#all-time favorite outlander moment(s)

[themusicsweetly]

Thank you for posting videos, pictures, and the Tribeca panel commentary on twitter. It is much appreciated. 🙏🏻

[ Anonymous #2 asked ]: Sarah, would you mind writing a S701 review since you were at the premiere last night? Don't mind spoilers and you can warn others if they don't want to read. Loved it when you did it before. Thanks!

Hello Anons! Thanks so much for both your asks! I hope you don't mind me combining both your asks.

You're so welcome, Anon #1! I so glad so many people enjoyed my posts about it! I'm very grateful that I've been able to go to these events for several years now. I know that so many of you don't get that opportunity, so I try to do what I can to bring it to you all even if only virtually. Things are always so much more fun when they're shared, anyway. After all, that's what fandom should be about! 💜

For anyone who missed it, you can check out my Twitter page for my full coverage of 92Y and the Tribeca Festival. But here's some GIF spam from my favorite of the videos I was able to capture this week!

Anon #2, yes of course I'll write up a summary of my thoughts. I know you said you don't mind them, but I will try my very best to not include any spoilers in it as I know it really does ruin it for some. But just in case:

~~~POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR OUTLANDER 7x01 BELOW~~~ ~~~SERIOUSLY, DON’T @ ME THAT I DIDN’T WARN YOU~~~

Outlander 7x01, "A Life Well Lost"

As Caitriona + Sam have mentioned previously in interviews, 7x01 picks up right where 6x08 left off. No time jump or anything, which I was really glad for. The opening scene was SHOCKING and used something that I thought was really clever and really rude all at the same time lol. I can tell you that the audience gasped because of it. I feel this bit was extremely effectively done. Caitriona's micro-expressions really made it for me.

One thing that surprised me — and perhaps it shouldn't simply because Outlander has always been full of this — was that there were so many small moments of humor in this episode, despite the obvious dire situation Claire and Jamie are in (but really, when aren't they lol). There's a new small side character that both Claire and Jamie get to interact with that provides much needed comedic breaks. Even Jamie's menacing looks add to this. Claire especially, I feel, gets to use her biting wit (or just straight up cursing) to add some humor to the tenseness. There's one particularly funny scene that takes place on a boat and involves an interrupting officer that I so loved! The entire audience burst out laughing when we saw it.

While Caitriona + Sam were obviously amazing, I'll say the surprising standout actor in this episode wasn't them. I won't say who, but it's someone we're well acquainted with. There are moments straight out of the book that this actor just fully nails. We're so lucky to have such strong actors filling these side character roles and s/he is just fantastic. Their sincerity and conviction sold me completely.

As book readers can probably guess from the title and from where we are in the timeline, we know basically what will happen in this episode — and they to stick pretty well to it. Even so, it is still so satisfying to get to see it played out on screen. Claire's despair, hope, and heartbreak. Jamie's torment, anger, and determination. The relief of it all. It's all played so, so well across Caitriona + Sam's faces and in their line delivery. Sam said during the Tribeca panel that Jamie is perhaps "more frail" in this episode, and I think that can be said for both of them. Despite them being well versed in separation, I think every subsequent one after their 20 year split wears on them more and more. And they both play that so expertly, making the time that we do see them together just that much sweeter. I don't think it's too spoilery to say that yes, they do share several scenes together this episode so dinna fash!

As for Brianna and R*ger, their scenes are pretty well separate from the Jamie x Claire scenes. I don't really have much to say about them, except that they move certain other storylines that will become more important later on in the season forward. And only just so. While it was important to do so, honestly it felt a bit filler-like. That said, I am actually pretty excited for certain arcs for Brianna and Jemmy later on (while also hoping they don't include that storyline for R*ger... sorry, not sorry) and this brought them maybe half a step closer to it.

Other than the moment on the boat I had mentioned earlier, there are two scenes toward the end which I really loved. One was such a sweet moment straight out of the book with some really great book lines that I had very much wanted to hear. it is Classic™ Jamie x Claire, so you know Caitriona + Sam knocked it out of the park. The second is not a book scene (I believe?? I don't remember it anyway), but was a great one for Sam / Jamie. It's how the episode ends and I told a new friend I had met in the Tribeca line that the final moment of the episode reminded me of Batman's cape swooshing over the camera turning everything black. Lol take from that what you will!

Some other random thoughts:

Jamie x Claire are SO. SOFT. They say separation makes the heart grow fonder? Really, it makes those two grandparents softer AND I LOVE IT.

I LOVED seeing Caitriona + Sam's names appear as Executive Producers! The entire audience was singing along to The Skye Boat song and then burst out cheering when that came up.

I really hope Major MacDonald's wig gets snatched by Adso at some point because F him lol

Overall, I'd say I enjoyed the episode. Some might say it's a bit slow, which I wouldn't disagree with. But knowing that 1) they had to get this part over with the tie up the Season 6 cliffhanger; and 2) this is really going to be a jam packed season of action and emotion, I think I'm okay with that. I've heard it from more than one source that 7x02 is even better than 7x01 so I'm really excited! I'm also really excited to meet our newer cast members, as none of them featured in the premiere episode. The Hunters especially will be so much fun to watch!

Hearing Caitriona + Sam speak about not only this season, but their journey with Outlander overall makes me so grateful that the quality is still there after seven seasons. They're clearly still so passionate about these characters and are determined to do them justice in every way to the very end. And I think that most definitely shows up in their scenes. I'm super curious to see if there's anything noticeably different or better now that they've been promoted to Executive Producers. And of course, to see Caitriona's first foray into directing!! Until then, I'm looking forward to you all seeing the first episode for yourselves 💜

[sgiandubh]

Waypoints, Take 1: POV Complete Outsider

A little something, before we begin. In the history of this fandom, S's book was a critical juncture point. To explain my speculations and findings, it felt appropriate and fun to split it in two parts: the first, written from the POV of a complete outsider who happens to stumble upon Waypoints. The second would be a shipper's view, simply because this is who I am. Under no circumstances should it be understood that I recently took a flight to Bangkok, as I will immediately tell you (I wish I had!). Last time I used this rhetorical trick it went in flames, and I had to explain myself at length: you have been warned. Here goes and I apologize already - this is going to be LONG:

Hi, I am Sgian-Dubh and I have just boarded the LHR-BKK twelve -hour flight, after four years of forced COVID abstinence. I am brimming with anticipation for five o'clock tea at the Mandarin Oriental's Author Lounge, the speedboat transfers on the Chao Phraya and the first real Thai mango sticky rice.

Lo and behold, somebody has forgotten a book in the pocket in front of my seat, undetected by the cleaning ladies. It is written by a certain Sam Heughan. I have no idea who that guy is, but I am quickly informed about its topic: My Scottish Journey.

Ok. A travel book. Favorite genre. This guy is no Pico Iyer. No Robert Byron. And certainly no Freya Stark. But I've got roughly ten hours to kill: where's the harm?

The cover intrigues me. Not my type, but a very good-looking gentleman, with a rather determined, almost stern attitude and a dram of whisky in his left hand. Is he a unicorn entrepreneur? An inventor? The next UK astronaut? Impossible to tell. But hey, never judge a book by its cover.

It quickly becomes apparent that Heughan is the male lead in that lengthy Outlander series of already cult-ish reputation, that my mother watches with gusto ("call me in half an hour, I am watching The Wedding": might I add, for the 455th time in documented history) and The Guardian TV critic calls raunchy.

Six hours later, roughly by the second round of refreshments, I have questions.

The beginning is peculiar. This guy has a busy-busy-busy life and lives in a large country house all by himself, with a hissing coffee machine he just bought. There is something havishamesque about this premise, clashing with the self-assured, conqueror pose on the cover:

But there is hope: a decision is made on the spur of the moment to skedaddle and walk the 96 mile West Highland Way, rather than brood in front of the telly with Chinese delivery food and more alcohol, Bridget Jones style. Fair enough. Adequate equipment is immediately acquired in a frenzy and outside it is nasty raining. The new tent is mounted and dismounted in the living-room (who does this? who eats scrambled eggs with ketchup?).

Pitter-patter. And more pitter-patter. Damp, but heartwarming overnight stops in cozy hotels along the way and short conversations in Halloween-themed bars, surrounded by Highland zombies and banshees. Parritch and grit. The harsh encounter with homelessness along the way prompts the Good Samaritan reflex:

More pitter-patter. Entwined with the self-reliant feat, we start to follow a parallel trail to the narrator's past, by far the most interesting part of the book. Challenging beginnings, in a single parent family surrounded by love and dignified penury. A real shyness due to truly heartbreaking, unfairly absurd, almost debilitating circumstances:

Details like the above quickly grab the reader's attention, and how could they not? There is a lot of sensibility in there, rather aptly balanced with a whiff of Dickensian morality (stay true to your self) and of course, with one of the favorite Victorian refrains: play up, play up and play the game. Obstacles are patiently conquered with uncommon resilience and a true stubbornness, but for a very long time, life is a haphazard succession of opportunities and rebukes.

For such a good-looking man, women are sparse and far between. Ae fond kiss and then we sever at 10. Stage partners. A stage production assistant. The one who didn't last more than one week once moved in together. No explanation is provided and we sense this is an uneasy topic. I wouldn't insist, as a casual reader, but my curiosity is piqued.

At this point in time, breakfast is served. I have long lost track of the zip-a-dee-doo-dah trekking part of the book, involving a sulking, but nice bearded guy and his wife, chance brief encounters and mushrooms. But the Underdog Tale surely got my attention, even if we spend an extravagant amount of time between the London neo-slums and the glitter of Tinseltown: skipping to the essential, it eventually paid off.

With instant fame comes exposure and the lottery winner syndrome. What to do. How to cope. Women multiply as by magic, but only one is singled out and discussed in a strange, contrived, almost lackadaisical manner:

If this made me, the assumed Complete Outsider, stop in my tracks and scratch my head, I can only imagine what would happen to these people's fans. Why address folklore and conflated nonsense, at all? Why give space to hearsay? Why "it", when it should logically be "them"? Why the ambiguity? Why the uneasiness, spinning like floating wood in a sea of positivity? Why worry about that, when you drum the march of success and explain your bachelorhood by an unsolved Oedipus complex, thwarting any potential pairing?

I sip the horrible airline drip coffee and I ask:

Who is Caitriona to you, Mister Heughan?

You wrote a +150 pages long book beating around this bush. There are no such things. You are either life-long friends and this is a non-existent topic, or you are lying to yourself, lying to your readers and hiding in plain sight.

Time to disembark. I am keeping the book. I am not buying the whisky (naïve product placement on top). But hell I am going to watch that series on Netflix!

[invincible-selfxmade-punk]

Some horror movies I've seen so far this summer

I watched the Devil's Candy on Shudder today which was a really freaking excellent heavy metal horror film,. It was seriously good.

I heard a lot of mixed reviews for M3gan but I thought it was a pretty good solid movie.

I was disappointed in the remake of Children of the Corn. I watched it so many times back in the day (Outlander!! We have your woman!!" "He wants you too, Malachi!!"

I always remembered thinking if they just had had better CGI and effects they could have really done great things.

But the Remake instead of focusing on the religious aspect of everything turned it into a slasher movie starring children. And I was not impressed with how they depicted He Who Walks Behind the Rows.

Not at all.

Hellbender had some similar vibes and was a good rock and roll horror movie as well. Both had great young female leads. If you're looking for a modern witch tail that is a good one.

The Dark and the Wicked was really really good. If you're looking for something where people can't tell the difference between reality and hallucination this is the movie for you

I watched Antrum last week and that was great too. Very odd, had a 70's vibe. Very creepy and a whole lot of what the f*** is going on moments

Nope was extremely enjoyable as are all of Jordan Peeles movies. I feel like I need to go back and watch it again though is there a few things I just did not understand after I finished it.

Black Box had an unexpected twist so good to see Felicia Rashad again.

Super Dark Times was pretty good if a bit recyled. and the Girl on Third Floor really wasn't as bad as a lot of people made it out to be. And the best comment I've seen on Tumblr about that movie was Oh my God it's only 10 minutes into the movie and he's already fingering the house.!!! CM Punk at his dickish best!!

For found footage movies, it does not get any better than Horror in the High Desert. I actually had to go online and ask somebody is this a movie or did this actually happen?

Speaking of mock documentaries, even though I did not see this this past year it's been a while since I've seen it one movie that scared the absolutely living hell out of me is called The Nightmare and if you ever get a chance I think it is on both Prime and shutter go check it out I won't say anything else.

Out of everything I think the most fun scary movie I've seen so far is Mayhem plus it had Samara weaving who is my absolute favorite scream Queen of the new millennium.

Both mMayhem and nope features great Asian actors. And even though it is not a horror movie Honey Boy was..... a really really f***** up movie about the life of Shia LaBeouf. Even if you don't like him as an actor or maybe you've only like one or two of his movies really owe it to yourself to watch this movie because he had such a incredibly s***** childhood. Maybe not quite as bad as Corey Feldman but I think it's pretty much up there.

[philtstone]

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. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

finally i have a moment 2 breathe so here is my list (thank u bestie zainab but also you know ive written too many fics to only pick five. so these are in no particular order and i broke the rules a little bit)

Title: bedclothes the child of the mountain

the first installment in the scarborough fair au (aka my somewhat manic pandemic era outlander fix it series), and one of my sudden and wildly inspired attempts at writing with different form and style -- it will probably always have a special place in my heart, simple as it is

Summary: "By the green o’ the moor behind them, the lad took the faerie’s hands in his own, an’ he told her that he loved her, an’ that he’d offer her the riches of the land if he could but all he could give her then was that which he held in his heart.

The faerie lass knew in her soul that she loved him back, but she was of the fae folk, an’ she missed her kin somethin’ fierce. So she told the lad, I cannae marry ye --”

A loud, irreverent giggle bursts from the place between his arms.

2. Title: my daddy was a prominent frogman

this is simply not my best prose at all but who needs tight prose when the concept is this iconic (aka the lotr hippie camp counsellor au)

Summary: Gandalf has been standing at the front of the room in a customary drapey grey t-shirt and flip flops all through Eowyn’s impassioned retelling, puffing wordlessly at his pipe. Frodo wonders if he is allowed to smoke indoors, even in this time of crisis. Uncle Bilbo always takes his pipe outside when they’re back in the city. But then, Frodo (who is sitting beside Gandalf -- he was in the back phoning hullo to Uncle Bilbo before lunch was over, and on his way out got accidentally caught in the middle of this emergency meeting) suspects that a converted campground in the middle of the woods is not really a place that abides by any rules.

Another two puffs from Gandalf’s pipe. Camp’s going on for nearly a whole month still. Maligned bulldozers tearing Camp down is a terribly unproductive development.

3. Title: i believe in you and in our hearts

zainab you KNOW this is an all timer! valkyrie holds a baby! the guardians are there! they ROADTRIP! i debated putting the og baby meredith fic here instead but i like the prose in this one better. ive never properly been a thor girlie but id be lying if i said this fic isnt one of my favourites

Summary: "A road trip," Thor says. "That's what the Midgardians call it."

"That's a stupid name for a thing," says Brunnhilde, but she's grinning as she does.

Or: nearly a decade after, Thor gets up one day and decides that they need a vacation.

4. Title: hopeful/summertime

phils magnum opus (another mildly deranged endeavour used to exorcise personal feelings, but which of my fics doesnt dabble in that, really) aka the first chapter fic i ever actually finished aka the first plot-coherent thing i ever finished aka the sam and bucky open a bar and adopt a bunch of kids dystopia au! phew

Summary: In which the world ends, Sam Wilson opens a bar with his best friend, accidentally adopts some children (also with his best friend), and figures out how to grieve his own life and move forward, not necessarily in that order.

5. Title: heavily, the low sky raining

i am simply an anne of green gables girlie forever. another pandemic era fic. i think i produced some of my best work holed up in my parents basement lol

Summary: "Anne’s feeling that word where you’re missing something you never had,” explains Diana, as they come to a stop outside of Terran Outpost AV1883's lone lab entrance.

“Weltschmerz,” says Gilbert immediately.

“I am not,” says Anne, “feeling weltschmerz.”

HONOURABLE MENTIONS (i have simply written too much and love many of my children equally. im not deluded enough to say "all")

Title: you've got the run of the place, now that you're running around (and may kindness, kindness, kindness abound)

i had to include an annamis fic in there it simply wouldnt be fair not to!!! ive had so many fast and loose with history eras. and i will have more!

Summary: “Grandpère,” she says, firmly, because they are all but alone amongst the hedges and Papa says it is alright to call him that when they are alone. She is not sure if he is really her grandfather, not truly – but she feels right, calling him so, and he always looks so pleased when she does. She has been doing it all afternoon for just that reason, in fact, and each time – well, Marie thinks, there is a warmth. Her fingers tighten around his, and he does not move to take his hand away, but rather squeezes firmly back. “Tell me the story about the princess in the castle.”

Title: kannum kannum nokia (cappuccino coffea)

speaking of playing fast and loose with history. im including this because its the most insane fanfic ive written to date. objectively. (affectionate).

Summary: He’s waylaid in coming up with a fun and possibly clever response because Kundavai has reached such a point of despair in her lecturing that she turns away from the locked bathroom door, pins her flashing eyes on Arunmozhi, and says,

“Tell your idiot brother to unlock the bloody door!”

Arunmozhi grimaces. Aditha is only ever his idiot brother when circumstances are truly clownish.

Most of the rest of the time Kundavai is content enough to claim ownership of the both of them, no matter how useless she thinks they are being.

[thegirlwiththecoffintattoo]

It is really REALLY hard to pick just one favorite thing. So here are a few, from the books and show, in no particular order 😉

- Jamie and Claire

- their love story

- Scotland

- Claire’s determination

- Jamie’s poetic heart

- their instant attraction

- That Fraser tenacity and stubborness

- That first horseback ride together 😉

- Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser

- THE WEDDING

- The Fraser’s outdoor secksy times

- Jamie rescuing Claire

- That first “I love you” ☺️

- Claire bitch-slapping Leghair 👌🏼

- oh man, the make-up secks 😍

- Claire’s ring being the key to Lallybroch

- Claire feeling at home with Jamie at Lallybroch

- That silent head-nod they do that means so much

- Claire rescuing Jamie

- “I WILL HAVE YOU ANY WAY I CAN. ALWAYS.” ❤️😭

- The womb of the earth ❤️

- The day bed in Paris

- Mother Hildegarde and Bouton

- Murtagh yelling at French people 😂

- Fergus ❤️❤️

- Jamie rubbing pregnant Claire’s feet

- Jamie being reassuring about Claire’s fears of being a mother

- “What we don’t ken, we will learn together” ❤️❤️❤️

- FUCK THE KING 😎

- “THEN TAKE ME HOME. TO SCOTLAND.”

- “AYE. SCOTLAND”

- Protective Jamie not wanting to surrender Claire to the British to save their lives

- The Lady of Lallybroch exerting her authority 👌🏼

- “WE WILL FIND EACH OTHER. TRUST IN THAT.”

- Red Jamie and his lady leading the Jacobite Army

- “I WILL FIND YOU. I PROMISE.”

- Claire throwing things at Frank 😏

- baby Bree ❤️

- Claire owning it as a doctor and surgeon

- Joe Abernathy encouraging Claire to go get her man

- Lord John Grey ❤️

- PRINTSHOP!

- “IT ISNT GEORDIE. ITS ME. CLAIRE.”

- Jamie falling gracefully for such a large man

- “YOURE REAL”

- That first kiss after 20 year ❤️❤️

- Jamie going thoroughly to pieces when he sees Brianna’s pictures (book!!!)

- Fraser reunion secksy times

- Fergus all grown up 😍

- Young Ian

- Claire shoving Leghair after she shot Jamie

- #first wife #best wife #only wife #who’s the witch now 😏

- Claire giving Jamie penicillin 😏

- The Fraser’s at sea

- Marsali claiming her man

- The Fraser’s secksy times at sea

- Yi Tien Cho. Such an amazing character. So glad they put a new spin on this character

- Elias Pound

- Claire trying to save lives despite being separated from Jamie AGAIN

- Claire jumping off a boat to get back to Jamie

- Resourceful Claire making it through the jungle

- That beach reunion though ❤️

- Fergus and Marsali get married ❤️

- TURTLE SOUP

- Jamie and Claire getting all dressed up for the Governors Ball

- “REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE THAT OBVIOUS IN PUBLIC.”

- (👆🏻 they are still obvious is public 😏)

- Lord John always being on Jamie’s side. BFF’s

- Geillis and Claire reunite (most complicated friendship like, EVER)

- Jamie describing to Claire what he’d do if he had her alone, with proper time to serve her well 😏

- “I DO NOT MAKE SQUEAKING NOISES”

- “I SWEAR IF YOU DIE ON ME NOW, SASSENACH, ILL KILL YOU”

- Welcome to America, Mr. and Mrs. Fraser ❤️

- There’s more and stuff I surely forgot but this got long enough 😉😂

[separatist-apologist]

Tequila

No one asked for this. I know I should finish the final 1k words of THTBM (and I am), but in the meantime, take this little drabble instead. I keep wanting to write an Outlander-ish fic where modern Elain tumbles into Amarantha held Prythian.

This is Elain when she returns.

-

One year. 

It had been one year since she’d walked back over that wall, since…since life had tumbled and shifted and made anew. Since him. It was hardly any time at all, in Elain’s estimation and yet within that year, a lifetime. Elain stared at the empty table in front of her and the shiny, rounded bottle filled with amber tequila.

What do you miss most? He had asked her this once, curious about this world she swore she was from. Stranger, then, a man forcing her to remain on an estate she didn’t belong, wearing a mask that deeply unsettled her.

Tequila, she’d replied dryly. It was hardly the truth—what Elain had missed most was a stand-up shower. He’d peered down at her, those russet and gold eyes so curious. 

Explain it to me.

How did she explain tequila? The same was she tried to explain her absence when she’d returned. Two years lost, the police had said. Dehydrated but otherwise well, the doctors had assured her. Traumatized, her friends had decided. Kidnapped. Elain could only stare helplessly, unable to explain it. What did tequila taste like?

How does love feel?

There was no equivalent for it in the real world. The concept of soul-mates was a diluted, dull thing in the light of that shining, snapping cord she’d once felt. Severed the moment her fingers touched the rough rocks, guided by his hands. 

Go home, he’d told her, his body solid and warm just behind. I can’t protect you here. 

She hadn’t fought, had only silently cried, fingers outstretched until she felt that hook behind her navel and that shredding of their bond. 

Mates, he’d breathed one day, eyes wild through that fox mask. You’re my mate.

She’d only stared, rubbing at a pulsating bruise on her rib cage. Explain it to me.

How did he explain to her what love felt like? 

He’d tried, stumbling over his explanation and for a moment, she’d felt only horror. Tied to this man, this stranger…and yet, in the night, Elain had felt relief. Safe. Nothing had ever felt right in her entire life and falling through a wall, tumbling through space and time, to this place with immortal beings and…and yet the world sighed in response. The ache she felt, the loneliness she’d carried with her, was answered with one word.

Mate.

Cursed, masked, tied to a land he could never leave. Oh, how she’d tried, how she’d held her breath when his fingers had reached forward, trembling, only for nothing to happen. I belong here. You don’t.

She belonged with him. To him.

I am yours and you are mine.

He was trapped in a prison she could never free him of and she was trapped in hell. How could she move on? The world felt empty, a yawning stretch of black abyss she had to plod through until she died, hoping she’d see him again in another life. Every night, Elain closed her eyes and there he was, hidden behind that mask, eyes gleaming, a question on his lips. 

Tell me the year you were born. 

What is your favorite flower?

Sing me a song.

She’d never explain a car or a cellphone or any of the other millions of things to him again, eyes sparkling with mischief as he accused her of making things up. She’d never feel his body shift in the night when nightmares took him, would never see that exact shade of red. 

Elain uncorked her tequila, pouring the liquid into a crystal glass in front of her. One year, what did it amount to? That ache, that longing, the missing? The worry he’d died and she wasn’t their to mourn, that he suffered alone? She wanted to get back on a plane and run to that wall, to damn the consequences and die beside him. 

Mates. 

A cruel twist of fate, the worst kind of joke the universe had ever played. Letting her see him, knowing him, touch him, only to take him back. This is all you get. 

It wasn’t enough. She was greedy. Elain took a breath, swallowing a mouthful of that burning poison.

It tastes terrible at first, she’d said after a moment of thought.

Why drink it at all, then?

It feels good, if only for a moment.

Elain shoved the empty glass away from her, eyes stinging with tears, throat burning. Her chest caved, robbing her of breath.

How does love feel?

The same. It felt the same.

[3pirouette]

Fic: Great Rivals (1/1)

Title: Great Rivals

By: TriplePirouette/3Pirouette

Spoilers: Full MCU, very specifically Black Widow

Disclaimer: They're not mine.

Distribution: AO3 Anyone else please ask first :)

Story Summary: “So, I have the nuclear code. But, there he is: Captain America! Finally, the Red Guardian’s time has come! I grab hold of his shield, and face to face, it’s a test of strength. […] This shield, you know, that he carries with him like a precious baby blanket, you know? I use it to my advantage. I take it and I push him out the window. I make my escape.”

“What year was this?”

“I don’t know. Like ’83. ’84.”

“Captain America was still frozen in ice then.”

“Are you calling me a liar, Ursa, huh?” – Black Widow, 2021

Humor. Steggy. Set, oh, I don’t know. Like ’83. ’84.

Steggy Week Day 4: Favorite Headcanon

A/N: This is it. This is my new favorite headcanon that this really, actually happened and you can’t convince me otherwise. Spoilers for Back Widow. If you haven’t seen it, RUN. I will wait. I am absolutely in love with Bumbling-idiot-family-man Red Guardian. Also, based on canon and my understanding of the time travel rules (I’m going by Outlander/Doctor Who rules and until they state otherwise, you can’t stop me), this is 100% possible in the current MCU timeline, even WITHOUT the multiverse.

I started writing this pretty much right after watching Black Widow, then decided to use it for Steggy Week 21, Day 4: Favorite Headcanon.

Also, YES, Peggy and Steve would be quite a bit older when this happens. As in their 60’s. But I see no reason why a super-soldier Steve wouldn’t be able to pull this off with no problem. Plus, since we have no confirmation of when they have their children, I’m going with they have teenage/college age kids at this time. Timeline is just SUPER vague, so fill in your own head canon.

~*~

Steve stopped what he was doing, wiping his hands on the dishtowel before picking up the phone. “Hello?”

Her sigh through the phone line was not a good prospect. “Darling? Are you busy?”

“Just working on dinner,” her replied carefully, moving back to the roast and the rub he was trying to get to stick to the outside of the uncooked meat. “Why?”

“I’m afraid I’ve a large favor to ask.” The phone line garbled for a moment and he could hear her yelling across the room. “No, I said three tac teams, and keep their distance!”

Steve put down the seasonings and stepped back from the roast, cradling the handset between his ear and his shoulder. “The kids will be home soon, and I’ve got a roast on the counter. My time is limited, Peg.”

“Mr. Jarvis is on the way over,” she mumbled, the sounds of her shuffling papers on her desk clear. “I’m sure he can very well handle both those things.”

Steve washed his hands, intrigued. “And what, exactly, is it that you need me to handle?”

Her laugh was mirthless. “A very large, very angry idiot.” Her sigh was softer. “I’m afraid you’ll miss family dinner, but it’s wheels up in twenty at the base. And bring the shield.”

Steve looked toward the basement where he hid it. “The shield? The one Howard made me as a joke?”

“Yes. The shield.”

~*~

His briefing in the jet was marginally useful, at best. The man was known as The Red Guardian, a super soldier of unknown origin, working for the KGB. He wasn’t usually considered a serious threat, and even though he could be extremely dangerous, was often easily outwitted.

Peggy and SHIELD had managed to figure out that they often trotted him out as a decoy. Large, boastful, and loud, he attracted attention wherever he went, and caused enough damage to keep authorities busy. He wasn’t a tactical soldier, but that didn’t mean he was easily deterred.

Steve landed in California and was brought to the swanky hotel by SHIELD Agents who filled him in on the latest. “He’s on the tenth floor, in the suite.” The young man said as they pulled up to the scene. “The president and his team are safe, but I’m afraid the Guardian has one of their briefcases. We’re still trying to verify the contents.”

Steve stepped out of the truck and moved to the back, gearing up and filling the belt and pockets of his black tactical suit. Most people didn’t know he was alive, and even though he was showing up with a red, white, and blue shield strapped to his back, he and Peggy had decided the suit shouldn’t ever make a comeback while he was still frozen. “What could be in there?” he asked as he put an earpiece in.

The young agent shrugged, clearly frustrated himself. “Could be President Reagan’s menus for the next three days, could be the round of bills he was set to talk about at the capitol tomorrow, or…”

Steve didn’t like the way the young man paused. “Or?”

The man tried not to look nervous as he said it. “It could be the nuclear codes.”

Steve didn’t waste another second as he pushed forward, knowing what could possibly be on the line. The political climate with the Soviets was tense, and both sides seemed to have their hands hovering over those figurative buttons, ready to start the end of the world at any second.

The agents and police parted like the red sea around them, and Steve swiftly made his way into the building and up the stairs as quietly as he could. He did odd jobs for SHIELD here and there, anytime they need a little extra muscle or the job was particularly dangerous, he stepped in.

He hated missing Family Dinner night, though.

He slipped onto the tenth floor and heard the man’s bellows from down the hall. He was laughing, telling some sort of joke to the SHIELD agents that had him cornered.

The man had a suit of bright red and white, similar to the one he once wore in that it called to those around him, brought attention, and tried to be a symbol. The Guardian swung the briefcase in his hand, causing the agents to back up a step.

“Now, why don’t you just let me leave and we can all have nice day, hum?” The Guardian asked, teasing the men as he moved more and more aggressively.

“Why don’t you pick on someone who can handle you?” Steve asked loudly, stepping into the room, shield drawn and at his side.

The Guardian turned, a smile widening across his face. “Captain America,” he growled, his excitement growing. “Captain America!” he bellowed, as if triumphant, while pumping his fists in the air, one still holding the briefcase.

“I’ll be needing that briefcase,” Steve said, loud and serious.

The Guardian laughed, smiling as he sauntered closer to the man. “My great rival, finally here to challenge me!” He sighed as if his greatest wish had come true. “The time has truly come.”

Steve wasn’t exactly sure what this man had heard, or why he seemed to know that Steve was Captain America so far removed from the War- SHIELD had worked desperately to keep his existence under wraps and to keep the figure of Captain America out of the public eye as much as they could. Steve couldn’t quite figure out why he seemed so excited.

The Guardian did a little skip jump in place, almost a two-step as he got closer and closer. “I have come to steal your nuclear codes. The time has come for the Soviet Union to rise!”

The man paused, almost unnaturally still, and then without warning charged at Steve. Steve held his ground, the man running into him and his shield with fantastic speed and strength, pushing them both back until Steve felt his back connect with then push through the plaster of the wall behind him. Steve pushed back, launching The Guardian off of him with his shield and pulling himself out of the wall. He saw the briefcase skid to a halt to their side, but turned his attention back to the problem before him.

The fight that ensued was sloppy, but serious. The man had no technique, which set Steve back on his heels. He wasn’t ever sure where the next punch or kick would come from, because the Guardian wasn’t skilled and the motions didn’t make sense. He managed a few good hits, including one that Steve was sure had broken bones in his ribs when The Guardian ducked, spun, and managed to catch Steve in his side.

But Steve was still a scrappy kid from Brooklyn that learned quick, and he found that The Guardian relied far too much on his size and bulk, and was not used to fighting someone who wasn’t incapacitated after a few hits. Steve started ducking his blows, his smaller body moving faster and the shield helping him to block as he finally started to understand the way the man threw his weight around.

The Guardian let out a frustrated bellow as another punch missed, but was quickly silenced by a well-timed punch by Steve across his jaw.

The Red Guardian paused, stepping back, and smiled as he ran his hand over his jaw. “We are matched!” he growled out, slow and dark. “No man is match for my power, my strength, but you!” He laughed again, this time his eyes narrowing with calculation. “You are truly the only adversary to give me challenge.”

The Guardian charged again, and Steve stepped out of the way, but the Guardian swung his arm out and picked Steve up, spinning him and slamming him hard to the ground. Steve rolled and lifted his shield, just in time to block a punch from the Guardian. The man yelled in pain, the vibranium absorbing the power and his knuckles cracking hard against the metal.

Steve swung his legs around and swept the Guardian’s feet out from under him, setting the man on his back. Steve jumped back up, intending to punch him, when he saw the man reach out and pull the briefcase back into his hands. He rolled and jumped up, a few feet away now.

“No, no, no!” He teased, swinging the briefcase at Steve. “I have the codes.”

“He doesn’t have the codes, sir.” Came the fuzzy voice in his ear.

“What?” Steve asked, straightening up and pressing his hand to his earpiece to set it deeper and get a better sound.

“He doesn’t have the codes, Sir,” the agent in his ear repeated. “He has President Regan’s food and housing preferences. Nuclear codes are still secure.”

The Red Guardian, however, hadn’t noticed Steve wasn’t talking to him. “I have the codes,” he teased, swinging the briefcase back and forth, “And your forces will be no match for the wave of blood that will take over your land when we are victorious!”

“What about…” Steve didn’t get to finish the question, one eye on The Guardian’s boastful dance that was supposed to be taunting and one ear on the voice of the agent.

“SHIELD headquarters just radioed in, reported that the Soviet Union’s actual attempt on the Able Archer files was unsuccessful. Director Carter says, and I quote, to let him go and please get home for dinner.”

“Copy that,” Steve replied. He stood tall and let his shield drop, lifting his head in challenge to the other man. “Let’s get this moving along, Guardian. I’ve got a roast in the oven.”

“A roast—” The Guardian looked confused at first, then he started laughing, great big guffaws that almost doubled him over. “Funny man. And Apple Pie for dessert, hum?”

Steve eyed the corner of the room where the Shield Agents were still standing and tipped his head towards the exit. The leader questions him silently, but Steve signaled again and he watched as they left.

The Guardian didn’t miss a beat, even through his laughs. “Ahhh, yes. You clear the field. Now is time for real fighting.”

Steve braced again as the man ran at him full speed, letting the shield take the brunt of the impact and then turning swiftly, locking an arm around the man’s neck. Steve hoped to choke him enough to get him to pass out, then make a quick getaway. The Guardian, however, was not a slight man, and finding the right spot to put pressure on as he flailed under him was proving more difficult than Steve thought.

Steve managed a sharp knee in the Guardian’s kidney, dropping him to his knees, and just when he thought he hand him, The Guardian managed to flip him over his head.

They both stood, taking a deep breath. The Guardian stepped closer, laughing, and grabbed hold of Steve’s shield with two hands like it was a steering wheel. “A test of strength, yes?”

The man started pushing, and initially Steve pushed back, causing an impasse where they were simply straining against one another, but then Steve managed to get a glimpse behind him to the wall of windows the man was pushing him towards.

He’d seen what was under those windows.

It wasn’t great, but it would do.

Slowly, he let up the pressure he was exerting on the Guardian, the man smiling triumphantly as Steve started sliding back. Steve called up every ounce of acting talent he had, from the USO show to pretending he couldn’t lift Mjölnir, to every time he’d had to make up an excuse to his children about why Peggy was missing Family Dinner night, and scrunched up his face like he was pushing as hard as he could.

“What?” The Guardian asked, “You cannot best me in just strength?” He chuckled. “I am bigger, and I am stronger, Captain America!”

Steve couldn’t believe those stupid radio plays were going to come in handy, but having been forced to listen to them by Peggy, the cheesy line that popped into his head was too good to not use. “You may be stronger than me, but you’ll never love your country more than I love America, Red Guardian! Truth, Justice, and the American way!”

Steve remembered, just a moment after that, when he was falling out of the ten-story window, that the last part hadn’t been the Captain America Adventure Hour, but rather from the Superman comics. He didn’t think the oaf would notice.

He spun and twisted, putting the shield under him just in time to make contact with the solid concrete of the courtyard. He rolled slowly, the wind knocked out of him, and made it to his hands and knees.

He looked up, just in time to see Red Guardian triumphantly waving his briefcase full of lunch menus before disappearing into the hotel.

He slowly pushed himself up off the pavement, standing tall and feeling the sharp pains of broken bones and a battered body. He was met by the SHIELD Team, who seemed astounded he was alive after that fall.

“Sir, are you- should I call an ambulance?”

“I’m fine,” Steve replied, moving carefully back towards the base of operations. “Just get me on a plane home.”

“The Director…” the agent mumbled, nervous. “She said to let him go?”

“He thinks he has what he wanted. He shouldn’t bother you again.” Steve winced and shifted, biting his lip as he felt a rib pop back into place. “I’d like to get back to the plane as quickly as possible, please.”

“Yes, sir.”

~*~

Peggy heard the bike’s motor cut out and met him at the back door. He was tired, but smiled and met her lips with his, anyway. “Sorry you had to miss dinner.”

“No, you were right.” He stepped into the kitchen, setting the shield by the door and sitting to take his boots off. He moved slowly, gingerly. “He was a very large, very angry idiot.” Steve leaned back, tossing his boots to the floor. He closed his eyes and sighed. “That’s not as easy as it once was, you know.”

“I know, my love.” Peggy smoothed his hair and dropped a kiss on his head as his eyes fluttered shut. “Did you sleep on the transport?”

“No, couldn’t.” He sat up, cleared his throat, and started pulling apart the zips and snaps to his tac uniform. “The kids asleep?”

Peggy set her mug down and helped him shrug out of the long-sleeved top. “Hours ago. It’s nearly two in the morning, you know.”

“Didn’t realize it was so late. Came right home. Why aren’t you asleep?” He asked, glancing over at the clock that was ticking away the middle of the night.

She let her hands rub over his shoulders. “Couldn’t. Kept wondering what that brute had done to you and Howard won’t let me back on base until tomorrow.”

Steve shook his head. “How does he even know I’m alive, anyway?”

Peggy laughed, moving over to the sink and pouring him a large glass of water. “Quite the opposite, really. I’m told no one can convince him you’re supposed to be dead.” She brought it over and watched as he drank the whole thing down in greedy gulps, little rivulets falling over his chin. “He seems to think you are great rivals or some such, and if he isn’t the one to kill you, then you can’t be dead.”

Steve held out the glass and Peggy quickly refilled it, watching as he took slower sips this time. Steve finally took a pause to take a breath. “But he wasn’t… he wasn’t even…”

Peggy laughed and sat across from him, sipping her own tea and wrapping her robe tight around her. “I know. It’s why I stand beside my assessment of him as an idiot.” She hummed happily. “How did you fare?”

“Fell out a ten-story window. Haven’t done that in a while.” He winced and shifted his ribs. “Maybe a cracked rib or two, but nothing that won’t be healed by morning.”

“Good thing Howard was lying when he said that first shield was all the vibranium he had.” Steve nodded and they were quiet for a moment, still gulping away at the water like he was dry as a desert. Worry fell over her face, but she knew better than to coddle him. “I do think he’ll continue to be a problem.”

Steve winced again and rolled his shoulder in the socket. “They’re using him as a distraction. If they think it works, he’ll be back. How’d the tac team fair?”

“They stopped the data breach before it could happen, but we lost half a data storage facility to fire and two agents were wounded.” She smiled at him, switching gears. “Are you hungry?”

He rolled his neck and smiled. “Starved, but I can fix something.” He reached out and put a hand over hers. “Go to bed.”

“No,” She took his hand and kissed his knuckles, a smile on her face. “No, it’s already warming in the oven. I had the tower call down when you landed so it could be ready.”

“Peg…” He was somewhat chiding, but smiled when she pulled the dish out and set it in front of him. “You didn’t have to.”

“And you don’t have to come out of retirement to save the world, and my ass, on a fairly regular basis, but you manage it and I’m very grateful.” She kissed the crown of his head once more before settling back in front of her tea. “I can manage to wait up for my husband and make sure he gets dinner.”

“Were the kids disappointed?” He asked, putting an impossibly large spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

“No, not terribly,” she smiled softly. “Though I do think they were a bit amused that it was you and not me that missed family dinner night for a change.”

They were quiet as Steve made his way around the plate, finally cutting into the slices of roast. He moaned as he chewed. “I might be really tired, but this is just amazing. That new rub I found…” He stopped when he saw Peggy grimace. “What?”

“Mr. Jarvis threw yours out and started from scratch.” She tried to be delicate, but Steve frowned anyway. “I believe the words he used were ‘abomination’ and “disgrace,’ respectively.”

Steve chewed thoughtfully. “Well, it’s good, and I can try that—"

Peggy set her hand on his wrist, dead serious. “Cinnamon has no place on a roast, Steve.”

“It’s supposed to bring out the—”

“I will divorce you.” Her deadpan delivery slowly melted into a smile for both of them. “Please stop experimenting.”

He shrugged, knowing it was a losing game. “Do you think if we keep telling Jarvis that I’m trying to cook, he’ll make us more like this?”

“I believe if we tell Mr. Jarvis you’re still experimenting in the kitchen, he and Ana will take the children and run.”

Steve finished what was on his plate and smiled. “We haven’t had a vacation just the two of us in a while, wouldn’t be the worst thing…”

Peggy laughed and gave him a gentle smack across the shoulder as she took his plate from him and set it in the sink. “While I agree we should be planning a getaway, I would very much like to keep my children.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Steve teased, stepping up behind her as she washed the dish. He wrapped his arms around her and let his head rest on her shoulder. “I do kinda like them.”

Peggy tuned off the tap and set the dish to dry. “Yes, agreed. We shall keep them.” She turned in his arms and kissed him gently. “Now hit the showers, soldier. You’re quite filthy and I will not have you in my bed like this.” She pushed him away and turned him towards the stairs. “And this time I’ll thank you to not put the filthy tactical gear in the same dirty linen basket as my good blouses. A garbage bag will do very nicely.”

“Yes ma’am.” He saluted over his shoulder to her, smiling as he marched up the stairs.

She locked the door and shut the kitchen light. She hadn’t wanted to pull the shield out of retirement, but something about the way it sat, glinting in the moonlight in her kitchen, gave her a warm feeling.

[sabbaticallife84]

“Going to the mountains is going home.” -John Muir

July 1st. My favorite July 1st in a long time. It was a cool day. I had a delicious lunch with my aunt. I had bratwurst, kartofel und Sauerkraut, cola, cause it was too early to drink wine. 

I didn’t have a phone, no pictures of maps or much direction, so I wanted to do something not that far from where I was staying. My aunt described this beautiful walk I could take around Wolfgangsee, the lake we were staying next to. I thought that sounded ideal. There was a cute town and then another cute town along the lake that I would run in to if I was lucky. So I decided to do that walk. On my way out of town, I saw a cute little second hand shop and they had good backpacks. I decided I needed a little bit of a bigger day pack than I had brought. I found a cute back pack and it looked sturdy and high quality. I asked the owner how much it was. He looked me up and down and said “eight euro”. So that was a steal! This bag was nice, sturdy, good Austrian quality and I was getting it for 8 euro! Yay, this was going to be a great day! I walked down a side walk to the left to try to find the path around the lake. 

The path around the lake was really nice and flat. I saw these happy fish swimming in the shallows. The woods around me consisted of lindens, beech trees, pine trees, vines and was so green and cool and perfect. The temperature  lovely. 

I walked out of town, to Fürberg. When I got to Fürberg, I wasn’t sure I was there until I saw a sign on the guest house and realized this was it! I decided I wanted to sit at this beautiful cafe and have a delicious coffee and a piece of cake. My waiter was having a slow day. He came over to my table to have a chat. He said it was “dead” there, that day. We talked about how their busy season was more like July 15-end of August. We talked about how the kids weren’t out of school yet in Austria. He said his son was 11 years old and he was anxiously awaiting July 9th, when school would be out for them. My waiter was from Hungary. He shared that his son was struggling with learning German but had taught himself English with tv and movies. His teacher had asked his dad who in their family spoke English at home and when he said, “No one.” The teacher was surprised cause his sons English was so good. The waiter went on to tell me about some beautiful sights to see in Hungary and one was the Plattensee in Hungary. We talked about Covid. His friend was an orthopedic doctor and he said his friend did that kind of specialty to avoid the really sick and infected people. I was explaining how our ortho unit had changed into a covid unit. The waiters were wearing bright white shirts and lederhosen. The waitresses were wearing the traditional dress from Austria, the dirndl. The staff looked very festive in their outfits. I ordered this delicious cake and coffee. I asked the waiter if I could go back to the back and see which kinds of cakes they had or what they looked like. I saw this delicious cake I needed to try. So I ordered that piece with whipped cream. 

The couple next to me asked what kind of cake I had ordered. They called the waiter over and ordered it. I realized as the waiter brought it out, I didn’t tell them I had ordered it with whipped cream. So then I told them, they called the waiter back over and ordered whipped cream. Then the waiter didn’t disappoint. He brought this big bowl of whipped cream for them. Sitting there, I was looking that the clear bright blue water of the lake. It reminded me of emerald lake in BC. It’s almost green. It was really gorgeous. Happy fish swimming in the shallows, The perfect path around the lake. Surrounded by lindens, buchenwald, pine trees. The temperature was cool and perfect. 

After Fürberg, I was walking down the path and saw a group of teenage boys with a six pack and a couple of bottles walking into the forest. I thought it was fun, and I remembered when I was a teenager in Germany and had similar experiences after school. Then “The girl on the Train” came to my mind I was all of a sudden nervous. Not that this exact thing happened in that book, but it was just kind of creepy. These guys fueled by alcohol and maybe wanting to cause trouble, who knows what they might do. I don’t know why my mind went ominous. I waited a bit to let them walk ahead of me. The path was changing from a flat path to a steeper path. It started to feel like ‘Lake View’, this hike in Priest Lake, Idaho. The path started to go up and down, with large stair cases up and down. 

    I learned that back in the 1500′s, supposedly, a man was trying to take his ox to the market for slaughter, when it ran away. The man grabbed the ox’s tail and followed him into the water. Back then, people couldn’t swim and the man would have sank and drowned if he wasn’t holding on to the ox’s tail.  But luckily he survived, the ox swam a ways and then back into shore. Then the man or someone built a little beautiful white shrine thing on this tiny island. It was called the Ochsenkreutz (Ox cross). The water was clear and turquoise around it. The color was crazy and the water was super clear and beautiful. 

I walked up the path, down the path. The forest was beautiful, quiet, except for the occasional rustle. I actually sometimes felt like I wasn’t alone. I would stop and look around, and would be totally alone. Eventually I figured out that 1.) the wind in the trees sounded like people, 2.) my new backpack had a little zipper clinking on my back, 3.) there were little brown mice running around and rustling in the leaves and that sounded like footsteps. This forest reminded me of Outlander or of Robin Hood. It was deep and green. It was so beautiful and I kept imagining at any moment the rustling would reveal a man carrying a bow with arrows, walking out of the forest towards me. I eventually made it to a bit of a bigger memorial thing on the main land called the Hochszeitkreutz. (the wedding cross) There were three people in wet suits and a girl down below in the lake who had just jumped. These brave souls were jumping off high rocks into the turqouise water below. This sweet teenage kid was standing, looking over the cliff and trying to amp himself up to go. The man, maybe his father, uncle or coach had a camera on video mode trained on him for the jump. But the young guy hesitated. I stopped to read the sign on the bench about the memorial site. You could tell that I freaked the teenager out and he thought I was watching him. I finished reading and walked off. There was a bench looking out at the water and a man was sitting on the bench reading his book. 

 I didn’t wait for him to jump in and then I started walking home. I also never saw those teenage boys again. It started to rain. I was soaked after 30 minutes of walking in it. I had a rain coat on so my chest, and stomach were dry. My heads, wrists, thighs, legs, and feet were squelching wet. I ducked into an Italian restaurant, that was very popular and buzzing with people. You could tell that this place was well liked by locals and tourists alike. I asked the hostess for a table and she said at the moment, they didn’t have anything. I thanked them and went to leave and keep walking. Some other customers called to me from a table and said the hostess had called me back. I waited on their covered porch and the hostess kept motioning for me to wait. I waited like 5-10 minutes and then got a table. It was great.  

   The server/owner and hostess/server were really sweet women and they were working so hard. Running and running. They smiled at each other and all the customers and they worked as a team, even though they were slammed. It was impressive. I got to see the other fun tables with friends and families at them (Yes I was a creeper, but what else did I have to do? ;-) ). A family was celebrating their youngest daughters birthday. It was so funny, cause the littlest girl had eaten her dinner and she was running around and running around and wanted to leave the restaurant and play outside with her grandmother. But the whole family was trying to entertain and cajole her so she would stay long enough for... the staff to come out with her cake with a sparkler candle on top. And then the whole restaurant sang “happy birthday” in English. Then the staff sang it in Italian. It was really cool. The girl was super happy and excited, until a few minutes in, she decided she didn’t like her mango cake creation and she was bouncing around again. Finally her grandmother did take her outside to run around and play and work off some of her energy. 

  I ate delicious caprese salad and pizza. It was so yummy. I also drank my new favorite drink, a Hugo Spritz. It’s light and sparkly and sweet. Then I walked back to my Aunts house. It was a really fun day! 

“And we will meet in the woods far far away from this hustle and bustle... and share love and sunshine.” -Avijeet Das

[imagineclaireandjamie]

Mod Spotlight: missclairebelle

Fiction is one of the greatest escapes when the real world gets a little crazy. With all that is going on, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite stories by Imagine mods. Look for a post with each mod’s faves over the next few days.

I am so proud to be a member of a fic community that is as robust as ours. While I know that fanfic can’t make everything better, it has always been a good escape from the real world for me, even if it’s just for a moment. Below are links to my longer contributions to the Outlander fanfic community. I hope you enjoy and stay as healthy, safe, and sane as possible.

🧡Katy

__________________

Her Royal Highness (H.R.H.) [complete]: A 1950′s era Queen Claire and her Crown Equerry chart a course for their love.

Part I: The Crown Equerry | Part II: An Accidental Queen | Part III: Just Claire | Part IV: Foal | Part V: A Deal | Part VI: Vibrations | Part VII: Magnolias | Part VIII: Schoolmates | Part IX: A Queen’s Speech | Part X: Rare | Part XI: Watched | Part XII: A Day’s Anticipation | Part XIII: The Location | Part XV: Motorcycle | Part XV: Cabin | Part XVI: Market | Part XVII: Stables | Part XVIII: Alarms | Part XIX: Visitor | Part XX: Cuffed | Part XXI: A Woman’s Speech | Part XXII: The Harlot Queen | Part XXIII: Rarer | Part XXIV: Balmoral & London | Part XXV: The Ring | Part XXVI: Baile na Coille | Part XXVII: A Tale’s End

Imagine One Shots:

Lallybroch Grave (a memorial to Faith)**

Paris Portrait (Bree travels to Paris and sees a portrait of her parents)

Jamie and Bree bond over making something

4x10 missing moment – Claire shares stories about Bree and cheeseburgers with Jamie

4x06 missing moment - Quiet Moment between Jamie and Claire before John, Willie, and Murtagh show up for dinner**

An Anniversary (modern fluffy anniversary one shot)

Jamie and Newborn Jem (fluff on the Ridge)

A Mother’s Pearls, A Daughter (Jamie meets Bree, who is wearing Ellen’s pearls)

Photographs (Jamie and Claire share photographs of Bree with Fergus, Jenny, and Ian)

Newlywed Jamie and Claire visit Brian & Ellen’s grave

A Ridge Anniversary

Fantasy (Claire has a dream about Jamie in her own time)

Amputation (conversation between Claire and Bree over Jamie’s TFC snakebite)** 

Birthday Present (Jamie’s first present to his daughter on the Ridge)

Purple Beets (Claire watches Bree with Jamie after they arrive on the Ridge)

Doppelganger (Brianna observs how different Claire Fraser is from Claire Randall on the Ridge)**

To: James Fraser, a father (Bree sends a letter back with Claire)**

**=my personal favorites

One Summer [in progress]:

Part I (Adso), Part II (Dislocated), Part III (Entryway), Part IV (Pizza & Beer), Part V (Croissants & Coffee), Part VI (SMS), Part VII (Desktop), Part VIII (Sunday Sunflowers & Sundresses), Part IX (Caught Out), Part X (Netflix & Advil), Part XXI (Ben Nevis & Loch Lomond), Part XII (Non-Negotiable), Part XIII (Same), Part XIV (Toothbrushes & Eyeglasses), Part XV (Renovation & Dresser Drawers), Part XVI (Letters & Mattresses), Part XVII (London & Broch Mordha), Part XVIII (British Airways & Kittens), Part XIX (Airports & Antigua), Part XX (Sawny & Ellen), Part XXI (Dice & Doorknobs)

Loss [always in progress]: This is an AU that charts a relationship between Jamie and Claire in modern-day Edinburgh. It was one of the first things I wrote in the fandom, and it’s come to be the one I love the most. I have written two “acts” of this story, and there are ficlets scattered throughout the timeline. I adore these two. They feel real to me in a way that goes above and beyond fanfic (in a not delusional way), and I don’t know that I will ever tire of writing about them. There are over 250k words (!!) in this entire story. You can read it sequentially by clicking over to the masterpost or my masterlist.

[drunklander]

Ep. 501 Recaps & Interviews

[Updating as new ones post.]

‘Outlander’ Team Says Season 5 Wedding is a ‘Big Family Party’ (Variety)

OUTLANDER SEASON 5 STARTS WITH A WEDDING, STARS TEASE BEST SEASON FINALE YET (Syfy Wire)

‘Outlander’ Review: A Season 5 Wedding Sets Up All Kinds of Family Drama (IndieWire)

'Outlander' Season 5 Premiere: Cast Reacts to Bree and Roger's Wedding and That Romance Montage! (ET)

Outlander's Sam Heughan Tees Up Jamie and Claire's Season 5 Joy, Warns of the Moment When 'Things Go South' (TVLine)

‘Outlander’ Exec Producer Ronald D. Moore Confirms He’s ‘In Talks’ for Spinoff (Variety)

Outlander Kicks Off Its New Season with Daddy Issues (Paste)

Outlander Season Premiere Recap: Take a Vow (Vulture)

‘Outlander’ Team Says Season 5 Wedding is a ‘Big Family Party’ (Yahoo)

Did the Outlander Premiere Finally Doom a Fan Favorite? (Vanity Fair)

The Outlander Cast Reacts to That Chilling Villainous Return (TV Guide)

‘Outlander’s’ Sophie Skelton on Brianna’s PTSD, Motherhood in Season 5 (Variety)

‘Outlander’ Season 5 Premiere Recap: Jamie and Murtagh Part Ways in ‘The Fiery Cross’ (Variety)

Outlander Cast Breaks Down Their Favorite Season 5 Episode 1 Moments (Syfy Wire)

The hot time-travelers are back: Richard Rankin on Outlander’s return (AV Club)

Is ‘Outlander’ Still Sexy After All These Years? (Decider)

Sam Heughan Talks ‘Outlander’ Season 5, What’s Next for the Frasers, and His ‘Bloodshot’ Role (Collider)

'Outlander' Stars Dive Into That Season 5 Wedding and Fiery Cross Scene (THR)

Outlander Premiere Recap: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Brewing (TVLine)

Outlander star Tim Downie warns that Governor Tryon is 'the devil incarnate' (EW)

Outlander recap: Jamie gives us a fiery cross to bear (EW)

Outlander showrunner reveals why the Fraser house is so big (EW)

Outlander Is Back and Better Than Ever (Glamour)

‘Outlander’ Season 5 Premiere: I Will Never Get Over That Sex Montage Needle Drop (Decider)

‘Outlander’ Season 5 Review: Starz Drama Finds Its Footing in Knowing the Future (Collider)

OUTLANDER GIVES US THE STIRRINGS OF LOVE AND WAR IN 'THE FIERY CROSS' (Syfy Wire)

Outlander's Sophie Skelton Opens Up About Brianna and Roger's Wedding Day (Town & Country)

Outlander recap: The Ballad of Burning Loins (Go Fug Yourself)

Outlander's Sophie Skelton on Brianna's Love for Roger and her Fear of Stephen Bonnet (Parade)

Outlander Season 5 Episode 1 Review: The Fiery Cross (Den of Geek)

Outlander season 5 premiere review: A Fraser’s Ridge wedding (Culturess)

[ucflibrary]

Each December, the UCF Libraries’ Featured Bookshelf celebrates the favorite books of employees of the UCF Libraries. And you know a major thing about librarians and library staff? They love talking about their favorite books. The books listed below are some of the favorite books we read in 2020.

Click on the link below to see the full list, descriptions, and catalog links for our favorite 2020 titles. These 20 books plus favorites from previous years are also on display in the 4th floor Reading Room of the John C. Hitt Library.

And if you find someone has checked the one you’re interested in out before you had a chance, did you know you can place an interlibrary loan and have another copy sent here for you? Click here for instructions on placing an interlibrary loan.

 A Furious Sky: the five-hundred-year history of America's hurricanes by Eric Jay Dolin From the moment European colonists laid violent claim to this land, hurricanes have had a profound and visceral impact on American history-yet, no one has attempted to write the definitive account of America's entanglement with these meteorological behemoths. Eric Jay Dolin presents the five-hundred-year story of American hurricanes, from the nameless storms that threatened Columbus' New World voyages, to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the escalation of hurricane season as a result of global warming. Populating his narrative with unlikely heroes such as Benito Vines, the nineteenth-century Jesuit priest whose revelatory methods for predicting hurricanes saved countless lives, and journalist Dan Rather, whose coverage of a 1961 hurricane would change broadcasting history, Dolin uncovers the often surprising ways we respond to natural crises. Suggested by Megan Haught, Student Learning & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo With beauty, grace, and honesty, Castillo recounts his and his family’s encounters with a system that treats them as criminals for seeking safe, ordinary lives. He writes of the Sunday afternoon when he opened the door to an ICE officer who had one hand on his holster, of the hours he spent making a fake social security card so that he could work to support his family, of his father’s deportation and the decade that he spent waiting to return to his wife and children only to be denied reentry Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

 Dark Matter: a novel by Blake Crouch A mind-bending, relentlessly paced science-fiction thriller, in which an ordinary man is kidnapped, knocked unconscious--and awakens in a world inexplicably different from the reality he thought he knew. "Are you happy with your life?" Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. He awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before him, a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend." In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible. Suggested by Katy Miller, Student Learning & Engagement

 Do Nothing: how to break away from overworking, overdoing, and underliving by Celeste Headlee We work feverishly to make ourselves happy. So why are we so miserable? Despite our constant search for new ways to "hack" our bodies and minds for peak performance, human beings are working more instead of less, living harder not smarter, and becoming more lonely and anxious. This manifesto helps us break free of our unhealthy devotion to efficiency and shows us how to reclaim our time and humanity with a little more leisure Suggested by Katy Miller, Student Learning & Engagement

 Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook A study of the complex and political figure of Eleanor Roosevelt begins with her harrowing childhood, describes the difficulties of her marriage, and explains how she persuaded Franklin to make the reforms that would make him famous. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 From Here to Eternity: traveling the world to find the good death by Caitlin Doughty Fascinated by our pervasive fear of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty set out to discover how other cultures care for the dead. In rural Indonesia, she watches a man clean and dress his grandfather's mummified body, which has resided in the family home for two years. In La Paz, she meets Bolivian natitas (cigarette-smoking, wish-granting human skulls), and in Tokyo she encounters the Japanese kotsuage ceremony, in which relatives use chopsticks to pluck their loved-ones' bones from cremation ashes. She introduces deathcare innovators researching body composting and green burial, and examines how varied traditions, from Mexico's Dias de los Muertos to Zoroastrian sky burial help us see our own death customs in a new light. She argues that our expensive, impersonal system fosters a corrosive fear of death that hinders our ability to cope and mourn. By comparing customs, she demonstrates that mourners everywhere respond best when they help care for the deceased and have space to participate in the process.  Suggested by Katy Miller, Student Learning & Engagement

 Indelicacy by Amina Cain A cleaning woman at a museum of art nurtures aspirations to do more than simply dust the paintings around her. She dreams of having the liberty to explore them in writing, and so must find a way to win herself the time and security to use her mind. She escapes her lot by marrying a rich man, but having gained a husband, a house, high society, and a maid, she finds that her new life of privilege is no less constrained. Not only has she taken up different forms of time-consuming labor - social and erotic - but she is now, however passively, forcing other women to clean up after her. Perhaps another and more drastic solution is necessary Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

 Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu Every day Willis Wu leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He's a bit player here too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy-- and he sees his life as a script. After stumbling into the spotlight, Willis finds himself launched into a wider world than he has ever known, discovering not only the secret history of Chinatown, but the buried legacy of his own family, and what that means for him in today's America. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

 Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Scottish Highlands, 1945. Claire Randall, a former British combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding clans in the year of Our Lord . . . 1743. Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of a world that threatens her life, and may shatter her heart. Marooned amid danger, passion, and violence, Claire learns her only chance of safety lies in Jamie Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior. What begins in compulsion becomes urgent need, and Claire finds herself torn between two very different men, in two irreconcilable lives. Suggested by Katie Kirwan, Acquisitions & Collections

 Paradise Lost: a life of F. Scott Fitzgerald by David S. Brown In this comprehensive biography, Brown reexamines Fitzgerald’s childhood, first loves, and difficult marriage to Zelda Sayre. He looks at Fitzgerald’s friendship with Hemingway, the golden years that culminated with Gatsby, and his increasing alcohol abuse and declining fortunes which coincided with Zelda’s institutionalization and the nation’s economic collapse. Suggested by Andrew Hackler, Circulation

 Recursion by Blake Crouch Reality is broken. At first, it looks like a disease. An epidemic that spreads through no known means, driving its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived. But the force that’s sweeping the world is no pathogen. It’s just the first shock wave, unleashed by a stunning discovery—and what’s in jeopardy is not our minds but the very fabric of time itself. Suggested by Mary Rubin, Special Collections & University Archives

 Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh Brosh’s second book includes humorous stories from her childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of her own character flaws; incisive essays on grief, loneliness, and powerlessness; as well as reflections on the absurdity of modern life. Suggested by Sara Duff, Acquisitions & Collections

 Spillover: animal infections and the next human pandemic by David Quammen This work examines the emergence and causes of new diseases all over the world, describing a process called "spillover" where illness originates in wild animals before being passed to humans and discusses the potential for the next huge pandemic. The emergence of strange new diseases is a frightening problem that seems to be getting worse. In this age of speedy travel, it threatens a worldwide pandemic. We hear news reports of Ebola, SARS, AIDS, and something called Hendra killing horses and people in Australia; but those reports miss the big truth that such phenomena are part of a single pattern. The bugs that transmit these diseases share one thing: they originate in wild animals and pass to humans by a process called spillover. As globalization spreads and as we destroy the ancient ecosystems, penetrating ever deeper into the furthest reaches of the planet, we encounter strange and dangerous infections that originate in animals but can be transmitted to humans. The author tracks this subject around the world. He recounts adventures in the field, netting bats in China, trapping monkeys in Bangladesh, stalking gorillas in the Congo, with the world's leading disease scientists. He takes the reader along on this quest to learn how, where from, and why these diseases emerge, and he asks the terrifying question: What might the next big one be? Suggested by Megan Haught, Student Learning & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen It's the height of the Palm Beach charity ball season: for every disease or cause, there's a reason for the local luminaries to eat (minimally), drink (maximally), and be seen. But when a prominent high-society dowager suddenly vanishes during a swank gala, and is later found dead in a concrete grave, panic and chaos erupt. Kiki Pew was notable not just for her wealth and her jewels--she was an ardent fan of the Winter White House resident just down the road, and a founding member of the POTUSSIES, a group of women dedicated to supporting their President. Never one to miss an opportunity to play to his base, the President immediately declares that Kiki was the victim of rampaging immigrant hordes. This, it turns out, is far from the truth. Suggested by Richard Harrison, Research & Information Services

 The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee A year after a whirlwind grand tour with her brother Monty, Felicity Montague has returned to England with two goals in mind: avoid the marriage proposal of a lovestruck suitor from Edinburgh and enroll in medical school. But the administrators see men as the sole guardians of science. When a doctor she idolizes marries a friend of hers in Germany, Felicity believes he could change her future. A mysterious young woman will pay Felicity's way, if Felicity will let her travel along-- as her maid. Soon they're on a perilous quest that leads them across the promenades of Zurich to secrets lurking beneath the Atlantic. Suggested by Megan Haught, Student Learning & Engagement/Research & Information Services

 The Power of Now: a guide to spiritual enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle Much more than simple principles and platitudes, this book takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the ultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light. In the first chapter, Tolle introduces readers to enlightenment and its natural enemy, the mind. He awakens readers to their role as a creator of pain and shows them how to have a pain-free identity by living fully in the present. The journey is thrilling, and along the way, the author shows how to connect to the indestructible essence of our Being. Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

 The Scarlet Sisters: sex, suffrage, and scandal in the gilded age by Myra MacPherson A fresh look at the life and times of Victoria Woodhull and Tennie Claflin, two sisters whose radical views on sex, love, politics, and business threatened the white male power structure of the nineteenth century and shocked the world. Here award-winning author Myra MacPherson deconstructs and lays bare the manners and mores of Victorian America, remarkably illuminating the struggle for equality that women are still fighting today. Suggested by Dawn Tripp, Research & Information Services

 The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick: selected literary and philosophical writings by Philip K. Dick Philip K. Dick has established himself as a major figure in American literature. The landscape of his imagination features a wealth of concepts and fictional worlds: Nazi-rule in a postwar nightmare; androids and the unification of man and machine; and an existence that no longer follows the logic of reality. This first-time collection assembles his nonfiction writings essays, journals, speeches, and interviews. In these writings he explores issues ranging from the merging of physics and metaphysics to the potential influences of "virtual" reality and its consequences to a plot-scenario for a potential episode of "Mission: Impossible," to the challenge that fundamental "human" values face in the age of technology and spiritual decline.". Suggested by Sandy Avila, Research & Information Services

 The Wild Heart of Florida: Florida writers on Florida's wildlands selected and edited by Jeff Ripple and Susan Cerulean Coming from a variety of backgrounds--fiction, journalism, poetry, and environmental writing--the writers turn their talent to one thing they have in common--a love for Florida’s natural beauty and a commitment to preserve it. Their essays--some old favorites, most appearing here for the first time--are both a celebration and a pointed reminder of what we stand to lose. Suggested by Rebecca Hawk, Circulation

 There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool The Age of Darkness approaches. Who will stop it... or unleash it? For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations-- until they disappeared a hundred years ago. All they left behind was one final prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world's salvation-- or the cause of its destruction. Will it be a prince exiled from his kingdom? A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand? A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart? A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone? Or a dying girl on the verge of giving up? Suggested by Pam Jaggernauth, Curriculum Materials Center

[nellie-elizabeth]

Outlander: Never My Love (5x12)

I... Have... Issues.

Cons:

I don't want to blame the show-runners too much for the story-line with Claire, as it is lifted straight from the books. But do you know what occurred to me as I was watching this? The rape was actually completely unnecessary to the story. Like - seriously. Change nothing else. Show Claire being beaten and bloody and tied up, and it's awful and it's hard to watch and the performance is raw and honest and all that jazz.

But why rape? Why rape again? We've already had a story-line about Jamie being raped, and a story-line about Brianna being raped. At some point it's just torture porn. And the fact that she is sexually assaulted makes Jamie and the other men's journey feel like this really gross macho revenge fantasy. Again, I know this is all lifted straight from the books. And let me tell ya - it's one of my least favorite things in the books, too.

They added in this interesting thing where Claire is fantasizing about a happy life in the twentieth century with all her family around her, at Thanksgiving. So we keep cutting between Claire tied up and crying in the forest, and these happy idyllic snapshots, of Jocasta and Murtagh, Ian in a uniform, Marsali and Fergus and their kids, Claire and Jamie happy together. There were things about this idea that I liked, but I had two big problems, as well.

For one thing, the thought that the fantasy Claire escapes to is of the future, of her own time, is... really sad, isn't it? It's not poignant, it's just depressing, to think that while Claire fantasizes about Jamie and the rest of her eighteenth century family, she longs for the trappings and safety of a twentieth century existence. That's not the sense I've gotten from her character at all, that she's still missing her old life. It felt really awkward and out of place.

And secondly, why did Brianna and Roger and Jemmy die in this little fantasy escape of Claire's? I guess it has something to do with the pain she feels at not thinking she'll ever see Bree and Roger again, but it felt out of place in the fantasies, which in turn felt out of place in the scenes.

Speaking of Brianna and Roger... I already felt like last week's goodbyes with them were really tepid and unmotivated. I didn't understand why they were leaving at that exact moment. In the book, as I said, there was a very clear reason for their departure. But here, they go through the stones, and end up back where they started. Ian is startled to see them, and it turns out that when Brianna and Roger thought of home, it took them back to where they started, because the Ridge is home to them now.

Ugh. Barf. That's... way too cheesy for my taste, I'm sorry to say. And it makes last week's weirdly underwhelming goodbye... even more underwhelming. After all of that, the Mackenzies are just content to stay in the past? And it just made the plot more confusing, because this final episode wasn't about them, and their choice to stay after all. It was about rescuing Claire from Lionel Brown. So Roger shows up, Jamie is glad to see the family, but there's no time to really process it - Roger is coming along on the mission to save Claire. Why not change it up, so that Roger and Bree decide to leave, but before they can set off, the attack happens and they have to stay because Claire was taken? Then they could have a talk, after it's all over, about how they don't want to leave while things are so uncertain, and maybe they don't want to leave at all.

This season's timeline is very disjointed to me. We just saw Marsali give birth to her baby girl, right, but now she's pregnant and showing again? When was it that months passed without my noticing? Did anyone else feel some whiplash with all of that?

I'll finish off this "cons" section by circling back to a complaint I already made last week, which is that this did not feel like the natural culmination to a season of television. The Browns were barely characters, the whole subplot about Claire being Dr. Rawlings was hardly a thing. This was a season about Bonnet, about Roger almost dying (and oh boy that didn't get very much screen-time did it?), it was a season about the War of Regulation. This attack on Claire feels like it came out of nowhere and only existed to make something dramatic happen in the finale.

Pros:

Okay so I didn't actually despise this episode, despite my litany of complaints about it.

To start with, while I had some problems with the revenge fantasy aspect of Claire's rescue, I did think the fight choreography was really good and conveyed the brutality of the violence being committed. That's something Outlander very often gets right. The image of Ian and Fergus looking down on Claire as Jamie kneels beside her, so much compassion and honor for their mother-figure... that was really powerful. And Roger taking a life, the significance of that, and the way he confessed it to Brianna in the dark... all of that left quite an impact. I also love how seriously Jamie takes Claire's oath as a doctor, that she will do no harm. It's a great moment from the books that was borrowed here, where Jamie says that Claire cannot kill for herself - "it is I who kills for her."

While I question the whole point of the twentieth century fantasy stuff, it was still fun to see everyone in more modern, recognizable clothing and hair-styles. Very much of the '60's, but still. It was strange to see Marsali with the long straightened hair, and Jocasta and Claire with their conservative shortened styles. Seeing Ian and Jamie in modern garb was legitimately disconcerting, which goes to show how wonderful this show is at total immersion. The setting and time period is very solidly 1760's, and I get totally swept up in that to the point where it was really fascinating and kind of fun to see them all in this different setting.

I'll go ahead and say that Caitriona Balfe did a great job with her performance. It was hard to watch the torture porn but I did appreciate her dedication to Claire's experience, and she did a great job with some frankly clunky dialogue when she was listing all the trauma she's experienced and talking about how she won't be broken by this.

The real show-stealer of the night, though? Marsali. This is the best thing that the show-runners have changed from the book to the show. Placing Marsali in the position as Claire's protege, giving her more personal agency and more to do outside of being a wife and a mother, paying off the difficult beginning of her relationship with Claire. All of this is top-notch stuff. When Claire comes back after Jamie rescues her, we see her and Brianna embrace, and that's sweet or whatever, but I felt so much more when I saw Marsali approach, with her face all bruised, to embrace Claire. They weathered the attack together.

And then Marsali killing Lionel Brown... chills. When she said "I've taken no such oath," and then Jamie finds her and she's freaking out about killing him, asking if she'll go to Hell. There was just so much going on in that performance, so many layers to what was happening, and I was totally spell-bound.

I try not to harp on and on too much about the books vs. the show, but in this case I want to praise the show for taking out a part of the book that I hate, which is Jamie being worried that Claire might be pregnant from one of her rapists, and wanting to have sex with her right away so he can have plausible deniability that he might be the father. I am just... grateful that they didn't include this aspect in the show. It's gross. I don't want to deal with it.

In place of that we see Claire grieving what has happened to her, we see her telling Lionel Brown: "I will do you no harm," we see her breaking down but finding inner strength, and we see her curled up in the arms of her husband, taking strength from him. I really wish this story hadn't happened like this in the show, but I did appreciate the care and attention given to the aftermath.

So there you have it. This season was... disjointed at best. I really do wonder if season six will be the end of Outlander. It would make a certain amount of sense, given how many of the plot threads from the books have been excised/shortened into a more streamlined format for the show. Unfortunately, I feel like there were a lot of misses this season, and I hope they can come back with something stronger in the future!

6.5/10

[fuckyeahjamieandclaire]

Sam Heughan (left) and Caitriona Balfe as Jamie and Claire Fraser in “Outlander” —S‍‍TARS‍‍Z

LOS ANGELES—“The first episode is going to be for the fans,” Sam Heughan said about Season 5 of his hit time-travel drama series, “Outlander,” where he and Caitriona Balfe play Jaime and Claire Fraser, respectively.

“It gives the fans a moment to enjoy spending time with the Frasers and the extended family,” added Sam, dapper in a navy Armani suit, complete with a pocket square, in this LA interview.

“The wedding episode gives them time to wallow in that. But of course, things go downhill pretty quickly, so they get a little breathing space before we get into the drama.”

Sam talked some more about the devoted fans of the series based on Diana Gabaldon’s book series. Season 5 is based on the fifth book, “The Fiery Cross.”

“The fans are definitely fervent and extremely excited,” the blue-eyed Scot said. “We have the premiere coming up next month and we’re going to be in Los Angeles.”

Looking boyish with his short blonde hair, Sam grinned as he dished about the wig his Jamie character wears. “I didn’t wear a wig on the first two seasons, or a season and a half. My hair was dyed. I eventually had so much dye that my hair went purple. So we wigged it, which has been great.

Speaking of age, Sam turns 40 in April this year. “Oh God, thanks for reminding me,” the heartthrob reacted with a laugh. “This season, Jamie hits 50. I think he’s looking quite good (laughs). But yeah, I have my 40th birthday in April, so I’m quite excited about it. I definitely feel like taking stock as you do every year.

“I am inspired by a lot of different people, but I’d like to emulate someone like Paul Newman or a sportsman I know. I feel very positive about it, and I’m sure Jamie does, too.” The Newman reference is not random—more about that toward the end.

The milestone reminded Sam of his younger years when he was trying his luck in Los Angeles. “Yesterday, I almost felt the ghost of myself going past. I was sitting in this car in a nice suit I didn’t pay for, and going off to do some press. I just felt very lucky.”

He also recalled, “When I graduated from drama school (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), I was 23, 24. I was always going for the juvenile lead part and quickly found out that I was losing the jobs to younger, much better-looking lads.

“When you get to my age and beyond, the parts get better. It’s not the same for women and that’s a shame because it does feel that there’s some disparity there.”

For the fans of “Outlander,” one of the big “reveals” in the new season’s trailer is the sight of the Scottish Jamie wearing the red coat of—gasp—the British Army. “It’s a bit of a spoiler,” he admitted. “That is such a huge moment because of Jamie’s history and his past. That uniform stands for everything that he has fought against.”For Sam, Jamie’s evolution in the Starz series keeps him engaged. “The show is constantly changing. I’m not stuck playing the same character. He has all these great responsibilities now. He feels the weight of that.“I would like to emulate some of Jamie’s qualities. He’s very loyal and quite stubborn. The love that Jamie has for Claire—it would be amazing to find something like that myself.”

The actor, who started playing Jamie when he was in his early 30s, remarked on the long run of “Outlander.” “We never knew where we would get to in this. It’s amazing—we’re still here and there still seems to be a great appetite for it. The show has found a home on Starz but obviously, being on Netflix has helped, as well.

“This season, the pressure is much greater. And we know that the Revolutionary War of Independence is coming, so Jamie knows what’s at stake here. He knows he’s on the wrong side. But he’s doing it for the greater good.”

In the meantime, in Sam’s own life, having a relationship is tough. “Certainly, relationships are hard when you’re working in Scotland 10 months a year. I travel a lot and any downtime I have, I’m trying to do other projects, so very much, my career comes first. Maybe I will find someone eventually.

“My whole career, not just ‘Outlander’ but as an actor, I have always put that first. It’s hard when you travel a lot. My priority has been my career, so that’s where I am at the moment. But I am sure at some point, I will get knocked off my feet, then I’m screwed (laughs).”

On and off the set, Sam has found a friend in Caitriona, with whom he spends a lot of time working together. “Poor girl,” he cracked.

“She is such a wonderful woman—intelligent and creative,” he praised his costar who married music producer Anthony McGill in August last year. “More than anything, she’s a good friend. She forces me sometimes to socialize when I don’t want to. She’s a social animal. It’s wonderful to be part of, and always welcomed into, her world.

“I am quite relaxed sometimes. I let things go. She’s very strong and likes to get things done. That probably winds her up. I shouldn’t say it, but I know when she is pissed off (laughs). She does a little foot tap. So, if I see her tap her foot, I’m like, here we go. I can see it.”

“Outlander’s” popularity—and Sam’s rise—have led to many opportunities. Sam is now planning to be a producer, as well. “I have definitely been trying to find other projects to produce,” he announced.

“As an actor, you always want to do other things. This last year, I got to play characters that are very different from Jamie Fraser—‘Bloodshot’ being one of them that happens next month.”

“I wouldn’t say my character is the bad guy,” Sam said of his Jimmy Dalton part in the action-drama-fantasy, “Bloodshot,” which costars Vin Diesel and Guy Pearce. “But he’s certainly a very angry man. It’s a lot of fun to play that character.

“I was on wires flying through the air and fighting Vin Diesel (laughs). As an actor, those are the moments where you go, oh Christ, can I actually do this?”He added, “I did an independent action movie called ‘SAS: Red Notice,’ which is based on a series of books by a writer who’s also the most decorated British Special Forces soldier, Andy McNab.”

“My character is going to Paris to propose to his fiancée, and the Eurostar gets taken over by mercenaries,” he shared. “The movie sits between Jason Bourne and James Bond.

“Then, I did a couple of days on a movie (‘An Unquiet Life’) about Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal, where I got to play Paul Newman.” The film depicts the tumultuous marriage between the actress, Patricia, and the writer, Roald.

The Paul Newman? “Yes, big shoes to fill,” he replied with a smile. “I felt the responsibility of that. But the more I found out about Paul, the more I was in awe of him. What an incredible man.

“I’m not sure I look like Paul, but I tried to bring a lot of his mannerisms into the scenes. It’s a very small part in a bigger movie. It’s at the moment when he is meeting Patricia Neal and they’re about to go off and film ‘Hud.’

“I watched a lot of his movies, but for me, ‘The Hustler,’ which is my favorite of Paul Newman’s movies, is when he really begins to hit his strength.”

As Sam pursues film projects, he knows that he has at least one more season of “Outlanders.” Starz has renewed the show for a sixth season. Still, Sam wonders. “I do sometimes think, what am I going to do when it is over? I think I will actually be quite upset and sad, and it will be a great loss.

“I probably will always have Jamie Fraser with me at some point, even when the show is over.”

Read more:

https://entertainment.inquirer.net/361221/sam-heughan-on-turning-40-new-outlander-season-playing-paul-newman-in-film#ixzz6BrxWUd8z

[laws-hat-headcanons]

10 + 10

I realised after I had posted this that I did it on a reblog that was already pretty long... so I have now done a separate post to try and make it smaller! Sorry! 

I was tagged twice to do this and was writing out my answers when Coop tagged me AGAIN!! So I am sorry to all of you, this is long and you're going to learn more about me than you probably wanted to!!

Answer 10 questions then add 10 of your own: 

@lucynnamonroll thank you for the first Tag flower!

1. A dream that you still remember?

I dreamt once that someone was chasing me and my dog and they bit me, took a big chunk out of my arm. And then my dog gave me this big blue fruit and my arm grew back. My dreams are always very strange.

2. What job did you want to do when you were younger?

I wanted to be a vet but I am way too emotional around poorly animals and also not smart enough to learn how to treat them haha!

3. And now? Did it has changed?

Yeah, I don't think I was ever cut out to be a vet. I'd like to work with animals though, maybe kennels or something? Zoo Keeper would be cool.

4. A favorite game?

I'm gonna take this as video game... There are a lot. I love Mass Effect and Dragon age, Gears of War... but Horizon Zero Dawn was amazing. I loved every single thing about it. Beautiful game, great story – just.. chefs kiss

5. Where did you have traveled? (Either it’s in your country or not)

I've been a few places- France, Spain, Somewhere else hot but I can't recall where... Ireland, Scotland. I was supposed to have gone to Bulgaria at the beginning of May but Coronavirus done fucked me over.

6. Did you have a totem animal/a favorite animal?

Ever since I was about 6 wolves have been my favourite animals. I originally started drawing so I could create a wolf fursona …. siiigghhh

7. Did you/Do you have a teddy bear to help you to sleep? How it was looking?

Yes, a little dog called Custard. He is a beige colour with brown ears but is still in pretty good condition. He sits on my desk chair when I'm not using it.

8. THE animated (or not) serie of your childhood/teenage years?

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES – heroes in a half shell, turtle power!! I was also hella into Dragon Ball Z on Toonami when I was a kid. I remember we went to see some family up north and they didn't have Toonami and I cried because it was mid way through the Buu arc and I was gonna miss it.

9. Do you have anime/series/movie/whatever things merch?

I have a few bits. A Hatake Kakashi figure, one for Katakuri and Zoro. A heart Pirates hoodie. I think I have Kid's wanted poster somewhere...

10. How was your day?

Oh. It was a day. I slept through most of it. My energy/motivation levels are pretty low at the moment. But it was sunny, so that was nice.

@luffytarhoe thank you for my second tag!! 💙

1- What’s your favorite show/anime of the moment ?

I don't watch a huge amount of anime despite the focus of this blog. So probably One piece on that front. Otherwise I am watching Outlander atm, which is pretty good but there is sooooo much sex. An ungodly amount of sex.

2- What type of music are you into?

My music tastes are quite varied. I like stuff that you can listen to and put into a situation, so usually sad stuff where I can imagine I am the main character weeping over the bodies of my fallen comrades. Also Goo Goo Dolls!

3- If you could have one superpower , what would it be ?

Probability, or luck. Like Domino in Deadpool. That's always been such a cool concept to me.

4- What’s your favorite color ?

Blue and all it's hues. Maybe teal if I had to get specific.

5- Do you prefer animated or live action shows/series ?

I am happy with both. Though some animated shows should stay animated – looking at you ATLA...

6- Do you believe in ghosts ?

I believe that energy never disappears, only changes forms and I don't think that's any different for whatever happens to people energy once we die. I'm a big wimp though so it's easier for me not to believe in them!

7- Do you speak any foreign language(s) ? if yes which ones ?

No, sadly I never had a talent for languages. I'd love to speak Gaelic though.

8- Your n°1 fictional character ?

Probably Stone from the Raksura book series. He's just a fun grumpy old shapeshifting man.

9- Would you say you’re more of an extrovert or an introvert?

Definitely an introvert. I like me time. And all my hobbies are single person hobbies so that doesn't help haha.

10- What was the best vacation you ever took and why?

I haven't been on holiday in over 10 years but we went to a zoo in Spain once and a Monkey sat on my head. That was pretty rad.

@doctorgerth and finally, thank you for my 3rd tag!!

1. What are your zodiac signs (sun, moon, rising, if you know them) and do you think they fit you pretty well?

I am an Aries and that is pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the subject. Aries are meant to be pretty hot headed and outgoing and I can only really claim to be one of those thing and only when I need to be. So no, I'm not sure it fits me.

2. What is your favorite clothing item and/or accessory?

I don't reallllly care a lot about clothes and or stuff. So I guess either my glasses because I need them to see long distances (and to drive) or my phone if that counts as an accessory because that has all my crap on it.

3. Any future children or pet names?

Noooooooooooooo and no

4. If you could meet anyone (can be past, present, future, real, or fictional) who would it be?

I would have liked to have met Steve Irwin I think. He seemed pretty chill and I grew up watching Crocodile Hunter on TV so he was a big hero of mine for a long time. Also the Rock or Jason Mamoa because of reasons....

5. Brag on yourself! What’s something you love about yourself?

I am passably amusing and guess I write okay too haha

6. What is a movie or show that you could rewatch a million times and never get tired of?

The film Evolution is endlessly funny to me and it makes me laugh every time I watch it. I used to have it on VHS and I kept a video player in the house to watch it until my cousin got it for me on DVD (Yes I am old.)

7. What is your favorite album of all time?

I haven't listened to it in a long time but I really loved Maroon 5 – Songs about Jane.

8. Do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens? If you have stories to back up, plz share.

I want to belllieeveeeeee! Ghosts, yes, hesitantly but I think I answered that in a previous one. Aliens 100% because I refuse to believe that we are the only sentient life the universe. It's just... statistically impossible.

9. What do you do/who do you look to for inspiration?

I guess human being wise my mum is my inspiration for a lot of things? She's just a lovely person and she's very kind and sweet. I am very aware that we are not much alike, but I look to her as the sort of example of a good person. Creativity wise it's just a clusterfuck of books and badly organised pinterest boards.

10. What is your happiest memory?

Practically anything that has my nephews in it I guess. They're just... hilariously weird little dudes and I love them so much. They always make me laugh.

And here are my questions!!

1. What is your favourite book?

2. What is you most loved item and why?

3. If you got the chance to travel to another planet (knowing you would never see your friends or family again) would you do it?

4. One song that makes you cry?

5. Do you believe in supernatural stuff? Ghosts and Monsters and Fairies? Any experiences with it?

6. What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever witnessed or had happen to you?

7. What one thing would you buy if you had the money?

8. What is your worst habit/personality trait?

9. If you could alter your body with one cool feature, what would it be? (camera eyes, monkey tail, etc)

10. Do you have the patience to play a full game of Monopoly with no breaks?

I'll tag @pinkhatlizzy @nakunakunomi @lirulee @one-piece-dumpster-fire and anyone else who wants to answer my dumb questions!! Tag me because if you decide to do it so I can see your answers 💙

[anditsxsorrows-archive]

Where are you isolated? (Country or city)

the US! Arizona.

What are you currently reading or watching?

I am reading The Witcher saga. and I’m watching peaky blinders, gossip girl, cable girls, prodigal son, outlander - there might be more?

If you can go outside what do you like to do during this time?

we are allowed to go outside here and uhhhhh what i did before? brief spots to go to the store lmao

Any fascinating concept you’re studying?

UHM no? not really lmao

A song/s that resonate with your state of mind at the moment?

my state of mind is always the same tbh. and so I’d have to REALLY think

Favorite impulsive/ bad coping techniques?

G A M E S!!!! all I do now is watch tv, go online, watch my cousins and play my games ok? WAIT I DID THAT BEFORE. the witcher 3, red dead redemption 2 - Y E S

I tag: @amongthcwreck​ @inprometheanfire​ @badasshybridqueen​ @seesgood​ @lannisqueen​ @brbievmp​ @elenaloveablekotsala​ @thehellyouputmein​ @wclfgirl​ @dissolvedshadows​ @stonedgilbert​ tagged by: no one! I stole this

[ninabonita4]

Outlander 5x04 thoughts while watching

Here be spoilers

I’m going to harp on the new theme song until I’m satisfied with it... which will be never... sorry not sorry

Who’s this Isaiah guy? The first guy who swore an oath to Jamie? Who are you?

Why is Lizzie still calling Bree mistress?

Eww that snake touched baby Jemmy. Get him away!

Ugh once again fathers controlling of their daughters...

No give me back my Claire and Jamie that was much too short of a time!

Diapers were not invented in the 1770’s so jokes on you Claire

Ok they’re back and they’re meeting up with Roger. Should be fun.

Great Roger is singing. I actually enjoy his singing... most of the time

Sounds like Roger needs some captain lessons. Really enjoying seeing Roger and Jamie’s relationship grow and be tested

Wow this guy got himself in some deep crap. Already married, couldn’t keep his dick in his trousers, apparently fell in love with this girl. Sort out your priorities man

So this woman feeding the baby. Where is her baby at?

Omg can these women stop slut shaming this poor girl!

Oh look Roger’s singing... again

Jamie in glasses!!!!

Claire is a published author whether she likes it or not. Wish I could be that lucky

Guns never solve anything. When will men learn that?

Not a good idea to leave the two littles alone there, Bree

Like I’ve been saying this whole time. Knowing Bonnet is alive is gonna tear her apart!

Aw that woman’s baby died. That’s sad.

I live for mama Claire moments!

Loving this Marsali and Brianna bonding, more please! Love the soundtrack here btw.

Should they be talking about this future stuff in this very public area? And omg the soundtrack!

No Claire don’t leave Jamie!!

Good girl Bree burn that bastard

I love how Jamie still is called MacDubh by that guy who’s name i can’t remember

Omg Jamie dancing! My new favorite thing!

Brb just crying from that Claire and Jamie scene. Their theme playing. Those words, that acting! I can’t!!!! Secretly wanted them to raise that baby together, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Suicide is never the answer!!!

Ok so they’re actually in love. They’re so cute it disgusts me lol

Wish I could get pregnant as easy as all these women on this show do

Jamie is such an evil genius when he wants to be!

Nice message at the end there, Claire Bear

Hmm, stones theme is playing at the credits does that mean something???

Overall thoughts:

Really enjoyed this episode! Maybe it’s because of the lack of Brianna lol. Liked how it moved the story along and how each of our characters are growing. Enjoyed the Claire and Jamie and the Brianna and Marsali. I feel like we’ve had 3 episodes where not many “big things” have happened which means it is all coming and don’t know if I’m ready. Don’t like how Jamie and Claire are gonna be apart yet again, but love seeing Claire work as doctor next episode.