#modern magic: Saoirse

[not-your-chosen]

@sah1x1s gets a vampire for the soap because they’re both from Scotland!!!

———

It was… a formative time, being in LA for those eight or so years. Being something beyond normal for about two. Things were muddled back then, when she was first getting her bearings as a vampire. Thea made it better, but that was short lived. The grief of having a lover gone so quick still carried heavy in her body, in the way she walked on the cobbles of her hometown.

Turning right to get under the awning of the pub She used to frequent -if anything to just eat scrummy pub food while everyone about her age and older were drinking.- shaking off her umbrella and shrugging off the hood of the hoodie tucked under her coat. She foolishly didn’t expect the barmaid to be the same lady from her childhood but as soon as she walks in she was under her suspicious glare. “Saoirse?” The bar lady asks as she makes her way to the bar. “Saoirse McCallum!”

Saoirse is near tackled, a pitiful ‘oh’ knocked out of her by the hug. “Good to see ye, lass I’m sure you’re mother would say you’re a sight for sore eyes! She hasn’t heard a word from you in…”

“Eight years.” She answers as she’s ushered to the bar.

“Eight years, fuckin hell… she must think you’re dead by now!”

“Nearly.”

Looking over on her right she looks about the patrons, thankful that the bar was relatively quiet. Only afew patrons here and there, scanning the crowd she stops.

Oh no.

He’s… stunning, she can’t take her eyes away for more than afew minutes. This had happened with Theadosia too. The bastard that gave her this daylight disease seemingly passed down the trait of obsession. Beautiful people, beautiful works of art, architecture, music, even in her own experience, a very pretty Belgian shepherd could flip this switch making it near impossible to step away from a beautiful sight.

Then she recognized him too.

“MacTavish!” She calls, watching him turn. “You’re a right big cunt now, I guess that’s what you get when you join the SAS.”

[khorren]

Updated the character page again, sort of bringing things up to modern day / quick summary of such. Need to get a pic for Caoimhe, but should probably level her first :) https://khorren.tumblr.com/characters

Text below:

Aoife

7th child of the family

Guild Leader

Commander’s bodyguard + 2nd in command

Took the Commander job in Icebrood Saga

Writes stories, poems, and sings

Siobhan

Twinned with Roisin

Vigil Crusader

Smashy

Roisin

Twinned with Siobhan

Totally normal Priory member

Yep. Just a gal in the Priory

Nothing to be concerned about

Likes animals

Fia

Has different mother than the others

Has kinship with the Spirit of Darkness

Likes exploring caves

Vigil Crusader when it suits her

Isla

Fia’s daughter, grew up with dad

Doesn’t say much

Contract killer / sniper for the Whispers

Aisling

Adopted into the family

Sister to Saorise

Raven Shaman

Keeps Wolf close

Saoirse

Adopted into the family

Sister to Aisling

Research into Jormag went wrong

Slightly corrupted physically

Misses her dad :(

Astrid

Canthan heritage

Sister to Aesa

Knowledge nerd

Librarian

Aesa

Canthan heritage

Sister to Astrid

Jade Tech Engineer

Likes things that go boom

Saga

Former Wolf Shaman

Exiled from her village

Pretty bummed out about it

Trying to make things right

Kristin

Mountain life not her thing

Lives in the Heart of Maguuma

Frog dudes are besties

Orathali

Un-norny norn

Lives in Lion’s Arch

Joined the guild as administrator / book keeper

Decent healer. Crap fighter.

Serenity

“The Commander”. Now retired

Complicated family history

Lost her memories age six

Doesn’t know her name, so goes by many

Doesn’t like Ruby

Ridley

Found in the Mists. Spooky

Vigil Warmaster

Champion of Aurene since Serenity couldn’t bond with her

Ruby

Ooooooold

Like seriously. Made a deal with Grenth

Been manipulating the family lineage for decades

Still not a fan of Charr, with a few exceptions

Calixae

Ruby’s kid. Could come in handy

Whoops, has very little magic ability

Lives with dad in Ebonhawke

Involved with the Ebonhawke Peace Treaty

Prefers to fish rather than attend diplomatic meetings

Kensi

Old. Kind of been living in the Mists for a long time

Also made a deal with Grenth

Used to be a Warrior, used to be a Ritualist, now a Revenant.

Was a Reaper of Grenth for a while

Looks after dead family

Natalia

Sister to Sienna

Oops, killed a minister

Hidden in Priory for a while.

Sneaky sneaky

Learned more about shadow magic while hidden away

Fae

Natalia in disguise

Rainbows and unicorns!

Still serves queen and country despite everything

Sienna

Sister to Natalia

Got hidden away in the Whispers after Nat killed a dude

Paired with the Commander and follows her everywhere like an annoying shadow

Bit of a hardened badass which is a bit concerning considering she’s pretty young

Ordered to kill Commander if she works against the Whispers

Alexis

Twin sister to Maidson

Bandit/Thief living in Ebonhawke

Turns to Dwayna and reforms herself

Priory nerd, Friend to Zephyrites + Crystal Bloom

Has a totally normal nothing to worry about Priory girlfriend

Madison

Twin sister to Alexis

Bandit/Thief living in Ebonhawke

Turns to Balthazar and reforms herself

Loses her magic after the events of Path of Fire

Re-trains with fire within with Alexis’ help

General mercenary + helper in Elona

Kyra

Befriended the Ebonhawke girlies for bad times

Died in the Battle for Lion’s Arch (noob)

Got crazy dead people powers

Came back when the Commander snuck out of the Domain of the Lost

Made it everyone’s problem

Allianora

Kurzick family been living in Divinity’s Reach for a long-ass time

Likes Beetle Racing

Whispers gal

Cantha opened. Yay. Living there now

Xunlai

Is she real? Is she a weird Mists creature? Who knows

Gets stuff for the guild

Aloreca

Former pirate

Sister to Blixxie

Formed a krewe with Yhalea after abandoned in a mission

Yhalea

Former Inquest

Formed krewe with Aloreca after Inquest abandoned her

Whispers agent, but kind of forgot about it

Blixxie

Sister to Aloreca

Barely made it out of college

Kinda ditzy but good at running errands

Likes minipets

Viianna

Krewe member

Spends more time doing stuff for the guild

Liaison for Pact stuff since the others have the social graces of a shoe

Nokomai

Krewe member

Likes magitech, holo-tech, and jade tech

Magic gremlin. Could be part-chak

Makes minipets

Oxia

Leader of Ember Warband

Trying really really hard to keep the team functional

Got the team out of the Fire legion and into Blood

Oops, Blood leader went crazy. Allied with the guild.

Reyna

Member of Ember warband

Going a bit crazy learning her magic potential

Not a fan of authority. Will listen to Oxia though.

Prima

Member of Ember warband

Show off

Guns and Ghosts are cool

Amarilis

Mama Pale Tree wanted her to be Special

Amarilis didn’t want to be special

Has rocky relationship with Mama Tree and the Dream

Got rid of her Wyld Hunt

Had to kill her boyfriend. Big sad.

Lil grumpy goose for a while

Doing okay now

Khorren

Surprise! Mama tree tried to make another Special sylvari

Amarilis didn’t like this

Now mostly tends to Mama Tree and is a liaison to the Guild and the Pact in sylvari matters

Camdinn

Sneaky plant man

Kaidalis

Likes animals

Likes hitting things

Pact Commander who tends to animals used in warfare and keeps them happy

Teaghaann

Left the dream with Khorren

Looking for someone she met in the dream

Fights dragons to look for her

Listens to Mordremoth. Whoops.

Is saved by dream-friend! Yay! Happy gay adventures.

Brynndera

Helped Teaghaann and Khorren in the dream

Sleepy pod child, didn’t wake up til after Mordy’s defeat

Went looking for dream friends

Found Teaghaann, took her home and fed her soup til she was better

Nierithi

One of the first Sylvari to appear after Mama Tree got a bit better after Shadow of the Dragon attacked her

Dreamed of being a healer, wanted to do nothing but heal.

Came out wrong. Woops. Necromancer

Very sad about it. Never really went adventuring, stuck to the Grove and Caledon Forest

Barrier healing exists! She’s happy. Yay! Goes on Tyria adventures with her little minion friends and heals people with sand

Cosima

When Serenity died to Balthazar, so did Cosima. Serenity escaped the Domain of the Lost but Cosima lingered there a long time

Didn’t go back to her Tyria, but Serenity’s. Very confused.

Takes over role of Commander after helping save the world not get consumed by Void.

Caoimhe

One of Cosima’s allies in the other Tyria

Escaped to the Mists when Kralk started eating the world

Landed in a quaint little pirate town called Lion’s Arch. Uh…. That’s not good.

Aoife

Commander of a completely different non-connected Tyria.

Only has one elder sibling (brother) and no younger siblings

Studying under Havroun Wiebe to be the next Raven Havroun

Had a small corrupted by Jormag arc. Is kind of okay about it now. Kind of.

Sebastian

Brat

Keeps getting to places before Aoife much to her annoyance

Become besties during season 3 stuff

Absolutely no romantic connection to her, but the pair love each other like super platonic best friend soulmates.

[octaviasdread]

any girls! dark academia movie recs? i really struggle to find anything not about a group of boys (as much as I love them)

SO MANY!!! This is probably a far more detailed answer than you were expecting but this is a popular question and I want to keep a list for myself and others.

Feel free to add to it/give opinions. I've tried to give a tw for anything I can remember

Girls! Dark Academia Movies/TV Shows

Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

1950s Women’s college

Art professor! Julia Roberts

She’s legit the female Mr Keating of the art & college world

Feminism vs. Tradition

Maggie Gyllenhall x Ginnifer Goodwin; their characters were more than friends. Fight me.

Does not end how you expect

Strike!/All I Wanna Do/The Hairy Bird (1998)

MY FAVOURITE!!!

Free on YouTube under one of its various names

Comedy

1960s all girls boarding school

Young Kirsten Dunst

Group of girls plot to sabotage a merger with a boys school less prestigious than their own

Secret attic clubhouse meetings of the D.A.R aka Daughters of the American Ravioli (eaten cold, ew)

girls get political & advocate for their rights using ANY elaborate and chaotic scheme

TW: eating disorder, vomiting & creepy male teacher but the girls plot against him too

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

based on a short book I read for uni by Muriel Spark

1930s girls school in Edinburgh

Scottish teacher! Maggie Smith, controversial with a focus on romantic ideals

Spoiler alert, the liberal teacher is actually a fascist

Her group of fave students has cult- vibes and it’s fascinating

Picnic at Hanging Rock

1970s movie or 2018 mini series

Never watched either but I plan to

Wild Child (2008)

00s romcom every UK teen girl loves

Emma Roberts as the spoiled rich American teenager sent to a strict English boarding school

Plots to get herself expelled but oh no she’s making friends with the girls who help her

And the headmistress has a hot son, and he’s nice??? Double oh no

ICONIC SCENES

Everything! Goes! Wrong!

omg she burns the school down

Feel good, comfort, nostalgia

St Trinians (2007)

English girls boarding school

The kids are all criminals, no joke

So are the teachers

CHAOTIC

gay awakening for british girls

Art heist pulled off by school girls

Government tries to shut them down but oh no, the education minister & the headmistress are ex-lovers

Colin Firth x Rupert Everett in drag

Superior cast: Jodie Whittaker, Gemma Arterton, Juno Temple, Stephen Fry, Colin Firth, etc...

embodies the phrase 'problematic fave'

St Trinians 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold (2009)

Mystery, pirate ancestors, hidden treasure

omg Shakespeare was a woman

girls disguised as boys to infiltrate and rob the posh boys school

Villain! David Tennant in that ICONIC boat scene

Teen girls vs. ancient misogynist brotherhood

like the first film but MORE chaotic and BETTER!???

The Falling (2014)

1960s all girls school

best friends! but its unrequited love

Agoraphobic + distant mother aka mommy issues

Sudden death and the school suppresses/ignores the students grief, sparking mass hysteria & a fainting epidemic in the girls

Cast: Maisie Williams (GoT) & Florence Pugh (Little Women) & Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders)

TW: teen pregnancy, death, vomiting, underage s*x, sibling inc*st, past s*xual assault

READ THE PLOT SUMMARY FIRST

The Book Thief (2013)

Based on an amazing book by Markus Zusak

set in 1940s Nazi Germany

Daughter of a communist whose family were taken by the Nazis/died is fostered by an older couple who teach her to read & she paints a dictionary on the basement walls

Coming of age story about a compulsive book thief. No joke, this kid steals books from banned book burnings and breaks into the mayor's library through the window

Family hides the Jewish son of an old friend in their basement and he helps her to start writing about her experiences in the war

TW: death, bombings, WW2 anti-semitism

Mary Shelley (2017)

Overall good & roughly biographical

Pretty costumes and aesthetic

Modern feminist take on Mary Shelly in her own time period

So many INACCURACIES for the drama so don’t take it as truth

Percy Shelley slander and not all of it is justified

Cast: Elle Fanning, Douglas Booth, and Maisie Williams

The Secret Garden (1993)

Based on a fave childhood book

1901 colonial India & Yorkshire, England

Orphaned, spoilt & neglected girl sent to live with her reclusive Uncle in the English countryside

Gothic elements, mysteries, secret doors/passages/locked gardens

local boy with a flock of animals, magic, kids chanting around a fire and all around immaculate vibes

Happy ending!!!

Hidden Figures (2016)

African-American women as mathematicians for NASA

1960s space project

Women balancing a career and family obligations

Deals with racial & gender discrimination

Loosely based on the lives of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan who worked for NASA as engineers & mathematicians

Anne of Green Gables (1985) & sequel (1987)

Adaptation L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’ books

Canada (late 1890s/early 1900s)

Highly imaginative & bookworm orphan is adopted by a reclusive elderly brother and sister duo

Small town & school years comedic drama

Unrequited Enemies -> Friends -> lovers

Inspiring new woman teacher

Girls re-enact Tennyson’s poem and nearly drown for the aesthetic™

Dramatic poetry reading with INTENSE 👀eye contact👀

Writer! Anne & English teacher! Anne dealing with unruly girls school antics

Collette (2018)

biographical drama on french writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Collette

Victorian & Edwardian era France

More talented than her husband so she ghostwrites for him

Fight for creative ownership of her wildly successful novels

Affairs with a woman called Georgie and also with Missy, born female but masculine presenting

Cast: Keira Knightly, Dominic West, Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark)

Enola Holmes (2020)

Netflix book adaptation

Younger sister of Sherlock Holmes

Victorian era! feminism/suffragettes

Mother-daughter focus

Mystery, adventure, secret codes, teens running away & escaping from (and eventually fighting) assassins

Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, Fiona Shaw, Millie Bobby Brown

Ginger & Rosa (2012)

1960s England

best friends since literal birth navigating troubled teen years

poet & anti-nuclear activist! Ginger

off the rails but also catholic! Rosa

Shout out to Mark & Mark the gay godfathers we all want

family troubles 

TW: older man has an affair with a 17 yr old

Testament of Youth (2014)

based on WW1 memoir by Vera Brittain

young woman (writer & poetry lover) escapes traditional family & goes to study at Oxford University

abandons to become a war nurse

romance, tragedy and war trauma

Cast: Alicia Vikander, Kit Harrington (GoT), Taron Edgerton (Rocketman), Colin Morgan (Merlin)

Little Women (2019)

Writer! Jo & Artist! Amy

Mother/daughter focus and sister dynamics

the March sisters’ theatre club is *chefs kiss*

champagne problems edits of Jo x Laurie are a mood

Ambivalent ending perfectly captures Louisa May Alcott’s dilemma with the book the movie is based on

set in 1860s America

ALL STAR CAST and a Greta Gerwig masterpeice

Lady Bird (2017)

coming of age in early 2002/2003 Sacramento, California

all girls catholic school

writer! Christine aka Lady Bird wants to get outta town and start her life again at college 'in a city with culture'

Mother/daughter dynamics - so realistic!

I live for that Jesus car stunt & the nun's reaction

school theatre program

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein

Another Greta Gerwig gem

Beguiled (2017)

Virginia, civil war era

Girls school with only five students and two teachers left

Find an injured Union army soldier & bring him inside

Women & teenagers want his attention (v. problematic) before uniting against him

(tbh you'll either love it, hate it, or watch once & forget it)

Sofia Coppola film so its very feminine gaze

TW: violence, death, underage

Legally Blonde (2001)

No questions will be taken

Elle Woods was the blue print

TV series:

House of Anubis (2011-2013)

I know it’s a kids/young teen show but I still unironically love it

ANCIENT EGYPT!!!!

Modern day with Victorian era links to treasure hunters & Egyptian research expeditions (stealing from tombs)

Chosen one plot lines, curses, kidnapping, mysteries, secret tunnels under the school, elixir of life

Teens have investigate & protect themselves cus oh no the TEACHERS are involved in some shady stuff

new American kid at British boarding school is the actual premise not just a fanfic au

Nostalgic, light-hearted, funny, and kinda cheesy but I will accept no criticism

The Alienist (2018 -now)

Mid 1890s, New York

Woman’s private detective agency (Season 2)

Serial killer mystery

Woman secretary turns detective and teams up with a criminal psychiatrist and a newspaper editor to solve crime

TW: violence, child pr*stit*tion

Cast: Dakota Fanning, Luke Evans, Daniel Bruhl

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

Woman chess prodigy

1950s & 1960s

TW: drug & alcohol abuse

Gentleman Jack (2019 - now)

Based on the diaries of Anne Lister

Victorian Yorkshire, England

Upper-class lesbians

Confident, suit wearing! Anne Lister x shy! Ann Walker

Business woman! Anne running the family mines

Cast: Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster) & Sophie Rundle (Peaky Blinders)

TW: violence

Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)

bubbly/ambitious single mom + intelligent daughter

bookworm! Rory Gilmore gets into a prestigious private school and then an Ivy League college

Small town drama is comedic gold

Fast dialogue packed with pop culture and literary references

Comforting & nostalgic

TEAM JESS

Anne with an E (2017-2019)

Loose adaptation of L.M. Montgomery’s ‘Anne of Green Gables’ books

they completely change the plot lines but it’s still very good content!

Orphan girl with trauma and a love of books/poetry is adopted by an elderly brother & sister duo, bringing light and fresh ideas to a rural community

Feminism, girls writing club, lgbtq safe spaces, girls eduction, black/indigenous representation

Miss Stacy as THAT inspiring teacher

Aunt Josephine’s lavish gay parties have my heart

TW: creepy male teacher tries to marry a student, racial discrimination, indigenous assimilation school

Victoria (2016-2019)

Adaption of Queen Victoria’s life

Victoria navigating her political, royal, and personal life

Albert’s involvement with The Great Exhibition, 1851 (on cultural + industrial innovations)

Alfred Paget x Edward Drummond is exquisite

Gorgeous costumes and aesthetics

TW: bury your gays trope

Derry Girls (2018-now)

1990s Northern Ireland during the troubles

Comedy, episodes 20-25 mins long

English boy sent to an all girls Catholic school with his cousin

✨Dead Poets Society parody episode ✨with a free-spirited female teacher

Sister Michael, the sarcastic nun who hates her job & reads the exorcist for giggles

Wee anxious lesbian! Clare Devlin (plus her friends wearing rainbow pins)

Badass with bad ideas! Michelle Mallon

Main Character! Erin Quinn

Lovable weirdo who would fight a polar bear! Orla McCool

Wee English fella & honorary Derry girl! James Maguire

Dickinson (2019-now)

Loose adaption of the poet Emily Dickinson’s life

Set in 19th century Massachusetts, US

Historical drama with modern dialogue & music that works SEAMLESSLY

gives a great understanding of Emily Dickinson’s poems

💕Vintage gays! Emily x Sue💕

Theatre club, writing, poetry, dressing as men to sneak into lectures, love letters, teen drama, feminism, and an underground abolitionist journal as a brief side plot in season 2

Wiz Khalifa plays death in a horse drawn carriage

TW: opium use

A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017-2019)

Based on great childhood books

Bookworm! brother, Inventor! sister, and baby sister with sharp teeth

Mystery, secret organisations, orphaned siblings figuring things out & fending for themselves against the villain after their fortune

Adults either cartoon evil, comedically incompetent, or SPIES

Boarding school, library owner, scientific researcher, and theatre episodes

Ambiguous time period which is really fun to try and pin point

Killing Eve (2018-now)

Classic detective who has homoerotic tension with the assassin she is tracking down

British Detective! Eve Polastri figures out the notorious assassin MI5 are investigating is a woman, is fired & then put on a secret MI6 case with a small team

Assassin! Villanelle, a psychopath with a tragic past and a mastery of both accents & fashion

Woman MI6 boss! Carolyn Martens, head of Russian section

Travel Europe following Villanelle’s killings and escaping the assassins sent by Villanelle’s organisation

‘You’re supposed to be my enemy and moral opposite but omg you’re the only one smart enough to get me and why am I obsessed with you????'

🚨 GO IN FOR A KISS AND THEN STAB YOUR ENEMY 🚨

Cable Girls/Las chicas del cable (2017-2020)

Spanish drama set in 1920s Madrid

Four young women at a telecommunications company form a group of friends and help navigate the difficult situations they are all in

Secret identities, dangerous pasts, murder, crime, lgbtq couple & throuple, trans man character, feminism/suffragists

girls commit crimes for humanitarian reasons and cover! it! up!

UNDERRATED SHOW!!!!

Gorgeous costumes and set

Haven’t finished it yet and I’m catching up

TW: abuse, violence, death

Outlander (2014 - now)

haven’t watched yet but plan to

Woman time travels to Scotland, 1743

Rebel highlanders, pirates, British colonies, American revolutionary war

Time jumps between 18th & 20th century

[withafairy]

Saoirse sighed as she walked down a Dublin street hand-in-hand with Ben. They were here with Conor getting supplies for the house while Granny stayed and cleaned house and gave Cú a bath. While it was better than the last time they were here, she was still anxious to get back, put on her coat, and go swim with the seals again.

However, she perked up instantly when what looked to be a teenage boy walked past. She just knew that the boy was a fairy, she knew it, she could feel it somehow! But what was he doing here?

He was disappearing in the other direction, and she quickly broke away from her brother, racing after the stranger and ignoring the cry of, “Saoirse! Where are you goin’?” from behind her.

Skidding to a stop, she tugged on his shirt, looking up at him.

“You’re a fairy. Like me.” the six-year-old said bluntly.

@mythiicalmade​ gets a starter

[therealvinelle]

You or The Muffin made a post on your dream cast(s), but I’m not really familiar with those references/actors (with the exception of Bowie and Jean Claude Van Damme and Clint Eastwood I think you mentioned). Is there anyone you would choose that’s a little more recent (80s-present)?

Our dream cast.

Our dream voice cast, for those interested.

Fun fact, both those posts were composed together, so yeah we share these opinions. We composed this one together as well.

Keep in mind that this list is... well it's for Twilight as I would make it. Which means that of course we’re casting a Didyme, nevermind that she’s been dead for thousands of years, but Denali who?

And once again we’re disrupting the time-space continuum and casting big name actors you’ve definitely heard about as they were ten, twenty, or thirty years ago.

Alright, so newer and shinier Twilight fancast, this time with a few alternatives because decisions are hard:

Alice: ... Audrey Hepburn.

I'm sorry. I tried. I tried to be modern, but I got to Alice and originally we thought Saoirse Ronan, appearances be damned because Ronan is a great actress, only to realize Ronan should be Renesmée.

So we're back to the dream cast. Audrey Hepburn was a tiny, pixie-like, yet ridiculously beautiful woman. Like Alice, her growth was stunted due to prolonged starvation during the War, so she's the perfect casting in a way no modern Western actress is going to be. She was also an amazing actress, just absolutely magnetic each time she graced the screen. She would be a fantastic Alice.

Aro: A young Tom Cruise.

Cruise is an absurdly beautiful man, and at 173 cm he is the right stature as I could never cast a tall actor for Aro. He's a very good actor, so I'm sure he'd be up for it. Also, he'd look great with chalky petrified vampire makeup on. He'd pull it off. I want to see this.

Optionally: Cate Blanchett

Yes, she's a woman. But that's what acting is all about, you play someone you're not. It's more a thing in theatre than in film that men can play women and women can play men, but I say fuck the rules, we're doing it theatre style. And Blanchett absolutely have that enigmatic, ethereal, otherworldly quality I'd want for Aro.

Bella: A young Sarah Michelle Gellar

Gellar is a petite beauty, she is spunky yet adorable, and very charming, the people of Forks and the Cullens would very believably gravitate towards her. Most importantly she has the acting chops to pull it off. She would portray an amazing Bella.

Caius: Daniel Craig

The man is the right age, he's someone you don't mess with. Craig has perhaps a touch too charismatic, but he's good enough that I'm hopeful he could tune it down.

Carlisle: A young Leonardo DiCaprio

DiCaprio is ridiculously attractive and has a bad case of The Babyface™. Watching him try to convince people that he’s 30 years old and has adult kids would be absolutely hilarious, and very faithful to the books. He’s a talented actor, too, very versatile.

Optionally: David Tennant

Tennant doesn't look the part, he is handsome but handsome in that particular way when flawed features come together handsomely. He does however have the perfect charm, gravitas, and energy for the character, so I think he could make a great Carlisle. 

This is where the magic of movie adaptions come in - you’re not going to be able to translate directly from text to screen, that’s impossible. If you embrace that and make some bold choices, you stand to make a truly spectacular adaption. One of the reasons why the Twilight films failed is that they were too faithful to the books while failing to understand the spirit of them, whereas the TV miniseries adaption of His Dark Materials switched a lot of things up and is absolutely amazing for it.

Demetri: Robert Downey Jr.

Ridiculously charismatic and talented actors cast in bit parts and making them shine is a passion of mine.

Didyme: Cate Blanchett

Look, Blanchett had to be in this somehow, and we could think of no one more appropriate. She has too much enigma for Esme, is too womanly for Alice, and once the idea for Didyme was had it was hard to weasel out of. 

Cate Blanchett would be convincing as Aro's sister, as a woman who haunts her lover and brother even thousands of years after her passing, an enigmatic and divine woman who can never be forgotten.

Also she's my fancast for her brother, so this works out quite nicely. Why cast someone who merely looks like Aro’s actor when you can just cast the same actor.

Edward: A young Johnny Depp

Very few men are otherworldly beautiful. There are countless handsome men, yes, and many beautiful ones, but Depp has extreme and symmetrical features that come together beautifully. Robert Pattinson does too, for the record, so what makes me prefer Depp is the fact that he is an incredible actor. Pattinson is good, but Depp is the kind of talent who can power through even the worst scripts, give him nothing and he will give you the world. He’s on Al Pacino’s level, this man can salvage anything.

Emmett: Terry Crews

Terry Crews is a mountain of a man, he's massive. He'd nail Emmett's infectious cheer, too. He has a very symmetrical and attractive face that follows the golden ratio beautifully, so I could buy him being a vampire.

Esme: Anne Hathaway ten years ago. Ref one, ref two.

She’s out of this world beautiful and has the perfect Esme aesthetic. Hands down best Esme. The fact that she’s a very good actress helps.

Felix: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

He’s got the physique for the part and would be absolutely menacing.

James: Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt is a character actor who tragically got lost in the blockbuster scene. He’s good, he deserves cool parts. So yeah, Pitt as James. I think he’d be absolutely amazing for the part, it’d be the kind of performance where you can tell the actor was enjoying every second on set.

Jane and Alec: Child Dakota Fanning

Fanning was a good choice for Jane, it's just that she was slightly too old when she was cast (and they made her look even older!) and the screenwriters had written a different character than the one in the books (and not for the better - I’m all for changing things in an adaption! But, well, she was Marvel levels of bad villain). And as Alec is a bit part and supposed to be nearly identical to her, I’d just have Fanning play him as well.

Jasper: Clint Eastwood, every time.

Optionally: feels like blasphemy to even have an “optionally”, but here we are. If you somehow haven’t heard of the guy, then… er. No, sorry, I’ve got nothing. Know that I tried, though.

Marcus: Tom Holland

The man has such babyface, which fits since Marcus is 19.

Just Tom Holland, sitting around, looking young and depressed.

Renata: A young Natalie Portman

Yes, yes, Renata is a bit part, I know that, but this is my Twilight we're casting for so I do what I want.

Portman fits the physical description for Renata, and I find that description to be relevant to her character. She's a teeny tiny woman charged with protecting the most important man in the world, and gifted with intouchability. Portman looks is beautiful enough to fit the bill for a Twilight vampire, and tiny enough to stress the absurdity of this 5′0″ woman being anybody’s bodyguard, nevermind Aro’s.

Renesmée: Child Saoirse Ronan (Though Adult Ronan works too, she’s my cast for the hybrid gremlin period.)

She was an extraordinarily talented child actress, and she’s beautiful while odd-looking. I could absolutely believe I was looking at an otherworldly hybrid when looking at her.

Mostly I think Renesmée is going to be a very hard part for anybody, as the given actor will be portraying one of the most ridiculed characters in recent pop culture. It’ll take major talent to get the audience to care about Renesmée, but I think Ronan, if anybody, could do it.

Rosalie: Margot Robbie ten years ago

She’s out of this world beautiful, and more importantly she’s an incredible actress. She would be incredible for the part.

[into-the-daniverse]

Saoirse’s Masterlist

Their Tags

✨ Saoirse ✨ Saoirse Vibes | inspiration, quotes, pictures, etc. ✨ Art of Saoirse | commissions, gifts, etc. ✨ Fic of Saoirse | fic not by me ✨ Saoirse’s Playlist | we are more alike, my friends

Full Name: Saoirse

Nicknames

“Zydhessai/The Cold Darkness” by lesser demons/entities/beings, “The Bailitheoir/Collector” by the Laochra tribe

General Age: Unknown

Birthday: Technically also unknown, but for Modern AU purposes, September 2nd

Gender/Sexuality: Agender queer (they/them)

Astrology: Virgo Sun, Aquarius Moon, Scorpio Rising

Patron Arcana: The Hermit

Upright — introspection, solitude, self-reflection

Reversed — loneliness, isolation, anti-social

all other information + ship fics under the cut!

Important Relationships

Niamh, she/her — The Original Pirate Queen, and possibly Saoirse’s first friend and love, deceased

Aria Zaman, she/her/he/him — The Pirate Queen before Meredith, she was Queen for 25 years

Meredith Gwynsdottir, she/her — The current Pirate Queen for the past 15 years

Jacqui Laurrieux-Desroche, he/him — Saoirse’s close friend of about 15 years

Favorite Meal: Pastila

Favorite Drink: Eiswein

Favorite Flower: Siberian Iris

Magic: Unknown?

Saoirse is magic, in a simplified sense, they exist on multiple planes and realms of existence, so bending the fabric of the world around them is not a difficult task

However, they prefer to interact with the world around them in a physical manner, which is why they inhabit their human form 99% of the time, and why they choose to fight with physical weapons

When not inhabiting their physical form, their true form is described by humans as a “void with eyes,” something so otherworldly that they are impossible to describe in more detail, but in this form, they can act how they please, not held back by any constraints

They are virtually unbeatable in this form, which is why they were kept trapped for thousands of years in the first place by other beings

They can teleport from place to place, and through realms, able to visit the magical realm with the flick of their wrist, and step through the fabric of space to cross the continent in a moment (they can also teleport humans with them to other places and realms, though it hasn’t been described as a particularly pleasant experience to be teleported)

They are often considered a god or devil of sorts in some religions, usually those that originated in the West (around the Bulan Mountains) or the South (around the Snowcap Mountains) due to the legends surrounding the mountains and their formations

Other Skills: They can speak every language, or at least learn them very quickly, but their vocabulary tends to be about a generation behind or so, so they speak like a parent/grandparent when it comes to slang, they are a better baker than they are a cook, but they don’t do much of either, they can play any instrument presented to them

Appearance

Height: 6′0″ (183 cm)

Hair: Sandy/almost platinum blond with a slight wave, never sits more than an inch or so past their shoulders, usually kept down

Eyes: Sky/Ice blue, whenever they are engaging their powers, or their physical form is growing thin, their eyes will glow an almost neon blue

Details

Their original physical form was essentially just a copy of Niamh, the original Pirate Queen, but as the years went on, they slowly adjusted their appearance based on comfort/personal preference

They still largely resemble Niamh, but their body is different from hers, in size and a few key physical features—one being that their chest is flat

Their skin is very pale, but not translucent like some humans are, there are no veins to be seen on their body because they don’t have blood

Background

Arcana Universe

Thousands of years before the current timeline, around the dawn of humanity in this universe, Saoirse, more commonly known as Zydhessai, was the most powerful entity overseeing and roaming the world. Other entities and demons were threatened by their presence, and most of them banded together to fight Saoirse and imprison them in a collection of islands at the southernmost end of the world. They were trapped there for thousands of years as humanity and civilization grew, and the other demons and entities went off to feed on the new energy and emotions of humans.

About a thousand years before the current timeline, Niamh, a young woman who had left her people in search for power to protect herself and others like her, sought out Saoirse, having heard legends about them and their ability. She made a deal with Saoirse, that in exchange for releasing them from their imprisonment, they would in turn protect her, and all of her descendants under the name of the Pirate Queen. Saoirse agreed, and because the demons from thousands of years prior had not been able to account for the kind of magic humans would be able to harness, they were freed, and they became the Queen’s Quartermaster from that moment on. The islands they were trapped in became known as Ethari, the Queen’s home base, and what would serve as the foundation for her family and descendants to grow on.

Saoirse has served aside hundreds of Queens, and worked with hundreds of crews, and every one of them makes them a bit more human in nature. They still act very other-worldly, and it only takes a long glance at them to guess that they’re not human, but they are able to empathize with human emotions more easily now than before.

In the game timeline, they are currently serving aside Meredith as the Pirate Queen’s Quartermaster, and while they do not feature in most of the game timelines, they are present in my version of Muriel’s route, meeting Muriel and Alec multiple times along their journey and in the magical realms, as well as joining in the final fight against Lucio and the courtiers, and they do appear after Julian’s route, raiding the ship that Alec, Julian, Portia, and Mazelinka are on to sail to Nevivon.

Ethari Universe

I am not completely sold on them existing here yet (mostly I just want them to join Meredith in her own story outside of this universe) but if they do exist here it is as another magic user that the Scholars, Drago, and Syd are trying to capture, however, they are from a long-thought-to-be-dead group of humans that originated on the island of Ethari. Potentially in a relationship with Meredith, I haven’t decided.

Modern AU

Saoirse was born and raised in Tillamook, Oregon, and still lives there. Their family owns and runs a fully operational lighthouse, as well as a small museum/bookstore/cafe on the grounds. Saoirse’s parents retired and moved to the East Coast a few years back, leaving Saoirse in charge of the lighthouse. They usually run tours of the lighthouse for local schools, as well as work in the museum, and they frequent the local pub run by Meredith at least once a week to be somewhat social.

Ship Fics

✨ Saoirse x J.C. Sanlaurento | joirse

by me

Dead & Born & Grown

by @sunrisenfool​

Secrets Of An Ancient Moon Masterlist

Running Up That Hill

Human Behaviour

Like Real People Do

Portrait Of The Lawyer As A Young Man

Jules and Saoirse Above The Sea Fog 🍋

Corazón Ardiente, Corazón Sufriente, Corazón Sangrante

The Keeper

Power Couple

Foreigner’s God 🍋

Hands On Evidence For The Ever-Observing Quartermaster

[bookishintherain]

“There are spells for breaking and spells for mending. But there are no spells for forgetting.”

This book was captivating from start to finish. It starts by introducing you to life on the quiet island of Saoirse and you find yourself nesting in the midst of the small town life. There are hints of magic and mystery that fill the chapters and nothing seems out of place. Until it does. Suddenly, a darker side of the town starts unfurling, piece by piece until it all comes to a head. Spells for Forgetting does an excellent job of immersing you in the world of the story and the characters are very well fleshed out. I found myself rooting for August and Emery, and feeling the emotions that they felt. The ending was the best we could have hoped, though I felt it all resolved itself a bit too cleanly. Definitely enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it for anyone looking for a modern day thriller with a touch of magic.

[jadelotusflower]

July 2021 Roundup

Discussed this month: The Once and Future King, The Good People, The Secret of Kells/Wolfwalkers/Song of the Sea (aka "Irish Folklore" Trilogy), The Matrix Trilogy, the John Wick Trilogy, Space Jam: A New Legacy

Reading

The Once and Future King (T.H. White) - I've actually read this before, but it was a long time ago and I remembered very little of it so it seemed time for a revisit. Written between 1936 and 1942, this is a surprisingly meta retelling of Arthur and Camelot, very obviously and heavily influenced by WWII, with much academic pondering on the concept of humanity and war and ongoing conflict against Might=Right - looking to the past to try and understand the present. Some familiarity with the legends is assumed, White occasionally making reference to Malory, and there is a strange anachronistic feel - Merlin lives time backwards and talks of Hitler and other 20th Century references, White frequently refers to Old England and the way things were "back then", but also calls Arthur's country Gramarye, the narrative taking place an a kind of alternate history/mythology where Uther was the Norman conqueror of 1066, and yet reference is also made to the Plantagenet kings.

Comprising five volumes (the first four published separately at the time, and the final posthumously), it struck me on this read how each of the first four are structured around the childhood of a major player -Arthur (The Sword in the Stone), Gawain and his brothers (The Witch in the Wood), Lancelot (The Ill-Made Knight), and Mordred (The Candle in the Wind), and how their upbringing played a part in the inevitable tragedy of Camelot. In the final volume, The Book of Merlyn, it comes full circle as Arthur on the eve of his death is taken to revisit the animals of his childhood for much philosophising (at one point Merlyn argues at length with a badger about Karl Marx and communism.)

The Sword in the Stone is the most engaging, with young Arthur (known as "the Wart") and his tutelage under Merlin, being turned into various animals like an ant, a goose, and a hawk to learn about each of their societies (political allegories), and meeting with Robin Wood (Hood) and Maid Marian to battle Morgan le Fay, and the climactic pulling of the sword from the stone. This was of course the source material for the Disney film, although missing the wizards duel with Madam Mim (appearing in the original publication, but removed for the revised version).

The Ill-Made Knight is the longest volume and was honestly a slog to get through, because honestly Lancelot is pretty dull/terrible, and the Lancelot/Guenever love affair less than compelling. Ultimately it's Lancelot's hubris that dooms them - he is warned that Mordred intends to catch him out in Guenever's room, but he goes anyway, and doesn't leave when he tells her to, because he is stupid.

It’s no surprise that the female characters are given the short shrift, but there’s an uncomfortable vein of misogyny running through the book. To wit:

Elaine had done the ungraceful thing as usual. Guenever, in similar circumstances, would have been sure to grow pale and interesting - but Elaine had only grown plump.

And then later:

Guenever had overdressed for the occasion. She had put on makeup which she did not need, and put it on badly. She was forty-two.

Morgause (the eponymous witch in the wood/queen of air and darkness) is a negligent mother whose sole motivation is revenge, Elaine rapes Lancelot by deception, Guenever is hypocritical and shrill (but achieves a sliver of nuance in Candle), Nimueh is a nonentity, and Morgan le Fey is a monstrous fairy. If only White had turned his academic pondering inward and in order to examine the role of women in his worldview other than as damsels or instigators.

But Arthur also gets the short shrift - after all the focus in his childhood, he becomes almost a peripheral figure in the rest of the story until the very end, and we're not actually given much to show why he is the once and future king, other than that he tries to institute a slightly less brutal system.

Ultimately, White is more interested in philosophy than character, and so Camelot's inevitable tragedy feels more clinical than visceral.

The Good People (Hannah Kent) - If the Irish Folklore Trilogy (discussed below) is the beauty and wonder of Irish myths and legends interacting with the human world, this book is the cold danger of superstition and the devastating affect of folklore used as an explanation for life's ills. Set in 1820's rural Ireland, Nora is widowed and left with the care of her young disabled grandson Michael, believed to be a changeling. The local wise woman Nance, who feels the touch of "the good people" sets about to drive out the fairy from the child, believing that the "real" Michael will return, much to the growing dread of Mary, the teenage girl Nora has hired to care for him.

Here fairies are seen as a malevolent force, "sweeping" away women and children, causing bad harvests, and bringing death to the village - to be respected and feared. And then there's Nance, bartering traditional cures for ailments and troubles - some work, some do not, and some pose great danger. On the other hand, this is a remote village where a doctor must be fetched from Killarney, and only one priest who is less than charitable. Neither provide any help or support to Nora.

SPOILERS It's an upsetting read dealing with dark subject matter - grief trauma, child abuse and accidental infanticide, a kind of slow burn horror. If it takes a village to to raise a child, it also takes one to kill a child, as mounting fear and superstition moves through the population like a contagion, heightening Nora's desperation for the "return" of her grandson, and Nance's to prove her knowledge. It's an impeccably researched novel (based in part on a true event) but very unsettling - poor Michael is never really given humanity, and I feel this book would be hugely triggering in its depiction of disability and neurodivergence.

Watching

The Secret of Kells/Song of the Sea/Wolfwalkers (dir. Tom Moore) - I've been meaning to watch these films for absolutely ages, and I finally got to them this month. I’m pleased to say that the many people who recommended them to me were absolutely correct, because they appear to have been made to specifically cater to my interests. Some mild spoilers ahead.

I watched these in internal chronological order as suggested by @ravenya003, starting with The Secret of Kells, set in 9th Century Ireland where the young monk Brendan helps illuminate the to-be famous manuscript and befriends a forest sprite Aisling, under the threat of a Viking raid. Next was Wolfwalkers, jumping forward to 1650 Kilkenny where the English girl Robyn, daughter of a hunter, is drawn into the world of the forest and Mebh, who turns into a wolf when she sleeps. And finally we go all the way to 1980's in Song of the Sea for the story of Ben, who must help his younger sister Saoirse (a selkie) find her voice and bring back the faeries who have been turned to stone by the owl witch Macha.

Although the stories are completely separate, they've been described as Moore's "Irish Folklore" trilogy, and it’s easy to read a through line from Kells to Wolfwalkers in particular - both deal with fae of the forest, and Aisling appears as a white wolf at the end of the film (having lost her ability to appear in human form). I like to think that Aisling is in some way the progenitor of the wolfwalkers - after all, Kells and Kilkenny are less than 200 kms apart.

Song of the Sea is distant from the other two in both time and subject matter, dealing with selkies, creatures of the water. In many ways, Kells and Wolfwalkers feels like a duology, with Song more its own thing. On the other hand, an argument could be made for common fae spirit/s in different forms across all three films - Aisling is a white sprite, Robyn takes the form of a white/grey wolf, and Saoirse a white seal.

The strength of these films other than the folklore is the visual style - I really love 2D animation, and while I appreciate the beauty of cg animation, I often find in the latter’s focus on hyper-realism the artistry can be left by the wayside. These films not just aesthetically beautiful, but the art is used to tell the story - from the sharp angles that represent the darker or harmful elements (Crom, Vikings, the Town), to the circles and rings that represent safety and harmony (the Abbey, the forest, Mebh and her mother/the wolves healing circle, the holy well). The exception is probably the home of Macha, the owl witch, where circles are also prominent and represent magic, and this is often the case in folklore (fairy rings, fairy forts, etc).

Kells is the most stylised, resembling tapestries or pages and triptychs from medieval manuscripts, playing with perspective. I actually saw pages from the real Book of Kells years ago in Dublin, and remember them being very beautiful. We only get glimpses of the Book and the stunning Chi Rho page at the very end of the film, but the style of art is present throughout the film and particularly in the forest where Brendan finds inspiration for his illumination, and on the flipside his encounter in the dark with Crom Cruach, represented as a chalk-drawn primordial serpent.

This style is also present in Wolfwalkers, particularly stark in the way the birds-eye grid of the town often looms over Robyn in the background and in her work at the castle. The depiction of the forest has more of a storybook quality however, as does Song, where almost every frame resembles a painting, particularly the sequences of Saoirse's selkie trip through the sea and Ben's fall through the holy well.

Rav points out in her review that there is the ebbing away of myth and magic in each successive film, contrasted with the rise of Christianity/modernity. But there's circles and rings again, because while the ultimate power of the faerie world is fading away, the interaction between our human protagonists and faerie actually increases with each film. In Kells, we have only Aisling and Crom, in Wolkwalkers, we have Mebh and her mother whose ranks grow to include Robyn and her father, and finally in Song we have Saoirse, Bronagh, Macha, the Na Daoine Sídhe, and the Great Seanachaí.

Watching in the order I did, it does give the impression of the mythological world opening up to the viewer, gaining a deeper understanding and exposure as time progressed. On the other hand, that is also because the human world is gradually encroaching on the world of Faerie, from isolated settlements like the Abbey of Kells, to growing town of Kilkenny and the logging of the surrounding forest, to a modern Ireland of motorways and power lines, and industrialised Dublin where the remaining fairies have moved underground. It makes the climax of Song, with the fairies restored but returning to the land of Tír na nÓg, rather bittersweet.

I also credit the strength of the voice acting - the adult roles are minor but with greats including the dulcet tones of Brendan Gleeson and Sean Bean, and the ethereal Maria Doyle Kennedy (who I wish had gotten to do more). But the child roles are all performed so well, particularly Honor Kneafsey as Robyn, whose growing desperation and distress is just heartbreakingly palpable.

The Matrix Trilogy (dir. The Wachowskis) - I usually don't post rewatches in the Roundup, but I really, really love these movies. I will never forget seeing The Matrix at the cinema as a young teen, knowing nothing other than the tease of the enigmatic trailers, and just being completely blown away by it, and then becoming completely obsessed a few years later in the leadup to Reloaded.

It wasn’t my first fandom, but it was probably the first time I took fandom seriously. I was very invested in Neo/Trinity in particular as well as all the mythological/literary references that fed directly into my interests. I haven’t however gone back and read the fic I wrote, for fear that it is very, very cringe. I know where is is though, so maybe one day before the ff.net is purged.

This is Keanu Reeves at his most handsome, and while he doesn't have the greatest range (as many actors don't, although they don't get as much grief for it), when he's in the zone there's no one else who could do it better. He just has a Presence, you know? A vibe, and it compels me.

This is particularly present in Neo, a character whose conflict is almost entirely internal, burdened by the weight of his responsibility and destiny, both before and after he learns it is a false prophesy. He’s not your typical quippy macho action hero, but much like my other fave Luke Skywalker, is a character who is ultimately driven by love and self-sacrifice. I definitely have a Type of male hero I adore, and Neo fits right in there.

I also really love the sequels, flaws and all, because you know what, the Wachowskis had Ideas and they weren't going to deliver Matrix 2: Electric Boogaloo. Each film goes in an unexpected direction, and not in a subverted expectations ha ha silly rabbits way, but one that does have an internal logic and pulls together a cohesive trilogy as a whole, and how often does that happen these days?

The sequels are so…earnest, with none of the cynical cool detachment perhaps some would have preferred - at its core a trilogy exploring philosophy and the nature of prophesy vs choice, determinism vs free will, and the power of love. Maybe it can be hokey, and some of the dialogue a bit overwritten, but I don't care, there's so much I still enjoy even having seen the trilogy many times over the years.

Not to mention the great female characters - while I'm not sure any of the three strictly passes the Bechdel Test, we have Trinity and Niobe in particular who I love with all my heart. It does kind of annoy me that the Trinity Syndrome is so named, because it only applies in the most reductive reading possible, and Trinity expresses agency (and badassery) every step of the way, saving Neo just as much as he saves her. I mean..."dodge this"/"in five minutes I'll tear that whole goddamn building down"/"believe it"? Niobe piloting the Hammer through the mechanical line in Revolutions? Iconic. There are criticisms that can be made, sure, but the trilogy ultimately loves, respects, and appreciates its female characters (and important to note that the avatars of The System, the Architect and the Agents, are all white men).

Then we have the Oracle, who ultimately holds the most power and is the victor of the human/machine war. There's so much going on with the Oracle I could talk about it all day. It's that fate vs free will question again (“if you already know, how can I make a choice?”), but with the wrinkle of manipulation (“would you still have broken it if I hadn’t said anything?”). Choice is the foundation the Matrix is built on, the unconscious choice for humans to accept the system or reject it - the Architect can't control that, he can only manage it, and the Oracle can't force Neo onto the path she has set out for him, only predict the choices he will make based on her study of the human psyche ("did you always know?"/"No...but I believed"). But she plays with the concept of fate in a complicated web of prophesies for outcome she wants and trusting the nature of Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo to bring it about.

And then there's the visual storytelling - there is so much meaning in almost every frame and line of dialogue. The mirroring and ring cycles not only in the constant presence of reflective surfaces and central metaphor of the Matrix as a simulacrum, but the androgyny of Neo and Trinity, bringing each other back from the dead in successive films (and ultimately both ultimately dying in the third), Neo and Morpheus’ first and last meetings, Smith who is ultimately Neo’s dark mirror, the Oracle/the Architect, just to name a few. I just…really really love these movies? Maybe I’ll do a full post rewatch sometime.

I am however reserving judgement on the Matrix 4 - already there are a few things making me uneasy. Lana is the sole director for this one (Lilly is not involved), and Laurence Fishburne apparently wasn't even asked back, even though Morpheus actually survives the trilogy (as opposed to Neo and Trinity). But I’m interested, and don’t want to go in with any expectations, but rather ready to be surprised again like I was when I watched the first film (and hope I can stay away from spoilers).

John Wick Trilogy (dir. Chad Stahelski) - It was a trilogy kind of month! This genre is generally not my thing, as I don’t have a high tolerance for graphic violence and pure action bores me after a while, but I was in a Keanu kind of mood and I'm always hearing people go on about John Wick so I wanted to know what (if anything) I was missing. While still a bit too violent for my tastes, if nothing else I could appreciate the dance-like fight choreography, even if the worldbuulding is absolutely ridiculous - I mean, literally thousands of assassins across the world chilling in sanctuary hotels, supported by a vast network of weapon suppliers, tailors, surgeons, spy networks, etc? It’s silly, but hey, I was happy to go along with it.

What I do appreciate about Keanu Reeves, and this seems to be a common thread, is that even when in action hero mode (Matrix, Point Break, John Wick, and to a lesser extent Speed), he consistently plays a man who is completely in love with his partner/wife - like, completely, unapologetically devoted to them, and I think that is a big part of the appeal - it's that Keanu energy that is often the antithesis of toxic masculinity, even when in roles that would ordinarily rely on those tropes.

Wick is in many ways the spiritual successor to Neo - insular, taciturn, and even as he's dispatching death with clinical precision. Much like Neo, Wick is a character who is somehow Soft (tm) despite all the violence. I once listened to a podcast where they amusingly discussed the Reeves oeuvre as simulations of Neo still trapped in the Matrix, and it’s very easy to make the case here and imagine John Wick as Neo plugged back in after Revolutions, mourning Trinity and set on mission after mission to keep his mind active (and it would certainly explain why the guy hasn’t dropped dead after being stabbed, beaten up, strangled, hit by a car, shot, and falling off a building). It’s a fun little theory.

Stahelski was Reeves' stunt double and a stunt coordinator on The Matrix and there's plenty of homages in the visual style and reuniting Reeves with costars Laurence Fishburne and Randall Duk Kim (who played the Keymaker).

I did also find it amusing that Wick is also often referred to as babayaga (equated in the film to the bogeyman). Well, Wick is in many ways a witch who lives in the woods, just wanting to be left alone with his dog, and there is a supernatural energy to the character, so...I guess?

Space Jam: A New Legacy (dir. Malcolm D Lee) - I took my niece to see this at the cinema and it was…pretty much what you would expect. I thought it was fine for what it was, even if a bit slow in parts (it takes a looong time for the looneys to show up) and I wonder if they have the same cultural pull they had in the nineties (the age of Tweety Bird supremacy). But the kids seemed into it (my niece liked porky pig) and that's what counts I guess.

This time, the toon battle royale takes place on the WB servers, where evil A.I. Don Cheadle (having the time of his life chewing the cg scenery) wants to capture Lebron James for...reasons, idk. James and Bugs have to find the rest of the looneys scattered across the server-verse, a chance for WB to desperately remind people that they too, have media properties and a multiverse including DC comics world, Harry Potter world, Matrix world, Mad Max world, Casablanca world etc. Some of it feels very dated - there is I kid you not an Austin Powers reference, although it did make me smile that Trinity was on James’ list of most wanted players (skill: agility).

Unfortunately, nothing it really done with this multiverse concept except “hey, remember this movie? Now with looneys” six times, and the crowd for the game populated by WB denizens including the Iron Giant, Pennywise, the monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, Scooby Doo and the gang, etc. But still, it's fun, and hardly the tarnishing of a legacy or whatever nonsense is driving youtube clicks these days.

Writing

The Lady of the Lake - 2335 words.

Against the Dying of the Light - 2927 words, Chapter 13 posted.

Total: 5272 this month, 38,488 this year.

[fleshing-out-fodlan]

Saoirse

I’m planning to make a series creating students to attend Garreg Mach Academy along with the 24 main students, since we know from the explore phase that there are other students there.

Saoirse (pronounced sur-shuh) is from my previous post where I decided to add a purpose to the Talitean Plains. She’s a member of the family responsible for burying members of the royal family and maintaining the graves. So let’s get into it!

Appearance:

So I did draw her, but I’m not great at drawing so I decided to try making a pic crew instead. The main problem is that it’s very modern so basically this is what she’d look like in a modern AU. Pre-Time skip I imagine her having her hair in one braid over the shoulder then Post-Time skip I imagine her with a half up half down style, with the up part being braided and a Celtic style pin holding it up (google Celtic hair pins and imagine whatever one you want, I’m not picky). Then for her Post-Time skip outfit, I imagined her having an intricate traditional Celtic dress with some gold jewelry. Again just google it and take your pick of the dress. (In case you’re wondering why all the Celtic inspiration, check out my post on the Tailtean Plains)

Personality:

So initially I thought to make her kind of stoic and standoffish, then I felt that was a bit too stereotypical considering her what her family’s role is, so I decided to go for the exact opposite. She’s a very bubbly and happy girl and, unlike the main Blue Lions, hasn’t experienced any significant trauma. She’s perfectly content following her in her family’s footsteps and has never wished for more in life, which could be a blessing and a curse. She knows a lot about dead bodies like how they decompose and the best way to store them and loves talking about it with people and is always confused by people’s adverse reaction. I actually imagine that to be a recurring characteristic, she accidentally makes people uncomfortable and just cannot understand why. I also imagine she’d very difficult to scare and unfazed by bad smells.

Skills/Class:

I think she’d have a strength in reason and authority with a hidden skill in swords. Reason just because I see her being good with magic, authority because I think she’d be a bit of a natural born leader, and sword because I figured her class would be a mortal savant.

She’d have a weakness in faith, riding, and flying. Faith because she works with dead people so of course she’d be bad at healing and riding/flying mainly because I just don’t see her being an animal girl.

Relationships:

I considered out writing full out supports for  her but that sounds like a lot of work so instead I’m just going to summarize what I think some of her support chains would be like (maybe I’ll write out supports one day if I ever get the motivation). I think a Hubert support would be cool but considering Hubert has no supports with any Kingdom kids, it doesn’t make much sense so I won’t include that but just know I wanted to!

Dimitri: Considering her job, I think her and Dimitri could talk about some of his ancestors. She probably doesn’t know much about them, just how and when they died, but it could make for a nice bit of world building and provide information on how the royal family has ruled throughout history.

Mercedes: This is the support I’m the most interested in. We all know Mercedes tells amazing ghost stories, probably so good a few of the Blue Lions are unable to sleep after hearing them. But not Saoirse. I imagine their C support being Mercedes telling her a ghost story and expecting Saoirse to be scared but Saoirse’s just like “That’s it?” and points out Mercedes’ inaccuracies so Mercedes vows to come up with a ghost story that can scare even Saoirse. Their B support would probably be Mercedes trying again and maybe Saoirse explains why she finds the stories so unscary (mostly because she’s dealt with dead bodies her whole life so stories of the undead don’t faze her). I don’t know the exact details of the A support but it would involve them opening up a bit and then their shared ending would be a romantic one about how Mercedes’ ghost stories became famous throughout Fodlan and her details about dead bodies were eerily accurate...

Ashe: Well Ashe is scared of ghosts, so who better to deal with that fear than someone whose been around dead bodies their whole life? I think their C support would have Ashe being jumpy because he thinks there’s a ghost and Saoirse being confused because ghosts aren’t real. He’d ask how she knows and she’d say something like, “I’ve been around dead bodies my whole life, if ghosts were real someone would’ve haunted my by now.” I don’t know how their supports would progress after that, maybe she helps Ashe overcome his fear of ghosts?

Annette: We all know Annette is very hardworking, so I think she’d find Saoirse’s laid back attitude confusing. I think Annette would probably question if Saoirse has ever wanted more and be completely confused by Saoirse’s firm “No.” The rest of their supports would revolve around them trying to understand the other’s perspective.

Linhardt: I think Linhardt would want to ask her questions about crests and the dead. Like do crests impact the way a body decomposes? Is there any evidence someone had a crest after they died? What would the answer be? I have no idea, so I guess it’s a good thing I’m not writing out these supports. I think they’d have a (platonic) ending about studying crests and death together or something

Marianne: The main reason I’m including this is because I think it could showcase her character flaws nicely. I’m not sure exactly how the support would play out, I just think we need at least one to show her flaws. I think it would probably open with her making Marianne upset and Marianne subtly trying to get away from the situation but Saoirse not noticing, leading Marianne to dramatically excuse herself like she does in so many C supports. They would talk about each other’s problems and Saoirse would learn to pick up on the subtle signs that Marianne is getting uncomfortable. In their A support, this growth would be showcased by Saoirse noticing Marianne doing something (maybe looking away? Idk, the models have limited movement so it’s hard to come up with ideas) and apologizing for making her uncomfortable. They’d have an ending together (preferably romantic but Marianne has no romantic endings with women so maybe not).

[picturejasper20]

Since Steven universe is ending i'd like to recommend some shows/movies to watch.

Lilo and Stitch

The movie is about a broken family, Lilo and her older sister,Nani, who is struggling to find a job and taking care of Lilo. One day their life is turn upside down after meeting Stitch, an alien escapee who is trying to hide on Earth and pretend to be Lilo's dog in the process.

Why i recommend it: Like SU, is about Alien and human life coexisting. The movie is very comedy-driven but is also about Stitch learning what Ohana(family) means and how people can change for the better. Lilo is a little girl without parents who struggles to fit in with other girls of her age.

OK KO: Let's be heroes!

The series is a superhero show about KO who wants to learn to be a hero while training with Rad and Enid at Gar's bodega.

Why I recommend it: While is more comedy and lighthearted than Steven universe. The way the show is written is much like SU. Each character has their own arc. And there is this "there is much more than meets the eye" like S.U. The series slowly starts building it's own myth arc and exploring themes such as racism, bullying, letting go one's past,etc. The main protagonist is a sweet kid who likes helping everyone but hides a deep secret inside him.

Song of the sea

This movie is about Saoirse a little girl who discovers her mother's legacy and that she's a selkie: A magical creature that is destined to save the "magical world". Along with her brother,Ben, they must find Saoirse's voice and race against the clock before is too late.

Why i recommend it: Much like in SU, Ben and his father struggle to accept Ben's mother death: She dissapeared the same day Saoirse was born. There is a lot of symbolism in the movie. And has no real "villans", just people with good intensions that are misguided when it comes to helping others. The animation and soundtrack is beautiful and has a charm that is uncommon to find in modern animated films.

Transformers animated

Now you may be wondering. What does this has to do with SU? Well, let me explain:

The series is about the main protagonists who wake up after being 50 years on stasis on Earth. They start living along humans while fighting against the Decepticons. There is a focus on the autobots(the protagonists) learning about humans and taking care of Sari, a human girl who seems to have a special connection with a key that hides increible power.

The series also takes places in a post-war setting. So, some of the characters suffer from P.T.S.D and trauma, like Rachet. Most of the characters are defined by their past and mistakes the made along the way.

The series can be quite silly at times but it has it's dark moments as well. It's focus is on the characters growth.

Sym-bionic Titan

A very short lived series, sym-bionic titan is about Lance,Ilana and Octus, aliens refugees who were forced to leave their home planet after it was invaded.

The plot is about them learning to be humans while fighting against monters that are send to destroy them. The series shines when it comes to it's characters and the relationships they develop over the course of the series.

It also explores what is like to grew as a child soldier with Lance: He is the one who has the most trouble fitting in. He has lived as a soldier for so long that he doesn't know how to live a normal life. Even Octus, who is robot, starts asking himself what is he supposed to be and his purpose.

I forgot to mention that to fight a monster, sometimes they need to form the "Titan". Much like fusion in SU, they need to be on sync or the Titan will fail to work. This concept its used to explore their dinamic and personal problems.

This series is more violent than SU and can get pretty dark in some episodes. Just as warning for those who may be interested.

Now keep in mind that this is based on my experience watching cartoons. I choose the ones that remind me the most of Steven universe when watching them.

[doux-amer]

Here’s my top films of 2020 list! I didn’t get to watch that many last year, but it’s also hard to believe that I watched as many as I did (many of them I watched before the pandemic hit hard in March). That pre-corona time feels so long ago that I thought I watched a bunch in 2019, not 2020 lol. I also didn’t end up watching many 2020 releases because there weren’t many, a lot of them didn’t interest me, and I’m bad at watching movies at home.

Anyway, here’s the run-down in no particular order. 

❤️ = favorites and everything else is stuff I enjoyed.

Little Women ❤️  Me: Ugh, really? Do we need another Little Women adaptation? Me after watching Little Women: GRETA, THANK YOU. T_T<3 Saoirse & Timmy are phenomenal as two parts of one soul, Greta modernized this so well, the story was so resonant, and Florence! What a force. 

The Breadwinner ❤️  Such a breathtaking and heartbreaking film. Please, please, please watch this. This is a must-see, both for the story and the animation. So beautiful and poignant and so unflinching.

Pain and Glory ❤️  Contemplative and intimate look at love, desire, loss, and reconciliation. A love letter to cinema. ANTONIO BANDERAS WAS ROBBED. He should've gotten Best Actor for the Oscars. This makes me want to review Almodóvar's filmography. It's been 8–10+ years since I last watched anything by him. Maybe I'll appreciate him more now than I did in high school and college. 

Jurassic Park ❤️  I can't remember if I watched Jurassic Park as a kid. I must have, but I don't remember anything! Wow. So entertaining and holds up extremely well even now. Everything about this makes me want to yell about the magic of cinema! This captures that wonder and awe you felt as a kid embarking on an adventure. Plus, you know the OST is iconic.

The Half of It ❤️  Cheesy and clunky dialogue and acting at times, but this is the most genuine "from the heart" 2020 movie for me. It resonated with me on so many levels. PLUS, I AM ALWAYS HERE FOR HIMBO—LESBIAN BFF SOLIDARITY!

Memories of Murder ❤️  If you're a Bong Joonho fan (and Song Kangho fan!), this is a must-watch. Haunting not in your usual crime drama way but because you realize how screwed up people are (and by extension, society). A deep look at police ineptitude and brutality under the military dictatorship in 1980s South Korea. ALSO, THAT ENDING SHOT.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire Last movie I watched in the theater. A story about the relationships women have with one another. I constantly think about that quote by Adam Samberg lol. The ending will always stay with me!!!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Took me long enough to get to this. Didn't love this emotionally as much as I'd hoped I would all these years, but intellectually, I did. Makes you sit and think about inevitability, mistakes, grief, and moving on. And I love stuff about memories so...

Uncut Gems *Adam Sandler voice* This is how I win. I expected this to be way more tense so I was let down by that, but everything leading up to the ending in the jewelry store? THE ENDING? THAT SHOT? YOOOOOOO.

Ocean’s Eleven Fun! Holds up well and doesn't feel dated for the most part (other than some dialogue). Love how it takes its time to roll out. And you know I'm about heists and found families with odd couple/team parents dynamics. Wanted more excitement but still enjoyable.

[faraway-wanderer]

QUEER YA READS happy pride month here’s a list of lots of queer YA books!!

-          The Henna Wars- Abida Jaigirdar When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled—but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flávia, and realizes there might be more to her than she realized

-          Red, White and Royal Blue- Casey Mcquinston   First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.

-          You should see me in a crown- Leah Johnson Liz Lighty has always believed she's too black, too poor, too awkward to shine in her small, rich, prom-obsessed midwestern town. But it's okay -- Liz has a plan that will get her out of Campbell, Indiana, forever: attend the uber-elite Pennington College, play in their world-famous orchestra, and become a doctor.But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen

-          Tell me How you Really Feel- Aminah Mae Safi Sana Khan is a cheerleader and a straight A student. She's the classic (somewhat obnoxious) overachiever determined to win.Rachel Recht is a wannabe director who's obsesssed with movies and ready to make her own masterpiece. As she's casting her senior film project, she knows she's found the perfect lead - Sana.There's only one problem. Rachel hates Sana. Rachel was the first girl Sana ever asked out, but Rachel thought it was a cruel prank and has detested Sana ever since.

-          Like a love story- Abdi Nazemian It's 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing.

-          I Wish You All the Best- Mason Deaver At turns heartbreaking and joyous, I Wish You All the Best is both a celebration of life, friendship, and love, and a shining example of hope in the face of adversity.

-          The Falling in Love Montage- Ciara Smyth Saoirse doesn’t believe in love at first sight or happy endings. If they were real, her mother would still be able to remember her name and not in a care home with early onset dementia. A condition that Saoirse may one day turn out to have inherited. So she’s not looking for a relationship. She doesn’t see the point in igniting any romantic sparks if she’s bound to burn out. But after a chance encounter at an end-of-term house party, Saoirse is about to break her own rules. For a girl with one blue freckle, an irresistible sense of mischief, and a passion for rom-coms.

-          The Fascinators- Andrew Eliopulos Living in a small town where magic is frowned upon, Sam needs his friends James and Delia—and their time together in their school's magic club—to see him through to graduation.But as soon as senior year starts, little cracks in their group begin to show. Sam may or may not be in love with James. Delia is growing more frustrated with their amateur magic club. And James reveals that he got mixed up with some sketchy magickers over the summer, putting a target on all their backs.

-          The Dark Tide- Alicia Jaskina The Wicked Deep meets A Curse So Dark and Lonely in this gripping, dark fairy-tale fantasy about two girls who must choose between saving themselves, each other, or their sinking island city

-          Summer of Salt – Katrina Leno Georgina Fernweh waits with growing impatience for the tingle of magic in her fingers—magic that has been passed down through every woman in her family. Her twin sister, Mary, already shows an ability to defy gravity. But with their eighteenth birthday looming at the end of this summer, Georgina fears her gift will never come.

-          Sawkill Girls- Claire Legrand Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find. Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is. Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.

-          The Priory of the Orange Tree- Samantha Shannon A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens. The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tan�� has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

-          I was Born for this- Alice Oseman For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friendships, her dreams, her place in the world. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark too. He’s their frontman – and playing in a band is all he’s ever dreamed of doing. It’s just a shame that recently everything in his life seems to have turned into a bit of a nightmare.

-          Summer Bird Blue  Akemi Dawn Bowman- Bowman’s sophomore novel follows Rumi, a young musician plagued with grief and survivor’s guilt after her younger sister is killed in a car crash. Her mother sends her to liver with her aunt in Hawaii, and is also now mourning the loss of the music she would create with her sister and is unable to recapture her passion. As she navigates her loss, and feelings of abandonment from her mother, Rumi is also starting new relationships with neighbors, one a cute, easygoing surfer boy, and the other a irascible 80-year-old crankypants, while also becoming comfortable with her aromantic and asexual feelings.An immersive aromantic, asexual journey through grief and understanding.

-          Felix Ever after- Kacen Callender   a novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

-          The Stars and The Blackness Between Them - Junauda Petrus Audre and Mabel, Black girls who find romance just in time for everything to fall even further apart.

-          By any means necessary- Candice Montgomery By Any Means Neccesary dives into the intersection of race and sexuality through the lens of its main character, Torrey, a gay Black college student.

-          Her Royal Highness -Rachel Hawkins- When Millie Quint discovers her best friend-turned-girlfriend has been kissing someone else, she decides to get as far away from her as possible – by going to boarding school on the opposite side of the globe. The only issue? Millie’s new roomate is the actual princess of Scotland.

-          Tash Hearts Tolstoy - Kathryn Omsbee, Natasha Zelenka (Tash), is a serious fangirl of Leo Tolstoy and a rising YouTube star with her webseries Unhappy Families, a modern-day adaptation of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, and Vlog, Tea with Tash. When a famous vlogger gives a shout out to the series, it goes viral. Now she, along with the cast and crew, are finding what it means to be a hit sensation and are managing the adoration, and the trolls, coming their way. Tash, a romantic asexual, has had a long time crush on the hit vlogger star Thom, who, as her online popular grows, so does Thom’s attention. Amidst the fame and romance, Tash is also dealing with her older sister creating distance, her parents announcing a new sibling on the way, college applications, the impending end of the series, and the big “What’s next.”An asexual romantic comedy coming of age.

-          Full Disclosure- Camryn Garratt Camryn Garrett’s debut novel follows a Black, HIV-positive teen as she explores her first romantic relationship. There are few books that discuss what it’s like to live with HIV, especially those that are light, relatable, and told through the lens of a young Black girl.

-          The Black Flamingo- Dean Atta Atta pens a coming-of-age story about a boy accepting his identity as a mixed-race gay teen, but then finds a place where he belongs as a drag artist named The Black Flamingo.

-          Juniper Leaves- Jaz Joyner   Kinky-haired  Juniper Bray used to believe in magic, until she lost her best friend: her grandmother. Now this 15-year-old shy girl is headed to her father's research trip on a farm hundreds of miles away, with a family she barely knows and the opposite of a best friend, her new arch nemesis, Bree Mckinney. As if she wasn't miserable enough. Little does she know the next few months Juniper will discover magical powers she never knew she had, get a crush on a girl she never knew she'd like and well, quite frankly, save the world.

-          Crier’s War - Nina Varela ‘In a world where humans are dominated by superior Automae, one human girl called Ayla takes the role of handmaiden to the Automae Lady Crier in order to help the human rebellion. But to Ayla’s horror, she finds herself falling for Crier.’

-          Queen of Coin and Whispers  Helen Corcoran -When a teenage queen inherits her uncle’s bankrupt kingdom, she brings with her a new spymaster – a girl who only accepted the role to avenge her murdered father. But faced with enemies at every turn, the two learn to rely on no one but each other . . . though it may bring their downfall.

-          Huntress- Malinda Lo – Ill fortune has befallen the land, and two girls have been tasked with the mission of setting things right. As Kaede and Taisin journey to the city of the Fairy Queen, adventure and romance awaits.

-          This Song Is (Not) for You - Laura Nowlin- This is not your usual love triangle. Ramona has been in love with her best friend and bandmate Sam for a long time, Sam has also been in love Ramona. When Tom joins the band, he completes them. Now Ramona is starting to have feelings for Tom, and those feelings are reciprocated. Tom is a romantic asexual, whose asexuality is fully explored

-          Seven Tears at High Tide-  C.B. Lee – After Kevin Luong drops, yup, seven tears into the sea, he ends up rescuing a boy from the waters. It’s love at first sight for Morgan who, unknown to Kevin, is a Selkie.

-          Loveless -Alice Oseman- (out on the 9th July!!) Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day.As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight. But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

-          The Last Beginning- Lauren James-  (you probably need to read the next together first which I HIGHLY recommend) Sixteen years ago, after a scandal that rocked the world, teenagers Katherine and Matthew vanished without a trace. Now Clove Sutcliffe is determined to find her long lost relatives.But where do you start looking for a couple who seem to have been reincarnated at every key moment in history? Who were Kate and Matt? Why were they born again and again? And who is the mysterious Ella, who keeps appearing at every turn in Clove's investigation? For Clove, there is a mystery to solve in the past and a love to find in the future, and failure could cost the world everything.

[thebiasrekkers]

May Flowers Teaser List

For the @bangtanscenery​ - April Showers Bring May Flowers Project in celebration of the Spring Season!

Plot: Everything always comes full circle. A soul falls into the ether, hoping to be reborn in the next cycle. If a desire is strong enough, it can manifest across space and time. Two souls reunite and are given a second chance, hoping that their love will be rekindled even stronger than it was before.

Rating: PG-13 // SFW

Genre: soulmate!au | reincarnation!au | angst | romance | drama | fluff

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x Female OC (Erica Bronwyn/Bayaraa Ehri)

Warnings: Mild language, angst, identity crisis, fluff, mentions of religion and mental health

Plot: Blind, but not broken - Namjoon has learned to live with his new ailment. He went on to continue working for the UK based firm. One day when meeting a new client - he is disturbed by the streams of light filtering in his vision. Then he hears a familiar voice.

Rating: PG-13 // SFW

Genre: StarTears!AU | angst | romance | drama

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x Female OC (Mia Graves)

Warnings: Mild language, angst, fluff

Plot: Jimin's curse is broken, allowing him to return to his own time. But there is a sense of emptiness that lingers inside of him as he readjusts to his former life. Just as things start to make sense again, he's greeted by a face he's longed to see once more.

Rating: PG-13 // SFW

Genre: time-slip!au | modern fantasy!au | angst | romance | drama | fluff

Pairing: Park Jimin x Female OC (Brianna Larkins)

Warnings: Mild language, mental health issues, implication of curses/magic

Plot: After the first encounter with an Agent of Hell, the truth comes out about the world around her. Now Hobi strives to show her that, even if she is one of the chosen few, his love for her is real. Jimin also struggles to help Saoirse find the worth in her existence after losing her best friend to the darkness. While at Tenebrarum, Layla continues to confound the Devil - and he's not exactly sure how to deal with it.

Rating: PG-13 // SFW

Genre: AngelsandDemons! AU | angst | romance | drama

Pairing: OT7 x Female OCs (Saoirse, Isabella, Layla )

Warnings: Strong Language, angst, violence

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E & Admin T). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

[aliensmoothie]

@beesdotcom YESS!!!!!!!!!!!! i HAVE BEEN. ACTIVATED. i wont go on abt all of them bc i Wont Remember but! ill get most of them :) also ill specify this time if theyr from Ye Olde Times (Tales of Aisling time period) or Modern Day (Garden Street time period)

Chimichanga (Tales of Aisling but possibly Garden Street as well. Who's To Say.) (human(?)) (he/him)- nasty man. horny wizard. might've maybe possibly been a joke abt how i couldnt stop slipping into the Taako voice for Every Character so i made one where i could just lean into it way too much. and then he got out of control and became an actual character. sells Everything to Everyone. works for the Caretaker, but does not seem to be nearly as loyal as he tries to make people believe. Makes everybody very uncomfortable because he is Irrevecably Horny.

Isabel (Garden Street) (human) (she/her)- Adopted PB, GD, and Static, sort of reluctantly. PB was just sort of,, left on her doorstep with a note saying that she was some long-lost relative. GD and Static came around a little later, she just saw them wandering around on the street and ended up taking them in bc they had No Idea where they came from, and also they were like five so she couldn't just like. Leave Them. She's very stressed but she does her best to take care of her Gorls. Is desperately trying to keep the cozy little inn (that's been in her family for Generations) open. Which is hard since it's in the "historical district", aka just Garden Street, and nobody really goes there.

Nara (Tales of Aisling) (human (vampire? Perhaps)) (she/her)- Aerin's little sister, and best friends w/ Jo'aasha and Brielle (more than friends w/ Brielle? Perhaps 😳) member of The Forsaken, a revolutionary group. Her plan in life was to be a great ranger, but ended up as a rogue because of a Series Of Misfortunes that came her way (and also ended w/ her apart of The Forsaken). She's an amazing archer, and she's pretty shy. She's very nice, but also just. very socially awkward abdhskjf. She's doing her best. also, Rumor Has It, she may possibly be a vampire. is she was, Hypothetically, her friends don't know.

Aerin (Tales of Aisling) (high elf) (he/they/her)- Nara's older sister, and best friends w/ Jo'aasha and Brielle. Also a member of The Forsaken. She's an amazing sorcerer, and planned to pursue that part of herself, but ended up as a rogue because of a Series Of Misfortunes that came their way (multiclasses tho bc. he still has magic abdjkfjf) (and also ended w/ her apart of The Forsaken). Apart of these misfortunes was also the burst of wild magic that left notable burn scars on half of her body, as well as taking his arm. Now she has a wicked cool magic prosthetic tho! She's great with fire magic, and she's kinda suspicious of most people that she meets (which comes off a little rude at first, but it's really just in the name of protection). After u get to know them though, she's an incredibly intelligent and cool person to be around!

Brielle (Tales of Aisling) (human and 1/4 giant) (she/her)- Best friends w/ Aerin, Jo'aasha, and Nara (BIG OL' CRUSH ON NARA THO), and another member of The Forsaken. Her plan was to be a fighter, but ended up as a rogue because of a Series Of Misfortunes that came her way (and also ended w/ her apart of The Forsaken). She big and strong, and not all that sneaky, but she Tries. she does more interrogation work than sneaky work bc she's very physically imposing. She's incredibly nice tho!!! she just wants to make friends!

Jo'aasha (Tales Of Aisling) (Who's To Say) (ode/odes) - best friends w/ Brielle, Aerin, and Nara. Another member of The Forsaken. Odes plan was actually to be a bard, but ended up as a rogue AND a warlock because of a Series Of Misfortunes that came odes way (and also ended w/ ode apart of The Forsaken). Ode doesn't talk alot, and odes pretty hard to get a read on. Odes best described at chaotic neutral tbh, ode just tries odes best to do,,,, something??? nobody really knows, and it's awfully bold of u to assume ode knows either.

Daena (Tales of Aisling) (Orc) (she/her) - Aerin and Nara's adoptive mom. She's a reknowned warrior, and has done amazing things for tons of people. Big Bisexual. She's teeeeechnically a princess! she doesn't really accept that title, and resents the royal family A Little. As A Treat. She ignores their letters whenever they write, and only uses her title when she can use it to do something good for someone. She just felt like the whole royalty thing wasn't really for her.

Kara (Tales of Aisling) (Undead Human) (she/her) - local owner (and founder) of the Saoirse Inn, a cozy little place in the village of Fiadh. It's not very busy, but it gets enough businessn to stay open and then some. She gets alot of adventurers, and ended up gathering together the Sex Clan (a group with a very good name)! Her history is unknown rn, but the most that is Known is that she's known abt The Caretaker and the Guild of Ruin for a long time, and used to work for him too (hence why she's undead). She's cunning, intelligent, and gives off a pretty approachable vibe! also a bit of a lesbian disaster abdhskfjks.

[ivisite]

Omg for the playlist meme; 5 for Saoirse !!! :)

Oh man she would be so much fun to go to a “Girl’s Night” Karaoke type thing with? Here’s what I came up with though :

Shoop  -   Salt n Pepa

Here We Go Again   -  ABBA

Wannabe  -  Spice Girls

Shake Your Groove Thing  -  Peaches & Herb

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun  -  Cyndi Lauper

These Boots Were Made For Walkin’  -  Nancy Sinatra

Good As Hell  -  Lizzo 

It’s Raining Men  - Weather Girls

24k Magic   -  Bruno Mars

In some Modern AU, her theme would totally be “24K Magic” if only because she would want to flex on people and squad up with the Thieves Guild omg

Get her drunk enough and I could assure you that she would give THE BEST performance of “It’s Raining Men” anyone has ever seen and heard.

Thank you for the ask dearie

[televinita]

Little Women (2019): Thoughts

REQUIRED READING: the prequel post about my background going in to this film.

SNAPSHOT VERSION: Though I have some casting qualms, and may adjust my opinions after I reread the book, mostly I think this is everything my heart has needed since the magic of the ‘94 movie was broken for me. My heart is very full.

FULL VERSION: Twice as long as the prequel post (a.k.a. 1800 words), starts below.

I did not expect LW to be the first Unexpected Comeback Fandom of 2020 (or a comeback fandom ever, really), but here I am, having spent every day since I saw this film mooning about this story and looking up different editions and supplemental books in the library catalog, so I'd better process how I feel about it while the memories are relatively fresh.

Most of my thoughts are on casting rather than specific scenes because like I said, I can’t remember the book super well, so I’d like to get my movie memories to fade so that the book can surprise me. Also because I think I will have a more in-depth post about them when I watch the film a 2nd time, whether that’s in theaters or on DVD. But here’s what I’ve got for now.

ON CASTING

In no particular order --

* Emma Watson is very pretty but it is so hard to take her seriously as an actress. She's just Emma Watson, Famous For Being In Harry Potter and Getting Hired For Other Big Name Projects. I feel like she's so consciously acting all the time. She made a not-terrible Meg, I guess? No worse than she made a Belle. But it was roughly as hilarious watching her try to be a mother now as it was watching her try to be a mother in the last Harry Potter movie. To the point that I just kept hearing the "Damn! I'm SO maternal!" song playing as her theme in the background at all times. * I realized 6 days prior to seeing the movie that Florence Pugh is recognizable because she's in Midsommar and honestly, that just ruined everything for me. I didn't even see that film, I just know it's gross and I would hate it and while she is not tainted forever like the 50 Shades actors, she is definitely too tainted for Little Women. Also I could not stop thinking about how I associate Amy with being very dainty and prim and Florence, while perfectly lovely, is not. * Laura Dern was kind of strangely modern and kooky for Marmee, but I love her as an actress and I loved that she was just like "HELLO STRANGE NEIGHBOR BOY, COME BE MY FIFTH CHILD." So I was OK with that. * ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH BOB ODENKIRK. What kind of anachronistic garbage. What crack were you on, because it was obviously not the good stuff. "Did I stumble into an SNL parody??" I wondered more than once. * Meryl Streep as Aunt March was AMAZING. Ten Oscars. * Beth consistently looked younger than Amy, so that was weird. She was okay but kind of childlike, and failed to make Beth my favorite like she is in the book. * JO! Saoirse Ronan is by far my favorite actress in this set, but I didn't think she was right for Jo going in. "Jo's not a redhead!" I said, indignantly stamping my foot, because my childhood-era love for this novel reigns defensively supreme like for no other classic besides Black Beauty. (another 1994 classic they should remake soon, even though I love that version. Just saying.)

But damned if she did not COMPLETELY embody every essence of Jo there is and make Jo my favorite character this time. Truly, nobody except Meryl Streep so thoroughly matched my expectations for their character. Ten Oscars, part II. Or at least the one she is actually nominated for. If Jo loses to ScarJo I will riot. * John was nice. I feel like he was exactly what he was supposed to be, which is to say kind of plain and milquetoast but perfect for Meg. I don't actually remember him existing in the novel, so that was an interesting game of "how important is this guy?" until suddenly Meg was getting married and I realized I did, in fact, have a very dim memory of a wedding from the book. I think I will like their romance more the second time around, though. * Mr. Laurence was VERY EXCELLENT. IDK why I know the actor, even after looking him up, but I liked him in this role a lot. His grandfatherly quasi-adoption of Beth was so sweet. * As for Professor Bhaer...UGH. I hated him on sight and my brain wouldn't even let me recognize who he was for like 3 scenes, I was just like, "who is this random boarding lodger and why are we focusing on that weirdo." I mean, he's objectively handsome? But he did not do it for me. He lacked the gravitas I expect from this character and his thick accent scraped my ears and drove me insane (update from the future: his accent is also driving me insane in the book, where I have peeked in at a few chapters as incentive to reread. whyyyyyyy). * LAURIE: maybe it's been too long since I read the book, but never could I ever have imagined I'd want to use the term "fuckboy" to describe Laurie. It wasn't even Ski Chalet's face so much as it was that in all present-day scenes (post-rejection), he is such an insufferable, melodramatic, pouting trash heap that I didn't want him to marry any of them at that point. (Also YOU STILL DIDN'T MAKE ME UNDERSTAND WHY HE GOES FOR AMY, so good job.**) However, I took especial delight in paying attention to all the cuddly platonic friend cuddling he heaped on Jo growing up, in focus or in the background, and I loved it...kind of a lot? The ship radar made noise. That noise is getting louder by the day, smoothing away his faults. He may have permanently taken up residence in my mind's eye as the new Laurie. ...this is the worst. Make it cease. (**update from the future, I am peeking at the book and it looks like it's a lot easier to understand both in text and when you're inside Laurie's head. He is still clearly sulking his way through Europe, but in a way it's easier to recover from. Also, I don’t have time to unpack this but as I finish the edits on this post I started 5 days ago, I’m starting to think I could not only ship Laurie/Amy, but believe in it from the start.) ACTUAL PLOT AND FILM QUALITY

+ The shifting between past and present was very jarring right off the bat, but after that I think it worked.

+ I loved the attic play rehearsals so much

+ I am so glad Jo’s shorn hair is both fleeting and as hideous as it should look, and not Pixie Cut Chic (Childhood Me wailed at that part reading the book)

+ I remember hardly anything about the book's Part II / Good Wives, so basically everything in their adult lives was news to me. Amy and Aunt March go to Europe? Jo goes to live by herself in New York? Meg marries a relative pauper? Any of this could be true to the book or just made up as an alternate idea to explore, and I would be none the wiser. That made it more fun. (NOBODY SPOIL ME ON WHAT'S TRUE)

+ It did not occur to me until just now that the part where Jo publishes her version of Little Women is not in the book (right?), but that was beautifully done.

+ The house interiors were breathtaking. It's not like I don't regularly watch period pieces, but this time there was just something about seeing an old house, like the ones I am often in for estate sales, decorated the way I always imagine seeing when I enter those homes, that kind of made me tear up. + The outside shots were pretty too + Jo made me cry with her I'm so LONELY! speech, rude. (I went into this movie thinking I was 100% on board to finally read Alcott’s sequels for their Jo/Professor content, and now I'm like 'ah damn it is gonna be the season for the Jo/Laurie AU novel, isn't it.')

+ A strike against Beth and/or the actress playing her: I did not cry about her death (in my defense I was busy crying about Jo's pain).

+ I did NOT remember precisely how Laurie & Amy got married, so even though I knew it happened eventually, I felt that sucker punch to the gut reveal just about as hard as Jo did. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR WIFE.

+ My mom said she’d heard this movie was lauded as being super feminist, which rarely goes well for me, but I thought it felt like really authentic "married women literally were not allowed to control their own income and it sucked" 19th century feminism, and not someone using their 21st century voice to claim this is how people would have REALLY talked if The Patriarchy Of Historical Record hadn't silenced/suppressed it. Nothing rankled me. I’m very confused by the people who think it says Jo is queer and/or didn’t end up with the Professor, but if that’s what you see then I guess it’s a win/win situation for all of us. + LOVED the closing montage. + Basically, at all times that I wasn't annoyed by the casting, I was feeling the same magic I did while reading the book and/or while watching the 1994 movie as a child. I can’t think of any parts I really hated.

IN CONCLUSION

Part of me is honestly kind of sad I didn't reread the book before watching this movie, because even though I usually prefer to go movie first and then get the Expanded Edition that is the book, in this case I wish I'd taken my last chance to properly visualize everything in my head on my own -- since I’ve mostly forgotten the ‘94 film -- before the new movie washed it away forever. This is one of the rare times I would have liked to hope and guess what would be shown vs. cut, and be able to anticipate the thrill of seeing the page come to life.

However, seeing it was the impetus I needed to finally take my childhood copy off the shelf (and thank heavens I have it, because the library request is backed up 3 or 4 deep for every copy), and it took all of 5 minutes to get instantly sucked into chapter 1 and feel such rapturous joy and familiarity that I consciously cut myself off and decided I am going to journal out my feelings after each chapter on this reread. So that’s something!