#i think brennan is exploring a what if here that’s really cool

[velvetvexations]

Re: Aabria. I agree. And also, I've never in my life felt worse for a creator than I did watching Aabria try and fail to get her players to consider The First Stoats as nuanced characters in that one AP. It ruined the season for me. I feel like she had such cool ambitious ideas around politics and morality and the players (although I feel like Erika and Jasper were game if they had had more support) just didn't bite

Yeah all of Last Bast was fucking crazy.

There's nothing wrong from a friends-at-the-table perspective with Brennan's style of DMing where it feels like the number one goal is to maximize the Fun meter, but Aabria's DMing seems more focused on challenging the players from a storytelling perspective, and one of those styles is much more fun to watch unless the parasocial has consumed you so thoroughly that the heroes getting the hi-score at Dungeons & Dragoning is all you care about as well. Which is like, most of this fandom.

But even saying that, Brennan's campaigns are usually amazing even from the perspective of the audience. I think the reason it went so wrong here is that he was trying really hard to make this season focus on a lot of real world issues and providing opportunities to explore them but the Intrepid Heroes remained solidly goal-oriented.

Like, maybe I'm being biased because my own parasocial with BLeeM specifically is very deep and I'm just throwing everyone else under the bus, but I do truly believe he always meant the Rat Grinders to be sympathetic, because like:

"She's not a bad kid."

Eugenia emphasizing Kipperlilly and Riz are not too different

literally what would be the point to Henry even being Ruben's uncle otherwise? like, at best he was maybe a brief red herring when Gorgug found out he was the one who made Grix, but that was like, immediately dropped and never brought up again

Kipperlilly having "a tremendous fondness" for Lucy (again, why did that even come up otherwise?)

But the IHs just did not give a fuck and Brennan's inclination is to just roll with whatever vibe they're riding.

#dimension 20 #brennan lee mulligan #aabria iyengar

[utilitycaster]

if you're looking for any reason to write and/or procrastinate, i'd love to hear your alluded-to thoughts on people trying to shove already-extant blorbos into a ttrpg space? it's something i've tried to Strongly Discourage (if not outright ban) at my table and i've struggled putting into words why i dislike it so much. like obviously as a dm doing homebrew world stuff it's super discouraging to feel like your players don't want to engage with it, but even beyond that it feels like it doesn't Work and i'd love to hear if you have thoughts on Why That Is

Absolutely! The biggest reason is in fact the one you say: it's really discouraging as a DM, who is doing a lot more work than anyone else, to have someone not want to build a character informed by your world. This is collaborative storytelling, and they are not collaborating. Which isn't to say that player's preferences for the type of story shouldn't be considered, but there is something very different between, for example, Erika Ishii saying "hey Brennan, I would love to play a witch" in a setting everyone in the cast committed to building collaboratively, vs. coming to your table as a DM saying "hey, this is a world I've created, it is inspired by Norse mythology" and saying "cool this is my weird west cowboy OC, why isn't there a cowboy class."

I think the other reason, and here's where I might be guessing, but I think people can get uniquely rigid and protective of pre-existing OCs. I mean...I had a vague set of OCs inspired by a lot of the fantasy stories I read as a kid for literal years, and setting aside that they don't fit in neatly to a D&D system anyway, the thought of playing one and having them die at level 2 against some will-o-the-wisps is really not something I'm open to! When it comes to a lot of the games that have character progression and start relatively weak, like D&D, most people are thinking of a cool powerful mage, not a squishy L1 wizard with 2 spell slots! I think people are precious and impatient and rigid about a lot of their OCs, so they won't take the big swings that you need to make in order to have a good time in a TTRPG because they're too afraid of losing the character before they reach their final form - and, they have a final form in mind that they might be reluctant to deviate from. Sure, some people can get past this; but many people can't. They already have too much of a story in mind and aren't open to the one being told together at the table. They won't kill their darlings and so they're going to freak out every time Darling has to make a death save.

Finally: I personally think character creation is necessarily collaborative, in that party composition is important. To give an example: I have an idea of an Eldritch Knight who learned her magic from the eccentric wizard she guarded, who then died in a locked room mystery, and she was exonerated but considered suspect (and also felt guilty) and so is in need of employment and could easily fall into adventuring. This is a pretty flexible concept in most D&D settings because a lot of the specifics aren't at all filled in. However: let's say my friend says "hey, um, one of our players had a family emergency and needs to leave our game long-term. Do you want to join?" and I say "yes, absolutely" and they say "great, they were playing a bard and were our only healer, though we do have a warlock who can be the party face," I should not play the eldritch knight with no healing! It is in fact my responsibility to roll up with, say, a cleric!

So that's really why: you can and should bring vague concepts you want to explore to a table, but you really shouldn't pick from a fully fleshed out OC because that doesn't engage with the setting nor what the party needs.

#answered #uglywizardhat

[fxl3]

Finally putting together some words on WWO episode 4:

Hell yeah Aabria! Talk about a big swing with Suvi- not many players can give a character such a deep flaw so connected with a world's history and culture, but Aabria just crushed it. I'm so so so excited to see where Suvi goes next, and what her character has to saw about the rest of the Citadel/Empire.

I know Suvi's brashness came as a shock for some people, but it makes perfect sense to me. She's been conditioned since childhood to fight and hate the enemy, to take pride in hurting them. I think we're going to get a lot into themes of fascism/imperialism through our relationship to Suvi. It's going to be a long haul, but I'm so excited to see the growth and conflict between the group, especially once we get to the empire. Also Suvi's words from episode one, paraphrased, "Let me go an see the world, let me prove myself" take on a whole other light once you realize she's asking to go murder some chalices and wear those deaths as a sign of her dedication to the citadel.

(side note: very interesting that their little island has an imperial governor, cool power dynamic and I'd love to hear some of the regional history there)

Suvi's absolute sickening pride in murdering a woman for the sake of the empire was both terrifying and exciting.

(side note; I'm even more sure now that Suvi's parents worked to fight the empire, costing them their lives. Maybe Steel, "The Sword of the Citadel" had some thing to do with it... And We've been conditioned to think Eiogharn/Yoren (the shapeshifter from Suvi's backstory) is supposed to be the bad guy, with all the blood and body horror/scaring Suvi- but I bet he knows a lot about what happened to Suvi's parents... And he might have been more loyal to her dad than to the empire)

Joras was such a enthralling depiction put together by Brennan. An outpost of Imperial industry combined with an older town core- with some kind of strange witch's fire burning in the background? Delicious. PLUS we have a strange wizards island out at sea- sick I tell you!

I do hope we slow down a bit and really explore here though- I know they want to keep episodes under 90 minutes, and the pace up with only 2 episodes a month, but we've really been rushing through the world so far. Which can sometimes make it feel a little like the scene's made out of cardboard, without any depth. Tough line to walk, but I think they can stick it.

I wonder what the difference between imperial and citadel wizards are- is it just political or is there an ability difference as well? What exactly is the citadels relationship to the empire? They clearly seem to be some kind of combat troops- Is that also true of empire wizards?

What the heck is the empire's enemies powers? (I'm blanking the faction/country names) shadow spirits can possess somebody as a chalice with a tattoo? Is this connected to Yoren? Is it connected to the wanderer who will visit in a year? Or are they the coincidentally similar?

#worlds beyond number #worlds beyond number spoilers #the wizard the witch and the wild one #twtwatwo #wbn pod

[unsleepingtales]

Ok I did not have a chance to watch the ep last night and I’m mildly hungover today but woo! FHJY party time!

17’s not bad!

A goddess with one cleric, one follower, and a shrimp allergy

KrisFIG Applebees

Oh Cassandra is in literal physical shards? Great. Fantastic.

Everyone here... makes steel. And I think that's wonderful. (Still one of the best moments I've ever seen)

You're doing a better job 😭

She LOST money

Very fucked up white russian

This is what they drink in the jungle!

They're so silly I love them so much

'I don't do this to you' zac started playing it out and beardsley immediately felt so guilty

Oooh love a full moon dice cleanse!

Ohh he's the church guy

It's filled with water 😡

KRISTEN

I'm glad at least one of them also feels weird about tricking someone who really doesn't want to drink into drinking.

"You gotta go right to their house and tell the Applebees house and tell them that their daughter's good"

"He must have repented an-" "Oh nooooo"

You should go to hell sometime! It's really fun!!

It must actually be so lovely for Kristen to hear her friends talk about her with so much love <3

Hellhound!Hangman!!!! <3<3<3 So cute I love him

I love the idea that instead of advisories or anything the yearbooks are grouped by party

Really idiosyncratic high fives. Incredible.

A Gardener's Dozen!!

What is this guy's vibe. I can't clock the vibe.

This blue dragonborn is hot I haven't even seen art

OH THERE'S THE ART yep he's hot.

The energy, the conjuration glyph tattoos.......

Hi Skrank!

Riiiiight dragonborn. Hoards. Etc

Tragic

I love Siobhan's collar pins so much. I need more collar pins.

That's SO cool.

Adaine. Fig's not infectious Oisin is distracted by you.

EY???

That 'I'm so tired' came from Brennan's soul

What the FUCK are you two TALKING about

ohhh I've been bested :|

y'all Kalina is currently discorporated

Watching Brennan's physicality change through that speech was great

ok but guys. Ragh taking a cleric level would not be the worst thing

AWWWWW 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

I love them SO much

I love friends that steal each other's clothes it is true and real

The High 5 Heroes! Ok!

Ok what happened to Lucy Frostblade

We're not in the library you can't rip pages out!

Are they still in the party? They weren't wearing pins right? Are they so intense because they already had to go pass/fail for a year when some of them left the party??

THERE'S A FACE BEHIND EVERY PIECE OF STEEL THAT YOU USE IN YOUR DAY TO DAY LIFE.

Kristen I love you to the ends of the earth. But why do you love the steelworkers plant so much.

What are you DOING

Ohoho spreading the message. For a second I was convinced they were gonna say spreading the gospel. And that would have been weird.

Isn't Max a senior?

Concerning!

Girl what if she's DEAD????

Someone tagged his house :((

He has to live here tomorrow :((

Babe are you sure you want to be the party house?

One last time?? What are you gonna do to the page?

So glad I'm not the only one who had the what if she's dead thought

'I am compartmentalizing in a way that makes me think I will be doing this the rest of my life' OUCH. You can't just say that man c'mon.

Fabian had a signed copy of catcher in the rye????

Reliable Talent is so neat

ALLY

Yeah it's a utopia

You could make a really campy entrance oh my GOD

Awww

That's the ice muffets drunk adaine you have my heart

Fuck yeah Fig

Eeeesh

Mazey is so cool.

With tears in her eyessss

Mazey is a cig figs fan!!! Love that for her!

I love some exploration of bardic power. It's so delightful. Art resonates with the universe!!

Love Gorgug running some interference

Ok so just bc they're not wearing the pins doesn't mean they're not still in the party.

AND FOR WHAT

Oh god what did they do

Put it in the hangvan make it a plane

Are we not allowed to take drugs?? We murder people!

Adaine is actually sleeping!!! Oh I just read a great fic about elves and sleeping vs trancing.

Gertie Bladeshield is so pretty

That is ADORABLE. IT'S AN APPLE BEE. I LOVE HER.

Hell yeah Gertie

oh SHIT

If we get the bees on our side we'll be unstoppable 😭

Trackerrrrr

AUGH.

Oh shit she can't cast right now?? I mean yeah that makes sense but oh god.

Jawbone is her UNCLE. BABE.

Oh GOD.

GIRLIE. KRISTEN.

Oh noooooo

of COURSE

Adaine Abernant I love you so much <3

HAVE A GREAT LIFE?????? You live in the same HOUSE

Aelwyn what are you up to

Oh damn ok so it might not be a pass/fail issue

Is it?? is it perfectly put??

A real dark night of the soul :(

Oooooooof

Emily with her legs curled up at the table she's just like me fr

Ohhhh no ok

Oh fun have downtime rules changed?

oh GOD the red gems are back

fun episode gang :)

#fantasy high junior year #reactions #verbal component

[autisticempathydaemon]

Hi! If you're still doing the ask pairing thingy, here's my submission! This is kind of a lot of stuff, so a quick apology for the Sheer Volume of Said Stuff, and let's get into it!

Do you love gargantuan Youtube video essays, and if so, which is your favorite and why?

Channeling the Idiotic Nerd Energy here, but hear me out:

Mathy video essays are my lifeblood. What can I say, rat brain craves sustenance. These are two of my favorites.

This is an hour-long essay on the continuity of splines, and Holy Shit. It tickles the few braincells I have left in the most wonderful ways... (Cool stuff!!)

https://youtu.be/jvPPXbo87ds

This one's a little shorter, but it explores the basis and applications of a different number system than the reals, known as "p-adic numbers." (Also cool stuff!!) Scratches the brain cell SO GOOD.

https://youtu.be/3gyHKCDq1YA

What song are you fixated on at the moment? What lyric or verse, and why?

И ты пытаешься снова дать очень дельный совет мне/Но я бы твоему рту предложил лучше скотч.

(Trans. You're trying again to give me such wise advice, but I'd offer that your mouth is better suited for scotch.)

The above lyrics are from 19 by ssshhhiiittt! (Fantastic song, though a little depressing). My russian is limited, but I Love this Song. This lyric, along with the rest of the verse, stands out to me because it captures the feeling of needing to change in some way, but nobody is giving that advice that you need; the advice that is pertinent.

Re: the Bois

As for the Bois™, I was never able to vibe with Asher or David (at least, not in a romantic sense.) Nothing against them, just not that into them. Platonically, I would forcibly befriend Lasko for nothing but "nefarious" reasons (DnD and hyperfixation talk).

Re: Eepy Talky Subjects

I get eepy and talk about either fountain pens or pretty dice. They bring so much joy to the rat brain. I could talk about fountain pen inks and bodies and makes and models until the universe dies, probably don't quote me on that though.

Tell me about that one book/movie/tv show you know all the words to.

I could probably recite most of Fantasy High or The Unsleeping City (both season 1) off memory. They're both part of Dimension 20, a live-play DnD show hosted on Dropout, and just, *chef's kiss*. Brennan Lee Mulligan (the GM) is a goddamned national treasure.

Other stuffs

Other than this, I'm just. A Guy. I'm studying to be a math teacher and I'm a type 5 on the Enneagram. I can tend to be a nervous wreck, and I also have Extreme Cool Guy Syndrome (my doctor says it's called ADHD.) So, ye! Have fun deciphering this trainwreck of an ask!!

Oh, we abso-fucking-lutely stan a couple in STEM. The nervous math teacher and the soft-spoken technician- you and Anton would be a great pair.

Type Five’s are characterized as inquisitive, innovative, and intellectual; it can be so fun to pair Fives with together because you’ll learn so much from each other and it’ll be flirting! Maybe even do the flirting in Russian, because that definitely was a factor in my complex, matchmaking algorithm.

Anton seems like the type who would love to listen and absorb, to pass the minutes hearing about the hyperfixation of the moment. Your students, math, dice sets- I don’t believe this man’s ever played a single session of a TTRPG in his life, but he’d try just because of the way your face lights up when you talk about it.

Song:

So, please, you must have faith in me/ There's no place, I'd rather be than home with you/ Where all is safe and warm/ But now I need to fight this storm

I’ve obviously got to plug my favorite Russian-singing boy. What can I say? Rybak is a dreamboat, and 5 to 7 can work really well for Anton missing you while he’s sequestered away at ETS. (Ignore the sad bit. Don’t listen to the third verse, or do! Maybe you’re an angst with a happy ending kind of babe.)

Runner-Ups:

Gavin, I like for you because I think he would be immensely charmed by the ADHD, nerd energy. Like with Lasko, there’d be so many teaching double entendres. Guy, I also like because he strikes me as a TTRPG kind of guy. He’d love actual play podcasts and series, and his chaotic energy would be great for improv if he actually played.

Note: oh my love you don’t need to tell me who Brennan Lee Mulligan is I worship and serve at the altar of Adventuring Academy 💌

Want a match-up of your own? Read this post, and tell me about yourself! 💌

#redactedasmr #redactedverse #redacted asmr #redactedaudio #redacted audio #redacted #busybee matches

[ncisladaily]

The last episode before the two-part series finale for NCIS: Los Angeles featured Callen (Chris O’Donnell) getting a file on his life — and learning just how he and Sam (LL Cool J) ended up as partners. (And thankfully they did! Could you imagine the show without their banter? We can’t either.)

In “The Reckoning,” Callen came face-to-face with Pembrook (Jere Burns), who had been part of the spy program he’d unwittingly been entered into as a kid. And in their last meeting of the episode, during which he got that aforementioned file, Callen also heard more about Hetty’s (Linda Hunt) role in his part in (and out of) it. She’d pulled him out of the program because she “was consumed with guilt” for putting him in it, wanting him to fulfill his potential. “That world was all she knew. It’s all she had to offer you,” as a parent, and while that may not be exactly what Hetty is to Callen, “you mean everything to her,” Pembrook stressed.

And before he walked away, Pembrook suggested, “take a look in that file. You’ll see who gave Hetty the dossier on Senior Chief Petty Officer Sam Hanna. I thought he’d make a great partner. No, that’s not true. I thought he’d make a great friend.”

So how did it come about that Pembrook would be the one partly responsible for bringing Callen and Sam together?

“That wasn’t ‘til recently, to be honest, because the Callen thing has — with any show that’s been on for a long time, at least in my experience, you lay in seeds and then you sort of harvest them later sometimes. And sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you just leave them and you never go back to them. I think with our show, given enough seasons, we probably would’ve gone back and reaped a lot of the things that we sowed in earlier,” executive producer R. Scott Gemmill told TV Insider. (Read what he said about some of those things here.)

“With Pembrook, we went on this path where Hetty was involved with these kids and then we sort of needed to have a bit of a bad guy so that Hetty wasn’t culpable for mistreating Callen and that’s where Pembrook came in and Jere Burns was so great in that role and really brought it to life and then we just figured a way to tie it into our partners,” he continued.

Something else that they figured out in the process was the trap door in the interrogation room in the boatshed. “I wrote a scene where we had a trap door that went to the ocean and we thought we were going to have to build a replica of that room, our interrogation room, a few feet off the ground and put what looks like water underneath it to do it. And then somebody said, ‘I think there’s a tank in that stage.’ And sure enough, there’s a tank in that stage and we had built over it and we just had to essentially cut a hole in the floor of our set,” Gemmill explained.

“And that was so serendipitous that we knew we had to do it because what are the chances there’s a tank right under your set of where you wanted to put a trap door into the ocean? I mean, it was uncanny. It still gives me goosebumps now when I think about it,” he said. “We just added the weapons thing this last year, so that was a nice edition. And that’s cool, that we got to add things every now and every season, add a little bit more to the legend of the show, and we even have an upstairs for the boatshed, which we haven’t fully explored.”

The word “legend” might make you think of the two-part NCIS backdoor pilot that introduced the Office of Special Projects back in 2009. “I still remember when they were shooting that. I came down to talk to Shane [Brennan]. They were shooting down on the boardwalk or the bike path in Santa Monica. Long time ago,” Gemmill recalled.

And with LL Cool J bringing Sam Hanna to NCIS: Hawai’i in Season 3, they’ll still, in a way, continue to add to the legend of Los Angeles.

#s14 #g callen #hetty lange #sam hanna #ncis la

[strangetorpedos]

in an ideal world a starstruck odyssey would’ve looked like this (keep in mind i have Not watched the last ~4 episodes so that’s where i’m coming at this from):

-gnosis either Is The Plot or doesn’t exist. i think if gnosis is the plot it becomes about Well, We Don’t Want Them In Charge Of This But What Does It Mean If We Are. and like about gnosis’ autonomy and how we deal with something this powerful but that can very easily be put in the wrong hands. WAIT actually as i’m typing this im getting very watchman from bahumia vibes and i think that it could’ve been very interesting to explore it in a more in-depth way than they did in naddpod

-literally change all of skip/norman’s story. okay actually i think it’s like. fine. for the pcs to still be like “we love skip & hate norman” bc that feels really true to life/the messiness of people! but there should’ve been pushback from brennan as the person “controlling” the narrative & there should’ve been more internal conflict from zac once skip was more intelligent (i feel like he started to do this but brennan kinda just hand waved & said “it’s fine” which is part of the problem)

-going off of that, that could’ve been a really good way to tie in sidney’s story as well! i think having her want to like. find an android body for skip to live in could’ve been SO interesting and tie in really well into her whole “keeper of souls” thing. i also think sidney consistently had the best scenes this season (finding out she’s the keeper of souls, the junkmother) & i feel like this would’ve added to it

-would’ve loved to explore more of what it meant to be a clone from barry syx. i feel like it would’ve been really cool to see more of how he was coping with essentially his whole identity being stripped away from him when barry nyne killed the rest of the barrys and i feel like we didn’t get enough of that

-more interpersonal stakes. all of the stakes felt very external this season and it meant that we didn’t really focus on the characters as people and - more importantly - their connections with each other/with others. i think zortch is actually a really good example of this: zortch was physically present for most of the season but what did they actually do? cook? it would’ve been cool if anyone tried to make any sort of connection with them at all

-give gunnie & riva more connections to plot besides “debt” and “pleasure putty.” give them a REASON to be here! give them a narrative arc! and no gunnie’s debt getting essentially hand waved away doesn’t count. they are both such interesting characters that i feel like never got a chance to get beyond surface level

#there’s definitely more but i’m not coherent enough to write more lol #this is making me want to do a fic rewrite of aso. hm. considering #anyway. aso was not that great and i will probably finish it but. i’m very ready for the next sidequest to cleanse me of this 😭 #chat.txt #d20 #aso #also sorry i’m talking abt this so much i feel like the floodgates have been opened LMFAO

[amnestyaubrey]

I'll gladly help you procrastinate! For the character ask, Ayda Aguefort, Pete the Plug, and First of her Name, Sovereign Ruler of Candia and the Sugarlands, Witch-Queen of the Dairy Sea, High Priestess of the Sweetening Path, Archmage of Lost Sucrosia, Enemy of the Faith, The Sundae Sorceress, Storm-Captain of the Frosted Fleet, Queen Saccharina of House Frostwhip.

oh gosh this got LONG kldsaljda ty for the ask friend! sorry for the weird formatting i had to copy it from the notes app because i didn’t trust tumblr not to randomly delete it while i was typing

Ayda

Why I like them- goodness gracious why do I love Ayda? Best best best girl. She wants friends desperately but she has a hard time but she doesn’t try to change herself to do it? And she is just,, so brilliant and Wonderfull and she makes me very emotional. Fun fact, there’s a video on YouTube that’s just all of her appearances, and I started watching that when I couldn’t get access to dropout because I was so intrigued about what I saw on Tumblr! And she’s like 60% of the reason I got dropout

* Why I don’t- BEST GIRL.

* Favorite episode (scene if movie)- I mean the figayda first kiss and everything that preceded it was GOLD. Also the scene where adaine asks if she wants to hold boggy. What an angel.

* Favorite season/movie- sophomore year obviously! Can’t wait for more content with her as time goes on!

* Favorite line- “NOOO IT’S TOO CUTE!” And “if i was you, i wouldn’t want to be anyone else” “I too am a low quality child”

* Favorite outfit- the sweater she’s wearing in the full version of my icon because its says “reading is lit” and I love the pun sm! you know one of the bad kids would get it for her! https://rabdoidal.tumblr.com/post/190876580075/baby-youre-hands-down-the-best-thing-about-me-and

* OTP- Fig!! They’re such a good balance for each other! Fig is always trying to be other people, but around Ayda she’s growing into herself more! And Ayda learning from fig too, getting out of her comfort zone and GAH I LOVE THEM. IN THE WORDS OF LOU WILSON I BLESS THIS UNION

* Brotp- Adaine! Gorgug! And Cheese of course!

* Head Canon- I have no idea how junior year is gonna go, but I can see her spending time at Aguefort trying to talk more with her dad and see her friends since she doesn’t really know anyone else in Elmville? And she will slowly and accidentally take over their school library and anyone taking wizard classes will totally come to her for advice! Let Ayda have all the friends okay.

* Unpopular opinion- I talked about this in a different ask but her cameo in pirol felt just a bit out of place? Like if I hadn’t seen fhsy it would’ve really thrown me off and it kinda messed with the standalone nature of the season. That being said I LOVED that scene!! i want more of her and cheese being friends!

* A wish- idc how unrealistic it may be, fig and ayda will be high school sweethearts dang it! I think they’ll have their struggles for sure, but that’s endgame baby!

* An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen- if brennan hurts her I WILL be meeting him in the denny’s parking lot, no mercy

* 5 words to best describe them- brilliant, radiant, outstanding, show-stopping, resplendent

* My nickname for them- best girl!!

Pete the Plug

Why I like them- my boy is really trying his best!! The voice of the dreams, who finds a home and people who love and respect and support him, who stares down the dream and asks to see its true form.

Why I don’t- I love him your honor!

Favorite episode (scene if movie)- yo I bingewatched this season so fast my memory is badddd so I’m not sure!

Favorite line: my memory is such garbage man!! Idk!! I just looked through his Tumblr tag and that one line in the coffee shop where he asks where the crying booth is is GOLD

Favorite outfit- cowboy hat KING

OTP- I am not immune to the Pete/ricky/ester/Sofia polycule,,

Brotp- Kingston!! they had a rough patch, but I love the way they grow to understand and care for each other! And also Nod ofc, their scenes were my favorite!

Head Canon: he pops up at the hospital to grab lunch with Kingston and the other nurses are just like “Kingston your boy is here” and no one corrects them

Unpopular opinion: I’m not sure tbh? I have trouble with these cause I’m not sure what the popular opinions are

A wish- someone get that boy a sweater. Its New York in December he’s gonna FREEZE he needs a COAT

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen- no more toxic relationships! Let him thrive!

5 words to best describe them- unpredictable, wild, wonderful, passionate, reckless

My nickname for them- not a nickname but occasionaly i will see fanart and just go KING in my head. love that vox fantasma

QUEEN SACCHARINA

* Why I like them: it’s illegal for me not to fall in love with Emily’s PCs. Her backstory absolutely wrecked me! She’s trying so hard, she was without a family for so long and she found a family and then she was finally reunited with her blood family and it was weird and complicated and FCK she’s so good

* Why I don’t- Emily axford does no wrong

* Favorite episode (scene if movie)- finale! Holy shit that finale! (Also for scene, that first round of combat where she thunder steps and saves Joren. Holy fcking moly.)

* Favorite line: god it hurt me DEEPLY, but I can’t stop thinking about “you can be my sister or my queen, but you can’t be both” “then I choose to be your queen”

Favorite outfit- anything as long as she has a CROWN dang it

OTP- a loving home where she can spread magic and have PEACE

Brotp- Theo!! Axmurph were killing me this season!

Head Canon- one of the ways she bonds with her family is taking them on rides on Cinnamon! That feeling of freedom, of magic; it helps them understand her better, and it shows that they trust her. The first time Ruby goes flying with her, she tells her to hang on so they can do something cool, and Ruby instinctually wraps her arms around Saccharina. It’s the first time they hug. They don’t mention it, but they both get a little misty eyed.

Unpopular opinion- I really wanted a scene where she asked about Jet. She’s spent so long wanting a family, just to find out once again the church had taken the chance from her. i have some,, personal feelings about what that would be like and I really wish that her feelings about that had been explored a little more

A wish: oh let her be happy PLEASE. Her family may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but those bonds WILL grow

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen- if we had gotten the bad ending of them turning on each other,, oh god

5 words to best describe them- fierce, magical, powerful, resilient, strong

My nickname for them- I just love the nickname Rina for her!!

#geometricalien #turtle's ask box

[unnursvanablog]

All the books I read in 2020 / part 2.

The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker: ☆☆☆☆☆

Loved how these myths and legends were used within this story. It is a beautiful tale of immigration and friendship and how Wecker conveyed that was just beautiful. The text did drag its feet in some places, but this story is also so character driven; their experience with the world, and their longings, so I understand that slow pace. Everything about it felt really sincere and it truly is a book that leaves you with something. I have never read anything like this before and I felt like it bridges the gap between historical history and fantasy well.

Naturally Tan - Tan France: ☆☆☆

I listened to this book in one sitting as I drove from the capital area and all the way home to the countryside. And I really enjoyed it because I really like Tan France and he narrated the audiobook himself. The text, the chapters and therefor the book itself goes a bit all over the place and it feels a bit vapid at times. It was about everything and nothing, really.

The Silence of Bones - June Hur: ☆☆☆

I am not so much for these types of mystery novels, so it was not something that drew me forward, but I did find the atmosphere that Hur created within the story and the historical elements really great and made the story quite enjoyable. I felt like learning a little more about certain parts of Korean history that I did not know before, and I really enjoyed that.

In the Labyrinth of Drakes - Marie Brennan: ☆☆☆

The world that Brennan has created continues to wow me. It is complex and it’s so much fun to travel around it. I love getting to know these characters at different stages of their lives and it just makes you like them even more. The story often runs into the same problem for me and that is that I find the first parts of the story so exciting, it is an adventure, but then it loses me a little towards the end.

The Will to Battle - Ada Palmer: ☆☆

After the amazing storyline of the second book, this book really lacked any excitement within the plot to propel you further and instead we got a lot of philosophical lessons and musings. In the previous books I felt like Palmer managed to strike a balance between those things, but not here. So little was going on. This story is deep, beautifully written, and complex and all that, but the text is often so long and dense, and my dyslexia just wants to skip these walls of texts that often just feel like statements about something philosophical but not real conversations or reflections from the characters.

The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep - H.G. Parry: ☆☆☆☆

I was hoping for a 'grown up version' of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, and although that was not quite what I got, I really enjoyed this. I thought the world was well thought out, and the idea of the readers interpretation of the characters and even literary criticism can affect how they would appear in our world was a cool concept. In some places I felt that the story was a bit stunted or towards the end I was starting to predict where it was going, and there was a lot of misunderstanding between the characters so the story could continue, which got on my nerves. But for the majority of the time, it was a really fun read.

Midnight Sun - Stephenie Meyer: ☆

You can judge me for this. I judge myself too. It was strange to fall back into the Twilight world after completely falling out of it after reading the last Twilight book. But out of sheer curiosity, I decided to give this one a try. But wow… this was not fun and added almost nothing to the original story and Edward is just so damn boring and having to spend time in his mind was just kind of a torment.

The Absolute Sandman, vol 1 & 2 - Neil Gaiman: ☆☆, ☆

I was going to listen to the whole thing via the new and shiny audible version of the Sandman comics, but I could sit through more than the first two volumes. I could not tolerate the violence against the female and queer characters. Oh my god! You do not have to go that far to make your story edgy, or create a complex, dark world. Nothing that happened seemed to move me or make me want to keep listening to this story. It does not really seem to revolve around anything. Or maybe I am just too annoyed to pay attention to the story. Fortunately, Gaiman seems to have improved as a writer since.

Radio Silence - Alice Oseman: ☆☆☆☆

Listened to this and although contemporary YA is is usually not something that hooks me or interest me in any way, Oseman manages to make the story so genuine and down to earth despite all the teenage drama, and the character felt so real that it just draws you in. The daily problems of teenagers often seem too dramatic or unreal to me in books like this, but that was not here. The text is not to flowery, but not too simple either. The story just as a really good pace going on. Everything just flowed together.

Wicked Fox - Kat Cho: ☆☆☆

The story did sound like a kdrama to me and I was hoping it would be that. Just fun and cute and fluffy with some loveable characters and sprinkle of myths and legends. It was fun, it didn't go into too much depth with most things within the story. It kinda brushes over a lot of things. For me the book started of well, but then towards the middle of the book things start to happen to fast and there was not enough time spent on bulding things up, so in the end the story kinda went nowhere for me. The little bits of the Gumiho legend, at least how the legend was presented in this book, inbetween the chapters was my favorite bit.

The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien: ☆☆☆☆

You can tell that worldbuilding and just spending time making things up for this magical world that he crated was one of the things Tolkien enjoyed the most when it came to writing. The stories about Middle Earth, even the backstories, are so rich and lushus. I do struggle with the writing style, it does feel a bit dry to me at times, and it does feel like short stories set in the world of Middle Earth and not at tightly knit story which isn't always my cup of tea so it did take me a while to get into it.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix: ☆☆☆

The story really throws you straight into the action and you just have to find your bearings as best as you can while the story goes on. It was really fast paced and the story never really stops for too long to give you a breather. It was light and funny, a little weird and the character were whimsical, which I enjoyed. Sometimes I felt like I was in a Doctor Who episode, except with magic and not aliens. I just wish it would have let the story breath a little more for me to really enjoy the world that Nix had crafted and such things.

A Deadly Education - Naomi Novik: ☆☆

I do not know what happened here, but wow, this was so not Novik at her best. Neither the characters or the worldbuilding that I am used to getting from Novik was in this book and for the most part there wasn't a whole lot going on in this books. I can deal with a slow burning book and really just enjoy a good fantasy world but there was very little interesting things here to explore. I can deal with a unlikeable main character, but this one didn't grow at all during the book, she just kept on reminding us why she was cranky all the time and how much she delighted in it. There was a whole lot of telling about this magical school and the diverse world outside of it, but very little showing so it all seems rather empty and after a while I just started to skim over the text. And there was really no story there that kept me going and I could not see the purpose for anything that happened.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab: ☆☆☆☆☆

Oh, wow. The feeling that this book created inside me and the sincerity within the text just grabbed me and would not let me go. I made me feel a lot of things, and I love when a books do that. There are so many emotions behind it and you can really feel them. The atmosphere that Schwab creates in the story is great and it hooks you in, but it is the character and their stories that make you stay. I don't usually enjoy timejumps, but Schwab did them so well and they do explain the story and the motivations for each of the characters really well, although it get's a bit repetitive at times, especially towards the end.

The Moomins: The Exploits of Moominpappa, Moominsummer Madness, Moominland Midwinter - Tove Jansson: ☆☆☆☆

I love the Moomins, but there's just something so cozy about these stories and characters. They are part of my childhood, they are so light, whimiscal and funny, yet have depth to them, which is a balance that is difficult to achieve in my opinion. My journey through this book took me almost a year, as I only occasionally picked it up to enjoy the text and my stay in this small, strange world that Jansson created. I was savoring it.

Shine - Jessica Jung: ☆☆☆

SNSD, the band that Jesscia Jung was in, is my favorite kpop band since I started listening to kpop more than 10 years ago and their music is one of the main reasons why I got into kpop to begin with. So of course I was intrigued! The story here is something that I think could be inspired Jessica experiences within the kpop industry, or that thought never left me as I read it even if there were lot of unbelievable things going on within these pages. But it's definitely overdramatized at times. But how she talks about gender discrimination between female singers and male singer, from other people in the business and from the fans and the expectations that people have towards these singers and such. That felt really authentic to me. For all the glamor and the dazzle of the kpop world within this book the plot and the characters are a bit dull, and some of the more unbelievable events (like all of those trips and secret cafes) often pulled me out of the story. And I did not find the clichéd YA romance fun to read at all.

#book reviews #book review

[gonewiddershins]

Romancelandia you don’t have to ask I’m just gonna say it anyway~

Original Post Here

Barbara Cartland: Favourite author?

Courtney Milan.

Alisha Rai: Favorite era? (i.e. when they were written, not when set)

Current! I’m ecstatic to see how much more punk the romance novel genre has become lately- so many authors explicitly talking about race and class and gender and mental health and neurodivergence in so many interesting ways. Independent publishing opening up entirely new avenues which were not recommended for traditional publications. It’s exciting and wonderful.

Eve Dangerfield: Favourite setting for historicals?

Not sure if my opinion matters here because I have read books from very few eras? I think my preferences have moved to mid-to-late Victorian era for England-based books, but what I really want more of is historicals on other (non North American) continents. I badly want to do a romance in Historical India that is not about Englishmen, for example. Like a Muslim and Hindu falling in love during the Aurangazeb era, maybe. 

Anne Mather: Favourite contemporary setting/sub-genre

Again, I haven’t really read enough to form a nuanced opinion- when I look for contemporaries, my first priority used to be “does this make me laugh?” Which is um- a relic of a bygone era, because that used to be the only thing I wanted from contemporaries. 

Right now, I try to get read more of diverse romance in contemporary eras. Again, including non-American/English nationalities.

Georgette Heyer: Third or first person tense?

Either will do. It’s not really a factor in how much I enjoy a story. 

Lisa Kleypas: Hero/ine you’d most like to date & Jane Austen: Hero/ine you’d most like to be friends with

Same answer to both of the above categories. I’ll take anyone who I think is a rational person who forgives misunderstandings ans does not try to actively make them. I’m not really that picky. 

Amanda Quick: Hero/ine you most relate to

At the time when I first read it as a dramatic early twenties person, Minerva Lane from Courtney Milan’s The Duchess War spoke to me. There was a lot in there about fear and having to push yourself down fro the sake of survival that was similar to my life back then. I cried a lot when I read that book. 

More recently, I really wanted to snuggle up to Verity Plum from Cat Sebastian’s A duke in Disguise because her feelings of independence and placing it above pretty much everything else her life is... yeah. A lot of what Verity says sounds intimately familiar. 

Julie Anne Long: Historical or contemporary?

Historical. Given a choice between two books which are similarly positioned in terms of tropes I like and hate, I’ll pick a historical every time. 

Mariana Zapata: Open or closed door sex scenes? & Anne Hampson: Erotic or clean romances?

Ninety percent of the time I’m thoroughly disinterested in the sex scenes, and sometimes I am actively annoyed at the many pages of boning happening while the protagonists barely have an emotional connection. That said, there are plenty books which have no sex scenes where I am reduced to gross sobbing because GODDAMMIT THERE IS TOO MUCH SEXUAL TENSION IN THE AIR GIVE ME BONING.

I am still thirsty about Jo Beverley’s The Unwilling Bride. There was so much sexual tension and growth and Lucien was hot as hell but there was no sex scene. //grumbles

Elizabeth Hoyt: Paranormal or science fiction?

I haven’t read that much SF romance, but I’m going to pick it anyway because the usual tropes associated with Werewolves/Vampires bug the crap out of me. 

Nalini Singh: Favourite tropes

Both the protagonists have problems with stakes, and one is not there to manic pixie the other. Protagonists have relationships (non-romantic) outside of the romance. Subversions and reversions of gender norms. Banter and Snark. Character tries very very hard to not be emotionally vulnerable, but goddammit there are these stupid feelings. 

Alyssa Cole: Least favourite tropes

Prolonged Miscommunication. Slut shaming, especially when coupled with I Have Had So Much Sex and I am So Experienced hypocrisy. Gratuitous sex with no emotional connection. Protagonists immediately throwing over all other friends/family/loved ones for the sake of their new romantic interest. False competence in female characters which immediately get thrown to the wind when the romantic interest comes on scene (Ahem. Never Judge a lady By Her Cover.)

Rose Lerner: Favourite / Least favourite series

Nope.

Sandra Marton: Favourite romantic non-romance or love story

Unspoken Trilogy, by Sarah Rees Brennan. It is in part a fascinating exploration of privacy in a relationship- most of the rest of it is about friendships and platonic relationships. There is also a cult of sorcerers trying to take over the world via human sacrifice but I continue to insist that’s mostly just setting information. 

Skye Warren: Any problematic faves?

I have a depressingly large soft spot for anything funny, and I will forgive a lot of despised tropes if a book makes me laugh. I’m easy.

Specific examples: Until You (Judith McNaught), Dragon Shifter Series (Katie MacCalister).   

Ainsley Booth: Position on HEAs

I’m cool with those.

Abby Green: Position on HFNs

I like these better than HEAs, because the characters I like tend to be difficult and also fighting various difficult scenarios so it’s far more likely that more problems will pop up in their lives than not. 

Kristen Ashley: Position on the “romance novels are feminist” discourse

Conflicted. I think many romances are feminist, but there are an equal number or more which are patently not. Like all other genres, it has to be judged on a book by book basis, not for the genre as a whole.  

Carla Kelly: Position on the “calling romance novels trashy is problematic” discourse

Yes. Outright dismissal of an entire genre is just dumb. 

Diana Palmer: Position on the “are romance novels porn” discourse

Ha, no. Porn is porn. 

Johanna Lindsey: Position on the “romance novels represent the female gaze” discourse

Yes, I guess? In many romances the way men are portrayed is markedly different from the way they are seen in other genres. Again, this is not a universal constant- all romances do not show men in the exact same way. 

Also, it is hard to find any other genre with a larger proportion of characters, viewpoints and conflicts centered around women so there’s that.   

Mary Jo Putney: Position on the “calling romances without sex ‘clean’ or ‘sweet’ is implicitly slut shaming romances with sex” discourse?

Yes. Just call them romances without sex. What are we, the moral police?

Cara McKenna: What’s your hot take on the “forced seduction” trope?

I understand the time and place where there scenes were popular, and the social norms which prompted them. I’m still uncomfortable with them and there are may things I’d rather read about so I avoid them.    

Abigail Barnette: Opinion of Fifty Shades of Grey

Never read it, don’t plan to. Like I said, sex is not really my thing.

Tessa Bailey: Opinion of Twilight

I gobbled these books like a maniac when I first read them and there is a lot of pure entertainment in there and there is so much emotion. That said, they are not quite as interesting on re-reads. :(

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss: Opinion of Pride & Prejudice

I’m not comfortable with the prose, which means i prefer to watch/read adaptations. Most notably the Lizzie Bennet Diaries. 

Lynne Graham: Opinion of Harlequin Mills & Boon

Meh. 

Tessa Dare: Opinion of bodice rippers

I mean, I would be fine if there wasn’t so much of people causing their own problems by refusing to talk to each other. 

Sylvia Day: Opinion of Fabio

I did not even know he was a real person till like- recently.

Roni Loren: Opinion of male romance authors

Yes please. Particularly if they are writing under female pseudonyms. With this, we are getting the exact same thing that female authors did and have to go through- a forced perspective from people oft he other gender. That can only lead to more nuance and acceptance and I am all about that.  

Courtney Milan: All-time favourite romance novel & Jana Aston: Favourite contemporary romance & Judith McNaught: Favourite historical romance

Nope.

Alexa Riley: Physical or digital books?

Digital. I tend to make a lot of highlights and notes and that holds up much better with ebooks. 

E.L. James: Internal drama or external drama

Characters who are not getting together/along because they can’t communicate with each other are better off not being with each other in the first place. So if that’s what internal drama is then I prefer the external type. 

Sarah MacLean: Favourite heroine/s & Maya Rodale: Least favourite heroine/s & Penny Reid: Favourite hero/s & Megan Hart: Least favourite hero/s & Stephenie Meyer: Favourite and least favourite couple/s

I have types rather than specific examples. Most of it has already been detailed out in the tropes questions.

Beverly Jenkins: First romance novel you ever read

Almost Heaven, by Judith McNaught.

Sabrina Jeffries: How long have you been reading romance novels?

14 years or thereabouts.  

Loretta Chase: Last romance novel you read

A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian. I’m currently reading An Unconditional Freedom (Alyussa Cole) and Earthrise (MCA Hogarth).

Christina Lauren: Do you need to start a series from the beginning, or can you just dive in anywhere?

Anywhere is fine.

Chuck Tingle: How strong does your HEA have to be?

Not much. See the HFN answer. 

Julia Quinn: Underrated author/s & Mary Balogh: Most overrated author/s & Violet Winspear: Most overrated book/s & Sara Craven: Most underrated book/s & Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Best romance by a debut author? & Madison Faye: Favourite romance by a non-romance author

Error Report: Cannot Compute, not enough data.

Nora Roberts: Least favourite hero and heroine archetypes

Eloisa James: What are you reading when you’re not reading romance?

Fantasy, Science Fiction, YA, Comics, Mysteries, Fanfiction, Nonfiction. I’ll read anything. 

Teresa Medeiros: Other media property you wish was a romance novel

Idk what this means?   

Laura Lee Guhrke: Last romance novel you DNFed

I think it was Elizabeth Kingston’s A Fallen Lady? Which was actually a GOOD book and I skipped ahead to scenes I really wanted to see and those scenes made me cry but also... there was not much about the romance itself that I was really interested in. I loved the heroine to death though. 

Cat Sebastian: Alpha, Gamma, or Beta heroes?

Depends on how they are written, but I confess an Alpha is so easily made into an irredeemable dipshit.  

Jeannie Lin: Ideal hero and heroine archetypes

Family-minded hero stressed out about taking care of his family. Independent, business minded heroine. 

Helen Hoang: Sexually experienced or inexperienced heroines? & Lucy Monroe: Sexually experienced or inexperienced heroes?

Experienced heroines and inexperienced heroes. Play against the type!

Lorraine Heath: When you choose a book do you look for tropes, plots or authors?

Authors, then Tropes. I barely pay attention to plots. 

C.D. Reiss: Puns in titles: 👍 or 👎?

YES. I have picked up books purely because of punny titles. 

Emily Bronte: Favourite cover designs/illustrations & Maya Banks: Least favourite cover design 

I suck a remembering covers so this question is going to get skipped~

Penny Jordan: What would you like to see more of in romance novels?

Diversity and cliche subversions. 

Lauren Blakey: What would you like to see less of in romance novels?

Overplayed cliches played in the same way again and again. Relationships based entirely on sex. 

Betty Neels: What do you think are the high and low points of the genre?

Highs: Romancelandia is probably the most intelligent and nuanced fandom I have ever been a part of and I have been a part of many fandoms. The genre is very, very diverse and there are so many experiments going on in the fringes. Questions and stories about the emotional components of relationships can never get old because there are too many permutations to explore in a few lifetimes.  

Lows: The core of the romance novel industry is still trying desperately to hold on to tropes and themes of older days, many of which are regressive. 

Jill Shalvis: Finish this sentence: “Romance novels are__________”

complex social commentaries. 

#ask meme #romance novels

[miasswier]

miasswier’s ultimate glee ranking: no 23

23: Girls (and Boys) on Film

Written by: Micheal Hitchcock Directed by: Ian Brennan

Overall thoughts: This is legitimately one of the funniest episodes of Glee to ever air. Every time I watch I just die of laughter. And it’s awesome because there’s so many amazing one-liners that I always forget one or two and get to experience them all over again with every re-watch. Aside from that, it’s a solid episode. It’s got quite a few things that a like, including the only Marley/Jake/Ryder scene I not only can stand, but actually enjoy watching.

What I Like:

I can’t even list all of the amazing one-liners in this episode because this review would be like ten pages long, but here are my favourites:

“Ain’t nobody got time for that”

“Ryder kissed me” “Was he any good or did his enormous donkey teeth bite into your lips?”

“Is that a garage door opener?”

“What about Brody’s vote? Or, do drug dealers not get to vote?”

“She was going all ACDC”

“Oh, okay, I like how guys pretend to be all accepting about everything, but when your friend suddenly shows up in your home, moves in, and goes through all your stuff, you’re offended?!”

“If I were you I would forget the hair and lead with the wheelchair thing.”

“Aw, not even She’s Having a Baby? Because you always cry at the end when Elizabeth McGovern has the baby.”

“We should do The Artist so we don’t have to sing.”

For once an episode that has a main Will Schuester storyline that doesn’t make me want to die. Because it feels right that he would have a lot of screen time in this episode. Thankfully it doesn’t do what “I Do” and “Yes/No” does, and sideline him in his own fucking plot.

The “Unchained Melody” scene. It’s so goddamn clever.

Santana is so fucking funny in this episode. BUT, she also manages to be really sweet to Rachel when Rachel starts crying (even if you can tell on her face that she has no idea what to do about a sobbing Rachel Berry falling into her arms).

We finally get to see how Kurt is feeling about his break-up with Blaine. It’s actually kind of refreshing that we get his perspective after the events of “I Do”, since all season long he’s been sidelined while Blaine’s feelings get explored deeply. It makes me so happy to see Kurt get a nice little storyline relating to his feelings for Blaine vs his relationship with Adam.

I’ve always found it hilarious that Adam is more upset about the fact that Kurt used to sing “Come What May” with Blaine than he is about Kurt and Blaine hooking up at the wedding (which he very clearly is aware of).

I always did think Kurt and Adam are cute, so it’s nice we at least got one episode exploring how they are together before Glee flushed Adam and Kadam down the toilet.

The little detail about the boombox being Blaine’s. Because of course he’d have a boombox.

What I Don’t Like:

Finn still acting like Will and Emma’s relationship fell apart because of him, when it’s very clear that him kissing her is so far from Emma’s mind. Like, chill, dude. Stop trying to make everything about you.

Santana making a joke about Rachel becoming bulimic. It feels especially awful considering Glee is just coming out of a multiple episode long arc about a girl dealing with bulimia.

The show is still trying to sell a Kitty/Marley frenemy deal, when at this point it should just be going for the friendship angle. I don’t know why they kept trying to make Kitty seem conniving for so long? She never tells anyone about Marley and Ryder, so what was the point of making it clear she’s just there for the gossip and not because she cares about Marley? It just makes her seem unnecessarily mean, and Marley unnecessarily dumb.

Songs:

You’re All the World to Me: As a song, I’m not a fan, but I do think the performance is really cool. They did a good job with it.

Shout: I don’t care for this song. The more times I watch this episode, the more it feels like they only added this number in so that the 500th number wouldn’t be “Come What May” because they wanted to avoid shipper bullshit (which was already going on since quite a few Finchel fans were mad that their couple didn’t get to sing “Come What May”). Like, seriously, what does this number add to the episode? Nothing, is the answer.

Come What May: I have a love-hate relationship with this cover. Moulin Rouge is one of my all time favourite movies, and I’ve always loved “Come What May”. When they announced Klaine would be singing it, I basically lost my shit. And then they released the audio and… they cut half the fucking song. Seriously. It went from an almost five-minute long song to three and a half minutes. My favourite parts got cut. I seriously don’t understand why they fucking did that. I bet you anything that if Finn and Rachel or literally any straight couple had sang this song that they wouldn’t have cut it. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. But all that being said, I really love the in-episode performance. It’s like they knew we’d be pissed they cut out half the song so they threw us a bone by letting them perform the whole recorded version in the episode. It’s an awesomely emotional scene, especially when it pans out and you see that it’s Kurt’s fantasy, not Blaine’s. But, ugh. I’m still mad that they cut half the fucking song.

Old Time Rock and Roll/Danger Zone: I like this one! It’s fun and they did a good job of mashing these songs up.

Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend/Material Girl: Like, honestly, they didn’t even try. They ripped this right out of Moulin Rouge. They literally kept the line “Talk to me Harry Zidler,” instead of changing it to the original “Talk to me Harry Winston”. There’s obviously a few other moments that are very obviously from the movie, but that’s the most obvious one to me. I wouldn’t have minded if they’d just done this as a musical performance, but they did it as an assignment for mash-up week, which implies they had to make their own mash-ups, which implies that the girls mashed up these two songs on their own. This has always annoyed me so much.

In Your Eyes: This is one of two Will Schuester solos that I actually really like (the other being “Sway”). It always makes me tear up, and I think he sounds fantastic.

Unchained Melody: I LOVE THIS SONG. Like I said earlier, I think the whole scene is so goddamn clever. Having Marley come out of the scene and watch herself with both guys, especially knowing the Ryder stuff is all in her head. It shows her conflict so fucking well, and is just really cool. I love this cover, and I love this scene. Basically the only scene that involves all that nonsense that I actually appreciate.

Footloose: This is a good song, but it feels like one song too many. We’re at eight, now. Oh my god. Stop singing. Just let it end, for the love of god. ALSO this falls into the same trap that “Anything Can Happen” did: it’s so fucking upbeat, but we left off on a really intense note with Will and Finn. Feels like way too much a shift in tone.

Final Thoughts: God, this episode makes me laugh. I named a few of my favourite lines earlier, but seriously, there’s so many. Santana especially kills it in this episode, although Sugar has some pretty funny lines too. For once I don’t feel like the Will/Emma story is being forced, which makes me able to enjoy it. Plus, we finally get to see a bit of Kurt’s side of the break up, which was way too long coming. Overall just a really fantastic episode, with honestly very few things that annoy me.

#ultimate glee ranking #obviously i love this set of episodes since 13-15 are literally in order on my ranking #didn't even realize when i made the ranking LOL

[withickmire]

If you like Deltora Quest...

I love making book recs! Finals are here, and one of my procrastination outlets was to make a short list of book recs that people in our lovely fandom might enjoy. Although a couple of the series listed are high-fantasy, more are not, but still remind me of Deltora Quest based on similar themes. All of these recs are series, but I’ve just linked to the first book in each! 

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver – These books are aimed at a younger audience than the rest of my list (though still older than DQ). I started them when I was twelve, and then kind of forgot about them, and picked them back up in high school where I fell in love. The series is set in Stone Age Europe, and begins with a boy named Torak, as he reluctantly fulfills a prophecy with the help of a wolf cub, and a hot-tempered girl named Renn. While the first book is good, I’d say the story really picks up after the second or third, where it becomes this beautiful, rich narrative full of incredible character development that expands over the course of a few years. It’s full of brilliant plot twists, emotional arcs, and beautiful relationships. Renn is definitely one of my favourite characters, and she carries some major shades of Jasmine. And Torak can talk to animals! If you like the darker, more emotional aspects of Deltora Quest, you might like this series!

Tortall Realm by Tamora Pierce – Tortall isn’t so much a series, but rather a universe where Pierce sets her books. Each individual series is quite self-contained, with references to the others, but you can really read each series in whatever order you like (though I recommend reading them chronologically). Pierce has built this incredibly vast medieval high-fantasy world, with a detailed geography, its own pantheon. All of her protagonists are remarkable women, strong in their own ways. My personal favourite heroine is Kel, the protagonist of the Protector of the Small quartet! Most of the series follow the heroines over a long period of time, so you get to see them become these amazing women. The books are full of magic, intrigue, very cool sword fights, and fascinating creatures.  

The Lynburn Legacy by Sarah Rees Brennan – This series is probably the most different from Deltora Quest of the ones listed here. But I am a sucker for found families, and this series has one of my favourite examples. It’s set in a small English town, full of buried secrets, and even deeper buried magic. On it’s own, the series is great! It’s full of magic, it has a wonderful protagonist, it’s full of hilarious dialogue. But it is the relationships between the characters that make it as special as it is. There are some great romantic relationships, but Brennan makes it clear that her focus is on the friendships, particularly of the protagonist, Kami, and her best friend, Angela. All of the characters have complicated relationships with their families, and wind up forming this lovely family of their own, who would (and sometimes do) sacrifice anything for each other. 

Graceling Realm by Kristen Cashore – Another expansive medieval high fantasy world. The books here can be read as stand-alones, particularly the first, but they work so much better together. The rules of the magic in this universe are really creative! Certain people are ‘Graced’ with singular magical abilities, that either cause them to be revered or hated. Katsa, the protagonist of the first book, has a Grace that enables her to torture and kill with just a touch. This might have caused her to be cast out or killed, but because of her highborn status, the king uses her as his personal executioner. The books are full of secrets that are uncovered, and powerful rulers that need to be overthrown and replaced. 

Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness – This series is actually science fiction, rather than fantasy. To be perfectly honest, I think the first book is just good, however, the second and third are mind-blowing. The series is set far, far in the future, after Earth has begun to colonize other planets. Todd is the last boy in a village full of men– the women had all died of an illness that left the men with the ability to experience each other’s thoughts. Todd eventually meets a girl, Viola, and his whole world changes. The first book has Todd and Viola on the run, constantly chased down by the men of Todd’s town. Along the way, they uncover horrible secrets, and undergo amazing character development. The second and third books are a really fascinating exploration of what people are capable of when they believe that anyone they chose to ‘other’ are somehow subhuman. The things that Todd and Viola do to keep each other safe are beautiful and heartbreaking. I see a bit of Lief in Todd, and there’s something about the tone of Ness’s writing that reminds me of the third series of Deltora Quest. There’s actually a movie being filmed right now starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley that I am… nervous and excited about. 

#it honestly isn't intentional that these are all YA! #but yes i love to talk about books so here are some ones you might like #if anyone ends up reading any of these you must let me know! #deltora quest

[utilitycaster]

Something I've noticed, and that I'd be curious to get your thoughts on, is that there's a subset of fans who were perfectly cool with FCG when they didn't follow a deity, but as soon as they decided that religion was something they wanted to have as a part of their life, these fans did a 180. As you said, it's fine if someone doesn't enjoy how FCG is exploring religion, but it seems to me like some people were a lot more attached to the idea of a goddless cleric than they were to him as a character who had the potential to grow and change

Oh absolutely I think this is the case, which is funny, because I initially could not stand that FCG was a cleric with no apparent source of power (and, to be clear, I am not bothered by clerics who have mixed or even negative feelings about their deities like Deanna and FRIDA, nor would I be mad about a cleric devoted to a concept rather than a god).

Like...this is also touching on what I want to talk about later but there are a lot of fans who just...hate that the characters (and, uh, by extension, the cast) have free will and are not just puppets to play out and validate their (the fans) own personal beliefs, but are instead here to tell a story, which is why they hate change (because they fixate on the characters most appropriate as these puppets in the first few episodes and so change obviously fucks with that perception and forces them to have to think).

I think it's just people who, as I said, haven't gone to therapy about their religious trauma or at least learned the basics of "how I feel about religion is not necessarily how other people feel, nor is it directly applicable to a fictional magical world" and who are mad that a character they believed would prove that they are right is instead exploring religion. Which already didn't make sense because even if FCG did remain godless, they probably would still have rushed in here. Not to tap the Brennan Lee Mulligan "personality pre-dates ideology" sign yet again but the martyr complex and the altruism both came well before the interest in the Changebringer for FCG. FCG already did not really trust himself to make decisions; he just now has a way to outsource it to someone else. Which makes their speech on the Grand Disc fascinating, because it is essentially FCG asserting that in the absence of a god, one must aspire to goodness on one's own. I mean...folks, that's literally humanism, in a world where gods objectively exist.

Speaking of Brennan, he told a great story on the WBN fireside chat this week. He said it was a Hindu parable although I haven't tbh been able to find it, but anyway, it's about an atheist who meditated constantly, with the mantra that the gods weren't real. Upon their death, they were taken to the side of one of the gods, upon which they said, essentially, "what the fuck is going on" to which the god replied "you never allowed the gods out of your mind. You are one of the most devout people who ever existed." I think about this a lot when it comes to people who are desperate to overlay their own atheism (which, I should note, is fully valid in the real world, just not in Exandria) because, truly, they are constantly thinking of the divine and trying to make stories about the gods being wrong instead of just hanging out and watching the story.

When we look at people who are taking out their religious trauma, they are often recreating many of the same harmful group dynamics of organized religion, just dedicated to ideals other than a deity. It's that old discussion of how ex-fundamentalists still practice so many of the same thought patterns unless they put in a lot of active work to relearn it; they think removing the religion will fix them when the problem was always the behavior that people used the religion to justify. It's why (for example), and this is getting rather harsh, people who would rightfully be horrified by conversion therapy will, without blinking, remark things like "wow, I hope Jester nearly getting killed will make her realize she's a lesbian". The problem is not a belief in god; it's the belief that one's sexuality can be changed; that only some sexualities are correct to have; and that it's completely reasonable to say that a way to change a woman's behavior to what you want it to be is to threaten her life. They have not unlearned any of those beliefs, and instead of making the slightest effort themselves to grow and change and heal they look for fictional characters to prove their own rightness in perpetuating the same harm that was visited upon them, just in a different direction. So yeah, a character like FCG, who is growing and changing and exploring religion in a nuanced and neutral manner is a fucking threat to them.

#answered #kerosene-in-a-blender #critical role spoilers

[shippingtheswann]

MODEL BEHAVIOR A Captain Swan modern AU  by @shippingtheswann​ for the @captainswanbigbang​ 2017 year!

SUMMARY: Emma is an up and coming model living in LA with her best friend Ruby. Killian is a star baseball player for the LA Dodgers. Their families are close - and they grew up together. However, what happens after not seeing each other for 6 years - when they are forced back into a situation that requires them to reconnect and explore what was once there.

RATING: Explicit

WARNING: There will be smut later in the story, some mention of violence, hard language, mention of pregnancy loss

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Special shout out to Monica @acaptainswaneternity​ - the artist with this story. I have loved everything she has done for me - so make sure to check her out! She made an amazing cover and the best image sets for each chapter.

Another huge shout out to Nicola @alocin209​ who beta read everything and tried to keep me on target!

Can also be found on FF - Chapter One; Chapter Two; Chapter Three; Chapter Four; Chapter Five; Chapter Six

A/N: Welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I know it is the highlight of my week that I am finally able to post this. Postpartum Depression isn't fun and neither is the anxiety, so being able to actually do something I enjoy is so great! Thanks again to my amazing artist Monica and my brilliant beta reader Nicola. I couldn't have done this without them!

He knew when he arrived home that his father would be waiting to tear into him. It was the only thing he had truly been dreading since the whole ordeal happened. His damn father was never going to let him hear the end of it, would never let him live it down. His father had been riding him non-stop since he was a boy; he would say Killian had too much talent to waste and that if he only worked just a bit harder, he would achieve his dreams. It didn't matter that his teams had won multiple high school, college and actual world series championships, Killian was still not good enough for his father.

Thankfully, his mother didn't allow his father to tear into him too much. They watched Emma interact with her family before they went inside. He felt a twinge of jealously at the reunion. Her parents, no matter how much her mother acted as if she didn't care, really did love their daughter. Deep down, he knew the Nolan's understood Emma's needs and wants. She had two parents who were always loving and caring. Sure, her mother had a weird way of showing it, but at least her mother wouldn't dig into her the way his father was going to do to him.

Liam and his family were waiting outside to greet him, where he was met with hugs and lots of questions from his nephews and nieces. He hadn't been around much for them, but he tried to be a good uncle and send them large gifts on their birthdays and Christmas to make up for his absence. Thankfully, the kids were still young enough that they didn't mind. It still hurt him though, as he hugged the smallest Jones child, that he had missed so much of their lives, had been absent from them and for something he wasn't even sure he loved anymore. Wasn't family supposed to be the most important thing? Wasn't his career supposed to take a backseat to his family? He kept those thoughts to himself though, knowing if he said something it would be more ammunition for his father.

Once inside, Killian was finally confronted with his father's presence. Brennan Jones was a beast of a man. He stood a bit taller than Emma's father and was more built. His hair was shaggy and his eyes a darker blue than Killian's. Thankfully, at least in his mind, Killian took after his mother and not his father, in both looks and temperament. Well, most of the time. Liam looked more like their father. Killian braced himself for the onslaught of anger that he could feel radiating off his father. They were all situated in the family room, the kids already giving their attention to the games they brought rather than the adults.

But nothing came. His father looked at him, for a good ten minutes, with silence just passing between all in the room. It was a cold silence, one that would send a normal person's senses awry. A chill crept up his back as the moments ticked by, waiting for the bellow to spill from his father's throat. His father's stare never faltered though. He stared daggers into his son and Killian knew exactly what his father was thinking. Look at my disappointing son, he can never do anything right. He let some woman come between him and greatness. He was meant for better and he knows it. He could do so much better, if he just stopped thinking about everything else and just focused on the game. His swings are becoming too slow and his pick up isn't where it used to be. He isn't worried about what this means though. Killian had a full conversation with his father in his mind, as they just stared at each other with distaste.

Brennan was definitely not happy about having to see his son but that didn't bother Killian at all; the feeling was definitely mutual. If his father had only supported him in a different way, maybe things would have never gotten this far. Maybe if his father had just told Killian months ago that he understood his grief and anger, Killian would have never thrown that swing at Gold. No one really understood exactly what was happening between Killian, Milah and Gold - except for his father. Liam didn't even know the full story, so Killian had been hoping that his father would at least give him some good fatherly advice. He should have known that would never happen. If he had, he might not have been so disappointed when he was let down by his father, again.

After what seemed like an eternity, Brennan stormed out of the room, refusing to even acknowledge Killian's homecoming. Killian's shoulders fell, and he was actually disappointed that his father didn't tear him a new one. He had never seen his father act this way, had never seen him shy away from an opportunity to tell Killian just how much of a fuck up he was.

"Hey, don't worry darling, he'll come around. He just wants what's best for you," his mother said, trying to help the situation. She rested her hand on her son's shoulder, trying to soothe him after the tense stare off.

"No ma, he wants what is best for his image," Killian whispered his reply. It had been the same thing he kept telling his mother every time something like this happened.

"Well, I for one am glad that you are home little brother. You haven't seen Charlie since he was born and you have only just met Emily. Come on, spend some time with your nieces and nephews before dad decides he wants to yell or gets too pissed to care," Liam offered. Killian decided to let the little brother comment slide, just thankful at the moment that Liam had Killian's back.

"Oh Killian, before you run off, we need to talk about the next few weeks," his mother said, motioning for everyone to sit down at the table.

Amelia, Liam's wife, took a seat next to her husband, lacing their hands together above the table. Killian felt a pang of jealously run through him again. He never used to be this jealous of others. Sure, he wanted what Liam had. When he was with Milah they used to talk about starting a family once Killian made the majors and spending time with Liam's brood whenever they could. Amy was one of the only people in the family Milah could stand. He now realized it was because Amy wasn't the type to inject herself into a conversation or fight, only ever speaking if she needed to calm Liam down or something needed to be said. He admired her in a way. Milah was the opposite, always putting herself into the middle of any drama that came her way. Half the time, Milah took Brennan's side when he found himself arguing with his father.

Now, seeing Liam and Amy in a new light, he longed to have someone that just understood him and exactly what he needed in any given moment. He wished he had someone who supported him through everything and always had his back. He wanted someone loving and caring, like Amy, who went out of her way to help others around her.

"Alright so Killian, as you know, Liam is here. We didn't expect him to come down with the family for the length of your stay, but we are so happy they are here. I am so happy the whole family is back together again," his mother said, with tears in her eyes. She was always emotional, and it touched Killian just how much she missed him.

It was true though, no one thought Liam was going to come down with his whole family. This was all so very last minute, especially since Killian didn't know he would be coming home till that morning.

"Aye, how did that play out by the way? I didn't even know I would be coming home," he questioned his thoughts.

"Well, your mother called us when the incident happened," Amy whispered, trying to not really acknowledge the matter that brought Killian home, " and Liam thought that the league would suspend you. He had a feeling that you would come home. So, he took his vacation days and we drove down the next day. We decided that even if you weren't suspended, even if you didn't come home, at least the kids could visit with their grandparents and maybe them being here would calm your father down a bit. He does seem to cool off when they are around."

His sister-in-law was right about that. His father rarely yelled in front of the grandkids. Killian could remember about a year back when he didn't hit a single ball during a game, his father was surprisingly calm about the whole situation. He later found out that Liam and Brennan watched the game together and Charlie was there.

"I wanted to be here for you if you did come home," Liam added.

"Thanks brother," Killian said, sporting a slight smile that he had lost since seeing his father.

"So, like I was saying, Liam and the kids are here for your entire stay, but that means we are a bit short on rooms," his mother began, and the lightbulb in Killian's mind went off, finally understanding what she was trying to hint at. They had given his room to Liam and Amy. Liam's old room went to Charles and his younger brother, while his two nieces would be sleeping in the guest room. This meant that Killian was going to be forced to either sleep on the couch, on the air mattress, or get a hotel.

"It's fine ma, I can drive up to the Inn and get a room, it's no problem," Killian said quickly, not wanting to miss the chance to get away from his father. Well actually, his family too. While they loved him, he had gotten used to being alone. He enjoyed the moments of solitude it provided to him. He had originally bought his house to fill with a family, but in these past few months, the house allowed him a space to heal privately. Sure, the rooms still held some hopes and dreams of his, like ones that were supposed to be nurseries and playrooms, but he knew that maybe one day, with some other family, the rooms would be used.

"Actually Killian, you can't," his mother said before Killian had a chance to whip out his phone and make a reservation.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Well, I spoke with your manager, and according to him, you have to be with us. It's part of his deal. He wants someone to make sure you are doing what you need to, that you are taking care of yourself," she explained, reaching across to take his hand.

He wasn't sure if he was going to call Graham and yell at him or thank him. While he didn't need someone to make sure he was following directions, he knew Graham wasn't coming at it from that angle. He just wanted to make sure Killian was focusing on not just his baseball career, but his attitude as well. While Killian enjoyed space, he knew deep down that if he had to deal with his father on a more personal level, being alone wouldn't help his attitude.

"So what do you recommend? I don't really think I should have to sleep on the couch or on the floor of the office," Killian countered.

"Well thankfully, I was talking with Mary Margaret this morning when Mr. Humbert called. I was explaining to him the situation, when Mary offered to let you have the guest room in their home. Emma is going to be back in her old room and they aren't having any guests stay with them for Henry's graduation, so I thought it would be perfect!" his mother said, sounding very excited.

Killian on the other hand, wasn't. Well, maybe he was, since it would mean seeing more of Emma, but it would also mean seeing more of Emma. He wasn't one hundred percent sure he would be able to contain himself around her. He was already thinking too much of what they could do together and what they could be. How was he supposed to work through all of his feelings towards seeing her again, if he was sleeping a mere 200 feet from her. Being across the yard, in a different home, would allow him to really decide what he was feeling, to determine if they had more than just a sexual attraction. He was also pretty sure she wouldn't be too happy about the sleeping arrangements either.

"Ma, I really don't…" he began, before he was cut off by his father, who happened to reappear.

"You will do this Killian. I don't care what you want, you will do this. You will stay at the Nolan's and you will attend every single practice your coach and manager want you to. You will train every day, running and working out, making sure you don't let YOUR fuck up destroy everything we've worked so hard for," his father bellowed, making heads whip around.

He knew better than to fight with his dad, knew better than to bring more attention to the situation. So he took the hit. He would stay at the Nolan's and do everything his father said. Who knows, maybe the three weeks would fly by and before he knew it, he would be back in LA, far from the grip of his father. So Killian just nodded, acknowledging what his father said, hoping the man would return to where he was hiding out.

"Perfect! We'll take your things over when we go to dinner. Liam, why don't you get the kids cleaned up, Killian you can freshen up in the master and we'll head over in about an hour!" his mother's excitement uncontainable.

Killian's excitement was nowhere to be found.

He knew it was only a matter of time until his father let into him. He was just hoping it wouldn't have been during the dinner. He didn't want to deal with that in front of the Nolan's. He had always respected David and Mary Margaret and it felt like he was disappointing them, as well as his family, over something he knew was stupid and regretted.

He was already pissed at how Mary Margaret was talking to Emma. He could see it in her eyes just how upset she was getting. No one else seemed to notice her discomfort at the discussion of her love life. He wasn't too comfortable with it either. They hadn't really shared what had happened with each other back in LA; he had suspected something had happened with someone, but he never really thought it would be a boyfriend. It was kind of hard to swallow, Emma having a serious boyfriend. Another round of jealously washed over him and he was getting a bit annoyed.

All too soon the conversation moved to him and he knew he was in for it. He answered David quite diplomatically if you asked him. He knew why the league did what they did. He understood. He really did want to get back to enjoying the game, something that he used to feel. He really was going to try and look at this with a positive light, but once his father opened his mouth, Killian knew that it would be almost impossible. To his father, this wasn't something that could help his son in the long run, it was something embarrassing and stupid.

Killian decided not to respond to anything his father said. He sat there and he took it, as he knew if he argued or talked back to his father, Brennan would continue to berate him in front of people he cared about. He was pissed his father didn't understand what had happened. He was pissed his father let his dirty laundry air in front of Emma. His father just had to bring up Milah, just had to say that this was all her fault. So now, Killian was sure Emma would think he was caught up in some raunchy lifestyle. His father had just ruined any chance he had with Emma, he just knew it.

He had quickly retreated into the guest room. He had forgotten it shared a bathroom with Emma's and it was the only thing that picked up his spirits. Maybe, just maybe, if she didn't think he was such a horrible person because of what his father said, and had probably continued to say after he left, they could utilize those shared doors. However, his spirits soon dropped again when he realized it was just never going to happen.

Thankfully, he had stopped at David's bar before walking up to the room and the bottle of rum that he held in his hand was his favorite. He took a few swigs as his mind raced to all the bad things that had happened in just the past few months. He spent some time thinking about Milah, and by the time she left his mind, half of his bottle was empty.

As he took another swig from his tumbler that he had filled with ice, he thought he heard a knock from the bathroom door. The light was on now, but he didn't think anything of it. He was content to just sit in the darkness of the guest room, wallowing in his own self pity. He would wake up in the morning and do what he came here to do. He took another swig, moving himself to sit on the edge of the bed.

He was surprised when the handle on the door turned and Emma walked into his room. He was ashamed that she would see him like this, drunk and broken. He had actually shed a few tears as well, thinking about what could have been with and without Milah, if only he had changed one thing all those years ago.

However, as his eyes met hers, he was surprised that he didn't see disgust there. Instead, he was met with understanding and compassion. She didn't seem to care about what his father had said or what he had done in the past. She walked slowly over to him, taking the glass from his hand. She placed it on the night stand next to his bed, then moved the bottle to the dresser near the door.

She came to sit down next to him, their shoulders touching. She was intoxicating; her hair smelled even more delectable than earlier. She was warm too, probably from the setting sun that had shone in the backyard earlier. He had spent the first part of dinner stealing glances towards the blonde. He tried to play it off by joking with Liam and Evie, but he couldn't help but look at her every few seconds. The large smile on her face and the way her eyes sparkled in the candlelight sent him into a trance. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to just kiss her senseless again. He wanted to feel her skin beneath his, to feel what her breasts would feel like in the palm of his hand. He wanted to hear her moans as he sucked her neck and felt her squirm to get closer to him. He wanted to bring every fantasy he once had of her to life.

"What's going on Killian?" she asked, spurring him from his thoughts.

"I'm fine love, everything is fine," he replied, trying to not let on how upset he had just been.

"Killian, talk to me. We used to talk about so many things. Remember? We used to stay up late at night, well late for me, and just talk about nothing and everything. You were always there for me, and now I want to be there for you," she said, reaching across his body to take his entwined hands in hers.

"Aye, I remember," he said in a whisper.

"It was one of the things I really lo… liked about you. You always listened, no matter what I was talking about. I just want to help. Something has happened to you that has changed that part of you. When you didn't show up to graduation, it shattered me, but there was always something in the back of my mind that told me you wouldn't have done it, not unless you had to. What happened to you that made you this different person? What happened to the Killian I used to know?" she pleaded, with sadness to her voice.

He looked up again, meeting her eyes. There were tears in the gorgeous green orbs, and all over again, his heart was breaking because of what he did to her. Everything that had happened in the past few years all came back to one person, and maybe now was the time Killian could finally tell Emma what really happened. He could really apologize to her for the past. Maybe it was the only way they could look forward.

"Are you sure you want to hear it love?" he asked, opting to give her one final pass.

"Yes, please. I just want to help, and I can't do that unless I know what has happened," she said, squeezing his hands.

Milah had dropped the bomb on him. She was pregnant. About a two and a half months along. It must have happened the last time the two were together, which didn't surprise him considering how drunk he was that night. She had disappeared because she wasn't sure what she was going to do with it. He was glad he took her away from the Nolan's as it wasn't the place he wanted to be discovered having this conversation. He was furious she hadn't told him sooner. This was his child, just as much as it was hers. He deserved to have a say in the matter. Of course, he would support whatever decision she made, but he deserved to have his voice heard.

He had dreamt of a family, one day in the far future with someone else, but he wouldn't take that out on his child. And besides, he had once loved Milah. Maybe this was just a sign that he hadn't worked hard enough at their relationship. Maybe it was a sign that what he was doing with Emma was wrong and that he needed to fix things with Milah.

He was shocked, that much was true. But he was also happy and that surprised him. He didn't think that he would be happy having a child with Milah. Hell, just having a child at all, but he found himself smiling each time he looked at her.

They spent the rest of the day talking. Killian apologized for his behavior and explained to Milah just what he had been feeling in the past few months. He was more honest with her than he had ever been. If he was going to try and fix things with her, he was going to lay it all on the table, so they could start from a place of honesty and trust. She told him about her feelings as well, how she knew he had been acting strange. She apologized for not believing in him and for looking through his computer. Turns out, she wasn't the only one who had neglected their relationship.

Milah explained that she had another doctor's appointment in Vegas the following week and Killian promised her he would be there. The following day, they traveled back home together, hand in hand, with a new found hope for their relationship and child. Killian swore he was going to be a better father than his own was, and that he would support and love Milah to the best of his ability. He was going to be a changed man and prove to her his commitment and devotion.

Things did change, but not for the better. At her next appointment, Milah and Killian were given bad news. Milah had miscarried. The doctor explained there was nothing either one of them did or could have done to stop it from happening. He said that Milah's family history did contribute a bit, but it would be possible for them to try again soon and that as long as Milah kept eating right and took things easy, another pregnancy could be in their near future.

As the doctor left the room, Killian held Milah in his arms and sobbed with her. They were shattered by the news, but something stirred inside of him. The horrible news awoke something in him. Yes, he had said he would change and he had said he would do what was best for him and Milah, but he hadn't proved it to himself. In that moment, he decided that Milah was who he wanted to share his life and a family with.

The few weeks following were difficult for the both of them, but they found themselves revitalized in their relationship. Things were getting better daily. Each day, Killian found a new reason to love and support Milah. He went above and beyond to lavish her and show her just how much she meant to him. He received an email from Emma on the night of her graduation, and he didn't respond back, but he kept the message and all the past ones from her. He knew it was the last piece of the puzzle. If he kept it, if he allowed the communication channels to stay open, one day he may do something he regretted. So, he deleted the message and all of the old ones and closed down that email account. He told Milah about it later that night. She cried and thanked him for finally and fully committing to their relationship.

Thankfully, right after Milah's miscarriage, Killian found out he was actually transferred from the Triple A league in DC to one out west, allowing him to keep the distance between the couple and Emma. Milah was happy about that as well. She loved the west coast and Killian could tell she was happier there.

Three years passed as Killian worked his way up through the minors. Milah was ever supportive by his side, cheering him on at every game. She helped him during the off seasons, helping him stretch and run his sprints. Not only had he changed his status in their relationship, it seemed Milah had as well. They spent many nights together, wrapped up in each other. After everything had happened, they decided they would wait to start a family, wanting to make sure the timing was right and they were both in a place of happiness in their relationship. So even though they were waiting to start that family, it didn't mean they couldn't practice until then.

On the night before the majors draft three years after everything had happened, Killian proposed to Milah. It didn't matter that his future in baseball hung in the hands of others and it didn't matter that his father wouldn't stop the pressure. It didn't matter that everything was so uncertain. All that mattered was Milah and their life together. He was ready to start trying for a family. She was over the moon and accepted immediately.

The next day, Killian was signed to the Dodgers. He was present at the draft, Milah unable to come due to a work commitment. She was a communications director for one of the triple A teams, so they had to cover their own press that night. He was sad she wouldn't be there, but knew her job was important to her and gave her a way of expressing who she was. He was so proud of her and with his new job, she would be able to get a job within the organization. Besides, they promised to celebrate when he returned home the next day.

He decided that he was going to surprise Milah. Normally, there was a big party for all those who were signed and drafted. Milah told him to stay and network, get to know people, but all he wanted to do was go home to her arms. So, he booked the last flight out and made it back to her in record time. It had only been 4 hours since he was signed, and he was still high on excitement when he pulled into their house. He would hate to leave this place but he had another surprise for Milah, other than his early return. He had bought a house in LA near the park for them to start their family in. His contract was substantial and he could afford the 2 million dollar home easily now. Smee, his manager he hired a year before, helped him do everything. He was going to make all of Milah's dreams come true.

Killian was so wrapped up in his excitement that he didn't notice all the signs that were right in front of him as he climbed the steps to their bedroom. If he had been paying attention, he would have seen the drinks sitting out on the living room table; two tumblers filled with vodka. He would have seen a man's coat hanging from the chair that sat in the hallway, along with a duffel bag. He would have heard the music coming from their bedroom. However, he didn't notice any of that, his mind solely focused on finding his fiancé.

It was only after he entered the room that he saw what the signs were pointing to. Milah was in bed, riding another man. Her head was thrown back in passion, a moan escaping her lips. The man beneath her was someone Killian knew and hated even before this moment. Robert Gold was holding Milah's hips, begging her to ride him harder. The man was on a rival team and Killian had played him a few times. The man wasn't that good of a player, and he was a bit older than the rest of them. He was known for his tricks during games and many people didn't trust him on or off the field.

Neither one of them noticed Killian's arrival into the bedroom. He was unable to move, horrified and frozen by the scene that played out before him. He watched as his future wife climaxed at the will of another man and it made him so sick he almost threw up. As he watched her come down from her high, his resolve kicked in and he made his move.

"What the fuck is this?" he screamed as he moved with a vengeance towards the bed.

"Killian? It's not what you think!" he heard Milah say as she moved off the man beneath her to hide near the closet. She picked up some article of clothing and tried to make herself look decent.

Killian didn't care that the other man was naked. He hurled himself at Gold, grabbing the man by the neck and forcing him to stand up and face him.

"Oh really? You mean I didn't just walk in on you fucking another man, a low man for that matter, in my bed, in the house I bought you, a day after you accepted my proposal? You mean I didn't just see you come because of this disgusting excuse for a man?" he questioned, never turning to look at Milah, instead pushing Gold back so he was pinned against the wall. The man was furiously trying to break free of Killian's grasp.

"Killian, stop, you're hurting him!" Milah cried, throwing herself at the duo.

Killian's grasp slipped and Gold stumbled away. He quickly picked up his clothing from the heap on the floor and ran for the door. Killian began screaming after him, following the man down the hallway and towards the front door.

"That's right, run! Run coward. You come into another man's house and fuck his fiancee? You'd better run you low life, dirty asshole!" he screamed as he went, but before he could make his way out the front door to follow, Milah stepped in his way.

"Killian, stop," she pleaded, her hands coming up in surrender just like they did years ago when she confronted him at the Nolan's.

"Why? Why should I stop?" he bellowed.

"Because it isn't his fault," she cried, tears streaming down her face. The t-shirt she had picked up off the floor now covering her naked body.

"What?" he barked, anger pulsing through him.

Milah didn't respond, instead she moved to sit down on the couch. Killian stood for a moment in his foyer, taking in everything around him. If only he had just been a bit more observant, he would have seen Gold's car sitting at the bottom of the driveway. He would have seen all the other signs in his house that would lead him to know Milah had been unfaithful. It was in that moment he realized that this wasn't something that just happened. Milah was just as much to blame as Gold. And what did she mean it wasn't Gold's fault?

"What the fuck is going on Milah?" he questioned, refusing to move into the living room.

She didn't answer.

"How long?" he didn't want to hear the answer, but at least it would cover the what is going on question.

"Two years," she said in a whisper. His heart fell. For two years, two fucking years, Milah had been sleeping with another man. For two years, while he had been nothing but faithful to her, she had been doing exactly what she blamed him for doing years ago, while taking it to a whole new level.

"Why?" was all he responded.

"Two years ago, when they sent you to Seattle, I met Robert. I was worried about you being so far away, and how you didn't try to stop the training from happening. I was worried that it was all a cover to see Emma. I kept tabs on her and knew she was in Seattle that weekend for some stupid photo shoot and I thought you were going to cheat on me. So I thought, why not? If you can do it, I can too," she explained, and it was all a load of bullshit. If Milah kept tabs on Emma, than she knew Killian didn't ever contact her. She was just using that as a excuse and he wasn't going to put up with it.

"Bullshit Milah! Why are you really screwing around, after everything we've been through? After everything we've done! Why even accept my proposal?" he questioned.

"Come on Killian, we've never really been happy. We both put on a mask. I've never really been happy. Sure, the first few months back together were nice, but you have to know we just aren't meant for each other, one way or another. We would have never made it down the aisle," she confessed.

He didn't think his heart could shatter any further, yet it was breaking again. For moments, they just sat there, neither of them talking. Finally, after an eternity, he told her he was going to stay at a hotel. She had till morning to get her shit out and find somewhere else to go. He was putting the house on the market first thing. He told her he never wanted to see or hear from her again.

The next day, as Smee worked through all the paperwork, Killian reported for training with the Dodgers. He spent the next year working on his game, improving each day, hoping to put the image of Gold and Milah behind him. The best thing about the draft was he would never have to see them again.

Robin had told him that Gold and Milah were living together a few months later and that they were engaged and expecting a baby. That night, Killian played the worst game of his life; he didn't hit a single ball and he had to deal with his father's complaints.

It was that night he also told his father about Milah and what happened. His father didn't act surprised, he told Killian she had been holding him back all along. He also said that now she was out of his life he could finally focus on what really mattered.

Winning the World Series that year was the only thing that was happy about his first year in the league.

The next time he saw Robert Gold was when he was hitting him on the mound in San Diego.

"So there you have it love. I threw my career away over a woman who I believed to love me. I never thought I would see either of their faces again. Or at least not in the way I did, so when he finally hit me with that ball, I snapped. The bastard had it coming. I never once hit him when I found him fucking my fiancee," he explained, ending his story.

Emma had sat patiently during his tale. She never once let go of his hand. He saw her face fall when he said he had lost his child. He felt her slight strokes as tears slid down his face as he told her of finding Milah in bed with another man. She had been understanding and comforting towards him, and he had done nothing to deserve it. He didn't deserve to have her comfort him. She shouldn't have to hear what terrors had happened to him since their last encounter.

Yet there she sat, her eyes wide but filled with compassion. Her hands held his as their thighs brushed together.

"Well, if you ask me, he deserved it," she said with a laugh, dissolving some of the tension in the room.

It was dark, but he saw how her eyes shined. Here she was, trying to console him, trying to make him see the light at the end of the tunnel. He was sure that one day he would say that this was the moment he fell in love with Emma Swan all over again.

"Aye lass maybe he did, but what my father said is still true. I was throwing it all away for Milah. If years ago, she had asked me to leave baseball to raise a family, I would have done so in an instant. I would have traded everything I had, everything I would have been, just to make her happy. And to find out she never really did love me, it makes me angry. I haven't done anything my father didn't warn me about," he whispered, moving away from her touch and walking towards his tumbler she removed earlier. There was still a part of him, quite a large part, that felt ashamed of what had happened.

He allowed himself to be played. He allowed himself to lose focus of what was important. He allowed himself to not see himself without a woman, that woman. His father had warned him early on, after Milah's surprise visit, that she would one day be his downfall if he didn't make sure to protect himself and his heart. Back then, he used to think that maybe, just maybe, his father actually cared about Killian as a person and not as a ball player, but after his show tonight, he realized that his father would probably never truly care about his well being. Yet, those words still haunted him.

"Killian, you fell in love. You did nothing wrong," she said, standing up and coming to his side and he couldn't help but scoff at her words.

"Emma, I allowed myself to get into this mess. Ever since Milah arrived at your door step, I allowed her to rule everything I did," he tried to explain.

"No, you didn't. Killian I understand, believe me, I understand way more than you think," she said with a sadness in her voice. She had returned to the bed, looking downtrodden.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"I met Neal so quickly after I moved to LA and we had a whirlwind romance at first. Things were good, but we began to drift apart early in our relationship. I could feel him slipping away. At the time, I thought I loved him. And like your father, my mother had very strong opinions of what my life should be like. Every time we talked, she asked if I was dating anyone. I never told her about Neal; she would have never approved, but she thought that my time in college should have been spent trying to find a husband. So, when I saw Neal slipping away and when I had to deal with my mother's insistence that I try and think about settling down, I came up with a stupid idea. I thought that maybe if I was pregnant, maybe if we had a child, that I could keep Neal and satisfy my mom. I had a scare a few months later. I thought I was pregnant and so did Neal. Like I thought, he became devoted to me and seemed to care more about our relationship. Thankfully, it was just that, a scare. Because in the end, nothing could have saved Neal and I. Sure, we had good times, and yes, maybe I loved him once, but we weren't good together. So I understand just what you feel about Milah," she confessed.

Killian moved to kneel at her feet. She was crying and he wanted nothing more in that moment than to comfort her the way she did him. Her story wrecked him. They had lived through so much drama and heartache since they last met and neither one of them deserved it. She deserved to have someone committed and devoted to her. She deserved to be loved, truly and fully.

"Emma love, I am so sorry that happened," he said, unsure of what to say.

"There is more," she whispered, finally looking up at him.

He cocked his head in a silent plea for her to tell him.

"Neal cheated on me. Two days ago," she began, pausing to allow him to swear against the man. She really did understand what he was going through. She really did get him in a way that most people never would. She had gone through a tough love, one that she had once believed in, only to have it ripped from right out beneath her.

"I found him in my bed with another model. In that moment, I wanted to kill him. I wanted to throw every piece of furniture I could find. I wanted to break everything within my reach. Unfortunately, much like you, I didn't really do anything. I left in a wrath, but looking back, if I saw him again, I would certainly not hesitate to punch the bastard in his pretty face. So I understand exactly what you were thinking, what you were feeling. I understand you, Killian," she said, looking him dead in the eyes. They bore into his soul. She really did get it. Just like their conversations years ago, they were connecting on a level no one else would ever be able to compete with.

Without thinking, without any hesitation, he pounced. His lips crashed to hers in a rage. She had been hurt too much, and he wanted nothing more than to take that pain away. He wanted nothing more than to soothe her soul and rid her of the feelings that he knew all too well.

Her lips on his were like medicine. They washed away the pain that Milah had left behind. He hoped that his lips were as healing as hers were.

Thankfully, he received his answer quickly. She pulled him closer, her hands running down his back and anchoring him to her. Her moans were deepening and her eagerness was clearly seen. He needed her in a way he never needed anyone else before. It was a mixture of the truth he just learned and the feelings he once had for her. Whichever it was, he needed to be as close to her as she allowed. He needed to be with her. He wanted to do everything to prove to her just how much she was worth, to him and to the world.

He moved with a force. He lifted her up and placed her down on the bed, hovering above her. His lips met hers again as she pulled him down on top of her, her back arching to meet him. Her legs were spread wide, accepting his weight between them. He couldn't help the reaction his cock was having and when he felt her move against him, he thought he would never be able to last long enough to truly be with her.

And just like on the plane, they made out like horny teenagers on a first date. His hands slid to cup her breasts hidden beneath her shirt. He felt her shiver when his hand connected with the lacy material of her bra.

Screw waiting to find out where their relationship was going, screw going slow. He needed to feel her, needed to chase that high with her.

Even though he needed to do all those things and even though his hand was firmly cemented on her chest and he was being driven wild by Emma's gyrating hips beneath him, he knew that they had to stop. If they continued where this was going, if he continued to kiss her senseless, they would both regret it in the morning. Sure, Killian knew he would never regret anything with Emma, but he would regret how it happened.

When Killian won her over, it wouldn't be because of just the raw attraction between them and it wouldn't be because of the sob story they both just told each other. It wouldn't be because they were both hurting. No, it would be because it was something they both wanted and needed. He was going to do this the right way, even if it killed him.

"Emma, love, we should stop," he said, pulling away from the siren beneath him. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen.

She didn't look too disappointed, but there was a twinge of something sad underneath her eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, I love where this is going. But I'm drunk and we've just told each other some pretty deep shit. I think it would be best if we just slowed down a bit and saw where this was going," he explained, moving his hand to her chin to lift it to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she sighed.

He moved to allow her to sit up. Her shirt was all wrinkled thanks to their little romp, her hair tousled in a way that made him immediately regret stopping what had happened. These next few weeks were going to be torture if he had to see her every day looking like that. She moved quickly away from him, her shoulders sagging in rejection. He was sure her thoughts were swirling, he could see her processing everything that had just happened.

"Don't go," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. He didn't want her to leave, he wanted to hold her, to feel something. He didn't want to be alone. He needed someone. He realized he had been alone for far too long. Earlier in the day, he spent some time thinking that being alone would be a good thing for him, but now that Emma was here, now that he felt what it was like to have him in his arms, he knew that being alone was the opposite of what he wanted or needed.

"I don't know Killian," she murmured. She didn't turn to look back at him as she moved towards their shared door.

"Please, stay," he begged, noting a desperation in his voice.

He could see the outline of her body in the moonlight that streamed through his window. He saw her take a deep breath and turn back towards him. She stalked slowly towards the bed and caressed his cheek when she was close enough. Her touch set him on fire.

"Fine, but nothing is happening," she breathed.

"Aye, just as long as you stay," he agreed, reaching up to touch her hand.

"OK, just let me go change and I'll be right back. No more rum," she scolded him, as she walked back to her room.

He tried to calm his mind as he waited for her to return. He changed into his sleep bottoms, never able to sleep with a shirt on and hoped Emma would be OK with it. He moved into the bed, pulling down the blankets to allow her to slide in next to him. He didn't want to think too much about what had just happened, or what may have happened. He didn't want to rile himself up again, but his mind couldn't help but go there. He knew it was best to let things build between them, to allow their relationship, if that is what this was, to flourish naturally. It needed to develop the way it once had. Yet, in the back of his mind, he wished that he hadn't been such a gentleman.

His thoughts stopped as Emma came back into his room in a tank top and short shorts. She smiled at him from the doorway to the bathroom as she turned off the lights. He watched her saunter over to the bed and climb in. Without hesitation, she curled up next to him, placing her head right onto his chest, her hand snaking across his skin and onto his stomach. Instinct drew his arms around her, pulling her closer than before. He placed a kiss to the crown of her head. He knew without a doubt that he would be getting a good sleep that night.

#CSBB #captain swan big bang #Captain Swan #captain swan fanfiction #captain swan fan fiction #CS FF #Captain Swan Fan Fic

[ariasune]

Top 10 Fictional Ladies

I was tagged by @aceyanaheim to name my top ten female fictional characters!

I wasn’t quite sure how to order them, since the influence and impact they’ve had on me has been unique. Also it’s 11pm, and I didn’t want to think too hard, whoops.

1) Temperance Brennan (Bones)  I noticed Bones here was top of your list, and she’s just got to be on mine. I always really identified with the fact she could seem so callous to those around her, but her feelings ran deep. The passion and love she had for cause and effect, for the flow of the universe itself was something out of my own heart. I really love her, and even though I don’t follow the show now, I still think of this character so so so lovingly.

2) Colonel Samantha Carter (SG-1)  I remember Amanda Tapping talking about the writers for the show. She asked them to just write her lines less-- girl power TM, and when they asked how the audience would know she was a woman, she said that they could just write as they did for any other character, and that she could bring the woman part by being -- wait for it, a woman. One of the strongest, most kickass characters I’ve ever seen, and the first time I saw a lady on-screen with a proper short haircut!

3) Makoto / Sailor Jupiter (Sailor Moon)  The day she came kicking ass into Sailor Moon is the day she went kicking ass into my heart. She had a long skirt, which I know now is very punk rock in Japan, but for me was very passive feminine wear -- but she was fighting, and being tough as nails! Plus lightning, and soft curly hair, and oh wow I am really gay?

4) Antimony Carver (Gunnerkrigg Court) If you don’t read GC, then please go read it! It’s a fantastic webcomic, and like Bones earlier on this list, I have a weak spot for characters who can seem cold, but have so much fire. She’s strong, independent to a fault, and her friendship with Ysengrin is perfection.

5) Zoë Washburne (Firefly) I think you can debate forever on whether Joss Whedon has always done right by female characters, but the actresses have never let me down. Gina Torres is excellent in any role, and the way the leads in Suits kicked her around is why I dropped it. Firefly, on the other hand, showed her strong, proud, soft and loyal, and Torres owned Zoë entirely.

6) Jane Marple (Miss Marple) David Suchet is a fantastic Poirot, but I actually always preferred Marple’s mysteries. There was something bold, and warm about a nosy little old lady prodding into the snake nests and sleeping dogs of dozy English villages that just- endeared me, and fascinated me. She was a brilliant woman of contrasts. Also, as far as I could, she was an old maid and she was still really cool, and that was just really important to me?

7) Toph Beifong (Avatar: The Last Airbender) THE BLIND BANDIT! Toph Beifong was everything disabled characters should be. She was a one-of-a-kind bender, whose disability informed her worldview and style, but was never not disabled. It was always part of her, for good and for bad, and her ferocity for what she could do was always really inspiring. Plus she’s just so damn funny!

8) Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman) A newcomer to this list, but Wonder Woman was the superhero movie we fucking needed. The film deconstructed bystanders, and necessary violence, and shouted for peace, for taking a stand, for doing something. It isn’t about deserve.

9) San (Princess Mononoke) And an oldcomer. San’s misanthropy, pride and wildness has always been very close to my heart. If I have a favourite character, it might well be her.

10) Commander Nyota Uhura (Sailor Moon) TNG is my show, but TOS is my book series. I think in the extended universe, they really explored Uhura’s linguistics, and I remember the moving depiction of her by @dduane in The Wounded Sky. Fascination first with animals, and then with language, all held by the thread of communication-- which to me has always been the core of writing. The great shout into the void: I am here, please hear me! Aaaa, Uhura <3

I’m supposed to tag 10 people so uhm:

@dduane as a super long-shot, @tachishini, @magicinflames, @rowingviolahere, @demenior, @tunafax, @leonawriter, @nenya85, @homura-bakura, @tumblyorro, @ashethehedgehog, @kintatsujo

#aria #writing

[spaceorphan18]

SO’S GLEE EPISODE RANKING: NO. 15

I started a Full Glee Episode Ranking between seasons 5 and 6 over two years ago now (!!!). My opinions have changed somewhat since then (retrospect is an interesting thing), and I need to include the thirteen season six episodes I neglected in my original list.  With the two year anniversary of the show being over a few months away, I thought I’d count down to by posting an episode every day.  I’ll tag using: glee episode rankings

Here we go…

15. Duets (2x04)

Written by: Ian Brennan Directed by: Eric Stoltz

It’s probably not surprising to anyone that the top of my list is riddled with one good Kurt story line after another.  I am, if nothing else, predictable.  But this might seem like an unusual choice on first glance.  (Especially since it’s Ian Brennan.)  But the thing I’ve always enjoyed about this episode is its ability to balance.  There are a lot of plotlines running through this episode, and while it’s not perfect, I think that they each are given the amount of weight they deserve, and it gives the ensemble a chance to shine.  

We have Kurt’s story, a continuation of his early season 2 stuff, where he again has to face that being different can be lonely.  He takes an interest in Sam - but doesn’t pursue anything on Finn’s advice, and again with complexity, as while he’s confident and proud of himself on the outside, we see that he wants the same things as everyone else on the inside.  

Meanwhile, it’s the duets comeptition -- and we get a lot of fun things out of this.  Finn and Rachel get to be the comedic couple for once as they decide to throw the competition for the sake of the greater glee club.  Sam and Quinn’s blooming relationship -- which is actually kinda boring, but it’s not bad.  Santana and Mercedes going for all the Breadstix.  The real start of Brittana.  And the start of Brittany/Artie.  

High Points: 

The show didn’t know quite what to do with Sam at the beginning, but I’m glad he’s around. 

All the Sam/Kurt interactions.  It’s such a weird dynamic now looking back, but it’s fun here.  And Sam’s a pretty cool guy throughout it.  I’m glad they didn’t make him Finn-ish. 

It’s the beginning of Brittana! But more so - it’s the beginning of exploring Santana as a lesbian, a plot I do enjoy in season 2. 

Also - Santana’s love of Breadstix.

Rachel getting some humble self reflection.  That doesn’t happen very often. 

Mike and Tina getting some story! 

The Burt/Kurt scene -- where Burt tells Kurt he has to find someone like him. YOU WILL BB YOU WILL!!

The fact that Brittany and Artie were kind of a complex couple at the beginning. 

The beginning of Hummelberry.  For all my whining about it later -- I think the set up here, and them recognizing similarities in each other is really fascinating. 

ALL THE KURT ANGST!!

Low Points: 

Finn’s attitude towards Kurt during this episode.  A lot of it stemmed from backlash the writers got for season 1, but still, not cool. 

Alright - so Quinn and Sam might win most boring couple ever on the show. 

Music:

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart: It’s kind of fun for a Finchel duet, tbh.  It’s not something I listen to on a regular basis, but it’s fun. 

River Deep, Mountain High: Ah, another solid and entertaining Mercedes/Santana mash up.  These two do always sound great together. 

Le Jazz Hot!: Another solid Kurt solo!! I always forget how much I like it until I go back and watch it again.  Really, the performance sells this one, as Kurt really out does himself here. 

Sing: Tina and Mike get a cooky song -- and it’s a lot of fun! 

Lucky: Despite Sam and Quinn being boring, they actually sound really good here, and I enjoy listening to this one.  Also, bonus points for Angsty Kurt sitting in the back. 

Happy Days are Here Again/Get Happy: This is one of my all time favorite duets on the show.  Hummelberry sounds great together, and I can’t say how much I love this one. 

Final Verdict: It’s a fantastic ensemble episode with a solid Kurt story.  I may not like everything in it, but I think it’s overall an incredibly done episode with really well done music. 

#glee episode rankings