#but amy deserves so much hype too and so help me god if i see anyone being sexist abt her it's ON SIGHT

[corvigae]

So we're all in agreement that 2027 is the Year of Amy, right? We're all agreed that we're going to hype up Sonic 4 as her movie just as much as we did with Shadow for Sonic 3? We're gonna go absolutely feral over Amy Build-a-Bears and wear pink to the theaters and draw fanart of our girl and be super psyched to see her on the big screen, right? RIGHT??

[stareaterreads]

Star's 2024 Ranked (Fiction) Reads

Wow, 2024. What a fucking year. I feel safe to say that it’s been an absolute shitshow of a year for a lot of us. For myself, it honestly feels like I’m just a punching bag, rolling with the punches at this point. I feel like much of my reading journey in 2024 has been guided by that. I found myself picking up comfort reads to escape this hellscape more often than not this year.

There were also many books that I picked up out of curiosity due to BookTok (much of it, regretfully) or to some other form of recommendation to me. I’d consider this year more filled with the bookish admiration of other readers, inspired by their joy.

This ranking was a bit difficult for me to pull off, but I want to disclose this is not at all based on the quality of the book (even if it strongly influenced my opinion). These books are ranked purely on how much I enjoyed it and had fun on the book alone.

I tried to give more honest rankings for these books (not that I’m dishonest otherwise), and also I just have fun re-arranging and re-organizing any of my book lists! Each ranking has its own name and within each rank, from left to right, they are all listed in the order of my enjoyment.

Additionally, I wanted to write about some other tidbits I want to share about a handful of books on this list.

The Spear Cuts Through Water is by far the best fantasy book and I will not step down from this. I said this in a previous post and I stand by it.

Babel: An Arcane History was an absolute masterpiece, and I wholeheartedly believe it should have gotten a Hugo. If not, it deserves to be preserved in literature and studied. I know that statement is ironic to the message of the book, but I truthfully think there are so many themes within the book that many people ought to know.

The Hunger Games was a magnificent read and feels more relevant now than it did when it first published (scary). I had watched the movie forever ago, during a time I couldn’t stand to read. Having finally read it this year, it is so worth reading. The writing and symbolism is fantastic all throughout.

Guardians of Dawn series by S. Jae-Jones was surprisingly enjoyable! I went into it worried I wouldn’t like it simply because there are too many times I pick up a book because “ooh! pretty cover!” and come to be disappointed by the story. (I still hesitate if the book is too pretty). This book feels like a true love letter to fanfiction in both its style and unique story, characters, and romance. I’m sad I missed the initial hype for Zhara, and I have yet to hear any hype about Ami but there really should be and I am so excited for Guardian #3!

Stay with My Heart was sweet and endearing. I would loop the song named at the beginning of each chapter as I read along and it helped boost the mood a lot. Plus, the playlists are AMAZING. Also- Stray Kids mention??? (lowkey Stay here :P)

American Rapture was so fun and deserves so much love. I truly think any fans of Chuck Tingle’s horror books would enjoy this one.

The Neon Gods series is only listed separate from the latest two novels is simply because I enjoyed the rest of the series about the same and they average out to this spot.

I really wanted to like Hexologists a lot more, but I felt like there wasn’t enough of the rest of the magic system in the story. I loved the diagram - that looks amazing. I got lost several times in the logic of the mystery though.

Six-Gun Snow White is absolutely worth reading until the last chapter. Its a fun novella that is a Western retelling of Snow White. I personally didn’t enjoy the ending, but you can just skip the last chapter and dream your own ending. :)

Graveyard Shift is a book I am well aware should be higher on this list. I personally didn’t enjoy it as much, and to each their own, but I absolutely can see people loving this horror novella.

Dark Restraint just wasn’t my type. I know I’m not the biggest fan of “dark romance” (which means something different to the smut community, and now I know what I look for is actually ‘angsty romance’, but I digress). This book feels like the dark romance couple of the Gods/Heroes of Greek mythos.

Pumpkin Spice Cafe is a strange book for me that I find myself slowly liking less as I look back on it more. There is something about the vibe that irks me a little, and I have yet to pinpoint it.

City of Bones is a book that my opinion improved upon discussing with my book club. However, even with their observations bringing my rating up to a 3/5, I still couldn’t find myself enjoying the writing in this one.

I cannot express the amount of times I tried to write a review about Ghost since I finished reading it in October. I hated Ghost himself, and I wanted so badly for Blythe to be with Dragon or Wolf instead because I significantly loved them more. The story was good at times and meh at others. It somehow had a mixture of cozy, spooky, and dark rolled into one. My feels get complex because I love love so many aspects, but most of those aspects don’t get delivered. Sadly, I don’t plan to continue to Halloween Boys series.

This will (hopefully) be the last time I complain about To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods on this blog. I know coming back to it only draws attention and therefore curiosity to it, but I cannot help but talk about a book I was so utterly disappointed by. Supposedly Molly X. Chang has a new novel releasing in 2025, which I fully intend to read. I don’t want this to be a hate read. It’s actually because I so strongly believe in the potential that was present in this first novel that I want to see what she comes up with in future stories.

Before I leave off, I want to leave one more note about my hopes for the future of this blog. Once this seasonal depression has shaken its insistence on causing a reading slump for me, I do want to have some casual posts between my weekly book reviews. I didn’t originally intend for this blog to be exclusively books; there were ideas for possible video game reviews and writing casually about my job as a bookseller or about reading/writing. There is no promise for what the future holds, but I hope there is more in store for this blog.

Nevertheless, I thank you for reading and supporting my little blog. I made my rankings on Canva, but I’d love to see your rankings, or - at the very least - what book you’re reading to start off the 2025 year (mine is Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao). As always, I remind you, dear reader, that in this colorful and strange universe we occupy, you matter to me. Remember to treat yourself as you would a dear friend, and if there isn’t enough enrichment in your enclosure, to change something in it - I am adding in new fairy lights to my own. Until next time, I’ll be reading!

-

If you’re interested in this book, buy it from one of these links here! Bookshop.org - Barnes & Noble - Libro.fm [audiobook] or from your local bookstore which you can find on IndieBound! Alternatively, support your local libraries by signing up for a library card and finding these titles on Libby!

Bonus: Here's my clumsily made ranking list I made in 2023 before I even thought of making this blog. I had a lot less reads due to a whirlwind of changes, but I like to see how much I've grown and changed since then.

[b99fandomevents]

Thank you again to the awesome folks who joined our first ever Fic Exchange!!! We hope you enjoyed writing your fics as much as we loved reading them. 

Under the cut is a masterlist of all the submitted works, compiled and arranged in alphabetical order by the amazing @amez-santiago. ♡ (If you don’t see your fic here or notice any errors, please let us know!) 

If you’re interested in joining the Fall 2019 Fic Exchange, definitely keep an eye out for our next announcement post within the next couple of weeks. 

a summer rain is passing over, and it feels like a dream | AO3

↝ by @exploding-snapple for @storyinmyeyes​

Amy takes Jake to go see a play, but it’s really the walk home afterward that he enjoys the most. (set a few weeks after 3x02)

Cause you’re what I always wanted | AO3

↝ by @sandylovesfandoms for @a-wren-d

Rosa shows Gina Babylon, and sparks fly

Coming Out | AO3

↝ by @the-poodles-of-pulitzer for @yaboring-yabasic

Rosa’s POV for coming out.

Dancing around each other | AO3

↝ by @disruptedvice for @amydancepants-peralta

“Ah! Amy! Help!” Jake shrieked the moment she answered her phone, not really concerned about volume control since he was kinda trying to not die at the moment. It had gotten through four rings before she finally picked up, and this would’ve been it for Jake if it’d gone straight to voicemail. Amy frowned, looking around as if he could see her, but soon brushed it off as her being paranoid. “Jake? What’s wrong?” “I’ve got the goose!” He shouted, jumping to dodge another swipe that could only be described as intelligent and intent. “The goose is here! The goose is here!”

Soulmate AU where one person finds a goose who leads them to the other person. The difficulty comes in not being mauled by a goose 

doggone summer | AO3

↝ by @timeforginasopinion for @sandylovesfandoms

Amy should have known it was going to be an awful summer from the moment Jake Peralta appeared on her front doorstep carrying a dog. “Morning, Ames,” he chirps, irritatingly cheerful, as if he’s passing her in the hallway at school rather than standing in front of her house during the sadly fleeting time of year she’s supposed to be free of this bullshit. “Cheddar, say hi to Amy.” The corgi swaddled in his arms, predictably, doesn’t respond. Jake fixes it with an offended frown. “Well, that was rude.” Amy sneezes a lot and thinks longingly of her bowl of oatmeal squares, now growing soggy on the kitchen counter. Her life was so much simpler ten minutes ago.

everything's good, everything's just as it should be | AO3

↝ by @fezzle for @the-poodles-of-pulitzer 

“Jake,” she starts, slow and deliberate. “Do you know who I am?” He stares at her a moment before shaking his head, and her stomach swoops. Oh my god. or Jake gets an appendectomy, and there happens to be an amusing side effect as he wakes up from his anesthesia.

foolishly, completely falling | AO3 [E]

↝ by @fezzle for @kamekamelea

“Are you… asking to hook up with me?” Amy asks slowly, every syllable enunciated carefully. “Whaaaat? No! Nope. No, I definitely was not! What I meant to say was -’’ “Becausetheanswerisyes.”Jake freezes, eyes bugging. “Wh-What?” “I-I said yes.” or Jake and Amy are friends with benefits. What could go wrong?

Heads and Hot Dogs and the Best Day Ever | AO3

↝ by @vernonfielding for @nerd-husbands

Nikolaj spends a day at the precinct not helping Rosa solve a case. He's never been happier. 

hold me in this wild, wild world | AO3

↝ by @dmigod for @santiagoswagger

He wants to say he doesn’t know how he got into this situation, but he knows exactly how it happened (or, at least mostly): with a bet. It’s not news to anyone that he and his professional partner are competitive—Santiago is a type A tightwad who feels like she has to prove herself to everyone (except him), and Jake, well, Jake likes to spite her. And to win. He really, really loves winning.

hold me in this wild, wild world | AO3

↝ by @johnny-and-dora for @meepmorpperaltiago

“It takes every ounce of willpower he has left not to kiss her like it’s their last night on earth. Despite the odds, he refuses to kiss her like he’s saying goodbye.” or, a forbidden love/royalty/fairytale au in which jake comes up with an alternative solution to amy being forced into an arranged marriage with the most boring man in the seven kingdoms.

i found a mirror for my soul (i don’t need no other) | AO3

↝ by @b99peraltiago for @exploding-snapple

When she realizes her sleeve has rolled up a little, showing the skin of her wrist and tries to cover it again, it’s already too late. Jake’s seen it. He’s caught sight of the glowing “S” printed there. “S” as in, Soulmate. Amy finally found hers – and, obviously, it’s not him. (Post-4x22 soulmates AU, in which Jake and Amy are not soulmates and she finds hers while Jake is in jail.)

i’ll put it all on the line | AO3

↝ by @amydancepants-peralta for @callginalinetti

"We have to find her, Jake!” He looks up from an evidence marker, furrowing his brow. “I’m sorry … her?” “Your mystery woman! The beautiful woman you were stuck on the subway with. She’s obviously your soulmate.”

I’m going home, to the place where I belong (where your love has always been enough) | AO3

↝ by @storyinmyeyes for @outofinspo

It’s moving in day for Jake and Amy and she’s a little stressed out over all the boxes that need unpacking, but in true Jake fashion, he provides a distraction.

I’ve got a really bad feeling I’m gonna love you so good | AO3

↝ by @amesantiagos for @romanovember

A typical Friday night at Shaw’s bar with the Nine-Nine …or not quite. “Really, I just wanted to check if you’re okay.” “Why wouldn’t I be?” She frowns at him, her eyes dark in the dimly lit booth, “and why do you even care?” “Well, first off, that’s rude,” he raises he eyebrows at her, “and secondly, because you’re my partner, and I know I normally come across as a badass, emotionless action-hero like type– ” “No, you don’t.”

if they’re meant to be together, they won’t stay too long apart | AO3

↝ by @startofamoment for @e11evenseggos

They’d first met in the fall of their freshman year. Amy can still remember it with perfect clarity: how Jake rushed into the lecture hall, hair unruly and plaid shirt rumpled. He looked like he’d just woken up, or maybe never slept. Perhaps he’d pulled an all nighter in prep for their big exam. (She had gotten the recommended eight hours of sleep, naturally, and had gotten up with more than enough time to have a balanced breakfast and to go over her review sheets.)

It is like Oatmeal……. | AO3

↝ by @dancezwithwolvez for @cheddar-the-dog

Another chance.

it’s your love i’m lost in | AO3

↝ by @stolethekey for @ofbuttsandbombs

She smiles. “That’s been the theme of the entire Holt-Cozner relationship. Finding love, despite everything telling them that they cannot. Being confronted with danger, with fear, with risk, but making the incredibly brave choice to love anyway.” or, an mcu post-snap au in which holt and kevin renew their vows

julian santiago and the case of the sister’s mystery boyfriend | AO3 

↝ by @amyscascadingtabs for @397bartonstreet

Eventually, he makes the educated guess that there must be someone else in her life. She must have wanted for this to break-up to happen, he figures, and a new mystery lover could very well be the reason. Julian simply has to figure out who it is.

long live all the magic we made | AO3

↝ by @benwvatt for @startofamoment

He deserves to know about cheering charms, or spells that change mice into teapots, or a potion that could double his age. He belongs in her world, she thinks. If only he were. Rule number one of being a Santiago: Neighbors like the Peraltas don’t have any business knowing about magic. Amy ignores it and finds everything she was dreaming of.

of babies and binders

↝ by @a-wren-d for @acanoftrash

domestic peraltiago

Of Debates and Chickenshit Boys | AO3

↝ by @professionalpenthief for @imalloutofhoots

Amy’s happily dull life turns upside down when a mystery admirer’s love for her goes viral in her high school. As she navigates the new uncharted territories of being in the public eye, she finds love does defy all expectations. 

Regarding The Incident In Which Raymond Ran Away To Mexico | AO3

↝ by @nerd-husbands for @amesantiagos

“Can you clarify,” Kevin said into his cellphone, using his other arm to hail a cab, “how much wedding cake did Cheddar eat?"  The Honeymoon episode, from Kevin’s perspective.

Run, Hide, Fight (Show Me Going) | AO3

↝ by @cheddar-the-dog for @vernonfielding

around two days after the active shooter situation in Brooklyn Heights Hotel Rosa wakes up from a nightmare that she soon realizes was not a nightmare at all

sailing home once and for all | AO3

↝ by @kamekamelea for @disruptedvice

In the universe where Jake is a sailor from New York, he finds himself coming back home to this one special girl - detective Amy Santiago.

Sick Leave | AO3

↝ by @winnietherpooh for @amyscascadingtabs

Amy decides that Jake needs a vacation after he returns prison, and he finally begins to open up about his recovery as they read Harry Potter together.

Something more than a catalog of non-definitive acts | AO3

↝ by @chipmunksallshipklefan for @professionalpenthief

Jake and Amy go undercover as a couple.

The Beer Burglar | AO3

↝ by @outofinspo for @cheeto-anaconda

Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place crossover where Jake arrests Eleanor

The Date Night 

↝ by @meepmorpperaltiago for @amazingsantiago

Based on the prompts: jealous Amy and Jake being Amy’s hype man

The Desert Sucks, But Being a Damsel in Distress Isn’t Too Bad | AO3

↝ by @romanovember for @fezzle

I’m never drinking again. Jake Peralta thinks as he comes to consciousness, his mouth full of cotton swabs and sandpaper and his head pounding like a sledgehammer on concrete. Or maybe 50 million sledgehammers, a freight train and another 24 elephants. Ugh Jake rolls over, and pulls his crinkly and hot duvet closer, relaxing his aching and hungover body into the cool embrace of… sand? And on his head? An honest to god cowboy hat. Yeehaw?

The in-between | AO3 

↝ by @disruptedvice for @amydancepants-peralta

Amy’s thoughts between ‘go back to being colleagues’ to ‘screw light and breezy’

the interrogation room | AO3

↝ by @yaboring-yabasic for @timeforginasopinion

one-shot based loosely on the prompts badly trying to keep a secret, locked in, and kid fic with some peraltiago, dianetti, and the whole squad.

the smell of coffee runs through my veins | AO3

↝ by @elsaclack for @winnietherpooh

five times jake smells like fresh coffee grounds (and one time he doesn’t)

the stars lean in a little closer all because of you 

↝ by @peraltasames for @b99peraltiago

baby peraltiago + beach house 2.0

there was a time when a moment like this wouldn’t ever cross my mind | AO3 [E] 

↝ by @kamekamelea for @disruptedvice

She looks deeply into his eyes, dark from the desire overwhelming him and whispers straight into his lips in an authoritative tone. “No, Jake. Fuck me with my uniform on.”

THIS BOY WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME | AO3

↝ by @ofbuttsandbombs for @stolethekey

Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago, self- proclaimed 'best detectives of the Nine-Nine’ (and 'of the NYPD’, 'no, USA!’, 'no,the entire freaking world!!’, when they get a little drunk) are handed a routine murder investigation which goes off- track. Will this cause their already fragile relationship to change? The journey from 'Peralta and Santiago’ to 'Jake and Amy.’

time is ticking away (and there are too many things I wanna say) | AO3

↝ by @what-about-gay for @johnnydora

Amy is stressed because she can’t find her soulmate, while Jake couldn’t care less about his soulmate. Time is ticking and they have to find their soulmates, because when the clock is at zero and you haven’t found your soulmate yet, you and your soulmate both die.

Variations on sharing a bed 1/2/3 | AO3 [T to M]

↝ by @disruptedvice for @amydancepants-peralta

Peraltiago drabbles + sharing a bed trope

We Are The Greatest Love Story (The World Had Ever Seen) | AO3

↝ by @cheddar-the-dog for @dancezwithwolvez

the night they meet his life changes forever and he’d never go back to before or how the story of Kevin and Raymond found its start

we could be a beautiful miracle, unbelievable | AO3

↝ by @stolethekey for @johnny-and-dora

Kylie hums, reaching over to unzip the back of Amy’s dress. “Well, whatever you’re not anxious about is going to lose his mind when he sees you in this. Seriously.” “He has a girlfriend,” Amy snaps, shimmying out of the dress and snatching her leggings off the wall. “And this isn’t for him.” - in which Amy throws a New Year's Eve party that subsequently implodes.

we were good at faking forever | AO3

↝ by @johnnydora for @dmigod

David Santiago has super powers. No matter how much effort Amy gives to everything she does, he always manages to beat her tenfold, including obtaining the girlfriend of his parents’ dream. With ten days until her brother Miguel’s wedding and no date, Amy has no choice but to convince the next person she sees to fall madly in love with her.

we were wild and fluorescent, come home to my heart | AO3

↝ by @santiagoswagger for @benwvatt

Desperate to find a last minute gift for her mom, Amy stumbles into the only open flower shop in her neighborhood. Unfortunately, the florist is very annoying.

we won’t run (we can fight) | AO3

↝ by @amydancepants-peralta for @chipmunksallshipklefan

“Be careful who you give your midnights to, my darling. Midnights are for talking - for old friends and new; for truth and never for lies. When you’ve only got the stars to illuminate, everything else falls away. Midnights are for confessions.” Her hand falls to Amy’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “They’re for falling in love.” Well that’s just ridiculous. She and Jake were definitely not falling in love. Oh. Medieval AU where the evil King Vulture is ruining Brooklyne. Amy and Jake work together to take him DOWN.

whelp, this might be your view for the next seven years | AO3

↝ by @callginalinetti for @galaxygaydreams

sometimes you get to meet your soulmate twice (basically a new version of how jake and amy meet and fall in love)

When You’re Home

↝ by @397bartonstreet for @peraltasames

jake and amy’s first night back together after the ambulance scene in coral palms pt 3 + fluffy reunion goodness.

where’d you go, david santiago | AO3

↝ by @acanoftrash for @brillliant

when amy’s brother goes missing, she hires private detective jake peralta to find him.

You Already Know | AO3

↝ by @e11evenseggos for @what-about-gay

a one-shot of Gina and Rosa’s wedding ceremony.

you showed me something i can’t live without | AO3

↝ by @amazingsantiago for @dailyb99

Alternative ending to Casecation. Jake is left reeling after Amy’s “start over” comment. Title from ‘I Believe’ by the Jonas Brothers.

[winterromanov]

high voltage in her lips [bechloe fic, part 2/?]

read part one here | on ao3

Beca wakes up to two bright blue eyes staring right at her from the side of the bed.

“Dude!” she exclaims, pulling her duvet tight around her, “What the fuck?”

Chloe smiles like it’s a totally normal thing for her to be doing. To. You know. Just be watching her sleep. “Good morning, sunshine.”

Beca rubs her eyes and her hands are streaked with black from last night’s mascara. She can feel the hangover thrumming at the back of her brain, her mouth dry and tasting faintly of wine she doesn’t remember drinking. “How long have you been perving on me?”

“Not long,” Chloe chirps. It’s then that she realises that Chloe is completely put together, like they weren’t screaming on a dancefloor just a few hours previously, hyped up on Sambuca shots. Her hair is newly washed and blow-dried and her face is bare, yet somehow still flawless, freckles dusted across her cheekbones. She’s wearing a neat top-and-skirt combo. Beca’s still wearing her clothes from last night. “Your ass was drunker than mine so I put you up in the spare room.”

Beca properly looks around the room, finally realising she’s not in her own flat—it’s way too clean and ordered, with a floral colour scheme that’s been carefully designed rather than thrown on the walls last minute. The duvet smells like honeysuckle. God, it couldn’t be more Chloe Beale.

“Thanks. Sorry to, uh, put you out?”

“Not a problem,” Chloe grins. She stands from her position crouching by Beca’s bedside, rubbing her hands together. “I’ve left you a coffee and some aspirin. I’ve got a meeting in the city so I’ve got to head out, but feel free to use the shower and stuff before you go. The door locks on its own so don’t worry about leaving it open or anything.”

Damn, this bitch is organised. Beca stretches out and tries to put together memories from last night—it’s all pretty vague, glimpses of fire-red hair and intense music, Amy running over before they leave and telling her that some dude called Juan was taking her to the Bahamas for a bit so not to wait up for her—

Okay, so she’s going to have to handle that at some point, but that point doesn’t have to be now, right?

“I had a great night last night, by the way,” Chloe says, smiling, “You’re great fun. I haven’t let loose like that in a while.”

It would help if Beca could actually remember clearly what exactly happened last night, but the sentiment warms her anyway. She smiles back, genuinely, vaguely recalling how her heart thudded like it was about to break out her ribcage. “I had a great time too. As far as I’m aware I didn’t leave with a minor assault charge, so. A win?”

Chloe giggles. She does that a lot. Giggling. Beca’s never giggled. It doesn’t match her image. “Definitely a win. I’d like to do it again sometime.”

“Well, we’re going to be spending the next three months on tour together,” Beca says, still not quite believing it. “I’m sure I’ll be able to haul you off the rails at least once in that time period. If your manager doesn’t kill me first.”

“Aubrey doesn’t control everything about my life, as much as she’d like to. I make my own decisions.”

“Awesome,” Beca replies. Her eyes linger on the coffee Chloe’s thoughtfully left out for her and it stings, a little, because it reminds her of stupid Jesse and the stupidly Nice Things he used to do for her. And maybe Chloe is another Nice Person she doesn’t deserve in her life. It’s why she hasn’t fired Amy yet. She’s just as fucked up as Beca is.

“I’m going to head off,” Chloe says, making her way towards the bedroom door, “So I’ll see you later?”

“Sure.”

She flashes Beca one last smile before disappearing, and Beca’s touched that the girl seems to trust her enough to leave her alone in her apartment after meeting her once. It’s a naïve choice, perhaps, but sweet all the same. She reaches out and takes a swig of the rapidly cooling coffee and pops two of the aspirin then just sits, wrapped up in the duvet, everything silent other than the hum of the air conditioning.

Yeah, she’s still not sure how this whole tour thing will work, but she kind of wants it to work? And maybe that’s the point.

-x-

THE PRINCESS AND THE REBEL – CHLOE BEALE AND BECA MITCHELL SPOTTED IN DOWNTOWN LA

Los Angeles seems to be the hotbed of the billboard’s newest collaborations, a factory of number one hits and Grammy awards—but a sighting of two of music’s seemingly polar opposites has us here at Glitz dot com totally stumped. That’s right. Notorious bad girl Beca Mitchell (of Where Do You Go? fame) and pop’s hottest starlet Chloe Beale were papped together outside the Luna club last night, looking very comfortable in each other’s company indeed.

It’s true that there’s been a small fanbase on social media hoping that the pair would eventually collaborate, but it hardly felt like a realistic goal. After all, Mitchell’s just dodged another felony whilst Beale is climbing to the top of her game. Their interests don’t seem to overlap, but there’s definitely a friendship we’ve never heard about there.

Whether this club night is just two friends meeting up or the beginning of a potential collaboration, it has got us pretty excited. Mitchell’s sultry, no-nonsense sound mixing with Beale’s simultaneously romantic and empowering girl-power anthems will be a guaranteed eargasm which we’re TOTALLY here for. But—it begs the question whether these two artists will actually be good for each other. It’s no secret that Mitchell’s been a bit off the rails recently while Beale is pristine, role-model material; will Beca drag Chloe down or will Chloe bring Beca back up again? Only time will tell.

Keep up to date with everything Beca Mitchell and Chloe Beale by following us on twitter: @glitzmag

ARTICLE BY DAISY FULLERTON

-x-

“Hey bitch! You’ve reached Fat Amy, only you haven’t reach Fat Amy, because I’m totally boning a really hot Spanish dude in the Bahamas right now while drinking a shit ton of Tequila Sunrises. Sooooo… Leave a message if you want, but I probably won’t get back to you for several days if it all. Adios!”

“For fuck’s sake, Amy, you are literally the worst manager ever and I’m firing you as soon as your ass is back in LA. Ok. So. There’s been some—articles, which I’m sure you’ve seen, because despite never answering my calls you’ve uploaded about sixty videos to your snapchat story of you on a speedboat, you monster. Anyway. I’m sick of the media painting me as some fucking criminal out-to-corrupt-your-children type when I’m really not, and yes I do have a tattoo I got when I was off my face on pot but that was years ago and really, that’s literally the only regrettable thing I’ve done that wasn’t a product of you. Please just tell someone, anyone, that I’m actually pretty rad and I’m probably not going to drag Chloe Beale’s impeccable reputation through the trash. As my manager that would literally be the bare minimum you could do for me right now. You’re an asshole. Ciao.”

-x-

queenbeale just uploaded a photo to Instagram

got to hang out with the amazing @becamitchell on Saturday!! can’t wait to tell you guys what we’ve got in store for y’all xx

chloebealer commented: oh my god???? OH MY GOD???

jaydababe34 commented: MY TWO FAVES ARE UNITED I’M SCREAMING

chloefan789 commented: not sure how this will work… I’m not a beca mitchell fan at all

becamitchell commented: I look so drunk in this photo and I hate you for uploading it :)

queenbeale commented: @becamitchell you look like a dream

madisonbealer commented: @queenbeale @becamitchell *whispers* GAYYYYYYY

-x-

It takes another two weeks of meetings and contracts and publicity before the tour dates are released to the public. They’re visiting thirty-two cities across North America in the space of two and a half months: it’s wild on a scale Beca’s never seen before. Yeah, she’s had three tours across the same area in the past, but the venues were smaller and not so extensive, and not all of the dates were sold out. The tickets for this tour sell out in a grand total of eleven minutes.

The tour also generates a tidal wave of interest across every single internet platform available. Her old songs are repeated alongside Chloe’s on the radio, her follower count on Instagram sky-rockets and their names are trending on Twitter. The last time Beca saw her name in that bar was when she was arrested for the coke incident (fuck you, Amy). And the support, surprisingly, is unreal. Like the unsavoury articles that emerged after she was papped outside Luna with Chloe earlier in the month, she’d expected people talking shit about her past, wondering if Beca’s razor sharp edges would rip Chloe to shreds—but there’s been an overwhelming amount of positivity, like the curiosity of what they could produce together overshadows what could potentially go wrong.

Her return to mainstream media ends up alerting people she thought she’d left in the past of her presence again, but she’s still surprised when Jesse ends up leaving her a voicemail on the Thursday after the announcement. It’s been five months of total radio silence between them. She’d kind of anticipated that it would be longer than that. After all, she did end a seven-year relationship on his fucking birthday, which she’d completely forgotten about.

Maybe she does owe him one.

Beca meets him for lunch in a small restaurant a twenty minute walk from her apartment—a neat, little kitschy place she doesn’t often visit, but they serve ciabatta and paninis and squashy cooked tomatoes still on the vine, and that’s the kind of thing Jesse loves. She gets there fifteen minutes early but of course he’s already there, sat on the long bench by the window and overlooking the street. She pretends she hasn’t seen him from the outside, even though he’d clocked her half a block away.

He still looks the same. Clean-shaven, dark hair cropped, clean t shirt and pants and sneakers like they’d never been worn before. He leaps off his stool nervously when the door shuts behind her.

Oh. Wow. She’s never known Jesse to be nervous before. He’s usually annoyingly confident. All through high school she’d hidden behind his infectious smile. At least the last two months have allowed her to just be her, even if that means she’s been stuck in a fucking prison cell once or twice. Or thrice.

“Becs,” he says breathlessly, taking her in. She half-smiles tightly. “Hey. How are you?”

“Oh, you know,” Beca shrugs, pulling her bag strap tighter around her shoulder. She’s nervous too. “Not in prison, depressed or dying, so not all bad. You?”

Jesse relaxes and his mouth softens. She’s still the same old Beca. “Same. It’s…uh, it’s been a while.”

“It has.”

“I kept meaning to… well, call, I guess, but I didn’t know if you wanted me to. In the end I just bit the bullet.”

“It’s cool. We both needed space.” Beca drops her bag on the floor and jumps onto a barstool and he copies, their seats inches apart yet somehow miles away. It’s weird, considering how close they used to be. Used to be. “For the record… I kept meaning to call too. But I didn’t know if you wanted to hear from me.”

Jesse smiles, biting his lip, before looking back up at her. “I always want to hear from you. I think that was probably the issue.”

He’s not wrong, he’s really not, because Beca’s terrible at keeping up with messages and most of the time just didn’t bother replying, leaving his I love you’s on read and not giving it a second thought. She didn’t think that would hurt him for some reason, even though she’s well aware that Jesse’s actually a good, thoughtful person who cares about her and wouldn’t mind some of that care back. It was alright when they were in high school and when they regularly shared an apartment because she’d always be there in person to offer that reassurance. That wasn’t so easy when she was away on tour.

And it broke him. But it broke her a long time before that. Believe it or not, she’s not totally emotionally void.

Jesse grabs them both coffees and ham paninis and they sit in silence for a bit, looking out across the city; the one she’d forgotten they shared. He takes a deep breath before talking. “I saw you were going on tour. With Chloe Beale. That’s amazing, Beca.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty cool. The management is manic, but. I’m glad to be out there again.”

Jesse takes a sip of coffee. “Does that mean there’s going to be some new music out soon?”

Beca withholds an eye roll, because that’s been the question on everybody’s lips—Chloe’s on a high from a newly released number one album and she’s still utterly clueless, wondering if she can get away with singing mostly her old stuff on the tour. It begins in less than six months. That’s not enough time to write, produce and release at least ten songs worth of new material, especially seeing as the deterioration of her last relationship and moving out and all that stress hasn’t been particularly good for her creativity. “Probably not. Song-writing is apparently not my forte anymore.”

“Well, you never know. You might find some inspiration soon. I know you, Becs. You just pull amazing tracks out of thin air like it’s nothing.”

She raises an eyebrow sceptically. “As much as I appreciate you massaging my ego, that doesn’t really help me right now.”

“I’m not worried,” Jesse says calmly, “I once watched you write a whole album while high, remember?”

“Your Love Fucking Sucks Balls, Dude?” Beca says, and Jesse laughs, clinging onto the bar for support. “Yeah, somehow I don’t think that’s going to be breaking the billboard top one hundred. Yet… stellar tracks like I Really Like Your Dick and Smash Me Good might be my only hope. Like, if I go another year without making music my label might drop me, even with the tour, so…” Beca doesn’t want this to turn into a pity party so she turns, resting her chin in her palm, back to Jesse. “What have you been up to? Anything exciting? Scored any Oscar-noms?”

Jesse laughs with an eyeroll, looking down into his coffee cup. “I wish. No, still doing ad work, but you never know. As soon as Pixar put an ad up for a composer on Craigslist, I’m there.” He pauses. Drums his fingers on the tabletop. Beca knows what’s coming. “Look, Becs—“

“No, Jesse.”

“No, no,” Jesse shakes his head, “No, this isn’t… I don’t want to get back together.”

Well, that’s a relief. She can feel her stomach shift back to its normal location. “Oh. Okay. Good.”

“This is more about… It is about me and you, but five months without you in my life has been hell, Beca. We were together for seven years. That doesn’t just fall away into nothing, even if the romance isn’t there anymore.” He coughs, clearly nervous. “I still love you. Of course I do. And I want you to be happy, like, more than anything in the world. And I know you’re not going to be happy with me, and that’s fine. But I’d still like to be part of your life.”

Oh. His sincerity stuns her, for a second, because maybe this is the kind of reaction she should’ve expected all along.

“We don’t have to talk every day. We don’t even have to talk regularly. I’d just like to be, you know—someone who is there for you. Your friend Jesse who just so happens to be your ex. We can grab dinner when our schedules don’t clash and watch movies and maybe text every so often. Or we don’t. Whatever. Just… I don’t want to lose you, Becs.”

She smiles, suddenly nostalgic for a time when everything was easy: when Jesse would pick her up from work in his beat-up Civic and he’d leave stupid romantic notes in her locker (which she definitely didn’t keep in a scrapbook under her bed, by the way) and they’d drink lukewarm cider and make out under the stars on the football field. It was all achingly simple back then.

But then she thinks of her life now, and how slowly and surely it’s coming back together, and how most of the time she doesn’t miss Jesse’s beat-up civic and his stupid romantic notes and the lukewarm cider, although she does kind of miss the making out and she does kind of miss him. He’s proposing a zero-commitment friendship, a no string attached deal, someone she can turn to and will always be there.

Like the tour, she’s not really in a position to turn it down.

“Sure,” she smiles, “But no movies. I’ve not got girlfriend status anymore, so you can’t force me to watch fucking Star Trek—“

“Star Wars, Beca, I’ve got no interest in Star Trek whatsoever.”

“Okay, weirdo, Star Wars. Whatever. But the point still stands. I’m under no obligation to sit through your ridiculous commentaries.”

“That’s cool,” Jesse nods, “I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but that’s cool. And anyway. I don’t actually want you to be my friend. I just want you to fill me in on every single detail about what Chloe Beale is actually like. Does she really own a poodle that’s naturally fluorescent pink?”

-x-

BECA MITCHELL SPOTTED WITH OLD FLAME AND EX LONG TERM BOYFRIEND JESSE SWANSON – IS ROMANCE BACK ON THE CARDS?

-x-

“Beca, I really don’t want to intrude, but I’ve seen those pics on twitter of you and your ex-boyfriend,” Chloe rubs her hands excitedly, “And are you, like, back together? Because that guy is a total cutie.”

Beca’s not actually seen Chloe beyond a professional capacity for over two weeks as their schedules are so hectic, but the girl texts like she’s running out of time and for some reason, she actually replies to her strings of emojis and exclamation marks? In addition, her lengthy paragraphs of information are usually incredibly intrusive, so it comes clear to Beca that Chloe doesn’t really have any boundaries or filter when it comes to asking the potentially difficult questions.

“Oh, no,” Beca answers straight up, her reflection staring back at her. She hisses in pain as the hairdresser burns her scalp with the curling iron, who then hastily apologises. “No, no, no. That’s definitely not a thing that’s happening.”

Beca’s sure that Chloe looks pleased, which sets off some weird emotions, but she somehow manages to fight the blush taking over her cheeks. “What happened there, if you don’t mind me asking? Your Wikipedia said you’d been together for, like, seven years. Which is a pretty long time.”

The shameless way Chloe admits she’s definitely stalked her ass online is actually kind of funny but Beca doesn’t laugh, because maybe then she’d be forced to admit that she’s done the same thing. The hairdresser—who is called Katie, or Kathy, or something, Beca’s not that good with names—wraps another one of her locks tight, like she’s going to pull it clean off her scalp. “It’s—really not exciting. We’d been together since high school. He went to UCLA while I tried to break onto the music scene and when I did we kind of just… drifted apart.”

(She was also an utter ass about it, but this is not something she’s going to admit while sober.)

“Oh. That’s sad.” Chloe smiles sympathetically. Her stylist has straightened her naturally wavy hair so it hangs in a scarlet red sheet, framing her cheekbones and eyes. She’s not even airbrushed or photoshopped within an inch of her life yet, goddamn, and she already looks fucking flawless. Totally unfair. “Drifting apart just comes with the territory, I guess. My last ex dumped because I didn’t have enough time for him. Which is fair. It’s not easy.”

Beca’s not sure if she feels totally comfortable going into it with an audience of stylists, especially with one who seems to hate her hair as much as Karen does. Chloe seems completely at ease, but she gives off this edge of being totally confident with herself—something Beca’s not blessed with, as much as she likes to pretend she doesn’t care.

“He also kept trying to persuade me to do a sex tape on several occasions,” Chloe unnecessarily elaborates, “And I kept telling him no, mostly because I was scared that if we did break up he’d try and sell it to TMZ or something. For the record, I’m not against sex tapes. I think they can be very fun and intimate representations of cinematography. But I’d only make one with someone I could trust inside-out and back-to-front, so to speak.”

Oh. Wow. Beca grits her teeth, but there’s a smile there. “That’s… good to know, dude.”

“I know! And I’ll have you know my sex life is far from vanilla. I have a very long list of kinks and some of them are pretty unconventional. Like, this one time, Mark made me try this thing with ginger—“

“And that’s enough!” Beca laughs awkwardly, mainly because the stylists are having a fucking field day and Beca doesn’t want it on record that she and Chloe were discussing figging while getting ready for a shoot.

“Oh,” Chloe says, looking briefly behind her before grimacing at Beca. She mouths I forgot we weren’t alone.

A few minutes later the lady who is coordinating the shoot calls them through to an office with a wall covered in white tarpaulin, the lights all the brighter for it. It’s a pretty low-key thing for Teen Vogue, but it’s the first shoot they’ve done together since the tour announcement, so Beca’s kind of bricking it. Chloe takes everything in her stride. She struts over to the tarpaulin and Beca quickly follows.

She thinks that the costume department might have gone a bit overkill on the rebel and the princess thing that’s been coined for them, because Beca’s dressed in a black mini-dress, leather jacket and doc martens, whilst Chloe is wearing a glittery pink off the shoulder number with white leggings, her feet in ballet pumps. Beca’s eyes are smudged with charcoal black whilst Chloe’s are pearlescent, and she looks every inch the twenty-first century pop princess. Beca’s not sure what she looks like.

The photographer is a young guy, maybe a bit older than she is, wearing a fake waistcoat attached to a t shirt and skinny jeans. He ushers them together, keeps saying to act natural, which in mainstream media terms means attempt to look sexy and maybe pout a bit.

The pictures actually turn out pretty good. Beca gets more element as the shoot drags on, sticking her tongue out for the camera and laughing and trying not to cringe as she tries the sexy hair-flick, smouldering the camera over her shoulder.

It’s the pictures of them together that turn out the best, though. There’s this beautiful shot of the pair of them caught off guard, Chloe’s hand slung over Beca’s shoulder as she laughs, hand over her chest. She looks fucking ecstastic, just to be there, they both do; like they’re ecstatic to be together. It’s almost typical that that one doesn’t make the cover (they go with one of them both straightfaced, stood side by side, like they’ve never met in their lives). The picture doesn’t even make the article. But later on someone from the magazine sends her the unedited rough-cuts, and she saves that one photo to her hard drive.

(Eight months, two weeks and three days later that photo is her desktop background.)

Two hours later and the magazine has all the photos they need so they’re allowed to leave and Beca can keep the leather jacket.

(“I like it on you,” Chloe says, smoothing the leather out with her fingers, “You look super edgy.” Aka, it’s a real turn-on.)

On their way out from the building, Chloe pauses in the middle of the street like she’s suddenly had the best fucking idea. “Hey—my apartment is about a five minute cab ride from here. Do you want to head over there if you haven’t got plans? There’s something I’m desperate to try.”

Beca’s way too intrigued to possibly say no to that.

[lunapaper]

Album Review: ‘Love Monster’ - Amy Shark

Amy Shark is a true underdog story, a singer/songwriter over the age of 30 who finally got a notoriously fickle, soul-sucking, youth-obsessed music industry to sit up and take notice ever since her track ‘Adore’ reached No. 2 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 back in 2016. Since then, she’s performed on Jimmy Fallon, won fans in Russell Crowe and Katie Holmes and scored a deal with RCA Records, the hype well deserved as the Queenslander (real name Amy Billings) pours that sheet grit and determination into her heartfelt debut, Love Monster.

It’s no coincidence Shark has enlisted Jack Antonoff and Joel Little to be part of dream team of producers, with much of Love Monster indebted to the raw lyricism and eternal heartbreak of Lorde’s first two albums. It’s there in the shaky, cavernous longing of ‘Adore,’ replete with youthful angst (‘I'm just gonna stand with my bag hanging off my left arm/I'm just gonna walk home kicking stones at parked cars/But I had a great night, 'cause you kept rubbing against my arm’), as well as in the dreamy cascade of synths and drums on ‘All Loved Up,’ which has the singer perfectly capture those first few heady months into a new relationship (‘We've been kicking these words around too long/I had a feeling we were close to something big/A deep breath under a baseball cap/One way ticket to a heart attack’), though it could just as easily describe the whirlwind she’s been on so far. It’s also there in the wistful haze of ‘Don’t Turn Around,’ Shark confessing atop sparse drum loops and breezy synths: ‘I'm forced to see you/But deep down I love it/So far away, but I still see you coming, alright/Hopefully we run into each other.’

Current single ‘I Said Hi,’ meanwhile, serves as a satisfying ‘fuck you’ to all the label bigwigs who dismissed the singer first time around, reminiscent of Lorde’s vicious musings on Melodrama’s ‘Writer in the Dark’ and ‘Green Light.’ You can also feel her disdain drip with every reverb-laden beat and tremble of her guitar on ‘The Idiot’ (‘Go slow, it's slippery on the patio/My God, I'm sick of looking out for you’), while on ‘Leave Us Alone’ an old relationship continues to haunt her (‘You gave me something to do/I don't know who I am/I'm not fun anymore/Why is everyone here/Wish they would leave us alone’). In a surprise twist, Shark even teams up with Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus on ‘Psycho’ (produced by Dann Hume), caught in an emotional back and forth as Shark tries to assuage Hoppus’ fears (‘And I ask you 'cause I wanna to know/Not because I'm psycho/Just because I care a lot’), awash in a rather appropriate blend of 00s pop punk and anthemic chart pop synths. 

‘You Think I Think I Sound Like God’ (also produced by Hume) rounds out the record, a slow-burning track that soon erupts into a thunderous roar, evidently revealing Shark’s simple yet bittersweet vision of a perfect love that involves ‘coffee in the morning’ and ‘making you laugh when you're yawning,’ a love as comfortable and worn-in as Shark’s lover’s ‘sweater’ that she longs to wear (Us Aussies prefer to call them ‘jumpers,’ but it just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?) 

Love Monster certainly lives up to its title, Amy Shark unashamedly hungry for love even if it may prove lethal sometimes. Sure, the trap-inflected beats can feel quite recycled as the record progresses, but the singer’s brutal insights into life and love more than make up for it. 

A debut you can’t help but adore…

- Bianca B.

[cinemamablog]

2019 Favorites (So Far)

It’s time to reflect on the new movies that brought me happiness so far in 2019. Keep in mind, I’ve missed almost all limited releases this year and quite a few wide release titles. But of the films I’ve managed to see from this year’s roster, these 11 top the list:

1. Us

The horror event of the year, Jordan Peele’s second film takes us to a more abstract place than Get Out, where things aren’t so clearly cut into Good and Evil. Explanations only hurt the movie, at its best when ambiguities creep up and linger. Peele’s potential excites me: the worlds he creates take residence in reality, while always dipping into the fantastical. Also, I can’t begin to imagine the resulting kindertrauma had I heard Lupita Nyongo’s “tethered” voice as a child.

2. The Beach Bum

I’ve written about this movie before here, but let me stress the point: The Beach Bum is an underrated, gleeful, Floridian bop. Who knew a dolphin-watching tour could hold the potential for so much laughter and danger? Matthew McConaughey’s Oscar era needed to happen so wild and crazy movies like Harmony Korine’s could get greenlit.

3. Happy Death Day 2U

My mom watched pieces of the first Happy Death Day movie with the TV on mute and thought “it looked so stupid” and I was like “MOM. No. It’s DEEP, the sequel made me CRY.” And boy, did it. Happy Death Day 2U continues the humorous, fast-paced tone of the first film, but also places our heroine Tree not just in the prerequisite, life-threatening time warp, but also in the middle of a heart-wrenching conundrum. If you watch this movie while pregnant or grieving or both, it might make you cry a little or a lot. (Guess which two out of the four groups I was in this summer.)

4. Lords of Chaos

I made the mistake of googling reviews of this movie as soon as it ended. Apparently, actual Norwegian black metal fans HATE this movie. Regardless, I think it’s great, electric storytelling with one of the most realistic suicide scenes I’ve ever seen. I watched Lords of Chaos on Hulu and, as a non-metal fan, I enjoyed the life-and-death drama and toxic machismo of gothic boys who grow up into warped men. I appreciated how Kieran Culkin’s character personifies the insecurity of a boy playing gatekeeper while he himself only vaguely comprehends the darker elements of life and masks his innocent fascination with them by putting on a tough guy act. He also hides his insecurities by latching on to those grittier, sadder, more fucked up than him, as if their authenticity will rub off on him.

5. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

I heard the hype for this movie straight out of Sundance, but I still feel like this movie got sorely under-seen. One of the few movies the baby napped through while on maternity leave, the tenderness and love that went into the making of The Last Black Man in San Francisco flows off the screen. It felt like sitting with a friend on the porch, reminiscing about the neighborhoods that surrounded you and shaped your childhood. “Things aren’t the way they used to be,” you muse. “But were things ever the way they used to be?” the movie asks back. Much of our identity relies on the stories we tell ourselves, the ones our families tell around the dinner table, the ones we share at reunions with friends long lost to life’s changes. This movie tells the story Jimmie Fails chooses to share with you. Cherish it as if it were your own. Because once a story is shared, it becomes a part of yours, too.

6. Good Boys

I went out with my husband to see this movie, screening in the pricey theatre at the Promenade. (You know, the one with the fancy seats and the huge screen and special sound system.) I had had a hard time with the baby that day, still only days along as a parent to a newborn. And god, I needed a laugh. I put my trust in Seth Rogen’s role as producer and in return, Good Boys gave me a million laughs. I worried the movie would rely on the boring repetition of jokes along the lines of: “haha, young boys saying bad words and making sex jokes,” but that did not prove to be the case. With the combination of a pitch perfect script and effortlessly guileless performances, the laughs came easy.

7. The Lighthouse

I’ve already written about The Lighthouse here and honestly, I don’t have much more to say except that Robert Pattinson should’ve earned an Oscar nomination for Good Time and Willem Dafoe deserved the win for The Florida Project. Robbed, I tell you! Robbed!

8. Booksmart

I couldn’t be prouder of Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut. The script, written by four women (Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, and Katie Silberman), treats every high schooler with respect: bully and nerd, rich and poor, booksmart and streetsmart. Most movies about teenagers claim to disparage cliques and social group segregation, but they also tend to romanticize the concept of an “In” crowd. Booksmart is one of very few that presents high school the way it actually goes down: a “popular” kid is just as smart and vulnerable as the valedictorian (sometimes they’re one and the same) and the theatre kids can be just as annoying as the rich kids with too much money to burn. While the characters share more in common than they’d like to believe, Booksmart captures the universal hopefulness and ambition of high school’s final hours.

9. Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

One overly earnest child actress nearly wrecked this movie for me, but the story stuck with me through my maternity leave and into my return to the workplace. In Richard Linklater’s latest character study (based on a novel by Maria Semple), Cate Blanchett plays Bernadette, a world famous retired architect who holes herself up in the ultimate fixer upper, earning the ire of her neighbors and the worries of her husband. Where’d You Go, Bernadette? reminds me of the quote: “An artist who stops making art is committing emotional suicide.” Once Bernadette reaches a breaking point, made painfully clear to her by her husband, his secretary, and an FBI agent, her journey helps bring Bernadette back to her architectural roots. Creating functional, artful structures is Bernadette’s greatest joy, besides the miracle of motherhood. (This mama relates.)

10. IT Chapter Two

Besides the episodic pacing that slowed the movie down, I sat through IT Chapter Two in a state of constant dread. I lived through an easy childhood, but I could still empathize with the terror of the Losers Club as they return to the site of their forgotten childhood traumas. One of them never forgot the painful memories to begin with and one can’t handle it when the past comes rushing back to him. I do wish the script didn’t spend so much time on boring old Bill. And furthermore, Amy Adams was meant to play Beverly, I don’t care what anyone says. But despite my complaints, the way Pennywise manipulates both the adults’ childhood insecurities and the fears of children kept me in an emotional state that only comes from tapping into a deep fear. Or watching several people confronted with their own.

11. Greener Grass

Another entry that I’ve written about here, Greener Grass earns its spot on my list of favorites by having some of the most original art direction, the most imaginative screenplay, and syncing up perfectly with my ideal aesthetic. (Pretty pastels, quivering smiles, and danger beneath the surface.)

That’s all folks! What movies gave you joy in 2019?

[sweetnestor]

You Look Happier | Chapter 6

university au, teamiplier + jack

platonic/romance/angst/(smut at one point but it’ll only be on ao3)

previous chapter

“When did you meet her?” I asked, surprisingly calm.

Mark and I were sat in his living room. Again, it was just the two of us. We had been talking about the past, and I realized that I had never known about Amy until Mark was leaving me for her. It was simultaneously expected and unexpected when that day happened, and now I was more confused than anything else. Time really does change you.

“Over a year ago,” he said in thought. “But the feelings didn’t start coming up until…” He paused, and I saw his shoulders slump a little bit. “Pax East, last year.”

“April,” I confirmed, remembering that weekend all too well. I was at the hospital while he was getting closer to what would be his next girlfriend. “You didn’t break up with me until July, though.”

“Because I still loved you. I wasn’t sure yet what I felt for her,” Mark explained. “But I was sure about you. I had the idea that we were going to work through our issues. But then, what I saw was that you were slowly pushing me away. You were quick to trust other people, and I got a little resentful.”

That’s when I stopped him. I sat up, a hard look on my face. “I thought you were the one drifting away. I needed someone to go to, and I only had one person at the time.”

“Right, I know that now,” Mark agreed. “And I’m actually glad you have Jack to lean on now. We just went about it the wrong way. We were talking to other people instead of each other. But there was still Amy. I kept talking to her, telling myself that we were just friends. She was living in Boston, so I figured nothing would ever happen. Then she told me she was moving to LA, and that she was going to be at Vidcon.”

So many things were falling into place now. I felt it click as I remembered the time last year when I told Mark I wouldn’t be going to Vidcon. He hadn’t tried to convince me to go. My mind was a mix of a calm, “Ooohh, that’s why!” and a resentful, “That is ten kinds of fucked up.” It made sense now. It was because of Amy why Mark didn’t try to make me go to Vidcon, and that brought on my next question.

“Did you ever cheat on me?” It came out softly, like I was afraid to speak it.

“No,” he answered without hesitation. “That, I can promise you. We had feelings for each other, but I knew that you and I were still together, and Amy knew that too.”

It was so long ago, things were so different now, but I was still in pain. I fought off tears as I said, “And as soon as you left me, you didn’t even wait to publicly hang out with her… That was probably the biggest ‘fuck you’ I’ve ever gotten.”

Mark shifted in his seat, staying quiet. He looked down until he found his words again. “You didn’t deserve that. I honestly have no idea what I was thinking, and I have no excuse. I’m so sorry I did that to you.”

I nodded, acknowledging his apology. “Like, I know sometimes I wasn’t nice to you because of all the crap in my head, but…”

“Hey,” he said seriously, “it’s not your fault your illnesses make you act certain ways. But, you were good to me in the time we were together. You took all the bullshit I threw at you towards the end on top of your own problems. You’re probably the strongest person I know.”

I shrugged. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the word “strong.” I didn’t think that described me, but it wasn’t about that right now.

“It felt like…” Now I was starting to cry. “I could physically feel you forget about me, and it hurt so bad that I couldn’t breathe. And I felt shitty about that, because I kept telling myself that you were better off, and you looked so much happier without me.” I stopped myself and tried to control the waterworks.

Maybe this was a bad idea. I knew Mark couldn’t say anything to make it better, because he was the one who caused all of this. All this time, I had imagined telling him exactly what he put me through when he left, I just hadn’t imagined that I would render myself unable to say any of it.

“I’m sorry,” he quietly told me.

It was hard to voice any more of this. I couldn’t express anything I was feeling without the fear of falling apart completely. But it was there in the back of my throat.

“I miss you,” I whispered as I dabbed under my eyes with my sleeves. “God, I miss everything before any of this happened.”

There was a tense pause. I had to clarify before things got weird.

“I want my friend back,” I told him. “Not the boyfriend, or the ex-boyfriend. I want the guy who was so stubborn and determined to talk to me, I want the guy who helped me without even trying. I miss that, I miss when we were friends. And after everything that’s happened…”

“We can still be friends,” Mark said. “I still want us to be friends. We can do this. Have you talked to Helena about us yet?”

I shook my head. “All of my sessions have been with Jack lately. Haven’t had the chance to bring it up.”

“Okay, well, I’ll give her a call and maybe she’ll schedule us.”

~

“How do you feel about the movies?”

“Dark rooms full of people scare me.”

“Drive-in movie?”

“That sounds doable.”

“Dank. Pick me up around 7?”

“Okiiiii.”

~

“Are you his girlfriend yet?” Jack asked me that Friday afternoon. He was in the kitchen, preparing an early dinner.

“I…” I blushed and wracked my brain as I leaned against the counter. It was almost embarrassing how flustered I got. “I literally do not know. It’s been like… a month and a half?”

“Has he asked you?”

“No. Should I be worried?”

Jack shrugged. “Maybe he’s taking it slow, given everything that’s happened lately.”

It made sense. I tried to keep that in my head, otherwise I would lose my mind over it. I wasn’t exactly fond of the idea of Ethan tiptoeing around me like a ticking time bomb, but I would take that over the idea of him not liking me the way I liked him. Rationalizing the bad feelings was proving to be helpful.

“Is it weird for me to talk about all of this?” I asked. “I know you said things didn’t work out with… I don’t want to be inconsiderate.”

“Nah dude,” Jack jokingly said, but then he was genuine. “I’m fine. You can talk to me about this.”

“But do you wanna talk about it? About her?”

He hesitated as he stirred vegetables in a pan. “We had the same conversation we did when we first broke up,” he spoke at last. “And again, I told her she could come with me to YTU, especially now that she’s making her own videos. She wasn’t willing to make the move. And… yeah, we decided to just be friends. And you know what? I’m here in LA, ready for the next semester. So I think that says how I feel about the whole situation.”

I nodded as I listened. “I’m sorry it didn’t work. But she was essentially making you pick between her and your career.”

“Yeah, and I didn’t like that. I realize now that the love of my life is YouTube. And maybe one day I’ll find someone who really understands that. In the meantime, I have my friends, and my community.”

“That’s a nice way to look at it,” I said, nudging his side. “I’m glad you’re being positive about it.”

“It’s all about finding the silver lining.” Jack then put his hands up and yelled, “Wubba lubba dub duuuub!” Then he looked at me like he had the best idea ever. “Rick!”

“What?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Rick and Morty! You have - or, had - the same last name as Rick!” he told me.

I tilted my head. “I’ve never actually seen it.”

Jack nearly dropped his jaw. “We’ve been friends for this long and I’ve never showed you the masterpiece that is ‘Rick and Morty?’ Now I know what we’re gonna watch while we eat!”

~

To be honest, I didn’t really like the movie that Ethan picked for us. He, on the other hand, nearly teared up because he enjoyed it so much. I thought it was a little hyped up for what it was, and when I expressed that to Ethan, well…

“How dare you?”

“Well, I didn’t hate it,” I told him, sitting back in my seat. After the movie, we settled again for staying in the car in another fast food parking lot. “I loved the music, and the cinematography. The story and the actors, though? Generic as hell.”

“You’re calling Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling generic?” Ethan asked in shock. Then he sighed. “Alright, well. This isn’t gonna work out. It was nice knowing you, Bella.”

I practically snorted and rolled my eyes. “I literally cannot see either of them as singers. I mean, I saw it, but… no. Fuck, I would have made a better Mia.”

That made him crack a smile. “That’s one thing we can agree on.”

“Then again, they probably liked Emma’s soft, raspy-as-fuck voice, something which I lack,” I rambled, trying to diffuse the warm feelings in my chest. “I have a big, loud singing voice.”

Ethan kept smiling, fiddling with the pop socket on the back of his phone. Then, he reached over and turned up the volume on the radio.

“‘Intertwined,’” he read off the little screen. “Good.”

I softly mouthed the words to the song up until the line, “You create a rarity of my genuine smile.” That’s where I began to sing it.

I didn’t realize that Ethan and I gradually shifted closer to each other in our seats. He was one move away from pressing his shoulder against mine, and the only reason why I wasn’t fixated on that was because I was belting out the high note.

“Can you drink all my thoughts? ‘Cause I can’t stand them…”

That was the only part I liked to sing. The rest was too soft for me. This song also made me think of Ethan, so if I sang any more of it, I would get way too passionate. I put it on repeat to cope with the emotions.

“You really like this song a lot, don’t you?” he asked as it played a second time.

“See what you started?” I replied with a giggle. “I’m obsessed, I can’t stop now.”

As the silence dawned on us again, I busied myself with my phone. For once, it was a comfortable silence. Although, I did notice Ethan shift again so that he was directly facing me.

“Hey.”

I locked my phone and looked at him, waiting.

“Do you… maybe… wanna be my girlfriend?”

My eyes widened and then went back to my black phone screen. A huge surge of emotions went through my body. Everything I felt for him just intensified when he asked that question. It was so much that I didn’t know what to do with myself.

So I cried.

“Oh god,” Ethan said urgently.

“D-Don’t worry!” I told him before he could panic. “I-It’s happy tears! Oh god, I’m actually happy! Give me a second…”

“Are you sure?” He sounded concerned.

I nodded rapidly, still unable to look at him, and I whispered, “I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”

“Really? For how long?”

“A while.” I sniffed. “I wasn’t sure when I could start calling you my boyfriend. But now I know.” I said all of this softly, but quickly. I wiped away my tears with my sweater sleeves and tried to compose myself.

“My girlfriend Bella,” Ethan mused as he reached over to play with my hair.

My heart wanted to fucking explode at the sound of him saying that. I had to force myself not to cry again, until he spoke again.

“Can I kiss you?”

Tears. Again.

“Ah, I’m sorry! I take it back!” he said hastily.

“Happy tears!” I reminded him. “Give me a minute, I’m fine I promise!”

Was I really so deprived of this kind of affection that it reduced me to tears? Yes. I also spent so much time thinking that Ethan was getting tired of me, that being proved wrong was just… quite the tear-jerker, to say the least. I just couldn’t believe it.

Finally, I sat up straight and looked directly at him. “Okay.”

His eyes widened slightly as he perked up. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, starting to lean in. All the air left my lungs when he did the same. I wanted to ramble in order to stall, but I couldn’t find it in me to diffuse the atmosphere this time. We were getting closer, I couldn’t stop it. He was moving in closer, and my heart was on overdrive.

Then it was happening. Holy shit. I was kissing him. I placed my hand on his shoulder, trying not to cling to his shirt like a lifeline. Everything was gentle. He was gentle. It was easy. I was melting into a gross, sappy puddle of emotions because of this guy. It was unreal.

I broke away from him, though, because the headlights of another car scared the shit out of me. I looked out the window behind Ethan, watching the vehicle drive past where we were parked. My heart was still racing, and my head was spinning. My focus was on Ethan, but I was still painfully aware of our surroundings. My car. Parking lot. I felt exposed.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a voice so gentle it almost made me want to cry again.

My eyes landed on his, and I realized we were still very close to each other. I nodded in response and tried to catch my breath, running my hand down his arm.

“My girlfriend Bella,” he said again, almost like he couldn’t believe it.

“Ethan, mi novio,” I replied, and then giggled. “I can’t say your name in Spanish, it’s weird.”

He grinned from ear to ear. It was contagious. He lifted his hand to move a strand of hair from my face, but then froze as his fingers softly grazed my cheek.

“I don’t wanna ruin your makeup,” he said timidly.

Dio mío. Boyfriend material.

“You’re allowed to,” I told him, taking his wrist and maneuvering it so his hand cupped my cheek. Thank god for good primers.

My gesture gave Ethan the confidence to cup both my cheeks. He squished them once and then kissed my nose. It made me want to squeal and flail.

Instead, I just kissed him again.

~

I drove Ethan home around one in the morning. Time just happened to slip away. Even after a couple of hours, I still felt like I was in the clouds.

As usual, I stopped somewhere down the street from his place. We had been quiet on the ride back, with the same song playing in the background. It was a thousand times more special now.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked as he took off his seatbelt.

“Marching downtown,” I replied. “I was planning to get up early, but we’ll see what happens.”

“Oh, the Women’s March? I might be going to that too… with, uh, Mark and Tyler and them. Maybe I’ll see you there.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he repeated. “Um… can I kiss you goodbye?”

The rush of gooey, gushy emotions wouldn’t stop. I granted my permission and he leaned in for a peck, much quicker than what we had done in the In-N-Out parking lot.

I missed him once he was gone. There was still a ghost of a smile on my face as I drove back home.

________

next chapter

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic & Tails: Beyond the Stars - Prologue

Prologue: All Is As It Seems...?

"...zzz..."

"Sonic."

"...zzz...zzz..."

"Sonic..."

"Zzz... zzz... zzz..."

"Hey. Sonic."

"Urgh... what?"

"We're nearly here."

"Oh! Great!"

Awakening from his deep slumber... on the wing of the Tornado... Sonic the Hedgehog slowly opened his eyes and wiped them, and when he could see more clearly, he was dazzled by what he saw.

The sea below their flight was just as faintly green as it was blue, making for a shimmering spectacle of colour. But what was up ahead, what the ocean surrounded, was even greater: An island of truly impressive size and scope. Far larger than South, Westside, and possibly even Angel Island. All sorts of sights and geography could be seen to the naked eye even from afar. And though you couldn't tell by looking at it from the side, if you looked at it from above, you would notice it's shape was perfectly circular, like a smooth gemstone.

This island, known to the world at large as Viridonia, was where Sonic and his best friend Tails were planning to take a well-needed vacation. Saving the world is hard work, and after all the trials these two have faced, you couldn't say they didn't deserve it. But is it possible that malicious intentions could come along to make a mess of their intended vacation time...?

Well... we'll get to that when we get to that.

"Looks stunning, doesn't it?" Sonic asked out loud, with a massive grin on his face.

"It sure does," answered Tails with a smile, as he took in the pleasant view. "I've heard great things about this place, but seeing it is another story. I can't even begin to think of where to start with somewhere so big!"

"We have all the time in the world for that, so what's the rush?" He glanced at the island once again, this time with a more thoughtful expression. "I just hope there's no trouble from Eggman this time around. We never get a break from him, do we?"

"Actually," Tails pointed out with a raised finger. "You told me there was no Eggman in those books that were lent to you. Well, technically there was a guy who looked like Eggman in the first one, but..."

"Alright, don't get technical with me," Sonic poked his tongue out in light jest. He then motioned towards the ground. "Okay Tails, we're getting real close, let's find a spot to land."

"Right away," the fox obeyed, before adding "And uh... don't worry, I made sure to install the landing gear this time."

"Oh. Nice."

------

They landed on an empty stretch of sand by the sea, having made sure they wouldn't land in a place that would cause too much interference. The little beach was peppered with turquoise rocks that looked and shined like real gems, and the sand itself was more white than it was yellow. Despite being by the sea, the town nearby had a very modern, yet elegant appearance. As Tails spent a little more time fiddling around with the Tornado, Sonic wasted no time in admiring the setting.

"Heh heh... just look at all this," Sonic said to himself as he marveled at the environment, hands on his hips. He was definitely liking the look of his vacation spot. "So much to see, so much to do. And it's just me and Tails."

"~Soniiiiiic!~"

"And... Amy?"

Sonic turned to his right to find none other than Amy Rose, who was currently sprinting over to him with a big grin. Her younger friend, Cream, was tagging along behind her.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Amy beamed. Her tail was unashamedly wagging away in excitement.

"Oh uh, hey Amy..." Sonic muttered out of surprise. Not disappointment, or annoyance, just surprise. "Didn't know you'd be here... why ARE you here?"

"Isn't it obvious? We wanted to go on a vacation of our own! And we just HAD to come here when we read all about it." She looked over to Cream, who simply nodded. "We haven't seen much of the place yet, but there's no hurry, right?"

Sonic looked over at Cream, as if he was expecting something from her.

"She's telling the truth, Mr. Sonic," the rabbit assured.

"Okay, good."

"Huh? What do you mean?" The pink hedgehog frowned as she crossed her arms. "You didn't think I just followed you here like some creepy weirdo, did you?"

"NO. No. Of course not. I'm sure you wouldn’t do that... not intentionally."

"Good! We didn't know you would be here, but what a great turn of events that you are! Maybe we can discover the Rainbow Paradise together... and find the perfect spot for the two of us, hmm?" She winked playfully, complete with a little spin.

"...Maybe. Maybe. We'll see," Sonic said in a very neutral manner, although he couldn't help but smirk at his friend's ever present determination. As he walked off to see how Tails was doing, Amy turned and noticed that Cream looked uncomfortable despite the lack of any apparent danger.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Amy asked out of concern. "You still feeling a little anxious?"

The rabbit just nodded silently. Her hands were mildly fidgeting.

"Well, that's okay, you know." She put her hand on Cream's shoulder. "But your mother wouldn't have let you come with me if she felt it would be a bad idea... although then again... she didn't mind you taking on evil monsters... or evil robots..." She shook her head and hoped her friend didn't hear that part. "This is meant to be a good time for both of us, Cream. It's why I brought you along, after all."

"I know, and I appreciate that very much, Amy," the girl thanked her politely. "Maybe I could have a little look around... but I won't go too far away from you, okay?"

"I know you won't," Amy smiled.

Meanwhile, Sonic was busy pondering to himself. "Rainbow Paradise... Rainbow Paradise... never heard of it. Sounds made up. You ever heard of it, Tails?"

"Heard of what?" asked the fox as he was in the middle of reading the guidebook he had about Viridonia's sights and spots.

"The Rainbow Paradise."

"Nope, new to me. Sounds made up."

"Yeah, I thought that too."

"You said that too."

"Hey now, you better not be poking fun at my habit to babble again." The Blue Blur raised an eyebrow jokingly.

"My bad. But you do the same thing with me when I do that."

"Yeah, that's true."

And they both had a hearty laugh together.

------

ADVENTURE FIELD: Lime Shores

Welcome to the first hub of the game. There are quite a few hubs in the game, but for obvious reasons this is the only one you can play around in for the time being. Things might be very humble and not particularly intense so far, but fear not, that'll all change soon enough. This doesn't count as a spoiler, because it should be blatantly obvious that something's gonna happen, otherwise there wouldn’t be a story. You can probably guess who will be responsible for it too. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Lime Shores covers both the town and the beach it's next to. As mentioned before, the beach has plenty of rocks that might as well be gemstones from the way they look and shine, and the sand is very light in colour. The town on the other hand is very reminiscent of England. More specifically, Birmingham, Solihull, and Stratford-upon-Avon. A perfect blend of old and modern architecture all around, and a very humble yet proud atmosphere all around. (And classy lamp posts everywhere!)

Right now, you can't really do too much aside from talking with the locals. Said locals will be all too eager to tell you such interesting facts like:

"Oh my god! You're Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"I can't believe Sonic the Hedgehog is here!"

"SONIC! SONIC! ...I don't know who you are, but everyone else seems to be excited, so I should be too! SONIC! SONIC!"

Yeah, they're all very hyped up about the hero showing up in their area. Maybe they'll be a little more helpful and informative later on once they've calmed down.

So what to do for the time being? Head over to the beach where Tails is, and you'll discover that for whatever reason - maybe he read the script ahead of time - he's set up a Virtual Reality training system, not unlike the one he used with Emerl all those years ago. Talk to him, and he'll ask if you want to work on your moves for a bit. Don't be fooled by this setup. Unlike most tutorials within the story, you're NOT forced to do it if you don't want to. If you say No, the story will go on ahead, and you won't have missed out on anything. No worries. No tedium. No problem!

But for the purpose of this... hypothetical guide, let's pretend that you said Yes so that we can go over the tutorial anyway. Don't worry. It's not long.

------

ZONE 0: Light Speed Simulation

Note that when you start, you're given the option to pick between Sonic or Tails. Like in Sonic Rush Adventure, you can pick between characters whenever you want for each act or boss. Very convenient.

This one-act zone takes the form of a neon grid in a pitch black area. Most of the grid is blue, but certain parts of the architecture - such as loops, and crates for you to destroy - are green in order to help you recognise them more clearly. There's even some pools of water, but because this is just a simulation, you never run out of air for this one. (Of course, you are helpfully reminded that you won't be so lucky when it's time to face real water.) Amusingly enough though, the infamous countdown still ticks away in this area, but when it reaches zero... nothing happens, and your character remains completely dumbfounded for a second.

This tutorial does not require you to go through certain motions in a specific order. Nor does anyone tell you what to do. This is nothing more than one big playground for you to get your teeth into at your own leisure. There's no end to the zone either, it only ends when you choose to quit.

The controls of Sonic and Tails are for the most part identical to their Sonic Adventure incarnations. But there are a few key differences:

• Sonic is a good deal faster than Tails, even though the latter is still legitimately fast in his own right.

• Tails is able to keep flying for a longer period of time compared to how long he could fly in Sonic Adventure.

• Sonic keeps his ability to Parkour from Sonic Lost World, in addition to his ability to wall jump from various 3D games. Although in this case, the latter takes a page from Super Mario 64, in that the wall jump is only activated when you actually jump against a wall, as opposed to just randomly locking onto the wall after a homing attack.

• Like in the 2D games, Tails is able to swim in water, but his swimming speed is a little faster in this game, more reminiscent of the underwater charging in Spyro 2 and 3, aka the best 3D swimming mechanics that have ever set foot on this earth. But Tails still needs air bubbles like Sonic, so keep that in mind if you’re too deep to swim to the surface.

• Due to there being no Adventure-esque upgrades in this game, Tails’ Tail Spin attack reaches a middle ground here, in that he can spin infinitely for a select period of time before stopping. But don’t worry, the tired out period doesn’t last for a long time, so there won’t be any annoying situations like enemies hitting you repeatedly whilst you’re unable to react.

When you feel you've had enough of fooling around here, proceed to quit at the pause menu, and the story will continue immediately.

------

In an effort to get herself acquainted with where she'll be staying for the next few days, Cream had wandered into a nearby forest, accompanied by her loyal pet, Cheese. She took her time looking around, making sure she didn't get too lost in the place. The forest reminded her very heavily of the one she had went through a long time ago with Amy and her other friend, Big. Various fruits of peculiar size could be seen on the trees, and even though it was clearly daytime, fireflies could be seen lighting the place up. The young rabbit was impressed with the scene, an innocent smile having planted itself on her face the whole time.

"It's so pretty, isn't it Cheese?" The Chao nodded. "Maybe it was a little silly of me to get tense. It's just a new experience for us, you know? I wonder if Amy would like to see this... Maybe Mr. Sonic would like it too?"

"Like he would care what YOU think!"

"Huh?"

Right on cue, a small gang appeared on the scene, and it was without a doubt the most stereotypical gang of hoodlums you had ever seen. They were all roughly the same height, and they looked to be within a similar age group as Sonic. There were four of these blatant wrong'uns in total: a panther, a lime gecko, a grey rat, and a light blue falcon. The panther was wearing a black tuxedo, the gecko was wearing a purple zoot suit, the rat a brown trenchcoat, and the falcon a white fedora.

They looked incredibly goofy, but they were still intimidating enough in the eyes of young Cream.

"This is Sonic the Hedgehog you're talking about!" the panther said incredulously. "The world famous hedgehog! He doesn't have time for little brats like you!"

"Yeah!" The falcon shouted in agreement, flapping his wings.

"What...What do you mean?" Cream asked, with a hint of upset.

"He means..." the gecko started, in a slightly indecipherable accent. "You are... lacking in importance... for someone like... the hedgehog."

"Yeah!" The falcon agreed again, flapping his wings again too.

"That's not true..." Cream muttered fearfully, as she slowly took a few steps back. As if by instinct, she covered Cheese with her hands to protect him. "Mr. Sonic cares about all of his friends..."

"Yessss! For publicity!" The rat cackled in a completely over-the-top manner, complete with clasped fingers. "You're a blip on the radar to him! And so is everyone else! People like him only care about themsssselves!"

"Yeah!" Once more from the falcon, complete with the flapping of his wings. It became abundantly clear that the falcon had absolutely nothing to add to this already ridiculous discussion.

"Why are you guys saying this? None of that is true! Mr. Sonic does care!" The poor rabbit was getting into a panic.

"Because it's true!" The panther took a step closer to Cream. "Anyone with a brain can see what a world-renowned superstar truly thinks of weak, helpless, useless little girls like you..."

Cream looked like she was ready to cry, even as her grip on Cheese grew tighter. She only just got here, and already she was having a scary time. She took another step back, but the panther took another step forward. Though Cream could have very easily taken care of these guys like nobody’s business through the awesome power of her pet Chao, she was too distraught by their slander to consider the thought. But just when the rest of them started taking a few steps forward themselves, as if to overwhelm the rabbit all the more, a brand new voice emerged out of nowhere. A low yet feminine one.

"You guys stink."

The four members immediately looked around in surprise at the new voice that had joined the conversation. They searched and glanced for where the voice came from, and their expressions indicated a sense of familiarity. After a few unsuccessful moments of searching out the source, the source decided to reveal itself instead.

Emerging from the shadows was a female figure, her fur a gentle light green, and her eyes a cool brown. She appeared to be older than anyone in the gang. She was wearing a light tank top, trousers, a pair of knee-high boots that were completely flat at the heels, a pair of gloves that reached up to her elbows, a headscarf atop her head, and a bandana scarf covering the lower half of her face. With the exception of her brown trousers, all of her clothes were blue, three different shades used in total.

It wasn't immediately obvious at first glance, but you could tell from her lengthy tail, and her equally lengthy ponytail, that the young woman was meant to be a horse. You could also tell from the look of dread on the gang's face that they've seen this person before. But what caught Cream's attention the most was the way the woman was walking over to them. It was very... slow. Deliberate. Almost meticulous, even. She didn't understand why the woman was walking like that, but before she could think more about it, the gang was already talking to her. The latter simply stood there, calmly, with one hand on her hip.

"Uh, hey there!" The panther swaggered about in an obvious attempt to save face. "How ya doing? We were just giving the kid a warm welcome, we thought you'd like to join us?"

"No thanks. I don't greet people by making them doubt themselves. Least of all young children." She held her nose high as a sign of disapproval, not that you could see it due to her bandana obscuring it. "This is the most pathetic thing I've seen out of you yet. You lot are becoming parodies of yourselves by the day. What reason do you have for spending your time putting down this girl?"

"Well... you see..." the gecko reasoned, his eyes darting left and right. "It was... the boss... He wanted to... give our regards... to the newcomers."

"By threatening them."

The rat grinned sheepishly as he cowered away. "Some people have a rocky exterior?"

"Haven't heard that justification before." Her right hand held up her left elbow as she rested her head on her left hand. Her eyes indicated a sense of fatigue. "Don't bother with the excuses. I'm going to ensure that none of you ruffians cause a disturbance for our visitors. This is not up for debate. And that guy you speak so highly of? He does care about his friends, inside and out. What he doesn't care for is people who spend their time causing trouble and making a complete imbecile out of themselves." She sarcastically waved a finger at the group. "Kinda like you guys, right?"

"Yeah!" The falcon shouted yet again, to which the other three members glared at him. The falcon just shrugged.

"Ha, a bit of common sense from one of you at least." The woman made a fluttery shooing gesture. "Now away with you, please. It's rude to pester visitors like a bad smell."

Without a single argument, all four members of the gang bolted out of the forest like their lives depended on it. The woman stood there for a few seconds with a stone-cold stare, making sure they were definitely out of the picture. All the while, Cream wondered to herself why the gang had been rendered so easily skittish when the woman had made no indication from either her tone or her body language that she was going to attack them.

The horse turned to her right to face the rabbit. As she walked up to her, Cream still felt nervous and intimidated, something that the horse sensed right away. So, very slowly and carefully, she knelt down so that she was equal to Cream's level of height, and after a few further seconds of examining the girl, the woman lowered her bandana to reveal the rest of her face. Despite the blocky facial structure you would expect for a horse, the face of this one was instead a lot rounder and softer.

"You okay there?" asked the horse in a comforting tone.

"I... think so, yeah," the rabbit replied shyly. "I'm sorry if I caused a lot of trouble. I could have gotten Cheese to handle it, but it didn’t occur to me. But thank you for defending me, Miss... Miss..."

"Lutrudis," the woman answered for her. "The name's Lutrudis. And you didn't cause any bother at all. Those guys have had a history of doing nonsense like that. They like to fool around with everyone for reasons I don't quite understand. I'm just glad I arrived in time before things got out of hand." She took Cream's hand and covered it gently with her own, indicating to Cream that she had no reason to feel afraid of this person. "Are your friends a fair distance away from here?"

"No, they aren't. They were at the town the last time I saw them." Cream looked left and right, with a worried expression. "But I think I've gotten lost in this forest after all. I didn't mean to go too far away... Oh, I should have stayed with Amy..."

"I can take you back to your friends if you want," Lutrudis offered.

"Would that be okay?" Cream asked. "Because I don't want to waste your time..."

"You wouldn't be wasting my time, sweetie." She smiled warmly. "I've got little better to do anyway. Your friends wouldn't want anything to happen to you, right? And neither would I."

Cream looked at Cheese, who in turn glanced at Lutrudis, as if he were silently coming to his own conclusions on whether she could be trusted. He nodded, and the girl felt at ease. "Okay... If you’re sure that would be alright, Miss Lutrudis."

"You don't need to be so formal with me, Cream," the woman assured, still smiling. "Just Lutrudis will do." She slowly raised herself back up, every bit as careful as she was when kneeling down. And as she did this, Cream had a question to ask.

"How do you know my name? We've never met before... And you've never met Mr. Sonic before, have you? So how do you know about him?"

"Well, you guys are heroes, aren't you? Of course I know about you all. Doesn't take long for the word of heroics to spread." She held Cream's hand, and they began to walk ahead. As they walked, Cream felt more relaxed around the horse, as did Cheese. But not long later, another question popped up in the rabbit's mind.

"Miss Lutrudis?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't mean this in a bad way, but... why are you so careful with your movement? The way you walk, and crouch, and..."

"Heh, so you did notice it then." Lutrudis lightly chuckled as she looked down at Cream. She looked as though she wanted to add something, but the words weren't quite reaching her mouth. Eventually, she returned to looking ahead.

"I'll explain when we get back. I can demonstrate it more that way."

"Okay then." Cream then proceeded to beam brightly. "My friends are really nice, you know. I'm sure you'll like them! And I think they’ll like you too!"

Lutrudis simply chuckled once more.

------

NEXT TIME: The game properly begins! And the first zone ain't your typical Green Hill... but not your typical City Escape either...