#for another thing this is such a satisfying end to a years long saga

[fictionadventurer]

It is so much fun watching Roseanna M. White be Catholic.

For one thing, she tells you cool history stuff about Christmas music.

[kikuism]

hi mariam!! how about you? any books you're looking forward to reading? ooh, or manga?? any shows or movies that you enjoyed recently? or new tasty meals or baked goods that you've been proud of? 💌 🥐📚

hi jenna! 🤎🤎🤎 ooh let's see

for books, there are a lot on my tbr, but i'm excited for lady macbeth by ava reid! i really love how lyrical her writing is and i always look forward to anything she writes. i'm also tentatively looking forward to the familiar by leigh bardugo — i've only read the six of crows duology and ninth house, but i love a historical setting so i think i might like this one more than ninth house. oh, another book i enjoyed whose sequel i'm eagerly waiting for is the art of prophecy, it's a martial arts fantasy and it's exactlyyyyy what i wanted to read for so long! i needed something to fill in the green bone saga hole left in my heart, and while this isn't exactly a serious epic family saga, it had just the right amount of martial arts and compelling characters to leave me satisfied. it's honestly like if fujimoto wrote a novel. none of these characters were taking themselves too seriously and the writing wasn't taking itself seriously but at the same time there were epic fights scenes and emotional scenes that packed a punch (no pun intended). i really enjoyed it, i loved how funny it was. the fact that the main characters are majority women and one pathetic chosen one warrior is sooooo fujimoto coded. this boy can't do a single thing right and it's up to one of the greatest martial arts legends, an old woman, to take him under her wing and make sure he lives up to the prophecy that's been foretold. included in the cast is the most cringe fail assassin i have ever read in my LIFEEEEE, she's soooo embarrassing when it comes to flirting with other girls it's crazy. she's an insane killer but can't pick up a date to save her life. and who's she trying to flirt with? the other main character, a stoic warrior who's fighting for her people's freedom, she's soooo 🫣 so it was hugely entertaining and i can't wait to get the sequel from the library. i honestly Need to read more fantasy books like this, it's so much fun.

oh, i also finished bel canto last night, and it was.....strange. it's about a mass hostage situation that eventually morphs into something surreal and romantic. yeah, i think romantic is definitely the word bc there is no way this would happen in real life, it was just so impossible to me that these high profile hostages, foreign dignitaries and ceos and whatnot bonding with their captors who want to start a revolution like 😭 in the end they all become a huge family which was equal parts charming and equal parts baffling. so i had to really suspend my disbelief. they were really under house arrest with their captors for 4.5 months, that's crazy. but eventually i stopped asking how they didn't push for negotiations more fiercely and how the police and crowds outside didn't just break in and deal with it and just enjoy the language. i think it's about how people can form impossible bonds in impossible circumstances and so from that aspect it was charming and surreal. i've read 3 books from ann patchett and there's no doubt she writes really beautifully. it's just that after about 100 pages i was like okay....i get it, really. do we really need 200 more pages of this? and the epilogue was stupid i'm sorry...so it was a strange experience.

for manga!! tbh it's been soooo hard for me to get into manga lately, i really think this is because as the years go by it's just harder and harder for me to read on my phone, it's just not a comfortable experience. but then on my laptop, the screen is too big 😭 BUT i did actually start an ongoing manga called firefly wedding, which is about an aristocratic girl with a chronic illness who ends up marrying an assassin for her safety after she's captured. the premise sounded really interesting, so i started reading, and i actually really loved the beginning. the girl really just wants to abide by her duties and marry someone respectable for the sake of her family (she's quite no-nonsense about it, which really reminded me of naomi....) during the course of the story she realizes that because of her condition, she doesn't have much time left, and wouldn't she want to spend it doing what she wants instead of what's expected of her? so what ends up being a marriage of convenience ends up becoming more complex as she starts developing feelings for the assassin. and the assassin, well, he's kind of insane 😭 he's a yandere and like ofc he's written like that, very possessive and toxic, and at times he can be a little too much for me. i really liked their dynamic at the beginning, when they were constantly trying to one-up each other in little sly ways—sooooo good. and obviously someone like him has never known love, so he's always testing her limits to see if she's really committed to him because in truth he also just wants someone to love and be loved in return. and he's really cocky which i really love, which made me really drawn to him....but i liked how she didn't take any shit from him and she made sure he knew it too. i really liked watching their feelings develop.

it's just, when she starts developing feelings in return, and their romance further develops, so does his possessiveness.....'the thought of you with another man is more agonizing than death' ummm 🧐🤔🤨 so like, moments like that made me go oh! is that supposed to be romantic? and i'll admit some parts i was like 'girl he's crazy!!!!! how can you be falling for him???' hgkshfjdj but i get it, he knows nothing of the world of people and relationships and he's learning slowly. he's obviously written like that on purpose, this is the only way he knows how to operate in the world, he doesn't know better. AND something else i really like is that during these scenes, she's visibly unsettled; she makes her discomfort clear to him, so i really appreciate that, and that takes him down several notches. i like how he listens to her that way.

they're slowly shaping each other's worldview, which i like. i like how they both learn from each other; she learns how to take chances, and he learns how to listen to others and take accountability.

plus the manga does this thing where it presents double meanings all the time and i just had to screenshot this moment, it's from a scene where she has to pretend to seduce a client in order to get something valuable from him, and he starts getting physical with her, and the assassin comes to the rescue, and obviously everyone outside can hear that something's going wrong but they won't intervene bc it's a brothel:

'we wouldn't want to be in the way of someone who is trying to make their beloved fall more deeply in love with them' hellooooo?????? i gasped.

she has a scar on her chest from a surgery she had to undergo because of her weak heart, and she's self conscious about it, but then the assassin shows her all of his scars and says there's nothing to worry about, it was really cute.

and then some time later her bodyguard shows up, and he's like 'im gonna take you back home no matter what! i can't believe you've been out here like this for so long' and i was like ohhhhh my god please don't make him an annoying overbearing love interest please please please BUT i was pleasantly surprised!!! he's concerned for her, of course, and he has feelings for her and they've known each other since childhood, but he also ends up coming to respect her wishes and autonomy and hes now cooperating with her and the assassin to make sure she can live out her own life. it's really sweet. i do roll my eyes at the rivalry he and the assassin have though, but i love how they're all working together and they both respect her, it's great. anddddd i'm obvious like this but like the bodyguard more hgjshfhf he's the nice one (and his name his kou!!!) and i've always liked the nice guys instead of the bad ones.

so yeah i'm enjoying this manga quite a bit. plus it takes place in the meiji period which i love. i just wish it was already completed, because it's very hard for me to consistently maintain an interest in ongoing manga bc it only takes a few missed chapters for me to end up abandoning it oops. and it's soooo funny that my main complaint is that the love interest is just too much of a yandere bc that's literally the whole point 😭😭😭 it's exactly what it says on the tin, but i have to share my truth....i'm just not used to it at all so it's a bit much at times. sometimes the scenes that are supposed to be romantic make me go oh 🤔 but i'm excited for him to meet her family.....

the art style is so nice too!!! i really love it

as for anime, i did watch two episodes of the apothecary diaries and i liked it, it didn't hook me, but i plan on continuing it eventually. i think maomao is an interesting protagonist! there's some new anime i want to watch, like windbreaker, it just looks really nice. and i need to catch up with dungeon meshi, i haven't watched the last 3 episodes oops. as for movies, i watched the sound of music recently (everybody clap, i watched an old movie) and i liked it, it was charming! too long, but it was cute and corny. i also watched the classic korean thriller old boy, which was crazyyyyyy....that's all i'm going to say. also watched midsommar, which was.....kind of....mid 😭 sorry. i think my expectations were too high, because hereditary scared the shit out of me. but this was just.....okay. it was too overt for my liking. florence pugh was great though. oh, and for shows, i want to watch shogun, bc i just can't believe it's as good as everyone says it is 😭 idk why, i just have to see it for myself to believe it.

no updates on baking and cooking, it's just been the same old...i'm actually trying to just perfect the basics. i want to make the tastiest eggs and the perfect pizza. lately i've been kneading dough by hand and it's so satisfying and i can actually feel when it's ready instead of relying solely on the mixer, and my pizza has been coming out fluffier and softer so i love that.

i'm also getting back into crochet (it's like an on and off relationship at this point) and i always think i've forgotten but i'm pleased to note that it's muscle memory now. i'm crocheting a basket and tbh i really love crocheting things like that. i don't know if i would wear crocheted clothes but i really love making baskets and bags and whatnot. i just wish this wasn't an expensive hobby.....for this basket i had to buy 4 skeins of yarn and a new hook which ended up costing $50 😭 so i think that's why i just don't do it as often as i want to. however, i really do want to get into tapestry crochet/intarsia, i did it when crocheting my kobo sleeve, but it was messy and i want to make another one and improve my technique, maybe even make some wall hangings.

sorry for this novel length response omg!!! are there any new books you're looking forward to jenna!!

[ifonotlnow]

REVIEW THAT NOBODY CARES ABOUT: LIVE FROMT HE HAUNTED CANDLE SHOP EDITION

sorry

Hydroelectric Viking: 6/10

Yeah, you already know how I feel about instrumentals. Side note, this song would go hard as a beat saber level.

The Saga of You, Confused Destroyer of Planets: 8/10

While this song used to be my favorite on the album, it recently became overshadowed by others. Also, I heard this one cover called The Saga of Ballsack Joe, Confused Destroyer of Bitches by The Ballsacks that is mostly the original lyrics with dirty words stuffed in and the original instrumental playing distorted in the background. When I heard it, I thought it was immature and got all pissed off and couldn't stop ranting in my head about it every time I heard the original song. Moral of the story, I'm a stupid buzzkill and should learn to lighten up a little.

Mr. Wolfgang: 6.75/10

This song was one of the few songs I liked upon first listen to the album, along with TSoY,CDoP and Boat. However, it shortly became overplayed in my head. This song DOES have a slight touch of edginess, but it knows what it's doing and doesn't take itself more seriously than it should. Also, BANG BANG, HE JUST SHOT HIS BOSS. BANG BANG HE JUST SHOT HIS BOSS'S BOSS!

Boat: 8/10

Before I actually liked this album, this song was my favorite from it. While I do like it less than I used to, it's definitely in my album top 3. One of my favorite lyrics in the album is "AEIOU sometimes Y, Why not!" It's a dumb piece of wordplay just kinds stuffed in the song, but it doesn't take itself too seriously, and works in my opinion.

Destructo!: 8/10

NO WAY THEY SAID THE THING! THEY SAID THE THING! THAT'S THE NAME OF THE ALBUM!!!!!

good song

Fiberglass Monkey: 7/10

Don't really have anything to say. Good song. I liked when there was the fiberglass monkey. Classic example of the hero's journey. Kid is haunted by fiberglass monkey. Kid gets bat. Kit hits fiberglass monkey with said bat. Fiberglass monkey dies. What's not to love?

Fly Straight or Drop the Oar and Wreck: 7/10

I like most of the song. I really like the background vocals when he says "plate right now." Also, It's really satisfying when he finally "Fly straight or drop the oar and wreck." The violin at the end of the song is a little drawn out, though.

Oz Explodes 7.5/10

Took me embarrassingly long to realize the song's lyrics were taken directly from the wizard of oz. Iconic kazoo cover, every time I remember I have a kazoo I immediately pull it out and play this song. Also, this song is how I remembered the Pythagorean Theorem when I was taking my standardized test. So thanks, Neil! If you can't tell, I'm not writing this review while extremely tired at 10 P.M. (unlike yesterday's)

Booja Jabooja: 7/10

Don't really LOVE this one, but It's a good song. Also, WHEN DID NEIL TRANSLATE THE CHORUS?? ISNT THE WHOLE THING THAT IT'S GIBBERISH THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE? anyways yeah 7/10

Dance Like an Idiot: 8/10

Very catchy song, with it's own dance too! This sone is the cupid's shuffle for weird losers (me!) Also, I love the synth solo in the middle.

Chu Chu Rocket: 7.5/10

Okay embarrasing story, it took me like two months to realize that

A. This song is a cover and

B. and more embarrassingly, this song is in Japanese

okay, so the first time I heard this song it played right after Booja Jabooja so naturally, I assumed it was another made up language that just so happened to sound a lot like Japanese and English. Actually never mind, there's no defending myself. That was stupid of me.

Switzerland: 9/10

Good song, one of my album favorites. The story does lead me to wonder, though, did the protagonist ever make it to Switzerland? Why couldn't this story have any closure like Fiberglass Monkey did? Oh why, Neil 20 years ago, did you do this???

Party on the Moon: 8/10

8/10 good. Who the hell is Mr. Kenji Akita?

Without My Tonsils: 7/10

this song was my ringtone for, like, a really long time. I like this song, but it radiates with edginess. THAT ENDING WAS GREAT. IT WAS A PERFECTLY FINE, NOT AT ALL DISSAPOINTING ENDING UNTIL HE STARTED REPEATING THE LYRICS "DISSAPOINTING ENDING", THEREFORE MAKING THE ENDING DISSAPOINTING. SCREW YOU NEIL (I don't actually care that much)

Birdhouse In Your Soul: 7.5/10

I don't think that before hearing this version, I had ever listened to the TMBG version. Strangely enough, the song felt very familiar, and when I did eventually listen to the original version it felt very familiar. Side note, if anybody reading this is a TMBG fan, how do you feel about this cover (especially if you listen to they might be giants but haven't listened to the cover yet, listen and tell me how you feel!)

Anyways, good song, both referring to the original and Neil's version

Mold en Mono: 9/10

Love this song, easily my favorite. If you listen close enough, you'll hear the cuica sounds that Neil used before it was even cool (cough cough Baldi's Basics cough cough). Anyway, I love the layering of the lyrics in the outro, and it's very funny to me the origin of the song's title (search it up, I don't feel like typing). Classic Live From The Haunted Candle Shop song.

Movie Night: 6.5/10

It's not a bad song, but it's too slow for my liking. I remember the first couple times I listened to it I would wait for it to get faster and more exciting, and it never happened. Back then, I'd have probably given it a 4/10 but it's since grown on me

OVERALL: 7.5/10

FAVORITE/ LEAST FAVORIE SONGS

Mold en Mono, Hydroelectric viking (dishonorary mention to Movie Night)

I feel like this review was better written than the last one, but not interesting/funny enough for that to make up for it. This one's just boring and bad.

[magicalgirlagency]

if you ever watch the httyd franchise, what are your thoughts on the third film. To be hoinest, that third film was awful because they lose their dragons at the end. Now i knows they was being accurate with the books , but i wish they have kept their dragons instead of the dragons having to go into hiding. With Amphibia, the worlds not being connected work because the show theme was about growth and change whereas in the owl house luz get to stay in both the human and the magic world cause it.

To be honest, I haven't watched anything Dragons-related past the first movie, and I most likely never ever will, now that you've just told me how the saga ends.

Last time I saw anything Dragons-related, it was back when people criticized Light Fury's design for sexual dimorphism, though personally I didn't see anything off with her design; she's just Night Fury but recolored and still looks/behaves like a cat.

Plus, we all know that Sisu (from Raya and the Last Dragon) has the worst design for a dragon ever. Y'all were so unfairly mean to Light Fury.

Anyways, back to the actual ask, I strongly hate these types of endings where the MC is permanently separated from the magical and the fantastic, because as an adult, I am so tired of seeing the kids and the teenagers have all of the fun of going on a mystic quest while the adults are often sidelined.

And also because I grew up with Digimon Adventure, which it's precisely why I hated Amphibia's ending, because if the Digidestined were allowed to reunite with their partners on multiple occasions even after their childhood years, then Anne should at least be allowed to catch up with the Plantar Family, Sasha with Capt. Grime, and Marcy with Olivia and Yunnan.

These types of endings, in my opinion, kinda feel like it's telling me that magic and whimsy are things exclusively for children, and that adults aren't allowed to have fun with it and/or contribute to change with their amazing gifts.

The Owl House pretty much subverts this, in how Luz has never left the Boiling Isles and has even sacrificed her quinceañera to help its inhabitants to rebuild their home. The magic itself and Luz's charismatic weirdness never were the problem; all that she needed was to realize her responsibilities and adapt to bend the rules. Not to mention how the ending was equally satisfying, but open enough for fans to continue it as they so desire (because Disney sure as hell won't do it!)

Resuming, do you have any idea of how many adults would sacrifice their boring lives on Earth for the sake of thrills and excitement somewhere else? As long as I had ways to return back here (because I love my family and friends too much), I'd totally start a new life in another world and study its magic system and culture there!

If there are any otherworldly beings looking for a new member for their guild/party/family, hit me up accordingly so I can start packing my bags! I'm cute and eager to learn!

[jurassicpark1990]

3, 10, and 13 for the book ask ! bc now I wanna see your answers lol

3. What were your top five books of the year?

this isn't in any order and exludes any books that i reread this year!

gods of jade and shadow by silvia moreno-garcia

ughhh this book <3 i had been meaning to read this for years and to finally pick it up and love it like i did was beyond satisfying. the writing is phenomenal, moreno-garcia has such a charming way with words and she built such an evocative atmosphere filled with beautiful characters, characters who make the right choices even though it hurts them because it will make the world better. one of my favourite books of all time

legendborn by tracy deon

urban fantasy has never been my my favourite subgenre so no one is more surprised than me that this is one of my fav ya fantasys. i don't think this book was perfect and there are things about it that i wish were different, but it is a phenomenally powerful story about grief and trauma and racism and power. this book made me Sob and i'm incredibly mad my preorder for the second one got delayed

jade legacy by fonda lee

you know how i just said i don't particularly like urban fantasy? that doesn't include the green bone saga. i do firmly believe this is one of the best fantasy series going around. as a conclusion this was fantastic. fonda lee did something wonderfully unique by spanning this book over 20 years and it works exceptionally well. i love these characters and this world and i hope all fantasy readers pick it up

raybearer by jordan ifueko

another excellent ya fantasy book, this felt both fresh and familiar because ifeuko used the common callinge of (ya) fantasy but then placed them in a world so different from anything else i have read (heavily inspired by various myths from various places in africa). the characters are divine, the romance is sweet and the plot is incredible

mad destiny + ship of destiny by robin hobb

slightly cheating here with two books but these are impossible to separate (the only reason book one isn't on here is because i read it last year). hobb is my second fav fantasy writer of all time, i can understand why people wouldn't look these books, but her character work and development is the best i have ever read. these books Hurt but they are so good and so perfect and i really need to get back into this world

10. What was your favorite new release of the year?

fun fact! i'm terrible at reading new releases and only read four books that came out this year

brotherhood by mike chen

apparently i can't even make it through one post without mentioning star wars lmao anyways this is set in my fav era and includes all of my fav characters so no surprises i absolutely loved this one

13. What were your least favorite books of the year?

hench by natalia zina walshots

i actually loved the majority of the book but then the ending was so bad that it completely ruined the book for me. it was like the author was hedging their bets on if they'd write a sequel but didn't commit so it just felt unsatisfying

the night circus by erin morgenstern

this book is the terrible yet more beloved version of gods of jade and shadow. they are not the same at all but the vibes are kinda similar. the writing is beautiful but the characters suck, the plot is irrelevant, the romance has no tension and the ending felt cheap given the stakes. anyways i hated this so much lmao

something fabulous by alexis hall

i hated this book so much because all of the the characters suck and it was totally instalovey even though one of the characters is demisexual. also it was like 150 pages too long and had one of the most contrived third act break ups ever

paper girls vol. 1

grown men shouldn't write teenage girls, particularly queer ones in 80s settings because it just felt like an excuse to use slurs. basically, the vibes were rancid

[sparrowsabre7]

Best of 2022

Tagged by @summerhomeineskew

Will do my best to include at least one 2022 thing for each but if I don't have any it will just have to be "x I experienced for the first time this year".

Books:

Been awful with books this year, only read three and I don't even remember which three. One was a re-read as well. Therefore I'll cheat and add one I finished at the very end of last year, maybe finished on New Year's Day 2022 so sorta counts: Death's End by Cixin Liu, the final installment of the Remembrance of Earth's Past Trilogy (aka the Three Body Problem trilogy). It's hard sci-fi with some incredible storytelling and world building. It feels effortlessly real despite incredibly big ideas and a storyline that spans centuries. I don't wish to summarise, not necessarily for spoiler reasons, but because written in synopsis it doesn't sound all that interesting, but in reading it it is one of the most immersive and thrilling reading experiences I have had in a very long time.

Movies:

Ugh, I feel shamed that the only films I've seen in the cinema this year were superhero movies. And I love superhero movies don't get me wrong, but I really wish I could give my patronage to worthier fare, but having limited time and a small child means you need to be reasonably certain you're going to at least partially like the movie you watch.

I saw "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness", "Thor Love and Thunder", and "Black Adam". All entertaining in their own way, Doctor Strange probably my favourite of the three, but the film I saw this year and enjoyed the most was probably "The Matrix Resurrections". I actually really liked a lot of things Lana Wachowski did with the storyline, even if it did feel like it was being wrung from her against her will with some pretty on the nose metatextual moments. Nonetheless, she refused to make "another Matrix" be what the studio and audience probably expected and wanted and instead went full George Lucas (and I mean that as a compliment) made the Matrix she wanted to make. I felt it was handled surprisingly deftly and although Weaving and Fishburne are SORELY missed, their replacements hold their own well.

Songs:

Ugh, I out myself very clearly as a basic cishet white man here and say, honestly? My favourite songs this year were from Taylor Swift and a Disney movie respectively. I really like "Anti-Hero" and "Surface Pressure" the latter especially for articulating the kind of struggle I think most people (women especially) deal with daily that is rarely acknowledged, let alone fully discussed in children's entertainment.

*Games:

A lot of old games this year bith new to me and recisted. The only 2022 game this year was "Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga" and it is so much fun, if overwhelmingly large. There's like a thousand bricks to collect this time as opposed to the usual low hundred or so. The number of characters is impressive though andnthe updated mechanics makes it play unlike any other Lego game does.

Honourable mentions of games I played for the first time this year:

Lethal league - Really fun sports game meets fighting game, sort of dodgebaseball, frenetic fun

Exo One - A chill game with satisfying mechanics, pilot an unusual spacecraft through numerous planets

Halo 5 - I don't much like Halo as a series but I do like some of the individual games, as a result the "lore butchery" didn't bother me at all and I actually felt it was making some bold story choices that Inwould not have expected

Ghost of Tsushima - Beautiful looking and expertly crafted ninja/samurai game. Ubisoft wishes they could make AC this good again.

Shows:

Honestly here is where I lay out my unabashed love for "Obi-wan Kenobi". When it was announced I knew I was going to love it no matter what and whilst there are some flaws in the narrative that leave some gaping plot holes or confusing character choices, the overall experience was so much more than I ever dared dream, we got Obi-wan vs Vader twice. We got Hayden and Ewan back giving a much more layeed performance, we got some really heartfelt moments between Obi-wan and Leia and I actually liked Reva as a character, even if her decision in the final episode made little sense.

"House of the Dragon" also surpassed expectations, even as someone who was satisfied with GOTs ending. Special mention also to Ms. Marvel for giving a refreshing take on teen heroes and a standout turn from newcomer Iman Vellani, and pour one out for "Legends of Tomorrow", the show that dared to be stupid.

Memories:

So many new ones with a small child but best has to be first snow with him in an idyllic cottage in the countryside with my wife and in laws. Also built my first snowman at 32 and used one of my son's veggie straw crisps for its nose.

*added because I love video games more than music so a better metric for me

I tag @unseeliefaerie and @cryptobotanical should they wish to partake (no need to do so if you don't want to though =))

Edit: OMG I forgot "Glass Onion" was the best film of 2022. Got in just under the wire on NYE. Funny and entertaining, not quite as good as "Knives Out" and imo a less interesting supporting cast that wasted some of its talents (Leslie Odom Jr and Kathryn Hahn to name two) but Janelle Monae was terrific and Daniel Craig got more to chew on this time; still a very fun time.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #586

Top Ten Lego Games

Ah, Lego. It’s great. I love Lego. And it feels almost a natural fit for videogames; simple, freeform construction with regular polygonal shapes. Funny, then, that the most popular and successful Lego videogames are, essentially, third-person comedy-action adventures where the actual process of building Lego is an adjunct.

Yes, the series of games by Traveller’s Tales (aka TT Games) is long-running – nearly twenty years old, my goodness – and is something of a holy text in our house. Ever since the first game – the Revenge of the Sith tie-in Lego Star Wars: The Video Game in 2005 – I’ve been hooked. I remember playing that and being flabbergasted by how fun it was; how delightful the central gameplay hook was, and also how much daft humour it wrung out of the Star Wars licence. And, for the most part, things have only gotten better from there.

There’s something inherently innocent but also faintly ridiculous about Lego. As such, once you render a famous character as a minifig – whether it’s Darth Vader or Indiana Jones, Aragorn or Batman – it instantly feels like something of a parody. I think this allows the talented developers to lean into a franchise’s giddiness and silliness, to find the inherent absurdities that all long-running and popular storylines possess. And I’ll tell you what, they do it so well. One of the disappointing things for me with the Lego Batman Movie was how first-base and obvious its Batman-related jokes were; in three different Lego Batman games, they’ve always managed to get deep-cut nerd gaggery out there, and more nuanced and – frankly – funnier takes on the source material. These are games that are, on the one hand, surface-level comedy – slapstick pratfalls, animal antics, characters’ heads on the wrong way round – but also humorous love letters on behalf of fans, referencing obscure elements of history and one-off random bits of lore. The ability to unlock characters such as Bat-Cow, for instance; where the hell did that come from, other than an adoration of the more sublime aspects of a franchise?

Coupled with that is the core gameplay loop. The games are relatively easy if you don’t mind dying a lot; you can sort of just brute force your way to the end of a level. But there’s something so enjoyable about the way the combat works, right from the off; the satisfying sound effects of scenery exploding into a shower of Lego studs. And then there’s the many differing objectives; secrets to unlock, minikits to discover, perfections to attain, to say nothing of a great use of achievements (killing Jar Jar; having Human Torch and Captain America on the same team). Again, the love and care is evident.

And – and! – these are perfect games for playing with little kids. They’re forgiving, they’re fun, they work great in co-op, and they star a host of child-friendly characters dressed as Lego. It’s arguable, sadly, that the golden age of Lego games has passed; they managed to release a game every year from 2005 to 2019, but after last year’s Skywalker Saga it doesn’t look like there’s another game imminent. This is a shame, because the franchise is so good as “my first game”; a new generation of nippers deserves the pleasure of getting Jimmy Olsen to beat Steppenwolf to death on the moon.

(Fun fact: I don’t actually know if either Jimmy or Steppenwolf are playable characters in any of the DC-based games. But you can go to the moon)

Anyway, the series is terrific, and I hope it does continue. I’d like another Lego Marvel and Lego DC title; one that combined the expansive nature and improved combat of Skywalker Saga with the tighter level design and simpler structure of some of the earlier titles. And now that Hasbro and Lego have joined forces with the excellent Lego Optimus set, a Transformers themed title would be awesome. But really the most obvious franchise to get the Lego treatment is surely Star Trek; sixty years of stories, multiple different casts, a plethora of costumes, and a host of inorganic sets and locations that lend themselves to simple Lego-esque shapes. Come on, you know you want to!

Lego Marvel Super Heroes (2013): the platonic ideal of TT’s Lego games. The Marvel cast lends itself not only to the collectible character-fest of Lego games; but their colourful depictions and – generally speaking – moderate power set means it doesn’t stray too far from the template established by Star Wars. The central hub of New York – a Marvel mainstay – perfectly threads the needle between pseudo-realistic open world city and quirky, funny, Lego town. But the missions themselves remain discrete and focused, recognisable as core “levels” and distinct from the hub city with its side-quests and secrets. It may be showing its age a little but it still has all the elements in the best possible order.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (2022): returning to the origins of the franchise is a good move, and the already bulging Star Wars cast is further bolstered with characters from the newer films and shows. The open galaxy structure of the game is expansive and mostly very rewarding; it’s great fun to jet off from Tatooine to Hoth and run around collecting stuff. Gameplay and graphics improvements are very welcome, but there is a slightly wonky nature to a lot of the missions, which blur too much into the open-world gameplay and often too simplistic or repetitive. Marrying the open galaxy approach with more discrete and separate missions could have made it the best Lego yet.

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (2014): the DC universe is just as jam-packed with fun and colourful characters as Marvel, even if the often extensive powersets of, say, Superman and Wonder Woman don’t translate quite as neatly to the formula as Iron Man and Captain America. Despite all that, we still have a tremendous game with really strong missions and a host of different smaller hub worlds spread across the planets of the DC Universe. It’s fun to find secrets like a cow on the moon, and locations such as the Justice League Watchtower or the Batcave are incredibly well designed. Plus the secrets and nods to the comics are probably the best in the series’ history.

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (2006): back to basics and the early days of the franchise here, but there’s something so pure and well-executed that it can’t be ignored. After the first Lego Star Wars, detailing the prequels, we went back to the classic trilogy and every aspect was refined. Controls and cameras tightened, graphics improved, missions more focused, and – it has to be said – better source material. The Mos Eisley Cantina hub is wonderful, becoming increasingly populated with characters as you unlock more and more. Yes, its structure feels simplistic nowadays, but perhaps this simplicity is also a strength.

Lego Dimensions (2015): a bold and daring experiment in the short-lived “toys to life” genre, one seemingly made for Lego. Outside of the amusing and entertaining (and, er, expensive) gimmick of being able to “connect” real Lego kits and characters to the game, it’s still a really cool journey through the Lego multiverse, as your mismatched team (including Gandalf, Batman, and Wyldstyle) bump into characters from properties as diverse as Ghostbusters and The Wizard of Oz. Sprawling and perhaps a tiny bit unfocused (its multiple worlds and modes can be confusing for kids), it earns so many points for the gag where The Doctor will regenerate into a different incarnation every time he dies.

Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 (2017): the sequel to the greatest Lego game of all time does a lot of things right, but this is – I feel – where a bit of the bloat and confusion starts to creep in. by opening up the Marvel multiverse (a year before Spider-Verse came out, predating the whole multiverse boom!) we get some cool variants of classic characters and it does a good job showcasing the likes of Spider-Gwen and Squirrel Girl. But the open world, featuring a mishmash of alternate New Yorks (News York?) just isn’t as fun, and the divide between the casual exploration of the hubs and the individual missions is blurred. It’s just messier, basically.

Lego Batman: The Videogame (2008): like with Star Wars, we go back to basics for this fantastic entry. Shorn of the structure of adapting the Star Wars trilogies, this is an original story that skews Adam West in its levity but is pleasingly Animated Series in its aesthetic. Without quite so many hero characters to choose from, the use of alternate suits for Batman and Robin is inspired, creating a very satisfying puzzle element. And, of course, the Rogue’s Gallery is ideal for a game like this, especially with the nice hook that you get to play levels from the bad guys’ perspective too.

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (2008): often maligned, I really liked this, and it’s one of the very (very) few games I’ve ever 100%-ed. Whilst the Indy characters aren’t as varied or colourful as others, the level design and gameplay mechanics made it feel more like an old-school action adventure as you pick up tools to solve puzzles along the way. It adapts the films’ set-pieces really well and the university hub is well-realised and full of secrets. Plus you get to be a Lego Sean Connery, what more do you want?

Lego Lord of the Rings (2012): one of the first Lego games to have a true open world about it, as you set off from the Shire on the adventure. Again we see the use of tools and different characters’ abilities as you progress, even if the roster is inevitably less varied or dynamic than with, say, Marvel. But the subject matter does suit the gameplay very well, and of course there’s a quirky sense of humour to Jackson’s films making the game’s silly jokes marry quite well. Feels like a good bridge between the more simplistically structured early games and the expansive open worlds of later years.

Lego Star Wars: The Video Game (2005): going back to where it all began with the very first Lego game, and one that genuinely blew me away. Seriously, I was surprised at just how good this was, because, well, who expected it? But TT were onto something right from the start. Yes, it’s very similar in structure to later, better games – especially it’s direct sequel. Yes, you could argue that both games can be sampled in the Complete Saga compilation. But there’s still loads to enjoy here. And yes, as should be obvious, I’ve not played one of the Harry Potter games. I’ve heard they’re pretty good though.

[rukia-simp]

Rukia’s Feelings

Let's discuss feelings in Bleach because there's a lot of double standards here and it hurts me to watch people think they've "debunked" arguments but they only told a vague fairy tale. That's why I'm saying that Rukia had fallen in love earlier than you think. In fact I would even say that she fell in love before Orihime. Orihime may have had a crush on Ichigo first, but she never said “love” until the arrancar saga.

Rukia fell in love first. In fact there's textual evidence for this. We all know this iconic scene. Kubo was never into romantic tales, however he wouldn't pull this BS out of his ass for shits and giggles. He's not that kind of writer. Every scene has purpose! Stop the disrespect!

This scene isn't meant for fanservice. It's meant for setting up motive. Why does Rukia want to leave?

Before I answer that. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is what literary analysis calls DRAMATIC IRONY. In which the audience knows something that characters might not know. For example like when we know Isshin is a Shinigami, but Ichigo doesn't know. We know Rukia's true feelings but Ichigo and other people don't because they obviously can't read her inner monologue. Ichigo can't read her motives until her tears tell him the truth. Now to answer the original question above. She left because she was afraid that if she stayed any longer in the living world, her already developing feelings would make it harder to leave later on. She needed to get out of Ichigo's proximity so that her attachment can't be used as leverage or puts him in danger. After all it was her emotional attachment to Kaien that allows her to identify every emotion that she's feeling at this moment in the story. She doesn't want to bring Ichigo the same demise as Kaien. It's because of her emotions that Kaien's death hit her so hard. Without emotions and that attachment to Kaien, it would have been just another death in the Soul Society. Why is this important? Because Rukia's trying to learn from her past. Ichigo's stubbornness messes up her plan, but it's also what ends up saving them in the long term. She runs away with the hope of forgetting all of her experiences with Ichigo. Ichigo did the same thing Kaien did with Rukia in the 13th division. Ichigo didn't make her feel alone or like an outcast. They both treated her the way she always hoped people would treat her. With respect, and as an equal. She never wanted to be put down nor be put on a pedestal because of her last name. Or because of her rank. But everyone did, even her future husband. The only two people who canonically didn’t was Ichigo and his cousin. Rukia just has a weak side for men like that. Rukia has a type unlike Orihime. We know why she loves Ichigo, but there's no clear reason as to why Orihime does. It's very broad, and not narrowed down to a specific reason. Which makes her crush easy to attack with no actual solid defense. I can tell you EXACTLY where Ichigo and Rukia's relationship changed from salty coworkers to immediately more than friends. I've reread Bleach multiple time, and have yet to see the exact moment where Ichigo and Orihime's feelings change. Most of it looks like it's offscreen.

Just so no one gets confused. I'm referring to this scene. This was where Ichigo and Rukia's relationship could never go back to being coworkers and friends.

Anyways, people like to argue that Orihime is the one that likes him so she is guaranteed that "happy" ending. I call BS because Nel and Riruka had just as much infatuation with our protagonist, but all I see is them getting the short end of the stick. Orihime IS NOT SPECIAL. But Rukia IS special. This woman "COINCIDENTALLY" has a paralleled past to our protagonist. She "COINCIDENTALLY" spent Ichigo's entire past arc as his only form of foundation and support. And she "COINCIDENTALLY" is the one to be asked about HER feelings because she's not as open about her emotions, since she's a SHINIGAMI. Shinigami have LITERALLY been taught to not be emotional. Duty before love. Rukia's characterization and occupation don’t allow her to confess straight up. Orihime has the privilege of no limitations. Rukia isn't as lucky! Why the hell would Kubo emphasize this so much for it be a fecking dead end?!

But that's why Rukia's confession is in the form of denial. Because in order to keep her IN CHARACTER, Kubo needs to write a confession that sounds like Rukia. He must emphasize how strong her feelings are. They are so strong that they overcome her usual stoicism, sternness.

Byakuya himself knew that Rukia only showed this much emotion towards Kaien. That's why he concluded that there's something special about Ichigo. He has identified the pattern.

All of this had purpose. I refuse to believe it was all for nothing. This scene was a confession, and just a sad reminder that unfortunately Ichigo and Rukia's ending was always on a tight rope. He put too much effort into their relationship. He put a freakish amount of effort into their relationship. And honestly this makes the story make more sense, in my opinion. Think about it like this. If Rukia was not in love in this scene then it wouldn’t be as memorable in the Ichiruki fandom. And Rukia would be a completely different character. By Rukia already having feelings they stimulate Ichigo into finding out his own feelings (which is in the Lost Agent Arc). And it makes sense because Rukia might fall easier, but she’s more passive when it comes to answering to her desires. Just look back at her past with Kaien, and her reaction towards his wife. She’s not the type to pursue feelings. But Ichigo is more aggressive than her. But he’s more dense as well. Ichigo is the type to initiate the relationship, but he has to be aware of it. How can you be aware of it if your dense? I mean the fact that Ichigo is dense about Orihime’s blatant feelings can’t be a coincidence. For me, it almost seems like Ichigo is dense, not because he’s not meant to see Orihime’s feelings, but because it makes it harder for him to identify his own feelings for a certain person (personally I thought and still think that it’s supposed to be Rukia). It delays endgames, and allows for more satisfying development. However, this could just be my optimism speaking, but I don't think Kubo is stupid. But that time frame for TYBW was ridiculous and I truly believe it was a factor in their final decisions. But I might be blinded by my optimism. Well anyway, this was another piece of analysis. Just want to call out some hypocrites. I'm right now putting on the table that Rukia arguably has just as much feelings for Ichigo. So the argument that Orihime is "obligated" to Ichigo's love is too vague. It's a horrible argument, but I'm always open to discussion. Respectfully of course. But then again this is social media so...

My next analysis is probably going to be on this gorgeous scene. I'm just going to explain its significance and what makes it an irrefutable Ichigo and Rukia moment. Please look forward to that! Thank you to everyone that read this far. Have a wonderful day!

Also no hate on Renji and Orihime. I know Renji thought he had good intentions, but if he's so special then he should have been able to fix it before 40 years of no interactions. And Orihime is a sweetie, but her unrealistic look on life is just too polar to my look on life. I'm a realist. I can't get behind that especially when she basically gets everything handed to her without much consequence. Reality would have hit normal women in the face if they were in Orihime's position. To me that's not a good message to teach to anyone.

Anyway thanks for reading! Love y’all!

[doublebill]

Suptober 2021 - Day 1: Harvest

Dean smiles to himself as Castiel pulls another spindly carrot out of the ground and beams up at him with pride.

It had been too late in the year to plant anything worthwhile when they first moved into the small dilapidated house, but Dean had cleared the whole yard, buying in vast amounts of compost and digging the whole place up for Cas to plant whatever he wanted the following spring. Considering all of the time, and effort, and hundreds of dollars they'd ploughed into the garden, Cas had managed to harvest about $10 worth of usable vegetables.

Despite this, it was all worth it. Dean would do the exact same thing every year for the rest of his life if it meant that Cas would look that happy, pulling underformed root vegetables out of the ground.

"Maybe we could make a stew." Cas said, nodding to the half a dozen long, pencil-thin carrots he cradled in his arms as he headed back up the new wooden steps into the house.

He placed them in the sink to wash off the dirt and Dean wrapped himself around his angel's back.

"Yeah, Cas. Stew would be great. If you want to go and wash up, I'll get started."

Castiel turned in his arms and gave him a gentle kiss before he headed to the bathroom to wash the sweat and grime from his body. Angel he may be, but they both knew that Cas' mojo was waning, he didn't waste it on things like wishing himself clean anymore. There was something nice and homey about that, it made this feel more real, like they were real people. Dean had spent decades not fitting in with society, being on the fringe and now he had a normal little life. He worked at the hardware store in town, Cas volunteered at an animal shelter a few days a week, and spent the rest of his time, pottering around the little house and garden.

Dean sighed at the carrots and turned on the faucet to rinse away the earth and gathered the other (store bought) vegetables to make the stew.

He remembered a story of a man who offered to show a poor family how to make soup from a stone in return for shelter and food for the night. Cas' carrots reminded him a little of that. He chopped the carrots, along with onions, and potatoes, and half a dozen other types of vegetable, putting them in a pan over a low heat and went to work on making some bread.

The house was getting there. He did pretty much all of the renovations himself, getting tools and materials at cost through his job was helpful. It was slow work, but it was making a space that reflected them. It had soft couches and a good TV, bookshelves, houseplants, Cas had even bought Dean an acoustic guitar from a thrift store in Kansas City for last Christmas. It was a far cry from the giant, austere, concrete bunker, but what it lacked in space and hunting resources, it made up in heart and comfort. There was a spare room, and a pull out couch so there was room for Sam and Eileen to stay when they came by for dinner every couple of weeks. There was an old Nintendo system that Dean had picked up for a steal in a garage sale for when Jack dropped in.

Dean was kneading the dough when Cas walked back into the kitchen, wearing soft pajamas, his damp hair sticking up wildly. He walked over to the stove and gave the stew an appreciative sniff. Dean plopped the dough in a large bowl and covered it with a towel to let it rise. After rinsing his hands, he pulled Cas with him into the living room to slump onto the couch. He ran his fingers gently through Cas' hair as he lay back against Dean's chest.

"Maybe we could get chickens. Then we could get eggs all year round. Maybe we could trade some with our neighbours as I don't seem to be terribly good at growing them."

"Eggs?"

Cas snorted "Vegetables. I am fully aware that this wasn't the bountiful harvest I was expecting when we planted them."

"We're both new at this, it'll get better." Dean pressed a soft kiss to the top of Cas' head.

And it did.

With the end of the great cosmic Winchester saga, Dean had been worried that normal life just wouldn't be able to satisfy him but he couldn't have been more wrong. He made friends, regular meet-at-the-bar-for-a-couple-of-beers friends. They went to barbecues and became well-known in their community for being a kind and friendly (if slightly odd) couple. He had his friends, he had his family, and he had his Cas.

That winter, he made a point of learning a Skynrd song on the guitar. On Christmas Eve, by the light of the fire, he serenaded Cas with Simple Man. At the end, he put the guitar aside, knelt down in front of Cas, and asked him to marry him. 

With tears of joy in his eyes, Cas said yes.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34184017

[immortalecstasy-blog]

The Man From Willow Creek - PART ONE Pairing: Mountain Man! Dean/Author! Reader

Y/N isn't in a good headspace, so her publisher sends her off to a remote cabin in the mountains in an attempt to rid her of all distractions and produce the highly anticipated first draft of her last book. But as she battles with snow, word counts, and surprise visitors, she learns that not every battle needs to be won, and that happy endings aren't always what we'd think.

WC ≈ 35,000 Total A/N: Thank you to@redweddingsandbowties for helping me to churn out over 25,000 words in a week and filtering out my typing fails. Warnings: Violence, Recreational Drug Use, 18+ Smut, Pet Death

Read on AO3 or...

“Miss, your total is $426.54. Miss?”

Y/N blinked and looked up at the cashier before taking her credit card out and handing it over.

“Are you stocking up for the end of the world?” The cashier asks as he runs her card. Y/N glances at the trolley loaded with a months’ worth of non-perishables and a dozen crates of beer.

“Something like that.” She tells him as she scribbles her signature on the store receipt.

The trolley is a bit on the heavy side as she heaves it across the car park towards her truck, but she manages it. When she’s got everything all loaded up beside the bags and bags of logs she’s worked up a sweat and has to unzip her coat as she climbs up into the driver’s seat. The truck feels empty without her little border terrier, and she finds herself wishing Harley could have been with her for this new adventure.

It had been her publisher’s idea to go on this little escapade, to get her out of the city, away from all the distractions. He cared more about the lack of pages than her deteriorating mental health, but for the sake of her sanity she had agreed that a month-long retreat into the mountains might do more for her writer’s block than being in her too quiet apartment. Her creative juices had bit the dust around the same time she’d had to make the heart-breaking decision to have Harley put to sleep.

His other idea had been to get a new dog. She’d used some extraordinarily strong language at that suggestion, so… mountains.

She feels fairly well prepared. Provisioned. Whatever. The cabin her publisher had found had been empty for a few years, and she had been warned that it may take a bit of work to get the generator working, and that there would be no mobile signal out there either. But she had been equipped with a satellite phone and the publisher had done some technological whizz-bang magic that meant she would be able to send and receive emails via satellite. She’d also done her own extensive research, which hopefully meant that once she arrived, she wouldn’t have to make the drive back to civilisation until her month was up and her first draft was on its way. She had churned out three books a year at some points, she could manage this.

She reaches over to the passenger seat to pick up one of her many notebooks, this one was her ‘survival plan’. “Snow tyres, check. Firewood, yes. Socks, hundreds…” She went down the whole list, covering everything from dry shampoo to copious amounts of candy and snacks. She’d even found a repair manual for the generator online, and had both printed and laminated it, just to be thorough.

“Okay, let’s do this.” She says aloud, still not used to Harley’s absence. The truck’s engine whines a little as it starts up, and she takes a moment to put the map (also laminated) on top of the paperwork piled up on the passenger seat. She still had a few hours until noon, plenty of time to get to the cabin while it was still light and make some sort of order out of it before dark.

The first two hours of her journey went as expected. She didn’t even miss the hairpin turn she had been dreading, but as the bare trees began to curl over the road and block the sun, she felt a prickle of unease. Wishing again for Harley. What was she thinking? A woman, on her own, hiding out in a run-down cabin in the middle of nowhere, all for a book she was contracted to write but had no heart for.

The last four years of her career had been dedicated to her high fantasy trilogy, the world, its characters, its mysteries. Mystery solved and arcs resolved, her baby was done. Before that she had spent years churning out a crappy serial romance saga before a well-earned break funded by selling the rights to turn them into a television series. That was until the inspiration for The Fallen had hit her. But of course, the publishers were keen to squeeze out more profit, and had coerced her into signing another book deal. They wanted a revival of the romance saga, but after over twelve years of being free from churning out two or three contentless books a year, it wasn’t something she wanted to revisit. Besides, it felt ridiculous to be in her early thirties, and turning back to something she started when she was only seventeen. Something different. She didn’t know how to write different. She had planned to save the existential breakdown until she’d arrived and at least got a fire going, but apparently her brain hadn’t got the memo, and she had to pull over to stumble from the truck and put her head between her knees. She focused on her breathing, in through the nose, out through the mouth, in through the nose… “C’mon, you can do this.” … out through the mouth.

As she climbed back into the truck sometime later, she heard an engine and slammed her door shut just in time to see beaten up chevy truck thundering past, black smoke sputtering from its exhaust. The driver beeped their horn at her, and her panic was replaced with annoyance. She’d picked a safe place to pull over, she wasn’t blocking the road. Hell, that dick didn’t even have to move positions from the centre of the road.

Apart from the short break at the side of the road, and a five-minute detour down the wrong lane, Y/N was making good time. The only problem came when the cabin was actually in sight. A tree was blocking the drive, and nowhere on the map could she pick out any way to go around. The cabin looked to be only a ten-minute walk away, but everything was blanketed in thick snow, and she had a months’ worth of wood, food, water…not to mention all her writing stuff, clothes, blankets… beers. It would take an insane number of trips and eat into her daylight. But the tree was huge, and even if she had a chain or ropes to try and pull it out of the way, she had no idea how she’d do so safely. That wasn’t something she had researched how to do.

She climbed out and her legs disappeared up to her knees in the thick snow. Not to be put off by the first hurdle, she found the keys for the cabin, gathered up the only valuable things in the truck (namely her laptop and the satellite phone), and locked the truck behind her. The tree had a tangle of roots, so it seemed to have fallen naturally. Not that she really knew what she was looking at. She skirted around the edge and stomped through the snow towards the cabin, which was bigger than she had imagined. The ‘ten minute’ walk took closer to fifteen minutes, hampered by the snow, and then there was the issue of trying to get the door open. The wood seemed to have swelled, and she had to throw her shoulder against it several times before it burst open in a cloud of dust.

It stank. It had that unlived in smell, like stagnant water, and she kept the door open – not just for the light – but for the fresh air.

It was much as she expected really, a small kitchenette (which really was just a log stove and a cobweb infested sink with a single section of worktop) with a small dining table and four chairs. A mismatched armchair and leather sofa tucked close to a log burner. Two doors stood off the one side, presumably to a bedroom and a bathroom. “Right.” She said, setting her laptop bag down and wondering what to do first.

The owners hadn’t been sure that the water supply would still work, which is why she had lugged her own plastic barrels up here, but if it was working, she wouldn’t have to carry so many.

The pumped the lever over the sink a few times, still flushed from the hard walk. After a few tries, the tap sputtered out a dead spider and rust coloured liquid, followed a moment later by clear, precious water. The initial horror at the colour of the stuff still had her deciding to get some water from the truck, however.

“Okay.” She said to herself, stepping back. “Water, oil, logs, clothes for the night, bedding, cleaning stuff. Food.” She ran through her list again and then nodded, satisfied. On her way out of the door she spotted a big old wooden sled propped up under the window. “Perfect.”

Her second trip took longer than the first, fighting the sled the entire way and almost losing the barrel of water. It slid off the sled and looked for a moment like it might roll clean of the mountain, but the packed snow stopped it in its tracks.

Catching her breath for the next trip, she checked the other side of the two doors. Discovering to her horror that both led to bedrooms, then – to her relief – that the master bedroom had a rather basic en suite. It contained one of those giant clawfoot baths you only ever saw in movies, though this one was an old-fashioned green colour and a bit rusty around the plug. She hoped she could get the generator running to enjoy a soak at some point.

She tested the double bed in the master bedroom, and then checked both the twin beds, testing which of the three was the most comfortable, and therefore the one she would be using. The other bedroom, she would use as storage for all her supplies. The big bed in the room with the en suite was fortunately the comfiest, which meant she could pile all her stuff into the room with the twin beds.

She found an old oil lamp in the kitchen cupboards and a little paraffin heater in the cupboard under the sink. It was the ancient kind with no warning labels. Though common sense filled in the unwritten ‘use in a well-ventilated space or you will suffocate’. She set it up, just to take the edge of until she could get a fire going and put the lamp on the dining table next to her laptop, deciding there and then that this evening would be electricity free. She didn’t want to have to deal with the frustrations of the generator, and it seemed encompassing of her new mountain persona to forgo some of the basic necessities.

Two trips later and her hands are blistered from the friction of the sled rope, even through her gloves. Her legs are screaming at her, and despite the three thick pairs of socks, she would put all her royalties betting on frost bite setting in. There’s one last trip to make sure she has everything she’ll need for the night and most of the next day, and then she covers the flatbed of her truck with its waterproof cover and makes sure it’s stupidly tight. None of her things will enjoy a night in the freezing cold, but as long as nothing gets too damp, everything will be fine.

The door had been open all this time, so the cabin is now just as chilled as outside, but at least it smells fresher now. Her phone – devoid of all signal – becomes a glorified sound system. The oil heater starts to inject a little warmth, and as soon as it’s warm enough to abandon her coat and gloves, she gets to work on making the place fit for habitation.

“…As long as my heart's beating, and these old lungs keep breathing, the highs and the lows, yes and the no’s…” She sings loudly as she sweeps out the log stove of half burnt longs and powdery grey ash.

By the time the sun is setting, the whole cabin is as dust free as it can be without a hoover, the log fire is roaring, the bed is made, and the only lingering issue is the draft from the front door, which – having been forced to open – is now refusing to close properly. Having decided that the back and forth from the truck was enough work for one day, Y/N simply snacks instead of making a dinner and then sits by the fire with her notebook and pen. The flannel patterned throw she’d bought from home depot thrown over her legs.

Nothing comes. Not even a silly doodle in the margin. True, she usually wrote on her laptop. But the charge wouldn’t last long, and she’d been prepared to write this book by hand.

Even with the fire and the blanket there seems to be a wickedly cool draft, and she makes a note to put a makeshift draft excluder together in the morning. Finished with her bag of chips, she stands to select another snack and grab a beer, missing Harley weaving between her legs. She twists the cap of the beer bottle and walks back to the sofa and freezes in surprise.

On the sofa, is a pleased looking black Labrador.

The beer bottle slips from her fingers and shatters on the floor. The dilemma of broken glass and soft paws snapping her out of her shock.

“Hello…” She says slowly, answered by a thumping tail on brown leather. “You stay there. Okay?”

thump thump thump

“Okay, good boy… girl… good dog. Stay.”

Fortunately all the cleaning supplies are in easy reach. Y/N focuses on sweeping up the broken glass as a priority, ignoring the beer sloshing around the stone floor and seeping into the rope rug. Glass sorted; she gets a cloth to wipe the beer up. The front door in ajar, which explains how the dog got in. But it doesn’t explain what they’re doing out here in the middle of nowhere. They seem happy enough, well fed, shiny coat, wet nose. So they’re obviously being cared for by someone.

“Okay, it’s safe.” She tells the Labrador from the floor once she’s sure all the glass is up. They seem to be a pro at broken bottles, because with the all-clear, they jump from the sofa and come greet her properly.

“Oh, yes, hello. Nice to meet you too.” She tells them, trying to shove their face away as their tongue makes a beeline for her mouth. She giggles, giving their neck a good scratch. There’s a chain collar, but no tags. “Where are you from, huh?” She asks, attempting to stand, her knees protesting against the stone floor.

There’s a tremendous bang and the front door flies open. Halfway to her feet, Y/N loses her balance and topples onto her back, staring up into the doorway.

Where a bearded man in a Stetson and a heavy coat is pointing a shotgun at her.

PART TWO

[allthingskenobi]

Obi-Wan in Exile – Vader

(Originally published on AllThingsKenobi.com December 13, 2020)

Welcome to the first in a series of looks into Obi-Wan Kenobi’s time in exile on Tatooine between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. We’ve tried to mine as much Legends and canon material as possible to help guide you through some of the period’s most common and repetitive themes so that when the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series airs, you’ll be ready.

Not everything he ever did in the entire 19 years will be explored here, but as we said, we’ve tried our best to pick out the most prominent and impactful moments to give everyone a better understanding of exactly what one hermit had to endure out there all alone in the sandy deserts of Tatooine.

While Vader himself was not a common reoccurrence throughout Obi-Wan’s exile, the threat of him certainly was…well until now that is. As Vader so often does, he’s recently made his way back to the forefront of the story and will seemingly loom very large over the upcoming series, thus moving us to start with exactly what that might mean for Obi-Wan and how it might work with the canon boundaries we currently have. Yes, we understand that canon can change and probably will, but we do love a challenge.

“Vader,” Obi-Wan muttered. “Vader’s alive.”

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER BY JAMES LUCENO L

Let’s start at the beginning. We have one instance in Legends where we see Obi-Wan learn that Vader survived Mustafar and it comes mere months after his exile on Tatooine begins. He first hears the name “Vader” mentioned again on the HoloNet during one of his trips into Mos Eisley and nearly faints before panicking to find a way to take Luke and run. (1) This early recognition seems to be reconfirmed in later canon as one of Ben’s greatest fears in the third year of his exile continued to be “sand crunching beneath heavy black boots, a dark cape billowing in the desert squall, the mechanical wheeze of a respirator.” (2) So will we see Obi-Wan only just learning of Vader’s fate in the tenth year of his exile? I’d say that’s highly doubtful unless the show provides a flashback for us—which we will gladly accept.

“Instead, Padmé was dead and Obi-Wan was running for his life, as stripped of everything as Vader was. Without friends, family, purpose…”

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER BY JAMES LUCENO L

At the same time, Vader was also very convinced that Obi-Wan was still alive and would remain so despite his greatest efforts. Because if there was one thing Vader was good at it, it was holding a grudge like he held a lightsaber, and he would expend quite a bit of energy over the 19 years between episodes III and IV searching for his old Master. (Just ask anyone he comes across in the comics.) Oh, and let’s not forget that it’s also Vader who would later inform a disbelieving Tarkin, in no uncertain terms, that Obi-Wan was still alive and on the Death Star. (3)

“No, I can’t [leave],” Ben said, firmly. “I must be here.”

KENOBI BY JOHN JACKSON MILLER L

“The core of Anakin that resides in Vader grasps that Tatooine is the source of nearly everything that causes him pain. Vader will never set foot on Tatooine, if only out of fear of reawakening Anakin.”

DARK LORD: THE RISE OF DARTH VADER BY JAMES LUCENO L

Now that we’ve established that they both knew of each other’s survival, it begs the question as to why their paths never actually crossed in 19 years. Personally, I think it’s fairly simple: Obi-Wan would never leave Tatooine and Vader would never go anywhere near it. We will discuss Obi-Wan not leaving Tatooine more in-depth at a later time (and yes, we know what Ewan said about having a ‘rollicking time’), but Vader would canonically never visit his home planet until well after Obi-Wan and Luke were both gone. (4)(5) And by then it was much too late.

That brings us to the most recent ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ news and how that fits in with what Legends and canon have told us so far. We received a lot of exciting and thought-provoking announcements in a short amount of time, and frankly, our minds haven’t stopped spinning since. Could the show undo what we currently assume to be true? Yes. Could the show work within those same parameters? Also, yes. Do I personally have any idea what’s going to happen? No. DO I THINK THE SHOW IS GOING TO BE AMAZING NO MATTER WHAT? Y E S. The goal of this exercise is to simply try and reconcile the new details to the existing Star Wars lore because I think that’s what makes it interesting. So you can take it or leave it. The choice is yours. (Until it isn’t because the show has aired and this is all pointless.)

HERE WE GO.

“[Deborah] Chow confirmed that audiences will “definitely see Obi-Wan and Darth Vader get into it again” as we see the blue blade of a hooded Obi-Wan clash with the fiery red blade of Darth Vader.”

“McGregor knows the battle will be eagerly anticipated, and he’s looking forward to performing it just as much: “Having another swing at each other might be quite satisfying for everybody. We hope that you enjoy it as much as we’re going to enjoy making it.””

DEBORAH CHOW AND EWAN MCGREGOR DURING THE DISNEY INVESTOR’S REEL

Not only was the “Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader” bombshell dropped in our laps, but we were also fed the above morsels (not once but thrice) and told to digest them. Our first reaction was a hearty and well-deserved cry of rejoicing until the realization of what this could all mean set in and it turned into a hearty and well-deserved sob.

There’s hardly a way to be disappointed in the fact that we will see Ewan and Hayden not only together again, but “getting into it” as well, but we do have to wonder what this means for the moment where Obi-Wan and Vader face each other again on the Death Star. The moment is not only pivotal to Episode IV, but I would argue, the entire saga. And it’s made even more impactful by the fact that the two men have not physically confronted each other since their fateful battle on Mustafar.

What we do know, and that which should not change, is that Vader never knew where Obi-Wan was hiding nor that he had Luke, his son, with him. That tells me two things: whatever kind of “rematch” happens here does not endanger Luke’s safety in the long run nor is it probably something that would occur more than once. I think what we’re going to see happen is isolated and “unexpected,” occurring only once ten years into Obi-Wan’s exile.

You: But, All Things Kenobi, if they could never physically meet on Tatooine or elsewhere, then what does this all mean??

Us: Do we look like Deborah Chow or Ewan McGregor? Do we have all the answers for you? NO! But can we try to help ease your mind until the show airs and I’m proven all sorts of wrong?? YES! SO PUT ON THAT TINFOIL HAT AND LET’S DO THIS!!

“I sense something. A presence I’ve not felt since…”

STAR WARS EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE C

“Obi-Wan once thought as you do.”

STAR WARS EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI C

Instantly our minds turned to these two particular comments from Vader in Episodes IV and VI. They’ve always stood out as peculiar, demanding explanation, but even more so now. The first is a vague, open-ended statement that leaves us to assume they hadn’t met again since they parted on the slopes of Mustafar. The second is a seemingly wistful reminiscence of a memory Vader has of his old master.

Luke had just finished making a heartfelt plea for Anakin to remember his “true self” then says, “come with me.” Where did Obi-Wan make the same appeal to only be shunned by Vader as well? Is it possible the series will show us this after all these years and possibly solve the riddle of both enigmatic statements at once? Is it possible that any such conversation might quickly devolve into another lightsaber-fueled clash??

“Count Dooku was Yoda’s apprentice.”

“And Count Dooku has fallen to the dark side.”

“All of us have apprenticed to Master Yoda.”

“He cannot be held accountable for Dooku’s descent.”

“But they are connected. Profoundly.”

THE CLONE WARS 6×11 “VOICES” C

A distinct bond exists between each Padawan and Master and unfortunately that bond does not disappear when one or the other becomes a Sith Lord. Despite the bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin being firmly closed at both ends, there’s no doubt that a presence remains. And even the most sturdy walls might crack from time to time.

Even after 19 years apart, Vader is quick to recognize when Obi-Wan is nearby and goes so far as to know his intent. “Escape is not his plan. I must face him alone.” And he’s right. (3) As for Obi-Wan, the Force has plagued him with dreams and visions, even showing him “a limbless wreck hanging in a bacta tank, necrotic skin pallid and scarred.” (2)

Could their strong connection be the vehicle that allows Obi-Wan and Anakin to confront each other once more? Within the Force they could not only converse, but we could also see them “take another swing” at each other without any physical consequences no matter who “wins.” The mental toll would also make for great drama for both men and bring a new perspective and emotional weight to several scenes in the Original Trilogy.

“If you loved me, Obi-Wan, you would have killed me.”

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER 24 BY KIERON GILLEN C

Finally, it’s quite possible that Obi-Wan might not physically be involved at all in their “rematch” and it might be entirely from Vader’s perspective. One theory could be as simple as the fact that Vader once had a training droid whose deadliest combat setting took the form of his former master. (Oh, Anakin.) (6) Another theory, and a much more likely one, could be that Vader has a Force vision or dream that allows him to recreate and relive various moments between himself and Obi-Wan, including, but not limited to, another lightsaber battle. This would be interesting to witness as every time it occurs, it means that Vader is wrestling with Anakin.

Although the Obi-Wan that continues to exist in Anakin’s psyche doesn’t seem too different from the real thing, just imagine Ewan McGregor getting to play Obi-Wan from Anakin’s point of view…I’ll just drop my mic there.

Star Wars: Darth Vader 24 by Kieron Gillen (2016) C

Star Wars: Darth Vader 5 by Charles Soule (2017) C

Citations:

(1) Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader by James Luceno L

(2) “Time of Death” – From A Certain Point of View by Cavan Scott C

(3) Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope C

(4) Star Wars: Darth Vader 2016 by Kieron Gillen C

(5) Star Wars: Darth Vader 2020 by Greg Pak C

(6) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008) by Haden Blackman L

[terramythos]

TerraMythos 2021 Reading Challenge - Book 27 of 26

Title: Jade War (The Green Bone Saga #2) (2019)

Author: Fonda Lee

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Female Protagonist, LGBT Protagonist, First-Person (briefly), Third-Person 

Rating: 10/10 

Date Began: 10/14/2021

Date Finished: 10/26/2021

Having barely escaped destruction at the hands of the Mountain clan, the No Peak clan seeks to strengthen its position locally and abroad. As war breaks out beyond Kekon’s shores, international attention turns to the small island nation and its valuable magic jade supply. Jade can enhance one’s physical abilities when worn, making it a coveted weapon of war. No Peak, led by the powerful and canny Kaul siblings, must strike risky alliances and combat unexpected enemies to secure the clan’s future on the world stage. But the Kauls will also have to grapple with themselves and how far they’re willing to go to protect family, clan, and country. 

“You have to go where your enemies are,” Hilo said. “And then further.” 

Content warnings and spoilers below the cut.

Content warnings for the book: Depicted — Death, animal abuse/death, graphic violence, graphic sexual content, drug use/addiction/withdrawal/overdosing, racism, domestic abuse, suicide/suicidal ideation, sexism, torture, terrorism, self-harm. Mentioned — Colonialism, p*dophilia, r*pe, child abuse, warfare, homophobia.

Jade War is everything a good sequel should be. The stakes are higher, the scope is broader, the political machinations are more intricate and intense, and characterization both improves and continues to impress. While I enjoyed Jade City a lot, Jade War is a huge step up. Assuming Jade Legacy sticks the landing (which I fully expect it to), I can say that The Green Bone Saga is one of the most criminally underrated fantasy series of the last few years.

Full disclosure — I initially struggled with this book. The first third or so is definitely a slow burn. Lee introduces a lot of different plot threads that, seemingly, have little connection to one another. Hilo meets with a jade smuggler to negotiate a hostage situation. Anden gets effectively exiled to Espenia and struggles to adapt in a strange, foreign county. Shae meets up with her secret boyfriend and ruminates on her role in the clan vs her personal desires. Stuff like that. I found it a little difficult to connect with everything. But all that setup pays off big time— and several threads from Jade City come back as well. Small details and minor characters return in interesting ways that play with one’s expectations. When everything comes together in the  final act, it’s simultaneously satisfying and harrowing.

While Jade City focused on Janloon and the clan war between the Mountain and No Peak, Jade War elevates things to the world stage. Jade, found only on Kekon, enhances the martial abilities of people who wear it. It’s captured international attention as a potential weapon. When conflict erupts in nearby countries, Kekon finds itself caught in the middle as allies and enemies alike seek to procure jade by any means necessary. Add that to a longer timeline and the strained, tenuous peace between the two Green Bone clans, and you end up with a layered political conflict.

And boy does political intrigue take center stage in this novel. The last book had its fair share of politics, negotiations, and backstabbing. But like everything else, it’s on a whole new level here. Everyone’s playing the long game, and many chapters read as intense, manipulative chess matches. Though they’re fun to read, these stretches would lure me into a false sense of security. Then Lee would just gleefully blindside me with a shocking twist or development. There’s always a sense of tension reading Jade War, because one never knows when the shoe is going to drop.

The title is almost a misnomer, because the so-called “jade war” happens elsewhere in a foreign country. We never see it directly. The war we do see is fought in nontraditional battlefields— boardrooms, clandestine meetings, homes, etc. I’m almost—ALMOST— disappointed that Lee’s excellent fight scenes are less prevalent in this book. But honestly, I think this just enhances the ones we do get. In particular, there’s an intense fight about halfway through the novel, and it’s probably the best one so far. I’m avoiding spoilers, but it’s just stupidly good. Again, Lee writes action better than almost anyone I’ve encountered. Her descriptions and choreography are vivid and cinematic.

Characterization is on-point, both improving what I liked and addressing my criticisms from Jade City. Specifically, the Maik siblings get a lot of development, something I felt was lacking in the last book. I got a clear sense of Maik Kehn and Maik Tar as individuals rather than interchangeable background characters. Maik Wen gets lots of attention and a few perspective chapters. She ends up being the most important character outside of the main leads.

Anden also feels way more impactful as a character. My struggle last book was that he didn’t do much and felt a little wasted. But now that he’s a fish out of water and has to develop as a person outside of clan expectations, he matures quite a bit. His chapters add a lot of context about the world outside of Kekon, and I like how even Espenia has an unofficial clan structure among the Kekonese diaspora. He also has the most optimistic ending, which is a far cry from last book. His chapters seem almost at odds with the rest of the story, but, like everything else in the book, it all comes together in the end. It’s hard to pick a fave out of the three leads, but Anden comes closest.

But most of all, I love that Jade War explores and expands on the morally gray nature of the characters. Jade City touches on this a bit; often our heroes do questionable things out of necessity with an ends justify the means attitude. After all, Ayt Mada and the Mountain are cutthroat and willing to do whatever they can to undermine No Peak. Why shouldn’t No Peak do the same? The kid gloves come off in Jade War, however. The climax of the first act solidifies this— I won’t spoil it, but it’s a total shock that haunted me for the rest of the book.

The morally gray, violent nature of the story is often juxtaposed with the core theme of family. There are several kid characters who are obviously set up to be the next generation of Kauls. Hilo, despite his brutal nature in much of the book, takes to fatherhood with love and enthusiasm. He’s shown to be a compassionate and caring father figure, something he never had himself. But then you have one chapter where Hilo dispassionately buries a man alive to suffer a slow, agonizing death in jade withdrawal… then goes home and has a cute, meaningful scene with one of his kids. It’s horrifying, and there’s lots of examples of this throughout the book. The takeaway is that the two sides of clan life are intertwined… something the conclusion (especially Shae’s speech) drives home.

One last detail I enjoyed is that Hilo and Shae experience a reversal. Hilo, normally portrayed as the headstrong warrior archetype, shows his more duplicitous and politically cunning side. Meanwhile, Shae becomes more impulsive; she’s the one who jumps into a secret relationship and picks the most notable fight in the book. This is the opposite of their dynamic in the last book, yet it’s still perfectly in character based on their backstories. In Jade City, we learned the two siblings basically hated each other as kids, and even now they butt heads pretty often. The narrative doesn’t dwell on this much, but it’s interesting that the two are, at their core, pretty similar people.

If I have a criticism it’s that, again, I wish we saw more of the Mountain and its villains. Ayt Mada is such a fascinating antagonist, but outside of a few memorable scenes, we see very little of her directly. Nau Suen is also an unexpected treat (god, that one wham line), but outside of one chapter, he disappears until near the end of the book. As the Mountain and No Peak become more similar, and the line of morality continues to blur, I really want to see more of these characters. They’re not exactly the narrative focus, and I get that, but I think exploring them more could only strengthen the story.

That being said, Jade War was freaking awesome. I’m sad I have to wait a whole month for Jade Legacy to release, but I have high hopes for it. Definitely check this series out; it’s unlike any urban fantasy series I’ve read before, and its roots in martial arts and gangster stories add a lot to the experience. Mind the warnings though, because these books get pretty dark.

[realityhelixcreates]

Lasabrjotr Chapter 77: Like a Good Old-Fashioned Barn Raising

Chapters: 77/?

Fandom: Thor (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: pg

Relationships: Loki x Reader

Characters: Loki (Marvel),

Additional Tags: Post-Endgame: Best Possible Ending (Canon-Divergent), Party Time

Summary:  Buridag begins!

Loki was awake long before you were, getting preparations ready, loose ends tied up, last minute orders sent out. He allowed you to sleep until you woke on your own, having removed his little illusory alarms from you some time ago.

Sometimes flower petals still rained upon you, and perfume rose from your footsteps, but no more snakes in the bath.

So you rose slowly, stretching and yawning the grogginess away at your own pace. Time was very hard to tell by looking out windows at this time of year, but when Loki entered the room carrying an egg sandwich, a little pile of fresh potato chips, and a glass of coffee, you placed yourself firmly within brunch territory.

Loki flicked on your sunlamp, gestured at the chair, and handed you your brunch once you'd taken your seat.

You munched your food and absorbed your light while Loki laid out the day's plans. You'd get dressed in a ceremonial outfit that included your armor and helmet, and join the parade that was gathering even now.

They were initially going to put you on Sleipnir. You had asked them not to. Sleipnir was magnificent, but you had no connection to him, nor to Leynarodd, who was the second choice. Your sweet, stout, shaggy little Acorn was who you preferred, a horse that belonged to no one initially, but who had formed a trusting bond with you.

Your clothing was, predictably, green, the underdress and apron a dark mossy color, hemmed on all edges with fine gold braid, embroidered with stripes of delicate knotwork, and your mark, also in gold. Over the top of this went your quilted tunic, in it's shimmering jade, and then your armor; the breastplate, the tassets, the bracers, pauldrons, greaves, and poleyns, though the last two were not visible. They went on over the leather trousers you'd been given to wear under your dress. They were sleek things, made of tough black leather, pleated in diagonal patterns, just like something Loki would wear. You thought the pleats had the advantage of putting more leather between you and any danger, and were flexible as well.

There were actually places where your familiar oval brooches could be fastened, your strings of shining beads strung between, your chatelaine dangled. Your belt was tooled leather and brass findings, hung with a leather purse, your Yggdrasil phone case, a small drinking horn carved with your mark, and of course, your knife. A little burst of deep pink against all the gold, green, and black.

You wore a minty-green velvet cape, a gift from Andsvarr, and your beautiful helmet to top it all off. You truly looked like something out of a fantasy novel, someone who looked like they should be standing next to the legendary figure that Loki currently cut.

He looked enormous, with his many asymmetrical layers, and molded shoulder guards, his billowing cape and hair spilling from beneath his magnificent curling horns. He shone with nornbein, and his cloak, shot with silk, shimmered subtly.

“You're so beautiful.” you mumbled. Loki smiled, and leaned down to adjust your cape, cheeks dusted with pink.

“Thank you.” he said, “I make every attempt. Though I think I will fade into the background under the power of your radiance.”

Warmth rushed to your face.

“Um, I know we've got to hurry and get Acorn, but I want to ask you a favor, Loki.”

“Anything. Tell me what it is and I'll make it so.”

You took a deep breath.

“I need you to stop trying to impress my father.”

The pink on his cheeks transformed into bright red.

“Ah. Yes, I rather hashed that, didn't I? I apologize. I thought that was still standard procedure, but your father, uh, explained otherwise.”

“Mhm, I'll bet he did. Look, I know you wanted to surprise us, but when it comes to things like that, you really oughta run it by me first. I could have told you that wouldn't work out the way you thought it would. You know, saved you from being chewed out like that. You can let me save you sometimes too.”

“ Like with the Huldra.”

“Kinda. Dad's not as bloodthirsty as she was, but he's a lot more stubborn.”

“Like father, like daughter, hm?” he teased.

“You have not seen me be stubborn yet.” you warned, and he gave you a quick smooch.

“A blessing, I'm sure. Very well, I agree. Surprises get run by you. Anything to save me from another tongue lashing. That man truly does not hold back.”

“I mean it though.” you persisted. “I'm not saying that you can't have any surprises at all, but talk to me about big stuff like that. If it's something that Asgardian law or custom would demand, but would be insulting to a human, we can maybe hash out an alternative that would satisfy both. That's the point, isn't it? Please, I really don't want to deal with anymore trouble between you two. Don't get hung up on impressing him, he has every reason to reject it, and he will. No more gifts, no toasts, no calling attention to him in public, nothing. He hates being the center of attention. Just let him be a guest, and see, without interference, that his little girl is doing fine on her own.”

“I really didn't mean to make him so angry.” Loki said, a little crestfallen. “And the more I tried to explain, the angrier he became. I just wanted him to know how much I value you. I wanted you to know too.”

“Material culture is different where I'm from. There are places in the world where that would have been understood and appreciated, but we've stopped doing it. In the same vein, fathers don't make all the decisions for their daughters anymore, so you don't actually need his approval. But...I need you to understand, it's not just that you took away his child, though that's bad enough. It's that I'm the only family he has left. My grandma only had one kid, and that was my dad. And she's dead, and so's my granddad, before I was even born. And then my mom died, and Beth too, and so I'm all that's left for him. And I have this giant Sword of Damocles hanging over my head all the time, and he's had to worry about that for my whole life. Most of the women on my mom's side all died from this, but occasionally, rarely, there's one that doesn't. I'm starting to hope that might be me. Maybe the magic is protecting me. But he's not going to be able to accept that so easily. I'm all he had left, and you took me away. That's all that's going to be important to him. You didn't even have to do the things you did in New York, this is the worst possible crime you could commit, in his eyes.”

Loki heaved a sigh of remorse. “And I cannot even return you to him. It seems there is one more thing I cannot set right.”

“The best you can do is make sure I'm okay. And don't bother him anymore. And maybe let him come visit more often. The more he sees me living my life and being fine, the more confidence he will have that I'm actually safe here.”

“I shall endeavor to help you thrive.” Loki promised.

“All right, so if that's settled, we should go get our horses.”

                                                                         ******

Acorn was, like you, a bit overdressed in your opinion. Long tabbards and blankets covered her from nose to rump, green and gold, embroidered with oak leaves. They were so long, they almost brushed the ground. Ribbons were braided into her wild mane and tail, and bells jingled with every movement. Like you, she could barely be seen under her splendor. But she was probably warm, and happily accepted a carrot from your hand. Placid as always, she let you up on her back, and fell into step behind Leynarodd, who likewise, followed up behind Sleipnir, whose hooves still rang like bells even over the thin layer of packed snow that covered the recently cleared streets.

There was a whole procession of people-this was a parade after all, and Thor, on Sleipnir, was preceded by the twin Valkyries, carrying Asgardian banners, as well as several musicians, and Beli, who chanted an ancient epic on the exploits of Buri.

Saga had translated the chant for you a while ago, and it sounded something like the sensationalized, self-aggrandizing boasts of pharaohs, or Mesopotamian kings-the kind that claimed to be rulers of the world, or rulers of the heavens themselves, to have battled armies of demons, killed giant lions with only a stick-that sort of thing. But when Beli called out those verses in such an ancient dialect of Asgardian, the words themselves felt powerful.

Thor followed slowly, Sliepnir plodding along, both of them absolutely huge. Loki and Leynarodd came right behind, only slightly smaller. And then you and Acorn, almost comical in your stature, diminutive by comparison. You were keenly aware of it, but either all of Asgard was too polite to say anything about it, or they simply didn't care.

The human guests, corralled in roped off areas, whooped and cheered when when you passed. Behind you, more musicians played, and a circle of Seidkonas walked in silent dignity. Then came more banners, the rest of the Valkyries, representatives of each noble house and guild, and the rest of the Aesir in Asgard, provided they didn't already have another position in the parade.

After them, the gathered Asgardians began following, lengthening out the procession, bright balls of magical light bobbing overhead. The sun had barely peeked over the horizon, and would be slinking away in a mere three or so hours, so the mage lights sparkled everywhere. Helpful Einherjar herded the humans to the next specially roped off area, so they could follow the parade as well; you caught a few amused faces at the playful rowdiness displayed by celebrating humans.

That was just how humans were when they were excited about something. Humans loved to holler, to jump, and dance, and clap. Some of them were even trying to keep time with the music.

You weren't actually able to pick out your father or Tara in the crowd, nor anyone else you knew, so you just kept your head forward and your back straight, trying to look as dignified as you could.

You'd only ever seen a few of what you considered 'proper' parades: in a small town a parade mostly consisted of people waving from the backs of neighborhood pickup trucks and tractors, maybe decorated with balloons or paper chains, blasting music from dusty old speakers. In the autumn, there might be pumpkins and corn stalks, and usually hayrides. But never anything like this spectacle.

As you got closer to the construction site, the apprentice mages responsible for all the floating lights started throwing sparks from their hands, like colorful sparklers. The gathered Asgardians began lining up in their designated areas, ready to play their part. The foundations had already been dug, and everything that needed to go into them was already there. All that remained was the pouring.

Thor, Loki, and yourself dismounted as close to in unison as you could manage, the horses carefully lead away to a temporary enclosure. You headed to the stack of decorative bricks, and took your place among the Asgardians there, while Thor gave the order for the cement to pour.

While this went on, Beli gathered his students and skalds in front of the Huldrastone to recite a modern epic. Within the first few verses you realized that it was about the Huldra's attack, and your confrontation with her.

Of course, the poem was much cleaner and more elegant than the actual events had been, but certain things had still been included. Your ears burned beneath your helmet when Beli reached the part where you had 'bestowed upon the fallen prince, a gentle sacrificial kiss, knowing that to trade life for life would grant him breath once more.'

You had finally spotted your father and Tara in the crowd; he crossed his arms and glared upon hearing the verse, while Tara gave you a cheezy grin and thumbs up.

As the poem reached its conclusion, the cement finished pouring, and a new recitation began. As Thor and Loki knelt and began scratching ritual runes into the wet cement, Beli's current group of student came forward and began telling the story of Beli, while apprentice mages illustrated the words with colorful, stylized illusions.

There were harrowing battles against huge stone people, the construction of the original Bifrost, which at that time connected a fleet of alien ships to one another. The illusions showed the gathering of construction materials, the building of a platform in space, and the grand revelation of the crystalline platform upon which Asgard slowly grew. Mountain and plain, river and ocean, building after magnificent building rose into the sky. Their ships captured and carved an asteroid, then set it in orbit as a bright new moon. All this was accomplished by the use of a glowing, icy blue cube that was difficult to look directly at. It was compelling though; it caught and held your attention with its beautiful, sparkling light.

You knew what that device was: you had learned about it in your lessons with Saga. It was the object known as the Tesseract, a four dimensional creation meant to house the incredible energy of an Infinity Stone. Perhaps that was why it was simultaneously fascinating, yet hard to perceive. Your curious human brain was drawn to its uniqueness, yet equally unable to fully fathom it.

That device was the key to Asgard's existence and eventual success. It was unthinkable to you that Odin had just lost it on Earth, as Sagas histories had proclaimed. It must have been a terrible loss.

Thor and Loki completed their carving, and began the process of imbuing the foundations with divine power. Goosebumps rose on your arms, and there was a pricking in your sinuses, like you were about to sneeze. There was almost a flavor to it.

The actual blessing didn't take nearly as long as the rune carving ritual, and soon, the two brothers stepped back, to allow others to begin their work. More mages worked a spell together that lifted the water out of the cement, drying it within moments. People came forward with wires and pipes, floor and wall supports, insulation, hammers, plaster, bricks, and mortar. In rotating lines people laid flooring and installed fixtures, scraped grout and assembled frames. Every now and then youths moved through, sweeping up dust, always away from you.

It suddenly became clear that that was why you were so far back in line, why you'd been assigned a decorative brick, something that would be placed near the very end of the construction. There would be no dust then. Gratitude swelled in your chest, but you said nothing. There was singing now, simple, repetitive melodies that sounded like work songs.

Every hour, volunteers carted huge, heated cauldrons around the lines and groups of human spectators, dipping out hot drinks like witch's potions, and it was possible that there was a simple sort of magic in things like hot chocolate, strong coffee, and buttered rum on a cold day.

The building went up faster than you thought possible, the widows, doors, and lights being set into place as auroras began ribboning across the sky.

Finally, there was one brick left. You lifted it up, as the singing seemed to intensify, scooped some mortar from the pail, and fitted it all into the only remaining slot. Giving the brick a light pat to make sure it was secure, you turned back to the assembled crowd.

“We did it.” You said, and the cheering began.

[plotbnuy]

KarpReviews - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Back when The Hunger Games became a huge phenomenon, I have to admit that it didn’t quite grab me like it did for many. The original film came out on March 23rd, 2012, followed by Catching Fire late next year. These films started a trend of dystopian novel movie adaptations, with Divergent coming out on March 21st 2014, and Maze Runner coming out on September 19th that same year. By the time Mockingjay: Part One released on November 21′s, right after Maze Runner, I’d become a little burnt out on these tales of children fighting for survival against an oppressive system meant to keep society under control. Despite reading the first two books in the series, I didn’t return for Mockingjay. 

That is, until a few months ago.  I decided to give the books another try, and to my delight I grew to really love and appreciate them. Katniss is a wonderful protagonist, surrounded by a surprisingly colorful and interesting cast of characters (even though it still features the classic love triangle trope.) While the first two books were rereads, going in blind into Mockingjay was a treat, and I felt the series had a wonderfully satisfying ending. 

Imagine my delight, however, when I realized that there was a prequel to the series! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes features a much different entry in the story, taking place long before the events of the main series to highlight the tenth Hunger Games. In order to spice up what is comparatively an archaic and unpolished annual event, The Capitol has enlisted a large selection of students from an elite secondary school - simply referred to as “The Academy” - to mentor the children forced to fight in the arena! Who else should be chosen to be a mentor but a young Coriolanus Snow, hoping to become recognized and attain a university scholarship on his path to becoming President of Panem.

Yes, this entry puts us in the perspective of the infamous Coriolanus Snow, allowing us to see a little bit into what led to the events of the original Hunger Games novel. Not only does it flesh out Snow himself, but also how the titular event became the lavish, intricate, and audacious spectacle depicted during Katniss’s run in the arena. This allows this entry to differentiate itself immensely from the others, allowing it to feel fresh and new while it gives us a better look into the universe we’ve become a part of after three other novels and four films. With that being said, I want to dive deeper into what makes this particular entry so engaging. 

While other entries in the series have a bit of a fluid structure, our story this time is split into very neat thirds: The events leading up to the games, the games themselves, and the aftermath. This time, we get to see the perspective of the games from the capitol’s eyes, as opposed to the districts. However, while the event is massively celebrated, with banquets, parties, tours, and intricate broadcasts during the 74th and 75th Hunger Games, the 10th is much different. It’s much bleaker and more depressing, as tributes are treated like livestock, with no access to good food or proper shelter. Many citizens, District or Capitol, would rather ignore the barbaric event, only bothering to attend The Reaping before returning to daily life. There’s no reward for victory, beyond the singular tribute avoiding death, only to return to the poverty-stricken districts. Tributes die before even entering the arena, leading the games themselves to be swift and merciless. 

Ultimately, this raw and bleak depiction of the games, combined with Capitol citizens not yet disillusioned by the grandeur of future games, still recovering from the war, is a perfect choice for this Capitol-centric prequel. It keeps the citizens of The Capitol that we spend most of our time with from being completely unsympathetic, and it allows for a much more engaging story. Even before the games themselves, many things happen that impact the story, allowing for a lot of tension as things lead up to the main event. 

Speaking of the Hunger Games, this is the first time we get to enjoy them from outside of the arena itself. As the story follows our mentors, we get to watch from their perspective as spectators as the games commence in the arena. This event also happens to be the first where sponsors are allowed to affect the games, sending gifts for the tributes to possibly keep them alive. Since the mentors themselves have agency over the games, they never feel boring as you hope for the survival of our main character’s tribute. The aftermath of the games left me absolutely shocked, leading into a finale that felt unlike anything the series has had to offer before.

Even though Coriolanus Snow is designated as our main character, this story is truly given life by the people who surround him. Closest to him is Sejanus Plinth, a childhood friend who joins Snow in the tribute mentorship program as his classmate. At first, Sejanus is telegraphed as an old rival and a clear foil to Snow, and you suspect he’ll be something of an antagonist given the disdain Coriolanus seems to have for him. However, I was pleasantly surprised as the story paints a much more intricate picture of our main character’s best friend. Their relationship is one of the many highlights of this story, as even when Snow tries to distance himself, or otherwise shows dislike for Sejanus, their paths become forcibly intertwined, and it becomes unclear whether they will become bitter rivals or loyal comrades.

The real star of the show for me is Coriolanus’s tribute, a District 12 girl named Lucy Grey Baird. A member of the Covey, she’s a performer and singer who prides herself in her skill for entertainment. With both Panem and the reader as her audience, her personality and charm is utterly captivating, with an even sharper wit than Katniss. Despite the circumstances, she becomes fond of Coriolanus early on, a fact attributed to Snow being one of the few mentors that goes out of his way to forge a bond with his tribute. She leaves an impression from her very first scene, and every moment with her going forward is captivating and wonderful. Truly, if I had to give a single reason to read this book, it would be for Lucy Grey specifically. Even though her situation seems completely impossible, you can’t help but hope for her victory in the games. 

Of course, there’s always room for a good antagonist, even in a story starring Coriolanus Snow. Casca Highbottom, dean of The Academy, is one of the main obstacles making Snow’s future so uneasy. The story says little about him at first, only that he isn’t Coriolanus’s biggest fan, and that he created the Hunger Games themselves. He’s hard to read as a threat, given his addiction to painkillers and somewhat contradictory dialogue. Truthfully, he’s not much of a villain. 

Enter Doctor Volumnia Gaul.  Serving as the head Gamemaker, as well as an instructor at the Capitol University, she spends a large amount of time with both Coriolanus and the other mentors. Specializing in the “muttations” that her labs create for the Capitol, she serves as something of a mentor herself for Snow, challenging his morals and shaping his ideals. She starts off as seeming like an ally, only for her to show just how dangerous she is. She has a blatant disregard for life itself, only just barely being grounded enough to not be entirely absurd. Her presence gives the story a lot of much-needed tension, and I found her to be absolutely riveting. 

What impresses me the most about Songbirds and Snakes is how it expertly avoids delivering what could have easily come off as a tragic backstory intended to garner sympathy for Panem’s ruthless dictator. Instead, it cleverly highlights Coriolanus’s personality, nature, aspirations, and faults, adding to his character without ever trying to suggest that he’s misunderstood or redeemable. His downfall, while accelerated by his environment, can be attributed entirely to the choices he makes himself. Even when surrounded by good people who genuinely love and care for him, miles away from the capitol, he makes the choice to become who he is: a vile, treacherous, untrusting snake. Yet, despite knowing his fate, there was a part of me that hoped he would make the right choice anyway, making the end of his arc even more effective. 

Suzanne Collins is a truly talented writer. Not only is the original trilogy a fantastic read, but she managed to craft a prequel that both builds the lore of the series and has a major impact on the story as a whole. The connecting tissue between this prequel and the rest of the series is solid, not only fleshing out the world explicitly, but leaving breadcrumbs for attentive fans to enjoy. Upon reading the final chapters, there was a particular scene I couldn’t get out of my head. It wasn’t one within the book itself, but one that harkened forward to Mockingjay. I can picture Coriolanus Snow, eyes focused on the television as the rebels broadcast another one of Katniss’s propaganda videos. He can tell she’s in District 12, walking amongst the rubble of the decimated mining town. He thinks to turn away from the image of the collapsed Justice building and broken town square... until he hears Katniss begin to sing. His blood runs ice cold, every hair on his body stands on end, and in a hoarse, mangled voice, he begins to wail. Every one of his past sins comes rushing back as Katniss Everdeen unwittingly deals the most devastating blow she could ever give to Coriolanus Snow. It’s a scene that remains completely theoretical, and yet it’s perhaps one of the most powerful images in the entire Hunger Games saga. If you’ve enjoyed the rest of the series, then I urge you to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

[valkyrieelysia18]

My Thoughts on Reboots, Remakes, Sequels, and Spinoffs

Hey there everybody! I know that everyone and their mother have an opinion on this topic, but I just wanted to added my two cents on to to something that wasn’t going to be that long.

Part of the reason I’m doing this post is because two series I loved dearly when I was younger, Winx Club and Inuyasha, have gotten a live action remake series and a sequel series. Now I’m not here to talk on the many MANY wrongs of Fate The Winx Saga or the issues of Yashahime because other people have already went into detail on that stuff. Instead I’m going to talk about what I feel like adapting old properties as whole.

As we fully know and acknowledge, nostalgia is a powerful force with an iron grip and Hollywood and other film/tv makers are doing their best to exploit our nostalgia for as much cash as they can get from us. It’s considered less work and less risky to adapt an older project with a ready fanbase than it is come up with an original property. Most of the time these things aren’t made because there is more to expand on in either the work’s world or characters or bring a new fresh take to it, but because it would make money. Manipulative as it is, its sound business logic.

That being said: remakes, reboots, spinoffs, and sequels aren’t inherently bad. When done well, they don’t just keep to the heart and soul of the original work, they SURPASS it. There’s nothing wrong with changing things from the source material, especially if it’s to add more diversity to the line up or correct a problematic element found in the original series. Even if an interpretation doesn’t hold a candle to the original, it’s still fun to see what creators can dream up for a franchise. For example, Batman the Animated Series will always be the definitive Batman experience for me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy Batman Beyond, Batman the Brave and the Bold, the Dark Knight, Arkham Asylum, or other adaptations of the character.

The problem is more often than not, these projects are not handled well. As I said before, it’s more to make money than to actually be a good and/or faithful adaptation. I think everyone remembers the fiasco that was the live action Jem and the Holograms film from a couple years ago. That movie did the worse thing an adaptation can do for fans: used the the name for brand recognition and threw just about everything out from the original series to appeal to the modern crowd (by the way the makers of this movie didn’t even seem to understand THAT demographic), spitting in the face of the original fans. It honestly wasn’t that surprising the film was pulled from theaters so quickly. As a Winx Club fan, I can relate to Jem fans now in a way that I wasn’t able to back then.

Now some would say fans can be extremely judgmental and toxic when it comes to any changes to their beloved franchises. To an extent, I do agree. For example, I was almost five years old when the Star Wars Prequels came out and thus didn’t really get the hate for it because I didn’t have the nostalgia the older fans did. Now that I am older and have watched both trilogies, I can acknowledge that the original trilogy was better in terms of story and characters, but those films are far from perfect. And you got to give the prequel trilogy credit in that had a distinct definite vision and that it was telling its own story, not just relying on what came before. 

But in my honest opinion, I think a lot of the hate from fans of these series comes from the fact that these adaptations more often than not seem to spite the fans and butcher the things they used to love. And considering this is where the original buzz and money come from for these projects, it feels like those behind these projects are going for short term cash rather than long term gain.

I think sequel series in particular can come as off very problematic if their continuation seems to retcon or destroy a very good and satisfying ending. Part of why I can’t really get behind Yashahime is because it feels like the series kind of invalidates the really good ending of the original series and how poorly it has treated the og characters. A series’ ending is arguably the hardest thing to pull off well, it’s one thing to start strong but its another thing to carry that quality to end of the story. And even if a finale isn’t bad, it can still be controversial or divisive among fans. Ducktales 2017 is a great series, but even it stumbled in its finale. Anyone who’s seen it can probably guess what I’m talking about. 

So, how should we approach these projects? I think the best mindset to going into these continuations is cautious optimism. That way you’ll be surprised if it turns out to be good, but not too disappointed if it turns out to be the opposite.

And if nothing else there is this comfort for us who live in this time: where canon fails, there is fan fiction. Seriously, I see more passion, creativity, and quality from things I read and view for free on the internet than things that have huge production teams and tons of money poured into them.

Sorry if this just seems like a ramble to you guys, but you know sometimes that there are things you just need to get out there. And hey it turns out this my 100th post on tumblr. So yay to me.

Don’t worry for those who are here for my Rewrite post. Next time we’re going to get to Cinder....AND I HAVE THOUGHTS.

See you soon!

[fieryhonesty]

The life of You

[AO3]

“Story is situated directly after webtoon/manhwa.”

Words: 3002

Genre: from fluff to angst (mainly in later parts)

Warning(s): just a very minor “swearing” appearing like two or three times in all three parts

Summary: After you settle down your problems in Liyue, it’s time to go back. Reunite with your friends, finding out how many things have changed...

It's been ages since you were there. Or at least it felt like that, in reality it's been just five years. Even though those years you had to deal with things you didn't want to. You were not fancy or looking forward to that. Who would after all? 

Your parents were selfish. Father being from never ending winter country, always so cold that normal people would be craving for any source of warmth. That thing alone made him travel to the south where he met with his future lover. They didn't see how they didn't match. But love is blind, they lived together, made a child and thought they will live like that forever. 

When you were about five they argued a lot. That much it always made you cry. One day father decided to leave. Saying he will go back to home, where people actually loved him. Why didn't he think of you? Leaving you behind just like that? 

Mother was not that much better, she cared more about running her business. Sewing clothes was more important than taking care of a kid. Since she had a close connection with one of her friends from Mondstadt she reached out to them. Asking if they could take care of her daughter, no to raise her as their kid. She really wanted to toss away her only child like that? So much to mother's love.

You were hesitant and scared at the beginning. Didn't want to go out at all, playing with other children felt like a huge problem to you. Looking through windows, gazing down at streets, seeing other kids playing together, chasing each other or hide and seek. Your new parents never had a kid as they simply couldn't. And seeing the little you like this was making their hearts ache. 

One day as you were just looking outside and noticed how one of the kids was waving at you. The boy was grinning from ear to ear. His scarlet hair were so bright, entrancing you. He certainly got your attention especially when he shouted to come out. You didn't go. Instead of it you hid in the bedroom, sitting on top of the pillow mountain you had there. 

Days were passing by and the young boy sometimes appeared and called out for you. Sometimes he appeared with another boy, he had dark blue hair and an eye patch. ‘What an odd kid’, thinking to yourself. Your interactions started slowly, asking for names, how old you guys are and why you aren’t going outside. 

The boys kept coming everyday. Eventually convinced you to go out. Your parents were beaming with joy upon seeing that. Getting out of your shell and started making friends.

The trio of you was often seen together doing some boy stuff. But sometimes you did just typically girly things like making flower crowns. It was actually fun to give each other one. It didn't take long until you found out they were brothers, well adoptive. 

The blue haired one was from foreign country and during the visit with his dad he got separated. Father told him that he would fetch some juice but he never came back. After hours standing in the storm, a cart which was passing by stopped and a tall man with long scarlet hair came out. Asking the boy what he was doing there. Taking him in and promising they will search for the boy's father once the storm is gone. They never found him so the man who had his own kid decided to take in this boy. 

Knowing this you naturally felt closer to him than the red haired one but in reality you liked both of them. As you guys were growing up you were amazed by knights and wanted to become one once you grew up. The saga of the trio has begun. Training and sparring every day until you were tired.

Red haired boy got his vision at just the age of ten. Vision is a magical thing with which the owner can channel elemental powers. A few years later he became a knight and it didn't take him long until he made it to the post of Captain of Cavalry. Making his two friends amazed and jealous. But their bonds never faded.

When you reached the age of fifteen your foster parents received a letter from your biological mother. Asking if you could come to Liyue, your homeland where you were born and where your mother lived and had her business. There was nothing more written than a simple sentence ‘It's urgent.’ 

You really didn't want to nor cared. That woman put you away so why should you care? However the brothers convinced you, saying you could always leave and come home. They would be waiting for their y/n and train again together! Little did they know the visit would take over five years. Many things happened. Many things changed. Once everything calmed down on your side, you decided to depart home. To place you always felt like your real home.

Stepping yet once again on Mondstadt’s soil made you feel heavy. But you didn't stop. Not until you arrived at the city's gates. Guards had greeted you but didn't react anymore. No wonder, you had changed. You were no longer that timid and weak girl. You were a strong and independent woman now. 

The light reflecting from your own vision which was hanging from your belt was a proof enough you got stronger. Making your way through night streets. Recognizing each of them. Once you were satisfied with sightseeing. Well if one could call it like that. You decided to stop by at the tavern. A tavern you knew the father of your friends was owning. You are all grown ups now, right? What are the chances?

Pushing the door open. The warmth coming out of the tavern was already pleasant. It was quite cold outside and this was really welcoming. Even more when your eyes dropped to the bar. You couldn't help it but grin like a madman upon the sight.

Your eyes met with the bartender's. His crimson orbs matching with his hair locked on you. It seemed like he was already suspicious. The other male who was sitting at the bar and drinking his wine noticed how the bartender got so stiff all of sudden. Turning his gaze to the door. Eyeing you up and down. Something was telling him he knows the female in front of him but from where? He is certain he would know about a beauty like this.

You slowly came to the bar, sat up on a chair. Still having that grin on your face. Making the red haired male narrow his eyes. He asked what would you like to order. A short pause. You were wishing to have a camera to take a picture of these two. It was obvious they have no idea who you are although you knew it's them. Those unmistakable red hair and the other one's eye patch.

"Diluc. Kaeya. I feel really offended now. Forgetting about me!" You acted up, making a sad face. Observing how male's expressions changed from unawareness to confusion and then suddenly to realization. 

The blue haired male spoke up first. Which was unnatural, it usually was the other one who initiated talk. 

"Oh my. You got me there for a while I was really confused and shocked. Knowing everyone in the city and suddenly a beautiful woman coming in place like this." You giggled at his remark. Their reactions were truly amusing. 

"Well you on the other hand- you didn't change much. Other than dressing up fancy. When we were kids I could just dream of seeing you in a suit, Kaeya."

Another giggle coming out of your lips. "And look at you Diluc, I never thought the Captain of Cavalry would stand behind the bar in a bartender attire." 

There was a slight pause before he answered with a simple. "Welcome back."

Looking at his childhood friend with more narrowed eyes than he should have. If felt all of sudden, you opening the door to his tavern tonight was just an odd coincidence. Honestly he thought you won't see each other anymore. When you didn't come back after several weeks, months later receiving a letter saying you won't be coming home for a while. He came to a conclusion that you rather prefer Liyue's climate. 

It doesn't help with the fact there was never any other response from you. And since nobody knew where exactly you were or how your mother's industry was named. He could not pay a visit or anything. He'd be lying if he said he was not angry but his better judgement told him to wait with hopping into conclusions. Perhaps you had a reason. 

But still. As he looks at you just happily talking with that annoying bluenette. He can't help himself but to feel... Whatever the feeling is he doesn't like it. Trying to push it to side and ignore most of your conversation. Most of it was Kaeya's gossips. That man could have been born as a woman and nobody would find it weird.

Rather busying himself with cleaning glasses or refilling drinks for patrons. His mind was already tired after their mini plan with giving Fatui what they deserved. He played a big role in it and simply just cooperating with somebody like Kaeya who's not only a traitor and liar but also part of the incompetent Knights of Favonious. But he knew he didn't do it for knights but for the city. He has his pride and sometimes putting it aside is unavoidable. 

Returning behind the bar once again. Noticing your glasses were empty. Part of him wanted Kaeya to just fuck off, his presence was irritating him already. But he can't be rude. At least not now. Usually he would tell Kaeya if he is done with his drink to either slide to his usual spot with other patrons or leave. ‘Archons, why can’t he just leave?’ Whenever Kaeya is there Diluc feels like to punch his face. 

He will have to suck it up tonight. Just for the sake of his conflicted feelings. His childhood friend probably has no idea about him no longer being with the knights, or that he and Kaeya have a very strange relationship. He can't trust that guy anymore.

His attention quickly shifted from staring at the glasses to your face. Judging by your expression you probably talked to him but he didn't hear anything as his mind was just too preoccupied. Resisting the urge to groan, giving you an apologetic look. 

"I'm sorry. My mind's everywhere tonight. Would you like another glass?" He wasn't lying at least. Ignoring the irritating feeling of Kaeya’s eye on him. Seriously can he just throw Kaeya out? 

"Well I was just pointing out you are silent. I remember you being more, you know. Talking? But I guess you must be tired. Being a bartender and a captain-" 

"Yeah. I'm tired." Stopping himself before saying something poisonous towards the knights. Reminding himself you don't know. Yet being associated with the knights was driving him nuts.

Rather taking your glasses to refill them with more wine but you stopped him. 

"Um, Diluc? I don't want more wine. I'm tired and actually I'm not good with alcohol, haha. Do you sell juice here or just water, both are fine." 

Giving you a slight nod. Ignoring Kaeya's teasing about you being still a kid, just like somebody. Next second hearing his 'Owh' as you elbowed the blue haired male. Diluc is glad for being turned away. As he could feel his corners slightly moving up for a brief moment. 

"I see our little shy flower got thorns. Well, I guess you'll need them." Kaeya said as he rubbed his sore ribs, giving you a teasy wink. 

"Yes. y/n will need them, especially around people like you." Diluc said as he gave you new drinks. 

"Ah, yes. You speak like I'm the most dangerous man from Mondstadt, womanizing every maiden I meet. Do I need to remind you who's the hot topic around the city, hmm?" Kaeya chuckled just like he thought he had an upper hand in discussion.

Clearly the cunning man was trying to push Diluc’s buttons. Taking a deep breath and focusing his attention on you. Being sure you were confused by their not so warm remarks. Somebody will have to tell you what happened but he didn't feel up to for it now. Still the weird feeling about your arrival just now was lingering in his stomach. 

Was he really mad at you? Or was it because you weren't around when he needed somebody and the only one person who he could trust turned out to be the biggest viper. 

"So, since you are here, y/n. I assume you sorted out things you needed to?" He asked while crossing his arms on chest. You gave him a positive nod and sipping of the juice. 

"Glad to hear that. I assume you will go back soon." Diluc noticed a slight twitch in the corner of your eye. What does that mean? Eyes locked on you, while you were spinning around with the glass in your hands nervously.

"Ah... well, actually. I-" Your voice trailed off as a sudden thunder announced the incoming storm. Seconds later you could hear heavy rain drumming against windows. "Ahaha... I'm not scared guys. Don't worry. It just came out of nowh- aaah!" 

Another loud thunder. Both males knew you were lying. Remembering how as kids they used to calm you down if you were sleeping over during a storm. Diluc averted his gaze, looking around the tavern. He never cared about storms but since that one day he felt unwell. It reminded him of his past, past which changed him and his life. 

Letting out a sigh. There were many things that changed during these five years. From brothers to nearly enemies, from cheerful young man to secretive one, keeping his distance from anyone. You also seemed different than you used to be. At least the fear during storms stayed with you. Reassuring him it's still the friend he knew. You might have changed in appearance, have this unknown aura around you. But the kid he knew was still there. 

Nearly feeling sorry for giving you that ugly look before. His train of thoughts was broken by your voice nearly whispering. "Oh boy, I will get soaked before I get home!" 

He realized something more has changed. Before he could even open his mouth to say anything, Kaeya was faster. And for once he was glad for that. 

"Or you could sleep over at my place, Dearie. It's closer." 

"Huh? But don't you guys live at the winery? That's not closer!" Kaeya chuckled as he leaned forward to you. 

"I said my place. Just think of it. It's night, you don't want to wander around the streets at this hour, in the rain. Do you?" You looked over at Diluc, trying to read anything from his expression. Just why is Kaeya living on his own now? What happened? 

"I guess... you are right? I mean I don't want to wake them up. But why do you live in the city now?"

The bluenette exhaled. "Well, we are grown ups now. Wouldn't it be weird for two guys living together?" 

You pondered about it a bit. It didn't sound wrong at all. Two brothers living with their father. But then you recalled their quarrel a while ago. Could it be? You slowly looked up at Diluc, blush crawling on your face. This can't be. No way. Diluc is taking too many girls home and it bothered Kaeya enough to make him move out?! 

The scarlet man always been popular be it either to being son of somebody who literally owned the wine industry over the whole country. Or because of his looks. You had to admit he looked more mature, still young in his face but he was tall, pretty and rich. A real lady magnet. 

"I see." You quickly muttered and averted your eyes from the man, now busy once again with cleaning glasses. The thought of Diluc being such a man whore was not leaving your mind. He looks so calm and elegant. Is it just a mask he puts on but when nobody's around he just shows his true colors? Oh dear. Things have changed for sure.

Kaeya cleared his throat, getting your attention. "It's getting late. I have duties tomorrow morning and you do seem tired, so how about we get on our way?" Noticing how your hand instantly dived into pocket. Fishing for mora. 

"Don't bother yourself, I will pay for your drinks. Take it as a... welcome gift?" He says while head patting you lightly. Giving him a small nod and a thank you. 

Before leaving you took a quick bathroom visit which guys used for a small talk. Kaeya put enough mora on the bar which Diluc gave a quick glance and took only part of it. 

"Her share is on the house."

"Ah, I see. That's very nice of you. How about me as your brother?" Receiving a cold glare from the bartender. 

"Try it once more and next time your prices are double the normal." Kaeya chuckled at his words. He knew Diluc was holding back with hateful remarks in your presence. 

"Well there's always Cat's Tail. Your loss, brother."

 "For the last time. You are not my brother..." Diluc snapped at him. Noticing how you were slowly approaching them. "You better behave, Kaeya." 

"I always do, brother~!"

Diluc didn't say anything but his cold eyes were speaking clearly. ‘Get out.’ Observing how you two left the tavern. Finally some fresh air, finally he can breathe out. How much he hates being in the same room as that guy.

Next