#sassy charles my beloved

[charlyn16]

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳

𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯

[marlenesluv]

Going Public (OB)

pairing: y/n sainz x ollie bearman, y/n sainz x platonic f1 grid

fc: ariana greenblatt (reader is 18)

summary: y/n is the beloved sister of carlos sainz, who’s instagram had been private for years. finally, she makes her account public and shares her life with people other than family, friends, and the grid. soon, her and ollie go public with their relationship.

note: this is my first ollie bearman fic! lmk ur thoughts!! also thank you so much for 600 followers!!

masterlist here -> masterlist link

^ check my list for all posts! ^

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

liked by: carlossainz55, landonorris, and 76,234 others

y/nsainz: opened my instagram for shits and giggles. enjoy, suckers

view comments…

carlossainz55: i thought you said you weren’t opening it?

↳ y/nsainz: that was before i realized how many ppl wanted to see my pics LOL

f1updates: y/n sainz content?? this was a need, ty for opening bestie

olliebearman: that haunted house was not fun.

↳ arthur_leclerc: you seemed like you were having fun

↳ y/nsainz: before or after he almost shit his pants?

↳ carla.brocker: i had fun!!

chili55edits: she is so gorgeous?! these family genes are amazing, i tell ya

lilymhe: oooo shes going public y’all 😛

↳ y/nsainz: yuhhh🥱

sainzupdatepage: gonna start posting her now, yuppp

ferrarifriends: she’s so pretty holy shit

user8: style goes so hard

lailahasanovic: miss you!! 💓

↳ y/nsainz: miss you too!💓

maxfewtrell: i’d love some pic credit for that last one

↳ y/nsainz: looks like you j did. yourself.

↳ maxfewtrell: the sas is out of this world

↳ landonorris: 💁‍♀️💅

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

liked by: lilymhe, charles_leclerc, and 91,348 others

y/nsainz: black tie events, icecream with ollie and then lily, sassy man apocalypse, and a pic kika took at a grid dinner😘

view comments…

francisca.cgomes: y/n is literally an upcoming influencer and i’m here for it

↳ y/nsainz: i’m not already? :/

↳ francisca.cgomes: GIRL😭

user4: the second pic?? stunningggg

olliebearman: who took the third pic?!?!

↳ y/nsainz: you fr need pic creds?

maxfewtrell: oh, i see. she gets the sas from carlos and hanging out with lando and charles

↳ carlossainz55: you aren’t a saint either max

↳ mawfewtrell: wtv🙄

y/nsfp55: YOU ATEEEEE (and ate the icecream!)

charleskachowfp: love these pics sm. i need them engraved in my brain

georgerusell63: first and second pic are giving dark side from star wars

↳ landonorris: it’s almost like that was the goal!

↳ alex_albon: 🫢

user6: favorite siblings in f1 are unlocked: y/n & carlos

↳ arthur_leclerc: what the fuck? what about me and charles?!

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

liked by: olliebearman, francisca.cgomes, and 101,024 others

y/nsainz: i spend race days with ollie while he mansplans to make him feel better

view comments…

olliebearman: what.

↳ y/nsainz: huh

user3: spends time with ollie..don’t make me ship

ollieeesssfp: ollie and y/n content is too cuteee

carlossainz55: could have spent race day in the ferrari paddock.

↳ y/nsainz: don’t act like you wanted me there🙄

↳ charles_leclerc: i did! i missed our pre-race gossip

↳ y/nsainz: i missed that too :( i’ll be with you next race!

user3: y/n is a charles supporter fr

*liked by creator*

f1wags: kika looks so cute in the last pic!

olliesfp1: BRO? j tell us ur dating cuz he’s looking at her like he’s in love fr

francisca.cgomes: race day = chat day!

↳ y/n.sainz: fr!!

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

twitter:

F1 Updates @f1updates • 3hr ago

Today we will be talking about Y/n Sainz and the dating rumors with Ollie Bearman!

Here’s what we know: Y/n met Ollie through Arthur Leclerc, in which the trio started hanging out a lot, sometimes including Carla, Arthur’s girlfriend. We know that Y/n spends time with Ollie in the Ferrari paddock when she goes to watch Carlos and Ollie will accompany her.

Seen, last night around 9:10pm, Y/n and Ollie were leaving a restaurant in Mexico. The Grand Prix is this Sunday, only five days away from Tuesday nights spotting! We are questioning if they are more than friends….since Ollie seemed fairly protective of her at the dinner..

↳ Sainz Sibling Page @sainzsibs • 3hr ago

Y/n and Ollie are my otp. They are so cute together!

↳ F2 Bloggerrr @f2blogg • 2hr ago

Idk, I think Y/n and Lando would be cute

↳ Papaya Fp @mclarenpap • 2hr ago

HUH😭 Y/n and Lando are besties, they will nott date. Just because she hangs out with the F1 guys does not mean they are dating….

↳ Dolly luvs cars @dollyf1chatt • 1hr ago

In my opinion, Y/n and Ollie are the cutest couple. The way she’s Carlos’ younger sister and she’s also so close with the Leclerc family and Ollie is close with Arthur? They have background and it’s so cute. Our pure babies 🤭 They are adorbs

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

liked by: olliebearman, landonorris, and 98,014 others

y/n.sainz: brazils legal drinking age is 18��👍🇧🇷 maybe it shouldn’t be

view comments…

carlossainz55: what is going on in brazil?!

↳ y/n.sainz: nothing?

↳ carlossainz55: Y/N.

f1wags: LMAO not y/n being scolded by carlos 😭

olliebearman: 😊👍

↳ y/n.sainz: 😯✌️

user7: not the THONG?

↳ user2: girl has got some explaining to do LOLLL

formula2edits: brooo, that’s obv ollie in the first pic

lilymhe: cutiesssss

*liked by creator*

y/nsogfanpg: she slays even when she’s literally throwing up bc she’s drunk!

danielricciardo: i feel like ive committed a crime by seeing this post

↳ y/n.sainz: weewoo weewoo🚨

↳ danielricciardo: ha. ha.🙄

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

liked by: y/n.sainz, arthur_leclerc, and 52,014 others

olliebearman: 👍📸

view comments…

user3: SOFT LAUNCH🚨⚠️🚨⚠️

sainzpost55: ollie ain’t subtle wit it🫤

arthur_leclerc: lol, mate. just wait till carlos sees this one

↳ oscarpiastri: you can say that again….

fp1upsss: okay mr. hard launch!!!

y/n.sainz: oh great heavens

carlossainz55: 🧍‍♂️what.

↳ olliebearman: should i block him?? @y/n.sainz

↳ y/n.sainz: nah, he’ll just come to your house then

↳ olliebearman: HUH

user1: wait….. y/n and ollie CONFIRMED??

↳ f1wags: yes‼️ wag and a sister of a driver is a SLAY

liamlawson30: cute guys!! pr is gonna LOVE this one

↳ olliebearman: oh man

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

your instagram story:

seen by: carlossainz55, landonorris, and 74,149 others

ollies instagram story:

seen by: carlossainz55, charles_leclerc, and 47,138 others

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

liked by: olliebearman, carlossainz55, and 89,130 others

y/n.sainz: 🧸��️

view comments…

y/nfp7: anyone else see that she added the bear emoji and a red heart to her bio too?🥹🥹

carmenmmundt: you guys are tooo cuteeee

↳ y/n.sainz: carm 💓

olliebearman: ❤️❤️

*liked by creator*

formula1updates: i’m melting. they are so cuteeeee

carlossainz55: cute theme i guess

↳ olliebearman: i’m growing on you

↳ carlossainz55: yeah like a fungus

↳ olliebearman: oh….that’s good?

francisca.cgomes: so prettyyyy

↳ y/n.sainz: no you kika

bear8fp: omggg the bears??? TOO CUTE

user4: don’t mind me, just sobbing in the corner bc i’ll never have an f1 brother and an f2 bf🥲✌️

f1wags: this is too precious i’m gonna burst 🥹

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

(reposts, comments, and likes are appreciated!^-^)

[ghostlightsahead]

Sassy Charles my beloved. "Penalty for Mr Russell" like okay I was half joking about the lestappen padel date and reigniting the competitive fire before, but guys I think it might be true...

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

First Note of Love is already everything I wanted from it.

I have my beloved Charles back in a BL. He just makes me so happy. Neil is such a fantastic mix of "man with real devastating trauma to overcome" and "pathetic meow meow who is stalking a college sophomore for calling him a has-been".

Side note, if harassing dude had bothered to watch History 4, he would know - hitting the love interest of this man is bad for your health.

Michael was good in My Tooth Your Love, but he already has so much more to work with here, and is doing amazing with it.

Sea is soft and sweet, but has his sassy side, and is definitely not a pushover - which is really helpful in an age-gap situation.

There's this tall drink of water, who I can't wait to see get his own smooches.

I love Xiao Mei (bonus points to the background actress for the matching expression).

I love Ting Fei.

The editing showing how these Neil and Sea are already so connected is fantastic. And the music - is actually good!!!

And I can't lie - the shorter run time is actually something of a relief, because I am too overwhelmed with hour long shows right now. There's something to be said for brevity.

Giving Taiwan a big 😘 for this one.

[lestappenforever]

Monaaaa, beloved supplier of Lestappen goodness, you have done it once again!

After I’d thought I’d already read everything you’ve written I discovered the Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace one and wow, it was phe-no-men-al. I don’t want to call it my absolute favourite just yet, recency bias and all, but I’m pretty sure if I were to rank your fics tomorrow or so, it’d take the number one spot.

A short but not exhaustive list of my reactions/things I said out loud while reading:

Multiple “awwws”, giggling like a maniac, “biiiiitch” in varying volumes, sassy snapping my fingers, “you did not just do that” while grinning from ear to ear, “yeeeess” in varying volumes and lengths” and generally just a ton of happy/excited noises

Broken record and everything, but once again you absolutely blew it out of the park. Not only were Charles and Max amazingly written, the entire scene/ambiance was impeccable but also all other side characters were spot on. I’ll skip gushing about the little glimpses of Lando (I think my obsession with him is clear enough as is) but my side character highlight this time around was Valtteri. Such a small but powerful and fitting gesture, I loved it

Take all my praise my dear, you created another masterpiece.

Now excuse me, I’ll be off using my uni commute to search your blog for any and all other fics of yours that I might have missed

Lots of love and the biggest hug, M 🧡

P.S.: I saw you answered a question about translating your works yesterday and I was considering trying to create the german translation to one of your works, if you’re okay with it, to see if translation is something I’d enjoy doing. I suppose it’d also make sense to reveal who I am at that point.

M anon, my darling, how I sorely needed to see one of your asks in my inbox today. 🧡

You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you enjoyed my Speak Now (Or Forever Hold Your Peace) fic! I had so much fun writing this last summer, and it fills my heart with warmth and love to know you enjoyed it. Thank you so, so much, you have truly made my day with your appreciation for one of my absolute favorite fics to write.

You are such a sweetheart, and I will never be able to express just how much joy your messages continue to bring me. It is such an honor that you keep taking the time out of your day to leave me these asks that put the biggest smile on my face.

I hope you're having a great day at uni, and I'm sending you the biggest hug (and all my love) right back. 🧡

P.S.: I would be so honored if you wanted to translate some of my work! So please feel free to do so and let me know if you do because that would make me so incredibly happy. 🥹

[jammyjams1910]

I got tagged

5 comfort characters (not all of them & not in order except for Donald):

1) Donald (TTTE), my beloved pudding 😭 dw bubs you're doing great 💖💕

2) Charles II (Horrible Histories), sassy bub that stole the show, party on Charlie ✨💞

3) Gonta Gokuhara (Danganronpa v3 killing harmony), best gentleman & total sweetheart 😭 bub deserved so much better 💖💖

4) Pip Pirrip (South Park), miss him sm, poor bab didn't deserve all the bullying 🥺💖

5) Mikan Tsumiki (Danganronpa 2 Goodbye despair), love and kin her, we have similar trauma & personalities, she deserved way better 😭💖

Tagging, no pressure ofc:

@blackwolfflame @just-a-douglas-simp-existing @blockheadhetalian @darkcaca190

heyyy thanks for the tag @paifically !!

Rules:

list five comfort characters, then tag five people

remus lupin

hiccup

toothless

eugene fitzherbert

james potter (i kinda wanted to list the marauders as one but i think that’d be cheating?)

and now for the tags (no pressure of course, and if you don’t feel like doing it, don’t do it): @graveryavery @sayosdreams @her-smile-forges-galaxies @achilleslikespeas @staryard

<33

[xiaoluclair]

XIAOOOO my beloved

for that prompt list if you ever feel like it??

19. After coming home from work/a long trip, finding your lover sobbing on the couch/in bed after a hard day, wiping away their tears with soft touches and gentle words--trying to convince them it's okay, and that you're there for them now.

buuut? hear me out.. make charles the one comforting for once bc i feel like he's always the one being sad in the fics and i need some soft max crying in his bfs arms?

if u don't all good, love u anyways xxxx

it’s always 'max help', it’s never 'max do you need help' 😤😭

no but fr i would’ve written this as charles comforting max regardless bc yes i agree!!! the image that immediately came to mind was sad charles so, naturally, i say fuck you! to that and go in exactly the opposite direction ;D

anyway SHANNNN MY DARLING MY DEAREST MY ANGEL ON EARTH!!! for u, i hope this is okay!! we went away from the crack a little but i hope you still like it <3

-###-

He enters to darkness and the absence of sound. 

It should not set Charles on edge as it does. The walls hold the light that floods the corridor when he flicks the switch by the coat pegs, puts up his jacket next to the hanging sack of eggplants they have yet to return to Lando. 

Suitcase wheels roll loudly behind him as Charles trails fingers along the paint. All he can think is that it is his toes aching, out of everything. Not being able to bury them under Max’s thighs for almost a month - deprivation, quite frankly. 

The wall gives way to edge and Charles whispers, “Hellooo?” 

Shadows shift, the barest noise. Charles turns on the light. “Max?”

The ball moves and something falls out, soft and purring on the floor and immediately reaching again for the body vibrating between couch cushions. Charles blinks and finds himself beside it, fabric between his fingers and Jimmy climbing through his arms. “Max? Max- hey.”

A swipe to his face. Sassy hisses from her place half-hidden in Max’s chest. Charles is making hushing sounds, without realizing at first, hands reaching slowly. His touch, and Max’s face falls into illumination. Tear traces draw themselves over the soft of his cheeks, seep into puffy skin that glows red. It is terrible and breaking and Charles says, “I would like to hold you.”

Max’s sniff breaks halfway in. “Thank fucking god.” 

He rolls off the sofa, right on top of Charles. Oxygen crushes out of his lungs, arms envelop Max’s joints as they curl between his embrace and Charles shifts them against the foot of the couch. Sassy escapes within the motions, and she’s stretching over Charles’s skull while Jimmy butts Max’s chin. 

“You smell like plane,” says Max quietly. 

“Yeah?” murmurs Charles. “What does plane smell like?”

“Stale air conditioning. Daniel’s underwear.”

A snort, soft as the hair it burrows into. “I have questions.”

The laugh jars Max’s body, hard against his chest. And then it continues to shake and Charles feels something unpleasant and hollow expanding in his chest behind the place Max’s tears are blooming a patch into his T-shirt. He tilts his face, moves his arm around Jimmy to collect the sadness dripping from Max’s eyes with his thumb, over and over. Words seem out of place so he says nothing at all, not yet. A touch instead, a noise he hopes holds comfort, a kiss on the corner of a mouth. 

Stillness comes slowly. Sassy claws lines over Charles’s ear, licks them clean as Jimmy paws at Max’s jaw with ignorant innocence. When it finally settles, he thinks he has an entire spa of cat spit tracing his neck. “Would you. Do you want to tell me what it is?”

A moment of silence, messy hiccups. Then, something Charles cannot quite hear. “Say that again?”

“The little turnips,” sniffs Max a little louder, “the little turnips and they are so small, Charles, and they are so cute and I want to- I want to hold- I want to have- Charles-”

Charles scrambles to resume the hushing sounds, strokes the sides of Max’s face as Sassy slinks off his forehead to burrow in the blankets spooled on the floor. Careful, touch still soft and slightly tentative, Charles says, “What, um. Where did you see these little turnips?”

A finger, right to the TV. “With the underwater otter.”

“Underwater otter.”

“And underwater cat.”

“Underwater cat-” Charles blinks. “You mean the Octonauts?”

Max’s wail burrows into his chest and Charles jumps to hold him closer. “They’re so cute!”

“Okay,” he rushes, “okay, I know they are, they are very very cute.” Jimmy pats Max’s face with sympathy. Beside them, Sassy snorts. Charles kisses Max’s forehead and hugs him into the warmth starting to bud between his ribs. He wonders if Lando has any sacks of turnips lying around.

[bwoahtastic]

A Lestappen wedding??? You bet your ass that Charles is going all out, Jimmy and Sassy are gonna be the ring bearers, Fernando will officiate the ceremony and yup they sneak out for a dirty little quickie because the armani suit that Charles chose to wear is just the right tightness 👌 Max definitely get’s drunk as fuck making out with Charles and being sappy as hell and Max’s speech made everyone cry (Charles the most, he literally broke down in tears when Max said: everyone, my beloved husband…) and there are more fireworks than there should be on a wedding and if they are red, blue and then purple… well Charles went all out ✨😜

Pllss Max is just so anxious the morning of the wedding and needs Dan to give him courage and to reassure him Charles loves in and to stop Max from fidgeting sk much skdkd

Lando walking Jimmy and sassy down the aisle with the rings ekdjekek pls that would be amazing, even more so if that was a surprise for Max!

And it wouldn't be lestappen without a quickie cos they are HUSBANDS now and know they will be too drunk later to consummate their marriage xnekd

And plls Max giving such a sweet emotional speech that makes everyone cry, Charles especially, and thenxspending the remainder of the night tipsily gushing about how Charles is so freaking beautiful!! And the fireworks are ofc over the top but just perfect and Max can't believe he got to marry that drama queen!!!

[zephyr-mew]

twitter: @ZyxousMew

fandoms I'm currently love very much

✨Yakuza (mainly Infinite Wealth)✨ ❤️Ichiban❤️ 🩶Kiryu🩶 💛Zhao💛 🖤 Masato🖤 (!!untagged spoilers will be happening!!)

I have SO MANY FEELINGS-- • kiryuichi when • polycule when • dub defender, hearing people actually speak like local boys is wild (it actually feels like here!! ;w;) dub obispo my beloved

fave boys: (I've got love in my heart for most of the boys tbh)

ichi • kiryu • masato • zhao • daigo • ryoma • majima • akiyama • nishiki • yamai • tomi • adachi • shinada • kaito •

fave ships: (I ship most things ngl, this is by no means an exhaustive list)

kiryuichi • masadai • kiryuichitomi • kiryuichizhao • tomiyamai • nishikiryu • masaichi • ichizhaohan • minedai • kirinan • ebisawa • yamaichi • shinakitani • shinadai •

honestly anything yakuza has consumed my soul, so that's uh,, kinda it right now lmao

×

faves of yore

📺 RTVS + Friends 📺

love all of them so much 💜

🌌 Arcana 💚Muriel💚❤️Julian❤️💜Asra💜

mash these boys together in every which way and I'll die happy 💜 also lucio/valerius fucks. unfortunately a simp for devil lucio

Jerma

jerma

Stanley Parable

ultra deluxe reignited my love for this :3 check out the demo, it's a completely separate thing from the main game + absolutely worth playing

Homestar Runner

a formative childhood experience + permanent vocabulary alterer

Jak and Daxter

Jak ✔️ Erol ✔️ Torn ✔️

Hotel Dusk + Last Window

thinkin bout Hyde... and Jeff... and Charles... and Louis... and Tony...

Dan Vs

official episodes are all free on youtube 👀 all my love for this fucked up little dude

Subeta

honestly the best avatar and pet site I've ever seen, hmu @ LyricZephyr for buddy gold account gifts :3 please they're just sitting there uselessly otherwise

Ace Attorney

Apollo best boy ❤️ haven't played anything past 5 tbh, they did my boy dirty and I needed a long break from the fandom

OFMD

izzy meow meow - particularly fond of steddyhands and rizzy

Hotline Miami

×

other things that I have liked at some point under the cut

A Way Out

acab ✌️

Animal Crossing

Kicks is bae, he's the only one who didn't make a Big Fucking Deal of me trying on femme stuff as a guy back in New Leaf

Be My Princess

Roberto my love my life ❤️

Beginner's Guide

Bugsnax

these bitches gay, your honor

Cause of Death

iOS game that shut down in like 2010 ;_; I miss Mal. and Kai. Fun fact, I shipped Mal with Hyde from Hotel Dusk - mainly bc they're both detectives lol. nevermind the fact that they're in different time periods

Créme de la Créme

from Choice Of games - literally writing up a whole rec post for this, there's so many queer options it's great

Dem Salty Bois + Friends

Pat 💜 Wade 🐔 Gar 🐺 JP 🍍 special guest BreadHeroDan 🍞

Dragon Age Origins + 2 + Inquisition

tbh I haven't personally played much, but I watched a lot of my sibling's playthroughs. I've got a soft spot for a lot of these guys. god I wish I didn't have to draw/commission stuff myself to see more of my inquisitor/warden/hawke

Dream Daddy

Damien especially 💜

Fire Emblem Awakening + Fates

admittedly weak for takumi. and a lot of the boys tbh. maaaybe someday I'll play 3H

Gabriel Knight 3

why this. damn my weakness for shitty 90s games and a sassy bitch boy with chaotic bi vibes

Journey

Legend of Dragoon

The Longing

the scronkly bab ;w;

Markiplier

look

Metal Gear Solid 1-3

I haven't played myself, but I grew up watching my sibling play these a lot. Ocelot's stupid hand guns gesture and Raiden slipping on bird shit are forever burned into my brain.

Motorcity

lost before its time

My Little Pony

Braeburn 💛

Osomatsu-san

def a Karamatsu boy 💙

Oxboxtra

Persona 3/4/5/Q

tbh I've only fully finished 3s male mc route and q, the rest I've roughly half finished? I'm aware of 4s major spoiler, somehow never seen 5s I think - but honestly, I don't care about spoilers for this fandom. yusuke best boy

Portal

Professor Layton 1-6

Punch-Out Wii + Super

I don't know why I love these characters as much as I do, but hey

Return of the Obra Dinn

Sam & Max

alas I am not immune to Jergen the goth german vampire and his fucking doorknocker-ass nipple piercings

Sims 2 DS

I like Sims in general, but this particular weirdass game had a stranglehold on me for a hot minute

Smosh

Sorted Food

Stumpt

Tales Runner

Rough... Kai... Ocean... Maki... I forget what they changed their names to in the newest server, they're dumb and I'm not using them

TF2

trucks 👏 n 👏 vans // hmu for my decade-old playlist of sfms and music~

Wild Kratts

stg Chris looks like Apollo Justice, Martin looks like Chris Dan Vs, Zach looks like Dan Dan Vs... what is up with this

Witcher

I'm gay

Wolf Among Us

I just,, really like Bigby okay

~

for any youtube types, hmu for my most likely absurdly long playlists of them ✌️

[footyleclerc]

Meow!

elle my beloved, always delivering the quality lestappen content!!!

I love how we started off with Charles being our meow meow and Max having 2 meow meows (jimmy and sassy supremacy!!! even tho I'm not a cat person lol). And now, Charles and Max are the lil meow meows!!! look at how far we've come <3

here's a couple which I think encapsulate their energy - fighter bastards who love to cuddle <3

I need a thread of lestappen as cats or cat gifs... ANY VOLUNTEERS????

[icycoolslushie]

THG Thomastair AU

“I wish we could find sanctuary,” Thomas said. “You know, with shelter and such.”

“But Thomas,” Alastair said, “you are my sanctuary.”

TW/CW: If you're reading this, you've probably read The Hunger Games books or watched the movies so this has the same stuff as in them!

Idea // OG post // Ask

Disclaimers: This has headcanons along with snippets. Hopefully it's not OOC. Any Persian is what my Iranian friend told me. I like to headcanon that all the districts have their own language. Warning: The plot might be non-existent. Also, if you see any kind of mistakes (grammar, spelling, etc.) please let me know! Kinda long :)

Thomas is from District 7

Alastair is from District 11

The president is Josiah Wayland

The Head Gamemaker is Maurice Bridgestock

Eugenia is part of a group to overthrow the Capitol

Barbara and Oliver died in a previous Hunger Games

It was like it was in the books

Alastair used to be in a relationship with Charles Fairchild, son of the mayor of District 11, Charlotte Fairchild

Risa is Sona’s sister so Alastair’s aunt

Alastair volunteers for Cordelia

Cordelia struggles with him and finally says in “I love you” in Persian (dooset daram) before Alastair goes on the train

Cordelia is like Prim

Alastair’s mentor is Ragnor Fell

They be sassy together

Thomas’s mentor is Charlotte

Alastair’s stylist tells him Alastair should dye his hair back to black

In the opening ceremony, Thomas dresses as a tree and Alastair thinks how Thomas makes “a boring costume look beautiful”

Alastair has a suit on with leaves embroidered on it which Thomas later tells him “it was like nature blessed you”

Jem may or may not be an Avox Jem is Alastair’s Avox

Thomas Tanner is Thomas’s Avox

For training Alastair throws spears and pulls a 8

Thomas uses a broadsword in training and pulls an 8 as well

Thomas gets a compass rose tattoo from his stylist for the interview

The arena has a structure that looks like the Eiffel Tower at one end

The arena is covered in forests, except for the Cornucopia

When the canon sounds, Alastair runs toward the Cornucopia and escapes with a dagger to the forest

Thomas runs straight (ha!) into the forest

9 children die in the initial bloodbath

Alastair and Thomas both spend the night in trees about ten minutes away from each other

In the morning, Alastair hears rustling and eventually confronts Thomas

They first try to kill each other, but then they hear someone else and work together to fight the District 9 male tribute

Alastair puts his dagger at the tribute’s throat and stabs him there

Alastair doesn’t want to partner up and vice versa

“Alastair—I think you’d be a great person to team up with, but I . . . I don’t want to team up with you. I don’t want to team up with anyone. We—we might survive till the end, and then—” “No, Thomas, I understand. We’ll pretend this never happened. We’ll go our separate ways.” Thomas nodded, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Part of him had been hoping Alastair would disagree with him, even when it was reasonable. He ignored it and set about laying the food they’d gathered.

But they gather food and decide they’ll have a meal together and then go their separate ways

They make a meal of some fruits they find on trees and on the ground

Thomas just cannot eat the celery

They part ways

By the second night, fourteen people in total are dead

Thomas goes to the Eiffel Tower structure the next day

He climbs onto the first level and greets Alastair

Alastair’s leg is wounded

Alastair explains that the Careers fought him

The Careers include Augustus Pounceby and Clive Cartwright

“Tell me. Tell me who hurt you. I’ll kill them.” Alastair had never seen anyone so angry on his behalf that it unnerved him. “It doesn’t matter, it was the Capitol—” “Don’t,” Thomas said quietly. “Don’t try to downplay it. I want to make them pay.” Alastair paused. After a minute he said, “It was the Careers. The District 1 and 2 tribute. Augustus and Clive. They climbed onto here and started fighting me. I gave Augustus a good cut on the arm and Clive a nice scar on his cheek but they overpowered me. Augustus stabbed my leg. They left laughing.” “They didn’t finish you off?” Alastair shook his head. “I think they . . . wanted me to suffer. It isn’t like I can go anywhere, and I have no allies, so probably wanted to come back tomorrow and then finish me off. But it’s not like I’m going to last that long.” The last sentence caught Thomas off guard. “What?” “Aren’t you going to kill me?” Thomas thought about the District 1 tribute, Augustus, who had been saying that Barbara was weak before the Opening Ceremony. That Barbara, who had gotten him out of a scuffle with a Peacekeeper, was weak. That Barbara, who had volunteered for her cousin in the Reaping, was weak. He thought about the hate he had felt for the Career. Then he thought about graceful, elegant, bleeding Alastair in front of him, the way he had hugged his sister, the way he guarded himself, and decided. “No,” he said. “I’m not going to kill you.”

Thomas bandages Alastair’s wound

“Alastair, you’re hurt. Please let me wrap your leg in leaves and vines.” “Thomas, you don’t understand. I’ve always bandaged my own wounds. It’s not going to change now.” “Sometimes,” Thomas said, “it’s better to let others take care of you. They do a better job than you realize. Alastair, please. You’re bleeding. Let me help.” Alastair saw something in Thomas’s eyes: truth. He thought back to how many people would want to help him: his father, his mother, his aunt Risa . . . when he was young. As he grew up, all of them faced the same cruel system and all of them were expected to take care of their own wounds. Now, here was someone willing to help him when he should be killing him. It gave Alastair such a feeling of care and belonging that he nodded. It wouldn’t hurt to let someone take care of him for once.

They eventually decide to team up

Thomas makes a meal out of things he finds in the forest

He and Alastair eat it

Alastair heals from his wound

By that night, nineteen people are dead

Augustus, Clive, and the District 8 female tribute are still alive along with them

Alastair takes first watch during the night, Thomas takes the second

Alastair gently moved his fingers across the compass rose tattoo that Thomas had gotten from his stylist. He felt Thomas’s pulse. He promised himself that that pulse would go on even when his own didn’t.

The next day Alastair and Thomas set off (Alastair’s leg is healed)

Augustus and Clive are waiting for them

Thomas kills Augustus, attacking with A LOT of force

Clive gets a good hit on Thomas with a sword on his left arm

Alastair and Clive fight, Clive flees finally while he’s bleeding from a dozen cuts

Alastair bandages Thomas’s wound with leaves and vines

“I love it when you say my name. Say it again.” “Thomas—Thomas, you’ve lost too much blood. You’re going delirious.” Thomas sighed softly. “I would go delirious if that meant I could hear you say my name one more time.”

They get a sponsor gift: a whole meal of steak and sides, which they finish that day

When Alastair bites into an apple, Thomas wants to kiss him

Both of them fall asleep at night

When they wake up, they’re in a prison; a Capitol prison

They were in prison. But even if they were in hell, Alastair wouldn’t have minded. They were together.

They lie in each other’s arms, seeking warmth

“Why are we in prison? What did we do?” Alastair demanded, getting up as Josiah Wayland stuck his ugly face in front of the bars. President Wayland’s lip curled. “It isn’t you that did something, it’s your family.” Thomas gasped sharply. “Eugenia.” The president smiled cruelly. “So you do know her crime.” Thomas swallowed. Alastair put his hand in Thomas’s. “What did my family do?” Alastair asked, trying to change the topic. “Why, your sister did the same thing,” Josiah Wayland said. This time Alastair gave a sharp gasp. Thomas squeezed his hand, and Alastair drew a bit of comfort from him. But his mind was on Cordelia, his little sister, what would happen to her— Wayland, the monster he was, smiled wider as he saw Alastair and Thomas despairing their sisters’ fate.

Cordelia joined the same rebel group Eugenia was in

“But why are we here? What did they do that you had to take us out of the Games?” Thomas demanded when he had finally calmed down. It seemed that all the Lightwood siblings would all die in their youth. “As soon as they are in our custody, they will be executed. In front of you two. Everyone thinks the two of you killed each other. After they’re dead, both of you will be executed.” Thomas swallowed. “Why? Why will you execute us?” “Your sisters should have thought about your safety before they did what they did. At least you’ll be able to tell them goodbye. If the executioners give you the chance,” President Wayland added before he gave another cruel smile and left.

Thomas and Alastair despair over their and their sisters’ fates

“We’ll fight them. I don’t care. We’ll fight the Capitol. We’ll make them pay for what they did to Barbara and Oliver and Jem and Will and Tessa and my mom and every single person they hurt. We’ll make them pay, Alastair.”

Thomas sighed. “If only we had hope.” “I don’t think about hope, Thomas. I think about you. You’re my hope.” And now I’m going to lose you, Alastair wanted to add, but he didn’t. And then I won’t have any hope left.

“The odds were never in our favour, Thomas,” Alastair whispered, closing his eyes. Then he added softly, “And they never will be.”

Letter addressed to Alastair Carstairs, District 11 male tribute of the 56th Hunger Games, from Charles Fairchild, son of the mayor of District 11, found crumpled in a trash bin of the Training Center floor 11

Taglist: @della-vacker-supremacy @themadhatter999 @writeforjordelia @theenchanteddreamer Also tagging @jurdan-my-beloved who originally requested the headcanons and @youngreckless Lmk if you wanna be added or removed!

[cosmiciaria]

Assasin’s Creed III Remaster review - Spoilers! - Long post!

I wanted to keep this spoiler free, but as this game is such a narrative experience, I don't think I'll be able to. I'll try to keep them at minimum, but be warned: there are major spoilers ahead. By the way, this game is almost a decade old, so y'all had plenty of time to get spoiled beforehand. And if you're reading this, it's because you like this game and you probably know how it ends.

Review under the cut because this is way too long. 

As always, I express my feelings and impressions regarding my experience with a game – I write it because I like writing reviews instead of, I don't know, recording a video for YouTube. I'm not a YouTuber and I feel safer behind a keyboard where people don't point out about my weird accent (the accent every Hispanic person has when they speak English). Since the pandemic started, I found refuge and comfort in AC games, with Syndicate being my first contact with the franchise, and Unity solidifying my love for it. I found strength and weaknesses in all the installments I've played, which are almost all of them by now (excluding the first AC with Altaïr, the new saga with Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla, and Rogue). I've also platinumed three of those games I've played, and I'm on my way to platinum this one, so I think I can speak from a deep fan standpoint by now.

Since Syndicate, I studied from up close each of the protagonists of the mainline games. I felt drawn to Arno because he looked like one of my oc's (and his girlfriend looked like my oc's girlfriend as well); I wanted to learn about Ezio because he's a fan favorite; I wasn't at all impressed by Edward but ended up growing fond of him; I respect Altaïr for what he means to the Brotherhood; but I can safely say, that I haven't felt as attracted to a main AC protagonist as I felt with Connor.

From the moment I knew he was a native American (such a bold choice, it seemed for me) I felt instant attraction – but not the, idk, physical (he's a cutie I give it to you), but because of what he could bring about as a main character. A perspective we don't usually get to see, and personally, as I'm not American, a point of view to educate me on a different side of history. I wanted to see what they could do with him as the star of the game, I wanted to play with him and understand how someone like him could rise up and become a protagonist of such a well known and beloved saga of games. I applaud this decision from Ubisoft, whether they did it because they wanted to look progressive or not, I don't care, I'll always cherish that the protagonist of a famous videogame is a Mohawk. And with the American Revolution as the main stage, no less. Such an important scenario to strengthen the virtue of independence, patriotism and love for a country, going hand in hand with a character that represents America even more than the Founding Fathers.

(Also I'm a Hamilton Fan Trademark so I couldn't stop singing random parts of songs while playing this game, it was a nightmare every time Lafayette appeared on screen because I JUST HAD TO start mumbling Guns and Ships)

I lunged blindly into this game – I'd only spoiled myself the very ending because I played Black Flag before – so imagine my surprise when I first saw Haytham, Connor's father, as the main protagonist.

So here's the deal. Let's clear this out of the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game. It was what I expected and more.

But.

Yes, there's always a but in AC games, you know the drill.

As I kept playing with Haytham, charming though he was, I kept thinking to myself "ok but when does Connor come into play". I also already knew Haytham was a Templar, so the end of the first few sequences didn't catch me by surprise – actually, what caught me by surprise was that there was no mention of Assassins or Templars during the "prologue" with Haytham, instead you're left to believe they're all Assassins until he prays to the Father of Understanding and you realize with a gasp "oH NoO!".

You play with Haytham the first three sequences. One of these have the most memories out all of the sequences more or less. This whole thing can take up to three to five hours depending on how much time you wish to put into exploring or completing the optional objectives. And still no signs of Connor.

Connor does come eventually – as a child – by sequence 4. It's not until the end of sequence 5 that you get to play as (almost) adult Assassin Connor, so maybe five or six or even seven hours into the game and you're barely starting.

I know what they did here. I understand. And this is what I meant when I said they were going for a 'narrative experience'. To make you play as Haytham before, to lure you into a false sense of safety believing he was an Assassin working for a just cause, to make you feel invested in his relationship with Ziio – only to discover he's one of the bad guys, that will eventually give birth to our true hero of the game – it sediments everything perfectly. It tells you everything you need to know to understand these characters and their motivations. I can see where they're going and some of it can be quite predictable, but it was done right. On the narrative aspect at least.

I got used to Haytham by the time we switch to Connor, we're used to his cloak and his three pointed hat – his accent, his sassiness, his everything. You grow fond of him and you think, hey, maybe it isn't so bad to not play as Connor, I can roll with this – until the sudden change happens. The game completed its purpose: let you know and care for Haytham, only to strip him away from your hands and bring you the real protagonist with an interesting background that didn't need to be told, but it was instead shown to us players. What a better way to tell a story.

But the problem is – most of Haytham's memories are fillers. For starters, the very first memory where you appear in the opera house (similar to that one at the end of Black Flag… mmm) serves as a tutorial for climbing and killing with the hidden blade. Then the whole memory on the ship to Boston – completely expendable and removable, the story doesn't suffer from it. All the memories used with Haytham as tutorials – how to shield from an open line of fire, how to use ranged weapons, how to sneak and find stores and viewpoints, how to use horses and walk on snow, fricking Ben Franklin – everything, everything could've blended in better. You could still tell the story you wanted in only one sequence playing with Haytham, and end it the way it does end in sequence 3, without avoiding any important detail to frame Connor's backstory as well – but instead, this part with Haytham does feel like it overstays its welcome, and by the end you're just hoping it ends soon, it drags on for too long, and there's no real sense of thread pulling the strings together here, everything just kind of 'happens'.

But the never-ending prologue doesn't end there (badam tum tsss), because Connor still isn't an Assassin. Connor is not Connor actually, as I had been led to believe prior to playing this game: his real name is Ratonhnhaké:ton, which I wish it was used more often than it was. Ratonhnhaké:ton is like four or five years old when you first play with him, and his village is assaulted by what we assume are Charles Lee's men, a Templar and companion to Haytham. Ratonhnhaké:ton swears revenge upon these putrid British invaders and he grows up resenting the death of his mother, who died in the fire provoked by these Templars.

Not even knowing what a Templar or an Assassin is, Ratonhnhaké:ton is sent by one of "the spirit guides" (actually, Juno, one of the Precursor people) to seek the Brotherhood. When he's around 14, he sets out of his village into the wide world and finds Achilles, who will become his Assassin mentor – that is, after completing a set of tasks that yet again seem to go on forever. Ratonhnhaké:ton turns into Connor to cover his true origins, a name I thought it was random, but by the end I realized how wrong I was.

It isn't until Connor turns 17 that he becomes a fully-fledged Assassin – and you might think, well, Ezio became an Assassin at the same age – yes, but it didn't take him five sequences to reach there. I can't believe I'm defending Ezio.

It's not that I didn't enjoy playing as Connor when he was a kid, no, and I also don't think that part of the game should be skipped since it shows his people, family and friends – maybe comprised, yes, into only one sequence – the real problem here is the fact that first you need to play what could be considered the longest prologue ever, even longer than Kingdom Hearts 2's one, and you're teased with grasping the real protagonist but no, because there's still more 'prologue' to cover with Connor's rise to the Brotherhood. The real, real story, begins in sequence 6, and even then you still have a lot of tutorials to listen from the NPC on duty.

And if you do the maths – you're halfway through the game – halfway! – and you're just starting. The game has twelve sequences and the meat of the plot is on the last six. Then, why did I play all the previous parts?

For the 'narrative experience' thing I talked about. They wanted to lay the groundwork for a better, compelling storytelling, and I can appreciate it, but not when it hinders the pace of the game this way.

That is, certainly, my biggest issue with the game. The pace. If you're going to give me such a slow start, introducing characters non-stop, and only give me resolutions, discoveries and action packed sequences on the later half, then the story isn't balanced at all – I understand that at some points you need to slow down and sink in what's going on; you can't also introduce ten characters in one cutscene because that's just bad story telling – but the memories of this game are clearly not well organized and weren't thought with the player in mind, but rather with the story in mind. To think that the first mission you do as a full Assassin is to receive more and more tutorials on how the fast travel points work and how you can lower your notoriety (as far as gameplay goes in this mission, it's only walking around at a slug's pace to follow the NPC giving you instructions) it does feel like a slap in the face after all the things and hours and effort you put into it to finally reaching this point (which, I remind you, it's by sequence six!).

It's at this point where I can't blame people for not following through with this game. I have plenty of friends who abandoned it even before reaching this part. And I found myself having trouble to return to it: I only wanted to go back to it because I knew I had to like Connor, I knew he wouldn't disappoint me as a character.

Boy, was I RIGHT!

Now, to be honest, I may be biased, like I said: I was instantly attracted to Connor due to his backstory and I wished to see what he could bring to the table. And I have to say, he didn't disappoint me at all.

Maybe you know or maybe you don't, but up until this point, my fave Assassin was Arno: he showed weaknesses and he suffered the consequences of his actions, to the point of no return, that rendered him vulnerable and a mere human being. And I love me a good vulnerable character who knows their limits and strives to get out of that pit. I love me a good, compelling character that has growth and agency and isn't made of cardboard or has a one-dimensional personality. And Connor delivered on this front.

Connor might very well be my new fave Assassin. I'm sorry, Arno. I still love you babe. But Connor… I never found myself rooting for a character more than I did with him. I wanted him to succeed, I wanted his people to be saved, I wanted to see his ideals become a reality – and he's got so much agency, he's a storm when he comes into a scene, his naivety mixed with the brutality of his killings, the simplicity of his reasonings – he's an idealist, and he fights for it, whether we like it or not, and that devotion to his own creed is at least respectable, let alone admirable. He's never downplayed for his upbringing or his ethnicity, he works among the most notorious people as if he was another one of them, he's well respected in his community, he shows kindness and always offers a helping hand to those in need, but never doubts to plunge his blade into this opponent's throats, fearlessly, he doesn't mind telling George Friking Washington to shut the hell up and not follow him because he'll kill him (there's such a pleasure in a native reprimanding enslaver Washington) – he's, simply put, a great hero.

I've seen many complain that he's boring, or that the actor who played him, Noah Watts, delivered lines in an emotionless way – the only thing that could make him 'boring' is the fact that he's not a lady's man like Ezio was, and to my eyes that's a plus. He speaks slowly and modulates well in English because that's not his mother tongue, and I can appreciate when a company puts these little details, like his way of speaking changing throughout the game as he gained more confidence with this new language he was learning to use. As non-English native speaker, I certainly can commune with the feeling of adapting my tongue and my brain to a new language, and I also know that I speak weirdly to those who are native, maybe I don't have the same intonations, and maybe I sound emotionless as well, who knows, but I can't think of a better portrayal of a non-English character speaking English in videogames than this one. They remained faithful to his culture, and even though I noticed Noah didn't speak Mohawk as fluently as English, I can still feel pleased with the fact that Connor speaks in his mother tongue in all of the scenes he interacts with Mohawks (that's something they did better here than in Unity, where not a single character has even a French accent. I switched the language spoken to French in my subsequent playthroughs, much to my disappointment, because I really liked the Canadian actors). I know subtitles may seem threatening to some, but I wish they did this more often: deliver more lines in the original language of each of the protagonists. It shows care and respect. And I think this game excels at respect.

So, yes, I liked Ratonhnhaké:ton, as you can see. Maybe a lot. Too much.

I also really, really enjoyed his relationship with Haytham.

When Haytham appears back in to the fray it's when the plot picks up. Their interactions are gold: I love the rivalry, I love that Haytham is constantly testing his son, and I love the tiny bits that may show or make us believe that Haytham has a soft spot for him – I love that we never truly know what's going on through Haytham's mind, why does he do the things he does – but what I enjoyed the most about these two fighting together is the fact that they represent opposing forces, a clash of interest, and they bring back the concept of the blurred line between the Templars and the Assassins, their different methods. Haytham represents the collectiveness of the Templars, through him we learn of what they truly uphold as right and just, and behind some of his reasonings you can see sense and understanding – you comprehend his goals, you get to know your enemy, your antagonist, which is something, for instance, the Ezio trilogy lacks (because Templars bad bad pium pium die Templar bad guy) and Unity and Rogue tried to do but ultimately ended wasting its potential. I never understood Templars more than I did through Haytham, and sometimes I found myself nodding at some of his statement, like 'hey… huh… he's not that wrong about this…'. But still, we're led to believe that the good guys, the Assassins, are never wrong, so we pull through with Connor – only to realize that yes, Haytham was right in many aspects, and yes, Haytham has lied to us and he needs to be stopped.

It's here when my love for Connor reached its ultimate stage: when he denies both his father (Templars) and Washington (for whom the Assassins were working). It's here where you see the true agency of this character. It's not black or white, as Ezio's games were; it's not that he was expelled against his will from the Brotherhood like in Unity; it's not that because of a clash of interest now he resorted to the Templars, like in Rogue; no, it's the philosophy of the very first AC game with Altaïr: Templars and Assassins are one and the same, they only differ in their methods, and when Connor comes to this realization, his struggle is visible and he puts his people first. Like always.

He remains true to his personality. He's grown, he's seen the truth, but he must make a decision. And after all, we're here because we want to see him protect his people. That's his real main driving force and we root for him because of it.

Now, I've spoken a lot about our main character. But, what about the secondary ones?

Achilles, Connor's mentor, hides more than he's willing to share – but slowly his backstory unfolds. In his homestead, Davenport, you're able to build a community with different townsfolk that you can invite to live with you through special sidequests, which combine plot and gameplay seamlessly. Through the homestead missions, you get to know Achilles and the other inhabitants and you see them thrive and grow into a tight-knit community close as family. I daresay that these missions were my favorite out of the whole game, and seeing the town grow not only in NPC's walking around but also in sounds, steps, people working and laughing and dogs barking and kids playing, gave me all the fuzzy and cozy feelings of a warm blanket in winter. Most of Connor's innocence and kindness is shown through these missions, and there are also some really good jewels hidden there, like the quest that asks you to guide the pigs back inside – damn. This game gave me very good laughs.

On a gameplay level, this game is light years away from its predecessors – the parkour alone has been revamped and revitalized, making it more fluid. Free running now isn't a chore anymore. Now you can hunt, which is a great part of Connor's backstory and culture, so it's good to see they blend gameplay with plot like this. There's a crafting system that took me ages to understand, but thankfully I got the hang of it. The combat is pretty much the same (counter kills always for the win) and the difficulty remains quite easy, as the games that came before. I wasn't looking for a challenge so I'm fine with it. Now, if you're looking for a challenge… the optional objectives got it covered for you. Because, good lord, they made these stupid main missions so much unnecessarily HARDER and IMPOSSIBLE to complete without having three or four ragequits and sometimes you have to restart up to ten times. To be honest, I never found myself more enraged with the optional objectives than I was with these missions, and I thought Unity's optional constraints were stupid ass complicated, I was wrong. This game. Must be. The most. Annoying. Piece of videogame. To platinum.

Apart from the 'oh I want to die optional objectives' thing, you have naval missions – which, yes, you guessed it, take place on a ship – I guess they were testing the mechanics for a (not so far away) future pirate game, because I can see the seeds of what later Black Flag came to be. It's serviceable and it fulfills its purpose, but as I don't like ships much, I left it on hold for the endgame. 

If you don’t dig the naval missions nor the main missions, there’s plenty to do in this game: you have the aforementioned homstead missions, the club challenges (which can take... quite a while), the underground fast travel points (a nice change of pace, though you can easily grow tired of them), the liberation missions, which will see you help liberate a city from Templar control and recruiting a new Assassin apprentice, much like in Brotherhood and Revelations; taking Forts, hunting like there’s no tomorrow, courier, delivering items and message delivery missions, a ton of collectibles, etc, etc. 

You might realize I stopped talking about the plot by the time I reached sequence 6 – yes, it's because I'm a little upset with it.

I said that we're here because we want to see Connor protect his people and triumph against the Templars. Yes. We receive that, yes. Amidst. A thousand. History. Lessons.

In my Ezio's Collection review, I complained that in Revelations we were shoved history in the face – I hadn't still finished AC3, because then I would've mentioned something about it. Connor comes across all the important figures of the American Revolution in such a contrived way – he acts as a guardian angel of this revolution, aiding each of the emblematic characters that took part in. I can roll with it in my suspension of disbelief (how come this one person was present at every major event, you know), what I can't roll with is the fact that he was present at the Declaration of Independence – this is some Ken Follett level of bs of probability of something happening to a character. Besides, it's always latent though never truly explicitly addressed, but Connor's skintone was something that should've deterred him from even speaking to someone like Washington – let alone, be present at the moment they signed the Declaration. He does mention at some point that freedom and this new nation was only for white men, and that he acknowledged that slaves deserved as much freedom as everyone else was fighting for; I'm glad he addressed the elephant in the room, though I'm also glad they didn't make the whole thing about it, because normalizing a character like this as a main protagonist was the main idea, I think, when they chose a Mohawk to represent the American Revolution. Still, that someone like him was able to achieve all he achieved in a plot like this, it only means he has some kind of Main Protagonist Shield, otherwise I doubt this could've served as a realistic story for anyone else in the same situation as him. It's, uh, a little hard to believe, that's all. Whereas I can see Arno existing within the historical frame of the French Revolution, without being the one that let the guillotine fall on King Louis' head, this one was a little more far-fetched.

I haven't touched upon the Desmond part – the present day of this game is more, uh… present than ever. And I loved it! I loved it because it delved deep into the Precursor's lore, and also it fleshed out Desmond's relationship with his father, and we actually do shit with Desmond – though that part of the Brazilian stadium, huh, for a company that paid too much attention and consulted with experts on the Mohawks, they clearly left Brazil out of their investigations. I forgive them, they tried.

The music… didn't have as much personality as other installments, it was kind of there, and right now I can't evoke a single theme except for the main menu one, so there you go, it's quite forgettable for my taste, sadly.

I forgot to mention that: this game looks gorgeous. I played the Remastered version of the game, and sometimes it looked like it was done for the PS4 instead of being a remaster (it does look better than Black Flag which came afterwards!). Lighting is magical, the trees breathe life into the screen, the water effects are crystal and realistic; many times I felt like was horse-riding in a Last of Us game (yes, I just compared Ubisoft to Naughty Dog, don't hit me). Davenport Homestead is my favorite location, now more than ever, because it's not only beautiful, but it also means home.

This game accompanied me in a very important moment of my life: I sprained my ankle and I spent a week in bed recovering, while also pondering about my job and the prospects of my future; I took many decisions while playing regarding what I want for my life. I cried at the end because I realized I had become too attached to the characters and because I was so sad to see Connor keep losing things. It all comes full circle by the end. It's a very mature ending, maybe a little unfulfilling, but reality is often disappointing and not everything needs a happily ever after.

All in all, my major complaint goes to the structure of the game and the poor organization they gave to it (AND THE OPTIONAL OBJECTIVES DAAJKSDAD). But Connor as a character in itself made it all worthwhile for me. And I'll always cherish him. I know he won't resonate with everyone, but he resonated with me.

[nickpakin]

You’re like a fucking golden retriever, don’t you give up?

Summary:

Charlie gets Alex an actual golden retriever as a present for their one-year anniversary, but then gets jealous when he starts to see that Alex has been spending way too much time with his pet.

Charlie’s POV:

I have always loved when my beloved boyfriend, Alex Standall, would call me a golden retriever in a human body. So to show him how much I appreciate him using that label on me, I decided to adopt an actual golden retriever puppy as an anniversary present for Alex. After finishing up with work, I drive straight to Alex's apartment. Once I headed to the front door and rang the doorbell, I begin to pose comically with some balloons and the box with our new pet in it as Alex answers the door.

"Happy anniversary, honey bear!" I beamed as I saw Alex's pretty face.

"Charlie, we've talked about honey bear." Alex groaned in embarrassment.

"But it's an adorable nickname." I pouted.

"On Mars, maybe." He joked.

Alex elevates himself on his tiptoes to kiss me. There was never a day where I didn’t miss the taste of Alex's soft, cherry-flavored chapstick. I give a few more cheeky kisses to the most handsome man in existence before settling down on his living room couch.

"Look what I got you." I said as I handed Alex the box.

I watch my boyfriend as he roughly tears off the wrapping paper until the mystery in that box was finally revealed before him.

"Oh. my. god." Alex gasped. "It's so so cute!"

The puppy pops up from the box and jumps right into Alex's arms. My smile widens as I looked at Alex absolutely gushing over the cuteness of the tiny golden retriever.

"Wow it's so fluffy!" Alex said. "Where did you get it?"

"PetSmart." I chuckled.

"Thank you so much, babe.” Alex smiled. “What’s its name? I am already obsessed."

"His name is Max, and you're welcome." I said as I lay my arm around his shoulder. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too, Charles." He says before kissing my lips.

Me and my adorable boyfriend relax on the couch while we both welcome the newest member of our little family in our arms.

"We’re gonna get along real well, huh Max?" Alex gushed while ruffling his fingers through Max’s fur.

"Yes we will." I said, mimicking Max.

In this moment in time, I knew he was right. Max, Alex and I are gonna be one, big, happy family. What could possibly go wrong?

FEW WEEKS LATER

I wake up from my good night's sleep and proceed to text my boyfriend to see if he had any plans for today. After celebrating our anniversary, it had gotten complicated for us to see each other these past few weeks because of Alex being busy with work and preparing for his college final exams all while taking care of Max. As much as I wanted to be there to keep him company, Alex really cares about studies and I want him to thrive and succeed. But at the same time I wish I was there to help him relax from all the stress he had been through.

CHARLIE: Are you up, babe? 👀😊

ALEX: i am now

CHARLIE: So Tyler and Estela invited us to go to the movies with them today. You wanna come?

ALEX: Can’t. Have to study for this stupid college algebra final tomorrow.

CHARLIE: Aww that sucks. 🥺 Well... maybe I could take you out to the mall after you're done?

ALEX: Nope, history exam the next day sadly. anyways gotta go practice with my quadratic equations :(

CHARLIE: ok good luck! Luv you honey bear! ❤️😘

Several minutes pass and Alex leaves me with no reply. My boyfriend has never ended our conversations without texting 'I love you' back. The more I waited, the more worried I became which made me think that something was up. After picking up Tyler and Estela, I decide to stop by his place to see if he was okay. As I parked near the curb, I glance out the window to observe his residence. Just when I thought I would see my boyfriend looking all pretty and studious, I see him running around playing with Max in the front lawn.

"What the hell?" I said, clenching my fist on the wheel.

Alex literally said he had to study tonight, but from what I was seeing right in front of my eyes it seems my so-called boyfriend has somehow completely fallen in love with that dog. He has never lied to me; not even once, until I let Max enter the picture. I started to think that maybe I should never have given Alex that dog for his birthday. Seeing the love of my life avoiding me while being with that monstrosity made my positive energy deplete.

"I guess it's just us, Tyler." I said.

"Okay, cool." Tyler said.

"Can we watch A Dog's Purpose?" Estela begged. "I've been dying to watch it."

"What do you think, Charlie?" Tyler said.

"Uhh... sure. Sounds fun." I nodded. "Tickets are on me."

I start my car and proceed to drive our way to The Crestmont.

"So what happened with Alex?" Tyler asked.

"He's..." I paused. "I don't... I don't think he loves me anymore."

"What?" Tyler gasped. "Why would you think that?"

"Ever since I got him that puppy, we haven't been talking as much as we used to." I grumbled. "Alex told me he had been studying non-stop but turns out he's been spending way too much time with that golden retriever. It's like Max is his second husband. Like, hello? I'm your boyfriend not him, you should be paying attention to me!"

"Um... I think you're being way overdramatic." Tyler pointed out.

"Am not!" I yelled. "Ty, you're not helping."

"Wasn't the reason you gave him Max in the first place was because you wanted to show how much you loved him?" Tyler mentioned.

"Well... yeah." I said as I calmed down my voice.

Maybe Tyler was right. I could be overreacting. But ever since I heard about Alex kissing Zach that one time long before we officially dated, I had gotten more worried about how there could be other guys out there who would be brave enough to steal my precious Alex Standall away from me. Now I'm literally competing with an animal. A human golden retriever V.S. an actual golden retriever. Never have I ever thought I'd end up in this kind of situation.

"Look, before you know it, Alex will come crawling right back to you." Tyler said.

"Yeah, right." I sighed.

THE NEXT DAY

The next day I attempted to call and text Alex again, but with no surprise, no answer. Good thing I have him on Snapchat to see what he's actually doing when I'm not around. I open his snapchat story to see a video of him teaching Max how to catch a frisbee. Knowing exactly where he's at, I decide to take a trip to the park to have a nice, little chat with my nerdy liar of a boyfriend and his adorable, yet deceiving minion.

"Charlie, hey!" Alex waved while holding Max with a leash.

"Alex. Didn't expect to see you and... him here." I said as my eyes shifted to Max. "How were you finals?"

"Stressful, but I made B's on my english, psychology, and history finals and got a C+ on my algebra exam." Alex grinned.

"Right..." I said longingly.

"Wait why did you say that so long?" Alex said suspiciously. "You okay, babe?"

"Oh now you call me babe." I gagged. "Funny since you've been so busy with your other one."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Alex asked. "What's up with you?"

I tried my best to avoid answering the question but the more I looked at Max being beside Alex, the more I wanted to let all my frustrations out.

"Charles Hayden Brixton Saint George, answer me." Alex commanded.

Whenever Alex says my full name, I automatically know that he's in a bad mood.

"Because you’ve been spending way too much time with Max." I finally confessed.

Alex puts his hands on his hips in a sassy manner.

"That’s why you’ve been so grouchy?" Alex said. "Because you were jealous of the dog that YOU gave me?"

"Well…" I shrugged.

Just when I thought Alex was going to put me in my place, he laughs tremendously and playfully pushes my shoulder.

"You can be such a drama queen, you know that?" Alex laughed.

"So you love me again?" I teased.

"Always have, always will, you dork." Alex chuckled.

Alex presses his palms over my cheeks and I finally get to kiss his sweet lips again after what felt like a whole lifetime. Then Max runs towards me and lands his paws on my ankles.

"Oh hey, my little one!" I said, picking Max up.

"Don't you have something to say to Max?" Alex said.

"Alright, I'm sorry for my unnecessary behavior." I murmured. "And for thinking you stole Alex from me. You can't understand a word I'm saying anyway."

Max stares at me with those mesmerizing puppy dog eyes, but after a while he begins licking my face very menacingly.

"I guess he forgives you." Alex smiled.

Right after making up, the three of us run towards the open grass, letting Max take the lead. Alex hands me a frisbee and I proceed to throw it towards as hard as I could. Max starts running in its direction while Alex and I follow him. The two of us cheer our golden retriever on as he successfully catches the frisbee. We continue to play and chase each other around in circles until all of our energy got drained. Me and my beloved honey bear were left smiling happily on the green grass, with Max laying down comfortably between us. Despite having second thoughts about bringing that puppy into our lives, it turns out that Max brought me and Alex much closer than ever. I guess having not one, but two golden retrievers in the life of Alex Standall was not such a bad thing after all.

[romancereadingdiva]

Top Reads of 2020!

Here are my top reads of 2020! These are the 5 👑 books that I read this year and would want with me if I somehow ended up on a deserted island! This year I wanted to keep my top reads to only one book per author unless it was a series, so I decided to have honorable mentions if an author wrote more than one book this year and I loved them all. 

In no particular order my top reads are the following:

👑 The Brayshaw series by Meagan Brandy. This series has strong heroines, alpha heroes and twisty storylines that had me riveted to the pages!

Start with book 1, Boys of Brayshaw High: https://www.meaganbrandy.com/bobh

👑 The Brilliance Trilogy by Lisa Renee Jones. I just love Lisa Renee Jones books! She knows how to write romantic suspense that keeps me engaged, and this one had music which made it perfect. 

Start with book 1, A Reckless Note: https://www.lisareneejones.com/brilliance-trilogy.html

👑 The next books in The Devils’s Due series by Eva Charles. I read the first 2 books in the series, Depraved and Delivered, last year, and they were on Top reads of 2019 list. I continued to love this series this year with Bound and Decadent about 2 different couples in The Devil’s Due universe. 

Info on The Devil’s Due books: https://evacharles.com/devils-due

👑 The Redemption by Nikki Sloane. This is Macalister’s story from the Filthy Rich Americans trilogy that was on my Top Reads of 2019. His redemption was incredible, and I loved his heroine. 

Filthy Rich Americans info: https://www.nikkisloane.com/filthy-rich-americans

▪️Honorable Mention: The Pool Boy. I loved and enjoyed this younger man/older woman romance so much!

Info on The Pool Boy, part of The Nashville Neighborhood series: https://www.nikkisloane.com/the-nashville-neighborhood

👑 In Fury Lies Mischief by Amo Jones. I am in love with this Midnight Mayhem series, and if I could live in this world then I would! The first book, In Peace Lies Havoc, was on my Top Reads of 2019 list. It continued with In Fury Lies Mischief, because Fury + Mischief = Magic! 

Info on the Midnight Mayhem series: https://www.amojonesbooks.com/midnight-mayhem

▪️Honorable mentions: all the other Amo Jones books I read this year which are: The Elite Kings Club series, Crowned Duology and Sicko. Her writing is just brilliant, & I highly recommend her.

Info on The Elite Kings Club series: https://www.amojonesbooks.com/the-elite-king-s-club

Info on the Crowned Duology: https://www.amojonesbooks.com/crowned-trilogy

Info on her standalone Sicko: https://www.amojonesbooks.com/flip-trick

👑 Lilac by BB Reid. This rock star reverse harem was all consuming. 

Info on Lilac: https://www.bbreid.com/lilac

▪️Honorable mention: the last book in her When Rivals Play series, The Prince and the Pawn. It was bittersweet because it ended, but it was a profoundly beautiful read. 

Info on The Prince and the Pawn: https://www.bbreid.com/the-prince-and-the-pawn

👑 Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills. Ava and Knox went through a lot in this book, especially Ava, and they have a piece a heart forever! 

Info on Dear Ava: https://www.ilsamaddenmills.com/books

▪️Honorable Mentions: I Promise You and The Renege Pact. I promise you will love I Promise You like I did if you read it! The Renege Pact was golden!

Info for I Promise You: https://www.ilsamaddenmills.com/books

Info for The Revenge Pact: https://www.ilsamaddenmills.com/

👑 Bury Me With Lies by SM Soto. This is the second part of the Twin Lies Duet; they first part, Kiss Me With Lies, was on my Top Reads of 2019 list. This conclusion was a beautifully written story of intense suspense and messy love that when combined took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions that I remembered all year. 

Info on Bury Me With Lies: https://authorsmsoto.com/books/

▪️Honorable Mention: Chasing the Moon. This was a second chance romance of star crossed lovers that made me emotional throughout the story. 

Info on Chasing the Moon: https://authorsmsoto.com/

👑 Truly by Carmel Rhodes. Truly was truly remarkable and phenomenal! A new to me author this year, and I am so happy I found her! I

Info on Truly: https://carmelrhodes.com/

👑 Dark Legacy Complete Series by Tate James and Jaymin Eve. This was a twisty, suspense series with an intense romance between Riley (aka Butterfly) and Beck that I just loved. 

Info on the Dark Legacy Series: https://www.tatejamesauthor.com/dark-legacy

👑 Stroke of Midnight by K Webster. This was a filthy but delicious romance, and I can’t wait for book two which releases at the end of January!

Info on Stroke of Midnight: https://www.authorkwebster.com/product/stroke-of-midnight/

👑 Riot House by Callie Hart. A new to me author this year, and I am so happy I found her too! Bless Wren’s black heart, he had a plan for Elodie, but what happens when he falls for her? An amazing book is what happens, and the cover is stunning!

Info on Riot House: http://calliehart.com/index.php/book/riot-house/

👑 I Dare You by Lylah James. This is the second part of a duet; book one, Do You Dare?, was on my Top Reads of 2019 list. This book broke my heart and eventually put it back together, and I loved Maddox and Lila so much.

Info on I Dare You: https://authorlylahjames.com/truth-and-dare-duet/i-dare-you/

👑 The Reed Rivers Trilogy by Lauren Rowe: Bad Liar, Beautiful Liar and Beloved Liar. These books gave me life; I loved them so much! I had been waiting for Reed’s story, and it did not disappoint!

Info The Reed Rivers Trilogy: http://www.laurenrowebooks.com/reed-rivers-trilogy

▪️Honorable Mention: Smitten. I was smitten with this book from the first page to the last!

Info on Smitten: http://www.laurenrowebooks.com/smitten

👑 The Glass Heart Academy series by Lindsey Iler: Glass Heart Savage and Glass Heart Broken. This suspense/mystery mixed with an intense romance made for an unforgettable reading experience.

Info on The Glass Heart Savage: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49268705-glass-heart-savage

👑 The Sainthood Trilogy by Siobhan Davis. This is another new to me author this year and I had been wanting to read her books. When the opportunity to read these as ARCs arrived, I took it! I am so ecstatic I did! A fierce heroine falling for four guys while trying to stop a bad guy was riveting to read. 

Info on The Sainthood Trilogy: http://siobhandavis.co.uk/the-sainthood-boys-of-lowell-high-series/the-sainthood-series-the-sainthood-boys-of-lowell-high-1-3/

👑 Not My Hero by Michelle Heard. This is not a hot and steamy romance; this is two broken souls finding each other, healing and slowly falling in love. It’s difficult to read because of the pain they each suffered, but it was beautiful and worth it. 

Info on Not My Hero: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48578538-not-my-hero

👑 Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer. My list would not be complete without Edward on it! I had a few issues with this book, but it did not overshadow how much my love grew for Edward while reading.

Info on Midnight Sun: https://stepheniemeyer.com/midnight-sun-2020/

👑 How the Hitman Stole Christmas by Sam Mariano. I love her unconventional love stories, and this one was no different! Jasper kidnaps Autumn after stopping to help her on the side of the road, because he wants to bring a girlfriend home for Christmas. Fun times and romance ensues!

Info on How the Hitman Stole Christmas: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55967138-how-the-hitman-stole-christmas

👑 A Guy Walk Into My Bar by Lauren Blakely. This author’s first M/M romance made me smile, laugh, swoon and touched my heart. 

Info on A Guy Walks Into My Bar: https://laurenblakely.com/aguywalksintomybar/

👑 The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancee by Annika Martin. I laughed out loud at this author’s rom-com about a fake relationship between a grumpy billionaire and his optimistic hairdresser that was steamy and swoony too! 

Info on The Billionaire’s Fake Fiancee: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55583284-the-billionaire-s-fake-fianc-e

👑 Crowne Point series books two, three and four by Mary Catherine Gebhard: Stolen Soulmate, Forbidden Fate, Destroyed Destiny. This author ripped out my heart, made me sob while holding on to the Kleenex box then eventually put my heart back in my chest. Story and Gray burrowed into my heart and will never leave.

Info on Crowne Point series: https://marygebhard.com/collections/crowne-point

👑 Royal Elite Series by Rina Kent. Elsa and Aiden (Deviant King, Steel Princess and Twisted Kingdom) captivated me from the beginning, and the couples which are friends or relatives of Elsa and Aiden that came after them did as well. I binged these books and love them with my whole heart. 

Info on Royal Elite Series: https://www.rinakent.com/royal-elite-series

▪️Honorable Mention: Royal Elite Epilogue. An epilogue for all the couples of the Royal Elite Series.

Info on Royal Elite Epilogue: https://www.rinakent.com/royal-elite-series

▪️Honorable Mention #2: Kingdom Duet. This Aiden’s father’s story. He was alpha, demanding, possessive, and I loved him. His heroine was sassy, strong and perfect for him. 

Info on the Kingdom Duet: https://www.rinakent.com/kingdom-duet

Thanks for sharing your time with me, and I hope you find and read amazing romance books from my Top Reads of 2020 list! 

[sunflower-and-storms]

January Wrap- Up

Hello gentlefriends! I hope you had a nice reading month and if not, maybe the next one will be better. I had an ok reading month, I had to reduce the number of books due to the reading of one dense book and didn't managed to finish the last book on the new tbr. I read a total of 4 books (3 physical and one audiobook) and I’m currently reading Orlando by Virginia Woolf. I hope I can finish it next week along with my February tbr. But let’s move along to the reviews.

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins- This book was a mystery historical romance. I have to say I preferred the mystery part to the romance, the murders really kept me going and I guessed the murderer (that had never happen before). I would like to read the next one because it focuses on the main character’s best friends, that I really liked. A good day for side characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4 stars).

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas- The book for A Bookish Education and the first book of the Throne of Glass series. So my thoughts... Celeana is so sassy I love it, Dorian has a kind heart but an idiot, Chaol is baby (currently because with the among of memes about hating Chaol scare me) and omg the last chapter made me scream! Very excited to start the next one (tomorrow as I’m writing, today to you) and continue this beloved series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (4.5 stars). P.S- It’s not a 5 because there so many corsets are bad scenes, historically incorrect. 

The Scorpio Races (audiobook) by Maggie Stiefvater- I honestly feel like I was listening for this audiobook for a year. I quite like it, the exploration of the themes of belonging and family were well done. In my opinion we could have done without the romance between Puck and Shawn and also could have explored more of Gabe’s perspective. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (3.5 stars)

The Secret History by Donna Tartt- The book for my Book of the Month project. This book was a fever dream, especially that ending but I actually ended up liking it. Richard was the only one “ok mentally” in the group, Francis was always on step from a panic attack, Camilla omg girl you need a hug, Charles we don't talk with you and Henry there were part were I thought you were a psychopath. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) I guess. 

And that was all the books read! Thank you for reading, hope to see you anon gentlefriend!

[madchenlover]

There are so many things you can say about Mädchen Amick. Actress, director, producer, free spirit, artist, muse and that just describes her career over the last 3 decades. Mädchen has a true artistic view as a creator. Having just celebrated her 49th birthday we talk; body, work ethic and of course one of her hit shows, RIVERDALE.

Mädchen started her career with Elite Models at 14 years old. Along with modeling, she was also a dancer and never had issues with her body. When she is working she is a free spirit, she says, “ just cut around my bits.”

“I have always just thought that clothing was optional, especially now as I am getting older I want to embrace my body, celebrate it. I am proud of my age and I love all of my wrinkles.”

- Mädchen Amick

As a woman comfortable in her skin, she’s been open to many creative opportunities, but it hasn’t always ended well. Mädchen was filming a movie with the incredible James Spader directed by the legendary Nicholas Kazan. She and Nicholas had a very comfortable relationship even though there was a lot of nudity and although everything was professional during the filming process, some of the content that was released was anything but professionally handled. When the film was released the directors cut was beautiful and sensual and comfortable. But much to her surprise the producers did their own release and didn’t edit any of the original nudity. She felt violated. “ I don’t have inhibitions, but I didn’t feel good about that”. When asked about her feelings in the #TIMESUP movement, the actress says you just have to speak up. “ I always talk about everything and I always tell everyone on set what I am making, that’s how you even out the playing field”. Aside from the creative process, Mädchen shares her experiences with the financial aspects of being an actress. She learned about money in the entertainment business early from her mentor, David Lynch, the creator of one of televisions most memorable tv shows, TWIN PEAKS. “David always told me actors are unemployed 99% of the time, make your money last”. When talking about her career and TWIN PEAKS, Mädchen lights up. “To be on a hit tv show like TWIN PEAKS at the beginning of my career was unbelievable and now to be on 2 hit shows in my career is just amazing. I feel so lucky that lightning has struck twice.” Of course, she is talking about her newest CW hit show, RIVERDALE.

Mädchen’s tone changed when we started talking about RIVERDALE. Number 1 because she feels so blessed that it has become such a huge hit, with their highest-rated episode beginning in season 3. But also because of the loss of her dear friend, Luke Perry. I could feel her hurt. “Luke and I were real friends. I still reach for my phone every time I land back in Vancouver to go to dinner. He was my first phone call every time”. As many know legendary actor Luke Perry played Archies’ dad, Fred Andrews on the hit show. Perry at the age of 52 died suddenly from a stroke. “Luke was an old soul, and not only was he a father to his own children he was the father to our cast of kids. Luke would text me all the time and say, hey, you need to talk to the girls, they need advice”. Mädchen and Luke had a lot of career milestones in common, they both hit young. With the actress becoming an overnight success with her role in TWIN PEAKS and Perry’s role in BEVERLY HILLS 90210. Then they both decided that they wanted more normal lives. Mädchen adds, “it’s difficult to achieve a hit once in your career and then both Luke and I achieved 2.” She remembers that dreadful night of his sudden death like it was yesterday. KJ Apa, Archie Andrews, and Luke Perrys’ son on the show were on set and the entire cast and crew congregated to Mark Consuelos (Hiram Lodge, Veronica’s dad on the show) house. “ We cried and hugged for hours. We were devastated. He and I were Ma and Pa kettle to all these kids. We were all in shock. He is desperately missed”.

Despite the heartbreak of the beloved Luke Perry earlier this year, everyone has put on a brave face and is moving forward. Amick is becoming more involved with the RIVERDALE family but on the other side of the camera. “ I am thrilled to announce that I will be directing episode 19 of season 4 of RIVERDALE. I’m so thrilled to be working with the amazing creator of the show Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.” Mädchen has directed documentaries and music videos before but this is her first stab at RIVERDALE.

When I asked her what her goals are going into her FAB FIFTIES she just laughed. ”I never want to take no for an answer. Watch out world I am here to conquer! I just want to keep working, loving my fabulous husband I have been married to for 32 years and continue to grow in my life and career, I gotta keep it sexy!” Now you can see why I titled her story BADASS.

PS readers…

I wanted to have fun with Mädchen. I asked her to play a game of word association with her cast from RIVERDALE. This is what we came up with….

KJ Apa: fiery Lily Reinhart: delicious Skeet Ulrich: playful Charles Melton: oooooh, mischievous Camilla Mendes: sassy Madelaine Petsch: a force Vanessa Morgan: an old soul Luke Perry: otherworldly

Be sure to watch RIVERDALE on the CW, check your local listings.