#him and harrow (he knows its not harrow but he wants it to be sooo bad he lets himself indulge)

[lilcetis]

viren's 2 episode long dream was kinda the most beautiful thing i seen in television,, like ever. like the dragon prince does dreams in such a unique way but viren's? single handedly changed my opinion on his character it was so so so good

[bellbery]

— Beneath the surface (Shuro x f!Reader)

Summary: Shuro wrestles with the painful memories of a lost love, Falin, whose death has left a wound he struggles to heal. As the group faces the perils of a dungeon, Shuro’s unresolved feelings clash with the present danger, straining his relationship with his current partner, who fears she will never be enough to fill the void Falin left behind. Just when emotions reach a breaking point, the sudden appearance of Falin’s ghostly figure— part human, part griffin— throws everything into chaos. Her presence feels both like a cruel illusion and a haunting reality, while harpies swoop down, forcing everyone into a desperate battle for survival. Amidst the chaos, past traumas, lingering love, and the fight for life collide, leaving the lovers teetering between heartbreak and danger.

Word Count: 1.8k

Warnings: Just Angsty :p might hurt you idk😭

🖋️ Author’s Note: Hello! I’m new to writing fictions, but since I kept rewatching the show I couldn’t help but think of an angsty story since Shuro did came back to the Dungeon to find Falin but- I HOPE ITS GOOD THIS IS SOOO LONG I GOT TOO MUCH INTO IT, and I’m thinking of Part 2 maybe if some yall would be interested :)) just comment if you want to e part of the tag list of this i series— enjoy reding!

After Laios confessed the harrowing ordeal his party had endured, Shuro stood frozen, his expression twisted with a mix of rage and disbelief. His Tachi blade hovered dangerously close to Laios’s neck, the tension thick in the air.

“Wow, how shameful. There’s nothing more despicable in this world than black magic,” Kabru remarked, his voice calm yet cutting. He directed a pointed gaze at Shuro, who was visibly trembling with frustration. “Was this person worth going to such lengths to revive?” Kabru’s words struck a nerve, causing Shuro’s grip on the blade to tighten. I stood nearby, feeling a chill creep through my veins. The conversation was like a storm brewing, and the weight in my chest grew unbearable. Kabru continued, his tone sharp, “It’s no wonder Shuro’s this angry about it. The dangers of bringing someone back to life using such a method outweigh the benefits.” His eyes flicked to me briefly, but I could tell his focus was on Shuro, watching him wrestle with emotions he barely contained. “For her sake, it would’ve been better if he had just let her—” “Enough!” Shuro’s voice cut through Kabru’s words like a blade, his tone desperate. He lowered his head, forcing himself to sheathe his Tachi, but I could see his hands shaking. He refused to meet my eyes, as if afraid that I might see the truth buried beneath the anger— something rawer, something that had always been there between us. “I get what you’re trying to say, but please don’t continue,” Shuro muttered, his voice breaking at the end, and my heart clenched in response. It hurt to see him like this, torn between his duty and the lingering shadow of his past. It hurt even more to know that a part of him had never really let go of her, not even after all this time, after all we had shared.

I intervened to break the suffocating tension, my voice trembling slightly as I spoke, “Let’s have a meal first. Senshi and I prepared something to help restore your strength.” I offered a reassuring smile, though it felt strained against the weight of despair looming over us. Shuro’s eyes flicked to me for just a moment, and in that instant, I saw a flicker of something perhaps gratitude, or maybe just the pain of being pulled in two directions. But the moment passed quickly, and he looked away again, returning to his internal struggle. “Food won’t change what happened,” he said quietly, the anger ebbing from his voice, replaced by a deep, aching sorrow that tugged at my heart. “It won’t erase the past,” I replied softly, “but we need to eat to stay strong for what’s ahead.” My voice wavered, and I felt the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. The thought of him still haunted by her, the one who had claimed his heart long before I had ever entered the picture, twisted like a dagger in my chest. “Do you think I can just forget?” Shuro snapped suddenly, his frustration boiling over again. “Do you think a meal can fix what’s broken?” The accusation hung in the air, heavy with unspoken pain. “No, but we have to keep moving,” I replied, struggling to keep my voice steady. “We can’t let the past consume us. Not when we have each other.”

His gaze finally met mine, and for a fleeting moment, I hoped to see understanding, but all I found was an abyss of confusion and unresolved feelings. The silence stretched between us, a chasm filled with unsaid words and unhealed wounds. It felt like the distance between us had grown insurmountable, and I didn’t know how to bridge that gap. “Please, let’s just eat,” I urged, my voice barely above a whisper. “For Falin. For all of us.” I could feel the tears threatening to spill, the weight of my own insecurities clawing at my heart. Shuro hesitated, and in that hesitation, I saw the battle raging within him. It was a struggle between duty, love, and the suffocating weight of his past— a battle that felt all too familiar. Finally, he nodded, though it felt like a hollow victory. As we gathered for the meal, the atmosphere was thick with unspoken tension. The food was spread before us, a distraction from the heartache that lingered in the air. But even as we began to eat, I could feel the unrelenting truth between us: he would always carry the memory of her, and I would always be the one left to wonder if I could ever truly fill that void.

“Maizuru.” I stood up, trying to shake off the heaviness that had settled over us. “I will camp around a bit with Asebi to check for danger.” “But Young Master won’t agree—” Maizuru’s voice was hesitant, concern etched on her face. “I want to be alone,” I insisted, cutting her off. The words came out sharper than intended, but I needed space to breathe, to process the chaos swirling inside me. I could feel Shuro’s eyes on me, a weight of unspoken questions and unhealed wounds hanging in the air between us.

As I stepped away from the fire, I felt the chill of the dungeon creeping in, but it was nothing compared to the chill in my heart. Each step away from the group felt like a retreat into the darkness that had enveloped our lives since Falin’s death. I had been trying so hard to support Shuro, to be there for him as he wrestled with his feelings, but it was becoming too much. Asebi, my loyal companion, trotted beside me, sensing my distress. “You okay?” she asked, her voice low and gentle. “I’m fine,” I replied, though the tremor in my voice betrayed me. “I just need some time to think.” As we walked, I could still hear the muted sounds of the others eating, the occasional laughter from Senshi, who always tried to lighten the mood. But their joy felt like a distant echo, a world apart from the turmoil in my chest. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was fighting a losing battle against Shuro’s past.

We found a secluded spot, shielded from the flickering firelight, and I sat down heavily on a rock, feeling the cool surface against my skin. Asebi settled beside me, her presence comforting yet bittersweet. I took a deep breath, willing myself to gather my thoughts, to understand what I was feeling. “Why does it hurt so much?” I whispered, more to myself than to her. “Why can’t I just be enough for him?” Asebi nuzzled against my side, and I absentmindedly reached down to stroke her fur. “He’s still in love with her, isn’t he?” I asked, my voice breaking. “And I’m just… here.” There was a heavy silence, and I felt the tears begin to spill, hot and stinging. I wiped my face with my sleeve, anger mixing with the pain. It wasn’t fair. I had fought for this love, fought against the darkness surrounding us, but now it felt like I was fighting against a ghost.

What if I never measured up? What if I was just a replacement in his eyes?

“Y/N?” Shuro’s voice broke through my thoughts, deep and tentative, and my heart raced at the sound of it. I didn’t want to face him right now, didn’t want to unravel in front of him. But it was too late; he was already there, standing a few feet away, his silhouette framed by the dim light of the campfire behind him “Go back,” I said, my voice cold and unyielding, betraying none of the vulnerability that surged within me. “I just need some space.” “I can’t do that,” he replied, his tone steady but laced with something darker worry, perhaps, or an unwillingness to let me slip away. “We need to talk. You’re not alone in this.” “Not alone?” I scoffed, bitterness dripping from my words. “You may not be physically alone, but you are emotionally miles away. How can I compete with someone who’s already etched into your heart? Someone you were never able to let go of?” The silence that followed was deafening, stretching between us like an unbridgeable chasm. I could see the conflict in his eyes, the way he wanted to reach out, to comfort me, but hesitated, trapped by the weight of his past.

A sudden creature zoomed in, almost capturing me, and I instinctively ducked, narrowly avoiding its talons as it swept past. The air crackled with danger, and I felt adrenaline surge through my veins. I glanced up just in time to see the Harpy’s grotesque form swoop around, its wings outstretched and eyes locked onto me with predatory intent.

“Y/N!” Shuro shouted, his voice sharp with urgency as he moved to stand protectively in front of me. “Get back!” My heart raced as I scrambled to my feet, Asebi growling low beside me. The harpy circled back, screeching with a chilling sound that echoed through the darkness. Its claws glinted ominously in the dim light, and I could feel the fear tightening around my chest. “Stay close,” Shuro instructed, his hand instinctively reaching for his Tachi. But in the back of my mind, the unresolved tension between us hung like a storm cloud, waiting to burst. “Shuro, wait!” I called out, desperation creeping into my voice as the harpy dived again. “You can’t let your anger take over. We need to focus! But he was already moving, his blade drawn and poised. The conflict in his eyes was still there, shadowed by the rush of battle. With every flick of his wrist, I saw glimpses of the past the burden of his unresolved feelings, the lingering ghosts of what once was.

Suddenly, I saw another harpy swooping toward me, and in a moment of instinct, I shoved Shuro aside to avoid getting caught in its claws. “Warn the others!” I yelled as I narrowly dodged the second harpy, adrenaline coursing through my veins. “Y/N, no!” Shuro shouted, his voice filled with panic as he rushed to regain his footing, anger flaring once again. But I couldn't afford to think about his feelings right now; I had to survive. The sudden shift in the air as I was flung away sent my heart racing. My body collided roughly with the cold, uneven surface of a rooftop, knocking the breath from my lungs. But it wasn’t the pain that froze me in place it was what I saw next.

Just beyond the shadowed edge of the roof stood Falin.

Her figure was illuminated by the pale light of the moon, her skin glowing with an ethereal radiance. Her expression was just as I remembered—gentle, yet tinged with a sorrowful depth in her eyes. Half of her body had transformed into that of a griffin, red dragon scales glinting under the moonlight, a long tail sweeping behind her. My mind struggled to comprehend it. She was supposed to be gone, just a memory, a shadow that lingered in Shuro’s heart. Yet here she was, standing before me, as real as the frigid night air.

“Falin?” I whispered, my voice barely a breath, steeped in disbelief. My legs trembled beneath me, the ache in my chest growing tighter. This had to be a cruel trick, a mirage spun by the dungeon. But her presence felt real just as Shuro had described her, never fully forgotten, never truly at rest. Beside her, harpies cackled and screeched, their feathers ruffling as their sharp claws gleamed in the moonlight. They took flight, swooping toward the group below. Panic shot through me, snapping me back to the present danger. “Everyone, look out!” I shouted, my voice cutting through the night as I watched the creatures dive toward my friends.

As the harpies descended with terrifying speed and Falin’s haunting gaze locked onto Shuro, I felt the weight of unresolved pasts pressing down on us, signaling that our greatest challenges were yet to unfold. The story was far from over…

🖋️ Author’s Note: I HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING MY FIRST FIC, and please like, reblog and comment for feedbacks or any critique so i could improve better :> THANJ YOU SO MUCH

[princessbrunette]

Hey princess! I’ve been MIA these last couple days because I’ve been rewatching obx in preparation for starting my own blog, it’s been years since i watched that first season and i have some thoughts. Can i just say that season one rafe is…i forgot how much he just…he makes me want to sob, for like a multitude of reasons, he’s SOOOO mean!! He actually made me tear up a little sometimes cs he was just being so nasty to jj and pope, i would die if i met that version of him. ALSO!! why tf is he wearing such bright colors!?!? i mean the neon pastels!?? hello?? he’s killing me tbh!! every time he comes on screen I have to turn my brightness down because he’s wearing those ugly loud shirts,! and why does he have a slick back??? God!! i cna see his whole entire forehead and that’s a little terrifying i think, but his face is so pink and he’s so happy all the time, like a little baby. This was definitely an era from him, but i think i’m just ready for psychotic season two Rafe, because he’s my favorite. Anyways that’s all! i missed you sm - 🍄

firstly oooo omg ur own blog !! i can’t wait for the debut i know its gonna be sooo good !!

secondly, yeah he’s literally awful. i mean his outright rudeness and spoiled brat behaviour is partially his appeal unfortunately but rewatching it can honestly be so harrowing when you’re reminded of just how awful he is 😭

also omg whilst i think his s2 fashion sense was the best with all the muted blues and greys — there’s just something about him in his preppy little brightly coloured outfits that i loveee i think it goes so well with his skin tone !! 😭 like whenever he wears that corally colour…. smash

missed u too !!! 🩷

[self-spaghettification]

Hypothetically Viewing Viren as Unsympathetically as Possible

he not only coined 3 elves just for? sadistic reasons?

there’s that too

he also coined his own old dark magic mentor for unknown reasons which is kinda fuckin insane —like at least for the others he has the excuse of not knowing them or gaining empathy for them

that points to viren actually having carried out the soul serpent plan against harrow’s will and turned him into a bird which is!! yk!! INSANE!! he couldn’t just let him die he had to turn him into a bird and then fake mourn him so he could take the throne

and if that theory is true then im sensing a pattern for this mf —killing someone to take power

in viren’s dream, perhaps a flashback, kppar tells him he knew he’d go far but he didn’t know he’d go that far for power, implying viren has also done other horrible things to gain power-become part of the royal court and get the position of high mage perhaps?

even his kids he doesnt rlly care abt them, he just views them in terms of himself, people to pass on his knowledge or self onto, legacy

which is part of the reason why he praises claudia so much and dislikes soren

he doesnt see them as individuals with their own merit

it’s so fucked😭

concession: of course there’s those 2 ways to interpret viren- morally grey or evil and its possible to want to romanticize what he’s done, romanticize his connection with harrow or his kids as a tragic character doing what’s necessary, or blame aaravos.

and theres always other possibilities—like maybe he coined kppar in self defense or because k'ppar was gonna do something terrible

and maybe he didnt bird harrow??

but like

the latter, the unsympathetic viren, makes more sense- especially since when viren has fever dreams it goes over these past choices, his interaction with kppar, dream harrow putting viren’s soul into the bird (probably the opposite of what harrow did to viren) and how viren talks abt his regret ie: “i’m tired of taking power/trying to be someone important”

he doesnt say “im tired of trying to change things for the better” so it just seems to reinforce the idea that all the choices he made up to that point were well.. to take power? to gain recognition? or in more grey cases to selfishly save what he cared about, like soren?

sooo yeah

2. since he’s terrible, he doesn’t deserve a simple death of being killed off, he actually deserves to suffer on his redemption arc

he deserves feeling very awkward trying to apologize to the elves after rayllum uncoins them

and he deserves having to struggle to be on good terms with soren again

he doesnt deserve to just die

and that’s what tdpo has plans for

link to post on why he’s getting redeemed!!!

is this a bump on his inner journey?

This confirms that Viren’s not getting killed off, because he never got the chance to interact with Soren before dying. so yeah

He’s been a Terrible Person and He Doesn’t Deserve a Quick Death (He Deserves to Struggle Through a Redemption Arc)

[1d1195]

IF YOU WANT TO ONLY PLAY 1D AND THEIR SOLO WORKS AT YOUR WEDDING YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT IN THE WORLD i heard an orchestral version of “falling” once and wowwwwwww that thing was BEAUTIFUL ikkk it’s not really a love song 😭😭 BUT STILL i could totally see someone walking down the aisle to that. (potential orchestral songs: sign of the times, and infinity; also ‘black and white’ and ‘i want to write you a song’ were made to be played at a wedding) but seriously if i ever heard abt someone only playing one direction band and solo songs at their wedding i would think they’re the coolest person in the world

I LOVE HOW YOU POINTED OUT MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE SONGS OMG totally real abt going off the grid if that song was about you, i said that about “the smallest man who ever lived” by taylor swift because omggggg😶😶😶 when i first heard it i was SHOOK😭 i was watching tv the other day and this song started playing and it reminded me sm of you !! it’s called “Big Jet Plane (Acoustic)” by Angus & Julia Stone

GIRL I HOPE YOU HAVE THE MOST RELAXING & DETOXING SUMMER OF ALL TIME YOU DESERVE IT🫡🫡🫡 spending time with your friends sounds great !! even if it is dinner on weeknights (which sounds like a blast to me idk) IVE BEEN READING YOUR POSTS ABT YOUR BOYFRIEND GETTING INTO WRITINF AND ITS SOOO FUNNY TO ME HAHAHDAHABAH “i don’t think you like writing that much.” SIR ???? HAVE YOU READ PROTECTION !:!;?3??—?-?-? OR ANY OF YOUR WORKS FOR THAT MATTER BABDJSHAH and the whole dialogue thing 😭😭 girl how do you not bust out laughing ???😭😭

things have been quiet on my end too, after the wedding i’ve literally just been home at the time lol one of my closest friends broke her phone so i haven’t even been talking to anyone much butttt im hoping to hit the bookstore over the weekend so do you have any recs ? what are your favorites ?

hope you have a great weekend sam, love you !!!! <333

~🎶

In case my blog wasn't obvious I Want To Write You a Song is one of my FAVORITE songs of 1D I think I would cry like a baby if I heard it at a wedding. But I also think I can only reserve it for my marriage to Harry (it's a song for us). My funeral is also just everyone going to be sitting there and listening to 1D and solo albums. It's how I want to be honored. I think I would spontaneously catch on fire if I heard one of those songs at a wedding--Black and White especially.

Taylor is so real for that--good for her. I've been listening to Big Jet Plane for the last twenty minutes or so! It's really sweet. Very love at first sight of them 👀 I think I could do something with it! 💕

my bf hasn't a CLUE that I'm a "writer." It's really hard to keep a straight face sometimes. I have to tell him things like I took a creative writing class in high school (I didn't) when I want to suggest ANYTHING to help. But honestly, I think he's a really good writer on his own. Prone to overthinking it. I usually just reference some of my favorite books and such. I would kms if he read one of my stories tbh. This is like a diary for me. I don't want anyone I know in my personal life to know about it 😂

I like to do NOTHING on my weekends. But other people don't feel that way I guess. Idk hahaha I'm just a little different I guess heheheheI just hit the bookstore myself! For once I didn't buy anything--a miracle really. But I do have some suggestions. I made this post when someone asked about book recs before. I stand by this list COMPLETELY. But I can add a few more as well!

Normal People by Sally Rooney -- the actual way the book is written is a little confusing tbh (no quotation marks during dialogue) but it really holds up to the show as well. Not sure if you've seen it but I would highly recommend both.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow -- a little long at times but I overall enjoyed it! Cool premise and I thoroughly enjoyed the relationships between the sisters and such.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey -- one of the hardest books I've ever read, but actually really good. The movie was pretty accurate to it as well if I recall correctly. It was pretty sad though so don't read it if you're having a good time.

That's all I really got right now. I probably have more to recommend but I've been bringing books I finish that I don't plan on rereading my work and leaving them for other people to take to clear room on my bookshelf. I also give the ones I DO want back to my sister to read so we have something to talk about hehehehe

Hope you enjoy the bookstore! Let me know what you get!

xoxo

P.S. it's a guilty pleasure of mine but I read this book My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick the MC's name is Sam and she falls in love with the boy next door and there is a LOT of drama as well but the falling in love part is... 👌 it's a YA and came out in like 2012 and I'm putting it here in the P.S. because it's been years since I've read it, but I've never read a book where my name was the MC's name. But I think about it a lot. It's in a box under my bed along with other favorite novels of mine from my YA adventures that I can't part with. (Also, a quick Google Search says you can't buy it in Barnes and Noble--at least not near me) but I wanted to recommend it anyway.

[breadsandwiches]

Wanted to share my tdp playlists bc i honestly like how they turned out! 💃

Some of these were recommended by dragonprinceofficial! (a, c, v, s)

(Very in depth and thought provoking comments about my fave songs under the cut >>>)

AARAVOS

Time, Stars, Universe Pretty ethereal star god vibes

Play with Fire Whatever his beef with the Sunfire peeps, im enjoying it and am glad he is too. slay queen (literally)

Dishonored 2 Main Theme creepy ominous spider-spinning-its-web vibes ok?

Inside the Cage Listen to sexy mental breakdown song.

In the Palace ~ Agitato Creepy fucked up butterfly beast. For context watch HxH, its fun!!! 😀 (< dead inside) Also soundtrack for Aaravos losing his mind in prison and making his puppets dance till their feet bleed! 😍

Adore Adore The story can change at the roll of a dice babeyy 😎 no fr the lyrics are fire

Throne Wrath and violence on planat earth

Nosk Spider-pulling-in-its-prey vibes. Callum wyd 👁👁

Dark Matter The drama.. the vibes.. "bring me your soul bring me your ~HATE~" *insert elmo fire gif*

Black Train/End Credits ~piano~ Also death etc. etc. idek. damn should this be on viren or claudia's playlist instead? 🤔

CLAUDIA

Restless Year I always imagine her dancing or playing the bass to this. Also this song was literally written about her /lie

W.I.T.C.H. We all know this would be on her playlist in a modern au.

My Zero It's fine, she's just gradually losing grip of her family and also herself, she's losing her beginnings 😀👍 ok

Selfless "You're mucking off, but I will live for you, my selfless love". Screaming crying throwing up etc.

Fireflies Nothing to say here except that it's perfect.

A Victory of Love Objectively a bop. Songs that make me Ascend™

Galaxies Honestly im just rlly invested in the modern au where she's a bassist in a cool band and this is one of the songs theyd be playing. but also the lyrics kinda fit

Spanish Sahara She can have a little vengeance as a treat. Also trauma <3

Young and Tragic sad :( baby magefam feels :((

VIREN

The Unquiet Grave he's a corpse 👍

Werewolf Heart Thinking about Harrow, thinking about Lissa maybe. also those wolves and screams?? sir... ���‍♂️ Also sexy bass. what more do you want.

Mohammed Most sexy guitar ive ever heard ever im not joking. leave me alone

LA PAURA DEL BUIO lyrics fit pretty well. also this playlist has a criminal lack of angry rock songs

Fight Like Gods Lyrics and such

Way down We Go idk how to describe it without saying the word sexy again :/

The Sun Pretty 😳

Sleep Oughg (< relates a bit too much)

Ashes to Ashes idk man, its just pretty. like Viren <3 <3 <3

Into Dust damn ok tdpo

SOREN

Beautiful Day idk this just has Soren all over to me. the early sunrise wake up feeling, the hopeful optimism idk man

Uptown Funk Originally wasn't putting this in but it is Sooo S1-2 Soren. Also this

Back Against The Wall A+ rec from tdpo

Ode To The Mets I am so normal about this song so normal i listen to it a regular amount haha *insert one of those feral stick figures with blood all over*

Run Magefam feels 💃

Edge of Darkness Next on Songs that make me Ascend™. "I've got love in my heart for an army apart" :(

Fill Your Heart This is one of my fave songs ever its so joyful i love it and I love Soren

Obstacles This song is already Not Ok on its own, but combined with the Soren-Claudia feels it's an atrocity 👍 Songs for floating away on a river never to return

What's Up Ya boy might not always be the brightest but he's definitely the more emotionally intelligent one also i love him so much hhskvhvhhvhvhbv

[broken-balance-baby]

lilith's far cry 7!

that's right folks! you heard that right, i'm making my own version of far cry just for the fun of it (it has taken so much research to radicalize me fully like i s2g the amount of research is insane and also im so angry abt us imperialism god bless)

sooo this far cry takes place north of yemen and south of saudi arabia! the country doesn't have an official name yet, although "rakaz ghol" (or "gold earth" if the translation from the lexicon is correct-- to any arab speakers who know classical arab by chance, will you please help me? lol) is on the table.

rakaz ghol has a loooong rich history of religious and cultural mishmashes thanks to pre-islamic tribes still surviving their culture in the later eras. it's also known to have thrived with natural resources ranging from minerals to the fertile soil itself, ranging from the edge of the coastline towards the crossover of the asir mountains, and it's a target for the US to try and grab very often.

on one particular year, somewhere between the 60s and 70s, iraq's then-president had the objective to overthrow US occupation in saudi arabia as since they've overstayed their welcome in west asia. (who knows, because if it's saudi first, then what comes of the countries surrounding it?) in retaliation, the us attacked them, manipulating saudi arabia into believing that iraq was going to obliterate them for the americans occupying the place, which saudi arabia had decidedly gifted a part of its country as land to the us after the attacks. only problem is, saudi arabia also gifted this part of the land with rakaz ghol, where the rakazis didn't appreciate sa's deal with the us that had them at the cost. despite their conflicting issues with yemen as well as inner corruptions being dealt with with its own president, after overthrowing him they began to protest the us presence in the country, only to be shot down and silenced.

the new country/territory in question is called "benjaadia" a dumb portmanteau of "benjamin" (as in, the explorer who went through the arabian peninsula) and hadia ("gift" in arabic)-- might be subject to change, but hey. it's currently run by levi berkeley (faceclaim is mads mikkelsen btw just thought i should let u know <3333), one of the first few people born when the country was still at its first time standing, having initially grown up in tel aviv before moving back to the country where he became ambitious in his prospects for the country, having joined the military in the midst of it, and soon became the man running the military while being voted governor. in the late 2000s, he later ran a raid on the north of rakaz ghol, kidnapping an indigenous woman to the land and assaulting her-- leading to the conception of their son yitro berkeley (who would later name herself barakah).

barakah was very aware of the horrors both benjaadia and rakaz ghol have been through-- and especially the horrors his mother had been subject to ever since she'd been kidnapped. so she made a run for it with her, but in the end she ended up dealing with her death and having to come across the resistance that she'd eventually lead by the age of 16, because of the murder of the revolution's father.

who knows what fate has in store for her. still, this story is taken within the eye of a foreigner, and the protagonist's eyes are one of the other important ones too.

cue john "evening" taylor, a 19 year old corporal who co-leads his team in a PMC (and closely affiliated with the us military and other international militaries) called sunset harrow. an egotistical asshole with insecurities, alongside being a kid who couldn't express himself since birth, he initially joined the military to get the money he needed to sustain his family, only to later switch to sunset harrow as since they personally chose him and a lot of other young kids to take part in the international affairs the us military didn't want to deal with. in short: the us's backlogs of dirty work.

and whaddaya know? rakaz ghol is one of that.

[steelycunt]

I need your every thought on giovanni’s room in order to process what I just read rn. I literally want to start rereading it and I only just finished. I have homework to do but who cares. I need to read this until I understand every last bit

HI omg literally same the temptation to reread that book is always SOOO insane even though its so harrowing. it's going to become one of those that i have to read like every year i just know it :-/ i dont even know what it is!! just that i have read books two, three, four times the length of giovanni's room where i haven't felt nearly as much for the characters involved or bought as much into their tragedy. i think in particular david is such a wonderful, ridiculously flawed narrator. the amount of shame and fear he carries around with him that dooms him from the outset, and by extension dooms giovanni even though he doesn't share in any of it himself...n the way it starts in the present with david in southern france the night prior to the execution to frame it as a tragedy from the very start. so by the time it jumps back to their meeting the ONLY person who doesn't know how it ends is giovanni. so he's doing all that work to make the room for david + to make a life for david, meanwhile the room is becoming a metaphor for david's private, internalized shame regarding his sexuality and his claustrophobia within their situation. and giovanni's attempts to fix the room up just become a metaphor for the futility of his attempts to preserve their relationship. because by then the room and his relationship with giovanni is a prison for david :-/ its another on a list of places he tries (unsuccessfully) to physically escape as a means of escaping his own internal conflicts and guilt (leaving america for france, leaving the room for hella, leaving paris for southern france) :-/ david is desperately trying to escape giovanni and promising that he isnt (you are not going to leave me, are you?” i laughed, “of course not.”) and giovanni is desperate not to be left and in the end david seals both their fates :-/ like--he watched me for a long time, in silence. then, “If you were not here,” he said, very slowly, “this would be the end of giovanni.”

i stood up. “don’t be silly,” i said. “it’s not so tragic as all that.”

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Moon Knight 1x06 Spoilers

Wow what a finale, I loved this episode but I gotta say we better be getting a season 2 or something because they cannot just end it there! Anyway here are some quick thoughts I had on the finale.

It broke my heart to see Layla crying over Marc’s body, like the moment she realises that he is actually dead killed me as did the little kiss on his forehead, like she was saying goodbye to him. Just yank my heart out it’ll be less painful.

That being said Taweret talking to Layla through dead bodies was strangely amusing.

I can confirm that I still love Taweret with all my heart, I loved how excited she got over Layla being her avatar. Also that armour Layla wears as her Avatar is amazing, love the wings. 

Speaking of goddesses, Layla absolutely is one and I will be worshipping her from this day onward. I loved how when the girl asked if she was an Egyptian superhero Layla answered ‘I am’ without hesitation. 

I also think May did such a good job at playing Layla whilst possessed as Taweret, it was so believable and it really did seem like she became a whole other character, she mimicked the movements and general behaviours of our lovely hippo goddess so well.  

I loved the scene where Marc goes back for Steven and makes that whole speech, he really poured his whole heart into it and was so open. That line ‘You are the only real superpower I ever had’ got me all choked up and teary eyed. It really was just such a beautiful scene. 

I’m going to be honest I really thought there was going to be more to releasing the gods than there was. It was just breaking the ushabti which to me doesn’t seem very secure, all those imprisoned gods in their cubby holes, if one strong breeze comes through there and knocks any over it could spell catastrophe.  

That being said the scene where Ammit was released was pretty cool and her followers judging people so she could eat their souls was kind of terrifying. I loved Ammit’s design it was so good. I particularly liked how she had the like mummy wrappings dangling from her snout, it was a nice touch. She looked very menacing but also very regal. 

I melted when Marc and Layla were reunited and he called her baby. I also thought Steven was so adorable when he told her she looked amazing in Taweret’s armour.

The shot where Marc has been knocked down and it goes to slow motion and you can see Harrow slowly walking towards him as Ammit and Khonsu loom in the background with Ammit using Khonsu’s own staff to bring him down too, and then Marc looking over and seeing Layla in trouble as well before he black’s out/ Jake takes over, was sooo well shot. It is definitely a scene I have gone back to a few times.

I thought all the fight scenes were cool, the ones between Ammit and Khonsu, but in particular the one between Harrow, Marc/Steven and Layla. I loved how in tune with each other Marc and Steven were post duat. Their transitions were so fluid and natural and really showed the harmony they had found, the growth from the beginning of the season where it was very disorienting and jarring as they switched personalities is amazing. 

I also really liked that when Khonsu tells Marc to kill Harrow/Ammit Layla reminds him that he doesn’t have to and that he has a choice. I also like that Marc decided not to kill Harrow and called Khonsu out for his hypocrisy. 

I also really appreciated how we ended where we started. Only now its not just Steven who is unaware of another identity and so is taking measures to make sure they haven’t wandered in the night. Now its Marc and Steven that are going through it together. They know by now that there is at least one other identity so if we do get a season 2 I am expecting that they’ll be trying to figure that mystery out of who exactly the other identity is and what they want. I also loved the little touch of having two goldfish in the tank now. It’s also really sweet how as soon as he wakes up the first thing Marc does is check Steven is still there, they really have come a long way. 

Ok so that post credit scene. Khonsu you sneaky old vulture. Should have guessed he hadn’t really let them go, Jake was still more than willing to be the avatar and I guess that is all Khonsu needed. I did love that reveal though because we all knew there was going to be another identity so it was cool to get the confirmation. Once again I was blown away with how Oscar really can make it seem like its a whole other character, each identity is so unique right down to their accents, demeanour and facial expressions. It really is amazing acting. But something that I did notice that I thought was interesting was that Khonsu’s clothing appears to have changed to match Steven’s suit in that post credit scene. I have no idea what that means, but it is interesting considering Khonsu seemed to think very little of Steven and was always calling him a worm. Apparently he was impressed by his fashion choices though. 

Anyway that is all I’ve got off the top of my head for now. I do hope we see these characters again at some point, hopefully in a season 2 of Moon Knight or if not then at least in another Marvel project. 

[littlemisssquiggles]

Dragonic Musings: A Squiggle Meister’s Blunt Ramblings about The Dragon Prince S2.

So I just wrapped up watching S2 of The Dragon Prince and I’m going to be blunt:

///SPOILERS FOR THE DRAGON PRINCE S2 AHEAD///

#1: How is it that this series is able to fit so much into just 9 episodes without feeling rushed? It tells a lot needed for the season but still leaves enough to keep me wanting more episodes. The writing in this series is sooo good.

#2: Queen Anya, you go girl! I actually clapped for this character. This girl don’t play. Your queen mommas didn’t birth no fool. I also loved how they handled the backstory about the three queens; three mothers who went down as legends fighting to aid their kingdoms and their people. I don’t know how the LGBT community is going to react to TDP’s representation with the two queens. The last time we got a Netflix series created by people who originally worked on A:TLA and had same-sex lovers who died, it wasn’t well-received. So for what it’s worth, I hope there wasn’t any backlash of any kind.

The Dragon Prince thus far has been really good with handling its diverse cast of characters and the storytelling for this show is as sweet as a jumbo jelly tart. It’s that good. At least to me.

#3: Whoever creates the artwork used in the credits for The Dragon Prince---I love you. I mean, the whole production team at Wonderstorm and cast of this series has my love but I wanted to spot light the credits artist because I love how TDP adds a little something extra in the credits.

#4:  Can someone please free the precious Strawberry Boi? His captivity for S1 was cute but now in S2, he needs to be set free. Free him.

#5: Speaking of Strawberry Boy, dear The Dragon Prince, how many husbandos are you going to keep giving me? I mean you already gave me Runaan, Strawberry Boy, Ezran’s new smexilious bodyguard---a beautiful chocolate man, yes. Loving all these wonderful flavours of husbandos that TDP is spoiling me with, yes and yes. But I already had my hands full with the beautiful husbandos we got from Book 1. Now after Book 2, there is Aaravos and might I say…HOT DIGGITY GIGGITY DAMN! Aaravos, you can whisper in my ear through a magical purple worm headset any day. It’s bad enough that he’s another sexy elf husbando (why) but his voice---oh my stars, his voice. His voice slicker than melted caramel drizzling on ice-cream. I should not like this man…but I do. I GIGGITY DIGGITY DIG THIS DUDE! How can one so evil be so fine? Why you do this to me, TDP?

 #6: All things considered, I’m happy to see that Viren has found himself a new man after King Harrow. Good for you! Not good for everybody else but good for you Viren.

#7: Claudia, Claudia, Claudia…I do not hate this girl. As a Rayllum shipper, I understand that Claudia is a thorn in my ship however, that being said, I don’t hate Claudia. As a matter of fact, I want nothing but happiness for my lil witchy girl. I see her going down a dark path that I do not like. No Claudia, you too dorky and pure for the dark side girl. Don’t be like your daddy!  I would say Soren needs to save his sister but he need saving too. They both need saving. Can someone adopt these two, please? Can someone GOOD adopt them? I want Claudia and Soren to abandon their dad and just go on their own journey to find their mother. Can that be their story for S3 please? Can we just have Claudia and Soren go find their mother, please. I’m worried for Claudia. She straight up Bambi’s mother that poor deer with magic. Yes she did it to help her brother but, this left me curious about something.

What if, Soren’s rehabilitation is only temporary? What if Claudia will have to keep stealing magic from living things to keep her brother from returning to his own paralysis while damning herself in the process? While that would be good for developing Claudia and Soren’s bond, I don’t want to see this because…I don’t want to see Claudia fall into the same path as her father. However…I think that’s what is being set up and I am worried. My dorky villainous children!

 #8: I liked how they handled explaining death to children. That was great how they made that nice parallel between King Harrow telling Callum about his mom and Callum essentially trying to tell Ez about his father. I don’t think Harrow is dead though. His soul is in the green bird isn’t he? The same green bird that got away and will probably meet up with Ez in S3. Cannot wait.

#9: I felt a little bad for Bait this season. It looked almost as if Ezran had replaced him with Zym. It wasn’t like that at all since Ez was only trying to raise Zym. But at least we got to see Bait bond with Callum. That was sweet.

#10: Zym and Ez share a psychic link?! What the what? Okay, we going full Eragon up in this bitch. Okay. I dig it. It’s a way to keep Ez connected to Zym and essentially Callum and Rayla.

#11: As sad as I am to see Ezran go. As much as I’m sad to see the dream team---the dragonic trio split, my pathetic giant Rayllum shipping heart is performing cartwheels and summersaults right now. 

Rayla and Callum are going to be travelling alone together (with Zym) for a whole season eh? How perfect ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Especially after that little confession moment from Rayla with Callum. I’m loving where this is going. I’m loving where they’re taking Rayla in terms of her growing ties to Callum. I’m just waiting for our dear boy to catch up.

According to Callum in C2 (I think), he and Rayla aren’t there yet. But fear not, I’m a patient shipper so I shall wait. But boy did I enjoy those little Rayllum breadcrumbs. They be delicious. I ate good for this season. RWBY take notes for RoseGarden.

But yeah, I think that’s it for my thoughts on TDP S2. I enjoyed this season. I had planned on watching it half and half but as soon as I got through the first 4-5 episodes, I couldn’t put it down. I ended up watching the full 9 in one sitting this morning.

To my friends who told me I would love S2, you were right. I did. I am looking forward to seeing how far this story goes. More and more layers to the world of TDP is being brought in and I’m interested to see where it will take the fans. I hope there is going to be a S3 and I hope that it will be a routine where we get a new season once every year. But we’ll see.

Overall, I can’t wait.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

[elles-choices]

Part 4: Say You Won’t Let Go  (TRR AU, Liam x MC)

Pairing: Liam x MC (Catherine)

Words Count: about 2900

A/N: This story contains reference to violence -- readers discretion advised! The case portrayed in this story is based on a real case - some details were modified. Children, please, look away.

PS: For part 1-3 please look below :)

Summary: Catherine Spencer returns to New York after her fall from grace in Cordonia. She left the love of her life behind and all the dreams she had dared to dream. Now she has to pick up the pieces and move on but her past has a way of finding her.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Choices by Pixel Berry

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

„When you looked over your shoulder

For a minute, I forget that I'm older

I wanna dance with you right now

Oh, and you look as beautiful as ever

And I swear that everyday'll get better

You make me feel this way somehow

I'm so in love with you

And I hope you know

Darling your love is more than worth its weight in gold

We've come so far my dear

Look how we've grown

And I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old

Just say you won't let go“, Say you won’t let go, James Arthur

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

Catherine stands on the stage of the University of Cordonia’s auditorium, in front of a crowd of students, visitors and faculty members. She is nervous, not because of the people in front of her but because she is back to his country and it reminds her of everything she has tried to forget.

After a round of applause, she walks up to the microphone and starts her speech:

„The story I came to tell you today is one of the most harrowing stories I have ever encountered in my years as a lawyer. Our client was only 19 years old when war broke out and a religious extremist terror group took over her village. She, a university student just like most of you here, was forced to watch all of the men in her community, including her father and brothers, be marched off to their death — 600 of them being killed in one single day. Her mother was killed together with other older women and disposed in a mass grave. Our client… she was only 19 when she was traded from one terrorist to another, forced to make herself pretty every time before she was raped — sometimes, raped until unconsciousness by a group of men. She was beaten and burned with cigarets.. She was one of 8000 women and children, some of them as young as 11, taken by this group to be sold in a sex slave market, sometimes for as little as $20.

These perpetrators bragged online about killing the men, conquering the women and wiping their religion from this world. Make no mistake, what I am describing you today is genocide — and it is still ongoing. Yet, only a handful of these men have been prosecuted in a court of law for crimes committed against this religious minority. And with every day, evidences are being lost and destroyed and witnesses are being dispersed or disappearing.

States are failing to punish and condemn these crimes whilst girls are having their body sold and used as battlefields. Yes, military actions are being taken but this is only part of the response. You can’t kill an ideology with bombs. But you can expose their crimes, their brutality and corruption through trials — trials that are in line with our values and our standards. The survivors of these crimes are seeking justice and the opportunity to face their abusers in an international court and we cannot deny them that (…)“

—————

After a couple of hours of discussing this case with law professors and answering a few questions from the public, the session comes to an end. Catherine stands in the hallway talking to her colleague and a member of the faculty, when she hears a familiar voice calling her name, „Spencer!“.

She turns around to find Drake, Hana and Maxwell standing a few feet away. She excuses herself and with a big smile on her face she walks up to them, hugging each one of them warmly, „I can’t believe you guys came!“, she says surprised.

„Are you kidding? We couldn’t wait to see you, Katie. And now look at you being a badass lawyer! And this story… ohhhh boy, this is sooo sad…“, he pauses for a few seconds, „But, hey, I am so happy that you are here. Is it too soon to say that we should celebrate your return to Cordonia with a bash!?“, Maxwell looks at the others showing his excitement of seeing his friend after so many years. Everybody laughs but Drake looks at him making an annoyed face.

Hana takes Catherine’s hand and squeezes it, saying: „We tried to call you a few days ago but I guess you changed your number again. Hopefully, you can stay with us for the weekend“.

Catherine smiles, „I got a new number a few months ago. I’m sorry, I guess I forgot to send you the text“, she picks up a business card from her bag and gives it to Hana, „Here you go and my email is in there too, just in case you guys want to get in touch“. She then looks at Maxwell and says: „About this bash thing… sadly, I am flying back in the evening. But we could spend sometime together until I have to leave“, she smiles, looking forward to catching up with them.

Drake clears his throat, „Hmm, Liam was here too, Spencer. He left a few minutes ago to take care of a few things“. When she hears his name she feels her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach. „But he left an invitation for you to join him at the palace. There is a car waiting for you outside…“.

Catherine takes a deep breath, „I don’t know if this is a good idea, Drake… Also, I am not really in the mood to cross Madeleine’s path and to deal with old drama“.

„Madeleine won’t be a problem, I guarantee you. We won’t force you to go, but Spencer, you guys should talk somethings out and you know that“, Drake says it, giving her a serious look. It took her some convincing, but Catherine finally decides to go see Liam at the palace.

After exchanging a few words with her friends, she leaves the building and heads to the car. As she enters it, she sees a bouquet of red roses with a small card lying on the seat next to her. She looks at it and smiles, recognizing Liam’s handwriting:

„Dear Catherine,

I can’t wait to see you… it’s been far too long.

Love,

Liam“

She knows, she shouldn’t feel like this but she has butterflies in her stomach. She looks out of the window nervous, knowing that she is minutes away from seeing him after such a long time. It is incredible that he still makes her feel this way… incredible and scary. He is right, it’s been far too long, but after their last talk, she hoped for a long time that they would never cross paths again.

—————

 4 years ago…

Catherine stands in the doorway and looks at Liam sitting at the table, covering his eyes with his hands.

„So, that’s it? You are going to marry her… did you came here for what? Get my blessing?“, Catherine asks angrily.

„Don’t say that, Katie. It’s not like I have a choice… I am begging you to come with me. I can’t do this without you“, he looks at her, tears streaming down his face.

„I don’t get it, Liam. Why can’t you just call off the wedding? Instead, you want me to hold your hand whilst you are getting married to her?“, she shakes her head and starts crying. 

He stands up and walks over to her but before he can hold her in his arms, she says firmly: „Get out!“, she looks into his eyes „If you are going to marry her, you should leave now… there is nothing to be said anymore!“. He stands there, looking at her for a minute before walking out of the living room. There is so much he would like to tell her now, but she would not listen to him. He opens the front door and looks back to see her one last time. She turns to him and says: „If you go through with this, don’t you dare come back for me!“, he sinks his head and turns away from her, leaving the shards of their love scattered over Catherine’s apartment. Catherine falls to the floor, tears bursting forth like water from a dam and she knows, this is the end.

—————

The black Mercedes stops in front of the palace and Catherine is greeted by Bastien, who asks her to follow him into a path she knows too well. They are heading to the maze and Catherine can’t help feeling some mixed feelings about it. This place brought her so much happiness but it also caused her so much pain. A few feet away from the center of the maze, Bastien asks to take care of the flowers for her, telling her to go ahead.

Catherine walks slowly, feeling as if her heart was going to burst. She takes a few deep breaths before she reaches the center. Looking over, she sees Liam pacing around, as nervous as she is and she smiles — he looks just the same, as if nothing had changed. 

Suddenly their eyes meet. He sees her in her black sleeveless mid dress, her blond hair kept in a ponytail and he feels his heart skipping a beat. To him, she is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen and having her finally there, in front of him, woke up something in him that he thought was gone. „Catherine…“, he walks up to her with a big smile on his face, „I can’t believe you came…“, he embraces her.

„Hi Liam, it is really nice to see you“, she says a little unsure of how to react. He looks at her again, takes her hand and brings her to under a tree, where there is a blanket with a picnic basket and some cushions on it, „Wow, it feels kind of surreal to be back here with you“, she smiles and they sit on the blanket.

„I know… you look stunning as always, it feels as if time stood still“, he takes her hand and brushes his thumb over her knuckles. He stares at her smiling for a few seconds not believing she is there with him. 

Catherine blushes and looks away for a moment, saying under her breath, „And yet four years have gone by…“, there is a sadness in her voice.

„Four years, two months and 23 days…“, he whispers, kissing her hand and causing Catherine to wonder how he could know this so precisely. After a short moment of silence, he opens the basket, saying: „I took the liberty to choose an American dish for us… I hope you still love Sloppy Joes!?“, she laughs in disbelief that he remembered the time they spent in New York together before he left to the engagement tour — she actually taught him how to make her mother’s recipe. He hands her a plate and napkins. „So, tell me more about your life. You are doing an impressive job and I’m so proud of you!“, he says smiling at her.

„Thank you, but I’m only doing my job and I’m not doing this alone, it is a team work and I am really grateful for being able to be a part of it. As you can imagine, my life has been busy. I am glad I have a few days off coming up, before the craziness starts again…“, she takes a bite and says: „Ohh, this is really good! Compliments to the chef…“, he smiles and offer her something to drink.

„I’m glad you like it, I spent the evening cooking this“, he laughs thinking about how the kitchen looked liked afterwards. 

Catherine looks at him in disbelief, „What? You made these?“, she laughs „I guess I have seen everything now… and for the looks of it, the palace is still standing, so congratulations!“

Liam laughs, „Well, I cook it every now and then. Drake loves it and, well… there are a lot of good memories attached to it.“. She smiles at him and he says: „But apart from work, what have you been up to? Are you… are you seeing someone?“, he looks at her hand, blushing and shaking his head „I am sorry, I used to be good at this kind of conversations, but I haven’t put it into praxis in a while“. 

Catherine giggles, thinking his reaction is adorable, „No, I’m not seeing anyone. I haven’t had a relationship since… since I broke off my engagement a year ago. I just don’t have the time for a relationship right now“, she takes a sip of her drink.

„Ohh, I see…“, he smiles discreetly „I heard about your engagement… I’m sorry it didn’t work out“, he says looking at her.

„Nope, you are not really sorry, are you?“, she laughs „But how did you know? Did Hana tell you?“, Liam’s face falls as he explains:

„When I divorced Madeleine, 15 months ago after we found Tariq and he finally cleared your name, I went to New York. I wanted to talk to you… I couldn’t wait to see you and tell you the news. Bastien found your new address, but he also found out that you had a fiance. I wanted to tell you the news so bad… but when I saw you with him, I just couldn’t… you seemed happy, so happy with him and I felt as if I would be intruding in your life again“, he sighs, staring ahead. „I was happy for you but it killed me inside that I wasn’t the one by your side and it was all my fault. I shouldn’t have married Madeleine… I should have broke it off and dealt with the consequences. I have regretted my choice from the moment I said ‚I do‘ until today“, he takes a deep breath, „And now having you here, I can’t help but imagining what could have been. All I know is that not a day went by that I didn’t miss you, Katie“, he says lowering his face.

Catherine can’t believe he went back to New York to see her. They both have been through so much but she knows how difficult it might have been for him to let her go. She gets closer to him and leans her head on his shoulders „I knew about Tariq, Hana told me everything, but I never knew you got divorced…“. He puts one arm around her waist and she continues, „What happened that day in my apartment in New York really hurt me, Liam. But I know that, in a very twisted way, you were trying to be responsible and to be the best King for your country… you put your duty before your feelings, hurting both of us“, he pulls her closer to him and kisses her hair.

„I really hope you can forgive me one day, Katie. I don’t deserve it… I really don’t but I never stopped loving you…“, he looks at her deep blue eyes „Do you still feel anything for me?“, he takes her hand and kisses it. He is nervous, unsure if he can take the answer.

Catherine looks away for a few seconds, then back at him „I forgave you years ago, Liam. But my life is just chaos right now, I don’t have the time to put the effort into a relationship… if this is what you want to know“, she looks away again, spending some minutes in silence. She stands up, she seems distant as if some old walls have come up again, „Anyway, thank you for the walk down memory lane, but I really should get going. I have a flight to catch in a few hours and I still have a few things to do“. 

Liam stands up as well and locks his arms around her, pulling her against him, „You didn’t answer my question… do you still have feelings for me?“, he rests his forehead against hers.

„Do I really have to say this?”, she sees his baby blue eyes pleading for an answer, “Okay… I… I never stopped loving you either, Liam. But it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t have the time for this. There is no more you and me, this is part of the past now and we have to leave it there“, she puts her hands on his chest, pushing him gently away.

Liam closes his eyes feeling the pain of her words and whispers, „Are you happy? Because I have been miserable… I would do anything for you, anything you want from me just for one chance of a happy life with you, Katie“, he looks deep in her eyes „You say you don’t have time for this, then let me do the work this time, Catherine… let me be the one to put the effort and fight for this, the way you fought for me… please. I am not the Liam that left you alone in that apartment anymore, I want to show you that“.

Catherine shakes her head slightly, „I don’t know if I wanna go there, Liam. I don’t wanna go through a pain like that ever again… I don’t know if I can survive this one more time“, she turns around slowly but he lightly grabs her hand and gently pulls her towards him into a passionate kiss. Her eyes widened as she felt his lips colide with hers but she soon relaxes into his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck and pushing him harder against her. The kiss lasted moments but they found themselves breathless as they parted. She gazed at Liam’s face and he knew she felt it too — the four years have not erased one bit of their love and passion for each other. 

„Spend your time off with me… we can go somewhere only the two of us. And if you still think it won’t work, I’ll accept it… but please, let me try!“, he kisses her forehead.

She cups his face, looking into his eyes, „I promise I will think about it, Liam…“, that was all she could tell him for now. She rises up on her tip toes and gives Liam a peck on the cheek, slowly brushing her hands on his muscular chest. He smiles hopeful and watches her making her way to the car.

(To be continued…)

For more chapters go to my MASTERLIST in my bio.

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The Royal Romance Liam x MC Tag

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[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/technology/entertainment/john-singleton-boyz-n-the-hood-director-dies-at-51/

John Singleton, ‘Boyz N the Hood’ Director, Dies at 51

John Singleton, whose powerful debut film, “Boyz N the Hood,” earned him an Oscar nomination for best director, the first for an African-American, died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 51.

His death, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, was confirmed in a family statement after he was taken off life support. Mr. Singleton had been admitted to the hospital on April 17, reportedly after having a stroke. His family said he had a history of hypertension.

His mother, Shelia Ward, said last week that he was in a coma and filed court papers asking to be appointed his temporary conservator. Several of his children at the time opposed her trying to take control of his medical and financial decision making and publicly disputed her assessment of his medical state.

“Boyz N the Hood,” a bleakly realistic film about three teenagers growing up amid gang violence in South Central Los Angeles, established Mr. Singleton’s credentials and placed him in the conversation with more established African-American directors like Spike Lee, Bill Duke, Julie Dash, Robert Townsend and Reginald Hudlin.

“When I was 18, I saw ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ ” Mr. Singleton said, referring to Mr. Lee’s 1986 breakthrough film, in a YouTube video in 2013. “The movie was so powerful to me, as a young black teen who grew up seeing movies with not a lot of people who looked like me.”

He was 22 when he began shooting “Boyz,” which follows Tre (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his friends Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) as they try to avoid gangs and drugs. When Ricky is shot and killed by a gang member, Doughboy, his half brother, seeks revenge, but Tre backs away from retribution.

Mr. Singleton had graduated from film school less than a year earlier. He later conceded that when he made “Boyz N the Hood” he did not yet know how to direct a film.

“As the movie was going along, I was learning how to direct,” he said after a 25th-anniversary screening of the film in Manhattan in 2016. “As it becomes more intense and comes on to the third act, the camerawork is more and more fluid, because I’m getting better and better — and taking more chances.”

After Columbia showed the movie at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival — with Mr. Lee in the audience — the film critic Roger Ebert praised its “power, honesty and filmmaking skill.” “By the end of ‘Boyz N the Hood,’ ” he wrote, “I realized I had not simply seen a brilliant directorial debut, but an American film of enormous importance.”

Violence erupted on the film’s opening night in or near theaters; at least one person was killed and dozens were wounded around the country. But the movie did strong business, selling more than $123 million in tickets domestically in today’s dollars.

Mr. Singleton lost the 1992 Academy Award for best director to Jonathan Demme, who won for “Silence of the Lambs.” He was also nominated for best original screenplay, but Callie Khouri won that Oscar for “Thelma and Louise.” Mr. Singleton remains the youngest Oscar nominee for best director.

No black filmmaker has won the Oscar for best director. But when Mr. Lee won this year for best adapted screenplay, for “BlacKkKlansman,” Mr. Singleton was ecstatic.

“My brother Spike Lee just won his first Oscar,” Mr. Singleton wrote on Twitter. “I’m sooo happy!”

John Daniel Singleton was born on Jan. 6, 1968, in Los Angeles. His mother was a pharmaceutical sales executive, and his father, Danny Singleton, was a mortgage broker. He lived with his mother until he was 11 and then moved in with his father, on whom he based the character of Tre’s father (played by Laurence Fishburne) in “Boyz.”

John was influenced early on by movies like “Cooley High” (1975), a comedy-drama about high school friends living in the projects in Chicago, directed by Michael Schultz and starring Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs.

Mr. Singleton was 7 when he saw the film with his mother. He recalled that she cried when Mr. Hilton-Jacobs’s character was killed.

“I looked at my mother and I said, ‘Why are you crying?,’ ” he said in a 2016 interview with Vanity Fair. “And she said, ‘Because it’s such a good movie.’ So I start thinking, when I get to make a movie, I got to make people cry. I got to make them feel something.”

From his mother’s apartment in Inglewood he could see films playing at the local drive-in: horror, kung fu, blaxploitation and slasher movies.

“The cinema saved me from being a delinquent,” he said.

He studied script writing at the University of Southern California’s School of Film-Television and wrote the “Boyz N the Hood” screenplay during his senior year.

He then showed it to Stephanie Allain, a script reader for two of Columbia Pictures’ top executives. At the time, he was being interviewed to succeed her. He didn’t get the job, but she loved the script and pushed for it to be acquired.

Before a deal was made, though, Mr. Singleton demanded, despite his inexperience, that he direct the film. Frank Price, the president of Columbia, agreed; he was especially impressed with Mr. Singleton’s audition tapes of Mr. Gooding and Ice Cube.

Mr. Singleton returned to South Central — the neighborhood is now called South Los Angeles — in his next film, “Poetic Justice” (1993), a melodrama centering on a romance between a poet (played by the singer Janet Jackson) who works as a beautician and a postman (the rapper Tupac Shakur in an early movie role).

In an otherwise lukewarm review of the film, Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that Mr. Singleton had made a significant leap as a storyteller from “Boyz N the Hood.” “Poetic Justice,” he wrote, is “nothing less than an attempt to celebrate the creative impulse as a means of salvation, not only for the individual but also for society.”

Mr. Singleton directed a variety of films over the next 20 years, but none had the impact of “Boyz.” They included “Rosewood” (1997), a re-enactment of a mob attack against black people in Florida in the early 1920s; “Shaft” (2000), a remake of the hit 1971 film; “Baby Boy” (2001), a coming-of-age story; “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003), an early entry in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise; and “Four Brothers” (2005), a crime drama. He also moved into television, directing episodes of “Empire,” “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” and “Billions.”

He is survived by his parents; his daughters Justice Singleton, Hadar Busia-Singleton, Cleopatra Singleton, Selenesol Singleton and Isis Singleton, and his sons, Maasai and Seven.

Mr. Singleton produced some of the films he directed, as well as other movies, like Craig Brewer’s “Hustle & Flow” (2005), which starred Terrence Howard, who earned an Oscar nomination for best actor. The film won an Oscar for best original song.

His most recent venture was “Snowfall,” a series on FX about the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Mr. Singleton was one of the show’s creators and executive producers and directed three episodes.

“ ‘Snowfall’ manages to carve out its own distinctive visual style, leaning heavily on the contrast between the bright blue L.A. sky and the violence and crime happening beneath it,” Kelly Lawler of USA Today wrote in a review after the series’ debut. “Even in moments of harrowing violence, it’s hard to look away.”

For Mr. Singleton, “Snowfall” was a return to the turf that inspired “Boyz,” with a vehicle that he likened to making a movie every week.

“It’s a popular show, and I could have done it 20 years ago,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. “But they said, ‘Who wants to see “Boyz N the Hood” on television every week?’ Now everybody wants to see ‘Boyz N the Hood’ on television.”

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[biofunmy]

John Singleton, ‘Boyz N the Hood’ Director, Dies at 51

John Singleton, whose powerful debut film, “Boyz N the Hood,” earned him an Oscar nomination for best director, the first for an African-American, died on Monday in Los Angeles. He was 51.

His death, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, was confirmed in a family statement after he was taken off life support. Mr. Singleton had been admitted to the hospital on April 17, reportedly after having a stroke. His family said he had a history of hypertension.

His mother, Shelia Ward, said last week that he was in a coma and filed court papers asking to be appointed his temporary conservator. Several of his children at the time opposed her trying to take control of his medical and financial decision making and publicly disputed her assessment of his medical state.

“Boyz N the Hood,” a bleakly realistic film about three teenagers growing up amid gang violence in South Central Los Angeles, established Mr. Singleton’s credentials and placed him in the conversation with more established African-American directors like Spike Lee, Bill Duke, Julie Dash, Robert Townsend and Reginald Hudlin.

“When I was 18, I saw ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ ” Mr. Singleton said, referring to Mr. Lee’s 1986 breakthrough film, in a YouTube video in 2013. “The movie was so powerful to me, as a young black teen who grew up seeing movies with not a lot of people who looked like me.”

He was 22 when he began shooting “Boyz,” which follows Tre (played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) and his friends Ricky (Morris Chestnut) and Doughboy (Ice Cube) as they try to avoid gangs and drugs. When Ricky is shot and killed by a gang member, Doughboy, his half brother, seeks revenge, but Tre backs away from retribution.

Mr. Singleton had graduated from film school less than a year earlier. He later conceded that when he made “Boyz N the Hood” he did not yet know how to direct a film.

“As the movie was going along, I was learning how to direct,” he said after a 25th-anniversary screening of the film in Manhattan in 2016. “As it becomes more intense and comes on to the third act, the camerawork is more and more fluid, because I’m getting better and better — and taking more chances.”

After Columbia showed the movie at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival — with Mr. Lee in the audience — the film critic Roger Ebert praised its “power, honesty and filmmaking skill.” “By the end of ‘Boyz N the Hood,’ ” he wrote, “I realized I had not simply seen a brilliant directorial debut, but an American film of enormous importance.”

Violence erupted on the film’s opening night in or near theaters; at least one person was killed and dozens were wounded around the country. But the movie did strong business, selling more than $123 million in tickets domestically in today’s dollars.

Mr. Singleton lost the 1992 Academy Award for best director to Jonathan Demme, who won for “Silence of the Lambs.” He was also nominated for best original screenplay, but Callie Khouri won that Oscar for “Thelma and Louise.” Mr. Singleton remains the youngest Oscar nominee for best director.

No black filmmaker has won the Oscar for best director. But when Mr. Lee won this year for best adapted screenplay, for “BlacKkKlansman,” Mr. Singleton was ecstatic.

“My brother Spike Lee just won his first Oscar,” Mr. Singleton wrote on Twitter. “I’m sooo happy!”

John Daniel Singleton was born on Jan. 6, 1968, in Los Angeles. His mother was a pharmaceutical sales executive, and his father, Danny Singleton, was a mortgage broker. He lived with his mother until he was 11 and then moved in with his father, on whom he based the character of Tre’s father (played by Laurence Fishburne) in “Boyz.”

John was influenced early on by movies like “Cooley High” (1975), a comedy-drama about high school friends living in the projects in Chicago, directed by Michael Schultz and starring Glynn Turman and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs.

Mr. Singleton was 7 when he saw the film with his mother. He recalled that she cried when Mr. Hilton-Jacobs’s character was killed.

“I looked at my mother and I said, ‘Why are you crying?,’ ” he said in a 2016 interview with Vanity Fair. “And she said, ‘Because it’s such a good movie.’ So I start thinking, when I get to make a movie, I got to make people cry. I got to make them feel something.”

From his mother’s apartment in Inglewood he could see films playing at the local drive-in: horror, kung fu, blaxploitation and slasher movies.

“The cinema saved me from being a delinquent,” he said.

He studied script writing at the University of Southern California’s School of Film-Television and wrote the “Boyz N the Hood” screenplay during his senior year.

He then showed it to Stephanie Allain, a script reader for two of Columbia Pictures’ top executives. At the time, he was being interviewed to succeed her. He didn’t get the job, but she loved the script and pushed for it to be acquired.

Before a deal was made, though, Mr. Singleton demanded, despite his inexperience, that he direct the film. Frank Price, the president of Columbia, agreed; he was especially impressed with Mr. Singleton’s audition tapes of Mr. Gooding and Ice Cube.

Mr. Singleton returned to South Central — the neighborhood is now called South Los Angeles — in his next film, “Poetic Justice” (1993), a melodrama centering on a romance between a poet (played by the singer Janet Jackson) who works as a beautician and a postman (the rapper Tupac Shakur in an early movie role).

In an otherwise lukewarm review of the film, Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote that Mr. Singleton had made a significant leap as a storyteller from “Boyz N the Hood.” “Poetic Justice,” he wrote, is “nothing less than an attempt to celebrate the creative impulse as a means of salvation, not only for the individual but also for society.”

Mr. Singleton directed a variety of films over the next 20 years, but none had the impact of “Boyz.” They included “Rosewood” (1997), a re-enactment of a mob attack against black people in Florida in the early 1920s; “Shaft” (2000), a remake of the hit 1971 film; “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003), an early entry in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise; and “Four Brothers” (2005), a crime drama. He also moved into television, directing episodes of “Empire,” “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” and “Billions.”

He is survived by his parents; his daughters Justice Singleton, Hadar Busia-Singleton, Cleopatra Singleton, Selenesol Singleton and Isis Singleton, and his sons, Maasai and Seven.

Mr. Singleton produced some of the films he directed, as well as other movies, like Craig Brewer’s “Hustle & Flow” (2005), which starred Terrence Howard, who earned an Oscar nomination for best actor. The film won an Oscar for best original song.

His most recent venture was “Snowfall,” a series on FX about the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Mr. Singleton was one of the show’s creators and executive producers and directed three episodes.

“ ‘Snowfall’ manages to carve out its own distinctive visual style, leaning heavily on the contrast between the bright blue L.A. sky and the violence and crime happening beneath it,” Kelly Lawler of USA Today wrote in a review after the series’ debut. “Even in moments of harrowing violence, it’s hard to look away.”

For Mr. Singleton, “Snowfall” was a return to the turf that inspired “Boyz,” with a vehicle that he likened to making a movie every week.

“It’s a popular show, and I could have done it 20 years ago,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. “But they said, ‘Who wants to see “Boyz N the Hood” on television every week?’ Now everybody wants to see ‘Boyz N the Hood’ on television.”

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