#this post is meant to be about amanda the adventurer but you can include other fandoms ig

[averagekindergartenfan]

You may not like it, but the neurodivergents LOVE it *licks interest*

[lightgriffinsect]

a little thing i noticed about amanda's character and wanna talk about

Spoilers for Amanda the Adventurer under the cut:

One thing I've noticed - and is probably very easy to notice - about Amanda as a character, as least from what we see as Riley watching the tapes, is that she's very confrontational. She's very quick to take matters into her own hands.

One way we see her do this is by wresting control of the playable parts of the show, like where you have to type in an answer and decide to troll her because come on, we all wanted to do that to Dora the Explorer when we were kids. And like where you intentionally pick the wrong option 3 times and she either gets rid of the wrong options entirely (see how she gets rid of the fridge and sink in In The Kitchen, forcing you to pick the pantry) or replaces them with something you can't pick (she replaces the fruits in Everything Rots with organs and only brings the fruits back after you resort to clicking on the rotten sandwich.)

Another way is how in the second viewing of In The Neighborhood* when all the buildings are replaced with meat shops, forcing you, Amanda, and Wooly to enter one. She demands you to help her pick out a special treat, which being obviously impossible, causes her to get more and more angry. She snarls "Let me out of here" and somehow manages to break all of you out of that shop, where we then find that all the other shops have been restored and then burnt to the ground.

-> This shows that she obviously has some control over the affairs of the in-show universe. She can control what you choose and even what you type in the blanks. And she's very quick to use it if she believes you're messing with her.

-> It also shows that she may not understand the extent of her own powers. She believes it was you, Riley, the viewer, who corrupted the shops in In The Neighborhood. But as far as we know, the MC has no control over anything that's happening.

It's thus possible that Amanda could have somehow accidentally triggered that change in the episode and not realized it. And given how prone she is to frustration and helplessness, she may believe that it was you/Riley who caused it and subsequently take her rage out on you.

Or it could be Wooly. No one seems to really know his exact role in this game, myself included. It's possible that he may have abilities of his own that give him limited control over the show as well, if to a lesser extent than Amanda does. However, this does beg the question of why he would corrupt the game like that. I think Wooly as a character is very interesting, and honestly he probably deserves his own post theorizing about him, so I'll go no deeper into this for now.

Anyway, I really just made this post to highlight how in a fight or flight situation, Amanda is most likely to pick 'fight'. And I wanted to talk about how that might tie in with Rebecca as Amanda.

It's hinted at that Rebecca was, probably because of Hameln's influence, accidentally OR intentionally trapped inside the show, and specifically inside Amanda. She may even be a spirit trapped and forced to pilot a husk of a character herself, as it doesn't seem to me at least that Amanda the character has a will of her own. As far as I can tell, the scenes of her anger all seem to be Rebecca.

This makes me wonder. Was Amanda herself only ever meant to be a happy-go-lucky Dora-esque character? Did the confrontational attitude only stem from Rebecca once she was trapped inside the show?

I think that's possible. We know from Coffee Break, where Sadie interviews Sam Colton, that Rebecca was a source of joy and kindness in her life. Despite her troubled past from before Sam adopted her, she was known to be loving and optimistic, and I think Sam would have wanted Amanda to emulate those same qualities, back when Rebecca was playing her in the live-action version. Before Hameln purchased the show and turned it into an animated series.

So I believe that Rebecca only adopted the harsh, sarcastic, cruel demeanor that slips through in the show after she was trapped with no way out. By extension, Amanda, who is almost certainly her vessel, is the one we see acting on these qualities. Rebecca is devastated at the loss of her father, and possibly bitter towards Hameln if she ever realized what they may have been trying to get her to do. (Summon demons, as seen in the tape of Rebecca recording lines with Sam and the Director.) While I do doubt this, since she's like 10 with very little potential knowledge of demonology, it's possible that after being trapped in the show for so long, she has become cynical and quick to anger, rushing the plot along when you troll Amanda one too many times.

This also might explain why Amanda doesn't fully understand her own capabilities. She takes matters into her own hands and forces you to pick the right option for relatively petty things that she understands how to control. Aside from that, she doesn't seem able to stop the corruption of the stores in the second viewing of In The Neighborhood*. She comes to the conclusion that it must be Riley, you, doing this and gets angry with you for not playing the game right.

So if Amanda really is Rebecca, that would make a lot of sense as to why things get changed or corrupted to the surprise of us, Wooly, and her. Sometimes she exercises her control with full understanding of what she's doing, and other times she doesn't even realize it's happening because of her. And she becomes angry and, intentionally or not, confronts us and takes away our power to influence the show through our answers.

Orrrrr maybe I'm just being really nitpicky about this lmao.

In conclusion, MatPat has pretty much finished the game and he's already working on a theory, so I'm excited to see what he has to say about all this!

Thanks for reading my long post! I really like this game and I had fun coming up with a theory for it!

--------

*I actually don't remember if this was the exact name of the tape ^^ please bear with me here

[fabianocolucci]

What if the Dark Knight Trilogy, Green Lantern and Arrow were all part of the DC Extended Universe?

In 2013, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was released. The Superman reboot, starring Henry Cavill, would go on to be the starting point of the DC Extended Universe, the largest movie franchise based off DC characters.

However, in the previous two years, three peculiar properties based off DC characters were released:

Green Lantern (2011), starring Ryan Reynolds, who was supposed to be the actual start of the DCEU. However, its poor critical recession and box office failure meant that all plans were scrapped (even though Zack Snyder did consider bringing Reynolds back as a future Justice League member, so, maybe, they would have retroactively decided to make this movie canon again);

The Dark Knight Rises (2012), which was the grand finale of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, which included Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). Those movies were a critical and commercial success, to the point where Nolan was given complete freedom, and it was him who made sure that his version of Batman would be separated from the shared universe that started with Man of Steel;

Arrow (2012-2020), a TV show that was, initially, intended to stand on its own, until it became so successful that it spawned a huge franchise, the Arrowverse, which links many other DC properties through its multiverse, including the DCEU;

For a while, fans had started speculating if one of these properties was going to be part of the same universe as Snyder’s Superman reboot. The answer, obviously, was no (unless you count the Arrowverse and the DCEU being part of a shared multiverse).

However, what would have happened if all three were included in this shared universe?

Well, first of all, its age would have grown, since Batman Begins would have become its true starting point. That could have been a good choice if they wanted to avoid making it seem like they were just playing catch-up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, they could have just replied that their universe started three years before Iron Man (2008) took off.

Obviously, the tones would have been an issue. How do you merge a dark and realistic Batman trilogy, a campy and colourful Green Lantern movie, an almost serious Green Arrow show (which, during its first season, didn’t even feature superpowers) and a gritty, yet epic and hopeful Superman movie?

Well, first of all, it should not be a huge issue. After all, superhero comics do this all the time: the most serious stories can still share the same universe as the wackiest adventures.

However, in order for this to have happened, something should have changed. The right time for this change was 2011, when Green Lantern was about to be released, there were first talks about a Green Arrow spin-off and The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel were still in production. These are all the things that could have been made, in my humble opinion:

One of the Easter Eggs that Green Lantern was supposed to feature was a reference to “Clark Kent” as one of the potential bearers of the Green Lantern ring. They scrapped it, but I can imagine them being told to keep it, as a way to remind the audiences that a Clark Kent exists in the universe of that film;

Man of Steel was pushed to 2013 in order to avoid having to compete with The Dark Knight Rises. Perhaps, both could have been released in the same year. After all, two DC movies in the same year was unheard of back then;

Green Lantern’s post credit scene could have featured something broader, while keeping Sinestro wearing a Yellow Ring for the end of the movie. Maybe, Amanda Waller could be hurriedly called, as some strange signals starts disrupting communications. That signal would be the “You Are Not Alone” message that General Zod would send during Man of Steel;

Even though Nolan would be given full control of The Dark Knight Rises, they could negotiate that, after said movie, his Batman would start appearing elsewhere;

Said movie could feature a mention of Hal Jordan, or even just to Ferris;

As the Green Arrow show is greenlit, the producers are told to include references to Green Lantern, Batman and Superman;

With those simple tweaks, those three movies, alongside that TV show, already made some small, ambiguous connections that, perhaps, something links them together.

And then, the Batman v. Superman announcement would take place! It would be the same, but the main change would be that the Batman facing Cavill’s Superman would be the same one played by Christian Bale in the Nolan trilogy.

However, other than that, we get two more surprise moments:

A short scene, made specifically for Comic-Con, which shows someone hovering as he looks at a destroyed Metropolis, after the events of Man of Steel. Then, as the camera focus on him, we see that it’s Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan, revealing that Green Lantern is also part of this universe;

Arrow’s trailer for season two makes some references to how crazy the World has become, since super people and aliens have revealed themselves. This is their way of announcing that Arrow is part of this universe too;

The inclusion of Arrow could also be seen as a way to beat the MCU to the punch. After all, Marvel had teased fans with TV spin-offs of their movie universe for years, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was finally going to release, so DC could have said “well, we already have a TV show set in the same universe as our movies”.

Now, what would have happened afterwards?

Well, I do believe that one thing which would have been kept from real life 2013 would be that Arrow sees the debut appearance of Barry Allen. He would appear because, well, having another Justice League key member appearing could tie this universe in a better way, especially when it comes to hyping up what’s going to happen.

Of course, how would Barry be presented? After all, if they follow the same route as they did in real life, this means that meta-humans would have only started showing up after Man of Steel’s alien invasion occurred.

Also, Arrow’s second season dealt with the League of Assassins. Since the Dark Knight Trilogy is now in the same universe, then it means that this is the same as the League of Shadows. Ra’s al Ghul and his daughter Talia appeared in Nolan movies, so Nyssa being used here makes perfect sense. Perhaps, she has founded another organisation, which can explain why they’re suddenly named League of Assassins.

In 2014, The Flash, Constantine and Gotham were announced (technically, iZombie as well, but that show was never even acknowledged by the Arrowverse, so we’ll treat it as its own). While the first two would be fine, Gotham would have to be retooled into a prequel to Nolan’s movies, so certain events must have happened accordingly. Of course, this could have been a nice way of seeing what would a Nolan version of the Riddler or the Penguin look like.

In late 2014, DC movies were announced. Nothing particular would have needed to be changed for most of them. However, Suicide Squad would have needed to make sure that their version of Amanda Waller is the same one as Green Lantern, while also including the members featured in Arrow, even just a couple of them, for continuity sake.

Titans was already announced back in 2014, although it would have been quite difficult to make a show where Dick Grayson wants to live a life away from Batman, when he was not even shown in any movie or show. Perhaps, Joseph Gordon Levitt could have served as that universe’s Nightwing, as a younger Dick Grayson is introduced as Robin.

Then, Supergirl. She would have been completely different. Perhaps, during the alien invasion in Man of Steel, she, who was already in the Phantom Zone, ended up on Earth, and, after having found Clark, the two cousins could be reunited. As such, even if she is still played by Melissa Benoist, she would not have been the same Kara who had lived for years and years on Earth, but still someone who is learning how to adapt there. Perhaps, Legends of Tomorrow could have happened as well. If anything, they could have been seen as a prototype Justice League, since they would feature characters such as Hawkgirl, Atom and Firestorm after all. Maybe, characters from the movie could have made cameo appearances, since the first season was originally intended as a limited event show.

As Batman v. Superman comes out, there needs to be something that ties together as much as possible:

Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl would have had to create special episodes to tie with the events of the movie. Perhaps, Star Labs would talk about what is happening around Metropolis and Gotham, while Supergirl would see Kara being worried about her cousin;

More references to the heroes in the show would appear in the movie, perhaps as some of the files created by Lex Luthor;

After those events, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman go as well as they could, when it is time for Justice League to come out.

It was released in late 2017, so the Arrowverse could have expanded on it with a proper crossover event. Maybe, all the key heroes that could have joined the League are seen dealing with Parademons and trying to stop whatever is going on.

Maybe, Green Lantern would have made a return in Justice League, as well as the inclusion of Martian Manhunter somewhere (if they wanted to keep revealing that General Swanwick from Man of Steel was, in fact, J’onn J’onnz, perhaps his reveal in Supergirl could have happened with Harry Lennix reprising his role).

Perhaps, other pieces could have been gathered along the way. Jonah Hex (2010) could be referenced when Legends of Tomorrow introduces their character, implying that Josh Brolin’s movie is actually canon. Then, an Arrowverse show could introduce the Human Target, but he would be played by Mark Valley, reprising his role from his short TV show. Lucifer could have perhaps be left there in his own bubble, since the DC Universe was now crazy enough that the idea that Lucifer, bored of Hell, would be living in California wouldn’t even seem that absurd.

Nothing particular would have changed, but, now, by 2017, there have been the following instalments:

Batman Begins (2005)

The Dark Knight (2008)

Jonah Hex (2010)

Human Target (2010-2011)

Green Lantern (2011)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Arrow (2012-2020)

Man of Steel (2013)

The Flash (2014)

Constantine (2014-2015)

Gotham (2014-2019)

Supergirl (2015-2021)

Legends of Tomorrow (2016-2022)

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Suicide Squad (2016)

Lucifer (2016-2021)

Wonder Woman (2017)

Justice League (2017)

And all these movies and shows would be seen as a “Phase 1”-like franchise where the universe as a whole effectively comes together after 12 years of movies and shows. After all, it happened already in the comics: Batman and Superman shared a “World’s Finest” comic together for about a decade before the writers decided to actually have them meet.

Of course, this is just pure speculation, a fun creative exercise. We don’t know what would have happened after Justice League in this universe.

Perhaps, if you want me, I could try to give it a part two, but this is the end of my what if, for now.

[medea10]

Medea’s Anime/Game Superlative of 2019

Well it’s that time of the year where I look back on the animes I’ve watched and the games I played with this outdated meme quiz from 10 years ago. But I still do it for the fun of it! As usual, it doesn’t matter what year the anime or game came out. If I messed with it this year, it counts for the honors. So if it came out two years ago (which feels like forever ago), it counts. Let’s get at it!

First Fandom of 2019: The Promised Neverland

Episode 1! That’s all you need to watch to officially get hooked to this series. I jumped on this title at the beginning of the year not knowing what to expect due to Aniplex and Crunchyroll whoring this particular anime months prior. But once I saw the first episode, I was immediately hooked. It shook me to my core to watch one of the most graphic scenes to come from this year. I was captivated by Emma, Norman, and Ray’s plans in order to escape their doomed fate of becoming food for creepy demons. Each episode, I was at the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. Is Gilda in cahoots with Sister Krone? Will Don learn the truth about what really happened to Connie in episode 1? Can Ray be trusted? IS NORMAN STILL ALIVE?! Come on, I’m like really far ahead in the manga. I want to see Norman and Emma together again. I’m so happy this series is getting a second season in 2020.

Favorite Main Character of 2019: Haru from My Roommate is a Cat

It was a close call this year for main characters and normally I don’t shoot for main characters. This year I will admit that I fell in love with Chika from Kaguya-sama. Plus, I still love me some Lana from Pokemon Sun/Moon! And I finally started part III of Jojo’s, so Grandpa Joestar is just the awesome OH MY GOD that I need. However, they all lose out to a cat! Yeah, just like that one year where I picked Nyanko-sensei as my favorite main character, I’m doing it again.

I know Haru can’t actually talk back to her human, but the audience can hear what she’s really saying and it’s absolutely amusing. She was funny when she thought the word “Haru” meant food. She’s so adorable when she’s playing with whatever catches her eye. She’s got quite the personality (almost tsundere even). But I gotta admire Haru too. Before she was adopted, Haru was on the street trying her best to look out for her younger siblings. Even giving them more food scraps when she would go hungry herself. After Haru was adopted by Subaru, she eventually warmed up to him as “her human”. It was a learning experience for both as Haru didn’t know how to react to having a human care for her and Subaru has never taken care of a cat before. But Haru is a loyal kitty who loves her human. Hell, she ran away from home because she feared her human collapsed somewhere. Haru’s the greatest!

Favorite Villain of 2019:

…

…Dear God, give me the strength to pull through this one.

Princess Malty “Myne, Bitch, Whore” Melromarc (The Rising of the Shield Hero)

No, this is not me insulting her. These are all her official names. Really! In many of the animes I watched this year, the villains were pretty hit-and-miss with me. I’m in the middle of watching the elven uprise with Black Clover and didn’t want to talk about that this year. Fairy Tail’s villains are just okay. And I didn’t watch Frieza this year! So let’s talk about the ONE villain who even out-trump’s the actual villain to the series.

It only took one episode for an entire fandom to turn on one single character. A single lie that figuratively speaking threw our main protagonist Naofumi under the bus, kicked him in the nuts, shanked him, robbed him, and thrown him off a cliff. Myne did so much throughout this series. She lied about being raped. She abused her power to get what she wanted. She set up someone to fail constantly. She attempted murder on her own sister (several times) just to keep her status as first in line to the throne. And she cheats so she gets her way! It was so sickening to watch this vile woman for more than just one episode. When you created a character who was so disgusting and revolting as a secondary villain, you did something right! It’s like with Shou Tucker and Father from Full Metal Alchemist. Ask any anime fan and they’ll definitely remember Tucker over Father. Myne is this anime’s Shou Tucker! And I have to give her some credit, she is now one memorable villain. And aren’t villains usually supposed to be despised? I, Naofumi, most characters in Shield Hero after episode 21, and all of the internet can come together in agreement to say, we hate Malty, Myne, Bitch, Whore.

Final insult on the matter, she’s a cunt!

Favorite Video Game Character(s) of 2019: Piers & Marnie (Pokemon: Sword and Shield)

I knew point blank that Marnie was going to be my favorite rival in this game. I knew I was going to enjoy the antics of her yell squad (a.k.a. Team Yell) too. But I never expected to meet her brother and enjoy him too. Like in more recent games, Pokemon has given your character a total of three rivals to look out for. And while Hop is just the British version of Hau and Bede is just…a fuck-face, Marnie was someone who marched to the beat of her own drum. She recognizes a powerful foe and has a level of respect for her rival. She has her own fanbase, but isn’t totally arrogant about it. Plus, she doesn’t mind helping you out and giving an extra boost in battle. Plus that smile scene is just too adorable for words. And then there’s Piers!

First of all, I just love the design of this guy. What did I say when I first laid eyes on him? It’s like if David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, and Sid Vicious threw up on a pentagram crafted from Hot Topic gear and this dude emerges! And much like his sister, he marches to the beat of his own drum. That’s why he’s the only gym leader in Galar that doesn’t use the Dynamax method. I would have been satisfied if I only got to see him once or twice in the game. But I was blessed when Piers came to my aid to take down the Marco Cosmos thugs AND take on all the rogue Dynamax pokemon in the post-game. I’m impressed! Out of all the people they picked to help the protagonist and Hop in this adventure, it was Piers. I am ever so happy by this. I am so heavily invested in this guy that I’m already thinking of fic ideas involving him.

Favorite Game of 2019: Pokemon Masters

As much as I really do love Pokemon Sword and Shield, I gotta give it to the mobile game this year. This game not only made one of my reoccurring dreams come true, but gave it something no other Pokemon game has been able to do in over twenty years. HUMAN VOICES! The trainers, they speak! AND YOU CAN CHANGE BETWEEN ENGLISH AND JAPANESE! Do you have any idea how much of a win this is for me! I know they’ll never have Tracey Sketchit in the game, but this still rocks my world. Do you know how much I love hearing Mamoru Miyano play a dickish bad guy? Do you know how badly I need to hear Daisuke Ono on a day-to-day basis? I’m a voice queen!

I know I don’t usually like to give praise to freemium games for the mobile phones, but this game is quite nice. I mean, yeah, you really do have to save up your gems in order to (hopefully) get the 5-star trainer that’s currently advertised and the urge of wanting to open up your wallet to actually purchase gems is tantalizing. Not as fucked as Fate/Grand Order, but you get my meaning. Unlike a lot of the freemium games, this one doesn’t limit you so much to play (unless you spend fake or real money in the game). You can super train all you want and not lose stamina! Plus, I like these special sync moves between trainer and pokemon. And there’s just something about seeing all of these different trainers from all these regions together and interacting with each other. Despite never seeing a lot of this in the anime, manga, or previous games.

Favorite Het Couple of 2019: Retsuko x Haida (Aggretsuko)

In one of my baby accomplishments this year, I stopped being a tight-wad and splurged on a Netflix account. Right around the same time it becomes unpopular. Hahaha! Why does this always happen to me?

Throughout the series, we’ve watched Retsuko take chances with a lot of guys including a charming polar bear, a red panda with the brain of a pot plant, and the world’s handsomest donkey. But Retsuko has friend-zoned her workmate Haida the whole time. Meanwhile, I and pretty much like 90% of the fanbase ship the fuck out of this. Rightfully so! Haida has been admiring her from afar for so long. He tries his best to be supportive of her in the office and elsewhere. He was even nice enough to run back to the office to try and help Retsuko with the last-minute paperwork thrown at her on Christmas Eve. Hell, we watched him at his best in the season two finale helping to corner Tadano. And even though she turned him down at the end of season one, I still hold out that there’s hope. I mean, it was right after a break-up, so it was kind of the right call for Retsuko to not go out with Haida. Season three could give us this ship in the end. I know Retsuko doesn’t see Haida as boyfriend material as of now, but I have a feeling it can change.

Favorite Yuri Couple of 2019: Atsuko “Akko” Kagari x Amanda O’Neill (Little Witch Academia)

That’s right, Akko and Amanda. This is the one Yuri ship I’m leaning on more than all the other ones. I know she wasn’t involved in the infamous love-bee episode, but that still didn’t stop me from making dirty jokes whenever these two girls were together for an episode. And that’s what makes it better! Akko and Amanda’s relationship wasn’t tampered with because of a love bee, what they have is real! Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating. But whenever I see them together doing something in an episode, I can totally see them as something more. Then again, my mind is warped.

Besides, this is as close to a yuri couple as I got this year. I can’t mention the one second we got of Ymir x Historia from Attack on Titan. Yayoi and Shion didn’t get much in Psycho Pass 3. And it’s leaps and bounds better than that OTHER anime I watched with two girls. Happy Sugar Life? More like a big pile of nope!

Favorite Yaoi Couple of 2019: Mafuyu Satou x Ritsuka Uenoyama (Given)

You knew it was coming! I was rooting for these two boys since they met in episode one. And even though I had to hold it back a bit when I learned of Mafuyu’s grieving, I still hoped that one day, these two boys would defy the odds and become the sweetest couple of 2019. Was I correct? While it wasn’t as full-blown gay as Yuri on Ice, it still gave us so much.

As I mentioned, Mafuyu was in a relationship prior to meeting Uenoyama. And this one ended in heartbreak as Mafuyu’s lover dies. But meeting Uenoyama, Mafuyu was able to smile again and got to play the instrument his previous lover left behind. Mafuyu was able to shake off the sad shackles of the past and start life anew. Now is this feeling mutual? Of course! Uenoyama dealt with the worry of “will he, won’t he” and by the end of the series, the audience seems pretty satisfied with the outcome and hope for the best of these sweet boys.

Fandom That You Didn’t Expect To Get Into: Domestic Girlfriend

2019 has given me surprise amounts of incest! This year alone I wound up watching several surprise incest anime plots including Kiss x Sis, Marmalade Boy, and Eromanga Sensei. And those of you who are not on the up-take, surprise incest is primarily a love plot involving your step-sibling. But there was just something about Domestic Girlfriend that I just couldn’t shake. I couldn’t believe I binge-watched this entire series. I couldn’t believe I picked up the manga immediately after the finale. I couldn’t believe…that I didn’t despise this anime! Yeah, usually anything with even a whiff of incest, I throw in the trash and put a bullet through its head. This one, I did not.

Simple story! Boy named Natsuo fucks a random girl and also has a crush on his teacher. Natsuo’s father tells him he’s getting remarried. Then, BIG BOMBSHELL, the random girl that got fucked and his teacher are now going to be his step-sisters. Concept alone was just fifty shades of messed up. I mean, who the heck do you root for in this situation? Throughout the 12 episodes I went back and forth either rooting for Rui or Hina. And for episode, I rooted for Miu, the cute literary girl. I was so intrigued that I had to dig through the manga for more answers. But I enjoyed this trashy soap opera! I doubt it’ll get a sequel, but it was…fun for the most part. Too hot for television fun! And if that makes me trash, well call me Forky because...

Yeah, I can admit that freely now.

Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Fruits Basket

*squeals* I never thought this would come back into my life. One of my all-time favorite animes was returning with a reboot. AND IT WAS GLORIOUS! Oh sure, the first half of this series was literally a shot-for-shot remake of the original Studio Deen anime. But even that was enough to make me love every frame of it. Fruits Basket was just one of those animes that grabs you with the intriguing tale of a cursed family that changes into members of the zodiac. Then they take you on a fun ride with silly moments like Kyo and Yuki fighting each other or Ayame telling his ridiculous stories or Hatsuharu flashing some guy his junk. But then this series takes you on a detour of the most heart-wrenching stories involving heartbreak, bullying, gangs, abandonment, and hiding your true self.

This show re-introduced us to the many colorful and complex characters that exist. From the ultra-flaymboyant Ayame to the complex Ritsu! Many of these characters have severe baggage coming and going and you just wish the best for them. And seeing Tohru reach out to just about everyone in her own way, to tell them she’s there for them and she accepts them all for who they are, it just gets to you. 18 years was too long to keep this gem away from us. Welcome back Fruits Basket, we missed you.

Fandom That Inspired the Most Crack: Zombieland Saga

I know it came out last year, but I got the opportunity to finally watch it this year. And it was every bit of crazy as people told me it would be. Who would have thought mashing zombies and idol shows together would be a good idea?

Seriously! You’ve got Mamoru Miyano voicing the craziest character to date, who’s a necromancer who brings back seven girls from the dead. Puts special makeup on them to fool unsuspecting audience members! All to bring life back to the Saga prefecture. Add another layer to the WTF cake, these dead girls are all from different times including 2008, 1997, the showa period in the 1980’s…you even have one from the freakin’ 19th century! But that’s not all! These girls end up becoming an idol group singing different kinds of genres. One episode they’re head-banging to metal rock and the next IT’S A FRIGGIN’ 8 MILE RAP-BATTLE! And then you have this one girl named Yamada Tae. She doesn’t speak and usually makes weird noises throughout the entire series, but we don’t care! We freakin’ love her! And even with the oddball girl, she’s not the craziest character on here. Who needs a Best Girl category when you know the best girl is just going to be the crazy dude in the shades!

I’m absolutely cereal on this! Kotaro Tatsumi STOLE this show for his own! With his crazy antics, constant shouting random phrases every five seconds, and eccentric behavior, this made for one of the most entertaining animes I’ve ever watched.

Last Fandom of 2019: Pokemon: Sun & Moon/2019

I know I spent the greater part of Sun/Moon bashing several aspects of the series. But Sun/Moon was gradually getting better compared to its slow start. This year we’ve got some extreme character growth from some of Ash’s friends and even pokemon. I was amazed to watch episodes featuring Lana, Mallow, and even Sophocles growing. Lana up against Kyogre, Mallow’s thank you to her deceased mother, and Sophocles mastering Z-moves, all of these were great! Add to that, a Pokemon League that showed all of us up after 20 years of disbelief of Ash ever winning a competition. Where HE WON THE FUCKING COMPETITION! With the exception of one of the matches, this Pokemon League is definitely one for the history books for Ash. From his epic dog fight with Gladion, to the six-on-six with his mentor, to taking down a massive Ultra Beast, to taking on an island deity! All leading up to one of the most beautiful goodbyes and finale! Seriously, I screamed balls when I saw a pregnant Professor Burnet.

And my high continues with the new continuation of Pokemon 2019 (yeah, still the name). First of all, praise Arceus the animation has improved! Secondly, I am fully digging Ash and Gou traveling together. In answer to your question, yes I’m already shipping the hell out of them. Third, having these boys travel all around the pokemon world has given me so much hope in the world. The boys are going to be traveling the pokemon world revisitng old places including Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Kalos. I know I was disappointed in Ash not soley traveling to Galar and having Pikachu wear a Sherlock Holmes hat, but this I can’t cast to the side.

…

And yes, I support Ash x Gou like a beast!

[winchest09]

Our Virtual Lockdown - Lowdown

Hey everyone!

Our lockdown livestream was once again one fulled of fun, laughter, fic recs, games and...one unplanned round of charades! Ahaha!

6 hours we were talking...SIX and again, I loved every single second. It was so nice to see so many gorgeous faces, and I’m so happy that so many of you joined us! We had 18 in our party at one point! I just hope that all of you had a blast and enjoyed yourselves.

Me and @katehuntington​ love holding these events and we are already planning the next live stream (date to be announced) but it will be in this month (May).

This is the lowdown for the third lockdown party!

Below you will find:

Everyone who joined - their tags, what’s coming up fic wise and their masterlist.

A Challenge to join

Blogs who want to help with your writing

Fic Recs

Supernatural DnD

Announcements

Q + A’s with the writers.

So without further ado… *cracks fingers*

To everyone that joined...

You are the guys that make it the live stream what it is.  So below is a list of everyone who was on the chat last night accompanied by their masterlist and what they have coming up soon! In no particular order…

@katehuntington​​: Kate is currently working on the next instalment of Ride With Me, All I Want and a two part commission. We will see this on her blog soon!

Her masterlist can be found HERE

@flamencodiva​​​: This babe is currently working on Call of the Ocean, A revoluntionary war fiction, an ABO Greek Goddess fic AND an untitled angst filled fic including Dean, a girlfriend and secrets! She is also rewriting Underworld and Legend of Van Helsing.

She’s one busy gal and we LOVE IT. <3

Check out her masterlist HERE

@whatareyousearchingfordean​​​: Alex is currently writing the ending to her Jensen fiction Et Cetera and she already has a sequel in mind! At the moment she’s trying to decide her next move...Firefighter Dean OR Secret Service Dean? Head over there and let her know!

Her masterlist can be found HERE

@talesmaniac89​​​:  This beaut also has a lot that she’s working on at the moment. The next instalments of The Man in Apartment 43. The next chapters of Lost (which is a little darker), a fluffy Dean oneshot and a Castiel comfort fic.

Behind the scenes, she’s also working on a Heist AU, Another ‘Choose your own adventure’ fic and a Ghost Writer AU.

Check her out guys, her masterlist is HERE

@superfanficnatural​​​:  This babe is currently working on the next chapters of The Bringer of balance as well as the next chapters of The Choice! He’s posted a few oneshots in the past two weeks and is writing Male!Reader fics!

Behind the scenes he’s currently working on an RPF called Matchmaker, A reader knight of hell/demon dean fic which is a love hate relationship as WELL as a Marvel SPN crossover. OOFFT.

A new writer that is nailing it! Go and give him some love, his masterlist can be found HERE

@emoryhemsworth​​​: This beaut is currently working on a series which is based off of an album called ‘Losing Sleep’ Each song will be a chapter and we’ve already been treated to some of her plans! She also has some other goodies on her masterlist.

Check our her masterlist HERE:

@anathewierdo​​​: Is yet to create a masterlist but she is currently working on Call of the Ocean with Flamencodiva. Not only that, she’s also working on a Princess Diaries AU, a Serial Killer AU and after the livestream...a gunshow fic!

By gunshow we do mean The Winchester’s muscles.

*drools*

@girl-with-a-fandom-fettish​​: This wonderful lady joined us briefly on the live stream and although she left before we could find out what she has coming up!

Check our her masterlist HERE:

Me: I’m currently working on two series, Life for Rent and Man’s Best Friend! I also have a couple of Dean series being worked on in the background as well as a couple of oneshots…watch this space!

To the new writers...

These guys were all new to the live stream this week and were welcomed with open, loving, spn fam arms! After speaking to these babes, we know that they are fairly new to writing to the supernatural fandom. They all have AMAZING idea’s when we played our prompt game and hopefully all of them will bite that bullet and post their ideas soon.

Remember guys - we’re all here to love and support you! My inbox is always open if you want to talk fics, want me to look over one etc.

Go and follow and give them some love!

@janicho88​​ @queenbeesback​​ @imjustadrummer​​ @malfoysqueen14​​

and to the readers that joined…

@leissa1287​​​ @waywardbeanie​​​ @dawnie1988​​

We love you, we thank you for reading and we thank you for all the support and love you give us constantly. Thank you for joining the chat and we hope you had an amazing time <3

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

CHALLENGE TIME

Ohhhh yes! One of our amazing writers, the darling @flamencodiva​​ is holding a celebration in regards to reaching 1700 followers!

Congrats babe!

Not only is she hosting a character take over on her blog she’s also posted a writing challenge for all us writers out there!

Check it out HERE

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

Need Help with a fic?

We’ve got you covered!

Need to has out a plot with someone?

The lovely @malfoysqueen14​​ has offered herself up to be a plot buddy to anyone that needs it. Stuck on a plot point, want to talk through a story line with someone? Give her a message! She’s here to help <3

Need help writing those all important fight scenes?

Give our babe @imjustadrummer​​ a message! They are filled with knowledge and even give us a demonstration on how to punch correctly on the livestream! Definitely one to have on your contacts list! <3

Need help with research for a fiction?

The most wonderful @waywardbeanie​​​ has offered herself up to be a researcher for anyone who wants help with their fiction. She has been a die hard SPN fan forever and she’s like the Ellen of our live stream.

Need a researching buddy? Give her a message! She’s a doll <3

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Fic & blog Recs!

In our live stream, we want to highlight what we’ve been reading and the amazing authors behind the words. So below is a list of all the fics that we recommend for some good ol fic binging!

@deansdirtylittlesecretsblog​​: We were told of this lovely little gold mine by Alex and we just have to include it on here! This writer has so many fics on her masterlist...you’re gonna be there for a while!

Check them all out HERE

When You Least Expect It by @coffee-obsessed-writer​​

Summary: After a hard breakup, Jensen decides to throw himself into organizing a Music Festival in Austin that is meant to raise money for a few of his most cherished charities and organizations. As he throws himself into planning it, he stumbles upon a spirited, undiscovered performer, who he convinces to come aboard to help plan and coordinate the event with him.

What transpires after that takes both Jensen and his new friend, by surprise. But when their respective pasts come back just before the event kicks off in Austin, they will both have to decide if the unexpected feelings are worth perusing, or if they should just walk away and go on with their lives.

Dear Dean by @smol-and-grumpy​​

Summary: After taking Saint Lo, by sheer dumb luck, Lieutenant Dean Winchester from the 29th Infantry Division, Baker Company, received a truckload of replacements for his platoon that was falling apart. Little did he know, that one recruit would change his life forever.

Almost Paradise by @amanda-teaches​​

Summary: Dean finds himself looking at pictures of old loves. Will he ever be able to find that paradise again?

Turned Sideways by @crashdevlin​​​

Summary: (Rockstar AU)  When Y/n gets an opportunity to meet her favorite band backstage at their concert, she assumes they won’t even ask her name. But when she impresses the front man, Dean, with her voice and knowledge of their entire catalog of songs, it launches a chain of events that is sure to change her entire life.

Crash Into Me by @crashdevlin​​

Summary:  Dean meets and befriends a witch in NW Florida. This is their interactions over the course of season 8 through season 14.

Midwife Crisis by @ellewritesfix05​​

Summary: (Elle hasn’t written one it appears but in my words) - You were heavily pregnant with Dean’s child, hormones raging and Dean was receiving the brutal end of it. Needing a break, he fakes a case to get away. When your good friend Gabriel hears of this...he decides he needs to teach Dean a lesson with a little help from is prankster ways...

PHEW! I definitely think we have enough fics on here to last us for a few days…don’t you? ;) Please guys don’t forget to give these writers some love when reading their fics, comments, reblogs, asks. It means the world.

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

Interested in roleplaying & DnD?

@imjustadrummer​​ is setting up a Dungeons and Dragons campaign set in the Supernatural (main) universe!

If you’re into role playing, fancy bringing one of your OFC’s to life or just wanna be badass yourself...why not consider joining?!

All the information you need on this is HERE

Make some new friends, live out your dreams of being a hunter, angel or demon and HAVE FUN!

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS!

We have three wonderful announcements to make this time! We have THREE blogs celebrating followers!

A massive congratulations to:

@flamencodiva​​: This beautiful mama has reached 1700!

@whatareyousearchingfordean​​: This absolute babe has reached 1000!

@superfanficnatural​​: This beaut has reached 200!

WOOHOO!

*pops the party poppers*

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

Q & A With The Writers!

During this live stream, we asked everyone to join in and ask questions to the writers you want to know more about...the write up is below :)

- If you could collab with any other writer on here, who would it be? Alex ( @whatareyousearchingfordean​​) : @superfanficnatural​  because of the male reader aspect/sides of things! 

Emory (@emoryhemsworth​) : I’d like to collab with @winchest09​ (Tabby)

- Has anyone ever guessed the plot twist of one of your fics before you posted it?

@talesmaniac89​ : This did happen once and what was once a fluffy ending got turned into a bad ending because it was guessed. It happened once that they managed to get it so i changed it. 

- What was the last line you wrote?

@katehuntington​ :  “The cowgirl smirks and gently pushes him into the tack box in order for them both to be out of sight. Once they are safe from Bobby’s eyes, she kisses him, short and sweetly, but it’s enough to make Dean’s head spin”

- Have you ever cried whilst writing a fic?

@superfanficnatural​ : I cried to one last time, the angsty fic i wrote. I  was trying to get into the mood, i was mad, so went fuck it i’m gonna break peoples hearts. And then i cried haha.

- Can you tell us what writers you really admire?

@emoryhemsworth​ :   All of you are included in this live stream, that’s a given but I am going to talk about people who aren’t in here.  @impala-dreamer​, @kittenofdoomage​, @supernatural-jackles​, @ravengirl94​ are just a few. In regards to Rhi (Kittenofdoomage), everything she writes is just gold. She’s not written anything that’s bad! For Beka (impala dreamer) I just love her as a person. Oh and @bringmesomepie56​, her fics are just amazing.  

- Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

@flamencodiva​ : No, not really. My stories tend to evolve in the writing process. Underworld princess and Call of the Ocean were meant to be super different than what they are now. We realised we had changed certain plot points as we were writing but that was before we started to post it. 

- Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

@winchest09​ :  Yes and no. I’ve had stories which were originally meant to end a certain way and they changed over time. Sometimes I do wonder what the reactions would have been like if i had gone with the original ending for Shatter Me and if hadn’t have gone down the angsty road for Yesterday but then I think fics choose their own path as you write them. It felt right at the time. 

- What is your favourite genre to write for?

@malfoysqueen14​ :  Angst. Never mind the fluff, the smut, the crack, it’s all about the angst. The angst is my ultimate goal. 

- Where do you get your inspiration from?

@imjustadrummer​ : A daily situation, or films. If the kids I worked with have said something weird i’d be like…”oh yeah, hey that can be a fic!”  A lot of different places really!

- Funniest story you’ve written?

@queenbeesback​ : It was an online thing, where they met online and it took a while for them to meet up. That was quite light hearted. 

- What is everyone's favourite ships?

Everyone: Dean and Donna. Benny and Dean. Sam and Eileen. Dean and Jo. Charlie and Alex. Sam and Gabriel

- What’s your favourite trope to write?

@anathewierdo​ : Friends to lovers and enemies to lovers

- Which part of your upcoming fic was the hardest to write?

@imjustadrummer​ : Trying to work out all the clues and cleverness to it. Like codes and things, working out how to put in all the easter eggs in my upcoming fic. It’s like a treasure hunt so I need to ensure there is cleverness in there.

- If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

@superfanficnatural​ : Oh that’s...ok...most definitely...Smuuuuttttt (pretty much how he announced it)

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

I think that’s it!

Thank you so much once again to everyone who joined the chat, we had 6 hours of laughs and i cannot wait to do it again. I’d appreciate it if you could share this to spread the love of the fics and authors on here!

Keep an eye out for the next date for our next livestream! It will be in a couple of weeks, date to be announced. If you guys have any idea’s or want something included, let us know. If you want to be tagged when we announce, let us know!

@deanwanddamons​ - tagging you babe as you asked so you can catch up on what we talked about <3 

THANK YOU.

xox

[smolbeandrabbles]

Director’s Cut 3: Danny Rayburn

* Well it’s more a focus on our Reader character, but, Danny.

“What was the inspiration behind Liliana and her family? Because they’re all so amazing 😭🙏 and how did you choose the name Devan?” 

Liv, bless you for asking the difficult questions! Now you get a look inside my crazy mind (as if you hadn’t all already with Andrew.)

So, If you thought Andrew was a long post you better grab your favourite drink and your Danny playlist and settle in!

The following specifically refers to our reader character and her family, and the events of Sway and it’s spin-offs, which I will obviously always encourage you to read! 😁 Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6  / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10

Sweet Spot  /  All I Want For Christmas / Good Woman

What was the inspiration behind Liliana and her family?

Before we go into too much detail I want you to imagine 1st January, 2019. And then a girl who had recently purchased Camila Cabello’s first album - late, after being super impressed by her performance opening for Taylor Swift - and watched the first episode of Bloodline AND Dirty Dancing 2 (the trade off for having your mum watch Rogue One with you) in one single day. Anyone who hasn’t listened to Camila’s album, this is essentially Danny’s dance playlist, I don’t make the rules

I had ideas for Danny before I even started to watch. Mostly because when you’re first immersed in the world of Ben Mendelsohn and trawl through blogs, you can’t help but notice Danny. Annnd found out a lot about the show, which caused me to have a BUNCH of misconceptions and create a story in my head that was just... not even remotely close to what Bloodline is.

So here’s the deal, I occasionally like thinking about some of Ben’s characters gender bent, and how that would make them different/similar and affect their stories. I did this with Andrew and Gerry before I did it with Danny (because can we just think about Animal Kingdom if they were female?). And then armed with my assumptions, I came up with a story for Bloodline. “Linzi, why are you telling me this-!?�� I hear you cry, but don’t leave the post just yet! Just keep in mind that Jack Ervin was (female) Danny’s restaurant accountant and also will they / won’t they love affair, that uhm. Well they didn’t, because Danny dies.  For all intents and purposes a lot of Jack’s plot points became Lily’s (including bringing back the restaurant). Also I had a great character with a great name that I didn’t want to waste. Jack became Liliana’s dad - and therefore we got: Jack and Liliana Ervin. 

Back to Dirty Dancing 2 - set in Havana, complete with its ‘will they/won’t they’ love story (of different social classes!) and of course, Latin American dancing. To say I borrowed a lot of ideas from this is probably an understatement - but Danny is a Miami boy, and Miami has Little Havana. Quickly it all kinda fell together.  But in this case, Danny is the out of his element American and Liliana (given that her parents are both from Latin American backgrounds) is the dancer. Added to that in DD2 the girls parents are both dancers, I was happy to keep an element of that for our girl too. Jack remained Jack Ervin, with his name actually being Juan Ervin (American Father, Argentinian Mother) but changing his name to Jack to fit in with his Miami high-society persona. Maria (American Mother, Puerto Rican Father) basically has a super cliche Hispanic name, I know (well both of them do but Juan is the equiv. to Jack so that’s how we ended up there) but it worked for me. Liliana’s name... I don’t even know where I got it from - sometimes names just come to me, sometimes I spend hours finding a good one on all these naming sites! 😅 Lily just came to me, I certainly wanted something that could be shortened Liliana->Lily but also something that went with Danny’s name. Liliana Rayburn is a great name. (I know the irony of that, you don’t need to tell me twice!) I need a ship name for them.

Let’s take a little look at their character for a second though: Jack and Maria are meant to be parallel to Robert and Sally. But also the complete opposite. Jack is described as a ruthless businessman who doesn’t care to much about his reputation in business. He’ll just get the job done no matter what the cost. The catch being of course that really Jack is a lovely guy, he cares very much about his family (+ extended family!) and is a well respected member of Miami society. Ruthless yes - but Maria and Lily mean more than the world to him - and eventually Danny too. “No man is good enough for your daughter until one is. And he is.” and also “He would have given you the world, and I would have let him.” Just sayin’ he’s a good father and a good man.  Maria is mentioned a little less than Jack is but I think that’s because I basically want to compare Jack/Danny to Robert/Danny. I also think that Jack has more to do with the overall story; he’s the one with the well known construction company that everyone recognises Liliana’s last name from, the reason that everyone is all over Danny with the “You can’t get involved with Jack Ervin’s daughter!!” spiel. Maria is the quieter character, but spends a lot of time showering Danny with love when she is around. Lily’s parents were all about giving Danny family that loved him unconditionally. A real family. She’s... probably a little more on the ‘stereotypical’ side of Hispanic parents, but there’s a reason for that-! One of my very best friends is Peruvian, and every time I visit him it’s like visiting my second family. Like from the very first time I met them his parents were SO kind, like above and beyond... and so adorable... oh my gosh, I love them so much and they are 100% inspiration for Jack and Maria. Maria is basically his mum. 😁 But more than anything I wanted Jack and Maria that wanted nothing more for their daughter than for her to find someone who loves her. No matter who he is or his background or anything like that. Which was important to me, especially having been through a relationship myself where my family didn’t really approve of him because he wasn’t from the same social class. I’m certainly not about that.

As your tags put it - Jack and Maria are the biggest Danny/Liliana shippers! 😁 (With Javi and Jason a close second! And I won’t leave out Evie and Amanda either!)

Liliana Oh my gosh. My love for her can’t be overstated. I say it every time, but I’ll say it again. When I started her and Danny’s journey on that dancefloor in January 2019 I never would have dreamed I’d be still here now nearing fic number 200. I wasn’t even sure if anyone would have been interested in them enough for me to ever write more than just Sway 1. But, when you’re asked to write a second part then you know it’s got traction and you end up with 10, of course!  Inspiration for Liliana? Good question. A little like I said for Elaiyna with Andrew, I needed a S/O that fit with Danny and his story. I say at the start of part 10 that really it’s her story. And it is, Danny takes her from one night stands with men she meets on the dancefloor to mother of 2 kids in a loving relationship where it’s clear that she will never love anyone else. And it’s his character/personality, being as in character as possible, that leads her there. Liliana never runs out of chances, she forgives Danny for everything he does because she loves him so much. Because she can’t bear to think of life without him, nor what his life would be like if she left. Liliana is... a strong woman who doesn’t know how strong she is. She loves unconditionally and she doesn’t care that Danny is not on top of his game - he’s struggled his whole life, but he does not have to struggle with her. She’s meant to be the easiest thing about his life - home, a safe place, strength and stability.  Danny is her adventure - with all his secrets, and his past, and how much he suffers she’s presented with a problem that she can’t solve, she can’t save,but loves him anyway. Lily will never give up.  The contrast between the two worlds they are in when they meet, and then the one they build together as they grow which takes that contrast and just makes it work. Like they just work - sure I made it that way, but I tried to make it realistic. Love has no barriers, right? It shouldn’t. To quote my characters again: “There’s one fairytale here, and it’s yours.”

I wouldn’t give her a pushover title - sure she never runs out of chances for him (perhaps its arguable that she could walk away but it never occurred to me that that was her personality.) but like, screw his family. She won’t ever forgive them for what they’ve done to him, she won’t ever trust them.  So why does she forgive John? Because that’s her character. That’s what Danny made her. John and Danny’s relationship always fascinated me in the show and it just strikes me that Danny and John were close, even with all that happened. Danny would want Lily to forgive him - and maybe Lily only forgives him FOR Danny, but it’s in her character. She’s tired of all this conflict and all she wants is for John to confirm he did it so she knows for sure.  Liliana has elements of me in her, perhaps a little more than most of my other OCs, elements of my feelings towards characters in the show as I continued to watch, elements of other OC’s of mine (and physically too. Her Psalm tattoo I directly lifted from someone else. Hey, it be that way sometimes!) and elements of all these pieces that inspired me to write her in the first place. 

I mean I don’t know if that really explains it clearly. Because there’s not really one clear inspiration for them - but from a range of different sources and elements. I hope that it even helps explain it a little though! 😅

How did you chose the name Devan?

Oh my gosh, okay. Liv why did you have to ask this question!  So, oh god this is so stupid.  Basically, although I knew that they would have a son, because our characters didn’t know that they were going to have a son, I wanted to give the baby a unisex name. Because I ALSO knew I was going to follow Bloodline canon it was also important to me that Danny be the one to chose the name.  Added to that, like Nolan, I knew that Danny and Lily’s baby was going to keep that Rayburn last name.  Devan Rayburn and Devan Ervin both sound pretty great to me..!

Obviously, it should be Devin. And the only reason I think I chose Devan was because a) I actually thought that was how you spelled it... (I mean I guess so, there’s no other logical reason I can’t have called him Devin... unless I looked at Devin Ervin and thought... ‘that’s basically the same’ and so changed the spelling but it was definitely always written Devan in plans etc) and b) a singer called Devin Dawson.  When I was on my year long internship in the USA I was able to listen to country music radio - specifically the station a family friend worked on. And they were obsessed with a song called “All On Me” by Devin Dawson. (actually it’s a good one for this series, but that’s beside the point!) So I heard his name all the time, and I’m 99% sure that I got it from him. (Also fast forward and I’ve actually now seen the guy in concert and was like “Oh yeah I named a character after you.” so yeah it’s probably Devin Dawson’s fault. )  At the end of part 8 I left a note that says “Devan isn’t easily explainable but I hope you like it.” and honestly, if there’s a bigger story I can’t remember it. I know that ‘Evan’ was another character in my genderbent story but I don’t think I just added the ‘D’ to that... Maybe that was an element of it though?  

Also I’m a sucker for ‘weird’ names or weirdly spelled names - a lot of my OCs fall victim to this - sorry girls! 😅 So it’s unsurprising that he ended up Devan, not Devin. Also I’d pronounce it “Dev-an” with a soft ‘a’ sound... 

Interestingly it took me a little longer to decide on his middle name being Daniel. I guess I’m not sure how good “Devan Daniel Rayburn” sounds... But then I wasn’t about to resist it, and it seems like the kind of decision that Liliana would make.  

I hope that answered your questions Liv! 🙏💜💙 You’re always welcome to ask for further clarification! 😁

---

Thank you as always for being interested in my work! Just gonna remind you all that you can ask for a Fanfic directors cut ! I would love to answer any questions! 🥰😘 

I mean it, I’d beg. Don’t make me get that Danny gif.  

[thedistantstorm]

Fanfic Input Needed:

So, with the last eight chapters of Phoenix Protocol being posted over the next few weeks, it’s time to look to the future. I want to hear from you. What do you want to see from me?

-Do you want more of sweet bean Miyu and her developing relationship with the Commander?

-Are you interested in Lilith’s crazy adventures?

-What about our gentle giant, Kira?

-Do I go back to my roots and give you some Steelponcho?

-Do you want to read about a possible take on Hawthorne’s backstory (maybe steelponcho, maybe not) that includes some interesting fantasty-esque elements and is set waaaay in the future?

-Are you interested in a political meltdown courtesy of our feuding Vanguard being overruled by the Hidden?

-Would you like to see a fic about Amanda Holliday losing her leg, her struggles and recovery, maybe with some pre-relationship vibes for her and Sloane?

-If you don’t see it here, lay it on me! I’m open to suggestions. Sometimes the best fics come from bouncing ideas back and forth with others!

Things I am working on:

-Kira’s story (The Lion’s Heart) - I’m up to chapter 11 or 12 on this one and know about where I’m going (both with her and the very obvious Steelponcho vibes I’ve given her version of the Destiny universe)

-A sequel to Three - my very nsfw AU with Shaxx/Zavala/Miyu - I’m a few pages in. It’s fun, it’s sexy, and there is absolutely no plot on the horizon. I suspect it’ll be up in a few weeks.

-An untitled Steelponcho smut-fic, set on the Farm right before the survivors infiltrate the City, featuring all the feelings.

-A Steelponcho fic in which Cayde orchestrates things because sometimes a relationship starts with a bang, and other times it starts with the divine intervention of a Hunter.

I’m still working on Through the Stomach, but that’s not meant to be a serious series but more a nice relaxing trip through the feelings with interconnected one-shots. 

Fledgling Diaries isn’t dead, either. I just haven’t been struck by an idea that’s appropriate. When I do, you’ll see more, promise.

As for the rest, I have to go back and read, see if anything catches my eye, gives me ideas to continue.

Notes:

The Sequel to my Steelponcho Dawning fic is rendered totally AU at this point thanks to lore drops and the passing of time. If there’s interest, I can finish it as I’m just shy of the climax of that story.

Shipwright Worth Her Salt is... whew. It’s my first Destiny Fic that really meant anything for me in terms of this fandom. But I feel like I didn’t have enough knowledge of the lore or the story in general to undertake such an ambitious project. If I continue it, it would have to be a true AU, and I’d have to really do some revamping, improve my writing, improve some errors, and the way I handle a lot of the issues.

Anywho, I’d really love to get some feedback on what you like and don’t like, what you might like to see.  Writing for this fandom is such an exciting adventure, and I’m beyond lucky to share it with all of you. :)

[aion-rsa]

Bridgerton: Let’s Talk About Sex Education, Baby

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This Bridgerton article contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1, including the ending.

If you think our sex education could be better today (which you should), then Bridgerton‘s depiction of Daphne’s pre-marital lack of knowledge around sex may astound you. In the first season of the delightful romance drama, Daphne has to find out about masturbation from Simon and heads into her wedding night knowing next to nothing about what might happen between two adults in lust, aside from the fact that it has something to do with the act of having children. Later, Simon keeps the details of his “inability” to have children from his new wife much longer than he could have if Daphne had a better understanding of procreation.

Elsewhere on the show, Penelope Featherington and Eloise Bridgerton put their considerable minds to the task of finding out how babies are made so they can avoid getting pregnant before marriage—a valid question and concern for women of any era. Unfortunately, the closest they get to answering it is: women get pregnant because of love, which is not very helpful. (Bet you’re feeling pretty lucky to have Google right about now.) Is this level of ignorance historically accurate? Let’s dive into the real history of sex education in Regency-era England to find out.

The first season of Bridgerton is set in early 19th century London, which falls during the Regency sub-period of the Georgian era. While many think of old-time England as a repressive place, that stereotype comes more from the Victorian era, which followed the Georgian era when Bridgerton is set, and was notoriously repressive when it came to matters of sexuality and “morality.” The Georgian era was (generally) less conservative. As historian Faramerz Dabhoiwala puts it in his book Origins of Sex: A History of the First Sexual Revolution (via The American Conservative), the 18th century urbanization of England (by 1800, more than one million people lived in London) led to “more opportunities for sexual adventure,” and an increase in pre-marital and extramarital sex. By 1800, almost 40% of brides getting married were already pregnant, and about 25% of first-born children were born out of wedlock.

“We know that Regency society is a very bawdy society, generally,” Bridgerton historical consultant Hannah Grieg told the Chicago Tribune. “Extramarital sex is no longer illegal, most adult consensual sex is within the law, there’s a very open culture of prostitution in London. We get celebrity courtesans and mistresses.”

That being said, just because society is free for some, doesn’t mean it is free for all. England circa 1813 had its own share of socially-constructed ignorances and, as with today, one’s access to sexual education varied based on things like gender, class, and location. In Bridgerton, this kind of difference is depicted in instances like Marina knowing much more about sex and pregnancy than Daphne does before marriage. Presumably, that is partially because she has already had an affair and become pregnant before she even comes to London, but it is also because her slightly lower class (and childhood on a family farm) has not meant the same degree of social shielding as Daphne. That said, Marina presumably had little education or knowledge about birth control and, as we see later in the season, does not have the necessary knowledge (or access to resources) to effectively terminate her pregnancy.

“There would have been nothing in the way of formal sex education,” Lesley A. Hall, a historian of gender and sexuality, told the Tribune. “Mothers might have given some premarital counsel to daughters, but although it almost certainly wasn’t actually ‘Close your eyes and think of England’ it may not have been much more illuminating.”

And, as with today, most freedoms in Georgian-era England benefitted the white, heterosexual, rich men first, most, and sometimes to the exclusion of all others. In Bridgerton, we see a stark difference between what is socially acceptable for Anthony vs. what is socially acceptable for Daphne. Anthony carries on a sexual affair with Sienna and, though he doesn’t particularly what his family to find out, it would not ruin him. For Daphne, however, merely being alone with a man who is not family could ruin not only her prospects, but the prospects of her sisters, as we see happens with the unmarried Bridgerton girls when Marina’s pre-marital pregnancy is made public.

Obviously, Bridgerton is not going for total historical accuracy. As with all period pieces, the story is as much if not more so about now than it is about the time in which it is set. Modern viewers are not watching Bridgerton for an education about the past (nor would they, on the whole, get one); they are watching it as a cathartic and escapist romp, which also has incredible social value.

So what does Bridgerton‘s treatment of sex have to say about today? That is up for interpretation, of course. For me, it is an exaggerated depiction of some of the struggles and joys of contemporary womanhood, in particular a denouncement of all of the decisions about our bodies and our futures that are still kept from us. Here (and in some more obvious ways), it is represented as various female characters’ ignorance around sex, a subject that is kept from them not only by the men in their lives but, in some cases, by other women upholding the patriarchal norms. Daphne herself realizes she has been one of these women when her own experiences lead her to see Marina in a new light. She finds empathy for Marina, whom she rightfully views as another fierce survivor of a social labyrinth designed for men—a girl punished for seeking out pleasure, in a way that men are not for doing the same.

Read more

TV

The Real History Behind Bridgerton

By Amanda-Rae Prescott

TV

Bridgerton: Will There Be a Season 2?

By Kayti Burt

Bridgerton takes on those gender-driven constraints and, over the course of a season, has its many women characters rail against them, not only pointing out their absurdities but finding ways to work within the patriarchal structure to find power in pleasure. No, I am not talking about the controversial scene in which Daphne forces Simon to release inside of her, which has nothing to do with pleasure and everything to do with power. I am talking about Daphne masturbating for the first time, alone in her bed, with nigh a man in sight (though certainly one in her erotic fantasy), for no one’s pleasure but her own. Or on her early honeymoon with Simon, enjoying all of the sex, depicted as just as eager for the rendezvouses as her husband.

“I refer to this season as ‘the education of Daphne Bridgerton,’” creator Chris Van Dusen told the Chicago Tribune. “She starts out as this young innocent debutante who knows very little of love. And she knows nothing of sex. And over the course of the series we watch her transform entirely.”

Knowledge really is related to power and, in Bridgerton, we see much of that accumulation of knowledge takes place in the bedroom, and much of that accumulation of power represented through sexual pleasure. Season 1 is the story of Daphne learning about her own body and its capacity for pleasure regardless of its service to men. After an adolescence of enforced ignorance, Daphne is finally given the knowledge and space to explore her own sexual desire. The fact that it comes through her relationship with Simon is one of the reasons why their romance is so damn sexy—it’s so much about Daphne’s pleasure, even when it isn’t about her happiness.

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[disneyelite]

5 Must Follow Disney Instagram Accounts!

Whether you're looking for food, fashion, or fame, there are so many Disney based Instagram accounts! Here are five can’t miss people to follow!

Disneylandtourguide

Shantelle is probably the most helpful Disneyland blogger ever! She includes many daily tips in her Instagram story and answers questions for amateur park goers. "My grandparents owned a travel agency and I learned at a young age the importance of planning!" Shantelle said over an Instagram message. While she doesn't live near Disneyland, she's still an Annual Passholder and is able to make the most of each trip because of her experience. One can tell how dedicated she is to planning by glancing at some of her most recent posts. She even recently launched her blog to share even more information about visiting Disneyland. Great View this post on Instagram A post shared by Disney Blogger | Disney Mom (@disneylandtourguide) on Jan 14, 2020 at 3:49pm PST

Damfino

While she’s not strictly a Disney blogger, she does post about Disney often. In particular her Disney fashions and Disney bounding is not to be missed! Damfino AKA Allison obsessively watched Beauty and the Beast as a child. Her other favorites include Tron Legacy, Enchanted, Agent Carter, The Rocketeer, and Snow White! "I think I’ve had the honor of being very early on the Disneybounding trend," Allison said. "People can spot an outfit a mile a way and know exactly who it is, and it gives them this happy feeling." Disneybounding is defined on shopDisney as "is the creative dress-up trend where Disney fans wear colours, styles and looks of their favourite characters to represent and show the world their Disney style." It was started by Leslie Kay in 2011 when she launched her Tumblr blog to showcase Disney fans. Allison never meant for her account to be so Disney-focused. She worked in several stores at Disneyland right out of high school. When Instagram was new she had an annual pass and posted about her visits. And posting about those visits made her feel good, and others too. "I also tend to think of Disney as such a huge, universal and all encompassing thing it kind of brings us all together," she said. And as for why so many followers are drawn to her account? "I’d like to think I’m a pretty snazzy dresser." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lady Damfino (@damfino) on Oct 29, 2019 at 6:08pm PDT People can spot an outfit a mile a way and know exactly who it is, and it gives them this happy feeling.

Dstreetvintage

If the name DStreetVintage sound familiar, it's because that's on purpose. Account creator Matt Kajioka named his soon to open store after a store from Downtown Disney named D Street that sold Disney street wear. "I discovered vintage a few years ago and realized that all the things I loved about Disneyland and memories I had growing up can be expressed through vintage pieces," Kajioka said. "Each personal Disney vintage piece I own I can tell stories about." He also collects sneakers and Disney Vinylmations. The D Street store is where he met many others who collected and joined that community of Disney fans. Matt and Char got married at Disneyland in 2015. They have a Disney specific account @kajisatdisney Vintage clothes have been experiencing a resurgence due to the environmental nature of buying used. "Sustainable fashion is the future. Buying used can prevent pollution to our planet and help with reducing landfills," Kajioka said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by DStreet Vintage (@dstreetvintage) on Jul 8, 2019 at 5:34pm PDT Kajioka plans to open a physical store in late 2020 near Disneyland and that is where he'll sell everything you can see on the DStreetVintage account.

Disneyland_celebs

There is a certain thrill to seeing a celebrity out in the "real" world. Now imagine seeing a movie star at Disneyland! Debbie and Mike attempt to capture the combined magic of seeing a star with being at Disneyland by tracking celeb sightings at the happiest place on earth. From Lin-Manuel Miranda to the Kardashians, there have been plenty of celebrities spotted at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure. While Debbie and Mike don't personally see every celeb they've posted about, Debbie did actually run into Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas of "Once Upon A Time" and she says they made her face light up with joy. "People want a chance to be able to run into someone they look up to or see how celebrities live their private lives," Debbie said about why Disneyland_Celebs has over 87 thousand followers. If you've spotted a famous person at Disneyland and managed to snap a picture, be sure to submit it to them! View this post on Instagram Actors Josh Dallas and Ginnifer Goodwin are at Disneyland today! Thanks @_ashleyorourke_ for the photo! #Disney #Disneyland #DisneylandParks #disneygram #DisneyPark #disneylandcelebs #CelebSighting #CelebSpotting #CelebritySpotting #CelebritySighting #joshdallas #GinniferGoodwin A post shared by What Celeb's At Disney Today?! (@disneyland_celebs) on Dec 21, 2019 at 11:53am PST

Disneylandfoodies

There is no shortage of Instagram accounts about food at the Disney parks. But what sets Disneylandfoodies apart is the wide variety of places they cover. But that wasn't always the case for sisters Amanda, Genna, and Kara who run the account. "We always ate lunch at Hungry Bear, and that was about as far as our food knowledge went," Amanda said of her and her sister's early experiences of eating at Disneyland. But once they got annual passes and were able to explore the park on their own, they discovered Dole Whip, corn dogs, lobster nachos, fried chicken and much more! All it took was a joke from Kara to launch the account. She joked that the sisters weren't actual "foodies" but "Disneyland foodies." It was at that point they decided to keep track of everything they would try at Disneyland and show what the park had to offer. "Disneyland is always releasing new items, so Instagram is a great way to keep up with that," Amanda said over email. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Disneyland Foodies (@disneylandfoodies) on Jan 16, 2020 at 10:43am PST If you follow any fantastic Instagram accounts tracking Disney trends, share them in the comments! Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on pinterest Pinterest Share on email Email Read the full article

[aurriii]

10 Books That Will Transport You To The Beach If You Can’t Go IRL

Maybe you’re social distancing. Maybe all of your friends are. Maybe your funds are tight. Many of us have a good reason our summer is not quite like summers of our past. We miss the waves just as much as the next person not within walking distance to the ocean, so we’ve compiled a list of books where we can all escape to a far away island or beach town, no sunscreen needed. Or hey, lather it on. We’re not opposed to a little sensory enhancement.

Click on book in slideshow to see it’s lowest price

Big Summer: A Novel

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

The Vacationers By Emma Straub

The Jetsetters: A Novel By Amanda Eyre Ward

The Guest List: A Novel By Lucy Foley

Beach Read By Emily Henry

Sex and Vanity: A Novel By Kevin Kwan

Hello, Summer By Mary Kay Andrews

The Summer Set Aimee Agresti

  1. Big Summer: A Novel

by Jennifer Weiner

Six years after the fight that ended their friendship, Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh walks back into her life, looking as lovely and successful as ever, with a massive favor to ask. Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time—she doesn’t even hate-follow her ex-best friend on social media—so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is rightfully speechless.

Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.

A sparkling novel about the complexities of female relationships, the pitfalls of living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart, Big Summer is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, and figuring out what matters most.

Source: Publisher

2. Beautiful Ruins

by Jess Walter

The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying. And the story begins again today, half a world away, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio’s back lot, searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel decades earlier. What unfolds is a dazzling, yet deeply human, roller coaster of a novel, spanning fifty years and nearly as many lives. From the lavish set of Cleopatra to the shabby revelry of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Walter introduces us to the tangled lives of a dozen unforgettable characters: the starstruck Italian innkeeper and his long-lost love; the heroically preserved producer who once brought them together and his idealistic young assistant; the army veteran turned fledgling novelist and the rakish Richard Burton himself, whose appetites set the whole story in motion, along with the husbands and wives, lovers and dreamers, superstars and losers, who populate their world in the decades that follow. Gloriously inventive, constantly surprising, Beautiful Ruins is a story of flawed yet fascinating people, navigating the rocky shores of their lives while clinging to their improbable dreams.

Source: Publisher

3. 28 Summers

by Elin Hilderbrand

A “captivating and bittersweet” novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Summer of ’69: Their secret love affair has lasted for decades — but this could be the summer that changes everything (People). When Mallory Blessing’s son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he’s not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It’s the late spring of 2020 and Jake’s wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election. There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other? Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt, and she agrees to host her brother’s bachelor party. Cooper’s friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere — through marriage, children, and Ursula’s stratospheric political rise — until Mallory learns she’s dying. Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.

Source: Publisher

  4. The Vacationers

By Emma Straub

For the Posts, a two-week trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca with their extended family and friends is a celebration: Franny and Jim are observing their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, and their daughter, Sylvia, has graduated from high school. The sunlit island, its mountains and beaches, its tapas and tennis courts, also promise an escape from the tensions simmering at home in Manhattan. But all does not go according to plan: over the course of the vacation, secrets come to light, old and new humiliations are experienced, childhood rivalries resurface, and ancient wounds are exacerbated.

This is a story of the sides of ourselves that we choose to show and those we try to conceal, of the ways we tear each other down and build each other up again, and the bonds that ultimately hold us together. With wry humor and tremendous heart, Emma Straub delivers a richly satisfying story of a family in the midst of a maelstrom of change, emerging irrevocably altered yet whole.

Source: Publisher

  5. The Jetsetters: A Novel

By Amanda Eyre Ward

When seventy-year-old Charlotte Perkins submits a sexy essay to the Become a Jetsetter contest, she dreams of reuniting her estranged children: Lee, an almost-famous actress; Cord, a handsome Manhattan venture capitalist who can’t seem to find a partner; and Regan, a harried mother who took it all wrong when Charlotte bought her a Weight Watchers gift certificate for her birthday. Charlotte yearns for the years when her children were young, when she was a single mother who meant everything to them.

When she wins the contest, the family packs their baggage—both literal and figurative—and spends ten days traveling from sun-drenched Athens through glorious Rome to tapas-laden Barcelona on an over-the-top cruise ship, the Splendido Marveloso. As lovers new and old join the adventure, long-buried secrets are revealed and old wounds are reopened, forcing the Perkins family to confront the forces that drove them apart and the defining choices of their lives.

Can four lost adults find the peace they’ve been seeking by reconciling their childhood aches and coming back together? In the vein of The Nest and The Vacationers, The Jetsetters is a delicious and intelligent novel about the courage it takes to reveal our true selves, the pleasures and perils of family, and how we navigate the seas of adulthood.

Source: Publisher

  6. The Guest List: A Novel

By Lucy Foley

A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.

The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner  – The bridesmaid – The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

Source: Publisher

  7. Beach Read

By Emily Henry

They’re polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they’re living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer’s block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Source: Publisher

8. Sex and Vanity: A Novel

By Kevin Kwan

The iconic author of the bestselling phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians returns with the glittering tale of a young woman who finds herself torn between two men: the WASPY fiancé of her family’s dreams and George Zao, the man she is desperately trying to avoid falling in love with.

On her very first morning on the jewel-like island of Capri, Lucie Churchill sets eyes on George Zao and she instantly can’t stand him. She can’t stand it when he gallantly offers to trade hotel rooms with her so that she can have a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea, she can’t stand that he knows more about Casa Malaparte than she does, and she really can’t stand it when he kisses her in the darkness of the ancient ruins of a Roman villa and they are caught by her snobbish, disapproving cousin Charlotte. “Your mother is Chinese so it’s no surprise you’d be attracted to someone like him,” Charlotte teases. The daughter of an American-born Chinese mother and a blue-blooded New York father, Lucie has always sublimated the Asian side of herself in favor of the white side, and she adamantly denies having feelings for George. But several years later, when George unexpectedly appears in East Hampton, where Lucie is weekending with her new fiancé, Lucie finds herself drawn to George again. Soon, Lucie is spinning a web of deceit that involves her family, her fiancé, the co-op board of her Fifth Avenue apartment building, and ultimately herself as she tries mightily to deny George entry into her world–and her heart. Moving between summer playgrounds of privilege, peppered with decadent food and extravagant fashion, Sex and Vanity is a truly modern love story, a daring homage to A Room with a View, and a brilliantly funny comedy of manners set between two cultures.

Source: Publisher

9. Hello, Summer

By Mary Kay Andrews

New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads Mary Kay Andrews delivers her next blockbuster, Hello Summer.

It’s a new season…

Conley Hawkins left her family’s small town newspaper, The Silver Bay Beacon, in the rearview mirror years ago. Now a star reporter for a big-city paper, Conley is exactly where she wants to be and is about to take a fancy new position in Washington, D.C. Or so she thinks.

For small town scandals…

When the new job goes up in smoke, Conley finds herself right back where she started, working for her sister, who is trying to keep The Silver Bay Beacon afloat—and she doesn’t exactly have warm feelings for Conley. Soon she is given the unenviable task of overseeing the local gossip column, “Hello, Summer.”

And big-time secrets.

Then Conley witnesses an accident that ends in the death of a local congressman—a beloved war hero with a shady past. The more she digs into the story, the more dangerous it gets. As an old heartbreaker causes trouble and a new flame ignites, it soon looks like their sleepy beach town is the most scandalous hotspot of the summer.

Source: Publisher

  10. The Summer Set

Aimee Agresti

Recommended by Glamour * Bustle * Popsugar * Booklist * Playbill

Charlie Savoy was once Hollywood’s hottest A-lister. Now, ten years later, she’s pushing forty, exiled from the film world and back at the summer Shakespeare theater in the Berkshires that launched her career—and where her old flame, Nick, is the artistic director.

It’s not exactly her first choice. But as parts are cast and rehearsals begin, Charlie is surprised to find herself getting her groove back, bonding with celebrity actors, forging unexpected new friendships and even reigniting her spark with Nick, who still seems to bring out the best in her despite their complicated history.

Until Charlie’s old rival, Hollywood’s current It Girl, is brought on set, threatening to undo everything she’s built. As the drama amps up both on the stage and behind the curtains, Charlie must put on the show of a lifetime to fight for the second chance she deserves in career and in love.

“A page-turner set in the intoxicating theater world, The Summer Set considers the price of fame, the power of second chances and the enduring nature of love. A truly enjoyable read!” —Elyssa Friedland, author of The Floating Feldmans

Source: Publisher

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[affairsintop]

Dolly Parton drops ‘Dixie’ from stampede show — and internet racists are having a white hot meltdown

New Post has been published on http://www.anblogger.com/dolly-parton-drops-dixie-from-stampede-show-and-internet-racists-are-having-a-white-hot-meltdown/

Dolly Parton drops ‘Dixie’ from stampede show — and internet racists are having a white hot meltdown

Dolly Parton is changing the name of a popular entertainment show to exclude a reference to the Confederacy — and internet racists howled.

The country music legend decided to drop “Dixie” from her decades-old horseback “stampede” dinner show at the Missouri entertainment destination in recognition that “attitudes change,” reported the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Instead of being called the “Dixie Stampede,” the show will be called Dolly Parton’s Stampede.

“Our shows currently are identified by where they are located,” Parton said. “Some examples are Smoky Mountain Adventures or Dixie Stampede. We also recognize that attitudes change and feel that by streamlining the names of our shows, it will remove any confusion or concerns about our shows and will help our efforts to expand into new cities.”

Some of Parton’s fans lashed out angrily on Twitter.

Are you kidding me? #dollyparton is kowtowing to the PC police and removing #Dixie from her show in #Branson, now is called Dolly Parton’s Stampede! Unbelievable! https://t.co/EUfYNYIECQ

— DeniseGallia (@onlinelady77) January 10, 2018

Hoping this is a phone news hoax, Very sad Dixie Stampede is dying 🙁 Moment of Silence) @DollyParton

— Oogie The Great (@Tsamsiyu) January 10, 2018

Dolly Parton drops the name “Dixie” because it not PC. Very disappointed in her. I guess Dixie Cups isn’t PC. Should people named “Dixie” be shunned until they change their name? #DollyParton I’m just saying. This may backfire #Dolly.

— Columbus County Vols (@NCSCVCAMP794) January 10, 2018

@DollyParton If this Miss Dolly you need to stop this renaming of Dixie. Very sad. Good bye. Good luck.

— Ron Sellers Go MAGA (@ronsellers1847) January 10, 2018

Bad move @DollyParton ! Dixie stampede should not be messed with!

— Sonya Curl (@TamaleLadyKnox) January 10, 2018

@DollyParton don’t let the libs do this to your heritage!!! Don’t let them shame the heart of Dixie! https://t.co/7EEquWBxSP

— SassyPatriotGirl (@PatriotSassy) January 10, 2018

wow they changed the name of the Dixie Stampede to Dolly Parton’s Stampede because someone was offended by the word “dixie”……

— em (@Queenemilyy_) January 10, 2018

@DollyParton so your doing away with the word “Dixie” huh. After years of supporting you, I have to say you are pathetic. You’ve became a sellout because that’s what this comes down to. Money. Your pathetic and I for one hope you see this. Money is worth your heritage huh. #$$$$$

— Just_Me (@jhendry40) January 10, 2018

@DollyParton are y’all taking the nativity out of the show too? Screw all of you that had a part to play in changing the name and removing #Dixie. #boycottdolly https://t.co/y3veH5dnNa

— Miss Reb (@miss_reb) January 10, 2018

Just like all the Confederate monuments they and I mean Pigeon Forge,TN is removing “DIXIE” from their business’s including Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede. She is caving in to all those who want to change everything Southern.When the hell will all this liberal bullshit ever end? https://t.co/3vLLEsic7s

— David L.Cornell (@ussboston) January 10, 2018

Dolly Parton’s ‘Dixie Stampede’ renamed https://t.co/vSI53hRahc So stupid catering to idiots! That is what is wrong with society. Freaks can’t handle words..except for the F bomb!

— Cin (@slow_cmap) January 10, 2018

@DollyParton Dixie Stampede is a great family friendly atmosphere. The term Dixie is often used in reference to the south. Taking it out of the show, something you built to be so much fun and entertaining for families is a sign of weakness. If you give in everyone gives in. #sad

— Chris young (@chrisyoung0115) January 10, 2018

You were my idol! Why would you let them remove “Dixie” from Stampede?! You have lost so many fans because of this. @DollyParton

— Amanda Gibson (@mandycliff97) January 10, 2018

So Dolly you’re not going to answer the question I mean everybody wants to know why the hell you’re taking Dixie Stampede and taking the word Dixie out I meant how in the hell can the word Dixie offend somebody this world has turned upside down and you’re helping

— Diane Gordon (@Kempo69Diane) January 9, 2018

@seanhannity So Dolly Parton is now changing the name of her dinner show located in Pigeon Forge, TN from Dixie Stampede to Dolly’s Stampede. I guess you can just imagine why. Totally insane.

— steve keener (@keeners1) January 10, 2018

@DollysStampede I find the name change offensive to my Southern heritage and will no longer support Dolly’s attractions. https://t.co/mmGrm9wtfq | Dolly Parton’s Stampede show is losing its Dixie

— K W (@kweaver9406) January 9, 2018

@DollyParton it is so very sad that you have allowed others political views to make you change your DIXIE Stampedes name. The name of the attraction SHOULD not be changed because someone gets mad. The name has been around for many years. #changeitback #STAMPEDE #standup #USA

— concerened citizen (@VOTEFORTRUMP9) January 10, 2018

@DollyParton hey I’m with you dolly I ain’t letting them take away our Dixie stamped ok I am going to fight for it I have went there sense I was a kid and so did my mom those are my memory’s and you are great to make Dixie stamped keep it running pleas🙁🙁

— styl queen (@QStyl) January 10, 2018

Political correctness run a muck! “Dixie” offends the snow flakes. Maybe Dolly Parton is a snowflake! https://t.co/OAOlxPf4vs

— Michael Deyton (@mdeyton) January 10, 2018

I can’t believe @DollyParton has caved to PC and changing the Iconic “Dixie Stampede” by removing “Dixie”.. my God what has happened to America? What’s happened to Dolly? pic.twitter.com/AZjtRwlHt8

— FirstinLine (@SouthernBeeler) January 10, 2018

[momscookingthebooks]

 ¸.•*¨☆¸.•*´¨

☆¸.•´. CIMMERIAN SHADE

Dare to discover what lurks in the shadows in **New & Exclusive** paranormal and urban fantasy stories from your favorite NY Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling authors.

Under moonlit skies, witches, werewolves, vampires, dragons, and more, battle not only for their mates, but to stay alive…

Fall for the alphas who play by their own rules despite the odds, whether century-old curses or forbidden love, or worse. For them, what lies in the darkness is worth the fight when it comes to romance.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2wyP2au

iBooks: http://hyperurl.co/CSiB

Nook: http://bit.ly/2rzHPIe

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2rEg9NA

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2sH9Ugw

And also a really cool book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezF_Qyg3jwI&feature=youtu.be&fref=gc&dti=2166198990270938

What Lies Within Us by Kiki Howell & Gina Kincade

Kyna Hughes travels to Ireland only to find out her whole life has been a series of well-orchestrated lies. Thrust into days of dark magic, secret societies, mystical hauntings, and ultimately, kidnappings and satanic weddings, she struggles not to lose her heart to one of two men—a hunky former Navy SEAL hired to protect her, and a sinister Wizard hired to train her to develop her hidden powers.

Dating 911 by Kathleen Grieve

Commiserating with girlfriends over butterscotch martinis, emergency room nurse, Roxanne Carter creates the idea of The Dating Manifesto—a not so scientific research project which promises to point the way to dating success. She wades through a series of unsavory, stale dates while gathering data to find the potentially most suitable single men available, literally putting her back at ground zero.

Just when she is ready to give up on dating, in walks sin personified in the form of a sexy firefighter, tainting all of her previous data.

A traumatic warehouse fire leaves firefighter Jett Avery's closest friend dead. The false mask of charm and pretense is slipping as Jett tries to repress his turbulent emotions, remorse, and guilt. After months of anguish, the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder seems to be taking over his life and he needs an outlet, fast. In an attempt to combat the worst of his depression, he decides to use his brand of therapy—Sex. The remedy, usually a quick pick me up for Jett, has lost its luster. He is almost ready to give up until he encounters a wicked seductress who ignites a fire he's not ready to put out any time soon. The bonus? She's an ER nurse with just the right kind of healing, the missing element Jett's search had not yet uncovered. He finally feels alive when he's in her presence.

Jett’s twin brother, emergency room Doctor Cruz Avery, the playboy of the ER, decides Roxanne is the woman for him. He places all brotherly affection aside and is in hot pursuit, complicating an already tricky situation.

Roxanne finds herself battling a growing competition between brothers for her affection. She discovers she’s drawn to both men, making it difficult not to compare them, and finds herself with an important choice to make. Jett hounds her during every date, and the irresistible hunk generates an indomitable need to play with fire. Yet, there are qualities in Cruz that slide right into the appropriate dating criteria of her Manifesto.

Does she choose the brother who by analysis is the perfect match? Or the one she can’t resist?

Torch Song by Lashell Collins

Dominic Draco has no illusions about who he is. As alpha of the dragon clan, he is also the leader of the shifter Alliance, and that sometimes requires him to be ruthless. He’s a dangerous man to know. In fact, he’s a heartless bastard. That’s the real reason he’s kept the beautiful Lucinda Lindley at bay for so many years, despite the longing he feels for the sexy human singer. But in granting an old friend’s dying request, watching over Lucinda is now his responsibility. Can he keep her safe from the perils of his cut-throat world when the Alliance’s enemies begin to circle? Or will Lucinda become a casualty of the shifter faction war?

Ethereal Witness by Angelica Dawson

Magic just became real for Paige Brown. Since she helped her roommate cast a spell, she has wanted to explore her new-found talent. Flashbacks to her ancestor give her clues, specifically to a love spell that she hopes will snag the professor she has been fantasizing about. Both Paige and her previous incarnation, Jane, find that controlling magic is more than a simple recipe. Will Paige be able to break her own spell? Will she discover the love that is closer than she knows?

Love Story of a Reaper by Elvira Bathory

What would you do if you found out that you weren’t like everyone else?

That you were special, but only in a way no one could find out about?

What lengths would you go to prove yourself to your family? A family that you didn’t know you had?

Morrigana was moving through life with a part-time, minimum wage job, and only a handful of friends. She was different from other people and they treated her that way. However, she was happy with her life until the day she met Kheelan; that is when her life was turned upside down. She finds out that she isn’t even human, and that a family she wasn’t aware she had needed her to complete a mission. As Morrigana and Kheelan's adventure progresses, will their focus on business remain professional or will their growing passion take over?

Burning Midnight by Erzabet Bishop

A triumvirate of blood and fire…

Diana Robichard runs Moon Called, an antique shop specializing in cursed objects. A new antiquity falls into her possession and promptly disappears, her tidy world is upended. When faced with a threat to those she loves the most, witchcraft alone may not be enough to save them.

Alpha Aristide Benoit is a wolf on a mission. When multiple pack members and finally his daughter go missing, he is ready to do whatever is necessary to find them as well as save the woman who has claimed his heart.

Vampire Regent, Rand Sinclair has a problem. His vault is missing an amulet never meant to see the light of day. Endangering a treaty with the wolves, he must act quickly before the woman he loves is swept into an ancient curse that will destroy them all.

With This Heart by Red L. Jameson

Talk about a killer kiss…

Being a former soldier with PTSD takes its toll on Aaron and has wiped him clean of optimism along with having dreams. But he’s no longer sure if he’s living in reality or fantasy after he tries to save a friend and finds his world filled with women who have wings and…Valkyries.

Adala kills. Not on purpose. She’s a Valkyrie—from just one touch, she takes warriors to the afterlife. Oh, but she’d give anything for a break, for normalcy, to have one day of not wearing her legionnaire uniform. When she’s asked to talk to the human Aaron to help him understand just what he’s in for when he tripped into her world, she jumps at the chance, even though she knows Aaron more than she cares to admit, even though she has an insane crush on him, even though she can’t touch him at all. But she gets to wear jeans and talk to a man—a real-life, hero of a man.

From her adorable made-up swearwords to when she wears his clothes, from the fact that she’s hundreds of years old to her pet Pegasus, Aaron falls hard for the shy Valkyrie. Dare he risk his life for a kiss? He’s thinking about it, because already he’s given her his heart.

With This Heart is a standalone story, that’s part of the With These Wings Series—books that mix rock-hard military men with feathered-fantasy femme fatales for a sizzling hot adventure to find love. Join Chanticleer winner, Red L. Jameson, for more of this heart-tugging fairy tale series.

Saltwater Siren by Muffy Wilson

Was it love at first sight? Perhaps. Many thought it might have been the work of the unscrupulous Sea Witch, Hermione, long a bitter and banished King’s Court Matron. So, was it the crafty wiles of Hermione, scheming to seek her sordid revenge, or was it a simple matter of serendipity? All we know for certain is that two young royals, one landed and one not, met during a raging storm as fierce and intense as the love they would none too soon escape. Was it fate, design, or—perhaps—black magic? Who’s to say?

What we do know is that it was sensuous, erotic, and insatiable as they fought to extinguish the passions that flamed their heat by indulging in every desire that swept them into one another’s arms. Their shared carnal voracity fanned an appetite no amount of indulgence could satisfy.

After all, it happened…Once upon a time…

Dangerous Beauty, Sexy Beast by Dariel Raye

Drayden saved her life— but her incessant need for vengeance could mean the end of his.

Thirteen years after the brutal murder of Treva Evers’ entire family, a cloaked stranger shows up just in time to save her from the same fate. When he disappears as quickly as he appeared, she is drawn into an underworld replete with magic and long forgotten customs, a place where nothing is as it seems, including her mysterious savior, and every word or action could result in brutal consequences.

Rose Tears by Amanda Pillar

Death is coming for Lori Hardcastle.

Half-Succubus, half-Sídhe, Lori has been on the run since she was seventeen. Worried that her vengeful family will find her, she’s been hiding in the Borderlands, a magical plane nestled between the fae and human worlds. However, when her path crosses that of a dangerously sexy fullblooded fae, will she be able to survive the encounter?

Conrad Death is a cleaner (he doesn’t like the term ‘assassin’) for the fae White Queen. His latest mission: find the half-breed daughter of the Count of Tears. Easy. Except no one knows what she looks like, her real age, or even what name she uses. However, Conrad isn’t daunted by simple details – he’s finished every job he’s ever started. But when he meets a smoking hot Succubus in a Borderlands bar, his life is thrown into turmoil.

Rogue by Savannah Verte

Everyday immortal Bree Brigand gets a rude awakening as her family is slaughtered. Not only is the cursed, suicide blade of legend and lore real, but it has chosen her. She must quickly learn to fast-track a course she’s never navigated, in a world she thought only existed in campfire stories. But, only after coming to terms with the facts…her family is not her family.

Truths and lies collide in a world where the hunters and the hunted trade places faster than she can discern who is which, and everyone is an assassin. Can she find and claim her destiny? Or, will being marked by a male who is not her one true mate ruin everything, and clip this dragon’s wings before she can become all she is meant to be?

Hexing Hearts by Alyssa Drake

At eighteen, undeveloped witch, Remy Vasile abandoned her island home without a backward glance. Five years later, circumstances outside of Remy’s control have drawn her back to Firefly Island, dredging up painful memories which lay dormant during her absence.

Sebastian Ayres enjoyed a life of pleasure pursuits. However, his blasé attitude evaporates the moment Remy’s hand brushes against his. Irresistibly drawn to his mate, Sebastian must undertake the daunting task of persuading Remy that he is not just any man, but the only man, for her.

Unbeknownst to either, dark secrets, hidden since Remy’s birth, are about to be uncovered and Remy will be confronted with a life-altering decision. With the help of her sister and some unexpected allies, Remy must decide if she will fight and risk her heart or continue running from her destiny.

Dragons Curvy Concierge by Mychal Daniels

When Bronwyn Scott finds herself way over her head as the first-time business owner of a personal concierge service, she’s not about to fall for a rich mystery man trying to test her professionalism at every turn.

Determined to make her business a great success to find and show the mother who left her at birth that she made something of herself, Bronwyn has no time for games or entitled, gorgeous rich dudes.

MacMillan “Mac” Kelnar is at that time in his life where his business can run itself, he’s successful, powerful, and a mature Dragon who’s paid his dues.

When he sees his mate across the parking lot of a Home Improvement Center parking lot as she suffers a hit and run, he’ll stop at nothing to have her, even if that means pretending to hire her as his personal concierge.

Determined to have his mate, this Dragon won’t stop at nothing until his mate realizes that the only services he’s interested in are having all of her.

Credence - Moon Dragons by Decadent Kane

Torren is days away from competing in the Draconic Challenge and earning the prize he needs to complete his magic credence. His sky-high dream of apprenticing with the Ancients is finally in sight. The last thing this solitary moon dragon needs is a mate dragging him down to earth, and a human one at that. Not that his body will listen.

Dovie is minding her own business—literally—when a handsome stranger walks into her bookstore. One spontaneous orgasm later, she’s left with no choice but to close up shop. The last thing she needs is an overbearing dragon dragging her to his mountain and telling her to shelve her dreams in favor of a stupid contest. Not that her body will listen.

Torren and Dovie must fight their treacherous attraction to each other or sacrifice their ambitions forever. But moon dragon magic doesn’t choose lightly, and when darker forces shatter the peaceful mountain enclave the dragons call home, human and moon dragon alike will have to reconsider just what they need to achieve a happy ending.

Kiss of the Fallen by Kharma Kelley

Dear Readers, I just wanted to be left alone. I wanted nothing to do with the war brewing among all the Supernaturals and have grown tired of fighting all these centuries. All of us are screwed up anyway; but who am I to judge who drinks blood and who eats souls?     As luck (or lack thereof) would have it, I get sucked into one last mission with the vampires and the next thing I know, I find a half-naked demon chained to my bed; and let's just say she is not happy.  And, as much as I enjoy seeing a beautiful woman grace my bed, unfortunately, I'm not happy either.     Of all demons, someone delivers to me a Black Blood Slayer; demons bred to do one thing and one thing only: kill vampires.  Her blood is spiked with a desire I long to tame, but if I do, I could be six-feet under... again. And this time forever.  But her fighter's spirit and tenderness shakes me to my missing soul, wanting to claim her with a need I cannot name.  But with both of us on the run and my people gunning for us, how can I be sure she wants me to love or to kill?     -Commander Tristan Castillion, Vampire Royal Guard

Selene by Shelique Lize

My name is Selene and I am a moon goddess. Between my siblings and me, we control the balance of the universe. Without us, the mortal and immortal realms would be thrust into eternal chaos. Don’t ask me what that means. It’s what I’ve been told for as long I can remember. I have never questioned my existence because it was the only life I have ever known. Then one day, everything changed when I became enthralled with the earth.

I couldn’t resist the alluring beauty that beckoned me almost every single night. My curiosity was so fierce and dominate, it was becoming impossible to ignore it and I gave in. I found the only god brave enough to take me to the mortal realm but he wanted something in return. He wanted my body, and I gave it to.

I went to earth and experienced life like never before. It was like my eyes were opening and I started to question my entire existence. Feelings all of a sudden are very present and then everything changed again, when I fell in love with a human.

Being a goddess has never been so complicated.

One Last Lullaby by Kallysten

When Kirsten walks back into Jacob’s life after years of estrangement, it’s not to resume the relationship she once ended abruptly. Instead, she’s there to work as a mage for the same agency in which Jacob is a Special Enforcer… or at least, that’s her story and she’s sticking to it. Whether Andrew, her boss and one of Jacob’s fathers, hired her for her skills or to get her back in Jacob’s life is anyone’s guess.

Although Jacob is determined to see in Kirsten a co-worker and friend, he still loves her as much as he ever did. He used to believe she was ‘the one,’ and even years after she broke up with him he still doesn’t understand what happened. It doesn’t help that every little thing she does reminds him of what they once shared.

As the agency battles deadly demons night after night, the relationship between Jacob and Kirsten goes from awkward to downright painful… until one botched magic spell traps them in a strange world inhabited by the demons, and the only way back will require them to reveal to each other their most painful secret…

Lust by Liz Gavin

Magical, sinful New Orleans attracts many lost souls who find haven at kinky Club Desire. Marcel Revault is the real deal: bound to the house, haunting it for over 150 years. Clara Hervaux, movie-star extraordinaire, indulges in her dark side as a club regular. As an empath, she’s gotten hooked on Marcel’s otherworldly sexiness. When Clara goes missing, Marcel uses their empathic link to find her, but can he break the curse to save her? Or will Clara fall prey to the jealous witch who cursed him?

Witch Playground by Isis Pierce

When Samantha Smith agreed to cast a spell to sneak her friend Sassy into the hottest paranormals’ club in Vegas, she never thought she’d actually get caught. Now she’s facing a trial and the possibility of losing everything—including her magic, and maybe even her life. To get out of legal trouble, she might have to sleep with a vampire or go to hell with a bounty hunter. Maybe both. And that’s a whole new kind of trouble.

Frozen Soul by Catherine Banks

A wolf's love is forever...and so is the bond of the pack.

Even after she broke it off with their Alpha, Tysen, the pack still loved Jess. So when they discover her current boyfriend, Jon, is literally draining her soul, her wolf family is right there to come to her rescue. Back amongst their ranks, the bond she shares with them, and Tysen, grows stronger than ever, and she can't deny how desperately she's missed them all.

But now the truth of Jess and Jon's relationship comes blasting through the door and brings everyone to their knees; she's sacrificed more for the pack than any of them realized.

The question now remains: is there a way for Tysen to save her soul?

Taste Of Darkness by Catherine Vale

Natalya should have known better than to watch the handsome fisherman from the shadows, but she found herself drawn to him, night after night. If she had only stayed away from him, he would not be facing the darkness that will now haunt him for eternity. But she couldn’t stay away, and now it’s too late; he’s been turned into an abomination, a creature that will never again be free.

Natalya is all that Caine has left. He just doesn’t know it yet.

Natalya knows better than anyone what it’s like to have her world ripped out from under her, forced into the darkness, never to walk in the sun again. It wasn’t long ago when she was turned into a blood-sucking vamp, a ruthless killer. So when she finds herself to blame for an innocent human being turned, she knows that it’s up to her to save his life. But when Caine awakens to discover what he has become, will he ever be able to find his place in a world, where he just doesn’t fit in? And can he learn to forgive Natalya long enough to fight alongside her?

When a merciless pack of werewolves scent the newly created vamp, they will stop at nothing to destroy him, and everything he loves. Caine must learn to embrace his darkness, if he wishes to survive.

#WORDSTURNMEONCSA

[sleeperroom]

Canadian showing, kill the alarms

My review of the Canadian Showing tonight. I have seen the BBC Sunday tv release as well. It's all complete nonsense so I would stop reading now. Keep in mind I'm typing this all on a cellphone so it may come out autocorrected to hell. Firstly, I would like to start off with a bit of information: I am a bit of a nihilist so you may take what I say with a grain of salt if you please. I also am completely for the honestly and truth behind John and Sherlock's real relationship (love, however complicated). I've watched them both now. I love the conspiracies and the audience and the love that this community has. I truly do with all my little tiny heart can muster. I love John and Sherlock and their adventures in their entireties whether a century ago or pictured in the modern realm. I don't fancy Mary too too much, but she wasn't a huge part of canon (so let's brush over her because she's already had enough screen time). It would be very un-sherlockian of me to declare truth without facts, but I have a dreadful feeling the curtains have been closed and the story has come to a burning.. terrible end. At first watch of the last episode "The Final Problem" I actually saw no issue with it (other than lack of relationship development and the complete out-of-character feelings). This was okay, "it is what it is"- or so my brain had convinced me. It really wasn't- and now I feel like something out of Alice and Wonderland where the Mad Hatter is explaining nonsense, "but what if it were? And we're simply all mad." Think about this, this grand audience that sits and deduces tiny nuances and minute details of a television show built upon a story of a man who does the same, but in his active life. If the game is over then certainly we've spent more time becoming the chess- no I don't fancy that, how about the Operation Master! Whether we've looked too far past the glass, I suppose time may determine this. Simply: there was nothing special about the showing. It was the same. If it were meant to have different endings would they not include the theatre version within this spectrum? I'm confused, if this was meant to be the surprise. 15 minutes of Amanda (bless her) reviewing Mary's character and how she fit into the boys life as though the story could not go on without her presence (which is sadly true in this case). Like I said, too much screen time. My theories continuously change about the reality of this story, while I'm also three quarters of the way convinced that this is the dreadful end of an astonishing attempt to portray a truly novel character(s) in the film world. Especially after the theatre viewing, if I were to speculate (ugh) about a possible alternative to this Hollywood nightmare: I am becoming more convinced of John's death by the minute if this were a reality, but even then this all becomes too convenient. If John dies is this really "groundbreaking" many main characters have died hundreds of times over, Sherlock himself- I digress though. This post was to get me writing in all honesty. Writing about my confusion and disappointment, though slight. I feel it was half-fulfilling, but the Sherlock in me craves for more mysteries, more adventure, more reality and character development (relationships included). "I need a case!" I know that time is a factor; age, dwindling audiences (now worsened), but the everlasting hope that Sherlock will continue on, not only in this show (just a bit longer?), but through beautiful contributions by genius fiction writers and through other medias as well. That Sherlock Holmes and John Watson do not die on the tongues and pens of directors and Hollywood greed. Once more unto the breach, my friends, once more.