#(ITS MY FAVORITE SCENE EVER FOR TERESA)

[lacomandante]

Also I forgot to update: last Sunday I got Sharpe's Command (thank you Amazon Spain) and I just want to say. Bernard Cornwell sometimes you are the bane of my existence but I lost my MIND reading this book. I couldn't put it down and screamed at Sam as I read ahead bc CORNDOG GAVE US SO MUCH TERESA AND TERESA/SHARPE STUFF. SO MUCH. TERESA GETS HER DAY IN THE SUN AND I HAD TO REFRAIN FROM SCREAMING W/ ASSUMPTA RIGHT NEXT TO ME WHILE I READ. Literally this book is SO FUCKING GOOD for both teresa/sharpe content AND teresa content I am SO happy with it, and it absolutely was worth the wait. Every time he could've done something disappointing he didn't and i kicked my feet and twirled my hair and rolled around on the couch as I read it and ooughhhhhhhh it's now my favorite Sharpe book EVER!!!!!!!!!! TERESA MORENO MY BELOVED SHE GOT SO MUCH STUFF IN THIS BOOK....THANK U FOR MY LIFE CORNDOG

[calliopecalling]

QOTS Rewatch - Season 3 Retrospective

As always, before moving onto the next season (😭) I want to take a look back at this last one. Season 3 is great. I know I've said season 2 is my favorite (it is, in my opinion, the strongest season overall, tightest in terms of character work and story building), but season 3 is a pivotal season character-wise for Teresa and James both. It's the season of James's redemptive arc and a season that sets Teresa ever further on the path towards darkness. As with the previous seasons, here's what I'll cover:

My Top 3 Episodes

My Top 5 Scenes

Season 3 Episodes Ranked

Teresa’s Journey

Jeresa, DUH

Top 3 Season 3 Episodes

This is too easy:

3: 3x08, El Carro

All three of my top season episodes have in common that they have amazing conversations between Teresa and James, conversations that actually move the needle significantly and help us understand both characters, especially Teresa. This one's conversations in the rabbit car ('so you regret what we did?' 'of course not!') and later in the bathroom at their house ('this is who I am' 'I know, but you don't have to hide from me') left me vibrating when I watched this the first time and STILL make me freak out when I watch them with how incredible it is that this drug cartel show gave us mature and thoughtful and provocative conversations between the characters of the main ship. Mind-blowing. Like they aren't going to play games with each other?!?!?! So fucking refreshing. Anyway, bonus points for the car chase, for Teresa panicking about James in danger, for her conversation with Pote about what was going on with James (in which she barely said anything at all), and for Taza, George, and Lil T all co-starring.

2: 3x05, El Juicio

'Not your favorite???' I hear you cry. No, listen, this episode is only not my favorite because, as a whole, the Camila/Cortez/Loya side story is really boring and takes up way too much screen time. I really resent what this season did to Camila's character, silo-ing her with these two uninteresting male characters all season who barely had anything to do with Teresa's story either. But other than the Camila content, this episode is LITERAL FIRE. The soft Jeresa flirting at the beginning, the iconic showdown with Devon, and James's confession followed by the most beautiful first love scene for a TV ship *EVER* make this episode sooo hard to beat. So hard to beat that only one episode this season beats it, and that is...

1: 3x02, El Colgado

I'm going to confess that this is one of my most rewatched episodes of the series. I find the tension between them here--and its sweet and tentative resolution--soooo compellingly real and complex. That car chase scene at the beginning is funny and hot and bittersweet all at once, with a (terrified and mistrusting) small but mighty Teresa and a (bewildered and utterly transparent) competent as always James trying to confront the trust issues that separated them in the first place while also trying to just, you know, stay alive with enemies coming at them from all angles. Then the soft conversation in the cop car and the final balcony scene while Pote is recuperating is just pure magic. It's incredible. And the Camila story (trying to kill Teresa in Malta) obviously ties in directly to Teresa's so it doesn't feel irrelevant or annoying. As I said: my most-watched episode of the season. Watching Teresa force James to tie himself up and put himself in the trunk while he shakes his head at her is BETTER THAN SEX. I said what I said.

Top 5 Season 3 Scenes

I had a tough time narrowing down this season's best scenes. But after a few elimination rounds, I finally have to concede it's these five. Again, they are all Jeresa scenes. I genuinely think their relationship became the backbone of the show this season, with Camila and Teresa hardly sharing any screentime. But also, no shame, I am just a total glutton for Jeresa content. I also realized that in seasons 1 and 2, I had top scenes from episodes other than the top episodes. Not so this season. Hmmm what does that mean? ANYWAY, here they are:

#5:

The scene: Episode 3x08, the 'so you regret what we did?' 'of course not!' conversation.

What I love about it: The cathartic vulnerability in James's uneasy question, the shocking candidness of Teresa's response, and the fact that in a simple call and response, the agony of the two previous episodes of James wondering where he stands with her instantly resolves. This is flawless writing, with both of them so beautifully in-character.

#4:

The scene: Episode 3x02, the end-of-episode balcony scene.

What I love about it: the softness! James's transparency! Teresa SMILING! The flirtinggggggg. Ugh I can't stand the cuteness. And also, at the same time, I love how clear she is that he'll be working for her, not with her; she is unapologetic about her power and it's insanely attractive to me. And James isn't threatened by it! In fact, he fully accepts it and respects her. It's incredible to witness this dynamic on TV.

#3:

The scene: Episode 3x05, the 'Unholy War' scene, i.e., the showdown with Devon and company.

What I love about it: If I were more objective, I might rank this first, because the combination of the tension, the music, the cinematography, the acting, James's shock at Teresa risking her life for him, and then the incredible resolution with Lil T's phone call and Teresa coolly sending Devon off makes this one of the most iconic scenes in the entire show. But I'm not objective, and my top two slots are reserved for my fave strictly Jeresa scenes of the season.

#2:

The scene: Episode 3x02, from the moment Teresa turns her gun on James in his getaway car to the moment she makes him get in the trunk.

What I love about it: I've basically already said this in my discussion of why this episode is in my season top 3. The impeccable acting shows exactly how rattled Teresa is and reveals how personal his reappearance is, and the clash between her simmer and James being utterly cool and calm under pressure is pure delight.

#1:

The scene: Does it really need to be said? Episode 3x05, THE KISS.

What I love about it: Oh my god. What don't I love?

Season 3 Episodes Ranked

3x02

3x05

3x08

3x09

3x04

3x01

3x13

3x12

3x03

3x07

3x06

3x10

3x11

I don't usually explain my rankings but... the whole is-James-a-mole thing and the Kelly Anne getting 'killed' thing really kinda makes it hard for me to assess the artistic merits of those episodes without my emotional bias. Hence those two being at the bottom. Same goes for the Guero death episodes, though those weren't quite as painful and had good resolution anyway. I can't really explain why 3x03 is so low for me but it's never been a favorite. I love the James/Pote dynamic there, and love King George, but ehhh. It always felt a little heavy-handed to me somehow.

Teresa's Journey

It's hard to talk about Teresa's journey this season without getting ahead of myself because this season really was the crossroads. It's not that she's unrecognizable by the end of it--or that seasons 4 and 5 Teresa have nothing left of "old Teresa"--but something in her hardens by the end of this season so that if you look back at her in seasons 1 and 2 you can really see it. In season 1, Teresa was doing everything she could to get out of the business and escape with Brenda to a new life. In season 2, after losing Brenda, she'd decided escape was futile and by the end, decided she was going to hang out her own shingle because doing that, and fighting for her own power, was the only way she would be able to survive. But she'd also convinced herself that she could do this business a different way, "without all the killing." She could be the person she was in her core and run a drug cartel.

And season 3 started out seeming like that could actually work. She had a vision for her business that was essentially to run it as a legitimate business. This meant not just being financially savvy and entrepreneurial, but also meant ... not just offing people for saying the wrong thing. The problem though is that as her business grew, she acquired enemies: the "traditional" lords of the criminal underworld who weren't interested in learning her rules. They were perfectly content to try to force her to play by theirs. And little by little she was indeed forced to do just that. In the first few episodes of the season she burns an entire fledgling business to the ground--and a significant new business relationship--because she can't stomach the sex trade aspect of the cartel world. But by just a few episodes later, she's using a wedding party as a personal shield because she refuses to clear out of Phoenix where her enemies are trying to get rid of her. And by the end, in her most shocking queenpin-like move yet, she's ordering the execution of someone she loved but who hurt her.

At the beginning of the season, in other words, she's willing to risk her life in order to do the morally right thing. In the middle, she's willing to accept some moral compromises in order to survive. But by the end, she's willing to enforce those moral compromises as a matter of principle. Ouch. And it all happens because of trauma. Every step of her hardening seems to come about as a direct reaction to some new terrible thing. Devon coming for her. Camila coming for her. Guero dying. The explosion and her near death in Bolivia. Someone in her inner circle betraying her. Cortez coming for her. And then... James leaving. Again: poor woman.

The show didn't linger enough, in my opinion, on her decision to order Kelly Anne to be killed. That ought to have been a huge decision she would've agonized over, and she ought to have suffered over it on-screen more than she did, precisely because it would have made this arc clearer. The fact that we don't see her think about it at all after it happens makes it seem as if she moved on from it rather quickly. Maybe that's the point--the fact she can move on from it quickly means she's already hardened--but still I think it could've been made more obvious to the viewers that it was a shocking choice, perhaps by having her talk to James about it.

...which brings me to Jeresa.

Jeresa

James and Teresa's relationship was this season really the only way we had any access to Teresa's inner emotional world. She has moments with Pote, but It's in her conversations with James that we hear her actually talk about herself in a real way--both her visions for the business and her thoughts and feelings about her emotional landscape. (It's exactly this hole that James leaves in season 4). I really feel like I've kind of talked to death about their dynamics this season in my individual episode metas already so I'm struggling to summarize coherently. But obviously a lot in this season is magic for them. They are finally separated from Camila and so their relationship actually has space to blossom. They get to know each other better, live together, learn each other's rhythms and see each other's soft sides. James learns to navigate his personal feelings in the context of her being his boss; Teresa learns to trust him and lean on him in more ways than one.

But through both of these things is a more somber undercurrent because while James obviously loves and respects her deeply, he also still missteps in ways that send her trust issues flaring (pushing back too much or too aggressively; smothering her a bit in his efforts to "protect" her; and never really being able to apologize for the ways he might've misstepped--like locking her in the closet, say, or giving her a tracking device in Tony's gameboy!). And while Teresa obviously goes a long way towards trusting him and letting him in emotionally (which, it's no accident that the breakthrough moment for them comes when James is showing her real vulnerability, something that is so palpable that it's impossible not to trust it and her empathy and love come pouring out then), she can't quiet the voices of doubt fully, leading to the heartbreak towards the end of the season. And this heartbreak, for her, will be another clear step towards becoming Queenpin.

There are so many other elements to their relationship that are interesting this season, like the fact Teresa is finally articulating the lessons James was trying to teach her back in season 1 at the same time as it was his own clinging to her lessons from season 1 that resulted in his own transformation before season 3. "You told me there was no good or bad in this business, right?" she says to try to comfort him. But he doesn't believe that anymore, just when she has started to need to believe it. Or, the fact of his departure, after he'd spent all season trying to get her to believe that he wouldn't leave her, being yet another reason for her to believe everyone will die or abandon her, setting her out further on the path towards becoming Queenpin, even while the very essence of his departure is about staying. But this is so long and I am so tired and I have written about all of those things in earlier episode metas and in reblog recap tags. So I'm going to stop.

Coming up next...

Is season 4. I am not going to do individual episode metas for season 4, and there are far fewer gifsets for each episode than there were in season 3 (there are a bunch for the first two episodes but it starts to taper off). So my hope is to get through this season preeeetty quickly.  will do a recap of a few episodes at a time just to talk about important themes. Aaaaand I m going to continue to reblog Jeresa and James gifsets throughout the s4 rewatch, just because this is my blog and I can do what I want, and I don't want a James-less couple weeks here lol. Anyway, just letting y'all know who've been following along that we're going to scoot right along so we won't suffer too badly 😂 Season 4 has some merits and positives, so definitely want to celebrate those, but my Jeresa-possessed soul will also need some moral support to get through it.

[jerepars]

Back again lol. Even though the writing just hasn’t been the best this season, I’m not really that mad about the way they’ve portrayed Jeresa. Just looking at this logically, I feel that they gave us 5x02 as our Jeresa episode early on and there really was a lot of sweet moments. Now, inevitably we had to have angst in between. But it’s been constantly cemented that James is in love with Teresa, and strongly implied that she loves him too. They can’t just build that up and leave it unresolved. Plus, with TV shows in general, a couple being together early on in the series just leaves it open for unnecessary conflict and the ship just loses its intrigue. If they give us the Jeresa ending we’re hoping for then it makes sense to have not got them together any episode earlier than the final 2. And despite everything, I think the writers have been a hell of a lot better than others in keeping their ship alive and not causing a irredeemable issue between them. I probably shouldn’t defend them before seeing the next two episodes, but I am hopeful. All that being said, there most definitely should have been more scenes and dialogue between them. We should’ve had a Tony moment between them (I’m so mad about this, especially since the writers acted like it was such a pivotal part of the season and then only showed Pote’s ‘grief’). I’m very sorry for rambling, just wanted to hear your take.

Oh, yes hello, back again, I see. Your ask made me sigh because I think it opens me up to be honest and critical of this season’s writing, and that kind of opinion may not always be favored around here, and also because it requires a response of essay length. But I’ll do it for you, anon, I will. Okay. So you want my take on the portrayal of Jeresa in season 5. Here we go. After the jump:

Let me preempt this by saying the show isn’t too serious (try and tell me this is still a serious show after the kerfuffle that season 5 has been), so you shouldn’t take this too seriously either. I have an opinion but I’m just…me. I encourage everyone to stick to their guns about what they feel about QOTS; what you like about it, what you love about it, what gets you excited, what you think has been done well, what is worthy of praise, etc. etc. etc. I go in pretty hard on the show in the next several (LOL, yes, really) paragraphs. But I am in no way the ultimate authority on all things QOTS.

I don’t think Jeresa would have unnecessary conflict and I don’t think the good ship Jeresa would lose its intrigue. In lieu of conflict, we’ve gotten…*crickets* nothing. No conversations of real value, no meaningful exchange of ideas, no arguments, nothing. If anything, the conflict between Teresa and James that is necessary had been absent. In seasons 1-3, there were always disagreements between Teresa and James. There was never a point reached where it created too much conflict, or unnecessary conflict. It created tension, which is like the very essence of Jeresa, and it showed the dynamic they have that made so many of us fall hard for Jeresa as our ship, as our OTP. I don’t think making them a couple or having them together early on in the season would create unnecessary conflict. I think it could’ve created different conflict than what we’ve seen before, and wouldn’t that be a beautiful thing, to have seen them evolve and deal with each other in ways we haven’t seen before?

So, related to what I said about different conflict, as far as intrigue goes…I don’t think presenting Jeresa as a couple or in a relationship would ever make them flat or boring. When I think back to season 3, when we got Jeresa in 3x05 and 3x09, I wish we’d been offered the chance to see them succeed and see what happened with them if they tried. Like I said, it’d be a different kind of conflict, a different kind of challenge for them to face and have to face together. That sounds so opposite of lacking intrigue to me, anon. That’s a side of Jeresa I would have loved to see.

You’ve pointed out that, in general, on TV shows, getting a couple together too early usually means doom and gloom and failure for them. One of my favorite shows ever was Veronica Mars, the first two seasons especially. When the showrunner, Rob Thomas, has talked about the first kiss Logan and Veronica have, he refers to it as being earned. For QOTS, and for Jeresa, I really felt that when they shared their first kiss in 3x05. It took so much and they went through so much to get to that moment. It was earned. So, with that idea—of the earned kiss, of the earned get together, of the earned relationship—in mind, to me, there is no point in season 5 that would have been too early for Jeresa.

Talking about TV shows and how they usually go in general leads me to my next point: as a viewer, is that what I want and is that what I should expect, to be given more of what’s typical? Maybe the writers and critics and people much smarter than me will tell me it’s my fault, I’m the fool, for wanting to critically engage in media that’s not meant to be consumed that way. Maybe I’m just supposed to accept and enjoy and be happy with what I’m given. No one claimed this wasn’t going to be typical. So okay. It’s on me. It’s my bad. But here’s the thing. If I’m supposed to accept and enjoy and love this as it is…well, give me something to love. I’m not asking for a revolution or anything life-changing here, just something I can appreciate (and this season, in my opinion, has really lacked things that I can hold on to and appreciate). So as for typical TV…I’m not down with merely accepting that because things usually go a certain way, that’s how they always have to go.

Why do Jeresa have to fail if they got together earlier in the season? Why is it so out of the realm of possibility that they might succeed together? Are they so emotionally stunted, do they lack so much compassion and understanding of each other that it would be impossible for them to listen and move forward together? What if they could discuss their issues, tell each other how they feel, stop hiding, and try? Who says there wouldn’t be angst and tension between them as they try to work through their issues? What if they’re actually supposed to be together and it would make them stronger—individually and as a couple?

Now, forget everything I just said. LOL. Let’s say we have to go by TV in general and typical TV rules. Let’s assume if Jeresa got together early on, then we’d see them struggle and fall apart and break up. Fine. Okay.

Here’s how Jeresa could have played out after the first two episodes:

5x03 banging honeymoon phase, probably

5x04 arguments and frustration with each other as T embraces being the white queen

5x05 J finds out about T’s coke usage and has to walk away from the relationship because he can’t stand to be complicit and stand idly by while she destroys herself

5x06 classic Jeresa angst and tension

5x07 KG’s death leads to T’s breaking point and J is there to support her

5x08 honesty hour, where it’s made clear that these two mean so much to one another and they’re running out of time to let each other know that, so they tell each other

5x09 one last united mission + they hatch the plan to get out and be free + a farewell with the promise and intent to see each other in another life

5x10 reunion in another life

Are these all headcanons? Of course they’re headcanons. Of course I would never expect the show to go exactly how I thought it would or with my own ideas. My point is that if they would’ve gotten together early on and we’d been given a glimpse of what that would be like, even if they failed, it doesn’t mean it would’ve been impossible for them to ever find themselves together again before season’s end.

“There’s not enough time,” the writers said. “It’s an action packed season,” the writers said. Okay. Why? There was enough time to spend on backstory of minor insignificant characters. There was enough time to introduce characters, tell us a bit about them, only to see them dead by the end of the episode. There was enough time to focus on Kote’s story, over multiple episodes, with not just a baby plot but a kidnapping one as well. So why? Why was there no time for Jeresa? Forget about them getting together and kissing and sex. If that was what it was (and it was) they wanted us to not have, then fine. Some of my favorite Jeresa moments were in the first two seasons, when Jeresa getting together was very much not a thing, when tension was high. So if it was just the portrayal of them not being together, if we still got the scenes of tension and them having no choice but to communicate, that would be completely fine. Like I said, I know I’m never going to get exactly what I want, my headcanons are mine, so that’s okay. Oh. But…no. Oh no. There was not even enough time for Jeresa to have more than short, throwaway, blink-and-you’ll-miss it conversations? Well. It’s the writers’ decision. They wanted it that way.

“It’s a Teresa-centric season,” Dailyn claimed. Like I’ve said before, James is a big part of Teresa’s journey and story. If you’re going to have a Teresa-centric season, it’s hard to accomplish that without shedding more light on James and Jeresa. This isn’t a Teresa-centric season. This has become the Kote show. Teresa is the main character but her journey has been pushed aside, diminished, and downplayed in order to make way for Kote ultrasounds and Pote grunting and Kelly Anne thinking “positive” and hopeful that Marcel will come to a party at the safe house. Instead of getting conversations that would offer insight into Teresa’s relationships with those in her family, we got an extended deep dive into the most chemistry-lacking relationship we’ve ever seen on the show. Well. It’s the writers’ decision. They wanted it that way.

“It’s Queen of the South, not Jeresa of the South,” the writers will insist. If by that they mean it’s Kote of the South. Imagine for a second that it actually was a Teresa-centric season but they were adamant about keeping James in this minor capacity. Okay. It would still be different than it is now because we’d be in tune with Teresa. We would’ve gotten a glimpse into her thought process. Was this not, at some point, meant to be a story about a strong woman? I can even extend that question to Kelly Anne. Was this not, at some point, meant to be a story about strong women? Then why do we keep seeing them make asinine decisions? Why are their most extreme actions in reaction to what the men have done?

Moreover, if this show is about the people in the cartel, in Teresa’s inner circle, rather than just the Kote side plot becoming the main plot, there’s no way this is the James we would be getting. James, our beloved reluctant assassin…who we know nothing about. He can’t even get a backstory on a show on which he is supposedly one of the main characters. Five minutes—five seconds—couldn’t even be spared on James and how he came to be who he is, how he got where he is. But Isidro Navarro? By all means, I need to hear his life story. Who’s Isidro Navarro, you ask? Right. Exactly. Apparently we don’t deserve backstory and explanation and conversation and introspection from our protagonists. But a character who is there for ten minutes or less on a single episode and will never be heard from again in any significant manner? Of course he needs his screen time. Well. It’s the writers’ decision. They wanted it that way.

“This is not a romance show,” the makers of season 5 said. Honestly? Fuck that noise. Fuck that sentiment. Fuck that ignorance. When has Jeresa ever been about romance? Where do the people who make this show get off saying something like that as if we are so stupid we don’t know that? A romance story and a love story are not the same thing. Jeresa is love. God forbid Jeresa ever experience love within a successful relationship. God forbid Teresa and James ever become mature enough to use love as strength rather than weakness. But pile on all the Kote. Focus on them and emphasize how Teresa and James can barely even look at each other. Well. It’s the writers’ decision. They wanted it that way.

So now here we are, on the cusp of 5x09. We got a spoiler in the last promo trailer. We know, after 7 episodes since their last conversation that actually meant something, after the writers missed the mark and didn’t have Jeresa interact in a way that was significant and necessary over the course of the season, that there is at least one kiss. They might even have a conversation. They might even share more than one kiss that leads to more (but also, don’t be surprised if we get a mere few seconds of a kiss and nothing more before fade to black). This is going to make us so happy because finally, finally, they’re giving us what we wanted. And then what? What does it mean if those things are true? Is everything forgiven? Is the instant gratification of seeing our ship sail for a scene or two enough? Does it make up for the character assassination of the characters we love? If we somehow get the ending we want, or at least one close to it, is it even believable anymore? Is what has been broken all season so easily fixed?

Listen, I already know the counter argument. I’m going to be told I’m crazy, that Teresa has to be on her own, that it wouldn’t be interesting, that it would diminish the payoff for Teresa and Jeresa in the end. I get it. Typical TV rules, right? We have to go with what people know, what they’re used to. But what have we gotten, really, to preserve these ‘rules’ for TV in general? Teresa has been dumbed down and is now lacking a lot of the intuition and street smarts she had before. She makes bad decision after bad decision and she doesn’t see what’s coming. The actions she takes are in reaction to those bad decisions. James hates so much of what he’s been made to do but for some reason he keeps going along and carrying out Teresa’s orders; he’ll just stew over it quietly in a corner without saying anything. Teresa and James don’t talk to each other, at least not about anything important, and when they do talk, they give each other heart eyes but never scratch the surface—how could they when they talk for like 10 seconds at a time? So. Has this been a good portrayal of Jeresa? You tell me. If it’s fine with everyone else, then I guess it’s fine. I’m probably the wrong person to ask.

[scullydubois]

baby, in your kingdom (for valentine’s <3)

read on ao3   tagging: @today-in-fic @iusedtoknowwhatawishwasfor @scullllaaaaayyyy

Mulder proposes to Scully during the Requiem bed scene.

So you may have seen the text post I wrote imagining a version of Requiem where Mulder proposed and didn’t go off to Oregon at the end...I couldn’t stop thinking about that, so it turned into this. This is my favorite prose that I’ve written for a fic, and it might turn into a series someday because this concept is just so rich and worth diving into. Happy Valentine’s Day, and enjoy a treat on me to numb the pain hehe. 

T, 1.7k, more angst than fluff (oops) but the tenderness is there too 

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

He needs to tell her one thing and ask her another. Should be simple enough, except it never is when it comes to words passing between them. It's in both their natures to leave the sweetest sentiments unsaid lest they lose their luster when voice meets air. And what he has in mind is not exactly the easiest of utterances, neither the former nor the latter. One is the kind of admittance we fear when the phone rings unexpectedly, the other a declaration the unluckiest people go to their graves without getting. Delivering both at the same time is a sin if he’s ever committed one. And for once, he cares what count God has against him. What if he isn’t able to see her again, even in the afterlife? 

He’s been weighing one decision for awhile, looking for the balance between his conviction and her virtue. He could have done it when she came back to him with her baby-faced blush, accepting the cross he clung to in lieu of her. Or when she showed him the x-rays, and they spelled out no hope. When he cried by her bedside and she didn’t stir--he could have done it then, she wouldn’t have known. But it means nothing unless it means everything to both of them, and she wouldn’t have--no, couldn’t have--given him the answer he wants back then. He holds this as the sacred truth that governed him then and will govern him now. He has no room for regrets.

The scuff of their shoes against the baseball diamond was the first time he realized that maybe, maybe this manic impulse of his had some basis in reality. Not a solid one, nothing they could cross a canyon with, but in time…

And then he was inside her brain, privy to her thoughts, and what was an unsound bridge had become a stairway to Heaven only they could climb. Fuck a safety net, he wouldn’t be needing that anymore.

Then he got the call from Billy Miles, and he thought of her ouroboros, and isn’t that what they’ve been doing this whole time? Circling some greater truth that they’ve always known? 

Every circle ends where it begins and begins where it ended. This is what he’s thinking when he spots Billy’s badge, and they glide over the X he painted when they didn’t yet trust each other (but so badly wanted to), and when he lays eyes on Teresa Nemmans and she is not Nemmans but Hoese, and there is a child in her arms. 

Seven years. And what do they have to show for it? What they mean to each other has changed, but it’s not like anyone can tell. He called Scully his partner then, and he calls her his partner now. Oh, the time they have wasted.

But it will be wasted no more. Seeing her with the Hoese baby, cooing a lullaby into its precious ear…seven years ago, he told her of the government’s conspiracy and how nothing else mattered to him. That is no longer the truth.

There is a truth they both know that is stronger than anything. When she appears at his door, flushed and shivering like a puppy left out in the cold, his head and his heart finally hit the same wavelength. He will shy away from fate no longer.

She doesn’t wait to be invited in, she knows his bed is hers for the taking. He lifts her shoes off her feet like he’s kneeling at an altar, wraps his arms around her as if it’s what he was put on this Earth to do. Contrary to popular belief, he has quite a reverence for domestic bliss. He’s been searching for it since his own reflection of it was shattered at twelve years old, and it has finally come to him.

He is scared to death that he’ll fuck it up, but not so scared that he’ll back away. In other words, his approach to everything in his life. It occurs to him then, with his lips on her temple, that he would set his own flame to the office and every X-File in it if she asked him to. If that’s what she wanted. He wouldn’t even have stepped foot back in that haunted place after its first burning if she’d given him an indication that it was not her desire.

“Scully,” he starts, nuzzling her neck, “I was thinking about when you asked me if I ever wanted to stop...if I ever wanted to get out of the car.”

“Uh-huh,” she breathes so faintly that he wouldn’t have known if he hadn’t felt it in her lungs. 

“Well, I do want that. I’ve always wanted that. Remember when we were in Home and I said I’d like to settle someplace like that?”

Scully chuckles against him.

“Obviously not in Home, but you know, some place with the small-town sentiment without the, uh, familial connection.”

“Mm-hm,” Scully murmurs, sensing a larger point that he has strayed from.

“I just never knew how to get to it--I never thought that I could get to it, because I grew up thinking my parents had that, and then I saw they never did at all.”

Scully tucks his open palm under her chin, listening contentedly. 

“So I spent my time chasing apparitions,” he continues, “things I couldn’t see, because I stopped believing in the things that I could. It’s like…the invisible things could surpass my expectations easily, but the visible ones could only disappoint.”

Scully feels cocooned, protected, and warm. She latches her attention to Mulder’s voice to keep from drifting off, kissing his knuckle to show that she’s listening.

“And I’ve realized, Scully,” he says, an edge in his voice, “that it’s a fucking waste of time to live like that. Like doing laps on a lazy susan and wondering why you’re never getting anywhere.” 

“I know,” Scully says, her voice quiet but certain. 

Mulder laughs lightly. “I know you do, that’s what you’ve been saying all this time...I just didn’t see it before.” He kisses her shoulder, lingering in the final moments before doing what cannot be undone. “And so I have something to ask you, but there’s something I have to tell you first.” Rawness permeates his voice. 

At the sound of this, Scully cranes her neck, her gaze falling upon his face for the first time since they laid down. She can barely see his hazel irises through the reflecting pool in his eyes. 

“What is it, Mulder?” she asks, concern pressing up against her urgent need to know.

He closes his eyes, the sight of her too much for him in this moment. What he wouldn’t give to feel like he could live with himself if he kept this a secret.

“I’ve seen a neurologist, I’ve had MRIs, it’s all conclusive. My brain is diseased from whatever Cigarette Smoking Man did to me. Fatal, my neurologist says.”

“Mulder…” Scully sits up, her whole being gravitating toward him. She runs her fingers along the space where she knows he bears his scar. 

“Who told you this? And when? Have you had symptoms…?”

Clearly, she does not want to believe him, and he understands.

“I’ve been going back and forth to appointments for a few weeks. It was just confirmed the other day, I didn’t want to worry you until I knew more.”

“And your symptoms?” 

He recognizes the darkness in her eyes and pucker in her forehead that forewarns tears. “Disorientation, dizziness, memory loss...sometimes I feel like I sleepwalked right through my day. “

‘Why didn’t you tell me?” her voice crackles.

He kisses her hand. “I thought you might go to some dark places if you tried to diagnose me.”

“Well, you’ve just turned the lights out on me with no warning!”

“Shit. I’m sorry, I’m sorry...I didn’t know how best to approach it, I just knew I wanted to cause you the least pain possible.”

“You wanted it to be nothing so you wouldn’t have to tell me,” she notes, not accusing, just speaking plainly.

“Well, yes. That would have been ideal.”

She swallows back tears, wrapping her arms around his neck with grave sincerity. “But now I’m here to fight right alongside you.”

This is what they do--have done, for years. Make his pain her pain and vice versa. Hurt hurts less when shared.

Mulder pulls away first, and it feels like peeling off a layer of his skin. Still, this is as necessary as anything he has ever known. 

“That’s why I was wondering--and listening to it now, I realize this is probably the most selfish thing I’ve ever done, but I don’t know, I thought you might understand...will you marry me, Scully?”

Her breath catches and before she can think of anything else, she is careening toward his t-shirt to cover her tears. She clutches at the material, pulling it from his midsection to her face.

As far as Mulder’s concerned, there’s an elephant stuck in his throat. “I really don’t know what that means,” he stammers.

Scully lets him see her, tear-stained skin and all. “Yes, Mulder, my god yes! Do you honestly think I’d say no to you?”

“I would, especially in this situation.” 

It’s a classic Mulder comment, but Scully’s not laughing. She pulls him in again, just wanting to feel his skin against hers. Their breaths slow in time with each other’s, their heartbeats matching pace. Scully’s lips brush his mole.

She speaks into his skin. “You saved me when it was impossible. I will do the same for you.”

Mulder thought he might hold it together until those words slipped from her lips. The elephant in his throat turns to stifled sobs. 

With silent tears still streaking down her cheeks, Scully runs her thumbs along his lips. Just as she did when they thought his brain was getting better. The love in her eyes is equal to then too.

“My constant, my touchstone, remember?” she professes. “Then, now, and always.” She presses her lips to his forehead, and he thinks she must be healing him.

[jawritter]

One Cold Day In Canada

Summary: Jensen has a rough day at work, and Y/N is there to make him feel better.

Written For: @spnchristmasbingo​

Square Field: Christmas Proposal

Warnings: Written in Jensen’s POV, cold weather problems, language, cuddly Jensen, I think that’s about it. This one is pretty light.

Word Count: 1668

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

A/N: This fic is completely unbeta’d, so all mistakes are mine! Please don’t copy my work! Feedback is golden! Hope you all enjoy this one!!

**MASTERLIST**   **BECOME A PATREON**

If there was one thing Jensen hated it was being cold. He couldn’t understand why in the hell did it seem like every role he was destined to land was destined to be filmed in Canada. He longed for the days of Texas summers and sun that was typical of his home state. This snow and cold were getting to be a little more than he could handle, and typically he could handle quite a good bit without complaining. 

Today had started off rough. The Uber he’d called to take him to set had broken down on the freeway in the middle of what seemed to be the blizzard from hell, so they had to sit in the cold car for almost thirty minutes before another Uber could get to them to not only help call a tow for the one that had broken down, but also to take him to set. 

Now he was an hour late, only to find out from the hair and makeup ladies that they were going to be shooting water scenes today. He wondered as he stood on the side of the pool of the barley heated facility if Kripke had finally lost his damn mind, but once he was in the water he was too damn cold to worry about anything but not freezing to death. 

Thankfully, he was able to get the shots they needed in maybe one or two takes, but that still kept him in the water off and on for most of the day. When lunch finally rolled around, he made his way to the food tent on set and was determined to just get a cup of coffee and then go to his trailer to warm up before having to continue with another scene after lunch. When he got back to his trailer, he quickly discovered that he had run out of the propane it took to keep the heater going, and he was only able to use the electric fireplace at the top of the trailer. It kept it bearable, but not as warm as Jensen wanted, and no matter how hard he tried, he wasn’t able to warm up or rest comfortably. 

When he finally walked back through the doors of the condo he’d rented for himself and Y/N to stay in while he was filming here, and the travel restrictions prevented him from going back to Texas, he made his way straight to the shower in hopes that the scalding spray would be able to warm him in a way he’d been craving all day long. 

It worked while he was able to stand there, and let the boiling water beat away at his muscles, but too soon for his liking even the water had started to turn cold, and he was forced to leave its warm embrace and dress himself. 

He knew he’d be struggling for the rest of the night at this rate, and he’d be shocked if he didn’t catch himself a good cold from today’s shooting. 

A deep sigh left his lips as he pulled his sock hat over his head and his cardigan over his shoulders. It was the warmest thing he had clean, and he knew what he really wanted to help keep him warm wouldn’t be home for a little bit. 

Jensen slowly made his way over to the sectional that sat in front of the TV in the center of the room, and flicked it to Netflix, scrolling mindlessly until he found something he could settle on and just let play to distract himself. He could still feel himself shivering, even though he had his favorite pj pants, cardigan, and sock hat firmly on his head. 

He cursed under his breath and grabbed the blanket Y/N kept on the back of the couch, pulling it over his body and up to his neck as the front door lock started to turn, and his eyes trailed to it. She was here, she was finally home.

“Jay,” she called, before turning around to find him curled in his little ball on the couch, a bag of takeout gripped in her hand. She smiled at him as she made her way over to him. Jensen knew he must look pathetic, but he had finally found a somewhat warm position, so moving just wasn’t gonna happen. 

“Hey,” he said, smiling at her and lifting the covers for her to crawl in with him. The smile she gave him made his heart flutter in his chest and a different kind of warmth started to stir just below the surface, the one he’d really be craving all day. The one he’d only ever gotten from her. 

She shook her head as she pulled his food from the bag and sat it on the coffee table in front of him within his reach, all-out laughing as he pouted at her when she didn’t crawl into the covers the way he’d wanted her too. He just knew if he could get her arms around him, it would chase this bone-chilling cold away from him he’d been battling all day long. 

“You eat, and when I’m done in the shower I’ll cuddle with you as much as you want me to,” she said, leaning down to press a quick kiss to his lips before scurrying off towards the bathroom to shower and get in her comfortable clothes. Jensen pouted even as he ate his meal she’d brought home to him. He knew he was being a big baby, but dammit all he wanted was her to snuggle with him and keep him warm. It was all he’d been thinking about since he’d got out of bed this morning and started this horrible day.

He finished his food quickly, growing more and more impatient by the second. He growled as he kicked the covers off of his body, and slumped into the kitchen to dispose of his leftovers before turning to go into the bathroom where he knew she’d still be. 

He leaned against the door frame and watching with his cardigan pulled tight around his body. She turned to see him with the toothbrush hanging out of her lips, and almost burst into hysterical laughter when she saw how pathetic he looked. 

Man, he loved it when she laughed. He could listen to it constantly and never get tired of it. He smiled in spite of himself. He just couldn’t help it.

“What’s wrong baby,” she said, rinsing her toothbrush and placing it in the holder before making her way over to him, and putting her arms tightly around him. Jensen melted into her hold almost immediately, burying his face in her hair and inhaling the scent of her shampoo that he loved so much.

“Bad day,” he said, kissing the top of her head and holding her close against him, enjoying the way she snaked her hands under his cardigan and pulling closer to her warm body. “First the Uber had car trouble so I had to sit in the cold, and then I had to shoot in the water most of the day. My propane was out in my trailer, so I had to just use the little fireplace in that big fifth wheel. I just can’t seem to warm up today, and I hate being cold.”

She never made fun of him, never laughed at him or poked fun at him for complaining so much about his day; she just stood up on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his neck before slipping her hand into his and pulling him towards their bedroom, throwing the covers back and allowing him to crawl into bed fully clothed, sock hat and all, before joining him; letting him wrap his arms tightly around her and curl himself as tight against her as he could. 

“Warming up any handsome?” she asked him after a while of just laying together in complete and utter silence, her hands trailing up and down his back as he nuzzled into her hold, letting his lips brush over her ever so often in a soft kiss. 

Jensen hummed in contentment, slipping off his sock hat finally so that she could run her fingers through his hair. He loved it when her nails scraped against his scalp when she played with his hair. It was so comforting to him in a strange way.

This was the part of the day he always looked forward to. No matter how bad the day had been, no matter what happened to him, or no matter what was happening around him he knew he could always count on her to be there for him with her arms open, not judging him or telling him to “man up” and deal with whatever his problems were. She loved him irrevocably and unconditionally, no matter how big of a baby he was being or how clingy he could get sometimes. She was there when he needed her, and he didn’t know what he’d ever done to deserve her but he knew he’d never let her go or take her for granted. She was it for him, and as he fell asleep in her arms, her fingers still lightly scratching threw his hair as he drifted somewhere between sleep and perfect piece, his mind thought back to the little black velvet box he had hidden, wrapped up in pretty Christmas paper to be placed under the tree in three days on Christmas morning. The one that held a single diamond ring, and his heart all in one. 

She had given so much of herself to support him and be there for him through the years and his ever-changing career moves. She had been there through the good times and through the bad. It was time that he gave all of himself to her, and on Christmas morning, he’d give her all he ever had to give, and if she wanted it, his last name.

Forever Tags: 

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Jensen and Dean’s Babes

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[anotherbeingsworld]

Fly High

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x F!MC (Casey Valentine) 

Characters: Bryce Lahela, Casey Valentine and Teresa Martinez. 

Summary: The small moments with Mr.s Martinez were playing in their mind a year after the inevitable happens. 

TW: death. 

A/N: hi! I am sorta-back in the writing game? This idea has been living in my mind as OPH is coming. Its somewhat a tribute to Mrs. Martinez, and with a small touch of backstory between Bryce and Casey. I’m so sorry for not writing as much as I did before, uni is almost coming to an end for the 2nd semester which i am quite excited for. But, this story is dear to my heart. Idk why I love to write death, as i somewhat resonates it with life, but...this really is something I am very proud of. I like to dedicate this to those who wants to catch their dreams but, they couldn’t. Mrs. Martinez really gave us good advice, and...I’d like for it to stay in our minds. Also, I’m dedicating this to those who have leave a mark in my life. Its something that still blows me away everyday. Thank you, and enjoy! <3 

MY MASTERLIST

"I would take a 99% chance of dying over spending the next ten years in this hospital. To have even a 1% chance of exploring the world... of finally standing on the steps of Sacre-Coeur... I would give everything."—Mrs. Martinez.

---------

365 days ago. 

“Teresa Martinez were found dead at her hotel room in Buenos Aires.” was the topic in the hospital that day. The news of Mr.s Martinez leave the hospital devastated, as the world seems to stop for Casey. 

It doesn’t feel real. It’s not real, she is living her life happily in Paris...visiting the Sacre-Coeur. She can’t be...  

The thoughts were interrupted by the sound of ambulance coming in, a trauma case distracting her thoughts. She quickly joined in the other interns in the scene, but her mind falls onto Mr.s Martinez; the advice she left. A wisdom, as her passing is similar to a shooting star finally burns out. A light that has to be left behind. The days went by quicker, a trial, law-suit occurs in a blink of an eye. 

---------

PRESENT DAY 

It was a day of remembrance today, as Bryce and Casey make their way to the hospital in a slow pace. It was an emotional day for all of them, as all their memories were playing. All the laughter and joy, it was one of her favorite things about her. Her cheery persona was the heart of Edenbrook, and without her; a light has been burn, but a star has obtain someone special to keep on shining them from a far. 

Bryce was awfully quiet as well, as they walked down the road after spending their night together. Words were unspoken the night before, as the comfort was worth more than a sentence, a word and even a rhyme. 

Casey found herself to a stop, at the entrance. A distance away, trying to calmed herself down. He broke the silence by placing his hand on her cheek, caressing it with a small smile on his face.

‘You cam do this okay, we are all here for you.’ He said before pulling her into a kiss, as they melt into an embrace before going their separate ways. He stops in the mid of the hallway, his eyes fall onto her as they were met with a pair of emeralds that is already looking at him. 

They both resume their day, as the memories followed them throughout the hour. A reminder that she had left a mark to everyone in Edenbrook including one Casey Valentine and Bryce Lahela. 

----------

C A S E Y

The voices around her fades, as she sat on the empty bench, letting out a sigh as she was dismissed by Dr. Mirani upon her mistake today in the patient room. She remembers the embarrassment as the other interns let out a chuckle upon her mistake, moments before she was chewed. It was her second week as an intern, and she has made mistakes; what happened to her? 

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone occupying a seat the opposite of her. It was Mrs Martinez letting out a breath with her I.V stand on her side, looking at her with concern. She smiled upon her arrival as she remembers the events on their first meet which involves herself being lost in the hospital during her first day with Elijah. 

Weeks later, she became close to her as she learns upon her love towards travelling, visiting new places around the world; from the Bright Lights of Paris to the city of Madrid. And, the thought of the postcards hanging in her room bring joy to her, as a reminder of her own dream to be a doctor. 

“Casey dear, what’s with the long face?” She spoke, as Casey lets out a sigh.

“I just, I messed up again. It’s been a month, and I tend to get distracted with everything; friendships, the competition, dreading patients, and everything feels too overwhelming.” She burried her face in her hands, trying to hide her expression from the woman in front of her.

After a few moments of silence, she opened her eyes once more to be met with a concerned looking Mr.s Martinez. 

“Dear, you are not human if you never messed up. If I ever got a dollar for every time I took a wrong turn in life, I believe I can afford a mansion in the city of Stars.” 

Casey lets out a chuckle upon the mention of it, as the smile slowly appear on her face. 

“I think I’d be able to pay up my student loans that way.” 

There was a ripple of laughter between them, lighten up the mood releasing a knot on her shoulders that has been there for the day. 

“Indeed, but I saw you work that day; and I believe you are going places dear. You are unique, and the world is not ready to see the light in you dim. For the last decades of living, I made a huge mistake of not pursuing my dreams; and I don’t want to see you give up this dream Casey.” Her voice is demanding yet calm giving her a sense of hope. 

They were interrupted by Danny who is in the midst of a scavenger hunt for one Mr.s Martinez who apparently has left her room once again.

“There you are Mr.s Martinez, its time for your medicine once again.” Danny said as he smiles upon their interaction.

“I guess my time is up. I had fun chatting with you dear, I’ll see you soon.” Mr.s Martinez left with Danny leaving her alone with the wild thoughts once again. 

But, this moment; she received a sense of hope. Maybe it will be okay after all. 

----------

B R Y C E

The first day as a surgical intern at Edenbrook. He was finally a surgeon, all those years of bartending was worth it. His confidence somewhat pushed people away, as he shrugs the feeling off. He came here to be the best, and not to find friends. 

“Welcome interns. Today is the start of your careers as a surgical intern, and I am ecstatic for what all of you could bring to the table.” the Dr. Harper Emery exclaims happily, as she eyed the crowd of surgeons.

There was a round of applause, as the energy in the room was accumulated. 

“I will introduce you to Dr. Tanaka who is one of your surgical residents. He will be guiding you through this journey. Some of you will fall, quit, but some of you will rise and it will be worth it in the end.” 

After the introduction was done, the crowd was dismissed as the first rounds of the day begun for the surgical interns. 

His heart was filled with excitement, a new beginning. A new slate, and a new chance to not become known. That is the whole reason from the beginning. He is Bryce Lahela, a surgeon. Nothing else more. 

As the days go by, he has been able to witness the procedures that were taught during his years at medical school. His gaze was equivalent to one who looks at their favorite food which is filled with awed and joy. As someone who would fixed up the problems at home, surgery made him feel fulfill once again. It is giving him a purpose even after everything that has happened. 

“Dr Lahela, earth to Dr. Lahela.” A voice called for him brought him back from his subconscious. 

“Yes, I’m here.” He replied as the other interns were found laughing silently at the back.

“What is the first step to perform a  Laparoscopic appendectomy?’ Dr. Tanaka questioned him with Dr. Emery on his side observing. All of the eyes fall on him.

It was his moment to show that he is worth it today, and everyday for the rest of his life.

We will access the appendix through a few small incisions in the abdomen as a cannula which is a small, narrow tube  will then be inserted. It is used to inflate the abdomen with carbon dioxide gas which allows us to see the appendix more clearly...” He paused, as he took a deep breath before resuming his explanation. 

“Once the abdomen is inflated,  a laparoscope will be inserted through the incision. It is a long, thin tube with a high-intensity light and a high-resolution camera at the front which will display the images on a screen, allowing us to see inside of the abdomen and guide the instruments. When the appendix is found, it will be tied off with stiches and removed. The small incisions are then cleaned, closed, and dressed.” His final words fall as somehow equivalent to a mic-drop earning both smiles from the two doctors, as they resumed with rounds for the day. 

He took a minute to be proud of himself, as it is a reminder that he is here to stay. 

After rounds was over, he is officially a surgeon. He was assigned under Dr. Tanaka as he was his resident along with a few other interns. It was really happening, the suprised dream he had that was meant to be an escape; has came true today.

“Dr. Lahela, I would like you to scrub in with me to perform your very first appendectomy in the O.R” Dr. Tanaka said, as his smile was wide filled with joy which was taken away by the growling voices of the other interns behind him. 

He ignored them, as he started to scrub in. The looked that was dedicated to him was somewhat a deja vu moment, a moment where he was known as the son of a criminal. The hatred eyes that is coming to him, attacking him slowly as it was disguised by the confident exterior. 

He shake the thoughts away, getting himself prep in the O.R for his first surgery, but some demons never left as he tried his best. 

After they were dismissed, he took a turn to the cafeteria as a distraction. It wasn’t the best, maybe he hoped it would be like the movies; he would be the protagonist, the hero. Instead, it was the joker. 

He decides upon a snicker bar from one of the vending machines, as the line piled up. He took a seat at the edge of the room, with his pager present on the table. A breath was taken, calming the rage and expectations in him. 

The occupied thoughts were interrupter by a woman, looking at her once again with concern. 

“You should try this, it’s the cafeteria signature.” The voice was soft, comforting as she passed a pudding cup his way. Chocolate to be specific. 

“It’s just a pudding cup, mr.s” He chuckled upon the small cup, as Mr.s Martinez joined him on the empty seats. 

“It’s more than a pudding cup, it’s the cure of sadness actually.” She gestures upon him, as realization hits him.

“I didn’t hide it hard enough didn’t I?” 

She just shake his head, as he held the pudding cup in his hands. 

“You must be one of the new interns aren’t you, the outfit reminds me of a young Harper Emery during her own residency.” She gestures towards his green scrubs. 

“She was the legend, and you have seen her work here before??” His eyes shine upon the name.

“Son, I have been in this hospital for the last decade. I have known all the residents for some times now, there was a lot a person can go through for the last 10 years.” She stated as Bryce was filled with awe. 

“So, tell me what’s with the long face; I thought it was supposed to be an exciting start.”  

“I woke up today feeling on top of the world, but coming here feels like the past haunting me once again. The eyes, the look, and...it reminds me of something I always wanted to forget.” He lets out a small sigh upon the statement, it wasn’t the whole truth, but it feels go to have someone to listen. 

“The past, its always going to be there to haunt us. Sometimes, history repeats itself to prove how strong you are. You have been through a lot and you survived, you are a doctor today dear. This chance is bigger than any doubt, any pain, any memory that you have been through. I have seen the doctors here grow, some had left to pursue something easier, some even crack under the pressure, but some also thrive in excellence. Those people have fought to survive, and that’s what life is about dear. Fighting to survive, I am fighting too. It felt like a long journey for the past 10 years, but some adventures are worth to take to get to the final destination.” She ends the speech with a smile, as she left him with his thoughts once again. 

It feels like a fever-dream, but it is true. Maybe, he will make it after all with a pack of chocolate pudding by his side. 

Suddenly, his pager starts to beep. A new chance to start again, a new hope was in-stored. He took a final bite before leaving the room, feeling okay for the first time that day. 

----------

PRESENT DAY 

The day passes by quickly, as the reminders and memories kept on replaying in their minds. A sign from her, a message possibly, a lingering gift from the beyond. 

Casey met up with Bryce at the entrance, they have plans that evening. Both of them are already dressed in black which replaces the scrubs from the day; Luis invited them that day to pay their respects for Mrs. Martinez. The whole gang followed, as it is better to face the inevitable together- making it less scarier. 

The evening was peaceful, it was beautiful even. The leaves started to fall, its a start of a new season; some would say a new chapter. They met with Luis to pay their respects to the woman who had changed all of their lives, as they changed hers even for a moment. 

They paid their respects together, as Casey lets out of her silent wishes for Mrs. Martinez. It took a few moments before she was met with his comforting gaze once more, as she nods in completion.  Their reunion with Luis was a pleasant one, as he thanked them once more; despite everything. It echo’s in her mind, word-by-word. 

‘You give my mom her happiness, the one thing I couldn’t. I will never thank you enough for the little miracle that had happened. I was pissed when I found out, but...you manage to give her the signature Martinez’s smile once more. Thank you.’

Luis excused himself from the group, as they were pulled into a group hug. Mrs. Martinez gave each and everyone of them a purpose. Something that she couldn’t see before. 

After they bid their farewell,  Bryce and Casey walked hand-in-hand making their way back home as they talked about life, memories, and even happiness. It was a beautiful ending for their day, as the sunset was their backdrop, it was what life is all about. 

She finally started to live life, as he continues to pursue his dream. Maybe even found himself a new dream as well. 

----------

‘Life to one Teresa Martinez ; it was an unforgettable journey. She believed in the impossible, she took a risk that wasn’t mean to be taken by any other. She trusted me, and that was everything. But, the news - it was a tragedy. Death is a tragedy, as life was taken away from us. But, Teresa Martinez’s death reminds us of the dreams that we wanted to catch. The dreams that were left behind, the dreams that were abandoned in the dust. It was a dream that is worth following for, even if it ends upon your death bed. She believed in me during my dark times, and the reminder of one Teresa Martinez, is something we can’t turn back from. But, the advices and love she has left behind is a reminder that those who are gone...will always be with us, we can’t see them, but there are always there guiding us, cheering us on even after they have left us behind. Teresa Martinez lived a good life, and she will never be forgotten as she is flying high at somewhere better.’  

THE END. 

Tags:  @bitchloveskcbaseball , @storyofmychoices , @mvalentine , @princess-geek , @lahellacute ,   @annekebbphotography , @mrsbhandari , @dcbbw , @choicessa , @fantasyoverreality98 , @baltersome , @ofpixelsandscribbles , @thundergom  @starrystarrytrouble,  @kelseaaa  , @choicesficwriterscreations  , @lalizah , @drethanramslay , @eleanorbloom , @openheartfanfics , @brycesgirl  ,  @freckles-spangledvampire , @agentnolastname , @robintora​ , @adriansbiss​  (comment if you want to be tagged or removed 💜💜)

[nothingbutfangirlsmut]

The Trials of Emi

Pairing: A little Minho. A sprinkle of Frypan. Gally x Emi(OC)

Summary: Emi, her twin brother Thomas, and a small group of gladers had been rescued and taken to a safe haven. Or so it seemed. It doesn't take long for Thomas to realize something is wrong. What happens next is a true trial for all of them but Emi's trials began the moment she was ripped away from a dying Gally. Watching someone you love die right before your eyes truly takes a toll.

Finally meeting the right arm could have been the end but betrayal leads to even more chaos and loss. A new mission to rescue those taken from them leads them to a city. The last city. After Emi finally comes to terms with everything that's happened something unfolds that changes everything again. She will have to not only deal with helping her brother take down WCKD and save their friend but also deal with all the new problems in her head and her heart.

Rating: As of right now it’s at most PG13. Some strong language that’s about it but it could change.

(This is the 2nd part/book to my other story "The Maze trials: A Gally Fanfiction". This will cover the events of the scorch trails and the death cure.)

Chapter Ten

The guards started moving immediately pulling the kids two at a time to put on the aircraft.

"Hey!" Thomas shouted as he stood.

I was quickly on my feet standing next to him. I knew what he was going to do and I needed to be beside him for it to work. Our friends we're on their feet behind us.

"Hello, Thomas" Ava said softly.

Teresa appeared out of the guards behind Ava. She moved to stand right next to the doctor.

"Glad you're safe" Ava told Teresa.

"The hell? Teresa?" Fry asked as he stepped closer to Thomas and me.

"Wait, what's going on?" Newt asked stepping closer as well.

"She's with them," Thomas said bitterly.

"Since when?" Minho asked in shock.

"Oh, Teresa has always had an evolved appreciation of the greater good. Once we restored her memories it was only a matter of time." Janson explained with a smug grin.

My hands balled into fists at my side. I can't believe we trusted her. I can't believe I looked at her as a friend.

"You bitch" I spat at her.

If she wasn’t wedged between Ava and Janson I wouldn’t be hesitating. I knew if I lunged for the traitor’s throat, like I wanted to, I’d be dead before I could even touch her. The thought of her being protected by them. Her being on their side filled me with a rage I’d never felt.

“What about every god damn thing that happened to us!? What the hell is wrong with you?” I shouted as I stepped forward.

Just as I thought, the guards behind her instantly trained their weapons on me. I felt two different hands. One grabbing each of my wrists. My chest was rising and falling rapidly as I starred at the one I want blood from.

"I'm sorry. I had no choice. This is the only way. We have to find a cure." Teresa said like it was a matter of fact.

Bullshit. Absolutely unbelievable bullshit. I gritted my teeth together to keep myself from lashing out at the girl. The hands holding my wrists tugged me backwards until I was firmly standing next to Thomas again.

"She's right. This is all just a means to an end. You use to understand that Thomas. No matter what you think of me I am not a monster. I am a doctor. I swore an oath to find a cure. No matter the cost. I just need more time." Ava said sternly.

"More blood," a woman said from behind us.

I turned to see an older woman with her hands bound standing to her feet.

"Hello Mary, I hoped we'd meet again. I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances." Ava said softly.

Mary. That's the name of the doctor that saved me. Was this woman that doctor?

"I'm sorry about a lot of things too but not this. At least my conscience is clear." Mary said with her head held high.

"So is mine," Ava said quietly.

A shot rang out making me jump. Mary fell to the ground as the man behind her shouted. He caught her in his arms.

"Mary? Mary!" He shouted trying to wake her.

Her torso was quickly covered in her own blood.

"No!" The man holding her screamed.

I turned back towards Ava to see Janson holding the gun that had killed Mary.

"Come on Janson. Load them up. Let's go. All these people get rid of them. Let's go!" Ava ordered as she turned her back on us.

As Ava started to walk away a guard grabbed Thomas and me. Thomas elbowed him making him stumble back.

"Get back!" Thomas shouted as he pulled the detonator out of his pocket.

I moved to stand next to him again then pulled the actual bomb out of my pocket. I held it in my hand so all of them could see it.

"Everyone stand back! Stand back. Let them go." Thomas ordered Ava.

"Thomas, put it down," Janson ordered.

"Let them go!" Thomas shouted.

"You know I can't do that," Ava said softly as she shook her head.

"Thomas please stop. I made a deal with them. They promised we'd be safe. All of us." Teresa begged.

I glared at her as I tightened my hold around the bomb. My heart was thumping in my chest.

"So I should trust you now?" Thomas asked in disbelief.

"It's true, it was her only condition," Ava confirmed.

"Shut up!" Thomas shouted in fury.

"Everything can go back to the way it was. Thomas, do you really want all of them to die?" Ava asked softly.

"Listen to her Thomas. Think about what you're doing." Janson said reaching a hesitant hand out.

Newt, Fry, and Minho stepped up to stand close behind us. I felt an arm move between mine and Thomas' bodies. I looked down to see Newt's hand grab Thomas' free one.

"We're with you Thomas," Newt said proudly.

"Don't" Ava said looking suddenly panicked.

"Do it Thomas," Minho ordered.

"We're not going back there," Thomas stated.

"Thomas" Ava said hesitantly as she took a step back.

"It's the only way," Thomas said as he raised the detonator.

I held the bomb tighter. My eyes closed as I tried to ready myself for what we were about to do. This was it. This is how it ends. With a bang.

"Thomas!" Ava shouted.

A loud horn blared behind us. We turned to see a jeep speeding through the camp. It drove right past us towards one of the helicopters. It rammed the helicopter off the cliff then spun around and stopped. Instantly the fighting commenced as we ran in different directions. Thomas grabbed the bomb from my hand then tossed it a few feet away.

"Get down!" He shouted.

My body hit the ground a second before the explosion. Thomas had fallen beside me. We both scrambled back to our feet. I grabbed his hand to pull him with me. We ran in the direction of Newt, Fry, and Minho. I watched as Minho grabbed a gun off the ground. Newt and Fry ran past him. He started firing as Thomas and I reached him.

"Get out of here!" Minho shouted at us.

Thomas pushed me forward. We both ran past him up the hill to the other two. We took cover to watch what was happening below us. The scene was total chaos. Minho was firing at three guards coming towards him. I watched as his gun ran out of bullets. The guards raised their guns and all three shot him at once. He fell to the ground convulsing.

"Minho!" I shouted trying to jump to my feet.

I’ll be damned if I let another one of us go down. I scrambled for a gun. For anything to fight back with. Thomas, Newt, and Fry all grabbed me keeping me firmly planted. We watched as Minho was drug away from us and onto the aircraft. The other guards, Ava, Teresa, and Janson were quick to climb aboard. I watched as the aircraft closed its door then flew away. Another glader gone. So many of us were gone.

The people left at the camp slowly started to take in the damage. We worked together to bring all the dead together and gather what salvageable material we could find. By the time most of it was cleared it was mid-morning. I found my brother, friends, and Vince all sitting together on the hill. I was quick to join them.

"What do we do now?" Fry asked as he starred out at what was left of the camp.

"Now we pick up what's left of us. Stick to the plan. We get you kids to the safe haven. Then start over I guess." Vince answered.

Thomas stood up from his seat next to me.

"I'm not going with you." He said simply as he pulled on his backpack.

I was immediately on my feet next to him. I didn't know his plan but no matter what I was with him. He is my brother. My blood. I'll always have his back even if it kills me.

"What?" Vince asked in disbelief.

Thomas glanced at me then back to Vince.

"I made a promise to Minho. I wouldn't leave him behind. I have to go after him." Thomas said.

A rescue mission to save Minho? I'm in. Even though he was the one that killed Gally I understood it. That didn't make it hurt less and Minho wasn't even close to my favorite person but he was still family. If Thomas was going to risk his life to save him I’ll be right there too.

"Hey kid, look around you. WCKD kicked our ass. Think about where you're headed." Vince told him sternly.

Thomas took a moment to readjust the backpack on his shoulder.

"I'm not asking anyone to come with me," Thomas said softly.

"You don't have to ask me Tommy," I told him.

Thomas looked down at me with a soft smile. He knew no matter what he did or said I was going with him.

"Thomas listen to me. I've known Minho for as long as I can remember. So if there is any way we can help him trust me I would be up there standing next to you both. This, what you're talking about, is impossible." Newt explained as he sat on a rock.

"More like suicide," Jorge said from where he leaned against the jeep.

"Maybe, but I know what I'm supposed to do now. It's not just about Minho. It's about all of us. It's about everyone WCKD has ever taken and everyone they will take. They'll never stop. They'll never stop so I'm gonna stop them. I'm gonna kill Ava Paige." Thomas said with determination.

I proudly stood next to him knowing I'd follow him into hell. The look the came over Newt’s face told me that he too would follow Thomas no matter the put come.

"I have to admit I'd like some revenge," Harriet said looking at Vince.

Vince sighed.

"Well, it's a good speech kid. So what's your plan?" Vince asked Thomas.

We all turned to face the boy next to me. He had a ghost of a smile on his face. He knew we were all with him. If WCKD was gonna go down we all wanted a hand in it. Those bitches have taken too much from all of us.

—

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

as we are exchanging asks, something you asked me once: 10 favorite characters from 10 different operas and what you like about them?

an extremely delayed response, all apologies, and also it’s past midnight right now so perhaps I should be sleeping and I’ll try to keep this somewhat short (and probably fail), but anyway, to answer your question:

1. Don Carlo(s): I love just about everyone in this opera (except you, Grand Inquisitor. you can go die) but if I had to choose one, I’d go with the absolute icon that is Princess Éboli. The thing I love about her most, I think, is how wonderfully complicated and real she is. I mean, she loves life, she’s a fierce badass, she does some horrible things for...lots of different reasons, but she does her absolute best to set things right again. In short, an extremely relatable, amazing, gorgeous Disaster Bi. Also: Verdi mezzo, so epic-as-hell music.

2. La traviata: Violetta Valéry. She doesn’t have much in the way of competition within her opera, but I’m still putting her on here because she’s one of my favorite characters in anything ever, and one of the first fictional ladies on whom I developed a hardcore crush. Something people forget about courtesans is that they were more than just...sex objects. They were smart ladies who oftentimes set the pace for upper-class life even as they were privately scorned for their position. And Marie Duplessis (on whom Violetta is based) is pretty much your ultimate rags-to-riches story (although we know how it ultimately ends). So Violetta goes from having nothing to teaching herself the ways of the world, climbs to the top of Parisian society, then decides she wants to give it all up for true love and fulfillment. While she didn’t choose the right guy IMO, she’s incredibly brave and bold and sensitive and she cares so much about everyone and she gives up her happiness so many times and I can’t and I love her so much and also her music is amazing and excuse me while I go cry. Also I need to make these shorter.

3. Simon Boccanegra: There’s my boy, Simon! One: I am a sucker for Good Baritones. Two: I am particularly a sucker for Good or Good-at-Heart Tormented Verdi Baritones. Three: THIS GUY. All he wants is to have peace and be with his family. That’s it. He’s so good and kind and amazing but also he is taking exactly no one’s BS (just listen to that Council Chamber scene!). He takes a position he didn’t want in the hope that he’ll be able to win Maria, but then she dies, but then he still uses his position to try to reconcile the factions anyway (and surprisingly enough, he’s pretty successful?). And him as a dad MY HEART. 

4. Falstaff: Alice Ford, aka area 15th-century mistress of the house who has the mind of a 21st-century woman and is absolutely iconic for it. She’s incredibly smart and funny and clever and such a sweet person and great mom. She takes no one’s crap whatsoever and she outsmarts both Ford and Falstaff at every turn. She’s the ultimate ‘girls supporting girls’ lady and she gives the middle finger to the concepts of women just being good for being men’s playthings and of arranged marriage. And she knows how to have fun with it all. My one complaint: VERDI WHAT WERE YOU THINKING NOT GIVING HER A BADASS ARIA. That’s all.

5. Carmen: Carmen, my first love...I fell in love with her Habañera and her sheer confidence when I was 7 (and not realizing what it was about, may or may not have attempted to sing it on the playground at school, much to everyone’s confusion, but that’s a story for another time) and I’ve loved her since. I love her freedom, her huge self-confidence, her devil-may-care attitude, and every last note of her music. I just love her as a person. And of course, the iconic ‘‘Free was I born, and free I will die!” That right there is a life motto.

6. Eugene Onegin: My fellow book-loving, perpetually-dreaming nerd Tatyana Larina. Of course, I love her because of how sheerly relatable she is but there are so many other reasons as well. Like her and her sister’s dynamic. And the way she grows up and matures. And the way she’s not afraid to set some damn boundaries with Onegin, indeed, tell him no. That’s a strong girl right there, and while I wish she’d been able to get Onegin and true happiness...I’m not sure a relationship with Onegin would’ve worked out, and I’m proud of her for realizing that such a relationship (and perpetually fantasizing about it) could be extremely unhealthy and moving on. And oh God, her music. Especially the letter scene, which is every writer on an inspiration binge. And the final scene. Anyway.

7. Guillaume Tell: This is another ‘I love just about all the characters in this opera but welp I have to choose just one’ opera, and my choice is Guillaume Tell himself. First off: see #4. Second off: He’s just??? such an incredible person in every way like how is it possible to be that great of a human being??? He’s brave, he sticks up for what he believes in, he’s always willing to give others a helping hand, he’s super-enthusiastic, he’s a great husband/dad/friend, he’ll do anything for the people he cares about, he will readily call those who need it out on their BS...anyway we STAN him on this blog. Also, Rossini. And that incredibly gorgeous aria ‘Sois immobile’. I die.

8. Les Huguenots: Yet another grand opéra where I love the vast majority of the characters, and while I am 99% sure you already know the answer to this, I’ll say it again: it’s the only, the only Valentine de Saint-Bris, who just so happens to be incredibly amazing. She’s so...real and expressive and she’s someone I just personally feel like I get, like I see a little (okay more than that) of myself in her because of how real and relatable she is (I wrote a few posts a while back about why I headcanon that she has a severe undiagnosed anxiety disorder, which was...a major part of the story of my life for a while and to a lesser extent still is, but I digress) and also how amazing of a person she is. She’s not willing to just sit idly by while the world around her falls apart and the people she loves turn on each other (and eventually her). She’s one of the few people on either side of the aisle who’s like ‘this whole religious war thing is stupid and y’all need to stop’ and when things go from bad to worse, she puts herself out there in the middle of it all to save the people she cares about most (oh, also, remember how she just. stormed into the royal palace, demanded an interview with the Queen Mother, got it, and then used said interview to get a way to save Raoul and Marcel? yeah me too), and then when that fails, she literally renounces her own faith rather than belong to a religion that is committing actual crimes against humanity. and while she still fights to the bitter end, she still believes there’s a way to redemption for everyone and forgives her dad and JUST...I die. Also her music’s great but like. I love her mostly for her story.

9. Benvenuto Cellini: I am falling in love with this opera and literally all of its characters more and more every day, but my favorite character is probably Benvenuto Cellini himself, who is a) one of the few Not-Dumb tenors in opera and b) is a (mostly) Good Tenor. He loves life, he loves his art, he loves Teresa, and there are so many times where he is just such a Mood (see pretty much his entire second-act aria). Also, dude is GUTSY as hell. I mean, he literally gets the Pope to give him...pretty much everything he wants in exchange for the statue. That right there is an iconic moment. I don’t have a whole lot else to say about the character because it’s still kind of a new opera to me, but anyway he’s super-cool and I love him.

10. Les contes d’Hoffmann: Nicklausse! (Also his incarnation as the Muse, but mostly Nicklausse) He gets some of the best music in the whole thing (the Violin Aria anyone? or the Barcarolle with Giulietta?) and also he’s one of my favorite trouser roles. He’s super-ambiguous— is he really Hoffmann’s buddy or is he actually secretly working for Lindorf or is he going back and forth or is he somehow trying to help Hoffmann through working with Lindorf??? But one thing’s for sure: he’s by turns funny, serious, caring, devious...and I love him all the time. And his Musely work...ugh, the Muse gets me every time. Also, I invariably picture Kate Lindsey in the Sher production and that is a LOOK.

That’s all, sorry about the wait, and here you go! ❤️

[soiletbabieseatsand]

10 Characters 10 Fandoms!!

Rules: Name 10 characters from 10 different fandom’s that you like, then tag 10 people.

thanks to myGem @thescarletgarden1990 for tagging me, ive been trying to cut down on screen time during quarantine... these shows and characters that are too good to resist!!

Daenerys Stormborn ASOIAF

Book/Series available on HBO

🔥KHALEESI OF THE GREAT GRASS SEA🔥 THE UNBURNT🔥 THE BREAKER OF CHAINS🔥 🔥🔥🔥THE MOTHER OF DRAGONS🔥🔥🔥 i love dany so very much!! at this point i don’t really care about the books and the show can fuck right off 🔥SHE IS MY QUEEN NOW AND ALWAYS🔥

Sestras Orphan Black

Series available on BBCAmerica/Amazon Prime

My sestra Sarah, stepped off a train one day and met her self...ugh my heart🥺 Just one. I’m a few. no family too. Who am I? an amazing sci-fi thriller series that’s who!! Welcome to Clone Club, this is honestly the best thing I’ve ever seen, please do yourself a favor and go watch this!! Tatiana Maslany is insanely talented and so underrated!!periodt!!

Cluster Sense8

Series available on Netflix

Amor Vincit Omnia, Love Conquers All✨💗 in my heart of hearts i like to think that i’m a unborn homosensorium-just like Amanita✨💗 this is honestly so beautiful and powerful, it’s taught me so much and made me grow as a person! honestly this is so much more than just a show and that’s why netflix cancelled it!!

House of Evangelista Pose

Series available on FX/Netflix

10 10 10 10 10s ACROSS THE BOARD!! YAS QUEEN!! set in the 1980s NY ballroom scene we follow the stories of queer folk and trans women of color and the houses they form!! as a Queer Latina let me just say this is SSSssoOOooo IMPORTANT and i’m very happy these stories/characters/lives are being represented in mainstream media🦄🦋👯

HellBoy

Graphic Novel/Movie(s)

Existential crisis at its best!! Though the comics, Guillermo del Toros films, and the newest film adaptation are all different and have their own twist-i think it’s safe to say that us monster fuckers agree we love Hellboy and are grateful for any and all content!! go watch “The Golden Army” it’s in my top 5 favorite movies and it dives deeper into Hellboys inner conflict and the lore/mythos of that universe.

Vanessa Ives Penny Dreadful

Series available on Showtime/Netflix

A goddess reborn hunted by darkness. this is what i’m here for lol believe me when i say my brother and i can go word for word in the séance scene😈 that being said i am super bitter about the ending WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO TO EGYPT!! i love all the women in this show, season2 is the best, my heart breaks for vanessa... she’s so fucking strong!!

Prudence Blackwood CAOS

Series available on Netflix

i watch this series for Prudence, Ambrose and the weird sisters!! That being said Prudence is the whole package and everything i want to be!! she has it all, the costumes, perfect hair and make up, sex appeal, knowledge in spellcasting, and she’s gonna kill her father!! Hail Lilith this succubitch is so aesthetically pleasing and a total badass!! fun fact Tati Gabrielle chose to do a “voice” for Prudence that’s inspired by Eartha Kitt! respect! how awesome is that😻

June Osborne Handmaids Tale

Book/Series available on Hulu

Illegitimi non carborundum! Don’t let the bastards grind you down! if this isnt the biggest wake up call for  women’s reproductive health in the States then idk what is🤬 honestly this show can be a little scary because of how real it appears to be and it goes a lot further than the book did. Ive made my sisters, cousins and friends who identify as female watch this as well as recommend it to everyone and attend as many meeting as i can (ATX has a grassroots handmaid charter that’s protest in costume at the Capital and invites others to participate as well as spread awareness in women’s reproductive health) because i consider it to be a warning to what can be-yes it is an extreme but look at alabama, our gun control laws, state militias and the fact that VP Pence participated in a pro life rally!

Teresa Mendoza Queen of the South

Series available on USA/Netflix

🗣Teresita!! literally my reaction for every episode. This Queen has done it all! orphaned as a child after parents were guned down by the cartel, turn cash exchanger on the streets of Sinaloa, to gf of a drug smuggler -then bf dies because he was stealing money from the Cartel, Now on the run and seeking refuge from Cartels boss’s wife who has her own cartel and lives in Texas, only to becomes a slave/drug mule so she doesn’t go back to mexico, then works for the Cartel in Texas, only to find out her bf wasn’t killed but is a rat for the DEA... and that’s only the 1st season🤯 lol love this show based on la novela La Reina de Sur available also on Netflix!

Clancy Gillroy The Midnight Gospel

Series available on Netflix

The Quarantine Favorite!! Released on 420💚It’s a trippy animated podcast basically and it’s a lot to take in!! There’s over stem in visual, heavy topics, and some relatability though not for everyone -i cried a lot, just about every episode but i really liked it! also shout out to Jake the dog and Finn the human!!

tagging: whoever wants to play!! i hope everyone is safe and healthy!!

[nicoolios]

The Power of the Dystopia

What do nanotechnology, young adult dystopias, and zombies learning to love again have in common? As the old meme says, the answer may surprise you. By nanotechnology I mean Michael Grant’s BZRK trilogy, by young adult dystopias I will focus mostly on The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and by zombies learning to love again I am referencing Isaac Marion’s Warm Bodies. Each of these books will be discussed in great depth in how they relate to the common theme of power in the following collection of literary criticisms. Power surfaces in BZRK through the obsessive lengths the characters go to to maintain it with superior technology and firepower. The Hunger Games refrains from the subject of actively maintaining power, but its story accurately depicts a society where power is exploited to keep its poorer citizens in line. The zombies in Warm Bodies regain power in a world that exists to destroy them by relearning language. Again, each of those topics will be explained at the introduction’s conclusion in their individual essays, but I will add a bit more clarity later on in these opening remarks.

This issue, which puts power front and center in the spotlight, tackles problems pertinent to the world we live in today by using a wide variety of popular books to reach the widest reader base possible. All of them can be considered young adult fiction, but each series pushes the boundaries of the genre. The Hunger Games specifically doubles as political commentary, BZRK is hardcore science fiction written for the eyes of teenagers, and Warm Bodies is technically a zombie romance.

As previously stated, The Hunger Games is political commentary, which only gets all the sweeter the more the political scene in the United States and around the world goes south. The main character Katniss lives in District 12, the poorest of the twelve districts, and is forced to hunt illegally to keep her mother and sister fed. District 1, the wealthiest district home to people so rich they take medicine to force themselves to throw up at parties so they can continue eating the fanciest, most expensive food, holds the Hunger Games every year to keep all the other districts in line. All three books in the series have the same background: the rich exist to stay rich, and the rich have all the power, so when District 13 starts the rebellion it sends them into a panic. The entirety of Mockingjay, the third book of the trilogy, is about that very topic. Money plus power equals bad guy, especially in this series. In regards to the essay on The Hunger Games, not only is there a common theme of power in all three books and all four movies, there are also real-life connotations for both the people spending money on the series and the young adult genre in general. While the essay specifically talks about the genre and what political books do for readers of young adult fiction, The Hunger Games just so happens to be the most popular representation.  

BZRK also deals with money and power and rich people trying to control the universe, but this time it is set in contemporary New York, rather than the fictional Panem. In this universe nanotechnology, which was originally developed to cure cancer, is instead weaponized and is used by both the good and the bad guys. The bad guys, the Armstrong twins and their lackeys Nexus Humanus, want to use nanotech to brainwash the planet into their cult through “sustainable happiness.” The good guys, BZRK, want to protect free will by using their own nanotechnology, biots individually linked to one user, to manipulate others. The whole concept is built on shady deals and backwards justification on both ends of the stick. Both sides think they are in the right, think they are the ones with access to the most power, both already have access to the money and resources that will get them that power. The Armstrong twins spend the series doing everything they possibly can to become rulers of the world, while their second in command Bernofsky goes mad with power and wants to destroy the world with nanobots that feed on carbon. Most of BZRK New York’s plotlines are about playing catch up to Nexus Humanus and holding on to what little power they have. By the trilogy’s conclusion the proper balance that everyone was fighting over has been restored, eliminating the need for technology-based power.

A book about zombies learning to love again seems like a stretch. How could power possibly be involved? Half the main characters are dead. And judging by the movie, there is no possible way for the former dead to regain the power they lost upon getting into their current predicament by reteaching themselves how to speak and act human again. But there it is. The movie is a better illustration of it, but the novel still details R, an incredibly articulate zombie, struggling through a language barrier to communicate with his human captive turned friend turned girlfriend Julie. At the beginning the most R can get out are a few grunts to the zombie he deems his best friend, M. When Julie finds herself the survivor of a zombie attack but the only member of her group still alive and unable to make it back home, she ends up at the airport R lives in. The two of them form a relationship different from the usual zombie eats human, even though R ate Julie’s boyfriend during the attack where they met. Julie teaches R English, pop culture, and how to be human again. The zombies must fight to prove they can become what they once were again, first and foremost by Julie demonstrating R is physically able to love her. As they become living again they go through their own revolution.

These essay’s order in this collection is due to their subject matter and relativity to the real world. The Hunger Games takes place in a fictional country similar enough to our own to make accurate political commentary. BZRK takes place in real life New York, and its plot is one that might happen with how quickly nanotechnology is developing. Warm Bodies’ setting is never specified, but the aftermath of the apocalypse is clear, and for all we know it could be right next door to where we grew up. They move from the clearly fake to the it might just be real, from this could never happen to me to holy crap, this might be happening right now. Please see the meanings these novels preach, what lurks between the lines. Right now this kind of commentary is more important than ever. With people being censored and completely silenced right and left, these books are clearly about power and its consequences, both by exploiting it and by regaining it.

"If Peeta and I were both to die, or they thought we were....My fingers fumble with the pouch on my belt, freeing it. Peeta sees it and his hand clamps on my wrist. ‘No, I won't let you.’ ‘Trust me,’ I whisper. He holds my gaze for a long moment then lets go. I loosen the top of the pouch and pour a few spoonfuls of berries into his palm. Then I fill my own. ‘On the count of three?’ Peeta leans down and kisses me once, very gently. ‘The count of three,’ he says. We stand, our backs pressed together, our empty hands locked tight. ‘Hold them out. I want everyone to see,’ he says. I spread out my fingers, and the dark berries glisten in the sun. I give Peeta's hand one last squeeze as a signal, as a good-bye, and we begin counting. ‘One.’ Maybe I'm wrong. ‘Two.’ Maybe they don't care if we both die. ‘Three!’ It's too late to change my mind. I lift my hand to my mouth taking one last look at the world. The berries have just passed my lips when the trumpets begin to blare. The frantic voice of Claudius Templesmith shouts above them. ‘Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! I give you - the tributes of District 12!’” (The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins).

Young Adult dystopias have been an important part of American culture for so long it feels like they have always been there. As children we had The Hunger Games, which later spawned Divergent, The Maze Runner, Uglies, and countless others. In school we read 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, and the list goes on and on. Their movie and television show adaptations are everywhere. Everyone has a favorite example. So when Moretti's data suggests the genre bubble will burst in the coming years, it is kind of hard to believe. The genre is still going strong, and for good reason. Young Adult dystopias have something the classics neglect: diversity. Katniss Everdeen is a physically and mentally disabled woman of color surrounded by other females, people of color, people with disabilities, people from every walk of life. When The Hunger Games shot up the best sellers list Katniss inspired Tris Pryor in Divergent, Teresa in The Maze Runner, and Tally Youngblood in Uglies. The sheer volume of books and characters guarantees there is something for everyone. Everyone turned out to be mostly adult women and teenage girls. It is the reading power of the latter that presents my point: so long as we live in the world we do, with the current political climate active, and with a steady stream of strong female characters willing to stand up to oppressors, there will be a need for the genre. Multiple people see that need and write books based upon what they think needs to be said. This bubble, much like the superhero movie one, will stay untouched until the world proves it has no need for that kind of fiction anymore. Therefore, I think the genre is here to stay for years to come.

Seeing yourself in a character on the big screen or on the page is so incredibly important. Some little girl with hearing issues read about Katniss' ear trauma and saw herself; if for whatever reason she was unable to get it fixed, related to Katniss refusing surgery to restore her hearing. Or someone living under an oppressive government learning first that they should fight back and then it is okay to do so. Or that people bullying you for something outside your control deserve to be called out on their behavior. Or any number of things prevalent in what makes it big in the genre these days. The books that make it big pave the way for even greater diversity to truly reach the entire reader base. Those might carry on as something no one has ever heard of, but reach the right audience and lives can be changed. I feel like the genre will be around for quite a while. Not just because it is one of my favorites to both read and write for, but also because it is important. We are faced with the possibility of the complete destruction of life as we know it. Someone must recognize what is going on and do something about it. At this point they might as well be fictional, but that is the only way to get the ball rolling.  

“Tell me something, Noah. Which is more important: freedom or happiness?' What was this, a game? But Nijinsky wasn't smiling. 'You can't be happy unless you’re free,' Noah said" (BZRK, Michael Grant).  

Michael Grant's BZRK trilogy depends upon nanotechnology to further its plot, give motivation for characters and their development, provide multiple bad guys, and generally make BZRK what they are. One of the main character's father invented biots, part human machines smaller than the head of a needle, capable of acting on the controller's behalf within a body. The good guys, BZRK, use biots reluctantly to fight the bad guys, Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation. AFGC is a cover for the cult Nexus Humanus which wants to take away free will to guarantee eternal happiness. This war is mostly fought at the nano level. Even during "macro" fights, with guns and fists, the focus is always on protecting the nano. Emphases placed on the nano and neglecting the macro, which is only protected by BZRK's enforcer Caligula, exists because of only looking at the available technology and how to improve it. When the original tech, designed to cure cancer, fails and is proven archaic, BZRK only wants to move forward with more advanced biots. Benjamin argues for only looking to the future, for using tech to get and maintain power. The Armstrong twins (founders of AFGC) only maintain their power through superior firepower and lots of unethical manipulation. Under the guise of innocent gift shops across the globe they plot to control world leaders and, therefore, everyone on the planet. That is an extension of Benjamin's philosophy. AFGC has money and manpower, giving them the ability to accomplish their goals. BZRK only has the money, but its members are determined to prevent doomsday. Their conflict over who's in control spans three novels.

There is a connection here with how the world is going today. We even touched upon it in class. For the longest time everyone was obsessed with the technology of tomorrow made today. Classic standbys like books or physical music or playing outside fell by the wayside as electronics fell in the hands of the youth. Why use what cavemen did when you can use what Marty McFly did? For the longest time my younger sister and I were the only kids on our street playing outside. We made fun of our neighbors three doors down for having a pool and never going in it. My parents still can't drag me out of ours. At restaurants we read books, my sister drew and I wrote or, heaven forbid, actually talked to each other. Then, out of nowhere, that changed. The many, many little kids living in the cul-de-sac behind us were outside screaming at all hours of the day. One time we saw our neighbors in their pool. Tables around us when we went out to eat started implementing a no phones rule. The shift was real and, according to the Internet, commonplace. Retro was becoming hip again. We aren't the only people who feel that way, but we're the ones making it happen.  

"In my mind I am eloquent; I can climb intricate scaffolds of words to reach the highest cathedral ceilings and paint my thoughts. But when I open my mouth, everything collapses” (Warm Bodies, Isaac Marion).  

Whoever controls language controls culture. Whoever controls the culture has all the power. Whoever has all the power writes all the rules, determines humanity's fate, and generally determines the ongoing nature of life. While a lot of stories tackle that concept, Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion handles it without beating around the bush. It's about the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse, sure, but it is told through the point of view of a very articulate zombie. The narrative hints rather heavily at the main character, R, being the only zombie outside of the Boneys capable of higher thought. It is only with the help of a human that he learns basic speech. The surviving humans are the only ones capable of speech, of making sure human culture does not die out. Them being able to talk makes them superior to zombies, even after zombies become human again at the novel's conclusion. The settlement the novel focuses on is run based on that fact. It is only poetic that the leader, Colonel Grigio, is the father of the woman R is in love with and the one who sparks the change from zombie to human. Colonel Grigio controls the whole narrative, both the book's and the city he runs. Zombies are to be shot on sight, anything dead must stay out of the walled city, and the language he uses to spread that information reflects how deeply rooted his control extends. On the other hand, R is the first zombie capable of replicating full human speech. By the end the other zombies learn speech as well. Them relearning speech perfectly coincides with them wrenching power from the Boneys in their twisted society and, a bit later, wrenching power from the humans when they rejoin the society they used to know. Language lets them write their own culture again, this time as rediscovered human beings.

I feel like not a lot of zombie books take advantage of exploring the concept of retaking a culture through language. It is a topic that is easily applicable to the genre. World War Z comes close, but that is the best example I can think of. What is happening right now with millennials and gen z is the closest real-life example. I tried tackling the concept in my own zombie novel Flowers Die specifically because I am unable to find anything quite like Warm Bodies or even World War Z on bookshelves. The main character comes back from the dead, but because she reanimated through the original radiation and not a classic bite, she is still fully mentally articulate and, later, verbally as well. As the apocalypse spreads zombies like her become increasingly rarer. She joins the military and fights to take back the culture she once knew by force. Her and her friends are superior by nature. Her husband, who eventually dies to prove the point, used to be a lawyer, defending traditional culture with evolving language. Later on, she meets a young woman trapped by isolation in the woods bound by her lack of language and loss of the culture that raised her. Reintroduction to what she used to know helps bring her back. This is all a work in progress, but as the old saying goes, if you want something specific you have to write it yourself.

[whiterubys]

what up dudes. (im sorry im never doing another greeting again) over the past couple months/years I’ve been reading a HELL of a lot of Newtmas fanfiction, and I would like to recommend some of my favorites here!!

a lot of these are by friends of mine in tmr fandom who are all extremely talented writers and you guys should definitely check them out:) also, feel free to add on if you wish!

(my personal favorites are bolded)

*mature or higher rating **possible trigger warnings

Enchanting Your Heart by Ramennn_Noodles: Harry Potter au, written by my extremely talented best friend who is the best person and writer in the whole world ok go read this.

Recovery is an Ocean** by Tori_Scribbles: a post tdc fic (Newt lives!) which is heartbreaking yet very beautiful (also includes some Sonya/Harriet)

literally anything by Tattered_Dreams. such an incredible writer. honestly she’s one of my top 2 fanfic writers. my favorite of hers is Shared Spaces*.

Where You Lead by KathSilver: a sort of tdc fix it fic?? hard to explain. read it to find out!! absolutely fantastic. part of a rapidly-updating ongoing series:)

The Glade Airport Boys by Tisaniere: sosoosososo underrated. just discovered this one and its probably my favorite tmr fic ever. the Gladers live in an abandoned airport, where they have to raid the town of Maze to survive. incredible read.

Talk Me Home by comebacknow: a 6-month gap fic, ongoing, and literally the purest ever. Thomas loves Them Muscles™

your lips, my lips; apocalypse by zapfinoo: another 6-month gap fic (I am just full of surprises), unfinished but ongoing and I think there’s an aesthetic moodboard around here somewhere based off of it? anyway. newtmas pureness with a sprinkle of angst.

Strings by lokidiabolus: a classic newtmas fic. most people have read this one (if you havent go do it, and if you have, reread it:)). modern newtmas au, Minho and Teresa hook Thomas up with an anonymous stranger and,,, well. you’ll see:)

Killing Me To Love You** by Ky_Bentley: a much heavier fic, deals with depression and other heavy topics. however, if that kind of thing wont trigger you, I would definitely say you should give this a read! Ky is a great greeeeat writer, and very very creative.

(I need to stop gushing about my friends and do this list Anne FOCUS)

The Brightside by Ky_Bentley: a genderfluid Newt! he can basically transform himself into a girl, Newelle, and back to Newt at will, and the concept for this is amazing and based on how much we’ve talked on Discord ab it, you guys are gonna wanna be here for this one!!

If the Glove Fits by Oynx_of_Octavia: newtmas cinderella au. nuff said.

Therapy Dogs and Comic Books by newtedison: the cutest shit ive ever seen. literally. its so adorable and pure. their pining is on Jim and Pam’s level BUT the payoff is so worth it. plus, Newt has a cute ass dog.

Online by lokidiabolus: another classic. Thomas and Newt are gamers that meet online through a game called TERA, and its honestly adorable. lots of involvement of the other Gladers too.

Ink, Skin and Flower Crowns by Miss_Psychotic: a tattoo shop/flower shop au and generally precious. check it out.

First in Love Loses by lokidiabolus: (real talk had NO IDEA how much i read this author until I made this) I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH. fake marriage au. hilarious. adorable. perfect. anything you could ever dream of ever.

something to talk about** by tarantism and thominewt: yet another classic. really really sad and really heavy, but definitely a must read. Newt dies and Thomas learns to cope with the loss. modern au.

i'll meet you where the page proclaims the end by zapfinoo: another fix it oneshot. immediately after tdc, Newt lives, Newtmas in Safe Haven goodness.

The Gamer and Vlogger by PaintAPicture: havent read this one yet but it was recommended to me by a friend! Thomas is a vlogger, and Newt is a gamer. youtube goodness.

Videos on the Internet* by StarNightingle: another one i havent read (im running out of fics ok), but it involves stripper Newt!! explicit!!

what’s real we have to squint to see by sungyeowl: Thomas works at a museum, and Newt is a snobby intern. give this one a read!!

imagine it’s a warning sign by nowayout: hurt/comfort oneshot that takes place during that beautifully gay deleted scene from tst. adorable. lots of handholding. but kinda sad.

meet me where the starts collide by nowayout: another cute oneshot. newtmas!!!!! slow!!!! dancing!!!!!!!

thanks for coming to my newtmas talk:)) if you would like to add onto this, go for it!!

authors: if you’d like any of your fics removed from this list, please let me know.

[hilunawrites]

Meet the Writer III, IV, V, and VI

Thanks so much for the tags @whataremetaphor​, @allisonaldridge​, @killer-badass​, and @swaynewrites​! 

Rules: Answer the 10 questions, write 10 questions, then tag 10 people. ** From @whataremetaphor​: 1.)    Who are some of your favorite authors?  JK Rowling, Perry Moore, Audrey Niffenegger, Alex Sanchez, Julie Anne Peters, Nancy Garden, John Green…  2.)    Pen and paper or typing?  Honestly typing. My handwriting is illegible and I type really fast.  3.)    What’s your character development process?  I mostly have an idea for a character already in mind and I let them loose into the story. They usually figure themselves out on the way, but if I feel they need a little boost or more details to make them seem more rounded, I’ll fill out little character development questionnaires or free-write about them for a while. 4.)    Favorite words?  English: silly, serendipitous, onomatopoeia, plethora…(mostly coz they feel nice in the mouth to say. There’s probably way more).   German: gumpendorfer, ausgezeichnet, Eichhörnchen, frühstücken  5.)    Do you have a “type” for characters (either ones you write or ones you like? If so, what is it?   Hmm… I guess I tend to write characters that are slowly figuring out who they are and how the world works. So characters who are coming-of-age.  6.)    Music or no music while writing? If so, what kinds?  Sometimes, sometimes not. If I do listen, it’s whatever YouTube spits out at me.  7.)    What first got you into writing?  Kindergarten. My teacher said my story of the day was good enough to “publish.” We wrapped a piece of colored construction paper around it, stapled the sides and I made a cover for it. I was ecstatic XD  For those interested, my story way: “Today I walked up the driveway to the mailbox and got the mail.” A literary genius at five years old hahahaha.  8.)    Vampires of werewolves? (or magical creature of your choice?)  Vampires  9.)    Where did you get the inspiration for your current WIP?  Augh, don’t hate me. I originally started my WIP as a gay Twilight Fanfiction…  10.)  Most difficult part of writing?   Keeping up motivation and self-confidence.

** From @allisonaldridge​: 1.)    What is your favorite writing snack? I don’t eat a lot when I’m writing. If I do, it’s junk food. Pringles (sour cream and onion) Oreos or other cookies.  2.)    Would you want to visit the place or world you created for your WIP?  The world is basically ours with a little fantasy twist. So yeah, totally.  3.)    If you were stuck in a room with one of your OCs, who would you choose?  Hmm..tricky…Probably Teresa because we have the most in common.  4.)    What movie would you relate closest to your WIP?  Twilight, Love Simon.  5.)    Do you watch any Authortubers on Youtube? I watch a bit of John Green, does that count? I gotta check out more of these Authortuber people apparently..  6.)    Traditional publishing or independent?  Hopefully traditional. I might publish some things independently though.  7.)    What is your main OC’s fashion sense? Basic hahaha. Jeans and a shirt.  8.)    Where do you keep all your story ideas stored?  In my head or on a file on the computer.  9.)    Are you working on more than one WIP right now?  Not currently. I want to get the first draft of this one finally finished (been working on it for years) before I write anything new.   10.)   Coffee or Tea? It is very important. I have to say both, I love them both. ** From @killer-badass​: 1.)    What is the cutest couple in your current WIP?  The only couple in my WIP: Daniel/Vaughn. This WIP has been dubbed my Daniel/Vaughn story since 2007 :P They are beautiful.   2.)    Would you rather have your WIP made into a movie or a TV show?  Hmm…probably a movie at this point.  3.)    Who would you want to direct said movie or TV show?  God, I dunno…I would like it to feel like Love, Simon so maybe Greg Berlanti? And also Chris Columbus or David Yates for the fantasy parts. 4.)    What TV show character would your protagonist of your current WIP be?  These questions are hard for me, I don’t know why! Maybe…Marco from Degrassi.  5.)    What is your favorite song to write to?  Don’t really have one…I usually put on something like “Castle on a Hill” first and just let the YouTube algorithm do its thing.  6.)    What is your protagonist’s theme song?  Oh jeez, I haven’t thought about any of this. Perhaps “Brave” by Sara Bareilles. 

7.)    What marvel character is our protagonist like the most?  Spiderman 8.)    Your favorite movie?  The Princess Bride  9.)    Your favorite TV Show?  So many. Right now, Brooklyn 99.  10.)   What genre is your current WIP?  Realistic fiction mixed with fantasy. ** From @swaynewrites​: 1.)    What is your favorite book, and your favorite author?  Harry Potter, JK Rowling. This series has affected me so much, how can I not still answer this question like this?   2.)    What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a WIP?  hahahaha, current WIP I’ve been working on since 2007.  3.)    What’s your favorite character that you have ever created?  Hmm I actually have a lot of feels about Ariel from my short story “My Life with Ariel.” Strange I didn’t choose someone from my main WIP, but there you go. 4.)    Have you ever based a character on someone you know? (family, friend, coworker, etc.)  I always take bits and pieces of personality from people I know and add them to my characters.  5.)    What is your favorite WIP you’ve written?  Completed WIP that would be “My Life with Ariel.” We’ll see if I make it into a novel or try to publish as is.  6.)    What’s the best response you’ve had to one of your WIPs?  One person told me they literally stopped breathing during one scene they were so enraptured by what was going on. This compliment felt so good, because it’s always what I’m going for! 7.)    What’s the best film/television show you’ve seen based on a book?  The first two Harry Potter movies. Hmm.. Though some things were changed from Love, Simon I felt the atmosphere of the book was captured so well.  8.)    Have you ever written something as a joint project with a friend or a fellow writeblr? If you haven’t, would you want to?  I don’t think so…but I would absolutely love to! HIT ME UP PEOPLE, LET’S DO THIS!  9.)    If you could change something about a popular book series, what series would you change and what would the change be?  Twilight. I would eliminate all the abuse in her relationships with Edward and Jacob.  10.)   For the Harry Potter fans out there, what is your favorite character/spell/scene? (If you haven’t read or seen Harry Potter, I’d recommend it. LUNAWRITES NOTE: I don’t just recommend it, I demand it hahahaha) Favorite character(s): Draco, Luna Favorite spell: Accio, Not a spell but also Apparition Scene: The chapter in book 6 where Harry confronts Draco in the bathroom and then later has his first kiss with Ginny in the common room. ** My questions for YOU: 1.)    Who are three writeblrs you love? 2.)    What book has made you cry? 3.)    What’s the first book you remember being read as a child? 4.)    Where do you read fiction the most? (magazines, journals, books, tumblr, archive of our own) 5.)    How do you feel about new novels that remind readers of other popular books? 6.)    What are three things you look for in a good novel? 7.)    How much of your week do you spend writing? 8.)    If you’re imagining publishing your current WIP, being accepted by a publisher, what does that feel like? 9.)    What are your three greatest fears about writing? 10.)  How can you fight those fears?  Tagging: @theouterdark, @damnwrites, @crucioandcoffee , @jess---writes @theaberrantwritergirl, @somnambulant-directives @wondersofwriting00, @smile-everything-is-alright, @greenandwords @rainbowsaw

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

Murder, Mystery, and Macguffins: The 13 Best Films of Alfred Hitchcock

August 13th is the birthday of one of the most gifted filmmakers the world has ever seen: Alfred Hitchcock!  From his humble beginnings as a title card designer in the silent films of the early 1900’s, Hitchcock went on to direct over 50 of Hollywood’s most celebrated films. Always up for a macabre tale of murder or mystery, Hitchcock’s films traveled through a world of the seedy underbelly in our own backyards. Known for surprising twists and turns, Hitchcock also popularized the use of the term ‘Macguffin’; a plot device central to some of his most iconic films. Hitchcock explained the term “MacGuffin” in a 1939 lecture at Columbia University:

It might be a Scottish name, taken from a story about two men on a train. One man says, ‘What’s that package up there in the baggage rack?’ And the other answers, ‘Oh, that’s a MacGuffin’. The first one asks, ‘What’s a MacGuffin?’ ‘Well,’ the other man says, ‘it’s an apparatus for trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands.’ The first man says, ‘But there are no lions in the Scottish Highlands,’ and the other one answers, ‘Well then, that’s no MacGuffin!’ So you see that a MacGuffin is actually nothing at all.

  To celebrate the master of suspense, we are presenting you with our list of the Thirteen best Hitchcock films. Feel free to kindly disagree with me in the comments if I left your favorite off – let’s dive in!

13. The 39 Steps (1935)

Many of Alfred Hitchcock’s early films are overlooked – he didn’t join the Hollywood club until the 1940s with Rebecca. Don’t sleep on films like The 39 Steps, though; Hitchcock weaves an intense and dramatic mystery throughout its runtime. The story focuses on an ordinary man named Richard Hannay (Academy Award winner Robert Donet) who gets caught up in an international spy ring. Soon, the police are after him for a murder he didn’t commit, and the race to clear his name and stay one step ahead are tense. Hitchcock often doesn’t get enough credit for his humor, and The 39 Steps also contains some genuinely funny moments.

  12. Dial M for Murder (1954)

This suspenseful thriller has all the hidden, salacious details you come to expect from Hitchcock, all wrapped in a tight thriller about adultery, murder, and betrayal. Grace Kelly is in top form here, but one of the most fascinating aspects of the film is that it was filmed in 3D and is widely considered one of the best examples of the medium from its era. Alfred Hitchcock worked some technical wonders in his day, and Dial M for Murder may be one of his most impressive.

11. Rope (1948)

Another of Alfred Hitchcock’s experimental films, Rope is notable for not only being one of his “single setting” films (it is based on a play that takes place, essentially, in a single room), but also for attempting to be filmed in real-time. It is shot to look like the entire movie is one long, continuous take, and its slow burn plot about two people attempting to commit the “perfect murder” will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

10. North by Northwest (1959)

One of Hitchcock’s most iconic films, this mistaken identity thriller starring Cary Grant has a few of the most recognizable scenes in all of film. You can clearly see that Alfred Hitchcock wielded some serious influence in this film – the casting, set design, and sheer size of the film are some of the biggest he ever put out there. It’s telling that a film this well made and culturally significant is only “one of his best.”

9. Spellbound (1945)

Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman? Yes, please. An insanely fun mystery about guilt, mistaken identity, and amnesia, Peck’s character in Spellbound is a perfect way to examine how people deal with trauma. This one has twists and turns throughout, and a few of the swerves will surprise even the most jaded moviegoer. Hitchcock also got to experiment with surrealism in Spellbound – watch for the trippy dream sequence created by Salvador Dali.

8. Strangers on a Train (1951)

The premise for this one is just so darn creepy. Two men meet by chance on a train, and one of them proposes his idea of “the perfect murder” (Hitchcock sure seemed fascinated by this idea, huh? ); they will exchange murders, both killing someone the other wants dead. That way, they are both killing a total stranger with no motive, and thus cannot be caught. The other man humors him, laughing it off – which causes problems when the first assumes this means they have agreed to execute the plan. Strangers on a Train is crazy tense throughout, building towards an adrenaline-fueled finale.

7. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

The reason this one strikes such a chord is because of how relatable it is (not the exact circumstance, mind you, but the idea). How often have you known something is off, someone is lying, a situation is dangerous, etc., but couldn’t figure out what to do with it? That’s exactly where Charlie (Teresa Wright) finds herself in Shadow of a Doubt. Her uncle, who is also named Charlie (played with perfect sleaze by Joseph Cotten), comes to stay with her family, and she very quickly starts to figure out that he may not be who he says he is. Shadow of a Doubt is an extremely unsettling film, and Wright is phenomenal as the suspicious main character.

6. Rebecca (1940)

I may be a bit biased with this one, as the Daphne du Maurier novel the film is based on is just so darn good. Hitchcock’s first Hollywood film is a strong interpretation, however, utilizing some excellent casting like Joan Fontaine, Laurence Olivier, and Judith Anderson as the super-creepy Mrs. Danvers. Rebecca is also another film where Hitchcock takes a relatable situation to very uncomfortable levels – in this case, a new wife who cannot seem to escape the shadow of the first.

5. The Birds (1963)

This was the first Hitchcock film I ever saw, and it holds a place near and dear to my heart. Even watching it as a kid, I remember being as fascinated by how Hitchcock was able to accomplish the cinematic feats on-screen as how he was able to tell his story. The Birds has been marred a bit by recent revelations of Hitchcock’s onset behavior, but it is a visceral and terrifying experience if you can set that knowledge aside. Jessica Tandy is s-o g-o-o-d in her supporting role here, and the final scene is one of Hitchcock’s most haunting images.

4. Vertigo (1958)

It’s tough to talk about Hitchcock and not mention Vertigo, one of his most technically impressive masterpieces. His ability to successfully juggle multiple characters and storylines, all while maintaining the narrative sleight-of-hand necessary to keep you guessing, is some of his best work as a filmmaker. Hitchcock’s technical wizardry is unmatched; he pioneered the “dolly zoom” technique for Vertigo to help audiences visualize the main character’s fear of heights. It’s a technique that you may have seen in, essentially, every major film since. And you can’t mention Vertigo without highlighting Kim Novak’s brilliant performance.

3. Psycho (1960)

We’ve talked a lot about performances in Hitchcock films, and the casting in Psycho is top-notch. We’ve talked about Hitchcock’s innovative techniques and ability to impart information with the camera, and few of his films do it as well and with such voyeuristic, perverse joy as Psycho. What about the music? It would be tough to point out a movie soundtrack more instantly recognizable than the screeching strings that play as the film’s infamous shower scene play out. There aren’t a lot of films out there that get a shot-for-shot remake, as this one did (to limited success) in 1998. It just shows you how well made and influential Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece is.

2. Notorious (1946)

Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, and Claude Rains, all at their best in Hitchcock’s most romantic film. Notorious is also a tight spy thriller, using all of Hitchcock’s cinematic techniques to tell a tense mystery full of breathtaking scenes. Notorious also features Hitchcock’s most well-known moment of skirting the uptight movie rules of the time: on-screen kisses could not last longer than three seconds, but Grant and Bergman kiss for almost three minutes. He accomplished this by having them kiss for three seconds, stopping and whispering to one another, then starting again. On top of ticking all the Hitchcock boxes, it’s one of his tightest bits of storytelling.

1. Rear Window (1954)

Rear Window is such an amazing film, with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly absolutely killing their roles, that I think you could watch it every week of your life and never get tired of it. It just works on so many levels, with it ultimately being Hitchcock’s treatise on the power of film. As Stewart looks in on the various homes of his neighbors, imagining their lives, watching their secrets, and filling in the blanks with his own details, we can put ourselves into his shoes. We do the same thing when we watch characters on film: we pause scenes, wonder about backstories of characters, and elevate random bystanders to legendary levels. Watching Stewart slowly descend into (possible) madness and paranoia is a fascinating experience, and it solidifies Rear Window as Hitchcock’s best. Don’t forget that it also made for one of the best Simpsons episodes of all time.

  What do you think? Did I get them all correct? Let us know in the comments below, and keep up with us over on Twitter or in our Horror Group on Facebook!

  The post Murder, Mystery, and Macguffins: The 13 Best Films of Alfred Hitchcock appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.

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[beneaththetangles]

BtT Light Novel Club, Chapter 2: Walking My Second Path in Life! (Volume 1)

The second meeting of the Beneath the Tangles Light Novel Club has officially begun! We’re already doing something a big different with this session. Last time, we stayed with the tried and true by starting with a classic light novel, but today, we’re trying out Walking My Second Path in Life, a series published by the J-Novel Club that has already earned some strong reviews in its tale of Princess Fie disguising herself as a boy and becoming a squire. But what did our members—Frank, Teresa Christina, Samuru, and me (TWWK)—think of it? Read through our discussion below to find out, and then chime in as well by giving your opinions or answering the questions at the bottom of this piece!

TWWK: So that was completely different from our last selection…what did y’all think of the first volume?

Samuru: I haven’t finished the book, but so far I have enjoyed it! It was very different than any fiction I have read. I liked how they setup Fie as a stranded princess. As for the negative of the novel… It’s hard to describe, and I am not sure how to write it in words, but I feel that the book has parts that aren’t written well. For example, there are times where the story is just flung into some situation without any preparation or description. For example, during the fight with Gormus (I think that’s his name), the dialogue announced that the fight was over, then they continued fighting? I thought it was over…and there was no line that got you back into it. It’s just weird, I notice that throughout. Not enough setup to the next scene.

TWWK: You’re right, especially for the first half. It took a while for the writer to find his way.

Teresa Christina: I agree with Samaru, too. There didn’t seem to be a clear direction to the story; it wasn’t terribly written well. It couldn’t decide what it was going to be about. It followed a girl who didn’t act like a girl at all, so the element of her secret gender wasn’t as powerful as it could have been. The plot was more of a collection of stories of things that happened to Fie instead of one feat she had to overcome. That made the story drag on terribly.

Samuru: I wish there was more details, background, setting, even character development of Fie. I know she’s a princess, but I feel that her character is written like a guy. I sometimes forget that she’s a girl from the way she is described.

TWWK: It definitely was less a “novel” and more, in my mind, an anime on paper. The book read like season one of a series, with each chapter having and ebb and flow that felt like an episode.

Teresa Christina: It did feel more like an anime then a story, and I suppose that in itself is not a bad thing—I just didn’t expect it. I don’t tend to like stories that have no destination. Some anime are like that and can get away with it. I thought Sweetness and Lightning was a very cute anime that didn’t need a real story; it was just character development. If the light novel focused on the characters a little more like Sweetness and Lightning did, then I think I could appreciate it more. I really want to be fond of it since I loved the setting and catalyst, but as a writer myself, I couldn’t let go of being irked by the lack of plot.

stardf29: While I do agree that the plot never really goes anywhere in particular, I actually kind of liked that about the story. It gives more of a “slice-of-life” feel to it, and I think that works well with the story’s overall theme of a “second path in life.” Fie isn’t taking this path because there’s a particular destination she wants to go; she’s taking it because the journey itself is more fulfilling than what her life had been before.

TWWK: I definitely feel the same as you, stardf—I thought it was actually pretty ingenious how the format of the light novel fit Fie’s personality and her goal. I know people like Fie, who are at once serious and fly-by-the-seat, and the book took on that same personality and added to it. I don’t think I would have had any interest if the story was more straight-forward. That meandering, slice of life feel is refreshing. The story takes its time to develop, and I think that’s a strength. Any other thoughts?

stardf29: One thing about the setting that I found interesting is that while it has many of the trappings of a fantasy setting—medieval castles and society and whatnot—as far as we know, there is absolutely no magic. In a way it’s almost more of a historical fiction story, albeit with made-up places.

TWWK: That’s an interesting point—the lack of magic. I think that, along with the setting, adds this layer of realism to a story that doesn’t feel like it’s meant to be realistic. It’s very anime-ish, very fairy tale-ish, very suspend-your-realism-ish, but the grounding in reality keeps it from being too cartoony, and I appreciate that.

It’s also interesting that you bring up magic because I felt a Harry Potter vibe, minus the magic. The dormitory is the squires’ Hogwarts, and Fie is developing a wide range of friendships, has a few teachers, and several mentors in the 18th. But it was definitely hard to get to know the other squires…they started kind of melding into the 18th knights for me (I think the author realized this because at one point, she specifically compares one of the squires to one of the knights to differentiate them), except for Gormus, whose developing relationship with Fie was a high point for me, too. I think he was my favorite character in volume one.

stardf29: I particularly like the friendship she’s built up with Gormus after their tryout battle, with Gormus coming to respect her even though she lost. And then there’s Fie and Queen… I’ll admit, I was kind of uncomfortable with how she basically blackmailed him into being her servant. Unfortunately, since it happened pretty much right at the end of the volume their relationship doesn’t get much chance to develop past that, at least here, but it does mean that there’s plenty of opportunity for improving their relationship in volume 2.

Her relationships with the 18th Platoon are fun, too, with Crow taking her as a “little brother,” and seeing what he thinks of “him” from his journal entries… and there’s Yore, who has taken well to her, not knowing she’s technically one of his wives. If we ever get to a point where that fact gets revealed to him… that’s going to be fun.

TWWK: Also interesting that you brought up Queen—in the final few chapters, we shift from Fie’s point of view towards those of others characters like Queen, Cain, Lynette, and even the chef! I thought that was so smart, and it helped develop Fie’s character all the more. What do you think of Fie as a character?

stardf29: While she’s definitely a lot of fun, she also has some notable flaws, and in particular, she’s not exactly the most “noble” character and has a side to her that is willing to do some questionable things to achieve her goals. I do think, though, that while that might make her less “likable,” it does make her more interesting.

TWWK: That’s a good point—in media, and especially in books, the less admirable some characters are, the more interesting they end up being.

stardf29: Whatever I might like or dislike about Fie as a person, I do think she’s a great protagonist, story-wise. It plays into a certain schematic I have for fictional characters, in that they can be likable, interesting, or relatable, or some combination thereof. Any given character will have some degree of likability, interesting-ness, or relatability, and that makes me see that character in different ways…(…actually, you know what, maybe I’ll talk about this for my next blog post. I need something a bit more fun to talk about next month.)

TWWK: For what’s been thus far a very breezy story, there’s some depth to Fie’s characterization. We didn’t even get to the swap in gender role in the story!

Teresa Christina: I could see the direct correlation to Milan and Joan of Arc. There is something fascinating about challenging gender roles.

Samuru: Ahhh I hadn’t thought of Joan of Arc good point!

TWWK: What of the other characters? If you could switch Fie out and make her a side character in this volume, who would you like to see at the protagonist instead?

stardf29: Hmm… one choice would definitely be Yore, basically putting him in the position of “guy who gets along with another guy, unaware that said guy is actually a girl and someone he knows.”

TWWK: That would be fun! And you wouldn’t even have to change the title to the series, hehe.

As you can see, we barely scratched the surface with our discussion—we want to hear from you, dear readers! What were your impressions of volume one of Walking My Second Path in Life? Did you agree with our assessments? Disagree entirely? Let us know! And if you need more kindling, here are some questions you might answer about the volume—we talked about the first but didn’t get a chance to dive into the others:

If you could switch Fie out and make her a side character in this volume, who would you like to see at the protagonist instead?

Did this light novel remind you of any other stories? Perhaps another anime or a fairy tale?

We spoke of some of Fie’s questionable qualities, but what are some of her redeeming ones? What did you think of her as a character?

The first volume had quite a large cast—did you enjoy getting to know the supporting characters or were there too many?

Where do you think the story is headed?

If you could cast a movie based on this volume, who would want to fill the roles?

That’s it for this edition of the light novel club! Thanks for reading along and be anticipating our next selection—we’ll let you know the title very soon!

[00250]

i was tagged by @fansarewaiting​  ♥ ♥

1. I also wanna know what phone background you have so, Background of your phone?

lock screen is a still of thomas and teresa in tdc (U Kno The One) and home screen is a pic of dob tbs and khl at one of the premieres i think its the south korea one

2. Sun, moon, or stars?

LISTEN im the resident space bitch in this here place so i pick All

3. What movie (or tv show) do you watch to feel comforted?

community!!! ive watched that show a Lot (but never actually finished it bc im too sad that its Over so i just. avoid it) and it feels like Home to me now

4. Favorite quote AND favorite song lyric?

AH i have a lot of quotes but the very first that comes to mind is from the end of the book thief by markus zusak which is my all time favourite book “i have loved the words and hated them, and i hope i have made them right”

and i dont think i have an Absolute fav song lyric but at the moment im v into father john misty and this song (which is very thomesa or brenderesa just so u kno!)  and the lyric “she left a note in her perfect script - ‘stay as long as you want’ - i haven’t left her bed since” is uh GOOD

5. What’s the last song you listened to?

chateau lobby #4 (in c minor for two virgins) which is where the lyric is from in the last question!!!

6. Where is your favorite place to be?

mmmmm in Nature! specifically like. on a big mountain or by the ocean

7. Free reign - pick any of the 11 questions I answered and give your own

oh SHIT okay im gonna tell yall my favourite constellations cassiopeia and the pleiades are my Gals

8. Fun fact that you want us to know about you!

i have synesthesia!

9. Do you prefer to read the books before or after the movie?

like for stuff im Invested in like tmr yes before but if i dont know a lot about the series or am just a casual fan i usually dont bother

10. Describe why your favorite fictional character is your favorite

newt because hes my SPECIAL BOY

11. What were you doing before you went on tumblr and saw this?

i had dance rehearsal all day!!!

my questions:

1. what is the absolute WORST movie u have ever payed to see in theatres

2. what is ur absolute favourite fic of all time

3. favourite place you’ve ever travelled

4. last tv show you watched start to finish

5. best kind of weather???

6. favourite gemstone

7. what is ur ideal date!

8. thoughts on the concept of newt being a bottom

9. last three songs you listened to!

10. if you could get a tattoo at this very moment, what would it be??

11. favourite scene from tdc movie (if you’ve seen it!!)

i tag: @newtmos​ @itriediknow​ @18angrylamps​ @newtmsa​ @02273​ @thegladernewty​ @isaacoftheinternet​ @singt0me​ @terachel​ @newtmazing​ and anyone else who wants to do it!!  ♥ ♥

[briefinternetlady]

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." -Mother Teresa its been more than a week since #TheKingEternalMonarch ended yet i am one of the few who still can't get over it.😅😊✌ i said in my last post that i will have an appreciation post for them & here it is,just in time before Mino's birthday ends here.let me start w/writer Kim,she's a gem in the industry.a lot of her work are my favorite.director Baek,i love how he gave life to the Kim's writing,both their imagination are rich & their such a brilliant tandem.the production team,they deserved all the praise for their harwork.the casts,they made the perfection out of TKEM.from the main casts to the extras,they all made an impact to the success of the series.#LeeJungJin made such a notable villain.#JungEunChae did such a good job in here.she's not just pretty but can really do act well.#KimKyungNam,he never failed to amazed me w/ the way he played his role,way to go.#WooDoHwan,he made an impressive impact playing as Eunsup & Young.he portrayed two roles amazingly that i sometimes there 2 actors acting.he got this innate talent that i believe, whatever role thrown at him,he will just excel.#KimGoEun,she's born to be a star.her eyes can convey a thousand words & her acting is always on point.she has this ability to make her audience fell for her,she's one of the best.i've seen all her series & everytime i finished all her work,im just in awe of how she is becoming more of a veteran.#LeeMinHo,i never denied he is my top favorite actor.when TKEM started i read some nega comments about his acting but im so glad that his performance in TKEM is a sweet slap for those people.as Lee Gon,he did an impeccable performance.he showed the perfect emotions on each scenes & he got this natural charm to make most people swoon over him.once again,thank you team TKEM!❣😘 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #kdrama#koreandrama#한국드라마#드라마#carpediem#한류 #koreanentertainment#더킹영원의군주#actors#livelife#heart #thankyou#appreciationpost#love#favorite#quotes#spreadlove#motivationalquotes#bekind#smile #life#goodvibes ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ p.s happy birthday again @actorleeminho ,wishing you the best of everything!🎉🥰 (at Vancouver, British Columbia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBw-NylJ86Z/?igshid=lh59e840l5jm