#e4 just felt a little disappointing

[cowboysmp3]

succession s4 is actually very good and fun if u like every character OTHER than tom and greg,,, the shiv people are also not winning atm

[paopaupaus]

part 7 of the Buddie Development

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10

guys i’ve just realized that this is going to be a million parts so i’m going to limit it to 1 part per season.

this is Season 3

S3:E4 Triggers

Buck looks so jealous when Lena asks Eddie to spot her. I have reason to believe buck was madder at the bond Eddie and Lena have than her being his replacement.

S3:E5 Rage

During the meeting for Buck’s lawsuit everyone’s gaze bounces off of the lawer to buck and back to the lawyer, but i can just imagine how betrayed Eddie felt that he doesn’t takes his eyes off of Buck, not even when the lawyer is asking questions, Eddie got that intense eye contact. 😩

Then they meet at the supermarket and Eddie goes off on Buck, he says it all, that he can’t even talk to him now because of the lawsuit, Christopher misses him and he didn’t even think about that. He says “it (the lawsuit) prevents me from reaching out to you, i couldn’t even call you to bail me out of jail!” oop.

Bobby side eyes Eddie like girl sit your ass down.

i fully thought eddie was gonna slam buck against the shelves. to punch him or the other thing, idk.

S3:E6 Monsters

Eddie is such a great dad. I know we had already gotten into that in another post but really, the patience that i’m sure it takes to be able to gentle parent Buck is outstanding.

He achieved what bobby couldn’t, which is to make buck understand what he did wrong (with the lawsuit).

Buck: i just want you to talk to me, even if it is just to say that you’re still mad. (confused because eddie is just plain ignoring him)

eddie: i’m not mad, i’m-

(EDDIE I KNOW you were gonna say “i’m disappointed” omg classic parenting 101 😭)

Buck saw the little picture and said, what’s the fastest way to get back out there, but Eddie tries to make him see the bigger picture, utilizing techniques like rationalizing and treating the kid as an adult

Eddie: lotta “I”s in there. your actions, your choices, they impact the rest of us. that’s what it means to be a part of a team.

and of course that’s all it took to make Buck let it out, and talk about his feelings 😭😂

S3:E8 Malfunction

I swear Buck can’t shut up about Eddie he brings him up when Maddie, Chim and him are talking about Hen like “yeah and you know who else is acting weird? Eddie!”

S3:E9 Fallout

domestic night in Buck’s loft and Buck is apologizing for not being there to see that Eddie needed someone, and that he wasn’t there for Christopher either. i remember that this was the first time i noticed the gay vibe between these two 😭 Buck creeping closer to Eddie, beer bottle in Eddie’s hand

Buck saying “now, i thought that day in the grocery store you were gonna take a swing at me” while his eyes check Eddie out?! i knew there was too much tension that day in the store.

Eddie: but i wouldn’t do that *checks him out” you’re on blood thinners.

Buck: well, i’d still take you 🧿🫦🧿 (the beer bottle is IN his mouth)

Eddie: you think so

Buck: i know

this is where he slowly walks over to Eddie, stands right next to him and the tension could be cut with a knife.

of course since they are just bros they work it out with a videogame.

S3:E10 Christmas Spirit

it is kind of sad that when the team’s family organize a christmas dinner in the station Buck doesn’t have anyone to go hug :”( but on the other side as Eddie is hugging Christopher Buck stares at them smiling like a thousand stars.

During christmas dinner Christopher sits between Buck and Eddie :”)

S3:E11 Seize The Day

Buck tells Maddie he doesn’t see himself as a guest in Eddies house.

S3:E12 Fools

Buck does everything he can to support Eddie and Christopher, he built him a safe skateboard 🫶

S3:E15 Eddie begins

As Carla and Christopher visit Eddie to ask him if they can take his Silver Medal to show and tell at school, Buck can’t stay away and has a fangirl moment with Christopher.

Buck’s instinct is to risk it all to save Eddie when he cuts the line that was gonna pull him up, and oh God when the lightning struck and the tunnel was gone, leaving Eddie trapped down there Buck was hysterical, upset and yelling for him. he was so freaked out and worried. he fell down crying.

and the thought of the others thinking he’s dead got him so mad.

in the montage while eddie was drowning who is the first person he heard?? Buck when he first saw a picture of Christopher 😩✋

buck: oh you got a kid?

Eddie: Christopher

Buck: and super adorable, i love kids

eddie: i love this one

the 118 is the family he chose, and i’m honestly so happy he found someone who shares his love for Christopher as much as he does.

S3:E16 The One That Got Away

when attending an emergency for a hot air balloon Buck mentions on the drive there that everything is super romantic until someone calls 9-1-1. Eddie asks him if Maddie said that but Buck responds

“uhhh no, someone else”

Buck why wouldn’t you just say that it was abby? it was in S1:E9 Trapped, they were going on a hot air balloon date, but it got cancelled. seriously why didn’t he just tell Eddie that it was Abby?? 🤨🤔🏳️‍🌈

And then Karen and Hen were talking about going out to a tepanyaki place, Hen went with Chim (allegedly) and didn’t invite Karen, to justify herself Hen said that if she invited Karen And Chim he would invite Maddie and she would invite Buck, and Buck Eddie. then Athena and Bobby, so the night would look a little like this.

👩🏾‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏾

👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻

👨🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻

👩🏾‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏼

S3:E18 What’s next?

Buck promised Abby that he would get her fiancé out of the train reck, and when Eddie reveals this to Bobby he seems so mad that Abby is the reason Buck wants to put his life in danger. he says “Abby” with so much hate 😂😭

Eddie and Buck taking couples pictures at May’s graduarion party 🥰

that is ittt. hope you liked thiss

[scarvi-tealdisc]

Heya! So this is my first time writing a fic for these characters! Pokemon Scarvi has become one of my favorite games to date, with the latest DLC igniting a love for the BB E4 cast. Especially Drayton, seeing that he reminds me of another white haired character (Friede from Pokemon Horizons) that I love haha

This fic is inspired from this ask response by @cheemken! It's a self indulgent piece mixed in with doses of self projection, and I had fun writing it! I'm hoping to get a better handle of their characters as I write more stuff about these characters in the future!

Series: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet | Indigo Disc DLC

Characters: Drayton, Crispin

Warnings: Plot involving food, eating food, intentions of feeding someone food

---

Crispin knew it’d be tough going into this but someone had to do it.

“C’mon Drayton, we gotta move all of this to the storeroom or else Lacey’s gonna flip!” Crispin stated in exasperation. He had his hands on his hips, trusty frying pan set aside for once. Narrowed eyes settled on his friend, who barely moved beyond lifting their head. 

“But there’s just so much of it. Can’t we just pile it in the corner and call it a day?” Drayton whined, sporting a cheeky grin that got Crispin’s blood boiling. 

Argh, why can’t he understand that they should have done this yesterday? Crispin wasn’t keen in seeing Lacey’s angry, disappointed frown even if it wasn’t directed at him! Drayton should know that she’d be on their case again for slacking off!

“Nope! These boxes needed to be moved yesterday but you wanted to nap first! No napping now! Move first, nap later!” Crispin’s insistence eventually led him to straight up grab Drayton’s wrist, tugging him to his feet.

Drayton wasn’t expecting this so they had no choice but to get up lest they faceplanted on the floor instead. While his friend rubbed the back of their neck, grumbling about feisty peppers or something, Crispin stared quizzically at his hand.

Why was he able to…?

“If you’re gonna make me get up for this, don’t zone out now.” Drayton’s voice snapped him out of the brief trance he was in. Right, they had stuff to do now. He should focus on completing this task first.

–

Hours later, Crispin still couldn’t forget it. He stared at his hand, fingers curling and uncurling around an imaginary wrist. He gently circled his own wrist with a thumb and forefinger, frown deepening.

Crispin didn’t realize how skinny Drayton actually was. Was it their attire that gave them the illusion of looking more filled out? He supposed the jacket hid their upper torso, while the cape wrapped around their waist made it seem… fuller or something. He wasn’t sure the right terminology to use, only that it didn’t sit right with him.

With how often Drayton snacked in the clubroom, the idea that he wasn’t eating enough never crossed Crispin’s mind. Sure, Drayton laziness rivalled that of a Slakoth but he didn’t think his friend would be too lazy to eat… unless there were other reasons? 

It made his head hurt a little when he tried to think too deeply on it. Crispin can’t just go out and ask them anyway. Knowing Drayton as well as he did, they’d probably wave of his concern, claiming that he was seeing things or something. Yet Crispin just can’t forget how thin their wrist felt. He hated the idea that one of his friends might not be eating enough.

After a brief brainstorming session that would’ve caused smoke to leak out of his ears, Crispin came up with a plan. He wasn’t as good as Drayton when it came to sneaking around and cooking up schemes but he was good at actual cooking.

Let's see what he had in his recipe book…

–

When Crispin poked his head into the clubroom, his eyes quickly landed on Drayton's slouched form by the desk. They looked to be munching on some snacks, which was far from nourishing in his opinion.

“Hey Drayton, are you busy right now?” Crispin piped up, entering the clubroom properly. In his hand was a small box wrapped up in a checker patterned cloth.

Drayton paused in his chewing. Slowly raising his head, he cocked an eyebrow, lips set into a faint grin.

“Nope. I'm pretty busy right now quality checking these snacks.” 

Crispin playfully rolled his eyes at the response. Drayton's teasing tone meant exactly that so he simply took a seat on the other side of the table. Placing the box in front of his friend caught their attention at least.

“So I've been doing some recipe testing. I wanted to spruce up common sandwich fillings, see if the taste can hold up even hours later. I tried them out and it's tasty but I want a second opinion,” Crispin explained while he unwrapped the lunch box. Upon taking off the top, it revealed various sandwiches with the crusts cut off, shaped in rectangles.

“What, so you want me to be your test Morpeko?” Drayton asked, arms now loosely crossed over their chest. They seemed interested at least with the sandwiches, which Crispin took as a small win.

“What, like I'd feed you bad food? Spicy food doesn't count!” Crispin quickly added before Drayton made a sassy remark. “But yeah, I could really use a second opinion and I do trust you so…”

Someone once commented that he had ‘eyes that were hard to resist’, which Crispin took as a compliment, thinking that it was his fiery spirit coming through. In actuality, he looked more like a pleading Lilliput more than anything.

Drayton locked eyes with Crispin for all of three seconds before they turned away, sighing.

“Alright, I'll give it a try. Geez, you'd think that should be classified as a weapon or something…”

Crispin ignored the rest of Drayton's mumblings, simply pleased as pie to watch his friend pick up one of the sandwiches. Looking at the color of the filling, that one had smashed eggs with a sprinkling of curry powder to give it an extra kick of flavor.

Drayton took a bite of the sandwich, chewing slowly before swallowing. The brief silence genuinely made Crispin sweat a bit but eventually, he got some feedback.

“This one's not bad. I'm getting hints of… some kind of spice.”

“It's curry powder! Specifically a blend that's pretty popular in Galar. Figured it would add a bit of a kick.”

“It's tasty. Adds a pop of flavor to the eggs.” Drayton took another bite of the sandwich. “I'm getting like different textures too. Smooth and a lil chunky. I like it.”

“Oh that's from adding some soft scramble with cut up pieces of boiled egg before I mixed both together in the sauce.” While Crispin beamed at the positive review of his creation, he also took note of Drayton's comment to file it away for later.

He seems to like contrasting textures.

Once Drayton finished their first sandwich, Crispin wasted no time in encouraging his friend to taste the next one. There was a bit of mild grumbling but Drayton did pick up the one that had shredded Klawf Stick next. 

This went on until Drayton finished tasting all the sandwiches in the box. Swiping off a bit of crumb from their bottom lip, Drayton flashed Crispin a lazy smile, leaning back against their chair.

“I suppose being your test Morpeko wasn't all that bad. You've been upping your seasoning game. There were all home runs, no strikeouts.”

Crispin tried to suppress a goofy smile. “Heh, thanks! I really appreciate the feedback too. Out of everything you've tried, was there a favorite?”

“Hmm… guess I liked the first one the best. The curry flavor added a lot to the filling.”

He seems to like curry flavors. Should look into making actual curry.

“Noted! Say, mind helping me out again tomorrow? I want to try out more fillings, maybe switching the bread up too.” Crispin tried to keep it cool, gazing at Drayton with his fiery eyes again.

“... sure, guess I don't mind.” Drayton’s eyes flicker to the left, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sweet! I'll see you tomorrow then!” Crispin gathered all his stuff before exiting the clubroom. With the door closed behind him, he pumped his fist triumphantly, hissing out a delighted yes.

Success! Drayton seemed none the wiser to his plan from the way they ate all the sandwiches he made. Crispin got some good information out of it too. It was important for him to take note of Drayton's potential likes and dislikes. Making food more tailored to their tastes will make things much easier down the road. 

Now he needed to come up with more enticing sandwich fillings for tomorrow. With a pep to his step, Crispin made his way back to his dorm room, where he will test out new flavor combinations for the rest of the day.

[nelvana]

It’s been tricky for me in the past to emulate 3DS pokemon games, since my laptop certainly isn’t strong enough for that, but I’m home from college and decided to give Y a try! But with a twist: I played it in French.

For those unaware, I am bilingual, and know English and French. And with Kalos being based off of France, I figured it would be fitting to play it in French, in part to help make sure I don’t lose my touch on the language since I don’t have to speak it as much as I used to. I found it fairly easy to understand, but I think that has more to do with my knowledge of pokemon, since the French translation was awful. Some parts straight up weren’t translated (and sure, modern French, at least in my area, mixes in some English every now and then, but this was a bit much), constant grammar errors, and even simple pronoun issues. I had an npc call me “mon soeur” which to anyone who knows French, knows that that is just... wrong.

Regardless, I did enjoy my playthrough! I started about three weeks ago, beat it a couple weeks after starting, so here’s my usual team drawing for it!

Team stats and general gameplay info under the cut:

“Aodh”, Delphox, ♂, Flamethrower - Psychic - Grass Knot - Calm Mind

“Olivier”, Venusaur, ♂, Synthesis - Growth - Grass Pledge - Sludge Bomb

“Antoinette”, Aegislash, ♀, Iron Head - King’s Shield - Sacred Sword - Shadow Claw

“Taranis”, Heliolisk, ♂, Quick Attack - Volt Switch - Surf - Thunderbolt

“Maurelle”, Sylveon, ♂, Draining Kiss - Swift - Quick Attack - Moon Blast

“Peluda”, Noivern, ♀, Air Slash - Dragon Pulse - Fly - Boomburst

General Playthrough Notes:

My in-game time after all was said and done was a little over 32 hours! That includes me fucking around in the post-game a bit, I didn’t think to look at the in-game time after just doing the main game, but I didn’t do that much in the post-game so the amount of time was probably close.

When I got to the Elite Four my entire team was at least level 65. I think this is the first time I got to the league and wasn’t underleveled.

Needless to say, gen 6 is really easy. I kinda liked that though, it was funny to plow through the entire game without a second thought, and I even got to skip some trainers without worrying. There was a bit of a level jump at Victory Road, so if someone was really determined to stay underleveled for a challenge then they could be for the Elite Four.

The game being so easy did make the league a bit anticlimactic though? Taranis nearly fought half of the E4 members solo (the fire and water ones), only the talonflame getting the best of him.

I did still have some fun with the champion battle! Though that was mostly because of the spin I put on it, where I “assigned” each of my team members to fight one of hers, meaning that everyone got a chance to shine, which isn’t something I’ve ever gotten to do in a pokemon game. It also felt like the cumulation of all my efforts, since I had to know her team’s names in French to switch in my pokemon at the correct times.

I found the post-game to be a bit lackluster, unfortunately. The Battle Mansion feels bland (and it bored me so much that I nearly missed the rest of the post-game because the rival fight only happens after you do a fight in the Battle Mansion), I was too late to the Battle Castle to enjoy that, shiny hunting isn’t really my thing, and nor is hunting down all the legendaries the game shoved into the post-game (including roaming legendary bird, with the “fun” twist of you having to encounter it 11 times before you can try catching it, and also it teleports randomly). I love the Looker cases though! Of course, that’s all a bit of my personal tastes, it is a lot of content for those more interested, it just left me a bit disappointed.

Guys... listen, listen... gen 6 had so much potential it makes me upset. You can see what they wanted to say, what directions they wanted the characters to go, but it feels like they didn’t progress past the first draft. Lysandre could have been such a cool villain...

And even characters aside, you can see the care they put in to this game. All the little animations, fennekin’s ear fluff spikes out when it’s angry... the grass has wind blowing through it... I wish so badly that it had turned out better.

Back to the plot for a moment, I knew I wanted a noivern on my team, did you know that you can’t catch a noibat until after all the main Team Flare stuff? I didn’t know that until I was forced to bike across the entire region to save the world! Annoying in the moment, but it did quickly turn into a running gag in the Creators’ Guild (where I was sharing my experiences) of me just witnessing the end of the world like “I just wanted a noibat :(”

Speaking of running gags, the joke of “don’t worry, my pokemon will heal this status condition because they love me” is incredibly funny, that mechanic is so broken and I love it so much

There are no good clothing options for the female trainer! I am constantly jealous of the male clothes options! I found one (1) shirt that I really enjoyed and wore it with everything else default for pretty much the entire main game. In the post-game, I finally unlocked that stupid fancy clothes store in Lumiose City and bought the blue suit which I am simultaneously baffled and thankful is an option for girls in this game and it instantly gave me serotonin even if it cost nearly all my money.

THIS IS YOUR REMINDER!! IN GEN 6 YOU CAN PET YOU 4-5 HEART AFFECTION POKEMON IN BATTLE AFTER THEY DEFEAT A POKEMON! Apparently most people didn’t know that, so here’s your reminder to pet your pokemon :D

Aodh was a star player in every gym and I just wanted to mention that. Yes, even the rock-type one. He solo handled the first gym, despite all its fire-type counters. I’m so proud of him.

Just to say, it’s been nearly 3 years since I started doing this “draw your team after you beat a pokemon game” thing, and it’s really nice to see how far I’ve come. Here, have a link to my Leaf Green team post, look at how old that art is!

[gar-trek]

your favorite/ least favorite episodes of ds9 from each season

Interesting question sammy! A little hard because ds9 rarely disappoints!

Season one: worst E7 Dax, best E4 Babel

Season one is always hard because you don’t know as much about the characters so it’s hard to get excited about anything you see them doing. I just remembered the Dax episode being really boring and the concept was kind of dumb. You really want me to believe in the whole history of trill, no one had ever been tried for the crime of a past host??? Stupid. Babel was the first episode I remember going “wow this show is kinda awesome….” Just in general a disease that makes you not talk right is a cool concept….. BREAD!

Season 2: worst E16 shadowplay, best E23 crossover

It’s already so awesome and there are so many episodes I like I can barely choose. Great. Anyway at the end of shadowplay they reveal the whole society was made of holograms and it’s just kinda like…. Who cares man. Felt the same as when they end a story being like “It was all a dream…” it’s like okay then none of it mattered and I just wasted my time. CROSSOVER IS AWESOME BECAUSE IT ESTABLISHES THE MIRROR UNIVERSE WITH IN DS9 AND IT LITERALLY BLEW MY DICK CLEAN OFF.

Season 3: worst E9 defiant, best E7 Civil defivil I mean defense

If you know how I feel about Thomas Riker then you will understand why I don’t like defiant. What a stupid episode and waste of potential that was. In my humble opinion they shouldn’t have even TRIED TO BRING THOMAS BACK… whatever. I don’t need to say why civil defense is awesome it’s literally just awesome. Perfect in every way. Hijinks that just gets worse and worse. Perfection.

Season 4: worst E2 the visitor, best: E5 rejoined

Sorry the visitor was so boring to me…. And I knew sisko wasn’t actually gonna die so where were the stakes ??? And Again I don’t need to tell you how awesome rejoined is we all already know. When I watched it for the first time I had to pause it half way through and stare silently at the screen man. That shit got me

Season 5: worst E25 blaze of glory, best E6 trails and tribble-ations

I actually kinda hated blaze of glory just because it was the Eddington show. And yes I know trial and tribble-ations is just fan service but my god it worked

Still in season 6 so I can’t speak on that or season 7. It was VERY hard to choose what episode I liked the best and none of this is hard and fast as I have a couple favorites per season. There was some episodes of TNG I actually felt were unwatchable, but I don’t feel this way about these less good episodes.

[aion-rsa]

The Sopranos’ Funniest Moments

https://ift.tt/32fYYqM

The Sopranos’ genius was in telling structured stories with well-established themes, while still aping life in all its dirty, disorganised, contradictory, open-ended glory. The show wasn’t a drama, or a comedy, or a tragedy, or a farce. It was all of them. It was none of them. It was life.

Creator David Chase and his crack team of writers never lost sight of the essential truth that no matter how cruel, harrowing or horrid life becomes, it’s always laced through with laughs: oftentimes the laughter and the horror rise in tandem.

Here, then, are some of The Sopranos’ funniest moments, most of them enmeshed with the macabre, the monstrous and the melancholy. 

South of the Border

S1, E9 ‘Boca’

In the machismo-drenched world of the mafia, even going down on your girlfriend is seen as a sign of sexual weakness, and quite possibly – in the non-PC words of Uncle Junior himself – ‘a sign that you’re a fanouk.’

Apparently, ‘they’ think ‘if you’ll suck p***y, you’ll suck anything.’

Whoever ‘they’ are.

News of Uncle Junior’s oral talents reaches Tony from a gossip chain, the final link in which is Carmella. Tony’s reaction, and the way in which he baits Uncle Junior with the intel on the golf course (culminating in Tony singing ‘South of the Border, down Mexico way’) is equal parts childish to hilarious – but funniest of all is how this schoolboy teasing serves as the pre-cursor to a Mafia war.

As Tony later tells Carmella: ‘Cunnilingus and psychiatry brought us to this.’     

Guess Whose Back?

S1, E10 ‘A Hit is a Hit’

Christopher sets Adrianna up in a recording studio to help realise her dream of becoming a music mogul. Things don’t go well. Her new band – the woeful Visiting Day – is ready to walk after a long and soul-sapping session during which they’ve produced nothing of worth. Christopher wastes no time taking up the mantle of manager to convince them that the show must go on. It’s fair to say that being motivational doesn’t come naturally to Christopher. Or, rather, it does, it’s just that his methods of motivation are rather more violent than most. First, Christopher throws the ex-addict lead singer a bag of crystal meth and orders him to take it. When that doesn’t work, he takes the only reasonable course of action left open to him and smashes a guitar over the man’s back.

There’s No Place Like Home

S2,E4 ‘Commendatori’

Paulie is incredibly excited to be visiting the motherland, and arrives full of romantic notions about Italy. All of these are systematically stamped out, mostly by Paulie himself, of whom an Italian gangster remarks at dinner, after Paulie requests tomato ketchup for his spaghetti:  ‘And you thought the Germans were classless pieces of shit.’

Paulie’s beatific little smile as he drinks in the squalor of New Jersey on the ride home from the airport is pitch perfect.

It’s the Jaaaccckkeett!

S2,E8 ‘Full Leather Jacket’

From the moment Richie Aprile is released from prison he’s on a collision course with Tony. In classic Sopranos’ style, though, the torch paper isn’t lit by Richie shacking up with Tony’s sister, or paralysing their mutual friend Beansie, but by the fall-out from a spurned jacket. Not just any jacket, though: ‘the’ jacket; the one Richie took off Rocco di Meo after an adolescent scrap.

‘Cocksucker had the toughest reputation in Essex County, but he never came back after I got through with him,’ Richie tells Tony, as he gifts him the infamous garment.

‘He later died of Alzheimer’s,’ adds Junior.

The look on Tony’s face as he tries to look grateful for ‘the jacket’ is almost as funny as the look Richie later wears in Carmella’s kitchen when he  notices the sainted jacket hanging from the shoulders of the maid’s husband.

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost

S2, E9 ‘From Where to Eternity’

When Christopher briefly dies on the operating table after an assassination attempt, he returns from the brink of death with visions and dispatches from the afterlife. Paulie takes these reports to heart, divining in them a supernatural threat. Not only does Christopher tell Paulie that the souls of his many victims still follow him everywhere he goes, he also brings back an oblique warning: ‘Three o’clock’.

This cryptic curse has Paulie slamming bolt upright in his bed each night with a scream on his lips. First he visits Tony, who tries to lead Paulie back to sanity.

‘You eat steak?’ Tony asks.

‘What the fuck you talkin’ about?’

‘If you were in India, you would go to hell for that.’ 

‘I’m not in India,’ says Paulie. ‘What do I give a fuck?’

‘That’s what I’m trying to tell you. None of this shit means a goddamn thing.’

Unconvinced, Paulie visits a spiritualist psychic, who ‘confirms’ that Paulie is being stalked by ghosts. ‘That’s satanic black magic!’ rails a terrified Paulie, ‘Sick shit’, before hurling a chair at the ‘ghosts’ and screaming ‘Fuckin’ qu***s!’ at them. Finally, he visits his priest to tell him he’s cutting off his donations to the church on the grounds that he should’ve been protected from hauntings. I defy you not to chuckle at the baleful glare Paulie gives the Virgin Mary on his way out of the church.  

A Very Un-woke Wake

S3, E2 ‘Proshai , Livushka’

Livia Soprano – Tony’s murderously manipulative mother – proved just as divisive in death as she was in life, her demise precipitating a wake that was as awkward and corrosive for the characters experiencing it as it was rich and funny for us schmucks at home.

Tony never wanted any of Janice’s ‘California Bullshit’ at the gathering he and Carmella hosted at their home (or ‘that house, up on that hill’, as Livia would have called it). Janice being Janice, though, vetoes her brother’s ruling. She asks each of the assembled guests to share a thought, a memory of their mother, which – given that Livia was a sharp-tongued, anti-social harridan – doesn’t produce heart-warming results. No wonder the unknown man descending the stairs in the background behind them all decides to about-turn and get the hell out of there.

‘She never minced words,’ says Hesch, trying his hardest to accentuate the positive, ‘Between… brain and mouth… there was no interlocutor.’

Read more

Movies

The Sopranos: saluting the greatest TV drama ever made

By Jamie Andrew

TV

The Sopranos: Explaining the Final Scene

By Jamie Andrew

Christopher’s rambling, drug-fuelled, ad lib on the nature of existence, rebirth and doppelgangers is a treat, the sort of new-age snash David Brent might have conjured up while fully sober. The silence doesn’t last for long, though, not least because Carmella has spent the duration of the tense memorial knocking back booze like a cooze-hound on Spring Break, and is ready to unleash hell. 

Merry Stressmas

S3, E10 ‘…To Save Us All from Satan’s Power’

In the absence of Big Pussy Bonpensiero – taken on a long boat-ride to oblivion – the amply proportioned Bobby Baccala is the natural choice to become the new Satriales’ Santa. Except he doesn’t want to do it. He’s too shy.

‘The fucking boss of this family told you you’re gonna be Santa Claus,’ Paulie tells Bobby menacingly. ‘You’re Santa Claus. So shut the fuck up about it!’

The surly and reluctant Bobby proves a lacklustre substitute, an observation that’s articulated perfectly by Paulie when he says, ‘Fuckin’ ho hum if you ask me.’

It’s not just Bobby’s mafia colleagues that like to drop the F-bomb at Xmas. Even a little boy, unimpressed by Bobby’s schtick, issues a heart-felt: ‘Fuck you, Santa.’

God bless us. Every one. 

Two Assholes Lost in the Woods

S3, E11 ‘Pine Barrens’

The Pine Barrens was the episode that cleaved most closely to all-out comedy, pitting hot-headed anti-survivalists Christopher and Paulie against a runaway Russian they’d failed to kill. The darkly comic shit-show unfolded in the unforgiving, snow-filled foliage of the eponymous Pine Barrens, where Tony and Bobby were eventually summoned to rescue the hapless pair.

It’s hard to pick a comedy highlight from this episode, as it’s chock-full of them, but highlights include Tony losing it at the sight of Bobby Baccala’s hunting attire (if James Gandolfini’s laughter seems particularly genuine here, try googling some behind-the-scenes facts – you won’t be disappointed); Chris and Paulie noshing down on sauce sachets like they were a gourmet meal, and the following misunderstanding between Paulie, Chris and Tony thanks to poor mobile reception:

Tony: (garbled, on phone) It’s a bad connection, so I’m gonna talk fast. The guy you’re looking for is an ex-commando! He killed sixteen Chechen rebels single-handed.

Paulie: Get the fuck outta here.

Tony: Yeah, nice, huh? He was with the Interior Ministry.  Guy’s some kind of Russian green beret. This guy cannot come back to tell this story. You understand?

[line breaks]

Paulie: (to Christopher) You’re not gonna believe this. He killed sixteen Czechoslovakians. The guy was an interior decorator.

Chris: His house looked like shit.

You Talkin’ To Me?

S4, E6 ‘Everybody Hurts’

Artie Bucco, Tony’s boyhood best pal, is a regular, hard-working chef. Even so, he’s frequently seduced by the luxurious criminal lifestyle he sees lapping around the fringes of his wonder-bread world. When a business deal to promote ‘the new French vodka’ goes awry and Artie finds himself $50k out of pocket to a swindling huckster he decides to channel his inner Mafioso and get his money back the Soprano way. Unfortunately, his inner Mafioso is no more ferocious than that possessed by any average member of the show’s audience – as much as proximity to Tony might convince us otherwise – and he gets the crap kicked out of him. Before that, though, his little Taxi Driver moment in the mirror, complete with mid-life crisis ear-ring and mobster posturing (‘Fucking shoes you’re wearing. What are they? Designer?’) is at once endearing, pathetic and very, very funny.

The mirror is no accident. He’s looking at us, looking at him, looking at ourselves.     

Telephone Tough Guy

S4, E9 ‘Whoever Did This’

While Ralph Cifaretto is probably most widely remembered as a sort-of gangster Loki – a mirth-wracked trickster with a penchant for mayhem – most of his misdeeds were so loathsome that even the wider mafia disapproved: cheating on his grieving partner, beating a young pregnant girl to death, burning a horse alive (come on, of course that was him). Still, he did make us laugh, though, didn’t he?

No more so than when he pranked Paulie’s dopey-yet-adorable old mother in her nursing home (‘It’s a retirement community!’), announcing himself as Detective Mike Hunt, Beaver Falls, from the Pennsylvania police department. Not only did Ralph claim that Paulie had been caught pleasuring a cub scout in a public bathroom, but also that a small rodent had been discovered in Paulie’s rectal passage. ‘A gerbil, ma’am’.

Ralph laughed his head off.

Tony later removed it.  

A Truth Injection

S4, E10 ‘The Strong, Silent Type’

Drug interventions are worthy and solemn rituals – they certainly aren’t supposed to be funny – but there’s something delicious about a room full of self-involved sociopaths with no impulse control and an insatiable appetite for pleasure assembling to pass judgement on Christopher essentially for having no impulse control and an insatiable appetite for pleasure. Christopher is at least self-aware enough to lobby this back in the faces of his supposed rescuers, pointing out that Silvio likes to sample his sex-workers; that Paulie’s hot-head almost dragged the Newark family into war with the Russian mob, and that Tony’s epicurean compulsions will probably kill him more quickly than Christopher’s drugs.

From the moment a bewildered Christopher emerges from his bedroom to find both families – blood and work – camped out in his living room, the laughs just keep coming, all the way through to the (inevitable) explosion of violence at the scene’s climax.

Christopher instantly recognises the host of the intervention, Dominic Paladino, as ‘the guy who broke into Stew Leonards that time and stole all those pork loins.’

���Yes,’ replies a sheepish Dominic. ‘But… that’s not why I’m here today.’  

Especial mirth-based mentions must go to Silvio and Paulie (the latter’s reaction to Christopher’s narcotic-related manhood problems is priceless), and their refusal to play along with the ‘care-frontation’. 

‘When I came to open up one morning, there you were with your head half in the toilet. Your hair was in the toilet water. Disgusting,’ says Silvio, reading awkwardly from what is possibly the most unnecessary aide de memoire ever written.

Leave it to Paulie to lay the smackdown on this particular brand of ‘California bullshit’: ‘I don’t write nothing down,’ he says, ‘so I’ll keep this short and sweet. You’re weak. You’re out of control. And you’re becoming an embarrassment to yourself and everybody else.’

Drugs are bad. Mmmkay?

Dead Good Food

S5, E7 ‘In Camelot’

When Junior realises he can get respite from his house arrest through attending family funerals he starts to exaggerate and exploit ever more spurious links to get him out of the house for a few hours. While all around him are wracked with grief, his is the only face with a smile on it, enjoying the change of scenery, enjoying the food, wondering why everyone has to be so maudlin.

In a darkly funny scene he happily extols the virtues of the spread while attending the wake of a teenage boy. ‘Chicken’s nice and spicy, huh?’ he beams at a fellow mourner.

A Grave Error

S5, E9 ‘Unidentified Black Males’

When Tony agrees to pick up the tab for the headstone of a New York soldier who was slain, unbeknownst to him, by his own cousin, his men manage to add insult to injury.

We see the headstone. At the graveside. During the funeral service. And it says:

Peeps.

‘Peeps?’ spits Tony. ‘It’s a fuckin’ nickname! His family name is Pepperelli!’

Silvio hunkers down into full middle-management mode. ‘They’re gonna re-do it. Fuckin’ J.C. He’s dyslexic.’

 ‘What’s that got to do with it?’ asks an incredulous Tony. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

You could fill a book with The Sopranos’ funniest moments – Paulie’s rant about shoelaces, Bobby B botching a publicity shooting, Silvio’s poker-table tantrum, Little Carmine’s malapropisms, to name but a handful – so by necessity we’ve had to leave a lot out. What are some of yours?

The post The Sopranos’ Funniest Moments appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2U1uOTz

[anais-shirley]

AWAE S3 e4 - Review (Spoilers)

Favorite Moments:

Diana spending the night at the Baynards’. How cute was that entire scene! The joy on Diana’s face, the little ones calling her “princess”, the whole Baynard clan singing and dancing in this one-room house. Having a possible ship between Diana and Jerry would make the excruciating Shirbert slow burn more bearable. Note: Diana likes faking in order to get what she wants (for Anne’s birthday, her sprained ankle). I can totally see her pursuing a career as an actress or some other part in the performing world just to rebel against her own family status.

Rachel Lynde trying to matchmake her own son with Miss Stacy. Holly crap, that was so embarrassing, but HILARIOUS to watch! I love the duo Rachel Lynde / Muriel Stacy this season! I’m not sure if they are kindred spirits, but they sure can give us a good laugh!

Matthew snapping at Marilla. If there is a character who is ahead of a century, it’s definitely Matthew! Matthew does not get angry very often, but when he does...oh my! You’d better have good arguments because he is ALWAYS on point! The first time he snapped was when Marilla heard about the Prissy incident. Everybody was expecting to feel ashamed of Anne, but not Matthew. NOT our wise, kind and compassionate Matthew! Oh please Moira, have mercy on Matthew!

Saddest Moments:

Ka’kwet discovering the reality of Indian residential schools. That was horrible to witness: the contrast between the colorful and full of hope Ka’kwet at the beginning of the episode , to the gloomy, lifeless used rag doll she became as she entered the school. This is not just cultural genocide, but it’s also plain human torture!

Elijah crying over his mother’s letter. That scene only lasted for 3 seconds, but everything was in there: the suffering, the grieving, the regrets and the hopelessness. I know he did wrong, but I couldn’t help feeling what he felt at that moment. 

Disappointing Moments

Anne’s journey to Halifax to discover the truth about her parents. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy she discovered what she needed, but the entire plot and execution left a lot to be desired. Especially the part which she needed to look like she doesn’t need a chaperone in order to be taken seriously. I can understand Anne’s strong yearning for independence that pushes her to be able to “fend for [her]self” as she clearly stated to Gilbert, but the plot line felt too rushed and clumsy. The makeover scene at Aunt Jo was cute, and Anne looks gorgeous, but the whole scene sounded frivolous and not in line with Anne’s noble quest.

Gilbert has a second tea date with Winnie. I don’t know what to think about this scene. Everything was ambiguous! He still has doubts of becoming a doctor and share them with Winnie, who provides the most generic answer to someone she likes but barely knows. The way he looked at Winnie was a mix of heart/confused/crapping my pants type of eyes. He thanked her for her friendship but still want her to visit Avonlea. Anyway, I’ll just blame that on his raging hormones.

It was not a bad episode overall, but it felt more like a filler episode. I’m so anxious to be next Sunday!

[classypicklepatrolroad]

Rank season 3 episodes :)

1. E10: that episode is a masterpiece. it was the first episode completely without angst, david and matteo finally togheter and happy, the girlsquad and the boysquad becoming a one big squad and everyone were supportive towards the others. i cried so much. the only clip I'm bitter about is the last clip, it was so short and I would have liked a few more conversations, idk something between matteo and david, matteo and amira, matteo and hanna are, IDK just something else!! but despite this it remains my favorite episode.

2. E7: another masterpiece. when matteo finally opened up with his friends and started to be more comfortable with his sexuality. and the last clip omg, i was speechless, the best evak reunion ever, imo the more realistic one, or maybe just the one that i could relate more idk.

3. E4: mostly for the first kiss tbh. i love that clip. matteo barely talked in the pool and i didn't even notice that the first time i watched it!! michi's acting was amazing.

4. E6: yeah one of the more angsty episode, but i relate to matteo so much there, I felt really rapresented for the first time.

5. E9: do i really have to explain why i liked this episode? how much i cried with the last clip!! I was literally trembling while watching it.

6. E3: another episode where i felt extremely rapresented by matteo. the panic attack scene was incredible, i could literally see myself in him. then the brief interaction between matteo and david at school is what a teenage crush is like, they were super cute but also awkward and i loved that. and i loved that they they took out the call your girlfriend scene tbh. I've never liked that scene so much and it wouldn't even fitted them.

7. E1: ok so, i talked about the openings earlier so Im gonna talk about something else. I loved matteo and david first interaction, matteo's smile was for the first time a real smile and they were already so cute togheter. also david was the most mysterious even and i was really intrigued by that.

8. E5: the first clip was beautiful, the date as well, but then it was all too angsty!! I felt like I was feeling matteo's emotions the whole time.

9. E2: really cute episode but really i was and im still a little confused about why david left suddenly without saying anything to matteo, he could have come up with an excuse idk

10. E8: i didn't expect the last clip. i was really sure that they would be happy and togheter and like... when david was outed it felt like a stab in the heart. i was so disappointed, mad and sad.

[focsle]

My terror infamy thoughts....under the cut because spoilers but also because it’s just me being...V. MAD and yelling into the void of the internet and if you wanna witness that you can.

Things I loved:

The uh….opening theme. Real good.

The entire first episode. I adored it. It was so eerie, well-paced, and the character dynamics were very interesting. I was so ready to see more of the relationship between father and son, between one who left his home country, and one with a home that has always been the US, and what happens when the US doesn’t have the same idea that your home is within it. The idea that spirits immigrate too.The actual human horror of Japanese American internment, a history that is rarely really addressed in the US in a significant way, in my experience, and one that should be. That there is so much rich Japanese folklore about ghosts that could create a really marvelous specificity. I was SO ready for this story to be told through the lens of a ghost story. A....las...alas.

George Takei being a part of it!

I also really liked Chester’s scene with the POW in e4 and 5. It really merged his anxiety of a supernatural horror with the storyline of the Horrors of Man, but also was a REALLY interesting character interaction. It highlighted the messiness of war and how it…ultimately goes against what it means to be a human, so there’s this really moving human element in that whole bit as they come to speak to each other as individuals with lives outside of war. THAT KIND OF THING ALWAYS GETS ME, MAN.

The initial part of Yuko’s origin story and existence after death. I thought that was pretty emotional and eerie. I liked the off-kilter repetition of paradise and how she gradually came to the realization that it was a prison. Her motivation however….I will speak of below.

Things I did not love:

Literally anything to do with babies, which is…UNFORTUNATELY THE ENTIRE SHOW. I thought Luz and Chester’s relationship was very weak. Within the span of an episode Luz would push him away, and then 20 minutes later ask him to live with her or something similar, and this happened like…repeatedly. They were so unconvincing to me that the whole thing with their children had…little emotional weight.

And Yuko’s motivation? This disappointment might be a Me Problem, in that I have a personal thematic interest (see….my own work…) of how history makes ghosts, and how unredressed history makes monsters. That’s what I was thinking this was going to be—that her story would in some way intertwine with the injustice of Japanese American internment. But instead she just had…….lost child mom feelings. And like, there is absolutely a space for that story, but it makes me wonder why set it in this period, in this specific window of history that could be so richly explored, and then ultimately use it as set dressing? I’m so frustrated. Maybe I’m missing something.

Also Yuko’s horror, that was at once so haunting in the first episode, became a tedious one-trick pony. That was in turn either gruesome shock factor, or some lil spooky ghosty neck crack that people mostly just shrugged off later, thus deadening its malice. It got real dull for me. Also she killed pretty much everyone EXCEPT Bowen? Cos I guess they had to keep him around to be a violent freak. Just to give Amy a horror that’s barely addressed afterward. Kind of like how the first 2 minutes of e10 nodded at Hiroshima without giving barely any weight to that either cos we had to plummet into the weird baby horror plot.

Character motivations were wild in a bad way…Again, with like, everything relating to Luz. But also by ep 7 the ‘I have a twin?’ twist that was never hinted at at all despite Yuko’s backstory, Chester musing about if that’s why he always felt like ‘part of him was missing’ when he never seemed to voice that feeling at any point in the first 6 episodes? Not enough emotional grounding for me to care about his twin plotline because it was so out of nowhere, and it also didn’t do much of anything for the story going forward.

Episode 1, 4, and 5 were the only ones out of 10 that did anything for me. And those three episodes WERE standouts and I really liked them. But I felt like the whole thing plummeted after episode 7, went off the rails entirely in the last three and just…never recovered. It was SUCH a discordant story.  By episode 10 every character was just flat out spelling out the plot and their feelings in their dialogue AND YET I had no idea what the characters really wanted. I had no idea what the story really wanted. I had no idea what its themes were really supposed to be.

OOF. That was extremely frustrating for me. In part because the first episode and one-sentence premise felt so promising.

[charlesxavirs]

For Cherik prompts: Hogwarts, Christmas and cuddles! xD

read on ao3 !

Christmas was always a less than extraordinary affair for Erik. Sure, the castle became increasingly magical towards the end of December- as if it wasn’t magical enough- with snow blanketing the grounds in an icy expanse of white, and the Christmas tree in the Great Hall could easily qualify as the eighth wonder of the world, what with its colour changing baubles and ice skating snowmen and wee ornamental mice in scarves that sang carol upon carol.

Of course, there was a menorah, dutifully placed in a secluded corner of the Gryffindor common room, set up for him, and a small bag of chocolate coins appeared on his bedside table every morning for the duration of Hanukkah. During his first three years at Hogwarts, he didn’t need it, seeing as he went home to celebrate with his parents. But his parents weren’t there anymore, and with them seemed to go Erik’s want to partake in anything that reminded him of them, and that included lighting the Menorah.

He didn’t, for the first year after they died, but it was Charles who encouraged him to do it, who held his hand as he mumbled his way through the blessings, covering Erik’s trembling hands with his own to hold the Shamash steady, and guiding them when Erik’s vision became too blurred to see what he was doing. Charles held him after that, shushing him and running a hand through his hair as they watched the flames flicker and burn, and he did so until Erik could light all eight candles without tears stopping him, and he still did even then.

But Charles wasn’t here, so Erik didn’t really feel the need. Still, Charles had asked him to carry on without him, so he did. It didn’t feel the same though, without arms there to hold him afterward. But that was a dangerous train of thought, one Erik didn’t want to tread, fuelled by the cold and a Charles shaped hole in his life.

Pull yourself together, Lehnsherr, he thought to himself, burrowing deeper into his armchair with a scowl. You’re eighteen years of bloody age, and he’s only been gone two days. Man the fuck up.

Usually, his moping was completely unwarranted, and it was usually Charles who told him so, but this was Erik’s first Christmas without him, so he allowed himself to feel just a little bit sorry for himself. Or maybe a lot sorry. Either way, he was miserable to say the least.

“Mother wants me back this Christmas.” Charles had sighed to Erik over the chessboard, before moving his knight to E4, watching it swing it’s minute porcelain sword into the arm of Erik’s pawn. “Merlin knows why. And Raven’s spending the holidays with an aunt back in America, so I already know it’ll be a bore.”

Erik ignored the sharp tug of disappointment in his chest. “Well, whatever Sharon wants.”

Charles snorted, firing a heating charm at his mug of tea before taking a hearty gulp. “I don’t suppose there’s any convincing you to tag along then?”

And God, the look in his eyes almost compelled Erik to yell yes, yes anything you want, anything at all, but Erik quickly swallowed it down, burying it down along all the other feelings he had regarding Charles that he didn’t want to think about. “You and I both know I wouldn’t be welcome, Charles.”

Sharon and Kurt Marko’s feelings towards Muggleborns was no secret to either of them.

“Besides,” he continued, trying to soothe Charles’s upset with a smile he hoped didn’t look as forced as it felt. “Who else is going to tell you how pissed Howlett gets on Christmas day?”The mention of their favourite Christmas tradition managed to get a hint of a smile back on Charles’s face, so Erik counted it as a victory. It was only going to be a few days, they would be back by each other’s sides way before New Year’s Day. Yet despite this, Erik felt like the five days they spent apart were going to last forever.

That’s why, after he had shuffled the last of the first years to bed and lit the Menorah, Erik had finally fallen asleep in his usual arm chair, lamenting the eternity between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

That was, until, the dull thud of the common room door opening awoke him from his slumber with a jerk.

Erik grabbed his wand from the arm of the chair, holding it in a white knuckled grip as he watched the darkened figure lug something through the door, and for one delirious moment Erik thought Father Christmas had appeared to leave presents under the common room tree, (and he didn’t find himself above Stupefying Santa into Easter if he had to) until the figure came creeping towards Erik on trembling legs, finally illuminated in the light of the dying fire, until Erik could see his face-

“Charles?” he asked, his suspended disbelief quickly turning to relief before he caught a glimpse of his wet blue eyes, the darkening bruise under one eye, the snow melting in his hair and saturating his favourite cardigan and Ravenclaw scarf-

Erik had just enough time to catch him before he fell to the floor.

“Charles, Charles what happened? Talk to me-”

“Took the train to Hogsmeade and walked the rest of the way.” He whispered, his voice hoarse and thick, and only now could Erik see the drying track of tears staining Charles’s ruddy cheeks in the glow of the fire. “I couldn’t stay there Erik, now with him, not after what he said about you-”

“Charles,” Erik pleaded, trying to ignore the anger filling his veins at the sight of the purpling bruise marring Charles’s pale skin. “Charles you need to tell me what happened. Please, Charles.”

Fingers brushed his temple in a silent invitation. Erik wrapped his hands around Charles’s wrist, keeping his fingers there in a silent agreement and the Occlumens showed him the memory in answer. Erik’s head was suddenly filled with a whirlpool of pain and resigned despondency as Kurt’s words echoed through the recesses of his brain, love him, the Mudblood, good for nothing, the Muggleborn’s whore, this’ll show you, saw Sharon’s blank expression as a punch landed, and then a kick, and then another and-

And then Erik came crashing back to the present as Charles started to cry, and whatever Erik felt then, towards Kurt, towards Sharon, it didn’t matter, because Charles needed him, and Charles- Charles loved him?

“Do you?” Erik asked, his voice small as he kept his grip on Charles, feeling himself like he was going to fall over at any moment. “Do you love me?”

“Erik-”

“Do you love me?” He asked again, ignoring the way his voice broke as he cupped Charles’s face in his hands, gently wiping away the tears that fell with this thumb, gently stroking around the edge of his bruise.

Erik could just about make out the nod under his hands. And then Erik was kissing him.

Charles’s lips were cold and salty under his but it didn’t stop him from kissing him like he was a dying man in need of oxygen. Charles’s hair was damp but it didn’t stop him from winding a hand in it and tugging Charles impossibly closer. Charles was hurt, Charles had trekked all the way from Westchester, Charles was covered in snow and was probably in need of a hot shower, but it didn’t stop him from kissing back with fervour, didn’t stop him from clutching Erik, from shifting closer until he was almost in the Gryffindor’s lap. This is where Charles belonged, this is where Charles was safe. This is where Charles was the most loved.

Erik all but seemed to confirm this as they lay tangled on the sofa, Charles now dry and warm, drowning in Erik’s Quidditch jumper, limbs tangled and fingers wandering, inquisitive and excited at the prospect of having the opportunity to do so as often as they liked.

“Say it again.” Charles said, looking up at Erik, biting his lip to try and dampen his grin.

Erik pressed a peck to where the skin was trapped between Charles’s teeth, pulling away with a smile to match. “I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you.” He said almost reverently between kissed to Charles’s nose, eyelids, and chin, just to get the smaller boy to squirm and giggle, the sound warming Erik from the inside.

Charles shifted closer whispering his response into the crook of Erik’s neck, a secret between just the two of them and the glowing embers of the fire.

Somewhere behind them on a beaten sideboard, a gilded carriage clock softly chimed twelve.

Shifting in his hold, Charles looked up through his lashes at his boyfriend (his boyfriend!) and grinned, boyish and gleeful. “Merry Christmas, Erik.”

Erik leant their foreheads together, brushing a kiss against Charles’s nose. “Merry Christmas, Charles.”

From then on, as long as he was with Charles, Christmas finally meant something to Erik, and he found that he really didn’t mind.

[solarastro]

“This isn’t about love.” (e4)

love sentence starters | @moralstood

    the words hit sam hard in the chest. she’s not sure she can argue with that. she doesn’t know what love even feels like. she doubts she’s even felt it for a fraction of a second. sure, she’s had a few friends over the years, but it wasn’t love it. it was convenience. she certainly didn’t love her foster parents growing up or her foster siblings. the best she could hope for was a bed where the door stayed closed the entire night. she certainly doesn’t love her employees who work the truck with her. that’s business. she loves her food truck, but that’s not something that can love her back. that’s hard work and determination. that’s her putting all of her into one thing. 

       so when kara says it, when she mentions love, sam goes stiff because what the fuck does that even mean. maybe she’s opened up a little bit. maybe she lets her stay. maybe she cooks her breakfast sometimes. maybe she drops off food at her work when she knows she’s not taking care of herself. but that’s just what she does. she keeps people fed. there’s no love behind it. it’s work. it’s good for business. her cards left behind with the platter of food she brings to S.T.A.R. Labs. 

      love isn’t a factor between them. she refuses to think about waking up and watching her sleep because it seems like the one time kara seems at peace – her features soften in the early morning light. she refuses to think about how often she thinks about her. how many times she opens their text messages and then closes right back out. because needing someone around never ends well. sam knows this. it’s why she doesn’t let people in. people are a disappointment. she’s a disappointment. but little things start to slip out. 

      she finds herself sharing about her life and asking kara about hers. she’s so curious and she files everything away. a special folder that says don’t look in here because she’s afraid of laying it all out. because maybe she’s been foolish with this woman. it was just sex, only sex and nothing else. it was clear from the beginning. but sam swears the lines have been blurring and not just from her end. she swears kara feels it too, but neither of them brave enough to take the first step because who would rush into heartache first. 

       then anger hits her square in the chest because sam didn’t fucking ask for this. she didn’t ask for kara to come to her food truck and hit on her. she didn’t ask for her to message her again. didn’t ask for her to stay over and sleep in her bed. and certainly didn’t ask for her to keep dismantling all her walls. she didn’t ask for the moments of softness followed by lingering kisses. none of this was what she wanted. she would be fine inside her truck cooking empanadas and ropa vieja and every other thing that comes to mind. but no, kara kent showed up and threw her entire world into a tailspin. 

       the rubber band inside her almost snaps as she thinks about the few times she’s almost told kara about ruby as they lie in her bed talking softly. she thinks about how love must feel like this – safe. safe when it’s just the two of them alone in the dark. she thinks she’s read about intimacy like this and now her stomach rolls. she’s weak. 

       drawing up to her entire height, she looks down at kara and shrugs her shoulders. “as if i would know what to do with love anyway.” but she does. she thinks she’s always hoped for it. not even in the romantic sense. just someone else giving a shit about her. stupid and foolish. “who can love a broken thing anyway.” 

       whatever armor she’s wearing is weak. she doesn’t want to push this issue. she doesn’t want to collapse. she doesn’t want to ruin things or maybe she does. maybe she wants to destroy this. her heart hammers wildly in her chest and she knows kara can hear it and hope she doesn’t push the issue. 

      “we should probably stop this anyway.” a smile finds her lips and curls them upwards. she’s sure she looks like a monster. she feels like one. “aren’t you tired of me?” she opens the door and jerks her thumb over her shoulder. “i have things to do.”

[justteamavatar]

Talk to me about Korra dealing her trauma post book four and how Asami fits into her long term recovery bc I cannot get enough

Oh man, you’re basically asking me to spill out mysoul. I could go on forever about Korra’s recovery arc as well as Asami in general(hence why it took me FOREVER to respond to this – !!! I’m so sorry @swatztj​ !!!). Let’s see where this goes… (warning - word vomit below)

** * * *

Korra’srecovery arc was one of my favourite about the entireseries. While it’s amazing to know that Korra and Asami are off living happilytogether (korrasami forever

Korrawas first introduced to us as the freaking Avatar, master of all four elements -we had to deal with it. We saw her as a very strong, physical being who mastered her waterbending, earthbending and firebending at a young age. Her demeanor wasbrash, loud, aggressive and direct, used (in many cases) as a tool to hide insecurities.  She was more of a punch first, think later sort of gal andall she ever wanted to be in her life was the Avatar, there was no questionabout it… that was, until the aftermaths of Amon, Unlaq and Zaheertranspired.

*Thoughsince this about Korra’s trauma in Book 4, we will focus more on thepost-Zaheer conflicts*

Korra was kidnapped, chained, poisoned, forced intothe Avatar State, smashed against mountains and stripped of the air within herlungs. She was at her most vulnerable moment and completely out ofcontrol.

Someof us believed that Korra would get right back up after Suyin removed the poisonfrom her system. After all, it didn’t seem to take too long for Korra to spring back into action after briefly losing her bending in addition to her connections with the past Avatars (though,this isn’t to say that she didn’t endure any pain, grief, self-doubt ornegativity during those periods).

However, at the end of Venom of the Red Lotus, we saw Korra as an empty shell – incapacitated,quiet and unresponsive to the outside world. Internally, a whole other battlewas being fought. 

She was told that the airbenders would return to theirnomadic roots while she recuperated. She was told that they would work togetherto end discord and restore peace and balance. The woman who had always dreamedof being the Avatar, master of all four elements and bridge between worlds, wasno longer needed. Her physical power and self-identity was gone.

* * * * *

“I’m trying to understand why this happened to me. But nothing makes any sense. I’m tired Katara. I’m so tired.” ~ Korra (B4:E2)

Inthe beginning events of Book 4, we see Korra detached from her friends andfamily. She could barely sleep or eat and spent much of her wakeful momentsin silence. When see was faced with times of sleep, she would constantly be plaguedwith the intrusive horrors she endured by herself in Book 3. This trauma caused Korra to fall into a depressive state as well as develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and hope faded away from her at every passing second. With the little sliver of willpower she had left,she finally made the decision to visit Katara – the first step needed to beginher recovery arc.

After months of being incapacitated, the stepsneeded to regain mobility took time and patience for Korra. We slowly but surely saw her become more and more active. A quick toe twitch turned into a few walking stepswith Katara’s guidance. While these were fantastic accomplishments for someone wheelchair-bound,things moved a bit too slow for Korra’s tastes. We saw her lashout in anger/disappointment at Katara as well as Tenzin when he visited the compound to see her spar. Though Korra made progress, it doesn’t spark enough hope for someone who had been eager to getout in the real world her entire life.

While she was healing physically, Korra was still faced with phases of “fight, flight or freeze” throughout herrecovery. Certain triggers continued to appear when she began to walk,spar and bend again, which caused flashbacks to flare up at unexpected moments. Herbody would lock up and her mind became fixated on her traumatic past. She stillfelt as though she was being attacked, reliving the effects of the poison andsuffocation over and over again. This caused Korra to hit a wall – she didn’tquite understand why those flashbacks and freeze ups kept happening, but she trulybelieved that she needed to expose herself to action again. Here is whereanother key element to Korra’s recovery arc comes in – exposure.

* * * * *

“The mind canbe a powerful ally or your great enemy.” ~ Katara (B4:E2)

The opening shot of our Avatar in Korra Alone was very indicative of thecondition of her mental state – shattered, distorted, unstable, but notnecessarily unrepairable. After embarking on a voyage to Republic City, we saw another confrontation between Korra and her past trauma; this time in the formof an eerie apparition. She turned away from her destination (Republic City) to walk an anonymouslife in the Earth Kingdom with the hope of reconnecting with herself and her Avatar spirit.

Throughout Korra’s journey, she constantly struggled with hallucinations. Sometimes she visualized Raava – with whom she ran towards - but other times (more often than not) she faced with her own ghostly shadow – with whom shebacked away from. These apparitions only seemed to become stronger whenever Korra fought them. Her “punch first” tactics remained ineffective as herhallucinations constantly countered her with bending and chains. Even when she was in combat with other opponents, they morphed into her ghostlyvisions, forcing her to constantly fight with herself and lose each battle inthe process.

This, understandably, got quiet infuriating. A partof Korra knew that her visions were not real, but she couldn’t escapethem as they seemly controlled every aspect of her day-to-day life. She hadenough, making the decision to finally chase after these phantoms as opposed to fighting them. Little did she know that her decision would lead to the familiar face ofToph Beifong.

* * * * *

“…You need toface your fears. You can’t expect to deal with future enemies if you’re stillfighting the old ones.” ~ Toph(B4:E4)

Unsurprisingly, Toph hadn’t changed one bit. Her demeanourremained direct, harsh, taunting and honest and this seemed to take Korra bysurprise. After all, she was used to being met with looks and words of sympathy(understandably so) after her horrible incident. The bluntness used by our oldmetalbender, while unexpected, was another step that helped Korra towards herrecovery.

Toph was able to quickly realize that Korra was verydetached from the world; instead of looking forward she would always looked back in the past:

“If there’sone thing I learned on the beat, it’s that the names change but the streetstays the same.”

Yes Korra did hold Avatar title, but she was still aperson – a human being who could only accomplish and change so much within herown lifetime. Other Avatar’s would come and go and so would other acts of evil.

What was great about this confrontation was that little spark of defensivenessand enthusiasm we were used to seeing in Korra before the Book 3 finale. Korra knewof and believed in the accomplishments she achieved throughout her life as the Avatar.She challenged Toph on this exchange, but in a less angry and hostile way that we were used to seeing in the first few Books. 

This ultimately led to the two characters sparring,where Korra seemed to be having moments of excitement despite losing the battles. Itwas quite a refreshing site to see, in my opinion.

Not only did Toph confront Korra on these issues,but she also detected small amounts of liquid metal circulating throughout theAvatar’s body. She attempted to rid this metal of her system, but Korra resisted,letting her fears and flashbacks take over again. This would be a task that Korra would have to do on her own; and it is one that she would successfully complete.

Korra used Toph’s advice to metalbend the liquid outof body and release some of those fears that sheheld close, tapping into her Avatar state. Toph was able to ground Korra back to the world again and make her feel more in tune with reality.

While this helped her physically, Korra’sbattle was not over as she experienced yet another hallucination while facingKuvira for the first time. Now, Korra needed to revisit her biggest nightmare of all face-to-face– Zaheer.

** * * *

“That poison should have killed you. But you were able to fight it off.You think your power has limits. I say its limitless.” ~ Zaheer (B4:E9)

Korra’s confrontation with Zaheerimmediately began with an act of determination and fury. She finally stoodbefore the man that traumatized her life and boldly claimed how he held nopower over her anymore. That daring and direct demeanor she showed toZaheer was reminiscent of her persona back in the earlier Books. However, justlike in the past, these defiant acts were used as a way to cover herinsecurities.

Zaheer lunged towards Korra withthe intent of triggering her fears once again. Despite his chained position,Korra backed away in panic and this ultimately broke the belief that seeing him boundwould make her unafraid. Korra was terrified of not only him but of beingperceived as useless and of not being the person she used to be again.

Zaheer challenged these fears andclaimed that neither of them were the same since the events that happened yearsago; he was chained despite learning to fly and she was limitless despiteholding herself down. Korra would never be the same person again as she wouldhave to carry the trauma  with her for the rest of her life. 

However, instead ofassociating said trauma with pain and weakness, she could use it for strength.As Zaheer had said, the liquid metal should have killed Korra, but it didn’t.She was the one that survived despite all odds pointed against her. She had won the battle in the end and he had been the one who lost. The fact that she remained alive points to the ideathat she had no limits.

We have to remember that Korra wasalone in her showdown with Zaheer. None of her friends or family could aid her.Her severed connections to the past Avatars left her alone to fight against Zaheer and the poisonin her most vulnerable state. Korra resisted the poison by resisting theAvatar State for as long as humanly possible. When she could no longer hold offthat particular battle, she fought for her life as well as Raava’s, despite howpainful and agonizing every second of it was. She was truly unstoppable and shehad yet to recognize or consider this amazing feat.

Korra had to accept what happened to her andwhile this meant acknowledging the bad, it also meant acknowledging the good. Insteadof fixating on the moments of suffocation and powerlessness, she had to let the scene play outentirely - focusing on the future and not just the past. The past was not something she could change.

For the first time in nearly threeyears, Korra gained control over her fear. She accepted what happened – the pain,the exhaustion as well as the endurance. She had made it and in the process, connectedback with her spiritual energy.

Korra reached an understanding withher trauma. While her past was not something that she could simply shrug off or ignore,it could be used as a tool of recognition in which Korra could connect withothers at a deeper level. As Toph had said in the swamp:

“Sounds like you’re carrying around your former enemies, the same wayyou’re still carrying around that metal poison. You maybe consider you couldlearn something from them?”

Which can be coupled with Tenzin’s ownwords of:

“It’s true, there will always be new conflicts and enemies to face. Butthe important thing is to learn from yourenemies and better yourself over time, which you have.”

Korra learned from her painful struggles and was able to use new-found knowledge to reach outto others – including her own enemies. She greatly opposed the methods used byKuvira to unite the Earth Kingdom, yet she still related to and understood herat a personal level, even going as far as to risk her own life to save the dictator. She understood Kuvira’s emotions of fear, abandonment, vulnerabilityand lack of control and this level of empathy displayed wasn’t something we saw Korrause towards Amon, Unalaq or Zaheer.

Korra truly found inner peaceonce she found her way out of the dark tunnel. She proved to herself and others that shewas more than just a symbol of physical prowess. She had found inner peace with herself and her trauma, drawing meaning from it which will ultimately help to make her become even stronger in the future.

Korra fought, learned and recoveredfrom some of the darkest moments in her life. She will always carry thescars left behind from the incident that happened in Book 3, but she made herself an even better personby pushing forward instead of holding back. Korra became a beacon of hope forso many of us and remains a character that we will always hold near and dear to ourhearts.

* * * * *

“I want you to know that I’m here for you. If you ever want to talk or… anything.” ~ Asami (B3:E13)

Now, I’ll try to make the Asami part quick becausethis response has gone on for far too long :p.

I think Asami took the role of Korra’s anchor andvoice of reason, even if neither of them fully realized it from the get-go.

Asami bore witness to it all – Korra’s gravelyinjured body smashing into rocks as well as her diminishing hope and sense ofself. She saw her best friend falling deeper and deeper, but if there’s one thing we know about Asami Sato, it’s that she will always have your back.

Asami took on the role of Korra’s caretaker; she helped her dressed, pushed her wheelchair around, made conversation and she presumably helped her bathe, eat and sleep. She was truly there for her despite her other responsibilities of being the CEO of one of the most prestigious companies in the world. Korra was her priority. Heck, the woman was even willing to drop everything and accompany Korra while she recuperated in the Southern Water Tribe.

These feelings of sadness and hopelessness were quite familiar to Asami. We know that she’s had a pretty difficult life from the start - her mother was murdered, her father sided with the equalists, she had to take command of a large company at age 18 and overall, she had a lonely life. Due to these unfortunate events, it was likely that Asami understood Korra and her depressive state at a far deeper level than anyone else who was close with Korra. Asami neither pushed nor prodded and instead gave an open invitation for Korra to talk with her whenever she was ready. 

Korra did end up taking Asami’s offer up as we see her communicate to her via a letter in Korra Alone. Korra opened up quite a bit to her, explaining how hard the past few years had been, how she couldn’t tap into the Avatar State, how she kept having hallucinations and how she feared that she would never fully recover again. There was a reason why Korra contacted Asami and not Mako, Bolin or the others. She knew that Asami would understand her at that vulnerable time and felt comfortable enough to expose a very fragile part of her life. Asami was the rock that Korra could hold onto and I’m sure that she felt some relief and comfort after sending her letter off.

This comfort continued in Remembrances. Korra expressed her same worries again, but Asami’s consistent support, admiration and belief in Korra and her abilities shined through during the exchange.

And finally, we know that what goes around, comes around. After Kuvira’s attack on Republic City, Asami lost her father for good. This time, Korra was the one who took the initiative to provide emotional and physical support for her. She apologized for her three year absence and suggested taking a vacation where the two of them could finally relax and take care of each other without any interruptions (…besides the big rock spirit thing…). 

Korra and Asami had seen each other at some of their darkest moments and while they were strong and developed individually through their past traumas, they would and always will be stronger together and persevere through any obstacle thrown at them.

The. Freaking. End :)

[siriuslupinjames]

25 Days of Magic (Secret Santa)

Draco reached into the red and white Santa hat and pulled out a little, folded card. He opened it up slowly hoping it would be someone good, and looked at the words on the paper to try to decipher his friend's messy handwriting. He looked at the name and a grin spread across his face, but the grin soon turned into a worried expression.

He sat back down on the couch and began to think about what to get him. "Geez Hermione, you just had to have the great idea of having a Secret Santa for the Christmas party,” He thought to himself.

He looked back up in time to see Harry walk up to the hat. "Oh, I don't want to disappoint him," Draco mumbled. Ron sitting next to him looked over at him for a second then went back to, most likely, also thinking about what to get his person. 


Draco looked back down at the messy handwriting on the card that read, "Harry Potter."

Harry walked back from the hat and, after looking at his card in secret, laid his head back down on Draco like it was before. They all really just had to meet in the middle of the night, didn't they? Draco watched as the last few people walked up there and picked from the hat. After what felt like an eternity, they could finally go back home.

He nudged grabbed Harry and apparated back home, hoping that it wouldn't wake him. Draco laid the sleeping body down in bed and left to get ready to sleep.

***
 Draco woke just like any morning, angered by the annoying sound of his alarm clock. Draco reached for the floating device and managed to turn it off. He rolled over and, just before falling out of the bed, placed his feet on the chilly floor and headed toward the kitchen. 


"Finally you're awake!" he heard Harry yell the minute he got to the bottom of the stairs. He walked in to see Harry sitting in the living room playing wizard chess with Ron.

"Haha, checkmate!" Ron yelled after moving his bishop to E4.

"Ron, someday I will beat you!"


"Sure you will. Anyways, I got to go, I said I'd help George with his store today."


"Good luck with that," Harry exclaimed before Ron disappeared into the fireplace. 


Draco walked into the kitchen and returned with a giant glass of coffee. "How long was I asleep?"


"Nearly all day." Harry started to put up all the pieces, "Anyways, who did you get for Secret Santa?"


"If I told you it wouldn't be a secret."


"Oh fine." 


Looking at how excited Harry is for Secret Santa just made him more nervous about getting him the right gift. He really didn't want to disappoint the one he loved.


A few hours later, Draco threw on his long, green robe and they headed out to search for some kind of gift. They decided to check out Diagon Alley first. Draco could see Harry look in awe at everything as they passed by the shop windows. He clearly had too much caffeine this morning, still wasn't quite use to magic or both. Harry led Draco into Quality Quidditch Supplies. They still enjoyed beating each other in Quidditch in the backyard.

As soon as they walked in, Harry walked straight towards a display case, "Draco look, they released a new broom."

Draco strolled over and there it sat, a Gold Arrow. It looked almost as if it was glowing, but it probably was. After a few minutes of being in aw, the two continued on with their shopping. They hopped from Sugarplum's Sweets Shop to Whizz Hard Books and lastly visiting Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

They opened the door to find the place packed with numerous witches and wizards. They could spot Ron in the corner handing back change to a customer.

"Here you are, um, 2 knuts, 4 sickles, and 9 gallons." Ron looked across the store to see Harry and Draco squeezing through the crowds. 


"Oh good you came, I wanted to show you my George's new idea. It's my personal favorite and I think it is perfect for this season!" They followed Ron into the back where he held a little box. "George thinks it should be called the Weasley's Christmas Surprise."

"Oh cool, what does it do?" Draco asked while looking closer at the small, green and red-colored box.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a secret." Ron handed Harry the box before scooting slightly back, which worried Draco a little bit.

Harry slowly opened the box before dropping it to the floor when fake snow erupted out of it before slowly falling onto them. Draco looked over at Ron who was just out of the blast zone then back at Harry who was almost head to toe in white snow.


"When you open the box, a bunch of a Christmas related item shoots out of it. There are over 722 different combinations. Look at this, it even cleans up nice," Ron placed the lid back on the box and all the snow transported back into the little box, "Except he won't tell the customers that."

Ron lead them further back to show them a few more prototypes including the Crazy Sound Shake and the Mystery Dip before they decided it was about time to get home. 

***
 At long last it was Monday, Christmas Day. It was time, it was finally time to give Harry his present. Everyone pulled up a chair until almost every chair in Hermione's house was in the living room. They could smell the cookies they all just made warming up in the oven. All the nicely wrapped presents sat on the table in the middle. Everyone started to one by one open up their present. Soon it was time for Harry to open his present.

Harry picked up his long package. It was probably the biggest gift on the table. He shook it a bit before reading the note on the top.

He opened the letter which read, "This time, please open your parcel at the table. -Secret Santa." Harry unwrapped the package slowly before the honestly badly wrapped packaging fell to the floor. On his lap sat a shining Gold Arrow. He turned to see Draco waiting to hear what Harry thought of his gift.

"Did you get me this!" "This is perfect but you know you didn't have to get this for me."

"I know, but I just wanted to get the person I love something that he will really love."


Harry picked up the broom before carefully placing it on the table, "Come here." 

Just like that Draco felt Harry's arms wrap around him. He heard Ron run up with a small box before little bits of mistletoe fell from the sky then mumble something about, “Dang it, I got it all over me.” Taking what came out of the box as a hint, Harry leaned closer to land his lips on Draco's cheek before they face was covered with mistletoe.

Harry swept off a few pieces of mistletoe covering Draco’s eyes, "I love you." 


"I love you too."

[thecosmicprincesss]

EP 2 || Lessons Learned

When we returned the plan had failed. Summer had hardly made it out the door when she went into labor and had her third child, Dominic hovering over her form with the newborn in his arms. Needless to say, Desmond was not at all pleased. To this very moment, I still don't understand what even made me think this was going to work in the first place. Although he did not outright say it, I knew he was angry with me, and I knew that he knew it was me. I watched quietly as he ripped the newborn from her father's arms and placed her softly, gently into mine, he then proceeded to drag them both back to their cells, Dominic pushing against his grip to no avail and Summer crying. I couldn't bring myself to watch or intervene and turned my eyes to the child in my arms.

After he had taken them back to where they belonged, he passed me a silent glance, his eyes a deep red and his face contorted to that of the monster. I watched him head up the stairs and to the bathroom, but I made no moves to follow him. I could only be thankful that he had not turned his wrath upon me, or the child in my arms. How glad I was to know Hollie and Chris had not been here to see just how brutal of a man their adopted father could be. It was hours later when I went to join him upstairs. When I peeked into the bathroom, I could see him staring out into space, his mind working in a twisted way. I suppose he was thinking on how to punish me now. I quivered and moved to leave but he called me back.

“Lily.” He said simply, his voice was shaking as he spoke softly, trying in vain to hide his anger.

“Yes?” I replied as I entered the bath, looking at everything but at him.

He finally turned his head to look at him, his eyes drinking in every inch. “I know it was you.” He let out a long sigh and threw his head back. “And I can imagine why you did it. You were afraid of what I would do to their human child… were you not?”

I froze at his words. Was I really so readable?

He chuckled darkly. “Although you're not a mother yourself you certainly have the heart of one.” He pulled me at me with a simple wag of his finger and I felt myself move toward him. Once at his side I knelt and stared at him. He turned his eyes on me and gently captured my face in his hands. “You had a moment of weakness, that I can forgive.” I could feel his fingers rub against my cheek in a loving manner. He wasn't angry with me, but the disappointment was real. “But… as my bride, my mate, I expect more of you. Know now that your concerns will always be my concerns. If you had come and spoken to me first we could have gone about this differently. But alas my sweet flower, I must teach the three of you a lesson.”

“A lesson?” I asked softly, eyes on his.

He kissed my mouth softly, the steam from the bath brushing across my cold undead skin, sending shivers down my spine for reasons other than fear. He pulled away. “Yes my love, a lesson, one you will learn well.”

By the next nightfall, I had come to learn that Desmond had made Dominic a vampire. I had no idea what it was he had planned until it was too late. After a few days, he brought me to a room in the basement along with Summer. It was made of stone and had two doors, one straight up and one to the right. He ushered us to the room on the right and locked us in. The room had windows overlooking another room. I had no idea such a place existed in the basement, but apparently, Desmond had it sealed by magic so it went unnoticed. In moments Dominic appeared in the other room, where he was locked inside, unable to escape. I could feel my soul leap into my throat. The room before us with the viewing window lacked a ceiling. My stomach was quickly in knots.  

We stayed in that room for hours, watching as Dominic paced, looking for a way out as the first rays of the sun finally entered from the ceiling, neither Summer nor I could do anything to stop what was to transpire. I watched the smoke rise as Dominic began to slowly burn. I can still hear his screams and remember the looks of pure horror on both their faces. I watched as Summer tried to break the windows, but the glass was far too thick, there was no hope. When all was over and Summer's wails had died down into muffled choked sobs, Desmond finally returned. He pointed at Summer, before to the pile of ash. “Cross me again and you could suffer the same fate.” He took my hand and led me out before locking the door to the room once more, leaving Summer to sob silently before he looked at me. “I hope you have learned your lesson.”

“I'm sorry...” I whispered eyes turned to the floor.

He cupped my face and brought it back up to look at him. He heaved a heavy sigh and pressed his mouth to mine for another deep kiss. Desmond pulled away and stroked my red hair gently. “Now, go upstairs, the children will be returning from school any moment.”

I could only nod and obey. He had been angry enough, I knew now that although I was his mate and that he adored me, I was not immune to his wrath. Honestly, I'm not even sure what made me think I would be, I was once like Summer after all.

Desmond had returned to the room and grabbed the sobbing woman up from the floor by her arm. Quietly he made her stand and took her back to the room where the remains of her lover were. He pushed her in and left her there to sob over what was left of him. When he had returned to me, he only stood at the doorway and watched as I cooed and rocked the child in my arms. “What will you name her?” He asked as he slowly crossed the room toward me and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Ivy,” I said softly as I felt the girl snuggle into me for what little warmth I possessed.

“Ivy.” He repeated. “Very well.”

I stood and put the child in a bassinet, one of the same we had once used for her elder brother and sister. I hadn't heard or noticed Desmond move until his arms were around me and his teeth were in my neck. I could feel him drink from me greedily, needy. When he pulled away he whispered in my ear. “You look stunning with a child in your arms…” I could feel his hands roam my sides. “I can imagine just how much more alluring you will be with one growing inside you.” His hands had moved to my stomach then and gingerly stroked.

I felt the tension in my shoulders relax, and any sort of weariness I felt with my mate had melted away. “Well, should we try?” I asked with anticipation in my voice.

He chuckled. “Yes, lets.”

I often carried Ivy around with me, desperate I guess, for the chance to finally hold my own. But the child was clingy and she often sought my attention. I suppose it was because, for her, I was her mother, I can only hope that she will never realize the truth. Despite how many time Desmond and I lay together we have yet to make one of our own, perhaps this is punishment for the things he has done… and by extension my own misdeeds.

After three long years, I was heavy with our first child, the twins were enthusiastic and doting, as was my mate, Ivy was also excited, although I knew she didn't understand why. Summer and the events of years before had gone forgotten, and I was back into the mindset that she was just a meal and nothing more. Unfortunately for her, in my pregnant state, I could not hunt for myself, and although Desmond often lured fresh necks to our home, I was often far too hungry and needed extra. At this point, I didn't care if I killed the human, and I certainly didn't care about what she was feeling, not anymore. The safety of myself and the baby was all that mattered to me.

With our family growing, Desmond whisked us all away to another home as ours was demolished and another was built upon it's place. The old home was such a beautiful place, but the new building put in it's place was infinitely more so. It's astonishing how quickly everything was done. But I suppose it helps when the builders are skilled vampires with centuries of practice. A month turn around time was more than adequate to create a home spacious enough for all of us… as well as our meal, who was returned to the newly made basement quarter. Little did I know she would not be living there for much longer.

E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | E6

[thelustinlimbo]

Okayyy so this is my review of my favorite morphe brushes I just got and tried! Tbh I really wasn’t sure what to expect with morphe, I looked through countless reviews and videos, looked up pictures and negative rants. So I was kinda expecting the worst but hoping for the best? I picked out a bunch of brushes that were reviewed countless times through youtubers, and then some that just caught my eye and felt like I needed to try them out. I was super worried that the negative reviews were right and I just wasted a bunch of money on a bunch of garbage, I’m always skeptical with “YouTube” brands because of past bad experiences. So for a while I just put myself in the mindset of “if I don’t see and try it in a store or in person I don’t want to waste money on it”. I’ve kinda been bored with makeup and not into for the past year or so, like it became not fun for me and I just stopped buying and trying new products as much as I had before bc what was the point? I just restocked what I needed, mainly bought skin care, and sometimes tried new things but they didn’t excite me. I missed the joy makeup gave me before so I felt like I needed to “redo” my collection to hopefully fall back in love with my favorite hobby, the brushes I had were all old and idk I just felt like my makeup was blah bc of it, so I finally decided to give morphe a try since they have a huge selection of inexpensive raved about brushes!! I’m honestly SO surprised with the quality!!! I thought out of the almost 60 brushes that I purchased I would really like and use maybe 10 tops, I thought I would be disappointed in a bunch of them and just use the ones I really like, but oh my god!! I swear I haven’t been this excited about a purchase in soooo long! Every brush I bought had a purpose I can think of and use for, even the ones that I initially was like eh or what the hell can I use this for?? Ended up my favorites!! (Mainly eye and brow brushes which I will show in the review) the brushes are all super soft and just great quality over all, idk if they just improved over the years or people were just being negative but I don’t know why anyone would trash talk these inexpensive high quality brushes.. Anywayssss.. So here is a round up of my favorites so far!!

E43 - is just basically a smaller E3 but today I used it for my cleaning up my under eye setting powder and then I grabbed it again to apply my highlighter very soft, and just feels like a high end brush.

E3 - I used it for a slight contour, I don’t like harsh contours on cheeks but this picked up the product just enough and the shape of it reallyyyyy just added the right amount of product in the right places!

E4 - a simple blush brush, but it’s so soft and picked up a small amount of product and applied the blush flawlessly to my face so it got a rank in fave face brushes so far!

E8 - I looooove small chubby round brushes, they are perfect for creating an “airbrush effect” in larger pore areas, I don’t really have large pores but when I use brushes like this to blend out foundation and powder around my nose/cheek area it creates just a smooth flawless finish and I have been needing a replacement for a Sephora brush I had for years that started losing its density and amazingness. This is a great cheaper alternative that is just as good!!

E41 - I have never applied my bronzer to my face so perfectly and quickly as I did with this brush, it picked up just the right amount of bronzer without creating the orange face look, applied it without scratching my face or leaving behind a bunch of fall out like a sorta similar sigma brush I have does!! Looove it!!!

M439 - I feel like every youtuber/reviewer/Mua and their mother has this brush and raved about it so I had to pick it up and try it out for myself. It really does live up to its expectations!! It gives a super full coverage even with a medium/light coverage foundation, I don’t always like to have fullllll coverage but when I do this brush will do the job! It does kinda suck up a lot of product, but not as bad as some other similar brushes I have. It’s super soft and you will have a even full coverage on in like 10 seconds with this brush.

M528 - I think I applied my Laura mercier secret brightening powder with this one, I can’t remember what I did with this brush but I threw it into my love pile and it doesn’t have any colored product on it so I think I just applied the powder with it. It’s super soft and can my used as a highlighter, or setting brush! E - 18 if you have smaller almond shaped eyes like me YOU NEED THIS BRUSH and also the M501, and E36 but I’ll get into those in a bit, the E18 is absolutely perfect for applying a crease color into small spaces, it picks up as little or as much product as you need and is just a must have brush.

M250-0 - OHHHH myyyyy godddd!!! The eyeliner brush I have been searching for but never found, I always came close but it was either to thick, had stray little hairs, was too long, or too stiff, something was always slightly justttt off with other liner brushes. They were good, they did the job, but they didn’t make it as easy as this one did!!! I haven’t had this even winged liner in like two years I swear lmao. I always have one eye perfect and the other one is it’s less perfect twin, or they both just looked like shit and I eventually came to except the fact that a super amazing winged eyeliner was just not gonna be in my life, untillllll this beauty came in the mail today😭 it’s. Just. Perfect. I completed a winged simple cat eye that was as even as humanly possible for me in the shortest amount of time it ever took me to do it, idk if I was just running on adrenaline from finding a perfect liner brush or bc my eyeliner looked amaze on the one eye I did first lol.

M213 - You also need this in your life, trust me. If you are sloppy in your eye makeup technique or just want something to really tightly apply shadow to your lower lash line effortlessly, then you need this brush. Don’t even doubt it just buy it. Also for some reason it looks really big in the picture above but it’s a super tiny little smudger with soft bristles but it isn’t flimsy. Just try it, you will see.

M575 - when I first saw this brush I felt indifferent about it, it kinda looked too long to be a good blending brush, I usually liked “fluffier” blending brushes and this one looked to long and slender, but wow.. for my eye shape it was the perfect “precision” blender! You know how with fluffy blending brushes shadow tends to kinda go all over your eye? And if you have smaller eyes like me it starts looking sloppy really quick, but this really helped blend and diffuse color ONLY where I wanted it! Surprisingly amazing!

M501 - okay… This brush is the brush out of alllll the brushes I kinda took one look at and was like?? “What the hell am I going to use this for?? Maybe highlight?? Idk?” It’s really oddly shaped, tapered, slim, slender, weird… Looks like a useless little highlight brush if your really particular about where you want to place high light or if you’re gonna be doing an infants highlight lol. For some reason I grabbed this weird little brush and started using it as an eye blender and was SHOCKED it’s like this brush was made for my eyes, it diffused my crease color so perfectly, the tapered part went into my crease and just idk, it was magical. I blended carelessly throughout my eye and it just created the perfect eye look!! The problem I always have with blending my shadow is that I get a dark color too far into my inner eye, creating like a Natalie Portman from the swan lake ballerina movie effect if that makes sense, I hate the way that looks on me and this brush just effortlessly blended without dragging color into my inner eye corner. I feel like I have a difficult eye shape and I hate doing shadow bc of it. But not anymore 😍 M432 - this is a basic flat square brush, it's great for the waterline but I used it to shape up my brows and it did a great job! It's the perfect density and size to sculpt brows without adding a crazy amount of product to the area, it's a must have in a makeup collection especially if brows are your least favorite makeup application like mine, my brows annoy me and a good brow day for me is rare because I have a giant scar through one which always makes the shape of it different then the other one. But today I'm having an amazing brow day and it took me half the time it normally would to do my brows with my new brushes :D M224 - another staple!! I had a Mac one that I used for years but it was starting to look raggedy, I use these brushes on days I have a blemish I need to cover and apply a bit more product, to sometimes apply foundation to my face before going in with a beauty blender, to shape brows, to apply a concealer from a pot to my under eye. I use these types of brushes as like product picker uppers and packers, it's like a forgotten brush that is very useful but not as talked about by me because it's boring but very much needed in a makeup lovers collection! This one has synthetic bristles and is overall really well made, I was expecting this one to be a super cheapie garbage brush, but it's up to par with my Mac one when it was in its prime days lol. M160-1/16 - another brush I saw and was like this kinda looks terrible.. The bristles seemed to long and soft to use for brows, but I tried it today and it's wonderful for creating a softer brow look!!! Like wow, it picks up a little bit of product so if you're heavy handed with brows like me it's a MUSTTTTT it applied my favorite brow powder to my brows and I swear it made my powder work and look better then ever, I used it in the front part of my brows and it's just gonna be an everyday staple for brows. M413 - I feel like I judged all the brow brushes to harshly when I first opened my package, I thought these were gonna be the crappy brushes of my entire order which was fine with me because they were the cheapest so not too much lost I thought. This brushes bristles are FIRM like super firm.. And kinda long. Immediately I thought that it was gonna scratch my skin and pick up way too much product.. I tried it gently, and applied my powder to my scar and wow this brush is def a favorite, I just have to be light handed when applying! But it picked up product and applied it right where you put it, I then brushed and diffused the color with the spoolie. My brows look so refined but natural in combination with the M160-1/16 brush, I used the M413 towards the ends and middle. I think this brush is also great for people who like bolder brows bc of how easy it is to shape and apply product with it. Andddd lastly, for not at least! G20 - this brush is great for packing on shadow! It works great for my eye shape. I mean there's not much to really say about it other then it does its job! I also like the gunmetal color, I got a few brushes from gunmetal collection but haven't tried them out yet. The bristles are soft, the shape is perfect, the size is great. It can also be used as a concealer brush for blemishes. Overall I'm super happy with my order and I think it's money well spent!! Sorry about the longgg post but I tried to sum up my favorites so far as best as I can. I haven't washed these brushes yet so I don't know how they shed or how they are after washing but I'll keep all you updated!:)

[vitamiiiiins]

my thoughts after finishing chap 143 -

actually i am a lil disappointed w the ending

i get that it’s all supposed to be ‘realistic’ (which i would complain about since this grimstarkcynicalrealism stuff is way overdone nowadays, but actually in this genre i expect and understand it) but it did feel a LOT like it was all a lot leading up to a sort of. “Oh. Okay then.” moment at the end where Kaneki is (presumably) dead, with a lot of loose ends left hanging ?

like when i got to chap 135 and still thought of a  bunch of things i wanted  the answers to, i thought “something major must happen very quick to fit this all in” and then it just. didn’t. the fight tapered down and it ended ?

why didn’t the detector go off for kaneki at the ccg hq (I have a theory but like, no canon explanation), what happened to kuro & shiro, did hide get eaten (which if so i think is a very disappointing end for him and was throwing away a good potential side story/relationship seeing what could happen from then on)*, where is touka, what’s happening with ayato, what is happening with rize, so on and so on and so on

idk, i just feel like if it’s gonna end with that, it all seemed a bit... muted? dull? in a way? which may be more ‘realistic’ but at the same time when using that story telling method, you have to remember ppl don’t necessarily come and read fiction for realism, and a boring but realistic and expected ending isn’t actually a brilliant story nor the most entertaining for a reader

and I expected just.. a little more from the fight between arima and kaneki. i get he was weakened from amon, but by the end kaneki had become pretty powerful, and while I thought “it’s gonna seem a bit of a push if arima who could beat owl is beaten by kaneki” i expected more than that... near 1 hit ko. it’s like when ur pokemon one hit kos an e4 pokemon. yeah u knew you’d win anyways, but you thought there’d be a bit more to it n a bit more excitement than that

obviously there’s a sequel which im going to start soon but yah these are my thoughts finishing tg chap 143.

this seems so negative tho, overall I did enjoy it a lot !! its different to how I imagined but I still liked it, and found some characters i really like,, and the interest of the concept that made me wanna read in the first place remains!! it’s easier 2 talk about the negative stuff, right?? and when I’ve found something disppointing i like to think about why.

despite me being iffy about the ending I really did enjoy it and am hopeful and excited for tg:re so !! i just also hope that we will still see juuzou despite his injury i find him v endearing,, and i hope that hide/kaneki gets a better ending than the one widely speculated and implied,, and my other fav characters reappear still like uta !

*apparently its only speculation that kaneki ate hide which im choosing NOT to believe because,

When I read the scene, before seeing the comments underneath, I presumed the whole Hide thing was a hallucination - after all he was seein flowers too ? like when he first appeared it was omg hide !!! but then he was just acting. very chill and odd and it all felt p surreal to me so

from the start i expected/anticipated a lot from the kaneki/hide relationship and at first was very happy, then it just. vanished. i get kaneki had to stay away but it just seemed very... unflowing of the story that hide near disappears bar a few minor appearances, then would conveniently turn up for kaneki to eat him but it then.. actually is pointless anyway because kaneki seemingly died and little was achieved?

regardless, from what I gather from the comments on the final chapter, if not explicitly spoilered/stated but implied, it appears hide has yet to appear in the sequel.. and we’d presume if he had survived, why would he disappear into nothingness.. idk it seems like thats what was supposed to happen but even on top of that it seems a bit of a lame ending for him to me, i think he deserved better and kaneki deserved better because if in the end he ate hide like he almost did after that first fight with nishio... it feels like it’d be a big step back/reversion in character development. part of it seems like it could have been just to get hide out the way bc he would have made things more complicated in the next series.

I like to think I’m good with words but this is a mess,, anyways i like to have a nice ramble after finishing something so off i went