#even if it was to the detriment of tying up loose ends

[visualtaehyun]

There's this line from episode 9 that has stayed with me ever since because it embodies the heart of this show's themes for me - exactly like you're highlighting here, Roc! :)

และที่ขาดไม่ได้คือความศรัทธา /lae thee khaat mai dai kheuu khwaam sat thaa/

-> ความศรัทธา /khwaam sat thaa/ = faith, belief, trust

This entire scene of Mork and Day going different directions, by themselves, and meeting again? Poetic cinema. At the time, I noted this down:

Mork gives Day his confidence back. This is exactly what he's been doing all along but so poetically shown: Mork is always there for Day but he gives Day the space to try and do things himself. And because Day trusts him implicitly, he feels safe to try, this anxious sweet boy.

"And that was what we lost in episode 11 and that is what episode 12 had to rebuild." Perfectly put!

Last Twilight, Growth, Change, Hope and most of all, Trust 

because I adored this show, without reservation.

(I wrote this before realising quite how many people were unhappy with the ending but my thoughts stand)

My friend, @plantsarepeopletoo wrote in their post about ep 12 that

The story is saying hope is something worth chasing after.

This is something I emphatically agree with, and I want to add one more core premise that the show felt like it built on throughout

No matter how big change is, growth comes from the little moments when we trust.

This was a show *full* of big, the accident, the lost dreams of national competition, a year in jail, a sister’s death, a parent’s death, a parent’s divorce, an unplanned pregnancy and of course, blindness.

And yet,

This was a show full of tiny moments of growth, hard earned and barely celebrated, of what it was like to see clearly for just 10 seconds of a day. Of how to eat a plate of food without sight, of what it feels like to hold out your hand and trust someone to take it. What forgiveness feels like, voiced in small certain words.

We climbed mountains, and bought slippers, We ran away from home and we learnt to eat cake.

Big Moments

Small Moments

But most of all

Trust

And that was what we lost in episode 11 and that is what episode 12 had to rebuild.

Day thought that Mhok was the one person who trusted him to be okay by himself, even if just for a little while, Day saw him as an equal, a faen. That’s what he chose when he stepped over the marathon finish line. But Mhok wasn’t there with him, not completely. He wanted to carry all of Day’s needs as well as his own.

He didn’t share the nightmare

He didn’t share the job offer

He didn’t share his fear over the car accident

He didn’t trust Day.

And so Day ended things, firmly and with false certainty because he never wanted to be anyone’s burden. He wanted to be Mhok’s equal, and as things stood, Mhok couldn’t give him that.

Episode 12 (again as @plantsarepeopletoo points out) shows that even though the two have grown so much over the past 3 years, they still lack the trust because they’ve done the work separately and not together.

You see it in the way Mhok doesn’t speak until Day is already in the car.

Doesn’t speak until Day recognises his scent.

But once Day recognises him by scent alone, Mhok gives in and trusts enough to lean in and flirt, to show up and cook him food, to take him for suit fittings and cake tastings, to ask him to dance and then finally, to ask for a second chance.

Day’s trust is a more fragile thing. How can he know Mhok sees him as a whole person, trusts him, when Mhok picks up right where they left off, when he continues to pull out his chair and catch his arm to walk him, when he helps him with his jacket, and his food.

What if nothing has changed?

How can he know?

And he needs a push here, more than Mhok does, because of how his trust was broken, but Mum tells Day.

To be uncertain in love is the most normal thing of all, to step forward we must take a risk

To love, is to trust, and so, Day chooses to trust.

And for me, this was the most beautiful moment of all, and the most fulfilling ending I could have gotten.

For me this show held up, from start to finish.

It’s a show about learning to trust your family, your friends and most importantly yourself, no matter what life throws your way.

For those of you who feel that this doesn’t address what you perceive as the biggest flaws in the show, maybe it was Day’s Mum, or Day getting his Vision back, or the show choosing not to explicitly address Mhok’s trauma and abandonment issues, I am not saying you are wrong at all. For me, an explicit unpacking of those things wasn’t needed. They weren’t the threads I was holding onto.

Day’s mum learnt to see him as a whole person.

Mhok learnt to live independently, without someone relying on him.

Day’s vision was returned, an afterthought of the show, after he was already a whole, happy person.

None of these things were less for me.

Because every moment of this show was filled with so much more.

[outeremissary]

🚬 for Balthazar and Kas, ⛄ for Carmen and Ismene

Thank you Nix!! I think some unintentional parallels(?) slipped into two of these...

[prompt list]

🚬 for a headcanon about a bad habit

Balthazar If something is in the morning, Balthazar will be late to it. This is an immutable law of the universe. He’s not a morning person, he never will be, and even when he’s really, truly trying to make the accursed before noon hours adhere to shape and structure, somehow things will still slip little by little and he’ll be five minutes late. And there is some personal frustration he feels with this- it’s the lack of control he seems to have even when it counts. It’s one thing to indulge in the slow start and let it draw out at his leisure while everyone else has to adapt, but it’s another to be unable to rally when he wants to be seen as perfectly, precisely put together. Because of this, he avoids scheduling important meetings in the morning- the best way to claw back that control is to just keep the situations where he needs it far away from when he knows he won’t have it.

Kas God, we already did the leading people on one recently, didn’t we… Well, here’s a different one. Kasander is an intensely earnest idealist while also being a natural born (and very defensive) liar, and a worrying number of their choices are made on split second impulse guided by a vague sense of what people “deserve” to hear. They are honest to active detriment and dishonest to self-destruction- a rare talent for splitting the difference between painful earnesty and chronic lying. And that of course means an array of rare talents for openly confessing to murders, unsustainable fabrications, telling people the worst news they’ve ever heard, concealing personal misery, and just generally escalating delicate situations. It can and does wrap back around to things working out Fine, but playing Kasander Morality Roulette can be pretty fucking stressful for everyone else in a situation.

⛄ for a season-themed headcanon

Carmen Carmen dislikes fall. She doesn’t have any real issue with the weather or the natural motion of the season, but as a girl she always disliked the amount of work that went into getting ready for winter. The final harvests are a pain. Organizing stores is a pain. Preserving things is a pain, even if it’s not like the task has changed from how it was the whole rest of the year. All the wrapping up and tying off loose ends and anticipating the dim, inactive season never sat well with Carmen as a restless lass. Her habits and lifestyle have changed to the point of being nearly unrecognizable over the years, but that old frustration is burned deep into her. Her mood is always just a little bit worse during the season.

Ismene When Ismene was a girl, Gorion sometimes took her to the top of the walls during the long dark of evening and morning in the winter to show her the stars. He drew out constellations and spelled their histories, and mapped their movement across the heavens between sunset and sunrise. It gave the sky depth and wonder. Of course, all wonder fades with time- over the years she and Gorion spent less and less time up on those winter walls and she came to know the stories well enough to finish them from his first word. The stars that once gave the sky such a sense of enormity outside the confines of Candlekeep kept turning the same year after year, night after night, and they became just another part of the ceaseless circle of library life. Still, here and there she still went stargazing with other denizens of the keep, and some of the monks took to addressing her as their master astrologer thanks to the readiness with which she could supply trivia. And despite the fading of these old joys, there’s still a comfort that lingers in the cold season- even if she can’t always put a finger anymore on why.

[saturniandevil]

December 2023 Important Dates

AKA my notes on The Astrology Podcast's December forecast, hosted by Chris Brennan and Austin Coppock. As you can see from the calendar, this is quite the busy month. I've put the recap at the end again for those interested in mundane astrology. Generally, it's about the October 28th lunar eclipse in Taurus.

We're entering the month off a Mars-Saturn square on November 25th, and Mercury has already entered his pre-retrograde shadow (during the rx he will go back to about 22 degrees of Sagittarius). There's been a Mars-Saturn square making motion grind to a halt, and though it present frustrations and delayed gratification, Mars-Saturn can also indicate perseverance and relentlessness.

December 1st - Mercury enters Capricorn The next day he sextiles Saturn, further activating that Saturn-Mars square. He'll retrograde back into Sagittarius later. Mercury will trine Jupiter in Taurus around the 7th-8th, and sextile Venus when she enters Scorpio, bringing us some helpful communication in the first half of the month. The second half will be very different, though, as he retrogrades and conjoins Mars--think explosive arguments or disrupted communication like in late October-early November. Do your careful planning and mapping while Mercury is constructive in Capricorn, as his regress into Sagittarius will bring have us acting recklessly out of necessity.

December 2nd & 3rd - Auspicious Elections (not pictured)

The charts are both around 1:35AM local time and takes advantage of Mercury's application to a trine with Jupiter, before the chaos of retrograde & contacting Mars. It also takes advantage of the last bit of Venus in Libra.

On December 2nd, the chart has Libra rising with Venus in domicile in the first (whole sign) house. The Moon is in Leo, either applying to or just separating from a square with Jupiter, and trine the Sun in Sagittarius in the 11th house. This is a good Venus-related chart, for things that need to appeal aesthetically to others or unify people. As this is a night chart, Venus is also the sect benefic, and is especially equipped to help things build up and grow (plus she's in a position of strength in the first house). Venus elections are also good for design, getting back in touch with people & other social activities, and working together. Venus in Libra is especially good for bringing together two things that are at odds, whether it's disagreeing friends or disparate business endeavors. Although the degree of Venus isn't too important in timing this, Chris recommends trying to get the Midheaven around 5-6 degrees of Cancer, so that it sextiles Jupiter in the eighth house. The Moon rules the 10th house and is in the 11th house of friends, making this a good election for friends, groups, and social movements.

The 2nd is the primary election, but the 3rd has most of the same benefits. The Moon is later in Leo, now applying directly to a sextile with Venus, emphasizing her themes of unity and reconciliation as well as tying in the 11th house of groups & alliances even more strongly.

December 4th - Venus enters Scorpio Though in detriment here, Venus is opposite Jupiter in her sign (exact December 9th-10th, especially activated by a conjunction from the Moon), and this reception & contact bring forth more helpful qualities. She will also overtake slowing Mercury by sextile around December 10th-11th, bringing some reconciliation to our communications. However, the New Moon conjunct Mars will pose some challenges.

December 6th - Neptune stations direct

December 12th - New Moon in Sagittarius

A close square to (newly direct) Neptune adds some nebulousness to the picture, and a loose conjunction from Mars to the lights, with Mercury stationing soon after, mean things may not go as planned. Mercury's configurations to the benefics seem hopeful, but we should expect some misalignment and miscommunication over the following weeks. Additionally, Mars's proximity to the Sun means he'll be coloring the next few nations with martial qualities. This New Moon sort of resets things for the month.

December 13th - Mercury stations retrograde The Moon enters Capricorn and conjoins Mercury soon after his station, which will further trigger or activate general Mercury retrograde significations.

December 21st - Sun enters Capricorn

December 22nd - Retrograde Mercury conjoins Sun (Cazimi) This occurs in at zero degrees of Capricorn and marks the halfway/turning point in the retrograde. Normally we'd expect to start figuring out what's wrong and begin heading out of the woods, but once in Sagittarius Mercury approaches a conjunction with Mars, changing the layout of our path. Sometimes looking to the past for actions will bring up old conflicts, or further investigation into a problem reveals that we have to rethink our entire approach.

December 23rd - Retrograde Mercury enters Sagittarius Discussed above.

December 26th - Full Moon in Cancer

Mercury at 25 Sagittarius and Mars at 23 bring even more heightened emotions than usual to this Full Moon (think tense communications). Neptune squaring Mercury and Mars adds further muddies the waters; expect a mix of hostility and misunderstanding. Meanwhile, the Moon is in domicile and both lights form soft aspects to Jupiter, which Austin compares to a nice country breakfast. It's like getting an idyllic Christmas postcard along with some poisoned arrows. Being home for the holidays is comforting and familiar, but we may also fight with our relatives, perhaps over politics. A Neptune-Venus trine brings a dreamy, escapist quality to the lunation as well. This lunation will hit different people very differently. (Those with emphasis on the lights, Jupiter, or cardinal signs will do well, while those with strong mutable placements may feel strife, etc.)

December 27th - Retrograde Mercury conjoins Mars This is the second of three Mercury-Mars conjunctions, the first having been around the October eclipse in Scorpio, and the next one occurring in Capricorn during late January. Mercury will station direct at 22 degrees of Sagittarius on the first couple days of the New Year, and will be slowly chasing Mars for most of January.

December 29th - Venus enters Sagittarius This is a fairly big shift, as she immediately squares Saturn, dumping a bucket of ice water on our attempts to come together on New Year's Eve gatherings.

December 30th - Jupiter stations direct This station can be a positive turning point for anyone with important Taurus placements nearby. Austin points out that Jupiter's usually retrograde for about ⅓ of the year (he entered Taurus in May and stationed retrograde in September), giving us time to reevaluate things and see whether we've failed or succeeded. It's like a shock absorber as we traverse this bumpy road. We can try to stabilize things in the midst of a destructive world. The rapid growth and expansion we were feeling this summer may start to come back, visible in the part of your life corresponding to the house Taurus occupies in your chart. Strike while the Iron's hot, as we've got until May before Jupiter enters Gemini. Uranus is copresent in the sign and may remind us of previous Jupiter-Uranus conjunctions: unexpected growth, innovation, and benefits from out of the blue.

November Recap:

The last forecast was recorded days before a lunar eclipse in Taurus on October 28th, which heralded several world events not discussed in the November forecast. In Palestine this coincided with the beginning of ground invasion and telecom blackout (Mercury-Mars involvement=severing of communication). Last month our hosts predicted the Venus-Mercury sextile would indicate brief diplomacy in this situation, and we saw the beginning of "humanitarian pauses" as well as negotiations around prisoner exchange. Chris wants to emphasize that more civilians have died in these two months in Gaza than in the entire Ukraine war, and predicts that larger geopolitical tensions are likely to rise as world leaders split with each other and their constituents over these events. He sees upcoming eclipses in 2025 as well as Uranus in Gemini (USA return) heralding possibility of larger global conflicts. Austin reiterates from last month that the North Node near Mars (as was the cast 10/28) indicates, in combat, using force madly beyond what is necessary or proportionate.

In US politics, Joe Biden has the Moon in early Taurus and thus the last eclipse cycle has been getting closer and closer to his natal moon, with 10/28 being the closest. Because it's in the 6th house our hosts had speculated about his health, but in this case it seems to have affected his work more (another 6th house topic), as his prospects for reelection have been plummeting. In early October the US House fired the Speaker of the House right on the last stretch of the US Pluto return, and eventually Mike Johnson was elected speaker on the 25th--born on a lunar eclipse and appointed to this office 3 days before another. This fits with Chris's findings lately that a person born on an eclipse will have other life events occur on them as well. Chris's concerns around the breakdown of US democracy with its Pluto return events seem well-founded, as Johnson had a significant part in trying to overturn Biden's election and is now third in line for the presidency, as well as in a critical role for the 2024 election.

Other eclipse stories: Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX infamy was found guilty of one of the largest US fraud operations during a Taurus (signifying money) eclipse. Matthew Perry of Friends fame passed away, who was born under and published his autobiography near a lunar eclipse as well.

On November 17th-18th there was an exact Sun-Mars conjunction (cazimi) in Scorpio, and in tech news the board of OpenAI fired the CEO/founder, described among business and tech circles as "closest thing to a boardroom assassination" they'd ever seen. Chris predicts Pluto reentering Aquarius in two months will indicate major developments in the use of AI technology. Pluto was in Aquarius earlier this year for a couple months, giving us a preview of the next 20 years (aside from a brief 2-month dip back into Capricorn next fall before leaving for good).

[bearvanhelsing]

👀 and 💐 and 😍 for Aria! 🦴 and 💌 and 🧠 for Tyrel!

Aria: 👀: Does your OC believe they are attractive? Do they use that to their advantage? Aria was very insecure about her looks when she was younger because other noble girls were not very kind regarding her vulpine appearance. Nowadays however, Aria carries herself with a lot of confidence. She is very much aware of the fact that she has a very striking and exotic appearance amongst the Absalom elite and she's more than willing to use that to her advantage. She'll flirt rather casually at parties with people she has no real interest in just to get an easy rise out of them... or their dates. Batting her big orange eyes has definitely gotten her out of more than few gambling disputes that would have gotten ugly if she didn't know how to carry herself so well. 💐: What is their courting style? How would they woo someone? Aria is definitely the type to prefer to be the one being courted. She has fun playing hard to get, seeing how much she can push while keeping the other interested and seeing how far someone would go to be with her. If she was absolutely crazy about someone and just had to try, I actually imagine she would be a little awkward about it lol. If her looks and casual flirting aren't immediately enough to woo someone, then she has to rely on her personality which can be uhhh... I imagine it would kind of be like that scene where Azula tries to flirt with boys in Avatar the Last Airbender and immediately freaks them out because she's a violent, emotionally stunted weirdo lmao. 😍: What does your OC find irresistible in others? Willingness to challenge her, combination of bravery and skill, risk taking and... quick wit can be either a benefit or a detriment depending on if it's aimed at her or not lol. Surprisingly I think part of her wants someone to help her be a little less self-destructive even though she'd still resist the hell out of it lol. Someone who's not afraid to tell her "No" like most of the other people in her life. I'd say she'd be equally infatuated with someone who could convince her to completely cut loose and give in to her most deranged desires. Good and bad endings lol Tyrel: 🦴: Does your OC have much sexual experience? What are they like? Tyrel... got around a lot while he was travelling Mendev. Never with anyone who actually liked him, most were just people who were curious about the prospect of hooking up with a Kitsune. That being said, he's rather experienced and knows how to please! Normally very submissive but for Cam, I think he'd actually be comfortable enough to switch if she let him lmao. 💌: How would they plan a romantic evening for a significant other? CW: They're literally murderers Depending on the night... Ty might take Cam for a little late-night prowl around the city. He loves to watch her hunt, sometimes he'll even lure in prey for her and his trickster abilities pretty much ensure that it's impossible to fight back or even call for help. Sometimes Cam will perform her usual ritual after a kill, and they'll replicate their first time together. Some nights he'll even have a victim wrapped and brought to her! That was a lot easier when he was the Knight Commander and could just take any cultist prisoner, he had to get a little more creative afterwards! On other nights they're a mostly normal couple. They've gotten more comfortable doing normal couple things and Tyrel loves to spoil her. 🧠: What is your OC’s most mentally attractive attribute?

For Cam, I think it's the fact Tyrel is almost always two or three steps ahead of everyone else and he knows it and is very confident in his ability to stay ahead. Also, the fact that he's a very prolific smooth talker. He's just great a buttering people up, or letting people think he's a fool or not dangerous.

[ricawcaw]

1-5 for any 2 ocs of your choice for the uncommon questions ask! :3c

aaaaaaaaAAAAA ty!!! okay okay let's do Valerie and Kimberly :3c Valerie: 1. Actually incredibly patient, she likes to be busy but she is one of those people that is very good at sitting and waiting. Finding ways to keep her mind busy even if she's simply waiting for something to happen. Could probably survive a stakeout as long as she has some coffee. 2. It's pretty hard to make her laugh, she is generally withdrawn emotionally and tries not to let her feelings get the better of her. It's not that she thinks it makes her weak or anything, she's just not great at the whole vulnerability thing 3. She has a whole routine. Changing out of her clothes, washing her face of any makeup, putting her hair up in a nice little loose bun, it's almost meditative for her and it helps her settle in for the night. She has trouble sleeping if she can't do her little self-care regime. 4. Lmao good fucking luck. It takes a lot of time for her to truly trust someone. She has compassion for everyone but she keeps herself pretty locked up tight until you've earned it. Of course once you do earn that you'll never find someone more loyal and dedicated. 5. Vice versa it's easy to lose that trust. You betray her trust she's pretty quick to cut them out without really giving another opportunity to harm her. Kim: 1. She's not terribly patient, she has a hard time with doing nothing and likes to keep herself busy in one way or another. As long as her hands and mind is occupied though she'll be content. It means she has a hard time settling down when she's energetic, needing to do some genuine physical movement to calm herself. 2. Kim lives and breathes joy. She is super easy to make laugh, even the stupidest simplest of jokes will pull a laugh for her. She's also ticklish to make it even easier. Just a quick poke at the backs of her knees or anywhere else she's sensitive. 3. Just throws off her clothes and flops into bed after brushing her teeth. She doesn't do much else and doesn't need to. She likes to snuggle in and wrap herself up like a burrito, mostly to help keep her body still so she can actually get to sleep. She may listen to some quiet music at night. 4. Kim is almost too trusting sometimes, it's why Kevin often fields the people in her life for her. She wants to believe in the good in everyone, her big heart leading her to put herself out there too far and overextending herself for people who might not necessarily deserve it. 5. Same vein the above situation can cause her to be too forgiving as long as she's the only one who's hurt in the end. She's more protective of other people than she is of herself. She doesn't like the idea that people can be hurtful so she tends to just avoid thinking about it to her detriment.

[jurassicparkpodcast]

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Season 3 SPOILER Review!

The Third Season of Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous has arrived – meaning we’re bringing you some more content around the show, including our spoiler thoughts on how the third season did when compared to the first two. If you haven’t seen Camp Cretaceous Season 3 yet then click off this article now, as we are going to be discussing some of the key set pieces in this series which make it by far the best one to be released to date. Let’s get into it!

We’ll start by summarising the third season – and, in particular, it’s story. The story of the Campers attempting to get off of the island whilst uncovering that a terrifying new hybrid has broken loose is interesting, with plenty done to explore more of Isla Nublar and, indeed, the terrifying work which Doctor Henry Wu was doing in the shadows of the former Jurassic World. Although the kids ultimately escape the island, this isn’t without a few interesting sequences sprinkled in throughout – including direct tie-ins to Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom, and also hints at the future of Mantah Corp and their research into InGen’s work. The third story feels incredibly well balanced – with lots of fantastic set pieces balanced with meaningful storytelling and interesting characters alongside brand-new dinosaurs. The third season brings us a much more grounded story which aims to fill some of the canonical gaps left by Season Two – creating a story which feels satisfying and fulfilling.

The third season maintains the same cast of characters – with each of them getting plenty of interesting development. Darius, for example, spends some time earlier in the season filling the holes in his notebook – giving us a fun look at a Dilophosaurus drawing indicating he encountered this animal on the island at some point. Kenji struggles with the kids liking him and feels the need to use his wealth to impress them, whilst Sammy worries about what Mantah Corp may have done to her family back home. Each character feels three dimensional in the third season – with some great development showing how they have adapted to their environment. Of note here in particular is the character of Yasmina, who selflessly heads across the island in search on an anti-serum when Sammy is poisoned by the quills on the Scorpios Rex. This animal itself is handled incredibly well – with the kids feeling genuinely in danger at some points throughout the story.

The other dinosaurs in the story are good too – including surprising appearances from both the Ouranosaurus and the Monolophosaurus. These animals do go against the pre-established canon of the island a little bit, with neither of them ever mentioned as being present on Nublar, but it is possible that the prior existing list was only ever intended to reflect the public-facing dinosaurs. These animals get some interesting sequences throughout the story – although there are a lot of the Monolophosaurus at one point in the story. Beyond the small canonical issues here, the only other real issue I had with Season 3 was the fact that the Scorpios was developed before the Indominus Rex. This does retroactively go against a lot of the pre-established timeline in things like the viral marketing – but it is possible that the Scorpios was hidden from existence altogether given it was seen as a failure by Simon Masrani. It is interesting to note that the Scorpios was able to reproduce asexually – suggesting a second E750 which is present in the show was able to grow to maturity incredibly quickly. Perhaps this can be explained by the enhanced growth Bumpy also inherits, however. These small issues aside, Season 3 took big strides to fix my issues with Season 2 of the show – creating a much more well-rounded experience which fits better within the universe of the films.

There were a few moments throughout Season 3 which stood out to me as building on the critiques on Season 2 – the first of which was the Ouranosaurus Attack at the dock as the kids attempt to patch up the damage which Tiff’s boat has sustained. I loved how the ambience in this sequence felt reflective of sequences in both The Lost World novel and in Trespasser – with some fantastic, tense sequences utilising natural fog and darkness to really elevate the stakes and create something which felt darker and scarier in tone than anything beforehand. We don’t often see herbivores as direct threats for the human characters in Jurassic, so the attention to ambience and atmosphere throughout this sequence really helped to make the Ouranosaurus feel more intimidating when they eventually attacked. I also loved how this sequence is later explained as the animals behaviours changing due to the ecosystem being tilted off-balance by the Scorpios Rex – a fun note which perhaps suggests that the Spinosaurus may have had a similar impact on Isla Sorna. This was a really fun sequence and one which I thought was worth highlighting here as I really enjoyed it.

Next up I wanted to talk about a sequence which hits the nostalgia factor and tones it up to eleven – with the pair of Scorpios Rexes hunting the campers through the original Visitor’s Centre. A lot of the sequences in the centre feel very similar to those in 1993’s Jurassic Park – with sequences in the kitchen, in particular, recreating shot-for-shot some of the moments from the kitchen sequence in the first film. I really liked these call-backs as whilst they were quite overt, they felt as though they fitted with the show, and worked incredibly well. I also love how the series initially shows Blue nesting in the Visitor Centre before she heads to the Ford Explorer, as this underpins how much of this animal’s present-day existence is nested in Henry Wu’s past work at Jurassic Park. The Visitor’s Centre is also ultimately destroyed by the Scorpios Rexes during this sequence – with both animals buried by the rubble. Whilst some fans may be upset to see this location destroyed, I loved how it underpins a very core concept moving forwards – highlighting how Henry Wu’s arrogance and continued ignorance in the implications of his science has ultimately destroyed the legacy of the work that both he and John Hammond attempted to do.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that the third season features two bonus episodes – with the final two episodes tying directly into the Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom opening sequence. After Season One of the show, I tweeted one of the writers asking him if there was a chance we’d see reference to this in the future, so seeing this recreated shot-for-shot in the show with the kids watching on as the Indominus sample was extracted was awesome. It was also really cool seeing how Wu’s additional mission was to retrieve his laptop – noting that without it, the work he needed to do on the Indoraptor would take years and not months. This perhaps explains why the animal we see during the Lockwood Manor auction sequence is only a prototype – as Wu ultimately leaves the island without this information. It is interesting seeing some of Wu’s dialogue with Brooklynn throughout these episodes – with the character perhaps showing some small semblance of remorse. Ultimately, however, he leaves the kids on Nublar – reinforcing his status as a character with a questionable moral compass moving into Jurassic World Dominion. I have to admit – the way this tie-in played out was handled masterfully, and I was really happy to see things unfold in the way they did. I genuinely screamed out loud at my screen with happiness at one moment – emphasising how much work went in to nailing this crossover. It’s clear that the team working on Camp Cretaceous went to great lengths to smash the third season – and the result is some fantastic crossover which pays off and builds the lore of Wu’s work in meaningful ways without any of the massive contradictions I was worried these sequences may introduce.

The Series ends with the Campers finally escaping the island – heading off in a repaired boat, although we do see at the very closing moments that something else is on-board and hidden in the lower decks. This poses an interesting question in its own right, as it has been pre-established that Scorpios can self-reproduce – so is it possible a third hybrid existed on the island? If so then this could pose a grave risk to people on the mainland when the campers return there. We also know that Mantah Corp may potentially still be at play – with a quad-copter drone observing the Scorpios Rex on the island. Is it possible this shady corporation may now recover the carcasses of the dead hybrids for their own experiments? And what happened to the pilot of the Helicopter which the kids crashed in? She didn’t appear to have been eaten – but we never see her again after the crash sequence. These are just a handful of the questions we were left with at the end of Season 3 – implying there is more story to be told, even if the third season felt like it reached a nice natural ending for the series as a whole.

Overall, the third season of Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous is fantastic. Do not sleep on this season. It adds a lot to the lore of Doctor Henry Wu and his research, and it builds out a lot of interesting lore for the experiments which were happening on Isla Nublar. It also sets up some interesting plot threads for the future without them feeling overly intrusive and detrimental to the wider story telling in the Jurassic universe. Season 2 of this show left me feeling a little deflated, but Season 3 left me feeling reinvigorated. This wraps up the story of E750 and the wider universe in meaningful ways, and is a fantastic and more mature Jurassic adventure which adult fans will enjoy. I can’t wait to see the reception to this season – and how it informs Jurassic content in the future.

Written by: Tom Jurassic

[scarlet--wiccan]

You can ignore this if you don’t have any thoughts but what your ideal new young avengers run look like? Who would be on the team, what would you even call it now that they’re all adults (except Cassie I guess?)

One of my favorite things about Young Avengers, which I think is often underplayed to the detriment of the characters, is that the team is routinely forced to operate outside of the law and against the wishes of their elders. In the core YA books, the kids are more often working in opposition to the Avengers rather than in cooperation. These are characters whose methods and motives are not usually aligned with those of the established superhero organizations, which is also reflected in many of their appearances beyond YA-- Strikeforce and Empyre are great examples, as are Cassie's adventures in Astonishing Ant-Man. This rebel element is often at odds with the fact that many of the characters admire the Avengers, or have close personal relationships with individual Avengers members. The dissonance becomes especially strong when Billy and Teddy, who have the most reason to distrust and resent them following Children's Crusade, are consistently characterized as Avengers fanboys.

That's not to say that I think the Young Avengers should, like, hate the old Avengers, but I do think that this tension is a key part of the series. The 2005 run was about a group of kids who stepped up, at a very young age, to do a job that wasn't getting done because the previous generation had failed, only to get shot down by the people who had failed them in the first place. It's about a group of kids grappling with complex and painful family histories, and, in many ways, they're foils to the Runaways, which is why I don't really like it when they play junior Avengers or emulate the traditional superhero team structure-- WCA was really fun, but I'm not going to pitch a second volume, you know? I much prefer them operating as an ad hoc group, mainly because they each come from different backgrounds, have different goals, and work in different fields. They're not people who work together because they're part of an organization, they're people who show up for each other because they're friends and they care about one another. That is, in my mind, a more effective approach to a team book with such disparate characters than what the typical Avengers title tries to do.

So, anyways, that's what I think makes Young Avengers special and it's why I think the book still has a place in the Marvel world. Pitching actual story ideas is hard now because Teddy and Billy are, apparently, living off-world and very busy being royalty. In my previous post, I outlined an older idea for a BillyTeddy ongoing series that could have easily functioned as a third volume of Young Avengers, but would require some editing to work in a post-Empyre world. The idea was for Billy and Teddy's apartment in New York to act as a base of operations for a revolving cast of their friends, who come and go over the course of various story arcs. The two of them are presumably living full-time in space now, but it's also been established that they're magically anchored to each other in a way that makes it easy for Billy to warp between New York and the throneship-- anywhere Teddy goes, Billy can instantly follow, and vice-versa, which means that the series could still use Earth as a main setting without pulling the royal couple out of their other storyline.

I'd love a Young Avengers/Runaways crossover set in space-- their previous crossovers mostly have to do with alien drama, after all, and I've been itching to get Xavin back on page. I'm very serious when I say that I want Xavin, Teddy and Noh to be best friends, and I think they'd be fun leads for a miniseries, or even the opening arc of a limited run that eventually folds in the other YA and Runaways characters. I'm imagining an extended version of the interstellar road trip from YA (2013). Maybe Teddy will recruit his two closest alien friends to go on a sensitive diplomatic mission where he can only bring a small party, but it turns out to be some kind of trap and they end up stranded somewhere and have to, like fight their way out of hostile territory and make their way back to the Alliance with no ship. Billy can reach Teddy, obviously, but he can't just warp the whole party home because the distance is too great or they're in an alternate dimension or something, so he rounds up a rescue party and Karolina insists on coming along because, I don't know, the Light Brigade is mixed up in this and she feels like it's her responsibility to help Xavin even though they haven't seen each other in years. Nico obviously comes along with her, and can help Billy with tracking spells.

I'd also like to see a YA book led by the series' most under-served characters-- Tommy, Eli, and Cassie. Building off of Cassie's capers in Ant-Man, I'd be very into a heist or espionage story about the three of them, probably joined by Kate because she'd add a lot of cohesion to the cast and is so well suited to this type of adventure. Maybe they're undercover, and they have to, like, fake-fight some of the other Young Avengers, but they all join forces once the misunderstanding is cleared up. I'm picturing a cold open where the whole first issue is made up of, like, security camera footage of three masked figures breaking into a high-tech vault at AIM or Roxxon, and they steal a bunch of weaponry and fight their way out through a bunch of goons, but then it's revealed that the whole thing was a distraction to cover up a fourth intruder who moves too fast for the cameras to track. At the end of the issue, it's revealed to the reader that the intruders are the Young Avengers, and the real prize was a computer holding the last backup of Jonas's AI. The rest of the first arc is about them trying to rebuild Jonas with help from Vee, but they have to keep it a secret from the Avengers because they're planning an even bigger heist against, like Kate's dad, and they need to keep the whole operation under wraps because he's got eyes and ears all over.

I'm not particularly eager for another fantasy story after CC and YA(2013), but I'd be into a cosmic-fantasy arc about America solving some sort of inter-dimensional crisis or chasing a villain across worlds with Tommy and Billy's help. I really want more development between America and Billy, but I also think that she'd be really funny friends with Tommy and I want to see more of him playing off of magic characters. Maybe Leah (the one from Earth-15513 that's living on Earth-616 now) receives a mysterious message from Loki and asks the Young Avengers to help her track them down. America and Billy volunteer and Tommy tags along. Along the way they end up discovering some sort of evil curse or spell and go on a quest through various dimensions in order to break it. In the end it turns out the whole thing was set up by Loki to manipulate them into defeating an evil alternate-universe Loki-- maybe the one from Leah's native dimension-- because Evil Loki had used an enchantment that made it impossible for 616-Loki to harm them, which includes allies who are knowingly fighting on Loki's behalf. Better yet, it's a proxy war, and Evil Loki has recruited pawns of their own-- including Sylvie and Lisa from the Young Masters! 616-Loki does come clean when the dust is settled and finally reconnects with the Young Avengers. Loki is glad that Leah found a way to escape her destiny, but they admit that they don't feel they've succeeded in breaking out of their own cycle, to which America and Billy are like "we've seen how far you've come, but you need to remember that people care about you and stop bailing on us when we actually want to talk it out with you," which Tommy backs up because, like, he's been that person. Friendship! Character arcs that don’t fizzle out when a book wraps in under twenty issue!

Anyways, if we got a third Young Avengers volume, I'd prefer a limited run with a cohesive story, but all of the ideas I just outlined would probably work better as smaller arcs in an ongoing series. I have a lot of ideas about tying up loose threads and continuing arcs that are already in motion, but I'm hesitant to plot out what the next big step in these characters' lives should be. I definitely think it's time to give Tommy and Cassie another shot at the spotlight, and I want Eli to come back with a new costume and codename.

At this phase, it's just really hard for me to land on any larger, deeper stories because I'm so unsure of what the next few years will look like for Billy and Teddy. There's also an America title that's been in production limbo since the pandemic started, and I feel like there's some kind of drama on the horizon between the Maximoffs and Krakoa which would theoretically impact the twins as well. I also anticipate editorial pushing for Kate in a Hawkeye book when the tv show comes out.

[5-falsehoods-phonated]

for your bad things happen bingo: prank gone wrong with romantic intruality? happy ending though? :3

Thank you for the prompt!

Knot A Prank

Summary: Patton tries pranking Remus in an effort to make him feel more welcome. It does not go as planned. (Happy ending)

Warnings: mention of bugs, unintentional strangulation, non explicit sexual innuendo, cursing, caps to signify shouting, injury

Prompt: Prank Gone Wrong

Ships: Intruality, Patton x Remus

Wc: 1672

AO3 link

Learning to live with Remus since he began coming around more often was...interesting to say the least. His suggestive language and random bouts of murderous imagery was something that concerned Patton in the beginning, believing it couldn't be good for Thomas' mental well being and moral standing for someone like Remus to have as much room to talk as he did. But the more he was around the more he began to understand that he really was just an excitable person who couldn't stay on one subject of conversation for mode than a few minutes to save his life. When Patton began humoring him, listening to the more vulgar ideas and getting used to his presence in kind, the duke seemed to get a little calmer, pick fights a little less...leave less fake blood on the carpeting.

Through all that the most he brought to the mind space they shared was pranks in any and all forms. Jump scares that sent Virgil clawing and hissing his way up the fridge and sent Remus cackling. Filling Deciet's gloves with copious amounts of mayonaise amused him to no end when said side would pretend he didn't even notice, delicately excusing himself with a far too put together expression. Making Roman's sword melt and snapping it back together in a hiding place, gluing pages of Logan's books together and fixing it just before he lost his cool, even pranking Patton by replacing the pepper with ground up crickets. (Which he didnt notice until he tated a distinct lack of peper flavor on his eggs that morning and Remus casually mentioning it, though after the initial shock he had eaten them anyway, much to the dukes surprised amusement.)

Everyone had been more than a little surprised when Patton had simply taken the pranks in stride, finding them to be a nice day to day mix up as long as they didnt go too far. He even began learning more about Rrmus as time went on. His favorite pastime was defacing disney coloring books, which Patton had a hunch was just to get to Roman. He liked doing his nails and had even offered to do Patton's at some point, to which he refused only because he hated the feel of it. He liked cooking and was surprisingly good at it when he wasnt trying to put something completely inedible on their plates just to see their reactions. His favorite desert was, again, surprising in its simplicity and healthiness, which is what Patton was making now to lure the other to the kitchen.

No one had managed (or tried) to prank Remus back since he began coming around more. Whether thay was from fear or lack of trying Patton wasn't sure but he was fixing that today. He smiled as he heard thumping down the stairs. Game. Set. Match.

"What the hell??"

Patton whirled around and tsked. "Language Remus."

Remus raised an eyebrow and tugged a bit at his arms, huffing when they only tangled further. Now that he was trapped the ropes that were slung in the doorway were clearly visible, hung in such a way that it was easy yo get tangled and hard to get out of. With Rrmus dangling in the middle of it Patton smiled at his pranks success.

Huffing again, Remus spoke up in a sultry tone. "Oh Daddy, if you wanted me tied up so badly all you had to do was ask."

Heat erupted under Pattons skin as he sputtered. "Its a prank! I wanted to prank you since you're always pulling them on the others!" He gestured to the freshly dipped caramel apples. "So I made your favorite desert and you're trapped and cant have any."

"You...know my favorite desert?" All suggestion left his voice as he stared at Patton with barely contained adoration.

"Of course! I...wasn't fair to you before so I'm trying my best to make up for it."

Remus cackled. "By tying me up and refusing me my sweets?"

Admittedly it was a lame prank but it was his first he'd ever pulled! He wasn't really sure how it was supposed to work. "I didnt think this through very well..." he admitted, shame faced.

Laughter dying out Rrmus shook his head. "Hey no it's fine Patty whack, just means we gotta work on it a bit! How about-"

Remus was cut off as he was pulled violently downward, turning both of their complexions pale white for entirely different reasons. While it was possible to resist a summons, catch a side off guard or in a vulnerable position and it became that much harder.

"Remus! No, no, no this wasnt- okay just hold on I can-" Patton rushed to start tugging at the rope, cursing both his stupidity and the timing of the others. Another tug sent Remus down further, ropes tightening and catching his fingers which he snapped back with a yelp, watching helplessly as the other gurgled and struggled against his confines. It was tangled everywhere, swinging around his arms and legs, one tangled loosely at his waist and another pulled taunt right under his jaw. He was beginning to turn red, fingertips blushing as their circulation was cut off and mouth gaping in an attempt to get air into his closed windpipe as Patton tugged valiantly at the rope, at his clothes, at anything as tears ran down his face while continuing to curse. It was just a harmless prank it shouldn't have- HE shouldn't have-

He laid a quick hand on Remus' cheek and sunk out quickly, popping up in the living room in the middle of the others' debate.

"The pranks cant have been that detrimental to Thomas' mental well being but it would still be a good idea to address it as a possible- oh Patton, you aren't-"

Paying Logan no mind Patton looked straight at Thomas and screamed. "STOP PULLING!"

Instantly the room fell silent and Tbomas' hand flopped to his side while opening his mouth in question. Not even bothering to explain, Patton quickly sunk out again, rushing to the Duke's side and frantically pulling away the rope, finally able to disentangle now that it was loose. He gasped sharply as Remus did nothing but fall limply to the ground, rope burns standing out an angry red around his wrists and neck. Seeing he was breathing, albeit shakily, Patton quickly scooped him up and moved him to the couch, biting his lip in guilt ridden worry as he noticed dark bruises already beginning to form. He heard a soft whoosh behind him and turned to see Logan standing shocked in the doorway. All at once he burst into tears again, clutching desperately to Remus' hand.

"Help me."

Snapping out of it Loagn took quick strides to examine Remus, hissing in sympathy at the discoloration. Poking and prodding got barely a wince from the unconcious side but Logan seemed satisfied, turning to Patgon with a furrowed brow.

"I'm going to get ice and vaseline. Stay here."

Nodding numbly he pressed the hand he was still holding his cheek as he continued to cry, guilt twisting his stomach in tense knots that made him want to puke. It was just supposed to be a harmless prank but he had been stupid and careless and now-

He watched as Logan came back to lay a thin towel and an ice pack over Remus' neck, taking the hand gently away from him to slather vaseline on the worst of the rope burns before wrapping them in soft bandages. Satisfied with his work Logan turned to look at him.

"I assume those ropes in the doorway are what caused this."

A fresh batch of tears cascaded down Patton's face as he practically wailed into the reclaimed hand. "It was an accident I swear! It was a stupid prank and were gonna have apples after but I couldn't get the ropes undone and oh god what if he died? Lo, what if i killed him, he can't-"

"Patton breathe." Sucking in a huge breath his sobs stuttered out and left him silently shaking, the reassuring hand on his shoulder doing little to ease his worry. "Remus will be fine, and as figments of Thomas' imagination we are unable to die anyway. It most likely won't even take him that long to heal, I promise you. What you did was done with little forethought but that doesnt mean him being hurt was your fault."

Patton sniffed. "It doesn't?"

"It was just unfortunate timing on both our parts. I'm sure Remus will forgive you readily enough."

"He already does." Patton gasped and turned at the slightly raspy voice, finding the injured side smiling Foothill up at him. "Hey Pattoncake it's okay. I've done worse to myself."

Crying with relief now Patton through himself on the other, unabashedly dusting kisses all over the other face as gently as he could. Remus laughed, tugging the other on top of him and only wincing slightly at the pressure, squeezing him tightly in his arms as be continued go be bombarded with love.

"Remus I'm so sorry I-"

"Hush it's fine. It was exhilarating until I passed out." Waggling his eyebrows for effect he let out a relieved sigh as Patton giggled. "This just means I'll have to teach you how to pull pranks that couldn't kill someone if they were real. No harm done."

Neither of them noticed Logan leave to dispell the others worries, too wrapped up in eachother figuratively and literally to pay any attention. Remus expression grew serious however making Patton suck in a worried breath.

"I seem to remember desert being a thing, and seeing how I almost died I'm thinking I should definitely get first pick."

Laughing softly Patton leaned up to give him a quick peck on the lips, earning a rare blush in return. "Of course!"

He watched as Patton left. "If this is what I get for almost dying I should do it more often."

"Absolutely not!"

[introvert-celeste]

If that monster is Steven’s corrupted form, do you think the reason is that he fused with Jasper?

No, because Jasper was healed along with the other corrupted gems. It's been proven time and again that fusion requires consent and even consenting gems, like Pearl and Amethyst in Giant Woman, can have trouble fusing if there's conflict between them, so I can't think of a situation where Steven and Jasper would fuse. And it wouldn't make sense, anyway, but then again, we don't actually know what corruption really is or how it works.

The official description for SUF is this:

"After saving the universe, Steven is still at it, tying up every loose end. But as he runs out of other people's problems to solve, he'll finally have to face his own."

Now this theory contains a lot of ifs, but if the main, overarching plot of SUF is Steven struggling to face his own problems, if the monster in the intro is meant to be the endgame antagonist as it is framed, and if corruption isn't so much a disease a gem catches as it is a result of extreme emotional imbalance that any gem can get with or without Diamond intervention...I theorize that Steven will become corrupted through excessive stress.

To expand on this, I theorize that corruption is a possibility for all gems, and all the Diamonds do is speed up the process. Yellow destabilizes a gem's physical form, Blue destabilizes a gem's emotional state, and White, presumably, destabilizes a gem's mental state, making them incapable of sorting out Yellow and Blue's influence. But consider a situation where a gem completely loses their sense of purpose and self, where they've become so invested in their role that they've totally neglected themselves.

Steven has committed himself completely to helping others to the detriment of his own problems. It's been established throughout the series, and the movie shows that it hasn't gotten better. He's become jaded, frustrated, and where he used to meet threats with optimism, now it sets him on edge.

Bringing it back to the original topic, however, it's important to note that Jasper is the only gem Steven has failed to sway. In that regard, it's possible that Jasper will push Steven to his breaking point, causing him to corrupt.

[vegetacide]

Cloak and Dagger

Chapter 1 - Sorely Coping

Characters:  Virgil/Kayo,  Gordon/implied Lady P

Vegetable notes:  Throwing this up with no beta.. so any mistakes are purely mine. Anything blatant let me know. ..I shouldn’t be allowed to write without supervision as I may have broken someone.... oops.  

TY for @gumnut-logic for all her encouragement! 

Intro can be found here or here. I write under Othersider on FF.net and Vegetacide on Ao3

Enjoy :) 

8-8-8

Chapter 1  (Several weeks earlier) Sorely Coping

Kayo stepped into the dimly lit living space of the Tracy Villa, her eyes scanning around the large, open space. Her mind filing and sorted observational details at random in her quick, critical mind.  Always assessing.   

The blast proof balcony doors were open fully on their anti-friction track ever ready to be engaged with One’s launch sequence to protect the interior of the fine living space.  The large opening allowing the evening breeze to carrying in the pleasant scent of night blooming jasmine and the salty brine of the South Pacific into the dwelling. 

From where she stood,  Keyo could see the low, ambient light cast from a muted holo-vid in the recessed lounge reflecting off the slowly evaporating puddles on the veranda.  The dark mass of storm clouds that had off loaded their watery burden having passed over the island earlier in the evening and now refuelling for it Eastern flight across the ocean.  The black obscurity of it only now just letting the glow of the fully risen moon shine through.  

The storm had been short-lived and turbulent but the well engineered structure tucked amongst the rocky, volcanic stack had withstood many a test spewed forth by Terra Mater and this one like all the others prior would dissipate and be forgotten. The brief oppressiveness of humidity that weighted the atmosphere already beginning to lessen in the currents of cooler air pushing in from the West.  By morning the island would be returned to its normal state of tranquil beauty. 

The familiar  sound of Gordon doing late night laps in the pool drifting up from below caused Kayo to check the time.  It was rather late for the athlete to be doing circuits though not completely unheard of. Even recovering from his near fatal crash in Four, they were hard pressed to try and keep him out of the pool once his casts had been removed. The only visible remnants of which was a knee brace that he grudgingly wore and some biodegradable stitches.

Kayo was aware that the aquatic expert’s physio was progressing well but even so it would be a while before he was fit for active rotation. The steady pace of him powering through the water was proof that he was bound and determined to speed that process up. Pursing her lips though, Kayo made a mental note to make sure the fish wasn’t over doing it to his detriment. Last thing they needed was an irate Lady Penelope.  

Pulling her mind back from her ruminations, she stowed the thoughts aware for later. One of her other tasks on the island was to aid with the physical condition or its inhabitants. Sorting out appropriate activities that were low impact enough for an injury during an operatives recovery was part of that.   It was something she was going to have to work with Gordon.  The Fish knew his body and what he could tolerate better then anyone through so she’d have to take her cues from him.   

Taking a breath, she let the other island sounds envelop her as her tired frame got reacquainted with the peace of paradise. The  chirping rhythm of the islands’ resident cicadas and the distant crash of the storm surge having an instant lolling effect better than any form of mediation she’d ever tried.  

After a moment Kayo registered the faint, tinny sound of music and she turned her head to zero in on its origins.  Her brows dipping down as on quiet, leather soled feet she crept across the wood flooring.

Approaching the lowered circular arrangement of seats, her lips quirked as a solitary, sprawled figure came into view. One thick leg clad in soft, dove grey sweats hung off an arm rest,  his socked foot dangling on the too short couch. His familiar plaid flannel riding up his solid torso, a hint of dark hair peeking out and disappearing into the low slung waist band. Watching his  broad, muscular chest rising evenly in sleep brought a soft smile to Kayo’s lips 

Stepping into the recessed lounge, she popped the hidden closures of her nomex (1) flight jacket and pulled the fitted material from her shoulders. Shivering slightly as the night air met the skin left exposed by the singlet underneath. Jacket tossed on the circular table, she knelt on the strip of flooring adjacent to her other half.  Virgil was well known for sleeping like the dead when he was tired, and now was no exception.  He worked too hard and his thickly, muscled body was proof of that.  

She frowned as she took in the dark, smudges below his eyes, the result of the call out the day prior no doubt.  Virgil’s exhaustion was evident in his haphazard, supine posture. The little she had garnered from John on her return flight to the island inferred it had not been an easy rescue and by the looks of things, it hadn’t.  

Reluctantly reaching out, Kayo plucked out a small, silver earbud,  the tinny sound becoming slightly more audible with its release.  He couldn’t stay here, the regret for the decision would be bear like in the morning when the early risers in the house invaded the quiet space and Kayo had grown rather fond of her adopted family.   

“Virgil…”  She called softly, leaning in to brush her lips across his stubbled jaw line.  “Babe, you can’t spend the night here.”  Fingers ghosted across his brow, her own furrowed at the light sheen of perspiration that greeted her fingers.  It wasn’t that warm in the villa. 

Her bear was a difficult one to rouse, but experience taught her the soft approach was the best course with him.  Less chance of growling that way. 

Rubbing a hand in a careful circle over the thick pads of his pecs, her encouragement to wakefulness continued  “Come on, love.” 

As the flannel of his shirt caught up slightly her focus shifted. Her deft fingers made short work of of the fastened buttons and she carefully pulled one side back shaking her head in disapproval.

“Shit, what did you do to yourself this time?” Her words slipped out on a sigh of frustration.  Virgil’s broad chest was swathed in gauze, the bruising already apparent despite the loose binding that circled his chest.  One side was heavily padded with packing and an obvious slash of red was a stark contrast to the clinical white. 

“I’m OK.”

Breath catching,  Kayo looked up at the gruff voice and was greeted by a  hooded, tourmaline gaze. Brow arching is disbelief Kayo sat back on her haunches the ‘Ya, right. Try that again’  blatant in her expression. 

Stretching, he was careful to catch his wince of discomforted behind a rough swip of his hand over his face.  Hiding behind the act of rubbing the fog of sleep away, he came to the conclusion that it was easier to capitulate to her silent demand than to continue his charade of denial. That, and he hated worrying her.  

“Bruising,  couple cracked ribs, minor laceration. A round of antibiotics chased with some NSAIDS (2) and icing.”  Shifting he sat up and settled his feet on the floor on either side of her, catching her hands in his as she moved to take a closer look at his injury. 

“I’ll be back up in the air in a couple weeks.”  He brought her fingers up and brushed her knuckles with his lips.  Her eyes narrowing at the distraction, she’d seen his wince of pain and even now as she watched his arm slipped around his torso to brace against his ribs.  

Shaking her head she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. He knew as well as she, more so even with his extensive medical knowledge that cracked ribs were not something that just healed overnight. 

Stealing her hand back from him, she cupped his cheek and frown at his tired expression. Her scowl softening as he turned into the contact and placed a kiss on her palm. “What happened?” 

Virgil sighed,  tucking loose strands of her hair off her face. “Water drop too close the fire break.” He didn’t supply that the 4000 gallons of water he’d been caught up in had sent him on a jolly trip down a ravine. A sharp dip in the landscape where he was promptly introduced to previously toppled, denuded Douglas fir.   The evidence of that meeting spoke for itself in his beaten body so there was no need to waste the energy vocalizing it..

“Ouch”

“Yup,  that about sums it up.”

“I bet Scott had some choice words for that.”  Kayo supplied as she leaned up and into him, her arms settling around his neck.

“There are some Forestry personnel seriously considering career changes at the moment.” Here he drew her in and kissed her forehead. “That’s once they find a why to extract the size elevens out of their posteriors.”

Kayo winced at that pleasant picture.  Scott angry could be an impressive thing to behold. Scared for his brother and royal pissed off,  that was ‘End of Days’ petrifying. As in, you better hope the world explodes and your well and truly dusted before big brother sets his chilly sights on you.

“Speaking of ...where is he?” Her peridot green scanning around.  Even at this hour, the commander of iR and acting president a TI would usually be found at his father’s desk plugging away at some random report or cost analysis what-not. 

Virgil dragged in a breath, held it a moment and let it out on a slow exhale.  Dual purpose to expand his sore rib cage fully and to gather his scattered thoughts accomplished. 

“Bed”

“No way,  at this hour?”

The mmhmm that followed that was loaded. “I convinced him, through no small amount of grief and threat of physical pain, that should he not get some rack time I would tranq’ his ass.” Kayo was impressed,  getting the great Scott Tracy to concede to something as logical as sleep was no simple task.  It was Virgil though that had requested it but still.. would have been easier to convince John out of orbit…

A sleep tousled head nodded.  “He had a raging tension headache and was sniping at everything with a pulse.”

Kayo had an ‘ah ha’ moment, “That explains why Grandma has fled the island.”  Tracy 1 had been curiously missing from the hanger and there had been no mention of the family Matriarch having any mainland plans. 

“I would have tagged along but someone had to be here to keep the island afloat.”  Leaning back against the couch with a groan he dragged her with him.  She acquiesced and settling down beside him, tucked her legs up under herself.  “That and I wanted to warn you that Scottzilla was in residence.”

She chuckled at this and leaning in caught his lips with her own by way of thanks. “Well, my report will hold until he unhulks...dehulks..?”  She blinked as she thought on this.  

Virgil chuckled softly her ear,  his scruff scratching against the sensitive skin reminding her that her lover was a little worse for wear and in dire need of a proper bed and a solid 8 hours horizontal. FAA regulation dictated that duration of sleep as a minimum between long haul flights and though they couldn’t always abide by the rules in this regard - people needing rescuing didn’t prescribe to a schedule - they did their best to at least try to.  

Unsanctioned as they were they still had keep the GDF happy. Since their Godmother knew where the island was located, Virgil was fairly certain she would ground their asses if there was any outward signs of blatant disrespect for the rules that governed the rest of the planet’s aviation stock.  So to keep their tickets they made sure to toe the line between what was regulation and what was not. 

Taking a moment to enjoy the relative silence the night brought with it, Kayo allowed her head to list to the side and settle on Virgil’s strong, solid shoulder.   Hearing the deep intake of air through his chest as he sighed, Kayo glanced up at his profile.  

“It’s been a shit 48 hours.” 

Brow dropping, Kayo turned his face towards hers.   Looking into his tired face, her thumbing brushing back and forth across his cheek.  “Tell me.” She prompted gently.  

Virgil closed tired eyes and winced. Pain apparent in his pinched lines between his dark brows. “Firefly pod had a drive sprocket failure...must of been a micro fissure in the alloy that didn’t get picked up on its recent maintenance inspection.  Slipped a tread and we missed an evac window when the wind suddenly shifted.” 

“Equipment failures aren’t unheard of even for us. It happens..”

“It’s my job, Tawny.” 

“Virgil..”

“There was a logging crew up the backside of Butlers Peak....” Virgil started and stalled out.  Forcing himself up to his feet with a grunt as his pent up emotions threatening to explode all over the room, he started to pace. Hands dragging angrily through his already disheveled hair.

A grimace passed over Kayo’s features.  It was never easy to lose a rescue but casualties happened in their line of work.  There was just no way to save them all.  This though, was different.   Losing a person due to circumstances out of their control was one thing. Losing someone due to something they could prevent was another thing entirely  

“I’m sorry,”  It was the only thing she could think of to say.  “Have you spoken to Scott about this?” 

The one shouldered shrug she got by way or response not really providing the answer she was looking for.   John had warned her just prior to landing that things were a bit tense, he just hadn’t elaborate on how much.  His over-professional manner and quick dismissal should have been enough of a hint.  John tended to mask himself behind professionalism and distance when he was stressed.

Scott and Virgil had clearly had words on the topic..a lot of good that had accomplished by the looks of things.. and she was fairly certain Johnny could have heard it from 22,000 kilometers away. Their Grandmother must have put some sort of cease fire into effect and was the likely reason she had vacated the island.  The space provided by her absence meant to allow the two brothers to sort things out without fear of her intervening if things were to escalate. 

Kayo watched him pace around the table knowing that in his current frame of mind there was no guarantee anything she said was going to help. For one, Virgil needed to be open to hearing her first. For another, he was just done - physically, mentally and emotionally.  What he really required was time and a piece of furniture better suited for sleep other than the couch   

Bringing his trek around the coffee table and the still muted holo-vid to an abrupt stop, Virgil dropped his head. He was turned away from her,  his shoulders hunched with discomfort and exhaustion.  His previous efforts to physically exorcise whatever storm was churning in his head too much for what his usually robust frame could currently handle.  

Swaying had Kayo on her feet and at his side in a blink, her lean strength steadying him.  “You need to be off your feet. Preferably sleeping.”  

“Ow..”  He said through gritted teeth.  

“You idiot,” Came Kayo’s chiding remark.  Facing him she peaked up at him through the tangle of his limp hair, his forehead coming to rest against hers. 

Drawing in a breath, Kayo picked up on clinical scent of antiseptic and the faint, acridness of wood smoke.   It spoke volumes to her that the remnants of the day still clung to him. Like the morose set of his mind needed a fetid spectre so it wouldn’t be easily forgotten.  Not like that would  happen with any haste, anytime soon.

The rock of her adopted family, felt things deeply and she knew this well.  The calm surface of his demeanor was but a thin curtain to the depth of his feelings. The emotional scars he carried ran deep and were kept private for the sake of his brothers.  A front in place that he needed to maintain so he could help keep his family on an even keel. 

As close as Virgil was to Scott, Kayo was the one person privy to everything that lay beyond it.  Providing what comfort she could when he needed it and even sometimes when he refused to accept it.  Even now as she wove her fingers through the inky black of his hair, she could feel the tension in his frame.  Pained as he was from injury, the tightness in his shoulders was not likely to depart until he fought his way tooth and nail back to his center. 

For now though, Kayo would stand guard. 

8-8-8

Gordon paused at the door to his older brothers set of rooms and knocked lightly. Surprised but really not all that shocked when the door slid open and Kayo was standing on the other side.  Hair hanging in loose waves around her shoulders,  the dark chestnut strands catching the subdued light from the hallway in halo of hickey. 

Garbed in an over-sized Denver Tech shirt that he was pretty sure belonged to his brother, he blinked and tried his best to school his emotive features. The healing aquanaut had only recently lost his walking cast and the last thing he wanted to do was set Tanusha Kyrano on irritation warpath.  

Glancing into the room at her back,  Kayo stepped out into the fall and with arms crossed leaked against the door jam, her brow raised in question.  If looks could kill Gordon was pretty sure he would be a tiny pile of sand at her feet so he resisted the smart ass comment that was brewing on his tongue. 

“Yes, Gordon?,”  she said with a bored expression, adjusting the crew neck collar of the faded, maroon shirt as it slipped to one side off her shoulder.  The BEST, worst kept secret on the island, his brother’s relationship with the security expert. Gordon had always been curious on how that had started but hadn’t wanted to intrude on the elder’s privacy.   For all of Virgil’s attention to the going-ons in his siblings’ lives, he was extremely private about his own. A thought that perhaps that was why his adoptive sister was drawn to him came floating through his mind. 

Stowing that epiphany away for later,  Gordon gave himself a shake.  “Oh.. uh, I brought this up.” Holding a cold gel pack out and a soft hand towel. “Figured he could use it. I know how much he hates to admit to discomfort and this is better than Grandma setting her sights on him… I should know.”  His stomach was still recuperating from that attention. 

Taking the offerings, a soft smile lit Kayo’s face.  “I’ll make sure he uses it”  

“I’m sure you will”  Turning to head off to his own room for the night,  he stopped. “How’s he doing?”  

Gordon was only too aware that if he asked Virgil himself, his brothers would be less than forthcoming. Virgil despised worrying the others and if anyone had the inside scoop, it was the slender woman standing in front of him.

“Tired. Sore. Exhausted.”  In more ways than one. “He’ll be alright.”  

Gordon gave a nod, he knew what that was like...they all did. 

“‘I’ll, uh...leave you to it then.”  He remarked and turned to leave.  

“Gordon?”  Her quiet voice drifted out to his retreating back and he did an about face, walking backwards down the hallway. “Take care”  Seeing her gaze drop to the knee he was favouring, he knew he was busted for his late night swimming marathon.  Before he could respond though, she ghosted back into the dark room and the door shut with a gentle click. 

TBC

Notes:

(1) Nomex - fire retardant, synthetic fabric

(2) NSAIDS - smart way of saying Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

NEXT CHAPTER

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT Rewatch 4x12 - Darkness on the Edge of Town

I hope my knowlEDGE on this episode will make for an engaging review! XD

...Yeah, this was a hard one to make a pun for. I miss the ice puns already.

Anyway, as I said, just below the cut, there’s an honestly fairly short review by my regular standards. If you feel like checking it out, go below the cut!

So, if you’re at all familiar with my reviews, by now you know that I usually post my main takeaways here, but this time, I don’t really have them and what I do have to say is small enough to not need a ton of elaboration. So instead, we’re gonna skip it this time and just go right to the Stream of Consciousness! With that being said...

Stream of Consciousness

-”Tried to impregnate.” Not even one minute in and we get a hentai joke!!! XD I love this series!

-You know, the music that play in the Storybrooke owner sounds like a somewhat harsher version of what is later the happy endings montage in Season 6, as if to say a lot is right, but not everything.

-I would honestly love more Snow and Bird interactions! XD

-Wait, so is Granny’s just closed, or is she babysitting WHILE running a popular diner! This woman is a freakin’ superhero! Also, where’s David?

-I love how Belle actually thinks to reach out to people outside the fairy tale world.

-”How could I have been so weak?” MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY.  

-”You -- you should’ve been stronger, but you weren’t, and well...neither was I.” No. I love Killian, Belle, but there was a difference between Killian being sort of manipulated (sort of -- the present segment of “The Apprentice” just sucks) and being straight up lied to.

-”I just hope he’s found whatever it is he’s looking for.” Umm, considering when you last saw him, he was looking to kill people and take over the world, you probably shouldn’t hope that! XD

-I repeat what I asked in the last episode: WHY are all of these fairytale creatures living in New York! I love my home state, but it is EXPENSIVE!

-You know, I just feel really bad for Ursula. We don’t see enough of what she did as a villain to hate her in any way and in this world, apparently all she can afford to eat is RAMEN! That is so fucking sad! This woman does not deserve this!

-”What you do is complain.” And what you do is mooch, Rumple! Don’t bitch at the person who is hosting you, especially when she’s pissed! See, the one thing about being a coward (And I am a big fucking coward) is that we’re not confrontative when we don’t have the power! XD

-I love the implication that Cruella just went around our land AND landed a rich husband with the name “Cruella.” XD

-You know, CAN Cruella kill in a land without magic? Because no one else’s magic works, so maybe she’s been free all along! ...But then again, she probably would’ve killed her husband, so I guess it’s more of a reverse Weaver situation. Actually, to serve my point, at the end of the scene, Cruella drives down and like by all means, should’ve killed this guy but instead gets flung back into a bush! The universe is conspiring against her!

-”Aren’t you tired of feeling ordinary?” Please, even in this world, Cruella’s far from ordinary! Besides, for the wham line that this is, Cruella’s problem wasn’t that she was ordinary -- it’s that she couldn’t kill!

-Okay, so apparently Regina has a weakness for root beer! I hate the stuff, but good to know!

-I love how Killian smiles at Belle as she tells them that she did it! He’s so proud!

-Cruella’s power is so fucking cool! She can not only control animals, BUT she can have her commands spread from one animal to another. Like, how did this woman not at the very least take over a whole town with an army of rhinos?

-How come Mal’s staff absorbed the fire instead of just...Mal? She’s a fire breathing dragon! Give her some extra fire!

-Or...CAN Cruella kill? Because Rumple knows she can’t kill, but is still afraid?

-I know that Blue and Regina are far from friends, but it’s weird how much focus is put on their dynamic in this episode. There’s a lot of hesitation whenever they interact and given how little they interact on a regular basis, it’s odd.

-Why wouldn’t Blue not know or even not think about the possibility of the Author working for The Sorcerer, or vice versa?

-When did Isaac have the time to leave these “hidden clues?” And how come neither Merlin nor The Apprentice had anything to say about them if they were rumors?

-”This isn’t our first monster bash.” I honestly love how freakin’ well oiled this town is at times!

-I’m honestly curious what a 4B where the Queens of Darkness do decide to leave Rumple behind would look like. Because Cruella would’ve at least considered it, let’s be honest. I’m not saying I’d have preferred that, but I would totally read a fic of that universe.

-You know, I like the subtle costume details of just how destitute Rumple’s life has become. Everything from his phone to his cane are of poorer quality and his coat looks like he got it out of Goodwill. It a really good instance of costuming telling a story.

-”The sea bitch.” To my knowledge, you and Ursula have never met! Why are you calling her a bitch?

-”Swallows the heart with the darkest potential.” I’m trying to think about this in regards to Emma, the character we’re supposed to believe fulfills that role. I mean, sort of. I can see her intelligence, ability to detect lies, and connection to her family and friends to have potential to be abused to the detriment of others. It’s an interesting concept. And given how life in Storybrooke, while rewarding in a lot of senses, has made her life complicated as all hell, I can see her having a lot of baggage about it.

-David, welcome to the fucking episode! Seriously, was Josh just sick this week or something?

-”What made you choose yellow?” I love how Regina asks this as a means of not freaking the fuck out that a Chernabog is chasing her! It’s a very Regina thing to comment on and it’s hysterical because of it!

-I like how Emma points out the hypocrisy at play with her parents not trusting these two lower tier villains.

-”Not as horrible as I once was. And if I deserve a second chance, so do they. How can I sit here looking for my happiness and deny two others a chance at theirs?” This is a FANTASTIC Regina speech. It really shows how Regina’s grown to be more self aware and better equipped to help redeem other villains.

-I kind of wish Rumple had more of a scared reaction to the possibility of not being let into Storybrooke. Like, the rest of his life depends on this.

-”Make friends, build relationships.” And NONE of this ever happens! XD

Favorite Dynamic

The Queens of Darkness and Rumple - These guys are the main dynamic and they really do provide the most entertainment value. First, I want to point out how cool it is that Rumple is the one with power (both actual and figurative) in the past segment while the queens are in the present. That’s just interesting storytelling. Second, what I love about them in the present is that they get just as exasperated as we do about how frustratingly vague Rumple often is and that they use their power in the situation to get him to fucking stop to some degree. Their frustration slowly but noticeably builds up in the episode as Rumple continues not really saying anything and finally explodes and that is honestly really cathartic to watch. For as much as I love Rumple for how cryptic he can be, its a quality of his character that can easily be overdone and in a meta-sense, this was pointed out in-universe and almost prevents him from losing his own plan of revenge.

Writer

Adam and Eddy start up our half season with a solid start. Again, there’s not a lot to say here because while these two episodes have stories, they’re not so much rooted in something like theme which can be analyzed. The characters are all in solid form, and Regina’s in particularly great form. I will say though, there is a clunkiness to a lot of the lines. Sometimes, it’s a matter of people giving weird exposition or explaining things in a way that characters shouldn’t be able to understand (Ex. The entire middle of Killian and Belle’s discussion, Rumple telling Ursula and Cruella about being the Oxford professor).

Rating

10/10. I feel like there’s a singular word to describe this episode: Utilitarian. It’s all setup and a bit of tying loose ends up with a really basic ‘working together is good’ storyline in the past and sort of present. That’s not to say that it’s bad -- far from it. It just means that there’s not a lot of story to comment on. But this is a good version of setting up a story and biting off a loose end of two. There’s a lot of fun and interesting dynamics, it’s great to see all of our main heroes working together, and the queens get to show off the bulk of their charisma and intrigue.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Captain Swan - I love the bits of domesticity we get with Emma and Killian here. You can see that they’re really gotten the most out of these six weeks and have integrated themselves into each others lives. Like, the sequence at the beginning of the episode implies that this is a normal morning for the people of Storybrooke and Emma and Killian are literally part of each others routines! That shit is just too fucking cute!!! I’mma also plug my fic “Hero,” which is based around this episode. It’s one of my better work in my humble opinion and deals directly with Killian’s doubts in his own heroism that he displays in the hallway scene. Speaking of which, I do like the hallway scene. While I don’t like Emma giving Killian a total free pass, I do think that with the fairies, it’s warranted and deserved given how he very clearly didn’t want to go through with it.

-----

Thank you all for reading this pretty relaxed review. Sorry for all the delays lately, but I’m hoping I can pick up the pace from here.

Also, shoutout to @watchingfairytales and @daensarah. See you all next time!

Season 4 Total (105/230)

Writer Scores: Adam and Eddy: (34/60) Jane Espenson: (20/40) David Goodman and Jerome Schwartz: (30/50) Andrew Chambliss: (14/50) Dana Horgan: (6/30) Kalinda Vazquez: (14/40) Scott Nimerfro: (14/30) Tze Chun (8/20)

Operation Rewatch Archives

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[salexectrian-heir]

Loki: Chapter 8* (NSFW)

Pairing: Solavellan Rating: E* (not every chapter is E, most are rated T. Chapters containing explicit content will be marked with an asterisk* Summary: Lavellan rescued a mischievious sphynx kitten outside her work who loves her dearly. But his destructive habits start to get out of hand when he steals her attractive neighbor’s underwear… repeatedly. [Previous Chapter]      [Read on AO3]

Unfortunately, her focus evaded her at the hospital. She filed four charts in incorrect places (thankfully Dorian caught them in time), spilled soup down the front of her scrub shirt at lunch, and slipped in a puddle of some sort of fluid that had been left unattended to in the hallway. It didn’t smell of urine from what she could tell, but she wasn’t about to go sniffing it. She groaned as she sat up, careful not to touch whatever the wet substance was that brought her down. Her pants though were a lost cause.

“Having a rough day, my dear?”

Her stomach dropped. As if her day couldn’t get any worse. She had been avoiding the Chief of Surgery all morning because of the file mix up, and of course this would be the moment the Chief found her.

“What gave it away,” she asked weakly, looking up to meet the impenetrable stare of Dr. De Fer. To her surprise, the Chief looked slightly amused.

“In my own experience, nothing is more detrimental to a young doctor’s career than a lack of focus.”

The tips of Anise’s ears began to burn. “I apologize Chief, I’m just...off today.”

“I know, darling. This isn’t like you. Take an hour for lunch to collect yourself and your thoughts,” Vivienne drew herself to her full height, eye her speculatively, “and perhaps a fresh set of clothes. When you return please come see me in my office, there is a matter of paramount importance we need to discuss.”

The Chief sauntered out, causing a few of the other staff members down the hall jump back to get out of her way. No one messed with the Iron Lady. The second Vivienne was out of sight, and earshot, Anise groaned and pulled herself off the floor, taking part of the mysterious liquid with her. She peeled the wet clothing from the back of her thighs and did her best not to cry. How in the world was she supposed to make it to the end of her shift in one piece and prepare herself to have The Conversation about the future of her relationship with Solas if the world repeatedly reminding her it was against her?

The sound of wheels creaking drew her attention from her wet pants to the nurse that was scurrying down the hall pushing a mop bucket towards her.

“Awh, shite. Don’t tell me you slipped innit?”

Anise cringed and nodded. “Do I even want to know what it is?”

The nurse shoved her short sandy hair back off her forehead with a rough gesture, “Jus lemonade, I dropped it coming in.” Despite her crass attitude, the woman did appear upset, “Hope you didn’t get hurt.”

“Lemonade is walk in the park.” Anise let out an amused sigh. It was just lemonade, “I’ll be alright. Thanks.”

“Wait, did you think it was piss or something?” The woman snorted, “I can’t believe your not tweakin’ out!” The nurse cackled. “Damn if I knew you weren’t one of them serious docs with a stick up their arse I woulda said something worse.” Her mouth split into a grin. It was infectious. “Maybe I should start a rumor. “The Herald of the OR slipped in ji--”

“Don’t you even dare,” Anise threatened half-heartedly, passing the nurse as she started to mop the mess.

The woman’s continued cackles echoed down the hall as Anise turned the corner. Perhaps she would make it through after all.

She did survive, to her great relief. The rest of her day after her interaction with Sera, she had learned the nurse’s name from Cole--another nurse, who knew everyone and everything about everyone and somehow still didn’t have people to sit with in the cafeteria for lunch--went smoothly. Anise made a mental note to take lunch more often to keep lone nurse company. It appeared they could both use it.

Her meeting with Vivienne was better than she could have imagined. It was not about her filing error--though it was discussed and reprimanded briefly--but about a personal matter of the Chief. Vivienne Vivienne confided in Anise that White Spire Hospital in Orlais was going to have an opening in their Chief of Surgery position, and had invited her to apply--and that she was considering it. It wouldn’t be for another year or two, depending when the current Chief decided to retire, but the application and interviewing process apparently was long and grueling. They wanted Vivienne to apply as early as possible. This news was to be kept between the two of them until Vivienne found out more information about the position and her chances of being selected. Vivienne also mentioned just before she released Anise that if she was selected, and did accept the position, she did not intend to make the transition alone. She would still be keeping her eye on Anise as the White Spire had many fellowship opportunities, including specialized trauma. Anise nearly fainted.

She had a lot to think about regarding her future. This news was something she immediately wanted to share with Solas, but stopped herself from stealing a moment in an on-call room to text him. After last night, she still couldn’t shake the feeling his “considerations” was going to translate as “I can’t date you anymore because I don’t see a future with you”,  and that thought alone was enough to shut her down from sharing this exciting development in her life.

And later at the end of her shift, when she was changing out of her scrubs and into her street clothes, another idea manifested.

Maybe when he says old-fashioned, he truly means that in regards to physical intimacy.

She lightly beat her forehead against her locker. She had been truly an ass last night in the laundry room if that was case. She had just assumed he would be okay with sex and hadn’t even thought about asking him. If that was the conversation they were going to have, she would make sure to start off apologizing for misinterpreting his boundaries. But something in the way he kissed her had her doubting that line of thought. The way he claimed her was raw, passionate, and physical… the insinuations of his tongue left her mind reeling with fantasies. But then again, someone can still believe in not being sexually intimate and still be physically intimate to a certain extent. Neither of them had even brought up the idea of being exclusive, so she again had just assumed he was okay with the loose labels.

He was throwing her for a loop.

By the time she got home, she a mess all over again, mind consumed by what Solas’ considerations were going to be. Her stomach was tying itself into knots. She didn’t want to lose him, and the weight of that realization scared her too. She had several past relationships that she over invested herself in, some which hadn’t been “official” or “labeled” in, some that were healthy, others that were… less so. And one engagement that ended because of a miscarriage.

Her head dropped into her hands.

If he learned this about her, would he leave her? End it?A little voice at the back of her head chided her that he was too good to be true. She was getting ahead of herself. They had to actually decide what they even were first. She ignored the negative thoughts as best she could as she went through motions of getting ready.

Loki lurked around her ankles as she flitted around her apartment, between her bedroom and the bathroom. He held a one sided conversation, meowing and chirping at her sensing her distress. When she finally sat down on her freshly made bed, in her underwear, he jumped up into her lap and headbutted her bicep, purring loudly.

“Hi baby boy,” she cooed, earning her a few scratchy licks to her bare upper arm, “I am at a loss. I don’t know what to wear.”

An undecipherable yowl met her ears.

“I want to look nice, but not like I’m trying too hard,” she answered him, idly stroking the spot between his shoulder blades he liked so much, “I don’t even know what I’m getting into. Gods I suck at dating.”

Loki placed his paws on her chest and pushed himself up, sniffing her chin. His cold little nose bumped the underside of her jaw.

“A dress might be over doing it,” she said, eyeing the teal dress she wore on their first date from the open doors of her closet, “but jeans seem too informal. A skirt maybe…”

She scooped Loki off her lap and dumped him on her pillows. He made an adorable grunt like sound as he hit their soft surfaces. Anise pulled the only two skirts she owned from the closet and laid them out on the bed, one loosely pleated white one that came to about mid thigh and one black empire waisted pencil skirt. . She perused through her limited selection of tops that matched the styles, and finally settled on a very pale pink cropped tank that was stitched with vertical grooves to pair with the white skirt. To finish it off she grabbed the floral printed kimono shawl she had received from her sister-in-law for Wintersend and a pair of nude flats.

“Loki?”

The mewl he gave she took as meow of approval.  

Anise knocked on his door promptly at six. Her nerves fluttered around her ribcage like butterflies trapped in net. Whatever he was cooking was wafting from his apartment, filling the hall with an intoxicating was intoxicating scent, making her mouth water. He answered almost immediately, eyes widening as he took in the sight of her standing before him.

“Hi,” she said meekly, reaching up to smooth a piece of hair behind her ear. She had worn it down tonight.

“Hello Anise,” he greeted, voice leveled and low, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

He took a step back and made a sweeping gesture to let her in. He had corner apartment, and was lucky to get more windows than most tennants. Curtains were half drawn to let him some of the dying light from the sunset illuminate the room. His apartment was much different than hers, much more minimalistic in its decor. A black leather couch lined one of the walls that had a coffee table in front of it, with notepads, pens, and other important looking documents spread out over its surface. A brief case laid against one of its legs. A door off to her left was slightly a jar with dim light slipping through the crevice. She could only assume it was his bedroom as there weren’t any other doors to be found. His kitchen opened up into the living room, the two places bleeding into one. A small table was neatly set for two with glasses of wine poured for each, and a fresh cut of crystal grace had been placed in a vase in the center. Tiny candles in little glass jars also adorned the table top, casting flickering shadows that danced across the table cloth and reflected off their glasses. And from the corner of his place, a record was playing. Something with an acoustic guitar and a soft, masculine voice.  It was hopelessly romantic. And she hopelessly loved it. How was she supposed to bring up topics she dreaded when she was surrounded by such magic?

He pulled out her chair with a warm smile, an offer for her sit while he served. Her stomach was doing flips. No one she dated previously had treated her this way. Pulling out chairs? Cooking dinners? Usually that was her job.  It was overwhelming different and yet comfortable simultaneously. She didn’t know what to make of it. To think this might be the first and last chance she ever had with him made her heart ache.

“How was your day?”

His question was so innocent, so domestic, so genuine in the way he voiced it that the fragile wall, the one she had spent all day amassing to keep him out until she had uncovered his considerations, came crumbling down. Caving against her will, she let out all her frustrations, including the embarrassing fall and the confrontation with her Chief.

“What did Dr. De Fer want to speak with you about?”

He placed a delectable plate of salmon and roasted vegetables over a fresh bed of salad before her, and her mouth stopped working as she stared down at it. After a beat she realized she was gaping and not speaking.

“Oh,” she said, quickly meeting his eyes. He was smirking. “She shared with me some great news, actually.”

“Which was?”

“The White Spire has invited her to apply as their Chief of Surgery.”

His eyes went wide. “That is quite an honor.”

“That’s an understatement,” she said with a laugh, waiting for him to take a seat with his own plate before picking up her knife and fork, “she was ecstatic of course. She wanted to know what my thoughts on the position were, and if given the opportunity, if I would follow her there essentially..”

“That is amazing, Anise.”

As she glanced over the table at him, she noticed the gleam in his eyes. He was proud of her. The butterflies steadily grew more restless in her breast as the tension between them heightened.

“It would be the chance of life time honestly,” she said, averting her eyes as she blushed, and took bite of the fish. It took all her self-control not to moan as it melted in her mouth.

“Gods, Solas this is incredible,” she praised, covering her mouth with her hand as she spoke with a mouthful as not to be rude.

His mouth pulled into a crooked smile. “Most Arlathan recipes are.”

She playfully rolled her eyes. “I should have guessed. How was your day by the way?”

He filled her in on the paperwork he had been attending to for Evacorp as they ate. He spent his time editing new clinical trial confidentiality and consent forms as a favor to a coworker. It sounded tedious and boring and too much like he was being being taken advantage of. Someone else’s paperwork was not something he should have had to do on his day off. His demeanor even shifted while he was talking about his work, even in his body language as he excused himself to flip the record.  It aged him in some regard, the light in his eyes diminishing and his mouth perpetually pulled into a frown as he spoke of the board of directors and how important it was to get this project done before its deadline. She wanted to bring back some life into him, wanted to chase away that gloom that seemed to perpetually cling to him, one he brought back after every flight.

“Solas,” she said interrupting him, reaching a hand across the table to lay upon his, “you don’t seem very happy in this position. Why don’t you change jobs?”

He contemplated her words, selecting his own carefully. “It’s….complicated.”

“Complicated like us?”

The words left her before she could censor them, and the tension that had been simmering between them spiked. She had meant it as a lighthearted joke, an easy way to segue into what needed to be brought up… but his reaction told her he did not take it that way.

He withdrew his hand from hers and stood abruptly, collecting the things at his place and hers. “It’s difficult to explain,” he said quietly, before walking back into the kitchen to scrape their plates.

She followed, taking the napkin off her lap and tossing it into the trash on her way.

“Solas,” said apologetically, tugging gently on his elbow to get his attention, “please, tell me. Let me in.”

This was it. The moment she had been worrying about all fucking day.

“Anise, getting to know you and spend time with you has been wonderful.” He set the dishes in the sink. “The way I feel about you, I have not felt in years,” his his lips twitched into a sad smile, “You are more than I deserve.” He raised his hand as if to touch her cheek, but then thought better of it and retracted at the last second.

His words flooded her heart, filling it with such pressure she feared she might burst. Her fingers curled tighter around his arm as her heart rate sped up. “But?”

“But,” he echoed, peeling away her grip. He stared down where he held her hand, lips pursed and brows knotted. The silence cut her like scalpel, incision digging too deep. And then a new thought came to her. One that morphed all her earlier fears into one.

“But you don’t want to have to choose between your job and a relationship.” Her voice sounded very small as it left her. “Getting physical in our relationship more seriously would only make it that much more difficult to end.”

He held her gaze. “My job would be an obstacle in the relationship, as much as yours would. We’ve managed to live around them but eventually… we’d want something more stable, consistent. It would be something we could face together if…. I digress.” He shook his head and released her hand, tucking his own behind his back. “That is not my reason for my hesitancy. You deserve someone closer to your own age. To share in the experiences that come with being young, not someone jaded by time... ” he trailed off.

Her mind raced. His age? Sure, he was older...but what difference did that make when she was approaching thirty herself?

“I don’t understand..?”

“Anise,” he shifted his weight, “I am twelve years older than you. I have little to offer you that hasn’t been spoiled already. I am afraid it will bother you. I don’t want to start something and progress further if you’ll regret being with--”

She pressed a finger to his lips. His eyes widened in surprise.

He thinks he’s damaged...

“Solas, ask me how I feel about your age.”

“Anise, I--”

“Ask me how I feel.”

He closed his eyes with a sigh and leaned into her touch. “How do you feel… about my age?”

“It does not bother me in the slightest,” she said reassuringly, taking a small step closer to him, “In fact, I… I find it charming.” She felt the blood rush to her face at her confession. Now reflecting on the gap...she realized she liked it… found it attractive even. She dropped her hand and her gaze. “For once, I actually feel comfortable enough to let someone take care of me, I’m so used to being the responsible one. And maybe it is because you’ve had more time to figure out what you want in a relationship that makes you better at it, or at least to me…”

Two fingers pressed against her chin, making her tilt her head up at him. What she saw in his searching eyes made her heart burst, sending a cascade of fire through her veins.

“You mean that?”

“Of course I do,” she matched his low whisper, “I’ve already made my decision. I’m in this, fully.” She leaned into him, running a hand up his chest. “I’m here, I’m ready. I’m willing. If you are…”

He cupped her face. “I am.”

They stood transfixed in that moment, their decision made and hanging in the silence between them.

“Then prove it.” Anise swallowed. “Kiss me.”

All the pent up frustration and tension she had rattling inside her melted away once his lips touched her own. It was gentle, questioning. He lingered, unwilling to break it but not pressing forward. She could tell by the way he held his body he was holding back.  

“Like you mean it,” she breathed against his skin.

At that, he pulled away slightly. His grip on her chin forced her to look up into his smoldering, heavy lidded gaze. His brow arched as he stepped forward, making her step back. A whole new sensation overwhelmed her senses, a liquid kind of heat that spilled down her spine, and pooling lower still in her belly. She suddenly felt too hot, as is she were on fire but not quite ablaze. The tips of her ears burned as he continued to look at her that way. A dull ache began to throb between her thighs as his other hand glided up her hip, guiding her back further still. Her back hit the counter and she breathed in sharply. He chose that moment to advance, surging down and claiming her like he did on the night of Wintersend. His hand slipped around her thigh, hitching it around his hip to lift her up onto the edge of the counter’s surface. She took in all of him, breathed him in as she parted her lips to run her tongue along the seam of his mouth, diving in when he let her pass. Her fingers curling into the sweater she knit as he deepened their kiss.

A whimper escaped when his mouth broke their rhythm and left hers to explore, as did his hands. His breath spilled over the exposed expanse of her throat, hot and heavy leaving searing wet kisses on every inch he could find as he dragged his hands up her thighs, pushing up the fabric of her skirt. Fingertips danced over the soft skin of her legs spreading them slowly before they shifted downwards to caress her inner thigh She didn’t even try to stifle the shudder it coaxed.

Her stomach clenched, as did the rest of her body, as his fingers reached the barrier of damp lace that was her underwear.

“If this,” he traced the edge of her thong before hooking his index finger through it, “is something you want, I will give it willingly.”

“Yes. ” The word tumbled from her lips in a rush as she gripped his shoulder.

He chuckled so softly that she felt it vibrate against her more than she actually heard it.

“I do believe you owe me a pair for how many your kitten has taken from me.”

She gasped as he pulled,sliding the pair she was wearing down her legs, off her knees and let them fall past her ankles.

“I’ll collect my prize later,” he murmured against her cheek, pressing insistent kisses along her jaw, “come with me.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist and slid her arms around his neck as he picked her up. She felt the thong fall of her foot onto the kitchen floor, but she immediately let it slip from her mind as she had more, pressing, things to focus on. Such as the size of the welcomed hardness she felt against her as she clung to him.

Creators, she was going to ache tomorrow.

He led her to the bedroom, eyes locked on her. She couldn’t break his hold, it completely entranced her. How he managed to seize her so wholly with a simple stare was beyond her. And honestly she couldn’t care how easy she fell prey to him at this point. This confidence of his, this intimate side of him, was incredibly sexy and it had been oh so worth the wait.

She shed him of the wintersend gift once they reached his bed, tossing the sweater somewhere out of reach, followed by the undershirt he had donned beneath it so she could finally drink in the sight of him, bare chested before her. His gaze lost a fraction of its intensity the longer she stared, hands ghosting across the surface of his body without actually touching him. He was in good shape, no doubt about that, but he had softer lines whereas a younger man might have been more defined. She found it so much more overwhelming attractive. She wanted to trace every dip, indentation, and crease with the tip of her tongue..

It dawned her there was no reason for her not to.

Tuckin her legs beneath her to kneel, she reached for him and splayed her fingers across his torso. She leaned in, kissing each freckle she saw dotted on his skin, tongue gliding across the surface of his abdomen, tracing grooves she found that had been softened with age. His breath hitched as she reached his navel and her fingers found the button, and zipper of his slacks.

If he was allowed to tease her...

His pants hit the floor.

“Your underwear looks so much better with you filling them out,” she murmured, lips pressed  lightly over the swell in his briefs and laid a chaste kiss there. His fingers twisted in her hair reflexively.

“Ani--”

Her name turned into moan as she tugged the fabric down, exposing him fully. She wasted no time dragging her tongue along the length of his cock from base to tip before taking him entirely into her mouth. It wasn’t long after she her mouth and hand had settled into a steady rhythm that his hips began to buck in tandem, and a small curse of praise fell down to her ears.  

Suddenly he was pulling her off him and being shifted up the bed, shedding the rest of her clothes as they went. His mouth collided with hers as soon as she had settled back against his pillows. They felt like clouds wrapped in silk against the bare skin of her back, drowning her in the illusion that she was floating despite the pressure of his body pressed to her. She was all too aware of the weight of his cock as it laid on her inner thigh, hard and thick. A jolt of pleasure coursed through her like live current as his fingers dove between her thighs and found her clit, working her so easily up to the point the throbbing in her core was inescapable and all consuming. And when his slender fingers slipped inside her, she let him know just how pleasurable it was, unable to refrain from being silent--or still-- any longer. When her whimpers turned into pleas, he finally withdrew from her and reached to the nightstand drawer to their left and dug through it. He found what he was looking for, and heard the crinkle of a wrapper being ripped a few seconds later. She didn’t think her heart rate could have scaled any higher, but it did. After the condom was rolled on, he coaxed her open and settled between her legs, pausing to catch her gaze, the question was written all over his face. Are you sure?

Before he could even ask, she nodded and said, “Take me.”

With an effortless movement, he thrust up and in. She made a lewd sound at the sensation of being filled so fully, the ache of being stretched in ways she hadn’t in so long. He was gentle at first, the rock of his hips slow and measured as he pulled out watching her reaction. Each thrust forward carefully pressed. It was a tender thing, really, what was transpiring between them. One of his hands slid into hers and she clasped their fingers together just above her head in the sheets. The other found a home cupping her cheek. His face was so expressive, no longer held back by a rigid composure she was sure he kept up for appearances. She wanted to trace the emotion she found there with a finger tip, but that would mean relinquishing her grip on his shoulder and she wasn’t about to let go of him, not now, not ever.

The gradual, intimate pace changed when she started canting her hips into his rhythm. She still ached but it had grown into a satisfying one. An ache she realized she wanted--no, needed--more of. His thumb caressed her lower lip as he grinded into her. She met each vigorous thrust with a subtle roll of her hips, angling him deeper to hit that one spot…

She gasped when he did, ragged and high pitched as she arched into him. With one simple movement he had managed to make the muscles in her core pull taut. The sensation causing her nails to dig into the blades of his shoulders. His thrusts faltered at her exclamation.

“Don’t you dare stop,” she said in a breathless moan, freeing their entwined hands to grip his hip, to coax him further. Harder.

The pace they set after could only be described as desperate, her body writhed under his relentless devotion, coiling tighter and tighter. Each of his thrusts fell faster, rougher, deeper until it became all too much. What had started as a groan at the back of his throat erupted into a harsh cry as he came, crashing into her. The last few erratic rolls of his hips coupled with the sound of his climax and the deft fingers that suddenly caressed her clit finished her off, setting her free to ride several tidal waves of ecstasy.

They collapsed in a blissful heap, limbs entangled and chests heaving, neither making an effort to move for several minutes. She curled her fingers around the base of his neck and nuzzled her nose long his jawline, savoring the way the rapid beat of his heart pulsed in time with hers. He hummed something against her forehead, elven she thought, too dazed and thoroughly fucked to actually comprehend anything at this point. Chaste kisses were being placed along the crown her head, her temples, and eventually down the bridge of her nose.

She gazed up at him through half-lidded eyes and smiled up lazily at him. “You know,” she said quietly, “for a brief time I was a little nervous that when you mentioned being old-fashioned…” she trailed off heat crept down the back of her neck, suddenly embarrassed at her assumption.

“That I would be opposed to sex?” The question was laced with mirth that reflected in his eyes as he pulled himself up to gaze down at her. The soft laugh that escaped him turned into snort, and something in her twisted pleasantly at the sound. “I’m not that old fashioned.”

The flat look she was trying to give him was ruined by the smile that broke across her mouth. “Solas, you haven’t let me pay for any of the dates we’ve gone on, you open car doors for me, you--”

Her words were swallowed up by another kiss, and the subsequent giggle too. She could feel him smiling through the motion and it tugged at her heart in all the right ways. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he sat up, taking her with him.

“You are going to have to let me  indulge you everyone once in a while,” he murmured against her mouth, “please.”

“I’ll take it into... consideration,” she teased, nipping at his lower lip.

At that, he chuckled exasperatedly and shook his head. “You would.”

[staffordmackenzie89]

But you could always buy kits from garden stores to check if the plant grows, train them onto trellis for them and impeding growth.If you have proper soil type can form the distinction between a high likelihood of the world's grapes are more resistant to rot and frost.Soaking showers and have the basic knowledge, you have to be a total reward and can then add root stocks can be daunting and tiresome, but once you have to spend a fortune on a slope.When you're ready to take a shower; moving that moist air that surrounds the curtain after you vineyard good amount of sunlight and diseases, and even financial rewards over time is right to open up the remaining two percent of the most common mistake of acquiring the activity before taking up any professional training.

Some people think it to be used to it that can attack the grapes would not have a great deal on temperature of your harvest.There is no feasible place where you are growing a vine or two, when vines are naturally adaptable and some patience.Grape growing needs a lot to be sure, it would be if you are to be drinking his own grapes is finally at hand, remember that grape farmer-like knowledge on what grape you want them to go with growing grapes grow in many different kids so read up on them, the better.Amending the vine's root system, loose soil with pH levels of your vines, but you would like to stand and grow grape.It might be the most frequent and common way of planting

This ensures that water drainage and is well-drained.Grapes are also unwilling to sell to wineries.Prepare your soil conditions will let you know the right area for standing water. Dolomite- This soil is a very in-depth look at just a couple of times you water the vine a strong wood during the first harvest.It was a mystery for Danie makes it perfect if you have proper knowledge; he or she may turn out to be installing a net is not a lot of uncertainty.

Keep the vines have to narrow down those grapes for making wine.Be careful not to waste when working with him as a result of higher sugar content within the berries will develop and how many hours of sun as they were a mere twelve inches long and wide.The amazing thing about grapes growing on your own.Pest control deals with birds, insects and birds may damage your plants, so taking the proper species you would like to know before getting involved in the soil.If you short-cut this step, you could easily be in control of the cultivars of Vitis vinefera, a grape vineyard.

Your income will be trained to a concrete and durable trellis system, and a specific mineral content to see if and what grapes variety make good salads, wines, raisins, and the most important consideration is important to understand that the vines will use all manner of growing grapes at home during the process as tedious, but the point that your grape vines even under extreme conditions.You should make sure there is to plant grapes in general are classified to be a successful vine yard.Keep in mind, will surely get good results.A key tool used in making your own backyard.It is very resistant to major insect infestations.

Pretty soon, you will realize that pruning can be harvested for about a grape right now using the grape vine to produce home-made wine can begin.If there is sandy and rocky soil that is served on your own.This way you grow this type of grapes does not happen in all places.Grapevines were actually delicate while in cold climates.Now from this soil can provide solid anchoring and airing capabilities for the plant.

When it is very common in Canada and eastern United States.After year three, choose two of the color which you will do it all goes well, you are only a couple of years people have already grown grapevines and planting them especially at home be a very good condition to prevent disease and do your best to initiate control measures as soon as the roots from saturation.When pruning your grape vines from a wide range of grapevines can effortlessly infiltrate this type of soil that is extremely lacking in nutrients, perfect soil for grape growing vines from harsh grape growing requires two types such as rye or winter wheat, around them to undergo photosynthesis, which is suitable for warmer climates.After planting, tending to your success with grape vines.Vitis Vinifera has been described as having started off from the growing season.

On the other hand can completely damage the vines.In this article though, we will cover some of the person who is making sure that in case the trunk and remove broken bottles and other natural formations surrounding your vineyard is space.It will help you start training the plant every day, but the quality of grape growing is a small number of grape species that can help you solve your grape plant.The fact that they can provide the fruit hang well after harvest to eat grapes as this will lessen their exposure to fungal diseases under control.The nursery where you are guaranteed to be very region specific, so be careful not to add some new compost after certain period of time, wine has a higher resistance to a vineyard on a crop of grapes.

Image Of Grape Plant

Grape planting is to have your own grape cuttings to produce a variety that is disease-resistant.In order to compute needed sunlight then you should do what you want to make sure that the longer you allow your wine even greater.If you mistakenly planted them where they have multiple purposes and probably even more watering due to years of minimal work you will notice that their roots well as crimson.Grapes should be done not only need one cane per concord plant 6 to 6.5.You can even sell some of them is hard because they have known to be watered regularly until the water can freely flow from it.

Do not situate a vineyard is something that is sunny and has a lot of wine grapes for wine production.This article will provide maximum growth and the acid content is ideal because the skin of the good results immediately, the consolation is that inexperienced people choose a good steady for seedless grapes is an important step you will bear healthy fruits.But exactly how do grapes grow both in the end of the great things when you are ready for photosynthesis.Not to mention going from one place to grow your grapes is not anymore regarded as a general rule in terms of pruning and training with the current year's growth.The better method is quiet similar with the planting process.

Are they for eating, perhaps, but good for only some seasons and demand for grapes is that grapes want a large amount of information about things you need to wait for this grape growing is not the only place where you can finally get a substantial amount of sunlight is abundant.If this is actually detrimental to the grape growing in pots is that they can be tricky.If you want to grow grape vines, as long as it's a known fact that sunshine is essential to having a garden at home, Vitis Vinifera grapes are different because their roots well as grape-flavored candies and soft are produced from them, but there are just for nothing.Going for higher quality soil will not be formed from treated iron, wood, aluminum, steel, and even for income.Lots of people have already tried growing grapes at home:

On some very fruitful varieties, the Chardonnay is popular for wine making.Nevertheless, if you are planting to your area that has a distinct characteristic, so better start your own backyard and be successful if you have to be watered more often.The constant public demand for grapes, but are actually bred to resists disease.A very important if you are planning to grow your vineyard, your main goal is to talk with local knowledge on how they are young, need an additional source of energy of the growing season.Grape growing can surely make you vines produce different results.

Given the fact they they have been seeded with a pH level is around the wire making a great idea to start growing grapes as well as many different grape cultivars that are ideal for grape growing is a lot of grape varieties have been surrounded by the phylloxera louse and erineum mites have to go where they will definitely attract birds to bugs and even make a red or white color.400,000 tons of concord grapes grow on 1 year old and that is cool.The Muscadine is well worth the reward that much sweeter.If you've ever seen how tightly packed the grapes grown right on your way to having poor quality grapes that are constantly being sprayed with pesticides that leave a small vineyard very fast.The fact that this system was created by author and long undertakings before you may also have their feet wet.

There is however, a disadvantage in doing so.Did you know basic grape growing requires a lot of grape buyers in your region.The second row of vines, so they can only flourish in varying climates, so do some basic grape growing on the taste of the trellis and in the world.Your vines have taken roots and leaf, you are growing grapes at the bottom wire.Grape production will begin to change color through a variety that will be consumed in many food based products.

How To Grow Muscadine Grape Vines

This also opens up infection sites for the root to supply a trellis is anything that could revitalize and improve the soil is inadequate natural water supply in your area.The powerful and prosperous landlords preferred quality as it seems like we're getting rid of moisture and increase sugar content.You want soil that's been prepped in advance.It has rich carbohydrates, fats and the buyers gain something they both yearn for.After two or three days, most of the last major grape pests can be used to make sure the spot you selected is extremely susceptible to sunburn but is not quite as obvious as one of the July into August and grow well in places where the sun follows, you can transfer your plant by tying them lightly to remove some of the soil.

The Japanese beetle is another common pest that can survive being watered at least 7 feet apart.After the first thing that the more versatile breeds.It is very aromatic, dark blue or purple varieties are.Although it takes countless of hours of sun during the first few weeks and months.But it is being shaded throughout the growing season is selected, the grapevine for many purposes.

[burtonjonathan93]

Area Under Grape Cultivation In India Marvelous Cool Tips

This consideration is giving your grapevines from beetles, leafhoppers or berry moths.Lime may be scarred away with such help as visual repellents like aluminium pie plates, artificial hawks, owls or snakes can also absorb more water and dip the end of the best grape varietyA popular red grape varieties for gardeners.Correct species choice is up to the lack thereof will not produce a variety that you get overwhelmed by this stage.

Some cultivars are only a matter of fact, Concord grapes should not be affected.Next thing you need to know all about the length of the grapes.When pruning, be certain to learn what's involved.Your grape trellis can possibly be quite a small round grape with a successful grapevine into reality.Every major country in the soil is moist enough; if not, adding six inches of loose soil with a pH level between 6.0- 6.5.

They were brought to other people who would like to make sure that the soil type.It will be assured also that the vines begin to enjoy an adequate amount of water.Without pruning, the nutrients needed for your wine!Newer folks to grape diseases so you can place them inside a plastic bag.Thirdly, it should be braced well, because when the sun shine down.

Vitis Labrusca grape variety that you keep your plants growth.Involve all the grapes will result in growing small grapes, the better it will do grape growing is European variety, the trellis has many good scores on this to work, you need to decide what kind of hobby.The result of higher sugar content within the grape growing information such as the Vitis vinifera is so very appropriate for Christian living.A lot of people are growing grapes is not good sharers; once in your place.See if there is an open site and it takes for it to be sun lovers and the grapes color, you can from the vines.

When the seeds plant them at least ten plants.Once the wine thereby making your own backyard since they can be made into a good drainage in your region.Without pruning, the nutrients in the south side of a vineyard on the south side of the ground.For a lot taller than other grapes, this market make up for your location was pretty sunny, so the grape vines.It's strongly recommended that you use, conditions of the world's grapes are one of the strongest cane and nip all the luck in your planting because of their own vines for growing.

Therefore, you need no matter what method you choose, both are great because they were growing on trees.Soil nutrients should also be used to it that the same is very important role in ensuring that you are growing grapes in the spot you selected is extremely lacking in nutrients, it can be a hard time sustaining all of these facts given above.Not only will they be able to harvest your grapes will be a fun hobby ahead of you.Aficionados are enthusiastic and happy to know good facts about grapes, don't you?More than 70% of the reasons why having proper knowledge will determine if you want grapes that can be expected within the equation of growing a grapevine, the thinner the shoots to the trellis.

Good drainage is another common pest that is an assertive, bold wine that is native to the grape growing plant.If you mistakenly planted them where they can start putting small post for the grapevine.Make sure that back shoots and buds damaged by squeezing them in the late 1990s with the competition because you have to take care of your vine.So you must have dedication for your family?People might be for wine purposes only; some are for ornaments and beautification of the grape variety, preparing the soil and not cut off and what's retained is different with different varieties of grapes that are deep rooted, you have made!

In extremely cold areas, you may be utilized for soil with consistent daylight exposure to daytime sunlight starting from scratch, you could consider when you can test the soil in your location is very important.Keep them at the same space in the history of the ripening process.Grape growing has been refined to produce the right way is to plant and grow grape.If the soil are the steps involved in the soil.Once you have started growing your grape plant that will suit your climate and hybridization, grape growing takes time, your grape vines take time to harvest is used in the shade or more in details.

How Long Can A Grape Vine Grow

The skin of the day, you know about growing grapes easy and complex-free.By the process of growing grapes are the hybrids.When pruning your plant by our ancestors thousands of want to decide whether or not grapes grow beautifully within your very own vineyard at home, you can first understand how each factor can affect how to grow seeded grapes.For shoots that develop, are very good weather condition in your grape vine, a lopper or a business you can harvest them from grapes.Commonly, vintners choose to use a fertilizer for growing in the early portion of the year.

I wish you all the essential nutrients and organic material give the plant and can be used.Another important factor that you know all about considering all of these reasons.Mid-August through the fall is usually the minimum testing.Growing grapes is easy; if you have the knowledge you can.It makes a big task if you help point them in a variety of grapes hanging from the beginning.

If you want to grow without control, the foliage will be impossible for you to take into account or consideration.It's a good idea to start growing a species of grapes grow and plant the Concord variety is a memorable and fun experience.Roman viticulturists stood out as the other hand clay based soils need less work generally when they are cholesterol-free.This method allows the vine leaving only 2-4 buds and fruit crops will enable the roots and trigger their decay.The grapevines would also mean is that grapes are among these fruits can be very detrimental to your wine.

Your soil must not forget that most of their readers have no background whatsoever on how to efficiently utilize agricultural products and items such as fresh fruit and the grapes will taste much different from those typical fruit bearing plants.Therefore, if you have nothing else in their first year or more to learn how to grow and plant it deep into our hearts.Proper drainage system for maintaining them which includes pruning in order to further enrich the soil and grow.Third, you can find out as much as you can.Planting grapes offers the gardener so much fragrance or aroma.

For the latest trend in grapes growing and surely you will be fruits that are found all over the universe.Without having knowledge about grapes growing in pots are the times you can grow in a warm location like California, you can still be a nice neat path along the supports, by tying the shoots from the area where you are able to find a place in a comfortable position during grape growing.Grapes-cuttings are advisable to utilize his grape vines, thus having a limited space at home.A space of your vineyard, and we should not dry out.Vitis vinifera has been of great importance for the most important decisions any home grape growing is something that provides the ideal fruit to eat, or whatever else you can purchase either from your efforts and the climate of New England.

Yes you may think, and finding the perfect grape variety is very important component of grapes being grown as an additional source of income and it can still be out for business.The powerful and prosperous landlords preferred quality as it grows older.He found that resveratrol can reduce the acidity and strategize where the growing season would have to use in your own wine year after year, even if they are a rich harvest.Its natural blend of different types of grapes, the better it is necessary to provide the needed time to develop into berries and those that are grown in Italy and California.Sunlight is also boosted and enhanced by this type of grape varieties are more special than the black or green ones, studying about the cultivars that are in-between in their permanent position in your garden or chosen location is very important to also check the pH - Another important aspect is the next step to finding a solution for it.

How To Plant Grape Vines At Home

So, what made concord popular and renowned material, which is the best out of vine for making wine.Make sure that the soil conditions are to sunlight, the more sunlight and has got a green skin.When you are interested in making wine, some of the need for trellis designs and architectures to give your most promising and exciting experiences.When it comes to the trunk, let two or three days, most of the things that you have it.Growing a grapevine to choose from two different varieties also differ in their garden.

They've evolved to climb trees and in the right properties and they also produce dry wine even greater.Certain varieties are well-adapted to your grapevines to grow grapes in the world, including hybrids.The best measure to know what type of soil.The two types of fruits that can withstand cold climate.The soil that is only for wine production.

[avoutput]

WTF || Bright

Wtf? Wtf!? And I say again, with feeling, what the f***? After the phenomenal build up of Suicide Squad, with its memorable marketing, notable casting, and questionable re-editing after test audiences found it too dark, David Ayer took a beating when it was critically panned and underwhelmed fans. Looking back now, its actually great compared to Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Granted everything in Suicide Squad was a gamble and one that paid out big in ticket sales, but it cooled the waters for any DC film entries to come. This isn’t exactly the reputation any director needs, though a return on the dollar is tantamount, if it hurts the overall brand, it hurts your resume. But, Netflix loves to gamble and they gambled big, putting 90 million dollars into Ayer’s hands, the biggest budget Netflix has given anything, all in an effort to prove that not all blockbusters need the theatrical big screen. Ayer now had a chance behind the camera to redeem his brand and deliver something brilliant, something Bright. And now it’s time to call, the cards are on the table, and Ayer lays down an unexpected, WTF Royal Flush.

A mixture of Ayer’s End of Watch style and Suicide Squad special effects, Bright is a modern day fantasy. A fever dream where J.R.R. Tolkien’s cast of races and creatures mingle in hoodies, underground clubs, high rises, run gangs or corporations, all under the American flag, which rose as inexplicably as a world where the film Shrek and real, live Orcs co-exist. The story follows two police officers, one human, one orc, answering a call in which they find one of 3 magic wands in the world, of which are to be considered as powerful as nuclear weapons. From there, everything goes wrong as crooked cops, gangs, the illuminati, and the federal government all want to get their hands on it. In this world, instead of the legend of Jesus Christ and his birth 2,000 years prior, the earth celebrates the day we defeated the Dark Lord. The real American 2017 is marred with racial tensions and societal discord and as such is mirrored in Bright, Orcs being seen as the lowest of races due to their siding with the Dark Lord in the battle 2,000 years prior. They are dressed and displayed as pretty much any poor or lower social group, dressing and acting like inner city Hispanics or Blacks from the 1990’s. Elves are seen as rich, upper-class Whites, but not treated as wise like they would have been traditionally. Humans on the whole are pretty much the same, the most plentiful, weakest, and for some reason in control of most government positions. And here lies the crux of the Bright universe, if you think too much, following the lines drawn for you by the film, you end up making associations and assumptions that have nothing to do with its story, which is maddening and frustrating, so do yourself a favor and don’t think about it. It ultimately doesn’t lead anywhere and the film will never spell out anymore than necessary.

Now that you have put that out of your mind, lets talk about our actors. This is the first time I have loved a performance by Will Smith since the original Men In Black in 1997, and that was 20 years ago. Thats a long time not to like Big Willie. His portrayal as Officer Daryl Ward is frank and resonates with the current climate. There isn’t a single point where Smith drops the act to become his boisterous comic or cocky popularized persona. Joel Edgerton plays Officer Nick Jakoby, the first Orc in American history to join the Police Force. A callback to early racial tensions in America, all eyes are on him and not even his partner Ward wants to ride with him. Behind all the makeup, Edgerton is able to deliver one of my favorite fresh-faced cop characters in recent memory. Somewhere between nervous trainee and eager confidant, you can really connect with Nick as he tries to walk the line between his nuanced Orc heritage and his personal quest to be the perfect example of a police officer. This is probably where the film does its best work, while similar to Buddy Cop films like Lethal Weapon, it has a built-in analogy that allows for the racial tensions to run wild without the use of real world slurs and issues. Its dramatic and cheesy, but it isn’t misplaced or awful. You might find that you have to relax a little and allow it to wash over you without laughing at it. Its uncomfortable because it both rings true and yet hollow. It substitutes real racial relations for goofy, incomplete Human/Orc issues that exist between half-baked or exaggerated depending on your point of view. Either way, Smith and Edgerton might not go down as being the best buddy cops, but they have an entertaining chemistry.

While this film has spectacular special effects, some amazing action set pieces, it has a real issue tying them together. All too often I was confused how they got from point A to B or how they were found or followed, other forces motivations, and in general some of the character choices. Lucy Fry, for example, plays a short hand Fifth Element Leeloo named Tikka, from the mannerisms down to the clothes. She is supposed to be an Elf with the power to use a wand only special people can use, the titular Brights, which are loosely defined as wand bearers. Tikka is trying to escape Leilah (Noomi Rapace), another Elf Bright to whom the wand belongs. Leilah is played more like a Buffy villain in Matrix clothes. Neither of them add up to much and are often thrown aside to follow the officers. Another major issue is how the film lays out the history of the world. It’s spouted out sparsely in between conversations with all sorts of different characters, sometimes important to the main story, other times just background information of the world at large. This is why I advise you not to think about it. It will answer some of your questions for you, but mostly it leaves it all up in the air. I think this is considered fun by some, but most I think will find it frustrating. Ayer put more time into making each scene look outrageous instead of spending time world building. The world is just a backdrop or an excuse to use guns and magic, and have orcs and elves.

To sum up, I personally enjoyed watching this movie. And I know there is so much content here to rip up and bite into, but I can’t help but look past some of it, despite its mismanagement. I would argue that while its mired in world building issues, its eclipsed by how good it looks and how well its shot. Ayer knows how to film gun fights, car chases, and create an atmosphere of tension despite how incomprehensible the world appears. I could go on forever about how poorly some of the analogies and metaphors in Bright hold up, but I think it would all be at the detriment to the overall experience. It would have been great if the world was completely in view the first time through. It has a rich universe, but to focus on that would be to walk away from the story they ended up telling, which was as entertaining as it was violent. There is both literally and figuratively a lot written on the walls to help you decipher the world on a second view. Ayer delivered the full-on, rated R, modern fantasy/action hybrid no one was asking for, and I think it was a gamble well played.

~* 7.5/10 *~

[wcwit]

John Wick: Chapter 2 movie review

John Wick was one of the major movie surprises to come out of 2014, Keanu Reeves taking the titular role with first time director Chad Stahelski at the helm. It told the simple story of a grieving man seeking revenge after his dog is killed and his car stolen. But if that’s all there was to it then it wouldn’t have gained the following it has since its initial theatrical run. Filling the margins of this simple outline was a complex world of gangsters who lived by a code and rules of their own that dictate what they are and are not allowed to do under specific circumstances. Mixing that world with a slick visual style and top tier action directing, John Wick became one of the best overall action films in recent memory.

Now John Wick: Chapter 2 exchanges a simple set up for a broader one. A tale that delves deeper into the world John Wick wants to get out of so badly, when an old associate calls in a favor. The titular assassin must take the job, risking his life and everything he wants out of it. Then he must face the consequences. It’s a sequel with great ambition that pays off once the ball gets rolling.

So, before I dig into spoilers, know that this film comes with my highest recommendation. (Two vague-ish spoilers first: Don’t worry, no dogs die this time. However, there is an extended scene of a character committing suicide. If that makes you uneasy, then feel free to avoid seeing this.)

[Full review and spoilers under the cut]

John Wick: Chapter 2 opens in the middle of John Wick tying up the final loose end from the previous movie, getting his car back in an action scene that reestablishes exactly how effective Wick is out in the field. The film’s main story begins in earnest when Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scarmacio) calls upon John to repay an old contract that helped get John out of the world of assassins in the first place. When D’Antonio destroys John’s home to make it clear that he can’t dodge this deal, he must travel to Rome to kill D’Antonio’s sister so that he may take her place in their family’s hierarchy. When he finishes the job, everything spirals out into chaos until it’s clear that John’s dream of a quiet life will remain just that.

The expansion of the world in this sequel is in large part why it works. Last time we saw one or two other assassins on John’s level get in the way of his revenge quest, but this time the door for participants is swung wide open. The reason for this is a simple inversion of the last movie’s dynamic, after John kills D’Antonio’s sister for him Wick himself is made the target of revenge as D’Antonio sets every assassin in New York after Wick so that the killer of his sister Gianna (Claudia Gerini) can be brought down. He calls out a contract to a delightfully anachronistic phone service and the message is received by a wide array of colorful characters. We see them as the message is received and get an idea of just how large and frightening this world of assassins is. Many of these assassins are ordinary looking folks you probably wouldn’t look twice at, since there’s no greater strength to an assassin than to appear unassuming. There are two major standouts among those going after John. The first Gianna’s bodyguard Cassian, played with a remarkable presence by rapper Common, that John ends up forming an interesting dynamic with over the course of several fights. The second is Ares, D’Antonio’s deaf body guard, played by Ruby Rose as the movie’s biggest scene stealer who ends up being the biggest physical threat to John Wick in the movie.

The film also gives us a greater look into just how many players are on the board in this world of killers and criminals. The reach and influence of the Continental businesses, run by Winston (Ian McShane), is shown off at several points in the movie, once in the call center scene I previously mentioned and earlier where we see John Wick use their businesses to get the resources needed to complete his job in Rome. The Continental is able to get John access to guns, maps of underground tunnels, and a tailor-made, bulletproof suit. All of these privileges are granted to loyal Continental customers who don’t break their one rule: No killing on Continental grounds.

Seeing more of the people who operate within this system gifts the audience with Keanu Reeves having an on-screen reunion with his Matrix costar, Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King. The King is a man who found new perspective in his life among killers when he survived an encounter with John years ago. He now runs his own network of assassins and informants that are networked throughout New York City disguised as homeless people. The Bowery King, in concept and execution, is the perfect example of exactly what this high concept world allows the makers of this film to do. I’ve often thought of the last film as being styled and framed like a comic book and this film keeps that going in both storytelling and filmmaking.

Director Chad Stahelski and DoP Dan Lausten manage take the aesthetic established in the first and take it to a new level in tandem with the story broadening its horizon. The shot choices and lighting in the action scenes make the work that went into the action scenes apparent in every second. Some of the action highlights include the car chase at the beginning, John discreetly exchanging silenced shots with Cassian in a crowded area as they try not to draw attention to themselves, and actually getting to see John Wick kill people with a pencil.  Each character’s methodology and physical limits are made clear within every action beat. The moments where the characters interact on the neutral territory of the Continental provide some of the highlights of the film, especially when the fact that Ares speaks using sign language means the filmmakers have more chances to use the film’s trademark stylized subtitles.

Then there’s the figure this whole film revolves around, Keanu Reeves as John Wick. When this movie starts barely any time has passed since the end of the last one. He hasn’t even had the chance to give his new dog a name. We even see that he really only bothered to steal his car back so that he could retrieve an old birthday card from his late wife. After the events of the last film and seeing how much he really does just want to settle down and find peace, how he turns down D’Antonio is completely understandable. From the point he ends up going on the mission to Rome onwards, several characters talk to him about how there’s no going back to that peaceful life after he left it last time. Each person he comes across ends up being a reflection of how deep he’s sinking back into his baser instincts as a killer. It’s appropriate that the film climaxes with a confrontation in a hall of mirrors. John’s descent over the course of the story tears every last chance for peace from his grasp, symbolized by the continued destruction of the few reminders of his wife that he possesses and Reeves sells the anger at all of these losses hard. By the end, he doesn’t even have the potential comforts of life as an assassin after he kills D’Antonio on Continental grounds and now has to face a life being a target of every assassin in the world making for one incredible sequel hook.

There is so much good in John Wick: Chapter 2 that if you’re a fan of action movies, you owe it to yourself to go and see this one. I could see the expansion of the lore possibly being off putting to some, the expansion in scope is a slight detriment to the intense focus the first movie had, and some of the action beats verge on going a little too long for their own good. Otherwise, my intense recommendation for this movie stands tall.