#the hugo one is inspired by a girl i knew at school

[scorpiusmalfoylovesoscarwilde]

I'm ill again because I have the immune system of a sickly victorian child. Therefore I must project onto the harry potter next gen kids

What i think (some) of the next gen kids are like when they're sick:

Scorpius: I've already done a whole post on this but I have no idea how to link posts despite being on this site for years. the short version is, he was a sick child and constantly in and out of hospital so now he cannot gauge when he's actually really sick and needs to just rest, so albus has to forcibly keep him in the dorm or hospital wing otherwise he will still try and go to class even if actively dying

Albus: he's lowkey so dramatic. if he has a small cold you WILL be hearing about it, BUT he's super subtle. he will casually tie it into conversation to make you feel sorry for him and just keep bringing it up until youre like aw no, im so sorry man. he doesnt try with rose anymore, because she will just mock him, she knows what hes doing. he's most obvious about it to Scorpius, he'll start pouting and be like I feel sick 🥺🥺 and Scorpius is immediately like oh poor baby 🥺🥺/gen and does in fact baby him until he feels better

Rose: does not get sick and its infuriating. when there's some kind of bug going around the school, you can guarantee this girl will not get it. she thinks everyone is just being dramatic and trying to get out of class. don't come to her for sympathy unless you actually look like you're on deaths door. the most sympathy surprisingly goes to Scorpius because she has seen this idiot try to attend class whilst not being able to function properly and be escorted out

Hugo: he doesnt get sick often, like a slightly below average getting sick, but my version of hugo is so unbothered by everything, he would end up in hospital or whatever but wont tell anyone, not on purpose, he just never goes out of his way to mention anything until it specifically comes up in conversation. Hes the random kid that pops up, says he has a relevant anecdote, tells you the wildest story youve ever heard so casually, youre left like???? what the fuck?? and how has that never come up before????, then he just dissapears again

James: gets so mopey, he gets so restless and hates having to sit and wait to get better. he'll enjoy not having to go to class for like one day but when you tell him he can't go anywhere or play quidditch or anything he's immediately over it like, 😟😟 wdym??? wdym I have to just lie here until I'm better??? lemme out!!!! LEMME OUT!!!!

Lily: lowkey whiny. she's not usually super whiny but she acts like a little kid when she's sick and will constantly frown and pout and cross her arms and kick her legs. collateral of being the youngest sibling lmao. she wants people to do everything for her and will shout for people to come get the TV remote or something that's only like 2 feet away from her and just shake her arm at it until you pass it. Ginny and Harry do it for her, her brothers do not lmao

Victorie: doesn't usually get sick-sick often, but I headcanon her as being a general athlete, she likes to do triathlons in her spare time, and if she gets injured she literally has to not be able to walk before she stops. she will just keep going. have you seen female footballers? the way they will be wacked in the head and start bleeding everywhere but then be like meh I can keep going. so her.

Louis: cannot stand the wanting to throw up kind of sick. he can deal with anything else, he has a pretty good immune system, he can pretty much carry on with normal stuff, and you won't even realise he's sick, but the second he feels stomach sickness, he is pale as a ghost and out for business. lowkey has emetaphobia, he will just sit so still until he doesn't feel like that anymore trying to make it go away by just 🧍🏻‍♂️if I don't move it won't know I'm here, yk lmao. hates throwing up so fucking bad

Roxanne: takes the sickness as some kind of personal test. is dramatic in the sense that she will go full warrior mode and be like 😈 i will survive 😈 I will not be beaten by these pitiful germs 😈 and will absolutely just rock her way through it, she talks like she's on some kind of quest, and that this is some kind of evaluation of her perseverance

Fred: just lies there. will not move until he's better. doesn't get really dramatic or complain but god forbid you try and make him do something, he'll start going off about how normalised it is for people to push themselves when sick because society wants people to work themselves to death, and doesn't actually care about anyone's health, and everyone just gets so sick of hearing him, they leave him alone

Karl Jenkins: will purposefully cough on people to get them sick too "as a joke"

[lemoncandybats33]

Velma: Jinkies guys we got our first mystery! Partly inspired by all the new 'scooby doo' (you know the one without scooby doo :/) show. 

It made me want to go back to one of my favorite shows and if I were to design them. In this au they'd solve mysteries for both humans and monster's (so we'd get to see the ghoul school kids back, and Dracula from Scooby Doo and the werewolf's curse). I think that would be a cool switch up. Shaggy Rodgers and Scooby Doo: Still the same iconic duo who run from monster's and search for food. He and Scooby met when they were kids over a sandwich and have been best friends ever sense. -Shaggy actually has a werewolf ancestor and they were the reason his family left the monster world. -It's also the reason he can eat so much. -Scooby is still the same, a good boy who can talk. He also tries to help Shaggy with his jobs that Shaggy uses to pay for all the food he eats. -Both love Scooby snacks. -Shaggy has one sister named Maggie but goes by Sugie. -Straight, and doesn't really know what to do in the terms of romance. Velma Dinkley: The brains of the group who rocks a dark academia look in my au with a skeleton hand hairpin. -Still as sarcastic as ever but more excited over mysteries and the unknown. -Bisexual in this au but isn't into romance. (before any one starts I've always seen Velma as Bi, and the jokes about her being to 'unfeminine' to be attracted to guys really turned me off. Especially when she had the most love interests in the movie's? Headcanon what you want  but in this au she's Bi) - Met the gang in elementary after Shaggy snuck Scooby into the school and she, Daphne and Fred agree'd to help Shaggy find him (there first mystery). - The middle child of six, with four older brothers Hugo Dinkley, Cheeves Dinkley, Quentin Dinkley and Rufus Dinkley and one younger sister Madelyn Dinkley. Which made her a bit competitive. -Didn't believe in monster's until they showed up on her door step. -Hex Girl fan/stan -Will be getting both human and monster love interests. Daphne Blake: The unofficial body guard of the group and informant. A sweet if not a bit airheaded popular girl with an edgy side.   -Actually knew Shaggy before the gang first met do to there parents (Shaggy's dad works for her dad). - Was known as damsel-Daphne, and Danger-prone-Daphne for a long time before she joined gymnastic's and martial arts to toughen up. -Attracts monster's. Doesn't know why. - Has four perfect older sister's (Daisy, Dawn, Delilah, Dorothy)which puts a lot of stress on her shoulder's, making Daphne the most rebellious. -Comes from a wealthy family but wants to make it on her own without there help. -Will definitely get tattoo's when she's older. -Straight ( I could never see her with a girl.  Including Velma) Fred Jones: The kind if not airheaded leader of the group. A survivalist nut/specialist who could survive in the darkest wood's on wit's alone but don't ask him to use technology. Still loves traps and usually comes up with the plans to catch the bad guys. -Moved to Coolsville just before meeting the gang. -Is an only child but his whole family are survivalist nuts as well. -Used to listen to an old radio show about a noir detective which sparked his love for mysteries. -Gay (I can see it and I've never shipped Daphne and Fred. Again I don't care if you disagree but this is my au)

[signalwatch]

Marvel Watch: Captain America - The First Avenger (2011)

Watched:  12/31/2022

Format:  Disney+

Viewing:  ha ha....  no idea

Director:  Joe Johnston

This was actually the last movie I watched in 2022.  I have cedar fever something fierce, so it was not really time to watch something new I'd never seen before.  So in between naps, I watched a favorite.

The movie has flaws, and maybe even feels like it's part of a wave of movies that came before the Marvel-era, which makes sense.  Directed by Hollywood staple Joe Johnston and with an eye toward what I'd consider the 1960's-era of WWII movies which inspired the Howling Commando comics it borrows from, it's also got a terrific old school story about a guy with a good heart and the girl who believes in him.  I recall concern when the movie was being made and headed to release that Captain America was too old fashioned and not in line with the view of today - not like hip, wise-cracking Tony Stark - and that's missing the point of Cap.  And the line Cap draws from what we know and acknowledge as outright evil in humanity worth fighting, and that that brand of heroism and clarity of purpose is something that absolutely makes sense in any era.

It's a Marvel villain who is truly villainous, not someone with a perspective worth considering - from the comics, I have wanted to hit the Red Skull with a sledgehammer for years before the movie, and the movie *nails it*.  

The pacing of the movie is also flatly incredible.  A two-hour run-time, it covers over a year of time, something other Marvel films don't ever really do, even if they include flashbacks (see: Captain Marvel).  I kept trying to find a place to pause the movie to do things that needed doing, and suddenly I was looking at the flying wing and knew we were in the last twenty minutes.  

And, of course, an all-star cast, which is maybe the secret-sauce to Marvel Phases 1 and 2.  Sure, Chris Evans was somewhat known, and Sebastian Stan, Hayley Atwell and Dominic Cooper unknowns here, but Tommy Lee Jones, Toby Jones, Stanley Tucci and Hugo Weaving?  Not a bad foundation of talent to make sure the kids knew what was what.  Throw in Neal McDonough as Dum-Dum and the rest of the Howling Commandos, and it's a fascinating mix.  

Anyway - this movie also produced one of the longer podcasts we did early on.  

https://ift.tt/oC8A3vV

from The Signal Watch https://ift.tt/yOjl2L3

[ozarkthedog]

Keep the Heat | Andy Barber

summary: Andy fucks you in the coat.

warnings: SMUT. 18+ only. Quick & Rough Sex. Dirty Talk. Sex on a Car. Sex in the woods.  

word count: 1305

author’s note:  A fuckin’ coat inspired this. I can’t help myself when it comes to this man, ok?

📖 Master List

This work has Adult Content. By clicking “Keep Reading” you have agreed that you are over the age of 18 and are willing to view such content.

“What’re we doing here?” You question as Andy parks the car close to the cliff edge overlooking the darkened city.

“Come on, indulge me.” He smirks before stepping from the car.

Andy walks around and leans against the hood of the Audi as you shake your head in disbelief. “I cannot believe you drove us to Make Out Point.” Your heels made you unsteady on the pine needle covered ground as you cozy up to him.

He chuckles and shoves his hands in his coat pockets. “Hey, come on. It’s still early. I figured this would be fun. Even if we don’t make out.” You roll your eyes at the wink he sends you.

A gust of chilly, fall air blew by causing a shiver to run up your spine. You tighten your thin jacket around your frame until Andy sweeps you into his hold.

Warmth and a slight hint of fading cologne surround you as you find yourself wrapped snuggly in Andy’s jacket. You sink into his chest, feeling his heat radiate along your back as you gaze over the twinkling lights of the suburb.

Wanting a kiss, he nudges your cheek with his nose, forcing you to turn in his hold. You grin into the embrace. His plump lips always slid over yours with a certain amount of restraint but you could tell he was getting riled. When he pulls away you tug him closer by the lapels making him snort.

“What? You know what this jacket does to me.”

That jacket. That jacket always made your heart race whenever he put it on. Andy had a good sense of style; it was one of your favorite things about him. He knew he looked good in a suit and he made sure he had the finest presses.

That day he brought home the jacket from Hugo Boss, your world changed.

The second he put it on for you in the kitchen you knew you were done for. Something about the collar and how high it rose, almost as if he had a secret to hide. Not to mention the fit and the deep blue color brought out his eyes.

It drove you wild.

“Perhaps I wear it as much as I can to make you insatiable.” He teases.

“Well, it’s working.”

Heated kisses and soft grunts fill the night sky as he lifts you onto the hood. Your legs lock around his waist tugging him close, your core bumps against his growing excitement.

He breaks the kiss and quirks an eyebrow, “Want to engage in some public indecency?”

You laugh against his lips as you pull him down on top of you, sandwiching you between two warm objects. One made of steel, the other flesh and bones.

“Couldn’t we get arrested for that Mr. ADA?” You croon while shifting your dress up around your hips.

Andy groans when he spies a wet spot already soaking the crotch of your panties. “We just have to hope no one wants to take in the sights of Newton for the next 10 minutes.”

He shifts his shoulders ready to shake the jacket off when you stop him. “Leave it on?” Your face heats from embarrassment. You’ve gone through hell and back with him and he stills leaves you feeling like a school girl.

Andy grins and readjusts the jacket before unzipping his slacks and pulling out his cock. The sight of his throbbing girth catches your stare as it bobs slightly and then thumps against your clothed cunt.

A harsh grip to your chin drags yours eyes back to those azure pools, “You wanted this. So now you’re gettin’ all of me.”

His first two fingers yank your sopping panties to the side. A string a slick stretching from your core to the thin material showcasing your arousal. His jaw clenches at the sight, “Fuck.”

You shift forward nudging your pussy against his swollen crown, desperate to have him inside of you. Andy tilts his hips and pushes past your folds with a solid punch, molding your walls around him and knocking the air from your lungs.

You fist the thick material of his jacket and let out a ragged moan when he withdraws.

“Feel good, Honey?” His cock pushing your folds to their limit, “Like it when I stretch out this little pussy?”

All you could do was nod and mumble incoherently in response. The way he stood over you and thrusted into your soaked depths while wearing that jacket ignited something feral in you.

You pushed yourself onto your elbows in a haze and frantically shoved your core desperately onto his length. The drive to come gnawed madly at your belly, you wanted nothing more than to come around him while he took you apart in that jacket.

Andy dipped his head low, eyes wild and bright, “That’s it, fuck that pretty pussy onto my cock.”

You picked up the pace, grinding down on his girth; his crude words spurring you on. “Lemme feel that cunt,” His fingers dug into your hips but let you take the lead. “Come all over my cock. Make a fucking mess.”

Your walls fluttered causing Andy to bite back a groan as you forced yourself onto his cock over and over again. Your nails scratched the black surface of the Audi, nerves beginning to ignite from the overwhelming pleasure.

Andy watched as your body locks, eyes rolling backward and the intimate sounds that left your lips made his blood boil. You couldn’t keep up the movement as your orgasm hit, hips stalling and left his length buried only halfway in your heat.

He grits his teeth and impales you completely on his cock adding to the intense shocks running through your system. Your body lurches in his hold but he bends over, trapping you to the hood of the car and drives his cock in and out of your drenched heat prolonging the pleasure.

“Gonna come so deep inside you, Honey. Your sweet cunt’ll be drippin’ for days.”

His left arm weaves under your neck and his hand locks on your shoulder to keep you flush against him as he nears his peak. His nose bumps your own as he leans down for a kiss, teeth and tongues colliding in a fiery passion.

You nip his bottom lip eliciting a pained groan and you feel him swell inside you. Andy comes with a ragged grunt and bottoms out, grazing your cervix with a harsh caress until his hips falter and slowly come to a stop.

You stay locked together in the peaceful, warm embrace, breathing in one another until you hear a motor in the distance.

Frantically, Andy shoves his cock back into his slacks and helps you off the hood just as a car parks next to the Audi. He wraps his arm around your shoulder and escorts you back into the car. 

You noticed a small family exit their vehicle with flashlights and hear Andy say hello and something about a lovely night before he ducks into the car.

His face was flushed but it wasn’t from the sex. “That was so fucking close,” he rubbed a hand over his jaw, “We are never doing that again. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

You tried to hold back your laughter but between the nerves and the endorphins you couldn’t control it. “ADA and wife locked up for public indecency. The newspapers would have a field day.”

It was his turn to shake his head as he started the ignition, “All because of a jacket.”

“Hey, if you didn’t look so sexy in it you wouldn’t have a problem.” You playfully admitted.  

He switched gears to reverse, turning his body to wrap an arm around the headrest of your seat before teasing, “Maybe I’ll surprise you one day and wear nothing but the jacket.”

[romioneficfest]

2021 Final Masterlist

Greetings fans, readers, voters, and everyone else. The time has come - to close the curtain on the 2021 Romione FicFest. 39 stories were submitted and published by an amazing list of authors.

I wish to thank each and every one of them for their hard work, their courage to hit send, and the fact that they had to keep quiet while awaiting positive feedback for their works. (And if you've held off giving rave reviews on their works, please please please do so now for their benefit. I beseech thee!)

I applaud every single one of you, yes I do.

Every single story submitted has been enjoyed, appreciated, and cherished. The more, the merrier, when it comes to more fic, and more writing.

So, without any further ado,

2021 Masterlist:

Bottom of the Bottle Author: @ballerinaroy Summary:  He’s been searching for the answer in Firewhiskey but it’s never been there.

And I’m in love with every colour of you Author: @ballerinaroy Summary: He fills her rainbow. Every colour is made better because of him.

Before and After Author: @ballerinaroy Summary: It’s hard to remember before.

The Curious Case of the light switch Author: @aprofessionalprotagonist Summary: Why can’t Ron ever turn off a light switch?

Theirs and Ours Author: @voldemorts-tap-shoes Summary: Who knew babysitting 4 kids would make Hermione doubt herself and the future of the Weasley-Granger household?

Thirty Years Author: @ballerinaroy Summary: She’d laid it all out, beginning to end. A whole life, theirs.

Ever so Smart and Clever Author: @arianatwycross-fics Summary: Hermione is visiting Grimmauld Place in her Christmas holidays and Ron has just gotten his results back from an exam at Auror Training.

Dreams Author: @voldemorts-tap-shoes Summary: the line between dreams and reality can sometimes blur in brilliant ways.

Little Unicorn Day Center Author: @voldemorts-tap-shoes Summary:  Hermione Granger runs the Little Unicorn Day Center and meets one of the Dads and is smitten. Is it so wrong to appreciate a charge’s dad?

Mine Author: @accio-broom Summary:  A newborn Hugo refuses to sleep. Can Rose be the answer to the young parents finally getting some sleep?

I Need You Author: @adenei Summary:  A Romione Ficlet inspired by the TV Show New Girl Season 2: Episode 15 “Cooler”

I Knew it would be You Author: @adenei Summary:  Seventh Year AU when Ron and Hermione receive their final Hogwarts letters.

Just a Snog Author: @adenei Summary: 6th Year AU - Ron confronts Hermione immediately following his row with Ginny.

Nice to Meet You Author: @cheesyficwriter Summary: “The moment I first saw her, I knew I was in trouble.” A muggle university AU one-shot featuring Ron/Hermione.

Right Here, Right Now Author: @cheesyficwriter Summary: Ron and Hermione share a tender moment under the stars during the summer following the Battle.

Double Hazelnut Almond Milk Macchiato Author: @be11atrixthestrange Summary: Muggle AU. Hermione Granger is new in town, and she has a pretty complicated coffee order.

Early Morning Light Author: @rafa-rafaelx Summary: Ron and Hermione in the early hours of the morning at Shell Cottage

Warm Author: @honouraryweasley12 Summary: Hermione decides to reconcile with Ron after the poisoning, and learns something interesting.

Pen-Y-Fan Author: @accio-broom Summary: Hermione wakes Ron up crazily early to climb the side of a mountain. Whilst he grumbles at first, he soon discovers that the view is worth it.

Valeria Author: @acnelli Summary: Sometimes someone steps into your life when you least expect it. Ron and Hermione had made a lot of life-changing decisions together, and this is the beginning of another.

The Promise Author: @maggotsstuff Summary: Ron goes missing and Hermione reacts

The Right Decision Author: @adenei Summary: Hermione questions her decision to return to Hogwarts for her seventh year.

Why am I so ugly? Author: @lobster-lost Summary: This takes place in the 6th year when Harry drinks the Felix Felicis potion and “make” Lavender broke up with Ron. He goes out for hours in his missing to pursuit Slughorn. Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione got some time alone.

Sleepy (M Rated) Author: @lobster-lost Summary: This takes place 2 years after the war. Ron and Hermione are together, but as there are not married yet, Mrs. Weasley still prefers them to sleep in separate rooms. The whole family was at the Burrow for Christmas.

Saying the Words Author: @honouraryweasley12 Summary: Ron works up the courage to tell Hermione something important. Then he has to do it again.

Scared of losing You Author: @adenei Summary: Hermione wakes up for the first time not knowing where she is. Fortunately, someone is there by her side.

A Practical Stranger Author: @cheesyficwriter Summary: Hermione receives assistance from someone who may not be as much of a stranger to her as she initially thinks.

 A Little Motivation (M Rated) Author: @lobster-lost Summary: Ron and Hermione share a very intimate moment after a long day of work.

Will they or won’t they Author: @adenei Summary: The last few days have been stressful, what with the recent attack on Mr Weasley. So, Sirius does the last thing he can think of to help the teens relax now that they know Mr Weasley is going to be okay.

Until the very end Author: @cheesyficwriter summary: Hermione and Ron find solace with each other in the days following Malfoy Manor.

The Beholder Author: @acnelli Summary: Hermione is not happy with the way she looks in her new lingerie.

Sod It Author: @adenei Summary: Parks and Rec Crossover from the episode “Smallest Park”. Hermione and Ron are Leslie and Ben. Most of the dialogue is taken from the scene in the episode.

Tutor Girl Author: @accio-broom summary: Inspired by One Tree Hill Season 1 Episode 3 - Are You True?

Defender Author: @honouraryweasley12 Summary: During rounds, Hermione sees something that gives hope.

The Second Gift Author: @adenei Summary: Hermione ponders Ron’s intentions after receiving perfume as her Christmas gift. She makes a hasty decision to attempt to give him something that’s more meaningful than a ridiculous homework planner.

Family Ties Author: @adenei Summary: Hermione learns about the family ties between the Blacks and the Weasleys.

Flutter Author: @adenei summary: Ron can’t sleep because Hermione can’t sleep because Rose can’t sleep.

The Fallen Hero Author: @maggotsstuff Summary: An account of the night of escape from Malfoy Manor by the golden trio from Ron’s POV- Reference DH

Common Ground Author: @voldemorts-tap-shoes Summary: Ron’s first assignment as a Prefect for Hufflepuff is making him a little nervous: Rounds for the evening with Ace student and Ravenclaw’s school Know it All Hermione Granger.

[starrylibrarian]

A list of the most notable books I’ve read since Verity (and what I rated them on Goodreads)

Circe by Madeline Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this one a long while ago so I don’t remember much but I do remember feeling Circe’s sadness and heartbreak flow from the pages and wishing that I could give her a better life than the one she was given.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely cheesy with fan fiction vibes but I still really enjoyed reading it. It was predictable and the characters probably weren’t as flushed out as they could’ve been but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A heartbreaking romance that I remember pissed me off more than a few times with the way that it played out. I enjoyed the way that it incorporated poetry into the story.

The Entire Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot ⭐️⭐️⭐️-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love the Princess Diaries movies so I knew I would eventually have to read the books. They were a lot different from the movies but Michael was one of the best male love interests that I’ve encountered in a YA novel. They definitely dragged at parts and it was clear that they were written for a much younger demographic than I am a part of but even when they were repetitive, they were still enjoyable.

Teen Killers Club by Lily Sparks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely wild and not what I expected in the slightest. I don’t remember the romance aspect being my main draw; instead I really enjoyed the way the main cast interacted and the setting was wildly different from most of the novels I read.

The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sapphic tragic vampire teen romance, what’s not to love?

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Horrific in every sense of the word, the world that Margaret Atwood creates is not one I wish to live in but I don’t really want to exist in the one that inspired the book to be written either. Atwood pulls out the horrors of life in America and highlights the worst possible outcome of taking these horrors to their extreme.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well-written but it truly glorifies the mental struggles of the sisters and their paths to suicide in a way that I feel is harmful to readers. Please don’t pick up this book if you are in a negative headspace.

While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cute romance between an actress and a producer set mostly in San Francisco. They help each other to overcome their biggest fears and in the end they come out the other side as stronger people for it.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picked this one up because Taylor Swift wrote a song for the movie adaptation and I was not disappointed! The story is enticing and it pushes you to care for Kya, flaws and all.

I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

YA mystery-romance featuring a quartet of love-hatable main characters. If you know Casey McQuiston you can very easily guess who the main couple will be, but the other leads will draw you in just as much to their lives and the lives of their friends. Set in a Southern Private Catholic School, it tackles the intersection of religion and queerness and refuses to leave out the messiness and the beauty that come when they interact.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I felt my heart break for Evelyn Hugo and I felt myself waiting for a happy ending where I only ended up with a bittersweet goodbye. The ending was satisfying in a heart wrenching way.

Beach Read by Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Adorable. My first Emily Henry read and I am so excited to pick up her other books. January and Gus have such great banter between them and their story is so intriguing that I read it in one sitting.

As you can tell by this list, I love romance novels and I almost never rate a book below three stars. Some of these I disliked more than others and some of these I wholeheartedly adored. One of these books on the list I was so excited for its release that I waited in line for three and a half hours to get my copy signed by the author. I’m sorry to say, I don’t have many words on the books I’ve read (unless you get me talking about them in person) but I’m not really the best at writing reviews. See you all again in a few months when I once again remember to update this blog on what I’ve been reading!

[insomniac-dot-ink]

Books I’ve Read in 2020

AHello! I’m trying to read as many books as I can during the quarantine, here’s what I’ve finished so far:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (literary fiction): a son writes a letter about his life to his illiterate mother. Breathtakingly beautiful with it’s way with words this book is lovely and real in the hardest and sweetest ways. The author’s combination of prose and poetry is dazzling and intricate, this book has stuck with me for days afterward. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (fantasy): a money-lender gets in trouble after bragging she can turn silver into gold and is kidnapped and ordered to do so by a fey creature. It may be that I am the perfect audience for this type of book, but it’s my favorite thing I’ve read all year. It’s a book that equally takes on the fantastical and real-world with compelling female characters at the center of the whole thing. A wonderful fantasy journey inspired by eastern-European Jewish folklore. 5 out of 5 stars.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (horror graphic novel): a series of short horror comics. Absolutely bone-chilling! This was a really fun type of scary story, especially the last one which made my skin absolutely crawl. Deliciously eerie, this was treat to read if not a little too short. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (magical realism): a young girl can taste other people’s emotions in their cooking and begins to understand her family in new ways. This was a weird book, but it has everything you’ve got to love about that combination of the surreal and mundane. It’s sense of character was electrifying and I had fun engaging with this type of off-kilter real world. I was a little frustrated in parts bc of some characters choices, but that too was true to life. 4 out of 5 stars.

Crier’s War by Nina Varela (steampunk fantasy wlw): about a Made automaton heir to a throne and her human hand-maiden that is trying to kill her. This was an easy read with a lot of tension between the two main characters that I liked, but the writing itself was very weak. There was waaay too much exposition in parts and the dialogue had some really hockey lines. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the middle of the book, but the beginning and end didn’t have much movement. 2.5 stars out of 5.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (historical fiction): honestly, I’m a little disappointed. This book just did not hit my sweet spots, it wasn’t fast-paced enough for me to get immersed in the plot, and the characters weren’t real enough to be wholly invested in them. That said I adored Nina Markova and the Night Witches, so that did help. 3 starts out of 5.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (horror sci-fi retelling): HAND IN UNLOVABLE HAND. A retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from the perspective of Victor Frankenstein’s wife and my God! The characters! The plot was well-enough, but the characters took the whole show for being complex and compelling. The main character was breathtakingly layered and I was wholly invested in Elizabeth and her story and the triumph at the end of this story was tangible. 4 out of 5 stars! 

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (fantasy): A story of a young woman who lives in a valley where a girl must go live with a wizard for 10 years. She is certain she won’t be chosen, but ends up having to be “uprooted” herself. I enjoyed most of this book! However, I think I liked “Spinning Silver” a lot more just because the ending of this one somehow lost me. The characters were good and plot compelling, but (SPOILERS) the big battle at the end seemed to drag and didn’t interest me somehow. 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (fantasy): excellent read! A story of a young woman in Jazz Age Mexico who goes on an adventure with a Mayan death God who is trying to regain his throne. A romp across the country absolutely brimming with likable characters and fairy tale twists. My only complaint would be that most of it felt a little predictable due to the fact we knew where we were going throughout the whole story, However, it was still greatly enjoyable for the heroine herself, Casiopea. 4 out of 5 stars!

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (literary): a story of two families in a progressive “planned” community, how their lives intertwine, their secrets, and a central question surrounding motherhood. Deeply empathetic to its characters and introspective, this is an every-day story of people in suburbia that reads like a thriller. I could barely put it down and felt deeply for its characters and situations, 5 out of 5 stars!

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (YA sci-fi suspense): a story of a group of girls at a boarding school on an island affected by the “tox” which alters their bodies in strange ways like giving them scales or an extra spine. This was an eerie, interesting read with a wlw romance! Watch out for the body horror in this one, but it was very gripping and held my interest. Some of the pacing was off in places (like the romance), but had a very creepy atmosphere that did it for me. 3.8 out of 5 stars!

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (thriller-mystery): A thriller about a group of Shakespeare actors in their last year of college and one of their classmates who turns up dead. I enjoyed the murder mystery part of this novel more than I expected despite the fact I had guessed who had “done it” pretty early on. I really enjoyed the James-Oliver dynamic with its growing homoeroticism, but I didn’t like how the character of Meredith was handled at all. She felt like a one-note aside. I might have given this book four stars, but the ending was EXTREMELY frustrating for me and I did not like the “open-ended” conclusion. 3 out of 5 stars.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): a weird character-driven comedy about an old grumpy man and a new family that moves in next to him. Warning for themes of suicide. Anyway, I don’t normally indulge in cliches like “I laughed, I cried, I loved one Cat Annoyance.” However, that’s exactly what I did. I laughed out loud, I cried my eyes out (THE CAT’S HEAD WAS IN HIS PALM), I loved this book. It was sweet and compelling and thoroughly immersive. 5 out of 5 stars!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (historical fantasy): set in the early 1900s comes a story of a young girl and her experience with “Doors” that lead to different worlds. This book had a lot of great character development and really interesting descriptions, however, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. I found it hard to get myself to sit down a read it. There was just something missing with the push to “page-turn,” but it was still a really good book. 3.7 out of 5 stars!

Gideon the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (high fantasy, kinda gay): I AM FILLED WITH EMOTIONS. This was book was definitely a page-turner. I was very confused with it at the beginning, but the characters and their interactions were, forgive the expression, the life blood of the story and kept me wholly invested. The ending has CRUSHED my heart, but damn did I have a good time reading it. 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Harrow the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (sequel to Gideon the 9th): I really enjoyed this book. It was just as strange and twisting as the first book, though I think I enjoyed the first one a bit more since I love Gideon. It was fun ride overall, though the ending was kind of really confusing. So 4 out of 5 stars.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (historical fiction): Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The writing style was personable and grounded in reality. I found myself really liking the main characters and the exploration of the life of a bi main character was really well done I thought. A solid book with drama and glamor to boot. 4.6 out of 5 stars!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (historical fiction): A story of two sisters during WWII and their resistance to Nazi occupation. To be honest, this book wasn’t my cup of tea. It was compelling, but also wholly depressing and I felt like gloried in the pain of the two main characters too much. The history was wonderful and realistic, but it didn’t make me feel anything good afterward. It was just dark. 3 out of 5 stars.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (mlm romance): I finally finished this after the heaviness of The Nightingale. This is a story of the First Son of the USA falling for the prince of England. And it turned out to be a very fun and light hearted read! Some of it was kinda generic and too political, and it coulda been shorter, but I thought the romance itself made up for it. It just made me feel so sweet and lovely inside. 4 out of 5 stars!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): I’m searching out heartfelt books and this one ticked off all the marks on my “sweet” list. A lovely book that made me cry more times than I would like to admit. Compassionate beyond belief, funny and heartfelt. I think I enjoyed A Man Called Ove slightly more, but this book was also dear to me and something I hope to reread in the future. 4.2 out of 5 stars!

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (sci-fi): A post-apocalyptical story about a group of traveling Shakespeare actors and a symphony. Overall, an excellent read that somehow pictures a more realistic or even softer version of the apocalypse. At first, I wasn't happy with the jumping around of the story, but as I progressed I grew fonder and fonder of the interwoven characters and their journey. A very fascinating read about a world that hits a little too close to home. The appreciation of the arts and preserving humanity was somehow very hopeful and I was fully engaged with this story. 5 out of 5 Stars!

Up next: The Hidden Life of Trees by by Peter Wohlleben (nonfiction science), The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (urban fantasy), The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (fantasy)

[sendme-2hell]

Ranking the books I read in April

aka just ranting about the books I read in april pls ignore me

1. The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson 

I cannot believe this book wasn’t nominated for a Hugo! I like the Hugo list (of the books I’ve read) but cmon. This book is like if you combined the social commentary in The City We Became and the queerness of Harrow the Ninth. Seriously this book had everything I wanted: parallel universes, great character development, social commentary, woc sapphic slow burn, satisfying ending. Also I feel like the title is paying homage to W. E. Dubois which is cool. “Between me and the other world, there is ever an unasked question: How does it feel to be a problem?” Like there is just this very cool idea of talking about other worlds as in literally other universes but also different worlds due to social and racial hierarchies. 

2. Plain Bad Heroines - Emily m. Danforth 

Horror, Hollywood, boarding school, everyone is gay, the narrator talks directly to the reader and it is hilarious, copious footnotes, have I mentioned how many sapphics there are? It’s hard to keep track. Plus polyamory. I just really loved this book and I felt it all came together in a way that was worth it. 

3. Steel Crow Saga - Paul Krueger 

This godamn book. I loved this book so much. I was so ready to yell about it on tumblr and tell people to read it. But apparently the author is someone who has harassed a lot of women so...uh...yeah. Nevermind I guess.

 I do want to say it is the most accurate depicition of a Sherlock Holmes superfan that I have ever seen in media. 

4. The Tiger’s Daughter - K. Arsenault Rivera

What if we went on a long trip on horseback and we were both lesbian warriors...jk unless…

Yeah so I loved this book so much. A lot of it is about navigating familial responsibility, fighting literal and metaphorical demons, fighting the patriarchy, fighting your anger, fighting tigers, etc...and yet I kept thinking to myself “this is the most romantic book I have ever read” and honestly I am gonna stick by that. It also has the “you think me a monster so I will become one” trope which is great. It is set in an Asian-based fantasy world and I did read a goodreads review that said it was as accurate to the countries it draws inspiration from as Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse is to the Russian and Scandinavian cultures it takes from. So that’s not great. 

5. Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Speaking of! A few months ago I tried to read Shadow and Bone in preparation for the tv show and I could not finish it. The writing was...bad. Anyway I really liked Six of Crows and even though, yeah it’s tropey (I’m looking at you, Helnik backstory), there’s a reason those tropes work. Plus you cannot go wrong with a heist. About halfway through I did realize that there are six mcs and three couples so its kinda just like a giant triple date, which really changed how I read the whole story.

I’m very glad I did read it before seeing the tv show because I was able to be appropriately excited for the Crows and catch the Wylan reference and everything, but I also got to see the Alina stuff without having to read about it. 

6. Crooked  Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo 

I think I somehow liked this even more than Six of Crows, but for narrative simplicity I’ll put it after. I really like it when you put people in an impossible situation and see how they figure it out. Especially if they get out in a clever and reasonably possible way that ties together many different plot threads and has a few good fake-outs. This did all of that, and also developed every character in a way I found satisfying (except [redacted] *cry emoji*). 

Kaz pulls a Baru Cormorant with some money stuff and now I wonder if they would be friends. 

I read this after watching the show which was good because I knew who Zoya and Genya were but bad because there is a point where Nina is like “here is how shadow and bone ends.” She’s just talking to Mattias and casually spoiling everything for me. So there goes my dreams of living spoiler free until the end of the show. 

7. The Miseducation of Cameron Post - Emily m Danforth

My expectations for this book were....very different than it turned out, and I’m glad for it. After reading Plain Bad Heroines I shouldn’t have been surprised at how well written it is. I really appreciated how nuanced it is. It doesn’t spell out its ideas or themes and therefore lets you really sit with them. I would rank it higher but I don’t really enjoy reading about high school. 

8. Foundryside - Robert Jackson Bennett

I love a good found family, especially if at the beginning of the book they are on opposing sides. Enemies to friends = best trope! Also it’s sapphic that’s always good. But the best part of this book was the worldbuilding which was so cool. 

9. Malice - Heather Walter

Remember what I was saying about “you think me a monster so I will become one”? This book is the definition of that trope. Women becoming unhinged after being treated like shit, we love to see it! Especially if it’s gay. I do have to say, authors who write duologies where the first book ends on a cliffhanger, I see what you’re doing but yes, I will be preordering the next book. 

10. Fugitive Telemetry - Martha Wells

I don’t have much to say because Murderbot is so consistently excellent.  uh why is it so cathartic when xenophobes disrespect Murderbot and it’s humans step in and shut that shit down. Gets me every single time. 

11. Queen of Coins and Whispers - Helen Corcoran 

This book was like half romance half politics and unfortunately I did not find the politics that interesting or well written. But the romance was A+. It reminded me of Priory of the Orange Tree a LOT. Though significantly less dragons and I’m taking many points off for that. 

12. The First Sister - Linden A. Lewis

I wanted to like this book a little more than I did. There was just maybe too much body horror for me. Interesting characters and world though. There was  a location named Cytherea that they mentioned a lot and it was very distracting. I guess I still have tlt brainrot. 

13. Shorefall - Robert Jackson Bennett 

I think this book was well plotted out but it didn’t quite have my attention like Foundryside did. Also yet another book where a woman’s girlfriend ends up in her head. This time no one had to die so that’s nice. TM and SD take notes! 

14. The Deathless Girls - Kiran Milwood Hargrave 

Ok I LOVED the Mercies by KMH so I was a little disappointed in this Dracula retelling. It got interesting in the last 50 pages, but unfortunately that is not enough for me.

proud of myself for not reading a single straight book this April 

[ncisladaily]

With her NCIS: Los Angeles run having come to an end, Renée Felice Smith is ready for her next chapter — somewhat literally, being an author as well as an actress.

In the CBS drama’s Season 12 finale, Smith’s Nell Jones made the decision to not officially sign on as the “new Hetty”/Operations Manager, but instead join partner Eric Beale on an adventure to Tokyo, to head up his tech venture. But before driving off into the sunset, Nell briefly reunited with long-MIA Hetty herself, in costar Linda Hunt’s first on-set appearance of the season.

With NCIS: LA bidding adieu to both her and scene partner Barrett Foa, Smith — who joined the show early in Season 2 — spoke with TVLine exclusively about that emotional if bittersweet Nell/Hetty reunion, being an inspiration to smart girls, and what’s next for her as a legit storyteller herself.

TVLINE | How did you learn that this would be your swan song, and what was your initial reaction? Well, I think it’s complicated. I mean, I think that I’ve been ready for my next chapter for a while now, in whatever form it will take. But it’s surely to be centered around storytelling. I hesitate to be part of the “cliché actress” calling herself a storyteller, but I really am one. I’m a writer. I’m a director. We are developing television currently. We have another indie in the works. I want to tell compelling stories, poignant stories that offer an escape and chance of reflection for the viewer, so that’s where my focus is.

TVLINE | But as far as Nell leaving, I for one was quite surprised, because I felt like this season was such a journey for the character. They’d really been shaping her to assume this position of authority. It’s so true. I absolutely loved Nell’s journey this season. She really got to stand in her power. She really found her voice, and as a young woman it was empowering to play that side of the scene. Nell, I think, is a natural leader, and I really do think her strength as a leader is her vulnerability. I think that Nell has empathy for all players involved in the story. She can see multiple sides of the story. She’s a person that’s not only intelligent but she has emotional intelligence, and that has been such a gift for me as an actor to play. I’ve just loved her evolution, really. She started as a sidekick and she really, quite effectively, was the boss this year, and I had a fantastic time playing it.

Kilbride (played by Gerald McRaney) recently spoke to her unique strengths, saying to “stop asking yourself what would Hetty do” and just be Nell. And that really is such a necessary message. There’s a scene that I absolutely love with Miguel Ferrer, my dear Miguel, from a while back, and it was a similar sort of scene where he was trying to instill confidence in her as a leader. I actually have the quote: Miguel’s character, Granger, says to Nell, “Never belittle yourself or your accomplishments. You deserve the respect you’ve gotten. You’ve earned it.” I remember feeling so choked up in that scene, and I’ll get choked up now thinking about it.

Kilbride, similarly to Granger, has a real kind of affection for Nell and saw that potential in Nell. He wanted to foster her confidence in herself, and it was very moving to play those scenes. I feel like as a young woman we are often in a position where we may doubt ourselves just because of the social climate, but in the end I think it’s about trusting yourself. Nell really grew into a person who started trusting herself and making decisions for her, rather than trying to please. I’m a natural-born people pleasure, and I think Nell is, too. High-functioning overachievers always are. So, I think Nell’s decision at the close of the season really is her ultimately finding her voice and really having agency over her future and what it is she wants to do.

I know how difficult that is. It is reflective of my own journey and my own life. So, to be able to step forward and say, “You know what, this is the path I want to take now and I’ll potentially disappoint people while doing it, I commend Nell for her bravery in that.

What did it mean to you have Linda Hunt back for one final scene with you? Oh, my God…. My heart. Linda is just a magical creature. To have her back was really quite emotional. She was essentially sidelined by the pandemic, as you could imagine, so to even see her in the flesh, let alone share a scene with her

TVLINE | And a hug. And a hug, come onnnn! Chef’s kiss, you know? And the scene is really a bittersweet reunion. Nell really wants nothing more than to stay and catch up with her mentor, but she can’t. So, it’s kind of this “goodbye for now” scene.

TVLINE | [Showrunner] Scott [Gemmill] told me that Linda was thrilled to be back on set. She was like a kid in a candy shop. She was glowing. She was crackling. She was so alive in the scene. Whenever I’m in a scene with Linda, I’m a student. She really is such a master of the craft, and I’m a little sponge. I’m soaking it all up, and really, truly watching her work has been the most educational process for me. I just feel like truly I’ve been attending the MasterClass with one of the best, one of the greats, and I’m so grateful for my friendship with her as well. She’s my bud. She texts me lots of emojis.

TVLINE | You once told me about how you would go to lunch and you’d get all these Hollywood stories, including about her “Mary Tyler Moore moment” when she first went to live in New York…. My God, she dropped that story on me right before a walk-and-talk where I had tons of technical jargon, and I remember I was welling up just at the image of 16 or 18-year-old Linda Hunt getting into a cab and drinking in the big city and the possibilities that it held for her. She’s such a gift.

How nervous were you to shave Barrett’s mustache? I knew we only had one take and I knew it had to be good. My mom is a hairdresser and I watched her kind of do all of that kind of beard shaping for years, so I just kind of channeled my mom. I knew I needed a steady hand, and I just went for it. But I think he was a little nervous.

TVLINE | Would you like to be a part of Episode 300 (airing late next season), if asked? Of. Course.

TVLINE | What’s next for you? Like I said, storytelling. We just released our first children’s book, Hugo and the Impossible Thing, which is inspired by our canine son Hugo. Chris [Gabriel] — my partner, my other half, my creative partner — and I wrote the book about our dog who recovered from a really life-threatening illness. It was an inoperable brain tumor that most everyone told us would be impossible to beat. But through the help of some truly brilliant doctors and Hugo’s own determination, he made it to the other side and he lived a full life. It was this miracle that we witnessed, and we knew we needed to pass on Hugo’s message and let it inspire others.

I think oftentimes challenges in life are labeled as “impossible” when in reality they’re just extremely difficult. Of course, yes, certain things are impossible — I’m not going to be 6-foot-2 any time soon — but most of the time an obstacle or a challenge is just something we have to work our way around. So, we created the metaphor of the impossible thing.  It’s out in the world now.

TVLINE | Lastly, any message for the fans? Oh, for sure. Ultimately, I could say something profound but I just want to say thank you. Thank you for respecting Nell. Thank you for embracing Nell, for embracing her intelligence. I’ve always been cast as kind of the “funny friend,” the quirky turkey. I was the nurse in Romeo & Juliet when I auditioned for Juliet in high school. But with Nell, I really got to play so much more, and I am just so grateful to have been able to play the “smart girl,” quite frankly.

Someone actually shared a really touching story with me not long ago, actually. I was standing in line at a coffee shop in New York, and I heard this kind of grumble behind me. Someone asked, “Are you Nell Jones from NCIS: LA?,” and I kind of winced, afraid to turn around. I know native New Yorkers, I was thinking, “What did I do wrong? Did I accidentally cut the line or not cover my mouth when I sneezed?” So, I turned around to face this person and they proceeded to tell me about their 12-year-old daughter who wasn’t like the other girls in her class. She was interested in science and forensics and computers. This woman told me that a lot of times as a mother, she didn’t know what to do with her daughter, and that Nell and the character that I played for the last 10 years had helped her daughter to find some confidence in who she was and what she wanted to be.

So, if my time at NCIS: LA helped a young girl to see the possibility in pursuing a career in intelligence or technology… visibility is everything. If the image of Nell Jones as the brightest bulb in the room can instill confidence in a 12-year-old girl and affect her future, I mean, that’s the ultimate win. That’s it. That’s truly more than I ever could have asked for.

[shoryubug]

Charlatans:  Chapter 1: Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

As most of you already knew, I was updating the intro to this story to clear up some stuff...and because I wanted to just...get some information set up, since I really didn’t like the thoughts going on that Adrien might be an idiot, and that Marinette would leave without informing Chat Noir about what was going on. The two of them respect each other, and she treats him as a partner, a friend, and an equal. On top of that, some Gina sugar, before getting to the Lila and Mallory salt! Which while mild, is going to culminate itself in the next chapter.  I hope you guys like this redo, and that you like the ideas for the trip I’d set up for Gina and Marinette!  Also once again, the original idea of a fake ladybug au was never mine to start with, I’ve seen it done over and over again by various people my personal favorite one being Checking Sources but if anyone knows who originally came up with the idea, please let me know, I genuinely do want to give them credit for the idea!  Also for the most part, everything after Marinette getting back home is kind of the same, for the most part, save for the conversation with Tikki when Tikki makes her go to sleep.

It had come out of nowhere when Gina had decided to visit, and pull Marinette out of school, leaving the poor girl without any notice and without any ability to contact her friends about what had happened, instead just her parents had known, as it was a surprise for her after all, Tuesday night Gina came like the whisper of a breeze before a storm, powerful and fresh, but pushing all the right buttons to make a person comfortable and happy, and Marinette couldn’t deny it, being around her Nonna made her happy, so to go out and traverse Brussels, Vianden, and Milan, then come back home to Paris had seemed like a dream come true in a way. While Marinette knew she wouldn’t be able to spend as much time as she might have preferred with Gina, the small bit that she was being allotted for this trip was more than enough for her. Sending Marinette and Gina up to rest together for their early day, getting up at around the same time that Tom was to begin prep work for the bakery just to ensure that they’d make their seats on the train at Gard Nour station in order to reach Brussels effectively, Marinette let out a sigh of joy. 

Of course, her parents had been more than certain to pack up her clothing for this surprise, gathering as much as they could for her in a duffel bag, though now, they had no idea of the actual true necessities, a satellite phone that she’d been slowly paying off in order to keep in touch with the world about what was going on in France from nearly anywhere else in the world, all in preparation since her fourteenth birthday when Gina had made her the promise about taking her away for some time, and the horse miraculous glasses, which lay hidden inside the gramophone that Wang Fu had left to her after he passed the title of Guardian over to her. Softly she pressed in the combination to open the device, and with a nimble quickness her fingers softly opened each compartment until she found the correct one and pulled out the glasses, setting them in center of the neck hole in her shirt, ready to use should the time call for it, though now only appearing to be a cute accessory to anyone that asked. 

“I hope that I can actually have some fun on this trip, you know, without the usual Ladybug worries...” Marinette whispered to Tikki who zoomed out of her purse and nuzzled up to Marinette’s cheek. 

“I think you don’t have too much to worry about! After all, Hawkmoth has been a little slow lately, so maybe you’ll be okay!” Tikki offered as Marinette sighed. 

“Should I give Chat the number to my satellite phone in case anything goes wrong, or should I just keep updates from the Ladyblog and just let him know I’ll be gone for a bit?” Marinette asked as Tikki held a small hand up to her own face and gave it a small bit of thought, the anxiousness creeping through Marinette’s features. 

“You should definitely let him know you’ll be gone, but if you want to keep your identity safe, don’t tell him about the satellite phone, just tell him you’ll be keeping updated with the Ladyblog! He might be able to help you get information from there faster in case Alya is slow to update!” Tikki offered as Marinette nodded, calling on the transformation magic then ducking into her closet, in case her parents had chosen that moment to pop their heads in. Pulling her yo-yo out she set up the call feature and was sent straight to his voicemail, which...made sense, especially if he wasn’t exactly active at that moment. 

“Hey Chat! I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be going to be out of Paris for a while---” she began before she realized that if he had known her as Marinette...which he seemed to already, then that might complicate things from her own absence...especially if he was going to go to Alya at all to get her to update the Ladyblog in a timely manner. “Uhh...my family wanted to visit Lyon and I’ll be out of school and I can’t exactly avoid going with them, but if there are any problems here in Paris I’ll come in with the horse miraculous, so no need to worry about me! But I will be keeping tabs on the state of things from the notices on the Ladyblog, so as long as there’s a notice on there I’ll make an appearance!” she offered, before closing the yo-yo, hanging up the call, then detransforming. “We should get some rest Tikki...” Marinette offered as Tikki nodded in approval, letting loose a small yawn.

The trip with Gina had been more than Marinette had ever expected, getting to visit the Cathedrale St-Michel was amazing, the architecture of it alone was just so fascinating, and for all of her life Marinette had only really had interests in fashion due to Gina, she had never thought to look into buildings, but now it was as if an entire new world was opening up to her, giving her more room to explore, but then going off to the Place Royale had given her the same level of attraction and affection toward this new field of wonder, the various shapes, the way everything was held together, how something so historic could still hold so much presence in the lives of so many people, and how it alone could bring in people like her and Gina to envision and experience from it...it was like a fascinating and beautiful new avenue, and suddenly she was lit with excitement from every which way...and this was just the first part of the first day! 

The Belgian Royal Museum of Fine Arts was another avenue that gave Marinette a lot of inspiration, Gina following after her, a bit bored herself with the idea of a museum, though Marinette had all but ran through the area, her sketchbook in hand, sketching up a storm as she gazed longingly at each and every painting in the museum, her mind fluttering about. The only problem with all of it was that she had yearned to take photos with her normal phone, but knowing the roaming charges would be astronomical, she opted against it, and when Gina had remained too far behind, Marinette had taken a moment to give Tikki a small treat inside her purse, and allowed for Tikki to come out for a brief second to view her sketchbook and the painting she stood in front of, sharing a soft moment with her wonderful companion. Soon after though, due to Gina’s boredom, the pair had left to the Atomium to take many goofy photos together and get some lunch, ending the tour of Brussels at the Mont des Arts, before Gina rented a motorcycle and Marinette had stuffed the horse miraculous in her purse, practically chaining it across her front, as they rode the next three hours out to Luxembourg. 

Finding a hotel for the night, Marinette had been certain to check up on the Ladybug one more time, having absently checked it moments throughout the day as if it were second nature, still coming up with nothing she was overjoyed to find just that...there was nothing. Another day when Hawkmoth wasn’t going to make an appearance. 

The few days of exploring with Gina were absolutely wonderful, doing a tree climbing course in Vianden and proving to Gina that she was fitter than she might seem (though that was entirely thanks to her job as Ladybug!), going on the chairlift and looking down at the town below, visiting the bronze bust of Victor Hugo and taking photos with it, then visiting the Chateau de Vianden to close that day out...it was almost surreal, she couldn’t believe how small the world looked from above in the chairlift. She’d been in planes a few times before in her past, but to actually watch as something gets smaller below her without the benefit of her Ladybug suit was strange and exhilarating, and then to outdo her grandmother while climbing the trees was something else in itself. Gina had attributed it to all of her energy, but she and Tikki both knew better as they joked while they waited for the others in the tree climbing course to meet her up above. And throughout that day she also continued to check in on everything gradually, though before they had left the Chateau de Vianden and had taken a plane out to Milan, she had checked again, still coming up empty from the Ladyblog. 

The day in Milan had been strange...it dragged on for Marinette, she didn’t really like the city, because it had been too stuffy, there were too many religious things to visit, and she just wasn’t all that interested, but she stuck it out for Gina, as Gina had done for her back in Brussels, and eventually the two had gone to have lunch together, both agreeing that after visiting the Opera at Teatro alla Scala, they would make their way back to Paris, and then spend whatever time was left getting ice cream and cooling down with the rest of the family. 

When they had finally taken a plane back home to Paris and the two of them had gotten to the bakery, Sabine handed Marinette a packet of homework, with a note on it from Alya, which simply said “CHECK YOUR MESSAGES GIRL!” and Marinette waited on it, while she wanted to give her friend some attention, she was more interested in spending some more time with Gina and her parents, going off to have dinner with them, and when she was finally ready to get upstairs, she turned her satellite phone off, turned her normal phone on, put the horse miraculous away, and then went to check her phone for the messages Alya wanted her to read, and it was as if everything in the world had come to a screeching halt the moment that she read a single text from Alya.

>>>GIRL, YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT, LADYBUG IS A CONFIRMED STUDENT HERE IN OUR CLASS!

She felt her heart contract, no...no they couldn't be close to finding her identity. No. This wasn't possible, she was so careful!

As the panic set in she couldn't bring herself to respond to Alya. "Tikki...we might have a problem, Alya said someone in our class is Ladybug..." she whispered.

"What?!" Tikki's high-pitched squeal painted her ears.

"I don't...I don't know how this could have happened!" she whispered.

"Well...if Alya didn't say anything about Ladybug being you, maybe they don't really know yet!" Tikki pointed out and finally Marinette was able to breathe in relief, her heartbeat finally slowing to a more steady pace.

"Y-you're right! I shouldn't worry! I should go to bed...tomorrow we can figure this out!" she whispered as Tikki flew to her pillow and Marinette curled up in the bed herself. All that she had hoped was that whatever was going on, Chat hadn't heard about it...but that was wishful thinking, wasn't it? She had been absent from the city for a few days, which means that whatever Alya had said was probably on the Ladyblog...OH MY GOD IT WAS PROBABLY ON THE LADYBLOG! She thought, reaching for her phone she began to scroll upward before Tikki flew through it and huffed, glaring Marinette in the face.

"It's time to sleep!" Tikki stated as Marinette sighed.

"I know but I just thought we should check the Ladyblog in case Alya posted something on it!" Marinette rationalized.

"No! You can worry about it tomorrow! Besides, you've been checking the Ladyblog all week on the trip, and right now you need a clear and level head so sleep!" Tikki insisted, and with hesitation, Marinette relented.

For once, she hadn't slept through her alarm, and rolled off of her bed, rushing through her morning routine, and zipping off to school after she had finished. She had a lot of time to spare, which was a surprise, but as she made her way through the school doors and into her class, where she found Alya sitting, her best friend's eyes went wide for a minute before getting back to normal, as if a realization washed over her for a moment then faded.

"Hey, Alya! So what was with your text? I would have responded sooner but as soon as I got home I was just exhausted and kind of passed out, and this morning I forgot to respond! I'm so sorry!" she apologized before Alya's eyes perked up again.

"You are NOT going to believe the scoop I got for you! There's this new girl in our class, Mallory, and she's Ladybug! She even has the Ladybug earrings and looks EXACTLY like her!" Alya whispered. "She even knows stuff about the Miraculous that only Ladybug would know!" she whispered, which deflated Marinette's mood. Well...at least...it wasn't that her identity was outed.

"Oh...I mean...are you sure she's really Ladybug? It...seems a little too good to be true..." Marinette offered, which Alya rolled her eyes at.

"Are you going to get upset at this girl like you do at Lila because she's also spending time with Adrien?" Alya asked with a huff, and Marinette rolled her eyes. Of course, it always came down to jealousy, even if she didn't actually know that this Mallory girl was interested in Adrien.

"Alya...I don't know anything about this girl...I've been gone a few days, remember? Besides, if Ladybug is adamant about identities being a secret then why would she tell you before she told Chat Noir?" she offered, which Alya again huffed at.

"She didn't just tell me, she told the whole class!"

"Well then that makes it even less likely that she's actually Ladybug, don't you think?" Marinette stated flatly before a girl who could almost be her double walked up the aisle and let out an angry huff.

"You must be the girl Lila told me about, Marinette, right? Well you don't have to believe that I'm Ladybug, but you should at least not try to drag me into your drama!" she snapped as Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Then you shouldn't lie to the class about something so serious." Marinette countered as the girl scoffed and stomped up the stairs to her seat in the back. Whoever that girl was, she definitely wasn't even a good replica of Ladybug, all she had were similar looks to Marinette's own, nothing more, she clearly couldn’t replicate the way that she carried herself as Ladybug, she stood too straight and poised, and even as Ladybug that was something that Marinette struggled with, and if anyone actually believed that Mallory was Ladybug then they really were blind.

@sofmimis @tinyterror333 @xmenlov @calicokitkat @galaxykrystal123 @yin-390 @littleacecutie @draw-me-some-stories @im-a-useless-and-shitty-blob  @wild-lady-luck @siamxshade @lenamau @justafanwarrior @random-posts-and-stuff @gwennex @thezestywalru 

[pan-cakez]

A Strange Meeting

This story was inspired by @virgil-is-a-cutie​‘s post about an AU where Dr. Hugo Strange is Marinette’s father. I haven’t written in years, so it’s pretty shit, but I definitely enjoyed writing it. It’s almost 3000 words and I’m proud! :) Here we go!

One last romp. This was supposed to be the end, but it sparked a new beginning. Sabine knew that Hugo loved his work. Maybe too much. There was no space in his heart for her, and she grew weary of missed dates, and so many rain checks. She still loved, him, but just couldn’t take it anymore. He did a lot of good work, she just felt like she was just a side fling, whereas science was his wife. She said her goodbyes, but they had one last go before she left, and that changed both of their lives.

~ 14 years later ~

Marinette was way too excited to go to Gotham. There was the chance for her to meet her biological father. Don’t get her wrong, she still loves Tom, and she wears the Cheng Dupain-Strange name with pride since she sees Tom as her primary father figure, she just wants to know more about her history. Her mom told her all about Hugo, and how she keeps in touch with him. Marinette thinks it’s sweet that he’s invested in her, and is encouraging her love for science. Sabine finds it endearing he’s warmer to Marinette than he ever was to her. When Sabine found out that Marinette’s class was going to Gotham, she told Hugo immediately, and the letter read as if he was excited, but Sabine could tell that he was nervous. She wasn’t worried about that, because she knew that once he met Marinette, his worries would be at ease.

 The day of the trip, Marinette brought four dozen macarons. Three dozen was vanilla and for the staff so she could impress them, and one dozen was matcha for Hugo since Sabine told her that it was his favorite flavor since she made it for him all the time. She also designed a couple ties for him. She just really wanted to impress him. She knows that her mom told her that it would be fine, and that he would adore her anyway, but she wanted to be sure.

When she got to the school, Adrien was waiting there alongside Juleka, Nino, Max, Ivan, Kim and Nathaniel. Everyone had their luggage in tow, and the air felt charged with energy. Marinette was just full of excitement to see her friend group. Lila’s lies destroyed some of Marinette’s friendships, but these people stood by her throughout the situation, and still do. They’re the ones who are getting her through the whole situation and are her rocks. Juleka actually didn’t believe her at first, but Luka called her out, and made her realize her mistakes. When she apologized, Marinette took it step by step with her, and they managed to get their friendship back to where it used to be. Juleka ran up to Marinette and threw her hand around her shoulder. “I’m excited that we’re roommates!” Marinette giggled and the both of them walking to the boys. Adrien smiled and her and waved. “Marinette! I’m so glad to see you! I’m excited that you’re coming.” Once Madame Bustier called them to the bus, they all started buzzing with excited for the trip.

For the majority for her travels, Marinette sat with Adrien. With the whole Lila situation, she just needed as many friends as she can get. She also knew that Lila was careful around Adrien to protect everything she has with his father. That didn’t stop her from tripping Marinette when they were boarding the plane. Adrien knew it was Lila, but Marinette told him that it was just her own clumsiness just to avoid with issues with Lila and their classmates. Adrien made sure that Marinette sat with him, and they were far away from Lila. He also made sure that she had the window seat and he was on the isle so Marinette doesn’t have to deal with Lila doing anything while she’s walking past their seat.

 When they arrived at the hotel, Lila tried to claim one of the luxe suites that was booked for the trip. She claimed some kind of chronic back issues and needed the softer bed. Chloe scoffed and stood in front of Lila. “My dad specifically paid for those rooms for my friends and I. You aren’t my friend and never will be, so. Back. Off.” Lila rolled her eyes and looked to Mme Bustier. “Mme. Bustier, could you please ask Chloe to accommodate me? I don’t think it’s fair that her and her friends get special treatment in the first place, but at least they can give me a space for my health issues.” Chloe scoffed again, but Mme Bustier looked at Chloe made a disappointed face. “Lila’s right you know.” Chloe put her hands on her hips, and hissed at Mme Bustier stating, “My father paid extra for these rooms. Unless either of you are willing to pay him back for a room, I don’t want to hear it. Now suffer Lie-la.” Chloe grabbed Marinette and stormed to the concierge desk with the rest of the friend group followed her.

When they checked in, Chloe made that Marinette’s room was right next to hers. When Marinette got into the room, she laid on the bed and sighed, with Juleka sitting down on the bed. “Hey, thanks for everything. I know things have been hard, but you still managed to be kind to me despite how I treated you.” Marinette sat up and looked at Juleka. Despite them being across the room from each other, Juleka can still feel the emotions in Marinette’s eyes. “You changed your mind and believed me. Even if it cost you your relationship with Rose, you still decided to do the right thing, and I think that’s amazing.” Juleka moved to lay down, and they both laid there silently, thinking about lost friends before going to bed.

              When they woke up, it was to someone banging on their door. Marinette looked through the peephole and saw an annoyed Chloe at the door. Marinette opened the door and Chloe stormed in. “Get ready Cheng, we’re going to breakfast. And it’s important to look nice because I’m meeting a family friend. I was supposed to meet Sabrina, but she disgusts me, as well as everyone who believes that idiot, so that’s why you’re coming instead. If you embarrass me, I will never let you live it down. Meet me in the lobby.” Chloe stormed off, and left Marinette looking astounded before quickly running to get ready.

              Marinette waited in the lobby, looking around before she saw Chloe stepping out of the hallway. When she saw Marinette, she huffed and checked her phone impatiently. Suddenly Adrien came running towards them. Chloe huffed at him and started walking out to the waiting car. Adrien and Marinette followed Chloe and Adrien chuckled softly. When they were in the car and on their way, Adrien apologized for his lateness. “Dad wouldn’t let me leave until he made sure that my outfit was impeccable. I don’t know why I called him in the first place.” Chloe rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Adrien and Marinette giggled at her behavior, and they talked the entire way while Chloe interjected from time to time.

              When they arrived at the restaurant, Marinette was surprised. It was extremely upscale, and intimidating. Chloe dragged her in, and scanned the place until her eyes landed on a boy that looked about their age. “Bruce!” The boy looked up when he heard Chloe and smiled. Chloe pulled Marinette over to the table and sat down. Marinette sat down next to her, and Adrien joined Bruce in sitting across from the girls. Bruce extended his hand to Marinette. “Hi, I’m Bruce Wayne.” Marinette smiled and took his hand. “I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” “Marinette,” Bruce whispered, as if he was trying her name out, and he smiled softly. Chloe poked Marinette and said “Stop flirting, the both of you.” Marinette blushed and Bruce laughed.

              Breakfast went way less embarrassingly for Marinette after that point. She tried to order smaller food items since the restaurant was higher scale, but everyone talked her out of it. She insisted that she wasn’t that hungry, but Chloe and Adrien knew she was lying. Bruce offered to pay for her food, and she didn’t have to have to pay him back, which eased her. She ended up ordering enough to make her full, and Bruce ended paying for everyone since he believed they were his guests in his hometown, so it’s the least he can do to welcome them. Goodbyes were said and Marinette was pleasantly surprised that Bruce hugged her. She felt like he opened up to her, and that maybe he could be a new friend. One that was removed from Lila and was basically a blank slate for friendship. They could be friends without the trauma. Although she was worried that this was a front, and that he was really hurting, but didn’t tell anyone after the death of his parents. She really hopes that he gets all the help needs, and is surrounded by people that care.

              When they got back, Marinette went straight to her room and dressed a little more casually for the asylum tour. She grabbed the purse that she packed the macarons in, and ran to the lobby. When she got back there and saw Adrien, it looked like he had the same idea. Adrien saw her and laughed. “Your clothes were a little too stuffy too?” Marinette smiled and walked over to him. The rest of her friends made their way over, and Lila looked at them from across the lobby in disgust. She wanted to get at Marinette, but how can she do it in a way that still makes her look innocent? A plan was hatched, and Lila was almost too excited to put it into action.

              When they boarded the bus, Adrien asked if Marinette was excited, and she blushed, and nodded. Everyone took their seats and they were on their way. The bus ride was uneventful, which should have relieved Marinette, but it instead worried her. What was Lila planning, and when was she going to do it? Would it embarrass her in front of her biological father? Will it make him hate her? All these questions raced in her mind and her unease radiated off of her for the entirety of the ride.

              When they got into the asylum, Marinette was quite fidgety. She usually learned to internalize these feelings, but it was too much for her. She held her purse close to her, feeling some comfort in the baked goods. A lot of staff members sent soft smiles her, which made her much more nervous and she felt sick, but she ended up pulling herself together. When they got into the staff office, she placed the vanilla macarons a desk. She looked around, and saw him talking to one of her coworkers. She felt as if her heart was ready to beat out of her chest.  Her throat felt dry and she felt rooted in her spot. What does she say to Hugo? ‘Hey, I’m the kid you didn’t want, but here I am to meet you, like some kind of haunting ghost?’ There’s really nothing she could say. She was wearing gold and red hair ties since she wrote him that it’s how he can pick her out from the class. He could tell her apart anyway, but she didn’t know that. He was actually quite terrified to meet her, because he didn’t want to disappoint her. But when he turned and saw her class, he knew it was time to face his fear.

              Lila looked around, and saw the boxes with the logo of Marinette’s bakery and sneered at her. “Why’d you bring these?” Marinette stepped up and put her hand in front of the macarons. “They’re not for you. Or anyone else from our class for that matter.” Lila laughed loudly to grab everyone’s attention. “You brought them for the inmates, didn’t you? You’re probably related to one of them! It explains your issues.” Marinette stood in front of Lila and placed her hands on her hips. The class hushed, and watched in silence. “I’m not related to one of the inmates.” “She’s related to me.”  Marinette turned around to see Hugo in the entry way, and she smiled softly. Everyone looked shocked, while Marinette walked up to Hugo. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” She hugged Hugo immediately after speaking and he was shocked for a second before hugging her back. When they pulled away, he smiled softly. “Your mom has been sending me photos of you since you were born. You look more and more like her every time.” Marinette blushed and pulled the matcha macarons out of her purse. “Mom told me you would like these.” Hugo smiled and took them. “I’m sure I’d enjoy anything you make.” Marinette twiddled her fingers before Hugo cleared his throat and spoke to the class. “Hello everyone. I am Doctor Hugo Strange, and I will be taking you on a tour of the facility. Everyone, follow Marinette.” He started making his way out of the office with the class in tow.

In-between stops on the tour, Dr. Strange made an effort to talk to Marinette. He could feel her happiness radiate through him. The more they talked, the more he regretted leaving her and her mother. He wishes he could take it all back and be able to experience everything, but he can’t. All he can do is focus on being more active in her life from this point on. He was so nervous she would hold some kind of sentiment against him, but she clearly doesn’t, and it made him so happy. All his nerves just melted away. The same went for Marinette. She knew that Lila couldn’t try anything because Hugo would see and punish the class in some way, and Lila would be blamed for ruining the tour. She genuinely had fun.

At the end of the tour, Hugo said there was a special place that he could only take several students to, and that Marinette got to pick. There were enough spots for Marinette’s friends, which she thought was a coincidence, but Hugo knows it wasn’t. He knew of all the issues Marinette was facing with Lila, and thought that it would be great for Marinette to have her friends experience something great for staying with her. He took them into a room in the back, where bunch of people were waiting. They weren’t scientists, nor inmates judging by their clothes, so who were they? One of the people waiting there saw Doctor Strange and smiled. “Ey Doc! Gotta say your daughter is super adorable!” Hugo chuckled and Marinette blushed. “Students, I would like you all to meet ex-patients of mine.” One of the women walked up to Marinette and shook her hand. “Fish Mooney. Nice to meet you sweetheart.” Marinette smiled at Fish. The other ex-patients didn’t really introduce themselves, but engaged with the students nonetheless.

After talking with the ex-patients and learning about their experiences, the group went back to meet their classmates, who looked bitter, especially Lila. Marinette looked at her smugly before hugging Hugo. “Thanks for everything!” Hugo smiled and kissed her forehead softly. The class started to head out, and Hugo looked sadly at Marinette. He sincerely wants to be in her life, but the work he does, is unethical to say the least. He’s putting her at risk to pay for his sins, and she’s too good for that. Her and her mother are both too good for that.  He needs to change, here and now. He can’t undo all the damage he’s done, but at least he can prevent a lot more.

When it came to stopping his backdoor dealings, it was a lot easier than expected. When he explained about his kid, no one really gave him retaliation. He reached out to Bruce to start funding the program that Hugo and Bruce’s father started decades ago. He willingly did so, and as per Hugo’s request, split the ownership between Bruce and Marinette. Hugo started pushing boundaries, but in a much more humane and legal way. He’s been sending letters to Marinette explaining his discoveries, and making sure that Marinette knows that should she need an internship, the company doors are always open. The demons from Hugo’s demons haunt him from time to time, but the strength that Marinette gives him, allows him to defeat those demons, and keep making those discoveries that make a positive difference in the world. Hugo knew the saying that having a kid changes you for the better, but he never imagined it being to this extent. You know what though? He’s definitely glad that she’s made him a better man.

[randomvarious]

SWV - “Right Here” 18 Top Hits 1/94 Song released in 1993. Compilation released in 1994. R&B

The first wave of R&B girl groups in the 90s was dominated by three separate entities: first, there was En Vogue, who were responsible for starting the whole craze, and then came TLC, who were then followed by SWV. And since this is a post that’s gonna be littered with a bunch of fun, little trivia nuggets, here’s your first one: SWV, which is an acronym for Sisters With Voices, originally wanted to call themselves TLC, based on the first initials of their three members, Tamara, Leanne, and Cheryl. But they received a cease & desist letter from Epic Records, who had the TLC name locked up for the soon-to-be sensational Atlanta trio that was on their own roster. And so, Tamara, Leanne, and Cheryl begrudgingly settled on calling themselves SWV instead.

They began in 1988 in New York with two members, Leanne and Cheryl, who both sang at church, and were in search for a third girl to finish out the group. After going through auditions, they chose Tamara, who, according to a Rolling Stone article, was really shy and originally would only sing with the lights off. The three girls also donned stage names. Leanne would be Lelee, Cheryl would be Coko, and Tamara would be Taj. As a quirk, they sent out demo tapes with bottles of Perrier because they couldn’t afford to send champagne. They would end up catching the ear of legendary producer, as well as the father of the new jack swing fad, Teddy Riley (more on him later), and he would end up getting SWV inked to a ridiculously terrible eight-album contract, which the group never completely fulfilled. But at least they got themselves signed to a major, right?

In 1992, SWV released their debut album, It’s About Time, with most of the production coming from a guy named Brian Alexander Morgan. Morgan has gone on to produce, remix, write, and arrange for a bunch of music superstars, including Usher, Drake, Wu-Tang Clan, Mariah Carey, and Ariana Grande. But his first big opportunity came from...right here...with SWV’s debut album.

In fact, it was “Right Here” that would kick things off for SWV, becoming the group’s first single, before their debut album ended up hitting the shelves. But here’s where it might get a little confusing. That first single isn’t the version of “Right Here” that everyone would end up remembering SWV for. Actually, almost no one remembers the original version of “Right Here,” which is an excellent song on its own. Morgan laced his new jack swing beat with organ, electric guitar, and ringing bells that remind us of Run-D.M.C.’s “Peter Piper” and Snap!’s “The Power,” which both trace back to Bob James’ “Take Me to the Mardi Gras”. And Taj raps, too!

The original version of “Right Here” would peak at #92 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #16 on the R&B/Hip Hop chart. The next pair of SWV singles, “I’m So Into You” and “Weak” would fare much better, both reaching the top ten on Billboard’s Hot 100, with “Weak” going all the way to #1. These singles would then set the stage for the release of a new version of “Right Here,” the one everyone knows and loves, which is credited as a Teddy Riley remix, and was fresh for the summer of 1993. It’s commonly dubbed as the “Human Nature Mix” because of its liberal sampling of the Michael Jackson song off Thriller. That particular mix would also feature on the Free Willy soundtrack, which would also contain and lead with Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There”. 

(Another famous sampling of “Human Nature” would happen in 1994, too, with Nas’ “It Ain’t Hard to Tell,” which was produced by Large Professor. Now, you could be thinking that the “Human Nature Mix” might’ve provided some inspiration for Large Pro to conjure up that particular beat, but as it turns out, “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” was actually recorded in ‘92.)

So here’s the coolest piece of trivia you’ll run into today. Know who’s delivering that catchy “ess, double, you, vee” line throughout the “Human Nature Mix”? Pharrell. And it’s his first vocal credit, ever! One day, he was performing in a high school talent show with his R&B group, The Neptunes (not his production project with Chad Hugo), and guess who was in the audience? Teddy Riley! Riley’s studio just so happened to sit next to Pharrell’s high school. How’s that for luck? Pharrell would end up writing Riley’s verse on Wreckx-N-Effect’s old school hip hop summer classic, “Rump Shaker,” and the following year he was on the “Human Nature Mix”. There’s also a captivating, “give-it-some-time-to-work-itself-out” kind of “UK Remix” of “Right Here” on which Pharrell raps, and in 1996, The Neptunes (now just Pharrell and Hugo) would receive their first production credits for two songs (and an interlude) on SWV’s second album, New Beginning.

And now for something probably even less people know about. Although the “Human Nature Mix” is credited to Teddy Riley, it’s not his work. It’s Brian Alexander Morgan’s, the guy who also produced the original version. Riley’s name was merely attached for marketing purposes only. The label probably thought that if they sold the single as a remix that was made by a production superstar who was using a Michael Jackson song(!), it would move more units than if they said it was by Morgan, which is a name that barely anyone knew. And it seems like the label was correct in its calculus. Even though it didn’t end up hitting #1 (it hit #2), the “Human Nature Mix” remains SWV’s most remembered song, and you can credit it for leading to a re-release of SWV’s debut album, which at that point would add the remix, and would help generate over two million copies sold.

And come to think of it, how many songs can you name in which the remix ended up becoming far more popular than the original version? Before the advent of EDM, anyway. And “Ignition (Remix)” doesn’t count, by the way. That totally misunderstands what a remix is. There’s like a handful of tracks that come to mind: a pair of Amber remixes by Hani and Thunderpuss (”One More Night” and “Sexual (Li Da Di),” respectively), another Thunderpuss remix of “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” by Whitney Houston, a Latin house remix of Madonna’s “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” by Pablo Flores and Javier Garza, and of course, Todd Terry’s remix of “Missing” by Everything But the Girl. But the “Human Nature Mix” of “Right Here” might be at the top of the list. Lots of people aren’t even aware of the original’s existence. When you say the words “’Right Here’ by SWV,” everyone just assumes you’re talking about the “Human Nature Mix”. When the song is included on compilations, a lot of times the words “Human Nature” aren’t anywhere to be found, like on this random German comp I have that gathered 18 of the top songs from January of 1994. That’s how much more popular the “Human Nature Mix” is than the original. Let me know if you can think of any other remixes that hold a similar status.

One more thing before I get to the music video. This mix is so different from the original. The original version has a much harder edge and clearly took way more thought and effort to put together than the “Human Nature Mix” since the “Human Nature Mix” primarily just coasts off of the Michael Jackson sample. It doesn’t mean the original’s better though. It’s definitely great, but it’s trapped in the new jack swing era, and for that reason, it doesn’t have the staying power of the “Human Nature Mix”. Sometimes a producer finds something that’s easy enough to cobble together and it just manages to hit really good. That’s definitely the case here. The “Human Nature Mix” is just so fluffy; it was perfect summer radio then and it’s perfect summer radio now. It’s like an R&B counterpart to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s “Summertime,” which came out a couple years beforehand. In fact, if I were doing a nostalgic 90s summer mix, I would probably line those tracks up back-to-back (”Rump Shaker” would be somewhere in there, too). There’s just a super relaxing, enjoyable airiness that both songs seem to possess. Oh, and speaking of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, you know who provides the background vocals on Will Smith’s “Men in Black” song? Coko from SWV. Wild, right?

So, anyway, the video. It sucks. It just does. It’s not memorable at all, besides the awkward, intermittent slip-ins of footage of Michael Jackson performing “Human Nature” from his Dangerous tour and some clips of Free Willy swimming and breeching. It’s really a missed opportunity for the group. Apparently, there’s another video without Michael and Free Willy, too, but I can’t find it. It sounds like it’s boring though. Oh well.

The first single off of SWV’s next album (”You’re the One”) would do very well for itself, too, and that album would manage to go platinum. But they’d get lost in the fold soon after, while En Vogue and TLC would end up building much more on their prior success. And TLC would come out on top for the late 90s with songs like “No Scrubs” and “Unpretty”.

SWV made good songs, but they weren’t marketed well, at all. Case in point, your last bit of trivia: Taj was a contestant on Survivor in 2009. No, not Celebrity Survivor. Just regular-ass Survivor. No one knew she was Taj from SWV and she didn’t tell anyone on the show either. This lady helped sell millions of records for fuck’s sake. I guarantee you every contestant on that show knew an SWV song and they had no idea who this woman even was. Isn’t that kind of insane? I mean, SWV were by no means one-hit wonders, and they weren’t super popular for that long, but they were definitely an early 90s R&B staple. Anyway, for what it’s worth, Taj ended up finishing in fourth on Survivor. She’s also married to soon-to-be Hall of Fame running back Eddie George. 

So, there it is. One of the greatest and most popular tunes of the 90s. A song everyone likes that has a lot of fun, interesting facts that surround it. Shame that these girls couldn’t sustain their success for the remainder of the decade, but at least they and Brian Alexander Morgan gave us this indomitable classic.

[zoeytheweeb]

Miraculous Ladybug: K-12 Chapter 1: Wheels on the Bus

AN: Sorry for disappearing, but I got inspired to write a new fic based off Melanie Martinez’s new album and, well, I ended up writing the outline for said fic (which was a lot easier to do compared to writing #notmychatnoir since I actually know how many chapters I want this new fic to have) so here we are! I might change the title, not sure yet, but for now, enjoy the first chapter of my new fic. Don’t worry though, the next chapter of #notmychatnoir is still in the works and Adrien will get his comeuppance! Also, you can read my new fic on AO3 here!

Chapter 1: Wheels on the Bus

I’m just looking out the window and it’s cold outside

There are two boys yelling behind me and I’m terrified

Counting trees as they pass me by

Marinette was bored. Well, not exactly bored per se, but she certainly wasn’t enjoying herself at the moment. She stared out the window, looking at the trees as they passed by. Her sketchbook sat on her lap, a new one that she had not used yet in case Lila tried anything when nobody is looking. That way, if her sketchbook did mysteriously go missing (read: stolen), then nothing she draws in it would have been of any real importance to her.

Currently, Marinette and her classmates, along with Ms. Bustier, were on a school bus making their way to their field trip destination. They were going to Maison de Victor Hugo to learn more about the well-known writer and write a report about what they have learned when they go home for the day. The assignment was worth a good portion of their final grade, but Marinette wasn’t worried about that.

Instead, she was very excited to go on this field trip. Even with Lila causing trouble and painting Marinette as a villain every chance she had, and taking most of her friends from her while she was at it, she was still able to look forward to going to school each day and not let Lila get to her. Although, it was not like Marinette actually had a choice in not letting Lila get under her skin. She is Ladybug, after all, she cannot afford to be akumatized, and even if she could, Marinette absolutely refused to let Lila of all people be the reason she would be akumatized in the first place. She would not give that brat the satisfaction of being her downfall.

And I’m trying not to look across the aisle

‘Cause Maya’s letting Dan put his hand up her skirt

And she’s got her hand down his pants

Speaking of which, Marinette glanced across the aisle from where she was sitting in the third row, rolling her eyes when she noticed Lila clinging onto Adrien’s arm as they sat next to each other. Marinette never understood why nobody noticed how uncomfortable Adrien looked whenever Lila put her hands on him, or even got near him for that matter. For that matter, Marinette also could not understand why Adrien never said anything about it when he clearly wanted to. However, she understands that he is most likely used to such behavior, especially since he never did much other than attempt to dodge Chloe’s tackles when she used to act the way Lila currently is around him, key words being “used to.”

That was something Marinette, and most likely everyone else when they’re not fawning over Lila, was surprised about. Queen Bee must have flipped a switch in Chloe, because after Ladybug gave her another chance to be a hero, Chloe started to become nicer. It was small of course, with Chloe visibly stopping herself from insulting everyone she came across and apologizing to everyone for everything she had done. Then, Chloe actually started to do nice things for people, especially Sabrina. Marinette was very proud of Chloe and made sure to tell her that after they became friends.

Glancing behind her, Marinette saw Chloe and Sabrina sitting at the back of the bus, quietly chatting about something. Knowing those two, and for once Marinette was happy to admit that she knew them, they were most likely gossiping, probably about Lila if the scoffs they threw her way whenever she opened her mouth to spew another lie were to go by.

Chloe looked around, most likely feeling eyes on her, when she locked eyes with Marinette. She gave a quick smile, a genuine one instead of the cruel smirk she had gotten used to receiving from Chloe, before turning back to her conversation with Sabrina. Marinette smiled to herself, giving Sabrina a small wave when she looked at her as well, before turning around to look back at Lila when she heard her speaking.

“Of course I knew him! I’m actually the great-granddaughter of Victor Hugo’s daughter, Leopoldine,” Lila was saying, still clinging onto Adrien as she lied to anyone that would listen.

“Wow, Lila!” Mylene exclaimed, sitting in the first row in front of Lila and Adrien, Ivan sitting next to her. Although, with how tall he is, it looked like Mylene was sitting on his lap to fit.

“Cool!” Kim shouted, sitting in the fourth row behind Marinette’s seat. Marinette could not see his expression, if she had turned around to look, she would have noticed Max, who was sitting next to Kim, frown at Lila’s claim. However, he said nothing, and his frown was gone as soon as it appeared.

“That’s awesome, dude!” Nino stated, sitting next to Alya as they sat in the second row in front of Lila.

“Ooh, you have to tell us everything, girl!” Alya stated, already pulling out her phone and recording Lila.

I know the driver sees it

I know he’s peeking in the rearview mirror

He says nothing

Trying to ignore it, it’s fucking boring

I’m quietly observing, I’m saying nothing

Adrien said nothing, simply choosing to smile nervously as his eyes glanced frantically around him, probably looking for a way to escape Lila’s grip without being too obvious about it.

Marinette quietly scoffed, trying not to draw attention to herself lest Lila decides to accuse Marinette of bullying her again. If Lila and her followers had actually done research, they would know that Leopoldine died when she was 19, along with her husband and their unborn child, she thought. However, she took comfort in knowing that only a few of her classmates were actually paying attention to her lies. Other than Chloe and Sabrina, who had both learned about Lila’s true nature after overhearing her threaten Marinette again, a few of their classmates saw through Lila’s lies as well now. Marinette looked at the seat across from Chloe and Sabrina, noticing Nathaniel shake his head softly at Lila’s back while Alix glared holes at the back of Lila’s head.

Nathaniel found out Lila was lying when she talked to him and Marc, claiming to have met a famous comic book writer, shortly after said writer had died. Alix, on the other hand, found out about Lila’s lies when she claimed to have participated, and won, in a huge roller-derby competition that Alix had managed to convince her father to take her to see two years ago. Needless to say, Alix was livid, and most likely would have done something drastic if Juleka and Rose had not been there to stop her.

Juleka and Rose were another two of Marinette’s classmates who had learned of Lila’s true nature. Juleka had always been suspicious of Lila, only choosing to hang out with her because Rose was excited about how amazing their new friend seemed to be. However, one day Rose had talked to Prince Ali, eagerly asking him what it was like to be friends with Lila. Poor Rose was devastated when Prince Ali told her that he had no idea who Lila even was and that he has not invited anyone to stay at his palace or worked on charity cases for pollution. He had apologized but had to hang up due to his tight schedule. After that, Rose and Juleka distanced themselves from Lila and her sycophants, taking everything Lila said with a grain of salt and only talking to her when she addressed them.

Of course, the four students apologized to Marinette for believing she was bullying Lila, and although it took a while for her to trust them, Marinette forgave them and tended to hang out with them along with Chloe and Sabrina, although it took the others a while to trust those two as well. Unfortunately, the rest of their classmates still believed Lila wholeheartedly, with the exception of Adrien of course but he is still content to take the high road and let Lila do what she wants, including Alya. At first, it had hurt to have her own best friend believe essentially a complete stranger over her, but Marinette has long since given up on getting Alya to see reason, especially after Alya continued to accuse Marinette of being jealous of the attention Lila’s getting from Adrien whenever she tried to show Alya proof that Lila was lying.

If Alya had actually bothered to listen to Marinette, then she would know that she is no longer interested in Adrien. A girl can only take so much pain and humiliation just for trying to confess to the boy before she decides that he’s not worth it, after all. Besides, after Adrien told her to take the high road, Marinette began to realize that her crush was not as perfect as she made him out to be and that her methods of trying to get him to notice her were very unhealthy and borderline stalker-ish. It had taken a while, but Marinette had finally taken the time to think about her crush, and after looking around her room, she realized that she seemed more like an obsessed fangirl than a love interest, much less a friend.

It was not easy to admit, it was even harder to let go of her affection for him, but with help from Tikki and surprisingly Chloe, although Chloe does not know about Tikki of course, Marinette had taken down all of the photos of Adrien she had on her walls. After some consideration, Marinette had even sold most of the birthday presents she made for him, specifically the ones she made for when he was older, much older. She kept the ones she made for him for his next birthday, deciding that at least it would be easier for her to give it to him in person, so he does not end up assuming his father made him the presents again. After all, she may not love Adrien anymore nor does she actually trust him to have her back as he said he would, but she still considered him a friend, even if they have not hung out as much as she would have liked, with and without a crush on him being in the way.

While she was at it, Marinette made birthday presents for her friends as well, so she would at least be prepared for their birthdays next year, especially if she and Chat Noir do not defeat Hawkmoth before then. She would hate him even more if he sent out an akuma before she could make presents and celebrate her friends’ respective birthdays.

Marinette had also decided to keep the schedule up, though she made changes to it. Instead of having only Adrien’s schedule on the chart, she had her friends’ and classmates’ schedules as well. Despite being late to school all the time, although she has been getting better at waking up early lately, Marinette loved being organized. The fact that she is the class representative only made that love for proper organization grow. It is her job to make sure all of her classmates can attend a certain event or field trip, and reporting to Ms. Bustier if they cannot. Marinette has also learned her lesson after Max was akumatized into Gamer again, and has decided to make a schedule for herself as well so she would not be overworked with everything she had to do anymore.

Marinette’s phone buzzed in her pocket, she had taken it out of her purse since she did not want the vibrations to disturb Tikki, who was currently sleeping. Already knowing who was texting her, Marinette smiled as she pulled out her phone to double-check that yes, Luka was texting her, most likely to see how she was doing. A faint blush bloomed over Marinette’s cheeks at the thought.

Luka: Hey, how’s the field trip?

Marinette smiled as she replied, explaining that they are still on the bus and that Lila was making up another lie.

A few days after Lila became Chameleon, Marinette ran into Luka, who had somehow noticed her bad mood and talked to her. It took some nudging, but Luka had managed to get the story out of Marinette, and they had spent a few hours sitting on a bench at the park, Luka listening intently as she explained the Lila situation. When she finished, Luka looked at her with a frown on his face. At first, Marinette had worried that even he did not believe her, and she would not have blamed him if that were the case, he is Juleka’s brother after all so he would probably believe his sister compared to a girl he had not hung out with much.

However, Luka must have sensed her worries, and quickly reassured her that he believed her, and Marinette had never felt as much relief as she had at that moment that she almost would have cried. Thankfully, she did not cry, although tears did still prick the corners of her eyes. Luka had wiped those tears away, and they went to get some ice cream. They spent the rest of the day just talking and hanging out, until Luka had to go home, not before promising to call and text her more often, and soon they began to hang out and get to know each other more.

Then Silencer happened, and after Luka confessed Marinette was left confused. She was still trying to get over Adrien at the time, and Luka must have realized that because he never brought up his confession again. That did not stop Marinette from thinking about it whenever she could, though. However, with everything going on with Lila and trying to get over Adrien, Marinette felt like she was not ready to date at the time. Now though, she has friends sticking by her side and she is completely over Adrien and feeling a lot better about herself. Somewhere down the line, Marinette realized, she began to get a crush on Luka as well, but she still stood by her decision to take care of herself first before taking the chance to date him.

Marinette had made that decision two months ago. Now, after talking to Luka the weekend before this field trip took place, and telling him that she feels ready to try dating, with the request of going slow, Luka had accepted her decision, congratulating her on taking the time to recover from everything before asking her out. Marinette had accepted, and now they are dating, and Marinette has never felt happier than she does when she’s with Luka.

No one’s watching us, don’t give a fuck

Wheels on the bus

I’m holding it down up in the front

Wheels on the bus

(Ooh, ooh, ooh) Wheels on the bus

Marinette’s phone buzzed again, signifying another text from Luka. However, before she could look at it, a voice caught her attention.

“Marinette?”

Said girl glanced up, looking around until she noticed Lila staring at her with a faux expression of concern on her face. Marinette held back a sigh, already knowing that whatever was about to happen would give her a headache.

“Yes?” She asked, just barely managing to keep the annoyance she felt out of her voice. Looking around again, she noticed that all eyes, except the bus driver’s of course, were on her now. Marinette was wary, wondering what Lila would try to pull this time.

“I just wanted you to know that I hope we can put aside our differences so everyone can enjoy the field trip,” She stated, putting a hopeful smile onto her face. However, the gleam in her eye that had gone unnoticed by her doting minions, but was definitely noticed by Marinette and the ones who knew she was lying stated that she definitely had something planned today.

Before Marinette could reply, the bus stopped. Glancing at the front of the bus, she noticed that they were at Maison de Victor Hugo. Ms. Bustier stood up, calling for the students’ attention.

“Alright everyone, remember that this field trip is for a graded assignment, so try to pay attention and actually learn about Victor Hugo,” She said, thanking the bus driver as he opened the doors before walking out, her students beginning to follow after grabbing their backpacks.

Only Lila and Marinette stayed behind, Marinette being held back by Lila before she could actually step out of the bus. This time, Marinette did not hold back her sigh, clutching her phone in one hand and her sketchbook in the other.

“What do you want, Lila?” She asked, letting the annoyance she felt seep into her voice.

“I want to know what you think you’re doing,” Lila growled, glaring daggers at Marinette, most likely trying to intimidate her.

After getting some of her friends back, and hanging out with Luka, Marinette had decided to ignore Lila unless she accuses her of something she did not do, like steal the answer sheet for a test along with a necklace that Lila used to claim she was the wielder of the fox miraculous. When she was getting over Adrien, Marinette had accepted that her friendships with her classmates would never be the same even after Lila eventually gets exposed, and she figured that if her friends did not want to believe her, then they were no longer worth her time. She had tried to warn them about Lila, and only a few people came around before it was too late, so she was done.

“I’m trying to enjoy this field trip, you should too,” Marinette replied, quickly walking off the bus before Lila could say anything. She walked towards her friends, looking back to see Lila glare at her briefly before she stalked towards Adrien, who was talking to Nino and Alya before she latched onto him again.

Now that she had no more distractions, Marinette put her sketchbook in her purse again and focused on her phone, smiling at Luka’s text.

Luka: Good luck, Ma-Ma-Marinette.

Mari: Thanks, I’m not too worried about Lila though, even if she is planning something. Anyways, we’re at the museum now so I need to go. I’ll text you later though!

She turned her phone off and put it in her purse, noticing that Tikki had woken up, giving her a quick smile before turning her attention to her classmates who were already walking into the building. She quickly caught up to them, smiling at Juleka and Rose when they glanced at her curiously.

Marinette was really looking forward to this field trip, and nothing, especially not an akuma or Lila, would knock her down from the cloud she found herself floating on more often these days.

AN: So, what did you guys think? Should I keep the lyrics or not? This is my first song-fic and second fic in general, so constructive criticism and thoughts would be appreciated! Also, like I said, the next chapter of #notmychatnoir is in the works so don’t worry, I’m not abandoning that fic! Also, let me know if you want to be tagged for this fic as well! :D

[kaldwinenterprise-sydicate]

Interview | Dante and Delia

"Armani, Rubinacci, Hugo Boss...Mr Kaldwin, I'm afraid I don't know anything about these brands." Maybe she wasn't right for this job after all. Dante Kaldwin seemed to be fashionably inclined but with the handicap of not wanting to pick out his own clothes. Oz also cared about clothes and brands, but he didn't waste his breath trying to explain men's tailoring to Cordelia. Just women's, on occasion. "Do people wear ties anymore?"

-

"It isn't so much about the brands," Dante said, flipping through a magazine, his legs folded dramatically on his chair's arm. "As its about how it looks on me." Looking good was apart of the underground boss job description. "General rule of thumb- fur, yes. Royal purple, yes. Yellow? Burn it." Unless, of course, it was gold. Dante was born to be gilded. The longer the redhead worked for him, the faster she'd get used to his wardrobe choices. And the more influence he could have on hers! The poor girl dressed like his grandmother.

-

Cordelia glanced down at her yellow cardigan apprehensively. She always thought yellow was a good color for her complexion... "Okay, so...fur, purple...blue, probably. Dark blue. That would bring out your eyes?" Did people like matching their eyes? "You wouldn't prefer clothing from brands that are more...ethical, let's say?"

-

"Anything that makes me glow. I like red in the mornings. Only put me in black if everyone else will be wearing color." What was important was standing out. "Oh, lord. Ethical sounds too much like ugly." Dante shook his head. "Pour us a glass of scotch," he ordered, "and then join me. I've been perusing Armani's spring collection, there are some do and dont patterns I can show you." Clothes and booze, nothing went together better.

-

Suppressing a sigh, Delia went over to the fancy minibar and poured two glasses of scotch. The stuff was insanely strong, but she was certainly not about to argue with Dante Kaldwin. At least, not today. "Here you go," she said, standing beside his chair and glancing over his shoulder at the magazine in his lap. The models in these catalogues didn't look like real people. They were almost vampiric in that way. These were certainly the men that her Maker followed for hairstyle inspiration. "Besides fashion, is there anything else you need me to be proficient in, Mr Kaldwin?" Apparently her fast typing and dictation abilities were not enough. She was already memorizing drinks and colors...Delia took a small sip of her drink and to look thoughtful rather than feeling like she'd just swallowed nail polish remover.

"My Maker once said that my fashion sense would make the saints cry."

-

"I can't speak for the saints," Nor would he ever want to. "But your fashion sense  could certainly make me cry. Don't fret, button, I'll dress you up when we go out. " Dante tossed the magazine away. It would be more fun dressing up Delia than it was himself; he was so used to his own frame, the best colors and patterns. She'd be his new pet project. He walked away from his sitting area and toward his desk, thumbing through a few files. "You're going to memorize a list of my friends, their faces, names, jobs. When we go out to parties tell me who they are, what they do." Dante saw no point in remembering the information himself. "Pay attention to their lives, any gossip. I only convalesce with the best."(edited)

-

"Surely you exaggerating a little...Mr Kaldwin," she added, remembering herself. Cordelia liked to be comfortable. She and her sisters hadn't been raised with fashion as a forefront in their rearing, as much as books and manners were important. Still, she knew Rosalind, Ophelia, and Viola were all out there somewhere, looking far more put together than she. Of course, they were still human too. Always having to outdo her. "Wait---parties? You want me to go with you to parties?" The only party Cordelia had ever been to, besides birthday parties, was one for her graduation. She'd had two glasses of champagne and thrown up in a sink. And she assumed the sorts of parties Mr Kaldwin was talking about would be far more ritzy than those. She'd heard of the all out, glitzy, red-carpet affairs that rich people threw (especially when their venues were an actual casino). "I can memorize all of that but I can't dance or...or mingle." Please, don't let it involve dancing. "I think, in my professional opinion, that perhaps it would look far more impressive if you escorted a model or actress with you? I could stay here and man the fort, as they say."

-

"Dont worry, button! No dancing! No socializing." He didn't need her there to impress anyone; just to help him keep his bearings.  "Well of course there will be models!"He looked at her, aghast. Dante believed that Ozzy's progeny would have a bit more.. confidence to her.  "You're a vampire, darling. Your pores alone are enough to make a human woman sob." He downed his drink. "But there is work to be done here." Dante hated paperwork. He hated busy work. Anything that wasn't worthy of his time. "I have accountants, security- Oz to run this place. You know all of that. But someone needs to keep them all on the same page, and it sure as hell isn't going to be me." If Delia wanted to be his personal assistant (and be paid her weight in gold) she'd start taking notes now.(edited)March 1, 2018

-

"Mister Kaldwin, I assure you, I believe in my skills or I wouldn't have bothered signing up for this job. I believe in my intelligence, my strength of character, and my ability to be upfront and concise. For me, these are the things that matter. Not...pores. I can keep your business running fluidly, remember the names of those you deem mundane, and keep everything in order so that you may continue to run Kaldwin Enterprises to live up to it's impressive name. If that's what you want in a personal assistant, then you'll find no better. If you want someone to sit around and tell you how stunning your suit is and how immaculate your hair looks, then I'm afraid this arrangement will not work out. I was a school teacher, Mister Kaldwin. I can keep your security and your dealers, performers, caterers, bartenders, and even you in line, so help me."

-

Dante wandered over to his minibar, listening to Cordelia's pitch. He liked this better than the woman who wasn't meeting his eye earlier. Confidence was truly the only way into a Kaldwin's heart. "Good." He said simply when she finished, refilling his glass. "However you'll have to tell me I'm stunning every once in awhile or I'm afraid my ego may shatter." Moving back to his desk, Dante reached out and plucked the scotch from Delia's hand. "And I wont make you drink on the job." He winked, and finished off her glass. "Someone stole from me recently. I've never had you here before; you weren't apart of my staff so I know you weren't involved. I want you to find out who is." Oz was already on the job, but Dante had always thought that two minds were better than one. Unless of course, the one was his own. "Aside from your other duties of course. Tell me what you need. An office? Desk? Make a list and I'll sign the bill."(edited)

-

By the time she had realized that she'd mouthed off, Dante was already praising her, giving her interesting work, and asking her if she wanted a whole bloody office. She was quiet for a moment, not contemplating what sort of wood she'd like the desk to be but rather wondering if he was about to blow up. But he didn't, and she no longer had a drink in her hands to use as a social prop, so she supposed he was serious and expecting an answer. "Just...a desk, or part of a desk. Somewhere to store my things and whatever paperwork you send my way." Cordelia was also pleased that he was putting her on such an important assignment already, and clearly believing enough in her--well, most likely her vampiric abilities, but it still counted--to take care of something like high-stake theft on her own. Her shoulders finally relaxed slightly. "Looks like we have an accord, Mr Kaldwin. It will be a pleasure working for you, I'm sure."

[lindaliukas]

Year in review 2017

Fourth year in review. This year I did more work with schools and was excited to see school districts start to embrace my work.  Ran roughly 400 kilometres around the world and read 60 books. Flew over 120 flights and did over 60 talks. Published the third book in Ruby series. 

2017 was a weird year. On the other hand I felt like I found professionally the guidelines I had been looking for: maximising freedom, maximising curiosity. Early on in the year I stumbled upon Robert Irwin who “decided to step in to his own curiosity” and knew I had found what I had been looking for. On the other hand I experienced first hand how easy it is to tip out of balance and ignore the things closest & dearest to you, resulting in a big mess.  

Here are 2016, 2015 and 2014. And here is 2017: 

January

Changed the year in Långvik with minimal hassle, maximum friends. Moved offices to Maria, again in snow & cold. Enjoyed the quiet days after Christmas and found kindred spirits. Met Andre Agassi at NBF (whose book I loved a few years back), but was most impressed with his charismatic manager who told me war stories about building schools. 

Saw Arrival and Jackie. Loved this Tumblr story on Harry Potter and the CS classics list. Celebrated Nils' and Saku's birthdays. Ate more veggies and bought a Vitamix!  

Went to Hawaii with Ville and enjoyed St. Regis & hiking. Kauai was green and lush and beautiful. Rode around the island to get one of my magic books of the year: Seeing is Forgetting (more on that later).

Washed my passport in the washing machine. It was a bad year for passports: I lost all together three. 

Read: 

The Girls.

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. (Ended up studying a lot more physics this year than I originally anticipated!)

Juniper. From this Radiolab episode. If I were to start a tech company it would be in this space. 

Where Wizards Stay Up Late.

Tale of Shikanako #1. I forgot to read the next parts, need to put it in my reading queue. 

Whiplash.

Mothers. 

The Gene.

February

Spent most of the month in US: New York, DC and Boston. Visited DC public schools, took mom to see Bowery Poetry Club in NY. Had really wonderful, snowy, concentrated days in Boston and got to hang out with Jie & rest of LLK team + dinners with friends.

Atlantic wrote about Ruby & the philosophy behind it!

Did my first STEM Institute with Roxanne and the CS4All team of New York Department of Education. Was exhausted, happy, loved the thorough feedback and can’t wait to run the course again. 

Left my laptop in an Uber in Boston and ran around like crazy trying to get it to New York in time. Bought a new iPad and started experimenting with tools like Astropad, Apple Pencil and PS Sketch that would later in the year replace my old system of drawing. 

Wined and dined with Henrietta in a very random evening. 

Read: 

Beloved. Loved this. More Toni Morrison for 2018. 

Association of Small Bombs.

Seeing is Forgetting the Name of The Thing One Sees. On of the three most important books of the year. Oh Robert Irwin. His entire doctorate acceptance speech:"All I want say is that the wonder is still there." Walks away.

The End of Absence. 

The Underground Railroad.

March

Went to Melbourne for a few days to speak at NGV Victoria (and Australian TV!). Started my David Hockney obsession that would last the entire year.

Settled into New York life and the TED residency. Started new routines with hip hop yoga! Did an Arduino workshop at School for Poetic Computation and enjoyed feeling like a beginner. 

Worked a lot on the Internet book, reading a ton of the original research papers of WWW and Internet. Fell in love with Fermat’s library. Spent a lot of time thinking how to structure the book between software, hardware and culture of Internet. 

Visited Switzerland shortly and was chosen as one of the 50 most inspiring women in tech in Europe. 

Saw two plays: Tove Jansson in Helsinki with Jemina and an immersive piece Strangest in New York with Paul. Had a really fun, magic, sparkly afternoon with Hugo in Whitney Biennal. 

Read

Small Pieces Loosely Joined.

The Vegetarian.

Homo Deus.

Commonwealth

April

Tried to balance living in two continents. Wrote a lot, but also saw a lot of friends. Went to see Puerto Rican / New York Poetry Slam with Roxanne and loved it. Brunched with Jason & Sara, went flywheeling with Zach, had dinner at Farhad’s insane apartment and cooked for Otto. 

Saw Ghost in Shell and a live version of Israel Story (and got many ideas for my own performances). Backed Climate Change Coloring Book, which was one of my favorite Kickstarter projects of the year.  

Turned 31 in New York. Got to go to Sesame Workshop!!

Got a new, beautiful goddaughter. 

A quick trip to Barcelona to see Hola Ruby out in Spanish & Catalanian. Had a magical midnight dinner with a locals and visited one of the most eclectic schools. Continued working on Internet (and concept stage boardgame). 

Tried to read David Foster Wallace, but gave up. This year maybe.. Still, always, Björk. 

Read

The Handmaid's tale

A Tale of Love and Darkness. Enjoyed this one a lot. 

In the Woods

May

The spring was starting to catch up and felt mostly jetlagged for the entire month. On the upside: lots of wonderful encounters with new and old friends. Saw Mikito for the first time in a long time and talked art & technology (TBC!!). Met Fawn! And Karen! Had breakfast with Yon & left with the biggest grin. Celebrated Eve’s engagement. 

Celebrated Vappu in Central Park and had one of those funny, warm, random New York dinners where there just happens to be some of the most celebrated musicians, cooks & tech people of Nordics all under same roof. 

Saw the Commes des Garcons show in Met and felt Rei Kawakubo’s personality. Saw Georgia O’Keeffe (+Marimekko, Finnish pride!) exhibition with Tiina (and later read this great article). Organised Computing & Stories summit in SFPC and felt the future of computing. 

Did another PD on Internet with the NYC teachers (and tested ideas for the book, win-win!) and also in Sweden for Swedish teachers. 

Fell in love with China. 你好 Ruby! Hello Ruby won the prestigious DIA Award by China Academy of Art out of 2700 applicants. My visit in Hangzhou was short, but can’t wait to go back and learn more about the country and it’s technology & education culture. Here are a few stories: 1, 2, 3

Read

Startup.

The Wangs vs. the World

See you in the cosmos.

Americanah. LOVED this. 

June

Ended TED Residency with a talk. Really wish I would have prioritised the residency more, but luckily the community doesn’t come with an expiration date. 

Took my parents to Japan and was really excited to show them all the experiences I loved. Visited Kyoto & Osaka for the first time. 

Flew to Birmingham CAS conference. Miles and the UK computing organisations have inspired me a lot and I was glad to be able to give back. Loved being back in London for a few days and spending time in Kew Gardens with Minna and her family + seeing house of Minalima with Emma. Celebrated Tuula’s 60th. 

Worked too much. Had a familiar midsummer stretch with Ruby 3. Me & mom going through proofs at 4 AM in the morning. Decided to move the next deadline to May to avoid the summer panic. 

For most of the year my phone only had data service. Realised how much I hated being interrupted with calls. Ville had also sold his car, so we were for the first time in 5+ years a car free household. Felt like the future. 

Read

On China.

Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees. Finally finished. Best book I read all year. 

American War.

July

Had my traditional summer vacation month and lived it vigourously by going to the dentist, eye doctor, doctor.. Oh well, ran and swam also and enjoyed the cold Nordic summer by biking in the soaking rain. Got Nintendo Switch and played hours and hours of Zelda. 

Visited Berlin and danced my worries away with girlfriends. One of the most important weekends of the years with big consequences. 

Celebrated the wedding of Pete & Liisa, met Juha 6/5, watered plants with little Isla, saw Valerian and had lunch with Miki with omnious predictions. 

Did a biking trip to Kristo’s & Anna’s island with Ville and loved the archipelago and sense of summer childhoods. Visited the new Moominmuseum in Tampere and can warmly recommend it. Visited Meidän Festivaali, summer tradition. 

Found A16Z AI Playbook and got inspired for the next book - it’s really amazing how much good educational material is out there. Some of my favorite newsletters on the topic for the entire year were: ImportAI, Exponential View and Creative.AI

Read

Artificial Intelligence: What everyone needs to know.

The Thirst. My summer tradition with the Nesbo’s..

In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia. Reggio was a lot on my mind through the year.

Sweetbitter

New York 2140

The Thing About Jellyfish.

August

Had a lot of family problems and overall a very sad month. But was also much more gentle towards myself and had a very strong idea of persisting. Stark contrast to the PR stuff happening around same time. Talked to everyone and everywhere. Cried a lot. 

Third Ruby book came out in Finnish. The tetralogy is one step to being finished. I wanted to talk about the Internet, but everyone else still wants to talk about coding. Oh well. This was a nice, long talk about the book, although in Finnish. 

Spent a lot of energy making home feel like home. Hosted dinners,  spent a fun evening in Lonna, celebrated Flow weekend, had dinner in the Marimekko factory floor, went to the wedding of Johanna and Kalle. 

Did two really important things for myself: started seeing a therapist and  joined an all-girls running club. Monday evenings of track, hills and forests were the highlight of the week for the entire fall. Thanks Helsinki Core Trainers & Jarno. Went also orienteering for the first time in 20 years and found it very soothing. 

Favorite things of the month: Melissa Kaseman’s art project, Preschool Pocket Treasures and Young Explorers. 

Read

Rikinkeltainen taivas

The Idiot

The Sellout

Walkaway

September

Went to Copenhagen for Techfestival and enjoyed the small, weird, ambiguous, quality driven discussions. Felt fresh for a technology conference.

Worked on the English version of Internet book and started planning an illustration exhibition around Ruby with mom. Did some play testing at the English School.

Nelli had a masquerade party, dressed up as Alice in Wonderland and made a special dress! Celebrated Marjaana’s birthday in Lonna, ended up at an old friends apartment eating pizza at 7 AM. 

Organised a surprise birthday party for my sister together with her friends and baby shower to my cousin’s wife. Hung out with goddaughter on a crips autumn day. Enjoyed doing small things for others. 

Judged a hackathon at Marimekko and ended up doing my first machine learning project inspired by it! Found Liu Cixin’s books and mind exploded. 

Went to Amsterdam and did a teacher workshop. Walked alone around a lot. Month ended up in better news. 

Kept running. Kept reading this essay by Robert Macfarlane. Influenced my work a lot. 

Read: 

The Beautiful bureaucrat

The God of Small Things

When Marnie was there. Still haven't seen the movie!

Standard Deviation

Sophie's Choice

Sourdough. Loved this. Bought five immediately to giveaway. 

Three Body problem. One of the other important books/series of the year. 

A Mind at Play

River Town

October

Weird month. Mostly happy and relieved, but also way too much travel. I feel dizzy only reviewing what happened.. Was really happy to get a good review of the second Ruby book in US. The timelines of publishing really kill me. 

Ran the Sipoonkorpi Trail and admired the baby kitten of a friend. Had a 15 year old intern who was bold enough to apply! Met with a lot of school people. Was back in Berlin for a few days, fell in love with my German publisher and their worldview. 

Had pizza and watched Lady Gaga documentary with friends. Enjoyed this drawing from Aura. 

Did an insane around the world few weeks: started with David’s birthday party in Copenhagen, followed by a very hungover flight to South Korea. Ran the best run of the year at Namsan Trail in Seoul, hung out with friends old and new. Saw Hillary Clinton live! Bucket list. Flew to Wisconsin and met with very cool librarians (and woke up to the news I had won an award on future of culture in Finland!). Spent a day in New York: saw friends, did a book event at my favourite bookstore, ran in Central Park.. and met my biggest kidlit idol, Oliver Jeffers, accidentally!

Visited four Finnish cities and three Swedish ones in a week. Did a project for Swedish teachers and tried reading Ruby aloud på svenska. Sounded like moomintrollet, but whatever. Flew to Japan. 

Read: 

Hold me tight. 

Close to the Machine. This was like Patti Smith with computers. 

Dark Forest. 

Machine Learning: the new AI

Room of One's Own. Thousand times yes. 

Little Fires Everywhere. 

November

Went to Japan to accept the Rakuten Technology & Innovation award. Loved the other prize winners - among them an 80 year old app developer lady. Soaked for a rainy Sunday in onsen and visited the new Yayoi Kusama museum.

Went to Lapland with Ville. Enjoyed season's first skiing and started knitting again. Saw Tuntematon Sotilas movie. Dear friends got married and we got to be the witnesses. Met a new baby relative.

Very briefly visited Malmö and Oredev - wish I could have stayed longer. Flew to Miami and played Super Mario Odyssey almost entire flight. Got to visit an amazing school in Coconut Grove.

Finished Liu Cixin’s the Remembrance of Earth trilogy and a la Emily Dickinson: “I felt a cleaving in my mind / As if my brain had split; I tried to match it, seam by seam, / But could not make them fit.”

Went to Greece and had the warmest & most enthusiastic crowd. Hope next year will bring more collaborations. 

Thought a lot about this essay from Stephen Wolfram and this one from Cory Doctorow. 

Read

Forest Dark.

Stoner. This was the suprirse Ferrante of the year: kept popping up everywhere..

Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process. Loved this. 

Death's End.

The Obelisk Gate. 

The Fifth Season.

At the Existentialist Cafe. Took me almost a year to finish, but I can sense the reverberations.. 

December

I MET AL GORE. Everyone who knows me (or the 1.6 million people who watched the TED talk..) knows this was a huge deal, like a circle closing after 17 years. (The biggest daily of Finland also wrote a piece about the meeting on their economy pages. Teenage girls & their enthusiasm change the world <3). (Also, had lunch with Prince William, which on any other day would have been a huge deal, but all my excitement had already been used on Gore..). Slush was everything it promised: late from everything, random encounters, techno parties in the tunnels of Helsinki that went on until morning.  

Went to Australia, spent half of the trip with a flu and lost my bank card, passport, and a few other gadgets. Decided it was time for a vacation. Loved seeing Australia beyond Melbourne and promised to come back for more than a few days.. 

Got a bit emotional about Finland turning 100 after being pretty nonchalant for the entire year. 

Met with more childhood idols and got feedback on my projects. Met with a mentor and planned a trip to Dubai. Took a metro to Aalto University and heard about their AI research and quantum computing.  Got really excited about visiting India. A teacher in NYC dressed up as Ruby for Computer Science week. Wrote about work and worked on writing. 

Finished the Hockney book and was happy as a child with the Hockney-Falco-thesis. Perception (be it AI or art) seemed to be the theme of the year. Read Sherry Turkle's work and found direction(s). 

Made gingerbread cookies with goddaughters family, took another goddaughter to movies to see Moomin. Celebrated Maija's doctoral dissertation (and surprise wedding!). Went to Christmas concert with Nelli & Juha, had many Christmas celebrations with friends. Saw Star Wars (if I had to choose, liked the new Blade Runner better) and Mozart's Magic Flute (loved the Komische Oper Berlin visuals). Watched the Crown. 

Had girls over for wrath meaning and planning the new year. Spent Christmas together with Ville, just the two of us. Loved our tree, the new traditions and the quiet. 

Read

Dinner at the Center of the Earth. 

Manhattan Beach. 

Minun Amerikkani. Felt this strongly. 

True to Life: Twenty-Five years of Conversations with David Hockney. One of the big books of the year. 

The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit. 

[ncisladaily]

After 11 seasons on NCIS: LA, Renee Felice Smith said goodbye to the CBS procedural on Sunday's finale, which also marked co-star Barrett Foa's final episode.

All episode long, Smith's Nell grappled with the idea of permanently taking over Hetty's position as operations manager, a job she's unofficially held for much of the season. And when it came time to make a final decision about her future at NCIS, she chose to take a risk: Relocate to Tokyo with Foa's Eric and head up a new office there.

"The door will always remain open for Nell at NCIS, but right now, it's time for Nell to really explore her next adventure," Smith told ET of her goodbye. "Nell is a smart girl and she's chosen stability for a good long time because it was the smart choice. But now she's really questioning what she wants. And I commend her for being brave enough to even consider that line of questioning."

"It's truly difficult when you work with people you love who have become your family, who become so much more than your co-workers. A lot like me and our fabulous crew at NCIS Los Angeles," she said. "I do commend Nell for stepping into her power and really making a decision to serve herself rather than people-please and to serve others. It's quite commendable."

With NCIS: LA gearing up for season 13 this fall, Smith opened up about leaving the series after more than a decade as Nell, how she thinks her character will fare post-NCIS and her future career plans.

ET: Were you aware at the start of this season that this would be it for you? What were those conversations like that you had with the producers?

Renee Felice Smith: More than anything else, it's about telling the story and throughout this season, we got to watch Nell really grow in terms of her abilities as a leader. The focus is really character growth and Nell, a lot like myself, was ready for something else. I think that it's hopeful. It's a hopeful parting for Nell. That's how I think of it.

For most of the episode, Nell's grappling with whether to take Hetty's job permanently and whether she wants the office. How do you think she would have fared if she did decide, "Yeah, maybe I am ready to have the title and step into those footsteps officially"?

I don't think Nell was ready for that sort of responsibility. She understands the gravity of committing to a position of that status. I don't think she was ready for that to be the next 40 years of her work life. Like I mentioned earlier, Nell's a smart girl. She made the smart choice for a long time. She chose the stability at NCIS: LA and within NCIS because she genuinely enjoyed the work and even more than the work, I think she enjoyed the company of her fellow teammates.

But at the end of the day, you're right. She was deeply conflicted about her line of work and the impact that it had. When someone can stand in their power and say, "You know what? This isn't for me right now, I need to go off and for lack of a better term, find my own path." That's probably one of the bravest things anyone could do. It doesn't surprise me that Nell is taking the risk; she's a risk-taker. It's exciting. There's newness on the horizon, which is very exciting.

How do you think Nell and Eric fare in Tokyo? How do you think they do working alongside each other?

The sky's the limit for now, to be honest. She's sheer potential. There's nothing more exciting than when someone says, "I'm going to see what this thing can do." That's truly what she's saying. For now, she's saying, "Respectfully, thank you for the opportunity, but I'm going to have to pass. I have to see for myself if this is what I want to do with my life." She was so young when she started at NCIS: LA, much like myself, Renee. I was fresh out of drama school. So it's time to take the leap out of the nest, and I truly believe that the best is yet to come.

One of my favorite scenes was Hetty and Nell's lovely moment together. Can you talk me through filming that scene? That must've been a satisfying bow?

You are absolutely right. It was quite emotional to have Linda [Hunt] back on set for our final day of the season. That scene was our final day of the season and she was essentially sidelined by the pandemic. To see her in the flesh, let alone share a scene with her, it was just the ultimate. Linda is a master and whenever I'm in a scene with her, I am really the student. I'm just absorbing, I'm the little sponge, I'm watching her work and it's been the greatest gift and such an incredible opportunity to play opposite Linda Hunt, Oscar winner, for the past 10 years. It really is this bittersweet reunion between Nell and Hetty. Nell wants to stay and catch up with her mentor, who she has deeply missed, but she can't because she's made her decision.

It's really this "goodbye for now" theme. Linda and I share this mutual respect for each other, and we share this really, very special friendship. I hope that shows through. It's probably my favorite [scene] of my entire career, just because it's with Linda and she's a magical creature and I drink her in. Really any time I can spend with her is just a gift.

What is the likelihood of you popping in once in a while in the next season or beyond?

Never say never, right? It all truly depends on scheduling, but never say never. The door is always open for now. I think it'll remain open, but for now, it's time for her to go about her merry way and find her next great adventure.

What will you miss about the show and being part of this family?

I am more than grateful for my time spent at NCIS: LA. It's really been a practical film school for me. I learn through observational osmosis. I'm a student, and so, the lessons that I've learned, I will for sure tuck safe inside my Mary Poppins carpet bag of tricks and employ them in the next chapter on the next job. I will miss the people. I will miss the people greatly. I've made lifelong friendships here. I essentially spent kindergarten through 11th grade with these people. When you think of it like that, it's kind of wild to think about the breadth of time, but I just want to say I'm so thankful for our audience. I'm thankful for them praising Nell, for respecting her intelligence. I've always been cast as the funny friend, but with Nell, I got to play so much more. I got to play a human who doubts and feels, who has empathy and therefore is deeply conflicted about her line of work. Someone who is multifaceted and really can see multiple sides of the story. Sure she's smart and she's strong-willed, but Nell is also compassionate and understanding. That's what makes her a great leader. Her vulnerability is her strength. I'm so grateful to have been able to play a character who can express herself in that way and that it doesn't take away from her strength. That's so valuable for young people, for all people to know and to feel and to see. I'm just going to say, thank you.

What are you excited about next?

I am a storyteller. I'm a writer, I'm a director, of course an actor, but really what I'm interested in doing is telling stories. We have a few TV projects that are in development with CBS. And we also, I say we, my creative partner, my life partner, my other half, Chris Gabriel and I, we wrote our very first children's book, Hugo and the Impossible Thing, and it was released last month by Penguin Random House. We are so excited that it's finally out in the world. As an actor, you're often carrying out someone else's idea, but as a creative person, I'm really excited for the opportunity to bring my ideas into the world into our collective reality.

What's the book about?

We wrote Hugo and the Impossible Thing as a celebration really. Once our dog, Hugo, recovered from a life-threatening illness -- it was an inoperable tumor that almost everybody told us would be impossible to beat, but he did it. Through great determination and really some truly brilliant doctors, Hugo made it to the other side of his illness. We wanted to share Hugo's story, but we knew we also needed to create a metaphor in which to do so because we're not writing a children's book about a dog with a brain tumor. We created the metaphor of the impossible thing, and it's really this labyrinth that Hugo and the forest animals have to navigate and find their way through. We hope to inspire young thinkers to reframe the word impossible. It's about questioning and overcoming the seemingly impossible, because societally, there's a tendency to label potentially challenging moments or obstacles as impossible when in reality they're just extremely difficult.