Haven’t really started it yet. Think about it all the time. 

The one where Spencer fakes his death instead of Emily - Every one thinks Spencer is dead, including Hotch and JJ. The only one who knows the truth is Strauss, and she’ll take that secret to her grave, no matter how hard Spencer tries to come back.

i tag: @xogublerxo (plsssss talk about it 🥺) @hotchreidd @garcias-bitch @goobzoop @tobias-hankel and anyone else who wants to do it, no pressure at all guys! (except mia, lots of pressure) 

[jbuffyangel]

The Good and the Bad: Arrow 8x09 Review (Green Arrow & the Canaries)

Arrow did another backdoor pilot for the spin-off even though 7x16 felt like one, 

but it’s clear from this episode things have been… retooled. 

Not always for the better. I liked Green Arrow and The Canaries more than I disliked it, but I’m an easy sell. If Olicity’s progeny are available via my television then I’m watching. Period. End of discussion. 

There’s good content for the writers to mine, but there’s definitely some kinks to work out.

Doing things a little different with this review. Yes, I can change. 

It didn’t feel like a fully fleshed out episode and I have a feeling we’ll be repeating this pilot in some form if Green Arrow and The Canaries is greenlit, so for now we’ll just hit the highlights – the good and the bad.

Let’s dig in…

What I Loved

This is the first episode immediately after Crisis, so we don’t entirely know how the present day is impacted, but the future certainly is bright. Mia and William have grown up in an almost paradise. Star City is the safest city in the country. There’s been no crime for almost twenty years and it’s all thanks to the city’s hero – Oliver Queen.

Source: feilcityqueen 

It’s nice to see Oliver being honored years later by the ungrateful twats of Star City. They are slightly less ungrateful in my eyes. However, it’s even more wonderful to see that Oliver’s children grew up safe, protected, and maybe even a little pampered. It’s everything he wanted for them. 

The big stick with this carrot of course is Oliver not being able to raise William and Mia.

Mia Smoak is the princess we were promised and she is ready to ascend the throne. I loved everything about her character. 

Source: kathmcnamara 

The alternate timeline/universe (?) has softened Mia. There’s no anger. No dark and twisty past. No hatred of vigilantes. No resentment over lies and betrayals. 

Mia knows her father was a hero, but she hasn’t grown up hiding out in a cabin with Felicity. Instead she grew up with William in the Queen Mansion (where she currently resides). On the surface, Mia’s life has been pretty friggin perfect, even if she’s a little adrift. That said, the Grand Canyon sized hole in her life is that her dad is gone.

Source: oliverxfelicity

Mia blissfully wakes 

Source: kathmcnamara

and is proposed to by… JJ DIGGLE!

Source: kathmcnamara 

We have a scantily clad naked Diggle boy and he’s already dropping down on one knee. This show is my crack.

This also means JJ Diggle isn’t evil! Plot twist!! Dun dun DUNNN!!!

Source: kathmcnamara 

Mia says yes after a brief hesitation and the DIGGLE BROTHER LOVE TRIANGLE HAS COMMENCED. I know I’m the only person who wants this love triangle, but I don’t care. 

JJ is the “good” brother and Connor isn’t “evil” but he seems like a colossal screw up with questionable facial hair. 

But also maybe I like the facial hair? 

It’s clear he has an adversarial relationship with Mia, but so many romances have been born from loathing. Enemies to lovers is a classic trope. I’m all in.

Of course, we’re supposed to expect Connor in Mia’s bed since the Season 7 flash forwards more than hinted at a brewing romance between the two, 

but instead it is JJ. A plot twist the Olicity fandom called ages ago.

John Jr. is new and improved though. There isn’t much to dislike about this version of him. He’s kind, sweet, sexy, attentive and pulling out expensive jewelry in the first five minutes. What’s not to love? There’s a smol and tol aesthetic happening too. Everyone knows that’s my shipping jam.

Things immediately get rocky though (pun intended). First, JJ gives Mia the Queen family engagement ring. 

Source: arrowdaily 

Mia makes a point of saying it was her mother’s which gives me the feels. 

I never had the same issues with Moira’s engagement ring others did, but even I can recognize there’s some bad juju in it

Next, Mia gets her memories back (more on THAT later) and officially remembers her fiancé was a psychopathic killer who ran one of her friends through with the pointy end of a sword. It’s a little difficult to kiss JJ after that visual. 

Things don’t get much easier after Mia accuses JJ of being the mastermind behind Bianca Bertinelli’s kidnapping. (Yes, she’s Helena’s daughter). He’s not the kidnapper. All his secrecy revolves around the honeymoon JJ is planning. It does lead to a truly hilarious moment between the two characters. 

JJ: Jumping to conclusions is I’m cheating on you not that I’m a kidnapper. For the record, I’m neither.

It’s a heavy moment, but I died. It’s going to be a little hard to pick out cake now.

The scene itself is heartbreaking. Charlie and Kat acted their asses off in it too. JJ thinks Mia doesn’t want to marry him. She hesitated before accepting his proposal (Yes, he noticed that Mia. So did I). JJ believes Mia is commitment phobic. It’s not wildly unlike how Oliver’s story began. Thank God there’s no cheating with siblings though.

Mia is merely struggling with the idea that her fiancé was a cold blooded killer in another world. She just needs some time to… adjust. She’s also a little commitment phobic. After stopping the real bad guys, Mia reassures JJ, but she doesn’t tell him the truth about who she is.

Mia: I couldn't imagine spending my life with anyone else."

I see your not-so-subtle wink at SmoakNHawke writers. I AM SO HERE FOR THIS.

The truly awesome moment with JJ’s character is when he gets his memories back too. I was not expecting this and was genuinely surprised. Charlie Barnett is a PHENOMENAL actor. He played that scene perfectly. 

Giving JJ his memories back is a stroke of genius because now he's a more complicated villain (I hope). He gets to struggle with his love for Mia and his loony tune desire to take over the city. 

Katherine McNamara also does a fantastic job of blending the two versions of Mia after she gets her memories back. 

Source: supercanaries 

She’s reeling from the suffering and loss, but Mia is still our bad ass princess who takes no crap. 

Source: oh-my-hades

She is still every bit the hero Oliver and Felicity raised her to be.

Source: feilcityqueen 

She’s just a little more pragmatic. Her communication skills are much improved. One of the best moments of the episode is when she gets to show up L*urel with her “new” experience.

Source: supercanaries

Mia telling L*urel where to stick it was a long time coming. We had to wait twenty five minutes for it to happen, but it was GLORIOUS when it did. 

Source: arrowversedaily 

William is a perfect cupcake, excited to be Mia’s man of honor, but bummed his boyfriend cheated on him. We hate Kevin. 

Source: arrowdaily 

He encourages Mia to join Smoak Tech, but she’s not sold on joining Mama’s company. William running Felicity’s company fills me with a deep and abiding joy.

William Clayton-Harris-Smoak-Queen is perfection from start to finish. 

Source: oliverxfelicity 

The chemistry between Ben and Kat is so natural. William’s good natured teasing about their “family heirloom” exuded warmth and love. 

Source: feilcityqueen 

I adore how comfortable the two characters are now. Erasing William and Mia’s separation is the best thing to come out of Oliver’s Crisis retcon.

ZOE IS ALIVE because I said she would be and I like to get my way.

Source: oliverxfelicity 

Din*h owns a bar (Thea’s old club) and lives in the apartment upstairs (Thea and Olicity’s old loft).  

Source: canarynetwork 

She woke up in the future after Oliver’s funeral and discovered she doesn’t exist in 2040. I’m only mildly curious about this. The bigger shock is Din*h is tolerable. She’s compassionate towards Mia and often serves as the peace maker between her and L*urel. She feels like an older and wiser Din*h Dr*ke. More like Season 5 Din*h, but not so angry.  

Also, hello that voice? She can be like Lorne on Angel and randomly break out into show tunes.  Juliana did a beautiful job.

E2 Oliver cheated on L*urel with Sara too. There is no universe where L*urel & Oliver end up together. Nobody hates L*uriver more than these writers.

What I Hated

L*urel. I hated everything about L*urel. 

At first, I thought I was being too sensitive, but after a certain point it was clear she is just an asshole. L*urel being unbearable in Arrow pilots is a tradition apparently.

It starts with how Mia gets her memories back. There were some spoilers out on this, but I wasn’t entirely sure how it would play out onscreen and yeah… total dick move. 

Source: supercanaries 

L*urel destroys Mia’s life by forcing unbelievably painful memories on her without discussing it with her first. And for what? So, Mia can help L*urel find her kidnapped friend. 

Even the newspaper article L*urel drops about the Green Arrow failing the city doesn’t excuse the way she gave Mia her memories back. I understand she is trying to convince Mia to be a superhero, but I feel a more effective approach would have been to sit down, grab a cup of coffee, offer the pros and cons of getting her memories back and then let MIA DECIDE.  

Source: supercanaries 

L*urel didn’t need to grab her from behind at her graduation/engagement party.  It had the uncomfortable vibe of mind rape and no amount of “girl power” makes that okay.

Oh hey - if  J'onn J'onzz from Superg*rl is going around and zapping people’s minds without clearing it with them first - 

What was with L*urel insulting Mia every two seconds? UGH. Where is that damn bird baton?

There’s a fine line between snark and nasty. L*urel was just nasty.

L*urel decides Mia is a lazy, self absorbed, idiot because she’s not immediately jumping at the chance to be the Green Arrow. She literally blew this kid’s life apart, gives her no time to process, and immediately begins insulting her because she’s not following all of L*urel’s commands.

On what planet does L*urel have any authority over Mia's life? 

They have a warm and fuzzy heart to heart about choosing to be a hero to smooth over L*urel’s wildly unpleasant personality, but it’s ludicrous. L*urel didn’t even rate a goodbye from Oliver. I find her suddenly being an expert on what Oliver would want for his daughter pretty tough to swallow. 

This conversation should’ve been with William. PERIOD.

Source: oliverxfelicity 

It’s insane L*urel is judging anyone about anything because SHE IS A MURDERER. But sure, being a socialite is the real crime. Thank goodness L*urel is here to stop all the shopping.

The show was desperate glaze over Bl*ck Sir*n’s history with bizarre explanations.

L*urel: I wasted a lot of time pretending to be something I wasn’t because it was easier.”

So, Bl*ck Sir*n was pretending to be a murderer because it was easier? 

That’s not a thing. You don’t pretend to a murderer. You just are one.

Bl*ck Sir*n wasn’t like Oliver Queen. She killed good and innocent people. We’re just supposed to accept she was always a good person simply because she says so? Sorry sweetheart, the evidence does not exist. I would send your ass to prison for a good 25 to life, but the network didn’t ask for my opinion about your participation in the new show. THEY SHOULD HAVE.

Then there’s the way they casually avoid things Bl*ck Sir*n has done.

Din*h: I can let go of the people I lost and mistakes that I made.

Din*h lost her boyfriend because L*urel murdered him. They ate French fries and drank milkshakes in a ten second scene and now we’re supposed to believe they’re best friends. Umm… no. If you want to make this friendship believable don’t pretend their history doesn’t exist. Most of your viewing audience is coming from Arrow. We remember that L*urel killed Dinah’s boyfriend.

L*urel: D you’re up. You ready?

Din*h: Never not.

Ugh. Cringe. Arrow was effortlessly bad ass because Stephen Amell made Oliver Queen look effortlessly bad ass. 

The action was show, not tell, and that includes the dialogue. There is no making L*urel and Din*h cool, so just-

And POSE. It’s like mannequins in a Macy’s window. YIKES.

Source: canarynetwork

They force this “Ra Ra Girl Power” nonsense with clunky lines and empty camaraderie while at the same time; L*urel eviscerates Mia’s life choices by insulting her all hour. If you want to bolster “female relationships” on this network then start with the women treating each other with respect.

There was a criminal lack of William, Zoe and Connor. TERRIBLE DECISION.

Hopefully, this changes dramatically if the show goes to series. This is what I meant by “retooled.” It is clear two different concepts are being slapped together. The one we saw in 7x16 and whatever KC pitched to the network. The biggest flaw in this backdoor pilot is how disjointed it feels.

It’s like there are two shows. Mia has her life with William, Zoe, JJ and Connor and the other show is Din*h and L*urel. It’s similar to Oliver and L*urel/Tommy/Thea versus Diggle/Felicity in the beginning of Arrow, but it feels really unnecessary to make that mistake again. I do not feel Green Arrow and The Canaries is Marc Guggenheim and Beth Schwartz’s vision for what they wanted the spin-off to be and it is GLARINGLY obvious.

No mention of Felicity or Diggle. Yes, I understand why. We have to watch the Arrow series finale to find out what happens to our beloved characters. Mia and William never mentioning Felicity and JJ and Connor never mentioning Diggle & Lyla is WEIRD. Particularly since it was Mia’s graduation and her engagement party with JJ.

Stray Thoughts

 I vote for this to be Mia’s next tattoo. Source:  amunetblack

Well… that’s new information Din*h. Source:  shawgroves

Why is L*urel calling Din*h “D?” When did that start?

Rene is running for a third term. Do we need to be concerned about a utilitarianism regime happening?

I will never believe Din*h can do “Felicity stuff.” Where the hell is William?

“Oh frack you.” FINALLY.

The adversarial relationship between Mia and L*urel is a wise choice given how KC and Katherine McNamara interact online with each other. Or don’t as the case may be.  

What is happening with L*urel's boots? Are there bombs attached to them or something?

The lipsticks on L*urel and Din*h are not good. There's a lot of eye makeup happening too. Let's tone it down makeup department.

This is my face whenever I see L*urel too.  Source: supercanaries

You killed her fiancée L*urel. Pay your fucking tab.

Female Big Bad. Could be awesome. Just have to wait and see.

I'm really glad William and Mia are rich again. I missed billionaire money. It's fun.

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 8x09 gifs credited.

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

[ablogthatishenceforthmine]

A Re-Evaluation of Laurel Lance: Season 8

Intro

Laurel is in top form this season. She has discovered who she is. We get to see her living out the hero she became last season. The season has a lot of interesting and emotional moments for her character. She seamlessly fits into the ensemble and the team. She is a highlight, not a dead weight dragging the show down. And the season gives her a great send-off.

Her Own Person, Her Own Look

Laurel has a new look! Last season, in a smart move by the show, Laurel dressed like Earth 1 Laurel, illustrating how Laurel was trying to be her. But her arc last season was finding herself and becoming a hero. Now, we get to see her living that out. She has a new hair color and haircut, short and kinda spiky, befitting her edgy personality. Her new clothes also befit her personality: leather jackets and a lot of black, and darker colors. Even her Black Canary suit is different than Earth 1 Laurel’s. 

The Best of Laurel and Oliver

This season has the best relationship between Laurel and Oliver of any season. They seem like equals, and they treat each other as such. They don’t always get along, and may not be the best of friends, but they respect and value each other. Oliver finally sees Laurel for who she is, as her own person, and accepts her. One nice moment is in the premiere when Oliver tells her that Starling City is lucky to have a hero like her in it.

And the last sentiment between them is pretty awesome. In a great scene, Laurel tells Lance that everyone who got resurrected are the people who Oliver wanted his sacrifice to bring back, but that Earth 1 Laurel was not brought back. Laurel says that her Earth 1 counterpart would have been on that list too if it wasn’t for her (Earth 2 Laurel). Laurel asks why didn’t Oliver’s death fix this situation. Lance tells her that there is nothing about her that needed to be fixed. It’s a really great scene, and a really nice note to end things on Laurel’s character and her relationship with Oliver. It shows how much better the relationship between Earth 2 Laurel and Oliver is than the relationship between Earth 1 Laurel and Oliver.  Oliver deciding to keep this Laurel shows how far he has come; he sees this Laurel as she is, flaws and messiness and all, and values and respects her for who she is. As the AV Club wrote in their review of “Fadeout,” “Oliver, from beyond the grave, has made it clear that she’s not some weird spare Laurel, but her own person, worthy of a good life.”

Seeing her as a Hero

Last season, Laurel’s journey was one of redemption and finding out who she was as a hero. This season we see the actualization of that journey. We learn that she has been protecting Starling City as Black Canary in Earth 2, with the help of good guy Adrian Chase as that Earth’s Green Arrow. In a great scene between Laurel and Lyla about Laurel’s grief and survivor’s guilt over the destruction of Earth 2, Lyla echoes the words Felicity said to Oliver in the season 2 finale, words that inspired him to not give up and to believe that he is the hero the city needs: that you honor the dead by fighting. It is a great parallel drawn between Oliver and Laurel, showing how Laurel is as much a hero as Oliver is, even though Laurel is at the beginning of her hero journey while Oliver is at the end of his. Lyla tells Laurel that this world still needs her to be a hero. Inspired, Laurel decides to do just that; at the end of the episode, she shows up at the big fight, and saves Tatsu, and vows to help stop the impending crisis.

Laurel’s hero metal is tested, but she passes. The Monitor tells her that she can get Earth 2 back if she betrays Oliver. It’s a tempting offer, and I wouldn’t have even blamed her for taking it. But in the end, she proves that she’s changed, that she is a hero now and does the right thing even when it’s hard by not betraying Oliver.

And it just feels so great to see Laurel fight alongside all the other heroes in “Purgatory.” There is just something about her heroism this season that just works so much better than any of Earth 1 Laurel’s heroism. She feels both like a hero in her own right, and a hero in part of a team; she has both an individual identity and place and a place and identity within the team. Earth 1 Laurel only really felt like a hero on a team rather than standing on her own.

Laurel is also key in Mia’s hero to become a journey. She challenges Mia and inspires her to become a hero in the same way Felicity, Dinah, and Sara did to Laurel. She does this by opening up about her experience becoming and being a hero. She says that being a hero sucks, and it will always be hard, but that it’s worth it and that is gives her purpose, showing how this season we are seeing the rewards of Laurel’s season 7 arc. This scene also proves why it’s great that this Laurel has never been effortlessly heroic. She can better inspire others because she understands how hard it can be to do good, and to change. 

Just Some Great Emotional Scenes

This season also does a great job of exploring Laurel’s feelings. She has a lot of complex, heartbreaking material this season. She loses her home, a whole earth, containing people that she cared about and people she swore to protect. The show does a good job exploring her grief, and her survivors guilt. We see her go through the five stages of grief. She gets a great, emotional scene with Lyla where she talks about her survivors guilt. She has another great scene, hell great episode, when she tells Lance in the time loop everything she never got to say to the real him. The show often struggled to adequately explore. Earth 1 Laurel’s feelings, so it’s great that they are doing such a great job of this with Earth 2 Laurel. Furthermore, Laurel’s feelings are about her character, rather than as a device to explore other characters, which had sometimes been the case with Earth 1 Laurel, especially in season 1.

More Female Relationships!

Like in Season 7, Laurel has many great scenes with other female characters. Like I’ve said repeatedly, Laurel’s character, both Laurels, have always been at their best with female screen partners. Even when the relationships are kinda combative, which is definitely true in this season. Like in Season 7, she inspires and challenges the women around her, and they do the same for her. She spends “Hong-Kong” with Lyla. They have a great scene about grief and survivors guilt, where Lyla shares a story from her time in the military.

Laurel acts as a kind of mentor to Mia this season, and is pivotal in Mia’s journey to becoming a hero. And Laurel is a really great mentor. She has some flaws, but overall is really effective. When Laurel deduces that Mia is planning to kill Grant Wilson, Laurel talks her out of it. Laurel also tells Mia that she isn’t going to lecture her like Oliver. This is great, and Laurel follows through, because she doesn’t lecture or come at Mia in a preachy, patronizing, and holier-than-thou way (in a way that Oliver sometimes does when he lectures.) She’s understanding, and non-judgmental. Laurel warns against vengeance and the emptiness of it from her own experience, and even brings up how she once talked Felicity out of killing Diaz. She is also the one to show Mia that heroes are flawed and many of them start from less than noble beginnings. Mia puts heroes up on a pedestal and believes that some people are meant to be heroes, and others aren’t like herself. But Laurel gets her to see that this isn’t true at all. She advises her to stop trying to live up to Oliver and other heroes (they’re flawed too), and to not give up trying to be a hero. 

We also see Laurel’s continuing friendship with Dinah. Last season, they overcame their past to become friends, and this season we get to see more of their friendship, especially in the backdoor pilot. In the spinoff pilot, there is tons of fun banter between Laurel and Dinah. Laurel even calls Dinah “D,” illustrating how far their relationship has come. They also have a great dynamic in their mentoring of Mia; Laurel is blunt, while Dinah is gentler.

Laurel, Dinah, and Mia inspire and challenge each other. Laurel rightfully accuses Dinah of hiding, and is able to talk Dinah into being a hero again. She tells Dinah that Dinah inspired Zoe and so many other women to be heroes, including herself. Because Laurel and Mia are both very headstrong, their relationship is prickly and contentious, which is good, as they challenge each other. Mia and Laurel accuses each other of being selfish: Mia for wanting to drop the case and Laurel for dragging Dinah and Mia back into this just because Laurel needs to be a hero. Dinah tells Laurel that she is being too harsh on Mia, and asks why. Laurel relates to this Mia, saying Laurel too spend too much time pretending to be someone she was not, and she wants to stop Mia from making the same mistake. Dinah advises Laurel, telling her that empathy isn’t only about understanding someone else’s pain, but sharing your own with them. This inspires Laurel to go and do this with Mia. Laurel tells Mia about how so much of her life she took the easy path, which lead her to become Black Siren. This gets Mia to open up about living under Oliver’s shadow. Laurel talks to Mia honestly about how hard being a hero is, how hard it will always be, but that it is worth it, and gives her purpose, and she just wants the same for Mia. This talk inspires Mia to join them and suit up as the Green Arrow. It’s just so great seeing all three of them helping each other and working through things together.

The three of them also are a lot of fun in scenes together. And their dynamic is full of fun snark and banter. It’s also great that Laurel and Dinah are starting a canary network, to help and inspire other women; what a great place to leave their characters.

Wise and Emotionally Mature

Laurel is pretty wise and emotionally mature this season, and she shares this wisdom with others. It is hard-earned wisdom, won by making many mistakes. As stated above, she gets through to Mia about not killing Grant Wilson. She has a smart approach in talking to Mia about this, and talks to Mia like an adult. She talks from her own experiences and from Felicity’s, Mia’s mother. Laurel also gives smart advice and inspiration about being a hero to Mia multiple times, as stated above. In “Purgatory,” she encourages and advises Oliver to talk to Mia, and to not leave any regrets. She is also able to guide Dinah and Mia into being heroes again in 2040.

Throughout the season, Laurel continually insists that “she’s not good at this feeling stuff.” And maybe this is why she is such an effective mentor. She sees through people’s bullshit, and is brutally honest. It’s a refreshing quality, and is one of the reasons she is such a good advice giver and confidant this season.

Conclusion

The note the show leaves Laurel’s character is a great one. The perfect one really. It ends with the show asserting that Laurel is her own person. The show decides to keep this Laurel, when it could have easily brought back Earth 1 Laurel. It kept this messy, flawed, morally complex Laurel over good, saint-like Laurel. 

Laurel is possibly getting a spinoff. A pilot has been ordered, but I don’t know if it’s been picked up to series yet. While she wouldn’t be the protagonist (I imagine Mia is), she would be a lead, a main character. A few seasons ago, who would have thought that there could have been a spinoff with Laurel Lance. I wouldn’t have, would have laughed off the idea, and assumed it would be disastrous. But the episode works, and I am actually excited for the possible spin off. That in itself is incredible.  And the show did all this work to get Laurel to this point in just two seasons, and one of the seasons is a shortened one! It is really incredible how far Earth 2 Laurel has come, and how much they’ve improved in writing this character from the days of writing Earth 1 Laurel. Earth 1 Laurel barely had a place in the show, so much so that they had to kill her off because they didn’t know what to do with her. And now, Earth 2 Laurel can carry a spinoff

[thekillerssluts]

For Arcade Fire and Preservation Hall, Kanaval Ball is a Carnival party with a purpose

Growing up in Houston, future Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler wasn’t impressed by his admittedly erroneous concept of Carnival.

“It never occurred to me to go to Mardi Gras,” Butler recalled recently. “It was never on my list of things I had to do in my life. In Houston, you think it’s more a spring break-y vibe, where people come to do Jell-O shots. Bourbon Street was more the picture you’d have of it.”

After he and Régine Chassagne, his bandmate and wife, moved to New Orleans in 2014, they discovered that the spiritual and cultural roots of Carnival run deep, just as they do in Haiti, Chassagne’s ancestral home.

They wanted to be involved. So in 2018, they partnered with Ben Jaffe of Preservation Hall to found Krewe du Kanaval, a blend of New Orleans and Haitian Carnival traditions.

Kanaval is both celebratory and philanthropic. The celebratory aspect will dominate Friday’s Kanaval Costume Ball at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.

The theater will be transformed into an immersive experience of sights, sounds and dancing. Butler and Chassagne’s genre-splicing indie-rock band, Arcade Fire, is this year’s headliner, performing for the first time since the conclusion of the “Everything Now” tour in 2018.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is also on the bill, along with Haitian acts Michael Brun, Jillionaire of Major Lazer, Lakou Mizik and Pierre Kwenders.

The Kanaval ball is open to the public. Costumes, the more festive and colorful the better, are “strongly encouraged.” Show time is 8 p.m. Both general admission and reserved seat tickets are available, priced at $85 to $120.

Kanaval’s 2020 king and queen, respectively, are master Congolese drummer and dancer Titos Sompa and rapper, chef and Loyola University instructor Mia “Mia X” Young.

Last year, Krewe du Kanaval hosted a mini-festival in Armstrong Park. There is no such public festival this year. Instead, krewe members will march in the musically themed Krewe of Freret parade on Saturday afternoon along the traditional Uptown route.

A mutual predisposition for parading forged the alliance between Arcade Fire and Preservation Hall that led to Kanaval.

Members of the two bands first crossed paths during a parade on the grounds of the Coachella festival in southern California several years ago. After Butler and Chassagne bought a house Uptown, they befriended Jaffe, who became their New Orleans guide.

In 2016, they teamed up for the David Bowie memorial march that attracted thousands of onlookers and shut down swaths of the French Quarter. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band opened shows for Arcade Fire on the “Everything Now” arena tour, parading through audiences to a boxing ring-like stage.

New Orleans’ similarities to Haiti, including a shared affinity for parading, appealed to Butler and Chassagne.

“When we started coming to New Orleans, we saw the connections to Haiti are so numerous and deep,” Butler said. “That’s part of what drew us.”

The frequent boil water advisories and power outages in New Orleans also reminded them of Haiti. Butler joked that “we call New Orleans ‘Haiti with Whole Foods.’”

They in turn introduced Preservation Hall to Haiti, where the musicians found kindred spirits and distant cousins.

“The amazing thing is how familiar Haiti felt to every band member,” Jaffe said. “Several members of our band had an emotional reaction to being there.”

That Butler and Chassagne are not from New Orleans but have become outspoken advocates for the city’s music and culture reminds Jaffe of his parents, Allan and Sandra Jaffe, the founders of Preservation Hall.

“My parents weren’t from New Orleans – they were from Pennsylvania,” Jaffe said. “The perspective and appreciation they had was a reason Preservation Hall got started. They had a perception that insiders and residents don’t always have. We don’t always appreciate things that are so amazing, because they are our normal.”

Krewe du Kanaval is a non-profit. Proceeds from membership dues and the ball benefit KANPE, a foundation Chassagne co-founded that helps poor, rural families and communities in Haiti’s Central Plateau region with health, education, agricultural, entrepreneurial and infrastructure initiatives, and the Preservation Hall Foundation’s mission to protect, preserve and perpetuate traditional New Orleans jazz and culture.

Thus, Kanaval is a party “with a spirit and purpose,” Chassagne said. “It’s not a party that you take from, but a party that you give to.”

In New Orleans, “that’s not unusual, the idea of celebrating and it having a purpose,” Jaffe said. “That was something that Win and Régine and I spoke about a lot when we started Kanaval. How this had to capture that spirit of New Orleans, that connection to faith and spirituality and celebration and purpose.”

They discerned a spiritual component from the outset. The night Butler, Chassagne and Jaffe decided to launch Kanaval, they drove past Dos Jefes Uptown Cigar Bar on Tchoupitoulas Street. A feeling came over Butler that they should stop and go in.

Inside, they encountered musician Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, chief of the North Side Skull and Bone Gang, whose Mardi Gras morning ramble through Treme and the 7th Ward is a 200-year-old tradition.

“He’s at the center of the preservation of Creole culture, one of the deepest people I’ve ever met,” Butler said of Barnes. “I’m not a hippy-dippy person at all – my dad is a scientist – but what can I can say about that?"

Kanaval is only in its third year. Butler, Chassagne and Jaffe hope it grows and attracts broad community support. Anyone who can’t afford to join the krewe can still be involved as a volunteer.

“Our goal is long-term,” Butler said. “The more people that can come and take this over…the goal is for us to put our energy into it and have it take on a life of its own.”

Meanwhile, Chassagne said, “we can be a megaphone.”

Especially at the Kanaval Ball. For all the diverse talents of its members, many of whom are Canadian, can Arcade Fire play a credible “Mardi Gras Mambo”?

“We can play anything,” Chassagne said without hesitation.

Jaffe concurs: “They are the best cover band that I’ve ever seen. When they played with Boy George (of ‘80s band Culture Club) in London, my mind was blown. It sounded like karaoke, like Boy George was singing over the record.”

Between Arcade Fire, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the various Haitian acts, the Kanaval Ball is likely to generate an energy all its own.

“You know how difficult it is to describe a second-line to someone not from New Orleans – you’ve got to have the experience,” Jaffe said. “That’s sort of Kanaval.

“You have to put your fate in the hands of the universe. It’s going to be alright. It’s going to be amazing.”

[holocenerpg]

Congratulations, MIA, you have been accepted for CASSANDRA MAYFAIR with the face claim of OLIVIA HOLT! The first thing Jane and I noticed were her similarities to Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and we weren’t sure if they were intentional, but either way, we found it so interesting! It was wonderful hearing about her family, we thought it was so creative how Cassandra technically comes from a muggle family yet wixen kept popping up in their family tree. I’m really intrigued to hear more about how her seer abilities affect her character, and I can’t wait to see how she develops as she settles more into who she is. The little bit about how she herself is a magical accident and catastrophe was really amusing. Welcome to HOLOCENE, we’re so excited to have you here! Your request for CASSANDRA to be involved with the SHACKLEBOLT INTERNSHIP has been accepted. Please send in your account to the main by twenty-four hours or send us a message if you need more time. Make sure that your theme is accessible and that your characters’ name, house, gender, year, and pronouns are stated somewhere in the description. Remember that your second character can be on a sideblog if you’d like, but we do not allow MUMU blogs.

Congratulations, SHEILA, you have been accepted for DAHLIA MORETTI with the face claim of ARIANA GRANDE! We’re really so glad that you re-applied! We can absolutely see all of the places where you took our feedback into account and we’re so happy with the final result. Sarah and I both loved your first headcanon especially —- it was so lovely to see how, even though her parents are busy, she never felt neglected or any less loved, and we love the sounds of her family. Her love for animals, especially her dogs, really warmed my heart, and I love her choice of internship and reasoning! I’m also a big fan of how she played football —- maybe she’d like to join the muggle sports club? Either way, we’re super excited to see her on the dash! Welcome to HOLOCENE, we’re so excited to have you here! Your request for LACHLAN to be involved with the SHACKLEBOLT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM has been accepted. Please send in your account to the main by twenty-four hours or send us a message if you need more time. Make sure that your theme is accessible and that your characters’ name, house, gender, year, and pronouns are stated somewhere in the description. Remember that your second character can be on a sideblog if you’d like, but we do not allow MUMU blogs.

Congratulations, BECCA, you have been accepted for HUGO WEASLEY with the face claim of KEIYNAN LONSDALE! I’m so happy you applied for Hugo because wow, your version of him is so unique and fascinating! I loved reading all of the details about his relationship with his family, particularly the bits about Ron, Hermione, and Rose. I can’t wait to see Rose and Hugo’s dynamic in play because really, this is such a different take on how the Granger-Weasleys are normally portrayed, and god, I’m just so excited for it? As Lily’s mun, I can confidently say that she’s ready to defend him from anyone who dares to bully him because of his autism, and I’m sure the rest of the Weasleys would as well. Can’t wait to see him on the dash! Welcome to HOLOCENE, we’re so excited to have you here! Please send in your account to the main by twenty-four hours or send us a message if you need more time. Make sure that your theme is accessible and that your characters’ name, house, gender, year, and pronouns are stated somewhere in the description. Remember that your second character can be on a sideblog if you’d like, but we do not allow MUMU blogs.

Congratulations, JO, you have been accepted for LACHLAN BELL with the face claim of NOAH CENTINEO! Jo, we absolutely adored Lachlan. As Viv’s mun, I’m super excited to have her step-brother on the dash! His love for his mother and protective nature absolutely shone through, first when wary of Cho and Viv, and then when he accepted them fully and extended that nature to them too. His commitment to Quidditch is very evident, and we cannot wait to see him interacting with the other Slytherin Sixth Years, as well as his friends from across the houses. He’s fun and charming and cheeky and I love him completely! Welcome to HOLOCENE, we’re so excited to have you here! Your requests for LACHLAN to be CHASER FOR THE INTERNATIONAL QUIDDITCH TEAM and SLYTHERIN CHASER AND CAPTAIN have been accepted. Please send in your account to the main by twenty-four hours or send us a message if you need more time. Make sure that your theme is accessible and that your characters’ name, house, gender, year, and pronouns are stated somewhere in the description. Remember that your second character can be on a sideblog if you’d like, but we do not allow MUMU blogs. (Lachlan will be filling Vivienne Chang’s step-sibling wanted connection.)

Congratulations, REGGIE, you have been accepted for TARIQ AVERY with the face claim of FADY ELSAYED! I loved that his father is a wizarding archaeologist because I don’t think I’ve ever seen any characters with that occupation before. The culture shock of Hogwarts after transferring from Uagadou was really interesting to read about, considering how Tariq didn’t only have to adjust to doing magic with wands but also learn about his tarnished family history. The reason why he wanted to intern at the Department of Magical Education was really lovely as well because he makes such a good point about how Hogwarts historically isn’t the safest school and I think it’s so admirable how he wants to help shape the future generations of the wizarding world. Welcome to HOLOCENE, we’re so excited to have you here! Your request for TARIQ to be involved with the SHACKLEBOLT INTERNSHIP has been accepted. Please send in your account to the main by twenty-four hours or send us a message if you need more time. Make sure that your theme is accessible and that your characters’ name, house, gender, year, and pronouns are stated somewhere in the description. Remember that your second character can be on a sideblog if you’d like, but we do not allow MUMU blogs.

Congratulations, SHELBY, you have been accepted for YURI DIGGORY with the face claim of NANA KOMATSU! (Please note that Yuri is adopted.) We know you were concerned about your application possibly being too short, but honestly, we found Yuri and your writing so captivating right from the start, and it was clear to us that you placed a lot of thought into her character. I loved the idea of Amos and his wife Anne adopting another child after the loss of their beloved son, and it’s so interesting how she’s so determined to be different from Cedric that she can’t stop rebelling. And god, the third headcanon? I am honestly so intrigued. I can’t wait to find out more about her once she’s on the dash! Welcome to HOLOCENE, we’re so excited to have you here! Please send in your account to the main by twenty-four hours or send us a message if you need more time. Make sure that your theme is accessible and that your characters’ name, house, gender, year, and pronouns are stated somewhere in the description. Remember that your second character can be on a sideblog if you’d like, but we do not allow MUMU blogs. (Yuri will be filling Lily’s girl gang wanted connection, but this connection still has one more slot open.)

[paracosmshq-blog]

once again, thank you so much to everyone who applied ! every app went above and beyond what we expected, so some of these decisions were incredibly difficult ! i know everyone says this, but if we could have accepted every single app, we 100000% would have. i’m super hopeful that some of you will consider filling up our last two spots because we really would love to have you ! the submit has been reopened just in case anyone is interested !

onto those accepted, congratulations ! you can find all the information, as well as some lil notes from us below the cut. you now have twenty-four hours to turn your account in ! our post acceptance page is now up for use, so please continue on to there after reading your name ! i’ll be adding triggers to the rules and pronouns to the muse masterlist as soon as possible !

anton van dalen will be played by LILAC (aest)     - not to be creepy ? but we were obsessed with both you and your anton from the moment we received your app weeks ago. we both kept an eye on your blog, every addition making us lose our minds, n we shared a good chuckle at anton’s jokes. we’re both excited for his purity to lighten the mood, but also feel that fear and need to protect him ? if there’s one muse that doesn’t deserve all the drama we have planned, it’s anton. still, it’s going to be so much fun ! are adelina and freddie’s crushes even ic anymore ? are we quality enough to pull this off ? welcome to the group !

apollo corella will be played by SUTTON (cst)     - imagine being extra enough to send in two different apps for the same muse… oh, nevermind. sike, we loved it ! both were a joy to read and whatever direction you choose to take apollo in is more than okay with us (as long as you keep the dragging in character bc ngl ? i’m a little bit scared), so [ me vc ] follow your heart ! we can’t wait to get extra with u !

artemis corella will be played by MADS (est)     - your apps were so fun to read that i was literally excited to thread with you the second i saw the first one. your artemis is the actual love of my life so i really hope you’re happy with her ! alex let me know we had an arty app by messaging me ‘she went in’ and honestly ? alex did not lie. everything in your app was just so artemis through and through and we loved getting to see both the side of artemis that everyone wants to be best friends with as well as something a little deeper. honestly she’s just such a beautiful character and we are dying over it, so ! welcome !

balthazar rumkowski will be played by CLAIRE (aest)     - if balthazar wasn’t already haunting our nightmares ? he absolutely is now. and in that nightmare ? we are tubs of yogurt sitting in his fridge. this is going to be a recurring meme in the group chat, i already know it. on the dash ? cannibalism accusations. you definitely made baz deserving of this underlying fear some of the other muses seem to have of him. when you described his spine chilling mannerisms ? spines were chilledt. can’t wait to rp with you and probably get murdered by your muse !

barbara savenkov will be played by SARAH (est)     - ok immediately we were amazed by the touch of reality you brought to barbara in your app ! even we had a hard time with seeing her as anything other than this eclectic white witch vibe she gives off immediately, but you found a way to ground her and tie all aspects of her life together in a way where she still maintains such a specific aesthetic. barbie has been one of our favorite muses from the beginning and we’re really keen to fall even more in love with her !

elaine mulani will be played by MIA (cst)     - thank you for bringing us the very necessary rich girl with an attitude ! elaine is an extremely important part of the group, and we’re so glad that she’s going to be represented by someone who clearly loves and appreciates her ! i’m obsessed with the idea of someone who has very human, very realistic fears, but realizes that they’ll have to be overcome in order to achieve what is wanted. this whole thing is obviously very new to elaine, but she’s all over it and willing to do whatever it takes, even when that calls for her to be more careful and plan her next steps carefully. were so, so keen to see this played out in interactions ! welcome to the group !

giselle o’connor will be played by NICOLE (pst)     - uhhhhh i’ve used this word too many times at this point but… am i obsessed with your giselle ? absolutely. i was so mcfreakin excited reading the answers to the questions because i just got so much from giselle and every response was so satisfying. this is a muse i’m desperate to know everything about but if i were face to face with them ? lbr i’m not saying shit because giselle will hand you your ass if you annoy her. no pressure, but we’ll be watching the dash for giselle’s interactions because everyone is going to have so much fun getting to know them !

remi tautolo will be played by CHELSEA (est)     - welcome ! your remi will truly be such an iconic addition to this group because we can already sense that drama they’re going to provide. not only in conflict and rivalries, but also the trouble he might cause with his impulsiveness ? who doesn’t love a character that does exactly what they want and tells it like it is ? this is a force to be reckoned with and i can’t wait for other muses to try, because there’s something both funny and exciting about the thought that remi will never allow himself to be outdone. if he thinks he’s the best, i absolutely agree with him !

sidonie warren-roberts will be played by ALEXIS (est)     - firstable: all the sidonie apps were so above and beyond that if i could join an rp that was nothing but all four of those sidonies n me ? i’d die there bc that would be a dream. what really sold us here is just how much you love sidonie ? bc it’s clearly a huge amount. and you’ve taken that and turned it into all… this… incredible content. we had a little gasp the first time we saw you write for sidonie because it was just so perfect… and deep ? this is a legit muse that no one but you will ever get to know in her entirety. those beautiful prompts to those emotional n honest tags ? we’re all rekt ! also, happy birthday !

vaughn moon will be played by NALA (est)     - you said it best with ‘vaughn is such a honey’ because… he really is such a honey. we’ve both been left hopelessly infatuated with your muse and literally everyone else is about to join the stan club. the real life (except not really) “hello ladies. look at your man. now back to me. now back at your man. now back to me. sadly, he isn’t me.” old spice guy. and it is sad, bc vaughn is everyone’s dream mans. you ? are our dream vaughn. welcome to the group !

[frostygar]

Arrow S7 Ep 8 Thoughts

ONE MORE EP TO GET THROUGH YESSS

- I don’t know who she is but if she wanted to, she could punch me 👀😍🥵

- “Will the public take the ex-vigilante with open arms…” literally two episodes ago the public was talking about destroying the anti-vigilante law bc they liked them damn can Star City’s citizens make up their damn mind?

- WAIT SHE’S THE NEW GREEN ARROW??!??! simp simp simp simp simp Rene was totally right to follow her, as he should!!!!!

- So can we just have her take over as the Green Arrow? I’d blindly follow her into war. IDC what her story is or why, she can do no wrong

- First of all, how tf could he hear Felicity with the water running? Second of all, what was she even doing? It’s weird enough that it ended there and jumped to after his shower but like… was she trying to join him? Check up on him? What?

- The way it takes Oliver saving the prison for them to recognize him as a hero but not him saving the city a million times over.

- I understand it’s important bc this thing is about honoring Oliver but he has to adjust and he’s going through things and I don’t think forcing him to go is the best thing. All you have to do is tell people that he’s not ready after all the shit everyone’s put him through

- They decide to have sex… NOW? I mean alright I guess but she was literally just asking him why he wasn’t dressed.

- OMG WAIT THAT’S MIA. MIA SMOAK. KAT MCNAMARA!!! SHE’S SO 🥵🥵

- Felicity stepping up to stop the reporters getting into Oliver’s face though 🥺🥺🥺

- “Is it just me or is that guy just the absolute worst?” Felicity I get you’re trying to be relatable or whatever to ease the situation but uh… after all of the actual villains Oliver’s faced he is not the “absolute worst”

- Rene I love you but this is not the time to ask about that. Not only in public, but also he JUST got out. Like, wait a couple of weeks, first at least.

- LAURELLLLLLL ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ literally idc what she does she’s babie and can do no wrong (too)

- now what is the point of my girl fake arrow doing this huh… that can’t be her she straight up shot someone and she does not take lives (like Rene says)

- “SCPD says he had an accomplice?” “Uh… yeah… that was me 😅😅” Oliver looking like a dad upset at his son: 😔

- When the show literally recycles yet another plot (someone doing bad as green arrow to give them a bad rep) sigh

- How convenient that the party praising Oliver where Max Fuller randomly showed up got us to remember he was a still a thing

- now why is Oliver better than he used to be I can’t pinpoint exactly why or how but… maybe it’s because it’s more of him being Oliver than just the green arrow going in and fucking shit up

- the tablet beside the door says “armed” but nothing went off… okay… OH THAT’S WHY OKAY FHSFKK

- THE WAY FELICITY DID THAT HAS ME ROLLINGGGGGG AND OLIVER TURNING TO HER LIKE ??!!?!?!?! fsdhjfhdshfgjbafmdjhk

- It was so forced to have her act that way though because she never used it on Diaz and she was shaking and now it’s like she’s done it for years… but they need to create drama between Olicity so 😒 But also I know Oliver is like against guns bc he can use his fists but tbf this dude broke into your place she’s literally protecting herself and your house…

- Did Dinah just assume it was Oliver? BUT AGAIN,,, IT WAS SELF DEFENSE?!!!? Why do people in these shows always forget about self defense?

- Don’t know why Oliver is so pressed about it, though??? Like it’s been 7 months, Diaz was after her and William??? What did you expect?

- Children are NOT their parents stop trying to enforce that (In general)

- LMAOOO FULLER IS SO SCARED meanwhile everyone in the club is like: DRAMA 👀👀👀

- OOOOH THE FUCKING POWER MOVEEEEE! Dinah be like: “oooooohhhh you wanna kiss me so baddd!!”

- Oh lemme guess Diaz somehow survived that bs and now ARGUS is using it to their advantage sigh. God can this show ever have anything new? It’s always annoying bad guy dying but not dying and/or ARGUS keeping shit for no reason

- YASSS FUTURE RENE

- See while I don’t like Olicity, they at least are the most mature ship (considering they are older than everyone else since this show is darker than the others) because they can come back and talk thinks through. Literally no other couple does that.

- NOT ANOTHER QUEEN??? But also their genes are immaculate.

YAYYY NOW I HAVE TO CATCH UP ON SUPERGIRL AND DCLOT FOR ELSEWORLDS WHO ELSE CHEERED

[bringmetolife-pwff]

Part One: Chapter Thirteen - Drama in the club

JULY 2007

Evelyn took her polaroid camera out and took a picture of the dresses.  Her summer line was different than her spring line.  Instead of the pastel colours that were colours she had used for her Spring 2007 line -- she used neon bright colours.  It was different.  

She was making a boho-chic Summer 2007 line with neon colours.  One of them including a neon pink denim miniskirt.  

Bits and bobs were scattered along her crystal clear desk in the open room.  Fairy lights strewn one wall on the opposite end, their candlelight offering a nice quiet light although it had no purpose for the day time.  It was mainly for looks as they often used that wall as a back drop to take pictures to post to the website.

She had taken around eighteen pictures with her pastel polaroid, setting it down on the desk.  Pictures were scattered, some slanted, some straight.  Sketches of ideas for their Fall line were scattered messily across the desk as her fashion designer, Mary-Kate, had already left for the day.

Evelyn had so much fun creating this line in particular with Mary-Kate , Antoine and her other workers with the full vibrancy of colours.  One might say they were like bright neon coloured highlighters that one would wear but Evelyn would have to disagree.  

"Hey there," her sisters cheery voice spoke up as she jumped slightly.

"Bloody hell, you scared me."

"Sorry," she laughed.  "Thought you might want to join me for a lunch break?  I don't have to go to my class until two."

"Count me in," she laughed grabbing her Chanel black purse and her sunglasses, turning the lights off in the office.

The two sisters left her building as they got in Vivienne's car and left to a little café that they often ate lunch or brunch at sometimes with each other; other times with their mum.  It was on the corner of one of their favourite streets called Melrose Café.  It was painted in a tiffany blue colour that reminded Evelyn of Breakfast at Tiffany's and held a wall of roses and carnations littering the store front door as they walked in.  You had the option of eating inside or out.  They often ate out as most of the time when they ate here in London, it was mostly sunny.  Whenever it was rainy or cold they ate elsewhere.

The two had ordered their food as Evelyn ordered creamy lemon chicken with garlic along with a fruit salad whereas Vivienne had ordered a panini sandwich.  

"How were your classes at uni?" Evelyn asked her sister after taking a bite of her food.

"Pretty well, actually.  I've just completed my classes for the year.  I'm set to graduate this Fall."

Vivienne had always known she wanted to be a midwife since the twins were born.  When she held her nephews Samuel and David, seeing the joy on Mia's face and the loving look that her brother Jake displayed for his girlfriend, nothing in Vivienne's mind could compare to that.

She worked really hard for the position in which she was in for King's College London.  Always having a fascination with babies and the birth aspect, wanting to make the expected mum to be feel at ease and feel as though in some way she contributed to the mum's birth experience.  She hadn't had any children of her own--but there was some part of her that wanted to understand what the couple were going through and she felt as though that were through midwifery.  

Being in her second year she was almost finished as she only had one more year to go, thankfully.

"That's so great, congratulations!"  Evelyn told her younger sister with a big smile on her face, happy for her successes.  "Well, you know mum and dad will be absolutely chuffed about the news and will want to throw you a big party."

"I know," she rolled her eyes, not liking the fact of a graduation party.

"Don't even think about trying to get out of it," Evelyn warned pointing her hand at her which happened to be the same hand that held her fork.  "Mum won't let you get out of it this time."

***

Evelyn saw an unknown number flash on the screen of her mobile.  Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and wearily answered it.

"Hello, whose this?" she asked timidly at first.

"Hi, Evelyn," an excited woman's voice spoke through her mobile's speaker.  "It's Eugenie, William's cousin.  We met at the concert."

She let out a sigh of relief as she was just about to hang up on the poor woman thinking that she was someone else.  

"Oh yes, I remember you.  How're you?"

"Quite well, thanks.  Well you see, he sort of, er- asked us to take care of you; especially with him being away and all."

"Of course he did," she said with a sigh.  "Look, I promise I'm all right.  You don't have to do me any favours out of pity."

Evelyn was never one to make friends for that reason.  She didn't want someone to be friends with her because they felt like they had to or should.  She wanted to make friends with someone because they wanted to.  

"Am not doing it out of pity, I swear.  Look--come out tonight.  It'll be fun!  It's me, Bea, and a few of our friends.  No boys are allowed."

Evelyn thought about this for a few moments longer.

"All right.  I'm in."

"Great!  We will pick you up at nine.  It'll be a late night so hopefully you aren't going into work tomorrow."

Evelyn laughed and told Eugenie her address asking if it was okay if Vivienne came out.  The two girls hung up.

"Viv!" she shouted for her sister not knowing where she was.

"Yeah?" she popped up from the other room.

"Get dressed!  We. . . are going out tonight!"

***

Vivienne was happy to see her older sister happy and in good spirits for a change.  She knew that with William gone again, it was hard on Evelyn and not being able to be with him.  She also knew most of it was because of her work.  She always felt like she had to put work above others.  Part of that reason was because she was the owner, so she always felt as though she needed to be there.  

They were dancing to the techno music that was blaring through the club.  Evelyn was dressed in a glittery short dark blue dress as she pumped her fists to the music and danced along, swaying her hips.  

A little tired from dancing, she goes and sits in the booth that Eugenie reserved for them all and joined her sister and Beatrice.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself out there," Beatrice commented to the blonde.

"Oh yeah, thanks for having us.  It's been a real good time.  Have you been to this club before?"

"A few.  Y'know there's been a blonde looking at you for a few moments.  Do you know her?"

"Hm?  Where?" She asked as she took glances out towards the sea of people.

"Right over there," Beatrice nodded her head in the opposite direction of where Blair was.

It looked as though she were there with Liam as well and some other people that were friends of Liam.  Evelyn rolled her eyes.

"That's Blair and my ex Liam.  Ignore them."

As soon as those words left her mouth she saw Blair's eyes widen with shock and her mouth wide open as she had been spotted.  Spilling her drink instantly into Liam's lap as he quickly stood up, yelling at her quite heavily.  Blair then got up and tried to help clean off the mess and whispered something in his ear as she looked at Evelyn again making him look in her direction as well.  He started yelling at her and Beatrice seemed put off by him, glad that Evelyn wasn't with him anymore and could see why he was now an ex.  

Williams name flashed on her screen under the name 'Steven' seeing as he wanted to keep it private whenever he talked to his girlfriend or friends.  That was the name he had chosen to not be obvious.  

"Hello" she asked covering her other ear as she yelled over the loud music.

"Eve?" he asked louder.  "Where're you?"

"I-I'm at the club with your cousins.  Hang on a bit, would you?"

She tried going outside as she kept her mobile to her other ear all the while hearing nasty things yelled at her by Liam as Blair giggled at all them.

"Wills?" she asked more quieter.  "How've you been?"

There weren't as many people outside, thank God.  She didn't have to raise her voice as loud as she did inside.  She didn't have people she didn't know dancing around her and her friends.  She didn't have to deal with Liam and Blair outside either.

"I wish I was there to protect you," he said having heard from his Pa about the ludicrous things that were written about her.

When he had first spoken to his Pa, his Pa wasn't going to mention it all.  But then William had asked him to and he couldn't not tell him.  Prince Charles hadn't met the young girl yet but he was sure he would soon.  He had known the Bennett family were very respectable and to hear all the shameful things being said about his son's girlfriend was truly upsetting.  

"Protect?"

"I can't hear you," he said as his voice got static and more shouts were heard over the phone.  

"Wills?" she asked talking a little louder as she was away from the scene.

The connection ended and she yelled in frustration.  

"Damnit," she said upset.  

She hadn't been able to speak to William hardly at all since he had left, now the one day he called she was out clubbing.

***

When Evelyn and Vivienne arrived back at their apartment, slightly tipsy as Vivienne was more drunk, Evelyn was sad that she missed her phone call with William.  She hadn't spoken to him in three weeks and this was the first time he called.  Who knew when he would again?  Vivienne was having trouble walking, swaying from side-to-side as she giggled over nothing.

"What's got you so pissy?" Viv asked her sister.

"Nothing," she snapped.

"Oh, I know," she replied raising her hand as if she were back in primary school waiting to answer a question.  "Is it because of Wills?" she asked as she slurred the 's.'

"Alright I think that's enough for you for one night," Evelyn told her as she helped carry her slightly to her room as she wrapped Vivienne's one arm around her shoulder and put hers around Vivienne's waist.  "Let's go you."

"You know what was hilarious?" Vivienne laughed louder this time as she whispered it to her sister as though she didn't want others to know.

"What?"

"When Blair spilt her drink on Liam shocked that you were there!"

The two women laughed as Evelyn shook her head.  She had to admit that was funny.  It was as though she weren't expecting to ever see Evelyn again and if she were--she certainly hadn't expected to see her happy.  

"Your right there.  Did you see the look on his face when she did that?  And then when he saw she was looking at me."

Evelyn had just helped change her younger sister out of her dress and get her ready for bed when she could hear her mobile ringing as she hurried to the living room where she left her clutch on the couch along with her mobile.

"William?" she asked excitedly.  "I wasn't expecting to hear from you again tonight."

"I know, I wasn't really either," he let out a laugh she sighed in the comfort of his deep, caring voice.  "But we had some time off, which was rare.  How was your night?  I want to hear all about it."

"You really don't," she sighed again, this time an exhausted one.  "It wasn't really a good night."

"What happened?  What did you do?"

"Well all right, as you know from earlier I was at the club with your cousins Eugenie and Beatrice as well as my sister.  We were having a fun night and then I somehow spotted Liam and Blair."

"Liam and Blair were there?" He asked shocked.

"Yeah, unfortunately.  I think Blair was just as shocked at first to see me because she spilt her drink on Liam.  I don't know if they're together still but they were having a good time yelling things at me.  Anyway, I'd rather forget that bit of the night.  How has the last three weeks been for you?  I feel like its been ages since we last talked..."

"I know," he groaned in annoyance that he didn't have the freedom to call her whenever he pleased.  "I'm sorry 'bout that.  It's been hard.  We're doing really tough training right now and I just got in from flying."

She knew even just from listening Eric talk that the exercises the military had them do were tough.  She could never imagine having to do half the work they do but she was grateful for them.  

"Well, that's unfortunate that Liam and Blair had to be there," he told her over the mobile.  "But I hope that the rest of your night went well and you had a good time?"

"I did," she nodded her head even though he couldn't see.  "Your cousins are great fun.  I'm sorry that you've had a tough last few weeks though.  I wish you could get a break every now and then."

"It's all right," he shrugged his shoulders.  "I'm able to do what I love helping people all while also being a member of the Royal family.  I meant what I said earlier y'know."

"What?"

"I wish I was there to protect you."

"Who told you?"

If she had it her way she wouldn't have told him all the lies and intrusion the tabloids were doing to her just because she was now "friends" with William to the public.  If it were bad now she wondered what it would be like once the world found out they were actually dating now.

"Oh Wills, who told you?" she frowned.

"My Pa.  Don't blame him either--I asked him to keep an eye on things whilst I was away."

She felt her heart flutter at those words.  When things got bad in her relationship with Liam with the tabloids he wouldn't do or say anything to her to try and calm her down.  He would act as though there weren't nasty words being printed about her.  Of course, now was nothing like then but she still had her share of the nasty tabloids.

"Will, I promise I'm okay.  And I made a promise to you that I would talk to you and communicate with you whenever I'm not--but right now is not one of those times that I'm not feeling okay.  I'm happy.  Can we be happy together, yeah?"

It was right then and there how William found out how strong his girl was.  He hadn't read the tabloids as he mostly avoided them at all costs but he had asked his Pa to keep an eye on things.  To make sure nothing got too out of hand and when it did he knew he would do something.  What?  He wasn't sure.  But he knew that Evelyn was right.  That no matter how much hate or how many lies were told about her--she would be okay.