#chapter 3/ part 3 of the series should be andrew learning to go to work with a demon in his brain... i believe

[stabbyfoxandrew]

hmm so originally demon neil was gonna be a longfic, but then i decided it would be a series with a bunch of smaller fics making up the story

BUT i just realized if i do that i have to come up with 5 bazillion goddamn fic titles >:( evil world

[knickknacksandallthat]

Has flavors of fall been completely written? And is there a chance you'll post an early chapter just cuz 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

Also are there any other fics you're working on?

Love your work so much! You're probably my favourite author no exaggeration!

Hello Anon! To answer your question first, yes! It has been completely written! (Well...okay, okay...it's mostly written lol. I'm still having fun adding things into the epilogue chapter - but the MAIN plot and chapters have all been written 😉)

Will I post a chapter early? hmm...maybe not early this week BUT...you might get an extra chapter around Christmas. (But shhh...don't tell anyone!) Happy to partake in the tradition of giving this season! 😁 (And happy holidays to anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas too! Whatever your reason for celebrating or not celebrating this season, I hope you have a wonderful time! ❤️)

And just because you asked so nicely, anon, here's a little sneak peek into works I have in my in-progress list!

1.) 12 Day Program for Courtship - So as promised to anyone who read the 12 Days to Woo a Minyard, this guy is my main work rn. I'm busy outlining and writing to see what shenanigans I can work up between Kevin & Aaron. (And oh man...so far...beautiful amounts of hysterical and cringe...can't wait lol!) The gist rn, though, is that Aaron is torn between going to some medical training program or the *lacrosse training camp the team does each year during the summer. He has 12 days before the deadline is due and has to pick one of them, so Kevin is determined to convince him of which option he should clearly choose. But things aren't as easy as they seem - because Kevin has a rival in Katelyn, who is just as determined to get Aaron to go to the medical training program instead. It's a fight to the finish, with the prize being...lacrosse, right? Because Kevin cares so much about the team and Aaron can't afford to be so far behind. Not because he'd miss Aaron and can't bear the thought of being without him this summer. Not because they've been getting closer lately and Kevin is suddenly feeling strangely attached. Not because his eye starts to twitch whenever he sees Katelyn and Aaron sitting close to one another in the campus coffee shop. Nope. Not at all...

*me forgetting that this au is a No Exy AU, LOL!

2.) The Stray (We'll see if this title sticks) - another Andreil fic set in a universe where Andrew/Neil meet for the first time in an apartment complex and rub each other the wrong way. (No, not that way, get your heads out of the gutters guys! 😉😉) Cue the slow getting to know one another, learning to trust, and a couple of secrets along the way. (And some annoying Riko appearances, booo). I've got some scenes written for this one but holding off so I can focus on #kevaaron. (Completely outlined though).

3.) To Win the Heart of a Prince (Title TBD) - fantasy AU for Andreil this time where Andrew is to be crowned King and must choose a prince for a husband from one of the neighboring kingdoms to form an alliance. Cue lots of angst, trouble from the Moriyamas & Wesninskis, secret identities, romance, and a little background jerejean. (Completely outlined in a fit of inspiration last week LOL)

4.) Roommate AU (Title TBD) - Andreil universe set in college where Neil is kicked out of his childhood home and starts living with Matt, Kevin, Allison, and Andrew. But Neil has never been out on his own before and feels the weight of college, his part-time jobs, and the frequent calls from his father and stepmother slowly crushing him. Good thing he isn't distracted by anything...like his mysterious and slightly odd roommate...who grows more and more interesting by the day. (I have plans for this to be a three-part series, actually, with it mostly outlined).

The above will all be multi-chapter fics, but I might throw in a oneshot here and there along the way. (Depends on how frustrated I'm feeling with my multi-fic at the moment lol!)

And aww, thank you so much as well!! Such a lovely compliment! I'm always so happy to hear someone is enjoying my work, so I so appreciate you reaching out and letting me know! Thank you, anon! 😘❤️🥰 (And I hope something piques your interest above!)

[thebrightsessions]

Entertainment Spotlight: Leeron Amiel

Leeron Amiel voices the character "Michal" in the The AM Archives partner series, Order and Chaos. While she was born in the United States, Leeron, much like her character, proudly celebrates her ties and roots to the country of Israel. She grew up there from the age of 3-12. It makes playing this role and being a part of this story all the more of an honor! Before moving to Los Angeles, she received a BA in theatre from Columbia College Chicago. In LA she has studied with Anthony Meindl and with The Imagined Life acting studio. A Gryffindor, Leeron is engaged to fellow Bright Sessions' actor, Andrew Nowak (also a Gryffindor). They are both parents to their cat, Tonks.

What types of scripts and characters are you drawn to?

Ohhhh man THIS question! Okay so, just like the amazing Michal, I am drawn to powerful, strong female roles. I consider myself a strong female 'type' and boy do I LOVE playing that. Like I loooooove being angry in scenes. Or maybe I just love arguing. Either way, scripts and roles when I get to assert power attract me, and in all ways; like, who doesn't love to yell? But I also love the strong, silent type. One of my dream roles is Emma in Betrayal. And if I could play Olivia Benson in everything, then I would. I also just love being the badass, and I love period pieces. So, I suppose all that means I tend to be drawn to mostly dramas. However, what a lot of people don't know about me is I also really really love doing comedy and have always been told I should do more. I think in this genre I am drawn to the outrageous, as well as the witty. Love me some big acting, sassy goofy roles.

Can you share a story from your career so far that stands out to you as a defining moment?

The one story that comes to mind is how I booked my first co-star. It was August 2018 and I had gone through a huge transformation that summer. As every actor knows, the industry can really get you down. After years of what felt like little success, I decided to step away from acting for the time being and pursue a doctorate in psychology. To do this I had to take some prerequisites at my local community college. I was all signed up and excited about the new journey, but there was still a sense of loss about moving away from acting for a bit. Then, on my FIRST DAY of class I got an audition for the TV show, S.W.A.T. (for a Hebrew speaking role of all things!) I was going, "Oh my gosh, yes, of course, universe - you WOULD send this to me now." But I said to myself, "You know what, you have school ahead of you, you're not going to give up on that. So, what have you got to lose by auditioning? Just go, see what happens." So, I went in with no expectations. I didn't feel pressure to book the job. I was kind of just there for fun and then...I booked it! It was a huge lesson for me about many things. First off, I learned the true importance of a relaxed, playful audition. When I took the pressure off, I was open to be myself and just do my thing. And it worked. And secondly, although I still plan to pursue school, I now know that I am good enough for this industry and should I choose to come back to it (by which of course I mean WHEN, because let's be real - once an actor, always an actor), I will have a lot more hope and excitement.

Did anything stand out during your re-listen of this AM Archives episode that you didn’t notice when recording it?

When re-listening to Order and Chaos it just brought back what I felt when I was recording it. I just remember thinking like, "Wow, this was only 4 episodes and yet there is SO MUCH depth to these characters and these relationships." The feeling that truly struck me this time is how much I just wanted MORE. And I'm not just saying that because I (not so secretly) want a whole podcast about Michal and Percy and the foreign "AMs," BUT. I truly felt like this story and these characters were so well developed for such a quick glimpse, that the listener just couldn't help but want to know more. It's a huge credit to Meghan Fitzmartin who is basically a genius and did such an outstanding job developing these characters.

What’s a fun fact about you that most people don’t know?

I am scared of fish. Especially big ones. Like, they seriously freak me out. It is a real thing, it is called Ichthyophobia and I don't know why I have it. It wasn't always a thing - I would say probably the last 10 years or so - but not when I was a child. Anyway, my fear is not that they are going to do anything to me (although that thought is terrifying) but they just creep. me. out.  They just look so gross and move so weird with their mouths and they don't have eyelids and just blehhhhh. Okay, I'm freaking myself out, I need to stop. Fear of fish. That's my fun fact. So if you ever get the chance to take me somewhere, let it not be the aquarium ;)

Can you share your favorite piece of fan art?

From @thefigureinthecorner​. I so love that Marcus said he made Michal look like one of his aunts because honestly....she looks like ME and my entire family, including all MY aunts! So cool to feel like he could envision me and the sense of cultural pride that both Michal and myself have through my voice.

Thanks for taking the time, Leeron! Give Order & Chaos, Chapter Four: Tabula Rasa a relisten right here.  

[rigginsstreet]

JULIA’S FICS MASTERLIST

so it’s my wifes ( @fredheads ) birthday and im a flop who doesnt have her birthday fic ready (it’ll be done... before the end of the month. absolutely should not take that long but thats the only definite timeline i have lmao) SO to celebrate, i think you all should read her fics and leave nice comments because it’s what she deserves :)

MULTI CHAPTER (unfinished)

She's The One (fem!fredsythe)

Just Like Heaven (fredsythe, alice - fred escapes the Sisters au)

talk about a dream, try to make it real (fredsythe, gladys - college au)

quiet mercy (fredsythe - the OG fred & the sisters of quiet mercy fic)

Papa (fred and artie exploration)

wanna be your backdoor man (fredsythe - h*rny neighbor antics)

With a Girl Like You (fred and gladys friendship)

all our costliest treasures (baby fredsythe at christmas julia i would like to see more... its your birthday i should not be requesting things my apologies)

but your kids are gonna love it (archie and jughead - back to the future au i never saw that movie so i cant say for sure but they do time travel so that checks out to me)

Riverdale High's Last Annual Father-Daughter Winter Fling (fred takes veronica to the father/daughter dance because hiram is in jail =/ )

i say the phrases that keep it all going (different takes of fred fp archie and jughead dying in each others arms julia where is the fredsythe one... just asking)

MULTI CHAPTER (finished [according to ao3])

wouldn't it be good (ensemble - everyones paired up and has to raise an egg)

love is like a heat wave (fredsythe summertime antics)

burnt toffee (halice - working at an icecream shop, falling in love, v cute)

if only in my dreams (penelope lies about having a boyfriend)

let nothing you dismay (alice cooper fixing christmas)

there's a blue light in my best friend's room (hal and fred bonding hour)

The Trials of Cheerleading (or, "Throwing In The Megaphone") (the parentdale bible just read it and forget anything else anyone [ras] has ever told you)

fred andrews adopts a gang (bet you cant tell what this is about)

from the rich to the poor they are mostly unkind (i think this is a sweet pea centric fic?? julia really has something for everyone but dont expect her to do this again)

fp's adventures in domesticity (fp taking care of the andrews household while fred recovers from getting blasted in the chest)

Oblivion (all the times fred has experienced god)

west of memphis (jarchie post 107 thats all i can tell you idk)

ONE SHOT

Wherever you go i'll be with you (fp and archie - a timeline after freds death)

that's as close as i'll get to loving you (fremary - fred asks mary out)

i'm only good at being bad, bad (gladys hating her deadbeat husband <3)

and all the miles in between (fp and tom on the bus to basic training)

excerpts from the same party (freds interactions...at a party... the title is pretty self explanatory but who doesnt love a party fic ammirite ladiez)

don't you know these days you pay for everything (fred, fp, mary - i remember this being fp playing wingman to get fred and mary together cuz he likes mary better than hermione.... read more to find out if im right)

tying faith between our teeth (fredsythe - au where fp goes to college and doesnt ruin his life)

and they were roommates (fredsythe - another college au)

The Construction Tree (jarchie - idk what this is about i dont read kid fics im sorry... but julias a bomb ass writer so im sure the jarchies will love it anyway)

flowers grow through cement (fred gaining weight and feeling insecure)

night creatures call and the dead start to walk in their masquerade (HALLOWEEN FREDSYTHE BABYYYY!)

get me a prescription for that one perfect touch (fredsythe sick fic)

i don't know where else i can go (more hal and fred bonding hour)

everybody's got a hungry heart (fredsythe sexy time with food... that sounds weird.... listen either youre into it or youre not)

not so typical love song (fp and mary bonding hour)

all the redemption i can offer (fremary after the shooting... im pretty sure... listen i have a bad brain i cant remember things just read it)

Simply Irresistible (fred is a ho)

took the words (right out of my mouth) (four times fred and fp say ‘i love you’)

if you wanna get it done you gotta do it yourself (fp and mary loving fred... who is a ho)

people livin' in competition (more fp/fred/mary nonsense with fp gay pining what a good triangle i would have liked to seen it...)

buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight (mary works at youth crisis hotline and fred calls in)

that's what they say when we're together (halram post high school au)

a good old fashioned romance (hiram flaunting his wealth instead of displaying emotions)

you don't know what (you) got (fred has great friends even though hes a bit of a putz)

watch your weight (more fredsythe food shenanigans)

Valuable Lessons Learned On The Tilt-A-Whirl, or "Babe, You Ought To Quit This Scene Too" (alice hermione fred and fp go to the fair)

what once was (jughead and the andrews after freds shooting)

you must remember this (i have no recollection of what this is about but it sounds jughead centric)

takes guts to be gentle and kind (idk what this is either lmfao but i know julia saved moose and midge in it... idk midge but good for her [granted this also takes place after 202 so keep that in mind])

FP Jones and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad House Party (or, "Nothing Good Ever Happens At One Of These") (oh i remember this one.... mmmm. title tells you all really)

and so please help them with your youth ( ‘fred teaches archie to walk. archie returns the favor’)

andrews & son (more fred and archie post 201)

Blueberry Pie (fredsythe - my review of this fic is just me clutching my chest saying ‘oh god, oh fuck’)

never drill for oil on a city street (part 1 of mary working at a youth crisis hotline and fred calling in and i should put this above the other fic but like... you can figure out one and two on your own i believe in you)

The Perils of Faking Illness (or, “two times Fred Andrews faked sick to get out of class and one time he actually needed a hospital”) (read the title)

healing, in three parts (fred fp archie and jughead attempt a roadtrip)

all along the watchtower (#fredandrewsisriverdale)

guess that we were too much of the same kind (fred getting visitors in the hospital)

sometimes wonder what's beneath the mess you've become (fred and alice bonding hour)

nice day for a white wedding (fredsythe hospital times babyyyy!)

The Unexpected Perks of Feminist Activism (or, "Fingertip Rules") (fred gets fucked in a skirt by fp thats all you need to know)

Any Way You Want It (reggie x moose idk what it is but if you like them here you go)

fun, fun, fun (till her daddy takes the t-bird away) (beach antics! freds a menace but fp loves him anyway...)

hands over the ears of my heart (fred and hermione share a bed but platonically)

the apocalypse comes sooner than you think (fredsythemione antics)

small as a world and large as alone (a series of drabbles about archie jughead and fred post 104)

do a good turn daily (archie x reggie post 103)

seven minutes in heaven (archie and reggie picked for 7 minutes in heaven)

tell me every terrible thing you ever did (archie drops jughead off after the pep rally)

[lokilickedme]

MASTER FIC LIST ~ *updated 10/27/19*

Newest updates:

The Department - updated 10/27

Previous recent updates:

Aingeal Ard - updated 10/14 Hammer of The Gods - updated 10/20 The Department - updated 10/21

All fics on this list are posted at AO3 unless noted

*The Loki Reads series is exclusively on tumblr.com

Everything is under the cut because this list is LONG.

Fics are categorized by main character (i.e. Loki, Tom Hiddleston as Original Characters, etc)

Series and associated AU’s and side stories are grouped together (Chemical + Prehistories + Troika Apocalyptica + Penumbraluna + Wolfsbane...you get the idea)

Fics are identified as WIP (work in progress) or complete, with associated word counts and chapter amounts.

WARNINGS are notated, though the warning tags at AO3 should be paid attention to because they are far more complete and detailed.

Fic genres (romance, comedy, thriller) are briefly notated but these are general.

There is a link at the end of the list to my books at Amazon, if you’re interested in those.

This list will be updated as fics update and incomplete information will be added as I have time.

Click READ MORE to see the list:

Exclusively on tumblr:

Part 1 - Loki Reads The Night Manager Part 2 - Loki Reads High Rise Part 3 - Loki Reads Fifty Shades of Grey

WORKS AT AO3

Word/chapter counts are current as of 10/21/2019

Loki

Jack Montague - WIP - 176,534 words, 62 chapters - WARNINGS: hardcore sex, language, violence, sexual deviance, mentions of abuse, mentions of depression, explicit everything, blood/vampyric activities, numerous smutty kinks, and whatever else you can think of.  Not kidding, everything in this one is really hardcore.  Supernatural romance/adventure in the post-MCU/Post-2012 Avengers.  Main character - Loki.  Secondary character/love interest -  Jack Montague.  Relationship - Loki/Jack.  Side characters - Adam (OLLA), Thor, Nick Fury, Eve (OLLA), Selina (Sanguine).  The Trickster God has been exiled to Earth for a very long time...as the oldest living monster in the realm, he’s bored off his skull and endlessly intrigued when he runs across a monster of an entirely different kind - and strikes up a playful romantic partnership with a vampire who may be far more than he bargained for.  *EXTREMELY EXPLICIT*

Sugar Skull - complete - 3115 words.  Side story to Jack Montague, part 3 of The Joker And The Thief.  Main character - Loki.  Side characters - Jack, Thor. WARNINGS: Language, sex.  What Loki does every year on Halloween.  *MATURE*

The Gucci Incident - complete - 4278 words.  Side story to Jack Montague, part 2 of The Joker And The Thief.  Main character - Loki.  Side characters - Adam.  WARNINGS:  Mostly language.  Loki and his vampire father-in-law Adam chase a pair of bedroom slippers across New York City.  *MATURE*

The Trickster’s Wife - complete - 71,001 words, 31 chapters.  Post Avengers, MCU.  Romance/epic adventure.  WARNINGS:  Very explicit sex, some language, some violence, very adult themes, mentions of abuse.  Main character - Loki.  Secondary character/love interest:  Princess Anja.  Relationship -  Loki/Anja.  Side characters - Thor, Odin, Frigga, Bragneire.  Asgard needs Loki, but Loki has a price - a wife he has no right to ask for.  So of course he does just that.  *MATURE, EXPLICIT*

The King of All The Rest - WIP - 1444 words, 1 chapter, ongoing (Part 2 of Myths of Asgard) - Sequel to The Trickster’s Wife.  Romance/comedy.  Main characters - Loki, Bragneire, Anja.  Relationship -  Loki/Anja.  Loki has retired, left Asgard, left the throne, left everything save for one beautiful thing that he’ll never lose again...the wife he fought so hard to keep.  WARNINGS: Sex, language.  *MATURE*

The King’s Heart - complete - 47,229 words, 21 chapters.  WARNINGS:  Explicit sex, sexual violence, abuse, language, mental illness, blood, grief, very adult themes.  Main character - Loki.  Secondary character/love interest - Lyra.  Side characters - Thor, Frigga, Aleks Lokisson, several offspring.  Post-Avengers UA.  Loki has been given the throne, but his apparent madness prevents him from opening his heart to his new queen.  *VERY EXPLICIT*

The Wolf King - complete - 44,315 words, 17 chapters.  WARNINGS:  Sexual activity, language, some violence, smutty talk from Loki, adult themes.  Fluffy adventure/romance.  Loki’s son Aleks has been handed the throne, but he doesn’t want it yet - not while there’s a universe to be conquered in “other” more satisfying ways.  But a mysterious pair of offworlders have a vested interest in the boy king fulfilling his prophecy the way his famous father did.  Main characters - Aleks, Loki.  Secondary characters/love interests - Cara, Lyra.  Side characters - Thor, The Syl, Sleipnir, Loki’s daughters, some surprise guests at the end.  *MATURE*

Lost Creatures - complete - 4929 words.  Main characters - Loki, Thor.  WARNINGS:  Explicit sex, explicit language, violence, male/male.  Loki and Thor have always loved as much as they’ve hated...but which of the two emotions is the stronger?  *EXPLICIT*

Civil Disobedience - complete - 1066 words.  WARNINGS:  Spanking, nonconsensual.  Main character - Loki.  Short vignette involving a Dominant Loki and his disobedient plaything.  *EXPLICIT*

Mine - complete - 2051 words.  WARNINGS:  Explicit sex, language, voyeurism, angst.  Main character - Loki.  Side characters - Thor, the bride.  She was one thing over all others...she was mine.  *EXPLICIT*

THE TEMPEST SERIES

Main character for all parts - Loki.  WARNINGS FOR ALL PARTS:  Hardcore sex, strong language, some violence, implied bestiality, very heavy smut.  All parts complete.  Dark romance/thriller.

Part 1 - Darkness Lives In Me - Loki’s fall from grace (1421 words) Part 2 - Before Chaos - Loki plots to take over Midgard (3120 words) Part 3 - After The Maelstrom -  Loki kills some time before the conquest (3088) Part 4 - Eye of The Storm -  Loki finds a way to...well... (2369 words) Part 5 - Her Side of The Storm -  Loki’s chosen conquest tells her side (2476) Part 6 - A Perfect Whirlwind -  Loki serves his time, misses his chosen (2928) Part 7 - Cyclone In A Teacup -  A conjugal visitation to Midgard (2654 words) Part 8 - An Intemperate Rain -  Loki comes bearing gifts (2132 words) Part 9 - Darkening Skies -  A trinket with...dubious powers (4304 words) Part 10 - The Nature Of Thunder -  Loki, kidnap, what could go wrong? (3325) Part 11 - Lightning Strikes -  Fury’s revenge, Loki’s redemption (3905 words)

*All parts of the above series:  EXTREMELY EXPLICIT*

No Regrets -  complete - 1634 words.  WARNINGS:  Crazy explicit sex, language, absolutely no plot.  Smutty comedy.  Loki, dad’s throne, and a willing partner...just another Wednesday on Asgard.  Main character - Loki.  Side characters - woman, Thor, Odin.  *EXPLICIT*

Whisper -  complete - 6440 words, 6 chapters.  WARNINGS:  Explicit sex, explicit language, threatened explicit violence.  Main character - Loki.  Side character - woman.  Romance.  Asgard has fallen while Loki is imprisoned far beneath the city, leaving him the sole survivor - and as the world slowly decays above him, he opens a path to escape through the dreams of a Midgardian female.  *EXPLICIT*

The Dragon Queen - complete - 37,503 words, 28 chapters. Main character - Loki.  Relationship - Loki/Eira.  Romance.  WARNINGS:  Very hardcore sex, violence, rape, abuse, language, torture.  Odin has given up trying to break Loki - until the day he sends his other prized prisoner into the Trickster’s cell.  *EXTREMELY EXPLICIT*  *WARNING - CONTAINS RAPE SCENES*

The Good Stuff -  complete - 3513 words.  WARNINGS:  Crude explicit language, some smutty sex and references and drunkenness.  Comedy.  Main characters - Loki and Thor.  Side characters - Frigga, Odin, castle servants.  Two bored brothers, one long night, and mom’s secret hooch stash - what could go wrong?  *MATURE*

Smooth Criminal - Part 1 of the Criminal Activity Series - complete - 4252 words.  WARNINGS:  Explicit sex and dominance.  Avengers (2012) adjacent.  Where did Loki get that suit anyway?  *EXPLICIT*

Blue Collar Criminal - Part 2 of the Criminal Activity Series - incomplete - 1171 words.  Post-Avengers.  WARNINGS:  None really, it hasn’t gotten far enough yet.  Sitting on the throne is dull as fuck.  Might as well hit Asgard again, only this time Loki only intends to conquer one human - the girl from the suit shop.  *WILL BE EXPLICIT IF I EVER FINISH IT*

Tom Hiddleston as Original Characters

The Department - WIP - 56,810   words, 17 chapters, ongoing.  *UPDATED 10/27/19*  Main characters - Greta (OFC), Chief (Tom Hiddleston).  Side characters - Andy (Andrew Hozier-Byrne), Cree (Jason Momoa), Cade (Chris Evans), Kevin (Dave Bautista), Hawk (David Tennant), Sarah (Sarah Lancashire), Ted (Sebastian Stan), Wilson (Owen Wilson).  Comedy/romance.  WARNINGS:  Explicit sex, explicit crude language, sexism, minor violence.  Greta arrives in a small town in Minnesota to wait out her disciplinary review after an on the job accident and struggles to survive a crackpot stationhouse full of sexist cops...while trying really hard not to fall in love with the Chief.  *EXPLICIT*  - updates weekly (Sundays)

Hammer Of The Gods - WIP - 23,305 words - 24/30 chapters, ongoing.  *UPDATED 10/20/19*   Main characters - Jake (Tom Hiddleston), Tate (OFC), Pete (Chris Hemsworth).  WARNINGS: hardcore language, explicit sex, mild/brief violence, referenced mental/emotional/verbal abuse.  AU Loki and Thor as human construction workers renovating a house next door to a recently divorced mom who really needs to learn how to live again.  *EXPLICIT*

Body Double - complete - 143,489 words, 40 chapters.  WARNINGS:  Explicit sex, language, references to past sexual and physical abuse, brief reference to miscarriage, heavy Dom/sub undertones.  Main character - Tom Hiddleston (as himself).  Secondary character/love interest - Anna (OFC).  Side characters - Chris Hemsworth, Ian.  Romance.  An actor and a body double working on his film embark on a romantic relationship after the movie wraps.  *VERY EXPLICIT*

Sunflower - WIP - 33,577 words - 13/15 chapters, ongoing.  Main characters - Tommy (Tom Hiddleston), Chloe (OFC/Dove Cameron).  Side characters - Amy (Sarah Wayne Callies), Martin (Idris Elba), Blake (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) , Tony (Robert Downey Jr).  Sweet romance.  Don’t park in the disabled spot unless you’re ready to fall in love with the girl you stole it from.  WARNINGS:  Sex, mild language, injury description.  *MATURE*

THE MCCLARY CHRONICLES

Part 1 - Sgaile Leannan -  complete - 58,066 words, 20 chapters.  Main characters - King McClary (Tom Hiddleston), Molly Thompkin (OFC).  Romance.  Molly arrives in Scotland on a work assignment and meets her nemesis - the surly kilted sheep farmer who owns the land she’s trespassing on.  WARNINGS:  Very explicit sex, explicit language, mild violence.  This story was rewritten for publication with changes - original version remains on AO3.  *EXPLICIT*

Part 2 - Samhach Mhiannan -  complete - 78,763 words, 25 chapters.  Molly returns home to Philadelphia with a little secret - and her world flips upside down when King shows up at her door months later.  SAME WARNINGS AS PART 1. This story was rewritten for publication with minor changes - original version remains on AO3.  *EXPLICIT*

Part 3 - Na Binne an Leann -  complete - 77,600 words, 25 chapters.  Molly moves to Scotland to be with King, but her future with the cranky sheepherder is, as always, shaky and uncertain.  SAME WARNINGS AS PARTS 1 AND 2. This story was rewritten for publication with minor changes - original version remains on AO3. *EXPLICIT*

A Meeting With The King - complete - 2507 words.  Side story to The McClary Chronicles.  What really happened that day at Clendon Williams when King met Ian, told from King’s POV.  WARNINGS:  Some language, mild violence.  *MATURE*

Aingeal Ard - WIP - 16,297 words - 16/20 chapters, ongoing.  *UPDATED 10/14/19*   WARNINGS: rough language, explicit sex.  Main characters - King McClary (Tom Hiddleston), Molly Thompkin (OFC).  A retelling of Sgaile Leannan from King’s POV, chapter by chapter.  *EXPLICIT*

Chemical and its Related Side Stories

Chemical - incomplete version, ended - 263,007 words, 58 chapters.  This story was rewritten and completed for publication with major changes - the original version minus the final chapters and epilogue remain at AO3.   AU Loki/Tom Hiddleston as a bartender in San Diego who falls for the last girl he should ever look at - who just happens to be his soulmate.  Main characters - Tom Heyworth (Tom Hiddleston), Anja Black (OFC).  Side characters - Chris (Chris Hemsworth), Ewan (Ewan McGregor), Pop Heyworth, Cara, Kady, Robert Laing, Eric (Michael Fassbender).  Romance.  WARNINGS: Extremely hardcore sex of all kinds, language, mild violence, references to past sexual abuse and child abuse.  *EXTREMELY EXPLICIT, NOT REMOTELY KIDDING*

THE CHEMICAL PREHISTORIES

All parts complete, all parts MATURE AND/OR EXPLICIT for sex, language, references to past abuse, mild drug use.

SIR -  Characters:  Anja’s mother and her lover; young Anja Das Vorspiel -  Characters:  Alicia and The Boss Quiet Gods -  Narrator:  Eva.  Characters:  Eva, Tom, Chris Medialuna -  the original unused ending to Chemical Two Princes -  Narrator: Anja  ADDITIONAL WARNING: character death The Mechanic -  Narrator:  Chris.  Characters:  Chris, Tom, Anja Eidolon - Narrator:  Emma.  Characters:  Emma, Tom, Anja  ADDITIONAL WARNING: disturbing imagery, imagined character death, mental illness The Scottish Barman -  Narrator:  Ewan.  Characters:  Ewan, Tom, Anja Taos -  Narrator:  Alicia  ADDITIONAL WARNING: character death Girly -  Narrator:  Anja

Penumbraluna -  complete - 19,179 words, 10 chapters.  Main characters - Tom and Chris (as teens).  Side character - Meredith Hemberley.  Coming of age.  WARNINGS:  Strong language, references to sexual abuse and child abuse, mild drug and alcohol use, male/male (brief), semi-explicit sex, character death.  Tom’s friendship with Chris, from the day they met as kids up to the point where Chemical begins.  *MATURE*

See You After The Apocalypse - Part 1 of the Troika Apocalyptica series - complete - 5414 words.  Chemical AU, post-Chemical - Tom, Anja, Chris, Pop, Cara, and Tom & Anja’s two babies have all survived the zombie outbreak, hunkered down in the cabin in Big Bear.  But Tom sends Anja and the two little ones away with Chris when the mountain is overrun with the undead.  Will they find each other alive when it’s all over?  WARNINGS:  Suspense, mild violence.  *MATURE*

Meet Me In Phoenix - Part 2 of Troika Apocalyptica - incomplete - Characters: Tom, Anja, Pop, Chris, Cara.   Chemical AU in which Tom & company survive a zombie apocalypse, are separated, and embark on a cross country quest to find each other again.  WARNINGS:  language and some sexual references.  *MATURE*

Wolfsbane -  complete - 1826 words.  Tom/Anja Chemical AU side story.  Assassins in love.  Tom and Anja are agents assigned to bump each other off, if they can stop seducing each other long enough to pull the trigger.  WARNINGS:  Language, sex, mild violence.

Other TH Original Characters:

Burn -  complete (will fill in this summary ASAP)

Would You Like To Play A Game? -  complete  (will fill in this summary ASAP)

Golden Boy - incomplete  (will fill in this summary ASAP)

Awakening -  complete - RPF -  (will fill in this summary ASAP)

Beautiful Disaster -  complete  (will fill in this summary ASAP)

Dandelion Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6  - complete (will fill in summary ASAP)

Broken Petals - A Magnus Martinsson fic - incomplete

Yes Please, Magnus - Magnus Martinsson fic - complete

Weekly Meetings of The Most Useless Muses in The History of Fanfiction - incomplete - 23,802 words, 22 chapters.  Pretty much what it sounds like.  Characters - all of them.  WARNINGS:  All of them.

Adam - Only Lovers Left Alive

Sanguine -  complete - 28,795 words, 16 chapters.  Main character - Adam.  Secondary characters - Selina, Eve.  Romance/mystery.  WARNINGS:  Very explicit sex and violence, language, vampirism, blood, pregnancy, rape.  A redemption tale twisted up in an epic love story between a vampire and a mortal who break a few rules and make a few of their own in the process.  *EXPLICIT*

(Adam is also a prominent character in JACK MONTAGUE and THE GUCCI INCIDENT)

Thomas Oakley - Unrelated

Sleep -  complete - 1471 words.  WARNINGS:  Sex and language.  Thomas Oakley is chosen for a college sleep studies program.  Too bad the only thing that puts him to sleep is an orgasm.  *MATURE*

Tom Hiddleston - Jaguar Promo

The Way of The Cat -  complete (summary will be filled in ASAP)

Andrew Hozier-Byrne

THE TALIESIN SERIES

Part 1 - Nobody -  complete - 3293 words.  Romance/fantasy.  WARNINGS: character death, raunchy language, implied sex, implied drug use.  A perpetually reincarnating Celtic deity (Andrew Hozier-Byrne) just won’t stop causing problems for the Pantheon, no matter how many times they reboot him and his lover.  Loosely based on the song.  *MATURE*

Part 2 - Shrine Of Your Lies - WIP - 1011 words, 2/15 chapters, ongoing.  Romance/fantasy.  WARNINGS:  Explicit sex, some language, some implied violence.  Taliesin (Andrew Hozier-Byrne) and his lover have been reincarnated again, this time without any memory of who they are - or of each other.  Fate won’t let them wander for long though and their paths cross over two parallel lifetimes.  *MATURE*

(Andrew Hozier-Byrne is also a prominent character in THE DEPARTMENT)

Can Yaman

Kiz Yan Kapi - The Girl Next Door - WIP - 5533 words, 3/10 chapters  (will fill in this summary ASAP)

Chris Hemworth

Thor’s Beard -  complete - 3163 words (Part 2 of Forgotten Gods, side story to Hammer Of The Gods).  WARNINGS:  Explicit sex, language.  Pete from HoTG hooks up with Jake’s older sister and a battery operated device.  *EXPLICIT*

See You After The Apocalypse - see above under The Chemical Prehistories

Allan Hawco

A Wife For Mister Brown -  complete  (will fill in this summary ASAP)

Et Tu, Mister Brown? -  complete  (will fill in this summary ASAP)

PUBLISHED BOOKS

All of the following are available at amazon.com:

Sgaile Leannan - Rewritten from AO3 version with changes/additions.  Sex, language, adult situations.  *EXPLICIT*

Samhach Mhiannan - Rewritten from AO3 version with some changes/additions.  Sex, language, adult situations.  *EXPLICIT*

Na Binne an Leann - Rewritten from AO3 version with minor changes/additions.  Sex, language, adult situations.  *EXPLICIT*

Chemical Volume One - Rewritten from AO3 with major changes/additions.  Sex, language, adult situations, references to past child abuse.  *EXTREMELY EXPLICIT*

Chemical Volume Two - Rewritten from AO3 with major changes/additions (includes the final three chapters, ending, and epilogue that are not included in the AO3 version).  Sex, language, adult situations, references to past child abuse.  *EXTREMELY EXPLICIT*

Here And There - Book One of The Strada Series - not associated with any AO3 fics.  Sex, language, violence.  Paranormal romance.  A man falls out of the sky - literally - and Holly’s quiet existence goes all kinds of sideways when his otherworldly nemesis follows and the two of them end up in her bed...and inextricably in her life.  *EXPLICIT*

The Carmichael Addendum - not associated with any AO3 fics.  Sex, language, violence.  Paranormal/supernatural romance.  Clarissa is one of a final few slayers left in a world where the monsters have quietly retreated into myth - but the local library has started spitting immortals and werewolves out through a rift in the Genealogy section, and it’s time for the last two slayers - Clarissa and her ex-husband Kaine - to come out of retirement.  *EXPLICIT*

*All of the above are also available in Kindle format

Complete officially published works

[homespork-review]

Homespork Act 1: The Note Dawdling Tension Plays (Part 1)

A young man stands in his bedroom. It just so happens that today, the 13th of April, 2009, is this young man's birthday. Though it was thirteen years ago he was given life, it is only today he will be given a name!

CHEL: Here we see the first page, and are introduced to our protagonist, ZOOSMELL POOPLORD! Sorry, I mean John Egbert. The joke names used as a running gag, and also the actual names which end up applied to the characters, were the suggestions of the players of the original forum game.

BRIGHT: Homestuck does start out strongly in several ways. It immediately establishes the protagonist and location. It sets the tone it will use, one based heavily on a text adventure computer game. It introduces the reader to the inventory system...

And here the first feature of Homestuck becomes apparent: although a hugely popular and widely known webcomic, it is very slow to get going. The new reader who arrives on the recommendation of others ends up scratching their head and wondering if they’re in the right place.

TIER: In ancient times (so somewhere in 2014/15) I actually attempted to read Homestuck to see what the occasional weird noises the name caused were going on about. I'm very certain that I didn't even make it to meeting any of the other kids I was so bored.

CHEL: Same here. It took me two or three attempts to get to that point. The problem is that the intro is left over from its days as a forum game, in which no one was expecting it to lead into the epic story it became. It worked great for that format, but less well now. And here we start on our first counts.

GET ON WITH IT!: 1 HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC: 2

How Not to Write a Novel lists multiple errors which could be said to apply here:

The Waiting Room - wherein the story is too long delayed Here the writer churns out endless scenes establishing background information with no main story in sight. On chapter 3, the reader still has no idea why it’s important to know about [the background info, in this case how badly John fails at using technology]. By chapter 7, the reader would be having strong suspicions that it isn’t important, were a reader ever to make it as far as chapter 7. Zeno’s Manuscript - in which irrelevant detail delays narrative momentum Any scene can be killed by description of every meaningless component of whatever action the character undertakes. As in Zeno’s Paradox, in which an arrow never reaches its target because it must always travel half the remaining distance, the reader begins to feel as if the end is further and further away.

A comic about a kid failing to master a video game inventory system is mildly amusing once, but not when it drags on this long, and it’s not particularly fitting for an epic adventure involving the fate of universes. Well, that’s not quite fair; introduction to mundane life and slow revelation of the magical goings-on works fine for books like the Harry Potter series. But, to take Philosopher’s Stone as an example, multiple different odd things happen over the course of Uncle Vernon’s regular boring day, increasing in scale until it’s very clear something strange is going on, and establishing multiple aspects of the wizarding world, e.g. owls, their fashion, the existence and disappearance of a mysterious villain, the fact that the wizarding world is supposed to be secret.

John fucking about with his sylladex and putting up movie posters for page after page doesn’t tell us anything new. Failing to use the sylladex once would be enough to get the point that magical video game inventories are a thing in this world and John’s not very good at using them across, and then we really ought to move on, and we can already see the posters on his walls so we don’t need to see him hanging more. Possibly we could have needed the latter in a purely text format where we couldn’t see the walls, or in a comic without text description at the bottom where attention would need to be drawn to them on-panel. Admittedly, it does establish him picking up the hammer, which becomes relevant, but we don’t need a full page each for both the action of him picking up the hammer and the action of him hanging the poster.

… Who hangs a poster with nails, anyway? His walls must be in a hell of a state.

For that matter, that’s another HNTWAN entry or two:

The Second Argument in the Laundromat - a scene which occurs twice NEVER use two scenes to establish the same thing. We do not, under any circumstances, want a series of scenes in which the hero goes to job interviews but fails to get the job, or has a series of unsuccessful dates to illustrate bad luck in love. This works in the movies, where three scenes can pass in thirty seconds, but not in a novel. The Redundant Tautology - wherein the author repeats himself If you have made a point in one way, resist the temptation to reinforce it by making it again. Do not reexpress it in more flowery terms, and do not have the character reaffirm it in dialogue […] This point is worth repeating; don’t reiterate. HOW NOT TO WRITE A WEBCOMIC: 4

Additionally, people with a lower tolerance for “lovable clumsy dork” characters are going to come to hate John before the comic’s even started, though it’s probably best that people who are going to hate the main character learn that quickly so they can leave. I can understand not wanting to lose the forum game which originally spawned the comic, the other people involved would probably not be pleased, but perhaps it would be better saved as a side story and trimmed down when the comic proper was released. At least they could be compressed down by showing multiple failures and multiple poster-hanging actions on single pages.

One other minor gripe might be the neologisms, such as “sylladex” meaning inventory. I found it fairly easy to pick up and it does make the tone and narration nicely distinctive, but it’s a level of extra complication. How Not to Write a Novel has a couple points on excessively baroque wordplay - do you guys think it’s worth giving it a point for that?

BRIGHT: Possibly not in this case - wordplay is a feature of HS and this one is at least made fairly clear. There are plenty of offenders later on as I recall though...

CHEL: Okay, seems fair. In this case it is more of a feature than a bug. It does establish the narrative voice and add to the video game theme. However, the movie posters also bring up an addition to our third count.

Plus, a black president? Now you’ve seen everything! WHITE SBURB POSTMODERNISM: 1

A reference to the song “White Suburb Impressionism”, by IAMX…

"IAMX - 'White Suburb Impressionism" (Watch on YouTube)

… this count goes up whenever characters behave in a way which suggests they’re, well, white and suburban (or wealthier), despite any attempts to present them otherwise. This would have passed without comment, but Hussie later tried to claim he’d always intended the kids to be “aracial”, so any reader could project themselves or their preferred headcanons onto the kids. As we’ll show you, we don’t believe him, or at least don’t believe he succeeded. That would probably be difficult to pull off, anyway. Race affects a lot more than features on a stylised sprite.

FAILURE ARTIST: Now, I can’t quite put my finger on it but John’s and Dave’s opinion on black presidents in movies (that it’s a gimmick ruined by Obama’s election) feels like something that would only come out of a white mouth i.e. Andrew Hussie’s. Not the most egregious case of implied whiteness but still worth noting.

CHEL: The point of the joke here is not 100% clear, and that’ll be a thing which comes up later as well. See, I agree that’s Dave’s opinion, but I thought the point was that John genuinely didn’t know there was a black president at the time of writing because he’s already been established to be not exactly a genius and so far he’s been focused on movies and video games instead of real life. Maybe I’m underestimating him, though, since admittedly not very much of him has been shown at this point and it’s been a while since I read the whole thing. I’m not going to start using the ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY count here, though, because here Hussie clearly was trying to be funny. It just isn’t clear to me what about it was supposed to be funny. That’s probably my autism talking, though. Jokes are hard. I agree that it sounds like a white kid’s opinion either way - even the dimmest black American kid would know Obama existed, and so most likely would non-black people of colour.

Anyway! Things pick up a bit when John, under the username ectoBiologist, starts chatting to the second character to be introduced, currently known as turntechGodhead, though the second topic of conversation is a reference to a 1989 movie which, as time goes on, will be familiar to fewer and fewer readers. Luckily, the writer realises this, and the content of the conversation makes the reference sufficiently clear without falling into As You Know dialogue.

FAILURE ARTIST: Namely, their conversation is about a scene where - pardon me for being gross but it’s in the comic - a character accidentally ingests urine instead of apple juice. John and TG are surprised the character knew it was urine but I find it weird that someone with working smell would not know what it is. Urine has a distinct odor.

CHEL: Well, be fair. According to the drawings, the characters in question don’t have noses!

FAILURE ARTIST: On a more pertinent note, this conversation is an edited version of one Hussie and a friend had. Perhaps Hussie was TG? TG is practically an Author Avatar for Hussie. Sure, Hussie literally appears in the comic later, but TG seems to fit his true personality better. We’ll see how that affects things for better or for worse.

BRIGHT: This is also the reader’s introduction to the Pesterlog. This is one of those things that seems like it should be out of place in a webcomic - it’s just a page of two people talking to each other in chatlog format, with no other information - but the Pesterlogs actually work surprisingly well.

FAILURE ARTIST: When I first read Homestuck, I didn’t know you had to click on the Pesterlog to open it. I just sat around wondering what amazing conversations they were having. I’m not the only one I think who made that mistake.

CHEL: Yeah, I think I briefly had the same problem, but I don’t remember for sure. Possibly more attention could be drawn to the button.

TIER: I would've probably ended up in the same boat if the friends that recommended I read Homestuck didn't specifically tell me not to accidentally overlook them!

CHEL: That’s not exactly a writing error, so I’m not sure it falls under our jurisdiction, but it’s a point that ought to be brought up. The Pesterlogs do work well once the reader actually sees them, anyway. It’s actually pretty interesting to see how much information can be conveyed in a conversation without falling into As You Know Bob. Let’s check what points are introduced in this first one, for example:

- John really loves what he got for his birthday, a Little Monsters poster. From this we know he’s not spoiled (this is how you do it, Meyer) and easily entertained, and likely has a good home life, as he’s so happy and grateful about a gift from his dad.

-turntechGodhead has apple juice in his closet. This establishes his odd home life, and gets explained in more detail later.

- Some things about the personalities of both kids. John is enthusiastic and a joker, TG is mellower, sarcastic, rambles a bit, and at least plays at being cool.

- John really wants to play the SBURB Beta, a game mentioned earlier which is late being released. TG is less keen, again trying to be cool about it.

- Said game got “slammed” by critics, despite the fact that we learned earlier from John’s SBURB-logo calendar that this game has been hyped to hell and back and must be popular, with merchandise and reviews being released before even the beta version of the game is out. Something weird is going on; someone really wants a lot of people to play this game.

Not bad considering a total lack of body language reference or narration. Das Sporking’s seen authors using traditional narration do worse!

FAILURE ARTIST: The (adult) critics of Game Bro get into shenanigans that prevent them from playing the game they reviewed. Perhaps there’s something in the game that prevents itself from being played by adults, just like how adults can’t pilot Evangelions in the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion.

CHEL: Not sure. Doesn’t one of Dad’s online friends play it, or at least get caught up in it, later on? Though that part’s obviously supposed to be a joke… Maybe instead it’s a built-in way to stop anyone who might be listened to warning others what it does?

As established earlier, said beta is late; this is a reference to the originally planned launch date of the comic, three days before it actually ended up being released. Also, there’s a pun you may have missed in the background. The programming files on John’s desktop include the phrase “^CAKE”. The ^ symbol is called a carot. Get used to noticing those. It’s pretty amazing how many references, self-references, puns, and recurring themes are worked in, and people such as revolutionaryduelist have made semi-careers picking them all out. We won’t bother with all of them or we’ll be here all century, but we’ll pick up on any obvious ones.

FAILURE ARTIST: Hussie majored in computer science so there’s lot of computer science in-jokes in the beginning.

BRIGHT: Something I just noticed: One of the other files on John’s desktop is ‘TYPHEUS’. It even has a Denizen icon! Probably something that has been brought up plenty of times before, but still nifty on a reread.

CHEL: Typheus and Denizens will come up later in the comic.

TIER: When he feels like it, Hussie is immensely good at foreshadowing later events in pretty subtle but solid ways. It's stuff like this that makes times when he does fumble look worse than they probably are in comparison.

[citizenscreen]

‘Tis the season to spread cheer and I’m doing my part by recommending classic movies, paying them forward in hopes that these memorable distractions take people’s minds off negative goings on. I’m asking that you join me, recommend your favorites and #PayClassicsForward on your blogs, by noting your recommendations in the comments or sharing across social media.

Let’s give the gift of movies.

Here’s the challenge…pick movie recommendations to the “12 Days of Christmas” theme as I’ve done below. Keep in mind that movie choices should be those you think would appeal to non-classics fans. Let’s grow our community and #PayClassicsForward

Have fun!

On the first day of Christmas, etc. etc…

One hat

The “one” listing is always a difficult one due to the fact that classics lend themselves to plenty of choices. That said, I came up with a category that encompasses important decades and several genre of film – the fedora. By following the history of the fedora in film you’ll be made privy to the best gangsters, greatest funny men, and most memorable lovers of Hollywood’s golden age. So here it is, a signature fedora:

Note that in researching my favorite fedora portrait I learned that trilbys are often mistaken for fedoras. Since experts seem to be confused between the two types of classic men’s hats that leaves little hope for me. I can’t say for sure whether Bogart is wearing a trilby in the above image, but he may well be. Descriptions of this type of hat explain the rims are shorter than your average fedoras. Either way, it’s a cool, suave look and Bogie rocks it.

From GQ: What’s the difference between a fedora and a trilby?

Answer: Traditionally a fedora has a wide brim and in the UK a wide ribbon band and bow. A trilby has a narrow brim and narrow ribbon, although there are some American trilbies that still have the wide ribbon.

  Two Fairbanks

Things were not simple between Douglas Fairbanks and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. as it is for many families, but the son wore his father’s name proudly. I chose this father and son combination because if you watch their films you’ll get a healthy helping of everything from silent adventure to pre-code delicacies through some terrific television work. These are careers worth following.

  Three Trios

There are quite a few choices for memorable trios in film including Cattle rustlers Robert Hightower (John Wayne), Pedro “Pete” Rocafuerte (Pedro Armendáriz), and William Kearney (Harry Carey, Jr.) in John Ford’s 3 Godfathers. That one is definitely difficult to pass up. That said, I think the following trios are likely to be looked at less by casual fans and they all deserve attention. These are my choices of trios in movies:

They are such a joy to behold. I remember them fondly from my days as a child watching them on TV. It seemed then that they appeared in a million movies, but that wasn’t the case. Still, these siblings are a joy in films like Buck Pirates with Abbott and Costello and their film debut in Albert S. Rogell’s Argentine Nights (1940). The Andrews Sisters made 17 films, more than any other singing group and all are a terrific way to be introduced to the movies. If that record does not impress you, then maybe this one will: LaVerne, Maxene, and Patty garnered 113 charted Billboard hits with 46 of those reaching the top 10. That’s more than Elvis Presley or The Beatles.

  I have nothing against Disney. In fact, I enjoy their classic animated films immensely. Due to that I’m less than enthusiastic about their constant remakes, which – in my opinion – disrespects those wonderful, older film accomplishments. Today I pay tribute to one of them by way of a trio of glorious characters made in the memorable Disney vein we’ve all come to know and love, that combination of warmth and delightful comedy that permeate those wonderful films. These characters are Princess Aurora’s three good fairy godmothers Flora, Fauna and Merryweather in Disney’s 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty. They alone pay tribute to an enchanting legacy.

“Each of us the child may bless, with a single gift no more, no less.”

  The final mention here goes to three Russian envoys who have arrived in Paris to sell a fortune in jewelry, imperial jewelry, the money of which is to go to the Russian government, which is in need of cash. The three, Iranoff, Buljanoff and Kopalski (played hilariously by Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart and Alexander Granach, respectively) who are supposed to be doing work for the Russian government, immediately get caught up in the excesses of capitalism and fail to sell the jewelry.  Moscow then sends a special envoy to Paris to investigate what’s going on with the trio and the jewelry. The envoy is the rigid and humorless, Comrade Yakushova – Ninotchka (Greta Garbo). The charming Melvyn Douglas plays Ninotchka’s love interest in Ernst Lubitsch’s delightful comedy, but it’s the three envoys in the hands of Ruman, Bressart and Granach that make this movie among the greats in the annals of comedy. I just want to get to know them better and so should you.

Ninotchka with Iranoff, Buljanoff, and Kopalski

  Four Skippy Performances

It’s no wonder this wire-haired terrier was the highest paid canine star of his day. Often referred to as “Asta,” thanks to his successful appearances in The Thin Man movies, his real name was Skippy – and we love him to tears. Although I’m choosing only four of his film performances, Skippy never made a bad movie and starred opposite some of Hollywood’s biggest names. If you keep an eye out for Skippy’s filmography on TCM, you will no doubt be introduced to an astounding talent as well as a terrific movie. It’s guaranteed. My Skippy suggestions are:

Skippy as Asta in The Thin Man movies opposite William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. I can’t imagine you haven’t seen The Thin Man (1934), but may not have given any of the sequels a try. If that’s the case you will be delighted by Skippy in any one of his key performances:

in ANOTHER THIN MAN

in AFTER THE THIN MAN

  Skippy is wonderful as Mr. Smith in The Awful Truth. Worth a custody dispute between Warriner and Warriner played by Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, this time Skippy is required to add straight drama to his repertoire as he is required to choose between his two humans right off the bat. There’s also plenty for him to do on the comedy front, however, so this one is a must-see.

forced to choose between the Warriners in court

front and center in the awful truth

  Skippy as George in Howard Hawks’ Bringing Up Baby opposite Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Another terrific outing for our favorite pooch as he is central to action thanks to his burying abilities.

Holding his own in Hawks’ beloved screwball

  This sequel to Norman Z. McLeod’s 1937 hit Topper lacks some of the charm of its predecessor, but the talents of Constance Bennett, Roland Young, Billie Burke, Alan Mowbry, and Skippy make it well worth your time. Here, Skippy matched Bennett’s ghostly wit by ghostly wit in a role that stretches his talents to matters beyond this world and he approaches it with signature enthusiasm.

so famous he made it into this spectacular publicity photo with Constance Bennett

  Five Lords-a-leaping

No explanation needed.

Cagney

Nicholas Brothers

Kelly

Astaire

Six Vivien Leigh GWTW Tests

Gone With the Wind is celebrating its 80th anniversary on December 15 and, as the biggest, most famous movie ever made, it deserves at least a mention here.

On that day in 1939, Atlanta’s Loew’s Grand Theater was buzzing with Hollywood’s biggest names. It was such an occasion for Atlanta that the film’s opening was a 3-day event as Governor Eurith Dickinson Rivers declared a three-day holiday. Other politicians asked that Georgians dress in period clothing. A lot had happened in Hollywood leading up to that premiere though including the famous search for the film’s leading lady, the protagonist of Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 blockbuster novel, Scarlett O’Hara. Every female star it seems auditioned for the part. Among them were Bette Davis, Jean Arthur, Tallulah Bankhead, Joan Bennett, Claudette Colbert, Frances Dee, and Paulette Goddard who, as stories go, was close to being chosen. As we all know, however, Scarlett went to the lovely, British Vivien Leigh who possessed an outstanding talent. Leigh made the part her own and, along with the film, became tantamount to Hollywood royalty. To honor Vivien Leigh and her memorable Scarlett O’Hara here are six make-up and wardrobe test stills:

  Seven Justices

Judge James K. Hardy in the Andy Hardy movie series

Judge Margaret Turner in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer

Judge Taylor in To Kill a Mockingbird

Judge Weaver in Anatomy of a Murder

Judge Henry X. Harper in Miracle on 34th Street

Judge Dan Haywood in Judgment at Nuremberg

Judge Chamberlain Haller in My Cousin Vinny

Eight Serials

Follow the links to watch episodes of these dramatically exciting serials. It might take a few chapters for you to get hooked, but you’ll get hooked.

The Perils of Pauline (1914) starring Pearl White

The Vanishing Legion (1931) starring Harry Carey and Edwina Booth

The Green Hornet (1940) starring Gordon Jones

Zorro Rides Again (1937) starring John Carroll

The Master Mystery (1918) starring Harry Houdini

Flash Gordon (1936) starring Buster Crabbe

The Phantom Creeps (1939) starring Bela Lugosi

Holt of the Secret Service (1941) starring Jack Holt

  Nine Ladies Dancing

Ann Miller

Ruby Keeler

Eleanor Powell

Lena Horne

Betty Grable

Vera-Ellen

Cyd Charisse

Ginger Rogers

Dorothy Dandridge

  Ten Directors

Watch their movies… live, love, learn, and laugh.

Michael Curtiz

Akira Kurosawa

William Wyler

Fritz Lang

Ernst Lubitsch

John Ford

Alfred Hitchcock

Mervyn LeRoy

Ida Lupino

Lois Weber

  Eleven Movies about Millionaires

Since I recommended movies about hobos in a previous year, I thought the time came for millionaires. There are many wonderful movies about the super rich, particularly during the Great Depression when audiences loved seeing the plight of these people play out for laughs. That theme made for some of film history’s best screwball comedies. The super rich, however, have lent themselves for entertaining movie fare ever since the movies began and in every genre. Check out this terrific list from Forbes spotlighting millionaires in movies.

As for me, I have quite a few favorites with millionaire themes that appeal to most others as well. These include such popular titles as The Philadelphia Story, the shenanigans of the Charleses in The Thin Man movies, My Man Godfrey, The Lady Eve, How to Marry a Millionaire, and movies featuring recognizable names like Charles Foster Kane and Bruce Wayne. For this purpose, however, I recommend lesser known, but worthy millionaire movie stories I’ve watched through the years – some in terrible condition, a few greats, and some for plain ole fun. Here are the 11 rich and classic…

Phil Rosen’s Extravagance (1930)

John G. Adolfi’s The Millionaire (1931)

Clarence G. Badger’s Miss Brewster’s Millions (1926)

Frank Tuttle’s Love Among the Millionaires (1930)

Mitchell Leisen’s Easy Living (1937)

Anthony Asquith’s The Millionairess (1960)

Robert Moore’s Murder by Death (1976)

William Asher’s Bikini Beach (1964)

Walter Lang’s I’ll Give a Million (1938)

George Marshall’s A Millionaire for Christy (1951)

Roy Del Ruth’s Kid Millions (1934)

EXTRAVAGANCE (1930_

THE MILLIONAIRE (1931)

LOVE AMONG THE MILLIONAIRES (1930)

MISS BREWSTER’S MILLIONS (1926)

MURDER BY DEATH (1976)

I’LL GIVE A MILLION (1938)

A MILLIONAIRE FOR CHRISTY (1951)

THE MILLIONAIRESS (1960)

KID MILLIONS (1934)

BIKINI BEACH (1964)

EASY LIVING (1937)

    Twelve Feature Acting Debuts

Some of my favorite and/or most memorable film debuts…

Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween – effective after all these years.

Orson Welles in Citizen Kane – although Welles’ performance is what I find hardest to like in Kane, I cannot deny its impact and status among characters in film.

Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday – appropriate introduction for royalty in film and in life. She charms you from the first moment.

Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront – exclamation point to begin a stellar movie career.

Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl – a tour de force and a phenomenon

Peter Lorre in M – brilliant, nightmarish, heartbreaking. Described by director Fritz Lang as “one of the best in film history.” I agree.

Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins – Her debut should have been as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, but we’ll take this and so did she. Not only did Andrews win the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of the magical nanny, but she won the hearts of the world in the process.

Timothy Hutton in Ordinary People – ordinarily superb.

Angela Lansbury in Gaslight – small part, big impact. Undeniable screen presence.

Edward Norton in Primal Fear – convincing and chilling.

Greer Garson in Goodbye, Mr. Chips – She wanted a worthy role as her screen introduction. She got it. She killed it – as she did from that moment on.

Eddie Murphy in 48 Hours – I love this performance highlighting the scope of Murphy’s talent.

I gave this final topic a lot of thought as there are many worthy contenders. For instance, I’m sure many would choose James Dean’s turn in East of Eden, as big a legend-ensuring performance as there ever was, but it’s not a favorite of mine. Tatum O’Neill’s performance in Paper Moon is another one I considered as were Marlee Matlin’s in Children of a Lesser God and Lupita Nyong’o heartbreaking Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. Finally, I adore Robert Duvall’s debut appearance in To Kill a Mockingbird. And I could go on and on. We just have an embarrassment of riches.

♥

Phew! There you have this year’s movie recommendations. I hope you enjoyed the list and that – in the spirit of Christmas – you take this challenge and…

#PayClassicsForward

Visit previous year’s lists as shown:

2015

2016

2017

2018

The Challenge: #PayClassicsForward for Christmas ‘Tis the season to spread cheer and I’m doing my part by recommending classic movies, paying them forward in hopes that these memorable distractions take people’s minds off negative goings on.

[jewels2876]

MY WRITING CHALLENGE

700 Followers Unite!! I am ETERNALLY  grateful for all my followers - it’s hard to believe I haven’t even been on here a year too

So let’s have a writing challenge!

DA RULES:

Participate by...  Asks only please! Give me your song, prompt, or word along with your pairing

Dates: single so sure! Oh right!  Yeah let’s start… 3/1/19

Final submission date: 6/1/19

Who you can write for … anyone! I’m a Marvel blog who reads SPN from time to time - but I’m open to reading just about anything, so when in doubt ASK! Any AU, trope, angst, fluff, smut, just write it - be brave! The song list is female-centric but this challenge is NOT.

   **Stipulations**

Use Warnings! 18+ should be clearly defined, which means anyone under 18 getting caught not obeying warnings will be dismembered - kidding, but banning seems like a reasonable alternative and reporting if it gets crazy

No underage shenanigans - if you write smut, no de-aging to pair up the young’uns Peter, Shuri, Gwen Stacy, or Miles Morales

Speaking of smut, I’m not going to say no to it (I read it too) but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be 18+ to write and use your warnings for all triggers (if it’s a spoiler, please use your tags!) - see above point about joking dismemberment

Word Count: no pressure but if you get over 500, please use the “Keep Reading Link”  If it’s going to be part of a series, please make sure your prompt is used in chapter 1, not chapter 19

Format: I’m pretty flexible - the usual stuff: pairing, word counts, WARNINGS (can’t stress this enough!) - if you do a summary, you’re better than me! - if you just do an A/N it’s cool too!

Use the hashtag #julies1stwritingchallenge in the first 5 tags, and make sure to tag me @jewels2876 - crazily enough I’m working a Bingo card (or two!) I picked up, plus co-hosting #StarSpangledBingo AND this crazy little thing called life, so give me… 48 hrs if I haven’t reblogged or commented on your fic

Lastly, I have created this lovely document so no one gets lost and I can put together a beautiful masterlist once it’s all done! Here ya go!

I have plenty of prompts so let’s start with … 1 per person. If you finish and want to grab another one, go for it!

Song List:

Done. - The Band Perry

I’m Real - Jennifer Lopez

Make It Real - The Jets

I Think We’re Alone Now - Tiffany shield-agent78

Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson

Just A Kiss - Lady Antebellum

I Don’t Believe You - P!nk

Confident - Demi Lovato nerdy-bookworm-1998

I Could Fall In Love - Selena

Tribe - Kim Viera

So What - P!nk

Breathless - The Corrs

S.O.S. - Rihanna

Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson

Ain’t No Other Man - Christina Aguilera

Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston

Run the World - Beyonce

WIthout Love - Mindy McCready

Karma - Jessica Andrews

Paper Gangsta - Lady Gaga

You Learn - Alanis Morissette

Hands on You - Ashley Monroe

Keep Holding On - Avril Lavigne littlemarvelfics

Again - Janet Jackson

Express Yourself - Madonna

Hot n Cold - Katy Perry

Prompt List:

#1:            “Hey… what’s wrong with your face?”

#2:           “Um, sorry. That one’s not for sale.”

#3:           “Ah yes, come in. Close the door behind you.”

#4:           “Hi, I’m calling about your ad?” devilbat

#5:           “Well aren’t you the cutest little thing?” jamesbarnesappreciationsociety

#6:           “I haven’t tried this on a human yet, but it should be very similar.”

#7:           “Sometimes I feel like she’s still at my side.”

#8:           “According to this, you owe them eighty thousand dollars.”

#9:           “What? I meant it as a compliment.”

#10:         “You were in a crash. Can you tell me your name?” acreativelydifferentlove

#11:         “Sir. This is for children only.”

#12:         “That’s the nice thing about telling the truth. You don’t have nearly as much to keep track of.” sherrybaby14

#13:         “Do you trust me?”  thing-you-do-with-that-thing and maid-of-mourne-shore

#14:         “Even if I could stop it, I wouldn’t.” wintersoldierswhore

#15:         “She’s in the building.” nerdy-bookworm-1998

#16:         “Never heard of that being used as a murder weapon before.”

#17:         “My chances of living to a ripe old age are unfortunately excellent.”

#18:         “Of course we’re best friends. No one else would put up with our shenanigans.”

#19:         “I can’t believe I used to think he was attractive.”

#20:         “Does he hit you?” ruckystarnes w/stucky - writing-for-a-chance

#21: “Well, that could’ve gone better.”  221bshrlocked

Word List:

Fault

Cimmerian

Leaves

Growl

Sometimes

Hero - lookwhatyoumademequeue

Dying

Halcyon

River

Style

Chocolate

Pyrrhic

Horizon

Simple

Scream

Dreams

Eavesdrop

Short

Inglenook

Seek  messy-random-bitch

Friendship

Story

Photograph

Target

Cynosure

Tagging my list to join or just signal boost, please & thank you!

@patzammit @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety@sarahivi @thenormreedus @ticklikeabomb @xxloki81xx @woodworthti666 @greenarrowhead @lovely-dreamer19 @moonbeambucky @yafriendlyfangirl @lilyrosebae @after-avenging-hours @white-chocolate-mocha-fan @marvelc00kie35 @thejemersoninferno @lionheo04 @dewy-biitch @bitsandbobsandstuff @readitandweepfics @lokilvrr @lostinthoughtsandfeelings-blog @theimpossibleg1rl @princess-evans-addict @stuckyfox @4theluvofall @loricameback @moondancewrites @halcyonrogers @writing-for-a-chance @ruckystarnes @angryschnauzerwrites 

@221bshrlocked @suz-123 @senorita-stucky @devilbat @jpat82 @caramell0w @spookyscaryskeletonsus @theoneanna @lilybellsworld @inlovewith3 @mrs-captain-evans @crazybutconfidentaf @nerdy-bookworm-1998 @sillyboyscomicsareforgirls @shield-agent78 @lokiandbuckyaremine

[boyfriem-moved]

the foxhole court bad

(aka the eden’s twilight chapter is gross, the thanksgiving chapter is also gross, andriel is an abusive ship, and nicky and andrew are two terrible people being terrible to each other, a passionate essay by a dude who’s real sick and tired of this garbage)

I was gonna try to reread the whole series so I could factually and definitively prove that tfc sucks once and for all but after 2 chapters I concluded that reading it again was killing my last 3 brain cells, so I stuck with rereading the worst two chapters and gathering a few other moments I thought were noteworthy, and we’re just gonna have to go from there. I’m gonna discuss a bunch of stuff so I’m putting the entire meta under the cut. Also! If you have no idea what tfc is and follow me for other reasons but are intrigued by my hatred I doubt you could get through this whole thing without being bored. I’ve made a couple short posts saying what’s wrong with tfc, most recently this one here, which you could read instead of this long ass mess. 

If you know nothing about tfc and still wanna read, trigger warning for mentions of drug abuse, rape, physical abuse, emotional/psychological abuse, sexual abuse (both of children and adults... well of one adult who was once a child), actually. all abuse. just. don’t read if you’re triggered by any general categories of abuse

You still here? So sorry about that. Now let’s get going! 

I can’t deny that there’s some sort of appeal to tfc. “Sports team for fucked up weirdos” is an interesting concept and one that can draw you in, if it’s done well. But Nora Sakavic thrives on shock value and can’t write to save her life, so it’s not done well. It’s done very, very badly. Now I’m not here to complain about the terrible writing (even though I could, believe me). I’m here to complain about how Nora writes like she gets into tumblr discourse with teenagers and makes anti blocklists. So we’ll just go in chronological order, because I think it makes the most sense that way. 

Eden’s Twilight

Up until the Eden’s Twilight chapter, the bad parts are more or less excusable. Andrew is...being Andrew, but the book has just begun, and as long as he doesn’t get any worse he’s bound to have some character development soon (which ha funny joke but we’re hopeful, the night’s still young). Nicky is likable and seemingly the good guy who’s said maybe a couple iffy things, Aaron isn’t noteworthy (and boy does he stay that way), and we haven’t seen much of Kevin’s “fun alcoholism” yet. 

And then there’s Eden’s Twilight.  The setup to the chapter has a couple interesting moments, most notably Nicky pushing Neil to take out his contacts despite the knowledge that it makes him deeply uncomfortable because everyone just bends to the fucking whim of Andrew apparently (a running theme that I’ll get to later) and a gross bit of setup where Nicky comes onto Neil and Andrew threatens to kill him. 

“...his happy expression faltered when he got a good look at Neil. “Oh man. Neil, you clean up good. Can I say that, or is that against the rules? Just--damn. Aaron, don’t let me get too drunk tonight.” (tfc pg 129)

(Nicky is an adult with a fiancee who he allegedly loves. Neil is 18. Just in case anyone’s forgotten.)

Then they go and buy some drugs! Nora shows a worrying misunderstanding of how drug withdrawal works (Nora do even one ounce of research for your shitty book please ma’am I’m begging you) and they buy some drugs with vague side effects (I have no idea if the stuff they take is based off real world drugs and I’d rather not find out) in a scene that seems unrealistic but I couldn’t tell you for sure (never bought drugs. not about to ask the people in my life who have.). They buy their drugs, Andrew takes some drugs, Nora continues to know nothing about withdrawal, they go to a nightclub! The night is still young!

And now comes the big problem area. 

Their nightclub adventures begin with a complicit bartender who says, “Back so soon, Andrew? Who’s your newest victim?” (tfc pg 133). On a later page it’s established that the bartender was spiking Neil’s drinks and fully aware of everything the siblings planned to do (as is routine with them? apparently?) so. Fun guy. 

They do some drugs, drink some alcohol. Neil refuses to do both. Andrew and Nicky are adamant about him doing drugs with them, but he refuses, so they concede. 

“Drink with us if you won’t dust with us,” Nicky said, holding his open packet in one hand and his shot in the other. 

And Neil does. Because there’s no reason not to, really. Andrew’s gang accepted it when he said he didn’t drink. They’ve so far not forced him to do anything he doesn’t want to. He watched the bartender pour his drink. He has no reason to suspect he won’t be fine. 

So, of course, his drink is drugged, and Andrew, Aaron, and Nicky hold him down as he tries to run away. The twins force him onto the dance floor, then leave him with Nicky, reigning defender for World’s Most Predatory Man. 

“Bodies and lights blurred around him, making Neil nauseous. He clawed bloody lines down Nicky’s arm as he fought to get free. Nicky didn’t let go until they’d reached the middle of the dance floor. He pulled Neil up against him and caught Neil’s chin in his fingers to force his head back.  Nicky’s kiss was harder than Neil expected it to be, and there was more than just tongue in it. Beneath the burn of vodka Nicky shared with him was the sweet tang of cracker dust. Neil didn’t mean to swallow, but it hurt too much to hold it in his mouth.  “This is how the game goes,” Nicky said against his lips. “Stop fighting if you want to survive.” (tfc pg 136)

Nicky is a good guy of the story. Not only that, he’s a fan favorite character. This isn’t even a chapter people gloss over to glorify their faves, either. People often point to this chapter and the surrounding scenes as one of the series’ most iconic moments. Neil’s night ends with him paying a bartender to knock him unconscious to put an end to the drugged abuse, which can be found near the top of pretty much everyone’s “top ten iconic Neil Josten moments” lists.  This scene is fucking disgusting. He’s forcefully assaulted, allowed and encouraged by Andrew, who’s supposedly the force keeping Nicky in line, and who told him earlier in the chapter not to try anything. Aaron and Kevin are complicit in this, as is the bartender. As are the rest of the team members and Coach Wymack, even if it’s to a far lesser extent, because though they’re horrified that Andrew and his gang brought Neil to the club, they’re not surprised. For people who seemed to know it was coming, they did an awfully lax job of keeping Neil safe though they claim that’s their top priority, and Wymack hardly reprimands Andrew. And no one even shifts blame towards Nicky, despite the fact that he’s the worst person here out of all of them.

People tend to ignore Nicky in general when it comes to how bad of people all these characters are. Which is weird, because Nicky is a horrific predator, and this scene can’t be excused. Though he never assaults Neil again, he continues to be interested in him up until his lackluster apology (which, by the way, does not excuse his actions in this chapter so fuck off if you’re gonna say it does), and it’s pretty clearly implied that he only stops flirting uncomfortably with Neil (who, side note, is still barely not a child) because Andrew forces him to, and not because of any personal growth. 

This should be the end of my explanation of why these books are terrible. Writing a scene like this, in which the assaulters are the good guys of the story and will, throughout the next three books, improve as people by exactly 0%, is reprehensible. There’s no coming back from that. But some of you obviously disagree, so let’s keep going. 

There’s more scenes like this, one in particular, but I’m gonna talk about it later. My point is just that “token gay character is a blatant predator” is not a good look, especially when written by a straight woman.

Thanksgiving

Nora Sakavic would not know how to write a rape victim if one punched her in the face and told her she was a horrible writer. I wish I didn’t have to say more. But I obviously do, so let’s go. 

(as always: necessary disclaimer that I am not a csa survivor and if anyone out there is and disagrees with me I’m more than willing to hear you out, however, i don’t think it takes one to tell that Nora Sakavic is a Fraud And Hack) 

This one wasn’t quite as hard to reread as the Eden’s Twilight chapter, probably because even though the acts are worse, it doesn’t have a bad message overall. The rapist is, thank god, the bad guy in this one. 

It does, however, have problems. Because Nora is still unable to write about serious issues without incorporating scenes purely for the purpose of shock value. 

Like, y’all, it’s really not hard to say “this character was raped as a child and has problems with consent and intimacy because of it”. You don’t need to bring the rapist into the story and have them rape the character again only for the main characters to walk in on it and kill the rapist with a lacrosse racket. 

Oh yeah, spoilers, that’s exactly what happens.  

The chapter starts out fine. If anything, it’s tame for a chapter of a book out of The World’s Most Unnecessarily Over The Top Book Series. 

The basic setup is: Nicky’s parents have invited him and the twins home for Thanksgiving after being estranged for 5 years. Andrew refuses to go. He won’t tell anyone why, but after a talk with him Neil learns that it’s because he was raped by his stepbrother and when he confided in Nicky’s dad about it, Nicky’s dad told him it was a misunderstanding. 

Y’all know what that is? Perfectly fucking adequate writing. We learn this thing about Andrew’s past. He has, for probably the only time in this entire series, adequate motivation to do something. But Ms. Sakavic, known Fraud And Hack, said fuck that. We need more. We need to really know what Andrew went through. “Like in a longer conversation sequence?” Someone sensible asked. Nora shook her head. “Like in the second worst scene I have ever written because I am a Fraud And Hack.” 

So they go to Nicky’s house for Thanksgiving! This also gives Nora a chance to remind us all that she is a straight woman and Nicky is a gay stereotype. Andrew is on edge the entire time, but Neil manages to keep him under control for the most part. Then we learn that Nicky’s dad invited Andrew’s rapist ex-stepbrother to the house. And than they’re upstairs together. Alone. 

So y’know, Neil and Aaron run upstairs, break down the door, there’s a page and a half of description of the scene of Andrew about to get raped before their very eyes, Aaron kills the rapist with a lacrosse stick (exy stick, whatever), and scene. I’m not gonna quote this one, because I don’t wanna make anyone read it, but it runs roughly from page 215-220 of The Raven King if you wanna see for yourself. Highly recommend against it. It’s nasty. 

This is a chapter that goes from 0-100 in pretty much too seconds. Someone should probably tell Nora that forcing Andrew to have dinner with the man who discredited his rape is enough digging up of his traumatic past. We don’t need to go deeper. She can stop now. She should stop now. We know Andrew’s history of csa at this point. If Nora thought that wasn’t enough, there are a million ways she could go more in depth without doing this. This scene doesn’t even go more in depth. In terms of advancements in the story, all that happens is that Aaron, Kevin, and Nicky find out about Andrew’s past (something that could have happened in so many different ways) and Aaron kills a man (which doesn’t actually matter because it takes no toll on him and is never mentioned again because nora is a fraud and hack). I was appalled and horrified the first time I read it, and rightly so, because that’s it’s only purpose. 

And putting a rape scene in a book for the sole purpose of shocking your readers is just a nasty thing to do. 

Bonus Point: Riko Moriyama Is An Evil Monster And That’s Bad Even If He Is The Villain 

Riko’s an evil monster! Yeah! Obviously! We’re glad he died! He sucks! But...he’s a very badly written evil monster, and I don’t feel like unpacking all of him, but I just want to point to a couple scenes towards the end of The Raven King real quick since they fit with the whole “Nora don’t write about rape like this” theme. 

I’m not gonna quote this one either because it’s Real Gross. But basically, Riko convinces Neil to spend winter break with him by telling him that he arranged for Andrew to get raped over Thanksgiving, and that if Neil doesn’t comply with his terms, he’s paid off one of the doctors at the psych ward Andrew is staying in and will get that doctor to rape him again. 

So that didn’t...need to happen. It’s quite frankly disgusting that Nora wrote all this (the language in this scene is very explicit). It’s disgusting that she couldn’t think of any other way to portray her villain as evil. This is bad writing. Riko doesn’t need to be cartoonishly villainous. It’s unnecessary, it’s over the top, and it’s sickening to read. 

Also? That scene at the end of The Raven King where Riko handcuffs Neil to the bed and like...stabs him and it’s never said he rapes him but he definitely rapes him because Nora’s predatory subtext is more obvious than a slap in the face? That didn’t need to happen either. 

Andriel is a terrible ship, Nora you FRAUD AND HACK

So Andrew and Neil get together in the last book, because every series written by a straight woman needs a super unhealthy gay relationship for fangirls to call cute.

(This one is...weird because a lot of the fanbase are gay themselves, but I’ve heard there’s gay people who like the captive prince too so. i guess it just be like that sometimes.)

I don’t have time to comb through the entire book looking through problematic moments, and I wouldn’t want to. I’m just gonna grab a couple noteworthy scenes in what I hope will make an adequate outline of this fucked up relationship. 

The Foxhole Court starts by setting up a running theme of Everyone Disrespecting Neil’s Boundaries All The Time with Wymack, Andrew, and Kevin coming to his high school and refusing to leave until he agrees to sign on with their Not Lacrosse team. His first meeting with Andrew is when Andrew hits him with a lacrosse racket to forcibly stop him from leaving the locker room, a pretty good encapsulation of the sort of person Andrew is. They spent the next three books allegedly falling in love.

Neil establishes boundaries. Andrew breaks them.

“I don’t need to be persuasive,” Andrew said, putting a hand to Neil’s chest as the elevator slowed to a stop. “You’ll just learn to do what I say.” 

This is on page 33 of tfc, during their second meeting. Andrew establishes that he’s controlling and manipulative pretty damn early. 

A list of other “romantic and iconic” Andriel moments include:

Andrew breaks into Neil’s room and goes through his belongings

Andrew drugs Neil and allows Nicky to assault him (after threatening to kill Nicky if he tried anything??) because he doesn’t trust him

Andrew uses threats of sharing personal information to force Neil to tell him secrets

Andrew is repeatedly physically violent (their first meeting, beating him up at Eden’s Twilight)

Andrew tells Neil’s secrets to the team psychiatrist, knowing full well it’s a betrayal of Neil’s trust

Andrew delights in Neil’s fear and goes out of his way for most of tfc to make him fear for his safety

Andrew didn’t look at Wymack. “Neil wants to come with me.”  A day ago, those words might have been an order or a threat, but today Neil heard only truth. He’d chosen the Foxes. He’d chosen to trust Andrew, whatever that meant and whatever consequences it brought down the road. (tfc pg. 152)

After that quote the moments are harder to spot (read: I reread less of trk and none of tkm so I don’t have any bookmarks to turn to), but they are still there. The last moment there is from trk, so the abuse doesn’t stop, I’m just too exhausted to keep looking. 

And let me be clear, that quote is barely consent. Andrew physically and psychologically abuses Neil into the position he’s in when he surrenders and sides with Andrew on page 152.  This scene takes place right after Eden’s Twilight, and above all of what went down there, Neil has just been forced into telling Andrew more personal information than he’s ever told anyone. After a night of abuse he feels trapped, like resistance is futile, so he gives in. Saying he wants to be part of Andrew’s crew doesn’t count as consent when his hand is being forced. 

Even though scenes towards the end of the series show Neil beginning to learn how to control Andrew and the two of them coming to stand on a more level ground, their relationship is one built on abuse and violence, and it’s important not to forget that. It’s unrealistic that Neil would come to trust Andrew, honestly. And having the abusive, more mature character give Neil his first ever relationship and teach him that he’s gay (or bi, or whatever he is) is not a good look. Especially when this book has everything else I’ve already mentioned. Especially when Nora is, once again, a grown ass straight woman. 

Nicky And Andrew Are Two Terrible People Being Terrible To Each Other And Actually I Hate Both Of Them 

So Nicky’s predatory and Andrew is violent and their relationship is as unhealthy as can get. Andrew’s relationships with Nicky and Aaron are both unhealthy, but Aaron’s much less so, so I’m just gonna get into Nicky today because I’ve been writing for almost 3 hours and I kinda wanna die right about now. 

We’ve already established that I don’t like either of them. But let me be clear, it takes a lot for me to admit that Andrew “knives hidden up my sleeves” Minyard is right in any situation. And yet, in pretty much any situation where he threatens Nicky, it’s easy to see him as the good guy, at least up until a certain point. 

Andrew is a bad person. He’s violent and manipulative and has no regard for people’s boundaries. Nicky is arguably worse, painting himself as the peacemaker while being horrifically predatory. 

(A point on Nicky: Nora spends pretty much all of the first book showing Nicky as predatory, then abandons it entirely for the next two books, making it easy to forget the kind of person he is. Just because the predatory behavior stops doesn’t excuse it. Just because Nora thinks one lousy apology makes Nicky a good person suddenly, doesn’t mean it does.)

I’m gonna paste in a pretty massive chunk of text from the foxhole court, but I think it’s all important, so bear with me. 

“Andrew is scary territorial of him. He punched me the first time I said I’d like to get Kevin too wasted to be straight.” Nicky pointed at his face, presumably where Andrew had decked him. “So yeah, I’m going to crush on safer targets until Andrew gets bored of him. That means you, since Matt’s taken and I don’t hate myself enough to try Seth. Congrats.” “Can you take the creepy down a level?” Aaron asked. “What?” Nicky asked. “He said he doesn’t swing, so obviously he needs a push.” ... “Nicky’s scheming to rape Neil,” Aaron said. “There are a couple flaws in his plan he needs to work out first, but he’ll get there sooner or later.” “You’re such an asshole,” Nicky said as he started for the door. “Wow, Nicky,” Andrew said. “You start early.” “Can you really blame me?” ... Andrew caught Nicky’s jersey in one hand and threw him hard up against the wall... “Hey Nicky,” Andrew said in stage-whisper German. “Don’t touch him, you understand?”  “You know I’d never hurt him. If he says yes-”  “I said no.”  Jesus, you’re greedy,” Nicky said. “You already have Kevin, what does it-” He went silent, but it took Neil a moment to realize why. Andrew had a short knife pressed to Nicky’s jersey...Neil knew Andrew meant it. If Nicky so much as breathed wrong right now, Andrew would cut his lungs to ribbons, any and all consequences be damned. 

 So there’s a lot to unpack there. I loose Andrew at the point where he’s ready to murder, but though he’s extreme as fuck, it’s not like he’s unjustified. We learn later from his backstory why he’s so extreme in shutting down any behavior he sees predatory, and rightfully so. (Even though there’s still Eden’s Twilight soon after this... it’s Nora’s incompetent writing isn’t it.) Nicky is a creep. He’s an adult. He has a fiance. And he’s talking about how he’s going to coerce a teenager into having sex with him because he won’t tell him his sexuality. 

He says he wouldn’t do anything without consent, but we know that’s not true. He’s just saying what Andrew wants to hear. 

And as for Andrew, though his violence is excused by backstory and mental problems, it’s a big fucking deal. He nearly killed his cousin, who we know he feels at least some sort of fondness for, because it’s established at this point that the reason he’s so heavily medicated is for attacking men who threatened Nicky. Would he regret it later? It’s impossible to say. He killed Aaron’s mom and assumed Aaron would be grateful. He’s threatened or attacked pretty much every member of the Not Lacrosse team. And I honestly don’t know what Nora is trying to tell us about him. He gets tamer once he’s permanently off his medication, but he was violent before it. I suppose that’s because by then Neil has learned how to calm him down, but is that the message? Abuse a boy into hanging out with you and eventually he’ll be a boyfriend who knows how to deal with you? 

Nicky is a predator and Andrew is a violent abuser and neither of them are the good guys and that’s the only conclusion I can possibly draw from the way they’re written. 

Assorted noteworthy moments that didn’t fit into any larger part: 

the part in trk where Nicky’s parents are homophobic and he tells them he loves his fiance and this is the moment that’s supposed to make us sympathize with him? “The sexual predator has homophobic Christian parents feel sad for him” nice try Nora but he’s not getting shit in the way of sympathy from me, your straight is showing

the part in tfc when Seth says the f-slur is bad because uh. Nora that’s not your word to say

bonus Nicky is predatory bit: Nicky waggled a hand at Aaron. “Quick, have we said anything totally incriminating these past few months?” “Aside from your endless inappropriate comments about what you’d like to do to [Neil], I don’t think so.” (tfc pg 239) 

Kevin is also manipulative! I felt like covering it would be a bit of a rehash of Andrew and this was getting really long but he continually uses exy as leverage to get Neil to do things he feels will put him in danger the same way Andrew uses threats of sharing his secrets. 

bonus bonus Nicky is predatory bit (I’m discovering more and more as I go): Nicky’s stare was appreciative when Neil returned, but for once he kept his mouth shut. (tfc pg 243) Is this supposed to be character growth? Being predatory without explicitly saying anything is barely better Nora!! (Side note, in this same scene Nicky does make a comment about Neil jacking off in the bathroom stall which? Seems kinda bad considering everything else with him?)

I didn’t touch on it very much because no one cares about it and it’s way harder to convince people poor writing about drug abuse is bad than poor writing about sexual assault is bad (even though it shouldn’t be, and i could have tried both but again. long post) but Nora’s attitude to drugs and alcohol is bad. Every character and their mom is addicted to something, with Kevin and Andrew being the most obvious touched on (also Seth but I don’t think anyone cares about him), and Nora’s attitude towards writing it is quite frankly disgusting. She’s offensively misinformed and it pisses me off to no end. But that’s a rant for another day.

Every sex scene between Neil and Andrew is gross. (I think there’s two of them from what I remember? At least two, maybe more.) I googled plenty and I couldn’t find Nora’s age anywhere, but I know for a fact that she’s an adult, and I also know the series took her 13 years to write, so I’m fairly sure she’s at least in her 30s. 

I know I said I wasn’t gonna complain about bad writing but. It’s so bad y’all, and I honestly think it gets worse as the books go along. Every time Neil monologued it took a year off my life. 

So yeah. There’s a lot that’s fucked up about the foxhole court. And the worst part of it is that it never gets better. Andrew makes marginal improvement, but Nicky never does. Nora writes shock value scenes until the series end (I didn’t write about the scene in tkm where Neil gets tortured because it’s the same shock value effect of the thanksgiving chapter in a different sort of way but it’s also bad). I am of the honest belief that this book is far too fucked up to salvage. This is my official tfc bad masterpost, because every time I criticize it someone wants to know more. But I’m also putting it in the fandom tags because it annoys me to no end that y’all support these books, and I’m hoping I can at least change someone’s mind. 

[steps2expose-ke8145]

Chapter 1:  Confessing your desire to femininity

When do a man begin to be curious about femininity?

We even cannot tell how old they would be curious.  Maybe some begins when they are in their childhood. 

Actually, we are exploring and experiencing sexuality when we begin our juvenile years, like 10 or 11.

Boys will develop their masculinity first because they had to learn to be strong and protect others.   Usually boys would be taught they would not be too emotionally attached because that means ‘weak’.

However, if they could show off their emotions, they would feel relieved much more easier.

‘Emotions and tempers‘, of which we so called ‘feminine elements‘.  

When evaluating, we would discuss on a man’s achievement, and not ‘how they handle their emotions’,   The misunderstanding of ‘being strong enough’ makes boys live in lies for ages.

Boys can be curious about femininity because they helped them to improve the interpersonal skills.  

Every little things boys do with others, is much more important then what they would have achieved.   That’s what parents should tell them.

In discovering femininity, they could learn the strength and the weakness too.  That helps them to balance between masculinity and femininity.  That would probably make them feel much more complete.

(01)  ‘Wondering if there was femininity in them...’

It is ok when boys wondered how probably he could be feminine.  

Usually fathers would stop because it was some kind of weirdo when they found their sons asked freaky questions, like they were girls.   

In fact, that is a good time to discuss, especially when they begin exploring their sexual tendency in those years.   

There is nothing wrong, and you just have to teach them to the best of your knowledge.   Don’t play expert for it finally hurt. 

‘Curious about how I would look like if I was a girl’

Before becoming Coco, Thierry Huppert asked his sister Charlotte to spend hours to train him in her bedroom, over the use of corset to outline the best of his bodyline.  He was taught to love his body because he should learn to value himself by the perfect shape, especially he gradually noticed he got very beautiful curves.  That is the asset for him to seduce a man.

LIke Kristy said, “Men begins to value a woman, not for her talents, but the way her body showed in front of his eyes.  A proper corset training is a good start.  If Thierry got hotter and sexier curves, he would prove he was made from a lot of eroticas, he ever dreamt of.”

(02)  ‘Be courageous to experiment’

Parents should let them try, you know boys would like to find out the answers themselves.   It is not a shame if boys found out the outgrowing femininity on them.   

Maybe it would spend them a lot of time to learn skills but it would become their priceless experience and it was good for the rest of their life.

Experiences, it could be lots of things, sex is just one of them.   

The reach of femininity sometimes helps to understand a boy’s true self.  It provides mirroring of the second half that made him become a human.

When is the best time for a boy to confess his desire towards femininity?

Nobody could answer that because some boys could tell you as early as they were in their childhood.   

Don’t doubt that because what the hearts felt is often true.

Others would discover throughout trials and errors in relationships.  Maybe friendship or romance.   When it goes wrong, you know that was not the right choice.

A boy should confess when he have a clearer understandings of his true self, and not the face others would like him to show.

How should parents response to those confessions?

Don’t panic in the first place.   Don’t explain why they were wrong.  They may be still very anxious because that would be their final.  Just let them speak out.  If they keep it in heart, that would never be healthy.

Some parents would talk about this with other parents.  I think they would stop that.  Sometimes confession can be flashy.   They are not ready to face it.  If you make it talk of the town, it may inevitably hurt him.

My only words, ‘Respect and let it be a secret between you and him’.

(01)  ‘Parents should go with them whatever they would like to be...’

They are not a freaky freak or anything.  Parents just let it be thousands of experiments and they could give them advice.   

If it comes out what their boy could not accept, just go changing a little thing.  That makes he know what they were really made from.

He can change on the way of a better understanding of his real needs.  Keep respect them and not judging why he went for that.  It is so humiliated and disgrace.  Don’t do that.  

=============================================================

If they finally know the answer, they would tell you.   That is just the end of the first part.   There will be much challenging when they had to live it out.

Parents must calm down even though their boys would be bullied because of their wrong decisions.   It may be final but it begins a new journey after all.

(01) ‘Adjust & accept’

There is no final decision because we would change anytime when we got a better understanding of our true self,  with the balance between masculinity and femininity.

When confirming they discovered their outgrowing femininity, even parents have to accept them.  They also need to help their boys to overcome all those possible difficulties.

(01)  ‘Accepting your desire to be feminine‘

n your mind, from the start, totally feel like you had never been a man.  You were born yesterday in a feminine body, sexy and hot

(02) 'Desire as time goes by’

Paul Kevin Merrill kept saying ‘YES’ to learn everything feminine but that made him feel like torn stockings in the drawers, for he called himself a whore when he recalled all that he never met someone he really would become his very last.  So he decided to change.   After become Ruth, she finally met her perfect match, and happily ever after. 

(02)  ‘Getting Along with your feminine body’

(01)  The good shape of buttock

As you know, you would get well fucked by man.  That’s why your buttocks becomes an tangible asset.   You should therefore keep shaping to the perfect size.   A handful touch and greater excitement for penetration.  

(02)  ‘Long and beautiful legs’

The first thing you would consider is to put on high heels, to show the beauty of your sexy legs, a fatal seduction to all the men around you.

'Whatever you wore on your feet, you would become a beauty'

You can spend hours to look at you legs for you’re a beautiful woman.

(01)  ‘Total embarrassment at start on high heels’

Jimmy Alvin Burg had difficulties on choosing the right size at start.  He felt so humiliated when he began the conversation with those salesladies in his favorite shoe boutique in London.  He becomes much more confident and left there with bagful of goodies in hand.

Joe P. Lawrence finally put on those 4-inch high heels from Ronnie, for his 52th birthday six weeks ago, That is just one of the changes he had experienced.  Everyone in the office called him by Josephine.  That makes the happiest time in those 4 years he had been working with them.

(02)  'Running a private collection’

Olivier G. Renault has thrown away most of his dress shoes since two years ago, a tenor for ten years now, signing a contract with the opera house, as a soprano, for one of their 3-act melodrama.

He has already collected 6000 pairs of high heels from over the world.

(03)  ‘Curves’

Woody Edwin Johnson introduced himself as Cindy, seducing a man and made him say more YESES, That filled with much satisfaction and joy for she knew that her breasts were well pampered.  

(04)  ‘Lingerie’

That allows the wildest fantasies available.   You just try working out for them.

The way a man would fantasize, always go with your choice of lingerie.  I believe he would get much more involved if you wore something that could outline the best of your body.

(01)  ‘Showing him you’re a total plaything’

You needed not begin with anything because he already made himself look like someone coming here to toying.   He would not resist and you just simply let him put on those lovely lingerie and start what you had planned for the night. 

(03) ‘In search of machosissy’  

Alpha male found it interesting to dress up like a woman but they would rather choose keep it a secret for that they were afraid of being misunderstood.

Paul Collier loved to suit himself up for a bareback.   Thomas Locke already knew he had to kinda MILF, promising he would bring Paul a set of lace lingerie and spend a hot night with him.  And then tonight he would make Paul feel so satisfied with his final masculine desires. 

Gerald Sam Andrews,  the first lead from TV series QUEEN OF MANHATTAN already noticed he could never be a man again, when he told his master he was a masculine woman, over his high heels.

(04)  ’Understanding Women’

Like Alex Ruth Garland, a bestselling author of the decade, love profiling any women in his novel, by living it in real life.  He would doubtlessly dress up as the character, feeling what she would desire and fear.  Through the experiences, he would write a better story.  He even felt himself a complete person, but not just some broken parts found after a homicide. 

(01)  ‘Looking for a father figure’

Like Quentin Conrad Black, a sissy man, looking so effeminate, for he keep looking for his father figure.  He would rather please him.  That gives him pleasure and a few hours to fulfilled his desires.

(05)  ‘Do what a woman liked to do’

(01)  Gossiping

Danielle Gwen Hewitt avoids being too bitchy at first, as she still felt like Nathan, now he loved to become talk of the town, be scandalous, use rumor to enrich her life.

(02)  ‘Big & Warm hugs’

A hug could work almost anything and a woman usually give a hug from behind, like Alexa Solis, she stood at the back of Joe Rollins, her husband, to let him feel more relaxed during the cheers in their banquet.

(03)  ‘Falling in love with a feminine man’

It happened to Paul Merrill two years ago when he was working with young and pretty Joseph K. Pullman.  For the magic he showed the beauty of his lips, he soon fall into Joe, a typical lipstick collector, and sometimes eyeliners.

Paul  soon told the world he was in the decent relationship with Joe, soon found out it was from ‘straight’ to ‘lesbian’.

Joe announced he was a feminine tomboy at a dinner, with Paul alone.

(05)  ‘Someday between woman and woman’

(01)  Lisbeth Keys & Tina G. Doyle, formerly as Kyle Dillon & Jake Jones

Lisbeth and her girlfriend let the relationship onto the surface because most of those people around them only know they were Kyle and Jake, a good gay couple in their neighborhood.    

(05)  ‘Involved in presenting femininity’

(01) Elena Michela Costello, formerly as Alfonso Miguel Castillo

He was the first Mexican actor, through Twitter, transmitting his first photograph as Elena, confirming he was signing up for spokesmanship for a well-acclaimed shoemaker Martinez & Co., for 4 commercials on their line 'Black Elegance', the first ladies footwear collection for feminine men.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Thoughts on News About AL and LC - What it means for TD

Okay, I know it's been a few weeks since I've written anything new. Until a few days ago, there really wasn't much for me to write about. People want my thoughts on the news that Andrew Lincoln may be leaving TWD. I'm going to talk about a lot of different subjects and possibilities here, so bear with me.

First let me say that I originally wrote this two days ago, but have re-written it several times. A lot has happened and my perspective keeps changing.

Originally I was going to give arguments both for and against it being true. When news of Andrew leaving first broke, a lot of people thought it was a publicity stunt. There are still reasons it might be, but in the past few days, we’ve gotten a lot more confirmations, and it’s looking more and more like it’s probably true. A small part of me will hold out hope that it’s not real up until we actually see S9 play out, but overall, I’m preparing myself to lose Rick as a character, because we probably will.

Ditto with Lauren Cohan leaving. I’ve been pretty unconvinced of her departure up until, well, like yesterday. I feel like people are really jumping to conclusions because of her contract dispute, but I’ve never seen that as good enough evidence that she’s actually leaving. Again, she still may not be. Lauren said this right after they finally worked out her contract: 

“I’m going back. There’s a lot more Maggie story to tell. You know we’re not allowed to tell you anything, but it’s good.” (Source)

 That just doesn't sound like she's leaving after six episodes to me.

However, some of my FB peeps brought up some good points the other day (I’ll get into them below) that are making me think Lauren leaving may be a real thing as well. I’ll get into that in a minute.

Okay so let's assume for a minute that Andrew Lincoln is definitely leaving. How will this go down?

I hope that if he does leave, they won’t actually kill him off. I'm hoping they’ll do more of a Morgan-esque thing where he has to head off on his own for a while, leaving Daryl in charge. Unlike Lennie James, AL will be working on his own projects rather than other TWD spinoffs, but that would allow them to bring him back after a few seasons if they so choose. I just feel like Rick should be in the final season or final episode of the series, whenever that may be.

Yes, I know this is probably wishful thinking. This is TWD, after all, and character arcs never truly closed until they die. You could argue that Rick is kind of an exception, though. He is the main character and always has been, not a side character who only came on for a few seasons. So, while it might not be entirely realistic. I'm still hoping they give him the option to return at some point.

What will it mean for TD?

Honestly, even I really don't want AL to leave the series, this actually bodes very well for TD.

Let’s review what happened during S8. No one on TD really predicted Carl's death, but once it hit the airwaves, I knew right away that it was correct. When the spoiler site reported it 2 weeks into S8, they didn’t confirm it, saying to take it with a grain of salt. At the time, I wrote THIS POST and knew the spoiler about Carl would turn out to be correct. Why? Because of the symbolism in S4.

The biggest clue was the sheriff’s hat falling off Carl's head. We saw the same thing twice in S7 and then again right before his walker bite was revealed. You’ve got to understand that TWD finds creative ways to foreshadow things. Most of us wouldn’t consider a hat falling off someone's head to be death omen, but in this case, it was. If they’d put a skull and cross bones in the background behind Chandler, that would have been way too obvious. Gimple is smarter than that. He finds more creative ways to foreshadow things.

So while we totally didn't pick up on the foreshadow, because the hat falls off Carl's head before Rick picks it up and puts it on Beth, I immediately realized it was always a foreshadow that Carl would die before Beth came back.

So now let’s take that damn flashback in 4x16 bit farther. After putting the hat on Beth, what does Rick say? The famous line we’ve all pointed to for years now: "There's a new sheriff in town."

I never thought that this meant Rick would die. As I said in THIS POST, I thought it meant that he would step down from leadership, just as he did in 4a. I just thought it meant Beth would be in charge rather than Rick, but that Rick would still be around.

But now we get this news that AL might be leaving. Rick leaving reinforces that they're going to need a new leader. And while they are reporting that Daryl will step into Rick shoes, and I'm sure he will be the main character, it just paves the way even more for Beth to return as the new sheriff in town.

It also seems to me that without Rick and the partnership/bromance between Rick and Daryl, Daryl is going to need a partner to balance him out. It doesn't necessarily have to be a romantic partner (Jesus balances Maggie) but we also had Norman teasing that Daryl might finally get a romance after AOW. Again, that doesn't necessarily mean it will be Beth, but it will be someone. And you all know who I think it will be.

So, Andrew leaving the show is actually better for TD than if he didn't. Again, I really don't want him to leave and I hope he doesn't, but just as with the symbolism around Carl's death, it makes a certain kind of sense that perhaps the new sheriff in town won't show up until the current sheriff disappears in some way. (The transition could also happen concurrently, though.)

So now we get to the real crux of what I wanted to say today. I've been thinking last few days about this news all its implications. I've been running over all the dialogue and symbolic evidence we’ve looked at for years now. Here’s the conclusion I've come to:

If it turns out to be true, and both AL and LC are truly leaving the show, I don't believe for one minute that it's a decision they suddenly came to somewhere between S8 and S9. I think it's been planned that way for a very, very long time. Same as with Carl's death. We have evidence (because of the hat) that when Gimple took over as showrunner in S4, he already had Carl's death planned. I simply don't believe that he would have that much planned out (and Beth's arc/eventual return planned out) but then Andrew Lincoln leaving would come out of left field. No freaking way.

I'm not saying they always knew exactly what episode they’d leave in or even that the writers decided to write them out of the show. I just think everybody planned this in advance and has known about it for a while.

Let me explain:

Let’s return to S3. At the end of the season, showrunner Frank Mazzuri was fired for killing characters off without direction. Basically, it came down to a lack of planning, which was pissing everyone off. Especially AMC. So, he was fired and Gimple was promoted to showrunner.

I always refer back to the trailer from S4, which talks about “a whole new chapter” being in place. That was the start of Gimple's reign. (Full Trailer HERE.)

We’ve also seen a lot of things pointing to S4-S8. TD has always thought it meant Beth will show up in S8. That wasn't the case, but we still think she’ll show up after S8. Like S4-S8 was when ginormous arc, and only after that will the new sheriff return. The post I wrote HERE about the structure of Them foreshadowing this has all the details.

So, I’m envisioning a scenario where, when Gimple took over prior to S4, he already had many years of the show planned out. (He’s told us before that he has through season 15 planned out.) Logistically, he would've needed to check with Andrew Lincoln to make sure that was okay.

The show was finishing up his 3rd season going into the 4th. There are plenty of shows that only go 3 to 4 seasons before being canceled. A lot of actors might not have wanted to participate in the show much longer. Most actors want to do multiple projects, rather than be tied to one. (Norman is the obvious exception to this.) Another good example of this is just recently when Frank Dillane left FTWD. He said he’d played the character for 3 seasons and wanted to move on to other things.

So, with Rick being the main character in TWD, the writers had to have known that maybe he wouldn't want to stick around that long. So I’m wondering if Gimple sat down with Andrew after S3 and explained that he very well could do another 12+ seasons of TWD and asking Andrew what he thought. I'm thinking Andrew said he wasn't ready to leave the show yet (because he didn’t) but he probably wasn't going want to hang around for 12 more seasons. So, he told Gimple to keep him on for another 5-6 years and then write him out. Based on that, Gimple created his story, always planning to write Rick out after AOW.

S4-S8, as we’ve all said many times, was all about Rick. @thegloriouscollectorlady even pointed out that even Coda was really all about Rick. The ending was from his point of view. It was about how he handled the situation badly and that led to Beth being shot. But this huge, 4-season arc was all based around Rick.

Meanwhile, as I explained HERE, Gimple set Beth up as a strange, minor arc so he could always bring her back once Andrew left the show. Even though we didn't know that, and have been predicting every season that she’ll return, and certainly never predicted Andrew Lincoln leaving anymore than we predicted Carl's death, I do think that it was probably always planned this way.

Many lines of dialogue and such can be seen in a different light, given the information that Andrew is leaving.

Of course there’s all the obvious stuff about Beth being new sheriff in town and Bethyl being a thing. The needed to play out this other arc, needed to see Daryl suffer and learn and grow before he could sustain that relationship. No doubt Beth will have learned and grown a lot too, and she will come back not only as a leader and a badass, but as someone who's even more suited to Daryl that she was in S4 and S5.

I’m even thinking about the interview Andrew gave after Coda. I talked about it in detail HERE. He said he thought Emily “deserved this death” because she was so kind and sweet and such a great actor, etc. That never made any sense because why would anyone deserve a senseless death? But he sounded like he was being kind when he said it, not cruel.

So it's always been TD's theory that he knew Beth will return, and while he couldn't actually say it in the interview because it would've been a spoiler, he was really referring to an arc where she goes away for a time, but then returns.

It’ll be the biggest plot twist ever, and quite frankly it might be the only thing that can save the show's ratings. As long as Daryl’s around, I think a good many people will continue to tune into the show. And as with Carl's death, there are plenty of people saying that they won’t watch the show anymore. I'm sure that's true of some of them, but most will at least return to see how Rick goes out and to see how the show fares without him. If they suddenly plunked Beth's return down into the middle of all that, that's going keep a lot of viewers and maybe even bring some back to see how Beth and Daryl's arc continues.

As to my earlier discussion about whether they'll kill Rick off or not, there is one line that makes me think that they will. Beth’s line to Daryl in Still: "You're gonna be the last man standing." 

We've attributed that to many things, including the fact that Daryl wouldn't kneel to Negan, but it definitely does sound like he might outlive Rick. 😥

I’m also thinking about a lot of the things that Norman has said over the past few seasons. He’s talked many times about how Daryl hasn't had much to say. He’s gotten a few cool arcs, blowing shit up and such, but he hasn't had a whole lot of character development since Beth's death. (Even non-TDers recognize this.) You’d think Norman would have more of a problem with that, but he always says that he trusts the show's writers, and that he will play Daryl until he's 80, if they let him. It’s always endearing that he has that kind of loyalty to the show, but now I'm wondering if there’s more to it than that. Maybe one reason he’s said things like that is to hint that at some point, Daryl is going to come front and center and be a leader, just as he was in 4a. Him leading at the prison probably foreshadowed his leadership once Rick, the current sheriff, wasn't there anymore.

Finally, let’s turn to the crux of my debate over whether is Lauren is leaving. The first line that comes to mind and suggests she might be leaving/dying is when Daryl said to Beth in Still, “You ain’t never gonna see Maggie again.” I actually worried that Maggie might get the bat in 6x16 because of that line, but there were plenty of reasons to think she wouldn’t as well.

Now, if she’s really leaving the show, and so is the current sheriff (Rick), and it’s looking more and more like Beth will show up in S9, Beth really may never see Maggie again. (Which totally sucks! 😥 )

But another line from Still sort of clashes with this. A line I’m constantly going back to: “I’m not Michonne, I’m not Carol, I’m not Maggie, but I made it!” We keep saying that at some point Michonne will have to lead instead of Rick. I’ve just always thought that he would step down, as I’ve said above. But once again, AL leaving the show just paves the way for Beth’s line to be fulfilled, as it would leave Michonne leading Alexandria. Something we’ve been waiting for, for a long time. But I also feel like this suggests Maggie needs to be alive and leading. So I’m not sure which way it will go.

Then my FB peeps, including M-Nonny and @frangipanilove came up with even more examples I hadn’t considered. 

In 8x01, Maggie says to Rick, “One more battle. And I’m gonna be there, at least for the first part.” Then Rick says to Maggie, “After this, I’m following you.” So the theory is that “this” was All Out War, and if Maggie leaves or dies, Rick will follow her. It may have been a very blatant foreshadowing of that.

And back to Daryl’s line about not seeing Maggie again? Right before he says that, he mentions Rick. “You ain’t never gonna see them again. Rick…You ain’t never gonna see Maggie again.” Mentioning Rick always made sense in context for the most part, because Rick and Daryl were close and of all the people at the prison, Daryl was feeling the loss of his brother. But think about that. He specifically mentions Rick and Maggie that Beth will never see again. Not Carol or Michonne or Judith. Now AL and LC may be leaving the show at the same time. Can that possibly be a coincidence?

It’s this symbolism and dialogue foreshadowing that are convincing me, much more than anything outside the world of the show, that AL and LC really may be leaving. Like I said, as much as it sucks and I don’t want them to leave, it’s actually a good thing for TD.

Does it mean they’ll both die? Not necessarily. Rick could “follow” Maggie in some other way that doesn’t mean death, but I wouldn’t necessarily get my hopes up about that either. I’ve thought more than once that, although I hope Rick doesn’t die and he just leaves the group for a while like Morgan has, it would also be a bit of a disservice to his character. Because Rick would really never leave Judith and Michonne. But it’s something maybe we could accept as a trade-off for not killing his character since the actor wants to leave for a time, even if it’s unrealistic.

But…Rick AND Maggie leaving their children. Just cuz? Yeah, that’s really pushing the limits of reality and I doubt the writers would even attempt something that absurd. And then there’s Daryl’s line about Beth never seeing them again.

If I'm right, and all this was planned when Gimple first took the helm, then chances are most of the main characters have known about it since then. Maybe not exact details or when it would play out specifically, but I believe that most of the main ones have known about Beth’s eventual return since S5 or earlier. If they knew that, then they also probably knew Andrew would be leaving at some point.

Just one more thing I want to throw out there that I thought of this morning. Well, two things, but they go hand in hand. Everyone is saying AL and LC will only be in 6 episodes this season, right? Well, chances are episode 6 will air either at the very end of November or the beginning of December, depending on when the premiere is. Remember this walker:

There’s a November calendar behind her, which is what has made us hope to see Beth in November each season since she disappeared. There’s also all the Christmas/Santa Clause symbolism that could suggest December. Now, we could hope for that this season, and it will be no different than when we hoped for it in previous seasons. I’m just saying that AL and LC leaving the show right around that same time may not be a coincidence. We certainly didn’t have that happening in previous seasons.

Finally, assuming Beth shows up in S9, we certainly don’t know when it will be. As we’ve said before, she could show up for the audience in episode 1, as Morgan did in S5, but not actually arrive at wherever TF is until much later in the season. You would hope that she would show up concurrently with AL and LC leaving, just so it’s less sad (trading some hope for some tragedy) but with Daryl’s line about her not seeing them again, chances are she won’t show up until after they’re gone.

So I was just thinking about how we’ve always said that Daryl will have to be in a very dark, hopeless place before Beth returns. We’ve thought he’d reached that place several times throughout the seasons: after Beth, in Them, after Denise, when he was Negan’s prisoner in The Cell. But if he loses both Rick and Maggie, chances are that will be worse than anything we’ve seen thus far.

Oh, and one more thing. (Sorry.) Remember all the child and baby symbolism around Beth? (Details HERE.) If we do lose both Maggie and Rick, there will be two small children (Judith and Baby Hershel), both with very strong ties to Beth and Daryl, who will need parenting. Just saying.  

So these have been my swirling thoughts over the past few days since this news broke. No matter what happens, I for one am still very interested to see what direction the show takes. I’ll be sticking around to find out.

Sorry this to so long. If you're still reading, many thanks and go you!

[farsight-the-char]

Top 5 non Marvel/DC comic series because why not

1. Walter Simonsons’s Ragnarok (IDW): Simonson is probably my favorite comic creator and this series demonstrates why. Brilliant art, writing that is both fun and gives emotional depth, pacing that actually makes single chapters feel longer then the more decompressed nature of other comics, amazing art and a general sense of genuine EPIC. Plus it is about an undead Thor wandering a post-Ragnarok landscape, which would on it’s own be an entertaining premise but Simonson just makes it fucking brilliant. Highly recommended, I also recomend Simonson’s The Mighty Thor and Orion runs because they are also my favorites.

2. Jeff Lemire’s Black Hammer (Dark Horse): Lemire’s runs showed up in my honorable mentions in my other top 5s but I feel this is his best work, or least out of the stuff I have read. It’s about of team of super heroes who get stuck in a pocket dimension that resembles a small town in 1950s USA, and when we start the series they have been stuck there for 10 years. It explores the mystery of how they got trapped as well as how they react to the isolation. The art is good but the character writing is where the series really works. Lemire manages to give everyone such psychological and emotional depth and make the world engaging. Highly recommended as well as the spin offs “Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil” and “Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows” as well as the upcoming sequal series “Black Hammer: Age of Doom”. Lemire’s Moon Knight, Old Man Logan and Animal Man runs are also good.

3. Marjorie Liu’s Monstress (Image): This is a series I am recommending mainly for the art. Not to say Liu’s writing is bad, in fact her writing is brilliant, and the ideas she brings to the table are fantastic. It is because Sana Takeda’s art so fucking good. Takeda might have the prettiest art out of any ongoing artist available and the way she and Liu apply their talent make it one of the best books currently ongoing. For premise it’s about a teenage girl trying to solve the mystery/avenge her mother while also trying to manage the demon that is possessing her. Highly recommended, plus if you like it I would also check out the duo’s work on X-23, which is also one of my favorites.

4. The Luther Strode Saga (Image): This is a series I am recommending purely for the art. Not that Justin Jordan’s writing is bad, but Tradd Moore’s art is so fucking good. Moore might be the best action artist I have seen in a western creator, and he is basically why the series works as well as it does. It’s about a kid who in order to protect his mother from his abusive father, learns martial art and body fitness from an program he learned about in an old comic book add, develops super fighting abilities and gets dragged into a murder cult conspiracy. The series is a bloody one, not for those who can’t handle gore but for those who can check it because you could use it to teach how to draw brilliant action. Also contains one of my favorite single issues, said issue basically defines the term “cool” for me. Recommended with caution for gore.

5. Andrew Hussie’s Homestuck (webcomic): Putting this here because I don’t read enough webcomcis to make a list for them. Honestly though I think Homestuck is something that should be experienced if one can. It’s hard for me to describe in terms of premise without spoiling it. My recommendation for experiencing it though is this: start from the beginning and do not skip anything, especially the intermission (second best part of the series), but once you get past Cascade and to act 6, if you stop enjoying it stop and make up your own ending. Also despite how important it is in terms of how the series developed, avoid the fandom for the most part. Also check out Problem Sleuth, which in many ways is better the HS but that is a debate for another day.

Honorable Mentions go to IDW’s ROM series, Asterix and Obelix, The Adventures of TinTin, Steve Orlando’s Virigil, Hellboy (need to read more Hellboy)  and Vertigo’s The Sheriff of Babylon.

[un-ness-essary]

Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction (2nd Edition) - eBook

Check out https://duranbooks.net/shop/reinforcement-learning-an-introduction-2nd-edition-ebook/

Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction (2nd Edition) - eBook

The significantly expanded and updated new 2nd edition of a widely used textbook on reinforcement learning, one of the most active research areas in artificial intelligence. Reinforcement learning, one of the most active research areas in artificial intelligence, is a computational approach to learning whereby an agent tries to maximize the total amount of reward it receives while interacting with a complex, uncertain environment. In Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction 2nd edition PDF, Richard Sutton and Andrew Barto provide a simple and clear simple account of the field’s key ideas and algorithms. This 2nd edition has been significantly updated and expanded, presenting new topics and updating coverage of other topics.

– Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction (2nd Edition) PDF – Adaptive Computation and Machine Learning series

Like the 1st edition, this 2nd edition focuses on core online learning algorithms, with the more math material set off in shaded boxes.

Part 1 covers as much of reinforcement learning as possible without going beyond the tabular case for which exact solutions can be found. Many algorithms presented in this part are new to the 2nd edition, including Expected Sarsa, UCB, and Double Learning.

Part 2 extends these ideas to function approximation, with new sections on such topics as artificial neural networks and the Fourier basis, and offers expanded treatment of off-policy learning and policy-gradient methods.

Part 3 has new chapters on reinforcement learning’s relationships to neuroscience and psychology, as well as an updated case-studies chapter including AlphaGo and AlphaGo Zero, Atari game playing, and IBM Watson’s wagering strategy. The final chapter discusses the future societal impacts of reinforcement learning.

Reviews

“Still the seminal textbook on reinforcement learning – the increasingly important technique that underlies many of the most advanced AI systems today. Required reading for anyone seriously interested in the science of AI!” ― Demis Hassabis, Cofounder and CEO, DeepMind

“This is a groundbreaking work, dealing with a subject that you would have expected to have been sorted out right at the start of AI… This isn’t a simple theory but many of the ideas and methods are practically useful and if you have an interest in neural networks or learning systems then you need to study this ebook for the 6 months it deserves!” ― Mike James, Computer Shopper, November 1998

“This ebook is the bible of reinforcement learning, and the new 2nd edition is particularly timely given the burgeoning activity in the field. No one with an interest in the problem of learning to act – researcher, practitioner, student, or curious nonspecialist – should be without it.” ― Professor of Computer Science, University of Washington, and author of The Master Algorithm

“I recommend Sutton and Barto’s new edition of Reinforcement Learning to anybody who wants to learn about this increasingly important family of machine learning methods. This second edition expands on the popular first edition, covering today’s key algorithms and theory, illustrating these concepts using real-world applications that range from learning to control robots, to learning to defeat the human world-champion Go player, and discussing fundamental connections between these computer algorithms and research on human learning from psychology and neuroscience.” ― Tom Mitchell, Professor of Computer Science, Carnegie-Mellon University

“The Reinforcement Learning 2nd edition (PDF) by Sutton and Barto comes at just the right time. The appetite for reinforcement learning among machine learning researchers has never been stronger, as the field has been moving tremendously in the last 20 years. If you want to fully understand the fundamentals of learning agents, this is the textbook to go to and get started with. It has been extended with modern developments in deep reinforcement learning while extending the scholarly history of the field to modern days. I will certainly recommend it to all my college students and the many other graduate students and researchers who want to get the appropriate context behind the current excitement for RL.” ― Yoshua Bengio, Professor of Computer Science and Operations Research, University of Montreal

“Generations of reinforcement learning researchers grew up and were inspired by the 1st edition of Sutton and Barto’s ebook. The 2nd edition is guaranteed to please previous and new readers: while the new edition significantly expands the range of topics covered (new topics covered include artificial neural networks, Monte-Carlo tree search, average reward maximization, and a chapter on classic and new applications), thus increasing breadth, the authors also managed to increase the depth of the presentation by using cleaner notation and disentangling various aspects of this immense topic. At the same time, the new edition retains the simplicity and directness of explanations, thus retaining the great accessibility of the book to readers of all kinds of backgrounds. A fantastic ebook that I wholeheartedly recommend those interested in using, developing, or understanding reinforcement learning.” ― Csaba Szepesvari, Research Scientist at DeepMind and Professor of Computer Science, University of Alberta

NOTE: THIS PRODUCT ONLY INCLUDES THE REINFORCEMENT LEARNING: AN INTRODUCTION 2ND EDITION PDF. NO ONLINE ACCESS OR CODES ARE INCLUDED IN THIS.

[hornsbeforehalos]

Anytime, Sweetheart: Part 14

Pairing: JDM x OFC, 

Features: Ackles & Padalecki Families, R2, Misha Collins & Vicky Vantoch, Norman Reedus, Andrew Lincoln, Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Ruth Connell, Corey Taylor and other cast members & OFCs* *THIS IS AN RPF FIC**

Series Masterlist Summary: (I’m horrible at summaries, but let me try): Kylin Ackles runs to her brother’s house after leaving her abusive boyfriend of 3 years, where she meets Jeffrey. Events unfold that bring them together, as well as push them apart.  Warnings: Emotional abuse, Physical Violence, mentions of rape, cursing, drinking, recreational drug use (weed), Strip Club, RPF, NSFW**, GIFs, implied smut, Age Difference, Slow burn, Emotional rollercoaster, poorly written smutt, etc… 18+ please

(A/N: This is strictly a work of fiction that I came up with off the top of my head. For fictional purposes his S/O & Son are not mentioned. I love him and his little family, though, so no hate intended. This is the first time posting anything on Tumblr, but I couldn’t get it out of my head since my ao3 fic is currently on hiatus because writers block. Feedback is appreciated. unbetaed, all mistakes are mine.)**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DESCRIPTION OF SUICIDE. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE EASILY TRIGGERED***

TAGS: @jml509 @jesbakescookies @daddy-kink-confirmed @wayward-mirage @aquivercactus @xagateophobiax @sorenmarie87 @missghoul18 @jdmfanfiction @jeffreydeanneganstrash @mkate-writes-things @srj1990

   The next morning when I woke up I was greeted with warm hands and a strong chest pressed against me. Smiling, I rolled over and opened my eyes, expecting to see Robbie.

   It was not Robbie. My mouth dropped open but he put his fingertips to my lips to silence me before I could speak.

   "I'm not going to say I told you so. I'm just going to say I love you and I'm here if you need anything."

   Tears welled up immediately as the numbness I had been feeling slipped. He held the back of my head and dipped my face into his cotton covered chest and I melted into him, feeling safe in my best friend's arms.

   Rob appeared in the door way with a cup of coffee and a smile a moment later. He sat the mug down on his nightstand and crawled into bed beside me as I rolled over and Misha placed his head on my chest. Rob did the same on the other side.

   "Ya'll are so fucking gay." I chuckled, looking down at the men wrapped around me.

   "Only for you." Misha grinned, eyes twinkling up at me before looking to Rob and wagging his eyebrows.

   Rob blushed and nuzzled his face into my shirt as he tightened his grip around my waist, "You two are ridiculous."

   "So I was thinking, Kylin...since you're back and all..." Misha started, eyes trailing down my stomach and legs before floating out the window innocently.

"Spit it out, Mishka." I hissed.

"Gishwhes?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Of course. "You have to apologize first."

   He opened his mouth to begin to protest but Robbie smacked him on the arm in warning.

   "Okay, okay! I was a little bit of a douche bag. I'm sorry." He admitted, nuzzling back into my hair on his side and pressing closer against me. Both of the men clinging to me were in sweat pants, and not a whole lot was left to the imagination as they rutted against my bare thighs. Ignoring the involuntary heat between my legs with a sigh, I made a move to sit up.

   "You two are the ridiculous ones." I squirmed away from them to the edge of the bed and got up to search for pants, undies on full display.

   "Are you okay?" Misha's tone shifted to seriousness as he adjusted himself to sit upright on the bed beside Rob. Rob looked down at his hands before back up to me.

   "You did this, Benedict?" I inquired, waving a pair of shorts in Misha's direction, eyes squinting.

   "Yes." He peeped, guilt spreading quickly across his face. I rolled my eyes and groaned.

   "Look, I don't want any one to fucking pity me, okay. I put myself in that fucked up position, both of them. I didn't fucking expect either one of them. It was no one's fault but my own that I didn't listen to you. He fucking had me fooled, dude." I leaned back against the dresser, hands on the edges still holding onto the shorts that I was trying to put on, "Hell, I'm lucky Jeffrey even showed up when he did. I don't know what would have..." I trailed off, eyes wandering as I fought against my tear ducts.

   "Babe, I should have told you straight up what I found out. I talked to Jeffrey about it, and he said he was handling it, but something didn't sit right. I didn't know for sure so I didn't want to say anything before I could confirm." Misha sighed, forearm resting on his raised knee as he moved his eyes out of the window.

   I sighed, and moved to put on my shorts, once they were pulled up and fastened, I apologized, "I'm sorry I called you spoiled."

   This made both men laugh and shake their heads as they moved out of the bed on opposite sides. They moved around and engulfed me in a tangle of arms. Misha leaned down and nuzzled against my ear, "It's you that's spoiled, Missy."

   "Always have been, always will be." I quipped in a squeak as Rob's arms squeezed a little too tight around my bruised ribs.

   I moved away from them when the sound of a knock could be heard screaming through the halls, followed by the echo of the doorbell. Rob moved to answer it as I pulled my hair into a ratted bun and rubbed my eyes.

   "Kylin?!" I could hear Jared's voice boom through the house followed by his stomping footsteps.

   "Jesus Christ" I mumbled with rolled eyes, reaching for the forgotten coffee Rob had brought me.

  "Holy fuck, Kay, are you okay?" he instantly jerked me up by the biceps in a crushing hug before pushing me away to search me for damage.

   "Dude, did Supernatural shut the fuck down or something? God damn go to fucking work!" I pushed away completely from Jared in a huff and moved past Rob in the doorway. I made quick work of the steps and found my purse before pushing open the back door and throwing myself on the patio lounge chair and lighting a cigarette.

   By the time I got the first drag out the door threw itself open and out stormed the three men insistent on taking care of me.

"Fucking hell, men! Leave me be! I'm fine."

   "Kylin, we both know that's not true." Jared prodded, crossing his arms and looking down at me.

   Rob joined me on chair and wrapped a shoulder around me as I inhaled the nicotine again, worrying the ashes to the concrete, "You're not reacting the typical way you do, hon. We're kinda worried about you."

   "And you three are the poster boys for mental fucking health? Christ, Rob, you pop so many fucking Xanax I'm surprised you can fucking see straight. Misha is the biggest fucking narcissistic ass hole I've ever met in my life. And don't even get me started on you, Jared Tristan Padalecki, you overgrown nutcase!" I heaved myself out of Rob's arms and tossed the cigarette away from me before huffing into the house and to the bathroom and slamming the door.

   "Look, guys, I'm fine, really. For now anyway. I get it, I'm acting weird or whatever. Maybe I'm desensitizing myself, who knows. Just let me deal with this myself, please?" I pleaded as I flipped the pancakes in Rob's kitchen, looking over to the bar where the three men sat with their coffee and teas.

   "Come to Vancouver with us." Jared insisted, reaching for the plate I handed him.

   I sighed while placing one hand on my hip and the other rubbing my forehead, "I don't know, Jare, You know I hate that place."

   "Come onnnn, pleaseeeeee." Misha whined, swinging his shoulders for good measure, earning him an eye roll from me and Rob.

   "You could stay here with me?" Rob piped in quietly, sweet and hopeful expression on his face.

   I smiled back, but gave him a knowing look. He chuckled and looked down at his mug, "Can't blame a man for trying."

   "I wish I could go back to my fucking house." I confessed, taking a sip out of my cup of hazelnut goodness.

   "Just come back with us, Kay. Please. Jensen's worried fucking sick, Douche bag knows where you live, knows you're in the city. It's the safest. We have to keep you safe until we figure out how to handle this creep." Jared begged, hands in the praying formation.

 I cringed, knowing he was being logical. I didn't feel like being logical though.

"I could go back to Dallas..."

   I was met with three sets of disapproving eyes and groans. I surrendered, not having the emotional capability to continue my argument, "Fine, but Jared's paying for my plane ticket."

   The disappointment on Rob's face was evident, but I knew he understood. Him and Mollie would be back together in no time per usual anyway. I just hoped she wouldn't be too pissed about me borrowing her husband for my comfort like she had in the past given the circumstances.

   It had been 3 weeks with me back shlepping cups of tea and following Misha around like a chicken with my head cut on the set of Supernatural when Jensen told me they were bringing John Winchester back to the show for a one-episode guest appearance.

"I'm going home." I stated simply.

"And where the fuck is that?" Jensen quizzed, annoyed look on his face.

"I don't know, Jense. I can't be here. I can't fucking see-"

   "Me?" the deep drawl sank it's way into my soul before I even had the chance to anticipate it.

'Of fucking course they would do this shit to me.'

   "Yes, you. " I hissed, spinning around to face the voice. My throat caught my breath as he looked at me from his place at the door way of Jensen's trailer. I lied, "I fucking hate you."

   "Not my favorite person in the world either, sweet pea. But here I am." he spread his arms wide in gesture, selfish smirk playing on his lips.

   "How the fuck are you supposed to play John again anyway? You're not even fat anymore." What meant to sound like an insult actually came out more of a compliment, earning me a chuckle from the man who moved further into the area.

   "One, I was never fat to begin with. And two, with class, sweetheart, with class. Something you should learn about." He snickered as his eyes trailed over the love bruises and bite marks adorning my neck. Rob was in town working as well with Chuck being in the episode, and we had spent the weekend held up in my tiny apartment 'passing time.'

   "Because you don't need a lesson yourself. How's Tanya?" I jabbed, stepping closer to him. Jensen sighed from the couch and reached for my hand, attempting to pull me back.

"Kylin," Jensen warned.

   The expression on Jeffrey's face shifted before his eyes flicked down to Jensen where he sat on the couch and then back to me, "You didn't tell her, Jay?"

Another sigh from my brother, "Figured that's something you should do."

   I ripped my hand away from Jensen and turned to look between the two men, then to Misha at his place beside Jensen as I crossed my arms and furrowed my brow, "What the fuck are ya'll talking about?"

   "She killed herself, Kylin." Jeffrey said lowly, voice laced with embarrassment and shame, "The night I saved you."

   The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I inhaled deeply as my brain registered his words. I exhaled loudly before speaking again. The guilt tried to creep its way in, but I wouldn't allow it. Instead, something else snapped and a grin appeared on my face as my eyes twinkled, "Good fucking riddance."

   It was like a blow to the whole room. Jensen instantly stood from his spot and grabbed my arm to turn me towards him, "You don't mean that, sis. You know you don't."

   His eyes searched mine for a second and my grin got bigger, warping into a full fledged beaming smile as I turned to face Jeffrey again, "Of course I do. Fucking whore had it coming. Tell me, Mr. J, did you go to her funeral? Did you weep?" A psychotic chuckle fluttered out of my mouth before I could stop it, "Do you miss your mistress?"

   "Alright, that's enough." Misha hissed, standing up and moving between Jeffrey and I. He looked down at me with dominating eyes, one eye brow raised suggestively, "The fuck are you doing, Ky?"

   "What am I doing? What am I doing?" I scoffed, tilting my head with a jerk as I peered up at him, "The fuck are you doing, Dmitri?"

   I didn't give them the time to answer before storming out, pushing my shoulder against Jeffrey's arm to move him out of my way upon exit. He followed me, naturally, and reached for my hand to slow me down. I twisted out of his grasp and slapped him across the face with my other hand before he grabbed me by both of my wrists and jerked me to him.

   "You have hit me more times than I should have allowed, little girl. That will be the last fucking time, do you understand me?" He growled through gritted teeth, staring down at me with pure anger flitting through his already dark eyes. His breath was lingering on my face, and I couldn't help but want to lean in just a little bit further...

"Do you...understand..." he growled out again.

  My eyes flicked back up from his lips to his eyes, wondering at him in amazement at how he could suddenly send my whole world crashing down around me. His blackened eyes scowling at me as he held me to him, practically lifting me off my feet as he held me still.

"Yes sir." I whimpered against my will, and he loosened his grip and pushed me out of his arms with a grunt and a huff. He kept his hand around my wrist and began to lead me towards the guest trailers.

  "You're gonna come with me and you're gonna listen to me, ya hear?" He instructed, to which I just nodded my head with my eyes forward.

   He opened the door to the trailer for me and I entered, quickly finding a seat at the far end of the sofa. He sat on the opposite end and turned towards me.

   "Alright. I know I fucked up, doll. I know I did, and I feel terrible about it. I haven't had a good night since you left." He started, breathing deeply to fight against the tears I saw forming in the corners of his eye, "I should have been honest with you from the get go, but I didn't want you to flip out the way I know you would."

   "My boyfriend is keeping some bitch secret at his house while leaving me alone constantly while I cook and clean for him and his friend. And you fucked her. You fucked her and then came back and slept in the same bed with me." Anger started to seethe through me, and Jeffrey could tell. He raised a hand to stop me before I could continue.

   "I never slept with her, baby girl. Never. She was insane and delusional. I didn't know what to do with her but I didn't want her to kill herself." He looked towards the other side of the room as he scrubbed his face and beard, "I was looking for help for her, but then all that shit happened and she just showed the fuck up. You left. I knew I had to explain it to you but you never gave me the chance and then when I found you like...that...." He trailed off, eyes flitting across my neck once more, "And all that other shit happened...I almost killed that man for touching you. I saw the blood, and the other and I almost pulled that trigger right there."

He was sobbing now, and it took everything in me not to want to comfort him.

   "Then when I dropped you at Rob's I realized where half of those fucking marks came from, I wanted to stomp his fucking head in, but the hell, I couldn't blame the guy. I just wish it would have meant more to you for it to be with me."

   "It was supposed to be with you, but I wanted it to be with someone who I knew loved me."

   He scoffed, pulling his head back slightly in offence, "I loved you with all of my fucking soul, woman. I still fucking do."

It was my turn to huff, "Whatever."

   He ignored me, and continued, "I was so pissed when I got back to Georgia that all I wanted to do was forget about you. I was gonna take her, keep her, and forget about everything else...But then I found her."

   "Sorry to ruin your dream." I mumbled, looking away from him with sarcastically raised brows.

   "Jesus Christ." he huffed, shaking his head in amazement before squinting, "Will you shut the fuck up?"

"No."

"Of course not."

   I smirked at him as I watched him light a cigarette. Figuring I still hadn’t given him enough shit, I reached forward and snatched the pack from his hand and pulled one out for myself before leaning back on the couch and draping my legs across his lap.

   "We always end up on a couch, you know," I teased, suggestive eyebrows wagging themselves naturally as I raised the cancer stick to my lips. Jeff rolled his eyes at me but clasped his big hands around my tiny ankles. Probably a defensive notion, I really did have the perfect angle to kick him in the nuts.

   "I found her in the bathtub, all bloody from her slitting her wrists, and all I could picture was what you would look like if I hadn't made it to you in time." He looked down at his hands and began rubbing gentle circles into my skin as his tears began to fall again, "How I was so fucking stupid."

I stayed silent as I took another drag.

   "I'm gonna get you back, Kylin. I swear to you that. I know I hurt you and I know I lied but I will make you trust me again. I swear it." He nodded his head with the promise before shifting his head back to me, "I swear."

   I stared at him in awe, unsure of what to say before he grabbed my free hand and pulled me to sit up closer to him. He stomped his cigarette out in the ashtray on the coffee table before gripping both of his hands into my hair and pulling me against his mouth. I whimpered in protest, but it soon turned into a whimper of need as the killing fields that was the scruff on his face came in contact iwth my skin. I was lost all over again for a second as he parted my lips with his tongue and sank into me, my free hand moving to pull him closer by the collar of his shirt. He slipped one hand around to gently hold my jaw while his mouth worked against mine. We stayed like that for a  while, just kissing, and he had just made the move to crawl on top of me when there was a loud rapping a the door.

   "5 minutes on set, Jeff!" the helper called out. Jeff called back to the man with a grunt before pulling off of me.

   "Fuck me." Jeffrey hissed in annoyance as he adjusted himself in his pants. I re positioned myself as well before standing, making sure my shirt was arranged and my bra wasn't showing too bad.

   "Fucking Christ" I murmured, checking my reflection of smeared khol in the mirror by the door, "I look like shit."

   "Impossible." he contested, shaking a finger at me as he ran his other hand through his hair, "Always fucking perfect."

   I smiled, using the end of my hoodie's sleeve to wipe under my eyes, "Thanks, Jeff."

He smiled back brighter at me, excited to say the words, "Anytime, Sweetheart."

   Rob caught up to us as we got close to the set. Jeff and I had been walking side by side, but far enough apart not to make it awkward. Of course, Robbie instantly knew what was up and his eyebrows quickly rose to his hair line as he looked at my kiss swollen lips and smeared eyeliner. Throwing his arm over my shoulder and pulling me slightly away while adjusting his glasses with his other hand and leaning closer to my ear, he whispered, "Back at it again already, huh?"

   "Don't start with me, Benedict," I glared up at him while wrapping my own arm around his waist, "Not a fucking word."

   He rolled his eyes with a knowing smirk but nodded none the less. I looked back to the left to see Jeffrey staring at me intently before giving me a sad smile as we approached where we needed to be.

   "Everything okay now?" Jensen asked, looking between me and Jeffrey with raised hands, ready to get the scene started.

   "Everything's peachy, bubs. Sorry. Get to work!" I promised with a grin before kissing Rob on the cheek and skipping over to my usual spot in Misha's cast chair.

   Misha soon joined me, standing behind me where I sat playing on my phone. He put his hands on my shoulders and gently messaged them before leaning down to whisper in my ear, "You okay now, little demon child?"

   "Not really," I admitted with a sigh. I leaned over a little bit to the side so I could crane my neck to look at him, "This is all so fucking ridiculous."

   "We all saw that little tantrum you pulled outside, and his reaction. And yours. You need to be careful, you know."

   "I'm not trying to not be careful, Mish, I'm not trying to do anything." I mumbled, eyes returning to where Rob and Jeff were speaking their lines. There was obviously a weird tension there, but somehow the two actors didn't let it show through to the camera.

   "This week is going to be difficult, you know. But at least we have a convention this weekend." Misha sighed, kneading my shoulders a little firmer as I rolled my head into his belly behind me. I groaned at the idea of having to be surrounded by people, even though I knew how much Misha loved them.

   "Fucking Iowa." I grunted, rolling my eyes. If only I had known then what I know now.

   Misha was 100% correct about the week being difficult. I didn't know how I felt about what Jeffrey had said to me, or the kiss that we had shared in the trailer. Robbie obviously knew something was up, and pulled back the reigns on our displays of affections. He still cuddled with me at night, but I guess it was really a silent decision between the both of us to not make a move to be intimate again. I absolutely adored the man, loved him, even, and I knew he felt the same way about me. I also knew though that he loved his wife, and no one could ever take her place in his heart. He would wait a hundred years if it meant for him to be with her again.

   I completely avoided Jeffrey at all costs, for also obvious reasons. I knew the affect he had on me, that I didn't stand a chance of standing my ground and keeping my distance from him. My heart was still broken, and I knew I wasn't thinking clearly when it came to him. No matter how much my heart stuttered when he touched me or my breath got caught in my throat when he smiled, he broke me almost just as much as Anthony did. It was going to take more than some sweet words and a stolen kiss for me to crumble.

   "Why won't you just fuckin' talk to me, girl?" He begged, trailing behind me one morning as I was bringing Misha his cup of tea and something to eat for breakfast. He had gotten here earlier than usual, and I wasn't able to dodge him for once. It was Friday, and we were all scheduled to fly out that evening. Jeffrey would be going back to Georgia to continue The Walking Dead, the rest of us to Des Moines for the weekend.

   "Because I don't want to talk to you, Jeffrey." I replied simply, looking back as I quickened my pace.

"How am I supposed to fix this if you won't talk to me?"

   I stopped quickly and turned to face him, him slamming on his own heels to keep from knocking into me, "Maybe I'm not ready for you to fix it? Ever think that this is not a decision for you to make?"

   His shoulders fell in exasperation, his eyes flicking from mine to look up as his head tilted so he could gather his thoughts. He brought his hands to his hips with a sigh and bowed his head, shaking it slightly, "Will you ever be?"

'Good question'

     I truly didn't know. I loved this man, I knew I did. I knew I would probably forever. Even at that moment, his presence bewildered me and it was hard for me to stay focused. I had to constantly remind myself that I couldn't give in to him or he would see it as something that I didn't have  a problem with. I had to stand my ground.

   "You're just going to try and find out, I guess. Not yet though, Jeff. I have my own healing to do."

"You mean with Rob?" He scoffed, shaking his head.

   "Wow, really working your case there, Mr. Morgan." I started back off towards Misha, not caring if Jeff followed at that point.

He didn't follow.

   I was dipping and dodging through the sea of people with a cup of hot coffee in one hand and Misha's stupid tea in the other, attempting to get to him before it was time for his autographs. We had been up since we landed at the airport at 4 am after a layover and as per usual for our arrivals only had minimal time to make our selves presentable. I threw Misha together an assemble that wouldn't make Jensen cringe or Jared make fun of him after getting out of the shower and then set about making myself look human.

   I had let my hair hang down my waist in waves, throwing on my usual makeup of dark eyeliner, black eye shadow, and lashes. Feeling moody, I lined my lips in the same kohl liner and filled them in with my matte black lipstick. Knowing I'd be running around everywhere today and that it was probably going to be cold as shit, I wore my tight black tights with my comfy converse, finalizing everything with my newest Cannibal Corpse t shirt.

   I was regretting my fucking life the moment I side stepped forward and slammed into a very broad, very firm chest, coffee and tea flying everywhere.

"Jesus Christ." I hissed as the scalding liquid felt like it was melting my hands.

   Thankfully nothing got on either of our clothing except our shoes, which I noticed were matching as I raised my eyes over the dark jeans and black t-shirt, up to the poor man's face.

   "I am so sor- Wow, holy shit you are fucking beautiful." The man said, smiling at me and sliding his sunglasses down his nose to make eye contact. My eyeballs almost popped out of their fucking sockets.

   "You're fucking Cor-" I started, but the man instantly held his finger up to his lips to silence me as he looked around. ‘I thought he’d be taller.’

   "Shhhh," he grinned with a wink, "Sorry about your coffee, let me get you another one?"

'I wish I had the fucking time.'

   "Eerr, sorry, I don't have the time, I'm in a rush as it was, now my boss is gonna bitch at me as it is, " I laughed nervously, shaking my head.

   "Well, maybe I'll see you around then," He winked again, licking his lips in a way that made my mouth dry.

'Jesus Christ, Kylin, calm the fuck down.'

   "Y-Y-Yeah," I replied, small nervous smile playing over my face as he pulled me into a small hug before waving while walking away.

'Who's fucking life is this?!'

   It was my life, apparently, and it seemed to keep getting weirder and fucking weirder.

   I was in my usual spot behind Misha while he was signing his autos and doing his thing, ignoring the few whispers that creeped past him about me when the fans noticed my presence behind him.

   "I heard her and Jeff broke up. She went crazy at The Walking Dead set or something, bitch is apparently psychotic."

   I rolled my eyes and continued to work on my laptop behind me when his voice broke through and Misha turned to me with a knowing smirk adorning his face.

   "Kylin, look what it is, my tea from this morning." Misha teased, holding up a lidded cup for me to see. My eyes instantly widened as I past him to the man on the other side of the table who stood there extending another cup in my direction.

   I sat the laptop in the chair beside me and nervously stood up, taking the cup from his hands and stuttering out a "Thank you."

"Anytime, Sweetheart" he smiled with a nod.

'Oh no he just fucking didn't.'

   "Hey, I know where I've seen you before, you're from Stone Sour, aren't you?" Misha inturrpted our eye contact, and Corey Taylor turned to look at him.

"Yeah man. I love the show."

   "That's fucking awesome, dude. Kylin here got me into some of your music. She's always subjecting me to weird shit."

   "Dmitri!" I scolded, face burning red as I brought my hands to cover my embarrasment.

   Ignoring me, he continued his prods when he noticed the Gold Pass dangling from the other manm's neck, "You coming to the concert tonight?"

   "Wouldn't miss it." Corey answered, nodding his head as his eyes flicked back to mine.

"Good, because Kylin here is gonna be singing."

"No I'm fucking no-"

   "Yes you are." It was Rob who had came up behind me to wrap his arms around my waist and place his chin on my shoulder as he lifted me off my feet slightly.

   "You sing?" Corey's eyebrows lifted in surprise. My face got impossibly hotter. Vermillion, you could say.

   "Like a fucking angel." Rob commented, squeezing me a bit more before letting go, "Her voice will make you fall in love with her."

   I moved one hand away from my chest to turn and smack his chest, and he retorted with his own smack to my ass before making his way past us to where Billy Moran had called him over.

"Now that's something I'll definitely have to see."

   "Now this next song is for the lovely and ever talented Mark Sheppard, who we definitely still mourn for." Rob said as he introduced the next set. Mark sat behind the drums and gave a laugh as he clicked his drum sticks together. I walked on to the stage in my tight black dress to stand beside Robbie, who wrapped his free arm around me and kissed my cheek before speaking again, "Kylin here's gonna sing it for me, because well, it's a girl's song. But I hope you like it."

   "Makes me think of you, Sheppy." I giggled as Rob started the Louden Swain version of my favorite Halsey song.

   I held the microphone in it's place on the stand, swaying my hips back and forth with the time of the beat that Mark was playing.

‘My demons are begging me to open up my mouth I need them, mechanically make the words come out They fight me, vigorous and angry, watch them pounce Ignite me, licking up the flames they bring about’

   I turned back towards Mark, smiling and pointing at him with a smile as I continued,

‘I sold my soul to a three-piece And he told me I was holy He's got me down on both knees But it's the devil that's tryna’

   I turned back to the crowd and scanned the fans, quickly able to find Corey's unmistakable face past the bright lights.

‘Hold me down, hold me down Sneaking out the back door, make no sound Knock me out, knock me out Saying that I want more, this is what I live for’

   Briana soon joined me on stage and I let her take over the rest of the second verse as the rest of the cast crowded onto the stage. I made my way over to Jared, motioning him to Corey silently. He beamed when he recognized him and instantly made his way back behind stage to retrieve him to join us.

   You would have thought Corey Taylor was a fan boy or something the way his eyes widened and he looked up at Jared when he finally approached him. He nodded vigorously at something Jay said, then followed him back to the back stage area before climbing up with the rest of us. 

   "Corey fucking Taylor everyone!" Jared bellowed into a mic, throwing his arm around Corey's shoulder as he stood there star-struck. If only he knew how much Jared was probably pissing himself. The crowd errupted, equally freaking, and Corey shook his head and lifted the mic that had been handed to him

   "Holy fuckingg shit, guys. This is fucking amazing." He beamed, eyes glancing over the stage and landing on me, "I should spill cups of coffee more often."

   Everyone laughed as the band died down and Misha retold the story of the autographs earlier, my ears darkening at my own embarrasment.

   "I'm a fucking clutz" I commented, shaking my head with my hand on my forehead.

   "A cute one, though." Corey commented in the microphone, earning a bout of 'oooohs' trailing through the audience.

  "She is, isn't she." Rob cooed, a bite to his voice that only I could hear. I tilted my head in his direction and gave him a look at which he rolled his eyes to me.

   Richard and Rob ended the concert and said their salutations as everyone piled back into the backstage area and headed for the green room. I was walking with Jared and Corey when Jensen approached us from behind.

   "Hey man, we're all going out for drinks in a minute, you wanna join us?" Jensen asked Corey, who's eyes immediately went wide.

   "Really? Fuck yeah, dude." Corey replied ecstatically, irises twinkling as he looked from Jensen to me, "You coming?"

   "Of course the little sister is coming, she's gotta make sure our drunk asses make it back." Jared chuckled, throwing a huge arm around my waist and pulling me to his side. Corey's eyes went wide again in realization of who I was.

   "Holy fucking shit, I thought you looked so familiar. Aren't you dating Negan? I love that dude, man." My world came tumbling down as my eyes shifted to my feet and I felt Jared's fingers dig a little further into my side for comfort. I gave a little smile before replying, "We're not dating anymore. Just kinda friends now."

   His face fell for a moment but something else replaced the expression shortly after, "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart. That shit sucks."

   I gave him another small smile and a nod, Thankful that Jared knew me well enough to direct the conversation elsewhere, "So where's the best bar to go to around here, man?"

   We ended up at a dark little restaurant that was quiet and secluded, save for our bellows and booms of laughter that filled the small vicinity. We had taken up most of the space, the servers pushing together 3 long tables to accommodate all of us. I was sitting between Rob and Corey, shifting my conversation between the two of them as we all chatted and drank. Corey was fucking hilarious, his sillyness fitting in perfectly with everyone as we down drink after drink. Robbie was obviously feeling the shots he was attempting to match me, and soon was giggly and flirting with both myself and Bri who sat beside him, supplying amusement to me and Corey as he nuzzled against Bri's shoulder.

   "He's such a fucking lush." I commented to Corey, watching Robbie's sloppy face before poking him in the shoulder, "You're gonna make me jelly, Benedict."

   "Pfffft, please, girl, you know you can get this dick anytime you want." He joked drunkenly, forcing Bri and Rich to both bust out laughing. Corey chuckled a bit, mostly confused, and I had to explain to him.

  "Robbie and I have a... close friendship." I giggled in embarrassment, to which Corey nodded in acceptance while taking a sip of the scotch he had ordered.

   Rob slipped his head from it's resting place on Briana and sloshed towards me, chin digging into my shoulder now as he leaned against my back, "She's super good in bed, bro."

   "Jesus Christ, Bob-o, control yourself." Rich barked from his place before standing up and approaching the man, "Ky, can you help me get this shlep some water or something?"

   I nodded and excused myself from the table to follow Rich to the bar. While we were waiting on the bar tender to acknowledge us he turned to me, "What the fuck are you doing, Kay?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I responded, genuinely confused.

   "With Robbie." he answered before asking the bartender for a water bottle and another round of shots for the rest of us who could actually contain themselves.

   "What we always do, Rich. He's already been talking to Mollie again." I shrugged.

"And Jeffrey?" he raised his eyebrows at me.

   "I don't know what you're expecting from me on that one, Rich, because I honestly don't even fucking know myself." I sighed, feeling the defeat seep through me.

   "And now this guy?" He said, quirking an eyebrow while nodding towards the table.

   "Having fun, Richard. I just met the man and he's one of my idols. I'm trying not to fan girl right now."

   He laughed, accepting my answer while grabbing the water as I helped with the shots before walking back over to the table.

   A couple hours later and it was time to head home. We were standing out side the restaurant waiting on Cliff to pull the car around and Corey's cab to come through. Jared had to actually throw Robbie over his shoulder as the man had passed out like gorilla and refused to wake up. I laughed to myself at the thought of the hangover he was going to have to endure the next day during his early morning photo ops.

   "It was really nice to meet you, Kylin. I definitely had the ultimate fan experience tonight." Corey smiled down at me.

   "Ha! Me as well, thank you!" I beamed nervously.

He held out his phone for me with a questioned expression on his face, dial pad pulled up on the screen, "Mind if I..."

   My eyes twinkled and my heart started pounding in my chest as I reached a shaky hand for the phone, "Sure."

   I typed my number in for him and he pressed the call button, my phone vibrating in my purse before I pulled it out and saved his name in my own contact list.

   "Mind if I call or text you? We're doing a show in Vancouver soon, maybe you can come out?" Corey suggested, hopefulness in his voice as he leaned against the brick wall behind us.

'Holy fucking shit.'

   "Y-Y-Yeah, sure, that w-w-would be awesome." I replied as the yellow taxi cab pulled up and honked its horn.

   "Well, thanks for the amazing time, Ms. Ackles. Talk to you soon." he hesitated for a moment, then curled an arm around my hip and dipped me in for a hug.

   "No, thank you, Mr. Taylor." I smiled brightly up at him, butterflies dancing in my chest as he stepped towards the car.

He smirked, then killed me, "Anytime, Sweetheart."

If he only knew what those fucking words meant to me.

part 15 will be released 9/9/17!

[jugxbets]

Archie's Little Sister: Chapter Nine

[capricious-passions-blog]

By Author

Words, words, words.

Aaronna

With the Help of a Brother

Yes

5,638

3

Amnesiac Stanley. They get to the boat. Sad Ford. With a happy ending.

moosesmittens

A Grim Night

Yes

688

1

I could care less how short this is. It’s that Grim dog. I’m so glad this was written. Any and all ‘Grim’ fics about Stanley and this dog are blessings in my eyes.

bananabog

Balm

Yes

1,073

1

A one-shot that wasn’t meant to be more unfortunately, but has a very interesting premise about Bill not being gone from Stan’s head.

tallykale

A better place, a better time

Yes and No

First Posted

2015-12-02

Last updated

22 Feb 2016

49,002

3 works

Mystery Trio. Stanley and Stanford reunite. Help.

anonymousAlchemist

our past ghosts always haunting

Yes

1,347

1

Stanley never regains his memories. And it’s okay.

Neelh

Homologous

Yes

1,642

1

HA! I was wondering what ‘homologous’ even means. And then I saw the author’s note. Read my mind.

Reread it. I have no words. Monster. Angel. Blessing. Curse. How shall I describe this author?

HowAboutThatSnapback

Death Omen, Shmeath Omen

Yes

1,649

1

Just the title. Just the title on it’s own is enough. THAT TITLE.

fex_libris

Darkened Light, Starless Night

No -

First Posted

2016-10-03

Last updated

12 Dec 2016

5,531

2

BlindFaith Au. They get out of the cave, but things aren’t peachy.

pinesinthewoods

Blind Faith

Yes

21,027

4

Stanley and Stanford both land in the portal. Stanley loses his eyes. Blind Faith Au.

hapful

out

Yes

2,587

1

Amnesia Stanley. Andrew - ANDREW - *he thinks he’s andrew … * I can’t -

molossiamerica

2 AM

Yes

3,062

1

In relation to the title. One word. Relatable. But other than that - these two. I tell ya. Sea adventures.

eltigre221

Gravity Falls: Aspects of Stanley

Yes

3,321

1

500 Fords Au. In a hall of Fords, Stanley splits himself into parts of his personality. And Ford has to put that back together.

StoneSabre

So the Ocean Soothes Our Scars

No -

First Posted

2016-10-20

Last updated

27 Nov 2016

5,508

2 works

Grunkle Adventures at sea

Keleficent

Trust Me

Yes

6,528

6

It …

Well anyways. Stan falls into the portal and … just … BADness ensues. Ford gets him out, but … so yeah

TheLazyBAMF (TheGuardian219)

Fixing a Mistake

No -

First Posted

2015-12-13

Last updated

7 Nov 2016

8,334

7

Stanley uses a time wish to go back in time and relive his life so he doesn’t ruin Stanford’s. So … he’s in his kid body with his grumpy grandpa mind, and kid Ford wants to play all the time, but is smart enough to see something’s up. How could you not want this?

SilveryBeing

Key Moments

Yes

8,913

1

Stanford looking into different realities. Seeing the consequences of various actions over the course of his life. Post Weirdmeggedon. It’s good, but also full of Stanford hate propaganda NOPE THAT IS A LIE. Why am I lying like this?

MiniatureGlitterSoul

Searching For Stanford Pines

No -

First Posted

2016-04-17

Last updated

7 Jun 2016

9,805

6

Portal Ford.

Beleriandings

A Tale Of Three Stans

Yes

12,413

1

They’re in iceland. Stanley and Stanford get separated. Until Stanley runs into another portal Ford. This is a really nice read. Short, but not too short. In a fun setting, running around doing interesting stuff. Police get involved to some degree. Otherwise it wouldn’t be Stanley and Stanford.

biteinsane

Wearing the Working Man’s Clothes

No -

First Posted

2016-05-11

Last updated

25 May 2017

15,063

7

So it says Tiny Ford Au, and I was thrown off. I thought - the shrink ray stuff. But it’s kid Ford. And Kid Ford’s mind too. So it’s cute! But also - how can Cipher NOT take advantage of that? A One and a Half Stans, with Ford.

KuroJanKazu

Reminiscence at Sea

No -

First Posted

2016-04-04

Last updated

29 Sep 2016

17,754

7

Reverse Falls. Stanford ends up in reverse falls in one of his trips through the multiverse. And really learns to like … Will Cipher.

runawaycartoonist

Gravity Falls: It’s Relative!

No -

First Posted

2016-05-04

Last updated

20,587

7

Stanley and Stanford go and visit their Great Auntie Mabel for the summer.

Vituperative_cupcakes

The Demolition Log of Stanford F. Pines

Yes

22,280

11

A really amazing, after Dipper and Mabel leave, but before they set sailing sort of random adventures of the Stans. Full of humor, fun, and if I have this right - proper flash-back angst?

orphan_account

The Ghost that Lives in Great Uncle Ford’s Basement

Yes

22,348

7

Stanley - GOES BACK IN TIME, and ends up as a ghost. But I think what’s most important here, is that he’s basically lived twice but looks young. And the ending. It finally makes Canon the better option in a not ‘rip your heart out and feed it to cannibals’ way.

highwayKing

Stannapped

Yes

22,508

11

The one where Stan’s old buddies catch up with him, shove him in a trunk again, and Ford has to find him. And he does! Wait … oops, spoiler.

roomapple

Liar To A Liar, For Lies Are His Coin

No -

First Posted

2016-10-19

Last updated

13 Mar 2017

23,456

10

Same Coin theory. Bill is back. Mucking about in Stanley’s head.

eosrealis (Aurorealis)

Cooperation is Mandatory

No -

First Posted

2015-10-09

Last updated

6 Nov 2015

26,024

6

Stanley is a werewolf. And yet outcast from all other werewolves - of course he couldn’t just get with the program, even as a wolf! And so Ford leaves Gravity Falls to study the phenomenon.

videogamelover99

A Different Form a Different Time

Yes and No

First Posted

2016-12-23

Last updated

16 Apr 2017

26,407

6 works

Based on Flat Dreams and Pengychan’s and doodledrawsthings probably ideas and drawings. Bill is stuck as a human and is mostly annoyed.

the_subpar_ghost

Gravity Falls Timestuck AU

Yes

26,761

11

Mabel trapped in the past and Stanley has to help her get back. Mostly through finding Stanford, and we all know how that goes down.

azhdarchidaen

In Search of Antidotes

Yes

30,200

11

Historical Au. It’s great. So Stanley goes to help Stanford and it’s all in 1892. Double thumbs up.

delcatty (Harlecat)

The Thing On the Doorstep

Yes

35,915

12

What is this - lovecraft? … Ha! I was right. I also don’t know much about lovecraft. But I do, however, know about this. And it’s Stanford getting himself into messes in a 1930’s setting and Stanley trying to help while overcoming Fiddleford’s phobia towards horrors of the eldritch type. The actual thing on the doorstep is … a mixture of a shiver down your spine and ‘bleck.’

Amydiddle

Theory of Relativity

Yes

39,151

21

Relative Falls. Au colliding with Canon. Stanley and Stanford end up in relativity falls on a boat trip. Actually, the kids meeting their older selves - that’s neat.

SandyQuinn

There’s an Endless Road

Yes

41,073

8

This one is so great. Who doesn’t love a road trip? With your annoying brother and archenemy? Stanford sure knows how to pick ‘em. Also, this tag - ‘horror that is completely undercut by humour.’ It’s adventure in an almost episodic way, but also not at all, and is just super fun while not simply ‘pure fluff’ in any way shape or form.

Giroshane

Gravity Falls Adventures

Yes. But you kinda wish no. Series is marked incomplete, so maybe?

44,073

3 works

The Adventure with ____

How else to describe? Hurt/Comfort.

Stanley, Stanford, Mabel, and Dipper. Post Weirdmeggedon/in Weirdmeggedon.

Fordanoia

Gotham Falls

No -

First Posted

2016-09-27

Last updated

18 May 2017

45,735

11

Batman, Gravity Falls crossover! What more do you people want?

asbelow

Time Has Changed Me (And Left Me Full Of Doubt)

No -

First Posted

2017-01-18

Last updated

13 May 2017

46,708

8

REALLY GOOD ONE GUYS. Everytime I think about - Stanley. Going through that portal. Coming out. And still not speaking to Ford for another couple of years. Having that kid. Dealing with trauma of having been on the other side of that portal. REALLY GOOD ONE. Major focus on awesome slice of life that just is REALLY GOOD.

dliriously

Changing Tides and Tribulations

No -

First Posted

2016-06-04

Last updated

23 Jun 2016

49,902

6

Really fantastic Stanley and Stanford post weirdmeggedon on their boat sail away and still deal with nightmares and disillusion and ‘what did Ford get up to in the portal?’ and STUFF!

PengyChan

Flat Dreams

Yes

53,940

16

Alright. Full disclosure. This is a really good fic. But … I’ve never understood the whole - ‘it makes Bill Cipher into a redeemable character’ thing. Bill feels well rounded and it gives Bill Cipher good motivations for the show. But … he’s still actually a rather genuinely rude person who does bad stuff with only slightly more understood reasons. If anything it just pulls him from psychopath to misguided. I don’t feel sorry for him, I’m just six times more interested in him as a character. But other than that - Man is this a really great fic.[Note to Self. Edit this description][Edit of the Edit: Ignore me. I know nothing]

Queen_Mab

Ad Astra

No -

First Posted

2016-07-29

Last updated

3 Jun 2017

54,200

11

Mabel falls into the Portal to find a new Grunkle. The selling point would have to be how amazing the portal Mabel bits are. Ford and Mabel. It’s just fantastic at times. And then in rolls the Dipper and Stan bits and everything is up in flames.

Sarah1281

A Time Wish

Yes

59,420

18

Stanley goes back in time to stop himself from landing Ford in the portal. He lands as a old mind in a young body and stays level headed as Ford wigs out. And proceeds to relieve the next thirty years.

embulalia

Two Old Men and the Sea

Yes

69,409

26

Boat adventures that head back to Gravity Falls. This one includes werewolves, nightmares, amnesia, seizures, Demonic possession, and torture. All from the tags, because for the life of me this blends in with other fics. I should probably reread this. (I remember the werewolves well enough …? and obviously liked it …)

babyblueavenger

Mystery Nerds AU

Yes and No

First Posted

2015-11-26

Last updated

2 Jun 2016

97,460

5 works

Series. It’s the last one that isn’t finished, with a 4 chaptered 46k word count hanging off the side.

EvilEkat

Versability

Yes

131,274

33

Stanley … strikes it rich, become an even worse person, and then gets the kids when his and Stanford’s names are mixed up.

Overall - Excellent. Very, very Excellent.

DisneyMuse, slytherintbh

The Demon’s Apprentice

Yes ish

149,836

2 major works, plus a drabble and alternate endings

Have I read this? I feel like I have, but I’m not sure. It’s where Dipper becomes Bill Cipher’s apprentice of magic and Ford is just not having it. But … have I read this?

***

The_Lionheart

One Sword

Yes and No

First Posted

2016-07-31

Last updated

9 May 2017

239,518

9 works

Oh, just lots. Portal adventures. Reimagining of canon episodes. Crossovers. But what I wanna know is how they get away with some of that purple prose stuff? Poetry? Different formats? It’s brilliant. How? Just - how?

The_Lionheart

Takin’ Care of Business

No -

First Posted

Last updated

19 Mar 2017

30,663

9

Modern … sort of Au. Where … Stanley goes to help Stanford. But Mabel and Dipper are more like niece and nephew - not great nibings. And … it’s really good. I really like The_Lionheart. They’re a really good writer.

The_Lionheart

The People That We Always Hoped We Would Be

Yes

11,546

1

Christmas Carol AU where everyone comes back into the past to get Stanford to reconcile with Stanley. Oh my gosh. THIS ONE. That one scene. WITH THE GUN.

The_Lionheart

Missing

Yes

4,103

1

How Stan has dentures. A basic recap of when and where he lost most of his teeth WITH CRIPPLING FEELS.

***

LogicalBookThief

A Pound of Flesh

Yes

10,918

4

I remember this mostly for the Clairvoyant. Post Weirdmeggedon boat adventures.

LogicalBookThief

Stan Protecting his Kids

No -

First Posted

2015-10-29

Last updated

6 Mar 2016

1,670

2 works

First one is Soos’s dad. The second is a tourist and Wendy. I actually thought the Soos and the dad bit was interesting. I never would have thought about it, but yeah. That could go down like that.

LogicalBookThief

One and a Half Stans Au

Yes

5,092

2 works

De-aged Stanley

LogicalBookThief

The Devil You Know

Yes

5,677

2

Possession. Mystery trio. Ford gets possessed before he realizes that’s not a good thing. And Stanley … obviously gets caught in the crosshairs.

***

scribefindegil

Fisherman’s Knot

No -

First Posted

2016-03-06

Last updated

27 May 2017

84,545

17

You think it’s over. And then there’s another twenty thousand words if not more. You don’t know how to handle these feelings.

scribefindegil

Nomenclature

Yes

1,133

1

Haha! - No, I’m sorry. This one. This one is great. Portal Ford.

***

impish_nature

Demonic Conman

Yes

26,385

8

Reverse One of Us Au. Stanley becomes the demon for Bill Cipher. What an exhausting ride. And the ending. Pretty much low-grade torture for the soul. As I recall, wasn’t there an alternate ending to this too?

impish_nature

Phobos

No -

First Posted

2016-01-03

Last updated

10 Feb 2016

24,721

7

Mystery trio and Stanley has issues from his time on the road. It is unfortunate that it is incomplete.

impish_nature

A Lot More Lost

Yes

9,620

1

Feral Ford Au. Stanley Amnesia.

impish_nature

Signs of a Well Lived Life

Yes

3,276

1

JOML AU @notllorstel

More Grim Au. I think they actually die in this one. Quote on Quote “Bittersweet and stuff”

impish_nature

Finding the Right Frequency

Yes

6,885

1

Ford, and that radio! Talking over the air! Him and Stanley! It hits the spot.

impish_nature

Sleight of Hand

Yes

1,638

1

Oh my gosh - MagicStanley! It’s beautiful.

impish_nature

Blind Rage

Yes

4,743

1

BlindFaith Au. Stanford goes off on some midnight attackers and Stanley isn’t handling heat of fire too well.

impish_nature

Seeing is Believing

Yes

5,136

1

BlindFaith Au. Stanley regains some of his sight

impish_nature

Silent Plea

Yes

2,070

1

BlindFaith Au. Stanley helps Stanford with cave flashbacks.

***

thesnadger

Axolotl

No -

First Posted

2016-02-18

Last updated

18 Jan 2017

32,458

11

Post Weirdmeggedon and Bill is back. The Stans head over to Gravity Falls from their sea voyage to let family comfort, and maybe find a solution.

thesnadger

Summer’s Over

Yes

10,604

3 works

I’m - no THEY’RE trying to kill you. And I quote “Making Ford Feel Guilty For Fun And Profit; Actually There’s No Profit; And No Fun; only pain”

thesnadger

Things You Can’t Take Back

Yes

5,058

1

Stanley in the Colombian forest. But why is Stanford there? Dun, Dun, DUUUN. But no, actually - the feels.

thesnadger

It’s A Great Idea (Who Are You To Judge?)

Yes

4,295

1

Relativity Falls. Grauntie Mabel and Grunkle Stan compare lives over drinks. Not the best idea.

***

Tell_Me_Tales

D-23:Guardian

No -

First Posted

2016-08-15

Last updated

23 May 2017

28,242

20

Carla McCorkle. Tell_Me_Tales adds a great addition of her as her own mystery trio in some of their work. Short chapters … that I feel get better as time goes on, but is that just me? Also - Gargoyle Stanley Au, but not monster Au.

Tell_Me_Tales

A Girl Named Carla

Yes

6,569

2

Carla McCorkle meets Stanford and it’s awkward, and funny, and adorable.

Tell_Me_Tales

Math is Money

No?

First Posted

2016-10-22

Last updated

28 Nov 2016

2,622

2

As I recall - this one was actually kind of adorable. Right? I don’t know why it’s marked unfinished unless the Tell_Me_Tales had more in mind. Otherwise it feels like a pretty cohesive pair of one-shots. And Filbrick is … normal.

***

Nicnac

Elementary Falls

Yes

48,665

15 works

Stanley and Stanford get an orphaned Dipper and Mabel. A lot of oneshots around this, filled with feels and fluff.

Nicnac

Lost and Found

Yes

12,687

2 works

Connected to Elementary Falls. “CanonFord!” lands in Elementary Falls universe. It creates TWO happy endings, so plus.

Nicnac

Five Years Older

No -

First Posted

2016-11-01

Last updated

10 Jan 2017

7,659

3

27 year old Mabel going into the past and finding Mullet Stan. Come on guys. This one is almost mandatory viewing.

Nicnac

Weep Not for the Memories

Yes

7,718

1

Scrapbook doesn’t work. Amnesia Stanley.

***

CCs_World

Mabel and Ford for Gravity Falls

No -

First Posted

2016-10-19

Last updated

22,889

12

Ford and Mabel Fluff as they try and save their kidnapped siblings. Apparently. Actually - you know what? I think it updated since I last saw it. I should … probably go read that.

CCs_World

And You Were Not So Old

No -

First Posted

2017-01-01

Last updated

10 Mar 2017

17,629

7

Stan contracts a serious illness and Ford is obviously extremely upsetted (yes I mean upsetted). Guys, right about now I’m banking on the lack of Major Death tag. Also how is this not longer? It feels longer. Huh.

***

WDW

A Thousand Natural Shocks

No -

First Posted

2015-10-09

Last updated

3 Aug 2016

53,750

14

Neverhuman AU. As in, ‘Stan Pines Dead’ Stanley actually died in that car crash and made a deal with a demon that wasn’t Bill Cipher and melded and is … no longer … human I guess.

WDW

Estranged, Lost, Found

Yes

5,047

2

This exists. And that is enough. I have no idea how this could have been thought up, but … I rather thought it was okay. You know. Once you get over the Stanley feels. What is it with this man. And my poor heart.

***

MaryPSue

Raising Stakes

No -

First Posted

2015-11-23

Last updated

4 Jun 2017

56,058

19

Vampire Stanley. Enough Said. Also Stanley showing up at his old ‘friend’s’ house when the guy is thinking about how harmless Stan Pines is. He was BEGGING to get his throat ripped out. That scene was so cool.

MaryPSue

Hive

Yes

32,368

2

Note: Have not read. Vaguely skimmed. Looks interesting. [Note to self: read]

Post Canon horror story with casual fluff and happy ending. I think. Wait - how is this in my history if I haven’t read it? *Sigh* I don’t even know anymore.

MaryPSue

Now You See

Yes

4,158

1

Stanford never feels like he has to ask for Stanley’s help to come to gravity falls. You can probably guess how well that goes. Cause he finishes the portal but how to keep the world from ending?

***

WinchesterWarrenSon

Motorbikes and Sailboats

Yes

114,378

3 works

Okay, so if you’ve ever heard of Jimmy Snakes being a jerk and being in cahoots with Stanley in any way shape or form … this was probably where those ideas came from. That and the original Jimmy Snakes character info from the show. This um … it breaks you. If I was going to warn against any of these fics. This is the one I’d seriously warn against. I’m serious. Parts of me wish … that I’d just glanced over this one. I don’t know if I’ll ever recover. You should finish it, bordering on tears if not outright crying. It’s good. Really, REALLY good. Almost too good. I’m warning you DO NOT READ THIS ONE (you’re gonna read it anyways aren’t you, well I tried)

WinchesterWarrenSon

Fractured Fingers

No -

First Posted

2015-12-14

Last updated

25 Aug 2016

15,631

15

I shouldn’t like this one so much, but um … I REALLY like this one. Stanley comes to help Stanford in Gravity Falls.

***

Kazriku

Silent Falls

No -

First Posted

2015-10-01

Last updated

26 Feb 2017

31,078

9

Absolutely no idea, but it’s got one helluva mystery element and it feels like it’s going someplace, but I’ve no idea where.

Kazriku

My Demons

No -

First Posted

2015-08-16

Last updated

28 Mar 2016

33,672

13

Mystery Twins.

Demonic Possession included. Kazriku also made a lyric video based on the same title and I recommend listening to it. Possibly while reading.

***

The Last Speecher (HeidiMelone)

Stanley McGucket

Yes

39,759

14

Stanley MCGUCKET. And that’s just PART ONE.

… wait. Guys. It UPDATED since I last saw it. I have so much to catch up on.

The Last Speecher (HeidiMelone)

In Another World

Yes

30,381

14

One shots of Portal Ford. Journal Style.

***

Kalajorn (Mortsyn)

And Then There Were Three

No -

First Posted

2016-04-19

Last updated

25 Jun 2016

21,450

12

Mystery Trio.

Kalajorn (Mortsyn)

The Black Dog

Yes

1,763

1

This one has Stanley befriending the grim because of an accident. It skirts the depressing and jumps into the Stanley is amazing.