#the new VA did a perfectly fine job but it's just not right to me | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fruitcoops · 4 years ago

Note

Can yoy maybe write about sirius getting injured during a game, and remus gatting so frustrated because hes not the PT anymore so he cant help him right away?

♡♡♡

Yes, indeed! We haven’t done any angst/ hurt comfort in a while and I’ve been noodling around with this idea for a bit now. Thanks for the recommendation! Sweater Weather credit belongs to @lumosinlove!

TW for unconsciousness, mild concussion, beginnings of panic, and bruising

Sirius hit the ice, and he didn’t get up.

Remus’ heart skipped a beat.

He was next to him in an instant, gloves and helmet long forgotten as he carefully unbuckled Sirius’ chin strap. A fight had broken out behind him, but he tuned it out—he knew this process. He was trained for this.

But this was Sirius he was holding, Sirius whose eyes were still fucking closed and even though his breathing was steady he was limp in Remus’ arms.

Pulse. Check.

Eyes. Glassy under the eyelids.

Patient nonresponsive to his name or touch.

Stop shaking, Remus ordered his hands as he worked through his list. Stop it right now. You have a degree, you were trained for this.

“Mr. Lupin, please move so we can take a look,” a new voice said.

“I’m helping.”

“Mr. Lupin, we’re the medics here—”

“I’m helping,” Remus snapped. “His breathing is even but he’s nonresponsive, possible concussion.”

“We need to make room for the medics.”

“I am the fucking medic.”

Emmeline’s hand was gentle but firm on his bicep. “Remus, you’re a player now. Let us do our job. We’ll take good care of him.”

“Let me help.” Why is my voice breaking? I’m perfectly calm. “Please, let me help.”

“You already did.” Slowly, he scooted aside so she could kneel by Sirius’ shoulder and run the same tests Remus had just cleared him for.

“I already did that—”

“Remus.”

“I’m sorry.” The fingers that laid cold in his palm twitched and Remus immediately leaned forward again as Sirius’ eyes opened. “Sirius? Sirius, can you hear me?”

Sirius muttered something and Emmeline glanced behind Remus; a moment later, he felt someone’s hands pulling him up from under his arms. “Come on, Loops, give them space,” James murmured.

“Let go, I can help.” Remus struggled, but James’ arm was a steel bar across his chest as he skated backwards a few feet. Sirius was looking around now, answering questions with a dizzy expression. “James, he needs me—he needs me, I can help.”

“The best thing you can do is take some deep breaths with me. In and out, Re, in and out.”

Sirius stood on unsteady legs and leaned on the medics for support as they practically carried him off the ice; the rest of the team skated after them at a safe distance, all clearly worried. No limp, no wincing, red cheeks, headache? Concussion? No broken bones, no soft tissue damage, please God let him be alright. Something warm trickled down Remus’ chin. “I can help.”

“You already did.”

“Stop it,” he said harshly. “Stop it, don’t tell me that. I can do more, I have to do more, it’s my job.”

“No, it’s not.”

“He’s my—” Remus’ voice gave out. “He’s Sirius.”

“I know.”

Logan was skating back and forth, back and forth, back and forth in front of the bench, his eyes locked on Sirius’ retreating back. The hit replayed in Remus’ mind—clean, fast, brutal. A simple trip over a misplaced stick, then Sirius flying headfirst into the boards and going limp as the dumb fucking rookie scrambled to his feet.

Dumo went over and led Logan into a side hug by his elbow. A tremor visibly ran through Logan’s body and Remus went cold. Had he missed something? What was it? What test didn’t he run—

“Sit with me.” It wasn’t a question. He nodded, and James guided him to the bench, past Logan and Dumo as they talked quietly in French.

“Lupin, are you alright?” Coach asked before they even came off the ice.

“They wouldn’t let me help,” he said weakly.

Something akin to pity crossed his face. “We’ve got six minutes left. Sit this one out.”

“I can play.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Will someone please just let me be useful?” Remus startled himself a bit with his volume and felt James’ hands go slack with surprise on his arms. He swiped furiously at the sweat—not sweat, it felt different—that covered his cheeks. “Please, Coach.”

“You’re done for this game,” Arthur repeated, though his voice was kind. Remus wanted to hate it, but he couldn’t. “We’ll keep you updated. Pots, go get Tremzy off the ice. You’re on for this shift.”

“Yes, Coach,” James said, giving Remus a quick squeeze. “Deep breaths. He’ll be alright.”

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

Sirius was still in the PT room when the final buzzer went off; Lions win, 3-2. Remus barely got his pads off before he went running down the hall with Logan hot on his heels, leaving their gear scattered haphazardly in their stalls.

Emmeline was just closing the door when they arrived. “Can we see him? Is he okay? Concussion protocol was updated so my tests might not have been enough but is he still awake?” Remus blurted out in a single rushed breath.

She didn’t miss a beat. “He’s up and talking. We think it’s a very mild concussion that just hit a little weird and knocked him around.” Logan’s grip tightened on his forearm and her eyes flickered down to it. “Both of you can relax. You’re welcome to go in if you like.”

They were halfway through the door before she was even done speaking. Sirius was sitting upright on the PT table, still in his under armour and holding an ice pack to the side of his head. He lit up when he saw them. “Hey, I was just—”

“Are you okay?” Remus demanded. He pulled the ice away and prodded the bruised skin, then stared directly into Sirius’ eyes to check for any lack of focus. He looked alert, which was a good sign. “You look worried. Does it hurt? Are the lights—”

“Re.” His hand folded over Remus’, and tears clogged his throat. “I’m fine. Emmeline and the team cleared me, and Hestia did all the tests. Did we win?”

“Yeah,” Logan said quietly. “Coach didn’t let either of us back on the ice.”

“Who fucking cares about the game?” Anger flared in Remus, hot and sudden. “You were unconscious.”

Sirius remained infuriatingly calm. “I was.”

“You—you hit the boards and you didn’t get up.” Eyes not open. Breathing shallow, but even. Heart rate steady. Follow the process. “Sirius, you didn’t get up.”

“I promise I’m okay.” He reached out and pulled Remus close, rubbing small circles on his back with one hand and reeling Logan in with the other. “It was a rough hit, that’s all.”

“They wouldn’t let me help you,” Remus whispered. His voice was muffled in Sirius’ shoulder and he tucked his face into his neck, holding him even tighter. “I’m so sorry, love.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Sirius placed a small kiss behind his ear. “Est-ce que ça va, Tremz?”

“Ouais, plus bien maintenant.” They shifted slightly as Logan pressed his forehead to Sirius’ with a sniffle. “Don’t fucking do that again.”

“Seconded,” Remus muttered.

“Got it,” Sirius laughed lightly, kissing the tops of both their heads before releasing them. His eyebrows rose as he spotted something over their shoulders. “Um, hello.”

“Hey,” nine Lions said from the doorway. Emmeline looked mildly amused at their sardine-crammed position. James drummed his fingers on the doorframe and tapped his foot at the same time; if they didn’t come over in the next five seconds, Remus was afraid he might explode.

“Is our turn now?” Kuny ventured, standing on his tiptoes to see over the rest. “Cap still okay? Not hugged to dead?”

“Death,” Nado corrected quietly.

“Cap not hugged to death?”

“Really, I’m fine,” Sirius laughed as they all tumbled inside, rushing to check in on him. Remus noticed Logan place himself like a brick wall if someone got too close to Sirius and felt a wave of affection go all the way down to his toes.

“Give him space,” Emmeline reminded them from the door. “The concussion is mild, but it’s there.”

“I would love to see you try to get those boys out of here,” Hestia snorted as she entered. She raised a questioning eyebrow at Remus and he nodded to her; she winked and shot him a quick smile before grabbing the clipboard off the wall.

“Treatment plan?” he guessed as she tore a piece of paper off and handed it to him. Dumo was still hugging Sirius in a vice grip.

“It’s so nice to have someone who understands this stuff,” she sighed. “Pretty easy, to be honest. I’ve written a few reminders, but you know the drill.”

“Thank you, Hestia. Really.”

She nudged him with her elbow. “I promised to take care of your boys, didn’t I? Have a little faith, Loops.”

“I have so much faith in you it’s embarrassing.”

She laughed at that, throwing her head back and clapping him on the shoulder. “I guess that’s what happens when someone tapes your face back together, huh?”

“Exactly. Can I take him home now?”

“Go easy for the next couple weeks,” she teased.

Remus rolled his eyes and stuck the paper in his back pocket. “Alright, alright, very funny.”

“You should probably go home and get some rest, though. He’s not allowed on the ice for the rest of the week and I, for one, don’t want to be the person breaking that particular news.”

“What?” She left with a final kiss blown in his direction; unfortunately, Sirius did not seem to have overheard her. “Wait, you don’t get to just leave! That’s such a cop out!”

“What’s a cop out?” Sirius asked.

Remus closed his eyes and huffed. This is going to be fun.

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miyalove · 4 years ago

Text

white day | akaashi

—pairing: akaashi x gn!reader

—warnings: swearing (that’s about it), unedited*

—synopsis: 2.6k | white day (noun)– a holiday celebrated in mostly asain countries that, if a man is given gifts on valentines, they have a chance to return the favor with a gift of their own.

knock.

your hands shake as you retract them back to your side. holding a few more bundles of homemade chocolate in your arms. your figure is on high alert, anxious eyes frantically raking over the familiar carpets and doors of tokyo university dorm halls. it feels like a whole hour passes without a sign of life on the other end of the door. you nip at the bottom of your lip, is it really that late? he couldn’t possibly be asleep, right?

you should probably just leave. go and give the rest of the chocolates to the remaining of your friends then come back and check on akaashi later. it’s what your mind tells you to do but your feet are planted to the floor.

knock just once more, your heart whispers. you have about four more boxes to deliver after akaashi’s own. suddenly you’re caught between a crossfire against your mind and your emotions; deliver the others! one side screams, knock again! they other yells back.

you’re standing there for a good, minute or two when your eyes shot up at the white board half-heartedly hung to the door, “akaashi’s room” it reads… your palms flail against your legs, eyes downcast to the floor.

“akaashi… keiji,” the name leaves your lips in a wisp of sound. you can feel your heart skip a beat at the way it rolls perfectly off your tongue and then you smile. you’re beaming at the floor, slowly raising your head to stare at the creme colored door.

your eyes shine with an unknown confidence, your dominant arm lifts up meeting the cool surface of the door once again; knock, knock, knock.

you stand there for a while before the sound of the bathroom shower being turned off sets into the silence. well, at least he wasn’t ignoring me. you sigh in relief, the smile on your lips growing impossibly bigger.

seconds pass and the door is swinging open revealing the tall build of your very familiar classmate akaashi, “oh, hello (l/n).”

he’s dressed in casual clothes readying himself for sleep, you assume. a towel is in his hands, ruffling through his damp hair, “i apologize for keeping you waiting.”

his face is stoic, eyes blank and there isn’t even a smile one his pressed lips but you’re okay with that. you’ve known the taller boy long enough to know that casually showing physical emotions wasn’t his strongest point. so you smile, ignoring the quickening pace of your heartbeat.

“it’s totally fine, akaji!” you wave off, “i wasn’t out here long.” he nods, eying your figure before ultimately locking his stare on the boxes within your arms, “you seem like you need help with those boxes, (y/n).”

it’s not a question but you know what he means.

you lightly giggle at his words, “yeah, it does, doesn’t it? i’ll tell you what, do you know how you can help me with these boxes?” he shakes his head, his hair moving too. his genuine concern has butterflies ticking your insides.

oh god, you can feel your cheeks heating up already, “by taking that red box, right there on the top. you see it?”

he nods, reaching out for the one you described. slightly his brows furrow at the little card that dangles from the box, “to keiji, from (l/n) (y/n)” it reads. there are hearts that dot every “i”. he hums appreciating the details, “this one has my name on it.”

“yup,” you tease, “it’s yours, silly!” there’s a beat of silence that blanket the two of you. he stares at the box examining it’s every detail while you stare at him.

“happy— happy valentines day, keiji!”

you’ve been able to keep your cool for the most part. going to your crushes private dorm room and then giving him chocolates on the day of love is really gutsy! he could seriously reject the chocolate and shove it back in your face… it’s a thought that makes a chill run down your spine.

what if he rejects you?

the panic rises in your stomach. at first, it gets queasy and you can feel your arms slipping around the boxes. this isn’t even a romantic confession, it’s for friendship but what if he throws it on the ground? screams in your face saying the two of you aren’t even friends?

you hate this.

you listened to your heart before, staying put and waiting for the door to be open. you didn’t regret that much and you thank your emotional side because it made you take this risk but that’s the thing.

it’s a risk.

even with a somewhat good outcome, there’s always a bad one too. sometimes even multiple bad ones so without thought you move your legs forward taking quick steps away from the door, running.

“happy va– valentines, keiji! uh, enjoy the– the– chocolate!”

you can’t see or even hear if he does anything in response to your rushed and rather rude leaving. your heart sputters in your chest a million beats a minute. your palms flush against your heated checks (dropping some boxes as you do so but you could care less about that right now).

you hated that.

and you hate your feelings too.

you find yourself thinking about that awkward incident a lot. and every time, your cheeks flare up in color and your stomach drops. since then you and akaashi haven’t had a proper conversation. there are times when you see each other in passing and make brief eye contact. you share a small smile and he nods in exchange for your greeting.

other times, like in when you’re out in about, there’s nothing. both too busy studying in the library, partying with friends, and making new ones to simply stop to start a conversation.

mornings are brief.

“good morning, (y/n).”

“oh– uh, good morning, akaji.”

as are the same with nights.

“have a good rest, akaashi.”

“you too, (l/n).”

it’s how your usual conversations are. it’s turned into the norm for the both of you, short. and you’re okay with that, honestly. at least minimal talking is better than him completely ignoring your existence, right? and it’s those kinds of positive (somewhat at least) reassurances that help you drift to sleep.

especially on nights right before another holiday. a holiday celebrating love one more, nights right before white day.

your arms feel heavy and it’s not just from the work out you forced yourself to endure that morning. boxes upon boxes of gifts and chocolates pile in your arms. it’s a struggle to keep them all steady, but your managing— somehow. it completely flew over your head that today is white day! let’s just say that your mind was a tad bit preoccupied last night…

your classmates had all gotten you something, returning your affections on valentines day like true gentlemen. some made handmade gifts like and other’s opted for the easy way out with store-bought flowers or assorted chocolates.

the ding of the elevator pulls you out of your thoughts. at the same time, you let out a tense sigh, as much as you adored your classmates— all these gifts were going to fall soon. you take a step out of the lift, heaving the gifts.

there’s so much, you deadpan. if only someone could help–

“(y/n), would you like some help?”

oh god, you know that velvety voice anywhere. walking forward, the figure appears in your peripherals. his dark hair is the first thing you take notice of. the second is his hands reaching out to catch a fallen box.

“um, yea– yeah. that would be great if you could… help,” you curse at your stuttering. the young boy nods, as he stands in front of you. he takes a few boxes lessening your load, you awkwardly smile.

“thank you, akaji.” you nod, “my room is–”

for a split second, you see an emotion flash in his eyes. it’s much too quick to decipher. and it’s times like these when you wish you had the power to read minds because dear god, you’re nervous.

“i know where your room is, (y/n),” and then he’s off taking long strides towards your room that was coincidently near his. you’re following his steps, the air around you silent yet comfortable.

but despite your calm demeanor, your mind speaks your true feelings, why does he know where my room is? it’s no big deal! his room is right next to yours, of course, he knows where it is!

“we’re here,” his words break you out of thought. your eyes shoot up to his handsome face, tracing the outline of his lips before moving onto his eyes. akaashi is a piece of art. he’s by far the most good-looking boy in your class and the most thoughtful as well.

his passion for literature and how caring he is through words rather then actions makes your heart stutter and your stomach tumble.

he has so much power over you and he doesn’t even know it.

“(y/n), please unlock the door so we can go in,” did you just freeze up staring at your crush? god, how embarrassing! if he noticed your staring, he doesn’t say. your face flares up, cheeks a deep red it could rival tendou’s dye job! you rush to the door, unlocking it with a simple swipe before turning to your bed and dropping the boxes.

the pretty setter follows suit, although he’s a bit more tamed with his movements. your mind can’t stop reeling about what just happened. he caught you checking him out! what kind of person just openly does that to their crush?! you mentally groan, this is a disaster!

“thank– thank you, keiji. you can leave, now. if you like,” you don’t look at him. occupying yourself with sorting out the gifts you carelessly dropped onto your cushion. a minute passes and there’s still no movement in your peripheral. risking a chance, you look up.

the sight before you has you shocked.

akaashi looks down his handsome face downcast and his gaze is focused on a small box in his hand. the box is in the shape of a heart with a white bow tied around it. you’re not able to see his expression but judging from the sudden air of tension— it couldn’t be good.

“akaashi? are you… alright?”

there’s no response. his face turned away from you but his hand is extended. the pink heart lays in his hand. is he… giving this to you? the realization makes your knees wobble. you study him once more, your brows furrowed in confusion. his peachy skin has the slightest hints of pink on his cheeks and your almost glad that this intimate moment isn’t only affecting you.

maybe he likes you too, there goes your heart again… it’s white day, remember? reminds your logical side. shakily, you reach out your hand. fingers brushing over his slender ones as you grip the small box.

it’s featherlike against your hands.

what could possibly be inside?

your fingers working to undo the ribbon then lift the cover. you can feel akaashi’s dark eyes on you, no longer is he looking off to the side. you’re expecting chocolates or maybe even a small stuffed animal inside but– you’re even more surprised at the reveal.

it’s not chocolate or even a small gift but rather a small piece of paper nestled comfortably in pink strands of box fillers. you immediately recognize akaashi’s handwriting neatly scowled on the sheet, “look… up?”

and you do.

what you see is akaashi, unsurprisingly, but he’s not so far away anymore. instead, he’s right in front of you. his face merely inches away from yours, his cheeks still flushed. but he’s not looking away, no, in fact, his gaze seems locked on yours.

your heart is beating a hundred beats per second. everything is blurry and the only thing you can really make out is him. his rosy cheeks, his eyes that glimmer in the dim lighting of your room, the soft scent of citrus and fresh laundry. things that just scream; him.

and then he’s leaning forward.

lips pressed against your own in a soft pucker. instantly, your eyes flutter close getting lost in the feeling of his warm lips on yours. chills run down your spine and everything feels like it’s so much more. gently, his hand cups at your jaw guiding your mouth against his. sending your heart on a mini-rampage within your chest.

your hands fly up to his shirt fisting the fabric out of pure nervousness. you can feel his chest against your own and you wonder if his heart is beating as fast as yours…

he swiftly tilts his head to the side, deepening the kiss. his other hand makes amends running through the strands of your hair. white hot bliss burns in your veins as you let out a small gasp for air. feeling bold, he takes his chance of pressing his tongue into her mouth.

it was all so much. his scent, his lips against yours sending you to heaven, the goosebumps forming, your mind racing, your heart pounding.

you need air!

you abruptly lean back, hands no longer gripping his shirt but rather flattening out against him. immediately, his eyes shot open drinking in your flushed out manner. the two of you linger in that state for a bit. his eyes tracing every detail of yours.

cheeks pink and slightly sweating, eyes wide and mouth open panting for air. does this mean he likes you too? your mind’s racing, thought after thought piling over one another until–

“i’m sorry– i thought… you– i apologize for making you uncomfortable.”

uncomfortable?

his cheeks are tinged and lips glisten in the light, slightly swollen. his eyes are downcast focusing on the floor rather than yourself. his hands to his side fingering at the pockets of his pants.

he looks so dejected. so sad at the mere thought of your rejection. he looks like a child that got told they weren’t allowed to eat their favorite treat. his eyes don’t shine with the courage to meet your own anymore. it makes your heart drop, a small pout forming on your own lips.

you’re quick to explain your thoughts, “no keiji, i wasn’t– wasn’t uncomfortable at all… i just– everything was just so much.” his brows furrow in confusion. that certainly caught his attention real fast…

“i… don’t understand what you mean,” is his response. if it weren’t for the fact that he kissed you and you knew he returned your feelings than you probably would have been long gone by now. it didn’t matter if it was your room or not. the awkward tension was just too thick!

deciding to not beat around the bush, because if you knew anything it’s that akaashi isn’t one for making things complicated. you let out a playful sigh, “akaashi keiji, i like you. that kiss did not make me uncomfortable in fact it was the opposite of that. and i would not mind if you– you did it again.”

and nearly as fast as it appeared, your confidence ran right out the door. there’s a few seconds silence, you no longer stare at him but rather his sock covered feet. even if you knew he returned your feelings this is still beyond embarrassing.

“i like you too, (y/n). and i wouldn’t mind if we did again either,” almost at the same time you look up he’s pressing a chaste kiss on your plush lips. that same fluttering feeling erupts in your stomach and you can feel the heat rising up on your neck.

it’s then that you realize, you’ll never get used to kissing akaashi.

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rachelbethhines · 4 years ago

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TTS Songs Ranked Worst to Best

Someone asked me to rank my fav and least fav TTS songs a while back, but I’ve since then relistened to the soundtrack and there’s a whole bunch of songs that just forgot about, so here’s a more accurate ranking now that the songs are more fresh in my mind

32 . Life After Happily Ever After (Reprise)

This song is infuriating, because the finale is infuriating. Listening to this song just makes me angry all over again because it reminds me just how unsatisfying the ending to TTS was. I wanted to turn it off at several points. I barely can get through it despite it being so short. It doesn’t help that the soundtrack leaves all the dialogue in there and fails to actually end the song. It just cuts off before the final note.

31. Hook Foot’s Ballad

Does this even count as a song? Why is it here on the soundtrack but not the Hurt Incantation? Did Menken really waste his talent writing a joke and did the showrunners really waste money and limited resources on this?

30. Friendship Song

Bland, boring, and pointless. It was clearly written as a marketing stunt for the radio disney charts and not as anything to do with the plot of the series. They just throw it up on screen to fill out the running time and don't even let the whole song play through. It’s pitiful.

29. Waiting in the Wings (Reprise)

I didn’t think much of the original song one way or the other, but the reprise is soooo dumb. The plot twist it introduces winds up ruining the whole show and sabotaging both Cassandra’s and Rapunzel’s characters. It’s not even a nice sounding song on it’s own. The kid’s voice is irritating (who I’m sure is doing her best, but really little kids shouldn’t be made to sing professionally as a general rule) and the melody just as bland as the first time it was played. The only reason to like this song is if you’r a mega fan of Cassandra’s or her VA, which I am not. (Note: this is not a criticism of Eden Espinosa, I just don’t happen to follow any of the VAs in this show)

28. Through It All

I like the instrumentals in this song, and that’s about it. Everything about this song is wrong. It doesn’t fit the story, it’s a misuse of the cast and songwriters, it’s a waste of valuable screen time, the melody is dull, and the dang soundtrack had to throw in that lame dialogue about ‘greatest threat ever’ at the beginning. If you want a pump up song in your story then you got to earn it. You can’t just tell us things are bad, you got to show it. A joyful horseback ride and everyone sitting in a bar safe and sound isn’t threatening or depressing enough to warrant a cheering up session. Plus the song itself doesn’t add anything to the overall story.

27. The Girl Who Has Everything

Sometimes I think the writers were willing trying to sabotage themselves. It’s as if they were determined to make the only two main female characters in the show unlikeable bitches in season three. Don’t believe me? The creator Chris has said this song only exists to highlight how much easier Rapunzel has things than Cass and went onto say that Rapunzel was in the wrong during their conflict because ‘she held Cassandra back’. (Oh yeah she totally ‘held back’ the grown woman who left on her own accord, returned on her own accord, and then assaulted and tried to murder a bunch of people for no reason of her own accord.) But this song does succeed in furthering season’s three narrative that Rapunzel is a spoiled selfish brat. Shame the story fails to address this setup and never has Rapunzel learn to be a better person. Rather the narrative bends over backward to tell us how special Rapunzel is without any sense of self awareness and this song falls into that same trap; making it both irritating and pointless.

26. Listen Up

Yeah, I talked about this on my salt marathon, but I just don't like this song very much. The melody is fine but the lyrics are a real miss in my mind. It doesn’t help matters that the song is indeed pointless in the grand scheme of things.

25. Livin’ the Dream

This is much on the same level as Listen Up as it features the same problems. It doesn’t add to the narrative and the lyrics kind of let it down. I placed it higher just because I like the melody a little more.

24. More of Me

This song is a lot like the Friendship Song in that it was created to be an end credit song for the pop charts and you’d be forgiven in forgetting it even exists. However, it at least got to actually play all the way through. I think this song was a real missed opportunity. I honestly believe that it should have been the opening theme song of the show instead of Wind in My Hair. It’s more built to serve such a purpose and it’s a waste of resources not to actually use it. Alternatively, I would have accepted it being reworked into the actual series as a character song. Especially since we’re missing a song in season three due to budget cuts.

23. Wind In My Hair

Speaking of theme songs, I think I would like Wind In My Hair a lot better if i didn’t have to listen to it every episode. On its own it actually has a lot of things going for it; a nice melody, interesting instrumentals, good singing, ect. Unfortunately it’s just over exposed, and none of those elements lend themselves naturally to an intro song for a tv show. In fact the theme song feels really out of place and is edited oddly to fit the shorter intro.

22. Wind In My Hair (Reprise)

Honestly the theme song is mostly comprised of this reprise, but it has the opening instrumentals from the OG song frankensteined onto it. This means that the version that plays before every episode is on fullblast all the time to keep the energy up, but that’s not how the song is suppose to go. The actual reprise that plays in the pilot builds to a crescendo, starting soft and melancolony and getting louder and more hopeful and determined. It sounds a lot better in full because of that. It’s still too overexposed though. Both these songs would probably be higher on the list of not for the theme song version.

21. With You by My Side

This song is fine. It’s nothing special, but it’s not bad either. What knocks it down the list is the fact that Lance isn’t in it, despite Lance being right there. Like don't bother hiring a famous Broadway singer if you’re not going to have him sing! But that speaks more to the poor writing of season two than anything else. This song also doesn’t really add anything to the narrative as, contrary to what the writers intended, it doesn’t actually enhance the emotional impact of Cassandra’s betrayal later in the episode. The song itself is just tacked on and doesn’t take the opportunity to lay down any foreshadowing for that plot point.

20. Next Stop Anywhere

Another perfectly serviable song. It’s not bad but nothing outstanding. It gets the job done. It’s also really ho-hum and the soundtrack keeps all the unneeded dialogue, which is a pet peeve of mine.

19. Waiting In the Wings

Despite it’s hype, I never thought much of Waiting in the Wings. It’s got nice instrumentals and Eden Espinosa gives it her all in the singing department. The problem is it’s too generic. It’s a bare bones basic ass ‘I want song’. Cassandra's movations are weak and unsupported by the narrative, the melody is boring, and it honestly doesn’t add anything to her story. I mean it should, it’s her character solo, but because she’s written so poorly the song just winds up undermining the character in the end. All I’m saying is that, this is not the song from season two that I would have nominated for the Emmys. But it’s still Alan Menken, it’s still nicely performed, and given the rest of the competition for that year, it did deserve to win.

18. If I Could Take That Moment Back

This song is also pretty generic, but it’s less boring than I See the Light, (yeah, I said it, I See the Light is boring) so that’s a win in my book. Ergo this holds the title of the only New Dream duet that I enjoy. But there’s better stuff on this list.

17. Next Stop Anywhere (Reprise)

Well no, I take that back. The reprise of Next Stop Anywhere is also technically a New Dream duet. It’s still not anything amazing, but it works for what it is. Plus, Adria’s opening dialogue in the soundtrack version doesn’t bother me quite as much as some of the other dialogues choices that were kept in.

16. Stronger Than Ever Before

I really enjoyed this song in the moment. It’s catchy and fun, and it finally has Lance doing something rather than ignoring his existence. However it is borderline unnecessary in terms of story placement, and I’m slightly mad at it now that I know that we could have gotten a Rapunzel and Varian duet but it was scrapped for this instead.

15. Crossing the Line

Keeping with the theme of ‘songs I have conflicting emotions about’, we have Crossing the Line. This song is confused. It starts and stops, the melody isn’t clear, the orchestration is playing tug of war with the singers for dominance, and it’s basically Alan Menken and the show’s creators ripping off Frozen. (I guess he’s kicking himself for leaving that particular project?) But it’s interesting. I never heard anything quite like it. It’s memorable even if it doesn’t fully work. It’s got these interesting bits and pieces to it that just never quite comes together as a whole. Some of the lyrics are some of the best Glenn Slater has ever wrote and is far better than the story actually surrounding the song. Yet there’s other lines that are total cringe. Sometimes the song is bold and catchy and gets you all hyped up, and then other times its limp and staggering and feels so awkward to listen to. Yet it’s not boring or generic and so I have to place it higher than the rest of the songs that’s come before. (Also, there’s some amazing orchestral covers out there that really pulls together the various parts really well, just fyi)

14. Nothing Left to Lose

I really don't like this song. I’ve been one of its biggest critics ever since it was leaked by the marketing team earlier this year. And yet... I can’t in good conscience place any lower on this list. All of the problems I have with it are the exact same problems I have with Crossing the Line. It’s confused, the various pieces don't line up, the instrumentals are competing with the vocals, the song’s progression is weird with it’s constant key changes, some of the lyrics are good while others are absolute shit, ect and so forth. It also actively works against the story it's trying to tell. The song wants you to sympathize with Cassandra, but her lines are as shallow as a puddle and makes her look like a sociopath. Especially when she’s physically attacking Varian through out for no reason. Also neither character learns anything from the exchange and it fails to impact the story. By all accounts this is a bad song. But I’m Varian trash. There I said it. You happy? Varian’s parts in the songs are fine, good even, and the song is anything but bland. I would rather listen to a mess then be bored to tears by a competent yet standard four chord pop song.

13. I’d Give Anything

This song is nice to listen to. Story wise it absolutely sucks and shouldn’t have been in the finale at all. But it sounds pleasant. This is one of those songs that could pop up randomly on the radio and I would just think it it a nice sad break up song. I can’t say that about some of the other misplaced songs in the show. This one however, you can very much, absolutely divorce this song from the narrative and it would be fine. Now that’s not good writing, and it’s very much a waste of limited resources, but I’m rating the music here first and story second.

12. Buddy Song

The Buddy Song also absolutely did not need to exist but it also sounds nice. Plus, it makes use of Lance so I’m a little more lenient towards it. I can’t however place it higher since it really is just Alan Menken ripping off Alan Menken. Like, I would not be at all surprised to find out that this was originally a deleted song for Aladdin or something.

11. Bigger Than That

What can I say, Lance just gets good songs. When the show bothers to give them to him. Unfortunately, it’s not the best placed. It kind of interrupts the more important drama of Be Very Afraid, and probably should have been saved for a later episode. Especially since it hinges on a plot point that is contradictory to Lance’s character. We should have gotten a Varian and Rapunzel duet here and given Lance his own episode in the second half of season three. This song could have easily been refitted into being a bonding moment for him and the girls. That would also have filled out the season’s original songs to the usual eight instead of only seven.

10. Life After Happily Ever After

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. The top ten. The best of the best. This song makes the cut for three reasons. 1. It lyrically and musically interesting 2. It does the job of furthering the story and the characters and 3. Eugene’s part is so damn good. Like this song could have easily fell down into the ranks of ‘fine but generic’ if it wasn’t for the bridge with Eugene. That puts it over the top and to my mind makes it better than anything from the OG film. (well almost anything, Mother Knows Best is still great) This is the barometer by which I measure all of the music in the series. Is it better or worse than Life After Happily Ever After? Because this is the level that I equate good musicals with. What keeps on the tenth spot and not higher is the dialogue that still left on the soundtrack and the lack of a Cassandra introduction. That and also the rest of the songs are just flat better.

9. Hurt Incantation

Hurt, Decay, Reverse, whatever you want to call it, this was such a cool fucking concept. One that was utterly wasted by the show. I place this so high because it just sounds awesome! It looks good too, and it offered up so many possibilities from a story perspective. What lets it down is the lack of follow up for it and it’s too short. There’s needed to be another verse. It also should have been on the actual soundtrack instead of Hook Foot’s Ballad. (The Heal Incantation also was sung in What the Hair, but I’m not counting it since it was written for the film)

8. The Girl Who Has Everything (Reprise)

I hate the initial song and the set up that it took to get here, but I love this reprise. It’s perfect. This is what the story needed more of. Rapunzel taking her life into her hands, and her proposing to Eugene would have been the perfect capstone for her arc. In fact I’m angry we didn’t actually get that. There’s absolutely no reason why Rapunzel couldn’t have done so and we could have had her and Eugene engaged during the second half of season three. How much better would have it been if Cassandra threatened their wedding plans and that’s why they couldn’t go through with it until after the series ended? So much more tension that way.

7. I Got This

This is a really good song that actually futhers the characters and the narrative. Moreover it’s refreshing to see the heroine not be perfect and to fail sometimes due to her own inadequacies. It’s just a shame that the series didn’t follow through with this set up, but I appreciate the attempt all the same.

6. Set Yourself Free

This is the only song in the series that’s an actual satisfying pay off for anything. Music wise it’s nothing too special, but in terms of context it just works. We were sorely deprived of such resolutions and songs with actual meaning in the show.

5. View From Up Here

This song is too good for the episode it actually appears in. We needed something like this back in season one to introduce Cassandra with. It also sadly doesn’t fit with the wider narrative after season three. However I shall still appreciate it as a ‘what might have been’ type song.

4. Let Me Make You Proud

The only reason why this song isn’t higher is just overexposure and I’ve no one to blame but myself for that. I’ve listened to this song way too many times. As such it tends to alternate between this, View from Up Here, and the next song on the list. But make no mistake it is glorious. Fantastic instrumentals, set up, and of course amazing vocals.

3. Everything I Ever Thought I Knew

Yes, I know this plot point didn’t lead anywhere, but it works for this song at least. Also Eugene’s VA is a really underrated singer. He sounds nice and he emotes really well. Though I’ll be honest, this jumped up to third place because it was fresh in my mind after listening to the soundtrack before making this list. I’ve always liked the song and I do rate it highly, but it can change places with Let Me Make You Proud and View from Up Here at anytime depending on my mood.

2. Let Me Make You Proud (Reprise)

This song is heartbreaking! Story wise it probably shouldn’t exist because it gives away the twist too soon, but who cares, it’s awesome! Varian’s arc is the most compelling in the show and the only thing that saves TTS from falling into mediocre obscurity; and it’s songs like this that help make the arc stand out even more than it already does.

1. Ready As I’ll Ever Be

I said it before and I’ll say it again; Ready As I’ll Ever Be is the greatest thing Alan Menken has ever written in his entire career! If you know anything about the multiple award winning songwriter then you know that is no faint praise and I do not dole it out lightly. This song is the reason why this show even has a fanbase. People are still getting into the series because of this song. And no matter how many times you listen to it just rocks! It’s complex, layered, moody, and with a fantastic beat and energy. The performances are wonderful and the instrumentation glorious. It belongs in the hollows of Disney’s greatest hits and not regulated to a spin-off tv show that failed to make its money back. I weep for the lost potential that this song and this show had. It hurts to know that so many people will never see this flash of brilliance that has come out of the House of Mouse, will never know the wonderfulness that is Varian. Ah, ‘c'est la vie’, I suppose. Tangled the Series got what it deserved, but it's crew did not. While I can not in all honesty recommend the series in full; I do sincerely urge any Disney fan to check out the songs at the very least. Especially this one. And that’s it. There’s my official ranking of all the songs, and I hope those of you read my Tangled reviews appreciate the hours it took into making this.

#tangled #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure #varian #rapunzel #eugene #cassandra #lance #alan menken #Disney #disney music #disney songs

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wistfulwisteriawitch · 4 years ago

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Arthur Morgan x Lilith Vallent OC: Vas Ura (My One)/ Vas Soluna (My Bonded) Part 01 Chapter 03: Colter

Part 01 Chapter 03: Colter

I managed to get myself set up, knowing we’d actually be going after John since he was still missing. Attaching the leather over bust corset riddled with knives as well as the leather leg guards I exhaled, it would be interesting to see what they thought of our way of doing things but they seemed rather accepting thus far.

And as we moved to go out, Abigale grabbed my sleeve. “Miss Vallent?”

“Yes Abigale?”

“John…”

“Oh the gentleman that you said was your sons father?”

“Yes…”

Arthur had walked into the room and was warming himself by the fire. “Where’s little John gotten off to?”

“Arthur he hasn’t been seen in a couple days, I fear the worst.”

“John is fine, he gets himself out of scrapes all the time.” Arthur huffed. "Granted he could throw himself on the ground and miss so that's a feat in and of itself."

I cocked a brow, “I’ll go find him.” I pat her arm, “I can track him.”

Arthur groaned, “I’ll go with ya.”

“How kind.” I grinned as I walked by, Hosea nudged me as I sidled by with a smirk and a whispered thank you.

“I’ll come too!” Javier noted. “John would do the same for me and Arthur.”

“Sure, might be good considering the wolves.”

“Wolves?” Javier asked as we mounted up.

I nodded, after ensuring I had everything needed including shotgun with slugs. “Yes, alright you two, flank me, head forward in a V position, and try to keep it unless we head up the mountain, in that case line up.” With that I spurred Luna into a gallop. “Let’s go! Belladonna shadow!”

“Aye Milady!” And with that her horse charged off into the wilderness.

“Shadow?” Arthur inquired as we moved at a quick pace.

“She’ll scout ahead, and send Aristotle if she finds something.”

“And that is—“ A screech above as a Ferrugius Hawk soared past.

“She is skilled in Falconry, her family learned for many years in her home country. Normally their line uses Peregrine, but him...he's been with Belladonna alone, and each member has their own Falcon breed. Birds like that are the largest of hawks to be used for Falconry. And he is quite protective. She found him in Mexico.”

“Ha!” Javier seemed a bit stunned, “you all keep surprising us.”

“We are a surprising people. Javi.” I managed to find John’s trail and exhaled, “fuck he went up the mountain.” Just like the game.

Arthur rolled his eyes, “just like him to have someone dig his ass out of snow.”

I sighed, “Arthur take the middle, Javier take the front, I’ll watch the back.” And with a chiding look as he glanced over his shoulder. “This is what family does.” I noted as we lined up and began to trek up the mountainside, myself taking the end. “Javier do you see where the trail picks up?”

“Yes, he headed up this way.”

“We’ll have to leave the horses.” Arthur noted and I agreed, we got off and began to make our way further along a cliffside. “John!” Javi shouted.

“HELP! DOWN HERE!”

With that I took off, making sure to keep my movements swinging forward to help me trudge through the snow faster. “Mister Marston?” I called finding him on the ledge. “Awe poor puppy.”

“Puppy?! Who in the fuck are you?”

“A friend. Hold the fuck still. We don’t need you bleeding and bringing a bear. Wolves are a pain in the ass enough.” I gathered what I needed from my satchel and made him down a few tonics and salved him up with an antiseptic solution of old mans beard and golden thread. “That will have to do for now, I’ll need to draw any infection out at the cabin. Alright, come on.” I gripped under his arm and hauled him up. “Arthur!”

They were there reaching for him, Arthur laughing, “well now Marston, looks like ya got yer head ate by wolves. How much’a yer brains did they get?”

“Shut up Morgan.”

“You gonna have to come up with a better story for those scars.”

“Getting half eaten by wolves ain’t enough?”

“We got company gentlemen!” I shouted, ”Javier, Arthur— get him to the horses!”

“I got you.” Arthur had one shot down in seconds as the others charged down the slope.”

“BELLA!” A shrill whistle as a large hawk circled over head and dove into the eyes of one of the wolves screeching.

A black streak of horse and woman charged forward from behind us as she leapt off it's back, her body clad in leather padding as she took the tackle of a she-wolf head on while I dodged and sliced a death blow to a jugular. “Come on ya wee bitch!” Bella roared plunging a blade into it’s throat.

Aristotle soared high, blood splattering from his talons and across his feathers as Bella let out a snarl of glee when the final wolf was downed by a blade thunked into it’s throat.

Arthur shot down the final one, sighing and glancing at the two of us. “Remind me never to make her angry.” He mused as Bella ruffled Aristotle’s feathers and set him loose again, “that is a big bird.”

“He’s a beauty inn’e?” Bella asked fluffing her hair out and wiping blood off her face. “We ready?”

“Yes, John how you holding up?” I asked.

“Feel drunk.”

“Good that means it’s working.”

“Oh joy.” Was the sarcastic reply.

We managed to make it down the mountain, Belladonna staying to get the meat and pelts from the wolves.

“She gonna be alright?” Javier asked.

“Worry about the woodland creatures who piss her off.” I laughed.

“Bella?” Belial asked as we rode in, “ah…hunting.” He chuckled and walked off back towards the kitchen area.

Arthur sighed and leaned over to speak to me, “watch the golden boy not get a scolding despite holding up a job.”

Dutch of course was ecstatic John was back and Arthur rolled his eyes.

“Siblings?” I asked smiling.

“We both was raised by Dutch and Hosea. They taught us to read.”

“Awe, I can see that.” I smiled wide at him, and he returned with a shy smile back. He gets a bit of a playful look, “you know for someone so small you sure as hell take up a lot of space.” He sniffs and cocks a brow.

“You know for someone so big you can curl up on the edge of a bed real easy. Next time just huggle-up and I won’t have to latch on like a damn possum.”

It was the first time he genuinely laughed. “I’ll remember that little wolf.” He was glancing over my gear and had a look of confusion.

“Leather, protects quite well.”

“What ya goin to war?” He poked my arm guards and outer leg guards as well as the leather corset flicking a knife handle.

“Life is war.” I tilted my head.

“Hmph, ain’t that just bout right.”

As I was about to ask what he meant Belladonna zoomed into camp with furs and blood all over her. “I’m back!” She said prancing off her stallion Bairn.

I chuckled, “welcome back sister.”

“Didja see the pelt on that she-wolf?” She crowed tugging it off her horse, “it’s like ya hair milady, I should make a new cloak and we can trade.”

“I would like that thank you Bella.” She grinned and whistled for Aristotle who landed on her thickly gloved forearm. “There’s a good boy.”

Everyone in camp balked.

“Wah ya never seen’a damn bird afore?” She scoffed. “Come on pretty boy.” She was feeding him strips of wolf, “lessee what ya da is up ta.”

I rolled my eyes. “You get used to her.”

“Body can get used to anything…”

“Even hanging.” I finished and we laughed walking over to Hosea and Dutch.

“Got anymore maidens that need saving?” Arthur asked.

“No,” Hosea chuckled. “Thanks you three.”

“Javier tipped his hat and walked off as Arthur joined me in the cabin where Abigale tended to Marston.

“Alright, lemme work.” I shooed most people away, and grinned. “Marston this is gonna hurt like a bitch.”

“Ya aint gotta look like ya gonna enjoy it!”

Arthur chuckled, “I will.”

“Of course you would.” John muttered.

I forced willow bark tea down his throat, irrigated the wound with stinging solutions of horsetail and once it was cleaned I made a salve and packed it with bandages. “Don’t touch it. You’ll have a mark but congratulations you were chosen to bear them by a powerful creature. In our ways it means you are protected.”

“Sure felt like that when they bit me.”

“They could have killed you.” I said softly. “But they did not. They left. Think upon that. I do not play with coincidence or dice to tell me my fate rather that things happen for a reason.”

John pondered and cracked a slight grin. “Guess so.”

“Either way, get rest, I shall have Bel bring food, you need to gather your strength to heal.”

“Thank you.” Abigale clutched my hand tight and I nodded, “let Jack see his Pa.” I leveled a gaze at John, “I am sure he was quite worried for his father.”

John seemed to squirm under my direct gaze and I softened it before leaving.

“What was that?”

“It seemed there was some tension in regards to little Jack.” I said.

“That obvious?” Arthur huffed an annoyed sound.

“Yes, but Marston is young, he can learn.”

Arthur glanced me up and down, “hm.” Was all he said.

I really wished I could get into his head sometimes.

— - - - - - - - - - - -

Arthur grumbled, “some people learn too late.” And he walked away, his chest heavy with memories long past. “Other’s should be so lucky.”

She caught his hand, “Arthur, despite that lessons can be passed down to prevent more pain.” Her voice is soft, and that damned look she gives him— it’s not pity, he couldn’t stand it if it was but this is somehow worse— she has an air of understanding, an acceptance about her with him as if whatever he lays at her feet is perfectly fine.

“Maybe so.”

That hand retreats, she seems to be thinking as she chews her bottom lip looking at her feet for a moment.

“S-sorry I know I probably—“

“S’fine.” He assured her rubbing the back of his neck. “Just a hang up he and I have had.”

Lilith nodded, “my brother and I had something similar happen.”

“Oh?”

“Yes…but we managed to talk it out.” Arthur lets out a bark of harsh laughter.

“Me and him? Talk? Shoot, ya ain’t known us long but ya gonna see that’s a bit hard for us Van der Linde boys.”

“Oh that’s plain as day Mister Morgan. But as I said, everyone can learn.” A wink as she sauntered off.

“Damn woman.” He grumbles to himself striking a match on his boot to light up a smoke. He couldn’t make heads or tails of her as she checked in with Dutch and asked him several questions, Dutch did seem to be in a better mood, and she was always checking in with him— she said the word was deference. She acknowledged he was leader. But she herself led the two people she had.

Arthur had to admit the way she did things did scream leadership. It was rare to see such things. There wasn’t anything she herself wouldn’t do that she’d ask of others. Mucking a stall, hunting, ensuring people were clothed, mending, healing…Dutch hadn’t done that for a long time but he did get his hands dirty when needed.

It further solidified Arthur’s ideology that if women ran shit it might be a mite better, he glanced at Susan who was chatting with Hosea before she went off to screech at someone for not working hard enough.

Belladonna walked up to him and grinned, offering her hawk, “wanna pet’im, seems ta like ya.”

Arthur was never one to pass up petting an animal.

Shit he’d pet a bear if it wouldn’t rip his damn arm off.

“Sure, Aristotle was it?”

“Mmhm. He had many ideas of the stars that man. Mi’lady said it suited because this hawk could damn near fly to them with these wings.” She kissed the hawk who let out a little chirping sound as Arthur placed a warm finger against it’s chest feathers. The big raptor fluffed his feathers and crooned, leaning forward and nudging Arthur’s hand.

“Here, he likes meat.”

“Here boy.” Aristotle took the piece and gulped it down and flapped his wings before Bella let him go. “He just nests somewhere?”

“Oh aye, he has a mate somewhere, but I canna catch her, she is too fierce. But she hunts with him and has never left his side. They keep the same mates their whole life.” She smiled up at the sky and sure enough, a smaller hawk circled with him swooping and gliding. “Quite a sight.”

“Sure is.” Arthur grinned. “You all keep any other animals?”

“Oh aye, you should see the family wolves.”

Arthur paused as he walked by, “beg pardon?” He furrowed his brow.

“Milady found a pack of wolves who’s cubs were abandoned. She took them all in, they are the sweetest, deadly, but they are the comfiest things to snuggle with. Sometimes all four of them are with her.”

“And these are….ah…”

“No here. They in the wilds probably hunting, somewhere up north west in the Grizzlies. They look different, no from here. Timber wolves from the west. Darker coats. Then the wolf dogs…all except for Talla—they look like they wolf kin. She is almost a strawberry color but she’s half wolf and half some big dog from Alaska.”

“Been round a lot.”

“Aye, we been all over. The wolves are bout five or so now. Talla and her siblings are with her brothers, she breeds them.”

“Breeds wolves.”

“Just for the family.”

“Ah.” This family got weirder and weirder, “they guard? The wolves not the half breed ones.”

“No no, wolves are quite timid despite people thinking they fierce, unless the family is attacked, they no just go about attacking randomly, Talla and her siblings though, they were bred with a type’a dog that will protect their master anywhere, any time. Talla especially, her mate is a full wolf, but she is far fiercer than he.”

Arthur laughed, “you talk like they people.”

“You talk to yer horse like it’s people.”

She had him there. He kicked at the snow. “Never knew an animal to dislike it.”

Belladonna grinned, “you ken for a scary bastard, ye pretty nice.”

“Don’t know nuthin bout that.” Arthur snorted as he walked off.

Dinner was a lighter affair now that John was back, everyone celebrated with some whiskey and a meal of wolf steaks and deer meat. Arthur watched as everyone milled around, chatted, and tried to liven their spirits, the deaths of ones close still loomed— as did the damn frost.

Some spring this turned out to be.

He glanced at the three strangers who had dropped into their lives as he scribbled.

It is rather strange to be in the company of wolves.

I find that they are a gentle people unless provoked, despite their appearances, the females are far more aggressive then their male counterparts, as Belial seems to have a very playful nature, they all do in fact. Shoving at one another as they walk in the snow to push the other into a drift. Or leaping onto one another’s backs as they run off.

I have only seen wolves play once, when I came across a den by accident when the welping season came. Indulgent and confident in my spot I had used binoculars to watch a game of tag played by the pack. It is of similar air.

Hosea is doing alright, but I know the dark haired woman named Lilith is concerned, he is coughing a lot, and his breathing is labored, he stays indoors mostly under her direction, and she’s been shoving tonics into his mouth whenever he allows it. Seeming hell bent on keeping him alive.

John is alright, a pain in my backside still, but he’s lucky to be alive. … We all are.

Not sure what in hell happened on that boat, but whatever it was it weren’t good. Charles heard that a girl died. Dutch outright shot her…saying it needed to be done….

That ain’t like him…

The red head reminds me of Sean, I wonder where that Irish bastard got off to. Knowing him he’s probably found trouble. Davey…Jenny….Both gone in a matter of weeks….We lost folks before but not like this— so needlessly. They are calling it the Blackwater Massacre.

This family is strange, stranger still is the kindness they show everyone. It is gentle, despite their steel hard spines and unwavering eyes…unnerving eyes.

Eyes that gleam when they look at ya, like a beast’s catching firelight in the dark.

She looked at Micah as if he were nothing but an ant to be pitied for facing a mountain.

Wonder what that’s like….ain’t never said I was confident, I can fight with the best of em…

But I have a feeling this woman could give me a run for my money…

Half inclined to piss her off and find out…

#Arthur Morgan #My One/ My Bonded Part 01 Colter Ch 3 #My One/ My Bonded #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 #red dead redemption

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fmab-liveblog · 5 years ago

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Ey there’s that phrase again

Also love that literally everyone assume Al is the fullmetal alchemist lol

I don’t have much to say I just think Al’s total nonreaction is hilarious

Ed straight up beating a man with his own stick. Brutal. Meanwhile Alphonse has ruined a man’s dental work forever

And another bit with Al, dark-eyed, and Ed side by side. I wonder if it’s supposed to mean something thematically. I thought this was just Al’s disapproval face, but maybe not. Both times this has happened, Ed’s been telling a story about a legend. I’m not sure what to make of it.

I’m probably looking into it way too much considering they’ve got this exact pose with Cornello and Ed not ten seconds later

Gotta admire his commitment to a lie

Anywho, knowing the ending of the show, this line is really funny. Truth doesn’t seem to have very strong moral leanings, but they certainly don’t seem to appreciate people called Father messing around with the natural order using soul juice

Did. Did this minor villain parallel the overall plot of the entire series?

This is a clever couple little frames. I just wanted to appreciate it.

Just a pro tip, when someone uses the ‘My will is God’s will’ card, they’re generally lying. Especially when their will is to kill someone.

Just throwing that out there.

ESPECIALLY WITH THE FACE OF MALICE LIKE THIS LJKHG

And just like that, Rose is suddenly very sympathetic. She’s probably not normally a pushy ditz. She’s being manipulated by a very pushy, morally bankrupt man promising her the same thing that the Elric brothers lost their limbs and bodies for. It’s a nice frame - we don’t think any less of Ed and Al for what they did, and that makes Rose look much better than she originally did

Ed why are you staring broodily at the woman holding a gun to your head right after throwing a tantrum about being mistaken for the fullmetal’s sidekick.

ALPHONSE. YOU CAN GET SHOT ALL YOU WANT. WHY DIDN’T YOU LIE AND SAY YOU’RE THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST??? ED’S SQUISHY BRAIN CANNOT HANDLE A BULLET

I’m sorry this face is just sending me. None of my friends can agree on what it means. One suggested “Bitch are you serious”

They draw this particular emotion very well. It’s uncomfortable to watch. 10/10

Damn. That scream is chilling. I’m really picky about dramatic voice acting - normal conversations are fine, but like, even when the English VA for Ed is screaming in some of the scenes I kinda roll my eyes. This is not one of those times.

I’m. I’m very glad she shot Alphonse instead. I wonder whether Ed would’ve encouraged her to shoot if she was aiming at him... I’d hope not. As is, it was a great move. Al’s gonna be fine. Rose, however, is not.

Oh, shit. I wonder if this influences him being so adamant that Winry not kill Scar later.

Anyway, this show does a great job of not falling into that annoying trope where you have people committing horrible acts of violence, hesitate to shoot someone, and then are perfectly fine afterwards. This entire exchange is someone who is clearly unused to violence, does not want to be here, is doing it anyway and has immediate regret. I normally have a hard time relating to these kinds of characters because they’re rarely done well, but damn. I have a whole new appreciation for Rose

And that’s a great cliffhanger! Will have more tomorrow

#fmab #fmab liveblog #ep03 #rose #Edward elric

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remywrites5 · 5 years ago

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@cuddlingdeath For Lexy who has been having a bad week. I pitched this idea to her earlier today and she thought it was cute so I wrote it for her. Hope you like it!!

***

“Have you ever thought about getting a service animal?” Natasha asked with no preamble as if they were in the middle of a conversation. Natasha was Bucky’s physical therapist and had been helping him work with his new prosthetic arm. She also happened to be the closest thing Bucky had to a friend since returning from the war.

“Not really,” Bucky said with a shrug, twisting his prosthetic arm and curling the fingers of it to check the mobility. He’d only had the thing for a few days and seeing it move was still alarming. Shuri, who had designed it for him, had done an amazing job. Bucky was almost afraid of damaging it. Not that there was much call for concern now that he’d been discharged.

Nat watched him while tapping her finger against her chin pensively. “You should,” she told him. “I think it would be good for you. I know someone who trains them. I could inquire whether he has any ready for service.”

Bucky’s brow furrowed. “Why are you pushing this?” he asked, flicking his hair out of his face. When it came to his personal life, Nat had quite a few suggestions, more than she probably should have, but she was never so pushy about them.

“When was the last time you spent a night where you weren’t alone?” she asked pointedly.

Bucky ducked his head, knowing the answer was months. His sister Becca had visited him back in around Christmas. It was already almost summer. “What’s your point?”

“Maybe it’s time to stop being so isolated, James.”

Bucky frowned. “I got to the meetings at the VA,” Bucky reminded her. He didn’t mention that he never spoke at the meetings, just listened to other people’s stories, and had never said much to the other guys there. Sam, the guy who ran the meetings was a good sort and liked to tease Bucky mercilessly.

“You need something that’s just yours,” Nat insisted, pulling her phone out and typing something quickly out. Bucky didn’t even have to ask, he knew Nat was texting her friend. “You’ve got an appointment with him tomorrow morning at 10am. If I find out you don’t go I’ll make another appointment and I’ll drag your ass down there.”

Bucky sighed and dragged his hand down his face in aggravation. He didn’t doubt Nat would do it, too. “Fine, I’ll go.”

***

Nat texted him the address that night and told him to ask for Steve. Bucky woke up the next morning and got dressed, only using his right arm. He still wasn’t used to the left one yet. Once he realized it he ate his breakfast only with his left arm, feeling guilty that Shuri had gone to so much trouble to make the arm for him, just for him to ignore it completely.

It wasn’t too long of a drive seeing as this place was also in Brooklyn. Bucky paid the cab driver and stepped out in front of a cute little brick house with matching front steps and a white door. He dragged his ass up the steps, knowing it would be much more unpleasant doing this with Nat forcing him to.

He rapped his knuckles of his right hand on the door, still not used to the strength of his left, and not wanting to bust the damn thing open accidentally. As he waited for someone to answer, he flexed the fingers on his left hand, watching the robotic limbs stretch and pull apart at his command. He felt like something out of a fucking science fiction movie with that hand. Part Terminator.

Bucky jumped slightly when the door opened, having been distracted by his new robot hand. He had to keep his jaw from dropping when he got his first good look at Steve. When Bucky had pictured Steve he had thought of maybe a middle aged man, maybe someone retired who trained dogs as something to do to stave off boredom. He was not prepared for…this.

Steve was six foot, his chest and biceps practically threatening to bust through the shirt he was wearing, his blond hair combed and his smile warm.

Bucky was going to kill Natasha the next time he saw her.

“Hi,” Steve said, stepping out onto the front stoop and closing the door behind him. “Sorry, I just got some newer dogs in and they’re not trained enough not to bolt for the door when company comes around. You must be Bucky.”

“Yeah,” Bucky said dumbly, trying his damnedest not to stare at Steve. “Sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Steve asked, his grin widening.

“I don’t know,” Bucky responded with a shrug.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Steve assured him. He opened the door back up and ushered Bucky inside quickly. As soon as they were in a few small dogs came up and started jumping towards Bucky, their tails wagging excitedly. Off to the side a few older dogs were sitting at attention, their eyes on Bucky, but remaining still.

There was a German Shepherd that caught Bucky’s eye immediately. The dog was one of the older ones and had an air of confidence about her. But even so the dog had a sweet face. “Sorry,” Steve said with a knowing grin. “That’s Sarah and she’s my dog. Couldn’t get rid of her even if I tried.”

Steve went over and gave the dog a pat on the head. “She’s the leader of the pack,” he explained, crouching down and giving her a scratch behind the ear. “She helps me train the new recruits, keeps everyone in line.”

Bucky felt like his fucking heart was actually melting in his chest from watching Steve with the dog. A few of the other younger dogs had hurried over in hope that Steve would pay attention to them as well. Steve stood up and looked meaningfully at the young pups. “Sit,” he said, curling his hand into a fist and then bringing it up towards his chest. The puppies sat but their tails still wagged, showing their uncontrollable excitement.

Steve laughed and gave each of the puppies a treat. Bucky thought he might just fucking explode if he kept watching Steve be adorable with the dogs. Steve finished passing out the treats and then looked at Bucky. “So, who catches your eye?”

Bucky walked over and stood next to Steve. Steve gave him a few commands to give to each dog and see how they responded to him. There was an absolutely gorgeous chocolate lab with huge brown eyes that Bucky felt some kinship with. “That’s Charlie,” Steve said with a knowing smile. “He’s second in command around here after Sarah. There is one stipulation with him if you decide to take him.”

“Oh?” Bucky asked, making Charlie shake for the third time in a row. “And what’s that?”

“You have to come back and visit,” Steve said, laughing softly. “I’ve had Charlie for six years and I’d miss him terribly if he never came back. But I have a feeling you need him so I’ll let him go home with you.”

Bucky thought he could handle that.

***

Bucky absolutely loathed the smug look Nat had on her face when Bucky brought Charlie to his next PT appointment. Charlie sat patiently in the corner on a mat while Bucky did his usual movements with Nat. He was always cautious about petting Charlie with his left hand, terrified he might do it too hard and hurt the dog. Charlie seemed to catch on to this and always only positioned himself on Bucky’s right.

“So, how did it go with Steve?” Nat asked halfway through their session.

Bucky rolled his eyes. “It went fine, I got the stupid dog like you asked. Nothing else happened.” He felt bad about calling Charlie stupid considering just how smart the dog was. But he mostly just wanted Nat to drop the subject.

Nat raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at him. “Steve’s your type though, isn’t he?”

Bucky sputtered. “Why would you think that?” he asked defensively. His mind wandered back to Steve and just how often he thought about that stupidly beautiful man. It’s not like Nat was in his head though, right?

Nat laughed. “Come on James, I’ve been around you enough to notice what catches your eye.”

Bucky groaned and covered his face with his good hand. “Please Nat, tell me you didn’t send me over there just to try and set me up with Steve.”

When Bucky lowered his hand Nat was back to having that unbearable smug look on her face. “It was more of a two birds with one stone kind of situation.”

Bucky shook his head. “You’re unbelievable.”

Nat ignored him. “So did you get his number?” she asked, grinning conspiratorially. “Because I could give it to you if you chickened out.”

“No, I got his number,” Bucky snapped at her grumpily. He didn’t bother to mention that the only reason he’d gotten Steve’s number was because Steve had offered it up gladly. It was so Bucky would make arrangements to bring Charlie by for visits.

“Good,” Nat told him, nodding her approval. “You deserve something good, James.”

Bucky smiled and tried to believe her.

***

It had been several play-dates so far (for the dogs Bucky reminded himself after having slipped up and called it that in front of Nat. The teasing had been endless) and Bucky still hadn’t gotten the courage up to do more than answer Steve when he talked. Bucky used to be so good at flirting back in high school but since returning from the war, his confidence was more or less shattered.

Although Bucky felt more comfortable around Steve than he did most people. After having gotten over the initial awkwardness of Steve being fucking beautiful they’d actually gotten along pretty well. Bucky was still an asshole and sometimes he’d say something rude or stop the conversation dead in its tracks when he didn’t like where it was going.

But Steve took it all in stride, never letting it bother him when Bucky said something rude. He’d just call Bucky a jerk fondly like the word was a term of endearment. A weaker man might have blushed from the way Steve said it.

“So Buck,” Steve said, carefully nudging his shoulder against Bucky’s. “You gonna stay for dinner?”

They were sitting on Steve’s back stoop watching the dogs play in the fenced in yard. “Depends,” Bucky said teasingly. “You gonna make something edible?”

Steve scowled at him. “I was going to make burgers on the grill, but if you’re going to be a pain, I won’t.”

Bucky grinned and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “I guess I could do dinner.”

***

They were lounging under a tree at the dog park, Charlie sitting obediently on Bucky’s right, while Sarah had made herself comfortable across Steve’s lap. They were both flushed from running with the dogs. Steve looked devastating with the apples of his cheeks tinged pink and a lazy smile playing on his lips.

“Can I tell you a secret, Buck?” Steve asked softly.

“Sure,” Bucky said with a shrug.

“I’ve been meaning to kiss you for a while now,” Steve told him, risking a glance over to see Bucky’s reaction.

Bucky bit his bottom lip. “What’s stopping you, Rogers?”

Steve’s smile widened triumphantly. “Nothing, I suppose.”

Bucky brought his hand up and cupped Steve’s cheek, surprising himself when he noticed it was his left hand. But Steve didn’t seem to mind it. “Go on then,” Bucky challenged tauntingly.

Steve’s lips were soft when he finally rose to the challenge, his mouth warm and his tongue red hot as it slid against Bucky’s. The kiss was sweet and so damn affectionate and better than anything Bucky’s ever had in his entire miserable life. And Steve better of been planning to keep Bucky because he was pretty sure he was ruined for anyone else for the rest of his life.

He managed to jokingly tell Steve as much and the grin he got in return was so fucking open and earnest that he wanted to make fun but couldn’t. Instead he just kissed Steve some more because he was allowed to and it was perfect.

He knew he was going to owe Nat one hell of a thank you. Maybe Steve could help him come up with something that didn’t sound sarcastic.

#Stucky #I write things #fluff #cuddlingdeath #steve rogers x bucky barnes #Modern Setting #unprompted #long post

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forwardtillthefinish · 5 years ago

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One City Half Marathon Recap

Last year, I won an entry to the One City Marathon Relay. Already dealing with injuries and an over crowded schedule, my relay partner and I decided to defer to this year. In deferring there was an option to run the half which seemed like more fun than doing the relay.

I didn’t think to stay in Newport News the night before and really figured that I could just drive down the morning of and then back post race. Due to being pretty close to Richmond, this plan worked out just fine.

I arrived to the parking garage around 5:45pm and met up with Anne before hitting the bus. Shoutout to Anne for picking up my packet for me the day before. It was a busy weekend so I went into the weekend not as on it as I normally am. From the garage, we walked over to the line of buses and were directed by volunteers to the right bus.

One City is a point to point (which is impressive for a full marathon when you think about it) so the half, relay and marathon buses were going to different spots. The half went to a local high school which meant the building was open, warm and had real bathrooms.

I guess I didn’t realize how small this race was going to be but it was a nice change of pace to just migrate to the start line right before the race. Maybe less than 5 minutes later we were off. Of course I ended up towards the back but I wasn’t too worried about that because I wanted to look at this race as the first of many long runs working towards Three Days at the Fair.

The course did not have a ton of spectators or even scenery but it was nice and flat, we’ll supported by volunteers and the Newport News Police Department. I’m pretty sure there were two- three officers at each intersection. Near CNU campus, a man tried to pull out near me and an officer literally sprinted towards the driver to get them to redirect. Throughout the race, there were bikers that were checking in with the back of the half and notified us when the marathon front runners were coming behind us. I greatly appreciated that level of support.

Also, SO MANY CONES. I have never seen a full 13.1 mile course with that many cones. Y’all it was wild. I don’t know how or where they would event store that many.

The last mile or so was interesting as the 8k, half and full marathon merged. It really would only be an issue for someone who is a slower half marathoner or a speedy marathoner. And before I knew it, you turned a quick corner and there was the finish.

I had originally planned to grab some food and one beer and head home but the after party really sucked me in. I caught up with a woman that I met in the first couple miles of the race, talked to some friends from VA Beach and decided which food trucks to get my runner food from. There was a pizza truck, taco truck, baked goods and other options.

The recovery tent had samples of deodorant, a make your own trail mix station AND had at least 8 massage therapists with real tables so that people could get a massage without being in line or a waiting list. I got one of the best post race massages I have ever gotten at a finish line. It made my car ride home so much less miserable. There were even a ton of yoga mats and foam rollers if you wanted to use them.

I found some other Richmond runners and had another beer and some more food. We found spots to sit in the tent where there was a DJ. He did a great job of entertaining the runners and small children of the runners with a Frozen mix. Sounds lame but it lead to a dance and sing a long.

I shuffled to my car (which was perfectly positioned like a block away) and rode home. I later looked at my pace, and time and reflected on how I felt. And honestly, I felt good, pushed when I felt like it and ultimately felt in control of my race. Not my fastest or slowest but I am quite satisfied and would recommend this race to anyone looking for a easy going half with solid support and finish line party.

#marathons #plussizedrunners #ultramarathon #trainingrun #marathon #fitnessprotectionllc #procompression #nuunambassador #teamroadid #spibeltambassador

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lyndsaybones · 6 years ago

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All These Years, Part 12 and Epilogue

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11

Dallas, TX 2011

Mulder looks through the garage door window and sees a tuft of curly dark hair belonging to the same woman who confronted him in Scully’s room earlier.

“You stay here,” he says as he takes Scully’s gun.

Scully nods and wraps her arms around Mike.

He pushes the door open and enters the murky garage. Lucy’s face is tense and tear streaked.

“Luce, it’s gonna be okay,” he says, holding out a hand.

“Why would you tell her something like that?” Katie says with a smirk. “You oughtta know how many times that’s turned out to be a lie,” she says to the side of Lucy’s head.

“Don’t listen to her, Lucy. It’s gonna be alright,” he says. “What do you want?” he asks.

“I think you already know,” she says, still smiling.

“You can’t have her,” he says.

“God, I coulda taken her out anytime,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“You can’t have him either,” he says, barely containing his rage.

“I just wanna borrow him,” she says. “Just to pick his little brain is all.”

“I’ll bet,” he nearly growls. “Not gonna happen.”

“I can see why you’d be hesitant. You two did a good job hiding him all this time. But then you didn’t know what I know.”

“What do you know?” he asks between clenched teeth.

“That they’re connected, psychically bonded. There’s a gene marker for it, did you know that?” she says. “You’re just a carrier, but those two, they’re special,” she adds.

“You. Can’t. Have. Him,” he spits each word.

On the other side of the door, Scully pulls the boy closer to her, squeezes hard.

“It’s okay. No one is going to hurt you,” she whispers into his hair.

He wraps his arms around her and squeezes back. “No one’s gonna hurt you either,” he says.

“Why don’t you come on out here, Dana?” Katie calls. “It’d sure be a shame if you had another seizure,” she warns.

Scully ignores the threat and begins to rock the boy. “It’s okay,” she says again. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Mike pulls back a moment, places his hands on her cheeks and studies her deeply.

She blinks and just for a moment, can see the soft, sleepy face of her baby.

“I always knew you were alive,” he says, just above a whisper.

“I never wanted to leave you,” she nearly sobs.

He nods and tucks himself back into her embrace. She gasps softly, holding the tears at bay.

In the garage, Lucy struggles to stay upright as Katie tightens her grip. Her shoes slip and skid against the slick floor.

“Let her go, she has nothing to do with this,” Mulder warns.

Katie chuckles again and holds up a phone positioned in her left hand.

“One way or another, I’m gonna get what I want,” she says.

She swipes her thumb across the screen, which comes to life with a strobing white light. On the other side of the door, he can hear Scully cry out.

“A prolonged seizure will kill her,” Katie says.

“The tumor…”

“Isn’t a tumor,” she says. “It’s an implant. And it has one job.”

“Dad!” Mike yells. “Dad, help her!”

“Yeah, Dad,” she mocks. “You just got her back. It’d be a real shame to have her die all over again.”

He slowly backs up and looks through the window. Scully is on her back, jolting and jerking as if she’s been electrocuted. Mike is on his knees next to her, watching in horror as she twitches.

“That bond of theirs means it won’t be long before he starts seizing too,” Katie warns.

That’s all it takes.

He levels the weapon and squeezes the trigger. One shot. The sound makes his ears ring and the echo in the cavernous parking garage is all he can make out at first.

Like surfacing from underwater, things become clear again. Lucy is screaming, bawling for all she’s worth. Auggie is banging on the car window so hard that he could probably shatter it.

Katie is on the ground, an ever expanding pool of blood spreading from the back of her ruined skull. The screen of her phone flickers and goes black.

Two Days Later:

She opens her eyes, slowly, and realizes that she is back in her hospital bed. There is a moment of sheer panic. She can hear the monitors blaring as she sits up and tries to orient herself.

“Whoa, Sarah, slow down,” a voice says.

She looks up and sees the deeply concerned face of Adam Hamilton.

“Wha-” she breathes. “What happened?”

“It’s okay,” he says. “You’re okay now. We got it.”

“Got what?” she gasps.

He holds up a specimen jar and inside, a piece metal, about the size of a quarter and the shape of a river stone, smooth and rounded.

“It was right up against your vagus nerve,” he says as he sits up on the edge of the bed. “Whatever Katie was doing to you, stops now.”

She realizes that her head is wrapped in gauze, prodding gently at the bulk of it behind her ear.

“Where’s...what about…” she doesn’t even know what to ask.

“They’re getting some rest at the hotel...your son and his father,” he says tentatively.

“They’re okay?” she asks.

“Just fine,” he says. “Mike’s been on watch for hours. Poor kid was half asleep in that chair last night.”

“He’s alright? No seizure activity?” she asks.

“We gave him another scan and EEG to be sure, but he’s perfectly fine. Totally normal results,” he assures her.

A tear escapes and she nods.

“You uh...you’re going to leave, aren’t you?” he asks.

“I- I don’t know,” she sighs.

“I didn’t get it before, why you kept your heart so guarded,” he says. “I get it now.”

She nods. “I never knew who I could trust.”

“That’s a terrible way to live,” he says. “You deserve some peace.”

She nods and settles back into the bed a bit.

“How did you know he’s my son?” she asks.

“I knew it the second I saw him,” he says with a chuckle. “He even does that thing with his eyebrow. I dropped a couple of hints to his dad and hoped things would work themselves out.”

“Thank you, Adam,” she sighs. “You’ve always been better to me than I’ve been to you.”

He nods and stands up. “You’ll be discharged in a couple days,” he says. “And if I don’t see you again, I’ll be sad, but I’ll understand. It was a pleasure, Sarah.”

“Dana,” she corrects. “My name is Dana.”

He nods, looking suddenly quite touched. “Dana, nice to finally meet you.”

She sniffles a little as he goes.

It’s been so long since she’d been called by her name that she felt like Dana Scully might have really and truly died.

The door opens again and it is Mulder, just Mulder, with a skittish smile on his face.

“Hey,” he says, his voice quiet, maybe a little awestruck.

“Hi,” she responds, feeling her stomach flip. “Where’s Wi-Mike?” she corrects.

“Making the most of his time in the pool with Auggie and Lucy,” he says as he perches on the edge of her bed.

“Lucy,” she says cautiously. “She’s your…”

“Friend,” he finishes. “Good friend.”

“You two aren’t um…”

“Uh no...I’m not her type,” he says, laughing somewhat nervously. “You’re more her type,” he adds.

“Oh,” she responds, catching his meaning. “And Auggie is her son?”

“Nephew, she took custody of her niece and nephew when her brother and sister in law died. Auggie and June.”

“August and June?” she asks, quirking a little smile.

He nods in affirmation. “Lucy talked me into going to grief counseling after you...after she saw that I was struggling with…” The air shifts, her breath tightens. “I went to your funeral, Scully.”

“And I went to yours,” she sighs. “I know that doesn’t make us even. Anywhere near even.”

“I don’t want to get even, Scully. I just want you. I want you to come home and get to know your son.”

“Don’t you think I would if I could?” she says, her voice coming out in a soft tremble. “Someone paid her to do that. To watch me, to hurt me. Just because Katie is gone doesn’t mean that it’s over.”

“It is,” he says, taking her hand.

She shakes her head and a sob escapes.

“I missed,” he says.

“Missed what?” she asks.

“I took a shot at Katie and missed. Mike did it. Mike stopped her,” he says, very solemnly.

Her jaw bobs and she cannot produce a sound.

“Nothing is going to happen to him. Nothing is going to happen to any of us,” he says, squeezing her hands.

Epilogue:

Woodstock, VA 2013

Coming back from the dead is a process, a long one. It took more than a year to bring the entire Mulder-Scully clan back certifiable legal status.

They left Farr’s Corner, the little house where they were the Smiths and bought a new place in Woodstock. A couple of acres and couple more bedrooms. A fresh start.

Mike still goes by Mike. It’s all he’s ever known. Scully was tearful, however, upon discovering that his middle name was William.

Aside from the mountains of paperwork and legal fees, by far, the hardest part was reaching out to her mother, trying to explain that not only was her daughter alive this whole time, but so was her grandson. They started with phone conversations, quiet, tearful talks, apologies uttered in a litany of sniffles and sobs.

They’ve worked their way up to this moment with painstaking care and preparation. But she can still feel her heart thumping in her spine.

She fusses with her hair in the mirror that hangs in the foyer, simply because she has nothing else to fuss with. The house is immaculate, the evening’s meal is cooking in the oven, there’s nothing else to do but wait.

“You okay?” he asks as he wraps his arms around her from behind. She makes eye contact in the mirror and sighs.

He gives her a little squeeze and hunches to tuck his chin against her shoulder.

“Nervous?” he asks.

She nods, swipes a tear from her eye. She opens her mouth to answer, but is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. He drops a kiss on her cheek and whispers against her skin.

“Breathe,” he says as he pulls away to answer the door.

Her attention is pulled to the sound of Mike thumping down the stairs at mach speed. He looks less and less like a little boy these days. He’s taller than her now and outweighs her too. He’s built like Mulder, tall, lean. They even move the same way. She found herself in perpetual and utter awe discovering all the little things about her son. He stands at the bottom of stairs, bouncing on his heels a little. He’s never had any family beyond his father, this is a whole new world for him.

Maggie Scully is already crying as Mulder hugs her and ushers her inside. Mother and daughter are drawn together like a pair of magnets, wrapping around one another in a fierce embrace.

“Mike,” Mulder beckons, waving his son to come off the stairs.

“Mom,” Scully says, pulling away with a sob. “This is your grandson.”

Maggie wipes her eyes and offers him a wide smile. “Hello Michael,” she says, opening her arms.

“Hi,” Mike answers tentatively before giving her a cautious hug.

“You look like your uncle Charles, do you know that?” she asks with a teary smile.

“Yeah, Mom told me,” he says, a little shy.

They give Maggie the grand tour before settling in at the dining room table. Mother and daughter sit close together throughout, alternating between holding hands and leaning into one another.

They head to the living room for dessert and quiet discussion of the holidays ahead, how to ease Mike into the chaos of a big family gathering.

“Oh I almost forgot! I need to give you something,” Maggie says suddenly.

Scully quirks an eyebrow and pulls back as Maggie stands up and digs into her pocket. She holds her clasped hand out to her daughter and sits back down. Scully holds out her hand to receive a puddle of gold in her palm. She gasps when she realizes what she’s holding.

“Your friend John gave that to me,” she says softly. “I thought you might want it back.”

She can barely stop the tears from coming as she nods. Mulder gets up and takes the necklace from her, helps her secure it at the back of her neck, tracing the scar there as he does.

“I’m never taking it off again,” she says.

“When are we telling Grandma about the baby?” Mike interjects.

“Baby?” Maggie asks, eyes wide.

“I guess now,” Scully says with a shocked chuckle. “We didn’t even tell you about the baby yet, Mike.”

He shrugs and looks down at his tablet. “I’ve known forever.”

She looks back at Mulder, her eyes asking if he was the one to spill the beans. Mulder’s mouth sits in a tight smile as he shakes his head.

“I told you there’s no use trying to keep anything from him,” he says.

“I guess not,” Scully says with a sigh as she turns to her mother. “I’m sorry mom, I didn’t want to spring another surprise on you already.”

Maggie laughs and hugs her close. “Don’t you dare apologize, Dana. Not anymore.”

#my writing #all these years #welp #there it is #thanks everyone!

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furederiko · 5 years ago

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"Shin Sakura Taisen Rekidai Kayoushuu" Review (Part 2)

SEGA boldly (or is it a risky move?) introduces new Kagekidans that represent new cities with this game. Not one or two, but just THREE for now, with a fourth one debuting later in the Spring TV series. Track 4 to 6 of the album are specifically slotted for these new heroines...

Contrary to reports in various sites that had reported them as such, in my opinion, these are definitely NOT character image songs. Kouhei Tanaka-sensei has openly referenced them as "[City Name] GEKITEI". So these sit in line with Paris Kagekidan's "Mihata no Moto ni" and New York Kagekidan's "Chijou no Senshi". Whatever happens to those teams, by the way? Hmmm...

One might argue that unlike "Shin GEKITEI", only one member sings these songs. But they seem to forget one thing: Sakura Shinguuji sang solo on the first vanilla version of that song. I don't know what the future holds, but there's a possibility that in the sequel(s), we might get another take of these songs that incorporate other members of their teams. For two of them, at least. We'll just have to wait and see. For now, let's embark on a globetrotting journey!

Niji no Kanata (Other Side of the Rainbow) by. Huang Yui (Sumire Uesaka)

As soon as I heard the full version, I wasn't completely sure how I felt about it. Surprisingly, I think I enjoyed the short MV version better. When SEGA started releasing one MV after another, starting from Berlin to this one, "Shanghai GEKITEI" totally stole my attention. I proudly declared it as my favorite of the three. Perhaps because the verses felt more concise (with less instrumental parts) that made it sound more... kickass? Even though it had a somewhat odd lyric, which you will understand why. This full-length version somehow exuded a different vibe. The verses were longer, which was the bit that I'm not too fond of. On the other hand, the lyrics flowed better and made more sense. And then there's an issue with Yui's voice. She had a playful and childlike tone in "Aratanaru". Assuming that's her who got the shortest line in the interlude, of course. I prefer the more gallant take that she used here, but the inconsistency threw me off. Suffice to say, I had to hear it a few times to finally get the hang of it. But goodness gracious, the Chinese vibe, which was even stronger (that should be obvious, I know! Ahaha), never failed to win me over. Just like the verses, the instrumental portions were also longer, thus giving it a slower and elegant pace. That serenading sound of Erhu just hit my soft spot every single time, likely resonating with some part of my genes. Combined that with a blast of modern instruments, and it blew me away. I sure want to see a live orchestra perform this with a Chinese theatre dance to accompany it! Its lyrics, courtesy of Ouji Hiroi, carried a similar message of Teito, Paris, and New York themes. Protect the city, its people, and seize the dream. Why does the title use 'Rainbow', though? Especially considering 7, while being a good number for a relationship, is considered as unlucky in Mandarin (ghost month). The key is in the kanji for 'Rainbow', because it is also known as 'Hong' or 'Jiang', the name of a two-headed dragon in Chinese mythology. And what does the symbol of Shanghai Kagekidan look like? Yep, a DRAGON! So while in Japanese it literally translates as "Other Side of the Rainbow", the context also points to it being "Other Side of the Dragon". Even though it might take me a while to get used to this, and it's no longer my number one, it's an amazing piece nonetheless. I'm old, so I'm not familiar with Sumire Uesaka's pop songs. But so far, I haven't heard her sang a song like this. As Kouhei-sensei had stated, these new "GEKITEI" were composed to challenge the VAs vocal prowess. That seems to be the case here, to which Uesaka did a great job! PS: Wikipedia told me that Uesaka is a fan of Russia. I wonder how she would feel if she was cast as a leader of the Moscow Kagekidan instead?

Entaku no Kishi (Knights of the Round Table) by. Lancelot (Manami Numakura)

Just like the previous song, I had a completely opposite reaction to this as well. It honestly took a while for me to like or even understand the London Kagekidan theme when its official MV first came out. This full anthem also sounds different but in a far more positive light! How so? The second Westminster Bells kicked off, my mouth grinned so wide. Then the music slowly developed into that familiar tone, but continued to build up even more with meticulous touches and flares of fanfare, horns, trumpets, and an electrifying mix of the electric guitar. And suddenly I was transported into the medieval era, with images of brave knights flashing on my mind, en route for a battle to protect the land. Daaaang... Kouhei-sensei totally knows how to make something sound so graceful, yet gallant and rich, huh?! A sensation that young'uns nowadays would easily call 'EPIC'. My lingering issue with this song remains as-is: Manami Numakura's voice. Don't get me wrong, she is a wonderful VA with a unique vocal tone (Kohaku in "Dr. STONE", right?). I'm just not a fan of her singing voice, never was since her Idolmaster days. Even when it's my least favorite part of the song, that tomboy-ish charm blends perfectly with the song and gives it a distinct sound. The end result is something that continues to delight me and puts a smile on my face. Oh, what about the title, you ask? I think it's obvious enough. London Kagekidan is clearly based on the tales of King Arthur. Arthur is (likely, the code-name of) its blond-haired, high priest-dressed Captain, while our female lead here is the loyal Lancelot. It intrigued me when the lyrics, by Shouko Fujibayashi, mentioned 12 knights just like its lore. Does the team really have that many members? Assuming it will feature in the sequel, that would be fun to see. Then again, Idolmaster started out with 10(+1) idols, so I'm sure Lancelot would fit along just fine! Hahahaha... PS: Do you think that echoing bell at the intro and interlude sound convincing? Well, Kouhei-sensei said they actually recorded it at the actual location! Another good reason to appreciate this song.

Kurogane no Hoshi (Iron Star) by. Elise (Nana Mizuki)

*standing ovation* This. This IS a SCARY song! And by scary, I mean what a challenge it IS to pull off. Imagine trying to do at least an okay job at this in a karaoke booth? Godspeed. Nuh-uh, I don't think this song will work without Nana Mizuki's powerful vocals. Not just because I'm a fan of her, or have always wanted her to be part of this franchise. But I love Elise because she adds that much-needed heavier tone to the cast. Her brief but scene-stealing lines in "Aratanaru" proved that notion. You could easily recognize her voice amidst the chorus. If you think the short MV version (the actual first 1:20 minutes) that you see above already sounds amazing, just wait till you hear the middle part of this song. It slowed down, with various strings gently swayed you to enter another realm. Then it went FULL OPERA, with a piercing vocal work that would send nothing but genuine shivers to your soul! Goosebumps. All the time. The music had clear influences of Wagner's compositions, and those who are at least aware of classical music (or have seen "ClassicaLoid Season 2" Hahaha) would probably notice that almost immediately. Song of Valkyrie, anyone? Because of that, Kouhei-sensei personally did the arrangement for this number, seeing that it required a full-blown orchestra ensemble. Sensei showed the first part of the music sheets during one of the Teigeki Report, and I had a feeling it must've blown away everyone who saw it. I mean, Seijuurou Kamiyama's VA Youhei Azakami was literally jaw-dropped. He also revealed that Nana went above and beyond on that last high note, hitting it longer than she was supposed to, in time for the grand orchestra finish. Seriously, goosebumps. It is certainly one of the highlights of the album, and you DEFINITELY need to listen to this. Also, this is the only Kagekidan theme that I'm not sure can work as a group song. It IS still a Berlin Kagekidan song, proclaiming the might and power of the team that started it all. But can it be performed by a team of Hoshigumi? Dealing with that complicated lyrics by Shouko Fujibayashi ("...Schwarzer Stern, kurogane no hoshi..."), and fast-paced tempo will undoubtedly leave them breathless. Now I'm patiently counting the days to see Nana perform this in a live concert! Mindblown... PS: By the way, original Hanagumi's "Dream/Yume no 1 Pound" and Kanadegumi's "Enbukyoku, Kimi ni" came to mind when I tried to analyze this song. Presumably due to that middle part, which is true to Kouhei-sensei's style. You'll be hearing that magic touch of him again in some of the next tracks.

Next: the curtain rises for the Shin Hanagumi ladies!

Video is available on SEGA Official Youtube Channel. "Shin Sakura Taisen" is produced by SEGA, and RED Entertainment. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

#music #review #sakura wars #Sakura Taisen #Shin Sakura Wars #shin sakura taisen #project sakura wars #awesome #mind blown

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calliecat93 · 7 years ago

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Callie Reviews: TMNT 2012 Season One (Part Three)

(Part One) (Part Two)

Here is where we look at the season as a whole. For this, I will be looking at four things: Animation, Voice Acting, Characters (Heroes, Villains), and Story. I’ll be going more into depths about some stuff I skimmed over here as well. So lets dig in!

Animation

This is the Turtles first CGI show... okay yeah the 2007 movie was CGI, but that was a movie. When I first heard this, I was reluctant as I felt like 2D was becoming more and more of a lost out. But the CGI was really good! Mind you it looks a tad bit dated now as every season they pushed more and more to improve it. But still, it’s very well done. I can’t recall any point where I thought it looked bad or cringy...aside form when they wanted you to cringe anyways. What helps is that the show does add in some 2D elements, There’s the comic-style flashbacks of course, but even past that. They use these anime-like quirks like the sweatdrop, blushing, wide blank eyes when reacting in shock, vein burst when a character is angry, all these tiny little things that give it a more cartoony feel. I can’t recall any other Nickelodeon CGI shows that were doing this prior, so it helped it stand out among the other shows.

Another plus side? The character designs. Aside from a few background characters they re-colored, none of the important characters look the same. Like I know that some don’t like April’s design, but at least they gave her and Karai their own distinct character designs. Then there are the Turtles. Something I don’t like about the upcoming show is how much.. accessorizing they add in to make the Turtles look distinctive. 2k12 kept it very simple. Different heights, eye color, shade of green, and of course body build. For example Donnie, the genius who is mroe invested with machines than training, is both the tallest and most slender. Raph, the strongest, is the most buff and Mikey, the youngest, has larger eyes and freckles to show his child-like nature.And even with Raph,a ll four boys have kind of high school athlete-like builds. Nothing over the top like say... the Michael Bay films. Basically, I can believe that these guys can do the ninja-like agility more than I can with the overly buff, giant versions that have been used.

When ti comes to the mutants, the animators get creative. There are so many unique mutant sin the show. Snakeweed, Spyder Bytez, Dogpound, Fishface, Splinter, Leatherhead, all the mutants have their own unique design that work for them. They also know when to get creepy, like with the mish-mash... thing... from The Alien Agenda. That was disturbing as heck, and it’s not even the creepiest one they come up with! Oh just wait for next season, haha... but yeah, mutant designs are great!

Now the settings are kinda... meh. I mean The Lair is cool, but it’s mostly just either the the Lair, the New York landscape, Shredder’s lair, or an empty warehouse most of the time. It’s nothing really... creative I guess is the right word. We also don’t explore new York much, mainly settling on skyscrapers as the setting. It’s understandable why since New York is the setting, but still it juts gets kind of boring after awhile. But for what it’s worth, they do try to do creative stuff when they can like in Baxter’s Gambit with the black and white screens.

And of course, there is the fight choreography. As I said before, it’s fantastic. All the fights in the series are fluid, well-paced, and fun to watch. If I had to give some examples off the top of my head, there’s New Friend, Old Enemy when the Turtles rise form the water. The mix of black and red is absolutely perfect. There’s the first fight against Shredder in The Gauntlet which despite the boys getting constantly knocked down by Shredder, they give it everything they have. It looks freakin’ badass. Then there is any Splinter fight scene. There’s not many, only about three in this season (It Came From the Depths, I, Monster, The Showdown two-parter) but they are excellent. I said that the Splinter vs Shredder fight was the best and nothing after ever topped it, right?

So yeah, if I was going to rate the animation on a 1-5 scale...

Rating: 4.5

Voice Acting

The series was voice directed by veteran Andrea Romano, so you know that the performances are gonna be solid. As far as casting goes, they got in a LOT of big names both in the voice acting industry and out. There’s of course Greg Cipes (Mikey), Mae Whitman (April), Nolan North (The Kraang), Kevin Michael Richardson (Shredder), Phil Lamar (Stockman), Clancy Brown (Dogpound) and of course Rob Paulsen (Donnie). Rob’s casting was actually a pretty big deal as along with being a veteran with nearly 30 years of experience, he was also the voice of Raph in the original 80′s show. So getting him back even as a different Turtle? Yeah... that’s pretty big!

Then you have more well-known on-screen actors, like Sean Astin (Raph) and Kelly Hu (Karai). Now they both actually have very solid VA-ing careers and still do voice work to this day, but if you’re say... a Lord of the Rings fan and known Sean only for that, this may entice you. The newcomers to voice acting are Jason Biggs (Leo), Christian Lanz (Fishface) and Hoon Lee (Splinter). There’s also guest actors like Jeffrey Combs (The Rat King) and Roseanne Barr (Kraang Prime), so a solid mix of professional voice actors and a few newcomers. The result?

The voice acting is fantastic. Like even as the show goes on and you see more and more mixed reception, the acting is NEVER one of the things you see go down. If anything, it is one aspect that continues to improve episode by episode. All four Turtle actors do an amazing job conveying their characters, able to go from comedic to dramatic in a split second. I’d say that out of everyone, Hoon Lee impressed me the most since he’s the only one aside from Biggs (and... e’ll talk more about him next season) I hadn’t heard of. And he gave a very solid performance. Everyone did. Even for just minor characters like Pulverizer (Roger Craig Smith... yes Pulverizer is Sonic the Hedgehog) or some of the villains like Snake (Danny Jacob who voices King Julian outside the Madacgascar films) or Spyder Byte (Lewis Black), they convey their characters perfectly. Like Black’s character is a rude slob you want to punch, and he does such a great job in making you feel that way!

So yeah, you got a strong cast, a veteran voice director, and a crazy group of characters for them to voice. All of them nail it. And just wait, this is only the S1 cast. Wait until you see who they bring in for future seasons!

Rating: 5

Characters

As I said in Part One, this is the best part of the show. I know a lot of people who fell off TMNT as it went on, but still kept interest because of the characters. To me, this is always the most important part of storytelling. Yes having a good story itself is important, but a good story will be nothing without likeable characters to move it. A cliched story may be annoying, but if the characters are likeable and strongly written, people are usually more forgiving because they care about the cast. This show is no different. To this day, the thing that kept me attracted to the show was the Turtles, April, and Splinter and what they’d get into next. All of them have strong personalities that get you to care about them, or at least see where they’re coming from. I could gush about each of them one by one... so on we go!

Lets start with Mikey because he is the least developed this season... and most of the show sadly. I’d even say that his focus episodes dropped massively in quality after this season as he was forced mroe and mroe into the comedy relief/designated victim/little brother role. It’s a shame too because this season did an excellent job in balancing out both the comedy relief and the more innocent side of the character. Mikey is the most naive of the brothers and the least serious among them. It’s not to say that he can’t take situations seriously, it’s just that he’s more easy-going and fun-seeking than the other three. His biggest problem is his inability to focus and goof around, which has caused several instances of accidentally setting off alarms.

While not the best of the four, Mikey is a talented ninja and the best at going off just raw talent. He doesn’t think through fighting moves, he can just go with the flow and be perfectly fine. His strongest skill hpwever is his empathy and desire to make friends. While this has backfired on him before, like in New Friend, Old Enemy, where Bradford used and then kidnapped him for a trap, Mikey is incredibly non-judgemental and open-minded. It’s why he could befriend Leatherhead so easily in It Came From the Depths. He saw that the Kraang were attacking him and decided to simply talk to him like he would anyone else, even pointing out that maybe LH only acts like a monster because that’s how he was treated for so long. Mikey may not be book smart, but he’s very emotionally smart. As I said, Mikey’s character sadly devolves into annoying comedy relief as it goes, but for this season he had a strong start. No meaningful development aside form slow progression on paying attention (Parasitica being the final payoff... also if you’re afraid of wasps then avoid that one), but his character is strong enough to carry him through.

Raph is the brawler of the group and the quickest to anger. Hie’s the strongest fighter and incredibly confident... unless he has to deal with bugs. His biggest flaws are his both his anger and his jealous towards Leo. The first half of the season has Raph frequently back-talks and argue with Leo all because he got made the leader over him. For example, in Never Say Xever he is unhappy with Leo using mercy because bad guys don’t deserve it. Leo does eventually use the more Raph-like approach when kidnapping Bradford... and it fails miserably. What saves them? Leo’s act of mercy causing the Purple Dragon to repay the favor sand saving their shells. While he does slowly get a better grip on his temper once Splinter tells him of how dangerous it can be (Turtle Temper), it takes until New Girl in Town for him to overcome his jealousy once and for all. It’s very well done too by having Leo finally get fed up and give Raph what he wanted. Ultimately Raph can’t handle the pressure once things get rough and comes to understand both what Leo deals with essentially every day and how his own actions made it worst.

After that, Raph becomes the perfect example of a follower. While he’s still question Leo, he has good reasons for it, like everything involving Karai for instance. But he actively looks out for him more and stops mocking him outside just brotherly messing around. And even during that point, while Raph could be an insensitive jerk, he does love his family and will make amends when he goes too far. When he mocked Mikey wanting friends in New Friend, Old Enemy, at the end he comforted him after the fallout with Bradford and assured him that he’s a good person. When he mocked Donnie’s crush in Operation: Break-Out and led to Donnie going on a mission solo, Raph was worried about him, realized that he way too harsh, and tried to make amends by giving Donnie all the credit once back home. While Raph doesn’t conquer his temper completely, over the season he does get a better grip on it, can admit when he goes to far, became overall nicer, and by the end is a much better person. It was good stuff!

Donnie is probably the most... divisive of the four. Not because he’s badly written per say. He’s intelligent, but also high-strung and prone to stress. He’s not a bad ninja, but because of his focus on machinery, he’s the least skilled. The two episodes that focus on this are Metalhead and Monkey Brains. Metalhead has an admittedly meh plot where he gets sick of his bo staff and therefore creates the robot Metalhead to act as his weapon. The ‘meh’ plot is IDT it addresses the message of ‘the weapon doesn't make you a good fighter, you do’ very well, ut still Monkey Brains does a much better job, demonstrating Donnie’s tendency to over-think everything and how that is detrimental in a fight. By the climax, he’s able to get himself to rely on his instincts against a mind-reading villain (we’ll get to him later) and kick his ass.

Then there’s The Pulverizer episodes, which are the most interesting but sadly don’t go anywhere after this season. It has Donnie accept Pulverizer as an apprentice of sort, mainly so the kid can have some form of self-defense if he’s going to put himself into danger. It’s ultimately ineffective, but mainly because of Pulverizer wanting to rush and not listening properly. The most important part though is Splinter telling Donnie that by doing this, anything that happens involving him after will be his responsibility. Which we see in The Pulverizer Returns where Pulverizer decides ot let the Foot mutate him to gain awesome mutant powers. Donnie tries to save him, but sadly he fails and Pulverier.. it’s not pretty. While Donnie does still save him after, he’s left with the guilt of ultimately failing his student. I’ll go into mroe about how horribly the writers wasted this next season, but here? It was interesting to give Donnie this plot since you’d expect t to go to say... Leo. I think it really worked for what it was worth and let us see a side of Donnie outside just being the smart one.

So with that said, why is he divisive? Well... it’s because another major part of his character is his crush on April. He doe snot... manage it well, to say the least. He is rather, well... stupid and kinda creepy with it. But I do want to point this out. Yes, it is annoying but I think there’s a good reason for it: he’s an awkward teenager. Yeah him asking her to feel his goosebumps (Metalhead), accidentally calling her ‘his April (The Gauntlet), accidentally saying awkward things when she acknowledges him (pick any episode) are incredibly facepalm worthy at best. And yeah, they should have done better setup than have him just find her pretty when seeing her once. However he does genuinely care about her and int he premiere, he was driven more because he saw an innocent girl scared and was unable to help than his newfound crush. The feelings are genuine and Donnie being awkward about is because... well, Donnie is awkward in general and he does slowly improve. Honestly I’ll have mroe to discuss about this next season cause haha... boy is THAT a clusterfuck. But ultimately while Donnie can be annoying, overall it’s pretty bearable and he has plenty of positive traits to balance it out.

Finally, we get Leo. He’s the group leader, but unlike the past series where he pretty much grew up with that role, here he gets the role halfway through the first episode. He starts as a goody-two-shoes with a mischievous side who had a very basic view of leadership. He see sit as a position of authority, greatness, and unstoppable. That’s not to say that he doesn’t take the role seriously, he does. He devises plans, does his best to keep his brothers focused, and frequently asks Splinter for advice on how to best do things. But he also frequently uses cheesy one-liners and does his best to be as over the top with his heroics as possible, thinking it’s cool when it isn’t. It gives Leo a more naive feel to him, someone who is serious but also is still a teenaged kid who has a lot of learning to do.

The pressures of leadership are Leo’s primary focus as a character. While he has some doubts, the biggest blow to his confident comes in The Gauntlet after there massive defeat against Shredder. The following episode has him unsure of if he can properly lead the team and feeling guilty when things go wrong. But the ultimate meltdown comes in New Girl in Town where Raph finally pushes him too hard and he quits. He’s realized at this point that leadership is not like it is on TV. it’s unforgiving, stressful, and you’re gonna be the one facing the consequences when things go wrong. His difficulty dealing with this is what attracts him to Karai. She’s fun, does whatever she wants, and doesn’t care about the rules. She offers him a form of freedom that he hasn’t had before. It’s why he tries to get her to change sides, he doesn’t want her to be an enemy. Unfortunately things end badly between them this season, but you can see where Leo is coming form no matter how naive he was about it.

Leo evolved a lot over the season. He went from a naive teenager who quoted old TV episodes to a serious, determined leader who was willing to do whatever it took to get his team through. He never quit being optimistic and he does still have his stress with leadership later down the road. But the season is about him easing not the role an understanding the weight of that role. It’s very easy to feel bad for Leo because he tries incredibly hard, but he doesn’t receive a lot of gratitude or payoff, and he just has to accept that. By the finale, he’s willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure both success and his family's safety... something that becomes a bit of an issue in later seasons (looking at you Space Arc). I’d say that because we got to see Leo actually having to come to terms with the role, it makes this imo the best version of the character. We actually have to see him accept the role and how he hate show it limits his free time, something IDT the past versions really did. And all while having this dorky, idealistic side that keeps him likable and all the mroe relateable. Overall, I’d say that the leader in blue was handeled very well here!

April is my favorite character in the show, but her writing this season has some issues. Now as a character herself, she’s perfectly fine. She’s an independent sixteen year old and incredibly proactive. Whenever she finds info on the Kraang or about her dad, she looks into it. When everyone is ready to quit in Panic in the Sewers, she’s the only one who actively tries to do something and get everyone else to not give up. When Splinter offers to train her, she accepts it and we see bits and pieces of her progressing. But it’s done realistically as demonstrated in Karai’s Vendetta where it’s very clear that April is nowhere near her level. But it also demonstrates her determination and how she never gives up, getting back up after every blow and at east trying to put up a fight. While she’s forced to sit most things out and does on occasion get kidnapped, she still tries to be an asset and does very well as an intel gatherer. She’s also incredibly stubborn and can get in over her head without thinking things through, like in Metalhead and the finale episodes. But ultimately her proactiveness and need to take action are her strongest traits and what makes her a useful ally.

The issues with April are in the writing of the plot. I already mentioned how the early episodes could have done mroe in having her ease into the group. There’s also after Karai’s Vendetta where despite living with the guys, we don’t see her until the penultimate episode. We see her express hating it in that episode, but we don’t get to explore the fallout of her losing her normal life. In fact we...d on’t see April’s life outside Turtle stuff until next season, and even then not by much. Now of course the show is about the Turtles and you gotta keep the focus on them, but still we get a bunch of ‘show, don’t tell’ problems with April. We’re told things like she’s living with her aunt, but we never see them interact. Hell, IDT April’s aunt is ever mentioned outside the pilot. We also find out that April is the Kraang’s target... and we never see how she feels about it. If she’s scared, if she’s worried. We can assume that she has some stress about it, as indicated when she vents in Karai’s Vendetta, but little to no showcase of how she feels about it. Mind you we don’t with the Turtles either, but still. Still, overall April is a solid character imo.

That brings us to Master Splinter, the best written character by far. Splinter is the perfect balance of a mentor and a father. He’s firm, strict, and not afraid to dish out punishment when it’s necessary. But he’s also gentle, patient, knows how to give his sons proper guidance, and when to let them figure things out for themselves. He’s also snarky as Hell, so it’s good that he has a sense of humor. He’s also a flawed person. He lost his wife and daughter because of hat is essentially a sibling rivalry that went WAAAY too far and his own inability to control himself worsened things. He lost his family and then his humanity, ending his life as Hamato Yoshi. Since then, he’s hidden int he sewers and tried to focus his energy on raising and protecting his sons. It makes letting them go topside difficult, as it is for any parent whose children are growing up. He can make mistakes, like letting his fear control him and press his sons far too hard in Panic in the Sewers, but he can admit those mistakes.

Splintr’s largest plot in the season, outside mentoring the boys and April, is accepting his mutant status and overcoming his fears. Many epsiodes such as the premiere, Turtle Temper, Monkey Brains, Panic in the Sewers and the finale show how much pain the rat master carries and while he’s move don to a new life, it still haunts him. The episode that best displays this however is a filler episode called I, Monster. In it we get this version of the Rat King, the mind reading villain from Monkey Brains, who uses his power to swarm New York. When he senses Splinter, he proceeds to try and brainwash him too. The episode does an amazing job at showcasing all of Splinter’s fears. The boys outgrowing him, his past tragedies, ending up alone, and the Rat King slowly uses all of it to break him down. Splinter fights back, but the thought of the boys moving on without him is ultimately what defeats him until the boys remind him of who he is. He is Hamato Yoshi, Master Splinter, but most of all their father. They need him and always will. Which lets Splinter overcome the mind control and essentially Airbend Rat King through a wall. It was awesome~

Despite that episode being filler, it’s one of the season's best. It is a strong character exploration piece about a father who has gone through Hell and is faced with the fear of his kids not needing him. It is very relatable and makes Splinter all the mroe sympathetic. And we see Splinter truly embody who he is now when faced with the Shredder again and upon learning that his daughter had survived. He went into full rat mode and gave Shredder the beating that we all wanted. And the season ends on a perfect lead in for the next one. Splinter now knows that Karai is his daughter while she was raised to hate him. It’s any parent’s worst nightmare. He now has to deal with that revelation as well as how he’s going to break it to his students. Splinter has some solid growth int he season, something that a lot of mentor figures in cartoons don’t get, and it’s done perfectly. He has his flaws, but is still a strong father figure to his sons. Add that to Hoon Lee’s absolute perfect performance and you have what is in my opinion the best incarnation of Master Splinter in any TMNT series.

While the main cast is strong, the supporting cast and villains are... not so much. There isn’t really a supporting cast honestly. The best we have is Leatherhead, who is awesome. He’s a damaged character. One treated like a monster and tortured for who knows how long. It left him damaged and prone to trauma-induced outbursts. But he is a good person who knows that what happened to him was wrong and can be quite sweet when given the chance. He didn’t have to save humanity, especially since most would scream and run if they saw him, but he didn’t want anyone else to endure what he did. It’s best exemplified with his sacrifice in TCRI, going back to Dimension X and knowing fully well what’ll await him there. But he does so to save his friends and give them the chance to save the Earth. LH is freakin’ badass and I love him!

The villains though are... kinda boring. Most of the mutants, while the designs are cool, are incredibly one-note. Not all of them, like the Rat King is so dramatic and twisted and his VA does such a great job with the delivery that you both love him and want to strangle him. But others like Snakeweed or Spyder Bytez are just... well, evil for the heck of it. The Kraang are the worst though since at least the mutants are only in like one or two episodes. The Kraang are annoying as HELL. They can be dangerous but the redundant speech pattern and all fo them having essentially the same personality (aka none) is so... boring. Min you in Season 4 we kind of get an explanation to why, but it doesn't change how grating they can get. That being said in large groups they can be dangerous and with things like the Technodrome, they’re not to be taken lightly. Still, GAH I HATE THEM!!!

The Foot are somewhat better. Stockman is pathetic and remains pathetic throughout the entire series. Bradford is a pompous asshole. Xever is a little more interesting in that he kidn of was forced to work for Shredder or go to jail... but sadly after that reveal, he reverts to typical henchman status sadly. Shredder is the Big Bad and a no-nonsense leader. He has no empathy and is more than willing to inflict physical violence on his troops if they fail him. He even threatens to harm Karai, his daughter (kinda...) if she questions him. He is a very single minded perosn, his only goal beign to kill Splinter and his students by any means necessary. Hell. he only starts caring about the Kraang when he realizes that they can advance his goal, but has zero issues letting humanity fall to them. Oh, and there’s his glee when Karai tries to kill Splinter. WOrst? THis isn’t even the worst that he does int he show. Oh just wait for next season. JUST WAIT. Otherwise though, while a powerful fighter, he just mopes in his throne for most of the season, but Richardson’s badass voice acting was nice to hear.

The most interesting villain by far is Karai, and Thank God for it. While Leo is a good-good, Karai is a bad girl. She’s laid-back, does what she wants her way, and doesn’t play by the rules. She’s introduced as a competent fighter, but unlike the other Foot she’s more interesting in talking to the Turtles than killing them. I think she did become genuinely fond of Leo, but ultimately she’s going to be loyal to what she thinks is her family. She also started off realizing that there were bugger problems, like the Kraang, that required more attention over the vendetta until the Turtles betrayed her. Then she pretty much went ‘screw it’ and decided to go with the vendetta, which only got worst when she met Splinter for the first time. Still, ti was nice to have someone actually question Shredder and try to be sensible. She’s definite the most well-written of the villains, and the revelation about her being Splinter’s daughter means that there is MUCH more to come for her. Like I said, just wait for Season 2!

Okay, this section was a LOOOT longer than I thought. So I’ll just finish by saying that the villains aren't all that interesting, but the main characters are very well written. They have strong personalities, plenty of room for growth, and their interactions always gel really well. Very well done!

Rating: 4.5

Story

The main plot threads are the Turtles against the Foot, and the Turtles feud against the Kraang. All with some subplots, like Pulverizer and the mutant of the week stuff, and filler episodes thrown in. I say that the plots are handled very well. For example well go with... say two or three Kraang-centric episodes. Then we may or may not get a filler episode before shifting over to the Foot Clan for awhile. It never felt like we got smothered with one faction over the other, which is good. The plots also slowly intertwined and it felt like they came together at just the right time during the last six or so episodes. Hence hwy the finale worked so well, giving some kind of payoff on both ends.

Many of the episodes were very basic and outright bizarre. Like Cockroach Terminator having a mutant cockroach tr to murder Raph... it’s kinda gross, but entertaining! Every episode normally has at least something small that’ll carry over as the story goes along. For example, Donnie built Metalhead in... well, Metalhead and brought him back in the finale, plus it helped him learn mroe about Kraang tech. In Baxter’s Gambit, April finally gets her own weapon and she attempts to use it in Karai’s Vendetta. The episodes all play a part, even if just minor, in the larger narrative and I feel some of the later seasons kind of slacked on that. This season had a perfect balance.

That’s not to say that it was perfect. Like at the end of TCRI, we find out that April is the Kraang’s true target which makes us wonder why... and the next episode is about Raph’s fear of bugs! So TCRI was episode 17, we don’t even mention this fact again until Karai’s Vendetta, which is episode 21. Five episodes later, and even then we get one tiny hint (April doesn't get damaged by mutagen-laced water) and... that’s it. The.show has a bit of an issue with not exploring fallout, which is weird because Panic in the Sewers did and id it excellently. Maybe it’s because they have to make episodes to sell toys, IDK. It doesn't do too much damage, but it makes it feel like they both wasted character opportunities and like there’s something missing. But at the very least the episodes remain entertaining, so there’s that.

Rating: 4

Final Thoughts

You know what I like about this series and why I ran it above the other ones? Well it does something that I feel that the previous incarnations lacked: The Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles felt like teenagers. They felt like a bunch of kids truly entering the world for the first time. They screw up, they have problems to overcome, and they don’t always learn it immideatly. Like their cockiness is a frequent pain in the shell for example. But the reason that I like pretty much all of the episodes aside form Episode 11 is because it feels like we’re watching a group of kids truly starting to grow up and learn about how rough life can be. How they have to change, how they have to fix their mistakes, and just become better people. As a nineteen year old who was just staring to figure my life out, when I started the show, that drew me in. I related to these characters so much. I felt like I was growing with them and coming to understand who I was due to it.

It felt really nostalgic to go back over this season. Imo, it still holds up big time. It’s funny, action-heavy, well animated, and the characters are just as enjoyable as I remember. Would I call this the best season? Hmm... maybe. I still have three more to look over. But it was a really fun ride and it got TMNT 2012 off on the right track. Can they stay on it during Season 2? Come back next week, and we shall see!

#tmnt #2k12 #tmnt 2012 #callie reviews

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xflower-childx · 5 years ago

Audio

You can’t have the Rainbow without the Rain

It's funny because when I share the adventures from this past week everyone assumes I'm in such a bad headspace and that I'm so torn down by it, when honestly I feel such a weight lifted. Yes it's been stressful, and I've had a few breakdowns but honestly... I'm happy and God I've felt so much more free this week and I can breathe. L brought me more stress than comfort. I was always on edge and feared my words, actions, and future when it came to living with her. I always felt this form of spite from her, but after talking with my boss she thinks it came from jealousy, which makes me laugh because I can't see why someone could be jealous of me. I mean... I'm an incredibly broke bitch just trying to get through life. Thinking on it more though I can see it in a way, from messages I've gotten from her to her all around attitude. She never left the house for her, she only left for her parents, the grocery store, or a fucked up ex or two she never cut off. She only ever moped around, rarely did her stay at home job, and took all of her dad's money. She never cared about herself and was more negative than I was in Middle school. Which says A LOT. I would always invite her out on my hikes, runs to town, or even outings with friends and she would say no with some negative comment about herself or say 'Daddy needs me to go run to this, this and that store and mom needs her Taco Bell and I just hurt so bad and my head is pounding and I feel like ass'. I would ask why her father couldn't do his own errands (which honestly... he NEVER did but also he's working to provide for him, his wife and their 35 year old CHILD after triple bypass surgery) and she would make some comment about how they won't always be around and she has to help them, but honestly... If she ran errands for them she could buy for herself as well.

I hate to sit here and speak so negatively of her but I know she did the same while kicking me out. Two wrongs don't make a right of course but... I dunno M&M has agreed that she lost her fucking mind this past week especially and it probably was part of changing up her meds which of course she has a million medications so it wouldn't surprise me. I had suggested she goes to a therapist which she nearly did but always blamed it on the VA and them not calling her or something along those lines. There was always an excuse though. For everything.

I remember having so many talks with her about trying to do better and actually care about herself and her future. She would make these baby steps forward and be so close to doing something good for herself but then she would have a night terror, headache, bad thought or text from her toxic boy toy and then it would be ten steps backwards straight to crying in bed. It was such heavy negative energy my empathetic ass was draining close to empty all the time. I would encourage us to eat something good, healthy, and filling and even make it but then she would order Papa John's with 'Daddys' money.

I know I have a bad habit of wanting to 'Fix' people but I just don't like seeing the people I care about hurting. I hate knowing that they can do such simple small things things to help make a big impact in their life and mental health but just won't do it and say they can't. I am always happy to help encourage them and I'm all about being the hype girl for my tribe. I'm all for bringing out the best in them and watching them succeed and sharing how proud I am of them. It brings me such Joy because seeing them being proud of themselves is the greatest. I feel it for them... And when L felt it for herself It made me the happiest because I also felt all her self hate. I remember my first months there confusing her self hatred for my own. It was this odd feeling because I felt like I had moved past that point within myself. The point of literally hating every aspect of myself from looks to personality. It didn't make sense because I do see the beauty in myself at this point and I see the good I bring. So for me to have mistaken the opposite of everything I had worked so hard to improve for my own it had really brought me down and confused me. Of course I took myself to the mountains at that point and did some reflection and worked on figuring out where my head was and why it was diving into such a dark place again. It worked and I realized I didn't have these issues of self loathing with myself, it was me sucking in all of L's negativity and taking it as my own. This also started to happen more and more. Thankfully I had figured it out and worked on blocking it out by creating a force field around myself so it wouldn't be so bad. This ended up creating a lot of trips to the mountains and staying in my room more than being social with her which I never want for my living arrangement.

I love NC, I'm incredibly happy with the place I am at with myself and how I've fought to get where I am. I know I have more growing to do, and more to learn but ultimately I'm happy and I don't really care to allow any negativity to ruin that. I know that when L first told me to leave she wanted me to fight back and beg to stay but I'm sick of begging for basic love and care from people, so I accepted it because I didn't deserve the way she handled everything and I knew I needed to get out of a toxic situation for my own health.

So where does that leave me now? Well currently I’m stalling on writing a letter to L to maybe help band aid some of the crazy drama as I can’t leave the friendship we had be completely destroyed. I’m with M&M and I have been slowly moving stuff downtown to my new place with a really cool new roommate who is the complete opposite of L which truly excites me, shes super low maintenance and the house is close if not over 100 years old. Its also painted rainbow colors and in the heart of downtown. I see a new chapter and I’m so open and ready for it. I see new friends and new experiences, Maybe even some traveling? I do have my mind still set on going to Asheville but I’m not rushing that just yet. Ideally by the end of the year, but January is only just coming to a close so we still have some time there. Also I”m still so open to anywhere else time takes me. Asheville is just a place to help me remember not to stay in WS,

I also wouldn’t mind opening up the dating door more. It’s been open of course but I also know this move could make meeting people easier in a sense. There is a guy who I’ve discovered having quite a bit in common with and we have enjoyed talking to each other and when we finally met up things went pretty well, a little awkward because that’s just how I am, but well... Until L showed up and wouldn’t shut up and then also the whole kicking out happened and my communication with everyone kinda fell to even more shitty than it typically is.

I just know that I do kinda want someone, someone to do something but also nothing with, someone to cheer each other on, and travel about. I want a person but I also want a person that wants me. I am perfectly content in my own space and prefer it most of the time, but I do want to share existence with someone and I don’t close anyone off, and maybe my friend D isn’t that person (Even though we share a lot of the same goals, music, and views) but the thought excites me again, being wanted and cared for, especially being that I kinda know how to be wanted and cared for in a sense.

Before I wrap this up though I wanted to share final thoughts with an R update for myself. I sort of feel hypocritical with the way I speak of L and her relationship with Florida dude. Granted he is far more toxic than I feel R could ever be in my case but I put that on us having a genuine relationship at one point. I did reach out when I had hit a wall this week and no, I don’t regret it, I just needed a friend, someone who I felt didn’t think I was terrible and could provide a song or two to help pull me out of wanting to just throw in the towel and leave the state. Did he provide that? Eh, not really. I feel if he wanted to be there for me more he would have been. I gave conversation and he didn’t really give back, which is fine of course as he is perfectly allowed to not be in my life if he doesn’t care to be. I honestly felt the same when Lil pup was super sick. He could have been there, but he chose not to be.

I know that I always had this silly little thought that maybe someday it would be us but with each failed text conversation I see that image break and break along with every realization of his lack of want to keep me in his life in anyway. Of course its my own silly stupidity to think that we could ever be endgame or friends or even acquaintances, but its always so hard to let go of something you cherish so much. I know that people leave your life and you just have to let them, but maybe its that I always wanted someone to want me in this way so its hard to let go, which is almost funny because he never even had this kind of want for me. I don’t really want to let go but I know I have to for someone to want me in the way I want to be wanted and needed. I also know that I do think about him, our time and stupid ‘what ifs’ more than I should because again, I see no future there when the other half of this duo doesn’t either.

These thoughts will fade with time of course and when someone truly steps up to love me the way I deserve, to travel, cook, and do everything and nothing with me. To see how rare I am and appreciate having me around the way he didn’t. This person will fight to be in my life the way I fought for someone who doesn’t want me in there’s, except I will accept their love and make sure they know I want it so they won’t have to fight so hard.

I know I miss him, or more of who we were when we were on top of the world in the boring state of Florida. I don’t really remember that all anymore though and I will continue to remember less and less of the good, which sucks because it appears only the bad will continue to remain sadly with no good left in its wake. I tried. I really did. I had hoped we could see and be on top of the world at some point but I know that’s another silly thought. If I have learned anything from all the drama this past week it’s that you can’t make people care if they don’t want to.You’ll just hurt yourself trying. I’m just exhausted at this point.

So I hope he is happy. I really do. I hope he’s happy where he is at physically and mentally. I hope he is finally a lot more comfortable in his own skin, which I know everyday is different and I don’t think he will ever be perfectly happy within himself in that way but I hope he has more good days than bad. I hope he finally allows himself to love again, and I hope she is nice, pretty, and is good. No more fake toxic bitches, but he has a taste so... Who knows. Either way, I hope he will finally love himself enough to share his love, because I know he has fantastic love to give.

Two days later and this is finally written, at least most of it. I need to get more writing out but I better write L that letter before I talk myself out of it. I’m kind of over being the good adult here but thankfully her drama is over... For now at least. I’m scared to see what shit she will say back after. Also bitch took my avocado container and ice pack >.>

Alright but here we go 2020. The year of growing in the kitchen, traveling not just the US but also internationally, moving out of WS, learning to rock climb, maybe finding some love? No rush with that as it shouldn’t be, but I’m very open to it :) BUT it’s the year of good. I’m still happy, positive, and here. It’ll be a good year!

#My writing #jan2020 #stubborn smile #mihali #2020

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toomanyfeelings5 · 8 years ago

Text

the rotten job, part 2

part 1 is here if you want to read about a gay shakespeare leverage AU from someone who’s never seen leverage!

all of the bits are titled after songs from the mountain goats’ album beat the champ, so at the very least, there’ll be some jams to listen to.

~what’s in store for these shakespearean criminal vigilantes of justice? read to find out!~

3. “choked out”

they’re at one of their check-in meetings, and kate thinks about how she’s had worse bosses, honestly.

there had been mr. worthington from her first job, when she was a secretary for the summer-- worthington hadn’t been awful, really, she got to listen to music on her lunch break, and sandra from accounting told the best jokes.

except kate had been sixteen, and worthington was an old golfing buddy of her father’s, and sometimes, when they were getting coffee at the same time, and no one else was in the room, he would look at her funny, the kind of look that made her shrink, the kind of look that made her laugh a bit too high. she had quit right before school started up again, when his fingers had skimmed over her thigh during a lunch break. the asshole had smiled the whole time.

“oh it’s fine that you left, katie,” her father had told her. “greg’ll write you a great letter of recommendation, he loved having you, and then we’ll find you some other place to work for next summer. anything to curb that temper of yours, right?”

“right,” kate had said back, and bianca had almost snorted into her orange juice: sure enough, kate was set for detention the first week of school.

there was also mrs. o’conner, back when kate had worked that pizza delivery stint in college, before she’d flunked out.

“speak english, please,” that bitch had told her, smiling like she thought she was being polite, and kate had snapped back, “i’m talking to a customer,” because apparently she was the only one who knew even a little korean in this shitty joint. mrs. o’conner had stopped smiling.

kate’s never liked comedies. not the popular ones, at least. the funny thing is that when she was a kid, back in like, elementary school, she’d been the class clown, throwing paper airplanes around and interrupting the teacher with fart noises every chance she got.

later, she learned that it’s harder to get people to laugh at your jokes when for so long, people like you have been the punchline. much easier to get a good right hook in, before anyone could open their damn mouth.

at least the army taught people to shut the fuck up properly. granted, there were dirty jokes abound, but those were the best.

her commanding officers hadn’t been all that great. it was kind of their job to be assholes, so she can’t ever hate them, not really. and some of them had been fine, fun even, but most, well. kate’s never been a rule-follower.

then, of course, there had been petruchio at the VA, who never gave her good hours and always squinted at her, like he just couldn’t fucking believe that she had served, that she had lost her damn leg, that she was a veteran too.

her father had known his father, and pete couldn’t be too bad, could he, c’mon, katie, you have so much in common, c’mon, katie, what else are you going to do with your life--

the point is, kate’s new boss is probably the best she’s ever had. which isn’t saying much, but still.

the thing is, the boss is...intense. all the time. does she ever sleep? kate never sees her without at least five cups of coffee on hand at all times.

“i want you all to know,” the boss says, and she’s even shorter than kate, but jesus christ, she has the presence her C.O.s could only dream of, “that this job’s personal. we are going to annihilate every last one of these bastards, because it’s the right thing to do, and because once upon a time, they almost got me killed.” she pauses, and her voice is low and dangerous. in kate’s experience, it’s the quiet ones you need to watch out for. “they won’t see it coming. they won’t even have the chance to blink.”

“understood,” portia says, nodding politely: she always opts for blandness in the face of the boss’s dark stare and curled fists.

kate does a mock-salute, winks. “yes ma’m.” best not to ask questions when revenge is involved.

the boss stares before a tiny smile twitches across her face.

kate breathes a sigh of relief: good to know the woman is actually a goddamn human being, and not a fucking alien squirming around in a skin suit. or worse, a zombie. kate’s never liked horror movies either.

“alright,” horatio says, pushing her tortoiseshell glasses up her nose in her usual grim determination. she pulls her dreadlocks back into a ponytail. “alright, team, let’s get to work.”

portia leaves to visit the only lawyer friend she hasn’t thrown in prison, and kate’s about to head off to find out more about elsinore enterprises when she glances back to see horatio place a hand on the boss’s shoulder.

the boss doesn’t even flinch or snap or anything, just breathes. she slumps minutely in her chair.

the moment feels much more private than it should.

kate nearly sprints out the door. what the fuck is that all about?

4. “hair match”

“god--god, what--where is she, i can’t hear her in the earpiece--?”

“she’s gone.”

minola looks at portia, eyes wild, horror plain on her face. jesus, couldn’t she keep it together for one second?

“what?” minola asks again, voice ragged, specks of blood on her suit jacket from an earlier fight with security. “you can’t--she was right there, we had the files, we’d hacked in, we were all set to expose--”

“be quiet! i have to drive.”

“but--”

“i have to get us out of here. i have to.”

minola leans back in the passenger seat, tapping her prosthetic leg absently, winded and bruised and lost.

for a few blessed moments, portia gets to focus on everything but the mission. the van radio plays some slow, whispery song, and she catches a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror: not a hair out of place, size large dress sequined and perfectly fitted. even her winged eyeliner looks good.

everything had been going so smoothly, they were all putty in her hands, and then--and then--

she takes a deep breath. “we need to tell the boss what happened.”

minola winces. “fuck. fuck, she’s really--?”

“i knew bringing the techie along would be a liability. when was the last time she was out in the field? i knew this was going to happen, i knew--”

“i’m calling the boss.”

portia nearly slams on the brakes. “you’re what? now?”

minola’s already punching in the number. she hastily puts the cell phone on speaker. the ringing starts. “don’t have a choice, do we?”

“alright, ok, just--”

“i know, i know, be cool--”

“did you complete the mission?”

portia takes a deep breath. she is immaculately dressed. she is mary piperton today, and she is invincible. “the mission is nearly completed.”

“nearly?”

minola says, “we have everything we need, but they know they’ve been compromised. we aren’t being pursued. not yet, at least.”

“why?”

“because,” portia answers quietly, soothingly, to prepare. “because they think they know who’s behind the whole thing.”

the barest trace of a chuckle comes through the phone’s speakers. “really? who did you frame? gertrude? marcellus? laertes?”

“no,” minola swallows. “no, it’s not that--we didn’t frame anybody.”

a pause. “what?”

“well,” minola starts, tapping her leg like her life depends on it, “well, what happened was--”

“get to the point. now.”

portia turns onto the street of the motel they’d booked.

minola’s voice cracks. “i--we--”

portia steels herself and says, as gently as she can, “they found out about the cyber-security breach at the last second. we had to get out before they could catch on. there were still some files left that we didn’t need to download, but she wanted to. she insisted on staying behind.” portia takes a breath, finds a parking spot, squeezes her eyes shut, opens them. “they took horatio.”

no one breathes.

dead silence. for ten unbearable seconds.

then: “i’ll send you the new mission parameters tomorrow morning, 6am sharp.”

portia doesn’t get the chance to say, “affirmative,” because the line goes dead.

more silence.

the motel looks especially shitty. the welcome sign is missing the l.

minola makes a fist. her voice is usually loud and abrasive. now it sounds like it’s being dragged out of her. “why didn’t we go back?”

portia stares at her hands. “i couldn’t risk it.”

“don’t bullshit me. we could’ve stopped it--” minola grits her teeth. she cries when she’s really angry, wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “we could’ve saved her.”

“no. she made her choice. we did what we had to do.”

minola glares at her shoes. “but what if--?”

“stop. look, what was i supposed to do, get us all compromised in a last-minute rescue attempt? she wanted to stay. i couldn’t lose--i had to.” portia swallows. she feels cold and empty, like she had on that day in court. shylock had not looked at her. he had gazed at the ceiling for a long, long moment. his shoulders shook. he had left staring straight ahead.

he has a new business somewhere out in cali. portia wonders, sometimes, if he feels good about leaving his old life behind.

here, in this nondescript van with a broken air conditioner, portia feels that day’s weight settle in her chest again.

she had promised herself that she was going to be a new person.

she laughs silently. who was she kidding.

minola drags a hand through her short hair. she does not look at her. “let’s go. i’m starving.”

“wait--”

“i have to get my leg fixed up, gotta fucking shower--”

“kate.” portia takes her hand. “kate, i’m sorry.”

minola smiles right at her, eyes crinkled. “portia, i know. it’s just a shitshow, that’s all.”

portia does her best to smile back. neither of them let go.

#shakespeare #leverage #fic #my fic #vague shrug is this even interesting???? who knows not me

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forsetti · 8 years ago

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On President Obama: The Black Swan

“Black swan” is used a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. I cannot think of anything that better describes President Obama. His win in 2008 was a surprise in every possible way. His win against Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primaries was completely unexpected. His win against John McCain, even more so. No one at the beginning of 2008 would have imagined a young black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama would be elected, twice, as the president of the United States. As surprising as his elections were, the effect he has had on the country has been even more significant. Depending on what side of the political spectrum you belong, the effects of his presidency is either extremely positive or negative. What isn't up for debate is whether or not the effects are significant. He is also one of the most misrepresented, misunderstood, misaligned political figure in my lifetime, and an argument can be made in the past hundred years. As a black swan, President Obama went against the entire American history of presidencies. In every way, he stood out in contrast to his predecessor and opposition. From the first time I heard him speak at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 to his last days as President, he has reaffirmed my belief that America didn't deserve him or Michelle, but I'm damn glad they were here for us.

In early 2008, I was a Hillary Clinton supporter. I thought she had the necessary experience and qualifications to be a very good president. As the Democratic primaries played out, I saw something in Barack Obama that made me think he was what we needed at this time in our country's history. Not because he is a black man, I saw this was a secondary perk, but as someone who has a great grasp of history, ideals, and the importance of pragmatism. As a devout pragmatist, I rarely see politicians who fully grasp how moving the country forward as much as possible is more important than ideological purity. Like Justice Stewart's view of pornography, when it comes to pragmatism, “I know it when I see it.” The more I watched candidate Obama, the more I knew he understood progress in ways very few politicians have or do. After eight years of one of the worst administrations since Hoover, what America needed was someone who knew how to move us forward ethically, legally, politically in a rapidly changing world. As much as I liked and respected Hillary, I felt Barack was the one who could move us forward at that moment in our history.

On election night, when he came out on stage in Chicago's Grant Park to give his victory speech, I have never felt more proud of my country. As I wept, listening to him speak, I couldn't imagine how African-Americans must be feeling. As much as his election meant to me personally, I could not imagine the significance it had on Black America. I grew up seeing the violent police actions against peaceful Civil Rights protesters. Even though the Civil Rights Act became law, I have been well aware of how ingrained and widespread racism is in American society. I never, ever thought I would see a black person elected as president. Yet, here was the black swan president-elect in front of a quarter of a million people in Grant Park and millions more watching on t.v. and online laying out a shining beam of hope and a path towards progress. Telling everyone that we are all in this together and it is up to us to demand and work for change. It was everything I've believed in and worked for my entire adult life. At that moment in time, I felt America had finally turned the corner towards the equality, justice, and fairness promised in the country's founding documents. Within months, this feeling of hope was replaced with feelings of frustration. Frustration not at President Obama, but at the cabal of conservatives who met on the night of his inauguration to discuss their strategy of stopping and obstructing everything the new president proposed. A group that included: Republican Reps. Eric Cantor (Va.), Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Paul Ryan (Wis.), Pete Sessions (Texas), Jeb Hensarling (Texas), Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) and Dan Lungren (Calif.), along with Republican Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Tom Coburn (Okla.), John Ensign (Nev.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.). Along with former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, and Republican consultant, Frank Luntz. Their meeting has been well-documented and their purpose was to make sure that Republicans not support anything and obstruct everything put forth by the new administration. Keep in mind that this strategy was laid out at a time when the country and the world was going through a serious economic downturn. Their efforts were focused on making sure the new administration failed. Even though he wasn't there, then Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made it publicly known his main goal was to make Obama a one-term president. The GOP was on board, lock-step, to make sure President Obama, and by proxy, America fails. Not long after learning of conservatives' plans to obstruct President Obama, my frustration turned to the far left who turned on the new president because they didn't get what they thought was their due. They wanted single-payer health insurance, banks taken over, and bankers thrown in jail. Single-payer was never going to happen with a coalition of only sixty Democrats and Independents in the Senate. All it took was one to be against it and the whole deal fell apart. With Blue-Dog Dems like Jim Webb, VA, Landrieu, LA, and Ben Nelson, NE, and Independents like Joe Lieberman, there weren't the votes to get single-payer even put up for discussion, let alone voted on or passed. For reasons that can only be explained as a complete lack of basic civics knowledge, the far left blamed President Obama for these Senators never going to vote for single-payer. It doesn't matter that President Obama accomplished something every Democratic president since FDR had tried to do but failed, comprehensive health care reform, they were upset. Never mind the number of uninsured would drop to the lowest in history, they didn't care. They had their mind set on a unicorn and when they didn't get it, they blamed President Obama for not personally delivering it to their doorstep. The far-left had the same unrealistic attitude about the bankers. Never mind that most of the damage done from the mortgage crisis came from products and actions that were perfectly legal, the far left wanted heads on pikes. Never mind during his administration the largest fines ever imposed by the government have been against financial institutions. Never mind he helped get Dodd-Frank passed that is the strongest laws and regulations against the financial sector since FDR. Never mind he came up with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and put far-left hero Elizabeth Warren in charge of it, they didn't get the unicorns they felt was due them. While the right was organizing and whipping up the masses into an anti-socialism frenzy, forming the Tea Party, having town hall meetings around the country, and spreading lie upon lie on social media and in emails, the left was pouting. Democratic members of Congress ran away from Obama and the Affordable Care Act because they were scared to stand up to the crazies on the right. Progressives sat out the 2010 midterms because they didn't get their unicorns. The results of this have been catastrophic. Meanwhile, the black swan president kept finding ways to move the country forward. It wasn't just far-left progressives who abandoned President Obama in 2010, it was also many Democratic members of Congress who lost their spines and balls at the sight of a bunch of angry octogenarians at town hall meetings. They could have stood up for the Affordable Care Act, the stimulus, the auto bailout...but they didn't. They ran away from the President and his policies. Policies, now that he's left office, Democrats in Congress are saying have to be defended with every ounce of effort. Instead of touting how these policies helped the working class, these cowardly Democratic officials hemmed and hawed out weak ass explanations while the opposition was organizing and pushing outlandish talking points and lies that became ingrained in conservatives' belief systems. Meanwhile, the black swan president kept finding ways to move the country forward without help from lawmakers from his own party.

With no way to get anything passed in a now Republican-controlled House, President Obama moved the bar of progress forward anyway. He made sure the DOJ didn't defend DOMA. He expanded protections to the LBGT community. He had the DOJ investigate corrupt and racist police department practices. He got Syria to turn over its chemical weapons. He negotiated a treaty with Iran ending their nuclear weapons program. He did more to fight climate change than any president in history. He helped push a revolution in renewable energies. He expanded federally protected lands. He oversaw the longest positive private sector jobs growth in history. Whether it was the environment, health care, rights or jobs, President Obama did more than just about any modern-day president. And, he did it all with the least amount of help. FDR had major majorities in both houses of Congress every single one of his terms. President Obama had a slim majority in the Senate for a couple of months that was lost when Ted Kennedy got sick and eventually passed away. From that point on, he had no luxury of a working majority in the Senate and Republicans making sure nothing would get done.

Despite unprecedented political opposition, President Obama moved the bar of progress forward. Despite unrelenting racist attacks, he never lashed out. Despite the lack of support from members of his own party, he never turned on them. Despite having his legitimacy questioned from day one, he held his head up and acted with dignity. If you had to construct a president from scratch, you'd be hard pressed to construct one that would be better than President Obama. This doesn't mean he didn't have his flaws. Every president has them. However, his flaws were his willingness to believe his opposition had some bottom to the level to which they'd go, some basic ethical principles, some common ground from which he could work with them. Unfortunately, Republicans had no such limitations on their morals or conscience. It is easy in hindsight to blame President Obama for missing the nature of his opposition. That he wanted to believe the better nature of people could only be called a flaw by the most cynical of people. As the black swan president, Obama had to walk a razor's edge that no one in history has had to tread. He had to be twice as good, twice as nice, twice as everything in order to even be considered “normal.” If he would have been “No Fucks To Give Obama” from the onset, he would have accomplished nothing. His pragmatic nature knew and understood this. Unfortunately, like so many other things, too many progressives did not understand or appreciate not only the unique situation President Obama was in but how deftly he handled it to the betterment of us all. Unfortunately, the razor's edge he had to walk was not understood by even those who claim to have been his allies. Whenever I hear criticism of him from the left, I always ask, “What would you have done differently?” Inevitably, their response comes down to some idealistic act that completely ignores the realities and variables President Obama was faced with at the time he had to make his decision. “I would have pushed for single-payer!” Great, now explain how you would have got the Blue Dog Dems to even consider it so it would be discussed in committee, let alone reach the point where it would be voted on and passed. “I would have closed Gitmo!” Not without approval from Congress. “I would have jailed bankers!” Okay, on what grounds? A lot of the causes of the financial and mortgage meltdown were legal. “I would have helped those who suffered from the mortgage crisis more!” How? What mechanism would you have used and how would you have gotten the majority of Congress to approve it because it would have to have financial help and that has to go through Congress? It is easy to be a Monday-morning quarterback. Hundreds of thousands of fat, lazy, living off their self-perceived glory days of high schools sports do it every day on sports talk shows. Political decisions don't occur in a vacuum. They happen in a very complex environment with dozens of moving parts and hundreds of personal agendas. Wanting someone to do what you think should be done does not translate to what can be done. I've closely watched major political figures here and abroad for the good part of forty years. In this time, I've never seen anyone get more bang-for-the-buck than President Obama. Democrats had a workable majority (60 votes) for all of four months and one week in 2009. That is the amount of time President Obama had legitimately get all the things the left say he could/should have. For two hundred and eight weeks of his presidency, he had a workable majority for seventeen with an opposition party that refused to work with him on ANYTHING but please go ahead and tell me about how he should have done X or Y.

When the history books are written fifty years from now, when I am long dead and gone, I have no doubt that President Obama will be viewed as one of the most influential presidents in American history. Sadly, like other influential presidents before him like Lincoln, FDR, and Johnson, he was not truly appreciated in his time, even by those of his party and those who claimed to be his ally. I will always be proud of my vote for him, twice, to be our president. I will always be upset at those on the right and the left who tried to undermine him. I will always believe that America didn't deserve him. I will always be damn thankful we had him. He was the black swan. He came out of nowhere. He defied all conventions and history. He had and will have a dominant role in history. He will forever be my president.

When I think of President Obama, I am reminded of the scene at the end of “Excalibur” where King Arthur is talking to a mortally wounded Sir Lancelot: “You are that and much more. You are its greatest knight, you are what is best in men.” President Obama was our greatest modern-day president and what is best in men.

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