#as an arcane fan i am filled with DREAD

[antisocial-author]

arcane characters like "I have my whole life ahead of me" NO YOU DON'T THE MASKS OF THE KINDRED SEEK YOU

[professor-rye]

Caleb was never a fan of splitting the party, but sometimes you get no choice in the matter.

Sometimes, magic would surge wildly and unpredictably and toss the disparate members of the Nein into entirely different rooms of the dungeon. Sometimes, he would be surrounded by his friends one moment, and then be dropped unceremoniously into a room with only Fjord to fill the echoing silence with him.

“Oww.” They had fallen from somewhere decently high. Not enough to kill them of course, but it was definitely enough to hurt. Caleb’s back ached as he rolled over, his entire body thrumming with the pain of their landing.

“Are you alright?” Fjord asked, just barely stifling his own groan of pain. Well, at least he wasn’t alone.

“Oww,” Caleb just repeated. Despite that, he moved to stand up, gingerly holding his side and looking around the room that they were in. A single square of light, some forty feet up, illuminated the small, distinctly empty space. There was nothing in the room save a single wooden door. The stone walls were perfectly smooth, all the way up, as if the space had been carved from one massive stone, as opposed to being built from bricks like the rest of the dungeon had been so far.

“Where do you think everyone is?” Fjord asked as he eyed the door suspiciously. He stepped closer to where Caleb stood, almost unconsciously closing the distance as he kept watch. Protective as always.

“It’s hard to say,” Caleb admitted warily. “I didn’t get a good look at the trap before it took us.”

“Well, it appears that–” Fjord lifted his hand in that way that he does when trying to summon his sword, and then suddenly stopped, his words interrupted just as his motion was. He looked down at his hand in confusion, and moved again.

“Fuck.”

Caleb didn’t need to ask what was happening. Dread quickly filled his heart as he flicked his own wrist, trying to summon his dancing lights. Nothing…

“Scheiße…”

“Well, that’s an unfortunate development,” Fjord muttered dryly, looking around with renewed vigor. Caleb did as well, trying to find any signs of arcane glyphs or mechanisms that could share any details about this anti-magic field that they now found themselves in. But the walls were still bare, all the way up to the bland ceiling.

They had definitely fallen more than forty feet, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the field stopped some distance up. That would have allowed for whatever magical portal had drawn them here. Unfortunately, without magic or any equipment, there was no real way to find out. He briefly considered asking if he could stand on Fjord’s shoulders, but the ache in his body convinced him that it would be a bad idea.

“I wonder if the others are in similar rooms,” Caleb murmured quietly, still searching around for clues, just in case. He was beginning to feel his anxiety rising in his stomach. He might be a squishy wizard, but he rarely felt helpless. But without his magic…

“I hope so,” Fjord said before stepping closer and resting his hand heavily on Caleb’s shoulder, grounding him instantly and reminding him to breathe. “It looks like there is only one way out, so why don’t we go ahead and go find our friends?”

Caleb swallowed thickly and nodded, grateful for the touch. Fjord did not comment on his rapidly paling face or difficulty breathing, though Caleb was certain he noticed the subtle signs of panic easily enough. But he didn’t comment on it. He never did.

They both turned towards the door in tandem, considering it for a long moment before Caleb stepped forward and began to inspect it. He wasn’t sure what he would do if he did find a trap, but he would rather not be surprised. Fortunately, it looked safe enough.

“I am no Veth, but I think we can open it without it blowing up in our faces,” he told his companion as he stepped back. “It also appears to be unlocked. Shall we?”

Fjord nodded, and with a decisive step forward, they opened the door. It was a bit anticlimactic after all that, as the door opened easily and no terrible traps assaulted them. Instead, they were faced with a deep hallway that stretched out into darkness.

Fjord started moving forward, but Caleb couldn’t help but hesitate. After a moment, the half-orc stopped as well, turning back to look at him in confusion. The anxiety that Caleb had felt when he first realized that he was without his magic hadn’t exactly left. It had just calmed down a bit. Now, it was back in full force as he was faced with the vulnerability in front of him.

“Oh, oh right!” Fjord said suddenly after a moment, glancing between Caleb and the darkness ahead.

“It’s fine,” Caleb insisted, realizing that there was no other way out anyway. He would just have to deal with being blind for a bit. And without any of his magic. Through a dangerous dungeon full to the brim of traps and monsters. All with the constitution of wet paper.

What could possibly go wrong? Read more on AO3

[clockworkspider]

Truly I am blaming Netflix deciding to air a whole season at once and the resulting "binging" culture for this. That and the general trend of series getting shorter and more compact.

Even tho people will stay with LOTR and the dreaded Harry Potter years after they ended, it's the time in between updates that fans spend together which really cements the attachment even after the canon is over.

With older animes too. They use to just keep the episodes going and put in fillers when the anime catches up to the manga. It made for poor watered down anime but very active fandom. If people stay with a show every week for 10 years they're gonna keep staying after it ends. Now each season is 12 episodes and each anime fandom gets activated for 3 months every year then go to sleep.

I think creators/marketing actively engaging with fandom also kinda contribute. Because when a work is current there is a real effort on the part of the creators to hype things up, and fans gets used to that level of engagement from the source. This gives creators/marketing a certain level of control over fandom movement. Eg. Arcane twitter constantly retweets fanarts.

So in the past you'd follow a few big name fans who are active in the fandom. They might not write or draw anything but they act as curators. When the creator/marketing itself fills in this niche, fans no longer have to seek out their own trusted BNF. Which means once the thing ends the marketing will trickle out, and less engaged fans will just lose their connection to the fandom without even realizing it.

So yeah it really is the gentrification of fandom.

Fandom is so different now and it’s becoming un-fun with how quickly shit moves.

I just want to enjoy things. I don’t want to have to play a game of Artist-Race that seems to be afoot lately.

Ya’ll eat up fandoms, leave artists and writers bone dry and then move on so fucking quickly then fucking wonder where all the Good Fandom Stuff is.

Idk Maybe cherish some things for longer. Reblog stuff. Interact with people. Comment and share.

Fandom is Capitalism now and I’m not being nuanced.

[yourmelancholydreams]

Secret Santa

Hey, this is for the Klance Secret Santa exchange that I joined. @alunaii​, I was your Secret Santa! I wrote a nice little oneshot for your gift. I’m willing to rewrite it if it’s not up to your standards too. The fic is written under the cut! Hope you enjoy!

“God, this was a bad idea,” Keith muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. The cold night air bit into his skin, reminding him exactly of the situation he’d gotten himself into. At this point, literally anything could make this day better. Even a giant surge of demons coming to destroy the city would be okay with Keith. Actually, he’d probably welcome that. You know, less for him to worry about in the long run.

With a heavy sigh, Keith kicked at a rock on the road. This place wasn’t his home. It was just some sort sucky replacement that had more guards and more snow. God, Keith hated snow. There was nothing redeeming about it. As much as it had been snowing, it only seemed to exist to make Keith’s life miserable, along with literally everything else.

After the war between the Galra Empire and the Altean Kingdom erupted, Keith’s life turned upside down. He’d been kicked out of his little home that rested between the two cities, and really wasn’t welcome in either one. In Altea, he’d be seen as filthy Galra scum due to the tattoos running down his arms. They were supposed to bring pride for the Galra, but the only thing it brought Keith now was greif. But it wasn’t like he could go and live in the Galra Empire either. See, there were mandatory drafts for the military, and Keith kind of dodged them. All of them. That in itself was seen as a direct threat to the Galran leadership, and you really weren’t supposed to threaten the Galran leadership. So, yeah. Keith was kind of stuck.

Keith tried to pick the better of the two options, which was basically like picking between losing his right arm or his left arm; both choices were terrible, but one was slightly more life-threatening. So, Keith chose to take to the streets of Altea.

Of course, Keith knew that moving without any assets wouldn’t be simple, but damn, he was struggling. Even the poor parts of Altea had crystal-lined streets and prices that shot through the roof. How was a poor, antisocial shut-in like Keith supposed to function? Good question, because he sure as hell didn’t know the answer to it. If anybody knew, he’d be happy to hear it.

Keith glanced around as another shop window’s light went off. Just how late was it? The shops around him were closing left and right, and the overwhelming amount of darkness was starting to make him a bit nervous. Living in the desert gave him enough of an idea of what hid in the darkness, and it wasn’t pretty. Werewolves, demons, minotaurs, cowboys who had a bit too much to drink. Terrible, awful creatures. The city may be advertised as being safer, but fear always seemed to linger with Keith.

A snap of a twig forced panic to shoot through Keith’s body. Chills came over him as he turned to face the source of the sound, only to find…

Nothing. There was nothing there. God. Keith knew he wasn’t the most stable, but this-

Wait, no. There was definitely something there. Keith squinted a bit, only to scream when a shadow jumped from the wall. The shadow-creature straightened out to its full height, towering over Keith by at least seven feet. Then, once the creature caught Keith’s eye, multiple more of the shadow-creatures burst from the wall. They all readied themselves before focusing their eyes on Keith, glaring.

“Oh, fu-” The leading shadow roared, interrupting Keith’s curse. Before he could even connect the dots, Keith turned and ran.

The shadow-creatures barreled after him, clambering through the streets and knocking over everything they came into contact with. Roars and other horrendous sounds echoed through the once-calm streets, filling Keith to the brim with dread. God, he made the wrong choice. Should faced the law back with the Galra. At least the law didn’t have terrifying liquidy shadow-creatures that came right out of a demonic textbook.

Keith grabbed at his side for the knife he always kept on his belt. It was short and probably wouldn’t do anything against these shadow-creature things, but having the knife in his hand made him feel better, okay?

With a quick glance over his shoulder, Keith realized that the shadow-creatures were gaining on him. He groaned with contempt, his legs starting to ache. God, he didn’t need to run from things in the desert. Hell, he just stayed inside. If he didn’t leave his house, weird demon things couldn’t disembowel him. God, Keith wished he could stay home.

One of the shadow-creatures lurched and grabbed at Keith’s shirt. He screamed and whipped around, throwing the knife at the demon with the fury of a thousand suns. The shadow-creature didn’t even flinch. As Keith went back to running for his life, he realized just what he did.

Keith just threw his only weapon and last line of defense at the thing. And it didn’t even flinch. God, was there anything that could make this day any worse?

“Hey there, stranger,” a smooth voice said from beside Keith. He turned around, only to see another boy standing next to him. Actually, scratch that. The guy was floating next to Keith. Like, full on floating along with him, like there weren’t bloodthirsty shadow-creatures chasing after them.

“Who the hell are you?” Keith yelled, his voice coming out in one short gasp. Man, he needed to exercise.

“The name’s Lance,” the boy greeted, his blue eyes glinting with mischief. His white hair waved in the breeze rushing past the two as Keith ran and Lance, well, floated. The blue markings underneath Lance’s eyes told Keith that Lance was some sort of Altean fae creature. Why would some sort of Altean fae creature be here anyways? To mock him, some defenseless Galra? Maybe Lance was the cause behind these shadow-creatures. Is this what Altean fairies did for fun?

A shadow-creature lunged at Keith again, barely nicking his ankle. Keith swore underneath his breath before casting a pointed glare at Lance.

“If you’re going to stay here, do you at least mind, I don’t know, helping me? For God’s sake, man,” Keith snapped, breath coming in pants. Well, that was stupid. Not only was he kicked out of his home and being chased by whatever the hell those shadows were, now he’s yelled at Altean royalty. Fan-freaking-tastic.

“Well, of course. What else would I, the greatest sharpshooter in all of Altea, be here to do?” Lance smirked before giving a wink to a now-confused Keith. Then, with a simple slew of some sort of spell, Lance disappeared, only to reappear a few hundred feet in front of Keith.

Lance pressed his fingers to his lips, seemingly uttering another spell. Then, a large display of arcane circles of light appeared on the street. Keith, not knowing what else to do, ran straight towards Lance, ducking behind the Altean when he got there. Then, with another spell, Lance shot something straight from his fingers. Sharp beams of light shaped like arrows shot into each of the shadow-creatures heads. Then, they fell, one by one, and dissipated into dust.

“And that’s how it’s done,” Lance purred, wiping off his hands on his jacket. Keith could only stare at where the shadow-creatures used to be, mouth open wide, which caused Lance to smirk. “What? Never seen a real magician’s tricks? Well, I wouldn’t blame you. Hardly looks like you’ve ever seen a fight.”

“I know how to use a knife,” Keith muttered, his face heating up. Now, Keith knew that he was supposed to thank this guy or whatever, but now he was just bragging. This was unfair. “I can do, uh, knife tricks. And stuff.”

“What, you mean with this?” Lance brought his hand between the two of them with some sort of dramatic flair, only to be holding the knife. Keith gasped and snatched the knife back.

“How’d you get this?” Keith asked, surveying his knife. It seemed to be untouched. Good.

“Oh, you know. Magic and whatever.” Lance waved off the concern like it was nothing. “But that’s not what’s important here. You should learn to be more careful. Those things are some sort of automated guard to protect us from Galra spies or soldiers or whatever. They’ll hunt after you like a crazed, demonic watchdog.”

“Yeah, okay. Whatever.” Keith shoved the knife back into its sheath, just about ready to leave and go punch a wall or something else that seemed Keith-like. But, of course, Lance wasn’t done talking.

“You know, I was just doing my regular patrol of the city, and I saw that the guard alarm or whatever it’s called went off. I checked the cameras and I saw you running about, Galra tattoos being flaunted all over the place. At first I was like, ‘Yo, that could be a Galra spy,’ and I was about to go back to bed and be like, you know, whatever. But then I looked a bit closer and saw that you were wearing a My Chemical Romance shirt, and I was like, ‘No self-respecting Glara spy would be wearing a My Chemical Romance shirt.’ So, I swooped in and saved the day.”

“How riveting.”

“Hey, I changed out of my pajamas to save you. And it’s freaking cold out here. You could at least show a little bit of gratitude.”

“Thank you for saving me from your creepy-ass demon guards.”

“No problem. It’s all part of the job title.” Lance smirked again, posing like there were paparazzi or something hiding in the bushes. “Anyways, I guess I should give you one more little hint. The guards will activate when they notice any sort of Galra symbol. Those tattoos on your arms? Those set off the sirens like nothing else. You need to hide those.”

“Oh, uh, yeah.” Keith rubbed up and down his arms, a sense of self-consciousness coming over him. The tattoos weren’t something he could control. Even with magic, the energy combined with the tattoos would still be there. There was nothing Keith could do.

“Here.” Lance shrugged off his bomber jacket and did some crude folding before handing it to Keith, who just stared at him.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Uh, wear it? Is there some crazy Galra custom where you do something other than wear a jacket?” Lance just sighed and pushed the jacket into Keith’s arms. “Just take it, man. Altean magic is woven into the seams so it’ll cancel out all that Galra stuff. That way the ‘creepy-ass demon guards’ won’t eat you or whatever they do. Keep yourself safe, alright?”

Did Keith want to take the jacket? Well, he was cold, and it really wasn’t a bad-looking jacket. Plus, the look in Lance’s eye gave Keith the impression that he didn’t really have a choice. So, Keith reached forwards and took the jacket.

“Um, thanks.” Keith hugged the jacket close to his chest, and Lance gave him an overdramatic salute.

“Well, it’s nice to see you in one piece, man. Stay safe, alright?” Keith nodded, and with that, Lance disappeared, leaving behind nothing but glitter and the faint smell of his cologne. For another moment or so, Keith stared at the spot where Lance once stood, not really believing what the heck just happened. It all seemed like some crazy, whacked-up dream. But, the shortness of Keith’s breath and the jacket in his arms served as proof that that crazy, whacked-up dream did, in fact, happen.

With a half-relieved, half-confused sigh, Keith resumed his walk. After a few minutes, he pulled the jacket onto himself, only to find that it was actually quite comfortable. Keith smiled a bit to himself, putting his hands in the jacket’s pockets. Hell, he even hummed a bit. But, as he continued his walk, he had but one thought in his head…

Well, that was weird.

~ ~ ~

While Keith’s first night in Altea was rough, things improved in the two years after that. Keith was hired for a job at a weapons shop, which was right up his alley, and learned a few things about fitting in with the Alteans. He even moved into an apartment with another Galran refugee named Shiro. He had this nifty robot arm which could do cool things like open cans or decapitate people. You know, cool things. Even if positivity wasn’t really his thing, Keith had to say that he was doing pretty well for himself. That was a first.

Now, Keith was wandering the streets of the marketplace, looking for the different items on Shiro’s shopping list. Apparently there was some sort of special fair in town or whatever, meaning there would be tons of rare items and spell ingredients for sale. There were a bunch of other cool things too, like party games and even a few rides. Not that Keith was interested. Nope. Not at all.

Keith let out a heavy sigh as he walked through the marketplace. He still couldn’t find the last few items on Shiro’s list, and there was no way that he was going to ask around. Some of the other shoppers here looked pretty shifty, and Keith wasn’t about to get involved in anything.

After patrolling the same damn aisle of shops for what was probably the hundredth time, Keith finally found something that might be of interest. It was a smaller blue stall that was hidden between two larger tents, almost like it was supposed to remain a secret. But, Keith was getting to his wit’s end. If there was a possibility, he was going to check it out.

Keith hurried up to the small tent and pushed the curtain open to enter. He glanced around before seeing something very familiar. Or, should he say someone?

White hair. Long, lanky figure. Tanned skin. Who else could it be?

“Lance?” Keith blurted out the name before he could think about it. The person behind the counter turned around, and sure enough, it was the fairy.

“Oh my God, it’s you!” Lance grinned before taking a deep breath, like he was trying to calm himself down. Then, he rushed up to Keith and grabbed his hands. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you. What, like two years? How’s it going, Mullet?”

“Mullet?”

“What? You never told me your name, and I had to call you something..” Lance only shrugged before his giddy expression turned to a mischievous smirk. “Anyways, I see you kept the jacket I gave you. Nice gift, isn’t it?”

Keith looked down, hardly even remembering that he put on the jacket. At this point, it’d just become a habit.

“Uh, yeah. It’s, um, nice.” Keith stared down at the sleeves for a second more before looking up at Lance. The color of Lance’s blue eyes caught Keith off guard for a second, but he did his best to recover. “And don’t call me Mullet anymore. I don’t like that.”

“Then whatever shall I call you?” Lance lamented, sighing in an over dramatic fashion. “Bunny rabbit? Emo kid? Steve?”

“How about Keith? You know, my name?”

“Keith?” Keith nodded, and Lance grinned. “Alright, you’re Keith now. Perfect. Anyways, what brings you here to the festival? I mean, I only met you for, like, two minutes tops, but you don’t seem like the festival kind of guy.”

“I’m not. I’m here for a friend, buying stuff.” Keith sighed and handed Lance the list, which was thankfully almost over with. Just one more thing.

“You need dewdrops?” Lance asked, scrunching up his nose. “Can’t you just go outside in the morning or something? That seems, like, a bajillion times easier.”

“Man, I wish. He said that they had to be specially harvested by fairies or something.”

Keith and Lance looked at each other after a moment, both having the same thought at the same time. How uncanny.

“Wait, you’re a-”

“Fairy, yeah. A pretty darn good one too.” Lance handed the list back to Keith before shuffling over to a packing box full of, um, things. After digging through the items for a bit, Lance pulled out a small vial. “Here’s this. Specially harvested fairy dewdrops, or whatever they’re called. Straight from the plants in my friend’s garden. May I ask why you need these anyways?”

“I don’t know. I think my roommate’s trying to make a clone.”

“A clone?”

“Yeah. He doesn’t want to pay his student loans.”

“Ah, of course.” Lance sighed before smirking again and shaking the vial of dewdrops. “But, I do have to warn you. Freshly harvested fairy dewdrops or whatever the heck I’m supposed to call them aren’t cheap. You got what I need?”

“I have 17 GAC and a stick of gum.”

“Yeah, uh, I don’t think that’s going to cut it.” Lance hummed for a second before smirking again. “Listen. I’ll give these dewdrops to you if you take me out and have a good time at the fair. I’ve been cooped up in this dusty old tent the whole weekend. I could use some fresh air, and I could especially use some of those freshly cooked garlic knots from the tent down the row. Sound like a plan?” Lance put on his best puppy-dog eyes, and Keith just stared at him.

“How’d you know that they’re selling garlic knots if you couldn’t leave your tent?”

“Hey, nobody asked you.” Lance threw his head back and groaned before looking back at Keith. “So is it a deal or not?”

“Uh, sure. Whatever. Let’s go.” Keith shrugged as Lance cheered with joy. Man, he must really love garlic knots. Lance thanked Keith, then ushered him out of the tent. Lance closed the curtains and strolled along, humming some sort of made-up garlic knots song under his breath. Keith sighed, wondering just how he got into these situations. It must have been some sort of talent of his, though he wasn’t sure where he got it from.

When the two of them were halfway to the garlic knots tent, Lance stopped in his tracks. Keith paused as well, and when he turned back to look at Lance, the white-haired boy shrugged.

“You know what? I’m not actually that hungry right now.” Keith took a deep breath. Of course he wasn’t. “I’m feeling like games though. Come on. What do you say about going with me to check out some of the games? There are a bunch of cool ones, I think. Please, please, please?”

“Sure, whatever. You go where you want to go, I guess.” Lance cheered once again before grabbing Keith’s hand and dragging him in the direction of the game tents. Keith glanced down at their intertwined hands, and a rush of heat went to his face. Well, that was weird. But, Keith just assumed it was the heat from the sun, so he disregarded it. Not like that could mean anything else anyways.

The two of them made it to the row of game tents, and even Keith had to admit that it looked fun. There were tons of different games, ranging from the basic ball-toss games to full-on electronic arcade games. It was awesome.

Lance glanced around at a few of the games, but the pair didn’t stop until they stopped in front of a certain stall. It looked like a knife-tossing game. Literally, actually perfect for Keith. Lance could see the interest in Keith’s eyes, and the two of them wordlessly decided to stop at the stall. The stall-owner handed both of them two knives.

“Hope you’re prepared to lose,” Lance gloated, trying and almost failing to spin the knife in his fingers. “You know, they don’t call me Lance ‘Good at Games’ McClain for nothing.”

Lance held up the knife, and after measuring the distance and doing whatever else he needed to do to prepare, Lance threw the knife, only for it to miss the target by at least a foot. Keith snickered, and Lance just blushed.

“As if you could do better,” Lance muttered, crossing his arms. Keith shrugged, then threw the knife. It hit the bullseye.

“Like that?” Keith turned to look over at Lance, only to laugh at Lance’s shocked expression. “What? I told you I was good with a knife.” Then, just to prove the point, Keith threw his second knife at Lance’s target. And, once again, it hit the bullseye.

“That’s not fair.” Lance sighed and just set his second knife on the counter, giving up. The stall-owner handed Keith his price, which was a stuffed hippo toy. Keith hugged it close to his chest, and Lance rolled his eyes. “Fine. If you’re so good at these games, you better win me something too.”

“We’ll see.” Lance gasped with mock offense, before the two of them broke out into laughter.

The rest of the night went similarly. Keith and Lance played different games, making increasingly silly competitions out of all of them. And, eventually, the two did go and get Lance’s garlic knots. He enjoyed them more than Keith thought anybody could ever enjoy garlic knots. But, even after the original deal was carried out, Keith found himself having a great time. Something about Lance’s company really sparked something in Keith. It was a nice, comfortable feeling, like Keith was having the time of his life. The feeling continued throughout the rest of the night, even as the two of them went on their final ride together.

“Oh, come on, Keith. We have to do the ferris wheel. That’s, like, festival tradition.” Lance grabbed Keith’s hand, tugging him towards the line. Keith grumbled a few words under his breath before giving in.

“Okay, okay. Fine, let’s go.” Lance cried out with joy before rushing into the line. They waited for a few minutes in the line, comparing their prizes and social media information to pass the time. However, the two were soon seated in one of the ferris wheel’s carriages. Once the two were buckled in, Lance chattered excitedly. Keith only glanced out the window, a half-nervous, half-excited tremor thumping in his heart. When the ferris wheel started, Lance finally fell silent. The two of them looked out the window as they rose, and Keith was enraptured.

The scenery was beautiful. From this high up, Keith could see the entirety of the Altean city. The lights from all the buildings shone almost as bright as the last rays of the sun as it set behind the horizon. It was stunning, unlike anything Keith had ever seen before. And he thought the desert was pretty.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Lance breathed, catching Keith’s attention. “I always love the ferris wheels. My fairy powers can’t take me too high up into the sky, so it’s always nice to see things from up here.”

Lance smiled, but something about it seemed melancholy. But, he didn’t dwell on it, instead turning to Keith.

“Sorry, enough about me. How about you? Do you like it?” It took Keith a second to realize that Lance was talking to him. With a quick apology and a small laugh from Lance, Keith stared out the window as he replied.

“It’s wonderful. I love it.”

“Yeah. I’m glad I could see it with you.” Lance smiled, then looked down as he hesitated. Then, after shaking his head, Lance went back to staring at Keith. “You know, we should do this again sometime.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I mean, obviously not the festival, since it’s leaving after the weekend. But, something.” Lance paused before putting on a sheepish smile. “Would you be willing to go out sometime with me? Like, maybe for coffee or pasta or something?” Keith nodded, a smile full of admiration spreading across his face.

“Yeah. That sounds nice.” Lance grinned in response, a shy blush heating up his face.

“Thank you, Keith. I’ll text you?” Keith nodded, and Lance’s grin only widened. “Oh man, you’re the best. I had the time of my life tonight. I can’t wait to do something like this again.”

“You know what? Me neither.” Keith smiled, and after a second of looking at each other, the two boys broke out into light-hearted laughter. Keith’s heart beat in his chest, announcing his giddy excitement over the deal. This was the perfect end to a wonderful night.

When the ferris wheel stopped, Keith and Lance left the carriage holding hands. This would only be the start of the wonderful experiences the two would share.

Both Keith and Lance were positive that this wouldn’t be the last they’d see of each other.

[magnusmadssen]

10 New Junior Comics and Graphic Novels.

Hey Kids!

Wellington City Libraries has some new comics and graphic novels in the children’s collection. Why not spring on down to your local library, during the last couple of weeks of August, and borrow them before they’re all gone!

Enjoy!

Ms. Marvel : metamorphosis.

“Love is in the air in Jersey City as Valentine’s Day arrives! Kamala may not be allowed to go to the school dance — but Ms. Marvel is! Which is bad news for… Loki? Then, when a mysterious stranger arrives in Jersey City, Ms. Marvel must deal with — a crush! Prepare for drama! Intrigue! Romance! Suspense! Punching things! Plus: see what happens when S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jemma Simmons goes undercover at Kamala’s school! And Ms. Marvel shares her first amazing, spectacular team-up with Spider-Man! But when the Marvel Universe enters its last days, can Kamala summon the will to keep on fighting the good fight? Maybe with a pep talk from her idol, Captain Marvel!” — Back cover.

I am Neil Armstrong.

“A biography of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.”– Provided by publisher.

Teen Titans Go! Falling Stars.

The latest adventures of the Teen Titans include Robin hoping that his dental routine saves him from making a dreaded trip to the dentist and Raven and Cyborg creating a pair of spooky-looking leggings from a pattern in one of Raven’s arcane books.

Snoopy Party Animal.

A collection of Peanuts comic strips featuring Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

Nathan Hale’s hazardous tales [2] : big bad ironclad! : a Civil War steamship showdown.

“Big Bad Ironclad! covers the history of the amazing ironclad steam warships used in the Civil War. From the ship’s inventor, who had a history of blowing things up and only 100 days to complete his project, to the mischievous William Cushing, who pranked his way through the whole war, this book is filled with surprisingly true facts and funny, brave characters that modern readers will easily relate to”–Publisher’s web site.

Be Prepared.

A misfit girl and her brother attend summer camp, where they struggle with primitive plumbing, snobby tentmates, and boys-versus-girls competitions.

The Smurfs 3 in 1: The Purple Smurfs, The Smurfs and the Magic Flute and the Smurf King.

Collects the first three Smurf graphic novels in one volume.

The Smurfs 3 in 1: The Smurfette, The Smurfs and the Egg and the Smurfs and the Howlibird.

The beautiful and enigmatic (not to mention blue) Smurfette makes her debut in this collection of the original Smurfs comics by Peyo. Known in America primarily for the hit 80s animated TV series and the hit movies, many Smurfs fans don’t realize that the Smurfs originally appeared in comics. Now the Smurfs are back in SMURF-TASTIC comic adventures. Featuring the classic stories “The Smurfette”, “The Smurfs and the Egg”, and “The Smurfs and the Howlibird” and many more!

Big Nate A Good Old Fashioned Wedgie.

Nate endures a series of middle school hijinks and adventures while dealing with his crush on his baseball team’s new pitcher.

Magic Jack and the Goblin King.

“Like a bolt from the blue, Jack’s little sister Maddy is gone – carried into another realm by an ogre. When Jack and Lilly follow Maddy’s captor through the portal, they are ready for anything… except what they find waiting for them in the floating crossroads between worlds. Even the power of their magic plants may not be enough to get them back to earth alive. Alone and injured, Jack and Lilly must each face their own monsters – as well as giants who grind the bones of human children to feed their “beast” and a fearsome goblin king in the sewers down below. But when Jack finds himself in a tough spot, help comes from the most unlikely person: the goblin king!” –page [4] of cover.

    10 New Junior Comics and Graphic Novels. syndicated from https://paintballreviewsgun.wordpress.com/

[cherita]

All The New Genre TV Shows This Fall

Remember when summer TV was a dreaded wasteland of reruns you had no desire to watch, even with commercial reminders that "if you haven't seen it, it's new to you"? Fall's arrival signaled not just the start of the best season or another school year, but meant all your favorite shows would return and finally there'd be something to watch again.

The TV landscape has certainly changed since then, now that you can watch most anything on demand (or pirated in a cloud somewhere) and both streaming sites and cable channels produce some often great original shows all year long. Even so, I still look forward to fall TV with giddy anticipation — and with this being such an awesome age for genre TV and film, it's hard not to get excited at what new shows might play on post-Labor Day screens.

When it comes to this season's newbies, it's all about the paranormal and the Marvel juggernaut smashing it's way further into TV. You have an X-Men family thriller-drama starring True Blood's own Vampire Bill, along with two highly anticipated adaptations: Inhumans on ABC, and Runaways on Hulu.

On the paranormal end, you've got funny ghosts and serious ghosts, along with angels, demons, and more. There's also a new Star Trek series for the first time in a decade, and it stars the awesome Sonequa Martin-Green (formerly of The Walking Dead), but... it's only available on CBS All Access, which is like Netflix for CBS stuff.*

While I have to admit I'm not as excited about these new shows as I am for the return of Stranger Things, Mr. Robot or all out freaking war on The Walking Dead, I'll still check quite a few of them out. To help you decide, here are sneak peeks at most of this season's upcoming new genre shows (minus those that've already premiered), plus the return dates for all your old favorites...

Channel Zero: No End House | Premieres Sep 20 on SyFy

Inspired by Brian Russell’s Creepypasta tale, Channel Zero: No-End House tells the story of a young woman named Margot Sleator who visits the No-End House, a bizarre house of horrors that consists of a series of increasingly disturbing rooms. When she returns home, Margot realizes everything has changed. Starring Amy Forsyth, John Carroll Lynch, Aisha Dee, Jeff Ward.

Star Trek: Discovery | Premieres Sep 20 on CBS All Access

Star Trek, one of the most iconic and influential global television franchises, returns 50 years after it first premiered with Star Trek: Discovery. The series will feature a new ship, new characters and new missions, while embracing the same ideology and hope for the future that inspired a generation of dreamers and doers. Starring Sonequa Martin, Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp.

Marvel's Inhumans | Premieres Sep 29 on ABC

The highly anticipated television series Marvel's Inhumans will bring the fan-favorite comic book series and a new kind of family drama to the small screen this fall on ABC. The Inhumans, a race of superhumans with diverse and singularly unique powers, were first introduced in Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1965. Since that time, they have grown in prominence and become some of the most popular and iconic characters in the Marvel Universe. Marvel's Inhumans will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of Black Bolt and the royal family. Starring Serinda Swan, Iwan Rheon, Anson Mount, Isabelle Cornish, Sonya Balmores.

Ghosted | Premieres Oct 1 on Fox

A former LAPD missing persons detective and fired Stanford astrophysics professor are recruited by a secret government agency called the Bureau Underground to examine unexplained paranormal activity in L.A. Starring Craig Robinson, Adam Scott, Ally Walker.

The Gifted | Premieres Oct 2 on Fox

Set in the X-Men universe, the drama unfolds in the mutant-phobic future and follows a family (led by True Blood’s Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker) who is on the run after discovering that both of their teenage kids have mutant powers.

Kevin (Probably) Saves The World | Premieres Oct 3 on ABC

Kevin Finn (Jason Ritter, Parenthood), a cluelessly self-serving person, is on a dangerous path to despair. In a downward spiral, Kevin returns home to stay with his widowed twin sister (JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Once Upon a Time) and niece. On his first night there, an unlikely celestial being named Yvette (Kimberly Hébert Gregory, HBO's Vice Principals) appears to him and presents him with a mission – to save the world. Formerly titled The Gospel of Kevin.

Ghost Wars | Premieres Oct 5 on SyFy

Set in a remote Alaskan town that has been overrun by paranormal forces, the series focuses on local outcast Roman Mercer who must overcome the town’s prejudices and his own personal demons if he’s to harness his repressed psychic powers and save everyone from the mass haunting that’s threatening to destroy them all. Starring Vincent D’Onofrio, Kim Coates, Avan Jogia, Kristin Lehman, and Meatloaf.

Superstition | Premieres Oct 6 on SyFy

Superstition follows the Hastings, a family who's owned the only funeral home and graveyard in the town of La Rochelle for as long as anyone can recall. In addition to providing services for all faiths, the family specialty is handling “afterlife care” for the unexplained deaths of folks at the hands of demonic entities, and other unworldly phenomena that have long haunted the town. The Hastings uses arcane weaponry, incredible strength, mystical alchemy skills, and a deep knowledge of the occult and ancient lore from around the world to quell the evil within the shadows of the town. Starring Mario Van Peebles , W. Earl Brown , Demetria McKinney , Diamond Dallas Page , Robinne Lee , Brad James , Morgana Van Peebles , T.C. Carter , Tatiana Lia Zappardino.

Future Man | Premieres Nov 14 on Hulu

A janitor by day/world-ranked gamer by night is tasked with preventing the extinction of humanity after mysterious visitors from the future proclaim him the key to defeating the imminent super-race invasion. Starring Josh Hutcherson, Eliza Coupe, Glenne Headly 😢, Ed Begley Jr. and executive produced by Seth Rogen.

Marvel’s Runaways | Premieres Nov 21 on Hulu

Every teenager thinks their parents are evil. What if you found out they actually were? Marvel’s Runaways is the story of six diverse teenagers who can barely stand each other but who must unite against a common foe – their parents.

the return dates for your favorite genre shows...

September

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season 5) — Sep. 20 on ABC

Gotham (Season 4) — Sep. 21 on Fox

The Exorcist (Season 2) — Sep 29 on Fox

Z Nation (Season 4) — Sep 29 on SyFy

October

Lucifer (Season 3) — Oct 2 on Fox

Van Helsing  (Season 2) — Oct 5 on SyFy

Once Upon a Time (Season 7) — Oct 6 on ABC

Supergirl (Season 3) — Oct 9 on The CW

The Flash (Season 4) — Oct 10 on The CW

DC's Legends of Tomorrow (Season 3) — Oct 10 on The CW

The Shannara Chronicles (Season 2) — Oct 11 on Spike

Mr. Robot (Season 3) — Oct 11 on USA

Supernatural (Season 13) — Oct 12 on The CW

Arrow (Season 6) — Oct 12 on The CW

Freakish (Season 2) — Oct 21 on Hulu

The Walking Dead (Season 8) — Oct 22 on AMC

Stranger Things (Season 2) — Oct 27 on Netflix

November

Glitch (Season 2) — Nov 28 on Netflix

Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (new anthology drama series) —  Nov TBA on Amazon Prime

*And now, a small rant coming in 3... 2... 1... WTF CBS? Why does every media company and their mom feel the need to start a subscription streaming service of their own? As I have yet to claw my way into the 1%, I'm not able or willing to shell out $6 a month for CBS content WITH COMMERCIALS STILL INCLUDED, and I'm sure as hell not going to pay $10 a month just to get it commercial free. Not even for my beloved Sasha. And I really wanted to support her new show. 

But there are too many other things you can get for $10: a Netflix subscription, a movie theater ticket (well, almost), 2 venti frappuccinos, 3 In-N-Out cheeseburgers, or anywhere from 1-10 ebooks. CBS is not movie-filled Netflix, nor is it HBO. And with my cable subscription I also get AMC, FX, and USA — all of which have better shows! So, dear media company executives: please put your pipes down, or at least kindly stop filling them with hallucinogenic substances. These aren't books we're talking about here, nobody needs nor wants all of these limited streaming services! /rant

So, how do you feel about subscription streaming services? 😂

More importantly, what shows are you looking forward to this fall, SFF genre or not?