#poor lewis stuck in the middle of them

[maxpadelchampion]

this really is one of the images of all time

[beardedmrbean]

Hey you can answer this tomorrow, but why women king was made…remember roots? I heard the og mc kunta kenta (Is that a real fucking African name?) didn’t understand what the Europeans was doing on the ports with slaves…even though he would have actually known-ooooh

But as you know that left a (bad) impact onto my community….but I keep realize one huge issue Africans have with my community is we try to keep the sanitize version of the slave trade we were taught even as middle age adults

Expect meee, god this pan Africa hurt us

Also people tried to compare women king to 300 and braveheart…haven’t seen braveheartt…but 300 was meant to be a glorified retelling of the battle of themployae

Women king have to twisted the entire course of history to write it

Roots managed to serve its purpose, at least the original one, suffered from extreme historical inaccuracies in places never saw the remake.

But as you know that left a (bad) impact onto my community….but I keep realize one huge issue Africans have with my community is we try to keep the sanitize version of the slave trade we were taught even as middle age adults

This is Oluale Kossola, his American name is Cudjoe Kazoola Lewis (he chose all but Lewis himself), he's the last known slave with distinct memories of life in Africa before being sold by the dahomey and put on a ship and smuggled into the US, human cargo was illegal by then but greedy and evil people on both sides of the Atlantic kept on doing it anyhow.

You can do some of your own reading if you like, but some highlights from his wiki page are.

In April or May 1860, his village was attacked and Lewis was taken prisoner by female warriors led by King Glele of Dahomey, during an annual dry-season raid for slaves. Along with other captives, he was taken to the slaving port of Ouidah and sold to Captain William Foster of the Clotilda, an American ship recently built in Mobile, Alabama, and owned by businessman Timothy Meaher. The importation of slaves into the United States had been illegal since 1808, but slaves were still routinely smuggled in from Spanish Cuba.

And this is from a article about a book about him

The pathos of the African American experience, told with such tenderness in Barracoon, is matched by its complexity. Hurston herself remarked that in writing Kossola’s harrowing account of how the king of Dahomey profited from raiding and selling members of neighbouring kingdoms, she was deeply affected by the question of African complicity in the slave trade. “The inescapable fact that stuck in my craw,” Hurston wrote, “was my people had sold me and the white people had bought me. That did away with the folklore I had been brought up on – that white people had gone to Africa, waved a red handkerchief at the Africans and lured them aboard ship and sailed away.”

One hell of a reality check right there

Also people tried to compare women king to 300 and braveheart…haven’t seen braveheartt…but 300 was meant to be a glorified retelling of the battle of themployae

ya if they wanted to do a Braveheart comparison they'd need to set it up so that the areas that the dahomey raided set up to fight againt the dahomey

Women king have to twisted the entire course of history to write it

Based on historical events, but we're not going to tell you that we did a 180 on who was doing what.

Could you imagine the fallout if someone made a accurate movie about that, painting all the perpetrators as what they were.

Wonder if finding out that if their ancestors hadn't been forced onto a boat there's a good chance they would have either been worked until they died or used as a human sacrifice might shift some viewpoints a little.

None of that is me expressing anything other than just curiosity, since this is tumblr and we piss on the poor who just want to read here I figure disclaimer is needed.

[vinvantae]

ᴛᴡɪɴ ꜰʟᴀᴍᴇ

Part 16/25

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Rating - Mature

Warnings - Mentions of sex, alcohol, explicit language

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You were so disappointed; you’d always wanted to do a F1 race at spa but the rain absolutely pissing it down has ruined your chances. You’d done two laps behind the safety car and the race was currently red flagged - the rain had screwed your qualifying yesterday so you were stuck in 9th.

Dan had managed to get up to 4th which was really good for him but he was a little frustrated that he wasn’t able to race it too. After a brief interview with Sky he came over to you and looped his arms around your middle. He’d joked that this race probably seemed like an episode of the Office with all of the clips of the drivers playing around in the garage - Lando was currently having a nap.

“I’m so disappointed that we can’t race” You sighed softly. “I’ve never got to do it in my Redbull before.”

“One day, baby.” He purred softly. “Besides, you spun yesterday and Lando got hurt. Don’t want to risk your life just for a race.”

“The poor fans.”

“Hey… come with me.”

He took your hand and pulled you over to a small gap in the barrier between the pits and the track where the fans could clearly see you. The Australian threw you a smile before attempting to get the crowd to do a Mexican wave. The first attempt was pathetic, but the second time around they were all cheering and waving in perfect sync.

You smiled fondly, even when he was bummed about the race - he was doing his best to make sure everyone else was happy. He spent his day watching videos with his team, goofing around with Michael and of course sneaking off with you.

He’d been asked in his interview why, compared to all the other drivers, he seemed to be really high energy still. The Australian had said it was because he didn’t want to lose his momentum so napping wasn’t an option for him. The truth was really the two of you had been having sex in every private nook you could squeeze yourselves into and both of you were high of the adrenaline of being potentially caught. You felt like a pair of giddy kids in love and you were having so much fun with him.

You felt your cheeks heat up when Max bumped into you and Daniel coming out of the Redbull garage after a particularly intense round in your driver’s room.

“Dan mate, get off your back and do some of the work, man!” The Dutchman teased, making Dan run his hand over the back of his head to readjust the curls that had been ruined by exactly that.

“Oh trust me, he does plenty.” You smirked, raising a brow and making the Dutchman recoil.

“Ugh, don’t make me picture it.” Max mock gagged, earning a shove from his former teammate.

Dan looped his arm around your waist. “You’re all just jealous that I get to tap this.”

“Hey.” You whined, jabbing him in the side. “What have I told you about objectifying me like that!”

The three of you headed back down to the track as it was rumoured the FIA were going to make their decision on the outcome of the race. You wanted them to cancel and reschedule for tomorrow but unfortunately you knew that this was going to be about money for them.

You were all instructed to return to your cars while the rain was absolutely lashing it down. You could practically hear Vettel yelling about the state of the track from where you were on the grid - he’d been the one who insisted on the red flag before Lando was injured. The idea of racing again had clearly angered him to no end and a lot of you felt the same. It was dangerous when even Max, at the front of the grid, couldn’t see a thing.

Dan pressed a kiss against your helmet before pulling on his own. “Good luck.”

“Stay safe.”

Your team lifted the top off your car so you could slip into it. God, this is dumb.

The race ended up being over after two more laps after the safety car and you were all awarded half points with Max, George and Lewis on the podium. You only received one point but thankfully Lando and Bottas - your two biggest rivals - didn’t get any points so your lead on them stayed. Next up would be Max’s home race, the big one, he had to win.

Dan jogged over to you after the race with an umbrella over his head. “Wanna get out of here?”

“Please. We’ve gotta head straight to Zandvoort in the morning… I need some cuddles with my favourite cute koala.” You keened softly, stepping under his umbrella.

“I love it when you’re all cheesy.”

“What can I say, you bring it out of me.” You giggled.

The pair of you made it back to the hotel fairly quickly and packed up anything you didn’t need tonight or first thing in the morning. You collapsed onto the bed and curled up under the duvet with a soft yawn.

“Baby girl.” He chuckled, stroking your forehead. “Are you really just going to fall asleep?”

“Tired. Today was mentally exhausting.” You mumbled.

He slipped under the duvet beside you and pulled you into his warm chest. You took a deep breath in and just enjoyed his smell - there was a comforting nature to it; he smelt how the earth did after rain. Fresh. Peaceful. There was no other scent on Earth that grounded you in the same way. It was just him.

“I think I just want to stay here forever.”

“Me too.” His voice was soft, tired. “But I know you’ll hate me if I let you fall asleep with jeans on. Besides, we’re going for dinner with a couple of the boys.”

“Ughhh.” You groaned. “Do we have to?”

“Yes, darling. We do. Your teammate and my best friend is waiting for us there.”

You looked up at him from where your face had been buried, he was looking at you with a fondness that made your insides feel all warm and gooey like a marshmallow. “How did it take me this long to realise how madly in love with you I am?”

“I don’t know, I’m pretty fucking awesome.”

You lightly smacked his chest and slid out of bed to change into something else for the evening - you wanted to look nice but be much more comfortable. Dan turned on the tv while you were changing and the sound of Alex’s voice filled the room.

“We were all disappointed to hear you’d lost your seat. What do you think of y/n’s season so far?” The interviewer asked.

“Yeah man, it sucked. Unfortunately not all of us can sleep our way into a seat.”

Dan tried to shut off the TV but it was too late, you’d grabbed the remote and turned it up. Is he serious? You could almost feel the steam coming out of your ears.

“That fucking twat! We said we would be civil!”

“I wouldn’t say that’s fair” The interviewer spoke up against the former Redbull driver. “If that was the case she would be McLaren. And you’ve seen her performance this season, she’s been phenomenal.”

Alex blushed and stuttered uncomfortably as he tried to come up with a sufficient comeback but the press had clearly put him in his place.

“Hey, looks like the media has your back.” Dan said softly, taking the remote out of your tense grip.

“In fact-“ The reporter continued, clearly unimpressed by Alex’s comment. “With silly season coming up, I wouldn’t be surprised if multiple teams try to steal her from Redbull. No one has been a good partner for Max since Dan until now.”

“Who is this woman, I love her.” You chuckled softly, finally turning the tv off. “Remind me to send her a thank you note.”

“I will. Now, let’s get to dinner.”

You met Max, Lando and Charles for dinner at a local pub; you were seated in a nice quiet corner away from the general masses. Dan had a lazy arm draped across the back of your chair as he browsed the food menu.

“I can’t believe what Albon said.” Max spoke up. “It was out of line.”

You shrugged. “I’m trying not to let it bother me and be the bigger person. I know I earned my seat; he’s just bitter.”

“I hear he’s trying to get back on the grid next season.”

“Oh yeah? With who? Alpha tauri seems pretty set on Pierre and Yuki for another season and, fingers crossed, Redbull are keeping me with Max.”

“Williams.”

“Does that mean George is finally going to Merc?”

“As far as I heard. Nothing’s been signed officially yet because they need to wait for Kimi to announce his retirement.”

You nodded solemnly- you knew Kimi’s time in F1 would’ve come to an end soon but you were hoping to share a grid with the legend a little longer than a year. He always shared quiet compliments with you about your drives after the race ended.

“I’ve just really enjoyed this season and I really hope Redbull gives me another chance, y’know?”

“Babe. Neither Pierre or Alex have even come close to how you’ve been performing this season.” Dan gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze. “They’d be stupid if they dropped you.”

“Christian is still bitter about us and I’m worried he’ll use it against me.” You sighed softly, leaning against his side.

“I’ll kick up shit if they dare try anything.” Max said, meeting your eyes across the table. “You’re phenomenal and one of the best teammates, sorry Dan, the best teammate I’ve ever had and they’d be insane to lose you just because you’re shagging that idiot.”

Dan grinned proudly and you thanked Max. Your boyfriend left the table with Dutchman to go get another round of drinks so you were left with Charles and Lando.

“How are you feeling Lando? That crash was pretty gnarly yesterday, I was worried about you.” You asked.

“I’ll be alright. Still feeling a bit achy but I’ll be all ready to go by next weekend.” He smiled softly. “How are you feeling? Not your best finish.”

“Honestly? I know we didn’t get to race but Dan qualifying 4th and then finishing there? I’m so happy for him. I’m hoping that this is the beginning of lots of good results for him… this has been a tough season..”

“He was really hoping that coming to us would help him break the streak of bad luck he was having but it seemed like he was in a slump. I really want him to do well - he deserves to be back on the podium.”

Dan and Max returned, placing the drinks on the table before your boyfriend leant down to give you a tender kiss. He smiled down at you. “Hi.”

“Hi. Missed you.” You returned the smile, placing a hand on his thigh as he retook his seat beside you.

“Missed you too, darling.” He chuckled fondly. “What were you all talking about?”

“How you’re gonna be back on the podium any day now.” Your voice was soft, almost private for his ears - the others took the subtle hint and began to chat amongst themselves. “Preferably with me.”

“You really think so?” There was a hopeful glisten in the pools of molten caramel of his eyes as he stared deep into yours.

“I know so. You’ve worked so hard for it. I know the car doesn’t match the way you drive but you’ve come so far since you joined McLaren and I think you’re finally coming into your own.”

He pressed a soft kiss to your lips. “You’re wonderful… and just because I don’t think I ever said it, I’m sorry for what I said way back when about you only being good because you’re in a Redbull. You’d top the grid in a Haas any day.”

You rolled your eyes playfully and brought a hand up to cup his face, brushing your thumb over his stubble. He leant into your touch and let out a content sigh.

“I’m so proud of you.” You whispered.

“You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that. I want to win… but knowing that you’ve got my back no matter what? Means everything to me.”

“We’ll get you that win, Danny. I know it.”

You smiled fondly as he moved in to kiss you once more, your three friends so used to the PDA at this point they paid no mind to it. As much as you wanted Redbull to win the championship, you really wanted Dan on the podium. You wanted Dan to win. You knew it would do wonders for his self esteem and although he liked to pretend to be happy all the time, you’d seen how broken he was when things didn’t go his way.

You didn’t know when the win would come but it was definitely on the horizon and Daniel Ricciardo would get to lift a 1st place trophy once again.

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[diary-of-deadweight]

Masterlist.

Fic Idea by @leximills666

“Anything new?” You asked, sitting yourself in the spare chair between Darcy and Jimmy, who handed you your cup of caffeine. “If you consider Pietro teaching the twins how to stream snacks from the kitchen then no.” Jimmy spoke up, his eyes glued intently to the television for any missable details that could play in your favour. “But Jimmy did almost spill coffee onto Director Hayward.” Darcy shoots the mortified male a amused look as you slapped a hand onto his shoulder, trying so hard not to burst out laughing at the mental image that gave you an good amount of serotonin, “I’d pay good money to see you actually do it, serves him right for calling my friend a terroist.”

It was common knowledge that you and the Maximoff twins were close friends after their introduction to the Avengers as you were gaining some semblance of understanding of your teleportation powers and it’s limitations before trauma bonding with the pair over being Hydras successful lab rats. So when Hayward slagged off Wanda it took Darcy, Monica and Jimmy to hold you back from ending his whole career John Wick style. The bastard got real lucky but you couldn’t promise that the next time was going to have him leave a briefing room without a few bruises and even bruised ego. Fuelled by the frustration of recent events that left you feeling helpless as you were forced to watch the sitcom shenanigans Wanda and her dead yet somehow not dead husband and her adorable twins get into that only made it feel like a horror after they end, leaving you with more questions then answers that weighed on your darkening eyebags and breaking every last ounce of paitience you once thought you had along with the sleepless nights of theorising that went nowhere without someone bringing up a flaw made keeping your powers in check a little more difficult that you’d scare Jimmy, Darcy and Monica on a plethora of occasions.

You just wanted to get them out and be done with Hayward’s suspicious ass. I mean it was clear as fuck that vision was in bits and pieces in the video servalence footage. What was he doing with him? Why did he wait this long to show everyone something that would’ve benefited the opertation from the beginning? THAT was suspicious behaviour and yet no one was gonna question it?! Gotta love corruption I guess. “Anything new Dr Lewis?” Speaking of corruption, here it was in human form standing behind you there with his ‘stick up his ass’ attitude; it really pissed you off that you’d love nothing more then to slam your fist into him punchable bitch face until it’s unreagnisable. Sensing your hatred and thirst for violence, Jimmy places a hand on your shoulder and gave you a stern look that read ‘no...not yet at least.’ Sighing you gave him a passable smile before talking a long sip of coffee, making sure to slurp annoyingly loud as possible when Hayward looked at you unamused that you couldn’t help retaliating with a tight lipped smile and the middle finger. Darcy had to cover her mouth from bursting out in hysterics while Jimmy sighed like a disappointed parent but you knew he was trying to hold it together internally as Darcy was. “Nothing worth reporting back on sir.”

Hayward didn’t say anything other then let out a grunt then making his way out of the room not without a snarky comment from you of course, “don’t let the door hit you on the way out directior” to which he replied with as swiftly “appreciate the concern (l/n).” Making sure he was out of sight Darcy burst out laughing so hard she had to lean against you for support while Jimmy allowed himself to chuckle a little had your chest warming up, erasing any forms of pent up frustration like magic. Spending time with these beautiful bastards were what made the sleepless nights worth it in your opinion, knowing that you weren’t alone in wanting to help Wanda instead of harm. “What’re they laughing at?” Monica asked, a dazzling smile adorned her face as she nursed her own coffee between her hands; You shrugged nonchalantly looking back at her with fake innocence that told her more then she needed to know. “The sleep deprivation must’ve caught up to them.”

“Shut up!” The dark haired woman nudged you in the side, almost spilling your coffee in the process, “(y/n) threw some serious sass at Hayward earlier, should’ve been there Monica it was hysterical.” Monica only laughed in response as she patted you on the back, proud that she wasn’t the only one sick of Hayward’s shit, “I guess I should’ve. Would make a great memeory to share in the future” she sat in the chair next to Darcy turning her attention to the screen where Pietro was attempting to be slick and nab a snack while Wanda was cutting onions unflinchingly, only to slip and land flat on his back scaring Wanda as the unseen audicene laughed. Stupid and as cheesy as it was it didn’t fail to make you crack a smile while reminiscing of a similar memory that stuck out like a sore thumb. You and Pietro thought it be a great idea to compete against one another in order to see who’d get to the kitchen first, spoiler: he won by a narrow margin, that still had you calling him a cheat to this day, and decided to hide from you behind the counter like the little shit that he was. Long story short you entered the kitchen thinking you won, he jumps out scaring you so badly that you end up teleporting ontop of him.

“Hey (y/n).” Darcy’s voice brought you back from your thoughts and to reality. The thought of teleporting in there and getting your friends out has been a recurring one though your required to feel someone’s energy signature and with how well getting inside visuals went the likelihood of you sensing Pietro or Wanda for that case wasn’t going to be a piece of cake if it was you’d already have done it by now. “Yes Dr Lewis?” “Think you could-“ teleport inside? Trust me I’ve thought the same thing but the barrier is a major issue standing in my way of actually getting inside and out without trouble.” Despite all odds that didn’t stop you from wanting to give it a try if it meant trapping yourself also you wouldn’t hesitate to do it in a heartbeat. So it took your friends aback when you abruptly stood up from your chair, shoving your coffee into Jimmy’s hands and made a mad dash out of the room and down the corridor unapologetically shoving everyone aside with Monica and Darcy in hot pursuit while poor Jimmy placed your coffee down by your chair and bolted in hopes of catching up but when he did you were already teleported into the barrier that was dragging you into Westview before their eyes.

“(Y/n)!!!!” Monica yelled as she ran towards you, hand outstretched to pull you back but only grasped air when you disappeared form sight, she was so close to saving you but was too late non the less. Darcy and Jimmy shared a look as they came to her side as the feeling of helplessness became more evident within them. “Come on Monica, we can probably catch them on the television.” She said solemnly as they walked back to base.

-meanwhile in Westview-

Scared and confused you found yourself wandering aimlessly down the streets in your new attire of plaid shirt, leather jacket, high waisted trousers, converse and a locket that help a picture of you, Pietro and Wanda inside before finding yourself on your ass looking up at a silver haired male in a black leather jacket, Hawaiian shirt, jeans and worn down sneakers.

“What the-,” his chocolate eyes widened as they landed on your face, “(y/n)?! Is that you?!” His voice was just as you remembered it you smirked, outstreching a hand in a silent jesture to be helped up, “you think I’d let you wander too far?” He chuckled, hauling you off the floor and into his arms, face buried into his neck savouring the brunt sugar smell you’ve missed so much. “I should’ve guessed you’d be several steps behind.” He whispered into your hair, placing a kiss there, immediately comforting you before pulling away to drag you down the street without explanation towards a familiar house that belonged to the auburn haired female who was currently cleaning up after her kids when she saw Pietro, giving him that parental stare. “You’re a bad influence on my kids Pietro, you’re lucky to be my brother or I would’ve blasted across town by now.”

‘Well that ain’t foreboding at all.’ You thought to yourself as you took in the fact that you were finally reunited with the people who meant the most to you, you couldn’t remember when you got here nor how other then the fact that you wanted to visit Pietro and Wanda and that you could teleport. “If it’s any constellation, look who finally decided to pay us a visit.” The silver haired male stepped aside to reveal you in all your unsure glory as Wanda’s eyes widened like they did with Pietro but she didn’t any waste time in running towards you and holding your face in her hands, tears lining her eyes and you couldn’t help but lean into her warmth. “(Y/n)?” She whispered softly. “Hi Wanda, sorry I’m late.” You said as Pietro held both of you close to his chest protectively while Wanda laughed weakly her hand dropping you grasp yours tightly, “all is forgiven now that we’re together...as we should be.” Her eyes flashed red for a split second.

“Yeah, together at last.”

[carynsilver]

Favorite Fics: Malex Edition

It’s a new year (quite definitively at this point), and a new set of fic recs. Just my small way of saying thank you to the writers who have made the past year, with all its challenges, a little better for me personally. Without the escape of reading, I don’t think I would’ve gotten through the past eleven months, so thank all of y’all for creating (now and in the past) and for sharing your work. You do it for free, and it’s amazing stuff.

If you’re interested, I previously shared my top 10 Stucky, Drarry, Stony, and Darcy Lewis (Wintershock, Shieldshock, and Tasertricks, mostly) fic lists. Today, I’ve finally decided on my top 10 Maxlex fics. So, in no particular order...

my love is a life taker by @jocarthage

If I were making a top 10 fics of all time list, this story would be on it. The breadth and scope of it is truly amazing, as is the writing. There’s world-fixing time travel and an interesting take on our favorite aliens and what could’ve been. Alex as a time agent is both so tragic and also so strong as he begins his journey of self discovery. He’s such an unreliable narrator, and yet also can clearly see so many things. Watching Michael’s growth through the years is just as fascinating as watching Alex travel through time. And it’s juxtaposed with the present so well. This Alex and Michael learn to communicate as they learn about themselves. And the story also taught me a ton about the Middle East and various historical events. I really love this story, and you should definitely read it right now if you haven’t yet.

To Trust Love by @laughsalot3412

This fic is amazing. It takes hurt/comfort to the nth degree. Michael, Isobel, and Max are the only remaining prisoners/subjects in Project Shepherd, and Alex (with the help of Liz, Kyle, and Maria) goes under cover as a guard to get them out. But to do so, first he has to gain their trust--an almost impossible test. The tweaks to the alien abilities and the handprint are interesting. Jesse Manes, as always, is absolutely horrible. But good wins in the end, and the boys are able to figure things out despite the mistakes they make along the way. I mean, trigger warnings for so much in a prison fic with Jesse Manes in it, but it is an awesome story. This author only wrote one RNM fic, but it’s a great one.

From Iraq, with Love by @adiwriting

Alex leaves for basic no way to contact Michael, so he reaches out to him via a YouTube channel. Alex writes years and years’ worth of love songs, hoping maybe Michael will see them and get in touch. The scene when Michael finally sees them is a gut punch in the best way, and the end is so satisfying. A truly excellent story, and I love how music from the heart eases their way into real communication--because, man, that is what these poor boys need.

unexpected tidings by @bestillmyslashyheart

The Vegas fic! Actually, that is not what this fic is about. There is only one scene set in Vegas, and yet that was the one I remembered when I was trying to find the fic again, lol. In this AU, Michael was never reunited with his siblings in Roswell, but he and Alex meet after Alex enlists. They meet three different times in three different states, and eventually fall in love. Then Alex has to come home to Roswell and take care of this little alien problem so his boyfriend can be safe from the horror that is Jesse Manes. One of the best things about this story is the past/present narrative structure. Only a really good writer can tell a successful story out of chronological order, and @bestillmyslashyheart really succeeds. Check out her other work, as well, such as A Simple Life (but with aliens).

Shadow Work by @myrmidryad

This fic has stellar world building. Alex and Michael are shades--people who work banishing hauntings, curses, etc. The scientific way the supernatural elements are approached is so interesting, as well as the different ways humans and aliens perceive them. Alex is a total unreliable narrator just because of how the haunt is affecting him, but he still gets the job done. This is a world you can just sink into. Totally immersive, and yet it works so well with the alien mythology we already have. And the conclusion to the haunt mystery is so satisfying. Such a great story!

Lovin’ you is a gift tonight (Lovin’ you for all of my life) by @bellakitse

Michael turned his cheek when Alex tried to kiss him, and then Alex and Rosa ran off to NYC before anything else could happen. Michael thinks of Alex as the one who got away, and then he runs into him when he’s stuck at the airport in Denver, trying to get home to Roswell for Christmas. Their reunion in the airport is fluffy and amazing, just a pleasure to read. And then they end up back in Roswell and all the other stuff comes into play in a really satisfying, let’s-deal-with-it-as-adults-instead-of-children kind of way. Ah, so good!

scream in there by thepredatorywasp

I’ll be honest, this one starts a little rough emotionally, but man, Alex and Michael really earn their happily ever after here. It is worth it. And then we get River! I enjoy a good kid!fic, and River the little alien found in a pod who gloms onto Alex and never lets go is amazing! River is my favorite kiddo that I’ve ever read in a Malex story.

truth (to the people we love) by @lambourngb

This is probably the shortest fic on my rec list. I am biased toward the long ones, I know. But man this one packs a punch. Alex recorded a goodbye message when he was overseas, and he has to tell it not to auto send every week. Then he is kidnapped for ten days... I don’t want to spoil too much, but just read it. It also plays with the narrative structure. And if you like this one, definitely check out @lambourngb‘s other stories. collect the bad habits and Vows are also great reads!

I Know Nothing Stays the Same by @aewriting

This is one of those stories that sticks in your head. It is awful (emotion-wise, not writing-wise) and wonderful all wrapped up together in the best way. Alex and Michael run away after the shed incident and go into hiding for five years. This is the past storyline. There’s also a present and a future. The ending of this story was so gorgeous, I don’t want to spoil it, but I remember it all the time when I think of Malex. Lovely and poignant. This is another version of this couple that <i>earn</i> their happiness together. And if you want even more in this ‘verse, the very talented @andrea-lyn (who also has a ton of great Malex stories) wrote a coda called There’s More Room in a Broken Heart.

Send Me Home by @litwitlady

I waffled back and forth about which story would fill the final slot. It’s always so hard to choose when there are so many excellent ones out there, but I had to have one of @litwitlady‘s stories on the list. She has quite a few excellent ones, but Send Me Home is my favorite. Michael the baseball player is both compelling and also heartwarming in his softer life. This is another fic where Alex is a musician, this one an actual country music star. So, it’s a sports fic and a celebrity romance, in addition to being a Malex RNM story. it is a WiP, which I sometimes hesitate to rec, but there’s only one more chapter to go, so I feel pretty safe about it. And she has lots of other stories you should check out. I’m fond of the Reunion series, as well.

So, that’s it for this post. Thanks again to all the amazing fanfic authors and their awesome work. I’ve read so many great Malex fics lately. On this list or not, I appreciate you guys!

[f1]

Jacques Villeneuve questions Charles Leclerc's title-winning credentials after 'little mistakes'

Legendary former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve questions Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc's title-winning credentials... and claims he won't claim the title until he stops making 'little mistakes' Jacques Villeneuve is not sure Leclerc has what it takes to win the title The former world champion claimed Leclerc has made several 'little mistakes'  Leclerc's early 46-point lead on the standings has been wiped out by Verstappen The Red Bull driver has now pulled 49 points clear as he seeks his second title   By Dominic Hogan For Mailonline Published: 10:39 BST, 25 June 2022 | Updated: 10:40 BST, 25 June 2022 Jacques Villeneuve has questioned whether Charles Leclerc has the necessary credentials to win the Formula One World Championship.  The former world champion believes Leclerc's reversal of fortunes in this year's competition is down to a number of errors, and claims that the 24-year-old will not win the title until these mistakes are ironed out.  The Ferrari driver raced into a 46-point lead over Red Bull's Max Verstappen after several dominant displays early in the season but has since only finished in the top two twice in seven races.  Ferrari's Charles Leclerc has thrown away a big lead to trail Max Verstappen by 49 points The Canadian, who won the title in 1997 for Williams, told the F1 Nation Podcast: 'He's super-quick, but right now he still makes a few little mistakes that he shouldn't. 'Imola, for example, then he's not helped by the team. That's the energy they all have together. 'Right now we know he's fast, he's aggressive, is he a world champion? Is he like Max? How is he under pressure when it's money time for the championship? 'That's what we still need to find out.' Villeneuve's claims followed after a disappointing fifth-place finish for Leclerc after starting from the grid, having taken new power unit and engine parts ahead of the race weekend.  Jacques Villeneuve told the F1 Nation Podcast how 'little errors' have hurt the Monegasque And as good as Ferrari and Leclerc started the season, winning two of the first three races, a combination of mechanical failures and poor strategy has seen the Italian powerhouse fall further behind Red Bull.  Nowhere was Ferrari's inefficacies more apparent than at the 24-year-old's home race in Monaco, where he failed to win despite holding pole.  The Italian constructors called both drivers in to the pits meaning Leclerc was stuck in a queue behind his team-mate Carlos Sainz and lost valuable time and track position to fall to a disastrous fourth-place finish.  Then at Montreal Leclerc struggled to make up the necessary ground as he got caught in the middle of a congested middle order as Ferrari's gamble with his care ultimately failed.   Leclerc struggled to make up ground after starting at the back of the grid, finishing in fifth Villeneuve added: 'When you're in a Ferrari, you should only have a Red Bull in front of you. 'Before the race, they took those penalties because it's Montreal, and in their minds, the worst they could finish was P4 having [Sergio] Perez still in the race – and they didn't. 'That also shows how good Lewis [Hamilton] was because he was actually in front of a Ferrari. There was also a safety car that allowed Charles to get close to the pack, and he finished fifth. 'It's good salvaging of points, but it's not good enough. They had a poor pit stop and got out behind four cars instead of ahead of them. 'Fighting to get those positions killed their tyres, and that's why they didn't get the Mercedes in the end.' Share or comment on this article: Jacques Villeneuve questions Charles Leclerc's title-winning credentials after 'little mistakes' via Formula One | Mail Online https://www.dailymail.co.uk?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

[annecoulmanross]

I would love to hear about your cannibalism story if you would like to share : )

Happily! So, I take it you’re fairly familiar with the Donner Party? (LOVE your username, by the way.)

[For those who aren’t familiar – the Donner Party was a group of 87 American settlers who, during the middle of the 19th century, tried to follow the Oregon Trail out to the west coast. Unfortunately, they (1) chose an ill-advised short-cut called Hastings Cutoff, (2) left too late in the season in 1846, and – (3) if you know the dates of the Franklin Expedition you already know what went wrong – that was a particularly cold year. So, the Donner Party ended up stuck in the mountains on the eastern border of California, trapped under 30 feet of snow, with very few supplies and only dwindling hopes of rescue. Unsurprisingly, a large number of them ended up resorting to cannibalism and only about half ultimately survived.]

Now, most of the reports of cannibalism on the Donner Party were either (a) deeply tragic and, though full of excruciatingly gory detail, not ultimately sensational (e.g. the death and subsequent devouring of Mr. Franklin Graves), or (b) sensational to the point of ridiculousness (e.g. Lewis Keseberg’s confession of having eaten Tamsen Donner, which led to him being branded as her murderer as well, in the popular press.)

My own connection to the Donner Party is through an act of cannibalism that splits the difference – deeply tragic, and yet something that OUGHT to have been sensational, but wasn’t, thanks to 19th century racism.

Although it’s unclear whether, for instance, Keseberg actually murdered anyone in order to eat them, there was one documented and undeniable incident of murder with the goal of cannibalism on the Donner Party. That’s where this story comes in.

The one real hope that the Donner Party had was the possibility of rescue from Sutter’s Fort over the mountains, and the first wave of that rescue came in the autumn of 1846, when a member of the Donner party, who had been sent on ahead, brought back two Native American guides from Sutter’s Fort, Luis and Salvador. Those guides tried to lead a small party back through the mountain-pass during the dead of winter – a group later named the “Forlorn Hope.”

I’m sure you can see where this is going.

At a certain point, one of the men of the Forlorn Hope, William Foster (who had previously “accidentally shot” his brother-in-law, William Pike, though Pike wasn’t consumed) decided that he ought to kill and eat Luis and Salvador. The guides, hearing this, fled, but Foster caught up with them and killed them both.

Now, did Foster ever face justice for what was clearly cold-blooded murder?

Of course not, because Luis and Salvador were Native Americans, and California law in the 1840s didn’t consider them people.

California law in the 2000s, however, was willing to reconsider. Basically, a group of lawyers and judges decided to posthumously put William Foster on trial for murder. In a real federal courtroom (in a California city where many of the Donner Party survivors settled – one of whom even became chief of police.) With a real federal judge (who happened to be a descendent of one of those Donner Party survivors.) So, the court was all set up – the judges, the defense and prosecution attorneys, and a man willing to stand in for William Foster.

So what was missing? Witnesses.

Now, only one person saw Foster kill Luis and Salvador – a young woman named Mary Ann Graves (whose father had died in her arms on Christmas night a few weeks previous, and then been eaten, though not by Mary Ann.)

But where would a bunch of middle-aged legal professionals be able to find a nineteen(ish)-year-old girl(ish) willing to stand up in a real courtroom in front of a real judge and confess to having committed cannibalism (not technically a crime) in order to get some long-overdue justice for the murder of these two men? Luckily one of the lawyers had a daughter…

And that’s how I ended up on a witness stand, dressed up in 1840s pioneer clothes on a hot summer day about ten years ago, telling a judge I’d eaten people.

(We did, in fact, sentence William Foster to serve time in prison. I do think it makes for a good story, but after the Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar fiasco, I’ve learned not to lead with “Once, I confessed to cannibalism before an actual judge in federal court,” because I’d just finished saying those words when the house lights at the theater went down, and my poor advisor – to whom I’d been talking – had to sit through the entire second act of the play, apparently imagining increasingly worrisome scenarios, until the production was over and I could finally tell him that the cannibalism was, tragically, just a mock trial. Hence, my “anticlimactic” cannibalism story.)

[apieters]

An older pencil drawing of Barbarian!Leo. I always liked Eyewitness books as a kid and other “books of information,” as CS Lewis called them (don’t worry, boo, I read plenty of good fiction, too—including yours), and I especially loved the pictures with captions that pointed out important features of the image, especially because they sometimes contained extra little trivia things. So I decided to do that with Prince Leo.

A little more on the trivia bits of the picture:

-Leo’s headband is made of colored/dyed fabric interwoven with beads, which are individually carved from white river rocks and are considered extremely rare and expensive, like gems, but not nearly as expensive as diamonds, gold, or silver.

-Why doesn’t Leo wear a shirt? Well, the Doylist explanation is that when his artist created him over the course of several multivariable calculus-induced fits of madness, he was a Walking Shirtless Scene and that trait just stuck. Needless to say, a much more interesting Watsonian explanation needed to be found, and that explanation came from Shadiversity’s Fantasy Rearmed series on YouTube. Leo lives in a fantasy world inspired by African wildlife, so he lives on the Savanna. It’s hot all year round where Leo lives, with two seasons: hot and dry or hot and wet. Not a climate were you’d want to wear things like long-sleeved woolen tunics and trousers, doublets, and flowing cloaks, and as Shad pointed out climate plays a major role in the clothes people wear (or choose not to wear). Additionally, Shad pointed out that warriors in some cultures didn’t wear much armor or clothing into battle for the same reason many athletes choose to work out in minimal clothing—they’re engaged in prolonged physical exertion and need to efficiently reduce accumulated body heat so they don’t succumb to heatstroke in the middle of a battle. In Leo’s culture, the climate has shaped cultural standards of modesty such that nobody has really bothered to invent shirts; and even if they had, the signature style of warfare amongst the lion tribes of the Savanna centers around long, sustained pursuits of an enemy while harassing their flanks, a strategy that would more easily fatigue someone in full plate armor.

-Leo’s plain red kilt is unique to warriors amongst the lions. Normally, lions and lionesses dress in patterned fabrics, the intricacy or the pattern and the materials determining the quality. Plain fabrics are for the poor or for laborers. Leo’s kilt, being dyed, is not the rustic garments of the poor, but neither is it something anyone would wear to a formal occasion or even for fashion (unless they want to look like soldiers/warriors).

[twoidiotwriters1]

June, 1976 (WITT One-Shot)

A/N: If you want to remain in the taglist pls interact with this one-shot even if you haven’t read book 4-5 yet. A like or a comment is fine, the people who don’t want to continue reading obvsly do not interact and I’ll delete from the taglist :) -Danny

Words: 2,590

Series’ Masterlist

Emily was tired, but she'd spent all day overthinking and she was done, it was time to grow up.

She could hear Lily Evans' voice ushering Severus Snape away, he'd been coming around for several hours during the day trying to apologize, but he'd finally crossed a line.

"It's not your fault, you know?"

Matthew's voice caught her attention, he'd stopped at the foot of the stairs, one hand propped on the wall.

"Snape and Evans have been fighting for months now, I think it's because of what he's been doing with the Slytherins... you know, the cult stuff."

Emily averted her gaze to the fireplace.

"I know..."

Matthew hesitated, he'd promised himself that he wouldn't go back to being Emily's therapist, but something was different this time, it wasn't her usual kind of sulking.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at him over her shoulder and frowned.

"I'm not the one who got called 'mudblood' by a close friend."

"No, you weren't," He admitted. "Which is why it's so strange to see you all sad."

"I'm not sad."

"Is this about James?"

He didn't want to know, but alas, he'd asked.

"No," She made a face. "I don't think I care about him that way anymore."

"It's easier said than done," Matthew crossed his arms, his shoulder now leaning on the archway of the stairs.

"What do you want, Ruddy?" Emily groaned.

"I don't want anything from you," The boy replied. "But I have the feeling that you need to talk."

"I do," She said. "Not with you, though."

Matt nodded, he sighed.

"Good luck, then, have a good night."

"'Night."

Emily watched him disappear up the stairs, she didn't know why, but the memory of his burning gaze before he kissed her came back then, his intense determination as he held her closer... That moment Emily had found herself unable to move away, to say no. She wished she had his courage to just do stuff even when he was intimidated by them, she needed that kind of bravery tonight.

Lily Evans entered the tower two minutes later, Emily stood up abruptly and the redhead came to a halt.

For a moment none of them spoke, then Lily's face showed tons of fatigue.

"What now? Is it your turn to call me a stuck-up bore because I didn't agree to go out with Potter?"

Emily shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Can we talk?" She asked shyly. "I promise it's not a trick... I'm sorry."

Emily's behaviour towards her was usually hostile, tonight her voice was gentle, and even a little afraid.

"You're sorry?"

"I don't expect you to believe me," Emily continued, lowering her gaze. "I know you and Snape were close — I don't understand how can you like him... listen I suck at apologies, can't you just say it's alright so we can go to bed?"

Lily crossed her arms, standing straighter.

"No, I think I want you to try harder."

Emily groaned, she sat down heavily and started to think her words carefully, Lily inched closer.

"Boys can be cruel when they're not thinking — Anyone, really... I've been brutal myself — Matthew and I almost stopped being friends a few months ago, because I don't like talking about my feelings," She laughed dryly. "I don't know what is it about today that it just... I don't want to be a tormentor my whole life, let alone to someone who is... tolerable. I'm sorry for making your life a living hell these past few years."

Lily sat down, although she kept the seat between them empty to keep some distance.

"You didn't make my life a living hell," She replied. "I... can admit you're a bit clever... even likeable — that last match when you threw Lewis a bludger after he called you a midget... it was kind of funny."

"The boys walked me everywhere that week, they thought Ernest was going to try and get back at me," Emily bit her lip, but she was now smiling. "I mean, I lived in fear for days! Thinking he would spike my drink at some point with poison or something... Until Matthew cornered him outside D.A.D.A. class one day, poor Lewis... he looked so small in comparison..."

"Anyone looks small next to Matthew, he's a giant," Lily grinned. "Well, if it's any consolation, I was planning on murdering you in a much classier manner than poison, but since you've apologized, I guess I won't have to kill you after all."

Emily snorted, her eyes lingered on Lily, who looked like she'd been crying for most of the day, and yet still had enough energy to sit down and talk with the girl she'd detested for the last four years.

"Why are you being nice?" She asked in annoyance. "I mean I'm glad you're kind of accepting my apology, but I thought you'd be a bit colder, walking away before I could even finish..."

"What kind of person do you think I am?" Lily raised a brow, with the orange light coming from the fireplace her green eyes looked far more intense than usual. "If I'm honest, you should thank Remus... he's tried to convince me that you lot are far better than you look..."

Emily sighed, when she was young she'd do mischief for fun, but now that she was older, and considering all the weird stuff that was happening outside the school, she was starting to think that maybe her group of friends were indeed changing for the best.

"I'm going to be honest with you too, Evans," The girl took a deep breath. "Being the only girl in my friend group is turning out to be pure torture. I'm in desperate need of a girlfriend."

Lily's mouth twitched a bit, but she didn't laugh.

"What makes you think I want to be your friend?"

"Oh, I don't think you want to," She raised a brow. "But maybe if we're on good terms I'd be able to ask you for a tampon without having to swallow my pride first."

Lily did laugh at this, she shook her head. "Holy Merlin, Sultens, you're loopy."

"You would be too if you were seated next to Sirius every day!" She paused. "So... are you willing to make peace?"

Lily examined her carefully, four long years of quarrels sat between them, but a lifetime of friendship could be ahead if Emily was truly sorry. She was a nice girl, and really smart too, she was annoying only when she was taunting Severus, and he was no longer her friend.

Lily stretched out her hand.

"Very well, but if you go back the deal is over and we'll be less than strangers, understood?"

"Sure."

She retreated her hand before Emily could grab it.

"Hang on — this is not Potter's idea, right? You're not trying to be my friend just so I date him later?"

"Lily, if anything I hope you and James never date," Emily snickered. "Nothing personal, you're just way too good for him."

"...Alright."

They shook hands, she'd meant what she said about it not being personal. James was a boy, a very silly one at that, and even though they were really close friends, Emily was no longer a blind supporter of his doings.

Funnily enough, this seemed to be related to Matthew, she couldn't stop thinking about that kiss! Merlin, he was a good kisser...

She shook the thought away, now was not the time for nonsense.

"I'm very honoured to be your acquaintance, Evans," Emily grinned.

"Call me Lily. Only Professors call me Evans... and Potter, but you know I hate that."

"Got it, Lils."

July 1996

"...I don't think this is right," Mel tilted her head. "Brownies are mean to be brown... not pitch-black."

"You burned them," Harry was standing behind them with his arms crossed, clearly upset.

"How could you burn them, Erick? They were in there for five minutes!"

"Are you sure..." Erick stabbed the mixture with a knife and made a face. "Ugh — they're still liquid in the middle!"

"How the fuck did you do this?"

"I thought it would work just the same if I doubled the heat and put less time," Erick sulked. "Ovens are weird."

"This is why we told you to stay out of it," Harry replied. "You don't know how muggle stuff work."

"I do know!"

"Then why did you burn the brownies?"

"Don't fight," Mel intervened, grabbing the platter and throwing its contents away. "Oh well, at least we ruined my birthday cake and not someone else's..."

"That's not okay," Harry frowned. "You should have a proper cake."

Mel looked at him and grinned. "I'll eat yours, then."

"How's everything going in here?" Emily walked in, behind her Lupin followed.

"Uncle Lu!" Mel rushed over to his side and hugged him, the man chuckled. "You came!"

"Well, hadn't been around for your birthday in a long time, I thought you'd like it," He said, lovingly patting her back.

"I do," She beamed. "We kind of ruined the cake, though, so we should buy doughnuts or something."

"It's a good thing I brought this, then," Lupin lifted his bag and placed it on the table, inside there was a beautifully adorned red velvet cake.

"You just saved my birthday!"

Harry and Erick shared a moody expression and grumbled complaints, Lupin laughed.

"The kids insisted on doing the cakes this year," Emily explained. "I told them it was not an easy job, but they insisted."

"Mel and I have done this before, Erick was the one who wanted to be in charge when he can't even make tea without magic," Harry glared at him.

"Muggles stuff are too complicated, alright?" He huffed.

"I don't mind," Mel said without paying attention to them, she was still beyond happy with her uncle's presence. "I wanted to give my mum a break, Leggie's been a bit hard to handle lately..."

"Is he?" Lupin looked at the little boy Emily was holding. "Is he ill?"

"No, he just cries a lot," The woman sighed. "Wakes us up every night."

"I thought that forcing my mother to bake when she's clearly too tired to be doing anything apart from feeding a baby was a crime," Mel stated. "So I took care of it."

"Then Flint messed it up," Harry taunted.

"And then you fixed it, Uncle Moony," The girl smiled. "So there's no harm done, right boys?"

She looked over her shoulder, raising a brow as if urging them to stop bickering before they embarrassed her in front of Lupin. Both mumbled their agreement, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Lovely," Mel looked back at the adults. "Who wants lunch?"

Mel and Erick were in the kitchen talking in hurried whispers, she appeared to be upset, the young man too. Emily and Remus were in the drawing-room, Harry was upstairs changing Reg's diaper.

"Do you know why they're arguing?" Remus asked, staring at the pair.

"Dumbledore came by this morning before breakfast," Emily sighed, leaning her head back on the couch. "Talked about this mission he had for Erick — you know how eager to help that boy is... so of course the old man came and put his offer on a silver platter, and Mel won't let Erick go on his own, so being the generous soul Dumbledore is," She said sarcastically, "He said she could go too if she wanted to."

"Really?" Remus frowned. "Well... he's been giving her lessons for years, Mily, perhaps he knows she can handle it."

"I don't care," She said bluntly. "That's my daughter, my daughter. Matt's daughter. How can he continue to risk my family's life like it's nothing?"

"You know Matthew did all he that because he wanted to, Dumbledore had nothing to do with his decisions."

"I know," Emily took a deep breath. "But he's got a lot to do with Mel's... she idolizes him."

"You think so?" The man looked over his shoulder again, staring at his goddaughter.

"I don't see why else she'd be so keen to follow his orders..."

"Maybe because she feels guilty?" Remus offered. "After what happened in the ministry..."

Emily pressed her lips together, she didn't want to talk about that.

"That's not her fault and she knows it. I told her it wasn't."

"You weren't there," He said gravely. "She went out of control. I had never seen anything like it, her magic was dark— I mean that literally. All the spells she did came out pitch-black. Dumbledore was the only one who could put a stop to it."

Emily's eyes grew worried, she looked over her shoulder as well and her gaze landed on Mel.

"You think it could be the same thing that Ariana Dumbledore had? That disease?"

"No one knows what happened to her," Remus said. "Not even Matthew knew, and he was part of the family... but it could be. Maybe Dumbledore knows something we don't, maybe this will help her... perhaps she needs this."

Emily stayed silent for a moment, then she groaned.

"I hate that we're always meant to trust him blindly."

"He's lived a hundred years, he might be wiser than all of us, don't you think?"

The woman scoffed, she looked ahead, deep in thought.

"A hundred years... Matthew couldn't even make it to twenty-one! James and Lily barely did... Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban — But at least we all knew how the war looked like then, Remus. We fought for years... my daughter just turned sixteen, she still goes to school!"

"And yet she's already done her fair amount of fighting," The man raised a brow. "We didn't have the experiences she's gone through when we were her age. I stand with Dumbledore, she can do this."

"I'm not saying she can't," Emily grabbed the empty plates to take them to the kitchen. "I'm saying she shouldn't have to sacrifice her youth. Dumbledore asks for too much, I'm sure he's got someone else that could help him with the mission, but he's obsessed with making Mel his perfect copy."

Remus didn't try to argue back, little could convince Emily at this point, she'd never been a fan of Dumbledore, and after Matt's death it was no secret that she openly disliked him, but she still followed his orders, because she knew Dumbledore was the only chance they had to win this war.

Mel and Erick entered the room, neither of them angry, which made Remus think they had reached an agreement.

"I should leave," The man stood up. "Leon's been quiet, maybe Harry managed to make him sleep."

"Or maybe he's just playing with him," Emily stood up as well. "Really, I never thought Harry would get so attached to a baby..."

"I'll miss you, Uncle Lu, I hope to see you soon," Mel said, her eyes avoiding to look into Erick's direction.

"Me too, little Em," Remus hugged her tightly, he whispered in her ear. "Be good to your mother, alright?"

Mel looked at him with confusion, but she nodded anyway.

"So?" Emily crossed her arms. "What are you going to do?"

The young witch stared at her mother, Remus knew that expression. It was true and very strange, how she could have her dad's gaze even though her eyes were exactly like her mother's, but he knew that look, he'd seen it in Matt the last time they had spoken. Mel was done being a kid.

Taglist.

@dee123ksha @vampiregirl1797 @siriuslysirius1107 @stardusthigh @mikariell95 @vernon-dursley @thesuitelifeofafangirl @tomshollandz @wlwmaximoff @reverse-hxlland @omiwashere @t-rexs-world @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @21bruhs @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @dielgonacoffee​ @thelastpyle @hamiltonwc

[imagine-loki]

Trust, Chapter 17

TITLE: Trust CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 17 AUTHOR: fanficshiddles ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki kidnaps Darcy Lewis, in hopes of getting the tesseract in return for her. Imagine his surprise when he grows rather fond of the mortal, finding that she understands him better than anyone else ever has.  RATING: M

Thor and Jane looked surprised when Loki appeared to head to Asgard, with Darcy in tow too with a suitcase.

‘Where’s the Bifrost then?’ Darcy asked excitedly.

‘I did not realise you were joining us, Darcy.’ Thor said, but smiled widely as he then looked at Loki.

Loki grinned. ‘She is going to save me from having to deal with any boring commoners. And will likely lighten the festivities greatly.’

‘Ah excellent!’ Thor beamed happily.

Jane looked slightly irritated. Not overly happy about Darcy going too, knowing the pair of them would likely cause too much mischief.

The group all headed outside onto the green, Thor looked up and called for Heimdall to open the Bifrost. Tony ran out towards them screaming like a mad man at them not to do it on what was essentially his front lawn. But it was too late.

All that was left when he got there was burnt grass again. ‘Bloody Asgardians!’

Darcy was in complete awe as they were whisked through space in the rainbow Bifrost. Then before she knew it, they were on Asgard, stepping into the observatory.

She noted Loki’s arm around her and she looked up at him with a smirk. ‘What’s with the death hold on me?’

Loki rolled his eyes as he let her go. ‘To make sure you didn’t fall out at the wrong place. I don’t exactly fancy spending years looking for you on some unknown realm.’

Darcy shoved his arm playfully. ‘N’awwww you’d come looking for me? How sweet!’

He chuckled and ruffled up her hair in return. ‘I wouldn’t trust you not to cause chaos on some poor unsuspecting race.’

‘Yeah, cause that’s your job.’ She grinned and Loki grinned back at her with a wink.

‘Welcome to Asgard!’ Heimdall said, tearing Darcy’s attention away from Loki.

‘Oh wow, cool sword. You’re the all seeing Himdall, right?’ Darcy asked.

Loki sniggered and bumped her with his hip. ‘Heimdall.’ He corrected.

Heimdall smiled slightly and nodded once. ‘Nice to meet you, Darcy.’

Then the sound of hooves pounding the ground towards them was heard. Odin, Frigga and a guard with some spare horses came riding across the bridge to greet them.

Loki did the introductions for Darcy, since Jane had already met them before. Jane bowed her head to Odin and Frigga, greeting them politely.

Darcy’s mouth fell open as she looked at Frigga.

‘Jesus, Loki. You never told me your mother was so beautiful!’ She said in a slightly high-pitched tone to Loki, then she turned to Frigga and curtseyed. The best she could anyway without actually wearing a dress. ‘It’s so nice to meet you, Loki’s told me all about you.’

Frigga smiled widely at Darcy as she reached out to shake her hand. ‘Nice to meet you too. I heard from Thor that you’re responsible for bringing Loki back to Earth. Figuratively and literally.’ She smiled kindly at her.

‘I kind of am.’ Darcy said smugly, holding her head high.

Loki just cringed awkwardly beside them and put his head in his hand.

‘Although, we didn’t know you were coming till last minute. We don’t have any spare chambers left, so we are in a pickle of where to put you.’ Frigga said regretfully as she looked at Loki.

‘I’ll just bunk with Loki.’

Loki raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Oh really?’ He folded his arms over his chest.

Darcy shrugged. ‘I’m not sleeping on the floor. Besides, we’ve shared a bed before.’

Frigga looked between them both in amusement and curiosity. ‘That’s settled then.’ She said quickly before turning around and heading back to her horse.

‘I am going to have to deal with your snoring for two whole nights?’ Loki groaned.

‘Hey, it’s not going to be a barrel of laughs for me either.’ Darcy said as she poked him.

She was then introduced to Odin. She could feel the tension between him and Loki, it was thick in the air. She didn’t say much to Odin, just bowed her head politely.

The group headed out to the horses and Darcy was handed the reins of one of them.

‘Loks. You better give me a leg up, I have no idea how to ride never mind get on.’ She said as she looked over at him, just as he was about to mount his horse.

‘You mean you’ve never ridden before?’ He chuckled as he wandered over to her and swiftly grabbed her leg, not even checking if she was ready, he hoisted her up and onto the horse.

‘Nope!’ She squealed a little as she sat up straight and gathered the reins.

‘Sit up straight, keep your heels down and don’t tug on the horses’ mouth if you can help it.’ Loki said as he put her feet into the right position and moved her fingers into the right place for holding the reins.

Thor had Jane ride with him on the same horse. She hadn’t ridden before either, even on her last trip to Asgard she didn’t ride.

Loki got on his horse and rode up beside Darcy. ‘Your horse is rather attached to mine, so you don’t need to worry about steering right now.’

Darcy only just noticed a hint of mischief cross Loki’s face, before he suddenly kicked his horse on into a canter. Darcy screeched in surprise as her horse cantered straight after his. Loki laughed as he looked over his shoulder and saw her bouncing around in the saddle, but laughing too. He knew she was perfectly safe on that horse and would be up for a bit of an adventure.

Thor chuckled at their antics as they went racing across the bridge ahead of them, Darcy holding on for dear life.

‘Don’t even think about it!’ Jane said to Thor quickly as she held onto him from behind, he just grumbled in response.

Loki and Darcy were long at the palace before the others were. He helped her off the horse and they made their way inside.

‘Holy shit! This place is incredible.’ Darcy said as she looked around herself with her mouth hanging open.

‘It’s alright.’ Loki drawled.

‘Come on, Loki. I know this place doesn’t exactly bring back good memories, but surely even you can tell this place is more impressive than the compound back home.’ Darcy said as she stopped walking and faced Loki.

He shrugged. ‘I guess so. There are some good memories too, I suppose. Racing Thor on our horses across the land, causing mischief to the maids and guards when we were younger.’ Loki gave a very slight smile that made Darcy smile too.

‘See, there’s always good too. Odin does seem… not so great, but Frigga seems wonderful.’ Darcy said sincerely.

‘She is, probably the only wonderful thing about here.’ Loki nodded and continued walking, Darcy followed.

Loki took her to his chambers. She couldn’t believe the size of the room.

‘Bloody hell, this is like the size of a house back on Earth!’ Darcy said as she looked around, checking out the en-suite too. ‘Am I dreaming? Is this for real?’ She said as she jumped onto the bed in a star fish, but still wasn’t even taking up half of the bed because it was that big.

Loki chuckled and used his Seidr to get the fire roaring to life. ‘Anything you need, just ring the bell by the door and a maid will come to see what you need.’

‘What, like, anything and anytime?’ Darcy quickly sat up straight.

‘Yep.’ Loki smirked, sitting down on a chair by the fire.

Darcy slipped off the bed and ran over to the bell, ringing it twice. Loki watched in amusement as not even two minutes later there was a knock on the door. Darcy opened it and was amazed to see a maid.

‘Good evening, anything I can get you, miss?’ She asked with a smile.

‘Some snacks would be nice please… Loki, what kind of snacks do you have here?’ Darcy looked over her shoulder to him.

Loki smirked. ‘Matilda, if you would be so kind to get us the cheese board selection.’

‘Of course, Prince Loki.’ She gave a small bow and smiled at Darcy before disappearing down the corridor.

Darcy stuck her head out of the room and watched her heading off. ‘Is there really someone on standby all the time? Even in the middle of the night?’

‘Yep. Cooks are always in the kitchen too, ready to make whatever you want. Within reason.’

She then snickered. ‘Prince Loki.’

‘What?’

‘Just funny hearing someone call you that. I forget you are a Prince.’

‘Maybe you should start remembering it.’ Loki grinned.

While waiting for the snacks, Darcy disappeared into the bathroom to put on her comfortable pyjamas, which was actually a Rolling Stones t shirt and plain black shorts, just in time for Matilda retuning with the biggest selection of cheese Darcy had ever seen, with crackers and some grapes too.

‘Oh my god, this is definitely heaven!’ Darcy climbed onto the bed with the board and got comfortable.

‘You’re not eating on my bed.’ Loki stood and made his way over, but Darcy was already tucking in.

‘Come on, chill out. Are you going to join me or not?’ Darcy patted the bed next to her.

Loki rolled his eyes. He knew that there was no point arguing with her, so he decided to just admit defeat and join her.

After stuffing themselves full, Loki read for a while by the fire while Darcy played a game on her iPad. There was no WiFi but she was still able to use some game apps without. She was so engrossed in one game she never noticed Loki disappear into the bathroom, until he reappeared.

‘Lights are going off, I want to get rest before tomorrow’s antics.’ Loki said as he made towards the bed.

‘Not like you to need ohhhhhhhhhh my god! LOKI! PUT SOME DAMN PANTS ON!’ Darcy screeched as she glanced up at him, only to see he was completely nude. She quickly averted her eyes like they were burning.

Loki smirked as he got into bed. ‘What? You are the one who said you would share a room with me. I told you before I sleep in the nude.’ He chuckled and got comfortable. He turned the lights out with a snap of his fingers.

‘Well don’t blame me if you get kicked in the bollocks in the middle of the night.’ Darcy said as she rolled onto her side and put her iPad down.

‘Goodnight, Darcy.’

‘Goodnight, Prince Loki.’ She teased, but that earned her a poke in the back. ‘Owww!’

‘Go to sleep.’ He growled.

‘Bossy boots.’ Darcy grumbled quietly.

[goatbi]

Freeman Farm Chapter Two

When Gordon woke up the next morning-buried under both Tommy and Sunkist-he had no choice but to lay there for a moment, taking in the new room still. It was mostly undecorated still, but Benrey must’ve wandered in in the middle of the night and stuck up a poster for All Dogs Go To Heaven 2 they had found one time and Benrey had refused to pass by. The thing had spent it’s new life hanging in Gordon’s room, no matter how many times fae had tried to move it, and it seemed the tradition continued. 

Tommy rolled over slightly, not a lot on this small bed, but enough for Gordon to wiggle free carefully. He woke Sunkist, but that ended up helping, as she lifted her body up to free Gordon completely, then settled back against Tommy’s side in the warm spot Gordon had left behind. Gordon slipped on the pair of dog slippers by the bed-they all had matching animal slippers, even G-Man, which was a feat completed only because Tommy’s puppy dog eyes were lethal-and shuffled out of the room into the hallway. Still barren, but for the few random things that Benrey had took upon daemself to hang up in the night. 

Gordon followed his nose down, thankful that G-Man really didn’t mind carrying shit in the void as much as G-Man pretended, as it caused this breakfast, probably made by Coomer. Even so, it was going to be good, since breakfast foods was one of the only things that people trusted Coomer with in the kitchen. 

As expected, Coomer was making breakfast, with Bubby already curled into a chair at the table, a cup of steaming coffee in front of xem. Bubby lifted xyr head as Gordon shuffled in, then jerked xyr head back to the counter behind xem, were the coffee pot was full and still warm. Gordon grinned thankfully, pouring himself a cup and leaning against the counter, watching as Coomer bounced about the small-ish kitchen, working on breakfast. 

“Good Morning Gordon!” It called, an unknown amount of time later, and Gordon hummed, lifting his coffee in response. He knew that Coomer couldn’t see it, but Coomer just hummed louder, as if he had sensed it. The routine stayed. 

With that done, fae moved over to the table, setting his cup down on the right of Bubby, since Coomer always claimed xyr left for whatever reason, and finally tuned his attention to the package sitting on the table. “You open it yet?” 

Bubby shook xyr head slightly, still nursing xyr coffee, blinking slowly behind his steamed up glasses. “It’s addressed to you.” 

“That’s never stopped you before.” 

All he got in return was a grin. 

Gordon sighed, then dragged the package over, finding it rather easy to open, though is had been unopened before. Usually the science team didn’t care. 

Inside was parsnips seeds. Gordon blinked at them, lifting them out of the box, then grabbing the note that they were balanced on. 

“Just something to get you started” Gordon read aloud. “From Lewis.” 

“Hm. Gotta clear out some space for it.” Bubby sipped at xyr coffee, shifting back into xyr chair just in time for Coomer to start setting plates out. Any moment now the rest of the team would emerge from their various hidden spaces for breakfast, and Gordon nodded slightly, setting the box onto the floor at his feet, folding the note around the seeds and setting those inside the box as Coomer set a plate in front of him. 

“Thanks Coomer.” 

Coomer nodded, just as Tommy shuffled down the stairs, some how looking wide awake, and still making a bee line for the coffee. Dragging behind him was Benrey and Forzen, Benrey shuffling along with his hands buried in the same hoodie he had worn yesterday. Forzen was already dressed and ready, aside from their own green gator slippers. Tradition carried on. Gordon’s shoulders relaxed, just a bit. 

G-Man emerged from the cellar, brushing dust from one shoulder. Gordon didn’t bother to ask what G had been doing down there, already knowing he wouldn’t get an answer and instead turned to focus on eating breakfast. 

“Me and Coomer are gonna head into town, see what it’s like.” Bubby took a sip of xyr coffee, grinning into it as Tommy lit up. “See if we can find anywhere to get more seeds than Lewis’s ‘to get you started’ thing.” 

Tommy glanced to Gordon, who kicked the box under the table towards Tommy. Ve glanced down at it, then kicked it back to Gordon, the squirrel tail on the back of his slippers shaking slightly as he did. Gordon blocked the box before it slid too far away from the table, tucking it back between his feet. 

“I’m gonna go with, I wanna meet people!” He glanced to Benrey, gently elbowing his side as dae played with daer pancake stack. “I wanna drag you with though. We can get seeds and get them back here quicker.” Benrey nodded slightly, tearing shapes into his pancakes before eating them. 

“Then I’m claiming Forzen, we need to clear a space for a proper farm anyways.” Forzen looked up at their name, then nodded slightly as Gordon grinned over at them. 

“There’s a lake just near here.” Gordon glanced to Coomer. “You can start there, so you have a good water source. Bubby and I didn’t see a well anywhere on the property when we wandered last night.” 

“Think Robin would do that?” Bubby asked, glancing between Coomer and Gordon, both oh whom shrugged. 

“I can... go up and ask her. I do believe... there is a path north... to where she lives.” G-Man volunteered and Gordon nodded slightly, clearing his plate and leaning back in the chair with his cup in his hand. 

With the general gist settled, the group dispersed rather quickly once finished with breakfast. Gordon, once dressed, stepped out into the sun, Forzen at faer side, to get started clearing out the debris. 

-----------------------

Bubby clung to Harold’s hand, not out of any nervousness on either side of them, but more for the comfort of the heavy hand in xyrs, tapping a small beat into the back of Harold’s hand. Tommy and Benrey trailed along behind the two of them, Tommy carrying Benrey on his back. 

The town they came across wasn’t too far from the farm, small but spread out, in order to give it the illusion that it was larger than it was. Tommy lit up upon seeing a store the stumbled across first, labeled as Pierre’s, and started his way over to it, passing by Bubby and Harold. They sent a look to each other, before following Tommy in, as Tommy ducked into the store, rather surprised that he was able to stand up straight inside. 

“Oh! Are you the new farmers?” The man at the front desk called out to them, Bubby assumed he was Pierre. Tommy nodded. 

“Some of them at least! I didn’t think I could stand in here.” It was a just barely thing, his head rather close to brushing the ceiling. G-Man would have had to bend. Benrey dropped from Tommy’s back to stare at Pierre quietly. Bubby considered it lucky dae weren’t asking for the poor guy’s passport. “You wouldn’t happen to have more seeds?” 

“Sure do.” Pierre came around the counter, walking over to a section of shelves, and that was when Bubby checked out, looking towards Harold, who was paying attention and still holding Bubby’s hand. Xe were trapped for the time being, and xe turned to Benrey, raising an eyebrow, and then Harold’s hand in xyr own. Benrey sent back a sharp grin, and Bubby knew dae would be no help. 

Instead, Bubby let xyr eyes wander about the small store, what one would expect of a rather small town general store, though it seemed to have a certain focus on farm stuff. Which was good for them, at the very least. 

The door dinged behind them, and Bubby glanced back, before xyr eyes went slightly wider and flicked to Harold, who had also glanced back. The moment it hit, Harold’s grip on Bubby’s hand tightened all at once, not enough to really hurt him, but enough to sting. 

An older couple had come in, probably a few years older than him and Harold. The older women held the door open for her husband, letting him roll over the small bump there into the store, and Harold made sure instead to focus back onto what Pierre was saying. Unfortunately for them, he had just noticed the two of them come in, lighting up a bit. 

“Evelyn, George! I didn’t realize you’d be coming in today.” This time, Harold’s grip got tight enough for Bubby to hiss slightly, causing Harold to let go almost completely, though Bubby knew exactly what was going on. The name had all but confirmed it. 

“Well, we ran out of a few things, thought you’d might have them.” Evelyn smiled, while George just huffed. “And I thought it might be nice to get out of the house for a bit, for the both of us.” 

“Never seen you around.” George said, eyes darting around the group, and Bubby turned slightly, having to let go Harold’s hand to do so, but Harold was currently calming himself, so it was up to xem. 

“Just moved into the valley.” Bubby shrugged, leaning against Harold’s side, letting xyr husband shift, wrap and arm around xem, turning to properly do so. “Just came into town to grab a few things.” 

“Ah, that old farm I assume? Glad to see its gonna get some use from now on.” Evelyn smiled, walking about the fresh produce in the area, smiling to herself. George just narrowed his eyes at them. 

“I’m Bubby. My husband.” He tapped Harold’s arm, causing Harold to glance at xem, then look back to what Tommy was doing, engrossing himself in that rather than anything else. “Is Harold, Tommy’s the tall one, and Benrey’s the other one. There’s a few more of us, but I’m sure you’ll run into them on your own at some point.” 

“Hey Dr. Coomer?” Bubby glanced over as Tommy turned, Harold pulling his arm from Bubby’s shoulders to go over and help Tommy carry the bag of seeds they go, settling it over his arm. 

“A doctor?” Evelyn’s question led Bubby back to the two of them, and Bubby grinned. 

“Most of us were scientists, but legally we aren’t allowed to talk about it anymore.” Bubby had leaned forwards conspiratorially at the end, then couldn’t help but laugh at the look on their faces. “No, no, it’s fine, there was a minor workplace accident and then we were collectively let go, as the main victims of the whole thing.” Calling the Res Cas a ‘minor workplace accident’ almost made Bubby giggle again. 

“I hope you were alright!” 

“Oh, most of us came out with all our limbs.” Bubby glanced back to Tommy and Harold, still talking with Pierre, eyes narrowing slightly. Benrey looked over, then raised a hand to wave at the group. Somehow, xe had gotten stuck with small talk. 

“Most of you?” George asked, raising an eyebrow, and Bubby just winked, as Benrey moved over to the three of them, eyes darting between the two older, before looking to Bubby. 

“Yo, they’re uhhh they’re stuck. Unskippable NPC dialogue.” 

“Well that’s not fun.” Bubby was far too used to Benrey’s video game connections, by the look that Evelyn and George gave-George’s much more severe than Evelyn’s-but that was just how Benrey was. 

“Gonna... break you out. Go look at things.” Benrey grabbed onto Bubby’s arm and Bubby nodded slightly, looking towards Harold. 

“Hey Harold?” When xyr husband looked back, he gestured to Benrey. “We’re gonna go, probably gonna be easy enough to find us if you look.” 

“Alright love! See you back home if we don’t.” 

Bubby nodded, then glanced to the other two near xem, as if Benrey wasn’t tugging incessantly on xyr arm. “Probably gonna run into you two again. Until then.” 

“Bye dear.” Evelyn smiled, while George just huffed, and, as they turned back to the produce, Benrey dragged Bubby from the shop, Bubby stumbling slightly before finding xyr footing as Benrey relaxed a bit in the air. 

“You good?” 

“Yeah. Closed in. Didn’t like it much.” 

Bubby of all people could understand, nodding slightly as Benrey dragged xem down what he could assume to be the town square, squinting a bit. “Is that a beach down there?” 

Benrey blinked, then grinned, and began to drag Bubby towards the bridge, Bubby huffing but along for the ride. 

-----------------------

G-Man had been correct in saying there was a northern path up the mountain side to a home, that G-Man assumed as the one Lewis had spoken about for a brief period of time, the carpenter’s shop. G-Man carefully walked down the steps, as the front door opened to reveal someone in all black, their hair flopped over one side of their head. They stuck an unlit cigarette into their mouth, flipping the lighter open, rounding the house and jumping slightly upon spotting G-Man. 

“Woah.” G-Man raised a hand in greeting, stepping down the last few steps to make G-Man’s height just a bit less intimidating. “Damn. Seeing you in the dark gotta’s be freaky for someone who doesn’t know you.” 

Admittedly, that got a smile out of G-Man. “So I have been... told. Dark clothing doesn’t... help the experience.” 

The person nodded a bit, sticking a hand into their front hoodie pocket, unlit cigarette still stuck between their teeth, lighter flipping in their fingers. “So you one of the new farmers?” 

“Indeed. Is... Robin home?” 

“Yeah, Mom’s inside. She’s talking with Maru and Demetrius right now, but she’ll be ready to help in a few minutes. Sebastian, he/they.” Sebastian didn’t stick a hand out to shake, so G-Man didn’t either, rather preferring it that way. 

“G... no pronouns.” 

Sebastian nodded, then glanced towards the door. “Well. Nice meeting you.” With that, they ducked past G-Man up the stairs, lighting the cigarette in his hand and taking a small path that G-Man hadn’t noticed before. G-Man watched quietly, before carefully walking along the path to the door, carefully opening it and ducking under the doorway, hunching a bit to fit inside the home. Not too much, but it was still a bit uncomfortable. If only G-Man could shrink, but Robin was already rounding the corner. 

“Oh! Hey!” Robin smiled up at G-Man, and G raised a hand in greeting. “What brings you up the mountain?” 

“I was... asked. There is... inquiry to if you... would be willing to dig... a well... on the property.” 

Robin hummed softly, brushing past G-Man and going over to the desk. “I sure could! If you save some of the rocks around the property, we can cut some of the costs of it. There should be some good rocks around. We find a good spot for it, it’s sure to be helpful.” 

G-Man nodded slightly. “With... the help of rocks... how much would the cost end up?” It wasn’t like any of the science team had to worry about costs, but might as well take the discount if given. Humans tended to take those as often as possible. 

Before Robin could answer, two other people rounded the corner. G-Man glanced to them, as the smaller of the two, by a small margin, jumped slightly, eyes tracking up to G-Man’s face. G-Man lifted a hand once more. 

“Oh. Wow you are... okay. Sorry, I’m Maru, she/her, are you one of the new farmers?” 

“G-Man, none, and yes.” 

“None as in no preference or none as in no pronouns at all?” 

“The second.” 

Maru nodded, moving over to the desk that Robin as behind, as who G-Man assumed, through process of elimination, was Demetrius, stayed in the doorway. 

“Sorry, just popping in for a second to say that, Mom, you stole our thermometer.” 

“Oh!” Robin dug in her pockets and handed the small object over. “Sorry hun.” 

“It’s fine. Dad just needed it for the recording. Gotta resterilize it, but no big deal.” Maru turned and rounded the corner again, disappearing, as Demetrius smiled up at G-Man. 

“Hey, you find any plant life on the farm you don’t know, feel free to call us down. Might be nice to learn something new about the valley.” 

G-Man hummed. Darnold would like Demetrius. “Of course. Darnold... could bring it up. He has an... interest, one could say.” 

“Demetrius, hun, you can talk science later.” Robin curbed the growing excitement G-Man could see on Demetrius’s face, and G-Man smiled softly. “I’ve got business to talk.” 

“Ah, right, sorry hun.” He moved over, the two of them sharing a quick kiss, before disappearing around the corner once more. 

“Back to it then.” Robin grinned, and G-Man shifted slightly, and turned back to Robin to talk business. 

[nerianasims]

Billboards #1 1965

Under the cut.

Petula Clark – “Downtown” -- January 23, 1965

I love this song to bits. I don't entirely know why. Petula Clark obviously sings it wonderfully. There's that little bell that sometimes chimes in. There's a pattern to the song that makes it feel like Broadway, which is, of course, downtown. It's a fantasy version of a downtown in a big city. One thing I love about fantasy is a sense of place, and that's what this entire song is dedicated to. It's an unusual subject for pop music, and it's great.

The Righteous Brothers – “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” -- February 6, 1965

How does one even talk about this song? It feels somehow eternal. This is Phil Spector's production at its best. But Bill Medley's singing is the point. This song is one of the greats.

Gary Lewis And The Playboys – “This Diamond Ring” -- February 20, 1965

Gary Lewis is Jerry Lewis' son. Unlike his father, he does not consist entirely of annoyance-producing molecules, but the song's not good either. In it, the guy's fiancee dumped him and he's selling the diamond ring. A boring, bland heartbreak song that belongs three years or so back.

The Temptations – “My Girl” -- March 6, 1965

My mom used to sing this song to me when I was a little kid. I think a lot of parents sing this song to their little girls; it's that kind of love song. Yet it's not irritatingly antiseptic. It's about true love. True love can be a lot of things. This song is every superlative you can think of. Brilliant in every aspect.

The Beatles – “Eight Days A Week” -- March 13, 1965 

It's a good, but not great, Beatles song. Very fun, with a lot of interesting things musically, like the bassline (as usual) and whatever George Harrison does with his guitar.

The Supremes – “Stop! In The Name Of Love” -- March 27, 1965

Finally, Diana Ross actually sounds kinda pissed off. It's also got more of a rock edge. She's still begging, and not threatening to leave the guy's cheating ass. Yet, though there is no explicit threat, I feel like there is an implied ultimatum here.

Freddie And The Dreamers – “I’m Telling You Now” -- April 10, 1965

It sounds like this guy is exaggerating his English accent. Considering the British Invasion, probably. He cackles like a monkey on acid, which is the only interesting thing about the song, which is otherwise a bland love song. Though the cackle is interesting, that doesn't make it good. It's creepy. I don't like this one.

Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders – “The Game Of Love” -- April 24, 1965

"The purpose of a man is to love a woman, and the purpose of a woman is to love a man." Whoo boy. Dated. But the song is 55 years old. Attempting to put that aside, the music is good. The lyrics sound pushy, though. Also it gets terribly repetitive at the end. Meh.

Herman’s Hermits – “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter” -- May 1, 1965

Was it once usual for guys to go to their ex-girlfriends' mothers to talk of their heartbreak after the girlfriend dumped them? This song is painfully "look how English I am! You Americans like to throw money at English pop singers, right?" It wears out its welcome quickly.

The Beatles – “Ticket To Ride” -- May 22, 1965

It's interesting how the Beatles seem to have matured five years in one. I can't imagine this group having performed "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The harmonies and rhythms in "Ticket to Ride" are far more complex, the sounds are more varied, and the lyrics are much more mature. His wife/girlfriend is absolutely determined to leave him, and he seems taken by surprise. Yet there are hints he shouldn't have been: "She would never be free when I was around." He goes on, "My baby don't care." Yet underneath there's the suggestion that she simply hasn't got it in her to care any more, because he's exhausted her. Layers of harmony and layers of meaning. It's an intelligent heartbreak song, and those are rare.

The Beach Boys – “Help Me, Rhonda” -- May 29, 1965

I know Brian Wilson was a musical genius but I usually don't like the Beach Boys. It's the lyrics. The narrator was dumped, now he's begging Rhonda to be his rebound. Lucky Rhonda. Then they sing "Help me Rhonda/ Help, help me Rhonda" about five dozen times. Not for me.

The Supremes – “Back In My Arms Again” -- June 12, 1965

Urgh. Don't listen to the Supremes' #1 hits close together. She's got her man back because she stopped listening to her friends' advice. In isolation, there's nothing wrong with that. After all the songs about rotten cheating assholes whom the narrator is desperate to keep, though, it's super uncomfortable. Also using the names of the two backup singers as the friends who give bad advice is in poor taste. And "Flo, she don't know, cuz the boy she loves is a Romeo"? You solely date Romeos! Taken alone, without the context of the other songs, it's good, though I still don't like the strange insult toward the backup singers. Taken with the rest of the Supremes' hits, though, I'm not happy. Especially considering these were all written by men.

The Four Tops – “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” -- June 19, 1965

The Supremes weren't the only people in Motown singing about being hopelessly in love with someone who treated them badly. That's what this song is about. I like it, though the line "I'm weaker than a man should be" is a bit wince-inducing these days. But it's an honest sentiment about how men often feel they're not allowed to be idiots over love, though that's a near-universal human experience. Anyway, good song.

The Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man -- June 26, 1965

The original version of this song was by Bob Dylan, but the Byrds didn't like it, so they changed the sound and ditched a bunch of the lyrics. The lyrics they were left with don't matter at all. This is all about the music, especially the guitar. It's mellow without being soporific, groovy without requiring drugs to understand. It's nice.

The Rolling Stones – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” -- July 10, 1965

The Rolling Stones were almost never nice. They went straight for the gut -- or gonads -- found all the nastiest things that people are afraid to say and embarrassed to feel, and hung them up on the front porch. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" sounds kind of silly today, since it's been played and overplayed so much. But that beginning riff still goes straight to the back-brain.

Two years before, pap like "Hey Paula" was clogging the airwaves. Funnily enough, it's the same subject matter: Goddamn I want to get laid. (The idea that Mick Jagger had trouble getting laid is pretty ridiculous, but anyway.) And then there's the critical bit about hating advertisements. They managed to stick a cultural criticism into a song that's about wanting sex. When you can't get no satisfaction, everything is annoying, and things that were already annoying to begin with start to feel unbearable. The Stones go harder in every way than any #1 before them.

Herman’s Hermits – “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” -- August 7, 1965

And here's the opposite. This song must be meant to be annoying, right? One of my friends and I used to sing it at our parents to drive them nuts, and that was before Ghost. It was their fault for exposing us to it in the first place.

Sonny And Cher – “I Got You Babe” -- August 14, 1965

Cher with Sonny is eternally confusing. Though their marriage didn't last, their love was real, and Cher was heartbroken when Sonny died. But anyway, the song. Sonny saying Cher has a "little hand" is goofy. Actually the whole song is kinda goofy, especially the beat that seems to be made of kazoos. Cher's got this powerful, deep voice, while Sonny has a squeaky little thing, but somehow they mesh. The sentiment is sincere, and a good picture of what it's like to be in a happy relationship. It's good.

The Beatles – “Help!” -- September 4, 1965

John Lennon was only 25 when he sang about being "younger, so much younger than today." But for the Beatles, that could have been two years before. They got so famous so fast and so young, I don't know how any of them lived through it. And that is what this song's about; Lennon called it a "public freak-out." But it's still universal. I love this song, and it helped carry me through some tough times.

Barry McGuire – “Eve Of Destruction” -- September 25, 1965

I remember when I first heard this song on the radio in the car with my mother, I asked her what "Old enough to kill/ But not for voting" meant. That's when I learned people used to not be able to vote until they were 21, though young men could be drafted at 18. I was absolutely stunned, and obviously it stuck with me. When you're a little kid, you tend to think the people in charge are generally fair. Then you find out that's not true at all. That's what this song is about, to me.

The McCoys – “Hang On Sloopy” -- October 2, 1965

Speaking of fair, I'm about to be totally unfair. I hate this fucking song. I had to play it endlessly in middle school band, and then I had to play it AGAIN in high school marching band. And the flute part in the arrangements was the most boring thing that has ever been conceived. I hate this song and I will not be listening to it or thinking about it more than this.

The Beatles – “Yesterday” -- October 9, 1965

Why do people in songs lose their significant others so often because they said something wrong and they don't know what it was? That can't be common. Anyway, this song is beautiful and sad. I'm kind of tired of all the covers of it though.

The Rolling Stones – “Get Off Of My Cloud” -- November 6, 1965

I'm listening to the original mono version of this, and mono sounds very strange these days. I keep wanting to check that my speakers are plugged in. Anyway, thanks to Jagger's marbles-in-mouth singing, I can't understand a word of this song except "Hey! you! get off of my cloud!" and I've never known the lyrics until now. And they're not important. Even the chorus isn't that important. This is all about the beat and the music, neither of which I find interesting for the entire length of the song. Not for me.

The Supremes – “I Hear A Symphony” -- November 20, 1965

A thoroughly happy Supremes song! I think Diana Ross is more suited to happy lovesongs than what she had been singing. She has a lot more emotion in her voice than she has before. The violins are lovely. I love this song.

The Byrds – “Turn! Turn! Turn!” -- December 4, 1965

I have always found this song slightly annoying. The Bible verse set to light pop thing doesn't do it for me. The music isn't anywhere near dramatic enough. This should be operatic, or heavy metal, or something else with serious weight. This is thin.

The Dave Clark Five – “Over And Over” -- December 25, 1965

This song is a bit of a throwback to three or four whole years before. It would have been good then. At this point, it's pretty boring. It's about going to a party he didn't want to go to, hitting on a girl, and getting turned down. The snare drum beat is very repetitive, and so is the melody. A big meh.

BEST OF 1965: "My Girl", with stiff competition.   WORST OF 1965: "I'm Telling You Now"

[makotokyoqoku-archived]

48 character development questions: jenny q.

1. How old are they? in the comics, 12-14; logically, she'd be 20 rn but we all know that comics dont work that way, so shes stuck being 12-14.

2. What gender are they? cis in the comics but in all of my headcanons, xe's nonbinary (genderfluid; she/her & xe/xyr/xyrself).

3. What is their romantic/sexual orientation? lesbian/bi, still not quite sure but she knows she loves girls.

4. How tall are they? 5'2" bc I'm Me and no fav character is gonna be taller than me.

5. What do they look like? dark curly hair, piercing brown eyes; a cut through the left eyebrow; have many ear piercings, snake bites piercings, and a septum ring. theres four beauty marks, randomly spaced, behind her right ear, and she have a birthmark on the inside of her wrist. I've way too many faceclaims/fancasts for jenny, namely charlene chua (model), mable chee, leah lewis, jessica sula, haley or brianne tju (since they're both sisters and I can see them both as jenny).

6. What are their defining features? the cut in the brow, the piercings, and how xyr eyes literally glow in the dark like a cat's eyes due to xyr powers.

7. Does their name have a meaning? well, jenny is a diminutive form of jane which is taken from jehanne, and—as jennifer—the cornish form of guinevere; in the first case, it means "yahweh is gracious/merciful", and in the second it means "fair one" & "white wave" (it's a popular name too, anyway.)

8. What family do they have? apollo & midnighter are her dads, shen li min/swift & angie spica/the engineer are her aunts—basically all of the authority. xe's also the reincarnated spirit of jenny sparks so ig that makes j. sparks her sister or mother???? it's not really clear in the comics at all but in my hcs, they're siblings.

9. Do they have a good relationship with their family? eyup!!! a rocky relationship w angie & jack, but w everyone else yeah jenny does have a good one w them.

10. If not, why not? well with angie its bc of how kinda neglectful she was of jenny when xe was 5 years old. but they kinda sorta patched things up—they didnt talk about it and angie never apologized bc she doesnt see she did anything wrong so its... rocky. with jack.. he did make himself the president of america & made all the other governments in the world give up their respective seats of power and thus practically made himself the sole emperor of the whole world... so yeah, yeah jenny hates him for that.

11. Where do they live? opal city w her dads!! and also on the carrier, the sentient ship that travels through dimensions.

12. Is it a safe place? eyup!!! or... as safe as the carrier can be, anyway.

13. Are they poor, middle-class or wealthy? uhhhh I guess middle class?? idk

14. Do they look up to anyone? her dads, aunt shen,, dinah lance/black canary, the superfamily but especially superman... that's it.

15. Who is their best friend? she never had any in the comics—she was pretty isolated, in the comics. in all of my hcs, though, shes friends w a lot of dc's child & teen characters.

16. Do they have any enemies? aside from the usual enemies trying to destroy the world? no, xe dont.

17. Who is the person they hate most in the world? anyone who tries to ruin people's lives is someone jenny hates... so that's a whole lot of people to list.

18. Do they have any love/hate relationships? nope!!! I mean, jenny does have a love-hate relationship w online multiplayer games, and bad movies. (the latter is more of a guilty pleasure.)

19. Have they ever fallen in love? nope... not in the comics anyway. and honestly I've never thought about this so I dont have any hc for it.

20. Who is the person they love the most in the world? xyr dads!!!

21. Does that person love them back? eyup!!!! to the point where they spoil her rotten, actually.

22. Have they ever hurt or lost anyone? well... she did kill a few villains in self defense as a child so if that counts as hurting someone then yeah, she did.... and also lost apollo when he died in orlando's midnighter & apollo comic but then he came back so there is that.

23. Are they a good shoulder to cry on? ...honestly? kind of. shes the kind of person who, if you went to her w your problems, she'll just tell you how to solve them—them she's still supportive of her friends & family, dont get me wrong, but shes first and foremost a problem solver, and shes through a whole lot of bullshit bc shes perceptive as fuck too, so she'll take your problems and tell you how to deal w them but only after you calmed down from crying your eyes out to her.

24. Are they well liked? we... never got to see that in the comics so it's up to me, again: yes, xe is.

25. How do they handle being complimented? takes it all in strides—the ego boost is nice, too, but xe doesnt let it get into xyr head. xe's humble and modest about it, basically.

26. Are they an affectionate person? with her words, yes, and sometimes even with her actions, but its only with people she knows & trusts.

27. Are they very driven? very much so.

28. What kind of state is the world that they live in? ... I mean, its complicated bc comics are like That so I've no idea. but also like, its 2020.

29. What are the world leaders like? I mean its 2020 even in the comics, so theres that.

30. Does the character worry about their place in society? no, she doesnt.

31. If they could change one thing, what would it be? bold of you to assume it would be just one thing—the thing is that xe could quite literally change reality to how xe wants it to be and no one can do anything to try and stop xyr from doing so... except xe'd hate xyrself for doing that and xyr conscious & morality is the only one thing that's really stopping xyr.

32. Do they like themselves? yes.

33. Are they a good person? yes. chaotic, but good.

34. Are they very forgiving? no lmao, xe holds grudges.

35. Do they believe in destiny? kind of yeah.

36. Are they trustworthy? absolutely.

37. Are they a good liar? no fkskxnsm she cannot lie to save herself, especially from her parents.

38. How do they react to criticism? takes them with strides, although sometimes she doesn't take it well.

39. What is their moral alignment? chaotic good.

40. Can they fight? yes. her parents sure that she took self-defense classes... from them.

41. Would they ever purposefully hurt someone? no, absolutely not. xe'll only hurt someone in self-defense or, in the case of a villain, to stop them.

42. Have they ever been seriously injured? the cut that runs through xyr eyebrow is a scar that xe got when xe slipped & fell on a rock when xe was 4 years old.

43. Do they know first aid? no.

44. Do they have any other survival skills? a lot of survival skills are literally installed into her dna dye to millenials of existence.

45. Are they a fast learner? yes but it also depends on what she's learning—the self defense lessons took a while, so did the skateboard lessons, and cooking; little things like that.

46. How intelligent are they? as intelligent as a 14 years old is.

47. What is their job? the universe's self-defense mechanism... and a middle school student.

48. Do they enjoy their job? try being a 14 years old & having the responsibility of being the self-defense mechanism of AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE on your shoulders... no she doesn't enjoy it but knows that she needs to do this.

[temporoom]

As promised : the angry post about TPN’s last chapter. Read at your caution under the cut. (I really don't want to bother the people who enjoy the manga or enjoyed this chapter). I want to also mention that I tried to avoid spoilers as much as possible before reading this chapter (and never looked at raws). So no bias.

I can summarize that chapter in one word : pointless.

Now, most of you thought : “It is an emotional chapter that made me cry and I love it a lot, why do you think it was pointless?” You fool. A story doesn’t need to make you feel strong emotions to be good, a good story keeps you engaged in it, not obviously makes you cry over it. And to be honest, the chapter made me teared up a bit, it doesn’t change the fact that I was angry.

Now, to explain why this whole scene was poor scenaristic choice I need to go back to the beginning of the manga (and I don't want anyone telling me : yeah you are angry because you wrote that fanfic about Isabella trying to be a mother to Ray post-story. No, it’s not that.).

In the first chapter, we learn a few things about how far the story can go:

First of all, TPN doesn’t shy away from killing innocents, and especially children. This is an important point.

Second of all, TPN wants to subvert your expecations as many times as needed in order for you to stay engaged and to be unable to predict the rest of the plot.

This first chapter set a basis for the rest of the story. And overall, at least in the first arc, it was well-respected. Characters die very suddenly, but logically. And in the end, the remaining children still survive. We can all agree that the first arc was perfect. 

Then we get to the Forest arc and Goldy Pond arc. The Forest Arc was a transition so I won’t talk about it much since its main point is to give you new basis for this new adventure. But the Goldy Pond arc is very interesting because it’s the reflection of what the GF children could’ve become.

As for deaths, unlike many people, I think it would’ve been rather unproductive to have killed any of the main Goldy Pond cast in the sense that we never had any development for them and it wouldn’t follow Yuugo’s and Lucas’ arc. Yuugo and Lucas lost all their companions during their first attack of Goldy Pond, the goal of this arc is to show them tthat they are allowed to live and go on despite their deaths. Them failing by letting one of the children die would be pointlessly dramatic. 

Then Yuugo and Lucas die. Again, it follows a certain logic, but this logic has a terrible risk that the author seemed to have failed to notice. I’ll explain later. In any case, their deaths were, despite their arc, well executed. They stay together until the end instead of being separated, and do everything possible to protect their new family. Even the fact that Andrew actually didn’t die is also incredible because it feels to children as if it was pointless while it’s not.

When Yuugo and Lucas are stucked in the bunker, the group is divided, ultimately leading to the few children going out and being caught by Andrew. In the end, this scene shows that the group still needs to be cohesive to survive, as everyone’s been affected by the events of this. (The Goldy Pond part lost their father figure and multiple comrades, whil the GF part also lost a father figure and have one of their youngest child in a coma)

Then we go to the Paradise Hideout Arc. If you know my posts well, you know it’s my favorite arc, so I don't have much to say about it. Even when looking at it in retrospective I think it was overall very good. And to anyone thinking Norman’s end of the arc was rushed (the whole part where he ends up listening to Emma), do I have to remind you that Ray’s development arc was also rushed? Yeah. Anyway, no important deaths this time except demons we alreday know were assholes… The only thing it would’ve benefited from was just spending more time with those demons and on how far Geelan lost it.

Then we get to what I call the “Last Queen’s fight” Arc or, with more affection: “The Useless” Arc. THIS WHOLE FIGHT IS STUPID. I don't mind the queen actually being like… an unkillable bitch with two cores (also those gore-horror thing were creepy as hell so good job on that). What I mind is the placement of the flash-back indicating her motivations. At that point in the story, we already knew that she was a bitch… We really don't need another flash-back to just show us how much of a bitch she was. The flash-back could’ve stay, but it just needed to be placed before Norman’s attack on the capital. That way, we would’ve ultimately root for Geelan after knowing the truth, but be even more desesperate when seeing that he did not succeed instead of feeling like we just stumbled on two lynx shouting at each other. Also being given more details about the Royal Family could’ve help for the rest of the story and explain better what happened after Legravalima’s coup d’état.

Anyway, she dies. As expected.

Then everyone goes back to GF because the children have been kidnapped… I have a question tho… WHERE IN HELL IS CHRIS. That kid was in a coma for Demon God’s sake ! (spoiler: we still don't know where in hell they put him). This is the first mistake… Of the numerous mistakes of this last arc.

Peter appears as a dangerous threat with Isabella. We expect that she will betray him because she had her character development. Vincent presumably die until we reveal he is not. I don't mind that one because seeing the fandom panic because they made so many posts about his death was hilarious. And also because I felt nothing when he died so I was revealed to actually see that he survived. Then Peter is revealed to not actually be that much of a threat. Unlike many, I didn’t had the Peter hype, so I don't mind. I had always seen him as a rat and a mob (definitely not the final boss). But the bitch then had the nerves to die!

I know that Lewis was revealed to have survived (and even with the hints I still think it was a dumb as hell idea too), but they didn’t had to kill off Peter. The story would’ve benefited more of him surviving and finally acknowledging his responsability towards the children rather than fleeing his desitiny by killing himself. Especially with what is about to come. (we are not talking about the demons choosing Mujika as a queen, because that whole chapter was a rushed mess)

AND THEN ISABELLA DIES. No. I really don't want any “But it was sad!” because no. Just no. It’s not that she is one of my fav character… It’s just perfectly and ultimately pointless.

As I explained earlier, all deaths had a certain logic.

Conny was to show the overall theme of the story.

Krone and Norman were logical actions taken by the villain and a way to motivate the characters to go forward despite the adversity.

The kids at Goldy Pond was again made to set the tone.

The demons there because it’s the plot duh.

Yuugo And Lucas were to get rid of any parental figure capable of giving advices to the children.

Geelan to show that he came to a point closer to madness than reason. As well as showing how powerful is the Queen.

The Queen as she is the main antagonist of Norman’s arc.

But then...

Peter because he doesn’t want to accept his responsabilitie.

Isabella because… Because…? BECAUSE...????

To get rid of an adult figure that could give children advices? It’s the end of the story. To complete her redemption arc? This is a middle finger to all of us. To show that we can leave things to the newer generation?! THAT IS ONE OF THE WORST MESSAGES TO ANY STRUGGLING ADULTS OUT THERE.

Do you understand? Isabella died because they wanted an emotional moment. That’s it. There were no points in it except tears. It was an incredible and well-done emotional moment… But it was pointless.

Without forgetting this replica :

And I love Emma: BUT NO ONE THINKS OR SAYS THAT IN REAL LIFE. 

Re-reading this chapter helps me appreciate it more, and I look forward to how the rest of the manga will go because despite everything, I love it.

I love this manga so much.

But let me tell you this: deaths aren’t supposed to be here for emotional matters, they are here for a purpose, or to show a reality of life. Not just to cry over them, no matter how emotional they can be, they must serve a purpose.

Isabella was just a robbed opportunity. 

[fortunatelyhauntedblackcherry]

Moonshine - A Beetlejuice Fanfiction 09

Warning: swearing (as always), BJ being horny, fire hazard.

The next day was monday, and every monday night since the girls moved together years ago was movienight. They prepared dinner together, bought a shitton of snacks, sat down on the floor in the living room and watched at least 2 movies. Most of the time they fell asleep during the third one.

So they were all in their kitchen, which had pretty peach-colored walls, a big window framed by curtains with various embroidered wildflowers on them, and olive green / beige french country-style kitchen furniture. Rei was making guacamole - which Sirius made quite a hard activity with all the jumping and whining for a piece of chips or basically anything delicious - while Sofía was talking about her business dinner from last night and Ari was sitting on the countertop, in the middle of the kitchen, eating Nutella out of a jar with a skull-shaped spoon. Minerva was laying beside her on her back, playing with a piece of breadcrust, getting occasional earscratchies.

- So I was like "No go amigo, I couldn't possibly share an exhibition with them" and my manager was like "why?" and I was like "because I'd have to be talkative and cute with them and man I couldn't" and he was like "but they are respected artists in the community" and I was like "yeah but they can't even use photoshop MICHAEL how could I work with people who are sooo past century"? - said Sofía, flipped her hair and took a sip out of her lemonade. - So yeah, he arranged the whole thing and now my coworkers for the next couple exhibitions will be not so known, but rising photographers instead of old people, isn't that awesome? - all of a sudden Minerva lifted her head up, pricked her ears and started to hiss in the entrance's direction.

Beetlejuice just arrived after his hunt for bugs in the winter garden. He was leaning against the entrance archway, and shaked his head in disappointment.

- I can't believe that you still hate me this much, you waste of fur. - the cat hissed harder. - What?!? Two can play this game, if you're not nice, I won't be either! - he pointed at Sirius, who let out one bark, then continued harassing Rei. - Look, even the dog got kinda used to me!

- I wonder what her problem is. - said Sofía while Ari pulled the kitty into her embrace.

- That's the point where you should tell them that "yeah she sees my demon buddy, yeah, we have a spectre, and I can hear him!" - said Beetlejuice in a girlish voice while he stepped closer to Ari. The girl stroked the slightly hissing Minerva, who was now laying on her lap. Ari licked her Nutella-covered spoon clean. Beetlejuice stopped in his movement and his jaw slightly dropped. He started to drool a bit. - Hooooly shit babes, it seems like you know how to turn my software into a hardware!

Ari blushed a bit and tried really hard not to giggle so she started to talk.

- ANYWAY... - that was way louder than she intended, so she cleared her throat - ...what did you do last night, Rei? - knowing exactly what happened to her poor sister (since after she got better, Beetlejuice told her everything), she was just curious if she would talk about the posession of her computer. Rei's ginger hair flew over her face as she turned to Ari and put the guacamole down to the countertop.

- Well you could say I was practicing poetry, since Robert Lewis Stevenson insisted that wine is bottled poetry, but to be honest after streaming I was just drinking and wondering what I wanted to be when I grew up... I'm sure it wasn't an anxiety ridden bitch disgusted by people with a wine problem, serving exactly those whom I disgusted by, but... - she put her hands up in the air - ...here I am! - she giggled as she turned to the fridge.

- So I suppose your "fans" were mean again? - asked Sof. Rei took some cheese out of the fridge, and scoffed while giving a piece to the very excited Sirius.

- Not mean, fuckin nasty. - she shut the fridge and rubbed the bridge of her nose under her glasses. - I mean, some of them spammed my IG DMs with requests of "please send me the bra you wore during today's stream, I saw the strap and I'm hooked", like... Ugh.

- Can't judge a man for wanting some lingerie from a pretty girl, that's my opinion. - said Beetlejuice while he hopped on the counter next to Rei.

- Jesus fuck people are weird... - commented Ari as she got off of the middle countertop. Minerva ran away to upstairs.

- Oh so that's the socially acceptable opinion now? Okay wait... - Beetlejuice cleared his throat and continued in a sarcastic manner, heavily gesturing while doing so. - OH YES PEOPLE ARE AWFUL UGH DISGUSTING EW HOW COULD SOMEONE ASK ANYTHING LIKE THAT EWEWEW. - his voice went back to normal as he looked at Ari, who just hugged Rei. - Was it good and totally believable? - Ari smiled and gave him a thumbs up behind her sister's back. - God I'm good! On the other hand, did I tell you that when I walked into Rei's room yesterday, I almost tripped on a bra? You could say... - he floated next to Ari's ear. The girl could feel his icy breath on her earlobe. - ...it was a booby trap. - Ari shut her eyes and bit her lower lip while smiling widely. - SERIOUSLY HOW ARE YOU NOT LAUGHING YOUR PRETTY ROUND ASS OFF, THAT WAS PHENOMENAL!!! - Ari let Rei go and went to one of the cupboards. Rei poured herself a glass of red wine.

- I don't even know why I'm getting upset by these kinds of shits anymore. I've been doing this job for years, I should be used to creeps. - she shrugged. - Eh, whatever, it felt nice to vent.

- And we're here to listen every time! - shouted Ari, head inside one of the lower cupboards, fistbumping the air. After some rummaging, she lifted her head out. - Hey guys, where did we put the ultimate bathbomb?

- What? - asked Sofía with a tilted head.

- The toaster. Obviously. - BJ slapped his knees as he started laughing.

- Gee, doll, that was good! Your humor is getting worse and worse under my influence and I'm living for it! - he scratched his head. - Wait, is that appropriate for me to say? Or should I say I'm dying for it? Since I'm dead? - he shrugged his shoulders. - I dunno both sound good.

After Sof got the machine out of one of the highest cupboards, Ari started making grilled cheese sandwiches. Beetlejuice floated right next to her and flashed a pretty evil, toothy grin. He wriggled his fingers while looking up at the ceiling lamp, which started to flicker. The girls quickly looked at each other but didn't say a thing. BJ giggled. Ari stuck the toaster's plug into the power outlet, which instantly made it sparkle. One of the sparkles fell on Ari's hand. She quickly got it away with a quiet "ouch", and looked at where Beetlejuice's very uproarious laugh came from. The angry face she made almost made the demon tear up.

- What? You thought I'd never mess with ya, doll? After seeing this face, I'll do it even more often, you angry little toddler you... - and with that, the lights flickered again.

- Am I hallucinating or did ya see that too? - asked Sofi, pointing at the lamp.

- Maybe it's just bad wiring... - said Rei, with a rather nervous chuckle. She didn't sound believable at all. - It's nothing to worry about...

- Oh so you think I'm nothing to worry about?! - said Beetlejuice with annoyement in his voice. - You underestimate me, little one. - he pointed at the chandelier in the living room and the lamp in the kitchen. They both started to shine and flicker in the same rhythm. The girls looked at each other.

- I'm pretty sure that's not bad wiring... I think... - one of the light bulbs in the living room shattered, stopping Ari for a moment. They all ducked as the light bulb in the kitchen exploded. - I THINK THIS HOUSE REALLY IS HAUNTED!!!

- THANK YOU! FINALLY! - shouted Beetlejuice, his eyes and his neon green hair glowing. - I'M FINALLY GETTING THE RECOGNITION I DESERVE!

- IT'S NOT, GHOSTS ARE NOT REAL! - shouted Rei, while trying to help Ari get hold of the angrily barking Sirius.

- It's scientifically proven that they are... - commented Sof.

- Shut up, I'm not superstitious like you two! I mean sure, weird things are happening in the house, like my PC acting strange, or the hairdryer sucking Sofi's hair in, but I'm sure there's a logical explanation!

Beetlejuice grinned like a maniac.

- Oh baby you really want logical explanation? You think there's any logic to ME? Then watch... This! - the demon cracked his fingers and chuckled as he looked at the plugged in toaster. Ari looked at the voice's direction and gasped when she saw what Beetlejuice was doing. The toaster's heating wires were glowing red hot, and an awful stench came from the machine. The smell of burning plastic.

- OH FUCKIN HELL!!!

- Who doesn't like a bit of electrical fire? - said Beetlejuice, laughing, looking at the infurious Sof. Ari quickly jumped up and started to go through the drawers quickly. Sof was quicker, she handed her the oven mittens, which Ari put her hands into and lifted the now flaming toaster.

- Okay... Now what? - Rei jumped up in panic too.

- What what?!?

- Where do I put it?!

- ARIADNÉ, YOU JUST LIFTED THIS FLAMING SHIT UP WITHOUT A PLAN?!?!?!?!

- I'M NOT A VERY BRIGHT WOMAN, OKAY?!?!?!? - Rei opened up the window and pulled the curtains back.

- THROW IT OUT!!! - Ari quickly threw the machine out of the window, into the birdbath that was under it. The flames started to fade and the girls let out a huge, relieved breath.

- Welp... I may sound like a hypocrite but... After this I think we're haunted. - Sofía and Ari both looked at Rei.

- You said, literally a minute ago, and I quote, that you are not superstitious like us two. - Rei threw her hands up in the air.

- I'm not superstitious! But I'm a... Umm a little bit stitious.

- Do you seriously think this is a right time for Office quotes? - asked Sof, with folded hands and an eyeroll.

- Hey this is how I cope! Toasters don't start spitting flames normally, man! That shit scared the living Hell out of me!

Ari bit her lower lip. A faint idea crossed her mind.

- Ummm... I think we should ask our presence what do they want. - the girls and Beetlejuice both looked at Ari with lifted eyebrows. - Sof, don't you have an Ouija board? We could ask them stuff and maybe help them out. So they won't cause trouble like this again. - Beetlejuice covered his smiling mouth with his hands.

- OHMYGOD BABES THAT'S A GREAT IDEA! I never tried playing with those things but...

- Okay let's do it. - stated Rei decidedly. - Sofía! Get your Ouija board. We're adjourning movienight. Let's ask this bitch what the everliving fuck is their problem!

[shadowron]

The Districts of the Seattle Sourcebook (1st Edition): Auburn: Where Your Runners Should Live

The town of Auburn’s motto is “More than you imagined”, which is spot-on, because no one is imagining much about this district. Snohomish is the district everyone forgets, and Fort Lewis is the district no one visits, so what does that make Auburn?

Kind of a brownish red?

Hemmed in by Renton, Fort Lewis, and Puyallup on the North, West, and South, respectively, and the Salish-Shidhe Council (Cascade Crow tribe) on the East, Auburn isn’t in the most happening part of the Metroplex. Yoshida labels this “Blue Collar Seattle” due to the large industrial presence, particularly the big chunk occupied by Federated-Boeing right in the middle of the district. While Renton is the suburban district for the suits and sararimen, Auburn is where your runner should make their home.

Every character starts off with a Lifestyle rating that tells them a place to come home to and hide from Lone Star or the Red Samurai for a while. Most GMs I’ve played under didn’t go into a ton of detail about it – after all, out on the streets is where the action is, not at home between the sheets.

This should be the only sheet you care about.

What makes Auburn the district to call you home? Let’s start with mayor:

Zax Pound-Down, the “flamboyant” Ork mayor of the district with possible ties to the local Yakuza. He seems much more approachable than any other city official. Even better: make him one of your contacts – City Official with ork racial mods.

On that topic: The Seattle Sourcebook is full of people you can make contacts out of. Rather than just having a generic Club Owner, have Mitch Stuck, the “mayor” of the microcity of Stuck, six square blocks on the west side of the District, somehow out of the jurisdiction of Lone Star and the rest of the Metroplex. Possible ties to the local Mafia.

The place is home to Stuck’s Carnival (SE 358th St & 85th Ave SE), a casino featuring gambling, prostitution, and illegal chips, and Stuck’s Bag-Your-Body (SE 358th St & 87th Ave SE), a body shop that only the desperate and poor would frequent with a name like that.

In other words: a perfect place to visit if you’re an up and coming shadowrunner. Need supplies? At the former location of a community YMCA is the Clone Zone Mall (64th St E & 160th Ave E), home to Diamond Deckers and Fuchi-cloned cyberdecks and bootleg software. When you’re done, head on over to Casey’s (162nd Ave SE & Lake Moneysmith Rd) to practice your Street Etiquette with the local deckers.

#Plot Hooks: 19

Organized Crime

Mafia – Major

Yakuza – Major

Seoulpa Rings – None

Go-Gangs – Minor