#and if anything i now have a great ren faire costume for next year a la mushroom elf/fairy/gerblin

[geekwiththegoggles]

It is finished!

I ended up ditching the border and stuck to just the lil appliques. I can't wait to see how everyone else did with theirs, we've all been excited about it.

[tookishcombeferre]

Good point!! (Tho, it seems so ooc that Sofia didn't react more horrified when Cedric got directly hit; it could have killed him, and it looked like it hurt a LOT. She looked horrified, but she didn't cry out "MR. CEDRIC!" or anything. Did you get that too?) Plus, I refuse to believe he wasn't also a bit injured from his fall when he saved Sofia! Yet, he seemed like he didn't even have a SCRATCH from either of those!! I know cartoon logic, but come on!!

That entire situation was so weird to me. My spouse and I said the same thing when we watched it. We were so confused. I was like ... there is no *way* he does not have a concussion at least. There is no way! Also, why was Roland about as useful as a stool during that battle? They teach them *knight skills* in RPA! What was he doing during those classes??? Like, what?? I just do not understand how James is more capable in battle than his own father who is like, at least 40! It baffles me. Ugh! Himbo King (affectionate)! What are you doing?

Do you think after the wedding or at the grad party, Grandqueen told Cedric how sorry she was that he didn't have her back?

Yes? I think so. I'm not sure exactly when that happened, but I think it did. I'm not sure it was during/ immediately after the grad party because, I'm pretty sure, if I were Cedric, I'm taking the first quick exit I can to go take a NAP after all the craziness with the Amulet. (I'm also very much not a crowds person.)

But, let's assume she stayed a few days after the grad party to visit and said her piece then.

And it's so cool that you geek out about the show with your spouse! Haha! yeah ... Not to be sappy on the thread, but our anniversary is this week. Spouse Unit 1 and I have some great banter when we watch the episodes together. The first episode he ever watched was the one where they ended up in Elf Wonderland ... I cannot for the life of me remember the title of that episode ... but we both almost fell off the couch laughing. Our kid probably thought we were absolutely bonkers, but we absolutely lost our minds. Needless to say he was absolutely invested after that. (I caught him up backwards afterwards with like "the highlights.") For our 5th wedding anniversary, and kiddo's 3rd Birthday, next summer/early fall, we're planning to do a two day stint at a Ren Faire where we had one of our first dates in college.

One of the days, Spouse Unit 1 and I plan on dressing as our favorite characters from Sofia the First. Our biggest rule for cosplay has always been we choose based on favorite characters not based on ships. Couples costumes can get boring. But, all of our plans must center the toddler now, so kiddo picks the shows and we pick whatever characters we, personally, like best. Those are our rules. The two of us organically chose, based purely on our favorite characters from the show, to be Cedric and Baileywick.

I don't think we'll even have to act to be in character for the cosplay. It's just who we are as people.

When the two of us first met, I was the perpetual recluse who thought if I worked hard enough I could 4.0 college and finally make my father proud. And, my spouse was like "Yeah ... you could do that ... or like ... you could have friends and tea." (We had a tradition in our friend group to talk literature, history, and philosophy at a tea shop near our university every Friday from 4:30 until the place closed starting in my 2nd year of college. We were mutual friends, and part of the same group of friends, for about 2 and 1/2 years before we started going out.) My spouse was also the dude in college who texted the GroupMe to make sure everyone ate breakfast and drank water in college. He also had the only car ... It's just ... it was in his spirit to choose Baileywick as his favorite character. Not a ship I necessarily ship in the show. But, like I said, that's not how we pick costumes.

But, yeah, he's great. He makes sure I take care of my physical body, and I ensure he's never bored. ;)

We'll be married four years this Halloween. Time flies.

Cedric, Tilly, and Grandmum (Roland's mother)

I really would have loved to have seen Tilly and Roland's mother interact with Cedric. I would love to know what they thought of Cedric, especially ever since the Incident.

I always thought Grandmum was genuinely just as strict and traditional as her husband, before older age- and the death of her husband- somehow mellowed her out.

Given how strict she was supposed to have been, I hc she and King Roland I both strongly disapproved of Cedric after the Incident (but remained good friends with Cedric's parents), and strongly discouraged their son from being friends with Cedric anymore... just as Goodwyn likely did with Cedric, all three of them seeing Cedric as a bad influence and a hazard to both the prince and his reputation. They likely did the same with Tilly, who I hc was similarly close to Cedric.

I have always wished we had seen Grandmum interacting with Cedric in at least one of the few episodes she was in, especially the finale where Cedric not only at last seemed like part of the family, but led everyone in saving Sofia and demonstrating just how powerful he was.

I also wish Tilly had interacted with Cedric on the show, since they grew up together with their siblings. I hc her and Cedric and young Roland and Cordelia all were very tight together before the Incident, and that Tilly was the only one who didn't blame Cedric or turn his back on him (aside from Winifred). Being a bit of an unconventional princess who didn't really fit in herself, I can't see her judging anyone else as 'different' or an outcast according to society's standards; besides, she seemed way too chill for that! I also hc that she tried to remain Cedric's friend, but he pushed her away out of fear that she would soon come to turn his back on him like everyone else (which was the start of him hardening his heart and refusing to ever get close to anyone again- except for Wormwood- despite his true loneliness), and then she eventually left the castle to be an adventurer before they could reconnect. 😟

[sadiesdolls]

Another multi-day Creativity Report!

So I’m really into quilts now I guess? I never used to like them because they were such a big part of that kitschy Americana prairie revival County Living Magazine look that was popular when I was a kid, which my mother LOVED to the point of forcing me and my sisters to wear handmade bonnets and pinafores to any and all occasions that required any type of costumes or formalwear for years and which I therefore HATED with the FIERY PASSION of A THOUSAND SUNS—but that’s another story. Anyway, lately I’ve been seeing really cool modern quilt patterns made with neat contemporary prints and I’m realizing that I only really dislike that sort of Laura Ingalls Wilder flour sack calico pinafore smock cosplaying-the-1880s-in-the-1980s nonsense. Quilts can be cool now!! Have you seen that Polaroid pattern???

I really love the idea of just taking some time and blowing through ye olde fabric hoarde for a while to clear up some space. That first one I made was almost all from my massive stash of impulse-bought remnants I’d got to make doll clothes, and I’d either abandoned the project or used a tiny scrap of it and then I was just sitting on the rest in case I decided to make 38 more of the same thing, I guess. I really like all the prints and I love that I finally got to use them for something I’ll actually use and look at! It’s a really unusual and striking color combination that I put together myself! A lot of the assembly work is relatively mindless which makes it relaxing, but the results are so rewarding! It shows off the precision of my sewing skills in a big, satisfying way that people can see and appreciate even if they think dolls are weird!

On Tuesday I added a simple backing to my first quilt using some old? not velour and not minky but something kind of like that? fabric that’s been sitting in my stash for so long I forgot what it was originally supposed to be. Probably a historically inaccurate ren faire cloak lining?

I have a lot of things like that laying around too, big long yardages that someone bought to use as a drapery behind a display or something and later gave to me because they know I sew, or recycled drapes and things, or fabrics that I got with the idea of making a cosplay or a historical costume so I needed a ton of it but then the thing didn’t get made… big chunks of nice fabrics that would be perfect for these backing pieces! I’ve just been storing it all, it’s taking up like half my hobby storage space. But making these quick simple quilts is a super satisfying way to destash while getting the satisfaction of finishing a cool project! And they make great gifts for the right people because the work that goes into them makes them so valuable but no one is willing to pay for them, haha! Get that fabric out of my house!!

And I say “quilts” because I’m making at least three more, haha. Yesterday and today I’ve been working on another jelly roll race for my dad:

He loves blue! A lot of this one is made up of old quilting fabric from a hoarde that belonged to my partner’s grandmother. She had a lot of that traditional country quilt aesthetic type stuff, tiny florals in awkward colors and ginghams and things. A lot of it’s good for doll scale, which is why it was given to me, but well… you can probably guess I haven’t used much of it. There were quite a few prints in there that remind me of shirts my dad has worn, though, so this was a good opportunity to use some of that up. I also used some special prints that I’ve collected over the years because they reference things I like—and he likes those things too because we’re very similar, haha.

Next, I’ve gathered up stuff from my hoarde in my partner’s mother’s favorite colors to make her a jelly roll race too……….. and even though the point of this exercise is to use up old fabric, I splurged on a bunch of Halloween themed prints at Joann’s the other day so I can make a really nice witchy aesthetic quilt for our bedroom after I’ve had a little more practice. I might look at a different pattern for that, I don’t know yet.

Anyway, tealdeer, piles and piles of old fabric does not spark joy but I couldn’t bring myself to do anything about it because of the potential—and making quilts somehow completely defies my expectations and does spark joy.

[silenceofthecookies]

Come in

So, it’s Halloween month, and I wanted to write some Halloween inspired scenarios this month! Here is the first, enjoy!

Pairing: Jinguji Ren x female reader Word count: 1183 Warnings: mentions of alcohol

Adjusting your costume once more, you left the staff-only area and returned to your place behind the bar. You kind of regretted your choice of costume, a fancy but itchy demon costume. It was a little uncomfortable and the skirt was a tad bit too short, but at least you looked great. Next year, you were definitely going for comfort though.

It was Halloween night, and the bar you worked at was throwing a party. You didn’t have anything planned, so you figured you might as well work through the night, earning some extra money. Your co-workers even believed they owed you for it, which made it all the better.

Looking at the clock, you realized there was only one hour left to go before the bar would close. Releasing a sigh of relief, you focused on the next patron. Even though you were doing this voluntarily, you were getting very tired and you couldn’t wait until you could go home, take off this costume and crawl into bed. Looking your next customer in the eye, you were a little surprised to see a familiar face, looking paler than usual with little fangs on the corners of his smile.

“Ren? What are you doing here?” “Well my dear, it’s a party, isn’t it? Of course I’d be here.” “Just you? Or did your colleagues come too?” “Just me, the others went to a more… let’s say, tame party.” “So you drove all the way out here and now you’re drinking?” “No dear, I took the bus. I know I shouldn’t drink and drive, I drink responsibly.” “Then how are you going home?” “The bus?” “Ren, it’s 2 am. There are no more busses here at this hour.”

Watching his face go from relaxed to shocked was rather amusing, but you also felt bad for him. You and Ren had been friends for a few years now, though you didn’t see each other that often, certainly not ever since he had joined Shining Entertainment and became part of the idol group Starish, you still saw him as a good friend. You couldn’t just leave him to his own devices tonight, now could you?

“You know what? I’ll be off in about an hour. Hang around here until then, and then you can drive home with me and crash on the couch. Then you can take the bus back when you’re awake.” “Y/N, you’re an angel.” “Actually, I’m a demon,” you gestured at the little horns on your head, “but thank you.” “No my dear, thank you.”

You exchanged smiles before you handed him his drink and continued serving other patrons. Ren went to the side of the party, relaxing a bit, and mostly waiting for your shift to be done. The hour flew by with how busy it was, and soon you sat behind the wheel of your car with Ren sitting next to you.

“Whoa, Ren! I didn’t notice inside because of how dim the lights were, but your costume looks amazing! You almost look like a real vampire!” “Thank you, my dear. I did put some effort into my appearance for the night.” “And it shows! Damn, if I didn’t know you already, I’d say I needed to watch my back! Or, well, neck.” You laughed at your own stupid joke, and Ren laughed with you.

After a short drive, you arrived at your house. You parked your car in the driveway as usual, and went inside. Noticing you didn’t hear the door close behind you, you looked back to see Ren still standing outside.

“Ren? Are you ok?” “Yes I am, my dear, but you should know vampires always need to be invited in.” Ren winked, and started laughing. “Well then, my fanged friend, you may enter.”

Ren smiled and entered your house as you both laughed about the stupidity of the joke. You brought him to the living room and went to get a spare blanket and pillow. Before going to bed, the two of you shared one more drink on the couch while catching up a little, it had been a long time, after all.

To be fair, you were a little excited. You had ben crushing on Ren for a long time now, but you knew he wasn’t allowed to have a relationship as long as he was part of Shining Entertainment. Over time, you had gotten the idea that Ren felt the same way about you, but of course you couldn’t be sure until either of you spoke up. Relationship or not, having him stay over for the night made our heart skip a beat. The thought of being able to see him first thing in the morning made you look forward to waking up. After finishing up your drinks the two of you wished each other good night and you both went to sleep.

---

You heard footsteps in your room. Thinking it was a burglar, you snapped your eyes open to see Ren standing next to your bed. “Ren? What are you doing in my room? Is something wrong?” You were about to get up when you felt Ren’s hand on your shoulder. “No, Y/N. Nothing is wrong, I’m sorry for waking you.” “Then why are you in my room?” “I woke up from a scream. I thought it was you but… I guess it was just in my dream.” “Nope, I didn’t scream. Guess all the Halloween stuff got to you, huh?” “Yes, I guess it did. Sorry for waking you, Y/N. I’ll let you go back to sleep now. Good night.” “Sweet dreams, Ren.”

As you turned around in your bed and almost immediately slipped back to sleep. Just before you lost consciousness, you heard Ren say one more thing.

“Thank you, Y/N. But actually, vampires don’t dream.”

You felt a pressure on your neck, which turned into a sharp pain, and then-

---

You jolted awake. What a dream, you guessed Halloween got to you, not to Ren. Your neck was stiff and sore. Guessing you had lied in a wrong position, you stretched your neck a bit before going to the living room to see if Ren was already awake.

You were surprised to find the room empty. The blanket and pillow you gave him the night before laid neatly folded on the couch. Checking around the house once more, you couldn’t find Ren anywhere. There was no note either, and you didn’t see any messages on your phone either. You tried to call Ren, but you only got voicemail.

Figuring he had to leave urgently for idol business or something, you started to get ready for the day. Apparently that dream hadn’t been the only one you had, you felt as if you had been hit by a truck. Weak, sluggish, still very tired,… not to mention that pain in your neck. After breakfast, you headed up to the bathroom to brush your teeth. Looking in the mirror above your sink, you finally saw the cause of your pain.

There were two tiny holes in the side of your neck.

[yakumtsaki]

I taste just like ice cream, bitch I am so icy, heart cold like an ice queen, that's why they don't like me 🎵

-What the hell was that.

Traditionally I start Union updates with semi-relevant song lyrics.

-Why did you start an update at all.

Because it’s time, Shajar! I took a holy oath in my 2020 simming goals post to update Unions once a month, and I’m already a month late.

-But nothing interesting is happening. 

That’s never stopped me before. Now listen to Rico Nasty, cry some more about Sophie blowing you off, and shut up.

-Ugh please, I couldn’t be more over Sonia if I tried. I hardly ever texted her links to wedding pinterest boards and quizzes to determine if our parenting styles are compatible. 

Did she ever reply? 

-She did once and said ‘who dis’. Of course the letters unscrambled spell out ‘do wish’, meaning she did wish me to keep messaging her. I just don’t know where it all went wrong. 

-Hey there, 17 year old girl, maybe you’ve had enough neat whiskey for the night? We’re actually running out of bottles. 

-Beat it, ponytail, I need to dull my pain. I’ve just been stabbed right in the gut by the love of my life. Just like my style idol and general role model, space opera fascist Kylo Ren.

Shaj I really hate seeing you like this, and not just because the red neon light is super unflattering on your complexion.

-You can fuck right off too, I was perfectly happy with my dads who hate me and my imbecile sister and my brother who might as well not exist, noogie-ing people all day AND night long, but you had to be all ‘OMG IT’S SOPHIE MIGUEL SHAJAR GO TALK TO HER’. Life-ruining-moron. 

But I was totally right about you two hitting it off, I mean look how sad you are now that she dumped- yea never mind, that’s not a good argument.

-Look what I can do even though I’ve had 46 whiskeys!! How you like me now, Sophie???

-You’re paying for all these broken glasses, I’m going to need your name and a credit card.

-Yes, fair enough, my name is Cyneswith Union-

-I LOOK GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

Yea, you really should eat something to soak up all the alcohol. And not to kick you when you’re down, but you should also disregard all those cliches about ~a smile being the most beautiful thing you can wear~ because MAN. Watch out Joaquin, there’s a new Joker on the prowl. 

-So.. 20 lobsters thermidor and our most expensive appetizers?

-Aha.

-Would you mind settling your bill now?

-Of course not! My name is Cyneswith Union and this is the credit card my parents got me when I was 6 because we’re super duper best friends! I love my parents! They don’t care about their other daughter at all, even when their other daughter is going through a really hard time because she got the emotional equivalent of a lightsaber wound in the gut. You know what, let me also get 20 bottles of your most overpriced champagne to go with the lobsters.

Feeling better?

-Well it’s hard to feel bad when you’re spending your parents’ money recklessly and with malice aforethought.

It sure is. Alright well, the sun is coming up, maybe we should head home.

-What’s the rush? What is going to happen if I don’t go home, my parents will get worried? LOL

God your life sucks. Ok let’s hit a couple more places.

-Greetings. Welcome to our establishment. I am a human employee from this planet.

Great, nice to meet you.

-I just want there to be no doubt that I am indeed an earthling, born and raised under the earth’s exosphere and not above it.

Leave us alone.

-And I’m the resident community lot sim with that one face template you hate! There must be one of us on every lot you visit!

-And I am here in my revealing outfit to use the dance sphere and make everyone uncomfortable!

You’re actually pretty, I need to keep you in mind for after Don Oates takes a wrecking ball to our genetics, but yea, let’s bounce, Shajar.

Time to visit the happiest place on earth, Deh'Javu Modern Art Museum, home to my favorite piece of art in any medium, The Toilet of Fire. Shove that Fountain up your ass, Duchamp. How we feeling, Shaj?

-This trash can reminds of Sophie :( She used to go around town throwing money she stole from charities in trash cans and then send them riddles for where to find them :(

Enough with Sophie, we’ll find you someone better! Like..

..your aunt! Get the hell out of here Brit Brit, you’re taking up townie space. 

-I won’t be long, Gunther’s amazing close-up portrait of my hair was rejected by the museum so I’m here to set this shithole on fire. 

In other words Gunther just painted a canvas black and called it a day?

-His art doesn’t cater to plebs. Yes, offense.

Our old friend Ugly Teen Townie is here so finally we can have some fun. Shajar had gone almost 12 hours(!) without noogieing someone and I was starting to worry for her health.

-Yes, yes, I’m starting to feel like myself again..

Good for you, Shaj!

-Hope you’ve made peace with your God, Ugly Teen Townie, this water balloon is filled with horse feces! 

-WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET HORSE SHIT

-I ordered it from some guy named Leod McGreggor.

-How about a another joke, MuRRAY?

-What?!

-Now you say, ‘no, I think we’ve had enough of your jokes’. Say it!

-No, I think we’ve had enough of your jokes.

-What do you get when you cross a mentally-ill loner with a society that abandons him and treats him like trash? Now you say ‘call the police, Gene!’

-Call the police, Gene!

-I'll tell you what you get..

-YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE. HAHA oh man! Good stuff. 

Alright I’m starting to feel bad for Ugly Teen Townie, first he had to come to all the toddler birthday parties during the Victoria/Komei era and now this, he has suffered enough at this family’s hands. Time to go home, Shaj.

-Not so fast!

Wow, the Countess and Mrs. Crumplebottom on the same lot, top 10 anime crossovers.

-I have been sent here by the Limp Dick Vamps United organization to recruit Shajar Union.

Ugh you people are still around? Haven’t heard of you losers since the Count wouldn’t let Victoria bang him, which I’m still annoyed about. 

-Indeed we are, and it’s clear Shajar is ready to join us, dedicating her life to evil deeds without romantic distractions. I have no idea what Crumplebottom is doing here.

-I’m here to recruit Shajar to my own organization, Bitter Sims Worldwide Alliance. We’re always on the lookout for new members who want to spread their misery to their fellow Sim. 

It sounds like it’d be more effective if you guys just merged your organizations.

-I will NEVER merge my organization with someone who displays her bosom like a common whore. 

-Eat a dick, Crumplebottom!

-MAKE ME, FANGTOOTH

-Alright here I am, what the fuck do you want?

-Shajar, it is a pleasure to meet you! Ardent admirer of your work.

-What work, freakshow?

-Torturing everyone around you, what else!

-What? I don’t torture people around me, if anything they torture me.

-Why don’t you talk to me about it?

-I’d rather not, you look like a bejeweled snowman.

-Look deep into my eyes, Shajar..

-And now look deep into my razor sharp teeth..

-Ugh fine, let’s talk. 

-Is that Victoria and Komei’s teen granddaughter hanging out with a vampire?

Yes it is Kennedy, keep it moving.

-God, wtf is wrong with this family. 

Nothing now that you’ve been removed from our social circle, go away! Just kidding, you’re an icon and I’m marrying you in at some point. 

-Hard pass. 

Your loss, hombre. 

-It definitely isn’t.

-If I had known your turn on was vampires I would had set you two up!

STOP SETTING UP TEENS WITH ADULTS, LAKSHMI. And Shajar’s turn ons isn’t vampires, it’s fitness/fatness. Body positive queen. 

-Well, Shajar, you alphabetically listing all the people who have wronged you while I was trying to kill Crumplebottom telepathically has made for a very productive conversation. We’ll be in touch. 

-Thanks, Countess, it’s been real.

Shajar!!! Who cares about Sophie when you might bag a hot, rich vamp??

-Meh.

I’m gonna need you to be more excited about this prospect because a vampire spouse might just be enough of a draw to beat the comedic factor of fucking Don Oates turning us into an unintentional uglacy and I’m doing whatever I can to avoid my fate.

Ugh.

UGH

UGHHHHHHH

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO VICTORIA

-GET FUCKED, BROKEN FACED WEIRDO

God I miss you Vic 💔

-Donnie-bear, not to be not-nice, but mopping your pee off my front lawn is not exactly what I pictured doing during this date.

This guy won’t even mop up his own piss, what a catch.

Wow, manipulative much?? You are a piss piece of work, Donaldo.

-Don’t think we forgot about you, you 10-nice-point disgrace!

-VICTOR NO

-GET THAT MOP READY

-Finally, some peace and quiet.. Just me, alone with my broken heart, pondering my hopeless, loveless future..

-💗💗💗OMG SIS THERE YOU ARE. DONNIE AND I MADE OUT!!! 💗💗💗 But then grandma’s ghost scared him into soiling himself. 

-Good for grandma, hopefully next time she gives him a stroke. Now shut up and let’s eat in silence while I ponder my hopeless, loveless future.

-Okie dokie! 💗💗💗

-Um, I think mine has vomit in it.

-Yea I did that, but it’s just whiskey and lobster, if anything it increased in value. 

-Awww thanks sis! 💗💗💗

-Stop patronizing me, you little bitch. God I want to poke your eye out with this chopstick so badly.

-I love you too Shaj! 💗💗💗

And I hate both of you. Where’s your brother, I haven’t paid attention to him in 3 days. 

-He went upstairs, I think he’s pusshurt we forgot his birthday LOL

IT’S HIS BIRTHDAY????

-Don’t feel bad, I forgot it too! 💗💗💗

GODDAMMIT. WULF! WULF WHERE ARE YOU

-I’m here, I just grew up and dare I say it could not have gone better! 

Really?? Finally some good news! Let me look upon you-

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

WULF WHAT THE FUCK

-I was Mozart musical genius boy but now I’m a sk8ter boi! Character development!

Ok this is the most iconic birthday look since Gunther grew up in the pirate costume, we’re obviously keeping it. 

-Great! And as if the fact I’m a Wyatt face template with 0 Jojo genes wasn’t enough to make me unelectable, I also rolled family! :D I’m doing everything I can to ensure I live that sweet motherlode spare life! 

Honestly you should had picked another outfit cause now that you’re dressed like this I unironically want you to win. Hoisted with your own petard.

[electronicyarn]

NOT Live Blogging RWBY Vol. 7

Guess who has two thumbs and finally finished watching RWBY Volume 7? This gal! So I decided I’d post my thoughts on the volume. I’m kind of disappointed I didn’t get to properly live blog it, but I guess right now this is the best I can do.

(So is…is tumblr still a thing? Or has whatever company that owns it now finally run the site completely into the ground. Maybe the question I should be asking is: does anyone still follow my blog?)

I think in the interest of not rambling too wildly I’m going to organize my thoughts into broad categories. So, here we go.

Visuals

If nothing else, this volume was a feast for the eyes. I’m impressed that RWBY continues to noticeably improve its visuals with each Volume. Honestly, at this point I don’t see the need for further improvement. The character models are appropriately stylized, the backgrounds are gorgeous, and the last of the kinks have (finally) been worked out of the animation.

What I’m less enthused about is the costume design. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad. It’s just not great. Penny’s new design works. Ruby’s outfit is virtually identical to her last one, so she gets a pass. Weiss’s is close, oh so close. I like the basic design, but I think the colors needed some more tweaking. Blake’s outfit is…. Well, I don’t know. I think I’m going to call it mildly nonsensical. I’m digging the haircut though. (Same goes for Jaune!) Yang and Neo’s new clothes are so-so at best, and Cinder’s are downright awful. Strangely enough, it’s Team JN_R that wins the best-dressed award in my book. They’re new outfits look far better than Weiss’s, Blake’s, and Yang’s by a mile.

I guess I should count my blessings. After Neo and Cinder’s new outfits debuted at the end of Volume 6 I was afraid that everyone might end up looking like lampshades. Or maybe fetishists not fully committing to the part.

Story

Up until about Episode 10 I was going to call this volume the good twin to Volume 4’s evil twin. A volume of RWBY that lacked the high-highs and the low-lows that are so endemic of the franchise. The difference between the two being that Volume 4 was painfully mediocre, while Volume 7 was pretty good. But it turns out I was wrong. The entirety of Volume 7 was, in my opinion, nothing more than a build-up to the big finale. And what a finale it was! But maybe I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.

The first episode really won brownie points with me for basically doing the bad part of Volume 6 (Team RWBY spitting in the face of authority) except doing it right. It turns out that authority figures aren’t always “whimsical” caricatures masquerading as antagonists. (Sorry, I really hated Caroline, and not in a good way.) It also turns out that sometimes the authorities aren’t utterly incompetent. In many ways the Ace-Ops arresting Team RWBY reminded me of a less extreme version of the ending of the fourth Hunger Games movie. Specifically the part where Katniss and company decide to storm the castle and utterly fail. You know, the part where the movie transformed from an uninspired parody of itself to the absolute highlight of the entire franchise?

And then a bunch of stuff happened, some of which I’ll discuss in the next section. And then there were some really great fights. Oh yes, and then Salem shows up. Bye-bye Atlas! You. Are. Outta here!

Honestly, the only thing I didn’t much care for story-wise was Penny becoming the new Winter Maiden. It’s not because I don’t like the concept; it’s because it feels like they didn’t put any thought into the idea other than “let’s make Penny the Winter Maiden”. I’ll withhold judgment for now. It’s only fair that I wait and see where they go with it.

Characters

Believe it or not, I don’t have much to say about Team RWBY themselves in this section. Development-wise this volume was almost exclusively focused on other characters. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, although it wouldn’t be my first choice if I had my druthers. Honestly, Weiss, Blake, and Yang’s character arcs have largely been concluded at this point. Only Ruby’s left with outstanding issues regarding her mother. So…yeah. Maybe that bodes poorly for the franchise’s future now that I think about it? Or at least my own personal enjoyment of it? Eh, I’ll worry about that later. I should talk about all the other characters!

Team JN_R – I was a bit surprised at the lack of Jaune-related content this volume. They didn’t even deign to make him suffer much. But with a cast as big as RWBY’s, it’s not the first time we’ve seen a character take a volume off as it were. The big news here is that they actually attempted to give Ren a character and bring him into conflict with Nora. I…. Well, I don’t really think they succeeded, to be honest. As is a common problem in RWBY, there really wasn’t enough time to let the idea be fully realized. But I appreciate the effort.

The Ace-Ops – Oh, I had these guys pegged as the volume’s final bosses from the get-go. And I was not disappointed. As one-off antagonists, they worked. I can’t remember any of their names though. Except for Clover’s, and I’ll talk about him and Qrow in the section below.

Penny – It’s about time she came back. We all knew that was going to happen, right? And while I’m on the subject, Pietro was a nice side character too.

Oscar – He was there.

Robyn – I’m not sure what to say about her, to be honest. She was a good enough character, and played her role in the story well. But I never felt like she rose above her role.

Neo – You know who my favorite RWBY character is? It’s Yang, obviously. And do you know who the most strongly characterized RWBY character is? It’s the late Roman Torchwick of course. But do you know who takes second place in both of those categories? Neo. Kind of ironic for that second one given that she doesn’t speak. Neo did not disappoint this volume. She never disappoints. And I’ve said it before, on this very blog I think. In terms of raw-skill, Neo is one of the most dangerous characters in the RWBY-verse. Team JN_R vs. Neo? No contest. Although I am amused that Jaune got the only real hit on her. I’m even more amused that it somehow felt appropriate.

Cinder – Again I continue to really like post-Volume 4 Cinder. No matter how hard she tries, the universe just won’t stop kicking her in the teeth. And it just fits her character so well. Bravo Rooster Teeth!

Winter – Winter’s battle might not have been the most fun. That goes to Neo vs. some bush leaguers. It might not have been the most creative. That goes to Team RWBY vs. the Ace-Ops. But by God, no one put in more effort than Winter. She has my utmost respect.

Weiss’s Mom – Hey, she exists! Nice!

Dr. Watts – So much smarm. So much arrogance. I should hate him, but I really don’t. He’s just great.

Ironwood – And the best for last. Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my. His arc this volume was absolutely perfect. It was given enough time to be believable, amazing for a show like RWBY, and every step along his journey made sense. He’s become my absolute favorite kind of antagonist, the kind that believes what they’re doing is right. And here’s the thing, I can’t say that Ironwood is wrong. I don’t think he’s right, but I can’t say that he’s wrong. Give me an Ironwood over a Tyrian any day of the week. Please give me an Ironwood over a Tyrian.

The Gay Agenda

*singing* Qrow has a boyfriend….

Er…. Qrow had a boyfriend. And then Clover got Bury Your Gays’d. I’m kind of disappointed, but I’m kind of not. After all, the universe has long since ordained that it is Qrow’s lot in life to suffer.

To tell the truth I’m deeply divided on how I feel about RWBY’s take on the gays. The homoromantic subtext between Yang and Blake has reached levels equivalent to Season 3 of Xena: Warrior Princess. And Qrow and Clover were about there too. On one hand, I’m happily drinking it all up. On the other hand, I want to call Rooster Teeth a bunch of cowards. It’s not 1999 anymore. You can make characters gay. RWBY has made (side) characters gay. At best I’m expecting them to pull a Legend of Korra and only make things “official” at the very end of the show, a resolution I found deeply unsatisfying. But if I were running the show, would I do things differently? Well, yes I would. But would it be the correct decision from a revenue perspective? I’m assuming that RWBY is a, let’s say, important show for Rooster Teeth. I base this assumption on the fact that they announced three RWBY-adjacent spin-offs just after Volume 7 finished. Perhaps they feel they can’t take any risks with something so popular? Perhaps they don’t particularly care. Again, I don’t know how to feel about it.

Conclusion

Homoromanticism aside, (Never!) is Volume 7 the best volume ever? It might be. Only Volumes 1 and 5 can contend with it for consistent high quality. If I had to declare one volume as the best overall, this would probably be it. That being said, I doubt anything will ever supplant the Yang and Blake vs. Adam fight in Volume 6 as my favorite part of RWBY. I still can’t believe they paid that off so well. Three years of anticipation and they fulfilled my every expectation.

Wait, what was I talking about again? Oh yeah. Volume 7. It was good.

[callioope]

Good Things in 2019

@theputterer and @the-strongest-stars tagged me in the awesome annual end-of-year Good Things meme! I’ve done this in 2018 & 2017 and always think it’s a fun exercise of both reflection and looking forward.

Oh boy, though, my first thought was, what even happened in 2019? (Looking at a calendar helped! It reminded me of a few things I forgot)

It’s been a Rough Year, friends. Between OCD and basically travelling almost every weekend in the latter half of 2019, I am very much ready for a new year and hopefully a new slate.

But this is about the positives!

Personal

Played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons! I am now officially in two campaigns. This year, I endeavored to recruit more women to play, including the wonderful @allatariel. I play both my beloved cleric, Maritsa (who I’ve been playing her years now) and my new character, Noara, a ranger elf with a red panda familiar (yeah, my DM let me do that for funsies, so I could get an animal sidekick but also still try out the Horizon Walker subclass). 

Speaking of red pandas, I accomplished my LIFE GOAL of meeting a red panda face-to-face. I got to feed Harriet at the Cincinnati Zoo for 30 minutes. She was adorable. 

Completed all my dental work and had a clean bill of dental health two cleanings in a row! 

Attended DC’s Around the World Embassy Day event, always fun

Attended Star Wars night at a local library, where I got to participate in a short demo/lesson on how to fence with a lightsaber!

Attended 50th Anniversary Celebration of Apollo 11 / landing on the moon (dude they projected the rocket on the Washington Monument and it looked so cool)

Returned to the NY Ren Faire and upgraded my ren faire garb

Celebrated at THREE friends’ weddings and got to catch up with old friends I hadn’t seen in awhile

Ate ice cream at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory in Vermont

Went to NYCC for the third year in a row. Got to wear 2 costumes this year: a 1920s flapper interpretation of an occamy and my Endor!Leia costume (repeat of 2017). Learned the True Pain of sewing. Created feather shawl for my occamy costume. Learned the True Pain of crafting.

Celebrated one year anniversary with hubbie down where we got married: visited the museum we got married in and actually got a chance to enjoy the exhibits, went to our favorite brunch place down there, got to check out Fleet Week and tour an aircraft carrier and uh... I think it was a missile cruiser? 

Went up to PSU for a women’s hockey game for sister’s birthday (made embarrassing HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign for the cameras); also it was an absolutely wonderful fall drive on the way up there

Got to see The Rise of Skywalker in IMAX at the Smithsonian Air & Space Center with the awesome @allatariel! (thank goodness we had each other to get through that movie lol) also got to reuse my Endor!Leia costume. I did my own braids for the first time ever! (usually my talented sister does them) They looked like braids done by a n00b, but I didn’t care because they were passable and I did them myself and that was a Big Thing for Perfectionist Me (to not just... say screw it and undo it and just. give up. but to just let them be as is)

Worked hard at therapy and self care

Got a Sleep Number bed and holy shit let me tell you. i can actually sleep now.

OH! I almost forgot!!! Started playing Assassin’s Creed! I’ve only ever really played the LEGO Star Wars and Harry Potter video games so like. This was big for me. 

Writing

Finally finished Learning Curve. TBH I was a bit shocked that this was in fact the only fic I published in 2019. What a travesty.

However! I have been writing

@allatariel & I sat down, overanalyzed You’ve Got Mail, and drafted up the outline for my in-universe AU, something I’ve been dreaming of starting for years. Have about 4300 words so far.

Just under the wire, I did manage to start my NatGeo AU, which I’ve been dreaming of since my honeymoon in Nov 2018

Started editing/revising my original young adult fantasy novel

Poked a little at my epic fantasy pirate travel novel idea

Books

I read exactly one book, Among the Red Stars, which I enjoyed. It’s about women fighter pilots in Russia in WW2. Inspired by real people.

Music

Saw Panic at the Disco! in concert. I went along with my sister. Not like a huge fan, but they put on a pretty fun show!

Saw Waitress on Broadway!! OH MY GOD. And Sara Bareilles was starring in it. Amazing. I freaking love her music (”How does she know / what a heart sounds like?” gahhh). She was so good, and the show was so good. I literally cried all the way through it just because I was so happy to be there, but also because of the content. Man.

Saw Sara Bareilles again, in concert, in Philly. I love her so much.

Television

Finished Critical Role Campaign 1! Oh man, what a ride. Gosh, I love that show. I really need to catch up in C2 now. I’ve started it but I’m only on episode 26 or 27.

I’m not sure whether I finished The Clone Wars in 2018 or 2019. I think it was early 2019. This show was amazing and this was the character development that Anakin Skywalker needed. I love Ahsoka Tano. I cannot wait for the last season.  

Finished Rebels!!! AGAIN, what a ride!!! I still love Ahsoka Tano. I also love Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren. Sabine’s Darksaber arc was fantastic.

The Mandalorian OMG BABY YODA!!! Yes, I have succumbed to the adorableness of Baby Yoda. Most adorable SW character forever. But also just an enjoyable story in general. This, this is how you craft a story. still NOT over the darksaber omg. 

The Good Place is continuing to be good. Not as crazy about season 4, but I’m so glad they decided to limit the seasons.

Got my sister to watch Rebels!! And then even a few episodes of The Clone Wars!!! Mwahaha >) 

Finally got around to watching The Great British Bake Off, what a sweet show!

OMG I ALMOST FORGOT Anne With an E!!! Gosh what a wonderful wholesome delightful show. No I haven’t watched S3 yet because I am Lawful Good to a fault and just patiently waiting for it to come on Netflix

Film

So, I woefully neglected to mention The Aeronauts in this post about my favorite movies in the 2010s and that was a Mistake. Because I really enjoyed this one

But otherwise probably check out that list. Because I don’t go to the movies that often, actually, and anything I really loved from 2019 is most definitely listed there.

Did I meet my 2019 Goals?

Writing: Fandom

Finish Learning Curve YES

...and How to Lose a Spy in 10 Days Uh, no, not so much

Begin and complete the in-canon universe You’ve Got Mail AU YES, it is begun but no it is not complete

Try to knock out a few other projects on my 30+ SW ideas Umm, I did start / poke at a few things in addition to the YGM and NatGeo AUs, but nothing really “knocked out”

Try my hand at creating more visual fan works (like moodboards/photosets, step 1, learn proper terminology) ahahahah, no. 

Writing: Original

Query more agents for my completed original novel YIKES, No. But I wasn’t anticipating that I’d decide to heavily edit/revise my manuscript.

Actually get around to deciding which idea I want to work on next and work on it Yeah, sure, I decided. How nice of past!Liz to make this goal so reachable as “deciding” lol

Reading

Be more supportive in helping my friend run Book Club so that it can actually meet more regularly HA, oops. Book Club died, but kind of in favor of being able to start a second D&D campaign. At least that’s the trade off I’m looking at. I had some OCD-related glasses issues this year that inhibited reading a lot.

Try to read at least one book for myself outside of Book Club lol WELL the one book I read this year was not part of Book Club sooo

Goals for 2020

Writing

I’m not going to make this a completion goal, but instead...

...I’d like to just focus on creating a regular writing schedule/habit. Whatever the project, I just want to make sure I carve out significant time each week just to write. I don’t want to set a specific goal like “x hours a week” for now, but I want to make sure that I am writing each week.

To achieve that (because what are goals without maps):

If the words don’t immediately jump onto the page, then I’m going to try outlining or summarizing. I’m going to let go of overthinking how sentences are phrased, and just pretend I’m describing the story idea to a friend.

That blank page is staring at me and I’m just going to fill it with words no matter what I might think of them!

And I’m going to let everything else expand from there. And see how that works.

Edit my original manuscript

Query more agents re: original manuscript

Look into the idea of perhaps forming or joining a writer’s group for original writing oh gosh that is so scary

Other

Get back into reading

Develop a routine for working out

Eat healthier

Continue focusing on therapy goals

Get around to watching: Black Sails, Mad Max: Fury Road, Arrival

Get better at responding to things in general

Tagging: @allatariel, @magalis, @mythologicalmango, @skitzofreak, @threadsketchier, @brynnmclean, @ruby-red-inky-blue, @siachti and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it!

Happy New Year y’all!

[individuationfic]

Hoping I’ve Got It All Right Chapter 5: I’m Just As Dangerous As You

AO3

The next time they venture into the Palace, Morgana claims they need codenames.

“We don’t know what effect shouting our real names in Kamoshida’s Palace will have on the real Kamoshida,” he explains. “Our plan could be ruined if he somehow figures out what we’re doing. The masks and costumes help, but we should be as careful as possible.”

“What do you suggest, then?” Akira asks.

Before Morgana can answer, Ryuji starts wiggling like a little kid and his hand shoots up in the air. “Ooh! Can I be ‘Skull?’ Y’know, ‘cause of my mask?”

The conversation that ensues probably takes more time than it’s worth but it makes Shiho smile, so Akira decides not to complain.

*

“Skull, Mona, Widow, Panther, and Joker… Were all of these codenames tied to your masks?”

“Only Skull and Panther’s codenames are based off of their masks. And Fox and Crow’s, eventually. Everyone else’s are too abstract for that.”

“Please explain how the other codenames came to be.”

“The won’t give you clues to the others’ identities, Prosecutor-san. They would be pretty bad codenames otherwise.”

“Humor me.”

“Mona is just a shortened form of his name. Widow decided on hers in the spirit of a black widow spider.”

“And you?”

“Why, Prosecutor-san, what else could you call a trump card if not Joker?”

*

Akira decides to text Dad and Papa after he drops Shiho off at her apartment. He’d offered to let her sleep at the café again, but she refused. I can’t rely on you forever,” she’d said.”You’ve been really supportive, and I appreciate it, I really do, but I need some time alone to really process everything.”

So he makes her promise to reach out if she needs anything, gives her a hug, and pulls his phone out of his pocket when she’s safely inside. He’s always had a great relationship with Dad and Papa, and this is the first time in his life he’s ever wondered how to start a conversation with them.

[Akira]: You guys remember how I’m a triplet, right?

[Tatsuya]: Of course. We helped you look for them for years.

[Jun]: Why do you ask?

[Akira]: I found my sister.

[Jun]: !!!!!!!!

[Akira]: Her name is Suzui Shiho. She goes to Shujin, too.

[Jun]: That’s great, Akira!

[Tatsuya]: What is she like?

[Akira]: Something awful happened to her recently. Our friends and I are trying to help, but it’s been hard on her.

[Jun]: The poor dear…

[Jun]: Is there any way we can help?

[Akira]: I don’t really think so. She’s doing her best to come to terms with it right now so all we can do is be there for her while she does.

[Tatsuya]: That’s a very mature thing to do, Akira. Good job.

[Akira]: Thank you, Dad.

[Jun]: How are things otherwise? Is school going okay?

[Akira]: Shiho’s friend Ann sits in front of me in class, so we’ve become friends, too. She’s ¼ American and doesn’t look Japanese at all.

[Tatsuya]: Well, neither do you.

[Akira]: Fair enough.

[Jun]: Have you joined any clubs?

[Akira]: I don’t think any clubs will let me join.

[Jun]: Why not?

[Akira]: Someone leaked my records. The whole school knows about my assault charge.

[Jun]: Oh, honey, are you okay?

[Akira]: Yeah.

[Tatsuya]: I can’t believe the school would let that happen. Do you want me to call the principal?

[Akira]: There’s nothing that can be done about it now.

[Tatsuya]: You still shouldn’t have to deal with that.

[Akira]: I can manage.

[Akira]: My cat’s nagging at me to go to bed, so I’ll text you later. Love you.

[Jun]: Love you too, sweetie.

[Jun]: Wait. Cat?

[Jun]: AKIRA?

Akira plugs his phone in and lays on his bed. Morgana wastes almost no time curling up on the center of his chest. “Your dads seem nice,” he says.

“Yeah,” Akira says, “they are.”

*

They have to dedicate a whole afternoon to getting through the tower because of the swinging axes.

“If Shadows hae the keys,” Skull gripes as they head back into the fray, “why didn’t they drop them the first time we kicked their asses?”

“Us becoming aware we need the keys brought them into existence,” says Mona.

“That sounds like bullshit.”

“It’s cognition.”

Joker spots a Shadow in golden armor and snaps to get everyone’s attention. “Widow, Skull, with me. Panther and Mona, focus on keeping us healed up.”

“Got it, Joker,” Panther says, and the rest of them nod in agreement.

“Let’s do this.” And then they pounce.

*

Now that the path to the Treasure is secured, they have to think about the calling card.

They gather on the roof after classes end to begin planning. Shiho sits gym style in front of Akira and lets him braid a scarlet geranium into her hair. The color looks good in her dark hair; maybe he can convince Ann to help him get Shiho more colorful clothes. Ryuji is leaning against the wall, and Ann is sitting, legs crossed at the knee, on one of the abandoned desks that litter the rooftop. All in all, Akira thinks, we really do look like a group of delinquents.

After a few moments of silence, during which Akira can feel Ann and Ryuji staring at him as he works, Ryuji finally says, “Okay, what’s up with you two? How’re you so close when Akira only moved here like a week ago?”

Shiho looks up at him over her shoulder. There’s a little bit of humor glittering in her eyes, Akira is pleased to note. “What do you think, Akira? Should we tell them or make them guess?”

“We could give them a hint or two.” Usually he would just be honest about it, but if playing along cheers Shiho up a little, he’ll gladly do it. He glances up at their friends and smirks. “I’ll go first: we’ve known each other our whole lives.”

Ann jolts a little at that. “But how? Shiho was raised in Tokyo and you… weren’t.”

Shiho leans back against Akira’s legs. “I was raised here, yeah, but until I was four, I lived in Sumaru City.” 

“It’s a great place,” Akira adds “It’s on the coast. Hey, Shiho, remember that time you and Ren buried me in the sand at the beach and I got that awful sunburn on my face?”

Next to his thigh, Morgana shifts a little. Before Akira can comment on it, Shiho laughs and says, “Amamiya-san was so mad at us!”

“She was always mad at us,” Akira points out. “The other kids kept making fun of me, so Ren would beat them up, and you would encourage him, so he’d do it more…”

“Hey, no one gets to pick on my baby brother but me.”

“I’m, like, an hour younger than you, at most. Stop calling me your ‘baby’ brother.”

Ryuji makes a noise not unlike a dying whale and Akira and Shiho’s heads whip over to look at their friends. It’s then that Akira realizes he and Shiho let the cat out of the bag a little early. “You’re siblings?!” Ryuji demands.

“As entertaining as this is,” Morgana says, voice strangely snappish, “can we focus on the calling card?”

And so the conversation turns to a more serious topic.

*

Akira agrees to let Ryuji handle the calling card, but drags him to a nearby supermarket before letting him go home. He has to search the produce section for a while before he finds what he’s looking for: unplucked celery flowers. They’re small, white, and unassuming—to the untrained eye, that is. But Akira knows better. Akira knows they mean “lust.”

He grabs a handful off some celery stalks and holds them to Ryuji. “Use these in the calling card,” he says.

“You know flowers?”

“My dad’s partner owns a flower shop.”

“Don’t cha think that could link you to… the thing?”

God bless Ryuji, but he’s not very good at being subtle. “It’s not like I advertise knowing a lot about flowers, and I doubt I’m the only person in Tokyo who does.”

“If you’re sure, man…”

“I am.” He softens his voice. “Please, Ryuji. If you’re putting your neck on the line writing it, let me have something to do with it, too.”

Ryuji swallows hard and clenches his jaw. A hard sort of vulnerability enters his eyes. “I’ll do my best.”

Akira squeezes his shoulder. “I know you will. I trust you.”

That was the right thing to say, because Ryuji’s answering smile could outshine the sun.

*

Akira grins when he sees the calling card—or, rather, calling cards—plastered on the bulletin board the next morning. They’re not professional by any means (the logo Ryuji came up with is lacking, and the flowers are just taped onto the cards in a blank space), but the message is clear.

He knows this could end up on the news, so he takes a photo of the board and sends it to Dad and Papa and pretends to be confused. Then he pockets his phone and goes to his friends. They have a heist to pull off, after all.

*

The fight against Kamoshida’s Shadow is a lot easier than any of them anticipated. As soon as they take out his healing factor, he goes down laughably quickly.

After, when they Have Kamoshida’s crown in their possession, Widow steps forward. Her eyes are cold beneath her black lace mask. “You hurt me,” she tells Kamoshida’s quivering Shadow. “You beat me and berated me and tried to break me.”

Amazingly, the Shadow tries to defend himself. “You don’t understand! I was under so much pressure!”

“That doesn’t justify what you did to me!” Widow’s shout echoes, harsh. “Nothing could!”

“I—” The Shadow slumps. “You’re right.” He tilts his head to the side, baring his neck. “If you’re going to kill me, just make it quick.”

Joker sees Widow’s grip on her cane go white-knuckled and moves to restrain her, but is beaten to the punch. Panther places on pink-gloved hand over Widow’s and wraps her other arm around her shoulders. “He’s going to pay for what he did to you and to everyone else,” Joker hears her whisper. “But he has to be able to confess what he did.”

Widow sighs and goes slack in Panther’s grip, and Joker takes the opportunity to step forward and address Kamoshida’s Shadow. “Go back to yourself. Go back without your broken, distorted heart, and confess all of your sins. Only then can you begin working to redeem yourself.”

And the Shadow disappears, and the castle begins to crumble around them.

*

Shiho comes back to the café with Akira that night. Morgana hops out of Akira’s bag and into Shiho’s arms once they’re off the train, and the way she cradles him to her chest tells Akira she really needs to talk about what happened today.

Sakura-san raises an eyebrow at them but doesn't otherwise comment as Akira leads Shiho up to his attic. Shiho sinks into the couch and waits for Akira to sit beside her before she starts talking. “I thought confronting him would make me feel better,” she says, “but it didn’t. I’m still scared.”

Akira gently puts an arm around her and tugs her into a loose embrace against his shoulder. Morgana shifts a little so he’s half on Shiho’s lap and half on Akira’s, purring so hard Akira can feel it in his chest. “There’s no set timeline for your recovery,” he tells her, his voice gently above a whisper. “Take as much time as you need.”

“We’re all here for you,” Morgana adds. “None of us are whole, not really. I don’t think there’s a group of people out there who can understand you better than us.”

If the fabric of his shirt where Shiho’s face is pressed into it is a little damp, he doesn’t mention it, and the three of them fall asleep like that, almost restful for the first time in a long time.

[rahirah]

via Barb's Place I saw the orthopedic doctor Friday, and he agreed with my primary care doctor that the Mystery Pain had most likely been a Baker's cyst that burst. As long as things had returned to normal (which they pretty much have) he didn't recommend that I do anything but take ibuprofen as necessary for the arthritis, and stay active and all the usual stuff. He said I might need cortisone shots or a knee replacement at some point, but not for a long time yet. This was the weekend that work was going to be changing a bunch of our software systems, so they kicked everybody except for the IT team doing the changeover out of the system on Friday and today. On the on hand, yay four day weekend; on the other hand, I go in tomorrow with literally no idea what I will be doing for the foreseeable future. Our old reporting jobs will, at the minimum, be changing a lot, and possible going away altogether (though we've been told that we'd be assigned to some other team rather than laid off if that happens – at least, for now. Knock wood.) Regardless, four day weekend. Kathy took Friday and Monday off as well, and we determined to get things done. Friday we assembled the pergola we're using as a car port for the front driveway. The directions said it required four people, but we managed it just fine with only the two of us. It took about six hours, but part of that was because we accidentally put one part together backwards, and had to disassemble part way and re-do it. It came out very well, and it looks way nicer than the plain flat-top metal carports I'd looked at first, at about half the price. Saturday, aside from the usual housekeeping and errands, I decided to dig out all of my half-finished sewing projects and finish them, by damn. I added leather cuffs with metal buttons to my Ren Faire costume shirt, to replace the elastic, and swapped out the cheap plastic button it came with at the neck for another metal one. I finished one of the half-completed leather pillows. (And determined that the issues I'd been having with sewing leather a couple of weeks ago were in fact the fault of the needle, yay. Much easier to put in the correct needle than get the machine serviced.) I finished the overskirt for my Ren Faire costume, started a faux fur capelet for my steampunk costume, and did a lot of the hand-stitching needed to finish up the black leather steampunk skirt, adding hook and eye closures and reinforcing places that needed reinforcing. I still have a ways to go with that. We also caught up on ST: Discovery, and watched the next few episodes of Umbrella Academy. Sunday we went back out to the Ren Faire, as Kathy wanted to get the hat she'd seen out there a couple of weeks ago. It was much warmer this weekend than it was last time – two weeks ago it was overcast, cold, and windy, and this weekend it was bright and sunny. Kathy, unfortunately, got sunburned, but we had a good time. The friend we went with last time hadn't felt up to walking through the whole thing, so we saw the parts we'd missed, caught some more shows and the joust and the falconry exhibition, and got Kathy's hat. I had a mildly gratifying moment at the hat place; it's the same place where I bought my brown leather corset a few years ago. While I was looking around and waiting for Kathy, one of the people who worked there noticed the modifications I'd made, and enthusiastically called several of the other people who worked there over to see what I'd done. They were all very complimentary about it, which was very nice. At one of the other costume places I found a black leather corset that works way better with the steampunk skirt than my brown one does. The guy who's been giving glassblowing demos there for the last umpty years is retiring due to medical issues and won't be back next year, so I bought a very small vase – I'd have loved a larger piece, but his stuff is gorgeous hand-blown art glass, and priced accordingly. Today I finished the last of the leather pillows (except for stuffing; I need to buy some fiberfill), completed the steampunk capelet, and made some modifications to the skirts on the Ren Fair costume. The striped skirt had a sash tie closure, and the overskirt had a drawstring waist. Based on my experiences with wearing both on Sunday, I thought that the combo was too bunchy when worn under the corset. So I unpicked the waistband of the striped skirt, trimmed off the drawstring part of the overskirt, and sewed it into the waistband of the striped skirt, cut off the sash ties and sewed them into the waistband as loops to gather the overskirt, and turned the waistband closure into a hook and eye closure. It looks better and is more comfortable to wear under the corset now. I didn't quite finish all of the sewing projects – I still have one shirt that I was adding embellishments too, and a heap of net-cut leather scraps that I had great plans for, but am no longer sure what to do with – but I made a big dent in them, so I feel moderately accomplished. comments

[mrevaunit42]

The First Day (Boku no hero Academia au part 3)

Hello everyone, Mr.E here, still very much writing. haha sorry for not updating, I’ve been pretty busy and honestly kinda wanderlust in terms of what I want to write but here we are with the next chapter of my hero academia au for star vs.

So i wanted to do my own version of the first day of school and i felt like this was the best way. Since I kept writing and stopping cuz life kept making me deal with it, it feels a little off to me. Probably not my best work but i Hope you get some enjoyment out of it all the same. 

So some notes Bold mean the standard Adult Marco flashback in the vein of Adult Deku telling his story similar to the show and bold and italics is a new thing i tried to keep with the spirit of the anime and that is someone quickly explaining someone’s quirk. I felt it was a fun nod to the anime and in case You are wondering who is present Mic in this au, it’s Ruberiot because of course it is.

that’s it for me. have an amazing week and i hope you enjoy the story!

here is the link to part one https://mrevaunit42.tumblr.com/post/162853635472/im-going-to-be-a-hero-boku-no-academia-au-part

Notification squad: @artgirllullaby @ladyxgilex @nerdymetalhead @minthia-ren @thefandombytes @hipster-rapunzel @isolated-frequencies @burstingamerworld @sineston

I remember the first day of school well. How could I forget the uncontrolled joy, the sheer exhilaration of seeing that wonderful building with the knowledge I had finally made it. My determination, my drive, my unwillingness to give up and live a mundane, boring life to be the hero I always dreamed of. The hero I always hoped I  could be.

Of course it was on that day I realized how far I had to go. I swear I can still feel the aches in my bones and muscles just thinking about that day....

Marco could feel his body trembling with excitement as he passed through the school security gate.

His first day at UA high.

“How...terrifying” Marco muttered to himself, letting out a tense sigh “Okay Marco, you got this! You proved you deserve to be here! YOU ARE A HERO!”

Marco flushed as dozens upon dozens of eyes fell on him, a mixture of emotions in their gazes but all the young teen felt was embarrassment.

Marco rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as the crowd's attention shifted elsewhere.

“I really gotta learn to control myself” Marco murmured awkwardly.

“Why?” A familiar voice answered “I think it be good for you to stop overthinking and relax for once in your life.”

Marco's face burned as a pair of arms fondly wrapped themselves around him though his body tiled unsteadily from the added weight.

Marco flailed, his arms reaching for anything but there was nothing within reach and he began to stumble.

“Whoa there” there was a soft fluttering of wings, a pair of gentle hands steadying him while the person backed away from the panicking Marco.

Marco let out yet another tense sigh. There was a brief thought that wondered how often did he perform the gesture but the train of thought was derailed as Star Butterfly hovered into view, a small yet soft smile gracing her face as she waved hello.

“Morning Marco!” Star beamed

“Morning Star” Marco greeted in return while the blonde haired girl planted her feet back onto the ground “ you really shouldn't sneak up on people....”

“and you shouldn't stand in the middle of the road muttering to yourself” Star countered with a smirk “But we're going to do what we're going to do.”

Marco scratched his cheek “Yeah...sorry.....I'm not used to...”

“People sneaking up on you?” Star offered as the pair continued their trek to class

“Friends hugging me.....” Marc whispered timidly

Marco blinked in surprised: Star let out an insanely cute coo before wrapping an arm around his neck and drawing him in close.

Star grinned happily at him “Get used to it buddy, I'm a hugger”

Marco chuckled softly, trying to ignore the racing of his heart “I would've never guessed.”

Star gasped mockingly “What? No way! You're more wrapped up in your head than I thought.”

Marco snickered “Cool it Butterfly just because you're my best friend doesn't mean you can get away with anything you want.”

Marco strolled into the room unaware that Star had released her grip on him and was standing in the hallway, completely dumbfounded by his words.

“Best friend?” Star muttered before letting a joyful “YES!” and pumping a fist into the air.

Marco shook his head as he slid open the classroom door, Star was just too endearing and cute....

“Huh?”

Marco stared, uncertain if he was seeing what he thought he saw.

He pulled his head out of the doorway for a moment and glanced upwards. 1A the sign read so this was his class but why there were only a handful of students inside especially on the first day?

Star made her way over to her best friend, a quizzical look on her face

“What's up Marco?”

Marco frowned “Nothing I guess? I thought I was in the wrong class for a second since the bell's about to ring and there's almost nobody here.”

“There is a reason for that Mr. Diaz.” a cool voice called from behind

Startled, Marco and Star whirled around to find Moon Butterfly standing there.

“M-Mrs. B-Butterfly! Good Morning” Marco bowed quickly while Star gave a cheery “Morning mom!”

“Morning Mr. Diaz, sweetie.” She gave a short nod “Please take your seats and I shall inform you where your missing classmates have gone.”

Marco and Star exchanged a look but said nothing, opting to take their seats instead.

It was so strange to be in class that nearly devoid of life but Moon quickly answered the question the 8 students were thinking of.

“The rest of your classmates are with my fellow teacher All Might” Moon told them

“All Might?! He's a teacher?! AT UA?!” Marco burst out loud.

Marco felt his ears burn when Moon's eyes narrowed on his face, the quiet snickering of his classmates echoing in his ears.

“Yes....” Moon began slowly “After many years, he finally decided to take up a position at UA since his personal affairs have...recently taken care of.”

Marco's throat felt dry as Moon's knowing gaze finally left him and scanned the rest of the room.

'She knows' Marco thought to himself 'She knows I have One for All.....'

“You are probably wondering why you are not with the rest of your class.”

Tom scoffed, waving their teacher's statement off “It's clear you wanted to talk to the top students of the entrance exam personally. Oh and Marco too”

Marco growled under his breath, clutching at the edges of his table angrily.

“Yes Mr. Lucitor, you are correct....”

Tom smirked proudly

“...well, partially correct.”

Tom's face fell as the room broke into hushed whispers.

Moon sat at the edge of her desk, her face stony and indifferent.

“As Mr. Lucitor was so kind to arrogantly point out, you eight scored the highest of all the applicants.”

Marco gazed about the room: Tom (because of course he did), Janna, Jackie (his heart skipped a beat), Ferguson, Alfonzo, Sabrina and Star.

Wait, where was the 8th...?

Marco mentally smacked himself upon realizing he failed to count himself out of habit.

“So naturally” Moon went on without missing a beat “Expectations are high for you 8.”

“Naturally” Janna smugly replied.

“Which is why you will be taking a special test today. One that determines if you stay at UA or not.”

A nauseous feeling formed in the pit of Marco's stomach as the classroom fell deathly silent.

“Hey!” Tom shot to his feet furiously “That's not fair! We passed the test fair and square, why are we being punished for that?”

“Fair?” Moon repeated with a steely edge to her voice “You seem to have a rather skewed perception of fair Mr. Lucitor.”

“Why you...” Tom began but Moon ignored him

“You all did exceedingly well in the examination but simply put, just because the others are convinced you will go on to do great things does not mean I share their sentiments.”

Moon pushed off her desk and stood at full height, making eye contact with every single person in the room

“And before you can complain that I can't do this” Tom openly glared but Moon paid no mind “I have expelled entire classes before and it's well within my power to do so. I do not sugarcoat anything. My fellow faculty members expect you to thrive here. I'm here to ensure their faith is not misplaced. As a hero, the world will place you on a pedestal whether you like it or not and they will not hesitate expect your success or remind you of your failure. ”

Marco gulped. Despite the general, almost conversational tone Moon took, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was speaking directly to him. He was River's successor and it was his duty to live up to his idol's expectations. If Marco was to be the next symbol of peace, failure could not be an option yet it would always linger.

Always.....

“Please gather your things and follow me.”

Marco's sense of dread only grew as the class quietly shuffled after their teacher.

20 minutes and one change of clothes later, the eight found themselves in a rather strange location: It was a well kept grassy plain surround by a loose ring of trees. The now dark blue and white track suit wearing students stood to one side of the groove as their teacher stoically remained in the center.

Moon had changed too though her attire was far more menacing: She wore a long black riding cloak over with her simple yet elegant chain-mail, thick bandages wrapped around her forearms with her long periwinkle blue hair braided into a single ponytail while a pair of strange goggles with multiple slits rested over her eyes.

Marco's body tensed upon the realization that she must've changed into her hero costume. The Queen was not holding anything back.

Moon turned her attention to the group of teens or at least that's what Marco thought. It was very hard to tell where or who she was exactly looking at with those strange goggles of hers.

“This is your final warning” Moon cracked her knuckles threateningly “This is UA. You will be bruised, you will get hurt and while your life will not be in danger, that doesn't mean we're going to go easy on you. If you want to back out, now is the time to do so.”

Her question was met with silence and determined gazes.

“Very well” Moon smirked as she fished out a dark blue cloth from her pocket “Let's get straight to the point: This is a UA flag, nothing special aside being used to show your school spirit.”

She wrapped it tightly around her forehead.

“Whoever helps get this off my head will stay at UA. Everyone else will be expelled at once and do not worry, I won't be using my quirk. It wouldn't be very sporting of me.”

“Wait!” Marco shouted alongside the choir of outraged students “Are you saying only one of us gets to pass?!”

Moon said nothing. She remained still and lifeless as a breeze swayed the folds of her cloak.

Tom snarled furiously, his hands bursting into flames “Fine! I'll just have to rip that stupid thing off your head!”

“Tom wait!” Marco reached for the hot headed teen but found empty air as the angry teen rocketed away, two bright orange flames burst forth from his palms and propelling him towards his opponent.

“I'm the best” Tom growled, his eyes brimming with a righteous fury “And I'm going to prove it to you right here! RIGHT NOW!”

Tom Lucitor-Quirk: Hellfire. Using his internal body heat, Tom can produce flames for various purposes though prolonged use will lead to dehydration and heat exhaustion. The flames become hotter and more powerful the angrier he is. Shocking.  

Moon barely flinched when Tom reached out for the headband.

“Foolish boy”

Tom let out a surprised gasp when Moon sidestepped him effortlessly, his palm sailing inches past her face as she just watched.

“What the hell?!” Tom cussed as Moon reached for his wrist and locked her fingers around it in an iron grip.

Moon shifted her foot sideways as she vaulted the attacking teen over her shoulder and slammed him into the ground. His back tensed from the sudden pain while the air emptied out of his lungs.

Marco stood there dumbfounded and unable to process what just happened: One second Tom was just one swipe away from staying at UA and the next he was face up on the floor, almost completely subdued.

“CHAAAAARGE!” Janna shouted, fist raised in defiance

The others rushed forward, hoping their individual strength would be enough to overwhelm the pro hero. Only Marco remained behind. He knew it would be pointless. The Queen was a spec ops heroine. She was used to being alone and being self sufficient. Even without her quirk, her general knowledge of quirks and their functions made her dangerous. Couple that with her hand to hand skills and there was no way a bunch of new students were going to defeat her....

Marco let out a disappointed sigh. Everything he had gone through, pushing himself further than he'd ever pushed only to have it snatched it away right at the starting line....

It wasn't fair.....it wasn't....

“I'm sorry....”

Marco snapped out of his spiral of depression to find Star next to him, hands clutched tightly behind her back as she hovered anxiously, her blue eyes focused on the battle ahead.

“Star?” Marco asked, unable to keep concern out of his voice.

“This is my fault....” Star answered sorrowfully “I caused this....”

“Star” Marco reached for her but she pulled away

“She's always pushing me, always giving me some new challenge. I thought she'd calm down now that I was actually in UA but it seems like it's only gotten worse....and because of me, everyone's going to lose their chance at their dream....”

“No”

Star turned to Marco.

“We're not giving up” 

"why not?” Star asked, her voice full of frustration “No one here can beat my mom”

To emphasize her point, Star gestured the completely one sided battle taking place before them.

Moon stood still as Jackie rushed ahead of the pack, a thin layer of frost covering her palms. She grinned happily as she skidded to a stop, brushing her hand lightly over the grassy floor.

Jackie Lynn Thomas-Quirk: Water Manipulation. Able to alter H20 on a molecular level, Jackie can create water, steam or ice at a moment's notice. However, this requires immense concentration and often gets Jackie sick. She does not like getting sick.

Ice spread over the plain, crawling closer and closer to Moon's feet in hopes of entrapping the heroine.

Moon clicked her tongue disappointingly as she jumped away from the icy clutches of Jackie's attack and countered with one of her arm wraps.

“What?” Jackie stood up, backing away in surprise but it was too late: The wrap wound itself tightly around her wrist and went taut “What the what?”

Moon pulled with all her strength and sent Jackie helplessly sliding down her own icy field.

“Capture tape” Moon explained as she flicked the bandage over her arm once again “It's designed to be flexible and durable. It's meant to capture the more uncooperative suspects.”

Moon's head snapped at the sound of footsteps crunching against grass.

“Thanks for the distraction Jackie!” Janna smugly shouted as she reached for the headband.

Moon battled away Janna's outstretched arm and counter attacked with a shoulder tackle. Janna let out a pained grunt as she fell to the floor.

“Too obvious” Moon chided.

“Actually” Janna smirked “Just perfect.”

Moon eyed Janna's darkly glowing hand warily when she caught the sounds of fibers being ripped and torn apart, a strange rune over her wraps quickly fading into thin air.

Janna jumped to her feet, shooting her teacher the most cocky grin and finger guns she could muster.

Janna Ordonia- Quirk: Fortune Redirection. After bonding with a person, Janna can use their inherit good or bad luck to affect other beings or objects. While usually the effectiveness of the results often vary, Janna seems to have found a particularly misfortunate person, granting her access to a powerful and consistent source of bad luck.

“That's unlucky” Janna mocked while she rushed at Moon again

“Only the foolish and inexperienced rely on luck” Moon replied as she pulled Janna's arm into a twist and sent her facing the other direction.

Janna winced “Whoa, this isn't very heroic you know?”

“You missed the part where I cared” Moon answered before shoving her towards the timid approach of Sabrina.

Sabrina flinched nervously and used her arms to shield herself from the Janna projectile coming the straight for her.

Janna was expecting to run into flesh. What she actually ran into was a thick, rocky surface that promptly sent her reeling onto the ground.

“Sorry....” Sabrina murmured softly

Sabrina Backintosh- Quirk: Reinforcement. She can harden her skin to a rock-like substance which is useful for the seemingly large amount of bad luck that follows her around. Some wonder if her bad luck and Janna's power are somehow connected.

“Sab” Janna dizzily told the petrified girl “You got to get in there....win for...me...”

Sabrina was unconvinced as Janna dramatically fell unconscious.

“....No....”

“Here comes the Ferg!”

Ferguson barreled forward with his hands inflated to at least three times their sizes and while his run was unsteady, there was a hint of confidence as he inched his way closer to Moon but the confident swagger left him when, instead of scaring the pro hero as he hoped, Moon decided to meet him head on, closing the distance between them.

Ferguson pulled his arm back, ready to take a swing at his teacher when Moon lashed out with an open palm directly to his face.

Ferguson stumbled backwards, arms flailing in a panic despite not actually being hit. Moon let out an annoyed sigh as with a muted pop, Ferguson's entire body puffed up and the boy helplessly rolled away.

Ferguson O'durguson- Quirk: Expansion. By altering muscle mass and fat, Ferguson is able to increase his own body's density. However, when startled, Ferguson's entire body expands at once and while this gives him a powerful defense, it also prevents him from moving normally.

Alfonzo stood at the ready, hand outstretched to stop Ferguson.

Ferguson let out a relived sigh as he came to a complete stop thanks to his best friend “Thanks buddy! You always got my back.”

“umm yeah of course Ferguson” Alfonzo answered back.

Alfonzo Dolittle- Quirk: Afterimage. Alfonzo is able to create static, still images of himself at will. The images will vanish if Alfonzo wants them to, sneezes or when he is asleep. He has accidentally scared himself on more than one occasion.

Moon shot him a questioning look, taunting him to try his luck against her.

Alfonzo took a step back, waving his hands in surrender.

“That's what I thought” Moon muttered. She almost relaxed now that most of the students had been subdued or frightened when a frustrated yell broke through the tense silence.  

“THIS ISN'T OVER!” Tom snarled, his hands ablaze as he drew closer for one final attack on the pro hero “GIVE ME THAT HEADBAND!”

Moon paid no to the raging teen despite how much he clearly was trying to catch her attention. Her ears twitched gently as she picked up the soft noise of ice slowly forming amidst the furious crackle of Tom's flames.

Jackie moved as quickly and quietly as she could, crouching low to sneak up on her seemingly preoccupied foe. There was no way she could take on a pro hero in a head to head battle but if her attention remained on the raging demonic hellspawn, she might just have a chance.  

Moon took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Tom pulled his arm back, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. His body was exhausted due to the constant exposure to his own flames but he was too lost in rage and adrenaline to care. He was consumed by his fury and was beyond reason. He outstretched his hand, reaching the headband one last time.

Moon let out a frustrated sigh. She shifted her body to the left and as if in a hypnotizing stupor, the two teens followed suite, their single minded determination blinding them to the heroine's plan.

At the last possible moment, Moon dove sideways, dropping into a roll before leaping onto her feet. Her body relaxed as flame and ice collided.

Blue and red irises widened in surprise while they dug their heels in an attempt to stop but it was far too late to do anything. Instinctively, Jackie rose her frost covered arm in front of her face while Tom did the same with his burning limb just as the two smacked into one another.

Jackie and Tom were quickly enveloped by a cloud of steam, their figures obscured as they began cough uncontrollably from the sudden stuffy, smothering heat that overwhelmed them without warning.

Moon stood there, among the groaning and silence of the defeated, still and unmoving. If anyone had impressed her these last few minutes, there was no indication or acknowledgment in her face. She simply was, her face as indifferent as stone.

“See?” Star motioned wildly to emphasize her point “She's barely winded! Nobody here can take on my mom.....”

The blonde's face fell, sorrow filling up her sky blue eyes.

“We're going to get kicked out because of me....I...”

“Star

Star snapped out of her self defeated daze. There was a strange confidence in Marco's tone, one she was certain hadn't been there before. She lifted her gaze to Marco only to find him staring back at her.

“Marco?”

Marco clenched his fist tightly “Star, how fast are you with your wings?”

Star blinked in confusion.

“I...I dunno, pretty fast? I've never really kept track before.”

“ I was hoping for a specific number” A frown graced Marco's face only for a moment before a self assured grin quickly replaced it “But luckily I've got to experience your speed firsthand.”

“Marco?” Star raised an eyebrow but her best friend kept rambling on, muttering to himself about approach and karate lessons “Earth to Maaaaarco. Come in Marco!”

“Huh?” Marco shook away his runaway train of thought “Sorry, I tend to get carried..away...Anyway, I got an idea how to get that headband.”

“Marco” Star began dejectedly “Just stop. If my mom doesn't want you to have that flag, nobody is getting that flag.”

“Exactly!” Marco beamed

“Wha?”

“Don't you get it Star? Nobody is going to get the flag.”

Star nodded questioningly in agreement “Yes, that's what I just said.”

“Which is why we need bodies” Marco replied eagerly.

“Whoa! Marco you're an awesome guy but I'm not killing people for you!”

Marco's face paled “Wait! NO NO NO I mean we need to work together to get that flag! Nobody here can beat your mom on their own but we're not supposed to. If I'm right....”

“Whoever helps get this off my head will stay at UA.”

“...then it won't matter who gets the headband”

Marco felt all confidence drain out of him when he felt Star's hand gently grip his shoulder.

“Alright, what's the plan?”

Marco hid his burning face from Star, trying his best to keep his voice leveled as he told her the plan “We're going to need Al and Sabrina....”

Moon checked her watch briefly as Jackie helped the still slumbering Janna to the side while Tom begrudgingly guided Ferguson to a nearby tree.

“4 tired out, 2 frightened away” Moon murmured to herself “now where's Marco and...”

Moon perked up at the sound of crunching grass approaching her slowly.

She slowly tilted her head and found herself staring at group of four students, a mixture of fear and purpose etched deeply on their faces.

“...Star....” Moon whispered as she turned to face the new challengers “I'm getting rather bored of this so this is your last chance unless you wish to face expulsion.

Star clenched her jaw tightly as she stared down her mother.

“Don't worry Mrs. Butterfly” Marco answered with a respectful tone “We're going to give this our best shot.”

“Then proceed.”

Marco took a step forward and as expected, Moon backed up into a defensive stance.

“Al, NOW!”

Moon blinked in surprise as Alfonzo began running around her in a loose circle.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion: What was Marco planning? If they thought they could distract her so easily, they were sorely mis...

Moon watched carefully as one Alfonzo became two then three then four then eight. Ten, fifteen, twenty Alfonzo's surrounded her, frozen images of him mid-run filling Moon's sight.

“Clever” She spoke loudly “Nice use of cover.”

“Thanks!” Marco's voice called from her blind spot on the right.

Moon's instincts kicked and with a graceful motion, she whirled around, leg outstretched to meet Marco's assault.

Except it wasn't Marco rushing to meet her. Instead, stumbling her way uneasily through the battlefield was Sabrina, arms flailing wildly as she tried to steady herself

Moon was going to follow through with the kick anyway when something caught her eye. The sun didn't reflect off Sabrina's skin properly...it was almost like it was...

Everything click at once but Moon knew it was too late to stop her momentum. However she could still use it to her advantage despite this setback.

Moon hopped off the ground with one foot, leaning into a spinning wheel kick as she narrowly leapt over Sabrina's head.

Sabrina tumbled forward, chin first into the ground but rather than torn skin, it was skin that had torn up dirt and patches of grass as she skidded to a stop across the floor.

'They used her as a projectile' Moon thought to herself as she unsteadily landed on the balls of her feet 'a distraction for another attack.'

Moon snapped into action, gripping Marco's wrist tightly as he reached for the headband on her forehead. If she had been a second too late, he would've....

Marco pulled back on his restrained arm, dragging the unsuspecting Moon forward and further off balance while reaching for the flag with his free hand.

Moon scowled angrily as she was forced to release Marco and intercept the attempted grab with a well place chop but Marco wasn't done yet: Before the pro hero could react, Marco threw right hook towards her unprotected side.

Moon caught his arm with her own and deflected the punch while reaching for his wrist once again. Marco pivoted on his heel before she could close her grasp, pulling backwards while driving his palm into Moon's shoulder blade.

Moon flinched, stumbling back from the force of the attack. Unlike the previous attackers, Marco had some knowledge of martial arts and would not easily be dispatched . However, an ocean of experience separated the two and the advantage Marco had gotten was quickly dwindling.

Moon dug her feet into the ground as Marco chased after her, attempting to keep her further off balance with a series of karate chops but without the element of surprise, Moon was unmovable. Despite his best efforts, Moon casually absorbed or blocked his attacks, refusing to budge a single inch under the onslaught.

Marco pulled back his arm, hoping a solid punch would break through his teacher's defense but Moon was already one step ahead of him: as he moved his arm backwards, Moon planted her feet firmly on the floor and braced her knees.

Marco's eyes widened as she tightly held onto his wrist, twisting her body as she began to drag him forward into a throw. Marco quickly brought his palm against her back and shoved as hard as he could.

Marco's hand slipped free while Moon fell forward, one leg awkwardly bent mid-air while the other tried to keep balance. Marco let out a sigh of relief and blinked.

When he opened his eyes a moment later, the color drain from his face as Moon twisted in his direction, her knee inches away from catching his stomach.

Marco didn't have a plan. Marco couldn't think of anything that could help in this moment and even if he could, he didn't possess the speed or skill to react in time. He felt the cold shiver of failure dripping down his back. Just one more moment. One more second and they would've won....they would've....

Star's downtrodden face flashed into his mind, the sorrow that danced in her eyes tug at his heartstrings painfully.

Marco screamed at himself. He wouldn't let it end this way. He wouldn't let everyone down just because he couldn't use his quirk properly. He wasn't about to lose everything just because he couldn't do one simple job.

He wasn't going to lose.

Marco felt power flow throughout his legs, the low hum of electricity charging filled his ears as his muscles tightened, renew vigor surging through him like a second wind. It was an odd feeling, one he couldn't remember ever noticing before but it had a comforting familiarity to it, one that cleared Marco's mind.

Marco tensed his body, letting the power run through his body freely. He felt invincible, he felt powerful, he felt like he possessed the energy and strength of not one person but several, overlapping together as one.

He felt like how he always imagined All Might would feel.

Marco only meant to push away, clear some distance between himself and his opponent as he leap backwards to avoid the knee.

He didn't have to worry about distant: It was weird how much the sound of crumbling earth sounded so similar to the crunching of cookies once crushed by human hands.

Marco shot backwards like a rocket, his legs flailing useless and broken as a 5 foot crater and violent winds formed from where he once stood.

Moon was nearly knocked off her feet as the fierce wind blinded and deafened her for a moment but a moment was all Star needed.

Star flew past the wall of Al's and sailed straight for her mother, her gaze focused only on one thing.

The ringing in Moon's ears was unbearable and she stumbled uneasily trying regain her balance. Her eyes were dry and her body shook from the sheer power Marco unleashed in that moment.

Moon saw Star coming, her daughter’s outstretched hand made it very clear what she was after.

Moon slowly began to raise her arm but paused for a moment.

She gave a little chuckle, suppressing the smile on her face as Star whizzed by, flag clutched tightly in her hand.

“As your classmate as figured out” Moon tiredly told the students save Marco and Star “You were supposed to work together and technically you all helped in getting the flag so you get to stay at UA.”

She scanned over each and everyone of them carefully

“You are future heroes. You will be measured to the standard of those who came before you and you will be the standard for which those who come after you will be compared to. You carry the legacy of us all. Welcome to UA high.”

Moon shook her head as the remaining 6 moaned and grumbled about how unfair it all was. They were all tired and they still had the rest of the school day to get through.

Moon watched silently as the class departed.

Marco broke both his legs again due to his quirk and despite Moon's suggestion that he was perfectly fine in the care of Recovery girl, Star refused to leave his side

“Our daughter” Moon spoke softly to the approaching figure “Takes too much after you. Reckless and crazy.”

River nodded as he stood next to his wife “Perhaps but she has your loyalty.”

“I don't know if that's a good thing....”

“I'd like to think so” River tugged at his beard anxiously “Moon pie....did I...?”

“Yes” Moon leaned over and gently kissed her husband's cheek “He'll make a fine hero. If his quirk doesn't kill him first.”

“He's tough and smarter than I when I first received One for All. He'll get the hang of it.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about it.”

River stared off into the distance.

“I sure hope so.”

Things were so much simpler back then......I still wonder if I would've had the courage to kept going if I had knew what lay ahead.....

[mytherapistthinksimfunny]

The Endless Thirst of Grace Michaud

It’s almost 11 pm, and in the four hours that I have been home from work, I’ve been reading articles about Adam Driver. Alone in my apartment, I snort to myself as I read The Cut’s “I Want to Be Adam Driver’s Baby”  and “21 Things I Would Like to Do With Adam Driver” which I relate to a little too well. I, too, want to “peruse real-estate listings” with Adam Driver. 

In my nearly 26 years of living, Adam Driver is this month’s Grace Michaud’s “It Boy.” Last month it was Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Next month? Who knows, but Henry Cavill is looking mighty fine in The Witcher. 

For anyone who has ever known me, this causes little concern. To everyone joining the Grace Michaud journey: welcome. You are about to experience an everyday occurrence.

New friends, or people who only interact with me via social media: I suffer from being infinitely thirsty. My thirst can never be quenched. Usually the thirst comes at a normal level, like any thirst, and starts out as a simple tickle in the throat. If offered a drink I wouldn’t say no. But I don’t actively do anything about it. I could go for a drink, but I’m not about to get up and get one. Then the thought becomes nagging, that maybe I really should get up and get a drink right now. I’ll crave water, a simple free drink that comes from the tap. Soon my thirst becomes more distinct. I’m craving an Arnold Palmer and I need that Arnold Palmer now. I drink and drink and still I’m thirsty, drinking like I’m in the desert, about to die unless I drink the world’s entire water supply right now. 

I am, of course, not talking about liquids. I’m talking about men.

An attractive male on a film or show catches my eye, and I make note. Soon I’m watching every movie they’ve ever made until I’m in a downward spiral of interviews in the trenches of YouTube and Google. 

I’ve been attracted to the male species since before I could form a concrete memory. The evidence is in a video of my dad teasing me at three about a crush I have on a boy named Ricardo. Wracking my memory, the name sounds familiar, and I’m aware I had crushes when I was in preschool.

How in the world did my tiny brain comprehend the very idea of crushes? That one could feel something more than just friendship with someone? That I, a mere three-year-old just learning how to not urinate my pants, was able to identify that? I’ve dated 30-year-old men who are nowhere near that level of emotionally intelligent. 

Who were you, Ricardo? Why was I fascinated with you? Was I attracted to you? Do three-year- olds recognize attraction? Where are you now Ricardo? Have you met your metaphorical Lucy?

So we begin, reader, towards an agonizing life of never-ending attraction to men. Now, I am absolutely not going to go into my dating life. That is just one long humiliating and questionable series of life decisions that even I don’t want to get into. Let’s just say, at 11, there was an entire diary entry of pictures from my yearbook of a kid named Kyle who once took a pinecone out of my hair. I shudder at the thought. And don’t get me started about junior year of high school.                                                                      

I mention Ricardo to show you that my thirst for men was always there, whether I knew it or not. To me, it seems, it was just a normal feeling that was a part of me. Nothing unusual. My karate teacher was a hottie and probably why I loved going to karate. I loved men so much that I wanted to be them. I dressed in boy’s clothes, even boy’s underwear, and occasionally asked my parents to call me Michael. Now, you’re probably thinking: “Wow there is a lot to unpack here.” But this was 1997 and my parents just went along with it, not really caring as long as I went to bed when they told me to. While others may think something entirely different, I just chalk this up to being that boy crazy. I didn’t start wearing dresses until I hit puberty….but I’m already getting off topic and I don’t want this to turn into an episode of Big Mouth. Let’s try and remain focused here: I’m an obsessive person.

This is my Kindle library as of March 20, 2020:

There is a home movie of my two-year-old self pointing to my Tweedy Bird hat excitedly. “I have Tweedy Bird on my hat!” I repeat over and over with a lisp, clearly very excited I had something I loved on an item of clothing. Even then, when I loved something, I was all in. 

Combine my obsessive personality with my attraction to the male species? We descend into madness, my friends. From cartoon characters, to television shows, to actors, to rock stars, to actors again. I obsess most over men I don’t personally know. Think 25 years of pictures covering walls. Merchandise. Staying up till 3 am diving into the corners of the internet for every last drop of information I could get. 

And it all started with Bugs Bunny.

Bugs Bunny was my first foray into fangirl territory. It was that episode when Bugs Bunny dressed as a Viking woman that drew me into the Bugs Bunny portal of obsession. I wasn’t attracted to Bugs Bunny in drag, necessarily; I was more fascinated by the idea of Elmer Fudd falling in love with Bugs Bunny. That Bugs was a character that could be loved romantically. I know this sounds really bizarre and heavy, but I fully believe that I was fascinated by romantic love that early in my life. 

Soon I didn’t stop talking about Bugs Bunny. I had an entire Bugs Bunny tracksuit, slippers, and a doll. There’s a picture of me in my entire ensemble while holding the doll, ecstatic. For my fourth birthday my mom made me a homemade Bugs Bunny Halloween costume. Bugs Bunny was even my imaginary friend for a bit there. I must have worn out the Space Jam VHS tape.

Note the Bugs Bunny watch. 

That’s childhood obsession for you. When I loved Pokemon all I would do was talk about it and dream about it. 

Then it was Digimon. In twenty six years, it hasn’t stopped. Up until December of 2019, it’s been one TV show after the other, examples being Avatar the Last Airbender, Total Drama Island, The Office, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Sherlock, Game of Thrones, Mr. Robot, Fleabag, Frasier, and most recently, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Harry Potter has always been a love for me, and I’ve been obsessed with two different book series: the comic books The Umbrella Academy (the show is a DISASTER compared to how good the comics are), and The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod (a book series about a vampire; as a bonus, see how many vampires you can count). A common theme for all of these things was the fact that I was attracted to a singular male character and their relationship to others.

In preparing to write this I wrote about 6 pages worth of notes, all ranging in obsession. To completely write about every single one would take a novel with each of my multiple obsessions being individual chapters. For example, during the Total Drama Island years I was constantly up till 3 am on the weekends making YouTube videos for the show. If you can find them...I’d be impressed. (But actually, please don’t.) I’ll try to provide a list and a little comment, as I split my obsessions into various categories. 

At 11, I discovered the Sprouse twins and my object of desire went from cartoon characters to actors. I was known as “the Sprouse twins” girl, specifically Cole, during sixth grade. This was the first time I covered my room and locker in posters. 

A year later, we jumped dramatically and came to my obsessive emo phase. While I listened to a lot of bands, my attention was turned mostly to Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy and Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. (The latter I would later meet after MCR broke up when I was about 20 years old after his solo show,  and it was just as awkward as I could imagine). That’s when my room was completely covered in Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance posters. I wore a lot of black and those years were honestly my cringiest moments. Hey, we were all 13. 

I started to shift more from short, skinny, guyliner-wearing men and noticing tall, muscular, and handsome ones. I can pinpoint when I started to first feel sexually attracted to a man (at an appropriate age! I was going through puberty!) when I saw the trailer for Fantastic Four, and Chris Evans came out shirtless in a towel. Oh GOD what an ICONIC moment. Goodbye Sprouse Twins, hello six packs.

The summer going into high school, I saw The Dark Knight 3 times because of Christian Bale as Batman. He walked in wearing that tight black shirt and my expectations for men from there on out would never match up to Batman. Gaston from Beauty and the Beast seemed hotter now (you all know what scene I’m talking about), That attraction became the strangest when I remarked to my friend that Ultron was pretty hot for a robot. 

Maybe that’s why I love Kylo Ren so much. He’s the combination of two of my great loves: a buff emo. 

The high school years followed a somewhat similar pattern, but mostly actors more so than musicians. To be fair, in high school Fall Out Boy broke up and didn’t get back together till I was in college, and My Chemical Romance only released one album in my four years. So during high school and college there weren't really any “emo” guys or musicians to lust over. 

Now in 2020 I live in Brooklyn where every man and their mother is a “musician” so the whole idea turns me off. It was fun while it lasted though, and I’ll always be an emo kid at heart. I’ve seen Fall Out Boy 7 times in the last 10 years, and I paid an insane amount of money for My Chemical Romance reunion tour tickets. 

High school was a time where everyone was entering a more mature phase of their puberty journey, and for me, that was lusting after men over the age of 30. I had a hella crush on Zachary Quinto (who I saw walk past me once in the Village and I almost pooped my pants) even though I knew he was gay. I went through a Freddie Mercury phase for a bit too, I mean, come on, that chest hair.

I had a few months lusting after Colin Farrell after seeing him in Fright Night (which I recently found out was written by my favorite Buffy writer! seventeen-year-old me foreshadowing the present). In The Phantom of the Opera I sided with the Phantom the entire time, wishing that I could be seduced through opera in a hidden Parisian cave. My mom introduced me to Ryan Gosling who became my dream man. While reading Great Gatsby I had a huge crush on Seth Meyers who I would imagine Nick Carraway as. He does sort of look like Toby McGuire? He was the first of many goofy men that would lead to John Mulaney, Rob Delaney, Nathan Fielder, Ben Wyatt, and Niles Crane. Chris Pratt still fits into that category, though he’s the perfect combination of goofy and buff. When The Avengers came out my senior year of high school, I saw it 4 times in the theater. 

The British invasion didn’t happen until my senior year and defined my college years, with posters of Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, Eddie Redmayne, and James Norton. My feet ache thinking about the times I waited in line at a movie premiere or a film set to get a glimpse of any of these gents. When I saw Benedict Cumberbatch on set in Boston my knees gave out. Domhnall Gleeson is also in that group of fine British men despite being Irish. It’s why I always have a moral dilemma whenever General Hux comes on screen in Star Wars. Twice I had a hardcore crush on Seth MacFarlane, going to the Ted 2 set living in Boston, waving to him as he got into his car. I would meet him again 3 years later when I worked on Harry, looking like a total disaster. But he said “hi” to me which sent me to cloud 9. I once waited in a lobby of a show to meet Lee Pace even though I didn’t see the show. 

All of these men at one point adorned my room, desktop background, dorm room (which was covered in posters, no wonder I rarely ever had a boy in there), and phone background. Today my phone background is the throne room scene of Rey and Kylo in The Last Jedi. Why do you think I had Tweedy Bird on my hat? I need my obsession with me at all times and I want the world to see. 

(Thank God tattoos are expensive and I was too young to get them during my hardcore obsessions. Imagine if I had a giant Total Drama Island tattoo on my back? I shudder.) 

While a lot of the attraction for these men was based on personality, looks, and accents, I also have a tendency to become enamoured with villains and dark characters. In 1999 I was in the movie theater seeing The Phantom Menace. Up until that point, there were virtually no children featured in Star Wars films, so when a young Anakin Skywalker graced the screen, my five-year-old heart would not stop beating. I loved him so much, I carried a Pepsi bottle with his image on it everywhere I went. I slept with it. My comfort blanket was a Pepsi bottle with a picture of a nine-year-old boy. 

I had the famous Phantom Menace poster with young Anakin Skywalker with the shadow of Darth Vader behind him. I distinctly remember my dad telling me in the theater, “That’s Darth Vader as a little boy.” When I saw Return of the Jedi my favorite scene was when Luke took off Vader’s mask, because you got to see Vader’s real face for the first time. That Vader actually was a human and not a monster fascinated me to the point of obsession which, as you probably have figured out, still carries over to the sequel trilogy. 

Bugs Bunny established my fanaticism, but Anakin Skywalker determined my type: men presented as villains but actually are redeemed over time. Through the years I think I’ve enjoyed getting to figure out someone. Their character is presented as one dimensional, and then even the tiniest thing that strays from that is seen as fascinating. There’s a great quote from an Adam Driver profile in the New York Times that I think encapsulates it: 

“A manner so resolute that when some emotion does manage to escape - whether through a glint in his eyes or the unpredictable undulations of his voice - that transgression can’t help but take you by surprise.” 

Now my therapist says that probably comes with my need to help and fix the real boys in my life. We both joked that our favorite character in A Haunting of Hill House was the drug-addicted little brother. 

I think it is totally unfair, because I know that I can’t personally help them... though ok, she may be a little right.

While I enjoy “complicated” from afar, it does subconsciously fulfill the need for what I can’t do in reality, which is being someone’s reason to change. Mostly through love. Turns out, in real life, it is far less romantic to be dating someone with a lot of emotional issues! Who knew! 

You decide for yourself. Here are all the fictional characters I’ve obsessed over who fit this category: 

-Kylo Ren (I mean, duh)

-Prince Zuko (the original Kylo Ren)

-The Phantom of the Opera (Thank you, Leslie Knope)

-Damon from Vampire Diaries

-Hot Priest from Fleabag (ok not a villain but he’s supposed to be a holy man and you think aw he’s never gonna...AND THEN HE DOES!) 

-Mr. Darcy (again not a villain but he was to Elizabeth at first!!!!)

-Duncan from Total Drama Island

-Draco Malfoy (that bleached blonde hair attraction still hasn’t gone away, oops)

-Spock in JJ Abrams’s last good movie Star Trek

-Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (oh if my heart could beat it would break my chest, how many times have I cried over that sweet platinum blonde baby?) 

Look, I know this is all fictional and in no way real. None of these men exist and are all a fantasy. Hey, I watch You and am extremely creeped out by Joe! I don’t root for him! I also hope I don’t stay this way forever. I really don’t want to be a Twilight mom. I’ve calmed down in my old age, ok? I don’t wait in the cold for hours at a stage door anymore, and I go on real dates now. I’ve even had a few boyfriends in my days who were nothing like the men I lusted after nor did I even compare. 

I completely agree that all these men would be horrible to date! Draco Malfoy was totally a bigot and bully. Kylo Ren killed his dad, and I have a good relationship with my dad, so I can’t really relate. And yes, Spike before he got his soul is nothing to wish for in a boyfriend, even if it was fun to watch him. Kylo Ren and Spike have killed multiple people. I’m not down to date a murderer. 

One day I’ll be able to consume something I enjoy and move on after a week. Growing up, mundane suburban life was a little more interesting when you get lost in a fantasy for a while. To be focused on something other than school, work, or even your own anxieties. If anything, I think my obsessive personality towards men in particular just pushes me to look for more and to yearn for more instead of being depressed that I don’t get to live it. I don’t just settle for the first boy to like me back. I strive to one day not to marry a celebrity, a comedian, or an anthropomorphic cartoon character, but someone who makes me feel like I’m the heroine of my own show. 

For now, I’ll just wait for the Phantom to spring me into his underground lair. 

Taken 2 minutes before I published this. 

[reyintherain]

The Last Jedi: Vanity Fair covers reaction and breakdown

Because I’m too hyped not to let it out!

Waking up today to this felt like Christmas! (for the lack of better analogy of waking up to gifts and surprises.) I just went to check if a new episode of the Scavenger’s Hoard was up yet, and what I got was a double bonus of the new episode AND the coveted Vanity Fair spread!

I love that they made 4 different covers instead of just one with either a bunch of characters thrown in together (like the TFA poster which I don’t like much for that very reason tbh) or a select image of, probably, Rey and Luke on the Ireland location. That could be cool too, but would be a) too reminiscent of the teaser poster and b) would not feature other, no less important and wonderful characters. So here it goes, the four covers broken down one by one.

(I tried to keep it short, but it never happens.)

The Force

Luke looks more and more like a god figure, and not a happy one. Whatever he’s been through changed him and left him a pained old man.

I love the burlap sack draped over Mark dramatically. Skywalker drama queen, indeed! (I say that lovingly)

Regarding Rey, honestly, I don’t have much to say, other than they’re playing it safe, and keeping the news on her character to the minimum (yet). She’s got her staff, but not the saber (would it be reading in too much to say she hasn’t let go of Jakku and still waiting for her family to come back at that point in the film?)

I like that random strain of her hair, making a loop in the wind. It’s kinda cute 

Colour palette for Rey’s and Luke’s costumes is earthly, brown-grayish, with fabrics that look low-tech and reminiscent of traditionally woven materials. Compare and contrast with the First Order cover with Hux’s luxury silk shirt, Phasma’s ultra tech armor, and layers of dark and 3D printed belt buckle on Kylo.

The weather isn’t up for sunbathing and sipping a margarita on Ahch-To. Could be a coincidence as that was simply the weather on the day of the photoshoot, but I like to see this as a reflection of what’s going on on the island, as clouds gather in the sky.

On a side now, is this a composite image? Because Mark looks taller and larger than Daisy, in ways that suggest these are two separate photos of them combined together. I read somewhere that Annie Leibovitz is fond of stitching photos together (which is totally fine). It’s just that Mark’s seemingly huge hand and head and the way Daisy and Mark look like (or rather do not look like) standing next to each other kind of bother me, but, of course, that’s a minor thing, unimportant for the story and the characters.

The Dark Side

The Dark side? Not the First Order? Interesting choice. Whether one should look too much into this is a question, and the answer is probably not too look too much into that. It’s probably that ‘The Dark Side’ sounds cooler and more ominous than ‘The First Order’. (Still, Tarkin and Krennic weren’t referred to as the faces of The Dark side). Anyways, let’s move on to more exciting parts of this cover!

Phasma looks like she is about to kill someone, and I love it! I love seeing Gwendoline Christie being able to act with her face. Hopefully, that means we’ll get to see a more substantial story for her character this time, because to waste Gwendoline’s talent would be a bummer.

Also, they kept her blonde hair (probably, to avoid complicating things too much. It’s not even guaranteed we see Phasma unmasked in the film.) Anyways, I’m excited to see Phasma unmasked (masks do have an effect of making perceive someone less human), and as a fan of Gwendoline in Game of Thrones, hope we’ll see more of her in TLJ!

Hux. That silky, smooth shirt. I don’t know, I just love it haha! No really, I’m excited to see Hux as part of the promo, and while I’m not the biggest Hux fan out there, his dynamic with Kylo and Domhnall Gleeson’s acting, and  emperor!Hux and kylux fanart/tags made me somewhat fond of the character, at least the fandom one.

Kylo Ren. Oh. My. God. Adam Driver is so good at modelling.

Those legs, that pose, the hair, cape over one shoulder -> I’m dead

“Kylo Ren’s wounds go much deeper than the fearsome new scar on his face.” -> I’m dead

It’s so coded for mental health, I just can’t (deep down all I want for Kylo is to find some peace and to see and be in the light again, even for a small part of his being)

Kylo’s ruffled hair actually gives him a slightly mad look, obsessed and passionately disheveled. Compare and contrast with Hux’s new sleek look, down to the shirt and hair. Heck, even their tops reflect each other: Hux’s silk shirt (with no buttons or anything else on it) and Kylo’s textured top

It’s been pointed out many times already that Kylo’s being unmasked for the TLJ promotion could mean and actually supports the idea that TLJ will explore humanity of the character, as per Adam Driver. What’s a more human way than to ditch masks and show emotions on one’s face? Plus as a bonus, we’ll get more of Adam’s performance aside from what he already amazingly conveys though body language and use of the costume

I cannot stop unseeing Eric Maell’s reylo artwork from last year’s Celebration. That rock star pose (hello and thank you, Star Wars Connection)

All in all, the First Order Trio looks ready to kick some ass in The Last Jedi

Leather boots, armor, belts, silk, space denim. I’m loving that aesthetic.

The Resistance

Precious freedom fighters in one photo! They actually look like a fam, and I love it <3 (unlike the First Order trio that’s biz only where Hux is sneering down at everyone and Kylo in particular, Phasma’s just up for the company with her colleagues, and Kylo pursuing his own thing within the Order)

Poe looking fine! No surprise here if you have Oscar Isaac playing the character! Hopefully, this charming poster boy will also get some challenges and more substance to his character this time around

Rose! I’m excited to see Kelly Marie Tran in character! We now know her full name now too - Rose Tico, and that of the new characters, she’ll have the most screen time. What I also find exciting is that Rose is a mechanic, meaning she’s employed in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, for those who don’t know). Needless to say that we need more women represented in those fields on the big screen.

Finn/John Boyega. Looking gorgeous, determined, and more mature. No really, I love this! John Boyega’s got a great charisma, and it’s great to see him channeling that for Finn. Can’t wait to see more him in TLJ now that he’s a big deal in the Resistance.

Sadly, looks like we might not see much of Finn and Rey together in TLJ (based on these images and other info we know about them). Regardless of that, I’m glad for Finn finding a family, identity, and embarking on a journey of his own.

I wonder if Rey gets a new costume later in the film, will Finn get something of his own too? Recycling is great (perhaps, the Resistance is a bit short on cash too to make custom costumes for everyone), but I would love to see Finn wearing something that reflects him as his own person. He has a name and an identity. Why not give him a signature look too?

Overall, I really like the retro vibe of their looks. Kinda reminds of old movies, with movie stars rocking leather jackets, riding bikes or flying planes in WWII.

The Legacy

Carrie. Standing strong and beautiful. A true freedom fighter, a leader, a royalty. I really love how this image conveys all of that and more what Leia is, and doesn’t shy away from femininity and glamour the character always had.

This is a gorgeous touching tribute to the late Carrie Fisher, and, as many fans, I welcome it, and wholeheartedly celebrate Carrie’s legacy.

I want to say thank you to whoever put Leia’s looks in TLJ together for honouring the character through the costume, the leader and the princess that Leia has always been.

I want to talk more about the way the way Carrie carries herself in the image, that lip pout, and yet slight sadness in her eyes. Carrie does it so well. You can really see all the years and things she’s been through. She is probably mourning Han Solo (no, definitely mourning!), and perhaps Kylo’s fate is still tied to the First Order and Snoke, and whether she and Luke reunite is still up in the air, and it’s still a war after all these years in the Rebellion and now Resistance. She’s been part of the war, one or another, all her life. Darth Vader is her father. Her brother, more of a myth than a man now. Her son, her parents, Alderaan. That cannot not leave an imprint, and I’m glad to see that coming through.

I’m not embarrassed to admit that I actually started tearing up when I first saw this image. It’s so beautiful! Carrie looks simply stunning. To realize that this is her last role, and that she is the legacy of the 40 years history of Star Wars, and that she’s been Leia for 40 freaking years, since she was a teen to her last days, and been through so much in her life, yet fought and forged a path of her own, helping spread the word about mental health and making the world a little better place, having no shame in being herself despite the stigma and celebrity status, bashing haters with incredible wit and humour (hey, George Lucas got some too! So did the baboon hair she wore in TFA. I’m still not over her roasting the gas station attendant look xD), all of that and more is the inspiring tale of Carrie Frances Fisher.

While costumes are great, and great costumes are freaking fantastic, I really hope Leia has more than 2 minutes of screen time in The Last Jedi. Because that would be a crime to devote more time to robots and space ships than to the heart of Star Wars that characters and their stories are. What Leia Organa and her legacy are.

[thebigreylotheory]

Star Wars Episode 8: (To Catch) The Last Jedi (Thief)

Ooo, something new for me to pick apart.

Star Wars Episode 8: (To Catch) The Last Jedi (Thief)

So last week I read/heard that Mr. Director (Rian Johnson) stated another movie he watched in preparation for Episode 8.

To Catch A Thief (1955) (Starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly) – “for the romantic scale and grandeur” – Empire (http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/rian-johnson-last-jedi-interview/)

(Should I be giggling that the magazine is named Empire??)

Romantic + Star Wars = Excited much???

Ok, so hold up…I’ll be fair and consider for a moment that romantic scale could reflect the definition: “an idealized view of reality.” OR Romanticism:  “emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature, preferring the medieval rather than the classical.”

‘Cause, although “To Catch A Thief” is about robberies, it’s pretty carefree and fun. And there’s grand costumes and a party.

But there’s also young ladies seeking adventure, fake identity (Matt the Radar Technician??), falling for the man with the dark past, kissing, tense moments alone together in a dark hotel room, and fireworks. (Which was used in old movies to “imply” more.) Oh, and a dark mask.

So Captain McHusbandMan (Caps) and I rewatched the movie on Netflix, with the intention of making it all Reylo.

But other than the items listed above, honestly, the characters don’t remind me much of Kylo Ren/Ben Solo or Rey. The situation? Plot of The Last Jedi? Maybe. The personalities? No.

Actually the main character, John Robie (Cary Grant), reminds me of Luke. He’s retired and claims he hasn’t done anything in fifteen years (go away, I live on Ahch-To now).

The wheels turning in my head wonder if Luke’s going to fall in love? Laura Dern’s character, maybe?

Caps had the audacity to suggest that maybe Rey will develop a school-girl crush on Luke and that will be another reason Kylo Ren wants to kill his uncle…but, let’s not go there. That’s Not-Appropriate-For-Jimmy-Johns territory, again. AH, he likes to torture me.

But anyways, I’m going to make this movie Reylo, cause I can, for lolz.

*Spoilers* for “To Catch A Thief”.

Synopsis Time:

Despite his dark past, Kylo Ren (Cary Grant) just wants to maintain a quiet existence in the First Order (French Riviera). He hasn’t been good in like fifteen years. In regards to him, the First Order has nothing to worry about. It’s true he stole Vader’s helmet (jewels) and wanted the Skywalker lightsaber, but that’s been a while ago. It’s not like he would turn his back on his duty to hunt down artifacts (steal jewels) again.

However, there’s this dirty rumor that someone in the galaxy is stealing Jedi artifacts. Hux (the cops) believes its Kylo Ren and attempts to arrest him. (‘Cause much like social media, you shouldn’t be doing that on company time.) Ren escapes, jumps in a TIE, and is immediately chased. After losing Hux with his awesome piloting skills, Ren goes to see Snoke. That should settle things.

But Snoke isn’t amused. He tells Kylo Ren if he wants to prove his innocence, he’s tasked with catching the real thief. Great. Meanwhile, Hux arrives, still wanting to arrest Ren. With Captain Phasma’s help Ren escapes, again.

Well, there’s only one person in the galaxy who knows a lot about Jedi artifacts: Uncle Luke. So, Ren reluctantly contacts him through the Force. Luke is very forgiving, and actually, has a list of all the remaining Jedi artifacts in the galaxy and who owns them.

Apparently, the most highly sought after lightsaber, after Vader’s of course, is owned by a mother and daughter duo, who are currently vacationing on Naboo. That’s probably where the thief will strike next. Luckily, Luke just happens to know the mother and daughter. Luke promises to introduce Kylo Ren to them if Ren assumes a fake identity. Matt the Radar Technician it is.

Little does Ren know, the daughter and mother are really Rey (Grace Kelly) and her newly-found mom. Gee, good thing Ren has a disguise. The four of them hang out for a while. Afterwards, as a gentleman technician, Matt sees Rey safely to her bedroom door.

Out of the blue, Rey passionately kisses him goodnight.

No, wrong diamond movie, Ren.

In the morning, Rey invites Matt for a swim. Together, they go to the shore, where he spots Captain Phasma. It’s probably time for a progress update. Excusing himself from Rey, he swims to a nearby floating dock to talk to Phasma in private.

To Ren/Matt’s surprise, Rey swims out to join them. Ren and Phasma quickly pretend they just met. Ren isn’t sure if Rey buys their act. She acts strangely jealous.

Afterwards, Rey suddenly decides she wants to accompany Matt on the repair job he’s in town for. She even offers to fly him to the job on her speeder. Desperate to keep his cover, Matt agrees, aware they are being followed by stormtroopers. Rey shows off her skills by leaving them in the dust.

Thrilled to once again have some excitement in her life, after finding her mom and deciding to be homeschooled-in-the-Force, Rey confesses she wasn’t fooled by Kylo Ren’s disguise. However, she, too, believes he is the mysterious thief. And, since she’s so bored, she actually offers to help him steal the rest of the Jedi artifacts in the galaxy. Rey insists they can discuss it in her hotel room. So much so, she threatens to reveal his identity if he doesn’t spend the evening with her.

After some tense moments watching some Endor-esque fireworks from Rey’s window, Rey dozes off and Ren returns to his room. Then the news breaks that her and her mother’s lightsaber has vanished. Rey feels her trust has been broken and accuses Ren. Stormtroopers storm the place and Ren escapes, yet again.

In hiding once more, Ren and Luke stake out the next artifact most likely to be stolen. While waiting for the thief in the darkness, Ren is attacked. He kills his assailant, only to discover it was Snoke. The galaxy is shocked, but no one in the First Order would have wanted to follow a Not-So-Supreme thief anyways.

Yet, in Ren’s mind, it seems not true, impossible. Snoke was old and had a galaxy to run, he couldn’t have been the real thief. Meanwhile, Rey apologizes and admits she has compassion for Ren. Together with Uncle Luke and her mother, they decide try to catch the thief again. This time at a lavish party.

To keep Hux confused Luke dons Kylo Ren’s mask. Oh and Padme’s old feathers, cause feathers are in this year. Which allows Ren the ability to watch for the thief on the roof. Just as he sees a figure approaching, stormtroopers begin firing at him. Dodging them, he catches the thief falling off the roof.

Captain Phasma? What? This whole time?? She admits she committed the robberies for her father, Leader Snoke. What? That’s not true, that’s impossible, too!

Kylo Ren’s name is cleared. He returns home and finds Rey waiting for him. Yay!

The end.

[wiremagazine]

TRAVEL BACK IN TIME AT THE FLORIDA RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

By Rafa Carvajal | Photos by George Quiroga. Courtesy of The Florida Renaissance Festival

The 26th Annual Florida Renaissance Festival is in full swing and a great time is being had by all who join in the festivities. Through March 25, you and your friends can travel back in time to the 16th Century with over 100 very talented performers ready to entertain you throughout your visit, tons of artisans selling their wares, a Kid's Kingdom, and plenty of entertainment and food and drynk fit for a king or queen. The Florida Renaissance Festival is a very popular, fun event for all ages. You can visit ren-fest.com to learn more about the thrilling mix of returning Festival favorites and the new acts and attractions for this year's gaieties.

Wire Magazine sat down with Entertainment Director Richard Weber, who is also the Lord Mayor of the Village and a proud member of the LGBTQ community, to learn more about this year's Festival.

Rafa Carvajal: What is your role with the Florida Renaissance Festival? Richard Weber: I've played the Lord Mayor of the Village for 18 years and I've been the entertainment director for 15 years. 

RC: What new additions can we look forward to this year? RW: There is always a thrilling mix of returning favorites, plus new acts and attractions. Two wonderful variety acts and fan favorites who haven't been here in a couple of seasons, Broon and Kamikaze Fireflies, both return for the 2018 full season. New this year, we have a swimming mermaid exhibit provided by Blue Mermaid Designs, and a new pirate area called Tortuga Bay. In the Jousting Arena Forecourt we have a new aerial act, "Cirqa Brava," featuring gymnastic aerialists performing on flying silks supported by a 30' high rig. Also in this same area of the festival, we host "Lady Ophelia's Dance Party." Flirt the renaissance way by learning the latest country and court dances, and engaging with your fellow faire guests in dance. We are also very pleased to announce the engagement of a spectacular international musical group called Stary Olsa. These are six versatile musicians playing authentic renaissance instruments that have come from Belarus and have included the Florida Renaissance Festival as a part of their American tour schedule. We present musicians and unique variety artists with international reputations, and a marketplace community of artists unparalleled in skill and expression.

RC: Tell us about this year's themed weekends. Which is your favorite? RW: The themed upcoming weekends are: Wenches Weekend, March 3-4; International Weekend, March 10-11; Celtic, March 17-18; and Witches, Wizards & Magic, March 24-25. We also had these themes in previous weekends this year: Pirates, February 10-11; Time Traveler's – Steampunk, February 17-19; and Viking, February 24-25. 

For each of the themed weekends, we hold a special event or contest to support the theme and give the audience something special that occurs only during that weekend. We feature different variety acts and musicians that present something special in support of the themes. We also partner with specialty acts and outside events to present unique entertainment. For example, to celebrate Time Traveler's Weekend, we partnered with Florida Supercon to host a futuristic fashion show and costume contest. For Viking Weekend, we presented our first-ever Beard and Moustache contest. Wenches Weekend is always a particularly fun time with our bodice and cleavage contest. It's just good-natured fun and a perpetual crowd favorite. Another fan favorite event occurs on our Celtic Weekend when we host our Men-in-Kilts and Highland Hunk contest. We always offer something for the ladies as well as something for the gentlemen. 

We have two new themes for this season's festival. International Weekend, where we encourage our guests and participants both to dress in whatever cultural wardrobe best represents the international flavor of the renaissance, and Witches, Wizards & Magic Weekend, where we celebrate the fantasy world of fairies, spirits and Harry Potter. Every day there is something different and every festival day is magical.

RC: Tell us about the work that goes into producing the Florida Renaissance Festival. RW: Producing and preparing for the annual festival is a full-time, year-round endeavor. As soon as the show opens, we start planning the next season. There are permits and licensing agreements, legalities, cross-promotions, sponsorships and educational programs to update and develop. There are variety acts, musicians and actors to audition, negotiate, contract and train, scripts and music to be written, policies to establish and living history encampments to enhance and assist. There are outreach programs to oversee, conventions to attend and state and local committees to involve. Artists and fine craftsmen present products to jury into the show and meetings are held to discuss the balance of the event with regards to products and entertainments. Phone calls, emails and every form of communication from electronic to smoke signals and carrier pigeons are involved year round to create the immersive experience that is the modern Renaissance Festival.

RC: Describe the Florida Renaissance Festival in three words. RW: Unique, entertaining and memorable.

RC: What do you consider the most distinct qualities of Florida Renaissance Festival? RW: 
I consider this entire industry a remarkable cultural phenomenon. Unlike most other forms of entertainment where there is a clear division between artist and audience, the modern Renaissance Festival breaks down these barriers and you get the opportunity to directly engage with living characters in an immersive environment. We now live in an age where few people feel comfortable speaking with strangers. The Renaissance Festival works very hard to create a safe, community oriented, village feel… a place where you can hold long involved conversations with individuals outside of your normal expectations and experience. This is a place where every person you encounter is seriously dedicated to your well being and happiness, a place where there are no strangers, only friends; a place where we see each guest as the amazing, wonderful, loving and miraculous individual we know they are. We create a playground where kindness is the norm, laughter is the currency and where every guest leaves with a sincere wish for their health and happiness. Our purpose is to create memories of loving wonderment that will last a lifetime. We take this intent as our guiding light.

RC: Why should Wire Magazine readers attend the Florida Renaissance Festival? RW: Short answer: Everyone should attend the Florida Renaissance Festival. Long answer: Alternate entertainments have a long tradition within the gay community. In a world where we have struggled long and hard for public acknowledgement, and the basic human dignity of being allowed to express ourselves and live truthful authentic lives, the Renaissance Festival phenomenon has always encouraged guests and patrons to dress up and live both the fantasy and the reality of our innermost spirits. For decades, festivals of this nature have always been a safe space to publicly express yourself. Sometimes it takes a historical perspective to remind modern audiences that the concept of family and community has less to do with those with whom we share blood, but rather it is better defined by those for whom we would give our blood. Within a renaissance festival village, we are less tribal and more inclusive than is generally experienced in other public forums.

RC: What are your top 3 favorite costumes that you've spotted at the Festival? RW: Oh lord, where to start? Top 3? Every lady who puts on her first corset and long skirt which transforms her image of herself and who finally sees herself as the most exotic woman in the world. Every person who comes dressed to the festival expressing some hidden aspect of their own personality. Every guest who decides to become someone different, playful and free.

Favorites? The fairies with 8-foot wingspans and amazing peripheral vision. The Klingons and Star Wars Stormtroopers who invade every Time Traveler's Weekend, generally with all 13 flavors of Doctor Who. The bodybuilder in his late 50's wearing a whisper of leather and a "come hither" smile, as proud in his display as a peacock. And every child, every princess, knight and wizard who still knows what it is to play and who insist that their parents remember to play as well.

RC: Where do you see the Festival in 5 years? RW: Bigger, grander and happier.

RC: Is there anything else you would like to share with Wire Magazine readers?RW: My thanks, my wishes for your good fortune and my phone number for any of your readers into older guys who work in the arts.

Florida Renaissance Festival at Quiet Waters Park. 401 S Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach

This was originally published in Wire Magazine Issue 09.2018

[itdisneymatter]

Day 15 - Hollywood Studios

TLDR: Longest park day yet and one of the best. Met loads of characters. Took loads of photos. Kids became Jedi’s and battled against the formidable Darth Vader. Hit the shows we missed first time around and returned to favourites. The day had a definite Star Wars thread and ended with a huge Star Wars Pyrotechnics & Light show. Amazing day and Hollywood has most certainly been done for another trip.

Hollywood Studios. Our plan of action today was to retry Jedi Academy as we missed it last time and also do all of the extra things in the park like the Star Wars shows, Character autographs, photos and Fireworks. That meant a full 09:00-22:00 day shot at the park (weather permitting). Once we got through the gates, me and the kids once again went straight to register for Jedi Academy aaaand there was NO queue! It might just turn out to be a quieter day here in the park :) The kids were booked in by Becky who was from Falkirk! Small world. We had an early afternoon return time so hopefully in before the weather starts to turn as it was forecast to.

As it was REALLY quiet we walked straight on to Star Tours (even though we had a FP for it later in the day). I was identified as the rebel spy this time - WOOT! (though with a my favourite Disney Princess is Princess Leia it was kind of a dead giveaway). Same planets as before but we had Yoda instead of BB8 this time. And I survived! :P

After that we met Olaf for a quick photo op (no Anna or Elsa though :( ) and then a quick coffee stop and on to the Star Wars Launch Bay to meet several Star Wars characters too. Now Grace brought along Furbacca today with the sole purpose of introducing him to Chewbacca. And when he met him, was he confused - LOL - but he played along brilliantly, and Grace was absolutely tickled at his reaction. In fact Furbacca was a huge hit with a lot of the cast memebers through out the day, the only problem is he doesnt shut up, he constantly RWARRRs and sings Star Wars tunes all day. We got lots of photos of just the kids and the whole family - the staff are so accomodating and even though theres a queue they dont ever rush you out the door - just sums up the whole experience of Disney to be honest. Next up was Kylo Ren, and his sounds and mannerisms were spot on. Grace didnt really know where to look and she kept Furbacca hidden behind her back just in case. Then finally on to BB8 another one of Gracie's favs. The launch bay also had a lot of props and memorabilia so its a great experience for any Star Wars enthusiast.

May the force be with you!

We then headed off for our reservation for the Jedi Academy: Trials of the Temple. A short introduction followed by them donning their robes and marching their way through the park to the temple a little way away. And Patrick, Robert & Grace were in Team Chewie! A wee story develops where some Jedi masters arrive and take the through some training with light-sabres. And they the time came when the three of them faced off against Darth Vader and some other Darth Vader-chick. It was a tough battle and all three fought bravely and pushed back the dark forces of the temple. Kylo Ren also made an appearance to conclude the story. It seemed much more immersive than last time I seen the show and the kids loved it! Lots of pics taken by both ourselves and the Disney Photographers (and all of their photos are added to your memory maker too, which is sweet).

Reach for the sky!

Toy Story Fast Pass up next, and after my defeat at the  hands of my eldest on Men In Black the other day, I felt I had to redeem myself. That being said, Patrick asked for some hints and tips on this one too, which I did give him (albeit reluctantly).   Competition was fierce, esp from the missus, but I managed to scrape by.

Gerry: 162800

Ann: 141400

Robert: 114700

Patrick: 93200

Gracie: 49900

Patrick kinda waned on the Fun Fact Of The Day today but as its kinda related I gave him a pass. Here it is...

So many people started shouting 'Andy's coming' to the Toy Story characters that it had to be stopped for safety reasons. Now when people shout it, the cast members reply 'He's in College!'

Anyway, I celebrated my win with a wee double espresso, my first this holiday surprisingly - I think Ive had my fill of cold brews for a little bit. Next, we had our first of two regular Star Wars shows: March Of The First Order. Here, Captain Phasma leads a bunch of First Order troopers through the park in precise military fashion. Pretty cool and brings in the Force Awakens lore, which they seem to lean on heavily in the park at the moment (there are now 5 new Star Wars shows and attractions from two years ago). Fun Fact from myself, Captain Phasma is played by Gwendoline Christie aka Brienne of Tarth from Game Of Thrones which will shortly be starting back (one of the few things I’m looking forward to going back home for). HYPEEEEEE! Ahem. we headed over to the Great Movie ride after the show was finished. We didn’t get on this one last week, so was looking forward to it as was Patrick (though Grace was a little more reluctant as we hadn't really done any rides other than Star Tour so far). Nice wee trip through some memorable movie scenes, which included some live action sequences by cast members and ended in a nice compilation of movies over the last 70 years or so. After which  Patrick expressed an interest in watching older, classic movies when he got back home and I had to agree.

Our next attraction was a second Star Wars show, which wasn’t due to start for a while yet so we went to browse some shops (we didn’t have time to do anything else in the time). I decided to pop back down to Tower of Terror gift shop to see if there was some further Jasmine Beckett-Griffith art (where I picked it up from originally) and bought a Rey & BB-8 print. The cashier Noelle (probably noticing my t-shirt), gave me some insider info about the artist including that she was actually from Florida and pointed me in the direction of some further Star Wars prints only available in Disney Springs. Awesome! :)

We got into a good position for the Star Wars: A Galaxy far far away show which was a compilation of Star Wars clips with appearances from some major characters (and droids) at specific intervals. We seen another appearance from Kylo, Chewie and BB-8 as well as Boba Fett, R2 and Threepio and a bunch of others.

Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me?

We then went to meet Mickey and Minnie! Something you absolutely must have to do when you visit here. After about a 30 minute wait (which was longer than the others for obvious reasons), we got to meet Minnie Mouse. She gave all the kids a big hug, signed their Autograph book and posed for photos with all of us. Then it was on to Mickey, and not just any Mickey - it was Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey - one of Patrick’s absolute favourites and he went crazy when he found out. He also welcomed them with open arms and was really attentive will also of them, to the point Robert got a little emotional about the whole thing (to be fair they had been on the go for 7 hrs with little breaks and intense heat). Amazing experience for them and that particular one really made the day.

WE ARE GROOT!

Keeping in with the order of the day, we then headed off to meet Groot & Star Lord from Guardians. We didn’t know what Groot it would be but I think we all secretly hoped it would be Baby Groot, even though it would be pretty difficult to do a meet & greet with a one foot plant. We turned the corner to the set after queuing for a little and it WAS Baby Groot! He was sitting on a console with a cable, and had a pretty convincing actor playing Star Lord alongside him. He interacted really well with the kids and even told Grace The Collector was on the look out for her Furbacca (which she had in her hand ready to meet the two). It must more that a little demanding when your having to spontaneously interact with someone as a talking character as opposed to someone who puts on a suit so kudos to this dude (and no offence intended to the other costume characters).

Fortune and Glory, Kid!

Patrick wanted to go back to see Indy again (being an avid fan), so we decided to skip dinner for yet another hour to go catch the last show of the day. We arrived early enough to get one of the first rows and when it came time for the show to start and them to look for volunteers to participate in the how the kids and Ann put up their hand for me. Unfortunately I didn't get picked - kids were gutted and ummm so was I ;) Having photographed the last show I just wanted to get a few extra pics of the golden idol/boulder sequence (due to the better vantage point) and then I got to put my camera away to watch the show properly. Unfortunately a thunderstorm was heading our way so they had to cut the last scene much to the disappointment of the kids (and especially Grace when I told her this was the last day at Hollywood Studios). Luckily the storm didn't come to anything. When exiting Indy, Patrick decided that now would be a good time to redeem his birthday present in the form of an authentic leather Indiana Jones hat and satchel. 120 bucks for both but after thinking about it since last time we were here, it was what he really wanted and the hat looked cool AF!

And then FINALLY we ate! We picked up some sandwich meals at Backlot Express, which seems to be somewhat of an unspoken favourite in years gone by and the food was really good, even if it was just burger and fries. Grace also got a awesome looking  BB-8 cup (as she was no longer able to get another Orange Bird cup). After dinner, we decided to head back to the car to drop off some baggage and merchandise we'd picked up. And then Gracie fell. At first I thought it was nothing as she didn't make a noise (usually she's quite vocal about these kind of things), but after picking her up she seems to have damaged her elbow and knee (which was bleeding)  quite bad. Headed off to first aid who patched up her knee and gave her an bandage and ice pack for her elbow. As she couldn't really put any pressure on her knee, we had to get her a wheelchair to run her about the rest of the park for the remainder of the evening. And she was absolutely amazing about it all, not crying or complaining, so much so that we bought her some pins that she was wanting for being so brave.

Fire and Light!

As night was falling, it was time for the first of the two evening shows: Movie Magic! This was a light show cast on a huge building at the back of the park. It showcased a number of movies, including Pirates and Guardians (where  we seen Baby Groot again, in a HUGE digital projection this time). It was very impressive.

Shortly after that it was the finale performance for the evening and the one we were all waiting for Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular! An epic fireworks and light show, all centered around different aspects of Star Wars. Lot of explosions and lasers tied in with a compilation of iconic Star Wars scenes and awesome fireworks. No characters this time, but it still had impact, especially the Leia scenes. A spectacular end to one of the best days we've had yet. Just under 13 hrs and 1350 photos later, not including a whole host of Memory maker ones, and Hollywood Studios was done for another trip.