#And if her series 2 doll was released later she would probably look better

[lalagoona]

Rh fans can and will gaslight you into thinking that series 2 Bella Parker is a pretty doll it's wild

[tarhalindur]

Rebellion’s Biggest Outstanding Question

(Big fat PMMM+Rebellion spoilers under the cut, natch:)

Homura, at the end of Rebellion, believes that she is rebelling against Madoka’s will.  But is she actually doing so?  Or is she acting in accordance with it?

Let me explain.

I’ll start with the point I’m sold on either way (and have commented on at least twice before, including my explanation of Madoka’s other big mistake): Rebellion is directly downstream of Madoka making a single mistake immediately after her ascension in episode 12, a moment when she could not afford to make any mistake at all.  Much like Madoka’s other big mistake in episode 10, this one is not obvious on the surface and only becomes clear when looking at the events through a symbolic lens.

Specifically, a Buddhist symbolic lens.

I’ll leave the full explanation there to this post, which lays out the Buddhist influence on base PMMM’s themes and imagery and on Madokami’s ascension better than I could.  (Although its author is missing a few points.  First, the shot of Madoka expanding to galaxy size is DIRECTLY out of ego death symbolism.  Which makes sense, because there’s enough accounts to suggest that regardless of whether or not it has any deeper meaning beyond brain chemistry the people who’ve had it are describing a single class of subjective experience, and “one’s consciousness expanding to the size of the galaxy” seems to be a common feature of it - I’ve read at least one account of that kind of experience from, of all people, a random Protestant minister who claims to have had such an experience on a vision trip to the Amazon and only later realized that there was precedent for that kind of experience in Buddhist traditions, and he mentions that exact expansion as part of what he went through.  Second, the flower on Madoka’s bow is a rose, not a willow... which makes sense, because “Guanyin/Kannon and the Virgin Mary are two aspects of the same goddess” has been a theory in certain parts for at least a century, and the rose has a traditional association with the latter goddess - there’s a reason they call it the rosary, after all.  (I’ve seen speculation out of a few polytheist/less orthodox Christian circles I keep tabs on that Pistis Sophia is yet another aspect of the same goddess, too...)  Third, note all the mandala symbolism floating around - most obviously Walpurgisnacht’s appearance and Kyubey’s exposition in episode 11.)

And that influence is important here, because part of the process of the escape from samsara is the breaking of all karmic ties to the world.

Except... Madoka does not do this.  She leaves one karmic tie behind.

This one, to be precise:

Now, in theory it’s possible that the tainted miracle of Homura remembering Madoka has another root.  But I have my doubts, and the biggest piece of evidence there is the OST: the track that plays when Homura meets Junko in the finale and offers to give up the ribbons is named Taenia Memoriae, aka “the ribbon of memories”.  HMM,

(That Junko scene is in this regards the single most enigmatic scene of the main series finale to me.  My instinct is that it’s drawing off of Christian mythos again, either canonical or Gnostic, but I can’t quite place what piece; I kind of want to compare it specifically to the Denial of Peter.)

Now, there’s two other pieces here that are worth noting.

1) While Homulilly is described as the Nutcracker Witch in Rebellion, Homulilly’s name and Witch card are first revealed in the PSP game, and there she goes by a rather different epithet: Witch of the Mortal World, nature is karma.  Which is rather on the nose (the Mortal World [shigan] being another term for samsara), but then that’s probably by design - main series PMMM is not subtle at all when it wants to make a point.  And it is this epithet, not the Nutcracker Witch, that the Doppel versions of Homulilly in MagiReco draw off of, which suggests the staff considered it important.  (There’s a second distinction in the latter, because Moemura’s version of the Doppel implies that Homulilly’s nature was originally slightly different again - Witch of the Mortal World, nature is closed circuits - but I think for our purposes here this is a difference without true distinction, much like the Witch of the Near Shore pun for swimsuit!Moemura’s version of Homulilly.)  And there’s echoes of this even in Rebellion: the Clara Dolls are of course referred to as the Children of the Mortal World, plus of course the obvious “Homulilly’s Rebellion barrier as the Mortal World” take.  (Which, hmm.  Hello second-order symbolism - Homura failing to “break out of the egg” as failure to escape the cycle of samsara.)

2) The red ribbons of course suggest a very specific form of karmic tie - the Red String of Fate.  And you can be very, very sure that the staff intended that, too.  To drag a certain piece of key animation back out from storage:

While it’s hard to tell at this size, it sure looks to my eyes like the two ends are specifically tied around the girls’ pinkies.  You know, exactly where the proverbial Red String is said to be tied.

Or, to put it another way: AI YO.

Everything in Rebellion is downstream of this.

But all this is prologue.  Now that we have established the mistake, we can address the actual outstanding question: Did Madoka intend to make that mistake?  People have noted the applicability of Junko’s comments about intentionally making a big mistake when backed into a corner to Homura’s actions in Rebellion; do they also apply to the action Madoka took that led to that?

I am not sure.  Both cases are consistent, and I’d put about even odds either way.  But it’s the affirmative case I want to lay out here, to show that it does in fact exist:

- Let’s start with the one point someone else might bring up that I don’t really weight: Madoka’s final conversation with Homura in the flower bed.  This one, I think, can mostly be discarded.  We have word from both Kyubey and Sayaka that Madoka does not have her memories here; I can’t see both of them lying here.  (Also remember that Kyubey seems to have restriction that is sometimes said to apply to demons, at least under certain circumstances: he cannot directly tell a lie.  This is of course a very different thing from having to tell the truth, as episode 9 alone is enough to attest, but in this specific case it’s a boost to his credibility.)  If there’s an actual argument here, it’s a second-order one; it is possible, especially given her divine abilities, that Madokami was running a Xanatos Gambit and counting on her amnesiac projection to unwittingly relay her true feelings.  (In which case I would have to grab a certain infamous line from another well-known anime: “Just as planned”.)

- That one shot of Madokami’s gloved, scarred arm reaching down through the window to touch Homura.  Operative word scarred.  (And honestly, looking at one of the subs for that scene again Madoka’s comments there look potentially consistent with her actually supporting of or at least accepting Homura becoming a demon...)

- Mata Ashita, specifically the lyrics thereof.  With the perspective of the full series, Madoka’s character song is fairly clearly from the perspective of Madokami, and it’s suggestive that she is not entirely happy with the results of her wish and ascension.

- The fact that Rebellion happened at all.  There’s a complaint that I’ve seen regarding the mechanics of the Incubators’ plot in Rebellion: logically, by the wording of Madoka’s final wish the Incubators’ plan to use the Isolation Field to block the Law of Cycles should not work, since part of Madoka’s wish was to rewrite any rule or law that would prevent her from destroying Witches with her own hands, including the one the Incubators set up with their Isolation Field - doubly so if you take Madokami’s statement can see every world that ever existed or could ever exist and apply it to the Sealed Reality the experiment generates.  Except... there is one way that argument fails, regardless of anything else: namely, if Madoka saw what the Incubators were doing and intentionally allowed their experiment to proceed.  And at this point there is precedent for her doing something very similar; AIUI in her Magical Girl Story in MagiReco Madokami does something very similar wrt the MagiReco timeline, deliberately declining to destroy it despite its continued existence conflicting with the Law of Cycles.

(- Magia.  This point of argument I’m not convinced of either, but let’s lay it out.  (Honestly, even if I’m right I’m not sure how much of this was consciously intended, but creations can have a life of their own - especially creations where fucking natural disasters delay them so that they’re released on the most appropriate day possible!)  There’s two pieces to this, one I’m more sure of than the other:

1) The visuals.  Here’s the spot where I feel most solid about interpreting Magia: the ED visuals are clearly a reference to Madokami’s ascension.  (The show loves hiding that sort of foreshadowing in plain sight, why would you be surprised?)  Note the second half particularly, both Madoka’s hair lengthening and the starfield she’s running past.  (I think the order of the four other girls in the first half is probably how long they held out without Witching out.)  That leaves two issues, one more obvious to Western audiences and one less so.  First, that enigmatic and ominous shot of Madoka in fetal position (appropriate - her request in 10 and then her wish in 12 can be rephrased as “don’t let me grow up”) in the eye of Mephisto.  Second, there’s a point I’ve seen raised in analyses of Connect: in Japanese cinematography, motion from right to left indicates a correct course (unlike its Western equivalent, where the opposite applies)... and for the entirety of Magia Madoka is moving left-to-right.

2) The lyrics.  This is the part I’m less sold on, but once again let’s lay out the affirmative.  My line here derives from a hunch: Connect is famously from Homura’s perspective despite appearing to be from Madoka’s, perhaps the inverse is also true?  I’m still not sure there, but especially if you’re considering the TV version it can work... provided the lyrics are specifically from Madokami’s perspective again.  Grabbing the wiki version of the translation: “The light of love lit within your eyes will transcend time” sure fits better if we’re talking about Homura rather than about Madoka, likewise “with this power that can break even darkness” sure sounds like a better fit for Madokami to me.  And in that case the most interesting stanza is the second: “Swallow down your hesitation.  What is it that you wish for?  With the direction of this greedy admiration, will there be a short-lived tomorrow?”  The former two lines  are quite consistent with Homura’s decision in Rebellion (and I note the visual of Homura biting down on her Soul Gem to break it!), and “tomorrow” is consistently a reference to the possibility of Homura and Madoka meeting again in other PMMM songs (Mata Ashita again, Colorful, Connect full version) - which is realized courtesy of a greedy admiration, no less.  So.  Magia’s full version might count, too - there’s lines there that are harder to square from a Madokami perspective (”if I can move forward without hesitation then it’s fine if my heart gets broken” especially), but “Someday, for the sake of someone else, you too will wish for great power; on the night love captures your heart, unknown words will be born” fits Homura’s fall better than Madoka’s wish, I think.)

- If Madoka’s mistake in 12 is intentional then it more closely mirrors her (unintentional) mistake in 10: she’s implicitly asking Homura to once again do something she can’t and stop her from/alleviate the effects of her making a mistake.

- At a Doylist level, if they go for a proper happy end (either in Walpurgis no Kaiten or in a hypothetical sequel to the same) I’m not sure there’s any way they can get there without using this interpretation.  (In general, the two outcomes that make the most sense to me are “Akuhomu becomes the core of Walpurgisnacht, cue ending scene with Moemura making her wish” (the Logic Error ending, consistent with the Eternal Return of the Self; cue MagiReco as the way out) or an ending based on the answer to this question being yes - the easy version being a movie of everyone except Homura fighting to let Madoka rejoin the Law of Cycles only for her to surprise everyone with some sort of ending based on “actually, I was counting on her to do this from the start”.)

[animalpetcel]

I want to make a JJK witch au...

I’m still deciding how Yuji being Sukuna’s vessel works for the au (is something he’ll be since birth, or will it be closer to canon? Kinda leaning towards the first option), and how the Witch society will differ from canon (I feel like there won’t be masquerade, but instead the public is kept in the dark about the deeper working on the people that protect them from magical threats) and creating a list of fics I want to write for it (I currently have at least four, one for each member of the quartet to kinda explain their situation before going into more general things

I have a deep love for semi-complicated aus (just look at Kny’s DemonSwap and JoJo’s JoJoGard on AO3 to understand) so there will be a lot of lore and changes to make the au make sense and not be a straight rehash of canon (I feel like worrying too much about how much it deviates from canon kills my inspiration a bit and why continuing DemonSwap got really hard while Blue Lock’s Ego’s Extrodinart Egoist was so easy).

There will be manga spoilers below the cut due to me talking about characters who haven’t been introduced in the anime at the time of this post

Au Inspirations

1. The Witch and the Beast by Kousuke Satake

2. Witch Hat Atelier by Kanome Shirahama

3. Witchcraft Works by Ryū Mizunagi

4. Witches by Igarashi Daisuke

5. The Fate series’ idea of Mages

6. And many more probably 😅

Okay so Witches in this au are basically humans who have a enough magical concentration in their bodies to use and interact with magic without the reliance on tools like grimoires or runes. So Witches are basically found and trained in how to keep the balance between humans and the magical beasts that also walk the earth. It isn’t always the most glamorous job, but it certainly is the least boring.

And since Witches aren’t that common, they’re often sent to special schools to train them in how to use their own unique types of magic (some of which is passed down through bloodlines). Magic kinda draws upon the mysteries and collective unconscious of the world? So certain magic is weaker than it was in previous generations while there’s also newer, stronger magic centering around recent ideas (I’m not sure I’m explaining it well but like whatever)

Normal humans are often kept in the dark about the true depths of magic and its cost “for their own good” but like Witch big-wigs are still hella corrupt so....

And like the name “Warlock” is given to any Witch who breaks their oath to uphold the natural order for their own gain

Also for now the witch ranking system now goes:

Novice (Grade 4)

Competent (Grade 3)

Adept (Semi-Grade 2)

Advanced (Grade 2)

Expert (Grade 1)

Elite (Grade 1)

Great (Special Grade)

So a full Witch’s title would be “The (Rank) Witch of (Name of Magic)” or “The (Rank) (Name of Magic) Witch”

I might actually simplify the ranking system to Novice-Adept-Elite-Great in the future but idk

I also gave most of the cast specializations! I have some plot details but I don’t want to share those rn

Currently I have:

Yuji- Sukuna’s Vessel (later The Memory Witch)

Megumi- The Shadow Witch (keeps a lot of familiars)

Nobara- The Straw Doll Witch (kept it simple)

Junpei- The Jellyfish Witch (Newest to everything)

Sukuna- The Malevolent Witch (Couldn’t think of a better name since currently a lot about him is unknown)

Maki- The “False” Witch (given to her by the Zen’in family bc they’re still kinda assholes. Unique in the sense that she has no capability for using magic, not even a grimoire can really help her that much)

Inumaki- The Intoner Witch (I kinda liked it more than “The Speech Witch” and “The Siren Witch” didn’t make much sense)

Panda- Panda (Technically he’s a familiar learning magic so yeah...Panda Witch lol)

Yuta- The Love Witch (It’ll probably change later but I like how it kinda connects to what motivates him the most)

Gojo- The Inifinity Witch (I might make him be the one to either release Sukuna or to discover that Yuji is the current vessel and make Megumi approach him)

Getou- The Devouring Witch (He doesn’t go the same route of canon, though he does lose a bet that cost him his body)

Shoko- The Healing Witch

Nanami- The 7:3 Witch (the Ratio Witch sounded weird)

Ijichi- The Curtain Witch

Yaga- The Doll Witch (Corpse Witch sounded too morbid)

Ino- The Beast Witch

Gakuganji- The Music Witch (or maybe just simply calling him “The Bard” willl be better...🤔)

Arata- The Soothing Witch (doesn’t accurately represent his technique but it’s a work in progress)

Kokichi- The Android Witch

Mai- The Construction Witch (I was 👌🏾close to calling her the Gun Witch)

Miwa- The Unassuming Witch (I didn’t want to name her the Useless Witch....)

Kamo- The Blood Witch (even tho there will undoubtedly other characters with similar abilities who I give similar titles, I love putting “the” in front of them...WCW rubbed off on me)

Todo- The Funky Witch (or maybe The Boogie Woogie Witch? Eh probably gives off the same vibes)

Momo- The Broom Witch (even tho in canon she’s the most “witch-like” of the cast...I feel like I could’ve given her a better title...)

Nanako- The Photo Witch

Mimiko- The Hanging Witch

Toji- Not a witch. Both him and Maki were ostracized from not only their clan, but from general society for being completely incapable of magic so... (Also I want him to return by Getwo using Getou to “devour” his death bc I think that sounds cool. Also so he can mentor Maki in the ways of Witch Hunting. With Tsukumo getting involved soon afterward)

The curses will instead be magical beast, and cursed humans are still hybrids? Also the Death Paintings will be Yuji’s brothers bc I said so

[all-you-need-is-paul-mccartney]

The Couple Next Door (Roger Taylor x Female!Reader)

A/N: Alrighty, since I am seriously lacking energy to write a date scene for part 2 of Lift Confessions, I’ve decided to start another series to hopefully break through my writer’s block.

I got inspiration for this fic from another I read years ago and I can’t remember what the characters in it were for the life of me. I think I also read it on AO3 but again, I can’t be too sure. If the author of the first fic sees this and realizes it was their beautiful work that got me inspired, then thank you.

I ALSO APOLOGIZE FOR HOW SHORT THIS IS

Summary: Roger and his good friend y/n decide to move out of Brian’s flat after he gets a girlfriend and wishes to move her in. It’s a shame the condominium Roger and y/n want is owned by a landlady who is strict on who lives in her complex. They couldn’t possibly pretend to be a couple just to live here… or could they?

(Like all my other fics, this can be read as either BoRhap!Roger or real Roger. Do whatever floats your boat)

WARNINGS: Swearing. that’s something you can expect from me all the time.

I’d rate this chapter G, but the language puts it at a T

Your eyes marvelled at the high, bright ceilings as soon as you and Roger stepped into the vacant condominium.

 "Rog, look how high up it goes!“

 You pointed to the very top of the ceiling of the visible second floor at the base of the staircase 

 "This is more spacious than I thought,” Roger responded gently as his eyes followed your direction of pointing, his hand on your shoulder.

 Although the both of you considered your shared apartment with Brian to really be “home”, it was barely that when Brian started to move his girlfriend in.

 It’s not that you and Roger disliked her, she just had lots of furniture, and three people in a small flat was crowded enough, let alone four. 

 That’s when you and Roger decided to relocate elsewhere so Brian and his girl could have some privacy.

 You and Roger had been friends since high school, and had been close ever since. You were now both in your mid twenties, and your friendship was still going very strong.

 So much so that the both of you had no problem living alone together rather than finding partners yourselves to settle down with.

 So this is how you ended up here; house shopping with your drummer roommate and best friend.

 You’d spoken to Roger about the benefits of moving out before. not only would a move be convenient for space, but your work, as well as the recording studio Roger often used with Queen, were closer.

 There were so many pros to moving, and little to no cons. It was something you both eventually felt you had to do.

 "I know this is the first one we’re looking at, and we only just got through the door, but I’m already in love with this place.“

 You moved deeper into the house as you spoke, grabbing Roger’s hand in the process to drag him along. At the end of the hall, a large empty room sat, the sun shining brightly through the large front window.

 "I can clearly imagine this to be our living room,” you exclaimed, letting go of Roger’s hand and moving around the room and pointing to certain corners and walls to speak your visions about which pieces of furniture would look best where.

 Of course, Roger wasn’t exactly sold on the place yet, but he crossed his arms, and listened intently to your opinions.

 This was going to be your place as well, after all.

 "And here is where we can put that picture of us at– oh my god, is that the kitchen?!“ You playfully pushed Roger out of the way to get to the kitchen. He turned to give you a playful glare, but soon followed along.

 "This is getting better,” Roger voiced as he stepped into the kitchen after you, nodding his head in approval.

 The kitchen was bright, clean, and very welcoming.

 Everything about this place was very welcoming.

 "God, couldn’t you just imagine us making cookies and cakes in here?“ 

 "You mean burning,” he corrected.

 "Just shut up and daydream with me.“

 Roger laughed, his hand resting on your shoulder again, and his chin propped on the opposite one.

 "We sound like a married couple, don’t we, Doll?”

 "We do,“ you agreed.

 Roger sighed gently before moving away from you and beckoning you towards him with his finger. "Upstairs time.”

 Upstairs was what you two expected. A nice bathroom, a master bedroom, and two smaller rooms. 

 "I call the master bedroom.“

 "You’re joking,” Roger retorted. 

 "I called it first!“

 "You know what,” Roger sighed. You smiled, clearly under the impression you’d won the argument so soon.

 "Why don’t we just share a bed?“ Roger teased, raising an eyebrow and smirking. You smirked back. 

 "You’d like that, huh, pretty boy?” Roger laughed, shaking his head and looking back into the large empty room. 

 "We should just use it for a storage room or something. Mediation.“

 "You suck at being a mediator,” you voiced. Roger rolled his eyes at your response. 

 "That’s why John makes a lot of decisions for the band. C’mon. We can fight about this later, Doll.“ He nodded to the staircase to the bottom floor.

 You led him outside by the hand, and the both of you took a step back to look at the house one more time. 

 "I really like it,” you told Roger. 

 "It is really nice,“ he agreed. He looked over at you, who was too busy admiring the house’s exterior.

 The last time Roger saw you look at anything like that, you were admiring your high school sweetheart– your first love.

 Roger knew you’d die for this place.

 "Let’s go talk to the landlady, then. Tell her we’re interested.” Your eyes lit up brightly, and you turned to Roger. The smile on your face looked like it hurt. 

“Really?!”

 "Really,“ Roger grabbed your wrist, and led you off to the complex’s office without another word.

 And you happily followed close behind, your hand tightening around his.

                                                                   "Your references look really good,” the landlady, Tina Welch, commented with a grin.

 "You guys are definitely eligible for the condo! I just need to ask a question or two if that’s alright.“

 She examined the both of you over the thick lenses of her glasses, your references bouncing in her thin hands.

 You and Roger looked at one another for a moment before agreeing.

 "How long have you been together?”

 "Uh– excuse me?“ Roger was the first to answer Tina’s question with another. 

 Tina raised an eyebrow, and cleared her throat. "This complex is full of small families, couples, and those attempting to start families. I only rent out to serious couples.”

 You looked over to Roger, and he could see the glint of worry in your eyes.

 "You two are together… Right?“ You held your breath for a long time, but you were eventually able to release a sigh, and prepare to tell Tina the bad news.

. But your words caught in your throat when you felt Roger’s hand grasp yours tenderly on the arm of the chair you were sitting in. 

 "Of course!” Roger laughed airily. “We weren’t expecting a question about that, sorry.”

 You snapped your head to watch Roger in disbelief.

 "We’ve been together for about…” Roger estimated, looking to his left as he gave thought, puffing up his cheeks and exhaling slowly. “What is it, five years now? It must be.“ You watched silently as he improvised so easily.

 He looked over at you, smiling warmly.

 You’d only seen him smile this way towards his old girlfriends.

 "Right, Love?”

 Even you could tell Roger found the word funny in his mouth when acknowledging you, but you nodded your head.

 "Y-yes. Wow. Never realized how fast time has gone by,“ you nervously squeezed Roger’s hand, and the both of you turned to Tina, who smiled warmly. 

 "I could tell there was a strong connection. Five years is a very long time.”

 Roger saw Tina look over the desk at your left hand. You weren’t branding a ring of any kind.

 "Do you plan on getting married any time soon?“

 Your stomach dropped at the next unexpected question. "Married?”

 Roger covered for you again, clearing his throat.

 "Hopefully soon. After settling here fully, of course.“ Roger lifted your hand up, and he kissed the back of it. You continued to study his sudden behavioural change.

 Tina watched you with a small amount of suspicion, but after smiling at her with a believable grin, her face relaxed, and she slid the keys over to Roger. 

 "Welcome home, you two.”

                                                                    "What the fuck was that?!“ You knew this car ride home was going to be anything but quiet.

 "We got the place you wanted, didn’t we?" Roger’s behaviour, bubbly and happy, was a great contrast to you– stressed, and upset.

 Roger actually had the audacity to drum his fingers on the steering wheel and nod his head to imaginary music in his joyous state.

 "Yes Roger, but at what cost?! Telling our landlady we’re together?!” You began to spiral into a small panic.

 Roger just shook his head like it was no big deal.

 No big deal your ass.

 "What about those monthly checkups she mentioned? We have to make it look like we share that bedroom! And what of the neighbours?! Tina is probably telling them about the “new couple next door” right now!“

 Roger stopped nodding his head and drumming his fingers. He actually sat and thought about the situation, and considered your worries.

 He was personally fine with what he did. He’d dealt with fake relationships before when it came to publicity.

 However, in your defence, you were not accustomed to doing something like this, and that made him begin to feel a little guilty.

 "Look y/n, I’m sorry. I didn’t think things would be this complicated.” He tried to think of upsides to the situation in order to calm you, although very few came up.  

“You aren’t exactly a very social person. We don’t have to have an awful housewarming party or have weekend barbecues at the kind middle-aged couple’s a few doors down.”

 "What are you saying?“

 Roger smiled at you the like how he did in Tina’s office.

 "I’m saying… we only have to pretend to be a couple in public. In the complex. That’s all. It’s not like we’re going to live day-to-day as an actual couple. We’ll go to work, get together afterwards, sleep in different beds, repeat. Just like at Brian’s.”

 "… Are you sure it’ll be that simple?“

 Roger shrugged. "We just need to remember to be a little more romantic and touchy around people. Besides, how hard can it really be?”

 His response echoed through your head for the rest of the car ride home.

 How hard can this really be?

                                                                 A/A/N: I know this one is really shitty and short, but I promise it will pick up after this.

As always, suggestions and feedback are always welcome. Maybe help contribute to my stories by giving me ideas below!

@benders-diamond-earring @radiob-l-a-hblah @bohemiansweede @demo-wise @culturefiendtrashqueen

[artificialqueens]

Underneath The Mistletoe, Part 3 (Bianca/???) - Albatross

AN: short chapter but the next one is the final installment and will be a lot longer!

Saying their goodbyes to one another a short time later, Bianca hurried back to her car to call Willam with her updates.

“It’s not Dela and definitely not Manila,” she stated with a short huff of annoyance.

A snort of laughter quickly echoed through the phone’s mic. Rolling her eyes, Bianca waited out the storm until Willam regained control of herself, or at least enough that she was able to ask, “How’d you find out?”

“Texted Dela,” Bianca replied simply as she set her phone on speaker mode and began to drive home. Once she was clear of the driveway, she added, “She took Jinkx home a little bit after 2. Couldn’t have been her. You made out with Jinkx, by the way. Dela saw it.”

“Yeah,” Willam drawled out, sounding a little pleased with herself, “Sounds right. Jinkx had been trying that all night.” There was a short pause, probably reminiscing, Bianca realized, but then she heard Willam inquiring, “What about ‘Nila?”

Bianca stayed quiet for a few moments, debating if she really ought to tell Willam about this but ultimately, she decided, it didn’t really matter. Willam would probably find out from the couple at some point anyways. So, keeping most of the details to herself, she replied back, “I stopped by their house to drop off gifts. Ended up kissing her before I left. Definitely wasn’t her at the party.”

Immediately a loud, echoing burst of laughter filled her car as though Willam were right there with her. Bianca had thought it would die out soon enough but she was dead wrong. Almost half of her drive home was spent listening to an unending seal-like laugh coming from someone she was questioning for the upteenth time, why they were friends. In the end, Bianca’s self-conscious irritation, especially with Willam cackling out “I gotta tell Adore!”, got the better of her and she abruptly ended the call to stew in silence.

Upon arriving back home, she found her notification light flashing away as if to continually mock her. Of course it was only because of Willam. Bianca was inclined to ignore it but it seems Willam did have something of potential use to share about another party guest and potential suspect:

W:😂😂😂😂

W: daaaaamn!!!

W: but you do you

W: btw i was looking through trixie and katyas posts. trix had waaay too much to drink. 

W: she was making less sense than katya!!! 

W: god she’s a mess. i love her

W: but talk to trix

Interesting. 

Bianca thanked her for the information and made a mental note to follow up on it if nothing panned out with Phi Phi. After Manila, Phi Phi seemed to be the next most likely. She was there alone that night, as far as Bianca remembered, and it wouldn’t be the first time they’d gotten a little too close while drunk. Usually it only involved Phi Phi hanging off her or burying her face into Bianca’s neck before being interrupted by a roar of laughter. But it wouldn’t take much of a stretch, especially if both of them were drunk off their asses, for Bianca to picture herself kissing Phi Phi. That stupid mistletoe was probably just the right catalyst they both would need in order to cross that last remaining line.

Deciding that Phi Phi seemed even more like a viable suspect than before, Bianca could hardly wait for their dinner date. They had decided on Thursday night, the last free night Phi Phi had before flying out the next day. She hadn’t been thrilled giving up that chance for a good night’s rest before rushing off to the airport in the morning, but for Bianca…well, Phi Phi always made some extra allowances, Bianca had noticed. After all, Bianca knew she could be difficult to book for a casual hangout most of the year anyway; she preferred to keep herself busy and last minute offers or even inviting her out a week or two in advance would often yield no results.

It was almost a miracle this year that both women happened to be free at the same time, especially so close to the holiday itself. And each snatched up the opportunity to meet up without another thought. Now all Bianca had left to do was find out just what Phi Phi remembered from that night.

*******

Raja: Ladies!

Raja: Do we have a story to tell you.

Willam: go on, girl. I got something even better to share after you

Raja: Just steal my damn spotlight, huh?

Raja: Fine. So Bianca came over and-

*******

The night of their dinner date was pretty relaxing, all things considered. Though the restaurant was a tad crowded, it was nothing overwhelming and the women had no trouble tuning everyone else out. They caught each other up on recent events and ordered drink after drink to accompany their meals. If the service was slow, neither really noticed, preferring instead to just focus on each other. Come the end of it, both women were laughing away about anything that came to mind as they walked back to their cars. Bianca handed over her gift first, something she had taken a chance on in the hopes that it would work out.

Back in the spring, she and Phi Phi had been hanging out with a couple of other friends. At some point in the conversation, Phi Phi’s eyes lit up as revealed that some new game was announced to be released for one of her favorite series. Bianca, and a few others, rolled their eyes at the announcement, but Phi Phi was as excited as ever as she described (in a bit too much detail, in Bianca’s opinion) why the series was so incredible. She spouted out every hope and theory she had for this new installment based on the limited information in the trailer.

Bianca distinctly remembered telling her, “Girl, you are almost 30, why are you still playing those things? Just drink like the rest of us.”

But Phi Phi emphatically defended her choice. Even then, Bianca was a little amused by the passion she had for both this series and other games as well. A few others made a comment or two and then the conversation shifted once again to something else. A movie or something, Bianca thought, but that game that Phi Phi mentioned stuck with her for some reason.

That same night Bianca tried watching the trailer but admittedly nothing really stuck out to her about it. It had that fantasy element that Phi Phi adored combined with the fighting aspect that she seemed reasonably good at. Other than that, nothing spoke to Bianca the same way it obviously did to Phi Phi. She did notice a few things listed in the trailer that were of interest; the release date was still months away but pre-ordering was already in full-swing. She had no doubt Phi Phi already gave the gaming company her money but there were a few offers otherwise for a variety of merch items. Everything from blankets to water bottles, they stuck either a logo or character from the series on anything that could be printed with a design.

But one of the characters did stick out to her…she’d seen it often enough in Phi Phi’s apartment in the form of little dolls, plushies, and even her phone case. There was no denying that this was probably Phi Phi’s favorite character, not just of the series, but in general. And this one seemed to be popular with a number of others as well; many items had the red “Out of Stock’ warning that Bianca felt she’d seen all too often while shopping for herself.

There was one figurine however, that really stuck out. It was an alternative outfit design than what was depicted on almost every other piece of merchandise and of course, was out of stock to boot. But in all the times Bianca had been around Phi Phi’s apartment, she didn’t remember seeing that particular figure anywhere. And when she looked at the price on the website it wasn’t hard to imagine why. She nearly choked on her drink as she saw what the cost was normally. No doubt since it was unavailable through the game’s official site that the price had now skyrocketed.

But it didn’t take a genius to know that Phi Phi probably wanted that figure more than anything. Likely she was waiting and hoping that it becomes available somewhere, perhaps even on the game’s site itself, and she can snatch it up without it costing an arm and a leg. And just in seeing that figurine, Bianca knew what gift she wanted to give Phi Phi for the holidays. She scoured the internet, hoping to find a decent price and kept herself updated whenever a new listing would be added. Finally after a month or so, an ad came out on Craigslist and within a few minutes Bianca was contacting the seller and exchanging shipping information.

The amount she paid meant nothing, hell, she’d even pay triple now, just for that look of absolute joy on Phi Phi’s face. It was even more stunning than Manila after receiving her bracelet back. A wide toothy grin broke out and even her attempts at hiding it did nothing to dull the happiness exuding from her very being. She immediately engulfed Bianca in a tight hug and refused to let go until she had said ‘Thank you’ at least a hundred times.

An unknown tension released itself from Bianca’s shoulders as she returned the gesture and let Phi Phi cling to her for a few moments longer. When she finally pulled away, she looked like she was dying to say more but bit it back in order to shakily hand over her own gift to Bianca. Her eyes drifted to the ground more than once as Bianca tore back the paper. Once it was finally free, a jewelry box was left staring back at her and her heartbeat picked up as she opened the top.

Inside was a beautiful pair of stud earrings. Sapphires so blue they almost looked black in the dark of night and cut into an oval shape set in sterling silver. Surrounding the sapphires were a ring of amethysts and on the posts themselves, small diamond chips extending down the short length. The design was incredible…and quite familiar.

As if sensing her thoughts, Phi Phi mentioned with a hint of nerves, “Yeah, when we were at the mall that one time, I saw you looking at them for awhile. You didn’t say anything but…”

“Thank you!”

Bianca truly couldn’t find the right words to express how much she loved her gift. She’d honestly forgotten about these earrings until now. She had intended to go back another day to pick them up but life just always got in the way. She always found herself too busy to get back to the mall or on the rare instances when she was there, she’d completely forget about heading into the store. 

But Phi Phi didn’t forget. 

She had recognized the interest Bianca took in those earrings and had gone back for them. That meant more to her than words could ever express.

Closing the box, Bianca stepped forward until there were only a few inches of space left between. She had just enough time to see Phi Phi swallow back a nervous gulp before their lips were pressed together and a pair of hands were resting firmly on her hips. Her own free hand found its way to Phi Phi’s face, tucking back the loose waves behind her ear, before cupping her cheek and letting their lips glide against each other until it came time to part.

Though this still wasn’t the kiss she was looking for, Bianca almost wished it was.

There was something there…something that she hadn’t felt in any of the other kisses. That tiny little spark was present but there was nothing calming about this kiss. It left her nerves on edge…like they’d been thoroughly fried by a sudden jolt of electricity…

Even Phi Phi didn’t seem too certain of what to say. Her eyes looked a bit dazed and an almost goofy looking smile rested on her lips. It took a few seconds for her to find her way back to reality, only then did she dare let out a nervous laugh, “Wow…really liked those earrings, huh?”

“I do,” Bianca assured her, taking a step back so they both could get some breathing room. “I really do. Thank you.”

“No problem,” came the vaguely distracted response. It seemed like the conversation would end there, that they’d part ways to each bang their heads on their steering wheels before driving home but Phi Phi dared to make one final inquiry before Bianca slipped away. “Hey…when I come back, after the holidays, I mean…do you wanna meet up again? Just us, like we did tonight?”

Finding herself relieved at the proposal, Bianca confirmed, “I’d love that…Pick a date and I’ll make it work, promise.”

With that understanding, the women said their goodbyes and returned home. Before falling into bed, Bianca texted Willam a quick update.

B: Not Phi.

W: what? kiss her too?

B: Yes

W: gross

W: lol

B: She was better than you.

Bianca let out a soft laugh as her phone became flooded with message alerts. Ignoring them for the time being, Bianca instead let her mind wander to her dwindling suspect list. Though that kiss with Phi Phi was a nice turn of events, she certainly wasn’t the same person she’d kiss beneath the mistletoe. Thinking back on it again, Bianca was sure there was another detail she remembered but just couldn’t pick out what it was. Something familiar…

But she didn’t dwell on that for long before realizing she now only had two names left (if she ignored Willam’s earlier suggestion of certain person, and of course, she would). 

Trixie and Shangela…Well…Willam did mention that it looked like Trixie had been drinking a bit that night…perhaps it really was her, after all.

But would she remember anything if they had?

Maybe Katya knows something…it certainly seemed like she was posting a lot of her roommate that night…but then again, when isn’t she? About half of Katya’s posts on any platform are of the various tactics she uses to annoy her roommate. Hell, it was a wonder that Trixie hadn’t killed her by now. 

Mmm…she still had yet to deliver their gifts…perhaps a visit this weekend is in order? 

Bianca was dead certain that if either of them knew something, she’d find out before too long. After all, they both turn into quite the chatterboxes when placed together and neither was above spilling secrets if the right buttons were pushed. Or…with a little luck….all she might need is just a bit of alcohol and some encouragement and off those two would be recounting the party and everything they remember…

*****

The next morning Bianca awoke to no less than 23 messages from Willam revolving around her kiss with Phi Phi. A few were demanding to know why Phi Phi was better, some even accusing her of lying and then finally it just devolved into sulking and name calling, ending with a simple text of ‘hateful old cunt.’

Sending back a short series emojis to further taunt Willam, Bianca let the conversation die with that and moved on to her next person of interest. She sent a quick inquiry to Katya to see if both she and her roommate would both be at home tonight, or failing that, when they’d be together so she could drop off their gifts.

A flurry of emojis flashed across her screen less than half an hour later and somewhere mixed in with all of that and a few nonsensical words (thank you button-mashing), Bianca learned that Sunday night they’d both be in for a ‘quiet’ evening together. With that understanding, Bianca sent a confirmation that she’d be over for a quick visit while out dropping off gifts for them and a few other friends she’d not yet seen. 

******

Later that week, the group chat came alive once more and immediately Willam tuned in to see what was developing. Things had been silent for awhile but now it seems Bianca was back in action and one of the other girls had news.

Trixie: You were right Willam.

Willam: i always am

Willam: about what this time?

Trixie: B’s coming over tomorrow. Katya just told me. At least i think that’s what her text said

Sharon: Does she know?

Trixie: Katya?

Trixie: No, I haven’t told her if that’s what you’re asking. But I know someone told Adore.

Trixie: Willam

Sharon: Willam

Vanessa: Willam

Jinkx: Willam

Willam: what? it was funny!

Mariah: She better not ruin this for us.

Willam: she won’t. as long as i keep her updated. that was our deal.

Willam: she’s having just as much fun as we are

Mariah: If you say so. No one told Phi Phi, right?

Sharon: I haven’t heard anything since Willam told us. 

Sharon: Pissed off at her. Why wouldn’t she tell me? You sure it actually happened Willam?

Willam: trust me, bitch. it happened.

Sharon: Bitch.

A few further texts of name calling were exchanged before the conversation reverted back to Trixie. She had precious little information to go on but anything she knew, she gladly shared with the group. By the time the conversation faded out for the evening, Willam was dying to know what would happen. She was certain that something huge was gonna go down Sunday night. But just what, she could only guess.

[kittymaverick]

MCF: Black Crown commentary  part 2 and overall review.

 Spoilers! Though I’m going to post the spoiler free quick review up here.

Another great MCF game, I dare say, despite me constantly having to look away because of my fear of skulls. I’m a little sad that somethings weren’t explored a bit deeper, but overall the plot fits the MCF series, the art was of good quality, the puzzles were of the right difficulty. Not sure when and what the next game is, but I look forward to it if the quality keeps up!

1. [And then the walkthrough spent a full 5 minutes on a complex door puzzle] I was wondering when those would show up. MD: ...I’m more surprised no one sneaked up on me while I was going about this...

2. MD: Hm, maybe I should light this thing-- *Lights the entire passage way* Great, now they know we are here! MD: ...I was never meant to be stealthy, you know...

3. That’s... a somewhat floating ship, albeit on chains. MD: Seriously, they sailed that thing back from Louisiana?! What were they going to do instead, take a plane?

4. Girl: Hi there, also, look what I have. Doctor and Nurse: Help? MD: I KNEW IT. NOW WE HAVE A HOSTAGE CRISIS. Guess we aren’t deviating too far from classic MCF blunders after all.

5. Phineas: Let’s parley! MD: Sure! Give me the doctor and nurse, and I won’t burn your whole estate and ship down down. ...And the girl? MD: He can keep her. If there’s anything I’ve learnt, is leave no survivors to take revenge. Doctor and Nurse: Detective, no.

6. Phineas: Anyway, fix my ship until it’s seaworthy, and they go free, deal? MD: You’re gonna renegade anyway so is there even a point in me agreeing? Phineas: The other ghosts were right, you really are a spoilsport. MD: I’ll also like to point out you have at least 11 conscious subordinates to do your bidding still. Surely THEY can do SOMETHING.

7. A... tavern. MD: The fact that this is the first time I’ve seen a tavern surprises me. That’s a weird, sea monster, thingy, up there...

8. MD, please tell me you’re coming up with a plan to redrown this ghost, again. MD: Hm.... MD, please... MD: I mean, I’m thinking of a word that begins with m, can you guess what it is? Murder? MD: ...I was going more for mutiny, but sure, murder works too.

9. You know, one thing that’s nice about Phineas as a villain is he shuts up and let you do the work. MD: Ah, the sound of a tense peace and quiet... that is not at all pleasing. Time to blow some stuff up just so we can disturb it some. Wait WE’RE IN A CAVE--

10. [One controlled detonation and a ship released later...] MD: Okay, now hand over those hostages! Phineas: Bargain’s fulfilled. You can have them back. MD: ...What, really?! Phineas: I’m just missing some treasure though. Well, more like ONE PIECE (ahaha, ahem, sorry). My sword is missing. Can you get that for me? I’ll release the girl. MD: One, why would I even want that when she wants me dead? Two, I’m pretty sure that mutiny happened in the Americas. How on earth would the sword be here in England-- Phineas: I said A mutiny, not THE mutiny. MD: ...Oh. Still, do I have to rescue the girl? Doctor and nurse: Um, YES?! MD: Oh FINE, I’ll go play the hero... Phineas: I’ll be waiting in the captain’s quarters. MD: ...One, that sounded VAGUELY suggestive, two, you’re going to sink me with you, aren’t you?

11. MD: BTW, you two are taking this ghost pirate ship thing insanely well. Nurse: Um, we DO work at Manchester asylum, for one thing. Doctor: That and we’ve had to deal with you, once upon a time. MD: ...right, that, explains everything.

12. MD: Okay, that’s a lot of treasure on the boat. Maybe you can ask Her Majesty to loan us the army on account of rescuing some treasure? MD: She likes stories better. Awww.

13. Hm, a curse and a priestess... wonder who that priestess might be... MD: At this point, it could be any of the supernatural beings I’ve encountered.

14. Another skill the MD has: diving. MD: Can’t believe all those licensing lessons are paying off.

15. MD: Okay, got your sword! You can spring your trap now! [Ship sails away from the dock] MD: ...That’s one way to isolate your enemy, I guess. Maybe you should check for gunpowder before seeing the captain? MD: I really should do that, shouldn’t I?

16. [Inside captain’s quarters] Doctor and Nurse: Hi. MD: ...SERIOUSLY??? WHY DID YOU COME ON BOARD?! Phineas: Ahem, so the girl? MD: Yeah yeah, give her to the doctor, I don’t care. Phineas: Good! Off ye go, lass, and welcome aboard as my new crew hand, detective! MD: .............Haha, real funny-- Doctor: Remember that contract you signed? That was the service contract. Also, thanks to you, we’re immortal now. MD: ...I fucking knew that paper wasn’t just something random, AND ALSO OF THIS INEVITABLE BETRAYAL! *clench fist* Oh, as for immortality... I’ve got my feather, all good, no thanks.

16. Doctor: So long as the ship sails and we’re on board, we’ll have an eternity to enjoy them! MD: ...Okay, thanks for telling me how to stop you. Time to look for those powder kegs! Phineas: Damn minions, why can’t they keep their mouth shut.

17. Crew member... something: Find me some navigation charts! Another Crew member: I need a new target to throw at! MD: What am I, your servant?! Phineas: Well, judging by the contract, ya probably are. MD: ...You are going to love what I’m about to serve all of you. At least it wasn’t a prenuptial contract or the like, right?

18. Crew member I’ve-lost-count: Thanks for the extra hand! ...I guess they’re still a little insane after all... MD: Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing... Crew another: I need to feed the bird, but the bird isn’t here... but I need to feed the bird, but-- MD: ...Let’s go with good for now.

19. [Fire a canon] Phineas: Which one of you did that?! MD: *whistles and goes downstairs*

20. MD: He... stored her remains in the FIGUREHEAD??? ...Wow, at least it wasn’t you, right? MD: Not at all helping!

21. MD: Got all the needles, now... HEY PHINEAS! Phineas: Wha? MD: I got a bunch of needles, and guess who’s gonna get stabbed? Phineas: Traitor! This is mutiny! MD: In seriousness, did you really expect me to serve you willingly? Phineas: No, but I didn’t expected you to be this stupid and try to rebel so early! MD: Oh you bloody... *Stabs doll like crazy*

22. Phineas: Wait until I’m free! I’ll rain all the wrath upon ya! MD: Nice try, now I’m going to take the crown, and also this other thing from you... now stay still while I go break the curse. Phineas: You will regret this! MD: I already don’t regret this! 8D I think for once, the MD might be having a bit too much fun tormenting their foe. 23. Phineas: NOOOOO MY SHIP!!!! MD: Off the sides, everyone! Take your leave before it’s too late-- AAAAHHHHH. You would think the voodoo priestess would be nicer and not drop you into the ocean like that. MD: I’m just thankful I’m alive, honestly. Girl: Also, thank you for saving me. MD: ... Dammit I didn’t exactly mean to do that... Oh well, just, please don’t come after me again. My life insurance is getting worse with each attempt. Phineas: *cackles from under water* MD: Oh shut up you ectoplasmic goop. I need another vacation-- Hey, a letter from Louisiana! Time for that American holiday, right MD? MD: *sighs*

[Extra content start here!]

24. So, guy’s got horucruxes. MD: What’s up with people putting pieces of their souls into stuff, huh? It mostly explains their state of mind, to be honest.

25. Only death can find you... creepy... MD: I mean, they’re not wrong. Death’s almost found me many times. And actually did find me that one time...

26. OOOOOHHHH that’s the shopkeeper’s body alright... MD: Welp, guess I’m on my own, plus that southern guy out there. Southern guy: Oh, she’s dead? Well, then I’m out. Keep the amulet to protect yourself! MD: Yes please, I no longer do search and rescues. At least not unless it’s paid well.

27. AAAHHHH TREE MONSTER THINGY! MD: AMULET PROTECT ME PUT THE JAW BACK PUT IT BACK *Thing collapses into dust* MD: ...Oh that was easy. Yeah, guess that’s over-- FLYING SKULL FLYING SKULL MAKE IT GO AWAY! (Kitty has nearly passed out from too much skull exposure at this point)

28. MD: Okay, into the crypt-- oh that’s a lot of skulls (Kitty once again passes out from too many skulls...)

29. Ghost: Heard you hate Phineas too, so we’re gonna help you get him. MD: Great! How do I-- Ghost: Just gotta find his skull among all the skulls here, good luck. MD: ... (Kitty is just gone) MD: Welp fuck me.

30. Ghost: Assemble the four great pirate elements! Wade: Teeth! Terrel: Tentacle! Joe: Eye! Wayne: Pistol! Ghosts: Together we are...! MD: ...A match-3 puzzle??? REALLY????????? Thank you for not making it skulls...

31. MD: FOUND YOU. GET OVER HERE AND BURN TO ASH! Phineas: Ehehe, you missed a tooth! MD: ...fuck.

[luxmagnafest]

INTERVIEW: "Reflectif" Artists Reflect on Black Representation from their Upbringing

In one week, Lux Magna will have the pleasure of opening a month long art exhibit at Casa del Popolo, curated by local visual artists Kai Samuels and Joyce Joseph (a.k.a. JUICE); Reflectif is an exposition of art spanning various mediums, by 6 young Black artists coming from across the country.

Team member Mags (who is also a visual artist) spoke with Nafleri, Tyrin Kelly, Joseph Moore, Hasina Kamanzi (OTT), BlazenBlack (OTT) and Simone Heath (TO), about their respective experiences growing up with (or without) Black folk represented in the media and art that they consumed.

When was the first time you remember seeing Black folk represented in media or the arts?

Hasina: The first time I remember seeing Black people highlighted in media was when I went back to Burundi for the first time in 2014. I saw an oil painting exposition that was illustrating what life was like in Burundi pre-colonisation. I didn't realize at the time how influential it would be for me so, unfortunately, I can't recall what was the name of the artist or the name of the exposition.

Nafleri: Having grown up in Haiti, I was surrounded by Black people, so Carnival season was Black people and their joy put on a show. I knew whiteness existed but it was in light-skin Black [people] or missionaries; I wasn't fully aware how much opportunities catered to it. BUT, after arriving in Canada and being taught to be Black, around my second year, I remember TVA played films every Saturday, and during the week they would play the trailer for said movies; I remember once they played Fat Albert and all through out the week I was hype ‘cause it was movies with characters I felt I could relate to. I ended up being disappointed but, I still remember that child's hype. But in Haiti, I remember music, cinema, literature, paintings, sculptures, I wasn’t fully aware of it but I was lucky enough to experience Blackness in art.

Joseph: The first time that I remember seeing Black people represented within the media was The Proud Family. The show had a significant impact on my childhood, as it allowed for me to see various Black characters in a normalized and lighthearted setting on a regular basis.

BlazenBlack: Had to be the detective [Bulletproof] in the cartoon COPS, followed by X-Men’s Storm.

Simone: The earliest Black character I could remember is Susie Carmichael from Rugrats. Pinpointing a first time is hard to say for sure. I grew up in the late 90’s-early 2000’s with a lot of Black shows, a few having more Black-centric protagonists. I can remember watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters and The Cosby Show with my family.

Tyrin: I’m not sure… growing up I became really obsessed with the early jazz scene in America. It was drummers like Philly Joe Jones and Art Blakey that really inspired me to learn an instrument. K-OS is one of the first modern Black musicians that showed me you can make hip-hop and be a rock-star. I fell in love with Atlantis Hymns for Disco and really idolized that whole “B-Boy who makes indie music” persona. In terms of visual art I wasn’t really aware of Black artists that stuck to my memory until high school art class I think. I was really invested in the poetry scene in Ottawa during that time and Saul Williams is another Black artist that really influenced me.

2. Who was your favorite fictional Black character growing up?

Nafleri: Can I answer Jesus? (laughs) I remember reading (I know nada of Christian theology) that Jesus never wrote anything, his partners did, so in the writing of others, I'd see the fiction of Jesus, not that it's a bad thing, fictional characters can be inspirational but… uncles, aunties and ‘em might roast for that one. (laughs). Jokes aside though, growing up I remember Bouki and Malice, which were folk stories of Haiti and in the literary work of Odette Roy Fombrun. I was able to see Black characters that weren't asked to be super, they existed in the complexities of their life. Looking back, I'm grateful to have experienced that.

BlazenBlack: My favorite fictional Black character must have been Piccolo [DragonBall Z] if he counts. If not, War Machine [Iron Man franchise].

Hasina: Growing up, my favorite Black fictional character was Pamela (from the Tea Sisters book series) [Thea Stilton series in North America]. Technically, she's a mouse but she was also very anthropomorphic & born in Tanzania (like me!) so baby Hasina read her as Black.

Joseph: This is a hard question to answer as I can think of many favourites, but if I had to choose, it would be between Alyx Vance from the Half Life video game series or Michonne from The Walking Dead.

Tyrin: My favourite fictional Black character growing up was Radio Raheem from Do The Right Thing. Also Q from Juice. Foxy Brown was also so badass. Those three will forever be cool.

Simone: Probably Raven Baxter from That’s So Raven for a bit. I liked a lot of the outfits she would wear. She was multi-talented and funny.

3. What is your opinion on the current state of Black representation in Canadian media?

BlazenBlack: I don’t watch much Canadian TV, so I can’t speak on shows or movies, but in terms of animations, I can’t even name one off the top of my head. I'm hoping to change that.

Joseph: While I admit that I haven't been consuming as much Canadian media as I would like to as of late, I have found it harder to name many prominent or relatable Black characters within Canadian media off of the top of my head as opposed to American characters. While I appreciate Canada's willingness to represent many different cultures and viewpoints, it would be interesting to see something centered around the regular lives of Black people living in Canada on a larger platform.

Simone: Black representation in Canadian media could be a lot better. It feels as though it isn’t really there or pushed into the background as apart of Canadian diversity. Most of the Black media I consume is from the States. I don’t watch a lot of Canadian television, but from what I’ve seen I don’t recall any Black protagonists, usually side characters with little to no background. I feel like Black Canadian artists/athletes aren’t recognized until they have made something of themselves outside of the country. I’m grateful for people that reach out and organize events like this to have ourselves shown. I also have a lot to learn myself when it comes to being more active in these conversations and connecting with other Black Canadians.

Nafleri: I feel like I can't speak of Canadian media, though this stretch ocean to ocean I've only visited— I can't even say Toronto— Niagara Falls… once on a family trip. Quebec media however, having consumed a lot, hoping to fit in, I know for a fact, there is a big lack of representation. Though I stopped consuming QC media, late high school, my best friend studying in a theater institutions is closer to Quebec's media and we often discuss the lack of representation in his future field of work.

Tyrin: Um, I’m not sure it’s so black and white… if you’re looking at “credible” sources of media, yeah definitely a little convoluted. But in terms of independent media— media environments run by artists  for artists— then I think it’s thriving and it’s all so cool! Like, looking at people I follow on social media or friends and peers that are making cool shit the list is giant. Definitely media representation is positive and important to an extent, and I think in  Canadian media the effort is made, but that’s not what matters. What matters is honesty and published honesty is recognized in every format. I mean, shouts out to: Tau Lewis, Marvin Luvualu António, Moneyphone, Schwey, Elle Barbara, Tati au Miel, Neo Edo, Cole Craib, James Goddard, and all other Black artists who are doing their thing.

Hasina: There is a lot of work to be done but I'm hopeful because I see a lot of creatives doing great things both in Ottawa/Gatineau (where I live) and in Montreal.

Closing thoughts from co-curator JUICE

It's really cool how living Black is very different to other people. I always had this ideology that, because I was navigating spaces where there were a few Black children (or I was the only Black child) while growing up, meeting Black folks outside my environment meant that I could relate to them, just because they were Black. I wouldn't realize that our experiences could be different. Seeing how representation is so different but so important to each individual life, reminds me that, what ever they're doing creatively, you can do too, and you're not alone on the journey.

The first time I remember seeing Black folks was when my mother gave me a Spice Girl doll. Mel B (Melanie Brown) was the first Black doll I ever had and she had an Afro. She was the one doll I spent so much time on; I loved her so much. When I found out she was an actual person, I was shocked, and was interested in what she does, but I didn't have access to seeing what she did creatively (except on those celebrity TV talk shows when my mother would take me out to hair salons) . Later on growing up, I was into 1990's-2000's TV shows. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, My Wife and Kids, and Sister, Sister to name a few. Cartoons and anime were some other things I would watch when I would spend time with my siblings. Codename: Kids Next Door, Teen Titans and Bleach were a few of the earliest shows I would see Black characters. I would be extremely happy whenever they appeared on my screen. This only lasted during the years I moved and lived in Philadelphia. I moved back to Canada in 2008 and my spaces drastically changed. TV wasn't really the same after that.

The shows that depicted the Black characters I loved and enjoyed, weren't available in the country. Sometimes if they were, they would be 3-4 episodes behind from the American releases. At this point, I relied on the internet, or my brother’s video collections to air the shows I missed so much. Black representation was never really viewed as much as I was exposed to in the States. It became non-existent to me. The only time I would see a Black person in media or TV, is when a creative artist becomes popular, and outlets find out they're from Montreal. It was difficult to find representation growing up in this city, I always felt like we were side characters in our own adventures. People don't realize it but it does have an affect on people. It's nice to know that organizations are creating platforms for BIPOC representation, because we exist and we are not alone.

➡ RSVP ⬅

[ficsxreaderr]

Shot at the night [2]

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader (Modern day AU)

A/N: Based on the prompt “I’m in love with you, asshole!” for @coffee-with-bucky​ ‘s writing challenge.

Series masterlist | Complete masterlist

Rebblogging and feedback are always welcome and appreciated! Taglist for this fic and for a permament one is open!

**Thanksgiving last year**

Fuck, its cold tonight, well, it had to be, December is coming. Since you moved out of your home town, you’ve got no family to go to on Thanksgiving, so you’re being part of the dinner that your boss organized for the office. More people than you expected showed up, apparently, all of them are in the same situation as you are, including your dear protégé—except now he’s more of a partner because you work together more than you teach him—and he seems quite happy to be here. You’ve picked a lovely burgundy, high neck dress, with cut outs at the sides of your waist so your skin is showing, it’s actually your favorite dress and you sure look banging in it, and you walk as powerful as you feel. And the funniest thing is, Bucky knows it.

From the moment you walked into the foyer and shrugged out of your coat to leave it at the coatroom, he was struck with a feeling in his belly that only a drink helped to cease; he unconsciously bit his lip as he looked away to avoid getting caught staring at you, but he still did out of the corner of his eye. You fixed your hair so it fell over your shoulders, and all he could do was clasp his glass tighter, at the risk of breaking it. Poor Bucky, he was such a mess, and he hadn’t said a word to you yet.

“You look…great tonight.” He gestures with his hand in your direction, with a smirk he doesn’t want you to see, but you’re too focused on him not to. And how couldn’t you? His scruff is growing into a beard, probably due to the time of the year, and his cheeks are more blushed that usual now that you’re at the rooftop, ready to dine with your co-workers. His hair is tied up in a bun at his nape, a good decision for a windy night.

“Thanks, you…look really nice.” You nod and offer him a smile. “So you’ll sit beside me, right? For dinner?” He feels his heart leaps up to his throat and he swallows deeply; he widens his eyes and tries to respond.

“I—yeah, of course.” He presses his lips in a thin line, thankful you can’t read his mind because he’s punching himself in the face at the moment for not being able to hide his messy reactions from you.

You walk away from him and find your seat, and seconds later, Bucky sits right beside you. Your body tenses as the wind fans his smell on your direction, and it sends a shiver down your spine. You take a sip of water and look at him as he’s too focused on his phone. You look away and feel relieved when you see Paul, your office neighbor, approaching with a bottle of wine.

“Raise your glasses, everyone! I’ve bought just the best for all of you.” He says as he removes the cork and starts pouring wine for the whole table. Once you’re served, you take a sip and realize he really bought the best, and you’re glad it’s not going to be an alcohol-free night.

“Wow, this is really good wine.” You mention, getting Bucky’s attention.

“I agree,” He says after he’s taken a sip himself. “You know, I’ve never seen you get drunk.” You glance at him with a questioning look and he smiles at you in victory that he’s got your attention now.

“And this will not be the night you do.” You shake your head, but mentally punch yourself for being unable to hide the amused grin from your lips.

He licks his lips and chuckles, looking unbelievably attractive. Why would you ever think he’s attractive? Your logical self is struggling with your impulsive self too much tonight…and because of Bucky?

“I don’t usually make promises when the night is still young, doll.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You say after releasing a scoff, and shoot up an eyebrow in question.

“What? Nothing,” he shrugs. “Oh, look, the turkey’s coming.” He’s saved by Georgina, who’s bringing steaming turkey to the table asking everyone to make room for it. You try to ignore what he said and keep on with your night; your stomach lowly rumbling when you smell the turkey along with all the abundant food they’ve prepared.

/

Dinner and dessert are finished, and since you’ve been sitting for so long, you decide to stand up and away from the table, to digest everything you just ate and to rest from the wine you’ve been drinking. Your head is already spinning a little, so you decide to stop before it’s too late. Thankfully the temperature hasn’t dropped so you’re not freezing out here wearing this dress, but you’re startled when you feel someone standing behind you. You turn around and find your lovely co worker Anne, who was so nice to you from the beginning and is always there when you need help for literally, anything.

“Hey, Anne, how’s your night going?” You ask as you offer her a smile.

“It’s great, I’m so full, I think I’ve never eaten so much.” She says and you both chuckle. “How about you? I see you’re having a good time.”

“I am,” You nod. “It’s really nice to share with everyone.” You shrug.

“So…” She speaks, making you look at her. “You and…Bucky, is that a thing?” You widen your eyes in surprise to a question you never imagined you would be asked, not tonight, not ever.

“What?” You reply, maybe a little too loudly, unable to hide the outrage in your voice. “There’s no Bucky and me, we’re co-workers.”

“You know I don’t meddle in people’s lives but…the way he looks at you, at anything you do, and how you laugh at his jokes, and when he speaks into your ear…your smile is just…huge.” She shakes her head, wearing a smile on her face, a sincere one.

“No, I know, it doesn’t bother me.” You wave her off. “But, um, the truth is we’re…friends, I guess, that’s about it…I think we know each other too well, after you, he’s the one who knows me best.”

“And doesn’t that tell you anything? When you know someone that much, it means something.”

“No, come on, we barely started off as friends, he was such a pain in the ass and now we kind of learned to live with each other and I think it’s great.”

“Okay,” She nods. “It’s nice to see you act so confidently with someone.”

“It feels nice, too.”

/

You had to lose at rock, paper, scissors when deciding who had to stay and take everything inside and clean up a little. Thankfully you stopped drinking a while ago and you’re not drunker than you should be, and for better or worse, you’re not alone. You order the dirty dishes by the sink so Bucky can put them in the dishwasher, and even if it’s late, you’re going to need at least a cup of coffee to get home a little bit wide awake. You prepare the coffee maker and stand by the counter to wait for it to finish as Bucky is done with what he’s doing. You let out a deep sigh, and tie up your hair in a ponytail, not noticing how Bucky finds himself mesmerized by your graceful movements. He swallows deeply and clears his throat as he comes back to Earth when you ask him what’s going on.

“Oh, nothing I just…I think it’s the wine.” He nods eagerly trying to reassure he didn’t just melt like ice cream under the sun due to your still impeccable looks despite the long night.

You chuckle and bite your lip in amusement when you notice once again how hesitant he is tonight. How can someone who usually acts so boldly be so messy when it comes to you?  

“I’m sure it is.” He takes a step closer to you, resting his hand on the counter and looking into your eyes as his glow like stars.

“Did you have a good time tonight?” He murmurs unable to hide his hoarse voice.

“I did.” You speak in a whisper, much to your dislike. “I had great company.” What the hell did you just say?

“I know.” He shrugs, obviously teasing you with that smirk, making you roll your eyes at him. “My night wasn’t bad at all.” He says before looking down at his feet.

“I know.” You mimic his joke and he unexpectedly chuckles and his eyes meet yours again. He takes another step forward and now he’s so close to you, you can feel how his cologne has lingered through the night. You inhale sharply at the risk of him noticing it and you stare blankly at him.

“W-what are you…”

“Doing? What do you think?” His gaze falls to your lips and his lips curl up grinning.

“Where’s this coming from?” You say in a lower voice than you would like, and press your lips as you swallow and try to grab the courage to keep up with his game.

“You talk too much.” He shakes his head but you’re distracted by the hand he places where the skin of your waist is uncovered. His skin feels warm and welcome, the latter being something you didn’t expect at all. He meets your gaze and he licks his lips, making you feel weaker.

“You’re drunk.” You mention, but he ignores your words nuzzling your cheek, making you inhale sharply.

“But you’re not, and you’re not stopping me.” He murmurs against your skin, your whole body trembles at his proximity and he knows it, he gently clenches his hand around your waist, making you grab his upper arm only to realize how big his bicep is.

His cold nose brushes against yours, and you notice his crimson cheeks, probably because of the cold or because he can’t believe how he’s being so bold right now.

“You’re so annoying.” You speak in a whisper as your eyes meet his and his warm breath fans against your lips. He ignores you once again and closes his eyes as he presses his lips against yours, you quickly kiss him back, clenching your hand around his bicep, and slightly parting your lips to let him take your lower lip between his. You let out a breath, making his lips twitch up against yours, and apparently, that was the sign he took to place his free hand around your waist, your uncovered skin now in direct contact with his big, strong, yet soft hands, not caring if he feels the heat you’re radiating.

He keeps kissing you, slowly, each of you savoring the taste of wine and tenderness from each other’s lips. As if your hands had minds of their own, you reach up to his bun and untie his hair, running a hand through it to let his long locks fall on his shoulders. An approving moan escapes his lips as he tells you he liked that by chasing after your lower lip with his teeth. You chuckle against his lips and caress his scalp and his nape with your fingertips. Unexpectedly, he pulls away gently and fixes his now darker eyes on yours as you tuck a strand of hair behind his ear.

“I lied earlier tonight.” He says, biting his lip, now another shade of pink that is so lovely you’re almost sad he stopped kissing you. You frown at his statement and let go of his upper arm as if he’ll say something you don’t want to hear.

“I said you looked great, but the truth is,” He brushes his lips against yours and continues, “You look wonderful,” He pecks your lips. “Marvelous, stunning, gorgeous…drop dead.” He says as he pecks your lips with each word, making your lips curl up in a smile as you place a hand on his chest only to find an erratic heartbeat he has only felt around you.

“For a second I thought I had done something wrong.” You add, tugging at the collar of his shirt and staring at him.

“You could never.” He shakes his head and nuzzles your cheek, his nose is now warmer and you welcome his touch with a low hum. His thumbs caress the skin at your waist, his skin against yours feels so familiar; like something you didn’t know before but somehow was made to be that way.

You draw your hands to his nape and you play with his hair as he places small kisses on your cheek.

“Your skin is warm.” He murmurs and you can hear him smiling.

“I know, it’s ‘cause you’re too close.” You mock him and he lifts his head to look at you.

“Oh you want me to move?” He replies with a huge grin on his face. “Cause I can, if you’re uncomfortable.” He shrugs.

“Do you always have to be such a jerk?” You shake your head in disbelief.

“I don’t have to be but I know it drives you crazy.” He winks at you and you pull your lip between your teeth. “Do you have to get home?” He asks after a moment with his brows knitted, obviously knowing what he wants to hear.

“It depends...” You speak as he gives you the goofiest grin. “Do you want me to?” Playing with his hair is almost therapeutic, you can’t stop and he clearly doesn’t want you to.

He shakes his head lazily, leaning over to kiss the corner of your lips. “I know a place…they’re open 24 hours.”

“Tell me it’s not your place.” You joke and earn a heartfelt laughter that resonates in your ears and flutters your heart.

“It could be…but it’s not, it’s the best pizza in the city.”

“Pizza? Aren’t you full from dinner?”

“Oh, come on, I know you would never deny food, especially pizza.” His eyes gleam in a way you never thought possible, no one’s ever looked at you like that.

“When did I let you get to know me so well?”

“Even if you hadn’t let me, I would know it all, sweetheart.”

|

Taglist: @itvariesfromlokitostrange @jitterbuck @38leticia

[atc74]

You Were The First - Two

Summary: Dean Winchester completed basic training in March 1941 and was offered an opportunity he can’t turn down, to fly with the Allied Forces and England’s Royal Air Force. It will provide a better future for him and his bride-to-be, but what he doesn’t know is it will change the lives of everyone around him.(This is loosely based on Pearl Harbor).

Square Filled: none for this chapter

Written for: na

Characters: Dean Winchester, Y/N Bennett

Warnings: Fluff, Angst

Word Count: 2048

A/N: Thank you so much to @crispychrissy​ for her patience and guidance, and exceptional listening/reading skills. This probably would not have happened without her. An Anon sent me a request that I will also fulfill later in the series for an Eagles song. Guys, it has been a really long time since I was this excited about a series! I hope you like it!

YWTF Masterlist

~Chapter 2~

Dean had waited not so patiently, checking his watch every few minutes. Thirty minutes later, Y/N descended the staircase. Dean’s breath caught his throat at the sight of her. She was as beautiful as ever. He had known this beautiful creature most of his life and there was not a day that went by when he was not captivated by the sight of her. Her gray patterned dress fit her like it was custom made.

“Y/N,” Dean breathed out, “you are stunning.”

“Thank you, Dean. Seeing you all dressed up, looking so dashing in this suit, I couldn’t put on any old thing,” she laughed for the first time since he had told her he was leaving and to him it was the best sound in the world. Hearing it again brought a smile to his lips.

“Doll, you’d look breathtaking in a paper sack,” Dean remarked. “We have a lot of places to go today. We better get a move on.”

~*~

Dean parked outside of the primary school. It was mid morning and classes were being held inside the red brick walls. He stepped out of the car and walked around to open the door for Y/N. He held out his arm for her and she slipped a gloved hand into the crook of his elbow. They walked for a few feet before Dean stopped her and pointed to area inside the school yard where the old steel swing set still stood, like it had for more than two decades.

“You see that swing, right in the middle?” Dean asked her.

“Yes, I see it. Dean, what are we doing here?” she looked up at him as he stood beside her, holding tight to her hand on his arm.

“The first time I saw you, you were swinging on that very swing. You wore a dress, the color of the sky that day. I may have only been five years old, but I knew that day, you were going to be very special to me, Y/N,” Dean reminded her.

“I remember that day. It was the first day of kindergarten. Billy Smith tried to pull me off the swing and you told him to leave me alone or you were going to give him a fat lip,” she recalled, a smile on her red lips.  

“I sure did. No one messes with my girl,” he said. “Now, let’s get back to it, shall we?”

“Dean, are you going to tell me what we are doing?” she stopped him, locking her y/e/c eyes on his green ones.

“No, not yet. It’s a surprise, Doll,” Dean winked and ledher back to the car to continue on to the next stop.

“Dean, it’s March, the beach isn’t open,” Y/N scoffed when he pulled up in front of the public beach at Clinton Lake. They sat and looked out over the thawing ice on the lake before Dean spoke.

“Do you remember the summer you turned thirteen?” Dean probed her.

“Yes…” she replied, confusion pulling at her pretty features.

“I remember your mother and father brought you to the beach for your birthday. Man, it was a hot that day!” Dean laughed. “Your mother made a picnic lunch and invited me to have a sandwich, but I was playing in the water with Sammy, so I politely declined. You finished your lunch and ran full steam into the water. You started swimming out to the platform, but about halfway, you stopped and yelled for help. I looked up when I heard your screams. I told Sammy to stay in the sand and took off towards you.

“By the time I swam out to you, you were starting to go under. My heart was pounding in my chest. I took a deep breath and went down looking for you. Your eyes were open and I looked into them and reached out for you, grabbing your hand in mine. I pulled you above water, put you on my back and swam to shore. You were sputtering water and my heart wouldn’t quit beating in my ears. I was so scared that I was going to lose you.”

“You saved my life that day, Dean,” Y/N looked over at him.

“I am pretty sure you saved mine that day, too, Y/N. That was the day I realized I was in love with you. I didn’t know it then, but looking back on it, I think I fell in love with you on the playground,” Dean laughed and pulled her hand into his, lightly kissing her knuckles.

“Oh, Dean,” she replied wistfully.

“Don’t think I don’t know that I really buggered this one up. I still have a few things to show you; come on,” Dean reversed the car and headed back into town and pulled over across from the high school.

“Inside those walls, I asked you to go to the homecoming dance with me when we were fourteen. Inside those walls I asked you to go to Winter Formal. Inside those walls, I asked you to go to Senior Prom. Inside those walls I asked you to go to a hundred dances with me. And you said yes every time,” Dean didn’t linger this time, but drove onto his next destination. Y/N was speechless.

There was no denying the fact that she and Dean had a history. A very long history that started in Kindergarten and spanned the past sixteen years. Y/N looked lovingly at the man next to her. She knew he regretted his decision in waiting to tell her about his plans to depart for Europe this week. She also knew without a doubt that she loved this man with her whole heart and soul and always would, no matter what. She held his hand in hers as they drove through town. Finally the car stopped once more, this time in front of the soda shop.

“Inside this small soda shop, over a chocolate milkshake and a slice of apple pie, I asked you to go steady with me; to be my girl. We were fifteen years old and it was ten years after our story started. You’d been my best friend for a decade and I knew you were it for me,” Dean leaned across the seat and kissed her chastely on the lips. “Let me take you to lunch.”

Y/N and Dean enjoyed a quiet lunch at their favorite place. It wasn’t fancy, but it was theirs. Over burgers and milkshakes, they reminisced about their first decade together; summers spent at the beach, winters waiting for snow. Y/N grew quiet as they shared a slice of pie.

“What’s on your mind, Dollface?” Dean knew she was deep in thought by the way she chewed on her lower lip, worrying in between her teeth.

“What time do you have to leave tomorrow?” she asked, tears welling up in her pretty eyes.

“Let’s not talk about that; not right now. Our day isn’t over, so we don’t have to think about tomorrow,” Dean pointed out. “Come on, we have a couple more stops to make.”

“Dean, what are we doing here?” she was just as confused as she was this morning when they started off.

“Inside these white walls with it’s glass panes and wood floors, is where I told you I loved you for the first time. This is your home, where you grew into the most amazing woman I have ever known. The woman that I love. I asked your father for your hand in marriage inside this house. Inside these four walls is where I vowed to love you for the rest of my life and asked you to marry me,” Dean sniffled and Y/N noticed the tears welling in his eyes.

“Dean I have loved you forever. I will love you forever. I am sorry that I acted like a spoiled brat yesterday,” she whispered and slid across the seat to pull him into her arms, providing the comfort they both desperately needed.

“Okay, enough of me sapping out,” Dean released his hold on her and pulled himself together.

“Dean, you can be yourself with me. I have never and will never judge you,” she vowed.

“I know, but not yet. I have more to show you,” Dean cleared his throat and pulled back out onto the street.

He stopped in front of St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church. Dean made his way out of his seat and around the car. He opened Y/N’s door for her and hand in hand they walked through the front doors of the church.

They knelt together in front of the prayers candles. Lighting one candle each, they both said a silent prayer. Dean prayed for his grandparents who had passed on before Dean had been born. Y/N repeated the same prayer that had she had said several times in the last twenty-four hours. She prayed for Dean. Once they had finished their prayers, they stood and Dean walked them to the front row of the empty church.

Taking a seat, he pulled her down to sit next to him. “In five months, I am going to stand up there,” he pointed to the right side of the altar, “with my brother by my side. I am going to stare at those doors until they open and you walk through them. Then I am going to marry you and you are going to make me the happiest man alive. Right here is where we are going to start our brand new life together. In five short months you’ll go from being Y/N Bennett to Y/N Winchester. I like the sound of that.”

Y/N had heard Dean talk a lot throughout their sixteen years together. But she had never heard Dean talk like this. She knew he loved her, but he was never this open with his emotions. She felt the tears as they escaped her eyes and flowed openly down her pink cheeks.

“Y/N, please don’t cry,” Dean pleaded with her.

“What else am I supposed to do, Dean? In the past twenty four hours, I have experienced almost every emotion I have ever felt; pain, betrayal, sadness, love, anger, adoration. I cried myself to sleep last night because I know you are leaving tomorrow and I may never see you again. Then you show up at my house this morning and you drive me down memory lane, quite literally. I have never been so in love with you as I am right now. Part of me is still sad, and upset. But, I know, in my heart, that you love me just as much as I love you,” she blurted out before taking a deep breath. “The next few months are going to be the roughest of my life. I am going to miss you so much. But I will push forward with planning our wedding and before we know it, you will be home.”

They embraced there in the front pew of the church where they will marry, each of them silently praying to God for his safe return.

~*~

“It’s only a couple months, Sammy,” Dean looked at his brother. Dean had just pulled up outside of Fort Riley, Sam beside him.

“I know, but it just isn’t going to be the same without you here,” Sam replied, his voice laden with sadness.

“I need you to concentrate on school and keep your nose clean, kid,” Dean told his little brother. “And stop by to see Y/N once a week. Maybe take her for a milkshake; she loves those. And don’t forget to write.”

“I will Dean and I won’t forget to write,” Sam sniffed a little from the passenger seat. Dean smacked him on the chest, then got out of the car. He grabbed his pack from the trunk when Sam met him at the back of the car.

The brothers embraced, both holding tightly. “Take care of my girl, Sammy.”

“I promise, Dean,” Sam vowed as they released each other. Sam watched his brother walk through the front gates of Fort Riley, a silent prayer on his lips as his brother disappeared from view.

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Forever Tags: @iwantthedean​ @d-s-winchester​ @just-a-touch-of-sass-and-fandoms​​ @just-another-busy-fangirl​ @mamaredd123​ @ellen-reincarnated1967​ @tankcupcakes​ @katymacsupernatural​ @winchesterprincessbride​ @chelsea072498​ @meeshw777​  @tmccarney​ @ruprecht0420 @theoriginalvicki​ @nanie5 @docharleythegeekqueen​ @megansescape​ @notnaturalanahi​ @impalaimagining​ @mrswhozeewhatsis​ @blacktithe7​ @emoryhemsworth​ @bringmesomepie56​ @devilgirlsarah​ @spnbaby-67​ @myoutletforfanfiction​ @deansangelgirl​ @jerk-bitch-and-an-angel​ @kayteonline​ @rockhoochie​ @percussiongirl2017​ @fanfreak07​ @sandlee44​ @moonstar86​ @squirrel-moose-winchester​ @growningupgeek​ @charliebradbury1104​ @evansrogerskitten​ @feelmyroarrrr​ @itseverythingilike​ @smoothdogsgirl​ @supernatural-jackles​ @ryantherandomhero​ @love-kittykat21​ @kathaswings​ @crispychrissy​ @paintrider13-blog​  @bethbabybaby​ @ravenangel33​ @shaelyn102​ @roxyspearing​ @nosleeptillbucky​  @x-waywardaf-x​

Dean Tags: @whimsicalrobots​ @akshi8278​  @iamabeautifulperson18​ @suzannebeaketa​ @thing-you-do-with-that-thing​ @deandoesthingstome​ @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester​ @boxywrites​  @sparklesuperwholock88​  @ericaprice2008​   @tardis-full-of-fallen-angels​

YWTF Tags CLOSED: @luci-in-trenchcoats​ @hexparker​  @meganwinchester1999​ @bitchy-tacos​ @ultimatecin73​ @neveah-potter15 @housav​ @thereisnolumos​ @frickfracklesackles​

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior 9/10/21 - MALIGNANT, THE CARD COUNTER, TIFF 2021, LANGUAGE LESSONS, THE ALPINIST, EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, FAUCI, and More!

Before we get to this week’s releases-- and there are a lot of them, though not necessarily wide releases -- I probably should mention that the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is beginning this week up North across the board. I was unable to go in person, more due to the money than any worries about COVID. (Honestly, I have no idea what’s going on at the border right now between America and Canada, but I figured I better wait it out before attending TIFF in person… until I can actually afford it.)

This year’s TIFF offers a lot of premieres, most of them taking place in physical theaters in Toronto, such as Edgar Wright’s, Last Night in Soho, (which just premiered in Venice) and Universal’s musical, Dear Evan Hansen, as well as David Gordon Green’s horror sequel, Halloween Kills (which also just played in Venice oddly). Other movies playing TIFF include Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, both which star Benedict Cumberbatch. Mihael Peace's Encounter, starring Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer, and docs like Julia (as in "Child") and Attica. There’s even a doc about the Canadian rock band, Triumph! (I’m looking forward to that one.) Antoine Fuqua’s remake of the German film, The Guilty, starring TIFF regular Jake Gyllenhaal, will have its premiere, and many, many more. Too many to watch, let alone write about, but I’ll try to review a few of these over at Below the Line and maybe some here. (There are also lots of movies that premiered at Cannes in July that will play at TIFF, and some of those will also play at New York Film Festival later this month, which is where I’ll see them.)

A movie that I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time and is finally seeing the light of day is James Wan’s return to horror, MALIGNANT (Warner Bros.). Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll have a chance to see this before Friday, which is a bit of a bummer, but I’ll look forward to seeing it with the common people in a theater. Because I’m looking forward to this movie so much, I haven’t even watched the latest trailer, so I really don’t know too much about it, which may be for the better.

Of course, you know Wan’s name from some of the most successful horror franchises of the past two decades, starting with Saw in 2004. After a few movies that didn’t do quite so well, Wan reteamed with his Saw collaborator Leigh Whannell for Insidious in 2010, which also did very well and created a similarly successful franchise. (Whannell would go on to direct the third movie in the series, the respectable sci-fi thriller Upgrade, and then he directed 2020’s The Invisible Man for Universal, which was also a substantial hit.) Meanwhile Wan went on to direct The Conjuring in 2013 and its 2016 sequel, The Conjuring 2, based on the true case files of supernatural investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by regular Wan collaborator Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Both of those “Conjuring” movies opened with $40 million+, and you guessed it, they also led to hugely successful franchises for Warner Bros with spin-offs galore.

Although Wan has been making big studio mega-blockbusters like Furious 7 and Aquaman in recent years -- and he’s hard at work on a sequel to the latter -- Malignant is his return to horror after a whole five years, which certainly is exciting for horror fans and those who love Wan’s style of horror particularly.

One thing that’s become fairly obvious from writing about box office over the past couple decades is that horror movies are rarely sold on the names of their stars, although Wan has a fine lead in the form of Annabelle Wallis, who just so happened to have starred in the 2014 The Conjuring prequel called Annabelle, which did quite well. (No, she did not play the title doll Annabelle, if you haven't seen it.) And that’s about it. The fact that Wan can do whatever he wants these days, and he decides to return to the horror genre without stacking the deck with all sorts of name actor, is pretty impressive. Even Saw had bigger names actors like Carey Elwes and Danny Glover!

Although I don’t know much about Malignant, it’s definitely giving me vibes of Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell, the horror master’s return to horror after making three “Spider-Man” movies. Although it’s well-loved by horror fans, it ended up opening with just $15.8 million in the summer of 2009. That’s a little daunting when you figure that Malignant is opening in September and in the second weekend of a huge blockbuster like Marvel’s Shang-Chi.

But there’s something else that’s been bugging me, as excited as I am to see the movie. I’ve been doing this a long time, and Warner Bros. has become almost legendary for screening all their movies in advance… every single one. I can maybe think of two examples of movies that didn’t get advance critics screenings. Malignant is screening for critics but only on Thursday night with an embargo Thursday at 10pm. That is not the move of a studio confident in a movie they’re releasing. Maybe it’s to avoid spoilers or maybe it’s ‘cause Malignant returns Wan to the craziness of the Insidious movies rather than the more commercial and mainstream horror of The Conjuring movies. I don’t know, cause I haven’t seen it, but I'm still gonna go see it on Friday night, ‘cause I like James and want to fully support his movie.

But that adds another layer of foreboding to the horror movie that will also be on HBO Max Friday, and it’ll be so easy for the curious to just hit “play” on their remote to watch it that way, which is what I think most people will do. Because of this, I’m struggling to find a way that Malignant makes more than $13 million, taking quite a distant second place to Shang-Chi in its second weekend.

Opening in roughly 500 theaters Friday is Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER (Focus Features), which stars Oscar Isaac as former prison inmate and professional gambler, “William Tell,” who drives around the casino circuit making money by playing blackjack and poker. He meets two people on his journey that changes the course of his path, the first being Tye Sheridan’s Cirk (Yes, with a “C”), a young man whose father ended up killing himself after serving time in military prison for crimes at Abu Ghraib. Tiffany Haddish plays La Lina, a woman who sees Will’s talent playing cards and wants to put him in her stable of players. The relationship between these three characters is what keeps the movie interesting even when there are only a few minor dramatic fireworks.

If there’s any doubt that Schrader, a significant Hollywood player in the ‘70s and ‘80s, is firing on all cylinders then The Card Counter confirms that 2017’s First Reformed was no fluke, as Schrader remains valid and important well into his 70s. Like First Reformed, this film features an undeniably solid performance from Isaac, who plays such a subdued character, an enigma who every so often truly explodes.

Sheridan's sheepish Cirk seems like an odd choice in road companion, although Haddish proves to be quite a counter (pun intended) to Isaac, as she seems far more comfortable in Will's world. Trying to understand Will and what he sees in Cirk and why he joins the World Poker Tour circuit despite wanting to remain anonymous is what keeps The Card Counter so invigorating. (One odd thing is that despite the title and the opening which literally teaches the viewer how to count cards while playing Blackjack, in most of the movie he’s actually playing poker.)

Folks who enjoy poker movies and the intricacies of Vegas and the gambling community in general should really enjoy The Card Counter for that aspect alone, but then there's the past of the main character, which ties into Abu Ghraib and the horrors of the tortures committed there. Some might feel that two decades after 9/11 isn't the best time to bring those crimes back to the forefront, but Schrader ably explores what it must have been like for the military torturers after they were convicted.

Few screenwriters and filmmakers could pull off what Schrader does in terms of combining these elements, as the story weaves itself through these very different worlds. Frequent Schrader collaborator, Willem Dafoe, takes on a smaller but still significant role as “Gordo,” Will’s commanding officer who trained him to torture. Even so, one of my favorite moments is a scene in a diner where Will performs a card trick for Cirk that would make the late Ricky Jay proud just adds to one's enjoyment.

I will say that I wasn’t as thrilled by the movie’s last ten minutes, as it feels like Schrader ran out of steam in terms of how to resolve all the pieces of a puzzle, leaving a couple pieces out before completion. Regardless, The Card Counter is a constantly compelling film that keeps you invested in the different characters’ behavior as things happen to and around them.

As far as box office, The Card Counter isn't getting a very wide release but with so many movies in the top 10 quickly dropping away leaving movies like Shang-Chi at the top, it should leave room for Schrader's film to inch its way into the top 10 and maybe even the top 5!

A movie I’m unlikely to see and know very little… okay… nothing… about is the faith-based SHOW ME THE FATHER (Sony/AFFIRM Films), which will open in about 1,000 theaters on Friday. Okay, fine, you twisted my arm, and I looked it up. This is a new documentary about fatherhood from the Kendrick Brothers, the duo behind faith-based hits like War Room, Courageous, and Fireproof. I've seen none of those movies, though I know all of them exceeded expectations, but this is also a doc, and those rarely do as well at the box office. I wish I could give you a definitive number for this, but something makes me think it won’t make more than $2 million, even if the religious right seem less worried about COVID and vaccines and wearing masks in movie theaters than everyone else. Expect it to end up in the bottom of the Top 10 with lots of confused movie writers not knowing what it is.

Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (who have appeared both on The Good Place and in Veronica Mars together) co-star in the comedy QUEENPINS (STXfilms), which is being released straight to Cinemark Theaters on Friday and then it will be on Paramount+ on Sept. 30.

In the movie, based on a true story, Bell plays Connie Kominski, a suburban Phoenix housewife who thrills to saving money with coupons, hatches a scheme with her best friend JoJo (Howell-Baptiste) to sell coupons via mail, not realizing that what they’re doing is illegal as they rack up millions of dollars. Unfortunately, they have Paul Walter Hauser’s Loss Prevention Manager Ken Miller on their tail, and he teams with postal inspector Simon Kilmurry (Vince Vaughn) to try to catch them women trying to scam the supermarkets.

This movie, written and directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, actually is based on a true story, but it took me a little while to get into it, and it definitely had its ups and downs. The first thing one has to get past is the fact that this is essentially a heist film that involves illicit coupons, and at first, Connie writing letters of complaint to companies comes across a bit like a Greenberg for middle-aged women. (Note: that film's star, Ben Stiller is one of the movie's exec. producers.) On the other hand, Kristen Bell tends to be great in this kind of role and you can tell she's worked with Ms. Howell-Baptiste from their organic chemistry as best friends. Joel McHale has a tougher time fitting in as Connie's husband Rick, but that actually works in this case. (A little trivia fact: McHale, Howell-Baptiste and Natalie Morales, whose directorial debut is reviewed below, all appeared in BenDavid Grabinski's Happily, as did Stephen Root, who has a small role in Queenpins.)

Queenpins eventually falls into a steadier pace with the introduction of Hauser's character and then bringing Vaughn into the mix, although the two of them have very little interaction with the two female leads, as the film instead cuts between the two duos. Hauser essentially seems to be playing a jokier version of Richard Jewell here, constantly trying to get more involved in the case and wanting to be deputized by Vaughn. The two of them work well together, and there's only one unfortunate scene involving… it's too disgusting to mention, but it's where the film needlessly delves into gross-out humor, and that's also where it falters.

As much as the law in this movie act like buffoons, the two ladies don't seem very much smarter, doing idiotic things like buying Lamborghinis and guns in order to "clean” the illicit money from the coupon-selling scam. Because of that, Queenpins gets sillier and sillier and feels less like any sort of possible true story as it goes along. The movie basically comes across like a less skilled version of Butter, but in that case, it was a movie that shouldn't have worked but did. In this case, it's the exact opposite.

Cinemark Theaters only has about 331 theaters across America, including a lot in Texas, California, and Ohio, but honestly, I don't think awareness is high enough for Queenpins for it to make much of a mark, but even if it makes less than a million, it could theoretically break into the top 10 this weekend, but I think it will fall just short.

The movies above are the only ones that may be going even remotely wide, so because of that, this weekend’s box office will look something like this with Shang-Chi remaining #1 with relative ease, Malignant taking a distant second, and Candyman and Free Guy fighting it out for #3.

1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Marvel/Disney) - $33.5 million -56%

2. Malignant (Warner Bros.) - $13.6 million N/A

3. Candyman (Universal) - $4.8 million -53%

4. Free Guy (20th Century/Disney) - $4.5 million -42%

5. The Card Counter (Focus) - $2.2 million N/A

6. Jungle Cruise (Walt Disney Pictures) - $2.1 million -48%

7. Paw Patrol: The Movie (Paramount) - $2 million -50%

8. Show Me the Father (Sony/AFFIRM) - $2 million N/A

9. Don’t Breathe 2 (Sony/Screen Gems) - $2 million -30%

10. Respect (MGM) - $600,000 -57%

--- Queenpins (STXfilms) - $445,000 N/A

It was tough to pick a “Chosen One” this week, because there are a few decent films, but I had to go with Natalie Morales’ directorial debut, LANGUAGE LESSONS (Shout! Studios!), which she co-wrote and co-stars in with Mark Duplass. I saw it at SXSW back in March, and I loved it just as much a second time around, due to the simplicity of the premise and just how much Morales and her co-star do using similar Zoom technology we’ve all been using for the past 18 months. Duplass plays wealthy Californian Adam, whose husband buys him a series of Spanish lessons, given over Zoom by Morales’ character Cariño, who lives in Costa Rica.

You might think after over a year of mostly communicating with family and friends via Zoom, we’d be so sick of it that a movie that uses that as a conceit would be absolutely horrible, but maybe that’s why it’s easier to connect with what Morales and Duplass were attempting with this terrific piece of work. How these two people from different backgrounds interact begins slowly as might be the case while getting online language lessons from a new teacher. As they become more comfortable with each other, there’s more playfulness, as they begin to open up to each other. (Adam's Spanish teacher definitely has a dark side that comes out as things go along.)

I’m not sure if there was a lot of improvisation involved with the script as with some of the films Duplass did with the wonderful Lynn Shelton, but however they put this film together, it works in a similar way where it’s charming and funny, even during some of the more emotional moments. Because Duplass’ character is declared as gay fairly on, there's none of the attempts at making this some sort of meet-cute romance, as may have been the case with a studio movie. There's also never anything lascivious or creepy about their relationship, which makes some of the moments a little confounding, but ultimately, it all pays off.

Even though there’s a certain aspect of the movie that makes you want it to be kept organic and authentic-feeling, there is some gentle scoring by Gaby Moren that’s kept far behind the dialogue that does add something subliminal to the film.

Language Lessons is absolutely delightful -- definitely one of my favorite films of the year -- maybe because it thrives on its own simplicity by just having two actors doing what they do best.

Another great movie coming out in select theaters Friday is EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE (Amazon), starring Max Harwood as Jamie New, a fairly normal gay 16-year-old from Sheffield, England… other than the fact that he wants to be a drag queen. His mother Margaret (Sarah Lancashire) supports him, as does his best friend Pritti (Lauren Patel) but Jamie risks the ridicule and mocking and bullying of his entire Year 11 class as he proclaims his desire to attend prom in drag. This is the feature debut by Jonathan Butterell, a choreographer who directed the original stageplay.

I honestly wasn't really sure what to expect when I went to a theater to see this with a real audience. For one thing, I had no idea it was a musical. I had seen Max on some morning show talking about the movie and how it was based on the true story of Jamie Campbell, a British teen who wanted to be a drag queen, but I don’t remember him saying anything about singing or dancing. And the music and performances are all terrific, including all the young actors playing Jamie’s schoolmates, who have more than a few spectacular numbers to show off their own skills. (They’re kind of like the Greek chorus for the film.)

Harwood is exceedingly likeable, which is why he can carry this film, but it’s then an even bigger joy when Richard E. Grant shows up in a mentor role, as former drag queen “Loco Channel.” Grant has proven countless times he can do anything, and though his singing voice takes some adjusting to, it also leads to two absolutely amazing moments. Same with Lauren Patel and Sarah Lancashire, who each have numbers that would bring down the house on a Broadway stage but just gets the tears flowing as you’re watching on the screen. Sharon Horgan, who was just in the recent drama Together, plays more of the antagonist role as Jamie’s disapproving teacher, and her one number does not show that singing is one of her talents. (She does okay, and gets through it, at least.)

That aside, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a truly wonderful musical (and movie), one that took me quite by surprise, since I wasn't expecting something a bit more "Free to Be You and Me” (look it up). In fact, Harwood shines, and the cast around him does as well; the fact this musical was able to bring out so many emotions from me offers proof positive that it's a true winner.

Jamie is opening in select theaters this Friday, and then it will stream on Amazon Prime Video starting Sept. 17. I recommend going out and seeing it in a theater if it’s playing near you; it’s a real crowdpleaser, for sure.

Also launching on Amazon this Friday is the series, THE VOYEURS (Amazon), starring the terrific Sidney Sweeney (who many will know from Mike White’s The White Lotus on HBO Max) and Justice Smith as a young couple who move into a loft apartment in Downtown Montreal after which they become interested in the sex life of their neighbors across the street (played by Ben Hardy and Natash Liu Bordizzo).

I’ve really been looking forward to the action-thriller KATE (Netflix), starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who I love, so sue me. It also stars Woody Harrelson, who I’m also a fan of. Directed by Cedric Nicholas-Troyan (The Huntsman: Winter’s War), it has Winstead playing Kate, a kick-ass assassin who has 24 hours to get revenge on the man who tries to kill her, eventually teaming with the daughter of one of her targets. Harrelson plays her handler.

The fact that this movie, starring one of my favorite actresses playing an assassin and doing a bit more action than we've seen from Winstead in a while (Birds of Prey being an exception), comes so soon after The Protégé with Maggie Q may only be a coincidence, but whoever is making these movies clearly knows what I'm all about. This one also has a very tiny sci-fi angle as well, and much of it is set in Tokyo, so it has both those things going for it, too.

Is this Winstead's best role or movie? No, probably not, but it does show her versatility, the fact that she can do something like Scott Pilgrim and other types of genre, but also do serious drama, and this is much stronger a venture into a Japanese yakuza thriller by a Westerner than last week's Yakuza Princess. Much of that comes down to Winstead and Harrelson, who do a much better job selling even the weaker dialogue, because you can tell they're both taking it very seriously. Like Yakuza Princess (and Kill Bill, a model for both of them) Nicholas-Troyan leans heavily on his soundtrack and on some of the more stylish visuals, but at least this one offers other things beyond the constantly-circling camera in certain scenes.

Let's face it that watching Winstead taking part in some pretty impressive and violent fight and stunt sequences would probably be more than enough for me to enjoy this even, if there are moments that rip-off Kill Bill so obviously but again, better than other similar rip-offs. Eventually, Kate gets sidled with a young teen girl, Ani (Miku Martineau), the daughter of one of her victims, and that does take away from the "sole assassin” aspect but does give it more of the feel of The Professional. Maybe that would work better if Martineau didn’t seem much older than the teenager she was meant to be playing, which might be due to the fact that she swears more than Samuel L. Jackson. In some ways, Ani offers something more akin to Black Widow with a third act twist that few will see coming.

Ultimately, the movie works well as an action movie, if not slightly marred by its overuse of clichés. It probably will come as no surprise that I prefer seeing action movies like this on the biggest screen possible in a theater, and in fact, this did get a nominal theatrical run last week before streaming on Netflix Friday. Winstead's badassery does wonders at making sure that fans of her and the genre won't be disappointed by its few flaws.

Also hitting Netflix this week (today, in fact) is the doc BLOOD BROTHERS: MALCOLM X & MUHAMMAD ALI (Netflix), which has a fairly self-explanatory title. I haven't seen it yet.

A movie that people who liked the Oscar-winning Free Solo will also want to check out is Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen’s THE ALPINIST (Red Bull Media/Roadside Attractions/Universal), a documentary about the 23-year-old solo mountain climber Marc-André Leclerc, whose amazing climbs were counterbalanced by his elusive behavior that kept him mostly under the radar for so many years.

This is a very different movie from Free Solo, though. That was about Alex Honnold's determination to make one singular climb, while Leclerc was already making just as many impressive climbs at a younger age. It's pretty obvious that Leclerc was destined to climb even bigger rock faces as Mortimer (whose previous film, The Dawn Wall, was sadly overlooked with all the push behind Free Solo) and Rosen finally catch up with him.

I don't really want to say too much more about the film or Leclerc, since it's best to learn about him through the movie and the amazing interviews compiled by the filmmaking duo. There's a good reason why mountain climbing continues to be of interest to the casual non-climbers like myself. Great films like The Alpinist find ways to glorify these amazing climbers without glossing over how dangerous mountain climbing can be as a sport or hobby.

The Alpinist had a Fathom Event on Tuesday night, but it will also be getting a moderately wide release in theaters through Roadside this Friday as well. You can read my interviews with the filmmakers over at Below the Line, too. Also, I mentioned another Universal doc, Under the Volcano, a few weeks back, and I have an interview with those filmmakers over at Below the Line, as well.

Another doc of note out this week is FAUCI (NatGeo Documentary/Magnolia) from directors John Hoffman and Janet Tobias, which looks at the life and career of NIH Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, but it doesn't deal with the last year and a half where Fauci's main focus was fighting COVID. No, this goes back to earlier in his career, to when he started at NIH, meeting, working with and eventually marrying his wife, Dr. Christine Grady. (Nope, I had no idea he was married either.)

More importantly, the movie follows Fauci's role in the discovery of HIV and AIDs and the conflicts between the government and protest groups like ACT UP who didn't think Fauci and the government did enough to help the gay community fight against AIDS and certainly not fast enough to make a difference.

Hoffman and Tobias’ doc has a fantastic interview with Fauci at its core that sometimes gets a little cutesy, but also allows him to talk candidly about his efforts in fighting disease, including the efforts to help fight Ebola in Africa where it was so debilitating for those who couldn't afford medicine that the USA had to step in.

But AIDS is really the crux of the film's exploration of Fauci's past achievements (and partial failures), and watching a younger Fauci talking to the AIDS activists in a rousing speech is one of the highlights, as is watching the present-day Fauci tearing up while talking about an AIDS patient who died.

I’ve always had a bit of a skewed perspective on epidemiologists and infectious disease doctors due to a few incidents when I was fighting cancer, and Fauci has annoyed me for the good part of the year by being so wishy-washy and negative towards movie theaters (which led to a full-year of closings in NYC with no major super-spreader cases since they reopened). But this documentary definitely helped change my mind about Fauci, maybe because the general public really never had a chance to meet or know him or his work before COVID hit.

Fauci is quite a fantastic doc in terms of shining the spotlight on a needlessly controversial figure who has been politicized despite having held his position through six administrations. I would definitely point someone to this doc if they still feel negatively towards the country’s top epidemiologist. It helps to humanize Fauci much like the RBG doc did for the late Supreme Court Justice.

Seriously, there are so many movies this week that there’s no way I’m gonna review everything, but you can read about a few of them below.

A music doc hitting New York on Friday and then opening in L.A. on Sept. 17 is Tom Surgals's FIRE MUSIC: The Story of Free Jazz (Submarine Deluxe), exec. produced by Nels Cline and Thurston Moore (who happens to be playing his first NYC show in a couple years this Sunday). It covers the free jazz movement of the '60s and '70s that produced the likes of Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, and John Coltrane. The movie features archival footage from the '60s jazz scene and interviews with key players, including critic Gary Giddins. I'm not going to review this, but it's pretty good, because I definitely had a phase when I was really into this type of jazz, basically all-improvisational with less structure than the jazz that uses charts and such. I know that a lot of people hate or misunderstand the musical style but it's quite stirring, as is Surgal's film. I do feel you'll already have to be a fan of the musical genre to enjoy the movie, though.

Hitting Apple TV+ on Friday is the filmed version of the Broadway musical, COME FROM AWAY (Apple TV+) -- similar to last year’s Hamilton and David Byrne’s American Utopia -- which is being released on the streamer to coincide with the 20th anniversary of 9/11, since the musical is loosely based on the events. It was filmed earlier this year, 14 months into the pandemic that shut down Broadway with a fully-masked audience watching Broadway’s first live performance since the shut-down. This is one of the MANY musicals on Broadway that I’ve never gotten around to seeing but it involves a town in Newfoundland, Canada where a plane lands on 9/11 as they’ve been diverted following the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Claire Lewins’ doc THE WONDERFUL: STORIES FROM THE SPACE STATION (Dog Star Films/Universal Home Entertainment) features footage from the International Space Station and interviews with the astronauts who have been involved with the extraordinary space project. I hope to watch this over the weekend, but it sounds like my kind of movie.

Already on Apple TV+ (it debuted Tuesday!) is Bailie Walsh’s BEING JAMES BOND, a documentary about Daniel Craig’s run as 007 over the past decade plus, which you can rent for FREE on Apple, so go do that!

On Monday, FX and FX on Hulu will debut the first few episodes of Y THE LAST MAN, the new series based on the Vertigo comic series by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra that I absolutely loved. Set in a world where every single male human and animal has died, it stars Ben Schnetzer (Pride, Warcraft) as Yorick, who is -- you guessed it-- the last man on earth. He’s also an escape artist/magician, trying to survive with his pet capuchin monkey, Ampersand, as he goes across country trying to find his girlfriend Beth who left for Australia before the event. It also stars Diane Lane (as Yorick’s mother, who becomes the President), Olivia Thirlby (as his sister Hero), Ashley Romans (as Agent 355), Missi Pyle, and lots of other actresses (because all the men are dead). I’m slowly making my way through the series, and I like what I've seen so far, but the first three episodes will premiere on Monday.

A few other movies, a couple that I’ve seen, which I just don’t have time to review…

Nicholas Cage stars in Sion Sono's PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND (RLJEfilms), which opens at the IFC Center this Friday. He plays a bank robber who is sprung from jail by Bill Moseley's "Governor" whose adopted granddaughter (Sofia Boutella) has gone missing. Cage's character is allowed to go free to find her, but he's put in a suit that will self-destruct in three days if he doesn't return. So it's kind of like The Suicide Squad, and though it has an interesting cast (including Nick Cassavetes, who also appears in Queenpins this week), I don't remember liking this much at Sundance earlier this year. (I actually don't thnk I got through the movie.)

John Pollono adapts his own stageplay SMALL ENGINE REPAIR (Vertical) to the screen with John Bernthal and Shea Whigham playing life-long friends Terrance and Packie with Pollono’s Frank, who are overly protective of Terrance’s teen daughter, Crystal (Ciaro Bravo). A chance encounter turns into a night that spins out of control as the friends have to make a tough decision about how to resolve the situation. I was pretty mixed on this movie even though Bernthal and Whigham continue to be great in everything they do. (I just think Whigham's recent movie, The Gateway, was better.)

Hitting the horror-streaming network Shudder (I have a subscription, because I’m a fan) on Thursday is Ruth Platt’s MARTYR’S LANE, a ghost story about a 10-year-old girl named Leah (Kiera Thompson) who lives in an old house with her family but whose mother has grown distant. At night, she’s visited by a guest who challenges Leah in exchange for more information about the house and her family.

Saul Williams stars and writes the score for Charles Officer’s AKILLA’S ESCAPE (Vertical), a crime noir about an urban child soldier set in Toronto and New York with Williams playing Akilla, a 40-year-old with a covert cannabis operation that goes legit. As he’s ready to cash out, he’s robbed by a group of masked youths. Akilla captures one of them, a mute 15-year-old named Sheppard that is associated with the Jamaican crime syndicate founded by his grandfather.

Jonah Feingold’s DATING & NEW YORK (IFC Films), which premiered at the Tribeca Festival a few months back, stars Francesca Reale (Stranger Things) and Jaboukie Young-White (The Daily Show) as Wendy and Milo, two Millennials who are thrown together at the worst time in their lives for romance, as they meet on an app called Meet Cute, have a first date, and then ghost each other before being thrown back together into an unconventional romance. I’m usually a fan of the rom-com genre, and I often can even withstand one that takes place in New York City and uses my town in a completely unrealistic way to show how romance can flourish here. (*koff*BULLSHIT*koff*) But then you throw in the M-word (Millennials), and this grouchy old man could barely get through this movie, though I’m not even remotely surprised it premiered at Tribeca. It seems very much like a Tribeca movie, and yes, that was meant in a pejorative way as the former “Film” festival has lost its way over the years. I’m half-kidding, the movie is entertaining enough, and I’m sure younger people will enjoy it more than I did.

A few other films I didn't get to this week…

DOGS (Dekanalog) AZOR (MUBI) BAD CANDY (Dread)

That’s it for this week. Do we have any new movies next week? I think Clint Eastwood has Cry Macho

[indominusregina]

The Bet: Unforseen Consequences

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Warnings: Swearing Lite™, flirtacious Bucky

Word count: 2.1k

Notes: Finally, part 2! Lots of complications in my personal life led to a long gap between part 1 and 2, but I don’t forsee many more delays like this one! This part has the actual prompt (Is that the best you can do?) from the @justsomebucky challenge! Also, credit where credit is due, many of the wonderful responses are from @sarahwroteathing Enjoy part 2! Remember, feedback gives me life!

Masterlist || Part 1 || Part 3 || Series Masterlist

The rest of the morning, Bucky is quiet. You aren’t going out of your way to avoid him, but even so, he’s nowhere to be found. Although you’re not overly concerned by the bet, having him almost entirely vanish is setting your nerves on edge, making you more than a little paranoid every time you round a corner. Will he preempt his line with something? Will he just go for it?

Your fears are abated mid-afternoon. Just as you finally settle down on the couch to watch some Netflix and procrastinate on packing with a steaming mug of tea after a hard workout, Bucky strolls in and sits down on the other end. You tense up but continue your browsing, both of you waiting in silence. Just as you settle on a show, Bucky clears his throat.

“Hey, uh, is your name Earl Grey?” He starts, and you look over at him in confusion. “Because you’re a hot-tea!”

Your face quickly drops from confusion to unamused. “Leaf me alone.” You deadpan before returning your attention to the screen in front of you, selecting the show and staring ahead. There’s a brief moment of silence as your episode loads before he gets up and awkwardly walks away. So that’s how these two weeks are going to go.

~~~

The next time Bucky tries a line on you, you’re slightly more prepared. You managed to watch a few episodes of your show before Wanda dragged you away to start packing because “your stuff won’t pack itself, Y/N, and no matter how many times you ask me, no I will not put your things into boxes using my powers.” Lame. After spending some quality time with the dust bunnies at the back of your closet, you’re ready for a dinner break with the rest of the team.

You glance over at Bucky continually throughout dinner, which at this point is down to just takeout, since half of the kitchen has been packed away and is ready to be sent off to the upstate compound. He catches your eye after the tenth time or so and offers a wolfish grin. You raise an eyebrow at him in a silent dare. Unable to decline your challenge, he swallows his mouthful of food before clearing his throat.

“You know what’s on the menu? Me ‘n’ u.” He grins, and everyone else at the table pauses, some confused, while Natasha is intrigued.

“Gee, I thought it was foot, since yours seems to be in your mouth.” The words are out of your mouth instantly, followed by a chorus of “oohs” from the rest of the teammates.

“Would someone care to explain what just happened?” Tony asks as you continue to eat the food in front of you, unphased by the reaction of the group.

Natasha steps in to answer for you. “Barnes and Y/L/N have a bet going on. Barnes is doing his best to make Y/L/N blush with a pickup line. If he succeeds in the next two weeks, she has to wingman for him, and if he doesn’t, he has to be her escape date for a month.”

“What the hell’s an escape date?” Tony blurts out and you finally speak up.

“He has to pretend to be my date whenever some asshole - sorry Steve - won’t take no for an answer.” You respond as Steve mutters something about language.

“So you’re trying shitty pickup lines that you’ve clearly found online?” Sam turns to Bucky, an amused smirk on his lips.

“Well, where else am I supposed to get them?” He frowns and Sam laughs.

“Y’know what, Frosty? I just might help you out. This sounds like fun.” You narrow your eyes at Sam as he says this.

“Help him, Wilson, and the same terms will apply to you when I win.” Your voice is low and threatening, and Sam seems to reconsider his decision.

“Nevermind, you’re on your own.” He tells Bucky, quickly returning to his food.

“That’s what I thought.” You finish your food and stand, giving one last sweep around the room. “This is between Bucky and myself. Any of you step in, and you’re done for.” You throw your container out in one smooth motion as you continue on your way out the door. You can barely hear Steve as you leave.

“Well, good luck, Buck.” He clears his throat as he finishes his statement.

“Thanks, Stevie.” The sarcasm in his voice has you smirking.

~~~

You’re in the gym getting in one last workout before moving day has everything packed up when Bucky tries again. Clad in leggings and a sports bra, you’re busy with a barbell when he walks up. You lock eyes in the mirror as you squat, holding the weight steady on your shoulders.

Bucky eyes your backside as you lower yourself and grins. “Are those space pants? Because your ass is outta this world!”

You keep your eyes locked on his as you stand, setting the weight down on the rack behind you. You turn to face him before holding up your pointer finger in his face. “Phone home, E.T.” You leave him muttering as you move on to the next weight machine in your circuit.

~~~~

You’re dressed up for a benefit event, waiting in the living room for Tony, Nat, and Clint to make their appearance when Bucky walks in. He lets out a low whistle as he takes in your appearance, and you turn to face him. “I must be in a museum, because you are truly a work of art.” His voice is a little lower than usual, but you shrug it off.

“I’m pretty sure that you’re old enough to make anywhere you go seem like a museum.” You chirp, crossing your arms. Clint and Natasha walk in at that moment and Clint laughs. You raise your hand for a high five, which he gladly meets. “Better luck next time, Barnes. For future note, calling a girl a masterpiece might get you farther.” You turn on your heel as Tony strolls in, late as usual, and head with them towards the lift. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch Bucky actually making a note of your comment and you giggle as the doors close behind you.

~~~

The afternoon before the move, you find yourself practicing your bow and arrow skills with Clint. You’re doing alright, but you know you could be better. Bucky walks in just in time for you to actually shoot one into the center of the target. With a whoop and a grin, you do a little victory dance, eyes gleaming as Clint compliments you. You don’t notice Bucky until he speaks.

“Is there something in your eye?” You turn to face him, wiping at your eye and frowning. “Oh wait, it’s just a sparkle.”

Your earlier joy dies a bit at his comment. You were so excited to celebrate your tiny victory, and he had to cheapen it with a dumb line. Giving him a glare, your response is a bit sharper than it normally is. “Damn. My murderous glint must be losing its intensity.”

Bucky frowns at this and you turn back to the target, nocking another arrow on your bowstring and drawing. When you release, you score a close hit, but not quite as good as your last one. Your shoulders slump a little in defeat, and Bucky slinks away, feeling a little bit guilty.

~~~

The morning of the move, you go out for a run early, the anticipation of the upcoming move making you too jittery to sleep. After a few pre-dawn miles are finished, you’ve managed to burn most of the anxious energy out of your system, and you feel pretty satisfied as you make your way back to the (mostly empty) tower. As you ride the lift back up to the common area, you stretch, looking forward to a tall glass of water to help with your recovery.

The doors open on your floor and you beeline it to the kitchen, trying to level out your breathing as you come down from your runner’s high. You stand at the sink and, looking around and seeing no one, you duck your head under the running stream of water. It wasn’t worth it to try and find a glass, wash it, dry it, and repack it. After a few gulps, you stand back up, wiping your mouth and breathing a little harder than before after downing what was probably at least one glass of water. Of course, Bucky walks in at that moment.

“Well, gee doll, are you running out of breath from running through my head all night?”

You roll your eyes, still trying to catch your breath for a moment. When you finally decide to speak again, your response is yet another snarky comment “No, but this one was so terrible, I am speechless.” The idea of being in Bucky’s dreams has you unsettled. You know he has a lot of nightmares, and although this is probably just a line, you find yourself agitated that you might be something that upsets him. This new feeling accompanies you as you make your way back to your room to clean up and change into comfy travel clothes.

~~~

Later that afternoon, everyone files outside, with small squabbles over who gets to go in which vehicle. It’s already set that you’re in Nat’s van as navigator, and Steve is driving the other car with Bucky riding shotgun. You double check that you’ve got everything for your car, and find that in your file of information, you’ve got the map for the other car as well. As everyone finally settles on their car, you make your way to Bucky’s window, gesturing to Nat that you’ll be right back.

You knock on Bucky’s window, grabbing his attention. He beams as he notices it’s you at the window and rolls it down.

“Darlin’, what a surprise! You wanna come in this car?” You give him a look before you hold up your folder.

“Sorry, Buck. I’m navigator for the other car.” You give him a quick smile, and he smiles back. You stay that way for a moment before he clears his throat.

“Hey doll, do you have a map?” His words cause you to snap out of your daze.

“Huh?” You shake your head slightly, trying to clear your mind.

“Because I’m getting lost in your eyes.” He waggles his eyebrows at you and you give him another look before tossing the map you had for him into his lap and patting his cheek. Turning, you head quickly back to your car. What was that, Y/N? You’re going crazy. Your mind is a little off kilter again, and you can’t shake the feeling that something’s off throughout the drive to the new compound.

~~~

It’s a calm morning as everyone settles into life at the compound instead of the tower. There’s so much more room here, and everything is just quieter in general, leading to your peaceful mood as you start to make breakfast.

You set some coffee on and, knowing that it will draw a crowd, you pull out a pack of bacon and a carton of eggs, intent on making breakfast for whoever comes in. Humming, you set some strips of bacon into a pan and pull out another for the eggs.

Sure enough, as soon as you start scrambling some eggs for yourself, Bucky saunters into the kitchen.

“Is that the sun in here, or is your smile just that bright?” You roll your eyes as Bucky slides up next to you as you stir your eggs.

“Is that the best you can do today, Barnes?” You raise an eyebrow as he pours himself a mug of coffee.

“No, but you are.” He says with a wink, and your stomach does a little flip. You swallow hard, but it gets stuck in your throat, causing you to cough.

“I-In your dreams, Barnes.” You sputter out between coughs, eyes watering. Bucky sets down his mug and hurries over to you.

“Are you alright?” Bucky asks, concern in his eyes as he gently rubs your back. You nod, fighting the butterflies in your stomach. Suddenly, you’re grateful for the incident, as you’re no longer sure that the flush in your cheeks is strictly from choking.

As he turns back to his coffee and you turn back to the stove in front of you, it hits you.

Butterflies. Red cheeks.

Signs that indicate that you just might be falling for Bucky Barnes.

….

Oh shit.

Part 3

Tags: @childoftimeandmagic, @shugr12110629, @emolordisme, @dugan365, @sociallyimpairedme, @witchymarvelspacecase, @dontsassmecastiel, @peter-pan-hoe, @assbutt-son-of-a-bitch, @allofthesearetakendafuq

[marvelandponder]

I’m a Little Upset They Made Me Excited for Something Called Hascon

But, they did, and over the past two days (and counting! expect an IDW comic panel on Sunday!), they’ve released some spoilers and news that’s pretty damn cool.

No real movie news aside from Hype! It’s coming in 4 weeks! because they didn’t want to reveal too many spoilers for that (although I’m still waiting for Hasbro to step up its marketing game with this one), but aside from that, let’s see what news we got for MLP this weekend [if you want Movie insight, I actually recommend picking up the art book. I just got mine in the mail and WOW is the concept art ever pretty]! This is your spoiler warning if you don’t like that sort of thing.

UPDATED: TONS OF STUFF! Movie Screenshots, more season 8 news, IDW comics, and more!

MLP: The Movie!

Not much in the way of spoilers (you can read the novelization or the art book for those, I guess was their thinking), but have three stills!

Equestria Girls

New outfits, designed by an actual red carpet stylist, Carol Lam, for both the new doll line and the characters in canon

New Youtube series officially announced, and it’s Choose Your Own Adventure style! Expected in November

Shorts to continue, and one has even been teased

Another one was a “2 minute short about Sunset Shimmer drawing a comic and them animating it... based around [the] girls catching a jewel thief.”

School play is a concept that’s coming up. Whether in short form, 22 minute special form, or perhaps even movie (although please note there has been no explicit mention of an EG5, so lovers of the movies will have to be patient)

“When asked if there is a Sunset Shimmer doppleganger rolling around, one of the panelists noted that her pet theory is that it was always Sunset's fate to travel to humanland, and there isn't an original Sunset in the world. They are leaving this open in canon though.”

No plans for Discord in EQG at the moment, but who knows?

Find EQD’s report on that here.

Okay, so first off? Loving the new outfits. With any other teenager characters, it would be ridiculous that they’re so well dressed and styled (I noticed Sunset’s hair is juuust slightly different, can’t see the others well enough to tell), but for these girls, it makes sense, since they’re all friends with Rarity.

So, yes, Hasbro. I’ll buy your crazy marketing tactics for now, because cute outfits.

As to the Choose Your Own Adventure series, I think that’ll be interesting, but not quite as cool to me as stuff like the shorts, specials, and movies. Just a matter of personal taste, but the world-building going on in the Overpowered short, for instance, is only really cool if it has a lasting effect on the characters and their world (the report said something about a coal miners daughter wanting to disco, and while that sounds possibly cute, it’s not exactly my cup of tea).

But it’ll be fun to try, no doubt! And definitely cool for younger fans!

The post wasn’t super clear on whether the Choose Your Own Adventure stuff was the only EQG content coming to Youtube (we have been teased about a series, similar to the Hana Zuki show Hasbro has on there already), but until we hear otherwise, assume it’s just the CYOA series.

And a school play theme really does sound like it could be used for a movie or a special, if they wanted to keep doing long-form stories, so that’s what I’m hoping for, personally.

Oh and we still don’t know what these are from/for:

A currently unreleased summertime short, most likely a music video.

A Netflix listing we found out about back in August. This might be the place they feature the specials and shorts, but who knows?

Season 7 News

Clips were shown for next week’s episode, It Isn’t the Mane Thing About You (which might end up being a Pinkie and Rarity episode) and Marks and Recreation 

It Isn’t the Mane Thing About (better clip than the first that was released)

Marks and Recreation (featuring the last song of the season)

Find EQD’s report on that here.

In addition, have some stills from a promo yet to be released on the rest of the season!

Likely from Secrets and Pies

Likely from A Health of Information

Likely from A Health of Information

(Not shown: Applejack falling into the party cave) Likely from Secrets and Pies

From It Isn’t the Mane Thing About You

From Once Upon a Zepplin

Likely from A Health of Information

Likely from A Health of Information (mask modelled after Mage Meadowbrook, so this will undoubtedly feature her story in a similar fashion to Daring Done, possibly told by Twilight, from the earlier screenshot)

From Once Upon a Zepplin

From It Isn’t the Mane Thing About You

Additionally, I’ll point out what we know for the season 7 finale: that there’s a tie into the Legends of Magic comics, and it’s called Shadow Play parts 1&2. Whether “shadow” refers to the character Shadowlock from the main comic series or King Sombra or something else entirely, we’ll have to wait and see!

Okay, so the most exciting thing for me is that Vincent Tong, voice of Flash Sentry and Feather Bangs, gets to sing again! As a villain this time! I could make a joke about him embracing the role the fandom has given him this season (Feather Bangs, the waifu stealer, and now Rumble, the antagonist).

Oh and for those who don’t remember, Rumble is Thunderlane’s little brother, who appears in Hurricane Fluttershy. It’s been a while, but he looked cute there.

I wonder if Starlight will have any role in this episode...

The addition of the Cake twins is to Mane Thing also adds hype for me. I’m still on the fence with the episode concept, mostly because I need to see how they’re going to run with it (could be uncomfortable to watch Rares lose her mane if done wrong), but the Cake twins were extremely endearing in Baby Cakes, and it would be nice to see more interaction between them and Pinkie Pie.

This season has been spectacular so far, so I’m glad not too much was spoiled (or you know, leaked...) so we get to enjoy it in full!

Season 8 News

Seaponies confirmed for season 8, the Movie will tie into the show

An animatic was released as well:

Find EQD’s report here.

SHE RETURNS! 

I find it super interesting that Chrysalis is outright ignoring Starlight Glimmer while gathering DNA, given that she swore revenge against her. A large number of fans are speculating that this will be some sort of voodoo plot, where Chrysalis literally turns Starlight’s friends against her, like Starlight did to her.

Not only that, but if you look in the background of that animatic, you’ll find the mane 7 are in a suspiciously new building...

Some have speculated it’s Twilight’s new castle (meaning the crystal castle will get destroyed at the end of season 7, which is alarming because it’s connected to the Tree of Harmony). I feel like it might be more of an addition to her castle, either a school of Twilight’s own (hence, calling the rest of the girls Twilight’s “teachers”) or a house of diplomacy of some kind, like a U.N. building for the different nations that Twilight and company have been befriending (dragons, changelings, griffons, yaks---heck, even Sunset Shimmer could be considered a diplomat from Equestria to the humans).

It’s still a mystery...

Also, sea ponies! And they’re adorable! They translate to show style really well, actually! And it only makes you wonder just how many other things will carry over from the movie....

New info!

Look for a Cheese Sandwhich cameo

G. M. Berrow wrote a Season 8 episode she is super passionate about and her favorite episode overall. Maybe more book tie-ins like in "Daring Done".

Josh Haber's favorite pony is The Great and Probably Going To Be In Season 8 Trixie!

Derpy won't get a featured episode like Episode 100, but she will be around, likely more than season 7.

There will be two-parters, and that's plural, so it sounds like we return to the opening and closing episodes being epic two-parters. So expect You-Know-You that we saw in that animatic to be in one of these!

Things we already know about season 8 that you may have forgotten:

26 episodes confirmed

Orchestra music from the movie to be used in some of the season’s songs, which are all finalized by now

As well, there will be twice as many songs are there are in season 7, since Daniel Ingram’s time won’t be split up between the show and the movie

Discord confirmed

Josh Haber returning as story-editor

Mike Vogel returning finally after working on the movie

IDW Comics

This year’s holiday special!

For those of you who have listened to the Christmas album, that’ll look somewhat familiar...

MLP:FIM #60 Sara Richard cover!

MLP: FIM #61 Cover revealed! A collection of foreign dignitaries, from dragons, to deers, to cats/abyssnians, to gryphons! 

“The story is going to be a "united nations" type gathering where all the various creatures throughout the planet convene to discuss the future of the planet. So think a Meeting of the United Nations but with Dragons, Buffalo, Hippogriffs, Anthro Cats, and a pony who controls the sun with a mere thought. Oh but there is a discovery made at the conference that could lead to trouble for our little ponies! A problem that might end up costing Equestria ownership of Canterlot!”

Legends of Magic #9! Seems to be a continuation of Flash Magnus’s previous issue, if the cover is to be believed.

Aaaand a page from Legends of Magic #6! Yes, that’s right, zombie ponies drawn by Andy Price. If 28 Pranks Later wasn’t grim enough for you, surely the master of expressions will deliver!

Find EQD’s report right here!

Year of the Pony

[auiyoncesmind]

Look, I know I said I was going to have to take a break from this site to focus on school or whatever, but since Gotham’s final episode is on tonight, I felt as though I wanted to get all of this off my chest. This may or may not be pretty long, so all of my thoughts are under the cut.

Gotham is pretty much the reason why I joined the DC fandom in the first place. It may seem pretty hard to believe, but it’s most definitely true.

I was watching Shameless at the time (as I’m sure a lot of people who joined the fandom at the time were as well), and about a week or so before Cameron’s first episode came on, I saw vids/gifs of what he looked like on the show, and it looked creepy as shit to me (almost like I’m watching a live-action version of the goddamn Chucky doll or something), so then I was like, “okay, maybe I’ll catch this episode and see what’s going on.” Mind you, I didn’t know much about Gotham (the city or the show) at the time I started watching this episode; the most I knew about DC back then were some of the household names like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, etc. Then I found out that Selina, Oswald, and Edward were on the show, which was pretty interesting, but judging by the way the show looked in the first season, I thought it wasn’t going to be a thing that I was going to stick with long term.

Boy, I was so fucking wrong.

[Spoilers if you haven’t seen 1x16 I guess, though it’s been out for years so idk wtf you’re doing if you haven’t] I remember seeing Jim and Lee towards the beginning of the episode being all cute and stuff, and idk how, but Lee just became my favorite character from there, because she was just a huge ray of sunshine with lots of kindness in her heart and everything, and all she wanted was to do cute couple things with Jim or whatever, and she’s very smart/intelligent and all of that. I think about all of the screen time she’s had since then and wonder why people still hate on this woman, because she’s not right all the time, but she shouldn’t be burned at the stake compared to some of these other characters (literally the villains are running this town, so it’s crazy to even think about).

Anyways, my Lee Thompkins appreciation rant aside, they brought up Dick Grayson’s parents (the dude wasn’t even born yet in the universe, and I thought about Dick and Bruce meeting at some point later on, only to realize that it probably won’t even happen), Fish Mooney trying to escape that prison she was in for most of the episode, Jerome killing his mother, etc., and all of this made me wonder what happened next. Obviously, Cameron wasn’t in anymore episodes after that one, but I still wanted to check out the other stuff going on in Gotham because it seemed genuinely interesting at the time. Sometime during the hiatus between season 1 and season 2, I caught up with the entire show to check out the main plot of the first season, holding on to some of the highlights of the season (e.g. Edward going mad towards the end, Barbara getting hypnotized by The Ogre, Selina and Ivy hanging out in Barbara’s apartment, the whole mob plot, etc.) until the next one came on. By then, I was hyped for the show and tuned in for every episode, and it’s been that way ever since. I found myself loving more things about it that previous episodes didn’t have (e.g. Tabitha Galavan, Hugo Strange, the Maniacs breaking out of Gotham, more mad Edward Nygma, etc.), and it instantly became one of my top favorite shows.

Some of that joy and happiness may have gone away with new episodes, whether it be because of the writing or the lack of suspense or whatever with some of the plots or the lack of interest in others, but I still kept going because I learned more about the DC universe through that show than I ever would have expected. Every time I heard a name drop on the show or a reference to a comic book story that I was interested in, I would look up some of that stuff online and get more information on it. Gotham, in a way, got me into watching the DCEU as well, especially with all the fan edits I saw going around on here and on Vine when it was still active. Around the show’s second season, I found out that one of my favorite actresses (Viola Davis) was gonna be in Suicide Squad, which had some familiar characters in it that I recognized as I continued my journey with Gotham (namely Joker and Harley), so I ended up watching it in theaters. The movie came out at around such a difficult time for me. I had lost my great grandmother a couple of weeks before its official release, and while things didn’t get much better after watching that particular film (my mental health was so fucked up to the point where my GPA dropped significantly that fall), I appreciated what that film gave me, despite flaws in the script and the ways in which people were talking about it online.

That following year, Wonder Woman came out. I wasn’t sure what I expected, really, because I didn’t watch that many trailers at the time, so I went in with literally no expectations, yet I came out with it being one of my favorite solo comic book movies ever. Then I found out that she was gonna be in Justice League and ended up watching it, too (though I didn’t know too much about the behind-the-scenes stuff at the time; all I knew in relation to that was the Henry Cavill face debacle, and tbh, that was one of the things about that movie that made me cringe). And then after that, I watched Batman v Superman and Man of Steel on my own time before I started glancing over some other DC-related media. I even caught a couple of episodes of some other DCTV shows (e.g. Supergirl and The Flash). This is what I mean when I say that Gotham got me here in the first place, and honestly? I haven’t been more grateful. I’m typing all of this as I’m wearing one of the Shazam shirts that I got from my school, just reminiscing on all the experiences I have shared with so many wonderful people in the DC fandom, which wouldn’t have been possible had I not tuned into that one episode of Gotham in 2015. So to know that this show’s series finale is right around the corner is a bittersweet feeling — but mostly bitter, because it ended under unfortunate circumstances and that I’ll never see all of these cast members together again.

It didn’t hit me for weeks leading up to this moment, too. Like, I was upset that the show got cancelled, but I wasn’t very emotional or anything just yet. And then Camren made that one Twitter post saying that 5x11 was her last appearance on the show. I was literally out in public reading all of the heartfelt words she put into her post, and I remember feeling like I was gonna cry in front of everyone. It was slightly embarrassing because I hate crying in public, but if we’re being honest, I didn’t give a shit. I’ve spent so much time dedicating at least an hour a day to a show I’ll never get to see again after April 25th, and that shit hurts me, you know? I’m sure we’ve all felt something like that when one of our favorite shows ended (and you’re probably coming up with a list of names as we speak). No matter what the circumstances are, we’re all mourning the loss of a show that meant so much to us at one point in life or another. Once upon a time, I didn’t think Gotham would be one of those shows, and yet here we are, and I am forever grateful for what the writers, the directors, the cast, and the rest of the crew has given its small little nest of DC/Batman fans.

With that being said, I want to thank everyone who was directly involved with this show and put hours upon hours of labor into creating something unique and interesting for new comic book fans. I want to thank the writers and directors for bringing so many wonderful DC characters to life. I want to thank all of the supporting / guest cast members, regardless of how much screentime you had while you were on this show. I want to thank Chris Chalk, Morena Baccarin, Jessica Lucas, Erin Richards, Cameron Monaghan, Sean Pertwee, Donal Logue, Robin Lord Taylor, Cory Michael Smith, Camren Bicondova, Ben McKenzie, David Mazouz, etc. for being probably one of the best TV show main casts a fan could ever ask for, as well as some of my favorite portrayals of your respective characters. I want to thank all of the wonderful people whom I’ve met on this wonderful journey throughout the past five seasons. Overall, I want to thank this show for everything it’s introduced me to within the DC universe. Your legacy within the DCTV universe will not be forgotten.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

The Fake Boyfriend (Part 5)

Summary: Reader bumps into a stranger and her life gets flipped upside down…

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Pairing: AU!Dean x reader

Word Count: 3,600ish

Warnings: language

A/N: I loved this series and hope you guys did too!…

You thought nothing of it when you burrowed your head into the warm chest in front of you. The arm over your waist that gave a tiny tug was heavy and nice. He smelled earthy and a bit like honey. That was when you opened your eyes, green ones opening up at the same time.

For a moment you simply stared. This was cuddling. Not my arm is accidentally touching yours. This was ‘we were holding each other in our fucking sleep’ cuddling.

Dean jerked away the same moment you did, spreading back over to your designated sides of the bed. You shared a look to not talk about that and shook it off instead.

“I’ll uh, change first. You need more time for your hair and stuff,” said Dean, grabbing his suit for the wedding and popping into the bathroom. 

You sighed as you wandered over to the coffee machine in your room and made a cup. You knew you should be pulling out your dress, getting to work on your makeup but honestly, curling up on the window bench with knees tucked in your chest was much more appealing. 

“Y/N?” you heard Dean say, suddenly right by your side. You glanced away from watching them set up outdoors and turned to see Dean looking very handsome in his suit. “Your coffee is cold.”

“I’ll make another,” you said, grabbing your things and getting behind the closed door as fast as possible. You didn’t have much of a reason to dress up often and normally enjoyed it. Twenty minutes later your hair was curled and pulled up in the way you’d been told to wear it with your makeup finished and face pretty but not overdone. You should have felt good.

But there was that guy out in your room, Dean Winchester, who just had to go and fucking kiss you last night. You just had to fucking kiss him back.

“Tomorrow we fly home and I’ll never see him again,” you said to yourself. You weren’t sure to be excited or terrified of that reality. But today was not your day. It was Angie’s and you were going to do good on your promise to not be in a bad mood.

“Y/N, can you help me with my tie?” asked Dean when he heard you open the door.

“Sure,” you said, walking over and spinning around. “Zip me up first?” 

“Sure,” he said, rough skin touching the bare soft flesh of your back as he found the zipper. He pulled it up slowly and you wondered if he would rather be pulling it back down.

“Thanks,” you said, stepping into a pair of heels that got you closer to eye level with Dean. 

“You look pretty,” he said quietly, not paying attention to your fingers working the tie into place.

“So do you, De,” you said, putting a hand on his chest when you finished. “Sorry you didn’t get as much vacation out of this as you’d hoped for.”

“I’ve enjoyed myself,” said Dean when your back was turned to him. “Parts of it.”

“We should get going,” you said, glancing at the clock, your delay this morning cutting it close to doing pictures.

“After you runt.”

The wedding went well and Dean seemed to have made peace with your more dickish relatives. You didn’t have a chance to see him until after dinner and the dancing had started but he had a glass of wine waiting for you when you finally found an empty seat by him.

“Have you finally been released from your bridesmaid duties, pretty girl?” asked Dean, his jacket on the back of his chair as he sipped on a beer.

“Yes,” you said, trading your wine for his beer. “How many times were you asked if you were going to propose today?”

“Only eight,” he joked. “Most of those by your mom. You were right, your parents are pretty good about everything but then again, they must have been. They raised you after all.”

“What do you mean?” you asked, Dean taking the beer and sipping from it before handing it back. He threw an arm over your shoulder and chuckled.

“You’re you. The little weirdo ball of fire runt. If they’d raised you like your cousins, you’d probably be marrying a Sebastian or Stefan the third or some shit,” said Dean, lips curled up.

“I like a man who’s not afraid to work with his hands,” you said, resting your head on his shoulder with a smile, seeing the photographer zero in on you and Dean. “Try to look cute.”

“Won’t be hard for you,” said Dean, moving his head and planting a kiss to your cheek that surprised you, the camera flashing as you smiled wide.

“You two have been adorable all week,” said the photographer when you and Dean had finished throwing out a few silly poses. “When you guys need a wedding photographer, give me ring,” he said, handing over one of his cards to Dean.

“Sure thing,” said Dean, sliding the card in his wallet to be polite. When the guy found someone else to interest him, Dean grabbed your hand and pulled you up. 

“Where are we going?” you asked, Dean pulling you over to the dance floor. “I don’t dance.”

“Neither do I. Now let’s get out there and show you off,” said Dean, tugging a little harder when he felt you resist.

“De,” you said, feeling your cheeks flush. 

“One dance for me,” he said. “Please…”

“Fine,” you said, letting him pull you onto the floor. The song was fast paced and after about ten seconds, you forgot about the other people around and focused on Dean. Maybe people were looking at you, maybe they weren’t, but you were actually having fun dancing for possibly the first time in your life.

Then of course it had to cut to a slow song. The second you and Dean tried to book it out of there your mom appeared and you both relented. You threw your arms around Dean’s neck, his around your waist as you swayed slowly.

“Sorry about this,” you said. “You know my mother.”

“I’ve already been told the various ways I will be killed if I ever break your heart. Good woman,” said Dean with a chuckle. 

“I’ll just tell them we drifted apart, mutual decision to end it,” you said quietly, resting your head on his chest.

“When are you going to tell them?” asked Dean, putting his chin on your head. You closed your eyes, letting out a hum.

“My Uncle is having a birthday party here for a weekend in about a month. I’ll tell them then,” you said. “If they don’t like it, fuck ‘em.”

“That’s my girl,” said Dean. “I told you that you’d be okay.”

“I know this has been a messed up situation but you’ve helped me in some strange twist of fate,” you said.

“So I’m not an asshole?” teased Dean.

“That’s unfortunately a chronic issue you for you,” you joked, feeling the rumble of Dean’s chest under you. You heard him laugh perfectly clear and that struck you as odd. You and Dean continued to move for a few more moments before you felt Dean stop.

“Y/N, the music’s gone,” he said, your eyes flashing open. You lifted your head to find yourselves alone on the floor, about thirty something pairs of eyes on the two of you. “Let’s just…” he said, taking your hand in his as you felt your cheeks start to burn.

“Don’t let us interrupt you,” said someone from the crowd as you and Dean quickly made your way away from the center of attention. 

“I really thought he was gonna do it just then,” said someone else. A few moments later the music came back and you and Dean were an after thought. 

“Let’s get out of here,” you said, grabbing two beers as Dean pulled his jacket from his chair. Outside of the tent, you felt the chill on your arms in the night air. Dean took the beers and sat them down before throwing his coat over your shoulders, helping you slip your arms through. You were drowning in it but it was so warm you didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Sorry I made you dance,” he said, handing you a beer as you took off down one of the paths. 

“It was fun,” you said, knocking into his shoulder. “I really can’t thank you enough for coming on this trip.”

“A week ago I was a psycho for mentioning it,” said Dean. “Didn’t know I had that effect on you runt.”

“Shut up, De,” you said, stopping to kick off your heels. “Ah, so much better,” you said, grabbing them and walking barefoot.

“Why do girls wear those? They hurt like a bitch don’t they?” asked Dean. You shrugged.

“They’re pretty. They show off your legs, make your ass look better. Obviously make you taller so your date doesn’t have to crane their neck so much to kiss you,” you said, listening to Dean’s chuckling.

“If I want to kiss someone, a pair of heels is not getting in the way of that,” said Dean. “I will never understand women. Same thing with all that makeup you put on.”

“What’s wrong with my makeup?” you said, whacking him with one of your shoes.

“Nothing! It’s just…” he trailed off.

“Just…” you said, slowing your pace.

“You already have long thick eyelashes. You already have soft cheeks. You put stuff on to make your face look like you’ve got high cheekbones. I just don’t get it. I like your normal face much better,” said Dean. You scoffed and saw him pout.

“You like my tired-ass looking face?” you said with raised eyebrows.

“I like that scar you have right there,” said Dean, running a thumb under your bottom lip. “I like the soft curve of your cheek. If I wanted some barbie doll I’d be with a barbie doll.”

“Well, we live in Kansas so not much in the way of barbie doll types there,” you said, moving to kick at the ground like when you were nervous but catching yourself as you weren’t wearing any protection.

“We’ve got plenty of the working man type for you at least,” said Dean.

“They all think I’m a stuck up rich bitch,” you said. “You did at first.”

“They didn’t get a chance to know you,” said Dean. 

“As much fun as having a fake boyfriend has been, I don’t see me getting a real one anytime soon,” you said. “You’ve got a couple nice suits now for a date if you find your not barbie girl.”

“I don’t think the girl for me will mind if I show up to the first date in jeans and plaid,” said Dean.

“No she wouldn’t,” you said, coming to the fork that would lead back up to the hotel. “We’ve got an early flight.”

“Yeah,” said Dean a little quietly.

“I figured maybe if you try listening to music when we take off, it won’t be so scary for you,” you said.

“Just hold my hand and I’ll be okay. I promise not to crush it this time,” said Dean shyly.

“I kind of like that,” you said, the two of you turning back up towards the front entrance. “I’m in on your secret.”

“That I’m scared of flying?” he asked.

“That for some reason I help you get through it,” you said. Dean rubbed the back of his head. “Want to see if they’ve got any pie again?”

“Now you’re talking,” he said, glad for the change in subject. You grabbed a slice of lime for dean and chocolate for yourself, eating at the hotel bar still wearing Dean’s jacket. You heard a camera flash and groaned.

“Dude, a little bit of privacy?” said Dean, turning and expecting the photographer but finding the newlyweds instead.

“You forgot your phone, Y/N,” said Angie, handing it over, the picture of you and Dean still on the screen. “Just returning it to the lovers.”

“Goodnight lovers,” said Dean back, pulling you up and out of there before you got anymore comments.

Bedtime was better than the night before but you were agitated at the thought of having to sleep alone soon. You’d always known it was coming but it didn’t make it feel any less strange.

“How you doing, De?” you asked, holding his hands in yours as you sat on the plane, waiting to take off.

“Okay so far,” he said. “Almost home.”

“Almost home,” you said, Dean nearly bolting out of his seat when the safety instructions began. This time he shut his eyes and let you run your hands up and down his arms, humming a melody that didn’t make any sense but calmed him none the less. You kept it up until you were leveled out, Dean’s head practically buried under the crook of your arm. “Dean?”

“I’m okay,” he said, making no indication that he ever wanted to move from that spot. Neither of you moved away and you let him hide himself away in you for the next seven hours, truly realizing how much he’d been in hell the first time around. When you finally touched back down, Dean sighed in relief and you decided he deserved a little more than just a free vacation.

“I guess this is it,” you said at the baggage claim, both of you with your bags in hand. Dean’s car was parked in the far lot, yours in the near one. “Here,” you said, handing him an envelope.

“Y/N, I’m not accepting anymore money from you,” said Dean, knowing what was inside.

“Compensation for the emotional scarring of those plane rides then,” you said, shoving it in his coat pocket. 

“You’re not taking no for an answer,” he said sighing.

“Nope,” you said. “Thanks for being my fake boyfriend.”

“It was interesting to say the least,” he said, looking down.

“Bye, De,” you said, unsure what to do with yourself. Dean took a step forward and gave you a small hug.

“Bye, runt,” he said, letting you go and taking a step back. He gave a quick wave as he headed off one way, you the other.

“Bye, Dean,” you said to yourself. 

Alone again.

You were laying on your couch in sweats, watching Netflix when you started to get hungry. You sat up to grab a takeout menu when your doorbell rang. It was almost eight and you hardly ever got visitors.

“Hi runt,” said Dean, holding a pizza and six pack. He was dressed in jeans and a blue plaid shirt, a black muscle car parked in front of your house. “Want to join me for dinner?”

“Uh, come in,” you said, stepping to the side, baffled to see Dean Winchester standing before you. Dean smiled as he kicked off his boots and wandered into your kitchen, setting the food down. 

“I like your house,” he said, spinning around.

“Thanks,” you said, shutting the door. You shook your head as you searched for the right words.

“Let me,” he said, holding up a hand. “See…I was walking away from you at that airport today and I was like, I’m not ending it like this. What was I going to do with myself if I could never see you again? I couldn’t handle that. So I came up with this genius idea. Go to her house! But I don’t want to seem weird so I brought food. Then I thought, grow a damn pair Winchester and just tell her the truth.”

You stood with wide eyes as Dean walked over, looking down at you with the same eyes you’d seen at the pool, these ones perfectly sober.

“I was always hiding something from you, you were right about that,” said Dean. “Runt, I ran into you on that street because you just made my fucking world stop. It was like getting hit by a bus. I don’t know why but I just knew it was supposed to be you. I’m horrible at being a person though so I didn’t ask you out like a normal guy would. Instead I went and was your fake boyfriend for the past week. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind if I was your real one from now on?”

“This is actually happening right? Like we didn’t die in a fiery plane crash and this is some afterlife?” you said, holding up your hands.

“It’s real,” said Dean, taking your hand in his. “What do you say? Real boyfriend?”

“Fuck yeah you can be my boyfriend,” you said, smiling harder than ever in your life.

“Good,” he said, planting a kiss to your lips that felt right and real. “So much better than pretending.”

“How long did you know?” you asked, Dean tilting his head.

“Know what?” he asked.

“That I was falling for you,” you said, wrapping your arms around him.

“Never knew. I hoped that some of the things you did were real, the little touches when no one else saw, the kiss at the pool, waking up in the mornings,” said Dean.

“Mornings?” you asked. “I thought it was only…”

“I woke up with my arm around you every day. You only caught me the once yesterday. I hated having to push myself away when you were curled up in me,” said Dean, moving to run his hands up and down your arms.

“Even this morning?” you asked, Dean nodding. “Promise me something?”

“Anything,” he said.

“Tomorrow when we wake up, you’re gonna keep it there,” you said, Dean kissing you one more time. Yup, that certainly felt the way it was supposed to.

“We’re going to bed together?” asked Dean with a wink.

“I’ve been sleeping by your side for days. Why stop now?” you asked, taking Dean’s hand in yours.

“I like the way you think runt,” said Dean, letting you drag him over to your kitchen counter, sitting him down in one of the barstools. “You realize I’m going to have to get over my fear of flying if we keep going back to that hotel.”

“Or we can move closer,” you said, Dean raising an eyebrow. “Oh come on, you already said you’re gah gah over me. Maybe I didn’t instantly know like you but there’s something about you that’s…”

“Trust me, I understand completely,” said Dean, opening a beer for you.

“What I’m saying is, like moving in with each other isn’t going to happen soon?” you said.

“I didn’t say that,” said Dean. “In fact, I can guarantee it happening this week if you’re willing to take another chance on me.”

“Regular old married couple aren’t we?” you joked, opening up the pizza and taking a slice. You saw Dean smile and had an idea. “Where does Sam live again?”

“Hi Uncle Bruce,” you said, walking into the hotel lobby, dragging a bag in one hand, Dean’s wrapped around your other.

“Hi Y/N. I see you brought Dean back. We didn’t scare him off?” he joked, Dean looking relaxed in his tee and jeans.

“Nah. This family needs a little more Winchester in it,” said Dean, smiling down at you.

“Fly in okay?” you heard your mother ask when she spotted you and Dean.

“Actually…” said Dean with a smirk. “We moved. We’re a three hour car ride away and only about fifteen minutes from my brother.”

“Y/N! Why didn’t you tell us you moved!” she said as Bruce slapped Dean on the shoulder.

“I’m sure upper management worked with Dean to let him move around, huh?” he said.

“Dean owns a garage. He doesn’t trade stock, didn’t go to college, didn’t do a lot of the shit I said he did actually. He sold off the one in Kansas and is slowly getting this one up to speed. If you’ve got a problem with that fact, if any of you do because he isn’t like the rest of you,” you said, turning to face the members of your family that were listening in, “I can tell you exactly where to shove it.”

“Down girl,” said Dean to you. “No one’s made any crass comments yet.”

“Y/N, that’s…” you heard one of your cousins say. Josh. Fuck, like Dean didn’t already hate him.

“Y/N’s happy so everyone back the fuck off,” said Angie. “God knows that girl deserves some kindness from this shitty family for once.” You nodded your thanks to her as some of your relatives who had looked ready to speak shut up.

“So, how about that lucky room?” said Dean, turning around to the front desk. “I’m thinking this might be the time.”

“Dean it’s been like a month,” you joked, knowing he was only teasing.

“Are you pregnant?” you heard your mother exclaim.

“No, we’ve just been together that long is all. We lied about that too. Sorry,” you said.

“No, it’s…as long as you’re happy,” she said. You’d have a talk with your parents later, you and Dean both would but for once you were actually happy to be at one of these things. You checked in without further incident and plopped down on the bed, Dean kicking the door shut. 

“So much better than that stupid plane,” said Dean, falling down next to you and pulling you into his chest.

“I honestly just wanted you to be closer to Sam,” you said, holding him tight. “I’m glad you let me talk you into it.”

“I’m glad we decided to stop pretending. I had so many thoughts of what I wanted to do to you in this bed,” said Dean, rolling you over as you giggled.

“Or in that shower,” you said. “All of that in due time.”

“I love you runt,” he said, the words slipping off his tongue effortlessly.

“I love you too, De.”

@anokhi07 @xxwinchester-22xx @charliebradbury1104 @everyday-supernatural-af @squirels-angels-and-moose @youwerelikeadream @drugpug @darkx143 @kristaparadowski @tom-is-in-my-tardis @tanithlowisabamf @smoothdogsgirl @dancingalone21 @ktrivia @demonic-meatball  @oaisara @feelmyroarrrr  @illisea @cojootromuelle @gallifreyansass @fangirl1802 @angelwingsandsupernaturalthings @itstheprincess @casgetoutofmydiddlydarnass @mogaruke@secretlyfurrydragon @perpetualabsurdity @ria132love @heycassbutt-67 @aingealcethlenn@docharleythegeekqueen  @missmotherhen @smacklesandstretch67 @ceeceewinchester  @tumblinwith-me @acreativelydifferentlove @lean-mean-sam-and-dean @blueskybirdy @my-blogging-skills-are-rusty @sydneymarie101195 @nlsupernatural @smacklesandstretch67 @donnanoblerocks @wackiekebab @spn-4-eva @georgialouisea@captainradicalpassion @benjerry707 @a-pirates-princess @tiffanycaruso @trashforwinchesters @make-the-clock-reverse @bleulady01 @nerdwholikesword @turnoftherogue@mortallymagicalobject @under-general-asthetics @maui137 @assbutt-fan @poukothenerd@squirrellover1967 @storyofawinchester @impalalalala @prettyboy-spn @radaknik @sandlee44 @frickfracklesackles @star-gazer178

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Love Live! Sunshine!! Season 2 Episode 13: Our Own Radiance (Final Impression)

New Post has been published on https://hentaihun.com/blog/2017/12/31/love-live-sunshine-season-2-episode-13-our-own-radiance-final-impression/

Love Live! Sunshine!! Season 2 Episode 13: Our Own Radiance (Final Impression)

It’s not over! Not just yet!

Aqours’ story comes to a close, but only temporarily as a movie was announced right after the finale aired. Which probably surprised absolutely no one. But I’m sure fans are scratching their heads wondering what could possibly happen next. Sunshine received a much more final and finished ending compared to LLSIP’s ending which was a hook to the movie. There’s no “IT’S BIG NEWS!” at the end, just smiles and rainbows. I just hope for the movie they don’t go to New York. I’m still holding out on Italy. International school idols, anyone?

Really long review, coming up!

This episode was definitely a finale. It’s the last day of school at Uranohoshi and we see Aqours saying their goodbyes to the school. The graduation ceremony is held, the students grab paint brushes and write out happy messages on the school walls, and of course we learn that Aqours had won Love Live. We saw the girls in rooms significant to them, the first years it was the library, Riko and You in the music room, the third years in Mari’s office, and of course the club room. The girls closing the doors together was a nice touch, especially when they closed the gates of the school together. It was pretty bittersweet, where at first everyone was pretty happy but memories of their time in the school came back. Another very touching scene was when Dia and Kanan gave Mari her diploma in her office. Handing her a special diploma like that was basically their way of saying “Thank you so much for all that you’ve done. You shouldered so much for us and fought until the end, and we appreciate it”. More on that later.

The episode itself is pretty straightforward. Chika still struggles with not knowing Aqours’ radiance and her mother gives her a little push to not give up and figure it out. Chika throws the paper airplane, which was there as a symbol in the show that many fans couldn’t figure out (the path to their “radiance”), and it flies so far it lands on top of the school’s roof. As Chika walks the halls she hears her friend’s voices from memories in certain areas and when reaching the roof, finally starts to cry. After hearing a noise, she heads to the gym and finds all the students there, even the third years even though they were supposed to be gone? Wanting to sing together one last time, that’s exactly what they do, and Chika realizes that the radiance she was looking for was always there with her, in their struggles and singing and dancing. It was literally “Maybe the radiance was the friends we made along the way”.

I hadn’t felt emotional until that point. The way the final song was constructed, with going back to Aqours’ beginnings and showing them in every single outfit and performance they ever did, it definitely made me emotional. Seeing how far they’ve come made me smile. Plus, the song’s lyrics were really sweet.

Aqours isn’t completely done as of yet, but we won’t be seeing them for awhile until the movie releases which I’m guessing probably won’t be until the end of 2018. So now, we need to look back on this season and Love Live Sunshine in general.

This season was easily much better than the first season. It goes to show how much more enjoyable the show can be when they completely drop the Muse references. In the first season, and I know this was the whole point, Aqours was too dependent on Muse and trying to emulate them, that Aqours didn’t even feel like an actual group. They didn’t have their own identity so in some ways it was hard to really care for them. However in season two that’s been rectified and you can see how Aqours is their own group now. We’ve seen their struggles and how they still continued to have struggles when it came to interpersonal relationships, money issues, winning Love Live, and their school. Some characters got to shine and show different sides to themselves with some much needed growth, and we also had the treat of getting to have a connection with the rival group! There were things that this season did right, but not without its shortcomings.

One glaring issue I had with Sunshine was the plot: the closing of the school. For LLSIP I understood the significance Otonokizaka had, such as the school being a tradition for the females in Honoka’s family, it would mean Kotori’s mother would lose her job, and so on. When it comes to Uranohoshi…why? Why do they care so much about the school? What is so significant about it that they want to save it so badly? Their school is being combined, it’s not like they’re going to be separated. There was never this huge reason why us as viewers can understand why they wanted to save the school. While of course the third years would leave, the second years and first years would still go to the same school and still be friends, so why was this so hard for them? I guess the only reason would be a sense of community. They live in a tiny rural town where all the kids that live there go to the school. Uranohoshi was one of the few things they felt that really belonged to them and made them special, but this was never outright said making the message unclear or just not powerful enough. And speaking of the school, it felt like that was more of the plot than Love Live was. So much more attention was placed on saving the school than on the actual Love Live, showing significantly less idol activities. Which is pretty funny to say considering that we had a huge number of insert songs, but not all having to do with the actual Love Live competition. I really felt this way in last week’s episode with their finals performance not having enough emotional backup because so little time was spent on building up to their song. In a show called Love Live, there was…so little Love Live. Drama could also be a little cheesy, and there were moments that I didn’t like (look at my review for episode 7).

One of the main things that I had wanted when coming into this season was more development and intermingling among the girls, and to an extent, that’s what I got. Many characters had gotten their time to shine, with much needed episodes for Dia and Ruby and a bonding episode. But I felt like the series didn’t push enough.

Everyone knows that Hanamaru’s character was completely twisted to something else, and that You was basically insignificant but I’ll touch more on that later. While there was development for some of the girls, there was still a lack of unity. And by that, I mean that the girls still stuck to their year groups and didn’t branch out. While we did have the first and third years bonding in episode two, it still stuck with the usual pairs of Kanan/Mari and Yoshiko/Hanamaru with the Kurosawa sisters in the background. We did have that wonderful Riko/Yoshiko episode that was a step in the right direction, but that was the most we got. The first years stuck with each other, the second years stuck with each other, and the third years did the same. This is something the original did much better, where I thought of Muse as a little family. We had Nico and Hanayo as the ultimate idol experts, Nico, Honoka, and Rin as the baka trio, Eli and Umi watching over the group in practices, Nozomi and Maki having their moments when Nozomi helped her fit in with the group, Honoka and Hanayo’s solidarity of loving food and having to diet, Nico and Kotori working on costumes together, we had the subunit episode, and we also had that episode where they acted like each other. They didn’t just stay in their groups, they actually spoke and interacted with one another. Aqours was not like that. We could have had You and Ruby work on outfits together, Riko and Dia being the responsible ones of the group, Chika and Yoshiko being the baka duo, or something! But they were just so separate and clung to themselves that there was this sense of family that I didn’t feel from them that I felt from Muse. This could also be seen in their songs where the second years would sing together, the first years would sing together in another part, and so on. It’s too late to fix this problem, and it’s pretty disappointing.

Now, when it comes to individual characters I’ll leave that to my rankings.

Enough with the bad, there was still a lot of good in this season. Visually, it was stunning. The animation was starting to dip in the last few episodes and I don’t blame them considering how much work they put into this series. It’s amazing how much the CG has improved from the original series. I felt like each performance was more beautiful than the last, with sparkles and shiny and colors. The CG models look fantastic, not having the problem of porcelain doll face the original had and instead having natural expressions. It looks almost seamless with the 2D animation so that’s a major win, especially with more and more CG shows popping up trying to achieve quality like this. And when it comes to music, Love Live always nails it. This had to be the best set of songs we’ve ever gotten. I know I said at first that I wasn’t a fan of MIRACLE WAVE, but the song has grown on me a lot. However, my favorite song is still MY Mai TONIGHT and the full version is great. We also got the full versions of Saint Snow’s songs and…they left me speechless. The girls are cute and shiny, their outfits are cute and shiny, it’s all just cute, colorful, and fun. It was always a treat to watch their performances because of all the work that was put into it. So, shoutout to the animators.

And just like with my final review of the first season, I have to give my rankings on the girls. I’ll try not to make it too long as I talk about them individually, but man my ranking sure has changed.

Riko continues to be best girl. Previously Mari was my number one but after the anime I had this sudden realization of my love for Riko. I’ve always identified with her and see a lot of myself in her. I love that she she’s polite and sweet but also isn’t afraid to show a more assertive side, and in this season we also see a more silly side to herself. We knew she had her little guilty pleasures, but seeing Yoshiko kind of rub off on her was entertaining. She finally was able to get rid of her fear of dogs, and knowing people in real life that do fear dogs, I’m so proud of her! She was able to conquer her fear and move on, so much that she actually has her own little dog now! Riko had nice moments, her little discussion with Yoshiko being my favorite. She had most of her development in the previous season, but Riko was still there to put a smile on my face and make me happy. She’s cute, silly, responsible, and just so sweet. I just love Riko to death.

Dia shoots up from her previous seventh spot to second, surprising me still. I hadn’t liked Dia last time because I thought she was too rude and harsh to the girls, even though I knew how she was watching out for them. I didn’t find her likeable and I thought her sudden change to the silly character was off putting. However, that changed completely in this season. It turns out that Dia is awkward as hell and can’t really make friends easily. She’s strict, sure, but she puts up this responsible leader type because she felt like she needed to act that way. Because of that, it shaped her to be distant among her peers. Dia is socially awkward, something to which I relate to, and I found it endearing when she tried so hard to get the others to call her Dia-chan. Under that harsh exterior, she’s an incredibly sweet person. She’s also a great older sister to Ruby. Just like Riko, she’s responsible, sweet, and a little silly and her episode made her one of the most relateable characters in the show.

Ruby was in dire need of another episode, because while I always loved Ruby and had her in fourth place last time, she still had this baby side of her personality the anime kept shoving in our face that made many people just dislike her. Again, I always loved Ruby but her two episodes with Saint Snow had to be the best episodes this season and made her even better than before. Ruby was given this opportunity to really shine and step forward by herself. She was always dependent on her older sister and she knew this herself, and she also knew that her sister would leave. Ruby took the initiative to console Leah, a person Ruby normally wouldn’t associate with (at least alone) and decided to make a song with her. Ruby stood on her own two feet, learned to be more self-reliant and independent, and even more confident. She’s grown from little shy Roobs to the more grown Ruby we know now. I’ve seen more people love Ruby more and it makes me real happy. She’s a great character that deserves a lot more love.

It hurts to move Mari down two places from second to fourth, but it’s just that Dia and Ruby shone brighter than her. Yes, other people shone more than Ms. Shiny. Well, only slightly. Honestly, I love Riko, Dia, Ruby, and Mari pretty much equally. They all make me feel so happy the same way, which is how I feel with the Muse third years. Now, Mari didn’t really get her own episode but she got lots of great moments. Sure we had the fun meme-y Mari we all know and love, but we also got lots of serious moments. Serious moments where she showed her vulnerable side. Mari was one hell of a trooper this season as she carried ALL of the stress and weight of the school’s closing. She tried her hardest to convince her father to give them more time, to not close the school, etc. What Mari didn’t want to do was disappoint everyone in the school, so the school’s closing probably hit her the most out of everyone as we saw her shed tears many times. Seeing this caring side of Mari was great because my one fear for Mari coming into this season was that they were going to make her into the meme character and nothing else, and thankfully they did the exact opposite. She’s a strong girl that dealt with so much stress that I wish the anime had mentioned maybe a little bit more, but either way I’m happy with how they treated her. Also, no washi washi! Thank god!

Kanan went from third to fifth. I’m disappointed that she didn’t get her own episode, I still think MIRACLE WAVE should have been about her but whatever. I wanted Kanan to get an episode because she had the least amount of time in the first season. I liked Kanan a lot though because I thought she was really cool, I liked her simple design, and her friendship with Mari and Dia was nice. This season Kanan had good moments but it wasn’t enough. We did see some surprising funny moments with her, such as her being afraid of heights and the dark, giving her a suddenly cute side. I still think she’s cool and her friendship with Mari and Dia is still great, but I just wish there was more to her.

Yoshiko actually stayed in the same spot in my list at sixth, which is kind of hilarious. Yoshiko is a disappointing case. I had wanted her to get more development, which I thought we had gotten in the dog episode. In that episode she explained why she stuck to her fallen angel persona, believing in invisible forces, and destiny and all that. And it was all to cover up, or explain her bad luck. It showed this sad and vulnerable side to Yoshiko we had never seen, and I thought that would have been the start to her gradually letting go of her chuuni side and working her way to accept herself. Because using her fallen angel shtick to cover for her bad luck isn’t exactly accepting or loving herself, it’s more of an escape. Yoshiko putting her chuuni side away would have done wonders for her character, but instead she stayed completely the same and stayed in the background as the comic relief character with dumb one liners who never really contributed to anything. It’s sad because I was starting to like her a little more but seeing as how she’s stayed completely the same, she’s staying the same in my list too.

This is a surprise as You was previously “worst girl” but now she’s bumped herself up a couple places to seventh. Last season You was at the bottom of my list because I thought she was boring and bland. Her episode was terrible and there wasn’t much You content other than her being a good friend and being good at pretty much everything. Unfortunately this season did her wrong. Let’s be honest here, if You was taken out of this season it wouldn’t change the show in any way. That’s how insignificant she is. It says a lot when the rival characters get more development and spotlight than You. It’s just…really sad. I feel bad for the fans though I never understood the popularity in the first place. But, believe it or not, the very few You moments we got in the last few episodes bumped up her ranking for me. The way she stood on the box when they were preparing for the closing festival and acting like Chika did on the very first episode, and her response to Chika’s question in episode 12 were good additions. She has a strong bond with Chika as they’ve been friends since childhood and she always wanted to do something with her together but Chika was never good at sports. So to finally do something with her best friend made her really happy. She loves Chika a lot and always watches over her, so yes, she’s a good friend. But I like that we got to see how strongly she felt about being in Aqours. It’s small, but it’s something at least. It’s just sad that You was pretty much ignored this time. It’s so telling how ignored she was because it took me awhile to find a You screenshot to use here. I only found this one. Yikes.

Hanamaru took the biggest dip from being fourth/fifth to eighth and this is another sad case. She suffers pretty much the same problem as Yoshiko as being the comic relief character in the background, but much worse. I liked Hanamaru in the first season because I could relate also to her social awkwardness and her love of books. She was a little snarky but she showed a strong side to her when she confronted Dia when it came to Ruby wanting to be a school idol. She was sweet and a little naive, but at the same time very mature with her love of difficult literature. But for some strange reason, the anime decided to change her character completely to be nothing but the girl that says zura and eats. all. the. damn. time. There’s nothing wrong with eating, we had Honoka and Hanayo who loved to eat but that trait wasn’t their entire character. Hanamaru was literally only there to eat and talk with her mouth full, and also there to play off of Yoshiko. Speaking of which, I thought she was really mean to Yoshiko. There’s nothing wrong with playful teasing among friends but sometimes her teasing was just really mean, like talking shit about Yoshiko being fat, how she’s bad at talking to people, that she’s weird, etc. Sometimes she would really just cross the line and I found myself getting really annoyed with Hanamaru. And again, that makes me sad because I had liked her before but now sometimes I don’t want to even look at her. Why? Why did they have to do Hanamaru so wrong?

And, it comes to no surprise that Chika is dead last. I never was a fan of Chika honestly, as she was eighth last time. I never like characters like Chika who are too loud, brash, a little dumb, and impulsive who don’t think before acting. Now don’t get me wrong, I know Chika has a good heart. She cares about others. One thing I always liked about Chika was that she thought herself as a normal girl, to which I can relate. She found something where a normal girl like her can shine in, but the thing with Chika is that there was an oversaturation of her and not much development. I know Chika thinks she’s normal, I know that she wants to save the school and make others happy, but what else is there to her? The anime would constantly tell us this about her but it just because repetitive and boring, and instead of seeing more interesting sides to her, I just kept finding how annoying and selfish she can be. The episode where the school didn’t get enough applicants still bothers me because of how easily Chika was ready to give up the Love Live because they didn’t save their school. Again, read that review to understand. And just because Chika is the main character, she gets the most screentime, she gets the most centers, the most solos, so much that she sometimes takes up too much screen time. Like, get out of the way! There are eight other girls there, give them a chance! This is more of the anime’s problem and not exactly Chika, but I’ve already made it clear why I can’t just stand her.

It bugs me to hear people say that it’s hard to give equal development to nine characters, when the original, while not perfectly, did a much better job at it. There’s some decisions in this season that were very questionable and aggravating, but I still had fun watching this season. I’m looking forward to the movie because we still don’t know what’ll be of Aqours. Will they continue, or disband to give us a chance at the Perfect Dream Project girls? That…seems like the best bet. All in all, this season was better but I’m still unsure of the rating I’d give this. For now, I’ll stick with a 7/10 and give myself more time to think. Hopefully the movie will come soon, but until then this’ll be the last one. Thanks for reading this far!

Aqours! Sunshine!

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[murasaki-murasame]

Thoughts on Owarimonogatari Season 2 [Mayoi Hell]

I was hoping at first that I’d get done with my rewatch of the whole series up to this point before this came out, but I guess that sure didn’t happen, lol. I’ll get back to it eventually, once I have the free time for it. But for now I’m just gonna watch this now that it’s out. I’m already kinda late for this as it is.

I’m going to try and do this in a semi-liveblog-y way where I’ll binge-watch each part while giving my thoughts after each individual episode and then post this once I’m done, but if that ends up being annoying I might switch to only writing up my thoughts after I’ve completed each arc. Which also applies to the main rewatch. Doing it like an actual liveblog where I keep pausing it to write about it got really annoying really fast, so yeah.

It’s good to be back with this series after waiting nearly a year and a half, after Koyomimonogatari came out. I feel like I’m not really as into it as I used to be, which is why the idea of doing an entire rewatch is sorta daunting and might potentially fall apart if I lose interest, but it’s still nice to finally get to see the conclusion of the main story.

Anyway, spoiler-y thoughts under the cut. [And for the record, I’ll try and make posts for Hitagi Rendezvous and Ougi Dark over the next two days or so]

PART ONE:

I’m glad I have a good memory for stuff I’m into, since even with the fairly intense recapping going on it’s still kinda vague and there’s still so much going on in the series as a whole that this is building upon. There’s probably stuff I’m forgetting, but I think I’m good. I’m at least aware that the whole premise here is that Araragi got murdered by Gaen in an attempt to restore the spiritual balance of the town, and now he’s stuck in Hell and has to get back out.

Seeing Hachikuji again is as wonderful as I expected, even if it immediately reminded me that the fanservice with her character is one of the many things I kinda have to glaze over and look past in order to enjoy this show. There’s no point denying that. This is definitely a guilty pleasure sort of show that I’d be hard-pressed to recommend to most people. But even so, Hachikuji is great. I’m clearly less enthusiastic about her character than other people are, but I still like her as a character.

It makes sense, but I wasn’t expecting to get a literal walk down memory lane. Huh. It’s a nice way to make the story feel all full circle in time for the final arc, I guess. It at least helps remind us all that Araragi is the sort of person who would have kept doing the things he chose to do even if he could go back and re-do them. For better or worse. I’m glad that Araragi acknowledged that he fucked up pretty bad with Nadeko in general. He really, really did.

I’ve been kinda thinking about this for a while, but this whole arc is making me remember that I’ve always kinda struggled to get an exact grasp on Araragi as a person. I’m not sure why. Maybe rewatching the series would help, but something about his personality and world-view, or at least how he articulates it, feels weirdly difficult to get. But there’s still parts to his character that are pretty incredibly obvious, like his incredibly low self-esteem and his self-destructive heroism. I feel like I probably understand him more than I don’t, there’s just this weird feeling of distance involved, especially when he monologues about justice and stuff.

Of all characters, I wasn’t really expecting Tadatsuru to come up again, given how short-lived his screen-time was. Huh. I’m intrigued by the idea that it’s part of Gaen’s whole plan to have Araragi return from Hell, and that him dying somehow erased his vampirism. Is that, like . . . a legit, permanent thing now? Is he just not a vampire anymore? I feel like he still was when we saw him again in Hana, but I forget.

I guess we’ll get to her properly later, but I’m glad that we’re finally going to address the topic of Ougi. She’s been such a huge part of the story for a while now, so finally getting an explanation of what she is will be nice. I think I’ve already been spoiled on it a bit, so I won’t get into it until the show does.

The art in this arc already is kinda off the charts. This definitely seems like one of the more exceptionally dialogue-heavy arcs, so I guess they had room to just go completely nuts and do what they want, especially since it’s literally set in Hell so they have an excuse to use some surreal visuals. I’m glad we got a whole section with Hajime Ueda’s character design style. It always looks really good. I also just love how incredibly different pretty much every scene looks. Though in an almost opposite direction, I really like how the scene with Kiss-Shot was done to intentionally look like the beginning of Bake when we get the flashback to Kizu. That was kinda trippy, in a cool way.

It’s at least immediately confirming what I’ve been thinking, that Zaregoto just feels way more lifeless than the Monogatari series in terms of artistic direction, but that’s a rant for another day.

Before I move onto the second half of the arc, I should also say that it’s nice to get another Mayoi OP, even though hers have always been low on the list of favourite Monogatari OPs. The visuals were really nice, though. I hope we get an OP for Hitagi Rendezvous, but I heard that we won’t, so that sucks. Unless we get one in the BD release. Thankfully we’ll at least get an Ougi OP for the last arc of this. I’m still hoping that we get an actual Araragi OP when Shaft eventually adapts Zoku.

Oh yeah, on that note, the fact that this is seven episodes long in all REALLY makes me sad that they couldn’t have just added a Zoku adaptation onto the end and aired this as a regular one-cour anime. That would have been so much more convenient in every way. OH WELL. Hopefully it won’t take them too long to adapt Zoku, even if it probably won’t happen until next year. And then we’ll have Off Season and Monster Season to worry about. I wonder how long they’ll keep the series going before they cut their losses.

PART TWO:

I was, uh, not expecting basically everything in this part. Wow. So we finally got proper backstory for Tadatsuru, and learned what the heck was going on in Tsuki. I didn’t think Nisioisin would bother ‘explaining’ Tsuki, I figured it’d just be left as a kinda weird and out of the blue part of the story. But now it makes sense. So the whole time Tadatsuru was operating under orders from Ougi to kill Araragi, while also operating under orders from Oshino and Gaen to get killed so he can go down to Hell in order to help revive Araragi once he gets murdered later on. Huh. I also wasn’t expecting the entire deal with Tadatsuru being some kinda puppet master who had already died and was living through his dolls. All the focus on doll imagery in that part was kinda disturbing.

I wonder if we’ll ever see Oshino in the flesh again, in the present day. It’d be great to see him again. I’ve kinda missed him.

Also in terms of mysteries I didn’t think would get solved, I didn’t expect that the park name would be resolved and turn out to be so important. Wow. I feel like they’re setting up a plot point there, or at least furthering an existing plot point, but it’s hard to tell. It’s probably just a cultural difference, but it’s kinda difficult sometimes to understand the importance and relevance of shrines in this series, and what happens when they get relocated/destroyed/renamed/etc.

For some reason I kinda didn’t remember that Tadatsuru always saw Araragi as an enemy because he works with an apparition, so I guess it was a good thing we got reminded of that. We spend so much time with apparitions that I kinda forget that the specialists are literally trained to kill them, pretty much.

It was nice to see Hachikuji try and give Araragi a motivational speech about how he deserves to be resurrected. Her line about how he ‘loved being alive’ kinda got to me for some reason. But then of course that scene also got unexpectedly weird and funny.

And of course the major twist was that Hachikuji got taken out of Hell as well, which I did not see coming at all. Huh. I’m also kinda surprised that nothing bad seems to have happened, and that it actually benefits Gaen’s entire plan of action. I kinda expected it to be something that’d have an obvious downside, but maybe that’ll come up later.

I’m not entirely sure what the deal is with Kiss-Shot being there at the end in some weird hologram-y way, but I guess it had to do with the Yume-Watari sword. Although there’s also the fact that it really does seem like Araragi’s vampire aspect literally got erased, so maybe that changed things with Shinobu. I forget exactly how their link works, though, so I’m not entirely sure if him losing his vampire nature would help or hurt her. I guess we’ll see how it goes.

I wasn’t exactly expecting this entire arc to end on the note it did, but I guess it makes sense. I kinda feel bad for Araragi, though, getting killed, literally sent to Hell, and revived along with a friend he thought was dead, all in like an hour or so. And now he has to immediately take entrance exams and worry about how he’s going to have to help Gaen in her whole war with Ougi that’s being set up. He deserves a break.

Which is probably why Hitagi Rendezvous is, apparently, about him and Senjougahara going on a date. That’ll be cute. People have been complaining that they haven’t gotten enough screen-time as a couple yet, and I kinda feel that way too, so this will be nice.

Also on the note of Senjougahara, it sounds like whatever subs I was using decided to adopt the Vertical translation and call her ‘Senjyogahara’ which still just looks so fucking weird to me. I really dislike that was of romanizing her name. It’s not a big deal or anything, but still.