#they win the award for canon couple with the most missing scenes

[desertfangs]

Daniel/Armand 'It was a spectacular display of devotion to the atmosphere and what the others in the smoke fogged room called 'the vibe', but you could never tell what was going to catch Armand's imagination and he looked like he was enjoying himself."

This prompt was so fun! I like how it really set a scene but still allowed me to come up with the specifics! I have no idea what you pictured but I'm curious to hear how it compares to what I ended up with.

It was a spectacular display of devotion to the atmosphere and what the others in the smoke fogged room called ‘the vibe,’ but you could never tell what was going to catch Armand's imagination and he looked like he was enjoying himself.

Armand had somehow procured a number of neon glow sticks in various colors that now adorned his neck and wrists, the colors reflected against his pale skin. One, neon blue, sat in his thick auburn hair like a crown. He leaned against a pillar, having a conversation with someone similarly adorned. 

Daniel watched him, captivated by how easily he played the part of a young college guy at an art house rave. How effortlessly he could slip into the role like a practiced actor, adapting as he got more information or the situation changed. 

He’d seen him do it a thousand times but he’d forgotten how much he enjoyed Armand being chameleon in any setting. When Armand had first suggested they come here, when the guy had handed them the flyer as they’d left the gallery, Daniel had been dubious. As a vampire, he couldn’t drink or partake in the drugs people were definitely doing in the bathrooms, at least not directly, and he wasn’t sure coming to a loud, raucous party was the thing they needed. 

Things were still a little tenuous between them. Still new. Still strange, because while it was all so familiar, so much time had passed and so much had happened. It was easy to get comfortable only to have something jar him back to the reality that their lives had been separate for a long time. And yet he’d welcomed Daniel back easily enough and, due in part to some fraught conversations they’d forced out, things mostly felt okay. Like maybe they were finally on the same page. Only took them forty years. 

But time alone was precious—Armand’s house was full of people coming and going and Lestat kept calling him to France to deal with matters of the Court, a trip Daniel sometimes accompanied him on or sometimes opted out of—and he hadn’t been thrilled to spend this night at some loud, bombastic party. 

Armand glanced over in his direction. He could no longer hear the trepidatious thoughts whirling through Daniel’s mind but he could see him running his hand through his blond hair. Armand ended his conversation and came over to him. 

He unsnapped one of the green glow sticks from around his neck and put it around Daniel’s, giving him a grand total of one, smoothing Daniel’s t-shirt against his chest. He leaned back to admire his work. 

“Do you wish to leave?” Armand asked. His amber eyes burned into him.

Daniel was surprised by the question. They’d attended countless parties together and Daniel could count on his fingers how many times Armand had ever given him such an out. “It looks like you’re having fun.” 

Armand titled his head and studied Daniel in a way that set the hair on the back of his neck on edge. “But you’re not.” 

Daniel shrugged. He’d had fun at the gallery. And he didn’t mind being here. “I like watching you.” 

Armand smiled. He took another glow stick from his wrist, this one bright orange, and took Daniel’s hand. Armand’s hand was cool against his and the touch sent tingles up Daniel’s arm. He fastened the glow stick around Daniel’s wrist and it cast orange light on his pale skin. Armand kissed the soft skin of Daniel’s wrist, almost like a blessing, before letting it drop. 

“One dance,” Armand said. “And then if you wish, we’ll leave.” 

“Yeah, okay.” 

He let Armand lead him to the dance floor, which was full of writhing, bouncing bodies, their heartbeats louder than the bass-line that thrummed in his ears as the music roared. A smoke machine pumped fog into the air and the strobe lights reflected against it, making the atmosphere surreal and neon. Armand danced elegantly in a carefree way that made Daniel’s heart ache. 

He’d missed him desperately, more than he'd even let himself realize, and seeing him like this, covered in glow sticks and dancing to the music as if nothing else mattered, really hammered that home. He thought of all the nights he’d spent in nightclubs in Rio, perfecting the art of the little drink and trying so hard to recapture the feeling that immortality had supposedly promised: an eternity unburdened. Only to find it here at this make-shift warehouse party in Soho, because eternity was empty without Armand in it. 

A man approached Armand, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. Daniel continued dancing but kept an eye on them. The man handed Armand a sheet of something that looked like pink tabs. Drugs of some sort. Armand nodded and slipped the drugs into the pocket of his jeans. 

He danced back to Daniel and put his arms around him. 

“You saving those for later?” Daniel teased, fingers brushing his pants pocket.

Armand smiled widely, viciously, and Daniel’s pulse raced. He pressed himself against Daniel, lips at his ear, and said, “He’s laced them with poison.” Armand nodded to the man who'd given him the goods, who was now moving through the crowd, back toward the exit. “I think perhaps we’ve found dinner.” 

Daniel grinned at him as Armand took his hand and led him through the throngs of revelers in pursuit of their new-found victim. 

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Top 5 Brotps

Ahh... to be a pair of bros trying to survive the dreadful world of the apocalypse together...to have a bro who watches your back so that walkers don’t get the drop on you, and to have a bro who is willing to actually listen to you when things are extra rough and you need support.... to probably watch your bro die a super shitty death because it’s twdg and you have no control over the situation...

Good times. 

So yeah, I wanna talk about some of my favorite brotps across this series. We tend to put more focus on romantic duos rather than friendships, so why not shine a spotlight on some platonic love, y’know? 

Also wanna note that I’m more talking canon brotps... as in I’m using what the actual games gave us rather than going off of headcanon... if that makes sense. So like, as much as I could like to put something like brotp Clementine and Mitch on the list since they’re one of my favorites to write, there isn’t enough in the actual text to justify putting them in a top 5. Understand? Cool? Cool. 

5. AJ and Tenn

I have such a soft spot for these two... which is super unfortunate since Tenn always ends up dead whenever I replay TFS because I refuse to have a dead or tongueless Louis by the end..... but that doesn’t mean I don’t love the friendship between these two before tragedy strikes. 

If you’re brave enough to not trust AJ, therefore sacrificing Louis or Violet, Tenn survives to the end of the season where he and AJ have a really nice heart to heart. If you haven’t at least watched how the scene plays out, I recommend it. 

I love the idea of AJ having someone closer to his age that he can have as a buddy, and I love the idea of Tenn learning how to be a better survivor from AJ. They can teach each other how to be better, y’know? 

Plus, it’s cute to hear AJ say that he likes Tenn the most, that he’s his first real friend. Somethin’ real wholesome about that. 

...Which again, adds to the tragedy of trusting AJ. Sigh. 

4. Javi and Tripp

I know I’ve said in the past that I wish these two could’ve had an actual romance, but y’know, we gotta accept that it’s never gonna happen in canon.... sigh. 

However, it’d be a sin to overlook the bromance these two have. 

Sure, they got off to a rocky start after Clementine kinda murdered that dude, but that doesn’t stop them from developing a friendship over the course of the season. 

One of my favorite moments between the two is when Tripp confides in Javi about his feelings for Eleanor, and in turn, Javi can explain what’s going on with him and Kate. While I disagree with the love interests actually being talked about, it’s still a quiet, real moment between them. Tripp isn’t afraid to be a bit of a poet when talking about his feelings, and Javi is supportive of that. Two bros who listen to each other? Love that. 

Also there’s something so damn tragic about Javi wanting to save his bro when Joan decides to be a proper antagonist and does the ol’ switcheroo on him. 

All in all, love this bro dynamic and will be forever salty that Tripp has two unpreventable deaths. 

3. Lee and Doug

I won’t talk too much about this one because I already covered it in my Top 5 Reasons Doug's Pretty Great, but I gotta put them on the list. So, to summarize:

Lee and Doug are the real bros of S1. Y’all thought it was Lee and Kenny? Nah man. When you’re friendship is so fragile that it could totally break with one single disagreement, then I can’t say it’s all that great. And yeah, you could argue that Doug is only Lee’s bro is you save him, and that’s true because otherwise, he’s super dead.

But after saving him, if you disagree with Doug on anything, he doesn’t immediately get all “Ya saved me ONE time, Lee! What have ya done fer me lately?? >:(” In fact, I’d argue that even if things went down differently, Doug would still be a good bro to Lee. 

So Doug wins the bro award. 

The two of them care about each other, from Lee worrying about Doug’s mental health, to Doug going out of his way to save Lee’s life at the dairy, to them having genuine feeling conversations. 

Again, want more details then go read the previous T5F. Just know that they’re best bros and I’ll die on this hill. 

2. Michonne and Pete

The Michonne mini-series gets a bad rap and that’s not okay. If you're one of many who skip this one when going through the series then shame because you’re missing out on one of the best pair of bros in this series-- Michonne and Pete. 

Listen, Michonne and Pete are great. They’re a couple of bros who have each others backs at all times, Pete cares so deeply about Michonne’s mental health and making she she has what she needs, Michonne feeling comfortable enough with Pete in confide in him about her daughters and the visions she has of them, and they’re more than willing to fight and sacrifice themselves for the other if necessary. 

Sure, they disagree on things, but their friendship isn’t built on “you have to agree with me” so they can actually work things out and be better for it. 

I just love them, okay? Pete wants her to feel like part of the crew and give her a safe space, and Michonne wants to help him in anyway she can, I just.... no one talks about them and it’s not okay. 

Go play Michonne, even if just for these two. They’re worth it. 

1. Clementine and AJ

Surprise.... but not really. 

C’mon, I think we all know that Clementine and AJ are the ultimate bros. Do I even need to explain? Probably not, but I will anyway. 

Clementine has know AJ since he was born, she has cared for him and did everything she could to get him back-- good and bad things. She could’ve said, “A baby? Fuck that.” but she didn’t, she took little baby AJ and protected and raised him. And we already know that AJ would do whatever he had to in order to protect Clementine back. 

True, the relationship isn’t perfect and miscommunication is, uh... a thing sometimes, but together they grow and become better. Even AJ makes terrible mistakes [y’know... like murder] she promises to help him atone... unless you’re one of the ones who tells him he’s justified which like no judgement or anything but..... y’know. Maybe a little side eye.

Anyway, more than that, they play off each other well and feel like two people who have know each other for years, they feel like a pair of siblings trying to survive in this shitty world and find a home together. 

And can’t forget to mention the cave scene. Not the one with James, but the one where AJ gets upset and the two of them talk some shit out. Don’t get me wrong, I love the James cave scene for how wild it is, but there’s something about the cave scene where it’s just Clementine and AJ, and the choice to trust him or not. 

Oh, and the barn scene? I mean.... c’mon. 

Over all, as far as platonic relationships and brotps go, Clementine and AJ are my favorite. Could write an essay on them and why their dynamic is one of the best parts of TFS but that’s not what we’re here to do. 

Clementine and AJ.... bros for life. 

---

Honorable Mentions

- AJ and Louis.... bros even after everything that went down with Marlon and Tenn.  -Clementine and Rosie. Rosie is best girl.  -Lee and Omid. Two history nerds who should’ve have more bro-time.  -Kenny and his mustache. -Lee and Ben. Yeah, I stand by it. I won’t shut up until someone gives me my Lee and Ben buddy cop dramedy.  -Mitch and Willy until the dumb thing happened.  -Clementine and Lee would count, too, but only really the second half of s1. -Nick and Luke but only for two episodes. -Louis and Violet’s friendship routes are pretty good, too. 

---

What are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with my picks? What are some of your favorite brotps? Lemme know! 

Have any suggestions for future T5F’s? Feel free to send ‘em in! :D

—

Next week’s T5F Top 5 Best Executed Deaths

[olicitytropes]

Olicity Tropetastic Awards: Season Seven

The time has come to talk of many scenes.

Of bows and arrows and superheroes.

Olicity’s reunion and the baby we knew was a Queen.

But wait just one minute,

Before we go and do all of that...

We thank you all for the time you have shared.

The elevators you have climbed,

The episodes you have faced and scared.

We will keep your stories in our hearts for always,

And we hope that you can too.

Because they would not be bigger than the friggin’ universe

If not for all of you.

-xoxo Ellie, Caitlin, Sascha, Mary, Beccie, Meegan, and Alli (and of course Emily Bett Rickards since she wrote this poem first;) )

@memcjo’s recs:

as darkness falls (a spark resides) - @alexiablackbriar13

It's been two weeks since Felicity found out she's pregnant, and she hasn't told Oliver yet.

Plagued by nightmares about being attacked and the baby being hurt, Felicity struggles to sleep.

After Oliver witnesses one of her post-nightmare panic attacks, she finally tells him about the baby.

**Award: Best Use of Angsty Angst Followed by Sweet, Sweet Olicity Moments**

two pints of mint chip it’s a girl - @alexiablackbriar13

missing scene in 7x22, before olicity move to the cabin. dr schwartz gives felicity an ultrasound, and our bigger than the freaking universe couple discover their baby's gender

**Award: Best Use of Touching, Loving, Sweet Olicity**

Run Away With Me - @dmichellewrites 

This is basically everything I hoped season 7 would be after the prison arc, but unfortunately we didn't get to see it.

Join Oliver, Felicity, their friends, and family as they navigate their lives together post-Slabside. They really can have it all. Watch them balance being heroes, parents, and still manage to hold down day to day jobs. Enjoy their slice of maximum domesticity, and take a peek into their home life together with their four children.

**Award: Most Kickass, Joyous, Amazing Olicity Finding a New Life!**

We Don’t Have To Talk About It (We’ll Find Another Way) - @smoaking-greenarrow

Felicity is at Slabside to pick up Oliver, to finally take him home...when all hell breaks loose

**Award: Most Awesome, Badass Oliver and Felicity Going Through Hell and Back to Find Each Other!**

Come & Talk To Me - @hope-for-olicity

I wrote this story as a fix it for the things I felt the writers forgot or screwed up since Oliver got out of prison. It mainly focuses on Olicity but it also deals with their relationship with Diggle.

**Award: Best Use of Oliver and Felicity Facing Their Fears and Finding Each Other All Over again~ SWOON!**

Dear Felicity - @smoakmonster

A series of letters Oliver journals to Felicity from prison.

**Award: Best Use of Oliver Finding His Voice (and making me cry)**

Nothing Breaks Like a Heart - @by-mintsea

A mid season 7 and Elseworlds Crossover fix it fic. Silences, missing scenes and rewrites from 7x07 through end of crossover.

**Award: Best Us of Oliver and Felicity Fighting for Each Other and Their Family**

@blondeeoneexox’s recs:

The Other Side (of a world without you) - fanfics4you

She stares at the sky, the moon staring back at her. She holds her daughter in her arms as she starts to talk about him. She hopes wherever he is, he is safe. She hopes that he knows. That she still loves him, that he has a daughter who loves him so much, a son who lives far away from this world, leading the normal life he always wanted. She hopes that he knows he isn't alone.

He stares at the sky, his fingers caressing his wedding ring gently. The night is full of darkness and he feels so lonely. He has everything here, yet he has nothing. He sees a shooting star fall from the sky, and he finally smiles. His hold on his wedding ring tightens as he reminds himself why is he doing this again. He knows.

In which Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak spend twenty years apart and then a lifetime together.

**Award: Best Cry Your Eyes Out Til They Hurt Fic**

The Microchip Chronicles - CSM

Post 713. Follows the next nine months of Felicity’s pregnancy.

**Award: Most Domesticated, Blissfully Happy Pregnant Olicity That Definitely Should Have Actually Happened**

The Other Side of a World Without You - MachaSWicket

SUMMARY: Arrow S7 finale SPOILERS ahead. Beware!

**Award: Best 20 Year Reunion I Could Ever Ask For**

The Legacy of a Queen -  inlovewithimpossibility

Series of one-shots from a future AU where Oliver and Felicity are able to raise their children after they defeat the Ninth Circle and Oliver hangs up the hood

**Award: Best ‘What Could (SHOULD) Have Been Fic**

The Hardest Part - @smoaking-greenarrow

Prompt: What if Felicity found out she was pregnant with Lucas after Oliver left and she'd have to raise both of their kids without him. Then Oliver would come back five years later to check on his girls only to find Mia playing with a slightly younger boy who looks exactly like him.

**Award: Most Heartbreakingly Beautiful, Sob-Worthy, Amazing Post-S7 (That Was Absolutely My Fault) Fic**

strange behaviors - @alexiablackbriar13

the 5 times john diggle noticed oliver queen and felicity smoak's latest weird behaviors and the 1 time he figured out what was causing it (spoiler alert: it's fetus mia smoak-queen)

**Award: Cutest Uncle Diggle Reaction to FINALLY Figuring Out Olicity’s Weird Behaviors**

@it-was-a-red-heeler’s recs:

bliss within madness - @alexiablackbriar13

“Hey, Mia. It’s your dad,” he whispered. Pausing, he added, “Mia or Lucas. We don’t know exactly who you are yet. But I promise you, your mom and I are gonna love you to the stars and back no matter who you turn out to be. I’m gonna call you Mia for now, though.” He kissed Felicity’s stomach softly, humming under his breath at the heat coming from her skin.

**Award: Best Beautiful, Blissful Domestic Olicity Moments**

Clean Slate - @smoakmonster

What happens when Oliver loses his memories of Felicity and William? How will this hurting family heal when he finally returns home from prison and doesn't know who his wife and son are?

This series is based on speculation from the Arrow 7x05 trailer that was released on Nov 5. As such, this short series will start in speculation and will likely shift to canon divergence or even au depending on what happens in the next few episodes. Future tags will be added accordingly.

**Award: Oliver Fighting His Way Back to His Family (Amnesia Tropes Are My Jam!) Award**

@msbeccieboo’s recs:

no heart for me like yours - inlovewithimpossibility

After weeks of chaos following Oliver's release from Slabside, Oliver and Felicity finally have a moment to sit down and discuss how they move forward from here

**Award: Best Gorgeous, Sleepy and Oh-So-Wise Oliver Moment**

Deep Water - @it-was-a-red-heeler

A Season 7 Speculation fic.

**Award: THE BEST S7a Do-Over (also the Delicity We All Deserved)**

At Last - @jesileighs

He hadn’t really even noticed there was a change in Felicity until the chaos died down, and even then it took him a couple of weeks to look past the excuses and the way she brushed off his attempts to talk. When he kissed her she pulled away almost immediately. When he reached for her hands she found a way to keep them busy. When he’d make his way to their bed at night, she would make an excuse to stay up and every morning when he woke up she was already gone from beside him. He told himself they were both readjusting. Things needed time to settle. They’d both been through so much.

**Award: Most Beautiful Reunion That We All Wanted But Never Really Got In Canon**

@smoaking-greenarrow’s recs:

Two - @nodecaff4me

Post Episode 7x07 ficlet about the first hours after Oliver stepped out of the gates of Slabside.

**Award: The Focus on Felicity’s Emotions That Should Have Been in Season Seven**

Renewal - @juliesioux

This first bit leads into the story we might never get and I wanted to explore the loneliness Felicity must have felt and the urgency she would feel to go and find him once she could.

**Award: Epitome of ‘Bigger than the friggin’ universe’**

Learning How to Win - @juvinadelgreko

At the end of Arrow S7, Oliver and Felicity retire from the vigilante life only to be interrupted by the Monitor and Crisis on Infinite Earths.

They deserved better. Here’s my take on what better looks like. Begins shortly after Oliver and Felicity moved into their new home.

**Award: Sweetest Life Win That Olicity Deserves**

No Sex Until There Is Hair - @hope-for-olicity

Oliver shaves his head again and Felicity is NOT a fan.

**Award: Best Felicity Completely Understanding Oliver Moment**

@tangled23works’ recs:

Holding On and Letting Go - @smoaking-greenarrow

Oliver is finally home. But he’s not as close to his wife as he’d like to be. To move past the choices he made, both of them need to get a few things off their chests.

This fic can be enjoyed on its own, but if you’ve read The Longbow Hunters, it can also be read as an epilogue for that story.

**Award: Best And Most Sincere Apology By Oliver Queen**

The Longbow Hunters - @smoaking-greenarrow

Based on the set photos from 7x02 and my imagination :)

**Award: Most Badass Felicity With A Plan**

whenever you’re ready - @alexiablackbriar13

Mia and William from 2040 travel back in time to 2019 to access an uncorrupted version of Archer. Oliver and Felicity investigate a break-in at the bunker only to find their children from the future bickering. Emotional confrontations and conversations ensue.

**Award: Most Heartbreaking, Angsty and Beautiful Family Reunion**

[dontwantthenextcommanderiwantyou]

In this house we only stan LEGENDS #Alycia #Eliza

Vote For Most 2015:

1- Best TV Couple on American Series (Clexa)

2- Top TV Couple (Clexa)

The Best Poll 2015:

3- Best Couple on American TV (Clexa)

EOnline TV Scoop Awards 2015:

4- Best Kiss (Clexa)

5- Best Guest Star (Alycia)

EnStars 2015:

6- Which The LOO Ship Do You Want To See (Clexa)

Buzz Feed 2015:

7- Best CW Couple (Clexa)

EOnline TV Scoop Awards 2016:

8- Best Guest Star (Alycia)

9- Best Drama Actress (Eliza)

10- Best Fight (Lexa vs Roan)

11- Sexiest Moment (Clexa Making Love)

12- Most Heartbreaking Goodbye (Clexa)

13- Female Breakout Star (Alycia)

14- Throw Out Your TV Moment (Lexa’s Death)

15- Best Fandom (Clexakru)

16- Best Kiss (Clexa)

AfterEllen March Madness 2016:

17- Best Actress in a Queer Role (Alycia)

Pure Fandom 2016:

18- Best SciFi Series (The LOO, this was prior to Lexa’s death in 3x07)

19- Best Couple (Clexa)

20- Best Kiss (Clexa)

21- Most Missed Character (Lexa)

22- Favorite TV Couple (Clexa)

23- The LOO Ship You’re Most Excited To See in S3 (Clexa)

People’s Choice 2016:

24- Which Character Would You Bring Back ASAP (Lexa)

Spoiler TV 2016:

25- Which Couple from “The LOO” Do You Ship (Clexa)

26- Performer of the Month, January (Alycia)

27- Performer of the Month, February (Alycia)

28- Performer of the Month, March (Eliza)

29- Greatest TV Power Couple of All Time (Clexa)

RadioTimes 2016:

30- Best SciFi/Fantasy Actress (Alycia)

EOnline 2016:

31- TV’s Top Couple (Clexa)

Zimbio TV Couples March Madness 2016:

32- Best TV Couple (Clexa)

Voice of TV 2016:

33- Super Couple of the Year (Clexa)

34- Most “Oh no you didn’t” Moment (Lexa’s Death)

35- Most Heartbreaking Death (Lexa)

36- Best Actress (Alycia)

37- TV Show That Let You Down (The LOO)

38- What Do You Want To See in The LOO (Better S3, Lexa lives)

Best of TV Awards 2016:

39- Best Recurring Actress (Alycia)

Geekiary 2016:

40- Fiercest Female Lead (Eliza): Eliza not only delivers the most fierce female lead as Clarke Griffin, but also the first ever bisexual lead character on network television.

MTV Fandom Awards 2016:

41- Fan Freakout of the Year (Lexa’s Death)

Yahooies 2016:

42- Most Painful Death (Lexa)

Zimbio 2016:

43- Gone Too Soon (Lexa)

CarterMatt Awards 2016:

44- Top Actress (Alycia)

45- Best Couple (Clexa)

Playbuzz 2016:

46- The LOO Favorite Character (Lexa)

47- The LOO Favorite Ship (Clexa)

48- Favorite Clarke Scene (Making Love to Lexa)

49- The LOO Saddest Death (Lexa)

50- Best Match For Clarke (Lexa)

Tumblr Top Trends 2016:

51- 2016 Top Ship (Clexa)

52- 2016 Top Actresses (Alycia)

Spoiler TV Best of 2016:

53- Favorite Couple (Clexa)

54- Character You Will Miss The Most (Lexa)

55- Most Painful Character Death (Lexa)

56- Scene That Left You Shocked (Lexa’s Death)

57- Scene That Made You Cry (Lexa’s Death)

58- Favorite Actress (Alycia)

59- Best Love Story (Clexa)

Vote For Most 2016:

60- Most Beautiful American TV Series Actress (Alycia)

61- Best American TV Series Couple (Clexa)

62- Most Beautiful Hollywood Actress (Alycia)

63- Best LGBT TV Series Couple of All Time (Clexa)

64- Best LGBT TV Series Character of All Time (Lexa)

65- Best American TV Couple of All Time (Clexa)

66- Best The LOO Character (Lexa)

Book Trib 2016:

67- Who’s The Best Match for Clarke (Lexa)

Hypable 2016:

68- Clarke’s OTP (Lexa)

EW’s TV Season Finale Awards 2016:

69- Most Unforgettable Line (“Our fight is not over.” - Lexa)

70- Best Shipper Moment (Clexa Making Love)

71- Best Return By A Character (Lexa)

Playbuzz 2017:

72- The LOO Best Female Character (Lexa)

A Little Nerd Music 2017:

73- Who Do You Ship (Clexa)

Zimbio TV Couples March Madness 2017:

74- Best TV Couple (Clexa): Clexa not only became the first canon ship to win the crown two years in a row, but also the first f/f ship to win back-to-back.

Pure Fandom Shipper Showdown 2017:

75- Favorite The LOO Ship (Clexa)

76- Shipper Showdown Champion (Clexa)

Post Apocalyptic Media 2017:

77- Best Post Apocalyptic Ship (Clexa)

Buzzfeed 2017:

78- The LOO Saddest Death (Lexa)

79- Who Does Clarke Belong With (Lexa)

80- The LOO Best Season (S2)

81- The LOO Worst Season (S4, ratings agreed #Karma)

Vote For Most 2017:

82- Most Beautiful Hollywood Actress (Alycia)

83- Most Beautiful American TV Series Actress (Alycia)

84- Most Beautiful Woman in the World (Alycia)

EOnline TV Scoop Awards 2017:

85- Best Fandom (Clexakru): The second consecutive year that Clexakru has won the title of Best Fandom.

86- Best Drama Actress (Eliza): Also the second consecutive year that Eliza has won the title of Best Drama Actress.

Radio Times 2017:

87- Favorite SciFi Actress (Eliza)

Spoiler TV 2017:

88- Performer of the Month, October (Alycia): “She’s the first and only POTM winner to land on the winner list for two separate characters.”

CarterMatt Awards 2017:

89- Most Underrated Actress (Alycia): “After winning a different category last year for her portrayal of Lexa, this is the second straight year Debnam-Carey emerges as a victor, this time it’s for her fantastic portrayal of Alicia Clark.”

CarterMatt Unsung Hero Showdown 2018:

90- Favorite Unsung Hero (Alicia Clark)

[mybirdsongphotography]

Everything wrapped itself perfectly into this much needed girl’s weekend in New York City.

Since the moment I saw this gown come waltzing out like a diamondin Butler Park, Texas, I knew it needed to be shown off somewhere equally glamorous and shiny.

And y’all. There is nothing quite like the shiny lights of New York City. 

We started planning and scheming, and turned what could have stayed an idea into an epic weekend of walking, Ubering, sipping, sleeping and dancing across Manhattan.

There have been plenty of people that have an idea of something grand for their photo sessions. Then then the day or hour arrives, and they don’t want to put in the effort.

That’s the hardest thing for me to understand.

If you book a session, (or a wedding!)  you’re already taking time out of your day-to-day schedule. You’re already in special outfits, and you’re most likely already in a special location. So why in the world are you not going to make the absolute most of the situation? 

Thankfully as the years go on, I’ve narrowed down my booking process to include people who already know how I like to work, and book me specifically to go a little above and beyond.

And that’s what we did in this glorious session.

We made the absolute most of it.

The day of the shoot was spent not worrying about time at all. We took a ferry to Governors Island (if you’ve been following our NY journey or read this engagement blog, you know how much we love this island!) and enjoyed drinks in the sun and balanced out the relaxation with getting plenty of steps in along the way. Win win.

We took the ferry back into the city, and thanks to this bride’s sharp eye, we found an amazing rooftop bar overlooking the craziness that is Times Square. Also, thanks to these girls sharing, I was able to try my first espresso martini at Valerie, which is about as architecturally pleasing inside as any iconic structure in the city. 

 I didn’t think I could enjoy coffee more than I already do.

Mind you, I have already realized that I shouldn’t have had my first espresso martini there. I have since tried at a couple places- and exactly zero were made to these standards… so I’m pretty sure I’m ruined.

Enough of the drink dramatics, let’s get to the good stuff.

Back at our place in Brooklyn, I brought out the old hair wand, Bobbi pins and a little hair spray and whipped up Shannon’s hair in way I felt did justice to the gown.

Then the fun really began. 

The rain decided to come down right as we got off of the subway to our stop. And yes, we road the subway with all my gear, and all of that gown in tow and we did it well.

It was not cold outside, folks.

We had already battled waiting on the trains to get to our station… in the heat, then ended up running through hallways and up stairs to make it to the next train. By the time we reached our stop and saw all the rain? You better believe these girls were not discouraged.

The plastic rain covering that comes with me everywhere for my gear went right over her hair and makeup and protected everything until we found a convenient store that had an umbrella.

We may have stopped in an Irish pub to wait out a little rain, and had quite a bit of fun with stories of 1) why we were out so late and 2) why we were missing a groom “on the wedding day”.

Yes, we were telling strangers it was her wedding day.

Why? Because what a fun back story to keep changing at every location. Not that we needed extra entertainment, but it was great fun.

BY THEN…

The rain stops enough to leave, we get to Central Park, and see that it closes at one in the morning. Guys. It was already after midnight. Did that stop us? Not. one. bit. We headed straight through the dimly lit pathways to Bethesda Terrace and got to work.

Courtney held up Shannon’s veil and of course I have my Magnet Mod gear already aimed at the gown to light up the place and show off everything from the bride’s face to the stunning ceiling that I found fascinating enough to read about:

“Created in the 1860s, it features 49 panels and nearly 16,000 elaborately patterned encaustic tiles, handmade by England’s renowned Minton and Company.”

“The Conservancy removed the tiles in 1983, storing them until it secured the $7 million required to restore this architectural treasure. The challenging restoration—cleaning and repairing some 14,000 tiles by hand—was completed in 2007.”**

Wow.

Now I’m even happier you can see the ceiling in the portraits.

This all brings me to why we were at this spot. It is for sure a favorite spot for Connor and I to walk to on our many days exploring in Central Park, but this is where Shannon’s husband actually proposed to her.

*all photo credit/setup goes to Shannon’s husband Ben Davis for this cute reaction shot! 

We managed to get shots all around the area with no one crowding our space, because almost no one was there.

Times Square was a different story. Shannon took a quick rest in the Uber…

…and we recharged and restyled hair while waiting for said Uber to come back with my phone that I casually left in the back seat as it drove away.

Whoops. 

As you can see if you scroll on through, Shannon woke up and blazed through Times Square like a Carrie Bradshaw poster. Courtney could win awards for her assistant work taking behind the scenes photos while holding things like the veil, the train, phones, and flashes.  

If anyone is considering a photo session somewhere that might seem far fetched… just do it. You’ll never know until you try!

Hope everyone enjoys these photos as much as I do. Feel free to leave feedback in the comments, I always love hearing from you.

        Bridal Gown: Enaura Bridal

Locations: Bethesda Terrace, Central Park, Times Square

Gear: Canon and Magmod

**quote from https://www.centralparknyc.org/attractions/bethesda-terrace

                Ever wonder what it takes to get a bridal gown in and out of NYC? You'll want to read this adventure from the city that seriously never sleeps. Everything wrapped itself perfectly into this much needed girl's weekend in New York City. Since the moment I saw this gown come waltzing out…

[6ix-dragons]

Fairy Tail Fan Impressions: THE FINAL CHAPTER (545)

(Be aware; spoilers for the latest FT chapters can be found below!)

Me: Well...that’s that. The final chapter.

“I miss them so much, already!”

Me: Miss them so much more, than having NaLu and Jerza totally canon?

“Hey, you know they’re canon in their own way, and that’s what it is!”

Me: Well, I have no doubts about them, either. But you know the ones that totally are canon?

“...Like what?”

Me: ...Max and Broom.

“...Ohh, yeah! I thought you mean Gajevy, along with Alzack and Bisca.”

Me: Yeah, that one, too.

Well...ladies and gentlemen. This is it. This is the moment that most of you probably didn’t want to actually happen (just like I was), but were eventually ready to accept it. *takes a deep breath* Man, it still feels so strange to have it happen, despite still being into this series. 

Anyway, here it goes. After 11 years of action-filled adventures, drama, angst, romantic/shipping moments—you name it...the final chapter has finally come, for Fairy Tail. And, with that, I bet many of you fans out there were wondering a few things that came to your mind, after Zeref and Acnologia were defeated. In fact, I even had them, from the previous FTFI post. 

So, most of you were wondering about what’s in store for the penultimate chapter of FT: Did the chapter take place in a time-skip? What happened to the characters—major, and minor? And, finally, the one that a large part of you wanted to know...were the major ships actually confirmed?

Alright, so, let’s start off the first question there—and then work through the second one, by going through the chapter itself. Apparently, there wasn’t much of a time-skip in the actual chapter itself, where it usually takes around 8 or more years, for the final chapters of those other shounen manga works. The beginning of chapter 545 states that it takes place in August X793, only one year after the end of the war against Alvarez. 

First, we see that there’s quite large crowd gathering in some sort of place. There’s a pretty good reason for that, ‘though, and that’s because they’re celebrating the success of one particular character that we’ve come to know, and love. Yes, they’re throwing a party that celebrates the success of Lucy Heartfilia, who has won an award for her most recent novel that she wrote! 

I have to say that this is something I like, from this chapter here, because it actually shows that one of Lucy’s life-long dreams has been fulfilled. Despite her book not selling enough copies for her to become quite wealthy, she’s satisfied with the way she’s been chasing a personal goal of her own—and, managing to be successful from it. Not only that, but she’s also gained further recognition, from winning the prize. I like that...I really do. 

Not only are the general public there for the celebrations, the whole freakin’ guild is also attending the party, as well! We get to see the moments that we’ve seen before, whenever the guild members are hanging at their building. We got Natsu and Gray causing a ruckus—followed by Erza doing a haymaker on them, to keep them from causing further chaos. We see some drunkeness, with Juvia not handling her alcohol well...and (as we’ll see later), Lucy, too. 

Then, we get to see what happens to all the other characters...y’know, the ones who aren’t from the FT guild. We start things off, with Anna, of all people!

Now, I actually discussed about this, from one of my previous FTFIs, over whether or not Anna will meet with Lucy, especially in the final chapter. And, guess what? She actually does get to meet with her greatest grand-daughter, in this time and place! 

It does get mentioned, from Lucy’s narration, that she found it ‘weird’ to see her ancestor from 400 years ago. However, it’s also mentioned that she does go to visit her, on some occasions. Furthermore, it’s revealed that Anna is now a school-teacher, in a small village somewhere. How nice is that?

And, then, we get to see an exchange between Natsu and Gajeel...in front of the two blonde Heartfilias. The only notable thing that stands out, in this scene, is Gajeel finding out something, after Natsu notes that both Anna and Lucy ‘have the same smell’. I think most of us know what that something is, too. ;)

Anyway, here’s more of what has happened to the other characters, since the end of the war. Good news, for those keeping track of Chelia Blendy, as she’s actually managed to regain her magic! This is happening, as Wendy and Carla are visiting the Lamia Scale guild, to perform for the Thanksgiving Day events over there. 

Then, we see what happens to the folks at Sabertooth. Apparently, Minerva has won the eating contest of that year. I pity Sting and Rogue for this...

Elsewhere, with Blue Pegasus, Ichiya is actually elected as the guild master...by all the handsome men! Who knew that doing such heroics against a gargantuan threat of a dragon can get you that far?

Oh, and we see the three major girls of Mermaid Heel, as they’re all doing photo shoots for Sorcerer Magazine, all of them being ‘exclusive models’, for said weekly magazine. 

After that, however...we get to see what happened to Jellal, and the people closely associated with him! 

So, according to Lucy, she cuts to the chase, and explains that the King of Fiore—Toma E. Fiore—has abdicated the throne. As a result, Princess Hisui is crowned as Queen, in which she is able to establish a diplomatic relationship with the Alvarez Kingdom. Because of that, ‘though, it meant that all the members of Crime Sorciere—including Jellal—were pardoned for their past crimes against the country. Hisui, now the Queen leading the country, justifies her action, by stating that while she recognizes their past actions, she’s actually much more concerned about what entails for the future, moving forward. 

Furthermore, the Queen tells them to ‘live for the future’—and Jellal can certainly recall this very phrase that’s familiar to him...which was originally spoken to him, by a certain red-headed female. Hmm, I wonder who’s that, exactly?

But, before I touch upon Jellal’s relationship with her—that’ll be covered, later on, in this post...let’s talk about Makarov!

Yes, the elderly Guild Master whom we’ve come to know, and admire, for the most part. So, we’ve all already heard what happened to him, in the Alvarez arc: He was thought to have died, after deploying Fairy Law, for what seemed to be the final time...and then, he somehow came back to life. Makarov, however, does appear in the final chapter, alright. Although, he’s now confined to a wheelchair, after the functioning of his legs got worse. Also, he’s quite sloshed, being surrounded by Doranbolt...and, a very disapproving Porlyusica—who doesn’t take it that well for him having alcohol, whilst recovering. 

And then, we come back to all the other guild members, who are having quite the time of their lives, at the party: Pantherlily asking Jet and Droy where Gajeel and Levy are; Max having a not-so-dull moment with Warren, and somebody else, with a broom in hand; Macao and Wakaba chasing after a pretty woman, with Romeo lamenting to Asuka about it—not wanting to grow up, exactly like his father; Reedus painting for Alzack and Bisca; Finally, we have Nab spouting out something random...much to the annoyance of the others. This is all before Lucy finds herself entranced, as if everything that happened around her, were to be a dream...well, maybe not. 

Okay, so with those first two questions answered, for the final chapter...we come to the third, and final one: were the major ships actually confirmed??

Before I cover all four major ships, I wanted to mention a couple of things, or so, which actually surprised me. 

First, we have quite a brief moment in that sequence, where you’d miss it—if you skimmed past it. In the same panel where Nab spouts out something random, we see Laki Olietta talking to Kinana (yeah, remember her?). Laki, like some of us, is surprised at the fact that Kinana has, apparently, a boyfriend. Kinana tells her that his name is Erik. 

I was actually surprised at this, because Mashima actually confirms this relationship between her, and Cobra. I mean, people have been suspecting this, for quite some time, given the (few and brief) moments regarding those two. It was just surprising that they actually are in this relationship, through only one small line of dialogue given by her. Personally, I can feel like I can get into this kind of ship—well, I mean, she was originally Cobra’s snake companion, in Cubelios...but, it somehow works out. 

And then, there’s Laxus. I think that a lot of fans and readers out there have shipped Laxus with more than one character. There’s folks shipping Laxus with Mira (one of my favourite pairings of FT, to be honest), there’s also folks shipping him with Freed, and there are others who like to ship him with Cana. In this particular chapter here, we see that two of those three aforementioned Laxus pairings actually do get mentioned by Lucy! However, what I didn’t even think of, when it comes to shipping Laxus with somebody...it would be shipping him with Lisanna! Seriously, do people ship him with her? I dunno, but it’s something remarkable that was tacked on by Mashima.

On the other side of things, ‘though, I believe Mashima himself may have acknowledged that people are shipping Laxus with Lisanna’s older sister. It’s especially when Lucy notes that the rumours of them being together have ‘circled around for a while’. Yeah, I’m willing to bet that Mashima acknowledges those kinds of shippers. 

Now, what’s even more surprising to me, is the appearance of Zeref and Mavis! Or, as they’re now called...‘Arius and Mio’. Yes, I was quite surprised, as you were. Most of us were surprised. Hell, even the more-prominent guild members attending the party were, as well! Considering how their relationship with each other had went, recently in the story...it was rather astonishing to see them, in the final chapter. Granted, they’re actually reincarnates (or doppelgangers, the way I see it) of the original duo—but, I can’t help but think why Mashima would include those two, anyway and anyhow. 

Oh, and then, we have Elfman and Evergreen together in one panel. Really, Bickslow and Freed make note of this, even in jest. However, Lucy apparently ships them, too! 

Okay, with all that being mentioned...here’s what happens to the four major couples, in this chapter. Let’s start with Gajeel and Levy, as they’re the more obvious ones to be together. 

Now, I was squealing and screaming at this part involving them—alright, I was actually overly-excited inside my mind, instead of that...but, seriously, it is a pretty significant scene involving both of them! I mean, they’re a foregone conclusion for sure, considering what happened to them, for the past few hundred chapters, or so. You also have to consider that their future children were featured in a light novel, too...so, that helps!

As for the scene in question...so, we have Gajeel meeting up with Levy, and she has something to tell her. *dramatic gasp* What could it be?! Well, given by Gajeel’s reaction to what she had to say to him, and with Lucy (and Wendy) inferring things...I think it’s safe to say that either: A) Levy’s telling him that there’s a bun (or two) in her oven—or, B) she wants to have those children with him. Either way is okay with me, because, just like everybody else...I already know that they’ll still be together for the foreseeable future. 

Then, we move on to Gray and Juvia. Again, just like what happened with Gajeel and Levy, they’re a little bit more obvious. For this chapter, we see that Gray has to deal with Juvia, after she’s had more than enough to drink. Pulling her to somewhere else, just to be by themselves, Gray initially scolds her for what had just happened, before he notices that there’s a scar on her body. Juvia then points out that he also has a scar on his body, too. And, before you know it...Gray theorizes aloud (right in front of her!), and struggles with it. Much to the love-filled delight of Juvia, of course. Also, Wendy is the one to hear these kinds of things again, dragon senses, and all. 

If Gray and Juvia being together isn’t as obvious, as shown in this final chapter, then I don’t think nothing will. Ever since their first encounter with each other, fighting as enemies (instead of friends), the two of them have slowly and gradually become closer towards each other, as the time goes on. I think what really solidified them together as a couple, would be from the fallout of the war against Tartaros. I mean, it still makes sense for them to be together; Gray’s magic complements Juvia’s magic, and vice versa. I don’t think there’s any sort of skepticism or doubt, as to how legit their relationship is, with each other. Sure, the development of their relationship isn’t like what is usually expected in works of fiction, but the fact remains that they are still together, and that Gray now (at least) reciprocates her feelings towards him. 

Alright...so what about Jellal and Erza, in this one? Now, I know that a large part of you Jerza shippers wanted the both of them to have a happier outcome to their relationship—either they get engaged, married, or something quite significant of that magnitude. However (and this also applies to Natsu and Lucy, which I will get to, in a moment), just because you expect these things to happen...it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will happen. 

As Lucy explains it, in this chapter, it sorta gets a little murky at first. However, she does mention that, with news of Jellal being pardoned had finally arrived, Erza now spends her time brushing her hair every day. This is rather symbolic, because you have to recall back to how her relationship with him started. Around the time when the both of them were enslaved as children, Jellal actually complimented about her hair. I mean, he still does this, on the few occasions where they’d meet afterward. But, I think this was a nice touch that Mashima did, in terms for the two of them. 

When you put Jellal’s reaction to the insistence that he should live for the future (which I mentioned earlier, above) together, it does make quite some sense. Sure, we didn’t get to see a kiss, a proposal, a marriage, or anything significant like that...but, it’s still considered symbolic for the both of them, based on their moments in this chapter. I thought it was good enough for that couple. 

And now, here’s the part of the post that you’re probably waiting for: My thoughts on Natsu and Lucy, for this chapter! 

Before I can even express what most shippers (and readers) find to be ‘controversial’, with Natsu and Lucy...let’s go through exactly what happened in the chapter, that led up to this.

So, the party’s long over, and it’s all been a distant memory...or a dream, as Lucy thought it to be. Waking up in her apartment unit, she discovers that this was no dream. Then, she discovers another thing: Natsu and Happy being in her apartment, like all those other times before. However, they’re there in her unit, for a reason—he had to carry her back to her home, after she had collapsed from alcohol-induced drunkeness (mainly from Cana!). We get to see what actually happened from there, as Natsu helped her to change into lighter clothes, and Lucy letting them sleep closer to her sides, for the night. 

Of course, Lucy herself (now in her sober state) is completely ashamed by it. But then, we see Natsu telling her to join him on a job of sorts. This is actually where we get to see one of the more significant parts about them—the other one being the more ‘controversial’ one. After she reminisces of the moments they shared together, from the start of the story, Lucy tearfully approaches him. And, before you know it...she hugs him, and embraces him! *fanboy squealing, a la Steve Dangle*

Right from the bottom of her heart, Lucy is thanking for him everything—and that she would not have lived through any of this, without him. Isn’t that so sweet? And, look at this! Natsu returns her hug! Look, I must apologize for this, but I couldn’t help it; I actually do like these two, as a pairing. This is something that I’ve come to totally admire about them, especially when Natsu comforts her in a way that no other guy can! 

Aaaand, we get right into the controversy!

So, Lucy just admitted her feelings towards him. Now, what is he going to do next? Well, for starters, he grabs onto her arms, telling her that he also wants to say something to her, too. But, what is it? What is that something?? Lucy also wants to know this too!

Just when she expects something different from him...Natsu drags her along for their next adventure! Lucy is, understandably, pissed off by this...but Natsu somehow knows this. He then tells her, just before they set off for their new journey, that ‘we’ll be together forever, from now on’.

Now, I’ve seen the many reactions by a lot of folks, who have stumbled across this. Many of which, who are NaLu shippers, were initially upset over how it went, for the two of them. Maybe it’s because, like Lucy, they expected Natsu to return her feelings, by either kissing her, or proposing to her. Then, we have more of the same—only, this time, there was a heapin’ amount of doubt and skepticism over whether NaLu is canon or not, based on this. 

Look, I’m going to get this out of the way, and express personally that I think Natsu should have reciprocated her feelings, by kissing her. It doesn’t have to be a kiss on the lips, maybe a kiss on the cheek (or forehead) would be fine! 

With that aside, I can understand why a large number of readers, especially NaLu shippers, are upset by this. However, you have to consider what Natsu went through, during the war against Alvarez. He had to fight Zeref, discover that he was E.N.D. the whole time, had to fight his best friend in Gray, had to be on the verge of death—due to the dragon and demon seeds, had to be told that Makarov was (seemingly) dead, had to fight Zeref yet again—and being on the verge of death again, before having to finally fight Acnologia once and for all. I think it’s fair to say that Natsu has been through quite the ordeal, in such a small amount of time...and that he needs to recover from having those very experiences. 

Also, it’s important to know that Fairy Tail isn’t just about romance. As much as we all like to see those kinds of moments between the two characters we ship, this isn’t what Fairy Tail is supposed to be. It’s about friendship, sacrifice, adventure, and action, too. It would’ve been also considered too out-of-character for Natsu, considering that he doesn’t usually express those kinds of romantic feelings towards anybody.

Then, you have the other side—mainly doubters and skeptics—who argue that NaLu isn’t canon, because of this scene. In fact, they even claim that their relationship is a fully-platonic one. I also understand why they’re arguing this. However, if I have anything to say to that group, I would tell them to look at every single moment that the both of them are involved, from the start of the story. Take a careful, closer look at every single one, and tell me that they are still in a platonic relationship. 

For what I know, Natsu still cares for Lucy more than anybody else...and that Lucy also does care for him more than anybody else, too. Sure, there wasn’t anything that significant to suggest that they are official—but, when you consider about how Lucy felt for him right there, and that Natsu told her ‘we’ll be together forever, from now on’...it does seem significant, in a symbolic way, doesn’t it? To suggest that they’re in a platonic relationship, without going deeper into the moments involving those two, would be considered ignorant of the contrary. So, you doubters and skeptics out there can eat it (or as The Fonz would say, “sit on it!”)!

So, what do I really think of this whole debacle? Well, at first, I really did thought Natsu should’ve at least return her feelings, with a gesture that complements it the best (the kiss on the cheek, or forehead, that I mentioned about, earlier). However, after looking through the arguments of some readers...I’ve come to agree with it, and that I’m okay with the way things were, for Natsu and Lucy. There may not have been a romantic kiss or proposal involved, but it was still a symbolically-significant moment for both of them. Maybe this scene could get addressed, in the upcoming anime adaptation. The only question, is whether this scene gets kept, or will there be something else?

Now that I’ve discussed about everything, answering all three of the questions at the same time...what do I think of this penultimate chapter, overall? 

Well, I thought this final chapter provided closure that was good enough, for almost all the characters involved. However, there were a few questions that I have, afterward. Chief among them, was Aquarius’ key, and what happened to it. Before, it was stated by Lucy that she wanted to look for it—but that never got addressed, in the final chapter. I’m hoping that matter would be resolved, either through a light novel, a spin-off manga, or in the upcoming anime series.

Also, there’s the matter of the surviving 12 Spriggans. Whatever happened to them? Again, I’m hoping that they’ll be featured in the new anime adaptation, somewhere around the end of it. 

And then, there’s the question of who’s actually the Guild Master for Fairy Tail. We know that Makarov is still kicking around, in the final chapter...but, considering what had happened in that arc, nobody actually knows if he’s still the Guild Master by now, or if anybody is. Hopefully, this sort of confusion gets sorted out, by the author himself, soon.

Aside from those concerns, I’m satisfied with the way the story ended, especially with Natsu and the gang going on the Hundred-Year Quest that was previously unfulfilled by Gildarts. It leaves the ending open as much as it can, allowing for any spin-offs, light novels, or anything (hell, maybe a sequel!) that would be based upon. 

Now that the story’s been finally over, I’m now getting myself a little bit gloomy again. 11 years of quite a wonderful, and adventurous journey, for everyone involved. But, what does this actually mean for me, after it’s already over?

Well...to tell you honestly: Despite being into this series for almost four years, I’m still interested in it, to this very day! In fact, I can say that this is still the beginning for me, as I have yet to come across every single thing about Fairy Tail. I have yet to finish both anime adaptations in their entirety—let alone, the two movies, and the O.V.A.s that I haven’t seen yet! There’s also a whole bunch of fanart and fanfics that I haven’t shared with all of you, yet...including a few lemon fics (almost all of them focusing mainly on NaLu). What I’m trying to say is: I will still commit to the FT fandom around here, as much as I can.

As for how much longer I will still be into the series, ‘though...it may be longer, it may be shorter. I’ll be the one to decide for myself, on how much longer I’ll stay on board, with this fandom.

Before I end this post, I want to thank everybody in the FT fandom around here, for their generosity and support. You are the ones who have brought us those wonderful fanart, and you are the ones who have provided us hours upon hours of fanfiction to read. You are the ones who have stuck through the tough times, and whatever worse things that came your way. Best of all...you are the ones who have brought this entire fandom on the map of all fandoms here on Tumblr—and without your support, all of this would not have been made possible. In fact, I would not have been a long-time fan of this series, if it weren’t for you guys! So, to everybody who’s been part of the FT fandom around here—past, and present...I salute to you all—and here’s to a better future for this fanbase!

“Aww, that was a pretty good speech! Nice work!”

And so, I must conclude this FTFI, on a proper note. That is it, for this post; a huge thanks to those who have read this, from the top. Click on the heart, if you like this post; hit that ‘Follow’ button to follow my blog; re-blog this to all of your friends...and the adventure never ends here. In fact, I will leave you with this passage that’s been used at the start, and the end, of this story, here:

“Do fairies have tails? Do they not? Do fairies even exist? Do they not? This eternal mystery will continue as an eternal adventure...and that’s the origin of the guild’s name...and beloved friends.”

[oceanbanjo57-blog]

12 Kids Books That Celebrate LGBTQI Families

The Children’s Book Review | October 15, 2018

We recently interviewed Professor Gore about her new picture book All is Assuredly Well, the quietly impactful story of same-sex couple King Phillip the Good and his elegant husband The Most Excellent Don Carlos Emiliano Felipe de Compañero y Compañero. As an Expert Witness certified by the federal court, and one of nineteen plaintiffs, Professor Gore took the witness stand in federal court testifying against the city of Wichita Falls, Texas, when they passed a law allowing book banning at the children’s section of the public library. She said, “The law had been designed to rid the library of Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy’s Roommate, the only two picture books at that time that depicted same-sex parent families.” The case was won and the books were no longer banned, however, in what has been almost three decades, the canon of books that celebrate LGBTQI families has only recently begun to grow.

Inspired by the beautiful All is Assuredly Well—co-authored by Professor Gore and Maestro Wilson—and our interview with the professor, here is a list of picture books that feature LGBTQI families.

All Is Assuredly Well

Written by Professor Gore and Maestro Wilson

Illustrated by Angela F. M. Trotter

Publisher’s Synopsis: With a book cover and illustrations as pretty as a sunlit, stained glass window, All is Assuredly Well is the quietly impactful story of King Phillip the Good and his elegant husband, The Most Excellent Don Carlos Emiliano Felipe de Compañero y  Compañero, and their wish for a baby girl of their very own. A traditional fairytale blessed with a modern storyline that is ready to be told, All is Assuredly Well is written as beautifully as the field of a thousand flowers referenced within the book’s own pages. The authors wonderfully weave in old English to set the old-style tone, and readers that take well to customary tales will revel in new vocabulary words such as forsooth and sonorous. Almost like a special kind of book magic, the pages offer serenity through the repetitive phrase of “All is assuredly well.” Read aloud or read in silence, All is Assuredly Well is highly recommended. Read our complete review »

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 4+ | Publisher: Camille Lancaster Literary Children’s Books | 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-0999888001

Heather Has Two Mommies

Written by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Laura Cornell

Publisher’s Synopsis: Heather’s favorite number is two. She has two arms, two legs, and two pets. And she also has two mommies. When Heather goes to school for the first time, someone asks her about her daddy, but Heather doesn’t have a daddy. Then something interesting happens. When Heather and her classmates all draw pictures of their families, not one drawing is the same. It doesn’t matter who makes up a family, the teacher says, because “the most important thing about a family is that all the people in it love one another.” This delightful edition for a new generation of young readers features fresh illustrations by Laura Cornell and an updated story by Lesléa Newman.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Candlewick Press | 2015 | ISBN-13: 9780763666316

Daddy’s Roommate

Written by Michael Willhoite

Publisher’s Synopsis: A young boy discusses his divorced father’s new living situation, in which the father and his gay roommate share eating, doing chores, playing, loving, and living.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 4+ | Publisher: Alyson Books | 1994 | ISBN-13: 978-1555831189

And Tango Makes Three

Written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Illustrated by Henry Cole

Publisher’s Synopsis: The heartwarming true story of two penguins who create a nontraditional family is narrated by award-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris in this book and CD package.

At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.

Releasing in time for the tenth anniversary of And Tango Makes Three, this book and CD edition features narration by renowned actor Neil Patrick Harris.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Little Simon | 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-1481449946

Worm Loves Worm

Written by J.J. Austrian

Illustrated by Mike Curato

Publisher’s Synopsis: Perfect for fans of And Tango Makes Three and The Sissy Duckling, this irresistible picture book is a celebration of love in all its splendid forms from debut author J. J. Austrian and the acclaimed author-illustrator of Little Elliot, Big City, Mike Curato.

You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of a worm . . . and a worm.

When a worm meets a special worm and they fall in love, you know what happens next: They get married! But their friends want to know—who will wear the dress? And who will wear the tux?

The answer is: It doesn’t matter. Because Worm loves worm.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Balzer + Bray | Jan. 5 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-0062386335

I Am Jazz

Written by Jessica Herthel  and Jazz Jennings

Illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas

Publisher’s Synopsis: The story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for transkids everywhere

“This is an essential tool for parents and teachers to share with children whether those kids identify as trans or not. I wish I had had a book like this when I was a kid struggling with gender identity questions. I found it deeply moving in its simplicity and honesty.”—Laverne Cox (who plays Sophia in “Orange Is the New Black”)

From the time she was two years old, Jazz knew that she had a girl’s brain in a boy’s body. She loved pink and dressing up as a mermaid and didn’t feel like herself in boys’ clothing. This confused her family, until they took her to a doctor who said that Jazz was transgender and that she was born that way. Jazz’s story is based on her real-life experience and she tells it in a simple, clear way that will be appreciated by picture book readers, their parents, and teachers.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Dial Books | Sept. 4, 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-0803741072

Donovan’s Big Day

Written by Leslea Newman

Illustrated by Mike Dutton

Publisher’s Synopsis: Donovan’s two moms are getting married, and he can’t wait for the celebration to begin. After all, as ringbearer, he has a very important job to do. Any boy or girl with same-sex parents—or who knows a same-sex couple—will appreciate this picture book about love, family, and marriage.  The story captures the joy and excitement of a wedding day while the illustrations show the happy occasion from a child’s point of view.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Tricycle Press | 2011 | ISBN-13: 978-1582463322

Mommy, Mama, and Me

Written by Leslea Newman

Illustrated by Carol Thompson

Publisher’s Synopsis: One of the only original board books about gay parents! A perfect purchase for new parents, baby showers, and more!

Rhythmic text and illustrations with universal appeal show a toddler spending the day with its mommies. From hide-and-seek to dress-up, then bath time and a kiss goodnight, there’s no limit to what a loving family can do together.

Shares the loving bond between same-sex parents and their children.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Tricycle Press | 2011 | ISBN-13: 978-1582462639

A Tale of Two Daddies

Written by Vanita Oelschlager

Illustrated by Kristin Blackwood

Publisher’s Synopsis: A Tale of Two Daddies is a playground conversation between two children. The boy says he heard that the girl has two dads. The girl says that is right–she has Daddy and Poppa. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow: “Which dad helps when your team needs a coach? / Which dad cooks you eggs and toast?” To which she answers: “Daddy is my soccer coach. / Poppa cooks me eggs and toast.”

Intended for 4- to 8-year-olds, this book introduces a type of family increasingly visible in modern society. Neither favoring nor condemning, it reflects a child’s practical and innocent look at the adults who nurture and love her. It becomes clear that the family bond is unburdened by any cultural discomforts.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 5-8 | Publisher: Vanita Books | 2010 | ISBN-13: 978-0981971469

A Tale of Two Mommies

Written by Vanita Oelschlager

Illustrated by Kristin Blackwood

Publisher’s Synopsis: A Tale of Two Mommies is a beach conversation among three children. One boy asks another boy about having two mommies. A young girl listening in asks some questions too. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow. “Which mom is there when you want to go fishing? / Which mom helps out when Kitty goes missing?” To which he answers: “Mommy helps when I want to go fishing. / Both Mommies help when Kitty goes missing.” A Tale of Two Mommies is intended for 4-8 year olds. This book lets us look inside one non-traditional family, a same sex couple and their son. As the children talk, it’s clear this boy lives in a nurturing environment where the biggest issues are the everyday challenges of growing up.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 5-8 | Publisher: Vanita Books | 2011 | ISBN-13: 978-0982636671

The Family Book

Written and Illustrated by Todd Parr

Publisher’s Synopsis: The Family Book celebrates the love we feel for our families and all the different varieties they come in. Whether you have two moms or two dads, a big family or a small family, a clean family or a messy one, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of family you have, every family is special in its own unique way.

Parr’s message about the importance of embracing our differences is delivered in a playful way. With his trademark bold, bright colors and silly scenes, this book will encourage children to ask questions about their own families. Perfect for young children just beginning to read, The Family Book is designed to encourage early literacy, enhance emotional development, celebrate multiculturalism, promote character growth, and strengthen family relationships

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 4-8 | Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | 2010 | ISBN-13: 978-0316070409

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher 

Written by Dana Alison Levy

Publisher’s Synopsis: The start of the school year is not going as the Fletcher brothers hoped. Each boy finds his plans for success veering off in unexpected and sometimes diastrous directions. And at home, their miserable new neighbor complains about everything. As the year continues, the boys learn the hard and often hilarious lesson that sometimes what you least expect is what you come to care about the most.

Order a Copy Now: Amazon

Ages 9-12 | Publisher: Yearling | 2015 | ISBN-13: 978-0385376556

The book list 12 Kids Books That Celebrate LGBTQI Families was curated by Bianca Schulze. For similar articles, follow along with our content tagged with Family and LGBTQ Books.

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Source: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/weblog/2018/10/12-kids-books-that-celebrate-lgbtqi-families.html

[wellyfullofale]

I know it's been a while ago, but I would really like to know your thoughts about the lodge scene and what you think both of them were going through in those scenes. I really like your analysis of Robron.

Thanks I’m glad you like the analysis - even if it is just inaneramblings most of the time! This will be no different! In fact, I’ll put this under a read more, because I’ve written a short essay.

I love this topic, andI’m gonna preface this with two points:

1. I didn’t watch these scenes live and in real time, so Ididn’t go through the wringer when it came to the shock of it all and the (Iassume!) devastation of thinking they couldn’t come back from it. By the time Iwatched these scenes I think they were in the midst of Diane’s stabbing andthere were hints there that they were coming back into one another’s orbit, soI was able to see a future for them despite it all.

2. I am completely aware that this is not a healthy way for acouple in love to be - I don’t ship Robron because I want my own relationshipto be like theirs (!!!), or because I would advocate anyone in real lifestaying in a relationship which could reach that level of toxicity. I ship thembecause their characters fascinate me- separately and together - and they are complex and interesting because of scenes like theLodge, and because of the way their characters are able to be who they are nowwith the history that they have.

So with that in mind, I have to confess:

I LOVE THE LODGE SCENES.

There, I said it.

For me, the Lodge encompasses so much of who Robron are -broken, damaged, fraught, desperate, and so tragically in love that it’ssometimes dangerous.

I love so much about these scenes, and I’d go so far as to saythey are some of my most rewatched (second only to pre-affair/start of theaffair era). First off, I love the build up - the way Robert and Aaron look ateach other in Lawrence’s office when they realise they’re gonna get an allexpenses paid hotel trip together?? Just finish me off right now! If I had alist of favourite eye contact scenes (I don’t, but one can be arranged lol),this would be number 1. Yes, above the wedding-standing-at-the-alter scene.Their chemistry is INSANE in that scene. Has Robert ever lookedat Chrissie like that? Nuh-huh. Nope. Never.

Can we spend a second thoughto just mention canon versatility? I mean, ahem. I like to find the silverlining amongst the grey clouds. How nice it is to have that little factconfirmed ;) And that little tickle of Aaron’s neck is so soft, and Robert’slittle moans as he devours Aaron’s neck, telling him how much he’s missedhim. Call me petty, but damn if that doesn’t just make me a little weakfor half a minute (until what comes next….).

Obviously, Aaron’s excitement turns sour a little (but I do lovehow desperately he wants Paddy to be wrong in that scene by the side of theroad, and how he defends Robert even then,despite Paddy telling him Robert tried to kill him), and he’s so devastatedthat Robert has done it; that he has to face up to what Robert is capable of.He still wants to see the best in him – and I’m convinced that even up until whenthe words leave Robert’s mouth in the Lodge, that he doesn’t want to believe thatit’s true. Aaron’s so shifty and uncomfortable up until when he confrontsRobert, because this type of deception and game playing is so alien to him, andhe can’t stomach it, and it says so much about Aaron as a character. I likethat they had Aaron stand up to Robert though, and to finally hear the truthabout Katie, and to face Robert at his worst and to tell him he wasn’t scaredof him.

But,the way I see it, the reason the Lodge is so important as part of their storyis because of what it says (to me, at least) about Robert Sugden. Aaron ishonest – he has always worn his heart on his sleeve – and his intentions andemotions are so much easier to read than Roberts, throughout their relationship.Robert is much more of a closed book – yet here, he is at breaking point, and Ilearnt so much about his character in those scenes that I still have in mindwhenever I rewatch their story up until that point. Robert had lied, throughouttheir relationship, and it can be hard sometimes to trust what 2015!Robertsays. But in these scenes, he is literally at breaking point. He has no reasonto lie, and what we hear from him when he talks to Aaron is all he has left –it is his truth.

Hewishes money was all he cared about? Falling in love with Aaron was the worstmistake he ever made? That he meant it, he loves him? All of the talk aboutKatie, and Andy? Robert is desperate to remind Aaron that he’s supposed to lovehim, and his devastation when Aaron says he doesn’t (which, btw, I don’tbelieve for a single second. He may have wantedto not love him, but we know he never actually stopped) is so clear to see.He’s breaking down, not only because his lies are crumbling down around him,but also because the one person who has always managed to see the good in him,and to try to understand him, is now turning his back on him too.

Robert’sso panicked when he finds the recording – he goes from relief that Aaron’sstill breathing (that little sigh of relief and the hand on Aaron’s shoulder,sorry but that is so telling of the way he loves him, as fucked up as it is),to outright panic, and he spirals so quickly he can barely breathe. He’sgrasping onto this life he’s built by his fingertips – the life that he builtto make his father proud of him – and it’s all crumbling down around him. He’smade mistakes, and they’re catching up with him, and it’s not just his lifewith Chrissie that’s threatened, now, of course – but he’s also losing Aaron,and that may be his greatest fear of all. He’s also just having to face what heis capable of, because I’m convinced he scares even himself with that. When it’salmost over – when he breaks down crying on the kitchen floor of the lodge – hesays that he’s not a bad person, and it’s just like his whole façade hasdisappeared, and he’s just a broken man who’s struggling to cope with therealisation of who he’s become.

Aaronwas always the one to save him – to bring him back from the brink – and now he’ssure he’s lost Aaron, and lost a part of himself alongside it.

Ona side note, it’s also one of the reasons I would so welcome seeing a Robertbreakdown in the current storyline.  I justthink it’s wild how much Robert is dealing with, and has been dealing with, andthere’s only so much one man can take.

Andcan I just add, Ryan Hawley absolutely smashed these scenes. Someone let thatman win some kind of award, please!

[depizan]

First off, this is just my opinion and my feelings. No objective worth or lack of worth is being allotted here. Second, fanworks are a whole different ball of wax. Fanworks always have an element of reaction to them, so a fanwork being darker, grimmer, more realistic, or more “realistic” than canon does not have the same meaning that canon becoming any of those things has.

I am irritated with new canon. I am not pleased that the set up for The Force Awakens turns the success of Return of the Jedi into something very temporary and flawed. At first I thought that was a mistake - that the creators were too busy recreating A New Hope to realize what they’d done to the original trilogy’s hopeful ending. But new canon is just so thoroughly... darker... grittier... pessimistic... more “realistic”... *waves hands* ... worse than old canon and the old EU/Legends stuff (excepting perhaps the extra-galactic torture aliens I try not to think about) that I just don’t think it’s a mistake any more. What I’d taken for a bug is, in fact, a feature. A feature I do not want.

I know I’m kind of comparing actual canon to semi-canon, but Lucas/Lucasarts did sign off on the old EU/Legends stuff, so I don’t think it’s entirely unfair of me to do so. Besides, I think some of what irritates me actually predates the canon reset. (And I’m not talking about the extra-galactic torture aliens.)

Maybe I’m in a minority, but I feel like hope and optimism are a baked in part of what makes Star Wars, well, Star Wars. Take that out - take out the idea that love (familial love, at that) can save the galaxy; take out the idea that the heroes are good and heroic; take out the fantasy of it all - and what you have is no longer Star Wars.

Sure, in the old EU/Legends stuff, building the New Republic took work, and there were struggles (and an absolutely absurd amount of Imperial remnants and ridiculous super weapons involved), but for the most part I felt like the writers tried hard to keep the problems within certain bounds. That they tried to maintain a sense that the New Republic was definitely better than the Empire and that all our heroes had done mattered.

The new EU stuff - not to mention that the New Republic basically only exists in The Force Awakens to get nuked from half way across the galaxy by the Mega Death Planet (because a Death Star just wasn’t metal enough, or something) - focuses much more on the struggles. In a way that is, sure, probably more realistic, but way less optimistic and hopeful. (Not to mention that whole cross galactic nuking kinda makes it all seem pointless anyway. Or maybe that’s just me.)

And then there’s the interpersonal relationships. Luke is Sir Not Appearing in This Tie-In in all the tie ins after RotJ (so far as I know - I have not read them all), Lando barely makes an appearance, and even R2 and 3PO seem to have decide to take a multi-year vacation for unexplained reasons. (Which makes a plot point in the Aftermath trilogy really bizarre, not to mention more obvious than it should be.) Leia and Mon Mothma, who were good friends in the old EU have a seriously strained friendship in the new one. Just because. (I mean, yes there are in story reasons, but those didn’t just happen. The author/Disney/whatever decided to set things up that way.)

Weirdly, there’s also - and this could very much just be me - kind of a playing up of romance and a playing down of friendship. In the Aftermath trilogy, it takes until the third book for the characters to start doing things out of friendship. (Whereas the second book revolved around romances/sexual relationships - nearly all heterosexual ones, I might add - to the point that it irritated the heck out of me.) In the new Marvel comics, everyone seems really peeved at each other most of the time (and all of the new relationships in those stories start with people not liking each other or otherwise having conflict) and Han and Leia are portrayed as a couple before it makes sense for them to be a couple. (To the point that the writers could use ye old dead trope of “whoops your wife showed up.” Which, granted, worked out better than that trope usually does, but I am still deducting several hundred from Gryffindor for them having used it in the first place.) Even A New Dawn had to make romance...well... Kanan grossly wanting to get in Hera’s pants, but we’ll pretend it was romance... the motive for Kanan wanting to team up with Hera in the first place.*

Going along with that, you’ve also got Rebels which seems to think that abuse is friendship. But that’s it’s own can of worms.

And then, as a background to all of this, you have this overall darkening of tone and replacement of hope with pessimism. (Something that I feel started with the Clone Wars show, really.) It’s harder for me to pull out specific examples, because it’s not that scene there, or whatever, it’s a whole pile of things that mostly probably sound innocuous on their own.

It’s the Aftermath trilogy heroes repeatedly using threat of torture (successfully!) to get information out of people. (And, no, it doesn’t help that I really hate that trope. And boyhowdy do I hate that trope.) Also characters deciding to be bad in service of good instead of good in service of good because George RR Martin’s books sell really well because that’s more “realistic.”

It’s repeated instances of fake big picture thinking by heroes - and I say fake big picture thinking because they’re not sacrificing someone or ignoring a problem because they have clear bigger goals that doing something would jeopardize; they’re sacrificing people or ignoring problems because of vague amorphous goals.

It’s weird shit like the Marvel comics thing I just read where the Rebellion has a secret prison (why? how does this make any sense? someone? anyone?) so that a Rebel spy can attack it to kill the prisoners because the Rebellion can’t be soft. (Yes, you read that right. No, it didn’t make sense in context. It just made my brain hurt.) Oh, at the Rebel spy had some kind of weird disease he caught from being Force Lightninged by the Emperor. Or something. I don’t fucking know and I just read the damn thing. If it was supposed to be burn scars, it somehow didn’t show up right away and it didn’t look like burn scars, it looked like pustules.

It’s a general graying of the morality of the franchise, which, yes, okay, sure that’s more realistic... but... this was never a realistic franchise. This was a franchise where the galaxy was saved by the power of love. A franchise where people chose friendship and were right to do so. A franchise where the right thing to do - consistently - was to believe in the good in other people.

And, yes, as far as the new heroic trio from the new trilogy goes, it does look like it’s shaping up to carry that same heart. At least I hope so. But so much of the rest of the new stuff is missing that heart. (And, while believing in the good in other people unspokenly seems to work with Rey, Poe, and Finn, it very much didn’t work when it came to Kylo Ren. I really don’t know what that means for the overall theme of the new trilogy, either.)

In short: I want my optimistic heroic fantasy with spaceships and laser swords back please. The one in which believing in people was basically always right. I don’t care how simplistic and unrealistic that is, that has always seemed the heart of Star Wars to me.

*A New Dawn has to win some kind of award for tie-in book that took me from not liking a main character to pretty well despising a main character. I’m pretty sure tie-in books aren’t supposed to do that.

[tumblunni]

Bunni’s Rune Factory Sequel Thoughts/Wishes/OCs N Stuff!

Just my misc ideas for stuff I’d love to see in the series, and maybe some ocs hmm hmm~!

* Maybe have a town that’s more upgradeable or changeable as the story progresses? I expected something like that with the princess points in RF4, that you could support the various businesses and see the shops get new fancier sprites and stuff! And maybe have characters who start off just being unemployed npcs and then can start new businesses as the game goes on? Like if dylas could have been the fish salesman instead of it being a nameless npc. And maybe even after big events in the story the town could have stuff get destroyed, to show how dangerous the villains are? And then you could rebuild but it wouldnt be the same as it once was. * More activities for your pets to do! I like that they can help with farming but maybe they could unlock more tasks to automate as the game goes on? or maybe just have more customization for their farming, like you can choose what seeds they automatically plant, or set a rota for them to rest and swap fields. Maybe give them stats so certain ones could specialize in watering/planting/smashing rocks/etc? * Maybe have more random farm events like rune rain and typhoons? possible idea: period bandit raids or attacks by monsters. You set monsters as guards and if they win then they can farm dungeon items from the enemies, giving you a good way to gain them without having to revisit the same place ad nauseum. Or maybe have a random inspector event where you have a chance of winning a best farm award or something? And maybe when characters randomly visit your house they could actually do something instead of just standing there. Maybe they could comment on your crops? like, say yay if you have something they like, or give random tips, or small bonuses like casting a gigantifier effect on a random crop or restoring some health. Or depending on the character and their relationship with you, maybe they could do negative effects? Also i wish one of the endgame bonus awards could be the ability to turn these random events off entirely if you want, instead of just delaying it. * The possibility of maybe having a negative relationship bar as well as a positive one! So characters could maybe become rivals instead of just friends or indifferent, with nothing else. And maybe you could even have some points in both and have a friendly rivalry? * Characters having more potential interactions with each other outside of just you. I think it’d be nice if when you marry someone then the batchelor/ettes you dont pick could have random event chances where they marry each other. And maybe the player could influence who they end up with, depending on how you interact with the two of them? Play matchmaker! Help them find their happy ending even though you rejected them. Consolation for guilt! * Also can we maybe start having friendship options for each character’s main plot? Let me be able to resolve their sad backstory even if I dont date them, the only difference when I date them should be that I date them. Not that arthur never reconciles with his estranged mother unless we just happen to bump uglies :P * Adding LGBTQ marriage options would be hella amazing in every way, jesus christ please can we have this. Or like.. if we cant, then can we have like... less gay?? I dunno, i just feel like I’m sadder about not having gay marriage when the characters are CONSTANTLY teasing that some of them MIGHT have same sex romances yet nobody is allowed to ever do it. Stop rubbing it in. Its somehow more painful than not having any LGBTQ representation at all, just having this sort of ‘its not representation and it never will be but we’re gonna make it look like it just to torment you’. * i dunno, I feel like probably knowing the company we’re more likely to get a gay npc couple or something in the next game and still have to wait ages for an actual romanceable candidate. Theyre not exactly ahead of the times on the subject. BUT WE CAN HOPE!!! * I want Porcoline to cameo in the next game, or us to hear about how the porco restaurant family is doing. I got the most attatched to them! And I hope the De Saint Coquille family continues to cameo in every main rune factory game, though I think it’d be hard to top this incarnation of them! OH, it’d be amazingly awesome if the next De Saint Coquilles could be the direct descendants of Porco’s family and he cameos as a grandpa?? It could work if the sequel gives a canon love interest to lest/frey, like how raven cameo’d in rf4 and her dialogue heavily implies she ended up with micah. So if frey ended up with arthur or dylas or lest ended up with margaret, then they could be a new part of the de saint coquille family in this sequel cameo. or just be ambiguously referenced so that the player can decide which of the three marriages happened. Oh, or another idea is maybe you meet a branch of the de saint coquilles that’re all elves, if maybe the next game could be set in the elven kingdom? And they could reference being descended from porcoline who did a lot of work on human-elven diplomacy back in the day. Also maybe we could get another female character filling the usual role of the food-loving head of the family with the silly art style? I’ve heard that there was one female de saint coquille in one of the spinoff wii games i havent played but it’d be cool to see another. * Can we have two-seater monsters to ride? So you could go on dates atop an elephant! * Maybe be able to select one monster as your official pet? And it can live inside the house and have a lil food bowl and do more interactions with it, and have friends talk about it when they visit and maybe they can feed it snacks? And it could help raise friendship with different people depending on their preferences for different monsters. I just really like the monsters and I want to make them feel like a part of the family! * A possible very unlikely idea- maybe that monster could become human in a secret postgame quest, and be like your second child? I miss being able to have multiple children like in rf3, but I didnt like how children all looked identical and had basically zero personality in that game. This could be a good way to have two distinct kids! It’d be too tricky to give each monster a unique gijinka form like RF4′s guardians though, so just make it that they become a 100% human character with one set appearance and maybe a couple different colourschemes. maybe it could be that your close monster friend dies sacrificing itself to save you from like... an evil homunculus experimental weapon or something. And then they’re revived using the same magic that created that creature, their soul possesses it and they get to be this artificial human, and they get to have one preset appearance with a good excuse for why! And it could just be super cute and awesome to have them be so excited to finally talk to you and tell you how much they love you! And they could have funny sweet interactions getting used to human things, and their big sibling could help them. And they could be really good at helping with chores in the monster barn, just imagine them hugging all their old monster friends and they trust them completely and they can lead them off in a line like baby ducklings~! And maybe they can have random dialogue saying like ‘hey this monster wanted me to tell you they love you, mama!’ * It would be really cool if we could get a game with a customiseable protagonist, or even just the ability to choose between a few preset options for different races. or just a protagonist of the different races in general, like we’ve had a bazillion humans so cant we have an elf or dwarf? Micah being a were-monster was the entire appeal of that game, I think having another unusual protagonist would recapture that hype! But I really like the idea of having a customizeable protag who could be any of the main three races. I mean not much would have to change depending on who you pick, it’d be relatively less trouble to add in. Maybe just some occasional slightly different scenes to show the different perspectives? or they start with some boosts to different initial stats, or maybe have different aesthetics for the house you get? oooh, or maybe different aesthetics for all the outfits they can get! Like how theyre different for the genders in rf4, but they could have like a human/dwarf/elf cultural flair to each thing. I’d also love if there were more outfits than just pyjamas/bathing suit/8 different colours for default outfit. * I think I’ve mentioned this before but I had a cool idea for if a RF game had a ghost protagonist, now we know ghosts exist in this universe. You could play as both the male and female characters simultaneously, and just select which is the ghost and which is human! So there’d still be two routes with incentive to replay the game, but whichever character you dont pick gets to be the sidekick character with their own different personality and you can get them married to various sub-batchelors maybe? like, the assistant charrie’s romances are different from the ones you can get if you picked them as protagonist. Anyway. the setup would be that the ghost has to haunt a human in order to affect the real world, so thats why you have two characters. The more normal idea would be that protagonist is the human who’s haunted by an assistant/butler type ghost, but I also like the idea that you play as the ghost and you boss around this human to do all the heavy lifting. Like, instead of starting off and getting amnesia somehow, you start off alive and then die and have to possess someone in order to fullfill your unfinished business of raising this farm. You’re the ghost of the person who owned this farm, and you were sleeping here underground waiting for the chosen one you could bond with so you could get back to farming, but you slept too long and the place has got all overgrown and you start again from zero. And then the protagonist could be clueless about everything cos a century has passed, not just cos theyre amnesiac again. * Other excuses that aren’t just amnesia again: protagonist has moved here from another country, protagonist was some sort of sheltered princess who’s never worked a day in their life, protagonist is simply someone who’s never run a farm before and honestly who cares if you start off as someone who already lived here for years? Just have it like youre a loner who’s made a resolution to start being more social now, or some other reason. * A possible idea for a backstory- you are formerly a swashbuckling pirate who just decided to settle down. I dunno why but I think that’d make for a nice unique protagonist perspective! * Also maybe if we do amnesia again we can do something with it? Can we actually have an event eventually about regaining our memories? I was expecting in RF4 there’d be a reveal that before your amnesia you used to be a sechs empire soldier, since all we know about you is that you’re the one who had the rune stones in the beginning of the game. Only other explanation I can think of for that is that there’s some sort of earthmate country somewhere that creates these stones, or you were a merchant who somehow was selling such a rare artifact? I dunno, I still think that the ‘oh god i used to be evil’ twist would have been really really good! * Maybe it could be possible to have other ways to ‘choose’ a character, and get them to become an npc in your house and wander around? I dunno about you guys but I really loved all the themes of ‘found family’ in RF4 and wished there was an equivelant of the marriage routes where I could adopt volkanon as my grandpa or something. Or maybe have a bunch of orphan npcs you can adopt, as an option for if you have a same sex marriage? I just wished I could have made some sort of symbolic gesture to them to say ‘hey, you are my favourite of the non-dateable npcs, thank you’. * Also I’d really like to see a romanceable ghost! I just really think that now they revealed that ghosts are a thing that can exist, I wanna see more about ghosts. Some sort of bigger role to a ghost! * Also yes series please continue having adorkable monster people to marry, that was the entire reason i picked RF4 as my first game to play, lol! I am a bit sad though that all the girls in RF4 arent very monstery at all and all the boys are more monstery. Its a shame cos in RF3 there’s two super monstery girls with the best designs and personalities! I wanna play that game next, I wanna go backwards in order XD

[kcaruth]

Movie Mania: Top 15 of 2016

The first month of 2017 is nearly over, so what better time to release my best of 2016 list? What started out as a pretty sparse year for film quickly turned into one that churned out hit after hit. We can only hope that 2017 matches or exceeds the level of quality films that the last few months of 2016 produced.

This is the first time I have ever published a best of list, so I am excited to jump into it. My hope is that this list will shine a spotlight on some of the lesser-known films of the year and pique your interest in some of the bigger films that you may have missed. Read ahead confident that there will be no spoilers.

Honorable Mentions

Hidden Figures

What’s not to like about this endearing, educational biographical drama? Based on the nonfiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, this film follows the story of three African-American mathematicians who work at NASA in the 1960s, when racial segregation was sadly still prevalent. Taraji P. Henson as Katherine G. Johnson and Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan are outstanding and bring so much energy and personality to the screen. Whereas this film could have been bogged down by complex mathematics and literal rocket science, Theodore Melfi expertly directs the film so that it is fast-paced and accessible, and while he acknowledges the racial prejudice of the time, he does not let it dilute his main story. Melfi and Allison Schroeder’s screenplay delivers witty and memorable dialogue throughout the film that feels natural to the characters.

Hans Zimmer returns to another space-related film to compose the score, but Pharrell Williams’ music really takes center stage. “Runnin’,” “I See a Victory,” and “Crave” are all great bets for your music playlist. Best of all, this film teaches audiences about historical figures that they would be hard-fought to discover in standard history textbooks, making it a film that should be shown in school classrooms throughout the country. While not really a negative, the film does slow down when the three women leave NASA after a long workday and return home to their families. As a biographical drama, the film is responsible for showing us different parts of these extraordinary women’s lives, but you are left waiting for them to go back to breaking barriers at NASA.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Ah, my beloved Star Wars. How I wish this film could have actually made it onto my list! I will be the first to admit that I am biased as a Star Wars fan, so that may be why this film even gets an honorable mention nod. When Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens came out in December 2015, I saw it on opening night and three or four times after that before it left theaters. By contrast, I saw Rogue One on opening night and have not seen it since. No one can accuse me of not being excited for Rogue One, and I tempered my expectations by avoiding any and all reviews before seeing the film. I even read the canon Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno to learn about the backstories of Orson Krennic and the Erso Family before seeing the film.

Without spoiling anything, the weakest facet of Rogue One is its lack of character depth and development. I did not really care about most of the rebels in the film; in fact, there were a couple of parts where I was actually cheering for the Empire! I will say that Alan Tudyk was great as K-2SO with his dark comedic humor and Donnie Yen was a badass as the blind Chirrut Imwe, but when the droid has the most personality out of the bunch, you have done something wrong.

On the other hand, the cinematography proves to be Rogue One’s strength. Never before, not even in the original trilogy, have we truly experienced what it feels like to be a world occupied and controlled by the Empire; Rogue One does an amazing job showing the reach and power of the dreadful Empire. New planets like the tropical world of Scarif look beautiful. Additionally, Rogue One includes the first true space battle we have seen in a Star Wars film since the beginning of Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. It is a sight to behold, and the new ships and tactics used by the Rebellion are quite the thrill. Director Gareth Edwards does a great job with the space battle; it never feels too cluttered or hard to follow with choppy editing. Finally, who can forget THAT scene in the last ten minutes of the film?

I appreciate the novel approaches and risks the creators of Rogue One took. I enjoyed the references to other canon material like the animated television show Star Wars Rebels for fans like me who have cared to invest in them. However, this film has proved to me that Star Wars needs strong, fully-developed characters to succeed. It makes me wonder what Rogue One looked like before those infamous re-shoots.

Game of Thrones: “The Winds of Winter”

I know, I know. This pick is not a film; it is a television episode. That is why it is only listed among the honorable mentions. Let’s face it, though. Game of Thrones is practically a ten-hour film each season. The quality, scope, and budget of many of the episodes easily surpass those of several films. While “Battle of the Bastards” was outstanding in its own right, “The Winds of Winter” is my pick for the best episode of season six. The season six finale delivers on so many fronts for long-time viewers of the show after what can be argued was a very up-and-down season, and it is rich with emotion, suspense, and superb acting. What fan of the show did not get goosebumps and/or tear up when that music swelled up in the final scene of the season, and wasn’t that “Light of the Seven” piano piece at the beginning of the episode so chilling? I cannot really say more without treading into spoiler territory, so do yourself a favor and go watch (or re-watch) this masterful episode of television.

#15: Deadpool

Can we all extend a big thank you to Ryan Reynolds? His enthusiasm and dedication to the character of Deadpool may have been the sole reason this film was made. Thank goodness that test footage was “leaked” to the public! This Deadpool is a far cry from that unspeakable depiction in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. (Who thought it was a good idea to sew the Merc with a Mouth’s mouth shut?) From the opening credits, this film promises that it is self-aware and ready to break the fourth wall, true to its titular character. Deadpool embraces its R rating and runs with it. The crass humor and the no holds barred action scenes are great fun, and Deadpool’s interactions with Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Colossus supply some rib-busting laughs. (Deadpool at Xavier’s Mansion: “It’s funny how there’s only ever two of you. It’s almost like the studio couldn’t afford another X-Man.”) At a time in cinema where comic book films are a constant, Deadpool brings a refreshing breath of fresh air to the genre.

#14: Manchester by the Sea

Warning: This film is very sad and heavy. However, writer and director Kenneth Longergan manages to infuse some genuinely comedic moments in the film’s bleak landscape that somewhat lighten the mood when necessary. Lucas Hedges delivers as teenager Patrick Chandler, and this may be Casey Affleck’s best work yet as Patrick’s uncle, Lee Chandler. I went into this film with a very faint idea of what it was about, and I think that is the best way to approach it if you are going to see it. My two biggest complaints with this film are the Oscar-bait score and the ending. The score, in my opinion, detracts and distracts from the film, and the ending is one of those where it just abruptly cuts off. The film was on the longer side in terms of run time, though, so I guess I was sort of grateful for the ending too.

#13: Jackie

You can tell Natalie Portman poured her heart and soul into this film, and I am hopeful that she will be awarded for it with an Oscar. It is overwhelmingly evident that she spent countless hours studying and perfecting Jackie Kennedy’s accent and mannerisms, and her hard work pays off. When you are watching this film, you see Jackie Kennedy, not Natalie Portman. Whereas this biographical drama could have leaned on other historical figures and really tapped into the utter tragedy of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, director Pablo Larrain lets Jackie stand on her own and carry the film. Mica Levi’s score really surprised me and deserves some award nods. “Intro” is entrancingly eerie and haunting, sticking with you even after the film is over. As the award-winning musical Hamilton teaches us, history is all about who lives, who dies, and who tells our story. Jackie focuses on Jackie Kennedy’s intense dedication and foresight in the midst of tragedy to shape the way JFK’s story is told and how he will be remembered in history.

#12: The Founder

Set aside a few bucks for a milkshake and a burger after this film. Just trust me on that. The Founder tells the story of Ray Kroc and the establishment of the McDonald’s fast food empire. I did not know the history of McDonald’s, so this film was not only entertaining, but educational for me. Michael Keaton fully embraces the role of Kroc, taking on his (to borrow another line from Hamilton) “never satisfied” attitude on life. As he bullies his way to the top, we also see the tragic downfall of the endearing Richard and Maurice McDonald, played by Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch, whose portrayal of the brothers turns out to be the film’s strongest feature. As Matt Zoller Seitz from RogerEbert.com puts it, “[The Founder] is an ad that becomes a warning before circling around and becoming another, darker kind of advertisement, and one of the most intriguing and surprising things about The Founder is that, in the end, it seems vaguely ashamed of itself for letting this happen.”

#11: Moana

2016 was the year of the animated film, and we have hit the first one on my list. With Moana, Disney continues to showcase its amazing progress in animation; the islands and the water in Moana look so life-like. Moana brings viewers a welcome surprise in that there is absolutely no romance in this film, taking it a step further than even Frozen. Moana is all about ancestry, culture, family, and finding your calling in life. It is also extremely touching; do not be surprised if you find yourself unconsciously crying throughout the film. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the genius creator of Hamilton, and Opetaia Foa’i come together to create an incredible soundtrack full of soaring, vibrant songs like “We Know the Way” or Moana’s (Auli’i Cravalho) anthem “How Far I’ll Go.” Jermaine Clement’s “Shiny” is one of the best villain songs Disney has produced in a long time, and “You’re Welcome” perfectly embodies the character of Maui as well as his voice actor, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. For all that it does well, Moana can afford to have a very, very basic plot, but if it would have improved on that front, it may have found itself higher on my list.

#10: Arrival

Director Denis Villeneuve delivers another critically-acclaimed film with Arrival. Based on Ted Chiang’s short story “Story of Your Life,” this science fiction film explores the untouched aspects of the genre, choosing to investigate communication instead of destruction. In the film, the spacecraft of extraterrestrials known as heptapods appear scattered across different parts of Earth. Renowned linguist Louise Banks, played by Amy Adams, is called upon to attempt to communicate with the heptapods by learning how to read and write their language alongside physicist Ian Donnelly, played by Jeremy Renner. The cinematography by Bradford Young is truly breathtaking throughout the film. Combined with Johann Johannsson’s beautiful, otherworldly score (see “First Encounter” and “Heptapod B”) and subtle “show don’t tell” acting, this cinematography creates heart-pounding, white knuckle suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I was totally onboard with this film until the last ten or fifteen minutes. A certain plot twist is revealed that I can see as one that splits the audience in half on the matter, and the quality of the dialogue goes way downhill all of a sudden. By no means did it ruin the film for me, but it just made me love it a little less. As long as you do not go into this film expecting Independence Day-style science fiction action and are ready to put your thinking cap on, you should enjoy the experience.

#9: Patriots Day

Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg were busy in 2016! After producing Deepwater Horizon, they return to produce a film about another disaster in recent American history, the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Some may question if this film is too soon, but rest assured that it treats its source material with respect. While Mark Wahlberg is usually the standout actor in Peter Berg’s recent films, everyone shines in Patriots Day. J.K. Simmons, John Goodman, and Kevin Bacon are all great, and I was left wishing they had taken even a little more screen time from Wahlberg. On a dramatic level, this thriller leaves you at the edge of your seat. I could feel the suspense and anticipation throughout my sold-out theater, and I could hear the sobs and sniffling of many.

I did not feel that this film delved into exploitative thriller territory, but I cannot speak for the people of Boston and those who experienced the tragedy firsthand. The Boston Globe’s Ty Burr, however, can. He says in his review, “It’s professionally made, slickly heartfelt, and is offered up as an act of civic healing. At best, it’s unnecessary. At worst, it’s vaguely insulting.” Again, having only experienced the bombing thousands of miles away from television news media reports, I have to disagree with Burr’s assertion that this film is unnecessary. It is genuinely moving on an emotional level, and it reinforces the ideas that good always wins and that Americans will stand united in the face of terrorism.

#8: Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is essentially Avengers 2.5. Following the success of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the Russo brothers return to direct Civil War. Everything since the first Iron Man has been building up to this film. Although it does indeed have its flaws, the good far outweighs the bad here. While it is labeled as a Captain America film, the Russo brothers smartly give Robert Downey, Jr. plenty to work with in his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man. This may be, in fact, the best Downey, Jr. has been in the Marvel franchise since the first Iron Man. Surprisingly filled with emotional depth, the character development in Civil War is outstanding considering the cornucopia of characters in the film. Not only does the film continue to develop its veteran playmakers, but it also does a great job introducing brand new characters to the universe. Another positive of this film is that it imposes real, lasting consequences on the actions of our heroes. Bygones are not bygones by the end of this film. In the end, Civil War delivers on its promise of pitting Avenger against Avenger. Although punches are obviously being pulled in the airport battle, it is still an entertaining sequence that showcases each individual character. Now can we please stop focusing on Bucky moving forward with Captain America?

#7: Kubo and the Two Strings

Darn you, McConaissance! If it were not for Matthew McConaughey, this film may have ended up higher on my list. McConaughey is by no means bad in his role, but he just seems out of place in this film. Aside from that, it is hard to find any serious faults with this film without getting overly nitpicky. Kubo and the Two Strings is an aesthetically beautiful work of art with its 3D stop-motion. The voice acting is some of the best of the year: Art Parkinson as the adventurous and imaginative Kubo, Charlize Theron as the sickly but loving mother of Kubo and the grumpy but protective Monkey, Rooney Mara as the creepy Sisters, and Ralph Fiennes as Raiden the sinister Moon King all fully embrace their roles and add layers upon layers to the characters with the simplest of voice inflections. The score is also top notch, transporting you directly into the story. Kubo and the Two Strings is an adventure filled with humor, darkness, love, melancholy, and inspiration that completely absorbs its viewers.

#6: Zootopia

It was practically a toss-up between Kubo and the Two Strings and Zootopia, but Zootopia won out in the end because of its thoughtful, timely themes of discrimination and social stereotypes and how well the film handles them. The voice acting is on point, with such talent as Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, Idris Elba, and Alan Tudyk. The animation is gorgeous, and the sprawling urban Zootopia is fleshed out and full of character. Whereas Moana has a very simple plot, Zootopia offers a couple of unexpected twists. The stereotypes that the animals fit into work perfectly, and the film really makes you care about its main characters. Full of humor and Easter eggs, this film celebrating diversity will make you want to go back for repeat viewings, all the while perpetually humming Shakira’s “Try Everything.”

#5: Sing Street

Sing Street was a huge surprise for me. It was nowhere on my radar of films to see. I just happened to come across it while scrolling through Netflix, and boy am I glad I decided to watch it! At its core, Sing Street is about a teenage boy who starts a band to impress a girl and get her to like him. “Eh, seen it before,” you say? Maybe, but not as well done as this. Set in Dublin in the 1980s, this film is a feel-good musical comedy-drama where every single song is outstanding with a charismatic Irish cast and huge heart that is not only about getting the girl, but also friendship, brotherhood, and pursuing dreams. Sing Street knows what it wants to be and embraces it without turning into a musical fantasy, leaving viewers full of irresistible optimism and humming its catchy tunes while looking up Duran Duran songs at the end of the film.

#4: Hell or High Water

I could not say it any more eloquently than Mason Walker did, so I will just start by leaving what he said about this film, all thanks to the exemplary cinematography of Giles Nuttgens: “Plenty of films pretend to take place in small-town Texas, but many of those versions resemble my home state about as much as the ‘barbecue’ joint I visited in New York resembled barbecue. But this wild Neo-Western gets it right. Here is a rural Texas I recognize, where the Aggie Game’s always on, the Shiner is within arm’s reach, and the customers and wait staff play out their familiar interactions like a social-norms square-dance.” In reality, the filming took place in New Mexico, but that is close enough so we will give it a pass, right?

Hell or High Water follows two brothers, played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who carry out a series of bank robberies to save their family ranch, all the while being hunted by two Texas Rangers, played by Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham. Foregoing mindless gunfights, Hell or High Water stuns with its complex characters and well-paced narrative. Director David Mackenzie deftly mixes scenes dripping with suspense with scenes full of lighthearted Texan humor. Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay includes some brilliantly written dialogue that especially comes through during the final scene of the film on the porch. The stupendous acting, particularly by Jeff Bridges as the Texas Ranger on the brink of retirement, brings it all together in this heartfelt heist film.

#3: Hacksaw Ridge

This was another toss-up between Hell or High Water and Hacksaw Ridge, but Andrew Garfield’s Oscar-worthy acting helped Hacksaw Ridge edge it out. Hacksaw Ridge is based on the true story of Garfield’s Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor. With Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson makes a triumphant return to the director’s chair for the first time since 2006 when he released Apocalypto. Gibson boldly and fearlessly tackles this film on the level of both a large scale war drama as well as a concentrated character study. Like few other directors can do, Gibson seamlessly transitions from some of the most graphically violent scenes you will ever see on screen to endearingly tender, touching emotional scenes.

Before we get to Garfield, Vince Vaughn deserves his own round of applause. When people think of Vaughn, they probably think of films like Wedding Crashers or Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. In Hacksaw Ridge, Vaughn proves he can handle a serious dramatic role when he is dialed in. Hugo Weaving also delivers a great performance as Doss’ father, a troubled World War I veteran. In the end, though, this is far and away Garfield’s film. From playing a comic book hero to a real life hero, Garfield’s career sure has blossomed. With Doss’ story, Garfield has such wealth of inspiration to draw from. From his simple life growing up in Virginia to the cacophony of war while serving as a combat medic at Hacksaw Ridge, Garfield plays every scene perfectly. At the beginning of the film, you might wonder if Garfield’s southern accent is going to detract from the film, but he is so committed to it that it ends up working.

Doss’ steadfast Seventh-day Adventist faith is certainly present in the film, but it never gets preachy or hits you over the head with it. It is actually very important that it was included because it was such a central part of who Doss was. Gibson does go a tad overboard with the religious imagery, especially with the themes of baptism and ascension, but that is a central part of Gibson’s trademarked directorial style. Hacksaw Ridge is an inspiring war film whose main character never even picks up a rifle, much less fires one, offering a different way to envision courage.

#2: The Edge of Seventeen

Never have I ever seen a more accurate portrayal of life as a high schooler. I will flat out say it: this film blew me away. I remember walking out of the theater so happy and extremely proud of everyone involved with the film. For her directorial debut, Kelly Fremon Craig hits it out of the park. Do not pass this film up as just another coming-of-age dramedy because it is so much more than that. This film will have you laughing, this film will have you crying, this film will have you cringing at the all-too-relatable awkwardness, and sometimes this film will have you doing all three at the same time. In short, it touches on every single emotion, but never in a sappy or undeserved way. Craig not only directed the film, but she also produced and wrote it. The sharp dialogue sounds exactly like something that would come from the mouth of a high schooler in 2016.

The acting is terrific all around. Hayden Szeto masterfully emulates myself in high school as Erwin Kim. Woody Harrelson nails it in his role as a high school teacher and confidant. Kyra Sedgwick expertly assumes the challenges of being a mother to teenage children. Blake Jenner surprises with his subtle acting as Darian. Last but certainly not least, Hailee Steinfeld proves she is the real deal as 17-year-old Nadine, the film’s main character. Perhaps even more impressive than her line delivery is Steinfeld’s ability to act with her body language doing most of the heavy lifting. The Edge of Seventeen forgoes the teen tropes from John Hughes movies in favor of fully developed, three-dimensional characters who emotionally grow right before our very eyes. It has its hilarious moments, but it is not afraid to heavily tap into reality and maturely handle the really serious situations that teens may face today. Male or female, young people and parents alike will be able to relate to this film on a deeply personal level.

#1: La La Land

I never considered musicals to be one of my favorite genres, which makes it all the more noteworthy that La La Land lands at the top of my list for 2016. I was beyond impressed with director Damien Chazelle’s work with 2014’s Whiplash, a film about the destructive cost of single-mindedly pursuing one’s dream. La La Land adopts a much more positive spin on this message as it follows Mia, an aspiring actress played by Emma Stone trying to make it in Hollywood, and Sebastian, a jazz pianist played by Ryan Gosling with the dream of reviving jazz and opening up his own jazz club. The impressively stunning opening scene of the film, which I won’t spoil here, had me smiling from ear to ear, and I could feel the entire theater straining from holding back their rapturous applause.

From that opening scene on, Linus Sandgren’s cinematography prowess is on full display, allowing the camera to become just as much a part of the choreography as the actors on screen. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone’s chemistry is unrivaled by anything else you will see on screen from 2016, making the relationship between their characters feel real and honest, and their dedication to their roles is palatable. The set design and costumes, two aspects of films that do not get paid nearly enough attention, are remarkable in La La Land. The vibrant colors and the smog-less skyline of Los Angeles create fantastical imagery that fit in with the grand dreams of the film’s two main characters. Chazelle’s writing is composed of snappy dialogue that is full of heart and honesty.

I sometimes find that the song and dance part of musicals distract from the plot of the film, but, credit to Chazelle’s writing and Justin Hurwitz’s music, La La Land’s musical numbers work as a cohesive unit with the plot and even elevate it. Hurwitz’s music is impressive instrumentally and dazzling with its creative, insightful, and thought-provoking lyrics. Hurwitz’s ability to shift gears throughout the film is praiseworthy. One moment, he is powering through the upbeat “Another Day of Sun.” The next he is revving it up again for the equally catchy “Someone in the Crowd,” but even within that song he slows things down to a point where the audience can soak it all in before picking the pace right back up. “Mia & Sebastian’s Theme” and “Planetarium” take the audience on a whimsical adventure. “Herman’s Habit” is jazz at its finest. In “A Lovely Night,” Hurwitz channels classic Hollywood duet material. With “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” Hurwitz and Stone make you wish you had a box of Kleenex handy. As the film approaches its bittersweet ending, Hurwitz flawlessly sums the entire film up musically in “Epilogue.” La La Land is a technical masterpiece, and its record seven Golden Globe wins prove it. Thank goodness Whiplash succeeded so that Chazelle could bring us this powerfully intimate masterwork.

  I think it is important that I list all of the films I can remember seeing with a 2016 release date (37 in total) so that you have an idea of what the competition was like.

 ·         Jane Got a Gun

·         Deadpool

·         Zootopia

·         Midnight Special

·         Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

·         Captain America: Civil War

·         The Jungle Book

·         X-Men: Apocalypse

·         The Lobster

·         Alice Through the Looking Glass

·         Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

·         Finding Dory

·         Star Trek Beyond

·         Suicide Squad

·         Kubo and the Two Strings

·         Hell or High Water

·         Sully

·         The Magnificent Seven

·         Deepwater Horizon

·         Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

·         The Accountant

·         Doctor Strange

·         Hacksaw Ridge

·         Arrival

·         Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

·         Sing Street

·         The Edge of Seventeen

·         Manchester by the Sea

·         Moana

·         Jackie

·         La La Land

·         Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

·         Hidden Figures

·         The Founder

·         Patriots Day

·         A Monster Calls

·         Silence

[dontwantthenextcommanderiwantyou]

2015, ‘16, ‘17, ‘18... 96 poll wins and counting. I love my fandom.

Vote For Most 2015:

1- Best TV Couple on American Series (Clexa)

2- Top TV Couple (Clexa)

The Best Poll 2015:

3- Best Couple on American TV (Clexa)

EOnline TV Scoop Awards 2015:

4- Best Kiss (Clexa)

5- Best Guest Star (Alycia)

EnStars 2015:

6- Which The LOO Ship Do You Want To See (Clexa)

Buzz Feed 2015:

7- Best CW Couple (Clexa)

Tell-Tale TV Awards 2015:

8- Favorite Female Performer in a Drama (Eliza)

EOnline TV Scoop Awards 2016:

9- Best Guest Star (Alycia)

10- Best Drama Actress (Eliza)

11- Best Fight (Lexa vs Roan)

12- Sexiest Moment (Clexa Making Love)

13- Most Heartbreaking Goodbye (Clexa)

14- Female Breakout Star (Alycia)

15- Throw Out Your TV Moment (Lexa’s Death)

16- Best Fandom (Clexakru)

17- Best Kiss (Clexa)

AfterEllen March Madness 2016:

18- Best Actress in a Queer Role (Alycia)

Pure Fandom 2016:

19- Best SciFi Series (The LOO, this was prior to Lexa’s death in 3x07)

20- Best Couple (Clexa)

21- Best Kiss (Clexa)

22- Most Missed Character (Lexa)

23- Favorite TV Couple (Clexa)

24- The LOO Ship You’re Most Excited To See in S3 (Clexa)

People’s Choice 2016:

25- Which Character Would You Bring Back ASAP (Lexa)

Spoiler TV 2016:

26- Which Couple from “The LOO” Do You Ship (Clexa)

27- Performer of the Month, January (Alycia)

28- Performer of the Month, February (Alycia)

29- Performer of the Month, March (Eliza)

30- Greatest TV Power Couple of All Time (Clexa)

RadioTimes 2016:

31- Best SciFi/Fantasy Actress (Alycia)

EOnline 2016:

32- TV’s Top Couple (Clexa)

Zimbio TV Couples March Madness 2016:

33- Best TV Couple (Clexa)

Voice of TV 2016:

34- Super Couple of the Year (Clexa)

35- Most “Oh no you didn’t” Moment (Lexa’s Death)

36- Most Heartbreaking Death (Lexa)

37- Best Actress (Alycia)

38- TV Show That Let You Down (The LOO)

39- What Do You Want To See in The LOO (Better S3, Lexa lives)

Best of TV Awards 2016:

40- Best Recurring Actress (Alycia)

Geekiary 2016:

41- Fiercest Female Lead (Eliza): Eliza delivers the most fierce female lead as Clarke Griffin, the first ever bisexual lead character on network television.

MTV Fandom Awards 2016:

42- Fan Freakout of the Year (Lexa’s Death)

Yahooies 2016:

43- Most Painful Death (Lexa): Yall remember the revolution that followed Lexa’s killing, the creation and success of ClexaCon, etc. so I don’t have to say anything more than a true legend never dies. 

Zimbio 2016:

44- Gone Too Soon (Lexa)

CarterMatt Awards 2016:

45- Top Actress (Alycia)

46- Best Couple (Clexa)

Playbuzz 2016:

47- The LOO Favorite Character (Lexa)

48- The LOO Favorite Ship (Clexa)

49- Favorite Clarke Scene (Making Love to Lexa)

50- The LOO Saddest Death (Lexa)

51- Best Match For Clarke (Lexa)

Tumblr Top Trends 2016:

52- 2016 Top Ship (Clexa)

53- 2016 Top Actresses (Alycia)

Spoiler TV Best of 2016:

54- Favorite Couple (Clexa)

55- Character You Will Miss The Most (Lexa)

56- Most Painful Character Death (Lexa)

57- Scene That Left You Shocked (Lexa’s Death)

58- Scene That Made You Cry (Lexa’s Death)

59- Favorite Actress (Alycia)

60- Best Love Story (Clexa)

Vote For Most 2016:

61- Most Beautiful American TV Series Actress (Alycia)

62- Best American TV Series Couple (Clexa)

63- Most Beautiful Hollywood Actress (Alycia)

64- Best LGBT TV Series Couple of All Time (Clexa)

65- Best LGBT TV Series Character of All Time (Lexa)

66- Best American TV Couple of All Time (Clexa)

67- Best The LOO Character (Lexa)

Book Trib 2016:

68- Who’s The Best Match for Clarke (Lexa)

Hypable 2016:

69- Clarke’s OTP (Lexa)

EW’s TV Season Finale Awards 2016:

70- Most Unforgettable Line (“Our fight is not over.” - Lexa)

71- Best Shipper Moment (Clexa Making Love)

72- Best Return By A Character (Lexa)

Tell-Tale TV Awards 2016:

73- Favorite Lead Actress in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series (Eliza)

74- Favorite Supporting Actress in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series (Alycia)

75- Favorite Ship in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series (Clexa)

Playbuzz 2017:

76- The LOO Best Female Character (Lexa)

A Little Nerd Music 2017:

77- Who Do You Ship (Clexa)

Zimbio TV Couples March Madness 2017:

78- Best TV Couple (Clexa): Clexa not only became the first canon ship to win the crown two years in a row, but also the first f/f ship to win back-to-back.

Pure Fandom Shipper Showdown 2017:

79- Favorite The LOO Ship (Clexa)

80- Shipper Showdown Champion (Clexa)

Post Apocalyptic Media 2017:

81- Best Post Apocalyptic Ship (Clexa)

Buzzfeed 2017:

82- The LOO Saddest Death (Lexa)

83- Who Does Clarke Belong With (Lexa)

84- The LOO Best Season (S2)

85- The LOO Worst Season (S4, ratings agreed #Karma)

Vote For Most 2017:

86- Most Beautiful Hollywood Actress (Alycia)

87- Most Beautiful American TV Series Actress (Alycia)

88- Most Beautiful Woman in the World (Alycia)

EOnline TV Scoop Awards 2017:

89- Best Fandom (Clexakru): The second consecutive year that Clexakru has won the title of Best Fandom.

90- Best Drama Actress (Eliza): Also the second consecutive year that Eliza has won the title of Best Drama Actress.

Radio Times 2017:

91- Favorite SciFi Actress (Eliza)

Tell-Tale TV Awards 2017:

92- Favorite Lead Actress in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series (Eliza)

Spoiler TV 2017:

93- Performer of the Month, October (Alycia): “She’s the first and only POTM winner to land on the winner list for two separate characters.”

CarterMatt Awards 2017:

94- Most Underrated Actress (Alycia): “After winning a different category last year for her portrayal of Lexa, this is the second straight year Debnam-Carey emerges as a victor, this time it’s for her fantastic portrayal of Alicia Clark.”

CarterMatt Unsung Hero Showdown 2018:

95- Favorite Unsung Hero (Alicia Clark)

Tell-Tale TV Awards 2018:

96- Favorite Supporting Actress in a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series (Alycia)

[dontwantthenextcommanderiwantyou]

2017 is almost over, we end the year at 88 poll wins since 2015...

Vote For Most 2015:

1- Best TV Couple on American Series (Clexa)

2- Top TV Couple (Clexa)

The Best Poll 2015:

3- Best Couple on American TV (Clexa)

EOnline TV Scoop Awards 2015:

4- Best Kiss (Clexa)

5- Best Guest Star (Alycia)

EnStars 2015:

6- Which The LOO Ship Do You Want To See (Clexa)

Buzz Feed 2015:

7- Best CW Couple (Clexa)

EOnline TV Scoop Awards 2016:

8- Best Guest Star (Alycia)

9- Best Drama Actress (Eliza)

10- Best Fight (Lexa vs Roan)

11- Sexiest Moment (Clexa Making Love)

12- Most Heartbreaking Goodbye (Clexa)

13- Female Breakout Star (Alycia)

14- Throw Out Your TV Moment (Lexa’s Death)

15- Best Fandom (Clexakru)

16- Best Kiss (Clexa)

AfterEllen March Madness 2016:

17- Best Actress in a Queer Role (Alycia)

Pure Fandom 2016:

18- Best SciFi Series (The LOO, this was prior to Lexa’s death in 3x07)

19- Best Couple (Clexa)

20- Best Kiss (Clexa)

21- Most Missed Character (Lexa)

22- Favorite TV Couple (Clexa)

23- The LOO Ship You’re Most Excited To See in S3 (Clexa)

People’s Choice 2016:

24- Which Character Would You Bring Back ASAP (Lexa)

Spoiler TV 2016:

25- Which Couple from “The LOO” Do You Ship (Clexa)

26- Performer of the Month, January (Alycia)

27- Performer of the Month, February (Alycia)

28- Performer of the Month, March (Eliza)

29- Greatest TV Power Couple of All Time (Clexa)

RadioTimes 2016:

30- Best SciFi/Fantasy Actress (Alycia)

EOnline 2016:

31- TV’s Top Couple (Clexa)

Zimbio TV Couples March Madness 2016:

32- Best TV Couple (Clexa)

Voice of TV 2016:

33- Super Couple of the Year (Clexa)

34- Most “Oh no you didn’t” Moment (Lexa’s Death)

35- Most Heartbreaking Death (Lexa)

36- Best Actress (Alycia)

37- TV Show That Let You Down (The LOO)

38- What Do You Want To See in The LOO (Better S3, Lexa lives)

Best of TV Awards 2016:

39- Best Recurring Actress (Alycia)

Geekiary 2016:

40- Fiercest Female Lead (Eliza)

MTV Fandom Awards 2016:

41- Fan Freakout of the Year (Lexa’s Death)

Yahooies 2016:

42- Most Painful Death (Lexa)

Zimbio 2016:

43- Gone Too Soon (Lexa)

CarterMatt Awards 2016:

44- Top Actress (Alycia)

45- Best Couple (Clexa)

Playbuzz 2016:

46- The LOO Favorite Character (Lexa)

47- The LOO Favorite Ship (Clexa)

48- Favorite Clarke Scene (Making Love to Lexa)

49- The LOO Saddest Death (Lexa)

50- Best Match For Clarke (Lexa)

Tumblr Top Trends 2016:

51- 2016 Top Ship (Clexa)

52- 2016 Top Actresses (Alycia)

Spoiler TV Best of 2016:

53- Favorite Couple (Clexa)

54- Character You Will Miss The Most (Lexa)

55- Most Painful Character Death (Lexa)

56- Scene That Left You Shocked (Lexa’s Death)

57- Scene That Made You Cry (Lexa’s Death)

58- Favorite Actress (Alycia)

59- Best Love Story (Clexa)

Vote For Most 2016:

60- Most Beautiful American TV Series Actress (Alycia)

61- Best American TV Series Couple (Clexa)

62- Most Beautiful Hollywood Actress (Alycia)

63- Best LGBT TV Series Couple of All Time (Clexa)

64- Best LGBT TV Series Character of All Time (Lexa)

65- Best American TV Couple of All Time (Clexa)

66- Best The LOO Character (Lexa)

Book Trib 2016:

67- Who’s The Best Match for Clarke (Lexa)

Hypable 2016:

68- Clarke’s OTP (Lexa)

EW’s TV Season Finale Awards 2016:

69- Most Unforgettable Line (“Our fight is not over.” - Lexa)

70- Best Shipper Moment (Clexa Making Love)

71- Best Return By A Character (Lexa)

Playbuzz 2017:

72- The LOO Best Female Character (Lexa)

A Little Nerd Music 2017:

73- Who Do You Ship (Clexa)

Zimbio TV Couples March Madness 2017:

74- Best TV Couple (Clexa): Clexa not only became the first canon ship to win the crown two years in a row, but also the first f/f ship to win back-to-back.

Pure Fandom Shipper Showdown 2017:

75- Favorite The LOO Ship (Clexa)

76- Shipper Showdown Champion (Clexa)

Post Apocalyptic Media 2017:

77- Best Post Apocalyptic Ship (Clexa)

Buzzfeed 2017:

78- The LOO Saddest Death (Lexa)

79- Who Does Clarke Belong With (Lexa)

80- The LOO Best Season (S2)

81- The LOO Worst Season (S4, ratings agreed #Karma)

Vote For Most 2017:

82- Most Beautiful Hollywood Actress (Alycia)

83- Most Beautiful American TV Series Actress (Alycia)

EOnline TV Scoop Awards 2017:

84- Best Fandom (Clexakru): The second consecutive year that Clexakru has won the title of Best Fandom.

85- Best Drama Actress (Eliza): Also the second consecutive year that Eliza has won the title of Best Drama Actress.

Radio Times 2017:

86- Favorite SciFi Actress (Eliza)

Spoiler TV 2017:

87- Performer of the Month, October (Alycia): “She’s the first and only POTM winner to land on the winner list for two separate characters.”

CarterMatt Awards 2017:

88- Most Underrated Actress (Alycia): “After winning a different category last year for her portrayal of Lexa, this is the second straight year Debnam-Carey emerges as a victor, this time it’s for her fantastic portrayal of Alicia Clark.”

Coming Soon- Spoiler TV Performer of the Year 2017: Make sure you vote for Alycia in January for Performer of the Year! 

[dontwantthenextcommanderiwantyou]

Haters make dead lesbian jokes because jokes are all they have, especially the ones whose ship isn’t even romantically canon Lol

Our iconic wlw ship was canon, confirmed soulmates. Look at some of the polls we’ve already won and some we’re still winning with “half a ship” :D

Vote For Most 2015:

1- Best TV Couple on American Series (Clexa)

2- Top TV Couple (Clexa)

The Best Poll 2015:

3- Best Couple on American TV (Clexa)

EOnline Best Ever 2015:

4- Best Kiss (Clexa)

5- Best Guest Star (Alycia)

EOnline Best Ever 2016:

6- Best Kiss (Clexa)

7- Best Guest Star (Alycia)

8- Best Drama Actress (Eliza)

9- Best Fight (Lexa vs Roan)

10- Sexiest Moment (Clexa)

11- Most Heartbreaking Goodbye (Clexa)

12- Female Breakout Star (Alycia)

13- Throw Out Your TV Moment (Lexa’s Death)

14- Best Fandom (Clexakru)

AfterEllen:

15- Best Actress in a Queer Role (Alycia)

Pure Fandom:

16- Favorite TV Couple (Clexa)

People’s Choice:

17- Which Character Would You Bring Back ASAP (Lexa)

Spoiler TV:

18- Greatest TV Power Couple of All Time (Clexa)

19- Which Couple from “The LOO” Do You Ship (Clexa)

20- Outstanding Actress for January 2016 (Alycia)

21- Outstanding Actress for February 2016 (Alycia)

22- Outstanding Actress for March 2016 (Eliza)

RadioTimes:

23- Best SciFi/Fantasy Character (Alycia)

EOnline:

24- TV’s Top Couple (Clexa)

Zimbio:

25- Best TV Couple (Clexa)

Voice of TV:

26- Super Couple of the Year (Clexa)

27- Most “Oh no you didn’t” Moment (Lexa killed by stray bullet)

28- Most Heartbreaking Death (Lexa)

29- Best Actress (Alycia)

30- TV Show That Let You Down (The LOO)

31- What Do You Want To See In S4 of The LOO (A better S3)

Best of TV Awards:

32- Best Recurring Actress (Alycia)

Geekiary:

33- Fiercest Female Lead (Eliza)

MTV Fandom Awards:

34- Fan Freakout of the Year (Lexa’s Death)

Yahooies:

35- Most Painful Death (Lexa)

Zimbio:

36- Gone Too Soon (Lexa)

CarterMatt Awards:

37- Top Actress (Alycia)

38- Best Couple (Clexa)

Playbuzz:

39- The LOO Favorite Character & Ship (Lexa & Clexa)

Fandometrics:

40- 2016 Top Ship (Clexa)

41- 2016 Top Actresses (Alycia #1, Eliza #3)

Spoiler TV Best of 2016:

42- Favorite Couple (Clexa)

43- Character You Will Miss The Most (Lexa)

44- Most Painful Character Death (Lexa)

45- Scene That Left You Shocked (Lexa’s Death)

46- Scene That Made You Cry (Lexa’s Death)

47- Favorite Actress (Alycia)

48- Best Love Story (Clexa)

Vote For Most 2016:

49- Most Beautiful American TV Series Actress (Alycia 1st, Eliza 2nd)

50- Best American TV Series Couple (Clexa)

Still ongoing, click to drop a vote:

51 - Most Beautiful Hollywood Actress (Alycia)

52 - Best The LOO Character (Lexa & Clarke)

53 - Best LGBT Couple of All Time (Clexa)

54 - Best American TV Couple of All Time (Clexa)

55 - Best LGBT Character of All Time (Lexa)

56 - Who Do You Ship (Clexa)

57 - EOnline TV’s Top Couple 2017 (Clexa)

#ClexakruDidThat #ClexaIsLegendary #NoOtherFandomCouldEver