#magnificent find and I’m super happy about the piece itself

[iceskatingmobsters]

hey this just like showed up on my wall and I keep hearing weird noises outside and feel the need to grab a bigass sword should I be concerned???

[lady-plantagenet]

What are your top ten novels about the Wars of the Roses? And why?

I think it’s obvious by the length how enthusiastic I was to answer this ask xx thank you for asking me and giving me also an opportunity to make a masterlist of some sorts of all my reviews xx. But you know? I speak like quite the expert but in reality I’ve read very little histfic about TWOTR because I just newly got back into this hobby (about a year ago) and have little time in general so tbh the last three books on this list I do not personally care for but since I’ve read so little novels of this kind they are here nonetheless hhh (so please people, give me no angry asks asking me why I am endorsing PG, I’m not).

1. The Last of the Barons by Lord Edward Lytton-Bulwer

This is quite possibly the best book I’ve ever read in my life. The gap between these books and the rest is a chasm the size of the world and I wpuld genuinely reccomend this book as an actual piece of literature to anyone, not just TWOTR fanatics. It is written in 1840, in quite old timey lingo and it centres around Richard Neville 16th Earl of Warwick, but in the true tradition of a real classic it is more than just a character drama, it astutely showcases the purpose of Warwick and what he did in the context of his wider world and doesn’t just chalk it up to personal greed. There is also this fascinating subplot about courtship, science and such. Hell, you even get this eccentric ‘natural philosopher’ guy called Adam Warner who tries to make something like a steam engine and gets employed as an alchemist by Jacquetta and Edward IV.

From a historical standpoint it is quite biased as the author himself was a politician (and an actual baron) and tbh I don’t completely agree with his interpretation of history and I can see some of the Victorian inluences slip in, but some of his takes are very refreshing and he clearly consulted the primary sources. I am much interested in his philosophy and life outlook though and while I don’t think his Warwick is the Warwick, I think he (Lytton-Bulwer) understood him like no other novelist could. As for the writing style... here’s an excerpt of a good reads review that I agree with and tells you all you need to know:

“Of course, such a style of writing no longer exists. The language used is essentially foreign to us. But the nobility, the pride of this story work their ways into your bones, your heart. You will yearn for honor once you have left it.“

Basically, go type it into google and see what I mean. You don’t even need to purchase this book it’s all online at the first click on Gutenberg.

Nevertheless, I’ve posted excerpts of it here, here and here =)

2. The King’s Grey Mare by Rosemary Hawley Jarman

This book (unlike the latter) has zero actual historical value. Actually, it sort of does in the way that it hilights certain real events that most people are unaware of when it comes to its protagonist: Elizabeth Woodville, eg the whole Cooke tapestry affair and the whole Desmond affair. Both things which I still stand on the fence about (if you don’t know what I’m talking about send em another ask or pm me). But like, it isn’t political, philosophical or such in any way like the first book, yet you still feel like you are *there* in the 15th century - by the time I finished reading it my heart was wrung dry and I kind of fell into a down for a couple of days because I just wanted to feel the magic again. If anyone would ask me I would give this 5 stars because it perfectly achieved what it set out to do (I can’t expect all books to go above and beyond like #1), it made me feel for the characters who were super complex, was accurate historically and even when it wasn’t it made sense, it got very creative with its themes (which I like to see because I am not interested in reading the exact same story over and over again) and the prose was absolutely magical and brought all the depth to this novel. I’ve read classics with less flowing and poignant prose, yes actual classics!

This book also switches POVs quite a lot (basically it headhops because it’s written in omniscient- but whatever, rules are meant to be broken), so you’ll get to see many of your faves in there, Edward IV, Margaret of Anjou and Grace Plantagenet feature quite heavily. One thing that disappointed me is that it wasn’t really Edward IV/Elizabeth Woodville (at the time I bought it for that), she never really likes him and his love for her kind of wanes towards the end. If you’re not too bothered about that then I say go buy it.

3. The Daisy and the Bear by K L Clark

I put this here because we are already going into shakier territory when it comes to this list. This is kind of the last *really* good, truly five star one. It is a long spoof about TWOTR but god it’s smart! Yet, It does not take itself seriously and has Margaret of Anjou/Warwick the Kingmaker as a crackship and centrepiece and had me in stitches the whole time. I’ve written a long detailed review for it here.

4. Death be Pardoner to Me by Dorothy Davies

This is a novel about George Duke of Clarence. Quite possibly the only novel ever written about him in existence and boy is it a trip - the author claims to have channelled him (she’s a medium). I’ve written a detailed review for it here. I read this last spring and my views have unfortunately changed, the thing is, I’ve come to find out through my research that this was quite possibly a hoax as there are some indisputable inaccuracies (Ankarette Twynyho’s age, the details of Isabel’s death - we *know* she did not die from childbirth, Isabel did not reunite with him after Tewksbury 1471, but right before Christmas 1470). It’s also quite Richardian (the author admitted) and she could have *had* me had she not chose to divulge it in the foreword. Nevertheless, I still like this book because it did get to me at certain points and it’s good quality as a novel, I remember shedding a tear at one point even which is extremely rare for me but I think that says more about my sentiment for the subject matter than the book itself.

5. We Speak no Treason by Rosemary Hawley Jarman (not yet finished, so ranking may vary)

I haven’t finished it yet, so I’ll leave it here for now. This book is a Richardian book about Richard III, but I can’t get enough of this author, I haven’t found anyone to replace her with. The prose is magnificent as usual and I must confess that I’m happy that this book is told through the POVs of three OCs and not Richard, he remains rather elusive and tbf I find the three OCs very interesting and at this point I’m more interested in their stories than anything else. Of course, Richard III is still a fairly prominent part of this novel (even when he doesn’t appear) and it has led to me getting annoyed quite a bit. Given who I am I fumed massively at that one aside that Clarence and Edward have bastards whereas Richard isn’t like that... like are you serious?? At one point the author reassociated the Games and Playes Chesse book to Richard when it was in reality dedicated to Clarence and I got even more annoyed. Leave the poor figure something ma’am? Whatever, as a book about three medieval commoners it’s fantastic and that’s what I pretend it is.

6. Wife to the Kingmaker by Sandra Wilson

Nothing more to add than what I wrote in my (super-long) detailed review on here. This is the case because I read it very recently. This is a novel about Anne Beauchamp 16th Countess of Warwick, it’s ranked higher than Sunne because though it’s less accurate it’s got panache.

7. The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon K Penman

I feel very strongly about this Richard III book and what it represents. I wrote a long detailed review about it on here and a follow-up post on the discussion is here ft my awesome mutual @beardofkamenev ‘s insights also thrown into the mix. Xx

8. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

This is a step higher than the other two because this book pretty much changed my life. The thing is, I read it translated into my own language by an extremely talented translator and I was also only about 11/12 years old so it was all very impressive to me then. This book about Elizabeth Woodville effectively introduced me to the TWOTR; an interest that has never really left me these past ten years (though at one point (ages 14-19) it was quite wane). It’s not a good book by any standard (I was quite shocked when picking it up at a bookstore, I had found that when read in the original language it lost all its magic), but I owe a lot to it and some people who now endlessly discourse about how bad PG is need to recognise their debt of gratitude and be a bit more respectful, I think. That is of course unless you came into this era via different media, but you got to admit that a massive part of us got to this place through TWQ, though we outgrew it.

10. The Red Queen and The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory

Exact same commentary as above, just objectively not good books. Flat characterisation, misunderstanding of the era, historical innacuracies which don’t add anything, lack of nuance in prose which often dances too close to *gasp* YA prose *shudders*. But these are lower because I don’t owe them a debt of gratitude as I do TWQ. Funnily enough, they are still better than the series.

[transformersaesthetics]

Top Ten Expensive Transformers

The hiatus is over! Thanks for your patience with last week folks. Something a bit different today Tumblr! Not the long awaited project, but a fun little aside. A while ago, I was scrolling around on Google, and I saw a clickbait article that alleged to discuss ‘the top ten most difficult to obtain Transformers’. I was curious, and, perhaps foolishly, I clicked on it. To my disappointment, the article was merely a list of expensive MISB G1 figures, which is… Well, boring. So, today, I hope to correct that grave injustice with an article about, in a loose order, 10 Transformers that are difficult to obtain, even if you’re willing to lay out a lot of money. 

A couple of rules before we jump in; First, these aren’t the most expensive Transformers or the rarest transformers, because those questions don’t really make sense. How much a figure costs varies from seller to seller, so it’s impossible to establish a list of the absolute most expensive. Also, many figures that are famously expensive are not expensive in absolute terms, but for their price point.  Similarly, with an exception we’ll discuss in a moment, actual rarity can be quite hard to establish. As far as contents of the list go,  Takara Tomy will occasionally create special ‘lucky draw’ figures for contests in magazines and things. How many they produce varies from figure to figure, but it generally is between 50 and 10. These will be excluded from the list, because if they weren’t, the whole list would be lucky draw figures. (Although they’re cool as shit and you should go take a look http://www.luckydrawtransformers.com/)  Similarly, there are a ton of figures like Victory Leokaiser that command a lot of money on the secondary market just because they were japanese exclusive. These would also take up a ton of room on the list, so I’m going to avoid them unless there’s a really good reason to have them on here. Same for convention exclusives. Without further ado, let’s get started! 

10: Action Master Thundercracker 

Normally, when a toy is exclusive to somewhere, it’s Japan. However, as we’ll discuss later, in G1, Europe and other parts of the world saw some strange distribution. (NexusShard17) Towards the end of G1, “the European Hasbro branches continued releasing new toys which the USA would never get.”(NexusShard17) Perhaps the most notorious of these is Action Master Thundercracker, which has one of the most magnificent color schemes ever seen on a transformer. Where Thundercracker is traditionally blue, Action Master Thundercracker is neon pink, lime green, and a bunch of metallic copper paint and baby blue thrown in for good measure. (Geewunling) Because of the exclusivity of the figure, and it’s desirable, awful color scheme, it tends to command quite a bit on the secondary market. 

How do I get one? 

You can reliably find him on ebay in varying states of completeness, which of course impacts the price. For the figure itself with a few accessories, he goes for around 70-80 dollars, ranging to 150 and up for MISB. 

9: Dark of the Moon Wheeljack/Que: 

Who? 

Wheeljack/Que had a bit part in Dark of the Moon. He was mostly kind of around until he got shot towards the end of the film, for emotions or something. (SFH) He had a toy fully produced, but, when the DOTM line was prematurely axed, Wheeljack’s toy was left in limbo. Takara was eventually able to release Wheeljack in their markets, but he never saw an official US release. (SFH)  

How do I get one? 

Because the toy did actually see an official release somewhere on the planet, it’s not particularly rare, just expensive for a deluxe. You can generally buy one for around $100 on eBay. 

Notes: 

This fate is actually fairly common for toys. Most of the final wave of DOTM was eventually released by Takara. Similarly, although much of the tail end of Transformers: Animated was genuinely axed, figures such as Blackout did see release in Japan.(Abates) (And are also quite expensive.) I mostly picked Wheeljack because he’s the one I always think of. 

8: Masterforce Browning

Who? 

Browning was exclusive to the Japanese G1 line, Super God Masterforce. However, what really makes him difficult to come by is his alternate mode; Browning turns into a Browning M1910 pistol. (TVsGrady) Not only does he turn into a real model of gun, it’s a pretty convincing alt-mode from a distance; no orange safety cap, just sweet sweet chrome the whole figure over. Obviously, this would not fly in today’s toy market, and that makes a reissue of Browning extremely unlikely.

How do I get one? 

Between the reissue problem, the fact that his alt-mode is honestly really cool and novel, and his limited, Japanese release, it’s tough to even find an original Browning for sale on Ebay. Even when he is available, he tends to command a clean couple hundred. Your best bet would be dedicated trading forums. 

7: Hasbro DOTM Leadfoot 

Who? 

Much like Wheeljack, Leadfoot had a bit part in DOTM. He showed up for a few scenes with the Wreckers and built a spaceship and made Nascar jokes. Also like Wheeljack, Leadfoot was planned to receive a deluxe class figure, but with the untimely demise of DOTM, it was not to be. Takara did release a version of Leadfoot, and, like Wheeljack, this is expensive, but not unobtainable. What is excruciatingly hard to come by is one of the unreleased Hasbro two-packs of the character, which contained Leadfoot in a different deco from Takara’s, and a deluxe Topspin. Packaged samples are known to exist, but never officially saw release in any market. 

How do I get one? 

Takara’s Leadfoot generally commands $80-150 on eBay, and you can generally find one or two floating around. If you want the Hasbro deco, well… Good luck. The transformers wiki confirms that there was once one listed on eBay.(MSipher) Now, nine years after DOTM, your best bet would be to know someone, to know someone who knows someone, or to have an in at a place where things like this are discussed and trafficked. 

6: Rally Rhinox 

Who? 

Many of you are likely familiar with the Beast Wars character Rhinox. Many of you are probably not familiar with the promotional toy that character received at local American chain Rally’s. (S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) It looks nothing like Rhinox, or even really like a rhino.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) However, “Most people didn't realize the promotion even existed until after it was over, and the restaurant chain is fairly small and somewhat regional.” (S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) Because collectors are how they are, it tends to be quite expensive. 

How do I get one? 

The cursory ebay search I did recently didn’t turn anything up. However, a little more digging found some previous listings on old transformers forums. It appears to have gone for about 100 dollars, which is quite a bit, considering it’s a worse happy meal toy. 

5:Latin American G1 product 

What? 

G1’s international distribution was a bit of a mess. Hasbro handled the US, but “The earliest toys released in continental Europe (minus Italy) were distributed by Milton Bradley, which was in the process of being taken over by Hasbro at that point.”(NexusShard17, The Transformers) In Latin America, the situation was even more complex. No fewer than five licensees were producing G1 figures, often in unique and striking color schemes. (Whalermouse) With the passage of time, the exact scope of what was produced has become unclear; for example, “There are supposedly upwards of three dozen different mold/color combinations altogether, many of them unique to the Peruvian line, but the ravages of time have made samples stunningly rare and reliable information scarce.” (Whalermouse) The actual rarity of the figures depends on what specific piece you’re after, but all of them command outrageous sums. 

How do I get one? 

Many of these pieces are available to purchase on ebay. However, even the mini-vehicles tend to command on the order of 300-400 dollars. However, as you can imagine from the fact that it is uncertain what all exists, some individual colors and figures might prove exquisitely difficult to find. 

4: W Cassettebots 

What? 

Wouldn’t it be cool if Soundwave had some cassettes that turned into dinosaurs? What if they combined? Well if you lived in Japan in the 80’s, and preferred Blaster, you didn’t have to dream. There were two teams of cassettes that turned into dinosaurs, and that combined, albeit somewhat awkwardly. (M Sipher, W Cassettebot) At the end of the Headmasters, “there were a number of toys exclusive to Japan, most of which today command large sums on the secondary market due to rarity (or at least perceived rarity) in the West.” The W Cassettebots were solidly in that category. However, unlike other such exclusives, the W Cassettebots didn’t see a reissue until 2018-2019. (Interrobang; S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) For decades these figures could command 2000-3000 dollars for the pair. Even knock offs would go for several hundred dollars. Although these are expensive simply because of their exclusivity, their notoriety earns them a place on the list. 

How do I get one? 

If you’re a reasonable human being, you buy the reissue. It’s two orders of magnitude cheaper and you can actually play with it.  If you’re actually interested in the real deal, an accepted path is to buy some KOs to familiarize yourself with what those look like, and then… find the boys themselves somewhere? Likely by reaching out to an individual seller; I’ve never even seen a real pair on ebay. 

3: G2 Bomber Megatron 

A toy that essentially anyone can buy, but with a packaging variant that is next to unobtainable? Oh baybee, welcome to this version of G2 Megatron. “A planned-but-more-or-less-canceled redeco of Generation 2 Dreadwing, this two-pack of Megatron and Starscream was only released to test markets in Ohio in very limited quanities, and never saw a wide release… the toy was instead made available, with just a few small deco changes, in the Beast Wars II toyline as BB and Starscream.”(ItsWalky) Why do we care about how difficult this is to obtain? My god, because it’s there. Because it’s there. 

How do I get one? 

I’mma say you don’t. I’d guess less than 500 samples of any sort of this are around, and new in sealed box which is the only thing you’d care about? You’re at the mercy of Ohioese children of the 80s not playing with the cool toy they were bought. Good luck finding one. When you do, be prepared to break your wallet in half. 

2: G2 Defensor and Menasor 

These guys really should be number one on the list (but they’re not quite for a good reason). The place they occupy in transformers culture is legendary. It’s a newsworthy event when a set of these figures even becomes available to buy. Even Hasbro has lampshaded the rarity of these figures in the bio of one Shortround, a Cybertron toy. (KilMichaelMcC; Bronzewolf) Much as the first entry on our list, Action Master Thundercracker, had a phenomenally garish color scheme, Menasor and Defensor were going to be released that way in G2. However, between one thing and another, they were canceled. In spite of that, several samples are known to exist. Imagine it. A G1 combiner, unreleased, with this magnificent, gaudy color scheme, all those delightful little bits and pieces to lose or misplace over the years, a bare handful of extant ones in any event… The stuff of legends, to be sure. 

How do I get one? 

Know someone who knows someone. These tend to go for in the neighborhood of 20000 dollars. If you have the 20k to drop on one of these guys, you probably know someone who can put you in contact with one. They are also, rarely, listed on ebay. 

1: Chrome Optimus Prime

Okay, I know I said no Lucky Draw figures, but this one is special. There aren’t ten, or fifteen, or fifty of these. There are exactly two, as part of a single display. (MasterX224) “Won by TFW2005.com member James Zahn, this one-of-a-kind (well, two-of-a-kind) piece is an almost fully vacuum-metallized Leader-class Optimus Prime in red, silver and blue (based heavily upon Generation 1 Optimus Prime), presented with a custom display base with an embossed silver Autobot insignia and a perspex display case.” (MasterX224) The fact that there are two of this figure catapults it to the absolute stratosphere of rarity. It’s difficult to imagine what figure that actually exists could be rarer than this. Maybe a one-off thing for a valued Takara employee? Maybe the very first prototype of Optimus Prime? Even things like Menasor and Defensor have a handful of samples. What has just two? Well… this Chrome Optimus Prime. 

How do I get one? 

Well it helps to be James Zhan. And… yeah I think that’s really all. He’s certainly not going to give it up any time soon. Maybe if you meet him he’ll let you take a look at it some day? 

I hope you all enjoyed this loose list of some of the rarest/most expensive for what they are Transformers. There’s a ton of other super notorious lads, (cough G1 Raiden cough) that really do deserve to be on here. These are just a few of the ones I thought were interesting and, candidly, know about. I’m not in the circles of those folks who are collecting the rarest of the rare. If there’s anything you know about or would even like to spread rumors about, mention it! I’d love to hear about them. Also, if this caught your fancy, make sure to check out the lucky draw website. They have all sorts of interesting stories up there.

TVsGrady et al. “Browning” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Browning Accessed 11/1/2020

SFH et al. “Wheeljack (Movie)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Que Accessed 11/27/2020

Abates et al. “Blackout (Animated)” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Blackout_(Animated) Accessed 11/27/2020

NexusShard17 et al/ “Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Dark_of_the_Moon_(toyline) Accessed 11/27/2020

MSipher et al. “Leadfoot (DOTM)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Leadfoot_(DOTM) Accessed 11/27/2020

S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 “Rhinox (BW)/toys” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rhinox_(BW)/toys#Beast_Wars Accessed 11/27/2020

NexusShard17 et al. “ The Transformers (European toyline)” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Transformers_(European_toyline)#1985 Accessed 11/27/2020

Whalermouse et al. “The Transformers (Toyline)” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Transformers_(toyline)#Mexican_.26_South_American_Transformers Accessed 11/27/2020

MSipher et al. “W Cassettebot” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/W_Cassettebot Accessed 11/27/2020

M Sipher et al. “Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers! (toyline)” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_The_Headmasters_(toyline)#1987_.28The_Headmasters.29 Accessed 11/27/2020

Interrobang et al. “Graphy” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Graphy#Vintage_G1 Accessed 11/27/2020

S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Dairu” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Dairu#Toys Accessed 11/27/2020

Geewunling et al. “Thundercracker (G1)/toys” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Thundercracker_(G1)/toys#ActionMaster Accessed 11/27/2020

ItsWalky et al. “Megatron (G1)/toys” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Megatron_(G1)/toys#Generation_2 Accessed 11/27/2020

Bronzewolf, “Unreleased G2 Menasor Prototype listed on Ebay again” Siebertron

https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/unreleased-g2-menasor-prototype-listed-on-ebay-again/36662/ Accessed 11/27/2020

KilMichaelMcC et al. “Generation 2 Defensor and Menasor” TFwiki.

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Generation_2_Defensor_and_Menasor Accessed 11/27/2020

MasterX224 et al. “Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys” TFwiki. 

https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Optimus_Prime_(Movie)/toys#Leader_Class_toys Accessed 11/27/2020

[jokertrap-ran]

[Stand My Heroes] お誕生日ガチャ 2019 Birthday Hattori You SSR Gacha Card Story【 That’s a rainbow smile 】Translations

*Sutamai Master-list *MC name is retained as my usual *Part 1′s Story title: [ 大事なものを見つけて Finding something Important ] *Scenario Writer:  @Atomiatomi (Ａｔｏｍｉ)

Part 1 / Part 2

(Now then; I’ve come unexpectedly far.)

I arrived at this place, having chased down the clues we uncovered during the joint search we had together with the Narcotics Department. The view here was quiet and peaceful, having come a far-distance away from the city itself. The sky dark, for the sun had already set.

Ran: And we’ve finally managed to get something on our end too…It feels a little of a waste if we were to return half-way through.

Hattori: Well, I suppose you’re right.

There was no way I could just make her go home while I stayed overnight here alone, gallantly, either.

(I guess we should go back now.)

I happened to hear her muttering to herself as I moved to grip the car keys I had in my pocket.

Ran: …Work’s off tomorrow so maybe I’ll stay over.

Hattori: ……

I could tell that it wasn’t an invitation, judging from the lines of exhaustion between her brows. The thought of her staying overnight, alone, wasn’t even the slightest bit funny though.

(Well, I suppose there goes the need to see her safely back home like a gentleman.)

Hattori: How does doing it together sound?

Ran: Huh? What are you talking about?

Hattori: Staying over.

Hattori: There should still be some lodgings available in front of the station. Come on, let’s go.

Ran: Oh…right…

I couldn’t tell she was confused, or just nervous about it all, but the sound of her footsteps following closely behind was comforting enough. Because her presence alone sent excitement running through my veins.

(Staying over with little miss narc isn’t anything to scoff at.)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Hattori: Here’s the room key.

Ran: ……! Thank you so much!

She seemed surprised for a split second when I gave her another key-card separate from mine, for I had gotten us both separate rooms.

Hattori: I see, so you thought we were going to be rooming together.

Ran: No, just…how do I put this? Ahaha…

Hattori: You were expecting something.

Ran: No- I had just been thinking about what I should do if it really came down to that…

Hattori: I don’t particularly mind if you come to my room if you feel lonely.

Ran: I-I’ll be fine so please don’t worry about me!

Hattori: Is that so? Pity.

She was flustered; there was no hiding it even when she tried masking her cracked voice with a smile.

Ran: Still, we’re really lucky for there to have been free rooms available.

Hattori: Of course, it’s just a normal weekend after all.

Ran: That’s true. Oh, but there’s a big event!

Ran: It’s your birthday tomorrow!

Hattori: Hmm? I suppose it’ll be the same this year, just like-

Ran: Of course I remember.

We had a similar conversation last year, so she managed to come to the same conclusion as I, even before I had finished my sentence.

Hattori: Then let’s meet here at 9 AM tomorrow.

Ran: Alright. We can relax and spend the time at your house if we manage to return by the time noon hits.

Hattori: You seem to be misunderstanding something, little miss narc.

Ran: Huh?

Hattori: We’re not going back; we’re going out.

Ran: Out? –Wait, don’t tell me that there are more investigation spots that we have to check out?

Hattori: I see, it seems like you’ve not learnt anything at all since last year.

Hattori: How about you think a little more deeply about it?

Ran: …Is it…

Ran: That you wish to spend your birthday this year together as well…?

Hattori: I intend to take you out on a date, you’re welcome.

Ran: !

After enjoying the conversation I had with her, with her replying in the manner that I had already expected, I bid her “Good night” and went on ahead into my room.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

--The 23rd November.

The location we drove to was an Outdoor Museum, surrounded all around by magnificent mountains.

Ran: It’s a little surprising to think that you come to these kind of places too.

Hattori: Really, where did you think I was dragging you off to?

Ran: Ahaha, I didn’t think that you were going to be dragging me anywhere.

Ran: But I honestly couldn’t think of where you’d bring me, so it was pretty fun guessing.

Hattori: I’m guessing you couldn’t fall asleep because you were too excited?

Ran: It’s an important day today, so of course I slept early yesterday!

Ran: Thanks to that, I’m now in tip-top condition!

(An important day, you say?)

Is it because it’s my birthday today? Or is it because we’re on a date today? Still, no matter what the reasoning behind it, she did say those words herself. Right out of her own mouth, dare I add. I chuckled darkly at that.

Ran: By the way, why a Museum, of all places?

Hattori: Because it looked like we could enjoy spending the entire day here since they had both indoor and outdoor exhibits.

Ran: I see.

I could already see her cheeks starting to redden when I said that I had planned for us to spend the entire day together.

(Heh. What great expressions she makes all the time…)

Hattori: Let’s join hands since we’re out on a date.

Ran: Huh? …Are you the type who likes to hold hands when out on a date?

Hattori: There are times where people feel like squeezing onto something, be it a hand, or a body.

Ran: ……

Hattori: Well, I’m always open to it whenever you feel up to it.

I continued on ahead, moving my outstretched hand behind me as I did, as if daring her to take it. I bet her cheeks have gotten all red again.

Suddenly, I recalled the same words that I said last year--

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

(Hm, today seems to be passing way faster than I’d like it.)

Ran: Haa…Pican’s works and the sculptures here are all really pleasant to the eye. I’m glad I got to see them.

Hattori: I’m glad to hear that.

The last piece of work we walked towards was the butterfly theory, represented with stained glass. She let out a sound of awe the moment we stepped into the building.

Ran: Wow, it feels like we’ve just walked right into an illusion…

Hattori: ……

Ran: ……?

Ran: Do you perhaps, not like this like things like this…?

Hattori: Now, I wonder about that?

Even if I did like it, there was no way I’d say such ear-pleasing words. Besides, it’s not like I wanted to either.

(And right now…)

Ran: Oh, look! It’s really glittery over there!

It’s way better looking at how happy she is from the side.

Ran: How beautiful…

Hattori: …………

Hattori: …--Ran.

Ran: ?

A click sounded the very moment she turned to face me.

Ran: …Did you just snap a picture?

Hattori: ……

Ran: You did, didn’t you?

Displayed on the smartphone screen was a picture that was caught a moment to early when she turned. Even if it’s an exaggeration, it wouldn’t be too far off to say that a beautiful person does make for an equally stunning picture.

Hattori: Here.

Ran: ……

Hattori: --Come over here.

Ran: …Okay.

She came to my side, just as I told her to. Her initial wariness had gone off to god knows where, and I can most certainly feel like the distance between us has gotten shorter compared to last year.

Ran: …Is something the matter?

Hattori: I was just thinking about how you’re here.

I plonked my hand atop her head as my heart started doing a strange flutter.

Ran: Um…you told me that I could do it whenever I wanted, so…Can I?

Hattori: Of course; here.

Ran: --Happy birthday, Hattori-san.

Ran: I hope that you’ll receive a lot of happiness and have a lot of happy things come to you this year!

Hattori: Please treat me kindly.

Hattori: You’ll give me a great year of happiness, won’t you? Little miss narc.

Ran: …Making you happy sounds like a super high hurdle, though.

Hattori: Hmm. You’re as clueless as ever, I see.

Should I pull her in by our joined hands? Or should I make a move towards her? As I thought about it…

Hattori: I’ll try doing it this year.

Ran: !

She normally turns all red just from normal hand-holding, so it’s really nothing to scoff at when she returns the gesture by squeezing my hand in response.

Hattori: …………

(Seems like we’ve reached a place in our relationship that even I don’t want to admit it.)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Even so, I still won’t let those nice, ear-pleasing words slip from this mouth of mine all so easily.

…--That’s why,

let’s end the day we spent together today with a hug, rather than words.

───⋅𝕿𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊…⋆⋅☆

[ravenclawisms]

Doomsday day 2

Title: Good Luck and a Nice Strong Wind

Word count: 1590

Summary: Grimbeard’s thought process while writing the letter that Hiccup reads in How to Be a Pirate.

AN: For the second day of Doomsday, I wrote a oneshot!! It took me kind of a long time and it’s very unedited; also I’ve never written anything for this fandom. But I really liked this idea and wanted to do something for it. I’m really super proud so if you could give it a read I would really appreciate it!!

Keep reading under the cut:

Dear Heir,

I have had a glorious Viking life.

He nearly stopped here to scratch this part out, or knock the inkwell over onto the words, or shred the whole paper entirely. Who on earth was he kidding? He’d had a life full of drunken song, wrestling, riches beyond his dreams. But all of the steps he’d taken towards what he thought he wanted took him miles away from his heart, and he didn’t realize it until he was here and his heart lay somewhere across the Sullen Sea.

But now that I am an old, old man I find I am not so happy with my fifty years of rollicking and robbery, fighting and fresh air. I wonder if I might have run things differently.

His heartstrings bridged the distance across the waves, and as he wrote these words he felt a tug on them, a sharp twang from somewhere near the ocean all the way into his chest. It made him angry.

He kept writing.

This treasure, for instance. The Sagas will tell you that the stealing of it was my Most Magnificent Moment.

Whether it was, whether it was not--that didn’t matter. The ranking of a Magnificent Moment, in the grand scheme of things, was so trivial that the supposed magnitude of it burned. After everything that happened, after everything he’d done, it seared his skin like pokers straight from the fire.

But since then, it has been tearing my once-happy band of burglars apart with greed and lust for power.

That part stung the most--that after everything, he was the only person who seemed to think that things like treasure didn’t matter anymore.

Focus. He was here to tell his true Heir about this. He was here to leave hope for whoever came next.

So I have decided to get rid of it. I know that there will be men who will hear of the Legend of the Treasure and come looking for it, and for them I have buried a small chest on the Isle of the Skullions as a decoy, so that they will think that the hunt ends there.

And here he thought of his men, and the men of the future who he knew would take after them. So long as there were dragons in the sky, there would be men like this, men who thought only of two things: themselves and gold.

I have hidden the real treasure deep, deep in this underground cavern. It has taken many, many months for my dragons to swim down here with it. It is guarded by water one way and the Caliban Caves the other.

And here, Grimbeard looked up, and he could hear the faint bone-chilling scream of dragons from the Caliban. It sent the hairs on his arm on a steady path up, caused his beard to prickle. Dragons did not care for treasure, not like men. They understood its material worth, but it was of no value to them. They cared for themselves and for heat. Nothing more.

But, no. Perhaps they did care for more, some of them. Perhaps their hearts beat for more, even, than man’s. Perhaps their green blood was even purer.

I have placed an infant Strangulator in the Cavern who shall grow in time to be a terrible Guardian indeed.

He looked up here, at the Strangulator, who was sleeping peacefully upon a mound of treasure. It squeezed its eyes and rolled over, tentacles curling. It would be alone for many years, thriving off the food source from the Caves, until his Heir arrived.

If he arrived.

No. Focus.

I dream of a time in the future when men will be able to own such beautiful and dangerous things and use them wisely.

And here, again, there was a tug in his chest, as if his heart, across the sea, was trying to tell him something. It made him furious, this pain, as if everything he’d done wasn’t enough. As if this aching in his heart was somehow recompense for his life.

In a way, it was. He had been the men who cared for riches and glory and nothing else. He had been the very thing he was hoping and wishing and praying against. As long as there were dragons in the sky, there would be men like him.

But maybe there wouldn’t. Maybe his Heir would be sensitive, care for more than what he cared for. Maybe his Heir would be like Hiccup.

Even the thought of Hiccup made him wildly nauseated.

I dream of an Heir who shall be a Dragon-Whisperer, a Swordfighter, a Man who talks with Monsters and who will harness the power of Thor’s thunder itself...

Grimbeard had to pause here, for his hand was trembling like it would never see heat again. His guilt rose to his skin like a hard-to-banish shadow, eating at him from within. He tried to pick up the pen again, but couldn’t, and here he really considered knocking an inkwell over the whole thing and leaving the caves with no letter at all.

No. No matter what, his next Heir needed to hear this. His final hope, a boy who would one day, hopefully, do a better job than he had.

Ugh. Thor and Woden and all the rest of them, his hope really had become rested on someone who might never even exist. This was how thin he was stretched--his lifeline was hanging on a boy who may never come.

His heartstrings tugged, and he had to fight against letting them pull him out of the cave, into the ocean and drowning him.

Then again... what a way to go. Killed by his own heart.

This Heir will come and he will find my treasure. I give it to him freely, all of it, and he shall know what to do with it.

He pictured his Heir now, reading the letter, taking in his scratchy handwriting, unfazed by the treasure that surrounded him, a dragon perhaps on his shoulder. His Heir who would use equally his head and his heart, he would think and love and be kind and strong and sensitive. He would succeed where Grimbeard had failed.

He had to.

I wish you good luck and a nice strong wind.

May the winds that blow you be strong, he thought to himself, although he did not write it. May you go places I never went, may you accomplish what I never could. May you be the hope for us all.

And he drew Endeavour out of its scabbard and placed it on a mountain of gold beside the slumbering Strangulator. His second-best sword, sturdy, bright, still with him after all this time. Perhaps it was even the best, really; the Stormblade was flashy, but heavy, and difficult to balance. Perhaps they were the same. Perhaps second-best was best.

Grimbeard nailed the letter to the side of the door and stepped back to look at the room, at the last piece of his heart, the rest of which lay somewhere across the ocean and was out of his reach now. He was never going back; there was nothing left. He had burned it all to the ground. Only his heart remained, calling out, pulling him, and it would soon be silenced.

Once again, for the last time, he pictured his Heir, reading the letter. A man who talks with Monsters. A Dragon-Whisperer, a Swordfighter.

Grimbeard put a hand to his chest, where the absence of the lobster claws felt so light it was nearly alien. That was another clue, that by now lay somewhere across the sea, in the Meathead islands. It would return; it was only a matter of time. And his Heir would figure it out.

Perhaps it would even be a Hiccup, in the end. After all, there was a second Hiccup, and we all knew how that turned out. Who was to say there couldn’t be a third? What if there was to be a third Accident, who brought together all the clues that he’d left behind and finally reached where the other two had come so close to reaching?

No. Impossible. The Fates do not make mistakes.

And yet...

His son, his Hiccup, was not a mistake. He knew that, now. It had taken him ages to see it, but now he knew.

Who’s to say that Accidents are not gifts, in disguise?

Another pull on Grimbeard’s heartstrings, and this time he knew what it meant. With one last look at the letter, one final vision of his legacy--all of his clues, the treasure, the Things. (He hoped they would never have to have a King again, but just in case it came to that... it helped to be prepared.)

He walked toward the entrance of the cave, nodded at the Strangulator, and passed on through the doorway. All of his clues were in place. Everything was set for a repetition of history, for another Grimbeard, for his Heir to arrive...

For a small, deliberately placed hiccup in the gears...

He had no dragons; all of them who helped carry his treasure were gone, back to the Caliban. His clues were set. Berk had been burned to the ground.

Grimbeard took his last breath--stale, humid cavern air, not altogether satisfying, but that didn’t matter now--and stepped into the pool of water at the bottom of the cavern.

It was time for a new era.

He closed his eyes as the water enveloped him.

[neshabeingchildish]

Hello Stranger Part 3

At this point, I don't even feel like redoing the final authors notes. Thank y'all all. Edit: So, okay... I’m feeling better, so lemme say that I am trying out deadlines and discipline for ff WIPs. This one I planned as a three parter. So, hopefully you like the conclusion.

Hello Stranger Part 3

Henry had woke up on the couch with a start! He had been transported into the past while he slept, and was right at that moment where he let Charlotte walk out of his life. That day he didn't know he wouldn't see her for 10 years. Now that he did, every time she walked away was a nightmare. He checked his phone. He'd only gotten about 2 hours of sleep. But he still got up and headed straight to the florist shop.

Making floral arrangements gave him some peace of mind. The decision to open a real store occupy his time and set appointments for people had been one of his best ideas. Most people ordered online anyway. And it was nothing to hire a few people to just man the shop, for when he couldn't be there because of his real work as Captain Danger.

None of the staff knew of his lifestyle, nor did they have access to the Man Caves. Schwoz reprogrammed the elevator to be code activated, and they replaced a few of the damaged caves with other burrows that Henry needed. His gym, his spa, a man cave for Schwoz, one for Jasper, and Ray's retirement home… which was currently the active Man Cave, because he didn't have friends or plans but didn't want to work as Captain Man anymore.

Henry's biggest concern about Ray retiring was that he didn't want Ray to "Jason Todd" him. "If you want to relinquish Captain Man, I take up the mantle-hood for sure and for good. Schwoz works for the Man Cave, meaning me and you can't have the right or even the ability to take anything over from me." Ray had agreed to that, only because he assumed Henry would be lax about it.

Sometimes he would try to threaten Schwoz to get something his way, but Henry had given Schwoz the option to escape Ray's threats by grounding him in the Man Cave until he calmed down. The first time was a doozy. The fight that Ray and Henry had when he came to see if he'd cooled off was their biggest yet. At the end of the conversation, Henry clarified, "As long as I'm in charge of the Man Cave, you don't get to attack, threaten or violate Schwoz or Jasper. They work for me and it is a hostile work environment that I won't allow on my watch. If you can't deal with that, Schwoz will bring Halley back to babysit you, if need be." He had his tough dad voice that he sometimes had to use with his own dad and when Ray stormed to his retirement cave, he locked him out of the Man Cave for a while,just in case.

But, seeing Charlotte and recalling their argument, his words, and recollection of examples of her truth over the years… he had to make it right. He built her a bouquet and sent it to where the search engine told him her office was. The high point of his day,nope.. his decade, was seeing the reaction she posted and all of the replies.

Followers trying to guess who the mystery man was. All the heart eyes and jealous drooling. The compliments on the bouquet itself because he appreciated respect for his craftsmanship.

.

Taking things slow, Charlotte soon realized meant that Henry needed them to work at his pace. Not necessarily slow in general, but he seemed more at ease whenever he could make the first move. She could handle that. She didn't like to chase anyway, so that was preferred to her.

They were spending time together, going on dates, talking about themselves and their worlds, and not dwelling on the fight and forgiveness between them - just the future. They were helping Jasper with wedding plans, both silently thinking and wondering what their own might look like if that was ever an option. Charlotte absolutely lived for Jasper's engagement ring and whenever they went to help him pick out Don's wedding ring, she couldn't help but notice Henry looking at various other ones. So, just for laughs, she said, "Be sure to consider that it's either an ethically sourced diamond, if not just crystals, something that says she's sift and dainty, but also don't get it twisted, she's a god-damned boss."

Henry blushed and giggled, "I don't even know what that means but I'll repeat it for the vendor if I'm ever in the market. I'm more of a 4 c's, reputable jeweler with genuine care for the buyer… I feel like just like with food or with flowers, the gift of a ring has to have all of the steps outlined in love. Like… I agree with ethically sourcing, and raise you ethically selecting. The jeweler needs to help the fiance find the perfect ring for their spouse,to feel that energy in that little piece of jewelry. But also, the jewelry has to consent. She has to call you and let you know that she's willing to be that symbol for the rest of her existence…" He looked at a particular ring whenever he said that. Charlotte definitely peeped it. It was perfect. It was probably the most visible representation of her desire for a ring that she had ever seen.

Whenever Henry caught her staring at it with him, he noted the expression in her eyes. She blinked it away and smiled, saying, "Well, Henry Hart, you and some ring are going to make some person… to be honest, if anybody proposed to me having said some stuff like that, they'd better have the entire ceremony in their pocket because how do you not just marry them on the spot?" He laughed.

Jasper fussed from across the store, "I really am happy that you found love, and I'ma let you finish, but I'M the one trying to buy a ring right now!"

Both friends blushed and, and bumbled over their words, and got back to business. Henry gestured to the jeweler at the ring when Charlotte was devoting her visible attention to Jasper. He didn't know when or if he'd ever actually use it, but seeing that look in her eyes, he certainly couldn't just leave it behind… not that he was letting either of his friends see him take it today. There were so many conversations and milestones before… he could even fathom breaching that subject.

Months passed of something that he couldn't put into words. Charlotte gave him the space and speed he needed all of the time and didn't seem pressed about it. They were going to be each other's dates to the wedding, even though they were both actually in the wedding as part of Jasper's wedding party, and he was simply floating on air lately.

Three months into their relationship, he was finally ready to be sexual with her. He'd explained the first time that they got physically intimate that he "didn't really get around to gaining any experience." It took quick work for her not to facially respond to Henry admitting to her that he was not only a virgin but sort of a prude. "I just couldn't for a long time, then after a while, it was pretty embarrassing and I've never met anybody or gotten close to anybody that I could be vulnerable enough to admit this to. I hope you don't think I'm as much of a loser as I feel right now."

She collected him and strummed his face, "There's no reason for either of us to feel like you're a loser. So you haven't had sex yet. So what? There's plenty of people who haven't for various reasons and all of them are valid. The reasons and the people."

The months of kissing, cuddling, and watching Henry figure out what he liked and loved and wanted was really satisfying for her. She had forgotten what it was like to have longer journeys than a fling and sometimes forgotten how it felt to feel something for the person that she was physically connecting with. Besides that, by the time he was ready for her, she was working with a combination of 10 years of him longing, 28 years of him waiting, and the 15 years of hero physical training and working that had his body magnificent to her. Plus, she was super in love with him at that point. It was hands down the best she had ever had and as they grew, it just kept getting better.

For him, it was the fulfillment of everything that he had waited for. Charlotte was always careful not to make him feel upset or unsure. She didn't make him feel inadequate. She was clear and concise about what she could do for and to him, always making certain that he was comfortable and consenting. It was way more beautiful than he thought his first time would be. He expected her to look annoyed when he fumbled or chuckle uncontrollably when he asked what he felt like were stupid questions. She was the perfect partner though - equal portions companion and friend.

It was like he'd been living in a bubble. It was like he forgot that real life had a way of bursting bubbles. It was like he forgot that just because Ray wasn't around her, Ray didn't exist on the same plane. He had definitely forgotten that Ray had agreed to give Jasper away…

.

From the moment that he and Charlotte came into contact, Ray was pretty much at her neck. The thing about it was that they hadn’t seen each other in 10 years and the last time that he’d done this to him, she had told him about himself and didn’t take it back nor regret it a single moment. So, on this day, she certainly wasn’t going to have any of his shit.

“Ah, if it isn’t world renown problem solver Charlotte. Are you here to make sure nobody has any fun at Jasper’s wedding?”

Henry sighed threw his head back. Why hadn’t he considered that Charlotte and Ray would have bad blood.

“Oh, look - Ray Manbabychester. Riding fifty and still going on fifteen,” she commented right back. He fumed and she smiled and added, “Great to see you, Old Man.”

“I don’t look a day over 35,” he said, and while he did still look pretty good for his age, she couldn’t resist.

“Maybe not, but you don’t act a day over 5. Moving on to rehearsal, because we do want this to go on schedule, right Jasper?” Jasper fought off laughter as he nodded. For the rest of the rehearsal, Ray and Charlotte had it out. He’d try to get under her skin and she’d redirect him to what he could kiss. By the end of it, she announced to everyone, “Okay. People that we all claim to love are getting married on tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours, and immeasurable dedication has been given to this event. If I am the fun police, I’ll be that, because I’ll be damned, if anyone,” she looked directly at Ray, “jeopardizes Jasper’s special day.”

“Bridesmaid of Buzzkill, everyone!” Ray cheered.

“That doesn’t even make sense, you MASSIVE idiot!” she fussed, finally losing her cool. “I can’t believe that you’re still exactly the same as you always were...” Her voice was high pitched and screeching and she was honestly ready to sock him in the face, now thinking about the fact that he was pretty much the reason that she and Henry hadn’t spoken in as long as they hadn’t and she knew that even though Henry never said it that he probably spent that time bad mouthing her, just like he was currently doing. And now that she was thinking about it, she was a little bit mad that Henry hadn’t defended her today, not once and was getting ready to drag his ass for that too, as soon as she got him alone, but he injected himself into her fussing at Ray.

“Dude, you’ve been on her all day, and everybody is exhausted with it. Just stop.”

Ray scoffed. “Don’t. Don’t do that. Look, when I was an 18 year old kid, I let that stuff fly, but you know what she means to me and even if you don’t like her or don’t respect her, I’m not gonna just stand here while you bash her. It’s offensive to her, to me, and to Jasper, who we’re all here for… And you know… His spouse-to-be too…”

Ray folded his arms, “You’re siding with her after everything that she did to you?”

“Everything she…?” Henry clenched his fists and said to Jasper, “We’re gonna go, okay?” Jasper nodded. Ray moped as he stomped out of the building and Charlotte tried to keep steam from exploding from her ears. Henry gently pulled her aside, shook his head and said, “I am so sorry that I let that go on for so long. I promise, I was gonna get him together when he first jumped off, but you seemed like you had it and I didn’t think he was getting to you until that part. I would’ve protected you if I thought you needed it..”

She nodded, “I did have it at first. Then, he just kept taking jabs and I thought about all of the years that I put up with that kind of stuff from him. I thought about all of the realizations that I came to in my self discovery of how toxic and traumatic a lot of his verbal and emotional abuse was and the times that he literally almost killed me multiple times while I was a kid at a part time job. Then, I thought about everything that he’s done to you, and I just snapped. I know you love him. I know that I don’t fully understand your relationship. I just…"

"You're right. You were then and you are now. It took me awhile to realize it, that over the years as I was coming into myself, I saw examples and I know that you were spot on about a lot of it, even if I couldn't handle hearing it yet. I do love him and I always will, but I'm not letting those feelings get in between you and me ever again.I'm still working on me and I'm working on him. I'm working on us. I let my loyalty to Ray make us strangers, once. We were never supposed to be that. Look, I know that you don't believe in "the one" or forever, but whatever it is that you think about journeys, I think that you have to know that some of those don't end until you die. And that's what I want, with you. This journey until I'm done."

She leaned into him with a smile and said, "Henry Hart, that sounded suspiciously like a proposal."

"Well, it was definitely the set up to one. Certainly can't ask any time this weekend. Do you realize the level of Bridesgroomzilla that Jasper would unleash?"

"Oh, he would kill us."

"Precisely, and I'm not in any position to die, now that I've finally found my reason for living."

It would be an utter lie to suggest that he didn't frequently make her gush. This eas above and beyond that, though it was interrupted when Ray yelled from the door, "Henry, are we leaving or not???"

Henry groaned, forced a smile and said through his teeth, "He might wind up getting killed."

"Yeah, by Jasper if he keeps it up," she said and they parted ways. A couple of hugs and kisses later, that is. "Good luck getting Gramps settled."

He met up with Ray, scolding him while he pouted and Charlotte waved at them and watched them bicker from the window of the venue. Ray was a lot, but Henry said that he was working on him, on them,so maybe there was hope for him yet.

As for her hope, she was staring at him. He looked back, smiled and the world stopped for a while. Maybe she hadn't believed in soul mates because at the time, hers was a stranger and they were estranged. She didn't know that it could ever be this way. But, it was and her next journey just might be the longest. The stranger was gone now and her soul mate had entered the journey with her and he wanted that journey… for life.

The End.

[1dcraftawards]

MARCH AOM

Hello everyone! It is time to reveal who our author of the month is! They will be revealed below along with an interview we conducted with them! Hope you enjoy x

-1D Craft Awards Team

And our March Author of the Month is.....

@marisa-writes​!!!

Questions:

1. Did you start writing fanfiction for One Direction, or was there another fandom that you wrote fanfiction for before this?

Before I found my way to One Direction fanfiction, I wrote Jonas Brothers fanfiction for a few years and I loved it immensely! I wouldn’t still be writing fic to this day if not for the relationships I built in that fandom, and the love I received both from my readers and my writing friends. I’ve been sharing my writing online for about ten years now, which is crazy to me. It was my connection to people I met through JBFA that led me to eventually make my way to 1DFF, though I was a very casual reader and not a writer in the beginning. I was also a casual fan of 1D at the time, definitely into their music but not planning to dive in much beyond that. Oh, how the tables have turned...

2. How old were you when you started writing fanfiction?

In 6th grade, my friends and I used to share the joy of writing this fake gossip column between us in which we were the members of this epic girl band. We would write about all of our exploits in the band and in our fictional personal lives, where we were  - obviously - dating famous people, like members of ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. In 7th grade, I wrote pages and pages of stories on loose-leaf paper about myself and my friends and threw in my celebrity crush of the moment as a love interest, so I suppose those stories were my first attempts at writing fanfiction.

This was in the early 2000s, so I didn’t really know my way around finding fanfics on the internet until a couple of years later, but aside from these self-insert stories, the first piece of fanfiction I remember writing with original characters was a Justin Timberlake one I wrote during my freshman year of high school. I kept it in a spiral that I decorated with pictures of Justin and my “face claim” - before face claims had a name - for my original character, Jamie (to show my age, her face claim was Samantha Mumba). I still have that notebook and know exactly where it is. I pull it out every once in a while to remind myself of the journey my writing has taken, because WOW, was that story bad! But I’d never be where I am if I hadn’t written it!

3. What’s been your favorite fic you’ve written to work on so far?

What a terrible question. Asking me to choose between my stories is a lot like asking me to choose between my non-existent children!

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing all of the projects I’ve shared so far, but the summer that I wrote the sangria series was like magic. Teyana and Niall came out of a couple days’ worth of me listening to one of my favorite R&B artists, Jon B., on repeat, and after one lengthy one-shot in which I’d put a lot of thought into their back-story as well as the one I was telling in that particular piece, I was a goner for them. While writing that series, I was an endless well of inspiration and I enjoyed creating those characters and spending so much time in their world.

The Different Strokes series has been the gift that keeps on giving for a few years now, and the joy that’s come from showcasing Liam and Georgia’s love for one another as their family grows has pleased me immensely.

I also feel very similarly about one of my one-shots, goodnight, good morning. Creatively, it was just an absolute joy to write and I can’t help but regard it with fondness whenever I think about it. It came out of left field for me, but my love of the stuck-in-the-elevator trope combined with my love of Liam in nice winter coats made for a piece of writing I am super proud to say I’ve written.

4. Is there a fic that you really wanted to write, but you just never did?

I have a plethora of barely-started fics that just sit taunting me in my Google Docs. The two that haunt me the most are Basketball Jones, an AU in which Liam is a point guard playing on the same university team as my OFC Tionne’s twin brother, Amari, and Roots, in which newly-solo Liam is stoked when presented with the opportunity to work with a legendary soul artist named Maurice Collins to complete his album, but the project ends up getting passed off to Maurice’s daughter Cleo instead. Both stories are the kind you wish would write themselves because you just want them to be out there in the world, you know? But alas, I suppose I have to do the work myself, and I just haven’t been able to get either project to take off just yet.

5. What’s your favorite trope to write?

ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIPS! God, I’m such a sucker for it. I know a lot of people are fans of the build-up and all the angst and heartache and reconciliation that comes with it, but I’m always the one at the end going, “So what’s next?” I love to see what happens past the happy (or sometimes, not-so-happy) ending. There is so much to be told in what happens between a pairing when they’re committed and figuring out how to be together, and I adore being able to showcase that, especially because it’s not something you see as often as other tropes in fic.

6. What’s your ideal space to write in?

I like writing in my room. It’s quiet, peaceful, my own space. Sometimes I’ll sit on my bed; other times, I like to kick back in my chair in the corner where my lights are hung - my little reading/writing/tv-watching nook - and I’ll prop my feet up on my ottoman and do some writing with a nice cup of tea. I like to be as relaxed as possible, so I can really let my mind wade through all the lines of dialogue and scenes that I want to write.

7. What inspires you to write?

All sorts of things. For many years, it was music. I used to require music playing when I wrote, but I write in silence more often than not now. Still, music is a heavy inspiration for me - there are stories to find even in the songs that don’t seem like, lyrically, they’d provide any. But the mind is a powerful thing, and so is music, and when the two work together, magic tends to happen.

I also find inspiration in the world around me, and in the things I read. I’m a big fan of studying how people interact with one another. Relationships - familial, platonic, or romantic - are fascinating to me, and I love to write about how people react to the others around them, or the environment around them. I believe certain people and places come into your life exactly when they’re meant to for reasons you may or may not understand at the time, but they’re always important in your journey, and I love to write about that.

As a black woman, having the opportunity to continuously write about black women is also a huge inspiration for me, which is something you’ll notice in looking at the original female characters I write. One of my favorite authors, Alyssa Cole, is a black woman who has written both historical and contemporary romances, and she floors me with every piece of hers that I read because the diversity she includes in every story is encompassing and feels effortless. She paints a picture of what our diverse world looks like or has looked like in the past with every novel or novella she writes, and she inspires me to use my words to share stories that feature black women of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds at the center because it’s important to me to see incredible black women having their stories told. Alyssa’s diversity doesn’t stop at just black characters, either, which is even more marvelous to me. She’s a force to be reckoned with, and I always joke that I want to be her when I grow up, but let’s be real, I’m not joking.

8. Do you typically like to listen to music when you write? If so, what do you listen to?

I inadvertently just answered this question! Back in my must-listen-to-music days, I would put Jason Reeves’ The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales…) on repeat. That album in itself tells a story from start to finish of falling in love, being in love, getting your heart broken, and starting over, and there was something in the magic of Jason’s lyrics and musicality that used to wring endless sparks of inspiration from me. Whenever I felt stuck, I would turn that album on and the words would flow. Nowadays, I tend to find comfort in the quiet, but if a particular song or collection of songs has inspired something I’ve written, like Jon B. did with sangria on your lips, or SoMo’s “For You” did with the one-shot of the same name, I’ll listen to whatever’s inspiring me on repeat.

9. Do you have any plans for any future fic ideas you’d like to pursue?

Nothing confirmed at the moment! If I could get those fics I have haunting me in my Google Docs to wander past small blurbs and vague plot ideas, that’d be wonderful. I’ll write fanfiction in this fandom as long as I’m inspired.

10. Do you have any advice for other writers in the fandom?

WRITE. FOR. YOU. Look at that again, read it over and over until it’s ingrained deep in your mind and heart. Don’t write with the goal in mind to gain ‘x’ number of readers, and don’t write to measure up to anyone else. We as writers are our own worst critics and conspiracy theorists, and we will come up with a hundred different reasons to stop writing when we’re discouraged or frustrated, or compare ourselves to others and consider them leagues above us. It is so easy to talk ourselves in circles of why we should quit because of whatever reasons we’ve decided on in that precise moment, but you know what? If you write, you started for a reason. It gave you feelings you’d never experienced before and wanted to chase so hard that they drove you to write something that came from your mind, your heart, your fingertips. Do you realize how extraordinary that is?

Nothing you write will ever mean much if you don’t write it for you. You can’t love to do this and pour your heart into your words if they aren’t ones that mean something to you. You are never going to please everyone that reads your writing, which is often a hard truth to swallow because we just want to be liked, and you will be by some! But it’s important that you write something you’ll be proud to attach your name to, because someone is going to be very pleased with it, but most importantly, you will be pleased with it. We grow and change as writers and so does our level of work, but looking back and cringing because maturity has made us better writers is not the same as looking back and cringing because what we wrote doesn’t reflect who we’ve been at any stage. Write to satisfy yourself at whatever place in life you’re in. No regrets when you look back.

11. What is your writing process like?

It very much depends on the project! One-shots are my bread and butter, and those are often things I can write in a breeze when I’m inspired. My one-shots are usually the lengthy type, more of a short-story packed into a smaller package, so writing them tends to go smoothest for me.

For my chaptered projects, or the ones that started as one-shots and turned into stories or series, it’s a slower process for me. I always have a general plot line and specific important moments in mind, but I’m not the outlining type at all - feels too stifling for me, and I like the freedom to adjust certain plot points when the process serves. If I’m full of inspiration and my life allows me the freedom to sit down and write away, I will! I’ve recently moved myself out of a life situation that was taking a lot of that creativity and peace of mind away from me, and I’m hoping to find my way back to some sort of constant stream of inspiration soon.

Author Specific:

1. Why would you say you’re more attuned to writing Liam and Niall out of all the boys? Would you ever write for Harry / Louis / Zayn?

Liam is the whole reason I wound up in this lovely mess. I became a fan of 1D’s music from the first album, but genuinely had no intention of going beyond that in terms of interest. I’d recently exited the Jonas Brothers fandom as a whole because the cattiness and pettiness of some fans was absolutely exhausting and I needed a break from fandom for a good while (or so I thought, as I eventually found myself neck-deep in the Big Time Rush fandom). Around 2013, though, Liam’s vocals, smile, and stage presence had me slowly turning into the eye emoji. And those who have known me for quite a while can probably recall the night in 2015 where I drank a lot of wine and looked at a lot of pictures of him on Tumblr and became a complete goner.

It took me a little bit to start writing about him, however. I’d been reading some 1D fic because a dear friend I’d met through JBFA had moved to writing 1D fic and I once told her I’d read Magic School Bus fanfiction if she wrote it, so I obviously followed her to 1DFF. As I became more interested in Liam, I started reading some Liam fics, trying to get a hang on his personality because at the time I wrote mainly OU and I love finding that authenticity. I also wanted to get a feel for writing characters who weren’t American, like I am. Eventually, I came up with some ideas, decided to get my feet wet, and started writing. I would say I’m attuned to writing Liam because in learning about him, I connected with him. I adore him as a person and an artist, and hardly anyone writes about him these days (which breaks my heart), so I continue to because he makes me happy and we could all use a little more Liam-centric stories in our lives.

As for Niall, I was blown away by the leaps and bounds of the growth of his vocal talent on Made in the A.M. He really shined on those songs for me, and when his solo career started rolling, I was mesmerized by the way he was going about it. Very deliberate with his choices, taking his time, warming everyone up to the magic he’d been possessing for years. I was floored by his magnetism both as a person and an artist, and it drew me to write about him. While it was completely unexpected because I’d been gone for Liam for quite some time, I don’t regret a single minute of it.

I would absolutely write for Harry, Zayn, or Louis if a story idea struck me. I actually started a Harry story that I stalled with big time because I scared myself out of confidence with the massiveness of writing a story with supernatural elements, but hey, maybe someday!

2. What is one moment from “Regarding Our Ghosts” that you never got to write but want to?

ROG, my OG baby! I’m unbelievably heartbroken that I haven’t been able to finish that fic, because it was a passion project, but it always holds such a solid place in my heart.

In the story, Liam and Lissie were meant to travel home to the UK to visit family for the winter holidays, while Nina and Macy went to see her mother, Noreen, for a few days around Christmas. Over the course of their time apart, I wanted to show how integrated their lives had started to become, with Lissie insisting that she and Liam buy presents for Macy and Nina to give when they returned, and Noreen inquiring after the father-and-daughter pair that Macy couldn’t stop talking about during their visit.

Once Liam returned, he was to drop by Nina’s to catch up with her and see if she needed some help with shoveling snow from the drive. There was a moment in which they laughed and joked and Liam’s laughter made Nina realize how much she’d missed him and it absolutely terrified her because she didn’t have the capacity to put a name to that feeling just yet. There’s a little snippet I wrote on an index card at the place where I used to tutor because it struck me mid-lesson, and I carried that index card in my wallet for years. It went:

He laughs, and oh—oh. His laugh. She missed his laugh. She missed this. She missed Liam.

The feeling settles low in the pit of her stomach, goopy and sweet, and she doesn’t know what to make of it. In her mind, there are little compartments where she sorts out her thoughts and emotions, and as she tries to sort this—that she missed Liam—she can’t. She doesn’t know where to put it.

So she lets it churn in her gut, thickening like a rue, until she can make up her mind.

It was such an important moment for them - a turning point, for Nina at least, realizing that this man she and her daughter had come to rely on in certain ways could be more than just a friend to her. That her feelings could be stronger, and she could maybe feel something for someone again after convincing herself she’d be happy alone if that’s what was meant for her.

Man, I miss that story something fierce, but it stays with me every day.

3. What is one thing you wish you would’ve known before you started writing 1d fic?

That I would get in this deep. Ha. No, honestly, I’m glad that I didn’t have any expectations going in. That’s the best. You learn as you go. Similar to my time writing Jonas Brothers fic, I’ve built some pretty great friendships that I never would have if I hadn’t started writing 1D fic. I even made connections with people who read my Jonas Brothers fanfics but we’d never spoken until I started reading and writing 1D fic!

I’m grateful for the people this has brought into my life, and the opportunity I’ve had to go into this fandom and spend more time honing my craft and getting to shine a light on people of color in my stories, black women specifically. We are so often missing from fiction and that is true from the fanfiction world to the romance novels I read, but our stories are so important and real and as needed as everyone else’s, so I am excited beyond belief that I’ve been able to create several black female characters that have reached out and touched readers of all kinds. I’ve also been able to connect to other authors of color who, like me, write about people who look and think and live like them, and the sense of being seen as a person of color is overwhelming. I hope to see more of it in the future.

4. Who has been your favorite OFC to write? Why?

I’m gonna cheat a bit here because it’s a three-way toss-up between Georgia, Rolly, and Teyana.

Georgia means the world to me because in my previous fandom, I wrote a lot of white OFCs because that was just...what I saw and experienced, and to be honest, I didn’t really think about it much at first. Writing white characters was the “norm”. After a while, I noticed that in seeking out characters who looked like me, I encountered a lot of storylines that featured racism as a conflict between x Jonas Brother’s family and the OFC. It was hard to find stories in which characters were just human beings who happened to be black and faced conflict that had nothing to do with their race. So, I decided to write a story in which that was the case. It opened up my eyes to what I’d been failing to focus on, something that became super important to me the more I reflected on it: seeing black characters represented realistically and in a positive light in fanfiction.

When I eventually came to write 1D fic, I made a very conscious choice to feature black women at the center of my stories, and Georgia was the first. Through her, I was able to show a successful black woman who had started a family with the man she loved, and I was able to showcase little moments of Georgia’s experiences as a black woman that Liam had to learn about, like why she wrapped her hair at night. It sounds like such a small thing, but that was big for me - I couldn’t recall ever seeing that in the writing I’d read thus far, a black woman wrapping her hair at night, so I wrote it. Soon, I had readers coming to me who could relate and said they hadn’t seen it, either. I’ve also had non-black readers who have expressed how much they like the fact that I write about black women, that they enjoy reading stories that focus on people of color. The whole experience has been so moving for me.  It’s made me realize that I am not only doing something I love, but also doing something important.

Rolly Marshall is, in many ways, a reflection of me. I conjured her up when I was a few months into my first year of teaching and overwhelmed, tired, and frustrated beyond belief. She was an escape. I could channel all of the things I loved and dreaded about my job into her and her life, and it was like lifting a weight off my shoulders. Rolly loves her job, like I did, but her experience was one that I created to be more positive than the one I experienced, which has made it both easy and hard to write about her at times. But more than our mutual connection through education, I love Rolly because she feels so genuine to me. She’s awkward and kind-hearted and funny and a good friend to the people in her life. She’s just a good egg. I love her spirit and her humor and that’s a big part of what’s made her such a joy to write. I didn’t expect many people to latch on to her because how many people could really relate to a second grade teacher? To my great surprise, many.

Teyana surprised me with my attachment to her. She and Niall were meant to be a one-time thing, much like Liam and Georgia, but seeing as how those two turned into an eighteen-part thing PLUS a throwback mini-fic, I should’ve known better. It was while I was writing sangria on your lips that I found myself thinking about who Teyana was before she and Niall met. I couldn’t stop thinking about where she came from, building her past. She comes from a single parent home where her father raised her after her mom left. She carries scars from that, from the abandonment she felt when her mom moved on without so much as a single moment to look back. She clung to her Papi and his Cuban culture and grew up with the lessons he instilled in her, including one she taught herself from watching his heart break: that maybe there was no great “one” for her. But that changes when she meets Niall, who challenges everything she thought she could gain from a relationship. He’s truly a partner to her. He has a glimpse into what life is like when your parents aren’t together anymore, so he’s empathetic to what she feels in regards to her mom. He loves her unconditionally. He’s her match, and after years of convincing herself she may never find her match and she’ll be okay with that, Niall is a pleasant surprise, and honestly, he restores her faith in love. She learns she doesn’t need anyone else to make her life complete - her Papi raised her to find that completion all on her own - but having someone to share her life with is a pleasure she’s more than grateful to have.

5. Which one of your fic boys was your favorite to write? Why?

Different Strokes Liam has been my all-time favorite. He’s driven and passionate about his work, completely committed to his family, and there’s a warmth, humor, and sexiness to him that has made him so much fun to write since I began. I love that I can paint him as a complete and utter sop in one piece, a classic romantic in another, and a confident master of seduction in the next. He’s confident and often sure of himself but not immune to insecurities. He’s got different facets, and I love getting to focus on each one at different times as the series shifts.

The Different Strokes series was something that spawned from what was supposed to be a stand-alone one-shot, but I found myself attached to the little family I built for Liam, Georgia, and their son Carter, and my mind expanded upon writing little snippets of them - glimpses of them as Carter grew, as their lives changed, as their family expanded. I am a big fan of established relationships, and I grew so attached to watching Liam mature and change as both a father and a husband. Liam in real life seems to have such a compassionate heart, and before he even became a father, I had a good feeling that he would be a great one and getting to write about him as both a father to his children and a partner to his wife has been such a joy. And with Checkpoints, my mini-fic in the series, I’ve been able to go back to when he and Georgia first met and began seeing each other and it’s been nothing but fun to write!

If not for DS Liam, I wouldn’t have fallen as in love with writing 1D fic as I have, so I am grateful every day for the opportunity I’ve had to expand upon his character and the incredible life he’s built for himself. Writing him has led to writing many other projects that I adore, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for me as a writer.

[minnie-marvel]

Just a Quick Stop (Pietro x Reader)

When comparing the Maximoff twin’s powers in the compound living room at night ends with Pietro having a bruised ego, he feels determined to make sure you know why he’s the superior twin.

Pietro x Reader

Words: 1187

A/N: I LIIIIIIVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEE Y’ALL!!! Seriously its been such a long time since I’ve written so I wasn’t really super confident on this piece. Hopefully I can still get my creative juices flowing after this lil drabble!! I know what youre all thinking “WHERES CROWNFELL?!?!?” trust me trust me, I’m definitely working on part nine but remember that it has been quite a while since I’ve written and I’m still in school till December. But!!!! I promise that I’ll keep working on it and make sure that I get it out eventually!! I’m trying to spend more time on it since its such a favorite among my followers. Anywhooooo!!! Enjoy this fic!! Pietro is so fun I love to write for flirty characters like him.

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You sat on the compound couch with Wanda watching Paranormal Activity. You absolutely hated scary movies with a passion but Wanda had just gotten back from a week-long mission. You wouldn’t miss an opportunity to hang out with her after not seeing her for so long. 

You saw the door slam shut in the movie and instantly jolted. You felt your skin crawl, you knew something was up. You looked over to see Wanda sleeping and sighed. You couldn’t blame her, she had a rough week with the mission taking up all her time, but you wished she would’ve had tried to stay up with you for just a little longer! You were only half an hour in when you heard her soft snores. 

Regardless of whether your friend joined you or not, your eyes returned to the screen along with your crawling skin when you felt someone grab at your shoulder suddenly making you scream and in turn waking Wanda up who defensively conjured magic throwing you and the person who had grabbed you against the wall. 

“Shit!!!”  Pietro hissed holding his head as he threw himself into a fetal position. You groaned hitting the floor holding your side.

Wanda covered her mouth in a gasp. “I-I’m so sorry!!” she said quickly rushing over to you lifting you to your feet. Pietro rolled his eyes. “What? No sympathy for your poor big brother?” he asked.

“Not when he decides to scare the innocent!” You snapped slapping his shoulder.  He laughed at your attempt to wound him only leaning over your shoulder. “Well, how can I possibly resist frightening when I have the perfect scardey cat to trick!”  You rolled your eyes at his snide smile. What a handsome asshole. 

“It’s too late for this much excitement,” groaned Wanda. “I’m going to bed,” she said rubbing her eyes before giving you a sleepy hug. “I’m sorry about this Y/N, I promise tomorrow  I’ll actually be lucid enough to spend some time together,” she gave a soft yawn.

“Oh don’t worry Wanda, I know you’re probably exhausted,” you waved her off dismissively. “Just promise me you’ll get some rest okay?” You smiled. She yawned stretching the both of her arms before nodding at you.“Goodnight you two,” she whispered tiredly before walking to her room.

You held your breath after she disappeared into her door standing across from Pietro in the living room the both of you standing silently waiting for the other to speak. There was something unspoken between you two, you knew it, but neither of you dared to act on the obvious chemistry between you both. After all, you were Wanda’s best friend and he was Wanda’s twin brother. Anything that became of this would surely be awkward for all three of you. 

“So,” you both drawled at the same time. Damnit, things just had to get weird didn’t they?    

“How was your mission?” you asked after a prolonged time. “aren’t you as tired as Wanda after a week of only work?”

He smirked. “Maybe I’m just the stronger twin,” You punched his shoulder. 

“Yeah right! I’ve seen Wanda lift trucks over you!” You snickered folding your arms across your chest. 

“Maybe so,” He nodded respectfully. “But can she do this?” He asked suddenly picking you up bridal style. “Hold on tight Y/N, it’s time to take a little trip.” He suddenly sped off with you in his arms yelping quickly as you latched onto him.

“Wait Pietro what are you-”

“Its just a quick stop I promise!”

“Quick stop what do you- SHIT!!!” You screamed trying not to let go. “Where do you think- URGH” You choked coughing furiously. “Oh god, I think I just swallowed a bug,” You panicked before feeling your hair whip into your face crazily as Pietro pulled to a stop. 

“Okay Pietro, you’d better have a damn well good reason to have up and kidnapped me because I swear to god once Wanda finds out-” You finally looked up from his chest and gasped your breath quickly being stolen away. Pietro held you close to his body as he overlooked the town.

It was stunning, the lights of the now far away city twinkled here and there. The stars weren’t out due to the light pollution of the Big Apple but you didn’t mind. After all, the city had become a constellation I itself with its magnificent lights. 

“What a view,” you breathed letting yourself down walking closer to the edge of the cliff.

Pietro’s eyebrow quipped slightly above his eye as he took in a different view. “You’re telling me,” You could practically hear the smirk in his voice. You rolled your eyes turning yourself around resting your hands on your hips. “Boy Pietro, could you be any more charming?”  The sarcasm in your voice could have poisoned him if it weren’t for the fact that it was well, Pietro.

He walked forward to you mimicking your movements putting his hands on his hip. “What, would you like to see mine too?”

“Oh god, Pietro stop it!!” You laughed shoving him slightly. You sat on the ground taking a moment to whistle. You still weren’t over how gorgeous it was, everything just seemed so bright. You felt Pietro sit next to you as you surveyed the city and felt your lips subconsciously curl into a smile.

“I have to admit, you may not have lifted a truck over my head but I’m still floored,”  You leaned on the backs of your palms and saw Pietro grin at you pleased that you finally praised him.

“I could have taken you across the sea to Paris if I wanted to,” He shrugged simply as if it weren’t as much of a feat as it was. 

“Yeah right,” You rolled your eyes, now you remembered why you didn’t compliment Pietro often. You felt his gaze on you as he laid on his side, elbow propped on the cold grass supporting his chin as he looked into your eyes. 

“Would you like to see me try?” He asked. You stopped in the middle of your sassy remark. Was he actually being serious? Going to Paris did sound like a nice way to spend your Friday night, but you shook your head instead.

“No I’m fine here,” You said simply taking a hand and pulling it through his silver dyed locks and down to the side of his face. He practically melted into your touch.

You smiled, face flushing at his soft expression. “After all, I’ve got everything that I need right where I am,” 

---

After your little date under the stars, you walked into the compound doors rubbing your temples as Pietro followed close behind bragging about how he was the perfect first date.

“I think I really outdid myself this time Y/N,” he laughed. “The only thing that could have made things better was as if you pulled me close and-”

“Oh for the love of god!” You turned swiftly on your heels grabbing Pietro by his cheeks pulling him into a kiss. 

“There, happy?” You asked turning back around in a huff as you left the poor speedster behind practically frozen in his tracks.

Finally, he stopped talking.

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[table-top-romulan-playing-games]

Movies I have seen so far in 2018

A few of these arent new movies, just ones ive watched for the first time in 2018. I felt like doing this cuz I really love watching movies and felt that it might be a good version of those "good things" jars, but instead it's movies I saw. Some reviews are short, mostly cuz I didnt really have much in the way of opinions, but I did have something to say.

Just incase you havent seen them. I have tried to keep them spoiler free, but if you dont want even vague non spoiler spoilers, the list of movies is as follows; 

The Grand Budapest; The greatest showman; Jumanji: out of the jungle, King Arthur: legend of the sword, The Black Panther, Shape of water, Thor Ragnarok, the Emoji Movie, the Good Dinosaur, Jurassic world, Incredibles 2, Hotel Transylvania 3, Ant-man, A Wrinkle in Time, Lara croft: tomb raider, Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2, Spider-man homecoming, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Avengers age of ultron (semi live blogged), Captain America civil war, Avengers Infinty War, Deadpool 2016, King Arthur the one with kiera knightly, Deadpool 2, The Nutcracker, four realms, Venom, Love, Simon, Ready player one, Aquaman, Solo, a star wars story, Ghost stories (2018), Wreck it Ralph, Ralph breaks the internet, Goosebumps 2, Hidden figures, The meg, Pacific Rim, Pacific rim uprising, Wrath of the Titans, Mission impossible: fallout,Oceans 8, The Breadwinner, Mune, Operation Finale, The House With A Clock In Its Walls, Bad times at the El Royale, Outlaw king, Gnome alone, Journey to the center of the earth, Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy, Vvitch, Ex machina, To all the boys ive loved before, Extraordinary Tales, The Golden Compass, Erramentari, the blacksmith and the devil, Dragon heart, The black klansman, Robin Hood 2018, The Princess of Thieves, First Man, Bohemian Rhapsody, What we do in the Shadows, Overlord, For the Love of Spock, Next Gen, Small Foot, The Spy who Dumped Me, The Nun, Kin, Crazy Rich Asians, Spider-Man, Into the Spiderverse, A simple favor, Predator 2018, Rampage, 47 meters down, 2036 Origin Unknown, 2001 A Space Oddessey, The Martian

The grand Budapest hotel - good, great visuals. I enjoyed it.

The greatest showman - wonderful music, actual circus parts were good, the rest was boring. Its really short, and I felt it focused to much on the drama in pt barnums life, too much focus on a silly fuax love triangle, not enough on the acts themselves. I went in hoping to see the acts interact and actually be presented as the forefront. The beginning showed this magnificent scene with the acts, with this wonderful musical number that made me tear up. But then, it was just about Barnum and his kids being boring most of the time. The songs and musical scenes though? Absolutely wonderful, magnificent, stunning, and entertaining. Zendayas and Zac efrons characters duets? Beautiful, I loved the song and choreography. I just feel like the emphasis should have been on the circus itself. Hugh jackman. Needs. To. Do. More. Musicals.

Jumanji: out of the jungle - hilarious omg I laughed my ass off!

King Arthur: legend of the sword: wtf was this movie bro? I mean. I have a new song in my cars playlist, but wtf.

The Black Panther - IT WAS SO COOL! I loved the visuals and the storyline. Shuri is my favorite genius and I can’t wait for more Black Panther

Shape of water: absolutely beautiful omg

Thor Ragnarok: you mean that was the actual movie, that tumblr wasn’t just fuckin with me, like, those were real ass scenes that were filmed?

the Emoji Movie: bad, forgettable, literally did not remember watching it till a friend asked me.

the Good Dinosaur: literally a children's movie, idek why I watched it tbh

Jurassic world: THE HUBRIS OF MAN! THE INDO RAPTOR! BLUE! They made... An indoraptor. Not just any raptor, oh no, that's not enough for the hubris of man, its an indoraptor. What's an indoraptor you may ask? Well it's when you mix a raptor, with the indominous rex DNA. But Cotie, didn't the indominous rex already have raptor DNA? Wasnt that the whole thing that it was a t-rex with raptor DNA? Yes, yes it was. But this one is different, it's smaller, it's smarter, it made to obey commands like a war machine, it's the I N D O R A P T O R! So it's just a super powered velociraptor? Yes, yes it is. So what makes it special? THE HUBRIS BEHIND IT!

Incredibles 2: awesome! I loved it! Those flashing scenes really were no joke though. I don't have epilepsy, but damn those scenes were hard to look at. But I absolutely love the fact that edna babysat jack jack for a night, and gave him a super babysuit. I hope we get to see more of the other superheroes helping out the incredibles!

Hotel Transylvania 3: it was a good movie. Its the only Adam Sandler movie series I can stand, but it was a decent movie. I like the introduction of the van helsing family, and the whole premise. Plus I love the message that its possible to fall in love again.

Ant-man: "in like the Flynn" niiiiiiiiice Tangled ref! "ANT-THONY!!!!" Ok that was a fun and hilarious movie. I fucking love the three wombats, especially Luis omg. Also I love Scott lang relationship with his daughter and that he was the driving force behind his motivation. Also not gonna lie, I kinda watched this one so I could go see Ant-man and the Wasp, but I liked this one too.

A Wrinkle in Time: FUCK ITUNES NOT WANTING TO WORK DURING THIS MOVIE! ok but Chris Pine as a Dad? Awesome. "Happy anniversary, if only you'd dissapear too" wow, these high school preps are viscous. Also I love the little kid calling out grown ups for being pieces of shits. Also this movie was adorable and heart felt and I loved the mix of fantasy and science that made it a science fantasy movie omg.

Lara croft: tomb raider: ok but the girl who kicked Lara crofts butt in the beginning has me gay as Fuck man. "OPEN IT! OPEN IT! OPEN IT!" OK calm down Nicolas cage.

Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2: omg that was indeed another real marvel movie I had just seen. I can't believe the stooges are a space family that just, does stupid things. I love them all. 

We gonna start some parralels; a wrinkle in time - a movie about two siblings trying to find their dad who has been lost for 4 years. They get him back through the power of love; Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - a daughter finds some adverturing stuff to lead her to her father who had been missing for 7 years. Tries to get him back by killing men. Doesn't, and then kills more men; Gaurdians of the Galaxy volume 2: a boy finds his father after 34 years, but turns out he is a huge fucking jerk, also finds that Mary poppins was his dad after all, but then both Mary poppins and jerk dad died, with varying degrees of mourning from Boy.

Spider-man homecoming: omg so many second hand embarrassment scenes but it was so good! I laughed my ass off at the ending omg tony no. But also, that awkward moment when ur dates dad threatens your life and he actually meant it...

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Dude. Duuuuuuude that end credit scene. Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude. That movie was just as hilarious as the first ant-man movie omg! It was fun and incredibal and I'm so happy the 3 combats were there. I was losing my shit over the baba yaga stuff!

Avengers age of ultron (semi live blogged): god, I'm 9 minutes in and I hate this movie... 13 minutes in an ur telling me this could've been avoided if marvel hadnt turned two Romani (from what I remember of mutant canon) characters into, not only human expirements instead of mutants, but voluntary hydra agents. -sighhhh-... 20 minutes in and why, why Tony, just... Tell the team, why do we gotta have lazy 'i dont wanna communicate' writing bullshit...Jarrrrrviiiiissssss my boy T.T... Did they really just try to make dissimising female characters and using their achievements as a sort of 'my horse is bigger than yours' as quality character writing? God this Bruce/Nat romance is so forced... Oh no, Ultron fucking appeared, why does he sound like a bad Tony stark impression? Ultron is fucking annoying... Fuck man, the plot with the twins have arrived, and I hate it... -mentions Wakanda- thanks for reminding of a better movie I could be watching... God, the acting is either way too dry, or way too ham... Wow... Clint is... The most mature person in the movie... Wow, the scene where Nat reveals she is infertile, is worse than I thought it would be, and I knew it would be awful... Hour and a half in, still bad... Though ultron is now acting like a c h i l d... Oh no, now we creating Ultron 2.0 this time its Jarvis... Please discuss it with the team, pleeeease... Annnnnnnd U didn't... Fuck... I'm so tired, 1 hour and 31 minutes and the team is fighting... Thor coming in for the jarvis Saaaave! Yassss vision with the worthy of the hammer! Okay the battle scene with ultron was pretty cool. Still dont like the movie over all.

Captain America civil war: not as much fighting as advertised. Too much 'we arent going to sit down and communicate' trope. Honestly I was too bored and tired to really actually pay attention to closely... All I got from it is the russos need to learn what a get along shirt is and be better film makers.

Avengers Infinty War: wtf, what the fuck, was that. That was some fuck right there. You are telling me thanos was really able to get the soul stone like That? And the mind stone like That? And all that other bull shit? Y'all Russo better be ready to have thanos ass kick in the next avengers movie. But damn that was some shit that happened.

Deadpool 2016: I loved every bit of the movie omg, it was everything I hoped for out of a deadpool movie.

King Arthur the one with kiera knightly: That uh, sure was a King Arthur movie? Way less weird than King Arthur Legend of the sword. Merlin didnt cast magic, and arthur was a Roman, but guinevere is a kick ass archer, soooo acceptable...

Deadpool 2: THAT WAS FUCKIN HILARIOUS I LOVE DEADPOOL SO MUCH! god I love this movie, I would die for dominoe.

The Nutcracker, four realms: such a cute af movie omggggggggggggg. I loved Captain Phillip the nutcracker soldier and the gold highlight they put on his lips 💓

Venom: listen. I did no t see this film for quality. I saw it for the symbi ote ok. Ok. I lov it. But blease for the love of god.... Y.... Did...... The......... Symbiote........ Take the shape of a sexy comic book lady..... When........ The same sexyness could have been achieved by letting the symbiote be big beefy orc like lady....

Love, Simon: I'm not one for these films... I dont like these films... They are teary eyed wholesome cake frosting that make my cold gay heart sick... That being said... I relate, I relate so much... Also... If I was in simons shoes and the blackmailing weasle Martin outed me? They would still be scraping him off the pavement... That is all.

Ready player one: it wasn’t as bad as some of the things i heard about it on tumblr, but its not one I will watch again.

Aquaman: "show off, heh, I could've just pee'd on it" is the exact quality line I want out of my films. Also that was soooooooo awesome! I loved it! More Aquaman!

Solo, a star wars story: Not bad, but not great, it kept on plot really well, not memorable but I won’t knock it. I still say the actor playing Han Solo looks photoshopped and not real.

Ghost stories (2018): awful... It was slow and boring, and I didnt like it... I rented it through itunes and it glitched part of the way through and I stopped being able to see the picture. Even after I got it working again I still didnt like it... Though I did like the message of "dont be a bystander", but the whole this was boriiiiiinnnnnnnggggggggggg.

Wreck it Ralph: okay, technically I caught the beginning like 4 or 5 years ago, but I finally actually watched it and it wasnt bad. Will go see the sequel.

Ralph breaks the internet: WAYYYYYY better than the emoji movie, also, I really loved the princesses scene, the bright colors, and following Venelope through the internet... Also.... Ralph........ WTF..................... Also............................. that Stan Lee cameo.................................... Heartbreaking............

Goosebumps 2: Mr. Chu and his Halloween obsession is me... Stones appearence had me dying omg... Also where tf r ppl getting these awesome super cool Halloween stuffs!

Hidden figures: IM NOT CRYING UR CRYING! omg such a great movie i fucking loved it. Couldnt understand a WORD of math that went on, but damn girls, calculate that shit.

The meg: listen... Listen... The trailer looked stupid... And ridiculous... I just... Wanted to know how bad... And it was bad... But it was incredibally enjoyable omg... I loved it... In all seriousness, it was actually a pretty beautiful movie when it came to marine life and the wonder behind it, and it was anti shark culling for fins, and it was very clearly "not all sharks are bad, they do as they do, but megalodon is about to fuck our shit up."... It was also fucking hilarious... My favorite character was meiying, the little 8 year old in the movie... The love plot wasnt forced and they way they did it the two leads were not having it and had actual chemistry... Just... Also the dog... The dog does not die... Pippin lives... The wedding is not ruined... Also the shark ate a billionaire soooooooo... We good meg... We good...

Pacific Rim: yes I know, I took a long ass time to watch this movie... But Listen... Explody robots and monsters... Hannibal chau... Look... I just... Sometimes take a long time to watch movies... You wanna know how long it took me to watch Merlin BBC? I watched every episode as it came out and then put off the last episode for 5 years... Listen...

Pacific rim uprising: ok I watched the first one so I could watch the one with my boi John Boyega in it.

Wrath of the Titans: wtf kind of movie... Like really what the f... Since when is zues ever responsible and wise.

Mission impossible, fallout: I liked it. It's an action movie. Saw it for my birthday, kinda interested in the other mission impossible movies now. I appreciate the advance tech and the obviously stupid impossible shit.

Oceans 8: Listen, i have never been interested in the Oceans franchise, i dont want to see crusty men steal things, but lads, im gay. Extremely gay, just, shamelessly gay.

The Breadwinner: holy shit that was a good movie.

Secret of the Kells: eh, it was a good movie. Not my favorite, but it was good. I mostly just like the animation.

Mune: Guardian of the Moon: dat was a cute movie, and also i loved Munes Design, he is a little fawn

Operation Finale: Wow, that was an amazing film, absolutely superb. Not at all like the trailers. Seriously, what is it and trailers where everything has to either be an high stakes action movie or a romantic comedy? but this film, spectacular.

The House With A Clock In Its Walls: A Neat little movie. Corny, but i liked it. like, its a kids movie in the same way A Wrinkle In Time is, but this one was little less disney-fied in the way that they needed to have this overarching lesson of empowerment, and more “this is a kids movie to enjoy, like Halloweentown”

Bad times at the El Royale: neat movie, somewhat engaging, kept losing focus at the slow parts... Liked the Chapter title cards... Can't remember who that "important person" was supposed to be.... I think I may have missed it...

Outlaw king: I liked it! Way better than Braveheart! Also.... Cpine was not that naked.... Butt....

Gnome alone: weird, didn't like it, like a bad combo of Mean Girls and Coraline?

Journey to the center of the earth: I said old movies were gonna be on this list now didnt I? Also this movie was awesome and I wish the book was real too.

Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy: Nice!!! I had been meaning to read the book before I watched the movie, but I've packed my book away soooo, MOVIE. Also out of all thw sci fi movies that have destroyed planets, this is by far the only good one.

Vvitch: it was okay... By the middle I was kinda wishing it would go faster. But it was okay.

Ex machina: I'm not done with the movie yet but it's so fucking creepy holy shit... Also "its kinda non-autistic" in relation to "aware of her own mind and mine"???? Wtffffffff.uggggghhhhhhhhhh ewwwweeweeewewweeeewwwwwww the talk about giving the robot a sexuality is so grooooooooooooosssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss he gave her a working vag and hearing him talk about fucking the robot was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Mmmmmmmm no, did not like.

To all the boys ive loved before: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww... Also that sibling relationship was..... Relatable.

Extraordinary Tales: tales based on Edgar Allen Poe and holy sweet Jesus I loved it, it has multiple different art styles per story and I loved them soooooo much!

The Golden Compass: okay but how could you end on that cliffhanger and not at least put out another movie????

Erramentari, the blacksmith and the devil: based on Basque folklore which I know nothing of, but it looked neat. It's also originally in basque but netflix has the English dub over. AND HOLY SWEET JESUS I KNOW THIS MOVIE IS SUPPOSED TO BE SCARY BUT THE VOICE OVERS ARE SO FUCKING FUNNNNNNNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

Dragon heart: I didnt like it, there were better movies I could have seen, I'm not gonna reach for this one again...

The Black Klansman: Damn, I might very well be speechless. That was a Fantastic Movie, came at you like a bag of Bricks, and the ending when it went straight from a cross burning to the 2017 neo nazi rallies, to trumps “good people on both sides” speech, to everything that happened in 2017. The movie did NOT fuck around with anything. God Bless.

Robin Hood, 2018: Antifa film of the YEAR! Yeah Robin, Be a Class Traitor to the ruling class, Spread Wealth, Down with the 1%!

The Princess of Thieves: OMG Kiera Knightly as the daughter of robin and also a kick ass archer that causes trouble!!!! Loved it!

First Man: dude that movie was incredible, it read like you were seeing snapshots of his life, not completely invested, but as though you were a spirit looking at memories. I kinda liked it. I loved the silent scenes that filled the viewer with anxiety, like a realization of the gravity of what was happening. Omg. Good film A+

Bohemian Rhapsody: OMG I LOVED IT SO MUCH OMGOMGOMGOMG MY QUEER HEART IS RESTORED AND THEY SAID BISEXUAL!!!!!

What we do in the Shadows: that was an enjoyable movie. I didn't quite like the reality show format but it was funny!

Overlord: That was a great movie! it had decently fast pacing, which is good that it was only an hour and forty-eight minutes long... They Plot-Ex-Machina’d alot of the movie, like the wounded soldier feeling fine for the main firefight, then remembering he was supposed to be wounded all of a sudden. I watched it with a friend who saw one character, turned to me and said “He’s cute, i hope he doesnt die” one (1) second before a landmine went off. Also, Ghouls created by science rather by supernatural means.

For the Love of Spock: -cries like a big baby-

Next Gen: screams of anti-tech ideals... Also.... Damn...... They are channeling the "addiction to iPhones" angle man, like, villianous angle...

Small Foot: Not bad, At least it was a Short movie, or at least it didnt feel like it was dragging on. The Songs were great though, I actually liked them and at least they were written for the movie and not like, a song that already existed...

The Spy who Dumped Me: I rented it through iTunes and it gave some Ukrainian nuts swangin in my face...

The Nun: it was okay, but let maurice theirult be a lesson; u see some creepy haunted shit, you grab a cross and you walk away. You dont go back to play hero, cuz then you get possessed.

Kin: there is a line in the movie that says "you got a decade of bad decisions under your belt" and I feel like that sums of this movies plot points...

Crazy Rich Asians: that was so gooooood! I don't normally go for romcoms, but ppl had been praising the film, and I actually liked it. I'm glad I saw the majong scene explain before I actually watched the scene, because it felt a shit ton more powerful.

Spider-Man, Into the Spiderverse: AMAZING! INCREDIBLE! the animation was TOP NOTCH, like, omg!

A simple favor: I didnt like it... It tried to be both a thriller and what seemed like a parody of a thriller.

Predator, 2018: I kinda liked it, it was a mindless action movie, and the ending left it open for a badass sequal. I havent seen the other predator movies so I have no idea if this is in faith for the series, but im guessing yes.

The Martian: It was cool and chill, I liked it, also Mark Watney cussing out a government agency via a hundred thousand dollar communications outlet is.... Mood.

47 meters down: 2hrs of one woman having an absolute panic attack and being right to worry about sketchy diving boats.

2036 Origin Unknown: kinda what I feel like 2001 a space Oddessey wouldve been like if I had actually watched that movie... Oh shit the Borg!

2001 A Space Oddessey: Have I ever told y'all that I dont like Kubrick or his movies? His movies are the epitome of that pretentious art school boi style that just does too much and tries to pretend it's more than it is and sweet merciful god why is this one 2 and a half hours long! I'm 40 minutes in and I have a head ache from the over ise of classical music and boring slow pace of the movie. 2001 a space Oddessey is 2 and a half hours long and only has 1 hr of actual relevant film... The other 1 1/2 is just unending, weirdly colored space shots, two color inversion shots of planets and eyes, theremin and flute noises, and classical music set to nothingness

RAMPAGE: a 30ft alligator showed up about an hour and 10minutes into the movie and the first reaction was "well that sucks" and it killed me on sight. The movie is awesome! In am so glad I picked this as my last movie of 2018.

[melogosa]

A Glimpse at the Start

“Good night, Melo.” Even as Emmy placed a kiss on the girl’s forehead, the Kaldorei grumbled back at her.

“Moooom.” It was definitely sounding less awkward the more she used it, even if she wasn’t quite there all the way just yet. But the tone of complaint only made the half-elf snicker and smile, shaking her head as she headed upstairs to bed.

Darian’s arrival moments later was signaled by his own grumbling at the stone golems. They did nothing to impede his return, but they still felt off-putting to him. His heavy steps up the roundabout stairs were slow, dragging. When he finally appeared on their level, making his way toward the bed, he looked as though his body weighed a ton.

He barely kept from dragging his feet on the floor as he made his way to the edge and sat upon it - where River was nestled in a puffy nest of blankets - to remove his boots and work clothes. “How was your evening?” His voice was low and exhausted.

“Ok. Mina and I got to hang out today. And I brought her here to meet Emmy.” She looked at Darian worriedly, “You didn’t overwork yourself, did you?”

He shook his head slowly as his boots hit the floor and he heaved himself up to work his body out of the rest. “I don’t really have too much of a choice in how hard I work while I’m there.” He sat back down on the bed heavily. “Sorry about the smell, I just didn’t have the energy to bathe. I’ll wash up first thing in the morning. And the sheets as well, I suppose.”

River chuckled and shrugged, yawning for the third time that evening. “You don’t bother me, but I feel like I’ve said that enough that you should just know.”

Darian rolled onto his back and pulled himself into the bed properly. Instinctively, his arm drifted out and over to allow her to lay atop him, almost by second nature. “And I feel like smell is a much more direct irritant that warrants a specific apology.”

River snickers quietly, “Not everyone has a super-sensitive nose, Darian,” she teases gently. As he held his hand out, she stretched forward long enough to plant a little kiss on his arm before settling back down in her blanket-nest.

A smirk crossed his face and he patted her on the head before drawing his arm back in to rest on his chest as he laid back. “You introduced Mina to your mother? How did that go? Mina didn’t read her mind too, did she?”

River shrugged, shaking her head, “They spoke back and forth a bit. She seemed to approve of Mina, so that makes me happy. And when I brought up her helping me with my memories, she seemed even more happy.” She let out a soft sigh, “It definitely was relaxing that they get along.”

He shifted slightly in the bed, tensing and glancing to the side. After a moment of chewing back words, he spoke tentatively. “I’m sorry if I seem overly suspicious, but I cannot help but feel as if there’s something Mina isn’t telling you. It’s like she… knows something.” He shrugged, as if in concession that it might simply be his overprotective, sometimes over-suspicious nature.

River grinned back at him as she cuddled into her nest, not feeling anywhere near as suspicious as he, “She’s a thousand years old. I’m willing to bet there’s a lot she hasn’t told me yet.”

He looked unconvinced but nodded and pulled the covers up to his shoulders. “Time for sleep now. I have to be back at the docks first thing.” He rolled over and was soon rumbling a soft snore from somewhere in his chest.

As River drifted off to sleep as well, her mind was on the memory that Mina had helped her uncover…

Above the valley that was Crystalsong Forest, the Great Floating Citadel was nestled in the sky. Stars twinkled above. Crystalline trees sparkled brightly, giving the entire area an ethereal appearance. On the range of mountains due south from the river, an alcove rested mostly out of sight from unwanted eyes; the alcove itself opened up to an enormous cave that was also arranged with magnificent crystalline formations along the walls and ceiling, each one glowing softly. Near the mouth of the cavern, a meticulous nest had been built of evergreen limbs, thick batches of hay and grass, and tufts of yeti fur throughout; within it rested a clutch of dragon’s eggs of good size. The eggs laid in various positions as they had been turned with care by their mother, with one egg in particular perched against the edge of the nest nearest the entrance to the cave. Everything was serene and beautiful...

Or, it would’ve been beautiful, if not for the sounds of two gargantuan beasts battling it out just outside. From the sound of it, the unborn whelpling’s mother was nearby, and her roars were filled with pain and despair. Crashing noises passed her egg in flurries. Great stomping claws resembled thunder, shaking the nest dangerously.

As River listened, she looked to her left, seeing Mina’s ethereal figure beside her. She saw the image of everything around her sharpen as it had once Mina had helped her to will them out of the darkness of her egg, and watched the scene play out before her again.

As Sorvegosa’s large form was thrown into the mouth of the cave, she crashed to the back, slamming into uneven stone with a roar of agony. The snarling hiss that followed her was hollow and unnatural. As the sight of her mate came into view, River sucked in a breath.

The once-great blue was missing whole chunks of not only scales but meat and muscle. Bones  and sinew were prominent and visible, glowing a cold and eerie shade of blue with the magic that was reanimating him. That glow in his eyes held a far more sinister intent as they passed over the clutch of eggs between them. Their shared clutch.

In the cruelest of motions, he charged Sorvegosa on foot, trampling half the nest in one fell swoop. Half their children gone - snuffed out before they even had the chance.

River had to look away as the anguished cry of her mother loosed itself through the cave, making the whole place vibrate. She felt Mina’s hand on her shoulder and nodded quietly.

As the battle raged on, River moved with Mina toward the mouth of the cave, trying to avert her eyes from her mother and father. The rakes of claws against scales, the crashes of limbs colliding, and the hisses of pain and roars of anger all shook River to her core. She heard another strike against her mother that pushed her out of the way of the nest, and already knew what was coming. Again, her eyes flitted to her very own egg - the one resting on the edge of the nest amidst the bits of evergreen brush, straw, and chunks of yeti fur. The stomping steps of the frostwyrm approached the nest, and River turned her head to look up. She saw an evil glimmer in those hollow eyes as they looked back at Sorvegosa. He let out a taunting roar and turned to glare down at the remaining eggs in their clutch.

As time seemed to move in slow motion, the frostwyrm swept his tail in a great big motion across the nest. As he did, River saw her own egg had somehow luckily been just outside the reach of that tail, and instead got bumped out of the nest, rolling out of the cave and down the steep incline. But the rest of the eggs were less lucky. As the great wyrm’s tail swept across them, they shattered one by one until the nest was a ruined disaster.

A pain River could not fully understand panged in her heart as she and Mina headed out of the cave and down the hill to follow where her egg went, echoed by the thunderous lament let out by Sorvegosa as she crashed into her mate’s body. Everything was soon unnaturally still and quiet, and River knew that the fight was over.

Not forty yards away from the Twilight Rivulet that cut through the Forest, her egg had rolled into a little bush. And despite the fact it was still whole, it had a significant crack in the side of it.

She watched Mina look at the egg with worry, but soon it began to wriggle about as its occupant was clearly ready to emerge. The crack in the egg slowly spread, a single piece of shell lifting from the rest. Beneath it was an adorable three-toed foot, her little back claws not even grown all the way in just yet.

As Mina’s figure blurred a little, River looked down, watching the little foot recede into the egg. The piece of shell rested where it had come off the egg, only to lift again, this time with a little whelpling’s head poking out of the hole. More egg cracked apart, and the little newborn squinted about. Her eyes weren’t quite all the way open, but she could glean that she was resting in a bush that resembled the fleeting images shown to her by her mother.

Her mother! The whelpling looked about again, letting out a soft chirp to call out to her, “Ma… ma?” But everything was still, the only noise the gentle rushing of the nearby river.

She blinked her eyes several times, getting them to slowly start to open, revealing how bright blue they were. The little blue licked at the inside pieces of her shell and the bits of protein still left there. She looked up again, directly in the path of River’s ethereal form, “Mama?!”

River closed her eyes against her tears, knowing full well the whelpling could not see her. But the memory was so fresh now that everything bubbled up into a storm.

The unbridled confusion she had felt, and the naÏveté with which she blindly hoped her mother would return. As more of the memory flooded back, she cried more. She’d stayed hidden in that bush for a week before venturing out to find food. By that time her little wings had unfolded, their webbing resembling the starry twilight sky above her.

River’s ethereal form lifted its gaze to what waited above. Dalaran. As the memory began to splinter again, she remembered fleeting moments of a blue-haired elven man, and the relief that had washed through her tired body after eating pieces of smoked beef.

Even as the morning had come, River awoke to find those tears had not been confined to her dreams. And as she reached next to her that Darian had already left for the day to go work, she curled more tightly into her nest of blankets and cried softly.

(( mentions: @dfrostmane​ @emmybluefire​ @tevrugos​ ))

[keyofjetwolf]

Jet Wolf Summarizes Act 30

The manga and I kind of hate each other. This is unfortunate, but still, I’m determined to come out of this with something. Rather than spend energy on a liveblog that’s increasingly negative, I’m reading each manga act (mostly) silently, and then writing up summaries at the end. I won’t pull my punches. There’s going to be criticism and snark about the manga, either wholesale or in details. If that isn’t a thing you feel like reading, please skip this post!

Mimete is dead, and while nobody’s specifically celebrating that, I like to think they are in their true hearts. They’re mostly preoccupied with the appearance of Uranus and Neptune, a move which seems to have particularly shaken Minako, which might be interesting if anything else were done with it, but of course, it won’t be. I quite enjoy this panel out of context, though:

It’s like even though they just met three seconds ago, Rei and Minako immediately realize they will never be as gay as these two giant gay losers.

Michiru, who is also there, manages to further fuck up the entire concept of a secret identity by constantly flashing her mirror around, to the degree that THE TEN-YEAR OLD puts the pieces together. Fucking seriously, this issue goes on about how Uranus and Neptune are supposed to be all distant and secret, and literally ALL HARUKA AND MICHIRU HAVE DONE is throw themselves at the Inners and say “DON’T FOLLOW US DON’T INTERFERE WE WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU”. They’re fucking Luke Skywalker saying “DON’T FOLLOW ME” and leaving a map, yet somehow even more dramatic because they’re shoving the map at fucking strangers.

Everyone has a round of saying “The mirror is a talisman?!” (seriously it’s three times on one fucking page), and then Haruka gets super threatening again, because the only thing she loves wearing more than mustard is asshole. Then Michiru plays her violin (IT’S HER THING YOU SEE), and does it so badly that everyone crumples in pain. It’s here that Mamoru recognizes Neptune as Michiru, making him a good five minutes behind the first grader. I hope that Michiru takes personal offense that what triggered him to recognize her was AGONIZING MUSIC. Haruka, always a creature of subtlety, smacks everyone with a World Shaking, and they fuck off.

Usagi wakes up later in her bed with the other Senshi crowded around her. Luna and Artemis fill in some Outer Senshi backstory, while also claiming to know nothing, and I’m pleased to announce that this will not be the first time this contradiction shit happens in JUST THIS ISSUE. Usagi does her Usagi thing:

But the best part is the panel immediately after with Minako:

Who not only is like “okay and you’re basing that on what, exactly?” BUT IS HOLDING HER SWOLLEN AND BANDAGED FACE. It disappears immediately after this, and I don’t trust Takeuchi’s ability or interest at all for this to be more than “ooo mysterious strange Senshi whose side are they on?!” Still, it’s nice to see someone not only directly challenging Usagi, but even being a little pissy about it. It’s a whole lot easier to believe people won’t hurt you when you get to wake up in a comfy bed without a mark on you surrounded by your bloodied and bruised bodyguards.

Chibs is walking with her past parents, and says much the same as Usagi, but at least she’s basing it on her actual experiences, rather than Usagi who wants to ignore every conversation and encounter she’s had with them. Later, at Mamoru’s, he watches Chbis and Usagi sleep. ISN’T USAGI STILL FOURTEEN AT THIS POINT DON’T HER PARENTS EVER WONDER WHERE SHE IS AT NIGHT AND HOW DOES SHE ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. Mamoru then has a full page dramatic premonition dream.

Later, Usagi’s waiting for Mamoru at the park, but nope, it’s Haruka instead. Michiru is NOT also there. Usagi please, Haruka is kind of creepy, everything is very “ba-dum”, and then Mamoru interrupts the whole thing. Haruka runs off. ANY BETS THAT SHE’S GOING TO MICHIRU TO CONFESS AND APOLOGIZE? NO?

Chibs arrives at Crown looking for Mamoru (CAN I HAVE EVEN ONE FUCKING PARAGRAPH THAT DOESN’T DEPEND ON THE WHEREABOUTS OF FUCKING MAMORU JESUS WEPT). Mako is weirdly mean about the whole thing, which is so confusing and unnecessary. Then everyone makes fun of her clay art project, and I can only assume it’s because they’ve all given in to the hate and bitterness now, and I’m finding it difficult to blame them.

THEN SHIT GOES OFF THE FUCKING RAILS

Chibs says she wants to make a holy grail. Tiny Kitten, fulfilling every cat’s sacred duty by just popping up to provide exposition, explains that:

I fully prepare for this to be a translation error, but it sounds like NQS is a fucking vampire right now, and I have to be honest and say that would not surprise me in the slightest. But okay, hold up. Because I thought it was the ginzuishou that kept them immortal? So is the Holy Grail just basically Crystal Tokyo’s version of Covergirl Simply Ageless? I’M NOT SAYING I WOULDN’T BELIEVE NQS COULD BE THIS VAIN I’M JUST QUESTIONING THE LOGISTICS. But then it gets even worse.

OKAY NO

FUCK YOU AND ALSO NO

I CALL UTTER BULLSHIT ON THIS BECAUSE I JUST HAD TO SIT THROUGH AN ENTIRE FUCKING MANGA ARC ABOUT NQS AND CRYSTAL TOKYO GETTING ROYALLY FUCKED NOT ONCE BUT TWICE IN EVENTS NQS UTTERLY FAILED TO PREVENT

AND WAS SPECIFICALLY TOLD MORE THAN ONCE THAT IT WAS THE ONLY SPOT OF TROUBLE IN THIS “UTOPIA” FOR NEARLY A THOUSAND FUCKING YEARS

You don’t spend an entire arc hammering that bullshit into me only to turn around in the next and act like NQS is saving the world every other Thursday by splashing on a little Holy Grail foundation. I mean can you whip up a batch of headcanon spackle to patch these holes? Sure, of course you can. BUT I’LL BE FUCKED IF I’M GIVING THE MANGA A SINGLE GODDAMN SECOND MORE TIME OR ENERGY THAN I HAVE TO. This is lazy and sloppy, and it’s SO EASILY AVOIDED if the manga weren’t so fucking determined to try and sell me on NQS and Crystal Tokyo as these visions of perfection. You can’t have Death Phantom/Wiseman as the only blips in an otherwise harmonious and perfect nine hundred years and then turn around and also have this. Fuck you. Fuck you and no.

THEN IT JUST GETS WORSE, as Chibs and Tiny Kitten suddenly know nothing the second they’re asked a plot-relevant question

Including bonus Distressing Parental Hints like NQS forbidding her only daughter INTO HER ROOM, and Tiny Kitten apparently having no affectionate means of referring to her parents at all. Then Chibs suddenly knows a lot again, as she reveals she and Tiny Kitten snuck into her mum’s room A WHOLE LOT (proving once again that NQS is the worst parent ever by never noticing it, never being in the room herself, and also not knowing what a fucking lock is). Then as all these thoughts make her homesick, she admits she wishes she could go home, but can’t because NQS made her promise she wouldn’t go home until Chibs was a strong and powerful Senshi, at ten until whenever-the-hell, for a world so peaceful it shouldn’t need child soldiers anyway.

Good fucking god I hate Neo-Queen Serenity.

Meanwhile, at Mamoru’s (THERE IT IS AGAIN RAAAAARRRARRGH), he and Usagi have coffee and intense uncomfortable silence. He watches tv and says nothing, which is always an A+ way to resolve any personal conflict, I find. Usagi is about to bring it up when Chibs bursts in. With Mamoru in full earshot but ignoring them I guess, Chibs demands to know why and how Usagi pissed him off and then is like “Did you cheat on him?!” and this entire sequence of events could only be more painful if one of the cats came in to explain it to us. Usagi angsts about this and we’re supposed to care a whole lot I guess, but then Chibs demands help with her holy grail assignment from both of them. Mamoru, happy to be a pompous ass yet again, tells us what a holy grail is, and this whole thing is like four endless fucking pages. After Chibs passes out from all that grail-making, Usagi and Mamoru Have A Moment, by which I mean it’s another three excruciating page. As it so happens, you cannot simply wish for death and have it visited upon you.

God, let’s get it over with. Usagi apologies and says that she was super jealous to see Mamoru having a conversation. Mamoru then says he was really jealous of Haruka, “but I’m sure you have your reasons”. Fooorr ... also have a conversation? BECAUSE NOTE USAGI HAS SAID FUCK ALL ABOUT THE KISS YET NOR WILL SHE. Then Mamoru’s like “I think those two must be going through a rough patch together”, though I feel maybe this is mistranslated? Whatever, they’re basically blaming everything on Haruka and Michiru having relationship problems that I’m going to bet you a shiny nickel we’ll never actually see, AND I’D LIKE TO REMIND EVERYONE BY THE WAY THAT MICHIRU HAS LITERALLY DONE NOTHING BUT BE IN PLACES. Ugh, whatever, they make up I guess, and then start making out, and Chibs peeks out from under the blanket from two feet away all “tee-hee, they could be conceiving me right now!’ and I have seen the fire-licked face of hell itself and it is the Sailor Moon manga.

Then it’s the contractually obligated Hey Remember We Have Other Characters portion, this time featuring Ami! It’s possible you guys didn’t know this? But Ami’s smart. No, like, super smart. ONE MIGHT EVEN SAY GENIUS. AND WILL. OFTEN. She’s going to prep at the new Infinity Cram School, and I’m sure nothing will go wrong. The top student at the cram school takes particular interest in Ami. What do you mean it’s one of the other Witches?! I DID NOT SEE THIS TWIST COMING. Ami gets recruited for death, basically, courtesy of Viluy and Viluy’s boobs.

Seriously, those are magnificent.

In a rush to ruin everything, Ami runs through like twelve “DO NOT ENTER” doors, followed by Haruka. Michiru is also there. All three are captured with the plan for them to be turned into “hosts”, but Ami cut punches two brainwashed students and throws herself out of the thirteenth storey window while transforming. IT’S ACTUALLY KIND OF BAD ASS. So much so that Haruka and Michiru do it too, only they don’t need to transform because they’re cooler.

Viluy finds Mercury and is wrecking her shit when the other Senshi show up. Again Usagi evokes NQS, which is really starting to irritate me. JUST USE THE FUCKING TOY USAGI. Viluy is tough, but Haruka literally slices her in two, so I guess maybe not all that tough. Goodbye, Viluy’s boobs. I’ll treasure our time together.

Finally, at a university that does not actually for this moment contain Mamoru nor mention him anywhere, Motoki tries to get Reika to go for drinks, but she’d rather study rocks. SUCKS TO BE YOU MOTOKI. Reika wanders around and sees someone moving into the office next to hers. IT’S MAMORU

Sort of.

[jhem211]

ignore everybody else (we’re alone now) (iii/v)

Summary: Cat Grant is jut looking for a little release. (AO3)

It’s World War 3 at CatCo. Cat actually fires an entire department before her coffee has a chance to cool. Then six additional people quit after lunch. She’s horrible. So horrible that she feels marginally bad about it at the end of the day and resolves to hire everyone back tomorrow. With slight raises. Maybe.

She only calms down when she gets a phone call from Carter, high on another day of hanging out with rocket scientists.

Did Cat know that the space shuttle Enterprise was supposed to be named Constitution, but Star Trek fans campaigned for a name change? Did she know that the first picture of Earth from the moon was taken in 1966 by Lunar Orbiter 1? Did she know that NASA used to have human computers and they were all girls?

His excitement is contagious, and Cat’s mood lifts with every word.

Carter has also made a friend. His name is Franklin, and it might be the most important thing Carter says throughout the entire conversation.

Carter has never been very good at making friends. Mostly, he takes after Cat in this way, but he’s also very shy, and most children are too cruel or just don’t want to be bothered with the effort. So Cat thinks Franklin must be pretty great, and Carter must be having the time of his life.

She’s incredibly happy for him. She really is. But she can’t shake the feeling that maybe he’s happier with a dad who works with astronauts than a mom who runs an empire.

Perhaps she should start a science magazine. One that’s actually fun for kids to read. Carter can be Editor-in-Chief. They can spend time together deciding what the features should be. They can go around the country interviewing the best scientific minds in America.

This might be the best idea she’s had all day. Cat sits at her desk and starts planning.

Which contacts can she reach out to? How can she connect with schools across the country and get kids to write the articles? Maybe she should add science scholarships for underserved communities. She gets so involved, she doesn’t realize the time as it slips by.

She was supposed to be at The Peninsula thirty minutes ago. Keira has probably come and gone, but Cat decides to make her way over there anyway. At the very least, the view from her suite is one of her favorites in the city.

When Cat arrives at her floor, a full hour late, Keira is waiting, leaning against her door.

“You’re still here.”

“Of course I’m here, Miss Grant.” Keira doesn’t bother to move, just continues to lounge against the door like it’s the most comfortable position on Earth.

Tonight’s outfit is…

Well, it makes Cat thirsty for the bourbon on the other side of the door.

It’s a blue and white checkered shirt dress that stops midway down Keira’s thighs, and it’s cinched at the waist with a yellow belt and paired off with red leather ankle boots.

It’s very Kansas chic. Cat is disgusted that she finds it so hot.

Keira continues to lean against the door as Cat walks closer.

“Why did you wait?”

“Because I know how much you need to come, so I figured whatever was keeping you must be super important.”

Something deep in Cat’s gut throbs at those words, and she decides she hates Keira and her ability to rev her from zero to one hundred with a sentence.

Cat slips the keycard into the door. It unlocks with a click, and Keira pushes it open with her back.

Once they’re inside, Cat heads straight to the bar, pours herself a drink and takes a burning sip. When she turns around, Keira has positioned one of the club chairs so that it sits at the foot of the bed.

“Have a seat,” she says.

There’s a moment when Cat wants to be defiant. She wants to tell Keira she’s had enough of being ordered around. She wants to remind Keira that she said she was going to fill her up, and yet, here she is, still empty and clenching at fingers that were never there.

But Cat Grant doesn’t like to lose, and the stakes seem impossibly high, so she walks to the chair and sits.

Keira sits just across from her at the foot of the bed, bare legs crossed, and hands splayed behind her on the mattress.

“You know the rules,” Keira says.

Yes, Cat knows the rules. She hates the fucking rules. And yet, here she is, ready to follow them for the third night in a row.

They both lounge in their respective seats and stare and stare and stare at one another. It takes long, stretched out moments held together by three days of pulsing desire for Cat to fully understand what’s happening.

Follow the rules.

Don’t move.

Don’t come.

Cat takes a slow visual journey of Keira’s body. Boots. Legs. Dress that’s just tight enough in all the right places. Chest that’s slightly flushed and moving up and down with breathes that are a little less than calm. Eyes that stare back, waiting for Cat to make her move.

“Take off your belt,” Cat demands.

Keira complies with a soft smile as she unbuckles her belt, slides it from around her waist, and drops it to the floor.

Cat wants to skip to the end of this story. To the part where her body is ravaged and limp with satisfaction.

But she knows.

She knows.

Even if this journey might actually kill her, it will be worth it.

“Unbutton your dress. Slowly,” Cat orders.

Keira takes her time, slipping each button from its home, one by one.

Keira’s bra is lacy, black, and half cup so that Keira’s breasts peak over the top like they want nothing more than to be set free.

Keira’s stomach looks like it’s been sketched from a painting, and Cat’s tongue aches to lick the outline of each muscle.

A few more buttons reveal Keira’s didn’t bother wearing anything else underneath her dress.

Once all the buttons are undone, Keira places her hands back onto the mattress and waits for further instruction.

What Cat really wants is for Keira to sit there. Just like that. With her breasts on the verge of falling free, with her chest rising up and down as her breath becomes more labored, with her cunt just within tasting distance of Cat’s tongue, while Cat slips her hands into her own waistband and finally gives her clit what it’s so desperate for.

It’s a battle.

Between what Cat wants and what she needs.

She wants to come. God, does she want to come.

But she needs to win.

“Unclasp your bra,” Cat says.

Keira does as she’s told.

“Pinch your nipples.”

Keira lifts her hands to nipples that are already hard, already straining into the room’s cool air and begging for contact. She does as she’s told. Just once. Just enough for her breath to catch.

“Again.”

Keira does it again. This time, Cat is rewarded with a moan that Keira tries to swallow.

“Rub them back and forth with your thumb. Don’t stop.”

Keira rubs her nipples. Over and over and over again. Until her eyes slip shut, and her bottom lip catches between her teeth.

The pressure between Cat’s legs builds and builds, but she can’t do anything about it. She can’t cross her legs to get a little relief, she can’t sip her bourbon to burn some of the desire away, she can’t even lick her lips because her mouth is too dry, every bit of moisture in her body making its way south.

“Lie down.”

Keira leans back, her dress falls to her sides.

“Spread your legs.”

Keira opens her legs, but it’s not enough for Cat.

“Put your feet on the bed.”

She lifts one leg, and then the other, until she’s open, bare, and glistening before Cat’s eyes.

“Now make yourself come,” Cat commands, voice low and desperate.

There’s a sound that Keira makes at the order; a gurgle that fights its way between her lips, straining for freedom.

Keira keeps one hand rubbing at her nipple as the other slides down her taught stomach until just barely touching neatly trimmed and thoroughly soaked, blonde curls.

It gives Cat a moment of pause. Surely, Keira can’t fake that, no matter how good she is. But that’s a thought for later because Cat’s mind derails as Keira slips one finger onto her clit and rubs small circles until Cat sees wetness glistening on Keira’s fingertip.

Cat’s never wanted to taste something so badly.

She just wants to push Keira’s hand away.

And lick.

“Don’t go inside,” Cat orders instead.

She’s so caught up in the movement of that single finger, she almost misses the way Keira’s hips jerk up at the command, her center already missing what it can’t have.

Keira adds another finger, and the circles alternate between small and large. Keira’s hips move up and down and up and own. The movement, slight at first, but the groove becomes deeper as Keira continues to work on her clit, and along her folds, until the song of her fingers drowning in wetness fill the room.

Cat can tell she’s getting close. The hand that was focused on her nipple moves to the bed, and Keira lifts herself up on one elbow and looks at Cat. Her movements become sloppy and uncoordinated, but her eyes don’t waver. Her rhythm is quickly lost in the pursuit of her orgasm.

It’s the hottest thing Cat has ever seen in her entire goddamn life.

Until Keira comes.

With a cry that seems to catch her off guard.

And her back bowing under the pressure of her release.

And her fingers slipping wetly against her clit riding waves of pleasure like she’s been waiting her whole life to drown just like this.

It’s magnificent. Like watching a master paint a work of art. The moment etches itself onto Cat’s skin and pierces something deep in her soul.

It’s silent except for Keira’s breathing, heavy and labored as she continues to rub barely there circles on her clit, riding out the aftershocks.

“Sit up,” Cat says, her voice unrecognizable to her own ears. She sounds like she’s been to war and only narrowly made it out alive.

Keira sits up, her chest flushed red, her fingers wet with come.

“Put your fingers in my mouth.”

It’s not what Cat meant to say.

She was going to say get dressed and get out.

Because she’s never not come so hard in her life, and she needs time to put the pieces of what that means together.

But Keira leans forward, and Cat opens her lips, and the first taste of Keira’s desire causes a tremble to roll from Cat’s toes all the way to her eyes as they flutter shut.

Cat curls her tongue around Keira’s two wet fingers. She licks Keira’s taste into her mouth, savoring every drop like it might be her last. When she feels a weight settling around her legs, she opens her eyes to find Keira straddling her.

Keira stares at her, unblinking, and Cat knows she’s waiting for a signal to stop. Cat doesn’t know if she could give that signal if her life depended on it. Instead, she opens her mouth wider and takes the rest of Keira’s fingers, while Keira slips her other hand back down to her clit.

Cat licks and sucks, and Keira rubs and slides. They’re so close, Cat can feel the ghost of Keira’s nipples as they sway up and down.

All Cat needs to do is let go of the armrests, then she can have her mouth full of Keira’s fingers and her hands full of Keira’s breasts.

She’s about to give up the fight and do just that when Keira pulls her fingers away. Cat feels the lost deep in her gut like a hollowed out cave that’s only just been discovered. She makes to follow them, but Keira’s fingers are replaced by her lips, and Keira’s body sinks into Cat until she can almost feel the back of the other woman’s hands as she starts rubbing her clit again.

The kiss should be scorching and filthy; a culmination of the game they’ve been playing for all these nights.

Instead, it’s soft.

And it’s sweet.

And it’s finally too much.

Cat comes.

Hard.

Right there.

Sitting fully clothed, and barely touched, in a hotel room club chair as a woman she doesn’t truly know kisses her like every kiss Cat’s had before now has been a lie.

When Kiera comes for a second time, it’s quiet, and she breathes it right into Cat’s mouth.

They sit there, breathing each other in, until Keira breaks the silence, “My name is Kara,” she whispers.

Kara.

Cat remembers reading that it’s smart to create a fake name that starts with the same first letter as your real name. She almost mentions it, still high from an orgasm she’s been chasing for days, still throbbing because it wasn’t nearly enough.

“Get out,” is what she says instead, her voice scratchy and thin.

She doesn’t know what this is.

With Keira or Kara or whatever her name is.

But she knows she can’t do it. She knows on Monday, when she meets with Lucy Lane again, her life will change and the evolution of Cat Grant has no room for this.

“Get out,” she says again, stronger this time.

Cat watches silently as Kara extricates herself from Cat’s lap, and for a brief moment, Cat thinks she sees a hint of hurt in her eyes, but the mask of Keira replaces it like it was never there.

Cat refuses to look away as the young woman buttons her dress back up and fixes her belt.

“I’m really sorry, Miss Grant.”

She means it. Cat can tell.

Cat is sorry too, because in another life, she would absolutely explore this.

But in this life, Cat Grant is going to be the first female President of the United States, and a kiss that Cat still feels tumbling through her veins is not going to get in her way.

[frostedmoonflakes]

Oh boy!! I saw this ask going around wanted to answer these! It’s a great way to kill some boredom time anyhow. :) This got ridiculously long so I’ll put it under a cut.

Legend of Zelda Asks!

Favorite game in the series

Ocarina of Time! The amount of time I spent running around not passing the game because I suck at them Hyrule fields, just exploring the areas when I was a kid!! I love the feel of the environment. I have to put Majora’s Mask and A Link to the Past on here too for the same reason. I love these games, I love their lore, I love their characters, and I love their art.

Least favorite game in the series

This is really hard because I love them all??? Take Skyward Sword for example. I LOVE THE STORY. I LOVE FI SO MUCH. IMPA SOOOOO MUCH. ZELDA!!! But the gameplay itself is long af and pretty boring. But I love it too much to rank it anywhere in “least favorite of the series”. I guess I’ll say A Link Between Worlds because I couldn’t really get into it. 

Favorite character

Hyrule Warriors Impa is my main gal. Forever and always. Paya from Breath of the Wild. And the main bae has to be Twinrova in Ocarina of Time. Seriously the highlight of the OOT experience as a kid was getting to see Koume and Kotake and seeing them turn into Twinrova. Absolute faaaave! *___* 

Least favorite character

Kafei. Ugh. 

Favorite version of Link

Hyrule Warriors Link makes my heart go pitter patter~~~~ Did you know!! Link was actually one of my first crushes as a kid. And he just keeps getting hotter. 

Favorite version of Zelda

Breath of the Wild Zelda, hands down!! What a precious darling, I love her to pieces. She has so much personality.

Favorite female character

Twinrova! Impa! Paya! Fi! Zelda! Nabooru! Saria! I can’t just pick one.

Favorite male character

Link! Ganondorf! 

Favorite main character

Does Impa count as a main? Because if so, Impa.

Favorite side character

Twinrova and Paya!! 

Favorite area (from any game)

Gerudo Fortress in Ocarina of Time. As a kid, I used to waste hours sneaking in there with child Link, messing around the fortress trying not to get caught. For some reason that was really fun for me.

I’m also deeply passionate about Clock Town in Majora’s Mask because I loved the design so much that it made me want to live there.

Favorite villain

Twinrova!!! She’d def count. Koume and Kotake are the best.

When did you get into the series? How did you find out about it?

I think it was my stepdad who bought OOT and then gave me his copy of A Link to the Past when I was 10 or so. I think I may have had one of the other Zelda games for the Gameboy and since I didn’t understand how to play it (I couldn’t get far at all), I kind of just ignored my cartridge until OOT happened. I fell in love with the Kokiri forest right off the bat.

If you could develop the next Zelda game, what would it be like?

I’d go all out with the romance (LinkxZelda? GanonxZelda? ImpaxZelda? PayaxLink? LinkxMalon? AnjuxGanon? MiphaxLink? FixLink!!! GanonxImpa!!!) because we all know the series is lacking in it soooooo bad. I’d also give my favorites much bigger roles like Impa and Twinrova. And I’d answer the question of what happened to Navi. I’d give Fi a much more prominent role. Link would still be the main player, tho. But I’d made Zelda a playable option, too. I’d divide it in two arcs!!! One you can play as Link and one as Zelda and their interconnect. You’d have to pass both to unlock the last area of the game with the true ending.

What spin-off game would you like to see? (ex - Sports game, Party game, Racing game, etc.)

A Party game would be so cool!!! Depending on the roster of course but, I call dibs on Impa or Mipha!! 

What cross-over game would you like to see with Legend of Zelda? (ex Legend of Zelda + Mario)

I honestly don’t know, I’m not a big fan of crossovers. LOZ is magnificent by itself.

What character would you put in Hyrule Warriors that isn’t already in the game?

Mipha!!! She’d be amazing to play. -heart eyes-

If you could live in Hyrule, where would you live? What would you do for a living? (Be a little more imaginative than just “I wanna be the hero” or “I would be the princess of Hyrule”)

XD Well, I answered before that child me wanted to live in Clock Town from Majora’s Mask. And I’d say that still applies! But I would also love to live in Lon Lon Ranch (OOT version), it looks cozy. I’d be the new Happy Mask salesman. I always found those masks to be super neat. Alternatively I’ll settle for being the new Great Fairy so I can burst out of my fountains in my true naked glory every time the cute chosen hero needs to heal. 

We’ve sort of seen the beginnings of Hyrule - What do you think the endings would be?

I don’t know???? I can’t even predict how my weekend’s gonna go, how am I supposed to look so far as the “ends of Hyrule”??? 

If you only had 3 days to live in Termina, what would you do? Assume you are not playing the role of Link.

Go hang out at Koume and Kotake’s shop, help them out??

Which piece of the Triforce do you think best represents yourself?

Wisdom.

Draw yourself as a character from Hyrule (Don’t just put yourself in Link’s clothes, think about what the average citizens wear)

Maybe some other time, Blanche.

If you had the full Triforce, what would you do with it?

Let it float on its altar wherever that may be?

If you turned into a wolf or other form of beast/animal in the Twilight, what would you look like? Feel free to draw it.

I’d look like an otter with a coat that’s black with glowing light blue glyphy patterns.

What’s one thing that you want to see the most from the series? (ex - Remake of your favorite game, a new style of game, new TV show or comic, etc.)

I’d settle for a game that gave Impa a ton of spotlight! Alt just give me romaaaaaannnnce~~~~ Or, they’d have my heart if they brought back Koume and Kotake.

What DLC pack would you make for Hyrule Warriors that hasn’t already been done?

Full on story about Mipha. Though I understand they’re going to expand and focus on the Champions in the coming DLCs so that’s something that’s already being done. I’m mega curious about Mipha, Daruk, and Urbossa. Maybe a DLC that tosses you to old places from the old games to do zany quests.

What do you think a Legend of Hilda game would be like?

The same but more purple.

What character(s) or event would you like to see more backstory on?

These questions are so repetitive! Impa!!! Impa dammit always Impa! Mipha, too, she’s so amazing! 

What’s your favorite part of Legend of Zelda games? (ex - Getting all the collectibles, exploring, doing dungeons, fighting bosses, story, etc.)

The settings and environments, the character/world design, the colors, THE ART, I’m just a huge sucker for eye candy. The bits and pieces of lore we’ve managed to make out and put together through the years. The theories. Unfortunately I’m really bad at playing the games myself, I get stuck so early and so easily. But I love these games so much, I could watch people play them all day every day. For me it’s like watching my favorite movie. I love experiencing it.

If you could only play one Legend of Zelda game for the rest of your life, which one would it be?

I guess it’d have to be Ocarina of Time since that one was my kick into the franchise and I make mention of it the most. 

[curiouslylazy]

Fic Recs

Fic rec days is back and I made another recommendations post because authors deserve all the love ever. Once again this is 100% haikyuu and 84% KuroKen.

Things Beyond the Skies by amorevolous

2/?

KuroKen, KiyoYachi

I am so so so so so excited for this piece. Magic and steampunk is such a good mix that leads to a really cool atmosphere and tone. We got a little bit of baby!kurokens and they were perfect and precious. But Kuroo has clearly grown up now and I’m eager to learn what caused the changes. All the characters so far are written well and Yachi is gonna have a main role, how exciting is that? Please read this and heap a ton of love at it because it deserves all the attention.

Five Times Ushijima Wakatoshi Absolutely Lost His Shit by desdemona (LydiaOfNarnia)

1/1-Complete

UshiTen

Cute, fun, and hilarious with just the right amount of angst to make an impact. This has one of the best Ushijima and Tendou dynamics that I’ve ever read. Absolutely one of my favorites. 

Step by Step by dgalerab

5/5-Complete

KuroKen, BokuAka, KageHina

A wonderful piece that covers the developments in Kuroo and Kenma’s relationship from first meeting to becoming a couple. I love how balanced the relationship is and how it’s made very clear that they both need each other. Kuroo is shown as having many insecurities and is so easy to sympathize and connect with. I wanna surround him with hugs and Kenmas. He’s also a dense idiot at times and that’s always wonderful. Also great smut so it’s a win all around.

quiet company by doxian 

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A super interesting premise with excellent execution. It’s a bit bittersweet but ultimately a wonderful, sweet read. I love it a lot and enjoyed it very much.

chamomile and carnivorous plants by Ellessey

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A cute, sweet, and soft confession story and a delightful read.

come a little bit closer by Ellessey

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

The sequel to chamomile and carnivorous plants, this follows Kuroo and Kenma’s sex life. It also has the added bonus of Daichi suffering.

The Long Road by Esselle

¾

KuroKen

I still can’t perfectly put into words why I love this so much but it’s my current obsession. I’ve read it so many times by now. I really like the time period it’s set in and how that’s worked into the story. Kuroo is just the perfect amount of cool and stupid. Kenma is badass and delightful. Lev is precious. The smut is beautiful and perfect.  Easily one of my favorite kuroken stories of all time.

The Wedding Hall Shuffle by icespyders

3/3-Complete

KuroKen

I was pretty sure this was on my previous rec list but it wasn’t and honestly that’s a crime because this is absolutely amazing. It’s one of the cutest kuroken fics ever. Wonderfully romcom with great dialogue and humor, this is perfection. 

teach me the way home by icespyders

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A wonderful character study on Kuroo that follows him from middle school to college, and does so very well. I love how it captures Kuroo’s vulnerability, particularly when he’s not with Kenma. This fic is quite ambitious in that it limits itself to a certain setting. The range of things it accomplishes in that setting is very impressive.

Static by icespyders

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A lovely piece about Kuroo and Kenma meeting after many months of silence. It has the perfect mix of angst and sweet. 

eulogy by ilgaksu

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

This piece is so so beautiful and yeah the tags are scary but it’s so worth it I promise. It’s one of my favorites and such a wonderful, emotional ride. The ending is perfection, please read this.

Something More by inkandwords

6/?

BokuAka, KuroKen

Starts off really cute and then hurts you a lot. I really like how the bokuaka started off. The friendships are also very important and A+++. I really liked the friendship between Bokuto and Kenma.

Questions of Style by Kaiyou

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

Super sweet, domestic, fluffy kurokens set in the Just Desserts/The Sweetest Thing verse. Works great as a stand alone but easily draws you into the world. 

Chasing Truth by Kaiyou

60/?

KuroKen, BokuAka, Tokyo ot4, IwaOi

This story is so amazing and I’m very glad to have it in my life. The setting and details of this verse are complex and well thought out and very well fleshed out. Relationships are developed at a great pace and mixed well with the plot, it never feels like one aspect is being given greater importance. Characterization is great, I’m quite partial to Kenma because he’s such an awesome badass. I love learning more about the characters and delving into their backstories. The smut is wonderful (and plentiful). The action is amazing and there’s never a dull moment.

Raise em high and bring em low by Kaiyou

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

Delightful, delicious smut set in the CT verse but can easily be read without knowledge of that (amazing) verse. I love the dynamic in this because Kenma is in complete control and that aspect is made relevant outside of their sex lives. It had wonderful moments of sweetness and devotion.

Thicker Than Blood by kylar

23/?

KuroKen, IwaOi, BokuAka, DaiSuga

Yakuza AU, how cool it that?! The romance aspect has a great pace and wonderful development. The plot will constantly have you tense and on edge, it’s great. The friendship between Kuroo, Bokuto, and Oikawa is wonderful. Side ships get a good amount of time and development. I’m very excited to see how this plays out.

when it rains, it pours by kythen

1/1-Complete

UshiTen

Soft, sweet, adorable ushiten with Tendou as a mermaid. I loved that Ushijima is a botanist. A very fun read.

Noon, on a Thursday by lovelyleftovers

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

Kuroo being vulnerable and Kenma having to take care of him is super important. This is a lovely piece that is easy to connect to on a personal level. Kuroo and Kenma are written really well and it’s so clear that they care deeply for each other.

Cosmotropolis by meyghasa

11/11-Complete

KuroKen

A really cute piece with great characterization that does more with the android concept  than turning them into maids. It has a pretty cool well thought out setting as well. Great smut too.

died in my dreams by MTrash (Makaria)

1/1-Complete

UshiTen

The setting is a really cool sci-fi world and Ushijima is a cop and Tendou is sort of a criminal and it’s so so good. The backstory  will absolutely make you sad, but you will be all the more happy that they have each other now. I love how Tendou sneaks his way into Ushijima’s life and how they grow to trust and care for each other. 

shut up and dance by Mysecretfanmoments

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A cute, sweet read with a little bit of  smut thrown in. I love Kenma being a tease and Kuroo is wonderfully blushy and adorable. Every character written was written wonderfully. A super fun piece.

i built you a home in my heart by newamsterdam

1/1-Complete

KuroKen, YakuLev

This magnificent piece showcases important moments in Kuroo and Kenma’s lives and how their relationship grows during these moments. It’s absolutely beautiful. I love seeing the sweet moments and also the challenges and how they work through them. It’s also super cool to see the contrast between the kuroken and yakulev relationships as they develop.

anything not saved will be lost by newamsterdam 

5/7

KuroKen

A lovely getting together story. I’m not usually into canon compliant stories but this is absolutely wonderful. The characterization of everyone is perfect and the kuroken makes my heart ache. Kenma and Kuroo care about each other so much and it seems like they know everything about the other, but they don’t. I love that it reinforces the fact that communication is very important, even if you’ve known someone your entire life there’s still things you can learn about them. However this piece also shows that Kuroo and Kenma do know a great deal about each other and that can be a huge comfort for them, or lead to problems when you wanna go the avoidance route. The pacing is great, even if I just want to smush their lips together, and I thrive off of the conflicts. Also great Nekoma bonds which is a huge plus. 

pride falls by newamsterdam

8/10

IwaOi, KuroKen

The sequel to the magnificent curiosity kills. This covers Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s side of the story while continuing to grow the kuroken. A lot more characters are added into the mix and the ensemble cast is handled well. The magic and universe is really interesting and it’s developed even more in this story. This piece hits so many emotional notes. Also we get baby!iwaois for a bit and they are precious and perfect.

kiss me like you mean it / all my little words by newamsterdam

12/?

Various

A delightful assortment of oneshots that are sweet, cute, fun, passionate, and hit many emotional notes.

At least let me take you to dinner first by Nimbus_Cloud

2/2-Complete

KuroKen

Virgin Kuroo and sexually experienced Kenma is one of my favorite things ever and that aspect is handled perfectly in this. Great characterization and a super cute budding romance makes this an excellent (re)read. Amazing smut is also a huge bonus.

Dial 119 by Nimbus_Cloud

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

I love this AU a lot, seeing Kuroo and Kenma’s relationship develop was such a joy. Kuroo is such an adorable dork and I love that Kenma has to make many of the first moves. Again, excellent smut with it.

As You Command by Nimbus_Cloud

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A delightful royalty au smut piece with the perfect amount of feels and backstory thrown in to get you hooked.

Fun for you, fun for me by Nimbus_Cloud

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

(╯✧∇✧)╯

[smut with Kenma in control is the best kind of smut]

Common side effects by notallballs (notallbees)

1/?

KuroKen

Kuroo runs into Kenma  for the first time in quite a while.They are both certainly changed people. I am so ready for the wonderful angst and really excited for this on a whole. I really like how the characters are written so far and there are a lot of things I’m excited to find out about.

Open Your Heart, Open His Eyes by risquetendencies 

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A super cute confession fic with an awesome superhero backdrop. Kuroo being a dumb smart person is always the best.

Making Time by risquetendencies 

1/1-Complete

AkaKen

Delightful smut with Kenma topping!! And I love the glimpses you get of their relationship.

Ghost in the Machine by shions_heart

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

Adorable, sweet, and funny with an office setting. Kuroo is precious, Kenma is wonderful, and it will hit you with feels when you’re not expecting it.

Rough Draft by shions_heart

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A falling in love story with novelist!Kenma and chef!Kuroo. It’s soft, sweet, and a very fun read.

Polaris by shions_heart

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A really cool setting and premise that makes you want more from this world. This is all about finding/returning home and it fills my heart with emotions. A lovely, super fun read.

Character Development by silvercistern

9/9-Complete

BokuAka

This is such a fun, emotional, funny, ride filled with perfect characterization, and love, and affection. Probably my favorite bokuaka ever. Their relationship develops so well and seeing that from Akaashi’s point of view is great. The fake dating aspect was so much fun. Whenever there was kuroken it punched me in the chest with affection and joy. The relationship between Akaashi and Kuroo was so so good. Even the super minor characters were written really well and true to character. This has so much reread value too, I’ve read it many times and have yet to tire of it.

Sayuri by silvercistern

10/?

IwaOi, MatsuHana, KageHina, AsaNoya, TsukiYama, KuroKen, BokuAka, DaiSuga

One of the best ensemble pieces in this fandom. It quite easily accomplishes the task of making the reader care about every character. In particular I really love Suga and Akaashi. They are awesome. I am always partial to Kuroo and Kenma, and they certainly don’t disappoint. And the iwaoi is a delicious kind of pain. Heist AUs are always so much fun, and with this cast it’s guaranteed to be amazing.

you’ll never walk alone by skittidyne

1/1-Complete

Nekoma, mild KuroKen

Nekoma team fic!!!!! This was written right on the heels of Nekoma’s defeat to Fukurodani and at this point we did not know about the third Tokyo spot. It’s from Kuroo’s point of view and it shows his grief really well. I loved the third years dynamic in this. I loved all of the relationships in this. 

and i would have saved juliet by skittidyne

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

This was posted right on the heels of Nekoma beating Nohebi and I feel like that detail is quite important. To put it simply this piece is hauntingly beautiful. From the dialogue to the characters to the pacing, everything is lovely. Absolutely read the tags so you know what you’re getting into. The baby!kurokens were super cute. The concept that the story revolves around is very interesting. I really love how the romance developed. This packs quite the emotional punch and honestly I teared up a bit just typing this out. I have no regrets though, and would read this a thousand times over, it’s absolutely beautiful. 

that’s what you get (for waking up in vegas) by skittidyne

1/1-Complete

MatsuHana, IwaOi

A ton of humor with excellent Seijoh dynamics. I loved the accidental marriage aspect. A super fun, light read. Or reread.

on the eighteenth by skittidyne

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A spy AU mixed with fake marriage AU leads to an incredibly fun time. Excellent characterization as always and Kuroo suffers. Is there anything else a person would need?

kozume kenma’s guide to getting free drinks from supernatural persons (results may vary) by skittidyne

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

《《o(≧◇≦)o》》

[This is so many of my favorite things mixed into one and I love it so much! So much delicious steamy smut. Kuroo is a werewolf and that makes things so much more interesting. Everyone is written perfectly. In particular I really love Kenma’s attitude towards sex. And not to spoil the ending but it’s one of my most favorite things ever. This is a magnificent gift onto the world]

thieves in the night by skittidyne

2/2-Complete

KuroKen

A super silly prompt leads to a super charming and cute fic. Kuroo is a very bad thief and Kenma is a very done (not) victim. I love how their relationship develops and how Kuroo is a precious, perfect dork. I loved Lev and Yaku and I adored Kenma. The humor was amazing, the dialogue was great, and the smut was the very lovely bow on top. Truly, this is a treasure.

Kuroo Loves Kenma by twuke

1/1-Complete

KuroKen

A delightfully smutty piece.

[aish-rai]

Oscars 2017: In Review

Oscar time is here again!

Once again, I’ve watched all the films in the Best Picture, Best Director, and major acting categories. I’m not one for long reviews, so I’ve broken it down into mini reviews that will hopefully help you decide who to root for tonight...or not. Who cares. This is Trump’s America, we’re all on our way out anyway. Jkjk.

So, without further ado....

Arrival

This is, by far, my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees. This year, the debate has been about the importance of certain films...the message a film sends, what place it holds in our society. On the surface, a film centered around an alien invasion doesn’t seem as though it would merit much surface importance. But in times of increasing globalism, followed by xenophobia and an overall intolerance for things and people we don’t understand, Arrival highlights the importance of communication, patience, mutual cooperation, and an open mind. At the heart of it, it’s an incredibly personal story about the relationships we form and the decisions we make: what choices would dictate your life if you knew what the outcome would be? What’s the value of the journey versus the destination? Arrival asks us all these questions, but protagonist Louise Banks (a linguist, which it turns out is a SUPER FUCKING COOL job) only answers for herself. The rest of the film is a reflection on humanity, and in times like these, I think that’s just as important as any other “message” film.

Moonlight

Don’t misunderstand me: this is a story for everybody. We can all get something out of it. But it’s a particularly important, incredibly personal story about black masculinity, sexuality, and identity in an environment of poverty and desperation. A queer black man will certainly connect more to this movie than me, a straight white woman. However, with that being said, I still consider this a near-perfect movie. It is in no way inaccessible to the rest of the audience. The way the film has been broken down into three stages of Chiron’s journey to self-discovery allows the story to unfold perfectly. The first third sends the message, “You don’t have to know who you are yet.” By the end, it asks, “Who are you? Have you figured it out yet?” And everything in between is beautiful. The three actors who play Chiron (Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes) are revelations. The fact that the kid from Manchester by the Sea pulled a nomination but Ashton Sanders didn’t is straight up offensive to my sensibilities, tbh. But Mahershala Ali is the real heart of the film as Juan, a local drug dealer who takes Chiron under his wing. His time in the film is brief, but he leaves an overwhelming impression. Also keep a look out for a magnificent performance by Naomie Harris as Chiron’s mother, as well as a color palette that quite frankly took my breath away. This is a film that sends a social message, yes, but it’s also a beautiful story of a personal journey and one that needed to be told.

La La Land

This film has been the frontrunner for quite awhile now, and as all frontrunners do, it has garnered quite a bit of criticism. Aside from just being the frontrunner, I feel like a lot of the criticism stems from the fact that it’s a happy, upbeat film in a year of otherwise somber stories. For some reason, we devalue the importance of joy in our films. I have to be grateful for the criticism, though, because the first time I saw LLL, I only “liked” it. Upon rewatching it, I’ve grown to love it. There’s so much more to it than “white man saves jazz”. That completely disregards the themes of nostalgia, the way the characters hold on to the past and hold themselves back. It’s very much a film that pays tribute to the American musical, while still managing to subvert many of its tropes and modernize the genre. The choice to have two lead actors who are neither singers nor dancers was a great one, in my opinion. Mia and Sebastian are two normal people, not extraordinarily talented but extraordinarily passionate about what they do. And without giving too much away, the ending, while polarizing, was perfect for me. The final montage alone makes it worthy of the praise it’s receiving. Ryan Gosling is good, but perhaps not Best Actor material here (I would have much rather he had been nominated for The Nice Guys). But he’s the perfect foil for Emma Stone, and it’s really her film. The Oscar is hers to lose at this point, and I know that bothers a lot of people, but again, they’re really devaluing the work that went into her character. Not everyone could have done what she did with this role. She nails the comedy, the melodrama, the understated moments, and the big musical ones as well. And really, the film itself is just a technical triumph (which, no shit Sherlock, is how it managed to get so many nominations...so stop whining). The cinematography and the production design are breathtaking, and something we haven’t seen on screen in a very long time. And honestly? Fuck it, we need some joy in this joyless time. Stop fighting it. Singing and dancing doesn’t make it frivolous, but it does reveal how short-sighted some people are when it comes to films.

Lion

First of all, if Sunny Pawar goes missing, don’t look at me. It’s not my fault he’s so goddamn adorable. He stars as young Saroo in the first half of Lion, which tracks a little boy who finds himself aboard a non-passenger train headed across India. He ends up in Calcutta, unable to speak the language or tell local authorities where he’s from. He’s eventually adopted by an Australian family, and grows up in a loving home. But as an adult, he struggles to piece together his journey and find his way back home. This movie will definitely reduce you to a puddle of tears, so keep some tissues handy. However, I did have some issues with it: mainly, the tonal difference between the first half (which I loved), and the second half, which felt weirdly cerebral, until it reverted back to tear-jerking melodrama at the very end. And when given the choice between the melodramatic and the cerebral, I will choose melodrama every time. Despite that, I will say Dev did a great job with portraying adult Saroo’s struggles, his wrestling with his identity and his privilege, his being torn between two lives and two families. Nicole Kidman is also spectacular as Saroo’s mother, and it’s a bit of a pity she wasn’t given more screen time. The scene where she tells Saroo the story of how and why he was adopted is a standout.

Hidden Figures

This is one of those films that tells you an important fact about history that you wouldn’t have otherwise known, and you’re grateful to have been introduced to the story, but when you break it down it’s a bit of a paint-by-numbers film. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of my favorite films of the year, and it has infinite repeat value. It makes you feel good, and as I said, we can’t underestimate the importance of movies that manage to do that. And Taraji, Octavia, and Janelle are amazing, both individually and as a threesome. But this is a movie for the audience, not for the Oscars. The women were pathbreaking; the film isn’t. But that’s okay! If you watch it, you will undoubtedly love it to pieces, but it’s up against stiff competition this year.

Hacksaw Ridge

On paper, the story (a true one) is beautiful. It’s about Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who, despite refusing to take up arms or harm another man for religious reasons, becomes a WWII medic who saves countless lives. Andrew Garfield gives a lovely performance as Doss, who walks a fine line between goofiness, earnestness, and pure grit. The issue I had with this movie was a personal one: it’s obscenely gory, to the point where my stomach turned (and I’m not usually bothered by these things). The problem is that I can see why the gore was necessary...because hey, that’s war! People’s faces get blown off, they lose limbs, bodies are used as shields. You sort of have to see the graphic violence to understand how important it is that Doss never once picks up a rifle to defend himself. His commitment to peace and healing, juxtaposed against such a violent environment, is truly moving. But I just can’t deal with the level of gore, sorry. If you’re like me and you’re thinking about watching this film, I’d suggest fast-forwarding through the war scenes and focusing on the aftermath. It’s definitely worth watching, just...don’t be surprised if you have an urge to vomit at some point.

Manchester by the Sea

How many different adjectives are there for overrated? I’d heard so much about this film going into it, and perhaps expectation is the root of all disappointment, but all I could see were one-note performances slapped with the term “internalized” to justify them. Lucas Hedges is a serviceable young actor, but hardly the discovery of a lifetime. And then there’s Casey Affleck, who has one good scene in the whole film but is somehow still considered a frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar. Michelle Williams as the protagonist’s ex-wife is good, but it’s certainly not her best and her competitors were better. The film is a misery fest, which would be fine if you didn’t spend the entirety of it waiting for one person to react to their situation like a normal human being instead of, you know, a sociopath. I think this is a case of confusing a very sad, very moving story with a good film/good performance. Casey’s character is extraordinary...his performance, however, is not.

Hell or High Water

I don’t have much to say about this movie. The premise is intriguing, it’s a bit of a modern day Bonnie and Clyde, and it does reflect upon the new American reality. But jfc, is it boring. Chris Pine gives a great performance, and I enjoyed the banter between Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham...but you can honestly skip this movie and lose out on nothing except the overwhelming feeling that you have dust in your shoes.

Fences

This movie could have been brilliant; it could have been the best of the year. It’s touching, it’s human, and it’s thought-provoking. Unfortunately, they forgot they were making a movie and chose to shoot it exactly like the play. That means that we pretty much never leave the characters’ backyard. It means that all Denzel Washington’s character does is TALK, and talk, and talk some more. And everyone knows that silences are just as important as dialogue. Denzel is fantastic here, but the choices he made as a director hurt the film. Thankfully, Viola Davis is here to save the day. Her confrontation scene alone is enough to warrant her the Oscar. It’s just a pity she’s in the wrong category.

Captain Fantastic

SO underrated! This movie gained no traction leading up to awards season, but it truly is something different onscreen, and you can rarely say that about any movie. Because you’ve probably never heard of it, I’ll quickly summarize: a radical father of six children living off the land is forced to return to society after his wife commits suicide and reflect upon the life he has built for his family. It sounds depressing, but it’s not at all. It’s genuinely moving, with moments of absolute hilarity. You will be laughing one minute, crying the next. Viggo Mortensen gives far and away the best performance among the male nominees, and it’s a shame that with the campaigning system, he’s not going to get any recognition for it.

Elle

I’m torn between wanting to rip this movie to fucking shreds, and not wanting to dignify it with too much ~discourse~. I’ll only say that it offended me deeply as a woman and as a sexual assault survivor, and it was not a story that needed to be told. The complexity of womanhood, of sexuality, and of responses to trauma are all worthy themes to explore...and Elle managed to do that it the worst way for it. Just because they’re speaking French and the story is edgy doesn’t make it any good. It’s absolute junk. and I love Isabelle Huppert, but she left me cold in this role and as much as I’d like to see her be recognized for her body of work, I’ll be really upset if this is the film that does it for her. This film deserves nothing. Au revoir, assholes.

Loving

This film tells a story we’re all vaguely familiar with, Loving vs. the State of Virginia, the landmark case that legalized interracial marriages on a federal level. What we don’t learn about is the people behind the case, the Lovings. Unfortunately, the execution of this film was a bit “Lifetime Movie of the Week” for my taste, but Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton give beautiful performances. If you want to see internalized done right, look to this film, not Manchester by the Sea. Ruth is luminescent onscreen, and is able to communicate so much with just her eyes and body language. The same goes for Joel, who was even more impressive and unfortunately got royally screwed out of an Oscar nomination. Watch it not because it’s pathbreaking cinema, but because it’s a piece of history that needed to be humanized.

Florence Foster Jenkins

Look, I am a sucker for movies about old people. I cried like a goddamn baby throughout this entire film, and I am not ashamed to admit it. There has been a lot of controversy over whether or not Meryl Streep deserved her nomination, and while I too would have liked to have seen Amy Adams get in for Arrival, I wouldn’t call Meryl undeserving. I think the truth is that every performance she gives is worthy, people just get a little tired of seeing her name on the nominations list. It’s become a case of, Well, how is she going to beat what she’s already done? And if you’re looking at it from that perspective, FFF isn’t going to be a cornerstone film in her cinematic journey. But she’s pretty amazing, as she is in everything she does, and I was really intrigued by her character (particularly her relationship with her husband, played by Hugh Grant). What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that people aren’t giving this movie a fair shake. It’s a bit silly at times, and a bit melodramatic, but it’s entertaining and it’s moving. I’d sit through FFF a hundred times before rewatching Hell or High Water, not sorry to say.

Jackie

It’s a good movie, with good direction, good staging, and good acting. So what’s wrong with it? I think what we can surmise is that it’s time to put Jackie Kennedy to rest, literally and figuratively. She’s too singular a person to be portrayed onscreen without the portrayal coming off as a caricature. Natalie Portman (whom I don’t normally care for) gave her all to this role, and still came off looking like Natalie Portman playing dress up as Jackie Kennedy. Jackie was a strange looking beauty with a strange sounding accent. You can dress up as many Hollywood brunettes in her iconic pink suit as you want, but they’re still not going to capture what was so remarkable about Jackie Kennedy. And as much as I love the Kennedys and am intrigued by their story...enough. We’ve seen all this before, multiple times. If you’re going to make a film on them, at least focus it on other members of the family. This particular time in history has been covered onscreen in abundance, and as an audience....we get it. It was terrible, it was sad, it was the death of American royalty, it was a standout moment in our history. Time to move on.

Nocturnal Animals

I’m a bit upset that this movie didn’t make it to the list of Best Picture nominees. Tom Ford is such an interesting director, and this was a strong followup to his beautiful debut, A Single Man. Michael Shannon managed to score a Best Supporting Actor nom, but I truly feel Jake Gyllenhaal was snubbed for a Lead Actor nom. His performance, and the film in general really, walked a fine line between stylization and gritty, violent realism. And the ending of the film is so understated, but still manages to deliver a kick in the gut. Don’t let the lack of Academy love keep you from giving this movie a chance, because it really was under-appreciated this year.

My personal choices:

Best Picture: Arrival or Moonlight

Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land

Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen for Captain Fantastic

Best Actress: Emma Stone for La La Land

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali for Moonlight

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis for Fences

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: Smith’s crisp, Root buried

WHAT a wonderful time of year for crap weather? 

Footy has three weeks left with a lot still on the line and the Ashes is entrenched in prime time for the next four weeks.

Work from home, charge your phone only so you can use Menulog and just remember to rotate your couch cushions after each test match – no-one wants a sofa with permanent bum indentations, it’s unsightly.

 1.       We’ll get to the Ashes soon enough, but let’s cover off the air conveyance. And how the Swans were dudded. Well maybe not super much as they’re not making the finals any which way, but maybe Richmond or Brisbane, perhaps Collingwood or Essendon, by the massive missed free kick on Sam Reid in the dying seconds. The Giants lose that and their stranglehold on a double chance goes. Only one mistake, lets not crucify the umpire, but gee for ramifications it’s a doozy.

2.       Brisbane, looked like the Scraggers were some go for a while there last Sunday twilight, but once again those Lions chalked up another win and how bout their flag credentials they say? Yeah still not for me. They have the Gold Coast this week, wow, another game against a bottom ten team, and in Queensland. This team is in form, no doubt, but the validity of that form does not befit the record they have. It might be enough to win them some finals, sure, but this is not a premiership team.

3.       The Lions have had no injures, and have a league-high ten players who have played every game so far. Consistency at the selection table compared with teams like Richmond and Collingwood who have had periods without such luxuries, has been worth a win or two in itself for Brisbane, no question.

4.       Yeah, so Geelong. The record since the bye, for the position on the ladder they were in going into their week off, has to be amongst the worst in the comp relatively speaking. So when is a slump actually reflective of where you’re at? No-one would give them a show in a final against Richmond, so would need to somehow avoid them with GMHBA finals against interstate fodder and hope for a good run. For a team on top, 14-5 and 130%. Remarkable.

5.       Gold Coast, my Lord, this is supposed to be a team ten years past putting out teams not up to standard. At least back then it was ok, they were on the L plates, you knew they’d be super rubbish but it was all part of finding their feet. Now they’re just a middle-aged moron on the roads and you can’t give them an out for their shit driving, to maintain the metaphor. Remember, they lose their last three games, this season will equal their bad years of 2011 and 2012.

6.       Looks like we might be set for one South Australian team to finish eighth but without room for both. The Power’s upset over the Dons last Saturday probably gives them the advantage to take the final spot looking three weeks ahead, and at their cross-town rival’s expense. And if that’s the case, given the lopsided Showdown a few weeks ago, that eventuality probably seems about right.

7.       We haven’t had a draw yet, usually we’re good for one or two, other than 2016 we have always had a least one since 2014…. I didn’t say that all these thoughts had to be interesting, but at least this one is accurate.

8.       Blake Caracella to Essendon, that’s one or both of two things. Firstly, Caracella is a genius, his first year with Richmond was 2017, and look what happened to that coaching box, went from sackable to winning flags. So great bit of IP for the Bombers braintrust there. But also, could it be a little bit of what St Kilda did with Ratten last summer. If, and it’s a big “if”, you’re looking at reviewing your senior coach, why not get a talented assistant in early so such a replacement might already be under your roof. Almost like a succession plan, but unofficially.

9.       Adam Treloar was gutsy on Tuesday, just plain gutsy. Didn’t need to talk about his battles, and on such a public forum. But whilst it may have been therapeutic for him, the good it could do for so many other young men to accept, nor no longer dismiss, their struggles as human and to find ways to manage their wellbeing, was fantastic. Having a great year this year, and that’s not just on the field where he is looming large for the Copeland Trophy, but seemingly away from the field as well. Important stuff, won’t back down on that anytime soon. Keep talking.

10.   Some kudos to pot belly Jay Z Clark, who penned a very good angle on the Rising Star for 2019. Sam Walsh looks a runaway winner now, even myself a self-confessed Connor Rozee admirer acknowledges the Blue’s midfielder has it. But Clark points out that the Hawks’ James Worpel is only narrowly ineligible for this year’s award, and had he had played one fewer game in 2018 he’d be right in the frame for the gong this year. And it’s a good yarn, Worpel is having such an under the radar year, we know about Mitchell and O’Meara, but the kid from Bannockburn is a serious 200-plus games midfielder in the making.

11.   The Joe Daniher/Tom Harley thing stank a bit. It’s all come out now that its fine and nothing to see here, but yeah even so, it just stinks a bit. I know we’re all allowed to have mates and more often than not its nothing more than what it is, but sometimes when it looks a bit off it probably is. He isn’t leaving Essendon, but he ain’t as happy at Tullamarine as he could be, is my guess.

12.   Only one game, his first since Round 15, which was his first since Round 11, but 29 touches and five tackles for Bryce Gibbs on Saturday. He’ll be 31 at the start of next season, and who knows whether the Crows think they can get close again soon enough whilst the ex-Blue has something to offer, but clearly there’s still some value in him yet. This year has been strange but the game certainly hasn’t gone past him. Could be cheap if indeed Gibbs looks for a third club too, good value.

13.   Righto, some cricket. Steve Smith, well bugger me. 12 months out. We all saw that press conference at Sydney airport, that was a human being utterly broken. Not just an emotional guy but a sensitive sportsman, often had sleepless nights as captain such was the toll cricket had on him mentally. But to come out and hit 140 twice in the same match, first up, like seriously what the hell? Best since Bradman chatter can continue in the pub and that’s fine, but that was one of the most impressive batting displays you’ll ever be likely to see.

14.   So they’re coming for Cam Bancroft. I don’t buy it yet. Dave Warner did just as little, and sure, has the career to back up quite a few more chances, but unless you’re adamant Marcus Harris does any different you’re backing in the decision to go with Bancroft. Further, don’t forget the last red-ball hit out before the first test he looked a cut above anyone else, and that it is properly trying facing English quicks, in England, with a brand spanking new Duke. Not easy. He has another two tests for mine to get past 50, and I’m sure in four innings he can manage that.

15.   So the bowlers. Cummins is our best quick, he always plays, take him out of the dilemma. With a deck a little green, Pattinson was a great choice, and whilst he didn’t take a ton of wickets, he was only ever going to be a threat in the first innings and he did that. Siddle too, really impressive, I think he goes again at Lord’s. So Starc might get a look for Pattinson in the second test, but then third or fourth test, if we saw Hazlewood, it wouldn’t shock. Don’t think of the guys missing out as being dumped or dropped, think of our bowling options like your spice rack at home, and each test is like a different cuisine, requiring different flavour combinations.

16.   As for England, yep that top order stinks. And no matter how good a Bairstow or Stokes might be, any quality middle-order batsman will feel the pinch when they’re walking out at 3/30. And Rory Burns, nah, that’s the flukiest ton you’ll ever see. He isn’t quality. So unless someone pops outta County Cricket between now and breakfast, that’s a problem that will only continue to plague them throughout the series.

17.   And bowling, Jimmy Anderson wont play at least a couple more, for mine he is a ‘maybe, just maybe’ if its say 2-2 heading into the Oval. Otherwise nup. So in essence, get past Stuart Broad and that’s about it. Sure, Joffra Archer will play and look scary, but so is facing Shaun Tait, and look at how that Test career went. Great with the white pill, but in five-day cricket, let’s see.

18.   So Ben Simmons. The initial drawcard piece for the Australia-Team USA blockbuster. But to be honest he never was going to play. Its why the NHL doesn’t send players to the Winter Olympics, its why we don’t have State of Origin anymore in AFL and why it wouldn’t shock me to see proper NBA stars start forgoing Dream Team duties at Summer Olympics. But then he gets a squillion tax-payer dollars to promote Victoria whilst he is here, back home in the off-season. Can’t play basketball but can take a cheque for being here besides. Not great Ben, I do kinda get it, but its not great.

19.   As for Aussies to get behind, how did Nick Kyrgios get a mention so low down? Seriously, the tennis and personality he brought to the Washington Open was magnificent. Clearly a loose cannon, but when he is good, be it his on court form or his professionalism alongside it, he is very, very good. If your dog at home was the world’s best companion, but occasionally barked way too much and played up, would you keep it and work on those bad habits, or put it up for adoption? Kyrgios may never fulfill perfection, but I tell you what, there’s only five or so better chances for the US Open later this month. Don’t. Be. Surprised.

20.   And Fraser Anning has this month filed for bankruptcy. Nothing else to add, but worth a mention.