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crowdvscritic · 3 years

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round up // NOVEMBER 20

Hi, I’m tired. Actually, my friend Celeste created a piece of art that puts the emphasis needed on that sentiment:

I’m very tired. November felt like it was three years and also felt like it went by in a blink and also I’m not sure where October ended and November began—how does time work like that? (I’ve yet to see Tenet, but maybe that will explain it.) But like Michael Scott, somehow I manage, and lately it’s been like this:

Late-night Etsy scrolling. Browsing beautiful, non-big-box-store artwork is very calming just before I go to bed. I’d recommend Etsy stores like Celeste’s chr paperie shop, which I know from experience is full of great Christmas gift ideas.

Taking a day off of work to do laundry. I’m not sure if it’s more #adulting that I did that or that I was excited to do that.

Eating Ghiradelli chocolate chips straight from the bag. I actually don’t recommend this as a healthy option, but this is also not a health blog.

Watching lots and lots of ‘80s movies. One day I’ll ask a therapist why this decade of films is so comforting for me despite its many flaws, but for now I’m just rolling with it.

Reading. Have you heard of this? It’s a form of entertainment but doesn’t require screens—wild!

Memes. All good Pippin “Fool of a” Took jokes are welcome here.

Leaning into the Christmas spirit by ordering that Starbucks peppermint mocha, making plans to watch everything in that TCM Christmas book I haven’t seen, and keeping the lights on my hot pink tinsel tree on all day as I work from home.

This month’s Round Up is full of stuff that made me smile and stuff that sucked me into its world—I think they’ll do the same for you, too.

November Crowd-Pleasers

Sister Act (1992)

If in four years you aren’t in an emotional state to watch election results roll in, I recommend watching Whoopi Goldberg pretend to be a nun for 100 minutes. (Though, incidentally, if you want to watch that clip edited to specifically depict how the results came in this year, you’ll need to watch Sister Act 2.) This musical-comedy is about as feel-good as it gets, meaning there’s no reason you should wait four more years to watch it. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

Nevada Memes

Speaking of election results, Nevada memes. That’s it—that’s the tweet. Vulture has a round up of some of the best.

youtube

SNL Round Up

Laugh and enjoy!

“Cinema Classics: The Birds” (4605 with John Mulaney)

“Uncle Ben” (4606 with Dave Chappelle)

RoboCop (1987)

I’m not surprised I liked RoboCop, but I am surprised at why I liked RoboCop. Not only is this a boss action blockbuster, it’s an investigation into consumerism and the commodification of the human body. It’s also a critique of institutions that treat crime like statistics instead of actions done by people that impact people. That said, it’s also movie about a guy who’s fused with a robot and melts another guy’s face off with toxic sludge, so there’s a reason I’m not listing this under the Critic section. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

Double Feature – ‘80s Comedies: National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) + Major League (1989)

The ‘80s-palooza is in full swing! In Vacation (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10), Chevy Chase just wants to spend time with his family on a vacation to Wally World, but wouldn’t you know it, Murphy’s Law kicks into gear as soon as the Griswold family shifts from out of Park. The brilliance of the movie is that every one of these terrible things is plausible, but the Griswolds create the biggest problems themselves. In Major League (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10), Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, and Wesley Snipes are Cleveland’s last hope for a winning baseball team. Like the Griswolds, mishaps and hijinks ensue in their attempt to prevent their greedy owner from moving the Indians to Miami, but the real win is this movie totally gets baseball fans. Like most ‘80s movies, not everything in this pair has aged well, but they brought some laughs when I needed them most.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens (2020)

They’re born a minute apart in the same hospital, but they don’t meet until their 30th birthday on New Year’s Day. So, yes, it’s a little bit Serendipity, and it’s a little bit sappy, but those are both marks in this book’s favor. This Time Next Year is a time-hopping rom-com with lots of almost-meet-cutes that will have you laughing, believing in romantic twists of fate, and finding hope for the new year.

Double Feature – ‘80s Angsty Teens: Teen Wolf (1985) + Uncle Buck (1989)

In the ‘80s, Hollywood finally understood the angsty teen, and this pair of comedies isn’t interested in the melodrama earlier movies like Rebel Without a Cause were depicting. (I’d recommend Rebel, but not if you want to look back on your teen years with any sense of humor.) In Teen Wolf (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 5/10), Michael J. Fox discovers he’s a werewolf.one that looks more like the kid in Jumanji than any other portrayal of a werewolf you’ve seen. It’s a plot so ‘80s and so bizarre you won’t believe this movie was greenlit.

In Uncle Buck (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), John Candy is attempting to connect with the nieces and nephew he hasn’t seen in years, including one moody high schooler. (Plus, baby Gaby Hoffman and pre-Home Alone Macauley Culkin!) This is my second pick from one of my all-time fave filmmakers, John Hughes (along with National Lampoon’s Vacation, above), and it’s one more entry that balances heart and humor in a way only he could do. You can see where I rank this movie in Hughes’s pantheon on Letterboxd.

Lord of the Rings memes

This month on SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I revisited The Lord of the Rings, a trilogy we love almost as much as we love Gilmore Girls. You can listen to our episode about the series on your fave podcast app, and you can laugh through hundreds of memes like I did for “research” on Twitter.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (2019)

Most adults are afraid of children’s temper tantrums, but can you imagine how terrified you’d be if they caught on fire in their fits of rage? That’s the premise of this novel, which begins when an aimless twentysomething becomes the nanny of a Tennessee politician’s twins who burst into flames when they get emotional. The book is filled with laugh-out-loud moments but never leaves behind the human emotion you need to make a magical realistic story.

An Officer and a Gentlemen (1982)

Speaking of aimless twentysomethings and emotion, feel free to laugh, cry, and swoon through this melodrama in the ‘80s canon. Richard Gere meanders his way into the Navy when he has nowhere else to go, and he tries to survive basic training, work through his family issues, and figure out his future as he also falls in love with Debra Winger. So, yeah, it’s a schamltzier version of Top Gun, but it’s schmaltz at its finest. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

November Critic Picks

Double Feature – ‘40s Amensia Romances: Random Harvest (1942) + The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

Speaking of schmaltz at its finest, let me share a few more titles fitting that description. In Random Harvest (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Greer Garson falls in love with a veteran who can’t remember his life before he left for war. In The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Gene Tierney discovers a ghost played by a crotchety Rex Harrison in her new home. Mild spoiler: Both feature amnesiac plot developments, and while amnesia has become a cliché in the long history of romance films, Harvest is moving enough and Mr. Muir is charming enough that you won’t roll your eyes. You can see these and more romances complicated by forced forgetfulness in this Letterboxd round up.

The African Queen (1951)

It’s Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn directed by John Huston—I mean, I don’t feel like I need to explain why this is a winner. Bogart (in his Oscar-winning role) and Hepburn star in a two-hander script, dominating the screen time except for a select few scenes with supporting cast. The pair fight for survival while cruising on a small boat called The African Queen during World War I (in Africa, natch), and the two make this small story feel grand and epic. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

A young man’s (Dennis Price) mother is disowned from their wealthy family because she marries for love. After her death, he seeks vengeance by killing all of the family members ahead of him in line to be the Duke D'Ascoyne. The twist? All of his victims are played by Sir Alec Guinness! Almost every character in this black comedy is a terrible person, so you won’t be too sorry to see them go—you can just enjoy the creative “accidents” he stages and stay in suspense on whether our “hero” gets his comeuppance. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1937)

What would you do if you found out you were to be someone’s eighth wife? Well, it’s probably not what Claudette Colbert does in this screwball comedy that reminds me a bit of Love Crazy. This isn’t the first time I’ve recommended Colbert, Gary Cooper, or Ernst Lubitsch films, so it’s no surprise these stars and this director can make magic together in this hilarious battle of the wills. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

The Red Shoes (1948)

I love stories about the competition between your life and your art, and The Red Shoes makes that competition literal. Moira Shearer plays a ballerina who feels life is meaningless without dancing—then she falls in love. That’s an oversimplification of a rich character study and some of the most beautiful ballet on film, but I can’t do it justice in a short paragraph. Just watch (perhaps while you’re putting up your hot pink tinsel tree?) and soak in all the goodness. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 10/10

The Third Man (1949)

Everybody loves to talk about Citizen Kane, and with the release of Mank on Netflix, it’s newsworthy again. But don’t miss this other ‘40s team up of Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles. Cotten is a writer digging for the truth of his friend’s (Welles) death in a mysterious car accident. Eyewitness accounts differ on what happened, and who was the third man at the scene only one witness remembers? 71 years later, this movie is still tense, and this actor pairing is still electric. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

The Untouchables (1987)

At the end of October, we lost Sean Connery. I looked back on his career first by writing a remembrance for ZekeFilm and then by watching The Untouchables. (In a perfect world I would’ve reversed that order, but c’est la vie.) In my last selection from the ‘80s, Connery and Kevin Costner attempt to convict Robert De Niro’s Al Capone of anything that will stick and end his reign of crime in Chicago. Directed by Brian De Palma and set to an Ennio Morricone soundtrack, this film is both an exciting action flick and an artistic achievement that we literally discussed in one of my college film classes. Connery won his Oscar, and K. Cos is giving one of the best of his career, too. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

Remember the Night (1940)

Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck in my favorite team up yet! Double Indemnity may be the bona fide classic in the canon, but this Christmas story—with MacMurray as a district attorney prosecuting shoplifter Stanwyck— is a charmer. I’ve added it to my list of must-watch Christmas movies—watch for some holiday cheer and rom-com feels. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Photo credits: chr paperie. Books my own. All others IMDb.com.

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glmfic · 4 years

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GH Christmas 2019 | one-shot collection

~ pairing: Masako x John ~ word count: 2,150k ~ genre: holiday!fic

~ summary: ❝ John & Masako hold a Christmas movie marathon at church and incidentally teach the children about mistletoe...of course they have to know if it works just like the movies <3 ❞

~ warnings: candy cane sweet fluff!...also, maybe some typos I didn’t catch ;) ~ note: the first in a series of 4 one-shots dedicated to my dear readers (happy holidays!)-- enjoy! <3

Silver Screen

Something brushed up against Masako's side, startling her. Masako glanced to her left. There, kneading the carpet and bumping it's head against her again, was the church's resident cat.

“Mittens,” a small voice cooed to Masako's right. A young child leaned over her lap, reaching for the cat.

Masako picked up the cat held it out to the child, “Here Mittens, see Yuri a minute.”

The little girl gently accepted the cat, peppering it's head with kisses. A chorus of “aww” and “so cute” rang out. Mittens was very popular with the children of the Holy Trinity Church.

“She likes you,” John remarked, looking from the group of children clustered around the cat, to Masako, and then down at the projector he was working on.

Masako stood, picking at her kimono. The rich pine color marred by orange fuzz.

“I like her too. If only she didn't leave behind so much hair.”

John looked up, a bright smile pulling at his lips.

“I meant Yuri. She normally has difficulty adjusting to strangers.”

Masako clasped her hands together, with a small shrug.

“I can't really be considered a stranger now. She's seen me every Friday for the past four weeks.”

Movie night. It had started as a one time thing. John had found an old projector in the church attic and invited Masako to join himself and the children in their little screening of Miracle on 34th Street. But after such a successful evening, Miracle on 34th Street turned into The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas turned into It's A Wonderful Life, then finally-- just a few days before the holiday, they were to finish things off with A Christmas Carol.

John nodded,

“That's true.”

Masako wandered nearer to John, peering around him.

“Are you about done?”

John's blue eyes met Masako's dark one's with amusement,

“Almost. Why? Are you that excited for tonight's movie?”

“The kids are. Mittens will only be entertaining so long.”

“That's exactly what Sister Angela would say. You know them so well now. Ah, there--”

John powered on the projector and there was a collective squeal of excitement. The cat jumped free of Yuri's arms as half the children scrambled to their seats on a pile of pillows in front of the projector screen and a few ran for the light switches,

“I've got the lights, I got it--”

With a click the large playroom was suddenly awash in the warm glow of flickering candles and twinkling Christmas lights.

The hum of the projector and the tinny tone of the opening score filled the air and the children all settled down, eyes fixed on the screen. Except when someone was touching someone. Or the pillow was too lumpy. Or they wanted to hold Mittens. Sitting three kids apart at the back of the group, John and Masako worked in tandem. With practiced ease they separated bickering children, passed around snacks and then wet wipes for sticky hands and faces, quietly answered questions, held hands for comfort at any sad or scary parts. Yuri, who was particularly afraid of ghosts, sat herself on Masako's lap and refused to move through the entirety of A Christmas Carol.

Occasionally, Masako stole a glance over at John. One little girl had her head resting against his knee, and sleeping on his other-- Mittens. When John laughed the sound was bright, mixing with the giggles of the children around them. Masako smiled to herself, thinking how much she had enjoyed the last few weeks. As if he could feel her stare, John turned toward Masako. It was hard to tell her expression in the dim light and he gave her a slight questioning look, but she just shook her head and directed his attention back to the movie. But afterward, more than once, she caught him staring at her.

One hour and two bathroom breaks later, the credits rolled to a burst of applause. Little ones stood and stretched. Some, with antsy legs, began an impromptu game of chase. The ruckus in the room grew, until John spoke, asking his tiny audience what they thought of the movie. The children congregated around him again, eager to share their thoughts. It was more exciting than the other movies. Scrooge was a strange person. Yuri whispered to Masako that the ghost weren't that bad.

When someone started crying because they stubbed their toe, and another little boy nearly tripped on Mittens, Masako suggested the lights be turned on. The children raced to complete the task, nearly falling over their own feet. The switches were flipped and...pop! The twinkling Christmas lights went out.

In the dark of only candlelight someone shouted “ghosts!” and Masako felt her kimono clutched at by Yuri.

“Never mind, the ghosts were bad-- they were!”

Masako bent down to pat Yuri's head and reassure her as John ordered everyone to calm down and sit. After a head count, and a few repeated explanations that the lights going out were not ghosts, he excused himself to go see what the problem was, and get some flash lights if necessary. John paused at the door, glancing over at the medium, crouched down with Yuri clinging to her.

“Will you be alright with them?”

Masako summoned a confident look,

“Of course, go figure it out.”

John nodded, and stepped out the door. She couldn't tell because of the low light, but Masako swore he flashed her a smile as he went.

With John gone and the room so dark, the children huddled around the medium. Yuri made small whimpers. Masako pursed her lips, determined to live up to her confidence. Remembering hearing John do it once or twice, she softly began to hum. It wasn't any tune in particular, but Yuri's whimpers slowed as she listened.

“What's song is that?” a little boy at Masako's elbow asked.

“Yes, what is it? Can we hum it too?” a little girl begged, tugging on Masako's sleeve.

Yuri pulled her head away from Masako's shoulder and peered up at her, “Will it keep the ghosts away?”

“But didn't you hear Father John? There aren't any ghosts.”

“There are in that movie.”

“Yeah, that's right.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Please, what is the song?”

Masako looked down at Yuri thoughtfully, “What is your favorite Christmas song? Let's hum that.”

Yuri's small voice answered, “Away in a Manger.”

“Oh, I don't know that one. Can you show me?”

There were murmurs of agreement, and then somehow altogether, the children began to hum.

The humming quickly became singing and Masako found herself surrounded by a dozen tiny voices, no longer thinking of ghosts. Even Yuri stood a step back from Masako, doing her best to sing her favorite song well. Masako smiled a true smile, touched by such a scene.

On the final verse there was movement across the room and John's figure filled the doorway. Perfectly quiet, as to blend with the children, he joined in their singing. Masako turned her smile toward him and she saw the smile in his eyes shining back.

When the last notes faded, Masako was quick to praise, “That's my favorite song now too.”

Then the children noticed John and there was an out cry for answers: why was he gone for so long? Was he fighting ghosts?

Masako couldn't help but lock eyes with John at this question, a significant look passing between them, before he assured them yet again that this was not the work of Christmas ghosts.

“Let there be light,” John declared, flipping the light switch nearest him. One of the main overhead lights blazed bright.

The children cheered and quickly they flipped the other switches.

“It was just a blown fuse,” he explained to Masako as she was finally released by Yuri. The little girl bounded off, all her energy returning.

Masako then turned her attention to cleaning (snacks and pillows scattered), her feet dancing around kids and the cat, as John packed up the projector.

“That was pretty amazing.”

Masako glanced up from sweeping popcorn off the floor, “Hm?”

“You. With the kids. You really did great calming them down. The singing was nice.”

Feeling strangely shy under John's warm approval, Masako waved the compliment right back,

“What about you? You got the lights on. Priest. Ghost Hunter, and Handy Man.”

John grinned,

“All in a days work.”

Once finished, John announced that there was a bedtime treat waiting for the children, courtesy of kind Hara-san, and then it was time for teeth brushing and bed.

There was more cheering at the mention of a treat and the children scrambled to follow John and Masako out to the kitchen, but then, as a group, stopped short suddenly.

Masako blinked and stared back at them, worry nagging at her, but someone giggled almost immediately.

“What is it?” John asked, giving the children a wondering look.

A dozen innocent fingers pointed up, above John and Masako's heads. Masako's eyes widened.

Mistletoe?

“You know we've been watching those movies,” a little girl spoke up, her hands holding her face prettily, “and they always have that stuff.”

“The girls wanted it,” a boy cut in, making a face, “that kissy stuff. They wanted to see if it worked.”

One of the girls elbowed the boy, protesting that it wasn't just their idea.

“It's called mistletoe,” John corrected patiently, his attention on the children, but Masako's stolen look showed her that John's cheeks were just as pink as hers were, “Where did you find it?”

“Sister Angela got it out of the attic for us after the last movie night,” Yuri answered with glee. Gone was the shy girl.

“Well it doesn't matter, does it? It's not working,” the boy from earlier spoke, jabbing his finger at John and Masako, “they didn't kiss.”

“That's not true,” Yuri protested, “this is the first time they're both under it. The Christmas Magic just hasn't kicked in yet.”

Christmas Magic...?

Several sets of eyes stared up at John and Masako-- some hopeful, some skeptical.

Why did the kids have to be so precious?

Why did they have to wish for something so impossible?

Realizing they had allowed the kids to runaway with such ideas too long, Masako opened her mouth, about to remind them all of the delicious treats just waiting in the next room...when John slowly turned and faced her.

Following his lead, Masako turned also-- searching for some sign of his master plan.

How were they going to get out of this and not ruin Christmas Magic for a dozen children?

If they weren't careful they were both about to become a couple of Scrooges.

But what Masako found as she studied John was only that his hair was more tousled than usual, still slightly wet from the snow that fallen on him on his trip to the fuse box, and that the blue Christmas sweater he was wearing (the one the kids had made him) really did match well with his eyes...

Those blue eyes bore straight into hers. Reading his expression, it seemed to say, if you can't beat them...

Masako's heart beat thickly.

So, there was the master plan. John had decided to humor the children.

Softie.

Anticipating a chaste kiss to the forehead or cheek, Masako played along, eyes fluttering shut, firmly ignoring the odd sensation of what felt like dancing butterflies in her stomach.

The floor board creaked and Masako was aware of John stepping into her space...bringing with him the scent of some holiday soap, and whatever that light cologne he always wore was.

Masako's did stomach did a flip.

Maybe it wasn't butterflies dancing...but sugar plum fairies?

Absently, Masako felt something brush by her legs, and then in the next instant-- something was pressed to her lips. It was soft and it...tickled?

Masako's eyes flew open.

Orange fur.

Masako blinked in surprise. She was staring at the resident church cat, held up by John, who's face hovered just inches away. John peered around the cat, catching her eye with his sparkling ones.

She hadn't kissed John, she had kissed Mittens. Genuine laughter escaped Masako's lips, her eyes sparkling back at John.

Uproarious noise burst out as the children joined in, hooting and hollering. She had kissed the cat! Was that how it was supposed to work?

Suddenly several hands were waving at John, simultaneously begging for Mittens and shooing he and Masako away from the doorway, “My turn, my turn! I want to try!”

Christmas Magic, ghosts, and bedtime treats were forgotten in the face of kitty kisses.

“I just love mistletoe, let's put it up every year!” Yuri declared as Mittens was dumped into her waiting arms.

No longer wanted, and with the children so happily preoccupied...John and Masako took this chance to quietly slip off to the kitchen, sharing in a Christmas cookie or two.

#ghost hunt #I hope you guys have a regular dentist #because this may give you cavities #xD #I hope you enjoy my Christmas gift to you!#the first of four!#I <3 my readers #GH Christmas 2019 #Hey Tayter Chips-- it's finally here!

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ammi-ka-shehzada · 4 years

Photo

“1995. I was 16. He was 17. We saw each other for the first time in front of Copper Kettle in Liberty Market Lahore. He was a friend of my cousin’s and they met briefly while I waited next to the car. He thought I looked like a snob and I thought he seemed too chummy. So “hmph” teenage moment!

We met off and on with the cousin but never got along. Snob vs too chummy didn’t stand a chance!

1997. I was 18. He was 19.

I was in my BA 3rd year. He still hadn’t completed his A levels...moment of silence there.

I took his number from the same cousin and called him one night in June to talk about something pestering me. Something I knew only he could help with. Incidentally he was alone at home and free.

So, as fate would have it, the snob girl and the chummy boy ended up chatting the entire night. Something which is quite a heroic achievement in the times of one landline a house. That too in the TV lounge and Amma Abba’s surveillance at its peak.

Bharpoor taaliaan!

The next few days we ( separately in our own lives) couldn’t help but think of how well we got along in that one chat. It was actually as comfortable as chuddy buddies.

So. A few days later I, the cheeti ( as my sister called me later) called him again! From the same landline ( it was an orange phone I still remember that. I still remember his phone number also) and from the same TV lounge. Guess what? Yes! Another all night chat. But drop scene yeh huwa ke meri walida mohtarima aa gayeen subha 5 bajay. She didn’t exactly figure out what was happening but of course antennas were up. And Mr Rana ki to sitti gum ho gayee (which he told me later). He said he walked outside on the road at 5 am for hours panicking that I may be in trouble.

Later in the day he walked to a PCO to call and check if all is well. The phone kept ringing and shutting until I picked it up. And a voice said “Sarah?” I said “ uhh no” He said “just wanted to check are you ok?” I said “Yes”.

Relief for him.

Giddy smile for me,

And that was it.

Two telephone conversations later we were both 100% certain that we wanted to get married.

Why?

Because it was just so easy to talk to each other. We are the absolute opposites when it comes to personalities, like & dislikes, habits and general approach to things. But, we were both so sure. The kind of bond we had was special, and we couldn’t let go of it. 23 years later, this one fact still holds true.

Acha jee. Ayen na zara practical zindagi main. Jag jayen thora. 19 sala Hero A levels kar raha hai. Theek hai na? Interest kis cheez main hai? Theatre main. Operation theatre nahin. Drama wala theatre. Theek ho Gaya? Heroine BA kar rahee hai. 3 sisters and an EXTREMELY strict and conservative household. Fauji abba. Elder sister engaged. Matlab ke next in line to get married and Amma Abba completely clear on the fact that 1 acha rishta and baat done and beti ko tata bye bye. Parhayee etc sab 2nd priority.

Kher. Nazreen waqt ka pahiyya chalta raha. BA ho gaya. Lekin hero A levels main fail ho gaya. Bijlian gir gayeen armaanon par. His result came out the day my best friend was getting married. Crying my eyes out was easy because it got camouflaged behind my missing her. Everyone thought she was so lucky to have me as her best friend My Masters degree began and he enrolled in a local foundation course for an external degree.

My elder sister got married matlab tamaam topon ka rukh kahani ki heroine ki taraf. Rishtay atay rahay lekin waapis bhee bhee rahay, Shukar Alhamdullillah! Never did rejection feel so good!

1999.

He told his mother kyunke bairooni maddad ki zaroorat par chukki thee. Aik rishta serious ho gaya tha. Army Captain. I wonder where he is now...ok. Focus. His mother was super supportive. I collected the himmat to confide in my mother. Jhaar pari lekin qayamat nahin ayee. Baree hee maharat se donon walidas to milwaya. Makhan lagaya. Kiya nahin Kiya. They both said ok we will help you. Plan yeh tha ke my Ami will defer potential rishtas and his mother will bring the rishta as soon as he nears graduation and can talk to Abu with some grace.

Took a promise from us that we strictly follow boundaries.

No exclusive meetings.

No one should be able to see us together.

No compromise on this.

And we remained true to our word.

Now when I think of it I feel SO good about us. I kept studying. He tried studying and kept doing theatre. Started debate coaching with the initial pay of Rs. 5000.

2000.

My Masters done. Itni parhi likhi qabil heroine. Hero ka final year. Finally!!! Rishta aa gaya and came the million dollar question “yeh larka Akhir karta kiya hai?!” Start of a new era of daily discussions and many at times fights of Abu saying this is insane and Ami supporting me ( how sweet).

2001.

Finally a graduate. Hero found a job of 13000 Rs. Wasn’t great but I was ready to marry an unemployed man to Yeh to lottery thee. I started working. With almost the same pay...and Somehow, after two years of convincing and case pleading we got engaged on the 1st of January 2002. By far that day is, even now, the happiest day of my life. If anyone asks me that question, the first image that pops in my head is that night. It was surreal...honestly it was just meant to be. There was nothing going in our favour but somehow it happened.

Understanding yeh huwee the shadi araaam Se ho gee. Obviously hero was 23 years old!!! But dekhain, dulhan 22 kee thee na...and that’s OLD in a conservative, Punjabi family. To naya katta khul gaya na. My parents wanted it over and done with ASAP and his parents were reluctant. I can understand both sides but qeema kis ka bun raha tha? Aik saal main tension peak par pohanch gayee aur wohee huwa jo filmi stories main hota hai. Hero ko laga unn ke Amma Abba ki “insult” ho rahee hai and unhon ne mangni tor dee... jee haan!!! 🥁🥁🥁

Lekin heroine ki dhittayee par to medal banta hai. ( My sister suggested that I should talk to Abu. Matlab ke khud kush Hamla). Aadhi raat ko ja kar Abba ko jagaya aur bhaaan bhaaan kar ke dukhi kahani sunayee. Felix felicious feeling thee seriously. He heard me. And somehow promised to take care of everything. And he did. Date set ho gayee. Aglay saal ki! 365 days later. That one year was torturous. Because both set of parents were extremely upset with each other and both of us were constantly playing peace makers with one goal. Countdown to 365 days...it was exhausting!

But main ne bhoolne nahin diya hero ko ke mangni main ne jori. Jee Haan. Pehli call bhee main ne hee kee thee. I’m sure he mutters under his breath “why did you?”. Acha jee six months before the big day, Mr Rana decided to quit his job and pursue acting. Chalo jee. Naya sayapa. To huwa Kiya? Everyone discouraged him. Except me. But he wanted to satisfy his parents and went to UAE for a job hunt. Nope. No luck. Came back and announced that whatever it takes I am going to pursue my first love. Theatre and acting. And there was no turning back. Nautankee it was!Amma Abba told me clearly ke soch lo. There is no certainty or future for theatre or acting in Pakistan. All my life I’ve been answering the wretched question “So what does he ACTUALLY do?” Lekin kahan jee. Nothing hits home when you’re in “lurvvve”. He assured me that he will make me the happiest girl on earth. I believed him.

2003.

To kar li shaadi.

We were the happiest people alive. I honestly have seen VERY few couples as happy on their wedding day as we were. We were actually on cloud 9. Ready to take on anything that life brings. Anything.

Early marriage days were an absolute dream come true. We felt that all hardships are behind us and we have conquered everything in life. If we can do this, whatever life brings will be easy! Life with him for me actually meant a fairy tale. I was the stupid, naive, day dreaming princess and he was my Prince Charming, equally young and naive. He was supposed to whisk me away from a life of curfews, restrictions and boundaries to a house where I could paint the town red! From the house that didn’t allow me to laugh loudly and clap without a reason to a house where dancing to random songs was daily routine. Without any occasion or reason.

The fact that we paid for a 2 day stay at PC Bhurban with our salamis was a matter of pride for us. We still talk about how we sat down on day 3 and counted if we can stay another night, which we couldn’t and came back.

Happily.

The first few months were like a daze. With no luxuries but plain joy. We had so much fun. Just being together. Nothing mattered. Driving to work in the morning chatting chirpily, watching TV with dinner, going for groceries. Finding joy in the smallest of moments. Will our car ( a 3rd hand Alto) start or not in the morning was a daily bet of ours. The fact that our entire pay ( both) was spent completely on basic necessities was a matter of pride for us. Watching late night movies with a pizza was an absolute luxury!

I was willing to face anything with him. For him. When our car’s windshield smashed during a toofan we didn’t have extra cash. Omair won 10000 Rs at a theatre festival the very next week and we got it repaired. Drove around for days with no windshield and we still laugh about it 🙂

But things started going downhill a few months later. My super comfortable relationship with my mother in law turned bitterly toxic, for reasons incomprehensible to me ( at least then).

My 29 year old elder sister suffered a brain hemorrhage in UK and was in the hospital for months. In and out of surgeries before coming around but her movement was affected for life.

My parents and younger sister went on rotation to be with her while I stayed back because I was “someone else’s wife” now so he was supposed to take decisions for me. Finances became a big issue so I took tuitions to save money and go visit her.

Omair found a better job and kept doing some TV work on the side but it was a struggle with nothing to fall back on. My heart would be with my sister but I would act jolly because “ghar ka mahaul kharab hota hai”. He decided to study and applied to LUMS for an MBA and started preparing for GMAT, which meant greater financial stress one me. But I stood by him. He didn’t get in ( a behteri in hind sight). The constant stress affected my gynea system... I actually didn’t feel like having a child because I was just so unhappy...and the uncertainty of life, my sister’s health, my parent’s stress and his career had started getting to me. But it had been three “LONG” years, and that gullible version of me caved in to pressure and we started treatment. What followed was two years of scans and injections and tablets and all the side effects that come with it.

2007. Eventually, an IUI worked and Rayaan came along. In bitter reality Rayaan was my clean chit in the eyes of the society that I am “complete”. I did not feel any gushing love for him. Omair on the other hand was over the moon! He has not loved anyone like he’s loved Rayaan. He is born to be a father. And that was a blessing, because Rayaan got the love he deserved from Baba while Amma was busy fighting her battles. The toxic relationship with my mother in law turned unbearable, I almost had a nervous breakdown and we moved out. It was ugly.

Omair didn’t have a job at this time. We had an infant and no worldly possessions at all except my jewellery and bedroom furniture. Fun fact: I had no jahez. Omair’s family made is 100% clear that there will be no jahez. Full marks to them there.

In these 4 years the ONLY thing that kept me sane was Omair, his humour, and our friendship. In these years we became even closer friends than before. He would listen to me silently if ever I felt like venting my heart out. Mostly I tried to keep it in because I didn’t want to upset him. Just silent hand holding was so comforting when he didn’t have any words of tassalli for me. He didn’t share his stress because HE didn’t want to stress me out.(This is when I realized strongly how the man is the worst hit in a conflict between his wife and mother. Made a mental note of never ever letting my son go through this. I hope I remember this by the time that time comes)). We cared for each other as friends before anything else and kept going...We have always been more of friends than anything else.

Something that caused huge problems later because married people need to be husband and wife, behave like a couple, argue like a couple and demand stuff like a couple. But we thought as long as we can communicate openly, make each other laugh, never dream of hurting the other and never go to bed angry, all is well.

This man has made me laugh at the toughest of times and has always ALWAYS been kind. That alone is something I cannot thank Allah enough for.

2008.

This marked the year for us actually starting from scratch. I sold some of my jewellery to buy furniture (Something I confided in Omair much later and he still hates this fact) crockery and appliances. We used up all of our savings. We set up a two room portion far away from the city which we called home for two years. I remember someone bringing flowers which I put in a balti because there was no vase. Meals were on the floor. We used to leave home at 645 daily to drop Rayaan to day care ( eternally grateful to The Early Years ) and get to our jobs. I was teaching at several places and so was he. We were shuttling between jobs all day. Only to return in the evening exhausted, showered ( if we had the energy), have omelette toast and crash. All this was just making ends meet, pay rent, bills, Rayaan’s fee, basic grocery and NO savings. Eating out was out of the question. But we were SO very happy.

It was unbelievable.

Even now when we look back the two years at “26 M” were the warmest, coziest, happiest ever. I actually found out what people mean when they say money isn’t everything. I learnt to love my baby boy who was an absolute Godsend. He took his first steps on that terrace. We got heat strokes from the hot weather but still managed to smile. The first sofa set we bought was second hand, for Rs 4000, which Omair refused to give away till 3 years ago.

The beds in the 2nd room were given by a dear friend for free. We shared the bills. Since we couldn’t eat out much I experimented with a lot of cooking (Dalda ka dastarkhwan was my saheli in those days).

Sharing financial and household responsibilities was never ever a problem between us. It was always “our” money, our responsibilities. We were both fighting our separate battles of the move ( we really never wanted to move away from his parents and this was very painful for both of us differently) but we never fought over it. Everything was always so civil and so comfortable.

2010.

We moved to a better place. Things settled a bit vis a vis work. Him and mine both. Slowly the ice started melting with my in laws ( things now are 100% ok. Yeah. That also happens. A lot of the credit goes to my parents in law here. But that’s a separate post) Slowly and steadily we made a home.

Right now, I’m sitting in our TV lounge of the home we’ve been in since 2010. And when I look around, every single thing that I can see has been bought by us personally.

Alhamdullillah.

Allah has been so unbelievably kind. If I say that we have actually built a home from scratch together, it’ll be 100% true. From a teaspoon to the TV to the car. Everything. But we still remember the first 5000 he earned and the third hand Red Alto whose floor collapsed while we were driving it. Flintstones!!!!

2011. I had my miscarriage.

2012.

This was the year we lost our twins in the 33rd week.

What followed was a complete fallout between us.

Oddly enough...We were heartbroken, more for each other than our own selves. I struggled desperately to deal with everything that follows after losing a child. But I failed miserably because of my combination of “I have to be strong”, “ I should always be grateful”, and “ everything happens for a reason” and “I need to be there for him”, and “Look how much pain my sister has gone through, this is nothing”.. But my body wasn’t agreeing with my mind and I fell critically ill.

Hospitalized for weeks while doctors struggled to figure out the problem. Eventually managed to come out of it Alhamdullillah but it took its toll on our relationship.

We drifted apart although he looked after me with such care that it makes my heart melt every time I think about it. But we both knew that it wasn’t the same.

For reasons we both knew and understood but didn’t have the courage to talk about. Since we were such close friends, we both understood the other’s thinking process and we let each other be. It was like parallel lives. We came home to each other, never stopped loving each other but we started living our own lives. Professionally we both grew but as “us” we stopped moving.

Now, when I see couples making this mistake I make it a point to tell them. Ask them to talk it out. Understanding each other’s struggles and giving each other too much space at the cost of your own happiness can cause irreversible damage.

This lack of communication is something I regret in hindsight. Something that went on for years and something that caused our marriage to almost end at one point...We didn’t even talk about what we were going through with anyone either.

No One.

Because our go to person was us...to kiya kartay?

But, yet again, guess what came to our rescue? Dosti. We just couldn’t give up on the dosti. No matter how much time we spent with other people, we just couldn’t help but miss what we have.

And what we have is extraordinary.

We feel at home with each other.

And that is irreplaceable.

You know the person who can look at you and understand what you are about to say? That’s us.

Home is where your heart is, and our hearts belong to each other. Three C sections and he stayed with me at the hospital. You want your mother around at that time and I wanted him. He’s changed countless pampers, done night duties with the kids, cooked breakfast for me, cleaned, dusted, changed linen, gotten furniture poshish done, taken me shopping infinite times, waited patiently while I got my threading done only so we can take a drive together, bought sanitary napkins, taken me for Falooda at midnight, you name it. He made me open my first personal bank account and asked me to put all my salary in it instead of the joint account, he’s never asked me how much I earn, never told me I’m fat ( and I’ve been fat!!!). Always disregarded comments about how “young” he looks compared to me. Something I have let bother me for years before growing up and not giving a rat’s ass eventually.

We’ve never ever argued in front of the kids. He’s always given me the lead in parenting, trusting every single decision I take as a mother, and never made me feel bad for the bad ones (there are quite a few).

He’s never stopped talking to me although I tend to give him the “silent treatment” quite a few times. He’s supported me most in my work. Helped me through the tightest spots professionally. I have grown as a person with him. I have learnt from him what it means to truly forgive someone, to be non judgmental, to drop one’s agenda and focus on the bigger picture. People say it about their fathers, and as much as I love my Abu with all my heart, my husband gave me wings to fly and the courage to follow my dreams.

He’s actually one of a kind.

Completely secure.

Non judgmental.

Hospitable and generous to the core.

Genuinely happy for everyone’s success and happiness.

Humble.

A truly happy person who wakes up every morning to live life to its fullest!

A truly loving father.

A genuinely caring son.

An absolutely accommodating husband.

A wholeheartedly loving brother.

A friend in need.

I’ve spent years being scared of Nazar and bad luck by telling people how blessed I feel, every moment of my life, but not right now. I feel if many people will jinx this, enough people will be happy for us and make the bad nazar nuetral 🙂 I think the world deserves to know this side of the coin as well.

There ARE men who are plain GOOD men. And I have been infinitely lucky to have one of them. I may become overwhelmed with fear in a few days though. I’m unpredictable in this department 🧿

My love story is rather simple.

I simply decided to marry my best friend. My best friend decided to marry his. And we really wouldn’t have it any other way. He calls me his “best mistake”. I still can’t decide if that’s a compliment or not I consider him “my lucky break” in life.

We haven’t had a marriage which revolves around expensive presents, holiday destinations or lavish surprise birthday parties but we have a marriage which has survived the test of time. It is based on years of honesty, trust, hard work and respect. We have both invested in it. Yes I have invested a lifetime in this relationship as well. I have compromised and given in countless times. Cried myself to sleep and wept in the shower. There have been numerous ugly downs in these 23 years...but the beautiful ups have been more than numerous. The laughters are actually infinite.

Alhamdullillah.

The most important thing is that we haven’t kept any scores. Who needs to keep a score when we both get to win in the end?”

-shared by Ms. Maira Omair Rana

Copied from facebook page: Humans of Kinnaird.

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wellamarke · 5 years

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i finally saw stranger things 3 and i have thoughts that i will break down by character ((they are not very deep thoughts, they are mostly love))

first, the kids

1. my beautiful son, will byers, for once did not have a hell ride of a season and got to smile a couple times. he took a bit of a back seat really, and i feel sorry for noah schnapp for all the ‘neck scratching’ memes he’ll be buried in now that it was basically his signature move for 8 episodes (and not even a particularly useful one) but anyway... the destruction of castle byers was one of the most heartbreaking scenes and i would have liked to see more fallout from it, but we can’t have everything. mike’s ‘it’s not my fault you don’t like girls’ line? eiiiish can we get some follow up in s4 please. (it might not be your fault mike but you’re involved lmao) so anyway. glad will got a breather season, but man when he was crying so much in the goodbye scene, i felt that. could not cope.

2. lucas!!!!!!!! my treasured son!!!! i love him so much. he was such a hero this season! he is always down to fight with his catapult and i adore him. i love what a terrible casanova he makes. i wish there had been some kind of glimpse of him looking after max after she watched her brother die, because that’s a complicated thing for those two. but s4 awaits. i would love to see lucas take a more central role in s4, incidentally. in terms of the boys, s1 was mike’s time to shine, s2 was will’s, s3 was arguably dustin since he got the most time away from the group? s4 lucas please and thank you

3. my angel daughter max, i love her, she’s so brave and brilliant, and she is such a good friend to el, and although billy-as-he-was didn’t deserve her, she was a good sister, too. i worry about her a lot. lucas and max better be the front and centre couple of s4, i swear. it’s their time. let them. i guess i was a little confused at first at how much max’s style changed between seasons, but i support her always, and her clothes now are so happy and cute. she’s adorable. now somebody please make sure she’s alright. where is her mom

4. dustin, light of my life, he is a good child and i am proud of him! i have always related to dustin’s position in the friend group lmao so to see him off with his own little crew was very adorable. i love him as both steve and robin’s child and steve and robin’s parent. he is so resourceful and i love that they finally utilised gaten’s angel voice! i was so glad suzie turned out to be real and plot-relevant (kinda), please can she come for a visit in s4? thank you.

5. eleven, my daughter, my small small child, she broke my heart so much this season and i am so proud of her for finding herself. her s4 arc of regaining her powers will be very interesting and i’m excited for her and joyce’s relationship to be developed more, because i love them both. i really appreciated them going for the angle of ‘eleven needs to exist outside of mike’, partly because the way they were behaving at the beginning of the season did seem to make sense for kids their age with a connection like theirs, and it is healthier for them to.... not. at least sometimes. el is so hardcore, i love how her dialogue is still written a little stilted while still letting her express herself. she had so many iconic lines. i can’t believe they took hop away from her. also i’m a little disappointed (but not surprised) that there was no kali.

6. mike, my child, my gangly and adorable son, he was a joy this season (even when he was whinging). you know what killed me? how TALL he was when he hugged his mother at the end, especially compared to the s1 scene after will’s “body” is found. logically i know that these are actors who are growing up but it feels like an assault every time they flashback to their tiny s1 selves, and mike is just a giant now. bless him. he is a good boy who is trying his best. i don’t really understand why he didn’t tell el what hopper had said much earlier, but he’s a silly teenage boy, so, you know. it’s like that.

7. erica my precious daughter, oh my goodness, i enjoyed her immensely. i’m so glad she’s properly part of the crew and is beginning to embrace the nerdy part of herself. icon. priah ferguson is an entire gemstone. when nancy etc graduate to the adult storylines and mike and co are the resident teens, erica will be the lynchpin of the new generation and i couldn’t be happier about that.

now, the teens

1. nancy was so iconic this year, DAMN. this girl never rests and i love her. i’m glad the romantic drama was minimised, just enough to keep them interesting but not so you really worried she was going to pingpong back to steve or anything silly like that. nancy is such a role model truly. she’s so brave. my life, when billy’s car was hurtling towards her and she just stayed shooting. that’s my girl. (also, she’s so gorgeous. i feel like 80s fashion happened mainly so that natalia dyer could recreate it)

2. STEVE my sweet sweet son. again, an icon. i can’t believe they actually kept him in that sailor suit the whole season. what a national treasure. when he slammed billy’s car! i cheered. i’m very proud of the person he has become and his friendship with robin is just adorable. so glad that they will be able to discuss pretty girls together now that they work at the arcade. also, maybe he could make it to the end of s4 without cutting up his face, but that’s probably too much to ask, isn’t it?

3. robin is my entire heart, i can’t even express how much i love this girl. she’s so clever and brave and wonderful and i can’t wait for her and will to share a scene (because cOME ON the solidarity!!!). i love her sarcasm and wit, and how she just jumps into the madness and gets stuff done. a queen. welcome to the family, robin.

4. jonathan my boyyyyy, he was lovely this season, i was so proud of him when he took the situation in hand with el’s injury (even if she ended up doing the surgery herself!) i am excited for him to be el’s big brother as well as will’s (side note: el and will are sure to be the cutest siblings) and hopefully he and nancy can continue to navigate the stormy sea of being the teen flagship without too much on-again-off-again. we get it, they’re meant for each other. loved their moment with the scar at the end.

5. oh, billy. i will admit, i felt bad for him a couple of times, and he certainly suffered enough, not that his treatment of lucas in s2 will ever be excused. dacre montgomery really gives the most, which makes billy weirdly watchable. i will never understand why they chose to bring back the karen wheeler stuff, brrrrrrr, but, yeah. i’m glad they didn’t exactly “redeem” him, but managed to kill him off while still adding depth. (he tried to save el and good on him for that, but in the end it was joyce who stopped the mindflayer, so).

aaand the adults!

1. murray was a complete delight, and i was thrilled to have him along for the ride. i’m heartbroken that murray/alexei will not rise, because that had potential.

2. joyce was wonderful and hilarious and brave and heartbreaking and perfect, of course. i can’t believe they’ve now killed off BOTH her love interests (as far as she knows, anyway). that poor woman. i hope she can continue in her role of best mother ever, now that she has an extra traumatised child on her hands. joyce is the true mvp. the moral strength that woman has. the brains. the curiosity. she’s a way of life.

3. hopper, where do i start. i actually didn’t like him much at the start of the season. i get that he hasn’t had a teenager before, but he seemed to take a little too much delight in petrifying mike, especially since he knew how much it would genuinely hurt el. that seemed a bit extreme for the sake of not wanting to give a corny speech. but anyway. this man is a true trooper. so many fight scenes. and we’re supposed to assume he’s not actually dead, right? the post-credits scene in russia was almost entirely pointless (big deal, they got a demogorgon) apart from the line, ‘no, not the american’... i mean, surely that’s hopper? surely? murray is unaccounted for in the time jump, i suppose, but no way he was captured and not joyce. both or neither. man, imagine the reunion with el and joyce, if hopper really isn’t dead. i’m going with he’s not dead. we never saw any remains. kudos for still making his apparent demise pack a whole punch, though. that letter destroyed me.

other things:

1. the turning-people-into-goo stuff was so horrifying, how do you even go about creating those visuals

2. some of the fight scenes i kind of let happen without really watching, and just came back to see who was still upright by the end, how do people watch this stuff

3. joyce didn’t decorate her house :( in fact the magnets undecorated themselves, as a forerunner to the entire house being stripped.... wow....

4. mr clarke is an absolute beaut and i love the way he was used (although it was strange not to have dustin included!)

5. i love love love how this show operates, with different teams finding different parts of the mystery and piecing it together under fire. i love how none of them ever go, “hey, we should tell the other people who are usually involved in this stuff, chances are they’ve got themselves into it this time around.”

6. the byers’ dog is still unaccounted for

#stranger things #stranger things spoilers #mileven #lumax #jancy #jopper

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vaguely-concerned · 5 years

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SO I DID GET TO SEE GOOD OMENS AND TL;DR IT WAS EXCELLENT, I AM EUPHORIC

more thoughts and spoilers under the cut!

the FUCK YEEEEEEEAAAAAHs:

- mr gaiman you did it you made it even gayer I never even believed it was possible what is this 6000 years pining slowburn nonsense

*ahem* to be more serious about it I loved that the show takes the emotional throughlines from the book and somehow both heightens and deepens them.

- it really is phenomenally faithful to the book and the stuff it adds is mostly a m a z i n g. it kept me perfectly engaged despite me knowing what like 75% of the dialogue was going to be

- david tennant doesn’t quite go for the same energy as how I imagine crowley in the book -- in my head he’s more... idk how to explain it but the vibe is more someone grinning a bright fixed ‘this is totally my suave face’ grin while clearly continually going ‘oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck’ internally haha, to me he’s slightly less... mercurial? trying to play his cards closer to the chest? but you know what show!crowley is fucking hilarious too and I do like what they’ve done with him being less of an optimist at the core and more enjoying the world through his connection with aziraphale -- the sense of underlying loneliness you get in some places in the book has really been dialed up, he just wants a friend :( (which incidentally seems to be part of the reason he fe -- sauntered vaguely downwards too; he mostly wanted to hang out with someone, and today he still doesn’t really fit in with either the angels or the demons)

- I can’t believe they managed to capture the feeling of ‘Under the ash and soot that flaked his face, he looked very tired, and very pale, and very scared’ on screen; it’s one of the moments of the book that really stuck with me and it worked so well here too, especially since the fallout of the situation stays with him longer

- this version of aziraphale is just. so lovely. so so good, literal precious angel who almost got his head cut off for crepes, I totally see why crowley persevered through the ages and his own intimacy issues, good call my friend. thank you michael sheen, every time this character showed up on screen I was filled with joy and delight

- I’m completely undone by how incredibly mutual their friendship is in this -- despite crowley being the more active in asking for connection it’s obvious all the way through how much aziraphale genuinely adores him and enjoys his company (even though he knows he shouldn’t and so continually needs to give himself some plausible deniability)

when aziraphale’s voice breaks as he’s like ‘don’t go’ after they’ve argued in the park and he’s just tried to pretend they’re not even friends? hahahahahahaha ouch my fucking heart

- sister mary loquacious was the most endearing thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life, give that actress all the roles she’s got the charisma of the gods

- “not only a southern pansy, sergeant -- the southern pansy” got through and it was glorious (ditto shadwell’s naming schemes, I for sure thought that wouldn’t be mentioned but it’s so incredibly funny)

- crowley repeatedly and openly just... begging aziraphale to go off to the stars with him what the fick-freckedy-fuck

- Of the horsemen Pollution was my absolute fave (so cool and unsettling and nonbinary rep!!!!!!! also they feel like the youngest horseman in such a deep way, every credit to the actress that was great) and I really enjoyed the twist on Famine, making him seem more intense and hungry himself as part of his nature as opposed to in the book where he’s basically like... diet vetinari lol

- G A B R I E L he was so perfectly awful... absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever he’s just a piece of shit all the way through and John Hamm was clearly having the time of his life with it and I too was living

- crowley crying in the bar because he lost his best friend and there’s no point to even try to run away anymore if he’s alone, he’s just waiting for the end of the world ;____________________________________________________; what an addition, such a thoughtful way to steer his character arc, wonderful, spectacular

in the book it’s more about him finding his way through the fear and desperation and having lost everything back to his core ‘actually... fuck this there’s no situation I can’t snake my way out of let’s goooooooooo’ self, which is admittedly really cool and satisfying, but it feels like a shallower thing than finally reaching a point where he can no longer pretend he doesn’t care or doesn’t want things. (also... the way his will to live reignites the moment aziraphale needs him fjskadlfhaskdhfksldhfslkahdf “I’ll come find you” INDEED fjksdafhsdlfhsdalfh)

- also a nice tiny change: the implication that reason he can drive the bentley through the flames is that he loves that car so fucking much, he’s invested so much of himself and his emotions in it over many years, like a sort of microcosm of how he feels about the actual world (and specifically humanity’s presence in it) that produced it

- the child actors were uniformly precious, and the kid who played adam got me right in the feelings. the sort of comedic sociopathy of kids thing going on in the book is downplayed, which means I was feeling all the more protective of this sweet sweet kid who just loves his dog and his friends and fjsdfklasjkh

- *sigh* my embarrassing crush on david tennant has been lying dormant these last few years, simply waiting for its chance to rise from the depths like a kraken yet again, and I am slightly unsettled that what really made it surface this time was him dressed up as evil Mary Poppins + the bathing suit, socks included. ah well the heart uh wants what it wants I guess

- crowley is awfully quick to suggest child murder for someone who’s blatantly not willing to harm a hair on a kid’s head himself lawl the two of them just juggling the ‘but maybe you could like... quickly murder him so we could avoid all this???’ ball back and forth before madame tracy finally knocks some sense into them

- the actress for madame tracy did such an amazing job that I literally forgot aziraphale wasn’t actually possessing her, ART

- fellas... is it gay to blow up a bunch of nazis for your ~*best friend*~ and save his books while actualfax romantic music swells in the background... asking for a friend

- “anywhere you want to go” :):):):) oh no

- to be Sad at you for a second here... why the fuck did aziraphale immediately assume crowley wanted the holy water to use it on himself? is there like. a story here we don’t know. is this the fallout of going to check wtf the spanish inquisition was all about. I’m almost afraid to ask

- to be even Sadder: that ‘For Terry’ made me cry and I’m not ashamed to admit it

the awwww... okay I guess you can’t have EVERYTHINGs:

- the scene where crowley and aziraphale get wasted together after the antichrist is delivered is not quite as funny as it is in my head, but then I don’t think anything in the physical world could be as funny as the way I imagine them just like somberly leaning over the table at each other with little regard for personal space and drunkenly expounding on dolphins, so I’ll forgive it

- CGI satan was completely unnecessary and not even very well designed *shrug emoji* the whole point of that scene is that we never get to see him, just the mounting dread as he’s getting closer, and then the wordless reveal of who Adam considers to be his dad and that’s all that matters and even the devil is powerless against it... loved the ~*godfathers*~ giving a little literal angel/devil on my shoulder pep talk, tho, that was incredibly sweet

- ...the maggots huh neil. couldn’t leave them out huh. what a world it would be if we didn’t get to see a bunch of people get eaten by a writhing roomful of maggots huh.

- ETA: actually one more: I refuse to accept this version of DEATH, hashtag not my reaper

#good omens #good omens spoilers #*sigh* my brain is tired from being excited but that's kind of fine #I'm sure this is not very coherent but well I don't feel all that coherent haha

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aisuho · 5 years

Text

7′sCarlet #6 (Secret Character)

This is it! This is the last route.

Spoilers to follow. You’ve been warned.

This one starts all the way, doesn’t it?

As soon as it begins we take Hanate’s perspective and realize he is being kept as The Ensepulchers’ prisoner for a year. He learns that her sister is coming by hearing a conversation between two of the members of the committee (who recognized her name from a list of the names of the hotel’s guests).

We then return to MC’s perspective as she is just getting helped by Yua to put on her yukata. She has just had a “vision” (more like a hearing) of her brother warning her to not come to Okunezato.

Well, MC decides to not go to the festival in the end, and as she goes down the lobby, Tsukuyomi intercepts her and tries to convince her to do the photo shoot for him in the river, but Yuki comes in and persuades him to change locations to the hotel’s garden (thank you, Yuki!). Before you have the chance to leave, Toa then enters the hotel, saying he’s already back from the festival.

Poor Toa, it’s sad to know you are forced to reject everyone’s invitation (except Tsukuyomi, obviously).

What matters is that Tsukuyomi’s plans are crushed.

By the way, shouldn’t Yuki be patrolling the festival grounds?

Things go smoothly with the photo shoot, then everyone leaves. MC then has the impression she’s forgetting something, and to jog her memory, she looks at the couch, suddenly remembering the mysterious man sitting there just before, reading a newspaper (remember him? If I’m not mistaken, that was from the common route).

As MC investigates the couch, Yuki approaches her and delivers a letter he has found below it. The letter is addressed to her, and says to go to the tunnel, and find the shrine beyond it.

The next day MC follows suit, fooling Hino that she’s going to do some shopping alone. In the tunnel, she hears someone kick a stone, and when she turns around, see a silhouete in the beginning of the tunnel, looking towards her. Thinking it to be Hino, she calls out to him, only to have the siljouette dashes forward, in her direction. The cat-masked man appears again, takes her by her throat, but before he has the chance to kill her, he’s attacked. Someone else takes MC’s hand and leads her to the other side of the tunnel.

It’s Hanate, Mc’s “brother”. As they reach the shrine, he starts revealing the truth to her:

- Every year, in the valley of Violacias, there’s a scarlet one. The number of scarlet Violacias signify the amount of revenants that’ll come back to life in Okunezato.

- Revenants see the world in black and white, except for a few objects that appear in color: the Violacia, and blood;

- Revenants don’t taste the food they eat, and don’t need them, however, drinking has a propose, as it helps to satiates temporary their hunger to kill;

- There are a few humans with pure souls -- they’re called “ambrosia”, and are full of life force that attracts the revenants, as it turns out, a revenant that takes the life force of an ambrosia receives eternal life, has its hunger satiated and never has to kill again. Also, The Ensepulchers learned about the ambrosia from a revenant they captured, he had failed to acquire the life force of one, and in trade of his survival, he let gave away that information (of course, he was exterminated anyway). Incidentally, The Ensepulchers now refer to the “ambrosias” as “albinos”;

- The ambrosia’s pupils shine a faint shade of red;

- Hanate’s a revenant who has consumed an ambrosia. Also, he and the Violacia are connected, he needs them to live, they need them to go on, so he guards the field;

- Hanate has the power to “twist” people’s memory at his convenience. He makes them see him as who he wants to be seen; that’s the reason he’s believed to be MC’s older brother, and also why her memories are fuzzy and has no recollection of her time in Okunezato, the same happens to Hino later;

- Complementing the previously item, Hanate’s powers are limited: if the memories the other have of him are of no use, they cease to be; also, the farther he is, the more the memories fade.

- Revenants who have consumed the life force of an ambrosia don’t embody any marks on their back;

Those are just a few things to point out from his speech. Hanate takes a long time talking, and I don’t think it would be interesting to tackle on every single thing he says. He goes through the events of twelve years ago, the summer MC spent in Okunezato, when he first met her and coincidentally as she met every LI for the first time. Also, you get to hear about her first encounter with Kagura Tsukuyomi, you learn that even as a kid he has been following her around, and even pushed her down the river in an attempt of drowning her. Hanate saves her and takes her out of town, in order to flee the revenants that keep being attracted by the girl. She’s back to her old house in Tokyo.

You also learn that MC was staying with Hino’s family in Okunezato, not her aunt and uncle as it led me to believe before.

So, the reason Hanate decided to return to Okunezato was because he felt his life starting to fade away, fearing the Violacia being in danger, he travels back.

He also finds the Okunezato Supernatural Clubs by accident.

He’s captured as soon as he gets to the valley, is then tortured and kept prisoner.

Anyways, fast-forward to the end of the monologue, Hanate senses someone, and upon looking outside you see both Toa and Yua arguing. Hanate also explains Toa’s a revenant. They leave, and you two talk a little more until MC sleeps. As they talk, MC feels her memories come back, and Hanate explains that the same is happening to Hino.

Soon, she’s awaken by Hanate, who urges her to move as they both have to flee from town and Tsukuyomi. As you escape, MC asks him to take to the valley of Violacias, feeling like they’re calling her. He complies.

When there, both are surprised by Tsukuyomi, who urges Hanate to handle MC over, so they both cana be gods and have an eternal life together. Hanate lights a match and throw it at the Volacia, in order to end the curse and kill Tsukuyomi, however, the later is faster and takes the match, breaking it before dashing at Hanate. They both fight.

As they fight, Hanate gets the upper hand, and them orders MC to light up one of the matches. No matter what, she isn’t able to do it, making Tsukyomi feel like he has won.

However, Hino appears, and as urged by Hanate, lights up one of the matches and throw it at the Volacias, burning them down.

Tsukuyomi’s body goes through the revenant’s death, his body glows then become purple petals that are scattered through the wind.

Soon, Hanate follows.

MC then returns to her sense in a field of green, with no collection of what just happened. Hino comes to find her, wondering why she’s crying, but she says she doesn’t know the reason, only that something really sad happened.

And so, she goes on with her life.

I don’t know if I really liked this route. I’m not sure how to feel about their relationship. I mean, even if they weren’t real siblings, the fact that at least she grew up believing that, and then suddenly... loves him as a man is just weird. Not to mention, he saw her grow up, he was already an adult. You know what this implies.

Moreover, we spend all the game not knowing almost anything about Hanate, we have no time to mature him as a character or even to create a bond with him -- then, he appears at the last moment (like, THE LAST)... throwing all that on your face and being like “I love you, I’ve always loved you” is just... not sure how to respond to that.

Their moment is short, no time to develop the romance, everything felt rushed. When it`s starts to grow, it just ends, because plot reasons.

He dies, and then all memories of him are gone. No time to mourn, either.

This route also lets some things unfinished. Remember, if the revenants are connected to the Violacias, and when the later dies, so does the first (more like disappears, as they`re already dead). So, imagine, Toa is there with his sister or doing whatsoever in the hotel or as A-TO, and then... puff! Gone. It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Also, remember that red-eye (that I assume belonged to a woman) observing MC? The game apparently doesn’t. Yup, no answers regarding that.

To be honest, I also didn’t like much Yuki being the administrator, it felt... lazy. I was hoping it to be Hanate or even Tsukuyomi.

Nonetheless, I was really frustrated when your second and last choice in this route didn’t do a single thing. We only have two choices in the entire route, and then it doesn’t have any consequence. Why bother?

To be honest, this route was a letdown for me. I thought we would finally close everything in a nice and pretty way (or not so pretty), but lots of questions are left hanging, and you barely have any time to develop anything, because Hanate is just... there and then, gone.

Final thoughts

Well, that was it, the end.

The game itself was really fun, most of the characters were nice and the vibe of the game was really well developed.

The routes are good, my only problem is how most of them end. Some felt unfinished.

The art was nice, but some characters’ avatars looked way better than the CG version (two of them happened the opposite).

The soundtrack is just fabulous. The songs did set the mood, my only complaint is that the transition between some was abrupt (like when leaving a romantic scene). I do love the opening, though.

I just wished that the mystery was developed better... the mystery on itself was great, I was intrigued by some things, however... they spend the two first routes (Hino and Isora) only throwing more and more questions without giving you any clue to answer them yourself -- I do understand that the game doesn’t want to solve things right from the bat, but if it at least gave you tangible hints about things, it would’ve been better appreciated. Sometimes it felt like the game thought I wasn’t smart enough to figure things out. Another thing, is that because the game was afraid of giving you those useful hints, or even answering questions, it left everything to the last three routes. You can imagine the problem it caused: because it had so many questions to answer, they had to cut down the romance to focus on the plot.

I was quite confused to why some things were considered hints, too. They didn’t seem necessary or even useful.

MC also was quite a troublesome character for me. Sometimes she was really smart and self-aware, others she was just... dumb and kept making stupid decisions (she was so smart and aware in Isora’s route, though, then just kept having stupid ideas in Sosuke’s... what a shame).

For the side characters, I wish Yua had gotten some more screen time. She was an interesting character (specially during the True Ending) and deserved more love.

Nonetheless, it’s still a good game. If I had to classify my favorite characters (LIs, only), they were definitely:

Yuzuki -> Hino -> Toa -> Sosuke -> Secret Character -> Isora

And my favorite routes (I won’t include the True Ending):

Hino -> Yuzuki -> Toa -> Sosuke -> Isora -> Secret Character

That’s it!

#spoiler #7'sCarlet #spoilers #otome game #visual novel

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comicteaparty · 5 years

Text

May 23rd, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on May 23rd, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT. The chat focused on Maiden of the Machine by Caitlin Like.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! Our final Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Maiden of the Machine by Caitlin Like~! (https://maidenmachine.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

i think my favorite scene so far is when elizabeth and victor decide to sleep together. part in for its serious drama. theres so many questions about victor created from just the visuals, and then theres the stakes at hand of elizabeth's reputation. but then, there is also a good balance of comic relief to a degree since victor told her to ask no questions and she asks the one question that he probably didnt see coming. all around it was a pretty satisfactor culmination of their relationship so far at a juncture that felt natural.

another scene i really enjoyed was the ball scene where victor and eric are having a chat about elizabeth and then elizabeth and victor have a passionate liason. im mostly a fan cause of the dramatic convo. cause theres a deep and terrible sense that both characters truly know what their risking, what the situation is, and how they still are into each other. plus, its all very tense cause it just takes one person being in the wrong place at the wrong time to blow their cover.

honestly i think itd be accurate to say all my favorite scenes are with elizabeth and victor. romance is one of those genres i can struggle with, because theres always something missing. but oh man do i love the romance in this comic. there is nothing more i want than to see then elizabeth and victor finding a way to be together in spite society trying to kick that down at every turn.

i will give a special shout out to the scene where eric, abhaya, milo, and the cousin are meeting to discuss the affairs of the estate. i just like it because it basically shows all the characters' worst sides. abhaya is brash and reckless, milo is just kind of there, and eric is a greedy mofo. and whats worse is literally none of them thought to bring elizabeth. they may have their excuses of protecting her...but part of me still thinks thats a super dick move and shows even abhaya just kind of views elizabeth more as a pawn than a person. but all in all, nothing like money and estates to show off everyone's worst traits. it is very true to life, and i can respect that.

another non-victor/elizabeth scene i respect is the scene where elizabeth is out dress shopping and eric is like here i got you these dresses. just cause i knew eric was kind of a creep, but ho boy, he dialed the creep up to number 11 on a 10 meter scale. but at the same time, i think that really helped to erase all sympathy i might have had for him. thus paving the way for me to not really feel guilty on elizabeth's behalf for her trespasses against him.

mathtans

Hello, I made it... unfortunately this is a rather bad week, I only made it through the first two chapters.

RebelVampire

i also like scenes with west in them. cause I like that between all the people around Victor, West seems the most honest in a scoundrel sort of way. Which that is basically what I like about him in every scene. He causes trouble and pushes the limits, but at the same time hes always at least pretty upfront about his intentions.

thats unfortunate cause its a great comic, but glad to see you anyway math!

mathtans

Which kind of sucks, I like the whole concept of the kick ass ladies. Even the pirates.

Maybe I'll find time to read more in the background.

The bit I liked most of what I read I think was back in the first chapter, when Elizabeth makes the callback to when she got out of the ropes at the very start of the story. It was a nice subtle detail which I found very clever.

I'm not at your bits yet but I can see how the Elizabeth/Victor thing is being set up. Also there seems to be some question of whether Abhaya likes him... or possibly other ladies? I may be reading my own interests into that.

RebelVampire

you may be reading your own interests but later on there is a female character i ship abhaya with atm

so there is that

i dont think youve met her yet tho

mathtans

Also, yeah, the whole estate thing creates an interesting dynamic. That was a clever way of using the period to generate conflicts.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. A large focus of the comic is on Elizabeth and Victor’s relationship. At the end of the day, do you think the two will find a way to be together? If so, how will they get over the scandal Elizabeth would face and the fact those around Victor want him to marry a titled woman? If you don’t believe they’ll find a way to stay together, what will stop them? Further, given the most recent events, how will Eric Wollstonecraft play a role in the future of their love story? How does the narration framing seen where Elizabeth is addressing her potential son affect your opinion? How do you think that future came about, and how soon will it come to pass? Last, what do you think of their relationship in terms of Elizabeth wanting to make her own choices in life?

mathtans

I ship Abhaya with everyone.

RebelVampire

yeah i have to say if theres one thing i appreciate its combination of progressive themes while at the same time acknowledging that the period was not the friendliest towards these things

especially in regards to how elizabeth is treated since her only purpose apparently to everyone is to get hitched to a titled guy

and i mean

thats depressing

yet also true to the period

even though we get to see elizabeth take a journey and reject those social conventions

in regards to the current question, i am choosing not to think about whether in the long term elizabeth and victor will get together for the rest of their lives. because if they dont i will cry but i could see this realistically being the case given the tone of the narration. cause that...does not sound like an elizabeth who lives in eternal happiness.

mathtans

Back, sorry. Yeah, I'm usually not much of one for period pieces, but I like the narrative viewpoint. Also, pretty neat airships.

There was the point where she talked about leaving Victor behind back in Chapter 1 (I don't recall the exact circumstances) but I wondered if it was because he causes her heartache, or just because it make their lives more complicated.

Incidentally, the first thing I thought of with the name "Lovelace" was Lady Ada Lovelace. The mathematician. Not sure if that was an intentional reference to another well regarded woman.

RebelVampire

i love period pieces but i think the steampunk aspects help twist it enough to make it a bit more unique.

mathtans

(I don't think the time frames synch up but I don't recall when the comic takes place...)

Oh, it's definitely unique. I like the gadget aspect too.

RebelVampire

i would not be surprised if the name choice was purposeful. if only because the comic has lots of strong ladies. i doubt well see any real historical figures though.

i appreciate that the comic actually kind of starts off with the airship escapade

cause it really showcases the ways in which their world differs

where you get airships

and sky pirates

mathtans

That's a good point. Helps with the world building before we get down into some of the classic period issues.

RebelVampire

yes. and i also kind of like it starts off more action-y. not that there isnt action bits later mind you. but more i think it helps set up the main conflict while tying in the romance. because it makes it so the romance isnt some forced subplot. rather its kind of integral and has as much to do with the whole highjacking as the rest of the story. since later on youll see that elizabeth's proximity to victor keeps bring that part of the story into the limelight

mathtans

That's a good point, in terms of tying things together. Also possibly sets up a key antagonist (or at least revenge plot) in that burned pirate lady.

RebelVampire

she does come back

i will spoil that much

mathtans

I figured she had to some time, whether it was by the present updates or not.

I've resumed reading a bit in the background. Seems like both the Watson ladies are doing their best to get arrested. ^.^

RebelVampire

well at least Abhaya is.

cause Abhaya is a risk taker who puts herself in many situations where people are gonna stop and stare

mathtans

Well, yes. But Elizabeth also seems to be taking risks where Victor is concerned. Or at least stepping out of her comfort zone.

Certain people have certain effects on us I guess.

RebelVampire

nah thats true. I just think Elizabeth just takes more social risks. Like not the kind that are gonna get her arrested, but more the kind that are gonna get her socially shunned.

whereas Abhaya is the punch one who is gonna get charged with assault

mathtans

That seems like a valid viewpoint. It fits with their personalities when we saw them in their youth.

The cutting back and forth between the two sisters in Chapter 3 is well done.

RebelVampire

yeah in general i like the PoV switching of the comic. because every scene is pretty well-chosen and advances the plot in some manner. and it lets us see others parts of the comic developing. cause later on you do get to see more of victor without elizabeth some and get to go "hmm" to all that hes up to.

mathtans

Ha! I like Chapter 3, page 31, where all the dialogue seems to fade out as Victor touches her. Cute.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Besides romance, there is a larger plot posing real and deadly danger to the characters. Who do you think the Angel is? What are the Angel’s goals, and why is she excessively targeting Victor? Further, what do you think the source of her power is? Also, what does have kidnapping people like Ambrose have to do with her goals? Alternatively, is Ambrose there of his own free will (and if so, why)? Considering Abhaya is being sought by Amabel for help, what do you think Abhaya will do? Will Abhaya be able to uncover more of the truth, or is Abhaya just going to get herself into more trouble? How will Abhaya’s involvement affect Elizabeth and herself? Last, can Amabel be trusted, or is it possible she’ll abandon Abhaya when Abhaya might need her?

spoiler Amabel is who I ship Abhaya with

mathtans

Related to those questions, I do wonder a bit if Victor has a sordid past or something. Like maybe his empire wasn't entirely built on the up-and-up... with his knowledge or possibly without it. So there could be a reason there for him to be targeted.

I've looked on the character page and I approve this ship.

RebelVampire

oh yeah. Victor is 100% definitely a scoundrel. There is one scenes that really hints at this, but even before that i agree with you. Victor is not on the up and up entirely. I don't think he made his fortune without cracking a few skulls.

although idk if this is what makes him a target persay

or maybe it oes

but more in the way hes done the forbidden when it comes to tech

mathtans

Was he totally aware of the repercussions of whatever he did though? Because the people around him seem to like to keep him in the dark.

brb

RebelVampire

im sure he knew the repercussions. the people around him are more about keeping him in the dark about romantic matters. cause as was implied by one of the questions later on you find out the main thing ppl arent telling victor is that elizabeth is just there to open him up to the idea of marriage so he can marry a titled lady

cause everyone is all about those titles

In regards to the current question while you're away, I think Abhaya will help Amabel and get herself caught and get into a whole mess of trouble that for once, Elizabeth will have to break her out of. But I think it'll be a dual sword cause I do think Elizabeth's relationship to both Abhaya and Victor is gonna put her in the crosshairs. cause like, what an easy way to get Victor to show up. Get Elizabeth, tell Victor you'll never see her again if you don't show up.

as for the angel's goals, I feel shes on a path of vengence against the entire world, but particularly victor cause hes high up there in the industrialist chain

and knows something she doesnt and that she needs to bring her plans to fruition

mathtans

Back. Okay, that does make sense, darn titles.

Interesting, this Angel talk. I wonder if it's the same "angel" we see in the title card for Chapter 2?

Sounds like you think it's not personal, the Angel's path, merely that Victor is a convenient figurehead.

RebelVampire

i mean the angel is kind of the one from the title card. those are her wings for sure, though she doesnt look quite like that the one time you meet her

it could be personal, but i feel like the angel just has bigger fish to fry

from the impression i got from her

since shes kidnapping a ton of ppl

and you dont need to kidnap ppl to your cause if all youre doing is hunting down some industrialist

who almost got caught

if not for abhaya and elizabeth

mathtans

Ah, so she's the one behind the disappearances then.

(Still reading in the background.)

RebelVampire

yes. i mean its pretty implied but you get confirmation later that yes its her. though you can definitely speculate on the why

cause i have no clue

shes still enigmatic

mathtans

Looking for a husband? ^.^

RebelVampire

shes reading the wrong romance advice book

when elizabeth and her meet, elizabeth will point her in the right direction

and the angel is like "oh wait so youre not supposed to kidnap them? huh?"

mathtans

And then we ship Angel and Elizabeth.

RebelVampire

no. ill ship Abhaya and Angel

Elizabeth and Victor are the OTP

i said but then was like "nah id totally ship Elizabeth with West"

mathtans

Heh. That's fair, they are the main couple. Though West is an interesting guy, just needs to learn social cues.

RebelVampire

nah thats why west is amazing

he doesnt know social cues

and is awkward

yet helpful

and hes the only dude of victor's who seems to be in elizabeth's corner

mathtans

Right. I think it was said that he's not used to the lifestyle?

RebelVampire

yes that is what he said

which makes me want a side chapter just about what he did before he came to victor

cause i dont feel like victor would just hire some rando. he must of seen something in west

mathtans

Maybe he took pity on the guy, something about the scar.

RebelVampire

that could be cause victor understands the burden of scars

or something like that

whereas i just think west's scar gives him character

QUESTION 4. Mixed in with the present drama is a lot of unsolved past drama. Who do you think Victor really is? What do you think happened to Victor based on Milo’s story that he was telling Abhaya? How do you think Victor managed to overcome this to become the person he is today? Also, what do you make of the room Victor seemed to have sealed off in his house? Besides Victor, there is also a lot of drama between Jules, Abhaya, and Milo. What do you think happened between the three of them that managed to damage their relationship forever? Will spending more time together heal their wounds, or is it impossible at this point? Further, what was Jules up to the whole time he was away with Victor? Last, what do you think Jules’ goals were for introducing Elizabeth and Victor, and why does he seem immensely conflicted about her presence?

mathtans

Sorry, biab

RebelVampire

kay

I think Victor was some fellow servant kid who was Jules' only friend after Jules got sent away. And then Victor almost died. Although I'm changing my previous speculations. Maybe the Angel is more literal and she literally showed up, saved Victor with tech with the promise to return, and then left. So now shes back for her comeuppance. Meanwhile, Victor decided technology was great and he needed to bring it to the world cause it was what would keep him alive and save others.

as for the three, at this juncture it seems pretty heavily implied Milo and Jules were in a relationship and that Milo called off the wedding to Abhaya cause he didnt want to live a lie in regards to how he felt about Jules. Regardless of the what, while Milo i feel will legitimately forgive and forget, I dont feel Abhaya or Jules will. Abhaya cause she doesnt seem the type to ever forgive ever. And to just hold onto her hatred and seethe. Jules in the meantime I think wont forgive until he gets revenge in some way. Cause the two probably betrayed his trust big time and he kind of got the most screwed over by what happened

i think Jules wanted them to meet for the exact reason that the others implied: they want Victor to warm up to the idea of women so he can get married. However, I feel Jules now feels like a jerk who is taking out his anger at Abhaya on Elizabeth who had 0% to do with what happened between the three. and yet he knows hes in too deep to turn back now.

mathtans

Could be that Victor was initially poor... in fact maybe he married into the company somehow? Could the Angel be his wife? o.o

I wondered about Milo and Jules. My initial thought had been that Abhaya had called off the engagement though, so that's an interesting other look at things.

Jules and Elizabeth were close too, back in the day. One wonders if he's that good at seeing how things play out long term.

RebelVampire

nah its definitely his company. but victor was probably poor. if only cause everyone calls him new money. so it means he has no predecessor parent who made their fortune.

Jules strikes me more as the type who things hes great at planning but really, really, really isnt

and then tons of consequences come about that he has to accept and deal with

mathtans

That makes sense and could explain the sympathy for West too, maybe he knows West even though it doesn't necessarily go both ways.

Yeah, Jules seems to think he's got everything well in hand but he doesn't seem to account for the human factor.

Made it to the end of Chapter 4/Act 1 now. Apparently the Angel kidnaps people to literally graft wings onto her spine. Ouch.

Interesting callback to Victor's wounded leg though.

RebelVampire

i think even more than the human factor, Jules is just bad at making plan Bs for when things do go wrong. then panics and makes bad decisions

like not telling victor the factory is in danger

mathtans

Maybe that thing that Victor has in the factory is a time machine. Turns out he's actually from the future, he brought back all the technology and that's why the Angel is after him, she thinks it's stolen.

You're not wrong there, about Jules.

RebelVampire

ya know...i can support this time traveler theory. i mean it doesnt quite fit considering flashbacks

but id 100% buy victor built a time machine

cause why not

victor is amazing

mathtans

Maybe his company is corrupt because they're still trying to get the patents.

RebelVampire

i mean

its a company

so its probably corrupt to some degree regardless

mathtans

That's also a good point.

RebelVampire

i mean i can point out the fact they want victor to marry a titled lady to be a form of corruption. cause thats just marrying someone to advance your social standing for the business

mathtans

I guess we're near the end... haven't said anything about the art yet. I suppose I like the shading, and I thought the sound effect use was clever.

Need someone to star in the commercials.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my wife loves this new device I call a roomba."

RebelVampire

i really love the clothes. i mean theyre simple, and yet all seem to fit within the period that this comic is trying to go for

but if they get a roomba what are the house wives supposed to do

not sit at home cooking and cleaning all day?

also about the art, i really love the steampunk designs. you can definitely tell the steampunk inspiration in them, yet theyre really unique and not really like any steampunk ive seen before

and i can for sure appreciate uniqueness

mathtans

Yeah, that's true. And there was that neat detail of the corset being laced up the front, I wouldn't have thought of that.

Uniqueness is good. I wonder what the machine connection will end up being.

With the whole "maiden of the machine" thing there. (Won't be a roomba, after all.)

RebelVampire

ah thats a good point as well. i loved that detail about the maid being able to tell elizabeth didnt have a maid

mathtans

Maybe Elizabeth gets upgraded too.

RebelVampire

the comic was about the angel all along

and the angel's victory

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up our final Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to Caitlin Like, as well, for making Maiden of the Machine. If you liked the comic, make sure to support Caitlin Like’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: https://maidenmachine.com/

Caitlin Like’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CaitlinLike

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Caitlin Like’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/caitlike

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #comic tea party #ctp #maiden of the machine #caitlin like

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weasley-kings · 7 years

Text

The Grieving Fox

Pairing: Fred x Reader Request/s: Two in one y’all!

Hi!!! I love love love your blog and I was wondering if you could write a scenario of fred dating Cedric's ravenclaw little sister and him comforting her during Cedric's death in GoF??

Hey could you do a George imagine? Where you are a fox animagus and you use it to sneak into the boy dorm after you have a nightmare (no smut) just for cuddles? P.s I love your blog and your writing x

A/N: This one made me sad to write :( also, the two requests both asked for different boys so I just chose Fred whoops Squicks: Cedric’s death + grieving

“That’s my son!” you hear a man cry out.

It was the final challenge for the Triwizard Tournament and you were seated pretty far back, not being able to see past the hundreds of people. Everyone had been chatting amongst themselves whilst the four champions were running around in the maze. The crowd all began to cheer and shout as a bright blue flash shone from the grounds, meaning that someone had made it back with the cup. The band began to play its happy melody, congratulating whoever would be named our Triwizard Champion.

Fleur, who had been pulled out of the maze early, let out a shriek of terror. The music emitting from the band and the cheering from the stands were all soon to drown out, a painful hush sweeping over everyone in the stadium, but you still couldn’t see what was happening.

“He’s back, he’s back — Voldemort, he’s back!” you could hear Harry Potter wailing, as Dumbledore held him back from whoever else had returned with him.

The people around you all stared at you, pain in their eyes. You got up out of your seat and ran down the bleachers, pushing past all the people and trying not to assume the worst. Several teachers, including the Minister of Magic, tried to stop you from leaving the bannisters, but you push straight through them; you needed to see what was happening.

“Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back… I couldn’t leave him!” Harry cried.

Cedric? No…

As you entered the centre of the stadium, Mad-Eye Moody pulled Harry up away from the ground, and Dumbledore took a step back. There, you saw your brother Cedric, lying motionless, his eyes glazed and cold, lying on the frosted grass.

“That’s my boy!” your Dad shouted once again. Suddenly, your chest tightened and you were unable to breathe. Your legs became weak, and you fell forwards towards your brother who was now lying in your Dad’s arms, collapsing onto your knees beside him.

You couldn’t take your eyes away from the gruesome sight. Your older brother, who you had grown up with and looked up to, was now lying lifeless in your broken father’s arms. You broke down into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, not caring about the hundreds of students watching almost silently. You screamed at any teacher who dared touch you or try to move you, as you cry into your Dad’s shoulder.

Your Dad continued to cry out in pain, as Harry was dragged out of the stadium, and the people in the stands let silent tears fall.

———————

No sleep was going to happen tonight, you had accepted that. News spreads fast around Hogwarts, and it turns out that the entire competition had been hijacked by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters right from the beginning. Thoughts were racing around in your mind; Voldemort was back, one of his Death Eaters had been masquerading as a teacher… but the scene that continued to play in your mind was the image of your brother lying lifelessly on the grass, the sound of your father’s cries still ringing in your ears.

You got up out of bed and went down to the Ravenclaw common room, sitting in front of the fire with a blanket. You watched the flames dance around the fireplace, watching as pieces of wood glowed as they turned into embers, burning away.

“Hey,” you hear a soft voice say from behind you. You turn around to see Cho Chang, your friend and brother’s former girlfriend. “How are you feeling, Y/n?”

You sniffled, turning back to stare into the fire, “Lost”.

She sat down beside you on the floor, putting her arm around you and letting you cry softly.

“I know this is hard for you too Cho, he was your boyfriend after all,” you admit. You didn’t think you’d want to feel sympathetic for someone else right now, but there was a sort of comfort in having someone with you who might understand what you were going through, even a little.

“He was wonderful, you know that yourself,” she sighed, staring into the fire too, “He was a really sweet boyfriend… Boyfriends tend to be like that.”

You sighed, thinking about how you hadn’t even been given the chance to think about your own boyfriend, Fred Weasley. All the students were ordered to go back to their common rooms immediately (with you as an exception), so you hadn’t even had the chance to see him.

“Maybe your boyfriend would be the better one to comfort you,” Cho said rubbing your back, “Even if he doesn’t know how to help, he’ll still be able to help”.

Cho stood up, wishing you goodnight before heading back into the dorms. You knew she was right, all you wanted was to be held by someone you loved… someone like Fred Weasley.

You were an Animagus, which was incidentally how you came to know Fred and his brother George, by using this as a means of pranking. You couldn’t explain why you’d want to be with him so much right now, but you knew you did, so you didn’t hesitate to transfigure into your fox Animagus right away.

You crept out of the Ravenclaw common room, crawling along the cold marble floors of the dark halls of Hogwarts, headed towards the numerous secret passages that would take you to the Gryffindor Tower.

————

You hopped up onto the bed which you knew was Fred’s. He sat up at the slight weight on the end of his bed, apparently not being able to get any sleep either. He rubbed his eyes and opened them to see a little red fox sitting on the end of his bed, watery eyed.

“Come here,” he said quietly with his arms stretched outwards, as you sniffled and transfigured back into your original appearance. He held you in his arms and let you sob quietly into him. He gently rubbed your back and held you tight in his arms, making you feel safer than you had been all night.

Fred didn’t try to get you to talk, nor did he even tell you to calm down. He let you cry as much as you needed to, being fully aware that most, if not all of the other boys in the room would be awake too. None of that mattered; none of that mattered when it was his girlfriend being in this much pain. All his attention was on you, and he knew you needed to cry this one out.

After your breathing had calmed down and your sobs had simmered down to a reasonable amount, Fred cupped your face in his hands and looked you in the eyes, the moonlight shining in from the window, reflecting from your glassy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. They were filled with heartbreak and sorrow, his own eyes reflecting the pain he felt for his devastated girlfriend.

He kissed you sweetly on the lips, before embracing you in another tight hug. You started crying again, to which he responded by gently laying you down next to him and covering you both with the blankets. You slept there for the rest of the night with him, his arms remaining tightly wrapped around you, and although you were still in an inconceivable amount of pain, you knew that Fred Weasley would always be there to put your broken pieces back together.

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