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dellyduck · 4 years ago

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A Pirate’s Life For Me

@rip-in-pieces-my-last-braincell It took me a day and a bit but I DID IT! 2.145 words, I hope you like it!

Just so you know, it has been ages since I’ve watched the movies, and this is not an official version, I just wanted to use as many characters as possible. The only characters that are mean to be in place are Kit, Della and Wildcat.

At some point of their long travel, even Della’s endless energy had come to an end. Donald felt relief for that at first, enjoying the rare peace and quiet in his life. However, as time passed by, the minutes being dragged at the same pace their ship calmly, quietly sailed through the fog, Donald almost wished his sister would still be running and climbing and screaming around.

The small twins were sitting side by side on a crate, eyes on the fog and ocean ahead without really paying attention to it. Donald didn’t know why or exactly when, but Della suddenly broke the silence by humming a not so unfamiliar melody. His fingers moved almost like an involuntary reflex and before the boy noticed, he was carefully playing the melody on his guitar. That was the moment Della chose to turn her humming into words.

“Drink up, me harties, yo-ho. Yo-ho, yo-ho... A pirate’s life for me. We extort, we pilfer, we filch, we sack, drink up-”

Della’s voice and Donald’s fingers where abruptly stopped when each twin had an adult hand grabbing their shoulders.

“Hush now, kids,” said the adult, in a tone of warning and looking around in agitation. “Real pirates travel in these waters, and the legends say that singing their songs is basically calling for them.”

“Wildcat!” shouted the voice with a tick Scottish accent that the kids knew very well. Their Uncle Scrooge didn’t look pleased as he approached them with his cane. “Ah would appreciate it if ye could not fill ma nephew and niece’s heads with untrue legends of the sea.”

“But they are true, Mr. McDee,” Wildcat insisted. “It’s bad luck to sing about pirates, everyone knows that.”

Donald gulped at these words, dropping his guitar at once; as if he needed more bad luck. Della, by other hand, didn’t look frightened in the slightest as the talk continued, captain Baloo breaking in to add his two cents.

“Wildcat’s not lying, Mr. McDuck, it’s common knowledge between us mans of the sea. And specially with us in the middle of this weird fog, I dunno ya but I’m not here to take risks.”

“Bah, fine,” Scrooge dismissed the topic with a hand. “If ye two are so bothered, they will stop singing.”

For Donald, his uncle didn’t need to say twice, looking forward for when the adults decided to change topics.

But Della didn’t seem ready to let go of this talk yet, “I think it’d be exciting to meet a real pirate,” she declared with her usual, innocent cheer.

Scrooge chuckled humorless, “Think again, lass.” He narrowed his eyes at the fog, as if daring the pirates who could be hiding behind it.

“Vile and dissolute creatures, all of them. Stealing without a care from those who earned their belongs fair and square.” Scrooge felt very much like spitting on the floor, but that was a habit from his old life and not a proper reaction from a governor. “If ye ask me, any person who dares to answer by the name pirate deserves the same fate: A short drop and a sudden stop.”

While Donald’s confused eyes didn’t move from their uncle’s face, Della turned her head to Baloo in search for answers. The captain hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he dropped a hand from the rudder, using it to grab the kerchief around his neck. By the way he stretched the tissue, dropping his head and letting his tongue roll off his mouth, Della quickly caught the message.

With a now frightened gasp, the girl snapped her head back forward, her wide eyes staring at the ship’s floor.

It was her reaction that made Scrooge notice his wee niblings’ faces to his last commentary. He then dropped his vexed expression for a concerned one. Oh marvelous, Hortense was going to kill him.

“Erh, but enough of pirate talks, aye? Ye kids enjoy the rest of the trip, with no singing,” he added before walking away to another part of the ship.

The twins just exchanged a look between each other, as if asking “what now?”. After a moment with no answer, Donald simply decided to jump off the crate and walk towards Baloo. Donald loved ships, boats, and the sea itself, and he was always eager to learn more about them, so it wasn’t hard for Della to imagine her brother’s plans.

Because of that, she stayed behind, looking around for something that would be of her interest. She found it when her eyes once again fell over the nets that leaded to the crow’s nest. Della had climbed it not even two hours ago, but the current boredom and the memory of the way she felt being up there were enough to make up her mind.

Della was lucky. Her parents were less strict than her friends’ about how a young lady should behave (although dresses and good manners were still a must) and her uncle didn’t give a feather if his ten-year-old niece acted boyish during their expeditions. That was how the girl got so good on activities like climbing.

Firmly grabbing the ropes, Della climbed up every step with patience, but no hesitation until she hit the middle of the net. There, she stopped. Dropping her right hand from the net, Della turned around on a complete 180°. She was facing the ocean now.

The fog turned the view way less appealing than it was a couple hours ago, but the duckling didn’t really mind. Just being up there, with wind in her hair, felling so free that it was almost like she could fly, was everything the young girl could wish for.

Della closed her eyes to breathe in deeply. But when she opened them again, her smile was quickly dropped when something through the fog caught her attention.

There was something on the water, floating.

Della needed to narrow her eyes to recognize a large wooden board. And laid on it, there was…

“A boy!” she exclaimed, starting to climb down the fastest she could, while still shouting. “Uncle Scrooge!! Baloo, Wildcat, look!”

The three men rushed to her, Scrooge grabbing her shoulders and checking his niece up and down after any wound in the instant Della was back on the ground.

“Lass, what’s the meaning-”

“A boy!” Della didn’t wait her uncle to finish, this time pointing a finger to where the floating board was. “Look, there’s a boy on the water!”

In the meantime that it took Della to climb down, the board had floated to even closer to the ship. Which allowed the three men to easily catch sight of the young, unconscious, brown-furred bear on it. Baloo’s eyes went wide, and he shouted,

“MAN OVERBOARD!”

Five more men from the crew came running to help, and with all of them working fast and together, it was a matter of seconds before the boy was out of the water and in Baloo’s arms. Della could just watch all the commotion from some steps behind, trying to get a better look, but the men were too tall and crowded to allow her any sight. She was able, however, to hear when Baloo declared,

“He’s still breathing.”

“For all the seven seas!” Della almost yelped at that sudden scream. When had Donald stopped by her side??

Nonetheless, her brother was looking even more frightened. Turning around and following his gaze, the girl could easily see why: hundreds of different types of merch floating on the water, them all coming from a ship, not so different from the one they were, crashing and burning in the middle of the ocean.

Scrooge, Baloo and Wildcat rushed to approach them and see it too, every man around trying to understand what could’ve happened there. Baloo wanted to believe in the easiest option, that merchant ships carry a lot of weaponry and somehow, accidentally, the powder was lit. But a tiny, distant voice in his mind wouldn’t let another, more scary option rest.

“P-p-pirates?” Donald gulped.

“Ah donnae know, lad, but we better be prepared for everything. Captain!” Scrooge started to command, and quickly everyone on the boat had a new role to play. Except for the little ones. “Donald, I want you to stay with me. Della-”

Scrooge cut himself off when he saw his niece wasn’t standing by her brother’s side anymore. Luckily, he just needed a quick look around to find the white duckling in a gray dress. It shouldn’t have surprised him that she was standing near their new crewmember. Scrooge walked to them, arriving just as a sailor took the boy from the ground, to take him away from the ship’s side edge.

“Della,” he called again, this time getting her attention. “I want you to accompany the boy. He will be in your charge. Take care of him.”

“Yes, Uncle Scrooge,” Della nodded, before following the sailor.

The brown cub was put to rest over the same crate the Duck twins had been sitting just some minutes ago. As she approached, Della knew she had a better chance to observe the boy now. He looked her age, maybe older for one or two years, if that much. His worn, patched up green sweater was completely soaked, and so was his fur, causing some of hair to fall over his eyes.

Gingerly as her housekeeper had taught her, Della touched his locks, gently moving them away. But no matter how gently, that disturbance alone was enough to wake the boy up with a chocked scream, grabbing her wrist with a shaking, yet strong hand.

Della sighed, trying to calm down her heart from the scare, before meeting his eyes. Petrified browns against calming light blues.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe now,” she guaranteed. “My name’s Della. Della Duck.”

“Kit,” he sounded breathless, scared, and tired. “Kit Cloudkicker.”

At that new piece of information, Della smiled.

“I’ll be watching over you, Kit.”

It’s like that was all the boy needed to hear, his grasp on her wrist loosening as his body fell unconscious once again.

Della kept her promise and stayed by his side, glad that now Kit looked more asleep than dead. It was while watching him that she noticed something loose around his neck. Touching it, Della easily recognized a red kerchief. Chances were high that it was just a piece of tissue, a cheap, meaningless adornment… But what if it was something his parents gave him? A memory of his family who, if traveling on that now burning ship, were probably no long in this world?

Biting her cheek, Della carefully took the kerchief within her hands, planning to keep it safe, maybe even wash it, before giving it back to Kit when he woke up-

Any thought was frozen, her heart leaping in surprise when she saw the drawing printed on Kit’s kerchief. She had never seen it before herself, but by the stories, Della knew exactly what the drawing of the white skull meant.

“You’re a… pirate?”

“Vile and dissolute creatures, all of them,” Uncle Scrooge’s words echoed in her head, alongside everything Della had heard about the bandits of the sea. But as she looked up to the boy again, she couldn’t see it. Kit didn’t look vile; he didn’t sound vile. He was just a kid, like her and Donald.

“Did he say anything?”

Della jumped, quickly crumpling the tissue in her hand, and hiding it behind her back as she turned around to face Baloo. He was accompanied by some other men of the crew, and not so distantly, the girl could see her uncle as well. Before she could even notice there was a choice to be made, Della was already executing her decision.

“His name’s Kit Cloudkicker. That’s all I found out.”

Baloo simply nodded, not looking suspicious of anything. After the last events, it was normal that such a young girl would be a little jumpy.

“We’re gonna take him bellow, alright missy? Our doctor can treat him better there.” The captain explained.

It was Della’s turn to nod, stepping behind so Baloo could take Kit in his arms again. The girl watched as they left, knowing she should be following them, but first and foremost, she needed a better place than her closed fist to hide that kerchief.

Confirming there was no one around her, Della opened her hand and the tissue again. Her eyes meticulously scanning the red fabric as her fingers caressed the skull figure.

At this point, this day was clearly one to be remembered by Della. But when she raised her head to catch sight of another ship on the distance, the same skull figure flapping on a black flag at the mast… Those few seconds were marked in her memory like a burn.

#ducktales #talespin #delkit #della duck #kit cloudkicker #baloo #scrooge mcduck #donald duck #fanfic #ducktales au

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indigobackfire · 4 years ago

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HPHM MC Profile ✧

Indigo Silverwood

“ Getting near you is like stretching my hand into an open flame. I know I’ll burn myself, yet I crave the heat. ”

Nicknames: Indie. Didi (only by family). Silverwood. Silvie (by people who don't bother learning her name).

Gender: Female.

Birthday: 6th of March, 1973.

Born: Edinburgh, Scotland.

Mother: Clarin (née Tramer) Silverwood - Half-blood, Ravenclaw, English.

Father: Palmer Silverwood - Pureblood, Slytherin, Scottish.

Siblings: Jacob Silverwood (b. 1968), Phoenix Nobleworth Silverwood (b. 1973) - Phoenix was adopted after the death of his parents when he was just a couple of months old.

Ethnicity: Scottish, English, (probably with some Spanish roots).

Sexuality: Straight.

MBTI Type: ENFP-A

Blood Status: Half-blood (by her muggle grandmother on her mother's side).

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor.

Appearance

Eyes: Naturally yellow/golden/amber (nobody knows why, since their parent’s eyes are brown) but both hers and Jacob's eyes are like this). She wears glasses for her Astigmatism.

Hair: Naturally dark brown, but she asked her mother to turn it red when she turned 8 and doesn't plan on undoing it any soon.

• She’s average tall and reasonably strong build, honey-brown skin littered with scars from venturing with the vaults and being freaking attacked by dark wizards, big hands and feet due to her height. A large chest that grows at once in her 4th year (”Everybody's starring, Rowan!”).

• She keeps her nails short. Her makeup is often down to just some lipstick (mascara smudges her glasses, eye shadow irritates her eyes), her hair is often long wavy and fluffed for extra volume. She often smells like coconut oil from all the creams her mother insisted she used.

• She looks a lot like her father which gives her a rather rough look - like a handsome but wild animal - yet has enough of her mother’s attributes to be considered attractive and poise if well-groomed.

Magical Aspects

1st Wand: Red Oak wood with Dragon Heartstring core, 12″, pliable. "The true match for a red oak wand is possessed of unusually fast reactions, making it a perfect dueling wand. Its ideal master is light of touch, quick-witted and adaptable, often the creator of distinctive spells, and a good person to have beside in a fight." Indigo had good times with her red oak wand but as the years went by, her emotions start affecting the wand's efficiency. The wand would bleed a glowing red light in moments of extreme physical or emotional pain and become extremely unstable.

2nd Wand: Beechwood with Thestral hair core, 13", rigid flexibility. "The true match for a beech wand will be, if young, wise beyond their years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. Beech wands perform very weakly for the narrow-minded and intolerant. When properly matched, the beech wand is capable of a subtlety and artistry rarely seen in any other wood, hence its lustrous reputation." Indigo has a hard time adapting to her new wand, it's stubborn to her spells and acts upon its own will especially considering its unusual and unstable core, Thestral hair, which is of unknown habilities, except for its use in the mythical, Elder wand. Her wand is one of a kind which is why she has to adapt her abilities to match the wand's requirements. Despite all, it's a remarkable instrument for undoing curses/spells and detecting danger.

Animagus: Somali cat. She's already certain she wants to be a cat animagus - harmless, of easy blend, and enables an approach to humans -, but decides for the Somali breed, during the process, for its sumptuous golden fur and agility.

Patronus: Kangaroo, for its fighting spirit and family values, not to mention its strength. (In-game it's the Abraxan, but only because I thought it would be cool.)

Patronus memory: (During the first times) Her first Quidditch match, not just because they won but because everyone she loves from Hogwarts was there, and she got to cheer their victory together. (Later years) Her family gathering for hot cocoa during a rainy night with Jacob with them.

Abilities: Legilimency, and great emotional influence over magic (Don't get her frightened or angry or she will blow you up).

Boggart: Her boggart changes constantly - she can't decide if it's either because she overcame the old fears, or if the new ones toppled those, creating a pile of fears. And since the new DADA teacher is always teaching Riddikulus again and again, the famous curse-breaker is always the most awaited in the line.

Jacob, eyes dark and musty, clothes covered in blood, someone's blood. He walks to her and slowly raises his sleeve, the Death mark is craved deep in his flesh and it glows. Behind him, it rises the Dark Lord.

Riddikulus: He turns into a younger version of himself from a photograph she recalls laughing about with her mom (he's running wearing a loaded diaper, crazy hair, rosy cheeks).

For a while is someone in a cloak threatening to cast the killing curse over her friends, whispering each of their names like a snake but she's frozen unable to stop them.

Riddikulus: The cloak falls to reveal a bunch of gnomes piled up wearing wigs and makeup.

For another, very realistic corpses of all of her friends spread at her feet, a dark wizard across from her, it's over and there isn't anything she can do to save them anymore - it was a grim day in DADA, but they all wanted to see it didn't they?

Riddikulus: This is the one time she fails to defeat a boggart, letting the horrible scene consume her, she falls to her knees defeated, and even after Rakepick's shouting, when she tries to cast the spell, it fails again and again.

This last boggart came to show everyone around her how truly terrified she was, not for her own life, but for that of those around her. How despite the confidence she was constantly displaying, in reality, she was afraid she couldn't save them from whatever was trying to get her.

Amortentia: Her Amortentia smells like Jacob's cologne — which he used to borrow from their father which is why she recalls so easily —, fresh Catnip ever since she became an animagus, bakings just out of the oven — extra intensity if there's chocolate involved, and freshly washed sweaters (from hugging Barney and the Weasleys).

Mirror of Erised: She's under the shadow of a tree, Jacob on one side along with Phoenix and Aspen, Barnaby's head resting on her lap, Rowan by her side, and Orion for some reason. They're laughing and reading books, it's an eternal spring afternoon.

Miscellaneous

Pets: A Sphynx cat, Mocca, a brown and white rat, Franccesca, and (later in her Hogwarts years) a Great Horned owlet, Plum.

Things she always carries with her: Her wand (duh), a handmade Gryffindor bracelet that used to belong to Jacob, the Handbook of Magical Theory, a handful of peppermints, a pouch with some money, a flask of Wideye potion, some Murtlap Essence, and a family photo during Christmas of 1980.

Lucky Amulets: She has a dream catcher made by Phoenix from feathers he shed during transformations and a "broken" knight from Murphy's chessboard who decided to leave the game for good and now sleeps on Indigo's nightstand with its horse, she likes stroking the horse the night before every Quidditch match

Best Friends

Her brother, Phoenix, takes the crown in matter of importance because, well, they're siblings who grew up practically like twins, but their relationship deserves their own detailing.

Rowan has got to be the first. Not only they share the same adventurous nerdy spirit, but Rowan also is the one to stick around even when everything is dark and uncertain and Indigo's popularity plummets. Indigo is always excited to hear whatever Rowan has to say - most times about books or Bill Weasley - and she's rarely fazed by the weird things Rowan does.

Murphy McNully is a close second, having officially met in the middle of her second year, they're both still fresh in a matter of friendships which allows them to open up, both in desperate need of company and support. He's often a companion in the girl's library and common room study sessions and sits with them during meals.

Charlie Weasley has her heart and soul from the moment they first speak during year one, but it actually takes a while until they form any real bond, which begins after he finds out she has been seeking his brother's help to search for the cursed vaults.

Ben is a friend she cherishes deeply but often finds it hard to break through his protective shell which makes him feel distant even when he opens up to her. Unlike her friends, she grows more liking towards Ben after he has his change in personality, as he feels more open about himself.

Chiara is a friend she deeply appreciates for her courage in reaching out for her help in times of need and trusting her with her secret. In Marauder fashion, she likes keeping an eye on her on the nights of full moon - which is good to train her cat tree climbing. They often have afternoon tea together and she teaches Indigo useful healing spells.

Andre and Indigo didn't have a great start, as she thought of him as arrogant and inconsiderate, and he thought she was careless and selfish. But when she helps him with a transfiguration mishap during their 3rd year when he was trying to be creative - and the reason he now has a two-headed cat - they start opening up to each other and begin a friendship. He's a good friend to confide in about the mundane aspects of her life and Quidditch intrigues.

Orion means to her more than she can put into words. Not only he is her team captain, but also a dear friend whom she turns to in times of emotional instability cause she knows he'll be the one to successfully help her clear her mind. They enjoy each other's company even if they don't have anything interesting to say. They sit together during every Divination class for as long as the subject goes.

She has no "rivals" as she finds that sort of labeling quite petty, but would definitely punch Emily Tyler on the stomach and perhaps Face Paint kid for all his eavesdropping.

She has an easier time bonding with her fellow Gryffindors since they spend most of their time together in classes, lunch, and hanging around in the common room.

Dormmates: She and Rowan got placed in a room for three people, as the ones for five were already full, along with a girl called Tanya. But at the beginning of their 4th year, they find out she has bailed out to another dorm room claiming they 1. Snort and speak in their sleep on a regular basis, 2. Will eventually endanger her with their cursed vault shenanigans, 3. Will get her killed - which, spoilers, actually happens, oops. So they basically have the dorm for themselves.

Academics

Favorite Classes:

Potions

Flying

DADA

Magical Theory

Least Favorite:

Transfiguration

History of Magic

Arithmancy

Favorite Professor: Kettleburn. Despite CoMC not being on her top favorite subjects, she enjoys her time in his classes and reminds her of her grandfather on her father's side who's a highlander wizard.

Least Favorite: Binns. Just retire you old man!

Quidditch Position: Chaser. Despite enjoying her time as Gryffindor's beater, she notices the position takes a toll on her physical wellbeing, having to carry a heavy bat and being injured by bludgers more times than she can keep track of. So she returns to her chaser position after a year.

Favorite Team: Montrose Magpies. She never had an interest in Quidditch before she began playing but decided to pick a team to support. Of course, it had to be a Scottish team and settles for MM because of professor McGonagall who's also a supporter.

She's not indigo's face claim, but it's hard to find good red-haired characters out there.

I guess I'll leave her background and history for another post since it interweaves very tightly with her sibling. And since I'm still exploring her story.

Well this is just an intro to my beloved MC

#hphm #hphm mc #hogwats mystery #oc profile #gryffindor #indigo silverwood

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oliivverwood · 5 years ago

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winner takes it all

ten times marcus and oliver faced one another

Marcus and Oliver were not friends. Even that was such a painful understatement, to even use Marcus, Oliver and friends in the same sentence. It's just the way it was, the way it had to be, and the way it was going to be.

Marcus first faced Oliver on the pitch. A spindly bag of bones, on the opposite end of the field, guarding the goals from Marcus, who was stocky and tall for a second year. The Slytherin would have laughed, had he not seen the manic glint of determination and passion and obsession for the sport that Marcus had only seen in his own eyes when looking into a mirror.

Marcus wasn't able to shake his hand after the game. Oliver Wood had been struck by a wayward bludger, courtesy of Bole, and was carted off when it had been realised that he'd been knocked out cold. He wasn't sure if he wanted to shake his hand anyways.

ii.

The last Slytherin and Gryffindor game of Marcus's school years was bittersweet.

They had lost.

Marcus had watched as the Gryffindor team had crowded Potter, who held up the snitch, an obvious gloat, to the pleasure of the cheering red and gold stands. Then, the team turned their attention to Oliver, and the Weasley twins lifted him up on their shoulders for a lap of the pitch, because Oliver Wood was a great captain, a great player, and deserved a great send off.

Marcus, somehow, couldn't find it in him to be angry about the result of the game, seeing tears stream down Oliver's face like that, gleefully holding up the cup and blissfully unaware of the ugly feeling that was latching itself to Marcus's heart. He'd had his chance with the quaffle, head to head with his rival and he'd failed.

Marcus remembered what he had first thought of Oliver, all those years ago- how they were alike in the way that they loved quidditch first, and everything else came after.

iii.

The day Marcus had shook Oliver's hand on the pitch, Montrose versus Puddlemere, it had felt like they'd gone back to the beginning again. Back to fifth year, when they'd both been appointed captains, the closest the two had ever been. Now, they'd been elected as captains in the big leagues, an unacknowledged dream that was shared between the two.

There was a nostalgia that came with the familiar game of the two of them trying to break the bones in each others hands, minutes before they faced off. If Marcus closed his eyes, he could imagine the green and silver clashing with the red and gold on the bleachers, the smell of the Scottish countryside-- hell, he could even hear Lee Jordan's commentary if he thought about it hard enough . When he finished the handshake roughly, he thought he saw the corner of Oliver's lip quirk up.

They had a show, of course, Marcus's jaw-dropping, calculated skill against Oliver's unbridled, raw talented passion. Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Chaser versus Keeper. Marcus versus Oliver.

It always came down to the two of them, really.

iv.

The World Cup Stadium was unlike anything Marcus had ever experienced before.

One of the record youngest ever appointed to the English National Team, the nerves he felt when flying the introductory lap around the stadium had been indescribable. The lights were blindingly bright, the stands cheering and stomping with all the volume of a baby Mandrake. His blood rushed with adrenaline, seeing some familiar faces in the crowd as he whizzed by.

And then Scotland came, to do their lap.

And there he was.

The World Cup Final, the pot of gold at the end of Marcus's grueling, long, seemingly endless rainbow of training, working out, and lacking a social life.

Of course Oliver was there, because Oliver was always there.

The whistle blew. The crowds roared. Marcus glanced across the pitch, eyeing the figure clad in purple, an obstacle.

He kicked off.

'Terence is a good friend.' Marcus had chanted to himself, in his mind. 'Terence wouldn't let me sit through a terrible dinner with another boring date.'

Under the delusional premise of finding their dear friend, Marcus, love, his friends had taken to setting him up on blind dates. Adrian, Draco and Cassius had all chosen abysmally, each date ending on Marcus giving them a fake floo number and praying he'd never see them again.

Terence was a good friend. He would pick wisely.

(If he knew what was good for him.)

So Marcus sat, in the quiet restaurant, silent only because it wasn't proper if customers spoke too loudly.

To say he was shocked when Oliver Wood appeared in front of him- hair still damp at the ends from a recent shower, smelling too much of grass and leather and too little cheap deodorant- was a garish understatement.

"Flint." He said, lightly, as if this wasn't fucking with Marcus's head at all, as if this was expected. He sat down and drank the wine that was in Marcus's glass in one swallow.

'Terence is nasty friend. Terence is a horrible friend-'

vi.

Terence had been a good friend, Marcus realised almost entirely too late.

Exactly year after that fateful meeting, Marcus and Oliver were sitting in the same restaurant, facing each other, and bickering.

They were a couple that bickered. Worse than Malfoy and Potter. Worse than Terence and Adrian.

But nobody took care or notice, because it was quite obvious that--while Oliver snapped at Marcus about player stats and took his hand, and Marcus flicked Oliver's forehead and kissed it better right after--they were sickeningly in love.

Oliver had decided to splurge tonight, their one year anniversary, and bought some fancy champagne. It was much too bubbly for Marcus and much too sweet for Oliver but they drank it all anyways till their heads and a pleasant buzz and they were unfortunately not allowed to apparate home on their own.

Terence was a good friend, Marcus had realised, because the former had come to pick them up from the restaurant at 10 at night and took them home. He may have tucked them in fondly, but that would remain a secret Terence would take to the grave.

vii.

Real fights with Oliver were agonising.

Snarls, glares and raised voices would be a result of a furious tension between the two. Over serious things, like future plans, that Marcus thought about too much, and Oliver didn't think about at all.

Marcus faced Oliver in their kitchen and scowled, while the other man yelled about Merlin-Knows-What and flailed his arms about like a fucking nut. His Scottish brogue always got thicker, to the point that his speech became a garbled stream of nonsense, and Marcus couldn't get a word in at all. It wasn't for lack of trying. Normally, by the end of their fights, both would scream unintelligibly just to make a point, until one of them pushed the other and snogged them senseless.

They always went too far. That's how it was with Marcus and Oliver--zero to a hundred and never an in-between. That's what made them great athletes.

In moments like these, Marcus wished he knew how to calm down, but when it came to Oliver, he could only see red.

viii.

Marcus had come back to the school twice after he graduated.

Once, to fight in the battle, dragging the dead from the debris and settling them in the Great Hall.

The second time, with Oliver. He wouldn't reveal to Marcus why he'd taken them there, and why they were on the pitch. Even so, Marcus appreciated being there--the place where he first fell in love with a sport.

It was evening, the sun setting on the horizon and washing the field and the school in a pale orange light. Marcus could hear the faint chattering of the students eating supper in the Great Hall. His heartstrings jerked at the memories of his time at Hogwarts.

When Oliver got down on one knee, pulling a velvet box out of his pocket, it tipped Marcus over the edge- and he hadn't cried since the war ended, but now he let go.

"Yes, you prick." Was all that Marcus was able to get out, through hiccups and coughs. Oliver laughed at him.

ix.

The celebrity matches were always fun, Marcus thought. It made him feel like a student again, playing quidditch with his old rivals, Lee Jordan commentating to the horror of McGonagall.

"Oh, how times have changed since our days, folks!" Lee rumbled into the microphone. "Once notorious rivals Flint and Wood, our team captains today, announced their engagement yesterday."

Terence hooted from the stands. Of course, he hooted.

Lee continued to chatter about their engagement, about Draco and Harry's honeymoon arrangements, how Angelina and Viktor Krum were getting on. Marcus tuned it out, watching Oliver Wood floating on his broom on the other end of the pitch.

He saw him looking. He winked.

Yes, Marcus loved the annual charity matches. It felt like he was back at the start, doing it all over again.

On a normal day, Marcus would laugh uproariously at the sight of his friends crying. Each one of his teammates, from school, from Montrose, from England, were sitting in Flint Manor, tears streaming down their face. Terence had sniffled through half a pack of tissues, while Harry Potter had used the rest.

But today was not a normal day, and Marcus was crying too, while Oliver choked through his speech while casting a spell over the ring he'd put on Marcus's finger. He swore loudly when he'd begun to cry, to the amusement of his friends and family.

"I love you." Marcus said at the end of his speech. When they finally sealed the deal with a kiss, something inside of Marcus clicked, slid into place, and he felt like his entire life, against Oliver Wood and with him, had lead to this moment.

#hp #text #flintwood #oliver wood #flintwoodnet #hprarepairnet #marcus flint #flintwood fic #slytherdornet #slytherin #hprarepair #quidditch #my writing #quidditchleaguenet #drabble

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caranfindel · 6 years ago

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Recap/review 14.12: Prophet and Loss”

THEN: Donatello. \o/ Nick. /o\ Michael. The box.

NOW: The bottom of the ocean. Dean in the box. Banging on it with bloody fingers. Water dripping. Creaks. Panic. Calling out for Sam. Phone dying. Darkness!

Title card!

Oh, it was just a dream. Were you fooled?

I mean this frantic battery death is a dead giveaway.

Speaking of dreams, a door opens and we see Sam clad in sweatpants, a t-shirt, and socks. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if I get nothing else from this episode - and there's a good chance I won't (you know why) - at least I got THIS.

(Tumblr mobile is being an asshole and won’t let me insert any of my own screencaps, and the gif search isn’t giving me many for this ep. But I need to break all this text up with some images. So pretend this is Sam in a t-shirt and sweats trying to comfort Dean after his nightmare.)

Close enough, right?

He apologizes for waking Dean, who (strangely enough) admits he was having a nightmare. And whose real-life fingers are also bloody, from scratching the wall in his sleep. Sam asks if he wants to talk about it and Dean tells him to go to sleep. Sam switches to I know you're scared, and I know we're always maybe gonna die but this is even worse because Michael's gonna keep you buried alive forever and I kinda love the way Sam isn't bothering to sugarcoat the situation at ALL. He's convinced they have to find another way. Dean's convinced there isn't one.

(Sidebar: The guys are in a pretty nice (for them) hotel room. I wonder if this was deliberate. I wonder if Dean said I want a decent hotel room for once, just like he wanted to finally celebrate Christmas, or if Sam picked it.)

Elsewhere, a guy dumps salt into a tank of water and drowns a woman in it, carving her arm up while he's at it. When he's done, he gazes skyward and listens to the voices inside his head.

Cut to Nick in the hospital. Do you care? I don't either. Let's cut to the chase and say he ends up escaping. On to better things.

The Impala pulls up at a rest area. She's pulling a trailer? Oh no, I don't think that's a good idea. Dean asks Sam if he's still with him on the plan, and again, Sam isn't sugarcoating ANYTHING, telling Dean that he gave him his word but he hates the plan and Mom hates the plan and Dean needs to tell Cas and Jack about the plan. Dean's stalling on that because he's afraid they'd "shake" him, and Sam says that being shook "wouldn't be the worst thing" and SAM, YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD, I LOVE THAT YOU ARE SO NOT DOWN WITH THIS PLAN AND NOT HIDING THAT AT ALL.

I love that Sam's attitude is yeah, I told you I'd help, so I'm helping, but it's really a stupid, stupid plan and you shouldn't do it. Dean tells him to "put the end of this trip out of your head," so I guess they are actually on their way to the coast right now, towing Dean's coffin. I wonder how they convinced Mary not to come along? (Ha ha not really, I think Mary would have said bye, love you and gone back to shooting pumpkins.)

(Sidebar: Every time I say I wonder why a certain character isn't around, several of you kindly point out that the show can't afford to have these guest stars appear in every episode, and I love you for trying, but I know the Doylist reasons; I'm looking for the Watsonian ones. And usually there are none.)

Suitable for any occasion.

Dean gets out and heads for the bathroom, and Sam (whose hair is adorably fluffy today) immediately goes for his phone and calls Cas and we learn that he already told Cas about the awful, awful plan (BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DID). Cas has been looking for a way to eject and destroy Michael but hasn't found anything. He reports that Rowena went through the Book of the Damned to try to find a solution, "and I told her to do it again and see if she missed something, and the woman has a remarkable command of profanity." (BECAUSE OF COURSE SHE DOES. AND IN A SCOTTISH ACCENT. I WANT TO WITNESS THAT.) Cas suggests that he could speak to Dean, as if he has more influence than Sam (NO) and Sam says it won't matter, he's never seen Dean this set on something.

Cut to Drowny Guy picking out his next victim, muttering about striking down the first born in the land of Egypt, and carving up his next victim. More voices. "I am the Lord," he says. Huh.

The Impala drives through the night. Dean is either feeling or remembering feeling Michael banging on that walk-in door in his head, so he decides it's conversation time. He starts out by apologizing for not always being the greatest brother, and I want Sam to say no, you were a great brother, you were just a crappy mother, but that's not your fault because you were four years older than me and shouldn't have been forced into a parental role. Instead Sam tells him he was always there for him. Dean continues in this vein, apologizing for taking John's side and admitting that sometimes he was gone because John actually sent him away. Sam says he left all of that behind, and then shuts Dean down by saying he needs to keep his mind off the end of this trip, just like Dean said. "So if we could not have conversations that sound like deathbed apologies, I would really appreciate it."

Shhhh. Just pretend.

DAMN. I know some of you are thinking Sam should be more supportive and let Dean talk, especially since he's the one who's always trying to get Dean to talk about his feelings in the first place. But I love the way he's not making this easy on Dean. And I also love that he's insisting on what HE needs, but I suspect that he's focused just as much on not letting Dean play out the Deathbed Apology Tour in his head.

Not only is he doing that, but he's actually looking for a case. And he found one. Dean's all, a case? On my Deathbed Apology Tour? And it does seem like a really odd thing for Sam to do. Unless, of course, you accept that he's stalling his little heart out. Dean decides it would be nice to work one last case together, which is a sentiment Sam does NOT appreciate. Anyway, it's our two victims, who both had "graffiti" carved into them. Enochian graffiti.

(Sidebar: Remember that time someone carved Enochian graffiti on the Impala and neither Sam nor Dean recognized it? Ha ha ha ha continuity.)

The next scene is in broad daylight and the guys are in suits. Or at least Dean is in a suit. We can't see Sam because the person whose door they're knocking on won't open it all the way. So, Dean took his suit on his Deathbed Apology Tour? And when Sam decided to run after him, he grabbed his suit as well? (Eh, it gives me Winchesters in suits and overcoats, so I'm willing to handwave it.)

The guy who finally opens the door is the twin brother of the second victim. There's a heavy-handed little scene here where the surviving brother (the younger brother, it turns out, because he's four minutes younger than his dead twin, and if that reminds you that Sam is four years younger than Dean you're not alone) talks about how close they were and how "losing him was like losing a part of myself" and Sam looks sad and Dean looks guilty. It turns out the dead brother had a super-religious friend named Tony, and a convenient picture reveals Tony had an Enochian tattoo which translates to "the word." Duh duh duuuuh! So, who else knows Enochian? Time to call Cas!

Ah, here we go. A real one.

Cas immediately reveals that Sam told him about the Deathbed Apology Tour because, like Sam, he has zero chill about Dean's plan. He also reveals that Tony is the next prophet in line, after Donatello. Sam doesn't make any excuses or apologize for spilling the beans, and if you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE THAT. The guys wonder if the apparent emergence of a new prophet means Donatello is dead (spoiler alert: we see him on life support so probably not) and Dean calls his doctor, pretending to be his nephew. Using his real name. I have a feeling Sam would have done a better job, because Dean just asks "How is Donatello? He's still alive, right?" which I find funnier than I probably should. So, if he's still alive, how was Tony activated? Let's go ask him.

Apparently the guys took a long time changing out of their suits, because it's dark when they break into Tony's house. They find his bedroom covered in writing, much like Gabriel's redecorating in the bunker except some of it is English. And some of it is about the killing of first-born sons, and I think that's going to mean something for Dean, but spoiler alert: it doesn't. They also find pictures of his two victims, and a clue as to where the killings happened and what the next one will be.

The next one is actually happening right now, with a guy getting doused with gasoline. Luckily the Winchesters break in and save him right before Tony sets him on fire. Sam gets maybe a little too rough with Tony, and Dean calls him off. Tony claims he's doing God's work according to His orders and Sam's all, yeah, no, whatever you heard wasn't God. Tony immediately believes them, apparently. If I thought God was talking to me, I'd think these guys were heretics or the devil or something. But Tony believes them and gets Dean's gun and kills himself. So, I guess that one took care of itself!

But it's not over, because the next prophet could come online and do the same thing, since Donatello being between "between life and death" might be causing prophets who are "wired wrong." Sam asks how they can stop the next prophet from going loco, and, well, there's one way to get rid of someone who's between life and death, isn't there?

(Meanwhile, Nick breaks into his old house and doesn't recognize his dead wife's ghost, but I can't blame him because she's changed A LOT since she died. He hopes she's Lucifer, and somehow he sacrifices her ability to move on because he'd rather have Lucifer and that's all the time I'm spending on that.)

At the Happy Daze (ugh, really?) Nursing Home, Donatello's doctor tells his loving nephews that they're making the right choice to let him go. And luckily, Dr. Novak is here to help! Hee! The doctor tells them Uncle Donatello is occasionally babbling, just as a reflex, and I don't think actual words are a reflex but okay. Cas and Dean have a sidebar about how much Cas regrets what happened to Donatello, but he had no choice, and Dean's all, I know exactly how you feel, and Cas is all, no you don't, because MY plan was the only choice, but YOUR plan is stupid.

Sam interrupts this with a video the doctor took of Donatello's "reflexive babbling." It's actually him speaking Enochian, saying he'll strike down the first-born of Egypt. Apparently Tony got wrapped up in Donatello trying to rewrite the Bible or whatever (Buckleming!) but somehow this means Cas can fix him, because "if there's a spark of hope, then I have to try; you taught me that." Boom. Take that, Mr. Deathbed Apology Tour. (Although I think Sam would have had something to do with that lesson, but whatever.) They rudely kick the doctor out of Donatello's room, and while Cas does his work, Sam and Dean have a quiet talk.

"If Cas isn't right about Donatello," Sam says, "then where does that leave him? Trapped. Trapped in his own body, somewhere between life and death. It's just tough to think about somebody going through that." Oh my God, Sam, you are the least subtle person on earth and I can't get enough of it. Dean doesn't rise to the bait, but just tells Sam the plan is still on. Then they go check on Cas and watch him work. His eyes go glowy and Donatello wakes up, confused but alive.

The real doctor comes in and says wow, that's weird that you came here to take him off life support and he miraculously came out of his coma. No, he doesn't, but I would. Then Donatello eats Jello and Dean leaves Cas to tell him what he's missed.

Dean goes out to where Sam is leaning on the Impala, drinking beer. And Sam is SO angry. (Sidebar: What was Dean remembering when he said Sam was always a "happy drunk," because it's nothing we've seen.)

Don’t open that shaken-up beer, Dean.

Let's just enjoy this conversation, shall we?

Where's the party?

It's right here. I mean, we're celebrating, right?

Okay...

Yeah, but not too much! Tomorrow morning we're back on track. No rest for the self-destructive.

Well, I will call this a win. Kinda nice. I'm going out on a high.

"Going out" being the operative phrase.

I'm sorry.

You're sorry. {laughs} How sorry are you? Sorry that you planned to keep Donatello alive, but when it comes to you, you just throw in the towel? Are you sorry that after all these years, our entire lives, after I looked up to you, I learned from you, I copied you, I followed you to Hell and back? Are you sorry that all of that means nothing now?

Who's saying that?

You. When you tell me I have to kill you. When you're telling me I have to throw away everything we stand for. Throw away faith. Throw away family. We're the guys who saved the world. We don't just check out of it.

Sam, I have tried everything. Everything! I got one card left to play, and I have to play it.

You have one card today. But we'll find another tomorrow. But if you quit on us today, there will be no tomorrow! You tell me you don't know what else to do. I don't either, Dean. Not yet. But what you're doing now, it's wrong! It's quitting! I mean, look what just happened. Donatello never quit fighting, so we could help him because he never gave up. I believe in us, Dean. {Sam rears back and HITS DEAN!} I believe in us! {Sam HITS HIM AGAIN AND THEN PULLS HIM INTO AN ANGRY, TEARFUL HUG!} Why don't you believe in us too?

I'M DEAD. I CANNOT HANDLE THIS.

YES, this is the real thing.

Dean can’t handle it either. He's only human. "Okay, Sam," he says. "Let's go home." Sam says "what?" in disbelief. HE IS STILL CLUTCHING HIS BROTHER IN HIS ARMS, BY THE WAY. Sam finally pulls away and Dean says "Let's go home. Maybe Billie's wrong. Maybe. But I do believe in us. I believe in all of us." (Because yeah, this is when Cas shows up.) "And I'll keep believing until I can't. Until there's absolutely no other way. But when that day comes, if that day comes, Sam, you have to take it for what it is. The end. And you have to promise me that you'll do then what you can't do now, and that's let me go. And put me in that box."

Sam says "all right," just like he did at the end of the previous episode but DAMN this one is different. Dean PATS SAM'S FACE and says "Don't hit me again, okay?" EXCUSE ME CAN SOMEONE SCOOP UP THAT PUDDLE OF GOO ON THE FLOOR, BECAUSE IT'S ME. And I don't know how Cas got to the Happy Daze Nursing Home, but whatever he drove, he's leaving it here. He gets in the car with the Winchesters and we fade to white.

WELL.

I don't know about you guys, but I had pretty low expectations for this episode. And some of it met those low expectations (lookin' at you, Nick) but some of it BLEW ME THE FUCK AWAY. And by "some" I mean SAM AND SAM AND DEAN AND SAM. Because Sam loves his brother SO MUCH and is SO ANGRY and HURT and BETRAYED and Dean is SO HELPLESS in the face of that anger and hurt and betrayal and he's thinking I thought it was safe to tell you I loved you, since I was about to die, but you are using that against me and it's hardly fair and then he's doing what he can't always do when his little brother wants something, which is GIVE IT TO HIM.

I'm trying to think of other times when Sam hit Dean out of anger. Not in a mutual fight, not when he was trying to stop him from doing something stupid then and there, not when he was under someone else's control, just Sam lashing out in hurt and anger and hitting his brother. The only one I can think of is the hotel room fight in When The Levee Breaks, but I'm sure y'all will remind me of others, as you do.

Dammit. This is one of those episodes where a few minutes of wonderful makes up for a whole lot of nonsense. What did you guys think? And as always, help me stay unspoiled, please!

#spn #14.12 #spoilers #recap #tv recaps

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dillydedalus · 4 years ago

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november reading

so with lockdown #2, my master’s thesis done & handed in etc, i just had absolutely nothing going on so this month so... lots of books. featuring Houses full of statues and birds, an AU of weimar berlin, and... the plague?

someone who will love you in all your damaged glory, raphael bob-waksberg (audio) actually listened to this last month! anyway even tho i forgot about it, i actually really liked it! it’s a collection of short stories, all about love in some way, most with a strange twist - a couple wants a small wedding but the MIL insists they have to at least sacrifice 5 goats to the stone god and have a shrieking chorus, or it’s hardly a real wedding, right? that kind of thing. i really liked these stories; they were fun, hopeful without being cheesy (mostly), and the audio production, with lots of actors reading the different stories was fun. 4/5

the driver’s seat, muriel spark man this novella is nasty, but in a good way - sharp, vicious, mean but so well executed. it’s also pretty hard to discuss without spoiling it & i do think one should go into this unspoiled. but it’s certainly a classic of the unhinged women genre, showing lise seemingly making herself as noticeable, irritating and off-putting as she can on a trip to an unnamed (probably italian) city. 3.5/5

the empress of salt and fortune, nghi vo (singing hills cycle #1) a lovely novella set in an asian-inspired fantasy empire, which shows young cleric chih and their speaking hoopoe almost brilliant learn the story of a previous empress, a northerner who rose from exile as an cast-aside wife to power and of her servant, a peasant girl called rabbit. enjoyed the setting and the way this story unfolded through objects and rabbit’s retelling, and will definitely read the sequel novella which comes out in december. 3.5/5

pine, francine toon (audio) this is a crime/thriller type book with some horror elements about a young girl whose mother has disappeared mysteriously when she was very small. she lives with her dad in the scottish highlands close to a giant forest. the beginning is pretty cool & creepy, but then like 80% of it is just the girl being sad & wanting to know what happened to her mother & the dad being an alcoholic mess. and then most of the plot happens in the last 10% & isn’t great. disappointing. 2/5

where the wild ladies are, aoko matsuda (tr. from japanese by polly barton) a collection of short stories retelling japanese folklore stories about female ghosts/monsters with a feminist twist. on the whole, i liked these stories, but also found them a lot more light in tone than i expected; i guess i thought this would be more on the wild & raw side, so i ended up finding them a bit underwhelming. might also be a problem with lacking cultural context. will say tho that tilted axis press is great & i will seek out more of their books. 2.5/5

piranesi, susanna clarke (audio) god this was so good! so delightful! the House with its many rooms full of tides and clouds and birds and statues is a wonderful, magical yet melancholy setting, the narrator is kind & gentle & earnest, full of wonder and curiosity at the House and its mysteries (the contrast between the narrator’s and the Other’s attitude to the House... yes), the slow building up to the numerous reveals are just. very well done. the writing is lovely (did i almost cry about the albatross? yes) and chiwetel ejiofor is a great audio narrator. just all around lovely & the ending hits just right. 4.5/5

doomsday book, connie willis reading this book during lockdown #2.... a galaxy brain move i wouldn’t necessarily recommend. anyway this is set in a near future where time travel is used for historical research; oxford university is sending the young historian kivrin on the first mission to the middle ages (1320, which is perfectly safe, as far as medieval years go), but things go wrong and soon modern day oxford is under quarantine (ha. how wild. can you imagine.) and kivrin notices that some things are a bit off about where she is (spoiler it’s actually 1348 and y’all know what that means right... PLAGUE TIME). lots of people on goodreads found this slow and boring and while it is pretty damn slow (and for a world with time travel way too many plot points hinge on being unable to contact people by telephone), i found it riveting and uh dread-inducing throughout, but also really warm and immersive. adored this, was devastated at the end. even almost a month later i’m still in my feelings about it. 4.5/5

too loud a solitude, bohumil hrabal (tr. from czech by michael henry heim) a novella i intellectually appreciated but didn’t really love - the narrator works as a paper compactor in a nightmarish basement full of mice (that also get crushed by the hundreds) from where he imagines rat wars in the sewers but from where he also saves hundreds of books. it’s fascinating & well-written but as soon as it gets away from the nightmare paper-crushing basement, it just loses its appeal, especially when the narrator reminisces about his relationships to women (how to simultaneously put women on a pedestal and smear shit on them!!!). 3/5

i’m thinking of ending things, iain reid literary horror/thriller type book with a really intriguing first half, as a young woman is visiting her boyfriend’s parents for the first time while thinking of ending the relationship and things increasingly feel off (the parents are weird, there’s a picture on the wall that the boyfriend claims is him as a child, but is actually her, she gets weird voicemails from her own number). great sense of vague unease, very scary. then the second half kind of blows up the whole story in a way that i should theoretically find interesting but just found kind of underwhelming and not scary, especially since the ending then feels the need to spell it all out for you. 2/5

passing, nella larsen (reread) ugh this is brilliant and i almost don’t have anything to say about it so i’ll just summarise it i guess. it’s a novella about two black women in 1920s america, who knew each other as teenagers and who run into each other in a rooftop bar, where both of them are passing as white. irene finds out that clare is passing full-time, married to a white man who does not know that she is black, and although she strongly disapproves, she can’t help but be seduced (the queer subtext is strong here) into renewing their friendship, which begins to threaten her sense of stability and control. this book is pretty much pitch-perfect, has a lot of things to say about race, loyalty, what happens when categories we live by are threatened or destabilised, and is also just tight and elegantly written and. ugh. brilliant. 5/5

ring shout, p. djèlí clark an alternative history/fantasy book where the ku klux klan gets possessed by demons from another dimension and a group of black (and other marginalised) women (some men too) who are able to see these demons have to fight them from gaining more power through a showing of birth of a nation. note: the klan is still already evil without the demons, but their evil makes it easier for the demons to possess them. very cool concept, very cool setting, but i found the main character and some of the plot progression a little boring. 3/5

amberlough, lara elena donnelly (amberlough dossier #1) this is really just the nazi takeover of weimar berlin in an alternate world (literally... the denizens of the city of amberlough are amberlinians... the two epigraphs are from le carre and cabaret...), told thru an amberlinian spy (cyril) forced to work for the nazi-equivalent (the ospies), his secret cabaret mc/smuggling kingpin boyfriend (aristide), and rough-and-tumble sally bowles (cordelia). as such, it’s extremely my shit, although i will say that donnelly makes it a bit easy on herself by making the nazi parallel so very overt; the ospies’ ideology is not particularly detailed beyond ‘real fashy’ and wanting to unite four loosely federated states. it’s just.... a bit weaksauce, and while she does include an ethnic minority for the ospies to hate, this also doesn’t feel as fundamental to their ideology as it should. also cyril sucks. but these issues may be solved in the sequels & it was a lot of fun. also.... amazing cover. 3/5

the vanishing half, brit bennett very much in conversation with larsen’s passing, this is a 2020 historical novel about passing, colorism, and identity, in which desiree and stella, very light-skinned african american twins who grow up in a black town that values lightness very much, become separated when stella chooses to pass for white and marry a white man. the book is very immersive and engaging, and stella and desiree are interesting characters, but (i felt unfortunately) much of the book is focused on their daughters, whose chance meeting might expose stella/reunite the sisters/etc etc, but who weren’t as interesting. the plot also relies on coincidences a lot which is a bit annoying. still an interesting and entertaining read. 3/5

die stadt der anderen, anthology printed version of an art project where three pairs of authors were sent on trips through berlin, which each person writing about what the other person showed them and how they experienced the city through the other. there was nothing earth-shaking in this, but reading it during lockdown was lovely. in conclusion i love berlin... would love to experience it again some time. 3/5

the fire this time, edited by jesmyn ward collection of essays on anti-black racism in america, many in response to the beginning of the black lives matter movement. i don’t have much to say about it, but it is very good and i would recommend. as is often the case with essay anthologies about serious topics i don’t really think i can rate it.

intimations, zadie smith a very short collection of essays written during early lockdown. smith is always smart and fun but i wish these had been a little more focused on politics and less on personal experience, but like, you can’t really criticise a book for not being what you wanted it to be. ‘contempt as a virus’ was very good.

superior: the return of race science, angela saini really solid, engaging and accessible discussion of race science and why... it’s bad & dangerous, both looking at race science in the past and the invention of race, and how it is returning and regaining influence (not to say that race science ever completely disappeared, but as saini explains, it moved into a more marginal space in the sciences after ww2). 3.5/5

the hive, camilo josé cela (tr. from spanish by j.m. cohen & arturo barea) spanish modern classic set in madrid during the last few years of ww2. told thru short fragmentary snippets with a huge rotating cast of characters, mostly lower and middle class, going about their days, with the theme tying them together being “the city, that tomb, that greased pole, that hive”, which is a very sexy line, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. the tone is v dispassionate and in combination with the huge cast it just made me profoundly unengaged. it also has the weird habit of changing scene in the middle of a paragraph, which i found rather confusing. 2.5/5 slave old man, patrick chamoiseau (tr. from french by linda coverdale) absolutely amazing short novel from the creolité movement aabout an old slave, seemingly resigned to his position, suddenly escaping and being pursued by the slavemaster’s terrifying monstrous mastiff through the forests of martinique, but really also about selfhood, relearning humanity, trauma and nature. the language is at turns sparse and lush and always gorgeous and the translation from french/creole uses endnotes (we love an endnote) and a strategy of doubling to retain some of the original language, which was really cool to read. so yeah this is brilliant. 4/5

mexican gothic, silvia moreno-garcia gothic horror novel about young mexican socialite noemí visiting her recently-married cousin in her new (english) family’s isolated, creepy and dilapidated mansion after said cousin sent a disturbing and strange letter calling for help. gothic horror shenanigans involving vivid dreams, family secrets and eugenics ensue. after a slow start, i absolutely devoured the second half in one afternoon bc once it gets going it REALLY gets going. not super-scary, but a nice creepy atmosphere & reveal. also loved how it combines the clear yellow wallpaper inspo (the cousin’s letter involves people in the wallpaper) and the focus on the english family’s eugenic ideology (not a fun fact but charlotte perkins gilman was a eugenicist), and the vain & flighty but also smart & stubborn protagonist. had a lot of fun with this. 3.5/5

i’m also still reading a tale of love and darkness by amos oz which is really good but which is taking me forfuckingever.

#the books i read #long post #capital-H House is way nicer than blue text house

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a-daydreamers-stories · 8 years ago

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Request- So pretty much the reader is kips sister and he never dies but she is also in the army and she heard news of him being shot and she was some how able to go and see him and someone picks a fight with her and she goes all badass on her and can she somehow end up with chibs :p

Reader’s POV

Charming, California was a unique little town. It was different then most and everyone who came into contact with it knew that. My brother and I were Charming natives. We were born here, raised here, and we both left here at 18.

As twins we did everything together which was why we both decided to join the army. We had both been placed over seas but into different divisions. We kept in touch and sent letters back and forth when we could. I was told when Kip had been in his accident and sent home. Not long after him moving back home, our father died. I was able to return for his funeral and see Kip for a little bit before having to go back.

I was back home again and this time it was for good. A couple of days ago I had been notified that my brother had been stabbed. I filed for a honorable discharge so I can go back home and take care of him. I was granted it and had just arrived back into Charming.

I pulled up to my dad’s house which was now Kips and mine. I took my stuff out of the car and took it into the house. Once everything was in my old room I took a look around the house. It was messy but not as messy as I was expecting. Kip never was one for cleaning. I decided to come back and do it after I went to see Kip. I locked up the house and made my way to the hospital.

Once I was at the hospital I asked the lady at the front counter which room Kip was located in and then headed to it. As I was walking into his room, his doctor was walking out. He told me that he was stable and that he was resting. The knife didn’t hit any internal organs but he had lost a lot of blood. I thanked the doctor and walked into his room.

Besides for Kip the room was empty. He was paler then normal but that was probably from the blood loss. I moved his off his forehead gently and smiled softly.

“What have you gotten yourself into Kippy?” I asked before sighing and sitting down. I took off my jacket and made myself comfortable in the chair. I pulled out a book from my bag and began to read. About a hundred pages later I heard commotion in the hallway but didn’t pay much attention to it.

“Aye! Lass this is for family only.” A voice startled me. I glared at the towards the door to find three men. One a handsome man with scars on his face, Another slightly smaller with two tattoos on his head and a mohawk, and the third was bigger and meaner looking with tattoos on his head.

“I’m his sister jackass and who the fuck are you?” I put a bookmark in my place and put my book down. I crossed my arms and glared at them.

“Sorry miss, we didn’t know Half Sack had a sister.” The man with the mohawk said.

“That’s not what I asked.” I told him. The one with the scars chuckled.

“Sorry lass, we’re Half Sack’s brothers.” He told me. I raised my eyebrows at that.

“Unless I’m seriously missing a link in our family tree, I’ve only got one brother.” I said. This time they all chuckled it was then that I finally took in their kutte’s. “Fucking god Kippy became a Son?”

“Aye lass, he is. Especially after what he did for our VP’s boy.” The scottish one said. I shook my head and giggled slightly.

“What’s so funny?” The mean looking one in the back asked.

“I was the one that was always dragging Kip into trouble and I come back home and find out he’s an outlaw. It’s just funny to me.” I shook my head and looked at my brother then back at them. “Anyone want to tell me why my brother was stabbed?”

“He did some real hero shit.” The one with the mohawk said.

“Someone was trying to kidnap our VP’s boy and he tried to stop him. The man stabbed him.” The scottish one finished.

“Is the boy safe?” I asked.

“No, but we’re working on getting him back.” He told me.

“I hope you do, I’m Y/N.” I said while standing up and holding out my hand to him.

“Chibs.” He smiled at me. I smiled back to him and held my hand out to the one with the mohawk.

“Juice.” He smiled and shook my hand.

“Happy.” The one in the back said.

“The doctor said he’d be sleeping for a while. You sound like you boys are busy dealing with that. I can call when he wakes up.” I told them.

“You boys go back to the clubhouse, I’ll wait here with the lass.” Chibs told the other two.

“You sure Chibs?” Juice asked.

“Aye, just call if ya need me.” He told them. They nodded and left. I looked at him curiously.

“You didn’t have to stay.” I told him.

“I know but I’m the one that sponsored the lad. I owe him this much.” He replied as he sat down on the seat on the other side of the bed.

“How long has my brother been a Son?” I asked.

“He just became one but he’s been prospecting about a year now. He’s a good lad.” He told me.

“Yeah he is.” I nodded and looked at Chibs. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Aye.” He looked at me.

“Is he happy? With the club?” I asked.

“I think so, the lad never seems sad.” Chibs told me. I smiled.

“He can be sometimes but I’m glad he’s not.” I said. “But I don’t care how happy he is, if he gets hurt like this again. I will tear someone’s balls off and make them eat em.” Chibs chuckled at that statement.

“Aye, I’ll keep that in mind, love.” He winked at me. I rolled my eyes and giggled slightly. “Oh the club’s gonna love ya.”

“I’m going to meet the club?” I asked.

“Of course! You’re family, sweetheart.” He smiled. “Can’t believe Half Sack never told us about ya.”

“He probably didn’t want to mention me incase I came home in a bodybag.” I said softly.

“We’re you in the army too?” He asked and I nodded.

“Yep and ever since his accident he had been begging me to come back home. He didn’t want anything to happen to me. I told him I’d be home as soon as I could get an honorable discharge.” I told him.

“And did you get one?” He asked.

“Yes, I got a honorable discharge so I could come back and take care of him since I’m the only blood he has left.” I said.

“We’ll help with whatever you two need. All ya have to do is ask, love.” He told me.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” I told him. I ran my fingers through my hair and smiled at Chibs. We settled into comfortable conversation with me telling embarrassing stories of Kip from when we were little and him telling me a little about Kip and the club. He told me about Cherry and how much Kip loved her. I told him about how our mom died when we were little and our dad died not long after Kip came back home.

Three hours had passed and Chibs offered to go grab us food that wasn’t from the hospital cafeteria of death as Chibs put it. I gladly accepted since I didn’t feel like eating that shit anyways. I went back to reading when Chibs left.

“Ain’t you supposed to be over seas?” A groggy voice brought me out of my reading daze. I smiled and looked at Kip.

“Some jackass got himself stabbed and now I’m stuck taking care of his ass.” I answered.

“I feel bad for the poor moron.” He chuckled slightly. I put my book down and pressed the button for the nurse.

“Me too, Kippy.” I leaned over and kissed his forehead. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Y/N.” He sat up slightly and winced at the pain. I put my hand on his shoulder to keep him from moving. He looked around the room and frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing… I was just expecting… Nothing.” He shook his head and the nurse came in to check on him. Once she got him some water and left I looked at him.

“Were you expecting someone else to be here?” I asked.

“No… not really… Maybe just a little.” He admitted.

“Your new brothers have been here. Chibs has been with me all day long and is supposed to alert the others as soon as you wake up.” I smiled.

“Really?” He smiled back.

“Yes really. How the hell could I tell you Chibs name if it wasn’t true.” I playfully flicked his forehead.

“Hey be nice! I’ve lost a lot of blood.” He pouted.

“Boohoo poor you. You’ve already lost half of your nuts. You don’t get any other sympathy cards.” I told him.

“You’re so sweet.” He stuck his tongue out at me and I giggled. Just then Chibs came into the room with the food. He smiled when he saw Kip was awake.

“Sack!” He exclaimed.

“Hey Chibs.” Kip smiled at him. “Heard you been keeping my sister company.”

“Aye and the wee minx has been telling me all your dirty little secrets.” Chibs smiled and handed the food to me. I took out what I ordered and handed the bag back to him.

“Ugh! Sis can you try not to embarrass me? I’m a big bad biker!” Kip whined.

“Oh yeah sure you are. I still remember the time you cried for an hour because you stepped on a butterfly accidentally.” I said and Chibs started laughing.

“I was 5!” Kip said defensively.

“Try 9.” I gave him the are you seriously trying to lie to me look. He grumbled but didn’t argue the fact. Chibs was doubled over with laughter. Once he calmed down he pulled out his phone and sent a text. Probably to one of the guys that Kip was awake. Chibs and I started eating.

“Can I have some?” Kip looked at me pleadingly.

“You aren’t allowed to have solid food yet.” I told him.

“But please!” Kip said.

“Nope, sorry bro.” I said and ate a fry. He sighed and the looked at Chibs.

“How is Jax doing?” He asked Chibs.

“He’s doing as alright as can be expected.” Chibs told him.

“Do you want me to leave so you can discuss club business?” I asked.

“Do you mind?” Kip asked. I set my food down and got up.

“Nah, I’ll just take a ten minute walk around the hospital.” I told them and then headed out of the room. I set a timer on my phone for ten minutes and then started to wander around the hospital. As I was walking around I bumped into the guy Chibs was with earlier, Juice. He was with a different man than before. This one had bright blue eyes and curly hair.

“Hey! You’re Y/N, right? Half Sack’s twin?” Juice asked.

“Wait! His what?” The other man asked and I smiled.

“Yeah I’m Kip’s twin and you’re Juice right?” He nodded and I looked at the other man. “And you are?”

“Tig and there’s no fucking way that you are Sack’s twin. You’re too goddamn beautiful.” Tig said and I blushed slightly.

“Well thank you, I guess.” I laughed and he smiled and looked me over. I had to admit I didn’t hate him looking at me like that. “Are you guys here to see Kip?”

“Yeah doll, Chibs said he was awake.” Tig told me.

“He is. I was actually just about to head back up. I’ll walk with you.” I told them and they nodded and smiled. We all headed upstairs together and my timer went off as we hit the elevator. Chibs and Kip seemed to be done discussing whatever when we came into the room. Tig and Juice greeted Kip warmly as they entered the room.

“Bro one, why did you not tell us that you had a sister and two, how in the actual fuck is that stunning woman YOUR twin?” Tig asked Kip. Kip laughed at that.

“Don’t hit on my sister you perv.” Kip told him with a shove.

“I’m not hitting on your sister.” Kip gave him a look. “Alright alright maybe just a little but I mean can you blame me.” Tig gave me a wink and I giggled and shook my head.

“Aye don’t hit on the lad’s sister ya shit.” Chibs huffed out annoyed. I looked at him and he didn’t look upset unless you noticed his clenched fists. I furrowed my eyebrows at him but I didn’t think that it meant anything. We all sat down and Juice pulled a kutte out of his bag and laid it over Kip’s lap. Kip smiled and held it up.

“You ain’t a prospect anymore brother.” Tig clapped him on the shoulder.

“Thank you brother.” Kip smiled at them.

“You earned it.” Juice told him.

“I was just doing what was right.” Kip said and I smiled at him proudly.

“Yeah but it still took a lot of balls.” Tig said and Kip rolled his eyes at his lame joke.

“You know you aren’t funny.” Kip told Tig.

“That wounds me.” Tig pouted and held a hand over his heart and we all laughed at him. “So did the doctors say when they are setting you free?”

“It won’t be for a while. They want to keep me and make sure everything keeps going well and that I heal okay.” Kip told them.

“I’ll be here with you until you get out.” I told him.

“Sis you don’t have to be here 24/7 until I leave.” Kip told me.

“Yeah he’s right. We’ll have someone here with him at all times.” Tig said.

“Will you guys take care of her until I’m out? Maybe take her to TM and introduce her to everyone too?” Kip asked.

“Hello! I’m right here don’t talk about me like I’m not.” I huffed. Everyone chuckled at my pout.

“Everyone will love ya and I’ll make sure you have fun, babydoll.” Tig said to me with a suggestive look. Chibs elbowed him in the stomach at that and grumbled something under his breath.

“Besides keeping five feet away from Tig.” Kip gave Tig a pointed look. “Go and have fun. Meet the guys, get to know them, I want you to get along with them.”

“Fine, but when I’m gone, you need to text or call if anything happens. Any updates from your doctors, good or bad. Promise?” I asked and he nodded.

“Yeah I promise.” He told me.

“Good.” I smiled.

“How about tomorrow you come and meet us at the club house?” Tig suggested.

“Um yeah okay.” I nodded. “What time would be good?”

“Whatever time ya want sweetheart.” Chibs smiled at me.

“How about 2? I’m going to go job hunting before then.”

“Why don’t you work at TM? Gemma could use some help in the office.” Juice said.

“Yeah that’s a great idea Juicey!” Chibs smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

“Are you sure Gemma would be okay with this?” I asked.

“We’ll talk to her tonight and I’m sure she’ll tell you tomorrow.” Tig said.

“Okay.” I nodded. “Thank you guys.”

“No problem.” Juice said.

“Aye, you’re family now sweetheart.” Chibs said.

“Now go home and rest sis.” Kip said.

“I can stay the night here Kippy.” I told him

“No that’s okay. My brothers and I need to discuss things. Just come by tomorrow or even the next day if you are having fun at TM.” Kip told me.

“Fine just call me if you need me.” I said to Kip and then I looked at the others. “Anything happens to him, you're all dead.”

“Aye got it love.” Chibs smiled at me. I picked up my stuff and said goodbye to everyone then I went home. Once I was there I cleaned for a while and then went to sleep.

As soon as I woke up the next morning I called Kip. He sleepily told me to fuck off and I chuckled and hung up. After that I started my morning routine. Once I was finished with that, I headed to the diner for breakfast.

At about 11, I decided to start job hunting. There wasn't very many places hiring but I managed to get a couple applications. After that I headed to T-M. Once there I parked across from the bikes.

There was some people working in the garage but I didn't recognize any of them. A very tall and broad man with a beard and a beanie approached me.

“Can I help you?” He asked.

“Um yeah, I'm looking for either Chibs, Tig, or Juice.” I told him.

“They’re in the clubhouse. If they aren't out in the bar area, you can sit on the couch and wait if you’d like.” He said.

“Thanks.” I told him. He nodded and went back to work. I made my way inside the clubhouse. No one was in the main part of it so I took a seat on the couch like the bearded man told me I could. After a while Tig came out of the back. He smiled when he saw me.

“Hey doll. You been waiting long?” He asked.

“No about 10 minutes. Some guy with a beard and a beanie told me I could wait here.” I told him. He chuckled.

“That's Opie.” He told me.

“He seems nice.” I said. He nodded and sat down next to me.

“Yeah he's a good dude.” He told me. “I talked to Gemma last night.”

“What did she say?” I asked.

“She said that she’s fine with it. She can always use an extra pair of hands.” He told me. “She wanted to know if you could start in the next two, three days.”

“Yeah I can do that. When will I meet her?” I asked.

“Today, probably.” He said. “Some brothers from Tacoma are coming down to help us with something. We’re having a party tonight, wanna come doll?”

“I want to see Kip first but as long as someone is with him.” I told him.

“Juice was with him last night but I think that Gemma said she’d stay with him tonight because of the party.” He told me.

“That would be nice of her. Thank you for everything.” I hugged him. He hugged back.

“Aye Tiggy didn’t the lad say not to hit on his sister.” Chibs voiced sounded from the entryway to the hallway. I pulled back from Tig and found Chibs glaring at Tig.

“It was a friendly hug brother. Completely harmless.” Tig smiled at Chibs.

“Aye I bet ya slimey bastard.” Chibs said. Tig chuckled and Chibs went behind the bar and grabbed a bar. “Ya want one love?”

“No, I’m going to see Kip soon and then I’ll be back for the party tonight. What time does it start?” I asked them.

“It will probably get going about 10 or 11. Gemma will probably be there at about 9. Stop by anytime you want doll.” Tig told me.

“Thank you guys. I’ll see you later.” I told them bye and then headed to back to the hospital to spend time with Kip. I told Juice he could go home when I showed up and then I stayed with Kip until Gemma showed up. After that I went home and got changed for the party. Kip told me that there was going to be a lot of croweaters there and how everything normally went.

I put on a blue dress, the top part plunged down between my boobs and the back part was just straps until it got to my ass. I put on blue strappy heels and makeup. After that I curled my hair. Once I was finished I headed to TM. By the time I got there the party was already in full motion.

People were everywhere, some in the parking lot, some in coming or going from the clubhouse, hell some were even in cars from the way one was rocking. I looked around for a familiar face. When I didn’t see anyone that I knew outside, I decided to head in.

“Haven’t seen you around before. You a Tacoma bitch?” Some blonde wearing way too short and too tight of clothing with a fake fur coat on asked me.

“No I’m not a “Tacoma bitch” as you so eloquently put it.” I said to her.

“Sweetie this is for invited guests only. So if you ain’t here to suck someone’s cock then you better leave.” She said and gave me a sneer. I bit my lip and stepped closer to her.

“I am an invited guest and unlike you,” I gave her a once over. “I didn’t need to fuck my way to a pity invite.”

“What the fuck did you just say to me? Do you know who I am?” She asked and stood up from her spot on the bench.

“Hmmm let me guess, you are the child your mother wishes she would have aborted.” I said and flashed her a sweet smile. Some people in the crowd around us Oohed. This must of pissed her off because her face turned a bright shade of red and she glared at me and put her hands on her hips.

“I’m Imma, bitch.” She told me.

“Great! I don’t care. And is bitch really the best comeback you have? Anyways, I have something better to do with my time then spend it talking to a white trash cum dump.” I said and turned around to walk into the clubhouse.

“Don’t fucking walk away from me!” Imma screeched and then grabbed my hair. She yanked it back hard and I nearly lost my balance. Fuck! That hurt. I elbowed her in the ribs hard and she let go of my hair as she groaned loudly. I turned around and faced her just as she was straightening back up.

“That the best you got?” I asked her.

“Not even close bitch!” She yelled and then went to punch me in the face. I easily grabbed her wrist and brought her arm around to her back. I took a fistful of her hair and slammed her face into the picnic table. I slammed it down again and her nose was gushing blood. She shoved her heel into my ankle and I let go of her hair and arm. Once I had let go of her, she turned around quickly and clawed my face with her other hand.

“Fuck!” I touched my forehead right above my eye and brought my hand down. Blood covered it and I growled and tackled Imma to the ground. I started punching her hard in the face over and over again. I let out a yell of anger as someone wrapped their arm around my waist and lifted me up and off her. I struggled in the person’s arms and took pleasure in the sight of the bitch’s face bloody and banged up.

The person didn’t let go of me as they walked into the clubhouse and down the hallway. They stopped at a door and opened it to lead into a bedroom. I heard the door shut and lock behind me and finally they let me go. I spun on the person to find Chibs standing there with his hands up.

“Oh! Easy lass.” He told me with a smile. I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest.

“Why the hell did you take me away?” I asked.

“Because you were going to kill that nasty gash.” He told me. “Now sit, I need to patch ya up.” I grumbled but sat on the bed. He went to the bathroom and came back with a first aid kit. He pushed my hair back and started patching me up.

“Thank you.” I said softly.

“Aye no problem, love.” He smiled at me. “None of these are that deep but some may scar.”

“Guess we’ll match then huh?” I smiled at him. He chuckled.

“Aye, guess we will.” He finished after a couple minutes. When he was down he lightly brushed my hair back again. “Still beautiful love.” I blushed and smiled at him. He smiled back and I stared at him for a moment before lightly cupping his cheek. I ran my thumb over his scar softly. I looked up and saw him staring at me. I blushed and went to pull my hand away until he put his hand over mine and intertwined our fingers.

He leaned forward and kissed me softly. I kissed back and his arm wrapped around my waist to pull me closer to him. I moaned softly and kissed him harder. He moved us so that way my back was laying on the bed and he was ontop of me. His hand went from my back to my thigh. I pushed him up a little bit and he looked down at me in concern.

“You alright, love? Ya want me to stop?” He pulled up more. I giggled at his concern and shook my head no.

“God don’t stop, please. I just need to know something.” I wrapped my legs around his waist and he smirked.

“Aye and what’s that love?” He asked.

“Were you jealous of Tig?” I asked. His smirk fell and he scowled slightly.

“Aye I didn’t like Tiggy touching you or flirting with you. You’re mine now love.” He told me with a slight growl in his voice before kissing me so hard I thought my lips would bruise. Kip was not going to be happy with us.

~Sorry about being so late. I started a job so writing time has been cut back. I should be able to work it out soon though. Hope you enjoy! @amazingmackenzieisnotonfire~

#chibs telford #chibs soa #chibs imagine #chibs x reader #soa #soa imagine #sons of anarchy #sons of anarchy imagine #half sack

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the-scot-blog1 · 8 years ago

Photo

Scrolling through Twitter one afternoon, I stumbled upon an amazing little feature by blogger Liam McNally – he had posted a text post with a number of different film titles from each year of his life. Bloody brilliant.

So I’ve decided to give it a go. I’ve been on this wonderful planet for almost 19 years now, and although I wasn’t alive for the release of Jurassic Park, there have been a fair few phenomenal films in my lifetime.

This is my longest post to date – I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. (2730 words – bloody hell).

1998: Pleasantville

Oh my God. I didn’t realise how difficult this post was until I searched ‘1998 films’ into Google. The Trueman Show, Saving Private Ryan and The Wedding Singer all in the one year? God, anyone alive and kicking back then must have been having the best year of their lives.

But despite the 10 minute long decision process, I’ve decided on Pleasantville. I watched it when I was very young and hadn’t ever worn a bra, much less watched anything like that bath scene. Despite my mortified eyes however, the film will always be one of my favourites. I remember seeing the main character for the first time and just constantly thinking god, this is a weird film for Spiderman and Elle Woods to be in.

1999: 10 Things I Hate About You

Again, this year is bloody difficult. The Iron Giant, The Mummy and Toy Story 2 – they just don’t make films like them anymore. Although I wasn’t a fan of Star Wars Episode 1 – it has to be one of my least favourites. Anyway.

10 Things I Hate About You was one of the first chick-flicks I ever watched. I knew Heath Ledger as ‘the strangely cute singing guy from that movie’ before I knew him as the Joker. I felt like I related to Kat – I wasn’t big on getting a boyfriend, and I was pretty much destined to be a wee bit strange since birth. Plus her name is so cool.

2000: X-Men

At the time of watching, I was right into Harry Potter. I loved the idea of special schools dedicated to supernatural people – it made my own secondary school even more boring. I’d often just sit in class and daydream about being able to fly or have the ability to imitate people.

But in all honesty, the one person I was most envious of was Quicksilver. And not because I wanted to save the world or any of that pish. No. When I sat in my third year physics class, the smells from the cafeteria always decided to sneak up the vent and attack my nostrils. I would get so unbelievably hungry, and my stomach would always tell my classmates just that. So I used to daydream about running faster than time, sprinting down into the dining hall, grabbing a steaming hot spicy chicken panini (and maybe some soup, if I could manage) and munching it before heading back up to class. Yeah – I wanted superpowers so I could eat my lunch early.

2001: The Princess Diaries

AH. I’ve got a feeling film directors are deliberately messing with me right now. Legit, I had a look at the films from 2001, and I was floored. What an amazing year. The first Harry Potter movie came out this year – the beginning of an absolute era. Shrek debuted as well – but I was always slightly offended when people heard my Scottish accent and compared me to a giant green ogre when I travelled abroad. The first Lord of the Rings film came out as well – see what I mean about them messing with me?

But despite all of my favourite film franchises beginning in this year, I gotta say, the Anne Hathaway/Julie Andrews combo that is The Princess Diaries absolutely stole my heart. I had never related to a character more – I had frizzy hair, buck teeth, oversized glasses and a tendency to prioritise spending time with my cat over hanging out with real-life friends. So when she went through her beautiful princess transformation, I was floored. I mean, I’m still waiting for that to officially happen, but I’m still holding out hope that I have a long lost relative that’s gonna tell me I’m a princess (no, not you mum).

2002: The Pianist

Originally, I had written the first Spiderman as my favourite film of 2002. But that quickly changed.

The first time I watched The Pianist, I was 13 years old in a stuffy history classroom. I still hold the belief that this was definitely not the right time to watch this film. It felt as though my teacher didn’t have any material to convey how horrific the Holocaust really was, and so instead she stuck on one of the most distressing and hauntingly beautiful films of all time. I didn’t fully appreciate it back then – I cried when I watched the horrors that took place in the ghettos, and got even more upset when immature people around me started to laugh.

But I watched it for a second time a few years later. Although I cried again, I gained a much deeper understanding of the film. I still listen to the soundtrack when I want to write a particularly moving or sad chapter of a book. The film has such a disgusting beauty to it, it is astounding – it makes me question my morals when I say it is one of my favourite films.

2003: Peter Pan

Again, there were so many amazing films this year – I can’t explain my guilt at not choosing Finding Nemo or the last instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

But I found my first love in the live-action remake of Peter Pan. Just a few years after it was released, I found myself watching it time and time again. I was young, and there was a boy with messy hair and a fairy to keep him company. Honestly, I was head over heels. I grew to absolutely despise Wendy Darling. How dare she take away my Peter, with her stupid bow and annoying accent. And the fact that Lucius Malfoy was Captain Hook just made it that little bit better.

2004: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

You’re lying if you say that this isn’t one of your favourite films.

Again, it was tricky not choosing The Incredibles or Mean Girls – even The Notebook made it to my shortlist. But the way the Weasley twin’s hair sat and the introduction of the marauders just made my life complete. Except for Pettigrew. Fuck you, Pettigrew. I’d read the book before I saw the film, and while I was slightly disappointed with the previous two, I didn’t stop talking about PoA for months. In fact, I still talk about it. It’s great.

2005: Sky High

This year was going to be beautifully simple – I absolutely love Star Wars Episode III. In fact, it was possibly the only film I was certain of when I started this post. But, never the less, I looked at the list of 2005 films anyway, and was reminded of the best thing I’ve ever watched. Ever.

Remember earlier in the post when I said that I frickin LOVE schools for supernatural people? WELL HERE WE GO AGAIN. I watched Sky High recently with my friend Ross, and even although the acting was abysmal and my cringe levels were off the chart, I couldn’t help but smile. As if the flying school bus wasn’t enough, the euphoria I felt when Will and Warren won Save the Citizen was something I don’t think I’ll ever feel again.

2006: Pan’s Labyrinth

I feel like if I choose any film other than this, my Spanish teacher would kill me. Again, it’s another film that we watched at way too young an age in my opinion. Sure, it looks all mystical with fairies and creepy monsters with eyeball hands, but it has this underlying story-line of the horrors of war and escapism that you can’t fully understand until you’re a bit older.

I watched it again when I was 17 and studying Advanced Higher Spanish, and knew the film as ‘El Laberinto del Fauno’. I could go on for 20 minutes about this film and its director (which I did by the way, in the final exam).

2007: Ratatouille

WHAT A FILM BTW. I’ve always loved Disney – my sister and I would spend nights staying up way past our 8pm bedtime watching Aladdin and Peter Pan, with a fair few stolen After Eight mints from my mum’s bedroom too. This film just completely blew me away – the animation was new and cool and it was set in PARIS.

Even now, ten years later (omg ten years wtf) I still think about the scene where Remy combines the cheese and grapes, and little fireworks and swirls form in his mind. I once ate a McDonald’s chip and then took a sip of my strawberry milkshake, and legit I’m pretty sure that’s what happened in my mind.

2008: The Chronicles of Narnia – Prince Caspian

Enter stage left – my second love. At the age of nine, Prince Caspian had everything I could ever want in a guy (or so I thought). He had a sword, long hair, an accent I had never heard before and he fought Peter Pevensie (I seem to hate a whole lot of Peters).

I thought it was the coolest combination of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, and it was while watching this that I began to have a crisis about my true Hogwarts house. I had always thought myself a Gryffindor – I had the scarf, the pens and the egotistical ‘I’m-better-than-you’ attitude that all young Gryffs seem to adopt. But I found myself siding with Edmund Pevensie about a whole lot of things. I didn’t fully accept Slytherin as my true house till a good few years later.

2009: Star Trek

I watched Star Trek before I even touched Star Wars, and I was absolutely hooked. It was what introduced me to science fiction, really. After Star Trek, I moved onto Doctor Who, and although I couldn’t really get into the Star Trek TV series, I found my love of sci-fi growing.

It was my love of Star Trek that caused me to accidentally find Star Wars. My brother would constantly go on about C3PO and lightsabers, and I decided very early on that it wasn’t for me. But after trying (and failing) to find Star Trek online, I accidentally found Star Wars instead, and thus began my love of the Skywalkers and giant wookies named Chewy.

2010: How To Train Your Dragon

Other than Aladdin, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was one of my first (of many) cartoon crushes. I thought he was the most adorable lil guy ever – he was clumsy, dorky, and absolutely loved animals. He was perfect. I thought the animation was absolutely incredible, and the Scottish accents were just a bonus. I much preferred being compared to Gerard Butler than a green ogre, in all honesty.

And don’t even get me started on how he looked in How To Train Your Dragon 2 – oaft.

2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two

HPDHP2 is right up there with the Prisoner of Azkaban. I remember heading to the midnight release of the last Harry Potter book – I was decked out in a Scream robe that we’d stitched a Gryffindor badge onto, with curly hair that reached my shoulders. And yes, I won the costume contest. But I remember staying up that night and reading the book until 7am, and having to head to school the next day without a wink of sleep. And yet I didn’t care – I had just finished the last book in a series that completely shaped my childhood.

So when the movie hit the cinema screens, I was praying that I wouldn’t be disappointed like I was with some of the others. And apparently, my prayers were answered. Even although the Deathly Hallows is split into two parts, I always consider them the one film. And it’s most certainly my favourite.

2012: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This film really got to me. I bundled up in warm clothes to see it in the cinema with my friend Ailish, and it was the first ever film I had cried at. I’d read the book before hand and cried my eyes out, but the severity and meaning of the story didn’t hit me until I watched the film. Logan Lerman and Emma Watson were two of my favourite stars at the time: I knew Emma from Harry Potter obviously, whilst Logan stole my heart as Percy Jackson.

But what struck me most was the way I related to these characters. I often found myself standing next to the wall in school dances, watching people having a good time but being physically incapable of joining in – it was as if my feet were constantly glued to the floor. It was comforting to know that I wasn’t alone in this, and it lead to me being able to open up to my guidance teacher about my struggles with anxiety.

I also wrote about the original book in my piece ’13 books to help get over a break up’ – check it out.

2013: The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug

When the making of the Hobbit was first announced, I was ecstatic. But my excitement somewhat wavered when I heard they were turning into three films. It was a small book – tiny in comparison to the three Lord of the Rings texts – how on earth would they stretch this wonderfully small work into three different films?

And yet somehow, they managed it, and subsequently made one of my favourite films of all time. Why, you ask? The barrel scene.

2014: Guardians of the Galaxy

Not gonna lie, this one was a toss up between the hilarious Chris Pratt and the absolutely adorable Baymax. But, as much as I love Disney’s tale of superpowers and love therapy in Big Hero 6, it didn’t win this year for me. The best thing about the film is without a doubt the soundtrack – even four years later, I still listen to it when I wanna get psyched.

I wanted to cosplay as Gamora for last year’s MCM Comic Con in Glasgow so bad, but then I realised that I’d more than likely sweat off the green body paint and the leather would more than likely get quite uncomfortable.

2015: Star Wars – The Force Awakens

Up until 2015, I was losing interest in Star Wars. I’d watched the films countless times, but as much as I adored them, I couldn’t stop thinking about the shabby effects. So when Finn, Poe and Rey lit up my local cinema screen in December 2015, it was as if I was born again. I suddenly dived back into the world of lightsabers and gun-wielding Wookies, and I genuinely haven’t looked back since.

And although I cried my eyes out when that thing happened, I agreed with it – it was about time.

2016: Finding Dory

I actually travelled Australia for a month last year – I left school and just decided to get away from everything and everyone for a little while. So after I met my brother and we began to explore Sydney, we decided what better place to watch the latest instalment in Finding Nemo than the place where it’s set??

I was slightly disappointed to find out that Nemo and Dory did not, in fact, stay in Sydney for the duration of the film, but even so – it was just amazing.

I was going to write a segment for 2017 but then I realised – I legit haven’t watched any new releases yet. I’ve simply not had any time. And yes, that means that I haven’t even watched the new Beauty and the Beast. For shame.

But even although I haven’t watched anything yet, there are tonnes of films that I’m looking forward to – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Spiderman Homecoming, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi to name a few.

Hey, maybe I’ll revisit this post at the end of the year and add in my favourite film.

I’m tagging the fantastic Emily and Lucie in the ‘Film for every year of my life’ tag.

What are your most loved films from these years? Do we share any favourites? Or do you think my choices are just downright wrong? Let me know!

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18 films in 18 years: My favourite stories since I was born was originally published on Ellan

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