#is all for not Actually being in love. just a big elaborate talked up grandiose excuse to say theyre not afraid to be in love

[jrueships]

What are the psychosexual consequences of the twolves dominance right now

mmm.. i have been Chewing on this...

for quite some time .

so this is a thought i have always had tbh. These playoff results so far have just been bolstering my confidence in it.

Ant and Kat's love is loud love.

The Suns love is no love. Not that they dont have any love At All, because they do. But for each other? Im not so sure. The Suns is Men doing it all for the image of finally being champions so they can prove themselves to the people OUTSIDE their team.

The nuggets is domestic love. It's quiet, it's comfortable, it's won a championship, it's retired love. Retired does Not mean dead, it does not mean completely inactive, it means slower moving, at a personal pace, enjoying what you find to be the thing you wouldn't mind dying doing. Jokic and Jamal don't have to say they're in love 24/7 to let us know they're in love. Jokic doesn't have to talk about horses all the time to reporters for reporters to find out how much he actually does from him always going back to visit them. It's quiet, but it's so strong that it doesn't have to be anything but quiet to know

The mavs is a love built on respect. Wordless, they know they can depend on the other no matter what troubles the other may be dealing with or how much is happening, they Know someone will always be there to get the job done. They KNOW it's not a waste, whatever they're doing .

Kat Needs positive reinforcement, reminisces on it, dreams for it, grows restless and angered without it. Gets real self-conscious and starts faking everything to seem like he has everything so people can start treating him like he's not just some everybody in the world, but a SOMEbody in the world, someone whose opinions, thoughts, actions, and.. possibly most importantly.. WORDS will always be remembered as a meaningful contribution to the world.

Ant is a people pleaser. But he's not the meek, 'let your favorite teacher pronounce your name wrong until the grave' people pleaser where it can be pointed out as a problem, he's a Clever one. He's the kind of people pleaser who can step into a room and spotlight the targets that need the most self-value.. all so He can assure his Own self-value, and protect it. Because, ultimately, the phrase 'everybody loves Anthony edwards' is all about Anthony Edwards, which should be obvious, right? The answer's smack dab in front of your face, but the Confidence. The charisma of it all. Covers it. Conceals it just briefly, just enough for him to get away with it. Ant always knows what to say without even thinking twice. He's such a charmer. Except he's not. He's Always thinking, always brewing up the best ways to become a spectacle. Why even video himself saying that slur shit in the first place? Why not just keep that between him and his friend in the car like probably a good chunk other basketball players do ( because let's be honest. These are probably pretty straight men. They hate people like us. )

He can't. That wouldn't give him the best results in the kind of satisfaction he craves, which is all self based, when boiled down. He HAS to not only impress his one friend in the car with his in power teasing of others who don't even have a clue, he has to try and impress Everyone that he's included in his circle, and he just accidentally included the wrong crowd in that.

Ant and kat together are just two self-conscious people who like being together so they don't feel like they're two self-conscious people who like being together. Love can come in multiple forms, but, in my opinion, love oftentimes needs multiple forms to be at its strongest. When you pour all your love into one bucket, it leaves the others hollow. Love can be quiet, and it can be loud, it can be through words, through actions, through the easy times, AND the hard times, it is love.

I like to call Kat and ant the warped jaren and ja bcs unlike jaren and ja where it can all get spoiled from jaren saying something stupid like 'i love you' when they ARE in love and are just uncomfortable saying it, kat and ant NEED to say they're in love so they can feel like they aren't in it. It being Actual love, deep love that requires more than just pretty words and over-the-top compliments and sayings and comparisons and declarations. Actual love like ant going to kat's house and bringing the rest of the team because he knows kat misses having a stable family, hates the fact that something is missing and he'll never get it back.

Actual love like being awkward with each other

Which they Hate. Terribly. The two of them.

So they'll say how much they're in love with the other, how fondly they think about their memories, how they're so close. They'll tease and laugh and try to instruct the other. And the media laps it up, of course. Especially over the quiet love. It's just so boring in comparison.

Love is thrilling, and it is also boring. Like doing menial activities together like watching the news when you two could actually be the ones on it by doing something crazy together, but you don't, and you aren't, because you both agreed it's going to be a cozy day today where you'll both just be a cute pair of couch potatoes on a sofa watching TV together.

Ant and kat CANT be boring. They CANT just sit in that silence together. They have to say something. They have to know the other doesn't consider them a waste of their time because they don't have that same assurance in themselves.

Love is being scared.

Theyre not scared.

They can't Be scared.

Being down by 2 doesn't mean anything besides we'll bounce back. We're not scared about it. I played well, the shots just weren't falling, but i did good. We are doing good. We love each other. We swear.

We're not scared .

(TV loves confidence)

(Love loves fear)

[laurents-laces]

Dumping my thoughts on the new aftg short stories here to contain all the spoilers in one place, because if I don't get to talk about them I'm gonna explode. Someone very kindly made a typed-up version of them here if anyone wants them!

TFC: David

We all know Neil is "distressingly single-minded about Exy" but I'm dying at the revelation that people in Millport knew this about him. He was supposed to be lying low 😭

Kevinnnnnnnn my boy!!!

"This is better. Easier? Better." Ouch

I had a feeling he was seeing Betsy more often than twice a year! And that we just didn't know about it because Neil didn't. That's amazing for him

Wymack is being such a great dad right now and he doesn't even know it

So excited to have one (1) canonical sentence from Kayleigh Day herself

I was headcanoning Kevin as ten when he moved in with the Moriyamas. I know nine is only a year younger but somehow it's breaking my heart a little more

Awww I always thought he looked just like his mom

I hope he looks a little like Wymack too but no one noticed before

I wonder if he ended up telling Betsy who his dad is? I don't think so but I'm sure she'd have kept the secret. Even though it would've been so hard to keep a straight face about it

"Coaches have no honor. Your word is enough. Just yours." I wanna hit every Raven coach with a very heavy stick, starting with Tetsuji. But I love how Kevin's always trusted that Wymack was different. He can be a surprisingly hopeful person sometimes. He's a little like his dad in how he sees the potential in people no one else does

Am I crazy or is Wymack talking about Andrew here?? Because it reminds me of the part in the extra content where Andrew keeps breaking into Wymack's apartment to rant about Kevin, until one day it's Neil he's more interested in

I always thought that Andrew agreeing to protect Kevin so easily might mean he was kind of into him. If canon unrequited kandrew is gonna be a thing then Andrew and Jean should form a Victims of Kevin Day's Big Green Eyes Support Group

TRK: Betsy

I'm so upset right now I don't even have words

It's so interesting to see what Andrew is like alone with Betsy. And I love that Wymack makes him feel safe

He loves his brother!!

"They cannot keep him. I will not let them." I fully believe Andrew would be down to break Aaron out of prison if he got jail time

"One week Neil had been the subject of some very grandiose conspiracy theories, and the next Andrew had only said 'He's Kevin's problem now, the end!' and refused to elaborate." That's the most Andrew response he could've had 😭

And he was so right about Neil being suspicious as hell! I need everyone to look back on the beginning of the year and realize Andrew was right about him

"Everyone knows now, Bee." My heart just broke into a million pieces

"Neil flinched. He'd pushed because he needed to see that horrible smile crack. He needed to know if Andrew was screaming behind the euphoria his drugs fed his veins. But Andrew wasn't, and Neil couldn't live with that. Andrew's medicine was too strong or his psychosis too twisted; either way, tonight didn't mean anything to him. This was a setback Andrew could sidestep and ignore." That part of TRK really stuck with me. It's a good thing he didn't actually try to act completely unbothered by everything that night but it still hurts to hear about

"I know what happened to you today was beyond cruel and that Drake's death will not undo what he did to you. I know our system has failed you every step along the way and that a part of you will carry that distrust and betrayal for many years to come, if not for the rest of your life. And I know you have done astoundingly well despite life's every attempt to crush you. I'm sorry," she said, trying and failing to catch his eye, "and I'm so, so proud of you." She just said everything I'm feeling, perfectly

Chaos and mayhem, or Blockbuster. These books are so 2006. I miss Blockbuster

TKM: Aaron

This was the first one I read and it took me ages to get through because I was laughing so hard. Aaron calling andreil's matching arm bands a promise ring broke me

He's such an asshole. I love him. He might not like it but he's a Fox through and through

"Exy this, Exy that, get a fucking hobby already. Oh, but I guess he did?" He sent a pointed look at Andrew. He's the funniest character actually

I've always wondered if he was a little jealous of a certain mouthy liar who has everyone wrapped around his little finger. Hearing that Ichirou chose Neil over his own brother must've been a wild experience

I also wondered if he actually had a passion for medicine or if he just picked the most respectable career path he could think of. It's so good to hear that it's really something he loves. He's gonna get his dream job and fix things with his brother and marry the love of his life some day, and I'm so proud of him

Neurosurgeon Aaron and paediatrician Katelyn are properly canon now! It's nice to get all these details from the extra content as part of the actual books

A few months ago, Aaron never would have imagined Andrew needed his approval. Finding out how important he was to Andrew was an ongoing, eye-opening experience. Aaron finally realizing how much Andrew has done because of him might be my favourite thing

"His father's people tore up his arms with a lighter and knives, and none of it is going to fade. He doesn't need to see those." Andrew Minyard you fake idgafer. You care so much. So much.

I wonder what would've happened with andreil if Andrew was in less denial about their relationship? I don't think he'd date someone on purpose while the no-dating deal was still in effect

"Andrew didn't want to talk about Neil with Dobson because once he broached that subject he had to either lie to all of them or admit Neil was more important than he wanted him to be." I love that Aaron understands this about Andrew

I love that the only other Aaron POV story we have also ends with him being able to tell when Andrew is lying to himself. The twinyards have their misunderstandings but at the end of the day they get each other

[glowingbadger]

I see you know Fire emblem Echoes, and we need some more love for the boys on there.

Can we have some Sfw and Nsfw head cannons about Python and Luthier? There is barely anything on them, and it's such a tragedy

Yes PLEASE, Python and Luthier are a couple of my absolute faves of the many Very Good Boys in that game, and they never get enough love~

Python, Luthier (FE: Echoes) - Headcanons

SFW (nsfw below the cut)

Python:

- It's easy to feel overwhelmed as a new recruit in the Deliverance, surrounded by career-fighters and nobles- but Python immediately strikes you as someone you could actually relate to. He doesn't go out of his way to chat, of course- and you've been told he can be a bit brusk, but... you can't help feeling like he's been sneaking the occasional glance in your direction.

- You find that when you approach him first, he's actually very receptive to spending time together, provided you don't need anything extremely strenuous from him. Though with time, others start to notice that he's surprisingly willing to go out of his way for you. He's no fool though, and he'll pretty quickly realize that he's falling for you. He's not much one for elaborate displays of affection or grandiose gestures, but one day while you're relaxing together he suddenly slings an arm around your shoulders, pulls you to him, and kisses you briefly on the lips. "So, uh... I'm pretty into you, you know."

- Python is actually more attentive than you might think as a partner, but always in more understated ways. He's not going to openly dote on you or make a big show of his affections, but you'll know that he's thinking of you; he always remembers to grab your favorite pastry while he's in town, check out your equipment before training, and come find you immediately after every battle.

- He's not a big PDA kind of guy, and actually blushes something fierce when you compliment or sweet-talk him, so you might not expect this- but Python actually does brag about you a good deal to his friends and comrades. It's pretty innocuous stuff overall- an impressive move you pulled off in training, how good dinner always is when it's your turn to help cook, etc. But those like Forsyth who have known him for a while notice the warm and tender smile he wears when he talks about you, and this completely new side of Python is whispered about in awe throughout camp.

Luthier:

- Oh this poor, poor man. So clueless. The most reliable way to get to spend time with him is to ask him to help you study up on magic a bit- and he's more than happy to help. But no matter how obvious and forward you try to be, he is utterly and completely oblivious to your growing feelings for him.

- Even telling him flat-out that you like him, while it will cause him to turn bright red, will only result in him saying, "Well- I suppose, that, er, we are friends afterall... right?" The poor man even practically chokes on the word "friends." Frankly, you're better off just cutting straight to the point in a way that not even Luthier could misinterpret. And by that I mean, just grab him and kiss him already, before Delthea runs out of patience with all of this and berates him for being so dense. Speaking of whom, Delthea is absolutely thrilled to see her "weirdo" brother finally getting some dating experience, and for him to have someone to bother other than her. Deep down, though, she is genuinely happy for him.

- Just about anyone with eyeballs realizes that Luthier has it bad for you pretty quickly. He's so oblivious to matters of the heart that he's completely incapable of concealing his feelings. He stares quite a bit, for instance. The moment he lets his eyes drift up from whatever dense magic text he's been studying to instead land on you, he's transfixed. His gaze turns warm and yearning as he watches how your eyelashes flutter as you read, or some other minute detail that, for some reason, is just so utterly charming and fascinating when it's you.

- Luthier is as awkward and bumbling about a romantic relationship as you'd imagine someone with so little social experience to be, but damn if he's not going to do absolutely any and everything to be the best to you that he can be. He's intensely dedicated to your safety and happiness, and anything within his power to give will be yours immediately and without question- to the point that the harder thing to do is telling him he's fine and he doesn't need to go to such lengths. After spending so long virtually alone, he's not capable of taking you for granted.

NSFW 18+ v

Python:

- His instinct is to start pretty vanilla- not boring, by any means, but not very deep into any particular kinks. He knows what he's doing in bed to be certain, varying his pacing, matching your rhythm and getting very invested in foreplay. But if there's a kink you're into or that you'd like to try out, you'll have to be the one to bring it up. That said, he's willing to try just about anything once, and doesn't require much persuading for anything but the most outlandish kinks. Frankly, he finds it pretty sexy when you tell him exactly what you want.

- Python adores when you go down on him- it's practically a fixation of his. Nothing turns him on more than getting to watch you earnestly sucking his cock, moaning around him and perhaps even touching yourself a bit as you service him. He's not extremely vocal in bed, but watching you suck him off will having him thrusting back into your mouth, petting your hair and groaning aloud, all the while commenting, "Ungh, babe, you look so damn good with your pretty mouth around my cock..."

- Listen. Bow knights have got to have immense muscular control. Keeping yourself steady enough to aim from horseback is no easy feat, and results in some impressive glute and thigh definition, and more importantly for your purposes, wonderful hip and core control. Python's technique when he gets to fuck you nice and deep and steady is positively unmatched. He won't neglect foreplay or other, more subtle sensations- but even just the way he angles and thrusts into you might be enough to get you to cum around him.

- Python very much appreciates morning sex. Waking up next to you is so comforting and soothing, and he's never in any hurry to let you out of his arms and deal with another day of marching and fighting and who knows what else. What starts as a bit of cuddling and a few fleeting kisses as you both slowly wake can easily turn into deeper, impassioned kisses down your neck and chest until you can barely whimper out, "We- we shouldn't- the others will expect us..." to which he simply replies, "They can wait," as his hands slide under your clothes and his hips grind between your thighs.

Luthier:

- The raw materials here are high-quality, but Luthier has no idea how to use them. He's clearly beautiful, and his hands are gentle and skillful from his practice of magic, but he's sorely lacking in experience, and he knows it. Fortunately, Luthier is nothing if not an eager and dedicated student. If you can help him get out of his own head and stop worrying about whether he's doing well and pleasing you, he can be a very fast learner. In fact, once he feels comfortable enough with the idea, he can become nearly obsessive about learning your pleasure.

- Over time, being told what to do may even become a sort of kink for him. It's not a full-on submission kink (honestly perhaps closer to a voice and/or praise kink), but the feedback of when he's making you feel good, when you want more, when you're about to cum- it drives him absolutely mad with lust. Your approval is always absolutely addictive to him- feeling your nails through his hair tugging him closer as he services you with his tongue gets his pulse pounding and his cock achingly hard for you- but it's always better when he can hear you moan for him, gasp out his name, and beg him not to stop.

- His neck and ears are extremely sensitive, and practically his Achilles heel. Even if he's fully engrossed in his studies, you can easily break his focus and coax him into bed by combing his hair behind his ear and brushing a feather-light kiss to his neck. His face immediately flushes red, and he stammers out, "My love, I- I am quite occupied at the mo-" but even just one more kiss at his earlobe and his words melt into a helpless whine. Honestly, this is just about the most reliable way to get him to take a break from studying every now and then.

- Perhaps because of how little sexual release he's actually experienced in his life, when Luthier cums, he cums hard and a huge amount. He's actually a bit embarrassed about this at first, especially if you've tried to swallow his load only to end up with it dripping from your lips or spilled across your chest. When he cums inside of you, you can always feel when he's at his limit; his cock swells noticeably and his thrusts become harsh and erratic, and sometimes, his entire body shivers as he moans out your name with desperation in his voice.

- I don't have much to elaborate on with this just yet, but. Magical pleasure experiments. That's all. Just consider.

[selfwriting-sugarquills]

70 Fred Weasley headcanons in celebration of 700 followers:

(plus an extra one, for the heck of it lmao) 

You guys, thank you so much for 700 followers! I appreciate every single one of you and writing for the twins has been such a blast so far, much to the thanks of all of you <3 

Find the 70 George Headcanons: Here

Fred has always been really good at sleight of hand stuff, as a kid, he could do card tricks with ease, steal baked goods from his mother’s kitchen and later on since his allowance wasn’t exactly anything to brag about, he’d steal sweets from honeydukes' on Hogsmeade trips, with the help of George, he’s not proud of it but in his defence, he was a stupid teenage boy at the time. 

Fred is incredibly competitive and will hold onto anything you challenge him to for way longer than you might think. He’s definitely the type to “race you” anytime you’re headed to herbology, care against magical creatures or Hogsmeade together.

As the man himself said in the deathly hallows, Fred doesn’t like the idea of a big grandiose wedding ceremony, he’d prefer something more low-key and simple, where the focus is more on having fun and celebrating instead of neat seating plans and meticulously chosen decorations. Some flowers and booze will do, he’ll provide the fireworks - In essence, he only needs his S/O and the rest he couldn’t care less about. 

George may be better at cooking, but Fred makes a damn good pancake and he will forever pride himself on that. 

Fred is the more jealous, overprotective twin. He’s aware of this and tries his best not to let it go to his head but he can’t help it. 

Fred snores, I’m pretty sure it’s canon that both twins snore, but Fred is louder and, as mentioned in my last headcanon post, a very heavy sleeper meaning it’s more difficult to get him to wake up so he can stop, your best shot is trying (and probably failing) to turn him over. 

Fred is also a very restless sleeper, he’ll toss and turn, and occasionally dream about quidditch. I’m saying you might want to be aware that he might confuse you for a bludger in his sleep, don’t worry though, he’ll always apologise profusely and make it up to you with a lot of kisses (and maybe a bit more than that, if you’re keen ;)) 

Fred has an extensive caffeine addiction, which is unfortunate cause he’s quite hyper already but he can’t function properly until he gets his coffee in the morning, and then again in between lessons/at lunch and then again late in the afternoon. Sometimes, if he needed to write an essay that was due, he’d drink coffee at like nine pm. He knows he won’t be able to sleep because of it, please, Y/n, he’s accepted his fate. 

I personally always imagined the twins as having ADHD, idk why it just fits their characters. Fred is for sure the more outwardly fidgety and intrusive, this gets less and less with age, as it does for a lot of ADHD people, his inability to focus remains the same though. 

Fred loves being outside, he’s the first of the Weasley siblings to suggest a game of quidditch or just going outside for walks, hide and seek in the woods near their house. He absolutely loves taking his dates on walks in parks or at the beach and when he has kids he plays with them in their yard, building snowmen etc. 

Fred probably suggests at some point that the whole family should go camping, and he’s actually really fun to camp with. He’ll tell the best scary stories by the campfire. 

In regards to children, Fred wants a lot of kids. Like at least three but would be willing to have more if his s/o wants to. He just really likes the dynamic of a large family since that’s what he’s used to. 

Fred’s favourite flavour of sweets is anything sour, the sourer the better, because of this he can handle it really well and he loves handing people some of his ridiculously sour candy and watching them squirm. 

He also really likes spicy food, he’s a bit of a daredevil so don’t challenge him to eat anything because he will eat a whole chilli and nearly die. 

 You know he’d be really casual about it too, lol, like sweating and crying but just leaning on the counter like “*pant* what? hot? no not at all *deeeeep breath* I can ha-aw-rdly taste it!” 

One thing about Fred is that he’s oddly squeamish, like seeing his brother’s ear blown off isn’t so bad (if you don’t take into account the emotional trauma that is), but a needle for a blood sample or a vaccine? oooh, he’s gonna need a big juice box and a cookie and his s/o’s hand to hold if he’s gonna make it through. He also has a thing about leeches. One time at Hogwarts they were mentioned in a lesson and he thought he was going to faint the entire time. 

Fred’s broken five bones over the years, four are from quidditch: his left arm and two ribs, and then the other arm from trying to do an elaborate stunt on the stairs in the burrow and falling down two flights. 

Fred loves to sing karaoke (because I cannot get that damn clip of James singing karaoke out of my head) though he particularly enjoys doing a very poor job on purpose. 

Fred is such a good liar that on several occasions he’s given presentations in school and gotten good marks for them despite having bullshat his way through the entire thing. 

Like seriously, he’s that guy in the group project who only looks at the slides like five minutes before the presentation and then just turns on a full charming newscaster voice on the professor to the point of them being genuinely convinced (albeit a little confused) that what Fred’s saying is true. 

This is also why Fred loves playing card games like poker: he’s really good at bluffing. 

Speaking of poker-face, he’s really quite good at teasing in public (if you’re into that sort of thing *wink*) because no matter the dirty deeds he might get up to under a table, his face remains as regular as always (safe for a little smirk to his lover every now and then) 

Fred always wanted to learn an instrument, he thought it’d make him cooler when he was a teenager, as an adult, he just really wants to recreate that clip of the trombone-playing dad with the sunglasses, or maybe serenade some cows with jazz or something. 

Fred was never a big fan of the uniform thing, so he always tried to make it his own, whether that be tying the tie differently, or having his sleeves rolled up; it’s not much but you gotta take what you can get when you’re literally dressed the same as everyone else. 

Fred might make fun of his dad’s interest in muggle things but secretly he loves it too. He has spent a lot of hours in the shed with Arthur, assuring everyone that it was just to have some quality time with his dad but he would still pay close attention when Arthur explained things to him. 

Fred had a whole business of selling candy from Honeydukes’ and joke products from Zonko’s to second and first years before he and George started dabbling with their own products, he could get you a butterbeer too but it’ll cost you an extra three galleons. 

Fred really likes glitter, George has a thing for lace, anything that glitters on his s/o makes Fred weak. If you want to get your way just put on some glittery eyeshadow or lipgloss and watch him spin. 

Since he loves things that glitter and gleam he loves buying his s/o jewellery, he loves seeing them wearing them as little tokens of their relationship. 

Did someone say slight possession kink? oops not me

Fred is incredible with numbers, this is pretty much canon and has been explored but I’m just amazed at this boy’s wit AND intellect. I have a slight headcanon that if he ever goes on a proper first date with someone where a bill is involved, he impresses his date by calculating the tip after just a glance.

Even if Fred has a longstanding reputation of not caring about school, when he has kids he does want to help them with any coursework over the summer and Christmas breaks, he’ll even study up on his old books just to be able to help out in any classes he didn’t take/didn’t pay attention in. 

Fred would, in general, be an amazing father. He’s goofy and playful most of the time, though he’s serious and incredibly caring whenever his kids are in a bad mood or have problems. He knows that he’s not the most outwardly emotional of the twins but he makes sure his kids know they can always talk to him about anything. 

Fred is incredibly messy. His room is usually a cry for help and he only cleans it when it gets to the point where it distracts him from focusing on work. 

No worries though, his S/O doesn’t have to do all the housework for him, he’ll do it. He just needs to be reminded that he needs to every once in a while. 

Fred has a really bad temper, he doesn’t know where he gets it from but he tends to get angry easier than George, though Fred is better at letting it out so it doesn’t continue to bother him. 

His bad temper does mean that he used to brawl more with siblings as a kid, and it wasn’t unusual to see him with scrapes and bruises as a kid, much to Molly’s dismay. Fred didn’t mind though, he thought it made him look tough. 

Fred is more likely to get caught sneaking around because of his brash nature, he tends to forget just how quiet you have to be to avoid Mrs Norris in the corridors. 

Fred is certainly not an early bird but his favourite time of day is, in fact, the morning when the sun’s coming up. He only knows this because of Wood’s ridiculously early quidditch practices but there’s something about the way the world looks when it’s bathed in soft golden light that just hits different to Fred. 

Fred is a great team player, as much as he seems like he’s more selfish than George, if it’s regarding a team activity (like quidditch or a battle of sorts) he’ll completely lose all focus on himself and only try to ensure other’s safety and victory. This is also why he plays as a beater, he’s not afraid of getting hit at all when he’s focused on getting the bludgers away from his teammates. 

So if his s/o ever needs it, he’ll be there to help with anything: Needs to take a day off from work to take care of his sick s/o? no problem. Needs to stay up with his small child because his s/o is exhausted and needs rest? On it. Something as small as carrying groceries or books, making a cup of tea when the other is busy or doing the dishes is all on the list of things that Fred will happily do for his s/o, and often without having to be asked, he’ll just do it. 

Fred’s boggart is seeing his family members and/or his s/o hurt beyond what he can save. Essentially his worst fear is being helpless when he needs it most. 

One of those times was when George lost his ear. The first night when George was lying practically unconscious on the couch with blood everywhere was the worst night of Fred’s life, he truly felt so anxious and helpless and angry that he vomited and ended up passing out next to the couch after staying up till sunrise watching his brother like a hawk. 

He didn’t just sleepwalk when he was younger, he also often experienced nightmares, it’s only George, Molly and Arthur who remembers anything about this. 

They got less and less the older he got and he assumed that he’d never be bothered by them again until after the second wizarding war and the battle of Hogwarts. 

I don’t like to headcanon that he dies cause he didn’t and that’s final lol. I do, however, headcanon that Fred still gets hurt, since everyone in the explosion beside him seemed to sustain minor injuries, I just think that to even out with George losing his ear, he hurts his leg and needs a lot of retraining/a walking stick. I think that’d be a more fair/unfair ending for Fred who’s always full of energy having to have to adjust to living slowly for a little while (not permanently, I couldn’t do that to my boy). 

The boy has anxiety sometimes, ok. (just let me project for a second)

He didn’t know how much tension he usually holds in his body until he drank alcohol for the first time and felt his entire body loosen up and was like “huh this is new.” 

He doesn’t use alcohol to deal with it though, he prefers just talking to George about whenever he feels is stressing him out and that helps. A massage from his s/o to loosen him up doesn’t hurt either. 

Fred prefers to talk to his dad about his problems more than he prefers to talk to Molly, generally. 

His favourite body parts on his s/o: Shoulders, hips, hands. 

He loves to kiss, just in general, but he also loves kissing his s/o’s nose, forehead, neck, shoulder, etc. as little gestures of affection. 

He def. has a bit of a size kink, he loves being taller than his s/o. 

If Fred could have any pet he wanted, he’d probably want a dog, the bigger the better. He doesn’t think he has the time for a pet though. 

It was his idea to start breeding pygmy puffs, it’s the closest he’ll get to having a pet. 

I don’t know why but I feel like when Fred and his s/o are expecting and his s/o goes into labour he just panics. loses it, drops the binkie as we say in Denmark: Freaks the fuck out, if you will. He’s definitely the pacing and wringing his hands together type, though he probably tries his best to keep himself composed and chill during the whole thing whilst simultaneously hyperventilating. 

Fred doesn’t cry often but he sure as hell wept with pride when he held all his kids for the first time. 

Despite the notion that the twins often slip in a joke version of a sweet treat or something similar amongst the snacks at parties, Fred is strongly against tampering with drinks. He knows the connotations it holds and he doesn’t want anyone to be afraid they’d put something in it. If he wants you to test out their truth serum or a love potion, he’ll just ask you flat out and if you don’t want to, he’s not going to continue asking. 

Most of the detentions Fred has gotten from Snape come from times he’s spoken back to him when Snape’s been giving another student a rough time. He doesn’t regret it one bit. 

 If you ask Fred what his proudest accomplishment is, he’ll probably say that it’s having had enough restraint to not punch Umbridge in the face every time he saw her. 

On the note of Umbridge. It wasn’t her detentions with him that got his blood boiling, it was when she punished little kids (a la Nigel) for doing practically nothing, he understands that to an extent and by comparison, setting off a bunch of fireworks inside a building would harbour a harsher punishment, but making twelve-year-olds bleed for running in the halls or playing music or just doing things that twelve-year-olds will inevitably do, is something Fred doesn’t understand. That year pretty much any kid younger than him, or anyone who was too afraid to stand up for themselves, became Fred and George’s little siblings, and they’re very protective older brothers. Umbridge can vouch for that. 

He struggles with a lot of insecurity in his relationships, he always puts on a front of being extra funny and outgoing when he’s in a new relationship because he’s secretly afraid that the way he is isn’t good enough and that eventually, his s/o will see through him and leave because they don’t like the softer, more serious side of him. 

Fred is the godfather of all of George’s kids but is also the godparent of Hugo, Lily and Lucy. 

Fred loves business meetings, he sees them as a good challenge to practice his smooth talk. 

Fred spent his first salary from the shop on the most expensive bottle of champagne he could find and a new suit. 

Fred tried to get into whiskey, feeling like it’d make him a cool business owner type of man, so, with his second salary, he went out and bought a fancy-schmancy bottle of whiskey and the whole getup with a bottle and some cool glasses, and then invited Lee over to try it with him and George. 

They did not like it. Fred thought it tasted like what he imagined gasoline tastes like so they mostly used it as decorations, not having the heart to mix it with something. 

Fred doesn’t necessarily like PDA, it depends on what you mean. He likes being secretive. Pulling his s/o into an empty classroom, nook, hallway, secret pathway etc where anyone could wander in at any time and snogging her senseless is one of his favourite things to do. 

Fred knows how good he looks in his quidditch uniform and will absolutely use it against his s/o. (they’re gonna get spicy from here on so read with caution if you're in public)

Fred prefers giving more than receiving oral. 

He has a lot of energy, did you not think that would rub off (no pun intended) on his sex drive? He can go pretty much any time and place, and typically last at least two rounds. 

Also, his favourite position is having you on top. Okay, I'm gonna stop now. 

[mynumberfivethings]

Hi! I recently found your tumblr and I really enjoy your work! I’m not sure if you are still doing them or not, but I have a request/idea for little five. I would love to see the family go somewhere with little five, maybe the beach? They could teach him how to swim, put floaties on him, etc. If you happen to see this and decide to write it, I would love that!

this is TOO cute 

it occurs to allison one day that the majority of her family probably has never been to the beach before-she’s talking about how much Claire loves building sandcastles and five, who’s in his little headspace, stares at her in confusion. “what’s that?” he asks, leaning precariously atop the kitchen table on his elbows. 

he’s a little older than usual today-about four, allison gauges-which makes it so much easier to communicate. “sandcastles?” she tilts her head. “just what it sounds like, castles made of sand from the beach. they’re fun to make five-would you ever wanna go to the beach?” 

five nods eagerly. “beach! wanna go now!” 

klaus hums thoughtfully-it’s been a while since he was last at the beach. “that would actually be nice. i’d be down for a beach trip.” 

it’s discovered quickly that no one else at the table has ever been at the beach (besides Ben-he went with Klaus, but it was as a ghost, and so he doesn’t really count it). “we should go.” ben suggests, fives childish enthusiasm contagious. 

allison grins. “yeah?” 

five jumps up in his seat. “yeah!” 

************************

five loves the sand. he loves the way it dips between his bare toes and the way it hardens with water into fun shapes-especially when luther and diego help him build a monstrous castle. 

vanya crouches down next to him, smiling as she watches how hard he’s concentrating on building the moat around his castle. “having a good time?” 

five looks up at her with a wide grin. “look!” 

vanya nods, making a show of looking extremely impressed. “it’s amazing!” she awes. 

five suddenly notices she’s dripping with water and questions as to why. 

vanya chuckles as she squeezes the water from her hair. “i went into the ocean.” she gestures with a nod towards the water a few yards away. “it’s refreshing in this heat, you should go in too.” she’s gone to pools before-the community ones in the city, when her little box fan in her one bedroom wasn’t cutting it-but the ocean is a whole other experience. she’s glad they’re on this impromptu family day trip. 

five looks out beyond the ocean and stares at it like it’s something he can’t quite figure out. “can’t swim.” he admits softly. “don’t wanna.” 

allison, who overhears the conversation, takes a pair of red floaties out of her yellow sports bag. “gotcha these in case you change your mind, honey.” she runs a hand through his hair playfully, laughing when he scrunches his nose at her. 

“what’s that?” he pokes at them experimentally. 

“floaties,” allison explains. “they help you float in the water so you don’t sink, even if you can’t swim. they’re great for beginners like you, five. and eventually when you can swim all by yourself you won’t need em anymore. what do you say? you wanna try em on?” she sees the hesitance in his face. “you can try em on and not go into the water if you want. just to see how they fit.” he’s got such skinny arms allison wasn’t quite sure what size to get him. 

five holds his arms out for her to put them on, surprised by how light they are. these are supposed to keep him from drowning? it doesn’t seem plausible-vanya almost wants to laugh at the skepticism in his little face, it’s an expression she normally only expects of big five. “they look great on you.” vanya comments, smiling when he preens. 

eventually the siblings manage to convince five to put the bad boys to use. the water is nice and warm today and five pokes his toes into it first, clinging to luther like a lifeline, even though they’re technically still on land. “i can carry you in, if you want?” luther offers. five looks especially small today in his blue swim trunks and those floaties-the fact that he’s shirtless only serves to highlight how thin he is. five’s always been on the skinny side, even as kids no matter how much he ate it never seemed quite enough-luther can relate. 

five lifts his arms and luther sweeps him off his feet easily and together they march into the ocean, the others joining them, excited to see five’s first dip in the water. regrettably, it doesn’t go as planned. as soon as luther has waded in about waist high, five suddenly freaks out. it starts with a lip wobble and quickly turns into frightened sobbing. “out!” he cries, wrapping his arms tightly around luthers neck and trying his best to keep any and all parts of his body out of reach of the ocean. 

“honey, it’s ok, look, we’re all right here, you don’t have to be afraid. nothing’s going to happen to you.” allison tries, fruitlessly. 

five is shaking now, terrified. “please.” he whimpers, eyes shut tight. 

“let’s get him out.” diego gently squeezes one of his shoulders and together they all lead luther and five out of the ocean. even once they’re on land, back by their towels and chairs and bags, five won’t stop crying. 

he lets go of luther like he’s been burned and huddles behind his grandiose castle, hiding his face. 

“hey hey, you’re ok, we’re back on the sand, here look, you love the sand-wanna try making another castle?” klaus tries, his heart breaking at the sight of five so visibly scared. 

it’s to everyone’s surprise when five suddenly stops crying altogether and blinks up at klaus. “jesus,” five groans, sliding a hand down his face in embarrassment. “that sucked, sorry guys.” he’s never had such an abrupt transition like this before, from “little” to “big”-it’s kind of jarring, if he’s being honest. 

“are you ok?” klaus asks, worried. 

five nods, a tiny bit dazed, still. he normally transitions during his sleep-he’ll fall asleep big and wake up a little or vice versa, rarely, if ever, like this. “yeah,” he says. “i’m good. just,” he wipes away the tears and clears his throat. “the last time i was in water wasn’t...great.” he doesn’t elaborate and he’s grateful that no one pushes for him to. 

allison sits down in front of five and pulls him into a hug he’s not expecting. he goes stiff in her embrace for a second before slowly relaxing into her arms, tucking his head into her shoulder. 

maybe time, five thinks, he’ll be brave enough to go into the water. 

[resinatingbeauty]

Real Talk Time (#RTT) - My Messages to all “Baby” Witches / Anyone Discovering Their Spirituality

•When it comes to magick, if it feels right you’re doing it right. You won’t know if it feels right if you don’t do it. A lot of us fall victim to the obsession that is part of the process, in my opinion, of realizing your potential as a witch/magician/wiccan/magick user of any sort, that is the compulsive consumption of all things magickal or new age/occult related. You begin building this collection of books, accumulating supplies, candles, symbols, accents for your altar-all this time reading and searching for things to perform spells and rituals that you never end up performing because of all the time and energy put into accumulating ..stuff.

The irony being is there is nothing inherently magickal about stuff. Magick is not a tangible thing, it’s a spiritual thing. The reality is you don’t need much stuff at all to manifest your desires and intentions. You don’t need to have the equivalent of the Library of Congress filled with books and texts about magick spells, invocations, rituals, etc. either. Don’t get me wrong, knowledge is a great thing, knowledge is power, but balance is a very important fundamental concept in all new age/occult/pagan traditions and if all you’ve been doing is absorbing and not performing then you’re missing out on what makes magick worth doing- doing it. Just do it *itnsert angry Shia Labeouf motivational meme here*

The problem with the over consumption of knowledge is the lack of experience to go along with it. If you’re moving constantly through various texts, chances are you haven’t taken the time to act on what had been written. Magick is about finding your connection to the universe, finding that perfect balance of confidence, humility, understanding, and inner peace that allows you to be just so in tune with yourself and everything around you that you truly, without a doubt, feel a part of it- not just a little part, but a BIG part- big enough to move mountains. What one author says to do may be contradicted by another even in the same vein of thought, but that’s them. You have to find what works for you. Once you find it, never let it go. Elaborate on it, because you can do no wrong spiritually, so long as you aren’t, you know, committing mass murder or persuading others to do it a la Jamestown.

•Those elaborate and intriguing rituals sound great until you do them (or not). I am admittedly guilty of this, as I truly enjoyed the textbook style of Donald Michael Kraig’s writing on Ceremonial Magick (highly recommend Modern Magick any edition to anyone interested in that kind of thing) and good old Aleister Crowley who could turn a mundane love spell into something out of an HP Lovecraft novel (I’m sure it’s intentional), but the wonderful imagery these texts would form in my mind couldn’t, nay, wouldn’t be manifested into reality because, quite simply, I don’t have the kind of attention span or space for that kind of thing, and I ultimately found that I don’t need all the props and paraphernalia to manifest my magick. This also goes along with my first message about accumulating stuff. While there is more than enough reason behind all the symbols, tools, and objects we utilize as spiritualists, the chalice is just a pretty cup to those who aren’t inclined to use it as such. Rituals obtain power through the repetition, focus, and energy put into them, not the objects used to facilitate this process, though these objects help maintain that focus or visual, they are not sources of magick unto themselves. The talismans I create are not magickal themselves, they were made into talismans through energy transfer and intent, the ritual is in their creation, my own essence flowing into them through my hands as they work. If you aren’t the type of person who regularly goes through these grandiose measures and thrives in the complex and detailed who also has the time to devout to several hour long invocations for regular cleansing, keep it simple. Unless you’re that kind of person, chances are the more complex it is the less likely you are to do it. While you’re researching and visualizing these rituals in your mind’s eye like a movie, ask yourself if that type of thing is something you have the time, space, and attention span for (I know I don’t.) Any magick is better than none.

Now, some rituals are supposed to be complex, intricate workings that are intended to work off around a high level of energy and commitment (think exorcisms / banishing rituals, summonings or invokations etc). Crowley and Peter Carroll (another of my favorites) openly wrote about long, sensual, demanding rituals where trance states induced by drugs, sleep deprivation / sensory deprivation, hypnosis, and other means were incorporated into rituals, but they aren’t exactly a requirement.

In the same breath, anyone who criticizes how you perform a ritual (unless you’re asking for assistance or experiencing adverse affects) is full of shit. If you have channeled the energy and focus toward your intent, you will manifest results. Period. It doesn’t matter if you focus your altar around summoning Lillith, make the necessary offerings, draw the sigil, etc., if you’re actually thinking about what you’re going to have for dinner on March 3rd, you’re probably not doing it right. I don’t know you, however, you may have great success completely detaching yourself from your purpose- whatever works for you.

•Don’t fixate on labels - fixate on bettering yourself and your connection to the universe. There’s a lot of elitist internet witches and what not around, but hear me brothers and sisters, they are nothing but psychic vampires trying to throw you off your game. “My Book of Shadows is bigger than yours” is only relevant if you give a damn. I sure as hell don’t. I’m not impressed with lengthy resumes of spells and rituals performed over the last twenty years. If you choose to keep a Book of Shadows, its primary purpose should be reflection, allowing you to correspond your craft with reality and for you to look back at and troubleshoot or reiterate. It isn’t a badge of honor. The choice of keeping one is also entirely optional- though recommended, some do better performing their piece and setting it aside until the see the results they desire. Unless your spells affect me (or I ask you about your work) , you do you and I’ll do me. The only important thing is that you do so for yourself, you do so because it feels right and natural for you to do so, and you do it for the betterment of yourself and all of us who have to live in the world you have directly influenced. Whether you’re a “baby” witch, a cape wearing pointy hat toting broomstick bombshell, a woods witch, weed witch, green witch, black witch, voodoo priestess, magician, chaote, occultist, necromancer, reiki practitioner, shaman , level 300 Geodude- we are all working toward the same goals, one way or another. Regardless of what you choose to identify yourself with or what system/rules you choose to follow, we need to build each other up, not put each other down. We have the major indoctrinated religions doing that for us.

That is all.

[aerielz]

OH MY GOD SO MANY AMAZING AU IDEAS also “AUs I am waiting for someone else to write because I barely have time to breathe as it is” is the MOST RELATABLE TITLE god. so basically talk about any of them but specifically the daemon au!!!! and the oceans 11 au because that’s the first thing i remember you posting about and is kinda how we became friends. also it’s FUCKING AMAZING- jed and leo being Like That, abbey IS tess she just is!!! and oh my god senior staff heist. yeah this one’s my favorite

This got lost in my inbox I'm so sorry! AND YEAH THANKS FOR LETTING ME HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO ON ON AND ABOUT THIS. You're a darling <3

Daemon/HDM AU:

This is what happens when your friends force you through His Dark Materials but you're still not ready to let go of TWW.

- CJ's I think it'd be a hare. A quick hare that's smart as a whip, sassy af and always having ideas that scream "are you just trying to get yourself into trouble?". It's the part of herself that CJ almost never lets out, and it's the part of her that's a little like Josh and that gets him. A hare, with big ears that listen to everything, who pays attention to everyone around them, and is always trying to get the last word in.

- I think Josh would have something big and imposing for a daemon. But something so strangely elegant, for those who don't know him too well... A feline for sure. A Lynx, perhaps. All that stealth and patience and that... I don't know, regal thing that Josh keeps hidden underneath the brash-and-bold of the early seasons, and that later comes out because brash and bold is not really all he is, is it? He's definetly fierce and a bit wild (wild thing), and he can be ruthless, but he's also constantly looking for a safe place to just cuddle up to someone who's gonna scratch his ears.

- once I was complaining on ao3 about not being able to write Sam and a reader told me "I think of him as a golden retriever" and yep. Sam's daemon is a golden retriever, I can't unsee this anymore. They're both sweet and loyal and can be a little bit of an asshole (when they make a mess by doing things you thought they'd never do, and you took their eyes from them for like a second but now-- yep, yeah look at the mess they made).

Ocean's 11 AU

THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL. The one that still makes me want to quit real life just to write it.

- ABBEY BARTLET IS TESS BUT SHE'S A TESS THAT TAKES NO SHIT AND LEAVES NO PRISONERS. And who also Did Not Leave For A Man. She's just... Not around. She's out there, maybe overseas, building her own empire. And just imagine-- the heist is going terribly wrong and in comes Abbey Bartlet, like she does after the shutdown mess, calling shots and asking where the fuck is Josh Lyman.

- because Josh Lyman is a wildcard but he Knows His Shit. He's the mastermind behind a thousand great hits. He treats heist like both an art and a sport and he likes the challenge of the grandiose, elaborate, stings. Not that he feels the need to slap his name on every famous painting he ever planned the theft of, but he loves knowing he was the one who did it under everyone's nose. He's learned everything he knows from Leopold McGarry, who's a true legend, but he's still lacking Leo's finesse. He has a tendency to miscalculate just how pissed off people will be, which means if he's in, then they bring around--

- CJ Cregg, grifter extraordinaire better know as The Jackal. She can ruin your life, take your money, and make you thank her for it. The most fun person you'll ever meet, and a great friend of Josh's, who can, more often than not, anticipate when his plans have fails that might make everything to awry. She's a little bit like Sophie from Leverage, I guess? If you haven't watched that show omg GO WATCH IT it's so fun, I miss it a lot hehe.

- never accept Toby Zeigler's invitation to play poker. Or anything involving a deck-- because he's a man who knows his cards. He always has a deck in his pocket, and when in conversation he's always flipping it into different cuts and tricks. A cardistry master, slight of hand like you wouldn't believe. There's some history between him and CJ, maybe, but no one ever asks.

- I love the idea of Donna being the CZJ of this au, I'm not gonna lie, but... She's got that clever as the devil and twice as pretty vibe going, and I can totally see her striking a friendship with Josh after she swipes his wallet and he's like WOW OK WHAT? And then they become inseparable because Donna manages to talk Josh down from sheer stupidity in a way that even CJ can't. And and and and JUST IMAGINE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE 'FAKE RELATIONSHIP' TROPES, MAN. They have to pretend to be together for a job and-- Josh doing big things just to impress her.

- Leo and Jed being Old Friends who quit the game ages ago but now came back for some reason? Idk. The only reason I haven't written this au yet is bc it needs plot and I can't find one (SEND ME IDEAS!!!!). Anyway, they got that Danny and Rusty thing where they're both such good friends and they trust each other and they're FAMILY and God this is actually a mix of Leverage and O11, isn't it.

Anyway. This is it. I guess? As far as I know, this is what's going around in my brain when it comes to this two AUs. If anyone has ideas or comments or whatever, just leave me an ask!

[truthbeetoldmedia]

iZombie 5x09 "Fresh Princess" Review

This episode’s “case-of-the-week” had one of the most chipper brains with one of the saddest stories. During Miss Future Seattle 1998, a pageant queen named Laurie Beth had her makeup powder spiked, giving her an allergic reaction which left her in a coma for 20 years. When she finally passes, the charges have changed to manslaughter, which means Clive and Liv are on the case and Liv gets to munch on pageant queen brain. She delivers clueless platitudes the entire episode (see what I did there?) and tries some nostalgic, throw-back fashions. What seems like pretty petty pageant drama has left broken lives in its wake — like the suspect Velma, who used to want to be an actress but now craves the simple life after the traumatic events of the pageant. Laurie Beth’s parents provide all the 90’s VHS footage for Liv and Clive to peruse, but it manages to catch Laurie Beth’s mom, Gail, at the scene of the crime at the same time. It turns out that Velma was the intended target, and Gail sobs she was just hoping to give her a rash. Instead, her daughter fell into a coma for 20 years and eventually died. Woof. That is dark, even for this show. Season 5 has waded into the waters of showcasing several estranged parent-child relationships, sometimes in surprising, plot-advancing ways. 

Other than our pageant debacle, there’s General Mills and his daughter Sloane. I was confused last week how Sloane could have gone missing in such a short time period between her conversation with Major and the arrival of General Mills to New Seattle, but now I get the kidnapping with the couple being shoved into the van was Sloane and her boyfriend. It happened pretty quickly and I didn’t identify Sloane as the victim, so that was my bad! It turns out Dolly has had her all this time, trapping her in a port-a-pottie and not feeding her brains, bringing her to a nearly “full Romero state” — which in iZombie’s world, means you’ve reached the point of no return. A totally mindless zombie state, focused only on eating brains. Don E and Darcy try to track down their kidnapper, Kristin Cox, but she tries to jump buildings and falls five stories. Even if Kristin’s not around to talk, her brain is. Major and the Fillmore Graves squad each eat a portion, in hopes they would have a vision that would reveal the location of Sloane before it’s too late. Unfortunately, they show up right as Dolly is about to sic Sloane and her boyfriend onto a local bakesale. They run wild, and Major regretfully, fully aware of the ramifications of this action, has to kill Sloane. It was the best thing to do in the moment, but any hopes of winning General Mills over to their cause is absolutely finished. 

Peyton and Ravi do their own little sleuthing this episode too, and it’s a fun ride to see these two in action. Still trying to follow the trail of Beanpole Bob, Ravi figures the utopium they need for the cure is actually in the evidence room. The last person to check the evidence box they need was a dirty cop named Mosier, who was in bed with the Cobras, which means a return from Seattle’s hottest gang leader, AJ. Peyton offers him some extra amenities to his prison cell if he talks, and they learn that he did in fact order Mosier to steal the utiopium, but it never arrived. It was intercepted by a one “Barkley Schnexnader,” who’s a dead ringer for Don E. Don E insists that disguise is ridiculous even for him, and it was his twin brother Scott E. Don E tells them Scott E probably hid it in their mom’s basement before Scott E checked into a mental hospital. Peyton and Ravi try to pull of a sneak-around, but as we know, Blaine is camping out in that very basement. He catches them trying to find the utopium, and even though it’s burnt her in the past before, Peyton promises to restore Blaine’s good name if he helps them. He opens a false wall, and Ravi combs desperately through the empty utopium vials. They are back at square one. He’s ready to give up, but Peyton goes a step further and tracks down an address for Beanpole Bob. Ravi commends her for her tenacity, but it turns out there is a reason she has so much free time. She resigned from being the interim mayor, since the council found out she sold the naming rights for the Space Needle in order to fund Hi Zombie. Even though Peyton is probably the best person for the job, I have to admit, I love that she now has a few moments open to help Ravi find a cure, and that she’ll be taking less dangerous trips to DC. It also explains why she was so willing to make AJ and Blaine grandiose promises — she can’t actually grant any of them, but they didn’t know that. They follow up on their Beanpole Bob lead, and they are surprised to see Liv leaving his apartment. Now that Ravi and Peyton know that Beanpole Bob and Martin are the same person (and they only know the tip of the iceberg), will they tell Liv? Will she even have ears to hear?

Liv is fully invested in helping her father heal. She arrives at his apartment to check on his recovery, when she finds him passed out. She invites him over to her apartment so she can keep an eye on him, but I’m worried this was all an elaborate ruse to get inside of Liv’s apartment and get closer to her operations. He even tries to get information out of Peyton, and attains a sympathy brain tube from Major. He and Liv have a conversation that sounds startling similar to the one during that tragic last encounter between Major and Justin. “I worry sometimes that humans might never come around on us,” said Martin. “If the time comes where we have to choose sides, I hope you’ll let me take care of it.” Liv is unsure it’s necessary, but nevertheless, she calls him “Dad” for the first time and they hug. Liv is going to get her heart so smashed.

Liv’s mom and her brother also make an appearance. Evan’s health isn’t doing so well and he didn’t make the cut on Fillmore Grave’s emergency exit program. Liv’s mom asks Liv to smuggle Evan out of New Seattle. Liv is hesitant at first, and tensions rise when Liv’s mom and Martin see each other for the first time. Martin encourages Evan to get scratched by Liv, but Liv points out that he hasn’t quite earned the right to dole out “fatherly advice.” Liv concedes, and promises to smuggle Evan. The sweet way that Evan smiles at Liv absolutely took my breath away, and it makes me sad the show hasn’t taken the time to develop this relationship even more. Now that we know that Liv’s coyote operation is compromised by Martin himself, I’m pretty concerned for every mission that crosses the wall. 

Stray Thoughts 

“Now he knows he has my heart, it’s like the bromance is gone.” I love Ravi and Major’s friendship 

Anyone worried about Peyton when she’s sitting so close to Martin like that?

“I’m not on a side, I’m in the middle, trying to hold everyone together.” All this talk of sides is making me nervous for Liv when the final showdown gets here 

Peyton and Liv are the cutest human and zombie roomies ever 

Liv and Major are looking more domestic than ever...I’m starting to get impatient, show! 

The security guard is a big fan of Hi Zombie, but the jury is still out for me. 

The look Don E gives Major when they talk about Sloane reminded me of their odd couple day trip episode, which makes me wish it had been under better circumstances

Team Pavi forever 

Haley’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝 

iZombie airs Thursdays at 9/8c on the CW.

[mypralaya]

“Gender Roles”

(Note: This ficlet deals with transgender experience and identity, and from the POV of a trans man. It also concerns gender identity and expression in Chinese and Indian culture. The writer, me, is a cis woman who is white and American. I have every intention of respect, but if I get something wrong, please tell me!) “So you're telling me,” said Lee, “That drag queens are STRAIGHT in China?” “Well, they're not exactly drag queens, any more than girls who play Peter Pan are...drag kings, if that exists?” said Haven. After Lee assured her that they indeed very much did, she continued, “And while I am sure not all are straight, any more so than in every other profession, the majority of them seem to be. They have wives, families, all of that. It's simply a job and is not considered an unmanly act in this context, from what I understand. Of course, that may change now that women are allowed to perform female roles, and are starting to do so. Once it becomes the norm for it to be a female job, perhaps it will become seen as feminine.” “So it's not feminine to get dressed up on stage as a woman, so long as that's considered a man's job,” summarized Lee, “Wild.”

Haven had not been sure she should come to Pride. She was not exactly clear on the unspoken social rules regarding a heterosexual woman's presence there, even as a supporter. There was Pride in Mumbai, of course, but what applied there might not apply here. Which was part of why she wanted to see New York's version, to see the differences and commonalities between the cultures, but not if it would be considering threatening, intruding, or voyeuristic for her to do so. She'd asked around though and no one she had spoken had thought there would be an issue, so long as she was respectful. Which...it was Haven, no one expected her to be anything but. Indeed, if anything, it was one of the people who “belonged” there that had been rude to her, not vice versa. A young man named had Lee come up and made quick conversation with her, and then, apologetically but curiously, asked if she was a hijra. That is, one of India's third-gender, a group most analogous in Western terms to transgender women, but their own distinct category. It was not the first time someone had thought this of Haven. With her grandiose height that put her head and shoulders above most other females in Mumbai, and a clothing style that concealed the extremes of her outrageously feminine figure, it had happened a few times, often much more negatively than this. But only in India. Never anywhere else. She'd never even met someone in America who knew what a hijra was, and was instantly intrigued by why Lee did. She was also not offended---hijra were some of the most beautiful and glamorous people there were! Lee, it turned out, was a transgender man. He was also a trans-national adoptee, given up by his Chinese parents to American ones for not being a son. It had taken him until he was fourteen to realize they were wrong, he was a son all along, but it was not until he was twenty-three that he started truly expressing that through his dress, his hair-cut, the binder that flattened his chest smoothly beneath his striped tank top, and his chosen name. He'd picked the name Lee simply BECAUSE it was so generic and stereotypical for a boy of a Chinese heritage that he felt it sold the idea easily that he was born with it. In the course of researching for answers on his own gender identity as a teen, he had explained to Haven, he'd run across articles on hijira and other such culture-specific gender categories. But he hadn't heard of nandan, a practice of necessity in the all-male Peking Opera, which she'd brought up when they started discussing the topic. This was because nandan, or dan for short, was not actually a gender category, or even a part of LGBT culture at all, as she'd just explained. It was simply men playing women's roles in the Peking opera, offered by her as an example of how such things were seen differently depending on time and place. Lee was intrigued, and had wanted to know more. Even if it wasn’t regarded that way in Chinese culture, anything that could be classed as cross-gender intrigued him, and the fact it came from his birth heritage was first thing about it that had ever made him interested in it. He’d never wanted to reconnect with a culture he never had, but this was something he did feel connected to. Haven told him about nandan, and about their all-female counterparts, the nuxiaosheng of Shaoxing opera, in which it was reversed and women played both male and female roles, no men. “It’s not common anymore, of course, and hasn’t been for decades,” she explained, “You see, during the time of the Cultural Revolution, traditional Chinese theatre was deemed as bourgeoisie and thus wiped out. It’s come back since, but it’s never regained its popularity. And as I said, it’s not required anymore than casts only consist of one gender, because it is no longer considered improper for both sexes to be on-stage together as in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Still, I did meet a dan once---we were very good friends, in fact. He actually, well...he considered himself to be courting me. At least that was what he claimed. In truth, I don’t think he was in love with me at all. Certainly not as a man loves a woman. I think he was simply in love with me as a muse---which is really much more flattering, so much so I feel rather vain for claiming it. But he told me himself!” Lee nodded, thoughtful, “So...was he gay?” “Well...” Haven pondered, “He presented himself to me as a suitor, so I would assume he did not wish to be thought of as attracted to men. But...well, I cannot speak to what his truth is; only he knows. I...I never really thought about it, since I was not reciprocal either way, so it did not matter. But I suppose, without realizing it, I did think that he must lack desire, either for women specifically or altogether. Otherwise I don’t think I would ever have entertained the “courtship” at all, let alone been alone with him, chatting in his dressing room where he sometimes had his shirt removed as he showed me his new ways of moving his arms most gracefully in a manner he swore was meant to imitate me. Despite the fact I have never handled a fan so elaborately in all my life.” Lee laughed, then said, “That is super common for drag queens though. I know you said they’re NOT, but I mean the part about getting inspired by real women. I’ve seen about a dozen Dolly Partons and Diana Rosses.” “I am in good company then.” “Yeah---the big difference there is, they go for really flamboyant women? Like Lady Gaga and Madonna. And you’re uh...you’re not.” Haven laughed a little, “I doubt I could have been his muse if I were. You see, there are different dan roles for different types of female characters. He played a dan role called the Guimen Dan, also known as Qingyi, verdant-sleeve, or Zheng-dan, straight role---straight meaning here like the “straight man” in comedy. They’re meant to represent mature women, sometimes married, not flamboyant at all like the vivacious young Hua Dan or the warrior girl Daoma Dan roles. I’m very much not either of those.” Indeed, she was not. Lee admittedly had thought that she would be more flamboyant, before he had talked to her. Her elaborately embroidered gorgeous clothing and abundance of jewelry and hair he’d thought just HAD to be a wig because LOOK at it how could all that be real? But she was...very subdued. Not the kind of big loud bombastic personality associated with a drag act at all. But probably in line with what that type of nandan she’d described was looking to imitate. The kind of woman that, perhaps, in another time and life, he’d have been expected to be, as though just being expected to be a woman period wasn’t bad enough. He’d spent a lot of time hating that ideal, hating every girly-girl in his class when he was a child all through elementary school, scowling and sneering at them simply because they embodied what had been forced on him, and he had hated them for that. It was mis-aimed, and he knew that now. But something about someone like Haven, a woman so clearly and comfortably aligned with the expectations of her sex, still sent a subtle shiver up his spine, that old childish repulsion pushing back against what had been pushed on him. He felt ashamed for that. It wasn’t the fault of women like Haven that he’d been expected to be one---and indeed, he hadn’t even been expected to be halfway like her by his parents. They’d been PROUD that their “little girl” was a “tomboy” and they’d never held young Lee back from anything “she” had wanted to do just because it was “for boys” or any of the usual cliches. They had, in fact, encouraged him with all the “girl power“ media they could get. Which, as it happened, included more than one cross-gender tale of a girl going undercover as a boy. But he’d never empathized with stories like Mulan, of girls pretending to be men. He related far more to the notion of men performing as women, because that’s what he had felt like for his whole life til very recently---he just hadn’t signed up for the role willingly. Instead, saw himself in movies and books where a man had to pretend to be a woman—-especially with the inevitable humiliation and reluctance with which the man faced it, since this was always framed as a debasing comedy at the man’s expanse,  which was how it felt for Lee too.  But it surely didn’t feel that way for nandan, did it, if they did so by choice like their more flamboyant drag queen counterparts in the West? Perhaps, he wondered, for some of them, they were not men dressing up like women. Perhaps they were women who had to dress like men in the rest of their lives, and only when in costume were they their real selves. Maybe that was why this Haven woman had never felt discomfort at being alone with her shirtless “suitor” when by her own admission she should have balked at such impropriety. Maybe she sensed subconsciously that “he” was really a sister under the skin. She’d said she’d never know his truth, but maybe she did. Maybe she’d recognized her dan for who “he” truly was without realizing it, the way Lee had always yearned to be recognized as a boy by other boys, even before he knew he was one. Or maybe Lee was projecting like hell, he did that a lot. Speaking of that... “I’m sorry I asked if you were a hijra,” he said, “Seriously that was...that was not cool. And I should know that, of all people.” “Oh, it’s quite alright,” she said, “I take it as a compliment.” “Okay, but---I just don’t want you to think it’s like, okay. You never ever ask someone their gender or if they’re trans, it’s...it’s a big no-no, I don’t know why I did it.” Because when he’d seen this tall, brightly-colored creature with her raven Rapunzel hair and flowing fuchsia clothes and shoulders wider than his own, all his years of proper LGBT-etiquette were forgotten because he was fourteen again and looking at pictures of “Indian eunochs” again and realizing, for the first time, there are people like me! And he’d called out to that, literally. A false flag, it turned out. She was not only no eunoch, no hijra, she was as stereotypically and traditionally heterosexual and cisgender and gender-normative and all of that as they came. And as apologetically as he’d asked about her identity, she had asked if it was alright that she was here. “Well, there’s a lot of debate about that,” he said,“But uh...I’m glad you were.” It was then that he received a text from his friends saying they were here and ready to meet up by the leather booth with the weird animal masks. He dashed off with a goodbye and as Haven watched him disappear into the crowd at a hearty job in the New York heat, she thought she saw, just for a moment against the myriad made-up faces of the colorful crowd, there like a coyly smiling ghost whose gaze was directed right at her in the perfect imitation of her own, the familiar white and red mask-like feminine visage of a painted Chinese opera dan.  

[gascon-en-exil]

On Quan/Finn

I’ve already made it clear that I’d like to see this pairing elevated to canon status in the Jugdral remakes, and unless IS decides not to pull from Heroes at all and go in a completely unexpected direction with Finn I think it’s safe to say we’re going to get some heavily implied subtext at the very least on his end. It’d be both good storytelling to play around with popular fandom impressions of the character (most of them involving het ships) and good representation insofar as Finn is a wholly different sort of character from the likes of Leon and Heather. It would also be relatively easy to work his love for Quan into his actions in FE5 and Gen 2 and so not restrict his sexuality to his backstory. Good deal all around...provided it’s reciprocal, of course.

While there may be a small amount of narrative appeal in keeping the relationship between Quan and Finn intimate but not sexual - making it both an idealized platonic erastes/eromenos dynamic and a gay take on courtly love - I imagine I’m not the only person who would be side-eyeing that reading. Per canon in the original games and as reinforced by Heroes, Finn dedicates almost two full decades of constant hardship and turmoil to fulfilling the dream of his deceased lord while also raising his lord’s son to become a suitable king for a unified Thracia. That’s an absurd amount of self-sacrifice in any scenario, and values of knighthood or not - and remember that one of the themes of FE5 is that knighthood is not all it’s cracked up to be - it’s nearly unbelievable if we’re to assume that he was only able to love an oblivious Quan from a distance. Far better would be the reading that when Finn is polishing the brave lance he’s wistfully recalling long nights of passion in Verdane and Agustria - that, unlike Lukas with Clive or Levail with Zelgius, his lord was willing to give him exactly what he wanted.

But what did Quan want?

I think it’s generally accepted in a tongue-in-cheek way by Tumblr’s FE community that the Gen 1 lord trio engaged in some youthful dalliances when they were at school together. Quan being the only one of the three with a young male retainer not related to him with whom he shares several conversations already encourages the observation that he was the one most invested in the physical particulars of those dalliances if nothing else. And then you look at that retainer and note that he has a certain physical resemblance to one of Quan’s friends (exacerbated by recent artwork that gives Finn more elaborate and...lordly outfits) as well as possibly a resemblance to that same friend’s naïveté on account of his age. And then you remember that Quan is married to that friend’s sister and the pieces fall into place a bit.

This is not to downplay the role of either Quan’s friendships or his grandiose political ambitions that rival (sometimes literally) some of Jugdral’s biggest antagonists in his connections with Sigurd and Eldigan, nor does it preclude the likelihood that he harbors genuine romantic and sexual attraction for Ethlyn and possibly also Finn. There are a number of ways to explain away these particular choices - Grannvale is closer and therefore more politically advantageous than Agustria, Ethlyn was clearly more mature and ready for the marriage market than Lachesis was prior to the events of the game, Quan and Eldigan may have not actually been as close (do they even talk in-game?) without the big dumb heart of the group to unite them, etc. - but it’s hard to look at Quan’s situation up until just before Yied and conclude that all of his desires conveniently lined up in such a way that he had basically everything. If he was working out an unrequited attraction to Sigurd through a loving wife and an adoring protégé while also furthering his plans for putting Leonster on the continental map it just makes him extremely fortunate - up until when his luck ran out in a very big way.

I think Ethlyn would have picked up on something between Quan and her brother, just as surely as she couldn’t have been blind to what he was doing with Finn. Finn on the other hand may not have figured it out, which is probably for the best. It’s enough that Finn would have known that he was sharing Quan’s affections with Ethlyn; adding a crush on Sigurd into the mix with the conclusion that their relationship may have begun as a kind of projection might have been too much. Quan seems to have been very much the love of Finn’s life, but even if they were intimately involved the reverse was definitely not true. Maybe the writers will lean into the messier side of desire between men already implied in FE5 with Selphina, and we’ll see a Gen 2 Finn who doesn’t hate Ethlyn but who also doesn’t have a problem with quietly omitting her legacy. Little things, like his first tears in over a decade during his reunion with Altena or Leif identifying himself as the son of one holy blood house in Heroes, add up to in my opinion and at only a bit of a stretch a Finn who sees Quan’s children as somehow theirs, that they are the legacy of his doomed love just as much as they are the future of Quan’s dreams for Thracia. Jugdral just rolls that way sometimes, so I can see it happening.

(Incidentally, this means that I’m now torn between the image of Finn as a responsible gay mentor for Diarmuid+any other non-straight Gen 2 characters and Finn as a subtly unhinged cautionary tale that fills them with dread for their own long term prospects.)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Metropolis (1927)

Once you've seen Metropolis, you'll know. You'll know why, as it's approaching its 100-year anniversary, it's still being talked about. It’s a masterpiece, a film that, at numerous points, will make you wonder “how did they do that?”

Metropolis was released in 1927, long before color and before they were able to synchronize sound to pictures. It was edited down from 153 minutes to a more digestible length for the audiences of the time and many of the removed scenes were discarded or destroyed and are still missing to this day. Now, we're very close to having the entire thing together again.

In the future, the poor work themselves to death to power the skyscrapers above where the rich live. The Master of Metropolis is Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel), whose son Freder (Gustav Frohlich) spends his days carefree. When Freder falls in love with Maria (Brigitte Helm), he learns of the workers' appalling condition. Meanwhile, Joh is preoccupied with signs of a growing underground rebellion. To infiltrate the resistance and disassemble it from within, Joh enlists the help of his old rival, the mad scientist Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) to create a robotic duplicate of the resistance's leader: none other than Maria. While everyone overlooks their own agendas, Freder desperately tries to mediate the situation, becoming the heart who can help the hands (the workers) and the brain (Joh) work together.

The visuals featured are spectacular. There are the dazzling skyscrapers of Metropolis, with its busy streets and skies filled with planes, but the real eye-popper is the machinery underground. The film displays enormous sets full of pistons, whirring gears, blasts of steam and workers desperately trying to maintain it all. There are literally hundreds of actors on set. 

Metropolis also contains several Biblical themes, which bring in either fantasy/nightmare sequences. Each brings in those "how did they do that?" questions and are so grandiose, so magnificent they'll be permanently imprinted into your mind. The Tower of Babel, the Whore of Babylon (in a scene that would have been borderline pornographic at the time and is still risqué today) and an elaborate reference to the seven deadly sins and the angel of death/grim reaper, Freder's vision of the demonic pagan god Moloch (frequently associated with human sacrifice, particularly that of children by fire) are powerful sights. It's full of elaborate, ground-breaking visuals and ties them back to the idea that “The Heart must be the mediator between the Hands and the Brain” in ways that are mind-blowing, even if it were done today. It’s enjoyable simply as a story about a man who is torn between two worlds but becomes even richer when the symbolism is dissected.

It all sounds pretty artsy, the kind of thing that will go right over your regular movie watcher’s head, but that’s where the foreground story comes in. We’ve got a romance between Freder and Maria, two rivals (Joh and Rotwang) teaming up together while one secretly plots to betray the other, a mechanical duplicate (spectacularly introduced) that threatens to reduce the whole city to ash and all the while the whole city is on the brink of tearing itself apart. There’s murder, seduction, science fiction, pretty much everything you want to see in an epic film and throughout, you'll see sights that inspired everything from C-3P0 to the landscape of Blade Runner.

As big corporations keep merging and the rich get richer, it's easy to imagine a world ruled by a single man while the rest of us are forced to grovel in the dirt but this movie paints neither the rich nor the poor as villains or heroes, just as people so distant from each other that they cannot even fathom placing themselves in each other’s shoes. Ultimately it’s a movie about peacekeeping and averting disaster. Regardless of which decade (or even millennium) it’s told in, it’s a story we relate to.

I could further stress the historical significance of Metropolis, how great and elaborate its special effects and visuals are or how captivating the story is with its symbolism, twists and turns. Let me try a different approach instead. How many big blockbusters, with all their special effects and modern qualities wind up forgotten a couple months down the road? How many actually mean something? Metropolis has impact and lasting power. You’ve never seen anything like it. Why not go for something totally different? A film where there is no talking, where actors emote vividly (more like stage actors than film actors), where there was no focus groups or number crunchers? It’s more than a movie, it’s a story about a long-lost treasure that’s been slowly reconstituted, a testament to the importance of the preservation of film and a piece of science fiction so early in the evolutionary chain that people take cues from it without even knowing it anymore. You might think you’re taking a chance with Metropolis, but the truth is that you aren’t, you’re going for a sure-thing. If the story with its drama, sequences of disaster and thrills don’t get ya, it’s sure that the visuals will. (2010 restored version on the big screen, April 12, 2014)

[ezekieltheking]

Summary: Influenced by Jerry’s persuasion, you go on a run/scavenging mission with Ezekiel and the knights. You and Ezekiel get some alone time...with the interruption of a couple of walkers. 

Genre: Fluff

Featured Characters: Reader, Jerry, Ezekiel, Richard

Playlist

The sun was beating hard so you decided to take your chores inside. The AC on your floor was broken, but at least there was shade.

“Ahem.” You hear someone clear their throat from behind you.

“Come in.” You say as you turn to meet them.

“Hey,(Y/N).” Jerry greets from the door.

“Hey, what’s up?” You respond. You grinned from ear to ear. He had a way with making you instantly smile.

“Nothing much,” He shrugs. “I just wanted to see what the coolest person in The Kingdom was up to.”

You laugh. “Just checking inventory. It’s just as fun as it sounds.” You say sarcastically. Jerry erupts into a fit of laughter, taking you off guard.

“(Y/N), you are hilarious! You’ve always been great at making people laugh.” He exclaims. You look at him like he’d just grown a third arm. You can admit that you have a sense of humor, but it’d hardly shown since the outbreak. “You know who would love to hear some of your jokes?” You just stare at him with raised eyebrows. “His majesty.” You roll your eyes and turn back to your notebook. “Hear me out, (Y/N)---”

“Isn’t that your job? You’re funny too.”

“He doesn’t laugh with me. He doesn’t laugh much anymore actually.”

“I can only imagine why.”

“There’s more to life than just fighting off the dead. We may as well be dead ourselves if we don’t laugh ourselves… even just a little bit.” He explains innocently.

You scoff playfully. “You sound just like him.”

“Do I?” He beams proudly. For as long as you’ve known Jerry, he’s always admired the king. You keep your eyes on your work, pondering his intentions. “So, what do you say?”

“What do I say to being his personal jester?” You turn back to him.

“Spending time with him. Just making sure he’s alright. It’s like talking to a wall for me; a Shakespeare impersonating wall.”

“I didn’t know it was possible for a wall to do impressions.”

He points to you. “See, that’s the kind of dry humor that he will love.”

“Alright, I guess.” You shrug.

“Great. He’s scheduled to go out and scavenge in a half hour.” He winks then throws up a peace sign. “Deuces.”

******

Ever since the talk between you two, Jerry had been keeping an eye on you and Ezekiel to make sure his plan was falling into place. He watched the main doors from outside, waiting for you to exit them. His sight then jumped to Ezekiel and some of the knights packing up a truck with supplies. He noticed that they were almost done and with each bag they loaded, his heart pounded. Finally, you walked outside, giving relief to his anxiousness. Ezekiel turned at the sound of your footsteps behind him. A glimpse of surprise was followed by pure and unadulterated happiness. His smile reached from ear to ear and Jerry was glad to see it. He’d grown to recognize Ezekiel’s responses to you. No matter the reason, if you were around, he was always elated.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, fair maiden?” He asks.

“I heard y’all are going out to scavenge. I’m coming with.” You walk past him to put your own bag in the trunk.

He gently grabs your arm. “The souls bereft of life are not the only ones to be wary of.” You take his warning in stride.

“I’ve been doing this for a while, but I’m only as good as the rest of my people. Can I count on you?” He nods, you smile.

Before embarking on the mission, he gave you and the other five people one of his famous speeches. Frequently, he would look to you and you’d look back with an encouraging smile. Instead of sitting in his usual spot in the passenger seat, he slid in the back next to you. The immediate closeness was awkward, but you gradually felt ease. You couldn’t exactly explain why.

After a while, the car stopped in front of a decaying strip mall. From the car window, you noticed how most of the stores had already been ransacked, but some were still intact. Once Diane, one of the main knights, gave everyone the all clear, Ezekiel split everyone into groups. With the odd number of people, everyone else went off into groups of threes except for you and him. The two of you began to head toward a veterinary office for medical supplies.

“Thank you for coming, (Y/N).” He says to you.

“Thank you for having me.” You respond with a smile. For a while, there was silence between the both of you. He and you knew when to be cautious in the situation of walkers.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” He speaks up.

“Not at all.” You say nonchalantly.

“Have you always been this way?” He looks to you over the shelves of medicine.

You look back intently. “What way?”

“Fearless.”

You scoff. “I’d be stupid if I wasn’t scared, even just a little.”

He lets his guard down along with his kingly voice. “You’re strong. That’s a better word. I suppose one can be scared and still be strong.”

“No.” You reply simply. He looks to you to elaborate. “People started to die all around me because I was not strong. They needed me to be and I wasn’t. I don’t know if I’m strong now, but I can’t allow that to happen again.”

“Sometimes that happens and sometimes there’s nothing we can do about it despite all our efforts.” He walks up, beckoning you to look at him. “Doesn’t make you any less strong. You walk around with such an unbothered exterior, but the way you care for others is extraordinary. I see it in the little things you do everyday.”

You hated when he did that to you. He always had a way with catching you off guard and making you feel confused. It was an uncomfortable feeling to not be able to confirm your own emotions toward someone. It was difficult enough before the outbreak. As a rule, you never allow yourself to get close to anyone in that type of way in fear of losing them. You’d been torn since the first day you met him. You saw his grandiose role playing as foolish, but couldn’t help but find yourself attracted to his genuine nature. You’d never seen him let his guard down around anyone else and you would be lying if you said that you didn’t feel special after he entrusted you with the secret of his backstory.

You were no good in romantic situations. You basically fall into states of awkwardness. Instead of meeting his eyes, you stare at the staff in his hand. Gently, he calls your name. Hesitantly, you gazed up to meet his big brown eyes. They were so soft and meaningful. You started to sense something strange in your stomach, but you welcomed the feeling. It soon turned to dread, however, when you began to hear an all too familiar sound outside the glass door.

You saw the way his eyes hardened before whipping his head around to confirm his suspicions. A couple of walkers were outside clawing at the glass door which was the only known exit. Your hand automatically found its way to the gun strapped to your hips. Ezekiel was already at the door with his sword.

“There’s only two.” You say calmly. “You take the left. I have the one of the right.”

He nods. “We got this.” You smile at his casual tone.

Quietly, he counted to three. He then swung the door open, waiting for the perfect moment to slice the blade into the rotting body. Your walker came in right after. Half his face was gone and he smelled especially dreadful. You quickly kicked him in the knee, knocking him down. With a crunch, you stick your dagger in his head.

The two of you walk out. “Are you alright?”

“I am. Are you?” You ask. He nods. “We got what we came for. I guess we should head back.” You start walking away.

“Wait, (Y/N).” He reaches out to stop you, only to graze your hand with his. You turn back, waiting for a response. You watch as he struggles with what to say next.

You walk up to him. “It’s ok. You don’t have to say anything.”

“But I do.” He looks to you with the same soft eyes as before. He takes a deep breath.

“Your Majesty!” Richard, one of the knights, shouts as he walks toward the two of you. “We’re ready when you are.” The king looks to him then back to you. Gingerly, his hand slides up your arm and settles on your shoulder.

“You did a good job out here today.” He concludes. “Maybe you can join us again.”

You couldn’t help but feel disappointed by his answer. You knew that you weren’t entirely ready for what you thought he was going to say, but a little part of you still wanted him to say it. He walked past you to the truck and you followed.

[twh-news]

The Frustrating Perfection of Tom Hiddleston | Bustle

Tom Hiddleston likes to eat dessert before lunch. I know this because I've just watched him finish a piece of chocolate cake before diving into a plate of chicken and vegetables. We're sitting in a makeshift room — composed of heavy fabric walls, a couch big enough for two, and a short table that holds his meal and "morning sugar rush," as he calls it — inside of a grandiose ballroom in Downtown Los Angeles. Hiddleston's here to promote his latest, Kong: Skull Island, and I'm here to try to uncover a yet-to-be-discovered layer of the man that is Thomas William Hiddleston — beyond his dining preferences.

Because Hiddleston isn't your average actor. Sure — many performers have something unique to offer — but Hiddleston represents something more than his rolodex of impressive performances. He has a ravenous fan-base, recently dated Taylor Swift, could very possibly step into the shoes of James Bond, uses words like "predilection" and "cognoscenti" in casual conversation, and is somehow, despite it all, entirely unfazed. It's an odd cocktail — one that has ignited a maelstrom of media interest, including my own. Because here I sit, a member of the aforementioned press, begging for Hiddleston to drop a seed of wisdom, a charming childhood anecdote, a reference to Swift (yeah, right) or some such pearl that will send readers into a tizzy. But so far all he's done is impress me with his memory.

Upon entering the shoebox of a room (if I can even call it that), he tilts his head to the side and says, "Have we met before?" And we had, actually — very briefly during a group interview promoting the Hank Williams biopic I Saw The Light nearly a year ago. I tell him as much, and he smiles — "yes, that's right," — offering me both a seat on the couch and a slice of chocolate cake.

I politely decline the latter — given my penchant for clumsiness I'd prefer not to interview the British heartthrob with a blouse covered in frosting. He asks me again (Hiddleston is very generous, it seems) and I again, decline. So we settle into the couch and I begin the conversation by relaying a message. Earlier in the day the film's director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, asked me to tell Hiddleston this: "It's only forever." I assume the sentiment is a reference to the lyrics of David Bowie's "Underground," (as any Hiddlestoner knows, the man loves Bowie) yet the actor assures me it's not.

"The thing about making movies is that you're constrained by time and daylight," he tells me. "When you're assembling the jigsaw puzzle with all its intricate pieces you want every piece to be perfect. We are both perfectionists, and when I would ask for another take because I knew it could be better, he would say, 'I think we got it,' and I would say, 'It's only forever.' It became a kind of comradely slogan that was our call to arms every morning."

Vogt-Roberts elaborates later, telling me: "Tom is really frustrating to be around because he’s tall and handsome and knows a lot about everything," the director jokes. "Tom ascribed the right philosophy of 'we’re making this forever.' He’s a total dream for a director because he gives a f*ck. He might care too much at times, but you have no choice but to like completely love him."

The simple sentiment, it's only forever, seems to be more than an on-set mantra for Hiddleston. The Englishman is a perfectionist — this we knew — but he's also, in every way, an intentional man. He chooses his roles carefully, he determines his words with a sense of responsibility, and he aligns himself with people he continues to champion (even if the relationship is no more). "It's only forever," may be, in Hiddlespeak, his own version of YOLO.

"It's such an honor to be making a Kong film. The character has been around for almost 100 years. I wanted to contribute to the legacy in a meaningful way, and knowing that it's forever is a very motivating force to get you out of bed and to do your best."

Hiddleston simply wants to put his best foot forward at all times, and being the best requires dedication, precision, research, and patience. It's part of the reason he took it upon himself to help craft his Kong character, Captain James Conrad, into something he's proud of.

"Part of the satisfaction I get from the job is cobbling together strands of academic research, ideas I've had while I'm running around the park..." he says. "The character that was presented to me was an adventurer, a tracker, and a hero. He was someone with a previous military history."

With these details in mind, Hiddleston went to work. "I got to build the idea that he was a British SAS, he was a specialist in reconnaissance and the recovery of lost soldiers," he says, rubbing the short stubble around his chin. "I did some research into a jungle warfare school in Malaya with the British Army where they trained soldiers, the SAS — the Special Air Service — who are the most highly trained Special Forces unit of the British Army."

At this point in our conversation I do the unthinkable: I interrupt Tom Hiddleston. You see, I'm in the middle of reading a book titled The Complete SAS Survival Manual, a handbook published by a former member of the SAS, and this seems like too much of a strange coincidence not to mention.

Hiddleston is thrilled to hear of our shared interest, and recommends another book to me — The Tracker by Tom Brown Jr. ("I believe it's something of an American classic.") — but when I ask how he'd fare in his character's uncertain situation, an uncharted jungle in the middle of nowhere, he just laughs.

"I am not like him," he says, full stop. "When I watch documentaries about the indigenous tribes of the Amazon or read stories about the first western explorers of the Amazon base… I’d be dead in a day," he admits. "I mean, OK, I’m getting better."

He references The Tracker, saying: "Tom Brown grew up in the Pine Balms of New Jersey. His best friend was Native American, and [his friend's] father was a tracker," he says, then describes this outlandish activity Brown would attempt: "They used to call it 'bear smacking.' The tradition was to get close to a wild bear, smack it on its bum, and run away before you got eaten."

At this point I consider interrupting Hiddleston for a second time, not to deliver any personal "bear smacking" anecdotes, but to get our conversation back on track. (Every passing minute is precious, after all.) But, I remind myself that this is Loki I'm talking to, and if the God of Mischief wants to muse upon slapping a bear on the bum, then by God I'm not going to stop him. Luckily, Hiddleston has a point.

"Tom Brown was trained by this tracker in essentially living in complete harmony with nature — surviving off the land, understanding the behavior of wild dogs — I think something about that is appealing," he says. "I’m not very good at that, but I think it’s information that 100-200 years ago all of us would have understood more deeply because it would be handed down. Our connection to nature was more alive before people became inhabitants of urban cities."

Hiddleston, who was born in London and attended both Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, does not appear, at first glance, to be someone who has spent much time in the often unpredictable outdoors. But that's where I'm wrong.

"I feel like I need to get into nature every day, and I go slightly mad if I don’t. I love running in the rain," the 36-year-old admits. "A healthy connection to nature makes us all more human, not less. As a race we are so overdeveloped. We’ve invented so many new technologies to make our lives easy, but to just recognize on a regular basis that you are flesh and blood, that you are an animal, is a really healthy thing."

Hiddleston sees the importance of constantly connecting with nature, even when he's working. As someone who grew up in the woodsy Pacific Northwest and reads survival manuals in her free time, I appreciate the sentiment.

"I spent a lot of time in Australia last year and on the Gold Coast in Queensland," he says, referencing his time shooting the latest Thor film. "That’s part of the pathways that the humpback whales travel through on their way to The Arctic. From the beach I saw these whales breach. It makes you feel so calm because you know that out there, there are things that are bigger, more ancient, more compassionate, more intelligent than us. It’s a very cool thing."

As an actor who is exceedingly in-demand, it's heartening to hear Hiddleston speak of things bigger than himself. And as our conversation comes to a close, and after I've packed my bag and vacated our small respite, he calls after me. "It's only forever," he says through the cloth wall.

The notion follows me throughout the day. Sure, it sprouted on a film set, but these three words hold a powerful message: Carpe diem, seize the day, live life to it's fullest, etc. Because what you do in this life matters, and Hiddleston knows this; Because people can create real change; Because our time on this planet is limited; Because, let us not forget, it's only forever.

[xb-squaredx]

Mario & Luigi Paper Jam Review: Padded and Played Out

In a bizarre coincidence, both Super Mario RPGs of the current era, following their 3DS debuts and fourth games overall, find themselves crossing over in the latest game from the Mario & Luigi series. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is an interesting game to say the least, but it now has to live up to the pedigree of TWO beloved RPG series, so the question becomes twofold. Is Paper Jam a good game on its own merits AND as a game that represents two franchises? Well, the answer is complicated.

I’ll level with you all here: I’m facing some fairly serious franchise fatigue with the Mario & Luigi games. For the most part, I’d say that all of the games are very well done and on their own, they’re perfectly fun RPGs, but as time has gone on, I feel that Alpha Dream is phoning a lot of it in. With four other games under their belt, very little of Paper Jam felt really new and exciting. For a lot of the beginning portions of the game, I was bored. For a good portion of the game, I was largely going through the motions and I ended up taking long breaks in-between play sessions because I had no enthusiasm to play. Of course, that doesn’t mean the game itself is bad, but it is more of the same, and that may or may not be a problem depending on how much you love this series.

To be honest, this might be the most polished game in the series yet in many ways, so there are benefits to working on a proven formula again and again. The battles are still filled with the charm they’ve always had, with Mario and Luigi (and later Paper Mario) taking turns attacking enemies and trying to dodge attacks, with timed button presses every bit as satisfying to land as ever. Carrying over the 3D backgrounds and 3D-esque pixel art from Dream Team, Paper Jam looks great as well and has a fitting soundtrack. Overall, it’s presentation is stellar, as is the humorous writing found throughout. For big fans of the series, everything you expect is there and is about as good as you can hope for, but for those that might be getting tired of the series, that might be hoping for something to shake things up, well…there ARE some new things hidden within, but I doubt they’ll make the game feel fresh enough for you.

The biggest change of course is the addition of Paper Mario as a playable character, attacking alongside his 3D counterpart (and Luigi). While having similar actions to the brothers (a jump and a hammer attack, item usage and super attacks (Trio Attacks), his paper-y nature gives him a different feel. This is most prevalent in his usage of a “Copy Block” that is given to him at the start of the game. Using it, Paper Mario can split into many copies of himself. They stack up together to shield him from taking damage for a time, which is great as his health is rather low, and they also help his somewhat lacking attack power. From a jump attack all copies take turns jumping on a single enemy for some impressive damage, while his hammer attack has all his copies spread out, able to attack large groups all at once. Overall, Paper Mario feels distinct enough that he adds a new dimension to battling, though at the same time…he doesn’t exactly play like he does in his own games. I should point out that the battle system is Mario & Luigi through and through, for those hoping for a chance to play as Paper Mario in a system similar to the first two Paper Mario games.

As for other new features, Battle Cards are introduced fairly early. Players can collect cards throughout the game, as either rare enemy drops or bought from shops. Constructing a deck of about ten cards, they’re randomly doled out on the touch screen, three available at any time. Card effects range from buffs to debuffs, free heals or even upping the experience enemies will give you, among other things. Using a card costs Star Points, which are built up by performing attack commands with good timing though you have a hard cap of 30 points, so you can just hoard them. While an interesting addition to the battling system, I wouldn’t say they add all that much to the game, as they feel more like the various badge effects from past games, and they can be pretty easily abused. With the right deck, I was able to trounce bosses fairly easily, though admittedly without using them, most bosses were quite tricky. Considering that the cards don’t use up a turn, you could, if you build your deck right, heal and attack in the same turn, or deal huge damage on a boss all before you even start your turn, where you would deal even MORE damage to them. The cards DO add some strategy to the game at times, but often that strategy boiled down to spamming the strongest cards to make encounters a joke.

The last main addition to the game is Papercraft Battles. A replacement for the Giant Battles in the last two games, players take control of what amounts to paper tanks made to resemble various characters in the series. Taking place in small 3D arenas, the various Papercrafts all have slightly different abilities, making each encounter slightly different. Peach’s Papercraft has a parasol to slow her decent in the air, while Yoshi’s has a tongue that can grapple various pillars in its arena and also reel enemies in, to give some examples. Despite these differences, the battles all revolve around the same two actions: ram into enemy papercraft to knock them down, then jump on them to deal major damage. While fun little skirmishes that get more interesting with each new battle, they’re still fairly simple affairs. I do enjoy having full control in these sections though, when compared to the Giant Battles of games past, where they were just one huge series of QTE’s, but at the same time they lack the pure spectacle of those Giant Battles. Bit of a mixed bag overall.

You’ll notice I didn’t talk much about story, which is odd for an RPG, but that’s because there…isn’t really one. A magic book containing the Paper Mario universe is opened and pieces (and people) from that world fly out all across the Mushroom Kingdom. When Bowser and Paper Bowser join forces, Paper Mario joins up with Mario and Luigi to take them out. That’s pretty much it. No subplots, no twists to speak of, just…go fight both Bowsers! Now, there’s plenty of DIALOGUE though, and that’s where Paper Jam shines. The character interactions between everyone and their paper counterparts are great, and this game also works to utilize various characters from the Super Mario cast that usually get shafted. This game is notable for giving the Koopalings a fair bit of dialogue and plot involvement, and Toadette is a fairly important character too. Watching both Bowser Jr.’s bond and become best friends was oddly heartwarming and watching both Peaches engage in some girl talk made for one of the funnier moments of the game. If anything, Paper Jam proves you can make a compelling narrative with just the Super Mario cast, though at the same time…part of the appeal of BOTH of the Super Mario RPG series is their unique settings and characters that work to flesh out the Super Mario universe a fair bit. Having a game that JUST stars the core Mario cast, set purely in the Mushroom Kingdom across fairly generic locales…it feels more than a bit bland. It is an odd situation where the characters and dialogue is great, but there’s so little story connecting it together.

It is also worth knowing that for all of this talk of being a CROSSOVER, very little of what makes the Paper Mario games distinct from the Mario & Luigi games makes it into Paper Jam. The platforming and basic gameplay is totally Mario & Luigi, as is its overall presentation and humor (plenty of slapstick). About the only thing it takes from the other series is the addition of a block button, and that’s it. Honestly, the setup seems perfect to have the group travel to the Paper universe halfway through, and that might have salvaged the game. Mario and Luigi could have become Paper Mario’s partners in a different battle system more representative of the Paper Mario games…but that’s not what we have here.

Now, if we were finished, I’d say it’s a fine enough game, if a bit tired for people that are wanting something a little more novel. But we’re not done. There’s one other aspect of the game that comes into play and really sours the experience: Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is padded out to all hell. Nearly every aspect of the game feels drawn out more than it should be, from exploration to combat. For a few games now, the animations of attacks have gotten longer and more elaborate, which is especially true with the Bros. Attacks. They’ve become miniature rhythm-based minigames that can go on for far too long at times, and this is also true of the new Trio Attacks that Paper Mario does in unison with Mario and Luigi. They’re notable too for having a cutscene that sets up the move that is actually skippable, in a series where the cinematic attacks often involve button presses and can’t be skipped. Boss attacks also become more grandiose, especially in various “chase sequences” that go on for far too long and require perfect dodging the entire time before you get a chance to counter attack.

Enemy attacks also are fairly longwinded too, especially when it comes to the Paper enemies. Many Paper enemies have attacks that move slower than their 3D counterparts, and that’s all before we get into stacked and shiny Paper enemies. Like Paper Mario, Paper enemies can stack themselves together, becoming one hardy enemy or separate to become many enemies. This also changes their attacks, often making their turns take even longer as every individual enemy takes their turn to attack. You might enter a battle where it looks like you’re only fighting two enemies, but if they’re stacks, you’re really fighting upwards of twenty. Paper enemies can also come in shiny forms (similar to the shiny stickers in Paper Mario Sticker Star), and are far stronger and more durable than usual. And God help you if you encounter a shiny stack of enemies, at which point they basically become a boss.

But by far the worst aspect of the game has to be the quests revolving around saving the various Paper Toads that have scattered across the land. While this sounds like a good game-long sidequest, it is mandatory at multiple parts in the game, the plot screeching to a halt until you gather more Toads for arbitrary reasons. Most of these Toad collection challenges are exercises in frustration. A good portion of them are timed, or you’ll have to work to collect them while enemies constantly assault you, but by far the worst of them involve herding the Toads to some goal, as if they’re braindead cattle. The Toads, for no reason whatsoever, will flee at the first sight of the brothers, resulting in several botched runs where they flee and keep you from completing the challenge. By the end of it, I hated the mere sight of a Toad.

There are tons of these little challenges sprinkled throughout the game, even outside of the Toad collections and while some can be fun, many are repetitive. These challenges give no reward, often coming before a boss fight and seem to exist just to extend the length of the game. By far the most egregious one came right at the tail end of the game. Both Bowser Jr.s flee the brothers and you are forced through a terrible stealth section to track them down. Once you complete this section and capture them, they simply run off back to where you first encountered them, and then you engage in a boss battle afterward. You could cut that stealth section out of the game and lose nothing of value. In fact, the game even lets you skip these sections if you fail enough times, and I actually took the game up on that offer at that point.

At the end of the day, Paper Jam left me bored during most of the beginning portion, with small bits of enjoyment sprinkled throughout and mixed in with far too much frustration for my sake. While the game is fundamentally sound, with a solid presentation and some interesting ideas, the overall plot is bland, the constant Toad fetch quests are frustrating, and it’s starting to go through the motions instead of doing some true innovation. If anything, Paper Jam shows that Alpha Dream needs to take a break from this series. At any rate, I think I might sit the next one out.

Until next time.

-B

[tomsondergeldplumbing]

Luxury Bathroom Ideas: European Style Interior Design

Do you remember the last time you were really relaxed?

Truly, honestly, and deeply relaxed?

If you’ve ever walked into a spa, you know the feeling I’m talking about.

It’s a deep breath that leaves the world outside, it’s the tranquil surroundings of a calm environment, it’s the sweet smells and simplistic touches that make a spa day so enticing.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have that same spa feeling at home?

Now you can.

These luxury bathroom ideas give your home a little piece of tranquility in a world of chaos.

Unique bathrooms designed with comfort and elegance give you spa-like feel in your very own home.

Some of today’s more luxurious bathroom designs are inspired by European style interior design. Modern European design maintains some of the classical ornate style of old world Europe and combines it with classic modern tastes.

These amazing bathroom designs inspired by European style work in any bathroom from tiny water closets to his and her master bath combinations.

Here are some of the best luxury bathroom designs from around the globe you can bring into your home.

Now you can have a spa-like retreat to enjoy every day.

Scandinavian Bathroom Design

When people think Scandinavian design, they immediately jump to images out of an IKEA catalog.

While the modern minimalist design is classically Scandinavian, there is so much more to explore.

Scandinavian bathroom design is all about function, combined with a simplistic beauty.

It is classic contemporary design, which is sometimes confused with modern design. Modern design only refers to a period of time (1920s-1950s), but contemporary design is always changing evolving, adapting and tends to borrow elements from several different design eras, depending on what is popular today.

Sweden has a beautiful way of taking what is on trend today and stripping it down to simplistic beauty.

Quintessential elements of Scandinavian bathrooms are clean lines and minimalist schemes.

Scandinavians also incorporate natural elements in their design. The Swedish people enjoy the outdoors, and the environment around them, and tend to incorporate natural colors, wood and stone textures and other naturally beautiful elements inspired by Mother Nature.

Color scheme: This represents a classic Scandinavian color scheme. Neutral colors in calm and muted tones of pale blue, cool grey, white and cream. Inspired by the natural elements of ocean, without looking nautical.

Sink and Vanity: Classic square shape and minimalist design become the focal point of this area. The free floating look keeps the lines clean and incorporates several natural elements including the stone materials, woven basket for storage, and even a green fern on the countertop.

A slightly more modern look, but still incorporates the free floating sink, straight line shelves, and minimalist mirror design.

For a smaller space, a tiny sink plays a big role with four drawers of storage while maintaining clean lines, muted colors, and natural wood materials.

Shower and Tub: A free-standing tub is classic Scandinavian, with simple shapes and classic lines. The fixtures themselves almost blend into the background with lots of clear glass, symmetrical tile, and smooth wall texture.

Fabric: Fabrics should be kept to a minimum. Bath and shower enclosures are typically glass and bath mats can be wood or stone. Towels are generally the only fabric in the bathroom. Keep them light and airy by using natural materials like cotton.

Fixtures: Faucets and fixtures are sleek and simple. Chrome is popular, but other metallics also work with this style. The focus is on a modern silhouette and simple design.

Cabinets: Cabinetry, if used at all, is usually white. However, in Sweden, cabinetry is often eliminated completely because it takes up too much space. Open up space with free floating storage. Basic rails, baskets, and hooks provide the storage you need without too much fuss.

Mirrors: Mirrors play a big role and can add to the style of the room. Geometric shapes and patterns take a classic bathroom element and make it sophisticated.

Tile: The subway tile trend actually began in Sweden, and has since spread worldwide. To stay true to Scandinavian design, be sure to keep it white or use natural light stone with white grout.

Lighting: Whenever possible, let the natural light flow freely without hindrance from window coverings. If privacy is essential, consider a window film or tinting rather than bulky blinds or draperies.

Scent: You can actually find candles that are made to smell like different countries. Scents of Sweden are often inspired by sea salt, fresh air, forests, and orchards.

Textures/pattern: When choosing textures or patterns for your bathroom, consider those found in nature. Woods, trees, or shells provide excellent inspiration for adding essential Swedish elements to space.

Accessories: There’s no need to cover the countertops in baskets, boxes, and jars. Keep accessories minimal. Essentials only. A basic towel and a bar of soap will do. Other bathroom essentials should be tucked away out of sight.

Flooring: Keep flooring light and simple. White or light grey colors work best. Consider oversized tiles that fill a large surface area without a lot of grout lines. Slate, light woods, or even concrete flooring are other options that pull the Swedish design together seamlessly.

French Bathroom Design

The French might be the world’s most stylish people. From their clothing to their pastries, the French definitely know a thing or two about luxury. French design is never undone, overdone, or underwhelming; it is simply perfect.

To some, French design is chic red, black, and white with bold accents and strong lines. For others, classic French is soft, pastel colors, embellished furniture, and ornate trims. The truth is, French can be both. Just as a pastry chef can create several delicacies, French design can include many forms, but the three most popular forms are Parisian, Provence (country), and Neoclassical.

Parisian tends to be more contemporary; country has a rustic, shabby-chic feel; and neoclassical combines the Marie Antoinette style and the French Revolution era. While each of these three forms has their own unique features, they do share a few common elements. All three forms have distressed elements with the exception of Parisian, which has crisp colors and straight lines. Both Provence and Neoclassical carry a more distressed, aged, and vintage look. The color scheme for all three can be pastels, although Parisian often calls for strong reds, whites, blacks, and often pink.

Sink and Vanity: This elegant bathroom design is classic neoclassical French with the pastel blues, ornate gold, and floor to ceiling details. The sink and vanity are oversized, grand, and fit for a princess.

Shower and Tub: Clawfoot tubs are a beautiful French element, and the oversized mirror gives the illusion of a window by reflecting natural light.

Fixtures: Vintage or rustic fixtures and faucets work perfectly for a rustic or provincial French theme. If you’re going for more neoclassical or Parisian, you can use vintage fixtures and refinish them, so they shine like new.

Cabinets: Elaborate and interesting cabinetry works perfectly in any of the French design forms. The piece itself becomes a work of art that enhances the space.

Fabric: If you are going for Parisian or neoclassical French, opt for luxurious fabrics of satin, chiffon, or taffeta. For a provincial French countryside theme, stick with more basic kinds of cotton with vintage floral patterns or delicate details.

Mirrors: The French love the French. Oversized mirrors with ornate frames create a grandiose and elegant style that works perfectly with any of the basic French forms of design.

Tile: Patterned tile is a popular element for French bathroom design. The country blue color and a delicate pattern are quintessential provincial France. For neoclassical or Parisian design, keep tiles simple and accent with fabrics or wallpaper.

Lighting: Keep the lighting in style with French chandeliers. Any shape and size can be incorporated into an elegant French design. Small chandeliers work great for mirror lighting. Oversized chandeliers are beautiful above the tub or in the center of the room.

Scent: Nothing says Paris like roses. Incorporate bright red roses for a Parisian theme. For a more delicate country style, go for roses in pastel colors and vintage blue bottles that look and smell beautiful.

Textures/pattern: Anytime you add texture wallpaper, fabrics, or textures to a French-style bathroom, think floral, over-the-top elaborate designs in soft colors and small patterns.

Accessories: Keep accessories vintage and beautiful by gathering items in glass, milk glass, or antique silver containers. Jars, bottles, candlesticks, and trays make beautiful additions.

Flooring: Light stone floors combine the look of cobblestone paths with the modern convenience of stone tile. The shape and color maintain the look and feel of provincial France.

Tuscan Bathroom Interior Design

The Tuscan countryside emits relaxation, warmth, and fresh air. If you combine the natural beauty of earthy materials and a healthy appreciation of fine finishes, you can create a beautiful Tuscan style design in any room of your home. Tuscan style has the relaxed feel of sunshine and warmth with the luxurious surfaces of fine Italy. This style is very popular across the globe, but particularly in warm and sunny desert areas, because it uses warm tones and rustic surfaces.

Although the Tuscan countryside is in Italy, it combines styles from several surrounding areas. Tuscan interior design is a mixture between southwestern architecture and Mediterranean style. Exposed beams, wine cellar accents, flowering plants, deep colors, and rich textures are all elements of classic Tuscan style. When done well, Tuscan interior captures the feeling of the countryside without being overdone. Surfaces and finishes should be durable yet refined. Aim for sturdy, but not overbearing.

Color Scheme: The Tuscan color scheme is warm and natural, reminiscent of the countryside. It includes the brownish-orange of terra-cotta, creamy plaster walls, shades of green, deep purples, bright cobalt, and golden yellow rays.

Sink and Vanity: Many Tuscan bathrooms make the sink a focal point. Vessel sinks and beautiful vanities draw attention and set the tone for the area.

Shower and Tub: Deep-soaking claw foot tubs work perfectly in Tuscan style if you have space. Choosing an over-sized shower stall using rustic, textured tiles on the floor and wall works to create the sensation you are outdoors.

Fixtures: Oil-rubbed, brushed, finished fixtures are relatively easy to find and the dark colors bring in the rich tones of Tuscany.

Fabric: Incorporating fabrics is a great way to bring color into the room. Consider upholstery fabrics that are heavy weight with rich jewel tones.

Mirrors: Large mirrors, framed in rich dark wood create a beautiful accent to natural wood cabinetry and oil rubbed bronze fixtures.

Tile: Beautiful mosaic tiles create a beautiful Tuscan scene. Use them for a backsplash, shower accent, or a wall accent.

Lighting: Wrought iron lighting fixtures and wall sconces provide beautiful accents in an elegant bathroom design. If you are looking to add bathroom lighting, consider mimicking the bright Tuscan sun with under-cabinet lighting, ceiling light fixtures, or hanging pendant lights.

Scent: Enhance the sweet scents of Italy with smells of grapes, orchards, rich wine, and fresh air.

Textures/pattern: Deep, dark wood is quintessential Tuscan. Keep the finish natural with wood, marble, or granite on top. Beautiful Mediterranean style has plenty of scrolling ironwork, high gloss finishes, and intricate carvings or painting.

Accessories: A combination of dark wrought iron and milky ceramics make beautiful Tuscan accessories. You can also use terra cotta pots for décor and natural herbs to accent with greenery.

Flooring: Keep flooring in natural stone materials and colors. Terracotta, travertine, marble, granite, and limestone are all good options. Use neutral colors on the floor and accent with colored backsplashes and painted tiles.

Roman Bath-Inspired Greek Decor

Think of Greek design and you’re probably picturing white stucco, blue skies, and olives. Greek interior design combines the pillars, lines, and fabrics of ancient Greek mythology with the colors and textures of the modern Grecian countryside. White and gold with pops of blues, simplicity, and elegance combined in a luxurious space that is relaxing and inviting.

The Greek style focuses on the idea “less is more.” Bathroom design inspired by ancient Greece creates an open space that is accented with cozy textures and finishes. Ancient Athens is known for deliberate simplicity. Most often, the accessories used in a home would define them as upper or lower class. Today, this is results in a rich blend of textures and colors to create a Greek revival style that is reminiscent of the Greek Isles. To capture a bathroom inspired by ancient Greece, use elements of nature, keep symmetry in mind, and then carefully edit the space to avoid overdoing it.

Color scheme: Greek design is often characterized by blue and white hues. You can pair different shades to provide a sharp contrast, but typically white dominates the space with just a splash of blue. If you’d like to add additional color, consider green, purple, or deep red tones inspired by Grecian vegetation.

Sink and Vanity: White marble is a beautiful way to incorporate a natural stone look with the clean colors of the Greek countryside.

Shower and Tub: Make the tub the focal point by creating a beautiful bath setting. This tub is inlayed and tiled, complete with steps and Greek pillars.

Fixtures: Oil-rubbed, bronze finishes give a beautiful contrast against the white stone. Consider unique fixtures that have clean lines and an elegant feel, like a waterfall faucet.

Fabric: Any fabrics or draperies used in a Greek-inspired bathroom should be reminiscent of Greek robes or a modern day Greek tunic. Use light gauze, simple kinds of cotton, or other natural fabrics with simple designs.

Tile: Accent tiles are a good way to incorporate a pop of color along the floor, border, or in a backsplash. Simple design tiles bring in elements of classic Greek art, without being disproportionate.

Lighting: When living on the Greek Islands surrounded by water, most décor comes from what is available on the island. Lighting that is rustic, basic, and multifunctional creates a consistent design aesthetic.

Scent: Breathe in the fresh air, sea salt, and sunshine with scents from the Greek islands. The colors of bright white and blue work to create an air of freshness and cleanliness.

Textures/Pattern: The most common Greek pattern is the meander or meandrous, also known as Greek lines. It is a continuous line, shaped into straight lines and right angles popular in Greek art.

Accessories: Keep accessories natural and simplistic. Most Greek homes have a simple look and feel by using only basic furniture and accessory needs. Keep the room free of clutter.

Flooring: For classical Greek style, choose natural stone flooring that is white or light grey. Limestone and marble are both popular choices. Accent with colored tiles, stained concrete, or a bright rug to create a beautiful look.

Take a deep breath and travel to another place, another time, another world. Luxury bathrooms can transport you anywhere you’d like. By combining simple elements of color, texture, patterns, and materials, you can create your perfect getaway. Enjoy the simplicity of Sweden, the luxury of France, the beauty of Tuscany and the classic Greek Isles without any travel costs. No passport necessary!

You can even bring your favorite style from across the pond to your Louisville home with luxury bathroom inspiration. Impress the locals with your own slice of international design. Contact your trustworthy plumber Tom Sondergeld in Louisville to help make these relaxing, European paradises a reality in your home today. Call now for a free estimate!

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Dragon Age 4: everything we know so far about the open secret of a sequel

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Dragon Age 4: everything we know so far about the open secret of a sequel

It’s now been more than three years since the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition and although we’re still squeezing fun out of the game, we think it’s pretty understandable that fans are getting somewhat inquisitive (sorry) with regards to when we’ll hear about the next game in the franchise. 

Even though we all knew, on some level, that there would definitely be another Dragon Age game, it was nice to have a confirmation from executive producer Mark Darrah. Whether it will actually be called Dragon Age 4 is up for debate –historical naming patterns in the series meaning it could really go either way – but we can still get excited.

Named or not, now that we know Dragon Age 4 is in the works we think it’s time to start keeping an eye on the latest news, and start building a picture of what the game might eventually look like. So we’ve put together this hub of news and rumors to keep you up to date on the latest news from Thedas. 

[Update: In a recent interview with Eurogamer, former Dragon Age boss Mike Laidlaw discussed the franchise and what he may have done differently with the last title: Dragon Age Inquisition. According to Laidlaw, when it was released, The Witcher 3 highlighted weaknesses in Inquisition and made him feel that his games was “a little hollow”.  With the benefit of hindsight, Laidlaw has said that  he’d “look closer to The Witcher 3” with relation to the game’s open world and story-heavy quests. 

With Laidlaw having moved on we can’t be sure these feelings will be carried over to the development of Dragon Age 4. However, it seems likely that Dragon Age fans would appreciate more depth in the game world they love.]

Cut to the chase

What is it? The fourth installment in the popular RPG franchise, Dragon Age

What can I play it on? Not confirmed but it’s likely to be Xbox One, PS4 and PC

When can I play it? It’s likely to be a couple of years away 

Release date

Despite the fact that the game’s development is currently a very open secret, Dragon Age 4 hasn’t actually been officially announced by BioWare. It’s hard, then, to say how far along the game’s development might be, and how close we might be to seeing it released. 

Back in May 2017, writer Alexis Kennedy revealed that he was working on a part of the game’s story in an interview with Eurogamer. This part of the story, he revealed, is “well-segregated from other parts of the game”. At this point in time, the game was still clearly in the very early stages of development. 

However, with a recent report from Kotaku suggesting that some of the Dragon Age development team has been pulled off the title to focus on creating Anthem, we think it’s likely to be a while before we hear anything concrete about Dragon Age 4’s release date.  

News and rumors

Roundabout confirmations

Regardless of whether or not BioWare had confirmed it, Dragon Age fans were pretty certain that another game was going to be in the works. Partly because they had faith in the power of their sheer force of will and partly because over the last couple of years there have been hints from BioWare that something would indeed be happening. It’s the secret that was never really a secret. 

The most recent non-official confirmation has come from executive producer Mark Darrah, who tweeted in January 2018 that he’s working on both Dragon Age as well as BioWare’s next big IP, Anthem. 

Halfway through my trip to Barcelona!I’m here showing Anthem internally to EA. I am EP of BOTH DA and Anthem working with @Bio_Warner as Game DirectorAnthem’s up next but there are people hard at work on both franchises and I look forward to sharing more in the futureJanuary 24, 2018

Though he’s now left the company, BioWare veteran Mike Laidlaw was tweeting that there was still another couple of games in Dragon Age series yet back in mid-2017. Even before that, Alexis Kennedy became the writer that launched a thousand headlines after comments he made in an interview with Eurogamer were taken as a semi-official confirmation of the game’s existence and his place in it. 

There is no planned ending for DA. There is an evolving plan that tends to look 2 games ahead or so. https://t.co/6Tp1lP6d5GAugust 8, 2017

In the interview Kennedy teased that he’s been “given considerable autonomy to work on a storyline bit of lore which is well-segregated from other parts of the game.“ 

”I don’t want to exaggerate the degree of the chunk [I’m writing],“ Kennedy he was at pains to add. ”It’s nothing that grandiose, but it is distinct. It’s a bit of lore which has not been addressed much to date in Dragon Age.“

Story and character

Every game in the Dragon Age franchise has had a heavy emphasis on story and character and fans will be glad to know that Dragon Age 4 isn’t likely to be any different.

After Mark Darrah tweeted that he was working on the game, BioWare general manager Casey Hudson chipped in with his own elaborative tweet. In this tweet he said it was “too early to talk details” but the game would be “story & character focused.”

Reading lots of feedback regarding Dragon Age, and I think you’ll be relieved to see what the team is working on. Story & character focused.Too early to talk details, but when we talk about “live” it just means designing a game for continued storytelling after the main story.January 25, 2018

It’s not clear whether this will be a brand new standalone game or whether it’ll continue on directly from Inquisition. Certainly, the end of Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC suggests there is a story thread to follow with Solas, which would see the Inquisitor chase the elf down to stop his plans. 

We already know there are writers working on lore and side quests, following Alexis Kennedy’s interview with Eurogamer in 2017 in which he confirmed he was working on a part of the game that’s “well-segregated” from the rest and focuses on some lore that’s not been widely addressed. 

Kennedy, who has worked on titles such as Sunless Sea and Fallen London, said the subject matter would not be surprising to those familiar with his work. To us this implies that his quest (or quests) will include thoughtful choices, themes of tragic love and desire and an underlying sense of unease. 

New live elements

In the January 2018 Kotaku report on Anthem and Dragon Age, it was mentioned that sources had informed Kotaku that Dragon Age had been “rebooted” in order to implement more “live elements” into the game.

Naturally, there was some fan panic in response to this given EA’s increasing penchant for service-based games. Fans expressed concern that BioWare was going to take the Dragon Age series down a Destiny 2, always-online multiplayer route. 

That doesn’t appear to be the case, however. In his tweet, Casey Hudson also stated that the “live” elements being considered are actually ways of continuing the game’s story after the main story has been completed. This is something we’ve already seen in games such as Assassin’s Creed Origins. 

Things we’d like to see

A world like Dragon Age: Inquisition

We hope that the next Dragon Age game has a map similar to the one in Dragon Age: Inquisition, by which we mean we hope it’s big and open without being overwhelming. It was the perfect follow-up to the closed and repetitive maps of Dragon Age 2 and we’d like this approach to continue. 

Explore more of Thedas

There’s one very notable part of Thedas that players have yet to be allowed to explore and that’s the Tevinter Imperium. Once the most powerful nation in Thedas, the Imperium is a shadow of its former self. Its history, stratified social structure and maintenance of a magocracy would make it an immensely interesting and different part of Thedas to allow players to explore, while allowing the franchise to continue to explore themes of social injustice, power and prejudice.  

The fact that the area is references throughout other Dragon Age games is enough to make us think it’s a viable setting for Dragon Age 4. However, the ending of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC makes us think it even more likely, as it sees the Inquisitor stab a dagger into a map of the Imperium with a vow to track down Solas.

Solve that cliffhanger

Our previous point brings us to this one – we’d really like that Solas storyline to continue to be explored. He’s the perfect focus for the next game and the player’s approach to him is the perfect narrative crux.