#it doesn’t have to be super professional recordings like the other sagas have

[a-bottle-of-tyelenol]

The fact that there’s a very real chance that we could get a fully voiced version of ‘Olive Tree’ with Jorge and Anna in an eventual cut saga of EPIC keeps me up at night,,,

WYFILWMA has already destroyed me I don’t think I’ll survive having Olive Tree too (please give it to me I need it more than I need air to breathe PLEASE)

[aion-rsa]

Fast and Furious Timeline Explained (Including F9)

https://ift.tt/35RIciY

When the Fast and Furious franchise started in 2001, it’s doubtful anyone working on it expected they were launching a mythology so trenchant it’d still be going 20 years later in a film with the words “Fast Saga” in its full title. But here we are on the opening weekend of F9: The Fast Saga, and the series is so beloved it’s expected to resurrect the theatergoing box office once more. And you know? Thank goodness, mi familia.

Sometimes there’s nothing nicer than spending your summer situated around a grill with a couple of cold ones, reminiscing about old times with loved ones. And if we ever spent a full day at one of the Toretto clan’s barbecues, we’d likely hear a lot more exciting tales that begin with “remember that time…” After all, what other family can talk about that time they stole a literal vault out of Rio de Janeiro? Or that other time Luke Hobbs caught a torpedo with his bare hands; and Trej and Roman over there, they launched a Pontiac into space! With them in it!

There have been some crazy times with this group. Hence we’ve created this handy-dandy timeline for those who are struggling to remember when and where things went down…

* Editor’s Note: After Fast & Furious (2009), the franchise gets intentionally vague and fuzzy about the time and years between events, so exact dates are left somewhat up to interpretation.

1989

Dominic and Jakob Toretto work as mechanics on their father Jack Toretto’s professional stock car. During the last race of the season, Jack asks Jakob to help him throw the race, but Jack is killed in the sabotaged accident. Dom thinks Jakob murdered their father. (F9)

Dom beats another pro driver named Kenny Linder near to death with a wrench, as he is at least partially responsible for the carnage of Jack’s crash. Dom is sentenced to prison for five years. (The Fast and the Furious, F9)

1991

Dominic Toretto is released from prison after two years. The first thing he does when he gets out is challenge Jakob to a street race. If Dom wins, Jakob will leave Los Angeles and never return. He’ll also shut off all communication with Dom and their sister Mia. Jakob loses. (F9)

2001

Dominic Toretto alongside his ride or die lover, Letty Ortiz, and childhood friend Vince form an illegal crew of big rig hijackers, stealing DVD players and digital cameras. (The Fast and the Furious)

Brian O’Conner volunteers to go undercover for the LAPD and FBI, infiltrating Toretto’s crew and the world of illegal street racing. But he soon comes to idolize Dom and fall in love with his little sister, Mia Toretto. Brian ultimately helps Dom escape the Feds. (The Fast and the Furious)

2002

Gifted Asian American student Han Lue graduates rom petty crimes to participating with his cousin and two other friends in a cheat sheet racket at their prestigious high school. The group makes a small fortune, but after things get out of hand, they wind up murdering another student. Han’s cousin who helped in the deed kills himself, and a mourning Han drifts further into the underworld. (Better Luck Tomorrow)

2003

Years after fleeing California and prosecution, Brian winds up in Miami where he’s still a hotshot street racer who hangs with his mechanic buddy Tej Parker. After their operation is pinched, Brian is given an offer by the FBI to go undercover again and root out a violent Argentinian drug cartel operating out of Miami. He does so alongside childhood pal Roman Pearce. (2 Fast 2 Furious)

2005

Dom and Letty are secretly married while living as fugitives outside the U.S. (Furious 7)

2006

Dom Toretto now runs a hijacking crew out of the Dominican Republic, alongside Letty and new bestie Han Lue. After a near death experience, they disband. Han says he’ll go to Tokyo, and Dom leaves Letty behind. (Fast & Furious)

Letty goes to Brian O’Conner, who is now an FBI agent. She attempts to clear her and Dom’s records by infiltrating a Mexican drug cartel run by Arturo Braga. Unfortunately, Arturo figures out Letty’s deception and runs her off the road, blowing up her car, which leads everyone to think she died (including Brian and Dom). In truth, she was saved from the wreckage by Gisele Yashar, a secret CIA operative who also infiltrated the Braga cartel. She takes Letty to the hospital. (Fast & Furious, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7)

At the hospital, Letty awakens with amnesia and is recruited into a crew run by Owen Shaw, who has power over the Braga organization. (Fast & Furious 6)

2007

Dom returns to Los Angeles with Mia to avenge Letty’s apparent murder. He buries the hatchet with Brian as they destroy Braga’s cartel. Dom is supposed to have his name cleared in the process, but the FBI betrays him and he’s sentenced to 25 years in prison. Brian and Mia hijack Dom’s prison transport, freeing him and becoming fugitives themselves. (Fast & Furious)

After freeing Dom, the trio flee to Rio Janeiro where they hope to stay incognito. Old friend Vince recruits them for a job to steal three cars, but mid-mission the threesome learn they’re stealing from the DEA, including a vehicle with a computer chip that details the financials of a Brazilian crime lord. (Fast Five)

Dom and Brian recruit an international crew to steal $100 million from the crime lord, including Roman Pearce, Trej Parker, Han Jue, and Gisele Yashar. The Family is reborn. Brian and Mia also learn they’re pregnant. The crew ultimately steals the money and even gains assistance from ruthless DSS agent Luke Hobbs after the super-cop’s team is murdered by local gangsters. (Fast Five)

Hobbs discovers Letty is still alive. (Fast Five)

2008

Brian and Mia give birth to their son Jack. (Fast & Furious 6)

Hobbs tracks Dom down, discovering Dom is now in a serious relationship with Hobbs’ former Brazilian liaison, Elena Neves. Dom is told Letty is alive and working for British criminal mastermind Owen Shaw. (Fast & Furious 6)

Dom and the Family are able to rescue Letty from her manipulative boss, even though she still doesn’t remember who she is. Dom leaves Elena for her. In the fight to save Letty, Gisele is killed and Owen is left in a coma. Han, who was dating Gisele, decides to go to Tokyo. (Fast & Furious 6)

Elena discovers she is pregnant with Dom’s child and decides not to tell him. (The Fate of the Furious)

2009

Elena gives birth to Dom’s son, whom Don is unaware of. (The Fate of the Furious)

Han is recruited by CIA mystery man Mr. Nobody, who reveals Gisele was a CIA agent the whole time. Han picks up where Gisele left off, ultimately saving an orphaned Japanese child named Elle, whose parents encrypted her blood with the key codes to a doomsday device called Ares. (F9)

Han continues illegal street racing in Tokyo where “drifting” is what the cool kids do. He even takes American teenager Sean Boswell under his wing after Sean is banished by his mother to live in Japan with his Army father. Han teaches Sean to drift. (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift)

Deckard Shaw, Owen Shaw’s older brother, breaks into Owen’s hospital and, after killing his doctors, promises to avenge little bro by getting the Toretto family! He begins by nearly killing Luke Hobbs and Elena, who is now working full-time with the big guy. (Furious 7)

Dom takes Letty to Race Wars in order to jog her memory. She gets fragments back but decides the old Letty is dead and drives off, leaving Dom. (Furious 7)

Dom returns to his family home in Los Angeles where Mia tells him that she and Brian are expecting their second child and she’s afraid to tell him because he’s addicted to an adventurous lifestyle. Dom agrees to talk to Brian. Only then does he receive an ominous phone call about… (Furious 7)

… How during Sean and Han’s exploits ,they offend the Yakuza. This leads to Sean and Han being chased by gangsters. In the chaos, Han is T-boned and seemingly killed in an explosion. The other driver is Deckard Shaw, who is here to kill Han in order to send Dom Toretto a message: he’s coming for the Family. He calls Dom to taunt him as he thinks Han burns. But in a twist on a twist, it turns out Han and Mr. Nobody knew Deckard was coming and used this as an opportunity to fake Han’s death so as to better protect Elle! (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, F9)

After receiving Deckard’s phone call, a letter bomb goes off in the Toretto family home, nearly killing Dom and Mia. Dom and the Family are recruited by CIA weirdo Mr. Nobody into stopping Deckard from obtaining an all-powerful MacGuffin. Nobody gives them unlimited resources and also brings Letty back into the fold. She inexplicably gets her memories back after remembering she and Dom were secretly married. (Furious 7)

Sean ultimately becomes the Drift King of Tokyo (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift)

The heroes save hacker Ramsey from Deckard and she joins the Family. Together they stop Deckard by causing a parking garage to literally fall on his head. Shaw goes to prison, and Dom and Letty get back together. Brian agrees to retire for the sake of his two kids but not before one last angelic ride along next to Dom. (Furious 7)

Read more

Movies

Hollywood Execs Are Crediting Fast and Furious with Growing Embrace of Diversity

By David Crow

Movies

F9 Ending Is a Game Changer

By David Crow

2010

Dom and Letty’s overdue Cuban honeymoon is interrupted when Dom is blackmailed into working for evil genius terrorist Cipher. It turns out Cipher has kidnapped Elena and their still-an-infant son to coerce Dom into being her wheelman. (The Fate of the Furious)

Luke Hobbs approaches the family to do an illegal mission, but in the getaway Dom betrays them at Cipher’s behest, leading Luke Hobbs to be disgraced and sent to prison. He gets a cell right next to Deckard Shaw, and the two develop a frenemy banter. They’re freed by Mr. Nobody to help the CIA track Cipher. (The Fate of the Furious)

Cipher kills Elena after she lets Dom name their son (many months after his birth) Brian. During a mission to steal a nuclear submarine, Dom is freed from Cipher’s control after Deckard hijacks Cipher’s plane and saves wee little baby Brian. Dom helps the Family stop the nuclear sub. Deckard Shaw becomes part of the Family while Dom and Letty adopt baby Brian. (The Fate of the Furious)

2012

The CIA pressures Hobbs and Shaw to join forces after MI6 agent Hattie Shaw, Deckard and Owen’s little sister, is targeted by cyber-enhanced super soldiers who want the superpower-giving virus she’s hidden in her bloodstream. Hobbs and Shaw reluctantly work together, save Hattie, and ultimately travel to Hobbs’ family home in Samoa. (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw)

2013

Sean and buddies Twinkie and Earl Hu begin experimenting with a Pontiac Fiero that they’ll attach a rocket to with the aim of one day shooting it into space. (F9)

2014

Dom is living peacefully with Letty and his three or four-year-old son when he’s told Cipher has resurfaced and shot down Mr. Nobody’s plane. He reluctantly joins the Family to try and rescue Mr. Nobody, and they discover Dom’s long lost little brother, Jakob (now big and swole), is involved after going rogue as a secret agent. (F9)

Letty and Mia go to Tokyo to find out what Jakob is after and discover Han is alive, reuniting him, plus his ward Elle, with the Family. (F9)

Trej and Roman work with Sean and friends on the Fiero, eventually “driving” it into space to stop Jakob (and later Cipher) from essentially taking over the world. Jakob helps Dom stop Cipher and is pseudo-redeemed. (F9)

Back from the dead, Han decides to confront Deckard Shaw… (F9)

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The post Fast and Furious Timeline Explained (Including F9) appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3jimDjm

[lokiondisneyplus]

For his entire tenure as an Avenger, Anthony Mackie had never been the first name on the call sheet.

In a galaxy of stars populated by Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, the actor was aware of his place in the on-set pecking order, but would never miss an opportunity to make his presence felt.

“Number six on the call sheet has arrived!” Mackie would routinely shout on films like “Captain America: Civil War” and the box office-busting “Infinity Saga” sequels, according to Marvel chief creative officer Kevin Feige.

It exemplifies the sort of winning tone that the 42-year-old actor has brought to his superhero character the Falcon, aka Sam Wilson, for six movies from the top-earning studio — wry and collegial humor, with the potential to turn explosive at any moment. Both Mackie and his character are set to burn brighter than ever when the Disney Plus series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” lands on March 18.

On that call sheet, “Anthony is No. 1,” Feige is happy to report, “but it still says ‘No. 6.’ He kept it because he didn’t want it to go to his head.” The series is essentially a two-hander with his friend and longtime co-star Sebastian Stan, the titular soldier. All six episodes were produced and directed by Emmy winner Kari Skogland (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Loudest Voice”). The series, for which combined Super Bowl TV spot and trailer viewership earned a record-breaking 125 million views this year, is reported to have cost $150 million in total.

For Mackie, though, the show comes at a critical time for both his career and for representation in the MCU. Sam Wilson is graduating from handy wingman (Falcon literally gets his job done with the use of mechanical wings), having been handed the Captain America shield by Evans in the last “Avengers” film. While it’s unclear if he will formally don the superhero’s star-spangled uniform moving forward (as the character did in a 2015 comic series), global fandoms and the overall industry are still reeling from the loss of Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed Marvel’s Black Panther to culture-defining effect. With this new story, Mackie will become the most visible African American hero in the franchise. And when asked whether he’ll be taking the mantle of one of its most iconic characters, he doesn’t exactly say no.

“I was really surprised and affected by the idea of possibly getting the shield and becoming Captain America. I’ve been in this business a long time, and I did it the way they said you’re supposed to do it. I didn’t go to L.A. and say, ‘Make me famous.’ I went to theater school, did Off Broadway, did indie movies and worked my way through the ranks. It took a long time for this shit to manifest itself the way it has, and I’m extremely happy about that,” Mackie says.

Feige says that, especially with the advent of Disney Plus and the freedom afforded long-form storytelling, the moment was right to give the Falcon his due.

“Suddenly, what had been a classic passing of the torch from one hero to another at the end of ‘Endgame’ became an opening up of our potential to tell an entire story about that. What does it really mean for somebody to step into those shoes, and not just somebody but a Black man in the present day?” says Feige.

Like many comic book heroes, Mackie has an origin story marked by tragedy at a young age — specifically around the loss of a parental figure. The New Orleans native is the youngest of six children from a tight-knit middle-class family, whose trajectory was spun into chaos when his mother was stricken with a terminal illness.

“It was unexpected and very untimely. I was 15 when she was diagnosed with cancer, and a few months later, she was gone. She passed the day before my ninth-grade graduation,” Mackie recalls. “If my mom wouldn’t have passed away when I was so young, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Mackie had already gravitated toward the performing arts before the loss of his mother, having enrolled at the pre-professional school New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Like many young people grappling with trauma, Mackie says he began to act out. A core group of teachers helped get him out of trouble. Ray Vrazel, still an instructor at the school, personally drove the student to a Houston-based audition for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he was accepted for his senior year of high school.

“Everything I did, I did for my mama. The idea of leaving home at 17 to go away to school would have never been an option if she was still around. She was my best friend. Losing her gave me a kind of strength, and a desire to succeed,” Mackie says.

Succeed he did. Spending that formative year as a minor on a college campus helped Mackie find his “tribe,” a misfit crew of artists and performers, which propelled him to acceptance at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School in 1997. There he was part of the breakthrough class of students of color to be chosen for the notoriously selective drama program, which Mackie says was liberating given the institution’s track record.

“Our year was a huge transition. There were hardly any Asian people in the drama program, maybe one or two Black people and hardly any Black women. In our class, we had three black women, two black men, one Native American, one Asian female, out of 20 people. Ever since then, the classes have been wildly diverse,” says Mackie, whose fellow students included stage and film star Tracie Thoms and actor Lee Pace.

Following his training, Mackie launched a staggeringly versatile career. He has played Tupac Shakur and Martin Luther King Jr. to similar acclaim, a juicehead bodybuilder in “Pain & Gain” and a homeless gay teen in the Sundance player “Brother to Brother.” He has exhibited remarkable staying power in an industry that often pigeonholes actors and has a pockmarked soul when it comes to inclusion.

“I was drawn to Anthony because of his electrifying ability to combine intensity with sensitivity, courage with compassion, and all of it comes across as inevitable, as if it could be no other way,” says Kathryn Bigelow, who directed him in the 2009 best picture Oscar winner “The Hurt Locker.”

Samuel L. Jackson, whom Mackie calls a mentor and has played alongside in several films, says he has “an innate quality that first and foremost makes everyone want to cast him.” On a recent idle Netflix search, Jackson came across Mackie’s latest sci-fi film, “Outside the Wire,” and it triggered a memory of sitting in the audience for his performance in the 2010 Broadway production of Martin McDonagh’s play “A Behanding in Spokane.”

“Watching him onstage, I thought, he’s a very adroit actor capable of putting on many hats. He’s fearless and will try to be anybody. Then, on my TV, he’s playing a nanobyte soldier or some shit,” Jackson says.

Though always humble about getting the next job, pre-Marvel Mackie was rarely offered pole position.

“There were certain pegs. My first was ‘8 Mile.’ It was a monumental step at the beginning of my career,” Mackie says of the 2002 Curtis Hanson film that elevated rapper Eminem to multi-hyphenate stardom.

“After that it was ‘Half Nelson.’ It blew up Ryan Gosling, so I was there to ride the wave. Then ‘The Hurt Locker,’ and it blew up Jeremy Renner. It was the joke for a long time — if you’re a white dude and you want to get nominated for an Oscar, play opposite me. I bring the business for white dudes,” says Mackie.

He remembers the sensation “Hurt Locker” caused during its awards season. It was a moment he thought would change everything as he stood on the stage of the Dolby Theatre with the cast and filmmakers, having just sipped from George Clooney’s flask while Halle Berry radiated a few rows away.

“I thought I would be able to move forward in my career and not have to jostle and position myself for work. To get into rooms with certain people. I thought my work would speak for itself. I didn’t feel a huge shift,” he says, “but I 100% think that ‘The Hurt Locker’ is the reason I got ‘Captain America.’”

He’s referring to “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” the 2014 Marvel film that was the first to be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo (the current title holders for the highest-grossing film of all time with “Avenges: Endgame”). Mackie says that blockbuster not only gave him his largest platform to date but changed expectations of superhero movies forever.

“It was the first of the espionage, Jason Bourne-esque action movies at Marvel. After that, the movies shifted and had different themes and were more in touch with the world we live in, more grounded,” he says.

Bolstered by the words of another mentor, Morgan Freeman, Mackie feels no bitterness about his path.

“We did ‘Million Dollar Baby’ together, and when we were shooting this movie, I got offered a play. When you do Off Broadway, it’s $425 a week. In New York, that’s really $75 per week. I got a movie offer at the same time, and it was buckets of money. Three Home Depot buckets of money were going to be dropped off at my door,” Mackie says. “The script was awful; the whole thing was slimy. I went to Morgan’s trailer and asked him what he would do. He took a second and said, ‘Do the play. When Hollywood wants you, they’ll come get you. And when they come get you, they’ll pay for it.’ That blew my mind, and I left him that day with such a massive amount of confidence. He’s been a huge influence on me.”

He used the currency of that first Russo Brothers film and five subsequent ones to do what many creators and performers in Hollywood have done in recent years to help balance the scales of profit and representation in content: make things on his own.

Last year, Mackie produced and starred in “The Banker” — what would be Apple Studios’ first foray into original streaming film distribution and the awards landscape — through his banner Make It With Gravy. The film follows the true story of America’s first Black bankers and the white frontman they deployed to acquire the institution, all while supporting Black-owned businesses and communities in the process. A late-breaking scandal over sexual misconduct accusations involving the real-life family members of the film’s subjects delayed the release, overshooting awards-season deadlines and entangling the fledgling producer.

“It was a good lesson, and gave me a new perspective on the world around us. It’s very important to me that the women by my side are treated equally. It was a valuable lesson learned. I was very humbled by my sisters, for once not being mean to me,” he says.

Mackie is in development on the film “Signal Hill,” about the early days of lawyer Johnnie Cochran and the theater he brought to courtrooms long before the O.J. Simpson trial, and is hoping to secure the life story of civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin as a vehicle for his directorial debut. Raising four sons of his own now, Mackie wants his off-screen work to make them well-rounded men.

“Look at Robin Williams,” he says. “He used to be crass and funny, and then he had kids, and he started doing all these family-friendly movies. Same thing with Eddie Murphy. I’m trying to curate my children’s experience with the things that I’ll be producing, rather than starring in. That’s what is most important. They know my job is my job; they know who I am. I’ve given up the idea of them ever thinking that I’m cool,” he says.

Jokes about the call sheet are among many of Mackie’s filming quirks. Jackson says that sets are often littered with hidden cigar stubs, to be fired up between takes or after long days. Bigelow says his rapport with crew has led to nights where the “clock was ticking but it was impossible to regain composure enough to shoot.” But according to Evans, no Mackie-ism is more famous than the phrase he bellows whenever his directors cut a scene: “Cut the check!”

Evans says this “will be forever associated with Mackie. I find myself saying it on sets all the time. I love it. But I’ll never be able to say it as well as him.”

As the man handing Mackie his armor, Evan says the Falcon’s “role within the Marvel universe has answered the call to action time and time again. He’s proven his courage, loyalty and reliability over multiple films. Sam has given so much, and he’s also lost a lot too. He believes in something bigger than himself, and that type of humility is necessary to carry the shield.”

The question of Sam Wilson’s humanity will be explored at length in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” what Mackie calls a deeper showcase for both himself and Stan and their characters. It was a prospect that at first confused and frightened him.

“I didn’t think we could do on the television what we’d been doing on the big screen. I didn’t want to be the face of the first Marvel franchise to fail. Like, ‘See? We cast the Black dude, and now this shit is awful.’ That was a huge fear of mine, and also a huge responsibility with playing a Marvel character,” Mackie says.

He was quickly assuaged by the level of depth in the scripts from head writer Malcolm Spellman (“Empire,” “Truth Be Told”), especially when it came to the nuances of Wilson — a Black American man with no powers beyond his badass wings.

“Sam Wilson as played by Mackie is different than a Thor or a Black Panther, because he’s not from another planet or a king from another country,” Feige says. “He’s an African American man. He’s got experience in the military and doing grief counseling with soldiers who have PTSD. But where did he grow up? Who is his family? Mackie was excited to dig into it as this man, this Black man in particular, in the Marvel version of the world outside our window.”

Mackie celebrates Sam’s relatability in a universe full of mythological gods and lab-made enforcers. “I’m basically the eyes and ears of the audience, if you were put in that position where you could go out and fight alongside superheroes. It adds a really nice quality to him, that he’s a regular guy who can go out there and do special things,” Mackie says.

While bound by standard Marvel-grade secrecy, the actor confirms there have been no discussions of a second season for “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” As the majority of domestic movie theaters remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, he is equally unaware of the theatrical prospects for his Falcon character — or the Captain he may become by the end of this Disney Plus run. For now, he’s content to take up the mantle left by Boseman, a quietly understood pact of responsibility to Marvel-loving kids the world over.

“For Chad and I, [representation] was never a conversation that needed to be had because of our backgrounds. There was a hinted-at understanding between the two of us, because we’re both from humble beginnings in the South; we have very similar backgrounds. We knew what the game was. We knew going into it,” he says.

Outside comic book movies, Mackie is not done searching as a performer. There is a particular genre he would very much like to cut him a check.

“My team gets mad at me for saying this, but I would love to do a cheesy old-school ‘When Harry Met Sally’-type of project,” he says. “One of those movies where I’m working outside and have to take my shirt off because it’s too hot. I want a romantic comedy. I want to do every movie written for Matthew McConaughey that he passed on.”

[tempestaurora]

FANDOMS: Marvel, Voltron: Legendary Defender, The 100, Harry Potter, The Raven Cycle, Community, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Umbrella Academy

NOTES:

i tagged every tumblr i could reasonably find. if you have more than one fic on this list, i have tagged you more than once. some people may be tagged like five times. i’m not sorry.

where relevant, fandoms have been split into general (platonic) centric fics, and romantic/slash fics. this is just because it’s easier than splitting it up into specific relationships.

at the end of every fic title/author line is a list of core relationships; fics are split between gen and romance depending on what relationship is considered centric. otherwise, fics are in no particular order. All fics are completed unless otherwise specified.

i added a read more because there’s over 100 fics listed here.

anyway, enjoy, thanks for the 3k followers

M A R V E L

gen centric fics

SHORT (0 - 5K)

K.I.D. by blondsak @blondsak | Tony&Peter

summary: “Hi K.I.D. Glad you’re awake. Do you know your primary objective?”

“To always look for ways to remind Mister Stark - that’s you! - that Kindness Isn���t Dead.”

“That’s right, K.I.D. Good job.” 

forty miles by peter_stank @peter-stank

summary:  the one where Morgan is sick and Tony is in way over his head, so he calls his spiderson for a little bit of help. Tony&Peter

from now on by peterparkr @peterparkrr |  Tony&Peter

summary: Peter’s sure that Tony and Pepper’s wedding will change everything. 

Machine Wash Hot; Tumble Dry Low by alice_in_ink | Tony&Peter

summary: Do you ever fall into sewers and then need your billionaire mentor to wash your super-suit? Peter Parker does too. 

Captain That by maddo | Tony&Peter

summary: Just a bunch of little anecdotes regarding our favourite spider and his Instagram account, feat. a meme-tastic Tony Stark.

Here's to all the new beginnings by Gruoch @groo-ock | Tony&Peter

summary: Peter gets a job. Tony is less than pleased. 

to know, to protecc, and to fuck with by peterstank and floweryfran @peter-stank @floweryfran | Tony&Peter, Natasha&Peter, Sam/May

summary: peter parker convinces the responsible adults in his life to join him on the world’s stupidest stake-out. 

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

i used to have nothing and then by dirgewithoutmusic @ink-splotch | Clint&Natasha

summary: “Clint,” Natasha said. “You’ve got to let me go.”

“Clint,” she said, and he let her go. 

the hearth by sagemb |  Tony&Peter

summary: What to Do When Your Wife Is Out of the Country: A Guide by Tony Stark

1) Gain partial custody of a child 2) Sleep on the couch 3) Have the child gain partial custody of you.

Love in Ones and Zeroes by forensicleaf @forensicleaf | Tony&Peter

summary: a boy, a bot, and a bond through the years. Tony&DUM-E

call you home SERIES by Madelinedear | May&Tony, Tony&Peter

summary: sometimes family is who you're born with. and sometimes family is a spider boy, a rich not-dad, and a kickass aunt. (or; tony, may, and peter find a place in each other's lives) 

Not-Uncle Tony by Jen27ny @jen27ny | Tony&Peter, Happy&Peter

summary: Happy is Peter's biological father, and Tony is there for the entire ride. 

Between how it is and how it should be by frostysunflowers @frostysunflowers | Peter&Bucky, Tony&Peter, Steve&Bucky

summary: ''Doesn’t Captain Rogers ever…wonder,'' Peter winced as he fumbled for the right word, ''where you are?''

Bucky smirked. ''Steve’s a regular mother hen. Used to be me that worried about him.'' He gave Peter a pointed look. ''Better question is, isn’t Stark wondering where you are?''

The Unfortune Teller by peterparkr @peterparkrr | Tony&Peter

summary: A woman in a carnival booth predicts Peter's death. 

all the things yet to come (are the things that have passed) by peterparkr @peterparkrr | Peter&Morgan, Tony&Peter

summary: The first time Peter sees Morgan is at the funeral. 

tony and peggy’s big day out! by floweryfran @floweryfran | Tony&Peggy

summary: “What’s happened this time?”

“Just a bombing,” says Peggy.

“At three in the afternoon?” says Jarvis. “Frankly, how rude.”

Blips on the Record by ambivalentangst @ambivalentmarvel | Flash&Peter, Tony&Peter

summary: Flash Thompson’s story is not simple, Peter Parker can always use someone else in his corner, and secrets are had and protected by all. 

aiding and abetting: a peter parker saga by floweryfran and peterstank @floweryfran @peter-stank | Peter&Avengers

summary: 5 times peter parker runs into the rogues separately + the 1 time they work together as a team. 

Tennessee Outreach for Spider-Man (and friends) by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Harley&Peter, Harley&Tony

summary: in an attempt to help Harley beef up his college apps, Tony offers Harley a remote Stark Industries internship to help Spider-Man. It easily becomes his worst nightmare. 

Allston Christmas by Gruoch @groo-ock | Tony&Peter, Tony&Peter&Rhodey

summary: “You guys didn’t have to do this,” Peter says from where he sits squeezed into the middle seat of the U-Haul, sweat running down his back. The air-conditioning in the truck they’ve rented is broken, and even with the windows rolled down it’s hellishly hot inside.

“We wanted to,” Tony replies as he blasts the horn at a minivan with a “Harvard Mom” bumper sticker that is attempting to cut into his lane.

so happy together by floweryfran @floweryfran | Tony&Ben

summary: ben parker calling tony stark a twink for 13k words

LONG (20K+)

An Unofficial Introduction to the Avengers SERIES by Isnt_it_pretty_to_think_so @isnt-it-pretty-to-think-so-tr | Tony&Peter

summary: The Avengers meet Spiderman via the online world, and then meet Peter Parker in Stark's living room. It takes them longer than it should to put two-and-two together. 

what is and will be (is you and me) by momentofmemory @momentofmemory | May&Peter

summary: 5 times May was there for Peter, +1 time he was there for her. 

dear mr. fantasy by iron_spider @iron--spider | Tony&Peter

summary: He grits his teeth and turns around, and before he can even begin to trudge over towards Peter’s room, he’s stopped in his tracks. By a door. In the middle. Of the living room.

“Well that’s new,” he says, still rooted to the spot.

timshel SERIES by justanotherblond @blondieewritess | Bucky&Peter, Steve/Bucky

summary: The soldier doesn’t remember his son’s birth or how he came to be. He doesn’t remember bedding a woman and watching her belly swell, but they said the boy was his. He does know that he will protect and teach the boy within the confines of their cell walls. Even when the handlers berate him. Even when the good guys take him away. 

odd couple buddies SERIES by bysine | Peter&Bucky, Sam&Thor, Tony&Peter

summary: "You know you're not supposed to call him the Winter Soldier any more, right?" Peter says, while they handcuff him to a pipe. A pipe. "Also this whole thing is kind of messing up my schedule. My two overdue papers won't exactly write themselves."

i understand (i’m a liability) by floweryfran @floweryfran | Harley&Tony, Harley&Peter

summary: “I… am not being challenged in the right ways here,” Harley says slowly, carefully.

“Then move here,” Tony says, and Harley’s heart drops straight into his feet. 

Roundabout by Gruoch @groo-ock | Tony&Peter

summary: In which Peter attempts to survive long enough to graduate, Tony moonlights as a semi-professional party planner, and absolutely nothing goes according to plan. 

Uncle Steve's Fix-it Freelance Gig (and friends) SERIES by whowhotellsyourstory | Steve&Morgan, Tony&Steve, Bucky&Peter

summary: "You ever need help, and I'm not there-""Why wouldn't you be there?""You call Uncle Steve."

notes: probably my favourite post endgame fix it fic/series in existence

Dumpster Fires Verse SERIES by deniigiq @deniigi | Peter&Wade&Matt

summary: A collection of Team Red stories because they are all hot messes. Except Peter. Two-Thirds of them are hot messes.

Impression, Sunrise by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Peter&Morgan

summary: In Peter Parker's eyes, Morgan Stark is a lot of things: a terrible pancake chef, a top notch negotiator, the world's cutest six-year old. But above all, she is his family. He hopes he's enough. 

The Room Where It Happens by notapartytrick @notaparty-trick | Tony&Peter

summary: At 7:36 pm on the 12th of May 2016, Tony Stark is put in the Room.

A twelve-by-twelve-foot shed, soundproofed, double locked. It becomes his home. It has to be, because there’s nowhere else.

At 4:22 pm on the 15th of June 2017, Peter Parker is put in the Room.

They make a living under duress, fearing at every moment the entry of their captor. Confinement halts their lives in their tracks, changes them both for good: breaks them and brings them together simultaneously.

“If someone has everything they need, but nobody, do they have everything? Or nothing?”

romance centric fics

SHORT (0 - 5K)

written in the star(war)s by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Peter/Michelle

summary: Michelle looks at the nurse one more time, and despite the evidence, asks, “Are you sure it’s twins?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” the nurse points them out again. “One boy, and one girl. Due...May 4th.”

It only takes Michelle 2.3 seconds to realize the horror of that sentence. 

Steve Rogers is (Not) A Good Influence by stevergrsno @stevergrsno |  Steve/Bucky, Steve&Peter

summary: Steve Rogers' American Tour Of Waiting For His Brainwashed Boyfriend To Come Back And Blowing Up Hydra is interrupted when Tony Stark dumps Peter Parker into his lap.

Captain ‘Socialist Rage Muffin’ America by mybrotherharry @baffledkingcomposinghallelujah | Steve/Tony, Steve/Tony/Bucky

summary: It takes three months of dating Steve Rogers for Tony to understand why Aunt Peggy once shot at him in sheer frustration.Alternately titled, Honey, I committed treason again. 

Soft Spot for the Hell Raisin' Boy by ifeelbetter @ifeelbetterer | Steve/Bucky

summary: The Winter Soldier takes an interest in Sam Wilson. Bucky Barnes wants to tell him how to be Steve Rogers's best friend.

Cat’s Cradle by Traincat @traincat | Peter/Felicia

summary: The test was positive.

Felicia tilted it idly this way and that, sitting on the bathroom floor with her back against the cupboard. The floors and the counter tops were marble, and the shower door was glass. Every one of Felicia’s moves seemed to echo in the large room, even though she knew that she was making no sound.

The test was positive. She didn’t bother to check the box to make sure she’d gotten the little symbols right. She’d known before she took it.

“Well,” she breathed out, tilting her head back to inspect the ceiling. “Damn, Spider.”

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

cross this river to the other side by defcontwo | Steve/Bucky

summary: In 1943, the Howling Commandos wrote goodbye letters to be given to their loved ones in the event of their deaths.In 2014, Sharon Carter finds those letters in a tin can in an abandoned HYDRA base. 

Tony Stark Googled The Thing by mybrotherharry @baffledkingcomposinghallelujah | Tony/Pepper, Tony&Peter

summary: When Morgan is six months old, Pepper goes back to work and Tony takes over as stay-at-home dad. Discovering the mommyblogosphere is the inevitable next step.

Winter Soldier Program by NocturneByChopin | Steve/Bucky

summary: Here’s the thing: he’s got a bit of a secret. It involves a boy that went and became famous when Steve wasn’t looking. 

i was found and now i don't roam these streets by hipsterchrist | Steve/Bucky

summary: Bucky relearns himself and how to be on a team, the rest of the Avengers try to get answers, and everyone watches too much Criminal Minds. 

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Michelle/Peter, Michelle&Happy, Tony&Peter

summary: Ever since her mother died a few years back, Michelle's relationship with her father became strained in their grief. One night, after she's forced to show up at Peter's covered in bruises and in need of stitches, she remembers that even the most unsuspecting dormant volcanoes can erupt.

Brooklyn by togina @toli-a | Steve/Bucky

summary: "Captain America, what's your stance on gay marriage?"

Everyone knows that, by now. Everyone but Bucky.

Steve Rogers at 100: Celebrating Captain America on Film by eleveninches, febricant, hellotailor, M_Leigh, neenya, tigrrmilk | Steve/Bucky

summary: Steve and Bucky find out Hollywood has been busy since they went away. A historical survey, including but not limited to: one set of exploded genitals, a brief interlude in France, Mel Gibson and other masterworks of casting, eight Academy awards, several dinosaurs, and something Tony Stark has ominously dubbed “the masterpiece.” Art included.

Project: Get Bucky Barnes a Dog by ruxian | Steve/Bucky

summary: Bucky Barnes does not have a dog. Bucky Barnes does not want a dog. Sam thinks that should change. Bucky does not agree. 

On My Radar by sprinkle_of_cinnamon | Steve/Bucky

summary: The Winter Soldier first noticed it when he was on the helicarrier.

The blonde’s shoulders were broad, incredibly broad.

They stretched the blue uniform in a wide span, drawing down to a narrow waist. It was a distinctly triangular silhouette. It was entirely improbable. And somehow it was strangely familiar.

The Winter Soldier raised his gun and fired. He didn’t have time for distractions, or Steve Rogers’ shoulders. 

LONG (20k+)

despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by praximeter @praximeter | Steve/Bucky

summary: “Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.” 

notes: may i say a massive fucking HOLY SHIT??????????? incredible. iconic. life-changing.

United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C. 2015) by fallingvoices and radialarch | Steve/Bucky

summary: The Associated Press @AP Winter Soldier set to stand trial for Washington D.C. massacre and treason apne.ws/1og6SWE 

Bucky Barnes: Former Disney Channel Star SERIES by mambo @whtaft | Steve/Bucky

summary: "The question the entertainment world is asking themselves today is... Who is Steve? Hollywood superstar Bucky Barnes was spotted at a wrap-party last night, serenading someone named Steve onstage.” 

Not Easy Conquered SERIES by dropdeaddream and WhatAre Fears | Steve/Bucky

summary: In 1945, Steve Rogers jumps from a nosediving plane and swims through miles of Arctic Ocean to a frozen shore.

In 1947, Steve Rogers marries Peggy Carter.

In 1966, the New York Times finds the lost letters of Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes.

notes: if you’ve read stucky, you’ve read this series. i know this. just like i know that its the most GODDAMN BEAUTIFUL series ever written. no topping it. it’s number 1.

Strays by snarklyboojum @snarklyboojum | Steve/Bucky

summary: After finding himself alone for the first time in decades, the Winter Soldier learns how to be a person again. Mostly through caring for an orphaned kitten, countless rounds of YouTube roulette, and stalking Captain America. 

hold me until we crumble by queenklu @queenklu | Steve/Bucky

summary: “Sam told me you were watching Antiques Roadshow,” Natasha says, shaking out her hair. “I assumed it was a national emergency.”

notes: one of my favourite standalone fics i’ve ever read

half awake in a fake empire SERIES by idrilka | Steve/Bucky

summary: In the aftermath of Steve's return to the world of the living and the battle of New York, the academia and the Internet react.

by the river potomac i sat down and wept by peterstank @peter-stank | Steve/Bucky

summary: bucky barnes atones.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell SERIES by AnnaFugazzi | Steve/Bucky

summary: Captain America and Bucky Barnes were like brothers. Everyone knew that. 

Out of the Dead Land by orphaned account | Steve/Bucky

summary: Someone is building machines that look and act like people.

Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier tries to be Bucky Barnes.

V O L T R O N:  L E G E N D A R Y  D E F E N D E R

romance centric fics

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

called out your name (but it was too late) by arahir @arahir | James/Keith, Shiro/Keith

summary:  An old classmate watches Keith fall in love with someone else. 

so much for the after party by arahir @arahir | Shiro/Keith

summary: Shiro gets his groove back.

i breathe disaster by arahir @arahir | Shiro/Keith

summary: After the wedding, Keith leaves Earth in search of something he can keep. 

notes: what doES THIS M E AN?!!!??!!?!?! i cried over this ending. i cr i e d. actual real tears. it was so upsetting somehow. and i am so confused. and i went and found the author’s imagined ending in the comments to help understand the open one and it just made me SADDER. i think this is one of those fics that tries to teach me to read the tags and back away at the word “angst”. anyway, excellent, everything i’ve read from this author was incredible

LONG (20K+)

Alien Sex Fiend by Glossolalia | Shiro/Keith | WIP

summary: It started at a drive-in in the 1980s. Unfortunately, this is a love story; a love story about the frontman of Quantum Queef, a punk band, and a boy who rides a red motorcycle. Also, they fight aliens. 

notes: i’m OBSESSED with this fic. i have read it many times. shiro as a punk singer of a band called Quantum Queef????????? and the fact that it’s the only fic on this account???? absolute POWER MOVE.

T H E  1 0 0

romance centric fics

SHORT (0 - 5K)

golden gunned girls by littlearrows | Bellamy/Clarke

summary:  They’re not good girls. They have no reason to be. 

notes: i think about this fic approximately twice a week despite reading it five years ago. there’s a song called gold gun girls by metric that makes me absolutely feral and would be the dream theme song for the intro sequence of the girl gang tv show of my dreams

and then my soul saw you by synchronicities | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Lexa tells Clarke that love within the cluster is the worst kind of narcissism. Bellamy begs to differ. Sense8 AU.

givers prove unkind by emullz | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: a modern au in which bellamy is in a band, he writes an album about clarke, and she is his ophelia. also, marriage.

she sounds like sex on the radio by lecornergirl | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: “Wait, hold on,” Clarke says. “Are you suggesting I—in the booth?” But her tone is a lot sterner than she feels. Against her better judgement, she’s into it. 

notes: idk what to tell you. i have only bookmarked like three smut fics in my life. it deserves it ok.

the kids aren’t alright by opensummer | Multiple Relationships

summary: The Pacific Rim fusion seven ways. 

notes: probably???? my favourite? pacific rim au? i’ve ever read??? does so much with so little

Haven’t You Heard? The World is Coming To An End by Jenye @likcoln-blog | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: So where would you rather die? Here or in Jaeger? Pacific Rim AU. 

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

three points (where two lines meet) SERIES by PinkCanary | Bellamy/Clarke/Raven

summary: Clarke wears the two names on her skin like a badge of honour. 

Icarus Lives by karusarchive @cluelesskaru | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: No one could ever have predicted the kaiju were coming.  Clarke Griffin was in need of a new Co-Pilot. Bellamy Blake had just graduated. You can guess how that goes.

notes: if anyone knows me at all, they know i’m a MASSIVE pacific rim fan. like, own all the books and graphic novels and have multiple pacrim t-shirts kind of fan. THIS FIC was my first experience with that franchise. my first ever. i watched the movie BECAUSE of this fic.

Pony Regrets SERIES by Chash @ponyregrets | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Octavia drags Bellamy to a My Little Pony tournament. Bellamy is deeply upset about the whole thing, but then the girl running the tournament is really cute.

The Internet Is Forever SERIES by Chash @ponyregrets | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Apparently, the internet has been shipping Bellamy Blake (of Team Arkade) and Clarke Griffin (of Craven Cosplay). No one told Bellamy about it. 

Nothing Like Old Times by LayALioness @filmnoirsbian | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: “Clarke killed some guy and stuffed him in the trunk,” Jasper says delightedly. “Your cousin’s dark, dude.”

“Yeah,” Bellamy nods, trying to backtrack. Sometimes he wishes she was actually better at making things up. “She’s a…closeted Goth.” Terminator AU. 

the feel-good hit of the summer by disco_vendetta @errorofyourways | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake are sleeping together. (aka ROCK BAND AU) 

notes: i think about this fic an OBSCENE amount. it’s been five years since i first read it.

LONG (20K+)

Your Mess Is Mine by monroeslittle @argyledpenguin | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: modern AU, Clarke grows up with Octavia, and Octavia's brother. 

notes: the fic that got me into fan fic in the first place. top tier. 42k.

Love Will Come Through by monroeslittle @argyledpenguin | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: AU. Clarke winds up in an arranged marriage with Bellamy. 

Neeeeeeeeeerds by Chash @ponyregrets | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Clarke joins the Junior Classical League for two reasons: to appease her mother and to annoy Bellamy Blake.

Our Time Now SERIES by TazmainianDevil | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: The Ark may have been short on all resources vital to sustaining life but one thing they never ran out of was guns.On an Ark that has always been defined by violence, Jake Griffin manages to save his daughter's life and Clarke joins a gang to change the world.

Disney Channel You by Chash @ponyregrets | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Bellamy only goes to the open casting for Clarke Griffin's new Disney Channel show because Octavia begs him. He never thought he'd actually get the stupid part. 

And You Understand Now Why They Lost Their Minds and Fought the Wars by marauders_groupie @marauders-groupie | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Clarke doesn’t understand why they say that soulmates are one soul in two bodies. Her soul has five other bodies and she would give her life for any of them. Sense8 AU. 

notes: probably my favourite sense8 AU i’ve ever read?? and i have read Many

build this fire higher, higher toward the sky SERIES by adelicatepeach | Bellamy/Clarke

summary: Clarke's jaeger goes down on a Thursday. Pacific Rim AU. 

H A R R Y  P O T T E R

gen centric fic

LONG (20K+)

yer a wizard, dudley by dirgewithoutmusic @ink-splotch | Dudley&A Lot of People

summary: Minerva fished in her pocket without looking, because the only things allowed in her pockets were only ever exactly what she needed. “I've come to deliver this,” she said, “because Hogwarts by-laws require a professor to hand-deliver acceptance letters to Muggleborn families for their explanation and comfort." 

notes: i have only ever cared about two harry potter fics in my life. this is one of them.

the family evans by dirgewithoutmusic @ink-splotch | Petunia&A Lot of People

summary: What if, when Petunia Dursley found a little boy on her front doorstep, she took him in? Not into the cupboard under the stairs, not into a twisted childhood of tarnished worth and neglect—what if she took him in? 

notes: this is the other one

T H E  R A V E N  C Y C L E

gen centric fic

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

Helter Skelter by Anonymous | Ronan&Blue

summary: In hindsight, a road trip with your step-brother and his best friends in Gansey's dying Pig is not an ideal way to start summer break. Sargent-Lynch siblings AU.

meet hennessy by izzylizardborn @gaybluesargent | Hennessy&Jordan

summary: Hennessy had seen movies. She knew how this went. When it came to clones, there was always a good one and an evil one. She didn’t need to wonder which was which.

life is not a movie, maybe by coyotesuspect | Ronan&Blue

summary: Ronan gets kicked out of Aglionby and enrolls at Mountain View High for his senior year. The only problem is, no one remembers to tell Blue. 

Honeymoon by vexmybones | Ronan&Blue

summary: Blue and Ronan living together, no buffers, no bullshit, this is how they cope. 

the bugs and alphabet by Pi @rhea314 | Ronan&Blue

summary: In which Blue babysits Chainsaw, Ronan & Blue make angry art projects, and some conversations are almost had. 

romance centric fic

SHORT (0 - 5K)

Pretty Good, Right? by suddensingularity | Ronan/Blue

summary: Blue wants to have sex before her true love dies. Ronan helps out. Ronan/Blue

notes: yeah ok this is one of the three smut fics i’ve bookmarked its fun ok

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

It Had To Be You by shinealightonme @toast-the-unknowing | Ronan/Adam

summary: Ronan hates basically everything about their business, or that's what he tells Blue, but the worst part is that he's constantly meeting cute guys and none of them are single. 

darling, don’t make such a drama by shinealightonme @toast-the-unknowing | Ronan/Adam, Ronan&Henry, Ronan&Declan

summary: "Straight answers are boring," Cheng says, "and yes I do mean that for all values of straight. I do not need Ronan to share his tragic backstory, I would much rather deduce it on my own."

"Who says I have a tragic backstory?"

"With your fearsome glower and troubled good looks? If you did not have a tragic backstory it would be a waste."

 C O M M U N I T Y

romance centric fic

LONG (20k+)

Playing House by itsactuallycorrine @itsactuallycorrine | Jeff&Annie

summary: Six years ago, Jeff let Annie go. She never returned to Greendale, and he moved on. Now, he's a single dad to a one-year-old and he needs her help.

A V A T A R:  T H E  L A S T  A I R B E N D E R

gen centric fic

SHORT (0 - 5K)

call it dreaming by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Toph&Gaang

After the war, Toph has nightmares. The screeching of metal, Sokka and Suki's screams, the snap of Sokka's leg as it broke from their fall. It's usually his confession that they aren't going to make it that makes her wake up in a cold sweat. She's anxious all the time now, unable to find peaceful sleep.

The cure is apparently to try and hold all of her friends hands for all hours of the days and hope that they're cool with it. 

what’s in a name by ciaconnaa @ciaconnaa | Toph&Sokka

summary: At her request, Sokka teaches Toph to write her name.

He learns a thing or two about the weight his own name holds in the process.

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

the beginning of a new and brighter birth by aloneintherain @captainkirkk | Zuko&Gaang

summary: “I’m so proud of you, my nephew.” Uncle cups Zuko’s face in his lined hand. The gesture is so tender, his palm so warm, that Zuko has to take a fortifying breath against the sudden swell of emotion in his chest.

“I want to be a good leader, Uncle,” Zuko says. “I want to look after my people.”

“You will,” Uncle says. “You are, nephew.”

In a new era of peace, Zuko works to be a very different Fire Lord than his forefathers.

the scope of blindness series by littlelionlady @thelittlelionlady | Toph&Gaang

summary: There are just some things that Toph's feet can't see.

Her hands can though.

Or, Toph learns what her friends look like by tracing their faces. 

notes: geniunely how goddamn beautiful is this. like. i cried. this is so soft and so cute and it made me feel SO MANY things

All The Gentle Creatures by Haircrescendo @sword-and-stars | Iroh&Zuko

It’s said that you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat animals. Zuko may be loud and stubborn and sharp but all the woodland creatures love him. 

LONG (20K+)

The Family You Choose by TunaFishChris | Zuko&Gaang

summary: Some people are born with soulmarks. Zuko has them, but his grandfather burned them off because they "make you weak."

Team Avatar has a few things to say about that. 

such selfish prayers by andromeda3116 @andromeda3116 | Katara&The Fire Nation, Katara/Zuko

Katara's ambition, so long set aside for the good of others, breaks free and sets fire to her soul. Or, Katara has a vision of her canon future, casts it aside, and becomes a world-changing politician instead. 

and love will be your teacher SERIES by Ford_Ye_Fiji @ford-ye-fiji | Iroh&Zuko

summary: "And you will know the pain of losing a firstborn son." Ozai loses Zuko. Iroh gains a son. And the future changes.

notes: excellent excellent excellent excellent makes me very happy indeed

romance centric fic

SHORT (0 - 5K)

on commitment by jdphoenix | Zuko/Katara

summary: “Just explain it to me again.”

“There is no way you can pass as my brother and we are way too conspicuous as two unrelated people, from different nations, traveling together. So we’re pretending to be married.”

we hold our hearts in silence by psychedelic_aya | Zuko/Katara

summary: Seventy years later, Korra tries to figure out Zuko and Katara. 

oracle bones by orphaned account | Zuko/Katara

summary: The foreign, pictorial characters that bracelet Zuko's left wrist have never been covered in any of his lessons. He cannot read them. And then he turns thirteen, and his father burns his wrist along with his face.

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

late nights/early mornings SERIES by shmulia @shmuliawrites | Zuko/Katara

summary: Whoever set off the fire alarm at 2 in the morning is on Katara’s shit list. Even if he is hot and shirtless. 

the thing about dancing by anodymalion | Sokka/Zuko

summary: The first time a attendant spills Zuko’s tea and doesn’t immediately fall to her knees, begging the Fire Lord’s forgiveness, it is not anger but a resounding warmth that fills his chest.

LONG (20K+)

Fate Deferred by catie_writes_things @catie-does-things | Zuko/Katara | WIP

summary: Aang remains in the iceberg ten years longer. He awakens to a very different world. 

The Sparrowkeet SERIES by audreyii_fic | Zuko/Katara

summary: Ba Sing Se has fallen and Katara has been captured by the Fire Nation; a more adult take on the potential progression of S3. AU series of interconnected one-shots. 

notes: i would die for this series, particularly the last instalment. i enjoyed every single fic and it was just such a GOOD STORY.

T H E  U M B R E L L A  A C A D E M Y 

gen centric fic

SHORT (0 - 5K)

you from yesterday by questors (sieges) @softpunks | Five&Siblings

summary:  The difference between who his siblings once were versus who they are now. 

Ghost Math by pinstripedJackalope | Five&Klaus

summary: Number Five needs a new hobby now that the apocalypse is off. He decides to help Klaus--and in turn maybe he'll help himself. 

Then There Was Two by AnneKatherine | Five&Vanya

summary: Reginald Hargeeves finally decides to allow Grace to name the Academy. Unfortunately, he's only willing to let her name the Academy, which Seven is unfortunately not a part of.

[or how Five gave away his name]

(he definitely didn't want one anyway) 

i tiresias (have foresuffered all) by ThatWeirdGuyInTheBushes | Five&Siblings, Five/Delores

summary: Five misses sharing his birthday, but Five has missed a lot of things.alternatively; number five, coffee, and the art of taking back. 

MEDIUM (5 - 20K)

The Five Vetting Process by jaz_hop | Five&Siblings

summary: In which Five is incredibly invested in the love lives of his siblings, because they're obviously too stupid to choose anyone worthy enough to be their partner. Otherwise known as Five being stupidly over-protective, and incredibly invasive in the hopes of keeping his siblings safe and happy... even if he is being a stalker and a dick about it. 

LONG (20K+)

You and I Together Forever SERIES by Ace_of_Spades_400 @ace-of-spades-400 | Vanya&Siblings

summary: What if it hadn't only been Five, what if it hadn't been Five at all?

A series of stories about what would have happened if Vanya had chosen a different sibling.

Sometimes the choice isn't hers.

Timeliness 1-2.1 SERIES by dgalerab | Hargreeves Siblings

summary: As the world ends, Five takes his siblings back into their child bodies on the day he originally left. With the knowledge of how the world ends fresh in their minds, the Hargreeves siblings do what they can to leave clues for their past selves on how to grow up a little less fucked up before returning to the present.

A present where they all have different lives they can't remember, there's a fun new apocalypse on the way, and Reginald Hargreeves remembers the day where all his children suddenly and inexplicably lost their minds and all respect for him at once a little too well.

Rare Birds SERIES by Cryptix23 | Hargreeves Siblings

summary: An alternate 2019 brings with it new problems and new dangers.

The two sets of Hargreeves children mix like water on a greasefire. It's hard to tell which group is unhappier about the situation -- the Sparrows, trying to navigate the minefield of their new siblings' many traumas, or the Umbrellas, trying to carve their place back into a world that forgot them.

Plus the whole saving-the-world thing hanging over them all.

Whether they like it or not, they're going to have to learn to work together. 

Partners, Parents, or None of the Above by DarkFairytale | Diego&Klaus

summary:  Kenny's mom assuming that Diego and Klaus were A) a couple and B) Number Five’s parents was both bemusing and amusing at the time. But that was because it was the only time it had ever happened. Now though? Now they just can't understand why these misunderstandings keep happening. 

[purplesurveys]

851

How have you been feeling lately? Have you been doing ok? Uncomfortable because of period cramps and the heat WHICH IS STILL HERE, even though it’s supposed to be gone right about now and it’s supposed to be raining at this point. I wish I was kidding saying this but we literally have three electric fans turned on just for the living and dining rooms. It’s crazy and stupid and it shouldn’t be this hot anymore. I’m doing better mentally and emotionally, so at least that balances things out lol.

Are you currently in quarantine? Still am. While all countries are slowly going back to normal, our Covid cases continue to get higher and higher everyday because our government hasn’t done anything except to make us stay home for three months. No mass testing, no alternate public transport plans, and for some reason Duterte keeps borrowing billions of dollars’ worth of loans from the World Bank nearly every week, and we have no idea where the stupid fucking money goes. Our government is convinced they’ve been doing everything right so they’ve loosened up quarantine protocols, so with malls and restaurants being open again we’ve done nothing but reach record high cases almost every day.

Do you wear a mask when you go to the store? I’ve gone outside a total of three times since March and I wore a mask for two of those times. The first time I went out I just genuinely forgot to bring a mask, but in the end it was fine because I only had to stay in the car.

Does your state require people to wear masks in stores? As far as I know it’s not a requirement per se, but fortunately everyone follows the safety precautions anyway.

Do you know anyone who’s had the coronavirus? Yeah, my mom’s former boss. This is a bit of a stretch but I also know someone personally who had immediate family members that tested positive.

What was the last sweet treat you ate? I had a peanut butter doughnut from J.CO! Soooooooo good.

Was it a nice day out today? No, it’s too hot. Even if life was normal rn I’d prefer to be indoors with air conditioning, like a mall.

Is the weather nice where you live usually? Fuck no. It is disgustingly hot, sticky, and humid 3/4 of the year.

What was the last thing you ordered online? I don’t do a lot of online shopping. When I get something online it’s usually to get food delivered, and the last time I did that it was me and Andrew getting Hong Kong noodles.

Are you expecting a package right now? Nopes.

Have you ever ordered anything from Wish? If so, what did you buy, and did you feel it was worth it? No, though I remember Good Mythical Morning featuring it in a couple of episodes. I don’t feel comfortable buying from stores or sellers that sell things for a lot cheaper because they could always be fake, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable buying from that site.

Are you a youtuber? If so, are you consistent with uploads? and how many subscribers do you have? I’m not, but I do have my own channel. I just use it to like videos and subscribe to my favorites, though.

What is one thing you hate about summer? The weather. Honest to goodness I’d really rather live somewhere that gave me -40C weather everyday.

Did you go outside today? No. My dad wanted to bring Cooper to my grandma’s place and I planned to come along, but at the last minute he changed his mind and did just the errands he was supposed to do.

What is the name of your youtube channel, if you have one? It’s just my full name because my YouTube is linked to my Google account.

What was the name of the last store or restaurant that overcharged you? I don’t know any instances where that would happen. I don’t find service charge inconvenient because I know that directly goes to the servers anyway so I don’t mind how high it gets most of the time. Is your room more often messy or clean? It’s clean most of the time but sometimes when I’m busy I won’t be able to keep it clean and it’ll be clean-messy? Like I’ll leave stuff around but I’ll still know where everything is lol.

Who is someone you miss? ALL MY FRIENDS BRUH

What is something you miss? Being able to go out and freely do activities. Life Pre-COVID < Life pre-COVID, perfectly put. I miss getting an allowance, being out until midnight, having dates with my girlfriend thhe most.

Do you feel like your emotions are often haywire? Not necessarily, but they can get pretty unstable sometimes.

Have you ever received a misdiagnosis from a doctor? Nah but I’ve been given a prescription that didn’t work. We went to our family doctor who made me take a certain medicine for three days, and I started getting worried when three days had passed and I still had my fever. I went to Angela’s mom and she was super quick to tell me that that medicine wasn’t the right one to take for a UTI and prescribed me with something else; and that second one ended up working like magic.

Have you ever been “diagnosed” with a mental illness from an online friend? who is not a doctor? If yes, isn’t that frustrating? That’s never happened before, but if it did I wouldn’t let my frustration get the best of me. I’d just tell them that they should avoid doing that if they’re not a professional because they could very much end up seriously harming people.

Do you have any friends that you can trust and tell everything to? All of them.

What was the name of your favorite roommate you’ve had? Kimi :)

Do you have a favorite book that you’ve read multiple times? Yeah when I was a kid I would reread this book that an aunt had given me for Christmas as much as I could. For many years I forgot the title but after painstakingly Googling the few keywords I could remember I finally found out it again – it’s a series called Three Girls in the City by Jeanne Betancourt, but I only ever read the first book because it was the only gift I got. It’s not my favorite book, but I’d be so happy if I got to be reunited with it again because I don’t think we got to keep it around when we moved houses.

What’s one book or book series that you’ve read multiple times? ^ That, multiple wrestling memoirs, and Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. I’ve also reread the Twilight Saga once.

What was the name of the funniest kid you’ve ever babysat? I never babysat anyone other than younger relatives, but the one I enjoyed taking care of the most was my cousin Lucas. He was the smartest kid I babysat so it was fun talking to him, plus his yaya was always nice to me, they had a playground and sandbox at home, and all I had to do was keep him company while he watched Thomas and Friends over and over.

Do you enjoy babysitting? Just the younger relatives that were smarter and more behaved. I didn’t like the kids who thought kicking and being rowdy were fun.

Do you have any big regrets? One big one.

Are there things about your past that bother you? Of course. My entire childhood is one.

What was the last thing you saw or read on social media that made you angry? OMG get ready for this one. Our dumb as a rock presidential spokesperson was talking about how happy he is that the country beat UP’s (my school, which the government hates because we always talk shit about them lol) prediction of 40,000 Covid cases by the end of June if the government doesn’t do anything to prevent more cases. How many cases do we have? Fucking 36,000. Our government is happy because they finally beat our school over something for the very first time and they are technically happy that we got 36,000 cases, which if you round up will give you 40,000 anyway. My school had a fucking FIELD DAY over it and now he is a national meme.

Do you often post about controversial topics on facebook? At first I didn’t but that’s because I wasn’t active on Facebook in the past anyway. After I realized that I had a bigger friends list on Facebook I decided to put it to good use and post about controversial topics to educate others. It’s made a bunch of conservative family members uncomfortable and that’s the goal, son. 

Do you think it’s a good idea to post about serious topics on social media? or do you think that it’s better to discuss serious topics in person? It definitely is. In person is good too but you don’t always get that opportunity, so sharing stuff through social media doesn’t hurt too as long as information is accurate. For instance most of my relatives life far from me, so if I want them to get a piece of my mind about Trump or BLM or abortion, sharing informative graphics and tables is always convenient.

What was your favorite book you had to read for school? Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana is my absolute favorite. It’s probably the closest thing to being my favorite book. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a good runner-up. On the other hand, Dekada ‘70 by Lualhati Bautista is my favorite that was written in Filipino.

Have you ever failed a class and had to repeat it? Nope. I really believe I was meant to fail algebra in my freshman year in high school because I failed every exam, but I think my teacher just took pity on me and gave me a barely-passing mark at the end of the year so that I didn’t have to go to summer school. As for college, I’ve never failed a class.

What class in school did you hate the most? In college I hated my economics elective. I still don’t know why that’s mandatory for us journ students... I also dreaded a couple of journalism classes, but it was more because of the teachers than the classes’ topics.

Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? I don’t think so.

What’s one childhood dream that has stuck with you, and one that has not? Having a big house; becoming a firefighter.

Would you want to re-live your childhood over again if you could? I’ve already said it on this survey, but: fuck no. I’m ok where I am now, even if I am a clumsy adult.

Which do you like more: being an adult or being a kid? Being an adult. Being a kid meant having to stomach the smell of hard alcohol and cigarettes from morning to evening everyday; being caught in the middle of screaming matches between drunk relatives; and being cramped in a single-floor home with 12 people. Like I said, I love where I am now. The amount of independence I gained in college was freeing and felt so nice and I’m glad my parents never tried holding me back. I’m also glad that I didn’t fall into the same alcohol trap, and that I know how to deal with my alcohol responsibly.

At what age were you when you started to feel like you were mature enough to offer others advice? Around college-age, so like when I turned 18.

Did your parents smoke or drink when you were growing up? Neither of them did, because we had enough alcoholism happening at my old home. It was actually my drunken relatives that finally drove my mom out of that house.

Do you enjoy bonfires? I’ve only been to one and I was like 9 years old then, so I wouldn’t know how I feel about them now.

Have you ever stepped on a sparkler? Nope.

What, do you know of, are you allergic to? No allergies.

Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? Also nopes. I always feel bad for the ambulances that I see because I live in a very traffic-heavy city and they always end up getting stuck and crawling through traffic like the rest of us. We do try to swerve, but our roads are so tiny and always cramped that there’s little space left for us to move out of the ambulance’s way, so even though we’re able to make a path for it, the space is not big enough for the ambulance to drive in the speed it’s supposed to.

What is your favorite version of the Bible to read, if applicable? That’s a big no thanks from me.

Do you follow trends? or are you a trendsetter? Yeah, I follow some of them if I think they are nice.

Has anyone ever described you as a trendsetter? Nope, because I am not.

Do you know anyone who used to be loving, but then turned cold? List three people you’ve known whom this has happened to. My mom, Athenna, Macy. The only person I don’t resent out of these three is Macy, because I know she turned distant due to mental health issues and because she wants to fix herself first, which is responsible.

What SAT subjects, if any, did you get a perfect score in? We don’t have SAT.

What were your best subjects in school? and what was your favorite subject in school? I loved taking history electives in college, and I performed the best in them too. I also did well in international relations, which was under the political science department.

Have you ever been abused by a parent or legal guardian? I’ve been verbally and emotionally abused by my mom ever since I can remember.

Do you have a lot of wounds from your past? If we’re getting visual then I’d rather say that I have one ugly, infected gash that gets bothersome from time to time. My past isn’t made up of little tiny scattered wounds.

Has anyone ever called you a jerk? Behind my back, probably.

Are you a jerk? I can be, so I don’t mind being called it. I never said I was the nicest person.

What color were your bedroom walls in high school? They have always been white. My mom doesn’t let us have control over our own rooms, so in the beginning it’s always been plain boring white. Don’t get me wrong, I like my room but sometimes it just feels like living in a cell.

Is there a girl or guy you wish you hadn’t let slip away? I wish I was still close with my high school friends, and I remember saying how they were for keeps in my old surveys so that makes me extra sad haha. I’m civil with most of them, but no longer close. And I only ever talk to them if it’s their birthdays or if they achieved something big. The only people I’ve remained close with from that original group are Angela and Hans.

Is there an old friend that you miss and would like to reconnect with? Not really. Sofie and I have grown apart from each other now and we’re both very happy, so there’s no need to change that. I’m okay with seeing her once or twice a year.

Who has hurt you the most? My mom.

Have you been bullied? Yeah in kindergarten. Long-lasting effects though.

Which talent show, if any, would you most like to audition for? and have you auditioned for one? No thanks. I don’t have the kind of talent that I can show off, like singing or playing an instrument.

Do you know anyone who’s auditioned for American Idol? I don’t think so. But my mom knows someone who auditioned for our local version of America’s Got Talent. He’s a ventriloquist that my mom used to get for our parties. As far as I know he got into the grand finals, but I’m not sure if he won.

Is there someone you think should audition that hasn’t yet? American Idol’s been over for a while now.

What time of day do you usually feel your best? I love the evenings.

What’s one way in which you’ve changed within the last ten years? I was in sixth grade then, I’ve graduated from college now. My mom was purely verbally abusive to me then, now we have brief stints of having an actually healthy relationship. I had one dog then and I have two dogs now; I had no friends then and I have tons of them now. There’s been a lot of tiny changes but nothing that were life-changing.

Do you feel like time goes by fast, or slow? It goes both ways depending on how stimulated I am or how much fun I’m having.

Who do you know who has died of cancer? One of my great-aunts.

Has there been cancer in your family? Yeah, ^ that. Other than her I’m not sure if we’ve had other cases. My family tends to be hush-hush about cancer and only ever call it ‘c’ or ‘the big one.’

Have you ever stayed overnight in a hospital, and if so, what for? Yes, once for a low platelet count.

Have you ever been a victim of police misconduct? No but the cops here are just as corrupt as the ones in the US, so I can very much be a victim any time. It’s just a matter of being in the wrong place at the right time.

Have you ever been so angry you wanted to sue someone? Not so much that I wanted to sue someone, no.

Have you ever been a victim of racism? My country isn’t diverse at all and we’re all Filipinos here, and I’ve only ever traveled to Asian countries, so no. But racism is a big reason why I have no plans to go to other countries known for it.

Have you ever deleted a friend on Facebook for making racist comments? I’ve unfriended those who were being little bitches about BLM and George Floyd’s death, so I guess that kinda counts as being racist. I still have a few racist Facebook friends that I keep around, but that’s because they’re family members.

What was the last thing you ate? Binagoongan.

What was the theme of your senior prom? Clair de Lune, so like the moon and shit.

Did you go to prom? It was mandatory, so I had to go even though I really had no interest.

Have ever been engaged or married? I have been neither.

Are you an aunt or uncle? Nah but I’m a godmother to one of my cousins.

Do you live to glorify God and to do His will? LOL no

Are you happy with the way you are living your life day-to-day right now? It could be better and more filled with activity. But I’m not miserably depressed right now and that’s more than enough for me.

Do you feel like your life was better or worse six years ago? It was slightly better. I feel like 2014 was my best year.

Have you ever made a huge, catastrophic mistake? Not anything that ruined my life or someone else’s, no.

Do you feel like you are currently in a state of suffering? and that not all of your basic needs are being met? If so, how long have you been in a state of suffering? Basic needs?? So you mean poverty? No.

Do you hate social injustice? Absolutely. Anyone who tolerates it is automatically a gigantic prick, I’d say.

Are you happy with the current social class you are in? No. I don’t know how it translates to English, but in Filipino we have this term called naghaharing-uri that comprises the very very very very tiny top of the social pyramid and it’s made up of top government officials and their families, heads of corporations, old money families, etc. It’s no secret that it’s this 1% that exploits the 99% remaining in the pyramid, so even though I’m relatively comfortable in my class, I hate that, when it comes down to it, we’re only being used by this 1% for their own benefit.

Life isn’t fair. True or false? True.

Do you hate that life is so unfair? Sometimes, if it’s for stuff about social injustice and how some people have to be homeless, why homophobia exists, etc. But if it’s for tiny problems, I feel like they’re necessary sometimes so we can learn from them.

Name a few people who seem to have everything handed to them. Some richer kids that I know.

Who do you go to when you’re upset? Sometimes myself, sometimes Gabie.

Do you pray less or more than you did 5 years ago? A LOT LESS, thank fuck I got out of that trap.

Do you pray a lot? Definitely not.

Do you frequently have back pain? Yeah, haha. Kinda expected considering I have scoliosis.

What’s the worst side effect you’ve experienced for a medication? and what’s the worst withdrawal effect you’ve experienced from a medicine? Nothing worse than diarrhea. I’ve never experienced withdrawal.

Have you ever used an epi pen? Nopes.

What’s a name that you like but probably wouldn’t use for one of your kids? Isabella because I’m already an Isabelle and my girlfriend has a sister named Isabela.

What’s your name, and do you like it? Robyn. I like it now.

Would you prefer to give your kids common names or unique names? Common, more old-school names. I just feel like they sound super elegant.

Do you feel like anybody values you in the way that you deserve? Angela, Andrew, and Gab.

Who have you felt the most valued by? ^ Them.

Have you ever been treated like you were inferior? For sure.

What was the name of the biggest bully in your high school? Oh my god this survey is so long... we didn’t have bullies in high school. We had mean girls and mean girl cliques, but as long as you weren’t involved in drama with them you’d be fine.

Do you ever sleep outside? Nah. I’d sleep at the rooftop but there are sooooo many mosquitoes at night.

How many siblings do you have? Two.

Are you the oldest, youngest, middle, or only child? Eldest.

How many kids do you want to have? One or two would be great.

Do you want to get married? Yessssssss.

Best date you’ve been on? Probably that time we went to BGC so we can feel fancy and have a fancy dinner, then when we meant to walk back to our car to go home we ended up having impromptu drinks at like 11 PM when we randomly found a jazz bar loudly playing live music in the area. OH and that time we went museum hopping in Manila and we ended the day having delicioussss Italian food.

Dream date? Traveling out of the country.

Ever kissed someone on New Year’s? Nah. We celebrate New Year’s with our respective families so there’s no chance of that happening. Which is fine, because New Year’s is traditionally a family-centric holiday here so it would be weird for anyone to ditch their families.

Have you ever had an experience so good you felt like you were flying? Sure.

Have you ever been in so much pain you prayed that you would die? YES, with my toothache last year.

What brings you the most joy? My dogs.

What is your passion; what is it that would bring you the most joy and fulfillment in life? I’m at a point where it still keeps changing, so I don’t wanna give an absolute answer to this just yet.

Have you ever laid your dreams aside because someone else wanted you to? That’s never happened to me. I only ever gave up on one dream because it realistically wasn’t attainable, when it came down to it.

Who supports you in everything you do? My two best friends.

Who always tries to stop you whenever you try to go after your dreams? I haven’t had anyone bar me, but if someone tried to they would definitely hear from me.

Do you believe in following your heart, in going after your dreams? Not always.

Do you wish other people would want you to be happy? Of course.

Do you wish you had someone who loved and supported you? I already do.

[aspiestvmusings]

ENDGAME: PARALLELS

SPOILERS, BEWARE! 

SUPER LONG MASTER POST!

All* the little parallels, callback, tie-ins & little nods in Endgame:

* Not really all of them, but just a few... most “important” ones according to me.. This is not a complete list...as I've not seen all 22 films & because there are just too many to list them all in here: 

CHEEK KISSES: In the beginning, when Tony returns from space - the fist Pepperony scene, where he kisses Pepper’s cheek VS In the Pepperony end scene at the battlefield, where she kisses Tony’s cheek.

The Pepperony couch scene & Pepper telling Tony that if he doesn’t do it/let it go, he won’t be able to rest VS the Pepperony end scene, where she tells him that he can now rest...finally.

Tony’s first recorded message to Pepper...the one he makes in space in the beginning of the film  (the one from the trailers) and him asking not to post it in social media, because it’s a real tearjerker...is both a call-forward to the end of the film, where we see & hear Pepper & Morgan & others listen to his (last) tear-jerking message from beyond,  AND a call-back to the very first Iron  Man, where Tony asks the soldiers to not post the picture they snap with the legendary Tony Stark...on MySpace/online. 

The Tony/Peter scene from A3, where Peter tells Tony “I don’t wanna go, mr. Stark”, VS A4 Tony/Peter end scene, where he basically  says the same thing... (just the other way around)

One side of Tony’s Iron Man helmet  being completely destroyed in the beginning of A4:EG...after the events of Infinity War...as he records his message to Pepper in space VS Tony’s one side (right side of his face & body) being completely destroyed/burned by the power of the infinity stones after he snaps his fingers at the end of A4:EG

Tony’s home (the Malibu villa) & family (Pepper) being attacked in IM3 VS Tony’s home (the Avengers Headquarters) & family (The Avengers) being attacked in A4:EG. Water being part of the scenes in both cases. Both being “bombed” by aircraft (helicopter, spaceship)

Tony spending 3 weeks on a spaceship stranded in space, trying to get out of the situation alive...with an alien creature (Nebula) made out of “spare parts” in A4: EG VS Tony spending 3 months in a cave held hostage, and trying to escape by building his first Iron Man suit from a box of scraps/spare parts in IM1. Useful spare parts. Playing board games to kill the time/entertain themselves.

Tony wearing the BLACK TANK TOP during the “mechanic” scenes - the clips of him & Nebula fixing the ship, as he is welding/fixing something in A4: EG VS Tony wearing the BLACK TANK TOP during building the first iron suit in the cave...as he is welding/creating the suit in IM1  VS Tony wearing the suit as he is creating the new element (to keep him stable) in his Malibu house basement in IM2. 

Tony’s comment to Morgan  that Mommy/Pepper never wears anything he buys her (but the thing is... he didn’t buy the helmet/suit, he made them...for her) in the beginning/middle of the films VS Pepper showing up in the end wearing the thing/outfit Tony bought/made her. Bonus:  the Rescue armour in A4 seems to be based on the colour of that IM1 first Pepperony dance dress (blue-ish) - the one  “Tony gave/bought her for her birthday” So... she actually does wear things he “buys” her.

Morgan asking for a cheeseburger, when Happy asks her what she wants to eat at the end of A4:EG, after Tony's funeral VS Tony asking for a cheeseburger as the 1st thing he wanted after he got home/to US after being held hostage for 3 months in IM1. 

Pepper adding Tony’s first arc reactor (the one she framed & gave him as a present instead of throwing it away as he had asked... and in doing so saving his life in the first film) to the flowers at Tony’s funeral scene in A4: EG VS Pepper framing the first arc reactor and giving it to Tony as a gift in IM1. As “proof that Tony Stark has a heart” 

The scary “visual” parallels - Thanos & his dream of Garden & small-time farm life VS Hawkeye living that quiet family life on a farm (as seen in past Avengers) VS Tony living that quiet farm life...with his wife reading about composting...  They all kinda wanted the same thing, but the motivation and reasons and ways to get there are different. But still... crazy “similarities”

Kids coming to Team Avengers, while they’re out in public (restaurants)... as civilians (not in their costumes) & asking for autographs/photographs Kids asking for Hulk/Banner’s autograph/selfie with him in A4:EG VS Kids asking for an autograph from Tony in IM3. 

The look back: Nebula & Gamora. Nebula saying she doesn’t need her sisters help, when she offers her hand to help her up in 2014  VS Later when Gamora helps  Nebula up in 2023 - she lets her/asks her to offer her hand to help her get up.  

Thor summoning his hammer, Mjolnir during the 2013 time heist and the “wait for it” moment, where they say that it might take a moment for it to fly to him in A4: EG VS Tony “summoning” his suit to him (first the gauntlet, then the other parts) and stalling while he waited for the gauntlet & other suit pieces fly to him ... the “wait for it” moment, as he was tied up in IM3 

Pepper entering the Big Fight to help Tony out in her Rescue armour & having Tony’s jaw drop in sight of her in A4: EG VS Pepper entering/returning to the Big Fight after surviving the fall because of glowing from Extremis in her body & having Tony’s jaw drop from the sight of her in IM3 

Clint watching Nat fall from the cliff after he’s unable to hold onto her in A4:EG VS  Tony watching Pepper fall in IM3, when he was unable to catch her...after he asked her to reach for his hand. Tony’s “You gotta let go” vs Nat’s “Let me go” 

Father & Daughters theme. Started in Avengers 3 with Thanos/Gamora & Thanos/Nebula VS continued in Avengers 4 with Hawkeye & his daughter (we see his whole family, but the focus is on the daughter, not the sons), Scott & his daughter, Tony & his daughter (very important!). Plus that hint about Nat’s father  (that’s for sure part of the MCU future) The parallel of father/daughter relationship...throughout the MCU

The gauntlet scene parallels: The first time we see a character turn over the gauntlet... and be really surprised about what they see- Rocket Raccoon’s surprised look when he finds that there are no infinity stones embedded in the gauntlet VS The end scene, where a character  turns it over... and being surprised to see what they see... -- Thanos finding out after the hollow snap that there are no infinity stones inside his gauntlet...and realizing Tony did some magic to snap them from him. Both of characters realizing... something... these scenes are visuals parallels

Thor powering up Tony in the Lobby (before) with (lightning) his hammer during the 2012 time heist VS Thor powering up Iron Man at the battlefield (later) using his lightning.

In IM2 we see Tony find a video message from his dad... (to him, his kid) - that is meant to be seen by him when his dad is gone VS In A4:EG  we see that Tony records a (video) message for his offspring too - to be seen after he’s gone. But those messages are very different at heart. (PS. There is no doubt in my mind that was not the only message Tony has recorded over the years  that that is not the only message left behind from him. (He most likely even had a failsafe in the suit to download his consciousness or something like that).

Tony’s dad in the video footage found by Tony in IM2 asking the kid (him) to be taken away from the “office” after he had snuck in there asHoward was working, cause he’s got more work to do and no time for the kid VS Tony as a dad putting aside the work (he’s made another huge discovery...) when his kid sneaks into his “office”, and putting work aside and focusing on his kid. #NoAmountOfMoneyEverBoughtASecondtOfTime

Howard’s legacy (greatest thing he created) is his son, Tony VS Tony’s legacy (greatest thing he created) is his daughter, Morgan. And Howard’s legacy being “war” VS Tony’s legacy being “peace” 

Tony’s dad/Tony father-son relationship VS Tony/Tony’s child relationship (his relationship with his own child) are very different. As we’ve heard & seen...many times in past MCU movies... Tony’s relationship with his parents/father was...not good. But... he broke the cycle. The fact that his father wasn’t a good father doesn’t mean that he won’t be - he makes different choices & doesn’t excuse his behaviour with “i grew up knowing nothing good, hence I became not good myself”. He proved that professionally already in IM1 with his decision to choose peace over war/wealth. And now he proved it personally, too. A complete arc.

Tony at the end of A4:EG in the battlefield...taking the power of the stones in his suits gauntlet on his knees, holding up his hand VS Tony in IM1 in the desert... as he’s about to be rescued..on his knees, holding up his hand. Visual parallel....kinda. 

Water being the element & connecting visual during death & funeral scenes - Clint waking up in shallow water after Nat’s sacrifice...as he gets the soul stone VS Nat’s memorial moment by the lake next to the Avengers HQ in the middle of the film VS Tony’s funeral by the lake next to the Stark/Potts countryside home VS small, quiet memorial moment for fallen team members (Wanda & Clint talking Nat & Vision?) by the river. 

I AM IRON MAN. Tony’s last words as Iron Man, just before he snaps his fingers being “...and *I* am Iron Man” in A4:EG  VS Tony’s last words at the press conference for damage control at the end of IM1 being “(Truth is...) I am Iron Man”. The words that started his journey as the superhero & the words that ended his story as the superhero. VS The words also being the last words of IM3... so he starts & ends his journey both within the IM trilogy & the Infinity Saga 22 films with the same sentence. 

Tony’s last words in IM1 - his first lines as Iron Man (publicly) were “I am Ironman” VS Iron Man’s last lines in A4 are “...and I am Ironman” #fullcircle  PS.  While those are Iron Man’s last words, they are not Tony’s last words. His last word is Pepper’s name...Pep (”Hi, Pep” He really drifts off thinking of her...every night). And then the final voice over (which is essentially a goodbye message from RDJ & IronMan... and parallels IM3...which also had an end voiceover...) RDJ saying goodbye to the character/Tony saying goodbye to IM... and summarizing the book that are the films from the past 11 years.. which should make it easier for us, fans, to move on, but... I think it’ll take some time to accept that RDJ really isn’t gonna play IM anymore...and that this really was the end of the journey....at least in this form.

Not to mentioned the many more obvious similarities: Like his A2 vision that Wanda “showed him” being visually very similar to what the battlefields looked like in A3 & A4 (down to the shield being broken in two). Like having a kid named Morgan...named after that eccentric uncle. Like solving a complex problem seemingly overnight (time travel, new element, miniature arc reactor...)

List compiled between April 24th & May 10th

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E23 (June 19, 2018)

Welcome to tonight’s Talks Machina. Today’s preshow: the weather throughout the Dwendalian Empire. I’m sure this isn’t foreboding at all. Tonight’s guests: Matt & Emmy-award-winning Sam Riegel. Sam has a prepared bit for the opening that he just found out he was supposed to prepare. He gets out, “How many... light bulbs...” before BWF has pity and throws us to the title screen.

Tonight’s announcements: New M9 shirt in the new CR store at shop.critrole.com. The show also now has their very own dedicated Critical Role Youtube & Twitch channels--however, don’t worry, as it’ll still be broadcast in all current locations as well. After Dark will continue to be available on After Dark only. There also will not be any Talks Machina or new Critical Role episode July 3 or July 5, as they’ll be making the move to a new studio during this week. (Marisha’s stepped down at G&S to make this move to full-time CR management as well.) There’s a summary post of these announcements with a FAQ on critrole.com, if you need more information.

Before we can get to CR Stats, Sam interrupts to ask Matt why they’ve never had an NPC with a French accent. Matt, answering in an excellent French accent, explains that they’ve not come across any regional areas that are analogous to France yet. He suggests they visit the Menagerie Coast.

CR Stats! The M9 have now officially rolled 99 natural ones. Nott’s in the lead with 22. Sam only has one d20 that he rolls, and he thinks Laura’s bad luck is rubbing off on him.

The M9 have now been traveling together for about a month. Matt, deadpan: “They’re such a tight-knit family.” He does like that everyone’s getting to see the ground-floor development and occasionally has to remind himself to set the scene because he gets sucked into the roleplay.

Kiri has imitated people 82 times--Sam loves Matt’s imitations.

The D&D Beyond theme song was a greater achievement than the Emmy (per Sam): “It was a thing that I just came up with...that became the anthem for a generation.” The Emmy is a bucket list, pinnacle professional achievement, but he loves that he got to write & make the theme song. (Also: two years on one cartoon vs. fifteen minutes on a song.)

Matt has a tumultuous history with the Streamys. He directed a web series ten years ago and was invited to contribute to a big montage...only to find out right before the show that it had been cut from the program altogether.

The battle with the Merrow played out fairly close to how Matt had envisioned it, although the players’ positioning led to some interesting situations. It was more challenging in certain moments without Nott, especially when Matt was trying to decide how certain events would play out. Sam sidebars to point out how much he loves it when a battle changes halfway through (either due to traps, additional enemies, or the map changing). Matt says there are many battles they’ve had in the past where certain traps were never triggered. However, you can’t do it too often or it becomes expected. (Matt does feel bad when he’s rolling well and the PCs are rolling badly.)

Nott’s water thing Sam invented during the game (because he thought it would be funny, natch), but he’s come up with a backstory since then that explains why she’s so afraid of water.        

Matt plays out combat as designed even when a PC suddenly decides to not participate--unless it’s a new group that doesn’t fully understand D&D combat yet, and it would impact their enjoyment of the game. He wants people to understand that there are consequences with character choices. 

Sam often finds it bothersome when they know they’ve missed something in game, especially when it’s an important story beat. It’s the worst when Matt gives them multiple chances to succeed, and they still end up failing all of them. Matt confesses sometimes he makes them roll checks on general knowledge they’d have known anyway just to make them feel a certain esoteric skill was useful for once. 

Nott feels terrible she sat out the Merrow fight only for Caleb to come close to death. Sam: “Nott feels awful about it. Sam Riegel feels great about it! I love situations where it doesn’t look like it’s going well.” Plus, the night before she also got Caleb in trouble with the bowl thing. BWF’s a little worried it’ll affect their relationship.

Matt claims that Kiri was not at all related to wanting to prove he could do Jester’s accent. He rolls for random encounters when they’re traveling, and Kiri was one he’d considered to demonstrate the presence of kenku, while also highlighting that non-Empire people are moving away from the conflict. He half-expected them to ignore her altogether. 

Matt reveals that Kiri has six (6) (SIX) hit points. “She’s practically a baby bird!” Sam has a retroactive panic attack that they’ve been bringing her to all these battles. Me too, bud. Sam accuses Matt of “not having brought anyone worthy of taking a baby bird off our hands.” Matt: “You haven’t even looked!” They wonder together about the possibility of a baby bird orphanage in Hupperdook.

GIF of the Week! @justjamesearle. It’s long and perfect and details the Fjord whack-a-mole death saga with the venom splashes. 

Nott’s opinion of Kiri hasn’t changed at all with the reveal that she heard/repeated her conversation with Caleb. Sam thinks Nott should have known better than to talk with a recording device in the room, especially since she only ever repeats it when it’s hilarious or well-timed. “It’s hard to live with a soundboard.”

Matt keeps a list of notes of what Kiri can say. It’s super fun, and he sometimes gets so caught up in conversations he forgets to write down things for her to repeat later.

Nott wished Kiri hadn’t repeated the facts from her backstory, but she’d never considered being aggressive towards “little RiRi” (oh God it’s too adorable). She still doesn’t like a lot of attention. Both BWF & Sam applaud Matt for giving them little prods to reveal backstory.

Dagon, Matt & Marisha’s bird, provides a lot of inspiration for Kiri. Matt talks about being a bird owner after growing up with cats and dogs, and reveals that wanting to utilize that knowledge was part of why he introduced kenku.

Nott finds Beau the exception to her general mistrust of the group, which is why she let her care for Caleb after the last fight. She feels Beau has been weirdly sensitive and protective even through her lens of abrasiveness, and she respects that she hasn’t spilled the beans about Caleb’s backstory.

Fanart of the Week! @obeymybrain, which is a great group portrait in four vertical-column stylings after the Haunted Mansion from Disneyland.

If the troll hadn’t been slowed by Caleb, Matt thinks the group would have permanently lost someone. Matt loves the new monsters that are punishing to melee characters. He thinks they did a good job damaging it at range at first, and Sam waxes poetic on all the options they didn’t pursue instead (like Saran-wrapping the door before it came running out). Oh, what could have been.

Sam’s love for Liam is stronger than Nott’s love for Caleb, because “...Liam kisses back.” They’ve known each other half their lives now.

If the M9 pursue dynamite as a common battle tactic, Matt may need to prepare for his builds to be destroyed more often. It’s still limited by the relatively new availability of blackpowder and has a high possibility of backfiring depending on their rolls.

Nott wishes she could tell everything to Caleb, but is limited by the realities of their show, since it’s hard to find a time that’s not full of dick or drug jokes. There’s been times they’ve been alone together but Caleb hasn’t asked any questions; Sam thinks “He needs to do some Marisha-style questioning. That is an inquisitive monk, and I love her for it.” Matt points out it’s a critical aspect of her character that she wants to know everything.

Matt played out the last Fjord moment in front of the whole group in part because it would have interrupted the flow to have everyone leave, and in part because he trusts his players not to metagame now that they’re all learning bits and pieces of each other. He liked the visceral smash-cut of the vision to the party watching Fjord jam this thing into his stomach.

Matt does have to juggle all the party’s backstories since it’s such a large group; some will be long-game just because of the natures of their stories. He likes to drop threads as they go, though, so everyone feels more connected to their world. Players feel like the stakes are higher when they can see their stories reflected and affecting the living and breathing world around them.

Nott wasn’t particularly bothered by Molly immediately forgiving the bandits right after they hurt her. “They’re just dumb. They’re just dumb and they need to go. They’re too dumb to hurt.”

Matt knew the outline of Hupperdook before the party ever heard of it. Now that they’ve expressed interest in it, he’s begun filling in the details since it looks likely that they’ll visit it soon. It helps that they’re limited to speed of foot & horse; when they can start bamfing everywhere in later game, it gets a lot harder. Matt’s advice in that situation is to give the town a unique social structure or aspect, to make a bold choice that will cause it to stand out in their mind. It helps if you can ask what the players are looking for, then “yes and” based on what they’re seeking (he builds an idea of two competing taverns poaching clients from each other off a spur-of-the-moment request from a player asking if there’s an inn nearby).

Sam does rehearse his more performative ads ahead of time. He usually writes them the day of over lunch, although lately he’s been trying to get them done on Mondays and Tuesdays so he’s not as stressed on Thursday.

There’s no specific inspirational character for the Gentleman. Matt wanted to create an outside-the-law businessman who wasn’t your typical ~thief-lord~ while still seeming unique against the world. He wanted him to be charismatic and domineering, welcoming until you crossed a personal or business line, in which case he’d immediately put you in your place. 

Nott still considers her old goblin tribe a threat to her & is reluctant to confront them. She does feel a little more prepared now that she has more allies, but is hesitant to meet old demons & old memories. Matt sidebars to point out that a lot of these character backstories could be self-driven, since there’s nothing keeping them from visiting Nott’s hometown now. They could pursue it at any time if they wanted.

The firearms in the world are a direct result from Percy & Ripley; she dealt them out in heavy trade areas like Marquet, which results in the technology being distributed in a way that now impacts the M9 in their world. They’re still limited by materials, though.

Matt loves the joy on Tal’s face every time they mention firearms are readily available in Wildemount.

Everyone’s distraught over Tal’s Vicious Mockery in the last episode. Bless his heart. Matt: “Sometimes you come out of the gate and realize you’ve come out without your pants on. You commit, and you walk away.”

Sam misses giving inspiration on a regular basis. He also has a lot of insecurities over his current inability to contribute to a battle with much more than crossbow bolts. BWF: “Just sent Nott to a bard college.” Matt: With a -3 charisma, I think you’re taking inspiration away from people.”

Favorite M9 voice to mimic as Kiri? Partially Jester, because it’s just funny, Nott is shrill and ridiculous, and has lately been enjoying mimicking Fjord for the few times he’s been echoed.

The Nott voice is not hard at all on Sam; it’s mostly falsetto, which BWF says he usually talks in off-camera all the time anyway.

After Dark: After This

In CriticalRoleLand, Dani would like to see Vex’s Flying Brooms. BWF suggests a waterslide that ends in Vex’s & Percy’s bathtub; Matt suggests it be a goldfish ride that goes over the side. He also likes a teleporting ride that goes into Umbrasyl’s belly, and Sam comes up with a dunk tank for heckling Tary.

Matt talks about that viral Youtube video with the weather forecaster naming the city that’s like 100 characters long. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, that’s the one.

Nott’s Tinder profile? “Short, green, looking for mean. Buy me a drink and I’m yours.”

Matt wouldn’t be surprised if this campaign does eventually touch on family in the same way the first one did. However, Sam feels so far it’s much more about identity, and Matt tacks on regret & making amends. He also thinks trust & learning to accept help from others is still developing, since so many of these characters have been hurt in some way.

VM had a lot of very classical heroic archetypes; this campaign is full of many more human, subtly complicated characters. Matt loves the contrast.

The eyes. The EYES.

Sam agonizes that in his Friday retellings of the campaign’s story to his six-year-old son, it drives him crazy that he can’t answer his son’s questions as to why something happened. His son does ask “does Matt Mercer know?” and Sam is glad he can say yes.

Sam loves the idea of the world hinging on the bandit troupe they keep running into. I debated troop or troupe there, but given the hysterics they keep causing, I’m sticking with troupe.

If they met, Nott would steal every single thing from Taryon Darrington. Except that lame book, of course. “That’d be amazing. And! Possible! We’re on the continent, right?” Sam rubs his hands together gleefully...until Matt points out Taryon’s been relegated to NPC status & Matt would be the one controlling him now.

Matt usually prepares a guest for the show by meeting with them ahead of time. Depending on how much (or if ever) they’ve played before, he helps them build a character and teaches them the basics of the class. Mark, obviously, didn’t need that introduction, so instead they focused on loose backstory and finding ways to integrate that backstory into the existing world. When it’s time for them to actually play, they’ll discuss in advance a way to bring their paths across each other, such as Cali looking for a specific relic at the same time that the M9 were going to be investigating a safehouse full of stolen relics. As soon as they meet, it’s hands off. (It can be hard to get someone out of the group if they for sure can’t return the next week.)

MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE END OF CAMPAIGN ONE IN THE SECTION BELOW.

BWF jokes that last campaign Joe Manganiello just showed up and said, “Hey, so, I’m playing Arkhan,” and that was that. Actually...that’s pretty close to what really happened. Matt & Joe did meet for a long evening in Joe’s kitchen in advance to discuss backstory & motivations, after which he finally managed to convince Joe’s wife, Sofía Vergara, to play a small game with him, Joe, and Marisha. Sam laughs that at Matt & Marisha’s wedding, they had two sentences with Joe before the conversation immediately devolved into D&D and Joe’s wife rolled her eyes out of her head.

They did discuss that Joe wanted to steal the hand at the end of the last campaign. “You don’t have the Hand of Vecna, the Hand of Vecna has you.” They had a long conversation about Arkhan’s denouement after that episode.

END OF MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILERS.

And that’s all for the night! Have a lovely week, and is it Thursday yet?

[diarynz]

Barrett boys: The brotherhood in black

New Post has been published on https://diary.nz/barrett-boys-the-brotherhood-in-black/

Barrett boys: The brotherhood in black

Beauden, Scott and Jordie Barrett encapsulate almost all of the aspects of all the brothers that have come before — they are, in effect, the ultimate set for the modern age of All Blacks rugby.

It’s hard to go past any piece of punditry about the Taranaki family that doesn’t mention how their dad Kevin “Smiley” Barrett played flanker for the Hurricanes in the first years of Super Rugby, and about how he announced once he retired that he was “off to make some All Blacks”.

Like all myths, while it sounds good, it isn’t true. By the time Smiley had played his last game for the Hurricanes, a semifinal loss to the Brumbies in Canberra to conclude their stunning 1997 season, all his future All Blacks sons had already been born.

By then, Beauden was six years old, Scott four and Jordie three months old. His eldest son Kane would also go on to a professional rugby career, and Smiley and mother Robyn would add Blake, Zara, Ella and Jenna in the next few years.

The Barrett family shifted to Meath in Ireland in 2000, where Smiley worked as a farm manager and the oldest boys played Gaelic football. You don’t need to be an expert on the sport to know that some of its key skill sets are more than useful when transferred to rugby, and that’s exactly what they did when they returned to New Zealand after a year-and-a-half.

Like the Meads, one of the brothers is far more prominent than the others. Beauden, the human highlight reel of a first-five, has widely been regarded as the best player in the world for most of his career. In fact, he’s been officially bestowed with that honour twice.

Beauden Barrett’s name is now in the realms of superstar status.

But, like the Clarkes, the brother in the engine room is a complete contrast to the flashy skills of the other two. Scott has developed as an outstanding lock, grafting away to provide the ball supply his brothers can turn into tries.

Like the Whettons, they hold a record in terms of brotherhood as the only three brothers to have played a test together. Also, like AJ, one of them spent a frustrating period at the start of his career waiting for an opportunity to make a starting place his own. When Beauden did, he grabbed it with both hands and became the pre-eminent player in his position.

Like the Saveas, there will be massive conjecture as to where their post-All Blacks careers will take them. Already, Beauden is being lined up to be farmed out for a year in Japan so the All Blacks can retain his services while having someone else pay the wages he’s probably worth.

Exactly where Jordie finds himself after the World Cup in 2019 may well be part of the ongoing saga of offshore player drain and of what happens to the All Blacks if they decide to go or stay.

Beauden was the first of the brothers to make the All Blacks, but if you were to make a prediction as to how his career was going to pan out halfway through 2015, it seemed like he was on course to become the most prolific bench player of all time: 33 of his first 39 appearances for the All Blacks since his debut against Ireland in 2012.

He had had a few starts in 2014, one of which was an epic loss to the Springboks at Ellis Park. By now, Dan Carter had returned to be the starting first-five, though he was beginning to come under immense pressure from Aaron Cruden.

Beauden’s utility value was a blessing and a curse — it meant he probably wouldn’t get a starting shot at either first-five or fullback, because he was more useful on the bench as cover for both.

Even the fact his attacking flair was on show when he’d be injected into the game seemed to be evidence that he was better suited to come in and finish a game off, rather than be trusted to run the backline from kick-off.

Scott Barrett, Beauden Barrett and Jordie Barrett, after the All Blacks training session at Eden Park, Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs

His first test start came at fullback anyway, and the general consensus was that it was there that he would be most useful. Which is why, by the time the World Cup year came around, his name barely featured in what would become the prime debate of the season.

A lot of folks like to give the New Zealand Herald’s sports columnist Chris Rattue an inordinate amount of grief for his bold and ultimately highly inaccurate prediction that Carter ought to have been dropped for the World Cup campaign. It’s unfair, given that at the time, Rattue and quite a lot of others were working off the basis that Cruden would be the one to take over. That wasn’t such a stretch at the time — Cruden had recently won two Super Rugby titles with the Chiefs and was in hot form. Also, by then Carter was 33.

Unfortunately for Rattue and everyone else in that camp, Cruden broke his leg in the lead-up to the tournament. If he’d stayed fit and started, this story may well have been different.

Instead, Carter played, found some of the form that made him the best player in the world for a good chunk of the last decade, and then played a superb game in the final at Twickenham. The moment belonged to him, scoring 19 points including a long-range dropped goal in the 34-17 win over the Wallabies. But, in a portent of things to come, Beauden came on to the field and scored the last try —chasing down a kick ahead by Ben Smith to outgun the tired defenders and sealing the win. But it didn’t just do that — his performances across the tournament, including getting a start at first-five against Namibia, effectively cleared the slate for the next year’s battle for the starting spot with Cruden.

It also helped that in 2016 his Hurricanes side finally broke through and won a Super Rugby title, after 20 seasons of trying.

Beauden was a leading hand in what ended up being the most thrilling regular-season finish in the tournament’s history, with the Hurricanes leaping from fifth to first on the table with a 35-10 win over Scott’s Crusaders side, even scoring a cheeky try to finish the game. He got another a few weeks later in the final against the Lions at a frozen Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

One of the games they’d dropped in the course of the season was a 28-27 result to Cruden’s Chiefs. Steve Hansen went with Cruden for the first two tests of the year against Wales. The first was a scratchy 39-21 win at Eden Park, which the Welsh had even led at halftime. While Cruden’s injury that kept him out of the World Cup had left the door ajar for Beauden, the next test would see it well and truly kicked down. Unfortunately for Cruden, who had battled cancer as a teenager to make it to being an All Black, the key moment came when he was injured after half an hour of the second test in Wellington. Beauden entered the fray, set up Smith for a try, then scored one himself in front of the same crowd that had cheered him on to Super Rugby glory. Final score 36-22.

He started the next test in Dunedin, and scored 26 against Wales, which was slaughtered 46-6. Then the next, where the Wallabies were pounded 42-8. Then the next six, in which the All Blacks outscored their opponents 257-86. Beauden Barrett could do no wrong.

There have been plenty of rumours and speculation about the circumstances surrounding the next game Beauden started, though. One thing is for sure: it was the first game in which two of the Barrett brothers would feature. Scott had impressed Hansen enough that he was included on the end-of-year tour, and the All Blacks travelled to Chicago for the first of their two matches against Ireland.

This was a gimmick game for their sponsor AIG to show off their new toy set, the best team in the world at any sport. At the same time, it’s pretty hard to try to make excuses for the All Blacks because they’d never do it themselves. But things looked mighty ominous when they walked out and found themselves in front of a 62,000-strong crowd mostly wearing green.

To make things even more tricky, Scott found himself on the bench behind an out-of-position Jerome Kaino and fellow rookie Patrick Tuipulotu. Those selections hadn’t escaped the attention of Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, or his team. By the time Scott made his debut as an All Black in the 45th minute, they were on the wrong end of a 25-8 deficit, which became 30-8 only a couple of minutes later.

It was the opposite of when his brother had come off the bench to debut four years earlier against the Irish in Hamilton. That night, Beauden strolled on to the field with his team up 26-0, which eventuated into a record 60-0 hiding.

Scott, Beauden and Jordie Barrett during the International Rugby match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Italy at Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Photo / Gett Images

There’s been so much talk about the Irish effort in the Chicago game in the years since that one aspect is often overlooked: the All Blacks came back to be within one score of getting the lead back.

Scott’s debut ended up being an outstanding game and he scored a fantastic try, running off a short ball by Liam Squire and then smartly stretching out to plant the ball over his head. It made the score 30-29 and, with 15 minutes to go, it seemed like the All Blacks were going to run away with a high-scoring but tactically dreadful victory.

Except the Irish knew this story all too well. There was no point sitting back and trying to defend their way out of this, so they absorbed the gut punch and got back to their feet. In a stunning last 10 minutes, they smashed the All Blacks right in the mouth, scoring a penalty and another try to seal a 40-29 win. Beauden’s debut had been a historic win over Ireland. Scott’s was now a historic loss.

The All Blacks got their revenge a fortnight later, in Dublin. Such was the intensity of the backlash and restoration of mana, the Irish media, who had (rightfully) crowed long and loud about the magnitude of the breaking of their 111-year duck against the All Blacks, suddenly turned into a hysterical mob. They claimed that the All Blacks had deliberately gone out to hurt their team in the 21-9 win, in which Beauden was awarded man of the match. They weren’t wrong, but the reaction suggested more than a few of them had never seen a game of rugby before.

While this was going on, Jordie had been playing for Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup. Despite the boys having grown up in Taranaki and attending Francis Douglas Memorial College, Scott had originally followed the path of success that the Whitelock brothers, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw and so many others had taken by heading to Christchurch to maximise his rugby potential.

By the time Jordie left school, following his brother south seemed like the smartest option, and he enjoyed a provincial title win with Canterbury in his first season.

The brilliance of Beauden, and the hard-working potential of Scott, meant Jordie’s pedigree was seemingly unquestionable. A fight for his services erupted between the Crusaders and Hurricanes, and ultimately it was the team of his father and brother that won. Jordie therefore holds an unusual place in modern rugby, as maybe the only young, talented player the Crusaders have gone after that they haven’t got.

He debuted for the Hurricanes the next season as the fullback behind Beauden. The defending champion team’s form was even better than the year before, leading the competition with 96 tries. Jordie bagged seven of them, but the team couldn’t repeat its heroics of the previous year, as the Lions got their revenge in a semifinal in Johannesburg. Beauden and Jordie got to watch on as Scott’s Crusaders went to Ellis Park the next week and won the final.

By then, the much-hyped British and Irish Lions tour was just around the corner. It had been 12 years since they’d last come to New Zealand, and the general consensus was they would receive another hiding like they had in 2005.

The confidence of the New Zealand fans was somewhat misplaced —after all, the Lions did contain a healthy contingent of Irishmen who had beaten the All Blacks just eight months previously. But it didn’t help that it took them a good couple of weeks to stop playing like they’d just been introduced to one another five minutes before kick-off.

Beauden Barrett stretches out. Photo /Photosport

At the same time, the All Blacks had hastily arranged a warm-up game at Eden Park against Manu Samoa. It wasn’t only the eventual 78-0 that showed the massive disparity between the teams, as a good number of the Samoans took the field in jerseys that clearly didn’t fit. The test was also Jordie’s first, like his brothers coming off the bench to make an impact straight away.

All the precocious talent he possessed was summed up with his first touch of the ball; after catching a high kick he immediately threw a behind-the-back flick pass infield. He was, however, part of the ever-crowded back three mix for the All Blacks — he would need to find a way past one of Ben Smith, Israel Dagg and Waisake Naholo, as well as the newly-capped Rieko Ioane.

The test series began in earnest at Eden Park, but the first match ended the way most had expected. Ioane scored two tries in the comfortable 30–15 win, and the series moved to Wellington where it was presumed the All Blacks would simply repeat the process and consign the 2017 Lions to the dustbin of rugby history.

It appeared that would be the case as the midweek side blew a healthy lead to draw 31-all with the Hurricanes, in a game where Jordie did his selection case no harm with a dominant display. He may have been thinking he’d be in line for a call-up in the third test — after all, the All Blacks had thought nothing of ringing the changes in the final test of the 2005 series to send a not-so-subtle message to the UK about what they thought of the supposed best of their talent.

But 25 minutes into the second test, with the scores locked at 3-3, everything changed. Sonny Bill Williams drove his shoulder into the face of Anthony Watson, leaving referee Jérôme Garcès with no option but to send him off. Never give a sucker a chance, because the Lions grabbed it and started playing like the team that thousands of fans from the home unions had travelled halfway around the world to see.

With four minutes to go, an extremely debatable penalty against prop Charlie Faumuina for tackling his opposite Kyle Sinckler in the air gave the Lions a shot from straight out in front.

Owen Farrell slammed it home to make it 24-21, and that was the end of an epic test match.

Of course, after any All Blacks loss comes the post-mortem, and with it the focus on the fact that never mind the seven shots Beauden had got, he’d also missed several.

Jordie got his call-up in the third test back at Eden Park, due to injuries to Waisake Naholo and Ioane. It marked the first time three brothers had played in the same test for the All Blacks, with Beauden starting and Scott coming off the bench. He started at fullback and, like the rest of the All Blacks, was watching on in horror after 12 minutes as the Lions looked like they would score out wide. Beauden came out of nowhere to grab an intercept and swing play 90 metres downfield, and then regrouped to put in a cross-kick for his brother to bat down and set up debutant Ngani Laumape for the opening try. After 35 minutes, the roles were reversed as Laumape threw a brilliant offload to set up Jordie for a try in the corner. Beauden’s conversion, crucially, sailed wide. Like the second test, though, the third would be remembered for a moment of refereeing. It’s inaccurate to call it a decision, because Romain Poite’s actions with the scores locked at 15-all was more of a conference call. He’d originally pinged Lions hooker Ken Owens for playing the ball in an offside position off a kick-off with three minutes to go. However, in an unprecedented move, he conferred with his assistant Garcès in French and turned off his mic so no one could hear what they said. When he walked back to the mark, he awarded the All Blacks a scrum instead.

“The talk afterwards was focused on why Beauden hadn’t taken a dropped goal.After all, they were only metres away from the goal posts.”

At least 999 times out of 1000, the penalty would have stood. Beauden would have had a chance from about 43 metres out on an angle to the right of the posts to snatch a dramatic victory in what had turned into a pulsating test. Had he done so, it’s unlikely much protestation about his goal kicking under pressure would have been heard since. But he didn’t, because it was the one time in the history of rugby that a ref decided to change his mind. The game and series were drawn, and the stadium felt like a party where the cops had shown up and told everyone to go home.

After the return to health of Naholo and Ioane, and despite his impressive test in the decider that ended up not being a decider, Jordie wasn’t required for the rest of the year’s test schedule. Beauden and Scott played in one record 57-0 hiding of the Springboks in Albany, then one classic in Cape Town where the dormant rivalry between the two sides was shocked back to life with a 25-24 thriller.

Beauden was given the captaincy for a game against the Barbarians at Twickenham on the end-of-year tour that served more as a thinly veiled All Blacks trial.

New Zealand Rugby had contrived to stack the Barbarians with mostly fringe New Zealand players, including promising Canterbury and Crusaders first-five Richie Mo’unga.

After that game, he joined the All Blacks squad — and the talk around just who should be wearing the No10 jersey for test matches.

Also in the picture was Damian McKenzie, who had been Cruden’s replacement at the Chiefs.

By the end of the 2018 Super Rugby season, that talk had become a serious debate between the merits of all three. Mo’unga had a stunning campaign as the Crusaders retained their championship from the year before. It didn’t help Beauden that the Hurricanes exited the competition in the semifinals in a loss to Mo’unga’s team, with many viewing it as a one-on-one showdown for the first-five position.

McKenzie had been the standout in a Chiefs side banged up with injuries, and somewhat surprisingly he got a start in the last test against a woeful French side that toured in June, with Beauden rested.

Whatever doubt there was over Beauden’s form should have been firmly put to rest as the All Blacks destroyed the Wallabies over the course of a week in August, though. He scored one try in the 38-13 win in Sydney, and then the next weekend he notched up a stunning four tries in the 40-12 result.

But it only silenced the chatter for a couple of weeks. The next test, in Wellington against the Springboks, was to be another lightning rod for critics of Beauden — and now Jordie as well. Even though it all started so well.

After five minutes, Beauden set Jordie up for a slick try.

Then Aaron Smith scored to make it a comfortable lead and it looked like the All Blacks were going to dish out the same sort of hiding they’d given to the Wallabies.

But then, after 25 minutes, Jordie’s impetuousness got the better of him, and he threw a quick lineout infield that took a wicked bounce in front of Ben Smith before popping into the hands of Willie le Roux, who scored next to the posts. He wasn’t alone; Anton Lienart-Brown tossed an intercept for Cheslin Kolbe to scoot away and score from as well.

The All Blacks were more than staying in touch; in fact, they ended up scoring six tries to the Springboks’ five in a high-octane test match. The problem was that Beauden was having possibly the worst night of his entire life with the boot, failing to convert Jordie, Codie Taylor and Ardie Savea’s tries — with the last two being in positions that you’d expect a primary school-grade rep player to make without even blinking. His opposite, Handré Pollard, had kicked four conversions and a penalty.

But while that criticism was warranted — it’s perfectly reasonable to single out missed conversions as game-changing moments — what happened in the dying stages of the game was a little bit different.

The All Blacks, down by 36-34 and in possession in the Springbok 22, pressed hard to find a winner. Their game plan was working perfectly, too. By smashing away at the line towards the left-hand side of the posts, they’d opened up a huge overlap on the right, where McKenzie and Ben Smith stood waiting to run in the winning try. Only winger Aphiwe Dyantyi, who had already scored two tries, was marking them.

Dyantyi knew it was now or never. The ball came from the ruck and, summoning every last energy reserve, he sprinted up and dived at McKenzie, who had hesitated at the winger’s stunning speed off the mark. Dyantyi made a play at McKenzie’s arm, knocked the ball loose, and the game was over.

The talk afterwards, while paying tribute to the Springboks, was focused on why Beauden hadn’t taken a dropped goal. After all, they were only metres away from the goal posts. Those critics, though, neglected to note that he’d never once landed a dropped goal in his career. Plus, despite putting on a substandard performance for much of the test, the plan at the end was sound.

Going for a winning try when they were within penalty or dropped-goal deficit had worked the year before against the Wallabies in Dunedin, in which Beauden himself had scored between the posts for a 35-29 win.

So it was well within the realms of logic that the All Blacks would go for a play that they had practised, as opposed to handing the ball to a player who hadn’t kicked a dropped goal before.

But the notion that he hadn’t stepped up and taken the opportunity stuck with Beauden. He’d make sure by the end of the year that everyone would know he could drop a goal if his team needed to.

Brothers In Black book cover by Jamie Wall The long history of brotherhood in New Zealand rugby picture supplied PUBLICITY HANDOUT

The fallout also affected Jordie. Seen as a liability after his rush of blood that led to the Boks’ try, he slipped down the depth chart and only really just made it on to the end-of-year tour to Japan and the UK. He was given a chance to start in the test against Japan alongside a host of new faces in Hansen’s expanded squad, only to see his first kick in play charged down and result in a Japanese try. It didn’t have quite the same consequences as his last blooper, as the All Blacks eventually ran out winners 69-31.

Beauden, Scott and the rest of the All Blacks had already touched down in London for what had, a year before, been billed as the heavyweight clash between the two top sides in the world.

The All Blacks found themselves down 15-0 after 25 minutes on a sodden Twickenham turf. It had been raining all week in London, and the conditions (as well as the low expectations) suited the English just perfectly. After McKenzie pulled a try back, Beauden knew the time was right to exercise a bit of free licence to show that, if needed, he could split the uprights any time he liked. Despite the driving rain, Beauden called for a pass from the ruck around 30 metres out. His drop kick sailed straight through the sticks, and was a vital score in a game that ended 16-15 to the All Blacks.

Just to prove a point, Beauden kicked another one the next weekend in Dublin. In fact, he scored all the All Blacks’ points in that game — which they lost 16-9.

Beauden, Scott and a number of others could add the unwanted tag of being the first All Blacks to lose to Ireland twice, alongside being the first ones to do it at all.

Following a week of inquisition by the media travelling with the team and back home, it was almost a relief that the season would be over after what would prove to be an easy win in Rome against Italy. Jordie found himself back in the team, starting on the right wing. It marked the first time that all three brothers were in the starting line-up, and they’d make sure Smiley, who had travelled to watch the boys play, would have something to brag about.

Extracted from Brothers in Black: The long history of brotherhood in New Zealand rugby by Jamie Wall. Published by Allen & Unwin. RRP$36.99. Out Tuesday, August 6.

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Barrett boys: The brotherhood in black

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Barrett boys: The brotherhood in black

Beauden, Scott and Jordie Barrett encapsulate almost all of the aspects of all the brothers that have come before — they are, in effect, the ultimate set for the modern age of All Blacks rugby.

It’s hard to go past any piece of punditry about the Taranaki family that doesn’t mention how their dad Kevin “Smiley” Barrett played flanker for the Hurricanes in the first years of Super Rugby, and about how he announced once he retired that he was “off to make some All Blacks”.

Like all myths, while it sounds good, it isn’t true. By the time Smiley had played his last game for the Hurricanes, a semifinal loss to the Brumbies in Canberra to conclude their stunning 1997 season, all his future All Blacks sons had already been born.

By then, Beauden was six years old, Scott four and Jordie three months old. His eldest son Kane would also go on to a professional rugby career, and Smiley and mother Robyn would add Blake, Zara, Ella and Jenna in the next few years.

The Barrett family shifted to Meath in Ireland in 2000, where Smiley worked as a farm manager and the oldest boys played Gaelic football. You don’t need to be an expert on the sport to know that some of its key skill sets are more than useful when transferred to rugby, and that’s exactly what they did when they returned to New Zealand after a year-and-a-half.

Like the Meads, one of the brothers is far more prominent than the others. Beauden, the human highlight reel of a first-five, has widely been regarded as the best player in the world for most of his career. In fact, he’s been officially bestowed with that honour twice.

Beauden Barrett’s name is now in the realms of superstar status.

But, like the Clarkes, the brother in the engine room is a complete contrast to the flashy skills of the other two. Scott has developed as an outstanding lock, grafting away to provide the ball supply his brothers can turn into tries.

Like the Whettons, they hold a record in terms of brotherhood as the only three brothers to have played a test together. Also, like AJ, one of them spent a frustrating period at the start of his career waiting for an opportunity to make a starting place his own. When Beauden did, he grabbed it with both hands and became the pre-eminent player in his position.

Like the Saveas, there will be massive conjecture as to where their post-All Blacks careers will take them. Already, Beauden is being lined up to be farmed out for a year in Japan so the All Blacks can retain his services while having someone else pay the wages he’s probably worth.

Exactly where Jordie finds himself after the World Cup in 2019 may well be part of the ongoing saga of offshore player drain and of what happens to the All Blacks if they decide to go or stay.

Beauden was the first of the brothers to make the All Blacks, but if you were to make a prediction as to how his career was going to pan out halfway through 2015, it seemed like he was on course to become the most prolific bench player of all time: 33 of his first 39 appearances for the All Blacks since his debut against Ireland in 2012.

He had had a few starts in 2014, one of which was an epic loss to the Springboks at Ellis Park. By now, Dan Carter had returned to be the starting first-five, though he was beginning to come under immense pressure from Aaron Cruden.

Beauden’s utility value was a blessing and a curse — it meant he probably wouldn’t get a starting shot at either first-five or fullback, because he was more useful on the bench as cover for both.

Even the fact his attacking flair was on show when he’d be injected into the game seemed to be evidence that he was better suited to come in and finish a game off, rather than be trusted to run the backline from kick-off.

Scott Barrett, Beauden Barrett and Jordie Barrett, after the All Blacks training session at Eden Park, Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs

His first test start came at fullback anyway, and the general consensus was that it was there that he would be most useful. Which is why, by the time the World Cup year came around, his name barely featured in what would become the prime debate of the season.

A lot of folks like to give the New Zealand Herald’s sports columnist Chris Rattue an inordinate amount of grief for his bold and ultimately highly inaccurate prediction that Carter ought to have been dropped for the World Cup campaign. It’s unfair, given that at the time, Rattue and quite a lot of others were working off the basis that Cruden would be the one to take over. That wasn’t such a stretch at the time — Cruden had recently won two Super Rugby titles with the Chiefs and was in hot form. Also, by then Carter was 33.

Unfortunately for Rattue and everyone else in that camp, Cruden broke his leg in the lead-up to the tournament. If he’d stayed fit and started, this story may well have been different.

Instead, Carter played, found some of the form that made him the best player in the world for a good chunk of the last decade, and then played a superb game in the final at Twickenham. The moment belonged to him, scoring 19 points including a long-range dropped goal in the 34-17 win over the Wallabies. But, in a portent of things to come, Beauden came on to the field and scored the last try —chasing down a kick ahead by Ben Smith to outgun the tired defenders and sealing the win. But it didn’t just do that — his performances across the tournament, including getting a start at first-five against Namibia, effectively cleared the slate for the next year’s battle for the starting spot with Cruden.

It also helped that in 2016 his Hurricanes side finally broke through and won a Super Rugby title, after 20 seasons of trying.

Beauden was a leading hand in what ended up being the most thrilling regular-season finish in the tournament’s history, with the Hurricanes leaping from fifth to first on the table with a 35-10 win over Scott’s Crusaders side, even scoring a cheeky try to finish the game. He got another a few weeks later in the final against the Lions at a frozen Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

One of the games they’d dropped in the course of the season was a 28-27 result to Cruden’s Chiefs. Steve Hansen went with Cruden for the first two tests of the year against Wales. The first was a scratchy 39-21 win at Eden Park, which the Welsh had even led at halftime. While Cruden’s injury that kept him out of the World Cup had left the door ajar for Beauden, the next test would see it well and truly kicked down. Unfortunately for Cruden, who had battled cancer as a teenager to make it to being an All Black, the key moment came when he was injured after half an hour of the second test in Wellington. Beauden entered the fray, set up Smith for a try, then scored one himself in front of the same crowd that had cheered him on to Super Rugby glory. Final score 36-22.

He started the next test in Dunedin, and scored 26 against Wales, which was slaughtered 46-6. Then the next, where the Wallabies were pounded 42-8. Then the next six, in which the All Blacks outscored their opponents 257-86. Beauden Barrett could do no wrong.

There have been plenty of rumours and speculation about the circumstances surrounding the next game Beauden started, though. One thing is for sure: it was the first game in which two of the Barrett brothers would feature. Scott had impressed Hansen enough that he was included on the end-of-year tour, and the All Blacks travelled to Chicago for the first of their two matches against Ireland.

This was a gimmick game for their sponsor AIG to show off their new toy set, the best team in the world at any sport. At the same time, it’s pretty hard to try to make excuses for the All Blacks because they’d never do it themselves. But things looked mighty ominous when they walked out and found themselves in front of a 62,000-strong crowd mostly wearing green.

To make things even more tricky, Scott found himself on the bench behind an out-of-position Jerome Kaino and fellow rookie Patrick Tuipulotu. Those selections hadn’t escaped the attention of Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, or his team. By the time Scott made his debut as an All Black in the 45th minute, they were on the wrong end of a 25-8 deficit, which became 30-8 only a couple of minutes later.

It was the opposite of when his brother had come off the bench to debut four years earlier against the Irish in Hamilton. That night, Beauden strolled on to the field with his team up 26-0, which eventuated into a record 60-0 hiding.

Scott, Beauden and Jordie Barrett during the International Rugby match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Italy at Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Photo / Gett Images

There’s been so much talk about the Irish effort in the Chicago game in the years since that one aspect is often overlooked: the All Blacks came back to be within one score of getting the lead back.

Scott’s debut ended up being an outstanding game and he scored a fantastic try, running off a short ball by Liam Squire and then smartly stretching out to plant the ball over his head. It made the score 30-29 and, with 15 minutes to go, it seemed like the All Blacks were going to run away with a high-scoring but tactically dreadful victory.

Except the Irish knew this story all too well. There was no point sitting back and trying to defend their way out of this, so they absorbed the gut punch and got back to their feet. In a stunning last 10 minutes, they smashed the All Blacks right in the mouth, scoring a penalty and another try to seal a 40-29 win. Beauden’s debut had been a historic win over Ireland. Scott’s was now a historic loss.

The All Blacks got their revenge a fortnight later, in Dublin. Such was the intensity of the backlash and restoration of mana, the Irish media, who had (rightfully) crowed long and loud about the magnitude of the breaking of their 111-year duck against the All Blacks, suddenly turned into a hysterical mob. They claimed that the All Blacks had deliberately gone out to hurt their team in the 21-9 win, in which Beauden was awarded man of the match. They weren’t wrong, but the reaction suggested more than a few of them had never seen a game of rugby before.

While this was going on, Jordie had been playing for Canterbury in the Mitre 10 Cup. Despite the boys having grown up in Taranaki and attending Francis Douglas Memorial College, Scott had originally followed the path of success that the Whitelock brothers, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw and so many others had taken by heading to Christchurch to maximise his rugby potential.

By the time Jordie left school, following his brother south seemed like the smartest option, and he enjoyed a provincial title win with Canterbury in his first season.

The brilliance of Beauden, and the hard-working potential of Scott, meant Jordie’s pedigree was seemingly unquestionable. A fight for his services erupted between the Crusaders and Hurricanes, and ultimately it was the team of his father and brother that won. Jordie therefore holds an unusual place in modern rugby, as maybe the only young, talented player the Crusaders have gone after that they haven’t got.

He debuted for the Hurricanes the next season as the fullback behind Beauden. The defending champion team’s form was even better than the year before, leading the competition with 96 tries. Jordie bagged seven of them, but the team couldn’t repeat its heroics of the previous year, as the Lions got their revenge in a semifinal in Johannesburg. Beauden and Jordie got to watch on as Scott’s Crusaders went to Ellis Park the next week and won the final.

By then, the much-hyped British and Irish Lions tour was just around the corner. It had been 12 years since they’d last come to New Zealand, and the general consensus was they would receive another hiding like they had in 2005.

The confidence of the New Zealand fans was somewhat misplaced —after all, the Lions did contain a healthy contingent of Irishmen who had beaten the All Blacks just eight months previously. But it didn’t help that it took them a good couple of weeks to stop playing like they’d just been introduced to one another five minutes before kick-off.

Beauden Barrett stretches out. Photo /Photosport

At the same time, the All Blacks had hastily arranged a warm-up game at Eden Park against Manu Samoa. It wasn’t only the eventual 78-0 that showed the massive disparity between the teams, as a good number of the Samoans took the field in jerseys that clearly didn’t fit. The test was also Jordie’s first, like his brothers coming off the bench to make an impact straight away.

All the precocious talent he possessed was summed up with his first touch of the ball; after catching a high kick he immediately threw a behind-the-back flick pass infield. He was, however, part of the ever-crowded back three mix for the All Blacks — he would need to find a way past one of Ben Smith, Israel Dagg and Waisake Naholo, as well as the newly-capped Rieko Ioane.

The test series began in earnest at Eden Park, but the first match ended the way most had expected. Ioane scored two tries in the comfortable 30–15 win, and the series moved to Wellington where it was presumed the All Blacks would simply repeat the process and consign the 2017 Lions to the dustbin of rugby history.

It appeared that would be the case as the midweek side blew a healthy lead to draw 31-all with the Hurricanes, in a game where Jordie did his selection case no harm with a dominant display. He may have been thinking he’d be in line for a call-up in the third test — after all, the All Blacks had thought nothing of ringing the changes in the final test of the 2005 series to send a not-so-subtle message to the UK about what they thought of the supposed best of their talent.

But 25 minutes into the second test, with the scores locked at 3-3, everything changed. Sonny Bill Williams drove his shoulder into the face of Anthony Watson, leaving referee Jérôme Garcès with no option but to send him off. Never give a sucker a chance, because the Lions grabbed it and started playing like the team that thousands of fans from the home unions had travelled halfway around the world to see.

With four minutes to go, an extremely debatable penalty against prop Charlie Faumuina for tackling his opposite Kyle Sinckler in the air gave the Lions a shot from straight out in front.

Owen Farrell slammed it home to make it 24-21, and that was the end of an epic test match.

Of course, after any All Blacks loss comes the post-mortem, and with it the focus on the fact that never mind the seven shots Beauden had got, he’d also missed several.

Jordie got his call-up in the third test back at Eden Park, due to injuries to Waisake Naholo and Ioane. It marked the first time three brothers had played in the same test for the All Blacks, with Beauden starting and Scott coming off the bench. He started at fullback and, like the rest of the All Blacks, was watching on in horror after 12 minutes as the Lions looked like they would score out wide. Beauden came out of nowhere to grab an intercept and swing play 90 metres downfield, and then regrouped to put in a cross-kick for his brother to bat down and set up debutant Ngani Laumape for the opening try. After 35 minutes, the roles were reversed as Laumape threw a brilliant offload to set up Jordie for a try in the corner. Beauden’s conversion, crucially, sailed wide. Like the second test, though, the third would be remembered for a moment of refereeing. It’s inaccurate to call it a decision, because Romain Poite’s actions with the scores locked at 15-all was more of a conference call. He’d originally pinged Lions hooker Ken Owens for playing the ball in an offside position off a kick-off with three minutes to go. However, in an unprecedented move, he conferred with his assistant Garcès in French and turned off his mic so no one could hear what they said. When he walked back to the mark, he awarded the All Blacks a scrum instead.

“The talk afterwards was focused on why Beauden hadn’t taken a dropped goal.After all, they were only metres away from the goal posts.”

At least 999 times out of 1000, the penalty would have stood. Beauden would have had a chance from about 43 metres out on an angle to the right of the posts to snatch a dramatic victory in what had turned into a pulsating test. Had he done so, it’s unlikely much protestation about his goal kicking under pressure would have been heard since. But he didn’t, because it was the one time in the history of rugby that a ref decided to change his mind. The game and series were drawn, and the stadium felt like a party where the cops had shown up and told everyone to go home.

After the return to health of Naholo and Ioane, and despite his impressive test in the decider that ended up not being a decider, Jordie wasn’t required for the rest of the year’s test schedule. Beauden and Scott played in one record 57-0 hiding of the Springboks in Albany, then one classic in Cape Town where the dormant rivalry between the two sides was shocked back to life with a 25-24 thriller.

Beauden was given the captaincy for a game against the Barbarians at Twickenham on the end-of-year tour that served more as a thinly veiled All Blacks trial.

New Zealand Rugby had contrived to stack the Barbarians with mostly fringe New Zealand players, including promising Canterbury and Crusaders first-five Richie Mo’unga.

After that game, he joined the All Blacks squad — and the talk around just who should be wearing the No10 jersey for test matches.

Also in the picture was Damian McKenzie, who had been Cruden’s replacement at the Chiefs.

By the end of the 2018 Super Rugby season, that talk had become a serious debate between the merits of all three. Mo’unga had a stunning campaign as the Crusaders retained their championship from the year before. It didn’t help Beauden that the Hurricanes exited the competition in the semifinals in a loss to Mo’unga’s team, with many viewing it as a one-on-one showdown for the first-five position.

McKenzie had been the standout in a Chiefs side banged up with injuries, and somewhat surprisingly he got a start in the last test against a woeful French side that toured in June, with Beauden rested.

Whatever doubt there was over Beauden’s form should have been firmly put to rest as the All Blacks destroyed the Wallabies over the course of a week in August, though. He scored one try in the 38-13 win in Sydney, and then the next weekend he notched up a stunning four tries in the 40-12 result.

But it only silenced the chatter for a couple of weeks. The next test, in Wellington against the Springboks, was to be another lightning rod for critics of Beauden — and now Jordie as well. Even though it all started so well.

After five minutes, Beauden set Jordie up for a slick try.

Then Aaron Smith scored to make it a comfortable lead and it looked like the All Blacks were going to dish out the same sort of hiding they’d given to the Wallabies.

But then, after 25 minutes, Jordie’s impetuousness got the better of him, and he threw a quick lineout infield that took a wicked bounce in front of Ben Smith before popping into the hands of Willie le Roux, who scored next to the posts. He wasn’t alone; Anton Lienart-Brown tossed an intercept for Cheslin Kolbe to scoot away and score from as well.

The All Blacks were more than staying in touch; in fact, they ended up scoring six tries to the Springboks’ five in a high-octane test match. The problem was that Beauden was having possibly the worst night of his entire life with the boot, failing to convert Jordie, Codie Taylor and Ardie Savea’s tries — with the last two being in positions that you’d expect a primary school-grade rep player to make without even blinking. His opposite, Handré Pollard, had kicked four conversions and a penalty.

But while that criticism was warranted — it’s perfectly reasonable to single out missed conversions as game-changing moments — what happened in the dying stages of the game was a little bit different.

The All Blacks, down by 36-34 and in possession in the Springbok 22, pressed hard to find a winner. Their game plan was working perfectly, too. By smashing away at the line towards the left-hand side of the posts, they’d opened up a huge overlap on the right, where McKenzie and Ben Smith stood waiting to run in the winning try. Only winger Aphiwe Dyantyi, who had already scored two tries, was marking them.

Dyantyi knew it was now or never. The ball came from the ruck and, summoning every last energy reserve, he sprinted up and dived at McKenzie, who had hesitated at the winger’s stunning speed off the mark. Dyantyi made a play at McKenzie’s arm, knocked the ball loose, and the game was over.

The talk afterwards, while paying tribute to the Springboks, was focused on why Beauden hadn’t taken a dropped goal. After all, they were only metres away from the goal posts. Those critics, though, neglected to note that he’d never once landed a dropped goal in his career. Plus, despite putting on a substandard performance for much of the test, the plan at the end was sound.

Going for a winning try when they were within penalty or dropped-goal deficit had worked the year before against the Wallabies in Dunedin, in which Beauden himself had scored between the posts for a 35-29 win.

So it was well within the realms of logic that the All Blacks would go for a play that they had practised, as opposed to handing the ball to a player who hadn’t kicked a dropped goal before.

But the notion that he hadn’t stepped up and taken the opportunity stuck with Beauden. He’d make sure by the end of the year that everyone would know he could drop a goal if his team needed to.

Brothers In Black book cover by Jamie Wall The long history of brotherhood in New Zealand rugby picture supplied PUBLICITY HANDOUT

The fallout also affected Jordie. Seen as a liability after his rush of blood that led to the Boks’ try, he slipped down the depth chart and only really just made it on to the end-of-year tour to Japan and the UK. He was given a chance to start in the test against Japan alongside a host of new faces in Hansen’s expanded squad, only to see his first kick in play charged down and result in a Japanese try. It didn’t have quite the same consequences as his last blooper, as the All Blacks eventually ran out winners 69-31.

Beauden, Scott and the rest of the All Blacks had already touched down in London for what had, a year before, been billed as the heavyweight clash between the two top sides in the world.

The All Blacks found themselves down 15-0 after 25 minutes on a sodden Twickenham turf. It had been raining all week in London, and the conditions (as well as the low expectations) suited the English just perfectly. After McKenzie pulled a try back, Beauden knew the time was right to exercise a bit of free licence to show that, if needed, he could split the uprights any time he liked. Despite the driving rain, Beauden called for a pass from the ruck around 30 metres out. His drop kick sailed straight through the sticks, and was a vital score in a game that ended 16-15 to the All Blacks.

Just to prove a point, Beauden kicked another one the next weekend in Dublin. In fact, he scored all the All Blacks’ points in that game — which they lost 16-9.

Beauden, Scott and a number of others could add the unwanted tag of being the first All Blacks to lose to Ireland twice, alongside being the first ones to do it at all.

Following a week of inquisition by the media travelling with the team and back home, it was almost a relief that the season would be over after what would prove to be an easy win in Rome against Italy. Jordie found himself back in the team, starting on the right wing. It marked the first time that all three brothers were in the starting line-up, and they’d make sure Smiley, who had travelled to watch the boys play, would have something to brag about.

Extracted from Brothers in Black: The long history of brotherhood in New Zealand rugby by Jamie Wall. Published by Allen & Unwin. RRP$36.99. Out Tuesday, August 6.

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