#If anyone would like to write a wee review even? Or a big one

[montydrawsstuff]

always makes me happy to receive new comments on my comic! Saw some today hehe

Pls enjoy, just because it's complete doesn't mean the story is over, and I love to know people enjoy it. And spread it to people who you think will like it!

[themotherofhorses]

paloma: first meeting

— simon "ghost" riley x oc!silentdove reyes.

summary: he's not annoyed, per se, but ghost is just not really in the mood to chit-chat with the american airman scurrying around the base. at best, he tolerates them.

(or the first exchange between ghost and his montanan woman.)

warnings: none, aside from explicit language.

note: okay, so despite this being an obvious OC-insert series, i invite anyone and everyone to read it :D this is actually my first time tackling an OC-insert fanfic (as well as writing ghost) so im still trying to get the rhythm of things.

dividers by: @saradika

paloma (masterlist) | main masterlist

[2021] 

Simon Riley won’t ever admit it — never aloud, anyway — but every time he steps foot on American soil, he feels more akin to a wolf draped in sheep’s clothing. 

In his mind, he sticks out like a sore thumb. He is not a hero, really; unlike the lot teetering around the military base he is currently stationed at for the next five or so weeks, he is less flesh and blood, and more a phantom. Or something along those lines. Actually, that could explain why there is such little traffic aimed his way. But he doesn’t particularly care. His schedule lacks the room to voice any complaints. 

Right now, his main concern is doing his job, and doing it right. 

Two weeks back, Price had him fishing out his passport tucked away inside his bedside table. “Fancy a two month getaway to the States?” Great Falls, Montana, to be exact. High west, nearing the border of Canada, and surrounded by land he’s only ever seen in those silly ass spaghetti western movies. 

The view is nice, he’ll admit. Beautiful, even. Exhilarating. He now understands why they refer to Montana as “Big Sky Country.” 

Malmstrom is much smaller than he imagined, and homier too. The Air Force base is nestled within the city’s east side, offering its own museum and park. He’s quite grateful for the latter; the trails allow for his nighttime walks when the nightmares prove too shitty to sleep. 

Great Falls is pretty as well. Price would like it, maybe Garrick too. He knows the two are big on history, and almost every inch of the city is drenched with some memory belonging to the old frontier days. 

Upon arriving, the yanks provided him with his own private office, housed in the back of the 341st logistics readiness squadron. It’s nothin’ fancy, really, just a wee room furnished with a dark mahogany desk, two windows, a steel cabinet, the Montana flag to his left, and the American to his right. 

Again, he’s not one to complain. Something’s something. 

Earlier, one of the higher-up airmen, a Staff Sergeant Benson (he believes is the name), had handed him a folder jam-packed with a shit ton of mission statements — logistics, strategic planning, reports of previous global concerns, and reviews of the base’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. All the documents are dated in a time range varying between two months ago to 0800 this morning. 

In the back of his mind, he can already hear Price chuckling.

“Have fun, Simon.”

Bloody bastard. 

So now, Ghost sits hunched over the desk, feeling a little too damn big for it. All the paperwork is strewn about messily around him, with sticky notes, a pen, and some other random shit of his. No one has yet to visit him; until that happens, he feels little need to remain organized. 

His boot taps against the floor. “—Initial efforts to clean polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from launch facilities at Malmstrom AFB are ongoing but seeing success…” Ghost reads under his breath. PCBs? That’s nice to hear.

“...after PCBs were detected on surfaces in launch facilities at all three of the command’s missile wings.” 

PCBs. Polychlorinated biphenyls — man-made and highly toxic, consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine atoms. He clicks his tongue, shaking his head as he flips onto the next page.

“We know they’re present on what appears to be otherwise pristine surfaces, due to the survey—” 

—a sudden knock interrupts his reading. 

With a curse on his tongue, Ghost sets down the report. He quicks a sneaking glance at his watch. 1342 hours. He’s due in a meeting at 1700. 

“Come in.” His voice sounds low and raspy, the two words sounding more like a growl than a greeting. He’s not annoyed, per se, but Ghost is just not really in the mood to chit-chat with the American airmen scurrying around the base. At best, he tolerates them.

(In his mind, they’re all little Graves, ready to stir up a headache.) 

The door slowly cracks open.

“Lieutenant Riley?” A female voice calls out — soft and cautious; Ghost’s chin drops against his knuckles. “Apologies for the disruption, sir, but I have some additional paperwork I need to drop off with you, at the request of my superior.” He grunts, and the airman then steps into his office, quickly shutting the door behind her before meeting his eyes. 

It is entirely unlike him, Ghost knows, but his brain almost short-circuits right then and there. Two dark brown eyes, framed by thick lashes, peering up at him. Shit. He’d always thought brown was such a pretty eye color on a woman, but hers stretched further across common compliments. 

Both of  ‘em — they held no animosity, no uneasiness or fear, nothing. 

That, itself, is quite fucking bizarre. He’s not used to that.

Ghost is .... well, Ghost. He knows the mask he is always donning on his face isn't exactly a sign of welcomeness. Just his mere presence is enough to startle the living shit out of rookies, baby recruits, wide-eyed sergeants, and the like. There is something inherently unnerving when you are unable to get a good reading of the person you're standing across from.

She’s brave, he thinks. Or merely oblivious to who he is. 

“Here you go, sir,” the airman says while placing the packet of new documents down on his desk. Her lips are shaped prettily, plump and shining with a fresh layer of gloss, and across her nose is a splatter of faint freckles. Under a different circumstance, maybe he would’ve taken the time to try and count them all.

Ghost swallows hard, incapable (for what feels like the first time in his life) of mustering up an appropriate reply. “Ah, thank you, ma’am.” 

The airman's brow lifts.

“Reyes,” she then corrects him with a kind smile, gesturing to the name badge sitting above her right chest pocket. Sure enough, in bold military lettering, reads Reyes. “My name is Senior Airman SilentDove Reyes. I am actually a cryptologic linguist analyst here on base; but sometimes I run errands for others, when not needed for a translation, of course.”

There is a slight chirp in her voice that Ghost picks up, along with the way she casually rocks back and forth on her feet. She seems awfully young, no older than 22, possibly 23, but even that's cutting it; a kid, compared to him. Maybe 5'7, with dark hair pulled back into two tight braids that fall at her belted waistline.

A stark contrast compared to him.

He's oddly curious now — about her age and first name and those long braids and why she stands before him, calm, collected, and sure — but he knows damn well this is not the time nor place for any questions. Both of them are on the clock, and it is likely she’ll need to report back to her supervisor soon. 

He offers her a curt nod. “Well, thank you again, Reyes,” he states, keeping his voice flat. 

“You are welcome, sir.” She turns to leave, but when her hand latches onto the doorknob, Reyes glances over her shoulder at him, “—oh, and Lieutenant? If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

–

The successful cleaning came after a bioenvironmental team at Malmstrom AFB …. Malmstrom AFB .. consulted with engineers and ….. and medical experts on the cleaning …. cleaning processes and– 

–and agents most likely to effectively remove the chemicals…. 

He knows his mind is wandering off, in desperate search of that pretty senior airman from fifteen minutes ago. “Bloody fucking hell,” Ghost grumbles, leaning back in his chair. His head lolls back as he blinks upward, studying the ceiling overhead. The texture is popcorn, a creamy color, with a simple fan jutting down. One light bulb, probably a recent replacement. 

Fuck. He doesn’t need this shit. Not one bit. 

Five more weeks and he’ll be gone from here. 

Ghost rechecks his watch, feeling a bit peeved at the time. 1411. He has several more hours until he can leave all this work shit behind for the evening, and maybe catch a short walk before hunkering down for the night. He doesn’t like sitting down for too long; it causes him to become restless. Agitated. Overthinking.

He doesn’t want distractions. He doesn’t need ‘em. Distractions ruin work ethic; clouding up the mind while fucking up all sense of responsibility. Price will have his ass if he – somehow – becomes compromised. And he'll never hear the end of it from Johnny. 

Settling back into the paperwork, he decides that he won’t allow himself another second thinking about all that – the American airman and her pretty brown eyes and high cheekbones and first name. 

Something tells him that’s easier said than done. 

[writer-akihiko]

Chapter 9 - Overworking [STARISH]

Listen to your boys and relax

Chapter 10 →

Otoya Ittoki

He was busy that he didn't notice you sleeping late, waking up early and skipping meals. It was only after his work died down that he noticed you were tired and weren't your usual self.

You had to admit yourself you were overworking yourself. You didn't know if Otoya noticed, but you were timid; you didn't want to bother him. You knew he was busy this week as well so you could probably get away with it.

Oh you were so wrong.

About the fourth day of your overworking streak, Otoya burst into the room with a blanket.

"YN! STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!" He yelled. You were confused. He wrapped you around and swaddled you with the blanket.

You squeaked as he wrapped his arms around you. Your face reddened immediately as he picked you up and placed you on the bed. He was directly looking at you, which did not help with your blushing.

"YN-chan... you're so cute when you blush," He said, brushing a lock of hair out of your face. "There's my girl. So cute... No one should see you like this except me..."

"O-Otoya?"

"You've been overworking. I noticed," He said.

"Ah... so you did," You replied. "But I have to finish it by this weeー"

"No," He protested, hugging you closer. "I'm gonna have a word with your manager about this... No one should make my YN-chan tired ever."

"I didn't want to bother you," You said. "You were busy too and Iー"

He laughed. "You know you can ask me anything right?"

You nodded. "Otoya?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for taking care of me." You pecked him on the cheek.

He buried his face against your neck. His face was as red as his hair. "You really are too cute..."

Masato Hijirikawa

Overworking does not exist in your relationship. He does not condone it. You ー sadly ー learnt that the hard way.

You had a tough schedule ahead of you. Basketball meets, friendly matches and the winter season in two weeks. This caused you to come to practices early and stay longer after the team has left.

As the team's star point guard, you had to do your best. You wanted to make your team proud especially after last season. There were many blows, and now you had to train to overcome every single one of them.

You were watching hours and hours of past matches; including ones that weren't played against your team; analysing every player. You were concentrating hard until someone picked up your laptop away from you.

"W-Wait..."

"YN! Rest. Now. I don't want you to overwork yourself," He scolded you.

You protested, reaching for your laptop. "Masa... Stop being a bully!"

He reddened at the nickname. "Stop being stubborn and rest YN," He retorted.

He covered you in sheets and pulled it to your chin. Starting to feel comfortable, you nuzzle your head into the pillow.

"Do you need me to bring you anything?" He asked.

"Mmm... Maybe some water would be nice."

"Alright," He said gently, brushing your hair out of your face. "Get some rest YN."

Natsuki Shinomiya

Your uncle's bakery had gotten popular after a STARISH fan posted about the members eating at the bakery. You still carried on baking, as they didn't disturb your business.

You were secretly glad at the free publicity, but things had gotten a little hectic lately. You had to admit, it was exhausting.

Natsuki got worried about you, feeling as if it were his fault that the fans swarmed the shop. He'd finally managed to visit you after a busy day.

He was a sweet boy, helping you tidy up the cafe. He wore a disguise as to not inconvenience you.

You were wiping the tables, your eyes drowsy from the lack of sleep. You slipped on the recently mopped floor, crashing into table.

Natsuki immediately rushed to you and held you by your torso, making sure you didn't fall. "YN! Are you alright?" He carried you to a chair. "YN-chan... You look very sleepy..."

You shook your head, leaning into his chest. Right on cue, your uncle walked in. He simply stared at this blonde-haired man holding you in his arms. He didn't assume the worse, but he was still wary. "Please take her upstairs to sleep on the couch and then leave."

"H-HAI!"

Ren Jinguji

You'd been staying up late often to study as you were away from school. Your parents had called and reminded you to still study even though you were away.

You had also reviewed each of your games and nit-picked every single flaw you found, since you had to keep up your game. You kept writing in your notebook, making little markings of possible room for moves.

Ren had noticed you agonising over the past few hours. "My dear lady, I think you should rest," He said, holding your hand and stopping you from writing.

You blinked, rubbing your eyes. "Maybe I should. Iー"

"My fairy, please make sure your rest is not simply sleeping on your desk. Rest on the bed," He said, shutting your book.

"Why do you care about my well-being so much?" You tiredly whine.

"Because you are my fairy and I love you. Now rest, YN."

Cecil Aijima

Late night practices often left you weary for most days. You had been extremely tired from all the rehearsals. You hadn’t seen Cecil since you were so busy. You had gone to the twins for another fitting.

“YN?”

You had accidentally fallen asleep in the dressing room.

“Oh no…”

Shuu had gone and called Cecil since the twins were too busy to take you to your dorm. Cecil came… and he panicked.

“YN!” He picked you up and shook you awake.

“Cecil? What are you doing?” You said sleepily, rubbing your eyes as you yawned drowsily. You didn’t have time to take in your surroundings, so you decided to go back to sleep. “Hmm… Whatever is it… I don’t care. Just let me sleep.”

“YN! Don’t sleep! I need to carry you back!”

Syo Kurusu

You had been overworked after the festival the shrine hosted. Syo couldn’t physically contact you after as he as well was busy with his own work.

At night however, he had spent time to call you. “YN… You know you don’t have to work so hard… Everything will turn out fine.”

“I’m worried though…” You said.

“I’m pretty sure everyone at the shrine would be worried about their favourite shrine maiden fainting,” Syo sighed.

“I will rest Syo, don’t worry. I just have trouble sleeping…” You admitted.

“How about I sing a song for you?”

“That would be nice,” You said. You adored his singing, no matter the situation. You were in a sense, his number one fan. His voice always seemed to calm you down.

Syo began humming lowly, starting the song slow but melodious. He sang sweetly, in a tone that he wouldn’t share with anyone but you.

“YN?” He called out. He heard your soft breathing, indicating that you had fallen asleep. He smiled to himself.

“Good night YN. Sweet dreams.”

Tokiya Ichinose

You had invited Tokiya over to your dorm to see you work on your manga. He had noticed that you were a little weary from class, so he simply followed you back to look after you.

He had to admit that he was curious and excited to witness your writing. As one of your big fans, this was a huge opportunity for him.

You brought Tokiya to your manga room and allowed him to do some work. You gave him the simple task of erasing fine lines. He quietly did his work, observing you from afar.

He watched you at your desk, working passionately as you swiftly created your manga. You put your head down on your desk to clear your head and eventually you fell asleep.

Tokiya saw you resting your head and decided to move you to your bed.

“Honestly… YN… I told you not to overwork yourself…” He tucked you into bed and kissed your forehead lovingly.

Chapter 10 →

[authoressskr]

october is it’s own magic

[october 13th]

Characters: f!plus size reader, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Sam Wilson, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff, James Rhodes, Pepper Potts, Clint Barton, mentions of Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, and Nick Fury

:: --> Warnings: Language, no Beta, basically this is me writing for myself 

:: --> Notes: this will be a series. i will be posting it (hopefully*) every other day until Halloween. But nothing set in stone or scheduled. And thanks to @firefly-graphics for the use of the divider!

:: --> Word Count: 1332

Soulmate AU. Bucky has a secret admirer. They keep leaving him all sorts of autumnal goodies with little notes. But who the hell is it?!

Please do NOT repost, copy & paste, post, translate, or share my works on any other platform without my EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION.

-+- REBLOGGING is fine and very appreciated! -+-

[october 12th]

Bucky has now taken more of what Peter suggested to heart.

Because logically, if you are denying being the one to do it...then you still could be the giver and just have others helping you.

Avengers, for example.

So he had bought his own surveillance cameras. Tiny. Undetectable if you didn’t know exactly where to look.

If Friday wouldn’t record, then he damn well would.

He had spent the wee morning hours up before anyone else, planting and tucking the cameras around the elevator and the kitchen space. Then he had gone to bed almost giddy, falling into a dreamless sleep for a handful of hours before getting up with Steve and Sam to run.

He’d returned with barely concealed glee. Excited to get through his present of the day and then review the camera’s videos.

Sitting on the counter is another cloth-like little gift bag, this one black velvet with little white, green, and orange ghosts decorating it.

He, Sam, and Steve are the only ones in the kitchen right now, giving them all time to get some light breakfast before the ‘festivities’.

Bucky and Sam share a large box of Lucky Charms while Steve scrambles a couple of eggs when Natasha sails in with Vision.

“It appears your gift-giver is pretty even and fair,” Vision states, leaning his hip against the countertop, pointing a forefinger at the gift bag. When Bucky doesn’t reply, Vision just smiles a little wider. “Large, small, medium, large, silly, sentimental, sweet. Balanced well.” Sam nods as he chews beside Bucky, suddenly making a knot form in his belly.

Why was he trying so hard to figure it out or catch her if he truly believes it is her?

Now he regrets the cameras a little.

Clint comes in, dragging ass with a whole carafe of coffee tucked under one arm as his hair sticking all over on one side like a crazed hedgehog, the other smushed down, making Bucky wonder where the hell he’d fallen asleep this time.

Clint slumps into the seat next to Sam, twisting the lid off the carafe and taking a big gulp before twisting it back on.

“Rough night?” Steve asks, eyebrow raised as he turns to finish setting up the espresso machine.

“Fury called late last night for some info.”

“He never did strike me as the gossipy type,” Sam remarks as he pushes his empty bowl across the top, Steve delicately sitting his americano down to take the bowl and rinse it, flicking the dishwasher open and setting it inside as Wanda, Pietro, Rhodey, Bruce, and a very chipper Peter come spilling out of the far hallway that leads to the small lab and elevator to the smaller private garage.

“You’d be surprised by him,” Natasha mutters with a sly smile as the main elevator doors open, you following Tony and Pepper out.

None of your faces read as pleased.

“Hi, sweetheart,” You breathe out as you kiss his cheek gently, Bucky shoving his bowl away and wrapping his metal arm around your soft middle, hauling you into him. He presses a few kisses to your shoulder and upper arm, nuzzling against it afterward.

“Get all the affection in you can, Tin Man,” Bucky furrows his brow as your hand comes up to smooth over his locks. “She and Pep are headed to London to finish dealing with that firm. They’ll be gone for a few days.” Tony doesn’t sound pleased with this either but Pepper’s hand squeezing on his forearm does seem to ease him down a bit.

“I’ll save my presents for when you come back, pumpkin,” Bucky promises as your fingers sink into his hair to scratch at his scalp. He can feel how tense you are, trying to give more comfort with his metal fingers pushing just under the edge of your pretty eggplant knit sweater to stroke at your skin.

“Thank you, but you don’t have to do that. I can call in like the others,” Your voice is soft and he can see how tired you are in that moment, the both of you taking a deep breath almost in sync.

“Nah, I like seeing your face,” Bucky purrs out, pulling you into his lap, delighting in your little squeak and your hands gripping onto his arms for balance. He kisses just behind your ear softly, now even more unwilling to let you go.

“Among other things,” Sam mutters as he raises his coffee cup to his lips, not trying to hide his smirk.

“Open your present,” You breathe out before his flesh fingers tilt your face towards his for a chaste kiss.

Peter slides the gift pouch closer as Steve finishes setting Bucky’s bowl in the dishwasher. Bucky maneuvers you a little better in his lap before picking up the gift, gently tugging at the black strings.

Holding the cardstock, Bucky reads “My pretty soulmate, you are hair raisingly good looking even without this. Love, me.” Turning the bag upside down and giving it a shake, a large tin the size of his palm squeezes out. “Werewolf Hair Balm. Wait, beard balm?” You chuckle, the soft sound warming Bucky, your fingers reaching behind to stroke his chin a few times.

“Feels fine to me,” You remark as he sets the tin down on the counter and wraps both arms around you.

“They’ll be leaving at 3 pm, so get in all this honeymoon nonsense while you can,” Tony orders softly before he and Pepper head back to the exit, this time with Natasha in tow.

You shuffle in his lap, turning so you’re more sideways. “I have to get some more work done before we go, but I’m all yours from 10:45-ish to about 2 pm.”

“It’s a date, babydoll,” Bucky bumps his nose against yours before kissing you softly once more. “I’ll come down to your office later then.” You cup his face in your hands, kissing him deeply and properly.

“See you later, Bucky,” You whisper a bit sadly against his lips as he lifts you off his lap and sets you back onto your feet.

“Just a little bit, doll,” He assures, taking your hand and kissing all your knuckles before giving you an encouraging smile as you leave.

As soon as the elevator door closes, Wanda leans across the countertop with a soft smile, waving her fingers in a wide circle towards him. “You both have this very love-struck aura. Lovely shades of pinks and sherbert orange colors.”

“Aww...Buckers! I told your ass you’d look fly in blush!” Sam sasses out as Pietro and Peter bite back laughter.

“Why don’t you take some blush flowers to the 17th floor?” Bucky sasses right back, watching with happiness at his one-up-manship, Sam’s mouth dropping open as everyone’s eyes swing towards him.

“What’s happening on the 17th floor, huh?” Pietro asks slyly as Clint twirls a coffee stirrer absentmindedly while giving Sam the same look.

“You’re a dick, Bucky.”

Bucky just shrugs at his words, a knowing smile painted on his lips as Sam shoves his shoulder and heads off towards the gym.

“Well, I am sure that this trip won’t take too long, Sergeant. Hopefully not too much missed,” Vision says with a wink as everyone files back out with coffee or snacks, Rhodey and Vision headed back towards the garage as Peter trails happily behind Steve and Clint towards the gym. Wanda, Bruce, and Pietro are the last to leave, heading to the roof deck for some reason Bucky hadn’t been paying attention to. Once he’s alone he pours some coffee into his Howling Commando tumbler and hurries off to his room to pull up all the camera footage.

As he has a moment of excitement and dread as the camera footage loads on his tablet, only to find all of the footage is black.

Upon inspection, all of his cameras have tiny pieces of electrical tape over them, with no fingerprints or clues. Goddamnit.

[october 14th]

tagging: @chelsea072498 @clockworkmorningglory @sakurablossom4 @galaxiesinmymind @mizzezm @ladywintersoldat​ @marvelatthisone​ @grumpyashhh​​

Note: The owners/makers/distributors have all the rights and etc. Don’t sue me. I’m poor enough and stressed as is ;)

[thebrochtuarachs]

All That Was Good - Chapter 3

A/N: This story has just been a delight to write. Thank you to everyone who loves and comments about this story. It absolutely warms the heart. <3 As always, comments and suggestions are always welcome. :) Stay safe!

This story is also on AO3

xxxxxx

Faith.

It was as natural as breathing when Claire knelt and caught her daughter in a tight hug. 

“Ma!” Faith chimed and it swelled Claire’s heart. She couldn’t stop the tears that feel even if she tried. Seeing her photo in the wallet and now, in the flesh in the span of 5 seconds was more than enough to break Claire down. 

But it was definitely more for Jamie, who by now, has completely lost it. He was openly crying in awe and disbelief for the daughter he’s never seen or met but prayed with all regret that he could’ve. After everything that happened in Paris and even though they have settled it between them, deep inside his mind and heart, Jamie blamed himself for her loss. 

Hearing Jamie sniffle and wipe his nose and face, Faith turned to him and quickly reached out her arms, requesting him to carry her. Without hesitation, he picked her up and held her close to his heart. 

Pushing herself up from his shoulder, Faith turned to Jamie with a question. “Da, sad?” 

“No, no, not sad. Da is verra verra happy right now.” he quickly assured his daughter with the biggest smile on his face. “We’ve just missed you so much” 

Faith mirrored his smile as Jamie continued to take her in. “She has your eyes.” he remarked to Claire. 

“And your everything else!” Claire jokingly scoffed back at him. She then, squinted and too, shook her head in wonder. “Jamie, I - “

“I know. I can’t believe it either.” Jamie finished the sentence. He opened his free side to her and she quickly slided in, wrapping Jamie and their daughter together in her arms as close as she could. 

The next five minutes have been the most blissful time yet.

-

If the Beauchamps or the Frasers noticed Claire and Jamie’s puffy eyes and tear-streaked faces when they came to the dining hall, they (thankfully) didn’t mention it. 

To Claire and Jamie, everything was new - but to the foursome in front of them and the baby between them, it was practically routine and regular. 

Brian, Ellen, Henry, and Julia were talking about the latest in business and social events they were planning to attend. Claire and Jamie tried to keep an ear out to get some clues on what their families may be doing at this time but it was proving to be hard when there’s a two-year old, red-headed Fraser calling your attention every minute whether it was giving her food, her giving them food, wiping her clean, and listening to her stories in the past week she was with grandparents. Between the two, Jamie and Claire focused on Faith, savoring everything about her. Everything else can wait. 

They were taken out of their focus when Ellen asked Claire a question. “So, Claire, darling, what was the news ye had to tell us?” 

Claire swallowed the food she was chewing and looked at Jamie, a silent conversation ensuing between them. Jamie looked at her belly and maybe got her answer. It was the only thing of significance they could think of at the moment. 

“Oh, our news” She put her utensils down and everyone followed suit waiting to hear what���s next. “Well, Jamie and I are very happy to share that little Miss Faith here…” she tickled Faith’s belly resulting in a short giggle. “...is going to be a big sister.” 

They waited with baited breath for any reaction and hope that it was information they haven't told before. A few seconds later, all four grandparents erupted in celebration with the news, standing and looping Jamie and Claire into taps and hugs. 

“How far along are you?” Julia asked. 

“About two to three months. We just found ourselves.” Claire replied. 

“Have ye told anyone else?” It was Ellen’s turn to ask. 

“No, you guys are the first to know” 

“Can we tell the rest of the family, then, give them a quick call?” Brian chimed. Jamie and Claire nodded even thought they weren’t sure the extent of it. However, Brian offered the list immediately after. “We’ll call Willie, Jenny and Rabbie. And of course, we’ll reach out to your Uncle Lamb.” 

Jamie quickly clutched Claire’s hand and she did the same. Their entire family and more. 

It wouldn’t be far fetched that Claire and Jamie might think that they may have died and gone to heaven because this was everything. But until that reality falls down upon them, they will take this experience and make the most of it. 

“We should plan to get everybody here together and celebrate, maybe in another month’s time?”

“I agree, plan for a proper celebration. Plus, I think Lamb would also like to be out of the house once in a while.”

“It’s a date then!” 

The parents made all the arrangements and Claire and Jamie were just left to happily agree. 

-

The four grandparents continued their catch up to the library and Claire and Jamie decided to explore the estate. They brought Faith with them, not wanting to part with her just yet, even though the little girl was napping on Jamie’s shoulder. 

“Uncle Lamb must be in his 80s now but from what I gathered from my mom, he’s still strong but prefers to stay at home these days.” Claire shared, pulling out a cloth and wiping a drool from Faith.

They’ve checked the family photos and deducted what they could. In this time, William Fraser was married to Mary McNab, Jenny and Ian are together and already have wee Jamie and Maggie, and Rabbie is still in uni finishing his studies. 

Further reviewing the contents on both their wallets, what they’ve found so far are: Lallybroch is a whiskey distillery, Jamie and Claire are based in Glasgow, where Claire’s a nurse, and Jamie heads the Glasgow branch of the business - thankfully, jobs that are not necessarily out of their range. 

As for how they met, their past, and other information to their present, nothing much on that end yet. Maybe once they head to their own home, they’ll find more answers. But for now, they believe they have enough information to process but more importantly, let go a bit to focus more on Faith. 

The day passed rather quickly, with Jamie and Claire coming back to the house to cool off. They made their way to the living room, laying Faith down in one of the solo sofa chairs while they settled on the other. 

Jamie pulled Claire beside him and kissed her temple in reverence. She, in turn, cuddled closer to him, crossing her legs on top of his. Soon, sleep took over both of them once again, a much deserved nap as they adjust to today’s time. 

-

Jamie and Claire were woken up when they felt something trying to grab or climb at them.

“Oh, hi, darling. Did you have a good nap?” Claire asked Faith, she herself sitting straight and waking. 

“Yes. Are we going home now?” Faith asked as she bear hugged her mother. 

“Not yet. We’ll stay one more night and go tomorrow.” 

It was nearly dinnertime and one of their parents might’ve opened the lamp to give the space some light. Claire turned to Jamie and found him tenderly looking at the both of them. 

“I dinna have the words, Claire.” Jamie sighed and began. “I ken meeting our parents is one thing but meeting her, seeing her, feeling her, talking to her…” he reached to brush Faith’s hair. “Seeing what it is of her or me that is in her, watching ye become a mother…” Jamie shook his head. “I could talk about it all day, Sassenach. But after ye, this has been the best blessing in my life. And I promise ye, I wilna take it for granted.” 

“We won’t take it for granted, Jamie.” Claire reiterated their commitment. She, then, turned to their daughter to ask “Do you want to cuddle with Da next?” 

Sure enough, the little lass pulled out of Claire’s embrace and proceeded to go to Jamie’s. He put his nose in her head and breathed her in. “Mo nighean ruadh, tha gaol agam ort”. He grabbed Claire’s hand and placed a kiss on her knuckle. “Mo nighean donn, tha gaol agam ort” 

“I love you, too, Jamie.” she replied, squeezing his hand in agreement.

“Love too, Da” Faith said so simply and Claire and Jamie could just not stop the tears from flowing. 

Unbeknownst to them, outside the door, Ellen accidentally overheard their unusual conversation when she was coming to get them for supper. Throughout the day, she’d observed some things are rather different but nothing to be alarmed of. However, the chat did leave her a bit confused.

Letting the thoughts pass her mind, she knocked on the door loudly and got the family for dinner.

[fae-fucker]

Review: There's Magic Between Us

by Jillian Maria

A diehard city girl, 16-year-old Lydia Barnes is reluctant to spend a week in her grandma’s small town. But hidden beneath Fairbrooke’s exterior of shoddy diners and empty farms, there’s a forest that calls to her. In it, she meets Eden: blunt, focused, and fascinating. She claims to be hunting fae treasure, and while Lydia laughs it off at first, it quickly becomes obvious that Eden’s not joking—magic is real. Lydia joins the treasure hunt, thrilled by all the things it offers her. Things like endless places in the forest to explore and a friendship with Eden that threatens to blossom into something more. But even as she throws herself into her new adventure, some questions linger. Why did her mom keep magic a secret? Why do most of the townspeople act like the forest is evil? It seems that, as much as Lydia would like to pretend otherwise, not everything in Fairbrooke is as bright and easy as a new crush…

I received a digital copy of the book in exchange for a review.

And here it is! Nearly a month late because I’m bad at time :)

But hey, that means the book is already out and you can go get it! Wee!

Also, here’s my review of Jillian Maria’s other book, The Songbird’s Refrain.

This review contains no spoilers aside from stuff that you can probably assume from the blurb, such as the existence of the fae and magic. Duh. Anyway, onward!

So, I’m gonna be straight with you fam, not that I can be anything else, but to spare any potential author their feelings and maybe prevent them from reading the review, not that that would happen, I hope:

This book was not for me.

Now, that doesn’t mean it was bad. Far from it, I think it’s pretty much exactly what it’s advertised as and anyone who thinks they might enjoy it will defo enjoy it. It’s a polished work of art that’s professionally written and presented, on par with and often above a lot of traditionally published stuff, and if you want a fluffy magical sapphic YA romance, this is for you.

But it wasn’t for me. Or, at least, I don’t think I’m the target audience. I enjoyed reading it, don’t get me wrong, but my enjoyment was always lukewarm, like I wasn’t quite getting the full experience. And that’s more on me than the book.

I won’t structure this review the way I usually do, mainly because I feel like my problems with the book are all intertwined and stem from the same source, which is ... I’m not sure? Genre? Target audience? Intent? All of the above?

The writing still carries the same sort of easy-to-read style that was present in The Songbird’s Refrain, though the main characters’ voices are obviously vastly different.

Overall, I liked the writing on a technical level, and I’m once again impressed with the author’s ability to avoid swear words, though Lydia is a bit more of a potty-mouth than Elizabeth was.

Lydia has a clear personality and voice, and one of my problems is that maybe it was a little too clear at times.

I know how that sounds, but it could be a side-effect of the book’s target audience being teens. Both Lydia and Eden have extremely defined and spelled-out character arcs. Lydia is too reckless and spontaneous and needs to chill, Eden is too chill and calculating and needs to let loose. A fine concept in theory, a good mirroring for a romance, but here, its execution feels a bit like a checklist? It’s basically spelled out for us how one influences the other, the character acknowledge their own flaws and at the end note how the other has changed them for the better, rounded them out. It didn’t feel very natural, and I thought it would’ve been better to leave that stuff implied since it was already pretty obvious.

It doesn’t help that both Lydia and Eden are far, far too mature for any sixteen-year-old I’ve ever met. They both recognize and acknowledge their feelings as irrational and apologize exactly for what they’ve done wrong, which sure, maybe is feel-good and a positive influence upon a teen reading this, but for me just felt a bit unrealistic. My favorite part of the book was when Lydia and Eden had a fight and Lydia stomped off all pissy and Eden refused to apologize later. It showed them being teens, individuals, idiots, flawed people who are growing up and learning to deal with their emotions. And then it’s somewhat undercut by them both having perfect apologies afterward where they know exactly what they did wrong just based on intuition? Like, complete with “here’s what I did wrong and why that was bad of me.” Idk, maybe JM was a better person as a teen than I was.

I really can’t say a lot about the other characters. The heroes of the story were all defined and had motivations and flaws of their own, while the antagonists were either a faceless mob, a faeceless mob (get it?), or just a dude who shows up in the last chapters and then is immediately dealt with. Compared to the antagonists in TSR, these guys felt a little underwhelming. They were set up from earlier in the story, of course, but their inclusion still felt a bit last-minute instead of a natural progression and integration into the fabric of the story.

And, again, I get it. This isn’t about the villains or that conflict. This is about the love story and the familial bonds and everything else comes after. Which is fine, but not something I personally found very compelling.

I think my favorite character was Eden, because she was cranky and awkward and flawed to a degree that felt right. She made mistakes but had her reasons, she was unlikable at times, and she felt grief and remorse.

I also liked Lydia’s mother, who, despite being in fear or pain for a lot of her on-page presence, still loved her daughter fiercely. She felt a lot like a real parent, even if her and Lydia’s relationship was a bit too saccharine for me to fully get behind.

Now let’s talk about the plot, or rather, the pacing, which was my other big problem with the book. The first third is very slow, my dudes. It may have contributed to why it took me so long to finish the book, a lot of it is just Lydia faffing about. The book is very light on magic stuff in the beginning, and it would’ve been fine if it didn’t do a whole 180 at the end and turned into a low-fantasy menacing mystery, complete with the vague threat of a human-fae war. I would’ve liked to have seen less Lydia and Eden faffing about and more of that magic plot, and while I understand that the focus of the first third was character-building, it still could’ve been done with a more balanced spread of plot vs character interaction.

But here’s where my personal tastes cloud my judgment. I’m not a young teen, so maybe I don’t see the value in more compassionate and understanding teen characters who could serve as role models. I’m not a WLW, so maybe I don’t see the value in two girls faffing about looking for a magic stick in the forest. I’m not a fluff-enjoyer (whatever the proper word for that is), so maybe the universally loving and positive characters just don’t land as well for me.

I can’t say that I hated this book, because I didn’t. In fact, I really enjoyed the latter half of it. I thought the fae were cool and interesting and felt disappointed there weren’t more of them in the story. Despite my grumbling, I do still appreciate what the book tried to do with the comfortable and loving family relationships between the characters and their relatives. I can see how this could help other readers and make them feel seen or perhaps soothe them when they don’t have the same thing in their lives.

I can see what this book was going for. I respect it, and I respect the work and effort and love put into it. It oozes from every word like a warm, sweet sludge.

But I’m covered in goop now. And my hands are all sticky.

This wasn’t for me. But maybe it can be for you. If you want to read a sweet, magical and well-written gay YA romance, this is for you. It was specifically made for you, made for someone who craves this but doesn’t see enough of it. This book is important for what it represents and for what it is. And I hope with all my heart you love it as much as it deserves to be loved, as much as it loves you for reading it.

[knives-out20]

First Match - Gay Scotch Prequel #3

Fandom: Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Pairing: Walter Jordan (OC) Archie Hicox

Warnings: Swearing maybe, Spark at first sight, Lowkey gay, Grumpy Walter, Walter backstory,

Notes: hehehehhehehehe first meet tingz enjoy

Walter grumbled to himself as he trudged into his workplace, rolling his eyes when a woman ran up to him. Working on a day with a foul history behind it (in Walter’s past) was bad enough as is. He didn’t need to be annoyed so soon.

“Mr. Jordan” she greeted.

“Maxine, good morning. Apologies for being late, I contemplated whether showing up today of all days was worth it” he replied.

Maxine pushed up her glasses.”I’m glad you did come, in though. It’s semi-urgent” she told.

Walter groaned, “what is it?”

“Mr. Kipling wants to see you in his office.”

Walter clawed at his face.”Oh good Lord, am I being fired?” He asked.

Maxine shook her head.”No, no! Of course not, he just wants a word with you, that’s all I’m aware of” she explained.

Walter exhaled slowly, looking around.”Alright, Thank you.”

Maxine nodded, rushing off.

Walter slicked his hair to one side, starting his journey to the staircase. He made his way up at his own pace, and down the hall to his boss’ office. Walter knocked on the door, “sir, you wanted to see me?”

Mr. Kipling’s voice boomed from inside.”Jordan, my boy!”

Walter rubbed the bridge of his nose. He opened the door, stepping inside with a frown.”What is it, sir?”

Sitting across from Mr. Kipling was a man, who looked to be a tad bit taller than Walter himself. He spared Walter a glance, obediently turning back to Mr. Kipling.

“Now, boy, you’ve worked at Films and Filmmakers for quite some time now. How you go about your reviews and articles for this publication as a film critic is that of the most articulate that I’ve ever seen” Mr. Kipling praised.

Walter merely nodded.”Thank you, sir. What, am I getting employee of the month?” He sarcastically inquired.

Mr. Kipling laughed.”No, I’m afraid not. I’ve took it upon myself to assign you to help our newest employee. I think he’s from around where you’re from.”

Walter internally cringed in disgust. Now he has to deal with a wide-eyed, dumb, innocent, reckless newbie? Great, absolutely wonderful. He turned around, walking out the door.”Yes, sir. I’ll see them at my desk.”

“Walter-”

Walter closed the door behind him, strutting down the hall. He’ll see to this later.

***

Walter sat at his desk in silence, fidgeting with a lighter. He stood up, ready to complain to his boss about how no new worker had approached him yet.

“Light my cigarette?”

Walter turned his head with dull eyes, seeing a fresh face with their arms full. His eyebrows raised, taken aback by their soft features and timid smile.

The man in question had tamed hair and big, bright eyes, a cigarette between his lips.”If that lighter has any fluid left in it, that is.”

Walter gulped, gaze flickering between the man and his lighter. He nodded hesitantly, careful to light the stranger’s cigarette.”A-And who might you be?”

“I’m, ah-” the man inhaled his cigarette, putting his stuff down on an empty space on Walter’s desk. He held the cigarette between his fingers to talk properly.”I’m Archibald Hicox. You could call me Archie, if you’d like” Archie outstretched his free hand.”I’m the new worker Mr. Kipling assigned you to.”

Rats. He’s cute.

Walter nodded, shaking Archie’s hand. That British accent was like music to his ears.”Walter Jordan, I- I really would just prefer Walter, if it’s all the same to you” he stuttered, hand contact lingering.”You don’t, uhm, sound to be like my lot, as Mr. Kipling suggested” Walter cleared his throat.

Archie took another puff of his cigarette, cheeks hollowing when he did.”And what is your lot?” He chuckled.

“Uh...” Walter’s mind momentarily blanked at the sound, he could’ve sworn his heart was failing him.”Glasgow. Scotland.”

“Scotland!” Archie snapped his fingers in realization.”Scotland, that’s why your accent sounds so familiar. Ah, I’m afraid I’m not of Scottish descent myself. I’m from England” he corrected.

Walter nodded, nervously licking his lips.

Archie tilted his head.”Your mood’s changed since earlier today. I assumed Mr. Kipling caught his ‘most prized employee’ on a bad day?”

“He said that?”

“Well...one of.”

“Of course he did” Walter sucked his teeth.”And, yea. I sort of have a bad history with today’s date. I try not to let it consume me, but I do struggle with it at times. I’d rather not get into it, if that’s alright?”

“Of course.”

Walter’s hands hung at his sides. He coughed, gesturing to his desk’s second chair.”Uh, please-! Sit, I’ll show you the works of Films and Filmmakers” he offered.

Archie blew out a puff of smoke into empty air, sitting down.

“Now, you’ll be writing reviews and articles for this publication. Said boss of this publication is a loud, loud man. If he’s ratting someone out, I swear, the whole building will shake in peril” Walter joked.

Archie grinned.”I shall pack earmuffs, then.”

“You should. Have you met Maxine? Maxine Baker.”

Archie shook his head.

“Mr. Kipling’s secretary. Sweetest woman in the building, pretty wee glasses. All the fellas here have tried to get at her at least once, but not me. I could never see us in that light” he explained.

Archie nodded along as he listened.

“Mr. Kipling’s wife stops by sometimes. Her name’s Clarice, she’s blonde, about my height, and honestly, you’ll know her when you see her. If she invites you to bed her using any array of words you can even think of, decline, and bolt it in the other direction. If you decide to agree to her wishes and make love to her, she’ll flock to Mr. Kipling like a damsel in distress and twist the story to have the poor sod fired” Walter shrugged.

Archie’s eyebrows jumped.”Really? And Mr. Kipling has no idea?”

“None. If you try telling him, he’ll grunt you off for making excuses. Can’t stand that tramp. If a man named Dean asks you to make him coffee during break, don’t. He’ll pretend he never asked you, and fake getting mad to the point where he’ll splash it on you- the coffee, I mean. Straight bastard, he is” Walter ran a hand through his hair.”I-I’d suggest you stick with me, then you’ll be peachy keen. This lot tends to leave me alone because of my name.”

“Walter?”

“Jordan” Walter corrected.”Big name back in the motherland, but not as big as the bloody Margolis family is, here. Aye, if anyone asks you to put a good word o’ them to me, don’t do it, mate, they just want me in for the money, I beg of ya” he shook his head, leaning back in his seat. Walter crossed one leg over the other, resting his arm on the head of the chair.

“Absolutely.”

“Oh, most importantly- favourite movie, go.”

Archie laughed in disbelief, putting out his cigarette in the ash tray.”I beg your pardon?”

“I don’t recall stuttering, mate” Walter answered.”Favourite film, go.”

“Alright, alright, uhm...” Archie furrowed his eyebrows in thought.”Frankenstein.”

“Incorrect! The correct answer is The Kid, with Charlie Chaplin.”

Archie chortled, gesturing a hand at Walter.”Unbelievable! You asked for my personal favourite.”

“Around here, Archibald? The older, the better” Walter tapped his temple.”Got it?” He grinned, looking the new, good-looking employee up and down.

Archie eyed Walter, nodding in utter obedience.”Yes, sir.”

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Madison Bateman and Francisco Angones

Storyboard by: Stephanie Gonzaga, Krystal Uretra, Brandon Warren

Directed by: Matthew Humphreys

The big return we all waited for.

Apologies for anyone expecting any ThunderCats 1985 today, because my new main show is back, and I have priorities. Maybe I'll go back to ThunderCats 1985 if people really want it, but for right now, new DuckTales, woo-oo.

This brand new season starts with a Woodchuck graduation ceremony, where Scoutmaster McQuack reads a speech about how the Woodchuck's teachings mix the knowledge of the old and the discoveries of the new, and how he should not read the directions on what painting to point to. In this ceremony, the Junior Junior Woodchucks become Junior Woodchucks, the Junior Woodchucks become the Senior Junior Woodchucks, and one particular Senior Junior Woodchuck will get the highest rank a Woodchuck could have: a Senior Woodchuck. One particular Senior Junior Woodchuck is ready to receive that honor, as he managed to memorize the speech to the point where he can lip sync Launchpad's lines.

Launchpad slowly introduces this would be as a close personal friend, which signals to me that the question isn't how Huey is going to accept this honor, but what unexpected person ends up being the candidate instead.

Launchpad slowly introduces this would be as a close personal friend, which signals to me that the question isn't how Huey is going to accept this honor, but what unexpected person ends up being the candidate instead.

As expected, this star candidate is a different person than Huey thought it would be, as he slowly inches backward, and that candidate is...Violet! I can imagine some pushback for this twist, as even Huey questions how Violet would be a star candidate if she never been to any Woodchuck Jamborees. Huey has always seen himself as the greatest Junior Woodchuck since the beginning of the show, and now this relatively new character that barely did anything special and was mostly just Webby 2 is now going to usurp Huey's throne?

Well, not really. It turns out, Huey ends up being the second star candidate, though Launchpad only seems to know him as Dewey's brother. The Scoutmaster declares that the two candidates must race in the Junior Woodchuck Wilderness Challenge! The crowd cheers the favorite's name, and unfortunately for Huey, it's not him. Everyone loves Violet!

Going away from that for a bit, we have to talk about the theme song, as Season 3, much like Season 2, has a twist on the opening theme. Aside from having to shorten it for this episode, Della Duck appears along with her family now. Now that she's established herself as a character in this series, and not just a shocking plot twist, it's only fitting she appears now. Hopefully we’ll get to see where she fits in the full opening if this season ever has it.

As Huey ponders about his existence as only being the second choice for being a Senior Woodchuck, Scrooge looks fondly at the same painting Launchpad was told to point to. Louie knows where this is going.

Louie: Cute story about Scrooge as a lad in three, two, one...

That painting is of legendary explorer Isabella Finch, and Scrooge read a collection of her adventures as a wee lad. This even includes some more of those well drawn Golden Book-esque illustrations of him as a kid reading her book and Finch herself proving her legendary status. She was a legend even to Scrooge McDuck, a legend in his own right, and Scrooge says that her legacy should be respected. He shows this by grabbing the map she was holding in it, shocking everyone in the room.

He calms down the kids by saying she totally meant for someone to grab that hidden map right from the painting. He just wants to respect her legacy by finding a treasure she decided to hide. This leads to a B plot, which I will talk about later.

Back to the A plot, the big challenge is described: race to each trail marker, put their flag on them, and survive with the help with their knowledge of the Woodchucks until they reach the final marker on the mountain's peak. Whoever gets their flag on the last trail marker wins the coveted Senior Woodchuck status. There is another stipulation that really hits Huey hard: it's not an open-book challenge, as McQuack already confiscated it earlier. This does add to the tension: he always carried the Woodchuck Guidebook with him and consulted its guidance, but can Huey pass a test without its help?

Huey seems to think so, as he was born ready for this. At least, that's what he tells himself and his opponent, and Violet isn't exactly swayed by this. In fact, she says that he is as ready as a helpless baby. Lena told her that friendly smack-talk is good for competition. Huey, remembering his sportsmanship, doesn't take the insult and instead holds out his hand for a handshake to start this friendly competition. They don't quite get that handshake going before Scoutmaster McQuack blows his airhorn, and that might be some foreshadowing.

As the race begins, Scrooge, Donald, Della, and the kids that are not named Huey go out in an expedition for the hidden treasure of Isabella Finch. Unfortunately for Scrooge, this dancing, whistling bird keeps popping up with a distracting song that Dewey can't help but dance to. Scrooge is annoyed by the bird, as much as everyone else thinks the bird is the word. No, they didn't license that song, thankfully.

That's really it for B plot, to be honest. There is a good amount of convergence of the two plots throughout this episode, but it doesn't really amount to much until the very end. It wasn’t that I was dreading these scenes, as there are some good moments here and there, but otherwise, eh.

Huey ends up thinking, only to find that not only has Violet managed to get to the first marker, and not only did Violet have enough time to write Huey a letter saying that if he's holding the letter, he's in second place, she even stood on by to ask Huey if that was good smack talk. Huey is angered by this, and throws the crumpled up letter to the ground...which he then has to pick up, because littering the environment is not what a Boy Scout should do. It is easy to notice Huey isn't doing very well at this without his almighty guidebook, and this is taking a toll even on his ability to be a good Woodchuck.

The obstacle before the next trail marker is rain. Not just any rain either, but the Lightning Rain of Chimpopo, as described by Scrooge in the B plot. That's the convergence; since they're exploring the same ground, it only makes sense that they go through the same obstacles and deal with them in different ways. Also, Chimpopo? Not the first thing I thought I heard, as someone who watched South Park.

Huey does run across some rubber plant, which would help him with this lightning rain, but he struggles to get it off of the ground. Violet, who already has a makeshift helmet, even helps him out by telling him to. She doesn't really have an understanding of how competitions or sick burns work, and Huey is losing his understanding of how to be a good sport and how to survive in the wilderness, as he eventually gets lost. If only there was some sort of guidebook somewhere else, not necessarily a literal guidebook...

...but the guidebook that rests in his own mind. It even talks, calling himself J.W. Guidebook, and giving him helpful hints like putting a stick in the ground and following the sun via that stick's shadow. With that imaginary guidebook that represents his inner knowledge after studying the book for so long, nothing can stop him now.

Then a bear shows up. Once again, a regular bear. I wonder if their existence is going to come up when Baloo makes his appearance. Hey, it's not a spoiler if he appeared on the poster. Anyway, he ends up using rope to climb a nearby tree, knowing that Violet wouldn't figure that one out.

Of course, she did figure that one out, though this time he managed to do it at the same time. Violet calms him down with another bit of trash talk, courtesy of her friend Lena.

Violet: If it makes you feel better, Lena told me "first is the worst and second is the best." Though, factually that's wrong by any metr...iiiick! (branch breaks)

Thankfully for her, she lands on a different branch, one that happened to have a beehive that she can chop off the tree and cause the bear to run away. Is that really a Junior Woodchuck thing to do, though? It's not like they're cutting down trees, but this seems pretty bad for the bees. It solves the problem anyway, so who cares.

Unfortunately, she does get stuck on that branch, as there's no branch nearby to rope to. According to J.W., this is a perfect chance for Huey to prove his memorization of the Woodchuck rules, as "Me Rule 17" states that a Woodchuck looks out for their fellow Woodchucks.

Unfortunately, following the guidebook's guidance is nothing compared to his unwillingness to let Violet take his throne as the nerdiest of the nerds, as Louie put it, and he decides to leave Violet behind. Huey finds out that Violet is able to find a way up the tree without his help, using a woodpecker, so it's totally fine. Right from this scene, I could already tell how this flag race was going to end.

I may not have expected this, though. The final trial marker on top of the mountain is behind a bridge over a volcano. Okay, is this the Junior Woodchucks, or this is Battle Royale? I could believe that the lightning rain or potential bear attacks were not planned, and the Woodchucks were supposed to be prepared for this, but putting a rickety bridge over lava as the final test? Makes me wonder if Launchpad has something to hide.

After getting a guilt trip from his own head-book, Huey decides not to test the bridge to see if it would even hold up his weight. Sure, it's only been roasting over a volcano for the last however many years this challenge existed, but time is of the essence!

Sure enough, Huey's lack of preparedness leads to his literal downfall. Wow, what a way to start the season. Not only is Violet going to be the new Senior Woodchuck, I guess Violet has to be the new Huey too.

No, they reveal after the commercial break that of course Huey survives, hanging off of the bridge. Angones did promise someone was going to die, and this episode does deliver on that, but it wasn't going to be Huey. Watch the episode if you want to find out about that.

Huey has to show off by using the rope he had earlier as a tightrope. Wow, it really is the Eliminator from the Simpsons, except that was only over a bunch of thorns!

They at the very least know what convection currents are, as Violet ends up using them to power a makeshift hang-glider. Also, Huey has to dodge some fire, which would be perfect inspiration for a video game level. Eventually, even when he finally decides to do the same formation Lisa did with that very similar obstacle in an outright evil military school, Huey slips off. Is this the end?

Of course not. Violet ends up saving Huey, reminding him of the Junior Woodchuck rule to always help out their fellow woodchucks. As Huey realizes, that was a rule that he ignored, and he sees himself as someone who isn't a true Woodchuck unlike Violet. He almost considers throwing his Junior Woodchuck sash in the lava. Thankfully, he was convinced not to do that by Violet. How? By telling him throwing away your former achievements is kind of silly?

One thing that convinces Huey is that there happens to be a "failure" Junior Woodchuck badge, and she got at least one of them. She says she had failed many times before now, and with those failures, she has learned to be the best. It's a little bit less than winning the whole thing, but he accepts the fate anyway, as his guilt wouldn't let him put the flag on. That badge is not nearly as random as it seems; being able to accept failure is a virtue, and that's something Huey gets to learn.

As he lets Violet put the flag on the final trail marker, the little section in the middle of the volcano lowers into a cavern, where Scoutmaster Launchpad is ready to divvy out the award. I was almost expecting a twist where they reveal the volcano wasn't real. I guess that wouldn't explain the lightning rain, though. Or the actual convection currents that were coming off of it. We don't really get that.

Huey accepts his failure badge from Scoutmaster McQuack, coming right from his own sash which even has a compartment of the many, many times he has failed, and Violet becomes the new Senior Woodchuck. Della Duck isn't too happy that her son didn't get the big prize of the episode, and has to be calmed down. After having to experience lightning rain and bears, I couldn't blame her. In the end, everyone is happy.

Proud of this achievement are two characters that, almost like a certain ogre cop from a recent Disney movie, say absolutely nothing and can easily be removed from the scene with no harm done to the plot. It is a shame that Disney couldn't go any further with the LGBT representation without having to gut the entire episode for other countries, but I'll take anything we can get at this point.

It turns out that, by accepting the annoying bird, it led them right to the treasure they were looking for, much to Scrooge's delight and slight confusion! What was the treasure? All I can say is that we end with a tease that is basically the same as the tease from the last episode, though it comes with essentially a preview of what's to come. Watch the episode for more details on that.

How does it stack up?

There's really nothing wrong with this episode. Despite giving me a feeling in the beginning of the episode, it didn't make me hate Webby 2, er, Violet. Honestly, considering this season was teased to be the "Huey gets to learn something" season, it's not a bad opener to start with. It's just not extraordinary.

Same deal with the ThunderCats reviews: DuckTales 2017 will get the out of 5 rating system as well. I'm tired of giving "low happies" and "low neutrals", they're 4s and 2s, respectively. Meet the new rating system, where I rate 1 to 5 Scrooges. Remember: I do rate on a relative scale, and DuckTales, along with the legacy of the Disney Ducks, is usually good. This one is merely a 3.

Next, TGIF. Or, TGIS, in this case.

← Moonvasion! 🦆 Quack Pack! →

[aconstellationofmemories]

Good Parents

This fic is dedicated to @unicornbeauty290, who has her big day ahead of her soon. I wrote this as a way to commemorate the happy ocassion. It's not good but I hope you like it, Liyah. I challenged myself with this one. Just know that I'm dead from writing this fic. (How dare you rush the birthday girl, haha.)

Bonus points to those who caught the Clannad reference!

Word Count: 2.6k (my longest yet omg).

AO3

--------------------

“Gray-sama! Over here.” Juvia tugged Gray by his arm. He let her pull him as she weaved them through the crowd.

Earlier at the guild, she had gabbered about a popular dessert shop and the satisfied reviews from their customers. Their desserts were supposedly spectacular, especially their ice sherbets – a must try, she said.

Although in reality she spent half an hour just talking about the shop’s desserts, he felt like it was an eternity. He would never admit it to her – he couldn’t hurt her feelings, no matter how boring it was – but he had zoned out a few times.

Her chatter stopped abruptly when she stared up at him with puppy eyes and asked him to try their popular dessert with her. She had said something about how it’d be a memorable occasion if he accompanied her on one of their anniversaries.

When she put it that way, he didn’t have it in him to deny her. Coupled with the loving way she gazed up at him, like he was somebody special, and he was a goner.

So here he was.

Getting dragged, and not complaining about it.

Gray didn’t know who he was anymore.

With her skilful manoeuvres, they arrived at the dessert shop in no time. She turned to him enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Gray-sama, can you pay for Juvia?”

He frowned, puzzled by her request. "You don't have any money?" he asked in a neutral tone.

"Juvia does but she'd like you to."

"All right." It was his plan to buy it for her in the first place.

"Gray-sama's treating Juvia!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Huh?" He wasn't getting where she was going.

"But Gray-sama shouldn't mind paying." She suddenly turned serious.

He never felt more confused in his life. "Why?" he dared to ask.

"Because it's for Juvia."

He sighed. Despite being on the receiving end of her fantasies countless times, they never failed to befuddle him. She appeared as excited as a child who was about to get her first taste of a sweet. He didn't have the heart to dampen her excitement, so he played along with her.

Yeah, he needed a brawl with Natsu later to confirm he was still Gray.

“One blueberry sher–”

“Ya naughty little thief! Ya ain’t getting away this time!”

He glanced sideways to the direction of the noise just in time to see a boy tossed to the ground. The baker towered threateningly over him, casting a looming shadow. The child cowered and crawled back a few inches, a bread in his lap.

“P-please...” the boy pleaded, his voice breaking.

“I need to teach ya a lesson, ya little thief,” the baker spat out.

With his hand raised, he smacked down to hit the boy.

To the man’s surprise, a streak of ice swiftly crossed his path and blocked his slap. His palm hit a pointed shard of ice and instantly withdrew his hand in pain. “What the...”

Standing protectively in front of the child, Gray levelled the man a glowering look. “It’s you who needs a lesson.”

He heard Juvia rush to the child’s side from behind him. “It’s all right, you’re safe now,” she tried to console the boy.

“Don’t meddle in business that ain’t yours, young fella,” the baker warned, glaring at Gray.

“It’s sure as hell is mine when you’re hurting a kid,” he countered, his voice hard.

“This wee thief can’t keep his hands off my breads. I ain’t letting him off the hook. And now I ain’t letting you off the hook either.”

The baker charged toward Gray and swung his fists at him. Gray, now sans his jacket, deftly dodged his attacks by evading to the side. He bounced back a few steps and placed his hands in his Ice Make stance. “Ice Make: Hammer!” A large ice hammer appeared out of thin air above the man and slammed down on him. The attacked knocked the man out cold.

“Let’s see if anyone buys from you after this,” Gray muttered in distaste.

The crowd that gathered while they fought shouted their cheers for the ice mage. He ignored them and pivoted on his heels to check on the boy. The child peeped at him from behind Juvia while clutching her dress.

“Gray-sama was amazing as always.” She offered his discarded jacket.

He took it and put it on. “How’s the kid?” he scanned the shy boy.

“Besides some old minor injuries, he’s okay. Juvia thinks he’s starved,” she replied, concerned.

“What’s your name?” Gray asked. The child didn’t answer. He tried another approach. “Wanna eat something?” He smiled a little to reassure shy fella.

The boy’s eyes immediately brightened. “Yes!” he said, fisting Juvia’s dress and the stolen bread in his small hands.

“Come to my shop!” a lady from the crowd stepped forward with her offer. “I’ll treat you guys for kicking that high and mighty arse.”

“Well, it isn’t necessary... We can pay for our meals,” Gray said awkwardly, raising a hand to the back of his head.

“You young ones hush and come over, will you?” the lady demanded.

“Let’s go, Gray-sama!” Juvia tugged his arm for Mavis knows how many times it had been today.

While he appeared somewhat annoyed by her public displays of affection, he was in fact secretly enjoying it. The sensation of her soft curves against his was a lovely bonus. Another thing I would never admit to her. She was crazy enough as it is; Gray didn’t need her craziness to be multiplied upon his confession.

--------------------

As soon as the waiter served the plate of curry rice, the child jumped right in to feast on it. Gray and Juvia reminded him repeatedly that no one was going to steal his food, therefore he could eat slowly. The normally timid boy paid no attention to them as he munched on his food. The plate was wiped clean in mere moments.

Gray nudged the second serving to him, and he gobbled the meal down just as quickly. With the second plate licked clean of any leftover, the boy rested against his seat and patted his bulging stomach.

“Are you full now?” Juvia asked cheerily from beside him.

Her voice jolted him back to his fearful self as he straightened. His nervous hazel eyes flickered to them. “T-thank you...for saving me and feeding me...”

“It was nothing,” Gray said nonchalantly.

“Don’t mention it.” Juvia smiled brightly at the boy. “Do you have a home?”

He fidgeted in his seat and squeezed his hands. “T-the street is my home. I was abandoned.”

The boy might as well have grabbed hold of Gray’s heart and squeezed it than his own tiny hands. He had expected the answer, but it didn’t make him any less pained to hear it confirmed. There was a flicker of a grimace on the ice mage’s face before it passed.

Juvia gasped, a frown marring her features. “That’s so sad.”

“I-I don’t have anywhere else to go.” His gaze dropped to the ground.

“I know a place,” Gray said. The boy lifted up his head, his interest piqued. “They’ll take care of you. Do you want to go there?”

The boy remained silent.

“We can’t just leave you in the streets,” Juvia said softly.

“W-will I have food?” He fixed his gaze on Gray for the first time.

Of course, the first question he asked was about food. Gray wasn’t one to indulge in pity – it never got you anywhere – but he couldn’t help the slight tightening of his heart for the boy. His heart ached a little when he imagined the suffering the child must have gone through.

“Every day, whenever you want,” he said softly.

The light returned to his eyes. “Yes, I do!”

Apparently you just had to mention food and the boy was on for anything.

--------------------

The sun had dipped down the horizon and painted the sky with shades of orange and purple when the trio arrived at a church. Back when they were kids, Cana had mentioned to him that she lived in this church orphanage before she joined Fairy Tail. They took good care of her, she had told him, even though the Father was odd. Just the other day, he heard that she brought Wendy to visit the children at the church.

“I must fix the child’s fashion sense,” Father Block said, contemplating as he fixed his critical gaze on the boy’s tattered clothes.

“Seriously, Father? The kid is homeless, for God’s sake.” Of all the things, Gray couldn’t believe he had to point that out.

“Worry not, I’ll give him a brilliant makeover.” The Father’s eyes gleamed with all the ideas he imagined.

“That wasn’t what I was worried about...” He was beginning to doubt it was a good idea to bring the boy here.

He glanced over a couple of steps ahead of them where Juvia sat on her haunches in front of the boy. Their conversation was barely audible from where Gray and Father Block stood.

“But...” the boy squeezed his hands and stared at the ground. “I-I’ve never mixed with people. What if they make fun of me because I-I’m different? What if I don’t fit in?”

“They won’t. The children here would love to be your friends, Juvia knows it.”

“I-I’m scared,” he admitted.

She brushed back the hair from his face and smiled comfortingly at him. “It’s all right to be scared; you’re starting a new adventure. But this time, you won’t be alone. You’ll have friends to cry and laugh with and they will hold your hand.” She gently held his small hand in hers. “You’ll be all right. Juvia promises there will be happy times ahead.”

Tears began to well in his pure, innocent eyes as he stared at her. Swallowing back his tears, the boy nodded his head at her. She gave him a proud smile and hugged him.

Gray could feel his cold heart thawing in his chest as he watched them. Juvia was by far the most caring person he’d ever met. They were polar opposites – Juvia and him. Where he preferred to withhold from affectionate gestures, she went out of her way to express her love. Where he was an arse who chased people away with his frigid behaviour, she was the loving person whose presence was the glorious light after the spring rain.

Gray didn’t know what she saw in him to have stuck by him despite his coldness. What did I do to deserve her?

When he pondered about it, he realised they weren’t that different from Laxus and Mira in that regard. However, in their case, he couldn’t understand why sweet Mira put up with the lightning bastard. Gray was an arse – with how openly he displayed it, one could even say he was proud of it – but even he wasn’t as big of a smug arse as Laxus. He snickered. Both of us don’t deserve our woman.

Juvia led the boy back to Father Block. Unlike the scared and withdrawn child he was all along, the boy seemed to have abandoned some of his fears as he held his head up. He appeared the most confident Gray had ever seen him. Must have been Juvia.

“We’re leaving him in your care then, Father,” Gray said.

“We will take good care of him,” the priest replied. He offered his hand to the boy who promptly took it. Without hesitation, Gray noted.

“O-one thing...” the boy braced himself to look at Gray in the eye. “I-I hope I will be like you one day.”

Caught by surprise at his admission, he stiffened in his posture. Be like me?

“I want to be s-someone who protects the weak, just like you.”

Stunned, Gray was rendered speechless for a few moments before he blinked out of it. He ruffled the boy’s hair and gave him a small smile. “You should stop by Fairy Tail sometime. We can teach you magic.”

“Gray-sama’s right! You can play with Wendy-san too.”

“Ah, Wendy. The children had so much fun with her the other day,” the priest reminisced.

The boy’s eyes widened in wonder at the prospect. “Mmh!” he uttered in agreement, nodding excitedly.

--------------------

Having said their goodbyes to Father Block and the boy, Gray strolled alongside Juvia with his hands deep in his pockets. He anchored his attention on the ground. There were certain things which had been bothering his mind. Once they were a safe distance from the church, he mustered the courage to voice his concerns.

“Do...do you think I’m a good role model, Juvia? If I had a kid, would I be a good father?” he blurted out.

“Gray-sama.” Her voice was suddenly serious. She turned to fix her kind gaze on him and smiled. “Gray-sama is already a good man. Gray-sama would be a good father as well, just like father-in-law.”

Tensing at the mention of his father, he suddenly halted in his steps. The memories he had of his father played in his mind – how he felt on top of the world when Silver sat him on his broad shoulders, the snowball fights they had in the snow, and his dad’s boisterous laughter filling the walls of their home.

His heart constricted painfully in his chest. The time he spent with his father was achingly short.

Yet, despite having so little time together, Gray remembered he felt safe with him. If he was afraid to try out a new thing, or if the past was caging him in a mental prison, Silver always nudged him forward into the future. Most importantly, he believed in Gray.

In short, Silver was both an outstanding father and an honourable man.

Gray wasn’t sure if he could be as good as his dad – or if he was good enough for anyone to look up to him.

“You think so?” His uncertainty leaked into his voice.

She smiled confidently at him. “Juvia is certain. Gray-sama is Gray-sama after all.”

Staring at her with in stunned silence, he allowed himself to feel her faith washing over him. It seeped into every fibre of his being and cleansed his doubts, instilling confidence in their place.

The corners of his mouth curved up slightly in a rare display of a soft smile.

Recalling how she comforted the scared child earlier, he inhaled in some courage to say his thoughts out loud. Say it, you idiot. He forced his next words out.

“I-I think you’d be a good mum too, Juvia,” he said awkwardly with slight heat in his cheeks.

“Gray-sama!” she exclaimed, shocked. She stared him with a luminous glow of happiness in her eyes.

Shit. He was glad that the attention was diverted from his feelings of inadequacy, but her daydreaming posed another headache. Her wildly exaggerated ideas could get out of hand quickly.

Gray immediately took a deep breath. He sent up a quick prayer to whichever god was listening to save him.

“Juvia would be happy to have Gray-sama’s baby,” she said dreamily. She clung to him, lost in her own world.

Flustered by her sudden change in demeanour, he stumbled sideways with Juvia still clutching his arm tightly. The colour in his cheeks rivalled the bright hue of the sunset sky.

“I never said that!” They were on entirely different wavelengths.

“There’s no need to be shy, Gray-sama. Juvia understands.”

“The hell you do!” He didn’t want to know what exactly she understood.

“How many children does Gray-sama wants?”

“None!”

“But Gray-sama, we have to get married first. When is our wedding date?”

He didn’t bother trying to correct her by that point. She was too far gone to hear his words properly. Mavis knows how she’ll interpret whatever he would say.

The gods must be having the time of their lives watching his torture. Curse them, he thought with a faint smile on his face.

[dxitydoo]

So... the iPhone SE...

Alright this one is gonna be a long one so scroll on past if you’re not interested. If you are, then buckle up because here’s a multi-part essay about my opinions on the new SE.

For anyone that saw my post about getting a new phone and wondered what phone I got, I got the new iPhone SE (yes, I’m an Apple person. Don’t come for me).

At first, I was seeing videos of people getting excited over the phone but now, as time has gone on, those same people are now making videos criticising the phone.

Admittedly, they have some good points to bring up. The battery of the new SE is not amazing. It doesn’t outlast my dad’s XR which is somewhat annoying to say the least.

My counter-argument to that is that it lasted a whole day of me playing games on full brightness in the sunlight and didn’t die on me once which is honestly incredible after the last phone i had but anywho we’ll discuss this later.

My problem with a lot of those videos is that I feel like they’re getting the wrong end of the stick about what the SE is trying to be and they’re comparing it to the wrong phones.

The Original SE

The original SE’s main selling point (seriously why did Apple name them like this this is confusing) was that it had the newer internals of the 6S (so the faster processor, the better camera, etc) in the smaller body of the older 5S.

That was why I, and a lot of others I’m sure, liked it. Because it was a newer phone but in a size I preferred.

It also didn’t break the bank.

The old SE was praised for combining new and old in a way that complimented the old form-factor and rejuvenated in while also allowing people to access the newer features that were coming out in updates. At the time of writing this (27/04/2020), the old SE still supports new iOS updates and runs iOS 13 with minimal hiccups (not counting the fact that iOS 13 isn’t the most bug-free of updates).

But now, in 2020, the new SE is released and people are criticising it for the same thing they praised it for back in the day. They’re complaining that it has Touch ID, that it doesn’t have a edge-to-edge display, that it’s small, that the battery isn’t good, that the camera doesn’t stack up.

Look.

Everyone is free to have their own opinion. If you don’t like the SE, that’s fine. You don’t have to. No one is forcing you to. Just keep scrolling coz I do like the SE and I’m about to defend it til I run out of breath.

The “Old” Body

The SE combines old and new. That’s it’s schtick, that’s its gimmick. It was the thing for the 2016 SE, its the same for the 2020 SE. Although I would’ve loved to see an SE with an edge-to-edge display like any of the X or the 11 range, I’m not super surprised it hasn’t happened.

In fact, the small changes they have made, such as all colours now coming with a black bevel (and the better colour matching between the bevel and the screen), make it look really high-quality and beautiful honestly.

It has the same body as the 6, yes, but it doesn’t look like the 6 because of that colour-matching. And I appreciate that.

Oh! And the back being the non-metallic colour? God that’s sexy. The back is more reminiscent of the 11 (or the XR, I suppose, depending on what colour you got) than the 6 or 7. So it’s not unchanged?

Touch ID and Haptic Touch

Again, a controversial topic. The Touch ID in the SE is like the 3rd Gen or something?? I don’t actually know. But it’s several generations in at this point and it shows.

I came from the original SE, which had one of the first ever generations of Touch ID (if not the first) and the speed with which this new phone unlocks is incredible compared to the older model.

I tap the button once and the phone unlocks instantly. That is it.

Maybe it’s cumbersome to have Touch ID back again after all this time but if you’ve come from a Touch ID phone, especially one of the older models (which really... I think that’s probably the intended audience), it’s a big improvement.

And look no further for someone who was viscerally against the fake button Haptic Touch thing.

I hated the idea of it. My view was I either wanted the real button or no button at all. Full stop. End of story. You’d never change my mind.

Yeah... the new SE changed my mind.

I have the haptics turned up to the highest setting and it actually feels like a real button. Its less spongy than a real button, of course, and feels stiffer (kinda? Maybe just shallower) but its actually a really satisfying feature.

I remember first trying the fake button on the 7 and it vibrated at the wrong time or you’d try to press it to do one thing and it’d do another. It was confusing and made it very difficult to use.

I will say now I haven’t actually tried using an 8 so I can’t pass judgement on that but i like the SE.

And the Haptic Touch is really really nice.

I never thought I’d have a phone that has built-in rumble when playing games but here we are. This is the future.

Aside from being kinda nifty to feel the vibration in your hands when something happens on-screen, the Haptic Touch vibrates under your finger when interacting with the rotating dials to set timers or reblogging posts on tumblr. It’s a weird experience but not an unpleasant one and I like it way more than I was expecting to.

The Small Size

As for the size?

I really like it.

It��s big enough that it feels like a step-up from my old phone but not so big that I’m struggling to hold it (*cough cough* the XR *cough cough*).

Okay so my touch-typing is suffering a wee bit at the moment but tbh I started to struggle on my old phone before I upgraded coz the screen was just a little too small so it’s more a me thing than an it thing. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

The camera.

I feel the need to mention that my last phone was the 2016 SE so, maybe it’s because my standards are really low, or maybe I’ve never owned an 11 and, therefore, have no comparison for it that way? But I don’t think the camera is bad.

In fact, I would even go so far as to say the camera is really fricking good.

After using a phone with a front-facing camera that could barely shoot 480p, stepping up to 1080p on the front is Wild™. The difference between this new camera and the old one is incredible.

If you want a camera that shoots good quality photos, has good colour balance, can actually show the sky as blue when shooting through a window (yes this is how low my expectations are), then omg this phone is incredible.

Obviously, its never gonna beat the 11 with its two cameras and its not gonna be able to contend with the 11 Pro series with their three cameras but hey, the phone is like half the price so??

The Battery

Okay, so lets talk about the battery.

I know this is a bit of a sore spot with people because iPhones recently have been coming out with bigger and better batteries every year.

I did a quick check through and, according to Apple, the battery life is about the same as both the 7 and the 8, which makes sense as they all share the same body. Unfortunately, that means that its probably a size issue. As in, thats the longest a battery of that size can last in a phone. Which is kinda annoying.

But, this is a post about my experience with the SE and I haven’t ever owned a 7 or an 8. My mum owned a 7 and the battery on that was god-awful and I’ve had a much better experience with my SE than she did.

First of all: some context.

Again, a friendly reminder my last phone was a four year old SE. It was a 64GB one as well, so you know I’m being legit (they stopped selling the 64GB (in the UK at least) about a year after the phone’s initial release).

So the battery on my old phone was absolutely fine. At first. As time went on and the phone got older, it did, unfortunately, begin to struggle.

As a reference, a few months before I replaced it (given lockdown doesn’t give the most accurate overview of what it was like to use on a day-to-day basis), it wouldn’t make it through a day at school without dying at least once, sometimes twice.

I had to carry a portable charger with me everywhere I went.

I left my house when it was on 100% and, by the time I got to school after an hour on the bus, it would be on 60-70% on a good day.

Letting your battery die everyday is really not good for it but, try as I might, I couldn’t stop it from happening.

I tell you this to let you know that my criteria for a good battery is literally just “lasts me through the day”.

I’ve had my new phone for about three days now and it hasn’t died on me once.

I played games on it in bright sunlight with the phone on full brightness for several hours straight yesterday and yet it still lasted me through the day and then some. After being off charge for 11 hours, it just about hit 20% before I put it on charge.

Today, I was on social media: tumblr, instagram, youtube, for the majority of today. Both tumblr and instagram had an uncanny ability to completely decimate the battery life of my old phone. They could reduce it from 50% to 40% after 5 minutes. But, again, no problemo for my new phone.

It got to about 50% today before I put it back on charge to go have dinner.

I’d say that lasts through the day quite nicely.

Especially given it’s getting a lot more use than it would normally because a) I’m stuck inside with nothing to do and b) shiny new phone!!!

But I digress.

So, Why Does The SE Exist?

I’m gonna be real. I don’t think the iPhone SE (2020) is trying to be anything fancy. It’s not trying to be the next iPhone 11, it’s not trying to replace the XR. If anything, it’s replacing the 8.

I don’t think the SE is a bad phone. It does everything it says it does and it does it well.

I think the YouTube reviewers have it slightly wrong. I don’t think they should be comparing the SE to the 11 or the XR because, realistically, the people who own those phones aren’t gonna be buying the SE for themselves.

The people who are gonna be buying the SE are the people who have the 5s or the old SE or the 6s or even maybe the 7. (I’m not sure how noticeable the jump would be from 8 to SE, given they have very similar specs).

They’re the kind of people who want a new phone but don’t have the money to go for the more expensive XR or 11 range.

Or maybe they don’t want a giant phone because idk bout you but I have small hands and the XR is both large and heavy and that’s not practical. Plus, the XR with women’s jeans? Really? Not happening.

So, while I understand why reviewers are comparing the SE to the 11s or the XR—because the SE has the internals of those two and is closer to them in terms of release date—I don’t think it’s actually realistic.

TL;DR

YouTube reviewers are comparing the SE to the recent phones when they should be comparing it to the older ones, which is the more likely transition. The iPhone SE has a lot more going for it than people say and I really like it.

[douxreviews]

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Review

[This review includes big honking spoilers.]

Spock: "I never took the Kobayashi Maru test until now. What do you think of my solution?"

The Wrath of Khan is a favorite of many fans, and it deserves to be. It is exactly what a big Star Trek movie should have been, and finally was.

Why is this movie so good? Bunches of reasons. Like an exciting story that had personal significance to the main characters, terrific writing, an outstanding villain, and the intensely moving death of the most beloved character in the series. I can't get through this movie without crying, and I've seen it a dozen times.

Birthdays, old age, death and loss, passing the torch to the next generation, it was courageous of the franchise to make these things the center of the movie, instead of ignoring the fact that it was fifteen years after the series and the cast was getting older. The Wrath of Khan is beautifully bookended by the Kobayashi Maru no-win scenario at the beginning, basically the arrogance of youth believing that they will never die, and a no-win real life situation at the end for Kirk when he loses Spock, his closest friend, the other half of himself.

When you watch the movie knowing the ending, you can see Spock's death coming. There are so many references to dying. The first thing Kirk says to Spock is, "Aren't you dead?" And we can see on Spock's face the moment he realizes what must happen in order to save the ship. He just gets up and goes to his death without a word to anyone, a very Spock-like thing to do. He even has to trick McCoy in order to carry out his plan, which for me, makes it even harder to take. The way he stands and straightens his uniform, those final moments where he and Kirk are separated by glass, it always gets to me. It was an exceptional death for an exceptional character. I can remember when I first saw it, I was absolutely devastated. William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were at their best in that scene.

And yet, there is the obvious hint that it's not over for Spock. There was the way he touched the unconscious McCoy's face and said, "Remember," a deliberate call-back to "Requiem for Methuselah." The pod containing his body was lying on the grass of a vibrant new world that hadn't existed an hour before. They just couldn't bear to write Spock out completely, could they? (Not that I'm criticizing. I couldn't, either.)

As Kirk faced aging and death, pretty much for the first time, there was the complementary plot of passing the torch to the next generation. It was believable that Kirk would have had a child somewhere along the line, and it delighted me that his ex-amour was the most brilliant scientist in the Federation. David Marcus felt like he could have been Kirk's son, and I liked that Kirk did exactly as Carol had requested -- he stayed out of David's life and let Carol raise him alone. In an obvious parallel, Spock was mentoring his young protege, the competent, professional and often amusing regulation-quoting Lieutenant Saavik. The feminist in me can't help pointing out, with the exception of the comments about her hairstyle in the turbolift, Saavik could have easily been played by a man without changing a single other detail.

All this, and I haven't even gotten to one of the best things about this movie – and that's Ricardo Montalban reprising his character Khan from the original series episode "Space Seed."  His performance was so strong and so intense (and his chest so amazing) that there has yet to be a Star Trek villain that can top him.

And the supporting cast was terrific: DeForest Kelley was a delight as McCoy. James Doohan did a fine job with a wonderful dramatic scene when he lost his nephew. Bibi Besch did well in the key role of Carol Marcus, Merritt Butrick as David Marcus was pretty much perfect, and we also got Paul Winfield as the unfortunate Captain Terrell and future television star Kirstie Alley in her acting debut as Saavik. And yes, Chekov recognized Khan but Chekov wasn't in "Space Seed." I honestly don't care, since it wasn't important to the plot, and Walter Koenig's performance as Chekov in this movie is probably his best. (I only started liking Walter Koenig after his villainously wonderful continuing role in Babylon 5.)

Unlike Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan never stops moving. The space battles are terrific, the gimmick with the prefix code and the scenes in the Mutara Nebula all work, the musical score is outstanding, and best of all, the effects still hold up. (Although the close-ups of the ears during the Botany Bay scenes don't. Ah, well.)

I love this movie. The Wrath of Khan and the two movies that completed the trilogy are the pinnacle of original Star Trek, incorporating the best aspects of the original series. They're wonderful. In my not so humble opinion.

Bits and pieces:

— Stardate 8130.3 to 8141.6. The Reliant, space station Regula 1, Ceti Alpha 5 (not 6), and the Mutara nebula.

— Star Trek: The Motion Picture was set two and a half years after the end of the series, but here it was established that it had been 15 years since "Space Seed". Khan mentioned his "beloved wife," which would have been Lt. Marla McGivers.

— The Genesis presentation was exceptional. Best commercial ever. I'd buy it.

— I loved the way they used the rare book and the antique glasses as a reminder of the fact that Kirk was getting older. I also loved the level of detail in the furnishings in Kirk's apartment, as well as the huge mosaic IDIC in Spock's quarters.

— The ear thingies were the Alien chestburster of their time. Ick.

— Khan's use of the lines from Moby Dick were set up by the mini-library aboard the Botany Bay: Moby Dick, Paradise Lost, Dante's Inferno. And all books relevant to what happened to the Botany Bay.

— Kyle from the original series was a crew member on Reliant.

— Although the theatrical version is fine, I prefer the director's cut. It includes just a few little extra scenes, but one in particular – the introduction of Midshipman Preston as Scotty's nephew – makes a difference.

— Even the costumes were great. I particularly liked the white flap on Kirk's uniform stained with Peter Preston's blood; it was a striking visual.

— The Genesis cave scene is wonderful. But I've always wondered: where did the light come from?

Quotes:

Kirk: "A no-win situation is a possibility every commander may face. Has that never occurred to you?" Saavik: "No, sir. It has not." Kirk: "And how we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn't you say?" Saavik: "As I indicated, Admiral, that thought had not occurred to me." Kirk: "Well, now you have something new to think about. Carry on."

Dr. McCoy: "Admiral, wouldn't it be easier to just put an experienced crew back on the ship?" Kirk: "Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young, Doctor." Uhura: "Now what is that supposed to mean?"

David: "Remember that overgrown boy scout you used to hang around with? That's exactly the kind of guy..." Carol: "Listen, kiddo. Jim Kirk was many things, but he was never a boy scout."

Kirk: "Mr. Scott, you old space dog. You're well?" Scotty: "Oh, I had a wee bout, sir, but, Doctor McCoy pulled me through." Kirk: "Wee bout of what?" McCoy: "Shore leave, Admiral."

(Kirk tensely watches as Saavik takes Enterprise out of space dock.) McCoy: "Would you like a tranquilizer?"

Kirk: "I would not presume to debate you." Spock: "That is wise. Were I to invoke logic, however, logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Kirk: "Or the one." Spock: "You are my superior officer. You are also my friend. I have been and always shall be yours."

Khan: "I'll chase him around the Antares maelstrom and round Nibia and round Perdition's Flame before I give him up!"

Spock: "As a matter of cosmic history, it has always been easier to destroy than to create." McCoy: "Not anymore. Now we can do both at the same time. According to myth, the Earth was created in six days. Now watch out, here comes Genesis! We'll do it for you in six minutes!" Spock: "Really, Dr. McCoy. You must learn to govern your passions. They will be your undoing."

Khan: "Let them eat static."

Khan: "Ah, Kirk, my old friend. Do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish that is best served cold? It is very cold in space."

Spock: "Jim, be careful." McCoy: "We will!"

Kirk: "KKKHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!!!" :)

Carol: "Can I cook, or can't I?"

Saavik: "On the test, sir... will you tell me what you did? I would really like to know." McCoy: "Lieutenant, you are looking at the only Starfleet cadet who ever beat the no-win scenario." (gestures at Kirk) Saavik: "How?" Kirk: "I reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to rescue the ship." Saavik: "What?" David: "He cheated." Kirk: "I changed the conditions of the test. Got a commendation for original thinking. I don't like to lose." Saavik: "Then you never faced that situation... faced death." Kirk: "I don't believe in the no-win scenario."

Khan: "To the last, I will grapple with thee. From Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!" Montalban makes these lines from Moby Dick work. How many actors could pull off lines like this?

McCoy: "He's not really dead as long as we remember him." Kirk: "It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done before. A far better resting place that I go to than I have ever known." Carol: "Is that a poem?" Kirk: "No. Something Spock was trying to tell me, on my birthday." McCoy: "You okay, Jim? How do you feel?" Kirk: "Young. I feel young."

It isn't necessary to have seen "Space Seed" or Star Trek: The Motion Picture to follow this movie. In fact, it isn't really necessary to have seen the original series to follow this movie. And you don't even need to watch Star Trek III and IV. Although I assume every Star Trek fan pretty much has.

Four out of four no-win scenarios.

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

[personalcoachingcenter]

Be Successful In LEADERSHIP with these Invaluable Tips

New Post has been published on https://personalcoachingcenter.com/be-successful-in-leadership-with-these-invaluable-tips/

Be Successful In LEADERSHIP with these Invaluable Tips

Being a good leader seems tough. And as we’ve seen throughout history with exiled kings and mutinied ship captains, it’s no easy task to inspire others. It’s easy to get down on yourself and doubt that you have what it takes.

But, like everything in this course, we’re here to tell you that you can do it! The idea of a natural-born leader is a bit of a myth, and it’s possible for anyone to become a leader… or at least more leader-like.

So today, we’ll show you how leadership styles can be different, which skills are most effective, and how to make sure your team stays in sync. I’m Evelyn from the Internets. And this is Crash Course Business: Soft Skills [Intro Music Plays] Nowadays, the word manager has a bad rep and reminds people of a demanding, inflexible, or out-of-touch boss.

On the other hand, a leader is seen as a supportive, visionary, or proactive boss. But those are just stereotypes. A good manager has to have good leadership skills. Managers play a big part in shaping a company’s culture.

They influence behavior and productivity, and set the vibe, which is why organizations are so different. It’s like how Amazon has 14 codified leadership rules that lead to high productivity, but a lot of burnout and competition.

Or how Walt Disney focused on creating a magical experience by calling park visitors “guests” and employees “cast members.” People usually don’t quit companies. They quit managers. We all have at least one story of a boss we couldn’t stand.

So that’s part of why leadership skills are so valuable. Here’s the thing, though: a leader isn’t just a manager or a larger-than-life historical icon. Sure, there are standout activists like Marsha P.

Johnson or supreme court justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A leader can be anyone who works well with others and inspires them to achieve their goals. Like a sports team where some players help out just as much as the captains or coaches, in business you can show leadership in small ways too.

An effective leader creates a positive and productive environment. An ineffective leader creates a negative environment with a lot of tension. Leaders have 7 core skills: forming strong relationships, making effective decisions, coordinating teamwork, communicating well, being ethical, motivating others, and providing direction.

Basically, they help bring people together to accomplish things that nobody can do alone! And there are lots of different leadership styles, so you can pick what works best for you and switch it up in different situations.

Like, you wouldn’t deal with a difficult customer the same way you’d pitch a new client. Commanding leaders live by a “do what I tell you” philosophy. They’re forceful, blunt, and straightforward, like a military commander shouting at their troops.

This style is good for getting things done fast or when someone really isn’t listening, but using commands too much can make people frustrated. When it’s warranted, some commanding leaders are effective.

But it can be associated with bad leadership. Visionary leaders give general guidelines and set broad goals, but they basically let people find their own path. They’re the “come with me” leader.

This style is great if your team thrives without much direction. But if you’re less experienced than the rest of your team, you could be perceived as too idealistic and it could rub people the wrong way.

Affiliative leaders focus more on relationships. They’re the “people come first” leaders, who try to solve conflicts by accommodating and making people happy. This style can help us feel supported and motivated… but it can also come at a price.

If people are placed too highly above performance, some people may start slacking off. Democratic leaders are most likely to ask, “what do you think?” They want to build an environment where people are involved in making decisions and most everyone agrees with each decision.

This style can make sure decisions are fair, but it can also make them slow. If a meeting is already taking an hour, we do not need a sharing stick. We need a fast decision! You know the phrase “do as I say not as I do?” Well, pacesetting leaders want you to “do as I do, now.

” They’re more likely to set a highly ambitious goal and adhere to their own high standards. This style can work well for a team of highly motivated people or overachievers, but perfect is the enemy of good.

And it can be exhausting to keep up with a pacesetting leader. But coaching leaders, like every pee-wee football coach, are all about providing support, offering advice, and helping people change and grow.

They’re likely to say, “try this.” This style of guidance is usually helpful, unless the team is super experienced and just wants to get work done without a lot of input. To visualize all of these leaders, imagine telling a team to solve a puzzle in the office break room.

A visionary leader would give an inspirational speech about how everyone has the power to put together a great puzzle, then show examples of teams who solved puzzles as a benchmark. An affiliative leader would use the puzzle as a tool to build a sense of community and get people excited to work on other projects with each other again.

A democratic leader would survey everyone to figure out the best way to put the puzzle together, and then divvy up the pieces each person needs to handle. A pacesetting leader would set a timer and then dive straight in, while expecting everyone to put together as many pieces as they are.

And a coaching leader would show people how to fix the pieces they tried to jam together in a frenzy, and provide a good book on puzzle-solving for everyone to read. Now, this is super simplified. People are complicated and can’t be separated into neat little boxes, so we blend leadership styles together.

Someone like Michelle Obama is usually described as a charismatic leader. She may blend visionary and affiliative styles together and use diplomacy and charisma to smooth things along. And the leadership style that works best for your company or team may not work in everyone’s.

Oprah may be great at leading those book clubs, but she probably wouldn’t be a great hockey team coach. So while leadership seminars and retreats may seem flashy or help you network a little, they’re not going to magically change you into a great leader overnight.

That’s not how anything works. To see how to judge who you should take leadership advice from, let’s go to the Thought Bubble. You’ve been working at a popular ethical clothing brand for about five years, and you’ve just been promoted to lead the communications team.

Together, you’ll write press releases and develop multimedia campaigns for all your new products. You’re understandably nervous. You’ve never led a team before, and you really want to do well. So before you start, you book a ticket to a 2-day leadership conference in Brooklyn.

There are hundreds of attendees, a charismatic keynote speaker, and panels of entrepreneurs. You hear about people’s successes and failures, and by the end of the weekend you’re feeling inspired. But when you get home and review your notes, they’re mostly a list of meaningless buzzwords.

You realize you felt super empowered because of the environment, not because of the information. Most of the advice was pretty superficial, like “be the mentor you wish you’d had” and “be free to be yourself.

” And those hyper-specific leadership tips from that venture capital tech firm CEO don’t really apply to your job. Every organization is different, so seek out advice from people with leadership styles you admire.

That’s way better than listening to blanket statements from people that just seem like influential leaders. Instead of going to generic conferences, read articles from academic sources like The Harvard Business Review.

Or find advice from experts who study and teach business and organizational management. You’ll still need to think critically about anything you read or hear, since everyone has their own biases. And even the best articles won’t lead to instant success, even though they can give you new ideas to try.

The absolute best way to become a better leader is to practice. Try different styles and learn from mistakes to find the approaches that work best for you. Thanks, Thought Bubble! Just in case you’re wondering, Crash Course Business isn’t a leadership seminar.

We’ve got some pretty awesome academics putting together research-based advice. Good leadership essentially boils down to the golden rule, with a twist. Treat others as you want to be treated — and listen to how they want to be treated, because you’re different people! One of the best ways to build people up is to provide positive feedback and genuine praise.

We all like to know that we’re appreciated. We tend to underestimate how much recognition can really mean to people. So, awards like employee of the month or a handwritten thank you note can go a long way to show we’re invested.

Just don’t go handing people plastic keychains as a thank you for 40 years of service. We celebrate achievements all the time with retirement parties, birthday parties, graduation parties, and baby showers.

So we can do it for business achievements, too. Plan an event like a nice dinner to celebrate the end of a big project and reflect on good things that happened. And if your budget is tight or your team is small, you could put together something informal, like going out for drinks to welcome a new coworker.

Nothing brings people together in an office like free cake. Also, it feels good to see positive feedback empower others, but we don’t need to celebrate everything. If your coworker’s best friend’s dog just had puppies, put cute pics on the fridge and leave it at that.

No matter what your company’s celebration style is, your achievements always matter. And you can definitely develop the skills to lead and help other people feel appreciated. So if you take away nothing else from today, remember: Anyone can focus on building leadership skills.

Life and work can change a lot. Pick a leadership style that works for you, but you may need to switch it up. Follow the golden rule, and celebrate achievements to boost team spirit and productivity. No matter how good a leader is, office politics can get complex.

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[findmyhouse]

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER - LOVE BEACH (1978): 4/10

Yeah! How do you like that album cover? What the hell happened? Okay, time for a little history lesson. Remember how the band used an orchestra on the previous two albums? Well, one day Keith said to the other guys: “Hey, wouldn’t it be a great idea if we took an orchestra with us on our next tour?” And… well, to be honest, it actually was a great idea. Artistically, at least. Backing up the old and the new ELP hits with orchestral arrangements resulted in some outstanding performances that were captured on the live album Works Live, which I heartily recommend to anyone who's interested in the band. Financially however, this was a really bad move. Paying the musicians and transporting their equipment was such a financial strain that the band would inevitably lose money unless they sold every last seat at every venue. And they didn’t succeed at that because the popularity of progressive rock as a whole took a nosedive in the late seventies. The genre's emphasis on complex rhythms and structures, esoteric concepts and instrumental virtuosity became more and more associated with snobbish elitism and was rejected by the new generation, which instead flocked to the more approachable, raw and rocking sound of punk rock bands such as the Sex Pistols, who regularly mocked progressive rock bands as part of their performances, with their famous “I hate Pink Floyd” t-shirts, and their burning of Yes and ELP records on stage. In addition, the music industry itself changed around this time and became far less receptive towards experimental music than it had been throughout the decade.

So, to make a long story short, ELP were in a bad spot in 1978, and were further plagued by deteriorating personal relations between the band members, as well as conflicts with the record company which demanded a hot-selling record. Love Beach was made in a desperate attempt to reach out to a new audience: it’s made up primarily of a bunch of lightweight pop songs but also throws in a few progressive-sounding tunes to please their old audience. The result, predictably, pleased no one at all and made ELP the laughing stock of the music world. Even the band members themselves have frequently mocked it. What else could they do? This album is just too easy to mock. Just look at it! Even the liner notes hardly say anything about the music and mostly just talk about how much fun the band had on the Bahamas, where the album was recorded.

I mean, you can tell that there are some creative problems when a singer has trouble trying to make the third line on an album fit within the meter. At the same time, Keith changes his synthesizer tones from otherwordly and ominous to sickly sweet and sappy, and Carl plays an awkward drumming part that never seems to get off the ground. And despite all of that, I still have to count “All I Want Is You” among the better songs on here, because it shows at least a wee bit of classical influence and of the old production style (and to be fair, this is hardly worse than Greg’s pop stuff on Works, Volume 1).

However, things very rapidly go off the deep end with the title track and “Taste Of My Love”, which are basically guitar-led cock rock anthems that have Greg singing oversexed smut that would make even Gene Simmons blush with embarrassment (Oh, I almost forgot: all of the lyrics on this album were written by Peter Sinfield, who originally rose to fame by supplying King Crimson with his hallucinatory texts about 21st century schizoid men and rusted chains of prison moons, and who just five years earlier thought up the apocalyptic machine warfare themes for Brain Salad Surgery. Now he writes such lovely slices of poetry like “I’m gonna love you like nobody ever loved you; Climb on my rocket and we’ll fly”). Anyway, these songs are far too tame instrumentation-wise to appeal to the general sleaze-rock crowd, and far too simplistic to not infuriate anyone expecting to hear the ELP of old: Keith’s synthesizer parts feel like they were added to these tracks more out of obligation rather than because they actually contributed something of substance to the music.

“The Gambler” goes for a comedic mood again, but really overstays its welcome with its generic female backing vocals as well as some shitty ukelele and some equally shitty harmonica to spice up the pill. Oh well, at least it has some funny keyboard playing. And "For You" ... well, that one's actually alright. Unlike the rest of the album, it's more melancholic and reflective than sappy and jolly, and it has some nice echoey guitar playing, too. I couldn't care less about the "rocking" coda though (in quotes because it just sounds kind of torpid).

In contrast to the first side of the LP, the second side holds tracks that are basically bones thrown toward the band's traditional audience. The first track on here, "Canario", is also not bad. It's another classical cover (of a piece by Joaquín Rodrigo) that still sounds overly sweet and kinda cheesy but at least it has some dang energy which is sorely missing on the rest of the album, particularly on the next track, where things get really murky when the boys try to pen one more epic multi-part suite in the old prog style, called “Memoirs Of An Officer And A Gentlemen”. Don’t expect another “Tarkus” here: this whole suite is just a big toss-off. Almost the whole thing is in the same key and the same plodding tempo, and it sticks to the same disgustingly cheerful atmosphere that dominates the rest of the album. Furthermore, the lyrics try to sound really grandiose and world-shattering but, when taking the utterly banal subject matter into account (a soldier falls in love with a nurse but oh no she died the end), just come off as pathetic. But worst of all, Keith's keyboard playing feels completely sterile and forced throughout the whole thing, and there's no impressive synth solo to hear for miles around. The final movement, "Honourable Company", is a gradually intensifying march that's obviously intended as a rewrite of "Aquatarkus", but it has no climax and just ends up sounding like really bad theme park music (I apologize if I overuse this analogy in my reviews but I really can't think of a better thing to compare it to. Do you remember waiting in line for an Indiana Jones ride and hearing some super-cheesy tune for the grand, magical adventure you're about to go on? Yeah, that's the one ). Not even the gratuitous Chopin quotations help bring the suite to life or anything resembling life.

Oh, I'm sorry. I must come across as angry right now, but honestly, the spectacular stupidity of this album makes it impossible to actually hate or get angered by. The incompatibility of Emerson, Lake & Palmer with their newly created popstar image, combined with the unconvincing manner in which they pursued this new direction, makes Love Beach one of the most hilariously ham-fisted and ill-conceived products in the history of mainstream rock music. So just don’t take it too seriously. Don’t look for quality here. Just let the stupid sink in and have a blast.

Allmusic's original review of this album consisted of just one sentence which read: "A record that ELP released only because they owed it to their original label, and that's all one needs to know." I suppose it’s a mystery whether the band just wanted to make a few dollars and please Atlantic Records or if they actually wanted to make a turn in this direction, but in any case, the album flopped both commercially and critically. Now reviled by their former fans and belittled by their enemies, the trio finally called it quits and went their separate ways.

Best song: eh, I guess it's probably CANARIO

[pens-and-parchment]

Hello bookworms! Today I’m doing my first (I think it’s my first??) book tag! I know this one’s a bit older and most people have done it already, but I feel like I have some unique opinions and really wanted to try it myself. Hopefully this won’t be boring for you guys!

I wasn’t actually tagged to do this, but I saw it most recently done by Book Princess Reviews, and loved it! So I took the liberty of just doing it myself, lol.

Here we go! You can click on the photos of each book to see their Goodreads page.

A Popular Book or Series that You Didn’t Like

Oh, how I just love to hate on a series that everyone else enjoys. Okay, that’s a bit harsh, since I didn’t actually hate this. I enjoyed the idea of the Zodiac planets and the people’s special characteristics, but the rest was one big flat-line for me. The main character was bland, the romance was an eye-roll, and I barely remember the rest. It’s probably not the most loved YA series, but more people seem to like it than I certainly did.

A Popular Book or Series that Everyone Else Seems to Hate but You Love

At the wee age of 13, I picked up Shadow and Bone, and fell in love—hard and fast. Ever since, my heart has belonged to the Grishaverse. It’s my home. I often see people complaining that the Grisha trilogy is not as good as Six of Crows, and a part of my soul shrivels up into a weak, dead thing. I definitely get why people don’t like this as much as SoC, but I can’t help mentally screaming, “THIS IS SUCH DISRESPECT FOR SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SERIES WHY DO YOU HURT ME LIKE THIS!!!” Moral of the story is: don’t criticize any part of the Grishaverse unless you want Mia to be very, very sad. 

An OTP You Don’t Like

To be frank, I didn’t care for most of this series, so I can’t blame it all on the romance. But as this series progressed, I cared for Kestrel and Arin less and less. *Spoiler Alert!!!* It was really the sequel that ruined it for me, and the perpetual tension of “will-they-won’t-they-get-back-together.” I really do like romantic tension, but in moderation. This spanned the length of the entire book, until it became implausible and ridiculous. After that, Kestrel and Arin were just annoying to me.

A Popular Book Genre that You Hardly Reach For

Probably historical fiction! I actually LOVE historical fiction, but have only read a handful of books in that genre. If you have any historically-based faves, send those recs my way!

A Popular/Beloved Character that You Do Not Like

I’m actually going to choose a character duo for this: Hanna and Nik. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Hanna and Nik, and love this series to death!! But compared to Kady and Ezra, Hanna and Nik left something to be desired. They fit the standard YA protagonist archetypes, and I felt like I had read about many Hannas and Niks before. Kady and Ezra, on the other hand, are a little quirky and have much more stylized personalities, so I preferred them a bit more.

A Popular Author You Can’t Seem to Get Into

I read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl a couple girls ago and, to be perfectly honest, despised it. Even now, I think it’s my least favorite book I’ve ever read. The weird jokes, second-hand embarrassment, and lack of obvious plot just were not for me. Interestingly enough however, I actually saw Jesse Andrews at YALLFest and thought he was hilarious in real life! But something about his writing style and characters doesn’t appeal to me.

A Popular Book Trope You’re Tired of Seeing

This one also took a little bit of thinking, since there are quite a few tropes I don’t like. But the one I’m choosing to complain about highlight today is: fake deaths. So many books (and movies/TV shows) kill off an important, usually endearing character around the halfway point. I can ALWAYS, 100% OF THE TIME, tell when the character’s not actually dead. To me, it sticks out like a sore thumb in the plot. I’m not shocked or even sad, because I just know the character’s going to come back. Then it becomes an irritating wait until the person miraculously shows up again.

A Popular Series You Have No Interest in Reading

I’m sort of cheating with this category, cause I actually read the first five books in The Mortal Instruments. But I really only liked the first three books, and now there are so many spin-offs and novellas, that I can’t keep up. Cassandra Clare was not my favorite to begin with, and I don’t have the mental or emotional energy to catch up with so many books in the same series. So I definitely won’t be reading these anytime soon.

The Saying Goes, “The Book is Always Better Than the Movie,” but What Movie or TV Show Adaptation Do You Prefer More Than the Book?

This one is actually quite easy for me. The Twilight series is definitely not a favorite of mine, I preferred the movies to the books because the plots always had more action. I mean, that plot-twist-not-really-a-plot-twist at the end of Breaking Dawn Part 2 had us all screaming in the theaters, but it was also a great way of allowing the audience to experience the climactic battle scene we never got in the book. And across all the movies, they omitted my number one issue with the books: Bella’s dreadful narration.

And that’s it! I’m not going to tag anyone, since most of people have probably already done this tag, or something like it. But I had a fun time ranting about my favorite likes and dislikes, so I hope you all had a fun time reading!

Do you agree or disagree with any of my bookish opinions? What would you put for each of these categories?

Find me on: Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Bloglovin

Unpopular Book Opinions Tag Hello bookworms! Today I'm doing my first (I think it's my first??) book tag! I know this one's a bit older and most people have done it already, but I feel like I have some unique opinions and really wanted to try it myself.

[weerd1]

Star Trek DS9 Rewatch Log, Stardate 1909.11: Missions Reviewed, “One Little Ship,” “Honor Among Thieves,” “Change of Heart,” and “Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night.”

The Defiant is on a rare scientific mission when “One Little Ship” begins, escorting a Runabout with Bashir, Dax, and O’Brien into a subspace compression, which will actually objectively compress their molecules until they are comparatively miniaturized. This experiment may lead to advanced in transwarp technology, but must be preformed precisely, with the Defiant keeping them under tractor beam to pull them out exactly along the path they went in. Suddenly the Runabout is shaken, and the Defiant loses control of them.  When they do find the Defiant, it was captured and attacked by the Jem’Hadar, and the Runabout is now about three inches long.  They know they have to help and actually use a venting port to fly their ship inside the Defiant. There they observe that the Jem’Hadar is forcing the crew to fix the warp drive, damaged in the Dominion attack. They realize that Sisko and crew are faking much of what they’re doing, trying to recapture the bridge controls.  The Wee Folk decide to help, and go fly stealthily to the bridge where O’Brien and Bashir have to enter a computer to reroute control to Sisko. 

The Starfleet takeover is made easier as the Dominion has now engineered new Jem’Hadar in the Alpha Quadrant, and the “Alphas” and “Gammas” among them are developing an unhealthy rivalry.  With control directed to Sisko, and a couple of anti-personnel photon torpedoes from a tiny Runabout, the Jem’Hadar are killed, and the Defiant can take the shuttle back to the Compression to excise it properly and restore them to size.

 When telling the story at Quark’s later, Odo mentions that he thinks Bashir and O’Brien may be a few centimeters shorter. As they rush out to the infirmary to check, Quark smiles at Odo. “And they say you have no sense of humor.”

It’s “Fantastic Voyage” come to Trek and in an episode that wisely doesn’t take itself too seriously.  The effects are neat, as is the crew interaction as we get to see the crew working their subterfuge against the Jem’Hadar from the “miniature” perspective. The sets for when Bashir and O’Brien are in the computer are appropriately absurd.  The introduction of Alpha and Gamma Quadrant Jem’Hadar is a neat idea, but unfortunately one that the show will never revisit.  As technobabble filled as this episode is, the acknowledgement that oxygen molecules would be 2000 times too big for them to breathe is neat, as is Dax’s solution of beaming a pocket of miniaturized atmosphere from the ship into the sealed computer space.  It does make me wonder why a fully stocked Runabout—miniaturized or not—doesn’t have spacesuits O’Brien and Bashir could wear.

Time to screw with O’Brien again in “Honor Among Thieves,” as his technical acumen has made him the best person to work a mission for Starfleet Intelligence. He’s to approach some low-level operatives in the Orion Syndicate, earn their trust, and find out about a mole the Syndicate has in Starfleet. While on this mission, O’Brien begins to genuinely like the mid-level boss, Bilby (and his cat), but is assured that Intel just wants him to go to jail, after they find the mole.  

That actually proves fairly easy, and O’Brien is ready to go home, when the next level boss introduces Miles’ gang to a Vorta, who is planning to have the Orion Syndicate pull a mission of some sort for the Dominion.  Intel extends O’Brien’s mission, and he finds Bilby is to assassinate the local Klingon ambassador and make it look like Gowron did it to sow discord in the Empire and have them pull away from the Federation again. O’Brien reports, and his handler tells him that they have warned the Klingons, which means Bilby will be killed rather than arrested. O’Brien tries to warn Bilby, but the criminal knows he is a dead man anyway because he vouched for O’Brien. Bilby goes to meet his fate, and O’Brien returns to DS9 with his cat, unsure of the moral outcome of this work.

Sure, it’s Star Trek’s “Donnie Brasco,” but it is also well done and performed well by everyone involved.  Anyone with a HUMINT background will feel for the Chief and the dreaded situation when a source is going to get burned. Interesting to note that the Starfleet intel agent is actually Michael Harney who plays Healy on “Orange is the New Black” with Kate Mulgrew from “Voyager.” I suppose my only real complaint here, it like the Alpha/Gamma Jem’Hadar in the last episode, we don’t see O’Brien’s new cat again as I recall.

“Change of Heart” also brings Starfleet intel into the fray as Worf and Dax, while planning their honeymoon, are sent to retrieve a message from an operative in the Cardassian government.  When they get the message, he tells them he knows how many Changelings are in the Alpha Quadrant, and where they are.  He won’t share though until he is extracted. 

 Worf and Dax agree to try, and are rather enjoying their mission together, crossing a jungle to meet the spy, until they are ambushed by Jem’Hadar. They prevail, but Dax is wounded, and thanks to the nature of Jem’Hadar weapons, she is infected with an anti-coagulant, and will likely bleed out. She tries to continue mission, but simply cannot. She tells Worf to go ahead and get the Cardassian, and she will wait for him to come back. Each knows she will not last the time it will take to get the spy, get back to this position, and then get back to the Runabout. Worf goes as duty demands, but can’t continue.

 He goes back and saves Dax, extracting her, and leaving the Cardassian to be killed when he tries to re-enter his base. Worf tells Sisko he knows he did not perform either his Klingon or Starfleet duty…but Dax was more important.  Sisko sympathizes, but reprimands Worf, effectively pulling him off the command track for his future career.

A very well told episode, and the writing/performances of the Dax and Worf marriage here are very strong. Their banter and romance are heartwarming and believeable, and heartbreaking when Worf has to make the decision to leave her to die. Yet he cannot, and a lesser show would have somehow had him save her AND the Cardassian agent. This show doesn’t give tidy endings however, and it’s a better tale for it. There is also a B-story about O’Brien and Bashir deciding to play Quark at Tongo, but Tongo psyches out the genetically “superior” Bashir by reminding him that he loved Jadzia and let her get away.  This becomes more relevant next season after…Oh god, I’m not ready.  It just matters later, OK?

In “Wrongs Darker than Death or Night,” Kira is preparing to celebrate what would have been her mother’s 60thbirthday when she mysteriously receives a call from Dukat who confesses that he had an affair with her mother years before. Kira doesn’t believe it, and uses the Orb of Time (previously recovered in “Trials and Tribbleations”) to go back 28 years in time to Dukat taking command of Terok Nor, and taking Kira Maru on as his “comfort woman.”

 Major Kira is appalled and joins the contemporaneous resistance, planning to put a bomb in Dukat’s quarters when she sees Maru get a message from Nerys’ father, who thanks her for what she’s doing, as they are receiving more food for the kids (including little totes adorbs Nerys) since Maru took to Dukat’s bed. Kira has a flash of conscience, pulling both Maru and Dukat out of the blast zone before the bomb explodes, but with the explosion, returning to her present in 2374. She is torn about what to think of her mother and debating whether it was collaboration or just protecting her family.

So, this is one of those exception to the rule episodes.  I find this one actively awful. First of all, it seems quite a stretch that form 2346 when the station was commissioned until 2369 when the Cardassian Occupation ended and the Federation moved in that Dukat was the ONLY prefect Terok Nor had.  And yes, they insinuate that Dukat was all about Bajoran babes, but he stayed with Maru SEVEN YEARS, and then there was Ziyal’s mom and then there was at least one other Bajoran mistress, all while somehow being the prefect of Bajor, commander of Terok Nor, and managing to have a wife and seven kids of his own on Cardassia.  In ‘The Maquis’ they told us he took command of the station in 2360, but he was apparently living there for 14 years as prefect first and …it just doesn’t make sense in the end, and as much as I wanted to see Dukat remain a foil for Kira rather than Sisko, making her mother his mistress seems particularly contrived. Indeed, now we know he saw Nerys in 2346 several times, yet he doesn’t seem phased when he will see her again on DS9 in “Necessary Evil” after he appoints Odo as chief of security, or when he repeatedly sees her when she takes over as First Officer of DS9.  At least when they almost bonded over Ziyal, you would think he might have mentioned there was a closer family relationship than she knew, either through her mother or the mysterious bomber woman. And as for Kira, sure, you hear something freaky about your mom so your first reaction, and actual plan, is to GO BACK IN TIME. Even using Bajoran methods, this sounds a little risky.  Indeed, she tries to kill Dukat! Surely, as pissed off as she might be, unraveling ALL OF ALPHA QUADRANT HISTORY is a little overreaction.   This timeline doesn’t work for me, this situation doesn’t work for me, and dammit, Kira Nerys deserves better. When Nana Visitor in a slinky dress can’t fix your episode, it is wayyyyyyy broken.

NEXT VOYAGE: There’s a traitor on Deep Space Nine and a Starfleet investigator is ready to make an “Inquisition.”

[neverisalongtime-ja-blog]

Chapter 30: LA – Venice is the new London - Dubai

Here we are with chapter 30, can you believe that? When I started this I wouldn’t even thought I could write 10 chapter and now we have 30!!

And that’s all thanks to you. I know you all gonna like this chapter, so read it and tell my what you thought about it.

Yo can leave an anonymus here or a bold comment on Anastasia’s IG profile.

Thanks to everyone who write me / her. I love to read all the things you have to say!

Remember to visit Anastasia’s IG profile:

Anastasia_Truman  ❤️️

Thanks to everyone who reads the fic, much love to you all! ♥

Read chapter 29

After a quick breakfast to recover energy after last night and realizing how much alcohol she actually drank thanks to the stinging headache that had her in agony, Anastasia went back to her bed to just lay there without any possibility of erasing from her mind the image of Josh coming closer to her face to kiss her. She just reviewed the moment again and again and again; a smile appeared on her face while she was looking at the white ceiling in her bedroom. This was wrong, she was sure about that, but it felt so good.

She decided to go back to the living room to set up the turntable Josh gave her. To try it, she picked the latest Red Hot Chili Peppers album, The Getaway, she was proud of it. In the end, she didn’t collaborate on it as much as she would’ve liked, but she did her magic there and the album came up perfect. She loved every song, it was the project that brought Josh close to her again, after all. She remembered those days at the studio, those late nights with Josh and the rest of the guys, they would be jamming and she just danced and laughed and helped in the control room. It was amazing to see how much closer they all became in this past year.

She was already familiar with Anthony, Chad and Flea, but touring together helped to grow a different kind of relationship, a close one, like a real family. It was amazing to see how much everyone cared about her and how she cared about everyone too.

Now she was cleaning the mess the party left last night. The song Encore was playing in the background when her phone started ringing. It was Anthony.

 -          Hi, sunshine! – Anthony said to her when she picked up the call – How are you feeling the 28th?

-          I’m cleaning right now so I guess I’m a much more mature person – She said while Anthony laughed.

-          Do you think you can come to Malibu today? I want to talk to you about something.

-          Sure! – She said – Let me put some order in this mess and I’ll be there after midday.

-          Sound good! Glad you are listening to our record! – He could hear it from the phone.

-          Yeah! Josh gave me a new turntable last night and I was trying it out!

-          So thoughtful of Josh!

-          Where is your gift, by the way? – She asked sarcastically.

-          Having me in your life is enough! – He laughed – Actually that’s what I want to talk about, but I can’t tell you more right now. Come and see!

-          I am intrigued – Anastasia answered – See you later then!

-          See ya! Oh and bring Mandy with ya! – He said before hanging off.

 “That was weird”, Anastasia thought and she was definitely intrigued now. She hurried up with the cleaning and then went upstairs to have a shower. In less than two hours she was ready to drive to Malibu. First she picked up Mandy from her house at the Hollywood Hills.

 -          What the hell? – Mandy said once in the car – He just told you that? “Bring Mandy with ya”? – She mocked Anthony’s voice.

-          He did – Anastasia laughed.

-          What could it be? – Mandy Asked – Maybe a house in Malibu?

-          Why the fuck would he give me a house? – Anastasia laughed some more – And I already own a house in Malibu.

-          Uhm, correction, your dad and your sister own a house in Malibu – Mandy said.

-          It’s the same…

-          Uhm, correction, no it’s not.

-          Uhm, correction, fuck you – Both laughed – I wasn’t sure about telling you this – Anastasia hadn’t mentioned to anyone yet about the kiss Josh gave her last night– But you are my soul mate and I can’t hide anything from you.

-          Ugh! We are worse than a married couple – Mandy said – And I already know what you are going to say. It’s about you and Josh last night – Anastasia’s eyes opened wide.

-          How do you know?

-          First, we are soul mates and I can read your mind, second, you two disappeared from the party for more than half an hour! What happened?

-          Read my mind – Mandy looked at her with concentration, like actually trying to read her mind.

-          A kiss?

-          You are good!

-          ANASTASIA! – Mandy screamed while Anastasia just smiled.

-          Before you say anything I wanted to kiss him but I stopped because I knew it wasn’t smart, but then he just did it!

-          So he kissed you!

-          Yes! – Anastasia said giving a turn to enter the community where Anthony, Chad, Flea and her sister lived.

-          I don’t know how to feel about it – Mandy said – Because I can see that Josh still has feelings for you – Anastasia looked at her after parking in front of her sister’s house – It’s obvious.

-          I don’t want to create a fantasy in my head but you know how easy it is for me – Anastasia said leaving the car – Then I get hurt. It’s always the same.

-          Do you want my advice? – Mandy said opening the gate – Do not get your hopes up.

-          Promise me you won’t say anything – Anastasia said before knocking on the door.

-          I promise – Mandy said – Promise me you will take this easy.

-          Hi! – Anastasia couldn’t answer because her sister opened the door at that precise moment.

 After giving a big hug to the twins and to Sunny and Everly who were there too, the three girls walked to the pool area where Anthony, Flea were enjoying the sun. As Anastasia walked to them she realized there was another person there, it was Josh. She hadn’t spoken to him since the kiss so it was a strange feeling. Mandy pinched her on a side of her tummy, reminding her about the promise that she didn’t answer at the door.

 -          Glad you came! – Anthony got up from the chair to greet the girls, and so did Flea.

-          Hi! – Anastasia said while she was approaching Josh, he hugged her tightly – Well I’m curious about your call!

-          Do you want something to drink? – Barbara said – No alcohol for you – She pointed to An and Mandy – You already drank enough last night.

-          Yes mom! – Mandy said rolling eyes and laughing afterwards.

-          I’ll bring you lemonade.

-          Oh my God, you are a fucking cliché – Anastasia said while she and Mandy laughed.

-          Well let’s get down to business – Anthony said.

-          You told me this was birthday-gift related – Anastasia said seating next to Anthony while Mandy took a seat next to Josh and was looking at him with suspicious eyes – You didn’t say anything about business.

-          Because it’s business for us and fun for you – Flea said smiling.

-          We have a show in Venice this weekend – Anthony started to say.

-          God, Venice is our favorite place in California – Mandy said.

-          Not Venice Beach – Anthony said – Actual Venice in Italy – Mandy and Anastasia shared a laugh – The thing is… God, it0s so hard to talk to you two together… The thing is we have a show there this weekend, Damien Hirst has an exhibition there and he asked us to play at the opening party, so we’re going and we want to take you two with us! As a birthday gift for you and a life gift for Mandy.

-          What?! – Anastasia said while Barbara gave her a glass of lemonade.

-          I don’t know if the “life gift” thing is good or bad – Mandy said grabbing her own glass.

-          It will be fun because we’re going to play in like a party thing and we can enjoy the city – Flea talked this time.

-          And I’m going too – Barbara said.

-          Oh, so it’s like a “bed gift” for Barbara – Mandy said winking and laughing. Anthony looked at her because it was so ironic for her to say such thing, thankfully everyone shared the laugh, even Barb.

-          So what do you say? – Josh asked directly to Anastasia.

-          I can’t say no to a trip to Italy! – Anastasia was smiling.

-          The best friend can’t say no neither! – Mandy was smiling too.

-          Done! We leave on Thursday and we will stay till next Monday – Anthony said – And the kids will stay here – He talked as the four children at that house were approaching the group.

 After a couple of hours chatting, Anastasia went to the kitchen for more lemonade and once there Josh joined her.

 -          Do you want some lemonade? – She asked when she noticed he was there, in silence.

-          Sure! – He answered.

-          Was this your idea? – She asked him again.

-          Anthony and Flea deserve all the credit. I was just here for the traveling schedule and they told me about it and I agreed, of course – Josh said before taking a sip of the lemonade glass - I’m sure it’s gonna be fun – He gave her a mischievous look, a look he never gave her before.

-          Who are you, Josh Klinghoffer? – Anastasia said walking away from the kitchen and smiling.

 Packing for the Venice trip was hard for Anastasia, she had no clue on what to bring; they were going to be there just three or four days but they had to attend the art exhibition and the after party, so she needed two different outfits for that day alone. Apart from that, for some stupid reason she didn’t want to admit to herself, she wanted to look amazing for Josh, which was an extremely rare attitude on her. Even if she repeated herself at least 21 times every night that she had to stop, she was falling for him again.

The flight was scheduled on a decent hour, ten in the morning, so Anastasia had time for a nice shower, for picking a great outfit and for having a powerful breakfast. A van picked her up at her house. Inside the van Barbara, Mandy and Danielle, Chad’s wife, were already partying and having fun.

 -          It’s only ten in the morning, for God’s sake! – Anastasia said.

-          Don’t you want a Margarita? – Barbara asked.

-          No, did you hear me? It’s only ten in the morning – Anastasia repeated separating the words with the pronunciation.  

 The band and their team were already at the airport checking the luggage. Carl was there too as he was the main manager.

 -          I know you two aren’t on duty this weekend but I need you to behave – Carl said.

-          You chose the worst girls to behave, Carl – Mandy said, handling him her suitcase.

 They traveled in first class, as usual, only that this time everyone had a special booth for themselves. After a couple of hours flying, Mandy joined Anastasia at her booth. An didn’t realize that Josh was sitting next to her, the seats had these walls for privacy but if you stretched your neck enough you could see your neighbor. The two friends started to watch videos on Youtube and they ran into one they knew well: Dark Necessities, by the Peppers themselves. Anastasia remembered the first time she saw that video and how hot Josh looked on it, it was a different side of him, more sure of himself.

 -          Oh, my favorite video – Josh said poking his head up the wall that separated his seat from Anastasia’s.

-          After watching this video for the first time last year we started to call you “Hottie Josh” – Mandy said laughing.

-          Really? – Josh was laughing too.

-          You should go back to that hair; that disastrous color – Anastasia said.

-          Yeah! Go back to being Anastasia’s 90’s fantasy guy – Mandy said and Anastasia gave her a killer look.

-          Don’t you like the current Josh? – He asked with a smile.

-          I liked the non-cheater Josh, if you see him let me know – Anastasia said, regretting it immediately.

 Josh looked down and went back to his seat. Anastasia didn’t see him again during the flight. She was so ashamed and felt so stupid. She always spoke without thinking before. Mandy let her know that it was alright, that he couldn’t be mad because it was the truth, but she felt so bad about herself. Eventually, she needed to move from there, she couldn’t be next to him when she knew he was angry. Yes, Josh did wrong but Anastasia hated when people was mad at her. For the final part of the flight she joined her sister a couple of seats behind. Talking with her and Anthony helped her forget about the mistake she just made.

The first night in Venice was useless, they arrived late and everyone went to their hotel rooms. Anthony booked a suite for Anastasia and Mandy, each one had their own bed with a balcony to the city that even at night was breathtaking. The only bad thing Venice had was the smell, because of the stagnant water and the poor pipe system there were places in the city with a terrible stank. Lucky for them, their hotel wasn’t one of those places. That night Anastasia slept like a baby.

Next day was time for the glam, and Anastasia chose a light blue knee-length pleated skirt, and a grey strappy top mixed with a pair of baby blue sandals with thick heels. They were going to ride boats to get to the exhibition, so wearing thin heel stilettos is forbidden. Mandy did An’s makeup and hair. The pink haired friend went for a floral dress and platform sandals. Big sunglasses added the final touch.

The exhibition was amazing, Damien Hirst’s pieces were incredible. Anastasia was such an art lover; she was thrilled to be there in such a fantastic moment, with the people she loved around her, even Josh.

The good moment of the trip came on Saturday night. For that occasion Anastasia wore a little black dress with her black classic Vans and a black bomber jacket with the quote “Not today, Satan” on the back. They road a boat to the venue were the party was going to be held. Once there, the four girls: Mandy, An, Barbara and Danielle, started to drink right away. They started with vodka and by the time the Chilis started to play, tequila shots were running at that table. Mandy and Anastasia jumped and danced the whole set and that helped to get rid of the alcohol so the girls didn’t end up as drunk as they should have been.

 -          I’m never going to get tired of seeing you guys play! – Anastasia said once the band joined them at the table.

-          We’ve got the best groupies on all of Venice – Chad said laughing and hugging Danielle.

-          Yeah, we are definitely the groupies at this trip – Barbara laughed.

-          God, I didn’t realize that this is how female escorts travel, all paid by old dudes – Mandy said.

-          What did we become? – Anastasia said laughing to her friend.

-          Groupies, it’s obvious – Mandy said.

-          It doesn’t count if you are married to the rockstar – Danielle said.

-          It’s like those girls who have “London – Dubai” on their Instagram profiles – Barbara said laughing – We should write “LA – Venice” in ours.

-          “LA – Venice is the new London – Dubai” – Mandy said laughing too.

 Anastasia noticed that Josh was a bit away from the group, looking at his phone screen and a strange force pushed her towards him.

 -          Hey – She started to talk and he looked at her – I want to say sorry. I talked without thinking and I feel so ashamed.

-          Don’t worry, you didn’t say anything far from the truth – He said – I’m the one who should be apologizing. I never did ‘cuz I’m a coward – Was he really apologizing? – What do you say if we go to a quieter place and talk? – He asked her.

-          Sure! – Anastasia replied without thinking about it.

 She went back to her table to grab her purse and told Mandy that if she needed her, she should just call. Mandy looked at her with worried eyes but just nodded. Thankfully no one else noticed An’s disappearance.

An and Josh started to walk around the small streets of Venice, one next to the other in silence, until Josh talked.

 -          I could use some food – He said – Did you have dinner with the girls?

-          No – She answered – I haven’t eaten anything.

-          Let me see if I can remember a great pizza place here. Truly Italian.

-          How many times have you been to Venice? – She wanted to know.

-          A few – He answered – You?

-          A couple of times too – It was like knowing each other all over again.

-          Here! – Josh said after a couple of blocks – It’s open!

 The place was almost empty and they got a nice hidden table, just like Josh likes them. In the worst Italian ever he tried to order pizza and wine and after trying a few times, Anastasia had to stop laughing and came to the rescue. She traveled a lot during her whole life and that helped her to learn a little bit about other languages and cultures.

 -          Didn’t know you spoke Italian – Josh said.

-          I don’t. But I can order a pizza and a bottle of wine, the essentials – Josh laughed and then looked straight into her eyes in silence.

-          I’m sorry, An – He started to say – You don’t deserve what I did to you. I was so stupid and I have no excuse.

-          I came to this trip to have fun, Josh. I don’t think this is the time to discuss this – She said to him.

-          I know but… I don’t want you to be angry or sad.

-          Do I look angry or sad? – She asked with a smile.

-          Not at all – He said with half smile.

-          Don’t worry about that now, ok? Let’s just have fun this weekend – She said raising her glass of wine and forcing Josh to do the same and clink them.

-          Love your outfit choice, by the way – Josh said after the fourth glass of wine – The Not-Today-Satan jacket is a special touch.

-          Yeah, my new motto – Anastasia said finishing her fourth glass too.

 At that moment, the waiter went to the table to tell Anastasia that the restaurant was closing soon.

 -          They are closing – She said opening her purse.

-          What are you doing? – Josh got up from his chair – It’s your birthday trip, don’t you even dare to think you are paying for this.

-          Wow, female escort all the way – She laughed.

 The sky was full of stars and it was a full moon night. The silver circle lit up everything and Venice acquired a magical sheen as the two walked back to the venue where the party was being held.

 -          This place is beautiful – Anastasia said while crossing a small bridge.

-          I’ve always loved Venice. Magical things happen here – Josh said standing in the middle of the bridge and resting against the fence.

-          Really? – Anastasia said looking at him; the wine was having an effect on both of them.

-          Well, you should tell. You are the magical being here – Josh said confirming Anastasia’s theory that he drank too much wine that night.

-          I’m far from magical – She stood still in front of him.

-          You are magical for me – Josh said grabbing Anastasia’s waist, pushing her towards him.

 He didn’t kiss her; he just stood there looking into her eyes. She felt such comfort in that moment, just like the old times, before all the drama and the sadness. For that short moment she forgot everything he did in the past, that didn’t matter; right then what was really important was that magical moment when the two of them were looking into each other’s souls.

 -          I don’t want to go back to the party – He said – Let’s go to the hotel.

 Anastasia smiled and nodded.

 -          Let’s see how fast you can get there – She said and started to run to one of the boats. Josh was running behind her while the two were laughing hard; they were acting like kids. Both could barely breathe when they were seating at the boat on the ride back to the hotel.

 This was just like that night in Moscow. It was like starting from scratch. There was no hint of sadness, anger or grudges towards him in her body at that moment. He led her to his room, an even better suite, with a bigger balcony and a better view.

 -          There is something about a city at night – Anastasia started to say.

-          There is something about a city at night with the perfect company – Josh said and pulled her to him again – I could never forget you and I could never forget the way you made me feel.

-          Me neither…

 Anastasia couldn’t finish saying anything because Josh started to kiss her. It was like the kiss he gave her at the birthday party, tender but passionate. His hands were dancing trough her back, like discovering places, and she was caressing his head and neck, running her fingers through his hair like she used to do. He stopped, took off her jacket and led her to his bedroom. It was crazy but she was sure about this, she wanted it so bad and she could tell he wanted it too.

She took off his black hoodie and sat him on the bed, while she, on top, kissed him fiercely this time. He was treating her sweetly, like she was some china doll to take care off with delicacy. Without even noticing, the two were naked on the bed kissing each other like there wasn’t a world outside those four walls.

 -          I swear that our bodies could be skin to skin and I could still pull you closer – Josh said to her while gasping for air.

 And that was it, she didn’t need anything more from him to surrender that night, in that bed, to the man she loved. She promised she wasn’t going to fall again but when two people are connected by the Universe, it doesn’t matter if they aren’t in a relationship with each other, if that connection is strong enough they will always find a way to be together and Anastasia and Josh’s connection was the strongest of all.

After splurging love in that Venetian room, Anastasia fell asleep with her head on Josh’s chest. He was hugging her with both arms, as if he didn’t want to let her go. She felt safe, she felt loved and she didn’t need anything else in the world, at that moment.

She woke up the next morning with the sun hitting her face, it took a few minutes to properly open her eyes and focus her sight. She realized Josh wasn’t in bed, so she tried to get up, using the sheets to cover herself.

 -          Where are you going? – Josh said appearing through the door with a platter on his hands – Don’t move because this morning the breakfast is in bed.

-          Are you real? – She said smiling – Did last night really happen?

-          I hope so, ‘cuz I hadn’t felt this great in a long time – Josh said leaving the platter next to her. She instinctively took a strawberry from a small blue plate.

-          Oh my God, this is so good – She said after giving a bite. Josh laughed after sipping from his orange juice.

-          The guys planned a lunch for everyone, so I can imagine you’re going to your room to get ready.

-          Yes – She said looking into his eyes – But I’ll stay here a little longer, if that’s okay.

-          That is perfect – Josh said smiling and gave her a long kiss.

Read chapter 31