#not even just setting wise but also like - between the two of them. absolute dorks.

[doctorbrown]

009, an empty cemetery at night.

❝The last time I was in a cemetery, I was staring at my own gravestone,❞ Emmett says, glancing at the scanner placed in his hand some few minutes ago by Egon. ❝It was about as messy an affair as you can imagine.❞ The crash course in the equipment he'd received was more than enough for him to understand the basics, and, the more he looks at it, the more intuitive he realises it is.

It's a fascinating device, all things considered; hardly something he would have considered building himself, even when he was deep in the throes of his research into the subject.

His torch sends the shadow of the nearest headstone stretching off into the abyss. If he were a superstitious man, Emmett might dare to say that it feels like something has been watching them since they crossed the threshold onto hallowed ground, but the darkness has a way of preying on the deep-seated, ancient fears of man, dredging them up from nowhere.

Their shoes crunch on the slightly chilled earth and he has to fight the urge to stuff both his hands and the scanner into his pocket against the cold. Just as he's about to continue the conversation, the device in his hand flashes, throwing bright light against his chest. ❝I think we've found our hotspot.❞

SET THE SCENE.

[amphibious-entity]

TMBS Book 1 Brain Dump

~An Embarrassingly Long Post~

I don’t know why I’m writing this or why I’m so determined to do it. Maybe to finally assume my true form and become a mega dork on main, or maybe just for fun!

This is basically a compilation of all the main points running through my head after reading The Mysterious Benedict Society (2007) for the first time. Rather than posting a ton and spamming the tag, everything’s here in one neat package! (hopefully this gets it all out of my system rip)

Contents:

The Book Itself

The Book Itself, for real this time

The Characters

A Funny Parallel

The S.Q. Section

Lines & Scenes I Liked

Spoilers abound!

The Book Itself

Upon acquiring the first three books (don’t judge me pls), I was surprised at just how long they are. Like, they’re still pretty light being paperbacks and all, but these books are hefty lads.

The first book has this Disney+ Original Series circle thing printed on it, which is kind of unfortunate. Regardless, I love the cover illustration and yellow is actually my favorite color :D It made me weirdly quite happy whenever I saw the book lying around in my room

Also, it’s really cute how there’s a letter from Mr. Benedict at the end! (It only reveals that you can find out his first name if you “know the code”, meaning the bit of Morse printed below the summary on the back.) Shock and horror, though, as I realized I’m starting to recognize some of the letters

The Book Itself, for real this time

It’s wonderful how the tone of the book really shone through to the show adaptation. Something about the deliberateness of the aesthetic, from the set designs to the fashion to scene compositions, that really sells that particular style— like it’s very clear that this story is being told to us, rather than one we’re seeing unfold, if that makes sense.

Where that narration style stood out to me the most was the first chapter. We are told (rather than shown) how Reynie gets himself to the point of the second test, and there’s this whole twisty time maneuver for that whole sequence of events that’s really interesting

A super secret fun fact about me is that I wanted to be a writer when I was younger! So this particular balance of show vs. tell is really neat, since it runs counter to my own tendencies. The sheer amount of commas in every sentence is also kind of comforting, since Ahah, I Do That in those few serious-ish attempts at writing lol

Overall this book’s style reminds me a lot of Roald Dahl’s books, which are very nostalgic for me :D The whole “kids are more competent than adults” angle helps a lot too haha

The Characters

Oh boy here’s where I get a little bit critical! Overall I did really like this book!! it’s just that that expresses itself in all this weird “”analysis”” lol

Reynie - much better in the books than in the show

It’s sort of a lukewarm take but I feel like show!Reynie is kind of boring? He doesn’t have a lot going on flaw-wise, and obviously since he’s the protagonist he can’t have too many weird traits or else the kids watching can’t project themselves onto him as easily

(I call it the difference between an aspirational protagonist and a vessel protagonist. Going off of the Roald Dahl vibes, think Matilda vs Charlie. show!Reynie is more of a Charlie)

Thus when we get to see him really struggle with the Whisperer and doubt himself it gives him a lot more dimension, at least in my opinion

It is a federal crime that the white knight scenes were not adapted into the show

Sticky - my son

I’ve long held to no one besides myself and my long suffering sister that Sticky is The Best Member of the Society

He happened to hit a lot of the Bingo squares of Stuff I Like In Characters: glasses, anxious, nice :), kind of a coward but ultimately is there for his friends, etc

For some reason I don’t talk about him nearly as much as you-know-who, but I love him just as dearly

Kate & Constance - I don’t have much to say

Kate is really interesting in this book! I like how we get to see more of her depths, in particular that one passage about her belief that she is invincible being the only thing that keeps her from falling apart? :c

Also her constant fidgeting is relatable lol

Constance is somehow a lot more tolerable in the book. I think I’m just one of those people with no patience for small children, unfortunately lol

(Some of) The Adults

It’s interesting that they had such an offscreen presence for most of the book. Giving them more time was probably one of the stronger changes of the show

However if that decision was made at the expense of the white knight scenes I think the choice should have been clear

I like the way Rhonda and Number Two are written

Milligan always on sad boy hours 😔✊

The “mill again” passage is touching but kind of messes up the pacing of the getaway, at least for me. Maybe I should read it again to make sure I didn’t miss something

Miss Perumal is much better in the show. We see so little of her in the book she doesn’t function well as an emotional anchor for Reynie, imo

The Institute Gang

Jackson and Jillson serve their purpose well, and Martina was surprising to say the least. I like the direction they took her in the show! I can’t imagine how funny it must have been to watch the tetherball subplot come out of nowhere lolol

These sections were written out of sequence, so random tidbit I couldn’t fit in The S.Q. Section: I like how he stumbles over his words. relatable

Mr. Curtain

While I think I know why they decided to not give Curtain the wheelchair in the show, we were totally robbed of Actor Tony Hale’s performance for the reveal during the final confrontation

Speaking of the wheelchair, it’s such a powerful symbol of his need for control or rather, his fear of losing it

The Contrast between him and Mr. Benedict. This point is expanded on in A Funny Parallel

Mr. Benedict

Oh boy, Mr. Benedict… How do I say this

I find it hard to trust Mr. Benedict, unfortunately

I mean to say, I do in the sense that I know he would never hurt the kids, thanks to knowing that a) this is a children’s book series and b) the meta (tumblr) states that he is really nice and lovable and stuff, but seriously. Why do the kids trust him at first?? I probably missed something somewhere

I like to think I’m an optimistic person, but unfortunately I’m also super paranoid. The premise of “a bunch of vulnerable orphans team up with a strange old man” is just so odd to me I don’t know how to explain it

I don’t know!!! I really want to trust Mr. Benedict

One of the strengths of the show is that we get to see him more often, and thus he gets to acknowledge more often that the plan is weird and that he feels really badly for putting the kids in danger and that he’s trustworthy and genuine

But his lack of presence for most of the book just makes him into something of a specter, invisible and unknowable, speaking only in riddles from across the bay

Which is why the white knight scene is so important!! I loved that scene ;-;

Because here’s an actual emotional connection! We can actually see it happening, rather than only being told that it exists

Reynie asking for advice and receiving encouragement, in words that demonstrate that Mr. Benedict actually cares about him and worries about him and agghh

It is a federal crime that the white knight scenes were not adapted into the show

But overall this whole issue didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book at all! It’s just ->

A Funny Parallel

Okay, ready for my biggest brain, hottest take ever??

Mr. Benedict and Mr. Curtain…. are… the same

I mean obviously not entirely, given that one is benevolent and kind and the other is… Mr. Curtain

But seriously. Genius old man seeks out children (mainly orphans) to enact a plan. Said children often end up incredibly devoted to his cause and deeply admire him this is a little flimsy

Undoubtedly that’s intentional and is supposed to show the difference between them, like some kind of cautionary tale? “Let yourself be vulnerable and let others help you, lest you turn eeeeviiillll”

I guess that’s where the aforementioned epic contrast comes in. You get Mr. Curtain, strapped into his wheelchair and hiding behind those mirrored sunglasses, terrified (but unwilling to admit it) of ever showing the tiniest hint of vulnerability, vs. Mr. Benedict, who can let himself fall knowing that someone will catch him :’)

Anyhow I have nothing against the parallels, I just think it’s funny

The S.Q. Section

The S.Q. Quarantine Thread so it doesn’t leak out everywhere else <3

I’d like to meet the emo angstlord genius who read this book and decided to make SQ into Dr. Curtain’s son. What in the world

Okay I should probably preface this by saying that I absolutely adore both book!S.Q. and show!SQ with all my heart. Somehow, despite being a completely different character in both mediums, he has managed to be one of the best characters in either and certainly one of my favorites (besides Sticky of course) in the entire franchise, despite the fact that I’ve only read the first book/watched the show so far. I am confident in this statement.

But seriously! How?? Why?? I could probably write a whole other essay about why show!SQ is such an interesting character, and the change works so incredibly well. I’m just. Baffled

Okay, focus. book!S.Q. is such a sweetheart, oh my goodness. Like, 100% one of the most endearing characters in the book. Poor guy. I don’t even know where to start!!

He just seems to be a genuinely good guy at heart, despite being technically one of the bad guys. He’s genuinely happy for Reynie and Sticky when they became Messengers and helped Kate when she “fell” and was concerned about Constance when she looked sick and how he was in that meeting with Mr. Curtain and Martina?!!? aaahhhhghgh ;-; he just wants people to be happy TT-TT

Comparing him against literally every character at the Institute is probably what makes him so endearing tbh. When everyone else is so awful to the kids, it really makes him stand out. Like a cheerful little nightlight in the worst, most humid and rank bathroom you’ve ever been in

It’s kind of pointless to theorize about a book series that’s already concluded (I think?) but. Is the implication of S.Q.’s forgetfulness supposed to be that Mr. Curtain used him in brainsweeping experiments somehow? The timeline probably definitely absolutely doesn’t line up but like. How did he get to being a Messenger being the way he is now, given how cutthroat the process is? And then of course Mr. Curtain keeps him around as an Executive because he’s fun to mess with and presumably his loyalty. I’m very curious as to how their relationship develops in the other books, if at all. Those are probably where the seeds of the “let’s make them family” logic were planted

But wouldn’t it be hilarious if the reason we don’t know what “S.Q.” stands for in the books is that he just. Forgot

Another thing that occurred to me. Given that he and the other Executives were Messengers at some point, what were their worst fears? What is S.Q.’s worst fear?? Inquiring minds need to know

One last horrible little anecdote: I was thinking about book!S.Q. while eating breakfast, as one does, and suddenly it hit me.

I want to believe The Author Trenton Lee Stewart had the name for a character, S.Q. Pedalian, and was like, “Hm! What sort of quirky trait should this young fellow have?” Because, of course, in this style of fiction every character has to have at least one cartoonish or otherwise distinguishing trait to stand out in the minds of children. (For instance, Kate has her bucket, Sticky has his glasses, Constance is angry, and Reynie is Emmett from the Lego Movie)

Anyhow, he looks around the room, searching for inspiration. Suddenly he comes across a jumbo box of plastic wrap. Completely innocuous in design, save for one line of text. 300 SQ FT.

“…large… S.Q. …feet? THAT’S IT!” i’m sorry

Lines & Scenes I Liked

In no particular order!

Sticky quotes Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Evil combination aerobics/square dancing in the gym with the Executives

Everyone being happy at the end :’)

Everyone partying after Sticky reunites with his parents, and later finding Mr. Benedict asleep at his desk from the moment they shook hands :’’)

Literally any scene with Sticky in it

Any time Kate says “you boys” or “gosh”

[“Um, sir?” S.Q. said timidly, raising his hand. “A thought just occurred to me.” / Mr. Curtain raised his eyebrows. “That’s remarkable, S.Q. What is it?”] clown prince of my heart </3

S.Q.’s determined monologue about searching for clues after he bungled up the first time

Literally any scene with S.Q. in it (please refer to The S.Q. Section)

Reynie trying to resist the Whisperer.

[Let us begin. / First let me polish my spectacles, Reynie thought. / Let us begin. / Not without my bucket, Reynie insisted. He heard Mr. Curtain muttering behind him. / Let us begin, let us begin, let us begin. / Rules and schools are tools for fools, Reynie thought.]

NO MORE HURTIN’ WITH CURTAIN

Milligan showing up on the island!!

Remember the white knight hhhhhh

“controle”

A Super Secret Bonus Section

I would be extremely surprised if anyone read through all the way down here lol. Regardless, here’s a little acknowledgements section :D not tagging anyone since I don’t want to bother all of these people

Special shoutout to tumblr blog stonetowns for unknowingly yet singlehandedly demolishing my reluctance to read the books by posting a ton of cute quotes. Thank you for your service o7

Thanks to the two OGs that liked the post I made right before this one, for being my unwitting enablers and for sticking around despite being a) technically an internet stranger (hello!) and b) someone I haven’t spoken to irl in literal years (hey!!)

Last but not least thankz 2 my sister for putting up with me ranting about the book when I first got it and for asking about “CQ” sometimes lol. (i desperately hope you’re not reading this orz)

[no-touchy]

Norson’s NSFW Alphabet

I figured he needs one ;3

A= Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Norson is an absolute gentleman when it comes to aftercare, considering its going to take you longer to come down from heaven than him. Usually he has things set up before the deed; towels, water, a few snacks. After however, he is holding you tight. Soft praises and lots of kisses. He stays with you close until you’re coherent again so he can get other things if you need them or to carry you to the bathroom.

B= Body Part (Their favorite body of their own and their partner’s)

Norson for him would be his hands. They’re absolutely massive and he can do a lot with them. And a lot to you, grabbing, spanking (if you’re into it), fingering, stroking. Whatever it is, he can do. For his partner’s, definitely their hips. Regardless if you have any or not. He likes to watch you walk, the way they sway from left to right. Its a good spot where he can rest his hands and leave cute little bruises on them.

C= Cum (Anything to do with cum)

Jesus, this man is a pristine baby batter maker. His ‘average’ load is the size of at least three large loads of the typical man and he loves to cum inside you. Loves to see your belly be a bit bigger with his liquid seed (yes, he has a breeding kink but that will come later). Its also thick and globby. Like glue almost but without the sticking things together part. If you’re blowing him and you can’t swallow all of him down, that’s okay. He loves to watch run down your chin. But you do you, baby boo.

D= Dirty Little Secret (Pretty self explanatory)

Norson has one that he doesn’t talk about much because its made others uncomfortable. But he really wants to tie you down and do whatever he likes to you. However, this will be brought only after you’ve been together for a while because what he wants you to be comfortable with the whole idea of letting go wild.

E= Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Experience-wise, Norson has only a little real world experience. What he does know is seen through porn and asking way too many questions. But surprisingly enough, Norson is very good from just observational learning, From taking with his older brother, Keane, he knows exactly what not to do. 

F= Favorite Position (Also self explanatory)

The mating press, hands down is his favorite position. Legs pressed against his shoulders as he slams into and watches you lose your mind. That is a five star Michelin meal to this man. But doggy style is a very close runner up, hands on your hips as he pulls you back to him. Norson will not able to get enough of it.

G= Goofy (Are they more serious or goofy in the moment?)

IN the actual moment, Norson can be very serious. Hyper fixating on you, making you feel all sorts of things. Before the moment, he can be a dork. Cracking jokes but in a teasing type of way, loves making you giggle. He notices that some soft humor can help people relax before a big moment and helps develop a strong connection between two people. So he uses light humor when he can before, during and after said deed.

H= Hair (How well groomed are they? Carpet match the drapes?)

Being a former military man, Norson is very neat when it comes to his hygiene. Very well groomed and trimmed short. But if he grows out his pubes a bit, they’re soft and curly. They’re a bit darker than the hair on his head but undeniably his.

I= Intimacy (How are they during some heat, romantically?)

Norson has this ability that during your moment with him, you two are the only people on the planet. That time has slowed down or stopped. Forehead to forehead with those slow, deep thrusts. No one else can enter your guys’ own little world. No matter the position, he is there with you and the only one with you. God forbid anyone should try to enter this little domain.

J= Jack off (Masturbation stuff)

Norson has knows he can’t have you all the time so sometimes when he’s got nothing else to do, he lets one loose. Its a pure boredom thing and something to pass the time. And a bonus stress relief. How often though? Once in a blue moon, he is a mechanic so he barely sits down.

K= Kink (What kink or kinks do they have?)

Oh boy, here we go. Stay with me now. One, his domination kink. The man loves to manhandle and control you, plus being an absolute unit of a human, this task comes very easy to him. Two, breeding kink. Even if you can’t have kids, regardless he is still filling you to the brim, having you beg to put a child in you. Three, size kink. Norson is 6′ 10″, everyone is small to him and he loves it. Four, overstimulation. Whether its his hands doing the work, his tongue or anything else. He loves to have you shaking and begging for him to stop only to pull away and making you whine for him.

L= Location (Where does he like to do it the most?)

Anywhere and anywhere, babe. Anywhere around the house, even in the backyard or front yard. In his shop, in a client’s car, in his little office over the desk. You have a place you want him in, already done. No questions asked.

M= Motivation (What turns them on? What gets them there?)

The real question is, what doesn’t? You could breathe a certain way and it makes him throb. A look you give, the way you lick your lips, anything and everything. He could watch a video on social media and be like “I should call them.” It really doesn’t take much.

N= No-nos (What is a no zone? Turn off?)

Anything that causes a lot of pain. Spanking is a lot lee way though. But things like burning, deep cuts, etc. Its a red no. Its happening kind of thing. As for turn offs, seeing you cry out of pain. (but if the tears are an involuntary reflex, then its a bit different.) He doesn’t want to cause his baby pain, even if they ask.

O= Oral (Giving or receiving?)

Norson prefers to give. But will never say no if you want to go down on him. The man will spend hours between your thighs if you let him, the overstimulation kink comes in handy here. Not to mention, Norson has a very nice tongue. Its long, he can touch the bridge of his nose with the tip of his tongue and its split. Loves to lick your deep.

P= Pace (Are they fast and rough or slow and sensual?)

Truly, it depends on you and how he is feeling. If you’ve been a brat and are begging him to go faster or harder? Guess what, he’ll slow down and keep it light. But if you’ve been prefect, he’s a bit on a harder pace naturally. Always a skin to skin slapper.

Q= Quickies (Do they like them?)

Norson is always down for a quickie. He’ll never say no to you and understands sometimes you just need to get down and dirty. But he usually has kinda long quickies, so jus prepare for a quickie to last quite some time.

R= Risk (Are they risky? Are they willing to spice it up?)

Yes, Norson will be risky for you as long as its within certain boundaries. You wanna try some very spicy things? He’ll talk it over with you, figure out a game plan to where its fun and you both remain safe. He wants the best for you.

S= Stamina (How long is the round and how many rounds can they last?)

This man will be able to make you stay in bed for days. A single round can last anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes. Depending on how long he’s been teased and if he’s masturbated beforehand. But a full session can last up to seven hours. And no, he doesn’t always have to be inserted into you. Most of it is foreplay but he is hard the entire time.

T= Toys (Do they have toys? Do they use them? On their partner?)

Yup, big man has toys. But he has to special order his. Sometimes his hands aren’t enough. Using them on his partner? Oh yeah, especially when he has you tied down.

U= Unfair (How much do they tease?)

Good Lord. I hope you have an unlimited amount of patience. You’re going to need it. Norson LOVES to tease, naughty words throughout the day, scandalous touches. And he learns everything that gets his partner going in a very short amout of time too. There is not a minute that goes by that he doesn’t want you. 

V= Volume (How loud? What noises do they make?)

Norson can be very loud, he very much voices the pleasure you’re giving him. Groaning at the smaller touches, moaning at the bigger one. Words of praise or degradation (whatever you’re into). Growls and snarls. Norson has an insane deep voice too. It’ll make you wet or hard at the simplest words.

W= Wild Card (A random headcanon) 

Norson is a ring maker. In his home garage, he has a tiny workshop that he makes rings. Sometimes he sells them, others he gives away as gifts.

X= X-ray (What are they packing?)

Norson is...proportionate. A incredibly thick eight inches. Thick at a monster energy drink can from base to tip. He is cut and a shower. When he sits down and his pants tighten at the crotch, you can faintly see the outline of him and its intimidating.

Y= Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Norson is a moving freight train. He has a ridiculous high sex drive. Almost insatiable. Always ready for you when you need him.

Z= Zzz (How quickly do they fall asleep afterwards?)

He will wait for you to fall asleep. Norson will talk about mundane stuff with you. Cracking jokes and about things about your lives. He loves to watch you sleep as he holds you to his chest.

Hope you enjoyed this!

[punchdrunkdoc]

Updated K-drama list (3)

4 more shows DONE and there’s been some changes to the rankings...

FAVOURITES

1. Crash Landing on You

He’s from North Korea. She’s from South Korea. They never should have met, but they’ll change each other’s lives.

This was my first K-drama, and its still my favourite. The full cast of characters is great, the lead romance is ANGSTALICIOUS and its genuinely, laugh out loud funny (when its not making you cry or swoon).

Male lead: Officially the best boyfriend ever. With added dimples.

Tear-jerk factor: 4/5

2. Healer

The lives, and pasts, of a hot shot reporter, a spunky young tabloid journalist and a mysterious thief-for-hire intersect.

This was so addictive - the plot was tight and engaging, and this is one of the few shows I’ve watched where there didn’t seem to be a lot of filler. I loved the central 3 characters, and the romance was amazing. I especially loved that the male lead started off such a brooding loner, but he became super-affectionate as soon as he admitted his feelings. So many good hugs and lots of face-cradling in this one.

Male lead: Effortlessly beats up 2 henchmen while comforting his girl over the phone. What more do you need?

Tear-jerk factor: 1/5

3. Itaewon Class

A young man’s life is forever altered when he runs afoul of a powerful family.

This felt like a big step up in quality from everything else in this list, in terms of the production, soundtrack (which was brilliant), the lack of annoying sound effects, and just the overall ‘real world’ feel of the show. All of the characters were fleshed out and 3-dimensional, and they all had their ‘moment’ to shine. The story itself was gripping and so well done - some of the twists and reveals had me gasping! And what can I say about the 2 leads? I love them, both separately, and together. He is so wise beyond his years, and his journey will break your heart and inspire you. She is borderline sociopathic, but I adore her.

Male lead: Tenacious, principled, kind, innocent, caring, driven, loyal…and he can cook!

Tear-jerk factor: 2/5

4. Descendants of the Sun

A special forces Captain meets a capable and beautiful trauma surgeon. They feel an instant bond, but their jobs and philosophy on life get in the way, threatening to tear them apart.

Halfway through this show, I seriously thought this might overtake CLOY as my No. 1 fav. I absolutely LOVE the male lead character, and the romance was beautiful…but it didn’t quite nail the angst and the last minute was a bit twee which dropped it down the rankings a bit.

Male lead: A cocky, charming, absolute BADASS with the most adorable, cheeky smile.

Tear-jerk factor: 2/5

5. My Holo Love

A lonely woman falls for a holographic AI and then meets his creator...

I love the concept of this show (I’m a big sci-fi nerd), and it was beautifully shot. The lead relationship is well developed and it doesnt fall into a typical love triangle. I’ve come to realise it utilises a lot of K-drama tropes (face-blindness! shared childhood trauma!), but it does it really well, imho.

Male lead: Tortured loner genius. My catnip.

Tear-jerk factor: 2/5

6. Goblin

A 900yr old immortal guardian finally meets the ‘bride’ who will end his existence

Once I got over the slight ick-factor of the age difference between the two characters at the beginning, I really fell for this show and it’s world. It had me in tears. And I especially loved the secondary character of the Grim Reaper.

Male lead: Surprising innocent and funny for a 900 year old

Tear-Jerk factor: 5/5

7. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim

An personal assistant decides to quits her job in order to get a life. Her boss has other ideas.

I loved the female lead in this - I’m a sucker for uber-competent people, and the actress is STUNNING. Her boss is self-centred, entitled and vain...but over time, somehow that just becomes endearing! This show also has lots of very good kissing scenes...and when he started to unbutton her shirt during one encounter, I was SCANDALISED (did I mention these shows are usually very PG!!)

Male lead: Like I said, somehow makes vanity and narcissism endearing. Also not afraid to get his shirt off and flash his 6-pack. Bonus.

Tear-Jerk factor: 0/5

8. Legend of the Blue Sea

A mermaid comes onto land to find the man she loves

The (literal) fish-out-of-water scenes in the first half of this show were hilarious - the actress is a comic genius! The romance was nicely done, and there wasn’t a lot of extraneous plot or too many characters. I couldn’t stop watching this one!

Male lead: Cocky, arrogant conman with a soft mushy centre

Tear-Jerk factor: 1/5

9. Fight for my Way

Two life-long friends decide to go after their dreams

I found this during my Park Seo Joon binge and, even though I fast-forwarded large chunks of it (I wasn’t interested in the secondary couple at all), it still made my favourite list because I love the leads - both as separate characters and as a couple. This is one of the best friends-to-lovers stories I’ve seen, mainly because you truly buy that these 2 have known each other their entire lives (their  bickering and teasing feels so natural). And then when they take the next step, they’re so affectionate and refreshingly open with their feelings.

Male lead: I love his contradictions. He’s goofy and childish…but can really turn on the sexy charm; he’s a badass MMA fighter…who loves when his girlfriend sticks up for him and protects him.

Tear-jerk factor: 0.5/5

10. Suspicious Partner

A young, hardworking lawyer has her life turned upside down when she is put on trial for murder.

This has been officially bumped up to my favourites list - partly because I’m now a massive Ji Chang Wook fan, and partly because I’ve rewatched scenes with better subtitiles and it made everything10x better. Its still overly long, but the serial killer plot had some nice twists and it was central to the story, so it didn’t feel extraneous like some of these types of plots do. I really enjoyed the central romance - the 2 characters sparked off each other well and I loved their evolution from sort-of enemies to lovers.

Male lead: Its Ji Chang Wook! He’s so good at playing serious guys who are secretly big dorks

Tear-jerk factor: 0.5/5

Notable mentions

These are shows which I completed and enjoyed but they didn’t set my world on fire. Usually because they were overly long, or the plot got in the way of the characters/love story.  

1. The K2

An ex-mercenary takes a job as a bodyguard protecting the illegitimate daughter of a politician. A sort-of Snow White retelling.

This started off really well, with some amazing fight sequences (hello, shower room scene!). However, the back half became too bogged down in double crosses and manipulations, and it focussed too much on the politicians. The writers did well to give these characters some layers, but they were all essentially doing bad things for the wrong reasons, and I just didn’t care about them. The show was much better when it was following K2’s journey. The romance also started off well, but was a bit underdeveloped (mainly because they barely interacted).

2. I Am Not a Robot

A man who is allergic to human contact finds companionship with a robot…or does he?

I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it passed a couple of episodes of this - the concept was just too ridiculous. But I’m glad I perservered, because it developed some real depth and some proper good angst towards the end.

3. My Love from the Star

Alien stranded on earth meets an actress soon before he’s due to be rescued.

I finally gave this another chance, and I’m glad I did. The female lead got a LOT less irritating, and I enjoyed the present-day romance and all the flashes back to the past. However, the ending was really abrupt and disappointing (which kept it out of my favourite list). There should have been 1 less filler episode in the middle, and a decent, fleshed out finale instead.

4. Her Private Life

A talented art curator tries to keep her professional persona separate from her fangirl obsession with a pop idol.

This was cute and I loved the central relationship - he was so supportive of her, and their interactions were refreshingly mature and their banter felt really natural. Ultimately, it was a bit forgettable (I’m not dying to rewatch any of it), and the last minute tacked-on childhood trauma subplot was really unnecessary.

5. Strong Girl Bong-Soon

A woman with inherited super-strength gets a job as a bodyguard for an eccentric young CEO

The lead couple in this are AD-OR-ABLE and I loved their relationship. But there was a weird tone issue in this show. The romance is super cute...but there’s a whole dark sub plot involving multiple women being held captive by a psychopath. I ended up fast forwarding most of that, and just concentrated on the romance.

6. Touch Your Heart

Star actress rocked by scandal works at a law firm to prepare for her comeback role

This starred the secondary couple from Goblin and I really like them, even though they are playing very different characters in this (more opposites attract, than doomed lovers). At first I found this too ‘cutesy’, but I’ve since realised the sound effects/graphics are a K-drama thing and not unique to this show, so I’m not as down on it as I was. I still had to fast forward a lot of the secondary romances which I wasn’t invested in.

The others…

1. Hyde, Jekyll and Me

A woman becomes involved in the lives of 2 men, who share one body

This stars Hyun Bin from CLOY and he is sooo watchable, especially as the slick-haired, glasses-wearing, uptight Seo-Jin. And the show started well...but quickly went off the rails into a convoluted, dragged-out revenge plot.

2. Melting Me Softly

Two people are accidentally cryogenically frozen for 20 years. They have to navigate the modern world and their new lives together.

Another good concept, but it ultimately descended into little more than a light work-place romance. Had a couple of good kissing scenes, but it was overall a bit forgettable.

And the DNF:

My Secret Romance

I started watching this because I was looking for something a little less PG - the characters have a one night stand in the first episode! But I couldn’t get passed the bad acting and cheap production.

Master’s Sun

I liked the premise but the 2 leads weren’t very attractive (at least in comparison to the insanely beautiful actors/actresses in the shows listed above). Call me superficial, but I couldn’t see myself spending 17 hours watching them and willing them to kiss.

[nymp21]

Secret Crush

You’re the youngest Danvers (Alex biological’s sister) and you move to National City to study. What will happen, when you’ll find out you have a crush on one of your teacher. And that teacher is Lena Luthor herself. Your sister besfriend.

Gifs are not mine

Pairing : littledanvers reader x Lena Luthor

Warnings : English is not my langage and eventual smut later in chapters

Part 1

  You were currently eating your breakfast with energy when Kara came of the bathroom. She was making up her hair. « Are you sure you don’t want me to drop you at Uni (Y/N) » « No thanks Kar’! I will go there by bus. It will be more normal than being drop by Supergirl flying » you laughed. « I meant by car » she responded, rolling her eyes. You were leaving with your sister for one week now and you could say Kara was very cool !That’s why you pick your super sister when you had to choose where to live during the semesters of your degree. And because Alex was living with Maggie so…technically you didn’t have much choice. You were preparing a master degree both in litterature and business (you wanted to be an editor.) and National City had got the best college to finish your studies. Today was the first day of the semester, and you knew you would have so much works to do to succeed and pass. « Anyway, do you need something for lunch ? O can make you a sandwich » « With butternutt ? » « Of course ! Who do you think I am ? » she said with an amused smirk. You smiled at her response : « you’re the best sister but don’t say that to Alex, she will be mad at me. » She chuckled and started making your food for lunch then she gave it to you. You took it, thanked her and grabbed your bag. « See you later Kara » you said. « By sweetheart… call me if you feel nervous or anything » « Kara i’m not a kid who is afraid of the first day at school anymore. » « Maybe, but you’ll always be our little baby danvers » she said with a smirk. You groaned and closed the door behind you when you heard her laugh. She is such a dork. _________________________________________ It was the last course of the day. Your firsts were very interesting and you find yourself doing some research at the Library between two of them. You were so concentrated, you didn’t see the time fly and you were late. So you ran in the corridors of the college, cursing between your teeth for being such an idiot ! You opened the door of the room, where were sitting the others students who stared at you instantly. You were quite shy in public so you felt embarrassment rushing through you. « Well ! Welcome to business course. Glad to see you know punctuality. » You turn you head to your right, to see the most beautiful woman you ever met. Her eyes piercing as hell were as blue as the see that you could drown in them. Her hair was perfectly made, and her lips were as red as a rose. She was breathtaking, and you didn’t know how to make words. And you were blushing with shame as you heard some of the other students chuckle at her ironical comment. « The cat got your tongue ? When we are late, we apologise. »she said. And you seemed to come back from your starring « I’m sorry I was in the library, I didn’t see the time. » She starred at you with a strange smile on her lips and you felt more uncomfortable. « Well, Miss I’m happy to know that you seem to be a good student by already making research at the libraby. » You heart skipped a beat. Her smile were so intimidating and… sexy. What!? Stop thinking with your hormone (Y/N) ! She is your professor for godsakes! « You can sit. As I was saying to your classmates,I’m Lena Luthor. I will teach you business course this semester. » Holy shit ! Your professor was Lena Fucking Luthor ! Not only one of the most intelligent woman of the city… even the world -You have read all her articles and you admired her - but also Kara’s best friend ! She was supposed to present her to you tonight at game night. She had said : « I’m sure you will like each others. You have so much in common . Yeah… the college for example. Man this will be so awkard ! Plus, you didn’t imagine that your sister’s best friend would make you blush so hard. She was very intimidating in her black dress and high heels. Your shyness was showing as you set at a free chair trying to be discrete. « As you may know, I’m the CEO of L-Corp which means I can handle a society. » she continues as if nothing as interrupted her. « So I expect you to be as serious as possible this semester. I will show you any mercy. » If her smile could make you think she was kidding, her eyes were dead serious. Then she began her lesson, with some definitions. You were happy no one were paying attention to you and, you show yourself very attentive, because you didn’t want to make her say any other comment about you. She was very passionate and interesting as you could imagine. Kara was right when she said she may seem cold at first. She seems so indeed. But when she talked about her job, she has a bright smile. The two hours spent like it was ten minutes and then you were getting out the room, deep in your thoughts. How would you do to avoid game night ? Because you couldn’t do game night with your professor right ? This situation was making you uncomfortable and stressed for an unknown reason. Well, you were not a relaxed person and this would be awkward. Plus she made you blushing and you hoped she didn’t notice it ! Yes she was very intimidating and you were very very embarrassed in front of her. —————————— The doorbell rings and Kara opened the door as you put the chips in a bowl. You didn’t succeed to avoid game night. Kara was good at convincing you with her puppy eyes and her « please, please, please,please,please,please » so annoying you were obliged. You sighed as you put the plate of pizza on the table, with the chips. Luckily for you Lena Luthor hasn’t confirmed her presence tonight. Apparently she wasn’t sure she could come. Kara was upset bit you were relieved and hoping she wouldn’t make it to game night. But you were stressed anytime the doorbell rings. Winn was already there. You liked him. He was your favorite nerd. You had many things in common and he was like a brother to you. « Hi Winn ! » you heard « Hi baby danvers ». And you feel Maggie kiss your cheek. « How was this first day in College. » « Great » you responded. « Just great ? » she frowned. « She didn’t say much to me earlier. Maybe she found a boyfriend or a girlfriend and it was love at first sight» said Kara ,bringing the wine Alex had give her on the table and smiling at you. You rolled your eyes. Kara and Maggie were constantly teasing you about a potential boyfriend/girlfriend. The Did want to see you with someone. This was quite annoying, and they knew that. « Maybe some wine will make you talk » Maggie said with a smirk. « Oh no Sawyers I forbid you to get my sister drunk tonight !» told Alex as she embrassed you in her arms. « Hi sweetie. Don’t let them tease you. » « I don’t. I just plan to bit them at the game tonight. » « You wish baby Danvers. I improved myself since last time and you’re not ready for my skilled in monopoly. » You laughed. Maggie was a total looser in monopoly because she didn’t like the game. But you appreciated the effort she maid to try to win. You knew she wouldn’t make it. You were unbitten at this game. But in opposite she was an absolute killer at Jungle Speed and Kara was the queen of the time’s up. « How can you improve skills at monopoly… it’s nonsense » comment Winn. « (Y/N) is just better than you. Accept it. » You smiled wild at the comment and out your tongue at your sister’s girlfriend. 

“So childish” She replied. 

Then you heard Lena came in the apartment. Honestly, you didn’t know why you were so embarrassed. You didn’t know if it was because of her humiliated yourself in the morning, because of her finding out that you were her best friend’s little sister or because of the strange feelings you had around her. “Hi Kar’. Sorry I’m a bit late.” “Not at all !” your sister replied. “Plus we were teasing (Y/N) about her first day at National City College today. She didn’t tell that much” GREAAAT ! Thanks Kara. You felt Lena’s gaze fell on you and you refused to look at her. But you clearly heard her smile in her comment : “Is that so ? Well I can tell you that she was late at business course today.” Ok now you were blushing hard. And you saw confusion in your sisters eyes. Confusion that vanished as Lena added : “I Know it, because i’m her professor. We met today, although she didn’t tell me she was a Danvers.” This time you looked at Lena, and to your surprise she was smiling warmly at you. “So nice to meet you (Y/N) Danvers !” “Oh hum nice to meet you Miss Luthor.” “Please call me Lena.” “All right... hi Lena.” And then, Game Night began. You first played at Uno, Maggie won with a big satisfied smile. Then you started the serious game : The monopoly. The game lasted one hour and half and at the end, there were just you and Lena. You were surprised that you didn’t feel awkward anymore. On the contrary you were concentrated on the game and motivated to beat your sister’s best friend. But she had the same motive. This was tense until Lena took your last streets and you didn’t have any more money. “I... lost ?!” you said at disbelief. “I knew you couldn’t win tonight Baby Danvers !” told Maggie. “Oh shut up !” “ To your defense (Y/N) you played well and wisely. And as your teacher I couldn’t lose could I ?” You looked at Lena which blinked at you with a smile. You blushed at the compliment and you didn’t see that Alex noticed this but she didn’t tell anything. Then you helped Kara store the room. You decided to do the dishes. You were washing the same bowl for like 2 minutes, lost in thoughts. The evening went better than you’re expected. Lena was very nice and you enjoyed played with her. You almost forgot that she was also your professor because she didn’t act like she was. You admired her more than before. She was very smart, her warming smile was so beautiful. You became to realize that you were crushing hard on her... Oh God, why ! Later everyone was leaving. You waved at Winn, took Maggie and Alex in your arms as they left the room. Lena was the last to stay. “Well, it was very amusing Kara, as always.” “Thank you for coming. I’m glad you could meet (Y/N). It’s crazy that you’re also teaching her business. I hope you’ll tell me if she causes you some trouble.” She was kidding of course. You were quite serious at school and she knew that. Lena smirk at you. “Oh she’ll behave I swear. But I’m glad she is my student. She is smart.” You blushed hard at her comment et they smiled at you. “Yeah, She is.” Kara responded. “Well I gotta go. See you later Kar’” She enlaced your sister et then came to you. “See you at college (Y/N) hope you won’t be late this time, or I’ll have to punish you.” She said with a smirk and then kissed you on the cheek. The teasing and the kiss made you so dizzy as she left. Yep you were crushing hard. God you were in trouble.  

[tammyhybrid21]

THybrid’s Mummy Rant(pt 1)

ALRIGHT!

Sooo…

I kind of said I would be organizing a big giant analysis and rant on this character-- Because I have many, many feelings. Buuut I think this is probably going to be something that just ends up diving into a lot more for the context I do have. Both in terms of the movie, and the research I've been rolling around in--

So-- before I put this under a cut/readmore, can I put some context into this?! And by context--

I mean in general I would not be here if Mummy hadn't been the one Netflix had for the Movie's preview. Mummy is why I'm here, just because whoop. That's a character design that CALLS ME! So yeahh-- that out of the way…

First Impressions:

Sooo… in the first movie Mummy is… only in the last third, roughly of the movie. Which is a crying shame in all honesty because for me he steals the show from that point. AND we get to see SO MANY Sides. Like, just… there's a bit to unpack here, and it also leads into more of my Autism squee talk--

But I don't think I could even really articulate everything in a straight cohesive manner so I'll sort of sum it with the most important screencaps.

Soooo, I have a lot to say… and a picture says a thousand words… but especially here and okay, so those screencaps are… not exactly all the story, but they say a lot for what they say. And then you can compound that specifically with the research that I have… again, been just rolling in. Because GIMME!

Sooo anyway, let me talk about these screencaps while my brain is turned on. Because I feel that all of these are important! Including that first glimpse! Because like-- what you need to understand is-- Do you know how hard catching something like that is?! And how did he notice it. Which like, that's probably a sensitivity thing, but specifically! That would whistle on the way down!

Then!

LET ME TALK ABOUT MASKING!

Like just-- all these next pictures and moments! They bring up Masking. Because look at him when he's first approaching, first seen in full. He's threatening, intimidating(up until Tadeo spots him and it's just scream for them both) BUT THEN IN PRIVATE! Clapping, flapping, and well, we can watch Movie 2 with a very specific lense based on a piece of WoG I found…

But even those next few screencap moments--

Like, Mummy is important, BUT there are rules of how you're supposed to present yourself. Like look at him! Look at him in front of the guards! How Paititi is revealed and even the lead up, like, he has a good shift from the slight goofball to commanding and then to intimidating and just…

Snap fingers and the guards respond(which then with movie two… boyyyyy I want to know what happened). And as much as we think that hug is intense…

And then look at the shy nervous child. WHICH I'm going to bring in a moment or two from the Series, Descubre con Tadeo(which is a fun watch even if I only get like, maybe a fifth of the content).

He's insecure and nervous… and we related it to being like… first day of school jitters. BUT THEN he-- also has a perfect shift here as well.

Put on your professional voice! And like, I suppose some things could be argued in terms of Mummy's antics in the second film. But I just… have too much more to say that the whole movie kind of feels like.

"FIRST TIME I AM FREE!" in terms of how Mummy is running around and just having fun! You ever just want to cut loose mate?! Scream, or go wild… but like… with the second movie I have other places to just go, WAIT?! What happened?! And also just analyze moments that are… well…

But like, number one is a background moment actually(and I hope so muuuuch that it means something in movie three please)

LOOK AT TADEO'S CONSPIRACY BOARD!

Like I'm just here like, Mummy?! What did you do?! On his trip over, which for all is kind of implied/feels like a B-Line, and I have… other thoughts and feelings on that. But like, the conspiracy board! Mummy! Also considering that the English Localization has Tadeo in Chicago(and I want to know if that's true for everywhere--) As an aside in this moment, can we just appreciate the jump of quality in the animation between the movies?! Like ahhhh the details! I just hng-- And some things in the whole animated series as well…

Edutainment.

WHICH features BOTH Mummy and Tadeo just special interest dumping. And it's A++

He also hums the theme song in his take over episode, and dances and is just ahahahahah

Which, this is one of the two Mummy just-- yanks the show for himself moments… The other has him playing with everyone else as dolls and I just--

Yes

Gender

Which look, I've been going off some level of fluidity for him! Since I watched the second movie and he just-- STOLE THE SHOW! And the credits sequence, I have… a lot to say about his around the world trip but most of that ultimately amounts to disorganized screaming about the fact that he starts the travel with only one dangling earring and ends it with two to speak to the guards--

And that then goes into--

ANYWAY--

Genderwise, I've been informed that there's a WoG confirmation of nb, which… Good Representation! Even if I have personal… bad, yucky, awkward feelings about the term, if that's the confirmed canon term. Well. My personal dysphoria with the term specific aside.(Non non, it always feels like--) NO WONDER I HELLA RELATE!

For those not caught up-- I myself identify as Agender. Which is a nb-spectrum gender, or as I refer to it as when trying to explain. "Gender, yes". I have a gender, and that gender is yes it's something and exists. But like, I'm not tied to the binary of Male-Female, not really. Sooooo--

If Mummy is confirmed nb, which, I will be source hunting for sure.

Well, his relatability to me just skyrocketed EVEN MORE!

Like I'm sorry, you don't understand! That's super important on MANY levels. Not just for the rare gender to be highlighted. BUT!

Mummy is very Autistic Coded. More on the female stereotyped Autism as well-- and then FOR THE BIG THING! He's Inca!

Like, do you people even have a scale for the important points that he's hitting here?! (And if we add apparently spoken about Asexuality?! Excuse me!)

Like I don't know how much I could say on how important this is representation and character wise…

Sooo

Moving on.

Inca

Sooooo… this is probably something dumb to tack onto the end but. I'll be the first to admit it. I'm… coming from a culturally blind/naïve perspective but-- it's something intrinsic and important to understanding Mummy as character. He's from a cultural background I honestly don't yet know enough about. (Can I ever know enough though?!)

He's an Inca. And more than that-- WoG seems to have implied, he's Royalty, whiiiiich puts into perspective some of those screencap moments and brings about a host of interesting research topics for me to just gleefully dive into and roll around in.

BUT

With that contextual framing.

This dork, and this moment-- and thinking about how he's got the pull in the first movie to boss the guards around. Just like-- Make decisions and call the shots… and more to me…

Who put the cufflink there?! SPECIFICALLY?!

Because like, all he said was "keep it safe"

I also really, really want to know if there's some cultural significance and nuance I'm missing here, because hooo boy. As far as I have, this is basically just subtle nods and confirmations that he's royal, possibly even the recognized Auqui of their set up here(which as of movie two, possibly no longer the case).

I also have a lot to say about THIS:

In terms of the half a dozen or so resources that have STUFF to say about Handshakes to the Inca(albeit there is more than just a handshake buuuut). But this is already 11 pages in word and honestly, I don't think I could explain things in a nice and tidy context for all my FEELINGS that I have.

Sources:

Screenshots taken by myself and a friend

Tadeo Jones & Tadeo Jones 2: El secreto del Rey Midas

https://www.telecinco.es/tadeojones/descubre-con-tadeo/16940/ For additional character screenshots, albeit had to find some of it on Youtube.

WoG on Mummy's implied Royalty: https://www.animum3d.com/blog/animacion-3d-tadeo-jones/ (And English translation C&P feat. Google Translate: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DPhIuurqtx7QJm1df31cviHsqDEgKH5t9MVstJZHpRw/edit) Point of NOTE

With the designs and the script in front, you start to shuffle ideas, by his golden dress, his hat and his cape you imagine that he is someone important within his clan, that should give a sublime aspect to his behavior, as if he belonged to royalty, someone with a refined attitude and manners, are ideas that do not have to be evident or definitive, but in some way help to set parameters when shaping your personality.

WoG on Gender & Sexuality: Still on the hunt, right now more fandom news(please gibe me the source!) FOUND: https://elcultural.com/Enrique-Gato-y-David-Alonso-El-reto-ya-no-es-sorprender-sino-crear-empatia-con-los-personajes & https://www.ecartelera.com/noticias/41656/pelicula-aventuras-definitiva-tadeo-jones-2-equipo/5/

My son asks me many times if Mummy is a boy or a girl and it's all at once. It's absolutely ambiguous and that also makes it a lot of fun.

“For us he is asexual and we really like playing with it.”

Conclusion:

WATCH THESE MOVIES PLEASE!

And get the culture being represented by one of the characters RIGHT!

[polar-stars]

any ff recs (other than yours lol, I read all of them already and I love them btw)? Cool with any ships (even crack) and any genre/warnings, just want a good sns story to read now that the manga ended :/

Ooo! I’ll try my best to help you out, anon ;w; Hopefully I won’t forget anything ; 7 ;

Also hnnnN I am glad you enjoyed what I wrote ; 7 ; Your message made me very happy, so thank you ;w; !!

-

Okay so, @polar-star-dorks​ writes a Next Gen Fanfic that I love a lot and I am very excited for her future plans for them! Lovely and well-thought-out characters and also a very enjoyable style of writing to me. Especially how she handles the cooking is just A+++ and most certainly a trillion times better than how I do in my Next Gen fanfic. Here it is-> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13199208/1/Jewel-s-Reincarnate-The-117th-Generation !

She also most recently begun writing a Pirate AU Fanfic for SouMegu that is also just a great read so far and I am SO EXCITED for more !! I’m such a sucker for good AUs and this is one. I heard about some of the details in discord already and hnnn!! It’s just a very fun, imaginative setting! -> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13399131/1/Love-On-the-Seas

Speaking of AUs, @yourmoontothenightsky​ ( @soaringlanddormitory​ as a Shokugeki-specific blog) has tons of brilliant AUs and writes an ongoing story for two of them -> Eight Elements (for Isshiki/Nene) and Ready? Aim Fire! (for Eizan/Nene). The first one being an Elemental AU and the second one being a Yakuza AU. Both are plot-wise very intriguing, involve the writer’s most lovely OCs and also have great strengths in dialogue as the author has a particular talent for banter. She also writes an OC-focused fanfics that sheds some light on the 91st Generation which they so rightly deserve: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13228301/1/The-First-Step

Then there’s also @nightcrownsking​ with a beautiful, poetic writing-style and just, such a great talent to lay bare all the emotions that can go through a character and just….it’s just such a wonderful portrayal of feelings. It’s so very heartfelt and human. He recently made a fanfic account and published three POvs he has written, that gives insight to different character’s feelings and thoughts when they feel theirselves drawn to another character. I can highly recommend it ! -> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13419855/1/Diary-of-Feelings

Now, if you like IsshiNene, anything written by @isshinene​ is an automatic must-read, I’d say. She’s very devoted to her ship and writes them very neatly and beautifully! I absolutely love her writing style and how she often choses to focus on smaller moments in life, which gives a lot of her stories a sort of comforting vibes. Her big ones I’d say are the Multichap fic Betting on Love and a One Shot Collection named How Do You To Spell Love. BoL was a fun read and a fun AU idea and I also absolutely loved the interactions of the characters. HDYSL has many great One-Shots and also my absolute fave one: “I Can’t Tell You That I Love You”. My other favorite One-Shots would be Yuki no Hana and Glimpse of a Mother

Then there’s also @wishingforatypewriter​ who enchanted quite a great deal of the fandom already with wonderful One-Shots and intriguing Multichapter fics. I always love to read their content and feel great joy once my notifications tell me they updated something. I wanna use this chance to shed light on what I think is their oldest contribution to this fandom, a One-Shot Collection called The Third Year, I just….it has a heavy sense of fond memories and nostalgia for me, because back then when it was active, I just always got so happy seeing an update! And just….give it a read. It deserves more credit. 

@hanzome-hasashi​ wrote my two favorite Sorina Fics: Akai Ito and Late Night Lullabies. They’re quite differing in tone, I’d say but both insanely enchanting in their own sense. Just like with the former One Shot Collection, I just have a sense of nostalgia with both of these stories and especially with Akai Ito I connect a wonderful memory. There’s a beautiful atmosphere in both of them and both of them, kinda leave me longing to fall in love myself, if I can say so. And that’s remarkable. 

@that-girl-at-the-corner also has a beautiful writing-style and great talent at Sorina. She has a Royalty AU! AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ROYALTY AUS! So, I am very excited about that one-> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12704520/1/The-Royal-Engagement I love her take on both Soma and Erina and also the other characters and how they get included into the story so well! Because that’s not something a lot of stories in this fandom tend to do. 

Also, for your SouTaku needs, I just have to recommend this heartwrenching but so beautiful AU-Fanfic by @madokasoratsugu called “A Place To Be With The Sun” and it’s sequel “A place for the sun to return” . I should reread it some time soon, now that I think about it but yeah! It’s a very beautiful and heartfelt read and I love the idea and I can feel how much thought went into writing the fic. I also, once again, love the roles that were thought-up for the other characters and how they were included into the story. KUDOS. 

Also, I’ll be late for college, but ahdhd I’ll take the second but to also recommend “A Man For Flowers” by @mayuuunaise, a cute and also beautiful fic for Isami/Megumi that is just !! Ah, so many cute and neat little ideas and characters that are very in-character and just !! FLOWER SHOP AU!!! HONEYSWEET ROMANCE! ADORABLE EXCHANGES! I just !!! please take a look at it, it’s great. Very great

I really gotta go now, but take these few as well:

- Window of the Soul (Angst as Isshiki discovers heartbreak, has very beautiful metaphors)

- Glass Heart (poetic drabbles on the E10)

- Sweet, Salty and Everything In-Between (lovely SouMegu One Shots)

- Sun and Sea (collection of cute TakuMegu Drabbles)

- Love is a Beautiful Pain (angsty, heartwrenching unrequited love-fic for Megumi)

[weapon13whitefang]

The Walking Dead 9x15 [The Calm Before] Thoughts and Feelings

I’m a little behind in posting my thoughts on this episode… And it’s not because I had a lot of them, I just wasn’t sure what to say that hasn’t already been said… But that said, here’s what I have to say. It’s short but there are spoilers below the line

Michonne not signing the treaty between the four communities is the sign that she will be leaving in the future. I’ve had the thought that Michonne was going to try and branch farther than even Daryl has gone to look for Rick. Something is going to give her a big sign that Rick is still alive out there. I’m still side-eying the radios that Eugene and Rosita set up. Eugene talked about the radios with Rosita and how he needs Ham Radio parts… I worked at a Radio station through my summers in college. A Ham Radio is an Amateur Radio that is often used for fun. AM Radio stations used to be Ham people that would share their lives or talk about things someone else might like. Example being that in a lot of horror films and games you always have that radio station talk guy that tells about Aliens and government conspiracies. Some of those people are Ham Radio operators.  Ham Radios are also very handy to have as they can literally reach from town to town and even across the world. They don’t need internet. A lot of hams just need a high enough bounce location (or a place that is open or a even just a large dish to help bounce it further… Maybe like the one Negan had at one of the Savior locations…). Anyway, I was excited to see this because every time I see a radio on this show now after Rick “died” I think of S1 when Rick would speak on the radio hoping Morgan would hear. Tried to keep the line open to tell him what was going on and where was safe and where wasn’t, basically giving his location away… If we hear Rick’s voice over the radio, even for a few second or just enough that everyone who knew Rick would know his voice, then that could be what Michonne uses to let herself go farther out…  Also I find it interesting what part we’re at comic wise. See I get the feeling in the final episode we are going to see Beta again because the group has to pass through Alpha’s borders and this will cause a fight. In the comics, Michonne and Aaron are attacked by Whisperers and Aaron gets stabbed in the stomach... But the Dwight shows up to save the two. Obviously Dwight is going to be on Fear so they’ll be doing something different in that regards if they follow this part, but I was fascinated that this is the part we are at going into the end of the series because at this point Negan has also escaped and the two were trying to get him back… There’s just something interesting about this to me and I feel like something big might be happening. Because the pike scene was obviously huge… But it wasn’t the final episode…  Something big is going to happen. It has to… Is someone dying again? Will we hear Rick? Hmmm… If I wanna be TD, I could say we see you know who or at least a very heavy clue that it’s Her. But my TD side is a little less jumpy these days of sitting on the fence.

Speaking of the pike line up… Yeah I was prepared for it. Read spoilers (89% of which were right save for DJ and Ozzy and Alek). I’m super disappointed and heartbroken for Henry because that is just another cruel thing to do to Alpha… I feel like they did this to make her just break but also to give her a drive to be the one to face down Alpha. Carol NEEDS to be the one to ends Alpha. I know people want Negan to fulfill his comic role but it needs to be Carol who handles Alpha. Even if she didn’t kill Henry, I have just felt it should be Carol. She is the opposite of what Carol is. Carol was the abused, Alpha is the abuser. Carol tried to shield Sophia from Ed, Alpha’s husband tried to shield Lydia from her Alpha. Carol never hurt Sophia, Alpha beat on Lydia. They’re opposite women. It just feels like they should be the ones who face each other. Not only because it’s a balance, but because yeah, Carol deserves it for Henry. Hell let Lydia help her shit… That’s the only thing that’s keeping me from raging at Henry dying is hoping that this means Carol is going to step up and take down Alpha… My other disgust is for all these characters not deserving this at all. Not even Rodney, the dumb drunk idiot that he could be… He was a kid. Enid didn’t survive this long to deserve this – TARA didn’t go through this shit just to get this kind of send off… Like WTF…. I’m just really ughhh about this, you know? Also I’ve been trying to think about who finds the piked people… Carol and Daryl and Michonne make sense. Yumiko and Siddiq are the odd ones here… Now at first I thought maybe they chose Yumiko because she had that brief heart to heart I’m sorry with Tara after she and everyone went after Luke. But that isn’t enough for her to be out there… And then there’s Siddiq… I know many people are screaming that he betrayed the others and that he only escaped because he gave something to Alpha to get away… I’m not agreeing but I would not be surprised because Alpha is not the type to just send you on your way. Maybe Siddiq really was kept alive to just be the one to tell the others what Alpha did, make them fear her… Guess we’ll just have to keep an eye on him and see cause I don’t know. Something does seem off about that to me. I don’t want that to be the case because, dude, Carl got bitten because of you and if you put his family and friends in danger for your own life… Yeah no I don’t want that to happen I will be mad lol

Hi, gotta do my obligatory awww for Daryl and Connie because him awkwardly waving bye to her after he asks her to feed and look after Dog was absolutely charming and adorable and I’m just wanting to coo over how cute that was cause I;m a dork… Also that scene with Kelly and Connie was freaking touching okay sisters awwww!

The last thing I wanna say (see, told you it wouldn’t be that long lol) is actually about the preview for the season finale… That scene with Daryl asking Carol “who do you see when you look at me” after she says she just sees Henry when she looks at Lydia, my heart literally wants o fucking break. Ouuuccchhh my heart. He was speaking of Sophia and like awwwwww! ALSO The pictures for next week show Daryl and Ezekiel looking like they’re going to share some heated words and I’m wary because this isn’t the time to be arguing or snapping at each other… Don’t fight! Bad King and Archer….

That’s it. That’s what I have to offer y’all… I know it’s kinda sad. I used to be really able to dig down into this show but personal shit and just my disappointment for the show has been a heavy factor lately… I’m hoping something good happens in this last episode to really hype me again… We shall see.

[ohmytheon]

Karma in Retrograde (7)

title: Karma in Retrograde

summary: When Dabi is hit by a de-aging quirk, he's turned back to a 16 year-old U.A. Gen Studies student with self-esteem and parent issues, a destructive quirk, and no memory of the last five years. To help the Dabi of the past, present, and future, he is placed with Class 1-A. There, they must all face the question of whether he can change or if his destiny is already set in stone.

– Chapter 7: Ryouta and Shouto talk things over as best as any Todoroki can.

Lanni notes: As someone who only has a step-brother, I write a lot about siblings, both fanfiction and original fiction-wise. It's high time that these two talk. It's not the most open or even completely honest one, but they're getting there. Give these boys some time. They need it. Todorokis gonna Todoroki. The song for this chapter is one of my absolute favorites, "Heirloom" by Sleeping at Last, which I feel sums up the Ryouta, Shouto, and Endeavor dynamic perfectly.

You remind me of who I could have been Had I been stronger and braver way back then A million choices, though little on their own Became the heirloom of the heaviness we’ve known

After around an hour of basically hiding in the trees on U.A.’s campus, Ryouta knew that he couldn’t avoid the dorms any longer. Hopefully, most of the other students would be busy with their homework or training. From what he knew of students in the hero course, they were often kept much busier than everyone else because of their extra course load. If he could just slip into his dorm room unnoticed…

No, he couldn’t do that. He had to talk to Shouto. It would be better to face his brother upfront.

Holding onto the empty carton, having scarfed down the food Aizawa had given him like he’d not eaten in days, Ryouta slunk his way back to the dorms. Even though he was on his own, he knew that he wasn’t totally alone. He’d seen Present Mic through the trees, sitting at a bench seemingly grading papers, one of those dumb things people did when it was a nice day and wanted an excuse to get out of the office. It would’ve been innocuous had he flipped the pages more than every ten minutes. He couldn’t be that slow of a reader.

By the time Ryouta made it to the dorms, Present Mic was gone. Ah, so that was how it was going to be. Well, he couldn’t say that he blamed them. He wouldn’t have trusted himself either had he been in their position.

As soon as he made it to the common area, his worst fears were confirmed. The room wasn’t filled to the brim with all of Class 1-A, but there were enough students lingering there to make it awkward when Ryouta walked inside. A few people, like the boy with the huge belt and the large kid with multiple arms, walked out of the room the second they caught sight of him, although he couldn’t tell if it was out of aggression or the mere desire to avoid him. Fine by him. Then there was Bakugou, who scowled from his spot at the couches, but didn’t move, along with a red-haired boy and a shockingly pink girl. The latter two gave him hesitant yet curious looks.

And then there were Iida, Midoriya, and Uraraka, all of whom rushed over to him like a tidal wave. Ryouta found their energy somewhat draining. However, it was only natural for them to be like that after the strange scene they’d witnessed with his father. Hopefully, they had better relationships with their parents.

“Are you alright?” Uraraka asked.

“Where did you go after you left Aizawa’s office?” Iida questioned. “Did you get something to eat?”

Midoriya opened his mouth and then closed it, as if reconsidering his question. Ryouta was grateful. He had a feeling that it was more personal than he wanted to talk about in public -- or ever.

“Uh, yeah, Aizawa gave me some food,” Ryouta said, holding up the empty box. “I just… I needed some alone time. A lot’s happened today.”

Iida nodded his head. “Understandable. You must feel overwhelmed.” Ryouta just barely managed to stop himself from letting out a caustic laugh. These were nice kids. They were earnest. He forgot that people were like that. Instead, he managed a stiff nod. “Maybe you should take an early night. We can get started on figuring out where you are course-wise tomorrow.”

Damn, Iida certainly didn’t waste any time. That must have been why he was the class rep.

As much as Ryouta craved the sanctuary his dorm would offer him and about twelve hours straight of being unconscious, he had other things on his mind that were more important. “I was actually wondering where Shouto was?” He shifted on his feet. “I wanted to talk with him.”

Midoriya glanced at Iida before turning back to Ryouta. “He’s in his dorm.”

“Right, okay.” Ryouta hesitated. “Do you think it’s a bad idea? Does he not want to speak with me?”

Panic started to seize his heart. This had been a very overwhelming day for Shouto too. Seeing their father on campus had probably been an additional shock. There had been plenty of instances where he had witnessed their father’s cold and angry behavior towards Ryouta, especially when he had stepped in between him and Shouto or their mother, but nothing like that. It was strange that, despite his father’s aggression and hatred, it was one of the first times that Ryouta hadn’t felt afraid of the man.

Hard to feel afraid of someone when your future self is so much more terrifying.

“No,” Midoriya answered carefully, “I think it’d be for the best.” He frowned. “He’s been there since…”

He didn’t have to finish. Ryouta knew what he couldn’t say out loud. As soon as Aizawa had taken Ryouta away and Endeavor had left, Shouto had gone straight to his dorm to avoid everyone. It was what Ryouta had wanted to do before Aizawa had given him an out. He wondered if Shouto felt humiliated or just angry. His big brother had become a villain, shaming the family and their number one hero father, but even worse, now there were people who knew about at least a little of what went on at home.

“What room is his?” Ryouta asked.

“Fifth floor, third room on the left,” Iida answered.

“Okay.” Ryouta awkwardly fiddled with the empty carton in his hands. “I’ll just…”

“Here, I’ll throw that away for you,” Uraraka said as if she knew what he was thinking. She took the carton from him without waiting for him to respond. “He likes to keep a very clean space.”

“Of course,” Ryouta responded. “He always did.”

It was kind of weird talking about Shouto with his friends, if only because they seemed to know him just as well, if not better, than Ryouta did these days. As if he didn’t feel like a bad big brother already. He nodded his head and then headed in the direction of Shouto’s room. It would’ve been easier to use the elevator, but he took the stairs. It gave him more time to think about what to say and also avoid the confrontation for a little longer. Too soon, he was on the fifth floor and he dragged himself to the door that Iida had mentioned.

This was it. This was Shouto’s room. Behind this door was his little brother, no longer so little. Ryouta’s mouth felt dry as he tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. He didn’t want to do this, but at the same time, he was almost desperate to speak to Shouto. He didn’t know anyone here yet, but he wanted to know his brother. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and waited.

After a few moments, Shouto’s voice came from behind the door. “Who is it?” So neutral. He hadn’t always been like that.

Ryouta should’ve been polite or even submissive, considering his misdeeds, but this was his little brother, so he dryly responded, “Who do you think?” and then cringed. It was so easy to act like he always had with Shouto. It was the only way he knew how. Just last night in his head, he’d been on the phone with him, teasing him about how much of a dork he was because of the books he liked to read. The door opened slightly and Shouto peered out to look at him. Ryouta’s shoulder slumped. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah,” Shouto replied. “I guess we should talk.”

No shit.

After opening the door further, Shouto stepped aside and he slunk in, hands buried in his pockets. When Shouto shut the door, panic burst inside of Ryouta’s chest. He felt suddenly trapped. It was stupid. He was in a room with his brother, not a villain. If anyone should be concerned, it should’ve been Shouto. He was the one alone in a room with a villain. However, there was nothing but a blank expression on his face, his eyes unreadable. Shit, it was like looking into a mirror.

Turning around, Ryouta swept his gaze around the room and whistled lowly. “Nice digs. Looks just like home.”

Shouto coughed, embarrassed again. “It’s too much, isn’t it?”

A chuckle worked its way out of Ryouta’s throat. “Yeah, a little.”

They were both avoiding the real reason why he had come up here, but he didn’t mind. Now that they were the same age, things felt more even between them, like they were on the same level. It wasn’t as uncomfortable as he had imagined it would be. They’d both gone through similar trials together. Since he could only remember his life as a U.A. student, he could almost pretend that they were on the same page as well.

“Did you not decorate your room...when you went here?” Shouto asked. “I wanted to visit, but I wasn’t allowed.”

Ryouta shook his head. “I didn’t have the money to do much with it and I avoided asking Dad for help as much as possible.” This looked a lot more comfortable than his dorm. Home life might have been more than chaotic and he had hated it as much as he had loved it, but their house had been nice. The number two hero could afford a lot of things. Just not a decent personality. “I asked if you could visit all the time, but he wouldn’t even let Fuyumi or Natsuo come.”

There was a brief lull in the conversation as both of them thought about their other siblings. They were both older than him now. Natsuo had been taller than him even when they were kids, despite Ryouta being the older brother. He’d finally caught up by fourteen and had been very pleased. Knowing his luck, he’d be shorter again. He wasn’t looking forward to finding out.

Turning back around, Ryouta looked up at his brother, only to be caught off guard by the fact that he was looking up at his brother. For the first time, he noticed he had to tilt his eyes slightly upward to meet his gaze. His younger brother’s gaze. Shouto was a few centimeters taller than him, which, while it wasn’t much, felt neither right nor fair. It was like dealing with Natsuo all over again. He didn’t like it. His eleven-year-old brother wasn’t supposed to be taller than him at all.

...Except Shouto wasn’t eleven years old anymore. The flash of impulsive indignity was fleeting and died down when reality promptly set in, bringing something bitter with it. He wasn’t eleven years old anymore and hadn’t been eleven years old for a long time. His brother had grown up and he had missed it. What should have been five years had become the blink of an eye - or the flash of a quirk. A quirk that had been used on him for what sounded like a very good reason.

The anger that had begun to build inside him died down under a wave of guilt. He couldn’t remember the past five years because of the quirk, but even if he could, he wouldn’t have been there for his brother anyway. He wouldn’t even be there with him now. Ryouta had missed years of his younger brother’s ever-fleeting childhood and he only had himself to blame for it. His throat stung and his tongue turned to lead at the thought. He already knew he had walked out on them - it was why he needed to talk to him in the first place - but every time he noticed something different, it felt like the discovery of a fresh sin he’d committed and made the harsh reality that much more real.

It only took a few seconds for the entire string of feelings and realizations to occur. Ryouta wasn’t able to maintain eye contact with Shouto for more than a fraction of that. (Weak.) He allowed his gaze to drop to his shoes and willed his lips to move. He had to say something. Something smooth, something genuine and eloquent, something that could hope to serve as even the beginning of an explanation, because gods knew there was no justifying all of it.

“Shouto,” he slowly said.

“Hm?”

Ryouta could feel the weight of the other boy’s gaze on him.

Eloquent. Genuine. He deserves an explanation. “You shouldn’t wear high tops.” Fuck.

He forced himself to look back up, if only to bear witness to the small disaster he’d just created. Shouto’s eyebrows were furrowed in bewilderment, the first hint of emotion on his face. “What?”

“Your shoes. You shouldn’t try to make yourself look taller,” Ryouta awkwardly explained. “It’s not working.”

The confusion began to dissipate from Shouto’s face, replaced by something that might be the shadow of amusement. There was a beat of silence in which Ryouta felt his gut twist before Shouto confirmed what he had begun to fear in that moment. “I’m not wearing high tops.” A quick glance down revealed that, indeed, he was wearing perfectly flat, fairly thinly soled shoes. When Ryouta looked back up, a smirk, faint enough that he wouldn’t have noticed if he didn’t know where to look, had begun to form. It was only highlighted by the blank tone in which he said, “I’m just taller than you.”

Apparently, at some point over the last five years, his younger brother had also become a little shit.

Ryouta scowled. In the life he remembered, Shouto probably would’ve laughed after that, but instead, he only shook his head. That definitely meant that Natsuo was taller than him too. At least he still had Fuyumi and their mom beat. It had been frustrating to be shorter than his sister for half his childhood, but his quirk had burned through him too hot, making him small for his age for years.

Huffing irritably, Ryouta sat down on the floor, crossing his legs and propping his hands on his thighs, and Shouto followed, threading his fingers together. He looked a lot calmer. Ryouta didn’t know how he was managing it when he felt like a bundle of nerves, his quirk prickling anxiously under his fingertips until he managed to push it down. Sometimes, he lit and smothered tiny blue fires on his fingers to make it look like the fire was dancing. It was a habit he’d started when he was six to make his quirk seem less frightening, but it had turned into a tic after a while.

“I wonder if Dad told them about…”

About what, Shouto? About how their failure of a brother became a villain?

He couldn’t say that though, so Ryouta instead said, “I doubt it. He probably doesn’t think it’s important. After I left...” Why had he done that? Why had he left them? Had he even visited their mother in the hospital? Oh gods, his mom. “He probably cut me off my like a dead limb.”

Shouto sighed. He didn’t have to confirm it for Ryouta to know that Endeavor had most likely either burned or trashed everything that had belonged to him. He wouldn’t have even put it past the man to destroy any pictures of him and have them pretend like he didn’t even exist. That was what Endeavor did with failures. He put them in the past and he moved on, refusing to let them hold him back. His three kids before Shouto had been just that, Ryouta even more so.

“How are they?” he finally asked.

“Natsuo and Fuyumi are doing really well,” Shouto told him. “Natsuo is in college. I heard he even has a girlfriend now. He left home two years ago and hasn’t been back since, but we keep in contact.” Ryouta fought the urge to sigh in relief. That was good. At least one of them had been able to escape and have a normal life. “Fuyumi is a preschool teacher. She feels guilty over not being able to protect me more.”

“That wasn’t her job,” Ryouta cut in, angry with himself all over again. It had been his job. He was supposed to protect them from their father. He was supposed to keep their mother safe.

Shouto looked resigned, but then all of this had already come to pass for him. He couldn’t regret it. “I know. She even stayed home to help take care of me.” He paused in thought. “I wonder if she’ll move out since I’m no longer living at home.”

Ryouta almost jumped to his feet. “She what? She’s still living there?”

“Dad couldn’t take care of us on his own,” Shouto pointed out, sounding almost like he was defending the man.

“He didn’t take care of us when Mom was there either,” Ryouta shot back. Shouto merely shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t trying to defend Endeavor. It was frustrating. He’d missed so much. Had he not thought about that when he had walked out on them? How his leaving would change their lives too? Couldn’t he have left and stayed in contact with them like Natsuo? Hating his future self was exhausting and confusing all at once. He rubbed his head. “Sorry, it’s just… It’s hard to wrap my head around. I don’t know what happened.”

Shouto was silent for a minute, stewing over something that had been on his mind, until he asked, “Did you feel like leaving before? Last night, after the phone call and argument with Dad -- did you want to leave?”

“I…” Ryouta propped his hands on the floor behind him and leaned back. “Of course I did. I won’t lie about that. I was so angry with Dad sometimes that I wanted to burn everything to the ground and leave it all behind. Either I’d dream about proving him wrong and making something incredible of myself or taking you and the others away from him and getting the hell out of dodge.” He tilted his head back and gazed at the ceiling. “I felt like a failure. I couldn’t be the hero that Dad demanded. It was humiliating. To be honest, I hated it here.”

From his peripheral vision, he caught the alarmed expression on Shouto’s face and the way he sat up straight. “You hated it? What do you mean? You wanted to go to U.A. so bad. I remember you fighting with Dad about it your last year in middle school. You even used Mom’s name to do it.” He blinked in confusion. “You used to tell me how much I would love it when I went here and always smiled when talking about school. It’s what made me okay with Dad pushing me to apply. I thought, if you liked it so much, then I would too.”

“You do like it here, don’t you?” Ryouta asked.

Shouto hesitated, but then admitted, “Yeah.” For the first time in his life, he had friends of his own and he was away from Endeavor. He could use his quirk as he wished. His quirk, not their father’s and mother’s. It was good for him. U.A. was exactly what Shouto had needed in his life. It had been a slap in the face for Ryouta.

“That’s good.” Ryouta closed his eyes. “It’s different for you than it was for me. You’re in the hero course. I’m - was - in General Studies, bottom of the barrel, the students who either couldn’t hack it in the entrance exam or applied to it knowing they couldn’t and hoping they could make a name for themselves at the Sports Festivals.”

“I don’t understand,” Shouta said. “With your quirk, you should’ve been in the hero course. I’ve seen you use it before you-” Before he had become Dabi. He tried not to react. “It’s strong.”

“I didn’t take the entrance exam like you did. I did enough to get into General Studies and that was it.”

“Why?”

Ryouta opened his eyes and looked back at his brother. “Because that was one of Dad’s rules. If I was going to go through with attending U.A., I had to earn my spot in the hero course a different way. He didn’t consider me worthy to apply for the same course that he went through. I had to prove that I was.”

There was something else bothering Shouto. He could tell from the way he wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I didn’t take the entrance exam. I got in on recommendation.”

A bitter laugh almost escaped Ryouta, but he clenched his jaw at the last second. “I should’ve figured that.”

At the end of the day, Shouto was stronger than him in every sense. Their quirks were similar, but Shouto excelled where Ryouta was flawed. The only way that Ryouta bested him was that his flames were much hotter and more powerful, but that was only because his fire quirk didn’t reside on half of his body and even then it didn’t do him much good.

“It’s different for you,” Ryouta continued in a flat tone. “In the hero course, you’re at the top of the food chain. You’re the focus. You’re important. Maybe you don’t do it, but a lot of the students in the hero courses in my time looked down on those in Gen Studies, considered them weak and beneath everyone else. There might not be any active bullying, but it wasn’t unusual to get overlooked or pushed around.”

For Ryouta, it hadn’t helped that he couldn’t control his quirk. He’d done everything he could on his own to learn how to master it, but there had been nothing he could do about the way it had turned on him repeatedly. He had been considering going to someone in the support course, but he hadn’t trusted any of the teachers enough to tell them about his quirk issues, much less another student. If he admitted that he needed help, then he would be even more of a failure than his father called him. Needing support meant that, on some level, his quirk was broken.

“You should’ve been able to get into the hero course,” Shouto insisted.

“I didn’t.” And he wouldn’t be able to hack it in the hero course now. In the five years that he’d lost due to being de-aged, he had somehow figured out how to control his quirk, but now he was back to sixteen and he was at a loss once more. Aizawa would figure it out soon enough. Maybe he’d pull him out of the course on his own. What if Ryouta accidentally hurt someone? The only thing he could do was hold off on using his quirk for as long as possible, but he knew that there would come a time when he didn’t have a choice. “I couldn’t meet Endeavor’s expectations. I couldn’t even meet my own. Being here reminded me of that every day.”

Shouto clenched his hands into fists. “Is that why you left?”

“I don’t know why I left,” Ryouta said honestly. “I know that, as of my last memories, I wasn’t planning on leaving. I had so many ideas still. I thought I could beat the system and prove our father wrong.” He let out a frustrated breath of air. He’d had so many dreams. Had he simply been too worn down? Had he been beaten down so many times by himself, by this place, by his father that he’d given up? “I went to bed last night even thinking that I’d be able to get Mom out of the hospital. I’d become a hero and I’d make enough money to get her out and--” He looked back at his brother. “Where is Mom? Is she...is she still there?”

The stiff nod from Shouto confirmed Ryouta’s worst fears and he deflated. The last time he had seen their mom had been when he was fifteen right after he’d been accepted into U.A. He’d had to use her last name to get in, after all, since Endeavor would only let Shouto attend U.A. under the Todoroki name. Her doctor had been hesitant about him visiting and he knew that it was because they were worried that his presence would trigger an episode or panic attack. He’d worn a beanie and loose dark clothes that hung on him awkwardly. He had thought about wearing glasses as well. Anything to make him look different from the man that had put her there.

“I’ve started visiting her again and writing her,” Shouto put in. “Fuyumi and Natsuo too. We… I waited too long.”

“Wonder if anyone will tell her about me or if her doctors might consider it too much,” Ryouta murmured, mostly to himself. He said it offhand, but a large part of him yearned to see her, even though he was terrified that she would push him away. Maybe his appearance would only disrupt her healing. He was too afraid to ask. “How is she?”

A small smile appeared on Shouto’s face. “She’s doing better. She’s come a long way. I don’t know if she’s forgiven herself for what happened, but she’s started talking about it.”

“That’s good. That’s…” Ryouta nodded, his mouth dry. “Good.”

Somehow he knew that she hadn’t mentioned him, even if Shouto didn’t want to admit it. He had a feeling that none of them did after a while. It sounded very much like he’d cut off all contact with them and their father had made sure to burn every shred of his existence. It would be easier to pretend as if he either never existed or was dead. That was the Todoroki way. Their mother had loved her children, but things had always been complicated. He had never doubted that she loved him. Only, sometimes, he wondered if she liked him or wanted him around.

Part of it was his fault, he knew. As his training had progressed and things had steadily gotten worse, he’d started to develop his father’s temper as his quirk got stronger, both of them uncontrollable. He’d never directed it towards her or his siblings, but she had to have seen him lashing out. She had to have worried that he might turn on Shouto or the others. Maybe she never outright thought it, but Ryouta could remember her looking at him like she looked at Shouto sometimes, like she wasn’t seeing him. With Shouto, she could take a few breaths and the look would go away. With Ryouta, she would leave the room entirely without saying a word to him.

(Why did it have to be Shouto that got hurt then?)

Ryouta fell back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. “I feel like I’ve missed so much - like so much has changed and yet some things are the same and I don’t--” Another person might’ve cried at this point. He thought that he should, but he couldn’t muster the energy or desire. It took a fucking lot to get him to that point. If seeing his father today hadn’t done that to him, this wouldn’t. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I,” Shouto admitted.

“I’m sorry,” Ryouta told him, trying to inject as much genuineness in his voice as possible. It would’ve been better if he’d sat up to look at him, but he didn’t want to get up. It was easier to say the words to the ceiling. “I know it means jack shit since I don’t even know what all I’ve done as Dabi, but I know enough to know that I’m a complete bastard.” He snorted. “That’s probably an underestimate.”

“You don’t have to apol--”

“No, I do.” Ryouta pushed himself back up and faced his brother. “Because I don’t know if I will when I turn back. I tried to be a good big brother, but… I failed in the worst way and that’s something I can never forgive myself for. I was selfish.” That old familiar feeling of anger bubbled inside of him, only this time it was directed at himself. What he would do to not be consumed by that sort of rage. He shoved it down. Now was not the time. “I can’t promise you that I’ll be better. All I can is do is work at it.”

This time, Shouto didn’t respond immediately and Ryouta couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He was looking down again at his hands. One ice, one fire. He had so much power. Even as a kid, back before his training, Ryouta had seen it and been afraid for him. No one should have that much strength, least of all a kid in Endeavor’s care. His own had been terrifying enough. He’d nearly burned his bedroom down when he was six after having a nightmare. It had put him in the hospital for a week. His father had been so furious. The training had gotten much harder after that, like he was irritated with him for showing his weakness in public.

“Just don’t leave again,” Shouto finally said. “I know things will be different when you turn back, but for now…”

Ryouta let out a breath that he’d been holding. “Yeah, I can do that.”

And he would. He swore it with everything in him.

@mistystarshine​ notes: Have some sibling feels, featuring: tangles of emotions, unreliable narrators, Todorokis Todoroking, and mountains of guilt! Did they address everything they need to talk about? Absolutely not. Neither of these two are gifted when it comes to initiating an emotional dialogue about serious matters. (Why do that when you can just wait for explosions?) On the bright side, unaddressed issues being addressed when they are inevitably forced to be means we get even more scenes with them later!

This marks the first chapter that I wrote a section of prose for! (Discounting a few lines of dialogue) It’s not much, but it’s there and if you notice any shift in the writing style, that’s probably why. I’m hoping we did a decent job of mixing it in though! There’ll be more from me later on, although the majority of it is likely to be later on in the story.

I am over the moon and so happy that people have been enjoying our fic! 

[royvdhelart]

So...as I've been sick for the last week, I kind of needed something to cheer me up a bit and something to get the Art-passion flowing again. So, I decided to finally redo Emil's reference sheet, as I never liked the old one, after designing him a new outfit <3

This was a bunch of work but boy, I can not recall having this much fun with a drawing and I'm actually hella proud of it for once :D I hope you like it as well!

--- Just to be clear btw: This Art is NOT for free use. ---

Callname: Emil/Baltazar Full-Name: Baltazar Emil A'zam Duman Jaren Qazir Languages: Common, Dwarfish (future: draconic)

Age: 26, born on the first day of June Sex/Gender: Male Height: 1,95m/6'4 Race: Human Class: (Lore) Bard (level 9) (future: Draconic sorcerer)

Background: Entertainer/Noble Sexuality: Bi-Romantic

Favorite Instrument: Violin. Alignment/Personality: Neutral Good, optimistic, Drama Queen, charismatic, polite, group-mom, party-guy, curious, creative. Flaws: Drama Queen, has a big mouth and turns into an awkward/clumsy dork when he has a crush on someone. More about his family: https://sta.sh/014wc8gu8y2p Background: Baltazar was born on the first day of June in the city Setus. He was the 7th and youngest son of a wealthy merchant family, having 4 brothers ( (35) Amin, (33)Kareem, (30)Jarah, (27)Gabriel, and ( and 2 sisters (Farah (31) and Iris (35) above him.  Baltazar had always been the "runt of the litter". Tall but lanky, Emil wasn't strong, and always out searching for trouble. This often caused him to clash with his parents, who really wished Emil would become more serious instead of going on about silly adventures and hanging around in inn's every night. Actually just fearing for his well-being.

As a proper noblemen's son Baltazar was learned etiquette from a young age, getting schooled by a wise old teacher (Nazim), who had years of experience teaching his older brothers and sisters. Emil wasn't the best student however and caused quite the frustration to his teacher. He skipped classes, pulled tricks on his teacher and rarely did the work he was expected to or find some kind of way to do his tasks with the least effort possible. Emil was much too busy learning plays out of his head, creating new songs or just dreaming about what it would be like to be actually free, to travel the lands, slay monsters, be a hero, to do such boring and repetitive tasks. It didn't matter anyway, he was the youngest, he would one day be married of to a rich woman/man and that would be it. He often worried about this future, a future, which in his opinion, could only become boring. The moments he spent on stage, telling people silly stories when he played his violin, were the moments he actually felt alive, at those moments he could feel a kind of power flowing through him, which could vaguely be described as a warmth but different. To him, it seemed that all that they wanted to do is take that from him, make him "more serious" as he would never honor his family's name as a simple entertainer. One day Emil had pushed his parents too far, he missed his teacher's lessons again and had a big fight with his father. All Emil's frustration and fear for the future came out at that point. Which ended with Emil, angerly saying that he was going to leave the city and that he would prove them that he would become worth something, he would become a great entertainer, a Hero even, his name would become known! With that, he packed his stuff and left the next morning. Quite quickly Emil found out that traveling was definitely not as easy or fun as he expected and regretted his decision quite quickly as he started to run out of gold, the city Setus was mostly surrounded by desert and small villages, where there was no way for him to make any profit. After traveling for days, he decided that he really wasn't ready to cross an entire dessert after having a nasty run-in with Goblins. He finally reached a cross point between three larger cities. He decided to travel between the cities, to try out work as an entertainer to earn some gold. For a few years, he played music at inns, took on small roles in plays and did some odd jobs to earn some extra gold. In these years he discovered the kind of power within himself again, a power which he studied and could control more and more each day as he got mentored by another bard called "Rafael". Who saw potential in him. Eventually, he learned how to control magic with his voice, movements, and music. Even though he enjoyed entertaining, with his new found powers and being able to do whatever he wanted, he realized he became somewhat stuck there, unable to grow, he was running out of ideas for songs or tales. But what was he supposed to do? He couldn't go back home and wasn't confident enough of his abilities yet to go on actual adventures alone, as he and Rafael split up after a year, his powers seemed mostly passive, supporting at most. Contemplating his options, he almost stumbled over a black panther which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He looked back at the table which the large black cat was laying against, sitting around it he saw what could only be described as a perfect example of a knight in shining armor drinking a large pint of... milk? and a younger somewhat odd hooded figure, bright red with a large bird emblem depicted on his back in gold. Emil was immediately intrigued by the curious figures, decided to buy them a round and started talking to them. The knight was apparently the Paladin called Adil Fahd, somewhat of a folk hero, who he actually recognized by name as he had heard it before. The hooded young man was called Yashan, a Phoenix sorcerer from far away, this apparently meant he knew a lot about setting things and himself... on fire, he was apparently on a holy mission to find a religious artifact called the Sun-Stone. He spends the rest of the evening talking with the adventurers and eventually convinced them to let them join their group. A few months later, they met their newest members to the party "Kakaah" a odd but smart Kenku Rogue and a sassy Fighter called Ustrom and with the party complete they would face many adventures, from fighting as gladiators in the area of a savage dwarf Island, to Dyeing Ogers hair to get out of trouble, surviving many of Adil's bad ideas, dangerous sea-trips, a trip to the Underdark, meeting the Evil beholder called Kazejux, retrieving priceless artifacts,  fighting a Demon called Kalahai who is wanting to take over the world... and many more and many more more to come. Extra/Random Facts about Emil: - Emil is a very charismatic and likes to flirt but is absolutely terrified of sex because of a mix of bad/silly experience and anxiety. He gets nervous about the subject and panics as soon as things become too hot and heavy. - Emil has a huge weakness for smart and dorky, guys/girls <3 - He learned the tips and tricks about being a Bard from a Bard called Rafael, with whom he has a somewhat competitive-love/hate friend-relationship as their friendship got a little complicated at the end of their showbusiness-partnership. Rafael is a stereotypical bard, very charismatic, party-animal and somewhat of a nymphomaniac. - Emil used to own a tiger when he was younger, who he shared with his brother Gabriel, which is supposed to be depicted on his bracers. Gabriel, after being reunited with Emil again 3 years after Emil left home, decided to also engrave his name into the bracers, in a way, so he'd be with him on his adventures. -Emil grew up with two mothers and a father, his biological mother is called Anjah, she is smart, smoll and scary, his second mother is called Dolunay, Cool, collected and wise, and his father's name is Azam who is intimidating but too sweet for his own good. His parents are in a Poly-romantic relationship and don't appreciate the "He is rich so he has more than one wife"-talk/ habit, the relationship is shared between all of them and they all love each other equally.

- Aside from the strings, his Violin is made out of Wood, Gold, and Ivory. It's called "Yarro" and is named after the Yarrow Plant. - He was thought to shoot his crossbow by his older brother Amin, who is good at handling most weapons known to that region, and an avid collector. Currently, Baltazar owns a magic Heavy Crossbow which is able to cast the spell "Tenser's transformation". - Emil is familiar with wearing drag or being scarcely clothed on stage as he used to be a part of a show in an "Entertainers-bar" for about a year. His drag is now one of his costumes next to his dessert robes... this job wasn't one of his favorites... but it was where Rafael discovered him, which would change his life forever. (He is dangerous with a pair of heels.) - Emil recently acquired a sentient cape, called Thanatos, a cured copper dragon with a ton of attitude. He allows Baltazar to Fly, be resistant to fire and look very extra. - His feather ear-ring is supposed to resemble a phoenix feather, however, he has no clue if it's real, as he bought it on a market from a somewhat sketchy guy. - Emil lost his finger for a while after using a magic artifact to save his ass... (Future: luckily he was able to get it back!) - Emil has a birthmark on his left hip. - (When compared to the real world) Emil would have a combination of Arabic/Indian/maybe a bit of Egyptic heritage. - Emil Knows gods exist but isn't necessarily a follower of any. More Baltazar: - https://romyvdhel-art.deviantart.com/art/OC-Spectrum-Meme-DnD-Characters-724820026 - https://romyvdhel-art.deviantart.com/art/DND-Reference-Baltazar-Emil-Qazir-707607613 - https://romyvdhel-art.deviantart.com/art/DnD-Sketchdump-VIII-717548901

[bluboothalassophile]

A Home...

Bruce might not freely admit this, but he had failed Jason. He might not own up to it, but he had perverted his son’s death to be Jason’s fault to try to make it hurt less; not that that one had worked. All that one had seemed to do was later alienate his children from him further because he didn’t want to get hurt or lose one of them ever again. Also, it seemed to have made it harder for him to express himself to them, and how much he really did love them.

And yes, he would admit that while he did not act like a helicopter parent; he was more than well aware on the ongoings for ALL his children’s civilians lives.

Dick and Barbara would be married soon, hopefully they could be mature together again. Dick was also working on making detective in the Blüdhaven Police Force, but he was also looking at a transfer to GCPD to be with Barbara.

Cass was working on her dancing, she wanted to try out for the ABT; American Ballet Theatre, and she was genuinely impressing her dance teachers. He just knew he could watch her all day and be a happy, proud man of his daughter. Cass had secured the lead as the Nutcracker Lead this Christmas in the Gotham Ballet on her own.

Timothy was working at Wayne Enterprises, and any talks about college were promptly shut down by Tim who was still working on explaining reasonably that he had dropped out of High School to the Board and why he should run WE.

Stephanie was attending Gotham Community college, on scholarship, and had been refusing the advances of Gotham Universities Star Quarterback, Steve Barnes. She was working hard on her general education and seriously looking at universities outside of New Jersey; which worried him because of what this could mean to Tim.

Duke was looking at Princeton, and after his break up with Isabella Ortiz, he was forming a tight friendship with Claire Clover. Duke was the most steady and open of his children. For which Bruce was eternally grateful to have an easy child other than Cass.

Damian was fighting school, had a serious infatuation with Raven, and only seemed to like and pursue art outside of crime fighting. Bruce was a bit concerned, but the teen was no longer this explosive ball of rage, so Bruce would watch over his child carefully.

But the son he knew nothing about, absolutely nothing, was Jason.

And Jason didn’t seem inclined to let him in any time soon.

At least he wasn’t going to until exactly six weeks, four days, and eighteen hours ago when Raven had marched into his home and stated to his face that she and Jason were in a long term, steady relationship. Which brought Bruce here.

He had glanced their apartment briefly when he had invited Raven to dinner, and since then he hadn’t been back. He just… he wanted to know that Jason was alright. Raven had said something about Jason renovating their whole apartment, and Damian had mentioned Jason having said something about restoring the apartment himself. Bruce… Bruce just wanted to see, to see his child, and to know that Jason… Jason was alive.

He broke in, knowing Raven and Jason were out, Oracle had taken the liberty of hacking into Jason’s security for him and he gently shut the door behind him as he looked around.

It was by no means a large apartment.

Rather cozy, with an open design for practicality. Bruce noticed immediately there was a bookshelf on every wall and there were bookshelves for dividers. Soundlessly he walked to the bookshelf he saw being the divider between what was the living area and an office. He smirked seeing the rolltop desk there, vintage, and so very Jason; who had always seemed to have a love of the Manor’s antiques.

He paused at a picture of Raven in Mets gear, mini-shorts, and a smile on her normally stoic features. They were at Citi Field, and it was a candid shot of Raven; obviously she had no way of knowing Jason was taking the photo; it was clear in her smile and the wild way her black hair was flying. Still Bruce smirked, Jason had it framed, and resting on his desk; he had known Jason long enough to know that if it was important Jason was going to put it somewhere accessible. Bruce was more shocked though seeing the picture of him and Jason when Jason had been Robin and so damn tiny. It broke a piece of his heart knowing that that was his boy and he had ruined his relationship with Jason. Still he left the desk though he was tempted to rifle through it.

He looked over the shelves, books in just about every language littered the shelves. He could not really distinguish who’s was who’s here, for he knew both Jason and Raven were readers. There were a few odd mementos here and there: tickets from the zoo, a jar of seashells, a baseball; signed, another jar of seashells (there was probably a story there that Bruce didn’t know if he’d ever be privy to), there was a strange flower blooming, another photo, Jason with Raven and Victor at a ballgame; all of them were smiling at the posed shot, another photo of both Raven and Jason asleep in grass, books in hand and neither looked uncomfortable as Jason used Raven for a pillow, a photo of them standing together, smiling like dorks, drenched, in wetsuits, boards in hand, obviously the photo recent and there was bold scrawl congratulating them on three years. Three years Bruce hadn’t even been aware of.

He looked away and continued inspecting the apartment. It was softer tones, grays and blues mostly, occasionally greens, but there were some creams. The sofa was cream with it’s matching chairs, and set up in front of an impressive entertainment system; complete with a  record player, and a collection of records ranging in jazz to a few rock n roll. Few photos hung on the walls, all of them of cars, planes, and motorcycles, but there were some shots of ruins and the ocean gracing the walls. A banner for the Mets was up, then there was a banner right across from it for the Gotham Knights.

There was a white board which had Bruce pausing.

Spicy Japanese Steak or Thai Mango? ~ J

Both, left overs. ~R

Kay, will have both when I see you again. ~J

Thanks. ~R

Bruce softened a bit before he looked at the kitchen and island. The entire apartment was maple floors, and very pale, but the table, and cabinets, all furniture wood, it was a deep, dark, red, and the counter top this almost white butcher block. He was a bit shocked noticing the red brick wall, and then there was a reading nook; matching the cream couch in color. There were bold red drapes, and Bruce walked to the cabinets. He looked through them, seeing the best cookware, the plates were red, and the glasses all well taken care of. Everything spoke of care.

He found a Knights mug, and then a Mets mug, both in the dishwasher.

Continuing on his look he paused at a vintage looking black and white bathroom, bold red towels and floor mats again, but other wise the room was a black and white theme. The tiles looked like the twenties and thirties, there was a cast iron tub, with a shower head, and black shower curtain. He looked at the odds and ends that were Jason and Raven and wondered how he could miss this. The paused at the only art here, it was a framed set of sticky notes:

-Clean Up The Hair; Lady!

-Yes Dear.

Bruce paused at a hamper, opening it to see it labeled, whites, colors. He chuckled then walked into the guest bedroom, it was more of a gym really. He saw a punching bag, a few case things Jason had, a make shift desk, there was a mat on the ground, and a yoga matt in the corner of the tiny spade. It seemed more like an undecided use room than a guest bedroom.

Shutting that door Bruce walked to what was obviously Jason and Raven’s bedroom, he paused at the door. Breaking into their apartment was a violation as it was, but their room, it seemed off limits; even to him. Still he steeled himself before he walked in. There were more books here. Two dressers, a small closet; equally divided. Raven did not seem to be a clothes hoarder like the other girls. The bed was again, a combination of blue red and grey; it actually looked very tasteful. The bed was neatly made all throw pillows were up and on it. The books on the nightstand were drastically different; helping him decipher who slept where. Raven slept near the wall, Jason slept nearest the window and door. There was a bamboo plant on the dresser, and a few other knickknacks. There were three tires making up Jason’s nightstand, Bruce chuckled when he recognized the tires Jason had stolen. Raven’s night stand was a shelf, and littered with her school books and notebooks. He left it be.

Walking back into the main living area he was shocked to open a door and see a dryer and washer, with a tiny ironing board on the door. Shutting the closet he looked around the space. It was packed full of everything that made Jason and Raven, and yet it did not feel cluttered. But rather homey. He made a note that he’d have to come around again when things between him and Jason were better. Bruce walked out the front; bold red, door and walked down the street as he pondered what this meant for his family and Jason.

He hadn’t learned anything new about Jason, persay, but that was definitely Jason’s home, and it was his safe zone. Bruce would have to learn to accept that his second son might never come home. That apartment had been a home. And he was impressed as neither Jason nor Raven seemed to bring out the worst in each other.

He was greatly relieved seeing that as he knew Raven was not the happiest creature and Jason was proned to anger and violence. He had rightfully worried they would bring out the worst in each other, but instead was pleasantly surprised to see they brought out the best in each other.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Jason dropped his keys in his basket for the keys, by the door below the message board, and walked to his kitchen, dropping his bags there and then he pulled a beer from the fridge before he sighed. He would start on dinner now, have it ready when Rae got home from class, and then they would have a nice long chat about his next job. Sighing he pulled off his coat and decided that February sucked; epically, and then he paused.

He stared at the minute shift in the picture of him and Raven sleeping in the park, which had him frowning.

He hoped to God Bruce stayed the fuck away! Jason dropped his jacket on the bed before he got to cooking.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Raven walked into her apartment, dropped her bag by the front entrance, kicked off her boots; decided she hated the cold before she was skipping to her bedroom to steal one of her boyfriend’s hoodies and wool socks! Oh she was cold! She skittered into the bedroom, sliding onto the bed to stop before she snagged what she wanted, shimmied out of jeans and into leggings before yanking on wool socks then walking out to face her boyfriend as she tried vainly to warm her nose.

“Cold little bird?” he smiled.

She glowered at her human heater. “What’s for dinner?” she asked instead as she clambered up the bar.

“So now you’re home and demand I feed you?”

“Yes, I want food!” she declared in a monotone before he leaned over with a smirk and kissed her lightly.

“Welcome home little bird.”

“Welcome home handsome, now food, I am starved.”

[baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

ALRIGHTY it’s review time! I’ve finally finished RTTE Season 4 and MAN was I pleased. A vast improvement from the last two, much closer to the first season in quality and good enough that I think it could edge towards canon. From what I’ve seen from the fandom, there’s still a lot of controversy-- some people loved it and some still hated it. I have SO MUCH I could say about it, especially since a lot of the plot lines are continued from season 3 (which I did not finish, due to extreme annoyance and disappointment), but this will already be a long post with me condensing my thoughts. I tried narrowing it down to some of my favorite parts and some of my least favorite parts, but all in all, it was a fantastic season. If this is what the writing team can do, consider my expectations raised. So without further ado:

Cat’s Top 5 Best and Worst of RTTE S4

Best of the best

5. While the overall quality of the season was amped up, there were a few small shining stars that definitely excited me. The first is Ruffnut... who finally seems to be rounding out as a character! We get a lot of comedy relief from the twins and chicken, and this season was no different. Macey’s viking funeral cracked me up. But what I loved most was the way the twins seemed to grow. Especially Ruffnut. We get to see her trusting her intuition in Gruff Around the Edges, recognizing that her brother had been misplaced before anyone else. We get to learn from her interaction with Gruffnut that she values humility and honesty. And then later, in Twintuition, it’s Ruffnut that urges her twin to prioritize the dragon riders over Macey. It’s Ruffnut that humorously and bravely stands up to Viggo in his interrogation. They’re small steps for the twins, especially Ruff, but I think this season has been more characterization than any season so far.

4. My next favorite part was a little bit of a selfish, fangirlish kind of pleasure. We got to see Hiccup in tight black leather. I almost didn’t include this in my faves because it’s such a ridiculous little thing, but it made my heart do a pitter patter. Why? Because we’ve never seen Hiccup in black leather, but how much have we as a fandom loved to read and write about Hiccup in black leather? I can think of a few fics off the top of my head, including my own Sacrifice AU. There’s just something so dark and mature about putting Hiccup in black-- it takes him from our scrawny noodle cinnamon roll to a mysterious, vigilante sinnamon roll. It allows the imagination to play with ideas that we as a fandom (and, selfishly, me as a writer) never expected to get to see on screen. It’s not something I thought we’d get from our Y-7 show. And it’s not just the leather, it’s his demeanor sometimes. The tension and angst, the occasional ruthlessness, the table flipping, my goodness! Our baby Hiccup is growing from a noodley family-friendly dork to an actual young man with emotions that aren’t watered down by the PG rating. I didn’t think all of his outbursts were 100% in character, but at least for the most part, we’re getting some characterization that fits the tone of the first and second movies.

3. The last three of my five faves were-- I’m sure expectedly-- related to the Hiccstrid. Gods alive, it’s about time, right? For a couple of years now we’ve been impatiently waiting for the romantic development. Not just as squealing shippers who love a good romance, but as fans who respect the timeline of the canon movies. After season three, I’d started to give up hope, but S4 brought it back for me. I could do a whole post alone about the Hiccstrid, but for now I’ll mention my #3. I loved the riders’ reactions to the couple. Was it realistic that Fishlegs caught them kissing and thought-- strategy meeting? No. Was it goofy that the twins thought either Astrid and Hiccup were dying? Of course. And was Snotlout’s gambling theory totally out there? By Thor, yes. But I loved every minute of it. I loved the silliness, the obliviousness. My boyfriend and I died laughing at the twelve-step program line, and at every comment Tuffnut made about Hiccup’s frailness. It was light, it was fun, and I think it was super appropriate for the series. In my headcanon, I’ll probably keep  a more mature take on it, but I think using a comedic approach was the best way for the writers to handle it.

4. I loved Blindsided. Which is where, I think, most of the fandom divides. You either adored it or you hated it. I have just one thing I didn’t like about it-- I thought it wrapped up too quickly. Other than that, I thought it was one of the strongest episodes for Astrid’s characterization in the whole series. Like Ruffnut, she kind of gets shafted so far as real plot focus goes. She’s too often shoved in the boiling cauldron in a volcano with Throk, too often the damsel in distress. Always falling off of something, always nearly getting hit by something. This episode was the first time that I didn’t roll my eyes and say, “Here we go again.” Because it didn’t just toss in a knight in shining armor moment for Hiccup. We saw Astrid lose her edge, her confidence, and then spit her self-consciousness in the face. My absolute favorite part of the season, even more than the kisses, was when Astrid jumps into combat with the Triple Strike and Hiccup sighs, “Of course she’s not going to hide. What was I thinking? She’s Astrid.”

The whole episode was just unapologetically her. It had her stubbornness, her wittiness, her relationship with Stormfly. We saw her be vulnerable without being a damsel, saw her take on danger despite a disadvantage. And we got a situation where Hiccup and Astrid were forced into close but casual physical proximity. Not just the “oops I fell on top of you” trope, but Hiccup guiding Astrid, her reaching for him. Why is that important? Because for the RTTE hiccstrid that they wrote, the two are very teenagery. Can’t be close or touching, because omg we’re just friends. But this kind of put them into a situation where I think they could subconsciously recognize how natural and comforting each other’s touch is. We see hand-holding, close contact, Hiccup sitting by her bedside (”until she falls asleep”, wink wink), and Astrid holding tight to him during flight. The biggest complaint I’ve heard is that the hiccstrid was rushed, but I think this episode is the biggest evidence that it isn’t (comparatively speaking). We get a few nods of hiccstrid in the first few episodes, but once Blindsided happens, it’s all bets are off. They realize how easy it is, how heart-pounding and real their relationship has become. That there will always be a Hiccup and Astrid. It’s not just a childhood flirtation anymore, it’s a bond that’s been long forming. And I think her blindness in this episode did a great job of showing her off as a warrior, but it also did a lot to connect the bridge from friends to more-than.

5. The one thing I did have an issue with, hiccstrid wise, was all the random setup the writers did in the last couple of episodes. What they were trying to do was position everything for Viggo to make Hiccup choose between Astrid and his passion for the dragons. But we had Hiccup and Astrid say, “Sorry I got so worked up” and “I just can’t focus when you’re in trouble”, but we never actually saw them getting worked up or losing focus because of the other being in danger. I thought that was weird and a little poorly executed. BUT while I didn’t like how it was set up, and while I thought that it was cheesy that once again Astrid was captured by the villain, I loved the way Viggo mentioned the future. I think his exact words were, “Are you really going to sacrifice your future-- all the wonderful years you have ahead of you-- for that?”

I mean, holy crap! Do you get any better foreshadowing from a group of writers? The villain calls Astrid his future, and Hiccup doesn’t blink twice. He doesn’t amend the statement, or go off on a tangent about protecting the dragons. That said, how did Viggo know what was going on with Hiccup and Astrid when the gang hardly did? But whatever, I thought it was a very poignant way of confirming that this is the same couple from the sequel that are clearly headed for marriage and a forever kind of love. They didn’t pansy dance around it or treat it like the new relationship that it-- at a glance-- is. They knew that hiccstrid saw each other as end game and they treated it as such.

And the worst...

1. Season four wasn’t without its flaws. There were a couple of spots where the writing was a little rushed, a couple where it was a little lazy. But as opposed to the past couple of seasons, which had one or two good episodes in a sea of awful, this season just had a few episodes that fell flat for me. One of those was Notlout. Question: How many times have we seen Spitelout be a jerk to his son? A thousand. How many times have we seen Snotlout react by being bullheaded and reckless? A thousand. I felt like Notlout was just this season’s reiteration of the same typical Snotlout-centric episode that they do almost every go around. Spitelout says something nigh treasonous, Snoutlout gets insecure, the gang and their missions are thrown into shambles because of his need to lead, and in the end he realizes that the team does value him after all. We get it. It wasn’t a bad episode or anything, but it’s so repetitive and unnecessary at this point. Would have much rather seen more of the twins or Berk.

2. Episode two that I really disliked-- The Longest Day. I thought it was silly. Apparently this week or whatever of sunlight is not unusual for Berk, so why was everyone so rattled and unsure of how to behave? Why did everyone just decide to stay up for 24, 48, 96 hours instead of boarding up windows and sleeping? That’s what people who actually live so close to the north pole do. And why on Thor’s flat earth would Hiccup send the riders home to “do something easy” and wash their dragons instead of getting some sleep in the first place? If you’re going to take a cultural event like the sunny and dark seasons of the north as inspiration, actually let your fictional nation utilize realistic means of coping. It was ridiculous and completely blown out of proportion. Frankly just bad. Sleeplessness causes silliness and moodiness and clumsiness, yes, but the extremes they took it to was really a mockery of the characters, in my opinion. It wasn’t funny, it was badly written. Did not enjoy it at all.

3. That was actually not my least favorite episode, though. The one that had me scowling at the screen and rolling my eyes and sighing with exasperation was Out of the Frying Pan. Could there be anything worse than dumbed down plot and terrible resolution? I’ll just make a list of things that were absurd. Hiccup and Fishlegs being stunned that they don’t think exactly the same. An uneccessarily difficult goal-line of a mysterious hatching ground in the middle of a volcano. The Eruptodon not being able to fly the egg to the mysterious hatching ground even though it’s been able to do so for a millennia of generations. HIccup, dragon master, thinking a NIght Fury was better suited for a lava-filled volcano. The fact that once he tried and failed, their first thought wasn’t immediately oh let’s try Fishlegs’ way. The necessity of Hiccup going with Legs and Mala into the volcano. The impatience of Throk and Astrid, which led to the idiotic idea of swinging a GIANT METAL CAULDRON over an active volcano with-- what-- a rope? Mala being so freaking one track minded, instead of humanizing her with some doubt or fear. The giant metal bowl tarzanning across the volcano. The damsel in distress moment where Astrid is fainting from the heat. Have I mentioned the giant cauldron in the lava??? LITERALLY nothing special about the lava in the hatching chamber. They could have chucked the damn egg into the lava pit and it would have been just fine. So many plot holes, so much lazy writing, such poor characterization. I was incredibly worried that the season had just taken a page out of season 3′s book. The only redeeming moment of the episode was where the mama Eruptodon was magically revived by some dank herbs from Throk.

4. The only real failure I found in the over-arcing plot lines (not the individual plot lines of each episode) was just how quickly the whole Viggo and Ryker thing was wrapped up. For such an adversary, they were disposed of a little casually. Ryker I guess was eaten by the whirlpool of lunch. Even though he and his crew have been shipwrecked a dozen times over the series and always seem to magically make it out alive. And then Viggo is expected to be this big mental combatant, but suddenly he’s chucked into a weird basement hole (instead of killed by his supposedly brutal brother?) and we have this back and forth of will he betray us? maybe not? oh yeah, he’s definitely backstabbing us? Nevermind haha he’s chucking a knife into the ocean. If we hadn’t had such a tease with whether or not Viggo was on the dragon riders’ side, it would have had much more of an impact when he actually did take Astrid hostage and demand the dragon eye. They set up the betrayal between the brothers well, with various scathing comments from Viggo in the approaching episodes, but the whole thing was a little confusing and rushed. In the end, Viggo falls into the volcano (at least he didn’t jump into a cast iron fishbowl), and we’re led to assume that he’s doneso. Maybe he lived? Maybe not? I think they were trying to be poetic with him jumping after the dragon eye, but it just came off a little poorly executed.

5. And that brings me to my last point. I needed more episodes! This season took me back to the first. It was exciting and fun, but there was also real emotion from the characters and real peeks into how they operate. We got the group using teamwork, Hiccup becoming a leader, the politics and dangers of dragon poaching, and a few hilarious moments in between. Like I said, there are a few weak points to the season, but it was a much stronger and much more satisfying set of episodes. We got to see a lot more realness from the teens, and finally finally some Hiccstrid that could be considered canon (if you squint at their ages). Even the Dagur and Heather side story didn’t annoy me (Why? Because they weren’t flat mary sues with traumatic backstories blah blah blah), which says a lot. Over all, this season did what it was supposed to-- it amused me, got me invested, and made me hungry for more. It made me impatient for season five, which is such a different emotion than what I was feeling at the end of season three. Now I’m sucked back in and all I can do is wait with bated breath.

[ofdragondrumsmobile]

Verse: Transition

Takes place effectively between BW & B2W2. Iris has quickly surpassed Drayden, and, to her surprise, he encouraged her to challenge Alder for his position as Champion. Although Iris had some doubts, she put her best foot forward and claimed the victory.

Now, before she can actually claim the throne, she has some things to learn about being the go-to figurehead of the Unova Region. Alder, the Elite Four, and Drayden (when he has time) all head her education and spiritual growth. But there may be a small problem: they all seem to have more faith in Iris than Iris does…

POKEMON IN TRAINING

Hydriegon ♀ ♛ Level 68 ♛ Levitate ♛ Wise Glasses

Hydriegon, like all of Iris’ Champion Pokémon, was raised specifically to be a member of this team. She was actually the toughest to train of all seven members, as she had a tendency to become confused and upset with every evolution and fight between her own heads until she was subdued. Now that her power is controlled and she’s more used to her body, however, she’s a reliable member of the dragon team and very capable of putting her frustrations to good use. Moveset:  Fire Blast, Focus Blast, Dragon Pulse, Surf

Druddigon ♀ ♛ Level 65 ♛ Sheer Force ♛ Life Orb/None

Druddigon is gentler than she looks. In fact, a large part of her training was in getting her to be aggressive… and to refrain from hugging everyone she saw. Thankfully, her ability made these hugs less painful, but her size and general appearance made for a pretty intimidating beast to have running after you for affection. Druddigon isn’t naturally inclined to battle, but she does love to make Iris proud. Therefore, she puts her best foot forward in battle. Moveset:  Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Outrage, Focus Blast

Archeops ♂ ♛ Level 50 ♛ Defeatist ♛ Flying Gem

This absolute dork of a bird is, contrary to Druddigon, significantly more threatening than he appears. While he genlesnerally comes off as aloof, he’s very quick to attack, and extremely protective of Iris and the rest of the team. Truthfully, he will only listen to Iris and Drayden, as well as a select few Pokémon on Iris’ team who can defeat him in battle. Were it not for his ability, he might have been one of Iris’ most dangerous Pokémon, despite not even being a Dragon type. Moveset:  Acrobatics, Stone Edge, Dragon Claw, Endeavor

Aggron ♀ ♛ Level 64 ♛ Rock Head ♛ Muscle Band

The mother of the team, Aggron has a tendency to be the Pokémon who volunteers to keep everyone else in check. Like Archeops, she’s fiercely protective, but because she maintains a level head, she’s much better at fulfilling the role. In battle, she is strong and calculated, trusting and obedient. Despite her demeanor, she is definitely not to be underestimated. Moveset: Earthquake, Double Edge, Head Smash, Autotomize

Lapras ♀ ♛ Level 50 ♛ Water Absorb ♛ Wide Lens

Lapras is quiet and calm, but has a surprising love for battle. She always trains hard and shows dedicated focus, and it shows when she has to fight by Iris’ side. Even though she is eager, she doesn’t often display it, keeping her expression of emotion rather minimal. Although Lapras prefers not to be touched by anyone other than Iris, she is obedient and somewhat patient, and will typically put up with anyone Iris tries to introduce her to unless they really try her patience. Moveset:  Hydro Pump, Blizzard, Thunder, Sing

Salamence ♀ ♛ Level 62 ♛ Intimidate ♛ Life Orb/None

Salamence is a Dragon in every way. She’s easily tempered, quick to fight, and prideful. Training Bagon was definitely a matter of getting her to take her time and be patient, however Iris never had much trouble on the loyalty front. Like the rest of the team, Salamence will also respond to Drayden and even the Matriarch, but will instantly turn on anyone who shows sign of weakness or intimidation around her. Moveset:   Fire Blast, Earthquake, Draco Meteor, Crunch

Haxorus ♀ ♛ Level 73 ♛ Mold Breaker ♛ Focus Sash

This Haxorus is not to be confused with the Axew that served as Iris’ trial. This big girl was raised with being on the Champion team, just like the other six. She’s significantly more fierce than Iris’ other Haxorus, but certainly not stronger. She has a generally neutral attitude towards anyone who isn’t close to Iris, but is not closed to getting to know others. Moveset:  Earthquake, Guillotine, Outrage, Dragon Dance

Altaria ♀ ♛ Level 63 ♛ Natural Cure ♛ Altarialite

When Iris finally met Drasna, she was welcomed with open arms, yes, but also presented with a challenge very similar to the one she was given when she left the dragon village: raise this Swablu to an Alteria, and do it well. If Iris is to succeed, she would be granted the Mega Stone to unlock its Fairy Typing, thus pushing Iris to become comfortable with the type in a uniquely dragon way. Drasna has a lot of faith in Iris, and the Swablu? She is incredibly friendly and does indeed like to be a hat (this became cuddling when she became an Altaria), but still had a bit of a hard time getting to know Iris well enough to maintain a stable Mega-Evolution. The two do eventually become incredibly close friends and it's not uncommon to see them hanging out just for the fun of it. Moveset:  Cotton Guard, Moonblast, Aerial Ace, Dragon Pulse

Charmeleon ♀ ♛ Level 43 ♛ Solar Power ♛ None

Adopted as a Charmeleon, this Pokemon still misses its original trainer. It's not as though they parted on bad terms--Charmeleon was outgrowing a trainer who loved it dearly but was not set to live much longer. Although Iris and Charmeleon stuck around to the end, it's only natural that the Pokemon mourns. With that said, she has a lot of trust in Iris; her original trainer did too. They have a lot of getting to know one another to do, but the potential to go very far. Moveset:  Flamethrower, Dragon Rage, Will-O-Wisp, Air Cutter

PERSONAL POKEMON

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[gcano611]

Cabo Wabo

I love weddings. Especially ones where there's a vacation in it for me. Even skeptic's have to admit it's emotional when two people forge their bond as husband and wife. I'm not sure what sentiment is being felt, but it's emotional none the less. I always look for that sparkle in the newlywed's eyes. You know, the one where they still want to rip eachother's close off every time they're in the same room! This trip is about THAT couple. If I didn't believe in romantic destiny before them, I certainly do now. Some people are absolutely meant to be together and I'm so glad Adam and Jill figured that out. AND it got me to Cabo! I do, however, have to give you a little pretext so you can become as enamored of this couple as the rest of us that ventured to Cabo for their nuptials. It definitely added to the mystique of The Baja and the charm of it's most southern point. I met the bride, Jill, through a mutual best friend almost a decade ago and we all instantly knew that the rest of our lives would be filled with girl's weekends and spa adventures! We've

Cabo never had to worry about if walls could talk because they could never get a word in edge wise with us! On one of our ladies nights (that turned into a weekend as usual) we ended up at Jill's alma mater. Although we didn't start out with a plan, somehow we drove for hours down The Great River Road, along side the Mississippi River, stopped at a Strawberry Festival (where you could NOT get strawberry shots by the way--how stupid), and ended up at Augustana College. It is my understanding that you can drive this Byway from Canada to the Mississippi Delta. What a fabulous trip that would be. As it was, we only made it to Rock Island from Galena. Just our luck, this is where our friend went to college so we stopped and got a hotel room. Of course I was too old to be in those college bars but acted like I just got my first fake i.d. After much dancing, lotsa' alcohol, and I seem to remember one of us peeing in a garbage can in the upper level of a bar, we awoke the next morning knowing that Rock Island would never

One big happy family! be the same. Needless to say (but I will anyhow) some regurgitation had to take place before we could begin the trek home. All great nights must end with a purge! It was a headache induced quiet for most of the trip back but at one point Jill began to talk about her good old college days and some guy she dated...but not really. They were only friends...with benefits, but totally not like your thinking (whatever). "It would have never worked out," she said, but there was a strange little smirk on her face that I hadn't seen before. When was the last time she talked to this guy? "A loooong time ago," she seemed to reminisce. So a few weeks later I'm having my 15 year high school reunion and my friends decided to crash it. Guess who Jill shows up with??? The guy from college that she hadn't talked to in years! AND he wore a cowboy hat, AND he was totally hot, AND he wasn't a dork at all like she said. JUST KIDDING! She never said he was a dork, but I did see that strange little smirk again. I have to tell

Centennial Bridge

Where the magic happened you they were about the cutest damn couple I ever did see. Adam quickly became like a brother to all of us and soon we were planning family dinners, nights out, and even weekend vacations. After a while it seemed like there was only one thing left to do...yep...you guessed it...GO TO JAMAICA! And we did! But that's another blog. It was on an early winter's night in 2007 that Jill was asked about her plans for the weekend. "Oh, I'm getting my hair done and then Adam wants to go to Augustana to meet up with some old friends." WHAT? Without us? Didn't she know she would never have any fun without her girls? It so happened that she ran a little late from her appointment. Adam was allegedly preturbed about her tardiness. A little tiff ensued and Jill said there was some strange tension on their trip down to the college. See what she gets for not taking us with? Anyhow, a little after dusk they pulled into what was apparently a ghost town. There had been a couple inches of snow and Adam told Jill that he wanted to go look off The Centennial Bridge like

Girls in the Lobby!

How's the stain Jill? they had done so many times during college (and incidentally where they first kissed). What a sweetheart! Jill said she was cold and a little irritated at that point but once they walked onto the pristine snow and looked out over the water...it was calmingly beautiful. The lights were dancing on the river and the crystal snowflakes were gently falling to the ground. At that moment Adam got down on one knee and proposed. They weren't meeting up with anyone. This was his plan all along (and no wonder he was slightly tweaked out!). After years of being friends and a long absence in between, they found their way back to each other forever. I guess she said yes because we ended up in Cabo for one helluva' party! So begins the tale of the most beautiful wedding ever! Okay! Okay! Okay! So fast forward to the end of February 2009 and we're off to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula to Cabo San Lucas. I've heard so many wonderful tales of Cabo being a playground for the rich and famous. Of course I was going to play the part...not that my girl Jill isn't way hotter

Lord have mercy

Put a leash on that girl! than Jennifer Aniston (she is like 10 times hotter!!!!!), I was still going to party like a rock star! It's easy to do in Cabo. The entire wedding party stayed at the all-inslusive RIU on the beach so there was no shortage of cocktails flowing at the swim up infinity bar. The view was spectacular, the temperature was perfect, and the resort was emaculate. There was a multitude of restaurants and bars with a ton of stuff to do on site. I gave myself an enema standing over one of the fountains in front of the resort. Just because the rendezvous was classy didn't mean I was any less deranged! There were free water sports and of course you could rent any of the motorized ones. Anything you could imagine doing on vacation was right there. The most important part of being on the water was that it was the easiest way to get into town (Cabo) because the water taxis come right up to the resorts. It's much quicker than trying to catch a land bound cab. There are always water taxis in town that will bring you back also. Once everyone had arrived the bride and groom

Catamaran sunset

Jill's dad had a private catamaran cruise planned for all of their guests. What a wonderful way to start off the festivities and get to know the crew that had gathered for some R&R and wedded bliss. It was a superb evening and the company matched the climate. I have to say it's rare that I've seen such a large group of people traveling together with no sign of drama anywhere. This was definitely a testiment to everyone's love for Jill and Adam (and I'd like to think the company they keep also😊 As we sailed around the famous de Arco San Lucas we mingled, toasted, and prepared for an amazing week as the sun glazed the horizon with twilight. After the cruise we hit downtown Cabo with all the rank and rigor of drunken sailers but alas we made it back safely to our resort without any new tatoos (I think?!). As I awoke the next morning in my hungover fog I realized it wasn't a dream. There is nothing better than waking up to a sunrise over the ocean...NOTHING! I know my husband would disagree. He wakes up to something else rising every day, but for me I'll take the

Pool view from RIU waves over a silver speedo any time. During the day different groups took off in different directions. Some hit the beach, others went in to town, but we all had the same goal. The southern point of the Baja is just calm enough to exhale, yet breathtaking in so many ways. There are plenty of places to shop and hang out but it's much more relaxed than some of the full-throttle tourist ports throughout the Caribbean and Mexico. There are some tours you can take but we took a pass on those with the intention of returning for another trip. I heard Old San Jose is a quant, rustic little town rich with historic landmarks. I have also been advised that many of the golf courses in the area are kick-ass. I've yet to golf on a coastline and it is definitely on the bucket list. It's another great reason to go back but I enjoyed my time immensely as it was. So after a few glorious days of vacation the big day had finally arrived. Although some of Los Cabos is vaguely fuzzy almost every detail of this specacular wedding has been etched into my memory. The

Together ceremony and reception were held at the most exquisite location in the Baja. The Sunset De Mona Lisa is nestled atop cliffs that hang over the brilliant turqoise waters of the Sea of Cortez. A beautiful open mezzanine descends to the beach below through several levels of terraces, fountains, and sparkling pools. The famous arch and shimmering lights of Cabo rest in the distance for an added evening aura. It may be the only wedding reception I have been to in the Baja but I can't imagine a more beautiful backdrop for any matrimony. I've honestly never seen anything more stunning than the sun setting behind the bride and groom as the ocean below waved in accordance to their "I do's." It was the most regal ceremony I have ever attended. The entire event was magnificent in the most laid back, enchanting sort of way. Although I had been a little anxious anticipating this moment for my dear friends there was something so tranquil about this venue. The instant we arrived there was a calming allure. I must confess that amidst it all the most amazing moment of the whole evening was when I saw the bride before she

Forever! walked down the aisle. There was that quiet confidence I had noticed in her eyes just a few years before. When I first heard her speak of her unbeknownst future husband. It was that strange little smirk on her face that I now recognized...it was peaceful and she was beautiful.

As charming as the ambiance of the Mona Lisa could be, as glamourous as the reception was, and as wonderful as the entire trip will be remembered. The single most beautiful thing I saw in Cabo San Lucas was two of my favorite people deciding that they wanted to share the rest of their lives together. It was awesome and I can't thank them enough for letting me be a part of it. Adam and Jill have been at the end of my rainbow before and I'm so grateful that they will be there many more times in my life! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Second honeymoon anyone? Wait a second...I still have to take the first one!!