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aerinsfables · 3 years

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📝7️⃣🙇‍♀️

:) :)

Flower Shop AU, part 7 below.

Read part 6 here!

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That had to have been one of the most energetic games of volleyball Bracken had ever been involved with in his life. Granted, he hadn’t actually played volleyball since high school PE classes, but still. The amount of banter which had gone between mostly Seth and Warren had been quite amusing to observe, and when Tanu joined in on the teasing, it became even funnier.

Warren had claimed a partnership with Tanu as soon as he reached the net, which left Seth with Bracken; a mistake, Bracken thought, which Warren would not soon forget. Seth and Bracken were a pretty formidable team, and they found their balance with one another very quickly. Bracken had always possessed a natural talent of quick reflexes and good coordination, and it appeared that Seth was similarly inclined. They worked well together. Tanu and Warren were both also good at the game, but were not always on the same page with each other, which led to Warren diving into Tanu’s shins once and Tanu knocking heads with Warren another time.

He had to admit, this was nice. The camaraderie, the friendly teasing and banter, the smiles and obvious love each of these people held for one another… it was nice.

Perhaps Father had had a point about it being time for Bracken to come out of his shell.

“20-17,” Seth announced as he served the ball across the net. Warren returned it, Bracken popped it over again, and the ball was passed back and forth several times before Tanu just barely missed it and the ball landed on his side of the court.

“Boo,” Vanessa yelled from where she sat. “Warren, I thought you said you were going to kick Seth’s butt.”

“Working on it,” Warren replied. Tanu fetched the ball and tossed it back over to Seth so he could serve it again.

“You’re not doing a great job,” she replied.

Warren turned around and pointed at her. “Why don’t you come join us, then, Miss I-Can-Do-Anything-Better-Than-You?”

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed and she turned to the others who were still around the unlit fire pit. “Anyone else want to join in? Mara? Dale? Kendra?”

Kendra started to shake her head no, but Dale stood up and planted a hand on her shoulder. “Come on,” he said. “Some exercise will do you good. Besides, we can’t let them think they’re better than we are, now, can we?”

A semi-smile crossed Kendra’s face, and she stood up. Dale gave her a quick hug and walked toward the net with his arm around her shoulders. Vanessa and Mara followed behind them.

“Who’s joining whose team?” Seth asked.

“I’m with Warren and Tanu,” Vanessa announced. “Mara’s with me.”

“That leaves us with Seth and Bracken,” Dale said. “My heart is broken, Vanessa. I thought you loved me.”

“Oh, I do, sweetheart. Somebody has to babysit your brother, though.”

“I do not need babysitting.”

“Sure looked like it from where I was sitting,” Vanessa replied.

Bracken deeply enjoyed all of the playfulness around him. Kendra had been correct when she’d told him that her family was a lively bunch.

“Welcome to our normal,” Kendra mumbled as she walked over to him. She wore a tired smile on her face.

“I am very entertained,” he admitted. “Are you alright?”

She replied with a sort of half shrug. “I don’t really feel like playing volleyball right now, but Dale is right. We have to kick Warren’s butt.”

Seth gave Kendra an enthusiastic grin and called to the other side of the net. “Did you hear that? Kendra just said we’re gonna cream you all.”

“Kendra should put her money where her mouth is,” Warren retorted. “Serve the ball, Seth!”

—————-

Lunch was ready before their game ended, and all parties had opted for food in lieu of continuing to play. Both teams had achieved roughly the same score up to that point, which was pretty exhilarating; it had been a very long time since Bracken had played a competitive sport, and he’d enjoyed the experience.

His phone alerted him to a new text message while everyone was eating lunch and chatting with one another. He gave it a quick glance, typed out a reply, sent his message and placed it back in his pocket.

“Is everything okay?” Kendra asked. She sat opposite from him at one of the picnic tables which had been set up on the deck. Scott and Marla shared this particular table, and the other attendees sat at additional ones.

“Yes, everything’s fine. One of the farms my family purchases a lot of flowers from likes to set up stalls at a local farmer’s market on Saturdays, and with Mother’s Day coming up in a couple weeks, they’ve asked for help with creating bouquets that weekend. It’s something I’ve helped them with for the past few years,” he explained.

“Which market?” Scott asked.

“It’s downtown,” Bracken replied. “Not too far from the flower shop and Warren and Dale’s café.”

“Oh, the one on 2nd Street?” Marla asked. “I like to go there to buy fresh produce. I don’t remember seeing you there before, though.”

“I usually only help them on Mother’s Day weekend,” Bracken explained. “Otherwise, I work in the shop on Saturdays.”

“Which farm is it?” Marla asked. “There are two or three different ones I can think of that sell flowers every weekend.”

“Bluebell,” Bracken said. “They usually have two or three stands in front of their tables where they put finished bouquets for customers to choose from, and their event tent is a light blue. It’s a family-run business as well. The parents and I put bouquets together all morning while the other son and their daughter handle the money and customer service part.”

“Interesting,” Scott stated. “I’m guessing their stall is pretty busy that particular weekend.”

Bracken nodded. “It’s their busiest day. Bouquets are purchased as quickly as they’re made. It’s typically a pretty busy weekend for our shop, as well, but the difference is that my family’s store receives probably 95% of our orders in advance of the holiday, whereas Bluebell creates and sells on the spot. It’s easy for my parents to handle the few customers who pop in that Saturday for quick arrangements. In exchange for our help here and there, Bluebell offers discounts to my family on the flowers we purchase from them.”

“A business move,” Kendra supplied.

“Yes,” he agreed. “We’ve worked with them for many years now. They’re practically family at this point.”

“Well. We might have to come visit you that weekend, then,” Marla said with a smile. “I don’t usually buy flowers, but it might be nice to grab a bouquet for once.”

“I buy you flowers,” Scott corrected. He sounded perhaps a little wounded in Bracken’s opinion.

Marla waved her hand at Scott. “I know, dear. I meant that I don’t usually buy flowers,” she said. “It might be nice to choose a bouquet for myself.”

Ruth walked up to their table and patted Scott’s shoulder. “Elise is here,” she announced. “She brought an assortment of little desserts. You four should go get some before Seth finds out.” Scott and Marla laughed and followed Ruth back inside the house.

Bracken looked up as another woman, presumably Elise, stepped out onto the back porch. She wore a loose-fitting tank top which showed off the tattoos on her upper arms, a studded nose ring in one nostril, and her hair was a stylish undercut on one side of her head. He remembered what Kendra had told him about Elise dating Mara, and he found it interesting that such different people were attracted to one another. Mara was much more conservative in appearance, and also seemed a little standoffish (at least to him, anyway), whereas Elise exuded very welcoming vibes.

Kendra smiled when she saw her. “Elise!” she called. She stood up and embraced her.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Elise said. “How are you doing?”

Kendra shrugged. “I’m fine. How are you? You look gorgeous. I love your hair!”

“Awww, thanks,” she replied. “It’s not totally done yet. I want to get it dyed, but haven’t decided on which color I want. Maybe orange.” She made eye contact with Bracken. “I’m Elise,” she said, and held out her hand to him in introduction.

“I’m Bracken,” he replied as he also stood up and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” she replied. She quickly looked him up and down, then whispered into Kendra’s ear loudly enough for him to hear, “Where’d you find this handsome man?”

His face started to warm up at her words, and he averted his gaze to the table. It wasn’t necessarily uncommon for people to remark on his appearance, but he felt a little awkward about it whenever it happened.

Kendra cleared her throat. “Bracken made the bouquet I sent you a picture of last week. He’s one of the florists from the shop across the street from Warren and Dale’s place.”

“A man with creativity and a little sass, hmm? I approve.” Elise nodded her head. She then laughed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be weird. Mostly. If you’ll excuse me, though, I need to go hug the rest of my people.” She bounced on the balls of her feet a couple of times before she gave Kendra one more hug and ran off toward her girlfriend.

A small laugh escaped from Kendra, and a fleeting thought of how pretty her genuine smile was ran through Bracken’s head. “She seems nice,” he said.

“She is,” Kendra replied. “She’s like a favorite aunt, or cousin.”

“Elise brought dessert!” Seth shouted from the other side of the deck. He let out a loud whoop of excitement and ran for the kitchen. Bracken laughed.

“Grandma was serious about getting some before Seth takes it all,” Kendra warned.

Bracken shrugged. “It won’t hurt me to forego a little sugar. I don’t mind. Today.” He smiled. “Would you like some? I can fight him for a piece of cake for you.”

That elicited another genuine laugh from her, which broadened his own smile. “Thank you, but I’ve eaten roughly my weight in ice cream this week and should probably refrain from further sugar consumption as well.”

He wanted to hug her, but wasn’t sure if she’d appreciate it. Instead, he placed one hand on her shoulder and said, “He doesn’t deserve your tears.”

Kendra’s face reddened and she looked like she might suddenly start to cry. She turned toward the lawn and hugged herself, but didn’t otherwise respond.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he immediately apologized, distressed at the thought that he might’ve caused her distress.

She waved a hand at him. “Not your fault,” she said. “It doesn’t take much these days. You’re right, I know you’re right, but I can’t help it.”

“It’s okay to be sad,” he replied. “It’s okay to be angry, hurt, and upset, too.”

Kendra looked back at him with watery eyes. “Are you a therapist?” she teased with a weak smile.

He laughed a little. “I have four sisters, remember?”

“Right,” she giggled. “I feel so crazy right now. One minute I’m laughing, the next I’m crying, and now I’m laughing again.”

“Sounds pretty normal to me,” he said. “I don’t think I’d be much better off if our situations were reversed.”

She looked down at her feet with a soft smile. “Thanks.”

Vanessa walked up at that moment and wrapped an arm around Kendra’s shoulders, then glowered at Bracken. “Is he bothering you?” she asked Kendra while clearly staring at him.

“No,” Kendra said. “I’m just an emotional wreck.”

A short ‘hmm’ was uttered by Vanessa, who continued to glare at Bracken.

Her crystal clear and plain-as-day mistrust and what felt like hatred was really quite uncomfortable to endure. Before he had the chance to ask her what her severe dislike of him was founded on, seeing as they’d just barely met, Warren stopped by and pulled Vanessa away from Kendra.

“There you are,” he said. “I was looking for you. Elise was just telling some story about a ridiculous customer of yours from the other day. Why didn’t you tell me about him? The dude who insisted on misspelling a word in his tattoo design, then got mad when it turned out misspelled on his skin?”

She rolled her eyes. “That was Elise’s customer,” she corrected.

“My bad. Maybe you should come over and make sure I understand the other stories she’s telling.”

A sigh escaped her. “I know what you’re doing,” she said to Warren. She squeezed Kendra again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m alright,” Kendra replied. “Bracken is being kind.”

“If you’re sure,” Vanessa answered. “You know where to find me.” She narrowed her eyes at Bracken once more, who was starting to feel more than a little annoyed by her attitude.

“I’m watching you,” she told him.

Bracken sent her what he hoped was his best unimpressed expression.

Vanessa shook her head at him, then turned toward Warren. “Go ahead, take my overbearing ass away from here.”

Warren shot an apologetic look at Bracken before he escorted Vanessa back toward Elise, Mara, Dale and Tanu.

“She’s been a little protective of me this week,” Kendra explained. “Sorry about that.”

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “It’s okay. She doesn’t have to like me. I would’ve appreciated a chance for her to get to know me before deciding that she hates me, but that’s her problem, not mine. I can’t please everyone.”

Kendra blinked. “She doesn’t hate you.”

“I find that difficult to believe.”

“If she hated you, she would’ve sent you back to your car and told you to never come back.”

Bracken shrugged his shoulders again. “It’s alright. I can deal with being disliked. I just wish I knew what I’d done to warrant it.”

“You didn’t do anything. She’s just being protective,” Kendra said. “I promise.”

He decided that he didn’t want to carry that particular subject any further. “Understood.”

An awkward silence fell between them for a few moments, and then Seth reappeared on the deck from the kitchen with a small plate stacked high with an assortment of mini desserts. He made his way over to them, apparently unaware of what had just happened with Vanessa, and announced, “She brought cheesecakes and brownies.”

“Did you take them all?” Kendra asked as she gestured toward his plate.

“There’s some left,” he replied. “I couldn’t stack anymore on top without them falling over.”

“Sugar addict,” Kendra teased.

Seth faked being wounded in his chest. “Kendra. My sister. You’ve hurt me.”

“Do you deny it?”

“No.”

“Well then, there you go.”

“I can’t help it,” Seth said as he chewed on one of the brownies. “Sugar is delicious.”

Bracken and Kendra both nodded their heads, then Kendra stole one of the tiny cheesecakes from Seth’s plate and popped it into her mouth.

“Hey!” Seth protested. “Get your own!”

“I can’t help it,” she replied. “Sugar is delicious.”

Bracken laughed as Seth held his plate over his head while Kendra also laughed and tried to reach it.

——

Read part 8 here!

#fablehaven #brackendra #aerinm writes #anonymous #asks #this is rapidly spinning out of control my dudes #whyyyyyyy do i do this to myself

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ghostbustershq · 4 years

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Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Trailer A Breakdown

“Troy, wondering what you thought about that new Ghostbusters trailer?”

Well, I’ve waited thirty years for this moment. Something tells me that my long-winded and verbose writing sensibilities won’t be able to convey my thoughts in a text message or 140 characters on Twitter. Welcome anyone that I’ve pointed in this direction. I’ve been waiting an awful long time for this. And that’s not to be dismissive of the wonderful experience and entertaining film we received just three short years ago. This is something different. But the same. Something new, but also something familiar. In one word?

Wow.

Quite a bit to unpack in a trailer revealing the first details on what has otherwise been a very tight-lipped production. Needless to say, the first real look at Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife blew me away. The direct sequel to Ghostbusters II looks to take some twists and turns, while incorporating the iconography and elements that made the original film and its sequel so popular in the 80’s. To be completely honest, it’s quite difficult to sit here and put into words my reaction to seeing a trailer for a movie I’ve been waiting 30 years to see. Excited doesn’t even begin to describe just how fun and exciting this trailer release has been. Not to mention just how special this film release will be.

But you’re not here for a review or my sentiments, you’re here for a breakdown to the trailer with a few comments and screen grabs.

Let’s do it, eh?

Hitting the Road

Right out of the gate, some stunning cinematography from Eric Steelberg on full-display here as a car full of teenage kids approach what appears to be an old mine elevator at the top of an incredible looking vista. Kids being kids, golden hour in full effect, it’s a lovely first introduction to the world in which this film will inhabit. Finn Wolfhard’s character Trevor answers a pointed question that his family has moved to Summerville because they’re completely broke. To the point that he’s getting a haircut at home by his own mother, Callie (played by Carrie Coon). We’re meeting a family on some hard times, forced to make a hard turn in their lives because of finances.

Grandpa’s “Creepy Old Farmhouse”

The family pulls up to a farmhouse and barn that looks like they’ve both seen better days. A giant barn with a collapsed roof and several silos surround a Gothic looking weather vein riddled house that may as well be out of the Addams Family. Dire circumstances have forced them to move to a family farm inherited from an, as of now, unknown grandfather. Phoebe (played by Mckenna Grace) gets out of the car with a look on her face that says it all. And those eyeglasses… well, we’ve all talked about who those look like they belong to at great length.

Something’s Amiss

Trevor’s tender moment with a new friend (Celeste O’Connor’s still as-of-yet-unrevealed character) is interrupted by the mine elevator they’re sitting on shakes violently and a green glow emanates from the mine below them. All is not picture-perfect Americana in Summerville as we’ve been led to believe. An entity explodes from the mine, escaping into the air and pushing the teenagers back in the process. That glimpse of our paranormal haunting kicks us into the studio and production company logos.

Bron Studios/Bron Media Logo

Interestingly, no Ghost Corps logo attached to the trailer. But there is a newcomer to both the trailer and the teaser poster released on Friday, Bron Studios. A Canadian company, Bron gets a logo right after Sony/Columbia possibly suggesting they’re a financial backer of the film or a large partner in some shape or form. A quick look at iMDB shows that Aaron L. Gilbert of Bron Media has been added as an Executive Producer to the film as well.

Earthquakes and Mr. Grooberson

Here’s our first real taste of how Paul Rudd’s character will factor into the film. He’s intrigued by Summerville’s seismic activities, given the fact that it doesn’t lie on a fault line, nor does it have any of the telltale signs of locations that should be moving and shaking. The protagonist family huddles under a table during a quake where we get a good taste of the film’s humor courtesy of Trevor with a quippy one-liner about the summer that they died under a table. So what is happening? Stay tuned. Also, admittedly I was too distracted by the beautiful lighting in the shot with Trevor to notice the symmetrical book stacking visual gag in the background until others pointed it out. Well played, set dec team. I’d expect there will be visual easter eggs like this throughout the entirety of the film.

Mystery Box Revealed

Following one of the quakes at their new home, Phoebe seemingly finds a loose floorboard and a sliding puzzle that has been left behind by their grandfather to hide the presence of a familiar ghost trap. Which Phoebe takes to school and shows off to her still unnamed friend, played by Logan Kim. The sight of a ghost trap tickles Mr. Grooberson, who connects it with the famed-Ghostbusters who saved New York City back in the 1980’s. The kids have no idea of the existence of ghosts, nor what occurred back in 1984 near Central Park. Grooberson is more than happy to educate them.

Jason Reitman Front and Center

After the ghost trap’s appearance, Jason Reitman (deservedly so) gets a card proclaiming the film coming from him as a writer-director hyphenate. The credit comes over an industrial space with a whole lot of Ridley Scott creep-factor going on. If I had one nit to pick with the trailer, it’s the producer in me that is concerned poor Jason’s credit never resolves with the “R” in Reitman not obstructed by the light blooming in the center of the frame.

A Free-Roaming… Something?

Right after Jason Reitman’s card, comes a panning shot across the same industrial space where a gelatinous blob is in the distance doing something. It’s tough to make out exactly what type of entity we’re looking at here, but it seems to appear (and move) like a microscopic organism or something found at the depths of the sea. Which I quite enjoy. A ghost that looks unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Also worth noting that the movements feel practical - there is weight and almost a rubbery movement to it just like the creature designs from the shop in the 80’s. Love it.

New York Was Like the Walking Dead

Mr. Grooberson shows Phoebe and Logan Kim’s character archival footage from the 1980’s where he remembers seeing the ghost trap utilized as a kid. The Ghostbusters were a phenomenon 35 years ago, but have been forgotten. As history tends to move on and generations aren’t impacted by the events of their elders, they’re learning about who the Ghostbusters were. Phoebe comments that her mother has never spoken of the events that took place in New York and that their father isn’t in the picture.

Of note, these two shots are incredible angles that I don’t believe I’ve seen before. Perhaps the result of Jason Reitman and his post production team digging into the mines and finding the original dailies and negative from the 1984 film for use in Afterlife?

PKE Readings and “Does This Pole Still Work?”

Phoebe seems to have found other Ghostbusting equipment and uses it to trace readings back to a makeshift shed. Presumably a continuation of the scene based on the editing, Phoebe slides down a fire pole (!!!) to a subterranean hidden space. She continues to follow readings on the PKE Meter, finding equipment including the orange piece of machinery taken from the original Ghostbusters at Columbia University, a Betamax recorder in the far distance, an oscilloscope, and a whole lot of fungi growing in jars. The camera pans over sample dishes of spores, molds and fungus collections, (subtly cued with Phoebe talking about picking through the rubble of her grandfather’s life) and then continues past a proton pack in progress of assembly.

Admittedly, this was the first moment in the trailer where I could feel my heart doing backflips. We’re seeing the past through Phoebe’s eyes and everything looks, feels, and sounds like Ghostbusters. I love it. This movie is about discovery, as we’ve heard over and over. To me, it feels a bit like we’re (the viewer - the broader public outside of us fans) are rediscovering our love for what made these movies so popular.

The Shoe Drops

This is where any other trailer would take the opportunity to pepper in the bass drops, kick in the soft-breathy cover version of Ray Parker Jr.’s theme song, or some other overused trope. But Ghostbusters Afterlife takes a pretty bold stance and tries something different. And to me, it really works. When Mr. Grooberson discovers that the ghost trap isn’t a replica and is, in fact a real ghost trap (and may be occupied still), he questions who Phoebe is, as there’s a cut to Phoebe’s hand grazing over a rack of flight suits revealing the name tag, “Spengler” barely having enough time to resolve before a smash to black.

In what is absolutely a stroke of genius of whomever is responsible for this wonderful trailer, Bill Murray’s line for the original movie as Venkman and Stantz share a bottle of Apricot Brandy talking about going into business for themselves takes on a whole new meaning: “Call it fate, call it luck, call it karma. I believe everything happens for a reason,” is said while - - to my ear - - a new rendition of the same Elmer Bernstein cue that plays under the scene swells.

A Certified Genius or an Authentic Wacko

After a “Next Summer” sell card, another beautiful Americana (c/o Calgary) vista of the Shandor Mining Company. Interesting, perhaps Ivo Shandor from the original film fancied himself an entrepreneur at one point before he became an architect? Or perhaps this is a result of his interest in metallurgy mentioned by Stantz? Perhaps he mined his own supplies for projects? Either way, I’m starting to think that Sumeriaville… ahem… sorry… Summerville might be following in a classic trope of some of the best horror stories. A town with an incredibly horrible secret. Warning signs don’t matter to Phoebe and Logan Kim’s character as they trudge ahead.

Hello, Beautiful

Meanwhile, in the narrative of our trailer, Trevor follows in Phoebe’s footsteps into the fields of the farm and finds something of his own: a beautiful (but a little rusty) 1959 Miller-Meteor Cadillac as the ground shakes again, something shatters through a row of school buses seemingly attacking Phoebe, and the town goes into high-alert. Amid the chaos, there’s a striking 20 frames or so of Phoebe staring into a horrifying fire pit of arms - lost souls? Something else? And immediately after that, Mr. Grooberson frantically tries to escape from a snarling beast that slams a foot on the hood of his automobile. Trevor’s Ecto-1 adventure continues as he turns the key and an homage that would make Laszlo Kovacs proud reveals the familiar license plate and front grill emerging from the garage and into the field for a joy ride. The ol’ Ecto has a whole lotta horsepower left in the tank.

Damn Right, This Thing Has a Gunner’s Seat

And that’s when the trailer hits us. What can and should be the most amazing surprise in the trailer (if not unfortunately spoiled for you by a few self-interested rotten apples with horrible cell phone photos) - this isn’t the Ecto we’re familiar with. Perhaps an explanation as to why it’s the ol’ Ecto-1, or maybe the car was always being changed throughout the duration of the Ghostbusters’ longevity, THIS Ectomobile looks to have been heavily modified for field work. Phoebe, with a thrower in her hand, swivels out into an attack position and we’re off to the races. The Ecto-1, with Phoebe in the gunner position, looks to be chasing the microscopic entity seen earlier in the industrial space - though some people have speculated that might be Slimer, I don’t think that’s the case. Either way… Dear Hasbro, take my money now. My goodness, what an awesome set-piece (and toyetic moment) that looks like it will be.

Everything about this movie speaks to me. It’s playing with my nostalgia. It’s also giving us something new and the promise of the next generation discovering the Ghostbusters both on-screen and off. The fact that a main character is named Trevor for some reason immediately made me think of my amazing former boss and now guide to the next generation of comedy Trevor Albert, who was a long-time friend and colleague of Harold Ramis. Phoebe’s an intriguing character and the friendship that we saw Mckenna Grace and Logan Kim develop via social media throughout the course of the production seems to have carried over to their on-screen performances.

Of course, noticeably absent are any of the original cast members. But, as the theme of this trailer and seemingly the movie as a whole is discovery and things slowly unfolding, I can imagine that moment will be saved until the absolute very end of the marketing campaign. If the cast isn’t kept in secret similar to Mark Hamill in The Force Awakens completely. To be completely honest, I don’t want to see another frame until opening day of the film itself. And if this is the only trailer they release, that would be a wonderful mystery box. Particularly for this Ghostbusters podcast host who would have to break another TV spot or trailer down frame by frame. I get the sense that the less we know and see about this movie before the first viewing experience, the better.

But most of all - - the iconography, the designs from Stephen Dane, Michael C. Gross, and so many other artists has carried over successfully and looks authentic. This is no replica, as the trailer blatantly tells us. This is the real deal.

#ghostbusters afterlife #ghostbusters (2020)#trailer #Jason reitman

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thelastarchangelaskblog · 5 years

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Charcoal as Breakfast

This is another fun group chat! Involving most of the party talking about food and that you should not let Tony cook at all because otherwise bugs or tools may end up in the stew.

Tony & Zira’s Chat

Tony & Rhodey’s Chat

Tony & Rhodey Compile a List

The Trouble with Two Tonys

Rhodey & Bob(Tony)

Rhodey & Zira (and Tony)

DJ & Zira

DJ & Tony

Rhodey & DJ

** (Read more.)

It's morning time. Everyone has started waking up, moving around and breaking camp. Rhodey has gravitated towards the fire, attempting to make the rations more palatable for everyone [without much luck] and his new friend with an unknown name today and Luna are nearby.

Rhodey (to Bob): Hey, friend. What's your name today?

Jim Bob: My name is Jim, always was.

Rhodey: Alright, Jim.

Luna: Jim's a nice name.

Luna (to Rhodey): How are you with breakfast? Anything I can do to help?

Rhodey: I'm not really sure what I'm doing, so... if you have any ideas feel free.

Jim Bob: Same here. I only know the basics to cooking.

Luna goes over to look at the rations.

Luna: It looks like you're doing well. Nothing's on fire anyway.

Jim Bob: ....Should anything be on fire?

Rhodey: (chuckles) that's something I suppose. No, no, I don't think so.

Luna: I used to set my food on fire a lot when I first started cooking so I have a low bar.

Rhodey: That sounds like an exciting experience.

Luna: Not really. My Mum used to experiment so I was used to more explosions.

Rhodey: Oh? What type of experimentation? Was she an alchemist like DJ or an artificer like Tony?

Jim: Wait, there are supposed to be explosions when you cook? I was never told that!

Luna: Not when cooking, no.

Jim: Ah, okay.

Luna: She was a healer so she liked to try new things.

Rhodey: That sounds wonderful. Did you pick anything up from her?

Luna: I can make a few healing potions with a herbalism kit, but she, uh, didn't really get much chance to teach me before she died.

Jim: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Rhodey: Oh, I'm sorry for your loss.

Jim and Rhodey speak at the same time.

Luna: It's okay. I just miss her sometimes. I want to be someone she'll be proud of.

Jim: I'm sure you're living up to that. It can't be easy, the loss of a family member...

Luna: (mournfully) No. It's not. What are your families like?

Jim: (looks away) I don't know them.

Luna: Sorry.

Rhodey: I'm sorry, Jim.

Jim: It's fine. You can't miss what you don't know, right?

Rhodey: I suppose that's true.

Luna: It's still sad.

Jim: Yeah, I guess. I might find them if I look long enough. But enough about me, what about you, Rhodey?

Rhodey: I, uh, I'm from a farming community. Grew up with my parents and two siblings. They... Well, I was always a little different than them, but we got along. Argued and loved each other, that sort of thing. My little sister was always my favorite. She was always full of joy at everything.

Luna: That's nice. Siblings always sound like fun.

Jim: Yeah.

Rhodey: They're also a pain in the ass, sometimes. But that's what family is. Just look at Tony and DJ-- they both drive me up the wall sometimes.

Luna: They seem very skilled at that.

Rhodey: Very.

Luna: But they seem very caring anyway

Rhodey: Yes, I'm rather fond of them.

Luna: They must be happy you can call them family.

Rhodey: I hope so.

Jim: Okay, I hate to break this up but THE FOOD IS ON FIRE HELP

Luna: What? OH !

Rhodey: Shit! (He lunges to grab it out and juggles with it) Hot hot hot!

Luna pulls off her cloak and waves it at the food and fire. The smoke blows away from them.

Jim pulls his off as well and joins in with Luna)

Luna: Is breakfast okay?

Rhodey manages to pat out the fire on the food and it's just... a little charred.

Rhodey: More or less?

Luna: Still edible.

Jim: Food enough, I guess.

Rhodey: I think we should not try that again.

Luna: That sounds like a good idea. Maybe one of the others is better at cooking than us? I'm only really good with the basics. Stews and stuff.

Rhodey: Gods, I hope so. Let’s go... break the news to everyone.

Luna: And meat.

Jim: (calling out to the rest of the group) Breakfast is uh..... ready, guys. Nothing- nothing happened at all.

Luna: I'll just sort out the fire.

Rhodey face-palms and sighs.

Luna: A forest fire would be very bad. Might attract heliopaths. And kill lots of innocent animals.

Rhodey: Heliopaths? (He squints through his hand at Luna.)

Luna stamps out the edges of the fire, leaving only the controlled middle.

Luna: Heliopaths are spirits of fire they're not particularly friendly. Out here though you'd only find the children so there’s no need to worry.

Rhodey: .... ok?

Jim: That sounds pretty cool.

Luna: Which bit of breakfast is mine?

Jim: ...Or hot, depending on your perspective. And here. (He sections off rations and slides part of it to Luna.)

Luna: They're not. Thanks. But we really don't know enough about them

Jim: I'd love to know more about them later.

Luna stops talking and tucks into breakfast.

Rhodey shrugs and does the same.

Luna: I'd love to tell you more. When we're on the road maybe?

Jim: Sure, I'd like that very much.

Tony drops by briefly to check on the cooking.

Tony: I think I’m going to eat from my rations. Note of warning, don’t let Rhodey cook again. It usually involves fire.

Jim: To be fair, we were distracted...

Tony: That is no excuse. He’s supposed to be a soldier! Vigilant! How does he lose track of what he’s cooking?

Rhodey somehow hears Tony despite being several feet away and immediately whirls around. Rhodey: That was one time, and you were involved in it, too, mister!

Jim: Oh?

Zira is dragging herself out of her bedroll, hair somehow even messier and fluffier than it normally is.

Tony: I was not! You were the only one cooking! And maybe I would have helped if someone hadn’t banned me from cooking!

Rhodey: And remind me what you were doing??

Jim: Zira! You’re up, breakfast is... uh, something.

Zira: Cooking? Why are we cooking?? Breakfast is what??

Tony (to Rhodey): I was helping DJ is what.

Rhodey: because I definitely remember an explosion.

Zira: I thought we were talking about cooking.

Jim: Luna said there weren’t supposed to be explosions when you cook...

Zira: How in the world would you explode something while you cook

Rhodey: Oh no, they weren't cooking. They were just distracting me!

Jim: I would like to know that, too, please.

Zira’s staggering over, and peers at the, uh, food.

Tony: We weren’t anywhere near the fire!

Zira: What did you do???

Rhodey: Yeah, Tony, what did you do?

Tony: Although maybe what we were doing ended up being thrown into the fire...

Jim: ...the food may or may not have been on fire?

Rhodey: Maybe? Maybe?

Zira: This is exactly something Asher would do. She loves fire.

Tony: But to be fair the food was already on fire before anything fell into the campfire.

Zira: Please don’t explode my food.

Tony: So the food being on fire was 100% not my fault. Or maybe 85% not my fault.

And before anyone else can set it on fire or blow it up or whatever, Zira grabs her portion of whatever it was and retreats back away from the flames.

Tony: The other 15% is DJ’s.

Rhodey: ...

Zira: I’ll say it once I'll say it a hundred times. Every single one of you is absolutely crazy.

Jim: ..thanks?

Tony: Well, sure we are! But what does that make you since you’re hanging out with us?

Zira: Along for the ride. And entertained. (And with that, she raises up the plate, and her face splits open, mouth widening far past what should be possible, and she swallows the burned rations whole.)

Rhodey: (mutters, wandering back to pack up his stuff) We're all insane. I'm insane... (He doesn't notice Zira.)

Tony: (calls after Rhodey) You love us!

Rhodey waves back vaguely but doesn’t turn around.

Jim doesn’t see what Zira did due to his shit eyesight.

Tony did see what Zira did and doesn’t even blink, shooting her a thumbs up and a wink.

Zira smiles back, seeming a bit confused at the thumbs up + wink but happy nonetheless, and then, she drags herself to her feet and mumbles something about coffee and wanders off towards her pack, presumably to get ready for the day.

Tony (looks at Bob): Anyway, don’t let Rhodey cook.

Jim: Okay?

Tony: I mean it. Unless you like your food being charcoal. And you honestly don’t seem the type.

Jim: Well, I can do the basics. Feel free to pitch in.

Tony: Didn’t you hear me? I’ve been banned from all cooking-related activities. You accidentally put your tools in the stew one time...

Jim: You can, uh, shout helpful advice from a distance if it makes you feel better. And how on earth do you put your tools in stew????

Tony: Well, they weren’t in the stew so much as next to the stew and I guess to be fair no one was expecting the chittering recording I was trying out...

Jim: Next to the stew?

Tony: What else am I supposed to do when waiting for it to stew? People get creeped out by bugs; I was trying out something creepy for size. ...there may have been bugs that ended up in the stew

Jim: Okay, I understand where Rhodey is coming from.

Tony: It was only the one time!

Jim: But it could happen again....

Tony: Besides, bugs are nutritious. You sound like Rhodey.

Jim: You eat a bug.

Tony: Not normally but yeah, I’ve had a few in my lifetime.

Jim tries to modulate his mental voice to sound like Rhodey's.

It doesn't work.

DM: It's very hard to change your Inner Thoughts voice.

Tony: That sounded absolutely terrible and nothing like Rhodey at all. Please do it again in front of him.

Jim: Sure.

Tony: He’d go (puts on high-pitched voice) That does not sound like me!

Jim: ...I don't think you sound like him either.

Tony: Fair. He’d probably just pat you on your back. Anyway, enjoy your charcoal. I’m going to go and eat something that hasn’t been burned.

Jim: Enjoy your meal, too!

#rebaobsessions #thechaoticwave #imagine1117 #heliocentricgeometric #d&d campaign

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spell-cleaver · 5 years

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Uhhhh Star Wars modern navy au where the falcon is just a really fast houseboat, thanks for coming to my ted talk

[Sorry this took me so long to complete.]

Quick disclaimer: I know nothing about engineering. I know nothing about houseboats. I know nothing about the navy. So, uhhh, I doubt very much the ideas I brainstormed with my friend (who at least knows a teeny tiny bit about the British Navy, nothing about any other countries’) really fit with your marvellous idea, but this is what we came up with:

So, apparently the navy has these things called Royal Research Ships which are basically mapping boats which I think help map the coastline for OS maps and such (a good chance I’m wrong there) and are just used for scientific research. Because these voyages tend to be very long, it naturally acts sort of like a houseboat because people have to be living on it for weeks and months at a time, just… observing and mapping the coast, I suppose. (This is the only way I could think of to get a houseboat into the navy.)

Now imagine that this is a boat in a modern-era-inspired world that’s not this world (because I refuse to deal in actual international politics when I’m writing fandom stuff.) Han signed up to join the Republic Navy for adventure! Excitement! Also to escape his awful hometown of Corellia, but no one can blame him. He passes all his training, is great in a crisis, but mouths off to a few too many important people (because even in a world where Palpatine holds off his plans for total dominion until Han’s 30ish, the Republic’s still pretty corrupt) and gets assigned to a Republic Research Ship called something boring like the RRS Valorum III.

Han hates it.

He’s a guy who’s looked for action and adrenaline his whole life, only to be dumped on a ship where all he can do is stare at scenery. No mortal danger. No one shooting at him. No battles. Of course he hates it. He’s not the only one.

Because apparently there are quite a few people the higher ups don’t want in the main navy, and they all got thrown onto one unimaginatively named boat bound for some fascinating ice floes in a wasteland called Hoth.

Truly, none of them can wait to get there.

Slightly mollified by the fact that he’s not the only miserable person on board and also the fact that at least he’s the one they gave the captaincy to, Han decides to at least try to make the most of a bad situation.

He likes Chewbacca. He’s the only one with any actual experience and Han has no idea why he’s not the captain, but the guy’s nice and can keep everyone else in line.

The twins are utter menaces. As far as Han can tell, there was nothing wrong with their record at the Academy, they’re both incredibly bright and good at what they do, but there’s a tense political climate between the Chancellor of the Republic, the military, and something about Separatists. Luke and Leia’s mother is a senator and their father’s high up in the navy, so by their combined efforts to keep their reckless twins safe the two were dumped on the most boring, uneventful trip the navy had.

There are some other people, but they’re not as important to the plot.

(I don’t know how many people crew these ships and I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I’m going to say it’s a small number for plot convenience, and if it’s not, well then, it’s AU.)

They’re perhaps a week into the voyage—with Han thoroughly sick of the general crew, some of the more insufferable cartographers and scientists, and particularly the twins and their idiosyncrasies—when he decides that something’s wrong with the engine (it’s not) and he decides to go down to fix it.

Turns out Luke has already got there and seems to be tinkering with something. Han doesn’t know what it is—it looks like a long range transmitter; maybe he misses his parents (or wants to shout at them some more for dumping him on a boring boat)—and doesn’t really care. He goes straight to “fixing” the engine.

After a while, Luke joins him.

At some other point, Leia comes down to help as well, leaving an irate Chewbacca above decks to deal with the rest of the crew. They tinker with the engine some more, and somehow they find they can make it go faster.

Chewie is not pleased with this discovery.

That doesn’t dissuade them. They keep tinkering, and keep going faster.

RRSs aren’t supposed to go that fast. That doesn’t dissuade them either.

By the time they realise just how fast they’re going, Han’s grown somewhat fond of his stingy research ship, despite the disappointing lack of explosions. It’s nowhere near as polished as the name Valorum III implies, considering this is an old ship that’s seen a great many research missions and is (to put it politely) barely sailing. It’s rougher and more lived-in, and they all love it by now. Boring as it is, keeping it together is a stimulating challenge in itself.

They decide to rename it.

Han’s suggestion of the Millennium Falcon is shot down by absolutely everyone, but he pulls rank on them and that’s that.

By now, Chewie isn’t the only one who’s horrified at the gratuitous changes Han and the twins have wrought. They don’t care. They’re still doing their jobs, and it’s not like they’re even using the super-fast speed they’re getting, otherwise it would interfere with the mapping of the coastline, so. They keep going.

Everyone is thankful for it after Hoth.

The ice sheets and floes extend for miles beyond the actual snowy landmass that is Hoth. It’s summer when they reach the outskirts, so most of them are broken up and they can chart a course through the icebergs. The equipment and sensors are all going mad trying to plot it all, but the Falcon gets through.

They’ve finished and are on the way back when they start picking up odd signals.

They’re encrypted, and seem military somehow. But the Falcon and her crew are supposed to be the only people from the military for at least a hundred miles. Who wants to fight someone out here?

Against literally everyone else’s advice, Han decides to investigate, and finally makes contact with the unknown senders. They’re nearby, they can all tell that much.

Han introducing them over the comms as the Millennium Falcon probably saves their lives.

After all, it is not a recognisably Republic name. By now, the ship is beaten up enough to not be recognisably Republic either. They make it far enough into the ice floes, Han stalling entertaining the mysterious adversaries while everyone else on the ship stands on guard, watching and mapping and documenting the scopes, hands clenched on the controls ready to get the hell out of there the moment it gets dangerous. No one know what’s going to happen, and they’re just an itty bitty research ship. The best chance they have if things get nasty is to skedaddle.

Meanwhile, Han is making some strides in this conversation (he privately thinks he missed his calling as a negotiator) when Leia rolls her eyes and takes over. She charms them a lot faster, and gets three key pieces of information:

The person she is talking to is a gentleman named Count Dooku.

They are a base of people who admit to being… dissatisfied… with the Republic.

They call themselves Separatists.

That’s all Leia really needs to know at that point, already contemplating everything her parents could do with this information, when the people monitoring the scopes come up with something alarming: the base they’re being herded and invited towards is massive, teeming with ships and life forms.

An entire army, perhaps. With the weapons to match.

Han doesn’t take any more convincing to turn the ship around and get out of there. Leia’s managed to get enough information out of them; they don’t need to stay any longer, especially if they’re all gonna die—

Five Separatist ships give chase.

The Falcon leaves them in the dust.

They’re going fast. Faster than fast, and they’re pushing the limits of what Han and the twins had rigged into the engine and they’re practically flying.

They make it back to the base at Coruscant in record time. They get given some flak for not finishing their mission to the absolute best of their abilities, but everyone shuts up when they hear what they have to say.

They’d found the Separatist base.

They get questioned an debriefed and questioned some more. Han doesn’t see Chewie or the twins for several weeks afterwards—he presumes Luke and Leia are with their parents for at least some of that time—but then new orders come in. An attack is to be launched on the base—or, what’s left of it after the Separatists started to evacuate. The Falcon is to be examined and copied—her speed is apparently an advantage the government won’t pass up. And Luke, Han and Leia, as the people who originally worked such magic on her, are to oversee the process.

The part Han is excited about: there might be an entire fleet of ships like her.

A fleet of houseboats, from a certain point of view. It would be great.

(So long as he gets to keep the Falcon.)

#prompts #asks #my writing #random words on a page #modern au #sort of #luke skywalker #han solo #chewbacca #leia organa #space twins #count dooku

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astudyinsarcasm9 · 6 years

Text

Disenchantment - my thoughts on the first season - Spoilers!

So I am in the middle of binge watching Season 1 again, just to really get into the show a bit more. You know, listening to the jokes more carefully and what not.

On the whole I like the concept and I was really excited for it when it was first announced. However, I did not go in thinking it would be the next The Simpsons or Futurama because of course it will not. Those two shows, while made by the same team of people ( more or less) are vastly different both in humour and in tone.

It is clear that Matt Groening wrote this series to be more of a drama with hints of jokes and not a full blown comedy. And with that mind I think it’s not fair to judge the show against Futurama or Simpsons. I saw too many people comparing the three and it honeslty just takes away from the enjoyment of this show.

Sure, one can clearly see the three are related, more so Futurama and Disenchantment but aside from some surface similarities there’s nothing linking them.

For starters, Disenchantment does not have pop culture references of any kind. The humour just comes from situations or from certain characters. Or from a play on words, which is refreshing, because, with the medieval setting they could’ve easily done that.

Ok so let’s take it in order.

The concept:

I really like how they set the show’s timeline somewhere in the Middle Ages but they combined several different things in order to make it more ambiguous. Like, if you look at Dagmar’s dress and hair they’re clearly more 18 century than anything else.

The theme song could have been memorable but as it is it’ just sounds nice and it is kind of entertaining but it’s not something one would hum randomly at times.

The animation:

Right away I can say that it has some similarities with Futurama in the way 2D is combined with the 3D environments. Specifically the castle being 3D just how Planet Express’s HQ was 3D at times.

Otherwise, I’m not bothered by the animation. It’s not as crisp as, say, modern The Simpsons but it doesn’t need to be because it kind of matches the time period chosen.

The Characters:

Being that we only got one season so far I can’t say much about the characters other than they are likeable and sometimes actually fun.

Bean is nice and I can relate to her since I have buck teeth and also the same protruding upper lip. I was bullied in school for it and it is quite refreshing to see a main character in a tv show look like me. Makes me feel better.

She has potential to be develop quite nicely but I’m going to hold judgement till then. She bears similarities to Leela from Futurama.

Luci is hillarious but I feel like there are some sides of him we’re yet to see. He is very much like Bender but even more mean-spirited than him.

Elfo is adorable but very confusing. I kinda understand what they want to do with him. He was an elf working a boring job with a repetitive life, expected to just feel one way for the rest of his life. It was shown he was quite the ladies man too. He says he wants to experience life and so goes out of the elf world and meets Beans. But when he does that his character gets confusing. I mean, on one hand it is understandable that he’d be naive and quite stupid of the outside world, not knowing what war is, what with previously living in a world of perpetual smiles and sunshine. I suppose, that he is a bit too happy compared to how he was shown in the beginning of the show, a little too stupid but maybe in season 2 his character will be fleshed out a bit more. - he resembles Fry a lot.

The other characters are ok. Many of them are character types I’ve seen before.

Odval reminds me of one of MOM’s sons from Futurama.

Prince Derek reminds me of a slightly smarter Ralph Wiggum.

Prince Merkimer reminds me of Zapp Brannigan (my favorite animated character).

My favorite character from Disenchantment has to be King Zøg. He is voiced by the talented John DiMaggio. I love this character. He is hillarious. From the way he reacts to stuff to the jokes that form around him. I’m really watching especially for this character.

Also, bonus points for having a gay couple on this show in the form of Odval and Sorcerio.

The plot: Spoilers!

I admit, I thought that Disenchantment would have episodes with no relation between them, much like Futurama, but boy was I wrong. In actuality it’s half-half, in a way.

Even from the first episode we’re introduced to the plot but we just don’t know it yet. When Elfo gets caught with Bean and Luci and taken to the palace the King is happy to see him and cages him because apparently elf blood is magic. We’re not told why the king wants the magic but the audience presumes it’s because he is full of him. Only till we reach the last 3 episodes of season 1 do we understand that the plot was under our noses the whole time: the King plans to resurrect his first wife: Dagmar.

I thought that touch was interesting if easy to miss on a first watch.

I think what Matt wanted with this series is to seem episodic but in reality have little things sprinkled throughout the episodes that connect the plot together.

One thing that does strike me as odd is the fact that sometimes it feels like the show just lacks a certain energy. Looking at the fight from the tavern from the first episode which seems devoid of tension. And other fight scenes.

The line delivery is odd, or rather the timing of the line. Sometimes a character says something and there’s a pause like something funny or serious is about to happen but then it cuts to the character running or otherwise doing a mundane thing. I don’t know if im being clear with this but it’s something that bugs.

Otherwise I give Disenchantment an 8 on a scale form 1 to 10. I think it’s a good series with a ton of potential. We should not judge it so harshly because even the likes of Futurama didn’t do well from the first season alone. This show needs time to find its footing and its voice. But im sure than when it does it’s gonna be one hell of a voice.

#disenchanted netflix #disenchantment #matt groening #netflix #animation

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adri-mari-fabrica · 7 years

Photo

Practice Challenge Two: Arriving at Angeles

I fingered the dahlia, our province flower, as I prepared to walk onto the stage. This was it. All I had to do was look like I wanted this. I put on my brightest smile as they called my name.

Speaking at the center of the stage was our mayor, Regina Comer. Her last name quite literally meant food, the only remnant of her past, as a restaurant owner. Her story was a happy one, she was able to buy her way up and get elected mayor. A single woman at 25, she gave hope to all of us. She beckoned me towards her, handing me the microphone.

Looking across the sea of colors, I felt dull with only my dahlia flower for color. The people in the audience, on the other hand, were dressed in typical Paloma fashion-bright colors everywhere.

“It is a great honor to represent Paloma in Prince Haiden’s Selection. No los voy a decepcionar, les prometo.¨ I searched the crowd, struggling to find the right words.

As I scanned the audience, I did a double take when I noticed their expressions. I had expected to perhaps see envy or resentment among the girls and families that I had beat out, but instead their faces were full of pity. I supposed that with the relations that the South had with the kingdom, it was to be expected. After all, there was a reason why they were called Southern rebels. Lately, Angeles had been out of touch with the South, even though geographically it wasn't that far away.

My thoughts distracted me from my speech, and the mayor looked at me with concern. Get on with it, she seemed to say.

“Que Díos esté contigo. May God be with you.” I said quickly as I was ushered off the stage. As I was walked to the limousine that would be taking me to the airport I realized that I had barely managed to get out four sentences.

So much for a speech.

I took a sharp breath as we walked up to the airplane. Looking at the plane in wonder, I was snapped back into reality when the guard gruffly said, “Miss, we have to go.” Reluctantly, I let myself be pushed along, craning my neck to examine the turbines one more time. Such sheer power in a relatively small place. Incredible.

As we entered the plane, my breath was once again knocked out of my lungs. Plush seats, expansive cabins, crystal tables, the luxury seemed to be endless. Realizing I was the last one on the plane, I quickly took a seat across from a beautiful blonde with dark roots. Tattoos encircled her shoulders, revealed by an off-the-shoulder white sweater that was no doubt her own take on the Selected’s uniform. I tried my best not to be intimidated by her easy grace, her effortless yet somehow elegant grungy look.

“Are you excited to meet the prince?” I asked the girls, deciding to make conversation once the plane had taken off.

“I’m excited, anxious, and worried. How about you? How are you feeling about all of this?” The girl sitting across the aisle turned to face us. Realizing who it was, my eyes widened. Delphi Kamonchat. A Two. Two seconds into the game and I was already out of my depth. Not only was she a Two, but hers was a household name-you'd have to be living in a hole to not have heard of the Kamonchats.

“Well I'm a bit nervous I guess, but overall excited! I can't wait to see the palace, it's going to be so beautiful!” I responded carefully, fully aware of who I was speaking to.

Delphi nodded her agreement, turning around to face the window. I assumed our conversation was over.

“To answer your previous question, I guess you could say I'm excited.” The blonde in front of me decided to make conversation. Manhattan Bourne, I remembered. “I’m mostly going for the-” She caught herself, “I mean, to get away from the family.”

“I see,” I said, noting her hesitation, “I can't really relate, I’m going to miss my family. But I have to do it for the mo-” I caught myself making a similar mistake, “I mean it's a great opportunity for growth, and maybe even love.”

“I see, so you have a good home life then?” Manhattan asked, studying me carefully.

“Yeah, at least I did,” I started, thinking of my father. “Let’s just say I’m doing this for them. Should I assume you don't have a good home life then?” I asked. This girl, presumably a Two, was my polar opposite. Was the money worth the messed up home life?

We continued to talk about our castes and jobs. I commented on her beautiful tattoos and we continued to make small talk until the conversation eventually faded out. It was all the same to me, looking out the window to the landscape below was just as entertaining as making conversation.

As we stepped out of the car that took us from the airport to the palace, my eyes widened at the sight of the magnificent palace. I could possibly spend the rest of my life here.

Me and the other girls on my plane were ushered into a large room. The Women’s Room, they called it. We all stood in line to take a “before” picture for our makeovers.

Alyson Ashlyn, a Four, was standing in line in front of me, and I began to talk to her. She was a baker, and had also grown up in cold weather. At least I wasn't completely incapable of socializing, I seemed to be getting along okay with all the girls I had talked to so far.

After my picture was taken, I was directed to Station Three, where a couple maids stood attentive, ready to remake me for Prince Haiden.

“Let’s first take off all your makeup, so we can start from scratch.” The head maid directed.

“Oh no, I’m not wearing any makeup.” I told them.

“We’ll see about that,” she said assuredly. She took a makeup remover wipe and traced it across my face. “Huh,” she said, perplexed. “You have the best skin I have ever seen.”

I began to blush at her compliment, but before long, the maids had set about to refine all of my features. They cut my hair shorter, gave me a mani/pedi, waxed my legs, did my makeup, you name it. While all this was going on, a girl sat across from me. I recognized her immediately.

“Princess Elaine! What an honor to meet you!” I regretted being forced to sit down - otherwise I would’ve curtsied,

She met my gaze, smiling softly, “I’m delighted to meet you girls as well. I do hope you’re enjoying your makeover.”

“Any tips for meeting your brother?” I asked hopefully, recognizing that Elaine seemed like she wanted to help.

“I’m afraid I can’t be much help when it comes to Haiden… He’s quite the puzzle,” she admitted “But he’s a wonderful guy. Just be yourself.”

I took a moment to look around at my surroundings in wonder, “What’s it like to be a princess? To live in a castle full of wonders?” I blurted. I instantly regretted my childish questions.

“Well the castle is wonderful,” Elaine said, grinning as she looked around. “I guess I can’t complain about being a princess. It comes with it's perks, which you can probably figure out. I’m not sure how I would describe being a princess though.” She mused.

“Are you excited to meet your possible sister-in-laws?” I ventured, changing the subject.

“Definitely! Whoever wins will be with my brother for the rest of their lives after all. Plus, I believe it's also a great opportunity to meet girls from all over Illéa. One has to get to know her people right.” Elaine said cheerfully, looking at the faces of the girls around the room. No doubt wondering, just like me, who was going to be the One.

“Definitely. Can I venture to say that you don't get out much?” I asked, taking a risk with my next question.

The Princess’s face flickered with surprise. “Um, yeah, it's complicated you know...schedules are pretty tight with my dad, Haiden, tutoring and personal activities. Then there's also security measures placed... just to be safe of course.” She shrugged. “You could say none of us goes out that often.“

The maids finished their work on me soon afterwards, and I was shown to my room after a quick goodbye to Princess Elaine. Three maids awaited me, introducing themselves as Kate, Valentina, and Maika. They informed me that I had thirty minutes before I would have to start getting ready for the Illeá Captiol Report.

“Thank you so much,” I told them, groaning inwardly. It had been a long day and I still had a ways to go.

“What color gown would you like to wear, Miss?” Maika asked me.

I looked at my dahlia flower, which had stayed in my hair the whole time. It’s bright purplish and pink reminded me of home.

“Do you have something to match?” I asked, holding up the flower for them to see.

“We know just the thing!” Valentina informed me excitedly.

I fingered the dahlia. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

#selection oc

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thegloober · 5 years

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Mailbag: Gonzalez, Bumgarner, Keuchel, Kershaw, Harrison

Clint Frazier’s injury is already having a domino effect on the Yankees’ offseason

We’ve got ten questions in this week’s mailbag. Good mailbag, I think. Glad it’s the offseason and we finally have some more things to talk about it. I’m not sure how many more questions I could answer about Miguel Andujar’s ultimate position before going crazy. Anyway, RABmailbag (at) gmail (dot) com is the mailbag email address. Fire away.

This was quite the go-ahead double. (Jason Miller/Getty)

Phil asks: Marwin Gonzalez. The perfect FA match. He can play 2B (with Gleyber at SS) until they figure out the Didi situation. He’s the super-utility starter they hoped Wade would become. And he won’t cost a TON. 1) Am I right, or am I RIGHT? 2) What do you think the damage will be in years/dollars? Thanks.

Gonzalez is one of those free agents who’s a good fit for every team because he’s so versatile. He can play all four infield positions — and play them well, which is kinda important — as well as left field. I don’t think I would ever expect him to hit .303/.377/.530 (144 wRC+) like he did in 2017 again. That seems like one of those perfectly timed career years teams need to win a World Series. Since 2014, Gonzalez has been a 100-110 wRC+ guy with 12-15 homers annually aside from that 2017 season, which is pretty good. Switch-hitter who takes walks and will sock one out of the park every so often while playing all over the field? That guy fits every team.

As for the cost, man, I don’t know. I feel like it’s impossible to predict free agent contracts this offseason because everything was so wacky last offseason. Gonzalez turns 30 in March, so he’s not old. I think his asking price starts at Ben Zobrist’s contract (four years and $56M). Gonzalez is five (!) years younger now than Zobrist was when he hit free agency, though his track record isn’t as good or as long. In a normal free agent climate, four years and $56M would be reasonable in my opinion. In this free agent climate? Who knows.

Ian asks: I understand he *should* retire a Giant, but the fact remains that SF has not extended Bumgarner yet, he’s set to become a free agent next year at the age of 30. Am I crazy for thinking he might be available? Why would they wait for him to get closer to FA before extending him if they have no intention of letting him go? It’s not like they’ll be in ‘win now’ mode in 2019, and I’d gladly take a shot at 30 year old MadBum. 30 is older, but it’s not that old to where I’d pass on him.

The Giants don’t have a general manager or baseball operations head right now. GM Bobby Evans was let go and longtime executive Brian Sabean is moving from president of baseball operations into a less demanding role. I assume the decision to trade or extend Madison Bumgarner will wait until the team has a new front office in place. Either that or ownership will step in and give him that quote-unquote lifetime contract.

I would happily take on one year of Bumgarner. Bring him aboard and see how the season plays out before deciding whether to sign him long-term. If the Giants do decide to trade him, they should do it sooner rather than later. Trading him now nets the best possible return. Look at Manny Machado. Look what the Orioles got for him compared to what they could’ve gotten last winter. A full season of Bumgarner is much more valuable than two months of Bumgarner at the deadline, plus there’s always injury risk to consider.

The Yankees should absolutely check in on Bumgarner if the Giants decide to move him. They should do more than check in, really. They should pursue him aggressively. I don’t think putting Justus Sheffield in the trade would be unreasonable either, even for only one year of Bumgarner. He’s great and you have to pay to get great. The Giants presumably have to get their front office in place before any of this happens. I wonder if this means the free agent pitching market will be held up until San Francisco makes their intentions with Bumgarner clear?

Douglas asks: Short and sweet: do you think Keuchel would part with majestic beard of his to become a Yankee or would that be a sticking point? Is it time to revise the facial hair policy of the Yankees–goatees and well-groomed beards allowed? Seems like the thing to do upon leaving the Yankees is grow a beard.

Getting rid of the facial hair policy is long overdue. It is pointless. Baseball players are not working class Average Joes. Lots of folks would lose their job if they showed up to work with a baseball player beard. Baseball players don’t live in the same world as most folks though. Baseball is the entertainment business, first and foremost. Part of that entertainment is letting players be themselves and show some personality. There are a lot of ugly beards out there, but, if a player wants an ugly beard, let him have an ugly beard. I see no problem with this.

As for Dallas Keuchel, if he refuses to sign with the Yankees because of the facial hair policy, so be it. I’m not all that eager to sign him anyway. His strikeout (17.5%) and ground ball (53.7%) dropped considerably from last year (21.4% and 66.8%), and an upper-80s sinker guy is not really my cup of tea. Keuchel is 30 and he pitches like I want a 35 or 36-year-old to pitch after he loses his stuff. I don’t want to invest big money in a guy who might be sitting mid-80s by year three of a long-term deal, especially given the performance decline we saw this year.

Miggy. (Gregory Shamus/Getty)

Patrick asks: Would you consider a trade for Miguel Cabrera if the medicals check out? Send over Ellsbury and maybe a lower level minor league arm or two and the Tigers send Cabrera and cash to make the financials a wash. Cabrera could potentially be much more useful at 1b.

Nope. There are five years and $154M (!) remaining on Cabrera’s contract. Send over Jacoby Ellsbury to offset salary and you’re still taking on $107M for a guy who’s starting to break down physically (played 445 of 648 possible games the last four years) and has seen his performance slip. Cabrera’s an all-time great who should waltz into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot when the time comes. We’re talking about taking on what figure to be heavy decline years though, and chances are he’ll be relegated to DH before long just to keep his body in one piece. How much would the Tigers have to pay down to make this worthwhile? Turn him into a $10M a year player? Even that doesn’t excite me. The time to get Miggy was ten years ago when he was in his prime and the Marlins put him on the market. Trade for him now and you’re asking for trouble. This feels like an old Yankees move.

James asks: Not a question just an observation: Your continual comparison of pitchers ERA with Sanchez and Romine behind the plate fails to take into account that Romine caught the majority of Gray’s starts. Near the end of the season I calculated the staff ERA difference and, if I recall correctly, removing Gray from the equation led to nearly similar staff ERA’s for both catchers.

How many more hoops do we have to jump through to make Austin Romine look good? Fine. If we remove Gray from Romine’s numbers, it’s still a 3.95 ERA. The pitching staff had a 3.50 ERA with Sanchez. It was a 3.38 ERA when we remove Gray, which is only fair, because we did it for Romine. And wasn’t Romine supposed to be the Sonny Gray whisperer anyway? I thought he needed his personal catcher to pitch well?

Catcher ERA is dumb as hell and should never ever be used in a serious analysis. It assigns way too much credit to the catcher. At the end of the day, all the catcher can do is put down the signs. The pitcher still has to execute. Sonny has good stuff and I have no reason to doubt the team’s game-planning. He just doesn’t execute. Gray leaves a lot of mistakes out over the plate no matter who’s catching. Just avoid catcher ERA all together. I only use it to troll the Cult of Romine™.

Luke asks: First off, Steve Pearce? Come on! I can’t find it anywhere, but I can’t help to believe that Price had to have led the Sox in WAR for the World Series. Which players were the best players by WAR in the World Series? Is there a better way to value players (pitchers versus hitters) in general?

As far as I know, no one calculates postseason WAR. That seems like it would be tough to do. You’d have to recalculate replacement level for postseason rosters. We do have postseason win probability and championship probability added though. Here are the 2018 World Series leaders:

Win Probability Added (WPA) 1. Steve Pearce: +0.63 2. David Price: +0.46 3. Walker Buehler: +0.45 4. Yasiel Puig: +0.41 5. Joe Kelly: +0.38

Championship Probability Added (CPA) 1. Steve Pearce: +0.196 2. Joe Kelly: +0.116 3. Yasiel Puig: +0.115 4. Rich Hill: +0.106 5. David Price: +0.105

I personally would’ve voted for Price — two very good starts, including one in the clincher on short rest, with a relief appearance mixed it? that gets my vote — but Pearce was obviously a defensible choice. If you’re interested, here are the Yankees’ postseason leaders in CPA by round. Ralph Terry is the all-time postseason CPA leader (Yankees or otherwise) with +0.994 in the 1962 World Series.

Derek asks: If Clayton Kershaw opts out, how willing would the Yankees be to signing him? Would you pay the steep price? Personally, I’m terrified of it becoming a dead money contract and the postseason results haven’t been there. His fastball has also declined from 95 to 91 and his whiff percentages are way down.

The fact Kershaw and the Dodgers agreed to push his opt-out back from Wednesday to today is a pretty good indication they’re working on an extension. I’m guessing it’ll be announced later today. Maybe they’ll add two years on top of the two years remaining on his contract? We’ll find out. And, just to toot my own horn, I said I expected Kershaw to leverage his opt-out into an extension without actually opting out when we did our CBS round table.

Anyway, in a hypothetical world where Kershaw opts out, yeah, I’d want the Yankees to look into him. There are legitimate concerns about Kershaw. No doubt. He’s had back trouble three years running now and his underlying performance (and velocity) has slipped. Kershaw’s also only one year older than Patrick Corbin and still very good. Hurt and declining Kershaw had a 2.73 ERA (3.19 FIP) this year. He’s starting from such a high baseline that he’ll still be really good even when factoring in decline. I’m not saying I’d go all out to sign him. But if we’re talking Kershaw at three years and $100M vs. Corbin at five years and $100M, I’d probably go with Kershaw.

Dave asks: Thoughts on Joe Mauer for 1st base next year – good contact, high on base, plus good defense, and a low strikeout total (plus he’s a lefty). Always loved the guy and as a stop-gap player on a cheaper deal might be a very good fit.

I like the idea of Mauer and I had him on my list of potential first base trade targets last year, but I never wrote it up anywhere because I don’t think he’ll actually leave the Twins. He’s a born and raised Minneapolis guy and I don’t think he went through with that emotional final pitch farewell this year …

… only to sign with another team this offseason. Seems to me it’s either retirement or the Twins with retirement in the lead. (MLB.com even cooked up a career highlights video already.) In theory, yeah, I think Mauer would be a real good fit as a high on-base lefty contact guy. He has no power, but that’s fine. The Yankees have power to spare. If Mauer’s willing to leave Minnesota and sign a cheap one-year deal, yeah, the Yankees should check in. I don’t think he’s leaving the Twins for another team though. It’s the Twins or retirement.

Hector asks: How many games did the Yanks have Sanchez, Torres, Didi, Stanton, Judge and Hicks on the lineup? I bet it is less than 50. Yanks just need a little more luck to go their way in 2019. I still believe in their overall talent.

I count 31 games with Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Aaron Hicks all in the lineup this year, or 19% of the regular season. Fewer than one out of every five games. I mean, the talent is obviously there. The Yankees do have replace Gregorius now, but there’s a strong core in place already, and it’ll be there again next year. I just don’t like the “we’ll be better next year with good health” line of thinking. Injuries are part of the game. Every team has to deal with them. The Yankees dealt with them better than most teams this year — that’s why they won 100 games while playing their A+ lineup less than 20% of the time — and they’ll have to deal with injuries again next year. That’s baseball.

Garrett asks: The Pirates just declined Josh Harrison’s option. The Yankees have always been linked to him. Could you see them signing him to play 2nd with Torres moving to SS and moving into a utility role when Didi returns? What would it take?

Yeah, I think Harrison is someone to keep an eye on. The Yankees have been connected to him several times over the years, though I always got the sense they were kinda lukewarm on him and weren’t willing to go all out to get him. Now that he’s available for just cash, it makes more sense to get involved. That said, Harrison wasn’t very good last year (.250/.293/.363 and 78 wRC+) and he’s been a sub-100 wRC+/sub-1.5 WAR player in three of the last four years. Maybe he can improve going forward. I’m not sure how much I’d willing to bet on that. I think the Yankees see Harrison as more of a fallback plan on the middle infield rather than Plan A.

Clint Frazier’s injury is already having a domino effect on the Yankees’ offseason

Source: https://bloghyped.com/mailbag-gonzalez-bumgarner-keuchel-kershaw-harrison/

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peregrinology · 6 years

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Following our few days at the Horse Fair in Jerez (40. Jerez, Horses, and Sherry…), Hugo and I headed for Gibraltar to visit friends and to see those famous monkeys… It was to be Hugo’s first trip outside of Spain, so we dusted off his hard-won passport and were on the move.

We parked in La Linea marina – partly because it is cheap, partly because driving and parking in Gibraltar is an absolute nightmare, but mostly so that we could walk across the runway… It’s one of the only (if not the only) live runways you can walk across in the world, but they are currently constructing a tunnel at the east end which will close the runway to both foot and vehicular traffic, so it’s a cool thing to do while the option is still available. And for the photos, obviously.

How about a smile for this unique experience, Hugo? No? Oh…

Over here!

The best photo we managed…..

The Rock…

We’ve already covered Gibraltar in our previous posts (18. New Year Address… , 25. Hasta Luego, La Línea!), and you may have realised from those that it hasn’t been our favourite place that we’ve stopped so far… However, our good friend Julie lives there, and we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to pop in and say hi. She first met Hugo when he was just a few days old, so it was nice for her to see the growing lad… Her daughter Chloe (who is studying midwifery in the UK) was also visiting, and Hugo and her hit it off instantly. We had a couple of days hanging out, and Julie gave us a tour so that Hugo could see Europa point and the famous macaques, before the trip back across the runway, into Spain, and onwards to Guadix in Granada Province.

Friend time!

The best cuisine Gib has to offer…?

Happiness is a balloon!

…And some crayons

Trying to ignore that Hugo is scribbling on Chloe’s college work….

The Supreme Court of Gibraltar

Monkey-spotting overlooking Gibraltar Bay

Checking our the monkeys with Chloe

Hanging around by Europa Point Lighthouse

Europa Point

Barbary Macaque

Looking over Upper Town and Gibraltar Bay

Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque at Europa Point

Casemates Square

The stop in Guadix only came about as I was looking for a half-way stop between Gib and Cartagena to break up the journey. Hugo likes car trips, but 6 hours just seemed a bit too long without Jamie there so we could take turns driving and entertaining Hugo when he needed. Guadix is near Granada, but we wanted a town that was small and cheap, and Granada is neither of those; Guadix was both, and looked quite nice into the bargain.

Having had really lovely weather for the whole journey, as soon as I’d pulled up in Guadix, the heavens opened, so we waited it out for 10 minutes before heading into our next Airbnb (which was lovely, but possibly the most kitsch place in Spain…). We made a brief foray into town, but it became more about puddles and the raging river torrent, so we grabbed some dinner to take back and left the majority of our sightseeing for the following day.

The river bed was dry…but not for long!

Moody Skies over Guadix

One hour on, the previously dry river bed was a torrent!

We headed out early the next morning, through the Indiana Jones arch (The Last Crusade was filmed here, and in early June there was a 3-day festival in the city celebrating the 30th year of its release), up to the Cathedral, then further up to find the Alcazaba. Great views, but unfortunately the Alcazaba has been closed for several years after the council decided to prioritise money elsewhere. An elderly lady who lived in the shadow of the Alcazaba told me this with no small amount of disappointment; when she had been a small girl they had often visited and clambered all over the structure, and now it was left to ruin in favour of other (presumably more profitable, or let’s say ‘well-connected’ sights in the city…).

The Alcazaba

Guadix Cathedral

View over Guadix

Guadix Cathedral

River Gardens

The Central Market

As we walked back down towards the car, we had a stroke of luck… Hugo’s current obsession with all forms of transportation meant that he spotted a little ‘fun train tour’, so we headed over to see what time it left. It turned out that it was a tour that had been pre-booked by the local SAGA equivalent… but the organiser said that if there was space, we could jump on for free… Obviously, this is Spain, so as soon as the pensioners found out about Hugo, they were only too happy to make space for him (and me, luckily), and he became quite the sensation! It took us up to the caves, which seems to be the main tourist attraction in Guadix (and possibly where the Alcazaba finance went) – over 2000 cave dwellings cut into the hillsides! The train drove off and left us, so we had about an hour to look around the dwellings and admire the view over the city (oh, and have an ice-cream..). We weren’t quite sure if the train was coming back for us; it did, although the remainder of the tour was places we’d already been, so we decided to take our leave. It was so kind of them to let us hop on their tour though, as we wouldn’t have seen the caves otherwise. I’m not sure if they’d have invited us if it hadn’t been for Hugo, but the hospitality and kindness of the Spanish (especially when kids are involved, it must be said) is hard to rival!

On the Train!

The Tourist Train

Which ice-cream is the winner?

At the caves

Church: Parroquia Nuestra Señora De Gracia

Caves! Yes!

Cave House Museum

Always the biggest stone…

So it was back to the car, and back to Cartagena…. well, almost… The car wouldn’t start…. Flat battery (the cause had been a left-on indicator light following child entertainment while waiting out the rainstorm when we first arrived..!!)… We called recovery, and the chap duly turned up in less than half an hour; he kindly informed me that this type of ‘women’s trouble’ was very common when females and cars were brought together… Haha, thanks mate (slap!)…

Anyway, on the road again, we made a brief stop at Guadix train station (keeping the engine running, just in case – I couldn’t have faced seeing his expression if I’d had to call him out again!!). The station is also a popular film set, and also another location used in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Then it was a drive through the Badlands (less exciting than it sounds), and homeward bound. Hugo slept through most of it, the excitement of the last few days having taken its toll. He even missed the enormous storm, complete with thunder and lightening, that greeted us on our arrival back into Murcia Province!

Guadix Train Station

Back into the routine now, but just enough time to recover before the next trip….

The now-obligatory video:

41. A Rock and a Rainy Place… Following our few days at the Horse Fair in Jerez (40. Jerez, Horses, and Sherry…

#Activities #Culture #Gibraltar #Granada #Guadix #Sightseeing #Spain #Travelling with Kids #Weather

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