#and how she falls back into a somewhat more comedic tone at the end of ep 6 is simply incredible too

[feal-the-grinch]

I think my favorite Kathryn Hahn acting moment in Agatha All Along is the scene that takes place directly after her trial (at the end of ep 5). Her way of portraying Agatha in that very tensed atmosphere is enthralling.

(credits to @/Jonisedits on Twitter for that layout)

[themovieblogonline]

Girl Haunts Boy Review: A Trope-Filled Haunted Romance

In Girl Haunts Boy, director Emily Ting takes a bold leap by blending romantic comedy, fantasy, and horror to tell the story of Cole (Michael Cimino) and Bea (Peyton List), a living boy and a restless ghost. With a premise that promises a quirky mix of the supernatural and heartfelt emotion, the film aspires to be both a touching exploration of grief and a charming tale of love from beyond the grave. While it has moments of sweetness and occasional sparks of creativity, Girl Haunts Boy ultimately struggles to balance its disparate elements, making for an uneven viewing experience. Despite strong performances from its leads, the film’s attempt to juggle too many genres results in a narrative that often feels disjointed, and its fantasy-horror elements fall into predictable tropes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY0OcNIleNM Premise: At the core of Girl Haunts Boy is Cole, a teenager grappling with the recent loss of his father. This emotional foundation gives the film a poignant starting point, as Cole’s grief is palpable and well-portrayed by Michael Cimino. Cimino's performance captures the complexity of his character’s sorrow, a teenager struggling to navigate the world without his father’s guidance. However, where the film falters is in how it treats this emotional depth. Instead of fully exploring the nuances of Cole’s mourning, Girl Haunts Boy too often sidelines his grief in favor of lighthearted moments that fail to resonate emotionally. Enter Bea, the ghostly counterpart played by Peyton List. Bea’s character, while initially intriguing, feels somewhat underdeveloped, especially given the potential for a rich backstory. As a spectral presence, Bea is tied to an ancient curse that she and Cole must work together to break. The supernatural aspects of the story provide the film with its fantasy-horror framework, but they often come across as a distraction rather than an integral part of the narrative. The "ancient curse" trope, which could have been a fresh take on paranormal romance, ends up feeling like a plot device without much depth or originality. A lack of chemistry: The connection between Cole and Bea is supposed to be the heart of the film, but their chemistry feels uneven. While Cimino and List both deliver earnest performances, the relationship between their characters lacks the emotional weight needed to carry the film. The romantic aspect of their bond, while sweet at times, feels rushed and superficial. It never fully develops into something believable, which is a critical flaw given that the film hinges on their connection. Doesn't know what it wants to be: One of Girl Haunts Boy's biggest challenges is its attempt to straddle multiple genres. Romantic comedy and fantasy-horror can complement each other when done well, but here the mix feels forced. The film’s tone fluctuates awkwardly between lighthearted, comedic moments and more serious, spooky sequences. The horror elements, in particular, feel tacked on rather than fully integrated into the story. There are moments where the film attempts to create tension or scares, but these are undermined by the frequent shifts back to romantic comedy. The result is a tonal inconsistency that keeps the viewer from fully investing in either aspect of the film. Weak comedy and horror: The comedy, while charming in small doses, often feels out of place within the context of the larger narrative. Cole’s witty banter with Bea has its moments, but the jokes and lighthearted exchanges frequently clash with the film’s darker, more somber themes. Bea’s ghostly antics are meant to be playful, but they sometimes come off as juvenile, undercutting any sense of danger or mystery surrounding her character. The film’s fantasy-horror elements—centered on the curse that Bea is bound to—are similarly underwhelming. The lore behind the curse is never fully explained, leaving much of the supernatural intrigue feeling half-baked. Rather than delving into the mythology of the curse and the rules of the afterlife, the film glosses over these aspects in favor of more predictable plot developments. This lack of world-building diminishes the stakes of Cole and Bea’s quest to break the curse, making their journey feel less urgent and impactful. No emotional engagement: One of the film’s biggest weaknesses is its inability to sustain emotional engagement. While Cole’s grief over his father’s death provides an interesting starting point, this emotional thread is largely abandoned as the film progresses. The few moments that do attempt to address Cole’s loss feel superficial and rushed, rather than deeply felt. There is a sense that the film doesn’t quite know how to balance its emotional stakes with its lighter, more comedic moments, resulting in a story that feels emotionally uneven. Bea’s character arc suffers from a similar problem. As a ghost, her existence is inherently tied to unresolved emotional issues from her past life, but the film fails to fully explore these. Bea’s motivations for wanting to break the curse are never made entirely clear, and her backstory feels thin. Without a deeper understanding of who Bea was before she died, it’s difficult for the audience to truly care about her fate. Direction: Emily Ting’s direction shows glimpses of creativity, particularly in her use of visual motifs to represent the divide between the living and the dead. The film’s color palette shifts subtly when Bea is present, with cooler tones signaling her ghostly presence. However, these visual touches aren’t enough to elevate the film as a whole. The cinematography, while competent, doesn’t push any boundaries or contribute much to the storytelling. Likewise, the film’s special effects—mostly used to depict Bea’s ghostly abilities—are serviceable but unremarkable. Overall: In the end, Emily Ting's Girl Haunts Boy is a film that tries to do too much and ends up delivering too little. While the premise of a romance between a grieving teen and a ghost is intriguing, the execution leaves much to be desired. The film’s tonal inconsistencies, underdeveloped characters, and lackluster fantasy-horror elements prevent it from becoming the emotional, genre-bending story it could have been. Read the full article

[mermaidsirennikita]

bridgerton--the good, the bad, the ugly

The short of it: Bridgerton excellently captures the tone of Regency romance novels and offers a lot of escapism and great sex scenes, but could definitely use some serious work in terms of how it depicts race and it should have made some further alterations to the dated and flawed source material.  Definitely loved a lot of it and am hotly anticipating the second season, but I want to see more work done and I HOPE that this encourages the adaptation of better (and less inherently flawed) romance novels.

Now for the longer take.

The Good

Bridgerton depicted sex and romance in a way that is totally different from anything I’ve seen in period dramas, for sure, but possibly different from anything I’ve seen on TV.  The romance of it all was woven into almost every aspect of the show. There is the handsome and seemingly severe but extravagantly wealthy and sexually adept duke sweeping into town.  The (multiple) rakes who just want to have fun while also being hot messes.  The awakening of female sexuality and the copious use of the female gaze.  (Note the pretty modest and minimal focus on female nudity, while we get plenty of lingering shots on Simon.).  People want love!  There is pretty minimal violence and perhaps the most physically violent scene involves Simon beating a man up because HE IMPEACHED DAPHNE’S HONOR~.

The sex scenes themselves focused on Daphne’s pleasure for the most part, and were probably among the best I’ve seen since Outlander in terms of chemistry, in terms of the visuals, in terms of focus on sex as an act of emotional connection and FUN. Yes, there was some Unlikely Vaginal Orgasming, but we also saw Simon tell Daphne about masturbation.  On the wedding night, he was pretty clearly touching her to help her enjoy it.  He ate her out... a good bit.  

And aside from that, we got all of the grand speeches, the stolen glances and touches, an excellent buildup of sexual tension that led to some pretty hilarious moments.  

I also really enjoyed many of the performances on this show.  Rege-Jean and Phoebe had great chemistry and excellent back and forth.  Jonathan was a GREAT Anthony.  I would argue that as lackluster as I found his relationship with Siena (more on that in a minute) it largely existed as a way to set him up for his romance with Kate.  He now has even more of a reason to be down with love, as opposed to solely relying on a kind of flimsy tragic backstory.  Additionally, his overprotectiveness of Daphne added tension to the story and made him a source of comedic relief for me?  I loved it.  Give me disaster Anthony all day; can’t wait until he falls to the enemies to lovers trope just like Simon fell to his FLAW-FREE fake dating plan.

A lot of the changes I found were really good.  Obviously, it was important that the show incorporated greater diversity (though they need way more).  Benedict was INFINITELY more fun and interesting than he was in the novels, and acted as another standout for me.  As much as I hate Portia Featherington, I think that the elevation of her to a proper villainess is probably necessary and Polly Walker excels at those types of roles, though they need to maybe have her be less like, actively racist.  I adored the addition of Queen Charlotte; she was excellent comic relief.  Lady Danbury’s expanded role and relationship to Simon was one of the best moves they made.  It touched my entire soul.

Buuuut....

The Bad

The show needs to work on casting more men that are frankly on Rege-Jean’s level.  It feels a bit awkward to see a guy that is by most people’s standards kind of stunning and then.... Colin looks twelve.  Lord Philip is like... a farm guy.  Get rid of the sideburns, we’re in romance novel territory.

In the same note, the girl who played Siena wasn’t a great actress and wasn’t super stunning, so even though I’m fine with her being a placeholder....  Eh.  Go for better casting.  The woman playing Madame Delacroix would’ve played that role so much better and I really enjoyed her dynamic with Benedict because she was just fun.

Frankly, I don’t know what the fuck they’re going to do to make me want to watch Penelope and Colin fall in love.  Their book was already a bit basic--fun, but far from revolutionary.  I don’t really get why they would receive attention similar to that of Kate and Anthony, basically.  The issue is that Colin, again, looks and sound rather young and twerpy.  It obviously wasn’t great for him to be tricked into raising another man’s child, but.... For fuck’s sake, how much would that have affected his life on a practical level.  He’d never know unless he was told, thanks to the lack of DNA tests.  He was marrying far out of his league in terms of attractiveness.  He’s a rich white guy in England with a supportive family.  

I really disliked the fact that Colin told Marina in his huffy little tantrum that he would have married her anyway--because would you have, buddy?  Really?  The thing is that Marina had no way of knowing that and her entire life (and the reputations of her cousins) was on the line.  She didn’t know if she could trust Colin to keep her secret.  They barely knew each other.  He basically came off as a whiny child and I’m fine with him staying in Greece if that’s the plan.

Penelope was just... psychotic.  And that was really disappointing, because I love Nicola and would love to have loved to see the fat girl get her sexy love story.  But first off, lol, it wouldn’t have been sexy because Colin was miscast.  Second, she basically tried to destroy Marina’s life and that of her sisters?  And herself?  Because Colin?  Because Colin, a guy who hasn’t even shown any amount of attraction to her at this point?  Her tears, her whining, it was all too much.  Penelope was dealing with a crush and Marina was dealing with the real Grown Woman issues of a child out of wedlock and as it turned out a dead lover and they were not on equal footing.

I mean, Penelope could very well make a great villainess at this point, and if done well I’d embrace it.  But I do not know how the fuck they can make me interested in her love story.  And the idea of her basically being launched into villainy because she was this chubby white girl obsessively jealous of a beautiful black woman...... not a great look.

The show definitely needs to explore diversity in terms of sexuality too--I don’t think it’s correct to read Benedict as straight because he still seems to be open to exploring.  Once he has more screentime, I think he could totally end up being bisexual, and it’s possible that the writers were trying to feel the audience out in terms of their receptiveness to taking a straight character who has a big straight love story in the books and making him LGBT+.  Eloise could also easily be a lesbian, and I’d be thrilled to see that happen.  They need to do something to expand the world, and if there are 8 Bridgerton kids, all of them being straight as an arrow seems SO unlikely.

The Ugly

Obviously, the rape scene was bad and should have been written out.  Simon could have gotten caught up in the moment and blown up at Daphne after he accidentally didn’t pull out in time.  Men.... accidentally don’t pull out in time... a lot.  That’s how babies happen.  It would’ve been believable, and due to our sympathies being with Simon largely, I don’t think he would have become irredeemable if he was more at fault than Daphne.  

As it was, I will say that the scene was somewhat better than it played in the books because Simon was conscious and totally sober, and it was a bit?  Confusing?  That he didn’t just roll Daphne over and pull out?  Because she wasn’t really clearly trying as hard as she was in the book to wrap her legs around him and hold him tight.  But it remained a rape scene.  The show also did a better job, I think, of establishing how fucked up it was that Simon took advantage of Daphne’s lack of knowledge.  Whatever he said about thinking she knew what was up--he knew she didn’t even know about masturbation.  He had to know she wouldn’t understand what pulling out meant.  He did very clearly mislead her to think that he was sterile and therefore denied Daphne her ability to give informed consent.  Did that justify what Daphne did?  Nope.  Two wrongs don’t make a right.  But both of them did a fucked up thing and I think that we honestly could’ve stopped at Simon’s misleading.

The issue too is that this leads into a bigger problem the show had.  It wanted to include diversity (yay!) but did not consider the total implications of what was happening (not yay).  Daphne and Simon’s dynamic is inevitably influenced by the fact that she’s a white woman and he’s a black man, regardless of whatever handwaves happened.  This influences the sexual assault and makes it even more messy.

Speaking of mess, I’m not sure what exactly would have fixed the “we don’t want this to be a colorblind casting” issue... but the explanation they came up with wasn’t good.  Never mind that this makes everything SUPER confusing (racism is over like..... maybe 50 years MAX after Queen Charlotte’s marriage if we assume she was a teen when she married and is in her 60s now?) but Lady Danbury’s dialogue explaining this was HORRENDOUS.  “One of them fell in love with one of us”.  The implications are awful.  I don’t know if perhaps setting back the integration of society centuries earlier would have helped?  But this wasn’t it.

Additionally, the writers and casting directors didn’t seem to get that diversity is all well and good, but what about the fact that almost every black character has a light skin tone?  Why are there so few black female characters?  Why is Marina, the most prominent woc on the show, given the “pregnant and desperately trying to trick a man into marrying her until her jealous white cousin fucks her life up and she is humiliated into settling for a loveless match” plot?  I desperately hope we see her next season, falling in love with Sir Phillip or perhaps having experienced a plot twist that gives her someone else...  And she better not die. Eloise can find someone else if Marina really ends up with Sir Philip.

Ultimately, again, I really loved the show.  But it needs to work on some things.  I think that a lot of its issues can be addressed and fixed in a future season, and I HOPE they do that.

[b-rainlet]

Just want to say I love your blog. Your TUA content is lovely and I can't say what a breath of fresh air it is to find another Luther champion. The fandoms treatment of him, istg, some of the most ludacris nonsense I've ever had to read. Especially love how you point out he's ALWAYS been so sweet and selfless when it comes to Allison and her personal happiness. Anyway I saw you say you seem confident alluther will actually happen. I sure hope so, but why do you figure? The antis are so loud.

Awwwww, thank you anon, you’re so sweet! Yeah, this blog is on 24/7 loving Luther lockdown! I feel like the antis are easing up a little bit after S2 aired because most of Luther’s scenes were used as comedic relief and the faves he was clashing with (Diego and Vanya) seem to have a better relationship with him now, so it’s not as bad anymore, but I have to admit I never ever go into the main tag so I can’t be 100% sure. 

Maybe you should try looking through the ‘Luther Protection Squad’ tag to find some more like-minded people? I swear there are more of us out there!

But to come to the Alluther question: 

I know that the antis are loud and I’ve noticed that most of them have counted S2 as a win for them, talking about how Allison ‘moved on’ and how Alluther won’t happen but I disagree (and I will now launch into a rambly post about why lmao).

WARNING: CONTAINS S2 SALT. PROCEED WITH CAUTION

All of this is based on the assumption though that they will be somewhat consistent in their writing regarding Alluther and S2 taught me that that isn’t very likely, so maybe I’m completely wrong and Alluther will never ever be mentioned in S3, but based on what happened so far, I could see them as an endgame couple. 

I mean in S1 they were a pretty big plot point so I don’t think I have to say anything about that but even though the Alluther scenes have been toned down in S2 they were there. 

Let’s see what antis would say about why Alluther won’t happen: 

Allison is married

And? Allison has been married before and still mentioned comparing every man she ever loved/dated to Luther. Allison has been married and she has had a kid with another guy and still Alluther was going strong. 

Not to mention that the end of this season has made it very clear we won’t see Raymond again.

Raymond (and Sissy) are temporary love interests for this particular season and both of them cannot leave their timeline without majorly fucking things up - at least according to Five, but the whole timetravel rules can change at the drop of a hat - but more importantly, both of them had a talk with their respective lovers about wanting to stay in their timeline. 

So unless Allison will return to the 60s (which doesn’t seem likely tbh), Raymond is gone for good. 

 Raymond was her true love tho! Like Klave!

I don’t think antis actually word it like this but I’ve noticed how all of them hopped onto the Almond train immediately and keep gushing about how good and cute they are and that’s great! You can ship what you wanna ship! But I think a lot of the love for this ship has to do with how it prevents Alluther from happening. If Allison is deeply in love with this wholesome man, she can’t ever like her brother. 

But tbh….I didn’t buy Almond. For two people who are happily married they crumble and burn awfully fast. 

And tbh, I was thinking about making a post about this so I’m gonna add this rant here but I just wanna preface this with the fact that I don’t hate them and I don’t hate people who ship them, I’m just….using this opportunity to poke some hole into their relationship. 

I think it would’ve been more believable if Raymond and Allison would be in the early stages of dating while all of S2 goes down. Think about it.

They are married? After one year? I mean, as far as I know, Allison has been in the 60s for about two years - since Luther was the first one who arrived and he spent 3 years there??? But I am not fact-checking this, so correct me if I’m wrong - so she had time to get used to being there, adjust to having no voice, meet Raymond, fall in love with him and get married to him. 

And considering she could already talk again it must’ve have been a while before she started talking to/dating Raymond? I don’t think a wound like that wouldn’t take a while to heal but with this show’s consistency, maybe it did. 

I was actually hoping Allison would stay mute for a while longer but alas

So, they got married pretty fast imo, and you could argue that it’s the 60s but 

Allison isn’t from the 60s

Allison just got out of a bad marriage. There’s like, a year?? maybe?? between her first marriage and her second one and tbh, I don’t think Allison would get married again so fast, tying herself to someone again almost immediately, especially if you consider what getting married in the 60s means for a woman and her personal freedom (it’s hinted at with Sissy but not with Allison and even though Raymond was probably a good husband who let her have her freedom and her say in things - as we can see with their movement - it’s still the 60s. Women couldn’t earn their own money. They couldn’t even spend any money without having to ask their husband. They were basically property of their husband and I can’t believe Allison would immediately jump back into being married, no matter how nice and good the guy is). 

“That just means it’s true love! That’s why their marriage may seem rushed!”

Yeah true love. I also keep secrets from my true love.

I mean, I understand that Allison couldn’t start talking about time travel or Raymond would’ve started thinking she’s crazy or something - and maybe would’ve sent her to a mental institution as is his right as a husband, so good idea getting married! - but she didn’t mention stuff like “I had a child.” or “I lost my family.” either and those are vague enough to not raise questions.

I mean, she could’ve lied! She could’ve said Claire is dead, which considering the apocalypse was what they were escaping is true!

She could’ve talked about how she had a family, but they kinda lost each other - maybe talking about how they all moved away and she doesn’t know where they are now, even though she misses them terribly. 

I mean, I simply can’t believe that she had to grief for her own child all on her own and she didn’t even tell her husband (and she couldn’t even properly be sad about it since Raymond and her lived together, so she probably didn’t have many moments where she could think about the future and the things she lost without the possibility of being walked in on). 

And how much it would’ve meant if there would’ve been a scene of her crying over Claire when she thinks she’s alone, but alas.

Then there’s also the whole added drama to their relationship. Which was btw, so unnecessary.

@showwriters: Why do you establish a relationship you obviously want to be viewed as full of love and instead of letting it be the steady rock the character can lean on during all the already ongoing chaos, you add drama to it and let it fall apart as a side plot which immensely suffers from not being shown/explored enough. 

I mean, we already have relationship drama with Vanya/Sissy and that relationship feels more natural because their obstacles are outside forces and not...one of them distrusting the other. 

You know, I get why Raymond is suspicious, I totally do! I just don’t think it makes the relationship believable. 

Once again, if they would’ve been in the early stages of dating and suddenly Allison’s weird brothers appear and she seems to be in cahoots with the cops, I would also think ‘???’ and it would’ve made perfect sense for Raymond to be confused and distrustful and not want to talk to Allison. 

But they’re married. They’re married and they vowed to love each other in sickness and in health and yet Raymond immediately jumps to ‘Allison is a spy’.

The woman you love enough to marry. That’s your first thought. Okay. 

(And if you wanna compare that to Vissy...Vanya suddenly drives off in the night to meet her family and disappears for a while and she apparently did something to Harlan and now he’s behaving weirdly and has powers….and she’s talking about taking Sissy and him to the future…..and yet….Sissy trusted Vanya). 

And tbh, I was done with their whole relationship the moment Allison spent the whole night calling every single hospital, trying to find out whether her husband was in one of them - was even alive - in tears and close to breaking down because the last time she saw him they were both involved in a riot and the possibility of him being in jail or hurt is very high only to find out…..

…..he had a meeting with their group without telling her because he doesn’t trust her. 

And what? He couldn’t have called her to at least tell her he’s okay and he’s gonna stay somewhere else overnight because shady shit did just go down that they need to discuss but he wants to be alone for now? That’s the bare minimum and yet he doesn’t do that. He doesn’t even call to make sure she is okay since running away doesn’t mean she couldn’t have accidentally been dragged into a brawl and hurt. 

Once again: They are married. 

So tbh, all I got from this relationship is the feeling that Allison simply didn’t wanna be alone in this new timeline and that isn’t an explicit point against Alluther. 

Okay, but….Allison moved on! So she still won’t get with Luther!

Did she? Did she really? I don’t think so. I mean, one of the first things we get from Allison aside from ‘She’s married’ is ‘She looks at the moon so often, her husband notices and gets her a book related to that’. 

That’s one of the most blatant ways they could’ve said: ‘She misses Luther.’

And Luther only. Not the whole family, Luther. If they wanted to somehow make this platonic or familial, they wouldn’t have taken the character she is canonly interested in romantically (which she is and has been since S1, no matter what antis say). 

I mean, if they only wanted to show ‘She misses her family’ they could’ve added a scene where she listens to the kid next door playing the violin or sees a boy in schoolboy shorts or maybe mistakes someone for Diego or whatever, endless possibilities. But they didn’t. 

They made it very clear she misses Luther and I don’t think she had a scene that shows her missing any of her other siblings in such a way (which is btw paralleled by the scene where Luther mistakes someone for Allison, which is also the only scene where he’s shown thinking about one of his siblings to the point he thinks he sees them - as far as I remember). 

But that’s probably only a coincidence, right?

Then there’s them meeting for the first time. I mean, they hug and the rest of the world disappears.

They took the time to shoot/cut this scene in a way that, when Allison and Luther hug after years of not seeing each other, everyone else isn’t in the shot anymore and it’s just them. Because they tried to make this as platonic as possible. 

(In comparison, Allison and Diego don’t even hug. And Klaus and Allison do hug and it’s a happy moment but there is no romantic music and it’s more focused on them being happy to see each other and not framed as a romantic scene. I mean, I have no clue regarding things like ‘motifs’ and ‘scenery’ but just watch those two hug scenes back to back and you know what I mean). 

Then the scene proceeds and they talk and sit down and Luther mentions her marriage and Allison tries to apologize. 

Just think about that. She doesn’t outright apologize but she does try to explain why she got married by saying how hard it was and is only stopped by Luther telling her he’s glad she wasn’t alone. 

How….how can you read that as a platonic convo between brother and sister? Just replace Luther with Klaus. Why would she feel the need to explain herself and seems guilty about being married? Is it because it implies she gave up on finding her family? If so, that would be her reaction with every sibling but she is explicitly like this with Luther. She tells Klaus she��s married too, and in that scene it’s definitely a ‘siblings catching up’ moment and it’s a happy moment and she doesn’t seem apologetic about being married. 

She is with Luther. 

Because they both know that there’s something between them and has been for a long time, to the point that Allison is visibly jealous when Luther has other relationships (his one-night-stand in S1) and this is the second time Allison has turned towards another man instead of waiting for Luther. And that’s why she tries to apologize. That’s why she tries to explain that she couldn’t know whether they - whether Luther - would ever show up, so she tried her best to move on - but she didn’t really, hence the moon scene. 

(This is also the scene where Luther could’ve been angry with her - and she probably would’ve thought he’s in the right - since during the days leading up to the apocalypse it seemed like they were slowly working towards being together - even if the kiss never happened, there’s still the phone booth scene which is basically Luther confessing his feelings - and now she once again leaves him standing alone, waiting for her to possibly return to him. 

But he isn’t, he just tells her he’s glad that she wasn’t alone. Because he is the actual embodiment of a gentleman and this world doesn’t deserve him). 

And this is just what I remember from watching the season once and then not really engaging with it, I can’t understand how antis can see those scenes and come to entirely different conclusions. But I guess, you really only see what you wanna see, huh?

But, but…...Incest is disguting! Even their siblings think so!

They don’t. They really don’t. There’s a gifset on tumblr somewhere compiling the scenes in S1 that show how chill the sibs are with Alluther, but let’s disregard those and just focus on S2 since they changed up a lot from the prior season and antis seem to think S2 was them finally saying ‘No Alluther’. 

I guess there’s the hair salon scene where Vanya, Klaus and Allison talk about relationships and Klaus lightly teases Allison for liking Luther. 

Now, he mentions Allison crushing on their brother in the same sentence where he talks about Vanya and her ‘Farmfrau’ and unless I missed it, he doesn’t change his voice. He doesn’t suddenly sound completely disgusted, or like he wants to vomit or whatever people think, so either, he thinks Vissy is as ‘disgusting’ as Alluther, or, he thinks both are simply relationships his sibs are interested in pursuing and he teases them about them like a sibling may do. 

And then you have Allison’s reaction. 

She doesn’t go: ‘Oh yeah, that was gross, what was I thinking’, she doesn’t make a face or disgusted noises or what, no, she tries to defend herself and her feelings. 

Which tells us: 

Despite popular belief to disregard Allison’s say in the Alluther relationship, she wants the relationship and she is obvious enough about it their siblings know (and Klaus makes it a point to say ‘Allison is into Luther’ and not ‘Luther likes Allison and Allison tolerates it). 

Alluther is brought up while they talk about current relationships, implying Allison still feels this way (especially because the way she reacts doesn’t make it seem like it’s a long over relationship with no longer relevant feelings. But again, I watched the season once and I don’t remember everything that was said. I think this is telling enough though). 

So..tell me again how everyone thinks Alluther is disgusting?

By now anon is thinking: ‘What is the point of all this rambling?’ 

And yeah, I am sorry for going way too into detail but I just wanted to make it clear that if the writers were intend on killing Alluther off in S2 - like antis believe - then everything I just mentioned wouldn’t have happened.

(And that’s without even mentioning the cpr scene). 

Alluther did get reduced but it didn’t vanish even though they decided to completely erase other things (like Claire and Eudora who are barely or not at all mentioned or things like Kliego being very close). 

This would’ve been the best opportunity! They re-meet in the 60s and Allison is happily married and takes the time to tell Luther he should move on. Or both are single and Luther tries to ask where they’re standing and whether she would like to try with him and she goes ‘This would be a mistake’ and that’s it.

(I am making Allison the one who ends things because it would be ooc for Luther to just end the possible relationship after waiting for Allison for years and there needs to be some consistency even in the mess that was S2). 

But! This didn’t happen!

Alluther is more or less back where it was in S1. Allison isn’t in a relationship anymore and won’t get back with the guy and Luther loves her no matter what. And the cheek kiss seems to leave them both on a hopeful note of finally getting together. 

So unless they use S3 to once again redo the show, it feels like Alluther is set up to be endgame. Like, I am getting ‘star-crossed lovers’ vibes where you’re just waiting for them to finally get together - because they just belong - but things keep getting in the way.  

You could compare it Diego/Lila in that regard, I think it’s pretty obvious those two are gonna end up together too. 

I have another ask about how they could get together, where I will definitely ramble more, but this shall be it for now. I hope it was halfway consistent. (And doesn’t have too many typos, I’m too lazy to check).

Also the formatting is shit but idc, I spent like two hours on this

[imnotwolverine]

The marriage pact - Seedlings

Henry Cavill x OC Alice - multi-chapter

< Part 23 | Part 24 Seedlings | Part 25 >

Disclaimer: Bit of angst

Author’s note: It’s 6 AM and I’m posting this story live from a submarine ship. I kid you not. This is one crazy Sunday. A photographer friend had an assignment to make a photo report for a newspaper special and she needed someone to model for her. So, here I am. Here we are. Submarine ship Sundays. 😂

Word count: 1.840

(Link to my Masterlist)

Dear readers,

We are back on the island! And just in time. Winter is coming to an end and oh how incredibly happy I am to feel sun rays on my skin as I am working in my garden. Your garden? Oh yes, dear readers. I have, as of now, a garden. A house, a garden, a man. Ain’t life funny? Anyways. With spring soon coming our way it is time to get cracking. Or better yet; shovelling.

In other good news; I am pleased to announce that my book ‘The Tea Party’ will soon hit book shelves near you. The Tea Party is a collection of smaller adult stories which are just long enough to read before bed and exciting enough to spruce up your boring lunch break. Meet a number of mysterious and comedic characters as they go about their daily business, their lives intermixed with a sprinkling of magic and English frivolity. And if you happen to stop by my garden, I’ll be sure to autograph it for you, too.

With her hands in the dirt,

Ali

‘Ali Ali Ali!’ An excited voice bounced behind me and Henry as we strolled through the interior design shop, our hands interlinked. Both looking over our shoulders we didn’t see much, until we looked down. Little Alice! With a smile I turned and greeted her. ‘Hello dear princess! How do you do?’

‘And Swupermann!’ She squealed, looking up at Henry. He chuckled and winked at the little girl. ‘Don’t tell anyone! I’m in disguise!’

The girl stopped bouncing up and down and blinked, then asked: ‘What’s a disbois?’

‘Disguise.’ I sniffled, then reached down to pick her up and settle her on my hip like I always did, my eyes tracing around the shop, but not seeing her parents anywhere - which was understandable as the shop was absolutely PACKED with furniture. ..Oh cheeky..princess.. ‘A disguise is something you wear to hide who you really are. Like..’ I pulled a strip of hair before my nose. ‘See..such wonderful moustache I have! You cannot recognise me now..HON HON!’

The little girl chuckled and pulled away the lock of hair from my nose, scrunching hers in turn. ‘Noooo!!’ She shook her head. ‘That’s superman!’ She pointed at Henry, then nodded as if it was decided. Henry shrugged. ‘Well, guess I am Superman then.’ - ‘AND you are going to have bwabies with Ali.’ She nodded with the same decisive tone. Henry blinked and I near choked.

‘Oh..why do you think that?’

‘Mommy told me.’ She looked back at me and smiled, pleased with herself. I felt a little uneasy diving into this topic, so I remained silent and just raised my eyebrows. ‘Hmmm..’ I hummed, looking at Henry in hope that he would help. Unfortunately, though, he was equally surprised. And then little Alice continued: ‘You have to love like..THIS!’ And then she smooched her hand like there was no tomorrow.

Henry and I both started to grow red with embarrassment, both our mouths falling slightly agape as the little girl explained how you had to kiss. ‘And then you cuddle…’ She looked me dead in the eye. ‘A LOT.’ - ‘Did your mom tell you that?’ - YES! And then..’ She clapped her hands as if finalising her magic spell. ‘You get babies.’

‘Ali! Hey!…HEY you cheeky monkey! What are you doing here?’ Another voice behind us introduced an exasperated looking Maddie. I chuckled and hoisted up Alice a little higher - darn she really was getting heavy now. ‘Hey Mads. Lost something?’ I laughed, being welcomed in a warm hug from Maddie. ‘Oh you are back! It’s so good to see you. And thanks for catching our little princess.’

Next to us Henry was waving at someone and it became clear only moments later that he had waved at Frank, the dad carrying a large box with, by the looks of it, a new lamp. ‘Hey y’all.’ He cheered, putting down the lamp and giving a warning look at little Alice, who quickly folded her hands over her eyes, as if by that act alone she could disappear from her dad’s warning gaze.

‘Yep. We got a house, like you know. And, well, need a bit of furniture. So..you know..buying chairs and catching baby monkeys.’

‘BABIES!!!’ Alice cheered.

‘Yes..and ..babies.’

Maddie widened her eyes. ‘Oh…she did not just tell you the..-’ - ‘She just explained in fine detail how babies are made.’ I laughed, making Maddie run red with embarrassment. ‘Alice..’ Maddie warned.

The little girl shrugged again, folding her arms around my neck as if wishing me to protect her from her father’s and mother’s exasperated gazes. And then, from the crook of my neck she retorted to her mother: ‘But they pacties a lot.’

Henry near choked on his breath, making everyone laugh even louder, the first one to calm down being Maddie as she gave me a curious glance. All I could do was nod. ‘Yep.’ I bit my lip, making Maddie turn her questioning eyes towards Henry, who shrugged. ‘And perhaps with Alice’s good advice..who knows…’ He winked again at the little girl who squealed with excitement, her legs kicking out a bit.

‘Really? You mean..?’ Maddie looked back at me. I sighed and smiled, honestly this time. ‘Yes. Really really.’ - ‘OHHH ALI!!!’ Maddie flew back into my arms, the toddler in between us laughing giddily. ‘Ohhhhh…’ Maddie kissed my cheek, then gave Henry an equally big hug. ‘Oh I’m so happy. OH Oh ohhhh.’

We all laughed and made quick plans for a shared dinner to get Maddie and Frank up to speed - it had been months since I had last actually seen them after all. And Henry? Henry couldn’t be more happy, his face practically beaming as we drove home, having ordered a huge amount of furniture to somewhat fill up the empty house that we now called our home.

And home it was.

—

‘ALI? You up there?’ Henry’s voice sounded from the bottom of the stairs and I quickly swallowed a sniffle. ‘Yes. Here.’ I took a shivery breath and wiped away some tears.

It felt so stupid to cry. I was happy, right? I was probably the happiest I had ever been in my life. I had found someone who was not only my best friend, my buddy, my fellow cook during large dinner parties, my personal coach when I didn’t feel like exercising. No, he was Henry. A sweet, caring, gentleman with a tinge of dorky cheekiness thrown in the mix. He was perfect.

So why, oh why, was I crying?

‘Hey.’ Henry moved through the door way and stepped in beside me, his eyes trailing down the reddened skin beneath my lashes. ‘Are you okay baby?’

‘Yea..yea..it’s nothing. It’s..’ I sighed and sniffled back another tear, my eyes looking around the final and last room to be decorated. We both knew what could come here. What hopefully would come here. But it wasn’t here now. And I couldn’t help but feel the impending doom that it would never come. That this ship had sailed. That we had failed. That we would never fill..the nursery.

Strong arms wrapped around me and soft pillowy lips pressed away the two languid tears that rolled down my cheek. ‘What’s the matter, dear?’ He asked quietly. A question he full well knew the answer to, but he asked it all the same, his fingers tangling more tightly around the weft of my sweater. Locking me in, keeping me safe and leaving no way to run. I couldn’t keep up any walls even if I wished to. Henry knew my every worry. As he knew this one right now.

‘I’m just scared that it won’t..that we won’t..’ I slowly shook my head and held my breath. He pressed his forehead against mine and sighed. ’Time will tell. And if you want, we can get help. You know I don’t care about that. I don’t care about anything. I just want to be with you, okay?’ - ‘I know.’ I muttered, looking down on his day-old scruff, his neck, the slow rise and fall of his chest with every calming breath.

Breathe in. Puff, puff, puff.

The fun little memory of our plane ride here bubbled back up to the surface and I giggled quietly. Henry nuzzled my nose, silently asking me to share the fun. And so I did; I took a deep breath in, then looked him dead in the eye and puff-puff-puffed out. He got the reference and shook his head slightly, laughing. ‘You know what they say; practise makes perfect.’

I nodded and sniffled back another tear, closing in the last of the distance between us and moulding myself to his large chest, feeling his strong arms envelop me like a warm heavy blanket. ‘I love you so much. I just..pray and pray and pray that it will happen. I want the pitter patter of children’s feet in the hallway. I want to have them jump up on our bed and beg us for pancakes, even though it’s only like 5.30 in the morning.’ Henry laughed and I continued: ‘I want the tantrums, the pouting faces, the big fat crocodile tears, the scabbed knees, the cute little drawings that look like absolute shit. I want that.’ I said softly into the crook of his neck, his head slowly nodding, hands drawing slow circles over my back.

‘Marry me.’ He whispered. And then my heart dropped. In a good way and a bad way at once. I choked and grasped onto his long sleeve shirt more tightly, my tears now making place for a new expression. A mix of hope and worry lacing my features.

Not hearing or feeling any response from me, Henry slowly leaned back, studying my dumbfounded face. He rubbed a thumb over my cheek and I looked back up in those stormy blue eyes of his, full of longing, promises, desire. ‘Marry me, please Ali. We can take on any storm. Any challenge. And heck..if we have to adopt, we’ll adopt.’ He picked up my hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss there without losing eye contact. ‘I just want you to know that you are all what truly matters to me. The rest will come.’

I struggled for air and my throat went dry.

Did I want to marry him? Yes. Now? I didn’t know. Why? I wanted to tackle this dream first. Kids couldn’t wait, the clock was ticking. And marriage? We could always get married at a later point.

‘P-please ask me again after..after..’ I rubbed my tummy and swallowed. ‘Let’s..let’s first see if I can even ..get..’ I broke into a new storm of tears and the silent question that was afloat in the air remained unanswered, Henry’s arms pulling me back tightly into him, his face also breaking into one of agony.

‘I’ve got you Ali. I’ve got you. It’s okay.’ He whispered into my hair and long minutes went by as we just stood there.

In our home. The nursery echoing our desperate desire to become a mom and dad. To have a baby of our own.

--

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[namjoonspiration]

ON [2]

Pairing: Jungkook x reader

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2.8k

Summary: You wake up in a new place surrounded by Mages; however, you feel the weight of Jungkook’s absence. In the meantime, you meet some new friends.

Warnings/tags: heartbreak, mentions of violence

Author’s note: Here is Part 2! I know it’s kinda short and I apologize for that, but Chapter 3 is pretty lengthy and I’ll be posting that in a couple days to make up for it :) Enjoy!

Masterlist

Part 2

Year 3049 – 388 years after the Fall of the World

A pungent, salty smell brings you to your senses. Your hands fall flush against rough cotton as you bolt up from your laying position. The hand that was holding the white rock jerks away. You survey the room frantically. A purple-haired young man is holding the salts. And that golden-eyed Mage who you saw at the Citadel was sitting across the room.

The Citadel!

Jungkook! Your screams of desperation ring inside your head.

You look that Mage dead in the eyes and feel your rage drag you to your feet to launch yourself at him. “You! You fucking prick! You left him behind!” You pound against his chest repeatedly and get a few hard slaps against his face.

“Get her to calm down!” He snaps at Purple Hair. You don’t even spare him a glance. You keep getting as many hits as you can on this stupid man.

“You left my Jungkook behind!” Soft, oiled hands wrap around the back of your neck. “You—you could have saved him…” Your muscles become like jelly, losing all their strength.  You feel your magic go to sleep. Purple Hair is quick to grab you under your arms and set you back to sitting on the bed. You look at his hands, and the bottle on the table. What is that stuff?

“No, we couldn’t. Trust me, if I had the chance, I would have done it. We went into that raid with the aim of getting every single one of you out. If I had gone back for him, our bodies, along with his and the other Mage kids, would be rotting inside that Citadel at this very moment.” The Mage explained.

“He’s probably already dead.” You protest, your anger melting into sorrow.

“They won’t kill him. They’ll hurt him, but they won’t kill him.”

“Why?” You ask in utter disbelief. “And why are we still here and not out there trying to rescue him?”

“Because your boyfriend had proven with his fight at the end, he’s worth more to them alive then rotting in the ground. Besides that Citadel is now locked tighter than a snake around its prey. There’s no telling when that place will let people in again. I doubt they’ll let their own people out to go on the trade roads again for months.”

“Trade roads?”

“Between the civilizations that are left.” His words surprise you. There are more people out there? The Governing Circle always said growing up that the Citadel was the last surviving place for humans left on Earth.

For humans. But Mages…

“That’s how we knew you guys were in there. I was on those roads when a trader from the Citadel was selling oranges, and for top dollar too. I knew it had to be magic that made those. Oranges haven’t grown in any land since the Old World, and I didn’t think the Mages that were making these were doing so voluntarily. The Citadel has a reputation in the outside world for cruelty and oppression of Mages that enter its walls.”

The story was slowly knitting itself together inside your head. You can’t believe it. Your magic gave them a smoke signal—a cry for help. You were the reason that so many Mages were freed from the Citadel. But it didn’t lift your spirits.

The most important person in your life was still in there.

Wait. “What about my mother? My family? The village?” You rush out. “In the Southeast corner, we all lived in a village with our family and neighbors. Did they get out too?” Your heart beats faster in anticipation.

The Mage raises his eyebrows, “Village?” He thinks about it for several long moments, and then he stiffens, jaw clenching. Finally, at last, he says, “No.”

Your spirit drops even further. “So, they’re still in there too?”

“No. There are no Mages left in the Citadel besides your boyfriend. They were all killed when they took you and all the other children several years ago.”

“What?” Tears prickle at your eyes. “How—how do you know that?”

“We heard about it on the roads, and we investigated it. I even saw their bodies being carted out of the Citadel myself before they buried them in a mass grave about a week’s travel away from the city.” The weight of the loss sits heavy on your chest, making it hard to breath. “The Governing Circle only saw your village as a population problem, and when they had finally picked out what they wanted, they destroyed it. They never planned to free you from your prison or for you to ever see your families again. You would have served, worked, bared children, and died within those walls, with your children and your children’s children to live the same fate.”

“Sir,” Purple Hair speaks out of the blue. “She’s not well, and I don’t think this conversation at the moment is going to help her recover.” His voice is so gentle compared to the gruff of the giant man sitting across from you.

He huffs, “Fine. Please send word when she’s recovered then.” And he leaves without another word.

Purple Hair fiddles with bottles and jars, the clinking and clanking poking at the silence in the room. Then he’s laying a tray of food next to you and gestures towards it. “Please eat as much as you want. I can get more if you don’t feel it’s enough.” You don’t say anything. “My name is Namjoon. I’m the doctor here. I’m human, but I’m not here to hurt you obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t be a doctor,” he laughs nervously. You don’t say anything still. He clears his throat awkwardly. “Sorry. My comedic skills aren’t that great, but I’m a good listener when you want to talk. I’m not just a doctor that takes care of physical wounds. Everyone has emotional wounds, and right now I know you have many. We don’t have to deal with them all today, or even tomorrow, but I’m here to help you heal.” Namjoon pats your shoulder tenderly before getting up to give you some space.

You don’t move for hours, even for days for that matter. You nibble twice at the fresh food and water Namjoon gives you three times a day, but then you stare at nothing. Not thinking, not feeling, not sure what to do. Nothing happens inside Namjoon’s clinic the whole time you’re there for that first week until he gets two new patients.

They walk in. A boy and a blindfolded girl. The boy was much older than the girl, and she couldn’t have been any older than three. He appeared to be about your age with a tall, skinny but somewhat muscled build like how Jungkook was.

Is.

“Please come in. Make yourselves comfortable,” Namjoon gestures to the empty bed across from yours. They tentatively sit down. You’re sitting down yourself, nibbling on a piece of bread. They face you, the boy looking you directly in the eyes, like he’s waiting for you to do something. “Ah, I guess some introductions will help with the… tense atmosphere in this room. This is y/n. Y/n, this is Taehyung and his little sister.”

It really didn’t help with the tension at all.

“Okay, never mind,” Namjoon mutters. “I’ll just take her to the other room to treat her injuries and check for any broken bones and infections,” he lays a gentle hand on the little girl’s wrist to lead her. Taehyung is quick to grab Namjoon’s arm that’s holding his sister, warning flaring bright in his black eyes. “It’s alright. I’m not taking her from you. I’m going to help her,” Namjoon speaks with an open and honest tone. Trust.

Taehyung considers his words for a few long moments before letting go. The little girl hops down, and Namjoon places a hand on her back to guide her. Just before they are out of the room, Taehyung warns, ���Don’t take her blindfold off. It must never come off.” His tone sent chills down her spine. Namjoon nodded wordlessly.Once they were gone, you and Taehyung returned to your staring contest. It was hard to get a complete read on him, but you could tell he’s been through hell.

“What’s with the blindfold?” You ask after several minutes of silence.

“None of your business.”

“Why does she need it?” You cast another line.

He doesn’t bite. Instead, he fires back with another question, “Where are you from?”

“The Citadel.” There was no point in being mysterious.

“Shit. No wonder you look like hell.”

“I could say the same thing about you. You want to tell me what that black scar on your shoulder is about?” You eye the part of his skin where his oversized long sleeve has fallen to exposure the portion where his neck meets his shoulder. He quickly tugs his shirt back into place, scowling at you. “Are you a Mage?”

“Yes. Are you?”

“Yes.”

“How did you get here?”

“I was rescued with several other Mages I grew up with. I’ve been here about a week. Although, one of us got left behind,” you mutter bitterly.

Taehyung doesn’t bother to prod further in your last comment. “My sister and I, we’re from a Mage colony from the West.”

The West. You knew what that mean.

That’s where the darkness travel from, swallowing civilizations whole, scorching the lands and poisoning the waters.

Taehyung and his sister must have escaped from it. And from the looks of it, it didn’t seem that they did so with much ease and that they were the only ones who made it out alive.

“Must have been pretty bad out there,” you say.

He nods slowly. “Yeah, it was. I can imagine the Citadel isn’t a picnic either.”

You shake your head. Silence befalls both of your again, but the tension in the room is definitely gone at this point. Now it’s just you and Taehyung, sitting in Namjoon’s clinic with bleeding internal wounds.

He was just like you in a way. Hurt in several ways, seemingly lost, not knowing how he ended up here. The first person you’ve seen in days that wasn’t so interested in how you were faring and when you might recover so they could interrogate about your life in the Citadel.

You hold your uneaten bread out to Taehyung in a gesture of respect and understanding. He searches your face and seems to know what you’re offering him beyond just a chunk of bread. Thankfully, he accepts the bread from you and begins to eat.

…

It takes another week for you to walk out of Namjoon’s clinic, feeling less numb than you had when you first arrived at the Mages’ camp. There were so many other Mages here. You almost couldn’t believe that so many have survived after hundreds of years when you thought at one point your village was the last one left. It was overwhelming at first trying to settle in. You struggled with sharing a hut with other girls your age, who were happy and moving about their normal days. You just didn’t fit in. You returned to Namjoon’s clinic in the middle of the night the first day out, and he offered the spare room in his clinic to stay in if it meant you’d get some sleep. You were truly grateful for his kindness. It also allowed him to keep an eye on you and to monitor your progress.

After your first meeting with Taehyung, Namjoon noticed an improvement in your interactions with your surrounding environment, so he thought it would be a good idea to have you two have some level of interaction every day.

At first, you and Taehyung were somewhat reluctant to listen to him, but after you both realized this would be a chance for you to share with each other about the hell you’ve both been through and to commiserate with each other.

So, you did for hours every day. You would tell Taehyung about life in the Citadel, and he would tell you about what it’s like running from a faceless darkness, that never gets tired, for his whole life he’s lived in the West. Before he and his sister got here, they’d been traveling for months non-stop. Their camp got too close to the darkness one night, and they were attacked by whatever unspeakable horrors were inside it. Their parents sacrificed themselves to save Taehyung and his sister and died a grisly death. However, in their process of escape, Taehyung was attacked by the darkness. It had entered his body, leaving him in constant pain. But he couldn’t stop running and fighting to get away because he had his sister to protect. Thankfully, they stumbled across some Mages from this settlement.

Namjoon didn’t even though what to do about the darkness in Taehyung, which had manifested itself in the form of a living scar on his shoulder. Namjoon didn’t want to try to cut it out from him for fears that he might upset the living darkness and put Taehyung in more pain. It hadn’t mattered to Taehyung anyway. He could barely feel its presence there anymore.

One evening, he finally tells you about his sister.

“She’s a Seer.” Your mother had mentioned them in the bedtime stories she told you. You thought Seers only existed in Mage Folklore. It made sense why Taehyung insisted the blindfold be kept on. Seers constantly see visions of the past, present and future, so to see all that along with the world in front of her, she wouldn’t be able function properly. The overload of information could even kill her, and she might lose her Sight. “Besides, if she keeps that blindfold on, she doesn’t have to see how far this world’s fallen into shit. I can keep her from witnessing firsthand the pain and hell of this world if that blindfold stays on. I won’t ever let her take it off until we’re in a better, happier place.”

You didn’t have your first interaction with his sister until she was almost six years old. You had traveled with her and Taehyung out to a nearby wooded area—a very rare sight—to collect herbs Namjoon needed to make medicines. You’d been examining a cluster of leaves and flowers near a pond when you see them.

Lilies.

Jungkook’s face fills your thoughts. All his sweet words and caring heart. The love you gave each other the few months you had together after you first kissed.

It broke your heart to think about it. Three years… It has been nearly three years since you’ve arrived at the Mages camp. You’d asked that silver-haired warrior every time you saw him when the Citadel would open and when you can rescue Jungkook. His answer: I don’t know. Maybe soon.

As if she heard your distressed thoughts, Tae’s sister placed her small hand on yours. “Let go of your heartache, y/n. He’s where he needs to be right now.” Her voice sounded nothing like a six-year-old’s. She sounded ancient, like she’s been alive for thousands of years. You knew she was telling you the truth, and you can’t lie, it was hard to swallow. But you wouldn’t just sit idly by, waiting for that warrior oaf to bring you news of the Citadel.

No.

Instead, you took action. You learned from the experienced Mages in the camp how to do offensive and defensive magic. No longer would you just know how to make plants grow. Now you would learn how to fight back.

You convinced the merchants to let you join them on their travels through the trade roads after persuading Namjoon for some medicines to trade for promise of bringing back rare items he needed. It took more time than you would have liked, but one day you finally heard news on the Citadel.

They’ve strengthened their numbers again since the attack, and apparently, they’re bragging about some secret weapon they have. You know what I say? What a load of bullshit. I’ve heard from some traders who have direct contact with the Governing Circle that their weapon is nothing more than a Mage boy with some spitfire in his soul. Weapon? Pish. What can a single Mage do against other angry Mages, much less against the darkness that continues to blacken the soil.

Jungkook. He was still alive. That brought you hope that there might still be one day you’d see him again.

But that’s not all I’ve heard. There’s a war on the horizon, and whoever is left on this Godforsaken Earth needs to be prepared.

[aion-rsa]

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Horrifying Scenes That Still Make Us Cringe

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Later this month, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is hitting HBO Max. Despite the anticipation and a near-guaranteed positive reception from the vocal #ReleaseTheSnyderCut fan contingent, this will likely be Snyder’s last foray in the DC Universe. Indeed, one of the studio’s chief complaints with Snyder’s vision, which they believe impacted box office receipts, was his darker tone when compared with the quippier MCU. However, Snyder’s approach only mirrored many of DC’s most popular storylines, from Frank Miller’s violent The Dark Knight Returns to the on-screen The Dark Knight Trilogy from director Christopher Nolan. Snyder can hardly be blamed for expanding on what audiences were already responding to when it came to DC characters on film.

Less than a decade ago, Warner Brothers was hot off of the success of Nolan’s trio of films that no one would describe as light-hearted or quippy. The Batman of Nolan’s films was not inspired by the kid-friendly or campy iterations of the character found in the Batman TV series from the ‘60s or Joel Schumacher’s films, but by Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Batman: Year One, and Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween. That is to say Nolan and Christian Bale’s Batman sought to be a street-level, gritty, interpretation of the character that emphasized noir and a grounded reality.

Snyder didn’t make Batman too dark for film audiences, that was already done by Nolan. Below are just a few examples of the darkest, most horrific moments from The Dark Knight Trilogy.

“Swear to me!” – Batman Begins

Audiences knew they were in for a different type of Batman from the moment they heard Bale’s gravelly voice while he was in the suit. Whether Bale goes too far with his growly tenor and into comedic territory is up for debate, but the choice is certainly memorable.

Bale really gets to rough up his vocal cords during a specific scene in Batman Begins where the Dark Knight confronts crooked cop Arnold Flass about Dr. Jonathan Crane’s mysterious drug shipments. After failing to strike fear in Flass, Batman hangs the portly man upside down from a building. When Flass swears to God that he doesn’t know anything, Batman replies, “Swear to me!” his face tremoring with rage. This is the opposite of one of George Clooney’s one-liners during his time under the cowl. Bale’s Batman establishes himself as something to be scared of and as an all-seeing force to be reckoned with.

The Demon Bat – Batman Begins

While horror has seeped its way into Batman comics many times, particularly during Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s recent run with the character, there hasn’t been a ton of nightmarish imagery present in the film adaptations of the character. However, the hands down scariest portrayal of the Caped Crusader on screen comes in Batman Begins. When Bruce Wayne said he wanted to strike fear in the hearts of criminals, this must have been what he was talking about.

In the climax of the film, when Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow attempts to poison Gotham City’s water supply with his fear toxin, the good doctor is confronted by Batman and given a taste of his own medicine. The fear toxin takes effect and Crane begins to see Batman as a demonic, literal interpretation of the Batman, with black goo dripping from his mouth and jet-black eyes. This monster version of the Bat was certainly a step in the right direction for comic fans hoping the Batman films would get the terror element of the character right.

Bruce Attempts to Kill Joe Chill – Batman Begins

This scene from the first film in Nolan’s trilogy is the darkest because of how real it feels for the main characters. The moment happens not when Bruce Wayne is masquerading as a vigilante dressed as a bat, but when he’s a young man still trying to come to grips with the murder of his parents. Bruce learns that Joe Chill has been paroled so that he can testify against Gotham crime boss Carmine Falcone. Bruce waits outside of the courtroom with a gun, intending to kill Chill after his testimony. But when Chill arrives at the public lobby, one of Falcone’s goons beats Bruce to the punch, shooting Chill dead.

Bruce’s childhood friend Rachel Dawes discovers Bruce’s intentions and slaps him across the face. She berates Bruce and tells him that his father would be ashamed of him, something that undoubtedly must be hard to hear for the angry, grieving young Bruce. This moment serves as a sort of rock bottom for the character before he decides to leave Gotham behind and travel the globe, immersing himself in the criminal underworld, a journey that would inevitably lead to him becoming… the Batman.

Joker’s Pencil Trick – The Dark Knight

No one needs to spill more ink about how brilliant Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker, was in The Dark Knight. It’s an iconic performance that has forever shaded the public’s perception of Batman’s greatest nemesis. He’s simultaneously funny and scary, brutal and sniveling, chaotic and cunning. He can make you smile then suddenly want to shield your eyes.

It’s all right there from his first real introduction in the film when he struts into a meeting between Gotham’s crime lords and offers his services in killing the Batman. Nailing the core components of the character, his penchant for showmanship, his violent tendencies, and his twisted sense of humor, the Joker pulls off a “magic trick” by slamming a gangster’s head through a pencil that was stuck upright on a desk. Not exactly the kind of party trick that you’ll see Ant-Man performing in the MCU!

The Death of Rachel Dawes – The Dark Knight

While the Joker hatches many unsettling schemes in The Dark Knight, like televising himself murdering Batman imposters, threatening to blow up hospitals, and the game theory ferry experiment, his most despicable crime is also his most personal one. After being taken into custody, the Joker reveals that he has set up a no-win trap for Batman, forcing him to choose between Rachel, his love, and Gotham’s White Knight, district attorney Harvey Dent. The Joker has them tied up in different locations, rigged to explode on the same timer, and Batman only has time to save one of them. Joker gives the hero their addresses, but in a cruel twist, switches who is where. Bruce believes that he’s saving Rachel but saves Harvey instead. Meanwhile, the GCPD tried to rescue Harvey, but arrives just in time to watch the building holding Rachel burst into flames.

While Rachel may have been an underserved character, only really used as a victim and love interest until her ultimate fridging, her death was still a shock and a dark turn that other superhero movies, barring the otherwise forgettable The Amazing Spider-Man 2, have always refused to make. Rachel served somewhat as Bruce’s moral compass, and her death left the vigilante adrift and prone to his darkest impulses.

The Transformation of Harvey Dent – The Dark Knight

The flipside to the above is that Batman’s last-minute rescue of Harvey Dent leaves him scarred, traumatized, angry, and fundamentally changed. It’s not just that Harvey loses half of his face and becomes a grotesque victim; it’s that the minute Rachel dies, all of his idealism and motivation to be a force for good and change dies with her. With one act, the Joker takes away the hero that Gotham really needs to end corruption and injustice.

It’s not just that Dent falls; he falls hard. He murders police officers (corrupt though they may be), kidnaps children, and introduces as much anarchy into Gotham as the Joker. Ultimately, he’s stopped by Batman, but his death and fall from grace is a demoralizing moment, and the decision to lie and prop up Dent as the hero he was rather than the monster he became is a necessary but deeply troubling withholding of the truth. Don’t let the triumphant score and imagery at the end of The Dark Knight fool you; this is a supremely downbeat ending.

Bane Breaks the Bat’s Back – The Dark Knight Rises

Batman is a badass who is rarely bested on screen. Even in Zack Snyder’s interpretation of the character, he’s able to subdue a figurative god in Superman. However, in Nolan’s third and final Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, Batman finally meets his match, and it’s not pretty. After being lured into the sewers by Selina Kyle, Batman walks right into a trap and fight with Bane, the jacked terrorist who was excommunicated from the League of Shadows, and is every bit as badass as Batman. After eight years sitting on the shelf and a career of crime fighting that has left him battered, Batman is absolutely demolished by Bane, who pummels Bruce before finally picking the hero up over his head and snapping his back over his knee. Heroes occasionally lose on screen, but not like this.

Alfred’s Arc – The Dark Knight Rises

Alfred Pennyworth is a crucial character in the Batman mythos, and he’s typically portrayed as a compliant, if slightly disapproving, enabler. However, that’s not so in The Dark Knight Rises. Portrayed by Michael Caine, Alfred breaks hearts by revealing to Bruce that Rachel intended on marrying Harvey Dent and sternly telling his surrogate son that his war with Bane will eventually lead to his death and that he “won’t bury” another member of the Wayne family.

It’s one of the most emotional moments of the film. Alfred basically abandons Bruce, a decision that heightens Bruce’s isolation and hero’s journey. Alfred only returns toward the end of the film for Bruce’s funeral where he tearfully confesses to the late Waynes’ gravestones that he “failed” them. While Alfred’s story ends on a hopeful note, with him spotting Bruce alive and well in Italy, it’s still quite the breakup between Master Bruce and his most loyal advisor.

The Story of Talia al Ghul and Bane – The Dark Knight Rises

While the best villains typically have sympathetic backstories, few have as a traumatic and scarring one as The Dark Knight Rises’ villains, Talia al Ghul and Bane. Toward the end of the film, it’s revealed that Talia grew up in the same place that Bruce found himself in after Bane broke his back. Born in a primitive prison known as the Pit, Talia watched as her mother was assaulted and killed by the other prisoners. The pair were placed in the Pit in exchange for Ra’s al Ghul, with Talia’s mother agreeing to take his place in exchange for his freedom. Talia only survived through the protection of Bane, who eventually helps Talia escape the prison, but he’s badly beaten and disfigured in the process.

Following Talia’s escape, she locates her father and he returned with the League of Shadows to exact revenge on the prisoners that killed his wife and the men who put her there. Afterward, Ra’s and the League saw to the treatment of Bane, but were unable to stop the continual pain he experienced. Eventually, Bane is recruited into the League, wherein he is given a mask which supplies him with analgesic gas to curb the constant pain from the injuries he sustained while protecting Talia. If you thought Bruce had a traumatizing backstory, you must have merely adopted the dark.

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[that-shamrock-vibe]

Disney+ What To Watch: My Top 10 Favourite Disney Classics

#4. The Lion King

As this list goes on I encourage people to remember that 1) I am ranking these movies as to what are my personal favourites as opposed to what I believe is the greatest movie, and 2) 5-2 do often oscillate so while The Lion King is #4 at the moment, it may not always be #4.

But there is no denying that The Lion King is definitely one of the best Disney movies out there, it just doesn’t happen to be my personal favourite despite many people potentially having reasons as to why it should be.

Much like Oliver & Company with the Dickensian foundations, I love a classic Shakespeare story with a Disney twist and The Lion King along with its sequel definitely incorporate two of The Bard’s best with this movie incorporating Hamlet.

It is a great idea to incorporate adult themes into children’s storytelling for the pure and simple reason that it acts as a gateway into Shakespeare even if the kids don’t realise or acknowledge it until years later when they’re forced to study it in secondary school.

But while The Lion King does bring in the mastery of Hamlet, it also stands on its own as a fantastic Disney movie. It is literally Shakespeare with lions and the advantages that this animated feature takes with that both elevates the original source material as well as giving people that may not be familiar with Shakespeare’s work, young and old, their first experience.

I compare it to imprinting where the version of a movie even if it’s a remake, or the version of the song you hear even if it’s a cover is traditionally the favourite of that story or song because it’s the first one you hear or see and in terms of movies or even songs the version that you may grow up with.

As I say, for me, I didn’t really know about Shakespeare until reaching secondary school and for that reason I of course would have found a version of a Shakespearean story in Disney form subliminally accessible.

But moving away from the Shakespeare comparisons, the movie holds up by itself, it just so happens that the story is essentially Hamlet with lions.

I said with Oliver & Company that I gravitate towards dog movies but I think as a child I simply gravitated towards animal movies, it just so happens that dogs became my favourite.

I just found it fascinating that you had relative human situations told through the eyes and mouths of animals particularly when you factor in that they play on the hierarchy of the Animal Kingdom with lions being royalty and how the food chain works.

It would be so easy to make an animated animal movie very corny and even square it at infants but somehow primarily up until the end of the Disney Renaissance Disney managed not to do that and The Lion King is the best example of an entirely animal-populated movie accessible to adults, kids, elders, teenagers, everybody you speak to when you talk about Disney Classics will talk about The Lion King.

In terms of characters, okay as a protagonist Simba is slightly bland. He’s very cute as a cub as far as animated lions go, Jonathan Taylor Thomas does a great job with his voice...but then when Matthew Broderick takes over as his adult self...that’s when he becomes slightly dull for me.

I mean it is almost as if his growth was stunted when his father died and he was effectively forced into exile, which they do explore rather well with the introduction of Timon and Pumbaa as giving him a way to effectively forget about his troubles...but I guess my problem with Simba is while he did face his fears and face up to his past, a lot of what went right for him in the movie really only went that way because he had help, whether from Nala, Timon and Pumbaa, even Rafiki.

Nala is slightly more interesting because she is the one that decides to take a stand against Scar and go out to find help...but obviously while she wasn’t expected to find Simba as she believed him dead...I’m not overly familiar with how quickly lions age but in the time that it took Simba to go from cub to adult...why didn’t Nala go out and find help beforehand?

Do I even need to talk about how great Mufasa is? It’s James Earl Jones who similar to Ming Na Wen has two sectors of the Disney Trifecta under his belt as a Star Wars villain and Disney Father, the only difference being that Jones was Vader before Disney acquired Star Wars but they’re under the same umbrella now.

Scar as a villain is possibly the campiest Disney male villain going and that includes Jafar, Radcliffe and Rattigan. Not only does it look like he’s wearing mascara but the way his melodramatics are apparent so much throughout the movie is just very funny but for the right reasons because he still remains a very threatening and menacing foe.

Timon and Pumbaa are the best examples of a Disney comedic duo, I struggle to think of a pairing this hilarious, it’s the way they quickly cement how strong their friendship is, how Timon is the brains while Pumbaa is the brawn and how they decide to raise Simba as their own.

Nathan Lane as Timon is also a great coo for the movie as his open and somewhat recognisable campy tones really lend themselves well to a character who at best could be bisexual given you never hear either talking about love interests.

Rafiki is my favourite character in the movie, much like how this movie made me realise I knew Shakespeare from an early age, it also made me realise I have had acknowledgement of my spiritual side since a young age as I am now of pagan beliefs and Rafiki is effectively a shaman.

The hyenas, particularly our main three Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, are really great secondary antagonists as they do fall into the category of comedic henchmen but before you know that they’re working for Scar they are just as fearsome and threatening in their own right.

I am relating back to Oliver & Company a lot but in this instance I am talking voice actors as Cheech Marin who was Tito the Chihuaua there is Banzai here and I do often think he is effectively playing the same character as when Tito is trying to act tough he sounds exactly like Banzai and both seem to have a gob on them.

But Whoopi Goldberg is definitely the standout for me out of those three. I love a lot of the voice cast here but Whoopi Goldberg, James Earl Jones and Rowan Atkinson are probably my favourites, with Nathan Lane, Jeremy Irons and Cheech Marin close behind.

Zazu is effectively similar to a lot of characters that Rowan Atkinson has portrayed so brilliantly before and after this but while his moments are great he is probably used the least out of the prominent characters.

Musically, it’s Elton John. I love Elton John, if I could sing a note in tune I would very much like to be Elton John and his music speaks absolute volumes. “Circle of Life” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” are the best songs in this movie. From the second that sun rises with that African chorus coming in at the start of the movie I’m smiling every time.

As for other songs “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King”, “Be Prepared” and “Hakuna Matata” they are also great, and classics. There’s no denying this soundtrack, like a lot of the Disney Renaissance soundtracks, is great, and “Be Prepared” is a fantastic villain song, 

I mean Elton John did also compose “The Morning Report” but in his defence nobody is perfect.

This movie just has so many grand moments even as stills that simply resonate on the screen. From the “Circle of Life” sequence to “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” then you have the Wildebeest Stampede which any chance I have to see on the biggest screen possible I take. Even the quieter powerful scenes like when Simba formally meets Rafiki, that’s my personal favourite scene because it has comedy, drama and emotion flowing all the way through it.

Yes the live-action remake did not turn out great...but the only reason that is is because it practically did a shot-by-shot remake of the original. There is nothing overtly wrong with how this story is told and so you could say “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, but fans were hoping the remake would elevate the original not just make fans want to re-watch it more.

There’s nothing else I can say about this movie, it’s Shakespeare with lions and has some of the greatest scenes of both happy and sad feelings in Disney’s history.

So what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney+ What to Watch Top 10s as well as more Top 10 Lists and other posts.

[unabashedrebel]

RP Snippits

{Below is a piece written alongside @dae-shadowvale ft. @simplysoriya . Sometimes i like to torture my characters a little too much. So yeah, uh, this happened. It’s pretty long, you’ve been warned.}

A soft smile graced his lips as she saved him from himself, and that fear of saying something dumb just when things were getting emotional. "I've been doing some side work. But basically until I decide to go to therapy I'm off active duty. They've been taking it sort of easy on me since I was a POW." Though before Kirollis could expand on just how much he hated therapy, the fishing line began to stir. It started at the tip at first, gentle jerks and pulls that went unnoticed. But in the midst of their conversation the thin piece of wood bent completely into a curve as something snagged on the line. 

 "Oh shit! I think I got something!" He exclaimed.

Dae felt her chest involuntarily tighten at the mention of Kiro’s imprisonment, and while she did what she could to keep that mental flinch from broadcasting itself through her expression, there was likely a lingering flash of sadness in her gaze as she listened to his response. Yes, there was the obvious reminder of the toll that time had taken on herself - all the hopeful glances toward the cafe door every time she heard that bell ring, only to feel her heart sink over and over again - all the nights of falling asleep with her comm in her hand, hopeful that she would hear his voice break through the radio silence, and terrified to hear someone else’s - the emotional torture she put herself through in those weaker moments, wondering if he’d just... left. Now? Thinking back to that period of time, knowing what he had gone through, it made her feel guilty. The fact that he’d waited so long to at least let her know he was alive was still a very sore spot for her, and there was still a lot of emotional ruin to wade through, but there would always be space in her heart for the snarky rogue and his daughter. She wanted to ask him how things had been going with therapy, if he felt like it was helping, if he’d be returning to active duty when he was able, but as fate would have it, none of those questions would make the journey from her thoughts to his ears. 

Her eyes widened at his exclamation and she glanced quickly to the place where his fishing line disappeared beneath the water’s surface in a seamless shift into excitement. “What are you waiting for?!” She took one final pull from her bottle, emptying its contents, and leaned forward to peer down into the water. “Reel it in!”

Kirollis gripped tightly on the fishing rod as tremors rocked through the thin wooden frame. Whatever was on the other end of the line was big, and angry, at the rogues resistance. Not entirely lacking in the physical department, either, Kirollis looked like he was struggling to keep up. His feet planted with their heels dug in, only to find nowhere to get a good footing on the wooden and worn planks of the Booty Bay docks.  His knuckles creeping into a feint white coloring as he vigorously pulled with both hands on the handle. It was as if he was completely oblivious to the dancers advice. Sufficiently stunned by the monster that lurked under the docks, snared by his hook. But eventually he did turn to her adding a sarcastic, "Ooooooooh." With a smirk. "By all means, you're more then welcome to help." The rogues voice strained and rough, coming in a guttural tone from the throat. But once he was situated, and the fish offered a brief repose, Kirollis took the opportunity to just that. Carefully leaving the tension of the rod to one hand as the other didn't stray too far to the metal reel line. Painstakingly cranking the lever in a vain attempt to land his prize. All it managed to do was tick every other second as the rod looked increasingly stressed by the rogues efforts. By this point Kirollis had slowly been dragged, unnoticeable by how small the increments, until the tips of his toes hung off the edge of the dock. Curling and clinging to the planks, even if it was likely more for personal comfort then actual strategy.

"It's all in the hips!" A voice echoed from the far beach as Soriya seemed to have taken an active role in watching it all unfold. While she was too far away for expressions to be read, it was a fair assumption to either of them that she wore a shit eating grin at her fathers troubles with a fish. 

"Okaythisisn'tworking." Kirollis grunted out quickly to himself. Though determination still sat strong on his features. One finally jerk from the rod was all it took to deflate every ounce of confidence he had. Unceremoniously loosing his balance, one leg jutted out awkwardly as if to purchase some. Though even that proved to do little as another shift from the rod tipped him right over the edge and sent him plummeting to the waters below.

The whole scene unfolded in slow motion for Daelynn, which only served to enhance the hilarity of its outcome. One second, Kiro was beside her on the dock, heels dug in firmly as he strained against the pull on his line. The next, he'd disappeared in a woooosh of air, tumbling head-first into the water, and leaving her somewhat perplexed for a second or two. At first, the dancer rose to her feet - an instinctive reflex of concern for the rogue's well-being - but that reflex was fleeting, at best, and she was quickly overcome with laughter. It poured out of her with the ease of water rushing over the falls; unbridled, jovial, breath-catching laughter that had her clutching her stomach as she sunk to her knees, tears collecting at the outer corners of her vision. There was nothing malicious about her reaction, even as she struggled to find her voice amidst each strained gasp of air, and though the simple fact that watching someone take such an impromptu swim was funny in its own right, there was one glaringly comedic addition to this situation in particular; something that clearly hadn't gone unnoticed by the brunette he'd left behind on the dock. 

Kirollis Duskhaven - slayer of men, master of blades, expert of sneak - bested by a fish. 

It was true that Kirollis was a lot of things. That he had a long history of being the capable sort. From assassinating Generals without so much as an alarm, to running smuggling rings that spanned across the Eastern Kingdoms and beyond, to a competent spy, and so many other accomplishments. Not a single one of them mattered as Kirollis plunged face forward from the docks down into the crystal clear water below. What would have normally been easy to see was obscured by the milky froth and unsettled water as bubbles raced to the surface following his decent beneath the waves. Angry flailing and churning from beneath that was so violent one could swear they heard curses bubbling up to the surface. 

As was above, was to below. While Soriya was busy lounging on her surfboard with her face down. Soaking in the sun and enjoying the day. While she always made it look graceful and effortless, the ocean and the tide had a way of tiring out the body more then most would expect. That amount of control and poise, and maintained at such a level? She was wiped out, and made no efforts to hide it.That was until she heard the telltale sign of weight crashing into water with a bassy PLOOOOP. Instantly her head periscoped, flicking her attention toward the sound. While her facial expression would be near impossible to tell from a distance, the look of confusion sat on her features. Swiftly she tried to make sense of it all as she looked over the disturbed water. Then up to the rapturous sounds of laughter. Tilting her gaze up to find Daelynn, and only Daelynn   standing on the stilted docks, leaning over the side as the music of her uncontainable laughter said it all. 

It took only a moment for Soriya to understand what happened. And even less time for her to join in to the chorus of cracking up, so loud that it could be heard in tandem with Dae's own on the dock. Uncontrollable and consistent, those jovial expressions tumbled out of her as if she had little choice in the matter. Gripping on the sides of her board tightly as the young monk doubled over, laying her face down flat on the board as she continued. Before long Soriya rolled right off and into the water- Though unlike her father, she at least seemed to do it intentionally. As if the scene before her was too much for her to take, and she relented to immerse herself beneath the waves in a vain attempt to save her father a little face. 

Before long, Kirollis himself surfaced. Lacking the fishing rod that had proven to be his bane, lost and gone to the tides- and the one creature that did manage to best him-.... a fish. Sputtering out water with aggressive and loud raspberries from his mouth, both hands would come up to clear his eyes. Tipping his head up to look at the dancer, who was Still laughing at his pain. Of course he had to say something. "Yeah, sure. Laugh it up. Real nice. What if I couldn't swim? Would you have jumped in after me?" He teased in mock aggravation.... and perhaps a little embarrassment. 

“Ohhhh c’mon!” Daelynn retorted, still unable to keep the grin from her face... and still struggling to regain her breath from the sudden, and powerful, outburst of laughter. “You would be laughing just as hard if I was the one taking a dunk and you were standing up here, nice and dry,” she lifted a hand to wipe a stray tear on its way down her cheek with the back of a knuckle, “And you know it.” Kneeling down at the edge of the dock, Dae lowered her voice some, speaking in earnest while the corners of her mouth continued to curl themselves upwards. “If it makes you feel any better, I promise to keep this little incident to myself- outside of teasing you about it for the foreseeable future, of course. Though, I can’t speak for all witnesses...” Her gaze lifted from the sputtering rogue as he continued to tread water, focusing briefly on the mostly-submerged brunette floating out in the distance, and lifted her hand to wave - an acknowledgment of their shared laughter, and also to notify the woman that her father wasn’t in any immediate danger. She returned her attention to Kirollis himself, smirking as she braced herself against the dock with one hand, and extended the opposite arm as far as she could. “Let’s get you out of there before you melt, or something,” she teased, tossing a wink down to him.

"I mean I-.." Kirollis held up a finger in protest. Yet after a moment all it did was curl down, deflated, much like the rogue himself as his jaw hung agape. The logic bomb Daelynn had dropped on him critically hitting, and it showed. In a brief and resilient rebuttal he managed to mutter out, "Well, but I would have at least tried to hide it." Breaking into a chuckle soon after. If there was anything he knew how to do, and do well, it was laugh at himself. The gesture dispelling any notion of hard feelings over the hilarious happenings on the Booty Bay docks. 

"Ohhhh no." Dae shook her head, vehemently. "Nonono. How many times have you sprung from the shadows with the sole purpose of scaring me half to death?" She didn't give him even a second to respond before jumping right back into it. "AND out of all those times, how often did you ever attempt to hide your amusement?" Again, she left no room for a rebuttal. "I'll tell you how many."  She held up a hand, fingertips curling around to meet the end of her thumb, forming an obvious 'O'. "None. Exactly zero. So enough of this 'woe is me' act... you big baby." The tone she used was teasing in nature, peppered here and there with a chuckle, but there was no denying the accuracy of her response, and the look on her face was irrefutable proof that she knew she had him at a stalemate on the matter.

By the time a pause marred the pairs playful jabs Soriya had made her way over to make it a trio. Of course she had to laugh at her fathers pain as well chiming in the midst of her paddle, "Dad! Come on, we went over this, you can't just jump in and try and stab them." The monk chirped out with a voice full of giggles. Repositioning to sit up on her board near where her father recovered from his plunge, letting her legs lazily dangle off the flanks and into the water.

"Oh come on." Kirollis protested to the unforgiving crowd, his arms outstretched in an expression that matched his words. Knowing full well that he had, on several occasions, taken great joy in scaring both women- much to their respective disdain. She had him, he knew it, his daughter knew it, and most importantly Daelynn knew it. Turning to Soriya in a bid for some relief, he found no such thing.

Instead the brunette scrunched her youthful features toward their center. Casually shrugging to her fathers desperate plea. With small and rapid nods of her head, the look she gave him in reply all but said You're on your own. Reaffirming the floating mistweaver added, "I'm pretty sure you laugh all the time. You think your slick. But we see it, clearly." Soriya motioned between herself and the dock bound Daelynn.

It didn't take long for Soriya to snap her attention over to Daelynn, happily raising up her hand in a wave before excitedly shouting up, "Hey Dae!" in greeting. "Literally the two of us here and he still gets himself into trouble. Did we really even want him back?" She joked. Blissfully unaware of how her words might hit the dancer. Too caught up in the joy of the moment and the fact that this was one of the rare times the three of them were all together. Not to mention the overwhelming fact that her dad had just been bested by what she could only imagine was a tuna.Shifting to her father once more Soriya asked, "You okay, pop?" She asked with concern. 

Kirollis for his part had done his best to roll with the punches. But as always he was dramatic about it, sporting an overly animated pout as his arms crossed over his chest. A sarcastic chuckle escaping him after it was all said and done, "Yeah, sure, you know just my ego is a little bruised. But sure. I'm okay." Of course he wasn't angry, but far be it from him to not ham it up. "You two gonna gang up on me now? Is this like a thing?" He lamented as a hand unfurled from its counterpart and motioned between the two women.  A tired sigh escaped him as he shook his head. Defeated and deflated. "Alright. I relent to my watery fate." He resigned to a surrender, with his hands hoisted near his ears in a carefree manner. Though he did chuckle a little at his own expense when it was all said and done.

"It's good to see you, Sori," Dae turned her attention to the monk, flashing a vibrant smile before her expression shifted into one of feigned grief, "though, it's a shame it had to be under such tragic circumstances..." An exaggerated frown followed, aimed at the drowned rogue, and while Sori's off-the-cuff remark did strike a little close to the chest, Dae managed to keep that pang of emotional discomfort from rising to the surface. "You should stop by the cafe before you leave the Cape - I'll send you off with a box of goodies for the kids."

"I could go for some lunch." Soriya chimed in a little too quickly after Dae had offered. Showing a little more excitement that two of her favorite people were in the same location. Not a thought given to over imposing on the kindness. "Why don't we meet you there in a little bit?" 

Thirty minutes later...

Soriya walked through the door first. A mess of jovial giggles and her cheeks bright red. That smile she loved to wear pulled to its limits, even showing a rare display of dimples in the process. Her hair still wet from the ocean and attire that suggested she was going right back out, only having put a t-shirt and flip flops from the previous bikini. Though once those teal eyes found Daelynn in the Cafe, her arms came to the front door as to present, "So dad totally bought my silence."

In walked an exhausted, yet dry, Kirollis. But quite noticeably the rogue wore a bright pink t-shirt that looked just a tad too tight- 'Badazzled' written across the front in an arc in rhinestones.  Of course it was. Complete with a pair of shorts and a damp burlap bag in hand. "Dear diary; worst day ever."

[overthinkingkdrama]

hi! love in sadness anon again. if you can rec some good melos i would be thankful.

[Oh my gosh, anon. I suck. Seriously. I’ve been trying to sit down and get this done from the moment I got your ask and I just haven’t been able to do it. Anyway, hopefully you see this. Thank you for your patience.]

Little do you know how long I have been waiting for this moment. This is my time to shine! Jk, but I would be happy to give recs. It’s a delight. I started going through my MDL and realized just how many dramas in this genre I have actually seen and realized I would probably have to trim my recommendations somewhat not to seem like a crazy person. Also I have subcategories! Yay!

(I’ve included the *** next to titles that I have watched multiple times or that stand out from the rest of the pack.)

First of all, Movie Melos.

Sometimes you don’t have time for 16-30 hours of drama. Sometimes you want to get all your feels out in a single sitting and move on with your life. That’s where movies are so helpful. My favorite bite-sized melos are:

Always*** – An ex-con trying to get his life together falls in love with a blind woman, but his efforts to help her recover her sight might drag him right back into the violence he’s tried to escape.

Shoot My Heart – A young heir is forced into a mental hospital by his rich family where he meets a disturbed young man. They become friends, try to protect each other, and eventually escape. This one has a bit more of a comedic element to it than the other movies I’m recommending, but there’s plenty of the melo tone as the movie goes on.

Will You Be There? – After finding out that he’s dying of cancer, a man travels through time to beg his younger self to save the life of his first love.

Butterfly Sleep – This is a Japanese movie, but it also stars Korean actor Kim Jae Wook, who recently got a boost in popularity from Her Private Life. The movie revolves around a poor young man from Korea who ends up living with an older woman, a novelist who has just discovered she is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and the passionate relationship that develops between the two as he helps her finish what will be her final book.��#tragedy_tag

High Quality, Human Melodramas

So, this category is for if you want something with all the emotional gut punch of a really wild family drama, but you also want your melos to have actual artistic merit so when you tell your non-drama watching friends and family members about them they don’t end up losing respect for your taste.

Just Between Lovers – This is the story of two young people involved in and scarred by the same horrific accident, but survived and end up finding solace in one another as they deal with their combined traumas. If you’ve seen this drama around the kdramasphere on tumblr you might have seen a lot of gifs of the soft romance. Don’t be fooled though. The romance is indeed wonderful, but the themes are heavy and it can be rough sit.

My Mister*** – I really am just looking for every possible opportunity to recommend this drama. It has supplanted my former favorites and become my top drama of all time. It’s about two people, a troubled young woman in her 20′s and a structural engineer in his 40′s who have become beaten down and broken by life. Their two lives end up intersecting and they develop a really complex friendship that changes both of their lives. Acting, writing, directing…I have nothing bad to say about My Mister. This drama is actually perfect. 

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes – Do you like your melos a bit murdery? I know I sure do. Give me a sociopath any day of the week and I’ll say, “Thank you. I’ll take two.” This drama is about a young man who might be a monster. He becomes a detectives prime suspect in a murder investigation. At the same time he meets the detectives younger sister and they begin to fall in love. #tragedy_tag If this sounds like your thing, but you don’t like super sad endings check out Hello Monster, also starring Seo In Guk.

Secret Love Affair – I think it’s probably safe to say this drama is considered a modern kdrama classic, and for good reason. A story revolving around a woman who gave up her dreams for security, trapped in a loveless marriage, who meets a piano savant from an extremely underprivileged background and he sets off a spark for passion, music and love that she hasn’t felt in a long time. This is a quiet, pensive drama with a lot of wonderful music and atmosphere. YMMV depending on your tolerance for cheating and a slow-burn pace.

Alright, Cut the Crap Jona, Show Me the Extra Soapy Guilty Pleasure Dramas We All Know You Like…

Maybe you don’t go in for this type of self-conscious, “serious” drama watching. You’re going to watch these things in the sanctity of your own room and never tell a soul about them. Or perhaps you’ve evolved past needing other people’s approval to enjoy the things you like. Good for you, I say! As it should be. In that case, I have some top shelf makjang crack to deal you. This is the part of the list where the sliding scale of quality gets a little wobbly. Most of these shows contain a little, if not a lot, of crazysauce. All of them are over-the-top melo fun.

Baker King Kim Tak Gu – A drama about the illegitimate son of a conglomerate CEO who has inherited his preternatural baking abilities looking for his place in a family that will never acknowledge him. Yeah, the premise is pretty “what”? When I first watched this drama I thought it was supposed to be a satire of the makjang genre. To this day I’m not sure how seriously this drama actually takes itself. What I will say is it’s hella entertaining, even as it piles on more than it’s share of craziness (machinations, murder, affairs, chaebol fuckery, love polygons, gangsters, birth secrets, and on and on.) I was surprisingly invested and remarkably satisfied by the ending.

Ms. Perfect – This drama is something of a gothic romance/makjang melo mash up. It involves a woman whose marriage shatters just as she loses her home and finds herself desperate to take care of her family. She’s enticed by a mysterious woman to live with her in her huge house, but this stranger has eerie motivations of her own. Really fun, weird show. But brace yourself to be blue-balled by the romance. It’s one steamy make out session from being noona-romance catnip. 

Money Flower*** – I unironically love this drama. It’s very close to the platonic ideal of the Revenge Melo. It involves a Dantes-esque male lead, Kang Pil Joo, who is willing to destroy himself to enact his multi-decade revenge on a wealthy family that took everything from him. He is the shadow of a spoiled young heir who he plans to use to take down the whole evil empire of Chungha group, but in order to do that he has to orchestrate the heir’s marriage with the innocent daughter of a powerful politician, the woman who Pil Joo himself is in love with.

That Winter, The Wind Blows – This one is a lurid conman tail about a gambler who, in his attempts to pay back a dangerous gangster out for his life, pretends to be the prodigal brother of a blind heiress. He tries to get the money and skip town, but ends up falling in love with the mark which comes with a host of other complications, not the least of which is she thinks he’s her brother. This one is high on the guilty-pleasure-o-meter for me.

Come and Hug Me – Some people might disagree with my putting this one on here, but for me the premise is too wildly melodramatic to omit. The leads start out as childhood sweethearts, but the problem is his father is a deranged serial killer and her parents end up two of his victims. As adults he becomes a detective trying to make up for his father’s legacy of cruelty and she becomes a famous actress like her mother. Traumas resurface when she becomes the target of an apparent copycat and their past connection becomes the fixation of a ruthless tabloid journalist.

Thank You – After his fiancee dies of cancer, a Doctor travels to a remote island to fulfill her last wish–to help the family of a little girl the late fiancee was responsible for inadvertently infecting with HIV. Unexpectedly he finds himself attracted to the girl’s single mother. However, he will have to contend with the prejudices of the island people about AIDS and the reappearance with the girl’s father. This one is as heavy as it sounds, and the oldest drama on this list, from 2007, with all the idiosyncrasies that go along with older dramas. But it’s remarkably well done. From the same writer of a bunch of classic melodramas (I’m Sorry, I Love You; A Love To Kill; Innocent Man; Uncontrollably Fond, etc) but this is my personal favorite of hers.

The Last Empress – Okay, I couldn’t omit this one. I tried. Average musical actress Oh Sunny winds up married to the Emperor in an alternate history version of Korea and becomes embroiled in the machinations of the corrupt royal family. With a nice side helping of revenge plot. It’s demonstrably not a good show. It’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen. But it had me hooked early on and then I couldn’t get myself free. What a magnificent train wreck this drama was. If you’re looking for problematic nonsense melos that were MASSIVE hits in Korea and you’re torn between this and Baker King, go with the silly bread show and keep this one in your back pocket.

Fated to Love You – This one is probably the most off-brand on the list, because it leans heavily on the comedic tone, especially for the first half. There’s a definite turn at the midpoint of the drama where it becomes MUCH more melodramatic (with all the tropes you expect to go along with that), but I think it pulls of the transition impressively well. Besides, it’s a fun watch with a fluffy feelgood ending with a bow on top. It’s a dash of sugar for your melodrama sojourn, a genre that admittedly can be a bit of a bummer.

There it is. I tried to do an extra good job with my list because it took me so long to get it out. I’m sorry again. Happy watching!

Jona

[walkerismychoice]

No One’s Fault

Book: The Elementalists

Pairing: Beckett X MC (Zoe Flynn)

Raiting: PG-13 with some Mature/Suggestive language at the end

A/N: This fic re-tells Chapter 11 through Beckett’s eyes. All dialogue is copied from the chapter. As per the chapter, Beckett is talking to Atlas in the beginning, but she is named as Zoe due to it being Beckett’s point of view and not knowing otherwise.

Word Count: 2934

Tag List: @tabithacarlisle @ritachacha @thatspicegirlssong @darley1101 @flyawayboo@confessionsofabrokegirl@flowerpowell @itsstillnotwhatyouthink@jimmypagesandbrianmayshair@tmarie82 @choiceswreckedme @enmchoices @regina-and-happiness @christopher-powell @blackcatkita@debramcg1106 @lizeboredom @boneandfur 

“Well, that’s it. Zoe’s not anywhere on campus... That mirror must have taken her somewhere else entirely,” Shreya says with a look of defeat on her face.

“The way the glass shattered, I’ve never seen anything like it... “ Beckett racks his brain, searching for some sort of clue. He is trying, and failing miserably to not let his feelings about Zoe get in the way, but he's worried sick, and it is affecting his ability to think rationally. 

They walk back into Zoe and Shreya’s suite, hoping to sit down and come up with a plan to find answers, but as they walk in she’s there. He’s so relieved to see her, but still something seems off. 

Shreya’s jaw drops. “Zoe?! Where have you been? We’ve been looking everywhere!

Zoe freezes, momentarily speechless. “Y-Yes, I am Zoe. Your friend.” An awkward smile crosses her face.

“What happened to your hair?” Zeph asks in disbelief. Her hair is shorter now and white. Nothing like the flowing brown waves Beckett ran his fingers through not long before. 

“Uh, ha! That’s so funny... you. That’s just like..you. Always cracking jokes,” Zoe replies almost nervously, and it’s so unlike her. Beckett could see this type of behavior coming from himself, being socially awkward and afraid of saying the wrong thing, but not Zoe. Zoe always seems so confident and self-assured. 

Zeph chuckles. “Well she recognizes my comedic genius, so she must be alright.” 

Beckett stops himself from rolling his eyes at Zeph. If he didn’t like the others, especially Zoe, so much, he wouldn’t hang around to hear more cutting remarks from Zeph. “Never mind all that. Where have you been? The mirror room was completely destroyed and you were just gone!”

“Yeah, where did that mirror take you?” Shreya questions. “We looked all over campus!”

“It... It took me to Penn Square. I don’t know what went wrong, but it dropped me right into a dumpster. I tried the spell to clean off, but something went wrong and it turned my hair all white. Guess I’ll have to have Swan fix it tomorrow.”

Okay, that seems plausible, Beckett thinks, and he knows it’s an easy fix. “Oh, no need. That’s just a simple transmutation spell. I can quite easily--

“You touch my hair, my hair, and I’ll punch the eyebrows off of your face,” Zoe snarls and the room is stunned into silence. Beckett knows he wasn’t initially warm and friendly with her, but he’s opened up to her more now than anyone else here. They’ve kissed, more than once, and she seemed really into him. Either he totally misread the situation, or something happened to her when she went through that mirror. 

Zoe's faces softens slightly. “Sorry, I’ve had a really rough day. I’d like to just go to bed.”

Shreya frowns. “Oh. Well, of course. We’re just..glad your’e safe. I guess we should all go to bed, hm?”

“Thanks. All of you.” Zoe’s voice is somber and somewhat hollow, and Beckett just can’t shake the pit in his stomach. 

Everyone starts to leave, but Beckett turns back. He looks her over, and he’s certain she doesn’t fail to notice the concern on his face. He places a hand on her shoulder and she goes stiff. “You..." He wants to wrap her in his arms - for her to melt into his touch - and to tell her how happy he is that she’s back, but something stops him. “You have no idea how troublesome you are!” His tone comes out harsher than he means it to.

“Hey!” Zoe snaps back, and he doesn't completely fault her for it.

"Just going and disappearing like that! Worrying all your friends! It was completely thoughtless of you and...and" He relaxes his shoulders and exhales deeply. "And I'm really glad you're okay." He wants to say more, but coming from him she should know what this admission means. He pulls her in for a hug and she doesn't sink into him like he'd hoped, but he reasons she's been through quite the trauma, and he would probably be just as on edge himself.

"Thanks." Is all she says before he releases her an short time later. Beckett wants to talk more and make sure she's really okay. He opens his mouth to ask, but then thinks better of it and stalks away, still with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Beckett gets halfway down the hallway before he realizes he can't leave Zoe like this. He turns back knocks on the door to the suite's common room but nobody hears him. He bangs harder to ensure the sound will carry. Thankfully it's Zoe, and, not Shreya who answers the door.

"Beckett?"

"Hello. Hi. It's...me again." Idiot obviously she knows it's you.

"I can see that." Zoe replies coolly, but there's a hint of a smile on her face.

She's already seems much warmer and at ease than she was just a minute ago, and it finally dawns on him that her hair is back to its normal color and length. "You fixed your hair."

"Yeah...it just...turned itself back?" He's not quite sure if she's telling him or asking him. Either way, with the change back to her typical appearance, her spirit seems to have returned as well.

Zoe looks him up and down, and he fidgets with his hands in his pockets, suddenly self-conscious of his rumpled appearance. "I'm... I just wanted to make sure you were okay, I..." He decides their's no sense in holding back and trying to play strong anymore. "I'm at a loss here. When you vanished, I felt like I should have been able to do more, and I couldn't, and I-" He shakily runs a hand through his hair, letting the full weight of his worry hit him for the first time.

"Beckett, it's no ones fault." Zoe tries to reassure him. "And I'm fine, see?"

He let's out a weak laugh, trying to convince himself just as much as Zoe that he knows everything is fine now, but he doubts it is convincing. "I know it's late, but...do you want to talk? Just for a little while. I know you said you're okay, but I feel like I have to make sure."

Zoe sighs. "Now really isn't the best time."

Disappointed, Beckett is about to give up and go back to his room when he notices the cuts and scrapes all over Zoe's exposed skin. "You're hurt. I can help with that! I know a spell that'll remove the shards of glass quite painlessly." He's desperate to do something to help, as well as to find any reason to spend more time with her.

"It's fine," she tries to play it off like it's less painful than he fears it is. "I'll just go to the nurse tomorrow.

"But...I can help you." He pleads. "I have to help. Please, Zoe." He can't forgive himself for failing to protect her in the first place and will do any to make up for it.

"Sure, I could use the help. Let's talk out here, okay?"

He's relieved when she agrees and tries not to be disappointed that she didn't invite him into her room. She's hurt and probably shaken up, so he tells himself it would be selfish to expect anything from her, yet he still can’t seem to turn off his attraction to her any time she comes in close proximity.

Beckett follows her to the couch and sits down. Acutely aware of his disheveled appearance, he attempt to smooth out his blazer and laughs at how pitiful he must look. “I must look like a complete mess. Bet it’s pretty funny seeing always-put-together Beckett Harrington off his game."

"Beckett, you look just fine. Maybe a little sadder than normal. A little more rumpled. But I wouldn't say you are falling apart or anything," Zoe assures him. Not cute, hot, or any of the other compliments she normally gives that make him blush, just fine and not falling apart. It's better than her saying he looks awful he supposes, but maybe she's just being nice. "And it's anything but funny to me," she continues. "More... depressing than anything really."

"Gee, thanks," he quips. So he looks rumpled and sad and it's making her depressed. Not quite the effect he'd hoped his presence would have on her.

"Sorry. I just mean... it's hard seeing you so upset!" She reaches over and takes his had in hers.

Beckett looks up to meet her gaze, and it stirs something inside him, causing him to look away sheepishly. He doesn't know if he'll ever get over the way she looks at him.

I'm actually really surprised that you were so concerned considering how much you tried to hate me," she says with a smirk.

He knows she must be teasing after all the conversations they've had since, but he feels the need to reassure her anyhow. "I don't hate you, Zoe." He finds the courage to meet her gaze directly without backing down and squeezes her hand tightly. "I admit that when I first heard about you I was jealous. More so when I realized your formal training was quite lacking. And I lashed out. I worked so hard to be the best and it didn't matter. I thought with you attending, I'd have no chance of being top of the class."

Zoe' smile falters. "Beckett, I never meant to make you feel that way."

Again he's trying to cheer her up, and he fears he's only making things worse. "Of course you didn't... You were my first friend here. You took me in when no one else would. And the thought of something happening to you when I could have stopped it..."

"What do you mean you could have stopped it?" Zoe interjects.

Maybe he's said too much. "I...I've been practicing some advanced magicks. There had to have been some spell, some part of my knowledge that I could have used. But when it comes down to it, I just stood there, weak." He balls his fist and feels heat rise in his face, angry with himself for not rising to the occasion when it counted the most.

"Beckett..." He can see his own torment reflected on her face before she closes the distance between them and hugs his shoulders tightly. He shivers beneath her touch, his face nestled into the crook of her neck. "There's nothing wrong with freezing up. It all happened so fast. You would have needed the quickest reflexes on earth."

Beckett's heart flutters in his chest as he snakes an arm around Zoe's waist, holding her close, inhaling the smell of her floral shampoo before looking back up at her. "How do you know I don't have them? I am vastly superior to the majority of the world's population." He tries to keep a straight face until she laughs and then he cracks too.

"Aaaand, there's the Beckett Harrington I know." Zoe pulls back to look in his eyes and he wonders if she notices that he's teared up. "You can't blame this all on yourself," she tells him, indicating he's not hiding anything from her. "First of all, there's no way you could have known what would happen. And second of all, we were all there. No one else had any idea what to do either.

Beckett frowns and sighs. No one else studies as hard as he does. No one else is in love with her like he is. He thinks these things but doesn't dare say them. "Still. I said I'd help, so at least let me take a look at you."

Zoe spins around in a circle to humor him. "See? Totally fine." Beckett gently lifts her arm and plucks a piece of glass from the skin near her elbow. Zoe's eyes go wide. "Wow, I didn't even realize that was there."

"Probably because of the adrenaline," he explains. "It looks as though that's the worst of it, thank goodness." He holds his hand up and it begins to glow a metallic tint, but he's frustrated as it fades away. "Shoot, just give me a second." The glow in his hand flickers intensely, but still nothing happens. "Come on Beckett you worthless-"

"Beckett!" Zoe scolds.

"I'm sorry. I've...I've done this spell a million times. I just cant... it won't." He averts her gaze, his hands balling up against his knees, and he's feeling nothing but weak and useless, unable to help Zoe in any way.

"It's okay. Don't be so hard on yourself. You can do this. I know you can. Just think about me. You want to help me, right? So stop thinking about your own faults, and focus on that.”

Shit. He's been so worried about needing to be the hero, he's letting his own insecurities get in the way of helping Zoe. "I didn't mean to make it all about me, I-"

"You're doing it again," Zoe points out. He cracks a smile and shakes his head but says no more "There you go, you're starting to relax. Take a deep breath," she instructs.

"Fine, fine." He raises his hands again, and they tremble with nerves. He inhales deeply and let's it out, his palms glowing warmly. "Now we're getting somewhere." He passes his hands over her arms and takes satisfaction as the pieces of glass slip out, Zoe not showing the slightest hint of pain. "There. You'll have to go to the nurse to get a salve for the cuts, but that takes care of the glass at least."

Zoe smiles. "Thanks, Doc. So I'm good as new?"

"I don't know, maybe I should double check to make sure," he suggests half serious, and half just looking for an excuse to get close to her, his success giving him a newfound confidence. He inspects her arms up and down, lightly tracing her veins as goosebumps form beneath his touch. "Hmm, no serious damage there." Seeing the way his touch affects her, he grows bolder. He circles around and leans his head in close, Zoe twitching as his breath tickles the hair at the base of her neck. He trails a finger slowly down her spine.

"Beckett..." She breathes.

"What? Does it hurt?" He wonders if he's found a sore spot or if it's maybe something else.

"N- No..." she stammers and he knows he's got her where he wants her now.

"Look, there's a little bruise right..here." He grazes his lips on the side of her neck to kiss it and make it better. He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her tight to him. He swears her knees wobble, and had he not been holding her, she’d be falling straight too the floor. If only they were in the privacy of Zoe's room. "Better?" He asks with a sly grin.

"I'm certainly not complaining." She turns around, and his satisfied smirk transforms into a genuine smile, relieved to have Zoe safe and happy in his arms. "What about you though? Feeling better?"

Her words are a reminder of all the ways he failed her tonight, and he keeps the smile painted on his face despite his disappointment in himself. "Yeah, yeah, I think so." He tries to remind himself that all is good now. He glances over to the clock on the mantel and his eyes go wide. "Oh, wow. It's so late. I'm such a dolt. You must be exhausted, and here I am complaining about my feelings."

It's fine, really. After everything that's happened today, I'm not sure I would have been able to fall asleep anyway. But if you want to make it up to me, why don't you give me a goodnight kiss?" Zoe asks coyly. "It will help me sleep better."

"I don't need a reason to kiss you, Zoe." The truth is he'd kiss her anytime, anywhere, so long as she asked. His smiles down at Zoe, his thumb grazing her cheek before he leans in to press his lips to hers. He hugs her tightly to his chest, never wishing to risk letting her out of his grasp again for fear she'll disappear.

"Zoe..." he whimpers before tracing his tongue along her lower lip. She responds to his nonverbal request, parting her lips to grant him access to her sweet mouth. He waits until he's completely out of breath to break the kiss.

Zoe laughs as they both gasp for air. "Great, now I'll never get to sleep."

"I'm sure after the day you've had, you'll have no trouble," he says and is thankful for not blurting out his true thoughts - that he's imagining she'll slip into bed and touch herself while she's thinking of him. He's also grateful that his cheeks are already flushed with arousal, for he'd certainly be blushing otherwise at the idea of it and knowing he'll be doing the same back in his room while thinking of her.

Beckett cups her cheeks, eyes lingering on her face until he presses a kiss to her forehead and finally, reluctantly lets her go. Seconds pass and neither one makes a move, the only sound the crackling fireplace. "I'll let you get your rest, but... I want to tell you that.." He hesitates, feeling vulnerable about letting the true depth of his feelings be known. "I'm just... I'm really happy you're still here."

Her soft expression mirrors his own. "Yeah, me too." And with that Beckett takes his leave, relieved and content that she feels the same.

[themovieblogonline]

Girl Haunts Boy Review: A Trope-Filled Haunted Romance

In Girl Haunts Boy, director Emily Ting takes a bold leap by blending romantic comedy, fantasy, and horror to tell the story of Cole (Michael Cimino) and Bea (Peyton List), a living boy and a restless ghost. With a premise that promises a quirky mix of the supernatural and heartfelt emotion, the film aspires to be both a touching exploration of grief and a charming tale of love from beyond the grave. While it has moments of sweetness and occasional sparks of creativity, Girl Haunts Boy ultimately struggles to balance its disparate elements, making for an uneven viewing experience. Despite strong performances from its leads, the film’s attempt to juggle too many genres results in a narrative that often feels disjointed, and its fantasy-horror elements fall into predictable tropes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY0OcNIleNM Premise: At the core of Girl Haunts Boy is Cole, a teenager grappling with the recent loss of his father. This emotional foundation gives the film a poignant starting point, as Cole’s grief is palpable and well-portrayed by Michael Cimino. Cimino's performance captures the complexity of his character’s sorrow, a teenager struggling to navigate the world without his father’s guidance. However, where the film falters is in how it treats this emotional depth. Instead of fully exploring the nuances of Cole’s mourning, Girl Haunts Boy too often sidelines his grief in favor of lighthearted moments that fail to resonate emotionally. Enter Bea, the ghostly counterpart played by Peyton List. Bea’s character, while initially intriguing, feels somewhat underdeveloped, especially given the potential for a rich backstory. As a spectral presence, Bea is tied to an ancient curse that she and Cole must work together to break. The supernatural aspects of the story provide the film with its fantasy-horror framework, but they often come across as a distraction rather than an integral part of the narrative. The "ancient curse" trope, which could have been a fresh take on paranormal romance, ends up feeling like a plot device without much depth or originality. A lack of chemistry: The connection between Cole and Bea is supposed to be the heart of the film, but their chemistry feels uneven. While Cimino and List both deliver earnest performances, the relationship between their characters lacks the emotional weight needed to carry the film. The romantic aspect of their bond, while sweet at times, feels rushed and superficial. It never fully develops into something believable, which is a critical flaw given that the film hinges on their connection. Doesn't know what it wants to be: One of Girl Haunts Boy's biggest challenges is its attempt to straddle multiple genres. Romantic comedy and fantasy-horror can complement each other when done well, but here the mix feels forced. The film’s tone fluctuates awkwardly between lighthearted, comedic moments and more serious, spooky sequences. The horror elements, in particular, feel tacked on rather than fully integrated into the story. There are moments where the film attempts to create tension or scares, but these are undermined by the frequent shifts back to romantic comedy. The result is a tonal inconsistency that keeps the viewer from fully investing in either aspect of the film. Weak comedy and horror: The comedy, while charming in small doses, often feels out of place within the context of the larger narrative. Cole’s witty banter with Bea has its moments, but the jokes and lighthearted exchanges frequently clash with the film’s darker, more somber themes. Bea’s ghostly antics are meant to be playful, but they sometimes come off as juvenile, undercutting any sense of danger or mystery surrounding her character. The film’s fantasy-horror elements—centered on the curse that Bea is bound to—are similarly underwhelming. The lore behind the curse is never fully explained, leaving much of the supernatural intrigue feeling half-baked. Rather than delving into the mythology of the curse and the rules of the afterlife, the film glosses over these aspects in favor of more predictable plot developments. This lack of world-building diminishes the stakes of Cole and Bea’s quest to break the curse, making their journey feel less urgent and impactful. No emotional engagement: One of the film’s biggest weaknesses is its inability to sustain emotional engagement. While Cole’s grief over his father’s death provides an interesting starting point, this emotional thread is largely abandoned as the film progresses. The few moments that do attempt to address Cole’s loss feel superficial and rushed, rather than deeply felt. There is a sense that the film doesn’t quite know how to balance its emotional stakes with its lighter, more comedic moments, resulting in a story that feels emotionally uneven. Bea’s character arc suffers from a similar problem. As a ghost, her existence is inherently tied to unresolved emotional issues from her past life, but the film fails to fully explore these. Bea’s motivations for wanting to break the curse are never made entirely clear, and her backstory feels thin. Without a deeper understanding of who Bea was before she died, it’s difficult for the audience to truly care about her fate. Direction: Emily Ting’s direction shows glimpses of creativity, particularly in her use of visual motifs to represent the divide between the living and the dead. The film’s color palette shifts subtly when Bea is present, with cooler tones signaling her ghostly presence. However, these visual touches aren’t enough to elevate the film as a whole. The cinematography, while competent, doesn’t push any boundaries or contribute much to the storytelling. Likewise, the film’s special effects—mostly used to depict Bea’s ghostly abilities—are serviceable but unremarkable. Overall: In the end, Emily Ting's Girl Haunts Boy is a film that tries to do too much and ends up delivering too little. While the premise of a romance between a grieving teen and a ghost is intriguing, the execution leaves much to be desired. The film’s tonal inconsistencies, underdeveloped characters, and lackluster fantasy-horror elements prevent it from becoming the emotional, genre-bending story it could have been. Read the full article

[imaginedanganronpa]

How do you think Kaede would act if she met Kokichi at the beginning of the game instead of Shiuchi, and fell in love with him? I'm a great fan of your works! Keep it up! And good luck with your finals!

Ah, I didn’t get to this one in time and I know this is long overdue but thank you! My finals went very well! I’m sorry that this one took so long, and I’m glad you enjoy my works! Much love~

Scenario Where Kaede Akamatsu Meets Ouma Kokichi At The Beginning & Falls In Love with Him Instead!

Kaede awakens in the cold, emptyclassroom with a massive headache. Placing an unsteady palm on her forehead, thememories slowly come flooding back to the Pianist.

Her memories about how she was kidnapped and trapped in this strange building… looking around this room, she had no idea where she was.

She slowly steps out from the locker she had only recently been imprisoned in. The unfamiliar room began to get under her skin and suddenly, her heart began to race. Questions race through her mind and she furrows her brows as she tries making sense of her situation.

A sound captured her attention and brings her gaze to the far end of theclassroom where the lockers were located, including the one she had just exited. The soundwas echoing inside; carefully and cautiously, Kaede approaches the lockers andextends her hand to open them.

Before she can reach it, a figure tumbles out – a boy, who appeared to bearound her age. He was dressed in all-white, other than his checkered scarf; it contrasts against his dark hair and eyes. He leaps up almost immediatelyand brushes himself off, then proceeds to place his hands behind his head andsigh with a huge grin on his lips.

“Wow, that was an entrance!” He exclaims with a tinge of laughter in his voice.Kaede raises an eyebrow, perplexed by this curious boy. She wondered how he could seem so happy and carefree, considering he had just fallen out of a locker. “And… who are you?”

“Oh, that’s easy. I’m Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader,” an evil grinappeared on his face and she was somewhat alarmed by his talent.

“Supreme Leader?” Kaede takes a step backwards, hoping that this guy was joking. However, he nods and her suspicions are confirmed. She loosens up and introduces herself, but keeps her eye on him.

Still, Kaede couldn’t deny that he was attractive. Ouma had an alluring aura that made you want more, and his bubbly personality seemed to rub off on her. She had no other choice but to explore the rest of the building with him, keeping a safe distance between the two.

Over the course of the Killing Game, Kaede and Ouma grew closer. Naturally, since they were the first people one another met, they slowly formed a bond. They didn’t really trust anyone else. If one of them wanted to hurt the other, they easily could have when they met in the Classroom.

There was a peculiar Detective boy that Ouma liked to harass. He was a bit of a loner type, and not someone that Kaede would often spend time with. She wasn’t sure why exactly Ouma deliberately picked on him so much, considering he didn’t stand out as much as some of the other Ultimates - but then again, that may be exactly why he did so.

Kaede didn’t want to believe her feelings at first. She and Ouma were just friends and she knew he didn’t feel the same way. Sure, he would teasingly flirt with her and hold her hand sometimes, but she thought that that was just a ploy.

It’s the kind of thing you can expect from him, after all.

But even after the Killing Game was announced, Ouma still showed Kaede the same kind of warmth from the start. Everyone became immediately suspicious and wary of one another, but not him. He welcomed her with open arms.

Maybe that’s why she fell for him so hard. He was the only person she felt like she could trust at this stage. 

Together, Ouma was able to let Kaede release her inner childlike-side and relax, even momentarily. She helped him play dead for their other classmates and faked the ‘Body Discovery,’ and Ouma wasn’t expecting her to be such a good actress.

She gained his sense of humor and helped him pull his little pranks on the others for comedic relief. At least, that was their excuse. Kaede actually found some enjoyment out of teasing the others, which wasn’t like her. But when you fall in love with Ouma Kokichi, you can’t really hold yourself back from enabling his shenanigans. 

She wasn’t nearly as crude about it as he was, though. When they would poke fun at Kiibo or Miu, she was much less rude about it. Their relationship shocked the rest of the students and no one expected them to be so similar.

Kaede also developed a bit of a snarky attitude, but the good kind. Her responses were usually quirky comebacks filled with satire, similar to Ouma’s. She picked up on a lot of his key-personality traits and caught herself using the same mannerisms and speech not too long after the Killing Game commenced.

The two simply went well together. And when actual discoveries were made, he quickly became her sidekick that helped her during Investigations. He always had Kaede’s back in the Trials and even matured a bit around her.

That was just an act, of course. Ouma still treated everyone else the same way, especially Saihara and Kiibo. But around Kaede, he couldn’t help but to tone that side of him down.

He wanted her to like him, after all. Truthfully, he only cared about this Killing Game to protect her. Originally, he wanted to stir up some trouble and create some chaos but… then he met her, and everything changed.

Although he may not have the most intimidating physique, he needed to remain vigilant so that no one tried harming her. He would put his life on the line for her if necessary.

It didn’t take a genius to sense that he had feelings for her, and Kaede eventually picked up on that, too. The first person to realize it, though, was the Detective boy who eventually called them out in the Dining Hall.

“Why are you two so close? Not the most likely couple if you ask me,” he mutters under his hat, causing Ouma to scoff and shrug him off playfully. “And what do you know, Shuichi?”

“That you like her.” This caused both Ouma and Kaede to freeze, blushes forming on their faces. 

She glanced at him in her peripheral, her heart began to race. She knew that she had feelings for him, but wasn’t so sure that they were mutual. Could this boy be right? Well, he was a Detective after all so he had to be good at reading people…

Neither of them wanted a relationship until they escaped from the Killing Game, but maintained their friendship in the meantime. It was hard to suppress their feelings, and indulged in a handful of make-out sessions and philosophical conversations scattered about.

Kaede still took their situation seriously, but let Saihara takeover the leadership position. He was much more capable of doing so and all she wanted to do was spend time with Ouma. 

If she was going to die here, she wanted to have a good time while she was at it. She was firm in her beliefs at the start and pushed their classmates to finding the truth, but Ouma made her realize that she was getting nowhere. She wasn’t in a position of power to boss others around, and Kaede eventually loosened up.

He changed her perspective on the Killing Game, to say the least. The two still talked about what their plans would be after they got out of here.

And Ouma even promised that Kaede could be his second-in-command, helping him rule over his organization. That’s a promise he wouldn’t make for just anyone, but she was special. He wanted her to help him take over the world, and all they had to do was make it out of here first.

- Mod Rantaro

[stellahex]

I like Fruits Basket 2001 better

Don’t get me wrong, the new reboot is amazing and I can’t wait to get the full story animated! I love the foreshadowing and the art style is visually stunning! This is in no way me COMPLAINING about the 2019 version, I will still watch it and enjoy it! But... idk...

It feels so... basic. Generic.

For me, I loved Fruits Basket’s 2001 run because of how expressive it was and how extremely unique it was. It used the fact that it’s drawn to it’s advantage and would often overexaggerate or oversimplify things in a way it added to the humor, and I loved how funny it was. This version just felt a lot more... bland to me. The animation was beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but it just felt like a generic shoujo romance anime with all the overdramatic lighting and the extreme detail. There were definitely shots that brought back the spirit of the old anime, like Shigure telling Tohru "welcome home!”, but other scenes like Shigure looking up when Kyo broke through the roof definitely felt much more lackluster. I wish they’d focus on making characters more expressive like they had done in the original rather than draw it out to be unnecessarily soft or add detail just for the aesthetic. I know the artists and animators worked hard and they did great, but I wish they’d make more stylistic choices to add to the mood and life of the show.

I think in general, the comedy felt a lot more muted in the new version than the original, like Shigure dodging the question of where the avalanche occurred in the original compared to the reboot’s rendition of that scene. Or when Tohru falls with a fever in the original where she deflates and slowly loses detail like a balloon in comparison to this version where she sort of just wobbles down. I think starkest of all for me is the end scene where all the Soumas turn into their zodiac animals, as I remember it being one of my favorite scenes from the first episode due to how the show treated it as a fun and comedic moment while this version treats it as a dramatic and whimsical moment (mainly due to the music it decided to use), which to me took away its impact. 

The music as a whole, too, was somewhat lackluster for me. While the 2001′s soundtrack stuck with me for years, the OST for the 2019 version doesn’t have anything that really defines the anime. Even the ED song didn’t really stand out to me, especially in comparison to EDs of other anime like Kaguya-sama or Bunnygirl Senpai. Maybe the OP will change my mind, and I know I’ve been using this word a lot, but the bgm they play in all the scenes just feels generic and unimpactful to me, especially since I went back and listened to a few random songs from the 2001 OST and recognized them immediately. 

And maybe this is just nostalgia speaking, but I feel like the characters themselves aren’t as... what’s a good work for it... quirky? In this iteration? Tohru and Shigure especially are much more muted, Tohru’s excessive and worrying rambling definitely minimized and Shigure’s dramatics toned down. Yuki himself comes across a lot less like a kind prince and reminds me more of Tamaki with more of a conceited princely air and more flair than the simpler kindness I remember(not that Tamaki wasn’t kind, but you can’t tell me he didn’t have a big ego). As we’ve only seen Kyo for like a minute, he seemed characterized pretty well, and hopefully we’ll see more of that. We saw more of Shigure’s antics near the end of the episode, so I hope that as time goes on the character’s life comes back to them!

Again this is definitely not saying the 2019 version is BAD! I’m still going to watch it every step of the way until it reaches the end of the story, and I’m still going to love it! I hope I’ll fall in love with it in more different ways and it’ll be able to bring enough life to itself that I won’t find myself constantly comparing it to the original and it can stand alone as its own, but as of the first episode it hasn’t done anything to especially stand out as the first episode of the 2001 version had for me. But I still can’t wait until episode 2!

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743. Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

*Opinions*

I did something a little different this time and wrote the review while I was reading since it was such a long novel. That has lead it to be a rather long review. 

I have had this book for almost a year at this point, but at almost 900 pages it was rather intimidating, especially with my inability to find time to read recently. However, I finally decided to take the bull by the horns and dive in. I was so pleased to see that most of the chapters are broken up into smaller segments, making it easier to move quickly through the book and not being locked into needing forty-five minutes to get through a chapter. I’m one of those people that really hates stopping in the middle of a chapter without a clear break in the action. There is also a good pace to the novel so that it's not that hard to convince yourself to go one more chapter break or make it to the end of the chapter. That being said, the overall plot of the story moves rather slowly, which would account for the novel's 850 pages. Still, after all the hype, I went in cautiously, not wanting to get my hopes up and be disappointed as I have been in the past. 

We started in the “present” of 1945 and even though we aren’t in 1945 long, Frank Randall finds the page time to be rather condescending and annoying. I do believe that is the point, his dismissal of his wife while he hunts down the family connection with Jonathan “Black Jack” Randall, to highlight the difference with Jamie, but it still bothered me. Now, I get it, I have family members who are very into genealogy, but to complete ignore your wife who you barely saw for six years to look at old records is ridiculous. Also, Frank’s view of adoption instantly made me sour toward him, but it’s a viewpoint that a number of people still hold. Not to mention how he reacted to Claire swearing. Now my viewpoint might be colored because I know that Jaime is the main romantic interest due to the television show, but still. Just saying you love someone doesn’t mean much when you’re a giant ass, Frank. To be honest, I don’t know why Claire tried so hard to get back to him. Getting back to indoor plumbing I understood, but not to get back to Frank. That coupled with his ancestor being the primary villain in the novel and I didn’t really give a damn about Frank. 

Something that I liked in regards to Jaime, which I hadn’t expected, was that he was younger than Claire. There was something so endearing about Jamie becoming flustered when Claire even suggested they sleep in the same room with absolutely not romantic intentions toward one another. Jaime has a lot of sweetness in him and while he has mysteries, he isn’t overly brooding, which is slightly overdone these days. Still, there are moments when he wants to be Claire's “master” that make him unlikable. Claire tells him no multiple times and they end up having sex anyway. While I am going to address this when it’s with males who aren’t Jaime, it is still nonconsensual sex (also known as rape) even if it’s a man that you are married to. You can argue that it’s the time and that makes it acceptable, seen a marital duty or whatever, but it doesn’t make Jaime likable. However, that doesn’t make me completely hate Jaime, due to his youth and inexperience, it just makes him a complex character. I just wish romance, as a genre, could stop pushing the no actually means a coy yes story line. It’s not sexy on the page or in real life. It’s rape. 

As with everything that is set in historical times, rape is spoken about, implied, and threatened on a number of occasions. It even happens to a male character, though I don’t want to spoil who. I understand, it is the truth of that point in time, but I personally feel that more of discussion needs to be had about it if you chose to focus on that part of history on so many occasions. I mean, Gabaldon has time travel in this novel, she could have toned down the amount non-consensual touching, kissing, undressing, groping, almost rape and actual rape in the case of Jaime taking Claire after she told him no on a couple occasions. Every male that runs into Claire either threatens to assault her or does assault her in some way and it’s just tiring. I thought that the novel was done with that particular issue once they had left the castle, but the minute that a male that was described as somewhat attractive and not crippled once again enters the narrative, Claire is forced into a position where she should be sexually assaulted. Then it is threatened again with a male that is mentally unstable. If that is the only way you can build tension in a scene with two members of the opposite sex, maybe take a step back and looking at how you’re crafting the story a little more carefully. This isn’t selling the romantic dream of every man wanting to be with you, it is reinforcing the knowledge that every woman has that we should always be on our guard and are never safe, which isn’t something I read fiction novels to be reminded of to this degree. 

One thing that I will give Gabaldon a small bit of credit for was how she dealt with the male rape victim in the novel. I don’t want to spoil who it is or the specifics surrounding the assault, but I believe she gave enough page space and emotional weight, Now this wasn’t just an assault, but torture as well, but the feeling of helplessness and shame that surrounded the character in regards to sex afterwards I believe was well done. However, that leads to another issue I have with this novel, that both homosexual characters are portrayed poorly. One is a villain and it is implied that he raped his younger brother, the other is a caricature and literally only in the novel for a while as a sort of comedic character, who also attempts to rape young boys. You can’t claim historical accuracy in this poor representation. While it might not have been written down, I highly doubt that every non-straight individual in the Scottish Highlands was a pedophile and/or rapist. 

Moving on from that, Gabaldon got the sibling dynamic between Jaime and his sister Jenny down pretty well. While we may live in a more civilized time, this is basically how arguments between me and my older brother go down, sans the whole kilt incident obviously. While it was frustrating that Jaime didn’t give her a chance to explain herself, especially when he already knew about Randall’s issue from Claire explaining her experience, it is a pretty accurate representation of sibling stubbornness. Jaime had years to form a picture in his mind of what had happened and it’s hard to listen to reason, from anyone, when that happens. Jaime’s interactions with his namesake nephew were also painfully adorable and it was a nice respite from the constant danger that they faced while at the castle. I really enjoyed this whole section of the novel, though the weird sexual display when describing what it’s like to be pregnant seemed a bit odd to me. Still, it was easy to understand the mood of the room and it was a rather wonderfully written section. 

Now to address the criticism that Claire is a Mary Sue that I had seen on a number of occasions. The knowledge that she had of medicine from her time as a nurse during the war makes perfect sense for the time period that she was living. The interest in herbs would also make sense if she had learned so much medical knowledge, hell I am interested in herbs and I have zero medical knowledge. While, I will admit, the whole traveling around with her uncle on archeological digs was a bit much, it’s no different than Indiana Jones and no one has a problem with him. While I don’t think that addition was necessary, most people adapt to roughing it when there is no other choice, it wasn’t something that pulled me out of the story. Honestly, I think what saves Claire from being insufferable is that she makes stupid decisions and is not a perfect person. I’m alright with a very knowledgeable main character as long as she also has flaws, which Claire has many. She is a very alive character and I appreciate that about her, even if I don’t like her all the time. 

It was a brave move on Gabaldon’s part, is that she lets the story take a very leisurely pace. There are whole sections that don’t move forward the plot, but they do give us the personality of the Scots that Claire is traveling with or meeting during her trip into the past. It is probably why the novel is almost 900 pages, however I appreciate learning to care about and getting complex characters to fall in love with or loath. While I do think that some areas could have been tightened up a bit, you are pulled with Claire into the Highlands and it is rare that you find yourself thinking that Gabaldon should just speed it up already. While it does seem as if the plot becomes a little repetitive, Claire finds herself in danger, is saved, becomes comfortable in her surrounds, and then the cycle is repeated, I never forced myself to pick up the book and dive back in. The only section that I found completely unnecessary was the entire battle with the wolf near the end of the book. The injuries from that encounter really have no bearing, nor does the actual killing as Claire is forced to kill humans a little later on. It was too long and I found myself really not all that interested. A couple paragraphs could have neatly wrapped up that section and moved the plot forward, but it was the only time I felt that way. It really is well situated to a television format, and it’s easy to see how sections could be broken up into episodes. I might search out the show now that I’m finished with the novel. Overall, I enjoyed my adventure in the Highlands and will continue with the rest of the series, but I don’t see this becoming my favorite series. There are just too many problems with it that I find hard to overlook or ignore.

[raykid]

Rabbids Invasion: Top 5 Best Season 4 Episodes So Far

Season 4 of Rabbids has so far easily been the best the series has had to offer since Season 2. Up until this point, this fourth installment has managed to flawlessly combine old elements that worked in previous seasons with new elements that in my opinion, have helped the show improve vastly.

From the episodes I’ve watched so far, I’ve been greeted with wonderfully bizarre stories such as a mutant Rabbid-mole stalking a flying submarine, Rabbids switching bodies with dinosaurs, and even a Red Riding Hood parody where the wolf is the hero, and the grandma is the antagonist, making this the craziest season yet. And since this is, after all, a Rabbids TV show, the crazier the better.

For that reason, today I’m going to be counting down to the top 5 absolute best this season has had to offer us so far. Grab a plunger and read on.

5. Rabbid Princess

Starting off this list is the episode I consider to have probably the funniest set-up for a Rabbids plot since Season 2′s ‘‘Glow Rabbid’‘. In this episode, a wimpy biker Rabbid who is part of a gang of tougher Rabbids accidentally knocks out their leader after attempting to perform a dangerous stunt. Afterwards, thinking that he ‘‘killed’ his leader, the wimpy biker Rabbid attempts to ‘‘revive’‘ him  by placing him inside the submarine’s disguise chamber, which results in him being dressed up as a princess. Clearly, hilarity ensued.

This episode takes advantage of every opportunity it has to crack a slapstick or visual joke about a tough biker Rabbid suddenly acting very feminine-like, and every moment of it is comedy gold. Probably the best scene in the entire episode is when the biker-princess Rabbid quite literally becomes a full-on parody of a classic Disney princess, possibly Snow White, where it then begins to sing in a high-pitched voice while cleaning the floor, complete with a whimsical soundtrack and tiny little chicks as backup singers.  There’s also a really good lesson at the end, which while I won’t give away, I feel makes the ending feel surpsiringly satisfying. Definitely an episode worth re-watching.

4. Rabbids Special Unit

This was one of three episodes that established the few mini- story arcs and recurring characters this season would continue to offer, and this particular one started off with a bang. In this episode, three Rabbids wearing tu-tus fall off the submarine, and it’s up to Zak and Zoey to get them back inside while avoiding the government, who is hot on the submarine’s trail. I had already talked about why this episode  works  so well in the past, and I still stand by my opinion that this is not only one of the best of this season, but possibly the series in general. The Rabbids’ antics while dressed as ballet dancers may already be funny on their own, but something about having human characters being there to react to them somehow makes the gag ten times more hysterical than it should be. The surprising amount of character development and growth given to both Zak and Zoey, at least when compared to previous seasons, also felt very earned. Not only is Zak now officially Zoey’s boyfriend, but he’s also grown fond of the Rabbids, going as far as to actually help them rather than try to obsessively catch or study them, and it never feels out of place or forced.

There’s also a lot of action and chase sequences, which I’m sure a lot of kids would enjoy. Everything this episode tried to go for was honestly pretty ambitious for only a mere seven minutes, and I guarantee you that the way this episode is paced will have you wanting more by the time it ends.

The only episode that could possibly top it would be one where a legitimate threat to the Rabbids is introduced, which leads me to my next entry..

3. Rabbid  Elite

Another episode  I had also once talked about in the past, but is definitely worth talking about  again, because the amount of care that was put into making this episode feel as atmospheric and intriguing as possible is just amazing. This episode introduces us to a supervillain named Otto Torx, who is obsessed with making the presidential office recognize his ‘‘genius plans’‘. Things then go awry when the Rabbids’ submarine becomes attached to the entrance of Torx’s lair, interfering with his plans of releasing flying robots to attack the city.

As I mentioned before, there’s something about the way this episode is written and animated that gives it a strange sense of atmosphere. The darker colors, the music, and even some of the camera angles give the episode a somewhat more somber tone from others. There’s this particularly great scene where Torx’s robots invade the Rabbids’ submarine and start shooting lasers at them, which perfectly implements all the elements that I just mentioned, and I  could easily watch it over and over again simply because of how beautiful it looked. The use of a strange, synthezied drum sound for the background music during this scene also helped this scene become a true highlight. This episode, in a strange way, I dare to say felt cinematic to me, and it doesn’t stop there.

The Rabbids, as always, have their cute slapstick moments, but easily the best part of the entire episode is Torx himself.  While his evil plans may not seem like much, everything from his attractive design , smooth voice  and Bond-like tendencies make him a very enjoyable character to watch, and his chemistry when facing the Rabbids is undeniable, and it’s where his personality truly shines. The ending of this episode is also especially hilarious, making this another must-watch.

2. Rabbid Clowns

After Torx’s nearly flawless introduction in ‘‘Rabbid Elite’‘, I honestly couldn’t wait to see more of him, and thankfully this season has had plenty of Torx-centric episodes, but probably his finest appereance following his debut episode is the one in question, titled ‘‘Rabbid Clowns’‘. It’s Torx’s birthday in this episode, and his mother sends a clown to his lair, despite him loathing them. Unfortunately, three Rabbids arrive at Torx’s lair before the clown does, and dress up as ones as well, driving Torx insane with their comedic antics. As I mentioned in the previous entry on this list, Torx’s personality shines best when he’s surrounded by the Rabbids. His irritability and formal demeanor combined with the Rabbids’ loud and rowdy behavior make for the perfect comedy team, with Torx playing the ‘‘straight man’’ to the Rabbids‘ insanity, and this episode relishes every second of it. Not only were the Rabbids hysterical, with them bouncing and running around screaming and acting like clowns like they usually do, but there was a moment where I was legitimately concerned for their well-being.

At one point, Torx becomes so fed up with them that he finally loses his patience and starts chasing them around his lair with a golf club. Granted, the Rabbids have survived countless of injuries before, but something about the angles that they showed when Torx dragged the golf club across the floor, as well as the music, made him seem genuinely threatening, and it’s such a great thing to see. After all, if Rabbids are going to be the stars of their own show, the viewer needs to care for them in some way, and what better way to do so than by putting them in legitimate danger. The action in this episode was also great. We get to see, once again, all of Torx’s robots shooting lasers, as well as Rabbids running away and hiding in the dark, and it’s all a joy to watch. This episode just had a great balance of action, comedy and suspense that I honestly don’t think I’ve seen in any other episode of Rabbids, making this episode one of a kind. But if this is the case, what other episode could possibly be better?

Well… that, my friends is…

1. Rabbid Vikings

This is the episode that comes to mind when I think of the perfect Rabbids story.  I’m just going to say it: Before Torx came along, Alice was my favorite human character in the series, and she still holds a strong position as my second favorite. This episode justifies not only everything I love about this character, but what I love about Rabbids in general. This episode sees the Rabbids dress up as vikings to retrieve their ball from a cow. Unfortunately, they soon become mad with power and start causing destruction and mayhem in the entire city, eventually  having Alice join them as their leader.

There’s a lot of reasons why I chose this as the number 1 episode of this season so far. For one, it was great to see the Rabbids return to their slightly more destructive roots from some of their earliest video games. at least for the lenght of one episode. As always, there’s a couple of cute slapstick gags and all the classic Rabbid humor fans have come to enjoy over the years, but what makes this episode stand out to me the most is that it has something that’s probably what I consider to be the most important thing any project, (live-action or animated) should always have: Heart. This episode of Rabbids has a lot of heart underneath all its chaos, particularly in its resolution, and they couldn’t have chosen a better character for this type of storyline than Alice. Any episode where Alice and the Rabbids interact is easily some of the most endearing and sweetest stories the show has to offer, as I’ve always seen their relationship as  sort of couple of neighborhood kids who occasionally get together and play, and this entry is no exception.

I don’t want to give away the ending of the episode, but I am going to say that it’s easily the highlight of the entire thing, and it embodies everything I love about these crazy bunnies. They may seem loud and obnoxious on the surface, but at the end of the day, it’s their child-like innocence and endearing side that has managed to plunge its way into my heart, as well as hundreds of other fans’. This episode represents what made the Rabbids so appealing to begin with: A  perfect balance of chaos and charm.

Let’s hope these lovably idiotic anti-heroes never change their wicked ways, especially for the remainder of this season. Hope you enjoyed my list!