#this character has been bubbling for 2 months ish but hes really started to take form past couple days | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

raviposting · 4 years ago

Text

So @singledarkshade has a Dream Movie challenge where we are given 6 actors from our favorite TV shows (or movies), a wildcard actor, and an object that should be incorporated into the plot.

I decided to make my movie blurb and character descriptions like a “case file” of suspects as my movie is about a Private Investigator team, so enjoy! :)

CASEFILE: King Investigations is the best investigative group in the country, and they are taking on so-called “unsolvable” cases, refusing new cases until they solve the one they have. One day, an envelope containing $5,000 is slid under their door alongside a note on a strip of paper. The request? To solve the murder of their recently deceased employee. The problem? Every employee of King Investigations is alive and accounted for, so they quickly get on the case - to solve why one of their own is getting murdered, and stop it before it happens.

SUSPECT: Stephanie Beatriz as Aimee Gonzalez

Role: Technology specialist

Background: Suspect was hired 5 years ago after offering up her services for a case where a woman had been missing for 43 years. She solved the case within 24 hours of joining the team as a liaison and was immediately offered a full-time position at King Investigations.

Characteristics: An expert at finding someone, if you’ve left even a trace of yourself online she will work tirelessly to find you. Suspect’s favorite color is pink and seems to have a splash of pink on her at all times, alongside any decorations she ever has laying around. The suspect is an out and proud bisexual woman. Suspect seems bright and bubbly, constantly hugging the other suspects and loudly proclaiming her love for them in public. Genuine happiness or an attempt to throw off the case from herself?

Close relationships: Adam King (best friend), Nelly Johnson (close friend)

Further suspects are listed under the cut:

SUSPECT: Tom Ellis as Adam King

Role: Founder of King Investigations

Background: Suspect founded King Investigations roughly 10 years ago, but has a PI background spanning two decades. He previously worked for Perry Co., but left under good terms to create the company with his husband, co-worker, and new employee.

Characteristics: Suspect is a blunt, to-the-point PI who excels at investigating cases, but is not so great on the whole empathy thing. He is meticulous in every detail, and unlike Suspect Gonzalez’s tech-savviness, prefers everything traditional and vintage - from his work method to his clothes to his furniture. He comes off as sarcastic and dick-ish, and he is, but he’s also fiercely loyal and firmly believes in getting justice in every case. He will not give up, no matter how little he has to go on.

Close Relationships: James King (husband), Lily Mullins (best friend), Aimee Gonzalez (best friend), Andrew Perry (mentor)

SUSPECT: Michiel Huisman as James King

Role: PI - particularly skilled in surveillance

Background: Suspect has been working at King Investigations for 10 years, and like his husband, he migrated over from Perry Co.

Characteristics: The more grounded counter to his husband, the suspect is a more quiet investigative sort, who also specializes in something that comes a bit harder to his husband - empathy. His role seems to involve trailing individuals and smoothing over any issues that arise, whether they be due to the case or Suspect Adam King’s own behavior. Further information on the suspect could not be found at this time.

Close relationships: Adam King (husband), Clancy White (confidant), Andrew Perry (close friend)

SUSPECT: Malcolm Goodwin as Clancy White

Role: “Bodyguard”, particularly skilled in combat

Background: Suspect has been working at King Investigations for the shortest amount of time (2 years). Suspect began as the King Investigation team’s chief suspect in an unsolved murder, which he was promptly cleared of when the true murderer cornered Suspects Mullins and Adam King, and White apprehended them. He was offered a job shortly after. Suspect does not have a PI license and is instead employed as a “bodyguard” for the Kings, although he freely aids in investigations behind-the-scenes.

Characteristics: Suspect is soft-spoken and quiet, but seems to attempt to match the personality and energy of whoever is speaking to him. Suspect is an aromantic man who entered into a queerplatonic relationship with suspect Nelly Johnson, and now lives with Nelly Johnson and Lily Mullins.

Close Relationships: Nelly Johnson (partner), Lily Mullins (friend), James King (best friend)

SUSPECT: Emmy Raver-Lampman as Nelly Johnson

Role: Forensic specialist

Background: Suspect is the one who originally came up with the idea of King Investigations, though she never worked at Perry Co. Suspect worked at the police department for 5 years and became frustrated with the department, and suggested to King and her now-wife (then girlfriend) Mullins that she would gladly work with them under their own company. Suspect immediately quit her department job after King Investigations was founded.

Characteristics: Suspect is sharp-witted and seems to match King’s wit. She is clearly confident and has an inquisitive mind, constantly checking and re-checking every bit of evidence that comes her way.

Close relationships: Lily Mullins (wife), Clancy White (partner), Aimee Gonzalez (friend)

SUSPECT: Isla Fischer as Lily Mullins

Role: PI at King Investigations

History: Suspect has been working at King Investigations for a decade. Much like the others, she migrated over from Perry Co. Out of the original founders, she has the least experience as an investigator, having started as an intern for only a few months before moving to King Investigations.

Characteristics: Suspect is sharp-tongued and has a good poker face. She seems to have strong combat skills and is exceptionally manipulating others into giving her information. She and her wife recently moved in with Clancy White. Suspect is seemingly always on guard, scanning for danger in even the most mundane circumstances. Suspect should be watched closely.

Close relationships: Nelly Johnson (wife), Clancy White (close friend), Adam King (best friend), Andrew Perry (mentor)

SUSPECT: Harrison Ford as Andrew Perry

Role: Former head of Perry Co.

Background: Suspect is the mentor to the Kings and Mullins, who all used to work for him before moving on to create King Investigations. Perry retired shortly before the three announced their business.

Characteristics: He acts as a father figure to these suspects King(s) and Mullins, and sees them regularly, as well as occasionally visiting the other team members. Suspect seemed reluctant to come out of retirement when the investigative team asked him to come out of retirement to help solve the case, but did so upon realizing that it was a life-or-death situation. Suspect seems reserved, but clearly cares for the founding investigators.

Close relationships: Adam King (mentee), Lily Mullins (mentee), James King (close friend)

Item - Lamp

The lamp is remarked upon by every single member of the investigative team. Clancy believes Aimee brought it in, due to her love of pink. Nelly believes Adam brought it in with his love of vintage materials, Adam believes it was Clancy due to his poor taste in decorations, etc. Each team member has an off-hand comment on how ugly the lamp looks before moving on.

BONUS: Plot summary (with some scenes written in because I couldn’t help myself)

We start off with a news-voiceover on King Investigation’s latest bust as we see the team stopping a potential murder. The reporter briefly introduces each character (as we see each doing their own thing in the case), and through the voiceover, we see the team turning in the suspect to the police, as well as discovering valuables of their client’s. She thanks them and provides them with a hefty sum of money. The reporter says the team has solved yet another seemingly unsolveable case and preventing a murder to boot, while we see the team begin to move furniture into a new building. As the voiceover speaks about their professionalism, we see Nelly and Adam arguing, and Nelly throwing out an old vase. Aimee sits on the curb, watching the group arguing and struggling to carry the furniture into the house. The voiceover begins to praise the team for their hard work and perserverance, as we see Clancy turn to Aimee and motion towards the furniture, at which point she shrugs and offers him the chips she has been eating. He accepts and sits down next to her.

The beginning half hour shows the dynamics within the team - a team that seems to bicker constantly, but are obviously very close with one another. They are at lunch with their former boss, Andrew Perry, when he asks how the move is going:

[The team is clustered around a round table outside. CLANCY is holding NELLY’s hand. LILY has a pleasant smile on her face, but she is looking beyond the group, her eyes scanning the area. ADAM has his legs stretched out, prompting an eye roll from AIMEE, and JAMES has made himself as small as possible, crossing his legs to provide AIMEE more room. ANDREW sits next to AIMEE, looking at the group with an amused smile]

ADAM: It’s splendid, really, Andrew, save for Nelly throwing out my furniture yet again -

NELLY: If you get one more ugly-ass vintage piece I am throwing it out, I swear to God.

ADAM, indignant: I - ugly? These are pieces of history.

[ADAM processes that NELLY said she would throw out his pieces]

ADAM: And excuse me? Throw out the furniture I bring into my office? Need I remind you that I am the boss?

NELLY [mocking ADAM’s indignant tone]: Need I remind you King Investigations wouldn’t even be a thing if I didn’t suggest it?

[ANDREW laughs and excuses himself to flag down a waiter and get another round of drinks for the table. As he leaves, ADAM and NELLY have a stare down while the rest of the group ignores them. AIMEE reaches over JAMES to steal a fry from ADAM’s plate, but he swats her hand away, never breaking eye contact. The music swells, until finally -]

NELLY: Fine. I won’t throw away your stupid vintage shit.

ADAM: Aha! See, this is why I am the boss, everyone.

[The group ignores him, and JAMES grabs two fries from ADAM’s plate, giving one to AIMEE]

The team gets settled in, setting up security measures, adjusting things around the office, and giving Perry a tour. We see them in a fully furnished office, pouring over what case they want to take on next. Lily pauses for a moment, thinking she’s heard something, but brushes off the feeling and continues on. The team falls silent when Clancy notices a letter that has slid under their door, alongside an envelope with $50,000 in cash with the message:

CLANCY [with a confused, questioning tone]: My deepest condolences to losing a member of your investigative team, I trust this amount will be enough for you to uncover who carried out this plot, the remainder will be delivered to you upon the completion of the case?

[AIMEE furrows her eyebrows and quickly counts up each member in the room]

AIMEE: Well unless one of us drops in the next 5 seconds, I’d say we’re all pretty alive.

CLANCY: Maybe it’s a joke?

JAMES [gesturing to the money]: It is a very expensive joke.

The team determines that the note was sent in advance because somewhere, the murderer’s plot went wrong, and so they work with two goals in mind: Figure out who is getting murdered, and why.

JAMES: First, we have to figure out who is most likely to be our victim.

[All eyes turn to ADAM, who is intently pouring over the letter. He stops when he hears the lack of silence, and glares at them]

ADAM: Oh come on now, I get the job done.

NELLY: I say this with love, but you’re an asshole, Adam. I think every case we’ve ever worked has at least one person who threatened to kill you.

LILY: And twice it was the victim we were saving.

ADAM: Well that’s just -

NELLY [muttering]: I’d kill you myself over your shitty home decor choices.

[NELLY briefly motions to the garish pink lamp in the corner, but ADAM is not paying attention, because his attention is on JAMES, who has turned to write down ADAM’s name at the top of his whiteboard, and ADAM gives a sound of protest. JAMES looks back at his husband, an apologetic look on his face.]

JAMES: Sorry, Adam. You know it’s true.

ADAM [sighs, waving his hand at the board]: Fine, put me on the board.

[JAMES writes down ADAM’s name at the top of the whiteboard, then underlines his name three times]

Throughout the movie, the team works to identify who the victim could be. Clancy and Lily tail the Kings, convinced that it is Adam or James who are the intended victims. Adam and Aimee work on the idea that it could be due to one of their past cases, and James and Nelly track down the man who sent the letter - a recent British immigrant who claims that he was told to do so and paid by an anonymous caller and that he never got the face. He admits he realized he got the date wrong - 5/6/2021 instead of 6/5/2021, and they realize it is a month before the supposed murder is supposed to take place.

Coming to a pause in their investigation, James, Lily, and Adam ask Andrew for help. He is reluctant but agrees. The group continues on, getting frustrated as they track down lead after lead without any further break. It comes to a head when:

[ADAM slams down a file in frustration, and the other members look up, frustration etched onto their faces as well.]

ADAM: There’s nothing. There probably will be nothing until the murder is supposed to happen.

[CLANCY sighs and leans his head back, wincing when he hits the pink lamp]

CLANCY: Okay, I know that you love pink, Aimee, but this is ugly even with the color scheme.

[The team has a confused look on their faces, and AIMEE and ADAM speak at the same time]

AIMEE: No, Lily brought it in - ADAM: Wait, you didn’t bring it?

LILY: Why would I bring this - CLANCY: Definitely didn’t, man.

[There is a brief pause as each team member processes, and the team speaks over one another]

JAMES: I had just assumed Clancy brought it in as well -

NELLY: Okay, I thought it was Adam. Figured he was just trying to rile me up with his weird furniture.

ADAM: I have taste, Nelly -

[LILY shushes the group]

LILY: So none of us bought this lamp in?

[The group stares at the lamp, and LILY writes on a slip of paper. The other members write as well, understanding that there may be a bug in the lamp, and Nelly grabs her materials to investigate the lamp.]

As the group continues, they find a listening device in the lamp. Aimee works to trace where it came from, but Adam stops her, and looks to Lily and James, a look of understanding passing between them, as they all recognize and used to use this type of listening device before - at Perry Co. They dig into Andrew and find out that he was not intending to retire until he found out about King Investigations - a week prior to them actually telling him of their plan, and a former colleague tells them that Perry had lamented that if Nelly hadn’t brought up the idea, this never would have happened. They determine that Nelly is his target and start their plan.

The next scene, Andrew is visiting the office to help with the case. The team confronts him, laying down the evidence:

ADAM [his eyes are teary, but his tone is angry and cold]: Rather clever of you, got the lamp in what, during the final move? And you listened to us so you’d be ahead of us every step of the way.

AIMEE: Once we figured out it was you, it was all too easy to track the phone you used to contact [letter sender].

LILY [her tone biting]: And we asked you for help. You played hesitant, but we offered you up the case on a silver platter.

JAMES: And we know exactly who you were trying to kill.

[The music swells, and ANDREW’s shoulders slump. He knows that he’s been found out. He and ADAM speak at the same time.]

ADAM: Nelly ANDREW [resigned]: Myself

[There is a pause, and then JAMES speaks, surprise clear in his voice for the first time in the movie]

JAMES: What?

From here, we have the conclusion - Andrew admits that he doesn’t hate Nelly, he respects her for understanding when a change needs to occur. He hadn’t planned on retiring until he found out he was losing his best detectives, but he didn’t want them to go onto their new job with any hesitations or regrets, so he announced his retirement earlier than planned. There was just one problem - he began missing his detectives, who he had come to view as pseudo-children.

Andrew put a plan into place - he would prove, as Aimee did all those years ago, that he could be useful to the team. He concocted a plan where he would fake his death and lead the team down different twists and turns until they found the culprit, at which point he would reveal himself to be alive. Unfortunately, his letter was delivered far too early, and Andrew had to intervene wherever he could in the investigation.

ADAM: I can’t believe this.

ANDREW: I know, I know, it was stupid, I just wanted to show you I was sharp and could still do it.

ADAM: You could have just applied, like a normal person.

ANDREW: I could have, but that wouldn’t be nearly as fun, would it?

JAMES: A murder plot is not fun, Andrew.

The team forgives Andrew, knowing that his intentions were good, but say that they need a bit of time before seeing him again, and he agrees. In the last act a few months later, they are having lunch again, sans Andrew. They return to the office. When they open the door, they see a paper, and Adam sighs before he realizes what it is. It’s a job application, filled out with a resume for an Andrew Perry attached, and he grins.

[ADAM picks up his phone and sits down, the ugly pink lamp right next to him, and the phone rings, until someone picks up.]

ADAM [smiling]: Hello there, I’m calling to follow up with your application to King Investigations. It is rather impressive, and we’d like to call you in for an interview.

[Muffled sounds of a voice coming through the phone, and ADAM grins wider]

ADAM: Wonderful, we’ll see you at 8 AM sharp tomorrow. We look forward to having you on board Mr. Perry

This was so fun to write! Thanks to @ginnxtonic for helping me choose between my two endings lol <3

#stephanie beatriz #malcolm goodwin #michiel huisman #emmy raver lampman #isla fisher #tom ellis #harrison ford #dream movie challenge #idk why the steph photo is so big rip but anyway woot woot #fun fact i completely scrapped my old idea and did this yesterday night a;sdlakjf #bc i'm nothing if not inconsistent apparently #dream movie #janie writes stuff

25 notes · View notes

kayteewritessteve · 5 years ago

Text

Beautifully Unfinished - 3/8

Description: One foolish outburst, one moment of weakness at the worst possible time, and everything goes up in smoke. Who knew finally voicing your true, deep-rooted feelings, would lead to the complete destruction of your most cherished friendship?

Masterlist HERE.

Word Count: 2,380 ish.

Pairing: Modern!Steve Rogers x Reader.

Rating: PG.

Warnings: Curse words. Lots of angst. But if you’ve read my stories before, then you know how this will end.

A/N: I sadly don’t own any of these characters. And no beta reader, so I do proudly own all the errors and this story, so there’s that.

High School.

You stand off to the side of the large stairs, that lead up to the front doors of your new school. Unable to stand still, your whole body buzzing from both excitement and fear.

Today is a huge day in your life, it is not only the first day of grade 9, your first day of High School, but also the day you finally get Steve back. His parents had divorced long before you knew him, and every summer he’d have to go stay with his dad, for the entire break.

So you’ve just gone 2 full months without him, which is not okay, not even in the slightest. But you figure you’ll never be able to go long periods of time without him anymore. Not since he’d ran into your life like some damn knight in shining armour, and then continued to protect you ever since. Though Buck ended up also becoming your knight in shining armour in a roundabout way, as he always had to protect Steve when he’d foolishly step up to defend you.

It was a domino effect really. That whole first year of knowing them, all of grade 7, you’d get picked on for being the new kid. Which always meant Steve would step in, and then Bucky would have to do the same.

Then finally at the beginning of grade 8, everyone started to leave you alone, and therefore Steve and Bucky finally got a much needed break. Everyone either gave up on bullying you because you finally weren’t the ‘new kid’ anymore. Or they just learned that Bucky would always finish the fight, so there was just no point in even starting it to begin with. Either way, you were just happy for the outcome. For finally being left entirely alone.

Steve’s dad had ended up being deployed over the summer months between grade 7 and 8, so Steve hadn’t gone to visit him. And instead spent the break with you and Buck. And it was the best summer you’d ever had, the three of you had only grown more inseparable during that time.

So this summer was strange, it honestly would have been a complete write off had it not been for Bucky. He’d done everything in his power to keep you entertained and outside, enjoying the time off and the heat. It had started to feel a little like he was smothering you, actually. And you had this weird suspicion that he knew of your feelings for Steve, yet he never brought it up, not once. And you’d never voiced them aloud, as very last thing you ever wanted was for anyone to find out, but especially not Steve.

Oh God, that would just be mortifying if he ever learned the truth. If he ever figured out you were basically head over heels in love with him for the past 2 years. That is the exact reason why you are currently standing here, impatient and antsy, as you wait for Steve to meet you in this very spot. Bucky too, obviously, but you’d been around him all summer, you are sick of him at this point. Steve is the true reason for your fiddling and anxiety levels, at this moment.

A strong set of arms wraps around your waist, and scaring the Jesus out of you. You gasp as the arms lift you up and spin you around, and it only takes you a moment to realize who they belong to.

“Bucky! Put me down this instant!” You squeal as you continue to spin, having attempted a stern voice but obviously failing miserably. However, the moment the words leave your mouth, the spinning stops and you feel a rumble on your back. He is laughing at you, that little shi—wait a tick, that doesn’t sound like Bucky’s chuckle...

“Guess again, Doll,” a deep, amused voice rings in your ears. Their lips sounding just mere inches from your skin, and the breath fanning your neck confirms that thought.

Your mind blanks at the voice. You don’t recognize it so who the fuck is behind you right now?! Your feet hit the ground and you snap around, ready to give this weirdo a piece of your mind. How dare some stranger touch you! But the second your eyes land on the solid chest in front of you, your whole body freezes.

Your eyes slowly lift up to meet a piercing set of blues that you would recognize anywhere. Your throat goes dry, as your mind tries to come to terms with what you are currently looking at. It’s obviously Steve, but holy fuck, what the hell happened to him!?

You involuntarily step back and give him a full once over. Your eyes hungrily taking in every new detail. What the hell happened to your best friend?! It has only been two months! Yes, in that time you’ve changed a lot as well, you’ve grown an inch taller, your face matured just a little, and you’ve finally filled out in all the right places. You can thank puberty for that. But Jesus! Steve looks like he has had a full body swap. He is tall, stupidly tall, and he’s bulked up. And by that you mean he looks like a damn Greek God now.

Oh fuck. Oh fuck fuck fuck. What the hell are you supposed to do about your feelings for him now!? Shit. You’d loved him when he was small, sickly even, back when he was a large personality and heart trapped in a small package. But now, now his outside matched his insides, and that is entirely too much for your brain and heart to handle.

“Y/N?” He quietly says, sounding unsure. “It’s me, Steve,” he adds, as if you hadn’t already figured that much out on your own.

You shake your head, plastering the fake nonchalant smile on your lips, the one that you’ve become so good at doing. You’ve mastered this exact smile by now. Having to use it every time he’s done something thoughtful, or said something sweet. As you didn’t want him to know just how much those little moments, words and gestures all truly meant to you.

“Thanks Tips, I never would have figured that out without you telling me,” you joke a small chuckle bubbling out, causing that deep rumble in him, again. And your knees almost go weak at the sound, swallowing thickly as your eyes fully meet his. And now it takes everything in you to push your loud thoughts of attraction down, feigning friendly intrigue instead. You weakly gesture to his whole form, “So, ah, what the hell happened to you?”

He smirks and glances down at himself, your eyes doing the same. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction to give him another full once over, drinking in how he now looks. And fuck! How is it possibly for someone to be this attractive?! Why must the boy you love, now be even more appealing?! Someone upstairs must be fucking with you! This has to be a joke!

You’d loved him inside and out before, his large heart and immense kindness taking you completely by surprise, and causing you to basically melt into a puddle of admiration and disbelief. How someone could be as utterly amazing and completely awe inspiring as him, was insanely unfair before.

But now, now in this ridiculously attractive body, it was downright illegal. It shouldn’t be allowed for one person to be so damn perfect!

He chuckles, and the deep sound again messes with you. Your breath hitches in your throat and your eyes flick up to his once more. Instantly seeing the amusement in his blue orbs, he clearly saw you fully checking him out. How utterly embarrassing.

He shrugs nonchalantly now, as if his change was nothing major, as if it had just happened over night and he hadn’t really even noticed it till this exact moment. “Dad is big on being healthy and exercising. He got me into it over the summer, and this was just the outcome.”

You go to reach out involuntarily to touch his chest, but halt the action and quickly drop your hand as you clue in to what your hazy mind was just about to have you do. You were just about to feel him up, just about to allow your fingertips to graze him as if to fully check he is real. That he is actually standing in front of you currently, and that this isn’t just some insane trick your mind is playing. Like you’d made this all up and he is just a figment of your imagination.

But wait, he’d picked you up, he’d already touched you, so you know this was all real. He is actually here, standing in front of you.

That last thought trumps all others and you jump towards him, wrapping your arms around his neck. Which proves to be way more difficult now with the height difference. “Holy shit, Stevie,” you happily squeal, your mind only focused on one thing now. The return of your best friend. “You’re finally home! I missed you so much!” You smile widely as you feel his now insanely large arms wrap around you again, his face tucking into the spot where your neck meets your shoulder.

“I missed you too, Y/N. So much,” he murmurs into your skin, his breath causing goosebumps to form instantly.

After a moment someone clearing their throat beside you forces you both to pull back and release from the embrace. Looking to the side you see Buck, standing a few feet away, his arms crossed and one brow raised as he glances between the two of you. He gives you a smug look, like he knows exactly what you are thinking currently. Giving you the distinct impression again that he knows about your true feelings for Steve.

You don’t even have a chance to give him a pleading look before he unfolds his arms and smiles at Steve, “welcome home, Punk!”

They move towards each other and share a bro hug—ya know, the type of hug guys share. The one where they each loudly clap a hand on the others back before promptly separating and taking a step back. Yeah, that kind of hug.

“Thanks, Jerk,” Steve chuckles again as Bucky gives him a full once over.

“Jesus, Stevie,” Buck shakes his head, widening his eyes slightly. “What the hell did your dad feed ya all summer, fucking steroids?”

Steve throws his head back, laughing loudly at your friends feigned shock and dismay. “Nah, just a bunch of protein, meat and veggies. Ya know, the good stuff.”

“Guess we can’t call you Stevie anymore,” Bucky jokes.

“No, screw that,” you quickly pipe up, your eyes meeting Steves as you smirk, “he’ll always be Stevie to us.”

He smirks right back, “that I will.”

You all spend a few more minutes catching up before you head into the school. It only takes a few weeks to get used to his new Steve. Which isn’t overly surprising as he is still entirely the same guy on the inside. So all you have to come to terms with is his new exterior.

But that isn’t really the hard part, no, you getting used to his new looks is nothing in comparison to having to get used to his new attention. Every girl, and some guys, in your school now notice him. Most of them damn near throwing themselves at his feet.

You spend most of grade 9 in a jealous rage that you have to try desperately to play off. Using the excuse of just being angry that no one paid any attention to him when he was small, but now they were all just being superficial, and he deserved better than that.

Bucky clearly saw right through your bullshit, but luckily Steve didn’t. He appreciated that you cared about him enough to glare at the stupid girls fawning over him. He laughed when you mumbled insults about them under your breath. He’d smirk when you’d say some of those insults to their faces. Yes, it was rude to insult these girls, but they didn’t deserve him. Not before, when he was small, and definitely not now, that he was big.

But then again, you clearly didn’t deserve him either. Or at least you never felt like you did. Which meant you never once told him of your feelings, and instead dated other guys during high school. Trying to get over your feelings for Steve, over this ridiculous love you had for the guy.

The day he came to you, finally telling you he’d started dating a girl, was the first time your heart truly cracked. But you’d plastered that same fake smile on your lips and congratulated him. You’d pushed your feelings down the second you’d heard the true excitement in his voice. He was happy, but just because you weren’t the one causing that happiness, didn’t mean you weren’t excited for him.

You’d managed to make it through the entire school day, and got home before you broke down and cried all night over a tub of ice cream. You’d eventually passed out, your eyes puffy and red.

Then the rest of the week had gone the same, faking that you were fine all day and then crying yourself to sleep. After a while, the pain numbed and you became used to seeing him with someone else. The years quickly flying passed and before you knew it, it was grade 12.

Steve had had a few girlfriends over the years, just as you’d had a few boyfriends. He’d never really liked any of your boyfriends though, just as you’d never really liked any of his girlfriends. So whenever you both hung out, it was always alone or with Buck, which was one small thing that you were thankful for. He never forced you to be around his girlfriends, and in return, you never forced him to be around your partners.

Because if they ever had, they’d probably all instantly notice your reactions to Steve’s presence. Something he, himself, never noticed, as you’d always been this way with him. But anyone else who witnessed it, usually could tell instantly about your true feelings for the guy.

Cause every time you’re with him, somehow you forget to breathe.

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

@caps-lockdown @boxofteenageideas @giggleberts @strawberry-gothchild @theonelittleone @agentbadbitch @ratwrites @bandsandanimefreak @rockyroadthepastryarchy @lovvliies @cuffski @icesoccerer @steeeeverogers @zombiepotterfour @ledandan1244 @straightforwardly @denzmallows @xremember-me-notx @gwynethjodie @lollipopdomination @capstopavenger @jemimah-b99 @rcvenqers @justkending @alagalaska @silent-loucidity @sabertooth-potato @pies-wands-and-more @interstellarmess @gabriella69816 @phantom-soilder @viarogers @kaithezaftig @the-kinkiest-goblin @hysterically-original @badassbeckettswan @heyiamthatbitch @zlixlle @givemehopenfandoms @pretendingandpreposterous @frozen-phoenix17 @emotionallysalty @saturngirlz @atomicsludgedonutbiscuit @bohemian-barbie @marvelous-capsicle @ivoryhazlewood @cjhorseback @jessiedaeum @capricornprince118 @pinkleopardss @drayshadow @wiserebelpartypie @dark-night-sky-99 @patzammit @cs-please @troublermalik @anika-ann @wxstedhexrt

#au fanfiction #fanfiction #long post #long read #marvel au #marvel fanfiction #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers x you #modern!steve rogers x reader #modern!steve rogers #modern!steve #modern au #Beautifully Unfinished #Part 3 #angst #steve rogers au

176 notes · View notes

megsironthrone · 5 years ago

Text

Choose Your Story 2.0 -Part 4

Here’s part 4! You voted and chose B: Reader and Brienne start a relationship and keep it secret! *Characters are NOT mine!*

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Warnings: University/Modern AU, fluff-ish?, A little short, and a couple POV changes.

Pairings/Characters: Brienne x reader, mystery character

"I-I mean the rules don't specifically forbid a relationship, but the staff probably wouldn't look favorably on it. I think the main question is if we want to risk it," you said, licking your lips. You let your eyes meet hers again. You could practically see the gears turning in her head. Her brows were furrowed and her lips were turned down in a frown. You desperately wanted to know what she was thinking.

Brienne's POV

Brienne's mind was bouncing around. Her thoughts were a jumble. She was sitting here with you, the first person she'd cared about in a long time, and rules and conventions were trying to keep you apart. After the way her last relationship ended, she hadn't felt a spark with anyone in a while. She wasn't about to let you slip through her fingers. Not after what happened with Jaime.

Jaime had been a thorn in her side when they first met, but over time she grew to love him. They shared an intense, albeit short relationship. After that, he'd been shipped off to war and was never heard from again. Brienne truly believed he had died. It still hurt from time to time to think about him, but she couldn't let it stop her.

Brienne glanced at you again and smiled. "If it's not expressly forbidden, then I see no reason why we shouldn't pursue this," she said carefully and slowly. You let your lips stretch into a grin. "Are you sure?" She nodded, pleased to see a smile on your face. "If you're willing. No one has to know if we don't want them to. So…are you willing?" In answer, you leaned in and kissed her again.

*time skip*

Normal POV

Dating Brienne was better than you imagined. It was actually really thrilling to find out of the way places for dates, places you wouldn't be caught by any member of the faculty. You were able to try new places every couple of weeks whenever you had time. You would spend hours together, talking, walking, eating. It was a beautiful thing you had going and the longer it went on, the more you found yourself falling for her.

Brienne wasn't perfect. No one was, but what you loved about her was that she didn't pretend to be. She knew her flaws and most of the time embraced them. Never once did she make you feel like less of a person because of something you said or did. She understood your nature. You balanced each other in ways you'd never thought possible. It was probably about your fifth actual date that you realized you were truly falling in love with her.

For six months, you and Brienne had a secret life of bliss. You laughed, loved, argued, and made up. You made the most out of every moment together, never knowing when you'd get a chance to have more time alone. For six months, the two of you were wrapped in your bubble of a relationship. You were pretty certain Tormund knew, but he never said anything. He was your best friend and he wanted you to be happy. Other than him, no one had any clue what was going on between you and Brienne. That would soon come crashing down.

You smiled at Brienne as you sat across from her. The two of you had decided on a picnic lunch that day. The students and faculty were on break for a little while and the day was nice. You had found a park away from the campus where you could eat and enjoy each other's company outdoors and in peace. You knew Brienne loved being outside more than anything.

"This is nice," she said softly before taking a strawberry. "It is. I wish we had time to do this more often. I wish we had time to do a lot more often," you replied with a chuckle. When you finished eating, you laid down with your head on her lap. She smiled down at you as she ran her fingers through your hair. "After we rest for a bit, what do you say we rent a couple of bicycles?"

You opened your mouth to agree when a shadow fell over you. Your brows furrowed as you looked at the intruder. You felt Brienne's legs stiffen under your head. Sitting up, you rested your hand on hers. You met the eyes of the person standing over you and your girlfriend and froze. The only thing going through your mind was, "What is he doing here?!"

(a/n: voting for part 5 will begin tomorrow!)

Tags list is still open!

#choose your story #university au #cys #part 4 #brienne of tarth #brienne of tarth x reader #brienne x reader

21 notes · View notes

sundaynightnovels · 5 years ago

Text

11/11/11

so i’ve been tagged by @kidsarentallwrite for this one, and @a-ray-of-moonshine , so i’ll be answering both here! thank you so much for thinking of me! <3 What song makes your OC go absolutely, batshit feral? okay i really don’t know the answer to this one, but hmmmm let me think . i think that zhen’s the sort to sing songs loudly and obnoxiously just to be an annoying ass and lu’d join her, and then yu(f) would be really mega pissed because she’s right in the next room trying to do some work when these two tone-deaf idiots are screeching their lungs out in the kitchen so yes, zhen & lu’s singing would make yu(f) go absolutely feral. anything they sing. i think the OTHER yu(m) would go absolutely feral when jun, being a lil piece of shit who likes to get on his nerves, sings songs about rain. because yknow, yu(m)’s name means rain. right now the song i’m thinking of is jay chou’s 听见下雨的声音 (which means, listen to the sound of rain falling) and jun would sing it whenever yu(m) tries to say something because of, yknow, the title. and then blatantly ignore whatever yu(m)’s trying to say. so yes, the two yu(s) lead very sad lives. please give them more love. (though i’d understand if you don’t, one is an Antisocial Edgelord and one is an Edgy Antisocial Lording Over Others . there’s a difference) What would your OC go on an hours long rant about given the opportunity? for shou? anything. absolutely anything. off the top of my mind, the sun (i’ve mentioned this so many times, don’t even ask), names (names have meanings to him!! why is zhen called zhen and teng called teng? why is he called shou??? a lot of them don’t share in his sentiments but he has Very Strong Feelings about it) lu is about his sad existence as a little boy who is starving on the streets. he’d say it often in the kitchen, when zhen is preparing some food. zhen would be about rising costs of living and capitalism and having to work when they’re dead and yu(f) being a loser who only wants to work and teng being a loser who can’t get any girls and about how life is meaningless and the only solace is sleep and jia would rant with her for the fun of it yu(f) would rant about zhen, yu(m) would rant about jun, teng would rant about love and loneliness and ren would run away. (yes that was a pun, if you got it please appreciate) Do your OCs have tattoos? If not, would they ever get a tattoo? Why or why not? i think i’ve answered this somewhere before??? not very sure . but yea anyway shou thinks it’s blasphemous but he would also consider one, zhen can’t be bothered, lu is a little kid WHAT ARE YOU ASKING FROM HIM teng is deathly afraid of the pain and it’s plainly obvious, jun isn’t scared of the pain but can’t be bothered either but also might already have one, you never know, yu(f) thinks it’s a waste of money, yu(m)... i feel like he might have one, not sure why. jia probably has one, some nice gorgeous insta-worthy one on her collarbone or on her back. ren probably has one but he keeps it hidden and no one knows about it. You bump into your OC on the street unexpectedly. How do you react? oh no. which one? if i catch shou in a distracted mood, i probably can get away without him yammering in my ears. if it’s zhen, i’ll probably get sued for something and she’ll try to extort something from me. probably the bubble tea in my hands, or the money in my wallet. probably. for lu he’d extort food. even if it’s in my stomach. yu(f) would be the one who bumps into me and continues marching off because she is a busy woman and ain’t got time for this. ren would probably apologise and yknow, be a normal, nice human being. yu(m) would just stare and maybe walk away, but he looks fierce so it probs looks like he’s glaring and i’ll be scared shitless. or be pissed, depends on my mood. teng would apologise a lot a lot and offer to get my things (even if i hadn’t dropped them) and be a sputtering mess because unfortunately i am Woman and he cannot deal jun would ignore probably. depending on his mood, might make some cryptic comment that’s slightly disturbing. or he’d be really charming . who knows? jia would also probably react like a normal human being. not the nicest, but normal anyway. Which vines best describe your OCs? i am a failure and i don’t really know vines If your WIP is ever adapted into another form of media, what form would you like? Film, television, comic, podcast? Any others? sitcom, probably. also considering the amount of talking they do, maybe podcast. definitely not film. there’s no plot here. maybe theatre, just for fun. What is your favourite part about writing? what are you talking about?? Is you got to have a conversation with your favourite author, what would you talk about? the only author i can think of now is rick riordan and i’d talk about how i appreciate that he’s just doing what he wants and making it fun for him and diversity and lame humour and stupid characters and all that crap Have any writing habits or quirks? don’t write enough to have some. HAHA just kidding i have many many run-on sentences but i need them for RHYTHM and BEAT and FEELING you know???? long sentences are my jam and they help create music structure in writing do NOT TAKE THEM AWAY FROM ME also use oxford commas. sue me. What do you prefer: dialogue or action? stupid banter-ish dialogue. evocative atmospheric-ish contemplation and inner musings no one acts. Who is the first Writeblr you followed? Do you remember why you followed them? i really don’t know! sorry! --

1. Is there a trope you never get tired of? characters who share One brain cell. family. long rambling stories that go nowhere really bad humour yes some of these are not tropes, i am aware.

2. Who is your least favorite character in your WIP? Why? gasps!!! okay so let’s go down the list, i hate shou because he’s annoying as hell and he talks so much he himself gives 4k worth of dialogue in a single chapter, i hate zhen because she doesn’t do or admit to anything and trying to figure her out is like trying to get a worm to walk on two feet, i hate lu because he only talks about food and be a dirty lil kid, i hate ren because he is too nice and doesn’t think for himself, i hate teng because he gets easily bullied and he also talks too much for no damn reason, i hate jun because he keeps himself too deep and it’s impossible to get him to do anything serious, i hate yu(f) because she only works and literally there’s nothing to describe in her boring one bedroom can she get out of her room already, i hate yu(m) because i still don’t know him well enough after all these months, i hate jia because somehow i keep forgetting her in these tag games even though her presence is Big in the wip yup there you go. they’re all my least favourite.

3. Let’s say I’m planning to visit the setting of your WIP for a weekend. What should I take with me? What are the most important things for me to know beforehand? Which of your characters should I ask to be my guide? uh. i’d just say Don’t. don’t visit. it’s not a good thing, you can’t choose to visit anyway, you can’t take anything with you because yknow, well there’s this little chinese saying i kinda abide by for this wip and i’m lazy to type it out now but it was in my previous chinese mytho au drabble so yea also. guide????? maybe the safest might be ren, but also not really. hm. if you want an enthusiastic little puppy, choose shou. but he might talk your ears off and annoy you so you know, pick your poison 4.Beginning, middle, or end—which is the hardest for you as a writer?

middle

5. Which is more inspiring for you: music or visual art?

music!

6. Do you have any other creative interests and hobbies besides writing?

lol i have no interests okay really. hm. i used to draw a little bit but i’ve stopped, used to play piano but i’ve stopped, used to play cello but i’ve stopped. so yea, really, nothing much.

7. How close is your WIP now to what you were expecting it to be when you just started?

i’ve finished the first draft since the start of the year, which is great and i totally didn’t expect it! .... am barely into the second draft though, so that’s a bummer. you see, this is why sometimes you shouldn’t get achievements. once that one milestone is reached you just lie down there at the rest stop and never get up.

8. What are your plans for when you finish your WIP? Traditional publishing? Indie publishing? Putting it online for others to read for free?

traditional probs, because i don’t trust myself enough to do it on my own and i have little visual sensibilities so the cover would be hella ugly. also like, not even sure if traditional publishers would want my odd little plotless thing, but yknow, i like it.

9. Your MC is here. On your doorstep. Planning to spend the day with you. Oh, and they know you’re the author responsible for everything that’s going on in the story right now. Are you expecting it to be a nice conversation, or do you maybe want to run and hide? :D

thank god i consider my MC to be shou instead of zhen. oh yea he’ll have lots of questions and he’ll poke at my brains a lot and he’d be hella noisy and also he’ll be sweating a lot because of his clothes and long hair, but still thank god it’s shou for the rest of them, i’d run and hide in the bottom of the ocean.

10. Name a song that could be your villain’s personal anthem.

eh. there’s no villain. if you consider the author to be the villain though hMMM i have favourite songs but no personal anthems, sorry

11. Is there anything you would never, ever write a story about, even if you were offered a large sum of money to do so?

eh. probs something like a law drama-ish thing. too many long words and complex jargon, not my kinda thing.

>> i’ll be tagging @coffehousecreations @bookenders @aslanwrites @rktho-writes @bahay-kubo @aloonycynic @arte-muse @elliswriting @mvcreates @inkpot-dreamer @dc-writes and here are my questions (which i think are pretty interesting heh feel free to do it and tag me even if i haven’t tagged you for it!) 1) your wip is now set in percy jackson’s world (if you don’t know, it’s just a bunch of monsters from greek mythologies chasing after young kids who have powers. we’re assuming your OCs are all demigods here, so they have powers and are being chased). who would be the one flailing and crying for help? who would be the one standing in front and thinking of a solution? who would be the first one eaten and who would be the one to survive till they reach camp? 2) after barely escaping percy jackson’s world, they’re now thrown into harry potter. the dementors are everywhere. what are the bad memories that these dementors draw from your OCs? how do they react to it? (don’t worry, they’re saved before being given the kiss. somehow.) 3) they’re now plopped into the good place. who is in the good place, and who is in the bad place? (for those who don’t watch the show, well. i think this naming speaks for itself) 4) ah, bummer. some misfiling of paperwork from the higher-ups, sorry. your OCs are once again alive and kicking, but then things happen again and well, they’re in marvel and the Snap has just happened (i.e., people have suddenly disappeared into dust after an event and no one knows what happened to them). assuming individual scenarios for your OCs where each of them are the only one left in the group, how would they react and what are their coping mechanisms? 5) and then the Blip happens and everyone is back, after five years! hurray! once again, assuming individual scenarios for your OCs where each of them are the only one left in the group, and then everyone suddenly returns like nothing’s happened, how would they then react to this change of scenario? how do they adapt? 6) all is well for a while, until The Fire Nation Attacked. who runs away and hides in isolation? who joins the colonising forces? who attempts a rebellion? who concedes defeat and lets the enemies in? 7) alright, now let’s give your OCs a break. they’re back in school and it’s high school musical! which typical high school cliques are each of them in and why? 8) now we’re in deadpool and it’s time to break the 4th wall and change the focus to: the author. what kind of jokes / things do you want to include in your wip but can’t seem to, maybe because of genre restrictions or age restrictions or it just, well, doesn’t fit? (ryan reynolds would say to include it all anyway, but yknow, that’s because he has money) 9) following the ryan reynolds thread, what is the one most indulgent thing you’ve done in your writing / would do in your writing? 10) who is your favourite friends member and why? (this is important okay? to those who haven’t watched friends... i can’t really give you much of an explanation for this one and more importantly -- why??) 11) this is the end! what is the stupidest thing you’ve done in your / with regards to your writing? it can literally be anything -- a stupid spelling mistake, gaping plot hole, printing it out for a friend to read and missing a page, you can really go crazy with your answer here. okay thanks for reading this massive chunk of text and good day everyone!

#writing tag #writing tag game #tag game #writeblr #writeblr community #like all things out of season #my wip #my OCs #character tag

8 notes · View notes

artificialqueens · 7 years ago

Text

Star Power Over Me - Part Two (Vixie/Trixya) - Pilandok

AN: Okay a few things: 1) part two ended up being much longer than I thought so I halfed it. 2) Katya isn’t here yet (kinda) but she will appear. 3) First time writing drag race fanfiction, experimenting w/ pronouns– ended up writing them as he out of drag and she in drag so it changes, whatever. 4) Smut-ish again? I don’t know why this keeps happening. 5) All lyrics that aren’t “Star Power” by Sonic Youth are mine. Thank you for reading.

Part One.

Trixie is surprisingly casual about everything. Violet was half-expecting that when the alcohol has seeped out of their system, Trixie was going to start freaking out about their morally dubious actions. Unexpectedly, however, and Violet wakes up to an empty bed and a note on the table.

Early flight today, sorry I can’t hang. Love you bitch. Xoxo T.

His handwriting is a lot less legible than Violet expected it to be. After reading the note, he takes a moment to gather his things before starting his journey back to his own hotel room. Practically stumbling out of the door, Violet isn’t exactly hung over, it’s just that he’s not a morning person at all; he prefers to start functioning at noon. He spots Trixie in the hallway, a few paces from the door, talking on the phone. For his part, Trixie doesn’t look hungover at all, not even a little tired.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m about to leave, yeah. I’ll be there on time, don’t worry.” Trixie looks up and sees Violet and smiles, he makes a gesture with his hand, telling Violet to wait for him. Violet nods groggily, rubbing his eyes. He waits for Trixie to finish his call but he isn’t sure exactly why or what for. The time of his phone reads 8:13 AM.

“Hey sorry,” Trixie apologizes when he walks over to Violet, “I have an early flight.”

“Mhm,” Violet answers, still not fully aware of his surroundings. Trixie appears to be amused at this.

“Here,” Trixie hands him his half-finished cup of coffee, “I drank some already but it’s still warm and you look like you could use some.”

Violet accepts the cup from Trixie and takes a sip. It seems to take effect immediately and he wakes up little. He stares at Trixie and wonders what he should say.

“Have a good flight,” he settles.

“I will. Go get some rest already, you look like you really need it,” Trixie says playfully.

“Don’t be rude,” Violet grumbles. Trixie laughs and leans in to kiss him on the cheek.

“See you, bitch.” Trixie leaves for the elevator down the hall and Violet watches him until he turns the corner. Violet then continues his trek back to his room, calculating how many hours of sleep he can get before he has to get ready to leave.

—

After the incident, Trixie and Violet haven’t given much thought to the night they shared together, chalking it up as another weird incident in the string of bizarre events that is a drag queen’s life. Stranger things have happened. And of the sexual encounters they’ve had, this one wasn’t half bad. It was pretty good, in fact, a lot better than they imagined. Their relationship with each other hasn’t changed, however, rarely communicating aside from the occasional interaction on social media. Weeks pass and Trixie and Violet have all but forgotten about that night. It wasn’t until a month later that Trixie and Violet see each other again. It was on a Drag Race night in a club in LA, which means they’ve booked a few Ru girls along with usual array of local queens, hoping to get more traction in their scene.

Trixie and Violet have finished their number and are in the dressing room, waiting for the call to do the meet and greets. The club provided them with cocktails and both queens accepted them graciously, situating themselves on the couch in the dressing room with their legs tucked underneath them a la Untucked. They spend the first few minutes reenacting iconic incidents from the series before falling into an easy conversation teetering towards flirtation. Halfway through the drinks, Trixie realizes that they have been unconsciously closing the gap between them with every burst of laughter and the lingering of an innocent touch. The other queens weaving in and out of the dressing room eyes them with tepid suspicion and Trixie’s not sure if she has been noticing this, choosing ultimately to brush off the stares. Violet appears to be completely oblivious and swings her legs over Trixie’s lap.

“I think one of your balls is about to pop out,” Trixie comments, pretending to take a peek.

Violet slaps her shoulder lightly, “Nothing you haven’t put in your mouth before, bitch.”

“Don’t be gross,” Trixie answers, her screaming laughter echoing in the dressing room.

“Oh my god can’t you laugh like a normal person? You, your psycho scream is fucking— “

Violet is interrupted by a loud creak of the door. “Well well well, who do we have here?” Jinkx interrupts having just entered the room. She closes the door behind her slowly. “Why, isn’t it RuPaul’s Drag Race season 7 winner Violet Chachki,” she takes a small bow towards Violet then turns to Trixie, “… and All Stars 3 winner, I suppose?”

Trixie smiles meaningfully and shakes her head, not giving anything away.

“Aww, not even a tiny hint?” Jinkx pouts.

Trixie tilts her head slightly in mock-consideration, “Well…”

“Ahh! Don’t tell me,” Violet presses her hands over her ears, “No spoilers!”

“Sorry, Jinkx,” Trixie smiles at her apologetically, “you heard the lady.”

“Boo,” she answered, plopping herself down beside the pair on the couch. She pulls out a joint and a lighter from her bra which Trixie and Violet watches with wonderment. She winks at them before lighting the joint and taking a long drag from it. She offers it to them.

“No thank you,” Trixie declines.

Violet takes up the offer, however, and inhales deeply, looking straight at Trixie. She holds the smoke in for an extra moment before parting her lips slightly to let the smoke ascend on its own. Trixie doesn’t look away. Violet hands the blunt to Trixie who looks at it warily and sighs, takes a hit of her own.

Jinkx observes this interaction with great interest. When she’s handed back the joint, she holds it between her middle and index finger like a cigarette. “The youth… is wasted on the young,” she begins dramatically, “oh why must the universe inflict upon us such cruel ironies? When I see you two young, beautiful ladies,” she continues, turning to the pair, “flirting without consequence, the bubbling sexual tension not a premonition for troubles to come… oh to be young! If only this aging carafe can receive a taste of young flesh once more.” She lets the dramatic silence fall over all of them.

“Jinkx, you’re like two years older than me,” Trixie deadpans. Jinkx begins to stage-weep melodramatically. Violet looks at her, perplexed, Trixie tells her, “forget it, once she gets into character, we can’t do anything about it.”

“Time, the merciless mother of us all!” she starts again. “Only a kiss from the fountain of youth can bring these—”

“Jinkx.”

“—these wasted, decrepit, rickety bones— “

“Jinkx Monsoon.”

“—moldy, sagging, sinewy, discolored, putrid, decomposing—”

“Jinkx!”

“—only a— mmph”

Suddenly, Violet reaches over to grab Jinkx’ face and pulls her into a firm kiss.

“Oh my,” Jinkx reacts afterwards, she widens her eyes comically and covers her mouth with the tips of her fingers. She and Violet look at Trixie expectantly.

“Oh fuck it,” Trixie says then gives Jinkx a kiss too.

Jinkx burst into a maniacal cackle, “you fools!” Jinkx stands up and walks slowly around the room, “you’ve let me absorb your energy, I now have the power!”

Trixie and Violet roll their eyes, amused by Jinkx’s antics. They hear someone call them for the meet and greet and Trixie gets up to leave, she reaches out her hand to Violet she takes it. Jinkx is still in the middle of her spectacle and the two drag queens giggle at her as they exit the dressing room hand in hand.

The meet and greet is over soon enough and Trixie offers Violet a place to stay for the night. Both of them leave the club in full drag. Arriving at her apartment, Trixie heads straight to the shower, leaving Violet to pace awkwardly around her room. It isn’t a lot different from the other LA queens’ bedrooms, she notes, sparsely furnished, and still looking a little brand new. Various drag paraphernalia litters the room following a trail leading to what Violet guesses is a walk-in closet. The room also houses a few guitars and other unfamiliar folk instruments; on a table, sheets of papers are strewn with Trixie’s familiar handwriting. Violet makes an attempt to read them but the writing is even more illegible than before, but from what she can discern, Trixie is writing some new songs. The instruments along with the bright pink walls of the room makes Violet feel like she’s inside her Trixie brain, where both Trixie and Brian have learned to coexist.

Violet hears Trixie start singing in the shower.

“Work, work… mm… I am a professional, work…” she recognizes Shangela’s song and tries not to think too deeply if this counts as a spoiler. She walks towards the bathroom door and finds it unlocked. She lets herself in as Trixie switches to singing an unfamiliar folk song.

“Trixie,” she calls.

Trixie stops singing to respond, “Vi? Need anything?”

Violet doesn’t say anything, instead she removes the pink silk robe that Trixie lent her to cover up her usual burlesque drag. She has her own clothes but in the club Trixie and everyone else laughed at seeing her wear their robe because oh wow, baby pink does not suit you at all. You look like a grandma prostitute.Violet decided to humor them and kept it on. She hangs the robe on the hook then takes off her heels, stockings, corset, and the rest of her lingerie and lays it down carefully beside the sink. She pulls the shower curtain to the side and Trixie jumps in surprise, she was in the process of lathering her face with make-up remover.

“Jesus Christ. I’ve seen Psycho, Violet,” Trixie says then proceeds to rub her face.

“I’m not the one with the mug looking like a melting clown, bitch.”

Trixie lifts a middle finger to her and steps to the side, giving Violet space to climb in. Trixie turns on the shower to rinse her face. Violet borrows the make-up remover and starts working on her face.

“Fuck, bitch, are you trying to boil your skin off?” Violet comments at the temperature of the water. Trixie aims the showerhead at Violet and she squeals, cursing at Trixie who chuckles but turns the heat down. “Shit, I got some on my eye.” Violet reaches blindly for water and Trixie hands it to her so she can wash her face. Trixie eyes the water travelling on Violet’s body; from it splashing onto her face, sliding down to her chest, and falling between her legs. When Violet opens her eyes she sees Trixie, now completely make-up-free, looking at her with that same smile on his face. “What?”

“You’re so skinny,” he remarks.

“What?”

“Pretty and skinny.”

“What?”

“So pretty,” Trixie breathes.

Before he can say anything, Trixie pushes him against the wall and starts kissing him. Violet recoils against the cool tiles of the bathroom but pulls Trixie closer to him, responding hurriedly. He’s surprised at Trixie’s erection rubbing against his leg and it stimulates his own budding one. Trixie’s hands slide down from his neck, scratch his chest, and trace down his stomach. One wraps around Violet’s cock and begins tugging slightly, the other follows the shape of his ass and teases his asshole. Violet groans and pushes Trixie off. Trixie is horrified for a second, ready to race to an apology when Violet turns around and presses his ass against Trixie’s dick. Trixie feels a fire ignite in his gut, seeing Violet bent over in front of him, both hands on the wall to hold himself steady.

“Say it again,” Violet says tensely.

For a moment, Trixie is confused, but then a pleased grin slowly spreads on his face. He leans in to whisper, “you’re so skinny and you look so pretty.” He angles the tip of his penis against Violet’s entrance and hears Violet whimper. The sound sends pulses of pleasure to his erection. He gives himself a moment to be impressed by the animalistic desire that Violet Chachki’s whimpering ignites in him before leaning in again. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispers, pushing his cock inside.

—

Later that night, Violet, asleep on Trixie’s bed, stirs awake to the sound of a guitar being played. He squints and sees Trixie on the other side of the room hunched over the table, writing fervently with a guitar on his lap. He strums the guitar again.

“You ain’t quite the Barbie/ but you’re such a doll/ Should I spoil myself with sweets? / I’ve never had the gall / to be having this much fun/ am I allowed to jump the gun? —no,” Trixie stops abruptly and scratches on the paper, “not right,” he mumbles. He plays a different chord with the last line.

“Sounds better,” Violet remarks. Trixie flinches in surprise and turns around. Violet can see him blushing slightly at having been caught. “Are you writing a song about me?” he teases, half-asleep.

“Oh, uh…” Trixie stutters nervously. Violet smiles.

“Come here,” Violet instructs, yawning, “play me something.” Trixie carries his guitar over to the bed and sits cross-legged on the mattress. Violet turns to the side and watches Trixie. “You look butch.”

“Bitch,” Trixie replies automatically and plays a few test chords.

“No country, please.”

Trixie looks slightly offended. “But all my songs are country.”

Violet shrugs in response, “then play something that isn’t yours.”

Trixie huffs, “fine.” He pauses for a moment to think then starts plucking a few tabs on his guitar. Violet hums in approval. Trixie begins to sing.

“Spinning dreams with angel wings

Torn blue jeans, foolish grin

Burning down in the night

So cool, so right

Star power, star power

Star power over me

She knows how to make love to me

She knows how to make love…”

Violet begins to drift off to sleep, the soft guitar echoing in the room.

“Close my eyes and think of you

Everything is black and blue…”

Trixie’s voice is heavy, leaden with something Violet doesn’t pick up on. But it makes him dream a blur of visions—of blonde Russian acrobats, bleached white teeth, and cigarettes on red lips.

Tags - Trixie Mattel, Violet Chachki, Vixie, Trixya, light angst, foreboding fluff, non au, smut, pilandok

vStar Power Over Me - Part Two (Vixie/Trixya) - Pilandok

Part One.

Early flight today, sorry I can’t hang. Love you bitch. Xoxo T.

“Hey sorry,” Trixie apologizes when he walks over to Violet, “I have an early flight.”

“Mhm,” Violet answers, still not fully aware of his surroundings. Trixie appears to be amused at this.

“Here,” Trixie hands him his half-finished cup of coffee, “I drank some already but it’s still warm and you look like you could use some.”

Violet accepts the cup from Trixie and takes a sip. It seems to take effect immediately and he wakes up little. He stares at Trixie and wonders what he should say.

“Have a good flight,” he settles.

“I will. Go get some rest already, you look like you really need it,” Trixie says playfully.

“Don’t be rude,” Violet grumbles. Trixie laughs and leans in to kiss him on the cheek.

—

“I think one of your balls is about to pop out,” Trixie comments, pretending to take a peek.

Violet slaps her shoulder lightly, “Nothing you haven’t put in your mouth before, bitch.”

“Don’t be gross,” Trixie answers, her screaming laughter echoing in the dressing room.

“Oh my god can’t you laugh like a normal person? You, your psycho scream is fucking— “

Trixie smiles meaningfully and shakes her head, not giving anything away.

“Aww, not even a tiny hint?” Jinkx pouts.

Trixie tilts her head slightly in mock-consideration, “Well…”

“Ahh! Don’t tell me,” Violet presses her hands over her ears, “No spoilers!”

“Sorry, Jinkx,” Trixie smiles at her apologetically, “you heard the lady.”

“No thank you,” Trixie declines.

“Time, the merciless mother of us all!” she starts again. “Only a kiss from the fountain of youth can bring these—”

“Jinkx.”

“—these wasted, decrepit, rickety bones— “

“Jinkx Monsoon.”

“—moldy, sagging, sinewy, discolored, putrid, decomposing—”

“Jinkx!”

“—only a— mmph”

Suddenly, Violet reaches over to grab Jinkx’ face and pulls her into a firm kiss.

“Oh my,” Jinkx reacts afterwards, she widens her eyes comically and covers her mouth with the tips of her fingers. She and Violet look at Trixie expectantly.

“Oh fuck it,” Trixie says then gives Jinkx a kiss too.

Jinkx burst into a maniacal cackle, “you fools!” Jinkx stands up and walks slowly around the room, “you’ve let me absorb your energy, I now have the power!”

Violet hears Trixie start singing in the shower.

“Trixie,” she calls.

Trixie stops singing to respond, “Vi? Need anything?”

“Jesus Christ. I’ve seen Psycho, Violet,” Trixie says then proceeds to rub her face.

“I’m not the one with the mug looking like a melting clown, bitch.”

“You’re so skinny,” he remarks.

“What?”

“Pretty and skinny.”

“What?”

“So pretty,” Trixie breathes.

“Say it again,” Violet says tensely.

—

“Oh, uh…” Trixie stutters nervously. Violet smiles.

“Bitch,” Trixie replies automatically and plays a few test chords.

“No country, please.”

Trixie looks slightly offended. “But all my songs are country.”

Violet shrugs in response, “then play something that isn’t yours.”

Trixie huffs, “fine.” He pauses for a moment to think then starts plucking a few tabs on his guitar. Violet hums in approval. Trixie begins to sing.

“Spinning dreams with angel wings

Torn blue jeans, foolish grin

Burning down in the night

So cool, so right

Star power, star power

Star power over me

She knows how to make love to me

She knows how to make love…”

Violet begins to drift off to sleep, the soft guitar echoing in the room.

“Close my eyes and think of you

Everything is black and blue…”

Trixie’s voice is heavy, leaden with something Violet doesn’t pick up on. But it makes him dream a blur of visions—of blonde Russian acrobats, bleached white teeth, and cigarettes on red lips.

#trixie mattel #violet chachki #vixie #trixya #light angst #foreboding fluff #smut #pilandok #rpdr fanfiction #star power over me #canon compliant

17 notes · View notes

blogger360ncislarules · 4 years ago

Link

The CW's sci-fi adventure series, Pandora, might've slipped under your radar when its first season premiered in the summer of 2019.

Since then, its high-octane exploits, ambitious story elements, and drop-dead gorgeous cast have attracted an enthusiastic following among viewers looking for entertaining escapism.

With the Season One finale ending with almost as many questions as answers, Season Two, premiering on October 4, promises even more of its trademark complex relationship shenanigans while the team tries to save the universe. No biggie.

Joining Jax, the titular "Pandora", and her established Scooby gang members, Xander and Ralen, are her new roommate Zazie and a surprise (and not exactly welcome) blast from the past, Jett.

Actors Nicole Castillo-Mavromatis and Akshay Kumar spoke with TV Fanatic via Zoom from their on-location shoot in Sofia, Bulgaria and were incredibly open and enthusiastic about their experiences as the newcomers to the cast.

Making a scripted television program during the time of COVID is a wholly new experience for everyone.

Production on Season Two began in Bulgaria on July 24, 2020. Nicole and Akshay flew out from the UK around that date and had to quarantine for four days before being tested and allowed on set.

Throughout the production, everyone who wasn't on camera was masked and anyone new joining them from the UK or US had to quarantine upon arrival. COVID testing was done twice a week.

At the time of our interview, they only had four days of shooting left on the season.

Shooting ten episodes in two months is, in Akshay's words, "MADNESS" and made for a tight-knit core cast and crew who worked extremely hard, grateful for the opportunity to continue to do their jobs.

"Knowing that we're lucky enough to work in a time like this," observed Akshay,"To be able to work abroad and be treated so well and do our jobs in a time when most people we know don't have any work. It really has hyped up the gratitude of working and the joy of working."

As the newest regulars to the show, Nicole and Akshay felt extremely included and appreciated by the cast members returning from Season One.

Asked if Quintana, Dench, or Radcliffe have taken on a leadership role on set, they both felt that all three stars had contributed to the positive morale and energy of the show.

"They've been incredibly welcoming," Akshay asserted,"And not just to us, as series regulars, but to any guest stars we've had for an episode. They've been incredibly welcoming and you just make friends. Every new episode, you make a new friend. Priscilla, Ben, Olly, they're just very much steering that Good Vibes Only sort of feeling."

Nicole agreed. "The Good Vibes Fam. But not only just them. I think everyone from Season One -- Noah (Huntley) and Vikash (Bhai) -- just everyone who came back from Season One has been super welcoming to all of the NOOBS -- me! It feels so much like a family, it's crazy how much I feel we all get along. It's wonderful."

Speaking about their characters, Nicole and Akshay were both excited for audiences to learn about Zazie and Jett who start out the season as a new-ish romantic duo.

In a small-world twist, the actors discovered when they met and started working together in Bulgaria that they actually lived only twenty-five minutes away from each other in East London.

Nicole came into the Pandora-verse initially a total novice. After booking the role for Season 2, she went back an binged the first season for research. As Pandora Season 1 didn't even air in the UK until lockdown began this year, she really hit the ground running.

Zazie, being completely new to the show, is a wild card. She takes the place (literally, since she's Jax's roommate) of Delaney Pilar who decided at the end of Season One to hang out with Atria Nine on Adar rather than return to the Fleet Academy.

Asked how Zazie contrasts with Delaney who came from an extremely privileged background and had been implanted with a huge amount of tech, allowing her brain to access and hack -- and, unfortunately, made her vulnerable to being hacked by -- the datastream, Nicole was affectionate about her character's personality.

"I would say she is just a really bubbly, cool, fun 'chick'! She just wants to be liked. She wants some friends. She is a bit of a bookworm but she's not super smart so she does have to study, I feel, a bit more than everyone else."

But what's her superpower? Nicole was cagily vague about what's in store for Zazie.

"There are some twists and turns in her storyline. There will be some things that you find out. But, all in all, she's very wholesome, I would say."

On the initial similarity between Zazie and last season's character, Atria Nine, in that they both exude an aura of sunshiney optimism, Nicole could see how the characters compare that way but felt that Zazie brings a bit more spunk to the party.

"And there's more spunk to come," Akshay promised. "An abundance of spunk."

While Zazie begins the season based in the Academy, enmeshed in the day-to-day interactions between characters, she does get roped into the space adventures too.

"As the season goes on, she takes a much more active role in that saving the universe plotline."

Akshay, in contrast, had a bit more experience with life at the Earth Command Fleet Academy, having guest starred on an episode in Season 1 before being tapped to return as a series regular this season.

Jett was not one of the good guys when he appeared on Pandora Season 1 Episode 6.

After Delaney's implants were hacked while she slept, resulting in her walking into the packed Academy lounge completely naked, Jett made it his business to post holo-nudes of her all over the datastream as retaliation for a romantic rejection.

As he became a lead suspect in the hacker investigation, it was revealed that his reputation as a tech-head was a sham.

When Jett makes his entrance on the Season 2 premiere, he is met with understandable hostility from Jax and Ralen.

Despite his contrite apology and promise to do better, his behaviour throughout the episode doesn't do a whole lot to redeem the character.

(Total disclosure: I might've described the character as a total ass off the top of the interview.)

"He thinks he's doing great," Akshay revealed,"but he's really not. He's just digging his own grave."

While it's clearly going to be a steep uphill climb for the character to prove himself trustworthy, Akshay explained his approach.

"When Mark Altman, our showrunner, wanted me back, I thought that the only way that Jett could come back was on a sort of path to redemption but he couldn't come back as this sort of born-again saint. I thought he would try to redeem himself in the only way he knows how.

"For me, it would be kind of weird if he came back as like a brand-new character with a brand new set of ethics. His foundational personality traits -- his flirtiness, ["cheeky, charming behavior" interjected Nicole] -- which can be read as very douchy, I totally agree."

Akshay paused to think on it for moment and added,"That's probably more me than Jett, to be honest."

LOL.

"He is still on this path to redemption and he does get better at redeeming himself, I will say that. He doesn't start very well but he's trying.

"You know, in school, when you try so hard to get someone to like you and you end up just shooting yourself in the foot? That's very much Jett for the first few episodes.

"He grows. He becomes a bit more balanced. He doesn't lose his humor or his cheek which is really nice. We just get to know more about him and why he is the way he is.'

Looking at Season 2 as a long arc, Nicole and Akshay see the show finding its footing as more of a cohesive space adventure.

"I think this season leans more into the sci-fi side of it, the adventure, the high stakes, the heavy action," Nicole confirmed, then qualified it a bit. "But, again, there are romantic scenes and romantic storylines but I definitely feel like they've leaned a lot more into the action of it."

"The action and the bigger threat," Akshay added. "The looming threat that we learned about in Season 1. I think that's definitely much more present. That's definitely more at the forefront, especially of Jax and Xander's characters [decisions].

"What's really great is the emphasis on relationships between characters which is a huge plus. The constant evolution between characters such as Ralen and Jett and where that goes, then Xander and Jax, Zazie and Jett, Zazie and Jax.

"There's so many different webs that intertwine so much more, in a much more human fashion. Friendships are made and broken, then new, unlikely friendships are made.

"All the while, they're all working towards [confronting] the big enemy, the looming threat. So I think that's definitely much more grounded."

Nicole comes to acting from an extensive dance background and while we won't get to see Zazie trot out those skills on-screen this season, she dreams of being able to represent both her natural and nurtured background one day.

"I've always wanted to be able to play a role that kind of represents where I come from, my heritage. Maybe a role that is a Latina. That would be amazing. Just because I feel like I've never really cast in that direction.

"So it would be amazing to play someone of my heritage and 'rep' the heritage. Or as a part of a musical. That would be great."

Wrapping the two wishlist items together, I suggested something like In the Heights, which garnered an enthusiastic response as it's one of her favorite shows.

Akshay's professional credits include roles on films like Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi and regular roles on TV series, The Halcyon and Devs. His heart lies with the action-oriented, stunt-heavy roles.

"I love stunt sequences and I wish I had more of that on this show. I get a real kick out of any sort of role that allows me to just feel like a kid again. And for me, the select sequences I have on this show just blow my mind. The amount of fun I have."

Recalling he had recently watched John Wick 3: Parabellum, he expressed his desire to be Keanu Reeves in that role.

"Anything that's teetering on the dangerous and you-may-die sort of edge. I'm a bit Tom Cruise-y like that.... yeah, I could be the British-Indian Tom Cruise. Let's go for that."

For both Nicole and Akshay, the experience of being part of the Pandora family has been nothing short of wonderful.

"It's a dream!" Nicole sang out without hesitation when I asked for their feelings about the show.

"Honestly," Akshay professed,"It's been such a great ride. Everyone here is so lovely, and everyone works so hard."

"It's been such an amazing experience," Nicole added,"I personally feel like I've learned so much being out here and everyone is just beautiful, so lovely, and the crew is wonderful. The cast is really wonderful. All the directors we've worked with. Our D.O.P., Max, and Mark and Steve. Just everyone."

Pandora Season 2 premieres TONIGHT, Sunday, October 4, at 8/7c on The CW.

#exclusives #the cw #pandora

0 notes

marvelandponder · 7 years ago

Photo

I’M SCREAMING

We’re 3 months away from this glitter-bomb and they gave us some stuff to scream about. I think I’ll do just that. I took my sweet time putting this together, I know, but there’s a fair bit to unpack and a lot to be excited about so, let’s go through it all!

Animation

Okay, so first things first: people are calling this a 2D movie and that’s not really that accurate.

It certainly has some 2D elements, like the backgrounds, but the style of animation only makes the characters look 2D, when in fact they’re 3D models.

You can tell in how they move. If I were to give you a still screen shot, you might guess that it was from a 2D animation, but in motion, you can tell what it actually is: cel-shading.

I had a hunch that’s what it was so I asked a storyboarder who worked on the MLP movie (and the show) if I was right and she said:

The program they’re using is ToonBoom, which does rigs with 2D toon shaders, among other things!

You know, I don’t often call things, but I fucking called it. Let me have this. Just to give you a quick definition from Wikipedia:

“Cel shading or toon shading is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3-D computer graphics appear to be flat by using less shading color instead of a shade gradient or tints and shades.”

3-dimensional figure with cel shading, has the effect of making it look 2D. Typically seen with thick outlines on the outside and little to no outlines on the inside:

(Team Fortress 2 itself isn’t normally cel shaded, but that’s a great example a fan made of what cel shading usually looked like when I was growing up)

Cel shading without outlines, as seen in Wind Waker.

Like I said, just seeing this still image, it looks 2D, but watching it move, you can tell there’s a 3rd dimension to the character with the features and lineart mapped out onto the models to make it look 2D

Which by the way, is really unique for a major release! I don’t know about anyone else, but I was excited that MLP: The Movie seemed to be 2-D since there hasn’t been a domestic 2-D animated movie since Winnie the Pooh in 2011. 6 damn years! While I maybe would’ve ideally liked a completely 2-D animated movie, the backgrounds and the cel shading works in really neat ways, and it will definitely make the movie stand out

The purely 3-D objects seem unfinished at the moment (but that’s not out of the ordinary, CGI seems to be one of the last processes). It needs texture or shading or something, and I can tell because most of the ship looks too soft (too much like a model) to be metal. I really think this will be fixed for the final product, but that’s probably the most jarring part of the style at the moment

Not all of the 3-D looks unfinished, but the best looking parts are still the painterly, 2-D stuff (look at those towers; they’re really stylized, but you can tell they’re 3D in a more 2D environment)

THAT DIGITALLY PAINTED VERSION OF CANTERLOT THOUGH:

The light effects are definitely 3-D in the fireworks and rainboom

Oh, and speaking lighting, so much of it looks so pretty! There are one or two times when the colours are slightly off, but the majority of the time it looks freaking gorgeous

You can kinda see by looking at Rarity that the shading is juuust slightly off here (kinda like they were for the teaser trailer), but then you look in the background and see this BEAUTIFUL background and Twilight all upset and worried about this invasion, and it feels like such a nitpick to worry about what will probably still be cleaned up before it hits theaters

We also get some really great expressions, so they’re not really limited by the 3D models underneath (if I’m right about that)

Also, just as one last little note here, the style is detailed enough to see little things about the characters we didn’t know up until now, like the fact that the spines on the side of Spike’s head are translucent, or that the colours of RD’s mane aren’t 100% perfectly separated

Overall with the animation, I’m so impressed not only by how gorgeous it is,but by how willing they were to take a risk and incorporate a 3D element in the form of (I think) cel-shading. This only really matches the creative spirit of the MLP team, though. Whether or not you agree on how well they always execute everything, they always try to step up their game with every new season and push themselves to be and do better.

And while I will say that if some of the more 3D parts (yeah, I’m talking about the zeppelin/airships mostly) aren’t fixed for the final release, I would have a bone to pick with them, but I have faith that we’ll be seeing a much smoother integration of that 3D on the big screen.

Story and Character Details

I really appreciate that they didn’t outright spoil anything too big. It’s definitely a well-cut trailer! We basically only know about the same information we did before, with just a hint or two as to things like who the true villain is.

Just based on the focus given to these characters in the trailer (and what I know of the Storm King’s characterization in the first Movie Prequel comic that was just released), seems like he’s not as big of a threat as the commander of his fleet, Tempest.

It’s a kind of villain we haven’t seen on the show or even in EQG, and not only that, but

She’s got a fantastic voice actress behind her, so she can pull off the deliciously evil vibe well without, say, reminding us too much of Chrysalis or other powerful animated villains from Disney classics

Plus her design with the broken horn and her magic sparking up out of it is instantly intriguing to me: for such a powerful presence, it’s awesome to see her weakness (and most likely shady past) is always on display---especially for a commander character, that’s just really cool

Grubber seems to be pretty standard so far, nothing he’s done has really impressed me quite yet, but I’m hoping his best stuff is saved for the movie itself

The sky pirates (or skyrates) look like a lot of fun, and in context I can see how well the bipedal birb pirate blends with the universe (the bipedal designs were the ones I had the most trouble with)

On top of that, we have sea ponies at last! And they’re far more adorable than I ever could’ve hoped

The original sea pony designs from G1 looked a lot more like sea horses, with curling tails and fins on either side, but I think the meraid-ish look is both more marketable for Hasbro and more appealing to look at (the original sea ponies always seemed like a joke in the fandom to me, I admittedly never understood why people would actually want it in G4)

And a-ha! Good queens do exist! Poor Celestia and Luna. Always a princess, never a queen.

Oh, and Seaquestria? It’s freakin’ beautiful. I LOVE the rich blues and purples here. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the 360 image of the underwater palace complete with an excellent piece of background music, treat yourself.

The Mane 6′s sea pony designs are pretty dang adorable. I don’t have anything interesting to say, I just like the cute water horses, okay?

Minor Details and Incidentals

I’ll start out by saying Twilight’s narration in the trailer is pretty standard, but still heartwarming (mostly because I already know and love these characters though). It sort of reminds me of the bits of narration from the How to Train Your Dragon movies, although those had a bit more character to them.

The what could possible go wrong? line, though. It just makes me laugh thinking of all the flashbacks we could have to the series.

I guess she’s talking about that festival specifically that she’s organizing, and in that way it’s a show of character development (in a similar way to the character development on display in A Flurry of Emotions, where Twilight is told she’s late and doesn't have a panic attack or worry about what could go wrong... too much), but it’s still hilarious to contrast the idea that nothing could go wrong in Equestria to... literally all of the show.

AJ and RD protecting their friends even before the others have gotten over the shock of whatever they’re seeing tho

Starlight and Trixie get a bit of screen-time together and it’s adorable. Starlight might be stuck in Canterlot for the duration of the adventure, but I’m glad to see her included. Characters like Discord who might be too hard to explain to new audiences are understandable losses, but even if Starlight’s cameo is brief, it’s good to see her role acknowledged

In terms of music, Sia’s looking adorable so far, and Lukas Graham’s as of yet unreleased Off to See the World sounds pretty catchy (it’s the song at the end of the trailer), so they’ve got talent behind the vocals!

Jumping back to little details, it’s neat how sea pony magic has a very distinct look from unicorn/alicorn magic. Also, the bubbles are really cute

And, okay, I just wanted to take a minute to appreciate how serious this ponk is. Can we all just stop and take a look, because in this scene Twilight’s saying how she’s the one Tempest is after, and she should probably face this alone, which seems to be our Princess of Friendship’s big dilemma in this movie, and Pinkie’s clearly trying to tell her she’s crazy

Gotta love that they didn’t just go for hyperactive comic relief Pinkie Pie; they don’t seem to be boiling down these characters to just one trait (which is partially why I loved the moment where RD and AJ defend the girls; RD’s ego will no doubt be on display throughout the movie, but you’ll also see she’s ready to lay down her life for her friends)

And hey, lookie here! Canterlot got a make-over... and a contractor. There’s more pink than there typically is and it doesn’t necessarily match what we’ve seen of it in the show. Especially places like the throne room:

And you know, I’m a little torn on this detail? It’s beautiful, and I’m digging the starry night mosiac they’ve got going on back there, but it would’ve been nice to see the throne room we know and love rendered in this new style, you know? I’m gonna miss the deep magentas and the stain glass windows of the Mane 6′s accomplishments. I know that’s mostly the fangirl in me, but I like seeing continuity nods back to the show (like hey look: Cadence gets a cameo!)

Unless Canterlot gets destroyed and subsequently rebuilt in the season 7 finale, in which case I’ll shut my mouth

Speaking of which, I still have to wonder exactly when this will take place in the series, or if it exists slightly to the left of canon like the Equestria Girls movies (which, I mean, I consider canon, but still). I know there’s ties into the comics, but I wonder if/when the show will acknowledge the events of the movie... I guess only time will tell

And for now, I think that about wraps it up! All in all, I’m beyond excited to see this thing, as anyone could’ve guessed.

It should also be noted that a lot of kids movie trailers focus on the fun, comedic portions of the movie, so while I do think it’s mostly going to feel like this, I’m also looking forward to the more character-driven feelsy parts. As we well know, you can never get the full scope of a movie from just the trailer, but it’s usually especially true for kids movies.

Even just from what we have seen, it looks like we’re in for a ride. Can’t wait to get on.

Hey, if you’d like more MLP stuff, you can click right here to see my editorials or here for episode reviews. And if those links don’t look pretty enough, have the last three things I’ve done right here:

Parental Glideance Review, Celestia/Daybreaker Editorial, and LGBT+ Editorial

Year of the Pony

139 notes · View notes

bigyack-com · 5 years ago

Text

Where Are the Tech Zillionaires? San Francisco Faces the I.P.O. Fizzle

SAN FRANCISCO — Seven months ago, the Four Seasons in San Francisco sent out a news release announcing the glad tidings that would come soon: New residences for the new money. Builders were hoisting glass and steel into a 43-story tower where residents would have their own on-staff wine concierge, plus Blue de Savoie French marble, German milled Poggenpohl cabinetry and Dornbracht fixtures. The building’s $49 million penthouse would be the most expensive in San Francisco. “Just in time for the coming wave of I.P.O. millionaires in San Francisco,” the Four Seasons said, promising “an elevated sales experience” to cater to “this new class of buyers.” But then the wave of tech initial public offerings — the one that was supposed to mint San Francisco’s new ultra rich — fizzled. The stock of Uber, the ride-hailing giant, has dropped nearly 30 percent since the company went public in May. Lyft shares are down nearly 40 percent. Pinterest and Slack have declined, too. San Francisco has been left as a slightly more normal town of tech workers who got rich-ish, maybe making a few hundred thousand dollars. But that doesn’t go far in a city where the median cost of a single family home is about $1.6 million. “Everyone that came back post-I.P.O. seemed to be the same person. I didn’t see any Louis Vuitton MacBook case covers or champagne in their Yeti thermos,” said J.T. Forbus, a tax manager at Bogdan & Frasco in San Francisco.Private wealth managers are now meeting with a chastened clientele. Developers are having to cut home prices �� unheard-of a year ago. Party planners are signing nondisclosure agreements to stage secret parties where hosts can privately enjoy their wealth. Union organizers are finding an opportunity. Everyone had gotten too excited, and who could blame them? The money was once so close: A start-up that coordinated dog walkers raised $300 million. The valuations of the already giant ride-hailing behemoths had nearly doubled again. WeWork, a commercial real estate management start-up that owned very little of its own real estate, was valued at $47 billion. Towers rose across San Francisco to house the money. The marble was polished. The bathroom floors were warm. The private pools were being filled.“The world has changed in a year,” said Herman Chan, a real estate broker with Sotheby’s International. “We expected an upward trajectory at least, and it really kind of deflated. These companies aren’t dying but the cultural zeitgeist, that momentum of I.P.O.s, is gone. You don’t even hear anyone talking about it anymore.”The developers who had fought the odds of regulation and zoning to build their glass residences in the sky had timed their units to the I.P.O.s. But on a recent visit with the Four Seasons sales team, they acknowledged that techie wealth was not what they were seeing. Interest was mostly coming from overseas buyers, young heirs to foreign fortunes and older executives looking for city pieds-à-terre, they said. Also in time for the wave that was not a wave are more luxury towers: The Avery, The Harrison, 181 Fremont, The Mira. “The definition of luxury is scarcity, and there’s so many now,” Mr. Chan said. “Nowadays, my buyers are getting a contingency period and inspectors. Things you would never ask for before. There’s not 10 offers on a house anymore.”Case in point: A full-floor apartment in San Francisco’s poshest neighborhood of Pacific Heights was listed at $21.6 million and advertised that “a sommelier-worthy wine cellar awaits 1,500 of your most prized bottles.” But more than a year later and after a $5 million price cut, it is still on the market. Prices for the top 5 percent of San Francisco area real estate listings — the cream of the crop — rose 7 percent between 2017 and 2018. This year, they have fallen more than 1 percent, according to data prepared for The New York Times by the real estate listing service Zillow. The malaise has spread south into Silicon Valley. A $10.8 million home listing in the town of Portola Valley, Calif., was slashed to $5.7 million. The median sale price for a nearby home in San Jose, Calif., has dropped 10 percent in a year to just under $1 million, according to data from the real-estate listing site Zillow. Before the tech I.P.O.s, Deniz Kahramaner, then a real estate data analyst with the property brokerage Compass, had rallied packed rooms of real estate agents and investors about the bonanza that lay ahead. He had charts and estimates of thousands of new millionaires raising the average price of single family homes in San Francisco above $5 million.Now, he is more muted. “The I.P.O. cash-out hasn’t played out as I mentioned in my original presentation,” he said. Mr. Kahramaner added, hopefully, that it was still early. “People need more time,” he said.

Wealth and Unions

Instead of yachts, tech workers are funding more mundane ventures like college savings plans. “This year brought a lot of people back to reality,” said Ryan S. Cole, a private wealth adviser at Citrine Capital, a wealth management firm in San Francisco. “We’ve had a lot of people fund 529 plans for their kids. Pretty boring stuff.”Some private wealth managers said they were actually somewhat relieved. “At the end of the day, it’s funny money until it’s realized," said Jonathan DeYoe, another private wealth adviser. “I’ve got Uber and Lyft clients that are disappointed. It’s a different house now. It’s a different school situation for the kids. But they’re still by and large in good places. No one’s impoverished.”And so workers who thought they would upgrade from Allbirds to Berluti shoes are remaining, after all, in the Allbirds.As some rank-and-file tech workers realize they might not get rich from company stock, the allure of working long hours without comparable real money pay is also wearing thin, said labor organizers. They have found traction this year in an industry long resistant to unions. “The incentives to take the licks that you do are in the hope of some sort of big payoff down the road,” said Paul Thurston, who focuses on unionizing San Francisco tech workers and is the organizing director at the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers. Now, “the engineers and the app designer and the developers are going to be treated a lot more like the employees that they are rather than like partners, which is what they’re told pre-I. P. O.,” he said.Jonathan Wright, the organizing director of Engineers and Scientists of California, said he was in talks to unionize the workers of several big tech companies. “There’s a promise: you work 100 hours a week, you sleep under your desk, and then you’ll be rewarded with the wealth of Bezos,” Mr. Wright said. “That mythology has been fading for years. The day of the unicorn is over.”Where there is new wealth, it’s coming from the older tech companies like Apple and Alphabet, whose stocks this year have soared. And some fortunes are still being made from the I.P.O.s. While Uber’s shares have fallen, the company’s co-founder, Travis Kalanick, has sold off more than $2 billion in stock, according to securities filings. “Especially with things like Uber, almost all the I.P.O. wealth was going to a couple of people,” said Kalena Masching, a Redfin agent in San Jose. “They are not looking to buy a standard house here.”Another bright spot: female-led companies, with more becoming unicorns in 2019 than any other year, according to Aileen Lee, the venture capitalist who coined the phrase “unicorn” to refer to a private company valued at $1 billion or more.And post-I.P.O. parties are happening. They are just secret — and phone-free. “We’re signing a lot more nondisclosures,” said Jay Siegan, who curates party entertainment for corporate tech clients. “A year ago, people would set up social media stations at the party, signs with the hashtag for Instagram. Now we have clients asking guests to check their phones at the door or using those Yondr bags.”These are pouches used to lock phones en masse at concerts and events where someone might be tempted to record.

Self Reflection

However, in public, the tech world is all about reflection and self-critiquing after the year that was. The I.P.O. disappointment has gotten so extreme that two Silicon Valley techies are setting out to do what few have done before: Make fun of themselves. David Cowan, a venture capitalist with Bessemer Venture Partners, which invested in Lyft, and Michael Fertik, the founder of Reputation.com, are launching an online talk show called “The Bubble Report.” It will feature interviews with other tech executives. The point, they hope, is to poke fun at Silicon Valley from within Silicon Valley.Mr. Cowan, either in character or just being very honest, decried the falling stock prices of newly public tech companies as victims of cruel Wall Street analysts.“It should be against the law for unscrupulous analysts to assess stocks based on cash flow and profit, to impugn a company based on eight lines of a financial report,” he joked. “Imagine how much more value we’d have in the stock market if we got rid of that arcane thinking.” Mr. Fertik said his inspiration to mock his industry came in part from realizing how far from reality it had all gotten. “I want people to understand that Silicon Valley is a deeply religious place that thinks of itself as agnostic,” he said. “It has some of the strengths and many of the frailties of organized religion.”For now, most people are waking up to find they are still on Earth. This is good news for those in San Francisco who mostly viewed the tech exuberance as bad news: housing rights activists, first-time home buyers, and renters. “We are excited by any resetting of Bay Area rents that bring them down from their artificially inflated high,” said Fred Sherburn-Zimmer, the executive director of Housing Rights Committee, which fights against evictions. “Eventually all bubbles burst.” Read the full article

0 notes

myinspirationisgone · 8 years ago

Note

1-150 😁

Jesus, so much 😭 but thanks handsome!! 1. Who was the last person you held hands with?: My mom hahahah2. Are you outgoing or shy?: Definitely shy3. Who are you looking forward to seeing?: No one really4. Are you easy to get along with?: Uhm I like to think that I am but I'm not an easy person and I have very poor social skills, always nice though.5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you?: I surely hope he would 🙂 but no I am pretty sure he would take great care of me6. What kind of people are you attracted to?: People who have a very open mind, lots of humor and just people I vibe with.7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?: No definitely not8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?: Oh you know that one 😏9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?: No not at all, I'm very comfortable with it10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?: I honestly can't remember11. What does the most recent text that you sent say?: "Sorry 😭"12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?- Bea Miller - Like that- Robin Schulz ft James Blunt - OK - Sleeping at last - Already gone- Sleeping at last - Saturn- Lady Gaga - The cure13. Do you like it when people play with your hair?: Fuck yes14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?: I do yes15. What good thing happened this summer?: The summer kinda still has to happen and last summer I barely remember 😂16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?: No never 🤐17. Do you think there is life on other planets?: I do think so yes also because not everything has been discovered yet18. Do you still talk to your first crush?: Nope 19. Do you like bubble baths?: Ugh yes very much so20. Do you like your neighbors?: No not at all, one is a grumpy raisin that never smiles and is rude. The other ones are an older couple and their 40+ son and I can hear them yell when they're in their house and I am in mine 😂21. What are your bad habits?: Hmmm reacting very childish in certain situations and one I don't like to talk about. 22. Where would you like to travel?: All over the world, definitely 🌍🌎🌏23. Do you have trust issues?: Yes, very much so24. Favorite part of your daily routine?: Going to sleep hahahaha or spending time with my dogs25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with?: My entire body but mostly my stomach area26. What do you do when you wake up?: Take my phone27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?: Darker definitely, way prettier than my pale skin28. Who are you most comfortable around?: My 2 best friends and mom 29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?: No but then again I don't really have ex's30. Do you ever want to get married?: Yes for sure 💍31. Is your hair long enough for a pony tail?: Hell yes, it reaches my ass already32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?: Uh no idea tbh33. Spell your name with your chin.: h8hq, that's the best I could do wtf34. Do you play sports? What sports?: I bingewatch 35. Would you rather live without TV or music?: TV definitely36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?: Hmmm no37. What do you say during awkward silences?: Nothing, I make it more awkward or I ask something very random38. Describe your dream girl/guy?: Take a look in the mirror39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?: Newlook, h&m, the body shop etc40. What do you want to do after high school?: Already graduated and studying psychology 41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?: Depends on the situation but usually yes42. If you're being extremely quiet what does it mean?: I'm either in my own world, sad, very focused or uncomfortable 43. Do you smile at strangers?: Yes very often 44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?: Bottom of the ocean but kinda both actually 😂45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?: The will to talk to my soulmate46. What are you paranoid about?: Uhm almost everything 47. Have you ever been high?: Nope48. Have you ever been drunk?: Yes 49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?: Nope50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore?: Jesus that's been so long but idk dark blue I think51. Ever wished you were someone else?: Very often52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself?: My immaturity at times and aside from that my entire body53. Favourite makeup brand?: Don't have one, whatever is good is good54. Favourite store?: Don't have a favorite one55. Favourite blog?: @eagerforpower 56. Favourite colour?: Green57. Favourite food?: Pasta ish stuff58. Last thing you ate?: Chocolate mousse59. First thing you ate this morning?: Bread60. Ever won a competition? For what?: Hahahahaha I never won anything 😂61. Been suspended/expelled? For what?: Nope, I'm a good girl 62. Been arrested? For what?: Nope63. Ever been in love?: Yes64. Tell us the story of your first kiss?: Uhm trying to remember that one. I think it was when I was sitting on my bed with him and there was a certain vibe, we made eye contact and he leaned in to kiss me. Not that special really 65. Are you hungry right now?: Noooo I'm so full66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends?: I don't have tumblr friends, well you don't really count as a tumblr friend or do you? Cause if you do then tumblr > rl friends67. Facebook or Twitter?: Twitter68. Twitter or Tumblr?: Tumblr69. Are you watching tv right now?: No70. Names of your bestfriends?: Chris, Jolien & Grisja71. Craving something? What?: Having you here72. What colour are your towels?: Uhm so many colors, green and blue but also brown etc72. How many pillows do you sleep with?: 2 but I used to sleep with 4, 2 got stolen 73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?: Not anymore. Wait no I never have74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?: I do have plenty of that so uhm about 20?75. Favourite animal?: A panda76. What colour is your underwear?: Well I'm not wearing any so 77. Chocolate or Vanilla?: Vanilla78. Favourite ice cream flavour?: Banana or lemon79. What colour shirt are you wearing?: Baby blue80. What colour pants?: Grey 81. Favourite tv show?: Hmmm don't have a favorite one82. Favourite movie?: Charlie's Angels and many more83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2?: The original duh84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street?: 21 Jump Street85. Favourite character from Mean Girls?: Cady 86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo?: Dory87. First person you talked to today?: My mom, well I texted you before that but you were still asleep88. Last person you talked to today?: My brother89. Name a person you hate?: N.90. Name a person you love?: Chris91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?: Hahahaha sure yes 92. In a fight with someone?: Nope93. How many sweatpants do you have?: About 594. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have?: Like 10 or so95. Last movie you watched?: The Stanford prison experiment 96. Favourite actress?: Angelina Jolie97. Favourite actor?: Johnny Depp98. Do you tan a lot?: Noooo99. Have any pets?: Yes many100. How are you feeling?: Okay I guess101. Do you type fast?: Pretty fast, at times102. Do you regret anything from your past?: Yes many things103. Can you spell well?: Yes I can104. Do you miss anyone from your past?: No I don't 105. Ever been to a bonfire party?: No but I would like to106. Ever broken someone’s heart?: Yes I have 107. Have you ever been on a horse?: Yes and it was super fun, I loved it108. What should you be doing?: Nothing rn, did eveything I had to do today109. Is something irritating you right now?: Yes, me 😂110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?: Yes111. Do you have trust issues?: Yes I do, this question is in the list twice which means it's 149 questions112. Who was the last person you cried in front of?: My mom113. What was your childhood nickname?: Mie, kinda still is114. Have you ever been out of your province/state?: Yes I have115. Do you play the Wii?: Used to, soooo often but haven't in years116. Are you listening to music right now?: No I'm not, I mean I do hear my mom's music coming from her headphone but that don't count117. Do you like chicken noodle soup?: Sometimes 118. Do you like Chinese food?: Ugh fuck yes I do 119. Favourite book?: Hmmm probably for now My favorite Mistake120. Are you afraid of the dark?: Unfortunately yes, terrified even 121. Are you mean?: No but I can be a bitch122. Is cheating ever okay?: Never123. Can you keep white shoes clean?: Hahahaha no, not even for a day124. Do you believe in love at first sight?: I do believe in a connection at first sight, if it is really love idk125. Do you believe in true love?: I do126. Are you currently bored?: No, thanks to these questions not127. What makes you happy?: The little things. My bae, taking pics, playing with my dogs, writing, my project etc128. Would you change your name?: No129. What your zodiac sign?: Aquarius130. Do you like subway?: Yes131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?: Tell him to get over it132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?: Ok so 148 questions, also asked before. But again, don't remember 133. Favourite lyrics right now?: "I thought I saw the devilThis morningLooking in the mirror, drop of rum on my tongueWith the warningTo help me see myself clearerI never meant to start a fireI never meant to make you bleedI'll be a better man today"134. Can you count to one million?: Pretty sure I can but not gonna try135. Dumbest lie you ever told?: "I didn't know I was dry"136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed?: Uhm it's only a little open137. How tall are you?: 1m70138. Curly or Straight hair?: In-between 139. Brunette or Blonde?: Brunette 140. Summer or Winter?: Hmmm probably Spring141. Night or Day?: Night142. Favourite month?: May143. Are you a vegetarian?: Sometimes 🙂144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?: Milk145. Tea or Coffee?: Tea but I love coffee too so both146. Was today a good day?: I think it was in some ways147. Mars or Snickers?: Hmm I think Mars but I love Snickers too, it just makes me nauseous148. What’s your favourite quote?: "But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?" By Mark Twain149. Do you believe in ghosts?: I do150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page?: "Those causes aren't goal-causes, but mechanical causes"❤❤❤

1 note · View note

willreadforbooze · 5 years ago

Text

Hello!

BIG NEWS PEOPLE! Our Will Read For Booze twitter account (formerly Sam’s personal account) is going to be dedicated to the whole blog! So go check us out kthxxxx. While that’s amazing, Sam has to start from scratch on a new account, let’s show her some love huh? Check out her new account TheBooktender_ She’ll love you forever and ever.

Linz’s Updates

Ugh chronic pain is useless and work gave me a new grey hair, but I got promoted and finally had anniversary dinner, so balance?

What Linz read:

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer: Contemporary novel about a woman’s life as a a famous author’s wife. It’s not breaking any ground and the “twist” is telegraphed pretty hard early on, but it’s well-written and I enjoyed it

Sisters of Shadow and Light by Sara B. Larson: The publisher has kindly asked us to not post reviews until 2 weeks before sale date, so I don’t want to say anything just yet about this fantasy story involving 2 sisters who are stuck in a Paladin citadel, but I’ll post my review on Goodreads Oct. 22.

What Linz is currently reading:

The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis: OK so I’m an idiot and thought this book was about girls who were forced into magical servitude via cursed tattoos, but, like, as child soldiers, not prostitutes-in-training. Whoops. So given that I thought this was a very different book, I’m not into it yet, but I’m gonna try to hit 20% and re-evaluate if I finish it.

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing: JUST got this from the library and I’m a little excited to start reading it today. From Goodreads: “We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive. Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.”

Sam’s Updates

It’s starting to get cold, so, like Linz, my chronic pain is flaring up. But who can think about that when thE NATS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES?! We also have Dewey’s 24h Readathon this Saturday so my TBR is here too.

What I read this week:

Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: So this is where I would normally tell you what this book is about, but IM NOT GONNA. It’s so much better to go into Erin’s books blind and I’m not going to ruin that. What I WILL say is it’s got a giant (as in world size) library. I have no words. This book was perfect and I already want to reread it. Drunk review comin sooon.

The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin: This is the second book in the Inheritance series. Parker wrote a hilarious review. Listening on audio. I enjoyed this a lot more than the first one. Maybe it’s because I understand it more? Idk. I already downloaded book 3 from the library so that’s good news.

What I’m currently reading:

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore: So this is a story of a family that always has 5 girls, 5 cousins. The men that spawn these women disappear, so it’s always the women. 5 ladies, 5 mothers, 5 Grandmas (abuelas), when suddenly a boy appears. He has no memories. Guys I know I’m slow going at this but some stuff happened in the book and now I’m v v sad.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: This is our book club book for the month. Basically it’s the 1920s-ish in Mexico, and our main character Casiopea accidentally lets the god of death out of prison and he gotta put himself back together before he turns mortal and for a variety of reasons (including potential death herself) Casiopea goes with him. I am getting some SERIOUS Hades and Persephone vibes from this and I love it.

Aurora Rising by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman: This is the first in a new sci-fi series by our fave Illuminae duo. Tyler has it made, he’s gonna get the #bestsquadever. But then when he’s out practicing space stuff, he finds a ship that has a buncha dead people in cryopods, except one isn’t dead, she’s Aurora. Anyway he ends up with the last of the last crews and may have accidentally witnessed the start of an intergalactic war. So.. that. I’m really really liking the dynamic of the squad, everyone is a little odd and a little broken but they’re starting to get to know each other. We’ll see if my love for them overcomes the pace of the story (slowwww).

Dewey’s 24h Readathon TBR

…And Other Disasters by Malka Older: I got this ARC in the mail a few weeks ago and I want to knock it out before it comes out. It’s a collection of poetry and short stories and I can’t wait

A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy: I picked this up at ALA and the cover has me hooked. Cannot wait to read it.

Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan: This is the sequel to Girls of Paper and Fire which Linz reviewed. I wasn’t super impressed with book 1, I’m giving the series another chance with book 2.

Minda’s Updates

What Minda finished:

These Divided Shores (Stream Raiders #2) by Sara Raasch – So really loved the second installment and double love that it was a duology. I think two books was the perfect amount to explore the intricacies of the island melting pot of Grace Loray and the threat its people face from the mainland. With plant magic! Stay tuned for review. 4/5 shots.

What Minda is reading now:

HEIST by Kezzy Sparks – A debut magic-based paranormal suspense novel that I will 100% finish this week. Look for the review around when the book drops Oct 31

Ginny’s Updates:

Well, I finished my first full week as an aunt and it was delightful! I got about 8 hours of baby time today (which equals approximately two hours of reading while mom, dad, other aunt, and nana all takes naps). Also, there were some other surprises this week (no worries – no books were harmed… actually some comic books were harmed, but for a good cause).

Currently Reading:

Queen of the Unwanted by Jenna Glass: This is the sequel to Women’s War which came out last year. Because I got the arc of that, Netgalley asked if I was interested in reading this and the answer was YES. I’m not super far in but I’m excited!

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi: I read a book by John Scalzi a while back called Fuzzy, where the main character discovers the cutest animal ever and it turns out to be sentient and he has to prove it. This is the kind of the opposite, aliens exist but they look like the thing of nightmares but are actually super cool. Tom, the main characters, is a Hollywood agent who has been tasked with figuring out how to introduce the aliens to the public. It’s pretty delightful, the idea and the characters are fun. You can tell it’s one of Scalzi’s earlier novels as there’s some undertones of (as the news has told us) industry-standard misogyny. The main character, luckily isn’t a dick, but there’s still some statements that were a little bit cringey. Doesn’t change the fact that I trust Scalzi and I’m enjoying this book.

Finished:

Laughter at the Academy by Seanan McGuire: I’m lucky enough to have gotten this as an ARC from Netgalley. This is a collection of short stories from throughout McGuire’s career. It’s delightful to see some of the earlier stories next to things that have a more modern feel. I’m planning on writing a review for this one!

Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire: Yes, okay, I read two of these books in the same week. This is the 4th book in the InCryptid series and continues to delight. Alex has to go to Australia to try to help end a werewolf infestation. Yet again, planning on writing a review of this so I’m not going to say too much.

How Long ’til Black Future Month by N.K. Jemisin: This is another book of short stories and like all collections, some are stronger than others. That doesn’t change the fact that there’s some absolutely amazing pieces among this collection, the kind of pieces that make you never want to write a single word ever again because you aren’t going to be able to write something so good. My particular favorites ended up being a story set in a reality bubble where people are only connected via blogs and one set during Hurricane Katrina that included a set of lizards that could talk. Both of those stories (and many of the ones I didn’t mention) had this beautiful flow to it, and had these really subtle feelings of hope or dread. 5/5

Until next time, we main forever drunkenly yours,

Sam, Ginny, Linz, and Minda

Weekly Wrap Up: Oct 6- 13, 2019 Hello! BIG NEWS PEOPLE! Our Will Read For Booze twitter account (formerly Sam's personal account) is going to be dedicated to the whole blog!

0 notes

thedrowsydoormouse · 5 years ago

Text

Blame @anangelamuse-castiel-spnfam for this long ass post!

1. What’s your first name?

Marilyn

2. How old are you?

3. Where do you live?

California (near Hollywood)

4. How tall are you?

6′1/2″

5. What colour is your hair?

a really pretty purple-y red

6. Do you have any siblings? If so are they younger or older than you?

I have a bunch of siblings. One is older and all the others are younger.

7. What time is it for you right now?

7:30-ish

8. Can you dance?

I should hope so considering I’ve been doing it for about 21 years now!

9. Do you have any pets? What are their names and species?

I have an adorable doggo named Zorro!

10. What is your eye colour?

Blue in the way the sea looks during a storm which is a total cliche but also very accurate!

11. Are you in a relationship?

Yes

12. Have you ever been in a relationship?

Many many relationships which were almost all huge mistakes.

13. What is your sexuality?

Pansexual

14. What is your type?

It really varies depending on gender but the one universal thing is dark hair and light eyes.

15. Have you had your first kiss?

Considering I’m married, yes!

16. Have you had a sexual experience with same gender?

Once in high school.

17. Have you had a sexual experience with someone of a different gender?

Many, many times.

18. What is your ideal date?

Disneyland during the Halloween season.

19. Are you a romantic?

Very much so!

20. Who is your celebrity crush?

I have way too many to list but right now my phone wallpaper is a pic of Alex Calvert from comicon this past weekend.

21. Do you like to draw?

I used to love it but going to art school in college kind of ruined it for me which makes me really sad but I just don’t find joy in it anymore. Now it just stresses me out. Hopefully that changes after a while.

22. Are you a good singer?

I love singing and the people I live with say I sound good but I think it’s all kind of subjective. I can carry a tune and stay on pitch and sometimes, if I’m really lucky and my emotions are right and all the stars are aligned, I can get a good amount of power behind it and really belt out when I sing which makes me really happy!

23. What was your best subject at school?

I was always amazing at anything creative so things like art, acting, dance, music, photography, creative writing (is it obvious I went to private school).

24. Do you enjoy physical activity?

I love some kinds. I could spend the rest of my life dancing all day and be the happiest girl you’ve ever met. I also like walking if I’m shopping or walking around Disneyland. And I get pretty physical when I’m cooking because I’m running around the kitchen doing like 12 things at once! Outside of that me and physical activity are not friends!

25. Have you ever done a marathon?

Never have, never will.

26. What is your favourite activity?

Dancing. Many people have said I light up even when I’m just talking about it! My husband just said he could tell I was thinking about dance because I started grinning like an idiot while typing this!

27. Have you ever traveled over seas?

No, but I plan to someday. I love traveling and seeing as much of the world as I can!

28. What would you consider your best skill?

Calming my mom down when she’s having one of her classic freak outs. I’m the only one who can get her to just chill out!

29. Favourite childhood movie?

Princess Bride! I still have to show it to Jack so I’ll probably be watching it later tonight!

30. What is your best quality?

I had to ask Jack about this because I didn’t want to sound too stuck up or full of myself. He says my strength.

31. What is your biggest fandom?

Considering my wedding band has an anti-possession symbol on it I’m going to say Supernatural.

32. What fandoms are you apart of?

Supernatural, Good Omens, Doctor Who, Lucifer, and a few others I can’t really think of or can’t list without taking an hour to type this up!

33. What is your favourite head cannon about anything?

Sam got super jealous when he found out Gabe and Rowena slept together.

34. Who is your all time favourite book character?

Westley from Princess Bride. I like to think I married the real life version of him!

35. Do you read smutty or fluffy fanfiction? (or fanfiction at all?)

Give me all the fanfic all the time!

36. What is your favourite book?

Princess Bride! I read it in middle school ad it still stuck with me.

37. Why did you choose that particular username?

I was studying fashion design, the guy I was with at the time always called me “Ducky” and I was 18 and in 12th grade.

38. Do you play video games? What is your favourite?

I have spent god knows how much time playing Sims 4 building houses and sims based on my favorite tv characters and some of my closest friends.

39. What is your all time least favourite fan theory or head cannon about anything?

That Lucifer would’ve been a good father to Jack. We already saw that he only wanted to use and control him so I can safely assume he would’ve been even worse than Dean was before Cas came back.

40. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Trek (she says while her husband yells “Star Wars” from across the room)!

41. What is your saddest experience?

I went though a month and a half long depression spiral when they announced season 15 of Supernatural would be the last which got even worse when I read what had happened to Jack in the season 14 finale.

42. If you could apologise to anyone at all right now, who would you choose and why?

Jack because I kept him up all night last week when there was a shadow demon thing standing outside my door that I could tell was scared of Jack so I used him as a pseudo human shield thing!

43. What makes you fizz up (get angry)?

When people are close minded. I ruined last Christmas because my great aunt wouldn’t stop being a bigot so I yelled at her and screamed “fuck you” in a crowded Chili’s!

44. Have you ever been in a fist fight?

Many times. And I’ve won every single one. I’m scrappy af and very light on my feet!

45. What is something you would change about yourself and why?

I would put more money in my bank account because a bunch of stores are starting to bring out their Halloween stuff and I want need all of it!

46. Describe the last dream/nightmare you remember having?

The shadow demon from outside my room was trying to strangle me (like hand around my neck lifting me off the floor so my feet were kicking like in the movies). I woke up and couldn’t breathe with Jack leaning over me looking genuinely terrified.

47. What are you like offline?

Pretty much the same as I am on here. Maybe a bit more bouncy and bubbly but that kind of stuff doesn’t really transfer to online unless I’m in a video on like youtube or twitch or something.

48. What is your biggest secret?

I think I caused the deaths of not only my first grade teacher but also one of the girls a couple years behind me in middle school and one of my classmate’s father.

49. Have you ever committed a crime?

I stole a lip gloss when I was about 3 or 4. Also so much jaywalking.

50. What is your most controversial belief?

I don’t know how controversial this would seem to my followers but trans women are 100% women and trans men are 100% men and asexuality is a real thing that 100% belongs in the LGBTQ+ community.

0 notes

nikkifinnie-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Dunstan Bruce on returning to music

Early this year something wondrous and perfectly formed appeared in our midst...the Interrobang album had been released! If you haven’t heard it yet that’s several months of your life that have been musically poorer than they needed to be-get to it! Interrobang are like a wonderful cocktail that includes hints of The Jam, Gang of Four, Pulp and Blur while always maintaining their own distinct sound. Intelligent, witty, self aware lyrics embedded in vivid, cleverly textured and shaped musical landscapes that always enhance what’s being said. You can tell that this is a band that have spent time thinking about, honing, road testing this collection of lean, perfectly delivered songs. Ego-less collaboration, not an easy thing to find. Dunstan Bruce, Stephen Griffin and Harry Hamer have created a work of art that honestly and courageously explores the experience of being a 50 something dissident still bothered about the inequality and injustice they see around them, ”I’m sick to death of being told to keep calm, no danger of that happening any time soon, I’m angry, still angry after all these years, I’ll never calm down, never ever” (‘Mad as Hell’), still with a sharp mind but, disconcertingly, a waning body, ”…I’ve been privately browsing middle aged concerns, and I’ve been googling the 50 something blues…I’ve been denying existential truths and I’ve been ignoring hashtag cancerous news…” (‘Asking For a Friend’). The overtly political and those aspects of life often considered more personal (although of course the ‘personal’ occurs in, and is affected by, a social/political context) are kept in perfect balance as the album engages with the wide gamut of life (and death, both of a parent and the contemplation of one’s own) including apprehension of the next milestone “I’m in a car wash and frankly I’m terrified…what’s gonna happen when I hit 60, will I still be hungry, will I still be angry, and will I still have the energy?” (‘Breathe’), As he had spent some time out of music between Chumbawumba and Interrobang I was intrigued to ask Dunstan Bruce how in retrospect the whole experience of returning to music, being in a band, releasing an album and touring again had gone... Interrobang formed in 2012 and the album was released in 2018, in that time were you conscious that you were engaged in a valuable process of perfectly realising a vision and there were no shortcuts? That’s a long gestation period isn’t it? We obsessed over this album, this project, this labour of love. The last thing we wanted to do was pour our heart and soul into this and watch it go out with a whimper not a bang. We spent a long time developing the songs, getting them tighter, more economical, more less-is-more-ish, honed into incredible little gems. And then life comes along and distracts you, kicks you in the balls, knocks you sideways. So you put everything on hold and then when you’re ready you throw yourself back in. This was too precious to us all. I was reading a couple of interviews you gave (1,2), in them you mention that the album has been gestating, at least lyrically, for about 8 years, how did you feel as the launch day approached? There has been a wonderful feeling of validation, of purpose, of value. It was a massive step for me lyrically, baring my soul, letting the world in, sharing my confessional. I had hit a point where my ability to communicate with the outside world had almost ground to a halt. Where I was incapable of expressing an emotion, where I embraced curmudgeon as an affectation rather than an affliction. It was a dark and lonely place. So I approached it with trepidation. And a glorious feeling that I was taking a leap again. It was exhilarating and terrifying. I had butterflies. I loved it. The album has been really well received!! Were you surprised by how many people completely 'got it'? I’d got wind that people were digging what we were doing from the gigs. Middle aged men coming up to me after a show and sharing their own stories about their difficult relationships with their dads, about feeling invisible, about never giving up. I discovered it was a common experience that I had gone through. Talking about stuff like that at a gig rather than at some men’s group was incredibly rewarding. Without the rarefied atmosphere, but just that visceral shared experience it was easy to talk and to share. The album speaks to those of us who are wondering what dissent looks like when you are 50 something but it also explores mortality, relationships and the fear that one is fading into irrelevance. Did you find it difficult to write so honestly, did it feel vulnerable or did it feel a like necessary catharsis?There’s no guarantee that something like this was going to bring me any sort of love, peace or understanding but it certainly did. Catharsis, yes. definitely that. It cleansed my system. I kind of re-booted myself. I opened up. It was scary and I felt incredibly self-conscious at times. Even just bringing those words to the rehearsal room - a safe environment – I felt exposed. But part of getting to my age was that front part of my brain loosening up, that bit that says stop being so uptight, let it out, don’t give a fuck, that part just let go. I’m 57. What have I got to lose? This is my one go at this; I decided not to waste it any more. So weirdly now I feel like a bit of a fraud getting up in stage being that character who wrote those words. I’m not quite sure that’s me any more. Cliched I know but I’ve been on journey and I think I might just be coming out the other side now... How have men responded to it, have they whispered/mentioned casually to you that it speaks to/for them? Less of a whisper, more of a shout! It’s resonated for sure and that’s been great. There’s some tricky stuff on there, taboo stuff, awkward stuff, difficult stuff. I made a decision to put it all out there. Whether it’s entirely me or not. It’s all in there/out there and we’re all going through it. Sometimes I wonder whether not talking actually makes us ill. I’m almost evangelical about it. Almost... How about women-has it resonated with them as much? Or is their experience shaped differently by society? There’s no denying that what I say is very male-oriented and deliberately so but still there are shared ideas, shared themes, simple ideas that cross genders. There are lots of universal, communal conversations going on in there too. Up till about 2005 you were in Chumbawamba, who identified as an anarchist band, how have your politics evolved in the last 10 years or so, would you still identify as an anarchist? In the way I think we should organise, yes. In the fact that we have to take responsibility, do it ourselves, fight injustice and inequality, call out the egregious, take on the man, not rely on others, believe in a better fairer world also yes. But an anarchist who can bend his own rules, who can collaborate with the broad left, who can find links and connections and not exist in a bubble. Anarcho-outwardism. Anarchism because it is the best way to preclude social injustice and inequality or because you prioritise personal freedom? Anarchism because common sense. I saw a clip recently of Benjamin Zephaniah talking to Krishna Guru Murphy about anarchism (3), and KGM appeared to be struggling! Have you had similar experiences, that people find it hard to imagine something other than a tweaked version of what is? I loved that Zephaniah interview! He’s putting out those radical ideals but we know his heart is in the community. He’s no high-falutin head in the clouds fantasist. I love that. His feet firmly on the ground but he’s aiming at the stars. He’s a beautiful role model. I haven’t got any 5 point plan to change the world and whilst I might still dream of revolution I know that it’s unlikely. I love that Audre Lorde quote “Revolution is not a one-time event”. I also like that Howard Zinn quote ““We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” What next for Interrobang? Is there going to be a second album? It’s taking some small, initial, faltering steps. There will be a second album. There must be. Any early ideas about what sort of subjects it might engage with? Only that it will be different to the first. I’ve come through that process. I’m on a different adventure now. Audre Lorde again “ Life is very short and what we have to do must be done in the now”. So, album out and tour complete-any final reflections on the whole experience of starting from scratch in 2012 to releasing a brilliant album and going on tour again in 2018? At the age of 50 it felt like I was on cruise control, freewheeling downhill. One of the first lines I wrote for Interrobang was a stolen mashed up quote from somewhere or other that was “I’m embracing adventure with comfortable shoes and a clean place to shit, yeah that’s it”. I’m still on that adventure and I’m loving it all. Any plans for more dates later in the year? The autumn yeah; Ireland, Germany, hopefully a few choice UK shows. We’re still specifically waiting for the call for a Scottish jaunt too… I miss playing live. I miss Griff. Griff’s a genius. And a style guru. And a guitar god. We’ll be back though. Shouty man and loopy guitar man. Getting all hot and bothered under the starched and pressed collar… Thanks to Dunstan and to James for organising. Bibliography. (1)Dix, J. (2018) ‘Interview: Dustan Bruce from Interrobang’ https://www.echoesanddust.com/2018/04/dunstan-bruce-from-interrobang%E2%80%BD/ (2)Fox, C. (2018) ‘Dunstan Bruce still dreams of revolution: Interrobang Interviewed’ http://louderthanwar.com/dunstan-bruce/ (3)’Benjamin Zephaniah on Windrush, anarchism and his time in North Korea’. Channel 4 News (2018) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zowOkv0Cuhk Read the full article

#DunstanBruce #Interrobang #interview #Music #musician #punk #punkrock

0 notes