#these were all made while theorizing to hell and back with a bestie

[gavmar-the-great]

Alan Wake II is a game that I might enjoy just a little bit

[xchoco-mixturex]

Holy moly, choco thorws an arrival (duh) analisys?!

As always, spoilers from tenkuu shinpan arrive, up until chapter 71. Always, the japanese version, since I read it in japanese. Read with caution below. ALSO ITS VERY LONG. I apologize before hand! (and for my poor english)

Like seriously, i mean, it ,this is HUGE SPOILERS! if not spoilers from much of the plot until now.

(And before you ask, we are translating be god damn patient or we drop the project, k thanks nwn)

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Okay? okay!

I dont now how many chapters we have left but i hope im actually wrong in this one because it feels like too few has passed :c. But a climax happened ofc: Daisei is there, you know, the huge ass eye. Also, ORibe mentioned that Yuri in on her way on fusion the dimensions, i dont know if she means the OG high rise dimension with the ruined high rise dimension? OR back to the real world? I doubt it’s back to the real world, since they still need a God, and left the game on pause tecnically. As Yuri said, it was ‘their fault’. Of course, Yuri being the actual administrator knew Daisei could do ruckus since he is also trying to archieve god. 

Now, i think Daisei is doing that in that ruined world since the OG High Rise world its paused. There hasnt been more killings, and i am not sure if the god candidate needs to read the other 2 god codes. For the ones that have read at least one code are:

Yuri

Juo

Okihara

Yoshida

And the Judges duo aka Kuon and Sniper.

Of course, Yuri cannot be god since it breaks the administrator rule, Juo is dead (is he? DUUUN DUN!) Okihara was comatose the last time we saw him and the med staff was healing him, Yoshida its mentioned to be alive but MIA. (or at least mentioned, since Yuri told Rika if he sees yoshida to thank him)

That would leave our beloved Sniper being the one with that duty. And for the role he is taking in arrive, who he is a bit more predominant there, it could make sense. BUUUUT! The issue is the god damn God system. I do not quite remember if reading the other codes was necessary,since he and Kuon finished the trial and faceless-kun said “yeh go on!” Of course, the issue with that, is that turning into God needs energy, and in the OG high rise world there is none or not the enough level to turn him into that, EVEN WORST, it seems that, according for what we have been seeing here, is that the ‘Will’ and the fluctuations of that is the one that feeds the system (despair, hope, etc). And will usually manifests, in a soul. Who the heck is a soul of the main five? Kuon.

You think the god damn Sniper would literally say “oh yeh, lets get rid of her and we get all out of here”. Lets be freaking honest, that option was there long ago but he was the one, literally, HIMSELF, that told her that no matter what she wont disappear. So yes, sacrificing Kuon is out of the question. Actually, sacrificing any of his team members its our of the qustion, since he asked Rika that with Yuri’s condition as Admin, she was forced to stay there somehow, and Rika said he is staying, and so did Sniper. So yes, leaving someone behind its ALSO out of the question Now, with the appearance of Daisei, who....Wanted to be like Kuon in that ethereal form since, according to him, it gives him a sort of inmortality, also wants to be god. And apparently, after he killed himself but had the will to ‘keep on living’, he realized he could be god. Now, I dont quite know HOW Ruined High rise world came to happen, but somehow Daisei arrived there. According with that he started a new killing game, a killing game the OG gang wanted to end FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL. Of course Daisei did not wanted them to interfere, so he created a sort of barrier that doesn't let the old members of the game enter. Therefore, neither Yuri and co could chase him down with the manipulating the barrier powers. That’s UNTIL...Kuon came with an idea. Apparently for what Sniper told Juorika and co, Kuon, Yuri, And Hayami Shintaro created the cloud mechanism (the ones with Clouds with a WILL aka, clouds with souls). Since Yuri seems to be human and in a frontier, and I am guessing its to keep the plan going, she sent the other main 4 to blend to that place: Rika, Nise, Sniper, And Kuon. Each of them linked to an object with their souls within, and not necessarily a weapon.  How each person got linked to their cloud its ANOTHER THEME, specially with the new character seen: Senya’s alien. The alien seems to be related to the creation of the system, not giving exactly who he is, but he having some authority over the strings of destiny, since he saw senya being a ‘main protaginist’ and, therefore, thats the reason he linked Senya with Sniper’s rifle, and therefore, Sniper! Who is the alien and what exactly is his role, i do not know quite yet. I just know the systems apparently were created with humanity’s will, the issue is how? and why? was a group of persons will? Since it seemed to be related to the archival of god status,  keeping people away of feelings, actually turning them emotionless, and being the strongest. Was it high class ppl? governments?  we dont know yet. Now back to the actual pot, Daisei has showed up, and his abilities with his second stage masks he seems to create using old memories. Some data recollected from the old world, not necessarily being ppl of that world that are alive right now, but also dead people since he brought Maid mask back.   Also it seems people are and at the same time are not related to their original power. If they have an original power beforehand, its good, but Daisei can also provide them more power of needed, specially if they are second stage soldiers. For example, Rika and Kuon are one of the strongest characters of the manga, Rika being an Apostle and not having  a god code in his system, yet still paired with the strength of a god, and Kuon, right now, its awfully OP, being able to bring ppl back to like and/or healing him. But their clones, Juo(rika) and Zeon, are just first stage level, who are just created to bring up despair, and analyse about intruders, but not personally KILLING the intruders or the foreign objects. (they call object from the OG gang like that). Then again, them compared to their og versions, aren’t that strong. Are they the strongest of their category? Yes. Are they paired to their original versions? Hell no. But then we have second stage soldiers that are naturally strong (Mayuko and Archeangel aka Nise and great angels clones...Oh and X, who is Miiko’s clone). And Second stage ones that aren’t naturally strong, like Maid mask, who was just paired up in strength to a strong angel, but nothing else, and now its paired up to people like Oribe who has Rika as her cloud (then again, a strong cloud,b ut his power is reduced due noodle form),and Asuka, who has Great Angel’s rod. What will happen now? Well, many stuff. First of all I don’t want it to end yet, but here are my takes: Well, we know Senya is coming back after talking with his alien friend (?, so he may get Oribe out of that issue when she is being strangled. The world merging may happen sooner as expected. That could mean, maybe, just maybe, the physical interference of the OG gang, no longer as noodles, since their presence its related to how the barrier (that its in a constant purge between Yuri and Daisei) its weakened or not.  I wonder if Daisei might flee with that, give a fight, or send a stronger clone. Hmmm... On the other hand, if the gang presence its stronger now, either be cloud is stronger or them just yeeting themselves there, that means MORE INTERACTIONS! (andsniperdad--). I hope we see other ones besides the main five, while i love the main five, i also like the other characters a lot, also lets have in mind Shika needs to see Hayami. Another thing, yes, during this whole ordeal, the Judges were investigating about Daisei, and while they aren’t sure if they can replicate bodies like he does (Iiiishhhh...) well they know, or at least Kuon knows, how to regenerate/resurrect people, but that takes a lot of energy and the hurt/dying person to have a will to keep on living, and honestly, I am surprised she hasn’t fainted yet--! Would the dimension merging somehow return her body back? Eh, its free to dream. What i know its that if the dimensions are united, that means Yuri could travel from A to B and, therefore, meet Nise again! And the crew of course! (well, after she rests because that whole things takes a lot of energy.) I rather not have my hopes up because Tenkuu shinpan Arrive aint as merciful as the prequel. Because honestly, it made me cry like at least 8 times. And Miura is not afraid to hit us in the feels, either be good or bad. What shall Daisei do? Oribe will be okay? What about the Mayu-Mayu gang with Juo(rika) and Zeon vs Archangel?! Rika will do something as a cloud? Shika will shoot? How long will Kuon endure in Nanami’s body?! WHERE IS THE SNIPER NOODLE?! And most importantly, if we have seen clones about almost all the main gang, and even some extras...Does that mean we shall face a Sniper clone soon?! (I fanon-wise call him Deva)  And how will his personality be? Because we have seen all clones are lacking on most of emotions (unlesstheyaredefective) Because if he is like how me and my tumblr bestie have been theorizing...This will be bad. Thank you for reading my huge analysis! Take care!

[thanksjro]

More Than Meets the Eye #16- All the Greatest Love Songs are Secretly About Heroin

Dang, been a minute since we got into the series proper. What all happened again?

Oh. Right. That.

…So anyway, let’s brush up on our Ultra Magnus history!

There was a massive fight on top of a spaceship. Swoop was there, Impactor was there, Overlord was there, Heretech was there, Killmaster was there- shit was lit. Ultra Magnus was doing his thing, though it looks like this was before he got LASIK done, because he’s got a visor on.

Then Ultra Magnus got shot in the gut and fell off the spaceship. It was so scary his hand started spasming.

Later on, we return to a place we’ve seen before, albeit from the Decepticon side.

Magnus, your badge isn’t up to code, my guy! Better get that sorted, before your current self comes out of his medically induced coma, invents time travel, and comes to beat you up.

Also, Pious Maximus? What is your friggin’ DEAL, bro? What the actual hell is your deal?

All the K-Cons start falling out of the sky, and Magnus orders everyone to take cover, as a familiar-looking bomb that literally has his name written on it lands bang on target. It’s such an intense experience, his hands start spasming.

Later still, Magnus is in the middle of dealing with the Simanzi Massacre, and it looks like his visor’s seen better days. Hopefully it was a reading pair, and not something he actually needed to see. Rotorstorm is also there, because his character apparently only exists to suffer. Magnus and his team rise from the muck and the mire, coming ashore right on top of a Cybernought, which promptly fries Magnus with its hand lasers. He gets so crispy, his hands start spasming.

For anyone having trouble parsing the scraps of rended metal that used to be Rewind of Lower Petrohex here, allow me a moment to break him down. That cylinder in the lower left corner is his camera, the wire coming off of it is where it plugged into his head, and that squarish chunk with the clean, round hole in it is probably part of his helmet. The other chunky bits I couldn’t tell you what they are, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that Chromedome absolutely put the dog to sleep with that blast last issue.

Inside the Lost Light, Swerve’s trying to be a nice guy by putting on some tunes for Ultra Magnus, who got his spark shot by Overlord last issue, but all it’s really done is make Ratchet get distracted.

Magnus is in a bad way, as was established by First Aid last issue, and it doesn’t seem like Ratchet’s having any more luck than had been predicted. Swerve’s here for emotional support, and also because he’s got medical training. Tailgate’s here for cleanup duty. Drift’s off in the corner making snide remarks about the medical equipment, probably because he’s mad his legs are still off.

Drift looks like he’s been chiseled out of stone here, and I kind of love it. Forget softboi uwu Dwift, I want more of this guy who’ll bite into a teddybear cactus and not even flinch.

Agustin Padilla’s back on the scene for this issue, and he’s decided that everyone’s going to be elongated in as many ways as he can manage in 20 pages. Tailgate and Swerve? Tallest they’ll ever be in the series. They’re as tall as Cyclonus, and he’s a fucking space jet. Someone’s got a chevron? You better believe that thing’s scraping the gotdang ceiling. Drift’s kitty-cat ears almost never fit into the panel, because those suckers are LONG today. It’s like they’ve all been put through a taffy-puller. There are a lot of little quirks with this art, but this is one I can kind of get behind, if only because it’s so distinctive.

Getting back to the story, Drift’s talking about the Death Clock here- no, not the animated band from Adult Swim, but an actual medical device that can calculate the moment a shrinking spark will give out, down to the second. It only measures the lifespans of the terminally ill, so Swerve hasn’t accidentally given himself even more depression by sticking his little hands in the shiny light without a thought as to what the device he’s messing with might do.

Ultra Magnus has about ten days to live. This makes Tailgate incredibly upset, because he, unlike everyone else on the ship, hasn’t experienced the horrors of war and death.

Ratchet’s right, though. There’s certainly a chance that Tailgate, who’s been shown to react to stressful situations by having panic attacks to the point of blacking out, could have a very severe response to what is his first major catastrophe. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder usually isn’t an immediate development, but being proactive about your mental health is never a bad thing if you can swing it. Hell, with how bad the Overlord situation was, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rung was booked solid long enough for Tailgate to actually have time to develop PTSD.

Rodimus is on the intercom to address the situation that just took place, because man oh man, was it a doozy. He intends to hold an inquiry to figure out just what the hell happened and how Overlord got on the Lost Light to begin with. As he tells everyone what’s going to happen, our focus shifts to Chromedome, who’s standing on the outside of the ship, staring off into space.

Man, I hope Chromedome’s on the front half, because this is a fucking grim scene to witness.

Skids comes out, having been looking for Chromedome. Trailcutter of all people pointed him in the right direction- which I suppose makes sense, given that he was on the Ethics Committee on Kimia. He probably would know Chromedome and Rewind decently well by this point.

Chromedome turns around to show off his mourning black Autobot badge, freshly photoshopped onto his chest for our viewing pleasure. It’s especially blatant when contrasting with Padilla’s rougher linework style.

Skids asks our brand-new widower how he’s holding up, and Chromedome says he’s fine, which is funny, because the other day he was all:

Chromedome has a moment of reminiscing, playing connect-the-dots with the stars like he and Rewind used to do all the time.

Skids, they were married for 250,000 years.

Skids might actually have been one of the worse people to have found Chromedome, if this is what he’s going to say, and then immediately leave. He’s so awkward and clearly uncomfortable and doesn’t want to be there. Does he feel weird about Chromedome knowing more about him than he himself does? Does Skids not have access to any of his memories related to mourning? Geez, I hope nobody needs him to help them through a difficult emotional time for a good while, because this was painful to watch.

Back inside the ship, Rung’s come over to Rodimus’ room to see what all the crashing and banging is about. It would seem our dear captain’s upset, and has decided to work through his frustrations by destroying his private quarters, perhaps in an attempt to summon the wrath of Ultra Magnus, thus saving him through the power of his own mess-induced rage. Rung comes to sit with Rodimus, I guess giving up his search for Chromedome, and the two of them discuss Magnus. Specifically, they discuss Magnus’ memos, and how much Rodimus despises receiving them, because they make him feel like he’s not doing his job right. He stopped even opening them, they made him feel so bad.

If you subscribe to the headcanon of Rodimus having ADHD, you could potentially read this as being a manifestation of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. As it is within the story proper, Rung’s decided to ignore this tidbit of information to get at the more pressing issues, like why exactly Rodimus felt the need to wreck his room.

This is about the point where the art for Rodimus becomes roughly 90% spot blacks, and it’s highly suggested that Rung get out while the getting’s good.

Oh, well this is going to be awkward.

Later on, we’re at the funeral. There’s five coffins, though not all of them actually contain a body. Everyone’s here to see their friends off, even Cyclonus, who was invited to the wake by Chromedome himself. Awful nice of him to do that, given their history.

The lineup in the front row is a bunch of chatterboxes, and they prove that very quickly as Swerve, Skids, and Whirl theorize on the contents of Brainstorm’s mysterious briefcase, which is also here at the funeral. Swerve swears himself to the duty of finding out what’s inside, on threat of death should he fail.

A short time skip is had, and Rodimus is revealed to be wearing his ceremonial funeral cape and terrifying vampire arm spikes to this shindig, as he sends Tripodeca, who is surely the most beloved of all Autobots, off with as many kind words as he can muster in the time they have. Everyone says goodbye, and we get to Rewind’s turn. Rodimus has a moment of pause, as Rung gives him the most withering look I believe he will ever produce in the entirety of the run of MTMTE/Lost Light.

Rodimus concedes to giving Rewind the credit for saving everyone from Overlord posthumously, as well as Fortress Maximus and Chromedome, labelling himself as a failure on that front. Chromedome comes up to the podium for a few words on the love of his life.

…well, it’s been a long day for everyone, I suppose.

Chromedome sits back down, right next to Brainstorm because they’re besties, as Brainstorm stares him down like he knows something Chromedome doesn’t.

Probably because he does.

After the funeral, Brainstorm pays Chromedome a visit, finding him in the middle of spring cleaning. He’s taking all of Rewind’s stuff and shoving it in a box to be destroyed.

Does it count as foreshadowing if it’s like a page before the reveal? I guess so.

Chromedome is trying to ease Brainstorm’s mind about the inquiry Rodimus is conducting, saying that the guy ought to talk to Drift before he gets TOO antsy about spilling the beans- perhaps a touch too late there, Domey- but Brainstorm isn’t here for any of that.

So you’re saying Chromedome/Dominus isn’t going to be endgame.

Turns out Chromedome’s been collecting dead spouses, and he wasn’t even aware of it. When faced with this inherent truth about his personal relationship with grief, Chromedome only has this to say:

Time for a pop quiz!

When the burden of life is too much to bear, what is an addict most likely to do? Is it:

A) Quit cold turkey

B) Seek help for their addiction

C) Relapse

If you answered C, you get a gold star, and a harsh reminder that addiction is a fucking monster that will devour your life and meaningful relationships, leaving you with nothing but itself for company.

Chromedome has had a problem with injecting since he got good enough at it to get his own set of finger needles, and he’s been completely dependent on other people to get himself to even close to stopping the habit. His character bio on the crew roster page has, up until this point, outright claimed this.

Now Rewind’s gone, and there’s really nothing stopping him from just taking that pain away. Brainstorm certainly can’t do it, though not for lack of trying.

Chromedome says that he won’t go through with his plan, but Brainstorm knows he’s lying, because they’ve done this song and dance before. At this point, asking Chromedome to not inject is just a courtesy to the deceased.

No wonder Chromedome invited Cyclonus to the funeral- probably figured why the hell not, since he wouldn’t remember it anyway.

Brainstorm gives Chromedome a data slug- the last one Rewind ever made, shot through the door just before it sliced Chromedome’s arm off, and found by Fort Max. Brainstorm leaves, probably to go prepare himself for that awful, hollow feeling he’ll be getting the next time he sees Chromedome.

Over in the shuttle bay, Rodimus is addressing the crew, Chromedome is retconned into being Toxin because he’s not supposed to be in this scene, and Drift is named as the sole conspirator in the Overlord debacle. Rodimus just starts tearing into Drift, and while he does, we cut over to the medibay, where some zombie nonsense is going on.

Golly, seems like there’s some flavor of undead on the Lost Light every other week, doesn’t it?

Rodimus strips Drift of his Autobot badge and tells him to get the fuck out.

Back at Chromedome’s room, he’s decided to take a gander at what Rewind left behind, plugging the data slug into the computer.

Man, this part always makes me a little weepy.

I can’t do Rewind’s final message justice, not in the choppy format I present here- which is perhaps a bit ironic, given the nature of how it’s presented. In the final moments he had, Rewind pieced together a plea for Chromedome to love himself, and to remember that he was- and still is- loved. He shared his own fears of them being apart, and how he knows how hard the coming days will be. He begged Chromedome to be kind to himself, because he- whether he believes it or not- has grown from the person he was in the New Institute.

As this message plays out, we see Drift swarmed by furious Autobots, who get violent as he makes his way off the Lost Light, only to be helped back to his feet by none other than Ratchet, before climbing into a shuttle, surely never to be seen again.

Shane McCarthy slipped Roberts a twenty to set up a slowburn between his OC and Ratchet all the way back in MTMTE #4. This is the start of the pining portion of their relationship.

God, just- there’s a reason Roberts has claimed this issue as one of his best, and it’s this fucking message. Please, if you somehow have gotten to this post without reading the comics- well, first, how, and second- go and READ THEM. I promise it’s worth it, they’re beautiful and funny and full of heart, even when everyone’s being a dick to each other.

Rewind leaves Chromedome with one final piece, which probably didn’t feel like enough, but was all he could manage in the time he had left.

I’m basically legally obligated to post this panel.

Let’s take a moment to consider Rewind as a character. He’s an archivist, and one who’s gotten very good at his job over the millennia. The guy’s OBSESSED with history, and recording as much of it as possible.

Which stands to reason that he knew about Chromedome’s past conjunx endurae. I mean, why wouldn’t he? It would be public record- even if you don’t necessarily get a marriage license on Cybertron, Chromedome would have been on the paperwork with these other guys somewhere, and the fact that he wouldn’t be able to answer the question of “Who’s this guy you lived with for several thousand years?” Would imply some… rather unfortunate things.

Rewind also has a hard time letting go of things- he gets jealous of Chromedome’s past relationship with Prowl any time it’s brought up, and he’s still looking for his ex-husband after what’s probably been at least a million years. That, combined with the way Rewind lives his life- you know, recording every single moment of it- gives me the impression that he really, really wouldn’t enjoy the idea of being forgotten. He wants Chromedome to stop injecting because it’ll kill him, of course he does, but he also wouldn’t want to be erased.

The video cuts off, leaving Chromedome alone. It’s all up to him now, whether Rewind gets to stay in his heart now.

Chromedome/Dominus is still on the table.

With THAT crisis of love dealt with, we move back on to that weird zombie nonsense we saw a little bit ago. Ultra Magnus is missing. Odd, that.

Ratchet, how many times are your patients going to have to disappear from your medibay before it’s less of a “them” problem, and more of a “you” problem?

As Ratchet goes off to search the rest of the ward, Tailgate accidentally bumps into the death clock, which gives him a nasty little surprise: apparently he’s only got three days to live.

Yeah, this is the point where the comic kicks into overdrive, plotwise- there are no brakes on this train anymore.

[imaginetonyandbucky]

Prompts are open omgg! My prompt is: Tony acts like a playboy and a tough guy, but in reality, he is a sucker for everything emotional, romantic and affectionate. He lives for it. You can win his heart this way. Bucky loves it, loves doing all the romantic things for Tony and loves the expression on Tony's face whenever he does.

50 Ways to Woo Your Lover

“What the hell, Stevie,” Bucky whined to hisbest friend. “How the fuck am I supposed to impress a fucking geniusbillionaire?”

Steve, No Help At All, Charter Member, had thefucking gall to laugh at him. “You don’t,” Steve said. He didn’t quite finishthat up with Why would you even want to, but Bucky could see it dancingon the tip of his tongue.

Good thing for Steve they were already sparring,which meant that Bucky had gloves on and Steve was wearing protective headgear.Both things were actually pointless, if Bucky wanted to do damage. Bucky calmlyanalyzed the situation, found a good three dozen openings that Steve gave himin the first five minutes alone, and took exactly none of them. Right up untilthe very end, when he lightly tapped Steve in the nose with his elbow. (Okay,so the Winter Soldier version of lightly gave Steve a bloody nose and a splitlip, but hey, Bucky wasn’t above cheating. Never had been.)

“Look,” Steve said. He wasn’t even mad, he justhad his head tilted back and an ice pack over the bridge of his nose, eventhough everyone had already told him that didn’t help. “You think I know whatto do to win the girl. I’ve talked to like two in my entire life.”

“Tony’s not a girl,” Bucky growled. He was quiteaware of how very male Tony was. He couldn’t help but trace the lines of theman’s body with his eyes, couldn’t help leaning in a little closer to catch awhiff of that masculine scent, sweat and cologne and a tang of metal and fire.

“Probably even less help there, pal,” Stevesaid. “I dunno, you were always a hit with the dames back in the day. Howdifferent can it be?”

Clint snorted, the next time he’d passed Buckyin the hall and tossed a women’s magazine at him. Ways to win the heart ofyour lover, teased from the cover. Bucky didn’t even ask how Clint knew.There was no percentage in that play.

#1 - Write a poem

Tony spent most of his time in his workshop,surrounded by iron and steel, by fire and wire, by electric and circuits. Withrare exceptions, no one else was allowed in, unless Tony was already there --Pepper had an access pass, but these days she rarely used it. Rhodey, becauseTony was never sure when his bestie was going to be in town, and it was justeasier to let Rhodey come in and get his attention than to be sure that areminder would pry him out of his headspace and out for a dinner meeting.

(mobile readers, ware the readmore)

So why was there crumpled paper in hiswastebasket? Tony never used paper. Even when Pepper had things for him to signthese days, they were always on tablets or another device that he could use athumb print and scribble in the air with a light pen.

Tony fished the paper out of the trash; balledup and torn. He spread it out on his workbench, matching the pieces together.Hand-written, even. The letters were black and spiky, written with thatbackward slant that indicated a left-handed writer.

Tony

I am afraid of forgettingI am afraid of myselfI am afraid that I'll hurt someoneI am afraid that someone will be youI am even afraid you'll forget meI am afraid of the coldI am afraid of the darkI am afraid that blood is on my handsI am afraid that it's never mineI am even afraid sometimes it's yoursI want to know loveI want remember who I amI want your touchI want your kissI even want your loveI want to know who I amI want to remember who I wasI want to have a futureI want to have dreamsI even want to be with you

Most of all…..

#5 Pick Wildflowers

Five days running, Tony had opened the door to  the penthouse and found a little bouquet of daisies, tied with a silver  ribbon, laying across the hall.

Daisies didn’t smell like anything.

They were small, white and yellow.

The petals were not quite firmly attached; a  few of them always fell off when he picked up the packet. They weren’t  cultivated, either. Mandelbrot only knew where his unseen admirer was getting  them from. There were aphids crawling on the stems sometimes. The petals were  somewhat gray from being exposed to roadside air.

Every morning Tony brought them back into the  penthouse and found a little cup full of water to put them in.

The sixth day, he left a little note pinned to  the floor where the flowers had been left.

and while never saying a wordwho was anything but dumb;since the silence of himself sang like a bird.Most people have been heardscreaming for internationalmeasures that render hell rational—i thank heaven somebody’s crazyenough to give me a daisy

                                 Eecummings

The seventh day, someone left roses.

#19 Watch an old Movie

Tony would have thought it was Steve whoselected the black-and-white films, but Steve really had almost no interest inmovie night at all. He sat with everyone else, because it was expected andbecause Steve had some pretty firm beliefs about team-building activities, butwhenever it was Steve’s turn to pick the films, he usually selected somethingfrom the Oscars awards list, like he was going through in reverse chronologicalorder. According to Tony’s mental map, he was going to have to skip Steve’s turnin about a month, because he was not going to watch Forrest Gump again. Thatmovie was terrible the first time.

Bucky, on the other hand, kept picking all theold films. City Lights, Notorious, Roman Holiday, Camille.

And the man put off body heat like nobody’sbusiness. There was something about a super-soldier’s metabolism, Tonytheorized, but Bucky was like a portable furnace. Tony didn’t like to admit it,but he was getting older, and it started casually enough, just sitting next tothe man was enough to keep him warm.

Then he was leaning against Bucky, sharingpopcorn. No one sat on Bucky’s right, that was Tony’s spot, long before Tonyeven recognized it. Bucky was so warm, and soft. And one night, while they werewatching Philadelphia Story, Bucky’s arm went around Tony’s shoulderslike it was the most natural thing in the world. He played with the ends ofTony’s hair, fingers dangling loose and warm over Tony’s neck.

#34 Rooftop picnic

“Hey, Tony,” a soft voice grabbed his attentionand Tony looked up from where he was analyzing a three percent improvement inarc-reactor efficiency. “You hungry?”

“Hmmm?” Tony stuck the screwdriver in his mouth.He didn’t actually need a screwdriver, but he had a tendency to fiddle while hewas thinking and the screwdriver often seemed to end up in his hand, or in hismouth, or sometimes drumming it against the countertop. He went through a listof food that he thought he’d eaten in the last few days; an orange forbreakfast was the last thing he could remember and looking at the clock, hewasn’t sure if that was this morning or yesterday morning. He did sort of getinto the zone sometimes.’ “I could eat.”

Bucky gingerly took the screwdriver out ofTony’s mouth and put it down next to his toolbox. “That can’t be hygienic,”Bucky commented.

“Pfffft,” Tony dismissed this concern. Really,Bucky should have seen his working conditions in Afghanistan. On secondthought, and third, and maybe seventh as well, he probably should not. Buckyhad gotten a little wild around the eyes when Steve had off-hand mentionedTony’s captivity at the hands of Ten Rings, and Steve hadn’t even gotten intosome of the more gruesome parts of that memory.

Tony had to admit, he was surprised by that;given what Bucky had gone through with Hydra, he’d almost been expecting a boutor two of trauma-Olympics where a room full of people competed for who’d had itworst and everybody lost.

When Tony went to push the button for the commonkitchen, Bucky reached past him and thumbed the rooftop access.

“What’s up, Bambi?”

Bucky made a soft scoffing noise and rolled hiseyes. “It’s a surprise, genius,” he said.

The landing platform had a small table and twochairs set up; a simple peaked tent had been arranged, dripping with white Christmaslights, over the table.

A whiff of spicy Thai food came from silverplatters arranged on the buffet to the side.

“What is this?”

“Dinner,” Bucky said, offering Tony his arm.“Some genius you are.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “I know dinner. But…dinner, or… you know… dinner?”

“Whatever you want it to be, Tony,” Bucky said,all wide-eyed sincerity and earnest eagerness.

“Are you…” Tony wasn’t sure how to phrase it.“Are you --”

“Courting you?” Bucky suggested. “If… yeah, kinda,I guess. If you… wanted to, I dunno. I…”

Tony’s eyebrow shot up. “Is this a date, Barnes,it’s a yes or no question.”

James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier, themost feared ghost-story assassin in the last century, stared down at the tipsof his boots and scuffed his foot in the gravel that covered the roof of theAvenger’s Tower. “Yes?” He looked for all the world like a high school juniorthat was trying to work up his nerve to ask out the homecoming queen.

It should not have been cute.

It should have been damn near terrifying.

It was fucking adorable.

“A date,” Tony said, again, slow. Rolling theword around in his mouth like he wasn’t sure what it was supposed to tastelike.

“Yes,” Bucky said again. “I’d… would you like tohave dinner with me, Tony?”

Tony rested his fingers on Bucky’s offered arm.“Yes, yes I would.”

#50 Do what comes naturally. Slowly.

Tony snuggled, wrapped around Bucky’s body likea cuddly octopus. “I want to see this list of yours,” he said.

Bucky blushed. He’d finally confessed, let Tonydrag it out of him with torturous kisses and teasing touches, that he’d gottenhis ideas from a glossy magazine. But Bucky had his number now. He kissedTony’s temple and worked his way down with soft nuzzles until he was nipping atTony’s throat. With all the wicked promise he felt in his heart, Bucky ran hishands up Tony’s body. “Shall I read it to you?”

[lordofpinecrest-blog]

SEASON 8 EPISODE 4 THE LAST OF THE STARKS

While most of Episode 4 may have had a slow pace, the end was packed with action. This time, I will even throw in some book references. Relationships dominated the episode. Filled with good byes, which may or may not last. The episode started where we left oft last week, the end of the Battle of Winterfell and the Long Night. The sun has risen, and our leading survivors are mourning the ones closest to them. week. First we see Daenerys mourning Jorah, followed by Sansa and Theon. Sansa pins Theon with the Stark sigil, a true sign that she accepted Theon as a Stark. As Daenerys and Sansa walk back to the living, we see the sadness in the eyes of the living. The camera pans  out wide angled to show the thousands that died. As we come back to the living, we see a tattered Ghost is prominent in camera angle. The camera stops on him and it is good to see that he survived. But why did the camera focus on Ghost? Was it for the fans or something more?

Before setting afire to the dead, Jon gives a rousing speech. The key phrase was that they “put aside their differences to fight together and to die together.” That is how they won. But will they stay on that path to defeat Cersei? Doesn’t look good, but I get ahead of myself. The leaders come out with torches to set the Viking like pilings on fire. Here we see Arya by Beric,  Sam by Edd and Jon by Lyanna. Before going on, some theorized that last week the Night King was not killed and nor were the White Walkers destroyed. If that were true, these dead could have awakened, which they didn’t. So let’s end that theory. After last week’s killings, I thought it was a fitting beginning and a good emotional tribute to the dead.

What is death without a Wake Northern style? If I recall correctly, the last time we had that big of a party in the Great Hall of Winterfell was in Season One when Robert Baratheon came to town. And now we see Jamie and Tyrion back there celebrating. One of the biggest differences from Season One was that Catelyn Stark refused to let Jon join in. Outside and brooding, Tyrion said of Jon being a bastard “Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you.” Did the Imp know something? More on that later.

I am not going to go into all that happened at the Wake. Lot’s of eating and drinking. But from the start, our Queen did not look like celebrating. But Danny did show she could be a clever leader when she crowned Gendry “Lord of Storms End.”  That made the Northerners happy as they raise their cups to him. The only scowl comes, of course, from the Hound! As the scene moves along, we see some happy and some not. Jaime, Tyrion, Brienne and Pod playing a drinking game which eventually leads to Jamie bedding Brienne. All to the chagrin of Tormund. And at this time, we think Jamie has come full circle. And we have another quip from Tyrion “we may have defeated them but we still have us to contend with.” How true was that!

Tyrion also says that Bran is the only living true born son of Ned Stark to which Bran does not immediately reply. Ser Lane Abraham thinks Rickon Stark is still alive. Could that have been a hint? Stranger things have happened.

Tormund raves on about Jon about how Jon rode a dragon-and who would to that- a madman or a King? And while the Mother of Dragons  looked upset as the Northerners rallied around Jon, it was no accident that behind her on camera was Lord Varys. Why? I believe the Spider always knew the Jon was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and that Jon is the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms. I will get to that later-book spoiler!

Sansa with the Hound was a good one. After all, had Sansa left King’s Landing with the Hound, she would not have become what she has. Sansa is longer a little bird. Best line was when the Hound asked Sansa how she killed Ramsey and she said “hounds.” First true laugh from the Hound and a good one. One more thing. The Hound said there is only one thing that will make him happy. Any doubt that thing is killing the Mountain? Nope.

Poor Gendry. Proposes to Arya and gets turned down. As Arya declines, she repeats a line from Season One where she basically said to her father “I am not a lady, I never have been. That is not me” Do you remember where she said almost the same thing? Last Season to Nymeria, when Arya wanted Nymeria to come back with her to Winterfell and stop running wild.  Nymeria turned away and Arya said “That’s not you.” Both have to be free to run and in many ways, both are the same. Could that line also mean we will see Nymeria again? Hope so.

Later we see the strife beginning to swell between Jon and Daenerys. Even though they love each other, they cannot recapture that love. Danny wants Jon to keep his heritage a secret as she is afraid the North will rally around him and crown him King.  Don’t you think she is right? I do. Jon, as naive as ever, thinks that by bending the knee, and declaring Daenerys Queen, that the North will follow her. Danny, to her credit, knows better. But Jon says he cannot keep the secret from Sansa and Arya, his family. Jon and Danny do not leave happy campers. Is Jon ready to be king? He military strategy is poor at best, and he is naive. So why would he be a good king? Because of his heritage? And while in the end, Jon may sit on the Iron Throne, I don’t think he has what it takes to actually win the Game of Thrones. Agree?

Question: When Her Grace says that after she sits on the Iron Throne, no men will live in fear, do you believe her? After all, she does show signs of being the Mad Queen. Or she is just trying to convince herself that she is not like her father?

In the War Room, we see how devastated the combined armies are. Daenerys wants to strike fast, but Sansa says to wait while the troops heal. Jon overrules Sansa and sides with the Dragon Queen. That leads to Arya and Sansa calling Jon out for not taking the family side. In the Gods wood, and after Jon make Sansa and Arya swear to keep what they are about to learn a secret,  Bran tells them that Jon is really Aegon Targaryen. Okay a few things. First, did Jon have Bran tell Sansa and Arya the truth because he was afraid they might not have believed it if Jon told them? Certainly possible. And do Sansa and Arya keep the secret? More on that later.

Question: When Her Grace says that after she sits on the Iron Throne, no men will live in fear, do you believe her? After all, she does show signs of being the Mad Queen. Or she is just trying to convince herself that she is not like her father?

In some ways, the next scene defies reality. How the hell did Bronn get through all the guards and into the chambers where Jamie and Tyrion were? As predicted, Tyrion offers Bronn more than Cersei, so Bronn switched sides. Plus he thinks Cersei will not win. But what may be important is the way Jamie insulted Bronn. And even though Bronn left, I think those two could meet again.

That is followed by the Hound and Arya riding off to fulfill their destinies. Both have unfinished business. The Hound to kill the Mountain and Arya Cersei. Neither one plans on coming back to Winterfell. Does that mean Arya dies?? I don’t think so. Does the Hound die?  My prediction is he dies after killing the Mountain. I wish we had more quick scenes with these two as their back and forth is always spirited. And Arya made the Hound laugh again!! Both Drogon and Rhaegal are healed and fly to the delight of their mother. Armies marching south. The Imp trying to convince Sansa to trust Daenerys. Was there ever a truer line than when Sansa said “The men of my family do not do well in the Capital.” To which Tyrion replies “As Jon once told me, he is not a Stark.” Jon said that to Tyrion in the same scene from Season One that I referenced above. And when Sansa turns away looking distressed, the Imp asks Sansa if she is okay. The scene cuts away leading some to think that Sansa told Tyrion who Jon really was.  I don’t think so because Sansa is a pure Stark. Sansa made a promise to keep a secret just as her father did with his sister.  So in my opinion, Sansa would never betray a promise given to a Stark, which Jon is. More on that later.

And then some goodbyes for Jon. First with Tormund, who says Jon has the real North in him. Jon wants to deny it, but he does. Why do I think we will see Tormund again?   And then Sam. That are besties!  Gilly is pregnant and we know that this child will come into play in the future.  And while it was hard for me to accept that Jon would leave Ghost behind, Ghost does belong in the North. But that would never happen in the books as they were part of each other. But again, the show does not give any time to that special bond. And as Jon rides off, how sad did Ghost look? Have we seen the last of Ghost or will he warg with Nymeria to help save the day? Just my fantasy. SIGH!

At sea with the Targaryen fleet. We see the conversation between the Spider and Tyrion. Both know that Jon is Aegon Targaryen, And while only a few know that now, the Master of Whispers knows the news will spread and both realize the consequences of that. And as they discuss it, we get the feeling  that Varys thinks Jon is better suited to sit on the Iron Throne. Tyrion not so much. Fascinating discussion until all hell breaks out. Should we disqualify Daenerys like Maximum Security over a little thing like heritage?

But before we get to that hell, the question comes up, how did Varys and Tyrion know that Jon was not Ned’s bastard son and really Aegon Targaryen? As I said before, some think Sansa spilled the beans, but I don’t think so as she would ever have broken her promise. So let’s start with Varys. He knows everything. Even while serving King Robert, he was always loyal to the Targaryens. When the Spider first came to Westeros, he served as the Mad King’s Master of Whispers, and he would have heard things and figured them out. As for Tyrion, like Sam, he is a reader and who is to say he didn’t read what Sam did? And when he saw Jon ride a dragon, he put 2 and 2 together and confirmed it in his mind. Makes sense to me.

And here is where the books may come back to play, at least to some degree.  In the fifth book, “A Dance with Dragons,” we learned that Varys had Rhaegar's infant son, Aegon, swapped with a lowborn baby and smuggled to Essos to be raised in hiding by Rhaegar's friend Jon Connington, who was exiled by the Mad King for failing to defeat Robert. So when the Red Viper, Oberyn Martell, battles the Mountain, he thinks that the Mountain had killed his sister’s two infant children. But in the book, we learn he had not. As A Dance with Dragons continues, we learn that Aegon has been tutored to be a kind and learned person like his father and is being raised to sit on the Iron Throne.  And guess who else learns this secret in the books? Tyrion. So maybe the show is throwing us a curve ball with Jon being Aegon and Danny being a little mad. And while we readers of the books always thought Jon’s parents were Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, he could not have been named Aegon because Rhaegar already had a son named. Plus Rhaegar and Lyanna did not know that the infant Rhaegar was supposedly killed. So maybe the show names Jon Aegon to peak the curiosity of those who read the books. Book readers, what do you think?

Euron Greyjoy has set a trap for the Targaryen fleet and shockingly, shoots  Rhaegal out of the sky. Jon’s beloved dragon dies as he falls into the sea. DAMN and DAMN. Was that scene as shocking to you as it was to me? Daenerys is force to retreat on Drogon but Euron’s navy destroys Danny’s fleet. This is the second time Euron has done this. Is there a spy in Danny’s camp or was it just simple to figure out as Daenerys was sailing to Dragonstone?  Any idiot could have figured that out! And while I was not surprised that another dragon died, I did not see it coming here and it sucked!! And here is a question: The weapons that were shooting at the dragons were all on the front of Euron’s ships. Why didn’t Daenerys fly and circle back and burn them all from behind?? The Maginot Line. I told you Yara should have burned Euron’s ship before she escaped. Another thought also came to mind. When was the last time we saw Drogon breath fire? It was before his battle with Viserion. And even here, we did not see Drogon fire up. Could he be hurt more than we know? Remember the scene where Danny was worried Drogon was eating enough. Maybe he hasn’t recharged. Rest in peace Rhaegal.

This all leads us closer to the next war. As we see, with the death of her second child, Daenerys is ready to use Drogon and her army to lay waste to King’s Landing. Varys and Tyrion object to this. They must see the Mad King in the Mother of Dragons. I am sure they both know that that the Mad King was saying “Burn them all.”  But Daenerys thinks it is her destiny to rid the world of tyrants so she is determined to kill Cersei and take the Iron Throne. So who is the tyrant? Both? And once again, we have Tyrion and Varys discussing who will make the better ruler. Jon is the Aegon from the book. A Stark mother and Targaryen father. FIRE AND ICE! And just as Varys told Ned Stark, he serves the realm and will do what is best for it. Great scene and dialog. And next, another twist and defining moment. Sansa talking to Brienne when Jamie encounters them. Brienne  tells Jamie what happened to Daenerys’ fleet and that “ I always wanted to be there when they executed your sister. Seems I won’t get that chance.” At that point, the real Jamie re-emerges.  He is about to get on his horse and leave when Brienne tells him he is not like his sister. She begs Jamie to stay. But no. Jamie tell Brienne what he had done for his sister and that he would still do anything for Cersei. That he is a hateful person like his sister. Certainly, we could see Jamie burning them all for Cersei. As Jamie rides off, I yelled at Brienne “KILL HIM!!” Anybody else do that?  What will Jamie’s reaction be when he gets to King’s Landing and encounters Euron? That will be interesting. Certainly, both cannot coexist with each other. Maybe that is where Bronn comes back in. I say yes-what do you think?

And next we see a Cersei who is just as determined. She has her walls, lined with archers. And the dragon catapults. She is confident she will win, and why not? After all, in most of the skirmishes against team Daenerys, Cersei has out smarted her. Examples of this are the two times Euron Greyjoy’s fleet took them by surprise or when she emptied Casterly Rock before the Unsullied attacked. In both cases, she wiped out Targaryen allies. First the Dornish and then the Tyrells.

Tyrion and Qyburn volley their peace talks, to no avail. But then Tyrion gives it one last try. Talk about stares, especially the look of hate Cersei gave to her brother. Tyrion plays the mother card, which looks to have an effect on Her Grace. Ser Jeffrey Littman said some fans  raised the question of how Tyrion knew Cersei was pregnant. The answer is last season, he guessed it and even told Cersei that before he left King’s Landing. And that raises the question-will Euron figure it out and what will his reaction be? I smell blood.

Cersei’s motherly emotions do not last for long. She leans over to Missandre and like on death row, asks her to say her last words. To which Missandei shouts “DRACARYS.” Dragon fire in High Valyrian. At which point, like her son Joffrey, not thinking of all the consequences, she orders the Mountain to chop off Missandei’s head Ned Stark style.

We end with stares and faces. Tyrion’s face showing the despair of what is to come. Cersei’s face  all contempt. And we leave with Daenerys’ face, contorted in hatred. The MAD QUEEN ready to rain dragon fire down on King’s Landing.

But again, who is the Mad Queen? Daenerys is willing to burn down King’s Landing and kill all its citizens to rid the world of Cersei and sit on the Iron Throne. Cersei, on the other hand, has already used wildfire to burn down the Red Keep and certainly would be willing to do it again. And while some believe that the Mad King was referring to himself when he said “Burn them all” many, including me, believe it was a reference to somebody else. Why not Cersei? In one of Bran’s visions he sees the Mad Kind say this, but did that mean that King Aerys was going to burn King’s Landing? Or when Bran warged into Aerys did he inadvertently reveal the White Walkers to the Mad King which mad him go mad and shout “Burn them all?” My money is on that and that either Daenerys or Cersei, or both, will be killed to prevent the burning of them all.

And what about the title “The Last of the Starks?” Jon, while not a Stark by name, is still a Stark and Danny could be pregnant. And if Arya gave birth to Gendry’s child, could you envision Gendry sitting on the Iron Throne with a Stark heir? What if Sansa and Tyrion re-marry and have a child? And if Ser Lane is right, Rickon is still alive. Under any scenario, I do not see Bran as the last Stark. What do you guys think?

We now have only two episodes left. Who will win and who will die playing the Game of Thrones? I have my thoughts but will save them for next week.

The blog is late because I just returned from NYC where Prince Louis and Princess Laura gave birth to Jacob Dean Littman, the First of his Name. The writing is dedicated to Jacob, who, after all, could be a future Lord of Pinecrest!!!

The Lord of Pinecrest.