#but this one captures trini's relationship with all of them and each other???

[amberbeach]

'RANGER BAIT'

gif belongs to me

There were many times when Trini believed she could trust you with her secret. One afternoon during a picnic in the park, when your relationship hit the third month mark, she considered telling you, but you had been dating for a little over eight months now and her guilt grew with each day that her secret identity as the Yellow Ranger remained hidden from you.

She knew she could trust you to keep her secret, and the identity of the team a secret, but her biggest fear was how you would react. For the entirety of your relationship, she had lied about where she went every time her watch beeped and the only reason you hadn't figured it out yet was because the others always corroborated with her stories.

When you approached her locker that morning she knew then it was time to tell you the truth. She just hoped her lies wouldn't be the end of your relationship. You agreed to meet at Ernie's later but when you were late, Trini knew something was wrong, but she tried not to worry and waited. After twenty minutes she went to use Ernie's telephone to call your house, wanting to believe you had forgotten - something you had never done before - but when her watch beeped Trini predicated what Zordon would tell them.

She stared at the viewing globe as Zordon explained Rita's plans, fiddling with the necklace around her neck that you had gotten her two months ago for your anniversary, saving money from your job for weeks to buy it for her. Her eyes took in the scene. You were forced to sit on a metal chair, putty patrollers tying your hands behind the metal chair, while Goldar barked orders at the foot soldiers.

"Rita captured Y/N knowing how much he means to you. Her goal is to weaken you, and destroy the Power Rangers."

Trini's lips parted when she saw your expression as putty patrollers surrounded you before the viewing globe grew misty. "Oh no,"

"Don't worry, Trini, we'll get him back." Billy assured her, placing a hand on her back.

"Yeah, the three of us," Jason gestured to Billy and Zack, "will distract Goldar while you and Kimberly defeat the putties and get Y/N out of there."

Her eyes darted around the hillside, the gravel crunching beneath her feet as they headed further up the hill. A few miles later they found the cave and morphed before rushing inside.

After nearly an hour in the company of Goldar and the putties, your fears had dwindled as you tried to twist the rope off your wrists. Goldar listed all the things he would do once the Rangers were defeated, unaware that the team had arrived.

The Red Ranger struck first, then the Black Ranger, followed swiftly by Blue, and the three led Goldar further into the cave, and away from you. You looked at a putty that fell to the ground, seeing a blur of Pink briefly before the Yellow Ranger appeared and the two fought off the putties before the Pink Ranger untied your ankles. You looked over your shoulder to find the Yellow Ranger untying your hands and stood up once you were free, rubbing your wrists which were raw from your attempts to break free.

"Thanks." You looked between the two.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Apart from my pride? No." Your words cause Trini to smile behind her helmet. You noticed Goldar running towards you, the three Rangers scrambling to their feet to follow him, but he reached you first and you ducked down when he swung his sword, looking at the Pink and Yellow Rangers when they pulled you towards the light streaming into the cave.

"Go, run!"

More putties arrived when you got outside and you counted at least fourteen of them. "Oh no!" The Pink Ranger groaned.

You pulled the two Rangers aside when Goldar rushed towards where you were standing, and he struck down several putties, growling as he turned to you. With no other option, the three of you headed inside the cave, and the two Rangers stepped in front of you.

"Stay behind us." The Yellow Ranger said. "When it's clear, get out of here."

You watched the two face off against Goldar, joined by the other Rangers who divided their attention between the putties who were easily defeated. But Goldar was stronger and more skilled. Sparks flew from the Black Ranger's suit as he was struck with the sword and the Pink Ranger was pushed against the wall, falling to the ground. The Blue Ranger landed next to the Black Ranger moments later, all groaning in pain.

You heard a cry come from the Yellow and Red Ranger as they were struck down and rolled a few feet across from you. Their suits disappeared and your eyes widened when you saw Trini groaning in pain.

"Trini? Trini!" You raced forward, sliding next to her, "Trini? Trini?"

You held her to your chest as Goldar laughed, and she met your gaze as she clutched her stomach. "I'm sorry -"

You shook your head, "Don't be sorry." You placed a hand on her cheek, "I knew you were special from the moment I laid eyes on you. I just never realized how special you are."

She smiled softly, gasping when Goldar approached.

"How touching."

"Do you ever stop talking?" Zack spoke up from behind him and Jason jumped to his feet, helping Zack fend off Goldar. Kimberly and Billy moved around, making it harder for Goldar to fend off all four Rangers.

You pulled Trini to her feet and she smiled brightly before going to help the others, morphing as she ran to their aid. You kept to the side lines, watching the group you had become good friends with since you started dating Trini, and were in awe of their strength and dedication that sent Goldar fleeing back to Rita.

The group removed their suits, and your eyebrows raised as they walked towards you. "You're all Power Rangers?"

"Yeah," Zack grinned. "Pretty sweet moves, right?"

"The sweetest." You grinned as you performed a bro-shake with him before looking at Trini with concern. "Are you okay?"

The group moved away as she walked closer to you, smiling over at you both as they gave you privacy to talk.

She nodded, "Are you?"

"I found out my girlfriend is the Yellow Power Ranger." You sent her a bright smile before your expression changed as you spoke, eyebrows furrowing as you tried to find the words to describe how you felt. "I'm worried, but mainly I'm really proud of you."

"I wanted to tell you - I was planning on telling you soon -" She took your hands and you sent her a smile to ease the guilt she was feeling. You could always read her better than anyone. "I'm sorry for lying to you. If I had explained, then maybe Rita wouldn't have brought you here."

"I was Ranger bait." You deduced. "Instead they were sent running. Literally." You smiled, kissing her forehead, placing an arm around her as you headed out of the cave, the other Rangers falling into step behind you. "You look really great in yellow, have I ever told you that?"

Trini smiled, leaning into your chest, and nodding her head. "You may have mentioned it before."

You smiled as you placed a kiss on her head. From the moment you met Trini Kwan, you knew she would be important in your life. She was a special person, and that day you found out that she shared the burden of saving the Earth from Rita who had been wrecking havoc for months now. That day you realized the word 'special' was not enough to describe her. And proved that all her doubts weren't true as you supported her, and understood the importance of her identity remaining a secret, as you always did.

[handle-with-utmost-care]

heheeh this is the anon with the trimberly fic rec by andawaywego!! YOURE WELCOME but also THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME IN READING IT it's so agjawlegklaesanvdne (gr8)

it honestly is so great i just… like i can’t believe i missed the little gem

[jobethdalloway]

did you watch the PBS Little Women? My mom wanted to for mother's day, and I wanted to check it out with her bc I know how much you love the story but like...I really didn't like it? She and my sister loved it but I kept leaving to like clean up and other stuff. I'm sorry. Did you see it? Maybe it's just a bad version.

UGHHHHHHHHHHH IT KILLS ME THAT THIS WAS YOUR INTRODUCTION TO LITTLE WOMEN!!!!!!

My mom and I also wanted to give this a go for Mother’s Day but we could not make it through the first 15 minutes. We recorded it and later fast-forwarded to see some of Angela Lansbury as Aunt March, and she was (what a relief) great, but Lord have mercy was everything else ATROCIOUS.

In the first scene, I could only tell which sister was which because of the dialogue - I’m familiar enough with the story to know which lines go to who. But in the ensuing scenes, I swear to God I could not tell Jo from Beth from Meg and could only distinguish Amy because she was blonde. The acting was so FLAT. The March sisters are each so distinct, just in the first scene of that novel/other adaptations - making them distinguishable should be a slam dunk but they were all so bleh that I couldn’t tell and what’s more didn’t care which one was which. And the scene we watched with Angela Lansbury didn’t help!! wtf was that, Jo?! SHE WAS SO MUTED AND LEFT NO IMPRESSION WHATSOEVER. I’m not saying Jo should play that scene bouncing off the walls, but there are so many ways to get across the emotions she’d be feeling there - annoyance, discomfort, frustration, impatience, unhappiness - and instead all we get is the equivalence of the “meh” emoji. No, not even that, because “meh” could be construed as an emotion. These actors - with the exception of Angela - were just reading lines. They were not acting. (And this goes for Emily Watson as well, which is surprising because I know she’s talented and I had hopes for her Marmee. DASHED.)

Another problem - I was kinda like “ehhh okay” in the beginning when they show Mr. March writing his letter because in the book/other adaptations we don’t actually meet him until much, much, much later on in the story - and that’s powerful. It underscores his absence in their lives, and his distance is felt. As Marmee is reading his letter to the girls, then we cut to scenes of wounded soldiers and I’m like ?!?!?! wtF IS THIS???!!! Oh did the filmmakers not trust that we would be able to intuit from his letter about the war THAT A WAR WAS GOING ON?? Still I tried to overlook that (like, I think only 5 minutes had passed so far) but then. Then it’s like here’s Laurie, 2017 dreamboat guy, and his grandfather Dumbledore. Look at grandpa Dumbledore!! He’s strict and Laurie just wants to be a free boy :c STOP IT. THERE IS NO NEED TO CUT AWAY TO LAURIE AND INTRODUCE HIM AND GRANDPA LAURENCE LIKE THIS. LITTLE WOMEN. IS ABOUT. THE LITTLE WOMEN. I’m not saying one of them has to be on screen the entire time, but actually MAYBE THAT IS WHAT I’M SAYING. Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy (and Marmee) are the heart of this story. We learn everything we need to learn about everyone else - their father, the Laurences, whoever tf else - through their relationships with one of those girls.

I have to imagine that cutting away to these other scenes is the show’s way of trying to differentiate itself from other (better) versions. But like, guess what, there’s a reason why the best adaptations don’t do that. Because it’s stupid and unnecessary. I’m not saying adaptations can’t make changes; heck, my favorite one swaps the ages of Beth and Amy - which to some hardcore fans of the book, makes it an unforgivable adaptation. But it’s their loss, because that version captures the heart and soul of the story, of the characters. It gets that Jo is a vivacious spirit, bursting at the seams with a lust for life, someone who - in the words of the novel - “found her greatest affliction in the fact that she couldn’t read, run, and ride as much as she liked.” Where is that Jo’s joie de vivre in this version? June Allyson is perfect. Janet Leigh’s Meg is tempered and desperate for better times; Elizabeth Taylor’s Amy is hilariously snobbish and self-obsessed; Margaret O’Brien’s Beth is so much the tender and cherubic child of the novel; Mary Astor’s Marmee is leagues ahead of any other I’ve seen. PBS did wrong by them all. 

If older movies aren’t your style, I have no qualms about recommending the ‘90s adaptation as well (although I understand if you need some time to get over PBS’ before giving any other film a shot). Winona Ryder captures Jo’s restlessness, enthusiasm, and boyishness so well. Claire Danes is a perfect Beth, shy and quiet but wise beyond her years. Kirsten Dunst is likewise a perfect bratty Amy - she knows just how to toe the line; she is at times a ghastly child but never in an unbelievable or over-the-top way. Trini Alvarado’s Meg is caught between love for her family and frustration with their circumstances, and she does a wonderful job of expressing that tension. Each sister is distinct in appearance and personality, which the PBS version just …. does not establish at all. Susan Sarandon’s Marmee does swing a little too often into ‘90s sensibility, but that’s because of the dialogue. In her mothering moments, she is a lovely Marmee.

From a technical standpoint? OY VEY. Please click this link and listen to the opening music of the ‘94 film. When I revisited this movie as an adult, ready to be skeptical because of my love for the first version I ever saw, this music won me over. Yeah I mean it’s kinda got that ‘90s period piece vibe, but it somehow also captures New England winter and, most importantly, WARMTH. The opening credits music of the ‘49 version is endearing to me as well (click here) in a different way - it has sort of a storybook quality to it somehow; it is sweet but not sickly and again, is warm. 

I found no warmth in what I saw from PBS. I’ve seen a lot of people praising its cinematography and I’m like, what? What. The scenery was shot like it was a Planet Earth episode set in Massachusetts - like sure, the imagery is beautiful, but this isn’t a nature documentary? The interiors/shots of characters are so perfunctory. So basic. So meh. There is no warmth and no love for what’s at play. 

These characters and this story have so much to give. What I saw of this adaptation did not do them justice.

[lady-adventuress]

Books I Read in 2017

Alphabetical list here, reviews under the cut in chronological order:

Almond, David: A Song for Ella Gray

Bardugo, Leigh: The Grisha Trilogy, Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom

Cline, Ernest: Ready Player One

Cloonan, Becky, Brendan Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl: Gotham Academy Vol. 1-2

Cluess, Jessica: A Shadow Bright and Burning

Coulthurt, Audrey: Of Fire and Stars

del Duca, Leila and Kit Seaton: Afar

Dragoon, Leigh and Jessie Sheron: Ever After High: Class of Classics

Flores, Chynna Clugston, et al.: Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy

Gaiman, Neil: American Gods

Gaiman, Neil and Chris Riddell: The Sleeper and the Spindle

George, Madeleine: The Difference Between You and Me

Gilmour, H.B. and Randi Reisfeld: T*Witches #1-10

Hale, Shannon: Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World

Hicks, Faith Erin: The Nameless City, The Stone Heart

Jensen, Michael and David Powers King: Woven

LaCour, Nina: We Are Okay

Larson, Hope: Chiggers, Mercury

Lubar, David: Sophomores and Other Oxymorons

Riordan, Rick: The Trials of Apollo #1-2, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #2-3

Shea, Lisa: Ever After High: Once Upon a Twist: Cerise and the Beast

Stewart, Cameron, Brendan Fletcher, and Babs Tarr: Batgirl Vol. 1

Stoker, Bram: Dracula

Sugiura, Misa: It’s Not Like It’s a Secret

Turtschaninoff, Maria: Maresi

Weir, Andy: The Martian

West, Hannah: Kingdom of Ash and Briars

I also listened to a lot of audiobooks as I was working this year, but since I have terrible audio comprehension, I stuck to books I’ve already read and know I like:

From Tamora Pierce, Alanna: The First Adventure and the Trickster series, read by Trini Alvarado. The Protector of the Small series, read by Bernadette Dunne. The Immortals Quartet, Sandry’s Book, and The Will of the Empress, Full Cast Audio narrated by Tamora Pierce. All of them were good, but I especially loved hearing the Trickster series and all of the Full Cast books. I absolutely recommend them. Immortals was my favorite.

From Eoin Colfer, the Artemis Fowl series, read by Nathaniel Parker. I liked it a lot. It’s nice being able to hear the accents and remember that Artemis is actually Irish.

T*Witches #1-10, by H.B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld. Twin witches who were separated at birth meet at age fourteen and must learn magic to protect themselves from their evil uncle. This is a series from my childhood that still holds up in a cheesy nostalgic way. I always found the attempt at teen slang baffling, but at its core the story is still about family and girls supporting each other and trying to do the right thing. Excellent and complicated relationships between both biological and adopted families, excellent and complicated supporting characters.

Dracula, by Bram Stoker. An ancient vampire brings death and evil to England while a group of mostly-bumbling protagonists try to stop him. It’s hard to read a book like this without being influenced by the cultural interpretation, but one thing that really threw me off is the importance of characters that seem to get really downplayed in adaptations. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the book, but I did enjoy how ridiculous parts of it was.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World, by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. A fourteen-year-old girl tries to make new friends while keeping her squirrel tail and superpowers a secret. I love Shannon Hale’s children’s books. Squirrel Girl had the charm of her Ever After High work, surprisingly without being as over-the-top. Doreen isn’t the type of protagonist I tend to relate to and I always get a little weirded out with anthropomorphized animals, but the book was fun and funny with distinct voices and an appropriate amount of camp. Also, footnotes.

The Difference Between You and Me, by Madeleine George. The closeted popular girl and school outcast are on opposite sides of school politics, which causes problems in their secret relationship. I feel like there are tons of fanfictions like this, so I was glad when this book didn’t run into the overused tropes. Unfortunately, it didn’t really have much in the way of conflict at all, which was surprising when it seemed like every single character’s opinions were meant to be deliberately polarizing. I thought that situations and characters were set up really well, but none of it really came together in a satisfying way.

Chiggers, by Hope Larson. Graphic novel. A girl navigates summer camp drama and befriends the girl no one else likes. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Hope Larson, but I couldn’t like this book even though I was trying to. It felt like nothing was happening for most of the story, and I’m not sure what was accomplished in telling it. The elements of magical realism were interesting, but it wasn’t enough to carry the story, and neither was the mundane drama. There wasn’t enough time to invest in the characters.

Mercury, by Hope Larson. Graphic novel. A girl’s experience with a mysterious gold prospector affects the life of her modern-day descendant. The story was thought-provoking, even if it took me a while to get into it, and the magical realism was well-integrated. I don’t love Larson’s cartooning style, but I thought it was much more readable than Chiggers without sacrificing its uniqueness.

The Nameless City, by Faith Erin Hicks. Graphic novel. A boy befriends a native girl in the city his people conquered. Hicks’ visual storytelling skills are excellent, and I love how her characters and expression can be both subtle and cartoony. The story was thoughtful and deals with political realities in a way that doesn’t demonize or alienate anyone. Jordie Bellaire’s color palettes are beautiful.

Unfortunately, the sequel The Stone Heart doesn’t quite live up to the first book. The art is still excellent, but the pacing and plot seemed less well-planned, especially since the story now seems to be heading in a more predictable direction. There’s a third book forthcoming, so maybe that opinion will change.

Batgirl Vol. 1: Batgirl of Burnside, by Cameron Stewart, Brendan Fletcher, and Babs Tarr. Trade paperback. A college student tries to reinvent her vigilante identity while dealing with being the personal target of a mysterious villain. This was definitely not a bad book, but it also didn’t feel like a Barbara Gordon book. If you’re writing for characters with decades of history, that legacy deserves to be respected, and I’m not sure Stewart and Fletcher accomplished that in the writing. Separate from preconceptions, the plot was solidly set up with good dialogue and distinct characterization, although I thought Barbara’s arc had a weak resolution. Tarr’s art is great, though, and I can definitely see why this series is so popular.

Gotham Academy Vol. 1-2, by Becky Cloonan, Brendan Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl. Trade paperbacks. A girl investigates a haunting at her school, which is connected to a mysterious summer experience she can’t remember. Kerschl’s character acting is excellent, and the relationship between the protagonist Olive and her ex-boyfriend’s sister Maps is immediately compelling. The cast is well-rounded and interesting, and I enjoyed reading a comic set in a superhero world without being a superhero book. Plot elements are set up from the first issue, and the story is a lot of fun overall.

A Song for Ella Grey, by David Almond. A modern version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth is told from the perspective of Eurydice’s best friend. Almond is an excellent writer, but I felt like this was a story that didn’t need to be retold, especially with his addition of a tragic unrequited queer romance. The protagonist doesn’t have any agency within the storyline so it felt like a series of events happening in sequence rather than a narrative. I did think the formatting shift at the turning point was interesting, but the myth dragged unnecessarily in order to fill the length of the novel.

The Trials of Apollo #1: The Hidden Oracle, by Rick Riordan. The Greek god Apollo is sent to earth as a teenager as punishment for his arrogance and is bound to the service of a young girl. It’s hard to enter into the Trials of Apollo series without prior knowledge of Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus, and even as a fan of the other books in the universe, I had a hard time engaging with Apollo as a protagonist. The narration fit the character well, though, and Riordan deals with serious subjects without resolving anything prematurely. I liked that each chapter was introduced with a haiku rather than a title.

The second book in the series, The Dark Prophecy, is similar in tone to the first. I would say the biggest change is the addition of Leo and Calypso from the prequel series to finish off the classic trio of heroes. That dynamic was interesting, and I also really enjoyed the appearance of my favorite Percy Jackson character.

We Are Okay, by Nina LaCour. A girl deals with grief over her grandfather’s death and reconnects with her best friend during winter break of her first year of college. It was a slow start and I had some trouble keeping up with shifts in the narration, but I ended up liking this book a lot. The writing is atmospheric and captures the protagonist’s thoughts well. The setup for the mystery is subtle and doesn’t take focus from the characters.

American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. After three years in jail and his wife’s death, a man takes a job that involves him in a war between old and new gods. I really like Gaiman’s writing, and Shadow is a protagonist that is engaging despite his relative passiveness. Even so, I wouldn’t say this was a book I actually enjoyed all that much, and plot twists were well-developed to the point that they weren’t particularly surprising or satisfying. I’ve seen a lot of stories modernize gods, so Gaiman’s treatment didn’t seem as unique as I’d been led to believe. That being said, maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I’d read it earlier.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor, by Rick Riordan. A teenager resurrected as a Viking warrior goes on a quest to retrieve Thor’s hammer. This series in particular seems to depend on pop culture references, so while I liked the writing, I wonder if it will stay as relevant as Riordan’s other books. I did really enjoy the cast and the expansion of their backstories, and this book sets up what seems to be more of a crossover with the Percy Jackson series.

Book three, The Ship of the Dead, was also really fun. The closing of The Hammer of Thor was a little misleading in that the crossover elements were limited to the beginning and end of the story as usual, but by this time the characters are more than capable of standing on their own. It seems like this book is the last of the series, and it managed to close out the plot pretty well.

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo. Six teenagers are hired to break a political prisoner out of a foreign country. Not only is this an excellent heist story with a really detailed plot, but each of the characters are fully developed and they all have their own arcs throughout the books. Bardugo’s cast is inclusive and intersectional without feeling like she’s checking off a list and the writing is witty with clear voices. Both the characters and plot drive the story. I can’t say enough good things about this duology.

The Grisha Trilogy, by Leigh Bardugo. A teenage soldier discovers an elemental power and becomes part of a plan to overthrow a corrupt monarchy. This trilogy takes place before Bardugo’s Six of Crows books, but it was disappointing in comparison. I really disliked the protagonist, and there was a lot of focus on a frustrating romance, to the point that it overshadows the interesting worldbuilding. The plot dragged in places, despite being too thin to fill three books. Even so, there are a few really great supporting characters that almost made it worth it.

Sophomores and Other Oxymorons, by David Lubar. After a successful freshman year, a teenager’s overconfidence causes problems at his high school. This is the belated sequel to Sleeping Freshman Never Lie, which is one of my favorite books. Sophomores seems more self-referential and has a subplot that doesn’t seem to fit the tone as well, but for the most part it had the same witty charm that I loved about the first book. Of course, the best part of the series is still Lee, the female lead.

Maresi, by Maria Turtschaninoff. An abbey novice discovers her calling when a new girl with a troubled past arrives. This book was originally published in Finnish, I believe, but I think it must have lost something in the translation. The narration is distant, and even though parts of the world are described, it was hard to picture any of the setting. Overall it didn’t really hold my interest.

Kingdom of Ash and Briars, by Hannah West. After gaining magic powers and immortality, a girl becomes responsible for ensuring peace throughout three kingdoms. I really didn’t like this book. It treats the female characters poorly, especially the antagonist, and although the plot is ostensibly about duty, it’s heavy-handed, relies too much on tropes, and is really obviously motivated by romance. A lot of this can be overlooked if it’s ironic or just done well, but it never came together and ended up being very frustrating.

Of Fire and Stars, by Audrey Coulthurst. As she enters an arranged marriage, a princess has to hide her magic and her attraction to the prince’s sister. Even though the two protagonists are supposed to have equal weight, I ended up almost actively disliking one of them. The plot isn’t terribly engaging, but because I couldn’t get behind one of the characters, the romance couldn’t carry the novel for me. It wasn’t bad, but I wish it was better.

Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters, by Shannon Hale. A commoner-turned-princess takes an unattractive job to teach court manners to three royal sisters. This book is the third in Hale’s Princess Academy series and it is just as excellent as the first two. The plot is set up well across multiple books, and Miri is an excellent and flawed protagonist who is capable without overshadowing the other characters. The romantic plots don’t feel forced and the narration accomplishes a lot of interesting worldbuilding. Another book with girls supporting one another despite not necessarily understanding each other.

The Martian, by Andy Weir. An astronaut is stranded on Mars after an early mission evacuation and must survive until he can be rescued. I was skeptical about the premise, but everything is well thought out and clearly explained, without sacrificing either reader engagement or scientific accuracy. The protagonist has a great voice, but as soon as the perspective shifts away from his first-person mission logs, it’s easy to tell that Weir isn’t a very experienced writer, since the other characters and third-person narration are not nearly as well-defined. Overall, though, it was still a good book.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline. A high-schooler who is desperate to escape a dystopian future dedicates his life to solving a virtual reality puzzle and becoming the heir to a video game empire. There were two things that I really disliked about this book, the first being the protagonist, who seemed like a terrible person for most of the book. The second is that, despite being ostensibly a celebration of pop culture (and especially 80s pop culture), the overall viewpoint seemed really rigid and judgemental. The writing was fine, and there were some really interesting puzzles, but in the end I felt like it was male nerd entitlement in novel form.

Ever After High: Once Upon a Twist: Cerise and the Beast, by Lisa Shea. The daughter of Red Riding Hood and the son of King Charming are forced into the roles of Beauty and the Beast in order to escape their midterm exam. Cerise and Dexter seem like an odd pair, which sometimes works in the Ever After High universe, but didn’t really here. Part of this I think is because this book is written for an even younger audience than the original so the characters lost a lot of their nuance. The only part of the story that surprised me was almost immediately negated by a soap opera-worthy plot device to prevent the status quo from changing.

Afar, by Leila del Duca and Kit Seaton. Graphic novel. A girl tries to fix problems caused by her newfound ability to project herself into different worlds, while keeping her younger brother out of trouble. There is a lot of visual worldbuilding here, which I thought was very well done. Plot wise, it felt like the protagonist’s arc was maybe just the first act of a much longer book, but the characters were solid all around.

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy, by Chynna Clugston Flores, Rosemary Velero-O’Connell, Kelly Matthews, and Nichole Matthews. Graphic novel. The ensemble casts of Lumberjanes and Gotham Academy work together to free their teachers from a girl’s attempt to relive a disastrous birthday. I think this book is set up more for fans of both series, and since I’ve only read a little of Lumberjanes, I felt like I was playing catch-up for some parts. I did really like the parts that showcased the Gotham Academy characters, though. I felt like the art was missing the lushness and texture of what I remember of the regular series, which was disappointing.

Ever After High: The Class of Classics, by Leigh Dragoon and Jessi Sheron. Graphic novel. The children of popular fairy tales learn more about their parents by using magic to relive parts of their high school experience. This book was very disappointing compared to other parts of the franchise. The art is minimal and flat compared to the webseries, and all but one of the anthology-esque stories felt like retreading old ground. I also really disliked the narrative hoops the audience was expected to jump through just to keep anything significant from changing.

It’s Not Like It’s a Secret, by Misa Sugiura. After moving from Wisconsin to California, a Japanese-American girl struggles to build a life she is happy with while keeping secrets that could ruin her family. This book was a bit surreal to read because specific parts of it were identical to my high school experience, while other parts were completely foreign. Still, the writing is solid and thought-provoking, and I liked that there is no easy answer to the protagonist’s problems.

A Shadow Bright and Burning, by Jessica Cluess. A newly-discovered sorceress takes on the role of a prophecized savior in a fight against enormous apocalyptic monsters. I found it a little difficult to get into the characters, especially since there is only one girl in a large group of boys and the gender difference is a large part of their interactions. I disliked the romantic subplots, which seemed to take over the narrative, even though the worldbuilding and political aspects of the plot were really interesting.

The Sleeper and the Spindle, by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell. A queen postpones her wedding to deal with the sleeping curse that threatens to spread from the kingdom next door. The story begins as a mix of archetypes from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, but Gaiman’s atmospheric writing elevate it even before the surprising finale. Riddell’s illustrations and other visual choices for the physical book are beautiful and tell the story meaningfully. Highly recommended.

Woven, by Michael Jensen and David Powers King. After his murder, an aspiring knight goes on a quest with a spoiled princess to stop the universe from unraveling. This book had an interesting premise, but its execution filled me with rage. Although it pretends to have dual protagonists, the princess is treated horribly by the narration without any kind of self-awareness. She is given a thin veneer of fighting ability but no agency in the story and is constantly being rescued without payoff. The writing and pacing also seemed flat. Overall extremely frustrating, especially because of the hints of interest.

[irkallanprince]

SPORES (Chapter Four)

Fandom: Power Rangers (2017 movie) Rating: T Warnings: Canon typical violence, discussion of sex, FROG MONSTER! Sexual situations (nothing explicit), mild language Relationships: Billy Cranston/Jason Scott; Kimberly Hart/Trini

The spores leave Billy raging at a bar just out of town, so Jason steps in to calm him down.

(read on ao3)

Billy was a bad, bad boy. Normally, even before he got infected by the spores, he did some amusing yet questionable things. There was a reason he knew how to so easily disable Jason’s ankle bracelet. He’d made a convincing fake I.D. a while ago, it’s just that he was always so timid to use it. He was either scared he’d get caught or his too-good conscience got in the way. But now? Now he didn’t care. Now his morals were a little more warped. So it was the perfect time to try it out.

He sat alone at a bar called ‘Fat Willy’s’, nursing his fourth or fifth beer. He’d lost count. All he had to do was show the I.D. for a split second and no questions were asked. This didn’t seem like the type of bar that really cared one way or the other.

It was also the type of bar that strangers weren’t treated too kindly. It was on an old country road somewhere between Angel Grove and Stone Canyon, and its patrons mostly consisted of bikers.

“You don’t look like you belong too much round these parts.” A husky elderly voice came from behind him. Billy turned his head and quirked an eyebrow to the older portly man with a bandana on his head and a gross Z.Z. Top beard. He was flanked on either side by other decidedly white, tattooed men wearing rebel flags on their vests. Who even had rebel flags in California? These guys apparently.

They were clearly trying to intimidate Billy. And normally they might. But this was a different Billy Cranston. This was Billy inebriated and hopped up on monster spores. So he turned on his bar stool, his legs widely stanced as he gave them an unimpressed look.

“I don’t. Your point?” He said, taking a long, slow, almost condescending swig from the beer bottle. The leader was clearly angered by it and doubled down on his intimidating voice.

“You should probably leave before there’re any problems…” He said, staring Billy down. But Billy Cranston could only laugh, finishing off his beer and cocking his head to the side.

“Free country.” He said, staring back with just as much vitriol. The older man nodded his head at his two friends, who moved to flank either side of Billy’s stool. They grabbed his arms and tried to lift, but found that they couldn’t. It was like the boy was made of steel.

“Aww, guys. You guys really shouldn’t touch me. I have a thing about that.” He said. They growled and both swung at him. He dodged easily, still sitting in his stool. One fist connected with the other’s face, while the one getting punched tried making contact with Billy’s only to have it stopped by Billy’s incredibly strong hand. Billy smirked.

* * *

“Oh he’s gonna murder those racist douchebags.” Zack laughed, watching the viewing globe. They’d

just

finally tracked down Billy’s whereabouts. It had been chaotic this afternoon. Kimberly had teleported in, crazed and crying. She had to be restrained. The boys managed to get her in a cage, but all she could do was scream about the frog. After a while they had calmed her down, but she was still spouting more expletives than they’d ever heard in their lives.

After hearing her story about the night before, Zordon and Alpha were able to cross-reference their system to a species of toad creatures they’d encountered centuries ago on a planet called Sorcery 7. They were carnivores, yes, but they didn’t eat their prey by traditional means. They had an arsenal of natural techniques to lure unfortunate souls in. Their primary tool were spores they shot out of their body, infecting their targets minds and causing them to act reckless and irrationally, making them easier to capture. They stored prey in their mouths until they got to their lair, where they would use natural secretions to plaster them against the wall where they would lay comatose until the time came to feed. Of course they fed in cycles, once every 30 years over the course of a few days. Zordon wasn’t aware that any had made it to this planet, but the fact that there only was one was good news. A couple dozen completely destroyed Sorcery 7.

Long story short, Trini was still alive. And if they wanted to snap Billy and Kimberly out of their crazed behavior they would need to snap the horn off of the toad’s back to create a serum out of it. It would seem getting Billy would be the hard part right now.

“Aye-yi-yi… he’s really giving them hell.” Alpha said in his sarcastic robotic voice, watching almost as entertained as Zack.

“I suppose we could lock on to his signal and teleport him out of there before he hurts anyone too bad?”

“Are you kidding? We may as well just have him shout ‘Oh by the way I’m a Power Ranger’ to the rest of the bar. No I got this.” Jason said, moving over to his podium.

“Input the coordinates for behind the bar. I’ll get him out of there.” Jason nodded. Alpha moved over to the control panel and pressed a few buttons, then gave him a little salute.

A small flash of red light circled his body. The next thing he knew he was landing on a bail of hay behind the old dive bar.

He could hear the commotion from there. Shouting and shattering glass. He ran around front and into the door to see Billy pressing the old guy’s head against the bar, hissing at him.

“What you will do is respect me!” He said. And a fair point was being made. As a person with dignity with a boyfriend of color that he deeply respected, he wanted to watch Billy wipe the floor with him a little more. But as a Power Ranger… he had to take the high road.

“Enough, Billy. Come on. Let’s go.” He said in a commanding tone. Billy turned his head, dropping the man before dusting off his new vest he stole from Colt earlier in the day.

“But I’m just starting to have fun, Jase. You want me to have fun, don’t you?” Billy said in the most confident, cocksure voice he’d ever heard come out of his mouth. Jason sighed, placing his hands on his hips and tapping his foot against the ground.

“I want you to have fun, just not… like this, okay?”

“Then how? Certainly not by fucking me. Am I not attractive to you no more, Jase?” Billy said defiantly. Jason pursed his lips, watching the rednecks and townies gasp, unsure what to do with the situation.

“Can we not do this here? We can talk at home.” Jason said, nodding toward the door. That’s when Billy got angry.

“No! FUCK YOU JASON!” He shouted angrily, tossing a bottle at his head which was quickly dodged.

“Or rather don’t fuck you because I was READY AND WILLING AND YOU SAID NO! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS FOR ME TO BE THAT COMFORTABLE?!” Billy shouted once more. It was as if the spores were just inciting him to say just… whatever was on his mind. Jason was… flummoxed? Embarrassed? His face was turning as red as his ranger color. He nodded and walked toward him, grabbing his arm.

“Okay, come on Romeo, we’ll talk in the ca--” He started, but suddenly his arm was twisted behind his back.

“Bill, you don’t wanna do this.” He said. Billy just smirked.

“Do I?” He said almost flirtatious before tossing him forward. Suddenly Billy was launching an attack toward him, swinging his fists wildly. Again, fighting like some low level street punk. Jason was able to dodge each punch, and when Billy launched a kick at his chest, he caught it with his hands.

“Billy! Stop!” He yelled. Billy just smirked and used the leg Jason held to help propel his other leg forward and kicked him across the jaw. Jason flew back as Billy cracked his own neck from side to side.

“You think I don’t know?! That all you other guys think I’m just some doe-eyed innocent child?! You don’t need to handle me with kids gloves! I’M GROWN!” He said, kicking him in the gut. He flew through the front door into the parking lot. Jason coughed a bit, looking up. Dammit. Still people watching. This would be easier if they weren’t. Alpha could port them both out. No such luck.

“Billy, we don’t… we don’t think that.” He said, moving to his feet. Billy snapped the top off of a table and flung it out the door like a frisbee toward him, to which he ducked under, hearing it lodge itself into the car behind him. Okay. Billy was causing more than a scene now. People were gonna question just how strong he really was.

“You laugh at my voice! You get irritated when I have to rearrange everything on my desk when you know I can’t concentrate if I don’t!” He said, running out, tossing a punch at him and getting his fist lodged in a truck door when Jason sidestepped it.

“And why won’t you FUCK me?!”

Jason was pinned between him and the truck, his boyfriend’s fist stuck in the metal lining. He just reacted, shaking his head.

“I’M A VIRGIN, OKAY?!” Jason shouted. He wasn’t sure why he was even defending himself. Billy was the one that would panic and talk about homework. Everyone just assumed that Jason was some big bad lothario, that he’d had ALL the sex. But honestly, he never really made time for it with football. And now being a ranger. Made out a few times before Billy, yeah but… never all the way. Still, that revelation made Billy pause, looking at him confused for a moment. He then looked at his fist that was rammed in the metal siding of a truck and hissed to himself.

“Ouch.” He said. He looked at Jason almost apologetically.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I was angry and then… I just saw… I don’t know what I saw. I just wanted to break stuff.”

“It’s okay, Billy.” He said with a smile. Then he carefully helped him remove his hand, which was bloody and cut up. Everyone was still watching from the bar. Jason just smiled and waved, unsure of what else to do.

“Uh… all good, folks! We’re leaving! Sorry! We uh… won’t come back! Promise!” He said, waving them off before ushering Billy beyond the treeline so they could teleport back to the command center.