#LOVE how syd gets shipped w everyone. the power

[theastrophilearchitect]

February 2021 wrap-up.

Every book, audiobook, tv show and movie I consumed in February.

The phrase ‘wrap-up’ is so boring. I want to talk about books, TV shows and movies, so I can’t even call it a ‘reading wrap-up’, however pleasingly alliterative that sounds despite the fact that ‘wrap’ actually begins with a W. One of my favourite YouTubers, polandbananasBOOKS (that capitalisation is loud) calls her wrap-ups ‘Stories I Ate This Month’ which I love, but using exactly that seems wrong. I genuinely debated calling this ‘My Media Diet’, but the word ‘diet’ has so many negative connotations to me, so I dropped that. Besides ‘wrap-up’ all in lowercase followed by a full stop is aesthetically pleasing.

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (audiobook) I’ve read this series countless times. I read the series first time through six years ago, and, after finishing it, I just kept rereading it during silent reading time at school, so God only knows how many times I’ve read it at this point. This is actually the second time I’ve listened to this audiobook, and I still, of course, love it. When I first read it, this book stuck with me. It was the first teen book I ever read and, most unfortunately, put me into a dystopian phase. However, we got over that. I’m good now. I promise.

You know what this is about, but here it is anyway: in a dystopian future (of literally just North America, it never mentions what’s happening anywhere else), a country called Panem (literally the whole of North America) is divided into the luxurious, utopian Capitol, and thirteen districts, all of which gather or produce something for the Capitol. Some of the districts live in poverty, while others are afforded some luxuries but nowhere near those of the Capitol. It never really explains how this system came to be, but then there was a rebellion against the Capitol in which District Thirteen was destroyed, and every year two teenagers from each district are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games, where twenty-four tributes are put in an arena together to fight to the death, and the last person standing emerges victorious. It feels so strange to talk about the basic premise of this book without going into the rest of the trilogy, but I’ll leave it here.

I hate how the media washes this book out and plays it off as just another love triangle, which it barely even is. It has such an important message about society, and the fact that the media does that just proves how accurate it is. I can’t believe when I first read it I was actually Team Gale, but in truth I think that was just because I liked Liam Hemsworth better than Josh Hutcherson, which I still do, but not the point. Anyway, the narrator is excellent.

I’m not giving these booksa rating, both because it’s a reread and I like to base ratings off my initial opinion, and because the first time I read this book I was literally a small child, and part of my love is the nostalgia.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by VE Schwab

This was the first book I read with my eyes this month, and I ended up getting the ebook because it was just so much cheaper than getting a physical copy - I may have invested if I loved the UK cover as much as the US, I’m ashamed to say (above is UK). It was not what I was expecting.

This book was much more contemplation-heavy than I was expecting and actually very light on plot. In 1714, Adeline LaRue runs away from her wedding and prays to Gods, wishing to be free, and is answered by the darkness, who makes her a deal: he grants her immortality, and she promises him her soul when she doesn’t want it anymore. He, wanting her soul, twistedly grants her freedom by cursing her to be forgotten by everyone she ever meets. Three hundred years later, she meets someone who remembers her.

It’s really about life, freedom and time - there’s no direct message or moral, at least not that I picked up on, but it really makes you think. I do enjoy that in a book, but not as much as one where i just love the story. I generally prefer books where I’m rooting for the characters, and it’s full of ships - the kind of stories you would write fanfiction about, but this is the kind of book that I think will stick with me. I take issue with how cliché the ending was, though.

Anyway, I’m not actually sure how I want to rate this. As a British teenager, I’m not actually that familiar with lettered ratings, and I don’t really want to use stars, but I think I’m going to suck it up. Maybe I’ll think of something else eventually.

Rating: 4.5 stars - books that get five stars from me are generally based on the enjoyment factor, but this book deserved more than four.

Arrow Season 1

I’ve been semi-interested in the Arrowverse/DC TV universe for a while, and finally took the opportunity to delve in. This show is so insanely CW - everyone has that look, it has that tone and it takes itself way too seriously. By the 23rd time you’re hearing it, the recap becomes painful to listen to.

This was the first show in DC’s saga - the show picks up as Oliver Queen returns home from being stranded on an island for five years after a cruise ship sank. When the ship went down, his billionaire father sacrificed himself to save Oliver, and left him with a list of ‘the people poisoning [his] city’. Upon returning home, Oliver becomes the vigilante who will eventually become known as ‘Arrow’ or ‘Green Arrow’ (currently unclear; I’m not a comic book person) but is currently dubbed just ‘the Hood’ or ‘the vigilante’, with the goal of taking down the people on the list. It’s very intense.

It took me about ten episodes to actually get invested - which is nearly seven hours watch time - but, ultimately, I’m glad that I did. Aside from the excessive CW-ness of this show, I love the characters and I want to see what happens.

Still, why is everyone so obsesses with Laurel? What’s so great about Laurel? I don’t get it. Felicity is 10000% the best character - she’s relatable, cute, and I high-key ship her with Oliver.

This little rant of mine was unintelligible.

Rating: 4 stars

Guardians of the Galaxy

I’m not explaining what this movie is about. Honestly. This was just a rewatch: I’m currently rewatching every MCU movie in chronological order (as in, starting with Captain America: The First Avenger instead of Iron Man). For every TV season I finish, I watch a a movie, and I alternate between movie series, one of which is, at the moment, MCU films. It’s hard for me to briefly explain my weird watching patterns.

I love this movie so much. It was the first really upbeat MCU movie, and I love the characters.

I don’t really have much to say about this, but if you haven’t watched MCU movies, please watch them. Even if you don’t want to, this movie is absolutely worth watching and you don’t need to watch any other MCU movies for context.

I Am Not Okay With This Season 1

I’m reeling from this show. I literally can’t tell whether or not this is getting a second season; it seems like it was meant to, but then got cancelled, and now I can’t tell.

This show follows a high school student named Sydney. She’s your typical outcast, and isn’t interested in getting ‘in’ - she’s best friends with a girl named Dina; they both came to their school around the same time and ended up friends, though Dina is your typical pretty girl. Then Syd discovers she has powers that operate based on her emotions, and I really don’t want to say anything else. But it does star Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff, who you likely know as two of the kids in IT (the clown movie, not like computing).

Honestly, episodes 1-6 were very chill, more focused on teenage life than her powers, then episode 7 brought it. Up until the end of episode 7, I enjoyed the show and would be happy to watch a second season, but I wasn’t particularly invested or excited by it. Then episode 7. I would love a second season of this show. I have to at least know where the writers were going with it.

This show came out last year, and I only just got to it, but I can’t believe I haven’t heard anybody talking about it. It’s intense, it’s entertaining, and the first season will only take up about two and a half hours of your time (it’s seven 19-28 minute episodes).

Rating: 4 stars

Blue Lily, Lily Blue and The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

I listened to The Raven Cycle audiobooks in 2019, and I’m not sure why because I didn’t even enjoy them that much. I did, however, decide I wanted to read Call Down the Hawk, the first book in the spin-off series, and that meant I had to reread The Raven Cycle since I had paid so little attention to the audiobooks, which I started in January and I love this series. Not what I expected from a reread of a series I paid virtually no attention to, but here we are.

This is book 3 in The Raven Cycle series, book 1 being The Raven Boys, which is a paranormal book in which the protagonist Blue, is the only non-psychic in a family of psychics, and has been told her whole life that if she kisses her true love, she will kill him. Then, on St Somebody’s Eve (Mark’s? I want to say Mark’s but I’m not sure), when she goes with her aunt to see the spirits of the people who will die in the next year, she sees one of the spirits, a boy from Aglionby Academy, the local private school, meaning he is either her true love, or she is the one who kills him, which in her case, could very much be both. Then that boy schedules a reading with her psychic family to help him find an old Welsh king, and there is so much more than that to this glorious series, but I’ll stop here.

I think my main thing in books and general media is the characters. They have to follow some kind of sensible plot, but if I’m not invested in the characters, I can’t get invested in the story. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever been so in love with a cast of characters, not even in Six of Crows - this story is so character-driven, and I can’t get enough. This was an excellent continuation, and so much happened, but it did feel like its purpose was just to set up the final book, so I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the previous two.

Rating: 4 stars

As for The Raven King - this was the last book I read this month, finishing it on the morning of the 27th because I knew I would have very little reading time from mid-afternoon until twenty-four hours later.

In complete honesty, I found the climax of this book to be a little rushed - we spend the whole series aware that Gansey’s looking for Glendower, but it never seems to be more prevalent than just their general investigations as to what the hell is happening. As a result, when it came to that in this book, it felt a little out of the blue (no pun intended).

Regardless, this series so well balances strong characters and strong plot where so many others fail, and I love it.

Rating: 5 stars

Fate: The Winx Saga Season 1

This show is a live-action rated-15 Netflix adaptation of one of my favourite childhood shows, Winx Club. And, honestly, you can tell.

I tried to watch this objectively, instead of complaining about how they cut some of my favourite characters and changed so many (Tecna, Riven, Beatrix, Stella, Brandon etc.). While I was upset about some of the cuts, I can agree that they were best for the story. Where in the original, every fairy had their own unique powers, this adaptation splits it into five elements: fire (Bloom), water (Aisha - on another note, screw Aisha, honestly), air (Beatrix), earth (Terra) and mind (Musa), though Stella still has light powers? Which is never explained?

Anyway, this follows teenage Bloom as she discovers she’s a fairy and goes through her first year at a fairy school called Alfea.

I’m not going to go too deep into this because I have so much to say about this show that i think I’m going to make a whole separate review rather than bore you with it now. 

Quality-wise, this show was mediocre, but enjoyment and nostalgia raise its rating for me because I’m biased.

Rating: 4 stars

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

This is both Bardugo’s first adult novel and her first novel not set in the Grishaverse. I read the Grisha trilogy for the first time years ago and didn’t like it that much, but followed that right up with the Six of Crows duology which I loved. I read King of Scars in 2019 when it came out, and started listening to the King of Scars audiobook just before I started reading this in preparation for Rule of Wolves at the end of March.

I loved this. I don’t think I have anything to criticise quality-wise - the characters had depth, there were plot twists and strong subplots, the world was incredibly well built, and the only thing that got me to put this book down was taking a week to start working on my own writing project (post coming soon). Because I took that week completely off reading, this book took me about two weeks total from start to finish, but it was so worth it.

This novel follows Alex Stern, a twenty-year-old whose friends have all been murdered. She was found beside one of them who died of a overdose, with the same drug in her system. But Alex can see ghosts, and, soon after her friends’ deaths, is consequently offered a scholarship to Yale University, on the condition that she works for the ninth House of the Veil to monitor the activities of Yale’s secret societies.

In complete candour, I found this book somewhat convoluted, though most of that was probably mainly my own poor reading comprehension. Regardless, I loved the plot, and am very highly anticipating the eventual release of its as-of-yet unnamed sequel.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

So I actually finished this audiobook briefly after finishing Blue Lily, Lily Blue, but I’m tacking it on here because I forgot to add it to the list and already explained my Grishaverse experience in my Ninth House comments.

So, yes, I love this duology, and it really opened a new compartment in my writing brain, even though I haven’t really taken advantage of that writing brain until now (again, post coming soon).

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

I am realising I’ve read eight books this month, and nearly half of them were by Leigh Bardugo. Which makes sense, considering how much I enjoy her books.

This book is slower-paced than most of hers, but it does follow two (one of which splits again) completely separate storylines, and is still excellent and entertaining.

I listened to this for a recap before Rule of Wolves is released on March 30th.

[thereluctantherosrose]

"Tell me" prompt for Joker and Fem Shep please? ^w^

Tell Me - Joker x FShepard

Leave a “Tell Me” in my ask, and I’ll write a drabble about one character confessing something to another [be it a love confession, a secret, feel free to specify.]

So since you said FemShep I’m going to use my femShep if you don’t mind lol I might do some more editing tommorow…I’m kinda rusty with writing lol 

Cerberus had rebuilt her from nothing more than a slab of meat. A bloody terrorist organization by all accounts. She growled in frustration as she thought about it, and leaned forward to rest her hands on her desk.  The raven haired woman could feel her biotics flaring up slightly, emitting a light blue glow. She hated Cerberus but she knew that they were in the right in this situation. Human colonists were going missing left and right and no one seemed to want to do a damned thing, not even the damned Alliance. It frustrated her beyond belief that they were so blinded.

“Damned Alliance…damned Council..” she muttered.

Sydney Shepard. Saviour of the Citadel was now looked down upon as some sort of criminal. Even though she had the Council’s support, she could see in their eyes that they didn’t fully trust her, despite the fact that she had saved their sorry asses from ultimate doom. Had it been any of their people who were being taken, an investigation would have been conducted immediately. Despite the progress that humanity had made, they were still seen as second grade. Now she was forced to surround herself by strangers, on a mere replica of the original Normandy. It wasn’t the same. To top it off it brought up painful memories she would have rather have forgotten.

Yet still one thing did remain. Joker. Well two, given that Chakwas was also there as well. Shepard considered Chakwas to be like a mother to her. Still, Joker had become her best friend throughout the time they spent together on the Normandy. He provided that extra kick that she needed. He didn’t sugar coat things or kiss up to her as many others had tried to. It was a breath of fresh air. If she only had Chambers to talk to, she might have considered throwing herself out the airlock to escape. Yet every time she thought of her pilot, her heart seemed to fasten it’s pace no matter how hard she tried to calm it. He never failed to put a smile on her face.

-

EDI’s voice broke through her reverie and made her slightly jump in surprise.

“Commander, Jeff Moreau requests to enter your quarters”

“Oh…Let him in EDI.” she put down her datapad as Jeff hobbled through the door.

“Heyyyy Commander. Wow…Nice… place” he looked around at the commander’s quarters. It was pretty spacious and pretty fancy with the fish tank built into it. Though where the hell were the fish? He wondered. Kinda creepy.

Sydney smiled “It is pretty nice huh? Definitely an improvement from the drab Alliance bunk I was given back in the old Normandy….But I swear if I find cameras around this room I’m out”

Joker let out a snort and smirked “Wouldn’t that be something…Get you here just to make a Commander Shepard porno. Though that would be pretty stupid��� I doubt they would want to piss off a powerful biotic while in a ship…You’d tear them apart…Possibly the ship with it…But please don’t wreck my baby. She fits me like a glove”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms around her chest. “I won’t mess with your baby. Though I can’t promise I won’t be using the airlock to dispose of some garbage at some point…especially a certain redhead…”

“Welp, just make sure the bodies don’t hit the Normandy. Blood stains are a bitch to get out”

Jeff watched her as she smiled and giggled. To him it was the most beautiful thing in the world. He felt cheesy for even thinking about it, but he couldn’t help it. For two years that smile had haunted his dreams. It was his fault that she had died, and that now they were in this position. He knew she didn’t like this, but knew it was necessary.

When he had found out that Syd was alive, he hadn’t believed it. He had thought that someone was playing a very cruel joke on him and he had the urge to punch them in the face. Mind you, he’d probably break his arm, but it would have been worth it for the level of assholery it would have taken to make a joke like that. He was an ass but even he wouldn’t go that far. He had even yelled at Miranda when she first brought the information to him. Jeff hardly ever got angry enough to yell, but he had felt broken at that point. He felt like he had lost everything.

When he saw her face in person for the first time after he revival, seeing the joy written on her face when she saw him, he was awestruck. It really had been her, and not only that, but she wasn’t angry with him? It almost seemed too good to be true, but there it was. He still believed he deserved her anger. If he hadn’t have been so stubborn they would have both made it out alive.

“Jeff…?” her soft voice called out to him, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Are you alright?”

“Oh uh…ya uh…sorry…Just thinking…”

“Try not to hurt yourself with that” she smirked.

“Har har har”

“Really though…what’s on your mind?” she tilted her head, watching him curiously. Her soft brown hues staring into his with concern. She always had been a great listener, never judging him. Well, much. She knew what he really needed, even if it was silent support with just sitting near him. He loved that she never pitied him. He had grown so accustomed to people being assholes that he had come to expect it from everyone. Got to shield himself somehow. Why not with sarcasm and humour?

“I just…Shit…I’m not good with this crap but uh…I need to come out with it…Why aren’t you angry with me? Or even hit me for crying out loud. Why?”

“Hit you…? Why would I do that..?” she said with a confused look spread across her face.

“Because..you know…everything that’s happened…I was…I was a stubborn ass and didn’t leave the Normandy when I should’ve and I got you killed. That’s why. To me you should have biotically wrecked my ass the moment you came back…” he frowned and looked away. He never stopped blaming himself and went many a night with thoughts swirling in his head and his heart hurting from the guilt. He had wished that it had been him that went down with the ship that day. He was replaceable. She was not.

A soft hand caressed his face gently and turned his face to look at her, her eyes filled with hurt that he would feel this way.

“Jeff…please don’t ever say that…You don’t deserve pain…I would go through that a thousand times to save you…You matter Jeff…”

“Pfft I’m no Commander Shepard. I’m just some Cripple Pilot who happened to impress a few people. Nothing special…”

A slight frown spread across her face and she flicked his nose.

“Oi! What was that for?” he looked at her in confusion.

“For being a donut” she skipped over to her bed and sat down, thinking that it’d probably be more comfortable for him there. Patting the spot beside her, she waits to speak more until he is sat down beside her. “You know I couldn’t have gotten through this without you right? All those times where we were in a tough spot and you made the impossible getaways? That was all you. You made the absolute impossible drop on freaking Ilos! It wasn’t even supposed to be possible! But you did it and made it possible for us to get there and therefore defeat Saren. You were also the one who did alot of work to take out Sovereign. Any other ship would’ve been destroyed by something like that. So don’t you say that you are nothing alright? That’s just bullshit”

He stared at her for a moment, blinking his eyes slightly in disbelief at the level of praise he was receiving from her. Sure, he knew that she thought highly of him, but she said it with such passion and determination that warmed his heart.

His eyes were slightly damp, holding back the tears that threaten to spill. This woman in front of him seem to care so much about him, and truly believed in him. There was no form of pity or deceit in her eyes. All that was there was admiration and a sadness that he would speak so lowly of himself.

“But…I..I’m just…”

“Just what?” she pouted “Just the best damn pilot in the damn galaxy? Just the most sarcastic and witty man I have ever met? Just the man that I love–” she looked shocked that she had made such a revelation, but there was no question that she truly felt that way. “That I love…” she whispered once again, no hesitation in her voice.

Leaning in slowly, she tested the waters with a small chaste kiss to his lips. It was a small, quick kiss, but it still made her feel a slight tingle in her body. When she pulled back, her chocolate orbs searched his for any sense of hesitation or indication that she had made a mistake. Yet soon the pilot himself wrapped his arms gently around her waist to bring her closer, claiming her lips with his in a sweet and tender kiss that made her feel as if her whole body was a live wire. The beating of their hearts synchronized as they held each other, while they tasted each other and while they melded with one another. With eyes closed they took in the pleasure of their other senses and the warmth that radiated from the other. Jeff could feel the slight tingle of her biotics flaring, but not an uncomfortable feeling, but rather a comfortable warmth that encompassed him. It was a feeling he was unfamiliar with, but could definitely get used to.

It was hard to believe that the great Commander Shepard could be so gentle when she literally could kick a krogan into the sky. She was badass, beautiful, kind and just absolutely amazing to him.

When they pulled back from each other, they stared into each other’s eyes, an incredulous look on both of their faces. Neither one could believe what just happened, yet no regret was present. A bright smile dawned on her face, one that made Joker’s heart leap and his eyes wandered around her face which was surrounded by her dark raven locks which cascaded down her back. He admired her deep rich brown eyes, that held fire and life within them, her cheeks decorated with a soft pink of blush and soft tiny freckles across her cheek bones. Normally he’d have something to say, whether it was a joke, sarcastic remark or just plain old rambling, but in this moment he was completely speechless.

Noticing his lingering gaze upon her she giggled shyly and rested her forehead to his chest to hide the ever growing blush. The commander shy? Jeff had never seen her in such a state.

“So cute…” he muttered under his breath at the shy display that his normally confident boss was now showing. It made him feel good that she trusted him enough to show her more vulnerable side.

“Don’t…tease me…That’s an order…” she grumbled, still hiding her face but slightly peaked up at him.

“Sorry Commander…gonna have to disobey…You can punish me later all you want. However you want~~” he slightly purred and gave her a devious wink.

“You!! You are incorrigible!” she laughed.

“But you love me!” he wiggled his eyebrows.

She shook her head with a smile “Yes…yes I do…” the short female looked up at him with a soft gaze.

“I love you too…” he said in a soft voice before he kissed her softly once again. “But…what about my…condition? You don’t mind?”

A gentle hand made its way to his bearded cheek. “Have I ever given the slightest indication that I minded?”

“Well no…but people tend to ya know. Save it for behind people’s backs. People just looveeee to gossip” he rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

“Well…I’m not those people. Your condition doesn’t define who you are. It means you have to be more careful but it doesn’t make you weak. You make the best of your condition and have surpassed those without your circumstances…And even if you hadn’t…you are you…And..I fell for the man… not your abilities…Sorry if that uh…sounded cheesy or anything…I uh…I’m a bit of a dork…”

“Nooooooo really?” he rolled his eyes but then faced her scowl. Normally her scowl would’ve been terrifying, but in this moment she looked more like an angry little chipmunk, which only made him laugh harder. “I’m kidding I’m kidding. Don’t hurt me. I’m fragile” He put his hands up in surrender.

“Hmmm…fine…but on one condition”

“Oh? Making demands huh? Everyone alwayssss wants somethin don’t they. What is it, babe?” he smirked.

“Well uh…ilovelotsofhugsok”

“What was that, m’am? Didn’t quite catch that”

“Hug me dammit!”

He let out the heartiest laugh ever before wrapping his arms around her. “I guess that can be arranged…”

A few minutes of peaceful silence fell upon them before Joker broke the silence once again.

“You know…This could be considered abuse of power…”

“Shut up, Moreau. You’re ruining the moment” she flicked his forehead.

Silence.

“You don’t do this with everyone to get hugs do you?”

“No you dummy”

……….

“Not even Chambers”

“Jeff”

“Right. Shutting up…Now…”