#always with the perfectly brutal cliffhangers | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

why-this-kolaveri-machi · 3 years ago

Text

gotham’s on its own, now.

Titans 3.10

moving onwards! we’re back to the core team (hopefully) in this episode, at a delicious cliffhanger at the end of 3.08, so i have High Hopes

as always, typing this up as i watch the episode.

SPOILERS AHEAD

1. this opening scene is so deliciously bizarre. is that dick in his old hospital room brooding at the snellen chart that he hallucinated about? is dick astral projecting? is that a future dick? a dead dick?

i just know we’re not going to get answers and i love it and i hate it and i love it.

2. not sure why barbara’s being put on the spot over the situation since as a police commissioner she wouldn’t really have the power to fix the issues with the pipes and the toxin? maybe gotham is a city so overrun by police that they’re looked to for every issue that comes up. it’s bizarre though.

2.25. also not a fan of how barbara’s authority is repeatedly undercut--especially by other nameless men--and how she defers to dick when she was (rightfully) furious at him just a few episodes ago for making rash plans and, well, undermining her authority!

what’s dick grayson to the gcpd anyway? he’s bruce wayne’s son and an ex-cop from detroit who hasn’t been in one in nearly a year. why in the world are they ok with him consulting in this case and dragging the commissioner’s attention away from a crucial matter? ronnie from schitt’s creek, why???

2.45. dick complains of “brain fog from the accident”. AHA! not to mention unspecified chest/back trauma from being slammed into a car at high speed, and a gunshot wound from before that. take a nap, grayson. i see shitty decision-making in your future.

3. oh gawd, it’s the scarecrow again. do we have to listen to him talk? i hate his character so much.

3.25. “you fucked it up--they were about to take me back!” at first blush this seems like jason genuinely regrets that he couldn’t reconcile with the titans, but his demeanour makes me think that he wanted to plant himself among them. i don’t know. i think he’s playing a balancing game with the options he does have: he’s not ready or secure enough to strike out on his own, and the door to the titans seems closed for now. all he’s got is scarecrow and he can’t risk completely alienating the guy.

3.5. all that big talk about Edward Bernays and the power of an Idea and he releases a... Boomer Facebook ad?

it seems utterly over-the-top and ridiculous, but i guess in a charged situation like now, and in a city like gotham... with the right suggestions wrapped in the right kind of context, well.

3.75. maaaaan i have a feeling i’m going to be in the minority here, but i feel for dick and barbara so much here. especially when barbara says “even when things were at their worst, gotham trusted batman and my dad.” neither of them really wanted this legacy though on paper they’re the ones best suited for it. and now that they’ve taken charge, things have shattered so beyond their control that now the legacy is a source of guilt. you have to fix it--it’s hard to think of anything else, be it friends or family or yourself.

at the end there’s just... burnout. giving up.

3.8. (who’s projecting? shut up, you’re projecting.)

4. “one river, many wells”... oh i see what you’re doing, Show. :/ there just happened to be a lazarus well in gotham, sure.

5. i have loved every single gotham taxi driver on this show and i demand a spinoff based on them.

6. i thought this anti-fear toxin was only supposed to remove your inhibitions, not turn you into a stereotypical zombie. it’s perfectly possible that some people are going to do terrible and reckless things that don’t involve fighting, like make ruinous financial decisions or bake bare-handed or try parkour on a multi-storey building. honestly, that would’ve made for a much more interesting aftermath.

6.5. “the worst of it is over”??? are we going to do something for the tens of thousands of people poisoned by this toxin, even the ones you brutally beat down? withdrawal facilities, medical support, anything?

7. i love how titans loves to give everybody mind-bending powers at a whim. so now lydia can just teleport whomever she wants to some ethereal “training ground”? what’s next?

the way this show’s building up the rules of its universe, time and space and the mind and soul are interlinked and constantly bleeding into each other; it’s providing a framework for every deus ex machina to come.

8. so they meet in a bar. while there’s a city wide zombie crisis going on and the literal water from their taps is poison. taking away police resources when they’re stretched thin. taking a shot of absinthe after admitting that you’re still experiencing post headinjury “brain fog”. i know, i know.

the bad decisions are just beginning.

8.5. hmmmm. you know, i can just about see where dick is coming from with the idea to have nightwing surrender to the gcpd--this is now a PR battle, after all, and making a big, public gesture is a good move. but dick, it’s not the police that gotham has lost trust in (any more than usual anyway) but in you and your team. you were in a precarious position anyway even before scarecrow’s video as a brand new team in a city that’s used to its larger-than-life heroes and villains; now is the time to go big, to show that you care for the city. maybe by working hard on an antidote to the toxin. maybe by using WE resources to medically treat the poisoned. maybe by providing clean drinking water from outside the city. honestly there are so many options.

but dick’s not thinking straight, is he? he’s thinking about saving barbara’s image. he wants her employees to trust her again because he just can’t let go of his guilt and his tendency to throw himself on the cross at the slightest shift of the wind. he’s still obsessed with the idea of penance, not realising how much it would affect the people around him.

8.9 and honestly we complain about dick making dumbass decisions but that’s the point? the show is not justifying these decisions by making them work out; they keep backfiring on him until he learns the lesson he really needs to learn. victory is in self-actualisation; not strategy or training or fancy weapons or martial arts moves.

9. fuck off, crane.

9.5. it’s obvious he doesn’t quite have jason in his thrall now, and it’s quite possible he’s begun to misread and underestimate him as well. jason wants purpose, true, but not for power or legacy; it’s for safety and guidance.

10. i’m disappointed, but not surprised, to see the rest of the team agree with dick to surrender themselves. nobody had other suggestions or even opposition--not even gar, who has so far been the most sensible of the bunch.

i can believe kory’s own guilt over being the one manipulated into blowing up the pipes that led to this whole crisis pushing her to agree with dick’s decision, but we’ve spent zero time lingering over her feelings on the matter, so that’s a huge opportunity wasted isn’t it?

(oh, i just remembered! what happened to Hot Psychiatrist Guy? has she spoken to him again? Show, if you tell me you’re just going to drop that thread i swear--)

10.5. “as a team, as a family.” well, this is one dysfunctional fucking family.

there’s still a weird level of deference to dick that i both understand and don’t understand at all. he’s the one with the most training, the most experience under his belt as a hero after all; he’s the one who stepped up to lead and so he’s the leader. but he’s also clearly unwell and has been for a while. his leadership last year was a fucking disaster and though he’s been much better this year, he’s still closeted and self-sacrificial and under stress, utterly reckless and self-absorbed. the team’s continued reliance on him as a leader despite all of this is bad not just for them, but for dick too.

11. “you were born not just to protect people, donna, but to lead them.” huh. just as i was talking about dick taking a break from being the leader...

12. wait, is that the police guy...?

“say it. say my name.”

“uh... red mask? scarface? motor voice? oh, oh, oh! toothless! because of the, uh, no, uh, mouth line on the mask? ... hey, hey, hey, now put the gun down--”

13. why do they keep repeating “this is just for show” and “optics” in front of all the police officers? remember, they’re trying not just to rehabilitate barbara’s image in the eyes of gotham, but also in the rest of her force, who think she’s been too chummy/lenient towards the titans.

13.5. *siiiigh* well. that went downhill fast. and predictably so. again, barbara has frustratingly little power... (though that could just mean she’s in the wrong profession). a stunningly bad decision all around.

a bad decision going demonstrably sideways i think says more about where the characters are than the quality of the writing at that stage, imo. not to say that titans is well-written (even i can’t compel myself to say that).

13.8. wait whaaaaaat. kom has kory’s powers now????

13.9. oh, kory. she looks exhausted... defeated. the guilt around being a possible catalyst for this crisis, the shock of losing her powers, her growing horror that her sister might’ve deceived her in order to steal her powers, the utter despair that is their carefully crafted plan utterly falling apart...

i wish we had just as enough time in kory’s head as we do in dick’s to really explore these feelings and pick them apart.

14. sooooooooooo barbara’s in jail. holy fuck.

15. i guess i was hoping for a more emotional reunion between rachel and the rest of the titans, but eh. there’s a crisis on. i guess i can excuse a bit of an anti-climax... for now. (though i’m sure they’d want me to call it understated.)

16. dick’s reached the burnout stage, i see.

and i’m sorry, the police know that the titans are based out of wayne manor? then from there it’s a very, very small leap--infinitesimal, really--to figuring out that dick grayson is nightwing and bruce wayne is batman. and speaking of batman, do we know what this guy is doing after a fucking suicide attempt????

and there are only three episodes left?????

good god.

17. also: fuck off, crane.

#titans #meta #dick grayson #koriand'r #garfield logan #donna troy #barbara gordon #jason todd #a byronic cupcake #badass strawberry truffle #manic pixie pop tart #a tragic jalebi

11 notes · View notes

tomtenadia · 4 years ago

Text

Island Dreams - Chapter 5

Hello readers :) Just one chapter tonight but it's just shy of 4k words so hopefully it will do fine :)

so... bit of angst coming. Apologies there is a bit of fluff too but not what you hope. Please don't hate Elias. He is my secret weapon to bring our two idiots together. So just be nice to him.

Fun facts: 1. I adore Roald Dahl like our trio. 2. The scene at Luskentyre with the dark clouds and the savage rain. Been there done that. Luckily I saw it in the sun as well. 3. I hug standing stones. I am a serial hugger. Hugged the ones at Callanish and have a few photos of me hugging stones in Orkney as well.

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

A week had passed.

Rowan opened the bookshop on time as usual. Switched on the lights and the computer and went to the back and dragged to the counter the bulky box containing the orders that had arrived the previous night.

Once he cracked the box open he realised Aelin’s was at the top, staring at him. He sighed, took the book and sat on the stool behind his counter. For a whole week he hated himself for what he said to her. He had definitely gone too far and he had to find a way to apologise and make it up to her for his dreadful behaviour.

Gently he flipped the book in his hands and read a couple of random pages and smiled. He was positive she was going to love the last book in the series and a part of him was quite eager to discuss the book with her.

He had read the series a long time ago and loved it. Flipping through the pages he found some of the lines he loved and a tenuous smile appeared on his face at the thought that Aelin reminded him so much the female main character in the book.

Both of them had fire in them.

He hadn’t seen her in a week and Maeve told him that she hadn’t been at the coffee shop either.

His aunt’s words still haunted him. She is just as lost as you are.

What could have happened to her? She always appeared to him as full of life and quite energetic, but he guessed that might be a mask she would wear for stranger, for people who were not close to her. He wanted to meet the real Aelin, problems at all. He thought pondered on his aunt’s words. What if she really was the key to get out of the funk he had been stuck for a while? What if he could help her as well? He admitted that he wanted to be his friend and he was going to prove it to her.

Deep down though he knew he had another reason, a bit more selfish. He found her attractive. More than that. The first day in the shop she had taken his breath away. And she loved books probably just as much as he did. Something that Lyria… no. He was not going there.

He closed his eyes and tried to picture Aelin. Her funny attempts to use Gaelic gave him fuzzy feelings.

He had spent a week mulling and thinking about her. He could not stop doing that. She had made him feel again. But the idea terrified him. He had committed completely to a woman once. He gave her all of him, his love, trust, respect and heart. And she destroyed everything. He sighed and put the book on the shelf behind him where he kept all the orders to be collected. He had to find a way to tell her her book was here. In his anger he forgot to take her phone number or address and now he was stuck. He only had to hope that she would remember and pop in in the shop. If he could see her one more time and apologise…

He was busy unpacking when the bell rang and a dark-haired man entered the shop.

“Good morning, can I help you?”

The man looked at him and smiled “Yes, definitely. I am looking for a book. Something on Callanish.” He explained looking around the shop with interest “It’s for a woman. It’s a present. She is new here and I would like to give her a welcome to the islands present. She just visited Callanish for the first time and she loved it.”

Rowan felt sick for a moment. Was that guy talking about Aelin? Because the description sounded very similar. Sadness hit him. So she was doing fine after all. She did not need him.

“I have a nice selection. Ranging form the usual tourist guide to something more fascinating and historical.” And he showed the guy the books. The stranger took one of the bigger ones. One of his favourites.

“That is a great one.” He added pointing at the one the guy was holding in his hands “It has info about the archeological excavations, theories about its use and it connects to the mythology as well. It’s quite complete. Your friend will love it.”

The man smiled again and kept the book.

“Can I just have a look around?”

Rowan nodded keeping an eye on the man. Could it be that he was talking about Aelin? He did his best to convince himself that it was just a coincidence. It had to be. But sadness struck anyway. He had planned to get that book for Aelin. He was positive she would have adored it. And now chances were another man was going to give it to her.

The man came back with a second book. A colouring book of the Hebrides “I have a feeling Aelin will love them.”

Rowan stopped. His world froze. And his heart was beating furiously in his chest.

“She is a lucky woman.” Rowan forced himself to say. “Would you like me to wrap them since it’s a present.”

“That would be amazing if it’s not too much trouble.”

Rowan took a deep breath and steadied his hands.

“You have a great place here. And I love your Roald Dahl display.”

Those words stung. That was one of the first things Aelin had said to him.

“Big fan.” Was all that Rowan managed ignoring the roaring fury rising in him. At his stupidity. His bad temper. That could have been him if only he had been able to control himself and be nice for once in his life.

“When I was little I was obsessed with James and the Giant Peach.” The man continued while Rowan was working on wrapping the books. He had a feeling that Aelin was a big fan of Matilda.

“Here we go.” Rowan passed the present to the man.

The stranger paid and left the shop.

Rowan sat in silence for a while then stood, turned the sign of the shop to closed, switched off the lights, locked the door and went home.

All of a sudden he did not feel in the mood anymore to deal with people.

He grabbed his car and drove in silence until he reached his favourite spot on the islands. He went to the Butt of Lewis, sat on the edge of the cliff and admired the sea raging against the cliffs, mirroring perfectly his current mood.

Aelin had taken a day off from exploring. She had driven a lot the previous days and she needed a break from here car. She had gone back to Luskentyre, however this time she was not so lucky with the weather. An horrible storm had hit once there. And still, the place was stunning. The dark clouds heavy with rain seemed to enhance the blues and green of the water. A strange light had embraced the bay and the sand appeared even whiter. Then the rain hit and she thought she had never seen a rainstorm so brutal. She had stayed in the car and waited it out. Being Scotland, the weather was very changeable and ten minutes later the sun was out and the most amazing rainbow arched across the beach. Not a single one of her photo did any justice to the beauty in front of her.

She was now wandering around Stornoway and convinced herself to go to Rowan’s shop. It had been a week and her book should have arrived. The last one had ended in an epic cliffhanger and now she needed to know. It was a matter of life or death.

She turned the corner and a strange feeling overcame her when she noticed the lights off. At the entrance door a sign said Dùinte and underneath Closed in English. It was almost noon, how was it possible it was closed? Rowan was punctual to a fault. Was he sick? She wished she had his mobile number to get in touch with him.

She was worried.

But most of all she realised she missed him. Yes, they barely knew each other and they didn’t have the best of the beginnings, but still…

She sighed and walked away.

In that instant Elias texted her. She had caved in the end and texted him. They had started chatting. That morning he had told her that he was in town and they agreed to meet.

He was waiting for her at the parking near the ferry terminal. She tucked her sadness away and walked toward the terminal.

She had debated every day since she gave Elias her number if she had done the right thing.

She clearly felt something for Rowan. What it was, she still wasn’t sure. And although he had been grumpy and they fought, something about him resonated within her. As if his soul somehow called out to hers.

The rational part of her quickly rejected the idea as the twisted and unachievable idea of love that her books had given her over the years.

Human’s relationships were nothing but pain.

For a moment she argued to herself that for some inexplicable reason his soul had somehow resonated with Rowan’s. That if they were in a book instead, someone would have pointed out that the pining was due to them being soulmates.

A minute later after that thought she snorted loudly.

They were everything but. They weren’t even friends.

What about enemies to lovers? She snorted again and closed the distance to where Elias was waiting for her.

There were more chances of Rowan strangling her than them becoming friends.

All that mental gymnastics to convince herself that texting Elias was good. That she was not betraying Rowan.

But at the same time she felt a horrible person. She had no idea what she wanted from Elias. She was not ready yet to commit again. But still, she didn’t want to mislead him. He seemed such a nice guy. Hurting was the last thing she wanted to do to him.

Aelin finally arrived at the car park and saw him. He was as tall as Rowan. He was standing beside his car. Sunglasses on his head, dark shorts, a light blue polo shirt hugged his upper body nicely and she could not force her gaze away from him. He was stunning.

But he is not Rowan a voice said in her head and she told it to shut up.

“Hello.” He waved at her and she noticed his bright smile and his two dimples make their appearance. She had forgotten his smile.

“Hey.” She said joining him near his car “Nice car by the way. Being an engineer must pay really well.” She joked and hoped she hadn’t gone too far as her usual.

“Love a woman with a good taste in cars. It’s a Tesla. Cost me a kidney but this baby it’s worth it.”

“Of course you get a Tesla. You are an environmental engineer so an electric car makes sense. If you were a book character you’d be considered perfectly in character.”

Elias laughed loudly at the joke. Then he opened the door, and grabbed something from the car “For you. A welcome to the islands gift.”

Aelin took the present and froze when she noticed the sticker on top. The present came from Rowan’s bookshop. All of a sudden she forgot how to breath. At least she did manage to hide her shaky hands from Elias.

She opened the present and squealed in delight when she noticed the book about Callanish and underneath a colouring book. She put the second on the roof of the car and opened the first one. Inside the dust jacket she noticed a small note. That, definitely did not belong there. The calligraphy was neat Your book is here. I guess you want to know what happens after the cliffhanger. Then at the bottom of the note I am sorry. R.

How did he know that Elias was giving her the book? A wave of panic hit her.

Sneakily she hid the note from Elias and pretended to browse the book, but her mind kept going back to Rowan’s message. Her heart was hammering in her chest, so much that it almost hurt. The words I am sorry resonating in her head like an echo.

“Glad you loved the books. I forgot there was a nice bookshop in town. I got it from there. The one about Callanish came with a recommendation from the owner.” Aelin felt like crying. She was just picturing Rowan helping Elias pick the book for her. Why was she feeling like that for a man who had clearly told her that she meant nothing to him? Why was she caring so much?

Had Lysandra been there she would have told her to drop the grumpy guy and take the nice one.

She stretched and gave Elias a little peck on the cheek “Thank you. They are perfect. Now I just need some pencils for the colouring book.”

“That, we can fix easily.” Elias went around the car and opened the other door for her “Hop in.”

Aelin looked at him puzzled “I thought we were staying in town.”

“No way, there is still so much for you to see.”

“I am in a Tesla.” She commented ecstatic and noticed Elias grinning. “I don’t have car. In London it’s a nightmare. Traffic is horrendous and parking near my house is just non existent. Luckily the tube takes me to work easily.”

“On the islands the only traffic jam you experience is cattle, sheep and the annoying tourists driving motorhomes where they shouldn’t and going at a slow pace because they have to take a photo of every single piece of grass.”

Aelin laughed “I got stuck in the middle of a flock of sheep the other day. I was along the Golden Road.”

“Well, that was your baptism of fire and you passed it.”

Half an hour later they were crossing a bridge. Elias explained to her that they were heading for Great Bernera. As soon as they cleared the bridge he pulled over and parked the car at the small picnic area. She got out and stood immobile for a moment to take in the beauty of the landscape.all around her. Then Elias grabbed her hand and he pulled toward the left. She looked up and she noticed some standing stones and she felt giddy.

“Come on.”

They climbed the short path and they reached the stones.

Aelin went to hug them and she made Elias laugh out loud “that is a very unusual reaction.” Then he took his phone and took a photo “Now I can bribe you until eternity.”

Aelin dismissed him with a rude gesture and kept hugging the stone.

“You are hugging Callanish VIII.”

Aelin gasped in surprise.

“This place is quite peculiar. It is a semi circle and not a full circle and according to the archaeologists it was never a full circle. No one knows what it was for. However, according to the local folklore, due to its strange configuration and location, on a calm winter day when the sun is low a strange experience might occur. If you walk between the tall stone and the water a double shadow is cast on the stone. One shadow is produced by the sun and the other by the sun’s reflection on the water.” He explained, his gaze fixed on the horizon.

“I tried plenty of times but no luck.”

He walked behind her and tugged her to his chest, leaning his chin on her shoulder. Elias then took her hand and pointed “There,” he said “over there you have Callanish. The main site.”

She leaned against his hard chest and took comfort in the nice feeling.

“That is so awesome.”

“I am pretty sure your book will have a part about these stones.” His breath was gentle against her ear and she shivered in pleasure at the feeling.

“Let’s go. We haven’t reached our final destination yet.” He moved away and for a brief second she missed the warmth of his body against hers.

They got back in the car and they drove for a bit longer. The road was narrow but Elias drove with the experience of a local and she felt pretty safe.

They finally reached a parking area and she was ready to get out again.

“The islands are quite amazing for their historical sites.” He started, offering his hand to her.

She took it and he smiled tenderly. His thumb gently brushing the top of her hand.

“Are you ready for a visit to the iron age?”

They walked in silence for a short stretch along the wall of a cemetery and then she noticed the Iron Age house. Elias paid the pound to get into the house, but she was more interested in the stunning beach she had spotted at the end of the path. Once out of the house she took running toward the beach and Elias followed until he grabbed at her waist “You ungrateful witch. I am showing you an historical site and all you care is the beach.”

Aelin laughed and turned to him, their faces dangerously close “Sorry, but the beach looks soooooo amazing”

Elias let her go and playfully pushed her away “Go. Have fun.”

She smiled at him and walked toward the beach, removed her shoes and walked in the water. That had become her ritual.

Bosta beach was another gem. A hidden one, it looked like.

Elias joined her in the water and stood beside her, their arms touching “When I was young, my brother and I used to come here and kayak. See the islands in front of us?” He pointed and Aelin nodded “That is little Bernera. The only way to get there is by boat. On the the side there is a beach that is something out of this world. Untouched. Pristine. With waters of colours so bright that they might not be real.”

She turned to him and looked at Elias in the eyes. And they were bright, full of joy

“You have a childish streak.” He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“No, that came out wrong. What I meant is that you seem to tackle life with the same joy a kid does. The way you hugged the stone, or how you run just now or your face when you saw the books. It’s contagious.” With a hand he caressed her face.

She should pull away and break that contact, but she couldn’t because she realised she missed it. So in the end she leaned into his touch, basking in the feeling of his hand on her cheek.

“Tha thu bóidheach…” he whispered “You are beautiful.” He repeated in English.

Aelin broke the contact and went to sit down on the sand. She needed a moment to collect herself. To unravel the set of conflicted emotions battling inside her.

In front of her there was Elias. A wonderful man who seemed quite keen to be in her company. Who was intelligent and fascinating and sweet. A man capable of making her heart race madly. He was perfect. He was handsome. Unbelievably so. And then there was Rowan. Who was… maddening. They were nothing and no chance of their status changing anytime soon.

She sighed.

Elias sat beside her “did I do something wrong?” His blue eyes fixed on her “What I said and did… sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

Aelin shook her head. He was considerate and with his face mere centimetres from hers she realised she just wanted to kiss him.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she explained and wondered if it was the time to open up to someone else. But Maeve’s word replayed in her head. You can help each other. He is stuck too. She wanted to open up to Rowan. According to Maeve he was suffering for something too. She wanted him to open up to her. She knew it felt wrong. She could not open up to Elias. That was something that belonged to Rowan. Of that she was sure.

“I haven’t done this in a while.”

“Are you seriously telling me that in the whole of London there is not a single man who’d consider himself lucky to have you?”

“I can be a handful.”

“My brother has three kids under the age of ten. I can handle handful. Believe me.”

Aelin laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder “And why a guy like you is single?”

“The missus had a side thing with her boss. They eloped. She got pregnant and now she lives the grand life in Edinburgh with the money she got from the divorce and got stuck with the kid. He was rich. Filthy rich and she just wiped him clean.”

“And you were married to her?”

“Oh yeah. I was young and stupid. We lasted two years.”

“Probably you didn’t earn enough big bucks.”

Elias laughed genuinely “Aye, I was a poor nobody compared to her second husband.”

“Her loss,” Aelin added.

He tuned his head surprised by that remark. His face inched closer and hesitated for a second, then finally kissed her

Aelin resisted him for a moment, but then she melted in the kiss. His lips were soft. The kiss started gentle but then it got harder and she could feel need seeping from it.

His hands went to her back and slowly pushed her on the sand on her back. Aelin run her hands in his hair and pulled him closer.

She nibbled his lower lip and the sound he made awoke something at her core. His hands slid to her sides and he traced the length of her body. She closed her eyes and froze. A pair of green eyes appeared in her vision. Rowan’s face floated in front of her and she froze. She sat up quickly.

“Not on the beach near a tourist attraction.” She stood and patted the sand away from her clothes using it as an excuse to put some distance between them.

Slowly she gathered the courage to look at him and she saw hurt in his blue eyes.

“You are right. Being arrested for sex in public is not in my today’s plan.” And the dimples came back.

“I am sorry I…” she fumbled.

He got closer and kissed tenderly on her lips “No need to apologise.” Then he patted her hair. “You are covered in sand.”

In silence they walked back to the car and even on the journey home she struggled to say more than a few words. She held her book on her legs and kept thinking at the message inside and how she will face Rowan the next day.

“I can drop you off at your place.”

“No, the car park is fine. It’s a nice evening. I don’t mind the stroll.”

“Ok, mo charaid.”

Aelin leaned forward and kissed him “Thank you for the books and for today. I had so much fun.”

“Me too,” he kissed her back.

Aelin broke the kiss and left the car. He got out and leaned on the roof “Text me.”

“I will do, mo charaid”

Elias laughed “you are so sexy when you try to speak Gaelic.”

Aelin blew him a kiss and walked away.

When she was almost home she leaned against the small wall separating the road from the marina and looked toward the town. To the spot where Rowan’s shop was.

And wondered what he was doing.

Wondered if he missed her as well.

#rowaelin #rowanwhitethorn #aelin galythinius #rowan x aelin #aedion x lysandra #lysandra #fanfic #throneofglassseries #fluff #angst

35 notes · View notes

perseusjackson-jasongrace · 4 years ago

Note

Ma'am- how dares thou leave us off on a cliffhanger for both Empires on the Horizon and Kingdom Collisions V >:L I demand to know whats going to happen next!! (also take your time to write them lol )

Ah my friend you are right I am sorry for being so rude😭👀here's a Kingdom Collisions update. Please forgive me?🥺

Y’all know the drill by now. This is a fic i’m writing to try incorporate more descriptions into my writing. I do not have pre-written chapters so we’re both lost on what comes next or when the next update will be?! Please enjoy!

masterlist

TW: Suicide mention

Kingdom Collisions VI

Once upon a time in a land known for water and jewels there lived a young boy. He had skin the colour of soil and eyes the colour of oceans and were your gaze to ever fall upon this little figure you knew the earth was created just for him. The boy lived in a white-stone castle, surrounded by guards in clanking silver armour and blue-feathered helmets. Swords gleamed with their newness. They are decoration, a rite of passage. They only reflect the water. Children darted between their legs as they swoppeed shifts and if you looked closely the boy was often one of them. The castle stood proud and tranquil in the kingdom and gave the people hope.

If the white walls stand tall the queen will rise above all.

A piece of poetry long since washed away.That single line ran through the city streets like rain water. Ran into people's homes, and under the wheels of rumbling cars. Generations had forgotten the poem to time but that line for it's power and rhyme had weathered the changing tides. If you listened closely the trees still knew the words. But nobody ever heard. The world was too busy and the day too new to remember what it was like to become one with evergreens.

Percy Jackson wakes up with a gasp, heart beating like conga drums. His fingers curl into his chest, leaving red marks as he winces sleep away. The world is still pitch black; stars hidden behind a blanket of storms. He wonders if they find comfort wrapped in the clouds. If those white puffs feel as soft as they look. Sleep is faraway, a distant friend stuck at a cold airport terminal. So he drifts to the window, ignoring the wind prickling his skin and sits down at the bench. The chiffon curtains rustle softly, talking to him in a language he hasn't quite yet learned. He knows they're saying something important. They must be if they brush against his legs every few minutes. Everyone is always trying to tell him something important. Something life changing and groundbreaking. He wishes he could pause time for a little while. Stroll through the gardens and into the ocean without anybody running after him.

The curtain drifts towards him again and he sighs as if the universe has made him designated driver. An unwanted, unwilling task.

Somewhere a bird caws and he snorts softly, "Okay, okay. I'm handling it."

He let's the sounds of the wind take him through the endless corridors, let's it carry him like a dying flower, like autumn leaves, like bonfire embers. The stone floor is cold under his bare feet and his body is littered with bumps. He misses the warmth of his castle. Misses the warmth of the hearth in every room and the smell of the sea that drifts in through open windows. Mostly, especially, he misses his mom. There is something distinctly missing from the Castle of Caelum. He hasn't quite put his finger on it but it doesn't feel right.

He doesn't have time to delve into that thought because all at once everything goes quiet. A large door looms before him.

"So this is it huh?" His voice is soft, afraid to disrupt the silence.

Taking a deep breath, filling up his lungs with the air of the Kingdom of Wind, he knocks on the wood. It is gentle and solitary and he's almost certain no-one heard it but his ears perk up anyway. He knows you can't pick up footfalls on stone but it doesn't stop his heart from racing in anticipation. The door opens with a soft click and tired eyes look at him.

"Percy," Jason's voice is raspy with crying and his heart shatters.

"Hey, can I come in?"

The blonde looks at him, brows furrowed and tear stains carved into his cheeks. Percy can see the tiredness in the prince's bones, like x-rays of exhaustion. He's about to say nevermind, about to walk away, walk past his own chambers and into the lifeless night. But the Prince nods once and moves aside.

He feels almost disappointed that he couldn't escape. Disappointed he couldn't just go back and never return. His mother's voice flitters into his head.

When your people are suffering you must lie down with them and ask them to tell you their story.

Why mom?

Because little one when the time comes you will know what to do.

How momma?

We are made of stories little one. We are made of all the things people tell us. Our dreams and hopes and memories are just threads in a tapestry and every person is connected to it.

I don't understand momma?

She smiled at him, perfect white teeth and dark blue eyes: When you think of me little one, what comes to mind?

Ten year old Percy frowned, Chocolate chip cookies, and your bedtime tales, and the beach, and hugs.

And what do you think about Grover?

Percy's green eyes had lit up like the sun: Play time and movies and ice-cream!

She laughed: And what about Dad?

His little brows furrowed: Fancy clothes and swords and paper and cuddles.

And Princess Piper?

His nose scrunched up: Cooties! He squealed and then he was running around the room; the world a flowing river, him a little fish learning its current.

You see little one, you didn't think about bones or skin or blood. You thought of memories and stories. Do you understand now?

He nodded as he scrambled into her lap: I think so momma. So if my people tell me who they are I can use their stories to help them when they're sore?

Almost little one. Half of hurt is because nobody listens. If you just listen to what your people are saying they will not hurt so much.

Is that because we have to tell our stories momma?

"Exactly. That is how we live. And live on."

Prince Perseus Jackson takes a deep breath and steps into the room. Immediately he can feel the icy wind, so much colder up here, stinging his bare arms, chest, legs. Save for the small silk boxers covering his most sensitive parts his body is exposed to the brutal temperatures and he cannot hide a shiver as he settles on the couch. The fire has died long ago, maybe not even put on for the night, if the grey ashes and lack of heat are indication enough.

"What are you doing here?" The blonde prince looks at him.

"The curtains told me to come."

"What?" He can hear the confusion, but more than that the weight of a thousand heartaches.

He wonders if every person who has their heartbroken feels like they're the first to ever go through it. If that feeling is so perfectly human it feels unique and special to each one.

"Sometimes the world talks to me and sometimes I listen."

"I don't really know what game you're playing but I'm not in the mood so if it isn't an emergency," Those eyes are ice blue, "And I honestly wouldn't care even if it was, please get out."

"I cannot." He shrugs and pulls a velvet blanket over him.

"I'd appreciate," Jason's teeth grit, "If you respected my boundaries enough to leave. I am not in the mood."

"The window is open, there is paper sitting on the desk and many crumpled pieces on the floor, and I can see you haven't even sat on your bed, never-mind slept in it. What do you plan to do Grace?"

"You know what." That voice is hard, malicious with fear, pain.

"I will not leave. And you will not either. You can sit there on your bed hating me till the sun graces us once more. You can punch me until I am the same colour as the dusk but I am not leaving."

"I hate you. Leave me alone." He can hear the tears hit the cold stone. He doesn't react. A shadow blocks the moonlight finally peaking through the clouds.

"I said leave me the fuck alone!"

"I cannot do that Prince."

"Don’t call me that." He snaps, pushing his face into Percy's, "Go away! I want to be alone."

"I can't Jason,"

"JUST LEAVE!" Golden fists pound at his chest, droplets of salt soaking into his skin, as if trying to wash away the bruising.

He grabs his husband's hands gently and pulls him to the couch.

"I'm not going to leave you."

"They all left." Jason gasps, "They left. HE LEFT!"

The scream draws blood from his ears, pulls oxygen from his veins.

"I'm here. I'm not leaving. I am here."

"Please," Sobs wrack that broken body, and Percy can feel the first cracks in a kingdom. "Please don't leave me. Please, please please."

He rubs his hand over a shaking back and mutters over and over again, "I will not leave you."

Prince Jason Grace cries a new ocean and he names it after the fire that caused it. When the sun peaks over the horizon, fracturing a wall of crystal, and attempting to warm those cold grey stones, Percy Jackson takes his husband to bed and ignores the fissures running under his feet.

Once upon a time in a kingdom known for storms and gold there lived a little boy. He had eyes of lightning and skin the colour of sunlight and if you ever caught a glimpse of him you knew only the darkest nights could ever produce something so beautiful. The guards are bathed in riches, weighed down by diamonds cut from dreams and earrings weighted with the pureness of gold. Swords are varied and prized. Bred for fodder. Used at will. He lived in a castle made of grey stone and it loomed over the kingdom like a black cloud. The people looked at it and shied away. For they too had a poem about their crown but they remembered every line.

Those who fell under the shadow of stone were sure to be left to ruin by their king and cursed forever alone. A young boy with hair spun from starlight is trapped inside. Who will save him if he cannot hide?

Forgetting was a death warrant.

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

Tags (if you want to be added to/ taken off the tag list just let me know, all my channels of communication are open):

@nishlicious-01

@queen-of-demons-and-hell

@leydiangelo

@sparkythunderstorm

@asami-sato-has-never-sinned

#Kingdom Collisions #Part 6 #Baby fanfic #Baby fanfic series #PJSSG fanfic #PJSSG series #Jercy #Jercy royalty AU #Royal jercy #Jason grace #Percy Jackson #PJSSG asks #Ciara's Convos #She speaks #This ask made me so happy!!!#Thank you for being invested #don't ask me what direction this is supposed to be going in becaue i have zero ideas #we just vibing #it be like this sometimes

31 notes · View notes

neriad13 · 4 years ago

Text

Favorite Media of 2020!

There was a large swathe of this year during which I was unable to concentrate on reading (as there probably was for a lot of other typically-frequent readers), so, as a result, I ended up listening to way more podcasts and watching way more TV shows. Not a bad thing, but boy did I read way less books than usual.

However, for the first time in a while, the amount of fiction I read was about equal with the amount of nonfiction I read. Last year’s reading resolution was to read more fiction, so...success??

I did read a lot of phenomenal fiction when I had the energy to do so this year.

Books - Fiction

The Martian - Andy Weir

This book is the hardest of the hard sci fi I think I’ve ever read. Every single aspect of it is minutely researched and calculated. The author literally wrote equations to write this book. The science is insanely impressive and yet...it never loses its sense of humor or humanity in the mix. In fact, they’re the thing that drives the entire story.

Warlock Holmes - G. S. Denning

Way early in the year I was strolling down the fantasy aisle at the library, when this cover caught my eye. I took one look at it, went “oh, this looks silly” and...proceeded to devour the entire series in a matter of weeks.

It is very silly. Especially when it’s pointing out something that was silly in the original. There’s something so satisfying about Watson immediately answering Holmes with the correct number of steps in their flat when he’s trying to make his point about how most people don’t pay attention to things like that.

World War Z - Max Brooks

Every single scenario in here could easily support an entire book. A park ranger whose job it is to contain the yearly zombie spring thaw? HECK YES. I’d read tens of thousands of words about that. A Chinese admiral who defaults, steals the government’s premier submarine, loads it up with the families of his underlings and takes to the sea for years to live in the maritime economy that has sprung up in a world where everyone is trying to escape the shore? That could be an entire movie on its own.

Every chapter was more creative than the last and as a huge worldbuilding fan, this book was so, so fun.

An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon

In which a queer, neurodivergent protagonist solves a mystery on a spaceship which is a microcosm of antebellum era politics! This had a beautiful, mysterious, wonder-inducing writing style and it was a joy to peer into the wildly differing minds of every single character.

Books - Nonfiction

Underland - Robert MacFarlane

In every chapter, the author visits a different hole. Basically.

It’s an exploration of caves, catacombs, mines, nuclear waste facilities and the hidden underbelly of every forest. It was fascinating. And fundamentally changed how I look at time.

Rejected Princesses - Jason Porath

After years of having enjoyed the web entries, I finally got my hands on the first book and was not disappointed.

There are the more entertaining entries, of course and the art is as charming as always, but what struck me the most were the more difficult stories. The deeper you go into this book, the more horrific it gets. The author does not hold back on the indignities suffered by the historical figures he writes about. It’s terrible...but also very, very illuminating.

The Gift of Fear - Gavin De Becker

This book - while maintaining all the essential information in it - could be pared down to one sentence in a sea of blank pages and that sentence would be: trust your instincts. End of story.

But in a world where instincts are either customarily suppressed or going haywire, it’s not quite that easy, which is why I’m glad there is more to the book.

I picked it up thinking “ha ha, betcha can’t help a person with anxiety who fears all the time already” and...what it actually ended up doing was giving me the tools to differentiate between real fear and unfounded fear. And did help with the anxiety quite a bit.

Fanfiction

Watch Over Me - cakeisatruth

A Bioshock fic from the point of view of a little sister who is learning how to trust and be an ordinary child again. Dark and sweet. An excellent combo.

All That is Visible - Ultima_Thule

An exploration of a minor character in a well researched historical context? That’s my jam! How did they know?? A Tron fic about what it’s like to be a female programmer in the 70s.

Graphic Novels

The Adventure Zone - McElroys + Carey Pietsch

Yesssssssss! It was a running-to-the-library type event whenever my library got a new volume in. The jokes are so good, the art is so lively and the ways in which they added the details that the podcast couldn’t necessarily get across is *mwah*

Trail of Blood - Shuuzou Oshimi

Hoooooooly shit, the art style of this one!! It’s beautifully detailed and expressive, sure, but the real draw for me was how it changes with the emotional state of the main character. There’s this sequence in which he’s consumed with anxiety at school and all of his classmates become blurry and unfocused, until they can’t be recognized as humans at all, that particularly sticks with me.

It’s a horror story about a kid who witnesses his loving mother push his cousin off a cliff for seemingly no reason and is then obligated by her to keep the secret, which is eating him from the inside out. It’s so good, guys, please read it.

Level Up - Gene Lien Yang/Thien Pham

A story about a kid who is haunted by his late father’s desire for him to become a gastroenterologist. It’s funny and touching and the ending gave me what I can only describe as a feeling of exhilaration. Y’know that feeling when something unexpected but not out of left field, perfectly in tune with the narrative arc and gut bustingly funny happens, all in the same panel? That one.

Film

Searching

This is a fairly standard thriller about a dad trying to find out what happened to his missing daughter. It’s also found footage...but not in the usual way, which was what made it so compelling to me. It’s told through the dad’s phone calls, google searches, social media interactions, news footage, security cameras and webcams. It was such a cool way to tell a story.

Train to Busan

There’s a lot that’s already been said about this movie and I don’t think there’s much more I can meaningfully add to that. Suffice to say that ya gotta take care of each other if you’re going to survive a zombie apocalypse!!

TV Series

My Brother’s Husband

As close to a perfect adaptation as a person can get (barring the entire conversation in English which was...oof). I was so happy when they took it a step further and showed Kana and Yaichi actually getting to meet Mike’s family.

Zumbo’s Just Desserts

I watched a lot of baking shows this year. Like...a lot. They were my much-needed comfort viewing for the year and this one was my favorite, even over The Great British Baking Show (which I LOVE). Why? Because the pastry chef for whom it’s named makes such bizarre and wonderful desserts and fosters an environment in which the competitors do the same. I’ve never seen anything like a lot of the desserts that make an appearance on this show. Every single episode was an awesome surprise and so help me, this show had better get a third season.

She-ra and the Princesses of Power

There’s also a lot that’s been said about this one, so I won’t say much more. Suffice to say: DAMN. That’s how you do an 80s toy tie-in cartoon remake.

Infinity Train

This show’s premise is probably the most unique I’ve seen in recent years. Its balance of comedy, horror and existential dread is also *mwah* I also love how much it trusts the viewer to figure things out on their own.

Primal

A late entry sliding in before the year ends! I finally got to watch the second half of the first season last weekend and it was EXCELLENT. The pacing, the brutal fight scenes, the adorable dinosaur antics, the animation, the quiet moments - *mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah-mwah*

The most emotional moment for me was the part in which the protagonists watch, with sorrow, as the rabid dinosaur who’s been trying to kill them all night dies an excruciating death.

Also it sets up a fascinating new plotline right before ending in a cliffhanger!! Another one for the ‘had better get a next season’ list.

Games

Night in the Woods

This is one that’s been on my to play list for a few years and I was so glad I finally got my hands on it. It’s like...The Millennial Experience (TM), the game. I felt so seen, playing it. The character writing was fantastic.

Prey

I don’t know why I put off finishing this for so long. I guess I wasn’t in the right alien killing headspace for a while?? Anyway, the setting is gorgeous, the alien biology is weird and cool, the ethics are delightfully murky and the interconnectedness of the station was really cool, especially in the OH SHIT moments at the end.

Podcasts

The Adventure Zone

I tried to narrow this down to one favorite arc, but found that I couldn’t do it. I love Balance for its comedy and creative energy. I love Amnesty for its drama and acting. I am loving Graduation for the depth of its world and the way in which the real story behind everything that’s happened is slowly unfurling. It’s a good podcast all around.

The Magnus Archives

Who obsessively listened to every single season while playing Minecraft in about a month? Surely not me, nooooo. Of course not.

There’s also been a lot said on this one, so I’ll keep it brief. I’ve seen things in here that I haven’t really seen elsewhere in horror. My particular favorites were the creepy psychiatric hospital in which the horror comes not from the patients, but from the denial of the doctor to believe them about their mental illnesses and every single thing related to the Anthropocene. The one with the Amazonian village made out of trash - CHILLS.

#tma #taz #prey 2017 #night in the woods #infinity train #warlock holmes #she-ra #zumbo's just desserts #a thought

10 notes · View notes

amandaklwrites · 4 years ago

Text

Book Review: Fable (Fable #1) by Adrienne Young

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: 5/5

Book Review:

OH MY GOD. THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!

I’m not kidding. I loved everything about this book. The atmosphere, the characters, the world, the action, everything. Even the cliffhanger. Everything about this book was incredible.

I won’t go into too much detail, as I don’t want to spoil anything, since this book was just released. So I will keep my thoughts minimal.

The characters were absolutely wonderful. Fable was a great narrator and main character, with her kindness, her brutalness, and everything about her. I loved the way memories flitted back to her, and you found out more and more pieces each time. Adrienne did this perfectly that I don’t always see in books; how to give a little bit of information with each flashback. It was remarkable. I loved all the other characters as well, their different personalities, how they loved or hated one another. I loved the Marigold crew, and how they all fit together like a fun little family.

The atmosphere of this world was remarkable. It was dark, it was mysterious, it was so much like the sea. The way Adrienne used the sea in this book made me want to cry because it was just so perfect. As someone who loves the ocean so much, and practically grew up along it, I felt the sea in my bones while reading this book. It was magical. Even the towns were filled with realities of the world and I felt like I was in all these places, I felt like I was breathing in them too.

The plot was so interesting. I didn’t feel like this book was too slow or too fast, just enough with some action and some down time for the characters to move along in their world. We saw all aspects of the world and everyday things, which I appreciated—she didn’t make them boring either. There were some interesting twists, the cliffhanger was brutal and incredible, and I cannot wait to continue onto the next book.

There were pure, raw emotions in this book. I know Adrienne discussed on social media that this book really came from her heart, with grief and pure magic, and I can totally see it in this book. This book had a part of her that we readers might not ever know, but we can start to recognize. I have met Adrienne at author events a couple of times, I can totally see what she has talked about in this book. It makes this book magical.

I loved everything about this book.

PLEASE, please, go read this book!

Also, THIS BEAUTIFUL COVER!!!

#fable #fable series #adrienne young #book review

5 notes · View notes

dwellordream · 4 years ago

Note

Hello! First and foremost, I love your writing, anytime I see an update from you, I go and read it even if it features characters or fandoms I dislike/don’t know anything about because if it’s your writing, I know it’ll be worth giving a shot, secondly, I really love the way you write women and their relationships-wonderful. I was wondering if you had any advice for writing and plotting fanfic/ original stuff, and when you re-read your own work, is it satisfying like reading other’s fic?

Thank you so much! I’m flattered that you will read stuff just because I wrote it and not necessarily due to the specific fandom haha. I will answer the last question first: I do re-read my work, and it is usually not super satisfying for me, barring specific scenes or chapters. Although I do reread Haunt/Hunt and Barbed Wire pretty often and I usually enjoy it (usually haha). Right now, I would say I am almost embarrassed to read anything I wrote prior to I Was Whole (with some exceptions, I will always be fond of rereading Language of Flowers). There are past fics of mine that I just cringe at the way I wrote certain characters or the plot points I chose, so I avoid rereading them because it makes me uncomfortable or I just feel embarrassed. Specifically I would someday like to rewrite But the Wolf in its entirety because I hate it haha. I wouldn’t say I am necessarily *ashamed* of any of my past works and I obviously do not want to take any of them down because I think it’s good to show my progress as a writer. Back to your first question: I guess my advice would be that outlining sucks, it definitely does, but without even a very loose outline, it is much more likely that you will run into a wall at say, chapter 10 of your fic, and then you will be discouraged, and you will stop writing it, and it will never get finished. Outlines really, really suck but it is important to have some sort of document where you outline where you want the plot of the fic to go, what point you want to end on, what characters you want to include, etc. It’s helpful to keep track of birthdates and locations and who is currently where so you don’t contradict yourself. That doesn’t mean you have to be bound by the outline or never stray from it. Writing should feel kind of organic and you shouldn’t be afraid to change your mind or agree with input/sugestions from others. But ultimately I would say if you don’t have even a vague road map, it’s going to be hard to finish a long-term fic (or original fiction that is more than just a short story). Also I think an update (weekly, twice a month, monthly, etc) schedule is important if you are someone like me who is prone to feeling intense shame when you ‘disappoint’ readers. My update schedule is often brutal but I am committed to at least updating Haunt/Hunt every single week because it keeps me on track and from getting too indecisive about new chapters. That’s not to say it’s terrible to miss updates but just in general, if you write fics, I think you should try to avoid making promises you cannot keep, because that’s how you lose readers and the less feedback you get, the less motivated you will be to write, etc. Which isn’t to say anyone is a ‘bad’ writer for not having an update schedule, just for me personally it works well. Obviously real life shit happens and your mental health and personal life should always come first. But I am someone who thrives on routine and I need to stick to my schedule to function well as a writer. In terms of plotting I think what is more important than ‘shocking twists’ or ‘cliffhangers’ is that it makes general sense with the set-up you started with. Not every chapter needs to end in a tense cliffhanger and not every conflict needs to be perfectly resolved with a little ribbon on top. You should just try to have things... make sense for the characters’ motivations and perspectives.

#ask #anon #writing

3 notes · View notes

spnfanficpond · 5 years ago

Text

June Angel Fish Awards

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE IN THE POND CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. While the Pond was founded to support the Guppies, everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that by opening this up as a Pond wide system, we’ll be able to share the love as far as it can go.

NOTE: WE’VE BEEN HAVING OCCASIONAL PROBLEMS WITH ASKS GOING MISSING. Please use the Submit button when submitting your nominations and make sure you’re signed into Tumblr or your URL won’t show. (If the form asks for your name and email address, then you’re not signed in.) If you like, you can also send a message to Michelle or Mana to check and make sure we got your submission.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE JUNE’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @wingedcatninja and @mrswhozeewhatsis and @manawhaat

The Song Remains the Same (oneshot) by @sammit-janet

@wingedcatninja said - This fic by @sammit-janet is the best case fic I have ever read. It has everything: drama, angst, a witch curse, perfect characterization. Reading it was like being inside an episode of Supernatural. And, without spoiling anything, the ending broke my heart. To quote my own comment when I reblogged it:

“I don’t even know where to start. The story is fantastic. The prose is beautiful. The characterization is on point. The angst is delightfully painful. It’s just overall amazing. Thank you for sharing this awesome piece of art.”

@mrswhozeewhatsis said - The painful ingenuity of the spell in this case fic is genius. Pure freaking genius! Painful as hell, but genius. Characterization is wonderful, as always, and my heart is a little more broken, but I’m used to that with Sammit!! Brava!!!! *throws roses at you*

@manawhaat said- WOW! That was fucking awesome! We see witch spells so often and (maybe it’s bc of the genre I’m reading but) they’re always like lust spells of some sort, so it was super refreshing to see this kind of spell. This whole thing was just really well done, super interesting, perfectly in character and the realm of spn. And that last little bit. UGH! SO PERFECT! So Dean! So spot on! So fitting and heartbreaking and such a perfect little add on. I swear, this whole thing legit felt like I watched an episode of the show. This case fic is a perfect example of how I want every fic to read. I want the drama, the suspense, the emotion, the subtleties, the Winchesters as they truly are, this kind of gentle care for detail and attention to creating a realistic feel. I can’t say it enough- this is fucking FANTASTIC!

Nominated by @wingedcatninja

Never Wanna Say Goodbye (oneshot) by @deanwinchesterswitch

This is deliciously painful angst that leaves you with tears in your eyes and a smile on your lips.

Nominated by @risingphoenix761

Salty Stockings (oneshot) by @slytherkins

Cute, hilarious, and just the right amount of crack. Also risque and suggestive. Did I mention this is hilarious? So much good stuff in a short fic, and imagine if anyone suggested Dean take this with him on a hunt!

Nominated by @manawhaat

True or False (oneshot) by @thegirlwhorunswithwinchesters

The way this starts instantly pulls you in. There’s so much pent up shit rattling through Dean and the way it’s reciprocated through Y/n is an amazing build. There’s so much emotion and vulnerability to this entire thing, and it’s done in a way that’s completely believable and realistic for Dean. Fuck. It’s smart and really just opens them both up in such a refreshing way that speaks of Dean’s bravery, even in the face of being raw and exposed to someone else. And the way the tables turn. *screeches and flaps on the floor* Be still my fucking heart! I fucking adore this and the way you approached this fic and premise. There are so many ways it could have gone wrong or lost its power and impact, but you fucking nailed it!

Covet (series) by @waywardjoy

Fucking Christ, this series stressed me the fuck out, but in the best way possible. The cliffhangers, the dark grittiness. The insanity! Fuck, I absolutely love it when stories are written in a way that completely immerse me in it. It’s dark, like, really dark. Fuck. It just hurts.

The Beginning of The End (oneshot) by @deanwinchesterswitch

OW! There is a secret desperation in this that is absolutely brutal and tears your heart in two. The way Dean is written is eye-opening and really just drags you down into a depth of pain and grief that only a Winchester can feel. I feel like I should say something about the sex being hot, but I can’t. Because to me it’s just so rough, borderline too rough, and so emotional. Which might sound weird, but in this situation and with the way everything is presented that scene is honest as fuck, very believable, and powerful. At some point things become more about the emotional release than they do being sexy, and this is a gorgeous example of that kind of repressed emotion roaring to life in ‘bottle it up forever’ Dean Winchester. This fic hurts so good all the way through and in different ways. That in itself is a feat, so have so many layers in one story. It’s anger and hurt and guilt and worry and all of it is wrapped so delicately together in this fucking stunning piece of art.

Born This Way (oneshot) by @evansrogerskitten

HAPPY PRIDE MOTHER FUCKERS!!!!!! This fuckin’ fic! Wow. This is the definition of the spn family. There’s so much love and support wrapped up in this story, in this fucking dream. I rarely get like, actually emotional reading fics (because I’m a heartless bitch) but this has me sitting here clutching my chest with my eyes closed just full body squeeing and smiling and my gut is clenching with all the emotion. There is something to be said of the spn family being allies. This song, this setting, this family, and the moment you’ve created here is so important and such a special thing! AND, as if the fic itself wasn’t enough to make me burst into happy tears, the tweets at the bottom sure the fuck were! Honestly, everything about this is so spot on and believable and just fucking pure and good.

Castiel Imagine (drabble) by @webcricket

Holy hell, that Cas fic was not only incredibly fucking sensual and well done but it was just so full of amazing language. Fantastic! I feel like a lot of writers who try to beef up their language tend to use words that feel out of place, but your consistency and the way you weave them together made me slow down to savor every line and that was such a beautiful thing.

Nominated by @sorenmarie87

Life for Rent (series) by @winchest09

The series has just started but I can’t wait to see where it goes. I love a good mobster!au and the set up so far has me wondering what’s going to happen next.

What Research? (oneshot) by @becs-bunker

What do I say about this other than I loved it? I mean Sam has been busy and the reader just wants some attention from him. Of course, they accomplish what they set out to do and it’s worth the read.

Born This Way by @evansrogerskitten

This was a fantastic fic. The reader has the casts approval and support, and the way they came out was fantastic. I almost cried, no lie. Ash’s fics are always fantastic but this hit me in an unsuspected way.

Once Upon A Dream (oneshot) by @welldonebeca

I haven’t honestly seen that many Human!Gabe fics let alone Alpha!Gabe at that. The story is so sweet.

Fallen Productions (series) by @welldonebeca

I always admire authors who can write A/B/O but this mini series works its way through the original Team Free Will in a different way.

He Is (series) by @coffee-obsessed-writer

This whole series is super sweet. Each chapter shows just what Dean means to you, and Jen nails it in each of them.

Make You Feel My Love (series) by @sofreddie

This was such a sweet A/B/O series. I love that Dean and the reader took their time, I mean Dean eased her through her earlier heats but I think it was sweet that it was just smut off the bat.

Nominated by @iflostreturntosteverogers

Almond Milk Lies (series) by @fictionalabyss

Mel is a fantastic writer 💕

Nominated by @shy-violet-soul

The Girl Next Door (series) by @luci-in-trenchcoats

An engaging AU, this writer keeps you hooked with well-paced timing & plot. Portrayal of characters is consistent with the show, which other fics struggle with when not in the SPN world. The story line is believable and genuine, and I enjoy the banter between the 2 main pairing-folks. Bravo!

Sunsets by @crispychrissy

Damn. This work is so beautifully painful, or painfully beautiful, it’s hard to find words. I don’t want to comment on a favorite part to avoid giving away the plot. But this writer has captured a lesser-written character powerfully and consistently, and hooks you in with strong imagery and pacing. Hold on to your heartstrings for this one.

Thank you all for the awesome work and great feedback!

As with the BFAs, these are not actual awards! This system is set up so everyone in the pond has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, and the more everyone remembers to submit their own fics after posting, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

#spn fic rec #afas #angel fish awards #afa masterlist #fic rec #spn #supernatural #spn fanfic #spn fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction #Supernatural fanfic #spn fan fiction #supernatural fan fiction #fanfiction

53 notes · View notes

caitsbooks · 5 years ago

Photo

THE QUEEN OF NOTHING (THE FOLK OF THE AIR #3) BY HOLLY BLACK – DID IT SURVIVE THE HYPE? (REVIEW)

This Review Will Contain Spoilers for The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King, but there will be NO SPOILERS for The Queen of Nothing. I’m not cruel.

Overall: 5/5 Stars Characters: 5/5 Setting: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Awesomeness Factor: 5/5 Review in a Nutshell: Listen, I’m trash for this series. The Queen of Nothing had a lot to live up to, but it did. It reminded me why this series is so hyped, it proved it deserves every bit of it.

“Let me be feared and never again afraid.”

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

// Content Warning: Violence, Death, Assault, Child Abuse/Neglect, War Themes, Murder //

Release Date: 11/19/2019 Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Page Count: 309 Premise:

The Wicked King left off with the worst possible cliffhanger ending, with a plot twist I never saw coming. The Queen of Nothing takes place not too long after that ending- Jude has created a life for herself in the mortal world after being exiled, doing odd jobs for other Folk and living with Vivi and Oak. When her sister Taryn returns from Elfhame with shocking news, Jude must delve back into the world of courtly politics and war to help her, even if it means facing the man who betrayed her, the High King Cardan Greenbriar.

“Two paths are before me, but only one leads to victory.”

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

Read more for all of my thoughts on the conclusion to The Folk of the Air series, or, check out the full review over on my blog!!

[ Related: The Wicked King by Holly Black (ARC Review) ]

Follow Me Here: Blog || Goodreads || Bookstagram || Twitter || Reviews

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

“We have lived in our armor for so long, you and I. And now I am not sure if either of us knows how to remove it.”

WRITING & SETTING

Holly Black’s writing style is just amazing. Her writing perfectly balancing poignancy and thought-provoking topics with fun quips and just amazingly relatable moments. Jude is of both the mortal world and the magical world- being a mortal raised in Elfhame- and you can get that feeling just through Holly Black’s writing. It feels both otherworldly and magical while being full of purely human aspects.

Meanwhile, the setting really makes this series stand out. Holly Black truly is the queen of the Fae. She has crafted a beautifully intricate world parallel to ours, with such great depth and detail, and grounded in fascinating mythology and history. While The Queen of Nothing doesn’t expand on the world and magic quite as much as previous books have, it really does place a spotlight on it.

“Magic is seldom so convenient as to conform to our preferences.”

PLOT

I won’t lie- some of this book feels a little rushed. That’s honestly a complaint I have with the series as a whole. Each book could be much longer than they are. The Queen of Nothing comes in at just barely over 300 pages, and it has a lot to wrap up. That said, it does succeed. While I did wish we could have a little more time to sit with some moments, the fast pace did make this book very bingeable and absolutely impossible to put down.

This book also has a few twists thrown in, but they definitely weren’t quite as surprising as the twists in previous books. There was maybe one that really took me by surprise, but the rest were fairly predictable if you are highly invested with this series and as obsessed as I am. That said, this book is still a great conclusion. It ties up loose ends really well, but it definitely wasn’t as… surprising as I expected. I don’t know how else to say it without spoilers. It just didn’t end in a way I thought the series would end.

“If you’re looking for reasons why he disappointed you, by all accounts, Prince Cardan was a disappointment from the beginning.”

mood.

CHARACTERS

The characters are where The Folk of the Air series really does shine. Every aspect of this series is fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but it’s the characters that add the heart and brutality to the series. Jude is such a strong and interesting protagonist. This book puts her through a lot, and we see sides of her that were hinted at in previous books fully explored. I reread the first two books in preparation for this one and damn, her growth is astonishing. Also, Cardan. I love Cardan so much. He’s a drunk idiot sometimes, but other times, he is just plain incredible. We definitely see that incredible side of him a lot in this book. It’s truly amazing for a character to be so understood by the reader while also still being able to surprise them.

However, I don’t want to go too much into Cardan right now because, well, spoilers. Let’s talk about some of our other characters- Vivi and Heather are my loves and I would love an entire book just about them. Taryn didn’t really leave that much of an impression on me in this book beyond the first fifty pages, but she definitely made a mark in those pages. And finally, Madoc. Madoc is such a captivating character- I always think I have him pinned down but then he does something to completely change my perspective of him. This book continues to reveal sides of him I both expected yet didn’t and I absolutely loved it.

“I know how to drive a knife through my own hand. I know how to hate and be hated. And I know how to win the day, provided I am willing to sacrifice everything good in me for it.”

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

[ Related: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (ARC Review) ]

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

CONCLUSION

Pros- Great characters, solid conclusion, I love this world Cons- A little rushed. I’m also just bitter that this series is over. What am I supposed to obsess over now??? Overall- 5/5 stars. This book series will forever have a hold on my heart, and The Queen of Nothing reminded me of every reason why. This book is a fantastic conclusion to a series I’ll love for the rest of my life.

“Let me have everything I ever wanted, everything I ever dreamed, and eternal misery along with it. Let me live on with an ice shard through my” heart.

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

IF YOU LIKED THE QUEEN OF NOTHING, I’D RECOMMEND:

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson – (Review)

Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1) by Emily A. Duncan – (Review)

The Caged Queen (Iskari #2) by Kristen Ciccarelli – (Review + Giveaway)

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

Have you read The Queen of Nothing yet? What did you think?

Also, what are your thoughts on the cover? After reading, I get all the symbolism, but I’m still not really a fan of it (especially the Barnes and Noble edition- oh god please don’t make me look at it).

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

Add To Your Goodreads Shelf Purchase From: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound

Looking for more reviews & other bookish nonsense? Follow Me Here: Blog || Goodreads || Bookstagram || Twitter || Reviews

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

BONUS! MORE QUOTES THAT I LOVE

“‘Mortals are fragile,’ I say. ‘Not you,’ he says in a way that sounds a little like a lament. ‘You never break.’”

“By you, I am forever undone.”

“It really is a magical word: no. You say whatever bullshit you want and I just say no.”

“I think of his riddle. How do people like us take off our armor? One piece at a time.”

“My sweet nemesis, how glad I am that you returned.”

“That boy is your weakness.”

“All power is cursed. The most terrible among us will do anything to get it, and those who’d wield power best don’t want it thrust upon them. But that doesn’t mean they can avoid their responsibilities forever.”

“There is no banquet too abundant for a starving man.”

“Imagine if, in the mortal world, a lawyer passed the bar by killing another lawyer.”

“‘I tried to kill you,’ she reminds me. ‘You’ve described pretty much every important relationship in my life.’”

10 notes · View notes

bluephoenixdruidicprincess · 6 years ago

Text

SPN 14x15 Peace of Mind -- Review (Spoilers)

Well, it looks like I can cross something off of my Season 14 Wishlist. We got ourselves a Cas POV episode. Granted, it wasn't quite how I envisioned the episode being but beggars can't be choosers and this episode was certainly enjoyable and charming and overall, I’m happy with it. Of course, I'll be getting into spoilers here so here's your spoiler warning. Don't read this until you've seen the episode.

First of all, I love that Sam and Cas finally get some time together. Sastiel is finally gettin' some love. It's something I've wanted since the cliffhanger we were left with at the end of season 13. More Sam and Cas time. I've always loved the Sam and Cas dynamic. Misha and Jared have a really fun sort of chemistry about them so whenever we get scenes of them together, it's like I'm on happy pills. The unending support and faith they give each other is wonderful and I love it. And it especially shined through in this episode. Like, holy crap was it wonderful. The level of support and understanding Cas gave Sam in this episode was so great, like I'm having trouble articulating it, I loved it so much. This is something that really only Cas could've helped Sam with. If Dean was here instead of Cas, while I'm sure Dean would've eventually been able to get Sam to break through, it wouldn't have been through any effect of actually being able to help Sam in the long run. Dean could've gotten Sam to break through but he wouldn't have been able to give Sam what Cas gave Sam. Understanding and through that understanding, the strength to keep fighting on and not give up. Cas understands what it's like to lose what Sam lost. Cas understands what that failure feels like and he understands the guilt that comes with it.

But something I really particularly enjoyed in this episode was Cas's sense of self within the family unit. I fee like Cas is finally starting to get to the point where he is more assured of his place in the world and this episode really hammers that in. Cas really took charge here. He noticed where different family members would've been better suited for. He noticed that he's not able to help Jack but Dean might be able to based on the sort of role model relationship Dean and Jack have and he also understood Sam and what Sam needed so he delegated all of this accordingly. And he does this because he finally feels like he has a place in this world. He has this self-assurance of "this is where I belong, this is my family and this is how I can help them". In previous seasons, this is something that would never have happened with Cas. Cas has always felt like he was out of place, so unsure of his position in the world and lacked the confidence to truly act as if he belonged there. He's always been a support function of just standing on the sideline waiting to be needed but now he knows and understands his position and worth and finally has a sense of belonging and feels like he has a voice in this family and isn't just an interloper. I'm so happy for him. And of course, I was loving seeing bad-ass Cas again. It's so wonderful to see Cas not get subdued within the first couple of punches. The show has been quite lazy these past few seasons in its Cas fight choreography. I'm certainly not one of those who's all "Cas is a wimp now". I've always believed that while Cas was put in a warrior angel class, I do feel he was mis-classed and should've been placed in more of a healer-type class and that mis-classing can play into his feelings of displacement. But it's still always a joy to see the warrior in Cas come out.

A primary theme going on in this episode and really just in general, the entire season is happiness. We have our Motw basically enforcing his happiness onto others without regard to their own personal feelings on the matter and we also saw much of the same thing with Jack in his treatment of poor Felix the Snake. Jack keeps on trying to inflict what he feels is happiness on this snake without any regard to what the snake wants or how its feeling. I really feel for this snake. This snake has gone through a whole lot of stress in a very short time period. Snakes when introduced to a new environment do need time to acclimate and that can account for its desire to not want to eat. Its previous owner died and then it was taken by three people who have no idea how to take care of a snake and travelled into a very different climate and put into a tubaware container that certainly doesn't look very homey for a snake. And let's not also forget that this snake was in the bunker when all that Michael shit went down. Animals are very attuned to possible threats around them and snakes particularly have an affinity for sensing danger through vibrations. It's just a head canon but I'd be willing to bet that snake was feeling a lot of vibrations through all that magic Michael was using to murder the hunters. Just in the space of a couple of days, it witnessed the death of its owner and brutal mass murder. Poor Felix. But anyway, I digress. Jack ultimately trying to inflict happiness on this snake comes to the conclusion that death is what's going to make this snake happy when really, the snake is just a little stressed and probably in about a week of stable care, it would've been fine. But Jack killing the snake out of a belief to make it happy is actually really interesting when you think about that Jack died earlier this season and the Winchesters brought him back, enforcing their own brand of happiness onto him with very little regard to his feelings on the matter. This episode actually paints a really interesting picture on happiness and the difficulties freewill and happiness play against each other. And particularly how individuals through their own desire for happiness and freewill, we can lose both based on the actions of others that we can’t control.

And beyond all of the fun meta themes going around in this episode, this episode was so fun and so wacky. Jared and Misha are such funny people in real life and with the nature of their characters, we rarely get to see that aspect of them come out. So seeing them get to engage in some of the more wacky parts of the show is always a real treat and they play off of each other so well. Please, more of this in Season 15, writers.

I enjoyed this episode quite a bit. Is it an episode that I can call "good" and that it was the best episode of the season as so many of the folks in the fandom seem to be accolading it as? It looks like I'm going to be the odd one out here and say, "no, I can't call it that". Just generally and structurally speaking, this episode was perfectly fine but it doesn't break into my Tier Level A for Awesome. This episode was still facing a lot of the issues I've been noticing all this season with just having a really clunky structure to it. It's certainly not a bad episode, I enjoy it quite a bit but its enjoyment comes from individual moments as opposed to an overall end product. I'd give this episode a solid B. It's plenty fun and I did enjoy it but there was room for improvement within the structure of it.

As always, I’m tagging my friends @metafest in case they want to weigh in on anything.

#spn 14x15 #spn spoilers

47 notes · View notes

sparda3g · 6 years ago

Text

Gintama Chapter 700 Review

youtube

It’s not certain that the series will officially end in the next chapter, but the end is certainly near. It has been a wild ride, but all good things must come to an end. Switching to a monthly basis has been favoring Sorachi a lot more with its polished art, choreograph, and sincerity. This chapter is no exception. With the series close to the end, you can expect intense action, plenty of heartfelt moments, and a sublime reunion that made the journey worth exploring.

It’s an interesting start with the focus on Sadaharu and it’s one of the core of the chapter. This would mean Sadaharu is bound to return anytime now. Granted, the series is closing, so that should be expected, right? In the flashback, some wise man confirms that Sadaharu’s current state isn’t dead nor alive. He’s in between and won’t come out for reason unknown. It all relies on Earth’s life since that’s technically the energy source, let alone the planet he lives in. His word of advice to Kagura is to protect his home until he returns.

This appears to be the motivation for her to return home after searching through many planets to find a solution to his awakening. God knows how many planets there are out there. It’s reasonable for her to go back and do what’s best for Sadaharu. It’s quite emotional when the scene returns to the present time as Kagura keeps her hope for him. At the very least, she must protect his home and maybe one day, life will go back to the way things were. When he does wake up, I can expect one hell of an emotional moment; then again, it is Yorozuya, so you can see why it will be.

There’s a pretty nice moment with Nobume and Shinsengumi. With crapload of enemies keep on piling, Nobume insists Shinsengumi to tag along with Yorozuya and let her take care of the enemy. It gives them a bad feeling of déjà vu, but it’s an order. Best men don’t listen to order. Yamazaki and others stand by her for support while the main group goes forward. “This time, the Chief and the Director are going to stay alive.” That’s really well said. Similar scenario, different outcome. I love these guys to no end. With their scene done, it shifts back to the moment where fans were shook from the last chapter’s cliffhanger.

The conflict with Utsuro is intense as hell. It ignites a chilling sequence with Gintoki trying to stop him from killing Takasugi. I love the stare down from each other; no matter what, the image of Utsuro is what drives Gintoki mad. It’s a heart-pounding moment until the most brutal display happens. Utsuro cuts Takasugi’s neck. The panel itself got me cringed hard. I read Seinen series with far more graphic scenes, but this, for some reason, had me gasping. Arguably, it’s the most brutal scene in the series.

After Gintoki fails to save him, Utsuro does what he does best: taunt with a smile. Gintoki wasn’t having any of it. It engage a quick tensed action between the two. He pierces his sword right through Utsuro’s eye. Damn, this was also brutal. He’s going all in for the kill, no mercy at all. The image of Utsuro vanishes and it’s one of the Tendoshu that emerges. Because of his immortality, he can go on forever; essentially, it’s a battle of sub-Utsuro. Gintoki gets overwhelmed and push back near the edge where Takasugi’s body still lies. How dark.

Tendoshu treats Utsuro as his God; clearly, the manipulation runs deep after consuming his blood. He’s grateful to be blessed with immortality; something that fits perfectly well to their despicable nature. From the elevator lobby, someone was closing in to assassinate Gintoki. It’s another Tendoshu. Just before he was about to cut him down, Takasugi rises from the grave and stops him in the nick of time. Wow, that was tensed. That was a very close call and yet, I feel more hyped than ever.

Takasugi is still alive, but barely; really seriously barely. His regeneration is barely working as his neck has yet to be healed, so if it stops working, he will die from the neck slice. He’s favoring that over the stab. This still haunts me to believe his death can happen here. Unless there’s a miracle before the end, his time is very near. Instead of remaining negative, the positive is his great response to Tendoshu’s words.

They don’t need immortality. They don’t need Utsuro’s blood. They don’t need to follow his prophecy. Takasugi, Gintoki, and Katsura came here on their own free will. They decide what needs to be done. They decide what life they want to part of. They decide what their master Shouyo has taught them. It’s his teachings that encouraged them up to this point. It’s why they are together, ups and downs. Shouyo’s disciples and his teachings live on. Even if Takasugi does kick the bucket, at least he will accomplish on eliminating the enemy. That will be good enough for him to die in peace.

There’s a solid action sequence with Katsura, who is still falling in the elevator hall. The enemy outnumbers him significantly, but that doesn’t stop him from being crafty. He lays out multiple bombs and all of them explode to not only kill them, but distract them. That’s a clever move; as expected from the one and only Katsura. He bounces on the enemy to reach after Hitsugi and thrusts his sword at him before the canon sets off. I’m going to miss this type of action. The explosion erupts and Yorozuya and Shinsengumi witness it. They are so close for a big reunion.

Right before Katsura is about to go against tons of enemies, Shinsengumi, out of all people, protects him and now, fighting alongside with him. This is all kinds of marvelous. Because they want to help him out, this leaves Yorozuya on their own to meet up with Gintoki. Another great friendship display with Hijikata, Kondo, and Sougo share their best of luck to them. In a rare moment, despite the two groups always have conflicting issues, even it is played more for laughs, Yorozuya gives their thanks to them. Yeah, the end is really near.

The chapter shifts to an exhilarating action. Takasugi can fight, but he’s badly injured, so he’s not at his best. Not to mention, he’s practically staring at his death bed by this point. It doesn’t harm the battle sequence, because it does have slick choreograph; it’s intense as hell. At one point, Gintoki slam his sword hard on one of Tendoshu’s head, only to get slammed on the wall hard. His face is about get pierced, only for Takasugi arrives to save him; another close call. It’s hard to do it justice here, but when you see it, you’ll be absorbed.

A small intermission ensue as Takasugi comes up with a plan to defeat the two immortals. They are near the core of Altana. Since it is going berserk due to the absorption, if they cut it open, it will cause a blast radius. Despite them being immortal, the effect can deplete their blood and body; it’s the only way to defeat them. There’s just one problem: Takasugi is part of it as well. In other words, everyone with Utsuro’s blood will die. He is ready to pay his life. For fans, this is unnerving. Once they move, it enters the best action scene of the chapter.

Once more, we are presented with great choreograph, breathtaking sequence, especially at the end, and pretty suspenseful. Gintoki and Takasugi pretended to jump off to their demise, only to fool the two Tendoshu and use them for landing. Great stuff. Because of a crash, Yorozuya notice it, which means they are not far. That panel alone, realizing they are very close to Gintoki got me excited.

Takasugi takes brutal stabs from both ends, but he’s fine with it. It made it much easier to grab them and hold them until the explosion of Altana arrives. The battle of who will die first begins. He is prepared for his final sendoff, dragging the two to hell with him. The silent panel of Gintoki aim to cut the core is the defining moment to put an end for all of them. By this point, fans slowly begin to cry.

He slice the core and the blast begins the countdown to Takasugi’s end. Honestly, Takasugi’s final moment is very convincing and gut-wrenching. One Tendoshu vanishes from the blast, but so does Takasugi’s right arm. I was stunned and afraid to read further. I really didn’t want to believe he will die, but here he goes. The second Tendoshu tries to kill him, but he’s already prepared for death; badass to the very end. His monologue is even more convincing that his time is here. He doesn’t regret dying this way; honoring Shouyo to the end. One page convinced me; closing his eyes to accept his fate. I expected his spirit to remember everyone and then vanish. Man tears are shed…

It’s only now Gintoki doesn’t want another Infinity War ending, so he denies accepted fate and springboard to save him. This is God send. If this was animated in a movie theater, audience will cheer loudly. Gintoki saves him at the cost of him falling down, staring at Takasugi that reads, “Live on, you fool.” Man tears once again are shed, and it’s not the last. Why? Because what follows up is beautiful.

Gintoki pushes Takasugi away from the blast, which means the other Tendoshu lives on as well. Another problem is Gintoki is falling without a weapon to fight back, so he’s clearly done for. Tendoshu becomes incredibly cocky that he has this won. Then, the best miracle that even Christmas miracle can’t match happens. Right before he swings for the kill, he’s suddenly stopped by two weapons out of nowhere. The two are Shinpachi’s sword and Kagura’s umbrella. That’s right; they are there at last to save their beloved Gin. The reunion is finally here and it’s remarkable. Yes, they are not physically close, but their presence has reconnected at last. “No need to yell. I can hear ya. I always could.” Man tears overflow!

Gintoki smacks the hell out of Tendoshu with the sword. He proceed to use the umbrella, something I would never thought of seeing but welcoming, and blast him to the core to his death. What a lovely end to that bastard. That was just glorious. It’s an amazing way to end the chapter. It’s not lovely however when a guy shoots a rocket launcher at Kagura’s position and the explosion push her away, which proceed Sadaharu’s shell to pop out, falling down to the pit. We just can’t catch a break. Will Sadaharu finally wakes up or will he fall and nothing will change?

This was an outstanding chapter with sheer intensity from start to finish. There are plenty of great moments for many characters. The tension was mind-numbing. The overall action was incredible. Takasugi’s near death scene was very convincing and powerful. The visual is pretty solid throughout with its great choreograph. To top it all, the reunion was well worth the wait. It’s only the beginning, so expect more heartfelt moments. Will the series end in the next chapter? It’s possible, but with Sorachi, you never know. It’s only matter of time. The end is near. It’s been a blast.

#gintama #chapter 700 #review #spoilers

7 notes · View notes

tzalmavet · 6 years ago

Text

since I just finished CONFINIUM act 1 version 1.00 I’ve got a LOT of little thoughts and wonderings about it

long post full of big spoilers below the cut!

First off, it’s really good game. Like, REALLY good. I definitely enjoyed it, and am very eager to see what act 2 will have in store.

Zones Jupiter and Saturn are probably the prettiest places I’ve ever seen in an OFF fangame. Especially near the beginning of the game, before the spectre attacks start getting more frequent; they feel very peaceful and beautiful, and not unrealistically so, either. They’ve both got a lot of very creative things going on in them.

The boss fight with Alpha was the most interesting of the three Add-On boss fights. I hesitated the longest before attacking it, because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen if I destroyed it. Its presence felt a lot more real, since you get to chase it down and see the spectres and mayhem it leaves in its wake.

Zone Pluto was really short. It’s near the end of the game, yes, but it’s supposedly the capital city, and cities are big. The theater building felt nice and realistic, like many places in CONFINIUM do, and it would’ve been nice to see more of what Pluto is really like. After how breathtaking and lively the previous zones were, it seemed very tiny and I wished it had more things to do in it.

Speaking of Pluto, where was everybody? In zone Saturn and the return to zone Jupiter, we know what happened to the people there. But with Pluto, it’s completely deserted with no explanation, and the lack of hints about what caused it makes it a lot less scary than the previous zones.

The violence shown on screen felt perfectly brutal. Seeing how scared the civilians are, seeing them get attacked and suffer, is an extreme contrast to their peaceful, pretty environment. Pilot and Navigator are a lot more human than Batter from OFF; their rushing in to defend and console the civilians they’re fighting for feels very personal, and I quickly got attached to them and the other people in the zones. I was relieved for every man I saved, and felt really bad for every burnt I had to kill.

The hospital was scary. The atmosphere was extraordinarily tense, with the perfect amount of distressing and nauseating things to see. If I had to complain about one thing with it, it’d be how the burnt patients respawn when you reenter the maps they’re in; they’re not hard to fight, but their tragic deaths would weigh a lot heavier if they stayed down after being killed.

You know what? The whole return to zone Jupiter was scary. After having seen how happy Pilot and Navigator were there, and looked around at all the people casually living their lives, it was so ominous to return to find it almost completely deserted. The game’s transition into horror caught me off-guard in just the right way.

I’m extremely curious about Pilot and the caramel extract. It’s even mentioned in his bio how dependent on caramel he is, so I was always keeping an eye on the caramel in his inventory, and feeling like it was a big anvil hanging over him, waiting to fall and cause a tragedy. This also plays a huge part in what made the hospital so scary. I’d had Pilot save a man from a burnt much earlier, and he gave away his caramel ration to the survivor so that man wouldn’t burn, too. So when I got to the hospital-- full of his former comrades turned burnt from overconsumption of the stuff-- it filled me with dread to see him anxiously reach for his caramel to cope with the stress, only to find there wasn’t any left and he’d have to remain calm without it. I’m not sure if it would’ve been better or worse if he’d still had it on him at that moment.

Continuing about caramel, I found the fellow in the morgue and exchanged the patient records (which I enjoyed reading, they really added to the atmosphere) for some more caramel. I waited for the time when Pilot would reach for it again, but he never did. The caramel looks like it can be consumed at any time outside of combat, but I was never sure if I’d need it later or not. I was kind of let down that it was never brought up again. Did I miss something that could’ve made Pilot burn? There were a lot of scary things in the hospital. Is it even possible for him to burn in-game, or is it not a real risk? Would things have gone differently if I’d never completed the sidequest for the man in the morgue? Does Pilot simply feel better having caramel with him just in case? Would things have actually gone bad for Pilot if he’d kept the caramel from the military and eaten it on the stairs instead of giving it away? What if I’d had him eat the first caramel before he could’ve given it away to anyone?? (I could probably answer all these caramel questions by opening the game’s R3PROJ file in RPG Maker, but I'd really rather not dig through its files at this point)

So yeah, now I’m worried about how well Pilot might fare in zones 1 and 2, since sugar and dessert seem to only exist in zone 3 on that side of the world (at least, that’s how it seems in OFF, as the people in zone 1 only acknowledge four elements).

I liked the parts of the story that focused more on Pilot and Navigator than I did the parts focusing on Frog Prince. I did like Frog Prince’s parts, but I also figured out who he really was very quickly; I had less to learn about him than I do about Pilot and Navigator, who are new characters that I’m still getting to know. Pilot and Navigator’s lives are a lot more relatable, especially early on. Seeing them interact with each other, interact with other people, start their plane, call their superiors to give status updates, and try and get a signal for their radio, made their adventure feel that much more real, and I felt for their struggle throughout the whole game. Whenever they spoke, they had my complete attention.

The cutscenes between the King, the guardians, and the, uh... big evil toad, were just right. I have no complaints about them. They were mysterious, and served well to make me progressively more intrigued by the plot and characters.

Seeing Zacharie as a doctor/researcher was interesting. It’s a fan theory I’ve seen before, but never in a fangame. I think it was handled well, here. I could dig it.

Did Sugar ever get her “cure” to the King?? I mean, we travel with Frog Prince all over the place pursuing her, she apparently met with Zacharie to get it, and we find her in Pluto, but nothing resembling a cure is found after she vanishes or Epsilon is defeated. And the King doesn’t exactly appear to be in perfect condition when we reach him, either.

The chase to shoot down the final boss was nice, refreshing, and challenging, but the actual fight with it in the nothingness felt too easy. Pilot was level 14 during the fight, and the battle mode was set to “active”, but the fight wasn’t complex and I never felt like I was in danger of losing. None of my party members died during the fight. I can also say that the optional surprise fight with the Hern was much harder than any of the real bosses, which isn’t a good thing. The only boss that felt about as hard as the Hern was Naamah, but she’s not an Add-On or the Trinity.

The text boxes during the Add-On fights that mentioned them “getting distorted” made me think they were going to transform throughout the fight or go through multiple stages. It surprised me that none of them did that.

The random encounters in Pluto felt like they needed more variety. At many points, it felt like the Lurker, Jorunna, and Crying Spectre were all I was fighting-- most certainly not helped by the fact that I’d already seen the Lurker and Jorunna in the hospital. CONFINIUM has less monsters than other fangames and that’s perfectly fine, but Pluto’s small size and high encounter rate made me feel overexposed to those ones in particular.

The game ended on a perfect cliffhanger. Plane crash? New character to meet? Wondering if any of my party will still be alive in act 2? I’m invested!

I could go on but this post is already super long so I’ll end it here. CONFINIUM is a cool game, and I loved playing it!

#CONFINIUM #CONFINIUM spoilers #OFF spinoff #tl;dr I've got a few criticisms but I can still say it's one of the best OFF fangames out there #definitely a fave #the fact that it's ''version 1.00'' makes me curious if it'll ever get any updates that add anything but typo corrections #but it's already got so much good stuff in it AND act 2 is still in progress so I won't set my heart on that #text post

26 notes · View notes

stairset · 7 years ago

Text

Since the series finale is coming up I wanna talk about all my absolute favorite Rebels episodes, in the order they aired bc ranking them would be so hard and I'm lazy, and why I love them because I feel like I owe it to a show that's been a huge part of my life for the last few years and was one of the things that got me through the nightmare that is the teenage years.

Rise of the Old Masters: I think every good show has that one great episode early on that just tells you "this is gonna be a good show, we have a plan" and gets you hooked, and I believe this was that episode for Rebels. Spark of Rebellion was a solid start, Droids in Distress and Fighter Flight were slower episodes to help you get to know the characters a bit more, and then this episode is, for lack of a better term, when shit started getting real. Ezra and Kanan's relationship starts developing, the Grand Inquisitor is introduced in person and makes a great first impression, we get some of our first major Clone Wars connections, etc. It also uses Yoda's famous "do or do not" line to deliver a nice message. "I'm not gonna TRY to teach you anymore. If all I do is try, that means I don't truly believe I can succeed, so from now on, I WILL teach you".

Path of the Jedi: Once again, Kanan and Ezra both have a lot of development here, both as a team and as individuals. The crazy visions that Ezra experiences were some of the darkest and most intense things in the show at the time, and Frank Oz guest appearing as Yoda's voice and Ezra finally constructing his own lightsaber are both great crowd pleasing moments. It also happens to be the first appearance of the world between worlds, though neither Ezra or the audience realized it at the time, which just goes to show how far back the writers planned everything out.

Call To Action: Tarkin makes his debut and calls out our other villains on their relative incompetence throughout the season, even going so far as to, erm, make an example of two of them, and succeeds where they have failed, even capturing Kanan in the process. Despite the cliffhanger, it's a bittersweet ending as the crew does succeed in their mission to deliver a message of hope to Lothal and the surrounding systems. This is where the stakes start to raise, and it shows.

Fire Across the Galaxy: Ending the first season with a bang, the crew rescues Kanan on Tarkin's star destroyer above Mustafar, the stolen TIE from Fighter Flight actually ends up being relevant, the Grand Inquisitor is sent off in the perfect way, the crew joins with Pheonix Squadron, giving us our earliest look at the growing rebellion, and of course the moment everyone remembers, the reintroduction to Ahsoka Tano, and her former master not long after. It was the perfect way to end the first season while getting everyone hyped for the next.

The Siege of Lothal: Everyone was absolutely hyped for the season 2 premiere and it did not disappoint. While many worried that Vader would be toned down for the show, he proved to be as threatening as ever, outsmarting our heroes time and again, kicking Kanan and Ezra's asses, and putting his pilot skills to use by taking on the entirety of Pheonix Squadron himself. And of course there's the unforgettable scene where he and Ahsoka sense each other and James Earl Jones delivers the iconic, bone chilling line "the apprentice lives".

Stealth Strike: This episode was just fun, plain and simple. Kanan and Rex's bickering, Ezra's interactions with Sato, it was all hilarious and entertaining. It was sweet seeing Kanan and Rex finally start getting along, and it also happens to be one of the few times Commander Sato played a major role in an episode. Despite Sato's fairly minor role in the show I always liked him, so seeing him in the action with the lead characters was nice.

The Future of the Force: The Inquisitors are after force sensitive children to ensure that they don't grow up to become Jedi, and it's up to Ezra, Kanan, Zeb and Ahsoka to stop them. Kanan, Ezra and Zeb having to get out of the apartment building with the Inquisitors hot on their trail was intense and lead to an entertaining chase through town, and it all culminated in the elic fight between Ahsoka and the Inquisitors where we see her brandish her white lightsabers for the first time. The episode also serves as a bit of a continuation of the Clone Wars season 2 premiere, in which Sidious hires Cad Bane to help carry out a very similar plot.

Legacy: The episode starts off intense with the Empire attacking the Rebels at their current location after Ezra accidentally gave it away in the previous episode, while the rest is much slower, as Ezra follows a trail of force breadcrumbs to Ryder Azadi, from whom he finally learns the tragic fate of his parents. I think I speak for a lot of people when I expected him to reunite with them, so the revelation of their deaths was a bit of a shocker, and Ezra's reaction, his vison of being with them on a better Lothal, and Kanan's statement that they'll live on in him were all beautifully tearjerking.

Shroud of Darkness: Even though this episode basically exists for the purpose of setting up the season finale, it still stands on its own as a fan favorite, and rightfully so. Our Jedi Trio of Ezra, Kanan and Ahsoka see lots of cool, trippy visions in the Lothal temple, including the Grand Inquisitor and the revelation of his backstory, the return of Frank Oz as Yoda (this time face to face), and of course Ahsoka getting confirmation that Vader really is her old master, with Matt Lanter reprising his role. The episode also has a number of iconic shots, including the temple guard avatars surrounding the Inquisitors, Ahsoka seeing Yoda in an homage to The Last Crusade, and Vader entering the Lothal temple at the end to meet with his Inquisitors in person.

Thhe Mystery of Chopper Base: A rather straight forward adventure, featuring the crew having to rescue Rex from some creepy ass spider creatures. Like Stealth Strike, this episode is simply fun. It's got so many great interactions between our main crew. But there's also a lingering feeling of dread throughout because, because you know there gonna be separated soon and that something's gonna go wrong because, well, it's Star Wars. It leads into the season finale perfectly.

Twilight of the Apprentice: We all remember this one. We all remember our exact reactions to everything in it. Maul is introduced, Ezra starts being tempted by the dark side, the Inquisitors are all killed off, Kanan is blided, and of course Ahsoka and Vader have their climactic duel that was built up for the whole season and did not disappoint, and the last minute or so simply showing the aftermath of everything that happened as “It’s All Over” plays is so effective with absolutely no dialogue. Not only that, but, and I’ve said this before, this episode is also the point where all the big parts of the timeline directly come together. In this episode, Rebels, Clone Wars, the prequels, the originals and even the sequels are all directly connected in a way that they never were before, and it’s not until a later episode that they’re all connected on that same level again. This episode, and subsequently the whole show, is the fulcrum of the Star Wars saga.

The Holocrons of Fate: Maul makes his return and has his sights set on both the Sith holocron from Malachor and Kanan’s Jedi holocron so that he can combine their power to learn any knowledge he desires. This leads to our mind-blowing climax in which Maul learns through the light of the holocrons that Obi-wan is still alive and sets off to find him, while Ezra sees a vision of twin suns, also pointing to Obi-wan, albeit in a less direct way. While the whole episode is entertaining the ending is truly what sets its place as one of the best simply because of the epic factor.

The Last Battle: This episode is simply a half hour of pure unadultered Clone Wars nostalgia and I loved every goddamn second of it. Everything from the battle of Christophsis soundtrack to the return of the droid humor from tcw to General Kalani from the Onderon arc being there to the heroes having to team up with the droids thanks to Ezra being the voice of reason and making them realize they were all just pawns for Palpatine and he is their true enemy, and the yellow Clone Wars style title card at the end with the Clone Wars theme playing during the credits, it’s just a giant love letter to the entire Clone Wars fanbase, a thank you for helping the crew get where they are today. It shows how much they truly appreciate their fans, which shouldn’t be a rare thing with content creators but it is.

An Inside Man: I have a sorta complicated relationship with Agent Kallus, who I guess isn’t an agent anymore but that’s beside the point. I don’t like him that much as I feel his redemption arc could’ve been handled much better and he could’ve done more to earn it, which I’ve talked about before. Yet despite this, I love not only this episode but another Kallus centered episode later on that I’ll get to. This whole episode is intense and excited. Mister Sumar, a minor character from season 1, is reintroduced only to be brutally killed by Thrawn, seeting the stakes for the episode, and establishing Thrawn as an effective villain. While Thrawn’s episodes before this one were more about him simply studying the heroes from behind the scenes, this is the point where he starts taking direct action against the heroes, and does it damn well. He figures out all their tricks that all the Imperials before him overlooked, and Kanan and Ezra only barely get out.

Visions and Voices: Maul returns once again to finish his mind connection with Ezra, leading to the return to Dathomir where the ghosts of the Nightsisters serve as the Guest Appearance Of The Week and posess Kanan and Sabine in rather creepy ways, Ezra also discovers Obi-wan is alive while Maul finds out where he’s hiding, and of course Sabine gets her hands on the darksaber. Like Shroud of Darkness this episode exists just to set up a climactic fight in a later episode, but still stands on it’s own.

Trials of the Darksaber/Legacy of Mandalore: I put these together because they’re basically a two-parter and because I love them for largely the same reasons. These were the first Sabine episodes where she finally got some real, major development as a character. Previous Sabine centered episode seemed to all follow the pattern of “have some dialogue hinting at her backstory that we give away in the sneak peeks then no other answers” and it was frustrating because beyond that those episodes were solid episode, but the way they kept promoting them to be bigger than they were did effect my enjoyment of them at the time. These episode finally resolve that problem and give us payoff to all those hints, and boy was that payoff satisfying. We get the backstory of the darksaber, Sabine training, we’re finally introduced to her family, and the final battle between Sabine and Gar Saxon is simply epic.

Through Imperial Eyes: This is the other Kallus episode that I love despite my “meh” opinion of the character. The banter between Kallus and Ezra is very entertaining to watch, Kallus’s plan for framing Liste as the traitor to keep his cover is very clever, though obviously not clever enough to fool Thrawn, who once again proves to be a great villain and shows that he can hold his own in a physical fight, and of course Yularen appearing was cool.

Twin Suns: The long awaited final showdown between Obi-wan and Maul, who actually finally dies for good, like is really, seriously, legit, for real, in actuality, finally permanently dead, deceased, lifeless, killed, devoid of life, sleeping with the fishes, an ex-person. At first I was in the crowd of people who were like “what the fuck” at how quick he went out, but in analysis I wouldn’t have it any other way. It shows how much Obi-wan has wisened over the years whereas Maul never learned, never changed, and tried the same thing he did on Qui-Gon, and it proved to be his final downfall. The way Obi-wan holds Maul’s body in his arms the same way he did with both Qui-Gon and Satine so many years before, and shows sadness and pity that it couldn’t have turned out differently is absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. The cartoons made Maul such an interesting character, and cemented him as one of my favorite villains, and I couldn’t ask for a better conclusion to this decades old rivalry.

Zero Hour: While not as mind blowing as the previous season’s finale, Zero Hour is still and intense and action packed way to conclude the season. We see the end of Pheonix Squadron and the beginnings of then true Rebel Alliance, Sato gets an epic and heroic send off, the fight in space with Ezra and the Mandos is epic, the Bendu gives us a glimpse of his true power, and Thrawn is as great a villain as ever. The whole thing is simply epic.

In The Name of the Rebellion: We finally saw the Rebel Alliance on Yavin 4 in all its glory, Saw makes a return and, as I said when the episodes first aired, I believe the Moral Ambiguity with his character, while still not perfect, was handled better here than in Ghosts of Geonosis, but i don’t feel like repeating myself so just look the post up if you haven’t read it already. Anyway Saw’s interactions with Ezra and Sabine were a lot of fun to watch, like if we’re still giving everyone space fmaily nicknames then Saw is like the slightly crazed but still kinda cool uncle in this episode. All the connections to Rogue One were a ton of fun to piece together, and it was great to finally see a giant kyber crystal that’s actually fully animated. Also Jennifer Hale was in it so that’s pretty neat.

Flight of the Defender: A very simple and straight forward episode. Ezra and Sabine steal the TIE defender prototype, they crash it and hide the hyperdrive, we meet the white lothwolf who helps them get back to their friends. I can’t even really explain why I like this one so much tbh, but I do.

Jedi Night/DUMJE: We all know why these episodes are here. I couldn’t ask for a more epic and heartbreaking send off for Kanan’s character, and I’m glad that they dedicated the entire following episode to showing how the rest of the cast deals with their grief in different way rather than glossing over it and immediately moving on to the Mortis stuff. It’s surprisingly rare for characters to get to properly grieve in this franchise despite death being so common. Obi-wan, Galen, Han, Luke, the entire population of Alderaan, the other characters have to get over these things pretty quickly so it’s nice to see a more realistic aftermath for once.

Wolves and a Door/A World Between Worlds: I’ve made my thoughts on these episodes very clear since they aired on Monday, which is that they are quite possibly the most mind blowing thing I’ve watched in a very long time. The connections to Mortis and callbacks to all the movies and to Clone Wars, the voices in the background, the beautifully animated moving pictures, the return of Ahsoka and the revelation of what happened to her, Sidious making his debute with Ian McDiarmid himself providing the voice, it’s all incredible to watch. Like I said about Twilight of the Apprentice, this episode is one of the few times where we get an idea of just how connected everything really is, that it’s all one big story. No wonder the two episodes are also so tightly connected to each other, they truly are where all the parts of the saga come together in ways they never could otherwise.

#this is quite possibly the longest post ive ever made im just. so passionate about this show ok #its so important to me i just had to make a big huge analysis about why i love it so much #im gonna miss it so much but im glad its gonna get the proper ending it deserves #instead of getting canned while still in its prime like tcw #star wars rebels #shut up tristan

58 notes · View notes

dccomicsnews · 7 years ago

Text

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writers: James Tynion IV (plot) and Ryan Ferrier (Dialogue)

Art: Freddie Williams II

Summary

With Bane, Bebop, Rocksteady and the entire Foot Clan pumped up on Venom, the odds are severely stacked against Batman and the Turtles. All looks lost until Master Splinter steps in—only to fall victim to the treacherous Bane! The heroes on the half-shell live to fight another day, but at what cost? Donnie thinks he has a plan for victory, but Batman warns against it.

Positives

As both a lifelong fan of both Batman and TMNT, this series hits the right balance. The combined might of Heroes in a Halfshell and The Dynamic Duo works in the sense that they don’t get along all the time and there are differences in methods and opinions. To counter that, we have the combined might of both The Turtles’ most consistent nemesis and Batman’s single most dangerous adversary solely for what he achieved in his first outing thirty years ago. Knightfall saw Bane wear Batman down through a massive breakout from Arkham Asylum, then broke into Wayne Manor and literally broke him. This was an antagonist that was both a physical threat as well as a strategist the near equal of Batman himself. Having Bane in the place of The Shredder from the last season as the main antagonist is a worthy substitute. Freddie’s design of Bane works in the sense that this is more than just a ‘roided out criminal. Bane looks and feels like an unconquerable monster; you can see why he overpowered the most skilled ninja army in Manhattan and their mutant minions. From the moment he waltzed in from issue 1, he steamrolled over The Foot, took them over, enhanced them with Venom, and now is in a brawl-for-all with the Turtles and The Dark Knight and son. Fanboys get a huge kick out of seeing the Turtles’ resident dog of war, Raphael, test his mettle against Bane. Where Raph fails in brute strength, we see Splinter’s wisdom and mastery easily overpower the villain through his evasiveness and open weak points – the Venom delivery hose – for the most part.

Freddie’s art suits this book perfectly; I’ve watched him on the Youtube Channel VSG put out inkwashes with the same quality as these pages and they are just as top notch as colored. His take on the Rebirth costumes on Batman and Robin is excellent, and he gets the proportions of the Turtles perfectly. The Fu Manchu mustache on Splinter works because it evokes a sense of authority in the group before you see him make a move. The equilibrium of agility and strength on the side of the protagonists versus the brutality and monstrous proportions of Bane and his mutant army makes for an awesome fight. The David-vs.-Goliath match between Bane and Raphael is easily conveyed with their first panel together long before you see Bane preparing to dish out his trademark backbreaker on him. The image is enhanced by both Splinter’s legitimate fear for his son and Bruce’s intimate knowledge of feeling his spine snapped by that monster. Further, on Batman’s side, for fans of the first series, you can also see the emotional bond he formed with Raph the first time they met. The figures’ build and weight are conveyed through pulse-pounding battle sequences that are worthy of the classic Eastman-Laird TMNT issues from the 80s. The coloring makes it feel very organic and rich. To convey that claustrophobic feel of that small space with so many combatants, Williams keeps the sequentials equally tight but still easy to follow.

In the case of writing, the combined efforts of Tynion IV and Ferrier do a good job by keeping the dialogue deep when it has to be and short and to the point in others. A good example is the handling of Donatello’s subplot. To feel important, he inadvertently unleashed this nightmare on both his city and his family and he is inconsolable. His father’s coma at the hands of the very monster he brought over from the DC-verse obviously makes it worse. Donatello has always been my favorite Turtle, and to see a character whose faith is in his brilliant mental acumen lose that faith and see brutality as a solution is unfathomable. It’s a breaking point that you’ve never seen Donnie hit before. Throughout the book thus far, his dilemma has been a very significant subplot and now it has manifested at the cliffhanger into a relevant problem for the group. Seeing Don give in to despair and embrace the very drug responsible for this evil is disheartening. The red eyes as he “Venoms” up gives off a good “Damn it, Donnie!” reaction. The chemistry between the combined teams perfectly contrasts the disorder and tyrannical rule within the Bane-Foot alliance. Batman seems to gel perfectly with two-thirds of the group – mainly Donnie, Leo, and Splinter – while Robin’s arrogant attitude clashes perfectly with the likes of Raph, Casey, and Mikey. Tynion IV and Ferrier as a writing duo hit it out of the ball park as much as Freddie imagined their vision.

Negatives

What I dislike about crossovers most of the time are potential plot holes left behind, like the Batman/Spawn crossover event where Batman leaves a massive batarang in Spawn’s face and in the regular issue the wound is there but he’s barely mentioned. As to how that pertains to this issue, Baxter Stockman was mutated in the previous issue into his Baxter Fly form. What I’m left wondering is if the writing team will leave Baxter in this state or will there be a surprise reversal like the Arkham-mutated villains from the previous arc? What makes that different is that the mutagen was not native to DC-verse, whereas on TMNT it is and may have a permanent effect. That would leave a massive hole in the plot in the regular TMNT book. Also, the cover gives away too much of the cliffhanger. The last page should have been a big reveal, but it spoiled for shock value. A shot of Splinter’s being at the mercy of Bane or even Donatello holding the flask of Venom would have been just as engaging then the collage, no matter how awesome it looked.

Verdict

There is little I can say that is bad about the writing and artwork, but the plothole and ending giveaway are instant points taken off. Overall I’m really enjoying this series and can’t wait to see the resolution to this story and what Donatello will do and how in control he can keep himself while on Venom.

Review: Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #4 Writers: James Tynion IV (plot) and Ryan Ferrier (Dialogue) Art: Freddie Williams II Summary With Bane, Bebop, Rocksteady and the entire Foot Clan pumped up on Venom, the odds are severely stacked against Batman and the Turtles.

2 notes · View notes