#meet me in the woods vs love like ghosts

[wakingstarstuff]

meet me in the woods is still undefeated imo

[miscelliteeous]

Underrated 2020s Horror Movies (So far!)

Making this list because these are all good or at least fun or interesting horror movies that I genuinely think need more love!

Freak (2020) - Gory slasher movie where the killer is played by a really gnarly puppet!

Cadaver (2020) - Artsy post-apocalyptic horror inspired by Sleep No More!

Bloody Hell (2020) - Ex con gets captured by a cannibal family!

Hunter Hunter (2020) - Sad and BRUTAL story of a family in the woods finding bodies!

Spare Parts (2020) - Girl punk band vs weirdly Mad Max-esque cult!

Fear Pharm (2020) - Corn maze full of a family of killers with moneymaking aspirations!

The Oak Room (2020) - Slowburn thriller taking place in an almost empty bar!

Anything For Jackson (2020) - Grief drives old couple to demon worship!

Vicious Fun (2020) - A loser gets caught up in a support group for serial killers!

Bingo Hell (2021) - Deadly bingo game with Richard Brake being weirdly hot as always!

The Cursed (2021) - Period piece werewolf movie with very creepy werewolves!

The Final Rose (2022) - The Bachelor but with a slasher on the loose!

Gatlopp: Hell of a Game (2022) - Horror comedy about a cursed drinking game!

Moon Garden (2022) - A little girl in a strange, surreal world tries to get home!

Requiem For A Scream (2022) - A slasher who records his victims screams for music!

Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls (2023) - Obnoxious guy and a group at their magician idols spooky mansion!

House of Dolls (2023) - Artsy slasher about sisters who stay in a giant doll house to win their inheritance!

Baby Blue (2023) - It's like The Ring meets Nightmare on Elm Street meets Slumber Party Massacre 2!

Bring Her To Me (2023) - Weird dreams bring a woman to a strange realm with a demon who wants her!

Dante's Hotel (2023) - Slasher set during a New Years Eve ball, very similar tone to Ghost Ship!

Renfield (2023) - Renfield tries to leave his abusive relationship with Dracula!

Bury The Bride (2023) - Evil rednecks target a bachelorette party!

You Shouldn't Have Let Me In (2024) - Sexy vampires target a bachelorette party!

Abigail (2024) - Kidnapped rich girl fights back against her kidnappers!

[found-family-tournament]

Best Found Family Tournament

Submissions are closed.

Give me as much propaganda and images as possible. It gives your fams a higher chance of winning.

Every piece of propaganda and every picture or gif I get. In the submissions and in my asks will be added to the poll post every round.

Please inform me if any of the images or information are wrong. Or if you have a better image that I could use.

If there are any questions or requests of any sort. Askbox.

I try to reblog all the propaganda I get in my reblogs, but if you want to make sure I don't accidentally overlook yours, please tag me.

Inspired by other cool blogs like @bluehairandpronouns-tournament @gender-swag-bracket @bestsiblingstournament @musicalcharactertournament @dead-character-showdown @t4tswagbracket @thegreatbigdetectivepolll @trafficlighttriobracket @thebestcartoontournament @noncanongayestbitchestournament @animatedfightthrowdown @bestcharacterwithfirepowers

Links under the cut

Round 1:

Part 1:

The Runaways (Marvel's Runaways) vs The Knights of Camelot (BBC Merlin)

The Wayward Children (The Wayward Children / Every Heart a Doorway) vs Gekkagumi (A3!)

The Faraway Friends (OMORI) vs The Spring Troupe (A3!)

Bee Happy (Matilda) vs The Night at the Museum Gang (Night at the Museum)

Winter Troupe (A3!) vs Gwendolyn, The Will, Lying Cat and Sophie (Saga (Comic))

Part 2:

The SHIELD Team (Agents of SHIELD) vs Hershel Layton, Luke Triton & Flora Reinhold (Professor Layton Games)

The Band of Boobs (Not Another D&D Podcast) vs Saiki and his friends (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

The Third Mates/The Choo Choo Crew (Not Another D&D Podcast) vs The Crystal Gems (Steven Universe)

Team Dark (Sonic the Hedgehog) vs Kipo & Wolf (Kipo)

Dethklok (Metalocalypse) vs The Robinsons (Meet the Robinsons)

Part 3:

Interview with the Vampire Vampires (Interview with the Vampire) vs The Forgers (Spy x Family)

The Mechanisms (The Mechanisms) vs The Scooby Gang (Scooby Doo)

Izumi & Sig Curtis & Edward & Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs The Clump (Don't Hug Me I'm Scared)

The Hamato Clan/Mad Dogz (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (rottmnt)) vs Team Victor (Vicious)

The Black Bulls (Black Clover) vs The Leverage Crew (Leverage)

Part 4:

MASH team (M*A*S*H) vs The Behavioural Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds)

Spider Crew (So I'm A Spider So What?) vs The Joestar Group (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

RTDL Quarted (Kirby) vs The Avengers (MCU Fanfiction)

Brave Vesperia (Tales of Vesperia) vs The Animorphs (Animorphs)

The Dolls (The Sandman) vs Team Rocket (Pokémon)

Part 5:

The Love Trio (Welcome to Demon School Iruma-Kun) vs Maka, Soul, Tsubaki, Black Star, Death the Kid, Crona, Patty, Liz (Soul Eater)

The Gaang (Avatar the Last Airbender) vs Die Wilden Kerle (Die Wilden Kerle)

Alex & Jonas (Oxenfree) vs The Gluttony Crew (The Evillious Chronicles)

Watari & L Lawliet (Death Note) vs The Cat's Whiskers (Paradox Live)

The Rowdy 3 (Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) vs Mae, Greg, Angus & Bea (Night in the Woods)

Part 6:

The Crew of the Serenity (Firefly & Serenity) vs The Crew of the Iris (The Strange Case of Starship Iris)

Lucifam (Lucifer) vs Team Bleck/Bleck Squad (Super Paper Mario)

The Ericson Kids (The Walking Dead Game) vs Accelerator, Last Order, Aiho Yomikawa, Kikyou Yoshikawa & Misaka Worst (A Certain Magical Index)

Squad 312 (the Aurora Cycle series) vs The Fatui Harbingers (Genshin Impact)

13 and the Gang (Doctor Who) vs Franchouchou (Zombie Land Saga)

Part 7:

Dadvid & Momgwen (Camp Camp) vs Bucci Gang/Team Bucciarati (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Akanyatsura (Paradox Live) vs 11s Fam (Doctor Who)

Team Red (Carmen Sandiego) vs The Ghosts (BBC Ghosts)

Firefam (9-1-1) vs Murder Family (Hannibal)

The Golden Deer (Fire Emblem) vs Mikazuki Villa (Magia Record)

Part 8:

NYPD Major Crimes (Prodigal Son) vs Diasomnia Fam (Twisted Wonderland)

Warden Ingo, Akari, Rei & Professor Laventon (Pokemon Legends Arceus) vs New Who Crew (Doctor Who)

Nahida & Scaramouche/Wanderer (Genshin Impact) vs The Circle Kids (Tamora Pierce's Emelan Universe (The Circle of Magic Quartet))

The Shazamily (Shazam!) vs The Clawthorne-Nocedas (The Owl House)

The Losers Club (It) vs The Mondstadt Crew (Genshin Impact)

Part 9:

The Entire Your Turn to Die Cast (Your Turn to Die) vs Funn Funerals & Eric (Wooden Overcoats)

Because You Made Me Smile (or Extended Tenma Household) (Project SEKAI) vs The Aurinko Crime Family (The Penumbra Podcast (Juno Steel))

Silco & Jinx (Arcane) vs The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (& Associates) (GLOW)

Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch (Akatsuki no Yona/Yona of the Dawn) vs MSR (The X-Files)

Ash & Pikachu (Pokémon) vs The Thief Gang/House of Orphans (The Thief Lord)

Part 10:

Powder, Vi, Vander, Mylo & Claggor (Arcane) vs Space Runaways (Saga (Comic))

The Victors of District 12 (The Hunger Games) vs The Killjoys (Killjoys)

The St Cassians Chamber Choir (Ride The Cyclone) vs Six of Crows/The Crows (Six of Crows)

The Gangsey (The Raven Cycle) vs Paper Girls (Paper Girls)

The Bad Kids (Dimension 20 - Fantasy High) vs The Drawtectives (Drawtectives (Drawfee))

Part 11:

Team Natsu (Fairy Tail) vs Yutaka, Minoru & Tane (Our Dining Table)

The Scions of the Seventh Dawn (Final Fantasy XIV) vs Neal Caffrey, Peter & Elizabeth Burke & Mozzie (White Collar)

Scoobies (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) vs Sypha Belnades, Trevor Belmont & Alucard (Castlevania)

I.M.P. (Helluva Boss) vs The New Mutants (X-Men Comics)

The Bad Batch (The Bad Batch) vs Leorio, Kurapika, Gon & Killua (Hunter X Hunter)

Part 12:

Date-Sagan Family (AI: The Somnium Files) vs God Kids (Trials of Apollo)

Crew of the Per Aspera (Rolling with Difficulty) vs Reyna Ramirez & Nico Di Angelo (Riordanverse)

The Crew of the Revenge (Our Flag Means Death) vs The Crisis Management Team (Tomorrow)

Joel Miller & Ellie Williams (The Last of Us) vs Hotel OJ (Inanimate Insanity)

Wangxian + Junior Quartet (Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation/The Untamed) vs Phoenix (MacGyver)

Part 13:

Nightchord25 (Project SEKAI) vs The Wayfarer's Crew (The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet)

Jessica, Aaron & Erica Slaughter (Something Is Killing the Children) vs Color Gang (Animation vs Minecraft/Animator vs Animation)

Sk8 Fam (Sk8 the Infinity) vs The Pilot Program (Misfits and Magic (Dimension 20))

Killing School Trip Survivors (Danganronpa 2) vs Sea Salt Family (Kingdom Hearts)

The Ten Companions of the Dragonmark (How To Train Your Dragon (Books)) vs Cohen-Atwood Family (The OC)

Part 14:

Arya Stark, Gendry Waters, Hot Pie (& Lommy Greenhands & Jaqen H'Gar) (A Song of Ice & Fire/Game of Thrones) vs Old World Group (Everworld)

Lightning Thief Trio (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) vs California Bureau of Investigation (The Mentalist)

Adora, Glimmer & Bow (She-Ra) vs Disaster Trio/The Clone Wars Trio (Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008))

Kim Dokja's Company (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint) vs 13 Flame Chasers (Honkai Impact 3rd)

Ren Amamiya, Futaba Sakura & Sojiro Sakura (Persona 5) vs Batfam (Batman Media (Wayne Family Adventures))

Part 15:

The Soul Squad (The Good Place) vs The Paladins of Voltron (Voltron: Legendary Defenders)

Inheritance Gang (Eragon/the Inheritance Cycle) vs Strawhat Pirates (One Piece)

10's Crew (Doctor Who) vs Clementine & Lee Everett (The Walking Dead Game)

Wendy, Soos, Stanford, Stanley, Dipper, Mabel & Waddles (Gravity Falls) vs The Local Group (Rain World)

Five Eccentrics/Five Oddballs (Ensemble Stars) vs The Luminary, Erik, Serena, Veronica, Sylvando, Jade, Rab & Hendrik (Dragon Quest XI)

Part 16:

The Meta Knights (Kirby) vs The Queens from the Musical Six (Six)

Shroud Bros (Twisted Wonderland) vs Natsume's Protection Squad (Natsume's Book of Friends)

The Long Island Vampires & Guillermo (What We Do In The Shadows) vs The Octotrio (Twisted Wonderland)

The Lupin Gang (Lupin III) vs The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings)

The Gang (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia) vs Regina Mills, Emma Swan & Henry Mills (Once Upon a Time)

Part 17:

Torchwood Team (Torchwood) vs MANKAI Company (A3!)

Julie and the Phantoms (Julie and the Phantoms) vs Yeo Joon, Kim So-Bin & Nam Soo-Hyun (At a Distance Spring is Green)

Second Nonary Game Group (Zero Escape: 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors) vs Chosen Siblings (Pokespe/Pokemon Adventures)

The Seven Birds/IPRE/Starblaster Crew (The Adventure Zone: Balance) vs Boys from the Dwarf (Red Dwarf)

The Tiny Giant Duo (The BFG) vs The Greendale 7/The Study Group (Community)

[saltysplayt00ns]

Wanted to state this as it's fresh on the mind, and after a certain page is up public. This one is also pretty long so thanks♥ for any who reads this fully. I try to add visuals and break paragraphs to make it readable to an extent ♥ ----- So we are talking about these two but mostly of Rhovanion and Feaf for a long bit.

Rhovanion & Feaf's ( bare bone ) reference sheet

Ok, Rhovanion and Feaf forgot their main goal was to head back to Ronja after the capitol and Shiverfall.

Ch. 13 Pg. 789

Ch. 13 Pg. 760 - You dogs can't hear them? they're speaking in regular bubble text, not in a whisper or murmur guys.

Remember guys Rhov and Feaf are aware that their is a raid happening under Ronja from two tribes, which have WAY more members then meteor tribe and are likely to basically have severe casualties.

Ch. 13 Pg. 806

Side note, I never understand author's logic of having a big group vs. a small group just so that the small group win just because out of pure luck and tom foolery of dumbing down a large pack of dogs. Like think about it, two tribes with fighting and tactical experiences. The meteor is still in training and literally 3 dogs left, the two tribes wanted the meteor tribe gone and claim the lands to expand their territory. Which makes sense cause more land means more territory, more members, more sources, more advantage and a better chance of survival. So instead of chasing them out, they just burn huts and disappears like a ghost with only a warning... ...what?? And then, get this, talk about how meteor been terrorizing Aedra forever. DOUBLE WHAT??!! WHERE WERE YOU GUYS WHEN THEY WERE A PROBLEM FROM THE START!!! are you telling me you sat around your asses doing nothing and let your friends and family be captured??? you didn't think to rally all the tribes together and take down meteor?? sent in spies in to infiltrate the camp?? or have them encounter Kargo and Ferah and have them wipe out the troops to weaken the fort and save the females, friends, families and males who're forced to work under a tyrant jarl???!!! this is what I mean stuff having to make sense on WHY they didn't attack a very big danger besides the beasts. Audience shouldn't have to fill in the pieces by scrounging for vague leftovers and broken parts, glue and patch it up to fill the crumbling image, the pieces should be their to set up and have them put in place. Other words like Hansel and Gretel, you have to have the breadcrumbs to lead you in where you need to go, if their is no breadcrumbs you're just leaving your audience to fend for themselves and be lost in the woods.

Fuss was a very good candidate, because he was a new member in a dystopian tribe. it didn't make sense, why a dog willingly joined a tribe unless they have that same mindset. Him sleeping with a heavily traumatized female; Vandi who literally birthed majority of the tribe, mated with them ( unwillingly mind you ) and then had another kid with the new recruit is very concerning. When she should honestly be healing and have a breather for just being used for majority of her life. Fuss and Vandi should have been a couple healing and bonding and be the motivating reason of him infiltrating the tribe and possible talked with the females after gaining a bit of trust before they become a solid partners. Not a secret love affliction from meeting literally the first kind dog that was just complacent staying in the tribe and have offspring not knowing someone would come to rescue them and not have their daughter; Aklejah suffer the same or worse fate. -----------

Ch. 13 Pg. 760 Another note, if it's not for the guild to intervene then why is Axilyah leading the guild to know of their to be a raid ONLY so Feaf and Rhov know to tell Ronja, You can't just show someone something and NOT expect an reaction. They could have found out about the raid for themselves and AxiIyah spotting them or they go to Axi and she tells them " The guild is not supposed to intervene of others affairs.'" endangering the guild and the capitol entirely. Which when you think about it Axilyah in some way is doing her job, don't get me wrong she became a douchbag when kiq. wants a reason for her to be and have her be discarded until he wants to use her again, but she's been doing her Job since the beginning, and solely to report to the capitol of the updates, up until it became a problem involving Forngrym. The Guild Job is to report and not intervene - that's it. She shouldn't be fired for reporting of two members willing to keep important information whether it be morally right or not, the Rifle from midnightguard did the same thing and HE didn't get any consequences for that PLUS the old male is no better then axilyah, he literally sent a PTSD dog out their with a bounty on their head and told a another dog dealing with a ghouls beast that can potentially cause a mass murder to run from their troubles and not deal with them nor ask close people for help - and yet he's supposed to be wise and considerate. But Axi gets the boot? suspension I can go by especially when the capitol should go to investigate before final decisions but fired?! and their is no ghouls to pose immanent danger to them and it's obvious both of the members will be in Whispervale or Shiverfall involving the Forngrym so not in danger at all...soooo...

Ch. 13 Pg. 814 - THIS DIALOGUE IS SO JARRING, LOOKING OVER IT NOW - AGAIN (X6)

Side note - no Sh$%# Feaf, you both would be in the capitol too if you didn't waste your time and took the night to have sex in the MIDDLE OF PUBLIC VIEWING FOR EVERYONE TO SEE ( and they did have sex, don't act 5 plus their was a patreon page of literally them doing the deed as an ' extra page' ) . Ghouls are shy to even do anything cause the author thinks burning the bodies will solve the issue but you still have millions upon MILLIONS of ghouls roaming around that DOESN'T have bodies to burn over 30+ years. They can still used the fire to light their way through the night, if Feaf and Rhov had the inkling of sense they would have kept the gem necklace to run through the night and not give it back until the capitols final say, Rhov I get cause he does not know but Feaf does.

Ch. 13 Pg. 815

This is also Jarring as well, and its because it's favoring Rhov because " I like you" what is their to like? you barely know the Dog and the last time you stated was because " he's cute" and he tried to peer in government documents. This is convenient just for convenience sake, it's convenient for the viscountess to not punish Rhovanion because he's the main character without flaws and dashingly handsome, when the man can't decide if he's a ladies man or a goofball.

Ch. 13 Pg. 816

Another Jarring conversation. Why is Nubia stating as though she knew Rhov enough that they would be together? For she was still working as a bounty hunter and was on expedition over southspears which takes days ( on timeline accuracy not kiq. accuracy ) ,nor any pages through the tribe for Feaf to introduce Rhovanion around then. After all - it's the first time seeing him and Him seeing Nubia. If Nubia states Feaf being a trouble maker like her would be...concerning since Nubia slept with two different brothers and lay hidden ( not really ) under the capitol when she started the drama and didn't make a choice. Feaf did gaslight Rhovanion 3 times and forgave him of lying AND covered for him which is causing trouble over two characters, all for she can be with him and sleep with him the same day or 2 RHOV broke up with Jahla. which Roamer did to Kargo of a day or two before sleeping with Rogio.

Ch. 13 Pg. 816

But Yay(?) since NUBIA and lahimana conveniently has taken the weight of notifying the tribe and confirming they will not be continuing as the guild. Rhovanion and Feaf should immediately head to Ronja and the MT to make sure everything is alright - again THEY ARE NOT TOLD THAT METEOR SURVIVED. they don't know she had pups but should to add how dire and anxious Rhovanion would be for them or have been told off-screen by Feaf. So they should head towards Ronja since she is family, she is a pack member of Asmundr - they can tell Ronja of finding Asmundr and then run back for they now know she is safe. Right?? Right??...

( Sigh ) - also Kiq did this same scenery but with rogio and Kargo coming home.

......

...... I guess Ronja is not family enough to be taken seriously.

literally LOOK!!! - took a full day to get their and judging from the map the travel is more then one day to traverse to Asmundr, Plus the speed of how fast they were going without rest nor stopping to mate. The fact that they full on throttle, no breaks, non-stop to see their family but not for one who's endangered of being murdered or worse astounds me. What's with family members dissing Ronja for literally just existing or endanger. Like guys Ronja would want to see her step dad, or see the family she was manipulated away to be shoehorned to take a role of leadership. Ronja could have EASILY place the tribe their for safety - it's really not that hard/complex. It's not " the characters have their own free will trololololol" NOOoo?? the Author has control over the story and how it should be. The author chose Roamer the main character to take a route of a selfish, insensible, coward, the author choose to keep a manipulative, abusive Ranach alive by plot armor - way over due and build a lust, bar tribe for him to sleep around and take reign over the tribe without earning it. The author chose to have characters not do anything and be complacent instead of proactive, going against what they were taught and their personalities. The author chose to not have a manuscript nor a way to remember certain events to follow consistently and a lot of stuff happening in the story is because some of their traits are projecting in the story, a self-insert indulged fantasy writing of their mindset/ideology and not because they want to tell a story. Certain mindsets are NOT bad per say nor like want to work on stories with topics? but certain one's like projecting prejudice hate , romanticizing certain topics or blatantly use them for shock value - you should probably revaluate what you're trying to do and if you're projecting an opinionated speech or a fan service to a...questionable niche. ^^'

[skumblebees]

NOT TWICE

If nothing ever actually happened and all of these truths were lies and all of these facts were fictions and all of these promises were dust to the wind

at least I could die knowing,

I never tried.

Not once.

THE MASK OF SMOKE

I’ve yet to begin world, yet to write the one

the way it curls off the tongue says enough

title writton in the wing3d throne of SATAN

promises written in concree next to the

initially, I always thought the world was

productive at least in the worst cause

because, chop, split the wicker wood up

the offering of a dove vs. the white worm

of individuals individable beneath the

star spangled banner, say you now

can you see it, the pledge of allegiance

say it proudly, talk loud, tell tall-tales

historically, I always thought the world was

the greatest thing since sliced bread

Beneath seas with no bottom and space with no

and better yet, broken. When I was young

My truth is my truth and my heart is yet found

I thought like an old man thinks, dreaming

I couldn’t if I wanted to and I wouldn’t ever doubt

Of being young, when I was older I became

I shall love and I shall play and I shall live on

Lost in misinterpretations leading on & on

Belief in the truth, the Honest truth, the trees

Older yet I found God was and is the meaning

Belief in the way, the life, the loves, the key

Promises written in clouds and wordless

I will take to the pulpit I will spill my guts for

Streets teaming with life and always yet

Preacher man preacher man let me preach

The beginning ere just beginning againe

Church is beginning soon, where is my robes

Where two ends met and burn, where two

What is the meaning and where is it found

Serpents meet a third, with meatloaf and

And you and you and you and you + you

Mashed potatoes on a plate, you know

What belongs together is me + you

The corn is near, with honor and dignity

Slight of hand, light of mind, heavy truths

You know the world is listening to whom.

Alchemists brew and magicians give clues

And the opposite is always true, Ive been

Witches jars and wizards stew

Here, listening to you, since I was a child

Shall the hells I’ve seen be emptied into

And listened with elephant ears and wide eyes

Shall the heavens open the gate to Hell

Eyes too wide to be shut, mouth too proud

Shall the world touch the heavens of Love

To fuck up too much, it’s a shame when it all

Shall the world give up the ghost to me

Went digital including love. When you leave

When God, shall I be free, when God

You can’t ever really leave, when you vote,

When I was a man, I thought about God

You can’t ever really win unless you cheat

When I was a kid, I thought like a man

Integrity is built one leg at a time, miscreant.

The past is the past is the past, you bet

All I ever talk about is me, I’m the worst one.

_tkd

[redrobin-detective]

I’ve been thinking about Jack and Maddie Fenton and what caused them to be like that. People don’t become that obsessive out of nowhere. 

Jack mentioned in episode 1 that he was “born in a log cabin in the woods” which tells me that he grew up in an isolated, possibly poor environment. It explains some of his behavior, he would have done a lot of his social development without other people to bounce off of. His exuberance, high energy and lack of social awareness kind of play into a excitable, creative boy in the woods. For all we joke, Jack is a brilliant man and he’d have probably felt restrained by the lack of knowledge, stimulation in the middle of nowhere. Some fics I’ve seen have made the claim that Jack grew up on some kind of farm, he’s got the energy and the work ethic but not the discipline. Clearly the rural, peaceful lifestyle wasn’t suited for him. 

What I can see is a young Jack Fenton, shirking from his chores and responsibilities at home to grab a little .22 rifle and a borrowed neon orange hunting vest and explore the woods, hunting monsters. He is an explorer, a scientist hunting for answers, the hero of his own story. And maybe on one of those deep woods explorations, when he wanders too far from home, too late in the day and he sees something unnatural. Maybe he saw a ghost, maybe he didn’t but when a wildly intelligent and bored child comes up against something they can’t explain, the throw themselves into the answers. He studies the supernatural with a fervor and works harder than he ever has before to earn money to study at university so he can finally answer the questions burning in him.

In Prisoners of Love, we get a glimpse at Maddie’s life through her sister, Alecia. She herself lives completely alone in the middle of nowhere Arkansas. It’s stated that she purposefully moved there to get away from it all but it insinuates that, like Jack, Maddie grew up in a woodsy, rural area. It would explain her independence and confidence roughing it during Maternal Instincts. Like Jack, Maddie is brilliant and driven and a bit quirky as people who grow up kind of isolated end up being. Did she have her own encounter that she couldn’t explain? Was she captivated by the reports of unnatural phenomenon in her remote little town? Maybe she too, like Jack, wanted to explore and study and decided to invest in a field which no one else had proven existed before. Either way, she also packed her bags and set off for university to further her studies.

By coincidence, she meets a tall, broad man with a kind, goofy face who will tell anyone who will listen that ghosts are real. In return, Jack meets a beautiful, powerful woman in mind and body who is determined to prove the unproveable. It was love at first sight and from there on, no one could break up Jack and Madeline. From the moment they laid eyes on each other, there was a bond of understanding between them not only at their mutual interests but of being understood as the weird rural kid with strange ideas. Everyone could see that they were a perfect match except, of course, for Vlad. Vlad, an outsider with a lonely, bitter but relatively normal childhood, couldn’t relate. He played along with his roommates silly ideas because he was captivated by Maddie. His hormones and self-importance blinded him to the obvious chemistry between his two friends.

So they graduate, marry and move to a small midwest town. Amity Park is no New York City but it’s practically a metropolis compared to where Jack and Maddie grew up. Jack himself is eager to adjust to modern life, more than happy to forget being a child lonely, bored and restless in the quiet woods. Maddie though keeps that independent edge and ferocity that led her to the love of her life and research that never grows old. They have a daughter and son and raise them with simple luxuries they never had growing up. It causes a separation, parents and children simply unable to connect because of vastly different upbringings. The Fentons foster love, opportunities and an invitation to be themselves which they both missed as children. Jazz and Danny could do with a bit more normalcy. 

When the ghost portal is active and their theories stop being scribbles on paper and become real, those old habits come back. When scared, faced with the unknown, the put aside their interest in exploration and raised their weapons. For Jack and Maddie Fenton, science was a love they both learned but hunting and protecting their own was instinct. 

[mandareeboo]

Do you have any game recs?

Always!!!!! A quick note that I am, as I've mentioned many times before, not great at video games, even if I play them a lot. Which means that while I've beaten all listed, I've certainly not gotten enough skill to give a professional opinion rip:

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon (any)- Look. Look. You like RPGs? You like Pokemans? Buy one of these bad boys. Most of the used copies range between twenty to thirty dollars, and they're all over 15 hours of story content plus extras. This was my first experience with Pokemon. This was my first experience with a storytelling video game. Playing them as an adult, you'll spot the twists and turns, but as a child I DIDN'T and it's partially what got me so into writing. I don't have a time gear tattoo fer nothin'!

Far Cry Games- Far Cry games are racist. I'm not lying or ignoring that, and I never recommend giving money to these people when pirating is possible. But if you care about gameplay over a shitty, repetitive, bigoted storyline, Far Cry games are massive, sprawling, and beautifully rendered. You can do basically anything in them. You wanna steal a truck and run it off the road? You wanna hunt? You wanna play shitty poker? Go off majesty, it's there. One of my first FPS experiences.

Psychonauts and Psychonauts 2- You ever read A Series of Unfortunate Events? You know the vibe of 'I have a vague time period where this set in, but this is not how the world acts or people act but it's so compelling'? That's Psychonauts. Set "loosely in the 80s", the games star an acrobatic lad as he uses his psychic powers to enter minds and stop evildoing. It's twisty, it's twisted, it's FUN, and if you aren't sure it's ten dollars at full price for the first one, so you're basically in no real risk of losing out. If you like platformers and are looking for a hella fun time with interesting mechanics, definitely give this a try. (Though, fair warning: Psychonauts 2 has a fair amount of vomit in one mission. So if that squeezes you out, maybe watch a playthrough and skip the goats)

Bioshock 1 and 2- A staple, I know, but I just got to play them for the first time last year, and I loved them. Period-accurate sci-fi that is filled to the brim with POC with plotlines, backstories, and aren't just "lol isn't racism fucked up" fodder? Yes, please. You can pick between a myriad of power-ups and do battle however you want with them. Hack machines or freeze your foes or send bees after them. It's all available. I've not beaten Bioshock Infinite yet so I can't properly recommend it, but I've been told a lot of the fun mechanics are still there.

Celeste- Another platformer, Celeste has gorgeous graphics, challenging but fair gameplay, and lots of memorable characters. Climb a mountain and fist-fight your own mental illness. Each screen is its own sort of mini-level, and you start at the beginning of that when you die rather than the start of the level. It's on basically all your handy consoles AND steam, too.

Fran Bow and Little Misfortune- fun fact about me, I love weird little horror games like these. Full of imagery and psychedelic ideas, you're allowed to write your own story in the characters.

Fran Bow is the tale of a very disturbed little girl- or, perhaps, a girl who can see demons. It's all up to you. Set in the 1940s, Fran has been entered into a mental asylum following the murder of her parents. Desperate to find her kitty, you must guide her out of the jail and into the unknown, facing off with demons, ghosts, skeletons with lovely tophats, and your own uncertainty on what is true or fake.

Little Misfortune is about Misfortune, a little girl who wanders away from home to find Eternal Happiness for her mother. This one is more concrete in real-vs-fake than Fran Bow- you meet foxes with staffs, rats hosting clubs, and the pain of saying goodbye. (Warning: both games are very dark, but Little Misfortune in particular contains some vomit)

Night in the Woods- hey, you wanna question your own mortality? If god exists- and, if he does, if he even likes his job? The downfall of small town America? Cults?? Untreated mental illness? Possums? All with great humor and dialogue?? This may be your JAM! NITW honestly changed my life. It gave me a lot of perspective. And I've wanted a tattoo of a whale with the words "I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people who do." on my right forearm ever since. 

What Remains of Edith Finch- a walking simulator, walk through the tale of the Finch family, all cursed with bad luck, as Edith returns to her childhood home and writes it all down. Each story is told with amazing flair, interesting stylization, and horrible death.

[gaeforurmum]

SONGS

these are some songs that give me the best shifting/writing motivation because they are really good for imagining scenarios or just getting me in my feels <333

₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚ ♡₊˚·˚

____________________

* |

#icanteven - the neighborhood ft. french montana

<3 - carter james

____________________

0 |

18 - one direction

505 - arctic monkeys

____________________

a |

all i want - kodaline

all i wanted - paramore

all the young dudes - mott the hoople

always a woman - billy joel

always forever - cults

american pie - don mclean

another love - tom odell

apocalypse - cigarettes after sex

arcade - duncan laurence ft. fletcher

are you with me - nilu

as the world caves in - matt maltese

astronomy - conan gray

a thousand years - christina perri

____________________

b |

beautiful boy - john lennon

best friend - rex orange county

big black car - gregory alan isakov

blood // water - grandson

bluebird - luca fogale

bohemian rhapsody - queen

brooklyn baby - lana del rey

bubble gum - clario

____________________

c |

can't remember to forget you - shakira ft. rihanna

careless whisper - george michael

cigarette daydreams - cage the elephant

cinema (specifically acoustic) - gary go

corduroy dreams - rex orange county

corps - yseult

could have been me - the struts

counting stars - onerepublic

crazy - shawn mendes

____________________

d |

dancing with your ghost - sasha alex sloan

dark horse - katy perry

dark red - steve lacy

daydreamin' - ariana grande

death on two legs - queen

did i mention - descendants (the songs are good man)

dusk till dawn - zayn ft. sia

____________________

e |

easily - bruno major

eleanor rigby - cody fry

electric love - børns

e.t. - katy perry

experience - ludovico einaudi

____________________

f |

fire on fire - sam smith

fix you - coldplay

fools rush in - elvis presley

fourth of july - sufjan stevens

freaks - surf curse

____________________

g |

golden - harry styles

good looking - suki waterhouse

go solo - tom rosenthal

____________________

h |

hall of fame - the scrpt ft. will.i.am

happy accidents - saint motel

heart attack - demi lavato

hold my hand - jess glynn

home - luke mccormick

home - cavetown

____________________

i |

idk you yet (acoustic cover) - zach hood

i don't want to watch the world end with someone else - clinton kane

i hear a symphony - cody fry

illicit affairs - taylor swift

i lived - onerepublic

i love you so - the walters

i melt with you - modern english

infinity - jaymes young

into it - chase atlantic

isabelle - zach hood (especially good if ur name's isabelle)

i think i'm in love - kat dahlia

it's ok - tom rosenthal

i wanna be yours - arctic monkeys

i want you - mitski

____________________

j |

je te laisserai des mots - patrick watson

juliet - cavetown

just the two of us - grover washington

____________________

k |

kids again - artist vs poet

killer queen - queen

____________________

l |

lay me down - sam smith ft. john legend

the less i know the better - tame impala

let her go - passenger

lights are on - tom rosenthal

like real people do - hozier

line without a hook - ricky montgomery

liquid smooth - mitski

locked out of heaven - bruno mars

look after you - the fray

lose my mind - dean lewis

love grows - edison lighthouse

love in the dark - adele

lover - taylor swift

loverboy - a-wall

love story - taylor swift

____________________

m |

make you mine - public

male fantasy - billie eilish

marry you - bruno mars

meet me in the woods - lord huron

middle of nowhere - vancouver sleep clinic

midnight memories - one direction

million dreams - the greatest showman

million little reasons - oscar lang

moral of the story - ashe

mr. forgettable - david kushner

mr loverman - ricky montgomery

mrs magic - strawberry guy

my blood - ellie goulding

my kind of woman - mac demarco

____________________

n |

never be alone - shawn mendes

night changes - one direction

nocturne op.9 no.2 - chopin

notion - the rare occasions

____________________

o |

ocean eyes - billie eilish

o children - nick cave & the bad seeds

only love can hurt like this - paloma faith

ophelia - the lumineers

out of my league - fitz and the tantrums

____________________

p |

paper rings - taylor swift

paradise - coldplay

photograph - ed sheeran

peices - danilo stankovic

pretty boy - the neighborhood

purple rain - prince

____________________

r |

remember that night - sara kays

revenge - xxxtentacion

rewrite the stars - the greatest showman

right here - chase atlantic

riptide - vance joy

rolling in the deep - adele

rosyln - bon iver and st. vincent

run - onerepublic

____________________

s |

say it first - role model

see you again - charlie puth and wiz khalifa

see you later - jenna raine

sexy and i know it - lmfao (this is kind of a joke but also not, sorry)

she - harry styles

she looks so perfect - 5sos

sign of the times - harry styles

silence - marshmello and khalid

sleep on the floor - the lumineers

slow dancing in the dark - joji

solas - jamie duffy

soleil soleil - pomme

somebody to you - the vamps

someone like you - adele

someone to you - banners

somewhere only we know - keane

space song - beach house

sparks - coldplay

stella - cereus bright

stereo hearts - gym class heroes

stolen dance - milky chance

stubborn love - the lumineers

style - taylor swift

summer&cigarettes - sammy rash

sunkissed - khai dreams

sunsetz - cigarettes after sex

sweet creature - harry styles

sweet dreams, tn - the last shadow puppet

____________________

t |

take me home - jess glynne

take me home - cash cahs and bebe rexha

take on the world - you me at six

tenerife sea - ed sheeran

this is home - cavetown

this is how you fall in love - jeremy zucker

this side of paradise - coyote theory

this town - niall horan

till forever falls apart - ashe and finneas

tongue tied - grouplove

tonight tonight - hot chella rae

touch - sleeping at last

treehouse - alex g

the nights - avicii

the night we met - lord huron

the truth - james arthur

turning page - sleeping at last

____________________

u |

us - james bay

use somebody - shawn mendes

____________________

w |

wait - m83

waiting for love - avicii

wake me up - avicii

war of hearts - ruelle

watch - billie eilish

we are the champions - queen

welcome home - radical face

welcome to wonderland - anson seabra

what makes you beautiful - one direction

where is my mind - maxence cyrin

when will i see you again - shakka

where's my love - syml

why'd you only call me when you're high - arctic monkeys

wildest dreams - taylor swift

the wisp sings - winter aid

wonder - shawn mendes

wyd now? - sadie jean

____________________

y |

yellow - coldplay

ylang ylang - fkj and ((( o )))

you & i - one direction

youth - troye sivan

young - vacations

____________________

[thealmightyemprex]

10 Favorit horror movies of the 2010′s

2010′s was a rocking decade for horror,so much that there are some great ones I had to leave off  so honourable mentions to Geralds Game,Hush ,Doctor Sleep,It,Bone Tomahawk,The Babadook,Happy Death Day and Heridatary 

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)

A bunch of collage kids mistake a pair of well meaning hillbilly’s for psychopaths.This film is freaking hilarious ,with great performances by Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine 

Ready or Not (2019)

A woman marries  into a rich family only to find  herself in the middle of a deadly game of hide and seek ,where the family intends to sacrifice her in a ritual .Samara Weaving is fantastic  ,and the family are fun villains ,as they dont know what they are doing .It’s a funny horror comedy 

The Lighthouse (2019)

Two men are stuck keeping a lighthouse.....And thats basically all I can say .This maybe  the strangest movie I have ever seen .It is full of striking visuals and WIllem Dafoe delivers a magnificent performance

The Conjuring (2013)

A family is haunted by the  ghost of a witch  and a parnormal investigator couple come to help .This film is just reallly scary to me,I dont know how to describe it .Also I like Conjuring 2 but  the first one just scares me more

Crimson Peak (2015)

A young author marries a mysterious man,and she must discover the secret behind ghostly visions she sees.This film is gorgeous,the ghosts are some of the best looking ghosts I have ever seen and Jessica Chastaine steals this movie 

Shin Godzilla (2016)

A re-imagining of Godzilla depicted through the eyes of bureaucracy .I know not everyone likes this movie ,but this realistic take on the response to  a kaiju attack was fascinating to me and honestly this is the most terrifying Godzilla has ever been 

Cabin in the Woods (2012)

A group of young people go to a cabin and are unknowingly influenced by a shadowy organization.This is the most meta horror movie I have seen,it is super hilarious and full of great creature effects

Evil Dead (2013)

A bunch of young people travel to a cabin to help a friend quit drugs ,only to unknowingly unleash demons.One of my favorite remakes ,and I love the main characters arc

Get Out (2017)

a young man goes with his girlfriend  to meet her family ,and things feel ...off.This is a great movie,with some good satire,good performances and it’s really tense and creepy 

Paranorman(2012)

A young boy can see and speak to the dead ,and is regarded as a freak,however he now must stop the ghost of a witch from raising the dead ......But things are not as they seem.This is a beautiful movie ,with a lovely message while still being creepy ,and without giving it away their is a character reveal that is legit heartbreaking 

[hournites]

Hournite Week Day 1: Light vs Dark - Hoax

Summary: When a distraught Beth visits the Farmlands one late night, Rick offers his support.

(read on ao3)

~.~

At the end of the day, Rick prefers to sit alone. There’s a chair in the living room, the room he used to play and sit with his parents in on the couch. The room he’d opened gifts on birthdays, watched television with his mother and sat by the window, looking out at the field for his father to come home. Matt has claimed that couch now. Rick doesn’t care to use it except when he’s forced to clean. It’s stained with beer and food that’s fallen through the cushions. His uncle brings women there, rarely ever the same woman twice. Rick knows it’s dirty and defiled and as beat up as the rest of the furniture Matt touches.

Rick prefers his father’s old recliner, shoved in the back dark corner where he can get the best bandwidth for the internet connection. Behind his uncle, it’s almost like Matt forgets Rick’s there. He studied those chemistry textbooks there, half-assed homework there, and fell asleep on rare occasions too. Outside of locking himself in his upstairs bedroom, it’s the closest to being invisible Rick gets. The closest to peacefulness he knows.

It’s on a Saturday night like that the doorbell rings, interrupting the tense quiet they’ve carved to share space.

Matt lifts his head from his phone, half-slouched on the couch, disgruntled when it rings twice more. “The hell?”

Rick stares ahead at the front door from the hall, startled by the foreign noise. “Um.”

Nobody uses the doorbell. They don’t even get visitors. The mailman drops parcels and bills off at the mailbox half a mile down the dirt walkway.

He looks at Matt.

“Ignore it.”

Rick stands. “It’s probably some real estate agent or something.” He’d notice a lot of the property nearby has gone up for sale. If he said they weren’t interested in buying, then they’d know not to come again.

“Exactly. So, leave it be.”

But the doorbell rings again just as he turns to walk away. Rick makes a move to the door.

“I said ignore it.”

He rolls his eyes. Well, now Rick was definitely going to do it. He glares at his uncle over his shoulder, twisting his wrist to unlock the door. “You can’t just tell me to—”

The door swings open and his eyes flit forward to address the figure at the arch. “Beth?”

Dressed in a dark purple cardigan and light-wash jeans, she’s clenching the rubber bars of her bike, fingers scrunched up like she wants to scratch it off with her nails. Like she’s moments from ripping it off entirely. She’s holding herself too stiff, head raised and chin jutted out. Rigid like she can’t move, twitching like she wants to fight. The irises of her big brown eyes skip from left to right, pleading.

“Can I stay here with you?”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Please —” she begs, voice cracking. “Can I stay over with you?”  

“Tell them to fuck off!”      

Rick glances back awkwardly over his shoulder, wary of his uncle, not sure what to say.

“Rick, please—”

Rick steps outside and shuts the front door behind him.

“Why are you here? Are you okay?”

Beth drops the handles and her bicycle falls to the porch with a clatter.

His eyes widen when she lurches forward, catapulting across the creaking wood. Rick grunts softly at the force of her hug. He stumbles back with her, wrapping her arms tight as they stand in the doorway.

Her body shudders and whatever storm she had been withholding inside releases with a bursting sob. Beth sniffles into his shirt, the angle of her round glasses pressed into his ribs. Rick looks down, at a loss.

“Hey,” he rasps out, taking a firm grasp at her shaking shoulder. “Beth. Okay. Shh. Jesus, don’t cry.” Matt’s going to hear this. He’s going to hear and come and see and make this a mess. The thought makes his blood run cold. Rick peels her off. It hurts and is jarring and she seizes at the rip of comfort he just tore away that he knows she needs, but hair stands up on his arms, hyper-cognizant. It’s not that he thinks Matt will—Rick doesn’t know. He doesn’t know what he’d do and that’s been why he’s avoided letting the girls show up here.

“This can’t happen right now.” The last thing Rick wants is for Matt to find out about the hourglass or the JSA. The girls are his tether to that and he can’t risk Matt taking advantage or robbing anything he has no right to. Again.

Beth recoils. He’s quick to pull her back in, panicked. It’s not that he doesn’t care.  “I didn’t say that right. We just can’t do this here.”

“What do you mean?”

He leads her off the porch by the hand to around the side of the house. Rick can tell she’s biting down her lip to stop from asking another question, but it becomes clear where they’re going when they reach his parked car and she relaxes. He hops onto the hood and makes room for her. Beth looks reluctant, but joins him there, still brushing close, wanting him near.

“You don’t want me to stay?”

“It’s not that,” he promises. “I just don’t know how he’s going to react.”

Her wet eyelashes get stuck against the wall of her thick lenses. “Your uncle Matt?”

“I’ve told you. He’s not a good person.” His tone edges on sharp. “There’s a reason why I don’t want—” He pinches the bridge of his nose, fighting down his belligerence. Rick takes a breath. This isn’t going to help her. “He doesn’t treat women right.” He pauses, wanting to say more, but can’t bring himself to say the words.

She stares at him. “You think he’s a racist.”

“Well.” That too.

Beth slides off the car.

“Beth. Wait.”

She rubs at her eyes with the sleeve of her cardigan, turning back in the direction they came.

“I’ll go home.”

“Tell me what’s wrong first.” He follows her along the muddy grass. “You wanted to stay overnight.”

“You don’t want me here!” She shakes her head and squeezes her eyes shut. “This was stupid of me. I shouldn’t have come. I should’ve asked first.”

“Beth, that’s not true. I do. I always want to see you. It’s just...” His implication is obvious, but it came out worse than he’d meant it to. The point is, she could’ve gone to anyone else. She could’ve gone to see Courtney.

She should’ve called Pat. They trust Pat. He’s safe and is a good problem solver as annoying as his methods are.

She came here instead. And yeah, he does wish she could’ve texted or called, but the fact she’s now thinking it was wrong seems strange.

Rick knew something wasn’t right the moment he saw her in front of his doorstep, but now he’s very worried as he hears her curse herself and blinking back more tears. Beth has always been so confident in herself, regardless of how others perceived her. He had never heard Beth call herself dumb or pathetic or stupid. He didn’t believe she had ever seen herself that way either. Why would she?

According to their high school, she might be a loser, but there had never been a day she wasn’t unapologetically proud to be herself. There’s nothing wrong with being outspoken or bold or self-assured, trusting or smart and self-sufficient. She’s all of the above and maybe that had intimidated or even annoyed Rick sitting across from her to overhear, but it didn’t make it less true.

Doesn’t Beth know that?

She looks at him again. “I thought we were—”

“We are.”

She lets out another long breath and swallows.

“We are. It’s not that I don’t… My uncle is a real asshole. That’s it.” He grabs her hand. “Okay?”

“Okay.” She lifts a helpless shoulder, glancing back at the mustang. She lingers on it like she wants to go in.

“What?” Rick asks.

“Do you wanna leave Blue Valley with me?”

She doesn’t mean a road trip. The question throws him. Not because it’s terrifying to hear that from her. Though it fucking is. It throws him because he’s had the same thought pass through his mind at night a thousand times. A thousand times a week. Everything could be better, away. Without the memories or the roads or the trees and the people who’ve made this town an awful place. But their perspectives on Blue Valley had always been Rick and Beth’s stark difference. What happened to her unwavering devotion to caring about the town and everyone in it? It’s what Rick liked so much. The light from within her pushed her bravery, eradicating her limits.

“Beth,” he speaks carefully. “Why are you running away?”

Beth turns her face towards the farms, letting go of his hand. “I love my parents so much.”

Rick’s face softens. “I know.”

“No. They’ve been my inspiration my whole life. How can—I can’t fathom how…it’s all...”

“What are you talking about?”

Beth tugs her fingers into the sleeves of her cardigan crossed over her chest, refusing to meet his gaze, miserable. She takes so long to answer, but Rick can see the fight in her mind in the way she sticks her jaw. Whatever it is she’s torturing herself with it, Rick can feel it just by standing nearby. “Beth?”

“It’s the ISA, Rick. I didn’t want to believe it but it’s been them all along. My—” She chokes on her words.

Dread sinks to his gut. “Which one?”

“Both.” The blankness that shadows over her face, Rick has seen it before. The ghost of Yolanda’s detachedness after she was betrayed. The shattering shake in Henry’s voice moments before he was gone. “Chuck found out a while ago but I kept pushing it back and pushing it back because it wasn’t true? It wasn’t true and I couldn’t accept that until...They’re close with Richard Swift.”

He touches her arm, lets his hand slide down the expensive sweater to reach for her hand when she cries again.

“Can’t we just go?” When she asks Rick again, he understands. The slimmer of hope she’s threaded through her request. What it’s costing him not to say yes.  

“Come inside,” he whispers instead, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. It's a dead weight like a stone in his hand. It shouldn’t be like this. Beth shouldn’t be like this. She’s not okay. “You can stay.”

She shoots a nervous glance at the house. “I don’t want to if it’s a problem.”

“I’ll make sure it’s not a problem,” he cuts in, sharp.

Beth mutters something, but Rick doesn’t catch it. He jogs back to the front porch and bends over to pick up her bike and lock it in the shed.

He returns, awkwardly holding her school bag, leaning against the wall.

“Stay here,” Rick says, “I’ll come to get you.”

He goes back inside and stands in front of Matt.

“My friend is staying over.”

“You have friends?” Matt scrolls on his phone with a snort. When he realizes Rick isn’t joking, he glances up. “No.”

“I’m not asking.”

“I babysit enough after you—”

“Is that what you call it?” Rick snarks.

Matt’s eyes flash at him. They say Don’t test me.

Rick steps away. He won’t. The plan isn’t to piss him off. He wants Beth to survive the night here. “She’ll stay in my room and I’ll sleep on the floor or something. It’s just for today.”

To Rick’s horror, Matt leers. “She’ll stay in your room?”

“Don’t.” Rick makes it clear. “Don’t. Don’t talk to her. She’s upset enough. She doesn’t need you in her business.”

“Whatever.”

“I’m serious,” Rick says. The flippant way Matt goes back to his phone has him unnerved. If it wasn’t for the fact he has the hourglass tucked away in his room, he’d walk right out and drive Beth to Pat’s instead. It’s not worth it.

But Rick can take Matt on now. If that’s something he ever needs to do.

“What’s her name?”

Rick doesn’t even want to tell him. He turns around and brings Beth in.

She wipes at her face and sucks in her hurt, attempting and failing to gather her emotions. “Sorry, Mr. Harris. I’m—”

“—No.” Rick pushes her past the living room before she could even finish her sentence. “Nope.”

“Is that any way to speak to your father? ” Matt yells after him.

Rick rolls his eyes hard and shuts the door to his room pointedly.

Beth sits gingerly onto his unmade bed. “You could’ve at least let me introduce myself. I’m in his house.”

“This is not his house.”

“Oh.” Beth picks at his linty sheet. “Right.”

He waits as long as he can before he can’t help himself. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” she mutters. Beth reaches into her bag for Chuck and hands him over. “It’s all there.” Next, she pulls out a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt. “Sorry. Can I change?”

“Uh. Sure.” Rick moves. “Tell me when I can come back in.”

Rick leans against the wall, waiting, wondering what he should do. Chuck is in his hands, half-lit. The last time he learned the truth through green hue, his life had changed for good. Was this what it felt like for her?

The projection skittered across the off-white peeling walls.

James Chapel. The American Dream. Hired by Jordan Mahkent, January 2006. James Chapel, MBA Keynote Speaker - Geopolitical Realignment in the Pursuit of an American Dream. Funded by Richard Swift. The Theoretical Abnormalities of Frontal-Cortex Reconfiguration published by Blue Valley Medical Centre Press. Authored by Henry King Jr, Bridget Chapel et al. 2000. Scholarship funding provided by Swift Inc.

It is followed by grainy photographs of a tall slender woman in a blue and red polymer jumpsuit with the youthfulness of Beth’s face. The pixels dissolve away and return with one that resembles her father. There’s more evidence, hard core pictures. Records of Henry Jr’s faked autopsy. Medical records on Joey Zarick. Notes on the political numbers in William Zarick’s campaign.

“I’m sure this comes as a great shock.”

“How didn’t you know?” It feels ridiculous to hiss accusations at a piece of tech no matter how special. He does it anyway. The damage, it’s done. He has half the mind to smash Chuck against the floor. He doesn’t hate Chuck, he knows how important he is to Beth. It’s just the gratification Rick craves to break something that hurt her.

“A glitch in my system. The Gambler had scrambled their affiliation well. It’s not until I’ve reloaded my servers and Beth brought me into Dr. Chapel’s work office that she uncovered any peculiarities.”

“This is going to break her.”

“Bruise,” Chuck corrects. “Not break.”

Rick shuts it off when his door cracks open.

She stepped out looking as cozy as one could with red-rimmed eyes.

Rick tilts his head up from his crouched position in the hall, passing Chuck back to her. She hugs the goggles close.

“Where are you sleeping?” she asks. “I won’t let you on the floor.”

“I have a chair.”

“Where?”

“The living room?”

She considers it, peering down the stairs. “Isn’t that where your uncle passes out?”

“I can bring it up here.”

“We shared a bed at Pat’s cabin.”

“That was before…” Besides, Barbara was there checking in like every two hours.

“Rick,” Beth whispers. “I just want you near.”

~.~

She is near, nestled in his arms. The sheer closeness makes his heart jump, the solid feel of her body beside his. Beth trusts him, confides in him. Looks up at him when he hears her.

“I don’t believe they’d ever hurt me,” she says at last. Rick bites his tongue. Physically? No. Indirectly? He’s seen the way she’s vied for their attention. Idolized herself after their values. The dependency they’ve fastened to leech onto their ideals of transparency and complete openness from her side when they don’t return the favour. Some of their FaceTime calls at lunch had been flat-out weird. Rick assumed it was his irritability flaring out whenever they bothered to check in on her. What if it was surveillance?

Beth catches his hesitation and frowns. “I know what you’re thinking. My parents are different. I know they’re…on the wrong side but they’re not like Tigress and Sportsmaster.” She’s defending them. Naturally, and in spite of her grief. He squeezes her arm, unthinking.

“I didn’t think they were.”

She turns and pulls on the sheet, staring up at his ceiling. “You know what’s funny?”

“What?”

“Ever since I found out, my mind always circles back to you.”

“Me?” Rick’s brows crease against his pillow. “Why?”

“I was wrong about you too. I thought you were this unfeeling aggressive person that sat next to me at lunch all those years because you were indifferent.” She glances at him. “That’s not true.”

“It was a little true.”

She ignores that, carrying on. “But I wanted to be wrong about you from the beginning so I fought against my feelings to prove myself right that night. And I was. There’s so much more to you.”

He props his elbow up to study her quietly.

“I thought if there was more to you, there has to be more to my mom and dad. I didn’t think they could just leave me in the dark. That’s why I didn’t say anything for so long.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

He knows that she knows they’ll be talking to Courtney and Yolanda and Pat soon. That the world as she knew it was gone now. For now, Rick listens, being there for her.

Beth might’ve been left in the dark, but she navigates well in it. Her heart and wisdom are a bright light in themselves. And she’s touched him with it, seared him with her brightness and truth in a way he can’t ignore. Beth lightened him in a way he’s only more drawn to. And if she loses it now, if it dims out of her, Rick swears he’ll find it. He’ll find it and bring it back out if he has to.

[wakingstarstuff]

the musical and lyrical motifs throughout Strange Trails ?????? i'm feral thinking about them???

[inthroughthesunroof]

Giselle meta

My ballet company is in dress rehearsals for Giselle, and it turns out that even outside a fandom context, you cannot stop me from having Thoughts About Stories. In no particular order:

- Giselle is one of those classic ballet stories. Boy meets girl, boy turns out to be a prince who’s been slumming and absolutely won’t be marrying the peasant girl, girl dies of a broken heart. Girl comes back as a ghost with the option of killing him.

- Spoiler alert, she doesn’t. It was written in 1841, what do you expect.

- I hadn’t realized quite how hard this one goes on the paganism vs. Christianity themes. Depending on exactly what happens when she goes nuts and runs around the stage with the prince’s sword, Giselle could be classified as a suicide, which would explain why her grave is in the middle of a haunted wood and not the church cemetery. And why Love Triangle Boy is setting up a crude wooden cross for her, alone, at night.

- At any rate, Giselle protects the asshat prince from the other vengeful ghosts by... ushering him over to the cross, and standing in front of him with her arms outstretched. Yeah, no symbolism there...

- The church bell that makes all the ghosts stop in their tracks is nice and subtle too.

- So is the ghost queen breaking branches off the scenery to use as her wands. I can’t find the reference now, but I believe she’s supposed to be using specific species of branches at different points for different purposes.

- Hilarion (Love Triangle Boy) deserves better. He’s the one who is actually looking out for Giselle’s best interests the whole time, he’s suspicious of the prince from the start, it’s his cross on her grave that helps save the prince, and he’s the one who gets danced to death by ghosts for it. Giselle puts her (after)life on the line for the prince instead.

- Moral of the story: You can fuck around and get away with it, as long as you’re sad about it afterwards. And rich.

- At least this show takes time to set up that Giselle has a heart problem, so the dying of a broken heart bit is more believable. Her mother has an extensive mime sequence chiding her for dancing so much and risking her heart giving out. She tries to scare her with stories of girls who dance to their deaths and come back as man-eating ghosts who haunt the woods.

- Guess what happens.

- Our show has borzois! I would be so pissed if I were a professional ballerina and spent my whole life training only to be immediately upstaged by these gorgeous creatures. Why couldn’t they have found some beagles or something.

- Giselle has “Live, Laugh, Love” stenciled over her bedroom door.

- I miss Tchaikovsky. The music for this ballet is okay for the first half, but really fails to match the mood for most of the second act.

- I dare you to watch this part without getting the chills tho:

https://youtu.be/DoLzZmqOGh8?t=30

Anyway, Giselle is a spoopy good time with some of the best choreography in the ballet canon and a generous helping of dancers absolutely losing their shit onstage. If you like dance you should see it when you get the opportunity.

[official-weasley]

The Irreplaceable Charlie Weasley: Pt. 6, Ch. 3

PART 6: THE YEAR WHEN EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE Chapter 3 - The Sneaking Stories

Charlie

I was enjoying my Sixth Year a lot more than my Fifth. I finally felt like I had more time to do the things I wanted even though we had a lot of school work. The thing was, I think we got so used to the amount of work the professors were giving us that we managed to learn how to find free time.

I was spending quite a lot of my time with Hagrid. He finally deemed me old enough so I could go into the Forest with him. We met Torvus a couple of times and I can't even begin to explain how awkward it was the first time, even though Hagrid knew Nova and I snuck into the Forest and met Aragog.

We managed to save a Unicorn, who got its leg stuck in a tree vine, and brought Fairy eggs to a Bowtruckle family. It was so fun that I would do it every day if Hagrid would have the time.

Nova also snuck me in a few times to see her Salamander. Kettleburn gave her access to the Creature Reserve and she brought me along even though she made a promise to him that she wouldn't sneak in any students. Now, that's a true friend! We even took Pip once with us so he could meet Pyro. At first, he wasn't amused at all but when the Salamander indicated that he wanted to play, he was up for it immediately.

Nova took the opportunity to sit down and draw them both together. She knew it would make Pip happy if she drew him again, even though she had a whole notebook filled with drawings of him. He just really liked her attention and we had that in common.

I was having so much fun with her. I could hang out with her 24 hours a day for a week and couldn't get enough of her. If we weren't in the Reserve, we were down by the Lake.

We loved going to Hogsmeade and not just for Butterbeer, sometimes we just strolled around and reminisced on our Third Year when we first visited the village and how much fun it was to have Bill around even though we swore we would never admit to him that we miss him at Hogwarts.

—

There was a moment before Christmas when we took a trip to Hogsmeade and Nova wanted to go for a walk. I wanted to get her opinion on my motivational speech for my Quidditch Team. I knew I was good at catching the Snitch but I was not a smooth talker. The Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor game was approaching after the Holidays and I wanted to impress them for the first time.

We were coming up with all sorts of things to say and then we started to create really funny ones, where I would throw Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans at them or the one where I would threaten them with Tonks' Dungbomb if we would lose. Nova was laughing so much that I never wanted to stop creating these silly speeches just so I could admire how beautiful she is when she laughs.

And there was this moment when she laughed so hard that she buried her head in my shoulder, grabbing my elbow with one hand and my hand with her other one. I tried to act as unphased about it as I could even though I was quite sure she could hear how fast my heart was beating. At that moment I didn't know what to think of it. For a few seconds we were practically holding hands and I know it doesn't sound as exciting but it was a rather big deal to me.

It made me realize that I would have to tell her sooner or later about fancying her but I couldn't gather the courage to say anything as she still seemed not to notice that there is something between us.

—

Nova also attended every single one of my Quidditch practices just to support me being Captain. Which reminds me that she was right when she said that I will find someone great to be Keeper for my Team. His name is Oliver Wood and he is brilliant!

He is a big Quidditch enthusiast and attended every Quidditch World Cup with his dad since he could remember. As a Captain, I was proud of my Team and I really don't want to brag but we destroyed Hufflepuffs this year. Only Slytherin and Ravenclaw to go. I fully supported Nova to quit Quidditch even though I can't help admit I will miss fighting for the Snitch with her.

One downside about spending so much time with her, was that my feelings for her are growing stronger and if I think about it, perhaps it was for the best that we didn't play against each other because I knew I wouldn't be able to leave these feelings off the Pitch anymore.

Nova

I woke up to a sunny Sunday morning. I made my way down to the Common Room alone because Tulip was already gone. I opened the door, ready to go down for breakfast as I yawned.

“Wotcher, Blackwood!” I jumped into the air and if I wasn't completely awake before, I definitely was now.

“Tonks! Merlin's beard, you scared the living ghost out of me!” I pressed my hand against my chest, trying to calm down.

“You called?” I jumped into the air again as I heard a voice right behind my ear.

“Peeves?!” I exclaimed. Too much was happening for someone that hasn't eaten breakfast yet.

“Tonks, what is going on?” I narrowed my eyes at her. She wanted something, I knew it.

“I need your help.” She grinned. I did not like the look on her face or the sound of her voice.

“What with?” I asked.

“Listen, Blackwood! We are in our Sixth Year, we have to focus!” Her grin was getting bigger and she began to terrify me.

“What on? Studying?” I asked, perplexed as I knew that was the last thing on her mind, giving that it was only the beginning of our second term.

“Mischief!” She rolled her eyes as if she was completely disappointed that I didn't guess that. I knew I didn't like the expression on her face!

Tonks has always liked to wreak havoc but she usually did it with Tulip or Jae. Penny didn't want to participate after they placed the Dungbomb in Filch's office. I was, like today, usually dragged into it against my will and Charlie was too busy sneaking into the Forbidden Forest so Tonks rarely found him. Otherwise, I am sure, she would drag him along.

“Tonks, I really...”

“Yeah, yeah. You can tell me on the way.” She grabbed my hand and started dragging me down the corridor.

“But-”

“We can stop in the Great Hall so you can grab a sandwich.” How did she know I wanted to say that?

“But-”

“I already told your Dragon Boy that you will meet him later.” Was she reading my mind?

“But-”

“I know. I know, you're a Prefect and you have responsibilities, blah blah blah.” She mimicked with her hand. At this point, I was sure something was wrong with her.

She was always full of energy and ready to mess stuff up but this mood she was in right now was unusual, even for her.

“Where are you taking me?” I finally gave up as I knew I couldn't get out of it anymore. At least I got my sandwich.

“You'll see.” That wasn't exactly the answer I was expecting.

“And why is Peeves here?” I looked up. Peeves was floating just above our heads and humming something to himself. I never knew what to make of him. If I could, I avoided him. I had no idea that he actually listened to Tonks.

“You'll get your answers later, Blackwood!” And why was she calling me by my last name?

“Tonks?”

“Yes?” She kept looking straight ahead, her eyes sparkling like those of Charlie's when someone told him they liked animals or wanted to talk about Dragons.

“Did Penny experiment on you with her potions again?” I couldn't help but be a bit worried.

In our Fourth Year Penny gained access to Snape's potion ingredients and his classroom. The Calming Draught for Tonks was the only normal potion she made so far. She wanted to create her own potions for every occasion and when she asked us if anyone would volunteer Tonks was the only one with her hand up. We were grateful for it and said nothing as the rest of us didn't want to get even close to Penny's little experiments.

So far she had more failures than successes as she made Tonks' teeth grow so large that she looked like a beaver and Madam Pomfrey had to sort her out. She made a potion that made Tonks lose all her hair and then made the antidote that made Tonks look like a Yeti.

This time, I was sure she gave her an energy potion, as I was already tired next to her and it wasn't even 10 o'clock. I just wanted to go with Charlie to the Forest to read this book we got in the Library about unregistered beast species. He found a nice spot going to the Forest with Hagrid. It wasn't too deep in and it didn't look like anyone would be bothered by us being there and it had just enough sunlight so we could read.

“No, Blackwood. I'm sober as a pickle!” She snapped me out with her answer.

We didn't speak until we reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where Tulip was waiting for us.

“Hi, Nova.” She grinned. What was happening? Is every day with them like this?

“Tulip, what is going on?” I was hoping she wasn't on some kind of a potion too, so somebody could explain to me why I am here.

“Peeves, go check if the coast is clear.” All hope was lost for me to get any information, when Tulip whispered to Peeves, ignoring my question and he entered the classroom.

“Nobooooody insiiiiiide.” Peeves sang as he came back. Tonks gave him something that looked like a Fanged Frisbee and he flew away.

“Blackwood, you're up!” Tonks pushed me towards the door.

“I don't even know what we're doing!” I turned to both of them, more confused than I have ever been before.

“I reckon you didn't tell her about our plan?” Tulip rubbed her chin, looking at Tonks.

“Alright, listen carefully, Blackwood!” She pulled both Tulip and me in a half hug and stuck our heads together.

“We are sneaking into Rakepick's office.” She started.

“Rakepick's office!” I knew that her office was part of the classroom and it did make more sense that they would want to get in there rather than the classroom alone, but I failed to understand what they wanted from her office.

“Blackwood, focus!” She pointed two fingers to my eyes, almost poking me in the process, and then pointed them at hers.

“We are going to steal something from her!” She said proudly as if she just finished telling me a mastermind plan.

“What are we going to...” But before I could ask the question, I already knew the answer. “Her Niffler!” I gasped. “Are you mental? Rakepick is crazy, she will find out it was us sooner or later.”

“It depends how good you are at lying, Blackwood.” She slammed my back, making me stand straight.

“Why do you need me for this job?” I asked as I still didn't know why wasn't I with Charlie in the Forest instead of here being confused.

“I thought Ravenclaws were smart.” Tonks frowned at me as if it had to be clear as a Sunny day as to what my part in all of this was.

“We can't smuggle a Niffler without being too obvious.” Tulip finally started to explain. “So we need your Transfiguration talent.” She pointed her wand to the door and cast Alohamora. The door unlocked and creaked when she pushed it open.

“Transfigure it?” I whispered when we closed the door behind us. “Are you mad!”

“Perhaps, Blackwood. But that's a topic for another day.” Tonks answered. She ran upstairs where the bookshelves were, opened the doors to Rakepick's office, and brought down her Niffler.

“How did you know he was going to be in there?” I was impressed just how fast we were able to find him.

“You underestimate us, Blackwood. We were planning this for weeks.” Tonks beamed at me, handing me the Niffler.

“Yeah, thank's for filling me in!” I said, sarcastically.

“No problem.” I frowned at her as she made me sit down.

“So...” She put her hand on her chin, looking like she was deep in thought. “What do you reckon he looks like?” She asked. At this point, I honestly gave up on questioning her.

“A turtle? A snake? An owl perhaps?” I stared at her, my eyes as wide as they possibly could be.

“A turtle?” I turned to Tulip. “What did Penny give her?”

“She's always like this when we're up to no good.” Tulip swung her hand like Tonks' behavior was completely normal. If this was Tonks every time they went to cause mischief, I needed a new strategy to hide from her.

“C'mon, Blackwood! You're supposed to be good at this. Which spell that we did in class would, you reckon, be the best to Transfigure this Niffler?” I finally understood what she meant when she was listing animals. She was trying to remember all the animals we transfigured in our class.

“I could try turning him into a pincushion without pins...” At this point, I just gave in and I knew the faster I would do my part, the faster I could get out of here. “Or he is rather small, perhaps he would do as a Goblet?” I took out my wand.

“Ericius Languo.” As soon as I tapped on the Niffler, he turned into an empty pincushion.

“Blimey.” Tulip whispered in awe.

“Bloody Hell, Blackwood! I knew you were the right person for the job!” She tapped my back, gentler this time.

“What are you going to do with it?” I forgot that I didn't even know why we were doing this.

“We wanted to see how long will it take for Rakepick to figure out her Niffler is gone.” Explained Tulip, now holding the pincushion and observing my work.

“We reckon she is mistreating him.” Added Tonks.

“And if she notices he is gone at once?” I narrowed my eyes. It was a nice gesture for the Niffler but still, I believe we could find a way where he wouldn't be stuck like a pincushion for like a week.

“Then we will need your help transfiguring it back and we would return it.” Tonks said most casually as if what we were doing was just another Sunday.

We snuck back out of the classroom, Tonks gently holding the pincushion Niffler and they finally let me go. I ran down to the Forbidden Forest to meet Charlie, hoping he didn't already finish the book.

—

We had Defense Against the Dark Arts the first thing the next morning. I thought that we got away with it as we didn't leave any traces behind. I didn't even tell Charlie about what we did, not to drag him into the whole thing. The second Professor Rakepick stepped from her office, I saw on her face that she was missing a Niffler.

“Before we start today's lesson, I have a question for you.” She leaned on her desk and looked at every single one of us, narrow-eyed. Her gaze stopped at me and I gulped.

“Miss Blackwood!” She pushed herself away from the desk and slowly made her way to me in the third row.

“Where were you yesterday morning?” She stopped at my desk and crossed her arms on her chest, waiting for my answer.

“I was snogging Charlie by the Lake.” For the life of me, I couldn't understand why I said that. Charlie, who was snoozing on my shoulder and failed to wake up when Rakepick started the class, rose his head up at once, his eyes wide open.

“Mr. Weasley, nice of you to join us.” Rakepick's eyes moved to him.

“You did what?” He turned to me, completely ignoring our Professor.

“I'll explain later, just follow my lead.” I whispered, still looking at Rakepick. I glanced at Tulip and she winked at me. I swear I will murder them both!

“Did you, or did you not snog Miss Blackwood down by the Lake yesterday morning?” Rakepick leaned towards Charlie who was just as red in the face as I was and repeated the question.

“Yes, ma'am. That was me.” He replied, awkwardly. Apparently, the answer worked, as it left Rakepick with no further questions.

She then took a step backward and stopped at the desk in front of us, where Jae and Tulip were sitting.

“Did you snog and then Obliviate me?” Charlie whispered as Rakepick was trying to have a stare-off with Tulip.

“Char, later.” I replied, my cheeks still burning.

“You know, if you want to snog me, all you have to do is ask.” At these words, I turned to him and he winked at me. He was so smooth lately that I couldn't believe half the words that came out of his mouth.

“Miss Karasu.” Rakepick's voice saved me as I didn't really know what to reply to Charlie's offer.

“And what were you doing yesterday morning? Were you snogging too?” She leaned on her elbows, inches away from Tulip's nose. She was on to us.

“As a matter of fact, I was.” She said casually, leaned towards Jae, and kissed his cheek. Charlie and I exchanged looks and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him as I have never seen him so confused in his life.

Rakepick didn't quite know how to react to this, so she glared at both of us angrily and started the class.

As we made our way down to the Great Hall after the class was over, Tulip was still laughing despite being quite proud of my answer.

“You should have seen your face Charlie when Nova said she snogged you.” She was holding her stomach, laughing so hard. Charlie's cheeks turned pink again and he rolled his eyes at her.

“She did what?!” Charlie, Jae, Tulip, and I all turned around to see Tonks winking at me and Penny holding her hands over her mouth.

“Nice catch, Nova!” Tonks tapped my shoulder.

“You two are finally together?” Penny's voice was higher than Flitwick's.

“What?” Was all I managed to say. What did she mean finally?

“We are not together Penny, I don't know what's going on either.” Charlie explained, completely calm.

“But you snogged?” Penny looked rather disappointed.

“In Nova's story, we did, yes.” Charlie pointed at me. Tulip was so busy laughing that I didn't have the time to explain to Charlie what was going on.

“Did you dream you were snogging him?” Penny beamed at me.

“Oh, for Merlin's sake!” I rolled my eyes and pushed them all into the Great Hall. We finally told them what we did and why we had to lie.

“Nice one, Nova! Making her uncomfortable.” Tonks gave me a thumbs up. “We are definitely bringing you along next time.” She grinned.

“Help me.” I whispered to Charlie, who chuckled in reply.

I couldn't believe that Rakepick didn't catch us. That same Monday, the second Peeves annoyed Rakepick so much that she chased him out of her classroom, we sneaked inside, I transfigured the Niffler back to his original state and we ran as far away from the door as we possibly could. I couldn't help but wonder if this is how our entire term will be like.

The next day Tulip, Tonks, and I were having breakfast together and Pip came to greet us during Owl Post and gave me a letter. It was from Penny and she asked for the three of us to meet her in the Dungeons. I was hesitant to go as this year Penny experimented with her potions more than last year. She used so many of Snape's ingredients that one potion got her detention for 2 weeks! I never thought that I would say the words detention and Penny in the same sentence but here we are!

We ate quickly and made our way through to the Dungeons and entered the Potions classroom with our eyes closed. Tonks was the only one excited, while Tulip and I were hoping she wouldn't give us anything to drink or test for her.

“What do you have for us today, Penny?” Tonks grinned while rubbed her hands together.

“Ladies, you might wonder why I only invited you and there are no boys here today.” She was ecstatic.

“Not really.” Tulip answered, still worried about what she will show us.

“Yeah, we don't hang out that often, just the four of us, so it was quite a pleasant surprise.” I said.

“Oh, I know!” Penny exclaimed. “What do you girls say about having a slumber party!” She clapped her hands.

“That is not a bad idea.” Tulip rubbed her chin, thinking about it.

“Oh, we could talk about all sort of things and we could play Truth or Wand!” Tonks grinned. Penny, Tulip, and I stared at her.

“Play what?” I asked, puzzled.

“Haven't you ever heard of Truth or Wand?” Tonks rolled her eyes as if we were playing the game every day.

“It's this game where you enchant a wand to hover in the air and the one who asks a question uses another wand to spin the one in the air. Whoever the spinning wand stops on they either have to answer a question they are asked and tell the truth or they get hexed or jinxed, all minor spells of course.” Tonks explained.

“That sounds...” Penny started, stunned.

“BRILLIANT!” Tulip and I shouted together.

“When are we doing it?” Penny asked, excitedly.

“First of all, if we want to stay out after curfew we will have to bend some rules.” Tonks thought about it.

“We can ask our Heads of House if they would make an exception so we could enter each other's Common Rooms.” I suggested.

“That's not a bad idea.” Penny thought out loud.

“We're not allowed to enter each other's dorms?” Tulip asked and when we looked at her she was flushed.

“You didn't know that?” Penny asked puzzled.

“A better question to ask is, WHICH Common Room did you breach, Tulip?” Tonks asked, wanting to know how she got away with it.

“You can ask me when we play Truth or Wand!” Tulip said quickly.

“Oh, this is going to be so good!” Penny clapped again, already making a mental note to ask Tulip the question.

“So, we ask Flitwick and Sprout tomorrow, and if everything goes well have the slumber party in the Ravenclaw Tower on Saturday?” I asked.

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Tonks and Tulip said in unison.

“Penny, we completely forgot why you brought us here!” I suddenly remembered that the sleepover wasn't the reason we were in the Potions classroom.

“Oh, right! I got so excited by Tonks' idea that I almost forgot!” She grinned.

“You're welcome!” Tonks winked at her.

“Come here I want you to see something.” She gestured for us to sit down in front of a cauldron that had something brewing inside.

“Be careful around it, you DO NOT want to drink this.” She said and smacked Tonks' fingers, who was already reaching for it.

“What did you make, Penny?” I got worried again.

“It's my first ever brew of Amortentia!” She exclaimed.

“Amortentia? I thought Andre likes you?” Tulip chuckled.

“It's not for Andre!” She rolled her eyes. “It's not for anyone actually. It's just an advanced potion and I wanted to perfect it!”

“And why did you invite us here?” I agreed with Tulip, I didn't see the point if we won't be using the potion.

“Amortentia is one of the most powerful love potions ever made. Something, none of us needs.” She winked at me. Why me? “However, it does smell differently to every person based on what they are attracted to and if they happen to have feelings for someone it can smell like that person.” She beamed, proud to know all about it.

“It's different for everyone and I thought since I brewed it and I will have to throw it away anyway or Snape will give me a month's worth of detention, I thought it would be fun to see what we find attractive.” She was so happy about it that I got excited too, even though I had no idea what to expect.

“I will go first so that you know I didn't trick you into something.” Tulip narrowed her eyes at Penny, watching her carefully leaning over the cauldron. She didn't trust her one bit.

“I smell...” She closed her eyes and took a whiff of the potion. “I smell old books, butterbeer, and...” She had to think about the third one. “A very gentle male perfume.” Her cheeks turned pink.

“So...” I started, trying hard not to giggle.

“You basically described Andre?” Tulip was thinking the exact same thing I was.

“He wears cologne?” Tonks asked, surprised.

“He is a man of fashion and Quidditch, of course, he wears cologne.” Tulip chuckled.

“So, ahem...” Penny cleared her throat, now even more red in the face. She was adorable. “Who's next?”

“I'll try!” Tonks said and she switched places with Penny.

“Hmm...” Tonks took some time to think. “I smell fresh laundry and a hint of sandalwood.”

“Tonks, do you even fancy anyone?” I asked as I don't think we ever asked her about her crush. That day on the train when we found out that Penny had a crush on Andre, she was the only one who said that she doesn't fancy anyone. Tulip fancies Jae and me, well I don't know what is going on with me.

“I dunno. Don't think so?” Tonks answered and I believed her. She was too busy to think of these things. Something I thought for myself not so long ago.

“Perhaps we can ask her again on Saturday.” Penny winked as apparently, she didn't find Tonks' answer as sincere as I did.

“Okay, Tulip you're next!” Penny pulled her in front of the cauldron.

“Does it smell like Jae?” Penny teased and Tonks and I laughed. Tulip showed us her tongue and we laughed even harder.

“I smell candy canes and cupcakes.” She said and took another whiff just to be sure she didn't miss anything.

“So, basically the Kitchens?” Tonks giggled.

“So, basically Jae?” I added.

“How sweet!” Penny clapped.

“Oh, shut it, will you!” She swung her hand at us, red in the face and we started laughing. I was having so much fun and I was now even more excited about Saturday. I missed just the four of us hanging out.

“Nova, you're the last one.” Penny jumped from excitement. I couldn't help but be nervous.

I stepped in front of the cauldron and inhaled deeply. I felt my cheeks turn red at once.

“Nova, what are you smelling?” Penny asked suspiciously.

“Yes, tell us, we can see you blush!” Added Tulip.

“Does it smell like Quidditch?” Tonks asked and they all started laughing.

“I smell grass and honeysuckle.” I finally answered in a whisper.

“Honeysuckle?” Asked Tonks surprised.

“Murphy smells like grass and honeysuckle?” Tulip couldn't believe it either.

“I wouldn't know, I never got a chance to get so close to him.” I lied. I knew Murphy's scent and what I smelled in that potion, smelled nothing like him.

[80scartoonfan]

My Review of Masters of the Universe Revelation - Better late then Never...

It has been two months now, and wow... Not, not many fans of the entire franchise like the Kevin Smith Masters of the Universe series do they? As an aspiring writer myself I can't say I blame them.

I know this comes literally on the heels of the LATEST series being released (obligations to projects, work, family and other things got in the way) and I have to say I wasn't all that impressed with it. If anything, compared to the dumpster fire that was Season 8 of Voltron Legendary Defender that season was more enjoyable than this first part of the mini-series. 

And if I am being honest from the first leaks of Skele-God, to the drama with YouTubers like Clownfish-TV and others, to the "race swapping" of Andra and King Greyskull, to spoilers Kevin Smith himself even made, I would give Part-1 a GENEROUS D-Minus. This is a shame because I really wanted this series to exceed all expectations and be equal to the original like 2012s TMNT is or 2011s ThunderCats. But there is too much against it. 

First, let’s talk about the animation. It was absolutely breathtaking! It was crisp, the world-building in just the scenery was a masterpiece. Out of what I saw of all of part 1, spotted one goof - dealing in episode 1 with Evil-Lyn's staff, which shows that their animators care of what they produce. I loved the animation so much that if the rights to my favorite anime were purchased by a studio to do a continuation from 2005 or a second reboot, I'd gladly give Powerhouse Animation my salary for the next 5 years!

The music, the music was gorgeous! But then I am biased towards Bear McCreary. Even though He-Man seems a bit knew to compose music to, he immediately got my vote of confidence when it was announced he was attached. Reason being, his work for the movie Godzilla King of the Monsters! His music made me actually tear up during that movie. Something I didn't do since another Godzilla movie.

With the exception of Mark Hamill - as shocking as it comes and Sarah Michelle Gellar, the voice acting was phenomenal! I loved Kevin Michael Richards as Beastman, Tony Todd as ScareGlow, even Liam Cunningham as Duncan! Chris Wood was spectacular as Prince Adam/He-Man for just being introduced to him. But the one who really stole the show for me was Lena Headdy. She killed it as Evil-Lyn, so much that if the Eternity War Saga or 2 part crossover event ThunderCats and He-Man/Injustice vs Masters of the Universe were made into live-action or animated movies, I'd pay whatever she wanted just to have her return. 

I also want to applaud the effort of getting a diverse group of voice actors. Something which I noticed few if ANY have. Actors who are both known for their VA resumes and those who are new to voice acting. But also the actors themselves, besides the white and black VAs there were if I am not mistaken a Native American and I think 2 Mixed-Race voice actors. I don't remember if there were any Asian or Middle Eastern VAs, but it is always Part-2! 

As for Mark Hamill, at first, I was excited that he was going to do the voice of Skeletor. But upon hearing him as Skeletor, I'm not sure anymore. Granted this is just the first part of the mini-series, but it didn't feel like Skeletor if that makes sense? To me, it felt like he was trying to mix Joker/Alvin the Treacherous/and Firelord Orzi all into one character.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is another one I wasn't sure about. I admit I found it hard going in unbiased because I never liked Sarah. Not as Gwendy Doll, or Andromeda, Daphne and certainly not as Buffy - mainly because I preferred Kristy Swanson as Buffy, but that is beside the point. She had some nice emotional spots, but for the majority of her performance as Teela, it just wasn't there for me. If the writing and script had been better than what it was, she could have won me over for Teela, but as I write this I am more excited for Kimberly Brooks to voice Teela.

Now let’s talk about the things I hated. This will involve anything from Characters including designs to the writing and other things. If you don't want to be triggered I advise you to stop reading this and move on. If you are still here and get triggered, like one person who always seems to be, don't say I didn't warn you. I am always open to engaging others civilly in talking and debate. But if you can't even do that, don't bother engaging. These are my opinions and MY THOUGHTS, and I will hold nothing back regardless of the topic. You have been warned!

The story, the story absolutely sucked! You can tell the writers, if you can call them that, just didn’t care about what they were doing. I’ll go into this shortly. But those writers should be ashamed to even call themselves that. Sure it was catered to be modernized and appealing to potential new fans, but they should have been more aware of what they were doing. Just in this first part, there are so many plotholes and questions I was asking myself that I filled 4 whole pages of paper asking questions and thoughts - which to the fanfic writers I will put in at the end of this if you want to explore them. 

I watched the mini-series five times now, trying to be as objective as I possibly could as an aspiring writer and not as a MotU fan, and each time got even more painful. Let’s be clear on one thing, I wanted this series to succeed. But too many things brought it down, and like with Ghost in the Shell 2045, I’m not sure I want Netflix to release part 2 or that I would watch it if they did. 

Let’s start with how it was advertised as a “direct sequel to the original.” It was not a direct sequel to the original. I have seen someone bring this up and I have to agree with him. This mini-series is more in line with Nickelodeon’s Voltron-Force from 2011. I remember watching that series when it premiered and then had to hunt down my VHS tapes that had them to get a feel for the series again. 

Both played off their respective originals as direct sequels, but both are in fact pseudo-sequels/soft reboots. They have the characters we grew up with and we can identify these characters because they are close to their original counterparts, but that is as far as the “sequel” goes. They bring in newer characters who we know nothing about or characters who have maybe been unimportant to the main characters, but we have to accept them now. It was like that with Mona Lisa in the 2012 TMNT who I enjoyed WHEN they used her, Larmina of Voltron-Force being Allura’s niece, and Andra of Revelation who had maybe 2 or 3 appearances in the entire run of the Masters of the Universe franchise.

Like Voltron-Force, Revelation, had no real ties to the original. There were no mentions of battles, events, and characters who played critical roles in the original. Instead, it starts off with a narrative deposition to set the series up (not matching how the original ended) and just starts in with new adventures. For it to be a direct sequel to an original,  you need to have more than just characters we can identify as He-Man/Skeletor/Keith/Lotor/Allura/or Teela.

Next, let’s talk about the length of this mini-series. This is still a bitter subject amongst Voltron fans because so much Netflix could have done more with it if they didn’t do four seasons that were  6/7 episodes. We can all agree that with the “story telling” they wanted to do, just five episodes just were not enough for the first part and potentially the second part. The amount of time needed to portray the journey from Adam’s death to Skeletor taking the power sword and becoming Skelegod could have easily been an entire season. Even 9-10 episodes would have been acceptable with the proper writing that wasn’t going for deliberate shock value goals or “shipping.”

With a 9-10 episode first part, they could have given everyone what they wanted. They could have had He-Man solidly in the first 3 episodes killing him off in the 3rd in such an emotional way it would leave us old-timers not only devastated but eager for more. Use episode 4 to transition into a dying magical world trying to survive with the loss of He-Man and Skeletor and set up the following episode where we see Teela and Andra meet, rather than “next episode we meet Teela and her ‘friend’ Andra on a practically dead world.” Hell, if this was supposed to be a series which wanted to emotionally cripple old timers like me, I’d have been fine if were three season 13 episode series where He-Man dies at the very end of season 1, season 2 picks up with the aftermath of his death, and season 3 is He-Man’s return to defeat Skeletor.

Let’s now talk about the plotholes in this series which tie together with the amount of episodes. These are the biggest things that damage the series the most! The biggest plothole and the most important one is “SPAN OF TIME!” How long has it been since Prince Adam’s death and we see Teela with Andra - days/weeks/months/years - WHAT?! When did they meet? Where did they meet? What happened to Eternos? Did King Randor go all Mad-King Targarian or was Eternos get sacked and destroyed now that He-Man was no longer there to protect its people? Did King Randor put a bounty on Teela’s head for leaving? Remember she was a sworn member of the guard to the King. I doubt he would have just let her leave unless he had a good reason not to go after her. What happened to all the other Masters - Clamp Champ/Ram-Man/Stratos/Buzzoff/Tusk Man and many others in the aftermath of Adam’s death? These are questions and things fans should have been focusing on rather than “will Teela and Andra be together?” Kevin Smith said this series had what others didn’t... STAKES. What are those stakes?

Speaking of Teela and Andra and I know this will be a touchy one for most. I feel that their dynamic is directly done to “queerbait” people. Now I am not saying we can’t have LGBT couples in series, it’s just that writers either need to commit to establishing these couples or not at all. Only doing glimpses or hints at, is for a lack of a better term a Kobayashi Maru - (a No Win Scenario for the Non-Star Trek fans) like it was with Shiro in Voltron Legendary Defender. And if and when this blows up in their faces, like it did the Voltron writers, they have no one to blame but themselves. 

Star Trek Lower Decks like every other Star Trek since “The Next Generation” have no qualms in establishing certain characters as LGBT. It is how you do it, and many of these shows need to follow the example from Star Treks TNG/DS9/VOY/LD. This series are a clear testament that you can have Straight/Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual relationships without “queer-baiting” or overtly shoving it in people’s faces.

The writers have made it clear that there is something between Teela and Andra but while also making it clear there is still something between her and Adam. Which regardless of how part 2 ends is liable to upset the fans they “catered” this series to. Who do you make happy and who do you ostracize? And with today’s social media are you going to handle the backlash of giving one and not the other? I personally would prefer Teela and Adam to be what kids today call “Endgame,” but ever since the Keith & Allura tradition was soundly destroyed in Season 2 of Netflix’s Voltron, that when it comes to Netflix series I just simply don’t care anymore who ends up with who, I want a well thought-well developed story. 

The character designs of Teela/Andra/Evil-Lyn I understand they wanted a more “modern” realistic feel to them, which I am neither for nor against. Because let’s face it spandex-clad or barely covered barbarian fantasy women with chainmail is a product of the 70s/80s/90s. It is alright to have modern designs for characters but not too modern. Especially when we have shows like Game of Thrones and others to draw references from.

I do admit, I am not a fan of Teela’s design. I understand the reasoning is to make her a “Strong Female Character” but there is more to being a strong female character than looking strong. Strength is also one’s character, how they grow and develop. Teela’s stubbornness, fear, and anger at her “past life” are preventing her growth. If this is the way they portray a strong female character then they have no business doing so. 

Kimberly Brooks’ Allura is a far stronger woman than this Teela ever will be. The burdens she shouldered, admitting she was wrong and not gloating when she was correct, the forgiveness of a race responsible for the genocide of her’s, being a diplomat while also being a warrior, sacrificing her well being for others all contributed to her growth from “Princess who just woke up” to Strong Female Character by the end of Season 6. 

Teela understandably was hurt by the lies that filled her life. Sure she built a life away from those lies, but she was running away from them. Rather than confront the reason why she became bitter and ran away essentially. She was only forced to confront those lies to save Eternia and the universe and even then there really wasn’t any humility about it. Instead, it is all about her. Not once in this series have I seen growth for Teela’s character like Legendary Defender’s Allura, and let me be perfectly blunt - I had no love for Allura after Season 2. Not once did she admit she was wrong or apologize. Not once was she willing to sacrifice her life for the greater good - instead she was willing to let the whole universe die because of the lies she was fed her life. 

Now let me address the whole Race-Bending “controversy.��� As with the new designs, I am neither for nor against them. I understand the arguments on both sides when it comes to Andra and King Greyskull. One side argues it appeals to young black girls and boys while the other argues they are being tired of being handed “Hand-Me-Down” characters. Both sides have valid arguments. But honestly, as an old Masters of the Universe fan, it took the so-called “race-swapping” of Andra for me to even remember her because she was never that important and even betrayed Teela for Faker in the Injustice vs Masters of the Universe comics and even then she appeared in maybe 5 panels at most.

Now King Greyskull, at first I was against, I’ll admit it but then I changed my tone looking at myself and my family. See I am Bi-Racial, my mother is white and my father is black. My father’s sister married a white guy and had 6 bi-racial kids. Two who in turn gave birth to white-skinned blond-haired blue-eyed kids. Had they gone the “bloodline” path Prince Adam could have been a representation of not just blacks, whites, but bi-racial and mixed-blood peoples. 

I realize this is coming out on the eve of that new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, which as a He-Man fan since 1984 (when I was potty training) I will give it a shot, maybe even write a review of it. But I still have my reviews of Godzilla: Singular Point, Pacific Rim: The Black, Star Trek Lower Decks, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2045, and other series to write on top of work and my family life.

-------------------------------~ Question and Thoughts Time ~---------------------------

As I mentioned above,  had many thoughts and questions which I believe were pivotal in the development of this series. Questions and thoughts should have been vocalized during the writing stage rather than fans asking them. These are of the first 3 episodes and some of episode 4. If you are a fanfiction writer who wants to explore these feel free to do so, I will be more than happy to read if they answer these questions and make the mini-series more enjoyable.

Keep in mind these are questions and thoughts I had because I am also an aspiring writer of my own fiction - that I am keeping close to my chest until I feel ready to release it.

Any true He-Man fan would question why is He-Man on a mechanical horse when he would be using battle cat

I do like the celebration happening at the same time quote-unquote He-Man is approaching Castle Grayskull it makes you think Adam is missing out on an important event

In the original series, Castle Grayskull had defenses that the Sorceress could call upon to confuse and combat an enemy who breached its walls how did Skeletor learn about the true secrets of Castle Grayskull when it should only be the Sorceress that knows of such secrets

If the Sorceress is so powerful and so smart why was she tricked by the faker He-Man he doesn't have the power sword?

I love that Orko is still a bumbling magician in Eternia’s realm. Shows how different realities have an effect on others

Adams entrance to “I have the power” let alone his playful jab at who “He is” should have been a hint to Teela

I do like the scene between Adam and Teela in the hall. It really makes you think that they actually are friends from childhood that grew up together and possibly have a future together.

My knowledge of the 38 years of the canon may be a bit shady now, but hasn’t Skeletor always needed the Power sword to get into Castle Grayskull like he always needed it in the comics?

They hinted that his mother knows he's He-Man and that she does reveal that he is He-Man after the battle. I know a mother knows these things about her child. But how did she learn Adam was He-Man and how did she not tell King Randor

Again how did Marlena know He-Man was her son and not tell her husband?

King Randor’s response is feasible but Teela’s response, because everyone lied to her is understandable - but she's a warrior. She is also a sworn captain of the royal guard, sworn to the King. She can’t just quit like that, can she?

How much time has passed between the death of Adam and when we see Teela with Andra

What has happened to the Royal Family in this time? What about Eternos? Has King Randor and Marlena revealed that he-man was their son Prince Adam? With He-Man out of the picture Has Eternos Fallen? Did Randor go all Mad-King Targaryen and become a ruthless tyrant?

What has happened to all of the other Masters? Ram-Man/Buzzoff/Clamp Champ/Fisto/Stratos/ and so many others? Were they killed off? Did they disband? Or were they exiled, WHAT?!

What about Snake-Mountain? What happened in the aftermath of Skeletor’s apparent death? Did Triclops and Beastman betray Evil-Lyn?

How did Teela meet Andra? What is the “When, where, and how” behind their meeting? What did she do to gain Teela’s trust when she felt betrayed by the world?

What is Andra’s background or history in this series besides being an engineer?

When old hag gives Teela and Andra their mission you can obviously tell it's evil-lyn

He-Man flashbacks are kind of nice but it would have been nice to have a build-up for such flashback or have a series season before his demise with such flashbacks that way it could be more poignant

I do like the idea of Triclops and Trap-jaw building a technical but what put them on the path for this techno cult

The cult kind of feels like the Borg as much as I like the idea of Trap-jaw and Triclops making a cult I don't know how I feel about it being Borg-like

This may be controversial but Andra feels like the stereotypical POC Rooky sidekick you see join the main character on their quest.

Like Grace Randolph said this whole Teela/Andra angle may come up and bite everyone in the ass later on if they don’t follow through which will piss off all the old-time fans and if they don’t follow through with the Teela/Andra angle and make Prince Adam/Teela are a couple then all the LGBTQ fans will be pissed off about that

I can already foresee it happening just like it did with Voltron Legendary Defender with Shiro being gay and his ex-partner Adam being killed in combat

We do get a hint of what the king did after the final battle but still what happened in that time after Prince Adam was killed? Did king Randor go off the deep end and become a dictator, what? These are questions that needed to be asked and answered during the writing stage

When did Evil-Lyn, Cringer, and the Sorceress make an alliance to save what little magic is left and in essence the entire universe?

I have the suspicion that was the Sorceress finally trying to tell Teela she's her mother Ford Shadows that the Sorceress is going to die and Teela is going to take her place

Did Teela really name Cringer, or was it something to boost her up in this mini-series?

Did cringer really tell Tela the Adam loved her?

Thus Begins the quest to reforge the sword to go to heaven and hell to get the parts and rebuild the Power sword thus queue Duncan

How much time has passed between the end of the previous episode and the beginning of this new one?

How is time measured on Eternia? 

If Skeletor truly wanted to kill He-Man why didn't you take his power sword when he was shackled up?

Kevin Conroy is ma as Mermaid Man if he gets more roles as mermaid man he might grow on me

Instead of gloating, why didn’t they take He-Man’s sword if it was their prize all along?

Typical 80s cartoon ponds very nice

If Evil-Lyn preached that Man-at-Arms was the most dangerous man in Eternia why didn't they act like it why did they act like He-Man was the most dangerous one?

I do love the jobs both Teela and Evil-Lyn take at each other because they are pretty much the same. Evil-Lyn is Skeletor’s version of the Sorceress and Teela is practically He-Man sorceress when she accepts her destiny.

Teela has seen her father fight hundreds of times how could you not recognize his fighting style?

I like how beast man's loyalty never swayed from evil when I also like Kevin Michael Richardson parentheses? As Beastman I thought I would like him as King Grayskull but I I do like him as beast man

Orko like Castle Grayskull does provide a little hint as to King Randor’s reaction to Prince Adam’s death. I feel this is something they should have put into the series

I feel that all of Orko's scenes in episode 3 and my Following episode 4 are tainted because of Kevin Smith revealing he gets killed and why he decided to have Oracle killed

Why should Beastman show a little fear to Andra who is she to him?

I like that you can still see that Man at Arms still loves the Sorceress and I also find it funny that when it comes to that one huge secret something always gets in the way

Again I hate how they portrayed the span of time in this? 

How did they go from a Forest Village so halfway across the world?

Something's been nagging me lately could Evil-Lyn be related to both Teela and the Sorceress somehow?

It could be a reference to how similar the Figures were in the 80s but in some scenes, Teela and Evil-Lyn’s facial structures look almost identical could you be separated sisters?

The further this point it's funny how Evil-lyn and Kela can just cut through the bullshit between their infatuation with He-Man and Skeletor

Again what time something happened between evil-lyn and Merman we don't know what just that he seems bitter that she didn't take over the land while he took a while he tried to take over the seat

It seems that there are undertones to a massive war and the wake of Prince Adam’s death.

I kind of like how even evil-lyn kind of shows that she may be afraid of subterranean

With half of part 1 ended could Skeletor have them influencing her? Why did she have to retrieve the Havoc staff head?

How does Evil-Lyn know so much about the Subterranea?

Teela facing a false He-Man could be a hint of her feelings for Adam. But I think it would be more of a visceral scene if it was Prince Adam and not He-Man.

Was that a hint of Teela becoming the new sorceress? 

Scenes between Orko and Lyn were a nice touch. Maybe a better connection between Orko and Lyn than Teela, He-Man, and the others?

Orko’s sacrifice could be the beginning of the Dark-Orko storyline?

Was that the Sorceress’ most recent ancestor, Teela’s Grandmother or GREAT-Grandmother?

Why didn’t Adam finish the chant? If Kevin Smith borrowed aspects from everything relating to He-Man, then why didn’t Adam finish the chant? A few times Adam has been run through in which he could finish the chant to become He-Man.

If Teela is such a badass, why didn’t she attempt to stop a reconstituting Skeletor from stabbing Adam?

Really Andra? You are going to sass Skeletor? He doesn’t know you and would sleep like a baby dispersing you. You are nothing to him, you are lucky he didn’t decide to run you through with the power sword.

And really Skeletor? Because no woman could love a face like your’s? Thats your motivation?

[jbbarnesnnoble]

Hello lovely humans!

I’ve recently hit the 500 follower milestone and want to celebrate with another challenge! This time, dark fics are welcome! 

I have a lot of prompts here and what doesn’t get used will probably be put aside for a future challenge. I like to make sure there is a wide array of prompts to be chosen from and tend to go overboard. Whoops. 

The Rules: 

1. Use the hashtag #JBBNN500 

2. Dark fics are welcome - Just be sure to utilize trigger warnings and indicate that it is a dark fic. 

3. Even if you aren’t writing a dark fic, use trigger warnings if the content warrants it. If you write something that has heavier themes, like those that delve into mental health topics, be sure to label it appropriately. 

4. Selecting Prompts: Just let me know which one you want to do! 2 people per prompt! Tell me which subheading and the number of the prompt so I can mark it down! If it’s a lyric prompt, please give me the song and the number! 

5. You don’t have to be following to participate! 

6. Deadline: January 11, 2021

Yes, I’m giving about 3 months for this. January 11 also happens to be my birthday, so I figured that would be a good date to choose. 

The subheadings are: dialogue prompts, sentence prompts, quotes from popular media, and song lyrics!

Find the prompts under the cut! 

Dialogue Prompts

“Life is made up of maybes and regrets. I don’t want this to be one of them.”

“You can’t do this. It’s my choice to make, and mine alone. If you don’t agree with it, the door is there. Feel free to use it.”

“I used to be afraid of the dark, you know. Until I learned that the real monsters thrive in the light.” 

“So, what you’re saying is if I gave you a nickel, you’d do it.”

“No, I don’t know how the cheese got there, and honestly, I don’t think I want to know.” 

“You’re sounding more like a cult leader every time you open your mouth. Don’t think I’ll be accepting any Flavor Aid from you anytime soon.” 

“How did you...you know what, I’m going to forget I saw a thing, and go read a book. Or bathe in Holy Water. Or both. Both is good.” 

“If you say one more word I swear--” “One more word” “I hate you” 

“You can’t come in here singing my favorite song and expect forgiveness, that���s not how this works!”

“No. You mean nothing to me. You never did. You never will.” 

“But if it did, it would work and you can’t convince me otherwise.” 

“You are simultaneously the smartest and least intelligent person I have ever meant. Truly, an amazing accomplishment.” @bonkywobble​

“Next thing you’re going to say is that ghosts are real...please tell me that’s a joke” 

“All I’m saying is, I could do that blindfolded.” 

“But why was there pizza on the ceiling?” 

“If you write me a four thousand word essay on why you think that’s a good idea, then sure.” 

“I didn’t think you were serious. Do you know how illegal this is?!” 

Sentence Prompts

Feel free to change the pronouns used to suit your needs, even if they aren’t bracketed! You can also change the tense if you need to! 

The January rain fell, feeling like razors against [your/her/their] skin as [you/she/they] stared out over the horizon.

This was it, the moment where life as [you/she/they] knew it ended.

 [His/her/their] gaze fell on [her/you], like a lion circling its prey. 

You never thought that it would come to this, come to being the one to end it all. 

You took a moment to calculate [his/her/their] next move, figuring out the perfect counter. 

Hanging by your ankles from a tree was most definitely not how you planned on spending your Saturday. 

Glancing around the room at the decor, one thing was obvious: it was [his/her/their] doing. 

Hurt was the only thing you felt, the only thing you could cling to in this abyss.

Lies, it had all been lies and they were crumbling around you. 

The screech of tires on the pavement sent a shiver down your spine.

He/She used to love this time of year, the beauty of it all. 

It was like climbing Everest: ambitious, dangerous, and maybe a little insane. 

Forgiveness was not something you were willing to offer so freely, not this time. 

Chaos may as well have been the code name of this mission. @nekoannie-chan​

Silence was your new best friend, one that never seemed to leave you alone.

That smile, that smile was something you could get used to waking up to every day. 

Your face twisted in disgust as you realized what you had fallen into.

You were beginning to wish you had taken [him/her/them] up on that trip to Madrid. 

Quotes from Popular Media:

With these prompts specifically, you can use the full thing, paraphrase, etc, since some of them are quite long, or just write something based off an idea it sparks. 

“There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero... never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith. Ain't that a bitch.” -Epsilon, Season 13, Red vs Blue 

“We're so arrogant, aren't we? So afraid of age, we do everything we can to prevent it. We don't realize what a privilege it is to grow old with someone. Someone who doesn't drive you to commit murder or doesn't humiliate you beyond repair.” - Daniel, P.S I Love You 

“After centuries of men looking at my tits instead of my eyes and pinching my ass instead of shaking my hand, I now have the divine right to stare at a man's backside with vulgar, cheap appreciation if I want to!” - Denise, P.S. I Love You

“Life isn't just death. Don't ignore the living.” - Vada Sultenfuss, My Girl

“Life's full of barbaric customs. But I hope they all end with a kiss like that.” - Vada Sultenfuss, My Girl 

"You're a little scary sometimes, you know that? Brilliant ... but scary." - Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 

"I’ll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I’m not there." - Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 

“Sweetie, this is one of those times when I know what's right and everybody else is confused.” - Angela Montenegro, Bones, Season 3 

“Oh, God. I'm in the middle of something, aren't I? Oh, look! Dead guy!” - Cam Saroyan, Bones, Season 5

“Don’t make it sound trivial when you know it isn’t. You keep talking about how we just need a little more time, but you’re not the one having to struggle.” -Nora, RWBY, Volume 7

“It's called survival. But I forgot, you two at best are functional morons.” - Crowley, Supernatural, Season 5, Episode 10

“I once had to judge a tighty-whitey contest for Lambda Kappa Pi. Trust me, I can handle anything.” - Elle Woods, Legally Blonde 

“How were we supposed to know? It's not like we run background checks on all her boyfriends.” - Kathryn Kennish, Switched at Birth

“Don’t try to get on my good side. I no longer have a good one” - Ouiser, Steel Magnolias 

“I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.” - Shelby, Steel Magnolias 

“You have the handwriting of a serial killer” - Clairee, Steel Magnolias 

“I didn’t know if you would hire someone who might be married to someone who may or may not be a criminal” - Annelle, Steel Magnolias 

Lyric Prompts

What Do You Think Of - Lauren Alaina ft. Lukas Graham

What do you think of when you think of me?

When you look back on us what do you see? Is it the good times, is it the bad times, is it somewhere in between? 

I can’t even drive down 8th Avenue because the whole damn town reminds me of you

Hurts to Know - 1551

But you stayed when I made another promise to keep

And you waited and waited for the life you saw in your dreams 

You walk in and begin to try to heal me again, but each night is a fight that’s getting harder to win.

Sick - 1551

Everyone I meet feels like another target

I’m feeling sick, I’m feeling twisted, I wasn’t home before this feeling existed 

I never knew that wrong could feel so right

seven - Taylor Swift

Sweet tea in the summer, cross your heart won’t tell no other, and though I can’t recall your face, I still got love for you

Passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long

I think your house is haunted, your dad is always mad and that must be why 

We’ll hide in the closet, and just like a folk song, our love will be passed on 

the last great american dynasty - Taylor Swift

How did a middle class divorcee do it? 

The wedding was charming, if a little gauche 

And they said “There goes the last great American dynasty. Who knows if she never showed up what could have been.” 

epiphany - Taylor Swift 

With you I serve, with you I fall down 

Something med school did not cover

And some things you just can’t speak about 

Chapters - Brett Young

Chapter one, I was raised on the Dodgers 

There’s no perfect life, you can’t hold back time

Everybody expecting perfection 

Things change in the blink of an eyelid, guess my body knew way more than I did

The Daughters - Little Big Town

Girl, know your place, be willing and able 

Girl, watch your mouth and watch your weight

Pose like a trophy on a shelf, and dream for everyone but not yourself

I wash the dishes, feed the kids, and clean up all this mess, do my best, forgive myself, and look good in this dress

It Won’t Always Be Like This - Carly Pearce 

I remember how I couldn’t wait to get out of my hometown, now I’m looking for every excuse to go back on the weekend

I remember hearing the door slam, twenty-two, didn't have a clue who I was, who I could trust, and who were my real friends

The heart won’t ache forever, no matter how hard it gets, it won’t always be like this

Next Girl - Carly Pearce 

You overlook a lot when he looks like that

He’ll charm your mama with that smile, hide the red flags for a while 

He’ll make you think it’s love, but I promise you it’s not 

Bar Back - Lauren Alaina 

You can have that coffee shop we went on our first date

I’ll give you back that sweatshirt, that one you know I love

I’m taking back that little hole in the wall, the red door sign saying “come on in y’all”

If I Was a Beer - Lauren Alaina

Honey you’re in luck, ‘cause I’m a fine, fine, wine. I’m a slow sweet pour, I can be a little bitter, but I ain’t a hard hitter, like a 30 from the grocery store

Waiting for Superman - Daughtry

She says “he’s still coming, just a little bit late” 

She’s talking to angels, counting the stars, making a wish on a passing car

If life was a movie, then it wouldn’t end like this 

Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi

When you hurt under the surface, like troubled water running could, well time can heal but this won’t

Before you go, was there something I could have said to make your heart beat better?

Our every moment, I start to replay, but all I can think about is seeing that look on your face  @arrowsandmixtapes​ 

Hard to Forget - Sam Hunt

It's kinda funny how I can't seem to get away from you, it's almost like you don't want me to

You’ve got a cold heart and the cold hard truth

Told me to leave all your things out on the porch on the swing

Oh you’re breaking my heart, baby you’re playing hard to forget 

This is It - Scotty McCreery

You can open your eyes

Can’t you see forever 

On top of the world here together

If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss, this is it 

Wish You’d Miss Me - Chase Wright

I was good for you, you were bad for me 

I was solid ground, you were broken wings 

I gave you love you gave me pain

You gave me hell, I gave you grace 

I knew all along that you were gonna leave 

What a Man Gotta Do - Jonas Brothers

I’m not trying to be your part time lover, sign me up for that full time @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad​

This Feeling - Chainsmokers ft. Kelsea Ballerini 

I lay out all my reasons you say that I need help

They tell me think with my head, not that thing in my chest

They got their hands at my neck this time 

I tell you all my secrets and you tell all your friends 

Hold onto your opinions and stand by what you say 

What Are You Gonna Tell Her - Mickey Guyton 

She thinks life is fair 

But what are you gonna tell her when she’s wrong?

What are you gonna tell her when she figures out that all this time you built her up just so the world could let her down? 

Do you tell her not to fight? 

Can you look her in the face and promise her that things will change? 

[enigmaticxbee]

✖️✖️✖️✖️ 5x06 Christmas Carol

The one where... Scully gets a call from ghost Melissa that leads her to her daughter Emily. Part 1 of 2.

Best: I’m pretty sure the first time I saw this episode was in a holiday x-files marathon on tv. I remember being curled up in a blanket on the couch late at night watching it. There are some cheesy elements of this episode but it has a very cozy, nostalgic feel for me, being set at Christmas, and with of all the dreams. Also, I caught up on the first 5 seasons of the show any way I could through vhs tapes, reruns, etc so it was all out of order. So there was also the wtf shock of: wait, Scully has a kid?!

Worst: Several months ago she learned that as a result of my abduction, of what they did to me, that I cannot conceive a child. When the fuck did she learn this, show?! Did Mulder tell her what he learned after Momento Mori and just leave out that he had some of her ova in storage? That makes no sense - the only reason not to tell her about the ova would be to save her the pain of learning about what was done to her when she was dying... So then, what? Did she learn this in the course of her cancer treatment? Maybe that would make sense, but in that case how would they trace the cause definitively back to her abduction? Did this come up in Herrenvolk/Reduxes and I just didn’t even notice because they gave it no emotional weight at that time? I don’t know, I give up...

✔️ Flashlights

❌ Woods

❌ Slideshow

✔️ Autopsy

✔️ Evidence Disappears

❌ Scully Misses It (actually Mulder misses it this time)

❌ Mulder Ditch

❌ Sunflower Seeds

❌ Voiceover

❌ Catch Phrase

❌ Scully is a Medical Doctor

❌ Mulder is Spooky

❌ Scuuullllaaaaayy! Muullllderrrr!

❌ Fox/Dana

❌ Inappropriate Touching (that I am here for)

✔️ Casual Scully (if you call slacks and a sweater casual 🙄)

✔️ Casual Mulder (that hat though!)

✔️ Trench Coats

❌ Bad Tie Watch

✔️ Glasses Watch: Scully

✔️ Taking! It! Personally!: Scully

50 States: California x6 (34/50)

Investigate: Apart

Solve Rate: 61%

✔️ Bechdel Test

MSR: 🐝

Goriness: 👽👽

Creepiness: 👽👽

Humor: 👽

Rewatch Thoughts:

I like that we get a Scully-focused episode where she’s the believer, the “out there” one others are giving the side eye to when Mulder’s not around. Maybe that’s why she hangs up without speaking when she calls him. She can defend her belief that Melissa called her from beyond the grave to others because she doesn’t expect them to believe her. It’s too tentative, too raw to expose to Mulder’s scrutiny. His belief matters to her - she couldn’t bear him psychoanalyzing her like Bill does.

I never really gave much consideration to the detective but... he’s actually pretty cute. And Scully’s type if Mulder and Ed Jerse are anything to go by.

Who is this Danny at the FBI that she’s on first name basis with?

I love this final dream with Melissa and the way their discussion of fate vs choosing your own path is echoed in All Things in season 7. And Melissa telling Scully that what’s really important in life is the people you meet along the way. Ugh, always wish we’d gotten more Melissa and especially more interaction between the sisters.

The tension in all of the scenes between Scully and her mom feels so real, such a lived in mother/daughter dynamic. Mrs Scully loves her daughter, and she understands her, which is why she pushes back at her silences and the way she jumps into this case seemingly to avoid her family.

The scene with the social worker is devastating. The tears in her voice... Scully: ... I’ve started to question my priorities since I was first diagnosed with cancer. I feel like I was given a second chance. Ever since I was a child, I’ve never allowed myself to get too close to people. I’ve avoided emotional attachment. Perhaps I’ve been so afraid of death and dying that any connection just seemed like a bad thing... something that wouldn’t last. But I don’t feel that anymore. I appreciate that she’s articulating this as a realization, a breakthrough, but just because she recognizes this about herself doesn’t mean that she’s resolved it. It’s something integral to the character. Think back to Beyond the Sea in the first season, or ahead to the Revival and what she tells Mulder in the church in the penultimate episode of season 11. I give some credit to the writing, but most to GA for bringing such a consistent through line to Scully’s emotional life over 11 seasons and 25 years of the show.

Emily is such a cutie. When she gives Emily her necklace... 😫

Episode-Related Fanfic Recs:

We’ll deal with the heavy stuff after Emily. Here are some lighter season 5 holiday fics!

Tree Topper by @scullyfemme - set pre-Christmas Carol. Mulder and Scully help Mrs Scully decorate her tree. Delightfully fluffy - there’s mistletoe!

They Kept Buying Me Drinks by Tabitha Jean/ @agirlcallednarelle - also set pre-Christmas Carol. Scully has a little too much to drink at the office Christmas party and Mulder takes her home. Light but with deeper undercurrents.