#happy birthday Jon I hope it's a good one for ya!

[korn-maze]

Happy Birthday JD!

[aceofm0x]

There wouldn't be another soul on the planet that would be petty enough to pull out candles, but not only candles no, candles that were pink. Jon's hand palmed his face in hopes to hide the laugh he wanted to let out. "Ya little shit." He said a loud while he side smiled once hands both fell into his lap and shook his head. /you deserve it/. Did he? A celebration for simply being alive always made him chuckle in amusement of how stupid that is once you hit the age of ten. Mox is a realist most times than not. "Never sang me happy birthday." A sly grin appearing on scruffy cheeks. "I guess I'll let it slide since ya got the candles." He winked before keeping pale blues on the darker hues watching him back- blowing out the fire. No wish asked for, but fuck what he wouldn't do to give into these urges he's had since being invited this weekend. One plastic candle removed to hold out to Colby and one for himself to lick excess frosting on the bottom tip. ".. shit, this frosting is good all by itself."

continued @copiious / blackoutrollins

Taco pizza. Non-alcoholic beers. Cake(because his best friend insisted on it since it's his birthday). They arrived back at the younger mans place in no more than thirty minutes, the sun was starting to set already. New time changes were something he never could get use to, like jet lag isn't enough for the thirty eight year old man who feels eighty. "Taco pizza, huh? I remember ya always talkin'bout it when we were ridin' the roads back in 2013. Never made my ass over here enough to actually go through with tryin' it." Mox slid off the hoodie, going bare chested with his darkened jeans still on as he plopped beside the Iowan. A cold can of suds are popped open to take a couple gulps. The mans mouth running dry from the travel day. "If I had known these were a choice- I woulda stopped drinkin' years ago. Same taste. Just don't feel like you're on'a never ending rollercoaster for days on end."

[huntingingoodwill]

happy birthday !!!! idk if im early or late or on time so i hope you have a really good bday! treat yourself, because you deserve it! 🖤🖤 will you accept my jonathan crane and robert fischer headcanons as a bday present? 😢 (me asking this like i just got on my knee and asked for your hand)

dear jonny loves when he's the center of his darling's attention. i feel like if his darling upsets him or he's mad at her, she'd desperately do anything to make it up to him. she'd be groveling the whole time and feeling upset, and this little man...he'd be milking it the whole time. ya, he'd sit there pouting and being grumpy and looking away while darling continues to cover his face and his neck in kisses, but secretly he's literally dying. inside he's all like 🤯😝🤪😍😘😏🔥 if that makes sense. he'd give her the silent treatment and she'd just be so upset and eager to please him. he'd come home from work, and she'd immediately throw herself at him, hugging and kissing him, telling him she's so sorry. and silly little jon is just indifferent to it, even though he is literally EATING it up.

as for robert, i don't know why but i feel like him and his fiance would have like a private bachelor/bachelorette party with just the two of them. and this party, robert really lets loose because it's his girl, what is he if he's not open with her? he'd REALLYYYY go wild. he's be singing ABBA at the top of his lungs, dancing on tables, and even stripping (stripper robert in a firefighter costume is literally killing me right now im so sorry 😭) future mrs. fischer would just laugh hysterically and even throw her bra at him like people do at concerts. it definitely is one of the best nights of her life because shes never seen robbie act this way and frankly, she's fallen even more in love with him!

thats all i have for today </3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN !!! i love birthdays, im so excited for yours! i hope you eat lots of cake and do everything your heart desires <3 much love !!!

-🦇

send me hcs :)))

rpat anon mon frère i love you!!!

thanks so much for the wishes and the hc 💕 ily and of course i’ll accept 🤧 i love your hcs please keep sendin them in. you always make my day :,)

jonathan being toxic + emotionally manipulative and robert being cute below the cut

absolutely. i mentioned something similar in a yan alphabet response (tumblr and its tags refuse to work, perhaps it’s lost to the world now. i mourn it.) jon's used to secretly pining and having his world revolve around darling so any reciprocation makes him want to scream. so he takes advantage, because he’s... well... a bad person! jon's really stubborn. he already puts on a fairly cold front but when he’s mad it’s brutal. silent treatment, a lot of brushing by darling or just watching them across the room, then looking away when they look back at him. he's mastered the icy, condescending look and it's an immediate indicator that something's wrong, and it makes darling's heart sink. he knows how to amp up the hurt and push the blame fully onto darling and make them feel sooo guilty. they'd try so hard to get back into his good books. puppy dog eyes, pouting, extra affection (tons of kisses, hugs, darling suddenly becomes extra clingy. very much tugging on his sleeve.), bringing him lunch- it makes him melt. he wants so badly to fall at their feet like YES IT'S OKAY I LOVE YOU 😭 but he makes them wait. it’s torturous. they'll hug him, burying their head in his chest, mumbling "i'msorryi'msorryi'msorry", clutching onto his sweater. nothing. for days. he may even slowly remove their arms from around his waist and leave. but one day he’ll very slowly hug them back. as a gift. darling's so relieved as he's finally not mad at them, and jon's even more relieved because though he loves the attention, he's been aching to reciprocate it. he's probably the type to lecture them after- "it's all for your own good" (condescending, as always). he explains while holding them, wiping away their tears. he's suddenly so gentle, so comforting, so kind. manipulative.

s t o p. that's so cute. i've always thought about what rob would be like at parties (i had an imagine planned where he's at a house party but i put it on hold. idk if anyone would want that?? lmao lmk ig) he's a little shy and acts serious (busy businessman things) - but i think he's got a bit of a silly sense of humour and can cut loose in the right setting- if his s.o. works with him they'd cajole him into going to the office christmas party and he'd just stand there like 🙃 with a little party hat on his head. downer. but in private!! him drunk with a wide smile and flushed pink cheeks. he'd totally wear his tie around his head as a headband, shirt unbuttoned. drunk businessman chic!!! he's my lil rockstar actually, and he'd do a disco medley for his number one fan. his voice cracking as he tries to reach the high notes in the bee gees songs>>> so many slurred lyrics, clumsy saturday night fever inspired dancing, and "you're so pretty." "no, you're pretty!" flying around all night. they'd rent a karaoke room, one of those bougie private ones with drinks, snacks, fancy mics and cool party lighting. and a great view of the city. stumbling home with each other, arms around each other's shoulders, singing and dancing in the street. couple of the century.

thank you so much rpat anon!! ily ily

[homeofjonicles]

The Jonicles - Entry 14

Note: This is the fourteenth entry of The Jonicles, hence why the date does not match when this is being posted. This was written back in June of this year before I started this blog, and there will be errors or developments in how this series was being written. Please enjoy (or don't enjoy) the fourteenth entry of The Jonicles!

It is currently the 19th of June, 2022 on a Sunday at 5:26 pm, a very special day for Garfield fans and the fat cat himself! It's also day #32 of my Jon Arbuckle hyperfixation, and behind me is a stack of multiple of my dad's Garfield comic books (and one Peanuts book for shits and giggles), and I'm currently reading "Garfield: A Weekend Away" which was published in 1986.

Oh boy, it's here! It's Garfield's birthday today! Now, it may be strange for me to celebrate the birthday of a fictional character and be so excited about it, but before you call someone up for a welfare check on me, just listen for a tick.

Garfield, as silly as a it sounds, is quite important to me. He never dominated my childhood but he was definitely an important part of it. I distinctly remember often watching two specials from Garfield And Friends as a kid, which were the Halloween special and Garfield In The Rough, and I really enjoyed those. I remember watching Garfield Gets Real, and as terrifying as it is to watch now, I also enjoyed watching that movie as well. Heck, I even remember having this Garfield plush and he was in a little pirate outfit (it wasn't the same outfit he wore in the special, he had this little black eyepatch and a red and white striped shirt instead), and thinking about him makes me feel so nostalgic. And that stack of Garfield comics? I read all of those too, baby. And although it's more faint now as they've collected so much dust on the shelf downstairs, I still recall that oh-so familiar smell of 80s paper, and I feel a little calmer every time i get a whiff of it... It's not a high, I swear, you don't need to get a welfare check for me..!

Anyway, the point is, Garfield is special to me because he's not only a charming and adorable cat (although that's definitely a big factor in it, haha), but he reminds me of childhood. He makes me feel good because he reminds me of simpler, happier and more surreal times. In fact, reading some of these comics now feels so surreal because I was so young, a part of me thought I'd never see them again and I've forgotten some of them. But even reading the ones I don't remember so well or the ones I only partly remember means a lot to me because of that same feeling of nostalgia and comfort. The comic may be pretty mundane and admittedly not as funny or charming nowadays as it was back in the 80s or even early 90s, but I still feel happy checking in to read the most recent Garfield comic and feeling a bit of that same excitement I had as a kid when I sat down and read the comics and watched the TV specials we had. It's such a small thing, but just seeing my favourite cartoon cat, my favourite cartoon dog and my favourite cartoon cat owner/cartoonist onscreen or on a page fills me with so much joy. I may laugh and make fun of the more recent Garfield media (especially Garfield Gets Real, ESPECIALLY that), but I really do enjoy their prescence, and it means a lot to have been able to experience something so wholesome and fun as Garfield And Friends as a kid, and it feels great to have the little cat be a part of my childhood, no matter how big or small. Happy birthday, Garfield. I hope that whatever cheesy gag they use for your special day this year, it's a good one. You deserve it, buddy. Thank you for enhancing my childhood, along with Jon (love ya Jon <3), Odie, Lyman, Liz, Nermal, Arlene and all the others. It truly does mean the world.

Last edited at 6:28 pm, and i need to mention the fact that while i was looking through my dad's Garfield comics, i cam across a couple of pages where i apparently had drawn a little egg person holding onto a bird that was carrying Garfield away, but i also had apparently scribbled out bits of Jon's face??? and on one panel he is completely censored???? like it's just the silhouette of him??????? i have no memory of doing this help!?!?!?!? (something tells me ihatejonarbuckle would like the censored Jon panel...)

Don't have much to say here without repeating what i wrote in this entry... Garfield as a whole is just so special to me, as many things from my childhood are. The Garfield Halloween special and Garfield In The Rough still hold up as my favourites today, and my dad probably enjoyed those a lot too when they were first made, and he probably wanted to spread that joy onto me. And well, it worked! I'm a crazy Garfield fan now, haha!

Happy late birthday Garf. Hope you had a good one.

P.S. Here're the panels I scribbled on as a kid!

As you can see, poor Jon is not completely censored, but four year old me definitely made an effort. And is it just me, or is that egg person a little... creepy? I drew a lot of little egg people getting brutally killed and maimed and generally in a lot of distress as a kid, but I think it's the eyes that unease me. Also, the fact that this is probably the oldest drawing I still have that I did is hilarious, it's just me unknowingly vandalising a Garfield book. There's also one where I've taken a panel of Pooky without his eyes and drew them back on, I might post that one by itself as a bonus post or something, it's great. These strips are from the "I Hate Mondays" book, by the way. It's the second one in the series my dad collected.

Cheers,

Your Local Jonnoisseur

Posted on the 22nd of July, 2022 at 8:30 pm.

[inkdrawndreamer]

Get Your Ghost: MoF! Jonathan Crane x Librarian! Reader 2 (gender-neutral)

Told ya I’d do another one.

I’m not 100% on it but overall I’m satisfied with how this part turned out. It’s meant to be the sequel to my previous MoF Jon x reader fic, but it can also be read as a stand-alone story.

Many thanks to @justasimplesinner and @gender-hoarder-xtreme for encouraging me to actually finish these stories. I’m also dedicating this part to @bewarethebadger. Happy belated birthday hon ^_^

To call it a bad day would be an understatement.

 The worst part is that he should have seen it coming: why else would Sherry Squires of all people agree to go out with him if not to tear him down a little more? He had been skeptical at first, but decided to shut down the more logical, more hurt part of his brain because goddamn it, he wanted this. Why couldn't he let a good thing be, just this once?

 He should have known it was too good to be true.

 He does not actually know where he's going at this point. He just wanted to get away from the party. The autumn breeze is brisk, which makes the liquid running down his neck all the more difficult to ignore. He picks the pumpkin guts out of his hair while he walks, flinging another bit onto the sidewalk with each new step. He feels the urge to cry gnawing at the back of his throat, but he forces it down. He can at least keep them from claiming that victory, not that it would be worth much after everything else they put him through.

 Another gust of wind rattles his limbs almost as much as it shakes the trees overhead.

 I'm a coward, he thinks. Just like Ichabod Crane fleeing a bully dressed in a cape and a carved gourd—and the worst part is that he walked right into it.

 He bites his tongue to keep from bursting, but the wind does a significantly better job of distracting him. His clothes were too light to keep out the cold even before he got covered in wet pumpkin shards. Like a moth to a flame, he finds himself searching for the nearest fluorescent light sticking out of the dark. He does not have to search for long.

 He hadn't intended to come to the library, but that is where his feet bring him. It makes sense; in the last few years it has become a safe harbor, full of places to hide and people who would just as soon leave him to his own devices as they would take him in. He never likes coming here after he gets knocked down, but he finds that licking his wounds here is significantly less embarrassing than doing it at home. It helps that the librarians rarely ask questions either. He puts his bandanna back on before going inside.

 The building is dimly lit, and he can't tell if it's for ambience or the result of yet another blown fuse. There are a couple of candles burning behind the front desk, so he is inclined to assume the former. At first, he tries to use the dark to his advantage, hoping to slip into the shadowed portion of the stacks without anyone knowing he is there.

 "Hello." 

 Unfortunately, you spot him right away. "Jon, is that you?"

 So much for being in disguise. He turns around, looking every bit as caught as he feels. He doesn't want to come out of the shadows, but you save him the trouble by getting up to meet him there.

 "I see you're already in the spirit," you say without an ounce of irony. "Nice pirate costume."

 "Thanks." He is so quiet that you can barely tell he's speaking.

 "How was the party? Did you already go?"

 He doesn't answer, but you know the look on his face all too well.

 "Are you okay?" You force yourself not to pry for details.

 He shakes his head.

 "Rough day?"

 He nods. You can't tell if his expression is more angry or wounded. It's going to be one of those nights. The library won't close for another two hours, but the building has been pretty much dead since trick or treating started. A few kids come to the library to get their candy, but most pass it over in favor of the rich neighborhood just down the street. You were honestly disappointed that there were so few people earlier. Decorating the atrium alone had taken you over a week.

 Jon helped make a few of the decorations, which was how you first found out about the party. He couldn't keep his mouth shut for long. The day he told you about it was probably the happiest you have ever seen him. In between cutting out paper bats and stringing up cheesecloth cobwebs, he told you all about Sherry Squires and how amazing it was that she said yes when he asked her out. You were happy for him—of course you were—but something about the situation rubbed you the wrong way. He had mentioned that she used to date the Griggs guy who always gave him hell. It sounded like she had taken part in the bullying too, but you could never be sure, and asking him directly felt like an overstep. Whatever misgivings you had at the time, you decided to keep them to yourself, and considering his current state, you think it would be best to continue doing so. Saying "I told you so" would just be kicking him while he's down.

 For now, you only try to coax him toward the atrium. You can keep an eye on the desk from there, and frankly, you would be shocked if anyone else walked in at this point. Getting Jon to follow you is more difficult than usual, as he insists on sidestepping you every time you look at him. His back is ramrod straight as he sits down, and he keeps his hands in his lap the whole time. You leave just long enough for a trip to the coffee maker, and return with a couple of hot styrofoam cups.

 “I’m sorry to say, but this place will probably stay empty until closing,” you sigh. “Seems like we’ll be the only ones admiring our handiwork here.”

He glances around the adorned ceiling. “It turned out nice.”

 “It really did.” You take a thoughtful sip of your coffee. “Thanks for helping me get everything up. You did a better job in ten minutes than I could have in an hour.”

 He shrugs. “Sometimes being tall comes in handy.”

 “It certainly helped me out. I should bug you to volunteer here more often.”

 You can’t be sure if he starts coughing because of what you said or something else, but you are up and circling him as soon as he starts, patting his back to ease him through it. 

 He flinches away before he regains his breath all the way. “I’m fine!” he says hoarsely.

 It’s only after you take your hand off him that you realize your fingers are sticky. “What’s this?”

 He practically leaps out of his seat, but you steal a look at his back before he can dodge you. 

 “It’s nothing!” he says quickly.

 You move the substance around between your fingers. “Are these seeds?”

 He crosses his arms over his chest, but he does not look at you. “I fell.”

“Okay?” As much as you want to, you know that it’s probably best not to ask. Clearly things didn’t go well at the party, and you don’t want to embarrass him any more. “You can clean up in the break room if you want.”

 He mumbles something under his breath.

 “What?”

 “I said my shirt’s soaked.” He furrows his brow in concentration like he wants to make himself disappear.

 “I have a jacket in my locker.”

 He starts to protest, but you are gone before he can try. With the utmost reluctance, he follows you toward the break room. All you hear is the bathroom door slamming shut behind you to indicate his presence. You take a minute to clear the coins and receipts from your coat pockets before you hand it to him from outside the door. It has always been large on you, so you hope it will at least be long enough to cover him all the way. When he eventually comes out of the bathroom, you see that your sleeves only end about halfway down his forearm. His bandanna is gone and his hair is soaking wet as if he just washed it. Peering over his shoulder, you make a note to yourself to clean up the pumpkin guts in the sink before closing time.

 “Sorry it’s kind of small on you,” you say as you head toward the small kitchen next door. “It’s pretty warm though.”

 He flops down in one of the ratty easy chairs on either side of the room.

 “You want anything to eat? There are some leftovers from the board meeting yesterday.”

 “No thanks.” He picks absentmindedly at the tattered armrest.

 You come out of the kitchen empty-handed. “Well, I have to get back to the desk soon, so you can’t stay back here. You can hang out in the atrium a bit longer if you want.”

 He grumbles something unintelligible. You leave the door open behind you as you go, but he doesn’t budge. The front desk is just as quiet as you left it. The TV behind the desk plays the usual slideshow of photos and program dates. The only sounds in the building are the drawl of the heater and the faint buzz of fluorescent bulbs. You glance at the clock overhead, but there is still more than an hour to go before your shift ends. 

 Between the boredom and Jon pouting, you aren’t sure if you can stand the quiet that long. You spot your forgotten coffee in the atrium and make a beeline for it, nearly bumping into a display on the way there. Looks like your decorations were not the only ones going unappreciated. The cobweb-laden dvd rack is still completely full, and it gives you an idea.

 “Hey Susan!” You don’t see your boss nearby, but she doesn’t wait long to appear. “You mind if I put a horror movie on up at the front?”

 She shoots you a questioning look. “I know this time of night can get boring, but we can’t get too comfortable in case somebody else comes in.”

 You try not to roll your eyes. “We’ve had maybe three patrons in the last two hours and there is literally only one now. Please?” You clutch the nearest dvd case to your chest hopefully. “It would help everyone stay awake.”

 She lets out a resigned sigh. “Okay, but whatever you pick has to be pg-13 or below. In case any kids show up.”

 “Unless you’ve been hoarding king-size snickers in your office, I think we’ll be fine.” It’s a small victory, but you can’t help being excited. You make an enthusiastic dive toward the dvd rack and begin scrounging for something decent. There isn’t much, truth be told. Most of what you find is either too gory to show or flat-out bad.

 “What on earth are you doing?” Jon’s voice is a pleasant surprise, even if it’s sudden presence makes you jolt.

 “Looking for a pg-13 horror movie that isn’t also painful to watch.”

 “Doesn’t sound that hard.”

 “We don’t have many oldies, and the ones we do have aren’t even good enough for a laugh, much less a scare.”

 You can feel him rolling his eyes before he actually stoops down beside you. “I’ve seen most of the horror you have here, and I guarantee that’s not true.”

 “You find something then, if you’re such a pro.”

 His knuckles snap like tree branches when he cracks them. “Fine then, move over.”

 You don’t appreciate being shoved aside, but he already has a few cases in hand before you can say a word. He fans them out in front of you like a hand of playing cards. “Pick one,” he says with the most bored expression you’ve ever seen.

 A familiar title catches your eye. “The Blob? I’ve seen this one before. Not bad, but it’s pretty gory.”

 “No, you saw the remake.” He lets out an indignant little huff. “This is the original.”

 “Is it any good?”

 “Not really, but it’s fun, and the special effects are horrible.”

 “Sold.” You swipe the case from his hands and motion for him to follow you to the front desk. The song that plays over the title card is surprisingly jaunty. Despite his blank expression, you can hear Jon humming along with the title track. You don’t remember much about the version of the movie you watched before, but the cheap sets and props still manage to take you aback. Jon’s eyes don’t stray from the screen except to shoot you an inquisitive look.

 He notes your furrow and he frowns. “You don’t like it?”

 “I’m mostly just stumped trying to figure out how old this lead character is supposed to be.”

 “Seventeen, I believe.”

 Your eyebrow goes up. “Bullshit. That guy’s not a day under thirty.”

 He nods. “I know. Somehow that part is less believable than the alien blob is.”

 “Yeah, you weren’t kidding about how bad the special effects are.”

 “So you don’t like it?”

 “Oh no, it’s great, but it’s also terrible.” He snickers under his breath at that, and you can’t help cracking a smile. “If you have any other awful finds like these, do tell.”

 For the first time that night, a smirk overtakes his lips. “Maybe a few.”

 Neither of you can’t help poking fun at it as you watch. The movie is bad, but it’s the most fun you’ve had all evening. Hearing Jon laugh and yell at the characters is refreshing after a long shift. It’s a far cry from how upset he was when he first came in. You get so invested that you almost miss the closing announcements. There are about twenty minutes left, but you reluctantly stop the film so you can clean your station before closing. You’re disappointed that you don’t get to watch the rest of it with Jon, but the last thing you need is to get reprimanded by your boss at the end of the night. 

 Jon is the only patron left by the time the library finally closes. He leaves with his wet shirt bundled in a plastic bag. You almost forgot he was wearing your jacket, but when he tries to give it back, you refuse.

 “I’m not going to catch a cold just waiting for the bus to show up.” He starts to shrug it off, but you grab the lapels and pull it back up over his shoulders. 

 “I can handle the ride home without it,” you tell him with a leer. He doesn’t say another word about it.

 His bus is supposed to show up any minute now, so you figure you might as well wait with him. You watch him rock back and forth on his heels. “Thanks for letting me stay,” he mutters.

 “Of course, I like when you come by,” you say. “Sorry we couldn’t finish the movie.”

 He only shrugs. “I’ve seen it a few times already. But I’ll come back if you want to see the end of it.”

 “Probably not while I’m on shift. But if you ever wanted to hang out sometime.”

 His voice is so quiet you can barely hear him. “I’d like that.”

 You smile as the bus pulls up. “Great, it’s a date then.”

 “Wait, what?” His voice shoots up an octave, and you have to resist the urge to laugh.

 You pull him into a one-armed hug as the bus doors swing open, burying his face in the crook of your shoulder momentarily. “One more thing.”

 He is beet red as he pulls away, clutching his bag to his torso. You stick a hand in your pocket and pull out a fistful of candy.

 “Since we didn’t get many trick-or-treaters, I figured nobody would mind if I snagged some.” He is silent as you drop the candy into his open bag. You turn away as the bus pulls up, still smiling his way. “Happy Halloween Jon.”

[mmazzeroo]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, @helloimnotawesome !!!

What do you do when your usual beta (yes, that's what I'm gonna call you) is celebrating her birthday? You of course write her a completely un-beta'ed story :D

This is a a birthday gift to my dear latino sis, Val. Lova ya, sis, to the moon and back!!! (is that too short? I'm not good with distance) I'm so lucky and blessed to have you in my life.

So..this was meant to be a one-shot, but since you know I haven't been at my best lately (for a while actually) I received firm instructions to not stress or overwhelm myself. Being me I always listen to instructions *cough cough* - ok so well, I did in this case. So sis, you're getting one part of your gift today and 2nd (and last) part by the end of the week? Fingers crossed.

Hope you enjoy! Sorry for being so late to the game <3 ---

Safest Place To Hide

"Can I hide under your jacket?"

Jon's hand paused just as the edge of the glass broached his lips. Sighing, he reluctantly placed the glass back down on the bar counter. He was about to give the woman a piece of his mind when a look at her amethyst eyes told him that this was not a failed attempt to make a pass at him; the fear he saw there was all too real as was the worry coating her voice. Without further hesitation Jon unbuttoned the tux jacket and invited her in.

She rushed in and wrapped her arms tight around his waist. Pressing her forehead against his chest she took a deep breath in what, to Jon, sounded and felt like a sigh of relief.

"I'm Daenerys," she whispered in a hurry.

Her hot shaky breathes seethed through the shirt leaving small burns on Jon’s skin.

Over the top of her head Jon noticed a tall man approach with a nonchalant smile plastered on his face. No doubt this man being the reason for the petite woman's nervousness. Jon could feel her shiver as she continued clinging to him.

Giving her a soft squeeze, Jon placed an index finger under her chin and gently lifted her face. Beautiful amethyst eyes brimming with unshed tears looked back at him. Jon answered with a reassuring smile and an unspoken promise. Placing a tender kiss on her forehead he said, "you're burning up, honey. We should get you home."

Startling Daenerys, the man behind her now cleared his throat.

Instantly Jon felt her tense up in his arms and her erratic, shallow breathing only confirmed his suspicions. The dark-haired man stared daggers at Jon but he paid him no mind; his focus was on the woman currently wrapped in his arms, and who was desperately clenching the back of his shirt in her tight little fists. Daenerys was now trembling. Knowing he had to get her away, Jon quickly removed his tux jacket and draped it around Daenerys' small shoulders.

Before Jon could move to guide her out of the ballroom, the man once again cleared his throat. His eyes small slivers of tightly controlled impatience and entitlement.

"Yes?"

"Daario Naharis," the dark-haired man smiled confidently and extended a hand towards Jon.

"Do we know each other?"

"We will; I have a propo—"

"—with all due respect, mr. Naharis, I was just about to take Dany here home." Jon wrapped a protective arm around Daenerys' shoulders. "She's not feeling well you see and we don't want other guests catching the bug. Enjoy your evening, sir."

With a curt nod in Daario's direction, Jon proceeded to escort Daenerys out of the ballroom.

Read the rest on AO3

[bards-witcher]

Today has shat on me so bad that I've been near tears about five times and it's only 1:30 pm can I please have a short little fluff thing with Ohm? I don't care if it's shippy, I just need something. It's okay if you're too busy for this, I understand ❤

I’m so sorry to hear that :’( If you ever want to talk you’re always free to message me and I hope your day starts getting to be better and I hope my fic helps :)

[Luke POV]

The sound of the front door

clicking shut brought them both to attention, both racing the other off of the

couch to greet Ohm who had just gotten back from his weekend away. Normally he

didn’t act out on his desperate need for Ohms’ attention but given that it was said

man’s birthday tomorrow he figured that he could indulge himself a little, and

clearly Jon agreed with him.

They both gave the shorter man

a tight hug, laughing when Ohm would try to bat them away when it got a little

too tight, Jon ignoring Ohms’ efforts entirely and lifting him up and over his

shoulder to carry him into the living room.

Ohm was more or less thrown

onto the couch causing another laugh from the youngest of the three at Ohms’

look and shriek of indignation, which was short lived when Ohm wrapped an arm

around his neck and started rubbing his hair, he couldn’t hold back his own laugh

even if he wanted too.

“Oh, you think it’s funny

Toonzy? Didn’t see you bothering to help”

Before he could so much as

blink Ohm was off of Jon and had rushed over to him before putting him into a

headlock, it was endearing at first and he was willing to indulge the smaller

man for a moment, but when he showed no signs of stopping he was quick to

escape the grasp around him, picking up Ohm once again and chucking him onto

the couch.

“You keep your ass there okay?

I see you out that seat and there ain’t nobody that can save you”

All Ohm did was put his hands

behind his head as he laid back against the couch, giving a nod of approval he

motioned to Jon to follow, casting one final look to a now smirking Ohm as they

made their way to the kitchen.

Jon wasted no time in getting

out the cake that they had spent the day making, four tiers of chocolatey

goodness that gave him toothache to even think about but he’s sure his friends

would happily consume.

He left Jon to light the

candles whilst he brought out their joint present, nothing big, more of a joke

really but he hopes to catch Ohm in it at least once before it’s relegated to

the bottom of the mans’ cupboard.

He helped Jon light up the last

few candles before the younger man carefully picked up the cake and made his

slow advance towards the living room. He quickly made his way in front of Jon,

dropping the present just by the door to peek into the room to see Ohm fiddling

around with the Tv.

“What the hell did I say about

staying on that couch”

The way Ohm jumped in place

was almost comical and he was lucky not to hit his head on the Tv when turning

to face him, dropping the remote by the Tv as he quickly scurried back onto the

couch, mumbled apologies leaving his lips.

“That’s what I though Bitch”

“You’re so mean Toonzy, you

and Del” His heart could melt at the pout Ohm threw his way, he’s not going to

deny that the younger man had both him and Del wrapped around his pinky finger,

not that they’d tell him that of course.

“Get your ass out the way” He

jumped a little at the voice right behind him, earning a small giggle from both

Jon and Ohm before moving out of the way, letting the man make his way into the

room to the beginning tunes of happy birthday.

He was quick to join in,

enjoying the sparkle in Ohms eyes as he realised what his friends had done for

him. After the smaller man had blown out the candles he’d barely let Jon put

the cake down before wrapping him into a hug and dragging him onto the couch

with him. It quickly turned ugly, Ohm not above tickling the younger man to

keep him close, leaving said man helpless but to cry for help.

It was nice to watch someone

else be on the receiving end of Ohms’ antics for once and he was happy to let

Jons’ cries fall on deaf ears until his foot almost smashed the cake into the

table and he’d be damned if he let the cake they had made go to waste.

He grabbed the present that

was still by the door before making his way to the couch “Alright break it up

the both of ya, or neither of you are gettin’ cake” Ohm was quick throw his

pout at them again.

“But it’s my birthday Toonzy,

you literally can’t say no to me” He rolled his eyes at that statement which only

earned a giggle from Ohm.

“You’re birthday ain’t till

tomorrow bitch, until then we do as I say”

“Fuck that, I made that cake

as well, I damn well get to eat it when I want” He turned to cast a

disapproving look at Jon.

“Wanna try me bitch” Him and

Jon stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move, until

eventually Jon relented, looking away.

“I hate you”

“Love ya too”

“Just give Ohm his present so

we can eat the damn thing, I swear it’s callin’ to me man” he rolled his eyes

He slapped Jon upside the head,

“C’mon man, don’t tell me you

“I swear to God you’re both as

They watched as Ohm measured

Not too long later Ohm came

“This is awesome guys,

“Don’t say that yet, wait till

Ohm gave both of them an extra

Despite all his complaining

They sat there for the rest of

Dropping him off in bed, he

[jbuffyangel]

The Weekly Rundown (10/07/18-10/13/18)

Sorry so late! I’m getting caught up on articles. Almost there :) Time to rundown what I’m watching, loving, hating and everything in between! Spoilers ahead!

God Friended Me (”The Good Samaritan”)

Confession time: I didn’t pay very close attention to this week’s episode, but Miles and Cara continue to be adorable. Pretty sure I ship it.

Manifest (”Turbulence”)

I’m not really feeling the chemistry between Josh Dallas and Athena Karkanis. However, the chemistry between  Melissa Roxburgh and JR Ramirez is smoldering.

Josh Dallas is my blue eye baby who makes me feel all the things. He conveyed so many emotions without saying a word in the scene where Ben and Grace discussed the man in her life. WOW!    

I want to believe Grace is in love with Ben and not Danny (because it's Josh Dallas and that's all the reason she needs), but I'm not buying it... yet

The whole twins being different ages is a never ending mind bender.

Seriously though what did Ben do for a living?

The Gifted (“coMplications”)

All I want is for Marcos to hold Dawn forever and snuggle with Lorna. Why can’t I have the things that I want?

But seriously though these Marcos and baby scenes are killing me.

Marcos fighting the Frost sister’s mind control was amazing. He was ready to tear everything apart to get his Lorna and his baby. SO HOT.

Andy, buddy what are you doing? Sure, they gave you a better hair cut and cool clothes, but Reeva is crazy. Tell me you know that boy!

I’m having trouble understanding why Reed didn’t want to tell his wife and daughter his powers were coming back. He has two mutant children! They tried to equate Lauren’s fear of “coming out” to Reed’s but it’s just not the same. He was her parent and he hunted mutants. She legitimately feared her father’s rejection. Reed isn’t in the same situation at all and I see no reason to for him to be lying to everyone for months.

Kate hugs Reed once he tells her the truth, which is nice, but were we really expecting her to reject him? Did the writers forget they have two mutant children?

The Gifted blew past all the build up to Clarice and John’s relationship and now they’ve sewn the seeds for the break up - in the third episode. This whole “Clarice is a spy for the Erg and lies to John about it” storyline is only going one place. John is doing his fair share of lying and pushing Clarice away. Needless to say I am unhappy with how this relationship is being handled.

F.B.I. (“Green Birds” and  “Prey”)

Finally got caught up on F.B.I. I thought “Prey” was a much stronger episode than “Green Birds.” 

I am so glad they cast Sela Ward! I love her. Her character is much more likable as Maggie and Omar’s boss.

I’m here for Omar doing hot things because Omar is hot. I feel warm every time he talks about his military experience. 

Still a little iffy about this show, but I’ll stick with it for now.

This Is Us (Katie Girls)

The depth of my hate for Jack's father knows no bounds.

"Or you can stay and I'll kill him." Honestly, I was okay with that option too Jack.

Randall is a mess watching his brother's movie and I stan this bromance so hard.

I am really freaking glad Randall is taking Kate on because I AM SO MAD AT HER.

Well that conversation swerved quickly. Stay on point Randall.

Okay well now we're off on a whole other thing and Kate is crying. Good grief children.

Not sure how Randall & Kate's discussion became a fight about adoption. The point was to discuss Kate's insensitivity regarding her remark about being the only person able to pass on Jack's genes. How did she turn it into Randall's insensitivity about her miscarriage?

Beth, Miguel and Toby having a group text to discuss their messed up in laws is AMAZING.

Randall is terrible at apologizing but also WHY IS HE APOLOGIZING?

I'm trying to hang with my girl Kate here. I've had a miscarriage and it's devastating, but your personal pain is not an excuse to be hurtful to others. Understanding where Randall was coming from was not a long bridge to cross.

I am so relating to Kevin putting the pieces together regarding Jack's service.

Beth got fired? NOOOOOO. My Beth!  

Toby's reaction to Randall showing up was gold.

KATE AND JACK ARE DREAM SEQUENCING AND I AM NOT OKAY. Btw Jack could you advise Kate to stop being such a jackass to Randall? Thanks bro.

Awkward Rebecca and Jack is the worst. You are soul mates kids. Get it together.  

Jack wants to marry you Rebecca and have lots and lots of babies. You are his dream.

I hope Randall and Beth have 9 months of savings. Suze Orman says you need 9 months of savings.

Marriage is never 50/50. But I think Beth and Randall have been going 90/10 for awhile and it's time for that ratio to shift.

I love how the writers find commonality in their characters in ways you never thought of before. Randall and Toby sharing their struggles with depression and anxiety was such a beautiful way to bond these characters

Kate wanted to marry Mark Paul Gosselar. Same girl.

"You came across the country to say you are sorry. That's the most Dad move ever." HELLO KATE. NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN. You could have added that he didn't need to apologize and you are the one who is sorry but I don't want to editorialize too much. Carry on.)

Rebecca pulled a Jack Pearson on Jack Pearson. EPIC.

Marry you the man who does dishes. 

A Million Little Things (”Save The Date”)

HOLY. FREAKING. CRAP. THEY. ALL. FOUND. OUT. That was fast y’all! Wow!

If we’re blowing past the big affair secret does that mean we’ll find out the reason John killed himself? It’s an annoying mystery. Cough up the answers, show.

All the awards to Grace Park. She’s been sadly under utilized on this show until now and boy did she come out swinging. The scenes where she confronts Eddie and Delilah were amazing. 

I cheered when Grace slapped Eddie. I have no sympathy for him. He’s cheating because his wife is gone at work all the time? It’s called a mortgage jackass. Guitar lessons aren’t going to get it done. 

It irritates me when people act like they have no choice in who they sleep with. Eddie is walking around like falling in love with Delilah was an accident. Listen pal you are a grown ass man. You made choices. Own it. Cheating is such a mean thing to do.  Nobody is forcing anyone to stay in these marriages. Get a divorce before you go hopping into bed with someone else.

I’m only slightly less angry with Delilah but that’s only because her husband jumped off a building. Her scene where she screams to friends to ask if she was the reason John killed himself was gutting. Guit is a bitch.

By the way, even if Jon made his peace with the affair it doesn’t make the affair okay. Also, nobody asked for Katherine’s opinon. Pretty sure she’d tell everyone where to stick if if they’d did though.

I feel like Gary is representing the audience in this episode, i.e. me. I don’t think the writers needed to muddy the water with Gary’s issues with marriage, his parents divorce and his birthday. I understand Jon and Delilah were his shining example of marriage bliss, but we didn’t need to make this about his childhood trauma. His anger was warranted by itself. Delilah and Eddie did an awful thing.

We need to move it along with Maggie’s storyline. She’s the friends-with-benefit-rando-friend-everyone-just-met-but-pretend-like-they’ve-known-her-since-always. Her impermanence in all of these people’s lives makes the level she’s included in things... odd. Let’s get the cancer out in the open and solidify her relationships - particularly with Gary. 

Blindspot (“Hella Duplicitous”)

Jane's hair is long. That's how ya know she's evil again

Seriously how do they not know Remi is back? She's so cranky. Jane is much more cheerful. Also, I feel like her voice is three octaves lower.

Remi can fight with samurai swords. Who knew? A list of all of her skills would be great.

Do I call her Remi or Jane y'all? I'm going with Remi for now.

Remi's impression of Jane being worried about Kurt was pretty spot on. Well played evil one.

Anyone else enjoying Remi looking all murdery every time anyone mentions Roman is dead? Same girl. Except I'm sad Luke Mitchell isn't on the show anymore not murdery because that'd be weird.

Jane's dying except she's Remi so like that's a double dose of suck.

Oh score. Cure. This is like Elena being vampire. They'll fix it. I ain't worried. Imma gonna get Jeller babies. Or should I say PLEEEEEEEEEASE give me Jeller babies.

OH MY GOD SHE'S HALLUCINATING ROMAN. Luke Mitchell IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so here for Roman being the crazy voice in Jane/Remi's head.

Sorry Remi. Your super evil terrorist group is canceled. Sorry not sorry girl. Watch Season 1-Season 3 and catch up girl.

Two Sandstorm operatives is more like a club than a terrorist group, but okay Remi. Gotta start somewhere I guess.

It's weird that the cure is re-erasing Remi's memories but also let's re-erase Remi's memories. I ain't a fan.

Damn. Blake is dead? That... was unexpected. Okay so now I'm imagining that Blake and Roman are happy in heaven together. Leave me to my dream.

Kurt is scared... I love you my cupcake.

Wiping her memory and meeting Kurt Weller was the best thing that ever happened to Remi because she's not nice and Jane is awesome. Kudos to Blindspot for reinforcing their central love story while also wreaking absolute havoc on it.

Is Zapata evil now? Is everybody evil now?

Weitz is director. Ugh.

"You can't keep watching me all the time." Girl, he does that when you are totally healthy. Kurt Weller giving Jane fuzzy bunny stares is the show. Seriously, someone show Remi S1-S3.

Haha. She squeezed Kurt too hard to hurt him. What a bitch. Also awesome.

Zapata's smile when she sees Reade on TV. Girl go home.

Rich and Patterson are gonna cure Jane using Santa magic and it's gonna be friggin awesome.

Reciting the wedding video is creepy Remi.

Noooo.... don't break out Mama Shepherd. She be crazier than you Remi and at this point that's saying A LOT. 

[imaginexwwe]

Old Friend 2|? (DEAN AMBROSE)

(ANON) Reader has know Dean since his Moxley days and had since lost touch. But after a random run in, would be still remember the drunken promise they once made? (A) NGST

•

Warning: NONE

•

Writer's Notes: PART 2: Y/N's still trying to face the facts that the man she's sorta been holding out hope for is married, while Renee is growing more and more curious about her husband's 'OLD FRIEND' (C) URIOSITY (A) NGST

AGAIN, REAL NAMES WILL BE USED

•

Married, I repeated silently in my mind once again as I slowly came to a stop at the red light.

Jonathan Good, married.

My Jonathan Good, married.

Could that explain the lack of contact?

Well the loss of contact, considering it's basically been at a negative zero for the past few years.

A loud couple of car horns and a few angry yells from drivers behind me, was all it took to get me out of my head as I glanced up seeing the red light had turned green.

I'm actually happy that he found someone, one of us needed to eventually.

I just hope he's happy, I thought as I began driving the rest of the short distance to my house.

•

"This was an interesting morning, huh Jon..?" Renee asked as she crawled into bed next to her quiet husband. "I met a new friend who happened to be your old friend." She added with an somewhat awkward laugh.

•

Jon nodded, replying with an more forced than awkward laugh of his own. "Yep, interesting." He said finally speaking up with words, and not just head gestures.

No, he wasn't upset or mad over his short run in with Y/N.

It was actually nice getting to see her familiar face again.

He just hated how it went, or well the circumstances it was under.

Especially after that old, old promise he had brought up so long ago.

"If we're not married by the time we're thirty, let's marry eachother..." He silently recalled the promise to himself as he laid in bed on his back starring up at the ceiling.

Did she still remember that?

Was she even single, still?

While his eyes crept down to her fingers, yes, seconds into sitting down in front of a woman he hasn't seen in years, the first thing his eyes roamed was her fingers, he didn't notice a ring.

But that didn't mean she couldn't have been in a relationship, though.

Jon was aware that her birthday was sometime last month, on the twenty second, if he's not mistaking.

Meaning she was indeed thirty.

It just was no way she was the one that ended up with the short end of the stick, I guess you could say.

Y/N was a beautiful woman, has been since the day he met her years ago, and if he was able to find love and someone who was up for marrying him...

Jonathan shook his head.

He just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Y/N wasn't as lucky.

It just seemed hard to believe.

•

"Jon, are you talking to yourself?" Renee asked with another laugh, as her eyebrows furrowing after noticing her husband shake his head.

"Uh, no." Jon answered quickly before adding, "Just thinking about something, ya know."

No I don't know, Renee wanted to say, and always about to before Jon spoke up again, this time giving her a quick "goodnight," and rolling over on his side with his back to her.

"Yeah," She mumbled, thinking how strange and how out of the ordinary that was for Jon.

They hardly ever slept with their backs to eachother, unless they were mad at eachother at the time, and she knew Jon wasn't always much of a cuddler but he still would pull her close cause he knew how much more relaxing it was for her to be in his arms even when sleeping.

And what was on his mind so much that he seemed to be having a mental conversation with himself?

Was it about the woman she'd befriended this morning at the coffee shop?

The woman, her husband couldn't seem to make eye contact with for more than a few seconds?

Not that Renee was complaining.

I don't know, she thought suddenly as a yawn escaped her lips.

Maybe I'm just reading to much into this.

But then again, it did seem like they had a history that was more complicated than any of a simple friendship, Renee's mind continued to wonder before sleep took over.

•

"... Joe, I know I'm stupid for asking b--"

Renee let out a frustrated sigh after being cut off by Joseph, a good friend of both her husband and her.

"If you know it's stupid, then why keep trying to ask?" Joseph questioned her back.

"I just needed answers." She quickly mumbled, her guilt building up more and more. "It'll be hard to have this conversation with Jon, and Y/N can't be asked cause I just met her and she seemed really cool from the conversations we had, so giving her the thought of me being this nosey, annoying wife of her friend is out of the running."

The built Somoan across from her nodded, his serious face seeming to have become even more serious, as Renee got out more words.

"I just want to know if this history of there's went deeper than Jon is letting on, Joe."

After a second or two, she could hear a sigh more frustrated than the one she had let put a few minutes ago, come from her friend. "All I've ever heard from Jon is that she was a great friend, and he hated how things were left between them." He said finally giving Renee some of what she wanted. "I don't know, but I never got the feeling that something happened with them..." He said finishing up with a mumble.

Renee knew just from the look on his face that he didn't want to be apart of this.

Telling his friend's stories behind his back.

Not that she needed the look to confirm it.

She, herself didn't want to ask Joseph anything that her husband may have confided to him but after his behavior last night, let's just say she wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep or even focus on anything if she hadn't gotten some kind of answer.

But like she basically told Joe, there was no way in hell she was going to Y/N with her questions.

And even though there was another person, Colby to be more specific, that she could've went to, she knew better.

In the past he was the quickest to ruin simple surprises that she'd planned for Jonathan's birthdays or whatever, so she could just imagine how fast he'd be to run his mouth about something as big as her digging into her husband's past.

"Thank you Joe," Renee replied with a smile as she got up from her seat in the catering area, pushing her chair back in. "You're the best." She added flashing a grateful smile to the man across from her.

She turned her back to him, beginning to walk out through the closest double doors, before she remembered the reason she had also gone to him.

The reason other than the questions she needed answers to.

"Oh and don't forget about me and Jon's housewarming party." Renee called out, looking over her shoulder. "I want you and Galina there."

•

I stopped typing away on my office computer after hearing my cell going off.

As soon as I picked it up, I noticed a text on the lit up screen.

RENEE: Me and Jon are having a housewarming Saturday want you there ☺

I flinched slightly after feeling a sharp pain on my bottom lip, only now realizing I had bitten it as I read the message.

If I'm being honest I had totally forgotten I had even given my number out to Renee.

And I totally didn't expect for her to actually text me, let alone invite me to a party she and Jon was having.

Like, isn't that the kind of stuff you do with friends that you actually know, and not one you just met literally a day ago?

I shook my head, putting my phone back onto my desk, focusing on my work once more.

A party at their place is the last thing I want to be apart of, but would it really be so bad?

Maybe me and Jonathan could have a chance to talk and I could settle my wondering mind once and for all, knowing for sure if he's happy or not with his life.

Not that I'm still holding on by a thread that he could be mines.

I'm just a friend concerned about another friend's happiness.

Years apart doesn't change that, especially in a friendship as close as ours once were.

•

Renee put down the Corona beer bottle she'd been holding in her hand the second her phone went off.

A huge smile forming on her face after seeing it was a reply from Y/N.

Y/N: Thanks for the invite

I'll be there

"Why are you all smiley?" She heard her husband ask, startling her and causing her to jump a little.

"Y/N," She replied bringing her hand up to her chest while her heart raced a bit. "I invited her to our housewarming Saturday and she just confirmed she'll be here."

•

"Oh," Jon mumbled his demeanor changing within seconds of hearing his wife's news. "That's good." He added trying to make his voice seem more cheerful that the "oh," he'd just mumbled.

It wasn't like he was made about it.

Jonathan just wasn't ready to be put in a situation where things could get awkward with Y/N.

If anything he would've liked the opportunity to meet up with her alone and talk about how things were left off.

Maybe even throw in an apology or two, considering the fact that he felt like their friendship ended because of him getting more and more busy while on the road trying to make his wrestling career happen.

Bottom line, he really wanted to get rid whatever tension that could be lingering over them because of that promise, when their was just the two of them, not when it was the two of them, his wife, and a bunch of other friends around.

•

TAGS:

@littleprincess1621 @princesstoniii @pookiepookie8 @monochrome-decadance @cam0flug3 @finnbalorsbabygirl @blondekel77 @calwitch @eshia16 @moonchildcorbin @jadalecki-jackles @jooheonie-bee @rebelfleur22 @lost-in-the-stories @scars-tears-and-suicide @panda-girl1999 @racheo91 @evelinhardy40

[obeydontstray]

The Little Things chapter 6

(The rest can be found on ao3!) -------- 26. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Joyce was posed on a step ladder, her body stretched upwards as she struggled to change the overhead lightbulb. With her oldest (and tallest) away at college, it was up to her to do things like this now. The ladder wobbled, making her nervous and she reached down with one hand to steady herself. She bit her bottom lip in determination, looking up at the empty socket with the fresh bulb in her hand. Jim walked in and when he saw Joyce and the ladder wobble, he strode forwards and caught the ladder. The movement caused Joyce to lurch forward, falling face first at eye level into Jim. The new bulb fell to the floor with a crash and Jim's hands flew to her elbows to catch her but he wasn't quick enough and their faces collided. Nearly mouth to mouth she collided with him, foreheads connecting. He grunted, caught her small frame and righted her on her ladder. They looked at each other wide eyed. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" She sputtered. "Well, I mean I know you didn't do that on purpose!" He chuckled as he rubbed his forehead. "Get down, I'll put the new bulb in. You know, tall people exist. You can ask for help." She stepped down the ladder, eyes on her feet. He retrieved a new bulb from the table, reached up and screwed it in with hardly any effort. "There!" He sighed. Joyce was skittering about, sweeping up the smashed bulb. When she turned back from the trash can he stilled her, pushed her hair back from her face. "You're gonna have a goose egg, kid." He observed. "Better ice it." "No thanks to your hard head." She laughed. He bent low, brushed her hair back and kissed the reddening skin. "Shush you. No one told you to fall face first into my forehead, either." 27. "Try some." "I don't trust you with cake." He teased, brushing away the scraps of cake she offered. She had shaved a thin layer off the top to make the cake perfectly flat. Perfectly good, fresh out the oven and warm cake. "I really really tried this time! Followed the recipe exactly! Try some, please." She said, picking out a piece of the yellow cake herself and popped it in her mouth. He watched her face for her reaction. Her eyes widened and she smiled. "I did it! It's good!" She celebrated. "Try some!" He gathered a piece, dropped it into his mouth. Warm and delicious. "Hey, you did it!" He said through a mouthful of cake. He dipped a finger into the icing and sucked it into his mouth, adding vanilla sweetness. He finished chewing, took a sip of his soda. "Hey, that's really good!" She gave him a warm smile and he reached to give her a pat on the back. 28. "Drive safely." Jim stood with his hands braced on the window frame of her little car, peering down at her. "You tell Jon that Jane and I said hello and we hope he's doing well." He commented. "Drive safely." He added. Joyce felt a strange compulsion for something more. Some final act before they parted ways. Cover one of his hands with her own? Leave him with an awkward I love you? "I will." She promised. Before she could act on any impulse he stepped back from the car, resting a hand on Jane's shoulder. "Will, keep your Mom outta trouble for me, will ya?" He smiled. "It's a hard job." Will mirrored his smile from the passenger seat, nodded. "I will." "Happy trails!" Jim said as Joyce started the car. Joyce watched them in her side mirror as she drove away, a strange pull in her chest at the thought of leaving them behind to head to the airport. 29. "Well, what do you want to do?" Hop and Joyce dropped their children off at the Wheeler's for a party. Sitting alone together in Hop's truck, he looked over at her. "Well, what do you want to do?" She breathed in deep. "I honestly want sleep." She said, yawning loudly suddenly and stifling it with the back of her hand. "I'll take you home." He volunteered. "Come to bed with me?" She asked. "Come hold me, please?" So Jim found himself in Joyce's bed again. Flat on his back with Joyce draped across his body. Her head in the crook between his arm and side, her arm across his ribcage and her leg over his. He had teased her, called her an octopus before he kissed the top of her head and settled in for sleep. 30. "One more chapter." The shouts startled Joyce, nearly giving her heart failure before she could walk in her own front door. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They had shouted in unison. Will and Jane, both wearing gigantic smiles came out from their hiding place behind the couch. "Happy birthday, Mom!" Will reiterated. "I'm so glad you wanted to celebrate it this year!" "I didn't." She admitted. "Hop said you'd want to." Jane said sheepishly, looking towards the kitchen where he must be hiding out. "Can I speak to him alone for a second?" Joyce asked the kids, thinking about wringing his neck. She hadn't celebrated a birthday since 39. She'd cried all day of her 40th, feeling like the best years of her life were behind her. When the kids shot looks at each other she hung up her coat and headed for the kitchen. "Happy birthday, Joycie." He said, giving her one of his warmest smiles. "You know I could kill you." "Turning 39 again are we Joyce?" "Well, since you're perpetually 21." "Touche." He nodded towards the table where a homemade cake sat frosted in pink icing and candy pieces spelling Happy Birthday. "They just wanted to show you how much they love you." She groaned at the pile of dirty dishes and pans. "Tut tut, I'm going to wash them after dinner. You relax tonight, okay?" He said. "Just enjoy your birthday. Which one is this? The 64th?" He said with a grin. She elbowed him lightly. "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" She sang. He pulled her close, wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Yes I will. This is just one more chapter, Joycie. With how things have been the last few years, we're lucky we're all getting more chapters." She looked up at him, a shy smile on her face. "I guess you're right." "Always am. Kids! Dinner time!" He called.

[ariswagbrams]

Party Rocking || Aritty

WHO: Ari Abrams & Kitty Wilde [ @awildecard ], ft. Evie Miller

WHEN: Evie’s birthday party

WHERE: Evie’s apartment

WHAT: Awkwardness, tbh. Just lots of that.

Ari

“Y’know, in a way, I’m like, your very own Drogon.” Ari’s kinda tipsy. Just kinda. It’s a party and she doesn’t drink much, so whenever she drinks even just a bit, she gets a bit tipsy pretty fast. But it’s fine, cause that’s what parties are for. For getting kinda tipsy, and for wheeling the birthday girl around like she’s a badass Targaryen dragon. Rawr, etc. “Wheee!” Well, that’s not super dragon-like. But it’s whatever. She can be a badass dragon anyway.

“Mmkay Drogon needs a dorito break, Khaleesi.” She sort of nudges Evie off her lap, but in a nice way cause she’s her friend and Ari loves her. She’s not horse-faced at all, where’d Kitty come up with that, anyway? She’s obviously friend-faced. “We can go find you a Jon Snow later.” Ari chuckles as she pushes her chair away from her friend, cause she knows Evie is about as interested in having a love life as Ari herself is. Which is to say, super interested in theory but like, totally not into putting herself through the endless pain of making it happen.

 “Heck yes, come to papa.” She practically sing-songs, wheeling herself to the snacks table and reaching for the dorito bowl that’s totally calling her name. Except- “Aw, man!” Someone left the bowl too far away from the edge of the snacks table, and she can’t reach. Luckily for her, Kitty is right there, and Ari’s face lights up at the sight. Cause she can hand her the doritos. Of course. “Hey, K-Dawg. Can I get a hand?”

Kitty

She’s not jealous. It’s not in her nature. And even if it was (a very real possibility she’ll never cop to), she’s certainly not jealous of horse face. And the way Ari is gleefully wheeling her around -- buzzed on the vodka she’d brought to share with her.

No, she’s not jealous. She just thinks’s it’s ridiculous for a woman of her age to be acting so childish. (Though if she like falls off and breaks her nose or something, Kitty supposes it won’t be the worst thing to happen). Honestly, can’t she find someone her own age to play with? The guy from the Six Flags commercial is probably free. 

Whatever. 

It's not a thing, her eyes are always green thank you very much! She’s just glaring because the lighting is poor, obviously. 

At least that’s what she tells herself when Ari rolls up to her and asks for the Doritos. She doesn’t even try to hide the eye roll. “Why don’t you ask your Khaleesi to help you?” she says pointedly, even as she reaches for the bowl and shoves it a little harder than necessary in Ari’s direction - she’s not a monster, she’s not going to keep a girl from her snacks, even if she is unreasonably annoyed. Annoyed. Not jealous. Becuase she’s definitely not that.

Ari

Dayum. Kitty’s mad. Ari’s not like, the best at reading body language or anything, but even she can tell Kitty’s mad. There’s the near-shoving of the bowl, and the stank eye, and the way she says Khaleesi, like it’s a bad word or something. Which don’t even make no sense, man. Khaleesi is, like, the best. And she knows Kitty loves her some Daenerys T. So her problem is clearly with... 

“What’s poor E-Mill done to ya, K-Dawg?” She munches on a Dorito, pleased to find it’s her beloved cool ranch flavor and not tex mex. Don’t get her wrong, she likes all doritos, but cool ranch is like, the Khaleesi of doritos. “You’re lookin’ at her like she’s Daenerys and you’re, like... Cersei, or something.” Ari grins, clearly teasing. “Told ya you’re a Lannister.” She pops a dorito in her mouth and winks at Kitty, cause she’s kinda tipsy and being kinda tipsy makes her do stuff like winking. Alcohol. Not even once.

“No, seriously, tho. You all right?” She tries to look concerned, but the eating is kinda making it hard so she swallows and leaves the bowl on the table with the rest of the snacks. Concerned face. Right. “It’s a party!” She shimmies her shoulders, hoping it’ll help Kitty crack a smile or something. “What’s botherin’ you, Your Grace?”

Kitty

Ari’s pretty tipsy. Kitty can tell because, well, Ari doesn’t drink often so it doesn’t take a lot. And it’s kind of cute if she’s being honest, but like -- in a way that only makes her annoyance grow. Because she’s happy. Ari’s happy wheeling horse face around her stupid party, and she doesn’t get that a lot. That carefree drunken silliness. 

And who is Kitty to ruin that with her -- somewhere in the back of her mind she shudders -- feelings. 

This is why it’s better when she doesn’t have any. Why she’s taken to shacking up with people she doesn’t have a ton for, and who definitely don’t have any for her. Becuase feelings make you vulnerable. And Kitty’s never been good at that.

“Nothing,” she shrugs, forcing a smile as if to prove her point -- see look how fine I am! “I’m a Lannister.”

Ari

Lies. Shaaaame. If she had a little bell, she’d start going ding ding ding while chanting ‘shame’ after Kitty cause that was a lie and it wasn’t even a good one. So Ari rolls her eyes dramatically and then pretends she’s hitting Kitty with a switch, complete with sound effect and everything. “You are not fooling me.” She points to her own eyes and then at Kitty, in the universal gesture for ‘I’m watching you’. At some point she stopped being Jaqen and started imitating some kind of Mr. Miyagi type character instead, but it’s whatever, cause she’s being serious. 

Kinda. 

“C’mon. You can tell me. I’m Ari!” Friendly, inoffensive Ari with the open ears and nothing else. Friend, friend, friend. Yep. A friend. That’s what she is. Not friends, however? “You havin’ Puckertroubles?” Ari likes both Puckergals, don’t get her wrong. They’re pretty cool. Hot and tall, and like... yeah. Cool. Not just friends, those two. They’re...def on a diff level. She doesn’t mind them. She just kinda minds their relationships with Kitty. 

In a friendly way. 

Sure.

Kitty

She’d hate Ari right now, to be honest. If like, that was a thing a person could actually do. Hate Ari. She’s pretty sure it’s scientifically impossible. She’d ask Miss Science Queen, but honestly, she’s pretty sure she’ll blurt out like five offensive things before she gets to the question, so it’s better this way.

But the point is, Ari makes it impossible. So while it’d be a hell of a lot easier to totally hate her for the feelings she didn’t ask to have. She can’t. 

She also apparently can’t lie about it, which is also a total drag. What’s the point of being a hot southern Christian gal if she can’t tell a convincing lie? Or pull an I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-genuine smile? 

So instead, she’ll focus on truths she’s comfortable.

“Nah,” she reaches for her -- vodka a mountain dew (more vodka than dew, but whatever), a weird combination, kind of like them -- and casually takes a sip. “Taking a break from Puckergals. It’s whatever.”

Ari

“Good.” 

Her eyes widen. Like, wider than normal. She knows her eyes are big af always. But that was like, so not what she should’ve said, cause Kitty seems sad and she’s prob sad she’s no longer doing whatever with the Puckergals (she knows ‘whatever’ is prob all sorts of like, acrobatic sex, but she doesn’t really wanna think about it) and Ari is supposed to be her friend. So ‘good’ is def like, the last thing she should’ve said. 

“I mean.” She clears her throat, suddenly wishing she’d never even had a sip of alcohol cause her brain is foggy and normally she can, like, be Kitty’s friend separately from someone who kinda likes Kitty but not in a creepy way or anything, just in a ‘you’re heckin beautiful and smart and I’d def love to date you but I’m not an awful person so I wouldn’t wish me upon you’ way. You know? She’s panicking, is what she’s saying. 

“I mean I’m glad you’re good? That’s good.” Her hands grip her wheels and she pushes herself back a couple inches, just like, putting space between herself and Kitty because damn, son. She’s bad at this. “The whole Puckerlovin’s prob not all it’s cracked up to be.” A shrug. She wouldn’t know. She hears it’s the bomb diggity and she’s sure it’s true, but whatever. She’s not here to tell Kitty she should go back to them, right? “You feelin’ ok about the break thing?”

Kitty

“Yeah.” 

She is good. Not like, in this moment, exactly. Honestly, she’s still a bit miffed that Bill Nye got to live out her personal wheelie fantasy like right in front of her or whatever. But she’s good with the Puckerbreak. 

Or she will be. She likes them both. In like a sexy way and as people, but she knows it’s not going anywhere. Puckerladies have to be free. And Kitty’s kind of done with the jealousy every time Jackie looks at Marley for too long or flirts with some loser trampy girl. It’s not going to be more than sex ever with either of them, so there’s really no point in racking up hell points over it. 

Besides, she’s kind of sort of realized lately, against all odds she actually likes spending time with Ari. And it doesn’t leave her feeling weird about herself or jealous (with the exception of this particular moment, obvs) - she actually, sort of feels good? 

But like, she can’t just say those words. Outloud. To Ari. She’s a lot of crazy (beautiful, talented, smart) -- but she hasn’t totally lost her marbles. 

 So she settles for, “Like I said, it’s whatever. Jackie’s got a weird third nipple anyway,” or so goes her story, and she’s sticking to it. “It’s super gross.”

Ari

“Good.” She doesn’t take it back this time. If anyone deserves a gross, weird third nipple, it’s a Puckerman. Both Puckermans. “Gotta balance out all that...” she gestures at her own body, even if it’s frankly like, the saddest comparison ever when she actually means the P-sisters’ bodies, but she thinks Kitty will know what she means anyway. “All that.” Yeah. Let’s leave it at that. Kitty knows like, way better than Ari does, what ‘all that’ means. And Ari doesn’t really wanna think about it. 

“So whaddaya wanna do?” Kitty is obv not happy, and she obv doesn’t wanna talk about it, so... what’s a nerd to do to help? “I have Netflix on my phone.” Wow. Impressive. Not like she’s been mooching Kitty’s HBO to watch GoT with her all this time. Smoooth. “Or uh... you can have my Doritos? Cool ranch.” That’s Ari’s love language right there. What else? She doesn’t have like, a ton of stuff to offer. Like she wants Kitty to not be sad or in whatever funk she’s in, but she’s like, the last person who should be in charge of cheering people up. Normal people, she means. If this was Evie or Sammy, she’d be pulling out Mario Kart or starting an impromptu D&D campaign. But Kitty is... Kitty. 

“I just wanna cheer you up, K-Dawg.” She shrugs and smiles and sort of rolls her chair back and forth for a second, cause she doesn’t know if Kitty wants her to get lost or stay and she’s kinda giving her a choice, she figures. “So just tell me what you want. We’ll make it happen. I’m like, a director. I make heckin’ good magic happen.”

Kitty

It’s probably bad -- like, she definitely knows it is. Somewhere Sweet Baby Jesus is frowning and shaking his little baby head. But like this, right here, Ari sort of jumping over herself to make Kitty feel better is... actually making her feel better. And like she said, it’s wrong, she knows. 

But fuck. 

Regardless of whether or not it’s true, she’s always played second fiddle in the eyes of like every girl she’s ever liked. And then here’s Ari. Making a show of putting her first and it feels really good. 

And while she doesn’t show it outwardly -- her expression still neutral and hard to read -- she does bend her knee just so, knocking it against Ari’s. (Is that weird? Can she feel that? Is that like super insensitive?) 

“I mean... I wouldn’t pass up a ride to like the balcony. Pop culture has taught me that fresh air heals, like, all things,” and it’s also a really great way to change the topic, so it kind of works on both those levels.

Ari

Ari doesn’t really feel Kitty’s knee against her own, but she sees it, and she appreciates the gesture. She’s sure she’d like it if she’d felt it. Like, she’s sure she’d like to feel anything of Kitty’s against her to be honest, not that she should be thinking about that, because she’s not a creeper and this is like, totally the alcohol talking. She should drink more. Like, she should prob have drunk less, but that can’t be fixed now, so she may as well just drink herself into a stupor at this point to stop her brain from thinking about feeling Kitty against-

“Oh.” A ride, really? Ari doesn’t know if Kitty’s like, just saying that to make her feel less useless, like ‘yes, Ariana (why is she always Ariana in her head? prob The Mothership’s fault somehow), I totes need you to take me outside’. But you know what they say about horses, gifts, and mouths. If Kitty wants to like, sit on her lap and go out into the balcony? Aint’ nobody gonna complain. 

“Hop on, Your Grace.” Ari pats her lap and then puts both hands on her wheels just to keep them from accidentally touching Kitty cause she’s not about the creeper lifestyle. “Just for the record, I hope Drogon never, like, lets Cersei ride him. We’ll just make an exception for right now.”

Kitty

Ari agrees, albeit a bit awkwardly, but Kitty doesn’t take it personally. Frankly, Ari runs a bit on the awkward side. And because she’s like the hottest person Ari will have on her lap all night (Kitty knows how to toot her own horn) so like she can’t even blame her if the nerves are a bit extra tonight, can she? 

(and like... okay, so maybe she has a few anxieties of her own, too.) 

Rolling her eyes, Kitty slides onto Ari’s lap, her heart doing a funny thing as she settles in. And despite the fact that Ari’s body is like... super tense, it still kind of feels.... nice? Not like, in a friend way. But in a ‘well this wouldn’t be the worst mode of transportation to take for the rest of my life’ sort of way, and kitty feels...

She feels a lot. 

“It’ll be our secret,” she agrees, then taps Ari’s shoulder, “Get it, Drogon.”

[aurimeanswind]

Take My Breath Away—Sunday Chats (3/5/17)

It’s been a pretty long two first months of this year. Funny how such a big week for games has been a bit underpinned by some really terrible personal-life-related-things for me. I can’t really discuss them, but we’ll see where life takes me in the near future.

But it’s Switchmas! Let’s stay on the up and up. The first Sunday of March, as I approach my 24th birthday, which is still kind of absolutely crazy to me, and PAX East closes in. It’s a big week, and let’s start with a big editorial.

Take My Breath Away

There is a lot of hyperbole when discussions of Zelda begin and end. I think that is what someone, offput to Zelda or 3D Zelda would say. The series is obviously not infallible, and isn’t something that just everyone loves. I know many who hate specifically 3D Zeldas, and I know some that consider the highest triumphs of that series to be base and disappointing. Some people even consider Skyward Sword in the series, when I think it really does represent everything that went wrong with that franchise, especially at the time. This isn’t a realization that came to me when initially playing it. When I played that game, I loved it. I gave it a 10/10 on IrrationalPassions.com. I said it was an achievement, and I too said I didn’t know how motion controls could leave that franchise. Years later, playing through it again on Alex Plays Zelda, and of course seeing the criticisms lodged against it, I completely rethought my opinion of the game. But I played it again. I experienced it again. I saw what the game did RIGHT and WRONG. I made a complete thought of that game, and looked at it with the context of the franchise it belonged too around it.

People change. Opinions change. Video games have changed. And most importantly, Zelda, Nintendo, and the needs and wants of that franchise have changed.

The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is incredible. It’s masterfully well made, it’s brilliant in its design, and it’s a beautifully realized world. This is not hyperbole. This is how this game feels. Whether it’s because the Zelda name is attached or not, it’s impossible to say. This game wasn’t made in a vacuum, clearly taking inspiration from several other games and franchises that have changed, released, and evolved over the last six years, and this game should not be acknowledged and criticized in a vacuum. It belongs to a storied franchise that, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, has changed gaming in a variety of ways, causing massive shifts in how we look at adventure, exploratory, and now open world games.

The game brings a childlike wonder to me that I haven’t actually felt since I was a child. It was something that A Link Between Worlds echoed as well. That game was brilliant, and clearly was a design-test for what Breath of the Wild sets out and wants to do. BotW is massive in a way that few games have felt to me, because every opportunity feels essential to me, and it’s not because some collectible is there, or some arbitrary destination, but because I actively want to explore and engage with the opportunity to do so. That is something no game has made me feel. The closest would be with titles within this same franchise.

But I have so many thoughts and feelings I don’t know how I can or will get them out on the page. We’ll see if I can figure out a way soon, but I just really need to play more of that game. Mostly because Nato Johnston keeps DMing about the game and I keep telling him to stop but I know he is going to spoil some shit for me, and the more I see of the game that I haven’t discovered for myself after having started it, the more and more frustrated I’ve been getting that I’m not playing it in that very moment.

What’s on Tap

Nioh

Same frustrations I talked about last week, but Tony (Horvath) turned me onto using Magic, which has broken the game for me.

Honestly, it’s broken now. It’s kind of a bummer.

There is a spell you can use to slow any enemy’s movement by 40/50ish% and it works on EVERYTHING. Including bosses.

I dropped Nioh when Horizon came out, and now that I have Zelda, I have no clue when I’ll even get back to it. Hrm...

Horizon Zero Dawn

Now this is a video game!

I honestly have not been as sucked into the world and the story has I had hoped I would be. It’s all impressive, and goddamn does the game look unfuckingbelievably good, but the immediate release of Zelda reminded me that good graphics don’t pull me into a world nearly was well as interesting set dressing.

Don’t get me wrong, the games aren’t very comparable, but where Horizon feels narrow in directed (in a totally good and fun way mind you) Zelda feels open and inviting in all directions simultaneously. It’s overwhelming in a calm way that invites me to just do what I want.

Still, I know I haven’t hit many if any of the narrative hooks of Horizon yet, so I have plenty to see.

I do really, really love the combat. I feel like hunting robots is some of the most rewarding combat in any open world game I’ve played. I feel like I have to use everything I have available to me, and perfecting the art of taking down a machine or kind of machine is super rewarding. I’m very much digging it.

Zelda Breath of the Wild

See above!

Questions

Tacos, for sure. I don’t really like taquitos. I wouldn’t doubt that there are good ones out there, but like, I haven’t had them.

Unquestionably teriyaki. Like, not even with a second thought. Though I am not a huge fan of Soy Sauce. It’s okay, ya know? Like somethings I will dip my sushi in it, but it’s essentially just liquid salt. Teriyaki is one of the all time greatests. That shit is life changing.

Hahaha, honestly getting to hear your stories was a ton of fun. For folks who haven’t checked it out, Jon Anderson here did some post-GDC shows. I got to sit in on one and talk to him a little bit about his experiences. I loved hearing about the post mortem stuff and interaction with actual, real developers. That’s always one of my favorite parts about being at PAX, is talking to the people who make games. Seeing their faces, hearing their stories.

I uh... I’m not really a political person, and I don’t stay to date with this kind of stuff for reasons I have outlined in previous Sunday Chats. 

I’m not one of those people that thinks everyone needs to have an opinion on everything. I heard about this shit, and it goes without saying that I think Donald Trump is an ignorant imbecile that has absolutely no worth as President of this once-great-nation. He always cares way too much about Twitter, which is saying something.

But I don’t know the situation, it sounds absolutely absurd to me, but I’m not about to get out there and make some sweeping statement because I don’t need/deserve to have an opinion on this. Really sick of everyone out there with a twitter account and keyboard thinking their opinions on stuff, especially politics, and especially when you live in a vacuum.

I know I got a little off the point there, but my answer is: I don’t care to follow the stream of information about this story, and if that makes me ignorant, so be it, but I’ll refrain from making some blanket right-or-wrong statement about the subject because I am aware of my ignorance, and would rather do my research first than say something out of turn. Sounds like some silly shit though.

This is a heavy question, and I think it’s weird to ask maybe one of the whitest dudes out there. I live in a very nice, very progressive state, Maryland, which is *technically* a southern state, and I live in the most interracial-city in that state. I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by low amounts of crime and really open-minded and diverse people. That being said, I’m a fucking white dude, so I know the world I see is filtered and my perspective is skewed because of that.

I always want to show some faith for humanity in something like this. It’s terrible and wrong that even the “southern states” are going to be some racist shithead states where you have to fear for being attacked. That being said, there are plenty of stories out there, news or personal, that fill the lines of my skewed perspective and say that hey: it may not be as safe or comfortable at least for people of color in the US as it was a few months ago.

I don’t have any good advice for you, and I don’t think it’s my place to speak for discriminated groups that I’m not a part of. I sure as shit know that I’m not about to treat any folks different, but I don’t live in the blanket space you’re referring to, and I can’t speak for the problems you may have to face. Again, my reflex advice is to say have some faith in people, but my gut says if you have to ask the question, you know something fucked up is going on.

I’m sorry Jusitn, I wish I had a better, solid answer, but I am not the right person to ask.

I apologize in advance if either the answer to this question or the previous came off as offensive or prejudice. Tell me if it did, so I may better myself and how I approach these issues going forward in life and on Sunday Chats. I am always open to feedback.

I never had your family Andrew! Goddammit! Stop trying to make me look like an awful person!

But I honest to god love it. I talked about it on the show (Irrational Passions Podcast EP. 318) last night but man do I like it more than I thought I would. I really do love the Joycons and the Joycon grip, things I didn’t think I’d say come hardware release.

It’s also just a nice system to carry and play. I’ve been taking it upstairs to my kitchen to hangout and play while my coffee brews. A bad edge-case example simply because I never leave my house, so haven’t had as many opportunities to play it in portable mode. But it’s a portable I actually want to use, like my Vita when it still worked 100%, which is more than I thought I’d be saying for sure. Very happy to have this excellent feeling hardware.

Hahaha, I can’t wait to meet up with you Logan! We’re gonna take the world by storm! Gonna rule the PAX East roost with some dope previews.

Yeah, the restaurant we are going for our annual pre-PAX East Meeting Dinner is going to be so good. Plus we are bringing friends this time around, and the whole team... it’ll be glorious. 

Oh and that Mac and Cheese? I’ll just let the picture speak for itself:

I honestly worried that they’ll both be forgotten. I think Zelda breaking into the legendary top 5 of meteoritic ratings, which ya know, take it with a grain of salt and whatever, will give it some staying power. But Skyward Sword got a lot of 10s too, and that is NOT a 10/10 game, for sure. 

But the thing I’m worried about is Mario Odyssey. It’s really not a big worry, since if that game overshadows Zelda, it’s obviously gotta be pretty good, but I just like Zelda a whole lot more than Mario. I know this is sacrilegious to say to you Logan, but that’s just my preference. I don’t want Zelda to be forgotten for years and years to come.

But there are still a ton of unknowns! Fucking Persona 5! Destiny 2! Red Dead Redemption 2! I mean, Red Dead alone being a Rockstar “Open World” game has to potential to kill the hopes of Zelda and Horizon combined. If we want to talk about kinds of games that are way overrated, pretty much every Rockstar open world game has paled in comparison to either of these games to me, but hey, I haven’t played Red Dead Redemption, so who knows.

I honestly do a lot. I mean, not as much recently. I haven’t played anything multiplayer in a while outside of nights playing The Division with friends.

But I’ll be straight up with you Ivan, I am very selective about who I play multiplayer games with. I really only lean to cooperative stuff outside of maybe Overwatch and Destiny (Destiny far less so on the competitive front) and I tend to play with the same group of folks only. I know you keep asking to play multiplayer games with me, but I predominantly play single player, especially recently and for the foreseeable future, and I don’t play multiplayer with many folks at all.

And yeah! It was fun to be able to chat a bit.

Haha, yours too buddy. I will be in San Francisco between May 31st and some other days, so yeah, maybe we’ll see each other.

Tons of indie stuff! Hanging out with Team Irrational Passions. Catching up with some friends, like you, and Kaylie, and Xyger, and Trevor. Good peoples that I haven’t seen since December.

I never wanted to get VIP tickets because they are way too fucking expensive for KFL, just like they always have been. Though I was approached about an extra VIP ticket that I wouldn’t have to pay for and would be able to go to the meet and greet on Sunday, and I may or may not go. We’ll see. But personally I wouldn’t want to spend that much money for a VIP ticket to just about anything. VIP tickets to a Ninja Sex Party show I went to last year were only $69.69 (lolololol) and that had a signed poster and private Q&A with it. That was still cheaper than the regular KFL3 tickets. But hey, I get it, this stuff is expensive.

I also feel weird getting a VIP ticket, ya know? I’m friends with Greg and know the rest of the Kinda Funny guys, having seen them a ton of times in the past. I’m not trying to be bragging or anything here, I swear, I just don’t want to take the opportunity away from folks that I know are flying half-way across the world to meet the guys (and Joey!) for the first time ever. That’s an amazing experience that those folks deserve, not me.

Like, no Zelda questions, huh? Logan was alright. I talked about it on the show last night, but my movie theatre legitimately ruined that entire movie for me. I am still so fucking pissed about it. The guy next to me snoring through the whole movie. Waking up at the end and talking through literally all the emotional/poingant scenes at the end. The people behind me LOUD AS FUCK saying “AWWWWW” anytime anything ‘sad’ happened to the characters, and speaking SO LOUD through just about everything. Or maybe everyone constantly overreacting to the gore in the movie. Like, the goriest scene was easily the first, and it set the precedent for what the film was gonna do, and yet for some reason, everyone had to YELL and laugh and be complete assholes through every action scene.

Uhg. It was easily the worst movie theatre experience I have ever had. So no, I didn’t have any enjoyment with Logan. Also the movie was kind of just too much of a bummer for me, in accompaniment with the theatre. Like, there was absolutely nothing fun or uplifting about that movie, and that’s just not what I wanted/needed at the time. So eh.

I’m always down to play some Super Smash Bros! 

Shoutouts

Shoutout to guys over at Podcast Unlocked on IGN for an excellent interview with Phil Spencer. I have a super man-crush on Phil Spencer, I’m not gonna lie, but just because he is far and away the most engaging and down-to-earth executive in the biz. He is a cool dude and speaks for Xbox Games in a way that Mattrick never did. Check out the episode if you haven’t already:

I have wanted nothing more than to go and play Zelda this whole time, and don’t get me wrong, my love for Sundays or Sunday Chats hasn’t gone away, but my frustrating lack of sleep and blockades between me and adventuring across Hyrule have only grown. 

Back to it!

[rathertoofondofbooks]

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

It’s been a while since I joined in with Stacking the Shelves; it’s partly because I’ve not been blogging regularly for the last few months but also because I’m not buying so many books at the moment (although I did acquire rather a lot of books in May, hence this haul!).

So, here are all the books that I got in May…

The Wanderers by Meg Howrey

I’ve read really mixed reviews of this book but it still sounds really appealing to me so I decided to buy a copy.

Don’t Make a Sound by David Jackson

I really like David Jackson’s previous novels and this new crime thriller sounds brilliant so I couldn’t resist buying this. I hope to read this soon as it’s a kindle book and I can fit it in around the print books that I’m reading for my 20 Books of Summer challenge.

The Man Who Didn’t Call by Rosie Walsh

I didn’t think this was my kind of read but I kept hearing great things about it so I bought it and read it straight away; I honestly couldn’t put it down and really enjoyed it.

The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton

I couldn’t resist treating myself to this hardback as I love Sharon Bolton’s writing as have been waiting for this book to be released.

Big Bones by Laura Dockrill

I’ve seen quite a bit of hype around this book and I had to get a copy to see what the fuss is all about. It does sound like a lovely YA novel with a body positive message.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

I’ve been interested in reading this for a while but have read mixed reviews about it so couldn’t decide. It ended up in a kindle deal recently so it seemed a good time to buy it!

Only Fools and Stories by David Jason

I love David Jason – especially his roles as Del Boy and Inspector Frost so I bought this book as soon as I saw it. I think it’ll be a nice book to curl up with one evening and I’m looking forward to it.

Left and Leaving by Jo Verity

I’ve been sorting through my huge wish list recently and when I re-read the blurb for this book it sounded really good so I bought it on kindle.

You, Me and Everything by Catherine Isaac

I just bought this the other day because it was on offer for kindle at 99p and I decided to give it a go as I’ve seen lots of good reviews of it.

The Poetry Pharmacy by William Sieghart

This was a bargain buy that I was really happy to spot as I was sorting through my wish list and discovered it was the kindle daily deal on that very day so I snapped it up! I think this will be a lovely book to dip in and out of, and if I enjoy it I will buy a physical copy.

The Songs of Us by Emma Cooper

I saw the author tweet that it was her ebook publication day this week so I went straight to Amazon and one-clicked as it sounds like a really intriguing premise. I hope to get to this one over the summer as it sounds like a good, summer read.

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

The premise of this book grabbed me as soon as I read the blurb so I had to get a copy. This is another ebook purchase so I’m hoping to read it in between my planned print summer reads in the coming weeks.

Fatal Weekend by Tom Rubython

I was a huge fan of Ayrton Senna and so after watching some documentaries about him on the anniversary of his death earlier in May I decided to look and see if there were any new biographies of him. I found this one so bought it and read it straight away. It was a decent read but not the best biography of Senna.

The Reservoir Tapes by Jon McGregor

I got Reservoir 13 for my birthday earlier this year and whilst I haven’t read it yet I still couldn’t resist buying this book as I do love Jon McGregor’s writing. I hope to get to both books before too much longer.

Ivy and Abe by Elizabeth Enfield

This is a review book that I got from NetGalley, I think it’s due out later this month so I plan on reading it soon. It sounds like a lovely, comfort read and I feel sure I’ll enjoy it.

The Date by Louise Jensen

This is another NetGalley book also due out later this month. I love Louise Jensen’s writing so I couldn’t resist downloading this one. I’ll definitely be getting to this very, very soon!

Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

I’ve had my eye on this book ever since I first heard about it earlier this year so I was thrilled when my wish was granted on NetGalley recently. I actually read it as soon as I downloaded it and thought it was brilliant. I’ll be posting my review soon.

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

I love Lisa Jewell’s writing so this was another book that I requested on NetGalley as soon as I heard about it. It sounds like a great read so I’m eager to get to it soon. I think it’s due out in July so not too long to wait.

Snap by Belinda Bauer

I was thrilled when I was sent a copy of this in the post. I read the novel in one sitting earlier this week and I loved every minute that I spent reading it. I’m hoping to finish and post my review in the next week or so but I can say that I highly recommend Snap!

Toxic by Nicci Cloke

I adore the cover of this book and when I read the blurb I was very keen to get my hands on a copy as soon as possible. I was so happy when NetGalley approved my request! I’ll be reading this a little bit nearer publication date as it’s not due out until the end of July.

Falling Short by Lex Coulton

This book arrived as a total surprise recently and it sounds like a really good read so I’m adding it to my TBR. Hopefully I’ll get to it soon!

Did you get any new books recently? I’d love to know. Have you read any of the books in my book haul? Are there any that you recommend me getting to sooner rather than later? Feel free to leave a link to your own stacking the shelves post in the comments! 🙂

Stacking the Shelves with my May Book Haul! Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews, which is all about sharing the books that you’ve acquired in the past week!

[thenovelescapes]

february 2017

February is my favourite month. My birthday's in February. In February, daylight begins to stretch longer, reminding us that there will be an eventual end to winter. There is always a ton of discount chocolate available after Valentine's Day. So many reasons to celebrate!

- the television -

I continued my re-watch of The Good Wife this month with seasons six and seven. Really, the only good thing to have come from the last two seasons of the series is Lucca Quinn. I am very happy that she is a major part of the spin-off, The Good Fight. The constant firm reshuffling in season six is exhausting, and I definitely did not find Alicia's States Attorney campaign nearly as interesting as the writers wanted me to, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan's face and presence was a truly wonderful distraction from how bored I was by the plot.

And now, because I've been thinking very hard about this - my definitely ranking of seasons of The Good Wife:

1. Season 5  2. Season 2  3. Season 1  4. Season 3 5. Season 6 6. Season 7 7. Season 4 

After finishing Broadchurch with my parents, I was tasked - yet again - with finding a show we could watch together that they won't hate. As frustrating as this can be, I take pride in the fact that I've expanded their taste in television beyond Big Bang Theory reruns and 48 Hours (my dad) & House of Bryan (my mom). This month, I selected Mad Men. I'd heard all the rave reviews, scrolled past the live tweet sessions during it's final season, vaguely registered the Peggy Olsen meme, and watched everyone celebrate when Jon Hamm finally won an Emmy in 2015. But I'd never seen an episode until this month. Hey... hey guys. The show is good. (I am definitely the first person to make this observation). We're currently halfway through season 3, because we have terrible timing - the show was pulled from Netflix on March 1st - but my parents like it so much that my dad wants to buy the whole series on DVD. THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED FOR HIM.

Before this month, I had tried to watch the pilot of Crashing three separate times. Each time, I ended up aborting seven to ten minutes in. But I am incredibly glad that I gave it another shot and powered through the first episode. The series is so damn funny (and at times uncomfortable). I ended up watching all six episodes in a single night, staying up way too late and keeping a hand clapped over my mouth so my laughter didn't wake the whole household up. Watch the (unfortunately, solitary) season on Netflix!

I decided, after finishing Crashing, that I needed more Pheobe Waller-Bridge in my life and immediately began Fleabag. It has an extremely different style and sensibility than Crashing but is so interesting and different. I haven't quite finished the first season yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

- the movies -

My general feeling about the movies I watched this month is: "Meh."

The Heat was funny - Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are great - but I was comparing it to Spy in my head the entire time, and for me, nothing is going to win out over Spy. Mother's Day was very blah and it featured Julia Roberts in a truly terrible wig, but it was fine? La La Land was sweet, the music was good, and Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone are wonderful together, but it was mostly forgettable.  

- the books -

Last month, I fell into a bit of a reading slump post-vacation, but came into February raring to go and read eight books.

Here are some (approximately) tweet-length reviews of my favourites of the bunch:

The Wangs Vs. the World by Jade Chang -- A delightfully dysfunctional family struggling with bankruptcy, disenfranchisement, and communication issues. Funny, smart, emotional.

Once and For All by Sarah Dessen -- Dessen's latest novel deals with grief, love, marriage, & dating in such a compassionate way; remains one of my favourite contemporary YA authors.

Dead Girls Society by Michelle Krys -- This book needs a sequel. The cast of characters - a diverse group of teen girls - are determined, brave & duplicitous. The twists are legitimately twisty and the ending is equal parts hopeful and anxiety-inducing. Seriously, sequel.

Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman -- I finished this novel two weeks ago & I cannot stop thinking about it. Set in the '90s, Girls on Fire, focuses on passionate, violent, intense female friendship and is absolutely unputdownable.

The other books I read this month were: Where We Belong by Emily Giffen, To This Day: For the Bullied and Beautiful by Shane L. Koyczan, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, and The Assistants by Camille Perri.

- podcasts -

In February, I started a new job! It's a grown-up, adult job in an office, and I am very excited about it, but it also means waking up at 5:30am and commuting nearly three hours a day. Podcasts have become my best friends.

I've written about Ask Me Another before, but I hadn't listened to it in months and months. Now, it is my favourite thing to listen to on the morning drive to work. It is always funny and high energy and the trivia games force my brain to wake up in the morning. In the afternoons, I've been alternating between Embedded (from NPR), Criminal, and Missing & Murdered: Who Killed Alberta Williams (CBC). There's something kind of perfect about listening to people talk about crime and murder while stuck in rush hour traffic. These trivia and crime podcasts have been occasionally interspersed with Bad With Money With Gaby Dunn and Missing Richard Simmons. Bad With Money is funny and honest and provides good information about loans, debt, investments, and so much more. Missing Richard Simmons is utterly fascinating. Dan Taberski, a filmmaker who was a regular in Richard Simmons' fitness class, searches for the fitness guru. From the website: "On February 15, 2014, fitness guru Richard Simmons disappeared. He stopped teaching his regular exercise class at Slimmons, cut off his closest friends, and removed himself from the public eye after decades as one of the most accessible celebrities in the world." Only three episodes have aired so far, but I'm already invested.

- other -

Dear Evan Hansen is a new Broadway musical centered on the title character, Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety disorder who becomes tangled in a family tragedy following the death of another teen. The cast album was released on February 3rd and I have been listening to it constantly ever since.

I hope you all enjoyed the shortest month of the year, and as always, happy reading, watching and listening!