#top two are absolutely bigger than the whole sky and the great war

[stevie-steven-stevington]

Febuwhump Day 21: insomnia

Fandom: MCU Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark Category: Gen Rating: T Warnings: pre-established minor character death  Words: 1.9k

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He's not surprised when he finds Peter sitting on the roof of Stark Tower at 2:42 AM.

Maybe he should be. It's not exactly normal to find your adopted kid on top of a 100-story building in the middle of the night, but Peter's never really been one for normal. It's been a while since he's done anything this odd, though - the first few weeks were full of strange occurrences, all varying degrees of disturbing, but things have leveled out since.

Tonight, apparently, they're backsliding.

Granted, this is not even close to the weirdest thing Peter's done since moving to the tower, nor the most concerning. It only takes a glance for Tony to know that Peter's not up here to do anything dangerous. Just, it seems, to stargaze.

Tony hopes this one doesn't end in a fight. There's been a lot of yelling lately, and he'd really like to get through a conversation without Peter getting upset with him. He knows it's the grief talking, but it still hurts.

Pulling the sleeves of his MIT sweatshirt over his hands, Tony walks across the roof, sits down next to Peter. The kid's not wearing a jacket, clad in Star Wars pajama pants and an old t-shirt that Tony's fairly sure is his own. Or maybe it's Rhodey's - their wardrobe's have gotten a little mixed up over the years and after constant reminders that the whole what's mine is yours bit applies here, the kid started wearing whatever was lying around with absolutely no regard for who owned it. Peter still doesn't quite get that no one will bite his hand off if he gets seconds at a meal or grabs a midnight snack, but at least it's something.

Peter doesn't look over. Doesn't acknowledge Tony's presence save for a minuscule shift in his posture.

"What are you doing up so late?" Tony asks, almost in a whisper. Anything louder might shatter the serenity. He wonders, vaguely, if Peter's still angry with him about their latest fight. Tony doesn't even remember what it was about.

But no, Peter never holds a grudge over their arguments. They never talk about them, after, because Peter never brings them up, just goes back to acting like everything's fine between them after he cools down, and Tony's too much of a coward to say anything.

True to form, Peter shrugs noncommittally and says, "Can't sleep. Kept...thinking."

Tony's learned enough since taking Peter in to know that asking him what he was thinking about flat-out will only cause Peter to clam up and shut down. Instead, he rests his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand and says in the gentlest tone he can muster, "You can tell me about it if you want. Or we can just sit. S'up to you, buddy."

Peter's mouth presses into a thin line and his hands fidget in his lap. He contemplates, eyes fixed on the night sky for a long moment, before ducking his head and letting his bangs hang in front of his face. His hair is just long enough for Peter to hide behind it, since every time Tony suggests a haircut he's met with a shake of the head and a change of the subject.

"I can't stop thinking about - about what Aunt May said to me before..." Peter stops, takes a breath. Tony prays to a god he doesn't believe in that this is not another with great power comes great responsibility situation. "She told me...a few hours before it happened, she told me she'd always be there for me. I was sad about something, I don't remember what, and she - she said she'd be here for me no matter what and then she -"

For a second, Tony almost thinks he's going to say it. It's been eight weeks and Peter still hasn't said the word died.

He doesn't. He cuts himself off before he can finish the sentence, like he always does, like he did even when he gave his speech at May's funeral. Tony has yet to determine if this is a thing he should be concerned about, but figures there are bigger issues here anyway.

Tony opens his mouth, but before he can actually speak, Peter looks up at him and says, "What were your parents like?"

It takes a minute for Tony to even be sure he heard the question right. Peter's never asked about his parents, and Tony's never said much of anything about them, both of them knowing how touchy of a subject it is.

He doesn't know what to say. Doesn't know what Peter is looking for him to say.

His instinct is to brush it off, because talking about his parents at almost 3 in the morning is not exactly what Tony signed up for when he got out of bed.

But Peter's staring at him with those big doe eyes, and maybe opening up to the kid is how he'll get the kid to open up to him.

"My mom was wonderful," Tony starts, the piercing feeling in his chest already surfacing. He cards his fingers through his hair, the sleeve of his sweatshirt sliding down his arm. "She was kind and soft and - and bright. She used to sing, all around the house, when my father wasn't home, and she always told me that I...that I was her favorite person. The best thing that ever happened to her, she said."

A hand slips into his when he pauses. He shoots Peter a grateful smile before continuing. "My dad, on the other hand, was...he was a dick. Full-stop. He was cold and emotionless and I always wondered how my mother could've ended up with someone that terrible. My father - he treated me like I was his invention. Not his son, not the child he was supposed to care for. Just something he created for his own personal gain."

He wants to leave it at that, but there's something he needs Peter to know. "My father is everything I never wanted to be. I - I've spent my whole life trying to be a better man than him. I'm trying, now, to be a better parent that he was."

It's a testament to how much he'd do for this kid that he even says this much. There's more to say, more to unpack, but that's Tony's problem, not Peter's.

Peter's quiet for a moment. Processing. Tony watches the emotions play out on his face, but doesn't really bother trying to keep up with them.

"You are," Peter says softly. He's looking at Tony's shoulder. "You're a great - parent. I know I haven't...I know I've been difficult and mean and ungrateful and -"

"Wait, wait, stop." Tony shifts so he can fully face Peter, who looks at him with way too much confusion in his eyes. "You're not difficult, Pete. Or mean or ungrateful or anything else you were gonna say. You're grieving. You're allowed to grieve. You're going through basically the worst thing you could possibly go through and you're allowed to be angry about it."

Peter looks unconvinced - God, it's like pulling teeth with this kid - but he doesn't push the issue. His fingers tighten around Tony's, and it's only then that Tony registers how cold Peter is.

"Jesus Christ, kid, you're freezing." Tony's pulled off his sweatshirt before Peter can even reply, handing it over to Peter. The wind bites at his bare arms as soon as he does, but Peter's the one who can't thermoregulate. "Don't argue, just put it on."

Peter sticks out his tongue at him, but pulls the sweatshirt over his head. He's still an inch of two shorter than Tony, so it's a bit baggy on him. Peter does the same thing Tony had, letting the sleeves dangle past his hands, and says, "Thanks."

"'Course."

They sit in silence, Peter leaning into Tony's side to replace the handholding. Tony knows Peter has something else to say, but he also knows that Peter needs to say it on his own time. So he sits and he waits.

Eventually, muffled in Tony's shirt, Peter says, "I can't sleep. Like, not just tonight. I've barely slept in the past...week or so, I guess."

Tony wraps an arm around Peter's back, rests his cheek on the top of his head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wanted to handle it myself." Peter's voice hitches. "Because I wanted to prove to - to myself or to you or to the universe, that there was something I could do by myself. That I'm not just this weak little kid who can't take care of himself."

And Tony gets that.

He hates that Peter thinks he has to do this, any of this, alone, but he gets it.

Peter keeps talking. "But I just - every time I try to go to sleep, I end up thinking about her and about how my life is gonna be without her. About the fact that she won't - she won't be there when I graduate. Or when I find out what colleges I got into. Or when I get my degree, or when I get married, or when I have kids.

"She always told me she was going to be the best grand-aunt. She never said grandmother - I think she thought she'd be disrespecting my mom, her sister, even though I don't think she would've - but she always loved the idea of meeting my kids one day, and now she - she can't -"

Peter doesn't break down, as much as Tony expects him to. Which is...progress, he thinks.

Instead, he just lets out a shaky exhale that Tony feels on his neck and murmurs, "I miss her."

The past eight weeks have been a constant reminder that Peter is just a kid. But in this moment, Peter seems smaller than he ever has before.

He doesn't know what to say.

The truth is, it'll never stop hurting. At least, it hasn't for Tony. Peter will never stop missing his aunt, just as Tony has never stopped missing his mother, and that pain will always be there. It will lessen, but it will remain.

Tony doesn't think Peter needs to hear that right now.

So he says, "Come on, Underoos," and takes hold of Peter's sleeve. Stands, waits for Peter to do the same, then leads the kid down into the Tower.

He takes him to his room and tucks him into bed. Kisses Peter's forehead like his mother used to do for him and then climbs wordlessly onto the other side of the bed. Peter doesn't say anything either, just curls into Tony's side and closes his eyes.

It's a solid forty-five minutes before Peter's breathing evens out. Tony lies awake for another twenty minutes after that, to be sure, and then falls asleep with his arms wrapped around his kid and sleeps better than he has in months.

[sarcasticmesswriting]

WinterHawk Week Day 5 - Arranged Marriage

Historical Au with some typical period and arranged marriage consent issues, though it has a beautiful Happy Ending.

It is nearly 4K so make sure you have the time :D (You can still find all 7 stories collectively at Ao3 here.

Clint never viewed his life as either lucky or unlucky. There were only circumstances and whatever work he had done to better his life. 

Circumstances that determined Clint was born into the family to an easily addicted father who loved gambling, women and his drink. A father who beat his sons and still managed to get one on his side to share games of dice, women or a drink.

Clint never liked the idea of his life being all written out as some declaration read to the commoners in the market square. He was more than just the son of a man who had fallen from glory gained in war. 

Starting as an errand boy Clint quickly became the most reliable in the city. He was fast and nimble enough to go routes no one else could and none of his wares ever went missing. Years he worked and built a reputation, getting a job going in and out of the castle, getting paid better and finding friends in the people in the castle, noble and commoner. 

Harold and Barney tried to rope Clint into their dealing, tried to get him to give them money, but Clint barely had enough to sustain himself. And he really didn’t want to support their habits. 

Years of having a pretty decent life with ups and downs, but he still didn’t expect to be called in front of the Kings of their country. 

Anxiety churned in his gut as two guards he had just talked to this morning opened the door to the throne room. They looked serious and maybe even pitying. 

The room had never been this long or his stride had never been this short.

King Steve and King Tony sat in their equally large thrones with grave expressions, advisers in a group to the right, the captain of the guard with a couple high ranking officers on the left. They didn’t have their weapons out. Yet. 

Clint knelt down, head hung low and said loud and clear, “Your Majesties.”

“Please, Clint, there is no need to kneel,” Steve said kindly and Clint quickly got up, putting his hands behind his back for lack of a better spot. 

“Now we called you here to talk about your family’s debt to the crown.” Tony lounged precariously on his throne and Steve sent him the usual reproaching look Tony ignored. 

“I see,” Clint said slowly, even though he didn’t. He didn’t have anything to do with that debt. Unofficially he had already washed his hands off it, but officially he was still part of the Barton family. His only reason for not doing that yet was that he didn’t want to lose his mother’s surname. 

“Steve and I have talked at length on how to approach this and we have decided to release you of the whole debt.” 

“In exchange for your hand in marriage.” 

“My hand in-” Clint blinked at them in incomprehension. “I don’t understand. Barney and my father are the ones you should talk about the debt to. Your Majesties,” he added quickly, lowering his gaze. 

“Has no one told you?” Rhodey stepped forward, his Captain’s insignia on his chest shining in the light from the windows. 

“Told me what?”

“Clint, there was a brawl in The Sun three days ago,” Rhodey said, coming closer, hands away from his sword, but Clint still kept his posture unthreatening. It didn’t matter that they were friends outside of this hall. “Your father and Barney were involved and suffered severe injuries. They died that night.”

“They’re both…?” Clint couldn’t feel his fingers, couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of being the last one left of his family. 

“Yes. I’m so sorry, Clint.” Rhodey looked like he genuinely meant it, but Clint wasn’t upset? Or at least he didn’t think so. Maybe it would need some time to sink in, but now he was in front of the crown, talking about money he had to pay back. Money he absolutely and without a doubt did not have. 

“If I may ask, who will I marry?” He didn’t want to leave the city. All his friends were here. Marrying the person chosen by the crown would free him of the debt, but maybe shackle him to someone cruel and unkind. Even so, did it even matter? The crown wanted him to marry someone. He couldn’t refuse. And no matter who it was Clint would be fine. Clint was tenacious and had survived the beatings of his father, the cold starving touch of winter more than once. 

“Bucky Barnes.” 

The Winter Soldier. Clint’s stomach bottomed out.

~~

“You’re definitely going to die,” Natasha commented, hands busy braiding Pepper’s red hair. 

“He is not going to die,” Pepper said with an eye roll, though she very purposefully didn’t move her head. 

“I don’t know, man. I have never seen that guy smile or sad.” Sam’s knife impaled the wooden target with a dull thud, a good foot away from where Clint’s was embedded. “He is the crown’s most successful assassin. I do not want to be in your shoes right now.” 

“Great,” Clint muttered, throwing his second knife with all his strength, making the whole target shake. “I’m going to die.”

~~

It had only been a couple of days since Clint had been pushed into marrying someone, but here he was, being dressed in clothes that surely cost just as much as the debt he had been released from, for a wedding to a man Clint had never really spoken to. 

Barnes had always been around the castle when Clint had come to it to run errands. When Clint hadn’t known who the man was, Clint had tried to talk to him, tried to strike up a conversation and make a friend and maybe help the handsome, slightly lost looking man. 

Barnes had glared at him, grunted and left. All the following instances they were in the vicinity of each other Barnes had glared at him, often stared at Clint while Clint talked to someone else. 

Once Clint saw him covered in blood that wasn’t his own, seconds after killing a man making an attempt on the Kings’ lives. 

Rumors called him a rapist and a killer of children, called him the moon to Steve’s sun. 

Clint was to be his husband, his property and whatever else Barnes wanted him to be. Barnes didn’t even need to tell the Kings that Clint wasn’t cooperating, he could just kill Clint himself without a problem. 

“You look very handsome,” Pepper pulled him out of his thoughts. Her smile was calm and encouraging. 

He didn’t understand how she could believe this was not going to end in bloodshed. 

“Thank you.” Swallowing he straightened his jacket and turned to look over his room for one last time.

It was nothing special. A tiny room above the blacksmith with a bed and a small cabinet for the few clothes he owned. He would never see it again. Instead, he would go to live in whatever rooms Barnes inhabited in the castle. 

He offered Pepper his arm and she took it with another smile. 

“It’s going to be fine. Maybe you will even come to like him.” 

He sincerely doubted that.

The ceremony was held in the chapel, overseen by both Kings and advisers and all of Clint’s commoner friends. All the seats were filled and flowers decorated every inch. Barnes was dressed in black like always and Clint refused to let his head hung low as Clint stepped up next to him. 

The words of the minister washed over Clint like white noise and he only snapped out of the daze he hadn’t even noticed he had entered into when it was time for Clint and Barnes to move into the throne hall for the feast. 

There was no kiss to seal the marriage, there was no happy exchange of rings, there was no dance or stolen touches. It was just everyone happily eating incredible food, laughing and getting drunk, while Barnes and Clint sat at the table of honor next to the Kings in silence. 

Clint only managed to swallow two bites, before his stomach rebelled and he stuck to picking at the food on his plate. Barnes didn’t seem to have the same problem and Clint kind of resented him even more for it.

After Tony was well into his cups, he winked at Clint and Barnes - his husband - and got them to leave the party. The catcalls from the other guests were quickly silenced by a single look from Barnes and cold anxiety rolled down Clint’s back as he followed Barned out of the room and down hallways and up stairs. 

The door they stopped at was simple wood with metal reinforcement and Barnes opened the door with a key before nodding for Clint to go in first. 

The room was so much bigger than Clint’s, more expensive, which wasn’t a surprise, but it was much simpler than other rooms in the castle Clint had snuck a peek into. Clint couldn’t see any personal effects and beside a small trunk he had put his stuff in prior to the wedding, there wasn’t much else. 

Clint blinked as Barnes basically pushed the key in his face. When he took it Barnes turned and started to make his way out of the room. 

“Wait,” Clint said confused. He shouldn’t put thoughts in Barnes’ head, but he rather got this over with as soon as possible. “We’re not going to consummate the marriage?” 

Barnes paused in the doorway and only turned his head after a good five seconds, eyes scrutinizing Clint from top to bottom. “No,” he simply said, voice rough, before he left the room and closed the door behind him. 

Not sure what else to do and not understanding Barnes at all Clint started to explore. There were no paintings or pictures, no jewelry or other trinkets, nothing that indicated Barnes had a personality. Not even any clothes of his own. 

It was very strange. 

Clint passed the night fitfully. Every noise was unfamiliar, every creak was the potential sound of Barnes returning. 

When the sky started to lighten and the sky peeked over the horizon, Clint got up from the too soft bed and got dressed in his own clothes, the commoner clothes that made it easier to move around in and blend in. 

For a while, it was like the wedding had never happened. Clint went about his deliveries, helped anyone who needed it and continued to steal food from Natasha in the kitchens. The only thing that really changed was the room he returned to every night. He didn’t see Barnes either around the castle or at night in the room, but he wasn’t sure if it was because Barnes was trying to lure Clint into false security or if he really wasn’t interested. 

And then, just as he was leaving the kitchen with threats being shouted after him, he crossed paths with Rhodey who smiled at him.

“Ah, I’ve been looking for you. Would you like to join us for practice, Clint?”

It took only a second to make sure everything he needed to do today could be postponed. “Sure.” He loved watching the knights train, though he could never do it for very long or very frequently. 

Everyone else was already on the field and warming up. Which didn’t really make sense. If they didn’t need someone to carry their weapons or targets or whatever else they needed, why did Rhodey tell Clint to come with?

Barnes noticed Clint first and if possible, he looked even more furious than usual. At the moment he grabbed Steve and dragged him a couple of steps away, Steve didn't look like the King he was. They were too far to hear clearly as Barnes started to hiss at Steve, but they stood in a way that made it possible for Clint to read their lips. 

“This was your fucking idea. Don’t lie.” 

“Come on, Buck. This is a good thing.”

“It’s fucking torture and you fucking know it.” Barnes let go of Steve, looked over at Clint and their eyes met in the same moment Sam’s arm was slung across Clint’s shoulder and pulled him in a hug. 

“I’m going to have so much fun beating you at something.” 

“Never,” Clint answered, looking up at Sam. 

“Your husband is glaring at me in jealousy,” Sam whispered into Clint’s ear. “You must have won him over with your sexual prowess.” 

Clint pulled a face in a mix of disgust and embarrassment. “I hate you.” 

“Aww, don’t lie. You love me.” Sam grinned at him and attempted to kiss him jokingly, but Clint stopped him with an elbow to the side. 

Someone cleared their throat next to them and Clint glanced over to see that Barnes had approached them. He was looking even more murderous than a second ago. 

“Steve wants to spar with you, Sam.” 

“Sure, sure. Let me have the bruises while you two cosy up. I understand.” With a wink, Sam went over to Steve leaving Clint and Barnes in awkward silence. 

Or at least Clint felt awkward. Who could tell from Barnes’ blank expression, though he did avoid eye contact. 

“It’s fine.”

Clint frowned at Barnes. “What?”

“We’re married because of Steve. Sam’s fine.” Barnes glanced at Clint and quickly looked away when he saw that Clint was already looking at him. A knife appeared in his hand he started to fiddle with. “I wouldn’t consider it cheating if you two get involved.” 

“I,” Clint stopped, blinking in confusion, not sure if he had heard correctly. “What?”

Barnes exhaled sharply, frowning down at the ground. “You were forced into this. You should be with someone you want to be with. That’s all.” He turned away and walked over to Rhodey who immediately pulled him into a sparring match, leaving Clint to stare after him. 

As stilted as that had been it had seemed like concern for Clint’s happiness? 

Clint was distracted by watching Barnes during the rest of the training. All the other knights seemed to chalk his failure up to being a novice at sword fighting and Clint for once didn’t bother to correct them or boast about his ability to pick skills up quickly. 

Observing Barnes was puzzling. All the little details Clint had never seen before didn’t really fit with the image of the ruthless, murderous killer Clint had built Barnes up as in his head. 

Yes, he was the most skilled fighter among the knights and there was no hesitation in his movements with a sword or knives, but when they stood around and talked about the next exercise or the topic of conversation turned to something else entirely, Barnes tended to stay silent and stare off to the side or even turn a knife over in his hands behind his thigh, half-hidden from everyone else. Clint would say it almost looked nervous. 

A half-assed plan started to form in Clint’s head, but he always worked best with those. 

At the end of the training, everyone was sweaty and grass-stained, but they were still joking around, still happy with their Kings, especially because Steve acted more like a fellow knight than their King. Still, the other knights grabbed weapons to get back to the weapon room or left to do something else, when Clint used the perfect moment of stopping Steve, so no one else noticed. 

“May I ask a question, your Majesty?” 

Steve looked half-amused, half reproachful. “Really, call me Steve outside of official events. And of course, you may. You’re married to my best friend.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk about. Ba-Bucky kind of told me the reason why you wanted us to marry. I guess I just wanted to confirm because he… well.”

“Oh, I get it. He’s being shy again, isn’t he?” Steve shook his head with a smile. “You know, every time he looks ready to kill someone he is usually trying not to blush or say the wrong thing. He’s been pining for you for so long, you would think he now has a thousand things to say.” 

“Yeah, right.” Clint barely registered the heavy hand on his shoulder and only absentmindedly watched Steve walk away. 

Barnes had been pining? For Clint? And he had been insecure this whole time and not angry at all? At least if Steve was to be believed and Steve was the most honest person in the whole kingdom. 

All Clint’s friends knew that his self-preservation instincts only went so far, but even he wasn’t stupid enough to confront Barnes with only Steve’s word as assurance, so he did something else. 

Clint started to follow Barnes around. 

It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, but as Clint always pretended to talk to someone or do things when Barnes looked at him, so he probably hadn’t been discovered yet. 

For a couple of days, nothing interesting or very revealing happened and Clint was close to giving up. Or at least he was because he never managed to stick close after dinner. Either Barnes vanished alone while others were eating or Clint had to take a different hallway all together as to not arouse suspicions, but tonight Barnes seemed to be deep in thought and Clint was able to follow him while using shadows. 

Whatever Clint expected to walk into, and he wasn’t really expecting anything, it wasn’t for Barnes to walk into the stables and enter the tack room in the back, leaving the door slightly ajar. 

As quietly as Clint could he moved closer until he was able to look into the room. 

At first he only saw saddles, then there was a huge solid trunk shoved into a corner and Clint tried to see more and slowly edged the door open even more, but he didn’t see the raised stone in the floor and his foot promptly caught on it, causing him to fall forward into the room with a yelp. 

Hands caught him just before he busted his knees on the stone floor and trepidation rushed through Clint as his eyes moved over grey stones over blankets to Barnes sitting on said blankets holding Clint up above him. 

For a moment they looked at each other with wide eyes, both surprised for very different reasons until the things with Barnes in the room clicked in Clint’s head and of course immediately left his mouth.

“This is where you’ve been sleeping this whole time!” It was too loud, too blunt. Clint was afraid as soon as he said it, but he forgot all about it when he observed a never before seen blush cover Barnes’ cheeks. 

“My rooms were supposed to be our rooms, but you wanted them.” 

“I never said I wanted them. You just gave me a key and left and never said anything again until you told me I could fuck Sam.” 

Barnes winced, something dark flashing through his eyes. 

“You don’t want me to fuck Sam.” Clint felt like he was solving one of Tony’s puzzles or Bruce’ riddles, his thoughts spilling out without even the pretence of a filter. “You want me to be happy, but you don’t like the idea of me being happy with someone else. You let me move into your own room and start sleeping in the stables. Steve said you’re shy, that you pined for me. I thought he was joking, but.” But now with the evidence right in front of Clint’s eyes, with Barnes beneath him with a red face and not pushing Clint away or even stabbing him like Barnes undoubtedly could, it seemed more and more like the truth. “Do you like me, Bucky?”

Bucky’s hands slipped off Clint’s shoulders and suddenly Clint landed completely on top of Bucky, nose pressing against Bucky’s neck, chest to chest and what was… 

It was Clint’s turn to blush furiously when he realized what was pushing against his belly. 

“I, um, I’m not good with people and emotions,” Bucky said quietly, looking to the side when Clint sat up slightly, legs on each side of Bucky’s. “You. You talked to me when everyone else was too afraid. You always gave more than you took with to with everyone, no matter their status.” He swallowed and Clint felt warmer than he should, happier than he should. “I. Yes, I like you. Of course, I like you.” With a groan, he rubbed his face with his hands. 

Another, potentially terrible, idea made Clint reach out to curl his hands around Bucky’s wrists to pull his hands away, so Clint could lean in to kiss him. Maybe it was a kiss, Clint hadn’t had too many experiences in that department. 

Cute, he thought, observing Bucky’s reaction. At that moment Bucky really didn’t look like the deadliest assassin in the whole country, but more like a fumbling teenager. 

“I honestly haven’t thought about you and me before right now, but I’m definitely thinking about it right now.”

“Y-You are?” The hope in Bucky’s voice and face kind of broke Clint’s heart.

“We’re already married, so we are doing things a bit backwards, but I have never been conventional.” Clint winked at him and watched in awe how the most brilliant smile appeared on Bucky’s face. 

Arms wrapped around Clint’s waist and hugged him so tightly, Clint was barely able to breathe, but he felt strangely safe. If anyone wanted to get to Clint they would have to go through the most feared killer of the kingdom, if not the world. And Clint was the only one who knew the real Bucky Barnes, the one outside of the battlefield, the one who felt too much to express properly, who wanted to spoil the people in his life rotten even though he was always uncertain if it was welcome. Clint was the only one coaxing out all the different expressions and the whispered comments that got Clint to double over in laughter while Steve looked at them in satisfaction and disapproval because it was the middle of a council meeting. 

It was Clint who proposed to Bucky, because he wanted to, after being together forever. 

They had just won what looked like the last battle in an incredibly annoying war and after becoming one of the best knights Clint was right at the front line with Bucky and Steve and Sam at his sides. They were all covered in blood and Bucky looked just like one of the first times Clint had ever seen him, all terrifying and murderous and unapproachable. 

Something crunched under his knee when Clint knelt down in front of Bucky. 

“Holy shit,” Sam exclaimed right next to them, but Clint didn’t look away from Bucky, watched the realization wash over Bucky’s face, the joy lighten up his whole demeanour. 

“Yes,” Bucky answered the unspoken question, hauling Clint back onto his feet to kiss him senseless until Rhodey told them off. 

Clint had never viewed his life as lucky or unlucky, but he was happy and that was really the only thing that counted. 

[davidmann95]

What are your thoughts on Infinity War and do you think the portrayal of Thanos is gonna make it harder for DC to do Darkseid in a future move due to comparisons?

Extended disconnected musings below the cut because world-shaking spoilers fucking obviously, but for the section of my audience that hasn’t seen it yet but is fine with simply seeing my immediate reaction and placement of it: it’s so very good, y’all. Hype as modern blockbuster filmmaking gets. Not a top-5 MCU flick (which is a credit to the MCU, not in any way a ding against this), but if you only count the Avengers movies that actually have “Avengers” in the title, this is definitely the best of that lot.

* I had been, while not concerned per say, very curious how the Captain America team would handle this - the writers might have been there from the beginning and done some pretty bombastic pulpy action in the first Cap movie, but the Russo Brothers had been entirely on the grounded side of the franchise, even doing the relatively grounded Avengers movie in Civil War - given this would be the most cosmic and superheroey of the bunch, and they acquitted themselves magnificently in every way imaginable. It’s big, it’s funny, it’s ballsy, it’s engaging, it’s fun, it’s weighty as hell, it’s emotional, it’s the gold standard of this sort of thing. I have no idea what they��ll do if they ever stop doing Avengers movies, because at this point the sky is the absolute limit for them.

* I know people have already inevitably been complaining about this being dependent on previous movies for continuity and character, to which I say

1. Fuck you, this is the sequel to a once-in-a-generation filmmaking blockbuster that completely changed the game, of course you’re going to know who the goddamn Avengers are, most especially if you’re going to see this movie. Don’t act like you’re that cool. You’re not that fuckin’ cool.

2. This may not have been a movie of character development, but it’s by no means a movie short on character. It’s very much in the vein of Grant Morrison’s JLA, in that it banks on familiarity and iconography not to change our understanding of these characters, but to do the most conspicuously *them* moments possible. Captain America might be a minor presence, but he’s Captain America as heck in this, and so forth.

3. This only banks on you having seen the first Avengers. Banner is our entrypoint character because he himself doesn’t know what’s going on so the Avengers breakup can be recapped in broad terms, the initial conflict you don’t really have to know about Ragnarok to understand (they could’ve been fleeing Thanos destroying Asgard for all a casual viewer would know), Spider-Man’s role is obvious even aside from him being a cultural icon, Panther is Cap’s secret ally the rest of the team barely knows about so and Wakanda are broadly understood, and the Guardians and Strange are reintroduced. Strange you immediately know all you need: Wong defers to him so he’s clearly a big deal, but he’s also still telling him things about magic - even if jokingly - so clearly Strange is not the most seasoned veteran and hasn’t been in this hidden mystic world forever. The Guardians are space bozos, and based on Star-Lord’s manchild nature and 80s nostalgia and lack of familiarity with the Avengers you can guess he hasn’t been to Earth in a long time even if he clearly hails from there.

* Thanos was…good? Though I would have yelled “BULLSHIT!” at my monitor when I saw Starlin declared Thanos in an interview to be exactly as he had always envisioned him had I seen this at the time, because this is very much from the Slade-in-Teen-Titans “scrap everything, and it’ll wind up better because there’s nowhere to go but up” school of villainous improvement. But seriously, while surely people will write eye-rolling thinkpieces on his nature and goals, he’s a proper vile bastard of the sort we haven’t quite gotten in these movies before that more than justifies his place after 6 years of buildup, with humanity to spare keeping him from being a caricature; it should avoid Darkseid comparisons quite deftly (and vice-versa), even if none of what made this work can translate back into the comics. And as much as the sidekick baddies might have been traditional uncanny-valley CG, this guy might be the most amazing effect I’ve ever seen in a blockbuster: I totally bought this was a real flesh-and-blood living being existing in recognizable 3-dimensional space whenever they zoomed in on his expressions. And more importantly, they acknowledged he has a nutsack for a chin.

* Speaking of effects, that’s how you do a fuckin’ magic fight!

* And speaking of villains: SKULL. What a payoff, and I sure hope he stays and fills the role Mephisto did in the original Infinity Gauntlet as Thanos’s right hand man, because I want to see him face down with Steve as Captain America one more time. In a very different movie/s, I could have seen him seizing the Gauntlet and promising Thanos he too will wipe out half the universe, but much less indiscriminately, with the great tyrant dying with the ultimate monstrosity his endeavor has brought about evident to him at last. And then you’d have the ultimate Nazi as the final boss, since not only are he and Cap enemies, but he battled Iron Man’s dad, was well-versed in Asgardian mythology and stole one of Odin’s treasures, and is like Hulk a failed Super Soldier. What we got should be pretty good too though. Fingers crossed he at least sticks around to menace Bucky and Sam once one of them takes over as Cap.

* Outside the villain, boy, who would have expected Thor would basically be the closest thing to a main character of this movie? I guess Marvel rightly expected Ragnarok would be fire, and knowing that he’ll now be the major remaining original Avenger, are trying to build him up in double-quick time. And with only half of Asgard gone, they can keep the setup Waititi provided after this (even if I wish they hadn’t brought back his eye. I’m not worried for him personally though; his godly constitution should be more than capable of resisting mere alien raccoon ass germs). And given Ultron was the Iron Man-centric flick and Civil War was literally a Captain America movie, it feels fair they gave this to the third member of the core trio. By contrast, I’m not sure whether Black Panther was too late for them to account properly for him, or they did know, and that’s why the final action was set in Wakanda even though it’s relatively irrelevant.

* The characters getting to bounce off each other was much of the heart of this, and while Downey vs. Cumberbatch was totally reasonable - I wish Strange and Spidey had more time together as promised as fellow Ditko creations, but doing Sherlock vs. Holmes makes sense, with “Do you concur, Doctor?” almost feeling deliberately evocative - I never would have expected Thor and Star-Lord to be the standout comedic pairing. And yet, as Drax put it, it entirely makes sense: “He is not a dude. You are a dude. He is a man.”

* What most leapt out at me as signalling this is the post-Trump movie relative to Civil War’s summer 2016 blockbuster? There, the question of whether or not the government can be trusted is the inciting incident that drives everything. Here, that the government is actively working against the right thing is so plain that Rhodes - who had previously said his critical injuries were more than worth standing up for the Accords, so passionately did he believe in all they stood for - immediately, casually acknowledges that the entire thing is fucked and bails with no fanfare, and that’s the end of it.

* I’d expected this to be an all-out invasion flick and so had been disappointed no Defenders or whatnot would at least cameo, but as it really turned out I’m not surprised there wasn’t a place for Daredevil to stick his horns in. And despite assurances, no Hawkeye! I’m sure as many as 5 or 6 people were quite disappointed.

* Betting pool on who’s actually dead? Obviously everyone vanished will be okay, but the others? Gamorra looks pretty stiffed, but she seems a safe bet to return. Vision’s end felt gruesomely final, but they put so much effort into implying he might be able to survive without the stone, and now they have a seminal story to draw on for a potential solo movie of his. Loki, I think, is most likely to remain in the ground. A last-minute return and final prank against Thanos wouldn’t be out of place for him by any means, but his character has come full circle, and I think it’s more likely that if he returns it’ll be as Kid Loki.

* Speaking of the vanishing, I really appreciate the thought that clearly went into who was taken off the board. The castoffs either really had nothing to do with the Thanos conflict, even and indeed especially if they were big for maximum shock value (Black Panther, Spider-Man, White Wolf, Falcon, Mantis), or DID have something to do with Thanos but whose arcs in terms of physical confrontations with him reached their logical climaxes (Star-Lord vented regarding their shared relationship to Gamorra, Drax tried and failed as he was always going to because that one-sided hate he wanted fulfilled isn’t as much at the core of his character as Gamorra’s relationship with Thanos is). Or in Strange’s specific case, the enigmatic type with an ace up his sleeve who could logically leave a final mystery and hope for others to have to rely on. And as a whole, it means the final OG Avengers movie ISN’T going to be an even bigger crossover movie than this the way we thought. This, for the MCU’s 10th anniversary, was the big crossover movie. The last Avengers movie as we’ve known it up to that point is mostly just going to be the founders (plus Captain Marvel, a mandatory Wakandan representative or two, and Rhody since he’s the other hero who was introduced in Phase One) getting one last hurrah. And it makes sense to go with that smaller cast, because they’ll want space to really zero in on Steve and Tony before they go, and since going at Thanos head-on is no longer an option, there’s not really going to be an opportunity for the same kind of massive super-war we got in here anyway, because then he’d simply de-create them.

* Steve and Tony are going to die, and going into pure fanfic, I think I know how it’ll happen. Steve will get the Gauntlet, and it’ll kill him to use it, but in an homage to the climax of Kree-Skrull War, he’ll use his last breath to not only revive everyone, but bring together an army of superheroes to defeat a depowered Thanos once and for all (Gamora or maybe Nebula almost certainly striking the final blow), raising his returned shield high, exchanging a last look with Bucky, and finally crying out “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” And Tony? Tony is going to knowingly walk to death in a doomed fight against Thanos as a distraction to give Steve that chance, becoming the guy who lays down on the wire and lets someone else crawl over him. It not only reaffirms his partnership with Steve and the idea behind the original Avengers just as both die, but brings his character arc totally full circle: he faces down the embodiment of his nightmares, and after having lived as the ultimate egotist, he dies as the man who sacrifices himself so someone else can secure the win. And Thanos was I believe introduced in an Iron Man comic, so that aspect’s pretty appropriate too.

* Jackson finally almost got to say motherfucker in one of these! And that’s the second Marvel movie with a character nearly saying fuck. Take the leap Disney, I believe in you. And much as that last shot in the stinger was neat, and much as this alternative would have been literally impossible, how much cooler would it have been if that screen had shown a “4″?

* My #4 title prediction? Avengers: The End. There was a big Thanos story by Starlin titled Marvel: The End where he destroys everything but ultimately turns it back, and that’d be both ominous enough to fit the warning that we should be scared of this title, and spiritually truthful. And since the Spider-Man movie right afterwards will according to Feige mark the start of the new MCU, they can title that Spider-Man: Brand New Day in accordance with said new beginning.

* Post-all this? It’ll be awhile yet before the Fantastic Four and X-Men come on stage, so ‘Phase 4′ will basically have to stall until they can bring in Doom to be the true final boss before the inevitable reboot a decade or so down the line. Spider-Man’s the new lead (hence the Iron Spider armor, which in Homecoming seemed deliberately to be overly gaudy as Tony’s vision of a Spidey remade in his image but now seems an indicating as his leading man status, the red/yellow/blue color scheme marking him as Peak Superhero) along with Panther, Captain Marvel, and likely Thor as the old standby. The Avengers likely disband for a bit due to losing the core and break up into different teams - your Ultimates, Champions, Young Avengers, etc. - before coming back together in New Avengers, managing to make the Avengers movie after the next one an event by making it about the reformation. Osborn leading the Cabal’s the big bad; he’s the leading man’s leading villain, he has the pedigree thanks to Dark Reign while still being able to put on a Goblin suit at the end, he lets them do the inevitable “all the bad guys get together to fight the Avengers” story, and while it might not work as well as it would have post-BvS pre-Justice League, using Sentry/the Void - a compromised, frightening, unsure, ‘realistic’ Superman figure - as his muscle and the true threat would be hella charged at the moment in a way I could see the MCU being cocky enough to go for, even if they never outright do Avengers V Squadron Supreme.

That’s what I got. As the god of thunder would say, farewell and good luck, morons.

[anexperimentallife]

Going through some of my older work, and started re-reading the first story I ever sold...

There are some embarrassing things about it (the obligatory cishet romance is unnecessary and comes off forced, for one thing, and I tied things up into much too neat of a package at the end, plus there are some other aspects I think I need to redo), but overall it reminds me that yeah, although I need to up my game, I DO have chops. I can do this. This isn’t bad at all, IMHO, but I can do SOOOOO much better now. If you want the entire anthology it’s in, grab yourself a copy of The Crimson Pact Volume 2. (It’s also available at Amazon and so on, but when you buy directly from the publisher, you get all formats, DRM-free--whether you buy the hardcopy or just the ebook version--and I get a bigger royalty cut.)

And I am going to do better. Now that I have  the rights back, I am going to rewrite the fuck out of this,,especially now that I have better ideas about how to fit it into my revised Quiet World setting.

I’ve posted a little of the beginning before, but here’s a much bigger chunk:

Karma (story excerpt)

by D. Robert Hamm

We hit the interstate like an unguided missile. Needles of frozen rain and jagged blades of wind beat my face numb and turned what was left of my dress into a full-body ice-pack. Even with the heater on ‘incinerate,’ I couldn’t stop shivering, but the outside air was all that kept me from gagging on the smell of my own puke and the rusty stench of blood, so the window stayed down. Between the black pavement and blacker sky, the air was wet and gray. It sucked the vitality from my headlights well before their natural time, but that was okay. I wasn’t paying much attention to the little they revealed anyway.

The man in the passenger’s seat either didn’t feel the cold or was too stoic to show discomfort. The dashboard glow turned his short white beard to green and deepened the age lines in his face. Gods, I’d loved that face growing up. It was my grandfather’s face. But right then, I could barely look at it, because this wasn’t my grandfather, just a sad, confused spirit wearing his body. And even though he was one of the good guys, that didn’t mean it was easy to take.

“You’re going to catch cold,” Not-Grandpa shouted over the storm.

“I’m . . . what?”

Since last night I’d been shot at, whipped, and electrocuted. I’d watched a good man beheaded and disemboweled before my eyes, and learned things about myself, my family, and especially my past, that had already driven other people into padded-room territory. I was marinated in a vile concoction of blood and various other body fluids, quite a bit of it my own, and had spent the last however-many hours fighting horrors that should never have existed. In the middle of all that—because I’m an overachiever—I took time out to kill a man I loved.

And this guy was worried that I’d catch a fucking cold?

Once I started laughing, I couldn’t stop. The kind of deep, full-body laughter that doubles you over and makes your stomach muscles ache for days afterward. The kind that shreds the lining of your throat and rises in pitch to rapid staccato squeaks, like sneakers on a hardwood floor. I held back the worst long enough to wrestle the car onto the shoulder, then let go. The laughter turned to howling, the howling into screams, the screams into sobs, and the sobs into a quiet whimper that finally, gods finally, tapered off, and I could breathe again, in great, ragged gulps. I wiped away a rope of snot hanging from my nose and sat hunched over with my eyes closed and my forehead against the steering wheel, shaking, while the rain pummeled my back with tiny, ice-cold fists.

In shock? Probably. Hysterical? Definitely. Look, I make sandwiches at my family’s restaurant for a living, okay? Sandwiches.

Not-Grandpa waited until I quieted down before speaking. “I’m sorry,” he said. It was the dozenth or so time he’d said it. The line of his mouth stayed hard, but his eyes and his voice were soft and broken. I believed him. Had to believe him.

“I know.” I didn’t mean for it to sound bitter. He’d saved my life after all, and he deserved better than that. I just didn’t know if I could forgive him for not being who I wanted him to be.

* * * * *

A little too “in media res” for you? Yeah, me too.

So here are the vitals: My name is Karma Miranda Rodriguez. I’m twenty-three years old, five foot six, with brown eyes, light brown skin, and dark brown hair that I keep boy-short. I claim to be a size five, and I dare you to say otherwise. I like strawberry daiquiris, support equal rights for supernaturals, am indifferent toward long walks on the beach, and . . .

And oh, yeah—Apparently, I kill demons.

* * * * *

Eli’s Borderland Station, my family’s restaurant, has been the only twenty-four hour eatery on the Kansas City Plaza since back before the Jasonites outed the supernatural community (aka, “The Quiet World”) and we had to coin the term ‘daylighter’ to differentiate plain vanilla humans from those touched by the paranormal. During the riots that followed the Jasonites’ little party, and all through the Apocalypse Wars, my Grandpa Eli and Uncle Garston kept the restaurant open as a free kitchen-slash-aid-station for refugees and emergency workers, and turned the upstairs apartment—which is mine, now—into a de facto headquarters for various peacekeeping forces.

So alongside our Absolutely Killer Turkey Sandwich (made from, according to the menu, genuine killer turkeys), we serve up a mean side-order of history. Obviously, a lot of things have changed since the AWs; for instance, the Plaza, always an upscale shopping district, is now a level four Private Patrol Zone with the best law enforcement money can buy. As you’d expect, our main business is well-heeled shoppers whose sidearms are more fashion statement than personal defense, but we try to keep prices reasonable enough for the average college student, too.

No amount of money will buy you a table or a bar stool in our VIP lounge, though, even if every other seat in the house is taken. The lounge is permanently reserved for veterans, proxies, bounty hunters, elites, and so on. It’s where people with code names like Halloween Jack, Lucy D.T., HalluciNathan, and so on come to catch up with one another, trade information, or just relax. Grandpa and Uncle Garston are technically civilians now, but a lot of the VIPs still use their call signs from way back when, so if someone in armored leathers with notched weapons and a stare that looks like they’re counting the ways they could kill you with one finger says they’re going to see The General and Body Mass, they’re not talking about some secret mission, it just means they’re headed our way for the lunch special.

On Tuesday nights we lock up for a few hours of uninterrupted cleaning with my special patented Karma Rodriguez closing procedure. This involves, among other things, lots of dancing around with brooms and mops, and other Weapons of Mess-Destruction, and me in a casual dress singing along with loud music at the top of my lungs. It’s effective. The more I can make work feel like play, the faster and more efficiently I get things done, and as proof of that, what used to take three people on Tuesday nights now requires only two.

At thirty seconds to zero-dark-thirty on a drizzly February evening, when my grime-fighting partner Jayden and I were the only ones left in the restaurant, I locked the front door and hit the music. My mix for the night was weighted heavily in favor of pre-Apocalypse rock—music that was old before I was born. It was a minor tragedy when it cut off about ten minutes into the shift, right in the middle of David Bowie’s Rebel, Rebel. Jayden and I both trailed off a cappella.

“I didn’t hear you singing if you didn’t hear me,” Jayden said. “We stick together, and nobody can prove anything.” He fixed me with what would have been a deadpan stare if not for that quirk at one corner of his mouth that I thought of as his, ‘our little secret’ smile.

I put on my best film noir ‘tough dame’ voice. “It’s always secrets with you, isn’t it? Fine, I’ll play your game.” Staying in character, I headed upstairs with an over-the-top hip-swaying sashay, to reboot the router while Jayden kept cleaning.

I can’t be objective about Jayden, so I won’t try. He was one of a kind. Literally. Part Aosidhe, part Graealfinsidhe, and part daylighter, Jayden was a medical miracle, and he got the best from each branch of his ancestry. Six and a half feet of lean muscle, flawless skin, hair like pale gold silk, and . . . you get the idea. His ears were only slightly pointed, and with his hair down, he could pass for an exceptionally pretty daylighter, if not for his eyes. Whiteless, and bright turquoise in color. They suited him.

And yeah, I know. If only I wasn’t his  boss. Jayden had something of a ‘mystery man’ air about him that only added to his status as local lust-object. Among other things, the way he dressed like a wastelander (only cleaner) but acted like a gentleman fueled speculation. He kept his past and his private life just that, though—past, and private. It was like the world was in love with Jayden, but Jayden wasn’t sure how he felt about the world and didn’t want to lead it on.

When I got back from confirming that the router was indeed fried, those exotic eyes of his were fixed on the big screen in the main dining area. I came up behind him and stopped, gaping. “What the . . . ?”

Just north of us, people were fighting in the streets and looting, while Rushville—Jayden’s neighborhood—burned.

“Short version?” Jayden said without turning around, “They busted the wrong guy for the Taylor murders, so they released him. He lasted a whole three hours.”

“They didn’t give him police protection?”

“He was under police protection when it happened. Now everybody has a conspiracy theory, and apparently with every conspiracy theory this week, you get a free Molotov cocktail kit. Speaking of which . . . ” He rewound a few seconds and paused on a burning apartment building that I recognized as his. “Great firebomb, huh?”

“Wow. I’m sorry.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

He shrugged, his back still to me. “I carry everything really important with me.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Want me to leave you alone?”

He paused, as if considering. “No.”

“Okay. But know what? Fuck cleaning. Help me get the trash out, then haul your duffel bag upstairs. You’re staying at my place tonight.”

Jayden turned and looked at me as though I were speaking Swahili. “Your place?”

“You just lost your apartment to a xenophobic asshole with a fire fetish, and you need crash space. Friends do that kind of stuff for each other.”

That earned me a confused look. “No, I just . . . Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.” He seemed utterly bewildered. So much for his famed stoicism and unflappability. Ah, Jayden. Such a strange, strange boy. I ran up to get my coat and pull on a pair of jeans under my dress, and Jayden and I dragged the first can out into the alley.

I remember the air tasted of cold grease and wet pavement. I remember the electric buzz of the street lamp, and the way its dirty light turned the drizzle into sparse gray streaks like anime rain. I remember the exact cadence of the trash can’s scraping and banging as we dragged it toward the dumpster. How screwed up do things have to get before taking out the trash is a fond memory worth replaying in your head?

We didn’t hear the patrol team until they entered the mouth of the alley, running hard toward us, shouting at us to get inside. The woman’s name was Lawson. She’d lost her helmet, and a sheen of blood covered the left side of her face. Her partner, Hall, had a crack running down the side of his faceplate, and his body armor was shredded in places. They both carried their weapons at the ready, scanning the roofline as they ran.

Before they’d even finished their warning, a clot of shadow and sickening angles detached from the rest of the dark. The Kasu-Hurun slaughter-spider—How did I know that?—dropped from the roof and—The Kasu-Hurun and the bad people are making us walk a long way again. I don’t say how tired I am because I am almost eight years old, and that means I’m a big girl, and because it would make Mommy feel bad that she can’t carry me that far. Mommy and me are in our nightgowns because we were asleep when they—Where were these images coming from?—landed in the alley behind them. It was an impossible thing, eight or nine feet tall, all mottled ochre-and-black chitin, with eight spiked and bladed spiderlike legs from which it took its name, serrated mandibles beneath great protruding compound eyes, and short, thick, writhing tentacles suspended from the underside of a bulbous, misshapen central body.

I shouted my own warning, but Hall was already emptying his magazine at the thing as he backed toward us. Lawson either tripped or dove in our direction, twisting in mid-air to land on her back. She raised her shotgun, and—grabbed us, and it was really late because both moons were out, but they let us put on our boots before they made us start walking. Mommy tried to fight them and she shot one of them but they beat her up and cut her cheek really bad. But she is still the prettiest lady in the whole wide world. It was real people, not Kasu-Hurun, but they don’t act like real people. Mommy says they have bad things inside them called Qlippoth. I think they are telling the Kasu-Hurun what—made it roar as she hit the pavement.

The monster’s cry was like a foghorn made of cats and feedback, a spike that shoved through both eardrums. Lawson had hurt it, taken out one leg, in fact, but it wasn’t enough, and Hall’s automatic gunfire cut off with a sickening, meat cleaver sound as the spider sliced through his neck. Hall’s head flew from his shoulders and bounced against the alley wall while the spider eviscerated his body before it could hit the ground, as if he weren’t–to do. A man tried to run away today, but they caught him, and instead of shooting him a Kasu-Hurun stuck one of its sharp arm/leg things in him and cut him open and played with his insides until he stopped screaming, and I cried, but I won’t cry anymore, because I’m a big girl, and—dead enough already. Even as far back as Jayden and I stood, hot, sticky wetness splattered our faces.

The monster tried to leap toward us, but its missing leg threw it off balance. Lawson’s shotgun was out of ammo, so she fumbled out her .45 and taunted the slaughter-spider while edging toward the side of the alley opposite the door. Sacrificing herself—big girls don’t cry. The demons usually kill everybody, but now they only kill people who try to run away or stop walking before they tell us to stop or people who fall down and can’t walk anymore, but sometimes when somebody falls down they let somebody else make a travois, which is a kind of sled thing that you drag—to give us a chance to get away. My gun was in my purse inside, but even if I’d had it on me, I couldn’t loosen my grip on the trash can, let alone force myself to move.

I caught Jayden’s eye. I’d never before realized–when I feel like crying I think about Daddy. Daddy is a general, which is a kind of soldier who tells other soldiers what to do. He is a long way away fighting other Kasu-Hurun, but when he comes to save us, the Kasu-Hurun and the bad people are going to be sorry. I am going to be a soldier like Daddy when I grow up and—how much he and I communicated without speaking, but with that look, I knew we’d done the same math. One of us might—just might—make it to the door. If we left the other one to die along with Lawson.

Fuck that.

Once I’d made the decision, the tension drained from my body—I am nine years old, and I have been in the prison camp for a over a year. They tell me it is time for the laboratory again, but if I pick someone else to go, they will leave me alone today. If I choose my mother to go they will leave me alone for a month. They seem surprised when my answer is to hold out my wrists for the cuffs. I am the daughter of a general and a hero. I do not run, or let others take my pain. And no matter what they do to me, I won’t let them see how scared I am—the way the fear had, sublimating into the night and leaving me perfectly relaxed. Jayden gave me that ‘our little secret’ smile, and I knew he got it. He understood. Not just what I was about to do, but why.

When anything you do will end in death, make your final act one of defiance.

And so it was that we, about to die, in the most futile and ridiculous gesture in the history of futile and ridiculous gestures, screamed our defiance in the face of death, and charged the monster that would surely kill us.

With a fucking trash can.

We slammed into the slaughter-spider and fell hard, with the trash can bouncing between those giant legs and spilling its slippery contents out onto the already-slick blacktop. The slaughter-spider screamed at the impact, even louder than when Lawson had shot it, and nearly toppled. A serrated leg missed me by inches, and I rolled away, but I’d only be able to dodge for so long. My only regrets were that since I hadn’t properly prepared this body, I would die along with it—again, where the hell did that thought come from?—and that so many things would go unsaid between me and those I cared about. Including Jayden, if I was being honest.

Something hard in my coat pocket bit into my side as I rolled. I’d forgotten about the taser I almost always took with me when I left the restaurant. Even if it was still charged, it wasn’t salvation, but at this point salvation wasn’t an option. Victory was what mattered, and victory was nothing more nor less than continuing to fight until the inevitable happened. I pulled out the taser, flipped off the safety, and sent 50,000 volts into the center of that mass of tentacles, along with all the fury I could muster. The slaughter-spider jerked momentarily, and Lawson took advantage to pick up a piece of steel rebar from the junk pile in the alley and plunge it glove-deep into one of the slaughter-spider’s faceted eyes. Jayden followed with a sharp piece of broken two-by-four into the other.

And as though someone had flipped a switch marked ‘alive/dead,’ the slaughter-spider fell . . . in slow motion, like those television broadcasts of building demolitions. After one final spasm, it was still, and the alley was silent for several seconds except for the buzz of the streetlight. After barely long enough to begin to accept that we weren’t dead, answering cries to the spider’s death scream split the night.

We staggered inside the restaurant as the first new creature hit the pavement, and got the bars across the door just before another slammed against it. I slapped my palm against the ward sigil and spoke the syllables to activate it, then ran to the front and did the same there. After grabbing my gun and other weapons from upstairs and activating still more wards, I hit the ‘dim all’ switch and met up with the others in the kitchen. Lawson used a cabinet as cover, her shotgun aimed at the door, and Jayden . . .

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

I’d been gone perhaps two minutes, but when I returned, Jayden stood transformed, a grim-faced cross between a modern wastelander and a wild warrior from legend, in a combination of armored biker leathers and Fay armor. The hilts of two matching blades extended over his shoulders, and his jacket sleeves were pushed up to reveal Sidhe archery gauntlets—the real kind, not the department store knockoffs. Other weapons clung to various parts of his body, strategically placed so as not to impede movement—blades, throwing disks, bolas, and quivers and bandoliers of bolts and arrows for the quick-load mini-crossbow in his hand and the compound bow housed in a slender case across his back. He shrugged bashfully—Jayden? Bashful?—when he caught me staring. So this was what he meant when he said he carried everything important with him.

The booming of another hit on the door jerked my attention away from Jayden. After a few more tries, though, the spiders seemed to realize that it was futile, and ceased their efforts.

Now that we had stopped racing time, time slowed to let us catch up. Whether from the endorphin rush or something else, I felt disconnected, an observer watching from inside myself. In the dimness, Lawson and Jayden were pale, oh so pale, and heartbreakingly beautiful against the gray and charcoal shadows. I stood with chest heaving alongside them, seeing and feeling and hearing everything as though for the first time, in love with it all. Because we, who moments before had been dead, were alive and more than alive, were filled with life until we could burst from the pressure as it strained against the insignificant scraps of skin and flesh that could barely contain it.

A single glossy drop of blood formed at the tip of Lawson’s finger, creating itself until it was real enough to float downward and finally join its comrades who had already emigrated to the floor to form a puddle, and Lawson was falling, falling, falling behind it as if to join the puddle herself.

I shook out of my trance barely in time to help Jayden take Lawson’s weight. She was conscious, but weak. “It’s okay,” I told her, “We’re going to get you taken care of. Did you call for backup?” Lawson shook her head weakly, closed her eyes, and made a sound between a chuckle and a sob. “Nobody left to call. Even if the radio worked, nobody left to . . . ” she trailed off and seemed to fold in on herself. I’d seen what that thing did to Hall. I didn’t need her to tell me what had happened to the rest of her squad.

[jewelleighanna]

Interesting response! I agree wholeheartedly. So I guess the other question now is, who do you think is the most punished by the narrative/least elevated for their actions? For me it's Pike, Jaha and Bellamy (weird that Bellamy would be the on the list considering he's the male lead - but we're definitely reminded of his mistakes more than anyone else).

I would put Bellamy at the top of most punished/least elevated list, especially in season 3. Comparatively, he was held accountable for his mistakes in season 1, but he wasn’t blamed more than he deserved. For example, he felt great guilt of the culling and both Clarke and Raven reprimanded him for destroying the radio, but the viewers takeaway from the whole thing was never “Bellamy was the sole person responsible for the death of 300 innocent people,” which is exactly many people’s takeaway from Hakeldama. Well, maybe not quite that but close - and it’s missing the point about what war is (war is tragic, but a strategic battle attack, even a poorly planned one, is not the equivalent to “killing innocents.”). There was a few issues with season 3a and Bellamy. First, we weren’t given his perspective, so viewers had difficulty understanding his motivations. His reasons were there, but at the same time, not clearly enough. Second, even if we understand Bellamy’s personal reasons for joining with Pike, there’s nothing even objective “good” - morally or strategically - about what they accomplished or potentially could have accomplished.  Like with culling, it would have saved lives if the hundred died like they thought they had. With the TonDC, the missiles landing there might have kept Bellamy’s cover and been the reason they were able to rescue everyone in Mt Weather. On the other hand, the ONLY thing Hakeldama did was be another obstacle for Clarke: nothing positive happened or could have ever happened. Instead the narrative said that if it wasn’t for hero Clarke standing up for the sky people and benevolent Lexa agreeing to change her entire policy and not attack, Bellamy and other 9 people would have been the cause of genocide of the sky people. So the head scracher is, why would any of the sky people think attacking the warriors was a good idea? Was there a legit reason they believed Trikru was a threat? Not that was shown on screen. 

(I think the story could have made Hakeldama work if the sky people were TRYING to start a war and had defenses or better offenses to fight and “win” in some way. A bigger goal. They want a war because X, because they want land, because they want the right to travel, whatever. Also, a reason that Bellamy wants X. Then Clarke coming in and stopping that war would also been seen as less black and white. Good that she stopped a war and many deaths but bad that the sky people were still oppressed. We got that a little bit with attacking the village for land - but not as clear as I would have liked it. With attacking the village, they did give a reason for needing the land, but their methods were still portrayed as extreme and ill thought out.)

The MAIN reason that I would say Bellamy the most punished or least elevated character is because other characters won’t let him forget his mistakes (again, particually season 3). In season 3a, we had several conversations between Kane and Bellamy where Kane told him to pick the “right” side, which narratively is a very strong word to use. We also got a scene between Bellamy and Clarke in 3.05, where she confronts him. The scene was actually beautiful and allowed for more understanding of Bellamy that almost any other scene in 3a, but in the end, Bellamy is in opposition of Clarke, our main hero. It portrayed Bellamy as clearly on the “wrong” side. The scene where Octavia beats up Bellamy is the absolute peak of characters punishing him. No other character for ANY action has been punished in quite that way. I wouldn’t say the narrative was saying Bellamy deserved it exactly, but there’s nothing suggesting he didn’t deserve it either. THIS IS SCENE IS DOMETIC VIOLENCE. I can see no reason a narrative should ever ever suggest that is what a character even might “deserve;” no confusion needed. Imagine for a second if they had a scene like that where Clarke beat up Abby to that extreme for what happened to Jake - that would NEVER fly because Abby was never villainized enough to where viewers would accept that as a “punishment.” I’ve talked to many people who say Bellamy deserved being beat up. Something is wrong with the narrative that more than a fringe minority would say that.As bad as or worse than Octavia beating up Bellamy, is that five witness just stood there and watched. This is why there is an implication that Bellamy “deserved” it - or at least that he didn’t “deserve” being saved from being beaten. Two adults were present at that - Kane and Sinclair. To me, Kane’s expression seemed to say that he was disappointed in Bellamy, which is understandable, but so disappointed, he had no energy to argue to Octavia, which is harder to see in character. In that same episode, Kane called Bellamy the enemy and used him as a bargaining chip - might be understandable too but considering all that followed the beating, it adds up to pretty much the shit on Bellamy episode. Which is ironic because Bellamy ended up saving everyone that episode.

A lot of 3b was about Bellamy atoning for what he did in 3a. Most of that was well written, not over the top. There’s was nice parallels like Bellamy killing the guards in polis in 3.03 and not killing the guards in 3.15. It shows growth. Even Bellamy talking to Riley about what he did in 4.05 shows growth and awareness. I see this is one of the good things about the narrative not elevating Bellamy’s mistakes. He grows from them. Part of his awareness is also who is he is as a character. He works through his guilt and shame. Compare him to someone like Clarke - Clarke feels terrible burdens for what she has done but as far as I can tell, she still tells herself she had no choice, she did it for her people. Bellamy killed at Hakeldama, but he is aware that he could have chose to do something else. It’s that awareness that makes Bellamy so likable to me. I’m just going to briefly touch on the other two characters you mentioned. Pike is on the least elevated list but his problem was that he was created to be the antagonist of season 3. He is comparable to Diana Sydney in season 1 – both created for what they do rather than for their character. Season 3 needed Pike the grounder-killer to stir up political conflict, so that’s who he became. I’m not saying his character has no depth or couldn’t have had more depth - I’ve read meta and theories about him and he is actually a fascinating character, but sadly, season 3a was more plot-driven than character driven and Pike got sided with the whole right and wrong divide that happened. He was never given a chance to be as fully dimensional as he should have been. With Jaha, in my opinion, he’s not held responsible enough for his actions. Characters have blamed him for floating loved ones (Bellamy, Murphy), but narratively, Jaha isn’t REALLY held responsible for much. Clarke blamed both Wells and Abby for Jake more than Jaha, for example. Another reason Jaha doesn’t get held to accountable for his actions is because of who he is. He doesn’t believe he has to atone for anything as long as his intentions were pure. For example, with the culling, he had to approve the final list and he was the one who ultimately pressed the kill button; this makes him equally responsible as Kane, but Jaha doesn’t consider himself accountable for doing anything wrong because he was trying to save people. I actually expected a lot more resentment from other characters towards Jaha over the city of light. Jaha was the only person who wasn’t chipped when he started to work for and trust ALIE, yet he is treated like he the other chipped people (not held accountable). Yes, people in Arkadia haven’t exactly been welcoming towards him and his responsibility for the COL has been pointed out to him, but there isn’t any real depth towards the blame. Again, I think it’s partly because of who Jaha is - he’s looking towards the future not the past. He’s not close to anyone either, so he doesn’t get that personal emotional blame from other, like Octavia to Bellamy, or Clarke to Abby, or Jasper to Clarke. In all of those cases, it isn’t just about what the person did but about the betrayal the other person felt about that action. Jaha hasn’t let anyone down personally like that. He gets general blame for decisions he made on the ark but no real depth towards any one thing in particular.  

[frostywindmademoan]

The Girl Behind the Counter

intro: This is an on going Michael fic I’ve been working on. The whole plot will include swearing, sex, and violence. *constructive feedback is welcomed* 

Chapter 11 (previous chapters)

“Alright I’m dressed, what’s the big surprise?” (Y/N) asked while walking out of the London hotel bathroom. Michael froze at the sight of her. She wore a tauntingly sheer dress the exact shade of a clear blue sky with a black lace slip underneath. The blue fabric dragged the ground in the back, but was cut higher in the front so that the beautiful black heels, perfect for dancing, were visible. Diamonds in the shape of tear drops hung from her ears and in her hair was a diadem in the most fashionable art deco style. Her (Y/C) hair beautifully shaped her face with soft finger waves.

“Michael?” (Y/N) brought the boy out of his trance. “You are the most stunning creature to ever walk this planet.” He said with his eyes still wide. “Oh please.” (Y/N) rolled her eyes while retrieving her black fur coat from the closet. “No, no I mean it! You are so beautiful! You’re like a princess from a fairytale! I’m mean it baby doll! You’re like Cinderella at the party! My god you put Marie Antoinette, Anne Boleyn, and Cleopatra all to shame! My God you are radiate!” Compliments just kept pouring from Michael’s mouth, but (Y/N) wasn’t any good at accepting compliments. Possibly because she had a difficult time believing them. “Oh please stop babbling! My curiosity is killing me! What’s the surprise?” (Y/N) changed the subject. Michael offered her his arm, which she took, and he led her to a chauffeured car that took them to the Royal Ballet Theater. Men in top hats and women in tiara’s were entering. Michael felt wildly out of place, and even though she looked the part, (Y/N) felt a bit miss placed at first too. When they walked into the theater a smartly dressed usher offered them playbills and (Y/N) realized the surprise. “Giselle! Michael I expected you to be tuning me out completely when I told you!” (Y/N) exclaimed while wrapping her arms around him. When younger (Y/N) had been a ballet dancer herself. She was even set to join the Royal Ballet School until the war broke out and she opted to stay home with her mother. She had to give up dance completely when she took over the flower shop, but she still kept her satin slippers and would every so often put them on and do a few relevés and piqué turns to prove to herself that she still could. During one of their very first brunch dates she had told Michael that Giselle was her favorite ballet and he had remembered. “You are an absolute darling!” She beamed. Michael had been a bit worried that he would be insanely bored for the entire evening, but he ended up getting caught up in the music and the way the dancers moved through the air like it was simply water. Above all Michael enjoyed watching (Y/N). He was certain he could count the number of times she blinked during both acts on one hand she was so focused. It was like she didn’t want to miss a single second. Her eyes were so bright and alive. She would rest her head on the edge of their box and look longingly at the stage until some particularly difficult lift or leap was performed, then her head would pop up and she’d delicately place her hand to her mouth, as if to stifle an ‘oh my!’  Seeing the ballet through her eyes was the most beautiful thing Michael had ever seen. At the end (Y/N) stood and clapped and yelled brava as the principle dancers were given flowers. “Thank you Michael. That was absolutely magnificent. I still can’t believe that you remembered!” She kissed his cheek. “You’re welcome love.” He smiled, but stopped when he actually got a good look at her eyes once the lights had come back up. There were tears in them. “You’re sad.” He said with dismay. “No! No I’m not really! It was just so lovely, and the prima was so perfect and the corp looked so beautiful. It made me realize how much I miss it is all. But trust me, this has been nothing less than magical! Thank you again!” Once more she kissed him. Michael hadn’t thought about seeing what she had missed out on possibly upsetting her. Growing up Michael had never had anything he was particularly passionate about, but (Y/N) was full of passion. ‘I wonder if that’s why I get in such violent moods? Because I have pent up passions?’ Michael thought to himself, but quickly pushed such thoughts to the back of his mind. ‘Anyway, I’ll build her a dance studio in the spare room myself once we’re married.’ The thought came and went through his mind so quickly and easily Michael almost didn’t catch what thought had just occurred to him. As easily as if he was breathing air, Michael had just realized that he wanted to marry (Y/N).

“I’m so sorry, but there is some business with a partner whose rum we sell that Tommy wanted me to meet with and he told me that this is the only time he could meet with me.” Michael apologized. “11:30 on a Thursday night is the only time he could meet?” (Y/N) asked. “Yep, that’s Alfie Solomons for you.” Michael sighed. “Solomons, thats the one whose man you killed.” (Y/N) realized. “Yeah, that might have something to do with the inconvenient timing.” Michael grumbled. “You can wait in the car if you like.” He told her. “And if I don’t like?” She returned. He was afraid she’d say that. “This isn’t the sort of business you need to involve yourself in.” Michael tried to explain. “Good thing I don’t need to, but want to!” As soon as the car stopped (Y/N) popped out before Michael could stop her. The two walked into the warehouse and past barrels and barrels of illegal rum to where Alfie’s office was. “Mr. Solomons.” Michael extended his hand in greeting to the tall bearded man behind the dark oak desk. “Michael lad! Haven’t seen you since that nasty business with my boy you shot in the back!” The words sounded warm and welcoming but (Y/N) recognized the bitter after tone quite clearly, even if all of his words seemed to get a bit muffled and lost in his facial hair. “Oh and Hello, who is this? You brought Cinderella from the bloody ball did you?” Alfie chuckled, taking (Y/N)’s satin gloved hand and kissing the top of it. “What in the world is a beautiful and respectful lady such as yourself doing  with the likes of this Peaky bugger?” He asked. “What am I doing with him? I’m having my evening with him which was inconvenienced, that’s what I’m doing. I suggest you boys get on with your business.” (Y/N) said while decidedly taking a seat that was not offered to her. “Well then, we best do as the lady says.” Alfie mumbled. Michael sat and the two began talking logistics and about people (Y/N) didn’t know, so she kept quiet, but engaged. She listened to every word and the extra meanings behind all those words. “What do you mean its gonna be another fuckin’ month?” Alfie yelled at Michael. “Falco is proving persistent. We’ve made great headway in Liverpool, but he’s presented us with a few road blocks.”Michael tried to calmly explain. “Headway? Did he say headway?” Alfie now turned to (Y/N) where she lounged in her chair, never once removing her eyes from the situation. “He did say headway.” She calmly responded. “That’s what I thought. Would you like to know what I do to liars darlin’?” Alfie once again addressed her. “Please, Mr. Solomons, enlighten me.” She replied with out a hint of the fear Alfie was so used to inflicting. “I FUCKING SHOOT THEM, THAT’S WHAT I DO!” He yelled while pulling a gun from his desk drawer and pointing it at Michael. “I AIN’T NO LIAR!” Michael yelled back, not helping one bit. With an exhausted sigh (Y/N) stood up and placed herself between the gun and Michael. “What the fuck are you doing?!” He hissed at her, but she ignored him. “Do you like my coat, Mr. Solomons?” She simply asked. “What?” The confused man replied, gun still in place. “How about my gown? Do you like it?” She motioned to the sheer fabric. “I do yeah.” He truthfully mumbled. “Well then you wouldn’t want to ruin it, or my nice coat, would you?” (Y/N) spoke as if she were talking to a small child. “No of course not.” Alfie was still confused. “Good.” She smirked, but then her voice deepened and she spoke very succinctly, “Because that’s what would happen if you shot Michael, because the bullet would have to pass through this dress, me, and my coat first.” She stared him down without blinking. To be quite honest, she was terrifying, even amongst the company of gangsters. Alfie paused for a moment that was so tense Michael was about to shove (Y/N) out of the way and just take the bullet. Then suddenly Alfie burst into laughter. “You’ve got some balls for such a pretty lady!” Alfie guffawed. “They’re bigger than the pairs you two have got if you can’t sit down and behave like the respectable fucking businessmen you are.” (Y/N) sat back down. “God bless you son! That woman of yours is fire!” Alfie was still laughing. “Don’t I know it, but why did you call me a liar?” Michael returned to business. “Oh right, yeah, cause I got a guy that tells me Falco’s got a bloke or two sneakin' round Birmingham. That don’t sound like headway to me.” Alfie too returned to business. “Well now you know what brings Michael and I to town Mr. Solomons. The Peaky Blinders are well aware of the rats on our turf and Michael brought me here to make sure I didn’t accidentally get blood on my coat while the rats are being handled. As you saw by my little soap box speech, I’m rather fond of this coat. I rarely get a chance to wear it out because Michael, Tommy, Arthur, John, and all the rest of the Peaky Blinders spend so much time in Liverpool no one is ever around to take me out. From my point of view it seems like they run that stupid city, but being the intelligent businessmen Michael and his cousins are, I’m sure they want to make sure your investment is nice and secure so you don’t have to risk anything and I think that’s worth a mere couple of more weeks. I, on the other hand, am getting to wear this coat for the first time in a long time, yet I’m stuck in your office because you think scheduling a meeting this late means you can piss farther, but I think that the Peaky Blinders taking out Falco at no cost to you but time means they can piss much much farther, so I officially declare this pissing match closed. Should you have any questions or concerns I suggest you schedule a meeting with Michael.” (Y/N) promptly stood and left the office, shadowed my Michael. Alfie was so in shock he didn’t even try and stop them from leaving. Once back in the car (Y/N) was prepared to apologize for commandeering the meeting, but instead was silenced by Michael’s lips on hers. “That was the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.” He growled before resuming his kiss. Yep, he definitely wanted to marry her, and he hope the way she had referred to the Peaky Blinder’s turf as ‘ours’ meant that she’d want to marry him too.

[neon-serpent-llc]

Here’s to 365 days of polygonal worlds, shot point-blank at our grey matter, some catching fire, others fizzling to the void! It must be that oh-so-pointless time to give out video game awards! For the third year running I present a cheeky list of spills and chills like no other (spoiler: Overwatch wins nothing). Anyway, blahblahblah, here's the awards already:

Game I Forgot Existed Until I Looked Up "Game Releases of 2016" Award

Quantum Break

Like previous winners Watch Dogs, and Evolve, this is a shining example of a game that simply vanished after it was released. Probably took hundreds of Artists four years to make, and then *poof* gone overnight. But alas, most games do, eh? Was the TV show any good?

Best Case for Virtual Tourism Award

The Division

Say what you will about the game itself, but this lovely facsimile of NYC is killer. And super accurate. If it weren't for all the invincible, hoodie-wearing street thugs it would be a pleasure to cruise this digital remake of my favorite city.

Genius or Madness Award

Zero Time Dilemma

A game that walks the line perfectly between the two. So clever, and yet maybe too clever? The twists are ridiculous when they work and outrageous when they don’t. Even so, its sheer confidence of going eight steps beyond everyone else, narrative-wise, is so refreshing. Truly a piece of Art that only works in the video game medium. Speaking of Art...

Most Unplayable Work of Art Award

The Witness

Conceptually, The Witness is flawless. Especially once you've seen the "real" ending, that perfectly frames the point of the whole experience (I watched it on YouTube). Unfortunately, to get that real ending is a monumentally painstaking chore. But, this isn't "difficult" Art in the sense that its meaning is opaque or it’ll challenge your worldview. Its simply that I have zero patience for puzzle games. If The Witness is an encapsulation of what it means to be Johnathan Blow, then it's clear that he and I couldn't be more different. And that's why it works as Art.

Don't Want to Be the Guy That Says, "I Told You So," but.... I Told You So Award

No Man's Sky

Even with its countless features, the spiritually-similar Spore got boring fast. How, then, was this bare-bones knock-off, No Man's Sky, going to keep people interested? And that was with the assumption that it would at least look nice. However, it absolutely did not. The novelty of seeing procedurally generated ANYTHING gets old fast, and it's made far worse when you're presented with a never ending stream of ugly, barren planets made of mud and more mud. Next year’s winner: Star Citizen?

Biggest Social Phenomenon Since the Wii Award

Pokemon Go

It didn't last long, but for a month this summer, everyone was out hunting in the parks of the world. Sure, we still mostly ignored each other, but there was a touch of bizarre camaraderie knowing we were all playing the same giant meta game. Like the Wii before it, it was a game-related subject you could talk to ANYBODY about, and they'd not only know what you meant, but have an opinion on the matter. How often does that happen? How odd was it to see a fifty year old business man asking where the nearest Clefairy could be found?

Welcome to the 90s Loading Time Award

Deus Ex Mankind Divided

I think I spent more time riding the subway in this game than I have in real life.

You Don't Know Your Audience Award

Metroid Prime Federation Force

As a new Nintendo IP this would have got tons of attention. Who doesn't like crazy new Nintendo ideas? But as a Metroid game it could only possibly get bad press. Why play as Samus when you can play as more-generic-than-Master-Chief, chibi space marines instead? A top tier faux pas.

They Finally Got it Right Award

Dragonball Xenoverse 2

After decades of awkward DragonBall games, they finally hit the sweet spot for over-the-top action with fun controls and interesting content (granted, I never played the first Xenoverse). In the year of Street Fighter 5, who would have thought I'd prefer the new DragonBall fighting game?

Well Deserved Retirement Award

Dark Souls 3

Still fun despite almost no alterations in what is clearly a formula now, but I'm glad this is the last hurrah, at least for a while. As I said when Dark Souls 2 came out, the magic is less pronounced with each additional entry. None will have that Demon's Souls impact anymore. But when it returns in 5 to 10 years, it'll be nostalgic to see the old tricks in action again.

Everyone's An Asshole Award

Dishonored 2

At least that's what the talking Heart makes it seem like. Half the populace has secretly killed their husband/wife, whereas the other half have burned down orphanages or something.

Late to the Party Award

Steins;Gate

Another game I played years after release. And damn it's good. Far more novel than game, but I don't mind for a story of this quality. Why wasn't I reading this earlier? Haven't got to Steins;Gate 0 yet, but I'm working on it.

Xenogears Disk 2 Award

Final Fantasy XV

Like Metal Gear Solid V last year, another all-around excellent game that suddenly sprints to the end, jumping vast stretches of story in an instant, clashing hard with the slow burn style of storytelling established before that. Much like Xenogears of yore, this is a game that tried to be far bigger than time/budget allowed.

Honestly, I wish these overly-epic games would get chopped in two, a la Kill Bill. At the point where the story would start getting rushed, end part one. Just end it. Then let its sales fund part two, the remainder of the story. Then again, you run the risk of a Too Human situation where you announce a trilogy and then don't sell enough to finish it. But honestly, Final Fantasy and Metal Gear would handily sell enough. I’m sure they’ll make a FFXV-2, but at best it’ll attempt to reassemble the pieces of its predecessors fractured ending.

Didn't Burn the House Down Award

Uncharted 4

The writers said the ending would "burn the house down" in terms of closure. But it didn't, at all, even slightly. Uncharted 5 could EASILY be made based off this exact ending, with no retcons and no changes to the game’s formula. They'd just have to make Drake constantly say, "I'm too old for this shit!!"

It Shouldn't Work, But it Soooo Does Award

Dragon Quest Builders

I don't like Minecraft. As a professional level designer, I find Minecraft‘s game building tools too crude to enjoy using at length (what a snob, eh?). And I don't like Dragon Quest. Too much grind, not enough story. Too simple. But for some reason when you combine the two it's fucking great! Dragon Quest adds the personality, charm, and flavor Minecraft was sorely lacking while also bringing enough story and tangible goals to make the building feel like a game and not like a chore. Plus, the game’s worlds are fairly handcrafted and feature proper level/zone design, which is greatly appreciated. The surprise hit of the year.

Best Game Industry Trend of the Year

Virtual Reality

I'm glad we're all working on it seriously now. Sure, the current headsets are uncomfortable as fuck, (can’t emphasize this enough), but its a step towards sunglasses-size VR in about ten years or so. Plus, by then everyone will be over their VR sickness so we won’t have to keep watering down the experiences we create. It’ll be sweet!

Worst Game Industry Trend of the Year

Infinite Sales

Between Steam, Good Old Games, Humble Bundle, Greenman Gaming, PSN Store, etc there is always a massive, store-wide sale going on somewhere. Wait a year and any game you want will be a mere $10. Why buy an unknown indie game when you can get a supremely polished, lengthy triple-A game for the same price? Indie developers basically need to charge $1 to get anyone's attention. Or make their game free *cough* ULTRAWORLD.

Best Game Awards of the Year

Obvious

Worst Game Awards of the Year

The Game Awards

A transparently corporate affair, the winners have all be carefully selected based on what needs to sell at Xmas. Companies won't even show up if one of their high profile games doesn't get an award. Even setting those complaints aside, it's hard to get interested or excited about a 2016 award show that happens with over a month of 2016 left; when wonderful games like The Last Guardian haven’t even been released yet. Speaking of which...

Game (Experience) of the Year

The Last Guardian

There's a layer of disconnect between the player and Last Guardian. The boy, Trico, and the camera all seem to disobey the player constantly. Many marked this as a flaw, but I think it's 100% intentional and part of why the game is so cohesive, thematically. For me, there's an added sense of surrealism when things are out of control. The chaos of physics interactions seem like they shouldn't work, yet suddenly you've made it to the next section of the castle. Did you really play that last section, or merely guide the chaos? Since you’re playing as a helpless child, lost in towering labyrinthine passageways, this obtuse disconnect feels entirely appropriate.

I feel it's intentional because Fumito Ueda and his team have managed to capture this sense of surreal play for three games in a row. Everyone manages to get to the end despite the feeling of disconnect. Trico is so aloof, yet will always get you where you need to go. Eventually. If everything functioned 100% predictably, God-of-War-precise, it would be FAR less memorable...as an experience. You, like the boy, legitimately struggle to escape the castle. Who has the guts to purposely make their controls imprecise to service the game, and theme, as a whole? It's amazing. A true work of Art. Game of the Year.

Non-Game of the Year

ULTRAWORLD EXODUS

The expansion and finale to whatever the hell this thing is. I liked it, but I think I'm literally the only one.

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

So that's the year, says I. Looking over my list, its clear I didn't play many indie games, even though I complained about people not buying indie games (which is bad Karma for me, but I'll live). As always, if you disagree: good. All awards are pointless, just fluff opinions with a bow on top. Your awards are as good as mine, good as the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, etc etc forever. Til next year!

2015 Awards 2014 Awards

[ismael37olson]

Jon ALi Presents: The Top 50 Albums of 2017!

My beautiful music lovers: We have (almost) reached the end of 2017!

This year has been a true test to the human psychique with the mess that is our current Presidential reality – but, luckily, in the midst of life’s many expected ups and downs this year, there was (thankfully) a ton of music to help distract, heal and lift us up.

First up, I’m counting down my Top 50 Albums of the Year! As per usual, this list is usually my favorite because its much easier to rank my love for an album based on if I can get through the whole thing from start to finish without banging my head against a wall (repeatedly). WITH THAT SAID: That doesn’t necessarily mean I find album #29 any more or less tolerable than the ones before or after it so please save your trolling for someone who actually cares. I love music. You love music. We love music!

K, without further ado, here’s the list:

50. Terror Jr – Bop City 2: TerroRising 49. Oliver – Full Circle 48. Erik Hassle – Innocence Lost 47. Nelly Furtado – The Ride 46. Hey Violet – From the Outside 45. Betty Who – The Valley 44. Loreen – Ride 43. Paloma Faith – The Architect 42. Shakira – El Dorado 41. Snoh Aalegra – Feels 40. Perfrume Genius – No Shape 39. Michelle Branch – Hopeless Romantic 38. N.E.R.D – NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES 37. Lights – Skin&Earth 36. Paramore – After Laughter 35. Miley Cyrus – Younger Now 34. Niia – I 33. Bleachers – Gone Now 32. Haim – Something to Tell You 31. Katy Perry – Witness 30. Tyler, the Creator – Flower Boy 29. Superfruit – Future Friends 28. Zara Larsson – So Good 27. Cashmere Cat – 9 26. Kelly Clarkson – Meaning of Life 25. P!nk – Beautiful Trauma 24. St. Vincent – Masseduction 23. The xx – I See You 22. Jhené Aiko – Trip 21. Halsey – hopeless fountain kingdom 20. Taylor Swift – Reputation 19. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me 18. MUNA – About U 17. Calvin Harris – Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 16. Majid Jordan – The Space Between 15. Kesha – Rainbow 14. Drake – More Life 13. Tove Lo – BLUE LIPS (Lady Wood Phase II) 12. Khalid – American Teen 11. Allie X – CollXtion II

10. Kehlani – SweetSexySavage: After years years of dropping mixtapes and collaborations, Kehlani finally properly broke out in 2017 with her full-length major label debut LP, SweetSexySavage – an appropriately direct nod to TLC‘s CrazySexyCool. It’s a sleek, self-assured, and polished body of work from an artist that took her time to perfect her sound and get it just right. Though she proudly wears her influences — Aaliyah, Brandy, and any number of Y2K era of R&B belters — on her sleeve she never once sounds like an imitator or cliché. Kehlani‘s many strengths as a songwriter and singer outweigh any possible charges of imitation, and her willingness to apply subtlety, make unapologetic choices, and simply have fun is what makes her a true star. For an album released at the very top of the year, it’s had undeniable longevity, both in the R&B and Pop world. The crossover queen we deserve in 2017. Highlights: “Keep On,” “Distraction,” “CRZY,” “Advice,” “Get Like,” “In My Feelings,” and “I Wanna Be.”

9. Lana Del Rey – Lust for Life: Five albums deep, Lana Del Rey is very aware of the fact that her signature sleepy sound isn’t necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to stop making the music her loyal fanbase has grown to love. Compared to her other albums, especially its drowsy 2015 predecessor Honeymoon, Lust for Life is positively sunny in tone, and certainly more upbeat in tempo. Lana may sing about a “Summer Bummer” and being “In My Feelings” but the songs aren’t inline with hazy unforgotten daydreams; they shimmer, offering a confident bit of seduction for chill nights in with your bae. Lana keeps this delicate balance throughout the lengthy Lust for Life (at 71 minutes, this is an album as much as it’s a playlist, designed to be played on loop as “vibe” music), never quite committing to either distress or euphoria but rather finding an effortless place somewhere in-between the two. That said, Lana does lean slightly more towards ecstasy on Lust for Life, bathing comfortably in her slow rhythms and luxurious surfaces. She manages to sustain this mood over the course of Lust for Life‘s 16 songs, every one of which is a genuine variation of her adored signature sound. Highlights: “Love,” “Lust for Life” (feat. The Weeknd), “Cherry,” “Groupie Love” (feat. A$AP Rocky), and “Get Free.”

8. Kendirck Lamar – DAMN.: On DAMN. Kendrick Lamar proved you can actually take a more “mainstream” approach while maintaining your musical excellence. Although its definitely sonically less cohesive than to his predecessors (To Pimp a Butterfly and good kid, m.A.A.d city); the lyrics are just as strong and impactful and the music is just as vibrant and exciting. In fact, Kendrick‘s reached a whole new level of self-awareness on DAMN., he’s better than ever. In my honest opinion, Kendrick‘s been on a non-stop winning streak, and his closest competitors are still miles away and this album it’s just another proof of his genius. Highlights: “HUMBLE.,” “DNA.,” “LOYALTY.” (feat. Rihanna) and “LOVE.” (feat. Zacari).

7. Miguel – War & Leisure: Every year, thre’s one artist drops an absolutely incredible album at the tail end of the year that makes music writers everywhere wish they would’ve waited on publishing their year-end lists. This year, that artist is Miguel. 2012’s Kaleidoscope Dream and 2015’s Wildheart, saw this R&B crooner master the early versatility he displayed on his debut All I Want Is You, showcasing a playful-yet-wise mix of pop, funk and soul that certified him a true star. War & Leisure is a more ambitious, bold and confident move: a non-stop joy ride that doubles as a master class in futurist hypersexual R&B. He never fails to impress and expand within himself. Highlights: “Sky Walker” (feat. Travis Scott), “Banana Clip,” “Told You So,” “Caramelo Duro” (feat. Kali Uchis), “Come Through and Chill” and “Now.”

6. Jessie Ware – Glasshouse: Like most of Jessie‘s stellar back catalog, her third studio LP Glasshouse revolves around her signature lyrical themes: Sadness, isolation, lust and most importantly, love. But Glasshouse strives as a much bigger and mature deal than anything she’s done before, catering mostly to her husband, Sam Burrows, and the arrival of their first child. Jessie‘s has always had the effortless ability to wrap powerful emotions in irresistible melodies but here she channels that skill into soaring new heights. And with additional production credits from the likes of Kid Harpoon, Starsmith, Happy Perez, Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, Julia Michaels and Ed Sheeran, there was already little doubt that Jessie would come through strong. But, make no mistake: It was Jessie‘s very own signature sensual stylings that made this record a win from start to finish. Forever my queen. Highlights: “Midnight,” “Stay Awake, Wait For Me,” “Alone,” “Selfish Love,” “Hearts” and “Sam.”

5. Mura Masa – Mura Masa: In a year when mainstream radio became increasingly defined by island-like musical trends, the first full-length by Guernsey-born DJ-producer Mura Masa (aka Alex Crossan) was refreshing for the way it leaned proudly outward, bringing slinky disco, shimmering electro-pop, garage house, Hip-hop and throwback R&B together in the name of finding musical transcendence. Mura Masa‘s unlimited playfulness and genre-bending production skills — not to mention the help from Bonzai, A$AP Rocky, Charli XCX, Desiigner, Nao, Tom Tripp and Christine and the Queens — show that there’s still uncharted territory left in the land of UK dance-pop, and that thankfully someone like the young and talented Mura Masa is more than willing to put in all his time in order to find it. Highlights: “Love$ick” (feat. A$AP Rocky), “1 Night” (feat. Charli XCX), “What If I Go?,” “Firefly” (feat. Nao) and “Second 2 None” (feat. Christine and the Queens).

4. Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa: Pop music needed some serious saving in 2017. Weighted down by tired-less, island-lite radio trends, EDM beat drops (thanks a lot, The Chainsmokers) and One Direction members going solo, the pop music landscape was missing a dose of originality. Enter Dua Lipa, aka Jesus Christ. Kicking off her rise with a slew of anthem-ready singles “Be The One,” “Hotter Than Hell” and “Blow Your Mind (Mwah),” the young and versatile beauty reminded us all that, pop at its finest, all comes down to melody. While it took a lot more time than it should’ve, Dua finally blessed us with her highly anticipated self-titled debut in 2017. And the record was worth the wait: Each song bursts with huge choruses, from the truly stunning opener “Genesis” to the unstoppable force that is “New Rules,” which is finally giving her the visibility she deserves. As with Adele, Ellie Goulding, Charli XCX, Marina And The Diamonds, and so many English queens before her, Dua‘s got the undeniable gift. Dua for President! Highlights: “Genesis,” “Lost In Your Light” (feat. Miguel), “Hotter Than Hell,” “Be The One,” “IDGAF,” “Blow Your Mind (Mwah),” “New Rules” and “Homesick.”

3. Kelela – Take Me Apart: Where 2017 mostly failed in delivering huge pop records, it made up in supplying us with stellar R&B. When Kelela arrived on the scene in 2015 with her unique brand of futuristic-yet-nostoglic-R&B-electronica, we already knew her debut record would be something special. And that it most certainly is: Take Me Apart‘s title track is R&B at its most cosmic and forward-thinking, “Better” is post-breakup relatable gold, and the nostalgic Aaliyah-sounding greatness that is “LMK” is the stuff of legend status. While she might not have made the biggest noise this year, she did deliver artistry at its finest. Kelela‘s got plenty of talent up her slick sleeve and this here is just the beginning of a long career. Take notice! Highlights: “Frontline,” “Take Me Apart,” “Better,” “LMK,” “Blue Light” and “Turn To Dust.”

2. Lorde – Melodrama: Lorde delivered one the best records of the year in 2013 with her debut Pure Heroine. In the time since, she’s become a true superstar all while going through her very first real breakup. Her long-awaited sophomore album Melodrama documents the time spent between her stardom and breakup: It is a honest, sometimes dark and extremely liberating body of work, in which Lorde delivers some of her strongest, tightest and certainly most teary-eyed music to date. In the few years since her debut, Lorde‘s improved substantially upon her melody-making, resulting in massive heartbreak and youth anthems like “Sober,” “Homemade Dynamite” “Perfect Places” and “Green Light,” which is absolutely the year’s most overlooked single. Haunting, lonely and utterly empowering the whole way through. Highlights: “Green Light,” “Sober,” “Homemade Dynamite,” “Liability,” “Supercut” and “Perfect Places.”

1. SZA – CTRL: No other album quite did it for me other than the long-delayed debut from Solána Imani Rowe. SZA‘s CTRL is a straight-up, cohesive masterpiece from beginning to end about a girl navigating life in her “20 Something”‘s (see what I did there?) — dating, falling in love, dealing with fuck boys, self-doubt, anxiety, self-acceptance, growing up and much more. Her full-bodied voice floats over each intricate production effortlessly as she spits her unapologetically honest and relatable lyrics. “The Weekend” is pure genius; “Love Galore” is just as addictive; and “Drew Barrymore,” “Prom” and “20 Something” prove that SZA is not one of those alternative R&B artists with just one or two tricks up her sleeve. To put it simply, SZA is the voice of a generation. GIVE HER ALL THE AWARDS! Highlights: ALL OF IT.

Honorable Mentions: Niall Horan – Flicker, Shania Twain – NOW, Fergie – Double Dutchess, Fifth Harmony – Fifth Harmony, Galantis – The Aviary, Kelsea Ballerini – Unapologetically, The Killers – Wonderful Wonderful, Marc E. Bassy – Gossip Columns, Maroon 5 – Red Pill Blues, Harry Styles – Harry Styles, Beth Ditto – Fake Sugar and Sam Smith – The Thrill Of It All.

from Jon ALi's Blog http://jonalisblog.com/2017/12/23/jon-ali-presents-the-top-50-albums-of-2017/

[concertour]

Yo Black Concert is Center Stage, a new concert has been added on http://www.concertour.com/black-concert-hall-oates-live-in-saint-louis-saturday-5-6/

Black Concert: Hall & Oates Live in Saint Louis Saturday 5-6!

[tabs] [tab title=”Date: “]Sat, 05/06/17 07:00 PM [/tab] [tab title=”Venue: “]Scottrade Center St Louis, MO

Details: Daryl Hall & John Oates, Tears for Fears, Allen Stone[/tab] [tab title=”Tickets: “] $35.00  [/tab] [tab title=”Bio: “]Daryl Hall and John Oates are the NUMBER-ONE SELLING DUO in music history!

Starting out as two devoted disciples of earlier soul greats, Daryl Hall & John Oates are soul survivors in their own right. They have become such musical influences on some of today’s popular artists that the September 2006 cover of Spin Magazine’s headline read: “Why Hall and Oates are the New Velvet Underground.” Their artistic fan base includes Rob Thomas, John Mayer, Brandon Flowers of the Killers, Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie and MTV’s newest hipsters Gym Class Heroes who dubbed their tour “Daryl Hall for President Tour 2007.” One of the most sampled artists today, their impact can be heard everywhere from boy band harmonies, to neo-soul to rap-rock fusion.

Signed to Atlantic by Ahmet Ertegun in the 1970’s, Daryl Hall & John Oates have sold more albums than any other duo in music history. Their 1973 debut album, Abandoned Luncheonette, produced by Arif Mardin, yielded the Top 10 single, “She’s Gone,” which also went to #1 on the R&B charts when it was covered by Taveras. The duo recorded one more album with Atlantic, War Babies, (produced by Todd Rundgren) before they left and promptly signed to RCA. Their tenure at RCA would catapult the duo to international superstardom.

From the mid-’70s to the mid-’80s, the duo would score six #1 singles, including “Rich Girl” (also #1 R&B), “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) (also #1 R&B), “Maneater” and “Out of Touch” from their six consecutive multi-platinum albums—’76’s Bigger Than Both of Us, ’80’s Voices, ’81’s Private Eyes, ‘82’s H2O, ‘83’s Rock N Soul, Part I and ‘84’s Big Bam Boom. The era would also produce an additional 5 Top 10 singles, “Sara Smile,” “One on One,” “You Make My Dreams,” “Say It Isn’t So” and “Method of Modern Love.”

Daryl also wrote the H&O single “Everytime You Go Away,” which singer Paul Young scored a number-one hit with a cover of the song in 1985.

That same year, Daryl and John, participated in the historic “We Are the World” session as well as closing the Live Aid show in Philadelphia.

By 1987, the R.I.A.A. recognized Daryl Hall and John Oates as the NUMBER-ONE SELLING DUO in music history, a record they still hold today.

On May 20, 2008, the duo was honored with the Icon Award during BMI’s 56th annual Pop Awards. The award has previously gone to the Bee Gees, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, James Brown, Ray Davies, Carlos Santana and Dolly Parton.

Daryl Hall’s latest project is a multi-award-winning monthly web series (and MTV Live show), Live from Daryl’s House (www.livefromdarylshouse.com). “It was a light bulb moment,” he says of the show’s genesis. “I’ve had this idea about just sitting on the porch or in my living room, playing music with my friends and putting it up on the Internet.” Live from Daryl’s House is also aired weekly on MTV Live every Thursday at 11pm EST/8pm PST.

The past episodes of Live From Daryl’s House have featured a mix of well-known performers like Jason Mraz, Joe Walsh, Booker T and the MGs, Blind Boys of Alabama, Rob Thomas, Cheap Trick, Train, Cee Lo Green, Smokey Robinson, The Doors’ Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek, Toots Hibbert, Nick Lowe, K.T. Tunstall, Todd Rundgren, Keb Mo, Dave Stewart, Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik and Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump along with newcomers such as Nick Waterhouse, Nikki Jean, Dirty Heads, Chiddy Bang, Rumer, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Elle King, Mayer Hawthorne, Eric Hutchinson, Chromeo, Matt Nathanson, Parachute, Plain White T’s, Allen Stone, soul diva Sharon Jones, Diane Birch, L.A. neo-R&B party band Fitz & the Tantrums, hot new alternative band Neon Trees and veteran alternative mainstays Guster.

In March 2014, Eagle Rock Entertainment released their first new concert video in seven years: Daryl Hall And John Oates: Live In Dublin on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray and Digital Formats. Filmed at the Olympia Theatre on July 15, 2014, this set features the duo’s first ever concert performance in Dublin. Daryl Hall and John Oates dipped into their 40+ year rich repertoire to deliver a setlist steeped in hits: “Sara Smile,” “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do),” “Out Of Touch,” “Kiss On My List,” “Private Eyes,” “Rich Girl,” “Maneater,” and many more. It’s fitting that this high-energy 15-song concert film traverses songs from across their career, as Hall promises the audience that their “making up for lost time” in a city they’ve never performed in before.

Daryl Hall & John Oates are 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees.

Daryl Hall opened “Daryl’s House,” the restaurant and music club, on Halloween night ‘14 in Pawling, NY with a special performance featuring H&O. “Daryl’s House,” which also serves as the backdrop of Palladia’s Live From Daryl’s House, aims to combine top-notch food with amazing artists.

John Oates released his latest solo project Good Road To Follow (PS Records / Elektra Records) on March 18, 2014. What started as a yearlong series of digital singles has culminated in a three-disc set of genre-specific EPs aptly named Route 1, Route 2, and Route 3. [/tab] [tab title=”Photos: “]

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[/tab]

[tab title=”Reviews: “]Coming Soon[/tab] [tab title=”Setlist: “]Maneater

Out of Touch

Did It in a Minute

Say It Isn’t So

You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (The Righteous Brothers cover)

Las Vegas Turnaround (The Stewardess Song)

She’s Gone

Sara Smile

Do What You Want, Be What You Are

I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)

Encore 1:

You Make My Dreams

Encore 2:

Kiss on My List

Private Eyes[/tab] [tab title=”Tours: “]Hall & Oates and Tears for Fears North American Tour 2017

Massive Tour 2016[/tab] [tab title=”Discog: “]Whole Oats (1972)

Abandoned Luncheonette (1973)

War Babies (1974)

Daryl Hall & John Oates (1975)

Bigger Than Both of Us (1976)

Beauty on a Back Street (1977)

Along the Red Ledge (1978)

X-Static (1979)

Voices (1980)

Private Eyes (1981)

H2O (1982)

Big Bam Boom (1984)

Ooh Yeah! (1988)

Change of Season (1990)

Marigold Sky (1997)

Do It for Love (2003)

Our Kind of Soul (2004)

Home for Christmas (2006) [/tab] [tab title=”Film “]None [/tab] [tab title=”Merch”]Coming Soon[/tab] [/tabs]

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Evergreen marketing quotes to inspire your 2017 strategy

Draw inspiration from the greatest strategists and marketers when creating your plan for the year ahead

It's the time of year for setting out what you want to achieve in the coming twelve months at both a personal and business level.  Given that 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions', you'll also want to think through how and when you will achieve them.

It's all too easy to get back into the work routine and find yourself so swamped with daily tasks that taking a step back and thinking about planning and vision for the long term ends up taking a back seat. Before you know it you're several weeks into the year and you still haven't found the time to sit down and properly plan out your strategy. For businesses working on digital transformation, inspiring digital transformation through vision statements can help here.

To inspire action, we have put together some of our favourite marketing planning and strategy quotes, so you can take some time out of your busy schedule to prompt some long-term thinking about planning and strategy. After all, our recent developing digital skills survey found that 77% of marketing professionals think a planned approach focusing on analytics and continues optimisation is the most effect way of managing digital marketing, whilst only 14% thought a relatively unplanned, reactive approach was best. We know it's never easy to find the time 'in the real world', but if anything can inspire you to make time then it's these evergreen quotes from great thinkers, strategists and marketers.

Marketing strategy and planning quotes

Sun Tzu's legendary work on the 'Art of War' is over two thousand years old, but still is regarded as perhaps the greatest ever work on strategy ever produced and has even been applied to digital marketing strategy creation. Held in high regard by characters as diverse as General Mattis, US secretary of Defense and the fictional Tony Soprano, it may seem strange to suggest that the lessons of the warring states period of ancient Chinese history can be applied in a marketing department, but Sun Tzu's advice really is timeless. This quote is among his most valuable nuggets of wisdom, and one marketers would do well to heed. Too often today marketing departments have become so focused on tactics like social, email or SEO, that they forget the bigger picture and the real objectives. This 'tactification' strips the strategy from marketing and leaves it as little more than what Mark Ritson has called 'the colouring in department' in his article "Tactics without strategy is dumbing down our discipline'. As the great Chinese general said, tactics on their own won't get you anywhere. You need to get the strategy right first.

Marketing Week's Mark Ritson has railed against the dumbing down of marketing and the focus on one of the 4Cs of marketing (communications) to the detriment of all others. This quote is always important to bear in mind when thinking about your marketing plan sfor the year ahead.

Strategy must always come first. Tactics are the buttons you press to implement the strategy, they are subservient to the strategy and their success or failure comes down not to how well the buttons were pressed, but how smart (or stupid) the strategy which required those buttons to be pressed was.

Kenichi Ohmae brought Japanese business thinking to the west. He's most famous for bringing the idea of a 'long-term planning horizon', common in Japan but not in the West where short-term concerns like boosting share price tend to take priority. This quote again shows how crucial it is to get the overall strategy right, and that it is aligned with objectives. It doesn't matter how hard you are working every day if what you're doing isn't going to be impacting your key objectives.

Marketing technology quotes

Marketers involved in agency pitches to clients will recognise the ability of intelligent fools to make things more complex. Pitch documents have become huge wads of information, containing a menu of a million different strategies for the baffled client to choose from. I'm sure we can all agree it would take a whole lot of courage for an agency to pitch with a few sides of A4 that said in simple terms 'this is what we will do, and we won't try and sell you any tactics we don't think will work'.

The tendency to over-complicate often also works its way into planning. When writing your plan, always try to make everything as simple as it possibly can be, anything else will simply waste time. Our Digital Marketing Toolkit resources cover the detailed analysis and insight needed for an informed, data-driven strategy, but we take care to include one-page summary formats to help simplify the overall strategy.

Marketing automation and Machine Learning is all the rage at the moment as our vote on the top marketing trends for 2017 shows, so it's worth remembering this famous quote from Bill Gates. Automation is only as smart as the way it is implemented. Automating effective tactics is likely to massively boost effectiveness, but it's easy to waste time automating tactics that aren't actually delivering value. This ends up just wasting time and money.

This is a great quote to remember for digital marketers. Sometimes big organizations engaging in digital transformation can be a mix of old legacy technologies creaking under years of poorly-implemented bug fixes and bodged integration, and flashy new enterprise tech from Cloud providers that is at the absolute cutting edge of what is possible. This can be really confusing for employees and might also affect the customer journey. Try to ensure you distribute new systems evenly across the business to bring all areas up to date, rather than buy snazzy new tech for some divisions whilst leaving others working with creaking legacy systems.

Consumer-centric marketing quotes

With ad-blocking becoming increasingly common, particularly among the tech savvy under 35s, marketing is going to have to shift from being intrusive to being helpful. This quote from marketoonist writer Tom Fishburne reminds us that really good marketing makes us forget we are even being marketed to.

David Ogilvy richly deserves his status as the 'father of advertising'. This quote has been given new meaning in the age of behavioural economics and 'nudges', designed to get the customer to do certain things the marketer wants. Sometimes this forgets that the customer is not some abstract concept without free will, but is your husband, your brother or your mum. Treating your customer like your friend, rather than an idiot you can subliminally nudge into doing what you want, is bound to leave them feeling more valued and thus more likely to return.

Analytics Quotes 

The only historian ever to win a noble Prize for literature, two-time prime minister,  two-time first lord of the admiralty and cigar aficionado, Churchill spent most of his life working on strategies, and made at least his fair share of strategic mistakes. If anyone should know when to re-thinking a strategy, it's the mastermind behind the catastrophic Gallipoli and Italian campaigns. Churchill's quote reminds us of the importance of analytics and taking time out to review them. No matter how good your strategy looks on paper, you should be careful to properly measure it and be willing to change course if it's not having the intended effects.

Bob Hoffman, better known as 'The Ad contrarian' has been doing great work critiquing the stupider trends in the ad industry over the past decade, and makes an excellent point that analytics teams should be better aware off. You can be swimming in data, but data is not valuable by itself. You need facts, principles and models. Humanity has watched the movement of the planets for thousands of years. The Greek root of the word 'planet'  means 'Wanderer', because people watched the planets wander across the night sky. But it took Isac Newton coming up with the theory of gravity to work how and why they move in the way they do. Newton didn't have any new data, but he created a theory that could predict the movement of any astronomical body perfectly accurately. He established facts.

Marketers are swimming in data, but are all too often lacking facts. We might be able to count how many clicks our banner ads get, but we don't know who's clicking on them, we don't know why they're clicking on them, and we don't even know if they're actually human or just a bot. Marketers are like the ancient Greeks, able to look up at the sky and see the movement of the planets, but totally unable to explain why they move in the way they do.

from Blog – Smart Insights http://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-strategy/marketing-quotes-strategy/