#he's her rock the only person she can ever be “kathryn” with

[catgirljaneway]

Janeway and Tuvok are my Roman Empire!!! Nothing in Star Trek can ever compare to Them for me ❤️

Her face??? I wanna die!!!

[insanewaykathy]

My favorite ship headcanons:

Janeway:

Canonically, she did ballet as a child, but I bet she continued to enjoy dancing eventually and learned jazz. Speaking of dancing, she also did plays when she had time (or do you think she played Queen Arachnia so well by accident?) She also does yoga and is super flexible (those are yoga muscles). At some point, she wore a lab coat in her life as a scientist. She is fun, cool and popular, and has lots of friends. She is flirtatious and had many boyfriends before Mark, after all a girl can have fun. She likes sex in the bathtub. She is not shy at all during sex and likes sexual adventures. She has no problem courting a man if she wants to. She loves Halloween and loves dressing up. She also loves horror stories. She loves children, has nephews and is a really cool aunt. She also loves Christmas and likes to decorate the tree by hand, respecting traditions. She always tries to make Christmas cookies, but they would only be good if she wanted to kill someone, because they always ended up hard as rocks. At some point, the children who lived next door thought she was a vampire, because she always stayed up all night. She has very soft and fragrant skin. She is talkative. Her favorite part of Chakotay's body is his mouth, and she has certainly fantasized about kissing those lips a few times. Perhaps second, she likes his chest, and she certainly dreams of being able to run her hands over it as much as she wants. She usually likes older and not so good-looking guys, but she finds Chakotay extremely handsome and in her eyes, he is the hottest guy she has ever wanted to have sex with.

Chakotay:

He is shy and cute. Although he seems like the guy who gets with every woman he sees, he does not get involved easily and cultivates few relationships. He is the shy type when it comes to sex, but only in the beginning, with time and practice, he could make a woman scream in a few minutes. He is also the romantic type and will try to please his partner at all times, including during sex. He would make a great son-in-law and brother-in-law. He doesn't have many friends, most of them were Maquis. He is an introverted guy, but friendly. He would eat Janeway's hard Christmas cookies. He always wanted to mess up her hair. And he always wanted a kiss that tasted like coffee. He thinks she smells really good and always gets close enough to smell her hair. He has never forgotten the sight of her wet skin when she had just gotten out of the shower. He likes her freckles and has certainly seen them all the time on New Earth. He has never thought about being a father, but if Kathryn said she wanted children with him, he would agree to have 10 in a heartbeat. He thinks her little mouth is very cute and sexy (because it is!) He loves to hear her talk about her personal life, and always remembers the details of the conversations they have.

[idpreferyoudead]

There’s a lot of movies I haven’t seen yet this year because going to the cinema is bloody expensive and you can have a couple of months of nothing grabbing your interest and then suddenly 4 movies come out in the same week and somehow I’m meant to choose which movie I want to see the most? Well last month I didn’t pick Abigail and I’ll admit that was solely on the fact the film was by Radio Silence and the focus was on Melissa Barrera. I thought Ready Or Not was a great film but I hated what they did to the Scream franchise. I haven’t really seen Melissa in anything else but I just hate her character in Scream so much it’s hard to separate her right now. So with Abigail hitting streaming services, I finally gave it a viewing.

Now we all know what this movie is about thanks to the trailer: a little girl comes home from what is presumedly a ballet class, is kidnapped by a group of criminals and she turns out to be a vampire. That is basically the extent of the entire plot. Six completely random crims, where none of them look like the type capable of pulling off something of this magnitude even if it is just glorified babysitting, but it only takes Joey (Melissa Barrera) 30 seconds to prove she’s incompetent for the job when she believes everything Abigail tells her. The second hand embarrassment was real when Joey did this not once, but twice, then stands there saying how smart Abigail is for manipulating them. I feel like Joey would be really susceptible to TV advertising. The kind of person to believe something on wikipedia because nothing on wikipedia is ever wrong – and it is, you should look up the plot to Robert the Doll on there. It’s hilarious but oh so wrong! They all realise this little girl is a vampire and stand around discussing the ways to kill a vamp. Of course, Twilight is mentioned. Garlic, sunlight and holy water are the obvious answers, 2 of which are useless to them at 3:30am barricaded inside a large house but the dumb got dumber when Sammy (Kathryn Newton) runs out of the kitchen with a bag of garlic and she gets a quick lesson on what an onion looks like. I wish I could say the movie gets better, but for me, it didn’t.

Early on with teaser trailers, people were very quick to make comparisons to M3GAN – all because of a young girl and a dance routine – and that’s not much of a comparison. Honestly it’s kind of insulting to compare a Tiktok dance to ballet. Though for a kid that’s been around for a few centuries, I’ll guess ballet is a relatively new hobby for her but her ballet skills are better than whoever was in charge of giving Sammy tattoos. I don’t know what is going on in Hollywood right now where every ‘edgy’ character that exists in a movie must have some of the absolute shittest tattoos that ever existed. The kind of tattoos that look like they were done in your mates crack den with the tattoo gun he bought from Temu. Harry Styles is not the poster boy for how to look cool with tattoos, okay? Just employ someone from Ink Master, they could draw you up something real nice compared to the random black drawings that look like were done with a felt tip pen.

Plot wise I was mostly pretty bored to the point where I started wondering if I should count how many times the word FUCK was said in the movie, because that one word is definitely like 30% of the script. Total overkill, just like that time someone let Chris Rock near a Saw film. Even the way some of them were dying – just fully exploding bloody messes – was straight out of Ready Or Not and didn’t feel very imaginative.

I’m sure to have no fans with this but Melissa Barrera’s acting just doesn’t do it for me. This was just another character I couldn’t stand where she was gullible at every turn while also being holier than thou. Can we normalise not praising a movie just because some actor/actress you’re fangirling over is in it? Let’s raise the bar a little!

Any rating I give this movie is going to Alisha Weir. She pulled off playing a terrified and vulnerable little girl, a vampire child who likes to play with her food and she was definitely the smartest person in the room. Her ability to switch between meek child to ruthless killer and back again makes her someone to watch – I’ll be interested to see what she does in the future!

Lastly, I’m saddened that after hearing ‘Tiny Dancer’ a few times in the beginning, not once was Elton John played in the movie. What a missed opportunity.

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s1 ep5: The Cloud

This is one of the ones I've definitley seen before, but don't remember much from, so it was interesting to watch it unfold without knowing what happens.

Overall, it was a mixed bag, but at the very least, it gave us this iconic Janeway moment:

The main storyline was clever, providing a nice twist to the usual 'let's go poke a stick at a space anomaly' plot by turning it about to reveal a 'we must help out a space creature' plot instead. Although for me it was a bit of a 'worst person you know makes excellent point' moment when Neelix went off about how stupid it is to endanger the ship and crew to go poke a stick at every single space anomaly they encounter. (He's not wrong.) However, as soon as he said it to the captain, and was kind of a jerk about it, I switched to her side. I would follow her anywhere and do whatever crazy shit she wants to do, tbh. She has so much conviction, even if what she's saying is, in fact, risky and stupid as hell, I want her to do it, I believe in her. She can have a little gratuitous ship and crew endangerment, for a treat, because I love her. Also she gets bonus points for literally telling Neelix to gtfo of her ready room. Get his disrespectful ass, honey! But then she lets him bring snacks to the bridge during a red alert??? Wtf??? I guess the writers didn't want to have a female capatain be too harsh lest she not be seen as approachable and 'unfeminine' (gag!), but I personally love it when she's tough and a little bit scary, and these very same writers never worried if Jean-Luc Picard was 'approachable'. (And he's not- if you approach him, he'll bite your head off, and we still love him, so let Janeway have the same thing dammit!)

Also, they literally have a line in this ep about how Captain Janeway canonically wears lipstick?! In the 24th century?! Women still have to wear goddamn lipstick to work?! When you're the Captain of a fucking starship, you're still supposed to sit there and put lipstick on before you show up for duty?! I just... ugh. No. Sure some people like to wear makeup, fine, but the notion that ALL women like it and want to wear it is just...no. Obviously on a TV show, the actors are all wearing makeup in real life, but I always felt that in the universe of the show they weren't, except maybe for hyper feminine characters like Deanna Troi. Kathryn Janeway is so no-nonsense, I really don't think she would, she doesn't seem like the kind of person who would give a damn if her crew thinks her lipgloss is poppin', you know? And especially since none of the male characters has ever had obviously make-up-y makeup, it reinforces a short-sighted patriarchal viewpoint to say that hundreds of years from now we'll still have a cultural norm where all women wear make-up all the time, and all men never do. (New challenge to current Star Trek shows: I want to see male crewmembers rocking guyliner, colorful eyeshadow, lipstick, glittery highlights, the works. If women in Starfleet wear it, men should too!)

The parts with Chakotay helping Janeway to find her spirit animal were obviously well meant, but they came off as a clumsy attempt to be inclusive by white guys who only have the vaguest idea of what they're talking about. The part about 'we now know better than to use scary bad drugs to have visions, now we use technology!' was especially cringe inducing. It's pretty tone-deaf to think that a culture where connection to the natural world is a central principal would use technology to have a spiritual experience, not to mention the whole 'natural drugs are bad and only white western medicine can make drugs that are safe and good' attitude is something that woud have died out in a post-capitalist utopian future. I appreciate that they wanted to be progressive, but if they weren't going to do the bare minimum of research or even try to put aside their middle aged straight white guy worldviews for a little bit, it was a futile effort that was doomed from the start.

And then there was more cringe-inducing stuff in Tom Paris's Chez Sandrine holodeck program. The harder they try to make Tom seem cool, the less cool he seems. Honestly, every thing in those scenes was just major secondhand embarrassment. It's hard to believe the writers really made him say this misogynist crap with a straight face. Like a grown ass adult would actually show his friends and coworkers that the inside of his head looks like this??? The whole time, I felt like Harry's discomfort wasn't because Tom's holoprogram was too sexy and cool for him, but rather because he was thinking 'Damn bitch, you live like this??' and feeling bad for Tom. If my bestie admitted to me that he has basically the hologram equivalent of a blow up doll in all his holoprograms, I would consider that a cry for help. If we needed confirmation that Tom has some issues he hasn't worked through, we got it, but I feel like it could have been done more subtly. It was just, so, so over-the-top bad. Thank you B'Elanna for calling out his shitty program, you said what we were all thinking, queen. At least Tom had the self-awareness to look contrite when she called him a pig- even then, he knows she's right, so at least they're giving him a ray of hope for getting better, but still, so far he's actually been pretty decent, and this was an unnecessary side trip to creepville no one needed. The one small positive I'll concede in this Chez Sandrine quagmire is Captain Janeway coming in and being fauned over by a holographic dude who wants to make passionate love to her, since she seems totally unsurprised and unbothered by someone taking one look at her and saying that, lmao. Captain Janeway knows she's got it, baby! And then revealing that she's secretly a pool shark to boot- ugh, I just love her. So much.

Tl;dr: Good main plot, bad subplots, some cringe moments you'll just have to grit your teeth to get through.

[divinemissem13]

Regrets, I’ve Had a Few

Fictober, day 14: “If you don’t stop now—”

Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager

Ship: Chakotay/ Janeway

———

Chakotay finishes his watch and goes to find Kathryn. Things have been… awkward between them since they were rescued from New Earth. But here they are, stranded on another planet in the Delta Quadrant - a much less hospitable one, by the way - and despite the overwhelming sense of guilt and panic, Chakotay has also been assaulted with beautiful memories of their previous exile ever since they arrived. The whiplash he is experiencing can only be truly understood by one other person.

Chakotay is not surprised to find her half hidden behind a large boulder at the outskirts of the clearing. Close enough to the crew to hear if anything goes wrong, but far enough away that she could have some modicum of privacy. Chakotay approaches the boulder quietly, not wanting to disturb her in case she is actually asleep. Of course she is not, and her head turns sharply in his direction when his foot hits a pebble that goes skittering across the dusty ground.

“Knock knock,” he says with an apologetic smile.

“Who’s there?” she responds wryly.

“May I join you?”

“It’s a free planet. Most likely.” She gestures to the barren dirt surrounding her, indicating for him to take a seat.

He does, a little closer to her than she probably would have liked, but he can’t bear the distance between them on this already inhospitable and isolated planet. She won’t say so, but he expects she feels the same.

They sit, side by side, leaning against the large rock that conceals them from the rest of the crew and Chakotay decides to take a chance; he takes her hand. To his surprise, she does not pull away. Quite the opposite, in fact, she turns her hand to interlace her fingers with his.

Keep reading on AO3

[intothewickedwood]

Once Upon A Time Rewatch: 6x18 Where Bluebirds Fly

Whoop! Whoop! Zel Zel centric!

The yellow brick road! I wish the characters had an adventure in Oz so we’d get to explore it a bit more like we did Wonderland and Neverland.

Back off! Leave young Zel alone! Is magic not a common thing in Oz?

Aww this friendship is adorable. I kinda wish his name was Boq though to tie in with Wicked’s tin man, but they already included Boq.

It always makes me so sad seeing young Zelena. She was so sweet and her father is just the worst! She deserved so much better. She must have gotten her kindness from the little time she spent with her adoptive mothers, cause goodness knows her other three parents are evil. If she was raised by Cora to be Queen, I’m not sure she’d have had the heart to rule through fear like Cora no doubt would have wanted.

Get off baby Robin, you bitch! 

No you can’t hold her a little longer.

The Black Fairy: “I never grow tired of that new baby smell.” She is so freaking creepy.

She’s manipulating you, Zelly!

To be fair Zelena was almost that level of creepy when it came to Snowing’s baby back in s3. 

Lol. Poor Snow.

Okay. It is pretty adorable that Snow has been planning Emma’s wedding since after the first curse haha.

Help! Snow’s being super adorabubble!!

The fact that Zelena is probably Belle’s closest friend at this point lol. Poor Belle. I wish the others cared about her more but I do enjoy her dynamic with Zelena.

Zelena, don’t do it, girl!

Another entrance to the mines?

Other than Stanum (probably breifly) and briefly Glinda (the two-faced biatch) I don’t think Zelena has ever had any friends. She just had her horrible father growing up and that was it, no wonder she craved love so much. She’s always been alone and has known only hatred for something she can’t control (her magic).

Oh, so the Witch of the North is wicked too? Interesting. I wonder if she fell out with Glinda or Glinda turned on her too. I wanna know more about the Wicked Witch of the North! And heck, I wanna know what happened to the Witch of the East too!

Regina’s come to save sis!

God, these two fighting like children again lol.

Even though they’re fighting, Regina’s instinct is still to protect big sis from falling rock.

Getting married at Granny’s lol. But don’t they end up getting married on top of Granny’s or something?

David still not over Whale. Dude, you almost got Kathryn pregnant! You know what, it’s really messed up that they slept with others while cursed, even though they wouldn’t have if they weren’t under its influence. 

I think that deep down, Zelena just wanted a mother again. We still don’t know when her adoptive mother died but I think Zelena was really young. She was the only person to show her love and since Zelena going back in time may not prevent her death, she is desperate to find that love again from her other mother. She will do anything to have that again and that’s why she’s often so desperate to prove herself, she thinks power is the only way to win Cora’s affections. It’s the only thing that will make her mother, the only person she believes can love her, show her the love she so desperately craves.

It’s the king of the forest! 

Why is a Lion in a forest? Or tigers? I’m not even gonna ask.

Is Gideon more powerful than Regina? He knocked her down pretty easily. 

The Black fairy playing hide and seek with the Wicked Witch of the West.

Go Zel Zel!

This scene is so cool!

The Black Fairy can deflect magic? Weird that Blue hasn’t been shown to do that. I guess they have different power sets.

There Regina goes again. She is getting flipped around so easily today lol.

Yes! Thank you! Zelena is stronger than Regina confirmed. I was afraid they were going back on what they’d established in s3. She’s supposed to be more powerful than Cora, according to Rumple, who I think is easily more powerful than Regina. I’m gonna do a magic ranking one day. 

Magic is really affected by emotions. So because Zelena’s emotions are unstable, that makes her magic unstable? Interesting. I love it being connected to their emotions. 

What’s she using Zelena’s magic to do?

That lion is huge!

Oh, she made it into a scaredy cat. I wonder if it can talk.

Don’t say that Regina. Zelena needs you. You need each other deep down. Just wait till s7, you’ll be besties then!

Even though Regina’s hypocrisy this season gets to me a lot, I’m glad that Regina and Zelena’s sisterhood was tested and they didn’t instantly become besties. It makes their friendship all the more real and worth the ride in s7.

Snow: “And if she wanted to get married in a bathroom it would be perfect and exactly what it’s supposed to be.” Oh my God lmao! That would have been the best! 

Umm, how did the crystal summon a tornado portal?

I misremembered. I thought Stanum knew it would drain her magic but he seems like he’s telling the truth that he didn’t.

He’ll be alright. Dorothy will help him.

But what will she do with the crystals? 

Zelena: “You’re all I’ve got, Regina.”

I actually want to cry. This was so brave of Zelena. You can tell how much the idea of destroying her magic breaks her. It is a part of her. She’s had it since the day she was born. Can you imagine ripping away something that is that ingrained in who you are and have always been? It makes me so upset but it was important for her development. 

I wanna hug Zelena! 

It looks painful. I imagine it would be ripping away a part of yourself like that. 

Aww Regina is so proud of her sis and hugs her. I can’t!!

God I was so distraught when they took Zelena’s magic. You don’t understand. I think I still would be extremely distraught if she hadn’t gotten magic back in s7. The important thing was, much like Harry Potter meant to die when Voldemort struck him in the Deathly Hallows, Zelena meant for her magic to be gone forever and that is a bigger sacrifice for her than anyone will ever understand, akin to sacrificing her life. I wasn’t sure she ever would get it back but I wish Robin hadn’t given up her magic. It was very nice of her to do that for her mother, who’s magic was such an important part of her life but can you imagine mother and daughter and Alice and Robin kicking ass with their magic. In my head, Robin gets magic back a short time after the s7 finale. 

Why oh why didn’t we get more of a Black Fairy and Blue Fairy interaction in Storybrooke? At least we get some in the flashbacks next week.

She really hates her.

I can’t remember why Rumple can’t know why his mother gave him up. Guess I’ll find out soon!

This was such a great and important episode for my girl, Zelena. So proud of her. What an emotional rollercoaster! 

[writingsfromstarfleet]

[Kathryn Janeway] Call Me Captain

♫ - The Captain - The Phoenix Foundation

For the lovely @tagthetrekkie who gave me the choice between Janeway and Picard, I had to choose her because Janeway is my favourite captain and I couldn’t resist this! Thank you for the request, I hope you enjoy! You guys as always, thanks for reading! Hugs! ♡

Assignment to Voyager was the highlight of your career thus far. You'd been on missions here and there lasting no more than 4 months at most, but never on such a trip as this one.

You were a bright, young ensign with a wealth of knowledge under your belt. Not only were you talented in the medical field, but you had a great knowledge of mechanics too, reading starship manuals ever since you were a child. Your primary field of study was always medical, the will to help people calling to you, but you couldn't give up on your love of engineering either. Finishing up at Starfleet with some of the finest scores among your peers, you were only too qualified to serve on Voyager. There was one person you immediately went to tell.

"Look!" you shouted, running towards your Aunt Kathryn with the biggest smile. "It finally came through, I got the assignment!"

"Oh, Y/N, I'm so proud of you!" She took your in her arms and placed a kiss atop your head. Your aunt had always been your strongest supporter, and your rock through each and every struggle you had at the academy. "Any idea who your Captain is?"

"None. I hope they're nice enough though, I get to meet them tomorrow" you said, still wearing a beaming smile.

Kathryn sent you a look, what it said you weren't sure, you're excitement for the next day clouded any other thought you had. That night was spent preparing your bag, revising your study notes to make sure any questions you were asked could be answered. Sleep overtook you late, nerves and adrenaline already having kicked in for you.

"Glad you made it, Y/N" the voice of the Admiral called out to you, personal data pad in hand as he greeted you with a handshake.

"Of course, sir, wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Let's go then."

Once you'd reached the room, which was rather a long walk away, the door swung open to reveal a figure stood to greet you.

"Hello, Ensign."

"Aunt Kathryn?" you asked, confused but somehow even happier. You'd be serving under your role model, the person who had every belief in you.

"Captain Janeway, I'm glad to have you under my command, Y/N." She maintained her professional voice, prim and proper, as was expected from a Starfleet Captain.

The admiral left you be, leaving Kathryn to go over the basics that every ensign had to hear. Once that was finished, you could speak to her as normal.

"Why didn't you tell me, Aunt Kathryn?" you enquired, packing up your things once more. She turned to you, stopping you and placed her hands on your shoulders, an invite to sit next to her.

"Because," she began, a sweet smile adorning her face. "I knew that if I did tell you, you would have only stressed out even more, I know what you're like. I wanted to surprise you, too."

"Consider me surprised" you laughed out, breathing a breath of relief.

"Dismissed, Y/N. Oh, and another thing; you'll have to get used to calling me Captain." She nodded and smiled, you mirroring her actions.

"Of course, Captain."

Even after a year aboard Voyager, there was no getting used to calling your Aunt by Captain; was difficult and often you messed up. Harry and Tom teased you for it every time. You'd always have to correct yourself, never quite mastering the art of simply saying what you should in the first place.

There was the time on the bridge.

"I have the reports you wanted, Aunt Kath- Captain Janeway" you'd said, cheeks reddening as you shot a glare at the giggling Helmsman behind you. "Carry on, Thomas. I dare you."

You gave the captain a sorry look, which she waved off with a laugh.

"It's quite alright, thank you. Might I ask that you don't murder my pilot if you can help it."

There was the time in engineering.

"Hey," you'd said, B'Elanna nodding at you to acknowledge your presence, hands busy fiddling with some mechanics in the systems down there. "I have those parts from storage you needed, Aunt Kath- uh, the Captain asked if you'll see her once you're done."

B'Elanna giggled at your sheepish look.

"You'll get used to it eventually. Thanks, Y/N, I'll be on my way soon."

And the time in sick bay.

"Hypospray, ensign."

The Doctors voice was stern, though despite the pressure he was not under stress. Treating the captains injuries, he gave you orders and you followed each one through. It was successful, and the captain lay on the biobed, awake but drowsy. You sat holding her hand.

"Will Aunt Kathryn be alright?" you asked, voice filled with worry and with no attempt to cover your incorrect title towards her.

"The captain will be just fine, Y/N. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like."

"Y/N," Kathryn's voice was low, quiet and raspy. You looked her in the eye. "It's.."

".. Captain." You finished her sentence upon seeing the look inviting you to do so, and you laughed between you. "Deaths door, and you're having a laugh about it, Aun- Captain."

You never did get the used to it.

[beccenss]

REBECCA STEVENS ( KATHRYN NEWTON ) is an EIGHTEEN year old from COTTAGE GROVE, OR. SHE is known around the island as THE RACONTEUR because she is ENTHUSIASTIC and WHIMSICAL but can also be CLUMSY and IMPULSIVE. SHE reminds me of faded graphic tees, cryptid paraphernalia, and greasy burger diners. [ kellie, 26, she/her, aest ]

BASIC INFORMATION

NAME: Rebecca Louise Stevens

NICKNAMES: Becca / Bec 

BIRTHDAY: August

AGE: Eighteen

HOMETOWN: Cottage Cove, Oregon

BIRTHPLACE: Seattle, Washington

RELIGION: N/A

ETHNICITY: White

NATIONALITY: American

EDUCATION: High School

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: ?????

SOCIAL CLASS: Upper

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

HEIGHT: 1.65 m

EYES: Blue

HAIR: Blond

BUILD: Petite

DISTINGUISHING MARKS: N/A

NOTABLE FEATURES: A silouhette of a coast redwood tree tattooed on her wrist, native to Oregon.

PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: N/A

ALLERGIES: Cat hair

PERSONALITY & BEHAVIOR

HOBBIES: A lot of the time Becca enjoys researching things online. She loves reading about all kinds of random shit, and will usually whip out the information later in a converastion. Otherwise she’s big into content consuming, whether it’s television, tiktoks or social media. She’s usually always on her laptop, but when she isn’t, she loves going for hikes in the forest. The idea of getting lost is kind of fun to her, and sometimes she tries, though she barely ever does.

LIKES: Nature, people who are good at art, deep conversations.

DISLIKES: Political jargon, being told to clean something, homework.

QUIRKS: Becca is big into the cryptid culture, but is most notibly in love with Bigfoot. Or not in love with him, that’d be weird — no, she’s just obsessed with the idea of him. She thinks its fun and exciting to believe in something everybody else thinks is a hoax. Usually, the more people try to convince her he’s not real, the more it feeds Becca’s obsession. She owns a lot of Bigfoot paraphenalia for absolutely no reason. Realistically, she doesn’t actually really believe in him, but she figures there’s no harm in people thinking she does.

STRENGTHS: Stupidly brave, she’ll run head first into trouble if it means helping somebody else. She’s also able to think quickly and act even faster. Whether her ideas are good....... that’s debatable.

WEAKNESSES: She’s incredibly unfortunate with bad luck, if something bad is going to happen, it’s usually happening to Becca.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Enthusiastic, Charasmatic, Whimsical, Creative.

NEGATIVE TRAITS:  Clumsy, Impulsive, Impressionable, Obnoxious.

MENTAL DISABILITIES: N/A.

SHARE 5 FUN FACTS ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER

before the island...

Becca’s parents split up right before she started kindergarten, but oddly enough, it was an incredibly ammicable separation. Her parents always made sure that Becca was priority while she was little, and explained to her many times and in many different ways that they still loved each other, even though they weren’t together, they just loved each other in a different way. This earned her a pretty good relationship with the both of them until she hit her pre-teens and her father moved and began interested in town politics. Not much later, Becca’s mother got a job that would be taking her to the other side of the country and while the discussion of taking her to Boston with her was talked about, it was later settled that Becca would live with her father in Cottage Grove until she finished high school. This is when her relationship with her father started to grow turbulent and has only gone downhill since.

She had a best friend back in Cottage Grove named Jacobi, a witty and sensical boy who played videogames and wrote code at what seemed like all hours of the day. While an innocent friendship for most of their teen years together, it wasn’t until they graduated that things started to change and they did try to date for a few months. It was weird, though, but before Becca was able to come up with a gentle way to break up with him she was shipped off to the retreat.

As much as Cottage Grove has made her life with her dad pretty difficult, she actually loves it more than she ever remembers loving Seattle. She loves the woods and being within driving distance of the ocean.

Becca has genuinely no idea what she was going to do after high school ended, which only amplified her father’s annoyance for her incompetence.

after the island...

Waking up in the rough waters, Becca had to swim to safety with all that she had. Upon clambering onto nearby rocky shore, she was able to finally catch a breath but only just barely. With dread, she thought she was entirely alone, lost and left for dead on the slippery rocks. However, when she heard a yell out it startled her so badly that she lost grip and slipped, hitting her head on the way down along the sharp rocks. After a moment of groggy head-spinning, Becca clutched at her hairline just in time to see a figure start rushing towards her in what felt like slow-motion. Unable to speak, the world was spinning, her eyelids fluttering. Quickly, Becca passed out, majorly concussed she didn’t regain full conciousness until 2 days later, drifting between restless sleep and nausea. Now, upon waking and finally feeling better, she’s discovered that she can’t remember much of the weeks that lead up prior to the plane trip, she barely even remembers that. Can your characters help her piece it together? 

WHAT WAS YOUR CHARACTER WEARING ON THE FLIGHT?

Becca aboarded the flight sporting a dull, oversized tye die shirt underneath a large denim jacket, paired with dark jeans and black converse. Around her neck were a small cluster of necklaces, one being a bright beaded thing and the other being a collection of small gold undistiguishable neclaces.

PLEASE LIST 3 PERSONAL ITEMS OF YOUR CHARACTER THAT WASHED UP ON SHORE

Her tiger’s eye ring.

The Monsters Know What They’re Doing, D&D guidebook.

Small bag of trail mix.

OTHER LINKS

pinterest

[thefashionteam]

Fashion is Art

The word "art" refers to a wide range of works, from paintings to sculptures, architecture to design, and, more recently, digital art. We all know that, everyone can appreciate and marvel at art, but because art is subjective, different forms of art appeal to different people.

Sad to say, with our 22 years of existence, from the knowledge that we have from the definition of art, when we are asked what art really is. The first thing that immediately comes into our mind is the usual art that we know, such as painting, sculpture, drawing, poems, and etc. But if we really look at it, is this really the only art? Are painters, sculptors, architects, etc. the only artists?

Art can be seen everywhere and sometimes we are just not aware of it because it’s not the typical type of art that we know. Both Artists and Artisans use their skills in order to create and curate their own art. Nowadays, artisans are making a huge impact in the industry, they are the make up artists, hairdressers and even fashion designers. You might not recognize, but their works are considered as an art; it is a kind of creativity that has been proposed by various of being one-of-a-kind and intricate.

Sandy Odo

HAIRSTYLISTS

Sandy Odo, is known for being the hairstylist of a Filipina singer/artist Angeline Quinto, and a Filipina artist Kathryn Bernardo. She has been doing her passion for almost 4 years. According to her, she started her career, being a hairstylist in 2016 after she graduated from Ricky Reyes Learning Institute. She started first as a hairdresser in a salon of Bambbi Fuentes. Working in a salon is where the door of showbiz opened for her, because according to her, Bambbi Fuentes is known as the showbiz makeup artist of famous celebrities. Fuentes is one of the reasons why her talent was seen and introduced to different clients.

Her passion for hairstyling has reached different famous celebrities. Actually, her first client in showbiz was Angel Locsin in the teleserye Immortal (2011). After that, her projects with ABS-CBN followed one after another. Until she became as well as the personal makeup artist of Daniel Padilla in the teleserye Princess & I.

When we asked, who inspired her to become a hairstylist, she answered “I thought of this job because I've always been a fan of celebrities. I really want to work with them.” Which inspires us, because it seems that because of her dream, she used her passion to reach for it. She showed that it is not really impossible. Especially because of this dream of her, she was able to show and share her talent as an artisan. She shared the gift she received from the Lord, which contributed to seeing how beautiful an art is.

Moreover, Sandy Odo being a respectable hairstylist in an industry said, until now, she has not stopped dreaming. She still wants to get a career in Hollywood, because she really wants the bigger world of showbiz. She even wants to show more of her talent in hairstyling and in doing make-up, not only in our home country, but hopefully around the world. For her, being in Hollywood will be the best event of her life as an artisan; hairstylist and makeup artist.

Jaz Cerezo

Fashion Designer

Coming from a family that specializes in fabric textile making in Dagupan City, it’s no surprise that Jaz Cerezo is becoming a popular icon in the Fashion Industry. She’s a natural for she has been proficient with drawing ever since and she loves dressing up barbie dolls. Her passion for fashion was further nurtured when she decided to pursue a degree in Fine arts and took up dressmaking afterwards as well. It is believed that she gets the female body more than other female designers in the field. No wonder she has this knack for understanding and expressing one’s self through styling and putting up clothes.

She started her career when she joined Project Runway Philippines last 2008. It has opened a lot of doors for her because ever since it took place, she has started joining fashion shows, getting calls, being featured in magazines, and even being introduced to the most notable personas in the industry. Everything just sort of went into place from there on, it all connected like it was really meant for her.

Currently, she’s now working to have a Ready-to-wear clothing line in order to expand and reach more people. It gives her pure joy and contentment to see people sporting and rocking the clothes she made because really, it takes so much hard work and dedication to produce a single piece of clothing. What we most admire from her is that she greatly respects the fashion industry, that it is visible in her works. You can see all the years of practicing and perfecting, marvellously channeled into her pieces. It brings us great pride and delight to acknowledge a remarkable designer such as herself. She gives so much hope to aspiring creators to continue striving for their dreams.

Archie Valencia

MAKE-UP ARTIST

Archie Valencia is currently working as a make-up artist of the Filipina singers/artists Angeline Quinto and Vice Ganda. He has been doing his passion for almost 13 years. According to him, he started year 2009, by collecting make ups and brushes as a preparation to consider it as a career. Because of his dream to be a make-up artist, he went to a make-up school, Maquillage Professional at BGC Taguig. He also considered taking advanced make-up classes, such as make-up era, avant garde, photo make-up, hd make-up, studio make-up, and etc. With the help of his make-up school, Valencia’s talent in doing make-up was enhanced and developed. Since they are all beginners they don’t pay for the selected students that were helping them to do photoshoots, fashion shows and high society events. It’s all about the exposure and learning the trade of the industry as he said. Considering this as the line of his career he met a lot of people who work in this field, such as fashion magazine editors, stylists, models, and even celebrities that he worked with in fashion editorial, and in all of the existing magazines.

With all his knowledge and skills he still wants to learn more, because according to him products evolve and so as techniques, it is a non stop learning because from time to time demands also change. He is also looking forward to publishing a book or doing some masterclass in order to share his knowledge to young and aspiring makeup artists.

From their stories, we would like to show our appreciation to the artisans like them, such as makeup artists, hair stylists, fashion designers, and etc.. Without them, events in our life will not be colorful and meaningful. They are the one who help us stand out, to feel ourselves, and to get rid of our insecurities. They're building our self confidence through their artworks. They know what best suits your personality and what perfect look we should be at different events. Their artwork is one of the reasons why we are able to appreciate and be aware of the trends and fashion in this world. As well as to go outside our comfort zone. They enhance your appearance and your confidence. Therefore, we are really grateful for them, for being dedicated to their work, talent and to their God’s given gift. They show the true beauty of art, through sharing their talent to everyone and they are the people behind the curtains that don’t usually get recognized.

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One: Breaking the Curse

Chapter 42: Playing Both Sides

The arraignment went well, or at least as well as could be expected. Mary Margaret was to be held in the county jail without bond until the date of her trial. If convicted of murder, she would be taken to a state prison outside of Storybrooke to serve her sentence. If found innocent, she would be released. He had no intention of things ever getting that far, of course. But just because he didn't want things to get that far didn't mean he wouldn't go along and not make it look good. When they stood before the judge, he made a motion to dismiss a jury and instead take a judgment from the judge himself. It was a risky move that most lawyers wouldn't gamble with. He, however, wasn't interested in gambling. He just wanted to get this sham over and done with. A trial involving a jury meant that jury summons had to be sent out weeks ahead of time, accommodations had to be made, selections had to be processed, all before getting to trial…he didn't have time for that. Foregoing a jury meant that in two days, by the end of the week, Mary Margaret could be on trial, and Kathryn could be freed, and this could be over. He would be happy about that.

But first, he had a dance to get on with, one where both Emma and Regina trusted him to do their bidding. He had to keep Emma's suspicion on Regina. In fact, he needed it to be even worse than it was now. And as far as Regina went, he just had to keep her thinking he was on her side so that she'd never suspect he was working against her. Only then, once all this was over, would Emma make herself enough of a nuisance that Regina would properly turn her attention back to her. Only then could the breaking of the Curse begin to move forward again.

It was going to be one hell of a dance.

Regina was, of course, present at the arraignment. She and Emma sat in the back of the small courtroom as Spencer accused Mary Margaret of murder, and he reminded Mary Margaret to enter her "not guilty" plea. He made his argument that Mary Margaret was hardly a threat, that she had no family outside of Storybrooke and no means to flee. Spencer did his job in reminding the court that she had very few connections in Storybrooke, and there wasn't much to keep her here. He'd lost, as he knew he would. Regina still wasn't happy. As Emma led her away back to the prison, the Mayor had approached him, finally wondering why he was doing this, why she wasn't well on her way outside of Storybrooke by now. He assured her with a calm smile as if everything were perfectly under control even though he needed to take an aspirin for the headache it gave him every time he thought of it.

"Worry not, your Majesty. There's more than one way to get a person to cross the town line."

He was about to do something stupid, something that no defense lawyer would ever do to their client. But…was it stupid if he knew he was going to do it? If he didn't mean for it to go so far? Was it stupid if it was part of a strategic move?

A pre-trial interview with the prosecution was always a bad idea. It only gave the prosecutor more fuel to throw on the fire, rarely did it ever solve anything. But if he wanted Regina to trust him in this, then he was going to have to do something stupid. He was going to have to take a planned misstep. He was going to have to let Mary Margaret hang herself with the knowledge that at the end of the day, she wasn't going to be blamed for any of this. Regina was. Emma would suspect Regina, Regina would get away with it, Emma would be angry, the feud would be reestablished.

He needed a bigger bottle of aspirin.

Spencer agreed to the interview the next day. He didn't know a prosecutor who wouldn't have said "yes" to that offer. He didn't need to tell Regina that; he assumed that Spencer would inform her, and she'd be pleased when she heard the news. Mary Margaret would be easy enough to convince, seeing how she was so terrified and pliant in this personality she'd be Cursed into. Convincing this was a good idea with Emma, on the other hand…

"A pretrial interview with the prosecution?" Emma blanched, standing between him and the bars of Mary Margaret's cell as if she could protect her friend from him and this utterly insane idea. If this trial were real, with a real risk of incarceration, he probably would have done the same thing in her shoes. "Explain to me how that is a good idea."

"The D.A. merely wishes to ask Miss Blanchard a few questions."

"She's done answering questions. And why are we kissing up to the D.A.? Why aren't we going after Regina? She's the one who's setting up Mary Margaret."

"And what proof do we have of that, Sheriff?!" he replied, raising his voice. He had a million other things to do, a million other things he'd rather be doing, but he'd started this rouse; he had to finish it. The shovel and the shard were still out there, undiscovered as far as he knew. Maybe if he got her angry and desperate, it would be enough for her to finish her job and find what was right under her nose! Maybe anger would be enough to get her to search under every fucking rock in Storybrooke to find her proof! "Just because you found the Mayor's skeleton key in the cell doesn't mean we can prove she put it there."

"So, what's your plan?" Emma asked.

"I believe our best chance of winning this case is to employ our most valuable asset."

"What's that?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Well, that's you, dear," he muttered, stepping forward, keeping his tone calm and sweet despite the frustration he felt toward Emma. "A sweet, kind, elementary school teacher. Doesn't exactly fit the prototype of a killer, now, does it?" It was a common legal move in these sorts of cases. When the evidence was stacked against the defendant, then put their character on trial. Mary Margaret's personality and reputation, despite the evidence against her, should speak for itself. Of course, if Kathryn didn't make a show before then, the judge would still have no choice but to convict her on the evidence, which was exactly why Emma needed to go out and find more of it against Regina! A good show was all this was. Until it was over, it was just a good show, carefully staged.

"That's how you're going to get her acquitted? By using her personality?"

"Perception is everything, Miss Swan, not just in the courtroom, but in life. As such, I'm sure you can imagine how the jury would perceive Miss Blanchard if she agreed to cooperate with the District Attorney." There was no jury, just a judge, but he wanted her to remember that proving her innocent was about convincing more than one person outside of the courtroom walls. "These things engender trust. It shows the jury she's at least trying-"

"Emma?" Sidney Glass's voice cut through his remarkable bullshit story, and the three of them turned to look at the former writer for the Mirror. So…either Emma had hired him after all, or this was a wonderful coincidence. He fought back a smile. Either way, he could work with it. He had plans for all of this, and Sidney Glass fit into it in his own way. He knew Regina too well. "Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt. I just, uh, came by to drop these off. I thought they might brighten the place up."

Emma and Sidney dismissed themselves into her office, and Mary Margaret approached the bars of her cell so they could continue to talk. He kept talking, but he really wasn't listening to what came out of his mouth, just repeating facts that he knew wouldn't matter because, in the end, Mary Margaret would do what he recommended; it was in her nature, the very character Mr. Gold wished to exploit. So no, he wasn't really thinking about Mary Margaret. He was thinking about those flowers he'd seen. A vase of flowers. He had an idea. One that would push Emma closer to Regina if she failed to look in the woods for the shovel. Lucky how sometimes these things just fell into his lap.

"I'm going to do it," Mary Margaret predictably informed Emma when Sidney left, and she returned to them. "I'm going to talk to the D.A."

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking between the pair of them.

"Mr. Gold's right. I know I have nothing to hide, but no one else does. I need to let people see me for who I am."

"Excellent decision, Miss Blanchard." And it was excellent timing on the part of Albert Spencer, the former King George. He always was a prompt one. "My name is Spencer. I'm the District Attorney. Shall we begin?"

And there she was, Regina Mills, striding in behind him with a slight smile on her face. Whether it was because Spencer had explained how stupid this move was and she was coming to trust him again or because she was losing trust in him, he didn't know just yet. He just took a breath and kept up the dance.

"Yeah," Mary Margaret breathed with a smile. As the five of them went to an interrogation room, he glanced to the vase of flowers on Emma's desk. Any lack of trust they possessed was warranted as he typed out a quick text message to the bird keeping an eye on Sidney to fetch one of his bugs from his home quietly.

The pressure he was under wasn't physical, but it felt physical. He felt like he could feel it weighing his shoulders down, pressing against his lungs, making it hard to breathe. Everything he did was for someone else's benefit. Every word, every action, even the smallest tick and slightest gesture, the very tone of his voice, it was all done for someone else. It was a delicate balance.

Insisting he be in the interview with Mary Margaret, that was for Emma. And for Mary Margaret, he supposed. But using a gentle tone, not one that was frightened or angry, was done for Regina to make her think that if Spencer opposed the action, which he wouldn't, then he would step down. The carefully timed stare he gave Regina before going into the room with Mary Margaret was for Regina. A gesture of trust and understanding that he hoped would fool her into thinking he had her best interest at heart, not Mary Margaret's. The quick glance he gave to Emma was for the Savior, something that hopefully conveyed a message of guilt as they tried not to look like they were in on this together.

Emma and Regina watched the interview from behind the glass. Inside the room with Spencer and Mary Margaret, he reminded his client that he would tell her what she could and could not answer and told her that she should always be truthful.

"I have nothing to hide," she stated confidently. It was good. Pride always went before the fall.

The questions Spencer began with were innocent enough. What was her relationship with Missus Nolan? What was her relationship to David? How did she feel about him? When had the relationship turned into something more than friendship? Mary Margaret answered each question perfectly; without emotion, directly, deliberately…she truly left nothing to the imagination. She would have been any other lawyer's dream. But then, after being lured into a false sense of security, the questions turned a bit more deadly. He didn't object. For Regina.

"Did you and Mr. Nolan ever talk together about what to do concerning his wife?"

"Yes, several times, it was an issue of contention between us."

"Why was that?"

"Because neither of us wanted to hurt her."

"Miss Blanchard," he warned for Emma's sake.

"Hurt her, physically?" Spencer pressed.

"No!" Mary Margaret breathed. "No, nothing like that! Well…I mean…"

"Obviously, they never wished physical harm on her," he answered for Mary Margaret, giving her a slight message and a moment to calm down and get her head together.

"I'd like to hear that from her."

"Of course," she answered, her nerves suddenly under control once more. "Neither of us wanted to hurt her physically or emotionally. But I didn't like going behind her back. I wanted David to tell her about us so that we could truly be together and stop sneaking around."

"And David?"

"He couldn't do it. Not at first. She eventually did find out."

"I see, and…" Spencer looked down to check some of his notes before returning his gaze to her. "After she learned about your affair, Missus Nolan, the deceased, came to your school to confront you. Is that correct?"

"She was hurt, and she felt betrayed."

"She struck you, in the face, was it?"

"Yes, but-"

"That must've made you angry."

"You…you don't have to answer that," he insisted. It was a dance indeed, being watched by the two women he was working with and for and against. He had to push Mary Margaret for Regina but not look incompetent before Emma. He'd let enough questions slide, and fortunately, that one was innocent enough that he had a feeling Mary Margaret wouldn't exactly listen to legal counsel.

"No, it's okay," she assured him. Predictable. "I was not angry. I was sorry for all the pain I had caused her."

"Miss Blanchard, this is not a courtroom," Spencer pressed. "I'm not here to judge you. You can be honest with me."

"Shall we end this?" he muttered hardly loud enough for anyone to hear. Careful.

"I am being honest with you," Mary Margaret insisted.

"The wife of the man you loved humiliated you in a public forum. Surely, you must have felt some anger towards Kathryn?"

"Yes, I was angry-"

"And did you ever think about acting upon that anger?" he questioned, interrupting her again. He let that one go for Regina; he let Mary Margaret get worked up.

"Of course not," she spat out.

"I have a hard time believing that."

"Wh-why?" she gasped, her anger growing. He didn't interrupt, also for Regina.

"Because you wanted Kathryn Nolan gone."

"I never said that."

"All right," he insisted, getting to his feet. That move was for Emma. And Mary Margaret, though Regina would see it as acting. Hadn't she learned…everything was an act with him. "My client is answering no more questions for the day."

"Your client agreed to this interview because she claimed she had nothing to hide."

"I don't have anything to hide," she shouted back at Spencer, who continued. He didn't stop it.

"Then, what is your answer? You wanted Kathryn gone, didn't you?"

"No."

"Even after she tried to keep you and David apart? After she slapped you in public? After she made you a pariah in your own town?"

"Yes, of course, I wanted her gone," Mary Margaret laughed suddenly, sarcastically. "She was the only thing keeping us apart. So, yeah, I wanted her gone. Is that what you want to hear?"

He shut his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Another act. He'd wanted something like this to happen. He wanted it to happen because he knew Regina would see it as the victory it would have been if he hadn't fixed the whole thing. She would leave. And he could get on to his business. By tonight…her so-called confession wouldn't matter.

[summahsunlight]

This Way Became My Journey, Ch. 21

The cave's walls were dark, thick. The only light was from the wrist torch. She moved through the tight cave, being careful where she stepped so she wouldn't slip and fall on the smooth rocks and dirt beneath her feet. 

Up ahead she could see a large cavern. There was something there that she was looking for, she wasn't sure how she knew that, but she did. She entered the deep chasm only to find more rock, more dirt. Not what she was looking for. She pressed forward even more, now a voice in the back of her head telling her to go back. It sounded like Chakotay over the comline. 'Lieutenant, don't go any further until I get there.' 

He sounds like my brother, she thought, ignoring his request. 

It was foolish not to listen. Someone or something was standing in front of her, pointing a weapon at her. It was grotesque, with skin graphs and hair falling out, almost like a decaying corpse walking around. 

The pain shot through her so quickly that she couldn't even register a scream. All that came out was a gasp for air, and then suddenly she realized, she couldn't get air. 

'Lieutenant? Can you hear me?' 

Chakotay's voice again, but she couldn't answer back, she couldn't breath, it was as if her lungs were gone… 

With a start Sarah Barrett sat straight up in bed, gasping for breath, and was relieved that she could breathe. She suddenly realized that Chakotay was indeed talking to her over the comlink and it had been what had roused her from the nightmare. Shaking, she reached out and grabbed at the combadge that was resting on the nightstand. Pressing it between her thumb and pointer finger, she responded, "Go ahead Commander."

"For a moment I thought you were ignoring me," Commander Chakotay's voice chuckled.

"Sorry, I…my mind was elsewhere," she said. "What can I do for you Commander?"

"I'm on my way to meet with the Captain before reporting to duty," Chakotay told her. "She was asking about you yesterday. Should I tell her you'll be ready to report back to duty in a couple of days?" 

Sarah got up off the bed and went into the bathroom, scowling at her mussed hair and drained appearance. "I'm going to see the Doctor this morning. If all goes like I'm hoping I'll be reporting for duty today." She reached for the hair brush that was on the sink and began to tackle the tangles that plagued her dark tresses. "I don't think I can spend another day reading, or organizing my sock drawer."

Another chuckle. "I'll let Captain Janeway know to expect you. Chakotay out."

Slipping out of her tangled nightgown she mumbled to the computer to activate the sonic shower. She preferred a good bath or a real water shower, but time was not going to permit it. She was due to report to the Doctor in less than twenty minutes. A quick sonic shower was all she had time for, to wash away the grim from a restless sleep.

It was easy to find her uniform, since she had been taken off the duty roster for a week and a half, it had laid on the dining room chair. When she had slipped out of her quarters to see the Doctor she had been clad in civilian attire, reasoning there was no point to traipsing around the ship in uniform when she wasn't on duty.

The fabric felt starchy against her skin. It also proved to be difficult to get into the tight fitting turtleneck since her rib cage was still sore from the crash. Gritting her teeth and bearing it, for she didn't care anymore how much pain she was in, she was going to report to duty that day. She was tired of so many things. There was only so much classic literature and reorganizing drawers one person could take. She had even rearranged the furniture in the living and dining areas to make the room more easily traveled. The Doctor would probably throw a fit if he knew she had done that with her tender ribs.

Tucking her hair back into a twist, she clipped her combadge onto her tunic, and with a final glance to make sure that her pips were on straight, left the quarters.

A few crewmen who were on their way to their duties stations or back to their quarters nodded their heads at her in greeting before going about their business. Everything had pretty much returned back to normal for them the moment Chakotay and Sarah had been transported back to Voyager. However, it was a different story, at least for Sarah. It was going to be a while for her to feel normal again.

The dreams were not helping her out any.

They had started when Harry Kim had come by to visit her and offered to 'cook' dinner for her. The two had shared some stories about what was going on on the bridge, how the Captain seemed ready to burst at the seams because she was solely relying on Neelix for diplomatic advice, and that the Talaxian had been bubbling about some planetoid that could go a long way in helping them with their dilithium supplies. In fact, it had been that night she had the first dream of being in a cavern, being stalked and then feeling a sensation of having her lungs ripped out of her body.

At first she had thought it was post traumatic stress. But now she was beginning to think otherwise.

"Deck five," she called out when she entered the turbolift. This trip had become routine everyday and if the Doctor was capable of making friends, Sarah was sure that they would be best buddies by now because she had been in sickbay so often the last ten or so days.

The routine was getting old, and she could tell it wasn't only getting old for her. The Doctor didn't seem practically thrilled when she showed up for her check up everyday. Then again, the Doctor didn't seem thrilled about anything unless he was in the midst of some medical crisis. So much for Starfleet's brilliant idea of leaving starships with a back up doctor; it was obvious that they weren't thinking long term solution when they programmed him. Otherwise, Sarah was convinced that the Doctor would have been programmed to be a bit more…understanding.

"You're late," the hologram snapped out when she entered. "And in uniform. Is there some change in schedule that I should be made aware of? Last I checked you weren't scheduled to report for duty for another two days."

Tom's right, his bedside manner does need to be improved if he's going to be our chief medical officer for the next seventy five years. "I'm getting sick of sitting around," Sarah replied, going to stand near the instrument table. "Just scan me, say I'm fit for active duty, and I'll go about my merry way."

The Doctor picked up a medical tricorder. "Are you in any pain?"

"Nothing I can't handle," she said.

The hologram heaved a sigh and put the tricorder down. "Why does this crew insist to go against their doctor's wishes?"

"Maybe you just got a crew with ADD," Sarah replied, with a teasing smirk.

"You're no better than the rest of them," he snapped. "I would think that the ship's counselor would hold herself above such pettiness."

"Sorry I don't live up to your high standards."

The Doctor placed the tricorder back onto the tray. "Other than the fact that your rib cage is still tender from the surgery, you're fit for duty. BUT I've already put a recommendation in that you do not go on any away missions until further notice."

Well, that is going to put a dampener on things. "You're the Doctor," she mumbled, unhappy about being restricted to the ship.

"At least someone on this ship realizes that," he returned, beginning to leave the room.

"Doctor, wait," she called out. "Can I ask you something?"

"I'm listening."

"I've been having these dreams, of being in a cave, looking for something. I hear Commander Chakotay tell me not to go any further, but I keep going," Sarah said. "I'm…I'm attacked by what I think is an alien, but I can't be sure, it looks more like a corpse. The last thing that happens before I wake up is I feel like my lungs are…are gone. Could it…could it be post traumatic stress?"

The Doctor didn't even bat an eyelash. "It's possible. But…you are the counselor, why are you asking me?"

She shrugged her slender shoulders. "I guess I just wanted a second opinion."

"I can give you something to help you sleep, but if the dreams do not go away I'd talk to someone about it," the Doctor replied.

"Talk to someone? To who?" Sarah inquired.

"You must have friends, Miss Barrett," he replied.

You're not alone. Chakotay. "Well…yes, I guess I do."

"Then my suggestion to you Miss Barrett is this, talk to a friend about your experiences on that planetoid. It wouldn't hurt you, only help."

"Hi Commander Chakotay, Mama's trying to get Ava dressed, she's being stubborn," Michael Janeway greeted, startling the first officer, who had not been expecting the boy to answer the door.

Like mother like daughter, Chakotay thought as he stepped into the quarters. Peering around the room he noticed that Tal Celes, the children's nanny, was not present. Usually when he stopped by in the morning before proceeding to the bridge, Tal was there, chipper as ever, playing with the children. "Tal isn't here yet?"

"She's sick, Mama said she was exposed to the worst germ carriers of all," Michael replied. "What do you think she meant by that Commander Chakotay?"

Chakotay shook his head, deciding to play it safe. "I wouldn't know," he replied with a smile, picturing the Captain uttering those words to her inquisitive son. "I'm sure your mother has taken care of those germ carriers, Michael."

At this moment Kathryn emerged from the baby's room, a wailing, but a fully dressed Ava, toddling after her. If the Captain was bothered by the little girl's crying, her face didn't show it. Instead, she reached out, grabbed her uniform tunic that was resting over the back of a chair and put it on. Smiling at Chakotay, she said, "Care to join us for breakfast?"

"I've already had mine, thanks," he replied, keeping his eyes on the toddler. Ava was demanding attention by clinging tightly to her mother's pant leg.

Kathryn responded by shrugging it off. "It's a shame; I heard that the rations were particularly dehydrated this morning." Her ignoring Ava only seemed to make the baby angry. She suddenly shrieked which caused everyone in the room to shiver at the high pitch. "It's also a shame that you won't have the pleasure of dining with my children, who absolutely love ration packs."

"That's not true, Mama," Michael protested, covering his ears to try and drown out Ava's screaming. "I hate them."

Chakotay chuckled. "Apparently, he hasn't learned the concept of sarcasm yet."

"He will, soon enough," the Captain drawled, finishing up with her tunic. With a final straightening of her uniform, she was all business as usual. "How much longer until we reach this planet that Neelix keeps boasting about?"

"Shouldn't be long now," Chakotay replied. "Just enough time to enjoy your breakfast with your delightful daughter."

Kathryn frowned at Ava who had now latched onto her mother's leg, wrapping her arms and own legs about it tightly. The woman pried the child free and looked sheepishly back at the commander. "I thought I was beyond this when Tal agreed to take care of them, however, I never took into consideration that children spread germs, quite frequently may I add, and she would get sick."

"Well, what's one more day in the ready room, really when you look at the grand scheme of things?"

"We're going to spend the day with you?" Michael asked, excitedly, his eyes lighting up, the thought of eating rations again for breakfast gone. "Do you think Tom will let me fly the ship?"

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged glances. "I...I'll have to think about that one, honey. Maybe when you're older."

A disappointed look fell over the child's face but Kathryn was soon ushering them all out into the corridor and towards the turbo lift, where they would proceed to the mess hall. Ava seemed less than thrilled to be leaving, especially since her mother absolutely refused to pick her up and continued to sob all the way to the turbo lift, the ride to deck two, and the way towards the captain's private dining room. Stealing a glance at the child, who was practically running to keep up, Chakotay was struck with how much she resembled her mother, even at this young of an age.

Her eyes were just as bright a blue, just as fiery, her hair shimmered copper in the lights, and even the curve of her lips was identical of that to Kathryn. It was almost as if Kathryn had a little clone walking around. He chuckled at that thought. As if this crew needed two Kathryn Janeways.

"Commander? Have you heard anything I've said?"

Chakotay snapped his eyes up to meet Kathryn's. "I, ah…was distracted."

A smile played on her lips. "It's best to ignore her. She'll stop…eventually."

"I'm sure she will, now what were you saying?"

"We need to come up with a way of refining the dilithium, assuming Neelix is right, and that there is any on the planet we're heading too," Kathryn replied, as the walked along the observation deck.

"Lieutenant Torres has already asked permission to make modifications to the auxiliary impulse reactor," Chakotay answered her, watching as Michael went to peek out the large windows, briefly, trying to get away from Ava, who had resorted to following her brother around now since she wasn't getting a reaction out of her mother and the commander. "It could be converted into a crude dilithium refinery."

"The impulse reactor?" Kathryn repeated a grin on her face. They stopped walking, while the children peered out the large windows. "Sometimes I think B'Elanna goes out of her way to find solutions that ignore Starfleet procedures."

"Her arguments are quite convincing. She thinks it can be done safely."

"I'm sure it can," Kathryn said, starting to walk away again, not even telling the children she was moving. "Tell her I want regular reports on her progress."

Chakotay turned about to join her and saw that Michael jogged away from the window to catch up, Ava, who had stopped her crying for a brief moment while looking out the window, suddenly bawled again, and chased after him, her little feet laboring to keep up.

"Are you sure you won't join us for breakfast?" Kathryn asked him again, her eyes traveling back towards the children. "I was thinking of having eggs Benedict with asparagus, strawberries and cream…"

They stopped in front of the doors to her private dining room. Chakotay scratched his head for a moment, wondering if perhaps in all the commotion of the morning, she had forgotten that the replicators were still down from the Rupor attack a week prior.

She caught the look on his face. "I said I was thinking about it. I'm actually having ration pack number five; stewed tomatoes with dehydrated eggs."

"Mmm, sounds delicious, but I've already had my vacuum packed oatmeal this morning," he said, with a sneaky smile. Michael was making a face and he reached out and mussed his hair. "See you on the bridge."

"Bye Commander," Michael said, happily.

Kathryn watched him go for a moment, pondering the relationship that had started to sprout up between Michael and her first officer. Naturally Michael had latched on so to speak to the men, he loved it when Tom joined the children for lunch in the mess hall, and he was always asking Harry engineering questions. But for some reason, the bond between Michael and Chakotay was different. Chakotay was gentle with them, soft spoken. The children felt comfortable around him and Michael had taken to asking him life's questions, like a child would their father. This for some reason, bothered her. It wasn't that Michael was purposely trying to replace his father, the grief counselor back on Earth had told her that it would be good for him to find a surrogate father so to speak. Kathryn had always been comfortable when that roll had been filled by Gabriel Dawson, the children's uncle, but now, seventy thousand light years from home, the thought that her first officer could take on that roll, unnerved her at the same time it comforted her.

"Mama, are we going to eat?"

Eyes locking with her son's she realized she had been daydreaming. "Yes, sorry, I was thinking." She reached out and punched in the access code to the dining room. The doors swished open and the family was greeted with the smell of cooking food and smoke.

At the far end of the room, where the replicators had once been, was a couple of burners, that looked like they had hastily been put together, and were flaming. Kathryn, seeing the flames, instinctively stepped in front of her children, scooping a now shocked Ava up into her arms.

She wasn't surprised to find Neelix twittering about in the middle of this mess. "What is going on here?"

"Captain you caught me by surprise!"

"I could say the same thing," Kathryn snapped sarcastically, following Neelix back into what used to be her private dining room. "What are you doing?"

"Well, that's obvious Mama, he's cooking," Michael piped up. His mother shot him a glare and he shrunk against the wall, tucking his hands behind his back.

Neelix went on to explain that he knew the senior officers weren't happy with the ration packs so he decided to take some of the vegetables from the hydroponics bay that Kes had created and make a galley. "It wasn't easy. I had to completely reroute the Mess Hall power conduits and scrounge a lot of supplies from all over the ship, but that's my specialty making something out of nothing."

Kathryn shifted Ava onto one hip. How in the hell did he do all this without any of us noticing? "Neelix," she said, in her best command voice, gripping his arm with the hers that had been freed up by shifting Ava about,"who approved this?"

"Uh, well…no one."

"Uh-oh," Michael muttered from his spot on the wall. "Not a good idea Neelix." Being the son of a Starfleet captain, and the nephew of a Starfleet lawyer, Michael knew a lot about protocol, and that his mother was never happy when that protocol had been breached. The burners started to flame even more and he stepped back in fear of getting burnt. Neelix quickly went to drown the flames with a towel, Kathryn following behind him.

"You might have asked me first," she said, hotly. "This used to be my private dining room."

Neelix looked surprised at that. "Your, your dining room? Oh…ah I guess you'll be wanting me to get this out of your way."

"Bridge to Captain Janeway."

"Go ahead."

"We're approaching the rogue planetoid."

"On my way," she responded, turning to Neelix. "I want you to come with me. We will deal with this later." She gestured for Michael to come with her and left the room as Neelix hurriedly gave Ensign Parsons directions on how to keep the kitchen running while he was gone.

She had to admit that a galley would be nice, real food would be nice for a change, but it didn't take away from the fact that Neelix had not come to her first. Of course, how was he supposed to know such things, not being from Starfleet? The surprise of finding him cooking in the private dining room had done one positive thing; it had stopped Ava's crying. Kathryn felt it safe to put the child onto the floor of the turbo lift just as the doors opened to the bridge.

Pointing towards the empty engineering station she told Michael to call up some program that she had been working on to start his basic schooling. It wasn't much, she knew, but for now it was going to have to do. Tal had agreed to watch the children, but she had told the Captain, openly that she probably was not the best teacher for the children, seeing how Michael could do multiplication at the age of five, and she hadn't even been able to do that at the age of eleven.

The boy was eager to start the new lesson and climbed up into the seat that was too big for him, typing away at the console. Ava waddled after him and somehow managed to squeeze her little body into the chair with him.

Kathryn stole a glance at her first officer, a thought suddenly occurring to her.

"I already locked out the ship's systems. The only thing he can access is the programs you specified," Chakotay said, with a bemused look. "There'll be no action figures in the conduits today."

He has to bring that up, Kathryn thought begrudgingly. Before Tal, the children had run rampant on the ship, Kathryn not being able to keep up with them and her work. Michael had even gone as far as crawling into a Jefferies tube with Ava and playing around with a power conduit, later claiming that it had been Ava who put the action figure in it. Kathryn had never quite believed him. "What have you found?" she finally asked Harry Kim.

"We're picking up definite dilithium signatures, Captain," Kim answered. "The strongest readings are originating from ten to twenty kilometers inside the planetoid."

"It also looks like the there's a series of subterranean caves, with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere," B'Elanna Torres reported from the Science station.

"Class-M," Chakotay stated, standing next to Paris at conn. "It'll make mining a lot easier if we can go in there without environmental suits."

"How much dilithium are we talking about?"

"It's hard to get a precise reading. It could be anywhere from five hundred to…one thousand metric tons."

"Just as I said," Neelix declared, quite proud of himself. Kathryn already annoyed with him that morning, gave him a look that he didn't seem to notice. "I bet there are a few Yallitian engineers who'd give all three of their spinal columns to know where this planet is."

Kathryn resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Commander," she addressed Chakotay, "take an away team down into those caves and do a preliminary geological analysis. Lieutenant," she said, now addressing B'Elanna, "you better get your dilithium refinery online."

"It'll be ready to go in three days."

Kathryn gave her a nod of approval while Chakotay told Harry to join him. She felt Neelix brush her arm as he moved behind her towards Chakotay. She turned towards her seat watching with amusement the look that came across Chakotay's face as the Talaxian crossed the bridge to meet up with him. Lowering her body down she heard Chakotay ask where Neelix was going.

"With you," Neelix answered, enthusiastically. "I've been studying my Tricorder Operations Manual. Lieutenant Torres has brought me up to date on dilithium geophysics." He turned towards Kathryn, who was listening to the exchange intently. "I've been preparing for this mission all week."

You can't fault him for wanting to help out. "Very well, Mister Neelix," was all she said before Chakotay disappeared into the turbo lift, with what she could have sworn was a I'll get you back glare.

Neelix sputtered after him. "I'll think you'll find me extremely helpful, Commander. I remember the first time I flew by this planet, I think it was about three years ago…"

"Deck four," Harry Kim called out desperately and the lift's doors closed.

Kathryn laughed silently and gazed at the back of Tom Paris' head. Neelix could be a little too eager which in turn made him impulsive at times, but his heart was in the right place, she concluded.

The doors to the turbo lift could be heard swishing open again and for a moment she thought that Chakotay had buckled and sent Neelix back. Turning her head she saw her counselor step onto the bridge. Kathryn couldn't help but feel warmed by her presence. The last week and a half had been awkwardly silent without the counselor there while she recovered from her injuries and infection which she had sustained in a shuttle crash.

"Reporting for duty, ma'am," Sarah Barrett said, sliding into an at ease position. "The Doctor gave me the go ahead to return to active duty."

"Welcome back, Lieutenant," Kathryn said with a smile, gesturing towards her chair. "Take a seat. We've missed you around here."

Sarah made her way down the steps and to the bench chair that she had occupied every duty shift until she had gotten injured. "Did I miss much?" she asked, with a teasing smile.

Kathryn shook her head. "No, just the same old same old. You know how it goes."

"I heard about Neelix turning your dining room into a galley," Sarah said. "If you want I can talk to him, it is after all my fault."

Kathryn raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Before Chakotay and I left on the mission to Karva, he asked me if there was a way he could help out around here more, I told him that I would sit down and talk with him when I got back," she replied. "But, we all know how the story goes from there. I guess he got a little impatient."

The Captain brushed her off with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry about. It was hardly traumatic; a bit of a surprise, but nothing that can't be easily repaired. Besides, I'm not sure I want him to dismantle the galley just yet."

"You don't?"

"He had a valid point that the senior officers, myself included, have not been too fond of the ration packs lately," Kathryn pointed out, glancing up at Michael, who every time his mother mentioned it was meal time would scowl in disgust and groan, not ration packs again. 

Sarah noticed where she was looking and commented, "I see the cherubs are joining us today."

"I wouldn't know about any cherubs," Kathryn replied, dryly, "but the children are here. Tal's sick, and it's making me rethink the situation. I don't think it's fair to have her watch them six days a week; her only off day my only off day. Maybe I should be offering her a break, taking them two days a week. It would only work out to one day on the bridge; we can spend my day off in our quarters or on the holodeck." She saw the exasperated look that came over Sarah's face. "I know, I know, we'd have to step up security."

The young woman swallowed. "You do remember the time that Michael tried to access helm control, right? If Mister Paris hadn't been near by, who knows what would have happened to Voyager. Ma'am, I understand it's been difficult, but if Tal isn't complaining, maybe we should just…leave things alone."

"If it's not broke why fix it?," Kathryn said, with a shy grin.

"What we need is someone to be their teacher, someone aside from a babysitter, that way it gives Tal a break from having both of them all the time," Sarah suggested and immediately regretted opening her mouth. The Captain got a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Good idea, Counselor," she said. "Why don't you start working on candidates that you would think will make a good teacher? Of course I would have done it myself, but I don't know the crew as well as you do; this is a good assignment for you, and it fits in with the light duties that the Doctor suggested until you're one hundred percent back on your feet."

Tom Paris turned slightly in his chair to give her a teasing look and she felt her cheeks flush for a moment. Lowering her eyes, she focused on the gray carpet. "Yes, ma'am, I'll get working on it right away."

Kathryn laughed to herself and leaned back into her chair.

"Sickbay to the Bridge," the Doctor's persistent voice came over the comlink.

"Go ahead Doctor."

"Captain, I think you should come down here. There's been a medical emergency with the away team."

[awkwardnessandbaseball]

IT’S HERE!!!!

So many thanks to: @cspupstravaganza, @sherlockianwhovian, @lassluna, and @kieravanrenvie.

AO3 if that’s your jam.

Today you get the prologue and the first chapter, so read away, my pretties!

I'd Pick You (and Your Little Dog, Too)

A Captain Swan Pupstravaganza Story

Summary: According to everyone in the known universe, Emma Swan's dog is supposed to lead her to her soulmate. But she's not even sure if she wants that. Soulmates are pretty idealistic, don't you think?

Prologue:

The pounding of Emma’s heart matched her footsteps as she ran through the woods on the edge of Storybrooke. She did her best to ignore the pain in her back that her bookbag was causing her, slamming against her tailbone. She forced all thoughts out of her head, pointedly ignoring the bruise clearly forming above her jeans..

She just ran.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She felt it faintly, but she ignored it. A nagging feeling in her belly threatened to stop her in her tracks: she hated to make her brother worry.

But he’d be better off without her.

David was the golden child, a straight-A student and a natural athlete. He’d been their parents’ pride and joy, while Emma had been a troublemaker and a disappointment. She’d done well as a child, her competitive nature causing her to pit herself against her twin brother in every conceivable way. They were equals in many ways, though Emma’s true strength was in literature while David had understood long division a full two years before she’d begun to grasp the concept. But somewhere along the way, she’d started losing their imaginary competitions. She suddenly had to try to ace all of her tests, while everything still seemed to come easily to David.

She’d been a sore loser.

So instead of trying and disappointing her parents - and herself - she’d given up. Stopped going to class and started hanging out with the stoners by the football field. She’d lost track of the days and weeks.

And then her parents had died.

It was a car accident, it could have happened to anyone. But while David flourished in his grief, planning the funeral and contacting family members and even arranging hotel stays, Emma had only fallen further down the hole she’d dug herself.

And then the funeral came. One week after the accident, Nolans and Swans, humans and canines, from near and far had descended upon their home and Emma had hidden in her room, while David remained the center of attention.

She ventured halfway down the stairs during the small gathering after the service when she heard someone talking to David. She sat, eavesdropping.

“Oh I just know your parents were so proud of you, David. Your mother told me just last week about how you were running for class president, right? I can’t imagine you’ll still run. Oh you are? Yes, it is what they would have wanted. Where’s your sister? Still skipping class every day? Your mother was very worried about her, you know.” Great Aunt Ingrid lowered her voice. “Is it true they were out looking for her when they got into the accident?”

It wasn’t. Emma heard David’s firm No from her spot on the stairs, but the damage had already been done.

She packed a bag, only the essentials, and ran out the back door.

She reached the docks and stood, staring out on the water, unsure of what to do next. Her stupid phone kept buzzing in her pocket and she finally ripped it out, staring at the screen.

32 New Text Messages 15 Missed Calls

8 Voice Messages

All from David.

Shit.

D: Emma, where did you go?

D: I heard you on the stairs when I was talking to Aunt Ingrid. D: Where’s your necklace from Mom? I saw it on the nightstand this morning.

D: Did you run away?

D: Emma, please answer me. D: Emma, I can’t do this alone.

The last one finally got her.

She sighed, upset with herself for getting so carried away, for being so selfish. She was so embarrassed now, with the adrenaline leaving her system, and so tired.

E: Let me know when everyone’s gone.

It took three hours before she finally got the text.

D: Come home, Emma. Please.

She’d expected David to yell at her, to tell her how much he’d worried and to blame her for causing him more stress.

He just hugged her, cradling the back of her head in his right hand.

It was the first time his armor had come down. The first time Emma had realized that maybe, just maybe, her brother wasn’t handling this as well as she’d suspected. She thought about all the planning he’d done for the funeral and realized, apparently too late, that he’d probably been trying to avoid thinking about what had happened; trying to avoid thinking about the fact that their parents were gone, and they weren’t coming back.

“You can’t leave me like that, Emma. It’s just you and me now.”

She nodded against his shoulder.

“Just you and me.”

-------------

Four Years Later

“You’re… you’re moving out?” Emma asked, hoping her brother wouldn’t notice the slight crack in her voice at the end of the question.

“Just down the street,” David assured her. “It’s just… Emma, it’s time. We’ve been together for a while, it’s the next logical step.”

Emma loved her brother, and she was so happy that he was in love, but she just really didn’t want things to change. They were barely eighteen, had just gotten their own place together (Granny’s Inn had been nice, if a bit cramped, and this was an actual adult apartment) a year ago, and now… it was already ending?

She sniffed once and nodded.

“Okay,” she said.

“Emma, we can talk about this. I know it’s a lot…” David tried to catch her eye but she looked away.

“Nothing to talk about. I’m sure you and Kathryn are meant to be.”

--

A week later, Emma was helping David move into his fancy new one-bedroom apartment with its in-unit laundry and brand new appliances. She didn’t want to help, didn’t want to move things along any more quickly than they were already moving. But David was still her brother, and she did want to spend as much time with him as possible.

So she was helping.

They were driving in David’s truck on their last trip of the day when a small brown and white pitbull suddenly ran into the middle of the road. David swerved and missed her, barely coming to a stop before hitting a tree.

“What the hell was that?” Emma checked herself for any injuries but she didn’t feel anything out of place. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” David answered, but he sounded far away, like he was only half listening. Emma turned towards him and found him staring directly at the pitbull, who was still standing directly in the middle of the street as though she hadn’t just been nearly run over by a pickup truck. The dog was staring right back at David.

And then she ran.

David scrambled out of the car to chase after her and Emma followed as soon as her brain caught up to what was going on: this was David’s dog.

Emma had long since given up on finding her own dog, and her brother claimed he had as well. They’d made it this far without them, and David had a perfectly fine love life, soulmate or otherwise, so what did it matter? But Emma knew, despite the fact that he’d stopped talking to her about it ages ago, that David still hoped for a dog one day. Was her brother a hopeless romantic or total sap? It depended on Emma’s mood.

Dogs appeared in your life as if they’d been there all along, and they essentially became a fifth limb, always attached to you, an extension of your arm. There were rumors that long ago, long before Emma was born, dogs were just pets like cats or lizards or birds, and that their lifespan was much shorter. There were some stories, even, about people who couldn’t own dogs because they’d developed an allergy, which had never even make sense to Emma, who happened to be allergic to cats.

At any rate, it was hard for Emma to believe that there had ever been a time when dogs weren’t commonplace, when you needed permission to bring them to restaurants or stores or coffee shops. Perhaps those were just stories that had been passed down for so long that they’d lost any element of the truth.

The fact of the matter was that humans depended on dogs so much, even back then, that evolution (or magic or fate or whatever explanation you chose to believe) took over. Emma had only known a life that included seeing dogs at every turn. Their lifespans matched their human’s, and they served a much more important purpose than other animals in the world.

Dogs appeared in someone’s life when it was time. There was no other explanation, and it wasn’t something easily researchable. So people just walked along, dog-less, until they finally came across a dog on a walk, or they appeared at the person’s door, or they just came together in some other way. Everyone’s story was different, but the end result was the same: the dog chose the human. There were no loose dogs running around, so if you came across one, it was meant to be yours.

Emma followed David as he chased the dog into the woods just beside the road. It wasn’t a long run, but it was confusing (all the trees looked the same) and sweaty (Maine in the middle of August will do that). But finally, David’s dog led them to… another dog.

The other dog was also a pitbull, but he was bigger than the female who’d led them here. He was all black, save for a small white stripe down the center of his chest.

He was beautiful.

He was also trapped.

He didn’t make any noise, clearly not wanting to draw any attention to the trouble he was in. His front left leg was stuck under a pile of rocks. It looked like maybe he’d been digging a hole and the rocks had fallen on him, but Emma couldn’t be sure.

“Emma,” David whispered, bringing her back to the situation at hand. “These dogs are… they have to be…”

“David, not now. He’s stuck. Help me get him loose.”

The two of them moved rock after rock until finally the dog’s limb was freed. But Emma could see it was too late. He tried to move it, but he couldn’t put any weight on the leg. He looked at Emma, and he finally let out one long, low whine.

“We’ve gotta get him to the vet,” Emma said, scooping him up in her arms. He was heavier than she’d anticipated, and the walk back out of the woods wasn’t easy, but they made it to the truck - all four of them - in one piece.

While there were certainly vets in town with more experience than Ruby Lucas, there was no one the Nolans trusted more than the Lucas women. Ruby’s grandmother had taken them in after their parents’ accident, allowing the twins to stay together in their hometown. Ruby was already grown up and out of the house by the time the Nolans had moved in at fourteen, but she’d still become a pseudo-sibling. She’d gotten David his first job, cleaning kennels at the clinic, and there was no doubt that she was the person they’d be taking their dogs to for the rest of their lives.

“It’s probably best to amputate. There’s not much we can do for it, and he’ll be much more comfortable without dragging it around.”

Emma was surprised at the pang she felt in her chest.

“He’ll um… he’ll be okay, though? After?” Emma asked, and David reached over and put a calming hand on her shoulder. The other dog sat at his feet, poised and beautiful. Ready for anything.

“Yes, Emma.” Ruby smiled gently. “Is he… he’s yours then?”

“I guess so,” Emma breathed. “I didn’t… I don’t… We just found them.” She motioned between both dogs.

“That’s how it goes,” Ruby said with a smile. Her own dog, Toto, lingered in the back of the room, calmly watching her owner care for Emma’s new charge. Emma watched Toto for a moment, wondering at the connection that must be present between canine and human, before her attention returned quickly to the dog in front of her, staring up at her meaningfully.

“Okay, then let’s do it.”

Emma brought Rascal home a week later. The missing limb didn’t seem to bother him, and he was absolutely incredible. He seemed to know her habits already, waking up with her (or jumping on her when she overslept, which was more often than not), waiting patiently for head scratches and treats instead of begging, and he even slept right on top of her freezing cold feet at night.

It helped having him around when she missed David, and Emma couldn’t help but wonder if the fates (or whoever controlled this whole dog thing) had put Rascal in her path right when she needed him most: right when she was about to be alone for the first time.

Of course, David’s dog was not a fan of Kathryn. He’d named the dog Princess, because of her graceful, even regal, way of entering a room, but the truth was that she was just as playful and messy as Rascal. And Kathryn kept a clean house, one that didn’t include dirty pawprints on the couch from playing outside.

It took a while for reality to set in. Kathryn had found a dog, too, and named him Dodger. And while Dodger was athletic and handsome like David believed himself to be, he was also either too dumb or too stubborn, refusing to listen to anyone but Kathryn. And even that was iffy. David and Kathryn tried to keep the romance alive, but soon they began fighting over small things, like David leaving dirty dishes in the sink or the proper way to hang the toilet paper roll. Princess didn’t seem to like Kathryn, which didn’t help matters, and Dodger was completely indifferent towards David.

Over time, the small fights evolved into larger ones, and they realized they simply weren’t happy together. It became obvious that soulmates were soulmates for a reason, and they just weren’t it.

In David’s absence, Emma had even ventured down the dark path of romance and come out the other side just a little more broken than she already was.

When it was all over and David was moved back in, he pulled Emma into a hug, and they promised each other again the same thing they had at fourteen.

“It’s just you and me, David.”

“Just you and me.”

A low whine and a short growl sounded by their feet.

Emma sighed.

“Okay, just all four of us, then. Sheesh.”

[doomedhowell]

Lucky Birthday

Summary: Phil is one of Daniel Howell’s biggest fans. He’s been listening to his music for years, so he couldn’t say no when PJ gives him tickets to his concert. The only problem is that Phil’s blind, and he’s never been to a concert before for obvious reasons. What could possibly go wrong? Or, right?

Genre: AU, Fluff

Word Count: 3,055

Trigger Warnings: swearing

“Peej, I’m not sure about this anymore. You’re sure I look okay? Maybe we shouldn’t go to the concert?” Phil asks nervously as he sits on the edge of his bed, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

Tonight’s the night. Tonight’s finally night where Phil is going to his first ever concert to see Daniel Howell, someone that he’s been listening to for the past three years religiously. PJ, being a wonderful best friend to Phil, had surprised him with concert tickets a few weeks ago for his twentieth birthday.

It’s Phil’s first ever concert, and he’s extremely nervous. Not for reasons you’d think, though.

You see, Phil is blind. He was born without sight. So, he has some pretty good reasons to be nervous when it comes to doing things like going to concerts. He trusts PJ with his life. PJ has been his best friend since they were tiny babies. But still, anything could happen to him. It’s all Phil can think about.

But, Phil also really wants to hear Daniel’s voice in real life. Daniel has the voice of an angel.

“Come on,” PJ turns around and looks at Phil with raised eyebrows. “You’ve been excited to go for weeks, and now you suddenly want to back out? What’s up? Come on, talk to me, Philip”

Phil cringes at the use of his full name. “I’m worried is all. Don’t you think I have a right to be?” He asks.

“You know I would never let anything bad happen to you. I mean, your mother even trusts me with you, and there’s not many people that woman trust when it comes to her youngest son,” PJ says.

“You do have a point,” Phil mumbles, slowly nodding in agreement.

“We have some pretty great seats. You don’t even have to stand if you don’t want to. I hear his concerts are pretty chill anyways, and I’m sure nobody would care if you sat down,” PJ tells him.

“Okay! Okay. I get it,” Phil sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I’ll go to the concert, but that doesn’t stop me from being nervous. Just promise that you won’t leave my side no matter what?”

“Of course not. I promise I won’t leave your side, Phil,” PJ says, gently placing a hand on Phil’s shoulder.

“I can’t wait to hear Dan’s voice in real life. I bet he sounds like an angel,” Phil says with a smile.

“Nah, mate. You wanna know who sounds like an angel? Ariana Grande. That was a great concert! Man, you should have gone with us. It was hilarious seeing Chris freak the fuck out over her.”

“Language!” Phil warns, mocking his mom, before laughing. “I’m sorry about that. I just wasn’t confident enough to go to that concert. Besides, I don’t really know her music that well anyways to go. Although, we’ll have to take Chris to see someone he likes again soon so I can witness that.”

“Absolutely,” PJ grins. “Now, come on. We have to finish getting ready, and yes… you look lovely, Phil.”

Finally, the two boys finish getting ready and are now downstairs saying goodbye to Phil’s mother.

“I’m trusting you with my son’s life, PJ,” Kathryn begins. “Normally I would send Martyn with you. Unfortunately, he decided to go out of town this weekend. You have to promise me that you’ll keep an eye on Phil the entire time, alright? You can’t let him out of your sight.”

“Poor choice of words, mum,” Phil says, making PJ giggle.

“Oh, I’m so sorry sweetheart. You know I never mean to offend you,” Kathryn quickly apologizes.

“I’m just joking, mum,” Phil laughs, earning an eye roll from Kathryn. “PJ won’t let anything happen, okay? We’ve gone away together before, and he brought me back in one piece.”

“Need I remind you that on that trip, you nearly killed my son with that reckless driving of yours?”

“Okay, then!” PJ exclaims. “We really must get going now. We don’t want to be late for Phil’s first concert. I want to get there early so we can find good parking spots too. The closer we get, the better. Don’t worry, Kath. I’ll text you updates throughout the night. Phil will be just fine.”

“Phil will be just fine!” Phil repeats as PJ quickly leads him out of the house.

“I swear, it takes us twenty minutes to leave the bloody house when we go anywhere,” PJ grumbles as he helps Phil walk to his car. PJ opens the door for Phil and helps him inside, making sure he’s buckled in.

“You are taking her blind son to a concert filled with thousands of people, where anything could happen, and she won’t be there to do anything about it...” Phil says. “She has a pretty good reason to worry, Peej.”

“I know. I just wish she had a little more faith in me, especially since we’ve been friends for…?”

“Many, many years. I know,” Phil says. “Come on! Can we get going? I want to get there.”

PJ grins. “See? Now you’re getting excited,” he says, before shutting the door. He walks around the car and gets into the driver's seat. “Do we have everything? I’ve got the tickets and money.”

“Then that’s all we need, isn’t it?” Phil asks, looking over in PJ’s direction.

“I suppose so,” PJ chuckles. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Phil lets out a sudden squeal of excitement. “I can’t believe we’re actually going to see Daniel in person! After all these years. Do you think we’ll get to meet him?”

“Don’t get your hopes up, Phil. I told you that I couldn’t afford VIP at the time I got the tickets,” PJ says.

“I know, but… what if we happen to bump into him when we’re at the concert?” Phil asks.

“Unlikely. There will be thousands of people at this concert, and it’s not like Daniel can just walk out and enjoy himself. His fans will literally attack him the second they see him,” PJ tells him.

Phil lets out a huff of annoyance. “Thanks for crushing my dreams, Peej,” he mumbles.

Luckily, the two boys get to the concert nearly two hours before the concert tickets, and PJ is able to find a parking lot quite close to the building, because he knows that it’s easier on Phil if they don’t have to walk a long distance from the car. PJ totally understands Phil’s reasonings though.

“We’re here,” PJ grins as he looks over at Phil. “We have two hours to kill before the concert. Ready?”

“Kind of. I’m still nervous. I feel like I’m the odd man out, being blind and all,” Phil frowns.

“You can’t think about it like that, Phil. I mean, people with disabilities go to concerts all the time and have the same amount of fun as “normal” people do. You’re not going to have fun if that’s all you think about,” PJ tries to assure him. “We’re going to go in there, buy some food and merch, and head into the building, where we’re going to have the time of our lives. Well, kind of. Daniel’s music isn’t very rock and roll.”

“Daniel’s music is soothing. I told you this when we listened to his music on the way here,” Phil defends.

PJ laughs. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I just prefer being able to rock out at concerts,” he says.

“Fair enough,” Phil says, nodding. “Are we going to go inside now?” He bites his lip nervously.

“Yes, we’re going to go inside now. If you get too panicky while we’re in there, just grab onto my arm, okay? I know you hate doing that because it makes you feel like a child, but I know it helps,” PJ tells him.

Phil slowly nods. “I know. I’ve got my cane, but is it okay if I hold onto you most of the time?”

“Of course,” PJ frowns slightly. “You’re worried about people making fun of you walking with a cane?”

“Well, it happened when I went to school,” Phil mumbles. “I’m sure it’ll happen anywhere else. Besides, having my cane out will just get in the way, and I don’t want that. But, if you get too annoyed…”

“No, no. You know I don’t care if you hold my arm,” PJ says, quickly holding his arm out. “It’s all yours.”

Phil giggles lightly at that, and quickly grabs a hold of PJ’s arm. “Is it always this loud at concerts?”

“Always,” PJ replies as they start walking. “It’ll be even louder once the concert starts. People will be screaming and singing. But, it’ll be a good thing. Quiet concerts are just boring.”

“You’re the concert expert, so I’ll hold you to that,” Phil says.

“Do you wanna get something to eat or drink before we get into the show?” PJ asks.

“Um, yeah… maybe some water would be good,” Phil answers, nodding. He holds onto PJ’s arm as they start walking again. He knows there must be thousands of people at this venue, but he tries not to think about how many people are around him, because otherwise, he’ll get anxious and will want to leave.

PJ leads the way to the food and drink area, where he orders some water for Phil.

“You didn’t have to pay. I have my own money, you know?” Phil complains when PJ hands him his water.

“Yeah, I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. Plus, that water was like eight pounds! Fucking expensive. You should be saving your money to buy merch and stuff,” PJ tells him. “It’s no biggie.”

Phil sighs and shakes his head. “Whatever you say Peej,”

PJ grins at Phil, and then he looks over when he hears someone shouting his name. “Dude!” PJ shouts when he sees a couple of his friends running over towards him and Phil. He slips out of Phil’s grip, and embraces his friends in a hug. “Dude, I had no idea you were going to be at this concert?”

“Last minute thing. Dylan over here loves Dan Howell. Had to get him tickets,” one of the boys laugh.

Phil freezes as soon as he realizes that he no longer has a hold of PJ. “Peej?” He asks nervously, and he instantly starts to panic when PJ doesn’t respond to him. This is not good. Not good at all.

Phil doesn’t want to leave, because he has no idea where he is. There could be stairs near him, and there’s hundreds of people surrounding him. But, PJ isn’t there anymore, and he’s scared now.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

Phil stops as soon as he hears that familiar voice, that voice that he knows so well from listening to interviews and YouTube videos. But, it couldn’t be…? People are screaming louder now. So, maybe?

“Sir?” The voice asks again. “I’m sorry. I was just passing by, and I couldn’t help but notice…”

“D- Dan Howell?” Phil asks with a shaky breath, unable to calm himself. “I…”

Dan chuckles. “Yeah, it’s me. Sorry for sneaking up on you like that. You must be in shock. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I was just passing by, and saw you. You look panicked,”

Phil wants to kick himself. Dan Howell is right in front of him, and he’s already embarrassed himself. “Well, I- I…” Phil hesitates. Dan must not be able to tell that he’s blind. “My friend disappeared from me, a- and I can’t see. I’m blind. I don’t know where he went.”

“Shit,” Dan whispers, frowning. “You have every reason to be panicking then, huh? Hey, why don’t you come with me? I was just heading to my dressing room before VIP. You can stay there, where it’s safe, and I’ll have my bodyguards help find your friend. Do you trust me?”

“Your Dan Howell,” Phil breathes, still in shock that Dan Howell is speaking to him. Phil knew it would be amazing to see him in concert. But, never in a million years did he think that he of all people would have the opportunity to speak to Dan in person. Dan’s willing to take time out of his busy day to help him. Phil doesn’t know of many celebrities that would do that. “Of course I trust you.”

Dan chuckles. “Here. Take my arm, and I’ll guide you,” he says.

Phil feels around until he finally grabs a hold of Dan’s arm. “A- Are you sure about this? You must be…”

“Making sure my fans are safe is my number one priority,” Dan assures him. “Don’t worry about a thing. Boys, let’s go. We’ve got to get this young lad here to safety.”

Phil follows Dan, making sure to keep a hold of his arm. He has no idea where he’s going, but he hopes that Dan will keep his word, and help him find PJ. Even though he’d love absolutely nothing more than to spend quality time with the one and only Daniel Howell, and hopefully get to converse with him a little bit, he also knows that PJ will eventually notice him missing.

“Here we are. Have a seat on the couch, love,” Dan says as he leads Phil over to the couch and helps him sit down. “You said you were with a friend? Do you know what he looks like? We can help find him.”

Phil nods, and pulls out his phone. “I’ve never seen what he looks like, but I should have photos-”

“Brilliant. What’s your name, by the way? I should have asked that before,” Dan chuckles.

“My name is Phil. I can’t believe I’m meeting you right now. I love your music,” Phil says, before handing his phone to Dan once he has a photo of him and PJ. “His name is PJ. I know he has curly brown hair.”

“Yes, this will help a lot. Jonathon, I need you to find his friend, and bring him back here,” Dan says as he shows the photo to the security guard. “His name is PJ.”

“Yes, sir,” the security guard says before heading out of the dressing room.

“Here you go,” Dan says as he hands Phil back his phone. “How exactly did you lose your friend?”

“I- I don’t know. One second we were buying some water, and then I heard someone PJ’s name, and… so I guess he got distracted. I don’t think he meant to lose me,” Phil explains.

“Ah, I see,” Dan nods, and sits next to him. “Well, it’s lovely to meet you. I hope you enjoy the concert, after we find your friend. Is this your first time seeing me live?”

“This is my first time seeing anyone live,” Phil admits shyly.

“Oh, wow. So I’m your first concert? That’s so cool! I’ll have to make it extra special,” Dan grins.

Dan and Phil spend the next fifteen minutes chatting with each other. Phil is so surprised with how calm Dan Howell is in person. He always thought that he would be. But, he’s so nice and easy to talk to. Phil really enjoys talking to him, and he hates that he’ll probably never talk to him again after this.

Suddenly the door opens again, interrupting Dan and Phil’s conversation.

“Phil!”

Phil jumps when he hears someone shout his name, but he instantly knows that it’s PJ.

“Holy shit,” PJ runs over to Phil and hugs him tightly. “I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

“I know,” Phil laughs as he hugs PJ back. “I know you didn’t mean to, and it’s okay. I’m not mad. Really.”

“Thank God. I was so worried. Let’s not mention to your mother that I lost you at a Dan Howell concert. She’ll never trust me to take you anywhere alone again,” PJ says, shaking his head. He looks over and his eyes widen when he sees that Dan Howell is sitting right beside Phil.

“Hey, mate,” Dan greets, a grin forming on his face. “You should really keep track of your friends.”

“Your-” PJ lets out a squeak. “Your Dan Howell. Wh- What the fuck?”

“Nice to meet you too,” Dan laughs. “I was just making sure Phil was safe while my bodyguards went looking for you. Phil’s quite a lovely person, you know? You’re lucky to have him as a friend.

“Yeah,” PJ breathes. “Yeah, he’s awesome. Thank you. I mean, f- for looking out for him.”

“Not a problem, dude. Here-” Dan stands up and hands PJ some tickets. “Better seats for you and Phil, and I’d like to give Phil some merch, if you don’t mind.” 

Dan gives PJ a free t-shirt, while he gives Phil a hoodie and a poster.

“Lovely meeting you!” Dan shouts as PJ and Phil are led out of the dressing room. “Enjoy the show!”

“Thank you!” Phil shouts, looking back even though he can’t see Dan. “PJ, we just meet Dan Howell!”

“I know,” PJ laughs. “So, maybe losing you wasn’t such a bad thing after all?”

“I guess not, but please never lose me again. That was the most terrifying thing ever,” Phil complains.

“Really sorry. I honestly didn’t mean to. I got distracted when I saw some of my friends from art school. Here, let me see what he wrote on your poster-” PJ says as he carefully grabs the poster from Phil. “Thanks for being such a wonderful fan. You’re awesome.  Blah blah blah,” he looks down a bit and then his eyes widen the second he sees that Dan has left his number on the poster for Phil. “Holy shit, dude.”

“What?” Phil asks, stopping dead in his tracks. “What is it, Peej?”

“Dan fucking Howell gave you his number!” PJ exclaims, letting out a laugh. “Dude, you got so lucky tonight! Talk about a lucky birthday, mate.”

“What?” Phil squeaks with shock. “Th- There’s no way…”

“No, I’m not lying! He left his number,” PJ tells him, shaking Phil excitedly.

Phil can’t help but smile. Dan Howell gave him his number. So today won’t be the last time that he’ll get to talk to him. Phil knows exactly what he’s doing the second he gets home from the concert tonight.

[miningmyminecraft]

Download pinoy Movies & Tv To Watch Offline

Download Movies & Tv To Watch Offline

It’s nice to see a romance featuring OFWs that doesn’t sensationalize the challenges of working life and strikes a meaningful, empowering tone. Helmed by prominent director Cathy Garcia-Molina, this romance topped 2019’s Philippine box workplace and gained great important acclaim. This is the plot ofJohn Denver Trending—a hidden Pinoy indie film gem from 2019. In an age when cyberbulling and social media-driven disinformation are hot matters, this film helps viewers understand that online speech has real-world penalties, while not feeling overly preachy. Our third finest Pinoy film of 2019 is a authorized procedural drama—Verdict.Verdict follows the case of Joy, a Filipino housewife who stabs her abusive husband Dante in self defense.

Download pinoy Movies & Tv To Watch Offline

Furthermore,Cleaners‘ visuals seem like highlighted black-and-white photocopies—evoking the appearance of Filipino high school reading supplies. Director Glenn Barit bodily printed out the frames he shot, manually highlighted them, after which scanned the highlighted printouts to craft the final movie.

It’s a sprinkle of coming-of-age mixed with a dash of magical realism. With wonderful manufacturing high quality, Alone/Togetheroffers a practical and heartfelt take a look at balancing romance towards particular person dreams.

The highest grossing films within the Philippines have a tendency to change every year, but what would not change is the fact that they're normally the same bubblegum-sort, feel-good flicks that is good for the second, but doesn't really age nicely. There are the Vice Ganda comedies, the John Lloyd Cruz romps, the Vic Sotto fantasies. Currently, the highest  grossing film is the freshly released Hello, Love, Goodbye, starring Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards, clocking in at virtually 900 million pesos. While it still falls principally under the standard tacky drama, it's become a well-reviewed movie that is deep, non-formulaic, and relevant.

Download pinoy Movies & Tv To Watch Offline

Shake, Rattle, and Roll movies if you need your horror film repair whereas staying at house. This one comes courtesy of Regal Entertainment for releasing a few of its basic SRR films in mild of the quarantine. K’na The Dreamweaver who centers on K’na , a princess of the T’boli tribe in South Cotabato.

The drama Caregiver stars Sharon Cuneta, John Estrada, and Rica Peralejo and takes place in the United Kingdom. The story follows English instructor Sarah Gonzales who is working abroad as a caregiver to make money to help her husband support their household again residence in the Philippines. The movie tells the empowering story of Filipino OFWs via Sarah’s journey to self discovery.

Set in Negros, Oro, Plata, Matatraces how the struggle affected the lives of two aristocratic households. Its imagery and dramamakeit a case research in nice Filipino films. In sum, the On The Job director asks the movie-going public to have faith in Filipino movies. Bernardo and Richards prepared intensely for their roles; Bernardo spent time away from the other cast members to construct a way of isolation. What results is a sensible and empathetic efficiency that avoids the hole sugariness of other Filipino romances.

No extra ticketing or scheduling problems; they’re finally obtainable with just a faucet. The movie was filmed in simply three weeks, and stars a lot-liked Filipino actress Nora Aunor, in what many pundits price as the best performance of her profession.

The movie walks the line between documentary and drama, strolling us by way of Joy’s seek for justice in opposition to Dante. The movie contains an anthology of 5 different tales that includes designated classroom cleaners in a Tuguegarao highschool. Each of the tales touches upon the theme of â€��cleanliness”—whether why not look here or not bodily, moral, or otherwise. A cast of first-time actors brings the five tales to life, and offers them an authentic, pure feel. Those who went to highschool in the Philippines could find moments of tender nostalgia in Cleaners‘ narratives.

Affluent Julie Monserrat falls in love with student-slash-combo participant (that's much like at present's DJ) Dido, and their forbidden romance rocks the entire town. Already a traditional, thisMike de Leon opus has been described by many as one of the best Filipino films of all time. Starring Mark Gil in his most iconic function as Sid Lucero, it explores the fraternity culture during the last phases of martial legislation in the Philippines.

Vic Silayan plays a terrifying patriarch with a stranglehold over his family, together with his newly married and hapless daughter (Charo Santos-Concio). Diaz-Abaya was one of many strongest feminine voices in Philippine cinema, and on this period drama she lambasted the commodification of girls as strongly as she ever had. A son returns to his hometown along with his new bride in tow, solely to have her be the item of his father’s lust as a result of her resemblance to his deceased spouse. Swirling with themes of oppressive patriarchy and Oedipal complexes, shot through with startling violence, Karnal is as close to noir as Philippine films can get.

Download pinoy Movies & Tv To Watch Offline

, de Leon was making cinemagoers swoon with this mild coming-of-age love story between an aimless student/aspiring songwriter and the attractive woman whose marriage in the end proves to be a heartbreaking wakeup name to their dream of being together. I keep in mind being pissed off as a result of I was too younger to catch this true-crime thriller when it first got here out at the 7th Metro Manila Film Festival. Based on the Nick Joaquin article “The House on Zapote Street”, Kisapmata proved too darkish for audiences’ tastes for the time, however its standing as a harrowing exploration of the shadowy corners of the Filipino psyche stays unparalleled to this present day.

She aptly and intensely portrays Tin’s vulnerability in a way that doesn’t feel overly sentimental. As the second-highest grossing movie of 2019 within the Philippines,Alone/Together reaped nice financial rewards for telling its story properly. Adapted from the hit Korean movie agree with of the same name,Miracle In Cell No. 7won the love of critics and audiences with its heartwarming father-daughter story. Building upon the Korean unique,Miracle In Cell No. 7 tells the story of a mentally disabled man named Lito who’s wrongly jailed.

It is properly-acted and is likely one of the finest-crafted films within the decade. It indulges followers to revel within the state of kilig by seeing their favourite celebrities do a dance of will-they-or-won’t-they despite the fact that everyone knows the ending.

Dukot is a dramatic action crime film set within the Philippines starring Enrique Gil, Christopher De Leon, and Shaina Magdayao. The film tells the story of a center-class government official whose estranged son gets kidnapped. When the abductors demand a high sum for ransom, he should come up with the money before it’s too late. The dramatic comedy Four Sisters and a Wedding stars Brenna Garcia, Bea Alonzo, and Bea Basa and is ready in Manila, Philippines. The film recounts the story of a Filipino family consisting of four sisters and a brother.

After failing her structure board exams, Mara meets Gali , a deaf signal language instructor. The two develop an unlikely connection as they find consolation in every others’ imperfections. Made by millennial-focused Black Sheep Productions,Alone/Together follows a normal romance storyline but executes it well. The film stars real-life couple Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil as the leads—a girl named Christine “Tin” Lazaro and a boy named Rafael “Raf” Toledo, respectively. Tin research artwork, and Raf studies Biology en path to changing into a physician.

Set in a crowded and underfunded government hospital, the movie finds humanity within the dankest corners and the harshest of conditions. What might have been just another love story set in an unique land is reworked by Jason Paul Laxamana into an affecting portrait of escape, with the potential for romance between a beleaguered film star and a troubled expatriate. Lav Diaz and Brillante Mendoza are as active as ever, supported not by an area constituency however by the demand of foreigners for his or her distinctive views. There are additionally many other filmmakers who are producing films on their very own, risking fortunes and careers to not create content for media companies however movies to be screened in a movie show.

John Denver Trending has glorious cinematography and nicely-developed characters (John Denver’s mom is an particularly interesting figure). This makes its on-line witch hunt story feel all the extra resonant, and illuminates the raw horrors of internet-pushed mobs. Director Arden Rod Condez retains the narrative tightly centered, and never lets it descend into the same irrationality that a few of its characters embody. Impressively, this extremely relevant film is Condez’s directorial debut.

Download pinoy Movies & Tv To Watch Offline

A caregiver named Jaica is employed by Vivian, a successful businesswoman who recently found she was unwell. Little does Vivian know, Jaica performs a considerably larger function in her life— one which reconnects her to her distant son. At that time, Siguion-Reyna, son of movie legend Armida Siguion Reyna, was known special info for breaking barriers. One of his earlier films, additionally that includes Roces, wasLigaya ang Itawag Mo sa Akin, which illustrated rape. It was initially given an X rating and was only aired to the general public after quite a few concessions that resulted in scenes on the slicing ground.

When Lito’s fellow inmates notice he’s an harmless man, they assist smuggle in his young daughter Yesha so the two can proceed bonding. Starring Kapamilya actress Kathryn Bernardo and Kapuso star Alden Richards, Hello, Love, Goodbye is the best-grossing Filipino film of all time.

This intensive, months-lengthy course of results in a movie that literally looks like nothing else that Pinoy cinema has to offer. Ulan could be about love, nevertheless it’s not your average Filipino romance. The film stars Nadine Lustre as a author named Maya, who’s struggling to find romance and happiness. As Maya journeys via life,Ulan weaves fantastical tales from her creativeness and childhood as a reflection of her psyche. We see her speaking withtikbalangsin one second, and typhoons in one other.

If you’re trying to celebrate the occasion within the consolation of your personal house, you might be interested in doing so by catching up on must-see titles Philippine cinema has to supply — or, when you’ve already seen them before, watching them unfold all over again. Initially hard to find , these motion pictures have been made accessible to extra audiences thanks to different streaming platforms.

Most of the Philippines' critically acclaimed films are gritty and heavy, but this Maryo de los Reyes basic sticks to the reality of highschool, which is light, relatable, and fun. There are many extra intricacies between and after these occasions, and you may need to essentially watch Karnal to understand why it's such a fantastic Filipino movie. The combination of a powerhouse forged and formidable director Peque Gallaga led to this beautiful Filipino traditional.

The movie tells the story of mysterious happenings in a remote village which end in Ferdinand E. Marcos implementing Proclamation No. 1081, which locations all the Philippines under Martial Law. The movie delves into the difficulties of the village folks as they cope with this new proclamation. The drama Himala takes place in a poor Filipino village and stars Nora Aunor, Veronica Palileo, and Spanky Manikan.

When the brother, the youngest of the siblings, declares that he plans to get married, the sisters devise a plan to speak him out of it, revealing the deep-seated animosity they've for each other. The romantic drama The Hows of Us stars Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, and Darren Espanto.

Any benefit thisAlvin Yapan filmevaporated when word got out that a canine was killed throughout production. Based on the true story of the "Gata Four Massacre" in Caramoan, Camarines Sur, it received a number of accolades and obtained positive critiques. The dog killing, nonetheless, resulted in Senate hearings and closed-door meetings. The scene was eventually edited out, but its impact has one way or the other lasted. Have you ever come across a movie so controversial, so bold that the President needed to step in to ban it from public viewing?

Download pinoy Movies & Tv To Watch Offline

Anyone who didn’t will nonetheless benefit from the 5 stories’ easy however meaningful takes on adolescence. Another more distinctive Filipino love story that came out in 2019 wasIsa Pa with Feelings .

It seems to be the case for lots of the nation's most groundbreaking movies. Mang Kepweng was a popular comic strip by Al Magat a couple of humorous village albularyo. The character was dropped at life by comedy legend Chiquito and it spawned a number of installments, with Mang Kepweng and Son being the fourth film within the sequence. Dindo Fernando, Vilma Santos, and Hilda Koronel play a person, his wife, and his lover on this Danny Zialcita film about the intricacies of marriage and adultery. The in style Filipino movie won six prizes on the 31st Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards , including Vilma Santos' third Best Actress win.

It’s a type of films where the protagonist has to make a tough alternative – on this movie, K’na has to make a sacrifice between her village clans and real love. all not on Netflix – can now be accessed freed from cost, due to the kind hearts of our filmmakers. We’ve listed 10 of these local films – from blockbuster hits to horror movies – under. It’s a black comedy by the use of city fairy tales and magical realism. It has impeccable use of cinematic language — from scoring, to cinematography, to editing.

It reached P880 million box office mark after a month of hitting the cinemas. The movie is not a typical “LizQuen” love story that showcases the Philippine Art and nostalgic 90’s vibes. It depicts the story of a pair who faced many challenges from their school romance to turning into actual adults entering the real world. 2019 has been a great yr for Philippine cinema as it supplied numerous motion pictures that entertained a lot of Filipinos throughout the globe. You can watch more award-successful Netflix Originals, documentaries, motion pictures and TV reveals by choosing a plan that’s best for you.

The film tells the story of the romance between the young couple, Primo and George, who dream of building a life collectively and are already devising their future. However, their plans are put to the take a look at when they're confronted with obstacles that put their relationship in danger. Set in the Philippines in 1972, the drama From What is Before stars Perry Dizon, Roeder, and Hazel Orencio.

The movie tells the story of Elsa, a Filipina villager who claims she has been visited by the Virgin Mary. The go to changed her life as she now appears to have particular healing powers. Her newfound talent begins to trigger hysteria in her small village.

Download pinoy Movies & Tv To Watch Offline

This Jose Javier Reyes movie is known for being known as "a properly-made gentle porn movie" by none aside from then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Live Show, which was originally named Toro, depicted the lives of poor individuals who had to resort to performing lewd acts on stage to outlive. It is among the few extensive-launch movies that featured full-frontal nudity. After pressure from the Catholic Church, the President herself had to suspend it from airing on theaters. Though initially banned by the MTRCB, it was allowed to re-air after the title, which meant pay-per-view sex, was changed.

The film tells the story of Basha and Popoy, a young couple deeply in love who spend all of their time together. But when clashing ambitions and tensions come into play and the couple splits up, they're both feeling devastated and heartbroken. Strangely sufficient, pandemic motion pictures have turn into extra in demand because the coronavirus outbreak. If you have received the guts to sit by way of movies that observe the results of a virus, check out our suggestions. A record of greatest Filipino motion pictures would be incomplete with no Dolphy starrer.

It indulges the equipment behind the love team to flex its muscular tissues, creatively and financially, proving the online value of the pair by putting out an enormous-display romance that’s so rigorously calculated to a fault . And lastly, it indulges the actors to show their benefit as reliable actors, with tacked in confrontation scenes and weepy dialogues that profess the true nature of formulaic love. The marriage is a attainable gateway to a greater life however Teria’s leaving, the way in which the movie is a one-take shot of her going across the island earlier than reaching the pier, more so embodies the ills and the heartaches that kind the core of the Filipino diaspora. Are the “mainstream” and “indie” labels even applicable nowadays, when budgets and industry don’t considerably differ?

If it’s a matter of sensibility, how can we distinguish when “impartial” filmmakers are directing studio-backed motion pictures, whereas established actors and filmmakers from the big networks are also increasingly going “indie”? And let’s not even delve into the query of whether or not it’s primarily based on notions of quality.

Produced by then-married couple Nora Aunor and Christopher de Leon, the World War II-set drama follows Rosario , a woman deserted by her lover when he joins the Resistance, solely to then fall in love with a Japanese soldier . But Hello, Love, Goodbye is the mother of all migrant dramas—and never why not pinoy movies just because it's officially the best grossing Filipino film of all time. The dramatic motion crime movie Metro Manila, set in Manila, Philippines stars Jake Macapagal, John Arcilla, and Althea Vega.

The story revolves round beautician Coring as he takes in Nonoy , who is the son of his crush. With Lino Brocka behind the digital camera, Ang Tatay Kong Nanaydelves into the themes of homosexuality and single parenting through a comedic lens. This Filipino film is a traditional rich-woman-poor-boy romance delivered to life by actors Vilma Santos and Bembol Roco and director Celso Ad Castillo.

Download pinoy Movies & Tv To Watch Offline

The movie follows the story of Oscar Ramirez and his household who flee a lifetime of poverty in a small village in northern Philippines to the bustling heart of Manila. The quick paced lifestyle and hardened locals quickly overwhelm the household, and Oscar should do what he needs to to survive in the massive metropolis. The romantic drama One More Chancestars John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo, and Derek Ramsay.

[derekklenadaily]

Dani’s review/synopsis of the first preview of “Jagged Little Pill” on Broadway!

I had the privilege to go to New York City to see Derek’s first preview “Jagged Little Pill” this past Sunday. While growing up back in the early ‘90s, Alanis Morrisette was definitely one of the most known artists in that era, I do remember hearing her music on the radio all time and even sang along to her tunes with my mother in the car. So, when I saw the news that her music was going to be made into a musical, I was very excited. When I saw this musical last summer in Cambridge, MA during their out-of-town run, and my mind was pretty much blown. Before I go any further, sexual assault is mentioned in this review and very slight spoilers is also present.  

Despite the changes for the first preview for the Broadway run, I got to say this musical is more than I ever thought it would be. The opening number just takes the audience by surprise with their exhilarating dancing and them singing fiercely but so passionately. We could feel such a big electric/energy charge in between us audience and the people on stage. It was like being an awesome rock concert, really. Then the music goes softer as we see the family of four comes up to the stage.  

Elizabeth Stanley who plays Mary Jane Healy who plays the mother of Nick and Frankie and a wife of Steve Healy. In the show, Mary Jane is an all star-kind of mother who supports her kids at various things such as sports and school. But outside of that world, she currently is struggling with drug addiction due after having a car accident earlier that year. At the same time, she has difficult relationship with her husband Steve who has been away from the family most of the time and hasn’t had a great sexual relationship with him ever since the car accident incident. Elizabeth is absolutely beyond brilliant in this show. She has a great comedic timing especially the scenes with the family. Her acting and singing is definitely out of this world. I think the last scene (“Forgiven”) before intermission still got me shaking in the boots, because it was so incredibly beautiful, tragic and damn powerful at the same time, especially having numerous voices from the cast blending with hers as they stood behind. I’m definitely certain that the judges for any kind of theater awards will look into that scene and mark her as Best Actress in a Musical. She deserves to get it. I got to say her and Sean Allan Krill’s chemistry was absolutely perfect to form this tragic and destructive husband and wife relationship. They would start as tense - not wanting to touch each other and then lying behind each other back’s (her addiction with pills and him with pornography). Suddenly, Elizabeth and Sean went out of the box even more at one point - I thought they would end their characters’ marriage and slam it with divorce right there in the show. It was absolutely incredible.  

Sean Allan Krill who plays the father of Nick and Frankie, also a husband of Mary Jane. He’s business man who travels and works in his office most of the time. He doesn’t have a very good relationship with Mary Jane because they hadn’t had any sex over a year. So, to feed that sexual drive - he goes on porn sites and becomes addicted with it. Like what I said in the paragraph before, he and Elizabeth has an amazing chemistry. There’s one scene that Sean does it so amazing when he sings “Mary Jane” in Act Two. It’s absolutely heart-wrenching that we can’t help feeling sorry for him and seeing him trying to mend his relationship with her after all that mess they went through.

There are some hidden secrets and devastating moments that each character cannot escape from, whether it’s sexual assault, drug-addiction, and sex addiction. Especially comes to Derek’s character, Nick - who is the good and golden boy who gets all the accolades and praises for his schoolwork and his sportsmanship. But that bubble suddenly bursts when one of his best friends gets accused of sexual assault by Bella (a classmate that Nick has known since sixth grade). Nick faces such a tremendous difficult decision on what to do and how he get through it without getting a scratch off his record. The songs he sings, “Perfect” was jaw-dropping and absolutely heart-wrenching, really. It shows that he is being pressurized by his parents, after being accepted to Harvard and how he is treated like as a hometown hero. “Wake Up” in Act One was absolutely incredible because it shows the depth of his feelings and being pressurized to speak up about what happened that night.  As I watched Derek in the first preview, I found his character a bit more sympathetic than the Cambridge run. I definitely think that he has improved so much with his craft and his work after “Anastasia” and doing countless rehearsals with this show.  

Kathyrn Gallagher who plays Bella, she is absolutely amazing in this role. After her countless researching and watching documentaries of sexual assaults and hearing several survivors’ stories, she definitely put her feet in their shoes to tell their stories on stage. It may be a really difficult and enormous thing to do, but she does it with a tremendous job. There is this scene where Kathryn sings “Predator” is absolutely devastating and heartbreaking but at the same time, it’s so beautiful because there is a dancer named Annelise Baker who interprets Bella’s character on that night. As Kathryn sings this number, she watches herself to unfold to a beautiful human being from into a complete shattered person. I got to give major kudos to Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui who is the choreographer (you may know his work in Beyoncé's music video). Every single dancing movement in the show is absolutely thrilling and exciting all at once. Also, we see several scenes that relates and mirrors her and Elizabeth’s character especially “Uninvited”. Near at the end of the show, Kathryn’s brilliant and such a strong number “No” with Derek and Celia along with the ensembles, it spreads various but incredibly important messages to speak up.

Celia Gooding who plays Frankie - Nick’s sister and a daughter of Mary Jane and Steve Healy. Frankie goes through several difficult situations in this play; one - she was adopted by Mary Jane and Steve when she was an infant and is the only black member in the family. So, she feels bit out of place especially dealing with Mary Jane who doesn’t grasp the idea of Frankie’s identity. Two, she tries to explores with her relationship in between Jo and Phoenix throughout the show and sees where and which her status falls in place. Celia is definitely bold and so much fierce as heck! She brings it all down when she sings “All I Really Want” with Elizabeth Stanley, “Hand in My Pocket” with Lauren Patten and then her solo piece “Unprodigal Daughter”. Her chemistry with Lauren is awesome because you can see how much they complement each other, it’s all very fun and playful. Her chemistry with Antonio was very cute and flirtatious. Lastly, her chemistry with Elizabeth Stanley was incredible because it showed that they had a tough mother-daughter relationship like Elizabeth had this wall up, blocking everything out and Celia tries to take it down by doing such ferocious, daring and bold things. Towards at the end of the show, something tragically happens in the family - we see the wall in between them shift and eventually come down for good.  

Antonio Cipriano who plays Phoenix, who is Frankie’s classmate and befriends her. Throughout the show, we see how their relationship develops. Antonio who was the finalist for the Jimmy Award. He is extremely talented and absolutely brilliant in this production. He’s great comedic timing and has a wonderful chemistry with Celia Gooding. I absolutely love when they sing “Head Over Feet”. It was really cute! I’d love if he had a solo piece in this show because his singing voice is absolutely terrific. I’m so happy that he made his debut on Broadway which he deserves, along with this incredible cast.

Lauren Patten who plays Jo, who is Frankie’s best friend but also with benefits kind of relationship with Frankie. Like I said in Celia’s paragraph, Lauren has a wonderful chemistry with her. They bounce each other off so incredibly well that they have so much fun onstage and even off stage. And I must say holy crap, Lauren is awesome - I can’t decide which will they give a Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress in A Musical? Celia or Kathryn? Can’t they call it a tie so they can give it to all three of them? In Act Two - she really gave her all and energy which brought the whole house down when singing “You Oughta Know” that we rose on our feet to give her a standing ovation as the song ended. It was so damn powerful. Holy sheeeetz!

Also, I cannot forget everyone in ensemble - they really bring this show alive and go way above the level of energy and perfection. Seriously, this show wouldn’t work without them - their amazing dance and outstanding singing performances, including even them doing the smallest things in the background in several scenes, they did stellar job to bring elevate the show to go where it needs to go. 

I want to say “Jagged Little Pill” is one amazing show. Much as I love RENT the Musical but I dare to say that it’s so much better than RENT. It is even more thrilling after watching back in Cambridge last summer. It involves with lot of diversity dealing with gender identity and the important messages that we see in the news almost every day such as sexual harassment and many other things that are happening in today’s world. It definitely needs to be heard. Diablo Cody’s (won Academy Award Winner for Best Screenplay for “Juno”) outstanding writing and Alanis Morrisette’s music just blends it together so beautifully to create this musical and put it onstage in front of us. From the choreography, the sets, the lights and costumes, and everything in this show - including the cast, I highly believe they will have major success on Broadway for sure. It’s a possible chance that they will make it to award season maybe next year. Seriously, this show is not to miss, please do go see it. It will be worth it!

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, July 13

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Steve Bing knew too much -- movie mogul murdered in Jeffrey Epstein cover-up 

Page 2: Jennifer Garner is blaming ex-husband Ben Affleck’s new squeeze Ana de Armas for him spending a lot more time with their kids making her the odd mom out 

Page 3: Reese Witherspoon wants to muscle in on Gwyneth Paltrow’s turf as a lifestyle guru and Gwyneth is fit to be tied -- Reese is consumed with creating her own business empire and she doesn’t care who gets in the way but Gwyneth can’t believe Reese would encroach on her territory like this 

Page 4: Drew Barrymore’s long-anticipated CBS talk show is in danger of being killed by the coronavirus before it ever airs and Drew is freaking out over doing interviews without her adoring fans smiling from their seats

Page 5: Big-hearted Dolly Parton is helping a devastated Kelly Clarkson bounce back from the wreckage of her shattered marriage, kid-crazy Kathie Lee Gifford is begging her newlywed daughter Cassidy to hurry up and give her a grandchild but it’s embarrassing for Cassidy who’d like to enjoy married life for a little while before starting a family 

Page 6: Dennis Quaid secretly eloped with Laura Savoie, photos of Pierce Brosnan clearly show surgical scars under his left breast revealing the 67-year-old star has recently gone under the knife and a doctor says the scars resemble breast tumor excisions 

Page 7: Jimmy Kimmel might not be coming back as the disgraced late-night talk show host who’s come under fire for performing in blackface in the past has been taking time off for a summer vacation but he may be gone for good -- Jimmy apologized for the blackface incident and making an insensitive joke about Megan Fox but ABC execs are already seeking a replacement and Melissa McCarthy and Kevin Hart and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are contenders but the name that keeps coming up is Ryan Seacrest 

Page 8: Why Prince Harry hates Prince William -- Will made a bold bid to make peace with his rebel brother Harry but it exploded into a battle royal that may never be mended -- everyone is blaming Henry’s wife Meghan Markle and she certainly hasn’t helped but the rift started way before she came on the scene and goes much deeper than anyone ever knew because Harry hates Will because years of living in his brother’s shadow have left Harry tormented by one all-consuming belief that nobody loves him 

Page 9: Spurned Gayle King is devastated after a younger woman stole away the love of her life U.S. Sen. Cory Booker -- the 65-year-old CBS This Morning host and the 51-year-old New Jersey politician had long been rumored to be hot and heavy before star Rosario Dawson gave Cory a new lease on his love life 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Alex Trebek and wife Jean wear masks and hard hats as they visit a home improvement store, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson offered a toast of gratitude and tossed back tequila, Brooke Shields doing a puzzle alongside daughters Rowan and Grier Henchy and their pal Luke, Bella Hadid during a photo shoot in Corsica 

Page 11: Megan Fox’s super-hot romance with Machine Gun Kelly has a slim-to-none chance of going the distance because right now their chemistry is sizzling but he’s also turned into Megan’s personal gofer and the people in his life find it pathetic, Matthew Perry has a flabby fanny and he put it on display for the world to see after he suffered a wardrobe malfunction and exposed his tush while climbing out of his car at his Malibu home 

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Izabel Goulart on the beach (picture), Billie Eilish’s new James Bond song No Time to Die has been a disaster with just 52,000 downloads which is why they’re talking about replacing her, when fashion powerhouse Anna Wintour was still new in town in 1975 she took a walk on the wild side with Bob Marley and her fleeting relationship with Bob is something she’s pretty proud of, tensions between Pete Davidson and the rest of the Saturday Night Live cast were bad but now it’s worse because he thinks he’s a movie star and he’s a nightmare, The Bachelor franchise is making changes to the show far beyond just having the first-ever Black bachelor Matt James by adding more diverse cast and crew 

Page 13: Troubled Southern Charm star Kathryn Dennis was labeled a racist after butting heads with a South Carolina radio personality and now she’s being sued by a Charleston brand consultant who claims Kathryn owes her nearly $5000 in unpaid wages, things are going south for scandal-soaked ratings-challenged reality show Southern Charm as the show is on the verge of cancellation

Page 14: True Crime -- porn star Ron Jeremy was charged with raping three women and sexually assaulting another and could do hard time if found guilty 

Page 15: Bill Cosby is certain the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s shocking decision to hear his appeal for his 2018 rape conviction is the only thing that could keep him from dying behind bars, Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo could be shut down for good -- his widow Terri Irwin revealed the heartbreaking news that the beloved Queensland attraction was on the brink of collapse due to the coronavirus pandemic 

Page 16: Pamela Anderson is mortified because her hated ex Adil Rami has been spilling secrets about their sex life, Jeremy Renner’s ex-wife Sonni Pacheco has accused the Avengers star of being a deadbeat dad and demanding $500,000 in back child support and an extra $100,000 for expenses -- she dropped the bombshell in their custody battle over seven-year-old daughter Ava after previously accusing Jeremy of drug abuse and womanizing and claims he retaliated against her by withholding and refusing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in child support that he was ordered to pay her, NFL superstar Ben Roethlisberger was an alcohol addict and a porn fiend 

Page 18: Real Life 

Page 19: Kim Jong-un’s trigger happy sister Kim Yo-jong is making the North Korean dictator look like a wimp as she ruthlessly tightens her grip on power and pushes the rogue nation closer to war 

Page 20: Hollywood’s Craziest Exes -- wild unions ended in bitter breakups -- Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren, Madonna and Sean Penn, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard

Page 21: Sandra Bullock and Jesse James, Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva, Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton 

Page 22: Health Watch, Ask the Vet 

Page 26: Cover Story -- Movie king Steve Bing knew too much -- fears perv Jeffrey Epstein’s pal got tossed from 27th floor in murder staged as suicide 

Page 28: Scientologist Danny Masterson attended an event to combat sexual exploitation at a church-sponsored event years after the religion’s leaders were told he’d been accused of rape, quarantine has fired up Ne-Yo’s love life -- the singer who split from his wife Crystal Smith early this year said that living together under lockdown together has helped him lock back in with his spouse 

Page 34: Chris Evans whines playing superhero Captain America has wrecked his chances for romance -- he thought he’d be married and have kids by now but the whole Captain America phenomenon has left him less trusting about people he meets and what their motivations may be, Hollywood Hookups -- Raven-Symone marries Miranda Maday, Demi Lovato’s boyfriend Max Ehrich is ready to pop the question, Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are together again during lockdown 

Page 36: Warring exes Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have called a temporary truce as they struggle to find the right school for their kids, troubled Playboy Playmate Ashley Mattingly used a single gunshot to end her short and tragic life 

Page 38: Glen Campbell’s adult children are on the warpath over his widow’s scathing new tell-all because it paints the legendary hitmaker as a booze-soaked maniac 

Page 42: Red Carpet Stars & Stumbles -- Nicole Kidman 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Sharon and Kelly and Ozzy Osbourne on the show Celebrity Watch Party 

Page 47: Odd List