#my sister was able to record out reactions and it's hilarious

[asky22]

The way the Giggle episode healed my inner child's grief when it came to 10.

[archivistofnerddom]

Hilarious Rebels/Bad Batch crossover idea:

Everyone is chilling on Yavin 4 in a rare moment of peace. They’re enjoying this little respite to rest and recover. The Spectres is enjoying their time together, especially since they were able to get Rex and Kallus outside to enjoy some fresh air around the Ghost.

And then a heavily-modified Omicron class shuttle from the late Republic and early Empire era comes in for a hasty landing. It’s an . . . unusual approach to say the least, complete with a specific turn and a touch-down that few pilots would dare to attempt.

Everyone, especially the Spectres, are interested in what this means.

Hera remembers this ship and what its occupants did to help Ryloth during the early Imperial period. Kanan gets leery, by contrast, since he remembers Kaller.

And Rex just laughs, gets up, and casually strolls over to the shuttle.

When the shuttle opens, a blonde woman emerges from inside like a bat out of hell, rushing over to hug Rex. He is equally as excited to see her, retuning that big hug with equal enthusiasm. The spectators can hear the gonking of a GNK droid echoing from inside.

The woman is wearing an amalgamation of several different clone trooper armor pieces with some unique adaptations. Zeb is the first to comment on the massive knife attached to her thigh and the smaller one sheathed on her forearm. Kallus responds with an observation about the Zygerrian bow she’s carrying. (Using that weapon takes practice and skill.) Ezra is intrigued by the unique design of the helmet she’s carrying, especially with the skull motif on it.

Before anyone can ask who this woman is or how she found the Rebellion, Rex asks, “So, why do you need a cover story when your brothers call me in a huff?”

The woman grins and pulls out a ratty old red bandana from a pouch on her hip. (She’s got more pouches than seem necessary on her person, but she seems to know what is where.) That makes Rex howl with laughter.

“It was either this or Echo’s legs . . . and I already stole those as a prank three times,” the woman replies. “This was harder to steal honestly, but it was completely worth it!”

“This is why you’re my favorite sister, ‘Megs. I haven’t seen Hunter without that thing on in . . . maybe since Bracca actually. You know he’s going to call me to see if I know where you are, right?” Rex tells her.

Neither seem to notice the audience growing around them. With that landing and the age of the shuttle, how could there not be an audience? If they do notice their audience, they clearly don’t care. Their reunion is more important to them to worry about that.

The woman gives Rex a sly smirk. “Of course, he will. And you get to witness first hand the annoyance of Hunter with a terrible haircut. Cross pulled out the clippers again while Hunter was napping.”

That seems to make Rex’s day.

“Don’t tell me what new haircut he got. I want to be surprised.” Rex finally deigns to notice the group watching him. The Ghost crew especially seem fascinated by who this woman is. He slings an around her shoulder and asks, “Why is everyone so interested in my sister all of a sudden? You haven’t seem siblings reunite before?”

“We didn’t know you have a sister,” Sabine asks carefully. (She’s fascinated by the modifications to the shuttle. There’s no way it should be in as good condition as it is at its age.)

The woman shakes her head. “Hera did. She’s met our brothers and my squad before.”

Hera grins and laughs. “I have. It’s great to see you again, Omega. How are your brothers, by the way.”

“Oh fantastic. I’ll tell you about what they’re up to over dinner, if that’s okay with you. Rex should be getting a very annoyed call any time now from Pabu. Hunter will have looked in the mirror by now. I promised Tech and Wrecker I’d record Rex’s reaction,” the newly-named Omega says.

And that’s when Kanan finally finds his words.

“How the kriff are Rex and Clone Force 99 your brothers? They’re clones - male clones,” he asks, a myriad of emotions in his voice.

Omega sighs. This isn’t the first time that she’s had this conversation.

“Well, let’s just say some of us are little . . . deviant from the standard mold,” she replies. “Though, we prefer to be called the Bad Batch.”

[fluffymcu]

Letting Loose

Part EIGHT

This series is TICKLE related. Outfits that are linked here are purely for picturing the clothes, you don’t have to look like the model.

Series Summary:  You’re the little sister of the one and only Captain America. You’re also the youngest girl on the team, so that automatically makes you the avengers’ little princess. And they spoil you as such. They have become your amazing family and you don’t know where you’d be without them. This series will show random adventures and fluffy events in the daily life of the reader and her family, along with an unexpected turn later on as you read.

A/N: I’m so excited to be writing this series! This is my first time writing one and I’m a bit nervous but I hope it all goes well. :) The first few chapters will be about random events, not really following a timeline until Chapter 9. Hope you enjoy!

Word Count: 2,823

Previous       Next

----

You and Peter leave with Happy for school and for once in a long time, you’re not 2 minutes before the bell rings! The reason you and Peter were almost late today was because you were having a hard time finding a outfit. But once you did, it was smooth sailing from there. 

Once you were in class, you were writing down some notes in your journal when you kept noticing one of your classmates looking at you weird. You had looked up  from your notes to see what your teacher was writing when you caught the glare from the corner of your eye. They were glaring at you with a grimace on their face. You looked around to make sure if it was you they were looking at. When you confirmed, you became very confused. You didn’t even talk to them. Heck, you didn’t even know their name! They were always so quiet and surprisingly, they were never called on.

You decided to smile anyway, and carry on with your work. Now that you knew they were watching however, you couldn’t help but steal glaces up at them every now and then, and every time you’d look, they’d be glaring. It made you feel a bit uncomfortable but you pushed through it until lunch. 

-----

“Get your vegetables, sweetie.” The lunch lady at the cafeteria said, smiling sweetly and nodding towards the green beans in the small clear plastic container. You grabbed it and so did Peter, following him out of the line.

“So yeah, they’ve just been glaring at me the entire time, and I’ve never even held a formal conversation with them!” You said, taking a seat at the table. Ned and MJ were still in line. 

“What’s their name?” Peter asked, taking a bite out of the apple.

“I don’t even know!” You exclaimed. “That’s why I’m telling you, It’s so weird.” You shook your head. Peter hummed, his brows furrowed.

“That is weird. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding? You know how sometimes you’re in deep thought and you just stare out into space? Maybe they were thinking about something and just happened to be staring at you?” He shrugged.

You nodded, taking a bite of your pizza. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I mean, it’s the only thing that would make sense. I’ve never done anything to them so I don’t see a reason why they would do that.” You thought out loud. 

“Yeah. So. I’m thinking we should do something fun after school. Maybe we could ride the go-kart or go by the city?” Peter asked, a wide grin creeping onto his face. You sat back and thought for a moment before your grin rivaled his.

“Or... we could do something super fun like prank Bucky!” You said, wiggling your eyebrows at him. Peter started laughing and pointed at you.

“I like that idea! Bucky’s reactions are hilarious!” He laughed, clapping his hands together.

“Right?!”

----

You were looking up at the clock every 2 minutes, hoping that some miracle would appear and suddenly an hour would pass. Jeremy was being a huge pain today and you couldn’t wait to go home when class was over. He was constantly whispering your name from across the room, throwing crumbled up notes at your head, making paper airplanes land on your desk, and so much more. You were surprised at how the teacher never caught him doing any of this, and how he got those paper planes to land on your desk every time. 

“Y/n!” You heard Jeremy whisper for the 100th time today. You sighed and decided to see if he would stop if you’d look at him. When you did, he smiled widely, faltering a bit when you didn’t return it. “I like your shirt.” He whispered. You scoffed silently and rolled your eyes. You returned your attention back to the teacher and ignored him the best you could for the rest of the day.

When the bell rang, you packed your stuff at record breaking speed and zoomed out the class. As you raced out the room, you could hear Jeremy’s obnoxious laugh. Thank god school was over now.

-----

As you got home, Peter went straight to shower and you joined Nat in the kitchen, who was baking a cake. She claimed to like cooking and baking by herself, but she told you once that you were the only one who she likes to bake with. She made you swear not to tell anyone though, and you’ve kept it. 

As you were mixing the frosting, you got a small spoon and dipped it in it, smudging a bit on her cheek. She gasped and you put the bowl down and ran away when she was coming at you with a pan. You knew she’d never hurt you but you had to run away just in case you accidentally died under her supervision.

Nat was pouring the cake batter onto the pan and you were still ‘mixing’ the frosting when in reality you were eating it slowly. You thought you were getting away with it stealthily, but, come on, this is Nat we’re talking about. 

“Stop eating all the frosting!” She growled, poking your belly making you flinch and yelp. 

“Okayokayokay!” You giggle, putting your hands up in surrender but she keeps poking and scratching around your belly and sides. “Nohoohoo! I said okahahahay!” You cry.

Nat smirks and continues, fluttering her fingertips up you your neck and behind your ears. “I know, but it’s too much fun to stop.” She hums, wiggling her nimble fingers into your armpits. You squeal before your knees buckle, bringing you down to the floor. Nat giggles along and crouches down beside you and continues to torture your sides. Her touches are so light on your sides, but they’re driving you crazy. You arch your back and shake your head side to side. 

“Nahahahat! Plehehease!” You squeak. 

Natasha smiled and looked at the stove to see it was almost time to put the batter in. She turns to face you with a smirk and moves up to scratch in between your ribs. You cackle, throwing your head back as your face is heating up. “Are you gonna keep eating the frosting?” She asks, chuckling when you give in instantly.

“NOHOHOHO! I PROHOMISE! HAHAH!” You finally relax as she stops, getting up to put the batter when the oven beeps. You get up as well once you catch your breath and finish preparing everything else, having to make more frosting now because you ate half of it. You then sit down at the island with Nat, talking about school and stuff until the cake is done. You frost the cake, add sprinkles because why not, and cover it up in a nice glass cake holder. You both high-five and take a slice, knowing if you wait ten minutes, the team would gobble it up before you even get a bite. 

Sure enough, by the next time you passed by the kitchen again, the cake was gone. You and Peter met in his room to discuss the plans for pranking Bucky. “Okay. So, I say we prank him when he’s in the shower. We mess with the temperature and turn it super super cold and run out. We know he likes to use the gym showers when he’s done working out so it would be a perfect time to prank him!” You said, making sure to keep a hushed tone in case anyone was listening. 

“Yeah! That’d be so funny. He’s working out right now, so let’s spy on him until he goes to shower.” Peter says, helping you jump on his back to go on your stealthy mission. 

----

You and Peter have been watching Bucky exercise for the past 30 minutes, and you were both bored. “Jesus, I mean, I know he’s like strong and stuff, and doesn’t get tired easily, but how long does he have to work out? We saw him go to the gym like 2 hours ago.” You whispered.

“Shhh! Keep your voice down, he has enhanced hearing.” Peter whispered, frantically holding his finger over his mouth. 

“Oh, I’m being quiet!” You rolled your eyes, scoffing sassily, flinching back in mild offense when Peter quickly covered your mouth with his hand. 

“Y/n! If you don’t stop whispering so loud he’s gonna know we’re spying on him. You think you’re whispering but you’re being very loud and he can hear you if you continue. So keep quiet!” Peter whispered, taking your hand off your mouth when you huffed and nodded. You both continue to watch him for a few more minutes, getting excited when he reaches for his water bottle and towel, walking towards the showers. 

You cheer quietly and you both wait a few moments before hearing the water run. You make your way inside the showers and find the one he’s in. You wait a few minutes for the water to heat up and so he could get comfortable in the heat, before nodding at Peter, who quickly changes the nozzle to the extreme opposite side. You clasp your hand over your mouth, getting ready for the reaction. 

“AHHHHHH!”

You and Peter burst out laughing, running out of the showers while Bucky is yelling out streams of curses and screams. As you run out into the gym, you could hear Bucky screaming out at you both. “YOU KIDS ARE SO DEAD!”

You reach Peter’s room, shutting the door behind you and falling to the floor in silent laughter. Peter was rolling around in his bed and letting out cackles. You just kept replaying Bucky’s reaction in your head, not being able to stop laughing. “Ohoho my gohohohod that was hilarious!!” You squealed, getting up from the floor. Peter nodded, sitting up and holding his stomach. “Yeheheah, he’s gonna kill us though.” He chuckled. You shrugged, giggling a but and sitting down next to him. “Eh, he’ll get over it...hopefully.”

He did not.

----- 

It was a little while before dinner and you were playing around with peter in the living room, him laying on the floor and balancing you on his hands and feet. His hands were holding yours and he had both feet on either side of your hip. You were giggling madly and struggling to keep your arms straight, so you were shaking a lot. You had fallen on top of him multiple times, but you'd get right back up. Tony was watching you guys over the counter, making dinner. He had a light smile on his face at the sound of both of your laughter. You got on top again and this time you were determined to stay up, stifling your laughter and tightening your core. You started smiling when peter began to cheer for you. “There we go! Keep going, hold it, hold it!” Peter strained, keeping you balanced. Tony left the kitchen temporarily to go help Pepper with something, mumbling at you both to stay safe before leaving. You grunted as you almost fell again, but peter caught you and kept you up just in time.

You were both so caught up in your game, that you didn’t notice Bucky stroll into the living room with a determined look on his face. His presence was made known however, when he quickly snatched you up and held you tightly against his chest. You shrieked, instantly recognizing him and you began to laugh hysterically when he started to dig into your hips. “You didn’t think I’d forget, did you?” He teased, digging in the spot right above your hips making you squirm violently in his arms.

“NOHOHOHOHO! BUCKYHYHYHY!” You cried, cackling when he began to blow several raspberries on the crook of your neck. He had your arms held to your sides, preventing you from defending yourself. “This is what you get for that lame ass prank! Regret it yet?” He teased, lifting you up a bit in his grip so he could pinch harshly at your sides. You instantly melt in his arms, kicking out your legs desperately. “WAHAHAIT! PETER HEHEHELPED!” You yelled. If you were gonna get it, so was he.

“I know; he’s next.” He smirked. Peter’s eyes widened and he decided to leave, running out of the living room and hiding in Wanda’s room. Bucky chuckled and sat down on the couch, positioning you to sit on his lap bridal style. You tried to roll off of him right away but he easily grabbed you back. “Apologize.” He says. You might have been a giggling mess, but you weren’t going to apologize for an awesome prank.

“No!” You yell, even then sounding unsure of yourself. Bucky chortles, shaking his head and bringing your stomach up to his face. You begin to giggle nervously again as he's lifting your shirt with his mouth, blowing an abnormally large and ticklish raspberry after. You shriek, twisting around in his hold, cackling when he begins to rub his scratchy stubble all around your belly, making ‘nomming’ noises and playfully biting the skin. It tickles so much and all you can do is just weakly push at his head. He's playfully growling as he bites the pudgy skin on your belly and you quickly fall into silent laughter, kicking out desperately for him to let you go.

Bucky laughs, laying you down and digging his fingers into your collarbone, smiling when you once again let out laughter, squeaking out pleads of mercy. “Hmmm, I hear all these ‘please’ and “stop’ s but I'm not hearing any apologies.” He hums, shaking all of his digits into your ribs. “Are you ready to apologize now?” You scream loudly, arching your back and giving in immediately.

“YEHEHEHES!” You cackle, turning into jelly in his arms when he stops. He giggles along with you and lifts you up to rest your head on his chest. “Ihihihim sohohorry.” You giggle. Bucky smiles and nods, kissing your forehead.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He teased, pinching your side lightly. You flinch and giggle lazily, dramatically rolling off the couch and onto the floor. Bucky shakes his head at you fondly, looking up when Peter comes into the living room again.

“Sup guys, is everything settled?” He asks, like nothing happened. Thankfully, Bucky was going to be fair today.

“Not yet. You haven’t apologized, punk!” He growls, making a bee line towards Peter, smirking at his terrified screech before taking off. You giggle as you can hear their banter in the halls, Peter spitting out protests and pleads and Bucky having none of it.

“Wait wait wait wait wait Mr. Barnes! Mr. Barnes, wait! I can explain!”

“Save it for after you get your part of the punishment. You're only making this worse for you, kid! Get off the walls!”

You grin widely when you finally hear Peter’s desperate laughter echoing through the halls, pumping your fist when he gets what he deserves for trying to walk out on his punishment and leave you there.

----

Finally, you finish helping the team clean up dinner and you go upstairs with Peter to commence your sleepover. Like always, you bring snacks up and turn on the tv. After a while, peter turns to look at you with a grin. “Hey. I have an idea.”

You turn to look at him as well, mimicking his grin. “What. And it better not be pranking Bucky again, because I don’t know about you, but I've learned my lesson for today.” You chuckle humorlessly, raising your hand in defeat. Peter rolls his eyes and chuckles.

“No way. Not doing that again for a while.” He says. “We should build a fort. We haven’t built one in a long time!”

You smile and nod excitedly, ripping the covers off your body and getting to work.

It was only about 10pm when you and Peter began building it. You draped blankets over some high chairs that you both quietly stole from the kitchen and put blankets on the floor and stuffed pillows inside. You even decided to be extra and drape some fairy lights on the inside. Building a fort with Peter was one of your many favorite things to do. You didn’t do it very often, because you wanted it to be something special when you did.

You both crawled in and admired your work. You pulled out your laptop, setting it up on the ground and opening up Netflix. “We probably should’ve saved some snacks for this.” Peter chuckled.

“Yeah, we should have.” You laughed, looking at the empty wrappers. You both agreed on watching a few episodes of The Office before turning off the fairy lights and falling asleep in the fort. Surprisingly, sleeping on the floor wasn’t as uncomfortable as you thought it would be.

The next day was okay, school was interesting, especially with your classmate once again giving you weird looks. You were extremely confused. This has been going on for quite a bit now.  What did I ever do to them?

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Piper Sargasso

Piper Sargasso has 25 stories at Gossamer, but don’t miss her website where the fics each have cover collage art. If you are a fan of Mulder/Scully romance, there are a lot of MSR fics to read that are set in different seasons of the show. But like the show that never stuck to one type of story, Piper’s stories have variety, so you can also find AUs and /Other.  Big thanks to Piper for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

It does, but I love that people are still into it! Writers back in the day put so much work and love into their writing, and it's nice to know that the stories are still being appreciated to this day. As for my own stories, it puts a huge smile on my face to know there are still people out there checking them out and hopefully enjoying them.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

It was such a positive period of my life. I made some amazing friends who became something like older sisters (and some brothers) to me, even though I was a little ridiculous when I was in my early to mid-twenties. It was also a much-needed confidence booster. I was a pretty shy person and loved writing, but never had the nerve to show anything to anyone. My first fanfic was completely horrible, but because of it I made my first XF friend and super beta, Mimic117. Between her guidance and the encouraging words from my Yahoo group I was able to do something I really loved and felt great about myself and my abilities for the first time. That will stay with me forever. That first story was truly atrocious, but it was a catalyst for great things in my life when I needed them the most.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

I remember trying this cool new thing called an AOL chat room, but they were more interested in perving on each other than talking about the show. Once I knew about fanfiction I kept seeing that some of my favorite authors kept mentioning IWTBXF in their notes, a Yahoo group named I Want to Believe. I looked it up, joined, and with great trepidation made my introductory post. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and talking to my favorite authors in the group was a little like meeting a celebrity and finding out that they're awesome in real life. After IWTBXF fell apart, an off-shoot called Beyond the Sea was created with almost all of the original group transferring over. I stuck to my little family there and didn't branch out into much else, other than the rare dip into Haven. Ephemeral and Gossamer, of course.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

Mostly the overwhelming feeling of acceptance and confidence to write, something I was sorely lacking before in my life. I fell in with the best group, that's for sure! They made me feel like being a professional writer could be an achievable goal.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

The commercial advertising. The pilot spoke to my supernatural-loving, angsty 15 year-old soul. I watched it religiously every week. There was nothing like it. It was off-beat, but serious (most of the time) and fulfilled my insatiable craving for the paranormal and weird. You just couldn't get that from Melrose Place and Beavis and Butthead, you know? It definitely helped that David Duchovny was adorable and the character of Scully was the strong and intelligent icon we needed in the 90's and beyond.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

In high school I had a friend who was as obsessed with the show as I was. Maybe more, since she once had a slumber party that was exclusively to binge watch her taped episodes (the other girls who wanted to mess around with spells and the Ouija board weren't thrilled that she couldn't be swayed away from it) and she often drove me from play rehearsals in her convertible with the top down and the theme song blasting to the heavens, much to my delight and mortification. A couple years after we graduated she told me about the piece of fanfic she wrote. Insert a record screech here. What?! You mean there are thousands of stories dedicated to my favorite show? And hundreds more get added every month?! I was obsessed. If I could've stopped working and slept at my computer desk I would have.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

Sadly it's nonexistent these days. I have great memories and it holds a big piece of my heart, but I haven't been active in a long time. I would love to see a huge revival, and would definitely want to be involved in that in some way, were it to happen.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I read a lot of Harry Potter fanfiction for a while, but I never could expend the kind of energy and time I did for the X-Files fandom. It came at a perfect time in my life, and so far nothing else has measured up to it.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

Besides XF characters? Off the top of my head I really love Hermione Granger, Buffy Summers, Elizabeth Bennet, and Claire Fraser for their sass and strength of character, Severus Snape for his complexity, and Christina Ricci's version of Wednesday Addams for her pure awesomeness. She's pretty much my spirit animal.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I do occasionally. I watched the series from season 1-7 so many times that I started to burn out, but I get on my X-Files kicks sometimes and binge it again.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

Like with the show, I'll get nostalgic and need to consume all the fanfics my greedy little eyes can behold until I move on to something else. It can feel a little lonely though, if you'll excuse the drama. We're not in the heyday anymore, so it feels a little like walking through a ghost town. Many of the stories out there are suspended in time because the show ended, or people stopped writing.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I know I have dozens, but I'm drawing a blank. My ultimate favorite is any well-written MSR casefile with UST finally resulting in RST. Those are my unicorns!

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I have a silly one called Baby, It's Cold Outside that I sometimes read around Christmastime. It was a fluffy song-fic, but I can see the scene so clearly in my mind when I read it and it's just pure fun. I also like my Donnie Pfaster series. I can see the potential in my writing with those, which makes me feel I could really write something special someday. Plus, he's such an interesting little slimeball to write and read about. Bless his heart.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I still think about the two WIPs I haven't finished. I wrote myself into a corner with This Mortal Coil, and honestly I think it needs a total overhaul. I think Dana Scully's Diary would be a fun one to finish. I hate that I never finished them.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I think about writing fanfic now and then and I've had a couple original novels sketched out, but there are so many other demands on my time that I haven't gotten very far. I still plan to see the novels through, even if no one but interested friends and family read them.  

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I used to watch an episode and really study the actors' expressions and actions, always trying to find new angles to the stories we all know. A lot of times things would just come to me and I'd get so excited I couldn't sleep until I wrote a good chunk of it down.

What's the story behind your pen name?

The friend who introduced me to fanfic told me the best way to choose a pen name was to make sure it derives from the show. For a couple days I looked at the titles and summaries of episodes and agonized over just the right name. Finally Piper Maru and the summary from Triangle, which mentions the Sargasso sea, stood out and just clicked.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My now husband always knew, and he thought it was cool that I had a hobby that made me so happy, but he was never a reader. My parents found out when I was about 24 and my step-dad would tell EVERYONE about it, much to my horror. Most reactions were of the bland, "Oh yeah? That's nice." variety but I definitely got some weird looks from others. The worst was when I found out how much of my racier MSR stories my parents read. My step-dad thought it was hilarious and teased me a little. My usually open-minded mom was uncomfortable, but tried to be supportive. It's all fun and games until your daughter starts writing psuedo-erotica for anyone to see!

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Circe Invidiosa very generously hosts a page for me at http://pipers.invidiosa.com.

(Posted by Lilydale on January 26, 2021)

[twelvedozenterrors]

📺📚 Any Muse

That's...a good question.

What kinds of television does the Dragon Realms have?

I mean, even before Reignited updated the timeframe to include things like smartphones, it was already established in the first and second games respectively that television and cinemas exist in Spyro's world. And despite being kinda weird when it comes to verses and continuity, it's worth bringing up whatever was going on with the tv in AHT's secret ending too.

As far as the film industry and dragons go, all we really have in the context of the first three games is Bob - and he's conducting interviews for DNN rather than writing or producing a show.

Darius is an actor and a writer, but his forte is in theatre and I'm not really sure if it's too broad a distinction considering casting, props, setups and whatnot. Plays have gotta be done live for an audience even if they're getting recorded, you know?

Part of me wants to fudge this question and just say 'the hatchlings'll love cartoons or edutainment', or 'the established links between the Crash and Spyro verses in their series means that there's some way for Spyro's world to experience Earth media circa 2001'...but it doesn't feel sufficient.

I think we might need to see more stuff in the classic continuity concerning the in-universe cinematography industry before I can get to a satisfactory level of depth for this topic.

As for books, while we know that baby dragons are able to start walking and talking much faster than humans do - I doubt that they're anywhere more than one year old during Enter the Dragonfly - I have no clue how long it'd take them on average to learn how to read. Some kids need to be directly taught, and some sorta just figure it out on their own.

Disregarding that, if I had to choose which clans would be the most exposed to literature, I'd probably go with either the Artisans or Magic Crafters for the top spot. Dark Hollow is a massive library and is home to a scribe, librarian and playwright; and there are a decent few Magic Crafters who are carrying around books when you free them.

IIRC, one of Reignited's artists said that they envisioned Argus as possibly being a poet, so it might be worth lumping him in here.

Whether or not a hatchling knows how to read just yet, a fair number of them would likely be enamoured with picture books or the illustrations within in general. Spellbooks I could see either getting a hatchling to marvel at visual representations of either the spell itself or the casting process, and provided that they're literate it wouldn't be hard to imagine that the descriptions of the steps and effects would intrigue them.

Being read to by one of the older dragons - even if it isn't a bedtime story - would be a great way to entertain the little ones and foster bonds with their caregivers. It'd definitely be a more enjoyable activity than Astor's storytelling usually is for some of the Artisan hatchlings. You get out one with pictures, and you can easily hold one of the baby dragons and the book so that you can both see it from an easy angle.

Of course, there has to be at least one masochist out there who isn't intimidated by darker genres like horror or could even find it hilarious. That'd get some interesting reactions from their peers and/or caregivers.

It was bad enough that my sister knew how to swear before she started kindergarten no thanks to me. This kid was exposed to the original Silent Hill even prior to that and loved it. Would things be different if she got to experience something a little more detailed than what the PS1 was capable of at that age? Who knows.

And last but not least, you need to wonder if any of the things the kids read or see on screen will have enough of an impact to compel them to follow certain careers later on in life - especially considering the Artisans.

Wow...this ended up being a freaking dissertation.

[melonkooky]

i like you [jung hoseok]

requested

word count: 3295

genre: hoseok x female reader, fluff, friends to lovers, college!au (but not necessarily important tho)

warnings: none!

author’s note: for prompts 15. “i’d like to think we’re more than ‘just friends’.” and 90. “would it be okay if i borrowed your sweater? it smells like you...” i didn’t rush writing this but i think the plot makes it seem like this is rushed, i’m really sorry about that 😖😖 anyways, i’m sorry if there are a lot of mistakes. and i’m sorry that hoseok is potentially a little out of character. nonetheless, i hope ya’ll like this fluffy hoseok!

please do not copy my work. but please like and reblog it. thank you!!!!

“ah! y/n! y/n! y/n!” you flinched slightly as someone yelled your name quite obnoxiously.

you recognized their voice, well his voice, but despite that you couldn’t help but keep walking. you knew he was doing it on purpose. your cheeks flushed with embarrassment as many other students glanced at you. you waved a hand at them, smiling shyly as you passed by.

then, an arm was thrown around your shoulder, nearly causing you to fall. “i saw you trying to run away.”

you wiggled out of his grip. “only because you were embarrassing me.”

hoseok glanced around, “why were you embarrassed? i was simply trying to get your attention.”

you shook your head. it was typical of jung hoseok to be loud and energetic, that was just who he was. how you ended up becoming friends with him was a mystery. somehow, a tight bond was formed between you and hoseok. you and him just naturally worked well together.

your best friend laughed at your reaction. you suppressed a smile. even though you had been embarrassed, you couldn’t help but love his antics. hoseok never failed to put a smile on your face.

you and hoseok walked into the building together, heading towards the practice room. hoseok had dance practice. it wasn’t necessarily a class. it was just something that hoseok and his friends started to do in the mornings. it was equivalent to getting up early to work out or go for an early jog.

you didn’t have a class at this hour but it was becoming a habit to go with him. hoseok asked if you wanted to tag along one day, simply because he liked having you next to him. you loved watching hoseok dance anyway. the way his body seemed to move like the flow of a river, his facial expressions, how every so often his tongue would flick out and his eyes would do that glare…

you shook your head. you were getting side-tracked.

your cheeks, however, turned bright red, matching the color of a student’s shirt as you walked by them.

hoseok turned to look at you when you didn’t respond to his story about how his sister barely left him to have any hot water for a shower yesterday. normally you’d laugh, but support his sister because you loved her. when he saw how red your cheeks were, hoseok’s eyebrows knitted together. “yah, are you sick?”

“i’m not sick.” you responded.

hoseok shrugged as he pulled his hand away. if you say so, he thought.

by that time, you and hoseok arrived at the practice room. already music pounded loudly through the door from inside. a tinge of anticipation grew in your stomach. this was probably your favorite part of your day.

you see, hoseok had these six friends. all of them were hilarious and goofy and so fun to be around. everyone had great chemistry with each other. since you were best friends with hoseok, you were friends with them. hoseok encouraged it, of course.

your best friend opened the door, gesturing for you to go first. such a gentleman… you slid inside, jaw falling as you watched everyone... warm up.

the song was even louder than before once you entered the room. except today’s warm ups seemed to be different. jungkook was headbanging to the song, a water bottle being used as a microphone. taehyung and jimin were dancing in the corner, basically twerking. they’re fists rather aggressively moved between them, towards their chest and out again. every few seconds, they’d grab each other’s shoulders or arms. namjoon joined jungkook and was singing passionately while dancing a series of terribly executed moves. let’s say freestyle wasn’t namjoon’s strong suit. and jin was running around everyone, well he was before collapsing onto the floor while claiming to be an old man. and finally, of course, there yoongi was. he stood in the corner where the technology was, watching everyone with an expressionless face. just when you thought he wasn’t going to participate, however, he joined jungkook and namjoon in singing a high note.

you gulped. they were a chaotic group. how could they have that much energy so early in the morning?

hoseok broke into heavy fits of laughter. “i show up a little late and this is what i walk into?”

you couldn’t help but laugh and pull out your phone, recording everything.

the six boys didn’t notice you and hoseok until the song ended. by then they were panting and most likely very much warmed up. they laughed along too, teasing each other.

hoseok stretched along with the members since they hadn’t properly started. they had been waiting for him.

you sat off to the side with your laptop, playing games or doing homework and what not. it usually depended on what you felt like doing.

finally, namjoon suggested taking a break. you looked up at everyone. boy was it a sight, one that you probably will never get used to. the boys were all sweaty and breathing heavily, some placing their hands on their waists or stretching their limbs. you looked at everyone, until your eyes fell on hoseok. despite him being your best friend, you often wondered if you had ‘more than friends’ feelings for him. oftentimes, you admired him, finding him extremely attractive. sometimes hoseok would do something so small, like touch your hand or shoulder or say something, and you would wonder if he liked you. you tried to convince yourself that that was normal for friends, that it was a platonic kind of feeling. but then you’d find your heart racing and your cheeks burning.

you blinked and suddenly hoseok was in front of you, sitting cross-legged. he reached for his water bottle and gulped it down. “that was probably one of our best practices.”

you agreed, trying to calm your heart down. you stared at hoseok. you had your knees pulled up to your chest. if hoseok liked you and you happened to be dating, you could imagine him leaning over, or wrapped his arms around your legs and knees to pull you closer. couples do that a lot, or at least you thought so. as you imagined hoseok as your boyfriend, as he was directly in front of you, you prayed that he wouldn’t notice your red cheeks until you got them under control.

“we need more water.” jungkook suddenly whined, throwing himself back against the bench.

everyone agreed.

the room felt extremely hot. most likely it was probably because of how hard the boys worked and how hot (not by looks) and sweaty they looked. but maybe it was because a few sweaty and attractive looking hoseok was sitting very close. the room was becoming too much for you to handle. quickly, you stood up. “i’ll refill the water bottles.” you volunteered, stepping around hoseok.

hoseok was standing up with you. “i’ll go with you.”

“why? you should take a break.”

“i doubt you’ll be able to carry seven water bottles all by yourself.”

you glared at him. he was right, as always. “fine.”

hoseok grinned and your expression softened. he was adorable.

wait? did you really just think that? do you really have feelings for him?

you carried three water bottles while hoseok carried the other four. you and him walked a short distance towards the nearest water fountain. then one by one, you and hoseok started filling up each bottle with cold, refreshing water.

hoseok immediately drank half of his water, then filled it up again before filling his fourth one. “did i dance well today?” he asked you.

“you always dance well, hoseok. you’re the main dancer of the group after all.”

hoseok smiled brightly. “today felt really good.”

you smiled at him. you loved when hoseok was confident about himself. as you gathered the water bottles, positioning one between your arm and ribcage, however, you noticed out of the corner of your eye, hoseok’s face getting dangerously close to yours. before you could question what he was doing, he pressed a quick kiss to your cheek.

you gasped at the sudden action. you definitely didn’t expect that. by then, hoseok was sprinting down the hall, laughing along the way.

“what was that?” you yelled after him, hurrying to catch up.

hoseok had beat you to the practice room and was already handing the water bottles out. you were extremely flustered, and felt like you couldn’t meet your best friends eyes. you almost didn’t walk into the room. you handed the water bottles back in a daze, causing you to mix them up. the members laughed, but you walked back to your spot. your mind kept asking, why did hoseok do that?

it had to be just a friendly gesture. you and hoseok were talking about how well he danced, so hoseok must’ve been happy and proud. did guy friends always kiss their female friends’ cheeks? was that a thing?

as dance practice continued, you found yourself liking what hoseok did. it made you smile, it made you blush, it made your heart beat until you could hear it over the music. it had caught you off guard, but you thought, maybe you wouldn’t mind if hoseok did it again. maybe you did have feelings for your best friend.

your eyes trailed to hoseok’s eyes in the mirror across from you. his gaze was focused on himself, his arms and legs, making sure to hit every beat and going all the right moves. he just looked so hot, he danced so passionately. the energy and aura that radiated from him... and you were blushing again.

after practice was over, hoseok had to run home to shower quickly before the next class. you remained at school, sitting in the library until your first class of the day started. you shared this class with hoseok.

you couldn’t focus on anything. hoseok was constantly running around in your head, occupying everything you thought about. you could imagine him laughing and teasing you.

you felt a lingering feeling on your cheek as you thought about your best friend. subconsciously, you brought your hand up to touch your cheek.

you sighed and looked at your laptop, looking at the time. only a few more minutes to go.

you and hoseok went about the day like normal. you nor hoseok talked or mentioned the kiss on the cheek. it was like nothing had happened. you wondered if it was a good thing, but perhaps there was just nothing to it. hoseok did it as a friendly gesture. you wanted to talk about it, what it meant, but you also didn’t want to bother hoseok.

there were so many thoughts in your head, and it was beginning to become annoying and bothersome.

as you and hoseok were walking home together, you kept stealing peeks and glances. you needed to know it that cheek kiss meant that hoseok liked you too, yes now too, or if it was just him being his crazy and unpredictable and goofy self.

“hoseok, can i talk to you?” you said, breaking the silence between you and him.

he nodded. “i would hope so. we haven’t been friends for years for nothing.”

you quietly laughed. “true. it’s about...earlier.”

finally, hoseok met your eyes. “earlier?”

“when you,” you sighed. “when you kissed my cheek.”

“o-oh.” he laughed nervously.

hoseok brought a hand to rub the back of his neck. he looked around the street, avoiding your eyes.

“i just want to know what it meant.”

after a long moment of silence, hoseok nudged your shoulder, a shy smile forming on his face. “i like you.”

“what?”

“you heard me. good night!” suddenly hoseok was breaking away from you and heading towards his house.

you stood there in shock, watching his back as he skipped a step and unlocked his front door, disappearing before you. how could he just drop such big news and then run away? you hadn’t even realized that you and him had arrived at his house. you scoffed, glaring at his house, attempting to produce two beams of fire, just at him though. his sister and parents could live…

you sighed. you didn’t know what to do. hoseok just dropped a bomb on you and didn’t even stick around to see your reaction. maybe he was worried you would reject him. your beating heart sunk a little at that thought.

you headed home, taking your time. you stared at the ground in front of you, thinking of hoseok. you didn’t even realize you were at your front door, until you realized you had stopped walking. funny how your brain worked…

that night, you laid in bed. your hand continuously reached for your phone. you debated on calling, or at least texting him. you told yourself you didn’t even have to say anything, just a good night or sleep well. but then your stomach would twist and knot with nervousness.

you’ve never felt nervous around hoseok. he’s always made you feel comfortable. this was what love did.

the next morning, you walked to school as usual. perhaps this morning you tried to look better. you did your hair differently, you did your makeup, you dressed nicer, and you waited (while trying not to look like you were waiting) for hoseok.

you heard his voice soon enough and you felt that feeling in your stomach again. you waited for him as you walked in the direction of the dance room.

“y/n.”

you turned, catching hoseok’s gaze as he jogged over to you.

“ah, hey.” you forced out.

your cheeks blushed as you looked into his warm eyes. hoseok smiled at you, “you look pretty today.”

your eyes widened at his words. did you hear him right?

“are you coming?” hoseok asked as he walked away.

you blinked and hurried after him. “hoseok, i want to tell you something.”

“hm.” he asked, seeming much more brighter and more energetic than normal.

“you didn’t give me a chance to respond to your, um, confession yesterday.”

hoseok looked at you as you arrived at the practice room. “sorry, i got nervous.”

you smiled at him, blushing even more. you noticed that his cheeks were red as well, and you had to resist the urge to caress them or pinch them between your fingers...or to kiss them. “i like you too.”

you told him. hoseok broke out into a large grin. he pulled you into a hug, laughing into your shoulder. you were smiling just as widely. your heart pounded rapidly, but that was a sign that you were in love, at least that was how you thought of it. only hoseok managed to make your heart beat that fast.

suddenly, the door to the practice room opened, causing you and hoseok to pull apart. if someone was just passing by, it looked as if you and hoseok had just got caught red handed, and in a way, it felt that way too.

jungkook stood in the doorway, holding the door open with one hand and with his phone in another. he looked shocked. his eyes darted between you and hoseok. “hold on, mom.” he said as he pulled the phone away. “yah! the dynamic duo is here.”

“what do you mean by that?” you questioned defensively.

jungkook stared at you with a hint of confusion written on his face.

the rest of the boys soon joined, crowding into the hallway. “well, you guys are best friends, right?” jimin said. “you guys are always together, and extremely close, so we kinda dub you guys as the dynamic duo.”

hoseok suddenly scoffed. he wrapped his arm around you, “well guys, i’d like to think we’re more than ‘just friends’.”

along with the boys, your eyes widened and your jaw dropped. you painstakingly turned your neck to look at hoseok. hoseok laughed at their reactions, but when he saw yours he inched away. “sorry.”

then you smiled, swallowing hard. “i mean, i guess he’s not wrong.”

it was hoseok’s turn to look at you with a surprised look.

“what?” all the boys asked.

“i’ll call you back, mom.” jungkook said into his phone. “the biggest news just got dropped.”

you rolled your eyes at jungkook. “are you guys really surprised that hoseok and i like each other?” you asked them, feeling nervous.

they all shook their heads. “no, no, we saw that from kilometers away.” seokjin replied.

“then, why are you guys shocked?” hoseok asked timidly.

“we just didn’t expect it to happen this soon. we honestly thought you guys would never share your feelings for each other.” yoongi added.

you and hoseok glanced at each other.

“don’t think too much of it though.” jimin spoke. “we’re glad you two finally confessed.”

you smiled. “me too.”

----

“would it be okay if i borrowed your sweater? it smells like you...”

hoseok peered over from his bed, looking up from his laptop. you were standing in front of his closet, taking a look at all his clothes.

you’ve been to his house many times, so many times it was almost like a second home. but it was your first time there as a girlfriend.

hoseok laughed. he thought you looked adorable as you held one of his favorite sweaters over your chest, looking down to see how long it was. you had a small pout on your face. you’ve always wanted to steal a boyfriend’s clothes, that was a perk of being in a relationship. and now that you were in one, you couldn’t resist.

you held the sweater up confidently for hoseok to see. he smiled, very warmly in fact. he removed his laptop from his lap and slid off his bed, taking a couple strides over to you. you blushed slightly as he got closer, wrapped his arms around your waist. “of course, my love.”

you grinned at the pet name that your boyfriend had recently begun calling you. it took a few weeks for both you and hoseok to call each other names like that. and now that it’s been a few months, you and him had gotten comfortable, and confident, being more intimate and touching each other. hoseok surely didn’t waste any time when it came to skinship.

you peered up at hoseok, admiring his facial features. his eyes, his nose, his lips, his jawline, his ears, everything about him made you smile and fall for him all over again.

you stood up straighter and pressed a kiss to his cheek. hoseok smiled.

“i’m returning that one kiss, remember?”

he nodded, blushing slightly as he remembered how he kissed your cheek. hoseok had only thought about doing that so many times, and he didn’t even hesitate then. he laughed softly.

what hoseok didn’t expect, however, was when you pressed your lips to his own. it caught him off guard. you had made the first move.

this relieved hoseok because he always wasn’t sure when things were too soon or moving too fast. his first priority was you and making sure you were comfortable.

you pulled away blushing, smiling at him. “did i surprise you?” you asked.

“y-yeah.”

“anyways, i’m taking this sweater. expect it back within the week though.”

hoseok watched, still dazed, as you threw on the sweater before grabbing your stuff and leaving his bedroom. you were going home, a proud expression on your face.

your boyfriend was normally the one that liked to mess around with you and tease you. but this time, it was your turn, and there was definitely going to be more moments like that.

[parf-fan]

Unsolicited and incomplete list of highlights from Improv Technology’s May 23rd show

In little-to-no particular order.

“I thought we weren’t doing a musical”

Alexis transforming herself into Don Alonso.

Davis Handle

Michael Stahler doing a live Animal Planet special with Hoagie and Milo.

“Which Brady Bunch am I??”

Jonathan's entire hotel experience.

“I wanna be entirely clear, visible, vulnerable, perhaps supple, and maybe even emotionally contemplative with the press.”

Alex's face immediately after Chat Roulette.

Alexis loudly bursting into a vaguely Scottishy-piratey accent.

Michael getting to do a quick science talk during Objection.

Jonathan's ASMR persona stabbing themself in the eye with their glasses.

Joe's genuinely brilliant hosting.

“Who among us has not slapped through Jonathan before?”

Most likely to start an improv show eight minutes late.

“What number show is this for you guys?”

“I can hear you as clearly as I can hear your sins!”

“We doin' a show y'all?”

“I will say that my dog just leaped off of an— anyway.”

“Holy bananas.”

“No. This is just a personal Alexis-to-Jonathan threat.”

Michael trying to start a joke three times in One-Eighty-Five before managing it.

Michael's video freezing in the middle of the joke.

Michael patterspeaking to make up for it.

Alex in Press Conference as Batman changing his superhero name to Bearman.

Everybody's reactions to hearing that prompt.

This is the second time Alex has been Batman in an Improv Technology show.

the crimes that you kermitted

“You the bitch Satan lookin' for.” “I am the bitch Satan's looking for!”

Katelyn tapping on Weston

“Yo, you were just possessed there for a moment, that was beautiful.”

The gross Zoom incompetency of this show.  Literally, I was crying from laughter.  This must be what Disasterpiece is like in-universe.

“...facebook dot com, you know, the website?”

“Not you, though.  You are the worst child I've ever read to.”

Joe's description of Alexis completely fitting Michael, too.

“ComPLaINtS??? WE've gotten WRitTeN COmpLAiNts!!!!”

“Church had gotten boring.”

“In honor of Adam Shepley:” *dramatically opens carbonated drink*

“I have to stop a disaster, one second, my dog's about to jump on my cat, one second.”

Everybody's faces at that.

“Yeah, I can make up some references to a show I haven't seen.”

Alexis's little grin when Haley brings up otters.

Michael quietly threatening the audience to coerce them into donating.

“Mike, stop talking to them.” “I—I– I wasn't! I wasn't.”

Michael continuing to quietly threaten.

“Is the dog back? Are you okay?” “No, my family's at the door.”

“Christians are weird.”

The false start on Michael’s press conference

“What I sound like doesn't matter at all, and I've forgotten the accent since the last time I saw you.”

“Good Cop, Bad Cop; otherwise known as Here's A Glass Of Milk, Gimme That Glass Of Milk.”

Their faces at that.

An objection being called at that alternate name.

Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

“I'm.....Walt?”

grrrrounded

Arc Hamm

“Oh. Shocker.  Another play where half the cast is dead before the end of Act One.”

The beard reveal ™.

Jonathan's reaction.

Michael putting sunglasses atop his regular glasses to be the bad cop.

“Get the heckin' heck out of here!”

Michael's nyooming onscreen entrance as bad cop.

Ailey Karlson

Weston and Hoagie helping close out the show

“Uhh, guys?”

“Oh, huntey, you bein' hunted?”

nocableinmychildhood.com

Michael: *foghorn sounds* “Correct the record.”

“I am insulted at the idea that I am three times the size of Shrek.”

Alexis slipping up and dropping the f-bomb.

Michael Stahler (Horace Tanningrove) unveiling a beer.

Once Michael realizes that he's meant to be marketing beer, he starts sounding like a middle schooler writing an essay on a book he didn't read, and I think that's beautiful.

“I guess Jeff is definitely gonna have to control this game.”

“Let's see what Christian Mingle in this part of Georgia has to offer.”

Michael pulling a hairbrush out of nowhere as a visual aid

“Remember CD-roms?”

Michael: “You [Haley and Alexis] are better at facial hair than I am!”

“So you hiding from Satan and looking for vampires?” “Yes.” “Girl, you need help.”

Alex breaking the fourth wall to tell all men to get rid of cargo pants, and Michael promptly standing up and grabbing a pair of cargo pants from off camera to throw them somewhere else off camera.

Joe's absurdly beautiful origin story.

“ 'Aye aye Captain' is damn right.”

Michael quickly starting to analyze everybody's facial/skeletal structures before remembering that Alex literally played a snake.

Michael himself then briefly becoming a snek.

Alex saying his address over the internet while Alexis hastily tries to prevent it.

Jonathan apparently not having writing implements at the beach?

“I could honestly watch this for the full hour.” “I could not. Please.”

“That would've been a good one, but no.”

“Are you colourblind?” “Yes.”

“Can I let my cat out of the room?”

“Please donate to our Venmo so we can take improv classes.”

“Children can't drink beer.” “Not with that attitude, they can't.”

Porous Tanningrove

“Thought has occurred.”

“Well at least I can drink my name-brand soda without having to hide it.”

“Also here, my little sister, in some cases, not really, she's not adopted, we just say things sometimes.”

“Objection! As long as your cells are able to metastasize[?], you have a life.”

“Sshould I write any of that down?”

“I'm a sexy boi.” –Alexis, quite rightly

“How did you know how moist I was?”

Katelyn deadass namedropping her persona in Press Conference and not realizing that's who she is.

“Oh my god I almost lost my mother's place in a book!”

“I'm ready to get crusty with it. I regret saying that.”

“Why do you get so close to the screen”

“We stan David.”

Michael petting his dog while everyone else discusses the prompt.

“Are you a specific pirate?” “What?” “Are you specific?  Or AtlanticHAHAHA!”

Everybody hivemindedly putting on cockney accents of various degrees of dreadfulness upon hearing the phrase “a new brew” and just. not stopping.

Seriously, what was up with that, it was insane.

Hilarious, but insane.

Michael correcting Jonathan's misuse of “objective” vs. “subjective”.

Everybody's faces immediately after.

“Objection! I sent you a foot pic a mere two weeks ago.” “That's true.”

“Ah swear, Ah'll goe out an' find yer entire family and gut ye liyke a fish!”

Hoagie waving goodbye.

“Oh, if you look upon these, they're not just simply rubber ducks: one of them is wearing a leather harness.”

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

(A big shout out to IDSB for starting this)

" I want to wear pink and tell you how I feel about politics” - Taylor Swift.

Who am I? I’m almost 25, can’t remember half the time that I’ve been alive... For real though, for those who don’t know, I’m Jess, I’m 24 and I’m in the final year of a law/psychology double degree. 

While I will be forever grateful for the privileges in my life I’ve received through the colour of my skin and growing up in a country that has afforded me opportunities that others could only dream of, Australia is still a nation that is far from gender equality; especially when it comes to those of different nationalities, health statuses and economic classes. And though I know my story is not the worst there is, I’ve definitely felt that throughout my life.

Looking back, I’ve realised that a lot of my story comes with intergenerational trauma. For as many generations I’ve known on both sides of my family, there have been women who were forced to give up their independence to make up for what the, typically abusive, men in their lives lacked. Both of my grandmothers dropped out of school to raise their siblings and/or work after my great grandfathers abandoned them. In my maternal grandmother’s case, this meant she never learned to read. These women went on to marry equally as abusive men to secure some form of financial stability for their children. When my mother was 15, she fled a physically abusive home just as her older sister had before her. My mother then bounced from one abusive relationship to the next until she met my father, a “nice man” who 23 years down the line would emotionally abuse her and leave her in debt knowing that 20 years beforehand, she had given up her higher paying career that would have risen us out of poverty to raise their children. More generally, from my knowledge, only three females in the history of my family had the chance to go to university; my aunt who married into the family and went beforehand, my cousin who finished a latin degree and me. Meanwhile, most of the men in my extended family are doctors, engineers and high paid builders. With the exception of that aunt, none of the women in my family are breadwinners.

And I know that all sounds very depressing and it would be very easy to say things are different now... and in many ways they are; but there’s also a long way to go and a lot of misogyny I have seen in my lifetime. Like did you guys know that the legal field is one of the fields with the largest pay gap between males and females within Australia? Ironic huh, we pushed for everyone else to pay evenly and yet never practiced what we preached. Likewise, a recent study showed that sexual violence, one of the few crimes mostly aimed at women, is the crime that police within the country are least likely to record let alone follow up with. And of course, studies are still indicating that the glass ceiling and glass cliff effects are still issues for women in the workplace.

We see it all the time, Hilary Clinton losing the election to someone with no experience because she wrote some emails, Elizabeth Warren doing so poorly in primaries despite the fact she’s not all that different to Bernie Sanders, Julia Gillard having to tell Tony Abbott to stop talking over women on women’s issues. Time and time again, we see women being knocked down and then blamed for having a reaction. On a personal level, in 2017, after a frustrating talk with a now ex friend, I wrote this post. In short, it labelled all my frustrations from seeing myself and other women constantly hurt in one form or another at the hands of men, and how even men like him who are apathetic and refuse to help fight for us because they see it as something that doesn’t concern them and ‘not all men are like that’ hurts us. In my degree, I have constantly been told I have ‘a woman’s heart which is far too big and caring for [the law field]’ or that I’m too emotional because of my past traumas. Likewise, when my mother approached a lawyer about retrieving the debt my father left us in and I called him out for saying he couldn’t when law states she could have gotten an order from the courts within 24 hours for dad to pay up given she wasn’t working, the lawyer turned to me and said ‘well I wouldn’t know that. I never did family law. Too many women who get pissy when they’re kids get any time with their fathers’. 

Yet, women are also expected to be compassionate and courteous. Over the years, I was attacked for not reaching out to reconnect my beyond broken family in a way my brother wasn’t because ‘reconnecting people is a woman’s specialty’ and have been deemed heartless for accepting that outside my brother and mother, I will never talk to my family again. I have watched as my sister and I learned to clean in our teens compared to my brother and father who at the ages of 28 and 57 respectively who to be honest, I’m not even sure knows how most cleaning items work. Additionally, I, someone who is childless, have been expected to babysit children (and grown ass men) as well as had discussions where the other criticised me for going to university assuming I’d give up my career in the future when kids (which I’m not even sure I want) come along because ‘women are better with this emotion stuff’.

And that’s the issue, isn’t it? It’s a Catch 22. For I’ve found that being raised as a woman in the 21st Century means that in order to do anything, I must be able to do everything. I have to be a good person, loved one, homemaker, business woman, advocate and more just to receive what I deserve in life. So I will leave you with one last thought...

If I was a man, I’d be allowed to simply exist.

[whateverisbeautiful]

Reveling in Richonne

#156: The Reward (9x16)

Every protagonist needs a reward. Even if they don’t get a happily ever after or a perfect ending, they have to get a reward for all their efforts. And Rick’s reward was/is/and will always be Michonne and the family they created. 

So even though he’s not able to still witness it all yet, the fact that his family can have a joyous moment like they had in this s9 finale shows the reward of all Rick and Michonne’s hardwork and sacrifice.

And getting to watch Richonne and their family all these years has been such a treasured experience and a reward for me. So, y’all, I’m walking into this final season 9 post like...

So the finale jumps ahead a bit, to the first snowy winter we’ve really seen on the show. And it’s actually really pretty. 

And y’all, you already know the main scene that I need to bring up from this finale in regards to my love for Richonne and the Grimes family. 😊🙌🏽 ❄️

But a few observations before that moment:

1.     I admit I found Negan’s commentary on this messy love quadrangle hilarious. He was Jerry Springer up in that joint. 😂He was straight up giddy to be out of that cell and crack his “Father Not The Father” jokes.

2.     I absolutely love seeing little Judith and RJ in their beanies and winter clothes and Judith being a good big sister by wrapping a blanket around her and RJ. ☺️ 

Carl took care of her and now she has a little sibling to look after. Full circle. 👌 And I cannot wait until Rick gets to reunite with his little ones. They’re too precious! 🏽

3.     Judith somehow lost Dog and I was legit fearful for her cuz Daryl would lose his mind if they didn’t find his best friend before he got back lol. But seeing little RJ in this moment was adorable. How I would love if Rick and Carl would have got to be in his life and watch him grow up.  

4.     Michonne and co stay at the Sanctuary (which makes me sad cuz the last time she was in the Sanctuary she was all cuddled up with the famous Rick Grimes. I need that Richonne reunion asap.)  The group at Sanctuary tries to figure out how they should best travel home and when they go over the map Aaron says Rick’s bridge would’ve saved them which is sad too. 😔 Rick had the right idea about that bridge all this time and it would’ve helped people just like he believed it would. 

5.     Michonne and Ezekiel have a talk, leader to leader, and Michonne expresses how being apart didn’t actually make them stronger and they can’t let that happen again. She reminds Ezekiel that “that charter we signed, it means something.” But that dialogue had me looking at the writers like...

Again, I wish it was “we” tho and that they had let Michonne sign her charter so that she could sign it with “Michonne Grimes”. But I digress lol. 😪

Michonne passionately says the kingdom people aren’t just King Ezekiel’s anymore. “They’re ours. And we’re gonna get them home” I was like Kingdom, it’s your lucky day cuz now that you have Michonne claiming you, you gon’ be alright. When Sis is leading, people live. 👸🏽💯

6.     Judith thinks she hears Dog so she runs after him (which I was like baby girl please stop running off. She’s about to beat Carl’s record) and then Negan chases after her and again I’m not with this. I just don’t want him near her no matter how much he’s “changed” and I especially don’t want him holding her or acting as a pseudo dad. The father/daughter vibes the show might be going for...

Negan asks if Judith’s okay and gives her his coat and then he jokes that she’s doing all this running to get extra Negan time...and y’all, I really think Rick would dislike this moment. ☹️ I don’t care how harmonious Rick wanted the world to be, he def didn’t intend for Negan to be buddy buddy with his daughter. 

And while yes someone needed to go after Judith so I’m glad someone helped, cuz those Alexandrians stay slacking whenever it’s time to look for some kids. But still, Negan needs to stay in his lane. 

I know this show will be adamant to redeem Negan going forward tho so it’s pretty much inevitable. And the show really was working double time to redeem this guy with having him save a little girl and a dog at the same time. 🤷🏽‍♀️

7.     The only thing colder than this winter weather was Carol breaking it off with Ezekiel 👀🥶 I felt really bad for the king cuz that’s a lot of loss to go through with losing your kid and then your wife leaving you. It also just makes me really grateful for Richonne cuz, y’all, there’s a lot of couples both in this show and in other shows who fall apart or get really mishandled but Richonne is so solid and so everlasting. #StayWinning 

8.     Michonne and Negan have an interesting exchange in the very room where Rick and Michonne were once laying down the law to Negan in the prior season finale.  

Michonne thanks Negan for saving Judith and Negan brings up how last time the two were in here together Rick had just slit his throat open. Good times. 😝 Negan says Judith is a special girl and again my gut reaction was just to be like; Negan step back cuz you aren’t a pseudo dad, uncle, or anything else. 👏🏽

9.     Interestingly one of the most compassionate things said to Michonne since this time jump comes from Negan in this scene. Cuz he looks at her and says “And you…you’ve been through enough.” It’s true. It’s so true. 💯 

Her friends needed to express this sentiment too. You can tell it feels strange for Michonne to be having a fairly friendly moment like this with Negan so she just says “Get better.” and leaves. But then Negan asks if everyone’s okay and she questions if he cares and then they end up having a whole little conversation about how no one sees themselves as the bad guy. It’s true that from most people’s perspectives they’re the hero.  

I feel like this scene was low key meant to plant the seed of Michonne and Negan having a more friendly open dialogue with each other moving forward and all I can say to that is...tread very lightly TWD lol. 🙃😑

Alright so now onto the perfect winter wonderland scene. 🤗

The group gets back to Alexandria and there’s this great aerial shot of Alexandria’s queen, Michonne being the first one to walk through the gates and then we see Judith run and hug her. 

I adore that Judith runs to her with open arms just like she did in 9x14. Mom and daughter love, y’all. 🙌🏽

Mama Michonne of course checks on Judith and asks how she is and she notices Judith’s cheeks are super red so she immediately asks, “What happened?” and Judith doesn’t want to admit that the Carl in her had her running out the house and off into the frigid storm, so she instead adorably says, “It’s cold.” And Michonne smiles and hugs her again. I love their love. 😭😋

And then y’all, I’m sent straight to another galaxy when Michonne looks over and sees RJ adorably laying in the snow. 

PRECIOUS. She cutely walks up to him and scoops him up into a hug and this is some of the best Mama Michonne content. 😭 

Can you believe we’re here? We’re at a point in this series where Michonne can hug her son who belongs to her and Rick. Richonne is the best journey. 🙌🏽💯

Rick and Michonne’s love always felt like a character in itself. It was that evident and present and powerful. And now it’s precious to know that their love gets to take form in this adorable little boy.

I just adore seeing Michonne hug her children. And Judith’s little face of joy as she watches her mom and brother is the adorable cherry on top. More of this in season ten, please!

Michonne has hugged all the Grimes in the most beautiful way. 😭Especially, in times they’ve been in danger Michonne’s always right there to hug them and be there for them. 

The Grimes are lucky to have Michonne as the matriarch. ☺️ #Royalty!

And then it gets even cuter as Judith and RJ play in the snow and Daryl gets in on the action and throws a snowball at RJ which is the sweetest thing. 😊

And RJ throws a snowball back at Uncle Daryl and I don’t know about y’all but on my TV I heard RJ throw that snowball and say “This is for not taking my dad back to Alexandria like you said you would.” 😂Was it just my TV? 😋

Lol but for real it is cute and I love seeing Daryl interact with Rick and Michonne’s son. 

So then they all engage in this adorable little snow ball fight and it’s really heartwarming. This is the world Rick wanted. This is the life he wanted to give Michonne and their kids and I’m glad that in this moment his wife and kids got to enjoy the bliss he so deeply wanted to provide for them. 

This is the reward. 😌

The only thing that would make this scene better is if Rick and Carl were here to join in this family fun. But Rick will get his chance. I know he will. 💯

Every season finale had pretty much always gave us a notably special Richonne moment. Season 3 Finale: “Must’ve been something else then.” Season 4 Finale: “Cuz I’m okay too.” Season 5 Finale: “I’m still with you.” Season 6 Finale: Rick being sent into a whole daze after finding her locs on that walker. Season 7 Finale: Rick finding her and hugging her after that battle and letting her know they will be the ones who live. Season 8 Finale: R&M holding hands as they head off to war.

So going into the season 9 finale I was sad that this would be the first finale without a sweet Richonne moment. But what’s great is that Richonne lives on through their family. So the finale still gave us something so precious.

If they’re going to take Rick away from us then ending on Michonne hugging both her kids in the snow is a nice touch to give us some Grimes family love. After everything Michonne went through this season I’m glad we get to see her smile and embody the sentiment she expressed to Negan in 9x04; As long as you’re still breathing then there’s life worth living. 

The final moment is Ezekiel and Judith talking on the radio and before Judith leaves to do homework she tells Ezekiel, “I’ll tell my mom you said hello.” And again, I just love how often Judith says “mom”. I was hoping we’d hear Judith call Michonne mom at least once this season and we got that ten times over so I’m happy. 

And y’all, I heard about the rumors leading up to the finale that Rick’s voice might potentially be heard on the radio and I was pretty certain that those rumors were just that; rumors. But you know there’s always that little tiny piece of you that hopes. And then it was some indiscernible woman’s voice so idk, we’ll see where that goes I guess. 

But even though Rick being alive didn’t get foreshadowed in this finale, I have hope that at some point Michonne will learn the good news that her man is alive because once again, they’re the ones who live. They’re also #MagnetsForLife 🙌🏽😊🎉🥰

And that is everything from Season 9!

Season 9 was quite the roller coaster. Even though the show isn’t what it was, this season was a refreshing upgrade from the last two seasons. And as always, in my humble opinion, Richonne and their family was the brightest beacon of light this season. They never fail to deliver and shine. 

On the eve of this s10 trailer, (Michonne’s last trailer 😭 ), I know I’m going to watch for Michonne and Danai’s final season. (And imma need this show to give both Danai and Michonne their things. Said things include but are not limited to: Their respect, their honor, their peace, their accolades, their time to shine, and their route to the movies with Rick) 

But after that, it’ll be the movies I wait for. I want Michonne, Rick, Judith, and RJ content. All of it. Every second of it.  😍👌

(Side note: And I don’t want Michonne to leave Judith and RJ for any reason at all, so I seriously hope wherever she goes she takes them with her. Even though I have a feeling Judith will be around for the rest of the show, but a girl can dream that Michonne gets to leave with her kids)

Whatever happens with the show or movies all I know is I’m in it for the Grimes Family. I’m glad Andy and Danai get to move on and go thrive beyond this show. I’m grateful for the time they’ve put into these characters and I’m especially glad that their characters are alive, Richonne’s love lives, their son and daughter live, cuz this family be giving me life. 

And y’all, just know that so long as Richonne is alive my love for them and my need to revel over them lives on too. So your girl is not done gushing over the GOAT couple lol. 

I’ll of course have to analyze every moment in those movies but even before then I’ve already got some ideas. I’ve mentioned before how I have a non-existent top ten Richonne moments list that I don’t have written down it’s just in my head. And that’s true. Or at least it was. 

Now that we’ve officially gotten every Rick and Michonne moment we’re gonna get from the series, I’ve compiled a whole Top 30 list of my all-time favorite Richonne moments ranked in order, leading all the way to my number one favorite Richonne moment. (Y’all know my extra self couldn’t stop at a Top 10 lol).

So at some point down the line, I’ll try and share that list with some updated thoughts on those scenes. And I’d love to hear your lists too! 

Until then, I can’t wait for these “alleged” movies lol. They’re coming. They have to cuz I need this all to conclude with Rick and Michonne back where they’re always meant to be; together. I need Judith and RJ back with their mom and dad. I need Richonne/Grimes Family gold. A whole pot of it. And I believe we’ll get it. 

I’m excited too cuz If Rick and Michonne are in a movie it’s going to be good, no matter what else goes on, cuz those two don’t know how to do anything other than be excellent. 💯And imma be there cuz that’s our family so you know we gotta be there to reunite lol. 😋🙌 🏽 🏆

I already know that reunion is about to be just like Richonne and their family...

So before I conclude this post, I really want to say a sincere thank you to everyone who read all these s9 posts and all the little dissertations I’ve done thus far. As I always say, and I always mean it, y’all are the best and have great taste in TV couples lol. I know writing these when I have some free time puts a smile on my face and if this last 30 days of posts put at least one smile on your face then it makes all this time spent worth it. 

Thanks so much for letting me revel on your TL and thanks for sharing the comments, kindness, and conversations. I so enjoy hearing from you and your opinions are on point for real. Your insights make me love Richonne even more. So thank you! I genuinely appreciate the support and that even seasons later, even with all the stuff and thangs this wild show puts us through we’re still here rocking with Richonne. #Always&Forever

All that’s left to say is Richonne is amazing and the GOAT. When you have two iconic multidimensional characters played by two iconic multidimensional actors you’re gonna get magic. And that’s why a “zombie” show ended up having the greatest healthiest most beautiful love story I’ve ever seen. #GospelTruth #StayBlessedY’all #LongLiveRichonne!

gifs source: the amazing & gifted @michonnegrimes

[darling-stay-with-me]

Favourite Episodes of Season 5 of Charmed

1. A Witch’s Tail

I love mermaids which is why I love this episode! On my rewatch I noticed how they dealt with Piper’s anxiety which I thought was really interesting. It was a little sudden for her to have it but it did make perfect sense. She lost her mother so young and doesn’t want that to happen to her child. We haven’t seen how her mother’s death affected her. They always focused on Prue. So it was interesting to see how Patty’s death affected her. I liked that they had to her have panic attacks, freeze up and hide as though are all very relatable. Also having the Fearless spell as an easy way out of dealing with things - which I think we can all relate to and wish we could do!

That final scene though when she puts the picture of her and Patty in the new baby book and Patty writes ‘Grandma and Mommy’ will forever make me cry! 

2. Happily Ever After

Honestly, any episode that has Jennifer Rhodes in it, I am going to love it (same with Finola Hughes). Having Paige and Grams meet for the first time was everything! There was a bit of resistance at the beginning from Paige but they got to bond. Paige calling her Grams at the end was adorable! 

3. Siren’s Song

This one always makes me laugh because of Piper’s powers malfunctioning and then the baby switching Piper and Leo’s powers. Holly and Brian play off one another so well.

Also, the spell that Leo wrote was fucking hilarious! ‘We harken ye....”

4. The Eyes Have It

I remember watching this episode and thinking it was so gruesome with the eyes being gouged out. It was really disturbing when I was a kid!!! I like the episodes where they deal with other witches/Wicca. It is always cool! 

5. Sympathy for the Demon

BARBAS!!!! Honestly, he is one of my favourite demons and this is one of my favourite episodes! We had never seen him play out Piper and Paige’s fear before so it was cool to see that. I could really relate to Piper’s thing of being happy and then something bad happens immediately afterwards. I feel that is something I deal with. That scene with Phoebe holding Paige’s body, sobbing about how she thinks she is evil. Holly and Alyssa have such good chemistry and bond that they really sell those emotional scenes well.

The whole Paige not being as good as Prue, I liked as well. Because I think it has been something Paige has felt since the beginning. The girls talk about Prue in such high regard (which they should) but I think Paige felt she had to reach that level. But she is just as good as Prue and there shouldn’t really be a comparison between the two.

6. A Witch In Time

Omg I remember watching this one when I got the DVDs. My sister only recorded the first 6 episodes of season 5 and that was it. I remember being so shocked when the demon vanquished Phoebe and Paige. It is also the first time the demon gets a hold of the Book of Shadows which is pretty fucking major. 

Holly once again killing it with her acting after Phoebe and Paige’s death. SHE IS JUST A REALLY GOOD ACTRESS AND SHE KILLS ME WHEN SHE IS CRYING! 

7. Centennial Charmed

100 episodes of Charmed and also marked the final episode of Cole Turner. Those last few episodes of Cole were the most interesting his slow descent into madness was amazing - Julian killed it. I liked that his whole motive for turning on the girls was so they could kill him. But then when he realised not even they could do that and Phoebe won’t take him back - he had to go back to when everything was good between him and Phoebe.

I liked seeing what would have happened if Paige didn’t bring the sisters back together. Piper full of revenge and rage trying to find Shax to kill him for Prue’s death and Phoebe becoming cold and in a loveless marriage. But Paige ultimately bringing them back together to defeat Cole. 

I am not Cole’s hugest fan but I will say it was very sad to see him go. He is such an important part of their story, particularly Phoebe’s. But I am pleased they bought back Julian for the 150th episode.

8. The Day Magic Died

This episode had the comical moments of the sisters and Leo trying to deal with no magic and also had so much heart as well. I loved seeing them try and deal with having no magic and try to keep Piper calm. It had the great sister moment between Phoebe and Piper with Victor’s new wife talking about their sex life and Piper not wanting to be left alone with them lol! 

That birth scene will always make me cry. The emotion, particularly between Alyssa and Holly, felt so real. Like Alyssa seemed to forget that they were acting and was completely caught up in the moment. Leo’s reaction to the fact they were having a boy was so fucking adorable. The fact Victor was their as well was really sweet. He was able to be there to support his daughter (save her life as well) and watch his grandson be born. 

This isn’t in this episode but I have always loved that they named Wyatt Matthew after Paige and Leo. Particularly Paige because it made her feel more part of the family. 

Also, the fact they were going to name the baby after Prue if she was girl broke my heart. 

9. Cat House

Paige being able to see moments of the sisters before she knew them was awesome. This is one of those episodes that I wish they actually had used scenes that Prue was involved. It would have been cool for Paige to actually meet Prue in some way or another. 

AND GETTING ALL THOSE PIPER AND LEO FLASHBACKS WAS ADORABLE. 

Getting the backstory of Kit was also really cool. 

10. Sense and Sense Ability 

Honestly the funniest episode of the whole series. “PMS Monkey” will forever be one of my favourite lines of Phoebe’s. Phoebe and Paige’s interactions were really funny. 

Having them lose one of their senses was a really cool idea. I know Brian had some hand in this episode but I don’t know how much - possibly just the idea. It said that he wrote it but on further investigation, he stated that the edited version from Brad was different from what he wrote. Which makes me sad coz I would have loved to see what Brian had come up with. 

11. Oh My Goddess

FINALLY, MY BOY CHRIS HAS COME TO THE SERIES!!! My first TV crush and he is still so hot. Is next season going to be me just being in love with Chris? Yes it is! 

This is a heartbreaking episode to be a Leo and Piper shipper. Leo becoming an Elder and having to leave Piper and his family was so sad. Holly was amazing at portraying that anger and heartache. 

Also, can we just talk about the fact that Leo fucking saved the Elders from the Titan’s and they still put him through so much fucking shit in the show? THEY LITERALLY WOULDN’T EXIST IF IT WASNT FOR LEO SACRIFICING EVERYTHING FOR THEM.

I HATE THE ELDERS SO MUCH! 

[tinylilemrys]

So I read your fic ‘in my cardboard walls’ and it was AMAZING so do you have a rec of the other ones you’ve written? Or a rec of your fav Merthur or Wolfstar fanfics? I’d really appreciate it!(I think a lot of your followers would too)

Hey, Anon! Thanks so much for reading, In My Cardboard Walls and for this lovely comment! ♥

That’s my only multi-chapter Merthur/Wolfstar fic, but I’ve written a few one-shots.

Merthur:

Note to Idiot

Arthur and Merlin are members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad who work different shifts and share the same office. Arthur, who works the day shift, can’t stand the rain. Merlin, who works the night shift, can’t concentrate without it.

When they both get tired of changing the weather in the magical window in their underground office, is there a more British way to settle their differences than with a few passive-aggressive memos?

First Year (prequel to Note to Idiot)

The summer Arthur turns eleven, with the memory of his father’s reaction when his sister got her Hogwarts letter still fresh in his mind, he spends almost the entire holiday in dread that he’ll get one too. However, when the inevitable happens, he gets far more than just a spot at a magic school – he gets a family. Well, that and an inconvenient acquaintanceship with a strange dark-haired kid, who Arthur definitely does NOT like. Not at all.

Dandelion

The routine has been the same for centuries: Arthur begins a new life in wherever they are in time, he and Merlin meet, Merlin’s memory spell lifts, Arthur’s memories eventually flood back, the idiot has a chuckle at his expense, hugs him senseless and then cries for a bit when it hits him that Arthur’s really with him again. After that they pick up from where they left off until Arthur’s life in that time ends and it all starts again in his next life.

Except this time, when Merlin’s memory spell proves too strong to be lifted simply by their meeting, Arthur is forced to win Merlin over the hard way: with small-talk and dandelions.

You Should See The Other Guy

Arthur doesn’t think it’s unreasonable to be worried when his boyfriend keeps turning up beat-up and bruised (even if Merlin is still perfectly happy and doesn’t seem that concerned about it). But when it gets the worst it’s ever been, Merlin is forced to admit something to Arthur that changes everything.

[This isn’t angsty at all, and there’s a good reason Merlin keeps showing up injured.]

Designated Driver

Arthur has Nystagmus, is legally blind and can’t drive. Gwaine is supposed to be the designated driver but after accepting drink after drink from the hot bartender who has a crush on him, he’s far too drunk to walk let alone operate a car. To make matters worse, Arthur’s left his wallet at home so he can’t even call a cab. Thankfully, his luck changes when he gets approached by a hot stranger.

The First Batch Always Flops

Merlin is used to occasionally walking into the kitchen to meet the sad and embarrassed eyes of the last person to go through Gwaine’s bed. What he’s not used to is finding them irresistibly good-looking and suddenly having the strange urge to make them pancakes to make up for Gwaine’s carelessness. Arthur seems to be a special case.

Mona Lisa’s Smile

“Merlin is the only reason he hasn’t snapped yet. Arthur’s tired and exhausted and just so so sick of art but seeing how Merlin’s face lights up when he sees one of his favourite pieces or how the tips of his adorable ears flush read as he excitedly babbles on about the brushwork and use of colour (even though he knows Arthur can’t tell if it’s good or bad one way or another) fills him with so much affection that he knows he’d happily spend the hundred or so days that he now knows it would take to see each and every piece. Arthur would do anything to keep that childlike mirth alive in his features.

The small velvet box in his pocket suddenly feels a lot more heavy and insistent.”

Nos Galan Gaeaf

Merlin knows from the heart-stopping moment that the fallen branch impales and rips his tent almost in half, that he hates, nay loathes camping and to his horror, it’s the annoyingly posh rich bloke with the top-of-the-range camping gear who comes to his rescue.

However, it soon becomes clear that there’s a reason that the two of them ended up at the camping ground next to what is rumoured to be one of the most haunted and powerful forests in Britain on the last day of October, and it’s far bigger than either of them could have ever imagined.

Wolfstar:

The Daily Grind

Sirius, a new barista, finds himself fascinated with one of the customers. When James tells him that his name is Remus Lupin and that he suffers from severe social anxiety, Sirius finds a creative way to get to know him.

James’ Next-Door Neighbour

Based on the prompt “okay buddy you’ve been serenading the wrong window for about five minutes now, time to let you know my neighbor is out of town.”

Remus is a light sleeper and any little noise at night wakes him up, which is why he’s so annoyed when someone stops their bike right outside his house one night and, to his horror, begins serenading his window. It gets worse when Remus realises that it was actually intended for his next-door-neighbour James, and worse still when Remus and the biker discover that James might have orchestrated the whole thing.

Twenty Minute Shift

Sirius knows he’s picked a bad day to visit his friend at work when, as soon as he walks in, James all but throws his work uniform at him. Things look up when the only client unfortunate enough to come in looking for a bath bomb while Sirius is on duty turns out to be pretty cute. 

I can’t think of many Wolfstar fic recs, but here are a few Merthur ones I’m obsessed with:

Merthur Fic Recs:

There Are No Gays In Football by Malu_3 (Grianne)

When a deeply-closeted Arthur Pendragon finally earns a spot in Camelot’s first XI, he’s dead set on breaking records, not one of sport’s last taboos. But life, like football, is a funny old game, and sometimes the only way up is out. Especially once he realises he’s arse over tit for the new physio.

A queer Arthurian tale of courage, love, and football.

Comments: This is my absolute favourite fic of all time from any fandom. I’ve just finished rereading it and was reminded of how absolutely amazing it is. It’s equal parts hilarious, angsty, eye-opening and hot. You’ll never be able to look at photosets of Bradley in football gear the same way again.

M-RYS by mornmeril

The year is 2355 and Arthur Pendragon is the darling of Albion’s capitol, Camelot. He’s rich, handsome and the heir to Pendragon Enterprises, the world market leader of technology.

Of course behind the facade, Arthur’s life is far from perfect. His father is a demanding man and the betrayal of his ex-girlfriend has left him with even more issues than before, while through it all he’s doing his best to take care of his mentally ill sister.

But things really start to escalate when Arthur is put in charge of launching a new series of android models, the M-RYS line, and he discovers a malfunctioning model that seems more like a human than a computer.

Things only go downhill from there.

Between struggling with his ever growing feelings for Merlin and discovering one strange thing after the other, Arthur’s world is completely upended as he and Merlin embark on a mission to discover his father’s secrets.

Comments: Oh man I will never not love a sci-fi AU based on a high fantasy series. It’s such an interesting take on the Arthur/Merlin dynamic and is full of so many twists and turns that, if you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to stop reading until it’s done.

The Raven by boywholivednotdied

Will’s antics had always been ridiculous, but when one of his dumb capers causes Merlin to inadvertently fall in love with a boy on the internet, things start getting a little complicated. Modern Day AU. Based on the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’

Comments: It’s a modern-era royalty AU based on You’ve Got Mail - what more could you ask? It’s beautifully written with amazing characterisation, is hilarious and sweet, and low-key (read: high-key) makes me want to meet the love of my life online.

Hope this is helpful, anon! ♥

[upinthebalcony]

hamilton, touring company at the bushnell, december 14th, 2018

i was lucky enough to be able to see the hamilton touring company at the bushnell last month!! 

isa briones was in as eliza, and we had a swing come in for maddison in act two. notes below are in no particular order aside from act 1 and 2, sorry!

(also i never saw any boots, so after talking to people who have/have seen the show before, some of this isn’t unique to this production, but i honestly had no idea!)

There sounds like an echo in the plumbing during who lives who dies and Yorktown

Lurens was VERY small and cute

ISA IS THE CUTEST ELIZA EVER!!!

Hamilton is Tall

So is Washington

Literally Eliza comes up to their shoulders, Lafayette is at their jaw, and Laurens is SHORTER THAN ELIZA

Id die for Peggy

The use of white light is WONDERFUL

Comedic timing great

Flip between comedy and horror really good

See the death after you’ll be back I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS THERE

Lauren’s death scene being the only spoken part so far was super emotional

I like how the girls are usually above the action when they aren’t in the scene, like they’re always watching and taking note of it, which is what Eliza does

Really Eliza’s the cutest

The king pretending to row a boat at the end of you’ll be back was HILARIOUS

I cried during Alexander Hamilton

At the beginning of stay alive (?) the bullet flying over Hamilton’s head is kinda genius

CHOREOGRAPHY!!!!!!

Some Very Excellent prop work

Love love love the lighting work it’s really incredible

The lights overhead during helpless/satisfied are really cool!!

When Alexander kisses Angelica’s hand there’s a whooshing noise and I love it

Hamilton and burr just sitting for dear theodosia made me cry, the really simple staging really enhances the emotions of the song

I was surprised when they moved the stairs during nonstop even though I knew in the back of my mind that they did that

Washington is REALLY good he’s got such a commanding presence and I really enjoy it

Spinning stage is Fun

WHEN HAMILTON GOT PERMISSION TO MARRY ELIZA HE DID A DANCE

HE ALSO DANCED WHEN HE GOT CHOSEN FOR CONTINENTAL CONGRESS

“Burr you’re a better lawyer than me” “okay! :)”

When Alexander said “oh shit” during story of tonight reprise he said it so loudly opposed to the obc 

When the king gets v mad his voice gets all rough and gravely

Wait for it....Very Good staging

THE USE OF WHITE LIGHT IS JUST FANTASTIC OK!!! It like makes the actors feel so close and sharp and I really love how it’s been used

That one scene where a few dancers didn’t have sleeves on their jackets..nice

Eliza just Being Around makes me happy

Peggy’s mini arc in Schuyler sisters is so cute from >:/ to :D

Hamilton seems pretty serious most of the time and then he’ll break when someone turns away and does a little dance or gesture and it’s great

I like how for the battle scenes Washington was just above them lifting his sword in the air

VERY GOOD CHOREO

The sisters holding hands like whenever they’re together. Good.

hi i cried for all of act 2 basically

Thomas Jefferson. Hilarious

His dancing...quality

We had a swing take over for Madison and he was Great a lot more assured than the obc Madison seems on the recording

The cabinet battles are very good

Washington is tired

Loved how Washington and Hamilton’s outfits turned black for one last time (love some costume symbolism)

I cried a lot during that song

Phillip is adorable after he finished his rap he ran up the stairs w his fists in the air

Eliza beatboxing. Pure.

Hurricane’s staging is AMAZING with the furniture!!!!

The percussion is fantastic

Beautiful lighting

Say no to this was surprisingly chaste

Loved the four like. Consciousness ensemble members onstage

And all the ensemble members reaction to that song

AFTER QUIET UPTOWN WHEN MADISON GOES “please” AFTER CAN WE GET BACK TO POLITICS NOW HES CRYING AND WIPING HIS EYES

Jefferson was on the other side of the stage when burr read the letter and when he went “whaaaaa” he ran over and grabbed it

The king watching the Adams administration was incredible

When Hamilton shouted ‘you fat mother—’ he throws down papers and red and white lights flash

The king dancing in Reynolds pamphlet was. Incredible

Washington reading the pamphlet and getting PISSED was. Big mood

Angelica was s o mad and I loved it she was like shaking

Burn. Was so good.

Eliza’s voice kept breaking and I’m. Shook.

She like. Realized she was going to burn the letters in the moment and it = broke me

“I’m.........erasing myself from the narrative” 

Her burn was SO ANGRY at the end I loved the build of emotion in it

Haha....Phillip died

The play during that song was funny tbh

I loved the ensemble they all put so much character into their characters

Haha...I cried a lot when he died

The table just slowly spinning as he died

Eliza crying over him I’m fine

When he died she sobbed “oh god” and collapsed on him

And Alexander put his hand on hers and she snatched it away

Room where it happened was. So good.

The lighting was so good the choreo was sO GOOD

Burr improvised the end of the song and it was. Wow

Washington improvised the end of one last time too and it was!!!!! Heck

Quiet uptown messed me up man

I was sobbing I don’t remember much 

Eliza silently standing next to Alexander until she took his hand killed me

And then he pulled her hand close and she just c o l l a p s e d

:)

Eliza’s so good she deserves better

Hey so the letter writing scene between burr and Hamilton was hilarious and good

“30 years of disagreement” hamilton hands papers to ensemble to give to burr and they keep going. And going. And the last person has two papers and they borre over to burr while flapping their wings

Loved the four black capes for 10 duel commandments reprise

Hey the bullet messed me up in that song

I was sobbing so much

I saw Washington step up next to hamilton and I just

Laurens and Phillip,,,, the actor just like rolled along the railing which would be funny if it weren’t good and I wasn’t dying

When Hamilton said Eliza’s name!!!! Hell.

He said it so softly and so broken.....

They grabbed for each other im

Hamilton just folds in half when he gets shot and everyone else VANISHES from the stage

Who lives who dies is. So emotional

I love love love how Eliza was framed as the main character at the end

She stood in front at the last shot and gasped as Hamilton showed her the audience and she reached out to us

GOD THE CHOREO WAS SO TOP NOTCH NOT ENOUGH BWAY SHOWS HAVE A LOT OF CHOREO THESE DAYS I LIVE

Eliza...deserves everything

Im so sad we didn’t have a stage door because I wanted to tell isa she was perfect

[opheliagardinier]

grape expectations

Heyo, here’s my fic of a side RP with Wyatt. This fic is the prequel to my challenge two point five fic which I should have done soon.

Anyway, thank you so much to Ester @wyattschreave for the wonderful RP- it was a wild ride. But I had a great time!

Word count: 3032

I'll be there with the sulfuric acid. Don't forget the body.

Wyatt Schreave was a difficult man to find. After looking nearly everywhere I could think of I ended up sending a note to his room, asking him to meet me in the stables. I wasn’t sure whether or not he’d come but I hoped he’d set a little bit of time aside for some random girl he’d never met.

After a quick stop in the kitchens, I made my way to the stables, showing up right on time. I clicked my tongue at the horses as I entered.

“Hello, babies.” I cooed at them, not seeing any sign of Wyatt.

Unexpectedly his head poked out of one of the stalls. Thankfully it didn’t startle me the way it normally would have.

“Well, hello to you too.”

“That wasn't meant for you.” I laughed slightly, giving him a curtsy. Wyatt was definitely Ben’s brother. “But hello, Prince Wyatt.”

Wyatt walked a little closer to the entrance of the stall that way he could see me better. His hands brushed against his pants before he reached up to pet the horse.

“Are you Lady Ophelia or another Selected I’m bumping into?”

“I'm Fee.” I nodded, getting close enough that I was in the shadow of the horse. “But sorry to inform you that I may have forgotten the body.”

“May I?”

Wyatt looked between the two of us as if he were debating whether or not to say yes.

“What do you say, Altivo?” He pet the horse's neck. “Want to let our guest pet you?”

Altivo moved his nose near to Wyatt’s head and exhaled loudly. Wyatt tsked at the horse, rolling up one of his sleeves, before disappearing for a moment.

“How about now?” Wyatt asked, coming back with an apple.

Without hesitating, Altivo took the apple and gobbled it up. Wyatt to rolled his eyes at the horse then gave me the go ahead. With a chuckle, I reached up and began stroking Altivo.

“Hey there, you're quite the handsome boy, aren't you?” I clicked my tongue at him.

Altivo continued munching on his apple as I pet him. When he had finished he began sniffing around Wyatt, who pushed his snout away. Wyatt explained to Altivo there were no more apples.

“Hey!” Wyatt exclaimed as Altivo tapped his head with his snout. He let out a grunt but then retrieved another.

“We should walk off before he asks for more,” Wyatt told me, shoving his hands into his pockets after he’d given Altivo the second apple.

“All right.” I nodded, giving him a smile. Before following Wyatt out of the stall I reached into my dress pocket and pulled a few grapes out to feed to Altivo.

“You carry those with you all the time??” Wyatt’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the grapes.

I looked at Wyatt like he was insane, but realised it must have looked funny to him.

“No, who does that?” I shook my head with a chuckle. “I knew I was coming to the stables so I came prepared.”

He momentarily gave me a look of surprise but then let out a sigh of relief, telling me he’d been worried for a second. Wyatt spun on his heels, heading out of the stall.

“As much as Ben loves grapes, I’d be creeped out if you were that obsessed with them.” He pretended to whisper over his shoulder.

I mean I was obsessed with grapes. My entire life had kind of revolved around them up until the Selection.

“I'm pretty sure everyone loves grapes,” I replied, following him. “But don't worry, the only mammals I enjoy feeding them to is horses- and guinea pigs... Fine any animal that'll eat them.”

His eyebrows went up as he repeated the word “mammals” back to me.

“Yes, mammals.” I rolled my eyes, causing Wyatt to scoff.

“Alright. If I may ask now, why did you request to meet me? And why here? You sure we're not hiding a body?”

“Like I said, I had trouble acquiring the body, but I asked to meet here because it was the only place I could think of where we might not run into your brother.” I looked around as if to make sure Ben wasn’t with us. “I need your help with getting back at your brother.”

“Really, is that so?” Wyatt asked, looking intrigued.

“Okay so "get make at him" might be taking it too far. But the other day he scared me and I want to scare him back.” I smiled, nodding at him. “And your mother may have told me you could help.”

“My mom suggested you come to me?” Wyatt asked, with a grin spreading across his face.

Queen Isobel had been the one to give me my idea surprisingly. I’d told her about how Ben had scared me in the wine cellar a few nights previously and she’d unexpectedly revealed that like me her son also scared easily.

“She did,” I smirked. “Although she said there may be a price for your help.”

Wyatt removed his hands from his pockets to adjust his cuffs. With a smirk, he told me he was listening. It sort of felt a bit like a business proposal- only we were in the stables rather than an office somewhere.

“I'm thinking pigeons,” I told him- then expectantly waited for his reaction.

“Care to elaborate?” Wyatt asked, raising his eyebrows.

I could see the shared family traits between him and his brother. Both boys seemed perpetually in a good mood between their smirks, chuckles, and senses of humour.

“So your brother hates birds- somehow more than I do- And I was hoping that there could somehow be about a dozen or so pigeons in the garden while he happens to be there one day. With lots of bread of course.” I explained, giving Wyatt a sweet smile, as I continued following him.

“His hatred of birds...yeah,” Wyatt said with a smug grin.

He stopped walking as we made our way out of the stables. One of his arms crossed over his chest while he positioned his elbow on top of his forearm in a way that he was able to reach up and pensively rub his chin with his hand.

“Any particular reason you want to go with pigeons? Is it a gag I’m not getting?”

“His hatred is justified.” I shuddered. “But I figured pigeons because they're fairly common and who's to say they couldn't wander into the garden on their own?”

Wyatt thoughtfully tapped his chin another moment.

“Good thinking. This is what I ask in return. When you finally reveal yourself, you must act surprised by all the pigeons and say “Look at all those chickens!” There was a shift in his tone as his voice went higher to capture the essence of what he wanted me to say.

Wyatt dramatically pointed to a spot in the garden before turning back to me with an aura of seriousness. “Can you do that?”

Well shit. This was like a negotiation. Of course what he wanted me to say wasn’t too ridiculous but it also wasn’t something I was especially keen on. To “get back” at Ben I was willing to say some silly line about chickens, but I couldn’t let Wyatt know that right off the bat. He had to work for it a little at least and convince me to say yes.

“I'm fairly certain your sister would do this without that little addition.” I narrowed my eyes at Wyatt, slightly biting my lip. “What do you get out of having me say that?”

“But Hazel isn't here right now offering help, is she?” He smirked. “And I get the pleasure of knowing vines are being spread as they should be. Plus, it'll be hilarious.”

“I asked you for help, remember. And who's to say your sister wouldn't help me- minus the condition you have?” I tilted my head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

It was true that I would likely be able to get his sister to help me, but if she was anywhere near as hard to track down as Wyatt that would be problematic. There was also the added issue of another person knowing my plan, which was much more important than the risk I ran of not finding Hazel.

“But you must agree my condition will make it a much better experience,” Wyatt argued.

“Better for which party?”

“Uh…?” He said, before adding with some reluctance. “Both?”

He had a point there, I’d give him that. In the chaos of what I planned me yelling about chickens would only add to the fun. But I couldn’t concede yet.

“And you're determined to have me scream about "chickens"?” I asked, making air quotes with my fingers.

“Yes! The pigeons are the chickens.” He exclaimed, before narrowing his eyes at me. “Wait, do you not know what I'm referencing?”

“I do in fact know what you're talking about, but I'm just asking if you're really sure out entire arrangement should be dependent on me making a reference.” I sighed, then shook my head. “And just for the record, I'm pretty sure those are geese in the video.”

A look of disgust crossed my face at the mention of geese. I couldn’t stand the creatures with their chasing and hissing and general bitchiness as an animal. Besides, I was more partial towards mammals- and marsupials- basically anything that didn’t honk and have a name that rhymed with moose.

“They were geese, but we agreed on pigeons already.” Wyatt reminded me as he seemed to notice my reaction. “We could make them geese, but it doesn't look like you're too fond of them.”

“No geese!” I blurted out, before continuing in a more level tone. “Anyway, fine, I agree.”

I held out my hand but he didn’t take it.

“Oh no, now I want to know the geese trauma story.” Wyatt grinned.

“They hiss and they're angry and mean.” I told him, waving my hand around a bit because I just wanted him to agree “So do we have a deal?”

Wyatt raised an eyebrow at my vague explanation as he glanced down at my hand. Sensing that I wouldn’t tell him more he sighed and took my hand.

“Fine, don't tell me.” He said, with a mischevious glint in his eyes. “I know where to get the pigeons.”

Excellent! I smiled at him. Those had been the exact words I’d been waiting to hear. Things were coming along nicely.

“So I'll leave the pigeons up to you. But I think I'll need your help getting Jam into the garden without him getting suspicious”

“Why would he get suspicious?” Wyatt inquired, tilting his head. “I mean, in theory, you asking to meet him wouldn't be that weird. Unlike asking me when we hadn't even met.”

“And yet... You still came.” I smirked. “What's that about? Shouldn't you have been more suspicious?”

With a chuckle, he began walking again. Why does he keep walking away? Doesn’t he know I have shorter legs and it’s not exactly easy to keep up with him, especially in these shoes?

“Why? I doubted I was going to be the buried body. “ He glanced at me in amusement. “Besides, what was I supposed to say?”

How about no? No is a relatively simple word. Hell, even a toddler can say it.

“'Oh so deeply sorry Lady Ophelia, but you're being creepy so no thank you. I will not meet you at the stables.’” Wyatt said in a dramatic English accent, taking a bow. He then cleared his throat and switched back to his regular voice. “And yes, I turned into a British Prince to make it sound somewhat nice. That wouldn't have translated well on paper though.”

“Well, you know what they say.” I shook my head at him. “Curiosity killed the cat. And if you weren't going to be the buried body then do I even want to ask what lucky person was going to get to play that role?”

“I don't know, you were the one who sent such a vague note first. And the full sentence is actually: 'curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back'.” He paused awkwardly. “That's the satisfaction of figuring out what made him curious in the first place of course.”

“I'm pretty sure "satisfaction" wouldn't have brought you back if I had murdered you in the stables…” I squinted at Wyatt. “Just saying.”

“Are you confessing to plotting against the monarchy?” He asked, giving me a falsely serious look.

“Sureeeeee,” I told him in a sarcastic tone, rolling my eyes. “Of course. I won't even kill a bug, but clearly, I'm only I'm the Selection it strategically off each one of the Schreaves.”

“Have you never killed a mosquito?.”

I shook my head. Killing bugs wasn’t exactly my style. I was more of a catch and release person. Bugs were important parts of the ecosystem, and besides, why should it have to die because someone found its very existence offensive?

“I've never intentionally killed anything.”

“Wait, wait, you're seriously telling me if a mosquito stands right on your arm, sucking blood out of you, you just watch her do that and let her be?” Wyatt chuckled.

I uncomfortably rubbed my arm at the thought. I liked mosquito bites about just as much as the next person.

“Well no,” I answered. “I'd try and brush her off.”

“She'd...probably keep trying though.” He shook his head in disapproval. “Anyway, we got sidetracked. Getting Ben to the gardens. I think you can be in charge of that.”

“Yes, well- it's not her fault she drinks blood, is it?” I told him with a tilt of my head, before nodding. “But you're right. I'll find a way to get him to the gardens and you deal with the pigeons. Will they be on standby or do you need advance warning?”

Wyatt went silent for a moment as he considered. He turned away from me to look around the garden.

“This might be complicated…” He said.

Eventually, he turned back around to face me. He pointed off into the distance and asked if I saw an oak tree. I nodded in response, telling him I knew which tree he meant. Wyatt looked back towards the tree.

“I can't believe I'm doing this…” He mumbled under his breath, turning to face me once more. I'll need you to bring him under that tree. Do you think you can handle that?”

“Why that tree in particular?” I asked, giving him a curious look.

His gaze returned to the tree, only this time he seemed to look at it with an expression of fondness.

“Nothing really, but I'm pretty used to climbing it…” Wyatt sighed. “And I know without a doubt that the leaves hide you well. Ben won't even notice I'm there waiting.”

“Oh, so you'll be there?” I smirked.

Of course, he would be. Why on earth wouldn’t he want to witness all his hard work first hand?

“Oh, I’m sorry, if you want this to be a private encounter....” Wyatt chuckled, teasingly raising his eyebrows at me, before adding. “It’s fine if it is. I don’t have to be there. I can figure something else out. If there’s something I’ve got when it comes to this stuff, it’s creativity.”

“How is it that you turned something so innocent into something so dirty sounding?” I laughed, shaking my head.

“I mean,” He began, with the raise of his eyebrows, lifting his hands in fake surrender. “It was just a question.”

“Don't worry, I think it will be very G-rated, so no need for the privacy.” I rolled my eyes.

The most risque it had gotten with Ben was me holding onto his arm. Wyatt had absolutely nothing to be worried about.

“If you say so…” Wyatt smiled, looking back to the tree. “Then we’ve got a plan.”

“It seems we do.” I laughed softly, thinking of his unfounded worry. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

Wyatt nodded and looked back at me.

“And remember, I’ll be there.” He pointed to the foliage of the tree. “Hidden between a bunch of tree branches. I expect you to keep your end of the bargain.”

“Got it. I'll do my best.” I nodded, then giggled slightly. “But if I forget it's probably because I'm caught in the moment.”

“Of course.” He let out a laugh with a huff. “I'll consider forgiving you if that happens. Anything else you need me for?”

“Forgiveness is all a girl could ask for.” I winked at him and clicked my tongue, then looked back towards the stables. “Unless you want to give some horses grapes then I think that was everything.”

I wasn’t sure if he knew, but I’d actually been going to the stables the past few days. Being around all the horses made me feel a bit more comfortable than relaxing in the Women’s Room or being cooped up alone in my bedroom. Being outdoors reminded me of home.

“I should actually get those pigeons ready.” His head cocked to the side as he looked towards the stables and cracked a smile. “But don't give Altivo more food. I kind of already spoil him enough.”

“That sounds like a good plan.” I beamed at him. “Don't worry, there are other horses I can spoil with grapes. I'll just spoil yours with petting.”

“I... guess that's fair.” Wyatt nodded with some reluctance. “I'll send you a note so we can agree on a date for our pigeon fest later this week.”

I already had an idea which day would be perfect for our little operation. What better way to spend my birthday than watching Ben freak out over pigeons? It was like a little gift from me to me.

“Sounds good. Thanks for trusting me.” I smirked. “I'll see you later.”

I turned and walked back towards the stables. I was proud of me- proud of us. If everything went according to plan this could very well be one of the greatest things I’d ever witness.

[aion-rsa]

Frank Zappa’s Son Ahmet Talks Legacy, Labels, and His Father’s Inventions

https://ift.tt/3bB8HvB

Frank Zappa, who died in 1993, is one of the least understood artists of the 20th Century, which is ironic because he was also the most prolific. Introduced to the world as a bicycle-playing artiste concrète sitting naked on a toilet, he was a harmonic genius who experimented with sonic assault weapons and visual subversions. Frank Zappa was the Nikola Tesla of music. Alex Winter’s documentary ZAPPA, which is now available to watch in the UK and Ireland on Altitude.film, clarifies many of the contradictions by highlighting Zappa’s primary focus. The Mothers of Invention bandleader was a composer.

As such, Frank was also a cultural ambassador, a hero of free expression, a hysterical satirist, and a guitar virtuoso. He was celebrated in the Czech Republic after the Velvet Revolution, and castigated by parental control mongers in America. But even Frank knew his rep enough to drop an album series called Shut Up and Play Your Guitar. It should be compulsory listening for anyone who’s ever put fingers to strings.

For the documentary, Frank’s widow Gail Zappa gave Winter unfettered access to the family vault. The son of “the Son of Mr. Greenjeans” gave him the combination. Ahmet Zappa and his sister Diva became the central scrutinizers of the Zappa Family Trust after Gail died of lung cancer in 2016. Ahmet is a film producer, author and an actor who appeared on Growing Pains, Roseanne, MadTV, and the films Jack Frost and Ready to Rumble. He is also a musician and songwriter. Like his sister Moon, he collaborated with his father, and like all his siblings, he appeared on Zappa releases. Ahmet and his brother Dweezil recorded together, and now each bring their own flavors to the soup of their father’s compositions.

Ahmet, who is an executive producer on ZAPPA, spoke with Den of Geek about the documentary, the vaults, the inventions and other family treasures.

Den of Geek: In a project like this, what kind of things do you learn about your father that you hadn’t expected?

Ahmet Zappa: Not too much on new facts. Through the process of, I guess, preserving not just the video and the audio, you just find things that you just think are awesome, new music or just different things that Frank says that it will have meaning to other people one would hope. It’s a hard way to answer that question because it was a very emotional journey. So, it was more bittersweet in that I feel so blessed to have all this media because I feel like it’s a consolation prize because I lost my mother and father. It’s not a solid replacement, it’s a blessing to have it because it makes me remember them and feel closer to them.

They were pretty forthcoming with a lot of the conversations. We were able to participate and our parents would talk to us about everything. Maybe the biggest mystery was just how many chicks my dad boned. That was surprising. That wasn’t great news, you know what I mean? But I guess it’s rock and roll. I was really naïve to think that that maybe wasn’t going on, but I learned that.

How did you react when you first saw the finished film?

I just loved it. I burst into tears. Similar kind of bittersweet reaction. It’s so emotional and the things that just kind of wrecked me were seeing Frank in pain after he had been attacked after the concert he did at the Rainbow in London. Just seeing my mother being protective of Frank, even crossing the street. Little things like that are so ingrained in how protective my mother was and remembering the effects that my dad had after that accident. A lot of back pain, it forever changed his voice because he almost died. I mean, that part really, really got to me.

Of course, the pride that I have in what an artist Frank was, the champion of artist rights. I’m so biased because I feel like I’m so inside, but I try to give good answers. For me it’s all good. I’ve known Alex for many, many, many years. When he called me up one day and was like, “Hey, how come there hasn’t been an official bio doc on your dad?”

I explained to him, “Well, lots of people have tried and it just wouldn’t go the distance because of the approach and you’d have to speak with my mother.”

I just watched Gail and Alex strike up this pretty fast and deep relationship and I was delighted that Gail felt the way I felt. It did take a lot of trust to have someone embark on telling the story about someone who’s so near and dear to you.

Gail was like, “Look, Alex, the story that you want to tell, you’re going to want and need to have full access to the vault.” That was when I knew, “Oh, this is game on. Gail’s really feeling this.”

Then when I was speaking with Gail, “Look, if we’re going to do this, we want to be able to champion and support Alex because it’s his movie.” He had director’s cut. That part was really important to Gail and I to just tell the story that you want to tell but make it an honest story. Don’t hold anything back. You have access, you have free rein.

I think that was a scary moment, but we had such faith in Alex and I love the end result. I think he did a very loving, caring job. I think that people have a great sense, when they see this documentary, of what it’s like to be a composer, the life of a composer and the extraordinary life that Frank led. I really think it’s a pretty well-rounded, awesome film. But then again, I’m biased.

Being a fan of your father’s sense of humor, I thought the documentary itself was just an elaborate scheme to get him to pay for the remastering.

The truth of the matter is we went into the vault and his jaw dropped. We’re like, “Okay, let’s start.” He didn’t have funding for the doc. He came to the house videotaping Gail. Then when we were looking at the footage of the tapes in the vault, and Alex having a bit of a background, and I was really naïve to this, to be totally honest, of, “Hey, is this media being stored right?”

It was in, as much as we could, a temperature-controlled massive room, just the shelf life of the tape itself was disintegrating. In that process, it became pretty evident that if we can’t save the media, it will be lost forever. The fan base, the gratitude that I have towards the people that came to the rescue of the media is extraordinary.

That was definitely not something that we were too aware of. Alex, having done Kickstarters and those types of campaigns, [said] “Well, maybe we should try to do this because it is so expensive to preserve that media.” Alex convinced me. Gail had passed after he was doing interviews and when we got into the nitty-gritty. Joe Travers, our vaultmeister, on a regular basis, will have to bake tapes in a Ronco food dehydrator. We’re aware of that kind of stuff falling apart, but it’s a whole other pail of fish when you’re having to transfer these tapes that we don’t even have the machines, in many cases, to even play them back on. To get the media off of it, that was a whole other stress point. I’m so grateful that we preserved what we could.

Besides the video and the audio, were there anything like screenplays or maybe the skits Frank wrote for the Saturday Night Live that were never produced?

Oh, yeah. There’s lots of stuff in there. Gail and Frank, they never really threw anything away. We’re always finding things here or there. I found early versions of this project that Frank was working on called “Christmas in New Jersey” which was pretty hilarious. A lot of elements from Thing-Fish were there and other little bits of connection.

I found a lot of his early artwork that blows me away. Cool stuff. That’ll eventually, I would hope, see the light of day. I found this amazing piece of sheet music. I think Frank must have accidentally dripped a bunch of ink all over it and he just then turned that into this awesome dude playing the Congo drums on it. It’s just crazy.

Frank’s penmanship and the way that he would even write music is beautiful to see. Then you throw in him just fucking around with some of the artwork. Even yesterday, we found some really awesome artwork on some of the old letterhead from United Mutations that Captain Beefheart was working on. This must have been at the time that they were probably working on Trout Mask Replica.

It’s kind of bananas, right? You think about someone who passed away really early at 52 and the body of work? I don’t know of another artist who really accomplished as much art as my father. Whether you like his art or not is not the point. It’s that he was just 24 hours a day. Just seemed to be this machine and he just burned the candle at both ends.

It seems that he and Prince were the only artists to ever be in trouble for having too much music.

Yeah, I kind of agree with you. When I talk about it, people are like, “Well, he’s made so much of it.” I’ve also had business dealings where people are like, “Well, there’s just so much. If you have so much, I don’t know, I’ll give you 10 cents on the dollar because there’s so much.”

You’re like, “I don’t think it works that way.”

The movie’s opening in the UK. Can you tell any difference between American and an overseas fan?

I just think Europe, overall, has just a greater appreciation of not just Frank’s music but music and art in general. They have a much longer history of appreciating the artistic endeavors of the individual. I do think that there’s a big audience out there. I’m curious, I’m excited it’s finally coming out overseas because I think people will really enjoy the film. Frank has always had a massive European audience.

The documentary opens with the Czech Republic and Frank was very surprised at his renown. Can you tell me a little bit why Zappa Music had a special classification?

I just remember, as it was happening, the people would express if you have so little money and you were going to buy music, which is kind of extraordinary, they just weren’t leaning towards, I guess, more commercial artists. There must have been a different level of attention and appreciation, I should say, for music with different time signatures and that was more exploratory versus, again, a pop record.

I think it was more the value of how much music you could get on a record and how different it was. Maybe there’s something in that mindset over there in how, again, the arts just overall have a greater level of importance. I think it’s just the greatest that they respected Frank and his music represents freedom over there which is so cool.

Do you think it was the intricacy of the music that made your father’s music so dangerous or do you think it’s how he took serious things so unseriously?

Probably all of it. I think it’s a combination of both, in my humble opinion.

The entire State Department seemed to come out to block his appointment as Czech liaison. Why did they find him particularly frightening, threatening?

Read more

Culture

None of This Would Be Happening If Frank Zappa Had Been President

By Tony Sokol

I just think that maybe his points of view, although at the time so progressive, but I think that that was maybe a massive negative, where today it’s not that. I think that Frank really changed things for the better with his points of view and expressing, to me, what just feels like common sense.

I grew up in this really progressive household and I remember people thinking that we were so odd. We were like The Addams Family because of the attention our parents would give us and the freedoms that we had and how they supported our individual creativity and all of that. When I would have friends over, they would relish that environment, but I guess the parents, it’s like, “You’ve got to work within this box,” and then Frank was not that person.

ZAPPA tells a story about your sister slipping a note to introduce herself. I was wondering if this opened up an era of collaboration with your father that might not have opened if she hadn’t done that.

I don’t think so. Maybe. But from my point of view, and, again, Moon is seven years older than me, I think for what she needed emotionally, that kind of connection, that was definitely a way to connect. At that same time, Moon was singing on that song “Jumbo Go Away” and I was in the studio singing on “Drafted Again” with Moon. Then later on she did “Valley Girl.”

I don’t know what came first because there was always so much music happening in the house. There were a handful of times where Frank would say, “Okay, I’m going to record you guys. Go get the piano.” There are tapes in the vault of us just playing music. If we had family members over that were funny or exhibited some interesting talent or something, he was like, “Hey, come down to the studio and record it.” He was really present in that way if you got his attention.

Did he watch you practice, monitor your musical progress or give you tips?

I wanted a drum set. He was like, “Ah.” I really was always interested in the drums. Then weirdly he was like, “Why don’t you play the saxophone?” He let me play around on some of the instruments. There weren’t really any kind of restrictions in that way.

I guess the most interesting musical conversations I had with him was over doo-wop. He would play me a lot of his favorite doo-wop records. He was like, “Can you sing like this?” The super falsettos. We were actually talking about doing some doo-wop music and I was going to do some vocals. This is when he was really sick and working overtime and getting as much time as he could. That’s a bummer that we never got to get in the studio and work on that stuff.

That’s when he told me about the fun story. Gail loved Howlin’ Wolf and so did Frank. I was like, “Well, what else do you guys like?” That’s when they started playing me doo-wop and talked about The Persuasions. What an incredible story that is.

Are there any other rock documentaries that you appreciate now having finished ZAPPA?

Yeah, there’s lots that I appreciate for different reasons. One that was really interesting to me just because I’m a big fan of his, but the Harry Nilsson doc I enjoyed. I just love him. I still wish that they would have collaborated. Maybe they did. Maybe I’ll discover that. I love Harry Nillson. His music is kick ass.

What’s happening with The Bizarre World of Frank Zappa?

What’s happening with the world of touring on the planet? We were getting ready to go out again. It’s an expensive show. It’s really technologically intense. It’s costly to ship everything around. You got to be really specific and careful with the routing and also mindful of the band. How many days can you play? We were getting ready to go back out again. Yeah. Just the state of the world.

We were going to do the Zappa Band and King Crimson. We had announced that even. That got pushed. We have every intention of picking both of those things up again.

They’re very different experiences. The Bizarre World is a multimedia extravaganza. When the guys are just playing, they’re playing a bunch of shows. I love those guys. I love all the musicians that played with Frank. Just a shitty situation with COVID.

When we can, we try to do things that help the music community in need. That’s been a lot of my focus when possible to do what we can to give back.

When you’re auditioning musicians to play, do you make them go through musical acrobatics?

For Frank’s music, yeah. You have to play it right. For me, the kind of music I write, it’s not anywhere near as challenging as the stuff Frank was working on. I mostly work with people that worked with Frank. They get it right.

Joe Travers is incredible. Scott Thunes is incredible. Honestly, they can speak to it a lot better than I can as musicians. They worked in the capacity, Scott is the scoremeister in prepping the band and running rehearsals. That’s more of, as an example, someone more qualified than me is the one who’s going to be able to explain if someone’s doing it right or wrong.

There’s lots of variations of the same songs, how they were played. So much of it is about an artist’s individual way of the groove that they lock into with the band. You might have a version of a track that is played pretty straightforward and then there’s a reggae version. You’ve got to have a tight band. Lots of rehearsing goes into pulling off the music sounding professionally played. It’s not something that you’re just like, “Yeah, I’ll meet you on Tuesday. We’ll rehearse for a couple of hours and then let’s jam.” It always takes more time with Frank’s music.

Are you more of a fan of prog music than you are of any other genre?

I certainly appreciate prog music. I have a hard time with the labels. I think people might categorize some of Frank’s music as prog. I just don’t love the name prog rock. To me it’s all rock. I love odd time signatures and I like melody, so I gravitate towards a lot of different musicians. I’m just more of a rock fan and I use that for whatever reason as an overall way to describe what I listen to.

I love heavy metal. To me it’s all rock music. Electrified instruments and interesting singers and I love that. I don’t have a bunch of rap records or hip hop. That’s not a lot of my music collection. I’m just more into people plugging in and threshing their bass, drums, guitar, and great vocalists.

I covered the “Framing Britney Spears” documentary. While I was doing it, your and Dweezil’s version of “Baby, One More Time” was on heavy rotation. How did you pick that song? As a conservator of an artist’s trust, would you have any advice for her?

I haven’t seen the doc and I don’t know. I can’t really speak to her situation. From what little I know from the TMZ-style news is that there’s, I guess, some health concerns there. None of us really know the truth unless you’re in it. I send her lots of positivity and hopefully that all gets sorted out for her.

As it pertains to the “Hit Me Baby, One More Time” track, I was working on Ready to Rumble. It was a wrestling movie. They wanted me to have that song in the film. The music supervisor on the film [Mike Flicker], mentioned the Britney Spears track and I was like, “Oh, that’s so funny. I had won Say What Karaoke.” I was working at MTV and someone dropped out of participating. I was hosting something else up there and they were like, “Oh my god, would you consider getting into this and doing a Britney song?”

I was like, “Yeah, sure. Do you have a crazy outfit?” So, I put on a wig and some sparkly spandex thing. I was like, “Hey, check it out. If you want, I can do a version like this.”  Then I was like, “Hey, Dweezil, do you want to do this track?” That’s really how it came about.

I just watched the Miami Vice episode with your father in it last night.

The worst stunt double of all time was him jumping in the water. The cut is just so bad. It’s not my favorite performance of his. I don’t know if he was really comfortable in those situations, or, maybe he was. I know he wasn’t winning a Daytime Emmy or Nighttime Emmy for that performance.

How do you choose which of your father’s music comes out?

We listen to the fan base and have internal conversations and try to think about, “What period haven’t we explored?” Because we’re always uncovering new things, so there might be, “Oh, look, we just found this track on this record or on these tapes.” It’s a pretty natural, holistic, organic way of picking to be honest. We’re always listening for new things and listening to the fan base.

Do you have a favorite performance or favorite period of your father’s?

The ’70s, really. I was born in ’74, so that music and that time and that band I was always around. That’s my earliest music that was being played for me. I was raised on that. I’m just partial to the rocking ’70s.

We know a lot of things that Frank enjoyed just from his songs. We know that he likes B-movies because of cheapness. What are some of the things he enjoyed which might come as a surprise?

He loved animation. We had talked about that. Maybe that will surprise some people. We made recently this beer called “Why Does It Hurt When IPA” where we gave all the proceeds to the music community in need. So, people will ask, “But Frank didn’t drink.” I think people would be surprised to know that he did enjoy beers. He had his favorite ones. He didn’t have a beer or a glass of wine every day, but certainly there were occasions where he would.

He liked Peter Jackson’s movies a lot. He loved Terry Gilliam, though. His favorite is Time Bandits. Brazil might be one of his all-time favorite movies. That was a must watch, right up there with The Brainiac which is not directed by Terry Gilliam. That was a Mexican horror film that was played a lot in our house.

I read that you and your father talked about holograms before they were even a thing. Can you tell me how that conversation brought you into the work with Eyellusion?

Frank talked about it even in his book The Real Frank Zappa Book. He wanted to start his own hologram business and started in earnest developing, trying to launch his business. As a kid, just talking to me about his thoughts and the benefits and getting something like that going.

One aspect was, “Hey, there’s going to be a show that’s out there touring of the music with these holograms, but I’m here in LA and I don’t have to travel.” There’s that. Or the show could go out and he could be home working. That was like, “Whoa!” It felt like the holodeck on Star Trek in what he was describing and how far he was going.

He was even talking about being able to broadcast in the atmosphere. Having some kind of projection system that he was trying to figure out the specifications of that with some people from, I guess, military friends on my mom’s side of the family. Lots of forward-thinking concepts that people at the time must have imagined, “That’s so far out.” Then fast forward to today with displays and with different software and machinery and all of it really became a possibility.

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I was really excited and inspired to try to work on something that Frank really wanted to have happen. I have lots of audio of him talking about, singing about holograms, making references to holograms. He loved animation. It was really fun to put that show together.

ZAPPA is available on on-demand platforms in the U.S. and the UK at Altitude.film.

The post Frank Zappa’s Son Ahmet Talks Legacy, Labels, and His Father’s Inventions appeared first on Den of Geek.

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Haven DVD Commentaries - 2.12, Sins of the Fathers

First of two commentaries, this one with Sam Ernst and Jim Dunn, writers of this episode (and creators and executive producers of the series). I can’t reliably tell their voices apart, so there is not much info on who is saying what, though where I’ve quoted stuff I have tried to show when the speaker changes. The quotes aren’t necessarily exactly word for word. Feel free to ask questions if something doesn’t make sense :)

They start off by saying that they’re recording this commentary a couple of months after the episode aired and in that time they’ve been to comic con and talked to fans and so they have the benefit of feedback on the episode and the whole season.

“We have a lot to say about the finale because there is a lot of mythology in this episode,” and “what was tricky about the finale is that we always have a curse of the week, and what we’ve struggled to do in both of the finales (Sam and Jim wrote the finale for season one too), is that we always have a real affliction show up.” “But it needs to be something simple, that you can get in a heart beat, so that we aren’t spending a lot of time explaining what’s going on, you can just easily follow along while we have all the other things going on with our characters.” So for example the curse of the week for the season one finale was the Chief although it didn’t just feature in that episode, but for this episode the curse is something that’s completely independent. And they decided to have ghosts because they needed those characters to provide some of the back story in an organic way.

They refer to Laura having a board up in the office for two months taking notes before they started writing this episode; “What if we brought people back from the dead?” “Are they zombies or ghosts?” “Are they tangible or intangible?” and how they were really attracted to being able to bring back people we would otherwise never see; people who have already been killed e.g. the Rev. Being able to bring him back “just seemed like gold.”

They talk about Duke and how he was in the first scene of the first episode of the season, talking with the Rev. on the steps of the church, and how they “rewrote that scene about 70 badillion times” but how it ended up where it started; different words but the same ideas where there i.e. establishing an arc for Duke, “Why is he part of this story?” But at that point they hadn’t thought of bringing Simon back in the finale. “We just knew that his father was important, we knew why his father was important, but we didn’t know how we were going to bring that back. But we set it up in the beginning.”

As we see Audrey knock the coffee cup from Dave’s hand, they talk about how they went through various different versions of the coffee cup being smashed or not, “We put it back in, we took it back out,” looking for a way to underline how emphatic she feels in this moment. There was some concern that it might be a bit melodramatic and it wasn’t included in the final version of the script. But it was discussed again on set when they were filming and Emily Rose really liked the idea, as did the director for the episode and so they used it. “And this scene, from the very first time they shot it to the 19th take was awesome. And Emily Rose kills it. I think she in this episode is at the top of her game with this character on this show.”

And they talk about Vince and Dave too, as “such great characters and around the office, Sam and I take some flak for being Vince and Dave, but there’s this thing about them; you know they know stuff. And in this season we’ve explored more and opened more doors to how much they know.”

There is a reference to “we did some interesting things on twitter with that,” and as Vince is giving Audrey the ring, “we wrote this whole twitter story that went to the reveal of this ring. And that ring was chosen for a very specific reason, which I will not reveal now, but it’s not an accident that it’s that ring.”

“Putting Audrey in with these guys it’s reminiscent of the finale from season one where we had the confrontation between Vince and Nathan’s father in the street, where there’s a hint that there’s something going on with these guys that’s bigger than we’re aware of.”

And they also refer to the actors behind Vince and Dave in that scene as “awesome.”

The fact that the Crocker box of weapons includes a throwing star bugs them, “Who kills people with throwing stars?”

And as we see Simon Crocker, “This is my man-crush because that of course is Helo from Battlestar Galatica.” “We were very excited when that opportunity came up,” to cast him. “And for us there was no discussion; he never auditioned, it was perfect.”

And they mention the weird moment they realised they needed to cast someone roughly Duke’s age, because “he died, in front of Duke, at a certain age.” And then “there’s an interest parrallel because here’s the guy who died, facing roughly the same crisis at the same point in his life that Duke is facing.” But at that point there were some concerns about who they might cast because they need it to be someone with “gravitas” which they would have if it was someone older with grey hair or whatever (“a tough guy, maybe a Tom Selleck”) but that “wouldn’t make sense. And we run into that a lot on the show, which is we have a certain thing that makes sense in the rules and the story of the show, but then people are looking for a more visceral reaction.” and how “That’s the thing with genre shows; there’s the internal logic that doesn’t always match what you’d expect.”

As Nathan is about to ask Audrey out to dinner, “This is great; this is Lucas Bryant at the height of his powers. Here he is, he’s trying to express himself with the least amount of dialogue in telling Audrey ‘I want this to go further’. And this scene is so great, because what’s on the page is so minimal, and they didn’t need anything more.” There’s a pause in the commentary as they listen to the scene. There’s a little “See?” in appreciation for what the actors are doing with their minimal dialogue, and then as Audrey says, “We can talk about Lucy,” There is a comment “Yeah, you can talk about Lucy and all that stuff --- with your clothes off!” And then as Nathan stumbles over his “or b-breakfast?” line, there is a comment, “That’s what I’m talking about, right there!” And they add how Lucas is “charming, goofy, hilarious, all of those things, and you just see the tip, tip, tip of that iceberg when he’s playing Nathan.” “It’s really funny; he would be perfectly comfortable in Vaudeville.”

And then at the next scene, “This is Eric getting out of bed and having a drink, which is what Duke does.” “It’s kinda awesome.” “It’s hard to imagine Eric not being Duke. There’s a lot of overlap between the two of them, although Eric is a much more straight ahead, genuine guy by a long shot.” “It’s funny because he plays characters like this … we all have our facets. But he’s really sweet and genuine and he would never do these things.”

They talk about this scene (Simon waving his hand through the whiskey glass) as being a lot fun to write because it’s all about Duke being used to Haven’s craziness “he rolls with the insanity” and yet he has huge amounts of anger towards his father because his father was such a douchebag. Although it turns out maybe he wasn’t a total douchebag, maybe he had an agenda.

As Simon and Duke argue, “The thing about Tahmoh is he’s huge, he’s muscular, he’s terrifying in person; absolutely the gentlest man.” “It’s always that way right? Like Edge.” “And the funny thing is, he’s flying in, playing a pivotal role, giving us pivotal information and he doesn’t know anything about what’s going on. So when I met him I was like ‘First of all it’s unbelievable to meet you because I’m such a fan and two, this is what’s going on.’”

“But he had to give this performance, and we didn’t put scars on him, we didn’t make him this bruiser, because that’s not who Duke is either, although they obviously both know how to handle themselves.”

As we see Audrey and Nathan walking into the graveyard they talk about how it rained on and off all day as they were filming, so it was shot in chunks in between the rain. As we see Kyle throw away his joint they comment that they weren’t allowed to show him putting the joint to his lips.”

Talking about Kyle; “I was a fan of this actor from the Tudors .. in part because of his presence on screen; his eyes just jump out at you.”  

As they look into the dug-up coffin “When we shot him, he looked like his picture. All of those facial effects are digital.” “As is the hole in the ground you just saw.”

As they’re back in station talking to the guy who spoke to his dead sister, they talk about how it was a struggle writing it to make sure that this investigative aspect of the plot didn’t step on Simon’s story and the Rev. coming back and … we really worked hard on it and I think it ultimately worked.” and then also, “In editing, some scenes got shifted around because it’s always a juggling act.”

There are comments about how the police station set has gotten bigger and bigger over time, “It’s so cool, there are so many pockets to it, everytime we write something, like somebody died in the bathroom, so they had to build a bathroom and it’s great to see this whole world.

As we see Kyle tapping down Arlo’s grave they say that while Arlo’s is a fake headstone, it is a real cemetary and all of the old graves are real and it’s “beautiful, ill-kept, on the hillside, overlooking the ocean. And those gravestones go back 300 years.”

They talk about how they had conversations about whether to see the Rev. appear, and disappear in some ghostly way, or whether to just have him walk on screen, and eventually decided it was scarier to just have him walk up and then reveal the details later.

As Simon and Duke talk in front of the field of lavender, “When we wrote this scene, I didn’t think about what the field would look like. We just wrote ‘a field’. And thanks to Nova Scotia, it’s a field of lavender and it’s gorgeous.

“Shawn Pillar is always looking for a way to make things more sci-fi-y, and sometimes we push back because we don’t need it in that moment, it’s all about the characters. Sometimes it’s an opportunity we might have missed, and this was one of those. And I’m not sure if it was Shawn, or Lee Rose the director, but one of them said, ‘Why doesn’t he just walk right through Tahmoh at the end.” There is some further discussion which establishes that maybe that idea was in the first draft and taken out because some unspecified person didn’t like it, and then a few drafts later it made it’s way back in. But also they didn’t do it (Simon walking through things) a lot in the first draft of the script, because they weren’t sure how much it would cost to do in production.  So they wanted to save it for when it really felt effective. And “having Duke’s father try to get in his way to stop him from leaving, and Duke walk through him, made the point.

As Nathan and Audrey sit practically on top of each other to look at the dead people’s records, “Another scene with the two of them being awesome. When we wrote this scene, we wrote more. And Lee Rose said ‘they can do it with less’ .” “And we were both thrilled, because we weren’t happy with all of it.” “And it’s these pauses and the awkwardness. And the fans really reacted to it and it was great. And the thing is, 25 epsiodes in, you don’t need a lot because these two have so much history.”

They’re a little unsure, but think that the cemetery we see from the air is a different one from that they filmed in.

As we see Nathan telling Audrey about how his Trouble was triggered, “So this is the big story about Duke and the foundation of Nathan’s distrust and dislike of Duke. And people are always pushing us to say what it is between these two guys, and I think one of the things I’m most proud of in this show is that they have this fully fleshed out relationship the two of them.” “It’s not a simple ‘I hate you’ or ‘I love you’ or ‘we’re best friends’“ It’s not just a male banter thing either. “I feel like these guys actually have a real, more tortured friendship, but it’s a friendship. And yet here’s this big betrayal where Duke used Nathan from the start to further his ends. And the funny thing Jim is, we haven’t really seen Duke do that on screen. We haven’t seen him be a total son of a bitch to somebody, especially Nathan. And I wonder if we need to.” And so Jim replies, “I wonder if we need to get Duke’s side of the story at some point too, because it might not be as simple as it feels to Nathan.” To which Sam replies, “Well that’s interesting.” And they mention how the first introduction to Duke we had was Nathan’s tirade about how untrustworthy he was in the first episode, but that things between them have evolved since then “they’ve been through a lot.”

As all of the ghosts walk up to Nathan and Audrey in the graveyard, “We were so happy when we figured this scene out because we figured out a curse, where Audrey’s special skill (being immune to the curses) is actually a liability. And I was amazed because I thought that when we came up with it we would have to really talk people into it, (producers, network, studio, everybody) but everybody kind of got it from the beginning.” They figure this is an advantage of being 25 episodes in because there is enough background that people are more likely to get this stuff straight away. “I’m looking forward to writing season three because there’s just so much foundational knowledge that we don’t have to explain. Or when we explain it for the new people we can do it very efficiently.

They talk about this scene being interesting in the sense of ‘why did all these ghosts come up to them in the graveyard?’ and it’s in the background, the “stuff that only writers would know” but they both agree what it was about was that “they all came to look at Audrey. And who knows what it is that they see with their dead eyes when they look at her.”

They discuss the issues of filming these graveyard scenes in the rain, saying that there are some shots where you can see the leaves getting hit by rain but the actors are under cover so they stay dry. As Audrey, Nathan and Duke are stood talking by the bronco; “this was supposed to be a walk-and-talk, but instead it’s a stand-and-talk,” because it’s raining and they’re under cover their, but they can’t go very far without getting wet, and that’s a hassle for hair and makeup and wardrobe. And they comment that “In order to see rain on screen, it has to be pouring buckets.” “Or lit right.” Normally rain just doesn’t show on camera.

Nathan’s gone off to make his phone call and they comment “This is where Duke is real with Audrey. And this is setting up a foundational thing for their relationship, which is already kind of established, but we’re building on it and building on it, because we really want three relationships going forward into season three. Everybody’s talking about the romantic relationship, and I’m not saying that’s not an element, but I’m just talking about three fully fledged relationships.” “There’s three very different burdens and perspectives running through the series now.”

As we see Garland they talk about how “awesome” it was to have the actor Nick Campbell back, and how thrilled everyone on set was. And how “we always knew that he would be coming back in this way. It ended up being the last episode of the season, but we always knew he was coming back.”

As Nathan and Garland talk, “So this is a huge scene, and Jim, you wrote this scene, and rewrote it and rewrote it.” And Jim agrees that “Everyone had a lot of opinions about what needed to be said between Nathan and his father.” and Sam continues, “This is a huge big deal, the two of them getting together. They’ve had this fractured relationship and then in the last 12 episodes Nathan has risen to be chief and he struggled and fought, and now they have a new relationship. And we find out at the end of the episode [when Vince and Dave disagree about whether they need him back or not] that there is a possibility of him coming back. And if he does come back (and I can neither confirm nor deny) it would be very interesting to see how their relationship changes and evolves.” They also discuss the possibility that, since the ghosts are the result of a curse, there is a question over whether this is really Nathan’s dad that he’s talking to.

They appreciate the line and the actor’s reaction when Garland learns that Audrey shot the Rev. And they both agree that the way Audrey shot the Rev. was “very satisfying.” And there was a line there they took out where someone (Nathan or Duke) says to Audrey that she could have just shot him in the leg, and without even looking at him she says, “Could have,” and just keeps walking. It didn’t make it into the episode in the end because it was felt that it was “a little too bad ass.”

Where Garland tells Nathan he can’t fall in love with Audrey, “And this is the big question, this is the choice that Nathan has to make, because there’s a certain truth to what his father says, which is Nathan’s job is to keep this world together, and being in love with one of the central pieces of it and having a relationship with her is dangerous as hell.” And “There are so many women out there, but unfortunately only one that he can feel. It’s so tragic. I’m so happy we did that to them.”

The mention the rain again; “We shot 91ish days and it rained 67 of them this year,” in comparison to season one when the weather was beautiful.

As Audrey walks by the Rev. they comment that it would have been cool to have had Audrey walk through the Rev. here “I wish we had the budget to pull that off.”

Talking about Simon and the Rev. “It was interesting because in some ways they have the same agenda, and in some ways they have completely conflicting agendas.” And they say how in the Glendowers episode they had wanted to have flashbacks to the 1980s to show the relationships of these people, with dual timelines for the episode. They would have had Vince and Dave younger, “all that kind of stuff.” But it just got too complicated to do, partly because the curse itself was complicated enough to explain that they it made it difficult to add more complicated story telling on top.

Talking about the bronco, “That truck is a big source of production headaches. It only runs when it feels like it and for some reason Lucas is one of only two people who can drive it.” “Which is terribly convenient.”

As Audrey sees the orange paint on Kyle’s wife’s hand, they note that the logic of that receeded into the background a bit because there were a couple of scenes that got deleted, one that they couldn’t shoot because it just kept raining too much. So “that particular investigative thread got pushed to the background,” but equally, “it’s not really missed all that much.”

And they talk about realising that for a lot of people watching, they are not watching closely enough for the details like that to matter e.g. watching the first episode when it aired with a friend and they were excited to watch it but “While they were watching, they were doing 27 things. They were answering the phone, dealing with the kids… and I thought, how does the normal viewer catch everything…. But people usually do catch a lot of stuff; certainly the ones that write on the boards.”

As we see unconscious people being taken into the shed by the Rev.s men; “this was an important point in terms of how brutal can we be here, because we shy away from being too brutal, This isn’t Walking Dead, by a long shot. And so we have all these innocent people about to be murdered.” And talking about how bad that is, but also, “When you look at the mood of America and you see how angry people are on both sides, you can see that a zealot who really feels that they’re doing the right thing could get to this place. It feels more possible now to me in this country than at any time in my life, because there’s so much anger about so many different things.” And “It’s interesting because the arc of this season of dealing with the ‘normal’ people in Haven, with some of them rebelling against the presence of the Troubled in the town, we kept working on what that meant in terms of the bigger story arc and you wind up in this place where you have concentration camps or genocide and that was always troubling to us (no pun intended) because it didn’t feel quite right in modern day America that you would actually go to that kind of place. Which was another reason that this curse worked well for this episode because the Rev being the leader of these fanatics coming back from the dead and appearing to them as though he’s been divinely chosen to come back and complete his mission; you can go one step further. And then the thing with Duke tying into it became an either/or, a way to leverage Duke and give him an out.”

As they’re all assembled outside the shed, “This was a tricky scene to shoot because it’s five pages in one location and that can get really boring to shoot, and everyone was complaining about it. And they’re just standing around, but after I watched it when it was cut together and with the music and everything; there’s so much going on in this scene.” And they add that it helps a lot to have Simon at Duke’s shoulder talking to him, and so in the end it was tense enough that it didn’t seem slow at all, but on the set it was like “how are we going to make these five pages interesting of people standing here talking.”

And they mention the rain again; they had to shut down early because it was raining so much. They’d never shut down early before, but this day there was rain and lightning and so this was shot over two days. And they note that there was no way they could show the ghosts getting rained on, because they’re ghosts, “If they’ve got wet shoulders, then we’ve got a problem.”

“And this of course is setting up the two fathers fighting this war through their sons, and I love that. It shows that Nathan and Duke are fated. We haven’t talked about how much fate there is in all of this.”

As Kyle’s blood soaks into Duke’s hand, they point out that his eyes change colour, but he doesn’t get the rush of strength he did last time. “That’s an essential point, that he got a lot of strength the first time, but after that he doesn’t get super strong, and that was something we’d discussed for a long time.” But there’s still enough going on for Nathan to notice, and “the stakes of this whole game just changed for Nathan.”

They say how much they like Garland’s final lines (“I have a son too, you know. Damn good one.”) “those father/son moments” and that now “the die is cast between Nathan and Duke. “And what’s interesting about this scene is it’s not really about Audrey Parker at all.

As we see the Herald’s offices, “That storefront says ‘Haven Herald’ all the time, year round. I love that, it’s in that town of Chester, and it’s the one permanent set we have that’s not on a stage. Jim, we’ve set up some stuff here that people probably don’t notice, with the Chief and these two guys.” And he talks about loving the actors, “John Dunsworth looks like your accountant, and he’s not.”

And so then we see Audrey in her apartment. “So this is a set we don’t use very much; it’s too bad, it’s a beautiful set. She’s making pancakes, which everybody knows that. That was actually a fishing guide in Minnesota who went on about his pancakes and he kinda reminded me of Nathan, so that’s how that started.”

Then we see Audrey get tasered, “Who tasered her, where she went, all of that stuff, we wrote, and shot, and then decided not to use. And I’m obviously not going to say anything about that, but that actually went some place, and it will still go some place and we’ll reveal that in season three. But I feel bad that we left on that much of a cliff hanger, but this was an action packed episode.”

“So there’s the whistle. That’s actually Eric Balfour’s whistle, he wears it all the time, so we made it part of Duke.” And then we see Nathan confronting Duke, “We were most excited about this scene, in the writing of it, and it was the easiest to write in a lot of ways. We went through a few versions, but the core of it remained the same the whole time.” “Because is it about the two of them and their girl that they share between them, or is it about everything that happened in the scene before between the fathers, is it about the betrayal that they’ve had between the two of them, is it about what is about to be revealed on Nathan’s arm? It could be about any of those things, with these guys. And that is just wonderful.”

“It was a very physical scene with these two guys; both of them in incredible shape, able to do their own stunts.” And when Duke notices Nathan’s tattoo, they point out that it’s fresh, and then as we hear the gunshot, “Alright well that’s out JR Ewing ending, we’ll hopefully pick it up right away when we get back in season three and we hopefully head back into the writers room pretty soon now. Thanks for watching.”

[niall-is-my-dream]

The Bucket List - Chapter One

You unpacked the last of the boxes in the kitchen, looking around at the beautiful apartment you’d just moved into. It was on the top floor, open plan with a large living space leading onto a dining/kitchen, modern and sleek. You knew you were lucky to be able to afford this. Luck had everything to do with it. Winning that money had given you so many opportunities. 

You walked out onto the balcony off from the kitchen and gazed at the London skyline. The sun was setting and it was stunning. The evening London breeze was cool but welcoming considering you’d been lugging boxes all day. You’d had help though, your Mam and Pops had helped. They were wonderful people - Mary and Bob were your unofficial adopted parents. They ran the Irish pub “The Charm” down near Putney market. You’d rented a flat above the pub from them when you’d first moved here a year ago. Unsure what area to buy in you’d rented to get a feel of where you wanted to live. They’d taken you in with warm welcoming Irish arms, made you feel like their own child. They’d got a son Michael who was 33 and recently married and treated you like a sister. You’d been alone for many years now. Your mother passing away when you were 5 and your father when you were 19.

At 29 you were starting your life over, leaving your old one in Norwich behind. It was a relief to be away from there, away from your step mum and sister and that fucking stupid ex of yours. This was a new start and something you were excited about. You finally could explore and be who you wanted to be. Not trapped like before.

You checked the time almost 6:30 you’d better get ready to leave if you were going to get to the pub by 7. It was a busy night at the pub tonight, a local band were playing and you’d said you play piano for them on a song plus you’d said you’d help your Pops collect glasses and pull the odd pint for him behind the bar if he needed the help. You walked into your bedroom to change your clothes. Slipping on a pair of dark denim jeans, simple black vest top and black cotton cardigan. You checked your hair, a messy bun and applied some lipbalm to your lips. That’ll do, no need to dress up for the pub. You grabbed your bag, keys and phone on the way out slipping on some black leather flip flops.

The pub was only 10 mins away walking, you chose not to drive as you knew you’d enjoy a couple of drinks tonight as your friend Katie was out with her boyfriend and some of his mates. You’d only known Katie about 6 months, having met at the leisure club where you both used the gym and were part of a couple of dance clubs. She was hilarious and had instantly connected. You’d told her about the live music tonight and she said she’d come down with her boyfriend Willie and some friends for a few drinks.

You walked into the pub, instantly spotting your Pops behind the bar. You made your way over to him, discarding your bag in the back behind the bar and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Hey Pops.” You said. 

“Hey baby girl.” He replied, in his strong Irish accent. “You get unpacked ok?”

“Sort of, still a bit of organising but nothing too major. Where’s Mam?” You asked. 

“Out collecting glasses and chatting to your friend Katie.” He said.

“I’ll go save Katie then!” You replied, with a laugh.

You made your way through the bar saying hello to a few people when you saw your Mam in the far right next to the stage. She was stood chatting to Katie who she had met a couple of times and a few lads. One you presumed to be Willie as you’d not met him yet and three other lads one of which you recognised, but couldn’t quite figure out from where.

You reached the table but heard your Mam already introducing you to the lads you didn’t know. “Here’s my beautiful girl, she’s single you know lads! Been trying to find her a nice Irish lad but she’s reluctant to let me match make aren’t you?!”

“Thanks for that introduction Mam!” You said, feeling your cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“She’s the most Irish English girl you’ll ever meet! A very good Guinness drinker to!” She added with a wink. “Wanted to adopt her but apparently you can’t adopt 29 year old women!”

Geez she was desperate for me not to be alone wasn’t she?!

You gave her a hug and she picked up the glasses from the table, said her goodbyes before heading off to the bar.

“Sorry about that!” You said, feeling ridiculously embarrassed in front of everyone.

“She is a proper Irish mammy isn’t she?” Said one of the lads in a strong Irish accent. “Got excited when she realised we were all Irish and 3 of us were single!” He added.

You let out a massive laugh apologising to them about your crazy Mam.

Katie introduced everyone, her boyfriend Willie, his brother’s Deo and Martin and their cousin Niall. They all said hi when it hit you. Holy fuck! That’s who you recognised. Niall, Niall Horan from one direction now singing and writing solo.

You tried to hide my reaction that you knew who he was, when Katie addressed it by asking if you were playing any of his music tonight.

“No, I don’t think we are. So you don’t have to worry about us ruining any of it!” You said laughing. He laughed too and asked what you were playing tonight.

“Oh I’m just playing piano for one song, the lads haven’t mastered it yet and I know it, so I said I’d help them out. I sometimes cover guitar and piano if any of lads can’t make gigs due to work and stuff but thankfully I’m not needed much tonight.” You said, trying not to sound smug about your skills on the piano.

“What instruments can you play?” He said, his blue eyes staring right at you. You felt my heart flicker and skip a beat.

“I play cello, piano, acoustic guitar, bass guitar and the banjo.” To anyone else this sounded like you were a massive geek and you'd hated your Dad for pushing you to learn them at first but you loved it now.

“Cool.” He said.

Just then you heard your name being called across the bar. 

“Annie, you ready?” It was James the lead singer of the band. 

“Yes mate, one minute.” You shouted back. “Sorry guys, gotta go.”

“Join us after for a drink?” Asked Katie. 

“Yes babe, will do. See you guys soon.”

You waved goodbye and walked over to James with a weird feeling that you were being watched.

The band played their first song whilst you went to the toilet, you stared at your reflection in the mirror. 

Now you were nervous. 

You never really got nervous, but with a bloody international fucking pop star sitting in the pub watching, you were now shitting your pants! Get a grip Annie you said to yourself. With that you walked out of the toilet and sat your bum in front of the piano for your song.

“Ready Annie?” James asked. 

“Sure am.”

You pressed the keys and started playing, James’s voice following along with you. Ophelia was one of your favourite songs and something you'd spent hours learning to play. James’s husky voice accompanied it beautifully.

You finished playing, you hadn’t fucked up in front of Niall and your Mam had placed Pint of Guinness on the top of the piano. You felt pretty good!

The pint was cold and you chugged down a quarter of it straight away, James introduced you to the crowd of about 70 who were in that night and you smiled at the applause raising your glass. You made yoir way over to Katie and the lads. Looking at where to sit you noticed Niall had moved along the bench to make space on the end for you.

“Thanks lovely.” You said, as you sat down. 

Good Lord he smelt good. Clean washing and coconut. You perched your backside on the bench trying not to sit too close to him.

“That was brilliant.” Said Deo. “Really good.”

“Thanks.” You replied.

“Didn’t know you could play like that Annie!” Said Katie sounding shocked. “Thought you just knew how to shake your backside and drink Guinness, quite a talented lady.” She let out a chuckle.

“Shake your backside??” asked Niall looking from you to Katie with a smirk wondering what she meant.

“That made me sound like some sort of exotic dancer Katie! We attend a modern dance class together on Wednesday night’s that’s what she means!” You say defensively whilst giggling.

“Here I’ll show you.” Said Katie, and she got her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through. “Lucy filmed us last week didn’t she?”

And with that she brought up the recording she had showing you both dancing to Mi Gente by J Balvin and Willy William featuring Beyonce. You both in your gym leggings, sports bra and vests dancing away and sweating like crazy.

“Oooohhh hello lets have a look!” Said Deo, and he took the phone from Katie. “Nice moves.” He said with a wink.

The rest of evening wasn’t as embarrassing, in fact it was really great. The pints flowed, as did the conversation. The lads were hilarious and Niall was in no way a stuck up celeb in fact he was just a normal guy. He laughed when he found out all your guitars all have names, Gloria being your favourite guitar to play and he even recommended a place to get a couple of them re stringed. You talked about music and how you wanted to travel. You told him that you’d just moved and you discovered you lived in the same building. Him and Willie on the 3rd floor and you on the top. This then of course got them asking questions, how exactly could you afford a £5 million luxury apartment in London? Luckily this was the moment my Pops came over.

“Sorry to interrupt sweetheart but are we still golfing on Tuesday?” He asked.

“Yes Pops, why do you want to change to another day?” You replied. 

“No." He said. "Just wondered if we could just go to the driving range instead of doing 18 holes, as my knees been playing up.” 

“You worried I’ll beat you again?” You said laughing. 

“Baby girl I always let you win.” He said, kissing the top of your head.  

“Ha! Yeah yeah! Get Mam to come with us and we can have lunch to.” You suggested. 

“Will do.” He replied, grabbing othe empties and shuffling off back behind the bar. 

“His knee? Cheeky bugger, I beat him really good last week. He’s probably been sneaking off for extra practice as his come back!” I said.

“You play golf?” Asked Niall surprised. “Yes, but not that well, better than my Pops anyway!”

“What do you play off?”

“15” You replied. “But it was higher. You golf?” You asked.

“Yes, since the band went on hiatus I’ve played more and I play off 9. Been part of a golf management team for a while to.“

"Cool, you can give me some tips then!” You said suddenly, feeling the effects of your three pints of Guinness. Realising you were almost flirting you then excused yourself to the toilet, with Katie right behind you.

“Alright flirty pants, I see you flickering your eyelashes at him.”

“What?” You said. “I was not!”

“Yes you were, I told Willie you two would hit it off!”

“Woah what?......... I said no fixing me up!”

“Oh come on Annie, it’s been so long since you’ve had any action you’ll be wondering if they’ve changed it! And anyway don’t you need some help from a hot bloke with numbers 24 & 25 of your bucket list?!” She said with a proper giggly laugh.

Yes you did need help with those from a hot bloke, and Niall was definitely a hot bloke.

Chapter two

https://niall-is-my-dream.tumblr.com/post/168016712543/the-bucket-list-chapter-two