#I was very uncertain if I could include the first one in the 'kiss' category

[guardian-angle22]

Tarlos Wedding Celebration Event [Week 14] -> favorite kiss(es)-> Comfort Kisses

[ikeromantic]

In the Spotlight

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfiction, approx. 1700 words. This scene occurs after the events of the romantic epilogue and includes some of what happens in the part 2 introduction. Mostly fluff!

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: Uncomfortable Questions

Kyubei bowed low and held the position. It wasn’t his first time to report to Nobunaga, but it was his first time to do so without explicit instructions from his lord. He was nervous, but it didn’t show. Kyubei could hold an icy composure as well as Akechi.

“Report.” Nobunaga’s tone was flat, hiding his own frustration.

Hideyoshi and Masamune weren’t trying to hide theirs. The one-eyed dragon was pacing and Toyotomi’s scowl could have peeled paint.

“There is no evidence,” Kyubei cleared his throat, “that the forces at Kasugayama are involved in the attacks on Azuchi. However -” he paused. This was the part that made him sweat. “The disappearance of Lord Akechi and the lady chatelaine coincide with the vanishing of their ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke.”

“I don’t believe it.” Masamune stopped, one hand dropping to his sword hilt. “There’s no way that ninja got the drop on Mitsuhide.”

Hideyoshi nodded. “Agreed. My guess is that they are working together.”

Kyubei interrupted. “I find that unlikely, my lord. At least, in the manner you suggest. If I may?”

Nobunaga indicated he should continue.

“My sources tell me Shingen Takeda is ill, and between the loss of his ally and his ninja, Kenshin is unstable. Seeking conflict within his own forces as well as outside. It is unlikely he is aiding Kasugayama. Though he must have known Sarutobi's absence might . . .” He frowned, wondering how much he should imply, what he could suggest.

Ieyasu saved him the need. “Mitsuhide was making plans for an extended absence. I think we should consider that he has left, with Sasuke, to visit the chatelaine’s homeland.”

Mitsunari nodded. “This would make sense. There could be something about the events of the night he disappeared that forced them to leave sooner than he expected.”

“There’s more to it, and if I know that snake -” Hideyoshi’s rant was cut short by Nobunaga’s raised hand.

“Enough. I did not wish to bare Akechi’s secrets, but Ieyasu is correct. Mitsuhide sought my permission to take the chatelaine to her home. He was uncertain how long they would be gone.”

The room exploded with sound, warlords talking over one another. Hideyoshi was ranting about safety and plots; Masamune demanded permission to seek them out. Keiji was laughing. Ieyasu and Mitsunari were relatively silent, waiting for the excitement to die down.

Nobunaga’s carnelian eyes quieted each man in turn.

When he could be heard again, Kyubei continued. “I made contact with Ranmaru. He is seeking out the forces responsible for the attack on Azuchi, along with other spies in our network.”

“Ranmaru? That boy is afraid of his own shadow. Completely unreliable,” Hideyoshi muttered, not unkindly. “He should be here.”

Kyubei couldn’t help the slight smile at that. He didn’t approve of Ranmaru’s tangled loyalties, but one could not argue with his ability to act a part. “Of course, my lord. But Ranmaru insisted. And he does have many friends to rely on for information.”

Ieyasu stood. “This doesn’t answer my questions though. Where is the chatelaine? Is she safe? When will she return? We all know Akechi has his . . . plans. I’m not worried about him. He’ll turn up when and where he wants to. But she’s -”

“You’re worried about her!” Mitsunari beamed. “I knew you were just trying to hide it when you told me-”

“Shut up.” Ieyasu glared. “I’m just . . . the enemy could use her against us. We need to know where she is.”

“Agreed,” Masamune spoke up. “I will put together a team. We’ll find her.”

“My lords, I am afraid she and Mitsuhide are beyond any team.” Kyubei sighed. “The greater concern is what this impacts and how it will be used against us. The Ikko Ikki are moving. The Mouri clan have resumed pirating, and we know it was Kichou that executed the attack on Azuchi. In addition, we have rumors the shogun in exile is drawing a new following.”

Mitsunari frowned. “Yes, I reviewed several shipment records and troop movements from old loyalist daimyo. It appears we are not done with the shogun as of yet.”

Kyubei bit his lip. The scribe they’d installed should have been satisfied to live in luxurious exile, but it seemed the old shogun’s loyalist stirred his greed. Or maybe they were using him as a puppet. He had no way to know, as the spies in Ashitaka’s court had all fallen silent.

Nounaga spoke again. “Hideyoshi, you and Keiji will pursue the Mouri. Masamune, I want you to make contact with Kasugayama. Offer a truce. See what they can offer up about their missing ninja. They may be willing to hunt down our enemies with us, as it does them no benefit to see this land descend into chaos.” His gaze fell on Ieyasu. “You will join Kyubei’s efforts to track down Mitsuhide and the chatelaine. Your research and his current knowledge will yield results.”

“May I assist Lord Tokugawa?” Mitsunari’s innocent smile could have been worn by an angel. He was completely oblivious to the sudden grimace on his friend’s face.

“You may, in your spare time. I need your mind fixed on calculating provisions, troop movements, bridges, and roads. There will be fighting soon.”

Mitsunari acquiesced with a bow.

Kyubei delivered the rest of his report, and then was dismissed. He went straight to the Akechi mansion and opened a bottle of sake. Alcohol was a vice he rarely indulged in, but today he felt like he needed it. He’d exposed some of his lord’s business without permission. He had no idea how or if this would impact Akechi’s plans. And now . . . he’d be working with Ieyasu. It would be difficult to keep the secrets he needed to keep.

He kept drinking until the room spun and the lights all wore halos. Kyubei might have kept it up, but he ran out of bottles and couldn’t make the walk to fetch more. Instead, he fell asleep, sprawled out on the floor of his lord’s office.

***

Mitsuhide felt a mix of relief and distress when his little one explained the plastic stick on the bathroom counter. It meant they were not having a child together. Not yet, at any rate. And this was good. He was in no position here to father a child. But . . .

The image of himself holding a child. His. Hers. His heart felt too big for his chest, thinking of what such a child would be like. His very own son or daughter. One with his love’s sweetness. His eyes. Her nose. His perception. It made him ache, as if he had an old bruise, a wound that hadn’t healed. Which was completely irrational.

He looked out the train window at the rapidly passing countryside. Trees. Hills. Houses. Different and not so different from the world he knew. He should be spending this time planning the next few days, not moping. Kitsunes did not mope.

“Are you ok? Are you nervous?” His little mouse put her hand on his leg, comforting.

“Yes and yes.” Mitsuhide turned his head to give her a sideways smile. “I have never had to meet the parents of my betrothed.” He had expected Nobunaga to marry a woman to him for political purpose. Some well-bred woman who knew how to run a house and had courtly manners. A woman he would never love, but could put up with, at a distance. Yet here he was.

She laughed. “It will be ok, really. I talked to okaasan and she is excited to meet you. She’s happy for us.”

“And you father?” Mitsuhide raised an eyebrow.

“I’m sure he’ll get used to the idea. He’s just . . . to him, I’m still a little kid. But I’m sure once he sees us together, he’ll come around.”

Mitsuhide was less certain about that. He’d known several fathers and they fell into two categories, most of the time. There were the men who could care less about their children beyond their use to the clan. And there were the men that treated their children as things of wonder. Not that they coddled them - but they cared. About their education, their work, their friends. He was sure his lover’s otousan fell into that second group.

The train stop came sooner than he might have liked. The two of them disembarked. There were only a handful of people getting off the train here, so it was easy to spot her parents.

They were dressed conservatively. Her father was a little shorter than Mitsuhide, and a little thicker around the middle. His greying hair was thin on top, and he wore glasses. Her mother was small and wore a smile he would have known anywhere.

The parents caught sight of them at about the same time Mitsuhide’s study of them finished.

“Otou-chan! Okaasan!” His little mouse flung herself across the platform, and was swept up in a hug from both sides. Tears ran down her face, and her cheeks were stretched in a wide smile.

Mitsuhide felt out of place in this moment of familial warmth. He had no such experience himself, and did not want to intrude either way. He stood quietly, holding their bags. Waiting as they exchanged hugs, kisses, and stammered apologies and explanations. As if they could make up for half a year apart in a few minutes.

Her father finally looked up and met Mitsuhide’s eyes. His were dark and suspicious. Protective. “You.”

His little one smacked his arm. “Be nice, papa. This is my fiancé, Mitsuhide. Mitsuhide, this is my father, Minoru, and my mother, Youko.”

Mitsuhide bowed low. “I am pleased to meet you both.”

Her father didn’t reply, but her mother did. “We are so glad to meet you too! It was such a surprise . . . our little girl . . . disappearing and then -”

“And then coming back with a weird boyfriend,” her father interrupted.

Oh yes. This was already going very well. Just as expected. Mitsuhide straightened and put on his best ‘trust me’ smile. “If there were any way we could have done it differently, I promise we would have. I hope we’ll be able to lay any worries you have to rest.”

She stepped over to his side and took his arm. “Yes, I plan on explaining everything.” His little mouse was the one to look nervous now. And no wonder. After much discussion, they’d decided on telling her family a version of the truth.

In fact, Sasuke and Miyake were supposed to come out the following day to provide backup evidence for their story. But even with that, they were asking her parents to accept a lot all at once. Mitsuhide did not see their chances of success as being very high, but for her, he would try anything.

Next: Bonding

[blouisparadise]

There were so many amazing bottom Louis fics posted or completed during the month of July. We really hope you enjoy this list. Happy reading!

1) Bound (To Falling in Love) | Mature | 958 words

Note: The sequel to this fic is #2 on this list. 

Harry and Louis innocently cuddle on the couch until things get heated.

2) Nuh Uh, Honey | Mature | 1170 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic, which is #1 on this list.

So this is the ending of Bound (to falling in love) but with more detail. Long story short, Louis and Harry fuck.

3) 100ft Away | Explicit | 2479 words

Harry opens Grindr for a hookup and ends up with more than he bargained for. It all works out in the end.

4) I'm Looking for Closure | Not Rated | 2503 words

Note: This fic is the third part of a series. You can read the previous parts here.

“Say you can read my mind.” Harry said to Louis as he pushed Louis down onto the mattress. Louis squirmed as the covers rubbed against his skin.

“I can’t read your mind.” He said simply to Harry as he reached up to put his hands against Harry’s chest, trailing them down to Harry’s narrow hips.

“My mind is saying that I should just… just fucking go back in time. Go back so I could be your first.” Harry said, leaning down to lick into Louis’ hot mouth.

Or They finally fuck, sorry, I mean, make love.

5) The IT Fic | Mature | 3112 words

A fic where Harry is Pennywise & Louis is Georgie... Louis goes down to the sewers & Harry fucks him with a balloon as a condom.

aka a pwp that i wrote for shits and giggles. & yes, louis is of age

6) Souls | Mature | 3890 words

The first time Harry showed Louis two ghosts.

7) The Unfinished Fic (With an Ending) | Not Rated | 4013 words

Note: There is no smut in this fic, but it contains omega Louis, so we’ve included it in this monthly roundup.

Louis greatly regretted all of his life decisions up to this point. Okay fine, maybe not all of them, but definitely a vast majority. After all, if he’d not told one little white lie about loving cricket just to impress a fit guy at the pub, maybe he wouldn’t be stuck at what was, one hundred percent, the most boring “sporting” event of his entire life.

8) Save You Tonight | Mature | 4841 words

Note: There is no smut in this fic, but it contains omega Louis, so we’ve included it in this monthly roundup.

Louis is a headstrong Omega in charge of his own life. But he's more than grateful when an Alpha comes along when he needs it the most.

9) Whisk Me Off My Feet | Explicit | 5054 words

When Louis locks himself out of his apartment in just a pair of novelty underwear, he hopes his new neighbor can come to his rescue.

10) Can You Feel the Fever | Explicit | 5113 words

Note: This fic is a sequel to this fic.

Tour has Harry exhausted. Luckily exactly what he needs is waiting for him in his Sacramento dressing room.

11) Gotta Catch 'em All | Not Rated | 5186 words

Louis loves Pokémon GO, he gets a little crazy and ends up ramming into a guy. Harry gets mad, calls him a brat and treats him like one. Oh, and they're in central park.

12) I Just Can't Get Enough Of You | Not Rated | 5466 words

Or the one were Harry got inspired from watching Louis on The Late Late Show.

13) Why Don't We Go There? | Explicit | 5654 words

Louis is a perfect model for Abercrombie & Fitch. Harry is a grungy, tattooed model for Hot Topic. When Louis walks in on Harry changing for his photo shoot, things only grow from there... including their dicks.

14) Act Out | Explicit | 6721 words

Harry and Louis try to spice it up a little for their 10th year marriage anniversary. Cliché role play ensues.

15) Life Imitating Art | Explicit | 6881 words

Note: This fic is the fourth part of a series. You can read the previous parts here.

Louis is taken on a very real journey through his fic back catalogue - life has never imitated art so salaciously.

16) You Can Show Me Your Heart | Explicit | 6935 words

Everyone knows about the unsinkable Titanic, which tragically did just that in April of 1912. However, not many people know the story of the Carpathia - the ship that raced to rescue and aid the survivors of the Titanic when the distress call came through. This is the story of the events leading up to the luxury liner crashing into an iceberg on that fateful spring night. More than that, this is the story of how two of Carpathia’s passengers - Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson - met, fell in love and helped over 700 people in the cold Atlantic water.

17) Kisses and Coffee Breaks | Explicit | 9350 words

Midterm season was finally here and all Harry wanted to do was study, however his boyfriend, Louis, seems to have a better idea.

or the one where Harry just wants to study and Louis needs Harry's cock.

18) Swallow The Knife (Outtake) | Explicit | 11186 words

Note: This is an alternative scene to fic #25 on this fic rec.

Alternate sex scene from Swallow The Knife.

19) We've Been Here Before | Mature | 11536 words

Harry goes to Louis in the wake of his sister Felicite's death, and Louis asks Harry to help him clean up a family cabin he is ready to get rid of. Along the way, they attempt to heal many things, even those that they thought were long past.

20) With Words Unspoken | Explicit | 18341 words

The one where Louis is lost, Harry is an excellent tour guide, and age is no barrier to finding the love of your life.

21) The Aurora Zone | Explicit | 19633 words

The one where Harry is busy crossing off his bucket list while Louis is busy falling for the guy he's supposed to hate.

22) Be Mine, Dear | Not Rated | 20104 words

The one where Louis just wants to meet his mate, and all it takes is for him to get a new neighbor.

23) Deflower Me | Explicit | 20154 words

Everyone is 19 and horny, and Louis just really wants to get fucked by Harry.

24) You Are Half Of Me (And I Am All For You) | Explicit | 24731 words

Note: This fic has a mention of BH.

One Direction, an obscure indie rock band, is about to embark on their first cross-country tour, living out of Louis' beloved van named Patricia.

Harry is in love, and Louis is oblivious. Or is he?

Featuring skinny-dipping in Texas waterfalls, getting lost in the desert, stargazing under the New Mexico sky, performing in front of crowds that grow in size each night, and falling in love on the road during the greatest summer of their lives.

25) You Are In My Bed, But Your Heart Isn't | Not Rated | 25595 words

Rock Band AU. Louis is an omega who fucks around, doesn't know the meaning of "feelings" until he starts crawling into Harry's bed at night. Harry gets jealous easily and they all write a lot of songs about each other.

26) Play Me A Memory | Explicit | 26932 words

Louis lives with his nine-year-old son Jake in a peaceful beachside community on the east coast of Australia, working as an entertainment coordinator at the local five-star resort. Harry is a recluse who lives on millionaires row and writes musical scores for blockbuster movies. When the roots of a wayward willow tree create havoc at his home, Harry is forced to stay at the resort while repairs are carried out.

27) Book Worm | Explicit | 37018 words

Note: This fic has mentions of BH.

“Dad said this is his very favourite place to go,” Leon divulged, much to Louis' embarrassment. 

“Did he?” Harry's olive eyes flicked to Louis, lips quirking in a way that didn’t match his beige cardigan.

“Yeah and he said you have the best books. May I look?” He asked, smiling winningly.

Leon had inherited Louis' blue eyes and his mother's dark hair, his smile quickly becoming a replica of his father's.

“You may,” Harry permitted and Louis set Leon down.

“Don’t destroy anything,” he instructed. “And if you so much as crease a page then bring it to the till because I’m going to have to pay for it...”

Leon raced straight to the back of the shop and threw himself onto the beanbag seat front first.

“I put the Kama Sutra back on the top shelf, by the way,” Harry told him with a dimpled smile. “You left it by the Hungry Caterpillar.”

28) Waiting for the Tides to Meet | Explicit | 59637 words

Soulmate AU. Everyone is born with heterochromia — one eye is their own eye colour, while the other is the colour of their soulmate's. It's only when they meet their soulmate for the first time that their own eyes match properly. After a hazy night at a frat party, Louis wakes up to blue eyes and the shocking realization that he had met his soulmate, without any sober recollection. Seven years pass where Louis comes to terms with the fact that he'll never know who his soulmate is. Then one fated summer, a beautiful green-eyed photographer arrives at Louis' workplace, with promises of endless laughter and a familiar feeling in Louis' heart.

29) Swallow The Knife | Explicit | 76168 words

“You came,” Louis says, still breathless, clinging to Harry, uncaring that his sweat is getting all over Harry’s presumably clean dad shirt, or that he’s making Harry hold up all of his weight.

“Of course I came,” Harry says. He shifts, one arm curled underneath Louis’ arse, the other spreading wide in the middle of Louis’ back. “If I ignored you every time you pissed me off we would have stopped being friends a long time ago.”

Louis already knows that, of course. It doesn’t do anything to stop the pleased squirm in his belly every time Harry proves it, though. They fight like nobody’s business, both of them too stubborn to pull their punches when they’re arguing, and it used to get them in trouble, but they always make up.

Adrenaline makes Louis loose-lipped, and they both know it. He tightens his arms around Harry’s neck, buries his face in his hair. “I missed you,” he confesses, quiet. “Doesn’t feel the same up there by myself.”

30) There You Are | Explicit | 82237 words

Note: This fic has a mention of BH.

Harry’s entire life has fallen apart - in one night, his carefully planned future is suddenly uncertain.

Then he meets Louis.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.

[hotchocolatefanfics]

Reboot PoTA Couple Theme Songs and their Meanings

Boy did this take me a while to finish! This is something I’ve been working on almost all of 2019 and I’ve finally finished it (2019 was not nice to me-my classes were, but everything else was a blur of getting sick and going from no anxiety to anxiety attacks happening daily. It was just a mess!)

Like the title says, it’s a theme song list for our favorite Planet of The Apes shippings and couples (I only did a few to save time but if this gets popular enough, I could do another involving any shippings and couples that aren’t present here (such as Will X Caroline or Malcolm x Ellie)).

Each couple have their own five theme songs (because one isn’t enough to tell their full story) and each song represents something unique about the couple dynamic or how the shipping can be interpreted and will include a description underneath (some may be longer than others (the more I know on that shipping/more I have to say, the more I write about them)-I apologize in advance for that!). If there’s any information that is missing or details that I overlooked (or even if you disagree with the description) please feel free to share! 

Please note that you are not obligated to listen to these songs and you are completely and totally free to add a song to these couple lists. Part of the reason why I made this was in hopes that maybe it would spark a conversation amongst us PoTA fans about our favorite PoTA shippings/couple and explore other shippings. 

Also, I didn’t include OC relations here but feel free to add them in your reblogs(you may also re-use songs that are already on these lists if you feel they could describe your OC x Canon shipping)! All love stories are welcomed on this post! (the only rule is there can’t be any underage or huge age difference couples).

My information sources are:

All three Reboot movies, Firestorm, Revelations, The Planet of The Apes Fandom Wikia and also reading a couple of stuff/peaking around on AO3, FanFiction.net, DeviantArt, and Wattpad.

With that said, enjoy the theme songs!

Caesar x Cornelia 

Stand by you - Rachel Platten

Better Together - Jack Johnson 

Say Something (I’m giving up on you) - A Great Big World

Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down 

The Call - Regina Spektor

Description: 

As this is a couples list, it only makes sense to start it with the king and queen themselves!

I think it’s more than safe to say that these two loved each other very much. 

We saw Caesar and Cornelia’s relationship grow from Rise, Firestorm, Dawn, Revelations, to War and during that time, we’ve seen them grow closer (I actually think that, as their relationship progressed, Cornelia made Caesar a better leader-as she pointed things out to Caesar that he either ignored/didn’t realize/know in Firestorm). 

When I personally think about this couple, I think about Caesar: The life he grew up with, the family he left behind when he chose to stay in the forest with the apes, the hardships he had to face in the earlier days/years of freedom and I think about all the stress and the anxiety that he had to have felt during those times. He had to have felt that he had to show strength in the presence of his followers-that would have meant not thinking/talking about Will, Charles or Caroline or letting it be known if he missed them at all. 

Then I think about Cornelia. As his wife, she had to have known everything about Caesar. From his childhood to anything and everything he feared and worried about as king and leader. If there was anyone in the whole colony that Caesar could have shown that side to him, that uncertain, missing his family side to him, it would have been Cornelia, and I would imagine that she understood that he missed his human home. That she listened to his worries and comforted him-possibly reassured him if he needed it.

I didn’t know if it’s talked about very much but, as king and queen they’re very similar in personality: Both being compassionate and kind, but also fiercely protective of both the colony and of their friends and as parents, both are (also) protective and loving towards Blue Eyes and Cornelius (examples being Caesar protecting Blue Eyes from the bear and later protecting both sons from Carver in Dawn and Cornelia keeping Cornelius safe in Revelations). 

This couple is featured in nearly every fanfic out there and every Planet of The Apes role-play that Tumblr has but I feel like we don’t talk about it enough. In War, Caesar was more than devastated by Cornelia’s death (and by the death of Blue Eyes) as he became vengeful, murderous and (pretty much) ready to kill because of it (remember that man with the wood at the oyster farm where they found Nova?). 

If you really want to go there, it says a lot about his and Cornelia’s relationship during the war. That (maybe) the war took such a tool on Caesar (mentally and emotionally) that she became his strength. That (maybe) Caesar was already on the verge of losing it well before the attack on that hill (like having a breakdown or panic attack)-and I wouldn’t be surprised, as he was betrayed by Koba, then by Red and other followers of Koba, and his apes were being attacked, threatened and/or killed by the soldiers.

Maybe Cornelia kept him grounded, reminded him of who he was and what was important and when the Colonel killed her, it broke something in Caesar and when he lost her, he lost part of himself and may have forgotten who he was (only remembering when he realized he couldn’t kill the Colonel). 

Blue Eyes x Lake 

Kiss The Girl - Ashley Tisdale 

Love Story - Taylor Swift 

Colors - Halsey 

It’s all coming back to me now - Meet loaf

When you’re Gone - Avril Lavigne

Description: 

Blue Eyes and Lake clearly loved each other in War. We know they grew up together and played with each other as children though their (romantic) feelings for each other likely came later (around the time of Dawn/Revelations). 

We didn’t get to see much of their relationship (due to Blue Eyes dying and/or being sent away in Revelations) but, considering that Blue Eyes was protective of his friends and family (and openly affectionate towards them in War), I think it can be assumed that he would have been a loving husband to Lake and would have protected her if she were in danger. 

Lake appeared to love children, so it is reasonable to imagine they would have had children together and she would have, more than likely, been a wonderful mother to them. Lake was also brave (as seen when she defended Caesar in War), which makes it likely she could have assisted Blue Eyes as his queen (if he had lived to become king). 

And now, the Fan-Made couples!!! 

Caesar x Koba (aka: ‘Caba’)

Little Do You Know - Alex & Sierra

Hold On - Chord Overstreet

A Moment Like This - Kelly Clarkson 

Breathless - Shayne Ward

Teddy Bear - Melanie Martinez

Description: 

Yes, I absolutely had to start with this one as it’s, if I’m not mistaken, the most common shipping in the fandom (and it’s also my favorite too!).

Caesar and Koba were obviously very close in Dawn (as best friends and honorary brothers) as Koba saved Caesar from that bear in the beginning and Caesar later gifted the pelt to him. This relationship was created when Caesar rescued Koba and other apes from Gen-Sys and continued in Firestorm.

I can’t remember if I got this far into Caesar’s Story, but I wanna say there was a part in the book where it talked about Koba having feelings for/falling in love with Caesar(?)(Please correct me if I’m wrong).

It all came crashing down when the humans showed up and Koba’s hatred of them was reborn and it became clear to him that Caesar still ‘loved’ humans (when Koba said “Caesar loves humans more than apes” he may have actually believed that-it is also possible he may have thought Caesar loved humans more than him). 

It eventually leads to Koba shooting him (which means he, essentially, abandoned his love for Caesar in favor of his hate for humans) and then declaring war on the humans-and later, resulted in Caesar having to kill him. Koba’s betrayal deeply hurt Caesar and so did killing him (let’s not forget that Koba’s ghost haunted him in War). 

What I’ve noticed with this shipping is it’s all about the vulnerable and damaged side of Koba’s personality and about Caesar’s protective and compassionate heart. 

Fanfics of this shipping sometimes follows the story of Dawn (with Pope as the bad guy or with Koba’s betrayal being deeper than just about revenge on the humans) and other times it’s completely different (nodding at the ‘Caesar and The Bonobo’ Beauty and The Beast AU on FanFiction and all other Caba one-shots(all deserve a read!)) but in all fanfics and fan arts of this shipping, there’s always a sense of heartache for the couple (either due to how Koba suffered before Rise or knowing how their relationship ended in Dawn).

Everything about this shipping is tragic and (when well-written out) heartbreaking but at the same time, it can be adorable and beautiful (I’m also tempted to call it irresistible for many fans-seriously, look on AO3, DeviantArt Wattpad, FanFiction.net-literally all of these sites has three or more fanfics/one-shots of this shipping (though I would advise you all to be careful as some of them may be, let’s say, ‘Rated R’)!).

I have not found any role-plays of this shipping on Tumblr (yet!) so I wouldn’t know how the shipping is portrayed in that category (Seriously, are there any role-plays of this? Cause I’d like to know!).

Koba x Stone 

I Still Love You - Josh Jenkins 

Yours to Hold - Skillet 

Grenade - Bruno Mars 

Hero - Enrique Iglesias

Immortal - Evanescence 

Description: 

I’ve, sadly, only seen this shipping on role-play blogs here on Tumblr so much of this is guessed (if anyone reading this has role-played this shipping before or have more experience with it, please correct me if I’m wrong!) 

Stone was one of Koba’s friends and first followers in Dawn (aside from Grey) but his motives for following Koba are never talked about (also in Revelations, it says he’s dead but he’s clearly seen alive in War…Does he have superpowers or did he just disappear and showed up again for War?) 

(Here’s my guess) Stone likely disagreed with Caesar’s role (to some extent but I doubt he was as extreme about it as Koba was) but what if, his main reason for following Koba had more to do with him having secret feelings for the bonobo than anything else? What if Stone saw and knew that Koba was still haunted by his past and comforted him when no one else would? And by the time the humans reappeared in Dawn, Stone developed his own hatred for the species that had hurt his love?

Meanwhile, Koba, who likely doesn’t feel comfortable talking about his past with anyone and felt betrayed and angered when Caesar disregarded his hatred of humans, probably would have resisted Stone’s affection for a long time before he finally let him in and fully accepted the comfort and love from the chimp (it is also possible Koba used that very sympathy to manipulate Stone into doing his bidding but I’m not sure if he would have needed to as, again, Stone would have already hated humans for torturing Koba in the past anyway).

Now about Stone’s death/survival: Let’s say that Stone survived Dawn (as seen in War). If he really did have feelings for Koba, it’s likely he would have felt guilty and somewhat responsible for his love’s death as he had chosen to agree with him that the apes should go to war with humans instead of talking Koba out of it (to be fair I’m not sure if Koba could have been convinced otherwise after the fight with Caesar in the dam but I think Stone would have had a better chance of reasoning with him anyone else).

Now let’s say Stone had actually died and Koba wasn’t defeated by Caesar. I think it’s more than safe to say Koba would be screwed if he was the one to have to go to war with the Colonel in War instead of Caesar (and it may be reasonable to suspect he may eventually realize the gravity of what he did and would regret it all as the war continues) but if this war took Stone early on, and if Stone and Koba were romantically involved, it’s also reasonable to assume Koba would have regretted that most of all-seeing Stone as the last (and by the time of War, the only) to love him and care about him and feeling lost and alone without him.

All in all, this shipping has a love lost and a sort of ‘dam(sel) in distress’ feel to it.

Koba x Cornelia

Sk8ter Boi - Avril Laringe 

When I was Your Man - Bruno Mars

Uptown Girl - Billy Joel

Bad Boy - Cascada 

Dear in The Headlights - Owl City 

Description:

I have the same problem here-total guesswork! 

Based on what little I know of this shipping so far, it reminds me of the ‘outcast falls in love with popular person’ scenario that is sometimes seen in high school movies. But this shipping could seriously work as a love triangle story! 

Koba and Cornelia have little to no interaction in the books (the ones I’ve read so far anyway!) or in the movies but it is known that they see each other as honorary brother and sister (due to Caesar and Koba being honorary brothers). It’s reasonable to assume they had mutual respect for each other and that Cornelia was just as betrayed by Koba’s actions as Caesar was. 

However, it is never revealed what Koba’s plans would have been for Cornelia had Caesar truly died (there is a chance he could have forced her into marrying him but I also think there's a chance she would have rebelled against him and Koba could have decided to kill her (or kill Cornelius as punishment and then kill her? I dunno know)). 

Also, what if Koba had wanted Cornelia as his wife all along and only decided to kill Caesar when he did because the humans ‘conveniently’ showed up (unlikely but maybe)? I think this shipping was born from the idea that Koba always had a secret crush on Cornelia but kept it a secret because she married Caesar and knew he had no chance with her.

Another thought (and this is highly unlikely but still): In the wild, chimps would have multiple mates (Rocket in Rise for example) so there's also a (tiny) chance that Caesar could (in theory) be married to both Cornelia AND Koba-I have never heard of this particular thing happening and I’m not sure if the Caba and/or the Koba x Cornelia shippings are popular enough to warrant that sort of dynamic but it would make an interesting fanfic. 

Koba x Pope 

Issues - Julia Michaels

Battles Scars - Guy Sebastian Ft. Lupe Fiasco

Love the Way you Lie - Eminem Ft. Rhianna

Next To Me - Imagine Dragons

Courage - Superchick

Description:

For those who don’t know, Pope is the main villain from the Dawn comics. He’s very similar to Koba (as they’re both apes that came from labs) but worse as he enslaved primitive apes and saw them as lesser beings-going as far as calling them ‘stupid animals’. 

Anyway, me and a friend made this one up a while back in our discussions and, from what I remember, we had two or three(?) different scenarios for this shipping. 

One being that since they were both abused and tortured by humans, they may find comfort in each other (finding it easy to show vulnerability to someone who’s equally damaged) and fall in love from their shared experiences. 

In the comic, Pope’s past is only hinted by Koba when he says: “He was like me…A lab ape. Bad Things, maybe worse.” and then his past is never mentioned of again however, Pope does say: “Never show weakness.” after the killing of a human later in the comic. Based on that, it’s reasonable to suspect that Pope may harbor a similar hatred to humans as Koba does and may suffer from demons of his own but keeps it well hidden from other apes.

Two being more about their personalities: Both Koba and Pope are capable of hurting people (as seen when Koba killed Ash and shot Caesar and Maurice in Dawn and when Pope killed the alpha, killed Fifer and Cora and enslaved all the primitive apes in the comic) and both are described by the PoTA Fandom Wiki as ‘cruel and tyrannical’ (with Koba being described as ‘belittling’, ‘unstable’ and ‘manipulative’ and Pope as ‘immoral’, ‘arrogant’ and ‘egomaniacal’). 

Considering these traits, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine one of them to perceive the other’s vulnerability as ‘weakness’ and actually abuse the other (like Pope abusing Koba or Koba abusing Pope). Based on their personalities, it’s possible the kind of abuse they’d inflict on each other would likely be physical, emotional, or mental abuse (or all three).

Third (and this is more of continuation of the second one!), even if Koba and Pope weren’t abusing each other, their relationship would likely be argumentative, unhealthy, troubling, rough and just very dysfunctional. 

These are two very damaged apes with traumas that were not properly dealt with or given help for and full of pent up rage and hate towards humans (plus Pope hated Caesar and disrespected his rule). If they were to be a couple, their own traumas and hatred would feed off of each other and may, inadvertently, make it worse (this would likely not be a problem if Pope and Koba were with other people as a person who doesn’t have the same experiences or resentment as them would likely help ‘heal’ them). Maybe their relationship could work but they may need therapy (psychotherapy and/or couple therapy) before it gets there.

Red x Winter 

Sorry - Halsey 

Please Don’t Leave Me - P!nk

Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows

Secrets - OneRepublic

You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift

Description:

Eeeeeek! This one is my second favorite! I can’t wait to share this dynamic! :D 

Both gorillas are first seen in Revelations. Red being manipulative, defiant, aggressive and violent (as shown when he manipulated Grey, lead the soldiers to the building where the colony was hiding in, tried to kill Cornelia (twice and one being while she was trying to help another female ape give birth!) and also when he slapped Cedar) and Winter being fearful and timid (as seen when he faced the wall after the building next to the colony’s hiding place was blown up and when he failed to kill Cornelia (which Red manipulated him into trying to do anyway)). Both are seen again in War, where Winter proves himself as a coward and Red a traitor. 

Needless to say, both of these gorillas have very different personality types. The interactions they had both in Revelations and in War weren’t enough to say they were friends (let alone romantically involved) however, Red clearly knew Winter was easy to control. Why else would he consistently manipulate him? And Winter appeared to be afraid of Red. This could be because Red was more aggressive than him and Winter feared confrontation. 

However, there’s a lot about the two gorillas that were never revealed (backstory wise. I actually do have a backstory theory for Red but that’s a post for another day). For example, Red was shown to have a lot of anger built up in him and while it is believed to be due to Caesar killing Koba, it feels much deeper than that. 

Koba was only leader for a day and or two (or less, my math isn’t great) and Red was willing to kill Cornelia, manipulate and endanger other apes and betray the colony over that? No, this anger didn’t develop overnight. It had to have been there BEFORE Dawn (and it somehow has something to do with Caesar)!

Then there’s Winter. We know his father died before he was born but we don’t know how or what his relationship was/the whereabouts of his mother (this does open the door for speculation of whether or not the circumstances of his father’s death and the relationship he had with his mother could have anything to do with Winter’s fearfulness).

Finally, their relationship: What if Red’s anger and hate was all a mask? What if, deep down inside, he was actually a very hurt, troubled and damaged person and only knew how to show it through anger? And what if Winter’s greatest flaw was actually his strength? Winter was more open about his feelings in both Revelation and in War (whether it be fear, shock, or worry) while Red was very closed off. 

What if that difference was what originally attracted Winter to Red? What if Winter, despite being intimidated by Red, viewed him as mysterious and was drawn to him by that. Meanwhile, what if Red was secretly jealous of Winter being so open about his vulnerabilities-even if he knew others would look down on him for it.

With all that said (sorry it was that long!), Red and Winter’s relationship would be built on shared (either expressed or hidden) vulnerabilities and traumatic experiences. Both have flaws and neither of them are weak. They just depend on each other for strength and (in one-shots where they survive War) for belonging as they have no one else.

Blue Eyes x Ash 

Bad Day - Daniel Powter

Dark Paradise - Lana Del Ray 

Perfect - P!nk

Complicated - Avril Lavigne 

Count on Me - Bruno Mars

Description:

This is another shipping I’ve only seen briefly-I’m not sure if there are any role-plays of it on Tumblr (but then again I never really looked either!) but there is a fanfic or two out there of this pairing (again, if I miss something a detail regarding this shipping, please let me know!).

Ash is first seen in Dawn when he and Blue Eyes are fishing together. Right away, it’s pretty clear these two are close friends and likely grew up together (which would make sense as their fathers are so close). Based on the interactions between him and Blue Eyes in that scene and the council meeting scene, Ash can be described as humorous (such as when he poked at Blue Eyes) and confident in himself (like when he was teasing Blue Eyes over the bear incident) and Blue Eyes, is protective of him as he (presumably) protected him from Carver before Rocket and the other apes intervened. 

Blue Eyes is left devastated and deeply hurt after Ash’s death and, throughout Revelations, thinks about him constantly and later having a dream about him. 

Since I don’t know that much about this pairing, this is where the guesswork comes in: As these two grew up together, it’s more than likely they also knew each other on a deeper level than their parents did-for example, Blue Eyes could have told Ash all his secrets, whatever worries or fears he had, maybe ranted to him about his anger and frustrations with his father or about being prince. 

I don’t know if Ash had any issues with his parents (as he and Rocket appeared to be very close as father and son-and we don’t really see Ash interacting with Tinker) but if he ever had a bad day, he’d likely talk to Blue Eyes about it just like Blue Eyes would. 

This relationship would be founded on childhood friendship, turned best friends, into lovers. Likely turning into a ‘you’re the only person I trust with my secrets’ kind of relationship while also being a very supportive and protective kind of relationship too.

McCullough x Caesar

I Hate Everything - Three Days Grace 

Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne 

Hold Me Down - Halsey 

You Don’t Own Me - Grace Ft. G-Eazy

Hellfire - The Hunchback of Notre Dam

Description:

I dabbled on this one in my Whumptober one-shots but if anyone’s interested in more of this shipping, there’s a few on AO3 (it’s easily the black sheep of this list but I think it deserves a place here for clarification as to what this shipping could be versus what it sounds like). It’s a weird pairing but it’s worth checking out! 

I think we all know Colonel McCullough as the most evil human in the reboot movies (as he is willing to kill apes and any human who is infected with the virus-his own son for example) and seeing how he treated Caesar in War (chaining him up, forcing him and the ape colony to work, having him whipped and tied to a cross with no food or water for days, killing Cornelia and Blue Eyes) it’s easy to see why this shipping would raise eyebrows but it all depends on how one looks at it. 

For example, I see the shipping as a possible twist on War: As the war between the apes and AO soldiers unfold, McCullough’s desire to capture and/or kill Caesar turns into something else. He becomes obsessed with the Ape King and decides the best way to defeat him and get rid of the apes would be to destroy Caesar’s life. So he deliberately kills Cornelia and Blue Eyes knowing it will provoke Caesar to go after him and later in the base when McCullough has Red and Preacher bring Caesar to his office, he blackmails Caesar into marrying him (saying that he’ll let the colony live if he agrees).

As a result of it, Caesar becomes McCullough’s “chimp-wife” and is a prisoner in this forced marriage, the ape colony thinks he’s abandoned and/or betrayed them, the AO soldiers and the Donkeys are confused by the whole thing and Red and Preacher (who witnessed the Colonel’s blackmailing marriage proposal to Caesar) are thinking “WTF is happening here?”.

Another way one could see this shipping would be as something funny. Yes, it’s dysfunctional but that could be the point! If one wanted to make a fanfic of this shipping, they could use the dysfunctional aspects of the relationship and make it funny. Think Marge and Homer Simpson for example.

For those who have an issue with this shipping, I 100% agree this relationship would be doomed from the start (if we decide to take it seriously). If McCullough and Caesar were to be married, I can picture the Colonel being abusive and predigest towards Caesar and his species, blaming him for all things wrong in the world (such as the virus, the fall of the human race), likely never showing any love or affection towards Caesar, and poor Caesar would become depressed and miserable from this awful marriage. 

Bon x Pope (from the Dawn comics!)

Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis 

Follow Him - Peggy March 

I would Do Anything For You - Foster The People 

Just The Girl - Click Five

All You Wanted - Michelle Branch

Description:

To be honest, I’m not sure if Bon was really this close to Pope as he only appeared once or twice in the Dawn comics BUT! he was one of his loyal followers and while it is possible he only disagreed with Caesar’s rule, there’s another chance that he may have had feelings for Pope (much like my description of the Stone x Koba shipping).

For those who didn’t read the comics, let me sum up the interactions between these two: Bon was one of Pope’s followers and is seen returning back to the zoo after (unsuccessfully) searching for an ape named Fifer who escaped them and informs Pope that there are humans nearby. Bon also took part in the battle between Pope and Koba and was later banished along with Pope’s followers while the primitive apes followed Koba back to the Ape Village. 

As this shipping, almost no leg to stand on (and is more made up than the others on this list) allow me to explain it here: Much like Grey and Stone towards Koba, Bon (and a gorilla named Rex) followed Pope-presumably because they also disliked Caesar and/or his rule. As Pope didn’t actually plan on killing Caesar until later in the comics and didn’t realize there were primitive apes, in the beginning, I don’t think there was any manipulation going on from him.

Now let’s look at Pope for a second: Pope was an ape who looked down upon anyone who showed weakness or was primitive and had no problem with enslaving, torturing, endangering or murdering other apes. Like I said in my description for the Koba x Pope shipping, Pope was also a lab ape (with fishnet scars on the left side of his face, shoulder and chest giving us a hint as to what he was put through-though it’s never actually discussed) so it is reasonable to imagine he may have his own demons and traumas, much like Koba does (unsurprisingly, Pope also hates humans). 

The thing about Pope that I’m curious about is if he is traumatized from what had been done to him at the hands of humans, does he show it? He likely doesn’t as he appears to dislike seeing it and other apes showing weakness but that would mean that, much like Koba, he’s holding things back, probably much more than Koba was (as Koba is seen in Dawn talking (briefly) about what he went through with humans to Caesar). 

Now looking at Pope and Bon, it makes me wonder if Bon could have picked up on that. Like what if Bon saw the pain that Pope was covering up and reached out to him? 

That, and it is also possible Bon was into the ‘bad boy’ type.

Phew, glad that’s over! XD

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Marigold

(A Spicyhoney ‘The Village’ AU)

Summary:

Rus is adjusting to his new home and new ways

The story so far:

Crimson

Yellow

Blue

Blush

Sallow

Russet

Spice

Whiteout

Sable

Blue on Black

Midnight

Ebony Falling

Golden

Magenta

~~*~~

Read ‘Marigold’ on AO3

or

Read More here

For the first couple days in his new home, Rus spent most of his time resting in bed. Being locked up in a chilly room for days on top of traveling through the snowy woods hadn’t done him well. He wasn’t precisely ill, but weariness gripped him, demanding long hours of sleep. Drowsy as he was, Rus couldn’t help his guilt at not being able to help keep house. His feeble attempts were firmly dismissed by Edge any time he tried to rise on shaky legs, and he was forced to meekly remain, guiltily enjoying his rest. Their pallet had no bedstead and instead was a cushiony pile, lush with furs and blankets. More comfortable even than his feather tick at home and considerably larger. Sleeping in a pallet of furs was a decadence he hadn’t even known existed, snuggled into silky warmth and drowsed away the hours, waking only to eat or bathe. His brother would have scolded him for his indulgence, but he was newly married. Surely a bit of spoiling was to be expected. And spoil him Edge did, often bringing him meals in bed, a seedy sort of porridge or soup like the Mother Dog served. His concern was charming, but even Rus was having enough of it. On the third day, he slipped out of bed while he was alone, ignoring the wobble to his legs as he quickly dressed. His clothes were freshly washed, laid out on a nearby outcropping. When Rus plucked up his shirtfront and sniffed it, he smelled not the clean soap his brother made for laundry, but a warmer spicy fragrance, reminiscent of mulled cider. It was a bit like Edge himself and perhaps it was shameful, the little thrill it gave him thinking about smelling like Edge. He didn’t care, the ideas about shame that were preached back at the village could stay in their prayer meetings. Edge hadn’t returned yet, so Rus took the opportunity to explore a bit. He admired the paintings on the walls of the bedchamber, the glowing swirls done in soothing blues and greens, with scattering of flowers between them. A tentative hand held above it confirmed that they radiated heat. It was fascinating and perhaps a trifle unnerving. Not that Rus was about to complain, his own home with Blue tended towards chilly in the winter months and he was often forced to spent his days sitting by the stove, bundled in blankets. No, no, it was not his home, not any longer, Rus reminded himself sternly. His home was here and he was going to have to stop being wishy-washy about it. Thinking of Blue made tears prickle, though, and Rus hastily distracted himself with the rest of the room. The low table he’d seen before was oddly close to the ground, made of a solid slab of wood that was sanded down until the wood was silky. Instead of chairs, there were cushions arranged around it, and he decided it was meant for sitting on the floor. A little alcove was nearly hidden in a corner and a peek inside reveal a sort of wardrobe, crimson cloaks hanging alongside the dark one he’d fled in. Some of his own things were neatly folded and set along the rocky outcroppings and it gave him a sort of warmth to see his belongings alongside Edge’s. A sense that he truly did belong here. Blue would have liked it, this order. A place for everything and everything it its place. Come to think of it, there was a sort of fresh-scrubbed appearance to the room and some things seemed quite new. The cushions around the table, for example, were bright with color, not at all worn from use. It occurred to Rus that Edge had likely been gussying things up in preparation of bringing him here, the way the bachelors in the village prepared their homes for the coming of a bride or bearing groom. Imagining Edge returning here alone, bereft, seeing those new cushions and well-scrubbed floors after Rus turned him away made his soul ache. Well, no matter now. He was here and he was going to prove that he wasn’t a burden. Cautiously, Rus peered out of the entrance to the chamber. He’d only been out the past few days to bathe, carried by Edge both times. There was little chance of being lost, the painted stars led the way. Even the floor seemed warm to his stocking feet; his boots weren’t with the rest of his clothing, perhaps they were at the cave entrance? In any case, Rus tiptoed his way down the tunnel, partly searching for Edge, mostly indulging in curiosity. He paused at the cave mouth to the pantry, wavering between exploring and continuing his search. In the end, that curiosity got the best of him and if Edge were to end up looking for him, he would be easily found. As pantries went, it was, well, rustic, surely a cave in the woods fell into that category. Even so, Rus imagined that seeing it would soothe any concerns his brother might have had about sending Rus to live here. He might well be delighted to have one like it himself. There weren’t any of the familiar sacks of flour and sugar, but instead many cleverly woven baskets in various sized crowded together. A curious touch revealed them to be made of reeds and each one was brimming with grains and dried fruit. Long ropes of dried fish and meat hung from the ceiling, interspersed with braids of herbs and onions, and the space was filled with a rich, smoky aroma that made hunger growl in his soul. The sight of such largess was soothing, to know they would be well-fed during the long, cold months of winter. Rus filched a slice of dried apple from one basket with the same mischievous nature that sent him plucking a cookie hot from a cooling rack, chased away by the tune of his brother’s scolding. Honestly, he needed to stop thinking of Blue. Hopefully, he would be seeing him in just over a week, there was no need to keep dredging up unhappiness. Rus was firmly putting thoughts of his brother aside as he turned back to the entryway…and directly into Edge who was standing behind him. Rus yelped, nearly choking on his pilfered apple slice and he chewed with frantic guilt, hoping his sheepish unspoken apologies were visible on his face. Edge only seemed amused, and his fingers were gentle on Rus’s chin as he urged him to tip his head up. It took Rus a moment to realize Edge’s searching gaze was to decide if he were well and Rus batted his hand aside impatiently. “i’m fine! i can’t be a layabout all winter, can i.” From Edge’s look, he supposed Edge thought he could very well lie about and take whatever spoiling came his way. Well, Edge was about to learn he couldn’t have his way all the time, Rus decided, and that was when he caught sight of Edge’s other hand. He held what looked like a few plump partridges, likely the last of the season. “oh, here, let me—" Rus reached for them and Edge held them away with a frown. “come now, i’m not much of a cook, but i’m perfectly capable of dressing out game. let me help!” It was always difficult for him to guess precisely what Edge understood, but in this case, Rus’s intentions must’ve been clear enough. Edge handed over the partridges with reluctance. Now that he had his feathery burden, Rus realized there was a different problem. “oh. um, i need a knife. and a table, i’m not sure.” Involuntarily, Rus glanced at the ground, reluctant to prepare food on it for a number of reasons. One corner of Edge’s mouth twitched up in amusement and he silently led Rus deeper into the pantry. On the back wall was a sort of preparation area, a rocky outcropping polished carefully smooth. A variety of utensils were in another woven basket at the back of the shelf and from it Rus plucked a knife. He inspected it curiously. It seemed to be made of stone rather than steel, beautiful shaped, and the handle was of antler or horn. Well, knife was a knife. It felt a bit awkward to clean and dress the birds under Edge’s scrutiny, but his hands had done this enough times that they hardly needed his guidance.

Triumphantly, he set the cleaned birds at the end of the stone shelf, allowing Edge to inspect his work. He was about to go wash his hands when strong arms surrounded him from behind. Rus squeaked in surprise as Edge buzzed a ticklish kiss against his cheekbone, laughing helplessly as he squirmed in his embrace. “let me go, fool, i need to wash,” Rus scolded. But the obvious pride in Edge’s gaze followed him through to the washroom and Rus scrubbed his hands quickly, eager to return. When he came back, Edge was sitting by a large stone similar to the one Mother Dog had used, light and heat beginning to rise from it. He gestured for Rus to sit next to him and with more patience than even Blue had ever shown him, guided him through seasoning one of the birds with herbs and wild onions. Both were set directing atop the stone, sizzling loudly, and soon mouthwatering aromas rose. In no little time both partridges were cooked, set into an earthenware dish and taken to the low table in their room. Rus ate his portion proudly with his bare fingers, licking away the grease. His brother would have been horrified at his manners, but sitting here with Edge, one of the plush cushions under him, eating a tasty meal that he’d helped make was a previously unknown delight. After that, Edge often included him in cooking, teaching him to make the morning porridge and even those flat, round breads that Mother Dog had fed them. Cooking seemed less intimidating with Edge teaching him and it was rather thrilling to be able to contribute. The first morning he successfully made porridge without Edge, he brought it proudly to their room, ladling out a bowlful for his husband. Under his uncertain scrutiny, Edge lifted his bowl, bowing over it in a solemn sort of gesture before he dug in. After a single spoonful, he quickly pronouncing it, “Good.” That one simple word swelled in Rus’s soul, and he grinned shamelessly, ladling out a bowl of his own. And there it was, he could be useful for Edge. He wouldn’t be a burden on his new spouse with little to offer. That was one problem solved. The next problem he had wasn’t so simple. Rus never would have guessed a home made of rock could hold such warmth and life. His own home back in the village held some of that. But it also held silences of loved ones who would never speak again. It held lonely winters where he spent his days alone, waiting for his brother to come home to him. He spent some time on his own here, true. Edge went out every morning and evening, but he was never gone terribly long. Checking snares wasn’t nearly as time consuming as tending to ill patients and whether his traps yielded anything or not, they weren’t about to starve. Whenever he was gone, Rus kept busy with a new and unexpected hobby. On his fourth day here, Edge led him through to a part of the cave Rus hadn’t yet seen. The starry path guiding from above dwindled as they went into an alcove that was darker and cool. Rus hardly had a chance to shiver before Edge moved away from him, crouching nearby. With a low murmur, a large, rounded stone filled with a reddish glow, unlike the brighter shine of their flat cooking rock. What was once frightening now seemed almost commonplace and Rus sat by the glowing stone, waiting for the cave to warm. It was then he saw the bowls, small, roughly hewn crockery and a peek within showed a different color in each. Paints, Rus realized, and he watched in fascination as Edge picked up a brush and began dabbing at one of the walls. More of the carefree swirls that graced the cave entrance, in deep, rich shades of crimson. He’d hardly added to it before setting the brush aside, selecting another from a small pouch and offering it to Rus. “oh, i couldn’t possibly,” Rus protested. “i’m no artist, i’ll ruin it.” A scoffing sound from Edge made it clear what he thought of that. Again, he offered the brush, urging softly, “Rus, pretty.” Well, how could he refuse that invitation, Rus thought ruefully. Whether he meant anything Rus painted would be such or simply Rus himself was anyone’s guess. Edge turned back to his own artwork, leaving Rus to hesitantly inspect the paint pots. Somehow, the thought of using crimson still made him uncomfortable. He’d grown accustomed to it, but it was Edge’s color, not his own. The rich blue was tempting, but Rus set it firmly aside. Something different then, something for himself. A bright orange caught his gaze, the same deep color of autumn marigolds and that shade called to him. He gathered up the little pot, then held up his brush, studying it curiously. The paintbrush was not the horsehair one he was used to from springtime whitewashing, but some sort of fibrous plant material, the stem braided into a sort of handle. He dipped his brush into the pot and walked over to an empty expanse of wall, hesitating with his brush close to the stone. The wild, glorious swirls and comets that Edge decorated the walls with were lovely, but they didn’t speak to him. With cautious daubs, Rus painted instead a triangle, then another at its tip. Slowly, he worked, gaining confidence with each sweep of his paintbrush. He switched colors, adding a bright yellow and a vibrant green, precise geometric shapes. It was almost like piecing a quilt, finding patterns within that traveled down the length of his brush to the stone. Time passed unnoticed and Rus was rinsing his brush for another color change when a soft touch on his wrist startled him. “are we finished for the day?” Rus groaned and stretched, joints popping. They must have been painting for hours, he’d covered a section of wall nearly as tall as he was! The hours had slipped away from him while he focused on his pattern. Edge was standing by the wall, studying his work closely and Rus waited nervously for his pronouncements. But instead of a declaration, Edge leaned in and carefully breathed against it. From the point of his breath, light branched out, following along the lines of his painting until all of it was illuminating. It filled with formerly dark alcove with light and warmth. “Good,” Edge announced, and Rus swore he felt that same glow of warmth in his soul. After that, Rus often returned on his own, branching out with new patterns that met and twined with Edge’s, artwork that was uniquely theirs.

And so, they kept their days busy with work and amusements.

Their nights they slept cozied together in their comfortable pallet, buried within furs and blankets, with Edge stripped to his bare bones and Rus in his nightshirt.

That bed was where Rus’s problem lay. Their bed, but it couldn’t quite be called a marital bed yet. For all that Edge held him close before sleeping, murmuring silky words that Rus knew along with ones he didn’t, his hands did not stray, only rested chastely upon him. The kindness of it brought tears to his sockets, all of Edge’s gentle care. Without words, Edge understood that something had happened to send Rus fleeing into the wood and he hadn’t implied in the slightest that he was growing impatient for any of the traditional spousal rights.

That caring was what drew Rus’s affections from the beginning. But that one terrible night was fading into memory, best left in the past, and Rus was beginning to think more on their earlier days, the teasing touches and flirtation. He wanted that back. He ached for Edge’s hands to stray, for his kisses to deepen. He wanted to touch and be touched in return, and when he woke from heated dreams, a hand pressed between his legs where he was damp and throbbing, he longed to be able to turn to Edge and demand his own rights. He was beginning to suspect Edge would never ask. Well, if Edge wasn’t going to step forward with a claim, then Rus would, and he’d find a way that was clear in any language.

He only needed to decide how.

~~*~~

[kuiperblog]

Plugged In

Vision and Scarlet Witch drop off the grid and spend a couple of weeks in Scotland, and we see the two kiss. (They're obviously sharing a hotel room as well.) Two other prominent characters kiss and express their undying love. Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanov bat their eyelids at one another.

Here’s a quiz: was the above written by a fawning teenager posting on their MCU fanblog to report on their favorite Marvel moments, or is it an excerpt from a Christian movie review written to warn parents about the potentially lewd and lascivious content in Avengers Infinity War?

“Plugged In” is a movie review/screening site run by the conservative Christian organization Focus on the Family, presumably for the purpose of allowing parents to check to see whether movies have objectionable content before allowing their kids to see them.  (For example, the section above, detailing some of the “sexual content” present in Infinity War.)

Captain Marvel spoilers below the fold:

Plugged In’s movie reviews come with detailed content warnings about things like Sexual Content, Violent Content, and Crude Language, along with a “miscellaneous negative content” section to capture anything that doesn’t fit into the above categories but could be a negative influence on kids (e.g. shoplifting or other immoral behavior).

Here’s a sampling of some of the objectionable material noted in their review of Captain Marvel:

It’s important to remember that children are influenced by the media they consume, and coughing up an infinity stone” is not the kind of behavior you would want your son or daughter to try to imitate at the dinner table, I guess?

Here’s some of the “negative elements” present in Captain America: Civil War:

These actually seem to be content warnings in the style of trigger warnings: this comes across much like an admonition of a film for showing characters being denied due process, and more a little, “Heads up, if seeing people denied due process is a particular pain point for you, maybe avoid this one.”  Oh, and if you’re sensitive about adoption jokes, you might take issue with the first Avengers ensemble movie:

(Until reading this, I had never even stopped to consider that Thor, in saying “he’s adopted” to try and distance himself from Loki, might actually be making the kind of remark that could be a pain point for adoptees or adoption advocates.)

While content warnings and “negative elements” are a big part of their movie reviews, the site seems equally interested in praising movies for their positive elements:

Vers may be a little uncertain about who she is, but she knows what she is: one of the Kree’s “noble warrior heroes,” and she does her best to live up to the part. She fights the Kree’s enemies with courage, aplomb and a bit of sass. Surely Yon-Rogg would be proud.

But as she learns more about her past, she comes to a better understanding of who and what a hero should be. It’s not all about taking on and taking out the “bad guys.” It's also about saving and protecting the innocent, be they just a handful of refugees or a whole planet of sentient beings. And she learns that it’s not her near-divine superpowers that make her a hero: It’s her frail, sometimes fallible humanity.

We see plenty of flashbacks to Carol’s childhood—flashbacks that focus especially on her failures. She flies off a go-cart track in one such miscue, gets brushed out of a batter’s box in another. Her critics seem legion, telling her repeatedly how weak she is, how she’ll never succeed. But each time, Carol climbs back up and digs back in. It’s not about how many times she falls, but how many times she gets back up.

And here, she always gets back up. That’s a nice message for all of us, I think: Sometimes we imagine that our greatest achievements are, naturally, our successes. It’s easy to forget that we are more shaped by our failures—and that our character is formed in the resiliency we show in the face of them.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, they seem to like Captain America quite a bit, as expressed in this review which I surprisingly found to be as well-written as it is fawning:

By definition, superhero movies are about … heroes. We've seen a bevy of them walk, run, jump and fly through our movie theaters during the last several years, and there's no sign of them stopping.

But we haven't seen a hero like Captain America in a long, long time.

Cap traces his comic book roots to World War II, when he was created to take on Nazis and fight for the American Way. He was always an unapologetically nationalistic figure, and in this new movie he still is. As such, the film is an intentional throwback to a more innocent, more optimistic time, before scandal and cynicism and cable news shout-fests had beaten our national character beyond recognition. This movie recalls the days when Americans—most of them, anyway—truly considered the country a beacon, a city on a hill. And Captain America represents what we've long thought to be what's best about us: Strength. An uncompromising spirit. Bravery, sometimes brash, but polite and self-effacing too.

"You don't give up, do you?" Schmidt groans at Cap during a climactic melee.

"Nope," he says.

How very "American" his response is. Simple. Straightforward. This is a guy who lets his actions speak for him.

Now, we need not say Cap represents an America that, for the most part, only ever lived in its national imagination. We must point out that the film has a few troublesome problems, including its love of wall-to-wall violence and the fact that our main hero is partly the product of (when you really sit and think about it) some potentially problematic chemistry. It's a little weird to cheer for a guy who got strong through scientific alchemy when most of us are warning our kids about the dangers of body- and mind-altering drugs.

And yet there's an inescapable optimism here, a goodness. Captain America tells us that muscles and nifty shields are great and all, but true heroism comes from within. And that it never goes out of style.

Some of the content reviews are quite amusingly detailed and over-the-top in what they consider to be objectionable content, but this review is actually the first place I encountered the idea that Captain America might inadvertently be promoting steroid use, as Steve Rogers goes from scrawny to brawny by getting injected by a miracle drug, rather than engaging in athletic practice or strength training.  That’s an interesting and new take I didn’t expect to find while reading a movie review site for Christian parents. Even if he is a stand-up guy, Steve Rogers kind of got to take the easy way out. 

Obviously, that’s not the message of the movie, and in fact it’s sort of implied that Steve Rogers does sort of “earn” his powers by being the only one sufficiently “pure of heart” to not be corrupted by power.  But it is the kind of thing that, if seen in a certain light, could be viewed as kind of problematic.  And I wonder if perhaps Plugged In might be exactly the kind of movie review site that would appeal to the puritans that seem to be so common on tumblr.

[sidespromptblog]

Uncommon Falsehoods: Part 3

Summary:  Something that no one saw coming, Logan and Deceit bond over being the “least popular characters” and at the new development the other sides feel jealous. They had never thought that Logan wouldn’t always be there with them and for them, now though, they have to deal with the fact that not all falsehoods are uncommon.

One and Two, Four, Five, Six

“Has anyone seen Logan?” Breaking away from Roman as he glanced around, Patton’s eyebrows furrowed as his deep brown eyes darted all around the living room. While he may admit that he had gotten a little caught up in hugging, as well as comforting Roman, he had wanted to congratulate Logan about everything that had happened. Along with to tease him a little about all of the puns he had made that evening.

However, looking around he didn’t see one hint of Logan. Surely the logical side wouldn’t have left to his room already, after all, he was going to make thumbprint cookies that had the new jelly in them. Logan still would have wanted to try it right?

“I’m sure that Specs went into the kitchen to devour the rest of the jelly. You know how much he loves it.” Roman cracked a smile at Patton, and just like that the tiny seeds of worry faded away at the handsome smile on the handsome side’s face.

“You’re probably right.” He finally relented on the subject, and hooking his arm around Virgil who didn’t appear to be all that convinced he pressed a kiss to his temple. Watching as the tension drained out of the anxious side.

However, upon heading into the kitchen, expecting to see Logan guzzling down the jars of jelly, or in the very least snacking on it like a somewhat sensible person would. Patton felt those seeds of worry spring back up, and glancing over to Virgil, he saw that same worry reflected in the other’s eyes as they stood at the kitchen entrance. Roman, however, was the only one who didn’t appear to be all that worried, giving both Virgil and Patton a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. Looking over to the creative side, he smiled at them again.

“I’ll go and get Specs out of his room, he spends enough time in there as it is.” Roman assured them, squashing down his own uncertainty as he fixed a smile on his face. “Why don’t you two get started? We’ll be down in a minute.” And just like that, he was off, marching up the stairs with a plan and the mind to go through with it.

Inside of Logan’s room, however, the logical side was bent over the table that he had summoned just so that both he and Deceit could put their puzzle together. His eyes squinted at all of the pieces.

“You have any border pieces?” He asked the lying side, his eyes drifting over to Deceit who during their time together in Logan’s room, had actually removed his cap and hat. His hat now holding a good number of the puzzle pieces inside of it.

Those pale and nimble fingers plucked through each of the painted cardboard pieces one by one, dropping the ones that didn’t meet Logan’s particular request until he found one, a tentative smile curled onto Deceit’s lips as he watched the logical side combing over the puzzle they had been working on together for some time. He had no idea what would come of the puzzle, or even what it would be in the end, but he was alright with that. Even if Logan seemed to have some trouble finding the particular pieces he needed, he was happy to be there and hand them over when they were needed.

In all honesty, that he was surprised he even clung to given who he was, it was a surprising thing to be like this. To be here just relaxing and doing something as simple as a puzzle with one of the only people who had been able to see through any and all lies he was able to fabricate. Originally, he would have perhaps made some effort to cosplay as Logan next, but now...he wasn’t so sure about it. He’d had plans, those plans had not included Logan weeping in his room alone, and those plans had most certainly not included Deceit feeling...guilty for possibly causing those tears.

I am supposed to be a villain...what on earth am I doing here putting together a puzzle of all things? Was something that Deceit found himself thinking on more than one occasion, although each and every time that Logan turned to him with his hand unfolded looking to have another puzzle piece placed in the center of his palm. The more that the thought faded away and even more so that he couldn’t exactly find the answer. He could partake in a puzzle, one puzzle wasn’t going to ruin his reputation as the villain. Although, if Logan smiled at him like that again, with his soft brown eyes that were no longer full of tears, but instead a shy almost uncertain look on his face. Then he was going to have to start trying to get the logical side to come over to his side. Because Logan had no business looking that way, while also being with the light sides.

With the knock on the door Deceit knew, he just knew that it was only a matter of time before his time with Logan was cut short and burned to the ground.

The knock did very little, as before Logan could even tell Roman to not come barging in, the door swung open dramatically with Roman standing there with a grand look on his face as he swept his arms open. “Come, Logan! Pat and Virge want you to help make those cookies! They are downstairs waiting and I want to eat the dough and-” All it took was laying eyes on Deceit, for any and all upcoming words to die in the creative side’s throat, before his hand started to instinctively move towards his side.

Logan could already tell that this was going to be a mess.

“Villain!” Roman practically snarled at Deceit, a good helping of venom coating his voice as his sword gleamed in the lighting of Logan’s room, his stance automatically shifted into that of someone who was about to throw down. “Logan move aside, I shall protect you from this snake-faced fiend!”

Deceit though quickly slunk back at the sight of the sword, his eyes widening just enough for Logan to know that the prospect of violence, let alone from Roman, someone who knew how to use the sword effectively, had scared him. Deceit unfortunately for himself, didn’t get too far. As eventually the back of his legs bumped against Logan’s bed, and it was just like that, that he found himself trapped. The fear he felt struck him right in the stomach, as the sensation of fingers digging into his internal organ and twisting it around like it was fun puddy was not something that he was overly used to. His breath caught in his throat, and his body felt locked into one position.

Virgil had always said fear was fight or flight, well Deceit was strongly placed in the or category as all he could even do in that moment was stare at Roman as he moved to take his first step forward.

This was going to hurt, a lot.

Watching it all go down, Logan had no idea on what had possessed him to do it, or even what he would have done differently had he thought about it a few moments longer. But seeing the pure unadulterated awe on Deceit’s face, something that was not even tempered down by the other’s constant need to hide things, and seeing the frustration on Roman’s face. Made his decision to step out in front of Roman all the more correct in Logan’s eyes.  As he firmly stood there in front of Roman eying the other and his blade down, with a sort of cool and calm fury that didn’t really show what he was thinking.

“What do you think that you’re doing Logan?! Did you forget what he did?! What he almost made Thomas do?!” Roman instantly snapped the moment that Logan had firmly placed himself in the prince’s path. Roman didn’t dare to take another step forward, and he didn’t dare to lift his sword against Logan. He couldn’t. Instead, Roman let the sharp tip of it point to the floor instead of at Logan’s chest like it had done before.

“I have not forgotten Roman.” Logan’s frigidly composed voice somehow made the confusion and anger bubbling under Roman’s skin burn all the more, “But he is in my room as my guest and you have no right to chase him away from here. He has done no harm to me. So if you do not like it…”

Logan paused, before his feet moved forward, behind him he heard Deceit making a startled and mortified sound, as the lying side wanted to drag Logan back away from the one who was holding a dangerous weapon. Although before Deceit could act on that urge, Logan was already out of his arm's reach now standing just a hair’s breath away from Logan before he leaned in close. His lips brushed the curve of the creative side’s ear, and he lingered there for a moment letting Roman grasp the full seriousness of the situation before he harshly whispered.

“Then you can leave.”

Tagged:

@well-love-has-failed-me

@violetmcl

@im-so-infinitesimal

@neko-ereri

@sugermint

@5am-the-foxing-hour

@moonstonefox12

@bibbidi-bobbity-booyah 

@unikornavenger

@estraevelyn

@bluebonkherostudent

[rironomind]

GS Artists Rec List

I told @the-nysh I would do this so I did. I’m just here to shamelessly promote my favs.  If you want to binge on art, trawl Pixiv and bookmarks. If you want daily art, follow the artists’ Twitter, or @GSnightfight. 

Sidenote: It is strange to know that some of the raunchiest stuff come from mums. 

(Artists under the cut!)

Kinako [Pixiv] [Twitter]- Protec. Their comic strips are so cute and good. Like this one here and an ongoing one on Twitter. I don’t really understand it but it seems like Genos drank a memory loss chemical to forget about how he couldn’t really love Saitama but then ended up in a relationship with him anyway? He calls just calls Saitama “Saitama”, it’s very bittersweet because he regrets drinking it. (Full thread here)

Yutani [Pixiv] - They do doujins, including one where Genos turns into a white wolf and one where Saitama gets double-teamed by devil!Genos and bunny!Genos.

Lisa [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Have I mentioned lately how much I love Lisa? I’ve been following her ever since she did “The person who makes you happy/Happy people” (Part 1/Part 2). She just did an omegaverse doujin too. Her style is a bit anatomically questionable but they look soft and blushy and muscley and romantic so I’m into it. She’s also done a couple of fake movie posters that’s also very tender. ^3^ (Also, nice try Lisa, I know you draw gratuitous bottom!Genos porn on a separate Twitter account.)

Nano [Pixiv] [Twitter] [Tumblr] - Soft, round egg. They did a doujin where Saitama gets fucked while wearing a dress as well as this really nice sfw doujin about Genos realising he likes Saitama. And who could forget this iconic fake twitter video. (Also they’re on tumblr! Please show them more love)

Polon [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Soft watercolour style, lithe muscley egg illustrations in sexy (and funny) poses and outfits. Loads of lovely short R18 comics. One of my favs is in here where Saitama’s cum is turned into Cookies and Cream flavour by a monster and this one where Saitama gets a bad fan letter and needs some TLC. They also have cat!sensei and dog!Genos versions which are super cute. Cat!Sensei is very chubby (it’s in their icon!).

Oikkodeth [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Yall better recognise. Mainly R18 doujins and puts out one every event (that’s like 5 times a year or more). They’ve covered the whole range: hanahaki, Little Red Riding Hood, human torso!Genos and more. Anatomy is a bit stiff but they’re so proficient.

Mido [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Korean but translates her comics to Japanese. Expressive, cute, clean comic style.

Akiyama [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Yall better fucking R E C O G N I S E. They, along with asamizu and a few others, have been posting since 2013. They churn out doujins like a machine and even has their own category in the doujin store, their books took up half a shelf. Consistently cute, punchy dialogue and doesn’t deal with drama. But you don’t need me to tell you. (Look at this though!!)

Hoyu [Pixiv] [Twitter] - You guys remember the sausage pillow comic? Do you like spit, licking, kinks and softcore yandere Genos? You’re gonna love Hoyu. Also, she knows loads of people? I always see her in the comments on twitter. Very skinny boys and twisted love, a new and interesting sketchy style.

Akiko [Pixiv] [Twitter] - A very girly and attentive waifu top!Genos and a tired Saitama. Puts out a comic strip almost every day? #blessed. (Sensei, please be sweet to me!) Doesn’t do R18 very often.

Oishigeru [Pixiv] - Does only doujins, maybe twice a year? Most, if not all are R18 and Saitama always looks vaguely worried. i like Even If mostly because it’s the only one I read all the way through and it’s about insecurities of a relationship. There was another doujin about Genos/Two Saitamas. Does introspective egg very well so I’m immediately biased. Doesn’t post art on twitter so I’m not including it.

Emochikaoya [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Yall already know I’m a massive fan of Kaoya’s work. Kinkwise, if you think of it, she’s probably drawn it. Super efficient, churns out minicomics once a week in between drawing her original comic (can’t stop the thirst, guys). I’m trying to get her to do more coloured illustrations so if you guys want to stroke her ego, I’ll pass it on. My favourite doujin of hers is ‘Who’ and it has hands-down The Best Egg Lecture. Probably one of the few artists who bother to translate to English (you’re welcome). I have a million things to say about her but it would turn into an essay so I’ll stop.

Minerux [Pixiv] [Twitter] - A member of the @GSNightFight challenge on Twitter. Uncertain and worried egg and supportive and very attentive borg. Check out “Curiousity” and “Red String” and a personal fav “Hold on”.

Dokimaru [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Her neko sensei is probably the most iconic. He has a sweatshirt with like 6 nipples? Iconic. they drew a hot springs doujin where Genos turned basically his whole body into a vibe and Saitama caused him to short circuit and blow out every fuse in the ryokan. They set off the fire sprinklers. This one ficart where Saitama gets double-teamed by two Genoses knocked me flat.

Mat [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Mat?? Is so?? Good?? Ever think about how a look can break your heart? Egg is always tired and Genos is worried. Contact is very sweet and makes your heart twinge, and there’s another one they just released about Saitama being cursed with handcuffed hands

Hebitoriasu [Pixiv] [Twitter] - I’m not a big fan of the shading but I can see improvement. Mostly R18 doujins but they’re cute.

Tori/Saboten [Pixiv] [Twitter] - They have two major AUs - fem!Saitama (Nyotama) and Sabo-sensei - and they’re both amazing. Very good readability, very funny comics. If you’re not a fan of fem!Saitama, they have dedicated groups of art for nyotama. Of course my fav of their works is the one with all of Saitama and Genos’ dating problems and the one where Saitama is “Weak to ikemen (handsome guys)”.

Asamizu [Pixiv] - What kind of useless list would this be without Asamizu? Yeah they had their own category too on the doujin shelf. Very nice graphics, and they discuss relationship topics in a candid manner. Been drawing these boys for over 4 years! Mostly doujins. I also have to plug their game (visual novel) about Saitama endlessly repeating a week to try to get Genos to stop asking him out, it will probably last 10 hours. God they do love to ramble.

Toufumaru [Pixiv] - I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of their recent work (sailor uniform sensei and sensei who wants to be held) but I really like Blue in Blue and Mellow Yellow which talk about Saitama’s non-existent emotions.

Nemunoki [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Mainly R18 doujins. They’ve explored all manner of sexual situations and kinks. Outdoor sex, electricity, double penetration, tentacles, you name it. It’s all amazing. The perspective does throw me off though.

Untara [Pixiv] - Into switch but really likes bottom!Genos anyway. What can I say? Kinky, but hot.

Satoku [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Melancholy egg! Attentive Genos! Does mostly short comics but they’re so cute. Martyr Saitama is my jam!

Kamikoawakakyouko [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Interesting concepts. Recently released a comic that I consider to be the pinnacle of the OPM fandom because it’s Saitama having to consider the environmental/global impact of his strength and how that boils down to affect his everyday life.

Matabi [Pixiv] - Pretty much only doujins. Sensei has moobs and the boys are squishy and blushy. Also does quite a bit of rimming.

Sototuka [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Mostly R18 illustrations with some nice shading but questionable garments. She drew this doujin with futa!Sensei and double-dick Genos. 

Hara Hara [Pixiv] - Saitama is the manic pixie dream girl you guys never thought would exist. Fashion model ingenue. Werk it, sensei. Permanent come hither. Seeing Saitama in dresses brings me life (even if he is super skinny).

Raoki [Pixiv] - Mainly R18 illustrations. I remembered she did sounding with Pocky.

Gmeko [Pixiv] - C U T E. Round and pastels. Soft with lots of TLC. Did a “(I’ll find you) Before the stars do” comic and a hair washing comic.

NICE BOON [Pixiv] - Korean who takes no shit. Fantastic fashion. Little to no BL but the concepts are all on pointe. Existential egg. Eggistential. Locked twitter.

Silver_mssk [Pixiv]  [Twitter] - locked account but if you managed to add her…really, really good eggistential portraits in a variety of scenes. Hilarious comics and a stone face Genos and flailing egg. Also lots of Mobuncle/Saitama scenarios? Which…tbh same.

Foo2333 [Twitter] - What if Saitama took part in enjo kosai (paid dating)? Bottom!Saitama, a soft and sexy egg desired by all. Listen, I don’t make the rules. 

Skaky21 [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Mostly out of the fandom but dips in sometimes. Very polished shiny style. Not my cup of tea but it’s cute.

1200年丸 [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Now mostly BNHA but does OPM sometimes. Mostly SFW. This comic is cute.

ICHIKAZU [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Curly haired boyish Genos! Everyone’s crazy about her Apocaplyse!AU but I prefer her newest doujin where Saitama wins a camera and Genos uses it to take lots of pictures of his sensei.

Kaji Oyaji [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Wowowow so cute and pastel? Is everyone an angel? Am I dead? Soft and sweet. Saitama is like a fairy and Genos is in love. Imagine the embodiment of Spring.

Ginsky [Pixiv] - Chinese. They’ve moved on but boy those were some bright colours and expressive faces.

Tutu_en_f [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Soft romantic sketches. Feel very french but I’m only saying that because she is literally in France now.

COCONUT [Pixiv] - Korean. Fashionable (you see a trend?) Saigenos sketches. Young boyish Genos, manly egg.

Obachan [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Chibi comics. Still active and cute af.

Shiwasu [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Woah this egg is too cute for this world. Does short comics, draws sex but not especially ero. I like this one which is about Genos becoming able to read Saitama’s mind, first kiss (self explanatory) and Saitama losing his strength (R18).

Nyuton [Pixiv] [Twitter] - Active on Twitter. Posts a lot of speed-colouring videos. Nice sketchy feeling but with colour. Likes to borrow concepts from music videos.

Mochi [Pixiv] - Crudely-drawn gag comics with a humour on par with ONE’s. Please, they’re so good. This one opens up with both of them wearing The Dress.

Shout out to starjr_major who is currently in Golden Kamui hell but used to draw some really amazingly cute Saitama.

[sp4c3-0ddity]

Ink on a Page

an Inkheart AU (sort of)

Category:  Gen Word count:  ~1600 Chapters:  1/?

Summary:

Pidge has lived a normal - if unstable - life with her mother for the last fourteen of her sixteen years, but even the fantastical books she reads never could've prepared her for the wild twist it takes when an 'old friend' of her mother's appears unannounced at their door.

Read it on ao3

Or below the cut:

Chapter One

At a brisk knock on the front door, Pidge took off her headphones and turned her face towards the sound, wondering who would be visiting so late on a weeknight. Unsure if her mother was even still awake, she crept out of her bedroom, down the hall, and to the door, right as someone on the other side knocked again.

“I’m coming,” she grumbled. She stood on her toes to peer through the peephole, and when she ascertained that their late-night visitor didn’t look particularly threatening, she unlocked and opened the door.

The woman standing on the landing was tall – taller than the average man, Pidge thought – with unblemished dark skin and silvery hair that shone in the dark, reflecting the streetlights like the moon reflected the sun. Her eyes gleamed blue when they drifted down and landed on Pidge, and she smiled.

“Hello,” she said in a lyrical accent. “Is Colleen here?”

Pidge blinked, stunned. There was something…ethereal about this woman, something she couldn’t put her finger on. “I…yeah,” she said. “I’ll go…get her.” Without a second thought, she slammed the door shut and locked it, ignoring the woman’s cry of alarm.

“Mom!” she called.

“What?” said Colleen, poking her head into the entryway. She looked at Pidge, wide-eyed and questioning. “Who was at the door?”

“Some lady asking for you,” Pidge said. “I panicked and shut the door in her face.”

“This late?” Colleen sighed and approached, waving her aside so she could check the peephole. Pidge clasped her hands and waited, watching her mother frown, lines of concern deepening on her forehead and at the corners of her eyes.

“Do you know her?” Pidge asked.

“Yes,” Colleen said. She didn’t elaborate, though Pidge imagined she must surely sense her curiosity, but she opened the door and stiffly greeted the woman, “Allura?”

Pidge peeked around her mother to see the woman’s – Allura’s – face smooth, irritation vanishing and immediately replaced with a pleasant smile. “Colleen,” she said. “It’s been a long time.”

“It has,” Colleen agreed.

Pidge looked back and forth between the two women, uncertain what to make of it – her mother’s aloofness and the stranger’s politeness. Perhaps Allura was an old business colleague or contact, since she appeared too young – maybe a few years older than Pidge herself – to be a former classmate.

(Most people, apparently, kept in touch with old classmates, something Pidge struggled to do despite having so much ‘experience’ meeting new ones.)

“May I come in?” Allura wondered, her smile looking uncomfortably frozen in place.

Colleen glanced over her shoulder, then at Pidge, as if only then realizing she was still there. But then she said, “Yes, I guess you can.” She stepped aside, making room for Allura to enter before shutting the door behind her. As she inspected their surroundings – everything from the small television set to the atomic clock on the wall – Colleen asked, “Would you like anything to drink?”

“No, thank you,” said Allura, turning her head towards Colleen. “I hope this won’t take long.”

Colleen’s face said that she hoped the same louder than any words ever could, and as the two adult women sat at the small kitchen table, Pidge hovered, curious. But before Allura broached whatever topic she had on her mind – whatever shared history she and her mother had – Colleen looked at her and said, “Pidge, please go to your room.”

Her eyes widened, disappointment making her heart heavy. “But—”

“Katie,” Colleen said, stern. She almost never used Pidge’s given name, only saying it when it was especially serious, and hearing it now, for the first time since she started high school, shocked Pidge into obedience.

She retreated to her bedroom, back stiff, but rather than closing the door, she left it cracked. She retrieved the empty water glass from her bedside table and rested it against the door, then she pressed her ear to the bottom.

“…find me?” Colleen was saying.

“Does it matter?” Allura said. “I understand that you don’t wish to be found by the likes of me, Colleen, but I promise that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.”

Pidge narrowed her eyes. ‘Likes of me’? There was no hint of bitterness in her voice, as if Allura only stated a fact.

“That’s what you said last time,” Colleen said testily, “and after that you promised I would never have to see you again.”

There was a last time? Pidge set the glass on the carpet and hurriedly rushed to her desk, grabbing a pen and notebook and turning it to a blank page. She settled back on the floor and leaned against the door with the glass in her right hand, notebook balanced on her lap with pen poised to write.

“…lied,” Allura said, sounding regretful. “But circumstances have changed, and I have reason to believe Zarkon has plans.”

Pidge scribbled the unfamiliar name down, spelling it the way it sounded.

“Zarkon always has plans,” Colleen said dismissively, and Pidge imagined her waving a hand. “And he’s welcome to them, so long as he leaves me and my family out of it.”

“You see, I think that is the problem, Colleen. My contact inside claims he’s searching for someone with a silver tongue.”

A ‘silver tongue’, Pidge wrote. A smooth talker? A diplomat? A businessman?

“Well, it won’t be me,” her mother said.

Pidge’s hand froze. Colleen Holt? A silver-tongued smooth talker? She smirked at the thought; though her mother was quite the accomplished journalist, she spoke clinically and to the point, without any honeyed words. She was good at appealing to reason, and awful at manipulating emotions.

At least, that was how Pidge thought someone with a ‘silver tongue’ would be like.

“It’s possible it won’t be,” Allura seemed to agree, “but just in case, I would like to take you and your daughter under my protection.”

“And what use is your protection?” Colleen demanded. “It didn’t save my husband and son!”

What?

“That was—those circumstances were different!” Allura retorted, immediately defensive.

“Well, I see no difference!” her mother said, the screeching of a chair’s legs against tile signaling that she stood. “It’s thanks to you and your Voltron that they’re gone!”

Voltron? Pidge thought she recognized that as the title of a dusty old science fiction novel sitting on the bookshelf in her mother’s bedroom.

“Oh, if you want to point fingers, then I am not to blame!” Allura held her ground. “I’m not the one with the silver tongue, Colleen! I’m not the one that unleashed Zarkon on your world!”

“I’m not the one who had the responsibility to stop him in theirs, Princess!”

Pidge put her pen down and closed the notebook, momentarily overwhelmed with all this information. What the hell were they even talking about?

“All right,” Allura said, voice lower, so quiet that Pidge strained to hear her. “Perhaps we both are to blame.”

“Maybe,” Colleen agreed grudgingly, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I have a different responsibility.”

“Then we are at an impasse?”

“Yes,” Colleen said.

“And I can’t convince you?” said Allura. She sounded regretful, even a little sad. “I won’t force you, Colleen, but I do wish—”

“No.”

“Colleen—”

“No,” Pidge’s mother said. “While we speak of responsibility, protecting my daughter is mine, not yours. So thank you, Allura, but I decline.”

Pidge held her breath during a pregnant pause ready to give birth at any moment, mind carefully blank as if the noise of her thoughts would muffle the voices coming from the kitchen.

Finally, Allura said, “Very well. I am…sorry you feel that way.” Her chair’s legs scraped against the kitchen floor, heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway and towards Pidge’s room as she walked to the front door.

Colleen followed her, and their voices became too distant for Pidge to hear, so she dropped the glass – it landed softly on carpet without breaking – and leaned her head against the door, stunned. Her mind reeled with what she heard, and even as she stared at her sparse, confused notes, she couldn’t make any sense of it.

Who was Zarkon? And what did her mother have to do with him?

The front door slammed shut, and a few beats later, Pidge heard her mother’s footsteps approaching. She quickly tossed her notebook underneath her bed and moved to sit in her desk chair, settling her headphones back over her ears right in time for Colleen to open the door without knocking.

“You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?” Colleen asked without a hint of judgment in her tone.

Pidge slowly and deliberately took off her headphones and turned to face her mother. “Who’s Zarkon?” she said, deciding there was no shame in confessing her crime after all.

Colleen’s face – already gloomy – darkened. “It doesn’t matter,” she said.

“Yes, it does,” Pidge insisted. “You sounded”—and it hit her, why the conversation between her mother and Allura unnerved her so, besides a simple deficit of information—“scared.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” said Colleen.

“But—”

“Pidge,” Colleen said. When Pidge only stared at her, wide-eyed, she smiled and continued, “Allura is just an old friend, but we parted badly last time we met. Love, you have nothing to worry about.”

Pidge glanced towards her bed, towards the notebook that she feared implied otherwise, but then her eyes drifted to her mother, whose reassuring smile begged her to believe it. So despite the questions – despite the mention of characters she didn’t know, including her father and brother – Pidge said, “Okay.”

It’ll be okay, Colleen always said every time they moved and she had to change schools again.

It’ll be okay, Pidge thought as her mother came in and kissed her cheek before bidding her goodnight.

[lorenasworkbook]

Lecture 1: A drawing Lesson & The Smart City

Why did I talk for so long about sketching in my previous post? I wanted to eventually get here:

This was one of the first slides presented to us. I was happy that the first lecture was dedicated to drawing. We’ve watched Kentridge’s video showing the way he creates his animated films. These are constructed by filming a drawing, making erasures and changes, and filming it again. It somehow reminds me of the flip book animations as it can be seen in the following gif I found on Google Images: 

I did not know about him before.

While he was talking about the limitation imposed by the canvas my mind wondered to Picasso’s quote “Everything you can imagine is real”. I might’ve thought about it due to the horse ink sketch on the wall, or maybe as he was talking about limitations. 

You might have to connect the links as I haven’t explained it very well but to be fair, I am not even sure why my mind made that connection anyway. Maybe because even though the canvas is limiting in some ways, it actually is open for our imagination and even though it is a limitation it is also a challenge!

I quickly searched more of his artworks and found some that I like even more, but this time they made me think about Francis Bacon’s work, one of my favourite artists, yes, the painter, not the philosopher.

Bacon also examined Picassso’s work in his career. I had the chance to visit Picasso museum in Barcelona about this time last year and I really enjoyed it.  Bacons’ canvases communicate powerful emotions, his subjects were always portrayed as violently distorted, almost slabs of raw meat, that are isolated souls imprisoned and tormented by existential dilemmas.

I felt that William’s Kentridge’s paintings have a similar feeling - people are presented as uncertain, divided and chaotic, living in a world with much the same characteristics. It’s quite contemporary considering the way the world is going lately. 

Through his paintings I also found one drawing with a man and a rock. Does it ring a bell? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. Sisyphus is condemned by the gods for eternity to repeatedly roll a boulder up a hill only to have it roll down again once he got it to the top, as a metaphor for the individual's persistent struggle against the essential absurdity of life – my presumption of the existentialism theme was confirmed. Sisif was not giving up. However, again I made an assumption, this time that is connected to Sisif while it might not be,  I did not go as far in searching to see if there is any meaning he discussed about related to the rock and maybe it is just learning to live with the burdens in your life, while the rock is a physical interpretation.

As initially I just searched other artworks, now I wanted to know more about his approach on philosophical themes. I discovered that in one of his lessons he focuses on indeterminacy, represented by emergence of the occupiers of Plato's cave and their problems with "the light" and the "reality" of what they had seen previously only as shadows. Kentridge is concerned with the way we are wired to impose structure (and meaning) to fluid experience.

Much of this he gathers in the 6th (final) lecture: 

"This is the artist's project: needing the fragments, even delighting in them, in the process of wresting meaning from them. The meaning is always a construction, a projection, not an edifice--something to be made, not simply found. There is always a radical incoherence and a radical instability. All certainties can only be held together by a text, a threat, an army, a fatwa, a sermon--that holds the fragments in an iron grip" 

The Smart City Introduction 

As cities get smarter, they are becoming more liveable and more responsive—and today we are seeing only a preview of what technology could eventually do in the urban environment.

Top down and bottom up approaches:

Top down or technology centric approaches are associated with pre-defined offerings. Cities adopting this approach become smart by integrating data gathered from different kinds of censors (smart meters and CCTV cameras amongst others) into a single virtual platform in order to manage city operations more efficiently, often working with technology companies to take advantage of already developed products or software

The bottom up approach emphasises the use of new technologies (for example, social media, websites, mobile applications or censoring technologies) and new data (becoming available mainly through open data platforms or censors) as a means to enable citizens to devise solutions, acquire new skills through online learning and improve their interaction with public authorities. Such initiatives include open data platforms that allow the development of new mobile applications or online crowdfunding platforms to fund innovative projects.10 By making citizens more engaged in civic life through online platforms, it is also argued that bottom up initiatives can encourage a “more direct form of local democracy” as David Willets, the Minister of State for Universities and Science recently stated

  My instinct was to read more definitions to familiarise myself better with the subject, however I just started thinking about all the tech noir, cyberpunk movies and series I saw with futuristic cities and also games I played with a similar theme.

Tech noir presents technology as a destructive and dystopian force that threatens every aspect of our reality.

“They often expose the temporal nature of concepts of identity and society: rather than being fixed aspects of a permanent and indestructible ‘nature,’ these concepts, like nature itself, are shown as mere parts of a larger simulacrum that is subject to change, exploitation, and even annihilation. Yet, even as tech-noir films present the mirror that reveals us to be as expendable and replaceable as any consumer product, they simultaneously affirm conventional beliefs and values - as do all popular genres.“

James Cameron coined the term in The Terminator (1984), using it as the name of a nightclub, but also to invoke associations with both the film noir genre and with futuristic sci-fi.

 At home I later created a list with all the things that crossed my mind and from which I did get some inspiration.

Movies:

Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, Ghost in the Shell Animated, Ghost in the Shell Movie, The Matrix, 12 Monkeys, Ex Machina, Children of Men, Minority Report, Upgrade, Strange Days, The Terminator, Gattaca, Alphaville, Minority Report, Back to the future 1,2,3

TV Series:

Person of Interest, Almost Human, Mr. Robot, Westworld, Altered Carbon, Alter Carbon Resleeved, Love, Death & Robots, Rick and Morty, The Rain, Travelers, Black Mirror, Humans, Kiss me first, Orphan Black, Greyzone, (Dark, FlashForward, Counterpart)

Games:

Deus Ex, Watch Dogs, Mirror’s Edge & and I absolutely cannot wait for CYBERPUNK 2077 <3 to be launched this year, hopefully and also Death Stranding PC version as I do not own a PS4.

(I was considering adding images for them too but I realised it will be a never ending post if I were to do it)

 After the brief was presented, it was the time to create the groups!

We needed to put ourselves in only one category and I am a very undecided person! I had to choose through exclusion. All of us have all of these traits more or less, but which one is the most recognisable? I knew I am not a word smith, even though I have a sales job, so this choice was the first one out. While I really enjoy making things, I identified the most with the People Watchers.

I am observing people everywhere I am. Since I came to London watching people it’s one of my favourite activities. I find myself staring at people in the underground and try to remind myself it’s not polite, but oh, the diversity is fascinating! I am endlessly curious about what they do and why they do it, trying to work out what makes them tick, what do they do for living, what music they like? etc.

After we created our groups, we needed to decide on the rules to run the group by and we wrote them down:

How will we communicate in a way that values each others’ contribution?

How will we listen to each other?

How will we own/share ownership of the work?

When will we meet in person?

How will we communicate otherwise?

How will we distribute work?

The synergy between members was great from the first meet, we created our principles and we were excited to start working on the project. We decided to go home and for the next time we meet to research and write down areas important for us and that we want to focus on further. I did not have an idea yet, I just knew I want people to have a great experience, especially in these times of uncertainty and make thinks easier for people in London.

[timeflies1007-blog]

Doctor Who Reviews by a Female Doctor, Season Five, part II

Please note: these reviews contain spoilers for this season as well as other seasons of the reboot, and contain occasional references to the classic series.

Vampires of Venice: I usually like Toby Whithouse’s writing, and this isn’t really a bad episode on its own terms, but its continuation of the silliness that started at the end of the last episode kind of destroys it for me. There are plenty of good things: the “vampires” are effectively creepy, there are some good supporting performances here from Helen McCrory and Lucian Msamati, Smith gets some good comedy to work with, the episode is well-paced and fairly clever, the scenario of another dying species is a good way of introducing this Doctor’s approach to his actions in the Time War, and we get some intriguing references to the Silence. When the Doctor interacts with Rosanna, the story is vibrant and compelling—the two work together brilliantly, and Venice provides a nice backdrop for their struggle.

However, the Amy/Rory/Doctor romance situation continues to be really unpleasant, to the point where it makes it difficult to enjoy the episode. Part of the issue is that the love triangle is still being played as comedy; poor Rory may not be a fully formed character at this point, but he deserves better than to have the Doctor pop out of a cake at his stag party to announce to everyone that Amy kissed him. Rory does get some good moments in this episode, including the revelation that after the events of “The Eleventh Hour,” he started doing research into sci-fi theories—something which way more characters on shows like this should be doing—and his accusation that the Doctor endangers people by making them want to impress him. The rest of the time, though, he’s just stuck being jealous of the relationship between Amy and the Doctor, and one of his conversations with the Doctor features easily the worst joke of the season: “And you kissed her back.” “No, I kissed her mouth.” Good grief. The general ickiness of the vampire-fish plot makes the stupid love triangle look even worse—the Doctor does at least acknowledge that the effort to kidnap and transform young women so that they can re-people the fish monster race is unusually gross, but having a storyline like this while Amy’s sex life is being mishandled just seems particularly problematic. The actual portrayal of Amy is less troubling than the last scene of the previous episode was, largely because she seems more confused and uncertain and less traumatized, but she’s still a weaker character here than she was in most of the previous episodes. I don’t really have much to say about this episode—it���s an entertaining enough plot, but my general response to the love triangle story is just to shut my eyes, put my fingers in my ears, and wait for it to get better. Fortunately, this is only one episode away, but for now, I would have preferred Venice and its “vampires” if they hadn’t been burdened with the nonsense that the show is currently making Amy go through. C+

Amy’s Choice: “There’s something that doesn’t make sense…let’s go and poke it with a stick” says the Doctor, in a story that pokes at absurdity in a surprisingly delightful way. As the concluding episode in the ill-advised love triangle subplot, this episode should be a disaster, and yet it somehow manages to pull off a difficult story with a huge amount of charm and very little material that is reductive or insulting to the characters. I don’t love the idea of Amy being forced to choose what she wants in a life or death scenario, but this episode is pretty much the best possible version of this plot. It’s helped by a marvelously comedic script—the dialogue sparkles here to a greater extent than almost any other episode this season, giving us a fantastically funny version of the Doctor but also (and perhaps more impressively) of the other major characters as well. “I was promised amazing worlds. Instead I get duff central heating and a weird kitcheny wind-up device” doesn’t seem out of character for Rory, but it portrays his slightly aggravated regular guy persona in a memorable way, something that previous episodes hadn’t really managed. I love Amy going on about Leadworth’s terrible amateur dramatic society, which is about to attempt Oklahoma!, and I love even more her determined assertion that “If we’re going to die, let’s die looking like a Peruvian folk band” as she hands out warm clothing. The Dream Lord gets in some solid insults toward the Doctor--“If you had any more tawdry quirks you could open a tawdry quirk shop” is a pretty true statement, and really makes me want to see what a Tawdry Quirk Shop would look like. Some of the best moments for the Doctor himself come in the form of tiny details; I found his turning the “Open” sign around as he escapes into the shop to be an especially hilarious piece of the Doctor’s bizarre logic. The writers have started to get what kind of lines work best with Smith’s particular brand of quirkiness, and lines like “What a nice bench, what will they think of next?” and “Did I say a nightmare? More of a really good…mare” don’t seem especially funny on their own but they play nicely into the strengths of Smith’s acting.

Beyond the humor, this episode benefits from being immaculately structured. The zooming back and forth between dream worlds, with transitions marked by birdsong, makes for an exhilarating plot, and the continuation of time in both worlds simultaneously adds to the sense of stakes. The frozen TARDIS is a pretty simple idea, but it looks brilliant, and the story of the fantastically-named Mrs. Poggit and the Evil Elderly People is sort of wonderfully ridiculous. The actual choice that Amy has to make is set up as sensitively as the love triangle stupidity permits, and I particularly like that the story separates choosing Rory from choosing the fantasy of domesticity in the first dream world. It initially looks like staying with Rory means committing to the dream of being pregnant and a bit bored in Upper Leadworth, but her eventual realization of her feelings for Rory prompts her to destroy that world. She’s ultimately given a choice between two different versions of her life with Rory, rather than a choice between Rory and the Doctor, and there’s only a little bit of outright competitiveness, so it mostly feels like Amy thinking through what kind of life she wants to pursue with Rory rather than having to pick which man she wants. This is really important to the episode, which would pretty much be a lot of good jokes in the service of a bad, offensive story if it had mishandled the substance of the choices that she’s given here. No one seems to have put any thought whatsoever into how to begin the love triangle in a way that avoided outright character assassination, but there at least appears to have been some thought about how to resolve it without making a mockery of the characters. Amy also has real chemistry with Rory here, especially in the very cute scene in which he cuts off his ponytail. I had no real interest in their relationship after the previous episode, but I’m quite happy with them as a couple here.

A lot of this episode is bright and sunshiny and fun, but it’s also organized around the idea that the darkness in the characters is informing everything that happens. The Doctor claims that it is his darkness alone, but that’s pretty clearly not true, and there’s a lot of fun to be had in trying to figure out which bits of the story came from which character. The secretly sinister version of quiet, peaceful Upper Leadworth is a pretty clear reflection of Amy’s hesitation toward the world that she ran away from, while the frozen, drifting TARDIS is both the Doctor’s worst nightmare and, possibly, an expression of Rory’s uncertainty about whether the life of traveling and adventures is what he wants. The Dream Lord does a good job of taunting the Doctor, noting that his friends never see him again once they’ve grown up, but he’s even better at pointing out Amy’s flawed understanding of the Doctor, including her assertions that he never has to apologize for anything and that he tells her everything. The darkest moment is the first of many “deaths” for Rory, which is memorable mostly for Amy’s certainty that the Doctor will be able to fix it: “What is the point of you?” she demands when he can’t. I was put off, at first, by her total willingness to possibly commit suicide in order to reject this dream world, both because it makes her seem incapable of living without her fiancé and because she is pregnant with what seems like a baby she wants. Still, her language in this scene suggests that at least part of her thinking centers on an inability to believe that this can be the real world, as if the Dream Lord’s introduction of false realities prompted her to start putting tragedy in the “unreal” category. It’s not a healthy state of mind, but I can imagine it being a very tempting one, and the episode as a whole works very well as a large-scale version of Amy’s tendency to write bad things out of her understanding of reality.

           The episode definitely has some iffy romantic things happening, which was inevitable given the love triangle arc it was a part of, but unlike the last episode and the end of “Flesh and Stone,” they’re at least happening to complex, layered people who are fun to watch. I don’t think it was really possible for this episode to emerge from the love triangle business completely unscathed, but it really brings much more sensitivity and humor to a bad setup than I would have expected, and it brings a very welcome stop to the Rory vs. the Doctor romance nonsense instead of letting it unfold across the season. Given where this plotline started, resolving it in a way that I actually like is…well, not quite as miraculous as rebooting the universe, but it’s pretty close. A-

The Hungry Earth: Things coming up from underground to grab you and pull you under is a properly scary concept, and the Silurians are good monsters, but this episode doesn’t reach the potential of either of those things. It’s odd, because when he returns in Season Seven, Chibnall’s strong point is that he is especially good at writing the Ponds: “The Power of Three,” for instance, has one of the most pointless plots in the show’s history, but still mostly works for me because the tension that Amy and Rory feel between their time-travel adventures and ordinary lives is so beautifully realized. There are some questionable moments with the Doctor in Chibnall’s Season Seven episodes, but some really great moments as well, particularly in his reaction to having to deal with the slow pace of life in the Ponds’ home. Here, though, it’s like Chibnall is going out of his way to make Amy, Rory, and the Doctor into unlikeable characters. There are constant jokes about how Amy’s wearing tiny shorts because she was expecting to go to Rio. There’s an awkward conversation in which Amy seems really uncommitted to her relationship with Rory, even though the previous episode ended on exactly the opposite note. Then she falls down a hole, after which she gets nothing to do in the episode beyond being terrified. We get a brief shot of her covered by dirt, she lies in a glass case and yells until she gets knocked out with gas, and then she wakes up in chains and wriggles about a bit before Mo tells her not to struggle because she’s just going to be dissected anyways. It’s a complete waste of Karen Gillan’s abilities, particularly after all the interesting work that was done with her in “Amy’s Choice.” Meanwhile, Rory wanders around, gets mistaken for a police officer, and just goes with it for no reason. I get that you might go along with whatever job you were mistaken for having if you were in space or the distant future or past because of the need to create a role for yourself in a world that you don’t actually belong in, but pretending to be a police officer when close to one’s own time and place just seems irresponsible. He does help the Doctor to trap a Silurian in some sort of meals on wheels van, which is fun, but otherwise there isn’t anything interesting for Rory to do here. The Doctor does a lot of shouting when Amy falls down the hole, and then he gets in a lengthy argument with Nasreen and Tony about whether various science-fictiony things are possible, and then doesn’t do much of note until making a speech about needing everyone to be the best of humanity, which falls awfully flat. Last week’s episode showed that the Doctor, Amy, and Rory can be absolutely delightful together, but they’re very dull characters here.  

           Minor characters vary in quality. Nasreen is fantastic—easily one of the best single-story characters of the season. She feels like a believable, interesting person almost immediately, and her TARDIS entrance is probably the best moment of the episode. Tony and Mo are all right, but Ambrose is already questionable, in preparation for being an outright disaster in the next episode, and Elliot is mostly annoying, although he has a nice conversation with the Doctor about wanting to leave home. Alaya is pretty one-note, but Neve McIntosh (who will eventually be cast as Madame Vastra) makes her as compelling as possible. The actual science-fiction plot here is really pretty good. There is some cool stuff with computer models, and some very nicely-directed horror sequences, especially the scene in which they frantically try to open the door to let Elliot in, only to find he has disappeared. The Silurians’ status as monsters who are not actually aliens makes them unique among the creatures on this show, so the story definitely carries a level of excitement, and the attention to the dangers of drilling grounds the story in the real world in an interesting way. By the end of the episode, though, Nasreen is the only character that I’m invested in, and so the good pieces of the plot just don’t mean very much to me. C+

Cold Blood: The title is appropriate for an awfully chilly episode. Nasreen continues to be a great character, and the Silurian civilization is visually very well done, but I find this episode difficult to get through. The most generous reading of it is that it was trying to do an interesting gender reversal, in that the male characters are mostly very peaceful, while Alaya, Restac, and Ambrose are militant or impulsively violent. It’s a workable concept, but it doesn’t come across well here because there is no effort to give this violence any depth or coherent motivation. All three of these characters are extremely one-dimensional, and very obviously wrong, and they are constantly being talked down to by men in a way that suggests the show sides unequivocally with the male characters. This is especially true of the insistence on hammering home exactly how terrible Ambrose is as a person. I don’t like Ambrose, but watching everyone tell her how much of a failure she is over and over and over gets cringeworthy, and it brings out the Doctor’s self-righteous side to an unbearable degree. He is perfectly fine with the Silurian scientist, who dissects and experiments on kidnapped people, but all he can think of for Ambrose is repeated scolding laced with contempt. (This season had been doing all right, until this point, with working with the Doctor’s arrogance in a way that was intriguing and not annoying; even his biggest burst of self-righteousness, in “The Beast Below,” gets shut down pretty much immediately by Amy figuring out a better plan than his. This episode, though? Definitely up there with Tennant lecturing Torchwood/UNIT/whatever other authority figures got thrown at him in terms of making the Doctor look like a big, dismissive jerk.) You could do really interesting work with, for instance, the idea that Ambrose’s maternal instincts actually prompt immoral behavior, but this is only interesting if you treat her like a person and not as a punching bag. The tone of the episode is honestly pretty close to sadistic pleasure in pointing out just how much of a failure she is, and that removes all of the potential from what might be a worthwhile look at gender stereotypes.

Amy at least gets to do something other than be a victim in this episode, but she still doesn’t seem like a fully realized character here. Her attempt to rescue the Doctor is completely treated as a joke, and even after this she mostly just sits around and provides humorous lines. You wouldn’t really know, from watching most of this episode, that she’s a main character in this show, because she just comes across as sort of background comic relief. I like the idea of having Amy and Nasreen negotiate with the Silurians for the fate of the planet, but Amy appears to be trying to take a nap during most of it, although she wakes up for long enough to suggest putting the Silurians in deserts. I like that the Doctor tries to stay out of the negotiation and allow humans and Silurians to take care of the situation themselves, but if he wants to provide encouragement he could find something more productive to do than stand around telling everyone to be extraordinary. In the end, the Silurians just decide to go back to hibernation for a long time, so nothing really comes of this entire storyline anyways. The issue of whether Silurians and humans could share the planet makes this episode similar to the Silurians’ debut episode back in Season Seven of the classic series, but this episode never finds the depth that that earlier episode managed to bring to this scenario.

           Because the main plot does very little of interest, this episode is mostly memorable because of its shocking final scene, in which Rory is swallowed up by the crack in time. It’s a surprising development, and a far more emotional scene than the rest of the episode. While Rory has some good moments in the first two thirds of the season, he hasn’t really stood out to me as a character by this point; still, it’s horrifying to watch someone be erased from time, and Gillan does a nice job with Amy’s dramatic shift from agonized grief to complete forgetfulness. The explanation of why she could remember the clerics who were erased by the crack in time but not Rory is a bit half-baked, but otherwise it’s a solid scene that ends a highly questionable episode on a much more positive note. C+

[sidelpunchna-blog]

Online dating hard to get

Why is online dating so hard for men but easy for women? I consider myself average looking even though I have been on numerous occasions by a few women that I am good looking.  So stop spreading this feminist poison.  She seemed compelled to find out what vitriol I had spouted.  This form of dating makes me feel very vunerable for some reason.  Sure, sometimes you get annoying messages, but I just laugh it off as part of the game.

why do women play hard to get in online dating? its a reason your on here! Free Dating, Singles and Personals Fortunately there are a decent number of them also.  And note how few unsolicited approaches men receive and send out a few of your own.  So I have to disagree with you on that one. .  It's a game that why we love it.  There are enough assholes out there to screw over the entire population.

Why is Online Dating So Hard for Men? Pulling it out of the deck and revealing it at the right time is just plain old attractive.  She lures you into her game of playing hard to get because you will want to have more in the hopes that she will be kind to you this time and give you compliments.  Guys, this is one of my personal pet peeves.  I'm sorry but if you're hardly getting any answers at all, not even a miniscule amount of interest, you're not nearly as attractive looks or personality as you think you are.  Good luck and I hope your luck changes.  None of which makes him feel good about himself.

Internet dating: why is it so hard to find a normal, single bloke I fancy? This is how she keeps you in her sphere of control.  What you want to do is back off somewhat and take your time responding to messages.  If you want to attract great guys, include a few things that are unique about you in your profile for us to write to you about.  You talk, you dance, and you have fun.  So what are some basic rules to follow by, when exchanging text messages with someone you meet online? I've come across numbers as high as 30% where the people listed, for whatever reason, weren't actually available to meet - so this is a factor to take into account.  Playing hard to get is effective because of the uncertainty it creates with women.  The richer you are the most responses you will get.

New To Online Dating. Is She Playing Hard To Get? Playing hard to get is effective with women according to a study.  Listen to RuPaul: you want success in online dating? That is what you are looking for.  I find the online thing very entertaining.  Once you meet for a first date, there's no need to continue this approach otherwise the woman may assume you're not interested and move on to someone else.  Actually it is I created a fake girl profile online and got like a but load of replies from guys all over but hardly any from girls on my real profile and on the fake girl profile I hardly filed out a word on there.  Coming across like a 12 year old is not an attractive quality in adults.  As she was asking me these questions, I was realizing that I had never thought of the answers in any detail before.

How to Play Hard to Get. Do it Right! Our subconscious is probably telling us that if your prospective partner is willing to put in the hard work, then they are probably in for the long haul.  Even then guys see you in club and will go to every woman they see and say you are gay, a stalker, say you are sick, broke, anti-social, call you weird, and on and on.  Women have massive sexual and social power and they just dominate us with it, leaving us to fight and work and scramble and hope to be noticed.  He might earn one short kiss by the end of the date, but he still has to get to know you as a lady and a person of depth before things go too far.  If you are planning on walking the walk and talking the talk with playing hard to get, do it with class.

Online Dating is Hard Work if You're Doing It Right It is a very useful thing indeed! Never put your eggs in one basket, expecting a response from the person who seems like a perfect match for you.  It has since become an exercise in ensuring women get whatever they want.  They always had some kind of statement letting the world know that they had been burned in the past, basically making them look insecure.  My goal became lighting a fire under his ass.  Click on the different category headings to find out more.  People who played hard to get landed the date or relationship over those who made it too easy. When I was on dating sites I would typically get 7-10 messages a day, when I changed something around it would jump to about 20.

Internet dating: why is it so hard to find a normal, single bloke I fancy? You never know where your next text could lead! Well, as most of you have guessed, my games backfired and he told me he did not want to date a woman who was always online seeking other men.  We can meet someone on Tinder.  Yes it is tempting, but don't do it.  I feel women and girls have more success in meeting guys than guys do meeting girls simply because they needy, scandalous, desperate for attention, and slutty.  I want to see and hear and connect to what is under that surface level meaningless social rubbish that tells me nothing about who they are.

Is Online Dating Different for Men and Women? Online dating is just one of the ways to meet women, however it doesn't suit everyone.  Some men care very much what you say.  Not all women are attractive to older guys old enough to be their great-grandfather.  It seems that the dating world is full of guys being overly cool and girls being uncommonly cold.  Someone who is uninterested will just leave you hanging.

The 6 Ugly Truths of Online Dating I'm speaking for all women I'm just saying majority of you need to lighten up and stop been so damn pickey may be if you were more opended they you will find your perfect match end of story.  I doubt you would contact a woman you didn't think was attractive right? We dated for a month and were hot and heavy quickly.  Make online dating work for you by focusing on what matters to you in your life, and use that to find likeminded people.  I expect the man who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of his life.  So again I think online is brilliant, an incredible way to meet each other if people showed up authentically and healthy and ready for a relationship.  It's really more that women don't take risks in this area, and men are expected to take all the risks and suck on all the rejection.  A study published in Psychological Science found a woman will be more attracted to you when she's uncertain about how much you like her.

[philinfla]

This article is writen by Herien Wensink for the "Volkskrant" a Dutch newspaper.

PROFILE: ACTOR TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET

His hair, face, style and oh yes, talent: why everyone falls for Timothée Chalamet

Since the hit film Call Me by Your Name, endless posts have been dedicated to his hair, face, style and oh yes, talent: actor Timothée Chalamet (22). From this week he can be seen in Felix Van Groeningen's Beautiful Boy. Why young and old, man and woman fall prey to Chalamania.

It is just after the famous peach scene in Call Me by Your Name, in which the 17-year-old Elio enjoyed the great summer spirit that has gripped him on a piece of fruit. Oliver, the real object of his desire, finds Elio postorgastically with the juice of the fruit in an, uh, unexpected place. If his eye falls on the battered fruit, a witty and uncomfortable tease arises. Oliver, played sternly: "What did you do? Oh, you've switched to the plant kingdom, I see? "Elio is ashamed (" I'm sick, aren’t I? "), Oliver is threatening to take a bite of the dripping peach (" I wish everyone was as sick as you ") they struggle, there is irritation, struggle, even a bit of aggression. And then, suddenly, it turns around. Elio surrendered. He plunges into Oliver's embrace and cries. Testosterone turns into tenderness, just like that. "I don’t want you to leave," sobs Elio, and Oliver kisses and comforts him. In less than a second their relationship has reached a deeper level. They have become lovers of lovers.

It is one of the most beautiful scenes from the film, and that is mainly due to the mercury silver Timothée Chalamet as Elio, which makes the moment simply heart-catching. Chalamet plays the whole film as if improvising, he modulates just a bit differently, like Elio on the piano.

His performance gave the French-American Chalamet (22) this year an Oscar nomination for best actor, as the youngest nominee in that category in eighty years (after Mickey Rooney in 1940). That breakthrough launched him as one of the great film talents - and idols - from now on. As of this week, Chalamet will be seen in Beautiful Boy, the new film by Felix Van Groeningen, with according to insiders another Oscar-worthy performance.

In Call Me by Your Name he has to play a broad palette of emotions, as wide as that palette in adolescents is. He switches subtly between uncertain and self-righteous, anxious and uninhibited, reserved and lascivious. On his face in a few minutes admiration, irritation, horniness, doubt and fear pass by. And inside pranks. Then he peeps a bit from under his thick black eyelashes and pulls a funny slanted mouth. When Elio thinks, Chalamet literally seems to chew on a thought, with a grinding jaw. A film student could dedicate a study to all the nuances in his mimicry and gesticulation.

See him jumping up and down like a child on the dance floor, and then making a confident move with an arrogant face. Here is an actor at work who intuitively follows his many striking, playful impulses: a jump here, a bounty there, a sliding, a pirouette. Director Luca Guadagnino filmed long shots with plenty of room for improvisation, which Chalamet always uses optimally. That Elio curiously nudges Olivers red swimsuit is in the scenario. That Chalamet then deeply pulls the thing over his ears, whirls himself into it, almost completely drowns in Oliver's smell, that is his own contribution.

Is that talent, technology, happiness with the director? Or is it due to the fact that Chalamet has only just completed that post-adolescent life phase? Anyway, he knows extremely well with high hormonal eruptions, while at the same time radiating a kind of adolescent carelessness. He is 22, but he was still a child yesterday.

An educated child with Broadway and Hollywood DNA, though. His mother and grandmother were dancers on Broadway, grandfather Harold Flender was a scriptwriter, his uncle Rodman Flender is a director and producer (Gilmore Girls, The O.C.), his aunt Amy Lippman is a producer, sister Pauline is an actress in Paris. Because, yes, his father is French, hence that strange name. The last name sounds like an expensive French cheese, the first name as a shampoo brand. Perhaps that is why so many fan blogs are dedicated to his hair (that is indeed thick, full and shiny).

Chalamet sat at the LaGuardia Highschool of Music & Arts and Performing Arts, just like Al Pacino and Adrien Brody. Indeed, the New York art education that served as a model for the film and TV series Fame. At school he specialized in theater, although he also made witty, ironic trips to the music. Chalamet loves hip hop and made rap videos at school as his alter ego Timmy Tim. Who googles 'Chalamet + statistics', finds a hilarious interpretation of his statistics homework. He is still a meager wisecrack there; really a thoroughbred teenager. But his expressiveness is evident. At his graduation in 2013 Chalamet received the Alumni Award for the most promising talent, with his teacher referring to his outings as Timmy Tim.

'Statistics' has been viewed more than one and a half million times and even his 'graduation' can be seen on YouTube. As inevitably with his generation, even his earliest steps in the entertainment industry are recorded: we can literally see him grow up in front of the camera. Two tips remain: his monologue for the National Young Arts week in 2013 (17 years), a passage from the satirical piece White People by J.T. Rogers, in which he shows his speed, mobility and sharpness, his agile mimicry, and his talent for comedy. Completely different is the monologue Someone Saw Me from the off-Broadway production Prodigal Son (2016, 20 years): there he is emotional, intense and tragic.

Chalamet was there early as an actor. In 2009, at the age of 13, he already had supporting roles in the series Law & Order and Loving Leah. In 2012 Chalamet won a role in season 2 of Homeland, in which he convincingly plays the spoiled teen pub Finn Walden. This was followed, among other things, by roles in the films Men, Women & Children, Worst Friends and The Adderall Diaries. Chalamet stood out as Tom Cooper, the son of Matthew McConaughey in Christopher Nolans Interstellar (2014). In 2016, the acclaimed performance in Prodigal Son followed, and in 2017 the worldwide breakthrough came with Call Me by Your Name, which, in addition to numerous other nominations and prizes, followed Oscar nomination. In the same year he also had a small, but well-affected, witty supporting role as a phlegmatic hipster musician in Lady Bird.

And now there is again such a beautiful leading role, in Beautiful Boy, directed by Felix Van Groeningen (including the Broken Circle Breakdown), in which Chalamet plays the 18-year-old drug addict Nic Sheff. Once again, he delivers a formidable performance: no matter how much Nic slips, however he may be under the influence, Chalamet always knows how to keep him engaging - which makes the desperation of his parents even more tangible. He remains a sweet, beautiful boy.

Here, too, he shows his ability to change color fast. But Chalamet also combines his chameleonic talent with some elusive darkness this time. From sympathetic or guilt-conscious he can suddenly suddenly become fierce. Then it is as if a devil takes over in his skinny body and his green eyes appear to turn black. In friendly Nic there is an inexplicable frenzy, sharp as a razor. He is a charming curling ball with a frightening dark side. 'I am attracted to craziness', he says in one of the most beautiful scenes against his father, during an emotional confrontation in a café. "That's who I am." With Nic the tears are close to the surface, but Chalamet can also bend them nicely, or push them away in a burst of bitterness. The leaves are green, but when the wind turns, you see the black at the bottom.

Director Felix Van Groeningen is happy with his talented protagonist, which he chose from hundreds of auditors, even before his current star status. During his audition, his charm and light-footedness came true, says Van Groeningen, in combination with a surprising ferocity. 'What we have worked very hard on,' he says, 'is to make the viewer fall in love with Nic, and that stays the same. Timothée has succeeded very well. He does not play cliché film junk, but one with a conscience and the capacity for self-reflection. In that reflecting on his addiction, Nic is super-resistant. '

While working, Chalamet is dedicated, focused and very precise, according to Van Groeningen. "Every act, every gesture of his is specific. Often it immediately hits what he does. "The actor was very involved in filming, says the director, and always wanted to know that it was good. Van Groeningen: 'If we actually had the shot, he often wanted to take another take. As if, as soon as he had the confidence that it was good, he could go even further from the relaxation. That yielded enchanting moments. '

The director calls his protagonist playful, in a thoughtful way. 'It is a combination of intelligence and instinct. He can add something extra to a character with very small gestures and finds. But he has thought about that a lot. '

Van Groeningen recalls a violent moment in the film, in which it goes downhill with Nic and he, omineus, has driven to the Golden Gate Bridge. "Nic has a difficult telephone conversation with his sponsor, hangs up, and then Timothée suddenly looked up. To heaven. Or to God. I did not ask him that, but it produced a very important, significant picture in the film. It is loaded with suggestion. What great is that going on in him? "

It is his careless nonchalance, combined with that suggestion of a violent feeling of life, which Chalamet is probably so popular with multitudes of young girls and boys. He is completely the new 'teenage heartthrob', in the edgy, romantic-tormented category of the late River Phoenix. 'Chalamania' is even a concept.

But Chalamet is certainly not a standard beauty: he is thin, a little lanky, and sometimes looks like he is still 12 years old. At the same time, Esquire chose him at the beginning of this year as the most stylish man of the moment. He has an unmistakably beautiful face, round and childlike, but with a touch of melancholy, through those slightly hanging, half-closed eyes. It is romantic, and feminine. He could have been the muse of Caravaggio and Botticelli, a dark-haired, fallen angel, as Chalametinart proves: an Instagram account in which his face is photoshopped in famous works of art. And then his breakthrough role was also that of a creative, sensitive type that plays piano and loses itself in a homo-erotic love. Chalamet openly embraces his femininity, his vulnerability, and - in the film at least - even a sexual ambiguity.

He does not make a secret at public appearances that he is shy, but at the same time he seems perfectly at ease. He makes vulnerability a force, and that is a relief in the macho, often misogynous film industry, which has been in an identity crisis since #MeToo. Recently, Chalamet's impeccable image also threatened: he is playing in the new Woody Allen, A Rainy Day in New York. After an old abuse accusation against Allen was again raised, a number of prominent actresses explicitly distanced themselves from his oeuvre. Et Chalamet? He donated his entire salary for charity, including Time's Up, a legal aid fund for victims of sexual abuse. Touché. Timothée Chalamet has understood the spirit of the times. He is in all things a star of today.