#Wright Street 4 Life

[rhythm86radio]

Big Tone WrightSt Drops 10 Song Project “Wright Street 4 Life”

Big Tone WrightSt Drops 10 Song Project “Wright Street 4 Life”

Putting on for Milwaukee is one of the city’s most talent up and coming rappers, Big Tone WrightSt. To continue his strong 2022 campaign, the hip hop talent just released his new 10-song project on October 23rd titled “Wright Street 4 Life.” [embedded content] Known for his passion and versatility, Big Tone WrightSt offers fans just that and more on the new LP. The opening track “Made For It”…

[laurelwen]

Home Is the First Grave Web Weave

[Like Minds Aesthetic Masterpost]]

SOURCES 1: thoughts of a stray iii, @dvoyd // 2: unknown // 3: unknown // 4: What I Could Never Confess Without Some Bravado, Emily Palermo // The Pianist, Valeriya Lakrisenko // 6: Untitled, Franz Wright // 7: Poplar Street, Chen Chen // 8: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong // 9: Artificial Condition, Martha Wells // 10: Celebrating Childhood, Adonis // 11: How to Cure a Ghost, Fariha Roisin // 12: Mouthful of Forevers, Clementine von Radics // 13: it lingers for your whole life, katie maria //The Chaos Within detail, Seanen Middleton // 15: Origin Story, Desireé Dallagiacomo // 16: Girl Made of Glass, Shelby Leigh // 17: Stop Me, Natalia Kills // The Hours, Michael Cunningham // 18: unknown // 19: The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt // 20: Anna Kamienska // 21: If They Come For Us, Fatimah Asghar

[fantasyescapes17]

Wings (Part 3)

Your debut in society was as spectacular as one could be, but nobody had prepared you for what came afterward. When you find yourself overwhelmed during your very first season and unable to keep up with the rat race to secure yourself an eligible husband, a curious mentor appears- in the form of notorious flirt and self-proclaimed rake, Mr. Kim Mingyu.

Genre: Mingyu x Female!reader. Regency!AU. You are Jeonghan's sibling so your last name is Yoon but the reader has no other physical characteristics.

Warnings: Discussions of social anxiety, kinda sleazy Baron, smoking (don't smoke kids, the characters in this story are from a time when they didn't know how bad it was for their health)

Word Count: 6.1k+

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4 Part 5

Series Masterlist [You WILL need to read Patience, the earlier installment in this series first in order to understand the character dynamics in this story. Reading Candle before this is also strongly recommended.]

You were determined that the Hessington's ball would be your grand societal redemption. 

You spent most of Saturday preparing yourself physically and mentally for the evening ahead. Mr. Kim had written out a list of potential conversation starters, compliments, and other helpful notes and tips for you to practise with. You read and memorised his notes thoroughly. Mr. Kim's bold penmanship had almost become more familiar to you than your own handwriting. 

Your first foray into London society had been clumsy and poorly thought through. But you were reborn, you had learned from your mistakes, and you could not possibly be more prepared. 

Of course, there was one small aspect of your life that no amount of preparation could ever help you overcome.

"I insist on continuing to chaperone you myself," your mother announced firmly. 

You bit your lip. "Mother, there is really no need-"

"There is every need," she said. The carriage rolled down the street towards the Hessingtons' manor with only the two of you in it. Your brother and sister-in-law would be attending the ball but to avoid your mother's ire, they rode in a separate carriage. 

"Jeonghan is very well suited to make introductions for me to the eligible gentlemen," you protested weakly.

"I will not hear of it. Why should I trust that man to find you a good husband? He certainly did nothing useful for your elder sister. Now, I have heard that Baron Wright is on the lookout for a bride. He was courting Miss Hong earlier, but naturally she ruined herself so he is very much available."

You blinked. You had heard of Miss Hong's misfortunes from your sister-in-law. 

"Was he not the one who spread the rumours that ruined Miss Hong?" you demanded. 

Your mother frowned. "And why should that matter?"

You were silent. It was no use arguing with your mother. She always had to have the last word and frankly, it was easier to simply let her have it. 

The carriage rolled to a stop and you took a deep breath as you descended. The familiar nerves and anxiety in your chest slowly began to build when you saw the number of fashionable people walking towards the entrance. 

"Don't lean on your left leg so much," your mother hissed in your ear. She had seized your arm in a painfully tight grip. "If you limp, people will ask questions. Stand straight."

Your mother's death grip on your arm was not helping your breathing. You forced a smile on your face as the Hessingtons welcomed you at the entrance of the manor. Their ballroom was smaller than the Grahams' and consequently felt less intimidating but more suffocating. 

Your mother's fingers dug harder into your arm. 

"You look flustered," she hissed again. "People will notice. Relax and smile prettily, not as though someone is forcefully pulling your cheeks apart."

Your chest felt tighter and tighter. 

"I am trying-"

"Miss Yoon! Mrs. Yoon!" a gentleman's voice greeted you loudly. 

It would be an understatement to say that relief flooded through every single cell of your body at the sound of Mr. Kim Mingyu's voice. His deep voice and charming smile was to you what a lifeboat would be to a man drowning at sea. Your shoulders relaxed and you beamed up at your handsome saviour. 

"Mr. Kim," your mother greeted him with a simpering smile. "How lovely to see you."

He nodded politely at your mother. "And you, madam. But I confess nothing can be more lovely than seeing your daughter. May I have the pleasure of your first dance, Miss Yoon?"

You did not give your mother the opportunity to interfere. You instantly placed your hand in his. 

"Of course, Mr. Kim."

He smiled and whisked you away from your mother just in time to join the dancing that was about to begin. Mr. Kim was a considerate dancer. You allowed him to take the lead and he leaned closer to speak to you in a hushed tone. 

"Not a great start to the evening?" Mr. Kim asked you gently. "You already look a little worried."

"My mother is not helping," you admitted with a sigh. "With her chaperoning me, I have a real voice in my ear to criticise me in addition to the one inside my head."

"I consider it my duty to help you silence both voices," he replied with a grin. 

"We may be able to silence the one in my head yet, but my mother? She is beyond even your capabilities, Mr. Kim," you teased him. 

Mr. Kim looked playfully affronted. "Do you think I am unfamiliar with your mother? You forget that I have years of experience orchestrating your sister's social appearances. Indeed, I am one of the few men responsible for preventing your mother from making her a match. I shall be very disappointed if your sister and Seungcheol do not have a special mention for me at their wedding reception."

You giggled. "Perhaps they will. But I hope you will not employ the same tactics with me. We are not aiming to ruin my prospects. I intend to find my husband."

"We can find you a husband while also keeping your mother away from you."

"An ambitious goal. If you can achieve it, then you shall certainly have a special mention at my wedding reception," you promised him. 

Mr. Kim grinned down at you. 

"I have a certain magical touch when it comes to these matters," he replied. "Look! It is your first dance at tonight's ball and you are already dancing marvellously and having a normal conversation with me. I dare say you look almost confident, my dear Miss Yoon."

You stared up at him. While wrapped up in Mr. Kim's smooth words and following his comfortable lead, you had almost forgotten that you were in the middle of a crowded ballroom with people watching your every move.

"I feel relaxed with you," you admitted. "But I must replicate this success with other gentlemen before I can congratulate myself."

"I promise you shall. Now; our dance will come to an end soon, and I think it is important that we choose your next dance partner carefully to prevent any relapses."

You glanced around the room nervously. "I think my mother may expect me to dance with Baron Wright this evening. She was talking about him earlier."

Mr. Kim's eyes widened. "Terrible idea. I think you should start with someone simpler- allow me to make the necessary introductions. Mr. Wen Junhui is a businessman and he travels frequently in Asia with his business partner, Mr. Xu. He delights in talking about his travels. If you can only ask him a few polite questions about them, he will talk about them long enough to keep you occupied for the entire dance."

You took a deep breath. The idea of dancing with anyone other than Mr. Kim was nerve-wracking but you had to do it. You trusted him; his advice had not failed you so far. 

The dance came to an end and you followed Mr. Kim off the dance floor. He swiftly and expertly led you away from your waiting mother and towards a pair of gentlemen that stood near a refreshment table. 

"Mr. Wen! Allow me to introduce you to Miss Yoon. She is the youngest sister of Mr. Yoon Jeonghan and I have taken it upon myself to find her next dance partner," Mr. Kim said brightly. 

Mr. Wen was a handsome man with a friendly countenance. 

"It would be an honour to have your next dance, Miss Yoon," he said. 

You accepted his hand nervously. It was not as easy as it had been with Mr. Kim, and it was difficult not to let the nerves overwhelm you. You noticed Mr. Kim watching you carefully from the corner of your eye. He gave you an encouraging smile. 

You can do this.

You had to give Mr. Kim credit where it was due. He had a knack for these things, and Mr. Wen proved to be a perfectly safe choice for your first dance partner. Junhui was an exceptional dancer and enjoyed talking about his travels in Asia. 

You only really had to smile and nod through the dance. Mr. Wen spent most of it excitedly telling you about some exotic dance performances he had witnessed while touring Japan and a safari where he had seen lions and elephants up close. He did try to politely ask you about yourself, which was the only brief moment when you sensed that the conversation was entering dangerous territory. 

Mr. Kim was watching closely from the corner of the ballroom and you remembered the notes he had prepared for you. You took a deep breath and used some of his clever one-liners, carefully placing the conversational ball back in Mr. Wen's court so that you did not have to keep it going. 

"Thank you, Miss Yoon," Mr. Wen said once you finished the dance. "That was a wonderful dance."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Wen. I enjoyed it as well."

He left. You were so thrilled by your success that you simply stood alone for a moment and revelled in your achievement. You had done it. You had made it through an entire dance with a gentleman without stumbling, stuttering, or making a faux pas. 

This was, in comparison to your first ball, a resounding success. 

"You seem pleased," Mr. Kim remarked with a grin as strode up to you. "I presume that went well?"

"It went excellently," you gushed. "You were right. I did not need to worry so much about the conversation, as long as I knew the right words to encourage him to do most of the speaking. And since the conversation was flowing smoothly I only needed to focus on my dancing."

"No dangerous thoughts?"

"No dangerous thoughts," you confirmed happily. 

Mr. Kim opened his mouth to respond but he was interrupted by the arrival of your mother. The mere sight of her caused your smile to fall and the situation was worsened by the fact that she was accompanied by a tall and imposing-looking man. 

"My dear!" your mother gushed. "You must come see who has asked to be introduced to you- Baron Wright himself!"

Baron Wright's eyes landed on yours. He reached for your hand and lifted it to your lips in a way that made your skin crawl. "Miss Yoon," he said silkily. "It is a delight to make your acquaintance. I have heard so much about you. You are certainly this season's most awaited debutante."

His words were somewhat familiar and you realised that you had heard them before- in your own voice, reading them out in front of a mirror from Mr. Kim's notes. 

You forced a smile. "Thank you, Baron Wright."

"May I have the pleasure of the next dance-"

Mr. Kim interrupted him with a polite  smile that did not reach his hard eyes. "I am afraid that pleasure already belongs to me, Baron Wright. Miss Yoon has promised this dance to me."

Baron Wright's smile faltered. "I believe you have already danced with Miss Yoon once this evening."

"And I intend to dance with her again."

"Then perhaps the next-"

Mr. Kim cut him off rudely and extended his hand to you. "Come, Miss Yoon, the music is beginning."

You were wide-eyed and numb from the shocking encounter. Mr. Kim whisked you away quickly for another dance and you looked up at him in shock. "Mr. Kim! How could you be so rude to a Baron?" you demanded in a hushed tone. 

Mr. Kim raised an eyebrow. "Was I?"

"Exceedingly so?"

"Good. I have the displeasure of knowing Baron Wright better than I'd like. A man who maliciously ruins the lives of others is not one whom I care to be polite to."

Your voice softened. "Oh yes; my sister-in-law mentioned that you were good friends with Mr. Jeon Wonwoo. I imagine you were part of the group of gentlemen who attempted to prevent Baron Wright from creating the scandal."

"I was," Mr. Kim's voice was hard. "He was rude and unreasonable. Viscount Hong offered him a tremendous sum of money but the Baron insisted on spreading the rumour anyway."

You swallowed. "But my mother is quite set on him."

"I am sure you will be able to manage even the likes of Baron Wright soon enough," Mr. Kim told you gently. His dark gaze softened as he looked down at you. "But for now, I would recommend that we keep him at a distance."

"Understood. Thank you."

As you danced, Mr. Kim told you more about how Baron Wright had single-handedly ruined the lives of both Mr. Jeon Wonwoo and Miss Hong by spreading a rumour that they had been caught in a compromising position at the Duchess’ ball. The pair had been forced to enter into a loveless marriage and leave London due to the scandal. You could tell from Mr. Kim’s tone that the story pained him. He evidently cared greatly for Mr. Jeon and worried about him. 

“It is such a horrible thing to hear about,” you admitted with a sigh. “I am shocked that Miss Hong was strong enough to bear it. To be caught in a scandal would be my worst nightmare.” 

Mr. Kim sighed. “Indeed; the irony of the situation is that they were not even lovers at all.” 

“Would it have made a difference if they were?” 

“If they had truly been lovers then they would not have gotten caught in a compromising position so easily,” Mr. Kim told you with a chuckle. “Wonwoo’s lack of experience and intent was his undoing. If he had truly wanted some time alone with a paramour then I would have been glad to point out a hundred different places he could have done so without being caught.” 

You raised an eyebrow at him. “And you are the resident expert in such matters?” 

He grinned mischievously. “Surely you have not forgotten that I am a rake? I know I often act like a gentleman but really, Miss Yoon, you should not allow my charming manners to fool you.”

“I think,” you said thoughtfully as you looked up at the man in front of you. “You are a gentleman who acts like a rake, and not a rake who acts like a gentleman.”  

“Is there a difference?” 

“I believe so.” 

Mr. Kim seemed content with your assessment. You observed that while he was not frivolous by any means, he seemed to take everything that people said about him in a light-hearted spirit. The dance came to an end and you were approached by your sister-in-law. Mr. Kim greeted her warmly before moving away to converse with Jeonghan. 

Your sister-in-law took your arm and pulled you aside. She was smiling. 

“You seem to be almost a different person than you were last week,” she told you brightly. “You are glowing.” 

You pressed your gloved hand to your cheek, embarrassed. “Am I?” 

“You are. You looked beautiful dancing with Mr. Kim earlier. I don’t think I have ever even seen you smile so brightly! It was certainly very different from your dance at the Duchess’ ball. Mrs. Patty and all those old crones were talking about how you were the belle of the ball and I even heard a few gentlemen say that they could not wait for their turn to dance with you.” 

It was high praise indeed. You tried to stay calm. 

You bit your lip and nodded. “I think the credit goes to Mr. Kim. I am not sure why, but I feel entirely comfortable in his presence. He seems to understand me very well."

Your sister-in-law's smile stiffened a little. "You seem to have grown quite close with him."

"Perhaps I have."

"Are you in love with him?"

Your eyes widened at the sudden question. "No!" was your immediate answer, before you paused to actually consider it. You glanced at Mr. Kim out of the corner of your eye. "At least, I do not think so. I do trust him but that is partly because you trust him. And as I mentioned before, I feel quite relaxed and comfortable with him unlike with other gentlemen."

She nodded. "I see."

"Do you think I am in love with him?" you asked anxiously. "Did you feel comfortable and relaxed with my brother when you met him?"

Your sister-in-law looked mildly embarrassed. "I… would not say that comfortable describes our early interactions very well. I found Jeonghan more thrilling and exciting than comfortable."

You tilted your head thoughtfully. "I don't think I find Mr. Kim very thrilling. I must not be in love with him, then."

"Perhaps not," your sister-in-law replied simply. 

Your conversation was brought to a halt by the approach of a familiar, imposing-looking gentleman. Baron Wright had made a beeline for you. Horrified, you turned towards Mr. Kim Mingyu for help; but Mr. Kim was facing away from you while he spoke to Jeonghan and had not noticed the Baron at all. 

"Miss Yoon," the Baron greeted you in his silky tone. "I was unable to secure your company for the previous dance. Will you join me for this one?"

Your eyes widened in panic. You glanced at your sister-in-law but even she could think of no way to save you from the Baron without causing a scene. You could not possibly refuse his request for a dance without being shockingly rude. 

Your heart dropped into your stomach. 

"Y-yes," you said shakily after counting to five in your head and realising that nobody was coming to rescue you from this situation. "I-it would be a pleasure."

The Baron took your hand. His grip was strong, much stronger than it needed to be and you realised to your horror that the dance was a slow waltz. His other hand placed itself firmly and uncomfortably on your back. 

Your skin crawled. 

"Miss Yoon," Baron Wright began as he led you into the dance. His steps were too fast; it was difficult to keep up with him. "It seems you are one of the most desired young ladies in the room. Most of the ton is talking about how you made a mark during your presentation in court."

You were not listening to him. His words were like white noise in your ears. It was sinking in that you were not only dancing with one of the richest and most influential gentlemen in the room. This was the man who had reduced Miss Hong- confident, beautiful, fashionable, rich Miss Hong- to a mere joke, a subject of the ton's ridicule. He had unsympathetically and single-handedly ruined a Viscount's sister. 

What could he do to you? 

Anything. 

It was sheer terror that caused your hands and knees to tremble as you tried to keep up with the dance. His steps were quick and you recoiled from his unpleasant touch. 

"Miss Yoon?" he repeated. 

"Y-yes?"

 "I was talking about your presentation in court."

Your throat was tight and you could hear his voice only faintly over the sound of your heart pounding in your chest. 

"M-my presentation," you said quickly. "Yes. It… it went very well."

"I know. I was there."

"Oh."

It was all ending. Baron Wright would tell everyone that the younger Miss Yoon was a babbling fool, that she could not keep up with a slow waltz and could barely hold a conversation and your prospects would be ruined and nobody would marry you and your sister, your poor, dear, unmarried, longing-for-Mr..Choi sister….

The anxiety spiral had reached its peak. 

"Miss Yoon?"

Your eyes snapped up to look at the Baron again. 

"Y-yes?"

"I asked how you are finding London. I imagine your first season cannot be easy," the Baron said simply. 

You tried to remember what Mr. Kim had taught you. What had he said to do when you were spiralling into anxious thoughts of your sister? Something about a happy thought, a pleasant memory, a pony…

It was useless. You could not even remember what Chocolate the pony looked like. What popped into your mind's eye was not a distant memory Chocolate the pony from when you were ten years old, but the clear fresh memory of Mr. Kim Mingyu.

Mr. Kim's charming smile, the way his eyes twinkled playfully down at you and the way his warm hand felt in yours. His familiar, clean scent and how his mere presence put you at ease and relaxed your nerves. You could almost see him now. 

You could almost pretend Baron Wright was Mr. Kim.

It did not come naturally. The two gentlemen looked very different, but you only had to look in the Baron's direction while allowing your mind's eye to take over. You told yourself that this was Mr. Kim's hand in yours, that he was the one standing in front of you with a cheeky smile and teasing you about your first season in London. 

"London," you said shakily. "Suits me very well."

Baron/Mr. Kim nodded. "I imagine it can be quite daunting for young ladies such as yourself."

"I certainly prefer the countryside since I grew up on the estate and spent most of my childhood there. But I cannot pretend that country life has any of the excitement that London provides. They each have their own virtues."

"Spoken like a diplomat."

"What do you prefer, sir?"

"I rather like London. As you said, it is filled with excitement and I spend most of my time here. Once I am married, however, perhaps I will retire to my country estate to be with my family more."

You wondered what Mr. Kim's estate was like. You knew he had one, but you had never asked him about it. 

"Tell me more about your estate," you said. 

You listened in silence as Baron Wright began to talk about his grand countryside estate and his manor with thirteen bedrooms and large hunting grounds. Your heartbeat was no longer out of control. There was still a tight feeling in your chest but it had become manageable and you concentrated on your steps to keep the dance going smoothly.

The dance finally came to an end. The Baron did not release you immediately and you almost had to squirm your way out of his grasp and walk away from him. 

Mr. Kim was standing near the wall of the ballroom. He was looking right at you, his dark eyes filled with a genuine worry and concern as he walked towards you briskly.

"I am so sorry," Mr. Kim said to you in a low voice. "I did not see him, I should have intervened. Are you all right?"

You avoided his gaze. 

"I need a smoke," you mumbled. 

Mr. Kim's expression softened with understanding. He cleared his throat and then whispered to you quickly and furtively. "Walk out of that door and go down the hallway. Third door to the right is a balcony. I will join you in two minutes."

You nodded and swiftly followed his instructions. You emerged onto a deserted balcony and took a deep breath of the fresh air. It was a few moments later than Mr. Kim emerged onto the balcony with a cigar in hand. 

You took it from him silently. Your hands were trembling so Mr. Kim lit it for you and then leaned against the railing as he watched you you take a long shaky, drag and exhale into the cool night air. 

"I assume that it was not easy," he said quietly. 

"No," you admitted. 

"You seem to have emerged from the lion's den without too much trouble. I was watching from the sidelines; you did not appear too flustered towards the end. I even saw you speaking to him. How did you keep the anxiety under control?" he asked.

You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye. Mr. Kim seemed genuinely worried about you. 

"I did not," you said before taking another drag from the cigar. The shaky exhale helped relax your nerves. "The anxiety spiralled as it always does but I was… I was able to distract myself from it with a pleasant thought."

Mr. Kim nodded appreciatively. "Ah, yes. Chocolate the pony. Excellent. I am glad that worked."

You looked at him for a long moment? Should you tell him? Should you tell him that it was not thoughts of a godforsaken pony that had grounded you and calmed you but him? 

You had been completely open with Mr. Kim from the beginning. From the start you had confessed to him all your fears and insecurities and worries. 

But this… this seemed different. For the first time you felt as though what you had done to cope with Baron Wright was simply too personal, too intimate to reveal to Mr. Kim. For the first time, you feared how he might react to this particular revelation. 

"Yes," you said simply after a long pause.

Mr. Kim was smiling as he pulled another cigar out of his coat pocket and lit it for himself. "Well, this is certainly a cause for celebration! I expected that it would be weeks before you could make it through a dance with someone like Baron Wright, but you managed it quickly! My pupil has far exceeded my expectations."

You smiled at him shakily. "Your pupil almost had a nervous breakdown in the middle of a crowded ballroom."

Mr. Kim's eyes twinkled. "But the key word is almost."

"I imagine this bodes well for my matrimonial prospects," you replied. "But I would still like your continued support during the upcoming balls."

"Of course. I still have plenty to teach you."

You nodded. There was a brief, comfortable silence between you as you both stood against the balcony railing and smoked. Mr. Kim folded an arm across his chest and then turned to look at you curiously. 

"Can I ask you a question, Miss Yoon?"

"Certainly."

"I know that you primary objective this season is to secure a husband so that you can clear the path for your sister to marry Mr. Choi. But did you never hope to find love for yourself? I know most young ladies dream of finding true love."

You bit your lip and shrugged. "Perhaps I did dream of finding true love at one point. This is not how I imagined the process would be, though."

"How did you imagine it would be?"

"I expected that the process of getting to know a gentleman and falling in love with him would be more… natural? Organic? Certainly not filled with forcefully induced conversations and awkward  encounters and scheming and…" you paused and pulled out the notes that Mr. Kim had made for you from your skirts. "...rehearsed compliments. How does one fall in love if every word they speak is rehearsed as though it is all a play?"

Mr. Kim grinned. "You would be surprised how many ladies have fallen for those compliments."

You shook your head. "This can't be how one falls in love. Surely. This is merely a pantomime that one performs to find a husband or wife."

"You may have a point," Mr. Kim replied. "It is all a game. One can hone their skills at a game with practice and develop expertise, as I have done. But love… that is not a game."

"Do you not wish to marry?"

Mr. Kim tapped his cigar on the railing and blinked at you thoughtfully. "I have no need to marry. My parents have both passed away. If they had been alive they may have insisted upon my marrying, but in their absence…"

"So you wish to remain a bachelor forever?" you asked. "Are you quite set upon bachelorhood?"

"Not at all."

"Then you might be persuaded to marry?"

"I have yet to find someone with such persuasive capabilities," Mr. Kim said with a chuckle. "But I am afraid in our society the burden of persuasion is upon the gentleman. So the situation may never come to pass."

"Perhaps not."

Or perhaps it will. 

—----------------------------------

With the passage of time, it became increasingly difficult to deny that you were falling in love with Mr. Kim Mingyu. 

It was a natural outcome. As the busy London social season progressed over the weeks and months, he became an almost constant presence in your life. 

Mr. Kim was rarely far from you at any social event. You danced multiple dances together and he helped manoeuvre you out of tricky situations with your mother and other gentlemen. Finally, you both shared a secret cigar in some balcony or stolen corner of a garden at the end of each night. 

You had grown used to him, gradually, slowly, almost imperceptibly. Mr. Kim with his charming smiles and playful presence and intuitive remarks had wormed his way into your heart. It took his sudden absence- looking around a ballroom and finding him not there for you to realise just how much of your thoughts and being had started to centre around him. 

"Mr. Kim?" Jeonghan replied when you asked about him at the Duchess of Graham's garden party. "Oh, I do not think we shall see him today. He is quite busy these days with the opening of his new art gallery."

"Ah; of course!" your sister-in-law cried. "The grand opening is in two days!"

You nodded. Mr. Kim spoke about the gallery often. He was a patron of the arts, as he called himself; you took this to mean that he enjoyed artwork and often sponsored struggling young artists. His new gallery was an attempt to find a way for less privileged artists to display their artwork where it could be admired by more elite members of society. You respected Mr. Kim's intentions.

"Yes- we are all invited," Jeonghan replied. "It should be a rather interesting event. I know Mr. Kim was worried that he would not be able to open it before the season ended."

You nodded. "I am glad he will."

Jeonghan turned to you with a sigh. "While we are on the subject of the end of the season… how fares your search for a husband, sister? Your mother has been trying to distance me as much as possible from the process. But some gentlemen have approached me to express an interest in you. Is there any gentleman to whom I should grant my approval?"

Your heart sank. It was true; the season was ending, there was barely a fortnight left. You were running out of time to secure a proposal. It was not due to a lack of interest from the gentlemen of the ton, but due to your own reservedness and failure to encourage anyone that you had not received any definitive proposals. 

"Who has expressed interest?" your sister-in-law asked Jeonghan curiously. 

"Mr. Hessington and Mr. Carter both asked if I  believed my sister was partial to them. Not to mention Baron Wright has asked me multiple times for an audience this week. I have been putting him off."

Your eyes widened. "Baron Wright?"

Jeonghan nodded. "I am sure he means to ask for my permission to propose. He has certainly expressed a lot of interest in you despite how difficult Mr. Kim makes it for him."

You bit your lip anxiously. You had to secure a proposal before the season ended but the thought of marrying Baron Wright made you miserable. Nor did Mr. Hessington or Mr. Carter inspire any more positive feelings in you. 

It was beginning to occur to you that you did not wish to marry any of these men. 

Jeonghan noticed your miserable expression. "Sister? Is something the matter?"

You forced a smile and nodded. "Yes, I… I am thirsty. I shall be back with a glass of juice."

You stood up and walked away. The garden party was held at the Duchess of Graham's vast and beautiful gardens and there were many attendees. You had to pass by Viscountess Hong and Miss Ella Williams to reach the refreshments and the Viscountess called out to you. 

"Miss Yoon!" she said brightly. She was a kind woman with an almost motherly presence. "It is rather unusual to see you at a social event without Mr. Kim trailing behind you. Ms. Williams and I were just talking about how this season's belle of the ball has managed to bewitch the ton's most notorious rake!"

You blinked at them in surprise. "Oh… no, Mr. Kim is just very kind…"

Miss Williams giggled. "Yes, excessively kind indeed! So kind that he must dance multiple times with you at every event and goes as far as to snatch you away from other gentlemen!"

You could not blame them for misunderstanding. You forced a smile and nodded. "Well, yes… but Mr. Kim is quite a determined bachelor."

"By which you mean he is a rake," Miss Williams giggled. She suddenly lowered her voice and beckoned you to come closer to her. "I shall show you a secret, Miss Yoon, since I find myself rather fond of you. Do you see this little book? I have been keeping a record of all the bachelors of the ton for a while now."

You peeked at the little book she showed you. It was crammed with multiple pages of small, intense handwriting. 

"I have a page for each gentleman," she continued to explain. "Two for Mr. Kim since I could not fit the list of ladies that Mr. Kim is said to have courted in one page. Do you see it here?"

Your eyes widened at the list. It was not short. 

"O-oh," you said, your heart sinking. 

Viscountess Hong frowned at Miss Williams. "I am not sure that Miss Yoon quite understands what you mean by showing her this, Ella. You had better explain yourself."

Ella's eyes widened. "Oh! I apologise, Miss Yoon, it was not my intent to discourage you! Quite the opposite. It had become quite a habit of mine to add a new name every so often and it occurred to me the other day that it has been months since I had added a new name to the list! You can see here- the very last name is yours, which I added at the start  of the season."

You blinked down at your name at the end of the long list. Viscountess Hong looked at you with a warm smile. 

"I will not pretend that I am a fan of this list Ella keeps," the Viscountess said with a sigh. "But it is certainly something to think about. I am sure if any young lady had to choose where on that list she wanted her name to be, she would choose the last spot."

Ella giggled. "I do hope you receive a proposal from him soon, Miss Yoon. Not only because I am running out of pages in my book, but also because I think you shine quite brightly when you are with Mr. Kim."

It was becoming too much. The courtship was false, Mr. Kim was only your mentor, you would go so far as to call him a friend, perhaps, but he had never expressed an interest in being anything more. He had certainly never indicated an interest in marriage. You had suppressed all your hopes and thoughts of the future and simply enjoyed the time you spent with Mr. Kim. 

But these women did not realise that they were giving you a dangerous sort of  hope. 

"Thank you," you said politely to the women before leaving. You went back to your sister-in-law. She was seated alone now, as your brother had walked away to speak to some other gentlemen. 

"Are you all right?" she asked you. 

You shook your head miserably. Your hands were trembling. "I think I have done something that you will consider me very, very foolish for having done."

Her expression was gentle. "And what is that?"

"I think I have fallen in love with Mr. Kim."

She did not seem surprised. Her hand reached out to grasp yours comfortingly. She lowered her voice. "My dear. There is nothing foolish about falling in love. It happens to all of us, each in our own time and in our own way. The foolishness is only regarding what we do with our feelings."

"And what shall I do with mine?"

She bit her lip. "I cannot pretend to know Mr. Kim's heart. You must find out for yourself what it is."

"How shall I do that?"

She laughed. "You show him yours, my dear."

—--------------------------------------------------------

[f1-05-writer]

Part 2 - the meeting

Pairing - max verstappen x Christian Horner daughter!reader

- still not max just yet!! But getting close

After a surprisingly restful plane ride I disembark shooting a quick text to my dad letting him know I’ve landed. Once I’ve cleared the chaos of baggage claim I head down the escalator to  find a man holding a small sign with my name on it. After some stilted introductions, the luggage and myself are squared away in the car. As he zooms around the streets of Bahrain a dystopian city dwarfs the landscape, sheer glass buildings fracture the landscape, the blue of the ocean bounces off the glass creating a faint glimmer adding to the other worldness of Bahrain making it feel that more foreign and impressive. We get to the hotel with no issues and the driver collects my bags – not used to this life of luxury anymore I'm a tad shocked.

 

Following behind the diver to the check in desk I can’t help but marvel at the hotel foyer it is almost like a mirror to the Bahrain landscape we just passes; blue and white hues and golds accent the lobby towering glass windows that have an uninterrupted view of the circuit. A polite cough interrupts my gawking and I turn to face the receptionist with a sheepish smile “Sorry! I was just so fascinated” I offer. She smiles proudly and has a slight chuckle “ No problems at all Miss. How can I help you today?” I say “Booking for Dr Y/N Horner” whilst checking my phone for the time 3:30 perfect just enough time to freshen up before I meet Dr Trome. After a few moments of typing from the receptionist she finds the reservation “Perfect I have you right here, room 335” she says handing over the key card. Thanking her I turn to grab my luggage and head up the elevator to my room – once locating it which proved to be straightforward. I swipe my key and hear a chirpy beep turning the handle I greeted to the same gobsmacking view that the hotel lobby boasted. Not having a moment to really spare before my meeting with Dr Trome I quickly change into a pair of jeans and a blouse – formal but not over the top giving myself an appraising look in the mirror – the same cannot be said for my hair which has been through the ringer during the flight.  Frustrated I quickly throw up in a bun which can be playoff as intentionally messy and textured – when really, it’s just straight up dirty.

 

Walking briskly to the conference room I'm suddenly overwhelmed with nerves. Taking a deep breath, I ready myself outside the door then with as much confidence as I can muster, I knock. A deep voice with a twinge of a British accent answers “Come in,” stepping through the door I see 4 people already seated “ah Dr Horner, I'm Dr Trome so good to finally meet you in person” says that same man – Dr Trome. Having seen him through Zoom I already recognised the man and his dark hair with a few grey hairs weaving throughout, his dark brown eyes and small smile, however what I have not seen through zoom was his height standing at only 5’6 I'm really in no position to judge heigh but he is only factionally taller than myself. Smiling warmly and accepting his warm and calloused handshake with as much vigour as I can “ The pleasure is all mine thank you so much for this opportunity” I reply, “Well let’s get started shall we.” Dr Trome says and quickly runs through the introduction of the remaining  three people sat around the conference table. To my right is Mark Porter a tall, thin man whose olive skin contrasts against his green eyes and who is also Sergio's personal trainer, Bradley Scanes a board muscular figure who introduces himself as Max’s trainer and finally Dr Jaks Wright the other internship winner – his dark eyes appraise me as I see something like distain arise in them paired with his tall frame and cropped hair give him a strangely threatening dementor. Shaking off the sense of discomfort, I politely introduce myself to the group and refocus on Dr Trome.

 

After an hour of basics and protocols I'm starting to feel the flight and am losing the battle to keep my eyelids open. Whilst trying to stifle a yawn I catch Jaks’ eyes rather than returning my friendly smile he quickly looks away and I see his jaw tense. What a weird reaction but I just chalk it up to be a woman in a ‘mans’ space. Prick. However, I'm snapped out if my pondering by Dr Trome “Now the moment you two have been waiting for – the driver you are going to be assigned to! You will obviously be working closely with myself but also their trainers and the driver so it's vital that this partnership works,” he says staring at both Jaks and I, “so, Jaks you will be working with Mark and Sergio over the course of the year and Y/N that leaves you with Max and Bradley.” Overjoyed to be Max’s doctor I smile widely and thank Dr Trome and turn to Bradley who is seated to my left “ I cannot wait to start working with you! I'm sure we will be a fantastic duo!” he smiles at my comments and slings a muscular arm over my shoulder “I'm sure we will be Doc!”

 

“Alright’” says Dr Trome “we will start the prequalifying medical tests tomorrow and you will monitor your driver whilst they perform their PT sessions assessing their breathing, heart rate …” Dr Trome drones on but I'm bursting with excitement about being able to work with Max Verstappen, a world champion and, an athlete at the peak of their game. I also know dad will be ecstatic I'm assigned to Max – it is no secret that Max is his favourite. As the meeting end Jaks and Mark leave presumably to talk elsewhere, leaving just Bradley and I in the room. I shift in my seat to fully face Bradley and get straight to business “So, what time do you and Max train?” I enquire keen to get started “We will be up in the gym at around 5:30” he replies casually, like that is not the crack of dawn, I don’t even think the sun will be up! Unable to hide my shocked face Bradley chuckles and continues “I’ll see you then Dr –.” Unable to stop myself I cut him off “Sorry but please just call me Y/N – I don’t really want people to know I'm Christian's daughter,” he shoots me a confused look “ people make too many assumptions about how I got here, it's just easier being Y/N.” His confusion turns sympathetic “ Ahh I gotcha but they’d be fools to think that Dr Trome is a stickler for the rules and would never allow interference” I give him a small smile at that but deep down I know that the facts never really matter. Where people think there is drama and scandal, they will believe anything.

 

After about 30 minutes of talks regarding Max and any previous injuries or complaints I feel a vibration and reach over to check my phone.

Dad- hey Y/N/N got time to come and see your dear ol’Dad I'm downstairs in the bar.

Smiling over I shoot back a quick reply and tell him I’ll be down soon. I start packing up all my notes and files  “Thank you so much Bradley this chat has been so helpful, thanks for taking the time!” He smiles and rises heading for the door “No problem, Y/N, it's good to see how dedicated you are. I'll go and inform Max of the morning schedule and your arrival. See you bright an early tomorrow” he says with a wink and disappears down the hall.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 2, Match 61: Phoenix Wright vs. The Dragonborn

Submitted kids:

Phoenix Wright: Confirmed: Pearl Fey, Trucy Wright (Arguably: Maya Fey, Apollo Justice, Athena Cykes)

The Dragonborn: Alesan, Blaise, Lucia, Sofie, Runa Fair-Shield, Hroar, Samuel, and Francois Beaufort are all the official adoption candidates. Theoretically, though, Dragonborn can adopt any kid in Skyrim as long as their caregivers are dead.

Propaganda under the cut!

Phoenix Wright:

1. “his mentor dies leaving behind her teenage sister hes like 'my sister now' teenage sister's aunt is arrested, and her 9yo cousin needs looking after 'say no more' dudes entire career comes crashing down around him at the same time a dude abandons his daughter 'looks like i have a reason to live now'”

2. “Tired old man (he’s 35) single lawyer dad of two other lawyers and a famous magician. Absolutely unhinged but appears Normal™️. Constantly embarrasses himself and is routinely assaulted and verbally abused in court but wins all his cases anyway (and he only forged evidence like twice!). Runs his own law firm (possible front for adopting more children?) and has 100% faith in his kids and his clients (two categories that overlap wayyyy too often, he and his family are constantly being framed for murder). He has a dumb hairstyle and no one ever lets him forget it. Phoenix has eaten glass before and would probably do so again. He has also survived falling from a 40-foot burning bridge into an ice-cold river, being the victim of a hit-and-run, and nearly being executed by a foreign government twice. Plus he’s bisexual and suffers from gay angst disease. Phoenix Wright is God’s favorite and he should be yours too!”

3. “Phoenix legally adopted Trucy and has just been taking kids without parents into his law agency ever since. Also if you consider him and Edgeworth to be together, then Edgeworth also essentially adopted Kay Faraday, so that's another one right there.”

4. “He's a lawyer. He adopts a little sister after her sister (his boss) dies. His client runs out on him so he does the logical thing and adopts the daughter he left behind even as his life falls apart. He meets her biological brother and manipulates him into joining his found family. I have no idea how he met teenage Lawyer Athena but that's his daughter now too.”

(Mod note: Full propaganda list coming soon!)

The Dragonborn:

“Dragonborn can adopt any two children - begging street urchins, orphans suffering an Annie-like predicament, any child they decide to relieve from their caregivers. And while it isn’t canon, there are mods to remove the “only two kids” limit. As a playable character, Dragonborn is a reflection of the desires and values of those that control them. Therefore, they reflect the tendency to serially adopt from “serial adopter” players: they take kids off the streets, assassinate the cruel orphanage boss so they adopt the children there, they might even kill the abusive Lemkil to give Sissel and Britte a better home. (And in a modded playthrough, they remove the adoption limit so they don’t have to choose between all the sympathetic children they want to shelter in their many houses; seriously that limit sucks when you have multiple children’s rooms that go empty.)”

[contritecactite]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤

Thank you for the ask, Quoth! I think you'd be pleased to know that I had trouble narrowing things down (they're all my favorites today), but I got there eventually.

1. Promised Me a Feeling

Ace Attorney, T, 2.8k, klapollo

Post-AA4, Edgeworth accidentally invites himself to dinner with Klavier and Apollo. It's painfully awkward, but it helps him find the courage to take the next step.

I took a huge internet break years ago (my own 7yg hehe) and only returned to fandom in 2021. "Promised Me a Feeling" was the first time I felt genuinely confident in my writing again, so it holds a special place in my heart.

2. Third Time Charmed

Ace Attorney, G, 3k, Maya

Maya visits the building for the "first time" three separate times. Whether it's housing Fey & Co. Law Offices, Wright & Co. Law Offices, or the Wright Anything Agency, it always manages to be just the opposite of what she's come to expect.

In a lot of ways, this was a celebration of being part of a fandom in which I'm "allowed" to enjoy female characters and to place value on non-romantic relationships. Those were two quick ways out the door in my 2008-2012 spaces.

3. And a Borrowed Car

Good Omens, T, 3.6k, A/C (ambiguous)

Aziraphale falls asleep in the stolen Jeep, Crowley remembers that his flat could use some cleaning, and they end up sharing a very nice room somewhere and talking about things they've lost and time they've wasted. It turns out all right in the end.

An attempt to integrate some details from s1&2 into book canon. Casual intimacy, only one bed (because it's what they wanted), soft with an aroma of their inherent angst. Feels like some of my best characterization, but I could be wrong.

4. Anthems of Joy

Ace Attorney, T, 17k, FranMaya

When Maya and Franziska's intention to get married is made public, they get railroaded into using their wedding to generate good press for the district prosecutors' office. Over the next few months, Franziska finds that her relationship with Maya isn't the only one that gets strengthened in the pursuit of happiness. Also, I wrote what feels like half a Sesame Street episode for this. You're welcome/I'm sorry.

A weirdly personal fic that was a long time in the making. I don't know what I can say about it concisely except that I hope someday I can let go of as many hangups as Franziska.

5. Competitive Inhibition

Good Omens, M, 15k, A/C through the ages

In biochemistry: a phenomenon in which a molecule is blocked from binding to an enzyme by another molecule with a similar structure—like a demon preventing an angel from binding completely to Heaven or, more to the point, doubt and fear keeping an angel from wholly welcoming a bond with a demon. Or: The ups and downs of sharing 6000 years of life on Earth with an angel who wants desperately to be doing Good.

Written for a gift exchange, this ended up being a long series of vignettes that alternate between good times and bad times (with a hopeful ending). I even did some (very) cursory historical research! I'm very proud of it despite it apparently not having very broad appeal.

[og2lit]

LA Task - S.C.

•What is your full name? Santana Isaiah Cross

• Where and when were you born? Chicago, Illinois. 4/10/02

• Who are/were your parents? (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.)

Skylar Cross; Gym owner and physical therapist. She's loving, nurturing, passionate, loves hard. A go getter and great business mindset. Financial advisor to her son to protect his assets before he turns pro. Makes 🔥 cakes from scratch.

Cairo Jennings; Recently retired pro sports athlete currently works as a reoccurring analyst with ESPN. Stoic, old school mentality, provider, gym rat. Stubborn and headstrong, manipulative, controlling.

• Do you have any siblings? What are/were they like?

Only child, that he knows

• Where do you live now, and with whom? Describe the place and the person/people.

UCLA campus apartments, by himself. Open space, hypebeast, got some color, tv mounted, surround sound.

• What is your occupation?

Student full time, brand ambassador

• Write a full physical description of yourself. You might want to consider factors such as: height, weight, race, hair and eye color, style of dress, and any tattoos, scars, or distinguishing marks.

6'2, semi muscular, brown skin, tattoos all over his torso and legs, african american, street casual, locs at his shoulder.

• To which social class do you belong?

Middle upper class for now

• Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses?

Nope

• Are you right- or left-handed?

Right

• What does your voice sound like?

Raspy, Midwest accent, husky

• What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently?

"Mane, Folk, Gang"

• What do you have in your pockets?

Tictac, phone, wallet

• Do you have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?

No

PART 2: GROWING UP

•How would you describe your childhood in general?

He had a solid childhood. With the child support hush money his mom received every month from her former lover it was enough to cover the mortgage so the rest of Skylar's money went to the small bills and splurging on her son.

• What is your earliest memory?

5 years old, running in the backyard with a little car. His father Cairo comes out to the backyard with Skylar and hands Santana a mini basketball before leaving. It was the only time he saw his father face to face.

• How much schooling have you had?

He's in college.

• Did you enjoy school?

Enjoys what it offers and how he can capitalize.

• Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities?

Copying his favorite players moves until he perfected it and created his own. Kobe Bryant and Jamal Crawford.

• While growing up, did you have any role models? If so, describe them.

His mother, she taught him everything.

• While growing up, how did you get along with the other members of your family?

Had cousins that he got from his mother's friends and two blood cousins that he stays in contact with to this day. They used to get in trouble all the time running the streets.

• As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A firefighter

• As a child, what were your favorite activities?

Playing monster trucks and doctor

• As a child, what kinds of personality traits did you display?

Lots of energy, couldn't stay still, OCD

• As a child, were you popular? Who were your friends, and what were they like?

Since he played ball in middle school he was known by a lot of people in the state area.

• When and with whom was your first kiss?

13, Courtney Wright in the closet.

• Are you a virgin? If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity?

No, 17 Tamia Blake

PART 3: PAST INFLUENCES

•What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?

Overhearing a phone call of his parents fighting over him.

• Who has had the most influence on you?

His mother and Kobe Bryant

• What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Getting his first NIL deal before he graduated high school.

• What is your greatest regret?

Not retiring his mouth when he had the opportunity to do so.

• What is the most evil thing you have ever done?

Cheated on someone

• Do you have a criminal record of any kind?

No

• When was the time you were the most frightened?

Almost got his car stolen in Chicago when he turned 18

• What is the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to you?

Getting my beans caught in my zipper at school

• If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be, and why?

Cairo Jennings

• What is your best memory?

Back to back state championships in high school

• What is your worst memory?

Finding out his mother has breast cancer

[blue-character-brawl]

The brackets are finally here!

(sorry for the poor quality of the bracket images lol it’s the best i could do)

Two quick propaganda rules:

1. Propaganda is good and encouraged, just don’t send any negative propaganda. This tournament is for fun, and anti-propaganda kinda ruins that.

2. If you do make propaganda, you can either send it through my ask box, or you can reblog the post with your propaganda. Either is fine!

These 6 brackets will go on until there’s only one character left in each. Once the six semi-finalists are chosen, there will be two battles of 3, and then the winners of that will go against each other in the finals! Each poll will last for one day, but the finals and semifinals will be a week each. The posting schedule will be one bracket a day, meaning that day 1 will be bracket 1 round 1, day 2 will be bracket 2 round 1, and so on. The first set of polls will drop tomorrow (March 30) at roughly 4:00 PM EST. Now, onto the actual matchups!

Bracket 1:

Cam (Rhythm Heaven) VS. Casey (Deca Sports)

Grover (Sesame Street) VS. Rosita (Sesame Street)

Cookie Monster (Sesame Street) VS. Gonzo (The Muppets)

Blue (Blue’s Clues) VS. Flippy Doggenbottom (Toontown)

Bluey Heeler (Bluey) VS. Bandit Heeler (Bluey)

The Tesseract (Marvel) VS. Captain America (Marvel)

Blue (Overly Sarcastic Productions) VS. Blue (Animator VS Animation)

13th Doctor (Doctor Who) VS. The TARDIS (Doctor Who)

Lancer (Deltarune) VS. Lance McClain (Voltron)

Link (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) VS. Zelda (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

Navi (Legend of Zelda) VS. Fi (Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)

Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney) VS. Trucy Wright (Ace Attorney)

Mega Man (Mega Man) VS. Megamind (Megamind)

MePhone4 (Inanimate Insanity) VS. Four (Battle for BFDI)

Teardrop (Battle for Dream Island) VS. Sadness (Inside Out)

Blue Album (Weezer) VS. Blue Meanie (Yellow Submarine)

Bracket 2:

Scott Wozniak (Scott the Woz) VS. Jacob (Alpharad)

Big Pauly (Papa Louie) VS. Watergirl (Fireboy and Watergirl)

Abby (Wii Sports) VS. Saburo (Wii Sports)

Kris (Deltarune) VS. Berdly (Deltarune)

Powerade VS. Gatorade

Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson) VS. Luka Couffaine (Miraculous Ladybug)

Gooey (Kirby) VS. Goo (Inanimate Insanity)

Benrey (HLVRAI) VS. Bubby (HLVRAI)

Gus Porter (The Owl House) VS. Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia)

Agent (Penguinronpa) VS. Gary the Gadget Guy (Club Penguin)

Mordecai (Regular Show) VS. Blue-footed Booby (Real Life)

Wish Bear (Care Bears) VS. Grumpy Bear (Care Bears)

The ocean (Real Life) VS. Elsa (Frozen)

Cinderella (Cinderella) VS. Alice (Alice in Wonderland)

Doc Hudson (Cars) VS. Sally Carrera (Cars)

Mudkip (Pokémon) VS. Squirtle (Pokémon)

Bracket 3:

Marth (Fire Emblem) VS. Lucina (Fire Emblem)

Chrom (Fire Emblem) VS. Dimitri (Fire Emblem)

Donald Duck (Disney) VS. Dewey Duck (Ducktales)

Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog) VS. Leonardo (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Sans (Undertale) VS. Queen (Deltarune)

Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) VS. Finn the Human (Adventure Time)

Gumball Watterson (The Amazing World of Gumball) VS. Perry the Platypus (Phineas and Ferb)

Squidward Tentacles (SpongeBob Squarepants) VS. Inkling Boy (Splatoon)

Bubbles Utonium (Powerpuff Girls) VS. Bloo (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends)

Logan Sanders (Sanders Sides) VS. Patton Sanders (Sanders Sides)

Jay Walker (Ninjago) VS. Nya (Ninjago)

Tom (Eddsworld) VS. Thomas the Tank Engine (Thomas and Friends)

Sokka (Avatar: The Last Airbender) VS. Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Sapphire (Steven Universe) VS. Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe)

Nightwing (DC Comics) VS. Superman (DC Comics)

Wendy Darling (Peter Pan) VS. Dorothy Gale (The Wizard of Oz)

Bracket 4:

Craig Tucker (South Park) VS. Goombario (Paper Mario)

Hatsune Miku (Vocaloid) VS. Kaito (Vocaloid)

Michael J. Caboose (Red vs Blue) VS. Leonard Church (Red vs Blue)

John Egbert (Homestuck) VS. Vriska Serket (Homestuck)

James P. Sullivan (Monsters, Inc.) VS. The Genie (Aladdin)

Wheatley (Portal) VS. V1 (Ultrakill)

Frosta (She-Ra) VS. Mermista (She-Ra)

Falco Lombardi (Star Fox) VS. Blu (Rio)

R2-D2 (Star Wars) VS. Bo-Katan (Star Wars)

Mountain Dew Voltage VS. Blue Gushers

Pablo (The Backyardigans) VS. Tuxedo Sam (Sanrio)

Crackle (Rice Krispies) VS. Blueberry Muffin (Strawberry Shortcake)

Blue (Pokémon) VS. Piplup (Pokémon)

Nightcrawler (X-Men) VS. Mystique (X-Men)

Sayaka Miki (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) VS. Tsumugi Shirogane (Danganronpa V3)

Shun Kaido (Saiki K.) VS. Teruhashi Kokomi (Saiki K.)

Bracket 5:

Soundwave (Transformers) VS. Optimus Prime (Transformers)

Frankie Stein (Monster High) VS. Lagoona Blue (Monster High)

Stitch (Lilo & Stitch) VS. Roadrunner (Looney Toons)

Merryweather (Sleeping Beauty) VS. Hades (Hercules)

Zazu (Lion King) VS. Benny the Bull (Dora the Explorer)

Samus (Metroid) VS. Shovel Knight (Shovel Knight)

Toy Bonnie (Five Nights at Freddy’s) VS. Spheal (Pokémon)

Lucy van Pelt (Peanuts) VS. Numbuh 2 (Codename: Kids Next Door)

Nebula (Marvel) VS. Steve (Minecraft)

Blue Alien (I’m Blue by Eiffel 65) VS. Shiver (Splatoon 3)

Barney Calhoun (Half-Life) VS. Blue Beetle (DC Comics)

Vivi Yukino (Mystery Skulls Animated) VS. Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4)

Ciel Soleil (RWBY) VS. Bloom (Winx Club)

Jack Harkness (Doctor Who) VS. Spock (Star Trek)

Gwen (Total Drama) VS. Rosalina (Super Mario)

Mugman (Cuphead) VS. Sea Fairy Cookie (Cookie Run)

Bracket 6:

Teddy (Bob’s Burgers) VS. Blue M&M (M&M’s)

Sailor Mercury (Sailor Moon) VS. Silvermist (Disney Fairies)

Bibble (Barbie) VS. Sylvie (Wander Over Yonder)

Simon Seville (Alvin and the Chipmunks) VS. Dory (Finding Nemo)

Tsunami (Wings of Fire) VS. Bluestar (Warrior Cats)

Rainbow Dash (My Little Pony) VS. Metal Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Beauregard Lionett (Critical Role) VS. Jester Lavorre (Critical Role)

Veronica Sawyer (Heathers) VS. Smurfette (The Smurfs)

Undine Wells (Sleepless Domain) VS. Idia Shroud (Twisted Wonderland)

Lan Wangji (The Untamed) VS. Korra (Legend of Korra)

Pokotho (Hatchetfield) VS. Langa (Sk8 the Infinity)

B.O.B. (Monsters vs Aliens) VS. Vergil (Devil May Cry)

Vault Boy (Fallout) VS. Jake Sully (Avatar)

Phantasma (Scooby-Doo) VS. Jack Frost (Rise of the Guardians)

Tutter (Bear and the Big Blue House) VS. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Disney)

Spy (Team Fortress 2) VS. Baljeet Tjinder (Phineas and Ferb)

As stated previously, the first round of polls, which will be Bracket 1 Round 1, will begin on March 30, at approximately 4:00 PM EST. See you then!

[6ad6ro]

top 5 games from every console -nes- -game boy- -pc engine- 1. ninja gaiden 1. castlevania ii 1. castlevania rb 2. river city ransom 2. zelda la 2. ys book 1 and 2 3. akumajou densetsu 3. wario land 3. lords of thunder 4. mario 3 4. pokemon red 4. r-type 5. zelda 2 5. kirby's dreamland 2 5. galaga '90

-genesis- -snes- -neo geo- 1. streets of rage 2 1. earthbound 1. garou mow 2. castlevania bl 2. zelda lttp 2. windjammers 3. sonic 3ak 3. chrono trigger 3. king of fighters 99 4. contra hard corps 4. super mario world 4. metal slug 5. sonic 2 5. super metroid 5. king of fighters 2001 -sega cd- -ps1- -saturn- 1. snatcher 1. final fantasy vii 1. vampire savior 2. sonic cd 2. castlevania sotn 2. street fighter alpha 3 3. final fight cd 3. resident evil 3 3. virtua fighter 2 4. lunar 4. rival schools 4. virtua cop 2 5. monkey island 5. final fantasy ix 5. castlevania sotn (really) -n64- -dreamcast- -ps2- 1. mario 64 1. jet grind radio 1. silent hill 2 2. mystical ninja 2. shenmue 2. gta vice city 3. zelda oot 3. thps 2 3. smt nocturne 4. banjo kazooie 4. crazy taxi 4. we love katamari 5. mario kart 64 5. ecoo dotf 5. dragon quest viii

-gamecube- -xbox- -gba- 1. resident evil rm 1. jet set radio future 1. castlevania aos 2. f-zero gx 2. shenmue 2 2. castlevania hod 3. zelda tp 3. morrowind 3. metroid fusion 4. killer7 4. fable 4. river city ransom ex 5. mario sunshine 5. guilty gear xx #ac 5. metroid zm -nds- -psp- -xbox 360- 1. castlevania ooe 1. castlevania dxc 1. dead rising 2. castlevania dos 2. gta vcs 2. deadly premonition 3. castlevania por 3. ffvii cc 3. half-life 2 4. tingle's balloon trip of love 4. persona 3p 4. skyrim 5. phoenix wright 5. power stone 5. gta iv -ps3- -wii- -wii u- 1. dead rising 2 1. mario galaxy 1. zelda ww hd 2. sfiii 3s oe 2. no more heroes 2. mario kart 8 3. yakuza 5 3. okami 3. tekken tag 2 4. gta v 4. wii sports 4. zelda botw 5. 3d dot game heroes 5. castlevania rb 5. nintendo land -3ds- -vita- -ps4- 1. smt iv 1. persona 4 golden 1. ff vii rm 2. zelda oot 3d 2. undertale 2. elden ring 3. zelda mm 3d 3. jet set radio hd 3. persona 5 4. star fox 64 3d 4. hotline miami 2 4. resident evil 2 rm 5. river city rs 5. spelunky 5. dragon quest xi -switch- -steam deck/pc- -virtual boy (forgot)- 1. mario odyssey 1. half-life 1. vb wario land 2. sonic mania 2. unreal tournament 2. mario's tennis 3. smash ultimate 3. dead cells castlevania 3. galactic pinball 4. metroid dread 4. lba2 twinsen's odyssey 4. teleroboxer 5. mario wonder 5. bomb rush cyberfunk 5. jack bros

[cringefaillosershowdown]

YOUR COMPETITORS HAVE ARRIVED

time for the announcement, 64 go in, and one will leave THE MOST CRINGEFAIL LOSER OF ALL.

May the best one win, round one will be randomized and move on from there bracketed

And if you would like to make some propaganda… well just make sure to use the tag #cringefaillosershowdown2023 bc I do wanna see it!

Matthomule from The Owl House

Reigen Arataka from Mob Psycho 100 

Berdly from Deltarune

Mike Wheeler from Stranger Things

Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney

Richie Toizer from IT 

Lester Papadopoulos from Trials of Apollo

Asa Mitaka from Chainsaw Man

Dennis Renoylds from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia 

You from Real Life

Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb

Gabriel Agreste from Miraculous

Harry Du Bois from Disco Elysium

George Costanza from Seinfeld

 Izzy Hands from Our Flag Means Death

 Kai Smith from Ninjago

Zane Ro’meave from Mystreet

Larry Butz from Ace Attorney

Rick Shades from Epithet Erased

Travis Valkrum from Mystreet

Dante from Mystreet

Baron Draxum from Rise of the TMNT

Lars Barriga from Steven Universe

Apollo Justice from Ace Attorney

Miles Edgeworth from Ace Attorney

Sebastian Debeste from Ace Attorney

Shiver from Splatoon 3

The Riddler from DC

Shang Qinghua from The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System

Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Thunder McQueen from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Abraham “Abe” Lincoln from Clone High

Beetlejuice from Beetlejuice

Cave Johnson from Portal

Leonardo Hamato from Rise of the TMNT

Childe from  Genshin Impact

Dareth from Ninjago

Dan Hibiki from Street Fighter

David Rose from Schitts Creek

GLaDOS from Portal

Giovanni Potage from Epithet Erased

Heath Burns from Monster High

 Henry Emily from FNAF

Jadeite from Sailor Moon

Jedidiah Martin from Camp Here and There

Johnny Lawrence from Cobra Kai

Jonathan Sims from The Magnus Archives

Kai Toshiki from Cardfight Vanguard

Vlad Masters from Danny Phantom

Tsumugi Aoba from Ensemble Star

The Cabbage Man from ATLA

The Maverick from OMORI

Team Rocket from Pokemon

Tang from Lego Monkey Kid

Sou Hiyori from Your Turn To Die

Silver The Hedgehog from Sonic

Shun Kaidou from The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

Sea Hawk from She-ra

Sasha Waybright from Amphibia

Ocean O’Connell Rosenburg from Ride the Cyclone

Zenitsu Agatsuma from Demon Slayer

Percy de Rolo from Critical Roll

Randy Valentine Jade from Dialtown

Seto Kaiba from Yu-gi-oh

ROUND 1 MASTERPOST

ROUND 2 MASTERPOST

ROUND 3 MASTERPOST

ROUND 4 MASTERPOST

ROUND 5 MASTERPOST

ROUND 6 MASTERPOST

[agentnico]

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off - Season 1 (2023) Review

We are Sex Bob-omb!!... 1... 2... 3... 4!!!

Plot: A 20-something Toronto indie rocker's adventures in getting and keeping jobs, avoiding being kicked out of his apartment, and surviving encounters with the seven evil exes of the new girl in town on whom he has a crush.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is one of Edgar Wright's best films, and to be fair it is easy to argue that any movie directed by Wright is the best in his career as he's yet to make a proper dud. I have on the other hand never read a single word from the original Scott Pilgrim, so my knowledge of the source material is primarily and sorely based on the 2010 movie. Luckily with the new Netflix show, the creators very much are targeting and appealing to fans of both the film and the books, and as such if you are acquainted with either you'll easily get to enjoy some of that delightful nostalgia flavour. However, if you are a newcomer to Scott Pilgrim, then you may be a tad lost in all the chaos.

When I first started watching this show, I was skeptical and concerned. Especially with the first episode playing nearly shot for shot with the 2010 movie only in anime form, and for a moment I wondered if this was simply a stylish yet pointless reenactment. However, in the final moments of the first episode, the writers reveal this surprising bait and switch, though not that surprising if you observe the show's title. From there the show continuously goes forth to subvert expectations of what we know, playing up to our knowledge of the movie (and books) and then flipping things around. There's also a bigger focus on the characters who maybe did not get to enjoy the limelight in the original story, and as such it's actually to the show's advantage that they manage to bring back most of the original film cast to reprise their characters' voices, as again, adds to the nostalgia, but also allows these actors to play around more with their roles. It results in a very entertaining take on the story and is delivered with such funky and exciting animation. The fight sequences are reminiscent of a lot of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter with a narrator constantly jumping in with an announcement of yet another character VS character match-up, and these anime fights were truly awesome!

There are also so many Easter Eggs and random references in this show, that you'd easily enjoy rewatching each episode multiple times to catch every single detail. Naturally with Edgar Wright producing you can expect his regulars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost popping in for vocal cameos, and then the references can be as obscure as a character leaving the room whistling the tune from Disney's Robin Hood. You know, the one with the animals! Also, don't be fooled by the animation, this isn't a family-friendly show. There were a surprising amount of sex jokes in this, so this is very much oriented towards the adults.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a joy to the fans of the source material, yet also tries to do something original and different and tell this story with a new approach. The show is quirky, colorful, fast, and spontaneous like a comic book strip, and as such I had no issue binging through the 8 episodes within two sittings. It's also hilarious, and as myself having worked in a coffee shop for over 4 years, I really appreciated the amount of jokes that were included about work life and customers in a cafe. I'd say the comedy still doesn't hit the highs of the original movie, which doesn't come as a surprise as Edgar Wright is only on producing duties here rather than scriptwriting, but nonetheless, there were consistent chuckle-worthy moments throughout. I'd also say even though I enjoyed the new narrative direction of this show, I do think they dragged a little the central Where's Waldo-style mystery, and they could have resolved that mystery an episode or two earlier and progressed more in the crazy sooner. But still, I'm pleasantly surprised and delighted that instead of rehashing the old, the writers here decided to do something different with the property. Also solid music and again, have I mentioned those anime fight sequences? Pure awesomeness!!

Overall score: 7/10

[a-loose-collection-of-ants]

What type of architecture inspires you the most?

Oh what an incredibly long and involved answer this turned out to be. First things first, I am actively obsessed with the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

He was a Scottish architect who, along with his wife, designed some of the most gorgeous buildings I have ever seen in my life. I've never been to Glasgow, so I haven't had the chance to see any of them in person, but just-

This is the Glasgow School of art. It was destroyed by a fire in 2018. Restorations are happening, but, as far as I can find, those won't be completed until 2030.

Mackintosh was one of those architects that had to design every single piece of his buildings, including the furniture. This is where his collaboration with his wife came in. Margret Macdonald Mackintosh was not an architect, but she was an artist and designer. Her influence can be seen in the details present in a lot of their designs.

This is the House for an Art Lover, which I have to mention, in part, because it's a good example of their combined style, but also because of these absurd fucking chairs:

Something about their love of a strong vertical line led to chairs with the most insane, needlessly grandiose proportions and I love it with my whole heart. (this is a tangent I don't want to go on, but the famously humble and not at all self-important Frank Lloyd Wright uses these exact chairs in some of his designs, which is really funny for one of those architects who liked to pretend all his ideas were original) There's a sort of industrial feel to a lot of Mackintosh's work which is the exact sort of thing I've always been enamored with. I'm an artist and everything, but I'm related to enough engineers that, to me, structure is one of the prettiest things in the world.

Frank Furness is a good example of this in a way that's more local to me. He was a believer in monumentalizing the structure of a building, which is why the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts is insane a little bit. Seriously, look at this building:

At some point, I'm going to have to walk over there and do some studies of the place.

But back to the actual question, part of studying architecture (as is the case with any creative field) is finding inspiration in everything you encounter. I'm enamored by the beautiful historic buildings I see every day in Philadelphia, but I'm equally "inspired" by this one house near where I grew up that has the most horrifically arranged street-facing window pattern I have ever seen (spite is one hell of a motivator).

Every single part of our built environment looks the way it does for a reason. Even spaces designed without heavy involvement from architects are filled with little decisions that shape the way our world looks and feels, and I think it's a fun exercise to look at them and figure out why everyone involved made the decisions they did, even if it's something simple like "concrete is cheaper".

Anyway, tune back in in 4-7 business days when, at the height of whatever cold I just managed to catch, I drop a full essay on Thomas Jefferson's design for the University of Virgina and how it reflects both his idealized hope for an agrarian America and his hypocrisy in believing such a future would be an egalitarian one.

[primarycolorcharactersbrackets]

LINEUP:

Fandom- Character(s)

As said in previous update, I'm planning to get matchups/first round of polls up sometime this week (hopefully). In the meantime here's the lineup.

1. Assassination Classroom- Nagisa, Karma, Korosensei

2. Animator VS Animation - Red, Yellow, Blue

3. Ace Attorney- Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice, Athena Cykes

4. Bubble- Uta

5. Bocchi the Rock!- Nijika, Ryo, Ikuyo

6. Cuphead- Cuphead, Mugman, Ms.Chalice

7. Clue- Mrs.Peacock, Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard

8. DC- Wonder Woman

9. Disney- Snow White

10. Earthbound- Ness

11. Fire Emblem Three Houses- Claude von Riegan, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Edelgard von Hresvelg

12. Real Life (flags) - Columbia

13. Ib- Ib, Mary, Garry

14. Kuroko no Basuke- Tetsuya Kuroko, Taiga Kagami, Ryota Kise

15. M&Ms- Red, Yellow, and Blue M&Ms

16. Puella Magi Madoka Magica- Kyoko, Mami, Sayaka

17. Power Rangers- Red, Yellow, Blue

18. Pokémon- Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon

19. Pride flags- Pansexual

20. Pikimin- Red, Blue, Yellow Pikimin

21. Rice Krispies- Crackle

22. Sonic the Hedgehog- Sonic, Tails, Knuckles

23. Sailor Moon- Sailor Moon

24. Steven Universe- Steven Universe

25. Sanders Sides- Roman Sanders, Logan Sanders, Janus Sanders

26. Superman- Superman

27. Splatoon- Deep Cut

28. Super Mario- Mario

29. Sesame Street- Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Elmo

30. Spongebob- Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward

31. Voltron- Keith, Hunk, Lance

32. Vocaloid- Kasane Teto, Hatsune Miku, Akita Neru

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this Week #139 (Year 3/Week 35):

2 more back-to-back re-watches of Ron Fricke’s sublime non-narrative Head trip Samsara (“Impermanence”). Spiritual poetry, gorgeous visuals, breathtaking scope. A perfect film to watch while mushrooming. 10/10. (Photo Above).

🍿

First watch (no idea why I waited all these years) of William Friedkin’s Sorcerer, his ill-fated adaptation of Clouzot's 'The wages of fear'. Roy Scheider is a desperado transporting nitroglycerin in the Dominican jungle, together with 3 other unfortunate misfits.

🍿

A enchanting, classic 1974 French drama, Vincent, François, Paul and the Others, my second by Claude Sautet (after ‘The heart at winter’). A group of middle class 40-something friends, lovers, husbands and wives face a series of midlife crises. Among them Yves Montand, Michel Piccoli, Gérard Depardieu and Stéphane Audran. The camaraderie reminded me of the friendship in ‘Goodfellas’ (without the crimes, violence, and immorality). 7/10.

🍿

The big clock, my first Corporate Noir by John Farrow (father to Mia, husband to Maureen O'Sullivan). Ray Millard acts and sounds exactly like Cary Grant-Lite in this less-known thriller.

A curious visual: There's a very stylish shot at an empty executive boardroom with a giant conference table, and the only items on it are oversized personal ashtrays next to each chair.

🍿

Val Lawton X 2:

🍿 The best movie of the week, the documentary Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows. Produced and narrated by Martin Scorsese. A terrific biography and assessment of this melancholic producer who had the potential to become one of the biggest auteurs, but who is now barely-remembered for a series of 1940's low-budget, B-movies from RKO studio. I previously only saw his 'I walked with a Zombie', but I'm going to watch as many of the others as I can.

🍿 "...My Goodness, ain't nobody likes chicken Gumbo?..."

Lewton's first project, after he was installed as head of RKO low-budget horror department, was Cat People. "A disturbed woman", a Serbian fashion illustrator [Not too many of those] turns into a ferocious panther, after she's shown at her very first scene, littering repeatedly by throwing her discarded drawings in the streets.

🍿

Our friend, my second film by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (After ‘Blackfish’). A sad, non-linear tearjerker, based on a real story. Dakota Johnson is dying of cancer, with her husband, two daughters, and their best friend, who selflessly stays by their side. The first film when I liked the role Casey Affleck plays. 7/10.

/ female /

🍿

The new gonzo documentary Telemarketers reminded me of a chapter from my own life that I'm not proud of. For about 3 years in the mid-90's I sold bogus investments, gold futures, and fake ostrich options (!) over the phones in exactly the same way as the conmen in this sleazy, seedy, funny, cynical story. Except that over in Jersey they sold $35 donations and got paid $10 an hour, while we in Costa Mesa, CA got a $3,500 commission for every time we fleeced $40,000 from someone, which happened very often. So much money, and so many regrets later!

🍿

4 more I can watch over and over again:

🍿 My 10th-15th rewatch of Edgar Wright’s brilliant Hot Fuzz.

1. If you know nothing about it beforehand, and watch it for the first time while stoned, it’s impossible to know what it’s really about until the end; the story changes style, intention, musical cue and genre from scene to scene.

2. Is the violent shoot-them-up climax, cartoonishly exaggerated, (where still, nobody dies) the most cliché-filled action scene ever?

3. The subtle musical score underlining every scene is sublime; I am going to listen/watch it again - without the pictures, just the sound!

4. Actually, the whole editing, visuals, sound editing, borrowing from dozens of prior movies, is extraordinary.

5. Every part of the dialogue - every single line - is highly quotable!

10/10.

And as always, How to do visual comedy, from ‘Every frame a picture’.

🍿 I just saw the trailer for The big Lebowski for the first time; It really ties the movie together pretty well. So I "had to" watch the movie itself again. A masterpiece on every level. Even the IMDb synopsis encapsulates it correctly: "Jeff 'The Dude' Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it."

I also like Wikipedia's chapter on its 'Use as social and political analysis'. With a magnificent score (which includes Dylan's 'The man in me', Gypsy Kings cover of 'Hotel California', Yma Sumac's Ataypura) and with Asia Carrera as Sherry, the porn actress.

The last sentence in it is 'Say, friend, you got any more of that good sarsaparilla?' Always 10/10.

🍿 Once again, Ali Wong’s first stand-up Baby Cobra. Funny, filthy, hardcore vulgar, very sexy; "Best pregnant comic".

🍿 Top banana, S1E2 episode from ‘Arrested Development’. From Vanity Fair’s ‘List of 25 perfect TV episodes’.

🍿

The source, another banal documentary about a spectacular human being, ultramarathoner Courtney Dauwalter, who just cemented her status as the greatest ultrarunner of all time by the unprecedented triple crown wins of the ‘Western States 100’, the ‘Hardrock 100’, and UTMB in the same summer. Emotionally inspirational.

🍿

The midnight gospel, an adult animated series, my first by Pendleton Ward. I saw the first episode yesterday, and I already can’t remember a single goddam thing from it.

🍿

From Dane Sitagi’s The ballerina project: Basia Rhoden dances in the city of Chicago.

🍿

Throw-back to the "Art project”:  

Ballerina Adora.

🍿  

(My complete movie list is here)

[tortoisesshells]

2022 Fanfic Year in Review: tortoiseshells on AO3

Thanks for the tag @hmsannlett!

Total Completed Works: 6.

Word Count: 6,925 - strictly from completed works; 105,996 including chapters from Customs and Duties.

Fandoms I’ve Written In: Pirates of the Caribbean, The Blackwell Series, Fallout 4, Band of Brothers (specifically for @mercurygray‘s The Darkening Sky-verse), 1899

Looking Back, Did You Write More Fic Than You Thought You Would This Year, Less, Or About What You’d Expected?: Less, honestly. Real Life Issues have really eroded my down time and mental space, and while I’m grateful to have the opportunity to take care of my family, I do miss the space I had before.

What’s Your Own Favorite Story Of The Year?: I love all my children equally. Customs and - uh, hang on. the ink on my hand is smudged.

In all seriousness, though, Customs Ch. 22 “Unused to Home” or [Nellie “Sustained Mental Breakdown” Treat Has A Bad Time] was my favorite single chapter to write, since I finally got to jam the last bits of her backstory in there; my favorite completed fic was probably et mūtam nēquīquam alloquerer cinerem, because I love untranslated Latin and trivia about Boston and the history of the Bonus Army, and unfortunately all twelve of you who read it just had to go along with it.

Do You Have Any Fanfic Goals For The New Year?: Either I finish Customs or Customs finishes me. Curse of the Black Pearl turns 20 this year, and it would be thematically appropriate for me to finish in time for the Big Anniversary. That, and I really only have to [checks notes] figure out the entire back half of that Fallout 4 fic about the putative shore whaling economy of post-apocalyptic Massachusetts that exists only in my imagination and as a flimsy excuse for Piper Wright/OFC.

Most Popular Story Of The Year?: lol. Probably Customs, but pretty much everything else I was lucky to break 50 hits and 4 kudos.

Story Of Mine Most Under-Appreciated By The Universe, In My Opinion: I was never expecting great things for a short character study of the most unpopular character in Fallout 4 but, in the words of the man himself, goddamn. I suppose getting hit with some weird bot or glitch that gave me more kudos than hits on bear your neighbor’s burden is some consolation but ... it’s really not.

Most Fun Story To Write: had you not better make One of us, which features teenage Elizabeth Swann’s growing pains, Captain Johnson’s history of piracy, musing about sharks via shark-tooth fossils, and the as-yet only canon-to-the-original-AU appearance of the late, lamented Captain Samuel Treat. I had fun with the character voices and it was nice to have Samuel doing something other than being dead in a Boston graveyard.

Most Unintentionally Telling Story: I could stand here joking about being even more emotionally shut-down than either of my protagonists in Customs, but I suspect I’ve done that before. Lauren Blackwell’s inner monologue in save me, damn you, for all that I’m not an unwilling psychic in 1970s Manhattan.

Biggest Disappointment: well, it happened two days into 2023, but Netflix canning 1899 was a little bit of a let down to my fic-writing ambitions she says, with dozens of tabs on late 19th century liners and hydrography and radio technology open.

Biggest Surprise: I wasn’t expecting to get into a new fandom with about a week to go in the year, and it feels almost like cheating to say that 1899 was a surprise, since it hits a lot of my narrative buttons. But, yeah, for the sake of argument (and undercutting my own surprise because me? using Emily Dickinson for a fic title? vintage Mercy Street.) covers the Abyss with Trance — So Memory can step.   

Tagging: @mercurygray, @theonlyredcar, @shoshiwrites, @jomiddlemarch, @r-osehips, and anyone else who wants to talk!

[papermoonloveslucy]

FANTASY TV GUIDE ADS

Sequels, Spinoffs, and Reboots We Never Saw - But Wish We Had!

Ads and listings from a Papermoon Loves Lucy fantasy issue of TV Guide!

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” ~ Before Andy Cohen there was Don Loper - TV’s first gay man with a doting bevy of housewives at his command. At press time, Mrs. Alan Ladd was replaced by Mrs. Ricky Ricardo. In the premiere, Loper stages a benefit for Share and Mrs. Ricardo gets a sunburn. Sponsored by Unguentine. 

"American Picker” ~ In this episode, Dan picks over some old furniture at a run-down brownstone in New York City. Mid-century modern is Jenkins’ specialty and tonight he strikes gold.

"Hot Bench” ~ Today: “The Case of the Damaged Television & Fractured Friendship”. Judge Moroni Olsen and Bailiff Bobby serve justice at 4 ET / 3 CT. 

“Desi’s Desert Island Discs” ~ Premiere!  Desi’s first guest is Ricky Ricardo. Viewers are treated to excerpts from his top ten. Special appearance by Lucy Ricardo singing “Sally Sweet”. 

“Bent Fork R.F.D.” ~ This week the Sheriff (Will Wright) arrests a Pontiac full of Yankees headed for Hollywood. Guest star Ernie Ford tries to pawn off Teensy and Weensy (the Borden Sisters) on the westbound travelers, but they get all tied up. 

“My Big Fat Fabulous Life” ~ Premiere!  In this musical docuseries, Teensy and Weensy are profiled at their mobiel home in Tennessee. It’s a “Ricochet Romance” when the girls become obsessed with the Bent Fork BBQ Buffet - and it goes bankrupt. 

“The Walking Fred” ~ Fred turns into a walker after losing $500 to Al Hergesheimer (Milton Berle), an undead used car salesman from Brooklyn. Sponsored by Pontiac. 

“Hoarding: Buried Alive” ~ In the season premiere: a woman is buried alive by two sides of beef; two urban couples are presumed lost in a collection of cardboard boxes; and old newspapers take over the lives of several desperate homeonwers. 

“Lucy’s Neighborhood” ~ Beppe de Vries stars in this all-new spin-off to “East 68th Street”.  In this episode, Mrs. de Vries sees a wacky neighbor on the ledge and goes to great lengths to get her psychiatric help. Guest star Joseph Kearns as Doctor Toim Robinson. 

“Freddie Filmore’s Drag Race: Females are Fabulous!” ~ Season 15 of the long-running show welcomes Carson Kresley and Michelle Visage in their first appearances since “Rupaul’s Drage Race Season 87″. This year’s guest judges include Phil Spitalny, Countess Blublitzki, and Fredrika. 

“Trailer Park” ~ Lucy and Ethel move into a trailer park outside West Jamestown. There they keep an eye on the comings and goings of the flirty Flamingo Sisters (Gloria and Joan Blondell). Tonight: Mrs. Trumbull’s cat gets sick from an out-of-date can of All Pet.  

“Ugly Betty Loves Wreck-It Ralph” ~ In this all-new teaming of two popular CBS sitcoms, the Ramseys (Mary Jane Croft and Frank Nelson) find a litter of kittens hidden in the chicken coop. Meanwhile, Little Bruce (Ray Ferrell) discovers hundreds of baby chickens in the litter box. 

“Night of the Living Fred” ~ A television adaptation of the popular zombie film. In the new series, a landlord / zombie (Fred Mertz) eats the tenants of his New York City brownstone, until he is unmasked by Sergeant Nelson (Frank Nelson). 

“I Spy: The O’Briens” ~ Hayden Rorke and K.T. Stevens play international spies masquerading as actors playing international spies on a television series about actors playing international spies. Tonight: Tom breaks a lamp and neighbor Lucy (Lucille Ball) impersonates a chair.

“Big Brother: The Twins Twist” ~ This season welcomes Teensy and Weensy, Timmy and Jimmy Hudson, the Harpo Twins, and special guests Patty and Cathy Lane - all competing to be the last houseguests in the brownstone. Julie Chen Moonves McGillicuddy hosts. 

“Jamestown” ~ From the producers of “Downton Abbey,” this dramatic series follows courageous performers who leave their dark pasts behind in England for a new life in 17th-century America. Tallulah Bankhead plays Elizabeth, the Quinn of Jamestown. Friar Quinn is played by William Frawley. Tonight’s episode “The Quinn’s Lament” was written by Quinn and Madelyn Martin. 

“The Taylors in 3D” ~ The first spinoff from Desilu’s impossibly successful “I Love Lucy” starring Gene Reynolds and Mary Ellen Kay as young newlyweds who move into a Manhattan brownstone haunted by hilarious ghosts. Elizabeth Patterson plays Matilda, the new landlady and part-time medium, Reya. 

“The Carmichael Show” ~ In this reboot of “The Lucy Show”, Viv and Sherman have moved out, leaving the Carmichaels to make it on their own. In the pilot episode, Lucy cancels plans to move to Los Angeles and Jerry’s Military School rejects his application. Chris becomes a waitress to pay the tuition. 

Based on the hit series, “Iron Man Carmichael”, this all new TV movie marks the return of fearless stunt performer and housewife Lucy Carmichael as she takes on the Marvel Multiverse. 

In the tradition of “Fosse Verdon” FX brings us “Lucy Desi”. Follow the tumultuous romance and career of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as they climb the ladder of showbusiness success.  

“Feud: Lucy and Joan” ~ A docudrama television series created by Ryan Murphy in the footsteps of “Bette and Joan”.  Based on the legendary real-life feud between Lucille Ball and Joan Crawford. 8 episodes of nail-biting drama and shouting.