#after their untimely death to where he starts to loath the humans who killed them and the monsters that allowed it to happen
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Asriel could easily be like the god of familial love, of hopes and dreams, partnerships (friendships, companionship, puppy love if you must) and children/youth and then when he's flowey he could be the god of betrayal and spite, ala nemesis and eris. Still rooted in the ideas of love but twisted into what happens when love turns sour. Still a god of youth but also a god of lost time. Actually making him a minor god of time would also really work to tie into his character. Him being Pandora and the box at the same time would be interesting.
Transcript: ooh are we talking about reapertale? okay time to bring flowey into it because i was actually thinking about him recently—
first off, unrelated tangent, i think they did chara pretty decently? like, they used to be kind, but they were betrayed by monsterkind, etc etc. i like that, it honestly brings up what i think is a tragically unexplored part of their character. they hate monsterkind in some way for being so nice, and i think that’s why we can drive them to support genocide so quickly. i do think they shouldn’t have been evil right off the bat, of course, but hey! they’re a mythological figure. that stuff happens a lot in mythology, and more importantly it works in tangent to undertale.
flowey, though. god. amnesia does not suit him. they stripped him of character and expected him to still be flowey. it’s illogical. really reflects the early fandom’s perception of flowey and asriel as entirely different people. like being a flower makes you want to kill people or something. smh.
sorry i turned the topic to flowey but like. does he have to be the embodiment of despair. him being obsessed with chara is in-character i guess but he does it in such an out-of-character way. honestly that’s a big problem with every au! they make him a sweet little guy without actually addressing the roots of his canon problems. i mean, that or they make him the living embodiment of evil. they gave him the chara treatment, seriously.
he has so many layers though. it’s hard to fit him into one category. personally i’d make him some kind of pandora’s box thing. like an embodiment of the world’s pestilences where he used to be a closed box. helps highlight that he didn’t change, the box was always there, dying just opened it.
that might not make any sense. but man i’m tired of people making flowey chara’s lapdog. when in genocide he clearly sees himself as a partner in crime, at least until the end. (and then he defies them and ruins the whole killing humanity thing. so.) and don’t even get me started on pacifist. he tries to kill you repeatedly because he thinks you’re chara.
flowey is driven by (platonic!!) love. but it’s not the soft love you see on greeting cards or tv. it’s angry love. aggressive love. he’d do anything for the person he loves. even kill them.
honestly, maybe flowey would work better as a god of love. (yes i headcanon him as aroace but still.) “asriel” is soft, caring love. hugs and kisses and warm blankets and all that. “flowey” is the kind of love that slaps you in the face to get you up in the morning. he’s possessive, angry, passionate.
WHOO this got long.
#reapertale has the problems of having incredibly interesting concepts#but ignoring them to focus on shipping#which isint bad per say it IS a soriel au at its heart#its just not a very GOOD soriel au since it ignores some of the most important characters and themes that tie back into toriel and sans#asriel being a minor god of youth and familial love favoring the mortal chara and then becoming 'corrupted' (for lack of a better word)#after their untimely death to where he starts to loath the humans who killed them and the monsters that allowed it to happen#that he looses those traits that made him a god of youth and adopts a new domain as a god of time would be very interesting#does asriel even die in reapertale? hes mentioned but his death isint as big a deal as charas and its kinda confusing?#chara dies and then he just...disappears and turns into flowey.#i think him 'cursing' humanity once chara dies would be better. maybe he tries to intervene and thats how he dies.#and gets reborn as 'flowey'#i also dont like frisk just being an 'emmisary of mercy' what does that even mean#EDIT i had more thoughts. mainly about why i dont like reapertale soriel#its turns what was a friendship to lovers story into an enemies to lover story which could work if it didint change such key aspects of who#they both are as characters as well as the roles they play in OG ut. i feel like when making aus of ships changing their situations is good#but you should keep a semblance of the original dynamic and who they are as characters.#which is another reason i dont really like frisk in the au since they just exist to 'fix' chara from what i remember#honestly Chara actually dying and not being an anomly from the get go would give frisk and flowey a chance to do something#perhaps in her grief at loosing both of her children she creates frisk in their image and this is why flowey mistakes frisk for chara#you could also have flowey trying to befriend the papyrus of the au under the guise of getting chara back#Frisk being a minor god/nymph would also work pretty well for them maybe taking over floweys domain as a new god of youth (all the more#reason for him to feel like hes being replaced)#floweys a very interesting character especially in his relation to toriel sans frisk and chara and the au ONLY focus on his relationship#with chara which really does him a disservice. (and its definitely because the creator ships charasriel. never seen a charasriel shipper#that didint horrifically misunderstand both of their characters since them being siblings and best friends is so much more interesting than#them being together. not to mention that its incest )
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Hi KC readers,
We have decided to create a list of KC stories that were updated during the week which we plan to share every Friday. This is one of the ways we plan to promote different KC authors and stories in our community.
For our first weekly releases, we have collected stories on FFN and AO3 that were updated during the week of April 16 - April 10! We hope you enjoy the new stories.
Happy reading!
FFN
He's got you mesmerised (while i die)
Author: klavscaroline
Rating: T
Length: Drabble
Summary: You gave him your sweater, it's just polyester. But you like him better a.k.a. unrequited carolijah (high school au)
Date of update: April 10 2021
Klaus POV - The Trouble with Spells (chapter 20)
Author: ilovetf
Rating: M
Length: Multi Chapter
Summary: The Trouble with Spells as seen through Klaus's eyes and his POV. Over the years, people kept liking this story and some even asked for Klaus POV, so I decided to give it a try. Hope you enjoy it. All feedback is more than welcome. Good or bad.
Date of update: April 10 2021
Black Roses (Chapter 29)
Author: xKlaroStylesx
Rating: M
Length: Multi Chapter
Summary: Vampires, witches and werewolves are welcomed at the Whitmore Academy for the Supernaturally Gifted but that doesn't mean they all welcome each other. Ambitious student witch Caroline Forbes shares a mutual loathing with arrogant yet mysterious vampire Klaus Mikaelson. A spiral of events occur when their two dueling worlds collide and a life changing connection is formed.
Date of update: April 13 2021
Our darkest moments (Chapter 8)
Author: CookieDuo
Rating: M
Length: Multi Chapter
Summary: Discovering her entire life has been a lie, Caroline is determined to find out the truth and travels to the small town Mystic Falls in search of answers. Meanwhile, in the woods outside of Mystic Falls, a "monster" prays on unsuspecting young woman. In time the connection between the two becomes clear... Dark Klaroline!
Date of update: April 14 2021
A Failed Sacrifice (Chapter 3)
Author: CookieDuo
Rating: M
Length: Multi Chapter
Summary: She ruined the sacrifice to save her own life, and in order to survive she turned to the only other vampire who'd been able to survive the wrath of Klaus Mikaelson. She gets away, and learns from the master, but when Klaus eventually catches up to her, her life will never be the same again.
Date of update: April 16 2021
AO3
Always Finding Trouble
Author: Cupcakemolotov
Raiting: M
Length: Drabble
Summary: Assassins in love were so cliche, but here she was. Married, even.
Date of update: April 10 2021
In Your Hands
Author: ThrowMeAStory
Raiting: E
Lenght: Drabble
Summary: 4x16 au, Part 6. The date.
Date of update: April 10 2021
The blood in your mouth
Author: perfectpro
Raiting: T
Lenght: Drabble
Summary: After Liz Forbes's untimely death, Caroline finds herself at the helm of her mother's empire. She's been trained for this role, but Klaus Mikaelson is a man she hadn't known to expect.
Date of update: April 10 2021
I AM SORRY BABY 2
Author: wincefish16
Raiting: Not rated
Lenght: Drabble
Summary: CONTINUATION OF I AM SORRY BABY. THIS WILL FOCUS ON KLAUS'S CHEMO AND THE PROBLEMS THAT COME WITH IT.
Date of update: April 11 2021
Give Me A Sign (Chapter 2)
Author: PumpkinDoodles
Raiting: M
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: Caroline Forbes is happy that she left founders' parties, competition over guys she'd known since elementary school, and even Mystic Falls itself behind years ago. She's not second-best to Elena anymore. Even Liz would be proud of her new life working on the side of the law. Mostly. (If you need to compel someone into giving up stolen goods, is it really a crime?). Of course he's the one person from her past who comes looking for her. Klaus does that.
Date of update: April 11 2021
The Wolf II (Chapter 31)
Author: Yokan
Raiting: E
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: The Guerreras' threat still looms over the Mikaelson house as Caroline tries to adapt to life as a vampire, away from her daughter. But an unexpected family reunion makes everything worse, taking away the little peace Klaus, Caroline and Elijah managed to find after the war that nearly broke them. [It's The Originals Season 2, but Caroline was a witch, had Klaus' baby and now she's a vampire. Klaroline, obviously.]
Date of update: April 11 2021
A smutty anniversary (Chapter 5)
Author: kcatdino
Raiting: E
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: Caroline and Klaus celebrate 3 months together with a day full of smut.
Date of update: April 11 2021
One of a Kind, Two of a Kind, or the Three Musketeers (Chapter 9)
Author: Phandancee74
Raiting: T
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: Caroline recognizes how hard it is for Elena to be a doppelgänger, her fate predestined as well as her face. It's pretty tough being the last of your kind too though, and Caroline is determined to protect them both, with some very helpful Bennetts on their side. A fic that integrates Malivore and the larger supernatural universe into TVD from the start.
Date of update: April 11 2021
Humanity (Chapter 8)
Author: FandomizedArtist
Raiting: Not rated
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: Now with the power of an Original vampire Lucien had everything, everything except his complete revenge on the all mighty Klaus Mikaelson. With the help of a witch he had tracked down the only woman who in thousands of years Klaus had fallen in love with. Miss Caroline Forbes. Adding her name to his list of evil todo’s he created the plan to kidnap, drain the vervain and compel the newbie vampire to be his. In this fanfiction Klaus does have hope but Caroline did not have Alaric’s twins.
Date of update: April 12 2021
Magics Miracle (Chapter 5)
Author: 1Jemmagirl22
Raiting: T
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: Caroline is in Paris with out her humanity after the death of her mother. It seems her friends aren't happy with her new state so they inform the one person capable of turning her emotions back on. Klaus. When a prophecy about a second Tribrid comes about in New Orleans, shock to sweeps through the city. It seems nature doesn't consider Hope such an abomination after all as an even greater one is about to be created. The hands of power are changing and when they're done even the worlds most powerful witches won't be able to stop it.
Date of update: April 12 2021
We are young (Chapter 11)
Author: kcatdino
Raiting: T
Lenght: One shots
Summary: Basically, Klaroline flirt in front of their kids who they are barely older than, and Landon is appropriately confused. Edit: Now a series of one-shots!
Date of update: April 12 2021
When Blood Calls for Blood
Author: Cupcakemolotov
Raiting: M
Lenght: Drabble
Summary: At sixteen, Caroline helped kill monsters. Hers, his, and theirs. Ten years later, and Klaus returns to Mystic Falls with unfinished business.
Date of update: April 12 2021
The War of Succession
Author: BelleMorte180
Raiting: E
Lenght: One shot
Summary: When King William I dies without a living male child, the whole of England spends two generations at war over who is the true heir to the throne, sending the houses of Lockwood and Mikaelson into battle. When the love of her life is slain in battle, Caroline realizes that her hand is betrothed to the victor since she is the only grandchild of the late king. Upon her wedding to the new king, she vows that she will hate him for all eternity but time is a fickle thing and so it the heart. Written for Au Season Enemies to Lovers. Kind of based off the War of the Roses.
Date of update: April 14 2021
Some ancient call that i've answered before (Chapter 2)
Author: klarrolines
Raiting: T
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: According to Greek mythology, humans were created with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves. Or all the lives throughout time that Klaus and Caroline found each other in.
Date of update: April 14 2021
Soulmate visions (Chapter 3)
Author: kcatdino
Raiting: T
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: On your soulmate's eighteenth birthday, you see through their eyes for an hour, but they don’t know. And if your soulmate turns eighteen before you are even born, you never get a vision. Klaus gets his soulmate vision right after he orders Tyler to bite Caroline on her birthday.
Date of update: April 15 2021
World Enough and Time
Author: perfectpro
Raiting: E
Lenght: Drabble
Summary: Caroline is perfection in and of itself, and Klaus thinks that he could search the world twice over and never find a creature so endlessly fascinating, so perfectly enigmatic that he is still finding things to learn about her a thousand years later. Or, what gift is suitable to celebrate the passing of a thousand years?
Date of update: April 15 2021
LITTLE TENSE
Author: wincefish16
Raiting: T
Lenght: Drabble
Summary: PROMPT- HUMAN MARRIED KLAROLINE. THINGS ARE NOT LOOKING GOOD IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP. DAMON IS CAROLINE'S BROTHER AND KLAUS'S BEST FRIEND. HE TRIES TO FIX THINGS BETWEEN THEM.
Date of update: April 15 2021
Reasons Not to Date a Mikaelson (Chapter 2)
Author: kcatdino
Raiting: T
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: Bonnie and Caroline gain a new roommate for their freshman dorm when a vision leads them to tracking down a pregnant Hayley in the Rockies. Also, Bonnie may or may not have raised a certain dead Original instead of Jeremy and Klaus takes a job at Whitmore teaching, to be annoying. He’s very good at it. This is a season 5 rewrite where the Originals never leave for New Orleans. But you know, with comedy.
Date of update: April 15 2021
Quiet Light (Chapter 4)
Author: coveredinthecolors
Raiting: E
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: Caroline Forbes sets off to the Bahamas with her boyfriend, Elijah, where she'll finally meet his brother for the first time. But as it turns out... she knows Klaus Mikaelson a little too well.
Date of update: April 16 2021
AO3: Contingency Plan (Chapter 3) FFN: Contingency Plan (Chapter 3)
Author: Eliliyah
Rating: M
Length: Multi Chapter
Summary: When Stefan's idiocy threatens Caroline's carefully laid plans, she has no choice but to turn to Klaus Mikaelson for help. Unfortunately, the criminal king of Philadelphia won't be swayed by simple seduction and has a different kind of proposition for her. It's a good thing she has a contingency plan. Never try to overthrow an empire without one. Dark Klaroline Mafia AU. COMPLETE
Date of update: April 11 2021
AO3: Last Love FFN: Last Love
Author: kirti_01
Raiting: M
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: Klaus had promised to be her last love, was sure that Caroline, will come to him. Maybe in a year, or a 100, perhaps. But Caroline decides not to wait for that long. After graduation, Caroline moves in with Klaus to give her feelings for him a chance. And Elijah finally lets go of his obsession with Katherine and finds himself attracted to a university student, his student, a human named Samara.
Date of update: April 12 2021
AO3: A Beautiful Symmetry (Chapter 153) FFN: A Beautiful Symmetry (Chapter 153)
Author: Uppity Bitch
Rating: M
Length: One shot
Summary: A collection of random AU one-shots featuring Klaroline. *2019 KC Award - Best one-shot series* Chapter 153: The Blonde Identity. Spies on opposite sides always had one mission, and nothing should ever compromise an operation. But Klaus always had a weakness for a woman who wore murder in her eyes.
Date of update: April 14 2021
AO3: Always and Forever (Chapter 8) FFN: Always and Forever (Chapter 8)
Author: WingedLadyColette
Raiting: E
Lenght: Multi chapter
Summary: Always and Forever is put to the test when the Mikaelson siblings all gather together once more to throw the balance of nature into disarray when the Petrova Doppelganger reappears once again in a little Virginia town of Mystic Falls. But that's not the only thing that catches the big bad wolf's attention.
Date of update: April 16 2021
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Dark Phoenix: Mutants Are Humans Too
If I become the only person to appreciate this film and saw it for what it was meant to be, then let me be that person. If I am called out for my love for this then let it be so. I have been so loved and deeply emotionally attached to human beings, knowing how it feels to feel alone, to be afraid and to be different, I knew that since watching the first three X-Men movies, I never knew how much these movies will change my life. I never doubted these films and never seemed to try to compare them to others because I already do that with myself.
If I were to agree with those who loathe it then I would be lying to myself. I would be dishonest and so here is an account of an analysis of the movie, the ideas and thoughts that raised through my mind. investigating the ways which it was a human film, focusing on the human more than the super in “superhuman”. So if being called out for what is deemed the worst then let me called it the best thing I have ever seen. Still going to defend it until only a few of us are left, still holding on to that hope that had been thought of us for so long ago.
I am going to be as honest and as truthful in my views because it is the most human thing to do...
(Warning for spoilers and mild blood/violence)
Director:
Simon Kinberg
Cast:
Sophie Turner, Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters
Rating: 5 Stars
“I’m not afraid of you, Jean. Look at me. Focus on my voice. We’re going to get through this together. I’m not giving up on you, Jean. This is what family does. We take care of each other. You’re my family, Jean”
From its traumatic beginning to its heartbreaking climax and to its bittersweet ending, Dark Phoenix played with human emotions, mixing in real-life situations with the fantasy that is the superheroes that they are. Like in the many films that came before it, it begins with a family. The music is playing, the sun is out, and eight-year-old Jean Grey is in the back seat as her parents drive to their destination. However, for Elaine Grey, she would never reach her destination for she was the mother who dies with her eyes open. Jean now alone, is visited by Charles Xavier and from this moment on, the life of Jean Grey would never be the same again and with this scene, where man and child discuss this over, each of the characters are closely framed together, it offers a bound, a relationship that would later be shattered. Jean’s facial expressions and body language are suited for a young child who is afraid, alone and is isolated from her parents. Without parental guidance, without that love and embrace from her family, she shies away, eyes drawn towards the ground. Charles later gives Jean a home, a place where she can roam free with others like herself. But she declines the offer, saying she breaks things and to that Charles promised her on the year of 1975 that she is not broken, and he’ll help her, guide her and make her believe she can do anything. Anything she sets her mind to.
Soon after the events of Apocalypse, its been ten years and things have changed and not just physically. What I adored and admired from this movie was exploring a side of Charles we haven’t seen before. The side of pride and an excess of having too much. Charles desired to be praised, to be accepted and play a bigger role in society. James McAvoy magnificently captures Charles’s moments of glory, the way he smiles and plays along with this fame and success with such egotism. His ego was later tested when the direct line to the President is cut off, metaphorically cutting himself off from the fame and glory he tried to hold. What I respected from Simon Kinberg, was the way he understood about our attachment to our pride, our successes and our wants in life and by the end of this film, Simon created a sense of what it means to be human, to make mistakes and learn to evolve from them. For Charles, this meant to learn to forgive and admit he was wrong. In the end, he was reminded of his wrong decisions, the way he pushed away what was more important for a life he wanted so bad.
Dark Phoenix showed me not just superheroes but humans too, humans who are different but can still be subdued by their emotions. During what seems to be the film’s most heartbreaking climax, the death of Raven was a scene that made me cry the most. The truth comes out from her father, about his abandonment, his lack of love and care for Jean, that after her mother’s death, his world died. To him, Jean died with it. This was the moment of a girl lost, looking for her home, for her past only to come home to nothing, except for a father who lost hope, a father who was a coward. A father who failed to bring his own child home. I understood then why Jean cried, got angry and what made it convincing was Sophie Tuner’s ability to express herself, to express Jean’s mixed emotions. To turn herself into the Dark Phoenix. Jean soon confronts her other family, her friends and lies are unravelled and the truth comes out as Charles’s lie begins to break and crumble and he could no longer convince her to stay. In many failed attempts to get to Jean, by Charles’s command, Raven was up next. Jean and Raven’s conversation illustrates the ideas of the caring mother trying to understand what is happening to her child, to her family. The two-shot, going back and forth from Jean to Raven generates a sense of disillusionment and sustains this relationship between the two women. As Raven inches closer to Jean, the distortion effect created by this editing technique relates back to Jean’s disillusionment, her mind unable to differ from her reality and an illusion causing Jean to lose control killing Raven in the process.
Jennifer Lawrance and Nicolas Hoult’s performances during the moment when Raven slowly died cried out to me, it spoke to me. It made me cry. The way that they were framed in a close-up, the camera right in their faces was emotional. Hoult, having played Hank McCoy for four films has outdone himself on this one; how Hank rushes forward, his eyes never leaving Raven’s own. The camera lingers on Hank’s face and his reaction was the piece of what proves of Dark Phoenix’s most human qualities. Raven’s death was also the turning point to a chain reaction of frustration, grief and anger amongst Raven’s closest family and friends. Raven was the person that connected them all and having seen Raven grow in previous films, she had become a sister, a mother, a friend and a hero. The relationships she had obtained over the years especially to Charles, Hank and Erik was so deep so that when she died it was reasonable for their emotions of anger to explode, they had the right to feel angry, frustrated and to cry. To let out their emotions, to be just a human being. As well as this, like that of Elaine Grey, Raven was another mother who died with her eyes wide open.
Simon Kinberg called the movie a ‘family drama’ and he wasn’t wrong, From start to end, the movie delivered the promise of an emotional drama between family. It had begun with the loss of a family only to end with a family who is just beginning to heal. Jean lost her mother to the accident and loss her father to his emotional wounds. Jean found a new home with the X-Men but as dramas go, it idealises on the tragedies of life, the cruelness of fate and the reality in which we live in. None of these characters knew what life had for them, they went blindly through their lives not expecting anything. For Raven, she wanted to move on and so the universe heard her, and gave her what she wanted, a way out: in dearth. Raven never expected to die that day, she never thought of that moment, but what was tragic was she never knew what had become of Jean, what may her future become. The family drama heats up in the kitchen as Hank and Charles voice their emotional opinions, an argument only seen by my eyes like a brother vs brother in law unsettlement in its own soap opera. In a dark and cold tone colour, the kitchen that once was a place of life when Charles first met Raven, now feels empty, isolating and missing any forms of life. Hank increases his temper, demanding Charles, almost begging him to admit he was wrong, to see what he had become. In the end, in a tired and restless Hank, the truth come together and getting the last words the camera focuses on Hank’s face, Hoult’s facial expression filled with convincing anger and grief told Charles what he wanted to say:
“This whole time, we’ve been trying to protect these kids from the world, when really, we should’ve been protecting them from you”
This cold hard confession leads the friendship turning south as the last frame is Charles’s reaction where McAvoy produces a stunning pained expression for realizing what his friend really thought. In the same scene what I loved about it and a moment that made me also tear up was Hank’s own self-confession. The tragic loss of his lover, a memory he can’t forget had led him to blame himself for Raven’s untimely demise, and his language used in the dialogue reflects his emotional wounds, a feeling that had been echoed from John Grey’s own self sorrow. However, what sets him apart from Charles or Mr Grey was his courage to admit he was wrong, to face Charles and say he blames himself for Raven’s death, realizing him from this pain, not completely, but just enough to get Charles thinking, to help him realize that if he can do it then Charles may follow, except he didn’t leaving Hank displeased resulting to his own abandonment of the school, of Charles and abandoning what he stood for. A man of hope.
Dark Phoenix also holds up for its other antagonist, Vuk. An alien with her race searching for the power inside Jean and restart their lives here on earth. Jessica Chastain, a new member of this world of X-Men films, steps in nicely to the heels of Vuk. We first see Margret Smith, a bubbly and full of life women at the dinner party. What is striking is her dress. This costume choice made by the costume department is truly symbolic as from her platinum blonde hair and dress symbolises purity and innocence. This is later changed to a black dress covered with a black coat, symbolising evil and power which contrasts with her hair, remaining her trust and good intentions towards Jean. Speaking of costume changes, Jean too has a drastic costume change, going from grey tones to deep reds and dark purples; this too signifying change and in both physical and metaphoric sense Jean had risen from the ashes to become the Dark Phoenix. The relationship between Vuk and Jean is appealing and sends out an inside look at the means of manipulation. In her vulnerable state with no one to trust Vuk sweeps in to rescue Jean. Having seen Jean’s trust in the men in her life lose their purpose and with Raven dead, it seems that Vux is the one person who Jean can trust. Both being women and a person of understanding, trust and a person who listens, Jean is blinded from the signs of manipulation. The bar scene was intimidating and fills the void in Jean’s heart, the now empty space that is being filled by the words of this stranger. Chastain confidently speaks in a voice of reassurance as the words contrast between “scared little girl” to “the most powerful creature on the planet” making Jean believe she can help her, to understand her, unlike her X-Men. The scene ends with a malicious grin, a sign of deviance in the eyes of the stranger that Jean barely knows.
Living in Genosha, serving as a leader in protecting mutants is Erik Lehnsherr. He cares for those he can help and defines their purpose by living in harmony and peace. His scenes with Jean are an emotional moment and touching and serious moment between Michael Fassbender and Sophie Tuner only increases the tension higher as both actors come face to face trying to understand each other. Fassbender’s tone of voice is strong and determined, asking questions and demanding them on point while Tuner’s body language and emotional facial expressions echo the fragile and broken state that Jean is placed upon; Tuner continues to present a vulnerable Jean, a Jean that on the brink of disaster as Erik pesters her with questions, pressuring her in a moment of anger and unrest. With such intensity and visible interaction between the two mutants, the turning point was made clear as the distressed Jean Grey releases the Dark Phoenix. Genosha is now under threat by Phoenix and after seeing the destruction caused by Jean, Erik begins to express anger and loss of trust. He banishes Jean and it’s the expression that Sophie gave that projected on the screen so well; her confounded and pain faced quickly turned to a face of anger and rage. This scene alone quickly adds to the stress and frustration of Jean’s mental state. Abandoned by her father, by Charles, by Hank, by Scott and now Erik. Its no wonder why Jean chose Vuk, to trust the only who cares. Who doesn’t question but to only understand.
Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tye Sheridan and Evan Peters co-star next to their fellow X-Men showing off their characters abilities. Shipp and McPhee’s characters Storm and Nightcrawler engages with their powers and offer a fantastic display of true strength and human assets. Storm is unique here and produces more than just a storm. Demonstrating the role of a moral compass to Scott and a friend when he is in need and a companion for her friends and family. For McPhee, what is exciting to me was his innocence and maturity, the way he can be both funny and still grew as an adult. What made me cry during his part was something I least expected, a moment of reality hitting this young mutant and the moment when witnessing the death of a stranger whose kid will be left fatherless and a wife who is left widowed, he could not let his death be a left forgotten. This turns him to aggressively kill the aliens, unleashing a warpath between anyone who got in his way which presents a courageous act of heroism especially to avenge the man he barely knew. McPhee understands his character and acts with determination, the way he scrunches up his face with anger and fights back showing character development; going from an innocent, bewildered young mutant still discovering his true potential, to be able to defend himself and others in a selfish act of bravery as he returns the favour to the man who couldn’t save. For Scott Summers, death was already something he was used to; after his brother’s death, the loss of Raven and Jean was beyond what he can handle. His attitude had changed all those years ago now becoming part of something much bigger. A part of a team, a family. Tye Sheridan gets romantically involved with Sophie Tuner as Jean and Scott’s relationship develops love the ten years, seeing them caught up their love affairs.
Evan Peters, the man who plays the quick and quirky speedster, QuickSliver, had his role cut short. His role lacked in appearance and not enough of him shown however whether it is due to the pressure of the Fox-Disney deal and extensive reshoots deeming the editing team to cut and leave things out from what had been originally in the trailers to meet their deadline, yet for me, I believe the real answer lies in the moments of his rescue attempt in trying to save Jean. His injuries leaving him bloodied and bruised, deeming him unsuitable to service the X-Men in their further mission; for me, this was the ideal situation of any kind of reality from which people get injured, get hurt especially after such tragic events. Even Peters still manages to pull off Maximoff’s funny quirks, as for instance his line:
“I basically did everything. I mean, Jean did a little, like, towards the end. But it was mostly all me”
Peter’s actually improvised this and luckily it made it to the final cut. Furthermore, while people bicker about his nonappearance and lack of the big reveal of father and son but despite this all, I still cried. The uncertainty of his injury leaves questions in our minds on whether he is okay or whether it had left him permanently injured for good. To this effect, I was beginning to recognise a matter of human suffering, situations where life is cruel and unbearable, and by the end of the film, his fate is revealed and say how much he had rested over time. To allow time to heal his wounds. And for me, I never noticed his disappearance, I was probably still crying over past events, where the death of Raven and Jean’s distress state consumed my mind leaving me crying. My eyes sore by the end of the movie.
As the story continues, the fight for Jean is amongst them as they encounter each other face to face in 5th Avenue for their final battle. Both sides offer explanations, trying to counter each other as they reach for Jean. Soon the epic battle for survival and for Jean insures as friends turned to enemies and the world as the know it had fallen behind them. Every shot was intense, the lives of civilians in danger of rampaging mutants but what was hard not to notice was the battle going on with Hank and Scott, two mutants who just several years ago, fought together to save the world from Apocalypse. Now they are in ahead to head battle to either save Jean or kill her. The fight between McCoy and Summers is a moment of struggle between friends, of two men who had lost to much and now is on the brink of trying to do what is right. Hoult and Sheridan’s performances are spectacular showcasing the strained friendship that these two had once held. Hoult provides his Beast rage as his rough movements indicate power and speed to get to Jean. While this was going on, the night time scenery and low lighting create a murky mood, reflecting the mindset of the character and how they are feeling. Magneto’s costume, like Vuk, is black and never too complicated. This simple and slick design helps to camouflage Erik into the darkness, allowing him to easily get to Jean. What was also most engaging with this scene was the moments of the strength of Magento’s powers as he lifts the subway cart from the ground and brings it up the surface. The crew behind the visual effects had brought a high standing finish to Magento’s ultimate power. The cart emerging to the top of the street, keeping our eyes on the destruction down beyond as the crane shot view captures our attention slowly as the cart explodes from the ground. From this, a display of true strength shows Magento pulling the train through the entrance and having heard in interviews, that the train and wall were built and were real, the most worrying of all was that having one shot at this moment it appeared and it clearly showed in the scene how the train came six inches close to hitting actor Michael Fassbender. With such confidence and a heart of steel, he had never even flinched or blink as those bricks fell down, and now that is through perfect as Erik would say.
Jean and Erik's reencounter comes to an eye to eye contact between family once again. Both of them unleashes their gifts, with Magento making the first move. In a shocking turn when Erik couldn’t kill Jean, the Dark Phoenix within her sets free all hell on him. with a move of her hand, the most spine-chilling scene occurred as Phoenix crashes Erik’s helmet and it doesn’t help either with Fassbender’s straining eyes in a close-up, the pained and gritting way he clenches his teeth adds to the growing pain he is feeling. In suspended in motion, the helmet breaks and with one last gleam of rest Phoenix quickly finishes the job and throws Erik out of the window in a what would have been a back-breaking fall. In a rush to get to Jean, in another moment of family and hope, Charles reaches Jean. In a not so expected moment, Phoenix increases her power, lifting Charles towards her. This scene captives the agony of Charles where McAvoy does with such detail as he needs to be in pain. Beyond this scene, Charles tries to help Jean remember, to bring Jean back to her senses, to just remember who she truly is. Like all the memories, the sense of a dream-like blur and distortion effect offers a unique idea of what was true, what was Charles trying to protect her from. This for me enchants the human side of a family ready to heal, ready to accept forgiveness. Jean begins to understand as Charles becomes the better man in front of her father. It now all comes together as the scene between Charles and John becomes clear:
“Will you take her?” - Mr Grey
“Yes, I can help her in ways that you can’t”- Charles Xavier
“She can’t be helped. She’s a lost cause”- Mr Grey
“No, she’s not. As long as there’s someone who cares for her who believes, then there’s still hope”- Charles Xavier
The message of hope still rings throughout the X-Men films and it seems as though Dark Phoenix wasn’t going to let it side as well. It still continues to bring the message of hope to its audience especially in this case of giving hope to children, to children who need hope for life, a home and a family; just someone who cares, who believes in them. Someone who loves them for who they are. Switching to back to Jean, Vuk took an opportunity to take what was hers, she approaches Jean, carefully touching her and spoke about her future. Down with her vulnerable state, Jean shakes her head, tears beginning to fall from her strained eyes.
“I never asked for this. Any of it.” - Jean Grey
“I travelled the stars for a gift that you don’t want?”- Vuk
“Then take it. Please. Free me”- Jean Grey
Being fueled by fear and confusion of what she had become, she realizes the truth, how she never wanted this for anyone, not even for herself. She begs Vuk for release, for her freedom. With a nod, Vuk couldn’t agree more. The next few scenes empower Scott and begin to have the others dragged rather inhumanly by guards. The train scene keeps them locked together, trapped in the same place having no place to run or hide. Having this opportunity, being in this confined space gives Charles an opportunity finally admit he was wrong. He was ready to face Hank and Erik, to prove that Jean was not the villain, but he was, how he had failed Jean and everyone else all because of his ego, for wanting something he only wanted. The back and forth moment towards Hank and Erik’s faces shows at first the lack of interest, not willing to forgive just yet, but what was the turning point was what Scott had said, about Raven and what she would have wanted. For Hank, it had registered a spark of truth, for he never thought of what Raven would have wanted, to have wanted from him. it was time to step up, to save Jean. Moving from this, the battle begins to increase, both sides raging war against the other and it wasn’t long until Vuk joined the fight taking down their first defence. Soon she wrecks a trail of bodies as each one of Jean’s family drops down hurt and broken.
As Charles tries to wake Jean up, to learn to forgive her, Charles, in a heaven-like place, confronts eight-year-old Jean played by the wonderful Summer Fontana. While they talked, the scene that unfolds is arranged in a battle of protecting Jean, and the approaches of emotional connections made towards these characters as Jean and Charles talks. Fontana plays an innocent young girl, a girl who had finally found peace and has already forgive Charles. The light flares that bounces off and on the screen symbolizes the reflection of this being all inside Charles’s mind, a place of peace and serenity can flourish. For once in Charles’s mind, he speaks with reassurance and feels the guilt he had been feeling for so long, and they're staring right in front of him is the same eight-year-old girl he had talked to and promised to keep safe all those years ago. Charles understands what he had to do, he had to protect Jean, to keep her away from the trauma, the pain and give her what she deserves, what every child deserves���
“A family” Jean replies, nodding both with Charles. This conversation between chid and a father figure, both characters are freeing themselves from the pain they had to suffer as Jean recognises what she must do and understand that the lie that Charles told was done from the act of love, how he had loved her more than her own father that he was willing to lie. To save her from having to grow up being afraid of the world. with having the last say, Jean now knows what she must do. That is to:
“Protect My Family”
Just this simply three words had made such an impact, it had sealed the movie with its theme of family and what the family stands for. A family protects and cares for their loved ones, to love each other through hard times and that is what Jean will do. And shortly after this, Jean had woken, her mind ready to fight and what I had noticed was the moment when Charles held Jean’s hand, the sign of prayer and hope which I must confess made me tear up. As her promise to protect her family, they are soon encased in a bubble as the train carts disperse and fall back with devastating results. Soon, the final battle begins as Jean tries to protect her family. A family she couldn’t save before. As the battle insures, Jean, now being able to take control over her own fate sets loose on the remaining aliens, banishing them from the face of the earth. With warm and hot tones of red, orange and yellow adding to the flames around them, the exterior designs help to establish power and control as Jean as Phoenix fights to protect and serve. While thinking Vuk is gone for good, we would think wrong as Vuk returns but this time to truly take it by force. Now free from the chains that held her down for so long, she uses this force for her own advantage. In a spectacular display of face to face encounter with Vuk and Jean, the power to obtain the force becomes too much for Vuk. In her last attempts to achieve what she wanted, she uses Jean’s emotions to bring her down.
“Your emotions make you weak”
And with one last look at her family, the people that got angry because they care so much, she gives them one last nod and ends Vuk, sacrificing herself in the process. And with last one look, there was nothing that her family could do but watch as Jean takes the battle in her own hands, protecting them as she promised. In space, both women circle around, the camera spinning with them as Jean closes in on Vuk finishing with:
“You’re wrong, my emotions make me strong”
With this approval of both her mind and heart, Vuk finally is finally vanquished, leaving Jean to disappear among the stars, leaving on being the trace of a phoenix burning in the sky. From down below, its Erik’s sadden expression that is caught first, the way his face drops down to show a feeling of sorrow and mournful, thinking probably what he and said before to Jean. Soon Scott thinks of Jean, that she is now gone, like Raven. And yet it was Charles who spoke the truth, how she is now free, that she is no longer his little girl anymore and must set her free, like the phoenix she was meant to be. To make her own decisions, to control her own fate. In the end, it fades to black and the world seems at peace once again. The next scene leads to the epilogue, a bittersweet ending to what had been a long and severe battle over Jean whose sacrifice had led to their protection and survival. Her sacrifice wasn’t as much of heroic sacrifice as those like Tony or Natasha from Endgame, but it was that nod of her head as she looked at Charles one last time that showed how much she was loved, how she can trust them to be okay without her. Her sacrifice was never a heroic one a way to protect those she loves, to do it for them for she couldn’t those she loved the first time. what seems to be a couple of years later, in a scene of innocence and peace, the flowers by the gate that once was lined with red lilies are now white, a symbol of hope, innocence and purity as Scott reassembles the new sign for the school now under a new name: Jean Grey School for Gifted Youngsters. This change in the name is a good decision, a decision probably made by Charles as in the end its not only the family that has changed but the home does too and the school was the home that Charles gave to Raven and to Jean, a place both grew up and a place where they last stayed. To enable the school to continue without the past haunting him, the scene of Hank walking to his office says a lot of the changes that had been placed.
It is now another school year, a new term as the tracking shot moves around the school showing Strom teaching science, Kurt and Peter leading more mature leads and now Hank, the new Professor and Dean of the school now named after a friend he wouldn’t save. What was touching about this scene in the epilogue as well as the photo of Raven at this desk, the way Hank had it framed and this wasn’t only a touching moment but a prop that is a reminder that Hank had moved on, how everyone has and how they have learnt to find acceptance in this world of cruelty. Of course, they still feel grief and pain on the inside but as they say, time will heal all wounds and that’s what Simon had reflected here. But what was so intriguing and so beautiful in any shape of form was the concluding moment between Charles and Erik. An ending to where it had all begun. Now in Paris, Charles and Erik meet up in a nearby café with Erik wanting to place chess. Chess has been a sign of their everlasting war between their beliefs is now just a casual game between two long friends. For me, this wasn’t just a heart-warming and symbolic end to the relationship between friends but also, if I say so myself, a beautiful and romantic grand gesture of love and passion as Erik reminds Charles of how he saved him from the waters back in the year of ’62, how he had given him a home and now he wants to do the same for Charles. And if that wasn’t enough, Kinberg happily implies the words:
“I’ll go easy on you”
And Charles’s replies:
“No, you won’t”
With them ending the scene in laughter and quirky smiles. If this wasn’t Cherik enough them I don’t know what will. But Dark Phoenix had just become the moment when Cherik became canon. So, if Cuba was their Beach Divorce, then Paris would be their Chess Proposal. But as they start their game, the camera slowly tilts up, getting a glimpse of the Paris street and a hint of the Eiffel Tower and there off in the distance is a trail of a phoenix, a reminder that this isn’t the end of Jean, this is only the beginning.
Overall, Dark Phoenix was more drama and human then about superheroes. It was more than trying to save the world and more like trying to save a person from it. To save a family member from the pain and hurt of a childhood trauma. Dark Phoenix details what happens when a lie to protect becomes a lie that kills. How the ego kills relationships and how the death of a loved one allows grief and pain to spiral someone out of control, seeking revenge at the person who killed their close relation. Dark Phoenix was the movie that had made me feel like this journey had ended but will not be forgotten. To me, with its music score done by the very talented composer Hans Zimmer, and the brilliant minds of both Simon Kinberg and Hutch Paker, every detail and every piece of dialogue matter and had created a while and an emotional roller coaster filled with pain and heartbreak. It didn’t just tell a story about superheroes but a story about a family and about how a little girl had to grow up and face the truth of a lied that protected her all these years. What Simon had done was to explore human emotions and show the ideas of psychological and philosophical ideas of our mind and how we treat others as human beings.
By the end of the film, there is acceptance and the power of hope remains at the heart of the school and to the people around them, as well as to what the X-Men represent. And soon enough the film itself had taught valuable life lessons to take back home, to shape our minds about family and about ourselves. So in the end, I can say that I’m proud of this movie and deserves my full attention and receives five stars as a reward for its display of human beings, about family and about never losing hope especially to a child in need.
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jensen ackles, male / he/him, bisexual. DEAN WINCHESTER, a ( canon ) character from ( SUPERNATURAL ), appeared in town A WEEK ago. here, they’re a FORTY y/o working as a mechanic. people think they’re HEROIC & LOYAL or STUBBORN & IMPULSIVE but associate them w/ [ empty beer bottles, leather-bound journals, colt m1911a1, greasy hands, oldschool horror movies, cassette tapes, single man tear] either way. they do remember bits and pieces up until current canon.
i’m james, he/him, 18+, est, and i’ll be playing your friendly neighborhood dean winchester. i’m excited to be here after some time away from the character -- who happens to be my favorite character of all time -- and rp itself in general. (college consumes most of your time, let me tell ya’.)
now, since supernatural has been running for an astounding 14 seasons, it’s difficult to go into detail about what dean has been through without providing you a novel to read. (however, if reading novels about characters is your thing, you can click here to have a detailed biography and personality rundown) with that said, i’ll try to summarize the key points best i can.
memories: let’s get started by addressing the plot of the group and what dean does/doesn’t remember since waking up on the island. dean woke up in the bunker where the winchester boys stay, which was the ideal environment to help him refresh his memories, considering he had access to a vast array of photographs, books, weaponry, etc. that provided the basics. at this point, he's fully aware of who he is, who he knows in canon, and what they all do, but when it comes to specific events and the timeline itself, it's fuzzy. because of this, dean isn't fully equipped to handle what's going on as effortlessly as he would by season 14. (this kind of stuff happens a lot) he's still piecing the puzzle together and trying to remember just how to go by doing that.
now, without further ado, a character rundown:
name: dean winchester date of birth/age: january 24th, 1979, 40. species: currently human. (though he has been a ghost, vampire, and demon, just to name a few. again, it's been 14 seasons. my boy's been through some shit) occupation: hunter. (do-gooder, hero, protector of mankind, killer of ghosts, demons, vampires, werewolves, anything evil, you name it, he’ll kill it. he even kills humans sometimes but they’re usually bad and we don’t talk about that) personality: confident, cool, and extremely loyal. charming and, at times, childish or immature. teasing his brother is one of his favorite pass-times. dean cultivates a bad-boy personality and makes sarcastic jokes at even the most morbid times, though he can be an intimidating presence to those who do not know him. underneath it all, though, he’s become hardened by life as a warrior. he has the tendency to be self-loathing and he is subconsciously afraid to get close to others in fear that being bonded to him will result in their untimely deaths (as it has various times before) he does his best to keep his emotions to himself. the only real weakness dean has is family. dean will protect his family at all costs. his longest and most intense commitment has been to his '67 chevy impala. he is a lover of classic rock music, food (don't forget the pie), sex, and the occasional tv soap opera. (though he may not openly admit that)
biography keypoints:
after dean's mom was killed by a demon when he was only 4 years old, his dad was hardly around, on a mission to avenge her. this left dean to fend for himself and raise his younger brother, sam.
the night their mom died, he rescued sam from the fire her burning body left, and since then, he has been committed to protecting his brother at all costs.
he's known about monsters and has been a hunter as long as he can remember.
when dean was 26, his dad went radio silent for the first time, resulting in him traveling to stanford where sam had gone to college in hopes to recruit his brother to help him find their dad. this reunites dean with his brother and begins his journey.
when his dad dies, dean took it upon himself to continue on as a hunter, not only for the good of the human race, but because it's the only life he has ever known.
eventually, when sam is killed, dean makes a deal with a crossroads demon who brings sam back in return, dean only has a year to live before he is taken to hell.
dean is rescued from hell by castiel because he is michael's true vessel and therefore required for him to destroy lucifer in the apocalypse. dean does not say yes and does not get possessed.
when sam goes to hell with lucifer, he breaks away from hunting and tries to live a normal life. this lasts a year before he finds out sam is out of hell and goes back into hunting.
after castiel let the leviathans out of purgatory, dean assisted him in eventually slaying the leader, sucking both of them into purgatory, where he was stuck for a year before escaping.
he and sam discovered that the winchesters are legacies of an organization known as the men of letters. this meant that they found a home in a bunker created by this organization.
he took on the burden of the mark of cain in order to slay abaddon, knight of hell. when this happened, it made him more aggressive and violent than usual. when he died with the mark, he awoke as a demon.
sam cured him of this, and eventually of the mark, but doing so set free the darkness. dean had a strong bond with her due to previously having the mark which was dark in nature.
after god reunited with his sister, the darkness, he grants dean’s greatest wish by resurrecting his mother, mary.
when lucifer's son, jack, was born, he originally wanted to kill him, thinking that he was dangerous and would cause destruction. however, as time went on, jack grew on him and he came to see him somewhat like a son.
in order to beat lucifer, dean eventually says yes to michael from an apocalyptic universe as long as michael lets him stay in control. he breaks this side of the deal, and uses dean with plans to destroy the world.
before appearing on the island, his main goal was to kill jack. this is because he has potentially lost his soul after killing michael, and accidentally killed dean's mother, mary.
if there is any confusion, at any point, please feel free to ask questions. there’s no such thing as a stupid question. and don’t hesitate to message me to plot at any time! i’m excited to interact with everybody.
#req:intro#intro#'saving people. hunting things. the family business.' (about)#hey everybody!#dean is open for business#please feel free to hit me up if you want to plot
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The Top Twenty Books I Read in 2016
Oh, 2016. The year that gave me a promising new life with one hand and ripped up what peace of mind I had left with the other. What better way to deal with such a confusing emotional state than to read a bunch of wonderful books, many about incredibly tough subjects? Arguably, there are many better ways, but I like reading.
20. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick (2013)
Traumatized seventeen-year-old Leonard Peacock makes a plan to kill his former abuser and then himself, but first he needs to visit four people who are important to him and say goodbye (without, of course, letting them know he’s saying goodbye). Throughout the day, he’s caught between trying to talk himself out of his horrible goal and feeling he has no other option. This is an affecting, compulsively readable novel with experimental bits that really pay off (especially Leonard’s letters to himself from a semi-dystopian future).
19. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (2011)
After her mother’s untimely death, thirteen-year-old Ava Bigtree’s family falls apart, along with their Floridian gator-wrestling theme park. Her senile grandfather is sent to a nursing home, her brother runs away to another theme park, and her father departs for the mainland for an indefinite time, leaving Ava alone with her séance-obsessed older sister Osceola. Then Osceola elopes with a ghost, driving Ava to take a perilous journey into the swamp. At turns fanciful and brutal, this is a fascinating and spooky story about grief and how scary nature is.
18. Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt (2015)
In 1740s London, withdrawn Eve Dinwoody is appointed by her half-brother to sort out the accounts of his investment, a pleasure garden owned by the boisterous middle-class Asa Makepeace. Eve and Asa are complete opposites who disagree about all matters financial, but they also have chemistry and actually turn out to care about each other’s problems. The family relationships in this romance are particularly strong, plus I liked that the aristocratic characters were so tangential to the story; it’s mostly a story about theatre people.
17. Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt (2016)
Alf is a messenger/informant by day, a masked vigilante by night, and, unbeknownst to everyone she’s met since early childhood, a woman. Hugh Fitzroy, the Duke of Kyle, is a widowed father of two bent on bringing down a ridiculously depraved secret society. When Alf gets beaten up while in his employ, Hugh persuades her to stay in his home for protection…which leads to some complicated feelings for Alf (and Hugh, once he realizes she’s not a teenage boy). Like Sweetest Scoundrel, this is a part of the Maiden Lane series, and it’s a fine installment: tightly plotted and prettily written, with a delightfully unusual heroine and a protective hero of the best type.
16. Silver Deceptions by Sabrina Jeffries (1994, revised for 2016 reissue)
During the height of the English Restoration, Annabelle Taylor takes to the London stage and purposefully cultivates a bad reputation with the goal of finding out and shaming the aristocratic father who abandoned her. Unfortunately, her discreet inquiries about his identity lead the king’s spies to think she has an anti-Royalist agenda. Colin Jeffreys, Lord Hampden, is sent to find out what her deal is, only to get caught up in something way more risky than a Roundhead plot (to his heart, anyway). This is easily the best Restoration romance I’ve read, with a beautifully realized setting, a fast-moving plot, and multilayered protagonists.
15. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (1938)
An unnamed narrator, young and awkward and alone in the world, marries the handsome, haunted Maxime de Winter after a whirlwind courtship in Monte Carlo. The problem is that she has trouble adjusting to being lady of the manor, plus he seems just shattered over the death of his beautiful, accomplished late wife…but is that what’s really going on? Kind of! I loved the weird, funny narrator, and the initial romance between her and Maxime is so sweet that its devolution once they get to Manderley hit me hard.
14. Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle by Georgette Heyer (1957)
Sylvester Rayne, the Duke of Salford, does not want to marry Phoebe Marlow, the mousy granddaughter of his godmother…but he’s still miffed when she flees her father’s house in order to avoid marrying him. Then he finds out that she wrote a popular gothic novel whose hero bears a striking resemblance to him, and he’s really annoyed. This is a terrific comedy—the two unplanned road trips are particularly delightful. I also liked the heroine and how she comes into her own after years of being cowed by her stepmother.
13. Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt (2016)
Valentine Napier, the Duke of Montgomery (and half-brother to Eve Dinwoody), is a bad, bad man. He blackmails his peers, tries to abduct heiresses (he’s not that great at it), and pretends that he’s done even worse. Bridget Crumb, his housekeeper, is working in his household in hopes of helping her mother. She has every reason to hate and fear him…but instead she thinks he’s full of shit but kind of likes him anyway. In turn, he’s intrigued by the fact that she has morals and wears a huge mobcap to hide her hair. This is a balls-out ludicrous romance novel in the best possible sense, with enough emotional pathos to keep me seriously invested.
12. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (2013)
Rose Justice, a young American flying planes for the British Air Transport Auxiliary during WWII, is captured by the Germans during a mission in France. Sent to Ravensbrück, she barely manages to survive the experience with the help of her fellow political prisoners and poetry. This book is less twist-driven than its companion Code Name Verity—the reader isn’t kept in much suspense about Rose’s eventual escape, let alone surprised with any revelation—but it has every good thing in common with the other novel: a complex and human narrator, a focus on women’s contributions to WWII, and a message of steely hope in the face of evil.
11. Crispin: The End of Time by Avi (2010)
In the third and final installment of the starkly beautiful medieval-set Crispin trilogy, thirteen-year-old Crispin finds himself bereft and unable to speak the language in war-torn France. He tries to get to Iceland, where everyone is free according to his late mentor, but he falls into bad company and has existential crises along the way. If you enjoy the most heart-shattering parts of A Song of Ice and Fire but wish the series had a smidge less violence and a lot less sex, this series might be for you! The ending is satisfying and holds the hope of hope, but good lord does it put you through the wringer.
10. The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries (2016)
When Lady Clarissa Lindsey finds herself being stalked by a sleazy French diplomat, family friend Lord Blakesborough agrees to help her out. They tend to clash—she’s gregarious and fun-loving, while he’s reserved to the point of stuffiness—but she wants the best for him, too, and tries to teach him how to talk to ladies so he can find a wife. Of course, everything goes wrong and they end up marrying each other for convenience…only it’s not so convenient, because they want to bang each other something fierce, plus they both have sad pasts they can’t talk about easily. A beautiful, hopeful romance with two extremely endearing protagonists.
9. A Scandalous Countess by Jo Beverley (2009)
Georgia, Lady Maybury, was the toast of society…until her beloved young husband was killed in a duel and everyone (wrongly) thought it was with her lover. Now she’s coming out of mourning, but someone has resurrected the most vicious rumors about her. She finds an unexpected ally in Lord Dracy, an awkward, badly scarred ex-naval officer who secretly wants to marry her for her money (at first). This novel is a glorious melodrama with an intriguing mystery and a wonderfully complex heroine.
8. Once Upon a Marquess by Courtney Milan (2015)
Lady Judith Worth used to have everything, but then her father was exposed as a traitor and committed suicide. Now she can barely pay rent on her shabby London home and all her siblings are either missing or in distress, but she’s still loathe to accept help from Lord Ashford, an old friend whose investigations helped bring about her family’s ruin. His charm, willingness to assist her, and ready acknowledgment that she has a right to be angry make it a bit easier, though. Courtney Milan is a National Treasure, and this complex series debut, alternately hilarious and heartrending, is among her best.
7. Emma by Jane Austen (1815)
Emma Woodhouse, rich and pretty and beloved by most, tries to be a good person, but that turns out to be a confusing business. I was frequently irritated by this novel, but honestly that made me love it more. On several occasions, Emma actually shocked me with her bad judgment, callousness, and even malice. At the same time, I saw that she was genuinely trying to do the right thing, even though she was severely hampered by classism and a lack of self-awareness. The contrast and the questions it raises are fascinating.
6. The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel (2014)
This gorgeously written, endlessly unnerving anthology includes “The School of English” (the heartbreaking, infuriating tale of a London housekeeper starting a new job), “How Shall I Know You?” (the story of a pitying, pitiable writer on a miserable book tour), and the title story (a snapshot of an alternate history). Every story has excellent style and atmosphere; Mantel has a particular talent for making the reader feel queasy and excited at the same time.
5. Fortune Favors the Wicked by Theresa Romain (2016)
World-weary courtesan Charlotte Perry returns to her hometown in search of a stolen hoard, hoping that the reward will allow her to build a new life for herself and her “niece.” Lieutenant Benedict Frost, recently blinded and restless, travels to the same location in hopes of establishing a household where he can live with his younger sister. They should be adversaries…but perhaps they will not be? This was a nearly perfect romance; the central relationship was delicious, all the side characters were great, and the plot was very well-constructed.
4. The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith (2016)
After her brother’s best friend rapes her in her own bedroom, high school freshman Eden’s primary reaction is rage—not only at her rapist, but at the parents who overlook her, at the brother she’s sure wouldn’t believe her, and at herself for being quiet and trusting. Over the next few years, she builds a new identity for herself; unfortunately, it comes with self-destructive behavior and a tendency to push everyone away. This story is ultimately a hopeful one, but it’s a damn hard read. I cried like a tiny baby girl, and I often felt incredibly angry. Eden is a wonderful narrator, clear-eyed but still unable to extract herself from a morass of silence and self-punishment without help.
3. Room by Emma Donoghue (2010)
Five-year-old Jack has never left the room where he was born to his captive mother, or even learned that the outside world they see on television is real. All he knows is Room and Ma…until she tells him there’s a whole universe outside and shares her desperate escape plan. Room is an absolutely beautiful story, and it’s all the more wonderful because the characters are so individualized. Jack is a sweetheart, but he also does weird kid stuff, from the adorable (declaring broccoli his “enemy food”) to the dangerously inconvenient (getting angry at his mom when she tries to explain the outside world). Ma is even more complex, and it’s truly impressive how Donoghue can convey her anger, compassion, youthfulness, maturity, and everything else when she’s filtered entirely through her five-year-old son’s perspective. I also appreciated how much the novel is about recovery, with all its attendant joys and difficulties.
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1969)
In her classic first memoir, Angelou shares the story of her childhood in Arkansas and then California. I loved this book almost as much as its sequel Gather Together in My Name; it’s just as funny, heartbreaking, and sharply insightful. It can also be a much tougher read, due to the trauma she experiences in her childhood and the near-constant racism she faces, but her exploration of these issues just makes the book more powerful.
1. Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou (1974)
In this memoir, Angelou relates her experiences as a young woman in post-WWII California. She tries to care for her new baby, find a purpose in life, and look for someone to love, but she runs into many obstacles: bad boyfriends, racism, anti-Communist paranoia, an unfaithful dance partner, and an unplanned foray into running a brothel, just to name a few. Angelou’s second memoir is glorious, funny and poignant and righteously angry at turns. Even though my experiences are very different from hers, I related hard to her loneliness, lack of direction, and premature regret. The best book I read all year.
#gather together in my name#i know why the caged bird sings#maya angelou#room#emma donoghue#the way i used to be#amber smith#fortune favors the wicked#theresa romain#the assassination of margaret thatcher#hilary mantel#emma#jane austen#once upon a marquess#courtney milan#a scandalous countess#jo beverley#the study of seduction#silver deceptions#sabrina jeffries#crispin#avi#rose under fire#elizabeth wein#duke of sin#duke of pleasure#sweetest scoundrel#elizabeth hoyt#sylvester or the wicked uncle#georgette heyer
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Homicide: The Movie
I keep thinking about tim bayliss out by the water telling frank about how he was abused by his uncle, about bayliss talking about how he hadn't been happy in a long time and now he was going to have dinner with chris rawls and be happy. bayliss on that rooftop scruffy and dead-eyed and tortured by what he's done, grabbing frank by the coat and pleading for him to be the one that takes him in. what kind of message to send, to take the most idealistic character and make them a lesson about what happens when you don't deal with your demons? or simply what happens because life is convoluted and imperfect? bayliss has two choices. he can ask frank to forgive him, and this will be enough. it’s frank or the justice system, and frank can’t do it. though bayliss was sure he could. and so bayliss is left with nothing. if frank can’t forgive him, then that’s it, he can’t live with what he’s done. frank begging bayliss to go home, to never mention it to anybody, would rather save bayliss than their friendship. bayliss saying he's been thinking about killing himself, he'll do it if frank doesn't bring him in...and so frank gives in. he grants bayliss this one final wish. he clears the ryland case. bayliss goes to prison, bayliss kills himself anyway. how could he live with a justice system that jails a good man and lets an evil one go free? it's a fitting way to end the show. the show was never about happy endings, it was about moving on. death goes on and on, because life goes on and on. but bayliss doesn't get to move on. everything he ever did will be lost. everything about his old life will become obsolete. bayliss, who so deserves it, not getting a happy ending...almost had an epiphany, but not quite. was almost out of the woods, but instead took a wrong step and fell into a deep abyss. there was no one else so idealistic or as good-hearted as bayliss. “just because perversion exists doesn’t mean I have to accept that.” good ol tim bayliss, the zen detective. a cop who dabbles in bisexuality and buddhism (two things which he eventually has to give up). an emotional man, a misguided man, but a good man, who deserved to live on, to learn, to move on from his mistakes. he wanted to have a family one day, but he won’t have that. he won't get to see pembleton's kids grow up. he gets nothing for his trouble. maybe he was doomed from the beginning. he came into the homicide unit as damaged goods and was hit with the adena watson case. a little angel-faced girl lying in the rain. rookie detective faced with his demons, and given no outlet to deal with them. he should’ve taken off after that sixth year. should’ve gone to see somebody. instead he came back bereft of frank, spouting bullshit philosophies and pretending he was healed. he ended up where he did, his life thrown away over some convicted murderer who got off on a technicality. killing a man to ensure he wouldn't kill again. a man who didn’t deserve to live, but whose death was somehow a usurpation of the justice system because the power of life and death cannot be put into the hands of another man. the various shades of gray that are borne out of deciding who gets to live and who gets to die. that’s how it is: a good man committing a sinful act is punished, but an evil man committing sinful acts goes free... all those years of bayliss trying to get close to frank, and frank continually warding off his friendship. unrequited love, almost. except that frank did love bayliss in his own way. just in a way that bayliss had no use for. and this final moment on the rooftop, frank gradually realizing that this is the result of his untimely departure...he left bayliss in his darkest hour. now all those years of fending bayliss off, being so guarded, and this is the last time they’ll get to be together, the way things used to be. cursing bayliss for putting this on him, for challenging his virtues. it was he who said virtue is not true virtue unless it slams up against vice...and this is it for frank, the ultimate test. bayliss confesses to a murder, and he can’t go back from that. tim bayliss is no longer just tim bayliss, he’s a killer. “you can’t be a killer.” a good man and a killer can’t be the same. this is the one variable must remain constant, in frank’s eyes, or else his entire worldview would shatter. how can you love a man who’s killed somebody? something that you’ve stressed for so long as irrefutably evil? even if bayliss went home that night, even if neither of them told a soul, nothing would be the same. bayliss is a cop. the sanctity of law and order has been hammered into him from the get-go, so even if he knows in his heart he did the right thing, his mind will always contest it. frank wouldn’t be able to forgive bayliss. he wouldn’t be able to see him as a good man. he would struggle with it for the rest of his days: the idea that there is no solid line between good and evil, and what that could possibly mean about all the people he’s put away. about himself. about humanity. something like this had to happen eventually. frank couldn’t live the rest of his life sorting everything into categories of good and bad, black and white. bayliss with his ideals, his belief in the reign of all things right and just, all while being exposed to the darkest, ugliest and most perverse parts of the world. bayliss the good guy, the bright-eyed rookie, who had to earn everybody's respect and was miserable every minute of it. just trying to do good the only way he knew how. trying to make things right. tried to do right by adena watson, for all the abused and battered children. those he saw himself in. poor, poor bayliss...he never got to be happy. maybe for a few fleeting moments it was in his reach, but he always just missed it. he couldn’t make peace with the terrible things he saw. he couldn’t abide injustice. couldn’t abide that he could look very much like the terrible things and people he loathed. homicide got to him. he let it get to him and he didn’t deal with it. from the very beginning he was a ticking time bomb. it didn’t start with adena watson, though that’s what it always comes back to. it started when he was five years old. jesus. what a hopeless and terrible way to end.
#I've felt really bad ever since I watched the movie#I already felt pretty dissatisfied with the futile problems of my own life#the idea that there's no real justice in the world#and that good people get bad endings#kind of puts things into perspective...in the worst of ways#I'm really upset#I've been thinking about tim bayliss ever since#it's not just a tv character...it's a reflection of my morals#and my suicidality#he commits suicide...what'm I supposed to do?#it ain't real#but it is real#realistic tv shows are the worst when it comes to this stuff#like who cares about magic and monsters?#that stuff's never gonna come to fruition#this stuff is#I could get a soul killing job#and have nothing to show for it#that's likely how I'll end up#and that is an awful thing to consider#hlots#homicide: life on the street#tim bayliss#homicide: the movie#frank pembleton
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jensen ackles, he/him, bisexual. forget what you know about DEAN WINCHESTER, the ( canon ) one from SUPERNATURAL ! they’ve been a 40 y/o firefighter since arriving 2 weeks ago. you could call them the town ADRENALINE JUNKIE ; they’ve got a rep for being + HEROIC & + LOYAL yet – STUBBORN & - IMPULSIVE, but are associated with w/ [ empty beer bottles, colt m1911a1, greasy hands, cassette tapes ] they remember being surrounded by zombies in the graveyard with sam and cas.
Hey there. I’m James. He/him. 18+ and I’ll be playing your friendly neighborhood Dean Winchester. Everything you need to know is down below!
now, since supernatural has been running for an astounding 14 seasons, it’s difficult to go into detail about what dean has been through without providing you a novel to read. (however, if reading novels about characters is your thing, you can click here to have a detailed biography and personality rundown) with that said, i’ll try to summarize the key points best i can.
memories: let’s get started by addressing the plot of the group and what dean does/doesn’t remember since waking up on the island. dean woke up in the bunker where the winchester boys stay, which was the ideal environment to help him refresh his memories, considering he had access to a vast array of photographs, books, weaponry, etc. that provided the basics. at this point, he’s fully aware of who he is, who he knows in canon, and what they all do, but when it comes to specific events and the timeline itself, it’s fuzzy. because of this, dean isn’t fully equipped to handle what’s going on as effortlessly as he would by season 14. (this kind of stuff happens a lot) he’s still piecing the puzzle together and trying to remember just how to go by doing that.
now, without further ado, a character rundown:
name: dean winchester date of birth/age: january 24th, 1979, 40. species: currently human. (though he has been a ghost, vampire, and demon, just to name a few. again, it’s been 14 seasons. my boy’s been through some shit) occupation: hunter. (do-gooder, hero, protector of mankind, killer of ghosts, demons, vampires, werewolves, anything evil, you name it, he’ll kill it. he even kills humans sometimes but they’re usually bad and we don’t talk about that) personality: confident, cool, and extremely loyal. charming and, at times, childish or immature. teasing his brother is one of his favorite pass-times. dean cultivates a bad-boy personality and makes sarcastic jokes at even the most morbid times, though he can be an intimidating presence to those who do not know him. underneath it all, though, he’s become hardened by life as a warrior. he has the tendency to be self-loathing and he is subconsciously afraid to get close to others in fear that being bonded to him will result in their untimely deaths (as it has various times before) he does his best to keep his emotions to himself. the only real weakness dean has is family. dean will protect his family at all costs. his longest and most intense commitment has been to his ‘67 chevy impala. he is a lover of classic rock music, food (don’t forget the pie), sex, and the occasional tv soap opera. (though he may not openly admit that)
biography keypoints:
after dean’s mom was killed by a demon when he was only 4 years old, his dad was hardly around, on a mission to avenge her. this left dean to fend for himself and raise his younger brother, sam.
the night their mom died, he rescued sam from the fire her burning body left, and since then, he has been committed to protecting his brother at all costs.
he’s known about monsters and has been a hunter as long as he can remember.
when dean was 26, his dad went radio silent for the first time, resulting in him traveling to stanford where sam had gone to college in hopes to recruit his brother to help him find their dad. this reunites dean with his brother and begins his journey.
when his dad dies, dean took it upon himself to continue on as a hunter, not only for the good of the human race, but because it’s the only life he has ever known.
eventually, when sam is killed, dean makes a deal with a crossroads demon who brings sam back in return, dean only has a year to live before he is taken to hell.
dean is rescued from hell by castiel because he is michael’s true vessel and therefore required for him to destroy lucifer in the apocalypse. dean does not say yes and does not get possessed.
when sam goes to hell with lucifer, he breaks away from hunting and tries to live a normal life. this lasts a year before he finds out sam is out of hell and goes back into hunting.
after castiel let the leviathans out of purgatory, dean assisted him in eventually slaying the leader, sucking both of them into purgatory, where he was stuck for a year before escaping.
he and sam discovered that the winchesters are legacies of an organization known as the men of letters. this meant that they found a home in a bunker created by this organization.
he took on the burden of the mark of cain in order to slay abaddon, knight of hell. when this happened, it made him more aggressive and violent than usual. when he died with the mark, he awoke as a demon.
sam cured him of this, and eventually of the mark, but doing so set free the darkness. dean had a strong bond with her due to previously having the mark which was dark in nature.
after god reunited with his sister, the darkness, he grants dean’s greatest wish by resurrecting his mother, mary.
when lucifer’s son, jack, was born, he originally wanted to kill him, thinking that he was dangerous and would cause destruction. however, as time went on, jack grew on him and he came to see him somewhat like a son.
in order to beat lucifer, dean eventually says yes to michael from an apocalyptic universe as long as michael lets him stay in control. he breaks this side of the deal, and uses dean with plans to destroy the world.
before appearing on the island, his main goal was to kill jack. this is because he has potentially lost his soul after killing michael, and accidentally killed dean’s mother, mary.
chuck (god) appeared again and gave dean a way to kill jack, which would also mean he dies himself. when it came to do it, however, he couldn't bring himself to do it. this angered chuck, who had been playing them the whole time, and then proceeded to kill jack and free spirits from hell with a threat of 'the end'.
the last thing dean remembers is the zombies closing in on him, sam, and cas in the graveyard, with jack's body on the ground next to them.
if there is any confusion, at any point, please feel free to ask questions. there’s no such thing as a stupid question. and don’t hesitate to message me to plot at any time! i’m excited to interact with everybody.
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