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imabeautifulbutterfly · 3 years ago

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Sins of the Father

A/N: Welcome to a collaboration between @cousinwingding97 and myself. We are super proud of this story, and we hope you guys enjoy it just as much as we are writing it. Please note there will be canon divergence. We’ve taken some liberties with regards to timeline, as it’s not very clear in the TV Show, and we’ve taken some liberties on how long it takes to get from one planet to the other.

You can also find the story on A03

Word Count: 6,922

Summary: The Mandalorian goes to visit some old friends, a year after Grogu leaves with Luke.

Warnings: Blood, Violence, Attempted assault, Corporal punishment

Masterlist -> Next

CHAPTER 1 - THE PALACE:

The road to Jabba’s palace, well what had once been Jabba’s palace, was not as smooth as it once was; the warrior's journey had been long and arduous, originally the warrior had rented a speeder from a local garage, but in true Tatooine fashion it died halfway to Jabba’s palace. Barely having any gas, in his haste to get to the palace he had failed to check the gauge. Therefore, for his misstep he had to spend the better part of a day walking through the Dune Sea. Although exhausted, he was ever vigilant, the road that was before him, the only indication that he was within reach, had been worn away by time, weather, and neglect.

The closer he reached the palace, the more he could see how years of neglect after the death of Jabba had affected not just the road but the appearance of the palace. There were visible chips and erosion in the walls of the palace, the blast doors that opened to the interior of Jabba’s palace was the only thing that looked relatively well maintained.

As the warrior reached out and knocked on the door with his gloved hand, the TT-8L/Y7 gatekeeper emerged from its hidden location, a stable of Jabba’s palace from years gone by. TT-8L looked at the warrior, it had been some time since TT-8L had seen a warrior such as the one that stood before it now.

“Hi chuba du naga, Murishani?” (What do you want, bounty hunter?)

“Jee nan bahva ba bababekahea cay Boba Fett.” (I come seeking an audience with Boba Fett)

“Wonkee hatkocanh bu Lhonu Boba Fett banag bai neu uba?” (Why would the Great Boba Fett want to see you?)

The bounty hunter stood before TT-8L saying nothing for a while, his exhaustion eroding his patience, finally he uttered two words “mi killie” (I kill).

“Uba koee doth cahcata bai jot wata nem!” (You might be allowed to leave here alive!)

With a loud chuckle TT-8L disappeared back into his hidden location, and the blast door opened. Once the bounty hunter had stepped through, the doors once again began to close, he could see by the dim light of the palace, the inside of the palace unlike the outside was clearly being looked after. He could also see two Gamorrean guards approaching him, each carrying their signature battle-axe. The bigger gamorrean to the left of the hunter, eyed the hunter, allowing his eyes to roam over the hunter clearly admiring his armour “Murishani sleemo, sa da ree datpe?” (Bounty hunter slime ball, is that real beskar?)

“Dobra data bai neu bu Lhonu Boba Fett, paknee ata mi bai jen!” (I’m here to see the Great Boba Fett, take me to him!)

“Jeejee roe bla tah!” (we already know this) said the gamorrean on the bounty hunter’s right. The guards readjusted their hands on each of their respective battle-axes, the hunter’s patience was really beginning to wear thin, these two idiots had no idea how close to death they really were.

“Paknee ata mi bai jen ateema, an uba koee hocan nem.” (Take me to him now, and you might live)

“Pasa bantkoke, jee jee killee uba an oto vu bu datpe?” (What if instead, we kill you and keep the beskar?) responded the larger and clearly the dumber of the two on his left.

The bounty hunter’s T-visor turned to look directly at the dumbest gamorrean’s eyes, all the while debating what is the best course of action? Blaster? Whistling birds? Spear? Darksaber? Headbutt? Subtly moving his hands towards his blaster, a shadow behind the gamorreans caught his eye, a familiar figure appeared, “Mando, youkesa jiu cay mee e'nachu!” (Mando, stop playing with your food!)

The two Gamorreans looked back to Fennec Shand, nervousness clearly visible in their countenance and slowly turned to the Mandalorian standing before them. Din let out a small chuckle “Jee cha konza va foppa e��nachu!” (I don’t eat junk food!)

Din returned his blaster to his holder, both Gamorreans swallowed their nervousness back, as they hadn’t noticed this subtle yet deliberate movement of the Mandalorian. They swiftly and calmly moved out of the way for Din to pass them and join Fennec.

“Been a minute Mando, how are things?”

“Desperate” was all the Mandalorian stated, at the moment his most pressing concern was to find work, which would allow him to purchase a new ship, and to see if he could find those of his covert who had escaped the slaughter of Nevarro. Even if he couldn’t purchase a ship right away, maybe he could at least rent one for a relatively small amount.

As they walked further into the palace, neither continued the conversation, Din noticed that although the palace on the outside seemed to have seen better days, the palace inside was the same as always; filled with jovial music, servants, bounty hunters, and civilians who enjoyed the company of such. Din noticed there was one thing that was definitely different, the servants didn’t seem as though they didn’t want to be there. The atmosphere was not one of dread or hopelessness, with Jabba’s favourite bounty hunter returning and assuming the throne there was now an atmosphere of renewed zeal and joy for the palace.

Once inside the throne room, Din saw Boba sitting on the throne, his posture screamed power and authority. Fennec began to leave Din’s side, slowly climbing the stairs to the right of Boba’s throne and standing to the left of Boba facing Din, her left arm resting on the throne close to Boba’s head as she ever so slightly leaned into the throne. Din was left to stand before Boba’s throne alone. If Din hadn’t known better, Fennec almost seemed proud or joyful to stand beside Boba, a definite emotion was there, what it was exactly Din couldn’t figure it out.

Din bowed before Boba, “Great Boba”, was all Din said.

“Mando, tell me why are you here?” Boba answered through the modulated voice of his helmet, hearing another Mandalorian speaking through the modulator brought warmth to Din’s stomach, he didn’t realize how much he missed hearing his own kind. Before Din had a chance to respond, Boba continued, “I thought you would have returned to Mandalore to reclaim the throne” Boba motioned towards the darksaber hanging off of Din’s waist.

Din could feel all eyes of the crowd turn to him, it wasn’t enough he was covered in beskar, head to toe to be an envy to those there, but now he was outed as the rightful ruler of Mandalore, even in a relatively safe place, Din knew that this could turn ugly so quickly. He wasn’t new to being gawked at, but this new level of intensity was not something he was enjoying.

Again before Din could respond to Boba, Boba began to laugh, a laugh that almost rivaled the Great Jabba’s laugh, the crowd surrounding Din joined in as well, “Who would ever think a bounty hunter would sit on a throne! Come Mando! It is a pleasure to see you!”

Din let out a breath, he hadn’t realized he was holding, Boba stood and began walking towards Din. Once they were a foot apart, Boba clasped his forearm with his right hand and placed his left hand on his shoulder. At the touch of Boba’s hand on his shoulder, Din felt like he was coming home, well almost. Boba turned Din to face the crowd of bounty hunters, servants, and civilians, “This man is by far the greatest bounty hunter, with the exception of myself in the galaxy. He is my friend. If anyone attempts anything on his life, either here in the palace, on this planet or in space, you will know what dying in a sarlacc pit will feel like, and believe me when I say, you will not survive.”

Everyone knew Boba was talking from experience, after fighting his way out of the sarlacc pit a few years back, a feat that had only been accomplished by Boba alone, and therefore his words carried the weight with which they were felt. After a hearty “VEE” (aye) resonated through the throne room adhering to the warning issued by Boba, just as quickly as all eyes were on Din, now everyone had gone back to their conversations. Din turned to the Great Boba and nodded a thanks to his friend.

“Come Mando, let’s go talk in private” Boba turned toward Fennec who had remained in the same position and nodded, Fennec nodded back to show understanding of the unspoken communication between the two. Din noticed an emotion between the two, and a slight movement at the corner of Fennec’s mouth, so subtle that anyone could easily miss it, not my business, Din resolved in his mind.

Boba brought Mando into a room behind the throne, an office of sorts, the room itself was clean, the window behind the desk gave a view of the Dune Sea, in truth every window of Jabba’s palace gave a view of the Dune Sea. Aside from the desk, a similar type of throne chair was behind the desk, although this one seemed more comfortable then the one in the throne room, two chairs were in front of the desk, a wall of weapons to the left of Din was also on display.

Din watched as Boba moved to the chair and took a seat, motioning to Din to sit in front, Boba’s desk was the only thing that didn’t seem as organized, it was cluttered with various data pads, it seemed as though there was some sort of logic to the scatter, but nothing that Din could interpret. At seeing his friend sit there, like a magistrate, Din let out a small chuckle, Boba couldn’t help but meet the T-visors on Din’s helmet, slowly and deliberately Boba removed the helmet from his head, his face indicated he didn’t appreciate the chuckle, “have something to say, Mando?”

“Never imagined you to be the kind buried in paperwork, your magistrate” Din bowed his head ever so subtly, his grin clearly being felt by Boba.

Boba couldn’t help but chuckle too, “I know...” he said with a giant sigh, “...but you know, you should get use to it, when you decide to take over your rightful place as Manda’lor, you’ll be buried in more than just paperwork, you’ll be buried in political and governmental issues too, and I shall have the last laugh”, at that thought Boba let out another hearty laugh at Din’s reaction to his comment, his whole body tensed and his displeasure was evident.

“I don’t want the throne” was all Din responded in a tight lip manner.

“That much I know, but you have to think about what Mandalore would be like with someone like Bo-Katan as the leader. She may be a warrior, and the rightful heir, she may even be schooled in the way of politics, but there is a certain air of arrogance, of elitism coming from her. Would you think that such a ruler would be beneficial to reunite the clans?”

“I don’t care. I don’t want it.”

“Maybe or maybe you don’t think you deserve it, as a Child of the Watch, as a foundling, or as a bounty hunter. Maybe you feel you are unworthy. I’m a simple man, trying to make my way in the universe, but you, you are thrusted into greatness again and again, and are destined for more.”

Din didn’t respond, deep down he knew some or all of what Boba said had been true. He didn’t think he deserves the title of Manda’lor, after all he couldn’t prevent Grogu from being kidnapped from the seeing stone on Tython, he couldn’t prevent Grogu from being experimented on while on the cruiser by Gideon, he couldn’t even save him from the pirates when they threw Grogu to the mamacore, how could he protect or rule an entire planet. Din let out an exasperated sigh, Boba knew the conversation was done.

“So tell me Mando, what can I do for you?”

“I need work”

“If I’m not mistaken, don’t you usually ask Greef Karga for work?”

“He’s trying to make Nevarro legitimate, he doesn’t have as much work. Not in the amount I need to purchase a new ship.”

“Hmmm, well good thing you have another friend who was and still is part of the Guild. Tell me how many credits do you currently have?”

“8,000 credits”

“That’s not enough”

“I know”

“I could provide you with a loan”

“I would rather work”

“Well what if instead of purchasing, you rented a ship”

“Doable”

“I know an excellent pilot who you can hire including her ship”

“I don’t need a pilot. I work alone”

“Ha! She won’t let go of her ship. Maybe meet her first before deciding.”

Din simply mumbled a grunt in approval. Before Boba could say more in defence of the pilot, a beep came from the door behind Din, followed by Fennec two seconds later walking into Boba’s office. “Boba, one of the servants wants to speak with you regarding an incident that happened with one of the guards.”

Boba let out a frustrated sigh, and bore his eyes into Fennec’s, his anger was clearly evident but restrained “Is it the same guard?”

Fennec simply nodded in response, at that his anger was no longer restrained but could be clearly felt and seen. In one swift motion he snatched the helmet off the desk and threw the chair he had been sitting in with his legs as he stood up. The chair pushed back with such force, Din had been surprised it remained standing.

“Follow me,” Boba said, voice modulated again by the helmet. Din simply stood up and followed both Boba and Fennec back to the throne room. Standing in front of the throne was a young twi’lek girl, behind her was a crowd of bounty hunters, civilians and servants. Many had an expression of sorrow and empathy on their faces. As Din scanned her face, he could see a bruise beginning to form on the left cheek, her left sleeve also appeared to have been recently ripped.

Boba’s anger subsided as he stood before the young twi’lek, when he spoke his voice had become the gentlest and softest voice Din had ever heard, “Tell me child, what happened?” Boba asked as he placed his hand on her right shoulder, softly and kindly, the fear that had appeared on her face when Din saw her initially, had begun to subside.

The twi’lek kept her gaze on the floor, refusing to look at the visor of Boba and in a soft voice, almost as soft as Boba’s had been, began informing him of the event that led to her standing before him. Din was impressed that no one in the throne room dared to speak while the young twi’lek had begun to explain to Boba that she had been cleaning the rooms in Boba’s wing of the palace, when a guard came in and closed the door behind him. The young twi’lek girl had turned when she heard the door close, at which point he came upon her and tried to force himself on her. She fought back, scratching, biting and grabbing anything she could reach, she refused to let him have his way with her, which is when he held her to create the momentum needed to give a strong enough back-handed slap and struck her left cheek, and subsequently ripped her left sleeve. Upon hearing the commotion from the fighting and screaming, the head guard for that area barged into the room and forcibly removed the guard who had attacked her, before he could do anything besides strike her. The head guard had dislocated the guard’s shoulder in the process of detaining him.

Simultaneously Boba’s and Din’s fists clenched in anger, upon hearing the details of the attack, it was so quiet in the throne room, a pin drop could be heard. The tension palpable, Boba’s anger radiating off him like he was an inferno, Din began to search the crowd and noticed the human male that had been standing behind the twi’lek girl, his face had been scratched, his hands were bound behind his back and his right shoulder was clearly dislocated, pain was evident on his face. Clearly this was the coward who would have the audacity to disrespect a woman, the gamorrean guard standing behind the human male, was clearly using more force than required to hold the man there, as a new wave of pain became evident on the man’s face. Din smiled at the fact this man was in pain, but he began thinking of a million different ways he could increase his suffering.

Once the young Twi’lek had finished speaking, Boba gently raised her head with his right forefinger to look him in the eye. Din was surprised by everything he was seeing, Jabba’s palace in the past was never known for looking after servants, much less to be treated with such respect. Din’s respect for Boba increased significantly, here was a man who knew what it meant to be a leader, Din began viewing the older man as an example of what a true leader or ruler would be. The kindness Boba was extending to this young servant girl, his gentleness, it was almost as though this girl was his daughter.

“I’m sorry Aola, that this happened to you” Boba began, Din was surprised he even knew this young Twi’lek girl’s name, “Thank you for telling me everything and not holding back, I know this must have been difficult for you.” Boba’s visor, moved from Aola’s face to peer into the very soul of the human’s eyes who had caused such pain, with determination resting upon his aura, Boba motioned with his hand to one of the servants that had been standing nearer to the young twi’lek. Din noticed an older human female come forward, her face was kind, a motherly expression appeared and softness in her eyes. It was a face that reminded Din of another mother with soft eyes, a face that had been left on Sorgan.

The older lady came to stand beside Boba and took over the protective stance Boba had taken beside Aola, she moved her arm around Aola’s shoulder and moved her to the side closer to the crowd. Fennec hadn’t moved since they entered the throne room, but after seeing the girl move to the side, Fennec now had moved to stand beside Din. Both watched as Boba motioned for the head guard to bring the human male, and made him kneel before Boba.

Boba kept his visor trained on the human male’s eyes the entire time, even when he began speaking to the crowd.

“I set down basic rules, and I expect everyone to follow them, do I or do I not?”

“VEE” (aye) was the resounding answer

“What is rule one?”

One of the guards to the right of Fennec shouted “What Boba declares is law”

“What is rule two?”

This time a bounty hunter closer to the Head guard that had been holding the human male shouted “Either you bring your quarry in or you die trying”

“What is rule three?”

“All are equal under Boba’s rule” a female servant shouted from behind Din.

“What is the final rule, rule four?”

Aola answered with strength and confidence “no being shall be humiliated.”

“What is the punishment for disobeying any rule?”

“Boba’s justice!” The crowd answered in one voice

The entire time that Boba had his visor trained on the human male, all the while the human male kept his gaze towards the floor, Boba grabbed a fistful of the human’s hair and forced him to look into his visor, the kindness that had been there only a few minutes before with Aola, had been replaced with seething rage.

“WHY DO YOU DEFY ME!?” Boba’s voice echoed in the throne room, the human male tried to move his head away from the deafening voice that was right beside his ear. Boba instead forced his head back even further with the fistful of hair, and gripped the human male’s jaw with his free hand. Din noticed that the man’s jaw had begun to turn white under the grip from Boba, Din could have sworn he heard a crack from the human’s jaw, which was confirmed by the man’s face contorting in pain.

“I ASKED A QUESTION!”

Again the human refused to speak, perhaps his jaw truly was broken and therefore unmovable, either way Boba’s patience was running thin.

“I gave you one chance, last week you were told to stop harassing Aola, she asked you to leave her alone, I told you, I wouldn’t stand for any sort of violation, did I or did I not?”

The man simply nodded, Boba’s grip on his jaw tightened even more, causing the man to let out a scream of pain, and tears began falling down his cheek. “I will NOT tolerate the humiliation of any being or quarry!” Everyone nodded in agreement, to the statement being made. Fennec stood forward, standing in front of Din and the crowd behind her.

“As is the custom for the wronged, Aola shall choose the punishment for this kung” (scum) Boba declared.

For the first time since Aola had moved to stand beside the older woman, Boba moved his head from the human male’s eyes, to now look at Aola that stood to the left of him. Boba slowly released his hold on the man’s hair and stood slightly straighter from his bent position from holding the man, his hand on the male’s jaw however seemed to have tightened even more, and another whimper of pain came from the male. Din looked to Aola who appeared as her strength and confidence returned, she stood straighter before she began to address Boba.

“Let him lose what he was so desperate to use. Let him lose the power he thought made him a man”, Aola answered without wavering.

A smile formed across Fennec’s mouth as she slowly removed a vibroblade, from one of her many hidden spots, Din’s mouth began contorting into a small smile, but seeing this young twi’lek with renewed strength and able to face her attacker filled him with pride, his heart swelled at hearing her words. Boba finally released his hold on the male before him, and fully stood before the man and the crowd, his power and leadership clearly present and exuding from every aspect, the respect that radiated through the room as seeing their leader defend even the lowliest among them earned him greater admiration from his people.

The human male that was still kneeling on the floor, began looking between Boba, Fennec, and Aola, fear clearly evident in his eyes, after a minute a faint chuckle came out of Boba, “Aola, I couldn’t have thought of a better punishment myself, let him wonder the Dune Sea after the act of justice has been performed. Leave him in the middle of the Dune Sea, where certain death, in any direction, is guaranteed.”

Fennec nodded towards Boba, and motioned to the head guard to hold the human male, as the crowd all took a step back for the act of justice to be performed. The human male tried to run, tried to fight the hold the gamorrean head guard had on him, but it was all in vain. As soon as Fennec, knelt before the man, the sound erupting from the male was that of a wounded animal, with a swift movement of her wrist, Fennec made one precise and brutal cut, blood seeped all over the floor of the throne room, surrounding the human male and head guard. Once Fennec stood before the human male, with the appendage he clearly valued more than Boba’s laws in Fennec’s hand, the guard dragged the human male out of the throne room still kicking and screaming, no one dared to raise a hand to help him.

Now that justice had been performed, the crowd began to disperse, other servants came forward and started to clean up the blood from the throne room. Boba turned his attention once again back to Aola, almost at once his kindness and gentleness resurfaced, although Din didn’t hear what was being said between Boba and Aola, his posture was that of a father taking care of a daughter. Once again, Boba placed a gentle hand on Aola’s right shoulder, and sent her off with the older woman that had been supporting her through the ordeal. Looking at the older woman, Din tried hard to forget the face that reminded him of the warmth that had begun to brew in his heart all those years ago.

Boba came to stand beside Din, once everyone went back to listening to the jovial music that had been playing before justice had been executed, almost as though nothing had happened.

“Impressive” Din said after a few minutes of silence between the two of them.

“I refuse to put up with disgusting laosr” (scum)

“I agree, the covert would have made any laosr (scum), who attempted such a thing remove their beskar. Then everyone in the covert would take one turn to strike and land a blow on the individual. Sometimes they survived, sometimes they didn’t. Either way at the end, they would be left on the surface of Nevarro’s lava fields.”

“Interesting. Maybe next time that could be the punishment. Although, maker… Please don’t let there be a next time.”

Din didn’t try to continue the conversation, Boba had become quiet and reflective, as though he were somewhere else, reliving a moment in history. Din wanted to shift away from Boba allowing his friend a moment of quiet contemplation, upon shifting however Boba put away the memories of the past and returned to the present.

“Come back to my office Mando, we still have to discuss the pilot.”

With new found respect, Din simply nodded, he noticed how Boba’s visor was turned slightly away from him, Din turned to face where his visor was directed and saw the familiar figure of Fennec returning to the throne room, at some point Fennec had left to dispose of the offending appendage. Fennec was wiping her gloves clean with a rag, as one of the servants passed her, motioned to take the rag from her, bowing a notable thanks towards Fennec as well. Din could sense his friend’s breathing had become slower and deeper, the longer Boba kept his focus on her, once the servant had left her side, she glanced upwards to see Boba and Din staring at her direction, she simply nodded towards them both, and they reciprocated the unspoken communication. Boba then turned towards his office, with Din in tow following behind, Din had begun to understand what he was witnessing between the two, but still reminded himself, not my business.

Once they had entered, and returned to their respective seats, Boba spoke “why not stay tonight as my guest, then tomorrow you can meet the pilot, if you are in agreement of hiring her, we can then discuss working for me and what would be the best quarry for you.”

“Thank you”

Boba nodded in response, although the conversation was practically over, Did hadn’t moved from his seat.

“Something else on your mind, Mando?”

“Tell me why you are so adamant and confident in this pilot?”

“I have known her for many years” the softness that Din had noticed Boba speak with Aola had returned, but there was something more than just gentleness to the tone, even through the modulator, Din could sense something but not sure what it was, kriff, he was the worst when it came to emotions. “She is not only an exceptional pilot mind you” Boba continued, praise, something Din never heard before either, genuine praise.

“Is she your riduur?” (spouse)

“Ha, no. I will tell you Mando as a sign of good faith, I do love her, I love her with all my soul, I would give her anything in a heartbeat if she ever asked, but she never would. Despite that I admire her abilities, she is a very skillful mechanic, she keeps the speeders and ships running at the palace, she also has a garage in Mos Eisley.”

“So ... because you are in love with her, and your mechanic, I should be ready to hire her?”

“Careful Mando. You are my guest and friend, but be careful how you talk about those I love” Boba’s tone was gritted and the softness that had been there, was washed away by Din’s question.

“I apologize” maybe Din was wrong about what he had noticed between Fennec and Boba, maybe this woman was Boba’s real love, trying to get back on a good foot with Boba, “Please, tell me more about her, can she handle herself?”

Boba recognized Din’s olive branch, and took it for what it was, and let out a laughter, at that Din knew Boba had forgiven his slip of the tongue, “She can certainly handle herself, almost as good as you or I, perhaps better to be honest”, once again his voice returned to softness and pride.

Boba pressed a button on the desk, while he was speaking with Din “We shall try to see her tomorrow midday at her garage in Mos Eisley”, Din simply nodded and thought it was best he not say anything further, lest he say the wrong thing. The door behind Din slid open and the young twi’lek, Aola came in, the bruise that had begun to form when she was standing before Boba earlier, was not as prevalent, clearly bacta had been applied to speed up the healing process, Din also noticed she had changed her tunic.

“You summoned me, Great Boba?”

“Please see to it that my guest is comfortable, have food and drink brought to his room as he will not be eating with the rest of us, and make sure his room is in my wing of the palace.”

“Yes, Great Boba”

Din nodded towards Boba with a thank you, although Boba may not follow the creed, he clearly did respect Din’s decision to continue living the creed, even though he had removed his helmet before Mayfield, Grogu and the Jedi.

“Aola”

Boba said in the same gentle voice from earlier, causing her to lift her gaze from the floor to the visor looking at her, “You can just call me Boba, you don’t have to call me Great Boba.”

“Yes, Great Boba”

Boba just let out a slight chuckle and sigh, “Please also make sure a new tunic and sleep wear is left for him on his bed,” Din nodded his appreciation to Boba at the thoughtful gesture.

“Yes, Gre… yes, Boba” Din could see it took a great deal of effort for Aola to stop using Boba’s official title, it almost looked like it pained her, she turned her head towards Din’s visor who had been watching the interaction between Boba and Aola, “If you would be so kind, good sir, and follow me”, Din nodded in agreement.

Before exiting, Din turned towards Boba and slightly bowed his head once more out of respect for the older man who was before him, and turned to follow Aola. He noticed she had a very different vambrace on her left arm, in fact there were several different buttons with symbols he had never seen before or recognized on it. As they began walking through the throne room, towards Boba’s wing, he noticed she had been pressing several buttons in quick succession, without even having to look at what she was pressing, her posture was no longer that of the scarred or ashamed twi’lek that had stood in the same throne room not that long ago, her confidence, courage and strength was evident.

Din took the opportunity when they were finally alone, passing the throne room to address her “I’m sorry for what happened to you”, he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say, clearly his brain hadn’t been working, could be because of the exhaustion of walking all the way to Jabba’s… no, Boba’s palace, or maybe he was still dealing with the loss of his ad’ika (little one, son, daughter), either way he felt something should be said. Aola simply nodded in response, she didn’t stop to look at him or voiced any kind of thanks. As they climbed the stairs to Boba’s wing, Din just couldn’t help himself from speaking again, maybe it was because he viewed her as the child he had recently lost, and wanted to offer some comfort, “I’m glad Boba and Fennec exacted justice for you.”

Aola stopped one step before the landing to Boba’s wing at Din’s statement, “Great Boba and Mistress Fennec are the best masters … masters is wrong, they are the best leaders to ever grace this place” her conviction, loyalty and faith in those two were clearly evident. “They treat the servants, as workers,” Aola continued, “They make sure we all are treated with dignity and respect, not as slaves or playthings, the same way they treat the guards and bounty hunters. I would and will gladly die for either of them…” she turned towards Din with determination in her eyes.

Din nodded in understanding of her fierce loyalty, it was the same for him with his covert, he would gladly die for them, and die trying to find them, “… a good ruler or leader, makes those under him feel elevated” she continued, “They feel dignified, safe, protected. Before Great Boba, many of the servants were harassed and abused, when he took power, Great Boba removed all the undesirables, he gave them one chance, they could either follow his rules or end up on a one-way trip to a sarlacc pit.”

“A great leader respects and understands the power behind those who follow him. For without them, he is a man talking to the wind”

Aola studied the visor of Din’s helmet, “I think you would make a good leader, the people of Mandalore will be blessed by having you as their ruler” Aola bowed her head to Din. Din couldn’t help but think of those words ‘good leader’, could he be as effective as Boba in his rule? Would he be able to protect all those under him? Would he treat them as though they were his own children? Guard and protect them like his own family?

Din simply nodded his thanks in return to her bow and statement, Aola turned toward the landing in front of them and continued directing Din towards his guest room, they were in front of a door in the middle of the hallway. The door slid open, Aola motioned for Din to enter first. The room was simply furnished, nothing extravagant but comfortable. It was clean, with a comfortable bed, a private refresher, a desk and chair, and a window that looked towards the Dune Sea. There was a table in the middle of the room that was surrounded by pillows for sitting.

Din saw the tunic and sleep wear that Boba had requested on the bed, there was also a variety of food on the table as well as a jug of water. A beeping emerged from Aola’s vambrace, Din didn’t look toward the noise, instead looking out the window towards the Dune Sea. Aola’s voice came from behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts “The Great Boba wishes to let you know that you are not required to go back downstairs after you finish eating. He knows you travelled on foot to reach here, and wishes that you are well rested before meeting the mechanic tomorrow. He says and I quote ‘I want you on your best behaviour’.”

Din chuckled at that, clearly Boba didn’t want to give his love a bad impression of his friend.

“Would you care for some Gocola or Tatooni Junko?” (wine or Huttese alcoholic beverage)

“No, thank you”

“Do you require anything else?”

“What do you know of this mechanic/pilot I am to meet tomorrow?”

“What I know is what I have learned in passing. She mainly is in the company and mostly talks to Great Boba or Mistress Fennec, when she does come to the palace. On occasion she will speak with a few of the guard or bounty hunters, but that is very rare.”

“Is she capable?”

“From what I’ve heard, many hunters say that she is a highly skilled mechanic, they’ve rarely found a better one, but what they most admire about her is not her mechanical skills.”

“I’m sure” Din responded with implications in his tone.

“Oh no, that’s not what I mean,” Aola was quick to clarify her statement, “Her skills as a warrior and fighter are surpassed by none that I know of, many of the bounty hunters do not understand why she herself is not a bounty hunter. At times she comes to the palace to spar with Mistress Fennec or one of the bounty hunters, in fact I believe she has sparred with almost every bounty hunter here, and they are all in agreement that she would be rich beyond her wildest dream, if she ever decides to become a bounty hunter. They say her skills rival that of the Great Boba. Many hunters also believe that she may in fact be Great Boba’s kotkhen (mistress), however I do not believe that.”

“Why?”

“She never sleeps in the palace, I have never seen her affectionate towards Boba, in the way that would constitute her a mistress. Oftentimes when she does stay in the palace, she will sleep in her room that is close to the mechanic shop. I do not know all of the Great Boba’s interests, so I could be wrong in my assessment of her.”

Din nodded “Thank you”

“Will you need anything else?”

“No, thank you”

Aola bowed and left, leaving Din alone in the room. He walked towards the door and locked it, not wanting anyone to accidentally walk in while he was without his helmet. Once he was secure the door was locked, he began to remove his blaster, dark sabre and spear, and placed one in each corner, the blaster he placed under the pillow, the dark sabre he left on the table with the food, the spear he placed at the foot of his bed close to the refresher. He then began to remove every ounce of beskar and placed it beside his bed.

Din thought it would be best to use the refresher before sitting down to eat, upon the hot water hitting his skin, the exhaustion of the day, the exhaustion from the past three years, the loss of Grogu, the loss of his home, his covert, the face of a woman on Sorgan he wouldn’t try to see again despite what he knew could happen if he did go back. All the loss and sadness came pouring out of him, the tears on his face mingled with the hot water, exiting him and being sent far away from him, in that moment he truly felt alone.

Din exited after a few minutes, walked towards the bed and put on the fresh tunic and sleep wear, he finally felt relaxed, more than he ever had, as he sat at the table about to begin eating, his right hand mindlessly rolled the silver ball in his hand, his one constant this past year since Grogu left with the Jedi. His thoughts drifted back to his ad’ika, and his covert. He will find his fellow covert, even if it kills him, he will not lose any other family. Hopefully, the faith Boba has in his mechanic will be worth it, maybe the meeting will go better than expected.

———

TRANSLATIONS:

Huttese translation:

Hi chuba du naga, Murishani? - What do you want, bounty hunter?

Jee nan bahva ba bababekahea cay Boba Fett. - I come seeking an audience with Boba Fett

Wonkee hatkocanh bu Lhonu Boba Fett banag bai neu uba? - Why would the Great Boba Fett want to see you?

mi killie - I kill.

Uba koee doth cahcata bai jot wata nem! - You might be allowed to leave here alive!

Murishani sleemo, sa da ree datpe? - Bounty hunter slime ball, is that real beskar?

Dobra data bai neu bu Lhonu Boba Fett, paknee ata mi bai jen! - I’m here to see the Great Boba Fett, take me to him!

Jeejee roe bla tah! - we already know this

Paknee ata mi bai jen ateema, an uba koee hocan nem. - Take me to him now, and you might live

Pasa bantkoke, jee jee killee uba an oto vu bu datpe? - What if instead, we kill you and keep the beskar?

Mando, youkesa jiu cay mee e'nachu! - Mando, stop playing with your food!

Jee cha konza va foppa e’nachu! - I don’t eat junk food!

vee - aye

kung - scum

Gocola or Tatooni Junko - wine or Huttese alcoholic beverage

kotkhen - mistress

Mando’a translation:

laosr - scum

Ad’ika - little one, son, daughter of any age - also used informally to adults much like lads or guys

riduur - sponse gender neutral

Thanks to mandoa.org and starters.myrpg.org/coruscant_translator.php for the translation help.

Masterlist -> Next

Tag List:

@cousinwingding97 @degreeinsimping @lady-ren

#boba fett #din djarin #fennec shand #the mandalorian #tatooine #oc #star wars #after season 2 finale #din djarin x female oc #slow burn #sins of the father #sotf

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therealvinelle · 3 years ago

Note

Maybe this is bold of me to ask, but are there any deleted scenes from your fics, or scenes you had consideted writing but didn't? And if yes, would you be willing to share them someday?

Oh no problem!

Usually when a scene is deleted it stays deleted, so I don't have a lot to give you. There are a few things that were cut in betaing for various reasons, I can put a few of them below a readmore in this post.

There's the prologue that never was to Nebuchadnezzar's Dream, from back when the fic was supposed to be told alternately from Bella and Carlisle's respective points of view. In the prologue we saw how Bella, Alice, and Edward came to the point where they decided to overthrow the Volturi. Or, we would have, except I didn't actually like that prologue, and found myself jumping straight to writing chapter 2, the "Carlisle is at a party and gets attacked by a werewolf" chapter instead. My good beta @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin asked why I didn't simply make the whole fic from Carlisle's point of view, I realized she had an excellent point, now here we are.

For that matter, this is nowhere near the only significant change that happened to this fic during writing. One example, in the original outline I never brought up Carlisle's gift. Two significant things in the last chapter were not planned until after I published chapters twelve and thirteen, respectively (Luckily for me it'll look like I plotted them all along, so yay for that). For a tightly plotted fic, this one has had a lot of leeway.

Slight caveat, as I’m self-conscious: with most of these you will probably be able to tell why they’re deleted scenes. Especially the prologue. God, that prologue.

(Also, for the record yes I do write other things, but due to 1. being betaed, and 2. being long, I really only have examples for Nebuchadnezzar's Dream.)

The prologue that never was. Apologies for the fluff saturation:

The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II once had a dream.

There was a statue that was gold on top, then silver, then copper, then iron, then clay and iron. As he watched, a rock struck its feet, and soon the whole statue crumbled, leaving nothing but rubble. The rock then grew into a great mountain that covered all the world.

This, the prophet Daniel told the king, was a message from Jehovah.

The statue represented five great human empires, the golden head being the Babylonian Empire, and the following three being those who would come after. The last would be both iron and clay, a divided kingdom. It will fall, and then the kingdom of Heaven will come, crushing those empires in its path.

Thousands of years later, in 1453, the Byzantine Empire fell. The last of the Roman Empire, a divided kingdom, had fallen.

The Christian world trembled, because reckoning was surely near. With the fall of this last, great human empire, all the world would fall to rubble.

Fifteen years had passed.

The Cullens had left Forks behind, settling in the small town of Grafton, Idaho. Carlisle had quickly settled into the new hospital, and Esme had designed a beautiful new home for them while the rest attended the new school. Jasper and Rosalie were Carlisle’s younger siblings while Bella, Edward, Renesmée and Esme comprised another set of siblings. Alice and Emmett were the fosters.

Jacob wasn’t far, he still lived with his old .

«Did you hear they all scored an A on Mr Rosen’s test? Seriously, all of them!»

The words were uttered by Jenna Gilbert, a blonde sophomore who reminded Bella very much of Jessica Stanley. She was sitting on the opposite end of the cafeteria from Bella and her family, though

«Jen, it’s the Cullens, that’s just what they do. You should stop comparing yourself…» her friend said soothingly.

Bella ducked her face into her hand to hide her smile, and winked at Alice, who grinned back at her.

It was Bella and Renesmée’s first time going to high school as a vampire. It was exactly what Edward and Alice had said it would be, for better and for worse.

For the worse, because she spent her days pretending to be a human girl, never using her strength or speed, pretending Edward wasn’t her husband and Renesmée wasn’t her daughter.

For the better, because she got to spend every day with Edward, Renesmée, and the rest of her new family. The others had done the high school routine too many times to see things the way she did, and Renesmée had never known a life without the Cullens, but to Bella, attending high school as one of Dr. Cullen’s adoptive kids felt like she had truly come full circle since that first day she spotted Edward in the cafeteria. She was one of them, truly, irrevocably, and high school was nothing if not a promise of the countless years to come surrounded by the people she loved.

Edward caught her eye, and she smiled back at him. She lowered her shield briefly to show him how happy she was to be with her family.

His face softened into that beautiful, lop-sided smile of his, and he leaned in to whisper into her ear, «You’ll be less happy when you’ve been through English 101,» he said.

«Hey, hey,» Jasper said quickly. «Don’t you dare, Edward, I need all the happiness I can get in this place.» He locked eyes with Bella. «Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.»

Bella laughed, and rested her head on Edward’s shoulder. He placed his hand above hers on the table, and she smiled. «Not a problem, Jazz.»

Jenna’s voice caught her notice again. «Look at how they’re sitting! Try and tell me they’re not incestuous, Cam. Just try.»

Her friend didn’t reply to that one, although a quick glance informed Bella that the girl was staring at the Cullen table with a frown on her face.

Bella and Alice caught each others’ eye again, and this time they couldn’t hold back the giggles.

***********

Later in the day, Alice’s eyes lit up. «You’ll receive a letter from Stefan and Vladimir a week from now,» she chirped.

«Oh!» Bella exclaimed. «What does it say?»

«The usual,» Alice replied, her eyes slightly distant as she concentrated. «They hope we’re all doing well, and they included a new story of how things used to be before the Volturi. It’s the story of how they once built an entire temple for themselves in just one day. Oh, and they have a new phone number. O-seven nine six five nine six.»

Bella’s eyes widened as Alice talked. She hoped they had included drawings of that temple, it sounded incredible.

Bella hadn’t expected the Romanians to stay in touch, when they left after the thwarted battle with the Volturi she thought they would slink back into the old European shadows they had cloaked themselves in for that past several thousand few years, not to be heard from until some new threat to the Volturi loomed.

But no, that very next Christmas Bella had received a gift from them. It was an old, if flaked painting of Ivan the Terrible looking a lot like Vladimir, and a note from Vladimir explaining how he fooled all of Russia into believing he was their ruler for decades, all right beneath Aro’s nose. Carlisle had broken into a fit of uncharacteristic giggles when he heard that, and even agreed to put the painting in the hallway. To this day, he’d huff with silent laughter whenever he walked past it.

After that, Bella and the two Romanians had been in touch. They’d send her gifts, stories, and their own observations about the Volturi, and she’d respond fondly.

It was a very unlikely friendship, but she was was eternally grateful to all those who had stood with her family when the Volturi came. The Romanians were no exception,

«Are you going to call them?» Alice inquired.

Bella nodded. «They were going to tell me about their visit to Thebes.»

(Outline: Prologue of sorts. Status quo update, everyone’s happy except for the part where the Volturi are waiting to kill them. Alice, Bella, and Edward form their plan. Alice sees that she’s going to have to send Carlisle away, and coincidentally his hospital colleagues are having their Christmas weekend in Montana. PERFECT. She talks to him.)

***********

Heavily altered scene from chapter 7

Carlisle makes more jokes than he did in the final product, they're unfunny to the point where my beta said "you can't publish this", the plague joke in particular is a bit too dark for him so I gave it to Jane instead. More importantly, the chapter itself has a very weird, clunky start:

«Is it the gift of being profoundly unimpressed by ridiculous claims?» Carlisle deadpanned. «Because if so, Aro, I think you might be on to something.»

Several seconds had passed since Aro made his ridiculous claim. At first, Carlisle had burst out laughing. Then, as he realized he was the only person in the room laughing and Aro was staring at him in full seriousness, his laughter had trailed off and he’d been left to stare dully at Aro for several long seconds, waiting for Aro to crack up and say «gotcha!».

Aro never cracked up.

Carlisle had absolutely no idea what Aro was playing at, especially not immediately after Carlisle had very reluctantly decided against shutting him out of his life.

«You can’t be serious,» he’d said.

Aro had sighed. «I’m afraid I am.»

And now, at Carlisle’s deadpan guess, Aro only shook his head. «Not quite.»

Carlisle stared at him for another second, before he ventured another, scathing guess. «Are you hoping it’s the power of being highly suggestible? Because I definitely don’t have that, or I would have abandoned my diet centuries centuries ago.»

Aro just looked at him. «If you would let me explain-» he began, but Carlisle cut him off.

«No, no, you want to try and convince me I have some sort of gift, then I want to guess at what you’re going for,» he said, crossing his legs at the knee and propping his chin up on his knuckle in a faux-pensive look.

«Now,» he continued, even as Aro gave him the world’s most unimpressed glare, as if Carlisle was the one who was being ridiculous, «I’m pretty sure I would have noticed the power to throw fireballs by now, so it can’t be that,» he mused aloud. «Same goes for the power of…» he searched his mind, «turning into a bat. That one would definitely have come up at some point. Or maybe I should suspend myself upside down in a cave. See if it triggers anything. Just to be sure.»

«Carlisle,» Aro murmured, but Carlisle wasn’t done.

«Maybe I spread disease. My father certainly thought demons did. Maybe that’s why I get so many interesting patients. Those brain fungi,» he nodded towards Renata, who was still sitting with the book open in her lap, «I’ve had two in one year. That’s a lot.»

«Carlisle-» Aro tried again, but Carlisle held up a finger, a wide grin spreading across his face.

«The power to change my eye color. You see, yesterday they were black-»

Aro actually rolled his eyes at that. Of course, he made the insolent gesture look like a fluid, enchanting movement.

«Yes, quite funny, now if you would let me explain…» Aro tried again while Carlisle tried not to snicker at his own joke.

***********

Two deleted paragraphs from chapter 9. The alteration was made because it was a bit on the nose about what Renesmée does.

Humans were mammals, and mammals were hardwired to protect their young. This extended across species, making mother cats care for puppies and humans care for anything that was small and cute. The instinct to love and cherish anything cute and helpless was an evolutionary necessity, and had to run deeper than anything if a species wanted to survive.

Enter Jane, who was the smallest, cutest thing Carlisle had ever seen, but from a species humans instinctively knew to fear. Maybe the very fact that she was something that humans knew they should want to care for made their fear exponential, made it impossible to deny that something was very wrong about her, that they were looking at a predator.

Perhaps too there was something to vampires having retained some of that human instinct to protect their young, if the countless stories of covens dying to protect their immortal children was anything to go by. Carlisle himself had been no exception when the Volturi came for Renesmée, even as he found himself risking the lives of countless friends.

How far things had come, he thought, from preparing to die along with his loved ones at the hands of the Volturi to sitting across a café table with Jane and pitching costume ideas.

***********

Chapter 9 was heavily altered, mainly as it was too funny the first (and second!) time around and I kept having to return to insert more existential dread. A side effect of this is that Carlisle in the original draft was still undecided on whether he had a gift up until the very end of the chapter, whereas it's proven beyond a doubt much earlier in the published version.

Jane was looking a bit daunted, though it was nothing compared to how Carlisle felt.

Silently, they went to stand in front of one of the many sports stores that Whitefish had to offer.

«This could still be confirmation bias,» Carlisle whispered, and leaned against the wall. For all the human blood that was in his system, his knees felt oddly weak.

Jane let out a startled laugh. «You’re seriously still in denial?»

Carlisle shook his head quietly. «They reacted pretty reasonably, just because they didn’t run away screaming…»

«Reasonably?» Jane echoed dully. «Carlisle, you can’t actually…» she shook her head. «Remember that bubble we talked about?»

Carlisle put his head in his hands, and let his fingers move up, under the wig, pulling it off in one neat motion.

Jane shook her head at him. «You look even more glamorous with your real hair.»

Carlisle still said nothing, balling the wig together in his hands.

Could it be he actually had a gift?

***********

The chapter 11 outline originally had Renata and Carlisle failing to communicate like normal people because they've spent too much time with Aro, and unintentional innuendo keeps ruining their attempts to make polite small talk. Sadly (or happily) this is a lot easier to conceptualize than carry out in actual writing, and their conversation wound up being far too serious for that, so it was cut. Luckily for you I did pen Carlisle flashbacking to a time his foot got in his mouth:

The moment after the words were out her face scrunched up.

Carlisle snorted. «Aro is a horrible influence on us all.»

He remembered one of his first talks with Jasper, when they were still getting to know each other.

Jasper had been a little starstruck when he learned Carlisle’s friends in Italy were those Italians.

He’d asked Carlisle a lot of questions once he got past a misplaced sense of awe, wanting to put a face to the eternal, petrified, leaders of the vampire world.

During a hunt with just the two of them, Jasper had been asking about Aro’s gift.

«What do you even think about when you’re with him?» Jasper had marvelled aloud, and he would later explain that the way he say it, this was like the way the Egyptian gods supposedly measured souls.

Place your heart upon the balancing scale against the weight of a feather, and if your heart weighs heavier it is devoured by the demon Ammit.

Place your hand in Aro’s, and if he deems you guilty of breaking his law, you will be torn to pieces in the space of a second.

Being friends with the man sounded unbearably stressful to Jasper.

Unfortunately, Carlisle’s mind had gone in the opposite direction, and what came out of his mouth before he could stop himself was, «England.»

He’d covered well enough for that, or he hoped he had. Jasper never asked.

***********

Chapter 11 was also supposed to have Renata being brave enough to ask for a selfie with Carlisle when they're both in black robes, this because I just really want Edward to sift through the Volturi group chat after all this and finding that. Alas, I couldn't work it in there. (Determined to not lose the joke, I had Aro take the photos in chapter 12 instead.)

***********

Chapter 12, the fandom ghost requested I include another butt slap and offered me fanart if I fulfilled her wish.

And so:

He held up a hand, presumably to touch Carlisle’s arm in comfort, but just then Alec started retching.

«He ate human food,» Jane deadpanned to Demetri, Felix, and Renata. Shaking her head, she brushed Alec’s hair out of his face as he hurled into the river.

Aro grimaced slightly, his hand hovering in the air.

Carlisle felt all the bread, corn flakes, and water that he’d swallowed press uncomfortably against his esophagus. «I’ll do you one better, Alec,» he choked, before he span around, fell to his knees and started retching, much like a cat.

Aro, evidently not sure what to do with his arm but not about to let it drop purposelessly, gave Carlisle a supportive pat on the bum before kneeling beside him to hold his hair as he hurled.

It was funny, but simply didn't fit the tone considering what happened after. It had to go. But hey, I got the art.

#there's more but these are the things that came to mind #my fic #nebuchadnezzar's dream #fic spoilers #of sorts kinda #doktrajediscovery

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newsatsix1986 · 3 years ago

Text

The prop department behind this show are incredible.

Not only did they truly make the magazine which Helen and Dale were doing the photo shoot for - the Australian Woman’s Day, they properly wrote an article to go along with the photos.

It took a lot of very close deciphering, but I was able to write down as much of it as I could. I hope it makes sense to you all. It’s adorable and romantic - discussing the first kiss, their Russell Street worries, Helen and Val becoming close that day, and how they knew that they found the other person quite attractive.

Happy reading, friends xoxo

Page One:

Title: Glamour, News and Romance - The Golden Couple of News.

There’s romance in the News At Six newsroom, and everyone is watching.

They are the celebrity couple that has set Melbourne ablaze.

From their luminous first kiss that eclipsed a comet, to chasing the Chamberlains in steamy Darwin, to their love galvanising in the wake of the Russell Street Bombing - Dale Jennings and Helen Norville’s romance has blossomed before our eyes.

We sat down with the golden couple of news to get an exclusive sneak peek into the lovers’ lives.

Every day as Melburnians wake, Dale is already in the newsroom; focused, primed, combing through the latest stories.

As a part of the hard-working News At Six team, he never quite knows what his day will look like, where he might be sent at the drop of the hat.

The one constant of his working life? When Helen Norville strides into his office, his heart skips a beat.

“It’s always an event when she arrives,” Dale tells me, laughing. “Heads turn, every time.”

We’re sitting on spacious lounges on the hot new cafe in Fitzroy, Arrondissement X. Sitting beside him is Helen, carelessly gorgeous in a mauve and teal blouse with puffed sleeves and a pleated grey skirt. She slaps Dale’s arm, bashful, then nuzzles closer to him.

“It’s true!” Dale continues. “There’s a magnetism about her. An energy. She just lights up the room.”

But for Helen, it’s Dale who has that certain je ne sais quoi. And whatever it is, it’s ruined her for other men.

Dale’s unlike any other guy I know,” she says. “He’s warm and kind, but also driven and strong. And he’s a great listener. When you’re talking to him, you feel like you’re the only person in the world.”

The story is legendary now. Dale was Helen’s surprise date for Geoff Walters’ 60th birthday party the night Halley’s Comet passed overhead.

We were denied a good look at the comet, but partygoers received an even more spectacular view.

It was on that balmy February night; rubbing shoulders with Melbourne’s elite amidst a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event, that Dale kissed Helen for the very first time.

“It was a surprise, to be honest,” Helen professes. “I’d invited Dale as a dear colleague, but when he kissed me something just clicked. It felt totally right.”

And despite how picture perfect the moment was - with half of Melbourne’s press just a few faces away - Dale insists it was completely unplanned.

“It was just a spur of the moment thing,” he tells me. “I mean, I didn’t think Helen would go for a guy like me, but she looked so stunning. I thought, “Come on mate, what are you waiting for?”

So began the romance that has captured the hearts of viewers across the nation.

But what events led to that magical moment? To date, Dale and Helen have been cagey about the origins of their romance...until now.

“It really started when Dale was assigned to produce me.” Helen explains. “It’s no secret that I’ve gone through a few producers in my time, blokes who didn’t take me seriously as a journalist. I knew right away that Dale was different. He wanted to work with me, not over me.”

“Helen had really bold ideas for special reports,” Dale adds. “I was drawn to her passion like a moth to a very glamorous flame.”

Page Two

These reports have now become a Monday evening staple - and one of the biggest ratings draw for News At Six.

It’s clear Melbourne can’t get enough of the romantically-entangled reporting duo - a dynamic that crystallised when Dale reporter live from a scorched Russell Street on 27th March.

Viewers the state over shared with Helen’s fear for Dale’s life, and her relief she felt when she saw he’d made it out unscathed.

“It was one of the most stressful days of my life.” Helen says, clutching Dale’s hand in hers. “Not only did we experience an awful attack on our city, there were hours where I didn’t know if Dale was safe. My feelings for him crystallised in that moment. I knew I loved him. Deeply.”

“Absolutely. Same for me,” Dale echoes. He grows solemn and his eyes glaze over - clearly reliving the horrific events of that day. In a strange way, it was the perfect moment for them to say “I love you.” It was the first time Helen met Dale’s mother! “We’d arranged a dinner for that night!” Helen says. “Of course, that got put aside. But she and I grew close that day.”

So how is our newly-minted media royality adjusting to life in the spotlight?

“It’s been strange getting used to it all.” Dale admits. “I get stopped in the street now - not as much as Helen, but blokes recognise me at the pub.”

But for the most part, it’s business as usual.

“We work hard, we’re passionate about what we do, and we’re passionate about each other,” Helen says.

I can’t help but ask Helen, “Is Dale as passionate in private as he is in public?”

She giggles, as Dale goes red. “Let’s just say we have no issues in that department,” she says, winking. It’s enough to bring the temperature in this cool French bistro up a few degrees!

As Helen steals a kiss from her blushing beau, I’m reminded of the couple’s enduring appeal. Who wouldn’t invite them into their living room of the evening?

While Geoff Walters has announced his imminent return to the desk, his recent health scare has shown the veteran newsreader is not as invincible as he previously seemed. I ask Dale and Helen if we might see them together on the desk, someday soon.

“Oh, we haven’t even moved in together yet!” Helen laughs. “Right now, we’re focusing on supporting each other to do good work and keep Melbourne informed.”

The couple are admirably humble about their ambitions. All the while as I wave them goodbye and watch them walk down Brunswick Street arm in arm, it’s hard not to think of them as the future of news; young, smart, totally in love, and with the whole world at their feet.”

Episode Six - Chernobyl (and a sweet magazine article)

Edited to include the full story! Thank you @dontwanderoff for linking me to the full article on Twitter!

#the newsreader #helen norville #anna torv #dale jennings #sam reid #attention to detail #this was so cute and wholesome #helen is freaking stunning #look at that cover photo!! 😍

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felassan · 3 years ago

Text

Highlights and insights from the MELE launch cast & crew reunion panel

[rewatch link] [highlights & insights from the N7 Day 2020 reunion]

In case a text format is better for anyone (in terms of accessibility for example). Cut for length.

Some paraphrasing.

If anyone’s interested in just the line-reading session, it starts at timestamp ~1:04:45.

In addition to the cast and crew from the N7 Day reunion, at this reunion also in attendance were:

Mac Walters (Project Director for MELE, Lead Writer of the og MET)

Melanie Faulknor (Lead Producer for MELE)

Crystal McCord (Producer for MELE)

Fred Tatasciore (Saren)

Seth Green (Joker)

Kimberly Brooks (Ash)

Ash Sroka (Tali)

This was the biggest reunion / meetup of the cast so far, and some of the cast and crew were meeting for the first time here.

It’s been so long since the og MET that PW & KW are getting to watch their kids experience playing it for the first time

JHale doesn’t play but since MELE she’s been sneaking around Twitch jumping into peoples’ MELE livestreams to lurk, watch and comment a bit

What drew Seth to the character of Joker? The whole concept of the game. He likes games and MET’s mechanics (different trees of adventure, stacking reputation, choices carrying between games) at the time were the most sophisticated that he’d ever heard pitched. He thought this was new and exciting and wanted to be a part of it. For the character they cast him based on his personality traits (i.e. he sounds quite similar to Joker personality-wise)

Would Seth ever want to play Joker again if the opportunity presented itself? Sure, he loves the character, and if the writers ever had more things to explore/expand with Joker he’d be down for it.

Seth said that it’s a different kind of fan that approach him about this project. The fans have spent many many hours in an intimate exchange with “him” that he hasn’t been a part of, but they experienced it nonetheless. “I’ve hugged a lot of strangers, you know what I’m saying? It’s great, you get an interaction with fans that you never get as a performer in any other experience”

Seth has been a space guy since he was little, it inspires him

With the state of the world the way it is now [covid, masks etc], does Ash think Tali’s story will be more impactful now than it was before? Ash hopes so, and that anything they do here will have a positive impact on a bigger level. Ultimately that’s why most of them do what they do, they want to reach people in deep ways. She hopes Tali is an inspiration in courage, bravery, standing up for what’s right and thinking about the greater good

The [MELE I think] dev team had a last team meeting with Greg Zeschuk, one of the founders of BioWare, who they had invited to it. He was regaling them with stories of the inception of Mass Effect. “You would imagine this sort of well-laid out, drawing boards everywhere... [but] it was basically just a napkin sketch in a Greek taverna with him and Casey going ‘We wanna do a space opera’, and then it took off”

The process of creating lore through development is very organic. A lot of it comes from character and story development. It builds up over the course of the game’s development. They did the codex entries at the end, the idea being that if they saved them for as late as they could, then they could pull from the story, characters and meaningful moments, and build them from there

PW wrote a bunch of the codex entries, elevator banter & lots of little bits of lore. They describe their time on the og MET as being a “baby writer”. They originally came in after Mac had back surgery and a junior writer was needed to fill in. “It was really fun, it was us sitting in a room together going ‘What do you think a hanar or a krogan thinks about this or that’?” For a first project for them this was an amazing experience - the world building itself creatively with all these awesome people

They tried to add multiplayer in every game but only got it to work in ME3

They had a lot of plots laid out in ME1 that they called “global plots”. These were outside the core critical path and would take players from planet to planet, and were sprawling stories. They pulled out a lot of really interesting concepts and ideas from these that did make it into the game, but all of the global plots ended up getting cut due to time. Mac still has old diagrams and spreadsheets which detailed how all of these would have come together

Q. If you all had to take a long-distance road-trip with two squadmates, who would you take and why? PW: “Jack and Mordin. Mordin because the drive would never lack for things to talk about at length quickly, Jack because you know you wouldn’t pay for the room. You wouldn’t know how you’d get the room, but you wouldn’t be paying for it.” Courtenay: “I’d take Mordin because there’d be singing, and FemShep just to have this thing - happen. In the room that I get for free.” JHale at this point fistpumped while saying “Yeess” [then I think what she said was “steaming hot”]

Seeing as asari are long-lived, how open is Ali to one day reprising her role as Liara? “She’s a character very close to my heart, it was such a great opportunity. In some games that we work on the character has already been created or voiced by someone else, but this was really a group effort. When I first went into the booth, the only thing I’d seen of her was a sort of like, rendering, and we slowly kind of came to her voice and presence. I would love to bring Liara back any time... hey, she can live a really long time guys. :D”

Caroline and people who do what she does (Creative Performance Director) are so critical to the quality of games. Caroline: “This group of people are extraordinary. We were lucky to have such an extraordinary cast. Every [recording] session was new and challenging. It was a labor of love. I’m tearing up right now thinking about it. I’m remembering my last session with Jen, she was the last session, just sobbing and sobbing”. When JHale was trying to say the lines of Shepard’s goodbye with Garrus, a line hit her like a tonne of bricks and she was in tears and was like “Shepard does not cry”. “It took me a second, I got it out and took another run at it, it was in there but stuffed down as it should have been, and I finished the line [and there was silence in the booth when usually Caroline would have been talking to give direction or instruction] Did we lose her? Did Skype crash?” and it transpired that what had happened was that Caroline was in floods of tears

ME was the first time Keythe had ever come across branching dialogue. “Normally when we work on a script and it’s from page 1 to 100. In this it was get to page 5, then go back to page 2 and play it a little differently. The skill and the fun and joy of it was to be able to go back and play a scene in a different way, with different writing, with different outcomes. This was not only a challenge but a real treat. So to all the writers who dreamed up how this build-your-own-adventure plays out, you have my undying respect. It was a real pleasure”

VEDA is a proprietary system that BW use to record the dialogue, which is the closest way of having it feel like having people in the booth together (it’s all digital and VAs get to hear the line someone else has done in that scene). Caroline really pushed for this because of the amount of time etc that was wasted due to lack of this sort of thing on ME1. William: “It was a god send for me, thank you, getting to hear a cue from Jen or Mark.” Ali: “Us being able to bounce off each other helps make it more real. This for me was the most real acting experience on a game I had ever had - the writing being so good, Caroline helping us through, being able to hear each other.” JHale was always early coming in to record relative to the others so only got to use VEDA a few times - a bit of Liara content and the scene with Anderson towards the end. “Those two times, oh my god it was amazing”. VEDA being a thing also helps from a scheduling standpoint

Seth and Tricia Helfer (EDI) only got to be in the booth actually together 1 time, to record/shoot a piece of promotional video. “We actually got to record a scene together and we were like ‘oh my god this is the best thing ever’. It was great, even though I had to stand on a stool. She’s the best”

Seth: “As an actor, the kind of opportunity to do this kind of material in games just didn’t exist.” Fred: “Oh, never! I had never had a villain part that was complicated like that. In a game? Never before, it was really interesting”

Raphael always goes back to the fact that ME brought more women into gaming than any other game before it. “The writing and the complexity of the relationships gave us so much ballast”. “This set this apart from running, shooting, gunning, looting”

JHale: “What I noticed in the times before when I got to be around fans, there was a huge hunger among women in the gaming world for something they could really jump into. They were starving for something which fed them what they deserved and needed”

Mac: “[praising Caroline] Caroline would often come to us as writers and challenge us and say, as an example, ‘Do we really need another male character to do this? Why are we writing another male character for this?’ She pushed that very early and to the betterment of everything we created”

PW: “Karin and Cookie and all of the editors across the trilogy, [were critical in] making sure that Shepard sounded consistent - [especially since] we had a large writing team, writers came and went, Mac is the only one with a significant writing contribution on each of the games”

PW: “[on game dev] It’s a process of getting hundreds of people pointed in the same direction, all believing that this is something worth doing”

Ash: “Having all the different possibilities and avenues, going back to play them all out in the different ways [really helped to round the character of Tali out and make her feel like a natural person]”.

VAs only get paid for the original recording sessions, not again (as in they don’t any royalties or anything from something like the remaster)

In MELE, they left all the original credits at the end of each game in

Fred: “It’s creating in five dimensions [because of all the outcomes and relationships etc]”. Seth: “The cool thing is that the audience feels that. They’re immediately struck by how dense, thought-out, prepared and planned the entire universe is”

How was it for the new MELE devs coming onto this? Crystal: “I knew it [the series and fans’ love for it] was big, but I didn’t know it was BIG! Working on MELE there was this infectious excitement. Being part of it was so exciting.” Melanie: “I came on at ME3, I had a 3 or 4 year honeymoon period with BioWare. Coming onto MELE, I’m getting really emotional. One of my first meetings originally was going into a cinematic review for an epic Tali scene in ME3”. Crystal: “On MELE, we had an hour or 2 every day where the team came together to play the game. In those reviews, a lot of the devs who worked on the original would tell all these stories. It was really fun to hear all the inside stories on ME’s creation and be a part of that”

DC: “Should this unit get vaccinated?” Ash: “Of course”

How do they think ME will be viewed in the next 10-20 years, what do they think its legacy will be? A piece of history, ground-breaking. It broke down some barriers and opened doors for people. It’s a powerful, powerful community. It’ll continue to age quite well and be enjoyed by a new generation, it’s original and evergreen and there’s a lot in it that people go back to. There’s a lot of universal things in it (personal experiences, like there will always be love, people fighting to belong, trying to make sense of their pasts etc)

JHale and Alix did the “I love you Shepard, now go save the world again” Shep-Sam exchange and both got teary. It was then Seth’s turn to line-read: “Jesus Christ, now that I’m good and choked up, fucking mess”. Ali was also actually crying from it

Seth: “It can’t be overstated, this community is so large and global, it is one of the most powerful fandoms that I’ve ever been greeted with. Thank you”. Ash: “It’s the most amazing group of fans ever. We’re all so grateful”

Some funny anecdotes/stories:

PW didn’t realize that Alix could do different accents. They remember a time when they were listening in the booth and an Alliance soldier was complaining about the gear had been given. They said “Wow that’s really good, who is that?” and the VO producer said “That’s Alix, Patrick”, “because she wasn’t doing her [normal British accent but was doing a Californian accent instead]. Alix roasted me later for not recognizing her voice and never let me heard the end of it”

Alix: “[on Sam’s toothbrush] Caroline’s like, ‘So then she pulls her toothbrush’ and I’m like ‘What? Sorry? A toothbrush?’ and obviously it’s funny now as everyone knows that Sam’s thing is her toothbrush. Caroline’s like ‘Yeah, you’ve gotta like, flirt, over the toothbrush’ and I’m like ‘Who wrote this - a frickin toothbrush, are you kidding me? Really guys?’ ANYWAY. I was wrong and it worked. :D”

Fred: “I remember a 12 year old kid coming up to me and being like [flat tone] ‘Oh yeah. I killed you’.”

Keythe: “The other assasin I play is Kellogg in Fallout 4. People come up to me like ‘Omg. I love you so much. And then I fucking KILLED you!’”

Courtenay once went out to dinner in NZ with a few prominent people from the Game of Thrones cast. “Everyone around was making a big deal out of it like ‘Omg, it’s so-and-so from GoT’. I was feeling a bit like ‘Hi, I’m here, just nobody’. And I looked around in the restaurant and there's one guy in the corner and he’s got an N7 shirt on and he’s just looking at me like [knowing look, does a peace sign]. And I’m like ‘I got one! I love you guys!’”

PW: “I have a question for the cast members, because I don’t know if JHale has done this to all of you or if she just does it to the devs. Show of hands if Jen has ever made you do push-ups.” JHale: “It’s just you guys”

Karin: “One of my favorite editing files that I ever had was a ME file. It was before Seth was coming in for a session. I opened it up and it was just 20, 25 lines with the word ‘Shit’, over and over again, and I was like, ‘This file is perfect, I don’t need to do anything to it, have fun!’”

Seth: “Didn’t we do a track that’s like 60 seconds of laughing? Escalating laughing? I don’t know about other actors but for me getting into a laughing fit is kind of like trying to get into a crying fit, it takes the same level of commitment, you start to follow a path until like you’re hysterically uncontrollably laughing. I remember looking through the glass, and I’m deep in it at this point, and I make eye contact, and I can see from the other side of the booth and they’re like [making ‘okay you can stop’ now gestures] - ‘Like that’s plenty, we got it’ and I was like ‘okay, okay [dying]’”

JHale: “The craziest thing Mark and I had to deal with was how many times we had to say ‘I should go’”. Mark: “We also, Caroline and I tended to use that as short hand when I needed to go to the bathroom”

The panel host: “The first time I interviewed Ali was a decade ago. She did the ‘I’ll flay you alive with my mind’ line halfway through, it was my first interview and I literally fell out of my seat [from being star-struck]”

Ash line-read Tali’s drunk omni-tattoo scene and in response DC said “I totally get why people wanna romanticize all these characters :D”. Karin: “We’ve had more than one person come up to us and show us actual tattoos that looked like that”

[source]

#bioware #mass effect #video games #covid mention #long post #longpost #garrus vakarian #best boy #feels #lul

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spnfanficpond · 4 years ago

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December 2020 Angel Fish Awards

(Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

WELCOME TO THIS MONTH’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE IN THE POND CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. Everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that this fun, thoughtful award will do just that.

Be sure to read through this whole post as people who were nominated more than once only had one tag activated for tumblr tagging purposes!

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE THIS MONTH’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @peridottea91

Sam. At Christmas by @thinkinghardhardlythinking

Omg this fic had EVERYTHING I could possibly want out of a holiday fic!! You’ve got fake marriage, one bed, mutual pining, case!fic, fluff, Christmas, a ball, and deep, intimate smut. This fic had me in my feels in the best way and I loved every minute of it!! This is definitely one I’ll be re-reading. Just *chef’s kiss* PERFECTION. READ THIS NOW!!!

A Merry Little Christmas by @idreamofplaid

Omg this was so good. Strangers meet on Christmas Eve, commiserate together, fall into bed together. Such a surprising amount of comfort in this fic!!!

Under the Mistletoe by @katymacsupernatural

This one was short, sexy, and admittedly had me laughing a bit because I’ve seen those boxers before and they’re definitely something Dean would wear lol. If you want a quick little ditty and Dean receiving a “kiss under the mistletoe”, then read this!

Nothing Like Heartbreak by @supernatural-jackles

This fic!! It was so wonderfully written and fluffy and I loved the ending!!! I don’t typically like RPF but there’s been a couple fics that have stood out to me, and this is one of them. The reader’s ex is a jerk and Jensen just swoops in all sweet and lovely!! I’ll probably be reading this again.

~*~*~

Nominated by @myinconnelly1

Barbarian by @holylulusworld

This is a awesome retelling of one of My favorite classics of all time, and I can’t wait to read more!

All the Cardio I Need by @fictionalabyss

Super hot…. I really cant form any other words for this.

~*~*~

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

Canon!Verse, Time Loop, Manhandling ficlet by @jhoomwrites

Jhoom does these little ficlets all the time, and I love them all, so I just picked one of my favorites from the past few days. Every day that I see a new little ficlet featuring my favorite idjits in love, my day is much improved. Jhoom’s long fics are excellent, too, but these little ficlets make me so happy! She was gone for a couple weeks, and is back, now, and my days are so much brighter.

~*~*~

Nominated by @katelynw93

Supernatural on HBO (series) by @there-must-be-a-lock

I think these rewrites bring a creative, very adult, edge to the show. I greatly enjoyed these and I think others will too! Makes me wish the show had been originally aired on HBO. Could you imagine?! Well, these beautiful masterpieces give you a pretty good idea.

Ride With Me (series) by @katehuntington

I love this series and think others will too. Its unique and had me hooked right from the beginning, I’ve never read anything else quite like it. And let’s be honest, cowboy!Dean is on a different level of HOT! The story line is great and keeps your drawn in and the characters are even better, making us refall in love with the characters. We already hold dear to our hearts.

~*~*~

Nominated by @mariekoukie6661

Another Second Chance (series) by @crashdevlin

It’s one of my favorite series, It’s simply so good. The little nod to everything LMM and Hamilton to the relationship between everyone makes this story one of the best I’ve read!!

Today’s a Good Day by @fictionalabyss

This is so hot, so good. There’s something about Sam being bad and killing people… so hot. Mel is such a great writer!!

Personal Assistant by @supernatural-jackles

This one is a fantastic read, Jen never lets you down, her writing is fabulous.

All I Ever Wanted by @supernatural-jackles

This is absolutely fantastic and you won’t regret reading it. It’s just so good, so great a read!

Thank you all for the awesome work and great feedback!

These are not actual awards! This system is set up so everyone in the pond has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, and the more everyone remembers to submit their own fics after posting, the better this will be :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

#angel fish awards #angel fish awards masterlist #spnfanficpond #fan fiction #fanfiction #fan fic #fanfic #spn fan fiction #spn fanfiction #spn fan fic #spn fanfic #supernatural fan fiction #supernatural fan fic #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fanfic #fic rec #spn fic rec #supernatural fic rec

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x--daughters-of-darkness--x · 4 years ago

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EVANESCENCE's AMY LEE On 'The Bitter Truth' 'I Want People To Come Away From This Album Feeling Hope And Empowerment And Strength'

EVANESCENCE will release a new album, "The Bitter Truth", on March 26 via BMG. The band's first collection of original music in ten years can be pre-ordered as a digital version, CD, vinyl and a limited-edition deluxe fan box set featuring a bonus CD, journal, poster and special cassette of exclusive audio from the making of "The Bitter Truth". Every pre-order will automatically come with downloads of already-released songs "Wasted On You", "The Game Is Over", "Use My Voice" and "Yeah Right".

In the official biography accompanying press copies of the new album, EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee stated: "When we first set out to make our new album, 'The Bitter Truth', we had no idea of the pain and hardship that the world would soon face. While the planet suffered through the tragedies of COVID, racial injustice and economic upheaval, my band and I were dealing with the aftermath of our own losses, the unexpected passing of my brother, the sudden loss of a child by Tim's [McCord, bass] family, and the virtual loss of our guitarist, Jen [Majura], who has been literally stuck in Germany, unable to travel to record with us in person in the studio.

"Somehow through all these challenges, a theme began to emerge for us as a band. Pushing through is better than giving up.

"After touring extensively on our orchestral album 'Synthesis', we knew we wanted to make new music. In between shows throughout 2019, we set aside time to create together. A few days at my house, a week in the woods, just making use of our time together and getting excited about the seeds that were starting to grow. By the end of that year, we had the foundations of several new songs and the beginnings of many more. After recording four songs with our old friend and producer Nick Raskulinecz in his Nashville studio early last year, we knew we wanted to make the entire thing together. The energy and creativity was electric. Then, all of a sudden, COVID stopped everything. The pandemic turned the world upside down, forcing the album to be done sporadically, and at times separately, throughout 2020. We had to think creatively about how to do pretty much everything from that point on. Almost like it was the first time. There was never question, though, of not continuing.

"We had something special in that room when we recorded those first four songs and they carried us through last year. It was a big leap of faith to just go for it with the album and not wait or hold back or have any certainty about when we'd be together again, but we just knew we wanted to release our music and connect with our fans. We needed that connection, perhaps even more than our fans needed us. We wanted to be something in the world that wasn't a disappointment amid so much other bad news. We wanted to be part of the proof that life would go on.

"I never want us to repeat ourselves and I like to allow total freedom in the creative process, so we started experimenting with whatever felt good, taking it at times to a new level entirely, just everything coming from a real, honest place out of the love of music — nothing off limits. But all those rock shows we had been playing over the past few years really strengthened the roots of the band, and that sound and energy was cathartic. I'm who I've always been. Once again faced with darkness, I'm writing to heal. So here we are, naturally, making a brand new fiery chapter of the story we all love. This beautiful truth has been reconfirmed for me — it wasn't just a phase the first time around, and I wasn't wasting my time. These sounds come out of my heart when I'm being honest and I'm making music that feels like a reflection of myself. I'm proud and grateful to still have my band after all we've been through and all I've been through. As much as this album is an evolution, it also feels very full circle.

"The title, 'The Bitter Truth', speaks on one level to the world we live in today, in the belief that we must face reality, no matter how ugly or difficult that is, in order to move forward. But there is also an internal parallel: there can be no healing without first facing the pain. The bitter truth, for me, is that life is short and the choice is that I'm not going to waste it. Our mortality is fresh in our minds. This became fuel for our fire after the pandemic, the lockdown, through 2020 and making this album. We decided we weren't going to let anything stop us. We weren't going to wait around for the world to fix itself. We were going to put all our focus into finishing the album we started. Find new ways to keep on, make our own videos, whatever it took. This time has been hard, but having the music has been an incredible life-giving outlet for me and for all of us in the band. It was a place to pour our frustrations, our rage, our grief and our love to create a world we had some control over.

"Now for some typical bio stuff: They tell me that our first album, 'Fallen', is one of the Top 5 best-selling albums of the 21st century, and the biggest seller by both a band overall, and a rock act overall, if you're keeping score. We've won two Grammys and earned one of the largest social media followings of any music act (thanks, guys!) Someone wrote that our single 'Bring Me to Life' has been a 'pop culture touchstone' for the past two decades. It's still totally weird to me when it comes on over the speakers at the grocery store. These achievements and words of praise are nice but what's more important to me is that our music continues to inspire people to create things. Writers have written books inspired by our songs, fans have created their own anime. Films, music, visual art, even vehicle design. I know what this means because of the artists that have inspired me too. What I'm most touched by is what has grown into an immensely powerful, passionate worldwide fanbase who have a genuine connection with the music — a sacred place where we come together. 'The Bitter Truth' is meant as a gift to you, reflecting hope out of the struggles we all face.

"I want people to come away from this album feeling hope and empowerment and strength. Something that inspires me a lot in life is people who have overcome great obstacles — survivors. I hope we can pass on the idea that even when things are impossibly painful life is worth living. Leaning into those darkest, most challenging moments, facing them and finding we're not alone in them, makes us real. Makes us strong enough to take them on. And it brings us together, if we let it, in a deeper appreciation of the light... and the truth. Thanks for the memories. Now let's go make some new ones."

#Amy Lee #Evanescence #2021 interviews

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sunshinejihyun · 4 years ago

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35. Tim and MC please?!?! Love you tons!!

@kingkassam asked: 35. (I’m in love with my best friend) Tim and MC please?!?! Love you tons!!

Author’s note: Babe, thank you so much for your patience with me while waiting for me to write this (and answering some of my questions about season 1 since I haven’t played in forever). I love you so much and I hope you like this!

Warnings: Jen’s kinda a jerk? but other than that nothing

Summary: A year and a half after leaving the villa, Tim reevaluates his relationship

Word count: 2520

Masterlist

When Stars Align, They Burn Bright

A year and a half after Tim and Jen had won second place on Love Island, he was seated on a couch next to Jen, watching the season he was on for the first time since they had left the villa. It wasn’t that they avoided watching the show, they just wanted to live in the moment, get to know each other outside of the villa.

The villa was so different from the outside world; in the villa there were only so many options and everyone got along. Everyone was hot and kind of attracted to each other so it was easy to find someone you wanted to spend time with in there. But outside… proved to be more difficult. Jen’s parents didn’t like Tim and she wanted him to be someone he’s not. Sure, he’d put on a tie for a nice night out if needed but that wasn’t him on a normal day. They had their ups and downs, but it was Jen’s idea to watch their season. To watch them ‘reconnect’ for the first time and see them fall in love on screen.

But now, Jen was looking at him with the most horrified face he could imagine. The Tim on screen was currently narrating what happened during Cherrygate when his best friend found Levi and Cherry kissing right after a recoupling. Tim was smiling at the camera and rubbing the back of his neck. “At that moment, I swear it’s like everything hit me at once and in my brain I was like ‘mate, I’m in love with my best friend!’ and when I thought about Levi pieing her off like that, it drove me absolutely crazy.”

Jen flipped off the TV and flipped her hair off her shoulder before sighing. “Well that’s something I wasn’t aware of.”

Tim sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, just like younger him did on screen. “Nothing ever happened, and we ended up happy together in the end.”

“Are we happy, Tim?” Jen’s voice came out softly and he could tell she was nervous. “Because I’m not sure I am, not anymore.”

“Is this because I forgot to shake your father’s hand when we met them for brunch the other day? Because I can-”

“Tim,” Jen’s voice brought him back to the present and his heartbeat picked up, sweat starting to gather around his brow. “Seriously, when was the last time you felt happy.”

Tim thought back on their relationship and sure, there were laughs here and there and Jen didn’t make him miserable, but the last time he was truly happy and not just going through the motions was probably about half a year of being outside of the villa.

The last year wasn’t horrible, not in the slightest, but all they were doing was staying together because it’s what everyone expected from them and they still liked the other enough, but they fell out of love a long time ago. Both of them knew it, yet no one wanted to admit it.

His silence hung in the room and Jen got up, wiping her sweaty palms on the leggings she was wearing. “That silence answers more than you could ever know.” Smiling softly at Tim, she moved to leave the living room. “I think this is the end of us, Tim. You don’t have to move out right away but also… please don’t linger.”

Tim couldn’t fault Jen for asking him to leave; this was her apartment originally, it’d be silly for her to move out and him to stay and so he pulled out his phone and dialed the one number of the person he knew would take him in, no questions asked.

“Hello?” Her voice was quiet, like how it used to sound when he’d wake her up from a nap on the sun loungers in the villa. “Tim?”

“Hey mate, how was your nap?” Tim teased and she giggled on the other end.

“Great before some monster woke me up!” She readjusted herself and sat up. “Are you ok? You don’t normally call me out of the blue.” “Actually…” He trailed off not knowing how to start explaining things. “Wanna have a sleepover every night for an unknown amount of time?”

“Excuse me?” She was taken aback, Tim could tell by the way she laughed and he nervously laughed along as she questioned him. “What’s going on?”

“I think Jen and I broke up?” Reality was crashing down all around him and Tim felt himself start to break. “And I really need to spend time with a friend right now.”

“Oh Tim,” the tone of pity escaping her lips did nothing for him and a sob tore out of his throat. “When do you need me to pick you up? As soon as you need me, I’m there.” So, they planned that she would pick him up in three days and he was allowed to stay in her flat as long as he needed, all he needed was to buy some groceries from time to time.

After they finished their conversation, Tim started packing up his things, tentatively walking around Jen’s apartment while trying to gather up everything without running into her. He still had boxes left over from when he moved in and since Jenn didn’t like most of his decorating, all he really had to pack was some clothes and notebooks that held all the raps he wrote inside.

Sleeping on the uncomfortable leather couch Jen’s parents bought her for the next two night’s would be hell, but what got Tim through it was thinking about how he got to see his best friend soon.

When she pulled her car in front of the apartment complex later that week, it’s like a weight lifted off Tim’s shoulders and when she jumped out the car and wrapped her arms around his waist, Tim felt like a piece of his heart was put back in place.

“Oh my gosh I missed you so much.” He whispered, burying his head in her soft hair and she squeezed him tighter.

“I missed you too, Timye.” She responded, a teasing lilt in her voice as she brought back the nickname she gave him in the Villa. “Do you mind driving for a bit? I drove a long way here and I’m knackered. I need a little nap.”

Tim caught the car keys in his hand as she tossed them to him before bending to pick up a box full of clothes. “Yeah of course, I appreciate you coming to get me. Not many people would, to be honest.”

“Is that who I think it is?” Jen called out from the balcony and waved down at the girl standing next to Tim. “How’ve you been? It’s been forever hun!”

“I’m pretty good, yeah! Tim and I are gonna have a sleepover for a while! How are you, babe?” Tim saw Jen’s genuine smile drop off her face and get replaced with one of the fake ones, like the smile you plastered on your face when you ran into someone in the grocery store from primary school you never got along with but knew enough to exchange pleasantries. His stomach dropped as Jen’s cup of water got bumped by her elbow and the water poured over the railing, splashing onto his best friend.

“Oops, sorry hun! My mistake!” Jen nonchalantly waved off what she did and continued on. “I’m good, Levi’s gonna come visit me soon, want me to tell him you said hi?”

“Er, no that’s okay thanks, we’re not together anymore and haven’t really talked since we split.” Tim felt the girl stiffen next to him and he hurriedly moved to rush her to the car. “I think we need to go, we have a long drive and don’t want to be driving all night. Come on, I’ve got some spare clothes you can change into.” Without looking at Jen, Tim grabbed his last few boxes and shoved them haphazardly into the back of the car and jumped into the driver's seat. Glancing at the girl in a soaking wet tee shirt, he gestured to all his boxes in the back. “Go on mate, you’re soaked. Take some of my clothes for now.”

“Thanks,” she replied before unbuckling and leaning on the seat to dig through the boxes. Tim had to keep his eyes on the road and not think about the fact if he looked over to his left that her bum would be right there in his view, but telling himself not to think about that caused him to think about it more than not. It was a relief when she turned and sat herself back in her seat.

When Tim turned to steal a glance at her, her shirt was off and she was working on flipping one of his gray tees the right way. The car swerved as Tim did a double take. “Mate, put some clothes on, my god!”

She laughed and the sound put another piece of his heart back in place. “What? It’s not like you haven’t seen me in a bikini a million times before.”

“Yeah but seeing your undies just is… different.” Tim laughed at how ridiculous he sounded and he turned his attention back to the road. Once she had changed into some dry clothes, she propped her feet up on the dashboard and leaned her head on the window, eyes already closed.

Tim made sure to drive carefully and swerve softly to avoid any bumps that could have woken her up.

A week later, they were both sitting together on her dingy brown couch, her feet resting in Tim’s lap as he gently ran his hands over her calves before teasingly pinching one of her toes and making her squeal.

Once she had tucked her feet out of the way of Tim’s attacks, she turned to him. “Are you gonna tell me what happened between you and Jen that made you guys break up? Last we talked, you were considering buying a ring.”

Tim wasn’t sure how to explain, not really. So he said the only thing he could think. “Did you ever watch our season of Love Island?”

She shook her head no, so Tim got up to retrieve the TV remote sitting on its spot on the mantle and going to queue up the series, specifically the episode that caused Jen to voice her feelings about everything wrong with their relationship. “We were just going through the motions for the longest time, but we weren’t in love anymore. And then we watched this part of the series, and Jen just… she asked me if I was happy and I realized I wasn’t.”

Pressing play, Tim saw Cherry lean in to kiss Levi and the girl next to him tensed. “Tim? There better be a good reason you’re making me watch this. Because, ouch.”

He shushed her and pointed to the screen where Tim was now sitting on the beach hut chair, smiling at the camera. “What do I think about Cherry and Levi? Man, I hate what they did to her. Watching Levi pathetically graft on her for days and then when he got her he immediately pied her off? That’s shit, it really is. But after… when she came to me to comfort and just let me hug her for the longest time… At that moment, I swear it’s like everything hit me at once and in my brain I was like ‘mate, I’m in love with my best friend!’ and when I thought about Levi pieing her off like that, it drove me absolutely crazy.” The Tim on screen chuckled awkwardly as well as Tim did, the girl next to him had stilled, watching the TV intently. “Talia’s gonna help me come up with a plan to see if she’s interested in me, but I don’t think she is. That’s okay, Jen’s fit as hell and has been grafting on me some, so if it doesn’t work out I guess I have options! But this girl... she shines so bright, like a star. I don’t want to see her settle for someone who’s gonna burn out her bright light. She’s something special.” Tim’s best friend reached over and grabbed the TV remote, cutting off the rap he was currently spitting on screen.

“Tim,” she whispered, hand reaching blindly towards him. He offered his hand to her and his heart ached to meet her eye in that moment. As she grasped his hand tightly, Tim’s heart pounded intensely in his chest. “I never knew.”

“I know you didn’t. You seemed intent on making things work with Levi so I didn’t want to say anything and ruin our friendship and your relationship with him.” He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. “Are you mad at me?”

“Yes!” Her voice came out in a shout and neither of them expected it, both of them jumping and looking at the other wish eyes wide open before bursting into laughter. When they had calmed down, she rephrased. “I’m mad at you because I wish you would have told me. It would have saved me from a lot of what I thought was one sided pining.”

She looked up to meet his eyes and he saw sincerity all over her face. “You’re serious? You loved me back?”

“Seeing you with Jen killed me. Levi even knew that. Dunno how we lasted so long outside of the villa, to be quite honest with you.” She sighed and let go of his hand. “He knew I had feelings for you up until the day we broke up.” Without responding, Tim moved so his body was laying across the couch, his upper half laying in her lap. Her hands absentmindedly dropped to his hair and started massaging his scalp. “Are you okay?”

He knew the tears in his eyes would threaten to fall as soon as he met her soft eyes but he did anyway and her fingers immediately moved to wipe the salty drops away. “I just… I forgot what it felt like to feel loved and all of a sudden everything crashed into me at once and I just… this may be stupid to say but I love you. I always have, since that day in the villa that I realized it, and probably even before. I love you. I love you so much.”

She took his face in her hands, and squished his cheeks and he sat up and did the same, both of them staring intently into the others eyes, studying each other like this was the first time they saw each other openly. “It may be stupid, but I love you too. Tim, I love you.”

Hearing her say his name in that sentence pieced the rest of his heart back together, helped him come to terms with the last year where he fell out of love with Jen. But no matter how long it has been, he was constantly in love with the girl sitting in front of him, and it may be stupid, but love makes you do stupid things,

Curling into her soft body, Tim felt more at home than he’d felt in the last year and he couldn’t believe how lucky he got, it was like he got his own shining star.

#Tim litg #Tim love island the game #love island the game s1 #love island the game #Tim litg x mc

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jrob64 · 4 years ago

Text

Devastation and Healing Outtake #6

Summary: Emma & Killian’s wedding night and honeymoon.

Rating: M (changed because, well, see the summary)

This is the outtake that I’ve planned to write for quite a while, and it turned out to be almost 6000 words long. Will it be the last outtake? Who knows? The characters from this story keep talking to me and it’s rude to ignore them!

My thanks goes out to:

My beta @hookedmom for her suggestions of attractions for the newlyweds to see on their honeymoon, including the rope bridge. I had to admit to her the terror that bridges cause me, so we decided to work it into the story, of course.

@kymbersmith-90 for sending me numerous pictures of Jen’s jumpsuits to choose from, and for putting in some very important accent marks which can only be put in on a computer in England apparently.

@xsajx for doing several work sprints with me this week so I could get my schoolwork done and still have time to write.

@kmomof4 (I guess!) for ‘encouraging’ me to add the second scene which changed this collection of outtakes to an M rating. You are a bad influence! (Or a good one, depending on your POV!)

The ladies on Discord who did so many writing sprints this week.

The original story can be found on Tumblr, Ao3 & ffn

The outtakes can be found on Tumblr, Ao3 & ffn also

*********

The wedding and reception were over, and the newly married couple was in the car on their way home. Killian and Emma had discussed staying at a hotel for their wedding night, but their little rented home held so many fond memories for them, they’d decided to spend the night there to add even more. They left Evie with Marco, since they would be leaving on their honeymoon early Tuesday morning.

As Killian maneuvered Emma’s car up the interstate, his wife was scrolling through the pictures on her phone. She had given it to Belle to record some special moments, and she could already see that their friend had taken her assignment seriously. There were several wonderful ones of the ceremony, and many more from the meal and dancing that took place afterwards. The photos included candid shots of their guests, as well as the couple themselves.

Killian glanced over to see a broad smile on his bride’s face, which was lit up by her phone screen in the dim interior of the car. “Did Belle get some good ones, Love?” he asked, fixing his eyes back on the road.

“They’re fantastic - I can’t wait to show them to you! I’m sending some of my favorites to your phone. Wait until you see the pics of Will, David, August, Graham, Rob and you doing that kick line. They’re hysterical!”

“I was forced to do that,” he grumbled. “It wasn’t my idea!”

Emma laughed. “You had fun and you know it! This whole day and evening were so much fun! I’m glad Belle was able to capture so much of it.”

“Well, I have a feeling this night will be even more fun, but I hope you didn’t ask her to take pictures of it, too!”

She swatted playfully at his arm. “No, I didn’t, wise guy! Just videos!” she smirked.

Killian barked out a laugh before looking over at her fondly. “I’m glad today was everything you dreamed it would be, Sweetheart.”

“Being married to you is my dream, Killian. The rest was just icing on the cake.”

He smiled. “Speaking of which, the cake was good, too. Ruby’s grandmother did a great job making it.”

“Yeah, Granny’s cakes are the best. I forgot to ask - were you able to get all the frosting out of your nose?” she giggled.

“You thought you were so funny, smashing that piece in my face. Now you’ll have to experience some payback when I get you home!”

“Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep!” she singsonged, making her husband growl in response.

“Oh, I have every intention of keeping them, my love!”

Emma laughed again, then sighed. “I wish we were back already. It was a great day, but I’m just ready to be home with you in our bed.”

“I know what you mean, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait long enough to make it to the bed. I’ve been aching for you all day, seeing you in that gorgeous dress and looking so perfect. It didn’t help when you changed into that...that…” he waved his hand, indicating the sexy outfit she’d put on before they left her father’s place.

“It’s called a jumpsuit, Babe,” she giggled.

“Whatever the bloody hell it’s called, it’s too damn tempting! I can’t wait to get you out of it and properly consummate our marriage!”

She turned slightly in her seat and rested her head against the back of it to look fully at her husband. “Hearing you say that isn’t making this long car ride any easier,” she said, reaching over to run her hand along the inside of his thigh.

“Swan,” he warned, through gritted teeth. “Unless you want to spend our wedding night in a steamy car along the side of the highway, you’ve got to stop doing that!”

Emma grinned, but pulled her hand back. “I think you’ve forgotten that my name is Jones now.”

“And I’m more than proud of that fact, but I don’t think I’ll be able to break the habit of calling you Swan.”

“I really don’t want you to. I’ve always loved it when you call me that.”

The rest of the ride home was spent discussing all the events of the day, as they imprinted them into their shared memories.

*********

They were, in fact, able to make it to the bed, as Killian carried his bride across the threshold of their house and all the way back to their bedroom. His task wasn’t made easier by Emma, who was licking around the shell of his ear and nibbling on the lobe.

As soon as he was close enough, he dropped her unceremoniously onto the bed and caged her in with his arms. “Now you’re going to pay for all the teasing you’ve done today, minx!” he growled, and she erupted into a fit of giggles.

He grasped her hand to pull it above her head and heard the metallic clink of their wedding rings hitting together. The sound served to remind him that they were now officially husband and wife, and he wondered if it was physically possible for his heart to burst from happiness.

He slowly licked a stripe up her slender neck, and her laughter turned to moans of pleasure. His hand traveled down the length of her arm and around to her back, where he found laces fastening the top of the black jumpsuit. He continued using his tongue as a distraction, and began tugging the strings loose.

Emma’s other hand sneaked under the tail of Killian’s button down shirt and worked its way up his side, tracing his muscles and spreading out across his back. She turned her head to the side in order to give him more access to her throat and collarbone.

After the laces were untied, Killian gently pushed the spaghetti straps off her shoulders and peeled the fabric down to discover a lacy, strapless, powder blue bra that barely concealed her glorious breasts.

“Mmm, I like this,” he murmured, nosing at her cleavage.

“I needed something blue,” she explained breathlessly.

He ran his tongue along the edges of the flimsy garment as she squirmed and gasped beneath him. He sucked at her already pebbled nipples through the lace while his fingers made quick work of unfastening the hooks in back. Once they were undone, he removed the bra, and set to work sucking, nipping and stroking her breasts in earnest.

Emma was in such a state of bliss, she had to force herself to try to rid her husband of his offending clothing. She used both hands to fumble with his belt, and cursed when she couldn’t get the buckle undone.

“And you kiss me with that mouth?” Killian chuckled against her hardened nipple.

“Damn right I do,” she answered, proving it by placing her hands on either side of his face and turning it up to hers. Her tongue thrust into his mouth before he could even think about granting her permission, and it was his turn to moan as she plundered its depths while pulling him down on top of her.

Emma finally managed to undo a few buttons of her husband’s shirt and yanked it over his head. Then she helped him slip out of his prosthesis and placed it on the nightstand. Her hands started roaming up and down his chest, and over the strong muscles of his arms.

“I love your body,” she told him. “You are so sexy, I can hardly keep my hands off of you.”

“Why would you want to do that?” he asked, then groaned as she worked her hands down inside the back of his pants to squeeze his ass.

“Trust me, I don’t,” she gasped. Growing frustrated at the clothing that was still between them, she flipped them over on the bed and bent to undo his belt and loosen his pants. As soon as the zipper was pulled down, she reached in with both hands and squeezed his stiff erection through his underwear.

“Gods, Emma!” he panted. He scrambled to try to rid her of the rest of her jumpsuit, but he was so worked up by now that he couldn’t get his hand to cooperate. Emma sensed his impatience, and pulled away to climb off the bed. She slowly shimmied her outfit down her body as he watched with hooded eyes. She made a show of pushing it past her hips, then let it drop to the floor, leaving her in only a pair of lace underwear that matched her discarded bra.

Knowing she had him as her captive audience, Emma threw her head back and ran her hands up her body, stopping to squeeze her breasts and pinch her nipples. She bit her lip and let out a long, throaty moan.

Her little act had the desired effect. Killian quickly slid off the bed and knelt in front of her, gripping her hips. He lowered his head and inhaled her scent before sucking the soaked fabric into his mouth. He could feel her legs quivering around him and he sucked harder, reaching underneath to push the scrap of material aside and drag his finger through the evidence of her arousal. He slipped it inside her warmth, and added another as she widened her stance. Slowly, he slid his digits in and out again and again, changing the speed and the angle as her gasped utterances urged him on.

Just as she thought her shaky legs wouldn’t be able to hold her up anymore, Killian rubbed his thumb over her bundle of nerves and his fingers curled inside her, finding her g-spot. Emma gripped his hair tightly and loudly moaned his name, as she felt her spasming muscles throbbing around his fingers.

Killian caught her before she collapsed from the force of her orgasm. He lifted her back onto the bed and worked her underwear down her legs, then finished removing the rest of his clothes while she started to come down from her high.

When she opened her eyes again, it was to see him looking down at her lovingly. Her hands started roaming again, enjoying the fact that there were no longer any barriers between their bodies. Killian was occupied with running his tongue along the column of her throat and licking around the shell of her ear, while she caressed and squeezed all the skin she could reach on his back and buttocks.

He sought friction by rubbing his rigid member along her thigh, which soon proved not to be enough for his wife. She shifted to put a little space between them, and reached down to wrap her hands around him. The feeling of her slowly stroking her hands up and down his shaft caused him to throw his head back and bite his lip. “Emma, Love! You’re...that...shit! You’re driving me crazy!”

She buried her nose in the juncture of his neck and shoulder and sucked on the skin under his collarbone. “Then why don’t you do something about it?” she teased.

Killian used his legs to spread hers apart, settling himself between them. She could feel the tip of his cock at her entrance, so she guided it to where she wanted it and began rubbing it against her clit. He growled and reached down to slap her hands away, then took over the job she had started. With every stroke, he heard her breath hitch and saw her rolling her head from side to side. Her hands moved to begin plucking at her breasts again.

“Killian, pleeeease…” she begged. “I need you!”

“I did promise you payback, Sweetheart,�� he breathed into her ear. “Perhaps I should keep you waiting a bit longer.”

Her eyes popped open and locked onto his, then her hands moved up to grasp his face. “You want this...as much...as I do!” she told him in a ragged voice. Then her hands slid down his back to grab his ass again. “Now, please, please get inside me!”

Killian chuckled darkly before reaching down between them, gathering some of her slickness on his fingers to lubricate himself. “As you wish, my love,” he uttered, then slid into her welcoming heat. He felt her shudder as he held still for a few moments to get himself under control. They always fit together so perfectly, as if they were truly made just for one another.

When he finally started to move, Emma bent her knees and drew her feet up beside his thighs, pulling him in even deeper. He groaned and hooked his arms under her knees to lift her hips off the bed, then scooted his own knees underneath himself. Her breath caught as she adjusted to the new angle, and her hands fisted into the sheets, scrambling to find something to hold onto. He kept his thrusts slow and even to stretch out their pleasure as long as possible.

After several thoroughly enjoyable minutes, he looked down at his wanton love, with her eyes closed and her mouth open in a continuous string of gasps and moans. His pace quickened as he felt a tingling at the base of his spine, signaling his oncoming orgasm. He dropped both of them back down to the bed to add a grind to her pelvic bone on every thrust, and soon Emma shattered around him.

“Ki...Ki…Kil…” He could tell she was trying to say his name, but her mouth seemed unable to form coherent words. Her walls were squeezing him, and he was helpless to do anything but join her in her bliss. Streams of his seed shot deep within her and he collapsed, feeling the aftershocks rattle through their bodies.

They laid entangled for several minutes, both trying to catch their breath and feel their bones again. At last, Killian raised himself up on shaking arms and smiled at his bride, whose eyes were barely open, but who had a sated smile on her face.

“I love you,” she said, running her hands up and down his shoulders and biceps.

“I love you too, Emma. You’re the most beautiful woman God ever created, and I’m the luckiest man alive to be able to call you my wife.” He dipped his head to place a series of sweet kisses on her lips, cheeks, and forehead. Then he withdrew slowly, and rolled off of her.

Emma turned on her side and propped herself up on an elbow, reaching over with her other hand to push her husband’s messy hair out of his eyes. “We’re married,” she whispered. “I can hardly believe it, Killian. After all we’ve been through, I never thought we’d ever get to this point and be this happy.”

“I know what you mean, Love.” He opened his arms and she eagerly accepted his invitation to snuggle into his chest. She felt it rumble beneath her cheek as he continued to speak. “I’ll be grateful every day for you, and for our life together.”

*********

When Emma awoke the next morning, she felt Killian’s warm body against her back, and his arm around her waist. His breath tickled the back of her neck, and his legs were tangled in between hers. They almost always fell asleep in this position, but usually moved in their sleep and were on opposite sides of the bed by morning. The fact that they were still intertwined spoke to how exhausted they were by the time they finally gave in to slumber.

She sighed happily and stretched her left hand out in front of her so she could see the rings which now sat permanently on her finger, while memories of the previous day danced through her mind. It had been a perfect wedding day and night - one that she would never forget. Although the two of them had been living together for a year, being married had somehow added another level of intimacy to their lovemaking.

Killian stirred behind her and tugged her closer. “Good morning, wife,” he mumbled in her ear, making a shiver go down her spine.

“Mmmm, hello husband,” she replied, flipping over to see his beautiful blue eyes gazing at her.

“Did you have sweet dreams?”

“Mmhmm. I dreamed I married an extremely handsome and amazing man.”

“Did you, now?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yes, and the best part was, when I woke up, my dream had come true!”

Her husband grinned sleepily and pressed his lips to hers for a brief kiss, then she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled into his chest.

“What shall we do today, my love?”

“I’m pretty content right here. I say we leave this bed only when it’s necessary.”

“I like the way you think, Sweetheart. We can actually do that for the next two days since we don’t leave for our honeymoon until Tuesday.”

She pulled back and looked at him. “Speaking of which, isn’t it about time you finally tell me where we’re going? I do need to pack, you know!”

He grinned. “Ireland, Swan. We’re going to Ireland.”

The playful smile faded from her face as disbelief widened her eyes. “You’re taking me to Ireland?” she whispered.

He gave a slight nod. “Aye.” When her silence stretched on for a while longer, he began to grow uncertain. “It’s still on your list of places you want to see, isn’t it? You know, the one you told me about on our first date?”

Emma cleared her throat and blinked a few times. “Y-yes, but I just...I never...oh, Killian!” She threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. “I can’t believe we’re going to Ireland!”

Killian chuckled in relief. “I take it you like the idea?”

“I LOVE it! And I never had a clue that’s what you had planned, although I’m not sure that’s such a good thing. If you’re this good at keeping secrets from me…”

“Just this one, Love. I promise I won’t keep secrets from you, unless it’s a special surprise that I’ll eventually reveal.”

“Have you told anyone else where we’re going?”

“Your father knows because I had to ask him if you have a passport. He said you had gotten one before your junior year in college because you thought you might study abroad for a semester.”

“Yeah, but I decided against it so I could save money. Now I’m glad I waited because the first stamp in it will be from our honeymoon!”

Killian could feel her literally quivering with excitement. “I’ll show you the itinerary after we get something to eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m famished!”

“So am I. It seems like ages ago since we ate at the reception.”

They made a simple breakfast of eggs, toast and fruit, which they loaded onto a tray along with two mugs of coffee, and carried back to their bedroom. Killian insisted that they enjoy their first meal as a married couple in their bed, and he got no argument from his wife.

After eating, they shared what ended up being a much longer shower than expected due to engaging in pleasurable activities, then cuddled together on the sofa as Killian showed Emma what he had planned for their trip.

When the pictures of the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge popped up on the tablet as one of the attractions he had included in the itinerary, she swallowed hard. “Umm, Babe, there’s something you need to know about me.”

“What’s that, Love?”

“I, uh, I’m petrified of bridges that go over water. Just looking at these pictures is making me feel a bit queasy.”

“I’m sorry, Sweetheart! I had no idea.” He took the tablet from her hands and deleted the page. “There, no more bridges, and I learned something new about you today.”

“Yeah, that I’m a big chicken!”

“No, that you have fears like every other human being on the planet. I already told you I’m afraid of clowns. They are bloody menaces!”

Emma giggled, then grew serious. “Will you take me to the town where you grew up?” she asked, stroking her hand over his stubbled jaw. “I’d love to learn more about your beginnings.”

“Aye. I’m curious to see how much it’s changed. I thought we could spend a couple of days there. That should be enough time to see the town and to visit…” He trailed off.

“Your mother’s grave?” she asked quietly.

He nodded. “I haven’t been back to it since the day of her funeral. She would have adored you, Emma. She always wanted her boys to be happy more than anything in the world, and knowing that you’re the main source of my happiness would most certainly endear you to her.”

She leaned up and gave him a sweet kiss. “I wish I could have met her and thanked her for giving birth to the love of my life.” At his melancholy smile, she gave him another kiss, then looked back down at the tablet in her hand and continued asking him more questions, as she compiled a list of things she needed to pack.

*********

Two days later, they left on their honeymoon. They spent ten days exploring the Emerald Isle - hiking the rolling hills, sightseeing, shopping, and watching surfers on the beach.

Emma’s favorite part was the two days at the beginning of the trip when Killian showed her around the small town where he grew up. She wasn’t sure how he was going to react since not all of his memories from that time of his life were pleasant, but he happily took her to his former schools, the church his family attended, places where he and Liam liked to go, and the neighborhood of his childhood.

When they stood in front of the house where he spent the first thirteen years of his life, Emma could tell that Killian was fighting back a myriad of emotions. She wrapped her arms around his waist to share her strength with him, and he smiled down at her, knowing exactly what she was doing.

“Do you want to knock on the door to see if the owners will let you look through the house?” she asked.

He hesitated for a long moment, then replied, “No, I don’t think so. I’d rather remember it the way it was when we lived here.”

Emma nodded her understanding. They remained there for a few minutes longer before he murmured, “I’m ready.” She somehow knew he was talking about more than moving on from the home that was making him feel so nostalgic.

They climbed into their rental car, and Killian glanced over at his wife with a questioning look. She reached over to take hold of his prosthesis, since she was on his left side in the reversed set-up of the car. “Are you okay, Babe?”

He cleared his throat. “Aye. It’s time to go visit my mum.” Lifting her hand to his lips, he brushed a kiss across the back of it, then turned the key in the ignition.

After nearly twenty minutes of driving along winding roads, Killian parked outside the entrance to a small, unkempt cemetery. They walked hand in hand among the rows of tombstones toward a large oak tree.

“My father chose a plot under that tree especially for her. She always liked to sit and read under the shade of a tree whenever she felt well enough to be outside. I remember Liam and I leaning against her sides as she read to us, even though she tired easily and couldn’t do it for very long. I regret that I wasn’t able to have my father buried beside her when he died. I just didn’t have the funds to bring him back here. He and Liam are side-by-side, but Mum is here alone. I mean, I know it’s only her earthly remains, but it still bothers me.”

“They’re all together for eternity, Killian, and that’s what matters.” He gave her a grateful smile.

As they got closer to his mother’s final resting place, Killian’s pace slowed and his grip on Emma’s hand tightened. He stopped in front of a small, simple headstone that stated his mother’s name along with the dates of her birth and death, and knelt down to pull a few weeds from around the base of it. Straightening up, he took Emma’s hand once again and turned briefly to give her a weak smile. Then he swallowed thickly and began to speak.

“Hi, Mum. It’s me, your Little Boy Blue. I’m sorry I haven’t come to visit you before this, but I want you to know not a day goes by that I don’t think of you and miss you.”

He paused, and Emma squeezed his hand. “I’ve brought my wife Emma with me today, Mum. We’re here on our honeymoon. I wish you could have gotten the chance to meet her because I know the two of you would’ve hit it off. She’s brilliant and beautiful, and I love her beyond words.”

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m very happy, and I hope you are, too. I know you, Dad and Liam will always be with me, but you don’t have to worry. I’ve faced some challenges, but I made it through, and I’m stronger now because of them. Emma and I have a wonderful life together, one that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

He dropped Emma’s hand to reach out and trace over his mother’s name cut into the stone, as Emma wiped away tears. After he brought his fingers to his lips, then touched them to the top of the tombstone, Killian stepped back and slipped his arm around his wife’s waist.

“Goodbye, Mum. I’ll always try to make you proud of me. I’ll love you forever.”

The couple turned and walked back to the car. “Thank you for bringing me here, Killian,” Emma said softly.

He cupped her face in his hand. “Thank you for being here for me, Emma.” Leaning in, he gave her a sweet kiss, then touched his forehead to hers for several seconds before opening the door so she could slide in.

Killian had known his wife would understand just how much sharing his past with her meant, since her tender heart was always open to him. He started the car and pulled out onto the road, content in the knowledge that they had their entire future ahead of them.

*********

During the rest of their trip, the newlyweds visited interesting and awe-inspiring places such as Giant’s Causeway, Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Castle, and the Moher Cliffs. Every day, they found restaurants and pubs that served food which reminded Killian of the meals his parents cooked for him and his brother.

With every passing day, Emma felt closer to her husband as they toured the country where he was born and spent the first decade of his life. She noticed that when he spoke with the local people, his accent was more pronounced, which she found to be very sexy.

They spent each night in a cozy bed and breakfast or luxurious hotel, and christened every room with their passion. Neither of them could imagine a more perfect honeymoon.

Emma chose an inn for the final night of their trip. It was in a small town on the outskirts of Dublin, which put them close to the airport for their flight the next morning. They ate a meal of Irish comfort food in the restaurant downstairs, took a stroll along the quiet streets, then retired to their comfortable room.

Killian was laying on the bed, clad only in his boxer briefs, when his wife emerged from the bathroom. His eyes widened comically as he took in her form. She was wearing a strapless black lace corset with hook and eye closures down the length of the front. It pushed her breasts up enticingly, and Killian licked his lips at the sight.

“Do you like it?” Emma purred, then revealed the pièce de résistance when she slowly turned to show him the back of the lingerie. It featured a criss-crossed ribbon lacing up the back, and the matching thong revealed the perfect globes of her backside.

She craned her neck to look at him over her shoulder, and was smugly satisfied at the stunned look on his face. Her eyes traveled downwards and was even more excited to see the effect it was having on another part of his body.

Killian was staring with wide eyes and a hungry expression. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he was finally capable of speaking. “Bloody hell, Emma!” he rasped, his voice deepened with desire. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” He crawled across the bed on his hands and knees to get closer to his siren of a wife.

“Why have you been hiding this?” he asked. His fingers reached out to trace the ribbon holding the garment together, which accented her curves deliciously.

“I wanted to save something special for the last night of our honeymoon, since I knew it would be bittersweet.”

“So. Damn. Sexy.” He dropped his hand down to caress her firm butt cheek, and felt the goose bumps rising on her flesh. He stood from the bed and tried to adjust himself to get a bit more comfortable.

Emma turned and gave her husband a light shove to knock him back down onto the end of the bed. Then she straddled his lap and fused her lips to his, while roughly running her hands through his hair. The sound of her moans filled the silence of the room, and Killian gasped as she rubbed herself against his hardness.

“For fuck’s sake, Emma! You’re driving me…” He cut off as she suddenly arched her back and thrust her chest into his face. Tightening his hold to keep her from falling backwards, he buried his nose in the valley between her voluptuous breasts.

“Can you...I want you to keep this on while I make love to you,” he muttered, as he sucked several marks into her skin.

“Mmmm...whatever you want.” She lithely slid to the floor and grasped the waistband of his briefs. “But these have got to go.” As quickly as she could, she slid them down his legs, then looked up through her lashes. Without taking her eyes off of him, she slowly ran her tongue up his shaft and swirled it around the head.

Killian leaned back, propping himself on his arms, as his head dropped back and he let out a string of curses. She took him into her mouth while her hands gripped his base and reached underneath to fondle him. Rising up on her knees, she took more of him in and bobbed her head up and down, the vibrations of her moans bringing him to the edge.

Soon she felt his hands gripping her hair to hold her still. “Emma,” he panted, “You’ve got to stop, Love! I...I don’t want to spill down your throat. I want to...I need to...be inside you.”

Emma scrambled to her feet and quickly removed the thong, tossing it carelessly behind her. Once again, she straddled her husband, sliding her slickened flesh up and down his painfully hard erection. Just when he thought he couldn’t stand her teasing any longer, she put her hands on his shoulders, lifted herself up and sank down around him.

His head fell forward onto her chest as he tried to hold on. He was thankful that she seemed to be doing the same since she didn’t begin to move right away. After both of them took several deep breaths, she started undulating her hips slowly and sensually.

Killian thought he’d experienced every possible feeling in all the lovemaking he and Emma had shared, but now he discovered he was wrong. The way she was riding him while clothed in that lacy corset evoked sensations he never even knew existed. She threw her head back in ecstasy and gripped his shoulders tightly. Her gasps and utterances filled his ears as she writhed in his lap. Her warmth and wetness wrapped around him, and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Emma, Emma, Emma,” he chanted, firmly grasping her hips and rising up off the bed as he exploded inside her. She shuddered and her thighs tightened around him as she followed him over the edge.

He flopped back onto the mattress and pulled her down on top of him. His hand and wrist traced the lines of the corset as he struggled to regain his breath. His whole body quaked with aftershocks, and his eyes fell shut.

After several minutes, he felt her hands moving over his face, tenderly caressing the scars on his left jawline and cheek as she so often did. He forced his leaden arms to move, encircling his love and pulling her more closely against him.

“You never did tell me if you liked my lingerie,” she teased.

He growled deep in his throat. “I think you bloody well know the answer to that, Sweetheart!”

She giggled against his chest and he pressed kisses into her silky hair. They lay quietly for a while and Killian thought perhaps she had dozed off, when suddenly she heaved a heavy sigh and propped her chin on his chest to look into his face.

“As much as I’ve loved this trip, I think I’m ready to go home. It seems like we’ve been living in a fantasy word for two weeks, and I kind of want to know that this is actually our real life now.”

He chuckled. “Aye, Love, I know what you mean. I’m happy we’ve had this opportunity to come to Ireland together, but I agree that it’s time to return. I have no doubt our real life is going to be just as wonderful as these days since our wedding have been, though.”

“I hope we can come back again sometime in the future, and maybe next time we can bring our kids.”

Killian quirked an eyebrow. “Do you anticipate that happening anytime soon?”

She shrugged. “Not really. I want to have you all to myself for a while. I mean, I’ll be happy if and when it does happen, but this will be the only time in our lives when it’s just the two of us. Well, three if you count Evie.”

He laughed. “That’s true, Love. To be honest, I’m looking forward to every phase of our life together, no matter how long each one may last. You and I have both spent too much of our lives alone, but now we’ll never have to experience that again, God willing.”

Emma nodded her agreement and yawned. “Mmmhmm, I agree.”

He nudged her to roll off of him. “I absolutely adore this outfit, my darling, but I don’t think it will be very comfortable for sleeping. Let’s get you cleaned up and changed because I can tell you’re fading.”

They made a quick trip to the bathroom where Killian helped his wife out of the corset, and gently washed her and himself. They brushed their teeth, then he grabbed his white T-shirt off the hook on the back of the door and handed it to Emma so she could slide it over her body. He could see she was barely able to keep her eyes open, so he lifted her effortlessly and carried her to the bed. After settling her comfortably, he pulled his boxer briefs back on and climbed in behind her.

Curling himself around her, he pulled her back against him and left a lingering kiss in her hair. “I love you tremendously, Emma.”

“I love you too, Killian. Goodnight,” she mumbled sleepily.

The rest of their honeymoon was spent dreaming in each other’s arms.

*********

Thank you for reading, commenting & reblogging. It makes me very happy that so many of you keep sticking around for all these additions to the story!

I apologize for the size of the pics below. I’ve yet to figure out how to adjust the size when I post them with my story!

Emma’s jumpsuit for the trip home after the wedding.

Emma’s lingerie for the last night of their honeymoon.

Tagging: @djlbg @jonesfandomfanatic @jennjenn615 @therooksshiningknight @xsajx @laschatzi @vvbooklady1256 @kday426 @hookedmom @kmomof4 @kymbersmith-90 @gingerchangeling @let-it-raines @wyntereyez @everything-person @xarandomdreamx @andiirivera @captainsjedi @lfh1226-linda @sals86 @captainswan21 @bubblegum1425 @klynn-stormz @pirateherokillian @timeless-love-story @officerrogers @captainswanshipper88 @166hours @teamhook @elizabeethan @bluewildcatfanatic @tiganasummertree @angellifedeath @singersdd @sh12pen @loveliklove @artistoncer @hails-paige @eleveneitherway @brustudyblog @everlastingcaptainswan @lyssapup27 @lkles08 @snowbellewells @idristardis @qualitycoffeethings @lavenderbudd @dreamingdreamsalways @artistic-writer @galadriel26 @iamemmaswanjones @jackieorioncat @hope-swan-jones @book-and-music-lover @enchanted-swans @vampcoffeegyrl23 @oncechicagolove @capswantrue @killiansqueenofthejollyroger @ultraluckycatnd @sh12pen-bookfan @earanemith @momontheice @transparentempathdiplomatsoul @searchingwardrobes @cassy1511 @chrisilybrooke @stahlop

#cs fic #cs fanfic #cs fandom #captain swan fanfic #captain swan fic #ouat captain swan #ouat #ouat fanfic captain swan #ouat fic #ouat fanfiction #devastation and healing #outtake

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newagesispage · 3 years ago

Text

OCTOBER 2021

THE RIB PAGE

*****

We miss U Charlie Watts!!

*****

The Stones performed at a private party for Patriots owner Robert Kraft of all people. The test run looked like just that. Shark jumped. I am becoming disillusioned.

*****

SNL is back with Owen Wilson as first host of season 47. Kacey Musgraves is the musical guest. Episode 2 will have a ridic choice for host. Halsey will sing. I suppose $ is power with the Kardashians. I could think of about 10 million other people to host but more and more Lorne goes for the shiny object , what he THINKS people want instead of taking risk. Beck Bennett is out.

*****

Is everybody watching the Amber Ruffin Show?? I loved her before but now… I learn so much from her show. Sometimes it takes a comic to get to the real serious shit. For example: Have you heard of drowning towns? Towns like Oscarville, Kowaliga, York hill, Seneca Village, Prentiss and countless other black towns that were drowned out to make lakes for the local whites. Central Park was also made after a black community was erased from history. Development displacement? Alleyway dwelling authority? Even those rabid for history can find out new things everyday. Thanks Amber!!

*****

Bob Woodward and Robert Costa are finally giving us Peril !!!!!! I’ve been waiting!!** I was in political nerd heaven on Sept. 24 when Yamiche hosted Robert, Bob and Weijia Jang on Washington Week. All of my favorite pundits all together at one table, my dream team!!

*****

Iman looked great at the Met Gala!! Other great looks belonged to AOC, Tessa Thompson, Maluma, Helen Lasichanb and Pharrell Williams. Gigi Hadid, Kiki Layne, Ashton Sanders, Hailee Steinfeld, Kehlani, Zoe Kravitz, Michaela Cole, Lili Reinhart, Kate Hudson and Shai Gilgeous- Alexander were great. Whoopi Goldberg seemed a bit off.

*****

Jason Isbell is back with his latest offering, Georgia Blue.

*****

I see a lot of Title Max type establishment are closing down. Are they a thing of the past? Let’s hope.

*****

Law and Order is coming back to NBC for season 21. Dick Wolf will own 2 entire nights of television. Some of the old cast is reported to be returning.

*****

Britney Spears Father was suspended as her conservator.

*****

Timothy Chalamet, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins and Olivia Coleman will star in Wonka.

*****

The 2022 Super Bowl halftime show will bring us Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar.

*****

People are doing test runs for school board positions to see if their political ideas will play well for the big leagues. If they don’t seem to work, at least they can sometimes change the rules in their own area.

*****

Joe Rogan got Covid.

*****

Lake Michigan beaches were closed down thanks to a US Steel plant chemical leak.

*****

Is this country the master of endless administrative work? None of us should have been surprised at the red tape that the slowed down the end of the war in Afghanistan.** Uber donated 50k for rides and meals to the Afghans when they arrive.**And why do so many waste taxpayer $ on useless recounts and recalls when people need real help with food and healthcare? They must really hate humanity.

*****

R. Kelly was found guilty of 8 counts of sex trafficking and 1 count of racketeering.

*****

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

*****

Texas has put a law into effect to allow most Texans to carry open without permit or training.

*****

Texas has banned abortion at about 6 weeks. Uber and Lyft will pay drivers legal fees if sued under Texas abortion law. Lyft donated $1mil to Planned Parenthood. ** Look for the ruling in the Mississippi law over Roe V. Wade in June 2022.**Hear us roar!** BTW.. Go Jen Psaki!!!!!!!

*****

They seriously banned plastic straws and abortion before assault rifles? – Eden Dranger

*****

Please stop banning abortions, the last thing the world needs is more Americans. –Sarah Beattie

*****

Women don’t inseminate themselves. Vasectomies are reversible. Should every man have one until he’s deemed financially and emotionally fit to be a Father? – Bradley Whitford

*****

90 year old William Shatner will go to space for Blue Origin.

*****

The Q Anon Shaman pled guilty to a felony for obstructing the Electoral College proceedings. I say 20 years and a $250K fine.** 600 others have been indicted.

*****

Days Alert: The Beyond Salem thing was ridic but it was so great to see some old characters. Days is so great at visiting old family. Who can resist Shane, Austin and Carrie, Billie and the old Kristen? I do wish that Peacock would get their kinks out!! Back to the real Days: Are we smelling an Emmy for Susan Seaforth Hayes and Bill?? ** Good to have Abigail back. It is always fun to wonder which actress and or personality it will be. ** Deidre Hall got her star on the walk of fame.**And just in time for Halloween, the Devil is making a comeback. The end of the year in Salem is always the best!! It is so brave to give the 96 year old man the old switcheroo into the Dark Lord. It was fun to see the grandkids discover Grandma Marlena’s story. Delicious!! Hail Satan!!** It is past time for Tate and Teresa to come back to town. Brady needs to be put in his place. And thanks for the Philip and Chloe flashbacks!!

*****

The breakdown of the vaccinated: 90% of Atheists, 86% Hispanic Catholic, 84% Agnostic, 79% White Catholic, 73% White mainline protestant, 70% Black mainline protestant, 57% white evangelical. 1 in 500 Americans have died of Covid.

*****

So Mike Lindell and Jim Baker have teamed up to sell children’s Bible pillows.** Piers Morgan has returned to the Murdoch organization by joining Fox. That sounds about right.

*****

Please stop saying the vaccine does not have severe side effects, I took my shots and now I’m alive and have to keep working. –Mohand Eishieky

*****

In theatres Oct. 22: The French Dispatch.** October also brings us a new season of Curb your enthusiasm and Oct. 17 will catch us up on Succession. Whew!!!

*****

So people under conservatorship are not free to marry who they want? What?

*****

46% of Americans believe in ghosts.

*****

Simone Biles, Mckayla Maroney and Aly Rasiman testified at the Senate judiciary hearing about the FBI’s handling of accusations against Larry Nassar and it was eye opening!

*****

We wanted a no -nonsense Dem who pushes on and does not puss out. I am a bit surprised to see we have it. There are so many pressing issues that I hope Biden works a bit more on Haiti though.

*****

The National Police Act was passed to celebrate cops. Still no police reform.

*****

John Mulaney and Olivia Munn are going to have a baby.

*****

The Emmy’s were a little different this year with more of a Golden Globe look. Cedric the Entertainer hosted with Reggie Watts as DJ. Lots of minority noms but barely a win. It was a white people night. Ted Lasso had a great night. Mare of Eastown took home a few with Evan Peters, Julianne Nicholson and Kate Winslet. Now, Kate is great but how did Anya Taylor- Joy not walk away with that? Queens Gambit did win a couple and gave the longest speech with the seemingly arrogant director Scott Frank who opened up 2 page acceptance. Categories were tough but I was routing for Renee Elise Goldberry and Bowen Yang but perhaps next year. The people in England who had their own party for all the statues that the Crown won seemed to be having more fun! Hacks won for writing and directing and Jean Smart!! It was nice to see the Norm Macdonald love which was barely mentioned by Lorne but celebrated by John Oliver. Colbert ‘s election night special won as did JB Smoove. Hamilton won and Debbie Allen got the big one. I do not understand why real singers and or musicians have to be there for the in Memoriam. It takes me out of it a bit and concentrates the focus on them. Do they think that people will pay attention more? Do they want to keep the home audience or live audience from the bathroom? My best dressed were Anya Taylor-Joy, Michaela Cole who won for I may destroy you, Jean Smart, Josh O’Connor, Kathryn Hahn, Billy Porter, MJ Rodriguez, Keenan Thonpson, Leslie Odom Jr., Catherine O’Hara, Trevor Noah, Eugene Levy, Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, Bowen Yang, Anthony Anderson, Leslie Grossman, Amber Ruffin, Allyson Felix, Renee Elise Goldberry, Samira Wiley and Rege- Jean Page. My worst were Sarah Paulson, Gillian Anderson, Beanie Feldstein, Elizabeth Olsen and Aidy Bryant. To me the best part of the show was the enthusiasm of Conan and the way he injected himself into much of the evening .He was the show. Go Conan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*****

Next year there must be some Emmys for Sarah Paulson and Cobie Smulders in Impeachment!!!!!

*****

Oh Boy!! The Eyes of Tammy Faye!!

*****

Looking forward to the Electric Life of Louis Wain with Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy.

*****

Abba has a new album!!

*****

Shang Chi is the biggest Labor Day opening with a $71.4 mil opening.

*****

Sen. Amy Klobuchar has announced she has breast cancer.

*****

Is it the 70’s? A streaker ran past the studio of the Today show.

*****

Rascal Flatts Joe Don Rooney was arrested for DUI.** Nicholas Cage was thrown out of a prime rib pace in Vegas after being drunk and disorderly.

*****

Jennifer Eckhart has filed a lawsuit against former Fox news anchor Ed Henry for rape and retaliation after allegedly being handcuffed and beaten.

*****

Scarlett Johansson has settled her Disney lawsuit.

*****

Pete Buttigieg and Chasten had twins they named Penelope Rose and Joseph August.

*****

I noticed a commercial for Dancing with the Stars. Are we onto the E list because I have heard of hardly any of these people. ‘Stars’is really stretching it. And as I post this I see there are some covid issues there as well.

*****

Virgin River was renewed for 2 more seasons.

*****

Trevor Noah is right? Why do they stop giving lollipops to adults at the doctor?

*****

Jon Stewart is back on Apple tv with ‘The problem with Jon Stewart.

*****

Brooklyn 99 had about the best finale (other than Newhart) that I can recall. I had my fingers crossed that Chelsea would be back. Will they honor us like they did in the show and come back for a special about once a year? That would be fucking awesome!!

*****

Don’t expect compliments from an insecure person.- Mr. Pickles

*****

Thousands and thousands of people are in need. Haitian refugees and other immigrants have seen nothing like this what with assassination, a hurricane and earthquake. The Southern border is a mess.** Why does Fox news keep telling refugees the border is open as they sit back and laugh at Biden’s predicament. Spreading false info to intentionally hurt poor, distressed people has no end for them.

*****

Do companies know how fucked up their employment websites are? It is true that some people do not want to work. It is true that people schedule interviews and don’t show up. It is also true that companies have made it so hard to apply that many can’t. I suppose it is easier for them but the poor who may really want to work have a hard time. Paper applications are almost completely gone. The old fashioned way of walking into low paying job sites and finding a connection with a manager rarely exist. Some places only accept texts or have long ridiculous psych tests that a working Mother may not have time for. A Father working many hours already, may not be able to go to the library to get online if they cannot afford a computer. Many websites tell you that there no positions available in your area while there is a huge sign in front of the establishment. Can’t find people to work.. Gee I wonder why?? And treat people with respect once you find them, how about that?

*****

Keep your head up in failure, and your head down in success. –Jerry Seinfeld

*****

Hey.. There was a van air B’n B biz going that got busted. Hey.. The poor need vaca’s too. It is wrong but If they are willing to sleep in a van, why not. I truly think that many do not understand how much people are struggling.

*****

Free coffee day came and went but only a few places really gave you free coffee without rules to govern the promo. Some places wanted to sell you something else and some made you belong to their club. Starbucks held that customers had to come inside for the free cup of Joe, handicapped or not.

*****

One would think the Republicans would run out of $ for recounts but they have deep pockets. Just think how much good they could do for the huddled masses with that scratch.

*****

Sad to lose Mick Brigden, protégé of Bill Graham who managed The Stones and worked with Frampton, Dylan and Santana.** And the comics were very vocal about the loss of Norm Macdonald. He was one of a kind and he will be missed!

*****

R.I.P. Ruth Marx, Lee Scratch Perry, Willard Scott, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Isadore Bleckman, George Wein, Michael K. William,George Holliday, Anthony Johnson, Basil Hoffman, Al Harrington,Willie Garson, Mick Brigden, Tommy Kirk and Norm Macdonald.

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letterboxd · 4 years ago

Photo

A Leaf in a Stream.

The matriarchs of Minari—Youn Yuh-jung and Han Ye-ri—talk to Aaron Yap about chestnuts, ear-cleaning, dancing, Doctor Zhivago and their unexpected paths into acting.

A delicate cinematic braid that captures the sense of adventure, sacrifice and uncertainty of uprooting, Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari might be the closest approximation of my immigrant experience on the big screen yet. Sure, Arkansas is a world of difference from New Zealand. But those dynamics and emotional textures of a family in the process of assimilation—authentically realized by Chung—remain the same.

The film is a wonder of humane storytelling, with the American-born Chung encasing deeply personal memories in a brittle, bittersweet calibration that recalls the meditative, modest glow and touching whimsy of an Ozu or Kore-eda. As Jen writes, “To describe Minari? Being embraced in a long, warm hug.” Or perhaps, it’s like Darren says, “floating along peacefully like a leaf in a stream”.

Neither is alone in their effusive praise. Minari rapidly rose to the top of Letterboxd’s Official Top 50 of 2020, and by year’s end our community had crowned it their highest-rated film. Despite its cultural specificity—a Korean family shifting to the Ozarks in the 1980s—the film has transcended barriers and stolen hearts. Run director Aneesh Chaganty says, “I saw my dad. I saw my mom. I saw my grandma. I saw my brother. I saw me.” Iana writes, “Its portrayal of assimilation rang so true and for that, I feel personally attacked.” The versatile herb of the title, Kevin observes, is “a marker of home, of South Korea, but it can grow and propagate as long as there is water.”

Though a large portion of Minari was vividly drawn from Chung’s childhood, a few of the film’s most quietly memorable moments were contributions from its Korean-born cast.

Youn Yuh-jung as Soonja in ‘Minari’.

Veteran actress Youn Yuh-jung, who’s extraordinary as the visiting, wily grandmother Soonja, traces the origins of the scene where she cracks open a chestnut in her mouth and hands it to seven-year-old grandson David (Alan Kim), to her time living in America. “I’ve seen one grandmother visiting at the time—we don’t have chestnuts in Florida—she brought them all the way from Korea. Actually it was worse than the scene. My friend’s mother brought [the] chestnut. She chewed it and spit it out into a spoon and shared it with her grandson. Her husband was an Irishman. He was almost shocked. We didn’t do that, but I shared that kind of thing with Isaac.”

Most viewers watching this scene will likely recoil in horror, as David does, but co-star Han Ye-ri, playing Soonja’s daughter Monica, notes the practicality of the gesture: “If you give a big chunk to children they could choke on that, so it’s natural for them to do that for their children.”

In another brief, beautifully serene scene—one that is so rarely depicted in American cinema that it’s almost stunning—Monica is seen gently cleaning David’s ears. Han came up with the idea. “Originally it was cutting the nails for David,” she says. “Cleaning your wife and husband’s ears is such a common thing in Korea. Initially the producer or somebody from the production opposed the idea because they regarded it as dangerous, but because it is something that is so common in our daily lives I thought we should go with the idea.”

Neither actress comes from a traditional movie-oriented background. With no acting ambitions, Youn began her fifty-year career with a part-time job hunt that led her to distributing gifts to an audience at a TV station. “It was freshman year from college and they gave me pretty good money. So I thought, ‘Wow, that’s good!’.”

“I’m kind of ashamed about that, as nowadays all the kids plan their future,” she says. “When I talk to the younger generation, they start having dreams about being an actor in the sixth grade. In the sixth grade, I was just playing—nothing. I didn’t plan anything. [Laughs.]”

Han Ye-ri and Noel Kate Cho in ‘Minari’.

Before acting, Ye-ri trained as a professional dancer, and while she wasn’t specifically inspired by movies to cross over into acting, she was an avid film watcher in her formative years. “Working as an actress made me realize how many films I’ve seen growing up.”

“My first memory of a non-Korean-language film left such a strong impression on me, especially the ending,” she says. “The film is called Doctor Zhivago. I saw it on TV and not in theaters. The first film I saw in theaters was Beauty and the Beast. But even growing up I remember because Koreans love films so much they would have films on TV all the time. I watched a lot of TV growing up because both my parents were busy, and in retrospect that really helped become the basis of my career. [Laughs.]”

She also grew up “taking reference from Miss Youn’s body of work to study from, as did many other actresses”. Grateful for the opportunity to work with her on Minari, Ye-ri says, “On set working with her, it made me realize how wonderful it is that this person still carries her own distinct color and scent. And seeing her taking part in this production in a foreign country—she’s over 70—it just really encouraged me that I should be more fearless like her.” She adds: “One of the things that I really want to learn from her is her sense of humor but I think I’m going to have that for my next life. [Laughs.]”

As for Youn’s adventures in early movie-going, she recalls the first Korean film she saw with her father was the 1956 historical drama Ma-ui taeja, based on a popular Korean fairy tale. “I was so scared. I cried so my father had to take me out of the theater.”

“At [the] time, we always had to watch the news on the screen before the movie. It started with a national anthem and every audience from the theater would need to stand up and pledge to the Korean flag. It’s a very stupid thing for you guys but it was like that 60 years ago.”

Han Ye-ri as Monica in ‘Minari’.

For Minari fans who want to discover more of Youn’s work, she recommends starting with the first movie she made with the late, great director Kim Ki-young, Woman of Fire—a remake of his own 1962 Korean classic The Housemaid. “A long time ago I couldn’t see it. Of course I first saw it when it was shown at the theater back when I was twenty. But later on we had a retrospective, so I saw that movie 50 years later. Wow, he was very genius. I was very impressed. That time we had censorship and everything but with that crisis he made that film. That was a memorable movie to [me].”

Youn admits finding it difficult to be emotionally invested watching a film starring herself, including Minari. “It’s terrible, it’s killing me,” she says. “I always think about why I did this and that scene like that. I’m just criticizing every scene so I’m not enjoying it at all.”

Asked which films she enjoys, she offers: “Some other people’s movies like Mike Leigh and Kore-eda Hirokazu. Your Chinese movies I fell in love with. Zhang Yimou when he started. Then later on when he became a big shot, I don’t enjoy [them]. [Laughs.]”

During the shoot, members of the cast and crew caught Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, 2019’s powerful, heartfelt Chinese-American immigrant story. While Youn missed it (“I was just staying home trying to memorize the lines and resting”), Ye-ri watched with interest: “That film also had a grandmother character, so did ours, and these two are completely different. But at the same time from both films you can feel the warmth and thoughtfulness of grandmothers in different ways. To me they are both very lovely films.”

Of her recent viewings, Ye-ri reveals she found Soul made her as emotional as Minari did. “It made me look back at how I live and my day. It’s not necessarily for children but I think it’s a film for adults. [Pauses.] I’m Thinking of Ending Things. I love that film also.”

‘Minari’ is out now in select theaters across the US and other territories, with virtual screenings available to US audiences in the A24 screening room.

#minari #a24 #lee isaac chung #lulu wang #the farewell #hirokazu koreeda #Youn Yuh-jung #han ye-ri #han yeri #steven yeun #korean film #korean director #korean films #letterboxd

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wonderofwillows2 · 3 years ago

Text

The Training 3

Why had he agreed? Why the hell had agreed? This was seriously odd, so very odd and he couldn’t explain why, why was he so pliant to the demands of these strange women? He had just had an orgasm in front of his longtime friend and sister for god’s sake. He should be mortified and he did feel the smallest twinge of it. He wasn’t though and that was the baffling part to him. In fact he felt good, free of a burden. He even had begun to notices Jen’s full red lips and their elegant coating of some or another product. He noticed also, and possibly not for the first time, that Priya was in fact very beautiful. That she had such fine features soft and feminine her cute pert nose and deep brown eyes that were currently fixed on his deflating penis. He noticed how sweetly her figure curved as she sat upright and attentive, surveying the whole situation. Her breathing was slightly rapid and he breasts rose and fell in the tight sweater she wore and in the warm room Victor guessed she might be perspiring just slightly.

“We’re so very glad for you Victor. Really we are glad you would accept our conditions. It’s a funny thing we happen to have a doctor who would be eager to assist. What luck she wants to help with our cause. I’m sure Anna and Priya are happy you agreed as well. Aren’t you?” Said Jen the smirk still graced her lips as she talked.

“We really are, Victor I have had my share of men and without giving too much away I want to just say that sex is better with a circumcised man. They’re cleaner and prettier and they make a woman feel nicer.”Anna added with enthusiasm.

“Also do you remember when Mary gave you the handjob after the house party last year? Well here is the thing she wanted to give you a blowjob originally. It’s just that when she found you weren’t cut she didn’t want to. A lot of the girls at school prefer a cut man though some more strongly than others. I feel the same way Anna does too and I’m not from a culture where it’s common either.” Priya added in her excited and very nearly agitated voice.

Victors head was swimming and he did not know what to think anymore. He had just blurted out his answer and after the thoughts his sister and Priya had just shared he was more than certain they had known of this aspect too, they had known he would be cut. He was also shocked to learn his brief interest in Mary had come to an abrupt end due to his foreskin. He was actually disappointed to learn that. It made him wonder how many other girls at the school might have been interested in him and decided not to pursue it on the grounds he as uncut. He still wasn’t sure why he’d agreed but it was a comforting idea that it might be more appealing to women for him to be cut and he was also very certain that these women might really make good on their promise to educate him. Maybe he’d finally get better at talking to the girls at school. Maybe college would be so much easier that way. He’d already been accepted and the humanities programs were often dominated by women.

“Please Victor, you have a nice sized penis we see that now and I’m not ashamed to say that as your sister. I’ve learned a lot from participating in the other side of the program as a mentor to other young men and I’ve learned that even if I am not attracted to you it is ok to appreciate that you’re a sexual being and even to admire that you could learn to please a woman well. Do us a favor and pull back your foreskin for us. Hold it tight and let us see how it might look.” Anna added

“Yes let’s see Victor I want to see it that way now that I’ve seen it covered and erect.” Priya added with great vigor. ‘

Victor was now certain that Priya and Anna were enjoying his show and he surprised himself when he wanted very much to show them. And so he did it. Slowly Victor reached down and began to slide his foreskin back from his now largely flaccid and slightly sticky penis. He winced as the glans was still tender in the post orgasmic moment. His glans was clean aside from the slight coat of shiny ejaculate. It was a prominent size and a deep shade of mixed mauve and red. Priya looked at it fixed her already large eyes wide. Anna remained more composed but stared and smiled as well. The other three women stared but remained otherwise stoic in their expression. Nadine seemed most interested. Victor noticed Priya seemed to flex her legs slightly.

“Don’t you see how much better it looks now Victor? It’s a really nicely shaped glans and a prominent glans can really assist when one makes love. I Think it feels lovely. If you were cut the skin would pull tight and pull on the glans itself making it firm. It enhances the sensation for your partner you’ll have to trust me.” Anna said still smiling.

“It really is a nice penis, I mean that. Let the doctor cut you Victor. She’ll do a good job. Anna has seen some of the men she’s worked with. She’s precise and has years as a urologist. You did already say yes” Priya added sweetly.

“I know I said yes but I am still not really sure. I just, are there side effects?” Victors asked

“None that you need to worry about. It’s a simple procedure and we even happen to have our good doctor on hand.” Jen added promptly and with her wry smirk returning.

“But what will I say to my parents? What will I do about gym?” Asked Victor now slightly alarmed at the way things were going.

“Don’t worry about the school, our doctor can give you a note. She does have a practice other than this and can easily write you a note.” Added Jen now with a full smile.

“You don’t need to worry about mom and dad either. I doubt they’ll find out what happened and we’ll get you some pain killers. My excuse will be that you sprained you ankle. It won’t be so unusual for them to see you walking funny for a few days.” Anna added with a wide smile.

“I… I guess I agree to at least see the doctor.” Victor said and his eyes down cast with the shame of how easily and willingly he’d just submitted to the whims of this strange women and the surprising desires of the ones he had known for so long.

“Get your clothes on then.” Jen added aloof but compelling.

Victor began to dress, first his underwear then his pants and finally the long athletic shirt with insulation. He felt some of his former shame disperse as he dressed. Anna and Priya continued to smile at him. He felt his cheeks grow a bit hot and realized he did love that they were proud of him and happy for him. This was a surprise to be sure but he was not so unhappy with it at the moment. They loved him and he did not need to know more than that. He began to think trusting them was a good idea. Anna saw him look at her and got up from her seat and touched his back gently. Priya stood as well and walked over to him. She gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek and he could feel himself start to blush again, hot blood rising in his cheeks. Priya gently took his hand while Anna left her hand on his back and moved it in small circles.

“Please trust us.” Priya said and Anna nodded with agreement.

“Trust us, just see the doctor.” Anna added.

“I trust you, I’ll go.” Victor relented with a sigh.

Jen motioned to her compatriots and began to walk past the group towards the door and Priya kissed Victor on the cheek again and they began to follow. They walked out of the door, turned the corner of the hallway and walked to the single door that stood in the middle of the hallway. They entered room and found it to be a small medical office complete with an examination table, a scale, the normal bland anatomy posters, and bizarrely enough two extra chairs. Victor was instructed to sit on the exam table and did so dutifully. Jen then instructed Anna and Priya to sit in the chairs. She told them the doctor would be there shortly before exiting the room. The young women didn’t seem to notice but Victor was sure he saw her walk with a sort of flourish she hadn’t previously had and which made her all the more appealing even in her seemingly starched yet figure hugging clothes. Victor was still strangely without much nervousness but he chalked it up to the presence of the comforting others he knew. It was not long before a middle aged woman of African decent entered the room and greeted them.

“Good morning, I’m doctor DeSantos. I’m glad to see you here today Victor.” She said with a wide bright smile displaying her pristine teeth. She had fine dimples and high cheekbones that were complimented by a short, natural, hairstyle. She reached out to shake victor’s had. Then she shook hands with the two young women who seemed to be familiar with her already though neither directly commented on that.

“I want to congratulate you on being accepted to the program Victor. Not many young men receive such an honor. Of course in accordance with the rules I will be performing your circumcision should you accept your place in the program and I do hope you will accept as your sister was very enthusiastic about us taking you and she really made a case for you.” Dr. DeSantos added with a smile.

“I am glad that she was so for it but I really am not sure that I want to be cut. I just don’t think it would be nice, is my foreskin so bad?” Asked Victor in a meek voice.

“It is not that it is bad, your penis isn’t bad as it is Victor. It’s that it isn’t as good as it could be for your partner.” Dr. Desantos said maintaining her smile with the same extraordinary consistency that the women in the room did. It was both eerie and pleasant at the same time. The deliberateness of it frightened him a bit.

“But what about the sensitivity?” Victor asked.

“Don’t worry about that at all Victor. Most men experience no change at all and besides a bit less sensation can be a positive. Besides isn’t a bit less sensitivity a good thing in a man?” Dr. DeSantos asked the two attending young women who both nodded in fervent agreement.

“Don’t you want to be a better lover Victor? Or a lover at all? That is why you’re here. I think that you are far from lacking Victor so let’s cut to the chase, do you want to lose your virginity Victor? Do you want to be the young man on campus whose prowess is known and admired? Well this is how you do it Victor we can teach it all. The social cues you would have missed, the way to best bring them to climax orally, even the best way to stave off your own orgasm. We can teach it all and more. What’s best is that you’ll be able to lose your virginity in the program itself. You’ll get to have sex with a number of the young women who volunteer to teach. Don’t you want that?” The Doctor finished with refinement. If this were a practiced speech she did not indicate it, if it were not then she was a talented person. Victor’s head swum briefly, he did not know how he felt just then and suddenly he was pulled from his reverie by someone holding his hand.

“Please Victor, please do this.” Said Priya who currently had wrapped her own small and delicate hands around his own and had directed her gaze to his own eyes. He noticed then the soft and pleasant scent he thought the doctor was wearing was actually Priya. He couldn’t help but notice her pleasant features. He thought she was so soft and feminine and felt a fool for ignoring it.

“It was me, I’m the one who contacted your sister. I’m the one who pushed her to find a solution. I’m the one who wants this for you and I’m the one who wants to take your virginity when the time comes.” Priya continued and it took Victor a short time to process the fast and nervous words the young woman had spoken. She continued before he could speak.

“I know it sounds strange and to be honest I think we might just remain very close friends but Victor I want you once while we’re still young and I want to help make you the best you could be as a lover. I want to.” She bent down slight but enough to make the curve of her breasts even more visible and let go of his hand then moved in suddenly and kissed him on the cheek.

“Please, for me. I so much prefer a cut man.” She added.

“You know she is worth it.” Added Anna. She was smiling too.

Victor’s mind was in turmoil, he was anxious and afraid for what would happen but he knew at his very core that he wanted Priya and wanted her badly. It was true they might not be in love and true that it might only be a few times but, he wanted that and was prepared for it. He made his decision then.

“OK, cut me then. I want to be in the program.” Victor said with a faltering voice. The Doctor seemed to stir slightly at this and Anna and Priya both threw their arms around him and Priya kissed his cheek again.

“Don’t worry, you won’t regret this at all. I think you may even love it.” Anna said.

“There is one last thing to discuss we’ll be back shortly.” Dr. DeSantos added before ushering the two young women out of the room. Victor was left to his anxious thoughts, though it was not for long before the women returned.

“Let’s get started Victor. Please take off your clothes and lie down on the table.” Said Dr. DeSantos

Victor complied for the second time that day and still he couldn’t understand why he suddenly was without the anxiety that commonly pestered him and the doubts he should reasonably have. He took off his shirt and then pants and finally his underwear for the second time that day, and it occurred to him it was still probably before noon. He watched all of the women stare as he lowered his underwear and felt slightly bashful before complying fully and lowering his underwear entirely. He felt the cold rush of the air on his most intimate parts despite that the air was well heated. He then lay on the table and allowed his body to relax. Dr. DeSantos walked over to the table and placed her hands on his penis and began to manipulate it. He was slightly shocked and drew a quick breath when she retracted his foreskin and examined it. Satisfied She went and donned a mask, gloves, and hat then she ordered the young women to leave the room. They complied immediately, both still smiling.

“Now just relax, I am going to give you a few pain killers than sterilize the are.” Said Dr. DeSantos. She turned and walked to a small cabinet and pulled out a syringe and a small vial of liquid. After filling the syringe she grabbed a few small alcohol wipes. Victor was already shaved so she could dispense with that step. She found it a pleasant surprise. Little did she know that Priya had previously advised him to shave for any encounters he might have at school. She rubbed a small area at the base of Victor’s penis with the disposable wipe and them injected some of the liquid. Victor winced at the sensation. She repeated this three more times before disposing of the Syringe and grabbing a bit of iodine and some cotton balls from the closet. She proceeded to very thoroughly clean Victor and before long the whole area was a solid dark red color. Satisfied with this Dr. DeSantos began to prep other instruments. Victor felt a bit Dizzy with anticipation of the final event. Dr. Desantos returned to the cabinet and then to Victor with some sort of cloth. She expanded a frame hidden within the cloth and before long the thing had formed a small tent. She placed this over Victor.

“It’s so you don’t get anxiety.” Dr. DeSantos said and gave a reassuring squeeze to Victor’s leg. He felt a slight tugging on his penis.

“Do you feel any pain?”

“No, no pain, just a tugging.”

“Then we’re ready.”

With that said the doctor commenced her work. It took nearly twenty minutes total to complete and Victor almost wished he could see what she was doing to his penis but wisdom suggested it might be better is he did not. There was a lot of tugging including in areas he did not expect and he assumed the operation might be more complicated than he had thought. When that was done the doctor grabbed a small tube of liquid and then applied a bit of it to the wounds. She explained that it was a new flesh glue and better than stitches. This was much to Victor’s relief as he hated the look of stitches and would not want them in his penis for a week. And then it was done. Victor was a circumcised young man. With that the doctor took off her gloves and handed Victor a card bearing her name and the address of her clinic. It was surprisingly close to him.

“You’ll have to come back to see me in about a week. We’ll see how you’re healing then. My private number is on the back of the card and you can call me if you have any problems or questions. I will send a note to the school and your sister has a brace for your foot to allow you to feign an injury. Do you have any questions now?” Asked Dr. DeSantos.

“No not right now.” Victor’s felt too muddled to ask anything. Perhaps it was something she’d given him.

“You dress and let’s rejoin the girls.” Said Dr. DeSantos. So Victor did, though very carefully and Victor left the room without his foreskin.

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inmyarmswrappedin · 4 years ago

Note

hello you probably already talked about this but why did you drop robbe season?

Hi anon! 🧩 I have mentioned it before, yeah, but I don’t mind talking about it in a bit more depth.

Admittedly Robbe’s season was already a hard sell for me before it even premiered. I have watched every Eva season, and that has always given me an indication of how things are going to go for the Isak season. Like, even though remake teams tend to go all out for their Isak season, and try harder than with their previous seasons (and I don’t think it’s controversial to say remake teams know their Isak season will majorly increase their viewership, even fandom has pointed this out as a reason Skam NL should’ve stuck it out for VDH’s season), you can already get a good idea in s1 about what they want to keep from Skam and where they’re going their own way.

I love Eva and I also tend to like her remakes. Honestly, I find Eva’s story really interesting, Jonas a good character when handled well, and I’ve generally enjoyed getting introduced to yet another iteration of the girl squad. I like the familiarity of the story beats. I also think how Jonas’ ideas are handled is a good indicator of how politically minded the team is, and how they plan on using their platform.

And the thing is, despite all this, I found Jana’s season a struggle to get through. I had to try twice because I couldn’t get through the first time. At first, I thought it was because the writers had been super lazy with the adaptation. I loathe what they did with Jonas’ character, how little Jens knows about social justice. I was really put off by how, since they couldn’t write Yasmina into parties, they gave the drink throwing moment to Luca instead, but then more or less kept to the original storyline. Even back then, I was really concerned by how aggressive they made Moyo during the cabin trip clips. But then a friend binged the season after me, and brought up how terrible the pacing was (with Friday clips being moved to other days, destroying the momentum Skam builds through the week), how most of the actors sounded like they were literally reading from a script, and the utter spam of meaningless social media pics (with very few texts to go with it). And so I realized that this season I generally enjoy bored me, because Wtfock is generally just slapped together carelessly.

Another issue I had was... Well, I’m not sure this comes across given my rabid love for David, but I actually think Skam s3 is as close to perfect TV as it gets. I don’t think this is a season that needs fixing. And as the Isak seasons succeeded each other, I realized I didn’t care for an Isak season that pretty much just took Isak and Even and put them in another country. I prefer the Isak seasons that did something Skam s3 never did, because they were never going to improve on Skam s3, and to do the same thing would just remind me how much better the acting, the music, the photography, the writing, etc. was in Skam. So I was hoping that maybe Wtfock’s Even would be a moc and they’d touch on racism for a change. However I knew the chances of Wtfock casting a trans man or a moc for their Even were slim to none.

But at the time it was kind of unthinkable that there would be an Isak season dropping, and people would not watch. And I in particular was a bit of a completionist, like I haven’t watched most Noora seasons, but I’ve watched all of the Eva seasons, and all the Isak seasons except for the last few episodes of Lucas L’s. These days I’m comfortable not tuning in (esp after trainwrecks like Arthur’s or Kato’s seasons), but at the time it felt kinda wrong to not give a season a chance, you know. Besides, a lot of people whose opinion I trust said s2 was great! Zoe and Senne one of the best noorhelms, if not the best! They really had fixed everything that was wrong with noorhelm, their social media game was so good, etc... I mean, you were there for s3 I assume, you know how people were hyping Wtfock at the time. And, for instance, Druck majorly improved in s2 after a more or less okay s1, so it’s not like remakes had never fixed their shit before.

So I started watching, but right away, I didn’t like the way they introduced Noor. She almost kinda seemed like the actual love interest in how cool she was, and how happy Robbe was hanging out with her that first night. I posted this, speculating about why Wtfock would introduce her that way. I should note that I posted that link on twitter as well, and Bram Renders liked my tweet... not too long after his tweet complaining about fans who read too much into the show would surface. 😂

Since I enjoyed writing that post, I thought I’d post weekly reaction posts in the style of Nat (@lightsandlostbells) and some others. The problem is that I’m just really good at procrastinating (I’ve been promising reaction posts in the same style for my favorite Skams seasons for... years now lol). And I wanted to keep my reactions fresh, so I stopped watching in real time. My plan was to watch the clips when I had enough time to write. This was like... Middle of week 2, I want to say. At the time, Sander hadn’t even been introduced yet!!

Even though I wasn’t watching, I still followed Wtfock-related accounts, like translators and subbers, so I still kinda knew what was going on. I was actually really let down by the way Wtfock didn’t take advantage of having Robbe and Sander in the same location for an entire week. Like, Sander was sticking a sandwich in Robbe’s mouth in a ~sexy way a few hours after exchanging their names, and yet it all kinda simmered down? No tension over social media really. Idk, I just feel like if Isak and Even, or Cris and Joana, or Matteo or David, had been stuck in the same house for an entire week shortly after meeting, Skam, Druck and eskam wouldn’t have let us forget about it for even a second.

In the end, I never did write those posts, and I ended up washing my hands off the season because the tone of the discussions around the show was legit starting to get to me in a bad way. Like how LGBTI people were attacked for disliking the gay bashing scene. Or the discussions over whether the shower scene had gone too far or if Julie Andem had exploited Tarjei Sandvik Moe just as much. I disliked Moyo but also disliked the way white fans were writing about him. And the Britt bashing was just so gross. I was getting irl upset about a season I wasn’t even watching or following, so I put it out of my mind.

#ask #wtfock #Anonymous

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jackdawyt · 4 years ago

Video

youtube

We’ve finally reached the moment my channel was created for, BioWare officially revealed a brand-new behind the scenes trailer that showcased many gameplay prototypes, concept artwork pieces and next-gen footage that each demonstrate Dragon Age 4’s current production stages, building an overall mood of the game’s vision and direction. And it’s just the best thing to come out of this year.

Saria and myself have already broken down the trailer’s concept art, and gameplay shots in an incredible 45-minute video, that you need to check out if you’re remotely interested in the next Dragon Age game.

However, today I’m delving into every single piece of information that surrounds this new trailer, as we’ve got plenty of news, tweets and tidbits to delve into!

First up though, before the trailer’s release we had a few related tweets from the team regarding the current production of the game.

Production Updates:

In late July, Mark Darrah tweeted some updates about Dragon Age 4’s development. He said: “I realize that most of you are here for Dragon Age news and there hasn't been a lot of that lately...

Let me just run down some things I can say:

1. We are working on the next Dragon Age

2. Yes we are working from home

3. Working from home is harder

4. We are making progress”

Continuing from that, John Epler retweeted Darrah’s post and said: “WFH is hard! But we're figuring it out, a little better every day. I miss lunches with my team, though.”

And, Patrick Weekes tweeted: “An exhausting but productive week, with a bunch of folks across the Narrative team coming together for Writer Voltron to look at some stuff and figure out how to make it better. Harder over Zoom, but worth it nevertheless.”

@stoner_gordon asked Patrick: “Writer Voltron? Maybe I’m slow today but what do you mean by that?”

Patrick Weekes replied: “There are things writers can work on for awhile by ourselves. Followers, or individual quests. But some stuff is owned by multiple writers, so we set aside time for all of us (plus non-writers involved with Narrative) to get together and hash things out. That’s Writer Voltron.

It is mostly a TON of meetings. We go over content and see what works and what doesn’t. It’s also the time where we make big narrative decisions as a team (or make big proposals we then bring to other affected departments).

Examples of stuff we decide at things like this:

- Hey, this big story element doesn’t work

- How should we do romances?

- Hey, this big huge thing is unclear

- Does it feel like we’re all making the same game?

We have a great team. It’s positive. We’re all exhausted by Friday.”

This was a very interesting look at how the writing team are pushing forward during the current world situation, ensuring that each writer can push on with individual work, while tasks that are assigned to many writers are slightly trickier, the team are working it out, while staying as safe as possible. And, I’m always eager to hear how certain things like individual quests, followers and romances are being developed.

Dragon Age Website Update:

With the new trailer’s release, the Dragon Age website was updated. The trailer itself ended on the notion of visiting DragonAge.com.

Upon impact to the site, there’s a red lyrium wallpaper with a slogan that says:

The world needs a new hero. Will you answer the call?

“Journey into the world of Thedas in Dragon Age™. Discover new adventures full of striking characters, powerful magic, and rich storytelling. Meet an incredible number of Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Qunari in a realm where every decision you make echoes across history.”

New protagonist, new adventures, striking characters, powerful magic, rich storytelling, a roster of races with every decision having rippling effects in the world. Each quality that truly define a Dragon Age game. Very exciting to see this!

Behind The Scenes Trailer:

Onwards to the trailer, we have many of the amazing developers sharing plenty of insights into the next Dragon Age game’s vision and development.

Casey Hudson stated their using next generation technology, which will be Anthem’s codebase and tools of the Frostbite engine, to bring the world and characters of Dragon Age to life. And the team are still in early production, I’ve estimated that they’ve been in production stages for around 15 months, since May 2019.

Casey Hudson (General Manager): “We’ve been using next generation technology to bring the world and characters of Dragon Age to life. We’re still in early production.”

Gameplay Designer Melissa Janowicz spoke about creating bosses and how she helps with many of the creature designs, mostly doing the big threats we’ll go up against. This trailer’s concept art certainly paints a picture of many dark, evil monsters to defeat.

Melissa Janowicz (Gameplay Designer): “We’re very experimental here at BioWare, so we’re always coming up with new stuff.”

“I actually design bosses; I help with the creature design team as well. So, I do all of the big threats you have to go up against.”

The Creative Director, and previous Art Director, Matthew Goldman shared that Dragon Age is all about mystery, and hard-boiled detective stories, which is an egg-cellent pun. All wrapped up in a fantasy setting, with an original world.

Matthew Goldman (Creative Director): “The world of Dragon Age has really got it all, it’s got frontier stories, it’s got mystery, it’s got hard-boiled detective stories. And of course, it’s all wrapped up in kind of a fantasy setting.”

“This is an original world, original flora, original wildlife, original architecture, that makes it fun to explore and discover.”

Executive Producer, and proficient teaser, Mark Darrah shared that in the next Dragon Age, we get an opportunity to see new things, new places, and interact with people who lived and grew up in these spaces as well.

There’s a huge emphasis on characters we haven’t met yet, because of course, the Inquisition declared it would look for new people to deal with Solas. We’re going to Northern Thedas, we should expect brand new characters to fall in love with.

Mark Darrah (Executive Producer): “In the next Dragon Age, we get an opportunity to see new things, new places, and interact with people who lived and grew up in these spaces as well.”

Mastermind, and Lead Writer Patrick Weekes shared about the game that currently working on, and how they want to tell a very different story about what happens when you don’t have power, what happens when the people in charge aren’t willing to address the issues.

This time around, we’re playing as a new hero, with not nearly as enough power like the Inquisitor, but instead someone who most likely comes from humble tidings, at a guess, someone like a spy, Antivan Crow, or Lord of Fortune.

No matter the role, our main character will have many conflicts with the predominate people in charge, as they aren’t willing to tackle the issues at stake. I can assume many ideas of course, perhaps the Tevinter Magisterium, The Qunari Invasion, or the Dread Wolf’s scheme.

Whatever powerful force that may ignore the ongoing issues, there’s going to be a lot of conflict from what can assume is going forward thanks to Tevinter Nights.

Patrick Weekes (Lead Writer): “For the game we’re working on now, we want to tell a story – what happens when you don’t have power, what happens when the people in charge aren’t willing to address the issues.”

Arby’s Enthusiast, and Narrative Director John Epler spoke on the things we can expect in the next instalment, there are going to be stories that focus on the people around you, and the friends and family you make.

Every Dragon Age game is about the family we create along the way, expecting more of that, lightens my heart!

John Epler (Narrative Director): “The things you can expect in the next instalment are going to be stories that focus on the people around you, and the friends and family you make.”

“I just love the possibilities that Dragon Age offers us, and I’m excited to explore a lot more of them.”

Associate Producer Jen Cheverie shared that something we’ll be able to look forward to in the next Dragon Age are really close relationships with game characters who really become real for you. I’m so excited to see how relationships and friendships develop in the next game.

Jen Cheverie (Assoc. Producer): “Something we’ll be able to look forward to in Dragon Age is a really close relationship with game characters who really become real for you.”

Foundation Technical Director, Jon Renish, with an amazing beard, spoke on how BioWare want characters to either be loved or hated, the best examples of that is Solas. Half of the community wants to kill him, half the people want to marry him, then another part want to do both.

The fact that the devs can stir these reactions, proves that BioWare can and will create characters that move, and shape us.

If they can make you love or hate a character, they’ve successfully made you care for this world, even if hate is that motivator. However, if you felt nothing for a character, then you wouldn’t have these strong reactions, and wouldn’t feel as connected to the world, or that character.

Jon Renish (Foundation Technical Director): “We want characters to either be loved or hated, one of the best examples of that is Solas. Half of the community wants to kill him, half the people want to marry him, then another part want to do both.”

Lead Creature Animator, Esther Ko confirmed that Dragon Age 4 is being created using motion-matching technology, that will ensure characters will be as realistic as possible, from the way they walk, move and interact.

We saw a sneak peak of Solas’s facial animations, and we can already see the improvement of graphical fidelity and animation quality.

Esther Ko (Lead Creature Animator): “BioWare and EA have been one of the forerunners in using motion matching technology, and that makes it way more realistic for when you're looking at the characters, the way the walk and move, and interact in the world.”

Writer Slyvia Feketekuty spoke on how players want suspension of their disbelief, to believe that the bunch of pixels that make up these characters are actually a living, breathing soul.

Slyvia Feketekuty (Writer): “Players want that suspension of disbelief that this wonderful collection of digital pixels is actually a living breathing soul.”

Gameplay Director Andre Garcia said that choice is a big part of what Dragon Age is as a franchise, the decisions you make can affect change in the world. Reiterating that the next Dragon Age will most certainly surround our choices, with consequences for each.

Andre Garcia (Gameplay Director): “Choice is a big part of what Dragon Age is as a franchise, the decisions you make can affect change in the world.”

Adding more fuel to the fire for choices and consequences, RPG Programmer Katrina Barkwell spoke on decision-making meaning that a party member lives, or a party member dies. Ultimately, choice making means owning your outcome and reactivity to the choices that you do make.

Katrina Barkwell (RPG Programmer): “Decision-making can mean that a party member lives, or a party member dies. And it means owning your outcome and reactivity to the choices that you do make.”

I said in my breakdown, and I’ll say it again here, it was very nice to see a few of the developers that we love and support in this trailer, sharing vital information on the next game. The story about Dragon Age 4’s development is all about the people creating it, and I am so glad that BioWare have an amazing, tremendously talented bunch of people who know what Dragon Age is.

Adding to that, it was so wholesome to see many of the other developers on a zoom call, showing how despite the current world situation, they’re doing all they can to push the development of the next Dragon Age.

Key Trailer Features:

Moving on, throughout the trailer, we had many key features highlighted.

The in-engine shots showcase the next-gen improved fidelity and quality of the Frostbite engine. The reveal of Solas’s facial animations indicate more realistic and life-like animations and scenes, just look at his pearly white teeth, and how his face folds.

And the Gameplay shots reveal a character playing as a warrior, with a sword and shield, wearing Grey Warden armour. Most certainly, the character is a champion specialization, indicated by the “Line in the Sand” ability.

We see them evading, blocking, shield bashing, and preparing to strike. The camera placement is solid, I really like the angle it currently has, I’m hoping it stays like this.

The spider with hands is incredibly frightening, however, beautifully animated. I just hope it’s not going to grab items like the barrel, and throw them at us, when approaching combat.

Two brand-new voice actors were revealed: Jee Young Han & Ike Amadi

Jee Young Han previously appeared in Anthem, as the character Sentinel Dax. In Dragon Age 4, conceptually, she’s playing a character called “Bellara”, whom I’d suspect is a dwarf, given that Qunari and Dwarves generally have American voice actors. Not to mention her dialogue line of something being “the good kind of rumble.”

Ike Amadi, also appeared in a previous BioWare title, being Mass Effect 3, as he played Javik! It seems he’s playing a character by the name of Davrin. Who is most certainly a Grey Warden, indicated by his dialogue? Perhaps he’s the Grey Warden in Tevinter Nights’ cover, considering none of the characters on the book’s cover appeared in the actual book?

Concept Art:

Moving on, the majority of the trailer features amazing conceptual artwork that reflects the mood, tone, story threads and narrative beats that the developers would like the final game to take inspiration from.

Equally, that means the concepts may or may not appear in the finished project, it’s too early to tell. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn't pass on dissecting and inspecting the art pieces, because we get a sense of BioWare’s vision, scope and direction for Dragon Age 4.

Adding to this, Patrick Weekes tweeted about how concept art is used to create a mood, not to outrightly confirm things, but for a framework. While some concepts may excite you, like “Harley Qun”, don’t get attached just yet because they may, and will change.

To quote Weekes: “We can't answer questions right now about who is or isn't a follower or what story choices we're making. Beyond giving away too much too early, we could also give you the wrong impression and leave you disappointed later. Or we might need to change things between now and ship.

What I can say is that I personally am proud and excited about the game we're making. I hope that came through in the video. I also hope you have fun speculating, even if we can't answer questions right now. You all made a lot of devs' days yesterday. Thanks.”

So, while it’s absolutely fun, and amazing to speculate about what these concepts may relate to, and the direction of the next game, don’t get too attached just in case certain plot threads or characters are cut or changed.

Needless to say, me and Saria still have plenty of speculation videos coming up following the trailer, because we find enjoyment in speculation, and seeing how far off from the truth we were when the game actually does ship, I think that’s a good mindset to have.

Regarding the trailer as a whole, I think it’s fair to say it was created as a reaction to what was shown at EA Play. A lot of the fanbase, and people in general were upset with what was shown, however, BioWare listened to us, and delivered this behind the scenes trailer, two months after.

We can tell it was recently filmed too, not to get too stalker-ry, but Patrick Weekes dyed their hair on the 19th, June, which was a day after EA Play.

If they had done so before, Weekes’ would’ve had their natural hair-colour in the trailer.

So, even with the current world situation, the developers took the time to film and create this amazing BTS trailer. Speaking on behalf of the entire DA fandom, thank you so much BioWare for giving us a trailer while in very early-production stages. It has been the saving grace of 2020.

Romance Teases:

In other news, we have a few Weekes Tweets that regard romance in the future.

Patrick Weekes retweeted @nevarran-novice saying: “This is my formal request that BioWare give us at least one emotionally damaging romance for every Dragon Age game. Like, literally scoop my soul out and throw it at the wall with the angst. Please.”

Patrick replied with: “I mean I like happy romances with fun positive endings, but the customer is always right!”

It really is true; we all love pain and tragedy in this fandom, as we play Lost Elf theme at 1 am, sobbing in the night. I’m not the only one, right?

Patrick Weekes tweeted: “Hi, sorry, stumbled across this while looking for something else. Just wanted to say:

- Disliking a character or ship is totally valid and does not hurt my feelings

- Coming into someone’s space to say that what they like or dislike is wrong is bad, sorry that happened to you.

And in games with romances, I believe that the same-sex romances should offer the same spectrum of sweet-to-spicy that the straight options do. If all our m/m romances feel dirty while our m/f romances range from romantic to raunchy, then we need to do better.

This clearly hints to BioWare making their future romances more tasteful for every type of romance, which is always good, more inclusivity for everyone! In my honest opinion, I don’t need sex scenes to drive romances, while I’m sure I’d love one for a potential Qunari female wife, I don’t need, or desire them for every single character. Sex and romance in moderation; while being tasteful, sounds perfect in my opinion.

In the concept artwork, we saw a sexy, Qunari female, that many of us have dubbed the nickname “Harley Qun”, while it’s really hard not to get attached, it’s nice to see BioWare making this character idea more of a reality.

In 2017, a fan asked Weekes about the idea of a strong female Qunari companion. Weekes replied: “definitely a chance. We like doing character types we haven’t down before, and that would be a biggie in hypothetical future game.”

So, while Harley is still just a concept design, there’s much potential for her in the future. I wonder if Patrick is writing her too, not that I’m basing my news on retweets, but Patrick has been retweeting a lot of her fanart. But that could just be because we’re already obsessed with her.

Final romance related tweet, because I didn’t know where else to put this one... Patrick Weekes tweeted: “Is "Dick in a Box" formally a Lonely Island song, or is it technically SNL? It's for work.”

So, erm. Yep, there’s that.

Mark....:

Mark Darrah tweeted: “No release date to share at this time…” Obviously as a joke, for those who don’t know, the next Dragon Age is at least 2-3 years away, according to EA’s 2019 earnings call.

Next Comic:

As a final, very exciting news update, Nunzio DeFillipis, the amazing Dragon Age comic writer, alongside with his wife, Christian Weir posted on Tumblr about the potential of a new comic mini-series:

They replied to autopotion asking about the future of the comics, saying:

“We have another miniseries planned - and it would have come out this year if not for the current world situation shutting down the industry. We don’t want to promise anything, because everything is so up in the air with the entire world right now. But what we can say is that if and when there is another miniseries, it will wrap up the story we’ve been telling since Knight Errant. We will then aim to tell more stories, but one thing at a time.”

“Wish we could say more. Because we have a LOT to say, we promise. Hopefully we can talk about things soon.”

As an absolute fan of each of the Dragon Age comics, the fact that most certainly another one is on its way, and it will end the narrative since Knight Errant excites the crap out of me. Originally, it seems we would’ve had two comic launches this year, Blue Wratih to start year, and one following from that, ending 2020.

I imagine we’ll see this project back on track soon. It sounds as if this one may be a conclusion to the current comic roster, and after that, we may get brand new stories explored in other comics. While that’s quite far off, I adore this team behind the comics, and eagerly await an update to their stories.

With all that said, that’s a wrap for this most exciting news update, I’m honestly so excited to be creating Dragon Age content at the moment, making videos that I’ve dreamed about creating for so long. Check out my latest breakdown, and if you’re new, why not follow me, you’re in the best place to be informed on all things Dragon Age related. From the lore to speculation and news, I have it all here.

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