#the main reason i included that banner picture is because i got a nice surprise

[fictionadventurer]

The Springfield pictures on my phone are coming in handy as I go through the Lincoln book.

Wax figures of Lincoln's Cabinet from the Lincoln Museum

Banner from the 1860 Election in the historic Springfield Capitol building.

Sign from Lincoln's Law Office.

Historic Springfield Capitol building

[thoselettersto]

The Set-Up

I couldn't take another rejection, so I decided to close myself off - it was easier than having my hopes crushed. I was finally getting to a better place, letting go of all the men that came before you - they were all in my head anyway.

So how did we get to you?

The chances of meeting someone new were slim, and I knew that. I didn't want to go out, didn't want to try. Part of me thought maybe I would change my mind once I had my life a little more together, but another part of me had gotten used to being on my own.

For the longest time, my friends and I had this running joke that the perfect man did exist. His name was Benjamin Owens, and he could do no wrong. We constantly referred to him by his full name because that's just the kind of guy he was. Whenever a man was a little bit creepy? "Benjamin Owens would never do that." When we met another man named Benjamin and he didn't treat us right, he got the "The Benjamin that I knew would never" treatment.

Benjamin Owens was a fictional characterization of the man we once knew. He was based on the very few things we remembered about him but mostly on how he made us feel because it's true - it's so easy to forget the words but the feelings last so much longer. Ben was funny, but more importantly, he was SO nice and a safe presence to be around - he was our favorite person to be around for the short time we had together.

One summer, a few years ago, I made the only bold move I had in my arsenal: I added a couple of men I hadn't spoken to in forever on social media in hopes of rekindling something.

Of those men, I had a more recent and more delusional crush on a man, Jayson, that was so wrong for me. Jayson liked a picture or two but never really interacted much with my profile before he ultimately deleted his account; I was scared he blocked me for whatever reason, but we had sleuthed out that his profile had fully gone kaput.

Ben was the other man, and like Jayson, he also barely interacted with my content. In the first few days, he was the first person to view my stories, and he liked a few things, but that quickly fizzled out, and suddenly, we were back to square one.

I was still very aware that he could see what I was sharing, but I stopped trying to view my content through his eyes… until a few days ago. Because I am more of a lurker and less of a poster, I was even less likely to post pictures of myself. Somehow, with a sudden surge of confidence, I shared an image within a story grid specifically chosen for him. Did I actually think he'd see it? No, but it was a good picture regardless, and considering how out of place it felt for me, I thought it was pretty funny.

I've been on a fitness journey recently, and to make healthier choices for my body, I changed my workout time and went to bed before midnight for the first time in months. I felt a little more refreshed than usual as I rolled over to turn off my alarm - shutting off the gentle sounds of Niall Horan singing "Flicker." I went back to sleep until my last alarm sounded a half hour later - cue Jon Bellion's "Good Things Fall Apart." My eyes were half open as I shut the alarm off and unlocked my phone. A quick banner appeared with a social media notification. What had I just read? I wasn't sure if I was actually awake or dreaming this, so I double-checked, and sure enough, I received the most surprising notification.

Ben had seen all my stories, including from a secondary account he doesn't follow, and responded to the picture I had on my main account - at 1 in the morning. Let that sink in for just a minute. He replied to the story at 1 in the morning.  I would later learn that he may have been in a different time zone for that, but the point still stands.

In a panic, I message one of my closest friends who knows all too well about the Benjamin Owens of it all. We were both in a panic, but I eventually responded, and that's where the story really began.

[checkingoutforheroes]

B.A.B.Y PROTOCOL.

Part 2.

Avengers x fem!reader 

Pt.1

Words: 1892

Synopsis: This takes place in Avengers: Age of Ultron. When The Avengers were at the rock bottom, Nick Fury and advised by Maria Hill, to initiate the B.A.B.Y Protocol. Will a young, damaged and broke girl agree to this initiative and help a team to save this planet earth?

Main Masterlist 

Maria and Fury bring you to The Avengers tower for mission briefing and meet the rest of the team. To be honest, you are beyond excited you see the building. You move from your seat to another, looking out of the window, facing the tower. Maria looks at you at the rear view mirror, seeing your awe face and smile. “If you open that window, I might’ve mistaken you with a dog.” You ignore her comment and ask them “Is this S.H.I.E.L.D? You guys work here? You build this place papa Bear? This is taller than I thought it would be!”

Fury look at you and then Maria “Now she’s excited.” Maria answer your question. “That is Avengers tower. S.H.I.E.L.D no longer exist. Burn to the ground.” You didn’t keep up about them after left the agency so you don’t know what happened. “What happened? Did this moody papa Bear show his emotion through action?” You let out a small laugh until Fury annoyed “Once again you call my name other than Fury, I’ll burn you too.” “Nahh, you’re not going to burn me. You need me. Otherwise, I’m not in this car right now. I said to him and Maria drive through the parking basement. “She got you, boss.”

Fury walk ahead to their meeting room. You stop your track when you see an aquarium placed at the wall. You never see something like that before in your life. When Maria realize that you are not walking behind her, she turns back to get you. “What are you doing?” “Looking at these fish in an aquarium stuck on the wall. How they do that? How they going to feed the fish? Rich people shit, quite awesome.” You said and Maria just shake her head. “We have a world crisis and the first thing you did is watch the fish?! Are you kidding me? Let’s go meat the team.”

 Meanwhile Fury already told the team about a new protocol or whatever. You didn’t hear that clearly until you are inside the room. Fury talk to them. “Since all of you are here, including Maximoff, I have a new protocol that you can use.” Steve looking confusing at Fury. “We already made a plan.” Tony interrupt to teasing Steve “Yeah and a good ted talk by the captain too.” Natasha asking about the protocol. “Do we know about the protocol?” Fury take a seat “No, Romanoff. No one knows about this protocol except Agent Hill. This protocol was created to help the team when in need, and this team clearly need it right now.” Steve ask him. “What protocol is that?” Natasha looking at Clint and he shrug. “B.A.B.Y PROTOCOL.” Tony just laugh while Steve have a serious face looking at him. “I’m sorry. That’s kinda funny name for a protocol.” Maria open the door and you both going in. All eyes on you and you feeling slightly nervous. How can you not, they are The Avengers! You recognize all of their face except one person wearing black dress and red cardigan.  

Fury introduce you to the team. “Right on time. Avengers, I introduce you B.A.B.Y PROTOCOL, as in Best Associate By Yours truly.” Maria added “Also, we call her Baby.” They are quiet and shock appear in their faces except two people. Natasha and Clint. They go greet you. “Baby!” Natasha walks to hug you while Tony look at you two weird. “Nat! Omg, I miss you. Clint! Miss you too!” You hug Clint and he hold your head. “Well, she grows up.” “Yeah, with some food and water, I did. Man, you’re old.” You said to him and Natasha smile “Kids growing, Barton.” “Natasha, beautiful as always. You have to drop your skin care routine, sis.” Tony interrupt the moment “You both knew her? Fury, you said no one know about this protocol.” Fury nods. “I said no one know about this protocol not that Romanoff and Barton didn’t know her.”

Steve starts asking question. “How old are you?” Tony interject again. “Yeah. You don’t look like a baby to me.”

             You looking back at Steve, smirk on your face. “How old are you?” Maria sign you to behave. “Baby.” Tony sit down at one of the chair. “I like this kid already!” He earns a glare from Steve and you apologizing “I’m sorry. That’s not a good first impression. I’m 22.”

“What is your name?” Damn he is a serious one.

             “People call me Baby.”

“What people didn’t call you?”

             “If they didn’t call me? Silence, I guess.” You whisper at Natasha left ear “Can I not tell them my name?” She crooks a little smile. “It’s up to you.” “I prefer being call by that name that Maria & Fury has told you or anything you want except my real name due to personal reason.” You nod and smile at them.

“Why? Dark past? Major criminal? Wanted by CIA? Interpol? MI6? Ugly name? Kicked out of family or something?” Seriously, how can they work as a team with a guy name Tony Stark? Maria, Natasha and Clint have your back.

“She’s here to help us. Nothing else, Stark.” Maria said to him.

Natasha glare at him. “I suggest you stop right there or you’re not going to see any sunlight.”

Clint agree with them. “Leave her alone man.” Tony look guilty. “Everybody in this room has dark past. I’m just curious, not judging. She’s not alone.” Wanda tell them that he told the truth. “He’s not lying.” “Thank you Wendy. Peace?” You walking toward him “No heart feeling.” You guys fist bump each other.

Steve ask again. “How do you know Barton and Romanoff?”

             “While I was in S.H.I.E.L.D Academy, which I thought a Juvenile school at first, they trained me combat espionage. Since that’s the only thing on my expertise. I wish to have Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz brain though. They’re genius in bio-chem and engerneering.”

“Why you thought it was juvenile at first? You commit crime?”

             “Duh.” Both you and Tony said it at the same time and again “JINX!” Natasha look at Steve. “Relax captain, all of us commit crime back then.” “I didn’t” Tony look at him. “Are you sure about that?” “What do you mean Stark?” Steve ask and he say “You literally cheated your medical checkup to join the army.” “I did it to protect our country.” Steve said and Clint chuckle “Still crime.” Fury tell Maria to handle the briefing and he’s out. You ask where is he going? “Where is he going?” “He have another thing to do Baby.”

             “I know most of you but I don’t think I know or seen you, Mr. ?” You ask and Natasha introduce him. “That is Dr. Bruce Banner.”

             You shake his hand. “Nice to meet you. What did you do?”

Bruce seems like to hesitate to answer that. “You didn’t know? New York?”

             “Alien? Chitauri?” You ask him back innocently.

“Um. I’m, the big green guy.” He anxiously answers that.

             “An ogre! Wow, that is so cool!” Clint hold my shoulder. “The other green, buddy.” “Oh, I know. I’m sorry, I forgot your ogre name is Shrek. Still cool though. I watch all of his movies when I was a kid. Maybe we can watch it again sometimes.”

Bruce look at Natasha and then back at you. “That’s, not me either, but yeah, we can watch that, big green cartoon sometimes.” Tony finally tell you who he is. “You seriously don’t remember who broke New York kid? He’s The Hulk!” Bruce looks down and tilt his head to look at Tony. “Yes. I’m that! Thank you for bringing back memory, Tony!”

             You feel guilty for not remember that. “Gosh, I’m so sorry. But hey, New York already broken before you broke it. Can I have a selfie? You’re incredible.” You snap the picture before he even answers. Tony said something “I’m literally right here. The coolest guy in the group.” You turn your head to the girl in black dress, red cardigan. “And you are?”

She answers with a thick accent “Wanda Maximoff.”

             “You’re not from here? You have an accent just like Nat. Well, once she’s mad at me during training years ago.” You remember the detail and Natasha rolls her eyes at you. “That is one time. I slipped.” “Human make mistakes sis. You aren’t machine.”

“I just got here yesterday. I made a mistake. Wrong judgement, I want to make it right. I join them.” She explains and you currently melting, just to hear he talk. You want her to talk more so you can hear her talk. Thing is, you didn’t know that she can read mind. Where is that accent came from? Russian? You ask those questions in your head. “From Sokovia.”

             “Where are you from? What? I just ask-“

Maria answer my question. “She’s a telekinesis, energy manipulation and some kind of neuroelectric interfacing.” “Huh?” You don’t even know what that is and Maria make it simple for you. “Telepathic.” You turn to look back at her. “That is so awesome!” Tony huff at your statement. “Yeah, until she’s in your head.” She just looking down “I’m sorry.”

 Right after she said that, Thor, God of Thunder walk into the room and tell about the scepter. You are amazed and suddenly you bend the knee. “Oh. My. God. You’re Thor!” He looks back at you. “and you tiny female human.” “You. Are. the God of Lightning! I am a fan! No. I’m an air-conditioner.” He smiling, feeling proud. “Thank you, tiny human lady. It’s God of Thunder, actually. What’s an air-conditioner?”

Maria gives us final brief. “You guys might want to prepare something for tomorrow. We’re flying to Korea and find Dr. Chow tomorrow morning. Get some rest, sleep early, you guys need it.”

             You ask them a question. “Can I go back to my place, then come back? Clint can you take me?” “Yeah, I can.” Steve kind of not agree with you. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” “Why? I need to take my stuff.” “I can pick her up tomorrow.” You and Clint said and Steve ask you again. “Do you have a suit? or uniform?” You unzip your sweater and show your Donut Do It uniform. “Will, this do? Because someone decided that it was okay to give a surprise visit when I’m on my way to work.” Maria just smirking at you and Natasha smile “I don’t think that appropriate gear for the field.”

Tony offers you to stay with them at the tower. “Captain’s right. Don’t want to risk anything on the team member night before fight. Stay here, I’ve got plenty of room. Natasha can show you. They basically live here. We have spare shirts too.” You look at Wanda “You live here too?” She’s thinking about the answer. “I spend the night here.” Natasha turn you to look at her. “That’s a good idea. Just stay here tonight. Wanda’s here too.” “Natasha can show you your room, take a shower and dinner later.” Tony said. You look at Maria by the mention of dinner. She sighs “Okay, spaghetti and chicken wings.” Natasha add “And caramel pudding?” You smile at her “You remember?!” “Of course I do.” Clint jokingly say “How can she not, you guys practically sisters.”

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Thank you for spending your time reading this. Feel free to reblog or ask me anything, thank you in advance!

Part 3 is coming!

[eryiss]

Oh Captain Our Captain

Summary:  Sentry has been worried about Lucius ever since they have left the demon prince's palace. And now they're back on the stormchaser and have a moment to think, she has a plan of action. Anf if everything goes to plan, Lucius will know how they all feel about him, one way or another. [Quillucius One Shot]

This is just a little something becuase Lucius needs some love, especailly after last episode. It’s short and sweet, and i hope you all enjoy it. 

You can read it Archive of our Own, or under the cut. Enjoy.

Oh Captain Our Captain

"Oh Oriya," Lucius exclaimed. "It feels like it's been a year since we last saw you."

People chuckled and laughed at Lucius' reaction to the half orc, who awkwardly attempted to push the captain off her. She made a small comment explaining that, at least from her perspective, that it had been less than a day since they had seen each other last. Lucius quickly began to recount the story of what had happened to the group in those few hours. It was a spectacular tale, and almost all of the group chimed in at some point or another.

Sentry didn't, she was looking at Lucius with concern. She had been doing this since they had left the demon prince's palace, even if nobody had noticed. The reason for her concern was rooted in something their captain had said after the card game.

'I put myself forward because I feel you all have a greater purpose.'

On the surface, it felt like he was alluding to the destinies that seemed to be afflicted on the group. Sentry was now Sentinel Prime. Quill was H'esper's chosen one. Nova was collecting the pieces of Tiangong. Aila was the only wild elf of her clan on Aerois. They all seemed to have some kind of cosmic fate linked to them, and it appeared that Lucius did not. Sentry hadn't thought about that before, but now Lucius had pointed it out it seemed obvious.

But that wasn't what concerned Sentry. What concerned her was the fact he was willing to risk losing his mind, and possibly die, because he thought he was less important than the rest of them.

Sentry should have noticed he was feeling like this.

And when she had realised just how much that had affected him, she had thought back to their travels. How Lucius hadnt really been open with his emotions at all. His parents had been murdered, and someone wanted to kill his family, and he never talked about it. He closed himself off, and became a more stern and decisive version of himself, but the team had just assumed that came with his position of captain. But now it was glaringly obvious that he wasn't allowing himself to be emotional about anything.

Which of course was unhealthy. Only slithers of what he truly felt ever showed. When a member of the team was in danger and he fought so hard to save them, that was the closest he got to letting his feelings free. He didn't want to lose anyone else.

But he had just admitted he was willing to sacrifice himself for everyone else to live.

The team always had so much going on that they hadnt noticed it. But Sentry should have noticed. It was her job to notice. Her position in the ship was to keep up morale, how could she have missed that their captain was feeling so down on himself. It had been something that she had been thinking about constantly since they left the demon prince. And now that they were back on Aeoris, and on the ship, she had time to do something about it.

Inconspicuously, Sentry walked to Quill as Lucius introduced Thalia to Oriya. She nudged her friend in the wing, and he let out a small squark before looking at her.

"We need to talk about Lucius," She said softly. "He's not feeling alright. He said something after what happened in the card game, and I'm worried."

"You noticed that too," Quill replied, tone equally quiet. "He's been like this for a while. Every time I get him to talk he clams up and changes the subject."

Sentry sighed. She knew that, out of all of them, Quill would be the one to notice any change in Lucius. Not only did he have a near impossible ability to see subtle changes in people, but the two of them had been sneaking around at night for a while. When their relationship had been revealed, Sentry had faked surprise while secretly being glad the two felt comfortable to tell their shipmates about it. Obviously Lucius' boyfriend – birdfriend? – would know if something was wrong with him.

"I've been thinking about what we can do to help." Sentry said with a sigh. "Does he not like talking about what he's feeling?"

"He brushes it off. But only when he's feeling bad. He's happy enough to tell me he loves me," Quill commented, then blushed a little at what he'd said. Sentry beamed at the confession. "The point is, it's only when he's feeling bad when he closes off. I think he doesn't want to be an imposition. Or he doesn't think his problems are important. I'm not sure."

"I thought that might happen," Sentry nodded. "I've got an idea. I need some time to make sure I can do everything, so do you think you can distract him in his cabin for a while."

"Sure," Quill nodded. "I mean he'll probably want to have a sleep anyway, so it shouldn't be hard. How long will it take?"

"An hour or two. If you just keep him in the cabin for as long as you can, and I'll ask for you both through the messenger ring when everything's ready," Sentry requested, and Quill nodded. "I'll take Aila and Nova with me. So it shouldn't take long."

Again, Quill nodded. He walked towards his boyfriend, who was attempting to assist Thalia in explaining to Oriya how the medusa's ship worked. Sentry watched as the aarakocra guided Lucius away and spoke to him under his breath. Whatever he was saying, Lucius seemed to agree with it, and they were soon walking into the interior of the storm chaser. Sentry smiled a little as she saw Quill's claw wrapped up in Lucius' hand.

Now that they were out of the picture, she walked to Aila and Nova with determination, and explained her plan.

~~~

It was weird, being woken up by the use of the messenger ring.

Lucius was dreaming about something – they faded so fast he couldn't remember what – when he heard Sentry's voice asking for both Quill and Lucius to come to the main deck. He blinked his eyes open in a haze, lifting his head from Quill's chest and looking around his cabin with blurry vision. He felt a little stronger than he had before, thanks to the rest, and stretched his arms.

"You know you're the second-best pillow I've ever had," Lucius commented, smiling at his boyfriend. "Right behind the one I had as a child, which ironically was stuffed with feathers."

"So you like the pillows feathers more than mine?" Quill asked in faux offence. "I didn't know you were even seeing other feathers."

"Well, I suppose that pillow didn't have such a charming personality or such a cute face," Lucius mused with a smile. "Maybe you actually are my favourite pillow in the world. Congratulations Birdie," He laughed, and Quill grinned. "Why does Sentry want us on deck?"

"No idea," Quill shrugged. "Maybe it's dinner time."

"I hope so. I'm getting hungry for some Aerosian food," Lucius smiled. "Well, we shouldn't keep them waiting."

The two men quickly started to walk through the corridors of the Stormchaser, hand in hand as they did so. It was nice to hold Quill's hand, even if it was a little pointier than a human hand. A lot of things were nice with Quill, including hugging him, pressing his lips against his beak, and generally being around him and loving him. He was glad that he had stuttered out his feelings for Quill, and the birdman had reciprocated them with almost the same level of awkwardness.

As they got closer to the main deck, Lucius' stomach growled at the scent of one of Howards dishes. The food they'd eaten with Thalia had been nice enough, but it wasn't the same, and he had been craving it for a while now. Howard was a wizard in the kitchen and Lucius fully intended to make the most of it.

He pushed open the door to the deck with a smile, then froze.

The first thing he focused on was the dining table, at which sat every member of the Stormchaser crew. Then he saw streams of colourful paper had been hung from various parts of the ship, like a party. Then his eyes settled on a makeshift banner, handing from above. On the banner was written 'Happy Lucius Day.'

"What?" He asked, stunned. "What's… what's going on?"

"We're having a party for you, silly," Nova said with a smile, dragging Lucius towards the table.

"Why?" Lucius asked as he was dragged forward. He was dumbstruck.

"Because you're our captain, and you do a lot for us, and we want to make sure you know about how thankful we are," Sentry explained, smiling and pulling out a chair for Lucius. "And so you know we don't take you for granted."

"You really didn't have to-"

"We did," Aila said firmly, looking at Lucius with an authoritative expression. "We all thought you knew how important you are, but apparently you don't, so we're not taking any chances. So, happy Lucius day."

"I came up with the name," Nova smiled. "It could have been a little bit better, really, but 'you're the best captain ever' didn't fit on the banner and we didn't know how long you'd be sleeping for."

Lucius felt tears prickle at the edges of his eyes, and did his best to blink them away. Quill nuzzled his beak into his shoulder when he noticed this, the aarakocra's version of a kiss on the cheek. Lucius took the seat offered to him without saying anything, and had a large smile on his face. It warmed Sentry to see it, and she was immediately glad that she had thought to do it. She just wished it hadnt been needed.

Looking around, Lucius saw that each and every one of the crew were here for the meal. Even lookout, who had been given a large plate that Lucius expected had been heated up. The fact they were all here for him… it made his fight against the tears difficult.

The party was a relatively simple thing, but it meant the world to Lucius. The meal Howard made was three courses. A salad that Lucius had once mentioned enjoying, a stew that Lucius would always have bowl after bowl of, and a chocolate desert that was popular among the sky cities. Even the menu had been made with Lucius in mind, and it felt as though the warmth in Lucius' stomach had flooded his entire body. The gesture made him feel so loved that he could barely put it into words.

"We've also gotten you a present," Sentry said after the bowls were taken away. "We hope you like it."

Nova placed a large book in front of Lucius. It was a leather-bound thing, and probably quite heavy to lift. Written on the cover was what seemed to be the title: Oh Captain Our Captain. It wasn't a book Lucius was familiar with.

"We felt like having each of us tell you how important you are to us might be overwhelming," Quill explained. "And that you might feel awkward, but we also know that you need to hear just how much we all love you. So we thought this could be a good compromise. Open it and you'll see what I mean."

Lucius opened it to the page of content. Listed beside each page number was the name of a crewmate. The names of his team, the names of his engineers. Even each member of the wolfpack had a name on the page.

"We wrote down how we feel about you, rather than telling you face to face," Nova explained further. "That way, instead of being overwhelmed and not knowing how to react, you can read it all on your terms. It was actually Aila's idea."

"People telling you touchy feely stuff is weird. This way it's easier to take," She shrugged. "Buy you have to use it, especially when you're feeling shit. Promise me."

"I-I promise," Lucius said, running his finger down the page with wide eyes.

"We're also gonna update it from time to time. We made sure to get one with lots of pages, so don't be shocked if we sneak in a new message or two," Nova smiled.

"Thank you," Lucius whispered, and there was a slight sob in his voice. "You didn't need to… thank you."

Both Sentry and Quill, as they were the closets to him wrapped him up in a hug. Nova followed suit, and Aila placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Lucius allowed himself to cry, protected by the comfort of his friends' tight embrace.

~~~

It was far past midnight when the temptation arose. Quill was sleeping soundly beside him, curled up and letting out quiet whistles of air as he slept. It was an adorable sight, and one that Lucius loved seeing. But, as much as he would normally be happy to watch his boyfriend like this, his mind was elsewhere.

When he was sure that Quill wasn't going to wake up, Lucius summoned a relatively dim dancing light and reached for the book on his nightstand.

On the page of content, he saw that the order of the messages written for him was somewhat at random. He expected there was probably a reason for this – perhaps they wanted to spread out the messages from people closest to him, perhaps not – but he decided that he would read maybe the first two or three pages. He was alone, essentially, so now was as good a time as any to see what they really thought.

He flipped the page, feeling a little nervous. The first message was from Aila.

'Aila.

Look. I know I'm not gonna be as poetic as the rest of them, and as this is the first page I might as well ease you into all the feelings stuff. You're one of the strongest men I've ever met, and you keep us all together. You're a great captain, and you need to stop being so hard on yourself. You kick ass, and anyone who denies it is an idiot.

And stop closing yourself off. I used to do it and its crap. If you ever need to beat the crap out of something, come to me and we can spar. Or you can vent. I can't give great advice, but I can listen.

You're a good man, Lucius. Stop telling yourself otherwise.'

Ridiculously, Lucius let out a slightly teary laugh. He read the message a few times, and couldn't help but feel a bloom of pride at Aila calling him one of the strongest men he had ever met. That was high praise coming from the strongest person he had ever known.

He turned the page again, fingers only slightly shaking with emotion.

'Howard.

When I first decided I wanted to join an airship crew, I won't lie, I was cacking myself. I was scared I wasn't going to fit in, and that people would be sick to death of me because I wasn't the roughty toughty type. But the Stormchaser let me in with open arms and accepted me. That's because of you.

You're a kind man, Lucius. You're accepting, and you're caring, and that makes you good. I was in a rough patch before I met the lot of you, and I don't know where I'd be without this crew. But you've given me a place where I can be loved all over again, and be happy and accepted. I'll never be able to thank you enough for that.

And I know that you cared a lot for your dad, and I don't know what exactly happened. But as a father myself, I can tell you one thing. Any father would be proud to have you as a son. Don't you forget that.

And don't forget that these people love you. And they wouldn't be nothing without you.'

A sob escaped him at that, particularly at the comment about Lucius making his father proud. The elf always wondered how his father would react if he saw him now, and to have such a good father as Howard to say he would have made the man proud meant more to him than he cared to admit.

A few tears fell as he turned the page again.

'Quill.

Lucius. I am so in love with you, it hurts. You are the most beautiful, strong, courageous and important man I have ever met. You are constantly thrown into the worst of situations and you fight your way through them with a bravery that no man has ever had before.

You are yourself, you don't change for anybody, and that makes you perfect. You make us laugh, and keep us safe, and push us forward, and make us feel warm and accepted. For a group of people like us, a person like you is exactly what we need. And you help us with such kindness and generosity, without any judgement, and you have revitalised my life so much.

One day I might be able to put into words how much you mean to me, but until that day I'll just say this. You are more loved by everyone on this ship than you could possibly believe, and we will continue to love you for the rest of time.

Lucius Virion Eluin Elenasto. You are loved, important, and adored.'

Lucius closed the book after that, and ignored the tears rolling down his cheek. He looked to his still sleeping boyfriend with the softest expression he could wear. Even reading the messages had been overwhelming, but in the best way possible. He had come from a group of people who often weren't open with their feelings, and yet here he had a book of messages singing his praises. He had never felt so loved.

He removed the dancing light, snuggled under the covers and wrapped his arms around Quill from behind. As he drifted off, he realised the mistake he had made in the devil prince's palace. He shouldn't sacrifice himself because he felt like he was less important. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

But he would do anything for them. He would fight, no matter what the odds of winning. He would be there for them in his darkest days. He would love them all, forever and always.

Just as they loved him it seemed.

[kandaxxx]

@maxxim-writes-here​ I put this together really quickly, but I hope that it’s okay! 

Happy belated birthday Komui!! I love him so much!!

All Kanda had wanted was to eat his soba noodles in peace. It was, for the first time in months, a day where he had nothing that he had to do. He had even already indulged and slept in, not having awoken unit five in the morning. Now he had time to sit down and enjoy his meal as opposed to rushing through it before he had to leave for a mission. But nobody else had seemed very interested in letting him just relax.

Everybody, it seemed, had the day off. There had been a strange lull and almost none of the Exorcists were being sent on missions to retrieve Innocence. The few that were seemed to always come back relatively soon, having been able to secure the Innocence with a peculiar amount of ease. It had put everybody on edge for the past few weeks...where were all of the akuma? 

What was the Earl planning?

But now, as Kanda attempted to eat his meal, he was flanked on either side by the idiot rabbit and the stupid moyashi. But even more strangely, they weren’t the problem right now. The problem was the one Exorcist that he didn’t actually completely hate, who was now standing at the opposite side of the table, cheeks puffed out and her hands resting on her slim hips as she glared daggers at him. He had tried to simply ignore her, but her eyes were boring holes into him. With an obviously frustrated huff of breath, he set his chopsticks down. “Lenalee, knock it off.”

“No, Kanda. Not until you agree. I need everybody’s help.”

“I don’t want to do what you’re asking.” He almost growled it out, the throbbing in his head growing to unreasonable proportions.

“Come on, BaKanda, she’s asking you to take care of the easiest part.” Allen argued.

Kanda whipped his head to the side to glare at him. “Call me that again and I’ll be giving you a mullet.” 

Allen returned Kanda’s glare, his own meal temporarily being forgotten.

“And it’s probably the hardest part, short stack.” Kanda countered, eyes glowing with unbridled rage.

“Oh no! Don’t you two dare start.” Both of the Exorcists jolted and turned nervously to Lenalee. As much as they hated each other, an angry Lenalee was the scariest thing either of them had ever seen. “Kanda. You just have to keep big brother distracted for two hours tops.” She pouted her lips.

Oh no. He saw the pouting lips. If she whipped out the puppy dog eyes, he knew that no matter how much strength he mustered up, he wouldn’t be able to say no. “Lenalee.” He groaned. “Lena.” He tried again. “I don’t want to. Plus, birthday parties are stupid.” He grumbled, irritated at how childish his voice sounded.

“You just got to have a birthday party.” Lavi has entered the chat. Thank God, Kanda thought with a roll of his eyes.

“And I didn’t want one.” He exploded at the other.

“Kanda.” He turned his head slowly back towards Lenalee and regretted it immediately. Fuck. “I worked really hard on your party. I even learned how to make castella, just for you. Didn’t you like it?” Her voice was thick with the tears that were brimming her full eyelashes.

“Great, you made her cry, BaKanda!”

“Shut up!” He stood, needing to leave the cafeteria as soon as he could. He knew that Lenalee was playing him and still, with the tears lurking, even the mean and grumpy Yu Kanda couldn’t say no to her. Damn her. “Fine. But if I come back bald, it’ll be all your fault.” He stomped out, leaving his half-finished lunch on the table.

Lenalee smirked proudly to herself. She was damned good. “Great, Allen. Once everyone finishes lunch, you’re in charge of the decorations. Lavi, you’re going to help Jeryy prepare the food.”

“Can I help with the food?” Allen asked, hope gleaming in his eyes.

“Nope. You’ll just eat it all. It’s too risky.”

He sighed before frowning. “Okay.”

Lenalee walked with the redheaded Exorcist to drop him off with Jeryy. She knew that the chef could handle everything for the party tonight, but she just wanted to double check that he had everything he needed and offer to lend a hand should he need it.

“Why was Kanda so against seeing Komui? I know that Kanda doesn’t like spending time with anybody, but he seemed especially upset about having to spend it with your brother.” Lavi asked as the pair walked, his own curiosity overwhelming.

Lenalee chuckled then. “My brother sometimes charges him too much to help him out with his Innocence and if he doesn’t have money he comes up with...more interesting types of payments.” She shook her head and sighed, her brother truly was a weirdo, even she knew it. She knew that Kanda’s main reason, however, was his generalized fear and hatred of the science division. They had drugged him and tied him up once to try to steal some of his hair to make an elixir for Lavi’s mentor, Bookman. The pigtailed girl wasn’t sure if Lavi knew about that incident, but she didn’t really want to explain it. The science division, her brother included, could be a little too weird sometimes.

She left Lavi as Jeryy was helping him tie an apron around his waist.

♡♡♡

Lenalee sat at one of the cafeteria tables, her head against her knee caps as she hugged her legs close to herself. How had everything gone so wrong?

Lavi, apparently, was really bad at baking. He had started the kitchen on fire. It had never occurred to her that Lavi couldn’t bake so maybe kitchen detail was a bad idea.

She had gone to check on her brother to see if he needed any help with his work and to check in on Kanda. She had found them with Komui’s cheek red and swollen and Kanda screaming and yelling as Reever, Tupp, and Johnny struggled to hold him back. It had occurred to her that leaving Kanda in charge of distracting Komui wasn’t the best idea but she hadn’t had anymore options since she did know that he was bad at baking and that he just wouldn’t have done anything with the decorating except maybe clean the cafeteria if he was motivated enough by her crying and whining. 

When she had made it back to the cafeteria, she had found Allen proudly hanging up a banner he had made that said, “Happy Birthday Comunei!” with a scary-looking drawing of her brother on it. Though, she felt more guilty than anything else since Allen had seemed so proud of himself. It had never occurred to her that Allen was not very strong when it came to reading or writing or drawing so maybe leaving him in charge of decorating was a bad idea.

When people showed up to the cafeteria, she had to be the one to tell them that the party was cancelled. Everything had been ruined. It had never occurred to her that she couldn’t handle organizing the party.

She felt defeated. Lenalee had just wanted to do something nice for her brother, but more importantly, everybody at the Order. Everybody had been tense with the sudden disappearance of akuma. They all knew that the Earl had to have been planning something big. The stress and the tension in the atmosphere had been so overwhelming. She had just wanted to have a big party so that everybody could enjoy themselves for a few hours. Kanda’s party hadn’t counted, because it wasn’t much of a party. She had only invited a few people and kept it as small as possible, with no decorations. He hated his birthday and he hated parties even more. But her brother was different. For him, she could go all out.

What a waste of time.

She dragged herself to her room, ready to just sleep for the rest of the night and put this awful day as far behind her as she could.

Lavi, Allen, and Kanda just stood there watching her back as she left the cafeteria. They all felt defeated now. Lenalee was the heart and life of the Black Order’s headquarters. When she was down, everybody was down.

They had to do something, Allen and Lavi had decided. Even Kanda felt a small pang of guilt and had agreed with the pair much quicker than either had anticipated. 

♡♡♡

When she got to her room, she saw the small box wrapped with paper sitting where she had left it on her nightstand. She should at least bring Komui his birthday present, she figured.

She ran a hand through her bangs before grabbing it and heading off to his office.

As usual, Komui had been excited to see his sister. But he noticed the sadness in her eyes immediately and frowned. Silently, she just held out his gift.

He didn’t know what she was upset about, but he took the gift into his hands. “Lenaleeー”

“Just open it, please, big brother. I’m going to go to bed afterwards.” She stared at the ground, fighting back tears. “Happy birthday.” She mumbled.

With a frown tugging at his lips, Komui carefully unwrapped the present. His heart got stuck in his throat when he saw it. It was a small pocket watch with a picture on the inside of it. It was a small painting of Lenalee and Komui together, presumably done up by Tiedoll. 

Lenalee tended to get gifts that were useful. While a pocket watch was definitely practical, he hadn’t expected something so sweet.

“Brother? Why are you crying?”

He hadn’t felt the tears form in his eyes and he hadn’t felt them fall down his cheeks. “My sweet sister!” He shouted before pulling her tightly against him for a hug, burying his head into her shoulder.

“Brother?” Her voice was soft but she returned the embrace with fervor. Her stress from the day seemed to melt in his arms. 

It always did.

“Before you go to bed, do you want to get some tea?” He asked as he finally straightened out and pulled back from her. 

“I’d like that, Komui.” She smiled then and Komui was pleased to see that it reached her eyes and was genuine.

When they reached the cafeteria, they were greeted by just about everybody in the Order yelling, “Happy Birthday Komui!”

Lenalee was just as surprised, to say the least. When she looked around, she saw a new banner hung up, a beautiful cake sitting on a table surrounded by a ton of delicious looking food. She saw a table mounted with wrapped gifts.

When her eyes found Lavi, Allen, and Kanda standing together, she found them all to be smiling at her. She left her brother to approach them. “Did you do all this?” She asked softly, tears glittering in her eyes as a lump formed in her throat.

“We sure did! Since we kind of destroyed your whole party, we realized we had to fix it.” Lavi started.

“Yeah, we recruited more help.” Allen explained.

“I even got the old panda and Miranda to help with the cooking.” Lavi beamed, very obviously proud of himself.

“Even BaKanda pitched in. He got Tiedoll and Krory to help with the decorating.” Allen explained.

When Lenalee looked to Kanda, he was looking away from them and grumbling.

“You guys are the best!” She shouted before launching forward to pull them all into a group hug, holding firmly so the struggling swordsman couldn’t even worm his way out of it.

When she let them go, Kanda stalked off, and she stayed to talk with Lavi and Allen. Though, at one point, when she turned and glanced at her brother, she found him deep in conversation with Jeryy and Reever, and the smile on his face stretched ear-to-ear.

She really did have the best family a girl could ask for.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Superhero Spotlight: Avengers Endgame Posters - Reveals and Theories

Alright so we have our first set of characters posters for the upcoming juggernaut that is Avengers: Endgame to conclude and capitalize on the equally huge Avengers: Infinity War and wrap up what has been called the Infinity Saga phase of the MCU.

As these posters have raised many opinions, questions, theories and rather touching memes relating to other franchises and properties, I thought I would give my thoughts to some of the questions and theories as well as raise my own.

Missed Opportunities:

Alright so I can’t really go into what’s good or bad in terms of breaking down the posters because, unlike others, these are simply more or less headshots of the characters. Now on the one hand, this is a rather touching throwback to the first Avengers movie where the character posters there were also somewhat headshots as the main six characters were only shown to the side of the posters half-in in full supersuit attire. But that raises the negative aspect to this choice in that, it would have been nice to have seen the characters that aren’t in full supersuit attire in supersuit attire.

Now I can understand both sides of the argument to why they didn’t do this. As to why it would have been a good idea is because, for some of them, this is most likely their last hoorah when it comes to starring in an MCU movie and so to show Iron Man, Captain America, War Machine, Spider-Man and Black Panther with their masks/helmets would have been a nice touch rather than just seeing the character end with the head and then the actors take over from the neck up. But at the same time I can see why they didn’t because it adds another layer of drama and likeability to these characters if you can see the defeated look in their eyes and the determination they have to “Avenge the Fallen”.

Falcon, Star-Lord and Captain Marvel I give passes to on that because the latter two’s headgear isn’t always used and goggles pretty much block out any emotion. Also Thor and Loki’s helmets haven’t been used recently, Ant-Man and Wasp I give passes to in the same way I give Iron Man a pass.

In terms of characters not getting a poster, I do believe this all but confirms that Peter Dinklage’s Eitri will not return because even some of those who died prior to the snap made the cut for a poster and we will get into that.

Others who didn’t get a poster, who I am not so much surprised about but if Wong and Happy got posters why not them, are Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, Maria Hill, Nakia, M’Baku, Erik Selvig and Jane Foster. While we don’t know the fate of the latter four we didn’t know the confirmed fates of Valkyrie or Shuri to be certain.

Another missed opportunity is not having Ruffalo pictured with some sort of Hulk colouring. I still say his full promo shot for The Avengers which showed the Jekyll/Hyde of the character perfectly was one of the best promos the MCU has had. Whether or not they don’t want to reveal too much of this new Hulk they’re teasing may explain his absence but we’ll see.

The Reveals:

Alright so three major things are revealed in these posters alone. 1) Valkyrie, Wong and Happy survived the Snap, Valkyrie’s survival most likely means her rumoured appearance in the movie is true. I do find it interesting how all of the shippers who try pairing Cap and Bucky together in a romantic way are now also pairing Carol Danvers and Valkyrie together, yet unlike “Stucky” this pairing actually seems to be a potential thing as not only has Captain Marvel become an overnight LGBT icon akin to Wonder Woman, but because Tessa Thompson has already revealed Valkyrie is bisexual there are grounds for this ship to become canon and for us to have our first LGBT superhero romance in superhero movies either kicking off or teased in Phase 4.

The second thing that is revealed is Shuri apparently did not survive the snap, I genuinely believe this is a fake-out by Kevin Feige and/or the Russo Brothers as a way of throwing us off guard for a massive shock reveal.

I suspect, much like a lot of fans, that the shot of Shuri’s image among the list of the missing which also includes Spider-Man and Ant-Man is simply that, a list of the missing...not deceased or dusted. Yes Spider-Man is dead but unless Tony and/or Nebula are back on Earth at the time of this scene, no one knows if he’s actually dusted or not. We know Ant-Man isn’t dusted but trapped in the Quantum Realm so it stands to reason that after being knocked out by the Black Order during the Battle of Wakanda, she came around and simply went into hiding. There is every chance she survived the Snap because unless we see them turn into dust I wouldn’t trust the word of directors.

The third thing is the fact that only all of Tony’s supporting players survived the Snap. Rhodey, Pepper and Happy all survived to potentially see Iron Man’s last stand? It is weird that both Falcon and Bucky are dusted, no mention of Erik, Darcy and Jane, Fury and Maria Hill are both dusted and Banner lost his supporting players before Mark Ruffalo took over. So out of all the main six’s supporting players only Iron Man has his full team with him, maybe with the exception of Spider-Man but he’s a superhero in his own right.

Heroes are going to die in this movie, thee is no doubt about that. It is just a question of how gut-punching they want to make the deaths.as memorable and outstanding as possible. In my opinion, any of the main six dying would be a gut punch for the MCU but I feel at least Captain America or Iron Man will be one if not two of the casualties in this movie.

I don’t see Black Widow or Thor dying because Thor’s popularity of late has most likely saved him and he’ll hopefully go off and find a new Asgard while Black Widow, who looks fantastic here by the way, has her own movie coming out.

Banner and Hawkeye are the two I am on the fence about from a business and directorial standpoint, I love Hawkeye and am thrilled Renner looks set to finally full realize the character’s awesomeness here but when you think there have to be some casualties here it doesn’t look good. Also I think Bruce Banner/Hulk has run his course within the MCU.

The Theories:

So I have or have heard 3 major theories to come out of these posters, the first is my own Shuri theory in that her colourless photo here is simply a rouse.

The second is one I’ve heard revolving around Loki with fans saying that because he legitimately died prior to the Snap that it is a little bit odd that his photo is among those who have been dusted...unless he is going to return in Endgame. Firstly I am believing the same theory applies to Gamora because while she is in the Soul Stone rather than suffocated to death, she was never dusted and therefore technically shouldn’t be among these photos, otherwise where is Heimdell?

But secondly, I genuinely believe this is simply a list of fallen heroes who fell at the hands or Snap of Thanos and, for better or worse, Loki was a hero in the end as he tried standing up to Thanos. Do I think that means he’s getting a revival with everyone else, well I still say they need to make some deaths stick but because Loki is getting his own series and he has survived death a couple of times before, I would this it is plausible for him to make a surprise return.

The third, long-standing theory is that Marvel and Disney will use the Snap as a way of keeping certain Guardians members dead. This was something brought up in the aftermath of the original blow for James Gunn...but then it turned out he was never really fired and it was all just a fake-out.

When fans thought he had been fired though, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was in flux to the point where it was getting pushed back and fans believed it would be easier on Disney to keep the dusted Guardians members dead and have Rocket and Nebula either join the Avengers or go off on their own, but again this is now not the case.

If Gunn wants to wrap up his trilogy with his original team, as to be honest I think he should, then it makes sense for the four dusted Guardians members to come back. However, in this fan’s personal opinion, I think the MCU and Guardians 3 could do without at least Drax and Mantis. Star-Lord either needs to be held accountable for his stupidity on Titan or just needs to lead the team and be intimidated by Zac Efron’s Adam Warlock in Guardians 3, Gamora needs to return because she is currently in the Soul Stone. But of course, Dave Bautista is Gunn’s biggest supporter and so he will not stay dead.

Overall:

So it is sad because as nice as these posters look, we as fans already know they’re going to bring people back and looking at all of them lined up...if they don’t have a movie sequel or a co-star role in a movie sequel coming up, they have a television series in the works on Disney+. Now this again could be a rouse by Disney to try and lull us into a false sense of security but the ones who have TV shows like Falcon, Vision and Scarlet Witch are all three of my favourites so I don’t want it to be true and them to be reduced to TV but I also don’t want them to remain dead.

I would say the only ones on the dead side who currently could stay dead are either Hope van Dyne or Nick Fury. Hope because Ant-Man does not have a threequel planned while Doctor Strange, Black Panther, the Guardians and Spider-Man all have upcoming movies. Nick Fury because I can never remember how many more movie’s he has left on his contract and feel Spider-Man Far From Home would be a great fake-out not only if Fury in that movie was an illusion of Mysterio’s but also if it then when further to reveal that Fury was really dead.

So what do you guys think? What’s your favourite poster? Who do you think will stay dead? Do you see a romantic future for Captain Marvel and Valkyrie? Post your comments and check out more Superhero Spotlights as well as other posts

[thenichibro]

Spring 2018 Anime First Impressions

Two weeks into the season - basically on schedule by my standards! This season, as always, has ups and downs as well as popular shows I’m not watching (Megalobox) and shows I immediately regret starting (Devils Line). As a further point, I don’t do impressions of sequels, and in this case I’m including Steins;Gate 0 as a sequel because it is so based on the events of the main show. Regardless, here’s what I’m watching with MAL links and original shows marked:

Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Die Neue These (MAL) Look, I'm not going to immediately say go watch the original LOGH, but I'm kidding that's exactly what I'm going to say. LOGH is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. My issue with this series is not that they will not represent the characters badly, but that 110 episodes shoved into 12 episodes and three movies is simply not enough. LOGH has a scale, a grandeur, a weight that is conveyed as you invest yourself into it for hours on end, from bombastic space battles and the minutiae of day-to-day politics. You need both scales, the imperial and the individual, to really experience LOGH, and I feel like 12 episodes isn't enough time to have both. The LOGH remake looks and sounds fine (though with way too much CG and a bit of same-facing with Reinhard and Kircheis), but I am incredibly nervous about the pacing. This is a first impression, and if Production I.G. pulls this off it will be a classic reimagined for a modern audience that deserves it. But I simply don't think that's going to happen. I'm hopeful, but apprehensive. And again, watch the original. It is pure class.

Persona 5 the Animation (MAL) Play the game first. Please.

Devils Line (MAL) A world where vampires exist under the guise of normal people and some lose control and kill under cover of night. Basically Tokyo Ghoul with less of a vampire "society" and more just individual threats, with more of a sexual twist. Tsukasa is our helpless college heroine, adrift as she finishes school, when she finds out the guy who likes her is a serial murderer who wants blood! So wacky! She's saved by Anzai, a calm, collected member of the agency tasked with dealing with vampires, before unintentionally revealing himself a vampire. Yet we are expected to just accept Anzai forcing himself on Tsukasa because he's the savior? Right. Background sound design isn't bad, art/animation are bland and at times awkward. Devils Line is trying real hard to be a new Tokyo Ghoul, but now with more sexual undertones for whatever reason. Pass.

3D Kanojo: Real Girl (MAL) Ah, otaku love. At least it can't be worse than Saekano, right? That'd be a serious challenge. 3D Kanojo follows Tsutsui, an otaku that suffers the typical ostracization of anime, when he meets Iroha, a blunt girl who for once doesn't ostracize him. The first episode has plenty of the classics - falling into a pool, talking about "3D women" being out of his league, heroics when he knows he can't win. Everything you'd expect. By the end of the episode, things progressed a helluva lot more than I expected, in many ways. It seems thus far that the otaku thing is the impetus for Tsutsui's low opinion of himself, rather than anime being the point of the show. More introspective than I would otherwise think, I think 3D Kanojo holds a lot of slight surprises. It's interesting, for sure, and I hope it continues that way.

Tachibanakan Triangle (MAL) One of two short anime I'm watching this season, Tachibanakan follows a girl who moves into a girls apartment complex and gets more yuri than she bargained for.  We've got the fang-sporting short one, the quiet one, the onee-san, the blonde foreigner, you name it. I don't expect a lot of character development or anything similar, but three and a half minutes of yuri sounds just fine to me.

Uma Musume (MAL) First off, props to the show for making the horse girls' names just as stupid as those of real racehorses. I mean, I know it’s because the girls are named after real racehorses, but still. Uma Musume involves a world where horseracing is hugely popular, only the racers are anthropomorphic horse girls. Our main girl is Special Week, a newbie transferring to a popular racing school in Tokyo. She's your typical genki type - eager, energetic, bright-eyed. Enthralled by one of the top girls Silence Suzuka, she aims to become one of the top horse girls in Japan. Oh, and the top horse girls perform as idols after each race. This sure is a mobile game adaptation, god damn. P.A. Works' art looks solid as always (props to the flowing tail animation); the OP and ED are pretty standard idolish stuff. I prefer the ED. Anthropomorphic racing is fine, yet for some reason the idol part is what makes it weird for me. This show is strange, but if it's not much more than cute horse girls doing cute horse girl things, I'll keep paying attention.

SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online (MAL) I hate SAO. I have a laundry list of reasons that I despised both seasons of SAO. The reason I'm giving GGO a chance is because the main charater is a girl playing a cute chibi girl in-game and she just wants to make friends. Hopefully, that will avoid the terrible pitfall that was anything relating to Kirito. GGO starts right in the action, with a topical Battle Royale mode putting our pink girl and her partner right into the action. The tactics are good and help set up the basic premises of the gametype, if that necessitated a bit too much monologuing by M, the partner. Also, plenty of pouts. Always a bonus. As always the invincibility of the protag is annoying, but I don't really expect breakthrough plot changes from an SAO spinoff. I mean, SAO S1 was good for the first 10 episodes too. Keep this cute girl and not-harem, focus on connecting with others through video games rather than shanking perverts in a parking lot, and it'll be solid.

Hinamatsuri (MAL) A super-powered middle-schooler falls into the life of a nicer-than-normal yakuza. Nitta is the yakuza, with a penchant for fancy porcelain. Hina is the middle-schooler, your typical otherworldly killing machine set into an unfamiliar world. Hinamatsuri puts a lot of good spins on the taking-care-of-a-supernatural-girl trope, with the main character being a yakuza rather than an "average high schooler." Furthermore, there are some nice father-daughter vibes going between the two, though it's clear Hina maintains the upper hand. Won over by Nitta's refusal to use her as just a tool, their life together begins. The comedy is your standard boke/tsukkomi, but the lightning-quick delivery of the lines had me cracking up regardless. Hinamatsuri looks like it could go darker any second, but if it doesn't I'm perfectly content to stay around.

Comic Girls (MAL) Probably the most classic cute girls doing cute things show this season, Comic Girls follows a group of mangaka girls living in a dorm together. Moeta is the worrywart crybaby, Koyume's the genki blonde, Ruki is the less-than-secret pervert, and Tsubasa is the tomboy. There's plenty of nice compliments between the girls' personalities, and Koyume and Moeta seem like a great fit as the newbies in the group. Furthermore, their personalities being informed by the manga they draw allows for a nice exploration of manga cliches through their interactions. This looks to be more on the character-driven side than a deep dive into the logistics of manga production, but that's just fine. Animation and sound aren't really anything special, but they're by no means bad. As a slice-of-life fan I'm all in, even if this show doesn't turn out to be anything super unique.

[ORIG] Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai (MAL) Tada-kun follows, well, Tada-kun - a student and photographer who runs into Teresa, a rich European while taking pictures. Tada-kun, following the show's title "Tada Doesn't Fall in Love," has a calm, somewhat stoic demeanor, while Teresa is your bright, beautiful girl finally in the Japan she'd only seen on TV. After meeting multiple times as Teresa wanders lost, Tada helps her out of the rain before she finds her hotel, right next to his family's coffee shop. And then, of course, she transfers into his school along with her bodyguard, the fiery-tempered Alec. The art is crisp and animated well, and both the OP and ED have their charms. I personally like romance focused tightly on a single pair (Tsuki ga Kirei and Ore Monogatari are two stellar examples), and I hope this delivers. With a single couple development becomes the key, but if this show keeps it up - increasing interactions leading to discovered feelings, all starting from a photo (sounds a bit like Just Because, don't you think?), this will be a emotionally engaging experience.

Fumikiri Jikan (MAL) The other short show I'm watching, Fumikiri Jikan is about conversations while waiting for the train to pass. The first episode ran the gamut all the way from peppy slice of life to romantic character drama. Being so tightly focused on conversations and with limited time, a show like this needs to nail the dialogue to set up the characters each episode. I felt like I almost watched a movie in three minutes this time, and that's a good thing. The main sticking point is that with individual stories each time, quality can vary wildly. This show is a bit strange but equally interesting, but it will certainly depend on the story being told.

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (MAL) Ah, otaku love. It can't be worse than Saekano, right? That would be a serious challenge. Wotaku ni Koi puts a spin on the genre by situating the main characters as adults who met each other in middle school and just now reconnected. The main cast of four and especially the banner couple Hirotaka and Narumi are uniquely quirky and their personalities gel so well with each other. Despite the long gap in meeting each other I feel the chemistry immediately between the two, and as episode one ends with their relationship actually beginning I'm all in. Not only does Wotakoi change things up by having the main characters as adults but it also gets past all the roundabout bullshit that often bogs down high-school romances. Furthermore, the true enthusiasm with which Hirotaka and Narumi can nerd out about what they like is refreshing, kind of like Animegataris before it became the Matrix. Combine that with a crisp art style and great musical themes, and maybe Wotakoi can provide the grounded otaku love story we've been waiting for. Oh, and fuck the Saekano shout-out. Not that I'm going to let that cloud my thoughts on Wotakoi - I just really, really don't like Saekano.

Golden Kamuy (MAL) This season's "a popular manga is finally getting an anime" show, Golden Kamuy is the story of a soldier and an Ainu girl suriving in the north of Japan in the Ruso-Japanese War era just after the turn of the 20th century. The pair aims to find a hidden treasure, stolen from the Ainu and stashed by a criminal somewhere, with the location hidden on tattoos of various escaped prisoners. I enjoy historical shows, and Kamuy is great in that it is more than just feudal Japan or something similar - the snowy, late-Meiji Hokkaido setting is undoubtedly unique. Sugimoto, the soldier, has earned his nickname "Immortal" due to his war exploits, and his personality shows it - confident in his skills yet cautious of threats. Asirpa, the Ainu, is the resourceful, collected partner Sugimoto needs in the wilds of Hokkaido, and shares Sugimotos motivations, having lost her father to the criminal who hid the treasure. The art is clean, and while the main characters look good there needs to be mention of the awful-looking CG of the two bears and the wolf that make appearances in the first episode. It just looks horrible. The dynamic between Sugimoto and Asirpa is great - the contrast between violence and peace especially - and I look forward to see where they're going. I only wish the overall tone was more consistent - the first episode is a great solemn look at the task in front of them, while the second episode inserts a whole lot of "comedic" moments that seem out of place with the action and Sugimoto himself. Regardless, quick shout-out to Man With a Mission for the OP - one of my favorite bands and this song is no exception.

[emilyemcnabb]

Janie and Christian’s wedding at The Gathering on Post Oak

For bride Janie, it was the reception venue—her family’s restored 1920’s German farm that made her wedding to Christian most memrable. The Gathering on Post Oak was lovingly transformed into a B&B that offered all it’s charm for their big day. Mayhar Design was behind the planning and design including a preppy pink and green palette and working with Sprout Floral & Event Design to create stunning rose florals all over the place! We’re loving the mix of sweet romance and farm charm in this one and Loft Photography was on hand to capture it all in these adorable images.

What made the wedding special and unique? 

Our wedding was special because it was a culmination of our relationship; one that started when we were very young and had matured into something wonderful. We had the reception at my family property, a place where we and many of our guests had spent a lot of time. My house was located one mile from where Christian and I went to school, so you can imagine that our home became the main gathering place for our friends. People were constantly coming in and out. It was a lively and social place to grow up and have our relationship blossom. Our reception felt like an extension of this. It felt so right to have not only all of our old friends back in our old haunt, but also have our new friends discover the place where Christian and I had become ‘us’. Despite the size of our guest list, our reception still felt so intimate just because of the history we had there.

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

Before we got engaged, the ladies in my family had a trip planned to NYC for my 21st birthday. So after Christian popped the question, the first thing my mom and I did was look at each other and be like “We could go to Kleinfeld’s!!” My mom and I had watched ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ about every Friday when I was in middle school and high school so this was a huge dream come true.

Fast forward to the morning of my appointment, I was so nervous because I had built up this idea of what the experience would be like — what if they weren’t nice or I fell for a dress that was way out of my budget?? However, from the moment I stepped into the store, Kleinfeld was everything I imagined and more. The consultant they paired me with was so kind and personable, I immediately felt comfortable with her. The designer of my dress was onsite that day and she actually helped me pick my dress out! It was a column gown with a champagne satin slip and a lace appliqué overlay with a boatneck neckline, very light and comfortable. The sample size fit like a glove. When I stepped out into the show room and they placed the veil on my head, I felt like a bride and I knew it was the one. The people in the store were so kind and even did a setup for us where we videoed the designer and the consultant asking me if I was ‘saying yes to the dress’ like in the show; a video clip and a memory I will always have. I could never recommend Kleinfeld enough.

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal? 

Really the main personal touch of the wedding was the location of the ceremony, as well as opening up my family home as the reception venue.  The church where we held the ceremony was actually the place where Christian and I first met.  Having it there really felt like the end as well as the beginning of chapters in our lives. My family property originally was a working farm, with a German farmhouse from the 1920s and a few other unique buildings.  When we moved there, only the farmhouse had been updated with the outbuildings remaining as they had been built. Over the years our family updated and transformed them into beautiful B&Bs that marry modern style with the original charm instilled in the property. The flow of the reception was designed to have a meandering feel where guests were encouraged to walk and explore the B&Bs, with many places available to sit and gather. Our home was also open for guests to enjoy. To me, this is the most personal touch I could have added to the wedding: to share open-hearted the place I loved the most.

What was the most memorable part of the day? 

As the bride, the most memorable part of the day was the moment right before I started walking down the aisle. I felt so nervous!  Not because I was nervous to get married, but because I had to walk in front of so many people (so much pressure not to fall!).  My dad and I waited together in the front of the lobby as the rest of my bridesmaids each took their turn down the aisle. As the bridal march began to play and we stepped up into the doorway of the sanctuary, I thought my heart would explode — I had imagined this moment all of my life. The first people I saw were a line of Christian’s fraternity brothers, a group of guys I had become good friends with for many years. They all stood, smiled at me and I even got a few thumbs up. I felt a surge of courage as I realized all of these people were people I loved and I had no reason to be afraid. As it turns out, Christian had the same moment as I did before he walked down the aisle. We will both never forget our friends’ smiling faces on our wedding day.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

Christian and I met in the sixth grade after a fated seating assignment during my visit to Heritage School, a small Christian private school in Fredericksburg. I was placed at the empty desk next to Christian and the we proceeded to share a copy of “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare. It was not coincidence that over the next few years we would often be paired together by teachers for group projects and assignments, as Christian was the passionate outspoken boy and I was the shy quiet girl.

When high school rolled around, we found our friendship turning into something more. We dated through high school and into college. When we started college, there was a shift in our relationship because we both realized that this really was working. In order to protect our relationship, we tried to delay things getting serious before the right time. We chose to go to different schools but found that our relationship naturally fit into our lives and our new friends. Christian says that during that first semester was when he knew he wanted to marry me, getting outside of our small world did nothing to change his feelings.

He held onto to these feelings for several years, until he decided to propose at the end of our junior year of college; he says, “as soon as I possibly could so we could be married when I graduated.” Christian proposed where we had our first date, at the county fairgrounds. Christian picked me up from my house under the guise of us having dinner with his family. But when I got in the car with him he told me, “So we are actually not going to dinner until later, I wanted to take you somewhere.” Because of where the fairgrounds are, it was pretty obvious where he was taking me and I started getting excited. He had a whole set up when we arrived with flowers, a picture of us, and a banner that read “Boyfriend and Girlfriend for 2,052 days, Husband and Wife forever.” It was right under it that he got down on one knee. After he proposed, it turned out that dinner was a surprise small engagement party with our families and a few close friends. Christian and our families had been planning for a over month without me finding out about any of it!  Although I knew Christian was going to propose pretty soon, I really was surprised by the whole thing.

Creative Direction & Planning: Mayhar Design // Photography: Loft Photography // Floral Design: Sprout Floral & Event Design // Paper Goods & Calligraphy: Whitney Farnsworth // Reception Venue: The Gathering on Post Oak // Ceremony Venue: Hill Country Church // Dress Designer: Michelle Roth // Hair Stylist: Tammy Smith // Cake: Sophie’s Bakery // Ceremony Music: Carol Bell // Reception Music: Local Bluegrass Band // DJ: Mixer Rogers // Linen Rentals: La Tavola Linen, Marquee Event Rentals // Tent Rental: Whim Event Rentals // Antique Rentals: Carol Hicks Bolton // Chair Rentals: Sweet Sunday Events // Caterer: Cartewheels Catering // Liquor: Gabriels Liquor // Ring Box: The Mrs. Box

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