#selling sunset season 5

[perenlop]

mlp nextgen dynamic currently in my brain is that trixie and starlight are divorcebians who keep getting back together even though starlight is clearly pining for sunburst and trixie is just projecting her unresolved gay crush on twilight onto starlight and doesn't realize it yet. unfortunately they have a kid.

this is very much up to change though because i don't know what starlight is doing in my personal au at all

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

The Hedge Knight graphic novel - could it work as a roadmap for HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

So, per reports, HBO's Dunk & Egg show is going to be 6 episodes. I've seen several people saying that's too long, it should be 4 episodes at most, a 2 hour movie at most, there will be too much filler, blah blah blah. Well let me tell you, that's not true!

In 2003, The Hedge Knight was adapted as a 6 issue comic book (later collected as a graphic novel), and I think its script, each issue ending in a cliffhanger or dun-dun-dunnn moment, would work perfectly for the show, and is very probably how they'll do it.

Potential spoilers under the cut, but first - is this not perfect casting and costuming? It so is.

Like I said, I think each issue could be the plot of each episode. So I'm just going to summarize these issues, I hope you've read the GN or the novella. (If not, go read it, go read all of Dunk & Egg, it's so good.)

#1 - Dunk buries Ser Arlan, decides to go to Ashford for the tourney, meets Egg and a weird drunk guy at an inn on the way, gets to Ashford, sets up camp in the forest (bathes naked in a stream), goes to the tourney field and sees Tanselle performing her puppet show, gets measured for armor he can't quite afford, gets back to his camp to find the weird little bald kid making dinner.

#2 - Dunk agrees Egg can be his squire, that night he sees the falling star, next morning goes to Ashford castle and gets told he needs to prove he's a knight to enter the tourney (or that Arlan was, since he says Arlan knighted him), meets Aerion (badly) but also the Kingsguard, sells his horse for armor money, talks to Tanselle and meets the Fossoways, then meets up with the young Dondarrion lord whose dad Arlan worked for and relates the House Dondarrion origin story (imagine them telling that via puppet imagery, ooh), gets told "yeah knowing that is no proof you're a knight, sucks to be you".

#3 - Dunk goes back to the castle, stumbles into Baelor and Maekar arguing about M's missing kids, Baelor remembers his epic joust with Arlan so yay Dunk can be in the tourney, Dunk and Egg talk to Tanselle about painting him a shield, they watch the opening of the tourney (lots of jousting and pageantry including Lyonel "the Laughing Storm" Baratheon), and the first day ends after Aerion deliberately kills that horse.

#4 - Dunk argues with Egg over how much of a douche Aerion is, more flirting with Tanselle, gossip with Raymun Fossoway about the Targaryens, Egg runs in to say Aerion's hurting Tanselle, Dunk beats up Aerion and almost gets murdered by Aerion's goons, Egg reveals himself to save Dunk, Dunk in prison, talks to Egg and Baelor, Baelor tells him he can be mutilated for striking a prince or ask for trial by combat, so "how good a knight are you, truly?"

#5 - Aerion says sure, trial by combat, but only a trial of seven, Dunk has to find 6 guys, talks to Raymun and Steffon Fossoway, Daeron apologizes and tells Dunk his dragon dream, shield reveal, next morning the smallfolk are all "a knight who remembered his vows", various guys show up to help Dunk and Raymun gets knighted, but Steffon Fossoway goes to Aerion's side so they're still missing a guy, "are there no true knights among you?", wait is that Valarr??? no it's Baelor in Valarr's armor omg

#6 - The trial of seven. You know how this ends. 😭 Then talking to Maekar, and Dunk and Egg ride off into the sunset together.

I hope that's convincing enough for the doubters! I can see a few points where something might be shifted from the end of one to the beginning of the other -- but on the whole I think the comic is an excellent roadmap for the show, and I hope this is the way they lay it out. Also ftr, the Sworn Sword graphic novel was also originally 6 issues so possibly season 2 ditto (unless they add an episode for the in between THK-TSS Dorne and Oldtown adventures that didn't actually appear in the novellas, idk). But the Mystery Knight was only released as one book, so who knows, they might go for more episodes when they get to that season.

Also, re taking inspiration from the comic, I really hope they adapt the Kingsguards' gold codpieces. Just because.

[bishopony]

Ohhh buddy I have THOUGHTS (This is so long, I'm so sorry)

1. I actually like Twilight better as a unicorn, she should never have became an Alicorn. (And that's coming from someone who first started watching around S5)

2. However, if Twilight becomes an Alicorn then all the Mane 6 should have been Alicorns. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity did just as much as Twilight! Where are their wings/horns?

(That would have been awesome for the rest of the series!)

3. You are 100% right the tree castle is horrible. It's so barren and empty and so clearly made to sell toys. The library was nice and cozy and fit Twilight perfectly.

4. I absolutely hate redeemed Starlight Glimmer. Words cannot describe how much I despise this mare. You mean to tell me Twilight would throw a child into hell but let Starlight I-broke-space-time Glimmer go?? Absolutely not.

(Sunset Shimmer is a thousand times better and everything Starlight wishes she could be)

5. I actually like that Cozy Glow doesn’t have a backstory. Sometimes villains are just evil to be evil.

That being said, they should have at least tried to reform Cozy Glow. At the bare minimum put her somewhere other than (I can't stress this enough) PONY HELL!! She's like 12 Twilight holy shit-

6. Not enough people read the G4 comics. In fact, you should stop reading this ask and go read the comics instead. Most of them are online for free. I recommend The Return of Queen Chrysalis (1-4), Reflections (17-20), and Siege of the Crystal Empire (31-34).

7. MLP G5 isn't actually that bad, but it took too long to get off the ground. By the time it went from mediocre to good, most people didn't care. (Also Hasbro got greedy and G5 paid the price, but that's a rant for another day)

Also G5 should have been it's own thing, with no ties to G4.

8. Celestia and Luna should not have retired. Celestia I can understand, but Luna? Poor Luna just got back to Earth (or whatever the planet's called), no way is she retiring like 5 years in.

9. The CMC all having the same cutie mark was dumb. (And felt like a cop-out. Let my girls be unique!) Also the cutie mark designs themselves are just the ugliest things ever. Did no one teach that designer color theory??

10. King Sombra is best villain. However they should have picked literally anyone else to voice him in Season 9. Or even have the VA do a different voice! It's not even a bad voice, it's just not King Sombra's voice.

11. The Apples and the Pies are not related. Let me ship Marble Pie and Big Mac in peace. Let people ship Applejack and Pinkie Pie in peace.

12. Sugar Belle and Big Mac are a terrible couple. Maybe they were fine off-screen, but all we see is miscommunication. The only way that marriage is ending is in divorce.

13. I actually like that EQG used pony skin tones instead of human ones. That being said, there was way too much whitewashing—just use the pony's actual coat colors. I promise you can give Luna dark blue skin and it'll be fine. (How the fuck did Habro make the character with literally white skin even whiter?? HOW?? WHY???)

14. And finally (holds up megaphone): Just because Applejack and Rainbow Dash were seen together in the end, that doesn’t automatically mean they’re a couple!!!! —Sincerely, someone who thinks AJ and Rainbow are too similar to be a couple.

Ooooo ok cool I also have some thoughts LMAO. long post so read under the cut

I also like Twilight as a unicorn more than an alicorn but I do think it was right for her to become one since it was the climax of her character arc. The problem is that the show was meant to end after she became an alicorn and it went on for several more season :,) I think she was an alicorn for far too long

Not really sure I agree with this since it was only Twilight's destiny to become an alicorn. While it would've been cool to see them as alicorns and the whole mane 6 put forth equal effort to saving equestria, it just wasn't meant to be lol.

i saw someone's AU where the castle looked more like the student 6's tree of harmony and I like that a lot more, THAT'S how you design a crystal tree house ^^'

I like Starlight Glimmer and her unconventional approaches to problem solving, but man she did get off way easy for nearly destroying the world. I mean, idk, community service or something? Also why is Cozy Glow, a child, in pony hell? Why was she trapped in stone? How did the writers think that was an appropriate punishment but other characters like Starlight and Discord get redemptions? ToT

agreeing, no extra notes lol

I have a few of them! I've read the Nightmare Rarity and mirrorverse ones, I really love the comics

Agree with this one as well. G5's issues all come from Hasbro wanting to make even more money off of G4 and not allowing G5 to be its own thing like it should have. Hasbro, a toy company, should have made way more collectible G5 merch instead of the same cheap brushables of the same 4 characters over and over. I also saw someone on twitter make a good point that the G5 show should've aired on disney+ instead of netflix since that's what most families have nowadays. truly, G5 is just a victim of corporate greed

Yeah I always felt bad for Luna for that lol. If Celestia wants to retire good for her, but at least Luna should've have stuck around and helped Twilight. Can't image Ruler of Equestria is something you just get used to immediately, esp as one person instead of two like before

Totally agree, no extra notes

He's not my favorite villain, but he is fun, and they could've gotten a better VA for him lol. Or at least changed the direction for his voice? The VA is skilled and sounds good but the voice was a little too smooth IMO.

Yeah it was never actually confirmed so it's not canon. I wouldn't worry about shipping them cause the show writers clearly don't care lol

It's kind of forced imo. They're two random characters and I think they just wanted to use Sugar Belle again. I don't remember that episode well but ig discord was stopping them from seeing each other? idk they should've just gone straight to each other. just not anything I'm invested in

Agreed, they should've had their actual pony colors if they're not gonna have realistic skin. It was weird that rarity became pure white and luna was lightened so heavily. and why is celestia pink. if they were trying to avoid racially coding the characters they certainly failed that cause it just implies that they're all white

I think some of the writers said it was canon? Or at least implied since hasbro wouldn't let them confirm it outright. I don't like appledash either way, and can just pretend it isn't real lol.

[lotstradamus]

inspired by the manchester anon haha but do you have any tips and suggestions for visiting leeds? 🩷

I've lived here for 2 years now (!!!) but somehow I still don't really know my way around and just go to the same 5 places and use google maps to get anywhere else. it's sad. but here's some shit I love:

Grindhouse - cheap drinks, loads and loads of seats, never too full, music a reasonable volume, and they project 80s movies on the back wall. we once sat in here for 2 hours cos Stand By Me was on. one time we watched the bar staff earnestly tell a group of women on a hen do that the bar was closed and they weren't serving any more drinks, at 7:45pm. 10/10.

Rudy's - only 9 cities* in this fair nation have a Rudy's, so I'm going to keep reccing it for everyone else. perfect Neapolitan pizza. *Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Nottingham, Durham, London, York, Liverpool - if you live in one of these places and haven't been to Rudy's yet, sort it out.

Neon Cactus - go here on a Wednesday and order wings, and you'll get half price margs. lots of great Mexican scran. don't take anyone too picky or over 50, because the price for the great food and vibes is that at least one thing you order will be incorrect. but roll with it. half price margs, man.

Empire Cafe - book in advance if you want to sample the delights of Empire Cafe, cos there's like 6 tables max. everything is seasonal, changes on the daily, and is insanely delicious. if you want to experience heaven, order the steak and chips with salsa verde. there is NOTHING like it.

Stuzzi - another seasonal, small plate sort of place, but Italian. amazing food and a gorgeous restaurant. go with a big group and order one of everything.

Eat Your Greens - ANOTHER seasonal restaurant! this one is farm-to-fork and organic. I can’t speak to the quality as I haven’t actually been, but I am a frequenter of their GREENGROCER, which is MEGA. last time I think I left with natty wine, pâté, some insane tinned fish, a jar of harissa and a bag of sunset potatoes. if you like food, go here.

SARTO - fresh, handmade pasta and picky bits. another great place to go with a group and order all the starters. I had a celeriac pasta there last year that I think about on a fairly regular basis; I picked it cos it was the weirdest sounding thing on the menu and it was fucking mouthwatering. good quality and good people! and it's next door to The Wardrobe, so perfect for a pre-gig tea.

Santiago Bar - like Grindhouse (alternative, casual) but the music is louder and you'll find yourself doing tequila shots at 1am and screaming along to, like, Don Broco. it's the best.

Blue Collar Boys - as a rule I hate 'vintage' clothes shops (overpriced, ugly, everything is XXS), but this place seems to specialise solely in American t-shirts and sweatshirts from the 90s in exactly my size, and everything is £10. this is amazing and a huge bargain if you find something like vintage Wranglers and a Playboy bomber jacket (£20, my wife) but not so amazing or a bargain if you find 3 t-shirts with holes in (£30, me). we've never been without finding shit we love. they only open on random weekends, and they always seem to have more stuff than they could possibly ever sell. it's a freaky vintage alternate universe.

The Corn Exchange - a big gorgeous ol' building full of little businesses. vintage, handmade, tattoos, coffee, jewellery, independent brands, yarn, shoes, a barbers, a bookshop, they've got it all. very easy to spend £100 and 6 hours. every so often they have a market on the bottom floor. perfect tiny representation of Leeds: quirky, independent, delicious, cool.

Silver's Deli - this is a 9-minute train ride away in Bramley (my ends!) but has become THEE buzzy foodie spot recently. go on a sunny saturday morning (cos you will probably have to sit outside) and order the everything sandwich. thank me later. if they have scotch eggs or sausage rolls on, I beseech you, order both. and if you want the sunday special prepare to get there at 11 and fight.

Against the Grain - if you've come to Bramley for Silver's, you may as well trundle 10 minutes up the road and visit the best bar in Leeds. cosy, casual, full of locals, hidden in Swinnow Mills. it's a sit-around-and-chat-to-people sort of place, with bonus charcuterie boards AND a pizza van on weekends. we are here A LOT, because Gray's Salon and Rose and Thorn Tattoo are both in the Mill, and we give them all our money. oh! and dog friendly. sooo many dogs.

Project House/Galleria - if you've gotten the train out to Bramley for Silver's and ATG, jump on the 72 back to town and get off at Project House to eat MORE food. Galleria is a great place to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Project House has EVERYTHING (depending on the day). yoga! gigs! vintage fairs! a bi-annual tattoo convention meets makers market with food vendors called Hand of Glory! check what's on and head on down to support local!

Kirkstall Bridge Inn - another one local(ish) to me, but worth travelling out of town for; a PROPER pub (i.e. no tv, no sports, no shite) that does roasts upstairs and lets dogs in downstairs. outdoor seating right by the canal, and every so often they put something on and the car park turns into a tiny festival. Kirkstallpalooza is a highlight. great place to finish a nice canal walk (who am I?!).

tl;dr sorry that this is obnoxiously long, I love Leeds

[lewkwoodnco]

Now That We Don't Talk - Lockwood x Reader

A/N: very very brief suicidal mention, sooooo much writer's block hhhh (the seasonal depression is depressing), (angst but diluted if that makes sense) add/remove yourself from my taglist in the link beloooow ALSO

🎄Special Announcement! I'll be doing a twelve days of Christmas fic series (1 songfic fic a day leading up to Christmas) BUT I will also be accepting extra holiday-themed requests (if any)!🎄

(speaking of the holidays, thinking of switching to a santa-themed george icon soon hmmm), wc 3.1k

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 3.5 | Ch 4 | Ch 5

TAGLIST | MATERLIST

Moving had been a surprisingly smooth process that she remembered little of. She had to take care to not think too much about the ornaments she was packing or the boxes she was taping shut or the lonely town she was numbly driving towards, lest the rest of her catch up to the grief weighing her down. Her supervisor had looked plenty confused when she explained where she was transferring to, and muttered something about not knowing if there were any visitors there.

As steep as the change was from working in central London to a significantly sleepier town, she seemed to be adjusting fine. In fact, she was liking the peace and quiet. Or at least, she would, soon enough. She'd learn the right habits, like finding contentment in the stagnant void that descended on her windows far too quickly every evening, the same way she'd unlearn bad habits, like him. So no, her biggest problem was hardly the early sunsets here, but was actually what everyone wanted to talk to her about when she called. The one thing everyone - her old teammates, colleagues, friends - wanted to make sure she knew.

"The gala was fantastic this year - though not as fun without you, of course -"

"You'll never believe who showed up."

"He looked very sharp in his suit. He cleans up nice, I suppose - Anthony Lockwood, I mean."

"They've become quite the celebrities, that Lockwood & Co., though the other two don't seem to tolerate the cameras like he does."

"Oh, you should have seen it. Say what you will about Lockwood but does he know how to make an entrance!"

"Were you at the gala this year?"

She sighed for what must have been the fifth time that day. "No, Ted, I was not. You were at my farewell party, remember?"

"Tha' was for you?"

"Goodbye, Ted."

"Wait! You've seen the pictures, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't, because contrary to popular belief, I am not obsessed with evrything that goes on at Fittes."

"Well, we had a tiptop chocolate fountain this year. Didn't get clogged once and looked absolutely gorgeous. Anywho, I've recently stumbled upon this smashing business opportunity involving chocolate fountains - they're selling like hot cakes, I tell you! - and I'd love to spread the wealth."

"Theodore, you haven't joined another MLM, have you?"

"What is an MLM, other than an opportunity to invest in yourself?"

"Don't make me phone your mother."

The call ended rather abruptly after that. Only Lucy, as always, was an angel.

"I take it you've heard plenty about him?"

"Who? Oh, him. Yes, more than plenty."

"I thought you might. He has...quite the presence, so the papers wanted to interview him, and he agreed - "

" - obviously - "

"And I think they asked him about you at some point."

Her mouth dried. She struggled to find her voice, forcing it to stay casually disinterested. "Hm? What did he say?"

"Absolutely nothing. First and probably last time I've seen him stunned speechless. Naturally, it's all anyone can talk about."

"Mhm."

"He hasn't talked about you, if you're wondering. Sees it coming from a mile away every time George and I try to bring it up. It's so stupid; we know it, he knows it, and he's always in a foul mood. He keeps thinking, these days...Y/N?"

"I don't care."

"No one would blame you if you did."

"I don't."

"So how are you holding up?"

"Well, Luce, I felt happiness outside of external validation for the first time in...ever, then three months later I'm crying in my bathtub wishing I would die, and now I'm miles away from everyone I ever knew and it's always dark outside and I'm always miserable. I'm doing great."

She could hear the exhaustion in the crackling static of the telephone. It occurred to her that she wasn't much acting all that cheerful either.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think he half-expected to see you there."

She inhaled sharply and sat up in her armchair so fast she could feel a cramp curling in her neck. She didn't dare believe Lucy's words. "Really?" she wanted to breathe into the telephone, and revel in dormant delusions, if only for a moment. Instead, she gingerly sank back into the chair, continuing in a flat voice.

"Well, I don't care about any of that now. Oh, I'm sick of it. All of it. If I never hear his name again for as long as I live, it'll be still be too soon. How's George doing?"

After she hung up, she laid in her chair, watching the shadows from her shutters stretch and fold over her furniture as the sun set. She was thinking about the last party she had been to, a yacht party where some of Fittes' and Rotwell's biggest investors were in attendance. How Lockwood had managed to score an invite was beyond her, but what intrigued her more was the cab ride they shared back to Portland Row.

She had been half-dozing off when she felt a hand cover hers. As she blinked at him blearily, she noticed the rigid tension in his spine, as if poised and waiting for an attack. He was clutching her hand purposefully, as if holding off on warning her about something malevolent that was consuming him. She couldn't see his face, which began to feel no different from the cold, hard window pane it was peering out of.

She stirred, distantly unnerved by his impersonality. He glanced at her, apologetically retracting his hand with a sheepish smile. But that look of consternation remained on his face as he turned back to the window with a furrowed brow, with the air of waiting for something. He visibly relaxed as they approached Portland Row, but she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling even by the time they reached the doorstep.

"You all right?" she was asking, while Lockwood fumbled with their keys.

"'Course. Why wouldn't I be?"

She didn't respond, and the two of them watched him wrench at the key in the lock, trying to steady his mildly trembling fingers.

"Key turns the other way."

He paused his efforts, and after a second or two turned the key the other way. The door slid open smoothly with a click. He held it open, but she just looked at him expectantly. He sighed.

"I'm fine, I promise. I just...get a little nervous around some parts of London."

"Which parts?"

"Some."

"Scared of what?"

"A few things."

"Why?"

"For fun. Look, I'm freezing out here. Can we just drop this?"

That was more than a mild exaggeration; the sun had only just set and the air was still pleasantly balmy. But he looked so beseechingly, and it didn't take much for her to relent when it came to Lockwood, so they stepped inside and shrugged their coats off in silence.

"I'll tell you some day. I'm sure I will."

That was some day too far away. Now she'll never know if, or why he ever felt like that. Or rather, she wouldn't know when he would feel like that. But it was no matter. It was none of her business then, and it was even less of her business now.

She had mostly forgotten about her conversation with Lucy by the following week, which was why her parcel came as a bit of a surprise, especially since she'd mentioned being swamped by a mountain of upcoming cases.

Y/N -

I was thinking about our call the other day. On a completely unrelated note, here's about every gossip rag from the past month I could find at Arif's.

Love, Lucy.

She was beginning to see what was so appealing about these magazines. As ruthless as they could be, they sure knew how to sell a pipe dream to common folk with less exciting lives. The gala was clearly as glitzy and glamorous as it was every year, and the articles held an air of intrigue now that she was quite separate from Fittes. But that quivering excitement became somewhat muffled as she flipped through the glossy pages.

The Anthony Lockwood she saw now looked worlds apart from the Lockwood she left behind. His well-fitting suit, megawatt smile and carefully styled hair made him look expensive in a way that destabilised her. She flipped through photograph after photograph of him looking jarringly luxurious besides walls of text effusing about the success of their latest case, and what an honour it must have been to be personally invited by Marissa Fittes herself. It weighed at the pit in her stomach to see this unfamiliar silhouette of a friend who was become increasingly unattainable, speeding along roads to prosperity faster than she could ever keep up with.

She sifted through the other rags. The most extensive feature was a few pages long, and was centered more on the exciting, up-and-coming agency that was Lockwood & Co. rather than a specific case. There were pictures from their most recent cases, and in each one he looked unnaturally distinct from the last, but in every single one he oozed an appealingly languid charisma. It was good to see him doing so well. She was happy for him. Or she would be, tomorrow, when she had the strength for it. Lockwood was unbearable in a way that made him perfect for a life in the public eye, a life for which she was somehow always deficient. She traced a too-long strand of hair flopped on his forehead in one of the photographs, as if she could magically straighten it out.

She could see him now, thumbing through the pages with an approving tilt to his head, limbs folded uncomfortably in the armchair he always insisted on sharing with her. "No such thing as bad press," he'd claim absent-mindedly, his too-long hair flopping impractically. And she'd watch him with bruised eyes like she always did, wishing for nothing more in that moment shared with him. In other words, wishing for nothing short of what she could never have.

Maybe it was some lingering wish to break herself before he beat her to it. Because that was all it was; dodging blows, lying through pretty teeth, racing ahead to pull one over on him, cursing the feel of his breath on her. There was simply no calm, no respite, only the all-consuming experience of becoming wrapped up in him and losing bits and pieces of herself which would never again be truly hers.

She picked up the telephone again. It felt too heavy in her hand. Numbly, she spun the dial as if on autopilot, keying in her mother's phone number. The dial tone comforted her in some twisted yet cathartic acknowledgement of the emptiness inside of her.

Looking at it now she could see the distinct air of mystery that engulfed Lockwood and clouded her vision. He was never quite fully present; a part of him was always tucked away to be kept secret in some dark corner, and her mind was only too happy to extrapolate, to construct this most desirable yet entirely mythical figment. She felt ragged, winded and worn from battling reality day after day, all alone. And most of all, she felt so very stupid.

Her mother was saying that she had made the right decision. Not that she needed any reminding. Of course her life had taken an upward swing ever since; she'd be a fool to think otherwise. She was positively paralysed with liberty, bedridden with joy, simply immobile with ecstasy!

She was slowly but surely going very insane. Now making eyes at each other, now disconnect, now love, now heartache, now this, now that, but never any peace. Maybe it was some lingering wish to shatter and let the pent up misery dissipate.

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

Months passed. The holiday season arrived, and she choked through the November blues with shivering bones and clammy hands. Even with the slight uptick in visitors, as was expected in the colder months, her life provided little to distract her from her own ghosts under the floorboards. So when she received a consultancy request from Fittes one morning, she had written back and mailed her response all while still holding the jam knife.

The train was crowded and noisy with the bustle of the holidays, but as it chugged along through the fields of snow, she couldn't help but perk up ever so slightly at every sigh and creak of its wheels. There was a spring in her step all the way to Fittes headquarters, where she was supposed to collect her apartment key.

A tall, indistinct figure was walking out of the revolving doors as she approached. She flinched when she realised who it was - Lockwood, who didn't seem much happier to see her either. He looked mostly well, though the corners of his mouth were a little strained, his face flushed in the cold.

"...Y/N?"

"Lockwood."

"You're...home?"

"Yeah. Um, how have you been?"

"Good...good. Busy. As busy as winter gets."

He was wearing a different coat. It was quite similar to his old one, but this one was thicker and more structured, and looked like it was at least somewhat effective in keeping the brisk winter wind out. He looked foreign and unfamiliar in a way he hadn't since...since the Investors Party.

It had taken her a while to pick his face out of the pretentious crowd, given how preoccupied she was with weaving through the thicket of people. It had taken her a eyes minute to adjust to the almost nauseatingly charismatic silhouette of an especially-chuffed Lockwood in a newly tailored but otherwise identical suit. She tried to give him a reproaching look, but there was something infectious in his smooth ease as he larked about in his prime which made her lips twitch despite herself as he waded through the crowds.

"You really shouldn't be here."

"You're clearly not drunk enough yet."

"How did you even get in? This is invitation-only."

"Had an invite, didn't I?"

She pursed her lips, shaking her head slightly. He was hopelessly incorrigible in an oddly fascinating way. Her voice dropped to a murmur as she felt herself begin to relent.

"I ought to...tell someone about you."

"That you're secretly in love with me?"

"That we have an illegal stowaway."

"You're not going to rat me out, are you?"

The pleading look on his face was enough to give her pause. She was already beginning to regret her decision, but he looked so vivacious it was difficult to stay disapproving for long.

"Excellent. Now, would you be so good as to point me in the direction of the bigger spenders?"

They spend the next few hours laughing and entertaining the many important men on the boat and their great deal of important thoughts. She'd excuse herself towards the end of every conversation to leave Lockwood and the glimmer in his eye to close a deal. For someone so adept at climbing the corporate ladder, she was surprisingly poor at fulfilling these adjacent duties.

She hated every second of it, and she drank as much as she could without raising eyebrows to make it all halfway palatable, but it was all worth it then. He had wanted to stay for as long as it would have been polite, so when they finally left, long after the media had made their rounds at the event, his jacket was folded over his left arm and his hand was delicately holding hers.

When she was stuck in her drafty cottage on the edge of nowhere, she'd think about the feel of his fingers curling around her palm more than it was appropriate, and wonder how she ever thought she was somehow better off here.

But that evening's sense of camraderie was long gone. Now, she regarded him coolly, holding him at arm's length. They may have had a rough falling out, but that didn't mean they couldn't still be friends. Just friends. Nothing more. But the vaguely intimate look in Lockwood's eye told her he was in no mood to entertain any kind of platonic notions.

"I didn't know you were back."

She relented. It was the season of giving, after all.

"Only for a while. Fittes hired me as a consultant for a few months."

He blinked at her. "You could have called."

"I didn't think you'd be interested."

"Of course I'd be interested. I'm always interested when it comes to you."

She sighed sharply. It was so easy to get swept up and believe him when he said things like that, that she wondered how she found the strength to leave. He was a bastard, a ne'er-do-well who only knew how to break her heart after promising sweet, simple luxuries in whispers over expanses of skin. She made her lips tremble, her pulse quicken, her heart shake in all the worst ways.

But underneath all that, love was there. Love was there...still.

"Ready to go?"

They turned in unison towards a strikingly beautiful girl with glossy raven curls walking out of the revolving doors. The girl's smile only slipped a fraction as she shook her hand, and she was distantly aware of making some kind of clumsy introduction. They stuttered through some stunted small talk, during which all she was aware of was the blood roaring in her ears that gave the whole scene a distantly muffled feel. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Well, this was...lovely. Shall we go, then?"

The girl turned to leave, but some semblance of hesitation prevented her from pulling Lockwood along with her.. His face still had that same confused look.

"You could have called," he repeated tonelessly, like a broken record. The girl's presence made the back of her neck smart and prickle uncomfortably.

"I might, later."

"Bye. Nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you too."

"We're home all day."

The last one was from Lockwood.

"Just...if you want to drop by. So that Luce and George don't have my head on a platter by supper."

"Goodbye, Lockwood."

He was captivating in a way that made her want to keep him all to herself. No one needed to intrude on this tantalising secret they shared. It was at that moment that she made the very unfortunate realisation that she didn't need to say it out loud to make what she had been screaming from the rooftops of her heart any more real - him and her would forever be unfinished business.

And nothing she could do could make the palpitations of her heart any less real either.

As the life she once dreamed of walked away from her, all she was acutely aware of was that it was a lingering wish, some half-thought dream, to sit opposite him in a chilly kitchen on blustery mornings, watching him drink his tea while she got drunk on him.

TAGLIST: @novelizt @avdiobliss @dangelnleif @mischivana @mitskiswift99 @houseoftwistedspirits

[j4m3s-b4k3r]

CREEPY Steve

2024 is the 50th anniversary of Stephen King’s first published novel, CARRIE. The story of a bullied telekinetic teen, who gets blood-soaked payback at her prom. Since then, he's written 65 novels, 200 short stories, and 5 nonfiction books. A freakish feat, almost worthy of one of his supernatural characters.

King’s first published story was when he was 19 years old. He continued selling short stories after graduating from the University of Maine, and while teaching English at a public high school, all later collected in NIGHT SHIFT. He's averaged more than a book a year since 1974. Many of his novels were initially released under a pseudonym, lest their sheer number dilute his ‘brand’. I became aware of King via the early movie adaptations of his books. CARRIE, THE SHINING, and THE DEAD ZONE. A great introduction, as those early films were all good, whereas most adaptations of his work are terrible, sadly. 

During one of the Halloweens in the covid era, Julia & I got into a CREEPY STEVE frame of mind. Watching the better film adaptations, and listening to audiobooks. Those narrated by Will Patton were faves, as he really brings the characters to life. The Bill Hodges trilogy - Mr MERCEDES, FINDERS KEEPERS and END OF WATCH - were all marvellous, and introduced the wonderful character Holly Gibney. Who then appeared in further stories of her own. 

There are 10 Stephen King short story collections, and all that I’ve read contain several gems. JUST AFTER SUNSET has the terrifying (yet somehow hilarious) tale of a man trapped and left for dead in a capsized porta-potty. DIFFERENT SEASONS contains the stories that inspired THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and STAND BY ME. Donald Sutherland starred in a great film entitled Mr HARRIGAN’S PHONE, taken from IF IT BLEEDS. Which also contains another great Holly Gibney story. 

ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT, is an engaging book, narrated by the author himself. Part memoir and part how-to instructional. Reminding me of William Goldman’s ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE, in that it can’t truly deliver the secrets to making the magic that it promises, but serves up entertaining & revealing autobiographical anecdotes instead.

We are now used to seeing vampires in contemporary settings, so some of the 1970s impact of SALEM’S LOT has been lost. But both the book and its movie adaptation have many indelible images. Such as a vampire child hovering at the window.. (an inspiration for John Ajvide Lindqvist perhaps?)

After listening to book after book of King’s, and loving their brilliantly observed characters, and wonderful dialog, DARK TOWER was conspicuous for not having the elements that are normally intriguing in his books. Maybe I’ll give this series another shot someday, as friends swear it gets better. 

We read THE SHINING and its sequel, DOCTOR SLEEP, watching & enjoying both movie adaptations. King apparently despises Kubrick’s version of THE SHINING - "The book is hot, and the movie is cold; the book ends in fire, and the movie in ice. In the book, there's an actual arc where you see this guy, Jack Torrance, trying to be good, and little by little he moves over to this place where he's crazy. And as far as I was concerned, when I saw the movie, Jack was crazy from the first scene.” 

After reading the book, I understand King’s critiques, and agree with his second point. Jack Nicholson seems already about detonate on his drive to the hotel. Whereas King’s Jack was driven to madness by the malignant spirits within it. However, Kubrick’s film is so indelibly stamped into my mind, that I cannot unsee it. Nor unlike it neither (sorry, Stephen).

“Plot is, I think, the good writer’s last resort and the dullard’s first choice. The story which results from it is apt to feel artificial and labored.” - Stephen King.

I work in storytelling too, but in my biz it’s the dullard’s choice all the way - everything plotted & discussed, ad infinitum. King apparently starts with the merest idea, then writes straight ahead, surprising himself as he goes. A magician pulling a string of goodies out of his own head. At his best, this approach produces stories that feel naturalistic, with surprising twists and turns. 

At his worst, it can be rambling, meandering and self indulgent. Especially when he struggled with addiction. Apparently, King was so out of control in the late 1980s, that he was confronted by an intervention after finishing the TOMMYKNOCKERS manuscript. A pity then that the editor wasn’t given more latitude in tidying up that waffling mess before it went to print..

Stephen himself agrees - “I mean, The Tommyknockers is an awful book. That was the last one I wrote before I cleaned up my act. And I’ve thought about it a lot lately and said to myself, “There’s really a good book in here, underneath all the sort of spurious energy that cocaine provides, and I ought to go back.” The book is about 700 pages long, and I’m thinking, “There’s probably a good 350-page novel in there.”

We enjoyed the screen adaptations of IT, CHRISTINE, 1922, THE MIST, and 11.22.63. After soaking in worlds King has created, on page & screen, it became clear that the recent NETFLIX hit, STRANGER THINGS, is merely glorified Stephen King fan fiction. By the end of the pandemic, we’d chewed through many stories, yet only a mere fraction of The King Catalog. 

King is thought of as a master of the paranormal, but his real genius is for the everyday. Some of my favourites King stories are his straight crime fiction, or stories about real life. Even his famous horror stories are grounded by settings in relatable blue collar situations.. The writer Peter Straub even compared King to Dickens: “Both are novelists of vast popularity and enormous bibliographies, both are beloved writers with a pronounced taste for the morbid and grotesque, both display a deep interest in the underclass."

How does a man who’s been a millionaire for decades, with a very recognisable face, keep an ear for dialog patterns of common folk? Does he wear a disguise, and lurk in truck stops, diners, dive bars, and greyhound bus stations, taking notes?

 “He's one of the first people to talk about real Americans and how they live, to capture real American dialogue in all its, like, foulmouthed grandeur... He has a deadly ear for the way people speak... …Surface-wise, King's work is a bit televisual, but there's really a lot going on." - David Foster Wallace

Lately, we’ve embarked on yet another quest to chip away at the KING oeuvre. Having already fallen in love with Bill Hodges & Holly Gibney, it was fun to watch the Mr MERCEDES TV series. Even though the filmmakers took liberties with the characterisations. Rather than the shy, smoking, middle aged, OCD woman of the novels, the TV Holly is a perky & cute 30 something. An autistic variation on the manic pixie dream girl trope. (sigh..)

Taken from a short story collection entitled EVERYTHING’S EVENTUAL, the gripping movie 1408, starring John Cusack & Samuel L. Jackson, is the creepy story of a skeptical paranormal investigator, whose cynicism is challenged by spending a harrowing night in an actual haunted hotel room.

In THINNER a selfish fat lawyer is cursed into anorexia by a gypsy. Entertaining, in 'the guy deserves everything he gets' manner of a parable from the Twighlight Zone. It seems to have inspired Sam Raimi's DRAG ME TO HELL.

GERALD’S GAME seemed like a story written on a bet, or an author’s exercise - “write a novel where the protagonist never leaves their bed for most of the story.” To me it felt like it might have worked better as a short story. When King fails (for me, anyway) it's when there hasn't been enough editing.

King has apparently said that PET SEMATARY was his book that scared him the most, and it is extremely creepy, but for me, MISERY was even more terrifying. I'd already seen the film, and Kathy Bates’ Oscar winning performance, but the book is even scarier somehow. There’s nothing paranormal about this story. There is utter horror, but it is the worst kind that there is - the twists & turns of the human mind.

Despite, or perhaps because of, King’s great popularity, literary critics long damned him with faint praise. In 2003, when he received the National Book Foundation’s ‘Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters’, some became openly hostile:

"The decision to give the National Book Foundation's annual award for "distinguished contribution" to Stephen King is extraordinary, another low in the shocking process of dumbing down our cultural life… ..What he is is an immensely inadequate writer on a sentence-by-sentence, paragraph-by-paragraph, book-by-book basis." - Harold Bloom

Bloom is dead, so King gets the last word - “A lot of today's reviewers grew up reading my fiction. Most of the old critics who panned anything I wrote are either dead or retired".

In 1999, Stephen King was flattened by a vehicle while walking along a highway - "After the accident, I was totally incapable of writing. At first it was as if I'd never done this in my life. ...It was like starting over again from square one." As someone who was been flattened too (but in a very different way) one of the many inspiring things about King is how he recovered from that terrible accident, to do some of his very best work.

CREEPY STEVE is a one-man multimedia idea engine, keeping the publishing & Hollywood machines running. We are still enjoying poring through the King library (listening to THE INSTITUTE now) so if any of you have further recommendations, please let me know in the comments!

[anamoon63]

Thank you to @nocturnalazure, @kimmiessimmies and @marcishaun for the question! 😘❤️I decided to answer in one post and with only one sim because I'm having a bit of a busy weekend, I had a small window of time to sit down and do this and I really didn't want to leave anyone behind, so I hope that's not a problem. 😉

TONY LANGERAK

I'm sure nobody expected this, but Tony Langerak was my first ever favorite sim, 'favorite' being understood as a sim you can't stop playing with and that also has its own story. So for this time and in answer to my dear three mutuals who asked me this question, I am going to list 5 facts about my beloved Tony. 💙

THE FACTS:

Fact # 1

Tony Langerak is not technically an OC of mine because he was born in game, but his looks and personality are totally my creation. As his last name says, he is descended from the Langeraks of Sunset Valley; he's Dustin's great grandson and Parker's grandson. He was born in Hidden Springs, then he migrated to Starlight Shores, then back to Hidden Springs, and finally settled in Island Paradise. He has a twin brother, Mike; they are not really identical but if you dress and style them alike, they will look very similar! (BTW, Mike is married to the famous singer Miranda Cho, sister of another famous singer Michelle Cho, both Dale' Cho's aunts. This is where the Langerak and Cho families meet!). Tony is and adult (around the middle 40s), and belongs to generation four of The Kamels of Hidden Springs (One gen before the Cho Brothers). In addition to having a twin, Tony has two older sisters who are also twins, Kamillah and Lillian. And a brother older than all of them, Kurt.

Fact #2

Tony didn't go to college; his dream was to be a writer (Illustrious Author). To pursue it, he moved to Starlight Shores with his twin brother and the two of them worked hard to get to the top. It was there that Tony met his first wife, outstanding acrobat Cassandra Steele. His stay at Starlight Shores didn't last long though, as he became an explorer and traveled all around the world to get relics to sell, making money very quickly. His aspiration then changed drastically, now his desire was to have a Private Museum, which he eventually achieved. Also, after getting practically all the treasures he could in his adventures around the world, Tony managed to achieve his primary aspiration which was to become a famous writer. He began writing about his travels, and then he continued with novels of all genres, including an autobiography.

Fact #3

In terms of skills, Tony is quite talented and multifaceted, not only mastering writing but also painting, sculpting, and in his spare time, he plays the drums. He's a seasoned traveler and explorer, he's a professional diver, he's an expert in martial arts, and he practices meditation. Additionally, and thanks to Jeannine, he knows all the secrets of nectar making, has his own vineyard and wine cellar, and, of course, he has his own winery in his vacation home in France.

Fact #4

Today, Tony leads a fairly peaceful life, but it wasn't always easy, it may have been full of successes, but it was also full of failures, mainly his love life, which was quite chaotic. He married very young to Cassandra Steele, but during their marriage, on one of his trips to Champs Les Sims, he met Jeannine Lambert with whom he had an affair that later turned into a steady romance. For a while, Tony led a double life, being unfaithful to Cassandra (perhaps due to his commitment issues). When he finally confessed to Cassandra about his affair with Jeannine, she asked him for a divorce. Tony begged her for a long time to forgive him, but Cassandra wouldn't budge, and they ended up separating. The post-divorce period was a very dark time for Tony, during which he drank himself into an alcoholic. It was difficult for him to get out of it, but he finally did and, once sober, he made the heartbreaking decision to forget Cassandra forever and propose marriage to Jeannine.

Fact #5

Jeannine was not Tony's only romance. After his divorce from Cassandra, Tony had several other affairs, including a marriage with Mia Azul, the red-haired mermaid from Island Paradise; a more or less long relationship with Aislara Alvarez with whom he had a son; and even a steamy affair with Adaeze Min in Shang Simla. But all that is already behind him (apparently), he is now happily married to Jeannine and lives with her and their four children in Island Paradise. Jeannine has been trying to convince him to move permanently to their house in Champs Les Sims, but Tony is not sure, as he is very attached to the island. Recently Cassandra called him and asked him to meet to discuss an undisclosed matter, will she come back to disrupt Tony's life again, or will she let him finally enjoy his peaceful marriage with Jeannine? We will see!

-----

Additional note: Tony and Cassandra's story has been on hiatus for like two years or more now, but it's still going on in my imagination, lol. I hope to resume it soon.

Additional note 2: I know the answer to this ask was supposed to be only 5 facts, but you know, I'm a compulsive storyteller, plus when I start talking about my sims there's no stopping me, so they weren't really 5, but more like five groups of many. 😋

I have much, much more to say about Tony, but this will be all for today. Thank you all for reading this far! 😊💗

[onenettvchannel]

THIS JUST IN: Wakfu Season 5 is reportedly in development, greenlighted and confirmed -- says Ankama Animations and France Televisions [#K5NewsFMExclusive]

(Written by Rhayniel Saldasal Calimpong / Freelanced News Writer, Online Media Reporter and News Presenter of OneNETnews)

ROUBAIX, FRANCE -- French entertainment company & public broadcaster 'Ankama Animations' and 'France Televisions' revealed on Wednesday night (June 12th, 2024 -- France local time) on social media that the most highly anticipated and popular animated series 'Wakfu' officially greenlighted, and is in development for Season 5, which supposedly the 4th and final season pushed back to one more season within the next several years to come.

In an exclusive visual poster photo on Instagram (part of Meta Platforms Inc. [MPi]), per first obtained by K5 News FM: Dumaguete… Mr. Yugo Sharm, who was the adult Eliatrope individual, and recently married with Princess Amalia Sheran Sharm, where portals open to seek what was happening in his next story-driven adventure, sometimes his life after a steamy married couple (YuMalia) in Sadida Kingdom.

Show creators themselves at 'Ankama Animations', citing from the American news magazine 'Variety' and 'Deadline Hollywood' that the aforementioned French entertainment company acquires a minority stake with 'INTHEBOX'. While the anime-inspired independent animation company 'Studio Unagi' eyes with larger development slate of projects ramp up its production volume.

Yet, a 'Wakfu' franchise spin-off, revealing a brand new free-to-play roleplay gaming 'Waven' of 'Ankama Games' may soon have a potential adaptation under the same name as a French animated series or a movie, if all goes into the plan. The old and familiar faces are a different account, aside from a televised French animated production of the main protagonist charter of the franchise for Mr. Yugo Sharm.

As you may remember in context, some months ago this year in 2024, at the end of Season 4 finale episode… A momentous occasion between 'Yugo' the Eliatrope and Princess Amalia Sheran Sharm, the beloved main protagonist character couples of the series are now finally united in marriage at the majestic Sadida Kingdom. The union of Mr. Yugo Sharm and Prncs. Amalia Sheran Sharm marked a significant milestone in their journey together for all these years. A beautiful sunset over the kingdom as its warm orange-like glow fell upon the newlyweds via portals. The kissing ended in cliffhanger to wrap last new episodes.

Things are in dark turn for lovemaking after marriage as a French cartoon show for mature audiences as a follow-up, per the latest manga webtoon comic sequel of 'Wakfu: The Great Wave' - Chapter 1, which is way too dark to sell for public broadcasters on a French kids and teens programming block 'Okoo' for France 4, since this webtoon manga chapter is no longer animated, and in part for the renewal development of Season 5 in production at 'Ankama Animations'.

Case in point, edited versions in most of its episodes for targeted demographic of kids and teens may be possible on national TV aside the sex scenes from the start in manga webtoon comic sequel, while the potential uncensored bits was subject for the approval to the public French broadcaster, if later fitted for the mature-rated content to 'France TV Slash'. Along the way, the Season 4 finale of Wakfu not only left fans in awe of the beautiful union between Mr. Yugo and Prncs. Amalia, but also set the stage for new adventures and challenges in the upcoming 5th Season.

Meanwhile, the news of the 5th Season of Wakfu comes as a joyful surprise to its fans worldwide, especially in the Philippines, United States of America (U.S.A.), Canada and across the globe. The show lovers among us are up for another fantastic new season from creators at 'Ankama Animations' and 'INTHEBOX'.

With the previous seasons having left traditional and online streaming viewers at suspense, this upcoming season is bound to create even more excitement, fantasy and thrillers that will be made on large screens on television and online.

You can relive the excitement of 'Wakfu', streaming now on the 'Okoo' app and on 'France TV' website, while you wait for potentially extra final 5th Season. Netflix is also available globally for you to stream at your own time.

POSTER PHOTO COURTESY: Ankama Animations via IG PHOTO BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://www.instagram.com/p/C8H4_7sC1XZ/ [Referenced IG Captioned Photo via Okoo] *https://variety.com/2024/tv/global/wakfu-creator-ankama-inthebox-1236033393/ [Referenced News Article via Variety] and *https://deadline.com/2024/05/ankama-studio-unagi-launch-montreal-1235943352/ [Referenced News Article via Deadline Hollywood]

-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team

[pebblysand]

okay, you guys seemed to love these last season so here we go again: selling sunset hot takes, S7E1-5.

whoever is responsible for imposing that mansion tax has my utmost respect. tax the rich plz.

i don't think we talked enough about that basket ball that amanza was dragging around in ep 1.

talking about amanza: yes, she is a shit stirrer, i called it in s2 and i am baffled it took this long for the show to self-actualise on this issue.

i also don't think we talked enough about jason's baby powdered balls.

i was equally shocked by the fact that brett seems to have a tongue and a brain that together are capable of producing words.

having said that, talking about jason, he remains The Worst. i don't even know how to explain. that man is a walking red flag and the fact that he seems to have survived a life's worth of terrible professional, financial, and personal terrible decision-making is truly a wonder.

that said, we need to stop pretending their income at this stage comes from real estate. most of the money they get is from the show. which is why, i suppose, they're able to open new offices when all of their competitors are shutting down.

as someone who knows a little bit about real estate, the house they were in for the O Group anniversary dinner had real architectural value, which is notable because none of the houses ever do.

romaine-like-the-salad remains my favourite character in this show and i swear sometimes i can hear him think in french.

that said, he and mary being pregnant is the one good news of this season, although they totally knew before that test and their "surprise" was very poor acting.

i am also happy for mary that she stepped back from management. i think this is good for everyone, but mostly her.

now onto the hot stuff: i think when it comes to bre v. chelsea, they actually both have a fair point. i do think chelsea was trying to genuinely apologise, but what she was apologising for was exactly what she said: if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing. she had nothing nice to say and still said things, and now recognises that she shouldn't have. having said that, her view on bre's situation is so clearly rooted in very personal christian beliefs that she's not going to intrinsically change her mind. and actually, this might be my hottest take to date but... i think that's fine. like, as chelsea said, "i don't agree with everything my friends do." she would have been fine being bre's friend but bre wants her to approve of her situation (which, imo, is because deep down, bre is a bit insecure about her situation) and that's never going to happen. my hot take last year was that chelsea had a point, and i think she still does.

this is a bit of a side point but i thought chelsea was at least 40. i'm 30 and i swear my friends and i don't look that old. proof that packing your face with plastic doesn't actually make you look younger.

which, another tangent but why did everyone make such a big deal of the accusation that nicole has had work done? THEY ARE ALL PACKED IN PLASTIC.

and onto the hotter stuff: the situation between nicole v everyone else is starting to bore me. nicole is clearly wrong. nicole has been wrong for two seasons now. let's move on. that said, i had to google what "social climber" meant because i don't think it means the same thing to me as it does to them.

and on chrishell v. marie-lou: so this is actually a hot take, i think, but i do reckon they both have a point. on the one hand, marie-lou is, it's true, rather young and insecure, but she also has reasons to be. they've all made fun of her age, and i feel like her age isn't her fault, and she doesn't seem to me particularly more immature than them. additionally, jason is clearly still in love with chrishell but because he is The Worst, she cannot have that conversation with him, she's turning to chrishell who, in fairness, has no power over that.

i will also say that as a european who's lived in the US, i think what she is holding against chrishell is more of a cultural difference, than it is anything else. what she's basically saying is that chrishell is "american-fake," meaning that she is nice and enthusiastic on the surface but doesn't actually "care." which to marie-lou reads as fake and rude, but to chrishell reads as polite. standards of politeness and casual social interactions are some of the biggest cultural differences between europeans and americans, and i think that's where you'll find that most of the issue is.

i also thought that chrishell, in that scene, used her language superiority to overpower marie-lou. chrishell is someone who speaks a bit fast and is very good at arguing. which is fine when she's with other americans but with marie-lou who is german, whose english is clearly not great, it very quickly feels like bullying. i don't think she meant it as such but marie-lou was taking a bit of time, trying to find her words to get her point across, and chrishell didn't have the patience and kept badgering her. i do believe that had she let marie-lou talk, they would have realised 1) my point above about cultural differences and 2) that the source of all their problem is jason's toxicity and lack of accountability, and that he should be locked in a safe room for the rest of his miserable life.

the way he was trying to hang up the phone during that fight had me in TEARS, like: do i need to be in this conversation? YES. YES. YOU CREATED THIS MESS. you are the weakest, most pathetic little man on the planet.

having said the above, obviously, chrishell has attenuating circumstances for her snapping and bullying of marie-lou and i'm glad she's feeling better now. we are still #teamchrishell in this house, we just need to acknowledge that sometimes our girl makes mistakes.

lastly, did anyone else think the reveal that amanza was molested as a child was a bit random? like, i'm sorry for her but also it felt a bit like it didn't have anything to do with anything. i wonder if it was just there to reconcile she and chelsea.

i will come back with more hot takes whenever i have time to watch the rest of the season lol.

[metalheadcowboy]

Turning a Harringrove Cowboy/Farm AU I wrote A LONGGGG time ago into an actual multi part/chapter fic, so here's the first part, enjoy!

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

It was the spring of '84 when Steve Harrington first decided he hated Billy Hargrove with every damn bone in his body.

The beginning of that spring had been particularly rough in many ways. 

Steve's second senior year of high school was going quite a ways away from great, it seemed like no matter what his old man was pissed off about something or another, the calving season had only just started and it was going straight to shit. Oh, and on top of that, it was hotter than a witches tit outside, a record high in southern Indiana that year, great.

"Gah lee," Steve huffed as he fell flat on his rear, wiping the sweat off his forehead, with the part of his arm that wasn't covered in cow crap and god knows what, "That 'as one big son 've a bitch." The force of his collapse knocked his Stetson hat clean off, but he was quick to recover the rather expensive item he’d received for Christmas not too long ago. 

He slowly collected himself, pushing the medium tan leather down upon his dark, messy waves. He couldn’t help but blink his eyes a few times as he practically panted like a dog to will any form of cold into his body, "Yeah, 'll least this one's livin'," his dad remarked, and he couldn't disagree with that. Seemed like they'd had more still born calves than live ones this season.

" 'Ts only March, we've got a few months," The teen reminded, manifesting at least a shred of hope for the coming weeks. It wasn't that they didn't have calves other times of the year, they were just few and far between. Now was the time when they started raising a good sized herd to sell of at the beginning of next spring to support them most of the year round, besides the practical penny change they made selling their cows milk local, "Good job, mama," he praised the brown and white blotched animal next to him, already akin to new motherhood, licking her almost identical oversized calf like she knew nothing else.

Steve willed himself up off the ground onto shaky knees, this day had been one of his longest in a while. School on top of all the heifers seeming to want to calf at the exact same time. But as he looked past their property line, out into the marvelous bubblegum pink and creamsicle sunset, he found some sliver of peace.

Only the voice of his father snapped him out of his blissful moment of zoning out, seemed like he was doing a lot more of that lately "You best go wash up 'fer dinner, you know your ma ain't gon' have you at the table lookin' that way." He was right and Steve knew it, but he couldn't lie, a hot shower did sound pleasant on his aching joints.

He gave a quick "Yes sir," ending what was probably the tamest conversation they'd had in weeks, before making the short, yet long trek back to their homestead. He could see the lights on in the kitchen and living room, and as he got closer he came upon the silhouette of his mother washing her hands in the kitchen sink in the small window next to their side door.

He trotted up the last few stairs, smiling as he walked through the door to someone just as happy to greet him, "Well, look what the hot mess express brought in, my word sweetie," she said with no real malice, grinning at him like he was her pride and joy, which he was.

"Hi mama," he replied plainly, chuckling softly as she came over and pulled his nearly six foot frame down to her 5 '2 height for a kiss on the side of his head.

His chuckle turned into a full chested laugh when she made a fake gag of disgust, "You smell just 'bout right rank, son. You sure the heifers weren't the ones hackin' it up at your stink?" she teased and Steve just shook his head.

"Had my arm so far up one of 'em I'm prolly 'bout half cow any how," The brunette boy mimicked the struggle sticking his arm up the back end of a cow, to which Annette Harrington grimaced, "That's why I let you boys do your thing and I do mine," she gestured to the kitchen, which is what first alerted Steve to the smell of freshly made chicken pot pie sitting ready on the ceramic countertop. 

His eyes immediately lit up with pure delight, like a kid on Christmas morning, except he was nineteen and to some sad extent pot pie was the highlight of his week, “Mama you didn’t!” he exclaimed, about to go in for a big hug before remembering what he was covered in. 

Mrs. Harrington just shook her head, “Alright, go get cleaned up, the pie ain’t gon’ grow legs.” Within an instant Steve was racing off to his bedroom to grab a pair of pajamas and then to his bathroom to shower. 

And to say he was right would have been an understatement. Steve swore the hot stream of water that cascaded down his spine sent him into seventh heaven, easing out his jammed knee and stiff elbow with ease. 

He enjoyed his escape for about as long as the hot water lasted, a mere few minutes, but that was long enough for him. When he stepped out of the shower he shook his hair out like a wet dog, letting the towel he scrubbed his head with next catch the excess. Shortly after, he grabbed the comb up next to his sink, swiping the steam off the mirror to give his unruly mop a good brush through before quickly throwing on the pajamas he had grabbed prior. 

Steve practically burst through the bathroom door, following the promising scent of dinner, blatantly stopping in his tracks when he found something that was definitely not chicken pot pie. 

“Oh, Steven,” Oh boy, “We have someone we’d like ‘fer you to meet.” The smile on his moms face was sickeningly different from that she had on when welcoming him in from his chores. A lot less genuine and a lot more plastic, but still warm in the way it always was, it was just her nature. 

Steve didn’t say anything for a few seconds, taking in the atmosphere, his parents, that boy. He would be lying if he said the golden-haired figure standing between his folks didn’t look straight out of one of the magazines he’d seen the few times they went into the city. 

Striking icy blue eyes, rimmed with lashes that damn near put any woman’s to shame. Thick brows somehow shaped to perfection, lain a top skin so perfectly sun kissed and freckled with intent. Steve had to force himself to shake these thoughts, knowing how damn stupid he must have looked gawking like an idiot. But that didn’t push away the confusion he felt as his heart seemed to pick up at the statuesque mystery man standing before him. 

“If they’d ‘a told me we were having’ company I would’ve thought to dress a ‘lil nicer ‘n this,” he remarked, cheeks burning a bit with embarrassment, feeling almost stark naked in his pajama pants and plain white t-shirt. He huffed out a short breath when the guy in front of him gave him a rather unconvincing pity laugh, parents following suit, “Ain’t no skin off my back, ‘m sure we’ll see each other in worse,” the radiant boy replied, once again leaving Steve baffled, but maybe that’s just what he did. 

“Names Billy by the way, Billy Hargrove” the boy- Billy extended his hand for Steve to take and he did, taking the few steps forward to give his hand a proper shake before returning the favor, “Steve Harrington, pleasure’s mine,” he replied simply with a short nod of his head. 

His father seemed pleased enough by this interaction, though Steve could never really tell, he always had this sort of stone cold thing going on. 

There was a beat of somewhat awkward silence before Annette interjected, “How about some homemade pot pie?” she offered, with a prompt clap of her hands, sending her boys and their guest to the dinner table. Normally Steve would have been beaming, ready to talk and talk and talk about anything and everything under the sun, but suddenly he wasn’t exactly in the mood. 

“Well, Billy we really are glad to have ya here,” Mr. Harrington continued in the tone he only used around guests or, really, people he was trying to impress. The sickeningly sweet, layered on false happiness and enthusiasm that made Steve’s stomach hurt, “Yeah, ‘ll y’know my old man’s been rearin’ to get me out of the house since the second I stepped foot outta school,” Hm, so he was older, “Since I graduated early ‘n all, couldn’t happen fast ‘nough.” The lanky boy nearly spit out his water, choking in an awkward way to where it came halfway up his nose and made his eyes water. 

Steve coughed it out a bit before bringing his napkin up to his face, watery eyes of shame blinking themselves dry, “Y’ alright there cowboy?” Cowboy, Steve looked up at the smirk on the other boy’s face and had to hold back a sneer. The last thing he needed tonight was to get into it with his dad while they had company over. 

“ ‘M fine, thanks,” he mumbled, feeling the short- lived rage in his stomach settle when his mother brought the meal over just in time, “Shall we?” she chimed in a sing-song tone, that wasn’t anything like his fathers, hers was genuine. Because if there was one thing about Annette Harrington, she didn’t have a mean bone in her body for anyone, unless they messed with her family. 

Steve tuned out the prayer, forehead pressed solidly against his hands clasped so tight his knuckles were about ghostly white. He was just wondering when this Billy guy was going to leave so this night could be over. But of course, just when the brunette thought the topic might change, of course, even after the prayer, his father, John, had to dwell. 

“I’ll say that’s right impressive, y’know Steve here’s held back a year, he’s ‘sposed to have graduated by now, but,” Mr. Harrington shrugged as he dug into his dinner. His son sat there halfway gobsmacked, halfway offended, but he should’ve expected such. 

Steve scoffed, “Only ‘cus you got me doin’ half your work every day. I barely got time for anythin’ else,” he mumbled under his breath just loud enough for the table to hear as he stared down at his mashed potatoes. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel his fathers eyes boring into his skull like laser beams. 

Steve’s mom just looked at him with a disappointed expression, but didn’t interject because she knew good and well it was true, “ ‘F that’s whatcha really think ‘n you’ll be happy to hear you won’t have to do it no more.” Steve’s eyebrows practically shot up his forehead and through his hairline. 

What the hell was he talkin’ ‘bout?

“Huh?” Was all he could manage before his dad excitedly cut off whatever he was planning to say next, “Well what else do you think we got Billy here for, looks?” This gave everyone but Steve a good laugh, he didn’t see any reason to be laughing right now. 

“ ‘N just what ‘o you mean by that?” He was so blinded by anger that he couldn’t even think about eating the pot pie his sweet mother had made, but he’d get over that guilt. He couldn’t say the same for the fury burning deep within him. He looked over at Billy who looked smug as ever, chewing on a bit of his food, sneaky eyes peeking out of the rim of his rather ratty looking Resistol. Oh what he would give right now to punch that smug look right off that pretty boy face. 

John Harrington gave Steve the look, his signature look that said ‘I dare you to go testin’ me, boy’ and if there was ever a time for that it would be now, “Steve, you’ve been slacking lately ‘n we both know it, son.” Steve went to open his mouth but got cut off, again, “ ‘N I figured having Billy stay here ‘n work with me ‘d give you the time off to do sumn else. Like helpin’ your mom ‘round the house, you did always seem… better suited for those things.” 

This couldn’t be fuckin’ for real, “John-,” his mom tried to scold. 

There’s no way his dad just basically called him a sissy, not after-

“I had my hand up a cow’s ass ‘fer you today, ‘n then you’re gonna go sayin’ that- that bullshit?” Steve burst, knowing he would no doubt have to pay for these words later. He felt tears pricking the corners of his eyes, not from guilt, not from shame, but of pure, unfiltered rage. But what really put salt in the wound was looking over at Billy, whose subtle smirk had far faltered, turning into something more innocent, more regretful. Like this wasn’t all his own damn fault in the first place. 

Everything’s so unfair, this is so unfair. Not only did he feel hurt, but he felt embarrassed, having his dad say those things about him, basically calling him a sissy, in front of his own mother. 

“Steven-” he heard his father try to reprimand, but Steve refused to take it. Instead, he stood up abruptly, the straightening of his knees sent his chair flying backwards against the wall. He would have cringed at the sound if he weren’t so genuinely pissed. 

He was able to hold the tears in until he turned around, then it was like the dam just… burst. He felt a whine work its way up his throat, but he willed it back down, swallowing what last bit of pride he had left down with it. 

Could a sissy do that? Maybe Steve didn’t want the answer to that. 

He didn’t know what was going on, he’d never felt this was, this upset, this angry. He didn’t understand. He practically glid to his room, socked feet moving so fast he wasn’t sure whether or not he was actually taking real steps. And, frankly, he didn’t care, just wanted to be away. 

When he made it to his room, he closed his door behind him and flopped down onto his bed, stomach down, choking on his own hushed sobs. It made him feel like a child again, pathetic, small, lonely. He turned on his side and curled in on himself a bit, clinging on to whatever little bit of comfort he could. 

Through wallowing in his own self pity, he barely heard the faint mewl coming from behind him. He just groaned, hoping maybe if he ignored it long enough it, or rather she, would go away. 

“Meooowww.” He should’ve known better, it was his fault for locking her in there with him anyways. 

“Oh, Ginger,” he sighed, stuffy nose making him sound all nasally. And it was as if that was the permission the rather plump orange tabby needed to jump up on top of him like he was her human pillow, “Cain’t a man even have a few seconds alone.” To that, of course, she meowed at him in protest, ever the chatterbox. 

Steve quickly accepted his defeat to the tubby cat when she somehow still gracefully jumped off his ribs and onto the empty spot in bed next to him. The pale light of bright stars shining through his window, reflecting off of Ginger’s big round saucer eyes were the only thing giving his room any light. But it didn’t matter because soon after he shut his own eyes, focusing on the purring of the seemingly content cat next to him, half wishing to disappear, half wishing to go back out there and beat Billy to a pulp. Even if only for existing.

Billy, stupid Billy and his stupid white teeth and his stupid pretty eyes and his stupid everything.

Fuck this dinner, fuck this day, and most importantly fuck Billy Hargrove.

[ratsoh-writes]

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the outerswap siblings, Helios and Artemis!!

Here’s a little bit about the skeletons:

Helios (outerswap sans):

He’s obviously the older sibling, at 45 years old. He stands at 5 feet even and is rather petite and elfish looking. Don’t let that fool you though, he’s a powerhouse.

Helios has a soft orange magic and is covered in a dusting of freckles.

Most of the time he is very cheerful, friendly and competitive. Helios isn’t the most playful and takes his jobs very seriously. When he’s pushed too far, he has a rather fiery explosive temper though. Luckily he doesn’t hold grudges. While he’s normally rough with those around him, he has a gentle side that only seems to come out for his little sister and any small kids. He’s not the most flirtatious monster and doesn’t have any interest in relationships right now.

For work, he’s a professional fighter! He’s won plenty of magical combat competitions and also knows several physical fighting styles. Unfortunately he doesn’t have the money to do this full time, so on the side he works in the minds of the underground’s when it’s off season for the fights.

Things he loves: his sister, heavy metal music, dragon ball Z, weapon summoning, kickboxing, sparring, bonfires, small children (he thinks they’re adorable and fun to tease), the color blue, the moon, stargazing, mood boards, snails

His special ability is flame body: his bones and ecto burst into flames when he’s angered. Or at will. They luckily don’t burn through anything unless he concentrates on making them do SOs

His magic weapon of choice is a large battle hammer with spikes on both hammer ends. The hammer itself is nearly half his body size and is a blood orange color.

Artemis (outerswap papyrus):

She’s the younger sibling at 40 years old. She stands at 6 feet even and has very pale translucent ecto due to being born with the disease dimming. She has a very soft feminine voice.

Artemis has sky blue magic and a smattering of freckles all over her bones.

Artemis is an observant and down to earth character. She has a strong sense of fairness and compassion that no one really seems to know where it came from. She’s touch and affection starved and very friendly to every one around her despite being anxious. She’s slowly recovering from near death due to her disease and has a lot of side effects from it, making her tire out pretty easily. She’s a people pleaser and very curious about the world around her. Her curiosity usually overrides her anxiety but it also makes her agree easily to things that can get her in trouble. She can be too trusting.

She gets a disability fund from the government which covers her healthcare and some other stuff, but to help her brother with the bills she breeds and sells snails on the side. The apartment building they live in has a small greenhouse that their landlord generously lets them use as long as they keep it clean.

Things she loves: her brother and the fighters he hangs out with, watching the combat matches and games in person, heavy metal music, fantasy novels: especially reincarnation ones, snails, the sun, sunsets and sunrises, natural medicine, indoor plants.

Her special ability is lighter fingers. She can make a small blue flame appear on her finger tips at will. The flame does not burn and gives a small amount of light

Due to being born with dimming, Artemis was never able to complete her schooling and has never summoned a full magic weapon before.

Here’s a little backstory on the two!

Helios and Artemis were born to pretty wealthy parents. Helios however was shunted to the side after his little sister was born due to her being diagnosed with the ecto disease, dimming.

Helios grew up at first resenting his little sister who took up all of his once loving parents time. She could do no wrong, and he always seemed to be blamed for anything bad around the house.

However Artemis adored her brother, the only one around her who didn’t treat her like some piece of glass. She would try to defend him against their parents when she became old enough to understand their situation, and would even cover for him so he could leave and train for the royal guard, something his parents didn’t want him in. By the time Helios was an adult, the two had an unbreakable bond

After the crash, Artemis’ health took a turn for the worse. She was given months to live and their parents kept her in a tightly locked community in hopes that she’ll pull through. Artemis was done, managed to get in touch with her brother who had moved away on his own and begged him to “kidnap” her so she could actually see the surface before she died.

Of course Helios does steal her away and they go traveling across ebott to dodge their parents while Artemis gets to spend her last days actually seeing the world around her.

Spoiler alert: she doesn’t die. The freedom actually seems to improve her health and she’s actually getting better every day. Helios and Artemis wind up getting disowned by their parents and he gets a job in the underground’s mines to make ends meet.

Now for side characters:

Saturn: outerswap toriel, the sister of Mars and the ruler for outerswap. She’s a rather loud and demanding ruler but very good at her job: law and order. She’s a judge in ebott and takes her job very seriously

Mars: the younger brother of Saturn, he was invited to the board of royals after the crash. He handles the detention centers and some jails for ebott. He’s practical, demanding but gentler than Saturn.

Selene: a deep blue flame elemental and the mother of Helios and Artemis. Selene is a flighty monster, always looking for something shiny and new to keep herself occupied. She is not in contact with her kids and is secretly glad she isn’t responsible for them anymore.

Ares: (outerswap gaster) a strong and proud skeleton monster, and head of a medicine company. He misses his kids and has some regrets on how he raised them, but is too proud to apologize. He is not in contact with them.

[freshlyblaked]

selling sunset season 5

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Chasing Cars

Written By: Jonny Quinn, Paul Wilson, Tom Simpson, Nathan Connolly & Gary Lightbody

Artist: Snow Patrol

Released: 2006

Cover included: The Wind and the Wave, 2015

This slow-building ballad is Snow Patrol’s biggest-selling single. A main driving force behind the song’s success was its inclusion at the end of the Grey’s Anatomy Season 2 finale. In an interview with Take 5 Gary Lightbody says: “The track wasn’t even featured on the iTunes top 100, and then an hour after the show, it was number 1. So that’s the impact of TV right there." About the song, he said in a interview with Rolling Stone: “It’s the purest love song that I’ve ever written. There’s no knife-in-the-back twist. When I read these lyrics back, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s weird.’ All the other love songs I’ve written have a dark edge."

[Verse 1] We'll do it all Everything On our own We don't need Anything or anyone [Chorus] If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world? [Verse 2] I don't quite know How to say How I feel Those three words Are said too much They're not enough [Chorus] If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what we're told Before we get too old Show me a garden that's burstin' into life [Verse 3] Let's waste time Chasing cars Around our heads I need your grace To remind me To find my own [Chorus] If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what we're told Before we get too old Show me a garden that's burstin' into life [Bridge] All that I am All that I ever was Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see I don't know where Confused about how, as well Just know that these things will never change for us at all [Chorus] If I lay here If I just lay here Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Wildest Dreams

Written By: Shellback, Max Martin & Taylor Swift

Artist: Taylor Swift

Released: 2014 (re-recorded 2021)

Alternate versions included: Grammy Museum, 2015; 1989 World Tour, 2015

The ninth track and fifth single on 1989 is about Swift hoping her lover will remember their best moments after they’re over. It expresses mixed feelings: hoping that they last, but knowing that they’ll end. In the US, the song reached number five, becoming her fifth consecutive top ten from 1989. Swift spoke to Rolling Stone about how this song differs from her previous love songs: “I think the way I used to approach relationships was very idealistic. I used to go into them thinking, ‘Maybe this is the one – we’ll get married and have a family, this could be forever’. Whereas now I go in thinking, ‘How long do we have on the clock – before something comes along and puts a wrench in it, or your publicist calls and says this isn’t a good idea?” Swift suddenly released the re-recording of 2014’s “Wildest Dreams” after the original version became part of a viral TikTok trend in the summer of 2021. Swift explained on Twitter following the release: “Hi! Saw you guys got Wildest Dreams trending on Tiktok, thought you should have my version”

[Verse 1] He said, "Let's get out of this town Drive out of the city, away from the crowds" I thought, "Heaven can't help me now" Nothing lasts forever But this is gonna take me down [Pre-Chorus] He's so tall and handsome as hell He's so bad, but he does it so well I can see the end as it begins My one condition is [Chorus] Say you'll remember me Standin' in a nice dress Starin' at the sunset, babe Red lips and rosy cheeks Say you'll see me again Even if it's just in your Wildest dreams, ah, ha Wildest dreams, ah, ha [Verse 2] I said, "No one has to know what wе do" His hands are in my hair, his clothes are in my room And his voicе is a familiar sound Nothin' lasts forever But this is gettin' good now [Pre-Chorus] He's so tall and handsome as hell He's so bad, but he does it so well And when we've had our very last kiss My last request it is [Chorus] Say you'll remember me Standin' in a nice dress Starin' at the sunset, babe Red lips and rosy cheeks Say you'll see me again Even if it's just in your Wildest dreams, ah, ha (Ha, ha) Wildest dreams, ah, ha [Bridge] You'll see me in hindsight Tangled up with you all night Burnin' it down Someday, when you leave me I bet these memories Follow you around You'll see me in hindsight Tangled up with you all night Burnin' (Burnin') it (It) down (Down) Someday, when you leave me I bet these memories Follow (Follow) you (You) around (Around) (Follow you around) [Chorus] Say you'll remember me Standing in a nice dress Starin' at the sunset, babe Red lips and rosy cheeks Say you'll see me again Even if it's just pretend Say you'll remember me Standin' in a nice dress Starin' at the sunset, babe Red lips and rosy cheeks Say you'll see me again Even if it's just in your (Just pretend, just pretend) Wildest dreams, ah, ha (Ah-ah) In your wildest dreams, ah, ha Even if it's just in your In your wildest dreams, ah, ha In your wildest dreams, ah, ha

[juliiwrites]

Currently Watching

911 | season 4 episode 12

Abbott Elementary | season 1 episode 6

Beef | episode 3

Daisy Jones and the Six | episode 5

Girls5Eva | season 1 episode 4

Grace and Frankie | season 6 episode 11

Platonic | season 1 episode 7

Strange Planet | season 1 episode 5

The Magicians | season 3 episode 8

The White Lotus | season 2 episode 4

Wedding Season | episode 4

Currently Re-watching

Friends | season 10 episode 6

Hacks | season 1 episode 7

Modern Family | season 5 episode 12

Sherlock | season 1 episode 2

The Office | season 9 episode 9

Watchlist and Finished Series are underneath the cut 🤗

Watchlist

911 | seasons 2-5

Abbott Elementary

After Life

Agent Carter

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Always a Witch

American Gods

Anxious People

Arcane

Atlanta Medical

Babylon Berlin

Bones | seasons 11-12

Breaking Bad | seasons 2-5

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina | seasons 3-4

Crashing

Damaged Goods

Der Tatortreinger | seasons 2-7

Desperate Housewives | seasons 5-8

Dexter | seasons 6-8

Downtown Abbey | season 3-6

Dr Who

Dynasty | seasons 3-5

Elite

ER | seasons 2-15

Extraordinary

Fakes

Fleabag

Flora and Son

Girls

Girls 5 Eva

Glow

Grey’s Anatomy | seasons 12-19

Heartstopper | season 2

House of Cards | seasons 3-6

House of the Dragon

How I Met Your Father | season 2

How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) | seasons 2-3

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Jack Ryan | season 3

Jerks. | seasons 3-5

Kaulitz & Kaulitz

Little Fires Everywhere

Loki | season 2

Love

Love & Anarchy

Marvellous Mrs Masel

Money Heist | parts 3-5

Mythic Quest

Narcos

Never Have I Ever

Not Dead Yet

Once Upon A Time

Outlander | seasons 3-5

Ozark

Parks and Recreation

Parlament

Partner Track

Peaky Blinders

Platonic

Queen Charlotte

Ragnarok | seasons 2-3

Roar

Rick und Morty

Riverdale | seasons 6-7

Scandal

Scream Queen

Selling Sunset | seasons 6-7

Selling the OC

Seven vs Wild | seasons 2-3

Sex Education

Shadow & Bone | season 2

Space Force

Special | season 2

Stranger Things | I’ll only watch once the series is wrapped

Succession | seasons 3-4

Superstore

Sweet Magnolias

Ted Lasso | season 3

The Bear | season 3

The Bold Type

The Brothers Sun

The Diplomat

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

The Flight Attendant

The Gentlemen

The Gilded Age | season 2

The Good Fight

The Great

The Handmaid‘s Tale

The Last of Us

The Morning Show

The Mandalorian

The Resident

The Rings of Power

The Witcher | season 4

This Is Us

Tiny Beautiful Things

Valeria

Wedding Season

Workin’ Moms

Finished

Arrested Development

Baymax!

Below Deck

Below Deck Mediterranean

Bluey

Bridgerton

Brooklyn 99

Champion

Community

Criminal

Cunk on Earth

Daredevil

Dash & Lily

Dead to Me

Derry Girls

Die Schwarzwaldklinik

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

Doctor’s Diary

Don’t Fuck With Cats

Emily in Paris

Fate: The Winx Sags

First Kill

Friends

Game of Thrones

Get Even

Gilmore Girls

Golden Girls

Good Omens

Good Witch

Gossip Girl

Grey’s Anatomy | season 1-12

Hacks

Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself

Heart of Dixie

Heartstoppers

How I Met Your Mother

IKEA Heights

Iron Fist

Jane the Virgin

Jessica Jones

Jury Duty

Killing Eve

Luke Cage

Lupin

Loki | season 1

Modern Family

New Girl

Obliterated

Only Murders In The Building

Please Like Me

Pretty Little Liars

Rebel Cheer Squad

Santa Clarita Diet

Schitt’s Creek

Sherlock

Shrinking

Soundtrack

Supernatural

Superstore

Teen Wolf | season 1-4

The 7 Lives of Lea

The Actress

The Afterparty

The Bear

The Big Bang Theory

The Buccaneers

The Circle

The Defenders

The Mole

The Night Agent

The Office

The Perfect Couple

The Queen’s Gambit

The Recruit

The Sandman

The Umbrella Academy

The Vampire Diaries

The Witcher

Tiger King

Too Hot To Handle

Treason

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Unnatural Selection

Wednesday

Westside

You

I will not watch

American Horror Story | … horror isn’t my genre, but I have heard only great things about this series!

The Boys | I know, I know, the hook is great and the series is supposed to be amazing, but I’ve seen the very first scene and did not expect it 🙈 it really shocked me so I might need a while to get over it.

Law and Order SVU | I have tried watching it but I cannot stomach it

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

Selling Sunset : Season 7

Enough with the drama.

It should focus on real estate!

Also, none of the girl has any natural feature on their body and the fake breasts are just disgusting at this point.

Some quotes:

"- She made her bed, now she's gonna lie in it." (Chrishell - Episode 2)

"- So what is the reason for the apology, exactly? (Bre) - My mom always said, like, "If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all." (Chelsea)

"- We need to be a fucking team. (Jason) - We are a team, then you do stupid shit. You need to stop doing that. (Brett) - I don't think this is stupid. (Jason) - Jay, this is objectively stupid. I don't think you're being rational. I think you've passed the point of me just willy-nilly trusting you." (Brett - Episode 4)

"- There will be a reckoning... The time has come... If looks could kill" (Episode 5)

"- You know the awesome thing about losing stuff is finding stuff, 'cause then you get excited about your own stuff." (Jason - Episode 10)

"- Don't pretend like you're helping. (Jason) - Not pretending. (Chelsea) - Well. (Jason) - We're actually not helping." (Chelsea - Episode 10)

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Mesembria (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Mom by her daughter

Bria by the others

Age- 35 (immortal)

Location- New Olympus, Olympius (The Royal Palace)

Personality- A realist through & through, she looks at the world around her as they are, dealing with it practically. She's also independent, honest, & straightforward- a true "go-getter doer." She's currently single.

She has the standard abilities of a goddess except shapeshifting. Being the goddess of the afternoon her other powers/abilities include limited circadian manipulation, limited umbrakinesis (as it pertains to shadows), limited photokinesis, and limited aerokinesis (not on par with Gaia, Zeus, Demeter, Aeolus, or Nephele). She's at her most strongest from 12 pm through 5 pm.

Bria is a member of The Horae, a fellow "Guardian of the Gates." Aside from being a tour guide docent when the palace is open to tourists and citizens as well as picking up a shift or two at the royal gift shop, Bria also sells rides on her dragon Zenith for 10 drachmas a piece!

She lives in an apartment suite at the royal palace with her daughter Dysis (goddess of the sunset). The color scheme for the apartment is sky blue, pastel mint green, cream, teal, & white. Gorgeous linen and silk curtains hang from the windows. Framed aesthetic photographs she's taken cover the walls in addition to watercolor paintings & various caricature drawings.

Bria gets around the city through use of her animal companion. Zenith is an agile and nimble she-dragon that has pale silver-gray crests, horns, & claws with lapis blue scales and wings (that has shimmery silver accents). Miraculously, the colors of her flames are electric blue!

Aside from her daughter (in which their bond is more like "best girlfriends" than the traditional mother/daughter relationship), her immediate family also includes her fraternal twin sister Hesperis (goddess of the evening & sunset) and her nieces Halcyone (Hallie), Erytheis, & Hesperia (The Hesperides). Bria doesn't get to see them often, so her relationship with them have always been distant. Despite this, Bria still feels protective of her baby sister, especially when it comes to affairs of the heart.

She always starts off her mornings with a session of meditation followed by an appointment with her acupuncturist.

A favorite breakfast of hers are toasted & buttered english muffins, sausage links, scrambled eggs (loaded with kale, onions, black olives, & mushrooms), and garlic seasoned home fries. Bria also likes the Golly Grains brown sugar pecan cereal.

A go-to drink for her is a blue mimosa (which uses blue curacao instead of orange juice). She also likes classic martinis, cola, lemon-lime soda, iced tea, water, rum & cokes, and cinnamon roll milkshakes from The Frozen Spoon. She also likes the large iced mocha coffee & the small spiced apple cider from The Roasted Bean.

Though she gets along with the other members of The Horae, Bria finds herself closer to Nymphe (goddess of self-care), Gymnasia (goddess of excercise & gymnastics), Anatole (goddess of sunrise), Mousika (goddess of studying & music), and Arktos (goddess of the night sky & constellations).

She prefers e-books & audiobooks to physical books.

Her favorite thing to get from The Bread Box is the classic hoagie sandwich.

She usually wears her hair in the style of goddess locs. Bria maintains the upkeep with the use of the Glory's Crown healthy hair oil blend.

Aside from her main responsibilities, she has a couple of other endeavors, one being the debut of her cafeteria style adult eatery in downtown New Olympus called O Estiatório, which prides itself on serving lunch items with an "adult gourmet twist." A menu item quickly gaining popularity is the boozy grilled cheese- made with beer battered bread and oozy melted cheese with champagne added in! The restaurant's grad opening was one of the greatest days in Bria's life! She's also currently developing a signature parfum. Bria hasn't decided on a name, but has picked out the notes of fragrance- sandalwood, vetiver, nutmeg, cinnamon, cedarwood, & amberwood. For other work/means of income she also models for/endorses Heavenly Spark (Zeus' lingerie brand), and Megaleio.

Bria has a casual fashion style- her favorite fashion item being blue skinny jeans of all shades! Her favorite brands to buy jeans from are Luxuria- the fashion brand of Hera (goddess of women & marriage), Nocturnal Vibez‐ the fashion brand of Artemis (goddess of the hunt & moon), and Persuasions- the clothing brand of Peitho (goddess of persuasion & sensuality). She's also a fan of fitted denim jackets, ankle boots, and high top sneakers.

A guilty pleasure for her are olympian sized crinkle cut fries with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Outside The Horae Bria's also friends with Alectrona (goddess of the sun & morning), Nárkosi (goddess of sedation), Thilasmós (goddess of nursing), Hesychia (goddess of quiet, stillness, rest, & silence), Sophrosyne (goddess of moderation, temperance, & restraint), Horkos (god of oaths), Sophia (goddess of thought), Amphictyonis (Amy) (goddess of diplomacy), as well as several daughters of the Titan couple Oceanus & Tethys, like Telesto.

She finds it odd that single parentage amongst the pantheon isn't generally looked down upon, but among the other beings, especially the mortals, there's always an opinion. Bria knew from the time that she matured that she wanted to become a mother on her own.

Her favorite treat is a slice of the most decadent flourless chocolate cake from Cocoa Delights, the chocolate shop owned by Pandaisia (goddess of banquets).

One recent birthday gift was the jeweled Diamond Ave. clock clutch from Mousika.

She loves snacking on pickles!

Bria is aware of her sister's "situationship" with the Atlas (Titan god of strength & endurance). Hesperis forbade her from vocalizing her opinions so Bria did the next best thing. She traveled to Corinth where she "accidentally" walked up on the reclusive god on his private beach. In short, she warned him that if he ever hurt her sister, her punishment will make the one Zeus handed out look like a joke.

As far as her love life, her last serious relationship was with Favian (god of philosophy). They dated for almost six years and she never introduced him to her daughter and was near impossible to compromise on certain issues & values. Despite the end of their romantic relationship, Bria still has a business relationship with him, being that Favian invested in her restuarant. For now she's enjoying her true freedom and independence, but has also been enjoying messaging Olympos (one of The Ourea) on Fatestagram.

When it's possible for her, Bria wants to one day hopefully own the most expensive pair of jeans- a pair of bootcut style jeans from Diamond Ave. This denim has 15 gems, all sewn in the pants’ back pocket. The 15 diamonds include 10 single carat diamonds (69,000 drachmas), a 4.63 carat marquise cut diamond (141,000 drachmas), two 6-carat round brilliant cut diamonds (340,000 drachmas each), a 5.09 carat princess cut (144,000 drachmas), and a 5.27 pear cut (186,000 drachmas). The jeans, a limited amount made, comes with a 1.3 million drachma price tag.

In her free time Bria enjoys basketball, riding on dragonback, spending time with her daughter, jogging, indoor sky diving, bowling, going to museums, going to the cinema, reading, napping, baseball, cooking, & playing video games.

Her all time favorite meal is macaroni salad.

"Think in the morning. Act in the noon."