#which is great. love to not know things. love that we can readily follow all the emergent drama everyone's wading in nowadays. hell yeah

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Okay, either the scientist knew she was preggo or they just thought she was going through hormonal changes or whatever, there is NO WAY CROWLEY DOESNT KNOW THE HUMAN IS PREGGO.

Also, how much should I bet that Cater is just going to keep the whole world updated with every single DETAIL.

Oh, Lilia is going to have a FIELD DAY WHEN THE BABY IS BORN, same for Trein, he’s probably going to love it.

Referring to this fic snippet here:

Okay, to be fair, I forgot to mention that the events take place shortly after Yuu's arrival. Probably between chapter 2 and 3 given the timeline we have, which puts it at about...two, three weeks after the prologue and shortly after Riddle and Leona overblot.

As for the scientists/researchers, while logically speaking they would immediately jump at the chance to come to the island to start their studies, they first had to make sure these pictures circulating on Cater’s Magicam posts were legit first. Once it is established through a video or two that was posted, that's when they reach out to Crowley to make the arrangements!

And they actually arrive a week after the pregnancy announcement, so you can bet that they are very eager to get some studying done as quick as possible! 😂

As for the staff not realizing that fem!Yuu is pregnant, they are aware of what a pregnant monster's scent is like for sure. But because there hadn't been a human in centuries, even if Crowley was old enough to have been around humans, it's not like he remembers the scent off the top of his head! The staff would all essentially be like those confused cats and dogs trying to figure out what this strange bump is and why their human smells funny before instinctively feeling protective.

Can you just imagine Crowley building a nest for Yuu without realizing just *why* he was doing it in the first place? Or the blank stare he'd give the moment someone asked him like, "...why am I doing this??" and it only becomes clear shortly after the announcement, in which he tries to pretend he knew all along 😂

I'm also reminded of this one post where OP's cat had had multiple litters in the past and was so excited when OP got pregnant that the kitty kept trying to show her to the nest she made for OP's "kitten", and it was the sweetest thing I'd ever read 🥹

Anyway, you can bet your bottom madol that Cater will absolutely be keeping EVERYONE updated on Magicam throughout the whole process, and he is getting flooded with baby picture requests 🤣 It's also sweet how mothers come across the posts and try to offer advice that they'd learned on raising their kids, which is nice, though not all of the advice would really be practical based on species 😅 But at least they're sweet enough to offer that and words of encouragement! I can even see some inviting Yuu to a mother's support group meeting ;;v;;

You can also bet that Yuu will be receiving a lot of baby shower gifts and such from Cater’s followers. At least they don't have to worry about needing to buy diapers for a while! 🤣

Ooooooh yes, Lilia is going to be ecstatic to be able to hold and care for a baby again! He will offer to help watch over the little one (hadn't decided on a gender or name yet for the new baby) so Yuu can take a break, though don't worry about him trying to feed the baby his cooking. He learned and knows that milk is important for the baby, so he makes sure to have the bottles readily available even at Diasomnia~ (though Silver and the others make sure to keep an eye on him when it comes to feeding time just to be on the safe side)

Trein has already raised two daughters, and while he may not be interested in raising another, that's not to say he won't wind up spoiling the little human baby like any grandparent would! He'll also offer a shoulder for fem!Yuu to lean on and reassure her that she's doing a great job as a mother ;;v;;

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland monster au #twst monster au #faun speaks #fem!yuu

[fortuositywritings]

Never Gonna Happen Masterlist

Summary: The way to get over someone is by finding someone new, at least that’s your friends say. You follow their advice rather reluctantly. 

“Go talk to her.” Jennifer nudges you a little too hard. You nearly fall off the stool you’re sitting on.

You’ve accompanied her and her friend/coworker Nikki to a night out in the city and wound up at a fancy bar. For the past five minutes, they’ve been trying to get you to go talk to the blonde woman that hasn’t taken her eyes off you since you walked in. 

“I don’t know,” you say hesitantly. “I haven’t asked anyone that wasn’t Wanda out in the longest time.”

“Damn it,” Nikki mutters, taking her purse out and fishing for some money while Jen laughs triumphantly. 

You watch confused as Nikki hands Jen a ten dollar bill and Jen says, “And I still had fifteen minutes left.”

“Fifteen minutes left for what?” you ask.

“For you to bring up Wanda,” Nikki explains, making you gasp in return. “I do not talk about her that much do I?”

“Enough for me to make ten bucks out of it,” Jen answers, waving her prize in front of your face. You smack her hand away. “Oh, don’t pout. I think it’s adorable how in love with her you are.”

“I am not in love with her,” you lie.

“Okay, prove it. Go over there and ask that blonde out,” Jen challenges. 

“Like I said, I’m rusty,” you claim. 

“What better way to get back out there than walking over and chatting her up? This could be your trial run,” encourages Nikki. 

“I don’t know. I think I should start safer. What about you, Nikki?”

“What about me?”

“You like women, right? So how about you be my first date?”

“We’ve got a nice thing going here. Let’s not ruin that, Y/N,” Nikki says, patting your shoulder.

“Boom! First rejection right there. The rest comes easier,” Jen interjects. 

“Fine,” you groan and reluctantly stand up. You down one of the shots on the table before making your way over to the blonde. Your friends cheering you on can be heard faintly. 

“How bad do you think that’s gonna go?” Nikki asks Jen as they watch you introduce yourself to the blonde. 

“Oh so bad,” Jen responds. “But this will be good for her. If we get her asking a few girls every time we go out, someone is bound to say yes.”

“Oh, we’re thinking like men now, are we? Where is the confidence for our new friend? She’s cute! She’ll get plenty of yeses.” 

“Then why didn’t you say yes?” Jen counters with a knowing smirk.

“Cause you and I both know she is still way into Wanda and the last thing I am gonna be is one of those insecure women who compare themselves to another girl throughout the whole dating period. Nuh-uh. That’s not for me, honey,” Nikki explains and then takes a sip of her drink. 

“Exactly. Girls can spot a lovesick puppy from a mile away, which is why Y/N is coming back right now with that face like she’s been rejected as I predicted.” Jen looks in your direction and sure enough Nikki sees you walking back with a small frown on your face.

“It’s okay. It takes some practice, buddy,” Jen coos. 

Nikki is about to sympathize until she sees the napkin in your pocket and pulls it out. She praises, “But not for Y/N! Holy shit, you got her number and on a napkin? Talk about moves.” Jen doesn’t quite believe her until Nikki hands the napkin over. 

“Who even carries a pen around?”

“Don’t you have one in your bag?” you remind her. 

“Yeah, but I’m a lawyer. It would be weird if I didn’t,” Jen jokes. She reads the name on the napkin. “So, are you gonna call Trish?”

“I don’t know.” You shrug. “She seems nice enough, but I don’t know if I am ready to date yet.” 

“That’s all right. This was a good step to moving on,” Jennifer declares.

Nikki readily agrees, “A great step!”

Jennifer lifts her drink up to you two and cheers, “To moving on!”

You reluctantly join, clinking your drink to theirs. 

You wake the next day to a rap on your door, initiating an equally heavy pounding in your head. Not even Wanda’s sweet voice on the other side calling your name can soothe the ache. “Y/N, are you there? We have to head out in ten minutes.”

Shit. You have a mission today. 

Wanda hears shuffling on the other side of the door, then a thud and a groan. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good. I’ll be right out,” you reply in embarrassment, internally thanking the lord Wanda didn’t see you trip putting on pants. Despite the slight mishap, you think you set a personal best getting ready whilst hungover. 

“Morning, Wanda,” you greet her when you open your door and see her leaning against the wall seemingly waiting for you. Your raspy morning voice interrupts her reviewing key notes for the mission on her phone. She’s about to greet you back but the sunglasses on your face distract her. She narrows her eyes at you.

“Are you hungover right now?” she accuses. 

“No,” you lie, before closing your door comically softly giving you away. She scoffs, “Unbelievable. Let’s go. Bucky is waiting for us.”

She walks ahead of you annoyed. She walks rather quickly too as you follow behind her. She has to be doing it on purpose. Anytime you are close to falling into step with her, she picks up her speed. If the car was any farther, you think you and Wanda would have ended up jogging. Luckily, Bucky has pulled the car up front. 

Wanda and you wordlessly get into the vehicle, she taking the passenger seat and you making your way into the back seats. You close your door gently. Wanda in turn practically slams hers shut, causing you to grab your head and groan. Wanda wouldn’t say she takes pleasure in causing people pain, but in this rare instance it does satisfy her a bit. 

“Someone had a good time last night. I don’t think I have to ask who you were with yesterday,” he teases you as you stretch out in the back seat throwing an arm over your face in order to block out the sun after tossing your sunglasses. He gets a grunt in response. 

“Here, this should make you feel better,” he says. You look over to see him handing you a water bottle and some painkillers he apparently stashed in the car. You sit back up, taking the items gratefully. 

“You’re a godsend,” you dramatically thank him and lean over the console to give him a hard kiss on the cheek. Wanda watches beside you two, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. She determines the feeling must be disappointment in herself for not being a good friend like Bucky. Had she helped you soothe your ache instead of making it worse, maybe she would be the one whose cheek you’re kissing.

Nope. Not the point, Wanda, she tells herself. The point is to be a good friend. Bucky shrugs it off and turns on the car. “Yeah, yeah. Put your seatbelt on.”

“Yes, sir,” you reply jokingly, but do as he says. “That’s the last time I'll try keeping up with Jen’s drinking,” you declare, and suddenly Wanda’s thoughts about being a better friend fly out the car window and she holds herself back from turning on the radio at full volume. 

You open the water bottle, taking the pills. You go through the water rather fast. Bucky notices and warns you to slow down. “We’re cutting it close as it is, so no bathroom breaks.” 

You’ve practically chugged the whole bottle already. “I can hold it.”

“You wouldn’t have to had you woken up on time,” Wanda points out.

“I thought I had set my alarms last night, but I guess I forgot,” you replied.

“Forgets to set her alarms, but not to get drunk the night before a mission,” she mutters not so under her breath. She doesn’t even know why she is so upset with you.

“Why are you mad at me?” you ask. Obviously you could feel it, but you sincerely don’t know what you did to upset her. You and Wanda both laughed when Clint showed up to work once hungover. You figured it would be Bucky who would give you an earful about it, not Wanda. Bucky doesn’t say anything, instead focuses on getting you to your destination.

“I’m not mad,” Wanda lies.

“You look mad,” you reply. 

“I’m not mad,” she repeats, getting annoyed.

“You sound mad.”

“I’m not mad!” she yells.

You wince at the loudness. Bucky gives Wanda the side eye, clearly not believing her. You back off, “Okay, you’re not mad.”

The rest of the car ride is quiet, but it gives you time to get your head in the game. You have a job to do. Whatever is going on with Wanda can wait. Bucky parks the car across the building where your person of interest plans on meeting someone your team had apprehended four days ago.

“There. The black Maserati,” Bucky announces when he spots who you’ve been waiting for. The three of you wait for the sedan to make its way inside the parking structure before getting out of the car to follow. 

“You two up front. I’ll go around back in case he tries to run,” Bucky orders. You and Wanda nod before heading into the structure to find the Maserati. You catch your target right as he is walking away from his vehicle. 

“Wow, is that your car, Mr.?” you ask over-enthusiastically to the guy dressed in a suit and tie. 

The man looks up at you two realizing you are speaking to him. He gives you and Wanda a once over before smiling to himself and replying rather smugly, “Yes, it is. You girls like cars?”

You bite your lip to hold back your laughter when Wanda grimaces after he calls you two “girls”. You reply to him, “I sure like yours.”

“If you’re a fan of this one, you should see the one I have at home,” he boasts and throws a wink at you in good measure. Wanda rolls her eyes, quickly getting annoyed with the guy and with you. Could you hurry the chit chat so she can do what she came here to do and not have to watch the guy you’re supposed to take down flirt with you?

“Wow, you have two of these?” You ask and your target is eating this up thinking you’re really impressed. You turn your head to tell Wanda, “Maybe we should get into dealing alien weaponry illegally. Seems to pay better.”

His smirk turns into a frown and he takes a step away from the two of you. “Who are you?”

“I’m Y/N and this is Wanda. We’re going to ask you kindly to come with us for questioning,” you answer. He panics, you see it in his eyes, the way they drift between you and the nearest exit. Wanda notices this too. She warns him, “Don’t run.”

He doesn’t run straight away, you’ll give him that. No, he decides to pull a gun out first and shoot Wanda’s way first before making a break for it. Luckily you saw this coming the moment he reached under his jacket, so you pull Wanda safely behind a car in time for the bullet to miss. 

You make sure your body cushions Wanda’s from hitting the hard ground and yet what hurts more is her elbow hitting your rib when she lands on top of you. More shots ring so you and Wanda stay where you are. He was running towards Bucky’s way anyhow. 

You hear the clattering of a gun hitting the floor and a few groans, all signs that Bucky is kicking his ass right now. 

“That was close. Thank you,” Wanda says. 

“Will you forgive me now for whatever I did to make you upset?” you ask sincerely.

“I wasn’t mad,” she insists with a roll of her eyes and then more quietly adds, “But yes, you’re forgiven.”

You laugh at her response and she smiles back. Your hands grasp her waist, giving her tummy a warm feeling. You couldn’t pull her any closer if you tried. Gravity is already doing its thing keeping her body flush against yours. “Wanda?”

“Yeah?” she replies. Her eyes drop to your lips and she nervously gulps. Right when she thinks of finally breaking the tension and leaning in, you tell her, “I think it’s safe for us to get up now.”

Realization that you were trying to push her up and not keep her against you dawns on her and embarrassment ensues. “Oh, sorry,” she squeaks, cheeks tinged red. She gets up off of you at the speed of a bottle rocket. 

“You’re fine,” you assure her. You wish you could say the same for yourself. 

“Yeah, don’t worry, ladies. Take your time. I got this,” Bucky interrupts sarcastically as he passes by you two carrying the unconscious culprit over his shoulder.

“Do you think he’ll let us stop by McDonald’s?” you ask Wanda as you both follow Bucky back to the car. 

“No,” Bucky answers, having heard you. Wanda giggles while you argue, “We don’t have to stop. They have drive-throughs, you know?” You smile when she gives a full loud laugh after you say, “It doesn’t have to be McDonald’s.”

*****

“Have you texted her yet?” Nikki asks while stabbing her salad. She and Jen invited you to lunch a few days later. 

“Texted who?” you ask.

“Who do you think? The woman from the bar!” Nikki reminds you. The way you scrunch your face gives her your answer.

“That’s a no,” Jen jokes. 

“I totally forgot. I’ve been busy.” It’s a lame excuse. You haven’t been doing anything of importance at all after that small mission with Bucky and Wanda. Jennifer and Nikki know this too.

“Yeah, busy getting sucked right back into Wanda,” Jen comments with a laugh, but you know she means it and it annoys you that Nikki agrees.

“I am not,” you deny.

“Remind me, Jennifer. Where did Y/N say she went on Sunday?” Nikki begins with faux forgetfulness. Jen plays along. 

“The farmer’s market with Wanda.”

“She asked me if I had any plans and I didn’t so she invited me to go with her and I couldn’t say no right after I just told her I wasn’t doing anything,” you defend yourself.

“What about the trip to Target on Monday?” Jen adds.

“She was buying a bookcase and wanted a second opinion,” you answer with a shrug. 

“Opinion on what? There are like three choices.” Nikki has a point there.

“I don’t know. I guess she’s indecisive,” you reply and Nikki mumbles, “Sure seems like it.”

“Can we change the subject, please?” you ask, no longer feeling like being attacked by your friends.

Jen appeases you. “Fine, fine. What were you doing earlier that you were running late?” 

You mumble something they don’t catch, but they already have a feeling what it might be. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t hear that with your head hung down shamefully. What did you say?” Nikki teases you.

“I said I was putting a bookcase together,” you repeat, rolling your eyes when they both laugh. “Well it wasn’t going to build itself!”

“Doesn’t Wanda have telekinesis or something? She doesn’t even have to lift a finger to build it,” Jen tells you.

Nikki jokes, “Bet she doesn’t have to lift a finger when Y/N’s around.”

“Y/N, how are you supposed to get over Wanda if you are always around offering her your time and services?”

“I can’t just start ignoring her. I tried it before and it was just mean. She’s my friend,” you remind them.

“A friend you have feelings for,” Jennifer returns with a serious disposition. “Look, we’re just trying to look out for you as your friends. And if Wanda is your friend like you say, she’ll understand if you need some space to get over your feelings for her.”

Yeah, that’s a conversation you don’t want to have. “That’s definitely an idea.”

“Or,” Nikki gives you a second option, “you can move on like originally planned and actually stay busy seeing someone else. Text the woman from the bar right now. Ask her out!”

You prefer Nikki’s idea. You’ll go with that one. Before lunch is over, you text Trish and by the end of the night you have a date to plan.

You freak out about what to do for a first date so you search online and the one that speaks to you is a picnic. You know that Trish is easily recognizable after she’s told you she is a radio host and you saw her face on the side of a bus so a picnic in the park would not be the best idea. Maybe you could set up on the roof. You wonder if that’s a good idea or if she’ll hate it. Self conscious about it, you ask your teammates what they think while you are in the gym with Steve and Sam. 

“Is a picnic on the rooftop for a first date too much? Or what do you guys think?” You drop your weights to look at the men. Only Steve bothers to look your way.

“I think it’s a waste of time and energy if she’s just gonna say no,” Sam replies, continuing to punch the bag Steve is holding still for him. 

“But she already said yes,” you say. That gets Sam to stop his punches. He and Steve look at you surprised. You wonder why they look so shocked.

“Wanda said yes?” Steve asks. Oh. 

“No, not Wanda. Someone else,” you sigh. 

“Tsk, man, you got me excited for nothing.” Sam goes back to working the punching bag. Steve though carries on the conversation. “Who is it? Do we know them?”

“Maybe,” you answer with a shrug. “She’s a radio host. Her name is Trish Walker.”

“No way.” Sam stops again. “You’re going on a date with Trish Walker. The Trish Walker.”

“Who’s Trish Walker?” Steve speaks up.

“She’s Patsy from ‘It’s Patsy’!” 

“Patsy?” Steve looks at you in confusion but you can’t explain this to him because truth be told you don’t know what Sam is talking about either. 

“How do you not know- oh yeah,” Sam interrupts himself. “I forget you’re both a different generation. It was a tv show and she starred in it. I had a huge crush on her when I was younger. And you’re going out with her?” 

You nod in response, making Sam shake his head. “That’s foul. You would do that to me, your friend?”

You roll your eyes at his dramatics. “You haven’t answered my question, friend. Is a picnic a good first date?”

“I think it’s romantic. I think she will appreciate the effort and thought you put into it,” Steve pipes up. His comment makes you feel better about it. That is until Sam speaks. 

“It’s corny is what it is. You have to do something fun and interesting. No restaurant, no picnic. It has to be something she’ll definitely remember. Take her scuba diving,” Sam suggests.

You look to Steve for his thoughts on this. He is shaking his head and immediately saying, “Don’t take her scuba diving.”

You leave the gym still thinking over the picnic idea but definitely not considering scuba diving as a substitute for a good first date. You don’t notice Wanda or the way her eyes linger over your body as you walk down the hallway heading toward your room for a shower until she’s two feet away. 

“Oh, hey, Wanda,” you greet her with a smile. Her head snaps up and she smiles back with pink cheeks, praying you didn’t catch her checking you out. You didn’t. Instead you’re thinking Wanda is a girl. Her opinion over the first date matter would be valuable, so you ask her next, “What do you think about a picnic on the rooftop as a first date?”

Wanda was not at all expecting those to be the next words out of your mouth. It’s been so long since you’ve asked her out and she can freely admit to herself anyway that she missed it. 

“You’re asking me?” Wanda double checks that this is actually happening. You look around the hallway confused. Of course you’re asking her. There’s no one else here. You nod and she asks furthermore, “For a first date?”

“Yeah, or is that too much?” You look so unsure. This is different than all the other times you’ve asked her out. You would be so confident in your delivery. This is something new. Wanda thinks it’s kind of cute. 

You take Wanda’s quietness as an answer. “It’s too much isn’t it? I knew it. Damn it.”

You sigh. Back to the drawing board you guess. Scuba diving isn’t sounding so bad anymore. Wanda pulls you back from getting too far into your brain. “Wait, Y/N. No,” she starts. Is she really about to do this? Is she about to agree to go on a date with you after having said no a hundred times? 

“I-” she hesitates. What if the date goes wrong? What if it ruins what you have now? This past week she realized just how much she enjoys your company, how comfortable she is when it’s just the two of you. What if it becomes awkward?

“You?” Your sweet eyes look at her, asking her to finish her thought.

What if the date goes really well? Then there is a second and a third and then you’re dating and you’re wrapping your arm around her and watching tv together and calling her beautiful. Okay, so not so different from what you’ve done before but with dating you would kiss her whenever you wanted and you’d smile when she kisses you back and... that actually doesn’t sound so bad. 

Oh what the hell. It’s one date. 

“A picnic on the rooftop sounds perfect.”

You smile in relief. No scuba diving for you. “Really?”

“Yes. When were you thinking?” Wanda asks.

“Oh um. We’re both free tomorrow, so I was thinking like five-ish cause the sun is supposed to set around six and the view looks awesome from the roof.”

She looks at you surprised. “You really thought it through.”

“Yeah.” You don’t give her much more than that because it would be embarrassing to admit that originally you had planned a date like that for you and Wanda. You would have had Wanda’s favorite food from her favorite places in the city and have had a cute set up you pictured in your head. But it’s fine. Hopefully Trish enjoys it. You clear your throat. “Okay, well. I should really shower.”

“Yeah, I was wondering what that smell was,” Wanda jokes. 

“Hey! Three hours at the gym with Sam and Steve, this is as sweet as anyone could smell,” you defend yourself. 

“Three hours?” she gasps. “Why do you do that to yourself?”

“An ass like this takes work,” you jest, turning around to walk back to your room but not without a shimmy of your butt to make her laugh. You feel proud when it works and you hear her giggle. 

“You better not smell like that tomorrow,” she warns you. You laugh the rest of the way to your door. Before entering your room you call Wanda one last time. “Hey, Wanda. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome?” she says, confused. It’s the first time anyone has thanked her for agreeing to go on a date. She giggles to herself after you close your door. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. 

All morning Wanda radiates nervous energy. She supposed she shouldn’t overthink it. It’s just a date. She’s had her fair share of first dates before. First date jitters is a thing, but as much as she wishes it’s simply that, she thinks there is more to it this time. 

She’s never dated a coworker before. Coworker? That doesn’t sound right. Teammate? Better, but still not fitting. Friend? Are you friends? You had always shown romantic interest so Wanda was always skeptical considering you a friend, but that’s what you ended up being, wasn’t it? 

Any way you put it, coworker, teammate, or friend, Wanda has never dated anyone of the category. It always seemed messy. If things go wrong, you would have to see that person at work all of the time or your friendship wouldn’t be the same and you’d fall out. Was it worth it?

By 11am, Wanda has convinced herself dating you would be too complicated. So she goes to find you and tell you the date is off. Would you be upset? Would you think she’s playing with your feelings? That she’s leading you on like Natasha said? 

But it’s not leading you on if she wants it too. She can confirm she does want it. Screw the outcome. Dating is meant to be fun and there is never a dull moment when you’re around. 

By 11:30am, Wanda finds you with your arms full seemingly on your way to the rooftop. It looks like you are about to set up and you tell her so when you catch her staring. 

“Oh, hey, Wanda. Don’t mind me. I’m just going to start setting up now so I have time to get ready. I promised I’d smell good, you know,” you joke with her. Seeing the blankets in your arms, the nerves come back to Wanda but this time they don’t feel so bad. There is excitement mixed in there too. “While I have you, do you think this is enough blankets? Is it enough cushion for the ground? I don’t want our butts numb twenty minutes into the date, you know?”

She laughs but she goes to feel the stack of blankets and decides you need more. “I think maybe two more. You can grab some of mine,” she offers.

“No, that’s okay. I’ll just steal some more from Sam’s room. No need to get yours dirty,” you reply, waving her off.

“Okay, hey, Y/N,” she calls you back before you can get too far. You look up in her direction. She smiles at you and says, “I’m actually kind of happy this is happening. I’ll see you later.”

She quickly dismisses herself with a blush on her cheeks. She doesn’t know what possessed her to say that but she leaves before she does anything else more embarrassing.

You stand in the hallway with the weight of the blankets in your arms and a new weight on your heart left by Wanda’s words. She basically told you she’s glad you are moving on. Although that is probably how she feels, you think she could have taken pity on you and not say it out loud. 

You can’t have this weigh on you. There’s a date you need to set up and there is still much to do. You quickly organize everything on the rooftop before moving on to getting yourself ready and by five o’clock you are greeting Trish at the door before leading her inside and up to the rooftop.

While you are hoping you don’t run into Sam on the way up, Wanda is dolled up and waiting for you to knock on her door. She grows impatient after waiting half an hour. You did say five, didn’t you? Tired of waiting, she knocks on your door. Sam catches her waiting at your door frowning down at her phone. You are not answering her texts.

“She’s not in there,” Sam tells her. 

“Where is she?”

“She’s on a date,” he discloses with a pout. Then he takes notice of Wanda dressed like she is also going out. “You look nice. You have a date too?”

“Too?” She storms up to the roof, not bothering with a reply. She bursts through the exit door that leads to the rooftop. She doesn’t have time to admire your work or realize that there is someone else here with you. All she knows is she has been waiting a long ass time for you to knock on her door and you’ve been here the whole time. 

“Y/N! I’ve been waiting for an hour. What have you been doing?” she snaps, startling you and your date. Wanda looks upset.

“Wanda? Did we have plans?” You ask, totally confused. 

“Our date?” Wanda reminds you. She doesn’t understand why you are acting like this is the first time you are hearing about it. 

“Date? I thought you weren’t seeing anybody,” the blonde woman next to you scoffs. Wanda finally turns to see a whole other human being present. Who the fuck is this?

“I’m not! This is just a misunderstanding. Give me one moment. Wanda, can I talk to you for a second?” You pull Wanda off to the side. “What are you doing?!” You ask her. 

“What am I doing?? What are you doing?! Who is she?” she fumes. 

“That’s Trish. I met her at a bar when I went out for drinks with Jen and Nikki.” It’s more information than she needed but it doesn’t really answer what she actually wants to know.

“Okay, what is she doing here?” 

“What do you think she’s doing here? We’re on a date!” you whisper yell. 

“No, you’re not.” Wanda denies. 

“What? Wanda, look around. We literally talked about this yesterday,” you remind her, waving your arm in the direction of the picnic setup. 

“This was supposed to be for me, not her.” 

This trips you. You never thought anyone would catch you. How could Wanda possibly know that you had this planned for her originally. “Wh-who told you that?”

“You did yesterday!” she hisses, both her hands shaking in front of her in clear frustration. It’s making her angrier that you still wear the dumbfounded look as if none of this is ringing a bell.

“Wanda, what are you talking about?” You couldn’t be more confused. What is going on? 

“Hey, so this looks like more than a misunderstanding. I’m gonna head out. Call me whenever you get this sorted,” Trish speaks up, grabbing her stuff, before she leaves. 

“Trish, wait-” you call after your date but all you get is the sound of the rooftop door closing. You turn to your teammate to demand an explanation. “Wanda, what the hell?” 

“Why did you stop?” Wanda asks instead, tone full of hurt. 

You sigh, “Stop what?” 

“Why did you stop asking me to dinner?” 

You frown. Why is she bringing this up now? “You said no.” 

“I’ve said no plenty of times and you still came back. You still texted me corny lines. You still chatted me up when I was trying read or exercise. You still sought me out and spent time with me no matter how many times I turned you down.”

You looked away from Wanda with your cheeks flushed. Yes, you tried a little too hard and it did you no good. Why is she bringing this up? Is she trying to embarrass you? 

If you bothered to look back at her, you’d see the tears forming in her eyes. “You never left me alone. You still tried. Now the only time you are around is when I find an excuse for you to be. Why’d you stop trying? Why did you leave me alone?” 

You work up the courage to look her in the eye and give her an honest answer, using the same words she used before. “I guess it finally clicked in my head that we are never going to happen.” 

Never did she think those words would come back to bite her. Wanda swallows hard, realizing you heard her and Nat outside her room weeks ago. The hurt expression on her face morphs into a guilty one. She didn’t know you were listening, but of course you were. You were probably waiting to see her find the gift you left at her door. But she didn’t actually mean any of what she said. Maybe she thought she did, but none of it was true, at least none of what Wanda said was true. Natasha on the other hand laid out some hard truths Wanda didn’t want to own up to. 

“Y/N-” she tries, but you don’t let her get very far. 

“It’s okay. You’re right. I should have taken the hint. I don’t hang around you as often because I get that I can be annoying.” A lump forms in your throat from recalling that night and what was said, but you push on through. 

“Y/N, you’re not-” 

“And the less time I spend with you, the easier it will be for me to get over you.” 

“You’re over me?” She asks sadly. 

“Not yet,” you reply candidly, “but I’m trying to move on. I’m sorry if you feel like I don’t care about you anymore because I’m not there all the time, but I just need some space. I hope you can understand.”

You didn’t think it would come to this, at least you hoped it wouldn’t, but it seems Jennifer was right in the end. You need a break from Wanda. It’s the only way to move on. 

Wanda doesn’t say anything and you don’t wait for her to. “Feel free to grab whatever you want.” You point to the food leftover on the picnic blanket, not wanting it to go to waste. “I’ll clean it all up later.”

You leave Wanda on the rooftop alone with her thoughts and the scraps of a date that should have been hers. 

_______________________________________________________

A/N: This was meant to be posted like five days ago but I felt it was a little too short so I took the time to make the chapter longer. I hope you like it. Let me know what you think! Thanks for the patience and I hope I got everyone on the taglist thus far. Taglist: @skis1501 @xastrydx @almosttoopizza​ @m-r-nicely​ @matildeboh @ksslhdg @youlookterribleilookawesome @miss-chew @idkyidownloadedthisbutididanyway @simpformommywanda​ @wandanatfan​ @idcplss @poteitalouca​ @lizlil​ @watashiwaglr38​ @natashaswifeu​ @unicorn2003​ @kellexforthefuckingwin​ @sojo154 @sheriffhaughtearp​ @grxvitye​ @lissaaaa145​ @pawiie​ @anitavdw​ @tearsofglitter​ @justyourwritter69​ @natashasnoodle​ @vizoxx​ @anki-of-beleriand​ @an-evergreen-rose​ @jadechasesworld​ @lorsstar1st​ @captains-simp​ @natblackwidow2 @hella-hecka-gay @wandsmxmff​ @nothingisrealanyway​ @b0mbdotc0m​ @mmmmokdok @lonewalker17 @ageofolsen​ @infinnitycatchers​ @dark-hunter16​ @ireadtofeel​ @reereeineedtopee​ @infrunamix @how-to-disappearr​ @username23345 @panthastichumanbeing @kurosstuff​ @chasethemoon​ @etheriaaly​ @youralphawolf72​ @karmasgxrl​ @medinalethal-blog​ @capswife​ @puathepig @whataloadof​ @splatasha-jumpinoff​ @afuckingshituniverse​ @justlurkingforyou​ @maximofflover @blackluthxr​ @scarletswandawitch​ @imdreamingblo​ @anxietyisgreat​ @xxromanoffxx​ @romanoffomixam @diaryoflife​ @natashasilverfox​ @harleyswanda​ @gimaximoff​ @simplysimping999 @cmaysf​ @frvny​ @sadpiscesheart @chasethemoon​ @olsensnpm​ @chaekhan​ @dumpaccdontmindme​ @iliketozoneout​ @lordesolddepression @devriesgoode @shittylittleweirdo​ @i-have-no-life-charlie​ @dutifullysuperbwitch​ @teenybean​ @nothingisrealanyway​ @kas1644 @m-h-r-h​ @bpluvie​ @bottomforwanda  @daenerys713​ @sandyche3ks​ @justyourwritter69​ @get-the-fuck-outta-here​ @s1ut4nat​ @rooooooe @lenalesbian​ @alienstookourbunnies​ @lainjupi @mi-yo-0​ @lesbesapphic​ @sylencr​ @i-wanna-be-a-deer​ @nightimemommy​ @donnietarantino @celticjess08 @esposadejoyhuerta​ @fxckmiup​ @casquinhaa​ @paaandiculations​ @detectivepineapple @oh-thats-cute-blog​ @jusnough​ @aliherreraaa @wandanats-goodgirl​       

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda x you #wanda maximoff imagine

[zombie-bait]

The Death of a Vampire

Lestat as a protagonist just works so incredibly well and a very significant aspect of that is him being Anne Rice's self-insert. Lived experience can be critical when it comes to writing a good story and many memorable novels will feature elements of that. Anne is built different, though. Lestat (book 2 onwards) is basically Anne's journal for dealing with her grievances and trauma, which, on its own, is a very questionable method of writing. More often than not, it causes him to be characterized inconsistently between books because Anne's own opinions have changed. But it also makes him so real.

You follow his struggles with religion, you see him yearn for forgiveness from a god that has seemingly abandoned him a long time ago and you feel it. The passage I will never get over is in the early chapters of The Vampire Lestat, when Lestat has a breakdown over his mother's (and frankly his own) mortality. He struggles and he cries and he can't get out of bed because there's nothing he can do. Eventually he starts to live again, forces himself to.

But.

"I wandered into the church and on my knees I leaned against the wall and I looked at the ancient statues and I felt the same gratitude looking at the finely carved fingers and the noses and the ears and the expressions on their faces and the deep folds in their garments, and I couldn’t stop myself from crying. At least we had these beautiful things, I said. Such goodness. But nothing natural seemed beautiful to me now! The very sight of a great tree standing alone in a field could make me tremble and cry out. Fill the orchard with music. And let me tell you a little secret. It never did pass, really."

I think about those last two sentences a lot. I think about them even more since Anne Rice passed away.

Every page of Interview is spent talking about death and yet (imo) it's only in TVL that you really feel it. Louis in book 1 welcomes death quite readily because, besides his toxic boyfriend and their traumatized daughter, he doesn't have much to live for. He's basically given up by the time Lestat appears. The greatest torture, to Louis, is the knowledge that he can live forever on the suffering of others.

But Lestat is the complete opposite. He wants to listen to music, to explore Paris, to perform on any stage that will take him, to embrace the man he loves and to send his ailing mother letters of his accomplishments. Death matters most to those who are desperate to live and god is he desperate. He's haunted by his mother's sickness, by the wolves on the mountain that threaten to end his life before he's even lived it, the witches place that reeks of meaningless suffering. And in a way, the dark gift provides opportunity to escape that. But it is still death. It takes away Nicki in a very literal way and takes away his mother in a more personal one. Magnus, like death, chose Lestat arbitrarily. He sees the cellar of blonde corpses and knows that he was only one of dozens to meet an untimely death with no explanation.

Lestat also really wants you to know that he is, truly, a good person. He must be. He swears to only hunt criminals and then goes back on that two pages later. He reshapes stories to present himself as the noble protagonist and the audience has no choice but to believe him. He wants, desperately, to be loved for all that he is, man and monster. He wants to be the hero.

He's this awful, fascinating, very human man so clearly born out of the internal struggle to find meaning and love in a cruel, unpredictable world we all tend to share. He's made up of incredibly basic and powerful human desires hidden behind a mask of bravado and I can't recalling seeing another protagonist like him.

(Quick mention: This isn't some kind of "wow Anne Rice is an incredible author who can do no wrong" piece. She's written a lot of fucked up and bad shit that cannot be easily brushed over. But I don't think I'll ever get over reading TVL for the first time. To read someone bare their soul in such a way creates a truly unique experience. A lot of characters in a lot of pieces of media face death, but it's rare to see a character face mortality in such a personal way.)

(Also odds are I've written similar posts to this before but shhhhh these sad gay vampires are all I have)

#iwtv #interview with the vampire #vampire chronicles #lestat de lioncourt #iwtv spoilers #louis de pointe du lac #the vampire lestat #vampires #mortality #literature #this is all book stuff btw #not super relevant to the tv show as far as ive seen #but only time will tell #the vampire lestat spoilers #i was gonna make a joke about how i should write an essay exploring mortality in tvl #but i think i just did that #so hmmmm #how do i convince ppl in my life to read this book without them thinking im a little freak #cuz like Gabrielle <3 but also Gabrielle :// #iykyk

[ingravinoveritas]

So Al post always have to make sure she the centre of attention on Ms big night which doesn't come as a shock in that photo michael look tense and stiff and where the smile it exactly same as the other he pulls when he with her georgia one on seems more general and supportive of her friend and husband best friend then his actual parter

Would love to hear ur thoughts on this one

Hi there! Well, my DMs have been blowing up all afternoon about these various posts, and...yeah. A lot to unpack here, for sure.

It's interesting to see the use of two very different pictures here--one posed, one a candid pic/selfie--and how that frames everything else that is going on, and highlights several contrasts that are much too great to ignore. Perhaps the most significant contrast is that in the posed photo, Michael and AL are barely touching, and the photographer seems to have made the choice not to pose them like a couple. There is also no apparent "pull" that is unconsciously bringing them together, in spite of whatever direction they might've been given. In the picture of Michael and David, however, not only are they sitting very close together, but that "pull" is readily visible, and you can see them leaning/melting into each other without any effort. So that by itself on a foundational, fundamental level puts these pictures into two very different places.

The second aspect of the contrast--again, in my opinion--is the impersonal nature of Anna's post vs. Georgia's. Anna is posting a Getty Images picture with a watermark with another generic "Darling" caption (the same as she did in another post when the first episode of The Way aired a few weeks ago). At this point it feels, as @invisibleicewands previously described, akin to a "Best regards" at the end of an e-mail. And again, it's not only a photo shoot pic instead of a personal one--an especially strange choice given that Michael has repeatedly talked about how much he hates photo shoots--but a shot where Michael looks stiff and so uncharacteristically subdued.

In the picture Georgia posted, we see that twinkle in his eye, how relaxed he looks, full of that life and joy that we've come to so strongly associate with Michael, and it makes it even more stark how absent that is from the second picture. And further adding to all of this is what you mentioned, about AL centering herself/how she and Michael look in this post, as opposed to the opening of the play.

If we had any doubts about this, Anna seems to have taken the point home this with the story she posted immediately following this one:

For those who may not know, this is a photo from the show Schitt's Creek, of the actors who play the main family (special shout-out to Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy, my loves). I have not actually seen the show, so I can't attest to anything specific about the characters' personalities, but it appears this is who AL thinks she and Michael look like. I would say, though, that what is apparent to me is that Anna's priority in posting that first Insta story was the aesthetic/the picture, rather than celebrating Michael or the opening night of the play. Putting these two things together, Michael almost seems like the smallest part of the post, which is an odd thing to do when tonight is the opening night of his play.

And this again wildly contrasts with Georgia's post, where the picture is merely a vehicle for something much deeper, and much more meaningful. Just the positioning of the word "Michael" at the center of the picture is a visual cue that lets us know what this post is about, and this is further augmented by the caption for all of the reasons I enumerated here. I also can't help thinking that there was a reason that a picture of Michael and David was used--not a picture of Michael by himself, and not a picture of Michael and Georgia--and given that this Insta story was posted after AL's, it makes me wonder if that was a deliberate choice, for multiple reasons...

So yes, those are my thoughts on these two Insta stories/pictures from today. I'm definitely interested to see what posts or pictures we might get following tonight's performance/press night (and fingers crossed that David actually made it to the show this time). Also glad as always to hear from my followers about your take on these posts. Thanks for writing in! x

#angel19924 #reply post #michael sheen #welsh seduction machine #david tennant #soft scottish hipster gigolo #georgia tennant #nye the play #national theatre #when your boyfriend and his wife hype you up more than your own girlfriend #also every time she posts something now it just seems to get more awful #if you had her post without Georgia's it would look a lot different #but that picture of Michael and David is like night and day to the one with AL #and the more she tries to look like she owns him the more obvious it is she doesn't #choices #not all of them good #but i will leave it to my followers to make up their own minds #anna lundberg #discourse

[nikutsuneart]

I've been admiring your art, while consistently struggling myself to keep Sora and Riku's faces consistent...whether that's bc of emotion or angle or how soft their features are, I'm not sure. You'd think that after 2 decades of looking at these characters I could draw them properly.

Can I ask what facial features you think makes them distinct?

*RUBS MY HANDS TOGETHER* This is the best question you could have asked me and I am frankly STOKED to answer it (even if it took me a hot minute). It's something I've personally made notes of and have thought about a lot, SO! You came to the right dude.

For starters, it helps that Sora and Riku were made to be complementary. Riku was specifically designed counterbalance to Sora (as stated by Nomura in the KH1 Ultimania Gallery comments) and is something they’ve continued to lean into over the years. So thankfully it’s really easy to single their features out when compared to each other, specifically.

To boot, I have a lot of fun trying to boil down designs into an easily recognizable visual language just in general. Developing visual shorthand for a character, boiling them down to their bare essentials, etc. How low can we go? It’s a fun exercise and great for strengthening silhouettes!

And from what I’ve found, to put it simply; Sora is Round. Riku is Angular. Where Sora is short, Riku is Long! Like this;

Simple, right? You can tell which is which? Just zhuzh it up a little and you’ve got the boys!

Perfect.

While these are very simple examples, reducing them down and still being able to readily tell who is who even as little circles is the point! It let’s you know what to focus on as you shift from little caricatures to more detailed drawings at any level. And you’ll see how much these simple little rules/identifiers carry all the way thru!

Let’s start with their faces; Round vs Angular.

Soft vs Sharp.  

Sora’s cheeks are more prominent and rounded, sloping lower on the face and pinching in to a smaller round, pointed chin. It makes his head look more round and short! His Jaw is also softer, less defined, which is an easy way to make somebody look youthful. (this is a tip I learned from tf2 actually?? lmao) He’s got a bit of that baby face!

With Riku, his cheek bones peak higher up and cut in cleanly down to a more prominent chin. This leaves a lot of space for his jaw which can make his head seem taller. It also affords his features more space which can serve to make someone look “more mature”. His jawline is also sharper and more defined, cutting inward compared to sora’s outwards slope. He’s just a handsome guy!

But it doesn’t stop there!

When it comes to their noses, I really like to lean in to the little things.

With Sora, I like to accentuate the upturn (hence the accent lines) but his nose is shorter and more rounded with a prominent tip pointing up and out. Some might call this a pixie nose

Riku’s is broad and straight (haha) and one of my favorite features of his. It’s a strong shnoz, longer than Sora’s and with a flat bridge. A detail of which I’ve always really liked and make sure to include. Gives it that strong handsome look.

I’m sure you’re getting the idea, but every feature follows these rules! Short and Long! Round and Sharp!

The eyebrows are something I feel always go missed, so I wanted to bring them up specifically. Riku’s eyebrows are longer and have a high arch to them as they wrap around his brow. Sora’s are short and much thicker towards the bridge before quickly tapering out.

You can see this along with their eyeshape a lot more clearly on their models. (Sora’s eyebrows are my favorite i love em I think they’re just the cutest thing. Really adds to his expressions, especially his pouts.)

What’s fun is that these are all things I’ve observed in official material in one way or another (namely Nomura’s art, the 3d models tend to round things out more.) Once you know what to look for, it’s easy to spot their consistent features. I’ve grabbed some fun examples;

Sora: upturned nose, round cheeks pinched in to a pointed chin, rounded jaw

Riku: Harder jaw, prominent chin, straight nose

You can see here how the curve of riku’s jaw goes in towards the face as sora’s goes out.

Riku: The Nose even more clearly, chin pointing out, and though mostly covered, you can see that strong jaw.

Sora: the same as above, really, but it’s consistent. Who says you can’t draw characters facing slightly to the left for a living.

You’re starting to see a pattern I’m sure.

And here you can see the flat bridge on riku’s straight ass nose! A flat of which Sora doesn’t have by comparison. You can also see here the different points their cheeks turn in, Sora’s being notably lower than Riku’s.

Anyway, you get my point!

For a generalized ending statement; Riku is always drawn with harder, yet graceful masculine features. He’s both very handsome and beautiful, wow. Package deal. Sora has a more boyish cheekiness. He’s got a baby face he’ll probably never outgrow along with other “cute” features. His can be a harder balance to strike, he’s cute but he’s also a dashing young man, a little charmer!

Focus in on those details n just remember compared to each other; Round vs Angular Short vs Long Soft vs Sharp They’re complimentary opposites, both in concept AND design! I love it!

I hope this was sufficient, kind anon. Good luck to everyone and I hope to see more strong Riku noses in the future.

#Kingdom Hearts #Soriku #sora x riku #tutorial #ask #maybe later I can do one about their body builds because they're also opposite and interesting and I've thought a lot about that too lmfao #i have a soriku phd #character study

[ytptennis]

Does Ole know how to fight? He looks like someone physically trained in the sense of combat, the jump in the gas station scene is very well choreographed (congratulations to Sam for the performance, even considering his height) - I'm a jiu-jitsu fighter and a ballerina, he did a jump very acrobatic in that scene, and I also imagine that he wasn't the type of hitman who kills you with a sniper, but the type who, if necessary, will go into brute force combat.

There's also the scene of him rescuing Dot from the well, Munch literally arrived with everything at Roy's henchman, unarmed and with only a knife (considering he had the knife that blinded Gator), I wanted to see the combat scenes with him, like we saw Malvo, Numbers, Wrench and so on. He seems very well trained to me.

(he seems to follow more of a stealthy style of combat)

ooo yes I love this question >:333

yes I do believe munch knew how to fight, though not formally. again, this is a situation where time is on his side; his own personal form of self defense that he's used for so long it almost resembles a discipline of martial arts were it not for how bestial & instinctive it is. at least with martial arts you can tell there was a before and after while the skills were honed, but munch has always needed to lash back at predators. its likeness to formal combat comes with his eventual incorporation of firearms combined with the pseudo-psychic knowledge he has of human behavior.

munch seems to prefer firearms as a last resort, though & doesn't appear to like relying on them. idk he seemed exasperated when he had to pull out the assault rifle in ep1, & when defending himself against gator in ep2, the scene clearly reads that he is the weapon, and not the pistol. age has not withered him but made him unnaturally strong and fast. thats more my headcanon since its feasible for a grown man to snap another grown man's wrist but learning of munch's supernatural origins adds that different flavor to his physical prowess.

im of the mind that munch's path to becoming a hitman was a complicated one rather than something he just picked up to survive. "a man is paid to soldier" but then he lays down his arms to go live with a community that welcomes him, until "the cannon & the musket" pull him back into solitude. i think thats when he starts using firearms as an extension of himself, to seek revenge. he probably had his own formal hunting skills, sure, but now that the significance behind those skills has been ripped from him, he wants to feed that cruelty back. bows & arrows become guns, and when he cant pick off his enemies from afar, he uses his hands and teeth. it might also be a form of punishment, like attaching a gangrenous limb to a stump. it provides you with temporary reach at the cost of poisoning you.

I thought it was interesting that he knew he was going to be ambushed the second he saw those men through the bushes & yet still followed gator to the shed (?) instead of incapacitating him before they turned the corner. I think he wanted to humiliate him, and, in turn, roy, by proving he's just as useless being supported by others as he is alone. kinda pretentious here so bear with me, but I also thought it was great that munch subdued gator by yanking his groin. a very good blink-and-you'll-miss-it instance of munch using the tillmans' masculinity against them.

the whole thing with dot's rescue will always be fascinating to me no matter what bc of all the unspoken layers leading up to it. munch went to the ranch with the intent of hurting gator, but somewhere along the way he sensed dot's presence, like he could smell her fear, and he followed it. from the way that one henchman was pulled, we can infer munch snuck up from behind, maybe from low ground, which would explain why the others didn't readily see him from their peripherals. that combined with his ferocity threw them off guard just enough that he could disarm them. instead of approaching them as another henchman, which he temporarily was, he rips them apart. instead of leaving dot to use the ladder, he checks up on her, remarks about the unfairness of her situation, and extends a hand. there is a clear thought process here, not entirely governed by animal instincts. he does sense the caged animal in dot, but the residual human in him desires contact and reassurance and the need to help, especially someone who's so like him that it haunts him. I've waxed on about it before but its so "stray animal learns to respect the human that feeds it" except he & dot weren't on that level yet. it was just a spiritual connection, one that was unequivocally necessary to act on. humans are social animals, but animals all the same, & that dormant part of his brain that yearned for love all those centuries was poked at, ironically, after being beaten in battle by this woman who was at her most animalistic. a prey animal turned predator.

#💌 #fargo fx #ole munch

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

ok so we got the gangs kids...but who are the kids fave 'relatives' other than their parents?

Cam:

As mentioned in the baby posts, her Aunt Miranda is like her childhood hero! She's the one that inspired her to become an online influencer/entertainer (which as of today is a totally canon thing people do in the Post-Merge world, thanks to that short). Mira also spoils this kid rotten anyway (which can't be helped when Mira winds up the one babysitting her the most)

She also has a very big soft spot for Lloyd, as she loves hearing his thoughts on life (being the big important Sensei, Master of Life, and Conduit of Energy now) as it helps her maintain reassurance of her own humanity (and Lloyd never lets her ever doubt). This is actually her POV in this snippet

Blaire:

When they're not arguing or fighting, their favorite 'relative' is actually Wyldfyre, as Wyldfyre has the chance to pass on some of things Kai taunt her unto Blaire—or at least provide the proof that he actually does know what he's talking about. They also like to play games like Capture the Flag with them on opposing teams (and dragging the rest of the alliance into the fray and it gets so intense so quick. Poor Finn thought he was gonna die to friendly fire.)

Cole is also their favorite sparring partner/mento, but Zane is the one they face the most.

Also is a bad influence on Lloyd and can drag him into his old pranking ways from time to time. Just for old time's sake.

Blythe:

Doesn't have a favorite so much as one he goes to when he desperately needs a quiet break from the general chaos—which, he usually finds with Zane! The two hit it off due to shared interests and perspectives (books, cooking, philosophy in geometry), but even Zane has his silly moments that make Blythe question his own whole 'no-nonsense' thing going on

He also has a soft spot for his Uncle Jay, who is just as zany as everyone else, but is very intelligent when provoked on the right subject–and can also actually make Blythe laugh against his will. Jay brags about it to Kai for days afterwards every time it happens.

Briar:

Follows Pixal around a LOT, as she's kind of the other only non-elemental around, and through her gets inspired to be a Samurai (like her Aunt Nya used to be), but doesn't want to butt in on Seven's whole stick (but Seven actually wouldn't mind a sidekick). Pixal is also the one that shows her how to make weapons outside of blacksmithing (like laser cannons–PIXAL NO)

And speaking of Aunt Nya, Briar spends a lot of time with her as well! Nya makes sure she's included in on all the training that goes on, avoiding what went down in her own youth, and making sure she's not always left behind either (which can be admittedly difficult give than Briar is significantly younger than the others). And when they're not fighting or working, Nya knows a great place that sells the smoothies Briar really really likes :')

Lloyd also trains her personally in a variety of weapons (...and Briar may or may not "inherit" Kid!Lloyd's weapon mania, ahahahahaaaa)

Lucina:

It's awkward for Lucina to bond with some of the others, as they turned out very differently from the ninja she's known in her timeline (and heck, she never even got to meet Alter!Nya) and thus she never knows how to act, but Jesse is one of the few people who is basically the same in this timeline, so she tends to go to him just for a sense of familiarity beyond Lloyd himself. Jesse also likes having her around–she reminds him very much of a certain old friend from his youth ;w;)/

Otherwise, she really does like everyone equally, but does feel a little sad with how readily familiar everyone else tends to be with Lloyd (as it constantly reminds herself that she isn't technically Lloyd's kid either)

Finn:

Finn adores his Aunt Skylor, and thinks she's the coolest person ever (because she is). Skylor, however, always puts in extra effort to keep up this image he has of her, even though it's entirely unnecessary. She can do something super embarrassing like dropping and breaking a full stack of plates, and Finn will wind the narrative to be that it was somehow for the good of all people. Beyond that, she is also his sounding board for whenever he tries his hand at poetry (for he may not be as smart as his parents, but Finn is unmatched when it comes to the written word). Skylor also can be convinced to take him swimming when no one else will by giving her baby doll eyes snksnk

He also really looks up to Cole, who can be super strong and responsible when the time calls for it but also knows how (even if it took a few years for him to get there). Cole complements some of Finn's poetry with his own art, and even gets Finn into the music scene. Cole also has a tendency to give him pep talks whenever Finn's feeling low about himself ;w;

Quinn:

Spends a lot of time with Sora, always convincing Sora to take breaks and shows her the wonderful world of video gaming. Quinn is also trying to better her familiarity with technology to at least be able to fix a mech or machine should it ever break down (since she also did not inherit her parents' smarts), but while Sora helps, she also tries to encourage Quinn to seek out her own passions and discover what she's good at. Which, Quinn struggles with a lot.

...which is something her Uncle Kai is familiar with in spades, and will often join her on mini-quests to find things she likes or is good at. Together they learn she really likes sports and racing, but also has a knack for understanding fashion and make-up (which Nya is bewildered that this is coming from her offspring but she does her best to be supportive), and Kai and a not-jealous Jay are more than happy to be a practice model for her.

Seven:

Seven tends to hang out with Arin—or, Arin tends to track them down, as they have a vast amount of archives of all the Ninja's adventures in their database, and they wind up recalling a lot of stories to confirm or deny Arin's ninja-theories (or simply embarrass the classic ninja with things Arin would have never known otherwise...such as the Duck Chowder incident, which Zane SPECIFICALLY told them not to spread around—!) Seven is also, lamentably, not a good cook, so Arin at least shows them how to make a decent pie once to surprise their parents with.

Seven also makes surprise upgrades to Arin's grappling hook which leaves everyone else screaming in terror while Arin's just like "This is the best gift ever :') )

#next-gen jamboree #ninjago dragons rising #legacyverse #the ninja legacy whip #info tag #ninjago ocs #okay im only tagging the ocs for my sanity #and the ships for the people #oc: camellia marvell #oc: blaire smith #oc: blythe smith #oc: briar smith #oc: lucina lloyd #oc: finn smith-walker #oc: quinn smith-walker #oc: seven borg #aftershockshipping #jaya #kailor #pixane

[mllelaurel]

Starlight Enclave, about 70 76% (with ETAs)

Yep, spoilers.

What I like so far:

Female characters! I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. And Catti-Brie is growing on me, which is good, since most of the book is in her POV. I do hope she gets a chance to meaningfully interact with some of Callidae’s resident and clearly not evil orcs, since it’s a pressing issue. 

-

I actually really like the philosophical musings on faith and the gods, along with their implications to the larger cosmology and the coming civil war in Menzoberranzan (which I never know how to spell...)

-

I *love* the Drizzt and Kimmuriel interaction we’ve gotten! Even if it has me worried for Kimmuriel. He reads like a man staring down his own death and trying to find some grace in it. 

-

The worldbuilding bits are neat.

-

ETA: Forgot to mention Catti-Brie’s burgeoning bisexuality. She seems to mention how pretty all the women are like twice a page, and is actively disappointed when a woman is not flirting with her. 

What I like a lot less:

WTF is Entreri doing on this mission/in this book? Like, he has some good lines of dialogue, but no throughline character arc or significant relationship building, and few to no chances to show off his skills. He’s mostly been serving as comic relief/was-also-there-guy. And that’s not a good use of him. 

I can make some conjectures on why he’s in the book (Doylist): Salvatore clearly likes and enjoys him. It’d be hard to argue otherwise, given that he’s kept him alive through questionable editorial decisions and a hundred year time skip. And also named one of his pets after him, by the looks of it.

The family pets include three Japanese Chins, Oliver, Artemis and Ivan, and four cats including Guenhwyvar.

I can also make some conjectures about why he’s on the mission (Watsonian), but at this point we’re getting into absolute headcanons, since we never get Jarlaxle’s POV on it. For the record, theories are as follows:

Jarlaxle specifically wanted him to come along on a quest which would be dangerous, but do-gooding and clean. Because he doesn’t feel great about how their previous outings ended and wants Artemis to have the warmth of that experience. 

Jarlaxle continues to hope he and Zak will make out get closer, because they both need more trusted and liked people in their lives. 

Jarlaxle just doesn’t want to let him out of his sight, since they keep getting estranged/separated/fucked up for chonks of time. 

Whatever it is, just please put it on the page, somehow. 

-

Meanwhile, Zak’s presence does serve a purpose in the narrative: to be a damsel in distress. And unfortunately that brings me to the other thing I really dislike. 

So, your companion is busy dying of chestburster. What do you do? A) Move hell and earth to stay by his side, or B) attend the local festivities? 

And I absolutely understand that feeling when the doctors tell you you’re just in the way, and you do your best to distract yourself. But the thing is? Those distractions tend not to work too great. You feel anxious. You get distracted from the distractions. I feel too anxious about Zak’s fate to pay attention to what seems to me like filler, and to me, Zak is just a fictional character, as opposed to a real friend/family member. As of the time of the tournament thing, the party’s been told there really isn’t much the doctors can do. It’s down to luck and Zak fighting for his life. Both Jarlaxle and Catti-Brie make some noises about staying with Zak instead of going to the tournament, but they are shut down too readily and back down. Which also comes across as incredibly callous and unempathetic on the part of the Callidae folks. Like, sure, your beloved father-in-law and friend is likely to not make it. But go see our cultural institution instead. What the actual fuck?!

And okay, I can understand the party not wanting to make a fuss and piss off the locals. But there’s no way they wouldn’t be more frustrated and upset at being kept away from Zak. At least show it in Catti-Brie’s POV, since we don’t get Jarlaxle’s or Entreri’s. 

Again, this is a man who refers to Catti-Brie as his daughter. Not even his daughter-in-law. His daughter. This is Jarlaxle’s dearest friend, who’s been dead for hundreds of years and come back from the dead! (Entreri also seems to like him, which from Entreri is practically a marriage proposal.) There’s a very real chance that this man will not only die, but die alone (or with only strangers at his side.) And for some fridge horror, there’s like a 40% chance of him being euthanized by a female drow, just given the city’s population, to keep him from turning into a slaad. Which the Callidaeans have no way of knowing would be traumatic for him, but still likely would be traumatic, given how he originally died. 

And I’m not saying the party isn’t feeling all that, per se. But the feelings are terribly underwritten and they’re not doing anything about it. 

ETA: Okay, Catti-Brie is definitely showing the emotional strain. But do something about it still stands. 

ETA 2: Okay, as of Sunset for Zaknafein, at least the Callidaeans are showing they care (a lot, actually) and making sure Zak is surrounded by people and shown love. Also THANK YOU, finally, let Jarlaxle hold his fucking hand! But the freaking ice hockey did not add and I skimmed so, so much ice hockey in the last two chapters. 

-

(ETA: At about 76%)

Adding ‘underwritten love plot’ to ‘things which have me rolling my eyes for $100.’ Zak just met this chick yesterday. Her sentiment is sweet, but her acting like she straight-up loves him is 0% believable. Even with the added pathos of him being on death’s door. 

-

Am I just going to keep adding to this post until I finish the book? Bitch, I might. It feels more coherent to respond to myself here, if it has to do with a point I here, rather than starting a new post. 

#legend of drizzt

[gloriesunsung]

Arcane Detail Dive: Shape in the Stone

I will do another long-ass episode analysis post, I promise, but in the meantime, here are some little details from the opening credits that I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time dwelling on.

Spoilers for season 1 of Arcane: League of Legends. Warning for Flashing GIFs below the cut

Edited to fix my stupid typos and added ALT text.

Bless the internet for allowing us to see the various cool alternative concepts for the Arcane opening credits. I will readily admit it took me a minute to love the one that we ended up with instead. A number of different ideas were put forward, but the essential focus in all of them remains the same: meeting our characters up close. Inside about a minute, we need to get a sense of who these people are.

For an animated show with such flash and fluidity of motion, the intro is surprisingly static. We are given these momentary snapshots of our characters in near-stillness, the “camera” doing the motion instead. It’s not totally clear what material these models are made of. At first it looks like it might be stone. But when the light shifts, we can see crosshatching and scrape marks as if someone has lovingly moulded them from clay. No one is immovable, unchangeable; and like any narrative worth its salt, everyone ends the season somewhere different than where they started.

The thing that struck me most — and I didn’t really connect the dots as to why until the end of season 1 — is how differently Powder and Viktor are represented compared to everyone else.

Powder stands back to back with her sister. She is this nebulous stone shape until the camera pans over Vi’s shoulder. Only when the light shifts from pink to blue and Vi’s face is cast in total shadow is Powder’s face rendered clearly, fading slowly into view. Though they are back to back, Powder’s gaze is aimed at Vi. Looking for guidance that never comes. We first meet Powder when she is still in the stages of becoming herself and it is only in the absence of Vi that her personality is formed and solidified, for better or worse. Powder becomes Jinx. Even though the sisters are physically joined, like they are carved from the same piece of whatever, already they are being set apart.

I also really love the little overlay flashes we see, a motif that repeats throughout the series when Jinx is dealing with her inner turmoil. Her relationship with Vi and its breakdown is the thing that most shapes her. One of the textures you can see (for like a whole 2 frames) is a film negative — and how fucking great a visual metaphor is that for Jinx’s maladaptive memory? The more you play a negative (or revisit a memory while in the throes of mental illness), the more distorted it becomes, and eventually it will degrade and become unwatchable. Or at the very least, nothing like it was before. Once the damage is done, it’s done, even if the underlying intent was positive.

Following the quiet stillness of Jayce studying the hex crystal, we next meet Viktor in more rapid fashion.

Like Powder, Viktor begins indistinct. In short, staggered bursts he is chiselled into detail; perhaps one for each arc of the season, each definitive change that shapes him. Discovering hextech, his death sentence and the resulting desperation, his glorious and awful transmutation. I think it’s interesting though that his feet remain part of the stone. The shape of him isn’t fully clear. Viktor undergoes vast changes in season 1, physically and mentally… but of course, he isn’t done yet.

Look at the way the light shifts and passes over him so quickly too. In seconds, we see him in so many different lights in a way no other character is portrayed here. I think it’s a brilliant representation of the speed at which his mind works, of the way he can at turns be both impulsive and considered.

We will come to know Viktor and Jayce as partners, but from the get-go they are painted in opposition. The stillness and blue hues of Jayce’s introduction are abruptly contrasted with the warmer coloured light and speed of Viktor’s. There are so many opposites in these brief glimpses alone. We’re so close up on Jayce we can’t even see his whole face, just his unwavering gaze on the crystal, whereas with Viktor we’re zoomed out and can see the whole picture. And what an indicator that is of the differing perspectives they have. Jayce deals with the thing that’s right in front of him at any given moment and probably dwells too long on the wrong thing; Viktor is a ruminator who thinks big-picture. And what he’s studying in this intro is Jayce’s notebook. Wherever their narratives end up, we know for sure that they will be in some way intertwined.

Unlike all the others in this sequence, Powder and Viktor begin formless. They are the characters who undergo the most significant changes, who have (I would argue) the most harrowing personal journeys to contend with in season 1. They don't arrive with the certainty of, say, Heimerdinger or Mel who both appear solid and sure.

Honourable shout-out to this shot of Caitlyn also. Shifting from the shadows of her privileged ignorance and literally being enlightened by the redness that is often coded with Vi. You love to see it. As with this fresco there is far more depth to Cait than first appears.

I'll be interested to see if and how the intro might change for season 2...

Other editions in this cursed post series: Story of Opposites

#arcane #arcane: detail dive #arcane meta #the devil's in the details and so am i #naff at making GIFs but I TRIED okay

[bxdcubes]

Dwalin/Bilbo fic recs

for @booknerd0612

this are most of my bookmarks for these two ;)

Dwalin & Bilbo - bc this one made me cry

In From the Rain      by yellow_craion 

Dwalin travels back to the Blue Mountains, cold, wet and miserable, when he is faced with an unexpected kindness.

Bilbo takes in a dwarf trope, basically Warnings for reference / implied violence, prostitution and i suppose extortion but all in the past

Dwalin/Bilbo

Key to my House (Key to my Heart)  by JackQuaker                

"It was the act of bodily union that achieved marriage, and after which the indissoluble bond was complete." -Laws and Customs Among the Eldar

Marriage rituals are the one thing Dwarves and Elves have in common.  Hobbits do things differently.  Bilbo might have appreciated knowing that sooner.

Protective Nature   by silverneko9lives0     

Everyone survives the BOTFA and Bilbo stays in Erebor. However, it seems that all the nobles suddenly want to seduce Bilbo and not all of them have honorable intentions. Dwalin may just be the Captain of the Guard, but he'll be damned if he allows anyone to hurt their Burglar. He makes it his unofficial job to chase off any unsavory characters.

Swallow by Headwig1010      

A tale of love, swearing and food.

So much food.

Together, Despite It All    by jcrycolr3wradc         

Whatever Bilbo was expecting when he opened his door, Gandalf, Lobelia, a noisy neighbor trying to intrude on his dinner, he was most certainly not expecting a hulking figure of a dwarf.

 In Silence    by PurrpleCat          

"„Dwalin, son of Fundin,” Dain says above him, his voice devoid of any emotion, „You are banished forthwith from the Kingdom of Erebor under pain of death.” Dwalin can almost hear the smile in his voice as he says: „Bring me his beard.”

He can hear Balin scream, but he cannot recognize the words – blood is pounding in his ears, horror making him freeze. He closes his eyes tightly, swallows. This is what he wants, he reminds himself. This is what he deserves.

Thorin, he thinks as one of the guards yanks his head back and puts a blade to his chin. Forgive me."

Marry That One    by Aloneindarknes7         

Balin had always advised his brother to marry someone who could cook.

Marry Me?    by beargirl1393     

When the dwarves come to invite Bilbo to join their quest, he does so readily. There's just one problem. In order for him to travel with the Company, he needs at least one family member to be with him. Since Bilbo has no close family (and no other hobbits would want to go on an adventure) the dwarves decide that he must marry one of them, in order to create family ties. Dwalin is chosen to marry the hobbit, and even though this is a marriage of convenience he hopes that, eventually, he and his new husband will find love with each other.

Chronicles of a Warrior and a Burglar    by silverneko9lives0        

For Hobbit Kink Meme:

"Dwalin’s a crusty warrior with a marshmallow interior, so what I want to see is Bilbo forced to marry him. Scenario is as follows: none of the dwarves are traveling alone, that is, without family. So, Bilbo can’t travel without family either, and we know the easiest way of creating family ties is by marriage. Cue the dwarves discussing the issue among themselves (with or without Gandalf) to see who would be willing to marry the Hobbit. Bombur and Gloin are out, Balin is too old, Kili and Ori are too young, and Dwalin just goes, “Did anyone ask the Hobbit what he would like?” Unbeknownst to the Dwarves, Bilbo has eavesdropped on the conversation, and when they follow Dwalin’s advice, the Hobbit, who really wants to go on the adventure, promptly asks Dwalin to marry him. To everyone’s great shock. Points if: the relationship between them develops slowly, if they are honest about slowly falling in love, and if it ends happily ever after with everyone alive."

With Thorin/Bilbo/Dwalin

Synergy by    alkjira       

 “Would you want to fuck him?” Dwalin breathed against the side of Bilbo’s neck as he ground the Hobbit down on his now aching dick. “Or would you just be looking to have him take you? You seem to like this. Imagine how much better it would be if it was Thorin rubbing against you.”

Wherein Dwalin and Bilbo are both in love with Thorin and we end up with scenes like the above.

With Nori/Bilbo/Dwalin

the sweet honey that sticks them together by Thorinsmut (FormlessVoidbeast)   

It might look a bit odd from the outside, but Dwalin and Bilbo and Nori have a relationship that works for them, and they couldn't be happier.

Enjoy this one-shot of some established-relationship porn.

With Fem!Bilbo

Songless    by Timfleur_Salisbury_Cornwallis      

Birabelle Baggins was many things; well-read, generous to those who deserved it, an excellent cook, twelve-year reigning champion of the Buckland Spring Festival Conkers Competition, and quite proficient with a needle and thread if called upon. However, she was not what others of her race would call “respectable”.

In the Dark    by  Madkat89   

After the Battle, Bella is taken into custody and imprisoned for life in the dungeons of Erebor for her crimes against Thorin Oakenshield. However, the company doesn't even know that she's alive, believing that she fell on the field of battle before they could make amends. Will the truth come out or will she forever be lost to them in the depths of Erebor

After Famine    by Magniflorious      

From this kink meme prompt: Female Dwarves, being rather manly looking, don't have a lot going on in the chest area. There is enough there to nurse a child, but it's more flat muscle than bulging fat.

Which is why Bilba's ample bosom is so distracting to the Dwarves. It's like being given a triple chocolate cake when you're used to eating apples for dessert - it's just too amazing to handle.

Bonus points: One of the Dwarves gets to touch her boobs (after asking of course) and comes immediately.

Dankûna    by Cuptivate      

Small candle, burning bright.

 EXTRA

 Female Bilbo Oneshots      by  Madkat89           

This is a great collection of Fem!Bilbo/Dwarrow fics where i found a lot of new ships     

#booknerd0612 #dwilbo #dwalinbilbo #hobbit fic recs

[declanowo]

Weekly Random (horror) Film - Bonus Review! - Krampus

8/12/23

I have a distinct memory of when I was younger; I sat at christmas, lamenting on a classmate of mine, he was the so-called “bad kid”, however, I couldn’t name anything in particular he ever did at that time that stands out to me. Regardless, I thought about all the presents I had, and considered the piles of coal he must have received - it was distressing to say the least, because what use would he have with coal, and furthermore, did he really deserve such a terrible lot? However, I later learnt he did not receive coal, shocking I know, but learning this brought an unusual sense to me, the concept of punishment made sense to me, yet it made me feel so awful. Still, I struggle with such thoughts, of retribution, punishment and how far one should go, however I always manage to arrive back at a single image in my mind, of that boy riding around on a bike, instead of cradling a sack of coal. The dichotomy of wanting punishment, but hating watching it is so integral to me, and had I known about the titular subject of today’s film then, I imagine it would have shaped me similarly into a fearful person. 

My experience watching Krampus was delightful - my boyfriend and I were wrapped up warm, shielded from the bitter chill of the winter wind outside, drinking tea and having a great time. Later that same day, he quickly brushed past a Christmas market, and it further created this sense of winter within my mind - as a child, I had loved Winter so much, envisioning it in my mind as a flurry of snow, coating the frosty sky, all the while the sun continues to shine to ensure we can see. Now, I see a more cynical, albeit, realistic depiction of Winter - the sky is eternally midnight, filled with clouds not of snow, but of drizzling rain, wind blows relentlessly, yet, I still love this. The market was an embodiment of that, however, the warm glow of the lights is what makes it so much more festive, creating what could be misery, and bringing hope to it. That and of course, I was with someone I love. All this is to say that I loved Krampus, and the company and day itself aids this tremendously. 

Much like my last bonus review, I did sit down and try to do some research, however much of it was not publicly, or readily, available to me; I enjoy making the bonus reviews a bit more slender anyway, they are of course extras. Besides, there was enough to learn about the titular entity, who has a really interesting history! So while this review will likely be somewhat unstructured, I do intend to make it an enjoyable read! 

Krampus was directed by Micheal Dougherty, a director and screenwriter who I know best for Trick ‘R Treat, and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, a film weirdly sandwiched between two huge Marvel movies. It follows a family as they settle in for Christmas, however when the hope of a child dwindles, the pagan deity arrives. 

For this review, I’ll move through the film chronologically! Starting with the opening vignette, which essentially sums up the film's messages and ideas. To start, it focuses closer on the comedy aspect of the film, which is often its main goal! I used to hate horror/comedies, but I think this just came from me watching 2000s movies, which were just mean. While the opening does set up a later argument, it also highlights the contrast between the supposed cheer and happiness of Christmas, and the rampant consumerism and fighting that is dominant. Nobody here is happy, a stark juxtaposition to the music, and festive font. I think it perfectly embodies the problems that summons Krampus!

This film's main family is endearing, the extended family is where things grow annoying, a purposeful act to demonstrate that Christmas joy of spending time with people you secretly can’t stand. I enjoy the main nuclear family, with them all having faults, but never growing overbearing. They feel realistic, they argue, but they still love each other. I was reminded a lot of Home Alone to this end, a film I do not care enough about to bring up in every bonus review so far, but alas. Their bond is the cement of the film, and therefore, I’m glad they are so likeable! This shines through in our protagonist, and catalyst, Max, played by Emjay Anthony, and of course, Toni Collette as Sarah. 

Moving onto the inlaws quickly, none of them stood out to me as enjoyable or fun, unless Omi is counted! Yet, they never grated on me enough to stop enjoying the film, I think an issue I have with a lot of 2000’s horror, and media in general, is to make us want a character to die, they make them entirely insufferable, they make us beg for their death, hoping that this will make it all the more sweet. Yet, all this does is make me hate the film - when all the audience wants is the release of these characters' deaths, there is nothing more to enjoy. Here, it works better, once again, they feel real, annoying sure, but with genuine problems that can be empathised with. Their scenes of terror were enjoyable, however I wanted them to escape this peril, because they feel so human. 

I found the dinner sequence to be the accumulation of this irritable feeling, where the twins are such large bullies, that it makes it difficult to ever return to their sides. Of course, it comes from insecurity, but they are never given a redemption in any way, whereas some other characters are. While I did enjoy the realism again, having a dysfunctional family attempt to force a pleasant evening, wow does it become tough to watch when this poor child is so upset. 

Although mostly a single set film, the following sequence where Beth leaves into the blizzard sets up nicely the concept of how the house is not at all safe, yet the safest place they can be. In a sense, they are already trapped inside a snowglobe, unable to escape from the oncoming creature. 

This leads to our first meeting with Krampus, who is such a fun villain - shown here through silhouettes as he jumps from roof to roof, his presence is instantly felt. He is half goat, half demon, his historical role being to punish bad children. I find his links to Satan, through the use of the goat, so interesting, especially because the dichotomy becomes demon vs magical human. Regardless, the design in the movie is incredibly cool and memorable, blending the more traditional goat design, to incorporate more of Santa’s imagery, such as making him hunched to provide bulk and wearing his garments. Overall, he makes the film as good as it is. He is terrifying and scared me when I saw the poster in 2015, merely the hand was enough to send a shiver down my spine. 

Here, we are also introduced to the first of Krampus’ helpers, all of whom I will cycle through now! Firstly, we see the Jack in a Box, his initial appearance is scary because of what we don’t see as Beth is killed beneath a van. The whole sequence is one of my favourites in the film, honing in on how cold it is, and the isolation that the family are experiencing. However when we later see the creature’s full appearance, he is similarly terrifying for the opposite reasons - his mouth is segmented, fangs raised from its gooey gums. This is my favourite of his helpers, and is somewhat evocative of a creepypasta to me! 

Cycling through them quicker, the dark elves are an enjoyable and scary twist, and work perfectly alongside Krampus, they are instantly recognisable, and their sound design makes them even more enjoyable! I don’t mind the gingerbread people, but they were definitely the least interesting to me - I do enjoy how all of the creatures work with the central christmas theme, but these guys didn’t do much for me! In contrast, both the cherub and bear are more great twists, that make them conventionally creepy - the bear especially reminds me of all the cool horror themed bears you can find online, with huge bloody mouths lined with fangs, which is super cool and I have always wanted one! The scene where they all invade the house later is amazing, and another favourite of mine - likely, this comes from the amped up horror, the blending with Christmas is such an enjoyable aesthetic that the film carries perfectly! 

By now I have moved all over the place, so I will try to steer back on course for the final things I have to discuss! I found the animated sequence to be a delight, giving the appearance of stop-motion (which is by far my favourite medium!). Also, it just feels christmassy, it’s a style I think several adverts have adopted, so maybe this is why! All of this is perfect, from the narration to the animation; especially, I adore the shadows of Krampus! 

From here, we arrive at the aforementioned invasion sequence, forcing the family out of the house as a result of the snow piling inside from the frost - the house feels so central to the film, and I think that it embodies a spirit of Christmas that exists, it is so common that the holiday is symbolised through a warm house, I think that the destruction of it shows the family being torn apart entirely, demonstrating how such an act is far worse than spending a day with annoying inlaws.

Finally, I shall discuss the ending, which is bittersweet, it’s a perfect encapsulation of the film, I think. The perfect, happy moment is suddenly cut short by the audience's realisation that they are trapped within a snow globe. What this means, and shall entertain for the family is difficult to tell, but this only makes it more scary - whether or not this can be deemed a happy ending is similarly unclear, which also adds to the ending, making it so much more interesting! I adore it, and that moment was so fun to watch unfold! 

Krampus feels like such a perfect Christmas movie, I love the way it blends horror and the holiday seamlessly, also done in Trick ‘r Treat, which I undoubtedly prefer, however the films are so very different that it’s difficult to compare them! Once again, this film means more to me having watched it with my boyfriend, however that is to say that whenever I watch it, or think about it, I shall have a happy memory captured, a snowglobe of a lovely time that I can return to eternally. That image alone would be enough to make Krampus content. 

8/10

#horror #horror movies #creative writing #literature #reviews #review #halloween #horror film #horror movie #movie review #christmas #holidays #festive #xmas #christmas horror #christmas movies #holiday horror #krampus

[ooc-miqojak]

Diluculum

From where I stand on this precipice, I can watch the crepuscular light of dawn emerge from the horizon - slow, and steady, the first orange blush that begins to extend its golden rays outward, to peek between the towering stone fingers that erupt into an as-yet dusky sky, stirring life of all kinds below. Karsts, I'm told those spires are called - and from the one upon which I perch, I think to myself that even the afterlife could never rival the beauty of the Isles - and I've been there.

Below me, there's little to see - for now - but a thick layer of morning mist that kisses the emerald sheen of leaves seen just beneath the haze that will burn away in the light of day in but mere moments. But the birds - they erupt in a flashy cacophony of color from the canopy barely glimpsed below, crying out to their flock - only to swoop back beneath the mists almost as one, as a juvenile proto-drake follows in hot pursuit; its own upward ascent too fast to change trajectory in time to follow the far smaller morsels it formerly sought.

Eryth stretches his wings nearby, yawns, and joins me near the ledge.

"It's everything the flights could have hoped for..."

" - And more?"

That great, golden eye of his swings to look me in the eyes, and it's not hard to tell that the curl of lips to bare fearsome, draconic fangs is a grin, "Precisely."

"They'll figure it out, you know. Things will work out." Again, I can't but help to compare the dragons' situation to the time the Well fell, and we scrabbled to survive - like rats on a sinking ship. The dragons, however... they require the aid of the ever-absent Titans, who long ago left their duty to the rest of us 'after-thoughts'. Though, I suppose that at least our extra-planar solution was more readily available than that the Dragons now seek.

I swallow the anger back, though I know he's already felt the acerbic ripples of as much, "I mean it - I really do. I'm just... bitter about the Titans. No one likes a deadbeat parent, and that's all they strike me as. Let's just... enjoy the sunrise. Maybe we can go fishing, cook up a meal, and - you don't have to come with me, mind you - but maybe I'll take the fight back to the Primalists, this evening. I know that killing isn't really your thing, even if it's necessary. But... necessary evils are kind of my thing, now."

His scarlet scales almost seem to alight from within, with the embered hues of first light; a carmine crimson; a living flame... my best friend veritably glows, here in his homeland. He burns with renewed vigor, and that seemingly eternal optimism of his flight. And I'm going to make sure that his people get what they deserve, after all he - and they - have done not just for me, but for all of Azeroth over the millennia.

"Sometimes the necessary can be ugly. I can accompany you, should you need, though I appreciate - and accept - your offer. There are definitely things I could be doing around the Pools that, thankfully, aren't nearly as distasteful." The little twitch at the tip of his enormous tail tells me everything I need to know - he doesn't want me to kill these people, but he knows there is no other way. Not with the lengths these cultists will go to. That is the way of his people, however, and I love him for it - he can't help who or what he is anymore than I can, and I don't begrudge him that... but I can spare him from having to do it - and gladly do.

#WoW RP #Dragonflight #Dragon Isles #Waking Shore #Sin'dorei #red dragon #Friends of a Feather #she has no respect for the Titans #especially since their neglect is now hurting her friend and his family #she once respected the Light #but never the Titans #my writing #I should organize it all in one place before tumblr eats it and it's lost forever to the void #world of warcraft

[culttvblog]

Comedy Playhouse: Elementary, My Dear Watson

I'm not sure how this blog post is going to turn out and think it might be rather different to my usual style because the TV programme I'm writing about is radically different from most of the TV shows I have ever watched.

Don't be taken in by the fact this play was broadcast in 1973 under the Comedy Playhouse title. This show is of course a national institution, initially being started in 1961 largely as a vehicle for Galton and Simpson before ending 128 episodes later in 1975. It's unusual for a show of the time because you can see many of its episodes: there are some on the internet but they're also found scattered across the boxed sets of the shows it spawned as independent productions: Steptoe and Son, Meet the Wife, Till Death us do Part, All Gas aqnd Gaiters, Up Pompeii, Not in Front of the Children, The Liver Birds, Are You Being Served and Last of the Summer Wine. This show has spun off an incredible amount of television for one series.

Clearly we're in legendary TV territory already but what elevates Elementary, My Dear Watson above the already great stable it came from was that it was written by NF Simpson. He was a playwright who identified with the Theatre of the Absurd, which built on Albert Camus's idea that human existence is essentially abusrd, and devoid of purpose (britannica.com). The way this came out in their theatre was that they tended to get rid of plot, they abandoned the traditional structures of theatre. You will readily see that once again I am punching well above my weight, writing about this show. There isn't much of Simpson's work available to be seen because he was writing right in the middle of key TV junking time, although apparently he wrote the scripts for two episodes of The Dick Emery Show, which may or may not available. Possibly the other most available of his work is One Way Pendulum (1964) in which amongst other things, one character builds a reproduction of the Old Bailey in his front room and Jonathan Miller conducts a choir of Speak Your Weight Machines. You can tell that Elementary My Dear Watson is incredibly highbrow because of its being prominently featured by the British Film Institute.

The way Simpson's approach comes out in Elementary My Dear Watson is that you will be hard pressed to follow the plot, if indeed there is one. His style requires around short scenes, and non-sequiturs: if you haven't seen any of his work I think you would probably like this if you like Monty Python. It's a show which requires careful attention, because you easily miss some small twist and find yourself wondering what is going on. There are two main plots going on at once. There is a further theme where Jack the Ripper keeps ringing up Scotland Yard to confess but they've never heard of him. Fu Man Chu wants the main exhibit, a dead solicitor. In the middle another dead solicitor appears as the object in a spoof object of Call My Bluff. There is a further theme involving a piano tuner in drag, which is stated to be used because otherwise the show wouldn't fill the time. To cut a long story short: the ingredients of a Sherlock Holmes adventure and other Victorian adventures are mixed up a bit, moved to 1973, and given a coat of surrealism.

As you can tell, I love this show, could watch it over and over and think it's absolutely marvellous. There is another aspect which is wonderful, though, and that was casting John Cleese as Sherlock Holmes. Basil Rathbone and Benedict Crumblysnatch can just give up now because I have to say that Cleese is the Holmes we have been waiting for. Imagine the energy of Basil Fawlty applied to Sherlock Holmes, perfectly foiled by Willy Rushton as Watson, and you have the idea. There's another opportunity to watch Cleese as Holmes (or rather a descendant) in the similarly absurd The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It (1979), which I think is also best understood as a series of sketches.

I'm not going to beat about the bush, reading the commentary online it is apparent that a small amount of Simpson's work goes a long way for a lot of people. If you want me to criticise this show I would have to say that the main problem as far as I can see is to wonder what this masterpiece of absurd theatre is doing in a comedy slot, because it's way above being a simple comedy.

I think, though, that if you watch it as what it is and don't expect a simple comedy, it had layers of absurdity which are incredibly enjoyable.

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Archives from 2013 to September 2023 may be found at culttvblog.blogspot.com and there is an index to the tags used on the Tumblr version at https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/729194158177370112/this-blog

#70s tv #comedy playhouse

[villain-in-love]

Karma, Sweet Nothing, and High Infidelity

- @itfitsitshipsart

Okay, this ask was an unexpected but welcomed surprise. I’m going with Jamil because he’s currently on my mind the most, though it took me quite some time to gather my thoughts and formulate the answers. Please don’t mind me randomly switching from talking in first person to talking about my s/i in third person.

Karma: Do you or your F/O believe in karma and how important is it to the both of you?

It’s easy: when someone wronged one of us, it would have been nice if karma existed and justice prevailed. When we ourselves do something that harms others then karma is just a human-made concept and life doesn’t work that way. I feel like both me and Jamil would agree on that. Follow us for more double standards.

Well, that is to say, it’s not in Jamil’s fashion to just put his faith in karma – he’s rather vengeful and would want to make sure to pay back personally. There is undeniable satisfaction in enacting revenge yourself, don’t you agree? Forgot to mention that I’m literally no better than he is in regards to revenge, just slightly more apathetic.

Jokes aside, as long as the existence of such thing as karma is not proved by science, none of us is going to actually believe in it, which is why it only has place in jokes.

Sweet Nothing: How comfortable are you and your F/O with one another? Is yours the type of relationship that you feel safer with one another than anyone else?

Jamil is a great manipulator and incorrigible schemer, while my s/i is disturbingly ruthless and has skewed sense of what is wrong or right. How safe can it possibly be?

I mean, emotionally? Yes. From the perspective of common sense? That’s debatable.

Safe and comfortable enough to be ourselves in each other’s presence, knowing that we won’t be judged or misunderstood, partly thanks to having shared values and thinking patterns. Jamil wouldn’t have entered romantic relationship if he wasn’t completely sure that he can handle me with all of my flaws and oddities. Hell, I fell In love with him after seeing him at his worst. You mean to tell me that this guy is a liar and a backstabber, incredibly arrogant and sharp-tongued, pragmatic to the point of readily disregarding someone else’s wellbeing just to benefit himself? Sign me up, it seems like I have found myself a worthy companion!

Of course, from the perspective of common sense, you can never trust anyone fully. Getting tangled up (and questioning whether that was intended or not) in each other’s schemes is not uncommon and it is not the most pleasant experience. You will never know what might happen and what sacrifices we would possibly make. Especially since my s/i kind of sold her soul to the local god of All Evil and now has to execute his will regardless of her personal priorities. Well, at least Jamil is understanding of the situation, as he was basically raised as a servant and forced to prioritise Kalim above himself, so he knows what it's like.

…I am closing this topic on a wonderful note.

High Infidelity: How do you and your F/O keep your relationship fresh and maintain the love that you have?

I have always found this whole thing with couples trying so hard to keep things fresh and not fall out of love weird. How can you get tired of a friend?

I must note that this love story was never particularly "romantic", at least not intentionally.  Relationship between me and Jamil is based mostly on friendship that naturally turned into something more intense as the time went on. There was no "honeymoon phase" or attempts to perform as the best romantic partner, which is something that people are bound to get tired of eventually.

For some technical reasons I’ll be jumping further in the timeline straight to the point when my s/i and Jamil already graduated and are living as adults. The trick is to avoid the routine, I guess. First of all, they live separately, mostly because of the need for personal space, so it prevents them from getting tired of seeing each other all the time and getting pissed off at each other’s bad habits.

Seeing your partner in different situations is something that helps maintain the interest, and there seems to always be some kind of escapade going on. My s/i is a magnet for trouble and overall can’t live without constant misadventures, and despite how much he dislikes it and tries to stay away from it, Jamil inevitably gets involved in them as well. Bad habits die hard, and so he has a tendency to make my problems his problems. Not that Jamil himself is completely innocent – it’s one thing that he likes to travel, which is fun, but very early in our friendship I had to force him to understand that if he decides to use me in one of his elaborate plans again, then I’d be glad to help, just please tell me what you need from me ahead, because what happened in Chapter 4 wasn’t fun.

So overall, it’s hard to get bored living like this. I would even say that amongst all the chaos, a stable relationship becomes the comfort we need.

#It was surprisingly hard to answer these questions #Not that I didn't know the answers and more like I didn't know how to explain what I think #ship: just villain things #self ship #self shipping #self ship community #self shipping community

[richtermadden58]

Downloading Movies Online Faq

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#movie

[pinervista]

Stretchly break timer mac

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That’s only one of many reasons we’re plowing through Hardie Grant Books’s new izakaya cookbook - the Japanese have truly mastered the art of the bar snack. We’re not getting any less obsessed with great food stuffed into great food, particularly when cheese and deep-frying are involved. Is there anything better than a deep-fried, cheese-stuffed pepper? Recipe: Tempura Cheese–Stuffed Chilies Try this deep-fried, pillowy mozzarella and spicy sausage sandwich and never go back to grilled cheese again.

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However, mac and cheese pancakes (or Mac-Cakes, as we call them) are actually delicious! Wait till you break into these fluffy beds of stretchy mozzarella and tangy, spicy cured ’nduja sausage! Recipe: ‘Nduja In Carrozza (Photo: Sara Remington.) Recipe: Mac Cakesįried mac and cheese was yummy, but it’s hard to get much cheesy flavor into fried mac balls - they need a lot of other stuff to bind them so they don’t fall apart in the deep-fryer. And if you’re not prepared, there will be casualties. It’s some serious garlic-on-garlic action that will play out on your taste buds. Warning: The following recipe is for serious garlic lovers. We’re going to roast some whole cloves of garlic, wrap them in a cheesy garlic dough, and then deep-fry them. The solution? Well, we need to kick things up a notch. But let’s get real - they never quite taste as good as they smell. And no matter what, they always smell so damn good. Hell, you can smell them from the parking lot. You know the smell instantly when it hits you: ballpark garlic fries. It’s a perfect pairing for peppery radish slices and sweet spring snap pea pods. Plus, its pronounced “goaty” flavor is mellowed by a quick fry. When pierced with a fork, fried goat cheese nuggets melt over greens and mingle with dressing. Warm goat cheese is definitely something to love. (Photo: Jo Ann Santangelo.) Recipe: Fried Goat Cheese Salad Warm, melty goat cheese is the ultimate salad topping. The haloumi is best when soaked in cold water for at least one hour or overnight before using.

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In the following versions, I describe how to cook the cheese plain, coated with flour, or coated with panko crumbs. A more traditional embellishment is a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of toasted pignoli. As it cools, the inside turns “squeaky.” I like it with a simple topping of an intensely fruity olive oil and some lemon juice, zipped up with a teaspoon or two of za’atar, the Middle Eastern spice blend of sumac, thyme, and sesame seeds. Hot off the grill or pan, the outside is firm and crunchy and the inside irresistibly soft and runny. But in the proper application, haloumi is irreplaceable.” The following recipe is, I’d argue, the “proper application.” The version most readily found at many cheese counters is usually enjoyed pan-fried or grilled. This cheese is described in my well-worn copy of Murray’s Cheese Book as “a rubbery little block, off white and tightly wrapped in Cryovac, not usually what we’d associate with fine cheese. A little crisp, a little tender and even a little squeaky, this pan-fried haloumi is a cheese lover’s dream. It’s one of the stretchiest cheeses you’ll find. I use Oaxacan cheese, which is a fresh Mexican mozzarella-style string cheese that’s perfect for this. Heck, we’ve even got two salads starring fried cheese, so leave your excuses behind and pick up an extra napkin - you’re going to need it.īy using freshly ground corn tortillas as breadcrumbs, you get an exterior that’s reminiscent of the freshly made tortilla chips at your favorite taqueria, but also something that’s not too far off the original Italian breadcrumb-coated version. We’ve got a grown-up version of that classic party snack, as well as all manner of stuffed, breaded and fried goodness. The rest of you, come on in and get your hands on the best fried cheese recipes Food Republic has to offer. If you’re one of those rare people who doesn’t relish a hot, stretchy mozzarella stick, allow us to show you the door. Popped Water Lily Seeds Are The Supersnack You Have To Try Snack Attack: Our Latest, Greatest Crunchy Recipes Spring Is Goat Cheese Season! Try These 8 Great Recipes Are You A Culinary Expert? How Many Of These 68 Terms Do You Know?

#Stretchly break timer mac