#Like there is a lot of talk of winning and losing overall (across all seasons)

[imminent-danger-came]

I rewatched all of monkie kid in a 24 hour period. Do not recommend it👍

[moregraceful]

💘 for any Cuda/sharks pairing of your choice! Please and thanks!

THANK YOU for giving me an platform to be weird about the Cuda goalies... I can't believe this is my first Cuda fic on main all year, lmao. I wish this team could be normal.

;;

Nikolai makes the North American boys host a party for the Captain, and for morale, at their house, which Georgi doesn’t really feel will help morale, but when he tries to get out of it, Daniil says, “oh, it’s not optional. Kolya said.”

Whatever Nikolai says goes, so Georgi brings his worst vodka, figuring if nothing else, he can make Ozzy do something reckless and stupid with it. Ozzy’s always up for a good time.

The party is fine. There are cows on one side of the house, and guys shooting golf balls into a field on the other side, and a lot of cheap beer, and the vets actually pull up even though they all have kids, and even the Captain comes and he sort of smiles when he walks into the backyard and they all cheer. It’s too cold to swim in the pool, but not too cold to hang out outside on beat up adirondack chairs that have seen years of wear from generations of hockey players. The sunset is nice, and Scott and Cole start a fire in the firepit, and Georgi wins multiple rounds of beer pong against almost everybody when he’s paired with Shakir, so it’s okay overall.

He can’t leave without one of the guys driving him home and Goosh is wrapped up in something incomprehensible with Ozzy, but which involves a baseball bat and wiffle balls, so he lets Eetu and Magnus set up another game of beer pong against him and Shakir.

Eetu and Magnus came to win, but that’s how it always goes with them and Georgi. They’re a matched set against Georgi, often, threads of frustration and jealousy leftover from the beginning of the season woven into how they talk to him, even though he’s back and forth between San Jose and Wichita now. Georgi, only called up when one of them is injured or Magnus is called up, and they still treat him with a kind of detached disdain, their tone a little mean, and he can’t always understand what they’re saying, even when he knows the words.

He wishes the three of them were better friends. He’s on the outside looking in with them, pressing his face against the glass like in games when he’s a back up, wishing he was part of whatever they have, wishing he was the third in their set, wishing that when it was Eetu and Magnus against the entire team, Georgi could stand with them.

God knows he wants to chase his teammates with a switchblade most games. He would have thought they would find common ground with him there. But they don’t seem to like him, really. It's really the core, beyond the jealousy and frustration: they don't like him like much at all.

Eetu and Magnus are good at beer pong, because they’re goalies, but Georgi is just as good at them, better even, because Shakir gets bored of how mean the three of them are to each other, and walks off, leaving Georgi alone. He mutters something in Bashkir as he leaves, something that Georgi is pretty sure means, “you’re all morons.”

Georgi wins. He expects them to fuck off, but Eetu and Magnus are clearly in a dangerous kind of mood, because they challenge Georgi again, this time with George's vodka.

Georgi pours the entire bottle evenly across all the cups. Magnus takes a sip and chokes. “Holy fuck,” he wheezes. He hands the cup to Eetu to taste and Eetu makes a face when he smells it.

Robbie, ever the good host, left several bottles of cranberry juice by the beer pong table, so Georgi pours cranberry juice too, to soften the blow. They play again.

A switch flipped somewhere, Georgi’s competitiveness crossing wires against his discomfort with not fitting in, making him unsteady and anxious, and Magnus and Eetu get the upper hand quickly. Georgi starts losing, badly, and while Magnus and Eetu are drinking their fair share of his fucked up vodka and clearly feeling it, Georgi’s down full cups midway through the game and wobbling. He feels bad, and sad, and Eetu and Magnus are chirping at him in Swedish so he doesn’t understand and can't respond, and mostly now he wants to go find Shakir and make him take him home. Losing's only fun when the other guys are having fun with you. 

He lifts an arm to throw the ball and then drops the ball when he realizes he’s drunk enough to vomit. “I need to sit,” he says. “Forfeit.”

He tries to take a step toward the low wall surrounding the backyard and miscalculates so badly that he nearly falls. Eetu and Magnus rush to catch him and they walk him over to one of the weird beat up loveseats and set him down. Eetu disappears into the house and comes back with water bottles, the nice ones that Brandon hates when people steal, while Georgi tries not to throw up in the weeds growing up against the chair.

Eetu uncaps Georgi’s water bottle and hands it to him. Georgi takes small sips until he feels less nauseous. He watches as Magnus guzzles his water and Eetu takes long, long drinks.

Georgi is outside looking in, always. He doesn't even drink the same as them. He sighs.

Eetu brushes Georgi’s hair back. He’s very gentle and that makes Georgi feel worse. “Georgi, what’s wrong?”

“I wish you liked me,” says Georgi. He doesn't know how to say it in English without sounding soft, so he says, in Russian, “I wish you two wished me well, like I do for you.”

Magnus looks confused. “We do like you.”

Georgi doesn’t know how to explain it so he just makes a face. “No.”

“Yes,” says Eetu firmly.

Georgi wishes Nikolai would rescue him, but the light above them has a blown out bulb and the sun has set, so it’s dark and Nikolai probably has his hands full trying to make sure Daniil doesn't steal a cow. He sighs again.

“Georgi,” says Eetu, more firmly. “We waited for you.”

Georgi makes another face, because they never wait for him, after games, after practices, never. “When?”

“Last game,” says Eetu. “In the shoot out, you remember, me and Mange, we waited by the glass for you ”

Georgi does remember that, but he didn’t think that counted. They greeted him briefly as he was coming off the ice, and then disappeared into the locker room while he got pulled aside by the trainers to check something. He had wanted to spend a moment longer with them – the familiar proud look Eetu had and the determined look on Magnus’s face were rarely directed at him – but Emi was worried about how he’d been skating on his knee and made him sit while she checked him, and by the time he’d been let go, they were wrapped up with the other Northern Europeans in the locker room, and ignoring him. That didn’t count as waiting, he thinks, but maybe for them it did.

He rubs a hand across his face, breathing heavily. “Okay.”

Eetu takes his hand away from his face. He kisses the palm of Georgi’s hand. Georgi’s breath catches. His heart hurts and he hates it. He hates how soft he feels, how tender and wanting.

Eetu scrapes his teeth against the rough pads of Georgi’s palm and kisses his hand again and again. Magnus runs a hand through Georgi’s hair and presses his thumb at the corner of Georgi’s eye, like he wants to draw out the wetness there. Georgi blinks and when Magnus catches whatever comes, he takes his hand away and puts his thumb in his mouth to taste it. He hums, pleased.

Fucking freaks, but Georgi can't say he’s not into it either. It’s actually his exact brand of freak, which hurts more, knowing they have something he didn't know about, but which he would be so good at, and love so much, and make better, with them.

“You don’t have to worry,” says Eetu.

“Show me,” says Georgi, closing his eyes.

Magnus kisses him roughly, both hands on Georgi's face, thumbs pressed against the corner of Georgi’s eyes to draw out whatever drunken tears are there. He lets go, kisses the corners of Georgi’s eyes, one than the other, humming again at whatever he tastes.

From inside the house, Jacob yells, “Mange, where are you?”

Eetu hauls Magnus back. He kisses Georgi, more gently than Magnus, but also he bites at Georgi’s mouth until Georgi opens up, and he pulls away immediately to kiss up the tear tracks on Georgi’s cheek.

“Mange!” Jacob yells again. “Come show Lindy that thing you showed me!”

Magnus pulls Eetu back by his elbow. They look down at Georgi, their bodies unreadable in the dark backyard. Georgi wishes he could read them. Georgi wishes he was part of them, whatever they are.

Jacob yells something in Swedish, echoed by both Oskar and Tristen. Magnus touches Eetu’s hip, and they leave Georgi alone. He can hear them raise their voices when they get inside, like they weren’t just kissing him.

Georgi leans over and puts his head in his hands, breathing heavily, trying to force the tears back in. He can hear the old guys talking by the fire, their conversation much less slurred than anyone else at this party, Cole and Scott laughing gently at Nathan, and Radim’s steady chuckle. He’s glad they didn’t see, but part of him wishes they did, wishes they had stopped it.

Shakir finds him a little later. He always knows where to find Georgi, knows when Georgi’s upset. Georgi wishes he could take Shakir everywhere.

Shakir sits down next to him. “Georgi,” he sighs and puts an arm around Georgi, resting his head on Georgi’s back. He smells like White Claw and milkweed, like he too had been hitting golf balls into a field.

“Can we go home?” says Georgi.

“Yes,” says Shakir. He presses a kiss between Georgi’s shoulder blades and stands up. “I’ll call Nikita. Come.”

They get up and walk around the side of the house so no one has to see Georgi’s been weak and crying over men who don’t like him like he likes them. 

Nikita picks them up ten minutes after Shakir calls him, and Georgi sits in the backseat, listening to Shakir distract Nikita from how much of a mess Georgi is, mocking him fondly, engaging him effortlessly, long years of familiarity born in a town on the East Coast, a friendship and a bond built in the minor leagues that won’t be broken easily. Georgi wants that too.

So embarrassing, crying like this when he’s drunk. Like a teenager who can’t hold his alcohol. Magnus and Eetu making him cry, and watching him, and kissing him. And he’s going back to Wichita soon, he’s sure, and that’s what they’ll remember about him when he goes, drunk on a bench in the dark, wanting them when they don't want him back.

It’s a hopeless thought, but, he thinks, at least Magnus and Eetu got to taste him before he leaves again. 

[septembercfawkes]

How Each of the 5 Major Plot Points Turn a Story

I recently had an epiphany on structure that I wanted to share. When I first realized this, it felt pretty significant (at least to me), but as more time has gone on, I've realized, in some sense, it's actually kind of obvious--I just hadn't seen it from this perspective before 😆 I'm willing to bet a lot of others haven't either, so it's definitely something I want to share. But where to start? I think I'll start with a problem I ran into: midpoints.

Midpoints happen in the middle of the story (usually around the 50% mark, give or take). It's a moment when new, significant information--or at least a shift in context--enters and turns the story in a different direction. To put more simply (or in some ways, vaguely), it's when the protagonist gets a sense of what's "really going on" in the plot.

For example, in the movie Interstellar, the midpoint happens when the characters learn that there is no Plan A--everyone on Earth is destined to die.

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the midpoint happens when Harry overhears the professors in the Three Broomsticks and learns Sirius Black is the reason his parents are dead.

The midpoint moves the protagonist from reaction to action. It enables them to go on the attack--at least a more informed, aggressive attack than before.

This is what I was first taught midpoints were, and I was introduced to them in Story Engineering by Larry Brooks.

But as time went on, I ran into a different definition.

In Blake Snyder's Save the Cat!, he says that midpoints are events--a "false win" or a "false lose."

It's near the middle, and it's when the protagonist seems to win or lose what he or she wants.

For example, in Mulan, the midpoint happens when Mulan retrieves the arrow on the post, proving herself worthy of staying in the army with the men (a seeming victory).

In Stranger Things Season One, the midpoint is recovering Will's body (a seeming defeat).

So which is it? Is a midpoint new information? Or is it an event?

Personally, the more time goes on, the more I think both definitions are right. So these days, I prefer to combine them together:

The midpoint is a significant event and/or revelation that is either a seeming victory or a seeming defeat for the protagonist. It often provides a broader understanding of what's actually happening in the plot, enabling the protagonist to become more proactive in their goals.

The midpoint almost always happens right in the middle of the story.

And it pivots the story into the second half.

(Of course, this is not to say some rules can't be broken.)

Okay, now I'm going to talk about something else, and come back to this.

I've talked about the next section a few times, so if you are already familiar with it, feel free to skim the next few paragraphs.

In a well-structured story, nearly everything makes this shape--whether it's a scene, sequence, act, or whole story. And it can even fit, in smaller pieces, inside a scene. It's essentially like a nesting doll or a fractal.

The climactic moment is sometimes called a turning point because it "turns" the direction of the story.

This moment can only be one of two things (well, or both of them): a revelation, or an action.

Why? Because these are the only ways to turn a story!

This is most obvious in the overall plot level because that is what we are most familiar with. THEE climactic moment will either be a revelation or an action and often it's both.

Whatever it is, and in whatever it is (scene, sequence, act, or whole plot), that's the turning point.

I do want to add one thing: it doesn't necessarily have to be the protagonist who has the revelation or takes the action to create a turning point. It just needs to be someone significant, so that it turns the story. For example, a turning point may be the audience or an important side character having a revelation. Or it may be someone else (likely the antagonist) taking an action.

In the structure of a whole story, there are usually several major turning points:

1. The Inciting Incident (sometimes called the "Catalyst" or "Call to Adventure")

This is when something new enters the story and disrupts the established normal. The inciting incident will either be a problem or an opportunity. In The Hunger Games, Prim having her name drawn out at the reaping is the inciting incident--it's what turns the story in a new direction, leading us into the main conflict. Without that problem, the books wouldn't exist. In Harry Potter, the inciting incident is Hagrid telling Harry, "Yer a wizard" and inviting him to Hogwarts. Without that opportunity, the books wouldn't exist.

2. Plot Point 1 (sometimes called "Break into Two" or "Crossing the Threshold")

I hesitate to use the term "Plot Point 1" because I've found it to be rather ambiguous, as some people consider it to be (or at least include) the inciting incident, while others consider it to be the moment the protagonist chooses to move forward irrevocably, to address the new problem or opportunity. This is usually a transitional segment that takes us from the beginning of the story to the middle of the story. (Today, this is what I mean by "Plot Point 1.")

In Interstellar, this is when Cooper blasts off into space. That can't be undone, and it takes us into the main conflict of the story, the middle.

In Mulan, Mulan cuts her hair, takes the armor and horse, and goes to the camp in her father's place. Once she arrives as "Ping," her decision can't be undone (at least not without big ramifications, such as dishonoring her whole family). This takes us to the main conflict, the middle of the story.

The inciting incident and Plot Point 1 put the protagonist into a reactionary state. They are reacting to new obstacles.

3. Midpoint

I already talked a lot about midpoints, but just to keep things even, I'll repeat.

The midpoint is a significant event and/or revelation that is either a seeming victory or a seeming defeat for the protagonist. It often provides a broader understanding of what's actually happening in the plot, enabling the protagonist to become more proactive in their goals.

The midpoint almost always happens right in the middle of the story.

And it pivots the story into the second half.

You can see examples above.

4. Plot Point 2

At the end of the middle, a few things usually happen:

The protagonist faces the antagonistic force and experiences a defeat. This leads to what's called an "all is lost" moment--where it feels like (as you probably guessed) everything is lost, like there is no way the protagonist can succeed.

Soon after this, though, the protagonist gains something empowering that allows them to move forward toward the climax.

Some writers call the "all is lost" moment Plot Point 2, while others call the moment of empowerment Plot Point 2. What matters is that you understand that these things happen. This can get a little more complicated (for example, instead of experiencing a defeat, the protagonist may get what he wants and experience a hollow victory), but I'm gonna stop here for today.

Like Plot Point 1, this is a transitional segment that turns the story toward the climax--it moves us from the middle of the story to the end of the story.

In Mulan, Mulan is discovered to be a woman and dishonored. She thinks of going home, when she learns that the Huns are still alive. This propels her to the climax.

In Spider-verse, Miles watches his uncle die and gets tied up. After his dad visits, he gains a clear understanding of perseverance and faith, busts free, and heads to the climax.

5. Climax

The climax is the biggest, most pivotal turning point. It will either hinge on a revelation or an action and often it's both.

It might be a revelation that leads to an action. Or it might be an action that leads to a revelation.

For example, the protagonist may have an epiphany (a revelation, and often a thematic one) that informs him how to defeat the antagonist, so the protagonist takes that action. Alternatively, the protagonist takes an action to defeat the antagonist, and the result leads to a realization. If the latter happens, often the revelation will be further explained after the danger has passed.

For example, in Interstellar, Cooper realizes that love is indeed part of a higher dimension, and through it, he can communicate to his daughter Murph. He then takes the required action to reach her across spacetime and save the human race (and therefore defeat the antagonistic force).

In Harry Potter, Harry takes action against Quirrel. This leads to a revelation: Quirrel can't touch him. Later, Dumbledore explains Lily's sacrifice left Harry a magical protection: love.

(Love doesn't have to be the realization, of course, I just happened to pick two examples that share that in common 😆)

Now, this is all generally speaking, and it will be different if you are working with negative character arcs, but talking about all the variations is beyond the scope of this article, today.

Let's start tying these topics together:

So, generally, there have been two different definitions of the midpoint. Significant information. Or significant event.

Well:

Information = Revelation

Event = Action

Revelation is just another word for "new information," while "event" is just another word for action. Right?

Guess what? The midpoint and the climax are similar in this way. They turn on revelation or action or even both.

What about the other major turning points?

Every story structure I've looked at, emphasizes that at Plot Point 1 (or "Crossing the Threshold" or "Break into Two"), the protagonist chooses to move forward--that means taking action. The protagonist doesn't just want to move forward, he has to do something. So Plot Point 1 turns on action.

Let's look at Plot Point 2. After the "all is lost" lull, the protagonist almost always learns ("gains") something. This may be plot-focused--such as Mulan learning the Huns are still alive. Or it may be thematic, such as Miles Morales now understanding and embracing perseverance and faith. But it's essentially new information, a new understanding. So Plot Point 2 turns on revelation.

Okay, I know what some of you are thinking. You're thinking of stories that maybe don't fit this. You are thinking of stories where Plot Point 1 hinges on revelation and Plot Point 2 hinges on action. Like many writing subjects, this can become a chicken vs. egg conundrum. After all, when we act, we learn new things. And when we learn new things, we act.

A protagonist may learn something new that leads him to take action for Plot Point 1.

And the "all is lost" moment usually follows a big event (read: action), so we may have an action that comes before the revelation of Plot Point 2.

It's also not impossible to have two actions in a row, or two revelations in a row.

But Plot Point 1 and Plot Point 2 are transitional segments. They turn us to the middle and to the end, respectively. And that turn is usually an action and a revelation, respectively.

Of course, I'm not going to go as far as saying that no stories exist that break these rules. But most stories turn in these ways.

It's also worth noting that sometimes you have moments that blur the lines a little--for example, a character may take a big action that reveals something significant simultaneously.

Recall how earlier I said not all turning points are focused on the protagonist. For example, a turning point in a scene, may be an antagonist taking an action. A revelation may be a side character learning something. In a well-structured story, there will be lots of turning points of action and revelation. And of course, you can slice and dice stories in different ways (which is why learning structure can be so confusing sometimes).

But when it comes to these four major turning points, they usually focus on the protagonist.

At Plot Point 1, the protagonist takes a forward action.

At the midpoint, the protagonist takes a significant action or learns something significant.

At Plot Point 2, the protagonist gains valuable information.

At the climax, the protagonist has a realization and/or takes an action that thwarts the antagonistic force.

Now we have the inciting incident. The inciting incident is a little different than the other major turning points because it's what kicks off the story. It's the first turn that starts the story--it's disrupting an established normal, not changing up the main conflict.

Unlike the other four major turning points, the inciting incident sort of . . . How do I want to say this? It sort of comes from outside the protagonist more? In the other major turning points, it's the protagonist who is acting and gaining information on the journey.

The inciting incident hinges more on an outside source. I mean, it has to, because it disrupts the protagonist's life. The protagonist hasn't hit the main conflict yet.

For example, Effie in The Hunger Games and Gandalf in The Hobbit, are the ones bringing the inciting incidents to Katniss and Bilbo, respectively. In Legally Blonde, Warner is the one breaking up with Elle.

This isn't a perfect concept, but it is a generality. Perhaps the idea I'm trying to convey is that the inciting incident is something that happens to the protagonist. (Usually, there are exceptions.)

Notice that the inciting incident can also hinge on an action or a revelation.

Peter Parker getting bit by a radioactive spider is an action. It's the spider's action--an outsider's action--against Peter.

Harry being told he's a wizard from Hagrid is a revelation. It's information that Harry didn't even know to consider--completely unexpected.

So let's map out the five major turns:

Inciting Incident: Disrupting Action or Revelation

Plot Point 1: Primarily Turns on Action

Midpoint: Turns on Action and/or Revelation

Plot Point 2: Primarily Turns on Revelation

Climax: Turns on Action and/or Revelation

Now you will have a clearer understanding of how to handle the five major turning points in your own stories.

And should you have a protagonist who does not want to take action at Plot Point 1, as is sometimes the case--well, I have something to help with that.

That pretty much sums up my epiphany . . . or should I say, revelation? 😉

[lumosinlove]

Coast To Coast

part viii

Sometimes Leo put on one of Finn’s old Harvard sweatshirts and looked in the mirror. And wondered. He tried to picture their old frat house and having a room there. He’d only seen pictures, but it looked nice. It had a big kitchen and back yard. Would he have a roommate? What would he have studied? English? Maybe he and Finn would have become close like that in the same way that they had become close now. Reading together. Maybe they would have studied together. Would he have gotten a ride to practice in Finn’s car like Logan had? How much older were they in the fantasy? Would he lose them after just one year? Would he lose one and then the other? Or could he be their age, and they could all go together. But then, if they were trying for the NHL, they’d get split up without a doubt.

So, Leo put on the maroon sweatshirt—not Lions maroon, but close—and thought. Would he watch them fall in love like he thought he had watched them in the first months of the season? All of them meeting at once, it could be too complicated, and maybe they would chose each other anyway—

Finn talked about it more than Logan ever did. Logan was getting better but Leo could practically see the guilt well up at certain things. Both of them seemed, overall, fond of their days at Harvard. And yet, sometimes they clutched each other so closely that Leo thought they weren’t sure any of this was real. Leo knew how they felt on that part. He couldn’t believe his luck. The NHL. The Gryffindor Lions. Going to the playoffs his rookie season. And Logan and Finn.

It wasn’t that they didn’t hold Leo just as close, but Leo would be lying if he said it wasn’t with a different grip. Finn and Logan had lost each other and lost each other. Leo had only just been found.

Leo twisted the sweatshirt in his hands, the fraying hem and sleeves. It smelled like Finn. Finn had worn this sweatshirt while he was falling in love with Logan. Finn had worn this sweatshirt when he was the same age as Leo was now. And he let Leo take it whenever he wanted to, smiled when he saw him in it, smiled when he saw Leo.

Leo smoothed the fabric back out and flicked the bathroom light off. He could hear the noises from the TV in the living room. Logan was sprawled out on the couch, eyes on the movie. Finn was out with Alex, a quick meet up between regular season and playoffs. They’d gone to dinner with him yesterday, and Leo had liked Alex because of how much he reminded him of Finn. But Alex was also a good deal calmer than his brother. Logan was snarky with him, old friends. Leo was new.

Everything was new and fresh—and set against very old ties.

Logan looked up when Leo came back and spread his thighs a little, looking warm in his thick, gray sweatshirt—Leo’s—and sweatpants. He flexed his toes and they cracked, a habit Leo associated with him finally winding down for the night on roadies.

“Ça va?”

Leo nodded as he knelt on the couch before bracketing Logan in with his hands and knees. Logan smiled and his laugh was the quiet one that Leo loved. It was sleepy, it came out in the early morning and the night and only him and Finn ever heard it. It came with ruffled hair and the slight scent of the tiger balm that Logan liked for his ankles and feet when they were sore from tightly laced skates. They had spent the day unpacking Logan’s things into the third bedroom—which was mostly for closet space only. They’d all taken to Finn’s king sized bed. Leo had never looked forward to falling asleep so much. Even when he woke up in the middle of the night, it was almost easy to fall asleep again. Logan, the lightest sleeper on Earth, had figured Leo’s habits out pretty quickly and would spend Leo didn’t know how long running his fingers over Leo’s neck and back. Leo wanted to stay awake sometimes, just to hear Logan’s half-asleep, half-French replies.

Almost two months ago, Leo had told Logan and Finn that he was going to fall for them when, truthfully, Leo had already been in free-fall.

He wondered what they’d say if he told them that they’d already caught him—that he’d realized this all a few days ago, sweaty and maybe a little dehydrated after their win against Vegas. He’d watched Logan trading sips of champagne with Pascal, and felt Finn pressed against his side, lips against his neck whispering, shut out, shut out, baby, shut out—

I love you, Leo had thought.

“Plus jolie,” Logan’s socked feet settled near the backs of Leo’s knees, hands wrapping around Leo’s wrists. He was still smiling. Leo didn’t really have a plan from here, but he definitely didn’t want to stop looking at Logan.

Leo wrinkled his nose and Logan laughed. “Un chérubin.” Logan reached up and tugged lightly on a lock of Leo’s hair. “Les boucles.”

Leo shook his head. “I don’t know that one.”

“Curls,” Logan translated, and then pushed his fingers through Leo’s hair. “I liked you in that shirt last night.”

Leo smiled. Logan was becoming more and more like this. He seemed to take the most pleasure in telling Leo and Finn every little thing he liked. It happened all the time and left Leo and Finn just grinning at each other.

“Oh yeah?” Leo lowered himself to his forearms and Logan’s ankles slid to loop with his.

“You looked so good.”

It had the same effect on Leo every time. A warm wash over his whole being.

“I like you living here,” Leo replied, and leaned down to press a kiss to Logan’s mouth.

Logan looked pleased and pushed his chin up for another kiss before looking up and behind him at the empty boxes piled in the corner. “Finn’ll be happy he got out of the last of the unboxing.” Logan smiled back at Leo. “You’re better at organizing anyway.”

“And folding,” Leo said. “And cleaning—”

Logan pressed his palms to Leo’s cheeks, pushing them until his lips puckered. “D’accord, d’accord.”

Leo had to kiss him again. Logan sighed when Leo parted from him to sit up his heels. He looked at the TV where there was some sort of car chase happening, rubbing his hands along Logan’s thighs, digging his thumbs into his hip flexors, where he knew he was always sore. Logan hummed happily and closed his eyes.

“What’s this movie again?”

“No idea,” Logan said. “Ouch. Fuck, that feels good.”

“Do you think Alex liked me?” Leo said as he pressed into Logan’s firm muscle.

Logan cracked on eye open. “Yeah, I do.”

Leo nodded. “Okay, good.”

Logan’s muscles tensed beneath Leo’s palms as he hooked his ankles around Leo’s back to pull himself up into a sitting position. Leo felt Logan’s fingers on his chin a moment later, bringing his face away from the television.

“What’s wrong?”

“What?”

Logan tilted his head and pulled himself closer, making Leo spread his knees. He stroked his thumb over Leo’s lip. “You look sad or something.”

Leo couldn’t help but smile. “It’s not really sad.” He lifted Logan’s knees for a minute so he could push his straighten his legs out the other way. He held Logan’s hips when they settled again, facing each other, tangled.

“I don’t know,” Leo said as Logan messed with his hair again. “I think meeting Alex, like really meeting him, just…made me remember that you and Finn have known each other a lot longer than I’ve been in the picture.”

Logan’s fingers stilled. He looked at Leo and there was a little glance of fear in his expression.

“Well,” he began. “I mean, yeah, but…but that’s okay. You don’t feel like we—do we make you feel bad?”

Leo shook his head quickly. “Not even a little.” Leo looked down at his sweatshirt. Finn’s. “I just… Sometimes I think about Harvard.”

“Harvard?” Logan repeated. “What do you mean?”

Leo looked at the movie again. The cars were gone and there was a house in a field, and two parties were sneaking around it.

“I wasn’t there,” Leo said. “Sometimes that’s…like, I wonder what it would have been like if I was. You two are so close because of it and I love hearing stories about it, but I just… I think about it.”

Logan was quiet for so long that Leo looked at him. When he did, it was to see Logan with concerned eyes. He was chewing the inside of his cheek.

“Harvard was really great. But it was also really hard,” Logan swallowed. “You think the NHL is bad with this stuff, you should try a bunch of seventeen to twenty year-olds in a locker room. Being gay—or anything other than a guy who likes to talk about how big a girl’s breasts are—it was a complete joke. It was worse than a joke. And I’m so glad you weren’t there.”

Logan seemed to be half talking to himself, hands trailing across the turn of Leo’s jaw. Always busy. He and Finn both did that. They were always reaching out to touch, Logan only recently so. Leo loved it. He loved their hands and their skin and the way it was mindless and gentle. Leo looked over Logan’s face. Soft lips, darkest eyelashes Leo had ever seen, sun faded scar across his nose.

Leo squeezed his hips. “Don’t stress. Lo, you never do anything to make me feel like, what,” Leo snorted. “Left out. Neither of you do.”

“I’m not stressed,” Logan said. “It’s just weird to think about. I was so convinced, you know? That this wasn’t an option.” Logan looked down. “I hurt Finn.”

“Tremz,” Leo shook his head. “Look at what kind of situation you were in.”

“I know, but I did hurt him,” Logan looked back up at Leo with a small smile. “And I know I don’t talk about it. And I know me and him still have more to say about it. But I won’t hurt you.” He pressed his palms to Leo’s cheeks and kissed him firmly. “So, I don’t want you at Harvard. I want you now, where I can want you with—with everything. Toutes les choses.”

Leo let his head drop back, grinning, and Logan laughed.

“Too mushy for you?” He pulled Leo in by his shirt, his lips against Leo’s throat. “I didn’t know that was possible.”

“I don’t know, Finn gets pretty mushy.”

Logan laughed louder, untangling their legs and pushing his way into Leo’s lap. “He does. But heads up, he’s horrible at gift giving. Which is kind of ironic, given how good he is at…” Logan pushed his hips down against Leo’s. “Literally everything else. Besides cooking. And unboxing, apparently,” He kissed below Leo’s chin. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Leo sighed. “It’s—what’s bothering me isn’t something I actually think.”

When Logan just raised an eyebrow at him, Leo couldn’t help but laugh. “This is where Finn would be literally begging me to tell him.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Logan shrugged. He turned his head and kissed Leo’s wrist, right where his bracelet was.

They kissed quietly then, Logan pressing so close that Leo felt surrounded by him. They both jumped when a bomb went off in the movie, gunfire exploding into action.

Logan cursed and reached for the remote to flick it off. “We’re not even watching this.”

“What should we get for dinner?” Leo said, drumming his fingers on Logan’s back. “Should we order something? Want sushi?”

“Ouais, sounds good.”

Logan stayed nestled against Leo while he put the order into Caviar. They lay together quietly, which was almost nicer than anything else. Logan was somehow both one of the most guarded and most open people Leo had ever met at the same time. He didn’t always want to talk about it, but he understood himself. Leo loved that about him. He loved Logan.

“You almost kissed me,” Leo said into the quiet. “Twice.”

“Freaked myself the fuck out,” Logan smiled. Leo felt the words rumble against his chest. “And probably you, too. Sorry.”

Leo shook his head. “It was—it was sort of good. It made me decided that I was going to talk to you. Not at Christmas, when you met June for the first time, but the second time. On the road. And then Finn kissed me a few days later.”

“What would you have said?” Logan asked softly.

“I…well, I wasn’t going to tell you I liked you or anything like that. I was just going to say that I understood. Because I thought you liked Finn. And I was pretty sure I was just…the easier option.” Leo laughed a little. “I almost stopped wearing my bracelet. Thought it was too obvious. But then Finn kissed me and, well, you know what happened next.”

“I didn’t know about you,” Logan replied. “I just…”

Leo pressed a kiss to his forehead. “You’re the most impulsive and the most guarded person in the entire world.”

Logan laughed. “I guess I am.”

~

Sharing a hotel room with Logan was torture.

He was messy as hell. He left water all over the bathroom floor as if he had tried to take a shower at the sink. He complained about the too silky feeling of the hotel sheets. He slept in threadbare sleep pants with a hole at the top of one thigh that was not getting any smaller. He ordered peppermint tea before bed and sipped it, holding the cup close with both hands. Sometimes he snorted when he laughed. They sat on one bed instead of two when they watched TV. One time Leo had fallen asleep and woken up at one thirty in the morning to Logan beside him. Logan had let him stay.

Leo had immediately felt bad. They had a game tomorrow. He was taking up so much room, Logan should have taken his bed, really. But, instead, he was curled on his side facing Leo, asleep. Their bare feet were touching, like they had found each other in the night.

Leo didn’t know how he had managed to fall asleep in the first place. Not after everything.

They had been watching National Treasure. They’d been half keeping track of the plot, half scrolling on their phones, maybe another half talking about the game coming up. Leo could tell something was wrong. He’d seen it in Finn, too. Logan, loud and fiery, was subdued. And Leo couldn’t believe himself, but he thought Finn had something to do with it. Leo couldn’t believe himself, but he wanted nothing more than to reach out and fix it.

Logan was torture, because Logan was Logan, and Leo was Leo.

Leo rubbed the bracelet on his wrist and looked at the blue light from the phone light up Logan’s face. His lips were parted, breathing softly as he looked mindlessly at instagram, flashing through pictures of babies, couples with wine glasses, peace signs and advertisements for the car he’d been looking at. Logan had his hood pulled over his head, and he was slumped into his pillows, knees pulled up. It looked like the overly plush hotel quilt would swallow him up if he sunk down any further.

Leo was stretched out, toes near the edge of the bed. Characters were running through a market on the TV, and Leo was trying to decide if he should say something—

“Tremz,” Leo said.

“Hm,” Logan had switched to twitter.

“Do you want your tea? I’m gonna order the sundae on the room service menu.”

Logan looked at him.

“What?” Leo shrugged. “I had a good game. Everyone needs a good sundae every once in a while.”

A small smile crept over Logan’s face and Leo felt like he could practically watch Logan look at him. His green eyes flit between Leo’s, down to his mouth, and then back up again.

“I…yes. Yeah, I’ll have one, too. And tea.”

Leo rolled onto his side, back towards Logan, to make the call. When he faced the television again, Logan was still looking at him.

“Did you want something else?” Leo asked. “I should’ve checked.”

Logan shook his head. “Non.” He cleared his throat and pushed himself up against his pillows. “Non, it’s perfect.”

“Me and my dad would have sundaes,” Leo said. “After games. He’d take me to this ice cream place that had been there for, like, a century or something way old like that. And so, if I have a good game, or if I miss home, I usually have one. Haven’t really done it on the road yet, though.” Leo smiled. “Finn sure likes it when I make them.”

Logan blinked at the mention of Finn, but he didn’t mention him further. “Do you miss home now?” he asked instead.

Leo ran a hand through his hair. “I think I always miss home a little.”

Logan was still looking at him with his dark-lashed eyes. “Like, home as in New Orleans, or home as in your family?”

“Both,” Leo said. “But I definitely think home is more people-based for me.”

Logan nodded slowly. He looked down at his phone, turning it over in his hands a few times. The background, Leo had noticed before, was a picture of him and Finn. It had been taken by someone else and they looked younger in it, maybe a little drunk. Finn had Logan’s hat on and their cheeks were pressed together, both laughing.

“Yeah,” Logan said faintly, looking at it. Then, he looked at Leo, and Leo looked at Logan looking at him all over again. “Me, too.” 

“Do you—” Leo began, then paused. “You miss someone, Tremz?”

Logan’s laugh was small and humorless. “Does it count if I see them every day?”

Leo jolted a little. He hadn’t expected a response like that. He hadn’t really expected a response at all. And Logan wasn’t looking at him anymore, not even at his phone, but the complete other direction. Out the dark hotel window.

Leo risked scooting forward a little. This was surreal. This was Logan Tremblay who he was comforting—well, trying to anyways. The boy who Leo had watched on TV more times than he could count, who he admired endlessly. Just as Logan was about to speak again, Logan turned towards him again, leaning in.

“Leo—”

Leo felt them both freeze. Leo knew he was probably too close. He could feel Logan’s breaths. He thought about Christmas, and Logan’s mouth so close to his. He definitely thought about just leaning forward—

“I’m sorry you’re homesick,” Logan finally said. The words settled quietly between them, and Logan didn’t move away.

“That’s okay. I’m sorry you’re…”

Logan smiled a closed smile when Leo trailed off.

“Oui,” Logan whispered, and his eyes moved to Leo’s mouth, then back up. “I don’t know what I am, either.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Room service,” came a muffled voice.

Leo, unable to stand the tormented look that Logan had on his face, rolled off of the bed and got the door.

~

“I looked up to you guys before getting here,” Leo said quietly.

Logan pushed himself onto his elbows to look at Leo. “Did you have our posters?”

Leo snorted. “You’ll never know.”

“Please tell me. Our jerseys?”

Leo just raised an eyebrow and smiled. “What if I only had one of your jerseys and not the other’s?”

Logan’s eyes lit up. “Please let me tell Finn that you had mine and not his.”

“No way.”

“As a prank, please, Nut, please.”

“If Finn thinks that is real for even two seconds he will never stop talking about it,” Leo laughed. “No way.”

“But I love it when he’s angry, it’s so—not really angry, but his little fits where his ears get red?” Logan rolled his eyes, but he was smiling like it was the best thing he could ever think about.

Leo smiled. “I really love that I know exactly what you’re talking about.”

I love you.

“Nous avons de la chance,” Logan grinned.

We’re lucky.

“It’s just that,” Leo took a slow breath. “I feel, like, too lucky. What if things had happened differently? What if Finn never told me he liked me? Because I would never have told him, or either of you. I never would have, Tremz, I couldn’t ruin you two like that. And then, I just would have—sat there every day.”

Logan said something soft and soothing in French. His mouth, when he kissed Leo, was just as gentle.

“I know,” Logan said. “And I can’t think about that. I need you.”

“I need you, too.”

~

Finn was at Dumo’s Christmas party with a girl. June. June was nice. Leo liked June. And maybe Finn did, too, but…still. Leo wondered what Logan thought.

Standing there in Pascal’s kitchen, looking at Logan’s pale face, Leo wondered what Logan knew.

“Excuse me,” Logan breathed, and then he was bolting down the basement steps to where Leo knew his bedroom was.

“I’ll go make sure he’s,” Leo began, but trailed off over a hard swallow. Finn looked sort of wrecked, as much as Logan had, Remus looked confused, and June looked—almost analytical.

“He’s had a lot to drink,” Leo finished lamely, and made his escape after Logan.

He was…endlessly confused by June.

The basement was a kid’s wonderland. A small floor hockey rink was put down over the carpet, littered with various sized roller blades. There was a mat for gymnastics, a foam basketball hoop, Barbie houses and legos and pirate ships all pushed together to make a giant, impressively realistic sort of town with ports and streets and gardens. There was a massive television with equally large, plush leather couches, thick fleece blankets thrown over the backs. Bean bags, and video games, and surround-sound. And to the left of it all, Logan’s bedroom door, plastered with loving signs made for him by the Dumais children. Stick figure after stick figure with hearts and stars—some of them looked like they were wearing a backwards hat. Leo smiled at the sight, then knocked on the slightly ajar door.

“Tremz?” he called out softly.

There was no sound from within for a second, and then he heard Logan clear his throat. “Ouais. Yeah, come in.”

Leo slid through the door and closed it behind him. Logan looked frozen, back towards him, between the door and his bed. His hands were in fists at his sides, and Leo, only half sure of what he was doing, crossed the room until they were facing each other. He took one of Logan’s hands and uncurled it, and then the other. Logan watched him do it with a glazed expression on his face.

“I’m fine,” Logan said.

Leo just hugged him.

“I’m fine,” Logan said again, voice more hoarse. “I didn’t drink that much.”

“Okay.”

Logan’s shoulders only relaxed after a good minute, and he turned his nose into Leo’s neck and held on.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re fine,” Leo replied.

“Knutty,” Logan whispered, and Leo had a sudden feeling that Logan was going to fall apart right there in his arms.

“What can I do, Tremz?”

Logan pulled back some, but only enough that his cheek brushed Leo’s, the side of his mouth against Leo’s jaw. Leo stopped breathing entirely. This was the most contact like this that he had had in a long time, and Logan was warm and gorgeous, but he was also hurting, and Finn was upstairs with a girl, and Leo didn’t understand.

“Logan?” Leo whispered.

All Leo could make out from this close, this angle, was that Logan had his eyes closed. If Leo turned his head any more to look, they’d be—

Logan leaned into him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I—no, that’s okay—”

Logan sucked in a sharp breath and then he was turning away, out of Leo’s arms. There was a horrible moment of hanging in a balance of silence.

“We should get back to the party,” was all Logan said after that.

~

“What are you thinking about?” Logan asked, brushing their lips together.

“Christmas,” Leo whispered back.

“Knutty,” Logan’s brows drew together. Seconds after the word was out of his mouth, he was kissing Leo, a little sloppily, hands in his hair. Leo breathed in through his nose and let it fill him up.

“How’s that?” Logan said when they finally broke apart.

“Very purposeful, thanks.”

Logan smiled, looking down at Leo, and then the smile slowly dropped off of his face.

Leo blinked. “What? What’s wrong?”

Logan sighed. He carded his fingers through Leo’s hair, thumb and forefinger messing with the grayish tuft at the front. “Harzy’s going to kill me.”

Leo’s laugh was halted in his confusion. “Why…”

Logan’s mouth twisted a little, like he was biting the inside of his cheek, and then he watched his own fingers twirling the gray streak in Leo’s hair for a moment. When his eyes found Leo’s again, he looked resolute. “I love you.”

Leo thought about Harvard.

He wondered about loving Logan and Finn amid locker room glances and looming dreams of success. Between classes and team dinners and roommates. Late night studying and parties where he would have to watch them pick up girls. He thought of four years of it, instead of a few months.

Leo thought about Christmas.

He thought of Finn, and days in the apartment with him, reading and talking and staying up late. Then, June. Logan’s wound up frame.

Logan was looking at him now, green eyes soft and calm. He knew Leo loved him. Leo supposed he had known Logan loved him. Finn, too. Logan just smiled and kissed his surprised mouth in quick bursts, and then in long, aching strokes that pulled Leo’s heart completely apart like it was merely made of string.

“Mon coeur,” Logan mumbled.

“I love you,” Leo finally managed. The words sounded surprised, although he wasn’t. 

“I would have loved you at Harvard,” Logan said softly. “I would love you in, I don’t know—in the arctic. I would love you at war, or stuck on some island together, or I would love you in fucking ancient Rome. I’d love you anywhere, Leo. I love you now. We both do.”

Keys jingled in the door, and Logan smiled, glancing up. Leo was glad that he didn’t hear Finn talking because that meant Alex wasn’t with him and Leo was fairly sure he couldn’t hold any type of conversation right now. Logan whispered the phrase once more into the soft skin of Leo’s jaw that he was kissing.

“I love coming home, wow,” Leo heard Finn sigh out as the door shut behind him. There was a clink that sounded like him throwing his keys onto the counter and then he appeared upside down above Leo, his hands on the couch arm behind Leo’s head. “Hi, guys.”

Logan laughed softly into Leo’s neck. Leo just stared up at him.

Finn looked between them. “What?”

When they didn’t answer, Finn’s face turned worried and he pulled himself around to crouch at their sides, one hand on Logan’s back. “What the fuck, what?”

“I…” Leo began.

“Watch this,” Logan said, and then looked at Leo, brushing their noses together. “Love you, Knutty.”

Leo bit his lip. “Love you.”

Finn was quiet for a long moment. Logan looked at him expectantly, Leo sheepishly. Finn’s face seemed frozen. Strangely blank. And then he punched Logan in the arm. Hard.

“Ow,” Logan laughed louder.

“Fucking—” Finn shook his head. “Fuck you. We had a plan.”

“I had to,” Logan said. “He was just sitting there, not knowing. He was sad.”

Leo hit Logan on the back of the head lightly. “I wasn’t sad.”

“But without me?” Finn pushed on. “You couldn’t have waited another fucking hour?”

Logan just buried his face in Leo’s neck again, settling himself more firmly on top of him. It left Leo and Finn looking at each other, Leo smiling in a way that felt a little dopey to him, and Finn with his mouth open. He had his glasses on, making his brown eyes reflect the light and turn all sorts of different shades.

“Well, fuck,” Finn said. “This is the most unromantic thing ever.”

“No, it’s not,” Logan mumbled.

Finn sent him a glare, even though he couldn’t see. “I’ll get you for this, Tremblay.”

Logan peaked out at him. Leo could feel his eyelashes against his neck. “That sounds fun.”

“Logan,” Finn groaned.

Logan smiled and scraped his teeth against Leo’s neck in a playful nip. It unraveled him all over again. “Don’t you have something you wanna tell Leo?”

Finn’s expression melted some at that. He looked at Leo and took a long, slow breath. He still had his coat on, and the dark wool made his pale skin creamy.

“You had to know,” Finn said softly. Leo thought he could hear a catch of emotion in his voice. “Of course, we were going to tell you, but…you had to know how much we love you.”

Leo nodded. “I…I wasn’t sure, but…Or, I was sure. But it’s not really true until… And you two have known each other so much longer.” Leo sighed. “When Tremz said I was sad. I wasn’t, but I guess that’s been bothering me. I’m…newer. And I hear you guys say it and I…I love hearing you say you love each other. But I also wanted it and I knew I should wait because I’m not, you know. If you weren’t ready, I didn’t want to say it first and, like, make you feel like you had to.”

“Baby,” Finn whispered. He reached out and laced his fingers in Leo’s hair. “I…Me and Tremz, how could we not—Tremz?”

Logan raised his head. “I remember realizing I liked you.”

Finn snorted. “I remember realizing Logan liked you.” He smirked. “Because I liked that.”

“I’m talking.”

“Sorry.”

“I remember realizing I liked you,” Logan said again. “And I remember almost kissing you, and…Nut, I could never feel like I had to do anything with you. There is no have to. It’s all want.”

Leo smiled. “Yeah?”

Finn leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to Leo’s cheek and looked at his torso. “Nice sweatshirt.”

Leo bit his lip. “Thanks.”

“You didn’t have to know us then or anything, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Leo let his head fall back against the cushions. With things like these, Finn always seemed to know.

“We didn’t even know us then, if you think about it,” Finn smiled. “You just had to be the tall as hell, kind, hot ass rookie that suddenly showed up in our lives. Who we didn’t know we needed.” Finn looked up at Logan briefly when Logan took his hand. “We love you,” he said, and looked at Logan, then at Leo. He seemed at serious as Logan had, sure and steady and hoping. “I love you.”

Leo had a hand on each of them, Finn pressing his cheek into his palm. “Love you, Fish.”

The buzzer rang, signaling someone was at the door downstairs.

“Food,” Logan said and rolled off of Leo. He pulled Finn in for a kiss before he went to the door, socks slipping a little on the floor as he went to let the delivery up.

It freed up space for Finn to pull himself between Leo’s thighs and kiss him quiet and warm.

“I love you so fucking much, Nutter Butter,” Finn whispered.

“Me too,” Leo said. Finn smelled like the wind and coming snow, and Leo wanted to warm him right up.

Finn grinned. “I love you and we’re going to the playoffs.”

“Yeah, we are,” Leo pushed Finn’s glasses up his nose.

“And you can do the splits.”

Leo snorted. “Is this how your brain works?”

“Yeah,” Finn nodded hurriedly with a shrug, looking nothing short of elated.

“Food,” Logan called out, closing the apartment door behind him. “Nutty, allez, or I’m taking all the edamame.”

Finn got up and pulled Leo after him.

~

“Mama?” Leo said into his phone.

“Hi, honey,” Eloise Knut said. Leo could hear the pots and pans in the background and when he closed his eyes he could practically smell the spices cooking. “How are you, baby? I’m just starting dinner. We’ve got all our tickets booked, me and your daddy, we’re so excited! Oh, Wyatt’s just buying all of your boys’ stuff—mostly yours.”

“Picture that,” Leo smiled into the phone. “Wyatt Knut buying hockey merch.”

Eloise laughed. “Our closet’s a Lions’ den, that’s for sure. We’ve got Black, we’ve got Potter—oh and you know how I like that Tremblay.”

Leo pressed a hand over his cheek, grinning so hard they hurt. “Yes, I know.”

“That accent,” Eloise said. “And those eyes.”

“Is dad still at work?” Leo said. “I just have some—well, news. Some good—really good news.”

“Better than the playoffs? Damn, honey. Well, yes, Wyatt’s still at the office, but you know him, always home soon. Do you wanna wait, or…”

Leo laughed. “Like you could let me wait after hearing I have news.”

“Well, if you want to!” his mom tapped a spoon on the side of a pan. “I’ll just be here making some stew, minding my own business.”

As if Leo could ever hold out on telling her now that he’d gotten this far.

“Mama—” he said, then cut off. Tears welled up in his throat and he pressed a hand over his eyes.

“Sweetheart? Honey, what is it? Are you—” she paused. “Is…is this about something to do with…you know, the bracelet?”

“Yeah,” Leo managed. “Yeah, mama.”

“Oh, Leo,” she breathed. “Let me turn the stove off.”

Leo laughed wetly, wiping his eyes as he listened to his mom bustle around the kitchen, heard a chair scrape out against the kitchen tiles.

“Okay, I’m ready, I’m ready.”

Leo could picture her there, blonde hair piled high on her head with a clip, strong and lean from her morning runs. He could see the sunlight coming in through the shutters and the radio playing softly in the steam from the food she was cooking.

“It’s—it’s a little more than we’ve ever talked about so stay with me, okay?” Leo said.

“Honey, you could fall in love with a sea turtle and I’d throw you a wedding party.”

“No sea turtles over here, but…”

“But?” Eloise said. “Oh, tell me, I’m gonna fall over.”

Leo grinned, laying back on his bed. “You were saying you liked Logan Tremblay?”

There was one beat of silence, then two, and then Eloise all but squeaked.

“No,” she shouted into the phone and Leo laughed. “Oh my—my favorite?”

“That’s not all,” Leo said, rubbing a hand over his chest. His heart was pounding.

“Not all?”

“Finn O’Hara?” Leo said. “My—

“Your roommate? Oh, Leo. Wait…Logan and Finn? When you said more, I wasn’t thinking…”

“Pretty crazy, huh? But yeah.” Leo looked towards his closed door, towards the living room where he knew they were waiting for him. “Logan and Finn, we’re all…Logan moved in and, well, we’re us.”

“Tell me everything.”

Logan was laying on Finn’s chest on the couch when Leo came back into the living room.

Finn’s eyes found his from the TV and he scoffed. “Lover-nut, why you gotta be so pretty when you’ve been crying?”

They made room for Leo to sit down, Logan in the middle and basically throwing his weight into Leo’s side. Leo wrapped an arm around him. “Both of you have called me pretty today.”

“You are,” Logan said.

Finn threw his legs across them. “How’d it go?”

“Really good. My dad wasn’t there, but I’m sure my mom will let it slip before I call again,” Leo laughed. “But really, really good. You’re my mom’s favorite, Tremz.”

Logan whooped and Finn hit the couch.

“Damn.”

“Also, also—” Logan began, already laughing.

“No, Lo,” Leo tried to cover his mouth.

“Knutty had my jersey and not yours, Finn.”

“Excuse me?”

“No, I—”

“Excuse me, Leonardonius Knut? I’m going to get one of mine right fucking now—”

Leo just laughed, and let Finn wrestle him down to the couch, shaking his head at a smirking Logan.

“—and you’re putting it on—”

“I only had Kasey’s jersey if you must know.”

“Kasey?” they said.

“I’m a goalie, guys, what did you expect?”

Finn looked between them. “Is this a joke? Lo. Lo, were you fucking with me?”

Logan tugged lightly on the band of Leo’s sweatpants. “Ouais. But you could still give Leo your jersey if you wanted to.”

Finn raised an eyebrow. “Be right back.”

Logan laughed and kissed him as Finn climbed over the back of the couch.

Leo loved them, more than he could say, and each time he thought it, he felt brand-new.

[maladjusted-nerd]

Starsky and Hutch’s Girlfriends (and Their Hair Color)

[PBS announcer voice] This post is brought to you by the time I was reading The Ollie Report for Bounty Hunter and came across the memorable line: “Again, Starsky is drawn to the dark-haired girl, Hutch to the blonde. Exogamists they are not.”

These are the two ladies in question, respectively:

I thought of this quote a lot as I continued watching the show, because it was quite often relevant. But then I got to Starsky’s Lady, and suddenly Hutch’s date wasn’t a blonde! I began to wonder about the quote, and the truth of the sentiment behind it (which is by no means specific to that one blog). Did Hutch really tend to go for the blondes, and Starsky for the dark-haired women?

So like any sane person, I decided to spend a billion hours of my life making a long-ass photo-heavy meta post that hopefully someone will care about. If anyone actually finds this information interesting or useful I will be happy, buuut I guess if nothing else it gives us an excuse to look at a bunch of pretty ladies.

How did I decided who’s here: I started with the list of women from the Canon Compendium’s Girlfriends and Dates page, added anyone whom I felt the boys made a “concerted effort” to flirt with, and then threw out a few people I didn’t think belonged. I tried my hardest to be objective, but making this list was by no means an exact science and several times it really just boiled down to “do I personally believe she should be on here” so like people will have different opinions on that and it’s fine! Spice of life or whatever.

As for the actual contents of the list: I will state each woman’s name and the episode she’s in. (If she doesn’t have a name she’s listed as Jane Doe. This is a cop show, after all.) I will state her hair color-- for Reasons and also My Sanity the only options are “blonde” or “darkhaired” (not blonde), but hair color is fucking weird and sometimes it was a guess so feel free to think otherwise. I will also state the reason that she’s here, aka the nature of her relationship with Hutch or Starsky (or both)-- so spoiler warning for pretty much everything, I guess.

Also fair warning that sometimes I was too lazy to get a good picture, or it was just actually impossible (newsflash: discos have bad lighting). Rip to any women I may have made look bad, you’re all beautiful queens and I love you.

Pre-Show

Vanessa (Hutchinson Murder One)- Darkhaired. Hutch’s late ex-wife and all-around terrible person.

Laura Kanen (Deckwatch)- Blonde. Hutch’s ex-girlfriend.

Helen Davidson (Lady Blue)- Blonde. Starsky’s late ex-girlfriend.

Kathy Marshall (Fatal Charm)- Darkhaired. A stewardess friend of theirs; it’s never said she’s an ex BUT she kisses Hutch square on the mouth in greeting and is Starsky’s date for dinner/disco. And she dances with both of them. Good enough for me!

Season 1

Hutch

Jeannie Walton (The Fix)- Blonde. His girlfriend at the start of the episode but not by the end! (Rip king)

Molly (Pariah)- Darkhaired. Stewardess friend/one-night stand? Something like that. Also his date at the end.

Jane Doe (Deadly Imposter)- Blonde. His date at the party.

Abigail Crabtree (Deadly Imposter to Vendetta)- Blonde. The only girlfriend we see in several episodes!! (The only girlfriend that lasts several episodes, whoops.)

Starsky

Jane Doe (Pariah)- Blonde. His date at the end.

Jane Doe (Deadly Imposter)- Darkhaired. His date at the party.

Amy (The Hostages)- Darkhaired. She works at a café that he’s going to for a second time, to let her know he’s ~available.

Sharman Crane (Running)- Darkhaired. They had a semester of woodshop together in junior high and then they kind of fall in love while he’s helping her dry out.

Season 2

Hutch

Abby (Deadly Imposter to Vendetta)- Still blonde. Miraculously still his girlfriend. (Until she isn’t.)

Gillian Ingram (Gillian)- Blonde. His now-late girlfriend who fucking deserved better.

Jane Doe (Gillian)- Blonde. Lady at the bowling alley that Starsky discreetly tries to set him up with.

Christine (Starsky’s Lady)- Darkhaired. His date of the episode.

Starsky

Vicky (The Las Vegas Strangler)- Darkhaired. They don’t really get a chance to go on an official date but they kiss a bunch and he’s really sweet on her and it’s cute.

Andrea (Vendetta)- Darkhaired. His picnic date.

Nancy Rogers (Gillian)- Darkhaired. His bowling date.

Terry Roberts (Starsky’s Lady)- Darkhaired. His now-late girlfriend who, like Gillian, also fucking deserved better.

Laura Stevens (The Velvet Jungle)- Blonde. They’re on a date at the end, but it should also be noted they meet when she accidentally knocks him into a dumpster. You know, like the start of any good romance.

Sharon Freemont (Starsky and Hutch Are Guilty)- Blonde. His evil lawyer girlfriend. (Not that he knows she’s evil.)

Both

Jane and Bobette (The Vampire)- Jane is the blonde on the right, Bobette is the darker blonde on the left. Starsky and Hutch mix up their names so it’s hard to tell which girl they actually like better, and also they’re twins so like does it even really matter?

Officer Sally Hagen (The Specialist)- Darkhaired. Starsky kisses up her arm in her first scene (someone please file a workplace harassment suit against him), and then at the end he and Hutch keep wrapping their arms around her waist. But she does get to flip both of them over her shoulder, so it kinda evens out.

Season 3

Hutch

Dianna Harmon (Fatal Charm)- Darkhaired. His possessive, violent nurse girlfriend. (You can really pick ‘em, Hutchinson.)

Dr. Judith Kaufman (The Plague)- Darkhaired. He tries so hard, but twas not meant to be.

Molly Bristol (The Collector)- Darkhaired. His girlfriend du jour.

Anna Akhanatova (A Body Worth Guarding)- Blonde. He’s technically her bodyguard and then they spend like two whole days making out. Good for them.

Mary (Class in Crime)- Blonde. His fishing date.

Starsky

Jane Doe (Murder on Playboy Island)- Darkhaired. Undercover agent he flirts with at the bar.

Rosey Malone (I Love You Rosey Malone)- Blonde. The entire plot revolves around him falling in love with her and it really doesn’t end well.

Jane Doe (The Collector)- Darkhaired. His date at their late-night deli party. (Bonus Starsky in the picture, hi Starsky!)

Sharon Carstairs (The Heavyweight)- Blonde. Their canoodling on his couch gets interrupted by Important Case Matters, and she winds up getting re-engaged to her ex-fiancé (ex-ex-fiancé?). Rip to a king.

Rachel (Class in Crime)- Darkhaired. His fishing date.

Caitlin (Class in Crime)- Her hair almost has a red tint but it’s otherwise undefinable. Car saleslady/one-night stand.

K.C. McBride (Quadromania)- Blonde. They have a nice taxi date (although he’s been sleep deprived all episode, poor boy, and falls asleep).

Both

Christine Phelps (The Heroes)- Blonde. She makes them lose all their braincells, it’s painful to witness. This episode hopes you will forget the actress was Gillian last season.

Julie McDermott (The Action)- Blonde. Starsky wins the kerfuffle for her but Hutch definitely makes a good go of it.

Lisa Kendricks (Foxy Lady)- Blonde. They drool and fight over her for half an episode like they did with Christine and it’s embarrassing.

Season 4

Hutch

Paula (Photo Finish)- Darkhaired. He’s like her date at the party, and also the end.

Kate Larrabee (Cover Girl)- Darkhaired. An old friend of his. It starts out just as a comfort thing but they quickly become very friendly.

Marlene (Starsky’s Brother)- Darkhaired. Starsky steals her from Nicky as a Big Brother Power Move but Hutch winds up with her at the bar.

Marianne Owens (Ballad for a Blue Lady)- Darkhaired. I don’t really know what’s going on here but there’s Something (and there’s a lot of parallels with Rosey Malone, so).

Starsky

Sergeant Lizzie Thorpe (Discomania)- Blonde. Technically Hutch talks with her more, but Starsky does most of the flirting.

Jane Doe (Discomania)- Darkhaired. He spends literally five minutes dancing with her. Is it relevant to the case? No. Does he care? Also no.

Emily Harrison (Blindfold)- Darkhaired. He accidentally blinds her during a case so he starts hanging out with her out of guilt but I feel like he also kinda falls in love; they kiss at one point anyway.

Marcie Fletcher (Photo Finish)- Blonde. His photographer girlfriend.

Officer Dee O’Reilly (Strange Justice)- Blonde. His meter maid girlfriend. They have a date at the end!

Jane Doe (Dandruff)- Darkhaired. He’s making out with her at the beginning.

Detective Joan Meredith (Black and Blue)- Darkhaired. It’s Heavily implied they slept together. (Side note love u Meredith!)

Melinda Rogers (The Groupie)- Blonde. He has a date with her at the end. (Yeah she slept with Hutch, but he was undercover and proceeds to lowkey rebuff her in the tag, so I’m not counting it.)

Katie (Starsky’s Brother)- Blonde. His date at the nightclub.

Both

Allison May/Laura Anderson (Targets Without a Badge parts 2 & 3)- Darkhaired. They both try to court her before Starsky realizes she’s his childhood friend (although they do make another go of it in the tag).

Kira (Starsky vs Hutch)- Blonde. Starsky’s girlfriend, although she says she’s also in love with Hutch so then they sleep together which Starsky is NOT thrilled about and it’s a very ugly mess.

Totals:

Hutch:

Pre-show: 3 (1 blonde, 2 dark)   Season 1: 4 (3 blonde, 1 dark)   Season 2: 6 (4 blonde, 2 dark)   Season 3: 8 (5 blonde, 3 dark)   Season 4: 6 (1 blonde, 5 dark) Overall: 26 (13 blonde, 13 dark)

(If the math looks weird, it’s cause Abigail counts for both seasons she’s in but only once overall.)

Starsky:

Pre-show: 2 (1 blonde, 1 dark)   Season 1: 4 (1 blonde, 3 dark)   Season 2: 8 (3 blonde, 5 dark)   Season 3: 10 (6 blonde, 3 dark, 1 ??)   Season 4: 11 (6 blonde, 5 dark) Overall: 35 (17 blonde, 17 dark, 1 ??)

(Thirty-five?? Calm the fuck down, Starsky.)

  In conclusion:

“Exogamists, they are not” might have been true back at the end of season 1 when it was said, but it’s certainly not true by season 4/the end of the series. Hutch now seems to favor dark-haired women, and Starsky’s about half and half, although they both wind up with an equal split overall.

Do with that information what you will; I’m outta here.

[hslllot]

Part I. Draft Day

fic masterlist | rated: m, mature | word count: 4.6k content/warning: hockey harry, nosey family members, a very brief mention of anxiety, overzealous hockey stans. 

DRAFT REPORT: The 411 on Harry Styles by John Michaelson for Sportsnet

There’s this kid named Harry Styles. He plays hockey. Ever heard of him? 

At this point there’s not much else to be said about the british Fighting Hawks’ centre, a lock to be the No.1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. 

Dubbed a generational talent, Styles’ abilities are at a level typically only seen in video games. We all know the Edmonton Oilers will select him with the first overall pick on June 26. In years to come, hockey fans from around the globe (but especially Oilers fans) will be on the edge of their seats, watching to see if the phenom can develop into a future Hockey Hall of Fame talent the way Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux did. 

Here’s what you need to know about Harry Styles: 

Age on June 26: 19 Birthplace: Redditch, Worcestershire, England Current team: University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks  Position: Centre Shoots: Left Height: 6-foot Weight: 190 lbs NHL Central Scouting Rank (North American): 1st

Harry Styles is a franchise-changing player in every sense of the word. He looked like a pro player even before he flew across the pond at a young age to play in the Canadian Hockey League. This has been a long time coming but the future is finally here.

He is talented beyond his years and always has been… Styles has played against older competition his entire career. Growing up in the small village of Holmes Chapel in Cheshire, England, the options for minor hockey teams were limited. Styles struggled to find a team in his age group that matched his talent level and was forced to play with older kids - and even then his talent was unmatched. Like the two other players from the UK currently playing in the NHL, Styles eventually had to leave home and play junior hockey in Canada, where he still had to play up a year against Canadian kids that grew up in a country that eats, sleeps, and breathes the game. 

He should have been drafted 1st overall last year… Styles shocked the hockey world in 2013 when, instead of declaring for the 2014 NHL Draft, he announced he would be attending the University of North Dakota and lead the Fighting Hawks to an NCAA Championship. Styles, ever the media-trained athlete, dodged questions about why he chose to go to university for a year before joining the NHL, simply stating “University was always a part of the plan, no matter what happened with hockey.” The hockey community let out a collective sigh of relief when his agent, Jeffrey Azoff (whose father was, coincidentally, Wayne Gretzky’s agent), announced shortly after his championship win that after one year at UND, Styles would be declaring for the 2015 Draft. 

His trophy case is full... Harry Styles has won pretty much every individual hockey award he could possibly win in his career so far. During his CHL career with the Vancouver Giants he won Rookie of the Year, multiple MVP awards, the award for most goals, assists, and overall points, and scholastic player of the year. During his short-lived NCAA career with UND, he won Rookie of the Year, the Hobey Baker Award as the top men’s hockey player, and was named to the Academic All-American team. Unfortunately, Great Britain’s ice hockey team will not be qualifying for the Olympics or the World Championships any time soon, so unless Styles applies for Canadian citizenship, international trophies and medals will be difficult to come by. Regardless, I have a feeling that there will be many Stanley Cups in his future. 

He really hates underperforming… The kid puts a lot of pressure on himself. As we have seen with many successful athletes, an insatiable inner drive to compete can lead to greatness. Styles has that drive to be great and can be his own worst critic. “When I was growing up, my mum was worried about me because I was a bit of a perfectionist.” Styles told The Hockey News back in December. “When I had a bad game, I would get so upset about it. It’s just how I am and how I think every athlete should be. Good is never enough. It’s important to always keep learning and growing to better yourself.”

He is excited to play for the Oilers… Not that he would have anything bad to say about any of the 30 NHL teams, but the Oilers do hold a special place in Styles’ heart. “It’s a great hockey town with fans that are super passionate about the game.” He told The Hockey News. “They’ve been on a bit of a slide the last couple years but the team has a great history. Not many people watch the NHL where I’m from, but my dad was always interested in it and that’s how I got into the game. He was an Oilers fan during their dynasty years with Gretzky and Messier… So if they do end up drafting me first overall, I’ll feel honored to be a part of the team, and it’ll be a nice tribute to my dad.” 

Be sure to catch our live 2015 NHL Draft coverage on June 26 starting at 5pm EST/2pm PT only on Sportsnet.

“With the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft the Edmonton Oilers are proud to select, from Holmes Chapel in England, Harry Styles.”

The room erupted in loud cheers and applause as the Edmonton Oilers drafted the National Hockey League’s newest and most sought after commodity. 

Y/N’s closest friends and extended family roamed around her parents’ living room, congratulating one another with hugs and handshakes like one of their own family members was just drafted. That wasn’t the case though, they were all just deeply invested in the hockey team and the boy from England that was meant to turn things around after so many years of losing. They were so invested, in fact, that the family organized a gathering similar to something you might see on a holiday, like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

While it was not a normal holiday, for Y/N’s family it was just as significant. It was Draft Day. And every hockey fan in North America wanted Harry Styles to play for their team.

“That’s quite the suit, isn’t it?” Her uncle Will pointed to the television where the young man is dressed in an ornate red floral suit and black dress shirt. The suit was flashier than what most hockey players would wear, but it’s clear that Harry Styles is not like most hockey players. The camera panned to him as he stood up from his seat and hugged the two brunette women sitting next to him. He stuck out like a sore thumb among a sea of other young hockey players all dressed in variations of black and grey as they patiently waited to be drafted from the stands of the BB&T Centre in Florida. It was clear to Y/N that, much like his hockey skills, Harry Styles’ fashion sense was superior compared to his peers.

There was an air of excitement in the room as the draft party, all clad in blue and orange jerseys, watched the generational talent walk down the stairs of the arena and make his way to the stage. They collectively held their breath, the room becoming silent, when he arrived at the stage where both the owner and general manager of the team were waiting to greet him. Harry shook their hands before they handed him his own blue and orange jersey. As he slipped the jersey over his head and posed for a photograph with the executives, the silence in the room broke and excited conversations and speculations for the upcoming season continued. Y/N couldn’t help but feel a stir in her belly and a sense of anticipation for what the upcoming hockey season would bring. 

Her thoughts lingered on the man on the screen, wondering what it might be like to meet him, when her brother pulled her out of her reverie. “Can you believe you’ll be working with the Harry Styles?” 

No - she couldn’t quite believe it. 

In fact, everything happening in her life right now seemed a bit too good to be true.

Set to start her third year of university in September and having to complete mandatory practicum hours in order to graduate the following year, she somehow managed to secure a placement with her favourite hockey team. The Oilers were only taking three students from the university program and everyone in the program wanted one of those spots. 

The application process was incredibly stressful for Y/N. One telephone interview, one in-person interview, and a practical session where she had to demonstrate her athletic therapy skills to the team’s head trainer. She did well with the phone interview, given that they weren’t able to see her. She was able to look down at the talking points she wrote in her notebook and pause to take a couple deep breaths without making it obvious that she was reeling on the inside. Her anxiety got the best of her during the in-person interview though, freezing up when they asked simple questions like “why do you want to work for the team?” and “what experience do you have working with sport teams?”

She left the interview feeling embarrassed, but instead of taking the time to wallow and feel sorry for herself, she went home and spent hours upon hours taping her brothers’ ankles in preparation for the practical session the following day. There was no way she was going to let the opportunity fall through the cracks. Her dream of working for the Oilers was the whole reason she decided to go to school for athletic therapy in the first place. She was never any good at playing hockey but she knew in her heart that, someday, she would work for the team she loved so much. At the end of it all, she reckons her taping skills saved her, so she took her brother out to his favourite restaurant to thank him for letting her use his ankles for practice.

Fast forward a few months and she’s now stood in her parents living room thinking about how in three months she could be taping Harry Styles’ ankles.  

At the time of her application, no one knew the Oilers would be picking first in the draft. The aura around the team was a bit negative at the time (because of all the losing) and there were rumours circulating the city that some of the star players were rude to the support staff and liked to party a little too hard at The Ranch (which contributed to said losing). 

When she first decided to apply for the position her father warned her, “there’s a saying that you should never meet your heroes. What if they’re all a bunch of assholes and you end up hating the team you’ve loved your whole life?” 

Y/N ignored her father’s warning but silently hoped that others would feel that way, narrowing down the applicant pool. However, the rumours circulating the team had no effect on the amount of students applying for the job. The fans were loyal in Edmonton (a city not known by many around the world unless you follow hockey or are compelled to visit North America’s largest shopping mall) and although the team was losing, every kid studying athletic therapy wanted a shot with their favourite team. Y/N knew of at least fifteen students that she beat out for the position. 

Now, it’s late June and there is a general hype surrounding the team, as if Harry was about to come in and shine a light on the Decade of Darkness (a term Oilers fans use to characterize the recent years in which their favourite team hadn’t made the playoffs). That’s a lot of pressure to put on one person, but Y/N supposed that he’s been dealing with this kind of pressure since he was sixteen, maybe even younger. 

Everyone at her family’s draft party was, yet again, watching the television intently while Harry gave his first interview as an official member of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team. While Y/N normally loved watching these types of interviews, she was a bit zoned out- mesmerized by the look of him. The suit, the wavy chestnut hair, the dimple in his left cheek, the accent. The accent. She had never really been that attracted to hockey players, which many people found hard to believe given that she’s such a fan of the sport. All of the guys from her high school who played minor hockey were rotten and thought they were better than everyone else. She did have favourite players in the NHL, players that she loved and admired, but they were her favourites because she loves how they play the game, not because she wants to fuck them. 

There was something different about Harry Styles though. Not necessarily that she wanted to fuck him (especially since she recently signed an employment contract that would forbid it), but she was certainly feeling intrigued by him. He doesn’t look like the boys she went to high school with. Maybe it��s the fact that he’s British, or that he opted for a suit that set him apart from the rest of them, or maybe it was the duality of the way he held himself with unshakeable confidence in his floral suit, his gaze set intensely on the person interviewing him, posture strong and dominant, while simultaneously speaking so softly, his words laced with kindness and gratitude.

“When do you start working with the team, Y/N?” Her uncle Will asked from across the room, prompting everyone to look in her direction waiting for her response. 

The news that Y/N would be working for the Oilers this season shook the family. As soon as her dad shared the news with his brother, she started receiving messages expressing congratulations from her many aunts, uncles, and cousins, shortly followed by messages asking if she would be getting free tickets to games. 

“Um, mid-September, for training camp.” 

“You get to meet Harry Styles?” her 9 year old cousin, Billy, asked. 

“I do. I will be one of the team’s trainers.” The young boy held a look of wonder on his face, as if realizing for the first time that that his oldest cousin was actually kind of cool. 

“Do you think he’s single?” Her aunt Maria asked with a smirk on her face, turning to the television to look at Harry Styles. Aunt Maria doesn’t care much for hockey but she never failed to mention which players she believed to be handsome. She was also the nosey type of aunt that liked to inquire about Y/N’s dating life. “Maybe you two will hit it off.”

Y/N playfully rolled her eyes at her aunt, waving off her comment. But before she could retort, her father chimed in. “Ha! Yea, right! That’s not going to happen. She’s not allowed to date anyone on the team, it’s the rules. Plus, Y/N knows better than to get involved with any of these guys.” 

Her father was right. It is the rules. Y/N thought back to when she went into the Oilers headquarters back in April to sign her employment contract. She asked a lot of questions, making sure she understood everything about the document she was signing. 

“Personal relationships? Even friendships are forbidden?” she asked the head trainer, TJ, for clarification. 

“It depends. You can be friendly, sure, but I would avoid spending time with the players outside of training and game times. Could be seen as unprofessional.”  

Y/N understood why such rules were in place, and she had no issue with it at the time. A woman securing a position on a professional sports team was rare, let alone a woman securing a position with a professional men’s team. She knew when she chose this career path that it would always be an uphill battle and that she’d have to work harder and be more strategic than the men in her field. She wanted- no, needed to excel and prove that she could be a talented athletic therapist and a valuable member of the team, so she had no intention whatsoever of messing that up with any type of personal relationships. She also understood the power dynamic between the professional athletes and the support staff, the different ways in which power can be abused, and how personal relationships could complicate things. It all made sense to her. Plus, she was happy enough with just becoming friends with the other trainers and she probably wouldn’t have a lot of free time, anyways, balancing her practicum and her school work.

Today, however, she couldn’t help the very slight pull on her heartstrings at the thought of not getting to know Harry Styles on a more personal level. 

As if he’d even be interested in the first place.

In a hotel restaurant in Sunrise, Florida, a few hours after the draft, Harry Styles sat with his mother Anne, sister Gemma, and agent Jeff, celebrating his newly drafted status over a bottle of champagne. He knew he should be feeling elated, like it was the best day of his life, but all he felt was exhausted. The conversation at the table happened around him while he sat in his own head, unable to think about anything but what it might feel like to be tucked into his bed in his childhood bedroom in Holmes Chapel. 

The weeks leading up to the draft were an absolute circus filled with interviews and talking to the media nearly every day (he hates talking to the media), shooting promo for all of his endorsements (he’s thankful for the money they give him but he knows he is an excruciatingly terrible actor), and flying around North America to visit all of the potential cities where he might be drafted (it was a pointless tour because everyone knew where he was going to end up). 

He had only tonight to celebrate with his family before it was all set to start again. Him and Jeff will fly off to Edmonton tomorrow morning for a week to speak to the media there, meet the teammate he’ll be living with, and do a surprise skating session with some kids at a summer camp. Meanwhile, his mum and sister will fly back to England.

“Any idea where you’ll live then?” Anne asked her son, pulling him out of his thoughts and back into the conversation. 

“Hm?” He hadn’t a clue what his mum just asked him but he’d hate to admit that rather than listening to anything the three of them had been talking about for the last hour he’d been thinking about how he’d rather be sleeping “Sorry, I think the champagne’s got to me a bit.” 

“The team’s got him living with one of his older teammates and his family.” Jeff stepped in, knowing Harry wasn’t fully paying attention. “They do this with the young guys to get them used to living on their own. Teach ‘em how to cook, do laundry, and keep ‘em in line. He won’t be partying every night and bringing girls back to his place if he lives with the guy’s wife and kids.” 

“Oh please,” Gemma chimed in. “Not like any of that would be an issue for Harry. He’s been away from home for years. And he’s hardly got time for partying and dating.” 

Harry shot Jeff a look warning him to keep his mouth shut. When Harry found out about the living arrangements the team had planned for him, he was less than pleased. After all, he’d just spent the last year living in a dorm room at the University of North Dakota where he had complete freedom. Gemma was right, he didn’t have much time for partying and dating. But he liked having his own space, and he really liked being able to invite someone over after a game, either to celebrate a win or relieve some stress after a loss. 

“You never know, some of these young guys get their first big pay cheque and a taste of the big leagues and it can go off the rails pretty fast.”

“I like to think I raised my baby to know better than to get caught up in a pay cheque.” Anne placed a comforting hand on her son’s shoulder and he quickly reciprocated, reaching up to place his hand over hers.  

Not liking where this conversation was going, Harry finally cut in. “You did. And Jeffrey, you know I’m not that kinda guy. Either way, none of this matters if I don’t make it past training camp. For all we know I could be going back to the juniors for the season.”

“Doesn’t matter who you are or what kinda guy you are, H, it’s just what the team does. It’s tradition. And c’mon, I know you like to keep your expectations in check, but the team’s made it pretty clear that you’re gonna be in the starting lineup come October.” 

Jeff was right. The team had all but promised that he would make it past training camp. The question wasn’t if he’d make it past training camp, but in what shape he’d be in and how long it would take for the team to start winning games.  

“The coach said I’m small and need to bulk up, especially since I’ll be playing against older, more experienced men.” Harry could feel the weight of his mum’s gaze as she gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’m not quite where I need to be yet, but I’ll get there.”

Harry and his family were stood in the hotel lobby with Jeff, convening on plans for the morning when he felt a small tug on the hem of his red floral suit jacket. He spun himself around, ready to confront the individual bold enough to touch him without his consent, to find a young girl, no older than five years old staring up at him. 

Harry looked at her, a bit taken aback and undoubtedly with a bit of confusion written on his face, and then spotted, a few feet behind her, two individuals who were most likely her parents. Suddenly, he realized that he may have actually had a few too many glasses of champagne and immediately tried to compose himself, standing straighter and trying to will away the exhaustion in his eyes and the haziness in his mind. 

“Oh - um, hello there.” He cleared his throat before using the soft voice he reserves for adorable, small children like the one stood before him. 

“Are you Harry Styles?” She asked with wide eyes and a small, timid voice.

“I am, sweetheart. What can I do for you?” 

A bright smile etched itself onto her face. But instead of answering him, she looked back at the adults standing behind her, motioning for them to help as she was too shy to proceed on her own. The man, who Harry presumed was her father, moved to stand beside her. 

“This is Millie. She wanted to say hi to you because she’s a big fan of yours.” 

Harry lowered himself in front of the young girl so that he was crouched down and eye-level with her. “Hi Millie, it’s a real pleasure to meet you.” He reached out to shake the young girl’s small hand. “Have you got anything that I could sign? Or I suppose we could take a photo if you’d like?” 

The young girl removed her hand from Harry’s, nodding her head eagerly. She began to unzip her jacket, revealing a bright orange Edmonton Oilers jersey underneath. 

“Oh? Look at that! You’re an Oilers fan. In Florida?” Harry lifted himself from his crouched position and directed his question toward at the girl’s father.

“Yes, well, we actually travelled here from Edmonton, to watch the draft in person.” Harry raised his eyebrows in shock. He knew that the flight from Edmonton to Florida is long, and likely expensive. The tickets to attend the draft live probably weren’t cheap either. “It’s not every day your favourite team picks first overall! Let alone gets to pick a player like you. We were so excited so we decided to make a family trip out of it. Turn around, Millie, show him the back!” Millie’s father handed Harry a sharpie as Millie turned her back to Harry. 

It was at that moment that Harry started to understand the weight of the moment. The name ‘STYLES’ was embroidered on the back of Millie’s Oilers jersey, above the number ‘15’ indicating his draft year. He was speechless. This was, after all, the first time he was seeing his name in the classic Oilers’ orange and blue colours adorned on a fan’s back. 

The feeling was different from earlier at the draft when they presented him with his own jersey. This one belonged to someone else. Someone bought his jersey before he’d even ever played a single minute for the team. They flew across the continent, from Edmonton to Florida, just to watch him get drafted. It was a lot for his hazy, champagne-diluted mind to take in.

Realizing he’d just been standing there staring at the jersey, he cleared his throat once again in hopes that he could hide the unknown thoughts and emotions he was trying to reconcile. “Wow, um, I didn’t realize you could get these already.”

Millie’s father laughed, “Man, they’ve been selling these in Edmonton since they announced we’d be picking first in the draft.” Again, the feeling was overwhelming for Harry. 

We’d be picking first in the draft.

To this family, and probably others in Edmonton, the Oilers were “we”. They win together, they lose together. If the Oilers pick first in the draft, they all pick first. It was their team. And now he, Harry, was a part of that “we”.

Harry reached down to sign the jersey on Millie’s back, quickly scribbling his autograph on the left side. As he straightened himself, he felt Anne move to stand beside him, apparently having sensed her son’s unease and unconscious need for his mother to join him in this moment.

“Hi, I’m Harry’s mum, Anne. Would you like me to take a picture of the four of you?” Millie’s father eagerly handed his phone to Anne and waved his wife over to be in the photo. Several photos of Harry and the family were taken, followed by a few of just Harry and Millie. 

“Would you mind if I took one of Harry and Millie on my phone as well?” Anne asked as she snapped the last photo. “This is the first time Harry’s met a fan wearing his name on an Oilers jersey. We’d like to remember it.” 

The family was more than happy to oblige so Anne took a few more photos on her phone, including one where Millie’s back was to the camera and the ‘STYLES’ name in full view. 

It was so like his mum to understand how special the moment was and to come in and save him. He couldn’t quite articulate what he was feeling in that moment, as understanding emotions and sentimentality were not his greatest strengths, and he most definitely never would have asked to take a photo to keep for himself had she not done it. 

The obvious feelings were joy and gratitude. Every day he was thankful to play the game he loved, to be successful, and to have fans that loved and supported him. It didn’t always make sense that complete strangers paid him so much attention just for playing a game, but he accepted it and always tried to show those strangers kindness in return. However, there was another feeling lingering, one that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Looking at his mum, he knew that she knew what it was. She always knew. And certainly she would make him talk about it later.

As they separated from the family and walked toward the hotel elevators, where Gemma and Jeff were waiting, Anne grabbed onto her son’s arm, holding him close as they walked side by side. 

“Do you see that they love you already, my darling?” She asked. Harry raised an eyebrow at his mum, unsure of what she was going on about. “I know you. I know that you care what people think and that you are scared to disappoint them. You just need to step out on the ice and be yourself. Just be Harry. They already love you and this is only just the beginning.”

WOW! OK. I know it’s a bit of a slow start, but I wanted this chapter to be more of an introduction to harry and the mc and to the fan culture that harry is about to experience!! I’ve already started on the next part so that should be up before Christmas! If you’ve made it this far, all I can say is that I love you and appreciate you. If you liked it, please let me know. I debated not posting this so many times (and I might even regret it later) so feedback will certainly ease my troubled mind!! I ALWAYS LOVE YOU, BUT ESPECIALLY TODAY!! xx Shan. 

Harry’s Draft Day Look

talk to me about generational | fic masterlist

[noveratus]

Been thinking a lot about Squid Game lately after watching it twice and I must say it is an amazing show, from how artesy it looks to its critics to its characters. Episodes 2 and 6 are masterpieces for different reasons and the show overall is phenomenal, that being said I do have a couple of problems with it, more specifically with episodes 7 and 8. I know most people appear to have a problem with episode 9, but after a rewatch the reveal starts making more sense. There were quite a lot of hints if you stopped and looked at it and even the games were created to be compatible with the "mastermind". Even the way Gi-hun reacts, he is so broken he can't touch the money or even care if he loses everything. At the end,he is more interested in seeing someone else save that one drunken man than anything else. That's what sparks him to want to keep living, compassion and empathy, not victory.

Now that I have defended what others seem to dislike, let me talk about what I don't like: The fourth game. Sure, I have a couple of problems with the detective plotline and how unresolved it felt, but I get it was set up to lead to season 2 so I will forgive.

The fourth game, however, makes no sense seeing as it goes completely against the fairness they so desperately tried to maintain with the games and it wasn't even based on a child's game and the worst part is it could have been oh so easily fixed. All you needed to do is send someone to show the competitors the right path first, just have one of the soldiers hop their way across before send the players, that way it becomes a memory game rather than a guessing/luck game where technically all players have a chance at winning, some more than others, but just like with the second game, everyone has a chance. You can have the math teacher be the first one to reach the other side, only to have Deok-su trick him into helping him get to the other side and then killing him for "less competition." While he is busy killing the math teacher, Mi-nyeo locks her arms around him and tosses herself out of the platform with him (at this point Deok-su threatened to push anyone who reached the end so he just won the game here)

There is also Sae-byeok's death that felt pretty rushed. It made sense for Sang-woo to kill her, but the shard of glass that got on her stomach was so bad, it felt like they needed to get rid of the character but didn't have a good idea how so they just added that and I quite hated it since she was such an excellent character. I think that, instead, they should have killed her during the Squid Game, both Gi-hon and her are partnered to kill Sang-woo and if they win they share the money. Sang-woo gets the uper hand on Gi-hon, Saek-byeok has a chance to win the game, but chooses to help Gi-hon instead, but by doing so she gives Sang-woo an opening to slit her throat. It's a tragic ending that I believe firs the character better since her entire arc was about learning to trust others. In the end, she finally trusts and cares about someone else and that causes her downfall. The show also showed that with her demise, but it just didn't sit right with me, you know?

[letterboxd]

Life Detained.

The Mauritanian director Kevin Macdonald talks with Jack Moulton about researching Guantanamo Bay’s top secrets, Tahar Rahim’s method-acting techniques, the ingenuity of humanity during the pandemic, and his favorite Scottish films.

“You’ve got to understand that for a Muslim man like Tahar, this role has a much greater significance than it does for you or me.” —Kevin Macdonald

It’s not uncommon for a director to release two films in one year, but Academy-Award winning—for his 1999 documentary One Day in September—director Kevin Macdonald is guilty of this achievement multiple times. Ten years ago, he released his first crowd-sourced documentary Life in a Day and the period epic The Eagle within months of each other. A decade on, he’s done it again.

The Scottish director (and grandson of legendary filmmaker Emeric Pressburger) released both his Life in a Day follow-up and the legal drama The Mauritanian this month. The latter tells the story of Guantanamo Bay detainee Mohamedou Ould Slahi (sometimes written as Salahi), who was held and tortured in the notorious US detention center for fourteen years without a charge. The film, adapted from Slahi’s 2015 memoir Guantánamo Diary, features Jodie Foster and Shailene Woodley as his defense attorneys Nancy Hollander and Teri Duncan, with Benedict Cumberbatch, who also signed on as the film’s producer, playing prosecutor Lt. Stuart Couch.

Benedict Cumberbatch as prosecutor Lt. Stuart Couch in ‘The Mauritanian’.

The Mauritanian also introduces French star Tahar Rahim to a global audience, in the role of Slahi. “The ensemble is excellent across the board,” writes Zach Gilbert, “while Tahar Rahim is best in show overall, bringing honorable heart and humanity to his role [of] the titular mistreated prisoner.”

Much of the story is filmed as an office-based legal thriller involving thick files, intense conversations, and Jodie Foster’s very bright lipstick. Macdonald expertly employs aspect ratio to signify narrative shifts into scenes recreating Slahi’s vivid recollections of torture and his achingly brief conversations with unseen fellow detainees.

Qualifying for this year’s awards season due to extended deadlines, The Mauritanian has already earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress for Rahim and Foster respectively. Slahi remains unable to travel due to no-fly lists, but he was a valuable resource to the production, providing an accurate and rare depiction of a sympathetic Muslim character in an American film.

It was the eve of Life in a Day 2020’s Sundance Film Festival premiere when we Zoomed with Macdonald. Behind him, we spied a full set of the Italian posters for Michelangelo Antonioni’s classic Blow-Up. As it turns out, he’s not a fan of the film—only the posters—so we got him talking about his desert-island top ten after a few questions about his new film.

The attention to detail on Guantanamo Bay in The Mauritanian is impressive. There are procedures depicted that you rarely see on-screen. How did you conduct your research? Obviously Guantanamo Bay is a place which the American government spends a great deal of effort keeping secret. It was important to Mohamedou and me that we depicted the reality of the procedures as accurately as we possibly could. That research came primarily from Mohamedou who has an incredible memory. He drew sketches and made videos of himself lying down in spaces and showing how he could stretch half his arm out [in his cell]. There are a lot of photographs on the internet of Guantanamo Bay which are [fake] and others are from a later period because the place developed a lot over the years since it started in 2002 and Mohamedou was able to [identify] which photos were rooms, courtyards and medical centers he had been in.

Director Kevin Macdonald on set with Jodie Foster.

How did you approach creating an honest representation of the graphic torture scenes, without putting the audience through it as well? Whenever films about this period are [made] they’re always from the point of view of the Americans and this time we’re with Mohamedou. You can’t underestimate the fact that there have really been no mainstream American cinematic portrayals of Muslims at all, so in portraying a sympathetic Muslim character who’s also accused of terrorism, you’re pushing some hot buttons with people. It was important that those people who are uncomfortable with him understand why he confessed to what he confessed.

Everything you see in the film is what happened; the only difference is that they weren’t wearing masks of cats and Shrek-like creatures, they wore Star Wars masks of Yoda and Luke Skywalker in this very perverse fucked-up version of American pop culture. Obviously, we couldn’t get the rights to those. Actually, I don’t feel that it is graphic. There is more violence in your average Marvel movie. It’s psychologically disturbing because you’re experiencing this disorientating lighting, the [heavy-metal] music, and he’s being told his mother’s going to be raped and he’s flashing back to his childhood. To be empathizing with this character and then to see them to be so cruelly treated is so deeply disturbing.

How did you prepare Tahar Rahim for his convincing portrayal of such intense pain and suffering? Tahar went through a great deal of discomfort in order to achieve it. He felt that to give a performance that had any chance of being truthful, he needed to experience a little bit of what Mohamedou had suffered, so throughout the movie he would insist on wearing real shackles which made his leg bleed and give him blisters. I would plead with him to put on rubber ones and he would say “no, I have to do this so I’m not just play-acting”.

He starved himself for about three weeks leading up to a torture sequence—he had lost an awful amount of weight and he was really unsteady on his legs. I was very worried about it and I got him nutritionists and doctors but he was determined to stick with that. You’ve got to understand that for a Muslim man like Tahar, this role has a much greater significance than it does for you or me. He felt a great weight of responsibility to do this correctly, not just for Mohamedou, but he was speaking for the whole Muslim world in a way.

Jodie Foster and Shailene Woodley as defense attorneys in ‘The Mauritanian’.

What compels you to study this period in time? Mohamedou was released a couple of weeks before Trump came to power in 2016, so the story is still ongoing for him. He’s still being harassed by the American government and he’s not allowed to travel because he’s on these no-fly lists. I didn’t want to make a movie that was saying “George W. Bush is terrible”. We’ve been there, we’ve done that. This is looking back with a little bit of distance and saying “here’s the principles that we can learn from when you sidestep the rule of law”—what it takes to stand up like Lt. Stuart Couch did when everyone else around you is going along with something that’s really terrible.

You see that around Trump with the choices within the Republican Party to stand up and say they’re going to sacrifice their careers to do the right thing. It is a hard thing when there’s this mass hysteria in the air. The basic principles that the lawyer [characters] are representing is not about analyzing and replaying what happened after 9/11, they’re directly related in a bigger way to the world we all inhabit.

Did anything surprise you in how your subjects for Life in a Day 2020 addressed the pandemic? One of the most affecting characters in the film is an American who lost his home and business because of the pandemic, so he’s living in his car. He seems very depressed when you meet him for the first time, then later he’s telling us there’s something that’s giving him joy in his life. He brings out all these drones with these cameras on them and puts on this VR headset and loses himself by flying through the trees. I thought that was such a great metaphor for the way that human ingenuity has enabled us to survive and thrive during the pandemic.

I get the feeling of resilience from [the film]. This is a more thoughtful film than the original one. I see this as a movie of [us] being beware of our susceptibility to disease and ultimately to death and mortality, [and] how we’ve found these consolations as human beings. To me, it’s a really profound thing. It also speaks to the main theme of the film which is how we’re all so similar, same as The Mauritanian. It’s confronting you with all these people and saying we fundamentally all share the basic things that underpin our lives and the differences between us are much less important than the things we have in common.

Let’s go from Life in a Day to your life in film. What’s a Scottish film that you love but you feel is very overlooked or underrated? That’s really hard because there aren’t many Scottish films and there aren’t many good ones. Gregory’s Girl is the greatest Scottish film ever made—it’s the bible for life for me. That’s very well-known, so I would have to say Bill Forsyth’s previous film That Sinking Feeling, which was self-funded and made on 16mm black-and-white. It has some of the same actors and characters as Gregory’s Girl in it. Or my grandfather Emeric Pressberger’s film I Know Where I’m Going! which is a rare romantic comedy set in Scotland.

John Gordon Sinclair and Dee Hepburn in Bill Forsyth’s ‘Gregory’s Girl’ (1980).

Which film made you want to become a filmmaker? I think it was Errol Morris’s The Thin Blue Line, which is one of the top five documentaries ever made and in my top ten desert-island movies.

What else is in your desert-island top ten? Oh god, don’t! I knew you were going to ask me that. I’ll give a few. I would say there would have to be something by Preston Sturges—maybe The Lady Eve or The Palm Beach Story. There would have to be a film written by my grandfather, so probably The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, which is the best British film ever made. There would have to be Singin’ in the Rain, which is the most purely joyful film I’ve ever seen. There would probably be The Battle of Algiers, which I rewatched recently and was an inspiration on The Mauritanian. Citizen Kane I also rewatched in anticipation of watching Mank, of which I was very disappointed. I thought it completely missed the point and was kind of boring.

Which was the best film released in 2020 for you? I thought the Russian film Dear Comrades! was really stunning. It was made by a director [Andrei Konchalovsky] in his 80s who first worked with Andrei Tarkovsky back in the late 1950s. He co-scripted Ivan’s Childhood. I would love to make my masterpiece when I’m 86 too!

Related content

Films with Muslim characters

Movies that pass the Riz test

Scottish Cinema—a regularly updated list

Follow Jack on Letterboxd

‘The Mauritanian’ is in select US cinemas and virtual theaters now, and on SVOD from March 2. ‘Life in a Day 2020’ is available to stream free on YouTube, as is the original.

[crazy-loca-blog]

Personal thoughts on… 2019 releases (Part I)

Note: As the title says, these are just personal opinions on Choices books and chapters. Of course, you may agree or disagree with them, I only use this platform to express my thoughts on what I read every week.

After dealing with a lot of work and stress (to the point I ended up being sick in bed for a few weeks and now after a few months I still haven’t fully recovered), I’m finally back!

I’ve been playing Choices for over two and a half years now, and I honestly can’t remember a busier year than 2019. We’ve had the chance to read over 30 books! So I wanted to take some time to give my personal opinion on these releases. As there are so many books to talk about, this will be a three-part post and I will also include current releases and books that were released during 2018 but were finished in 2019. The list is organized in alphabetical order and it doesn’t include the VIP Books (as I don’t have access to the feature) or the seasonal books (as I’ll talk about them in another post, after all of them have been fully released).

A Courtesan of Rome (November 14, 2018 - June 12, 2019): I have a feeling that ACOR was one book before the hiatus and a completely different book after the hiatus. At first I found the story interesting, but it wasn’t like I was waiting every week for a new chapter to be released (honestly, those “8 years ago in Gaoul” scenes killed my mood so, so badly during half of the book!). However, after the hiatus, things seemed to move faster and that caught my attention. Overall, I really liked this book and I enjoyed reading it. I have a soft spot for these MCs that are super smart, so I loved to see our badass girl using her beauty and her brain to reach her goals. The LIs were awesome, too. I don’t think it was one of those “They’re all so good, I don’t know which one to choose” situations, but it was nice to see how every LI represented a different point of view of the conflict, so kudos to the writers for it. Of course, after the final chapter it was pretty clear that we won’t be having a second book, but I’m not that sure if it was actually planned to be a series. Sad.

Across the Void (August 20, 2018 - May 13, 2019): This book has probably one of the best graphics in Choices… but it also has probably one of the worst plots and some of the most hated characters in the app. We got this nice MC whose only mission was to be the captain of a luxury spaceship in the middle of a civil war. Of course, we got caught in the middle of it. And what does our MC do? He/She throws parties so the passengers and the crew can relax! We also had these annoying siblings who didn’t even think about making our job easier, a male LI that we shared with our brother, a male LI that hid very important information from us (and we got to know about it at the end of the book), and a male LI that we barely saw in the book. Thank God for the female LIs in this book! On top of that, we had to choose if we supported the Jura or the Vanguard without even knowing what their role in this conflict was. Thankfully, the hiatus helped to improve things a little and the final chapters were way better than the first ones where nobody seemed to have clear what was going on with this war. Of course, the fact that we had a choice to kill our MC at the very end of the book means that there is no chance to have a second book, but I wouldn’t mind revisiting this era with a better story in the future.  

America's Most Eligible: All Stars (January 16, 2019 - May 1, 2019): Have you noticed how reality shows that are pretty successful in the first season tend to become lame, boring and repetitive in subsequent seasons? That’s exactly what happened to me with AME. I enjoyed the first book, even though I don’t think it has super memorable characters and there is nothing like “wow” in the plot, following the story was easy and (don’t deny it, because you know it’s true) it definitely made our competitive side to blossom. But in Book 2, things became repetitive and boring. Sure, we got some new characters, such as Vince and Slater. Sure, it was nice to see Mack, Jen and some other familiar faces once again. But Carson continued being Carson, Ivy continued being Ivy, and Bianca was denied as a LI (again). So, overall, we got nothing new or refreshing in this book… and we ended it with a proposal? After dating out LI for like 2 months? We just didn’t need another wedding book.

America's Most Eligible: Wedding Edition (September 18, 2019 - Present): I seriously think the only reason why AME got a third book is because of us, the fans. The whole series has been about competitions and winning… and of course, we have to spend A LOT of diamonds to win. So I assume the first two books were very, very profitable for PB because of course, we all want to win. However, as we’ve learned this year, having a wedding book may actually end up “killing a series”, and AME is not the exception. From the moment that the writers turned our wedding special into a competition, I knew things were going to be weird. In my very personal case, having Slater in my party made no sense at all, because my MC has never trusted him, so they’ve never had a good relationship. Then, having to compete against Vince and Ivy, our biggest enemies in the competition is so… basic. I’m kind of tired of the dynamic with them… it’s been two books already. And then we have all these super weird storyline with Jen. I mean… how is it possible that she is the showrunner, but at the same time she is a contestant… or even our fiancée!?!? The only thing I may rescue so far is that finally all Bianca and Slater lovers got a chance to express their feelings (and I’m so waiting for drama if you reciprocate them!). But that’s all.

Baby Bump (December 9, 2019 - Present): I know this book is on the list of the “most hated books in 2019”, but for some reason I can’t explain, I still haven’t found anything that truly disgusts me about it (maybe I’m lowering my standards?). I know and I understand that some people feel uncomfortable because we didn’t have a chance to choose our baby’s dad, or because our baby’s dad acted like a total freak by proposing in the second chapter, but I have a feeling that things will improve, especially because our own MC seems to be a grounded person overall. Probably my main complaint goes to how some stuff seems to be repetitive from other books (besides those Big Sky Country vibes all over the place). I mean… why is the evil girl always a bitch? Why do we always have to choose between an insanely rich LI and another LI who’s not so wealthy? When did the MC, both LIs and Luisa become “a gang”? I know there are too many things that seem out of place now, but I have faith. It won’t become a masterpiece, but it won’t be a complete disaster either.

Bachelorette Party (July 18, 2019 - October 17, 2019): Humor, fun, romance, but above all, friendship. I really liked this book at the very beginning because it was a light story, but at some point I felt the writers ran out of ideas right in the middle of the story and started dragging things. They tried to add a more serious touch with the case plot (I even thought we would be having some plot twist as we did in the Perfect Match series), but I think they failed. I kept waiting forever to see a connection between the case and some characters such as Reed or Skip, as everyone seemed to be connected with it in some form, but that never happened. Also, we had Aisha, a trans character who most of us loved at first, but who became annoying after blaming everyone but her for losing the case and not telling the truth behind it (even when she knew we could have been killed she didn’t say the truth… come on, girl!). Finally, I missed our MC having her own self-healing plot after breaking up with her boyfriend/girlfriend… there were only mentions and a few questions about how we were feeling, but that was all. I would have loved to see our friends doing some things for us. At the end, I got a bittersweet feeling about it. I enjoyed the story overall, but there were so many things that could have been explored within the plot, that I’m not fully satisfied with the story.

Big Sky Country, Book 2 (July 27, 2019 - November 9, 2019): I never, ever in a million years would have thought that Big Sky Country would have a second book. Even though I love all these beautiful characters in the story, I thought the plot was pretty lame and boring overall. I can perfectly remember how criticized it was. So I was prepared to read the second book just because I had already finished the first one. But I’m soooo glad that PB proved me wrong here. Not only we had a second book that was much better than the first one, but we also got a story where the writers did a fantastic job trying to balance the screen time of all the LIs and they succeeded when trying to blend all the different plots in one single story. In my opinion, the weakest point of this book was actually the final chapter… Asha won, Clint died, and we became official and got engaged to our LI in like 10 minutes… it just felt too rushed for me.

Bloodbound, Book 2 (May 17, 2019 - August 30, 2019): Even though it’s not one of my personal favorites (and probably that’s why I don’t understand all the hype for it), if I had to choose between the first two books, the second one is the one I like the most. I feel a lot of things improved when compared to BB Book 1, but my special mention goes to Lily… she annoyed me so much in the first book, for some stupid reason I can’t explain, I barely could stand reading her lines… but she definitely grew (A LOT!) in the second book. Also, we were introduced to some new characters, such as Serafine or Nikhil (I’m pretty sure that there’s more about him that we don’t know yet). Sure we had some fantastic moments, such as the crossover with Nightbound (I hope to see more of it in Book 3) or discovering who was behind the Order. But there’s no doubt that my favorite part of this book was when the gang went to the Order headquarters and discovered that the only one who could access was the MC… realizing that the real power of our MC (at that point) was simply to be human, and not a vampire, blew my mind. That’s why I wasn’t rooting for her to become a vampire.

Bloodbound, Book 3 (November 9, 2019 - Present): One of the biggest complaints made by Choices players is that the writers seem to have problems trying to make a series attractive over time. We see unnecessary content that doesn’t add up to the plot, and a tendency to drag things in general. By the third book, people seem to be struggling with the series more than enjoying them. Well, this is not the case of Bloodbound. The series not only had its biggest plot twist by turning our MC into a vampire, but also we may notice the writers have not stopped to impress us. Of course, this book is the darkest one in the series, and after 6 chapters I still have so many questions… should we trust Rheya? Is she good or bad? What’s the real power of our MC given the fact that she’s also the bloodkeeper? Will our MC end up being the villain of the story? So far, I’m pretty happy with this book. If things will continue to be like this, I would LOVE to have a fourth book (especially if it’s said that this is the last book in the series).

Desire & Decorum, Book 2 (December 17, 2018 - April 8, 2019): Even though in my opinion this is the weakest book in the series, one of the things I value the most about it is how the writers managed to create this powerful MC in an era where women actually didn’t have much power and they were basically expected to get marry and obey their husbands. Of course, the whole plot where we were forced to marry Duke Richards was the main focus of the story, but seeing our girl standing up by herself, being helped by her friends and her true love, and saving the queen (and England) was an absolute pleasure. However, it wasn’t enough to fully convince me. The duel between Duke Richards and our LI, Duke Richards becoming Mr. Richards and getting arrested, and Briar’s happy ending are probably the best moments of the book, but even though I enjoyed it, it’s far from being one of my favorites.

[theyearoftheking]

Book Forty-Three: Storm of the Century

“Now I know how easy it is to just get... yanked out of the world. I wish I didn’t, but I do...”

It’s been blisteringly, hot-as-balls here in Wisconsin for the past few weeks. It’s gotten to the point the heat is actually making me anxious in a, “Global warming is real, and going to kill us all...” kind of way. To be clear, the recent heat hasn’t just convinced me global warming is a threat. I’m a woman of science. A woman of science who composts and celebrated the fact we’re officially out of plastic grocery bags (we use them for cat litter disposal); and hopefully will never see another one again. Wow. That was quite the overshare. I swear to God, my life is more than celebrating the fact I can now scoop cat poop into paper bags. 

Ok, that didn’t help. I’m just going to stop now. 

Back to the heat... I’m not going to lie, reading Storm of the Century had me fantasizing about a cold, snowy blizzard. Which, thanks to quarantine, I won’t have to leave the house to go drive in. I kinda hope this whole social distancing thing will extend through March, so I can live in Uggs and leggings all winter long, drink lots of tea, and continue to binge watch Cold Case Files with my daughter. A girl can only dream... 

In the introduction, Steve talks about how he wanted to try his hand at a screenplay, and a jailhouse image wouldn’t leave him alone: “...that of a man...sitting on the bunk in his cell, heels drawn up, arms resting on knees, eyes unblinking. This was not a gentle man, or a good man... this was an extremely evil man. Maybe not a man at all.” 

I have to give Steve credit for trying a new format, and I thought he was successful. I fully anticipated reading a dry screenplay, full of director’s notes. But instead it was a vividly descriptive screenplay, with plenty of Steve’s humor and snark throughout. For example, “He bends out of the frame, and we hear the SOUND OF VOMITING. (Sort of like the SOUND OF MUSIC, only louder.” and then later on, “He gestures to the girl, who is (pardon the pun) just about CATatonic.” The girl in question, her name is Cat. Groan. But also kind of snort-laugh. 

There were also plenty of references to Steve’s universe:

The story is set on Little Tall Island (the former home of Dolores Claiborne)

“There hasn’t been a murder on this island for almost seventy years... unless you counted Dolores Claiborne’s husband, Joe, and that was never proved.” 

“Crawl out of the sewer” (It)

“A friendly, grinning, Saint Bernard” (Cujo)

Storm of the Century takes place seventy years after Dolores Claiborne killed her husband. Little Tall Island is bracing themselves for... you guessed it... the snow storm of the century. People are stocking up on groceries, getting the town hall ready in case the island loses power, and picking their babies up from daycare. 

While all this hustle and bustle is going on, Andre Linoge bludgeons Martha Clarendon to death with his cane (black, with a silver wolf’s head on the top); while whistling “I’m a little teapot”. 

Local kid Davey Hopewell is walking home when he stumbles across the crime scene, and immediately alerts the police. When Constable Mike Anderson arrives on the scene, he finds Linoge calmly waiting to be arrested. Creepy. Of course a murder happens just as a massive snowstorm is starting, and he can’t contact the authorities on the mainland. 

Mike tries to get Linoge into the jail, but the door won’t budge. So, he needs to parade him inside the grocery store, to get to the attached jail. While in the grocery store, Linoge locks eyes with a few townsfolk, and spills some dangerous secrets. He seems particularly fascinated with Mike’s son Ralphie. Mike eventually gets him locked in a jail cell, and calls on teams of men to guard the cell. 

All hell breaks loose. 

Linoge has the ability to visualize a crime from his cell, and have unwilling participants commit it. For example, he has one woman bludgeon her boyfriend to death, and he has one of his guards hang himself. And he keeps leaving little notes everywhere, “Give me what I want, and I’ll go away!” 

What Linoge wants is one of the town’s children. He puts them all into a deep sleep, and makes the parents pick which one of the eight children will leave with him. If they can’t decide, or decide not to give him a child, he’s going to kill all the kids. Mike is the only parent that strongly objects to this, but the town (and his wife Molly) quickly overrule him. The parents all pick a stone out of a sack, and whichever parent picks the black stone, loses their child. Of course Molly picks it, and Ralphie leaves with Linoge. 

Mike is understandably heartbroken, and leaves Molly and Little Tall Island for San Francisco. One day he’s out getting groceries, and sees an older man and a teenage boy walking down the street singing, “I’m a little teapot.” He’s convinced it’s Ralphie. He chases after them, and Ralphie turns around and snarls, showing him his fangs. Mike decides to leave well enough alone. 

And that’s pretty much where the book ends. It was an annoying, and frustrating end: I hate it when the good guys get screwed over without any silver lining. But there was a rather prophetic moment in the book. Mike tells some of the local townspeople, “You know the story about Job? In the Bible? Well, here’s the part that never got written down. After the contest for Job’s soul is over and God wins, Job gets down on his knees and says, “Why did you do this to me, God? All my life, I worshiped You, but You destroyed my livestock, blighted my crops, killed my wife and my children, and gave me a hundred horrible diseases...all because You had a bet going with the devil? Well, okay... but what I want to know, Lord- all your humble servant wants to know is- Why me? So he waits, and just when he’s about made up his mind God isn’t going to answer, a thunderhead forms in the sky, and lightning flashes, and this voice calls down, “Job! I guess there’s just something about you that pisses me off!” 

Well, I guess there’s just something about Mike Anderson that pisses God off too. 

Overall, I thought the book was good. There were a few loose threads for me: what exactly IS Linoge? Is he a monster like Pennywise, or a villain like Leland Gaunt? Lots of fan sites claim he might be Randall Flagg. And what’s up with the word “Coratan?” That was never really teased out. I also feel like three quarters of the screen play was the lead up, the end felt kind of rushed and unsatisfying. But all in all, it was a quick, fun read. And now I need to watch the television series. 

Speaking of television series... there was a character I thought was named Fred Andrews... which made me sniffle, thinking of Luke Perry in Riverdale. 

You can imagine how dumb I felt when I realized his name was FERD and not Fred. Selective dyslexia strikes again. 

Total Wisconsin Mentions: 28

Total Dark Tower References: 39

Book Grade: B-

Rebecca’s Definitive Ranking of Stephen King Books

The Talisman: A+

Wizard and Glass: A+

Needful Things: A+

The Green Mile: A+

Rose Madder: A+

Misery: A+

Different Seasons: A+

It: A+

Four Past Midnight: A+

The Shining: A-

The Stand: A-

Bag of Bones: A-

The Wastelands: A-

The Drawing of the Three: A-

Dolores Claiborne: A-

Nightmares in the Sky: B+

The Dark Half: B+

Skeleton Crew: B+

The Dead Zone: B+

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: B+

‘Salem’s Lot: B+

Carrie: B+

Creepshow: B+

Storm of the Century: B-

Cycle of the Werewolf: B-

Danse Macabre: B-

The Running Man: C+

Thinner: C+

Dark Visions: C+

The Eyes of the Dragon: C+

The Long Walk: C+

The Gunslinger: C+

Pet Sematary: C+

Firestarter: C+

Rage: C

Desperation: C-

Insomnia: C-

Cujo: C-

Nightshift: C-

Gerald’s Game: D

Roadwork: D

Christine: D

The Tommyknockers: D-

Next up... ugh... I put it off long enough. It’s time to come back to the twisted world of the long-deceased Richard Bachman. It’s time for Regulators. Mount up!

Until next time, Long Days & Pleasant Nights,

Rebecca

[losangelesvalorant]

interesting things from tactical crouch’s interview w fusion assistant coach chrisTFer on 1/21

christfer talks abt hero bans, why fusion underperformed in s2, and why their roster is what it is. ill update this post w the youtube link once its out

On hero bans

Christfer thinks hero bans would change EVERYTHING, every team would have to be able to think on the fly, strong ingame leadership, makes coaches' jobs a lot harder, have to practice every hero on every map. you'd have to coach fundamentals into players a lot more and more focus on quickly IDing win conditions and the enemy gameplan. very seriously hopes they aren't gonna drop it this season

if the goal is to have genuine diversity in hero pool, bans is the way to achieve that, but christfer thinks itll fuck up the competitiveness, level of play will go down. but any aspect that helps spectators is better for league overall

volamel thinks hero bans will excite and drive the audience bc banning players specific heroes would be hype as fuck. lotta strategy, lots of analysis. however he's skeptical bc if it happens midseason it's gonna fuck over coaches

christfer thinks if theyre gonna do it they gotta do it today. there's no other good time

yiska thinks it would be bad to implement it midseason bc the # of games teams play across the season is sooo spread out. teams have different amts of games every month

on why fusion underperformed in s2

Internally, fusion was kinda "naive" coming into s2, thought they were the 2nd best team and acted as if they were 2nd best. rarely felt happiness after scrims bc theyre "supposed" to be winning all the scrims. losing scrims also was hugely negative for the same reason

smaller roster makes it harder to kick people into gear, so lack of motivation was a big thing. they were just waiting for goats to die

thought goats wouldnt continue into s2, stage 4 was where they finally got motivation, fusion never completely understood the goats style of play or the fundamentals goats taught teams, they lost games they shouldnt have as a result. Not one big issue, lots of small issues

fusion held themselves to such high expectations that when they failed them and weren't enjoying the game as much so morale fell. (paraphrased) "as long as my players enjoy playing the game, it makes my job easier"

Christfer says fusion changed a lot for playins, changed coaching structure, overwhelmingly positive result. best theyd looked all season

shanghai had very particular strengths on certain maps. fusion was winning brawl comps vs brawl comps. got nervous and dropped maps they were supposed to take, but theyd given away too many of "their" maps to be able to lose shanghai's maps. 

felt like they hit the ground running on playins, but other teams levelled up across playins and christfer believed other teams wouldve developed more than they would have

even if coaching wasnt problem if team is in a slump you need new coaches to re-fire everyone up, which is what happened w fusion. 

on carpe and sado

carpe was able to play heroes he excelled at in s1, in s2 zarya was entirely different in elements of what makes a player good at the hero. carpe holds himself to a very, very high standard and playing zarya killed his morale because he wasn't so good at it. christfer considers it a failing of himself as a coach that he didn't help carpe work through that more

nobody on the team is worried about carpe’s performance. Christfer confirmed carpe wont play if he isnt up to standard (in response to reddit worrying abt how long his contract is and how much sway he has over coaches)

christfer is very upset about how people treat sado. sado is the "single nicest person you will ever meet." every single player/coach had 1 on 1s with tucker, everyone said they wanted to keep playing with sado. yiska emphasized how important it is that every player on the team wanted to keep playing sado bc for example eqo and carpe want to win more than anything and if they thought sado was the problem they absolutely wouldve said so

Other teams came to fusion wanting to sign sado

christfer said sado wasnt the greatest main tank player last year, but playing rein in a "dysfunctional" team makes the rein player look bad. 

christfer thinks this is the "season of sado." has complete faith in him

the complaints abt sado’s rein "[he] can understand," says to remember sado had never played pro before s1. he doesn't have as much competitive exp which hits him hard but he's grown wildly in the last year. 

sado's ability to hit every halt at the right time is incredible. compares him to alarm in how good his instincts are. excellent player in a team environment, kinda a big brother to some of the players on the team, sado is very important to the team

christfer agrees that if meta shifts and sado is sick, theres a problem, but says this is not a problem unique to fusion

on fusion’s new acquisitions

heesu surprised christfer the most. he’s “very, very, very very, very good.” hungry to learn, easy to talk to, they got a very good deal and christfer is surprised more teams didn't try to get him

heesu has a lot of respect for carpe, heesu said its a + for him to work under carpe

theyre trying to scrim w heesu daily, sounds like they intend to play him if the opportunity presents itself. excellent signing theyre very happy abt

the point of the chipsa signing was that they didnt need a 5th dps, their lineup is already perfect, they had to find someone that "made sense" from many levels. wanted a specialist. Christfer thinks chipsa understands the raw mechanics of doom better than any owl players, thinks he could legit play in a doom meta. also thinks chipsa could teach eqo doom in a doom meta. chipsa provides advertisement, no need for scrimming with him. if the situation is right he can play and if he's not playing he provides income, publicity, etc. christfer again restated he was originally against the signing. when tucker explained why hed be signed, christfer came around to the idea

having 2 way players is a headache in christfers opinion, so that was another reason why they didnt pick up a contenders player instead of chipsa.

chipsa has not had a scrim yet because he’s not in philly bc visa stuff, but christfer did not clarify whether or not he will scrim. 

of all players signed, funnyastro was by far the most in demand. they had to fight for him, almost every team wanted him. he's a "sponge" where he remembers whatever coaches tell him, incredibly coachable, very mature for his age, needs to adjust his playstyle a bit to fit into the team (bc he's going for plays he shouldnt sometimes) but if they can "tune him back" a bit hes great. want to find a middle ground bc astro's ability to kill everything and doing his job (brought up moth as the "glue guy" who enables everyone by doing his job perfectly)

alarm has insane awareness, has natural affinity for positioning, understands ovw instinctively. zero attitude issues, the nicest/perfect teammate. "the whole package."

yiska said ivy has a "special type of character," quickly clarified that it’s not a “problematic” character, but needs a dif type of coaching (christfer agreed)

thinks things got difficult for ivy on toronto bc he was moving roles so much, kdg puts a lot of stock into him, a lot of kr players do too. people from toronto think ivy is insane mechanically. volamel thinks ivy should have been toronto's standout

fury wasnt signed bc of bad synergy btween sado and poko. poko wasnt the problem. fusion is very serious abt winning everything and fury is a statement of that intent. fury/poko cover every base

on new coaches

Christfer really respects seita and kdg, happy to have gotten them. has worked w both of them in the past, considers kdg similar to crusty. they signed kdg like the second he became available, christfer asked for him specifically. 

seita will stay remote 

yiska says mobydik is nuts in terms of game knowledge. Christfer agreed, says he thinks abt the game in a very unique way, outside of the box

misc

Fusion has a system where all 3 supports are rotating in the current meta. nobody is benched. had main support play bap originally when bootcamping, but theres places u can play 2 flex sups, so fusion has a lot of flexibility. who plays depends on situations where you can always play zen/bap vs where you might have to flex to lucio

Christfer thinks main sups doing calling/single caller system is a bit outdated and more of a western concept, trying to build comm system where everyone communicates, everyone calls their own ults. can have ingame leaders, but wants everyone to call what they need to call. in this meta everyone has to make the plays and call their own ults bc its split second and only the person w the ult can see the optimal situation

Christfer thinks the positions where you need stability in ovw is main tank and main support. subbing dps players in and out is fine but you need consistency at mt and ms. 

really really think they dont need to fill their last roster spot

Christfer calls this season a "rebuild season" for fusion. if they dont do well this year christfer thinks it would be the fault of the coaches. too much talent to fuck it up. 

not taking home a title is not exactly a failure, but anything within the top 4 fusion is happy with

[jojotichakorn]

so guess who watched 2moons2 and loved it despite thinking they would hate it for a very long time ? it’s me babeeey ! 

anyways , i know a good few people feel the same way i did about it , so i wanna make my case about why this version is actually as good as ( better than ? ) the og 2moons . 

before we start with the serious stuff , here’s an actual photo of me watching this series : 

now , ‘tis time - my huge ass review / not really review / thoughts on everything i’ve seen so far :

notes on the overall thoughts about the show and its vibe :

for the first time in forever a bl is actually not trying to stretch out for seasons knowing how unlikely it is for them to get a continuation ( *cough* the og 2moons but also lbc *cough* ) . with 2moons2 , they’re actually putting the whole story all in one , and you know what ? it’s better this way ! we somehow barely lose anything yet everything happens quicker and the pacing feels so much better . plus , it means we’re getting all the couples and all the best moments from the novel and don’t have to worry about anything ;

the overall script is better , which is why this version is better ( at least in that regard ) – i’m sorry , that’s just how it be . instead of simply translating whatever’s happening in the novel to screen – this version actually bends the story in ways that simply fit a show adaptation better . you can see that everyone involved actually gives a shit and that’s a nice change .

notes on the actors and the acting :

the actor who plays phana is actually really good and he manages to make pha an actually likable character, thanks to both the script and the acting itself – he sort of mixes pha’s obliviousness and initial indecisiveness with his general demeanor and makes all of it rather charming ;

the actor who plays yo is doing a good job , especially with the emotional scenes , though i would say to me personally he just doesn’t look “ cutesy “ enough – there was something that always picked bass apart from everyone else in the og show and i just don’t see enough of that here ;

ming still manages to have everything i’ve always loved about him and remains my favorite character even without kimmon’s face , so i suppose that’s both a testament to my being honest in who i like and unaffected by kimmon’s charms and the fact that the actor playing ming is fucking nailing it ;

kit was probably the one I was most nervous about ( and i’d say he’s generally a fan-favorite ) , but he ended up being really great as well . the thing i love the most about what the actor’s doing is probably all the subtle movements and glances he does - kit is a very reserved person , but he feels things deeply at the same time and that’s hard to show on screen , but the actor somehow manages to do it anyway ;

forth suffered the biggest change out of all of them , I think – he feels like way more of a bad boy here . if in the og 2moons we had forth that only looked like a bad boy , but was actually a known softy , here we seem to get a more popular trope of forth having an actual demeanor of a bad boy which has a lil’ heart of gold and a lot of kindness hidden behind . i’m not sure if it was the actor’s choice or if it was a collective decision and I’m not yet sure if I prefer it to the og version , but we’ll see . regardless , generally forth is amazing too ;

can’t say much about the actor who plays beam just yet , because we haven’t seen too much of him , but he’s slowly starting to shine through and we’re actually getting forthbeam this week , so he’s going to show himself in his full glory there - from what i’ve seen of him so far , i’m sure he’s gonna be awesome too .

notes on the characters and characterization :

there is suddenly a lot of character to phana and you actually start liking the guy , despite some things he does , and I think it’s a very collective effort – starting from the fact that we have an actual actor playing the character now ( instead of a clown ) and ending with how much the script tries to introduce him in a very different way as opposed to the og series ;

speaking of how different they introduce phana - the way they gradually introduced his pov is fucking fantastic . we start with them already dropping hints here and there in the first episode and the farther we go , the more we see of pha’s real self and his true feelings . I feel like that’s a significantly better decision than hiding his true intentions from us for almost the entirety of the show , making us think he’s a complete asshole and then doing a very obvious 180 which just dumps all of phana’s pov on our heads pretty much out of nowhere ;

ming provides most of the comedic elements in the show ( the ones that are actually funny that is ) – his facial expressions whenever anything phayo related happens are worth all the praise and he’s generally exactly the kind of life of the party that he’s supposed to be ;

because of quicker pacing and better writing , beam ends up being a far more fleshed out character from the start and I appreciate it . he’s less phana’s friend and more his own character now and it’s great .

notes on the couples and the romance :

the kisses are good . period . that’s all I have to say . they’re all fucking great . good job y’all , you really went through with that one ;

phayo are no longer boring and dragged out . they’re actually fucking cute and I enjoy their scenes instead of sitting there thinking “ where iss mingkiiit “ ;

as much as it pains me to say it ( and we all know how much I love kimmon and copgi ) but the contrast between mingkit in the new version is more loyal to the novel – ming is a tad bigger and generally more masc than kit and that’s how it was supposed to be .

notes on little details i couldn’t help but notice :

tiny nods to future couples are all over the place from the very beginning , which I appreciate – it’s not that they explicitly state anything , it’s just nice to hear forth briefly asking whether beam is gonna be at the party or to see kit lowkey staring at ming for a bit ;

the first scene with yo and forth is ten times better , in my personal opinion – it feels a tad more realistic and is just short enough to make sense ;

the first scene with kit and yo is a bit better too – there’s just something about them slowly recognizing each other that seems more convincing , like i can actually imagine it happening ;

all the “ omg you got way hotter !! “ moments always bothered me so much because … who fucking talks like that ? in this version , they’ve replaced it with a more tame “ you are so grown up and look so different now “ sort of thing , which is way more believable  ( especially for someone who hadn’t seen their friend for a year and then almost died after seeing him again , because puberty hit him like a fucking train on full speed and he got way different - it happens y’all , saw it with my own two eyes ) ;

they gave forth an actual motorcycle ! and he uses it ! all the time !

pha smiling whenever yo calls for him but changing his expression as soon as he turns around to actually look at him is just one of those super nice touches that shows this version as being more careful and caring with its characters and the plot ;

there’s actual fucking symbolism in this thing ? which is ? wow . the entire dance around the meal mingkit had on their “ date “ after ming won the competition and became the moon was 110% representative of what both of them felt towards each other ( and I mean every little gesture , every word – all of it ) and it’s fucking beautiful ;

small details of the show are mostly good – it doesn’t really matter much , but when you see someone opening their phone and looking through their recent calls , it always takes you out of the show to just see a bunch of generic names listed or – gods forbid – nothing at all . 2moons2 doesn’t have that problem and it’s a nice change .

notes on some not-so-good and not-very-good things ( in my personal opinion , of course ) :

in the best traditions of the og 2moons and the entire bl genre , there is enough problematic moments for us all to collectively sigh and roll our eyes – not necessarily a complaint towards 2moons2 itself , just kinda sad it couldn’t do better already knowing what a lot of people didn’t like ;

 the zoom-ins are a very interesting artistic choice , but as a person who perhaps watched too many soaps in their life , I’m kind of used to it ( besides anything that can remind me of toris is hands down a good thing ) ;

yo talks way too slowly – I understand he’s a super shy character but for fuck’s sake just the pauses between each pair of words he makes take up half the episode and it can get real annoying real fast ;

all product placement aside , the kitkat moments in the og 2moons were always the cutest and ming saying “ i love kitkat “ while eating the chocolate bar and staring at kit was always an iconic moment and one of my personal favorites across all bls so it’s kind of sad to see that entire lil’ quirk to be completely gone from the show and the boys’ dynamic ;

the entire phayo reconciliation scene seems confusing and way too rushed for me - i immediately started filling in the blanks with what i know from the og 2moons and that’s just not something that’s supposed to happen , especially with such a substantial scene ;

way too much of that usual “ lady gang “ we see in so many bls which is a shitty trope , as well as a girl who stalks the gay couple ‘cause she has nothing better to do - we all fucking hate those in the first place , but especially when there’s too much of them . i’d rather see another mingkit scene , thank you very much .

this is long enough already , so i’m gonna go ahead and wrap it up . i was being as honest as i could in all accounts and though there is some things i don’t like about this version too - in general , as well as in comparison to the previous one , i think it wins with very little doubt . and i certainly recommend everyone who was putting it off to watch it , because it’s absolutely worth it . it’s seriously very good , i pinky promise !

[shoujocentral]

Symphogear S1- Now this is MY kind of anime!

Every once and awhile when I'd log onto Twitter, I'd see people saying "watch Symphogear" accompanied by images from the show. From looking at the pictures, I assumed it was just another magical girl show like Precure but with less magic and more... techno. Oh, and apparently they sing while they fight? Sounds kinda dumb...

Buuuut... I have heard that there's some yuri content? Maybe I'll give it a try. I mean, I'm always open to watching new stuff, even if it's just a silly little kid's show 😅

😳

Well........ color me hooked.

I have to say, this show is not at all what I was expecting in the best possible way. It feels a lot more like a Shounen action show along the lines of Fullmetal Alchemist or Neon Genesis Evangelion than a Magical Girl show (if that's even what it's supposed to be). Today, I'm going to be giving my first impressions of Senki Zesshou Symphogear season 1, which will be spoiler free for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

Plot:

So what is Senki Zesshou Symphogear about?

In the not too distant future (next Sunday A.D.), Japan is under attack by monsters known as Noises, the likes of which cannot be killed by military weapons. The only thing that can kill them are girls clad in weaponized armor known as Gears, which is activated and powered by singing catchy techno-pop music.

One day, a girl named Hibiki Tachibana is caught in the middle of a battle, and one of the Gear users, Kanade Amou, sacrifices herself to save her. Two years later, Hibiki discovers that a piece of Kanade's Gear was embedded in her chest during the fight, giving her access to the Gear's powers. Hibiki is recruited by the Disaster Relief Squadron, the organization that created the Gears, to help defend Japan from the Noises.

However, Kanade's former girlfriend partner, Tsubasa Kazanari, sees Hibiki as nothing more than an obnoxious, naive girl trying to be Kanade's replacement. Will the two learn to work together, defeat the Noises, and possibly uncover a deeper plot to all the attacks?

Symphogear's plot might not be the most original thing ever; evil monsters attack, teenage girls transform into superpowered warriors to fight them, evil mastermind tries to take over the world, etc. But what makes this story stand out is it's unique approach to the fights. Having the Gears be powered by music, resulting in every fight being accompanied by a song, is either a genius way to amplify the fights, or a genius way for the producers to sell a techno soundtrack.

I was worried that the constant use of insert songs would become repetitive and annoying, but on the contrary, they heightened my enjoyment! The fights in Symphogear are easily my favorite part of the show: fast-paced, badass powers, lots of screaming, and downright brutal at times! Hibiki has officially joined the ranks of my all-time favorite battle cries, right up there with Goku from DBZ and Souma from Kannazuki no Miko.

If there was one thing I had to nitpick, it would be that most of the fights take away the credibility of the Noises. They're supposed to be this terrifying threat to Japan that can't be harmed by the military, but as soon as the Gear wielders show up, they're reduced to nothing more than cannon fodder as Hibiki and her comrades seem to waltz through them without breaking a sweat.

Thankfully, the versus matches between Gear wielders are much more balanced. My favorite has to be Hibiki vs Chris (see above), but then again, any fight with Chris is an absolute win!

Characters:

Hibiki Tachibana

Hibiki is your typical genki girl protagonist: optimistic, hyperactive, naive, and pure. What makes her a more compelling hero, however, is her slow growth into becoming a strong Gear wielder. Unlike most magical girl protagonists, who seem to master their powers after one line of "EH?! What just happened to me?!", Hibiki takes time to learn how to fight. She starts out with the mindset that she has to be Kanade's replacement and thus tries to fight just like her. However, she eventually comes to invent her own battle tactics that work much more in her favor. Mainly, punching the everloving shit out of everything in sight.

Hibiki is, in my opinion, a flat character done right. She doesn't go through any personal growth or development throughout the show (learning to fight doesn't count), but her belief that all humans can get along if they communicate and desire to protect people just because she wants to is the cause for most of the change in the people around her. The world is in a dark place, and Hibiki is the light. She doesn't need to change, because she's exactly what the world needs.

Tsubasa Kazanari

From what I've learned, Tsubasa is a favorite amongst Symphogear fans. Me personally, though, I have a few issues with her character. Now, I have nothing against brooding, damaged characters. In fact, Tsubasa's recovery from Kanade's death and learning to cherish her own life was incredibly engaging... for the most part. Sorry, but I can only take so much edge. Her constant repitition of "I am a sword, I exist only to fight" grew old after the first 10 or so times.

Also, while I love her overall development, I feel that her acceptance of Hibiki was a little rushed. For the first four episodes, she hates Hibiki for carrying Kanade's Gear to the point where she tries to fight her to the death. Then, after another fight sends her into a coma, she has a (extremely gay) hallucination of Kanade telling her to get over herself. Next episode, she's treating Hibiki as if they've been friends the whole time. Did I miss something? Did Hibiki even apologize for saying she wanted to replace Kanade? Did Tsubasa apologize for trying to shishkabob her?!

Development aside, her fighting style is awesome and unique, and leads to the best choreography in the show. Hopefully as I watch more seasons, my opinion of her will improve.

Chris Yukine

Best Girl. No questions. Anyone who disagrees is wrong. Deal with it.

Jokes aside, Chris is my favorite character of the show bar none. Maybe I just have a weakness for evil-turned-good characters, but I adored her "don't take no shit from nobody" attitude and her soft side emerging as the show progressed. And let me tell you, Tsubasa would have no right to brood if she knew what Chris went through as a child. I won't give anything away, but just a few brief images and harsh words were enough get the picture across and tug at my heartstrings.

She also had my favorite Gear and fighting style in the show. If there's one thing that always gets my blood pumping, it's gatling guns and an endless supply of missiles. Seriously, I could watch this girl fight for hours.

Kanade Amou

A moment of silence, ladies and gentlemen.

......

Kanade would be my favorite character if we had gotten more of her. But alas, she has to die in the very first episode. DAMN YOU, PLOT!!!

Even though we get very little of Kanade, she makes it her mission to leave a lasting impression. Her sacrifice at the beginning sets the tone for the rest of the show, and her flashback is the best of the bunch. I got hard chills when she transformed for the first time. Let's just say she's psychotic in all the right ways.

Kanade died for our sins. Remember that... 🙏

Finé

Our main villain of the show. That's it. There's really nothing much else to her. She's cruel, manipulative, and powerful beyond belief, as most big bosses of these kinds of shows are. She was honestly my least favorite part of the show.

Fine's motivation is incredibly confusing on first watch. I had to go back to pause and read the subtitles multiple times to understand her backstory, but maybe that's my fault for being a slow reader. On the other hand, the explanation as to who she is and why she's so powerful comes right out of nowhere and doesn't seem to connect to anything the story had been building up to that point. Also, by the time I understood her motivation and actually found it a little intriguing, she dropped the dreaded "I'm going to take over the world" line. Aaaaand.... all my interest just went out the window.

There is a twist involving her connection to a certain other character in the show that I genuinely didn't see coming, but in the end, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for her shortcomings.

Miku Kohinata

God bless this little angel. Miku is a precious cinnamon roll who must be protected at all costs. Thankfully, Hibiki's got it covered 👍

Words cannot express how much I love this girl. She may be only a supporting role for the time being, but good lord, does she support! It always broke my heart whenever she tried to spend time with Hibiki or talk to her, but the Disaster Relief Squad kept pulling them apart. I know DRS is classified, but Miku deserves better than to have secrets kept from her! Life sucks when your girlfriend best friend is a superhero...

Well, that was a mouthful. There's a lot more characters in this show, but I don't really have much to say about them. However, while we're on the subject of Miku, let's move on to the reason I checked this show out in the first place, and the reason I'm sure most of you read my stuff.

Yuri:

No sooner did I finish this show did I start looking up HibiMiku fanart 😍

I was expecting a fair dosage of yuribait going into Symphogear, but mother of all that is gay, did I get an overdose!

First and foremost, the main ship: HibiMiku. These two are dating. Nothing anyone says will change my mind. They compliment each other perfectly, with Hibiki's energy and Miku's sweetness... HHNNNGGH! IT'S TOO PRECIOUS! I sincerely hope these two get more time together in the next few seasons. Now if only they'd stop with the damn F word...... 😡

Next up, TsubaKana. This one seems more like it was one-sided feelings on Tsubasa's part, judging by how dedicated Kanade was to fighting the Noise. Regardless, you don't just lose all sense of your humanity and self-worth after your "partner" dies. And all that hardcore blushing in the flashbacks and naked cuddling dream sequences... nah, Tsubasa was hella hot for Kanade. Sadly, our lord and savior was taken from Ms. Brooding too soon.

Finally, there's Ryoko Sakurai, the DRS's head scientist. She was initially hinted to be gay, what with her being all too eager to have Hibiki undress and wanting to "pop her cherry" (yes, an adult said that to a 15 year-old). However, after a certain conversation occurred, it seemed more like she was straight or at least bisexual, if all that dirty talk wasn't just teasing.

I've heard future seasons introduce more potential couples, so I'm keeping my eyes open and my yuri goggles on tight 😋

Conclusion:

I enjoyed the first season of Senki Zesshou Symphogear through and through. As someone who enjoyed Akanesasu Shoujo and Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka, I have a soft spot for shows about badass girls kicking monster ass and unleashing their inner yuri. Overall though, I think Symphogear might be my favorite of the bunch so far. It has its fair share of flaws, sure, but I think its positives outweigh the negatives by a long shot. If I got this much enjoyment out of the first season, I cannot wait to see what the following seasons have to offer!

Symphogear delivers a fun, action-packed story with colorful characters, kickass fight scenes, head-banging music and plenty of yuri content. Anyone who loves Magical Girls or Shounen battle shows needs to check it out!

Rating: 8/10

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go binge Symphogear G. See you next time, my fellow yuri lovers!

[wessonba]

First, let me say that 5.01 “The Fiery Cross” was a masterful mix of old and new.  It was recognizably based on the book but told with enough new and yet plausible surprises to keep me glued to my screen. It totally could have happened that way.  And, although I love Diana Gabaldon, and her gathering, I’m relieved they didn’t feel the need to replicate it in this episode. Instead, they gave us the wedding of Roger and Bree. It was a wonderful and joyous reunion filled with the people I have missed during this long drought.  As each face was shown on the screen, I found myself smiling somewhat tearfully.  I really do love this story and these characters.

As usual, when I sit down to write after an episode, a blow by blow recap of what happened isn’t on my mind.  There are lots of talented bloggers out there who do a great job looking at EVERTHING! I admire their ability to do so, but that just isn’t how my brain works.  I find myself thinking about one or two things that stood out for me or an overall mood or theme for each episode.  This week I couldn’t stop thinking about Jamie.  The Jamie I saw on my screen this week was the charming, complicated, yet simple man I have been longing to see.  As he stood before Claire wearing his plaid and his father’s coat, it felt like he had finally come into his own; laird, proud Scot, husband, father, grandfather.  He is a man and “that is no small thing”.  His tear-filled eyes throughout this episode revealed his soul and I found myself proud to “know” such a man.

Jamie and Bree

Matt Roberts writes with such love for this story and its characters.  He holds all the previous episodes in mind when he creates and tends to the small and endearing details.  In this episode, he called us back to the three conditions Jamie made when he agrees to marry Claire; a dress, a priest, and a ring.   We are treated to Jamie trying his best to make sure his daughter’s wedding day is the best he can make it, just like he tried for her mother. I was charmed by Jamie making sure Bree had her “modern” wedding tradition of something old, something new (fairly raw whiskey, ouch), something borrowed and something blue and even a sixpence for her shoe. His obvious fatherly concern is compounded by the fact that their relationship is still so new.  He just got her back and now he has to give her away.

As he turns the corner and sees Bree in her wedding dress, you can chase the emotions across his face; awe, pride, gratefulness, and finally a need to hold it all in check for this beloved and found daughter.  He could never have dreamed of placing his mother’s pearls on his daughter’s neck. He is able to pass on a family heirloom to his own flesh and blood. She is his blessing.  She is the embodiment of the fact that his sacrifices were not in vain.  He is moved to tears by her confession that she needs him and will always be his wee girl and the gift of her knowing and repeating the Fraser clan motto, “Je Suis Prest”.

Jamie and Claire

Throughout the episode, we are reminded of Jamie and Claire’s deep, passionate, and abiding love for one another.  The looks that pass between each, the unspoken language of couples who are so close they know what the other thinks and feels, added so much to this episode. Once again, the writers or actors took care to be consistent in how this couple interacts with each other like the “let’s do this” nod when Jamie goes off to do something dangerous.  But, Lord the looks between Jamie and Claire at the wedding.  He looks around at all he has wrought, the family he is surrounded by, and then back to Claire. Who knows.  He is overwhelmed by all he has that he thought he had lost forever.  He is a laird, a father, a…husband.  I am constantly reminded of all they had been denied and wonder if Jamie feels like Job who was blessed in his latter days and given twice as much as had been taken from him.

Jamie and the Governor

I teach literature. When I help students analyze Shakespeare, we talk about foils.  Governor Tyron was perfectly menacing and a perfect foil for Jamie. You couldn’t help but compare the two.  Their motivations, their values, couldn’t be more opposite.  The Governor has the care of a land and its people.  Jamie has the care of a land and its people. The Governor is motivated by power and his own importance.  Murtaugh has made him look a fool and must be punished publicly to restore Tyron’s pride and preserve the perception of his power.  Jamie is motivated by love, honor, and duty.  The knowledge of the future lays heavy on him.  He knows who wins the war, but first, you must survive the battle.  Instinctively he knows the best way to protect his men and their families is to assure their loyalty to him.  He creates a clan from the remnants of their memories and Scottish pride.  When he called Roger “the son of my house” and Fergus “the son of his heart”, he gave them a public affirmation of his acceptance and his love. Pledging their loyalty to him on bended knee with holy iron was one of the most moving callbacks of the whole series.  I loved Roger’s initial confusion then Jamie’s surprise as the scholar moved from academic to real with alacrity.

Jamie and Murtagh

We began and ended the episode with these two.  Murtagh pledges an oath to Jamie, a promise he gave his mother to always follow him and have his back.  He gently reaches out and takes wee Jamie’s hand in reassurance. Men in this time are definitely defined by their word and once given it is a serious and binding commitment. Murtagh pledged his life to Jamie.  We have seen him keep that oath.  We saw Jamie’s joy at being reunited with his godfather last season. However, the real depth of feeling Jamie has for Murtagh could only be guessed at… until this moment.  How much that oath meant to Jamie and his love for his godfather was revealed in this final scene. To save him, Jamie must release Murtagh from his oath and send him away.   In true Jamie and Murtagh fashion, no gushy words are spoken in their final goodbye. Jamie is tearful when he tells him to go and attempts to smile as he tells him to make himself scarce.  Murtagh’s response is to gently reach out and touch Jamie reassuringly, thinking first of Jamie’s feelings and needs always.  He leaves and Jamie then collapses in grief emitting gut-wrenching sobs. I think having loved and lost is painful, but to gain that love back and have to let it go again is unbearable.  Jamie is feeling fear as he never has before and that is saying a lot.  He has a lot to lose and will fight to the death to preserve all that he loves.

This episode and Jamie’s tears caused me to reflect on my own life. I thought of how much more easily my husband and I are moved to tears.  I believe, like Jamie, our age is a factor.  We have a lifetime of painful memories and struggles, things that we have overcome to get where we are now.  And, I often find I am now moved to tears by the simplest of things like watching our youngest granddaughters ride a pony or their obvious pride in catching a fish all by themselves, or watching the teens in all of their various sports and activities.or their inexplicable joy in a pair of gifted footed pajamas!  Sometimes watching the looks of pride on our own children’s faces as they look upon their children moves me to tears and I will look at my husband and find that he too is tearful. Like Jamie and Claire, understanding, gratitude, and love will wordlessly pass between us and end in a brief kiss and a tremulous smile.

      ≈

The Jamie of the Ridge … a reflection on Outlander 5.01 “The Fiery Cross” First, let me say that 5.01 "The Fiery Cross" was a masterful mix of old and new. 

[crystalelemental]

I have finally, finally beaten Binding Blade.  Now I don’t have to be like “So I’ve never beaten this game” when I +10 all of the common units from this game.

Further explanation of thoughts below the cut, but succinct summary is this: WHO THE FUCK MAKES A FOG OF WAR DESERT CHAPTER?!

I feel like I need to bitch about gameplay first.  Because the game is...really hard.  Like, holy hell.  Enemies in general feel like a big threat, and reinforcements are just vile in this game.  They all move on the same turn they spawn in, and have this tendency to spawn in right next to your units, or right behind you, and just annihilate your frail mages and poor Merlinus.  It’s outright nasty how bad reinforcements are.  Like, that fog of war desert chapter?  You start in the middle of the desert, right?  And you have to beat this map in like 20 turns to get the legendary weapon, right?  And, being a desert map from the GBA era, there’s hidden stuff in the sands, right?  So there’s one behind you?  So you send a few units off that way to collect things, and suddenly there’s like 50 bandits swarming in, and your units are completely blasted into powder.  It’s unreal how intense reinforcements are in this game.

To add insult to injury, Berserk staves.  Berserk staves everywhere.  I want to say the first one appears in like Chapter 16, and after that there’s one in just about every single chapter.  Restore Staves are supremely necessary, and having a mounted healer is outright required, I feel like.  You need to get to the unit that gets hit by this quick.  So of course, even later chapters have your army divided into parts, and will just aim at the part where you can’t get a Restore staff.

Oh, and let’s not forget: units in this game all feel like they suck.  Like, almost every new recruit starts at level 1, no matter how far along you are.  So you might think, hey, I just got General Cecilia, and this cool Shaman character, Sophia.  They must be good!  Oh wait, Sophia is level 1, and Cecilia’s got like 11 base magic as a pre-promote.  Oops.  So many of them are like this!  I just don’t understand why new recruit levels were set so painfully low, especially considering this includes favorites of mine like Sophia and Lilina.  At least Lilina gets to be good by the end of this!

If you can handle the gameplay aspect...this game’s really good otherwise.  I will admit, the first...half to two thirds of the game can feel a bit...I don’t want to say irrelevant, but definitely not as critical.  It’s a lot of Roy having to go around to different nations seeking support, and in every territory finding people divided and fighting amongst each other for power during the war.  People will sell out their own countries and allies to get ahead in Bern’s new regime, and it leads to some pretty awful events on the whole.  As you go, you gather the legendary weapons scattered around the world, which have been sealed away so others can’t obtain them.  Initially, there doesn’t seem to be a great reason to seek them out, but eventually you learn that Bern does, in fact, have Dragons fighting for them, and suddenly having weapons that can beat Dragons seems really important.

But once you hit Bern, especially once you meet Zephiel, things really take off.  After seeing how divided the world is, and how self-serving people are across the continent...Zephiel’s motivations start to make sense.  Guinevere explains how his father was a complete bastard who openly tried to kill him, solely out of jealousy and spite.  From this upbringing, Zephiel learned that people are twisted by negative emotions and the pursuit of their own gain.  He resurrected the Dark Dragon to put an end to humanity’s reign, knowing that humans are far too corrupt to be allowed to rule.  And it’s like...man, I’ve seen the evidence that you’re not wrong here.  A lot of power structures in Elibe wound up being highly corrupt and shitty, and your stance that humans cannot be trusted to rule isn’t exactly unfounded in the face of how this all went.

But...well, the Dragons aren’t much better.  When you meet Yahn, you get a sense that the dragons are just unrelenting bastards.  When they were losing the war against humans, they captured a Divine Dragon, and attempted to get them to create War Dragons for them to use against humans.  Idunn was that Divine Dragon.  She hesitated, feeling pity for the earthly dragons that were getting their asses kicked, and the earthly dragons responded by capturing her, and demanding War Dragons.  She refused.  She felt pity, but didn’t want to go against the laws of nature the divine dragons followed.  So, they basically broke her soul, and turned her into a puppet to only obey commands of their leader, and forced her to spawn War Dragons to turn the tables.  The dragons actually started to win after this, but then humans made the legendary weapons, identified the Dark Dragon within the temple, and made a full-on charge to take down the source.  The clash resulted in a huge distortion of nature that threw seasons out of balance, and fucked up all sorts of equilibrium.  The dragons, unable to hold their forms in this new environment, had to shift into their human forms, and stored power in the dragonstones.  The humans saw their opportunity and got straight to killing.  The dragons lost outright.  When the humans then pressed onward to take out the Dark Dragon...they found a lone girl sitting there, staring into space, unaware of the situation around her.  The humans hesitated, but ultimately engaged to prevent her from creating more War Dragons.  When she fell, their leader, Hartmut, wasn’t able to bring himself to kill the girl, and instead sealed her away, using the Fire Emblem and the Sword of Seals, and building his kingdom around the temple where the dragon lay dormant.  Until Zephiel awakened her.

It’s so good.  Like, this is such a good history and narrative, and it ties in so well with Blazing Blade.  Like, now we know why Ninian and Nils talked about how the human world is distorted and they can’t live long lives as dragons there.  The creation of War Dragons is pretty much exactly what Nergal did with Morphs, and the suggestion that all divine dragons had this ability does tie in nicely with the idea that Nergal was able to learn it from the dragons in Arcadia.  Fae and that elderly dragon at the end of the game suggest that all the Arcadian dragons are the divine dragons, who abandoned the earthly dragons during the war.  The only thing that is a little confusing is...the legendary weapons.  Athos broke seals to get ahold of them, knowing full well that the last time they clashed with dragons, it fucked up just about everything on earth.  Why did he agree to this?  Like, that arrangement was made before he knew Nergal was becoming invincible, and before dragons were out in the world.  Kinda seems like a bad idea, really.

As far as characters go, I’m sure no one is surprised to know I love Idunn.  That backstory is A+.  I actually wound up liking Lilina a lot, too?  Like, of course she’s good, but the few interactions I got with her are solid, mostly in who she recruits and how.  She’s empathic and understanding, able to see the good in people, but at the same time she’s willing to stand firm against someone in the wrong.  Even if she recognizes that people would turn to looting when the nobility isn’t doing their job, she’s not about to just accept that as justification for their actions, and is more than willing to stand firm against them.  She’s great.  Obviously, I like Sophia and Cecilia a lot, too.  Thea is fantastic, and Clarine is a ton of fun too.  Still, I’d want to read through all the supports to really get a feel for everyone before I could talk about more specifics.

Overall, I’d say Binding Blade is one of the best in terms of narrative, but...really not my favorite in terms of gameplay.  I don’t know if I’ll replay it.  The time constraints for the legendary weapons, the super unfair reinforcements, and the absolute nonsense of status staves being omnipresent starting in the final third of the game...it’s really stressful.  I’d definitely recommend it as something to pick up, but like...only if you’re really confident in your abilities, and really ready to play it.  Otherwise, walkthroughs are fine.

[lxirandall58554-blog]

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