#as my friend christina dubbed me

[bonewhiteglory]

I started volunteering in my friend’s kindergarten last month and like… I love these kids so much it’s unreal. They’re so sweet and weird! One of the kids drew me this killer Mario art and I’m gonna frame it and hang it on my wall.

[sendmyresignation]

I didn't finish Girls to the Front partly bc I got distracted but partly bc I heard a few other people saying it felt biased or lacking a further critical analysis, I'm curious it it references any of the women who were involved in DC hardcore or hardcore in general, re the books assertion that hardcore is overly technical and masculine point thay you alluded to in your tags. I know that it was still a very male dominated scene but the continued way that some people act like the women who were there didn't matter or aren't worth discussing has always irked me, and I'm curious if you had thoughts

sorry, i just got the time to answer this! i wanted to be able to give some quotes so it didn't look like i was pulling anything out of my ass. but yeah, so while the book does occasionally mention women in hardcore, Marcus has this rhetorical strategy where she brings them up, but not without first diminishing their existences and then dismissing their contributions.

There's reasons for this, I think, actually. One is that she really wants to sell this idea that punk was more influenced by women in the 70s and then, suddenly hardcore happened and the "macho-ism" of hardcore meant that the 80s lacked the previous generations female presence: "its penchant for louder-faster-harder performances and frenetic slam dancing were catnip for boys anxious to blow off adolescent steam... [the mosh pits] drove most girls to the sidelines". This is true... but only to a certain extent and is also a generalization, the other thing is I think she just reallllly wants to make riot grrls this supreme influence on women in the 90s, like there were sooo few women in DC (not out front, not as personalities, as she quotes from Jen Smith). But, by writing off the entirety of the 80s, she loops hardcore and posthardcore together?? like rev summer bands were explicitly challenging the violence and the "hard" rhetoric with vulnerability- spiritually v connected to riot grrl. and, ofc, rev summer was conceptualized by amy pickering! like she is directly responsible for not just the term but is herself the catalyst (Marcus says: "The scene's previous golden age... was what Fire Party's Amy Pickering had then dubbed Revolution Summer" which I feel removes a lot of her involvement, esp when Marcus criticized the fact Fire Party rehearsed religiously for months before performing live, therefore they weren't a part of the summer itself and also stood in contrast to the Olympia-riot grrl values of anyone-can-play diy). She also, in an attempt to re-enforce this riot grrl linage into The Canon excludes women in DC who weren't direct inspirations on riot grrl (so for example, Chalk Circle is mentioned a hell of a lot in these histories bc she was a mentor for Olympia grrls after moving to Cali, wrote a precursor zine that a lot of riot grrls read, and was in a band with Kathleen Hanna, Holly Rollers always gets mentioned bc of Juliana Luecking, etc) but Pickering and others gets left out bc she's an imperfect role model (wanted her band to be seen outside the paragram of gender, she worked at Dischord, booked shows, was friends with most of the hardcore scene). Unsurprisingly, then, Marcus v. conveniently leaves out the black women in DC; Pickering's band included drummer Nicky Thomas (who is literally never named in the book, only Pickering is mentioned when talking about Fire Party which i find particularly egregious) and their first show was dedicated to Toni Young of Red-C and Dove who were legit hardcore bands.

She also is weirdly inconsistent about the contributions of female instrumentalists (that idea of personalities...); again, the members of Fire Party outside their vocalist are never mentioned, Unwound is briefly offhandedly namedropped but Sarah Lund's name never appears, Christina Billotte is mentioned and quoted when she's involved in riot grrl (Autoclave-era; later she would grow distant from the DC meetings) but is only passingly mentioned when Slant 6 is formed and none of her bandmates are named, Maria Jones is name dropped as a significant presence in DC because of the Holly Rollers connection but none of the other bands she was in are shared, including the all-girl, all openly queer Broken Siren, I could go on and on and on. Unless you were a frontwoman or directly involved in riot grrl, you were not relevant enough for Marcus to care about, which I find frustrating. who gives a fuck about female vocalists when the "technical" nature of guitar or drums makes them much more gender-locked positions in rock music? again, there's also a divergence about proficiency, as if attempting to perform complex, serious music was like.... giving into the masculine musical culture? which i find incredibly essentialist and insulting to women invested in their craft. Ultimately I find Marcus incapable of adequately accounting for the variety of women and their reasoning for being in a band during this period and it does a disservice to the history to simply pretend any woman not Doing It Correctly is worth forgetting or dismissing. so, hopefully that answers your question lmao. id still recommend girls to the front, if just because it presents riot grrl pretty unedited and the timeline is super helpful when dealing with a very fragmented small subculture and seeing that it gets preserved. but MAN did a lot of the analysis get on my nerves lmao

[misslilli]

I tried some things 🙈 Hope you like it ❤️ Thank you so much for likes and reblogs, they're very much appreciated!

Felix Felicis

MSR. AU. PG-13. | tagging @today-in-fic | read on AO3

Chapter 43 - A New Year's Reunion

I really got swept up in the excitement that's Mamma Mia 2's Super Trouper video and I highly recommend you watch it first before reading 😄

[ DS ]

"Aaaah look at all the lonely people!," Holly all but screams into the hairbrush that dubs as her microphone tonight, arm thrown out dramatically sending us all into a fit of giggles at her impeccable performance.

We're half-way dressed, half-way made up, half-way buzzed, half-way through our Party Playlist, partly deaf and hoarse and all the way through our celebratory pre-party bottle of Prosecco. Dancing and singing into hairbrushes in my bedroom, just like we did all the way back when we were little girls.

Taking our stances for the next song, a personal favorite of mine, we grin at each other, we all know which one it is and it has us shaking our hips to the intro excitedly. The lead vocals are mine, not only out of habit but because the lyrics are more true tonight than ever.

"I was sick and tired of everything, when I called you last night from Boston" The girls throw up their arms and squeal at my changing of the lyrics to fit, taking over the back vocals. "All I do is eat and sleep and sing, wishing every day was the last day." I did, I couldn't wait to get back home in time for this party tonight.

"So imagine I was glad to hear you're coming, suddenly I feel alright." The girls get their hairbrushes ready for their big part in the chorus, jumping in a silly way, totally inappropriate for our age and profession, all around me. They've been so excited to hear about the recent developments yesterday, out of their minds with joy.

"So it's gonna be so different when I'm on the stage tooniiiiiiight!" Like a true performer, I put all my voice behind the tonight and the girls whoop appreciatively, years in the church choir have definitely paid off!

"Tonight the Super Trouper lights are gonna find me, shining like the sun!" Sarah's doing the harmonies with me, she's the Agnetha to my Anni-Fried, not only because of our range of voice, she's my best friend, the Christina to my Meredith, the blonde to my red, which comes in handy at costume parties. "Su-papa Trou-papa" is Holly and Alex's part, not so much singers but amazing performers, putting all their energy into their moves.

"Smiling having fun, feeling like a Number One!" Right now, I do feel like a number one, having the time of my life and I'm so happy, I feel like I am shining like the sun.

"Tonight the Super Trouper beams are gonna blind me, but I won't feel blue, like I always do" I'm so done with being blue, I'm giddily excited about seeing the person responsible for my happiness and the girls know it as well who I'm talking about when I smile at "Cause somewhere in the crows there's youuuuu!"

"Facing twenty thousand of your friends, how can anyone be so lonely" The girls make such a show of sad faces, it makes me chuckle for just a moment. "Part of a success that never ends, still I'm thinking about you only." And have been for the past six months, every hour of every damn day. There really are moments when I think I'm going crazy, but it's gonna be alright! "Everything's so different when I'm on the stage toniiiiight!"

With an exaggerated flourish, I end the second verse, getting up on the bed to jump up and down at the chorus, now making the girls giggle at my dramatic performance.

"Tonight the Super Trouper lights are gonna find me, shining like the sun, smiling having fun, feeling like a Number One!" To anyone walking by on the beach outside, who happened to look in the window, we have to look positively out of our minds, jumping around on the bed in the performance of our lifetime, hairbrushes in our happy faces.

"Tonight the Super Trouper beams are gonna blind me, but I won't feel blue - like I always do - cause somewhere in the crowd there's Youuu!"

Abandoning our brushes, we grasp each others hands in a tight circle, making me a little afraid that the creaking bed might give out under our combined weight. The last verse is the most important one of all though. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling when I think it might actually come true tonight.

"So you'll be there, when I arrive, the sight of you will prove to me I'm still alive and when you take me in your arms, and hold me tight, I know it's gonna mean so much toniiiight!" Despite this all being a secret to be kept from everyone, especially Felix, who'll also be there tonight, I'm holding out high hopes for at least a dance, if not the slim chance of a kiss at midnight.

We finish out the ending strong, throwing our arms up at the end, laughing breathlessly.

"Oh my God, that was so much fun guys!," Sarah's still grinning when she jumps off the bed.

"Yesss, it was Su-papa-Tru-papa, if this is how the party's going to go, we're in for a goooood time!," Holly agrees, wiping the stray hairs from her flushed face, throwing a cheeky grin in my general direction. "Especially with someone in the crowd for youuu, D!" Sarah adds in a few kissy-faced sounds for effect, just to pull my leg a little. I'm just as surprised at my squeal as they are, they're still not used to the whole little-girl-with-a-crush thing. Frankly, neither am I, it's very new and exhilarating.

"I know, I'm so excited!"

Alex puts an arm around my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. "I'm so glad to see you this happy, D, we haven't seen the real you come out to play much post-Steve, it's good to have her back!"

We all gather around the mirror in my bathroom to finish getting ready and the girls are obviously not done with the subject yet.

"Sooo, are you going to kiss him at midnight? Or before? Or after? Or all the time in-between?" I sigh at her questions, trying not to mess up my mascara with my eye-roll, this being the only thing putting a damper on my happiness.

"We've been over this guys, no kissing allowed tonight, Felix can't know and neither can everyone else who's going to be there…"

Sarah and Holly share a mischievous grin, there's some sort of joke coming on, I can feel it, especially when Sarah holds up her hand to mimic someone she's talking to. Oh Jesus.

"What do you think, Whackus Bonkus?" She opens her hand to make it talk, trying hard not to burst out laughing. "Kiss him!" (Actually, Holly quietly says "Fuck him in the back office", but I'll pretend not to have heard that!). Pushing her hand away, she loses the fight to keep a straight face. "Oooh, you naughty Whackus Bonkus!" gets her a snort from me and a full laugh from Holly, Alex has absolutely no idea what is going on.

"Guys shut up, you're ruining my good mood, I'm just excited to see him tonight! Now get a move on, or we're going to be late!"

————

[ FM ]

In my mind, I'm back at the park, thinking back to our conversation as I wrap the carefully selected tie around my neck in front of the mirror in my bedroom. Opening up to me about her past just like I did the night before, is not something we both do on a regular basis and certainly not to people we'd like to go out on a date with. You put your best foot forward in the first months of dating, not share your emotional baggage before you even share your first meal together.

I thought she was going to bolt right out of the gate, spooked by the things I told her, but she continues to surprise me. Felix is right, she really is a good listener and I tried to do the same for her. How easy it is to share even the most difficult things with her makes me think that there might be more of a connection there than just simple attraction.

But I'm getting way too far ahead of myself here, I need to put this into perspective and not jump head-over-heels, fooling myself into thinking I've found The One by just a few encounters is dangerous territory and will only get me into trouble. Believe me, I've been there, several times, only to end up with a broken heart and broken dreams.

Buttoning the vest over my tie, I'm almost ready to head out and even if I'm decidedly not trying to get ahead of myself, I'm still madly excited about seeing her again tonight.

"Daa-ad! I can't find my other shoe, can you help me look?" My son appears in my doorway with a panicked look on his face, looking so adorable in his little suit that he'll probably grow out of way too soon. We do find his shoe after a while, hiding out in the mess under his bed. All wardrobe issues cleared, the Mulder boys are ready for a night on the town.

—————

[ Felix ]

My dad is the worst company to a party I can think of. He's great, don't get me wrong, but he's awfully awkward at parties. I don't know why, he's funny and smart and he's very charming when he wants to be, but in big social situation, he just clams up and ends up standing at the edge of the party, clutching his drink and watching other people having fun. Me, I'm very different from him in that department, I love talking to people and I'm not shy about making new friends. Could also be because I'm seven and very cute, or so they say.

Anyhow, I'm enjoying myself very much at this party, everyone is here, my friends, my parents and just now, my teachers walked in. I'm so excited to see them, so I don't wait around and drag my dad over to them to say Hi the minute they come through the door.

"Hi, Miss Scully!" I give her my very best toothy smile, which reminds me of something I've been dying to show her. "Look, I got my third loose tooth, it's so cool, watch what I can do!" She looks a little green around the nose when I make a show of waggling my loose tooth but she gives me a smile nonetheless. Yay!

"That's awesome, Felix, you should try tying a string around it and a door handle, if you slam the door really hard, it'll fly right out of your mouth like Whoosh!" Her idea makes me giggle and shake my head.

"Nooo, that's gross, I'm not going to do that! My dad told me the same thing, you adults and your ideas… " I give Dad a nudge with my elbow, he's so awful at making conversation, he hasn't even said Hello yet.

"Uh, yeah we do have some crazy ideas. Hi, Miss Scully!" He sounds like he's swallowed a frog, what the heck Dad, this is not how you talk to people, tell her she looks nice, or pretty, or something to make this less awkward. Because she does, she looks really pretty tonight, her dress sparkles when she moves, like a rainbow!

"Hello, Mr. Mulder…" I roll my eyes at the two, exasperated. Two people who are so bad at conversation should not be allowed to talk to each other without my supervision.

"So Miss Scully, I hope you'll have a wonderful evening, you look very lovely by the way! We'll see you around!" I need to drag my dad away from this to save him from further humiliating himself, or worse, me! See Dad, this is what you say to a lovely lady to make her smile, not stare dumbly at her with a dopey look on your face!

——----

[ FM ]

'Mamma mia, here I go again!' I never knew what it meant that a person can light up a room for you by just walking through the door until tonight. I always thought it was silly, when people talked about hearts leaping and butterflies fluttering in their stomachs.

Standing at the edge of the party, holding onto dear life to my cocktail, it suddenly all makes sense, because my heart does leap whenever our eyes meet across the room and I can definitely confirm the presence of butterflies as I watch the party unfold before my eyes. I've always really liked to just people watch, to notice the little interactions between them that otherwise would be missed, like the elderly couple first bickering over something or other, gesturing wildly until she says something to make him laugh and concede, and he ends up putting his arm around her shoulders and pressing a kiss to the top of her head, like probably many times before. The shy teenagers standing in the corner, looking like they're on their first date, tugging on their clothes terribly unsure of what to do with their hands. The kids playing hide and seek under the tables, hidden underneath the tablecloths to disrupt the conversations of the adults at the table.

The four friends dancing on the dance floor like no-one is watching, just having a good time, their school kids flocking around them, vying for their attention.

And if a by-stander happened to look really closely, really looked, he'd notice the longing gazes that pass between two people, the silent conversation held over the other's inconspicuous heads, I miss you's and Just get over here so we can talk's exchanged across the dance-floor. He'd realize that they're standing a little too close in conversation, smiling a little too shyly, dancing with just too little space in-between betraying the just-friends they're trying so hard to pretend to be tonight.

He'd follow Tall-and-Dark holding Short-and-Bright-Sparkles's hand, giggling giddily at their successful escape from the crowd, into the low light of the wrap-around porch, partially hidden between last summer's umbrellas, torn between the thrill of getting caught and the thrill of a stolen, premature New Years Kiss.

He'd see the reluctance of having to part close to midnight, a gentle swipe of a thumb to wipe away the tell-tale traces of bright red lipstick and the return to the party, one well before the other as not to raise suspicion at what just happened outside.

At the strike of midnight, upturned faces illuminated with the colors of the rainbow from the fireworks over the harbor, the unsuspecting by-stander would see the awestruck, beaming little boy holding his dad's hand tightly in his own and he'd have to look very closely to notice two other hands finding each other in the darkness, partly obscured by the sleeves of two coats and the silent conversation that holds the promise of next New Year's Kiss.

[icecoffee90]

Cozy comforts tag game

Thank you for tagging me in this game, @jerzwriter!

Comfort foods: Pizza (did you expect anything else from me? Lol), burgers, all kinds of soup..

Comfort movies: I rarely watch movies.. 😅 Some movies I really liked and rewatched everytime they were on (and even the Czech dubbing couldn't ruin them, lol) are: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Object of My Affection, 50 First Dates, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, You Don't Mess With the Zohan (what can I say.. Adam Sandler movies are popular in this house.. 😅), Legally Blonde, Miss Congeniality.. Hm, I should rewatch the few, never seen them in English..

Funny story about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory nobody asked for: I went to see it in a movie theater the day of the premiere in our small town - and the only people in the theater were me, my sister, my best friend from my class and a random couple.. But there needed to be 6 people for the movie to be shown! 😂 So we had to buy 1 extra ticket (or go home, lol). Thankfully our dad gave us vouchers he got at work so our tickets were significantly cheaper (I believe it was even 75% off? 🤔), so it was no problem, lol.

Comfort clothing: sweatpants and T-shirt, what else? I love hoodies as well..

Comfort songs: Too many! As I keep saying, my favorite music is "rock, metal and Backstreet Boys", lol. Okay, some songs I'm listening to regularly: To the Moon & Back (Savage Garden), I Don't Dance (Sunrise Avenue), Guilty (The Rasmus), I Don't Care (Apocalyptica feat. Adam Gontier), Kiss You Off (Scissor Sisters), It's a Sin (Pet Shop Boys), Said It All (Take That), Scherbenmeer (Christina Sturmer), Černý Brejle (Ready Kirken), High (James Blunt), Wish I Had an Angel (Nightwish), Animal I Have Become (Three Days Grace), Something About the Way You Look Tonight (Elton John), Darabokra Szakitod A Szivemet (Baby Gabi - Not that I speak Hungarian or anything, I actually don't understand a single word, but I still love the song.. 😅) .... Okay this would all day, I'm done... 😂

Comfort books: I'm pretty certain I haven't reread a book since Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.. 😅 But damn, I LOVED that book!

Comfort games: on my phone Fishdom, Homescapes and Panda Pop; on my PS4: Tekken 7 and Spyro the Dragon (what can I say? Nostalgia is a bitch, lol), on PC: I used to play Virtua Tennis 4 and The Sims 2 and 3 (it froze), I unistalled 4 immediately.. Now I don't have any PC games.. I'm just "playing" Microsoft Word Games, Sudoku, Spider Solitaire etc, lol

I don't even know if I did this right... 😂 Not tagging anyone, since this is more personal and I don't bother anybody..

[middleearthpixie]

More Than Meets the Eye ~ Chapter Thirty-Nine

Summary: The day before their wedding is a busy one…

Pairing: Thorin Oakenshield/Arielle (Elen) Farran (female OC)

Characters: Arielle, Thorin, Balin, Kusela, Erika,

Rating: T

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3,584

Khuzdal Translation: Abnâmul - beautiful

Tag List: @tschrist1 @i-did-not-mean-to @lathalea @bitter-sweet-farmgirl @linasofia @fizzyxcustard @legolasbadass @kibleedibleedoo @xxbyimm @ocfairygodmother @exhausted-humxn-being @shalinizhara @rachel1959 @laurfilijames

Previous chapters can be found here and at AO3.

The day before the wedding was a busy one, what with all of the last minute things that needed to be done. Which probably explained why Arielle couldn’t find Thorin when she went I search of him. She bumped into Balin in the Great Hall shortly after luncheon, and caught him by the arm. “Have you seen Thorin? I can’t find him anywhere.”

“I believe he’s gone into Dale for the day, lass,” he replied, gesturing toward the main entrance. “Is it important? I can send Dwalin out to fetch him.”

“No. It’s not important. I was just curious since I haven’t seen him since breakfast.”

“Are ye certain, lassie? I don’t mind and neither will Dwalin.”

“That’s sweet, but I’ll see him at the rehearsal later. I’ve got to run myself for my final fitting.”

Balin smiled. “You will make a lovely bride, I’m sure. Thorin is a very lucky dwarf.”

Her cheeks grew warm. “Thank you. But in all actuality, I think I am the lucky one. I mean, I love Elen, and we made our tiny, rundown flat as much a home as any we’d ever had, but look where I am now. I never dreamed I meet someone like him, Balin. As I stood in that crowd in Esgaroth, listening to him pledge us a share of Erebor’s wealth, I never dreamed I would one day be here with him. I stood there in the snow, watching him, admiring him, watching all of you, but never thought how it would all end.”

“You were there that night?”

She smiled at the surprise in Balin’s voice and nodded. “I was, yes. I was there with my friend Christina and we both thought Thorin Oakenshield was just the most handsome man we’d ever seen.” She sighed at sorrow panged at her insides. “She died in Smaug’s attack, you know.”

“Oh, lassie, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

She nodded. “Thank you, but how could you? She was such fun to be around and would have loved every moment of this, you know. Would have been thrilled to see this. So, tomorrow, I’ll carry her with me as well.”

He patted her hand. “Are you certain you don’t wish me to—”

“I am positive, but thank you.” She glanced at the large clock on the far wall. “I need to run, Kusela and Erika need to make certain my gown fits.”

“Very well. Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

They parted ways there, and she found her way to Erika’s quarters, where she tried on the most beautiful gown she ever laid eyes upon and could not wait for Thorin to see her in it. It was sewn of shimmering pure white silk, with an off-the shoulder neckline and a train that was close to twenty feet in length. And when she donned it, she felt every bit the Princess Arielle Gimli dubbed her.

Erika sighed as she stepped back and took a long look. “Oh, Arielle, you look stunning.”

Arielle smiled, lightly brushing her fingers along the sleek silk. “This is utterly amazing, Erika, I cannot believe you and Kusela did this.”

“You are going to be our queen. We wanted you to look the part,” Kusela explained with a shrug.

“You…” Arielle’s throat tightened and tears stung her eyes. “You are wonderful, do you know that?”

“We know, yes.” Kusela chuckled. “But we like you, so…”

“So, let’s get you out of this before something happens to it.”

Arielle carefully stepped down from the block and a few minutes later, was back in her leggings and tunic and feeling very much like herself once more. “I still cannot quite believe this is happening. That the wedding is tomorrow already. It seems like just yesterday I was coming through the gates for the first time.”

“And you were named Elen.” Erika chuckled as she bundled the gown back into its wrap and hung it on the far side of the room. “And Brynne thought you were adorable.”

Arielle laughed even as her cheeks grew warm. “I still feel badly about deceiving everyone. But—”

“Oh, please don’t,” Kusela sank into one of the chairs around the small round table. “We understand now, even if,” she shot Erika a stern look, which made Erika blush, “some of us put up a fuss at the time.”

“Are you nervous?” Erika asked, sitting down beside Kusela.

“No, not really. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as certain about anything as I do marrying him. I cannot even begin to explain it, it just feels… right…”

Kusela covered Arielle’s hand with hers. “That’s a good thing, you know.”

“Oh, I know.” She looked from the laundress to housekeeper, the first people with whom she’d become friendly after arriving in Erebor. To her, they would never be just servants. They would always be friends.

“Ah, there you are!” Thorin’s voice bounced along the walls of the housekeeper’s small quarters. “Am I interrupting you ladies?”

Both Kusela and Erika got to their feet, with Erika shaking her head. “Of course not, Your Highness.”

“Please, there’s no need to stand on my account.” He smiled. “Do you mind if I steal Arielle from you? There is something I need to speak with her about.”

Arielle frowned at him. “Is something the matter?”

“Not at all.” He held out a hand. “There’s just something I wish to discuss with you, is all. I promise, it is nothing bad.”

“Very well.” She smiled at the other women. “If you will excuse me?”

“Of course,” Erika assured her. “We will see you tomorrow morning, when we help you dress for the ceremony.”

Butterflies fluttered about in Arielle’s belly at those words. It didn’t seem possible that the wedding was now only hours away. How could time move so quickly and yet creep along at a snail’s pace at the same time?

Thorin caught her hand. “Come with me, mesmel.”

She let him lead her away from the servants’ quarters and down a long corridor toward the main staircase. “What were you doing in Dale?”

“I was asking Bard if he would perform the ceremony for us tomorrow.”

She stopped in her tracks, her jaw going somewhat slack. “What?”

He faced her. “What what? That’s where I was and what I was doing. I took Elen with me, because I have a bit of a checkered past with Bard as well and—”

She could hold back her smile. “Why doesn’t that surprise me. Tell me, is there anyone you don’t have a bit put of a checkered past with, Thorin?”

“Elrond. And Gandalf, for the most part,” he answered without hesitation. “You thought you had me there, didn’t you?”

“Well… yes. Actually, I did."

His thumb grazed hers. “I asked Elen what your custom was, because in mine, the bride’s father actually offers up the blessings the couple recites and since you have no father, I thought perhaps you would instead rather do it the way you would if I were of Man, which thank Mahal I’m not, but still—”

“Thorin—“ she gently curved her hand over his mouth—“you’re rambling.”

His eyes crinkled at their outer corners. “It truly is contagious.”

“I suppose you haven’t noticed I haven’t rambled on for a while now, have you?”

“No. To be honest, I’ve not.”

Well, I haven’t. So there.”

He squeezed her hand. “Come along. We don’t have much time before the rehearsal starts and after that, the celebrating will begin once more, so…” He gestured toward the staircase leading to the floor above the treasure hoard.

“Thorin,” she said as he led her into the small room with all of the chests of gemstones, “what are you about?”

“You asked for all of the sparkly things I could give you,” he said softly, moving to take a large cherrywood box from the shelf on the far side of the room.

“I wasn’t serious about that, though. Please tell me you knew that.”

“Of course I knew that. But even so, I wanted you to have something you could wear tomorrow and perhaps pass down to a daughter, should we ever be blessed with one.”

As he spoke, he brought down the box and set it on the table before her. “Open it, amrâlimê.”

Her heart sped up as she lifted the lid. There, on a bed of snowy white velvet, was a tiara unlike any she had ever seen before, not that she’d seen many, but still, this one was exquisite. The center stone was a large oval-cut sapphire, surrounded by clear stones of pure white starlight. Smaller diamonds ringed the lace-like filigree at the front and about the crown, so the entire piece sparkled as if lit from within.

“Oh… Thorin…” she whispered, tracing along the filigree with a gentle fingertip. “This is absolutely beautiful… Did you… did you design this?”

“Balin and I worked together on it over the last several weeks. And I admit, I was a bit of a taskmaster with wanting it to be perfect for you. Hopefully, I succeeded.” He carefully lifted it from the velvet, and it looked almost comically tiny in his huge hands as he turned to her and set it carefully in her hair. “Let’s see how it looks.”

“I don’t want to drop it. It feels so light.”

“Mithril,” he said. “Like your ring. Light, but virtually indestructible.”

“Thorin.”

He stepped back and smiled. “Stunning, givashel. I cannot wait to see you come tomorrow. A more beautiful bride has yet to exist.”

“Thorin.” She took a deep breath as she carefully lifted the tiara from her head to set back on its bed of velvet. It was so light, so delicate, she barely felt it when he settled it in her hair and she knew she’d spend all day tomorrow worrying about knocking it from her head.

“What is it? You don’t like it? I knew I should have asked you, but I wished it to be a surprise.”

“No, I love it. Really. I do. It’s stunning and I will treasure it.”

“So what is it?”

“Well, I have a gift for you as well.” She took a deep breath and said, “Only, it won’t be here for several more months.”

“What? What are you talking about.”

“Remember when the elves began to arrive and I was wondering if perhaps Narnerra made a mistake? About my miscarrying?”

A guarded look came to his eyes, which made holding back her smile that much more difficult and made her heart beat that much faster. “I do, yes.”

“What if I told you she did, but she didn’t?”

“Arielle, what are you about?”

Now she smiled. She couldn’t help it. “We are having a baby, amrâlimê.”

“What? How? You had a miscarriage.”

“I did, yes. But, twins run in my family, remember. And Narnerra explained it to me that sometimes, something happens to one, but not the other. It’s a variation of something she called vanishing twin syndrome. So, I did have a miscarriage, but only of the one…”

His eyes widened ever so slightly. “You are not sporting with me, are you?”

“I would never sport with you that way. Not ever.” She caught his face in her hands and smiled. “We are having our baby, dwarf. Sometime late spring or early next summer.”

“Arielle,” his voice cracked as he covered her hands with his, “are you certain?”

“I am. I am absolutely certain, yes.”

“Givashel, we… are you absolutely certain?”

“Thorin, I wouldn’t tell you if I wasn’t.”

He just stared at her for the longest of moments, and she saw the emotions pass through his beautiful blue eyes. They sparkled almost as brightly as the diamonds in the tiara he’d crafted for her and she pressed her lips together as he slid his arms about her waist, and lifted her easily. “Maralmizi,” he whispered, his eyes soft and tender.

“Maralmizu,” she whispered back, leaning in to brush his lips with hers. His arms tightened about her as their kiss deepened and when they parted, she murmured, “I’ve been holding this in all day because I couldn’t find you, you know. And I’ve been dying to tell you.”

He set her down, but didn’t relinquish his hold on her. “What made you ask Narnerra?”

“I told you, I felt fine after that first day. And the more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder and since my courses still hadn’t arrived, I thought there would be no harm in asking.”

“And how did she know?”

Her cheeks grew warm. “Some dwarven medicine is right on par with Elven medicine. And she has ways of getting Elves to give up their secrets as well.” She met his gaze. “She said that if you’d like, you will be able to hear his or her heartbeat.”

His eyes went wide. “What?”

Biting the tip of her thumbnail, she nodded. “I heard it, Thorin. It’s amazing. It truly is.”

“You’ve heard it?”

“This morning. It’s the most beautiful sound, amrâlimê.”

“Arielle…” He brought one hand around to her lower belly, curved against it as it he’d feel something. “I want to hear it as well.”

“We can go find her and—”

“No, let her enjoy the festivities tonight and tomorrow. There will be time.” His thumb brushed over her belly. “I know I cannot feel anything, and that you will not show for some time, but…I’d swear…”

“I know.” She covered his hand with hers. “Soon enough, though, Thorin. I promise.”

“We are having a baby, givashel. Mahal has made it up to us. After everything that has been taken from me, Mahal has seen fit to finally return some of it.” He leaned in and caught her lips in a soft, tender kiss, his arms tightening about her once more. It was the single most perfect kiss she’d ever received, and it made her heart beat faster and her blood feel warmer even as he broke it to sweep his lips along her cheekbone, up toward her hair, his voice low and gravelly as he murmured, “I love you, Arielle.”

“I love you, too, Thorin.” She tucked her head against him, his beard softly scratchy against her cheek.

“A baby…” The wonder in his voice made her smile. Made her smile and slip her arms about his waist to hold him closer still. When Narnerra explained to her about vanishing twin syndrome, Arielle allowed her hopes to rise. But it wasn’t until she heard for herself the faint, but steady, thump of a small heart beating that she believed the healer’s words. Tears had come to her eyes and she couldn’t wait to tell Thorin.

His hand moved lightly along her hair, and he whispered, “Amrâlimê… I cannot wait to see you as a mother, mesmel… This child will never doubt how much he or she is loved and cherished.”

“No, they won’t.” She lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“And you feel all right?”

“I feel wonderful. No nausea. No exhaustion. I feel absolutely fine.”

He smiled, moving to curve his hands against her cheeks. “Abnâmul…” he murmured, his thumbs moving along her cheeks.

“We should go up and get ready for rehearsal. I think we might be able to tell everyone tomorrow night.”

“Are you certain?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

“Very well. As long as you are certain.”

“I cannot wait to see the looks on everyone’s face when they learn the mighty King Under the Mountain is going to be a papa.”

“It will be priceless.”

“You’re going to be a wonderful father, Thorin. I just know you will. This child is so fortunate to have you as his or her father.”

He leaned in to kiss her once more, then whispered, “Let’s go and celebrate this news before we go to the rehearsal.”

She smiled. “I like how you think, dwarf.”

Arielle trembled as she sank against Thorin, burying her face in the warm scruff of his neck as she fought to calm her racing heart and equally racing blood. Her eyes closed of their own, his arms tight about her, one hand grazing her back. The only sounds at the moment was their combined breaths and the soft rustle of the linens as Thorin drew the sheet over her with his free hand.

“Mesmel,” he murmured, that hand now skimming along her hair. “Maralmizi…”

“Mmmm…” she managed to whisper back, smiling as she brushed her lips along that scruff. Her skin was still sensitive from the rub of his beard against it, but she never minded the way it felt, never minded the slight beard burn she’d sport for a while. In some ways, it was almost as if he did it apurpose, in a way marking her as his, not that anyone in Erebor had any doubt of that. But still, she was quite all right with it just the same.

“Where are you?” His voice rose like a soft mist into the semi-darkness, his fingers still skimming along her hair.

“I am exactly where I wish to be,” she lifted her head, and shifted to scoop a handful of curls to toss away from her face. “I have never been as happy as I am right now, at this very moment.”

His eyes glitter in low light. “Neither have I. For the first time in what feels like a lifetime for me, I am genuinely happy and yet—” He paused, his hand going still on the back of her head, his eyes growing far more serious than they’d been.

“And yet what?”

His gaze shifted to the ceiling. He said nothing for a long moment, but just stared upward and swallowed hard. Then, drawing in a deep breath, he murmured, “At times, I just wait for it to all be taken from me again. That I am just not supposed to be happy for more than a blink of an eye.”

“Amrâlimê,” she shifted to lay beside him, curved against him, her hand coming to rest on his chest, “you are allowed to be happy, you know. Enjoy every moment of this as much as you can.”

“I can’t,” he turned to meet her gaze, “because I know it can be taken away. I count on it to be.”

“Well, perhaps this time, it won’t. Perhaps Mahal has decided you have earned some happiness for a change. We’re having a baby, and that is the ultimate act of hope, so how can you have none?”

“A lifetime of loss will do that to you.”

She sighed softly, tracing gentle circles through the dark hair spread wide across his chest. “I know. And I know my loss is not comparable to yours, and that it isn’t a competition, but if you spend the rest of your days waiting for the hammer to fall, you will miss out on some very magical moments.”

He reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her right ear. “That’s why I let you be the hopeful one, Arielle. Nothing has diminished that ability in you and I cherish it in ways you will never understand. I will spend nights standing over a cradle, making certain our son or daughter breathes through the night. I will watch over them like a hawk, knowing that at any moment, another dragon could appear or another Azog could put a bounty on my head, or their head. And all the while, I will have you reminding me to find the magic in the moment of a first smile, or a first step, or a first word. And I will count on you to look at me the way you are right now, and tell me I told you so when none of my fears come to pass.”

“Thorin, you are allowed to enjoy the moment in the moment as well.”

“My job is to keep you both safe. That does not necessarily allow for me to enjoy the moment in the moment.”

“And mine is to keep you safe as well.” She brushed her lips across his scruffy cheek. “And that includes keeping you safe from the demons in your own head. Be happy, Thorin. Revel in the fact that you will soon be a father and will be able to do with your son or daughter the things you once did with your nephews, the things that perhaps your father did with you. You will be allowed to smile and laugh and play, and leave some of the brooding behind, if only for a little while.”

“Brooding, eh?”

“Amrâlimê, you brood unlike anyone I have ever known.” She offered up a grin as she let her fingertip just brush across his right nipple. “You should try not brooding for a change. You might actually like it.”

He sucked in a sharp breath as she teasingly circled that nipple now, and let it out as long, lusty sigh. “I like this,” he whispered, the hand that had been on her head sliding down along her back now.

She leaned over to press a kiss into the curve of his neck. “I know you do, but unfortunately, we are due at the rehearsal in only a few minutes.”

The linens rustled madly and she let out a laugh as he flipped her onto her back and shifted over her, growling, “A few minutes is all I need, mesmel. You’ll see.”

[miraculousshipping]

Whenever I think about Adrien Agreste watching anime I think about the fact that Adrien’s VA Bryce Papenbrook is also the English Dub VA for a few anime characters and in the case of Seven Deadly Sins, a lot of the cast members for the English dub also voice Miraculous Ladybug characters.

So basically I just imagine Adrien sitting down with Plagg to watch Seven Deadly Sins on Netflix and going “hey Meliodas sounds a lot like me. And King sounds a lot like you Plagg (Plagg’s VA Max Mittleman also voices King in SDS) and Hawk sounds like Marinette (Christina Vee is Hawk’s VA in SDS),and Ondine sounds like Elizabeth (Ondine’s VA Erika Harlacher voices Elizabeth in SDS), And Guila sounds like Alya (Alya’s VA Carrie Keranen also voices Guila in SDS), Margret sounds like Miss Bustier (Miss Bustier’s VA Dorothy Fahn also voices Margret in SDS), and Ban is Meliodas’s best friend and he sounds just like my best friend Nino...(Nino’s VA Benjamin Diskin also voices Ban in SDS),  ”

And then Plagg’s like “Eh I think you’re reading too much into it. Just relax, eat some cheese, enjoy the show then take a nap.”

And then Adrien’s like “huh, no wonder you sound like the sin of sloth.” 

[barnesandco]

Ayesha’s 1k+ Writing Challenge!

Writing Challenge Submission Masterlist

Hey, everyone, I'm so happy to be back online - I think I was only gone for a week so that announcement was very extra of me - and to be introducing my first writing challenge! I'm so honored and flattered that so many people enjoy my work, and I'm incredibly grateful for your support since I joined this community. Tumblr is my greatest escape, and you've made it a very welcome and comforting one. 

A sense of community and friendship is particularly important in these trying times, and I extend my heartfelt prayers to everyone struggling right now. I'm here to listen if there's anything you need to say, and I'm sorry I can't do much more than be a metaphorical shoulder to cry on, and to offer this distraction as a brief reprieve from whatever you might be going through.

In order to present a gift of relief, and to share and create more stories of heroism - not that any of it can ever compare to the courage displayed by our health professionals and essential workers these days - and to honor and promote our collective of Marvel fanfic writers, I've decided to host a writing challenge. You don't have to follow me to participate - although that would be appreciated - you just need to follow the rules I've outlined under the cut. If you need clarification on anything, don't hesitate to ask! I hope you'll join, and I look forward to seeing what everyone comes up with. 

Rules:

Your fic can be about any character(s) from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You can also include original characters that you create. If you want to write a romantic fic, I think it goes without saying that it shouldn't be underage (or having an excessive age gap), non/dub-con, incest, abuse, power imbalance/manipulation (e.g. employer x employee or teacher x student), etc. 

The sky’s the limit when it comes to the type or genre of the story, so let your imagination fly! You can write reader-inserts, pairings of pre-existing characters, OCs, or even just solo fics about the character you've chosen. I'm open to canon fics, AUs, fluff, smut, angst, romance, platonic fics, and whatever else you guys can dream up. (If you're writing smut, please let me know, as there are some additional guidelines I'm setting for that.) 

Word count is minimum 250 words, and anything above 500 words must have a keep reading tab. Multi-chapter fics will obviously be accepted - and with a lot of enthusiasm! - but please make a masterlist for any such series.

Kindly include any and all warnings that apply to your story.

The deadline for submission is the 31st of December, 2020.

Please tag me @barnesandco​ in the completed fic - and in every chapter of a series if you've chosen to write one - and also tag your work with #ayesha1kwritingchallenge. If I don't acknowledge that I’ve seen your work within a week of you posting it, please DM me.

One entry is allowed per participant, and you can send in an ask or a DM to participate, in which you should mention the one prompt you would like to use and for which character(s) from the list below.

Prompts

Dialogue Prompts:

"You fell asleep on me." --Taken by @lancsnerd

"Screw you." --Taken by @need-a-fugue

"I've got this." --Taken by @filia-sapientiae​

"I'd never forgive myself for it." --Taken by @oreostars​

"I trust you." --Taken by @readerandcinephileingeneral

"Oh, I'm so offended." --Taken by @iamthe-shadow-on-the-wall​

"Who, me? I would never." --Taken by @kaunis-sielu

"I don’t want to hate her/him/them." --Taken by @suz-123

"I can't explain it, but loving her is just… easy." --Taken by @littledarlinwrites

"You're my everything." --Taken by @chrisevansdaddycap​

"Leave me alone." --Taken by @constantaking​

"That's disgusting." --Taken by @ruffalomakesmyday​

"What on God's green earth was that for?" --Taken by @sweetwritesx​

"Is that a threat?" --Taken by @glxy-otter​

"Promise. Please just- promise me." --Taken by @blue-like-barnes​

"Oh, I could kiss you right now, you brilliant, brilliant woman/man/person!" --Taken by @megthemewlingquim

"You know that'll never work on me." --Taken by @allaboardthereadingrailroad​

"I'd let you if you asked." --Taken by @wordywarriorwrites

"___, I swear to God, if you do that again, I'll feed you to Tony's stupid robot." --Taken by @nekoannie-chan

"You can't do this." + "Then I'll die trying."

"You're stronger than anyone I've ever known." --Taken by @companionjones

"How did I get here?" --Taken by @thestorydetective​

"Why are you smiling this wide this early in the morning?" --Taken by @tinymalscoffee​

"What's the worst that could happen?" --Taken by @phant0m-queen​

"I can't believe they haven't caught us yet." --Taken by @indyluckycharlie​

Song Prompts:

Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles --Taken by @softpeachbarnes​

Finally//Beautiful Stranger - Halsey --Taken by @shield-agent78​

To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra --Taken by @whistlingwillows​

Floating - Alina Baraz ft. Khalid --Taken by @chuuulip​

Summertime - Ella Fitzgerald

Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler

To Die For - Sam Smith --Taken by @hailhydra920​

I Scare Myself - Beth Crowley

Speechless - Dan + Shay --Taken by @captain-kelli​

Growing Pains - Alessia Cara

Levitating - Dua Lipa --Taken by @samingtonwilson​​

Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers --Taken by @mermaidxatxheart​

Human - Christina Perri

10 000 Hours - Ella Mai

Despacito - Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee

Let's Do It - Ella Fitzgerald --Taken by @smediumsmeatbae​

Honey - Raveena --Taken by @opalsandlace

Talk Too Much - COIN --Taken by @subtlebucky​

Put a Little Love on Me - Niall Horan --Taken by @buckysbest​

Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

Meet Me on the Battlefield - SVRCINA

Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Titanium - David Guetta ft. Sia

Stay - Rihanna ft. Mikky Ekko --Taken by @jalapenobarnes-main​

Eyes Open - Taylor Swift --Taken by @helahades​

One-Line Prompts:

Recovery is tender, straining yellow-blue over his/her/their shoulders and delicate in the shadow of his/her/their smile. --Taken by @iced-capsicle

Laughter tastes like cotton candy. --Taken by @rogersumbra

" All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages." -As You Like It, William Shakespeare --Taken by @shakespeareanqueer​

How do you miss something you never had? --Taken by @shellbilee​

They're stuck, and it's all ___'s fault. --Taken by @buckybarney​

Gabe Jones' French skills come to good use. --Taken by @raindroptv​

Self-discovery is a path nobody likes taking, but sometimes, there is no other choice.

"Demons run when a good man goes to war." - Doctor Who, Steven Moffat --Taken by @harley-sunday​

Star-crossed lovers find a galaxy to take refuge in from the rest of the universe. --Taken by @sgtjbuccky​

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that everything goes from order to disorder. --Taken by @alyxkbrl​​

One-Word Prompts:

Sacrilege

Bibliophile --Taken by @nacho-bucky​

Soldier --Taken by @writing-mermaid​

Chrysanthemum(s)

Schadenfreude

Deja Vu

Picasso

Self-Partnered

Petrichor --Taken by @redhairedfeistynerd​​

Serendipity --Taken by @xoxoeeveewritez​​

Momentum

Equilibrium

Entropy

Resplendent

Anemone(s)

Effervescence

Sweetheart

Absolute

Echo --Taken by @wintersoeldiers​​

Nefarious

Picture prompts:

1. Taken by @infj-slytherclaw​

2. Taken by @starrysebastians​

3. 

4. 

5. Taken by @corneliabarnes​

6. 

7. Taken by @bucky-smiles​

8. Taken by @monarchofallisurvey​

9. 

Special thanks to the following authors, who not only inspired and initiated my desire to write, but then encouraged me, supported my work, and were - and still are - tremendously helpful. Others in the following list I befriended later on, and I'm so grateful that I did, because they've helped transform my experience on this site, too. Point is, all of these people are so kind and amazing and marvellous beyond what words can describe. Thank you:

@samingtonwilson @suz-123 @nacho-bucky @evanstarff @tropicalcap @kentuckybarnes @buckyreaderrecs @mermaidxatxheart @corneliabarnes @buckyland​ @bucky-smiles​ @sebbytrash​ @jalapenobarnes​

And thank you of course to my wonderful, magical followers who comment and reblog my stories, and give me all the praise I do not deserve. Thank you for your kindness and your enthusiasm - I cherish it and do everything I can to earn it. Special mentions:

@readerandcinephileingeneral​ @notsomellowmushroom​ @sonjashuterbugjohnson​ @anjali750​ @severelytinyeagle​ @redhairedfeistynerd​ @parmisaanowl @starnight-charmer​ @alyxkbrl​

I'd like to conclude by saying that I debated whether or not to host this writing challenge now, in a time like this. I decided to do so in the end because I need it. Call me selfish, but I need a reprieve. I need to feel like this disaster that has us surrounded right now isn't all there is to the world. And if I've learnt anything from being on this platform, it's that you're very rarely alone. So I hope that this activity can provide some semblance of hope for others that feel the way I do, and if not, then at least a little escape.

So my last but not least thank you goes to everyone who participates in this challenge and thereby makes this shelter from the world's storm, a little stronger, a little safer, and a little warmer. 

I’m excited to see what everyone comes up with, and I look forward to making some new friends. Thank you all and good luck!

[nerethos]

Rewind 1921: Dee's, Hippolyta's, & Montrose's episode Lovecraft Country

Hippolyta came back! She's going to heal Dee/Diana from that curse. How are these neglectful adults trying to tell her she can't take her daughter to the observatory!? The nerve of them! If they had paid attention to Dee and watched her, she wouldn't have been cursed. Ruby it's all yall's fault. Hippolyta said she will do whatever it takes to save her daughter. Her being a motherboard was everything 😍! Her hair color changed to royal purplish blue! It was sweet when she told Tic to put the wires together like she taught him to french braid Diana's hair. Ruby and Leti are listening to their hearts when it comes to Christina and Tic. Christina telling Ruby you asked for my help and I came for you. Ruby saying her mother was a hustler too and she was always Christina's plan B. I like how Ruby and Leti have their problems but Ruby was about to beat the mess out of Montrose if he put his hand on Leti. He's sh*tty for trying to hit her. When Leti, Tic, and Montrose go through the portal to Tulsa in 1921 during the Tulsa Race Massacre, we and Tic saw Montrose's childhood and how he was tortured by his alcoholic father when he was being himself. It's sad he said and still thinks he deserved to be beaten for being gay. Montrose ended his relationship with his friend (Montrose still calling him a friend instead of boyfriend. He's still dealing with his internalized homophobia.) Thomas by lying and saying he wasn't a f**got like him broke my heart. Then those racist White assholes taunting them and calling them n**ger f**gots pissed me off. I felt their fear as a Black lesbian woman. They shot Thomas in the face and head. I liked how Montrose talks about them being scared to hold hands in public yet they weren't scared to when they were being attacked and harassed by the mob of racist White people during the Tulsa Race Massacre. (I like that Black gay people were shown during the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 on National Coming Out Day) It's messed up he was forced to let his friend Thomas die again but Tic could save him, George and his mom Dora. Leti meeting Tic's grandfathers, grandmother, aunt, and great grandmother was really cool. Hattie giving the Book of Names to Leti and telling her what words to say then saying Leti's son will be her faith in the flesh had me bawling my eyes out. I was very devastating yet kind of beautiful when they prayed The Lord's Prayer as the room caught on fire and she burns alive while Sonia Sanchez's poem "Don't Kill Dub" plays in the background, because she sacrificed herself for her future family member. I'm glad Leti stayed with Tic's family. That she was there with Hattie until the very end. This episode was about the Tulsa Race Massacre and parents-mothers, family matriarchs, and fathers sacrificing themselves for their children and families. I like how Montrose named all the Black people who were murdered (all the deaths that were known) during the massacre. Hippolyta sacrificed herself to save Diana. She changed into Orynthia Blue and frothed at the mouth while Leti walked really slowly and took her time getting back to the portal. Hattie gave Leti the Book of Names & sacrificed herself by burning alive. She accepted her death knowing she helped the future generation of her family. Montrose sacrificed living in his truth and being himself, because of his father, society, and he wanted a son, Tic. It's about Black people sacrificing everything to make sure their children thrive and families survive in America, a country that hates us. Hates all BIPOC and BIQPOC.

[babygirlizz]

Movies and TV shows of 2019

Okay so a couple or few years ago I did a review of movies that had released that year because I was super into movies that year. I am still into movies, but I have been watching a lot more shows this year. So, I will be reviewing movies and tv shows. Furthermore, I will be including stuff released this year, that I found this year, or that has a new season this year. Basically just anything that I have loved this year. Also, I don’t feel like ranking, so no particular order. Also, SPOILERS AHEAD - if you see a title of something you have not seen, and don’t want spoilers, please feel free to skip that section. Also, some of these I haven’t seen in a hot minute so if I get a detail messed up, we won’t speak on it. And finally, trigger warning - if you have struggled with sexual assault and may have an issue reading about it, either skip this post entirely or skip over the review of “Unbelievable.”

MOVIES -

1. After

I have been waiting for this since middle school. I read the after books on wattpad because what teenager in love with harry styles didn’t. Now I will be real with y'all. The acting could use some work in specific scenes, and some of the actors aren't MY favorite picks for certain roles, but I’m not gonna hate on actors. Ok so, Tessa (Josephine Langford) is an incoming freshman in college and is rooming with an upperclassmen, Steph (Khadijha Red Thunder) who has a friend named Hardin (Hero Fiennes-Tiffin). Steph wants Tessa to branch out and do new things, so she invites her to a party, where they play the stereotypical games, and thats when Hardin is kind of dared to make Tessa fall in love with him. ALSO, Tessa has a high school boyfriend named Noah (Dylan Arnold). She starts seeing Hardin, her boyfriend finds out, she falls in love with Hardin, and finds out it was all a dare. Buuuuuuut, pLoT tWiSt he actually loves her.

2. Avengers: Endgame

Ok listen, Infinity War was heartbreaking bc Bucky duh, but y'all are really gonna take Tony (RDJ) and Steve (Chris Evans) away from me? Shut up. Still, this was a really good movie and I’m not just saying that because I’m a marvel hoe. FRICK Thanos and thats on Ant Man. Thats literally all I have to say.

3. Annabelle Comes Home

I am a whore for scary movies. I love them so much and this one was *chefs kiss*. I love Mckenna Grace, she's such a good young actress and she fits so well in scary moves. There’s not much to say about the plot in this one, and ya really need to see it. Also, Bob (Michael Cimino) is so heckin cute what the heck.

4. Let It Snow

Ok this is a lot to unpack so grab ya snacks. Let’s talk about couple number 1 (of 3), Tobin (Mitchell Hope) and Angie (Kiernan Shipka) who are best friends. Tobin is in love with Angie but doesn’t know how to tell her, and gets lots of unwanted encouragement from his best friend Keon (Jacob Batalon) who just wants to throw a heckin good party, is that too much to ask for? So Angie gets invited to a party by some cute guy, JP (M and Tobin is jealous but goes with her anyways and they steal a keg for Keon’s party and run from the scary hosts of the party and end up stranded in a church after his car spins out of control. They finally make it to the party and kiss on the roof with the waffle town sign shining bright behind them. NEXT - we have Julie (Isabela Merced) and Stuart (Shameik Moore). This is kind of really cliche with the whole “he’s-famous-she-doesn’t-care-he-finds-that-attractive-lets-fall-in-love” aspect, but its also hella cute uwu. They meet on a train and the train stops so they go eat at the waffle town and go sledding and do a bunch of cute coupley shit. His manager comes to get him and basically tells her that nothing will ever really happen between them and he leaves. Then, he shows up at the party and they fall in love. NEXT- we have Dorrie (Liv Hewson) who is a lesbian that constantly struggles with the gay panic. Her best friend Addie (Odeya Rush) doesn't help much either because she's having her own relationship problems. Dorrie works at Waffle Town and when she's working the girl she's talking to, Kerry (Anna Akana) comes in with her dance team, and she's not out of the closet. A bunch of shit goes down, but they end up together and Dorrie learns that she’s worth more than she thinks and that’s all that matters. Also, Billy (Miles Robbins) and Tin Foil Woman (Joan Cusack) make wonderful additions to this movie.

5. The King

First of all - Timothée Chalamet and Robert Pattinson in the same movie? Sign me the HECK up. But they’re also historical, frick yea. Not too much to say about this movie other than it’s good. Super graphic (don’t watch if you don’t like decapitation lol) and super long, but good nonetheless.

6. Falling Inn Love

This movie is super freaking cute. Gabriela (Christina Milian) decides that she needs a change and enters a contest to win an Inn in New Zealand. She wins the Inn and is shocked when she realizes the Inn needs a LOT of work. She goes around town to get stuff to fix up the Inn and constantly runs into Jake (Adam Demos) and they have this flirty but we don’t like each other relationship, but then ya know, they fall in(n) love. 

SHOWS -

1. The Society

I could talk about this show for hours, literally. I love it so much it’s insane. Ok, so lets start from the beginning. A town called West Ham is being plagued by a disgusting smell. Due to this, the town decides to send busloads of teenagers to the mountains while they try and resolve the smell situation. All of the teenagers fall asleep on the bus and wake up to the announcement that they had to go back home due to road blocks. When they get off the buses, its late and no one is there to pick them up. They think that it may just be a sense of miscommunication, so they head home, only to find that none of their families are there, and they can’t get ahold of any of them over the phone. They finally decide to investigate and find that all exits out of town are completely blocked off. They then decide to find a way to survive without their families. This causes a lot of tension within the town including the death of a main character. This shows also includes gay representation!!!! This is my favorite couple, Sam (Sean Birdy) and Grizz (Jack Mulhern). Sam is deaf and gay and his brother, Campbell (Toby Wallace), makes fun of him for both reasons, and when the whole issue with the town happens, he believes he will never find love because he doesn’t think anyone else is gay, until Grizz comes along, and tries to learn ASL and loves him for him.

2. Roswell New Mexico

Alright, to be completely honest, I did not want to watch this. I have no idea why I just didn’t. I saw an edit on like instagram or something of the couples in the show and I was like, alright I can give it a chance. And spoiler alert I loved it. The series starts off with Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason) comes back to her hometown of Roswell around the time of her the anniversary of her sister, Rosa’s (Amber Midthunder), death. She gets pulled over on her way in and the officer that pulled her over was Max Evans (Nathan Parsons), who has had a crush on her since they first met, and just so happens to be an alien. After Liz gets shot in her families restaurant, Max uses his healing powers to save her, but leaves behind a hand print on her that makes her suspicious. She continues to investigate until he tells her the truth. She also finds out that her sister was actually murdered, and has the same hand print on her that she did when Max healed her. Turns out, his sister, Isobel (Lily Cowels) killed her, but it was actually another alien possessing her (which they didn’t know was possible when she killed her). When they landed on earth they also landed with their “brother” Michael (Michael Vlamis) who starts off the series with an on and off relationship with Alex (Tyler Blackburn) and I love them together. Alex is the son of one of the guys trying to find and take down the aliens and he also went to war and lost his leg. Anyways, towards the end of the season Alex starts seeing Maria (Heather Hemmens), which is a couple I don’t really like, but also bi representation is good! Anyways I don’t really wanna spoil this one too much I just love it a lot.

3. Elite

This is a show that came out in 2018, but they released a second season this year. All I’m saying is please watch the original version, not the dubbed over version. Elite is a spanish show about a few students that get a scholarship to the private school after their school gets demolished. This shows is in the fashion of present and past which includes a lot of flashbacks leading up to the the murder of one of the students. My favorite part of this show is the relationship between Ander (Arón Piper) and Omar (Omar Ayuso). Ander is the son of the head of the school and Omar is the brother of one of the students that got a scholarship. Not only are they of different socioeconomic status’, but Omar is also Muslim, and his family would not approve of him being gay. He finally finds the courage to tell his family, but thats not until season 2. Also, his sister Nadia (Mina El Hammani) falls in love with the “bad boy” of the school, Guzmán (Miguel Bernardeau) and starts going against her parents wishes as well.

4. The Umbrella Academy 

Y’all mind if I confuse y'all real quick. So, a bunch of women all of the sudden give birth out of nowhere at the same time even tho none of them were pregnant? Yea I know weird. Anyways, so this dude tries to adopt as many of them as possible and ends up adopting like 7. They all have powers and they try and stop the apocalypse. That’s literally all I can tell y'all. 

5. Unbelievable

I swear I didn’t mean to get y’all upset right now. This show made me angry and sad and so many other feelings all at once. So the show beings with a girl named Marie (Kaitlyn Dever) getting raped in her home. When she reports it, they can’t find any evidence, as he cleaned the apartment and made her shower. This mixed with the fact that she struggles remembering parts of her experience (which is common with sexual assault), the police don’t believe her and force her to retract her statement. This in itself is awful, but they also charge her with false statement, which adds on to the fact that people already believe that she is a liar. Years later, two female detectives, Karen and Grace, piece together rapes in their precincts and once they find the rapist, they find Marie’s picture in with his belongings, proving that she was telling the truth the entire time.

6. Sailor Moon

I just got into anime and all I have to say is that I love this. That is all.

[straw-hat-moro]

Thanks for tagging me @precl13 ;-)

1. Are you staying home from work/school? Yep, although I could be going to school back now (I have classes of or under 5 people) but given the distance and the risks, I’m glad we’re continuing online. 2. If you’re staying home, who’s there with you? My family. 3. Do you have pets to keep you company? Two lovely kitties. 4.  Who do you miss the most? My bf, obviously :D But also my friends 5. When was the last time you left your home?  Today, I needed to go to a bank (to do some arrangements about the inheritance of my late husband... jk)

6. What was the last thing you bought?  An antibacterial gel 😂 The second most wanted item in the country... After masks.

7. Is quarantine driving you insane or are you finally relaxed?  It’s not driving me insane per say, but I don’t like being stuck in one place.

8. Are you a homebody?  Had to google it up to make sure what that is Yeah, most definitely.

9. What movies have you watched recently?  Dumplin’. The czech dub and translation was something... well something.

10. An event that you were looking forward to that got cancelled?  Oh, the summer camp! :(

11. What’s the worst thing that you’ve had to cancel? Well the above I guess?

12. What’s the best thing that you’ve had to cancel?  Can’t recall anything rn. Wait, does deactivating Facebook counts? I’m on my Day 1 and so far it’s great. I’m starting to get so bored online I might actually do something productive.

13. Do you have any new hobbies?  Nope.

14. What are you out of?  Self worth. 

15. What music are you listening to? American Idiot album on repeat. Dodie. StarKid.

16. What shows are you watching?  Rookie, Clone Wars and OUAT. Oh and the videoclip for Christina Perri’s The Words, does that count? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9tc9R_Y3FY

17. What are you reading? Currently nothing, but last week I finished Casa Verde (The Green House?/Zelený dům) by Mario Vargas Llosa and I fucking loved it, please do read it, even though it’s a confusing book.

18. What are you doing for self-care?  Not as much as I could.

19. Are you exercising? Every evening I tell myself that tomorrow. For more than a month I’m telling that.

20. How’s your toilet paper supply? I’m not giving you any.

21. Have you made any changes to your hair during quarantine? Well I cut my fringe, but that’s something I would do quarantine or no-quarantine.

I’m tagging @tesscont @shelbyinmyviola 

[blackcoffee85]

Strength in Sisterhood Drabble #2: My Person [Hana and Simone]

S: You are the Christina Yang to my Meredith Grey. ❤❤

H: Hi Simone! Ummm, am I supposed to know that reference? I'm assuming that's a good thing?

S: Of course! You couldn't tell by the hearts? We are so alike, and yet so different. I don't always remember what you have and haven't seen. Have you heard of an American TV show called Grey's Anatomy?

H: I don't believe that I have, but I recall you referencing those names before. Something about them being best friends?

S: Yes! It is a medical drama but with McDonald's puns - McDreamy and McSteamy.

H: I've never seen anything like that on the menu at McDonald's in the US or Cordonia. What are those?

S: Men. 🤣😂😉 I think you should watch the show and tell me what you think.

H: Will do! I want to better understand that reference and I love watching American TV shows!

Two Weeks Later...

H: I could see why you would be Meredith. 😉

S: I'll bite. Say more about that. 😂🤣

H: Meredith is Grey's Anatomy. The show revolves around her. I don't think she is a fan of or seeks all of the attention per se, but the central focus, even during their medical cases, is her life and the relationships around her. When you first came to Cordonia, I sensed that was how life felt for you. You were dubbed "The Mystery Woman" by the press and that, in turn, made you the focal point.

S: Hmmmmm. That wasn't what I thought you would say. I thought you would tell me that I was a hot mess.

H: You are a bit.

S: Hana! 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣

H: You said it. I merely confirmed it. 😘

S: To be fair, Christina is a bit of a mess too.

H: That is a fairly accurate assessment.

S: Despite their messiness, they saw something so perfectly imperfect in each other that forged their bond as friends - sisters. That bond helped them to challenge and support each other from the emotionally stunted messiness of their early to mid-twenties to the complex, multifaceted and emotionally stable women in their thirties. You have been that for me, Hana. I hope I have been that for you. You a-

H: You're My Person.

S: And you are my sister and my family. ❤❤ But please, don’t call me if you murder someone and need to drag their corpse across the living room floor. 😂🤣

Tag List: @riseandshinelittleblossom @alj4890 @pixieferry @darley1101 @bobasheebaby @ao719 @speedyoperarascalparty @indiacater @itsbrindleybinch @cora-nova @kennaxval @saivilo

[rose-wine-selfships]

Get to Know Me Better (Casually)

Tagged by: @nohr-and-thirst Thank you so much my dear! I’ll absolutely love filling this out!!! 🤩🥳

Name: Christina

Birthday: August 9th (Which was yesterday, so yay! 🥳🎊🎉)

Zodiac Sign: Leo ♌️💚🦁👑

Height: 5’2 inches (157 cm)

——————

Hobbies: Drawing, writing, working out, meditation, yoga, belly dancing, socializing with close friends, getting to know people, listening to music, playing guitar, watching anime (especially Bungou Stray Dogs), cooking, baking, playing strategy games (chess, checkers, mystery murder games etc.), crystal therapy, multicultural appreciation (mainly Asian cultures), critical thinking/philosophy, and speaking languages (English, Spanish, and a little bit of Japanese)

Favorite Color: Pink mainly, but I really love blue and green too!

Favorite Book: My favorite novel is a deconstruction of the generic fantasy world called “The Last Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle. The reason why I love this book so much is that there is a bittersweet sort of sadness at the end unlike a lot of stereotypical fairy tale books that ALWAYS seem to have a happy ending. I love this book because it’s something different, and I love how they use the unicorn as a symbol of a loss of humanity rather than purity. Plus ALL of the characters tend to be fleshed out pretty well with their personalities. Especially the female characters, and they have as much drive and ambition compared to the male characters. The characters overall are empowering, inspiring, timeless, and overall pretty dang magical! I would recommend anyone to definitely read this and it’s a 10/10!!!

Last Song I Listened To: Take Me Home Tonight/Be My Baby by Eddie Money ft. Ronnie Spector (Goddamn I love 80s music!!!)

Last Movie I Watched: Singing in The Rain (1952) ft. Gene Kelly. It’s a pretty cute and funny musical rom com movie for its own time. Plus the dancing and music numbers are pretty damn good. I love their use of colors, imagery, and overdramatized use of Broadway tropes common to the 1920s. If you’re a fan of musicals I highly recommend you watch this.

Inspiration or Muse: Mainly Anime and most of Japanese culture has inspired me to draw and write frequently. Another source of inspiration is on a fan fiction website called Literotica, but don’t be fooled by the name. A wonderful author by the name of DreamCloud made so many inspirational and touching love stories that made me cry so many times over how beautiful each ending was. If you’re a follower AND you’re over 18, I once again recommend you read his stories. They’re what inspire me to personally grow and develop better writing skills ESPECIALLY when it comes to writing my self insert and romance drabbles here and there. Another source of writing inspiration is J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series, and she inspires me everyday to keep writing no matter what people think of you or your writing.

Dream Job: I’d honestly love just being a freelance artist and a famous musician on the side. Either that or a traveler and cultural cuisine enthusiast exploring all over the world. Something like what Jack Maxwell or Anthony Bourdain does.

Meaning of URL: The name of my URL came to be when every time I turn on the radio station the band Pink Floyd played its songs near me. My Dad always joked that since Pink Floyd “likes me a whole lot” the band is connecting to me somehow and that it’s telling me something. I still don’t know what to this day, but I officially dubbed myself “The Pink Prophet” because I’m very in tune with both philosophy and the pursuit of human kindness. And that’s basically what the band is preaching the whole time.

I’d like to tag: @rjatizay @queenshroorn @poetofeveryonessoul @mmcclendon2516 and @rimuru--tempest to do this if they want! 😚

[youngbloodseavey]

it started with a spider... // zach herron

moodboard by @tempus-ut-luceant

request: none

summary: while balancing superhero life and normal life, teenage superhero zach herron suddenly has a new variable swing into his balance. a love life.

pairing: spiderman!zach x fem!reader

triggers: cursing

disclaimer: this is NOT a direct copy of spiderman homecoming. there will be some parts that mirror the movie, but the dialogue and plot will not be the same. so like don’t expect this to be the same as the movie okay i’m glad we got that cleared up lmao

*imagine their secret best friend handshake to be the one peter and ned do in homecoming okay thanks

||

zach herron was the last person anyone would think to be a superhero.

he was goofy and clumsy, not to mention a bit oblivious at times. he was an outcast in midtown high school, despite his charming personality.

“hey zachy-boy,” flash’s familiar sneer made itself known, the rosy-cheeked boy letting out a deep sigh. his chocolate brown eyes removed their gaze from the dirty linoleum floor, looking up at flash. he didn’t say anything, he knew that opening his mouth would just make it worse.

“what? too scared to say anything? you’re such a pussy, heroin,” flash scoffed, calling zach by the nickname he had dubbed him. “now get out of my way you little bitch.” flash didn’t give him any time to move, instead opting to shove zach out of the way and into the lockers.

the laughter of flash and his cronies echoed in zach’s ear, and his gaze met the tiles again as he began to scurry to his locker.

zach could feel the gazes from other students locked on his back, the pity and the judgement. the stares he knew all too well.

“zach!” the brown-haired boy jumped, his stride being stopped by a hand grabbing his shoulder. zach was whisked around, now facing his stopper.

“what do you want corbyn?” zach didn’t mean to sound irritated when talking to his best friend, but it simply came out that way. zach was having a very shitty day. he turned away and began walking to his locker again, corbyn jogging beside him to keep up.

“geez, what has your panties in a twist? was it flash again?” corbyn’s jogging came to a halt, slowing down to a casual walk.

“when is it not flash?” zach grumbled, finally arriving at his locker and putting his combination in. he opened it, the door of the locker slamming into the others, creating a resounding bang.

zach put his math textbook back into the locker, using the other hand to retrieve his ap chemistry textbook as corbyn kept talking.

“i’m sorry dude, you have to start defending yourself against him though. you can’t keep letting him push you around like this,” corbyn’s voice softened, but zach didn’t respond. “here, i know what’ll make you feel better. wanna play fortnite later?” zach perked up at the mention of his favorite video game.

“sure! do you wanna come over to mine? i can have aunt may pick up some pizza and i just got this dope new skin-” zach’s smile began to grow as his ramblings went on.

“you had me at pizza dude. i’ll be there at 7.” corbyn replied. zach finished retrieving his supplies, and turned back around to face his best friend.

“i’ll see you then.” zach and corbyn did their secret best friend handshake, before corbyn ran off to his calculus class.

zach took in a deep breath before closing his locker, beginning to walk towards his ap chemistry class. he located the classroom in no time, taking his seat in the back of the room.

an array of beakers and lab equipment laid before him, signaling that they were going to be doing a lab in class. his eyes trailed up to the clock on the wall, seeing that he was a minute or two early for class.

perfect.

he pulled out his notebook, retrieving a pencil from the front pocket of his backpack. he quickly flipped to a page titled “web fluid”, and the numbers and elements began working in his brain.

he scribbled down notes, remembering how his fluid had performed the last time he had used it and how he could improve it.

ideas flew through his head in a pace so rapid his hands could barely keep up.

maybe if i switch up this with this then the structural integrity will-

zach’s thoughts were cut off by someone sitting next to him, and he quickly closed his notebook. his eyes flew to the figure that sat next to him, and he simultaneously relaxed and tensed up when seeing who it was.

“hey zach!” y/n’s melodic voice rang out, sending a shiver down his spine.

“h-hi y/n,” zach’s cheeks flushed a deeper red, and he turned the other way. y/n y/l/n was the only person in the entire world who made him feel this way.

she was the epitome of perfect to zach. from the way her hair bounced as she walked through the hallways to the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled. she was completely, utterly, perfect.

and to his luck, she was assigned to be his lab partner for the entire school year.

y/n took no notice of zach’s flustered expression, pulling out her notebook and a pencil.

“how are you?” y/n asked, a soft smile still painted on her face as she flipped to a blank page in her notebook.

“i’m doing-” so much better now that i’m here with you. “-good! how are you today?” zach responded, gaining his composure back.

“i’m good.” she shot him another stunning smile. “so zach, i was wondering-”

“okay class,” y/n was cut off by the sound of mrs. schwartz’s voice, the teacher’s heels clacking on the linoleoum as she strolled into the classroom. “today we’ll be doing a lab.” mrs. schwartz began to explain the lab, taking a whiteboard marker and beginning to draw out diagrams and instructions.

“what were you going to say?” zach whispered, his eyes flickering from the board to y/n.

“i’ll tell you later.” she responded, beginning to copy down mrs. schwartz’s words into her notebook.

his mind couldn’t seem to focus on whatever bullshit mrs. schwartz was spewing, instead focusing on the fact that y/n y/l/n had something to tell him.

“-you guys have until the end of the period to complete the lab, and your lab reports will be due next week. get to work.” with that mrs. schwartz sat down at her desk, beginning to grade papers or whatever teachers did as the class began to work.

y/n and zach got to work, beginning to measure and add components to their mixture. his mind worked quickly, working out equations and elements in his brain.

soon enough, class was over and y/n and zach were left with a perfect experiment and a half-written lab report. 

zach stuffed his notebook and pencils in his backpack, beginning to make his way out of the classroom when he felt a soft hand grab his arm. he spun around, seeing that the hand that had grabbed him belonged to none other than y/n.

“hey, i never got to ask you that thing earlier,” she started, and zach’s pulse began to pick up.

“oh yeah, what was it?” he managed to choke out, sounding at least semi-cool while doing so.

“so i’m throwing this party at my house tomorrow,” she bit her lip, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear. “and i was wondering if you wanted to come?” zach’s heart stopped.

holy fucking shit. y/n y/l/n just invited me to one of her parties.

y/n’s face faultered at his pause. “i know parties really aren’t your thing but i just thought it’d be fun if you could come but you don’t have to if you don’t want to i-” she began to ramble, her face turning a shade of crimson.

“n-no! i-” he cleared his throat. “i’d love to go.” y/n’s face lit up at his response. a wide smile spread across her gorgeous features, setting zach’s stomach into a flurry of butterflies.

“cool! i’ll text you the address-” she paused. “wait, i don’t have your number.” she pulled her iphone out of her back pocket. “put your number in.”

zach gingerly took her phone, shakily typing in his number into a new contact. he handed her back the phone, and she happily saved his contact with the name ‘zach :)’.

“i’ll text you tonight! see you tomorrow zach.” with a smile and a wave, y/n began to walk out of the room, leaving zach stuck in his tracks. “oh!” she turned back around. “bring corbyn too, my friend christina thinks he’s cute and i think it’d be fun to have him there.” with a final grin she walked out of the room, zach left practically starstruck.

i was just invited to a party by y/n.

his heart raced at the realization, and a grin spread across his face so wide it hurt. zach nearly whooped out loud, and he pumped his fist in the air.

he practically sprinted out of school, taking a quick look to make sure no one was around before leaping over the front gate to the school, doing a front flip before landing. 

he could barely contain his excitement, running to his special alleyway and beginning to change out of his school clothes to his spiderman suit. 

he stumbled over his feet a few times, accidentally hitting his funny bone on the dumpster. zach let out a short yelp, his feet tangling together. he nearly fell over, but managed to stay on his feet. 

he slipped his feet into the legs of the suit, pulling the fabric over his boxers and bare torso. he quickly slid his arms into their respective places, pulling the suit until it loosely covered everything but his head.

zach pressed onto the spider icon on the chest of his suit, and the fabric immediately shrunk to perfectly fit his body.

it’s go time.

zach quickly tossed his backpack into the air, webbing it to stick to a brick wall in the alley. with a final jump into the air, zach pulled on his mask and began to swing through the air.

time to be a friendly neighborhood spiderman.

||

“and some nice old lady bought me a churro!” zach said, taking another bite of said churro. he was on his daily phone call with happy hogan, who was mr, stark’s right hand man. 

zach was currently sitting on the fire escape of his apartment building, still clad in his spiderman suit. his mask was off of course, so he could eat the churro without the fabric getting in the way.

zach always called happy every day to update him on what he had done that day, from stopping bike robberies to helping cats out of trees. he thought that maybe, there was the smallest possibility that happy would see what good he was doing, and call him for a mission.

of course, that was a very, very slim chance.

“anyway, i hope you listen to these, because if you didn’t it’d be a waste of time,” zach paused. “well, if there are any missions you need me on, i’ll be there in a millisecond. have a nice day happy.” and with that zach ended the message, staring at his phone as he finished his churro.

he dusted off his hands, balling up the wrapper to his churro and tossing it off the balcony, the wax paper landing a couple streets away. zach shrugged and began to climb down the fire escape to his bedroom window, trying as silently as possible to open up the window.

he managed to open to window, climbing in and carefully shutting it. he crawled onto the wall, making his way across the ceiling to where his bedroom door was, the door wide open. zach skillfully closed the door, sighing in relief as he heard it click shut.

he began to crawl over to his bed, when he heard the sound of an xbox controller hit the floor. zach’s heart stopped, and he slowly looked over to meet the wide, azure eyes of corbyn.

zach immediately fell off the ceiling, landing on his feet.

“y-you’re spiderman,” corbyn stuttered, not even caring that his fortnite character had just been killed. “you’re that superhero on youtube,” corbyn’s brain could barely comprehend the fact that his clumsy, goofy, awkward bestfriend was motherfucking spiderman.

“n-no i’m not!” zach said, hitting the spider icon on his chest. his suit loosened, falling off of his body as he quickly kicked it off. “i’m not spiderman!”

“you were on the ceiling,” corbyn exclaimed, his eyes widening even more. “the fucking ceiling! you’re fucking spiderman!”

zach sighed, deciding to accept the fact that corbyn now knew his biggest secret. he stayed silent, allowing his best friend to soak in the new information.

“my best friend is a superhero,” corbyn breathed out, plopping himself down on zach’s bed. “a superhero.” his eyes widened again. “wait, how did this even happen?”

zach let out a breathe, walking over to his dresser and pulling out a random t-shirt. he pulled the fabric on, also taking out a pair of joggers and putting them on. he then walked back over to where corbyn was sitting and flopped down next to him.

“i guess it all started with this spider...”

||

taglist: @heyowdw​ @boomboomboomwayhoo​ @corbynscabbitch​ @daddy-avery @ashaverykuwonumara​ @samithepixie   @guadalupeguac @underoosmarvel @socially-awkward-xox @limelightmendes @onmywaymarais @why-dont-we-everything @seaveygirl  @dailydoseofherron @lynaminroll @74limelight @brini144@jacieesewell @vxxn128 @saving-seavey @hoobii @bambixcx@kittkatt-03 @loveherron23 @jasmin3k @peachyherron @wdw4forever @danieljames1998 @yagirlcammmm @toomanydamfandoms @xxx-allison-xxx @alyssaah15

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #382

Top Ten Fictional Children

Phew, just sneaking this one in under the wire, aren’t I? It’s almost not the weekend! But it’s still Sunday, I promise!

So, quickly: in honour of two different things, I hereby celebrate fictitious children. Kids from off of films, TV, books, comics… kids who epitomise what it means to be a kid but also loads more besides. My favourite children from the world of the not-quite-real.

This is because kids have been on my mind a lot lately! For a start, this week just gone saw the birthday of one of my own progeny, with her birthday party held (as I type) yesterday. And next week sees this year’s groovy Children’s Media Conference, an annual shindig celebrating all that’s good and great about the storied world of children’s media. Once again I will be producing a session, this time featuring top vlogger and all-round brilliant person Nikki Lilly – who, as well as fronting a successful YouTube channel, multiple TV shows, and dealing with a severe illness – is, herself, a child. See, it all links!

I’ve tried to limit this to kids who feel like kids, rather than older teenagers. So even though technically they’re probably meant to be children, I’ve excluded people like Buffy and Willow, Will Smith’s Fresh Prince, and even Peter Parker because – whilst he’s canonically 15 when he becomes Spider-Man – we follow him through adulthood so he never quite seems like a kid to me.

Anyway, here we go: top ten teen tearaways (well, some are pre-teen, but you know how I love my alliteration). Check it out, you crazy kids!

Robin (Batman comics, from 1940): already dicking with the formula (see what I did there?), Robin here represents all Robins and what they themselves represent – the wish-fulfilment dream of a kid being part of Batman’s world, the sunny optimism contrasted with the Dark Knight, a dose of bright red and green fun in a world of dour greys, and above all else, Batman’s capacity to engender hope from the grimmest of surroundings. Robin is Batman’s triumph in a world of horror and crime, the promise that tomorrow is better, and even if Batman himself believes he cannot be a part of it, here is this one child he’s saved who will be. Robin is why I love Batman.

Matilda Wormwood (Matilda, Roald Dahl, 1988): quietly heroic, supremely brainy, proof that good nature trumps bad upbringing.

Coraline Jones (Coraline, Neil Gaiman, 2002): snark and childish selfishness contrasted with resigned heroism, Coraline is almost Neil Gaiman’s spin on Matilda.

Lisa Simpson (Yeardly Smith, The Simpsons, from 1987): intelligence weaponised, she’s like Matilda without the superpowers, although as a result (and because she exists in an ongoing serial) she lacks some of Matilda’s heroic edges. Hilarious and smart, what can I say? Clearly the best Simpson.

Wednesday Addams (Christina Ricci, The Addams Family films, 1991-1993): genuinely surprised she’s this low, Wednesday – as portrayed in Jesus-Christ-how-did-she-not-win-an-Oscar-for-this fashion by Ricci, is a pitch black river of acidic deadpan sarcasm, monotone hilarity running like an oil slick down the screen. One of the greatest ever performances by a child actor.

Mathilda Lando (Natalie Portman, Leon, 1995): oh, and here’s another one. Heart and warmth beneath a foul-mouthed spiky shell, Mathilda-with-an-h is an awkward and multi-faceted lead, half cool crime movie femme fatale-in-training, half angry part open wound. It’s the least surprising thing ever that Portman became a huge star.

John Connor (Edward Furlong, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, 1991): pretty much the person I wanted to be in the ‘90s, here was an angry, arsey punk kid with great hair (er, for the ‘90s), a sweet bike, and some kind of weird Atari pocket organiser that could hack into ATMs. He got to have badass Sarah Connor for a mum, and Arnie for a surrogate dad.

Emily Brown (Emily Brown series, Cressida Cowell, from 2006): a role model for young kids everywhere, Emily is loyal to her friends, blessed with a supreme imagination, goes to extreme lengths to make everyone happy, but is also one tough cookie not afraid to stand up to Things or Queens or anyone, really. We could all do with an Emily Brown in our lives.

Mei Kusakabe (Elle Fanning, My Neighbour Totoro, 1988): pretty much the defining depiction of infancy committed to screen, Mei is hilarious, petulant, arsey, and more. Despite being animated, she’s supremely realistic and helps sell the tale of Totoro. Great performance by Fanning in the 2005 dub, too.

Christopher Robin (Winnie-the-Pooh series, AA Milne, 1926-1928): like Mei, Christopher Robin is one of the great depictions of young childhood. We see the boy at play, witness the fruits of his childish imagination, Milne’s seminal tale perfectly capturing the experience of infancy. As he leaves, acknowledging to Pooh that he’s going to grow up and move away from childish things, it is a tragic but inevitable step in his development. Christopher Robin is a beautiful rendering of childhood in action.

There we are. There could have been more. The unrelenting casual heroism of Ash Ketchum; the definitive naughtiness of Dennis the Menace (Beano vintage, natch); Short Round playing Robin to Indy’s Batman; Lyra Belacqua, who is just fantastic in a whole heap of ways; David from A.I.; Elliot from E.T.; Eleven, Danny Torrance, Superboy, Harry, Ron, and Hermione… I could go on.

[rowanpepperglow]

I was born in 1996, and this post made me think about how much changed going from elementary to high school 😶

In elementary school, you COULD NOT be gender nonconforming. I got called out once for wearing a shirt that was unisex. My 2nd grade teacher was considered a weirdo because she was a woman who enjoyed race cars and was a fan of the sport. Pretty much the only kid who could get away with it was this girl Amy, because she was "one of the boys," type tomboys. Oh! And "gay," was thrown around a lot as an insult starting in 3rd grade.

Same for middle school. Any boy that wanted to grow out his hair was dubbed the feminine equivalent of their name (Ex: Chris 👉 Christina). There was this culture of hyper-femininity. (IDK if it was the same for the boys.) I was pitied for because everyone assumed my Cruel Mother must be REFUSING to buy me cosmetics or underwear from Victoria's Secret.

Then high school...

Oh, high school.

I saw butch lesbians, guys who were unapologetically gay, and a very tall trans girl who was ✨Fabulous and Proud ✨ A (male) friend of mine was crying once in class because he had been dumped by his boyfriend, and one of the straight guys from the football team came over and comforted him. The word "gay," was thrown around jokingly. It no longer lead to fist fights in the halls.

Thus is the defining characteristic of gay millennials: we straddle the pre-Glee and post-Glee worlds. We went to high school when faggot wasn't even considered an F-word, when being a lesbian meant boys just didn't want you, when being nonbinary wasn't even a remote option. We grew up without queer characters in our cartoons or Nickelodeon or Disney or TGIF sitcoms. We were raised in homophobia, came of age as the world changed around us, and are raising children in an age where it's never been easier to be same-sex parents. We're both lucky and jealous. As the state of gay evolved culturally and politically, we were old enough to see it and process it and not take it for granted--old enough to know what the world was like without it. Despite the success of Drag Race, the existence of lesbian Christmas rom-coms, and openly transgender Oscar nominees, we haven't moved on from the trauma of growing up in a culture that hates us. We don't move on from trauma, really. We can't really leave it in the past. It becomes a part of us, and we move forward with it.

For LGBTQ+ milennials, our pride is couched in painful memories of a culture repulsed and frightened by queerness. That makes us skittish. It makes us loud. It makes us fear that all this progress, all this tolerance [...] can vanish as quickly as it all appeared.

The 2000s Made Me Gay, Grace Perry

[apple-ringo]

Tagged by @makelovely (who knows I’m always down for questionnaires!)

Nickname: Rinrin, “e  r o n”, vague keyboard smashing, “you little punk”

Zodiac: Capricorn

Height: 5′7

Time: 4:25 PM (at the time of writing this)

Fave band: I’m sure you guys are really shocked when I say BTS (I swear I listen to other bands)

Song stuck in my head: “Regular” by NCT127

Last movie I saw: Bram Stoker’s Dracula!

Last thing I googled: Errghhh……….. “Monsta X Facts”….

Other blogs: This one is my personal blog. I also have an extremely neglected cosplay blog, an anime trash blog, and a BTS trash blog.

Do I get asks: Not often, but I’m hype when I do :D

Why did I choose this username: I picked my current username because I like apples and my first name pops up in the middle (appleringo). I’ve been wanting to switch it to match my Instagram name, but I’m also really lazy. Maybe one day??

Following: So many blogs, oh my god. Friends, art, fandom, bullet journals, slow motion baking videos, etc.

Avg amount of sleep: About 7 hours max, but god I wish it was 9

What am I wearing: Black and grey sweater, teal skinny jeans, black flats, voting sticker!

Dream job: I don’t really have one :c When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a scientist, but it’s kind of a weird field to try and find good, stable money in. There’s a broad range of stuff that I’d be happy doing, from lab work to office work to anything relatively low stress. BUT I ALSO LOVE MONEY! 

Dream Trip: I’m gonna be “that weeb” and say Japan!

Fav food: B R E A D. Also curry.

Play any instrument: I can probably still play the violin, but my fingertips would hate me!

Eye color: Hazel

Hair color: Brown roots, blonde middle bits that used to be pink, and purple ends. It’s going on a journey.

Languages I speak: English, and a tiny bit of Japanese that I remember from college

Most Iconic song: I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At the Disco, fight me.

Random fact: Venom is voiced by Ryuk from Death Note in the Japanese dub of the movie.

Describe yourself as an aesthetic: soft, grey, quiet, comfy

Tagging @bottledstarlight, @kaijuscientists, and @christina-is because you guys are rad!